Chapter 2- Getting to Know You Again
Of course she would be in the library. He should have looked there first. Not that he was looking for Hermione Granger, Draco told himself firmly. He was just wandering around a bit and was merely curious that he hadn't run into Granger sooner. She hadn't been in her room, the nursery, the sitting room, or the kitchen, which Draco might have happened to wander past first. He found her curled up in his own favorite arm chair with Rose in one arm and a heavy book in her lap, turning a page carefully with her free hand. Draco smiled indulgently before he wiped it from his face and cleared his throat softly.
Hermione looked like she would jump out of her seat. Perhaps she would have if she hadn't still been conscious of her small daughter and the old-looking book in her lap. A nervous looking smile spread across her face.
"I hope you don't mind. You have a very lovely library. I can assure you that I was being very careful. And Rose isn't touching any of them. But of course, I won't read them if it bothers you," the Gryffindor bookworm said, though she didn't look happy about the prospect.
"What are you reading?" Draco asked casually, not responding to her unasked question.
Granger seemed surprised by the question, but she quickly looked excited to talk about whatever she had been reading. It made sense, Draco admitted. She wasn't likely to have very often had someone decent to talk to. She had never mixed in intellectual circles, to say the least. Though Draco couldn't really accuse her, since his school companions had been significantly more impared than the Gryffindor lot, even Longbottom, though Draco would never go as far as to admit that last fact.
Hermione bubbled a reply as Draco tore himself from his thoughts, "I've skimmed through several books on charms, though I'd like to get a better look later, if you let me. I'm working on my mastery right now. Mostly through correspondence at the moment, but that's okay," she said, looking down at Rose. "I would also love to look at your law books, if you don't mind," Hermione prompted.
Draco waved a hand and nodded.
"Does that mean you trust me with your books?" Hermione asked.
Draco couldn't help but give a little smirk, "I don't believe there is a person in the world more trustworthy with books. I'm not sure there was anything on this earth that you loved more until Rose."
Hermione smiled, but with a sad look. Draco was instantly cursing himself, wondering what oversight he had made. It had actually been intended as some form of compliment, though he wasn't sure what had possessed him to attempt any such a thing anyway.
"I was always a daddy's girl," Hermione spoke softly. Draco hardly even thought of her as 'Granger' anymore, though he tried to remind himself frequently that they weren't friends or anything of the sort.
Damn. He hadn't expected that. What kind of person just started spouting out their soul after a harmless statement, a non-negative statement even? Okay, so perhaps it wasn't actually much of a compliment, but it was at least a neutral statement, right? For such a bookworm. Draco certainly wasn't equipped to deal with anyone else's dysfunctional family issues. Not that Hermione's- Granger's- problems would be his problems anyway. Still, he told himself that he shouldn't be a total arse about it after the lead in that she gave him.
"Where- are you parents?" Draco asked finally, attempting to be delicate. He hadn't heard about them being killed in the war, and Draco felt sure that he would have at one memorial or another. Draco and his mother had been to most of them, in an attempt to appear caring, if often for no other reason. There was only the one memorial that Draco went to other than for publicity or guilt, that of Severus Snape. However, the Malfoy name was in gentle balance, and any positive exposure had been necessary.
"I'm not sure really," Hermione said, surprising Draco. Of all things, he hadn't expected that. "I sent them away you know, before we went off horcrux hunting. I wiped their memories and put in new ones. So they'd be happy while I was gone and okay if I- didn't come back. But it isn't supposed to be forever, just needing some reversal work," she said quickly. "I researched a lot before doing anything, of course, and I even talked through a lot of the theory with Professor Flitwick, without giving him any reasons to be too suspicious," she said, breathing deeply. "I made sure they knew that they had to leave their house. I made them think that it was their dream to go to Australia, but I didn't want to know exactly where they were going. It was safer that way. That way even if I was captured, they couldn't be found and used against me," Hermione said in a rush. "But I don't even know for sure if they even went to Australia or where they might be now. I didn't really think it through completely, I guess, but there was so much going on, and I just wanted them safe," the young woman spoke, increasingly upset and defensive of her rather impressive actions.
The witch breathed deeply, and Draco tried to give her a moment to collect herself. It was certainly a Gryffindor plan on her part, but he supposed it could have turned out worse. They probably weren't dead, and that was likely more than could have been said of them if Hermione hadn't taken any action. That year had been pure madness- so insane that even at the time, Draco Malfoy even knew that it was terrible. Muggleborns were being hunted, and muggles were thought of as even worse.
Hermione spoke on tirelessly, though she looked like she was losing a battle with her eyes to stop the tears, "And then for a while I wasn't sure when everything was calm enough to find them, but really I think I didn't want to admit that I didn't even know where to start. I went on a trip about a year ago, but I couldn't make any tracing spells work. I think their former belongings that I used in the spells didn't register as theirs anymore, and those type of spells are always spotty at best anyway. Kingsley contacted some Ministry officials in Austrailia, but so far there have been no leads," Hermione said with a tone of finality.
"Sorry," Draco muttered, unsure of what else to say in such an emotional setting.
"Where are your parents?" Hermione asked quietly, startling Draco out of his thoughts.
"France ," Draco replied, a bit more sharply than he intended. "The family has two estates there actually. Having some spare old houses is not uncommon for traditional families dwindling in size over the generations. Father is not allowed back into the country here for a few more years, per the- agreement- that was reached when he was not forced to go to Azkaban." Draco was actually surprised that Hermione had not already known that. Golden Boy Potter testified at the hearing himself after all. Always the bloody hero, not that Draco actually minded too much in that case. Family first and grudges second.
"Oh," Hermione, replied, strangely seeming to be at a loss for words.
Draco meandered off away from the library after a few moments of silence, thinking about any contacts he might be able to reach in Australia. He could probably swipe some hair from her brush or something later, which wouldn't be difficult with her mane. Not that he needed to do anything or that he ever would. It wasn't his problem after all. Someone else would help the Golden Gryffindor Girl out, surely?
*****Draco*****
Days passed with Hermione still at Malfoy Manor, seemingly happily. Rose was growing quickly and seemed quiet enough for a baby, sleeping more than half the day. Perhaps she was just under the impression that she was supposed to be nocturnal.
Draco left Hermione alone for the most part, but he did observe her rapidly settling into the manor as if it were her own. Draco didn't comment on any of her actions until he walked into the library one day and saw Rose evidently asleep in his chair and her mother standing on another chair to rearrange books in his library. His first reaction was to not care what she did with the books, before the slightly possessive Slytherin voice took over to remind him that this witch was rifling through Malfoy family books.
Rather than address the current issue of slight posessiveness, Draco blurted a question that had been bothering him for a while, even though he knew that he had no right to ask, "What happened with you and Weasel?" Draco asked boldly.
Hermione seemed in a good mood and unbothered by the question. She also didn't stop moving his books. "It was pretty mutual, I think. I stopped watching him, and he may have glanced at a few other women. I mean, not that he would cheat, but we just weren't anything together anymore. I know it doesn't seem like a very good reason when we made wedding vows. We should never have been married in the first place, to be honest. We just weren't ready. He was still eighteen, you know. I was barely nineteen. It was such a rush that the papers said I must have been pregnant. I wasn't, of course. We never really even got to have real childhoods before we were suddenly adults, thinking about finishing school or starting careers." Hermione sighed and looked over at her now slightly squirming daughter. "I think we became a couple halfway because everyone expected us to," Hermione stated, looking up at Draco as if seeking understanding. Draco graced her with a grudging nod. He of all people could understand bending to expectations, especially of those close to him.
"I can't really blame him much. I'm probably far worse in the long run. We split up just as I was finding out about Rose, and I wanted to make sure that the divorce still happened. I didn't even tell him for a few weeks. He handed over custody willingly; he knew he wasn't ready even if I was stupid enough to think that I was. But I talked him out of all of his parental rights as well. I convinced him to just sign them all away. I didn't even have the courage to tell the rest of the family about all of that. I haven't seen them in months even though Harry and Ginny send me letters often more than once a week. I don't know what they even manage to write about, because I can't make myself read half of them. I need everything separate though. According to the law, Rose is no more a Weasley than you are. I know that Ron might grow up more in a year or two and regret it. I think he will, honestly, but I won't let him have her," Hermione said, glancing toward the chair again that held her small child. Draco walked over and picked Rose up, before the little girl managed to squirm her way into falling off the chair. The movement also bought him some time to attempt to respond.
Draco rummaged through his brain for something that was perhaps not too insulting to Weasley, but certainly not defending him. Hermione still seemed to hope to be the Weasel's friend again or something. Not that Draco Malfoy would care. Draco thought through this mental filter, wondering also what made him care about what the Gryffindor Princess thought. Perhaps his life would have been better though if he had learned years earlier to think before he spoke. "Well, you can't grow old waiting for something than might never even happen," Draco settled on softly.
What else could he even say? Nothing distracted Hermione Granger like new knowledge, so he continued, "Divorce isn't very common in our world, but surrendering of rights is usually done in those cases. That had been... the agreement in my case as well." Draco admitted but continued quickly, "It was actually more commonly done to give an heir with the family name of a line that had only daughters and did not want to simply merge with another old family. The- offspring would keep the mother's name and have no ties to the biological father's family."
Draco thought of some of his pureblood friends as he continued to speak, "The Greengrass family had such a contract in line for Daphne in case marital issues were to arise. In the case of divorce, the first child would be named a Greengrass and any subsequent would be Zabini's. I imagine that took quite a bit of negotiation for that little clause. However, she and Blaise seem well suited enough that they have not wanted to break their marriage," Draco rattled off to his captive audience. Hermione Granger was still eager for almost any knowledge, and these sorts of things were old pureblood traditions that generally would not have been written in any book, or at least any that Granger was likely to acquire.
Hermione nodded, "That all sounds, rather logical, I suppose. Though I'd like to think I was a romantic at heart, I'm not sure that I am," Hermione said vaguely. "I'm still not sure that- Ron and I would have been married at all except that I didn't want to-," Hermione faltered slightly. "I didn't want to have sex before marriage," she finished, not looking at Draco anymore.
"That's expected in pureblood circles," Draco offered, taking in the new information and trying to keep any emotion off of his face. He probably shouldn't be thinking that much about Granger, and he certainly didn't want to think about his own past. "Though it might not be something his family cared about. Even though they were never really part of the old society crowd, I understand that it caused quite a stir when Molly Prewett had a rushed marriage followed by a child less than eight months later," Draco gossiped lightly, "I believe she was still a Hogwarts seventh year at the wedding in fact."
"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked surprised.
"Yes, well, the old circles thrive on gossip that asserts themselves as better than everyone else, even other purebloods. As I understand it, the Prewetts, mainly her grandfather, I believe, had a contract for her with a different man, and she wished to make other plans- ah- necessary instead. With a baby on the way. Almost a Slytherin move really," Draco laughed.
"Funny, I don't believe Mrs. W- Molly- would find that to be a compliment," Hermione laughed.
"Well, some people need to learn appreciation for their own valuable skills," Draco insisted. "She got what she wanted, didn't she?"
"I suppose she did. That's quite a lot of children though," Hermione commented. "They didn't have to keep trying so hard after the first," she laughed.
Draco only shrugged, trying not to think too much about children. The idea of so many little ones running around didn't sound as repulsive as he wished it did. Perhaps even the Weasleys did a few things correctly.
*****Draco*****
Daily life at the Manor continued with only Hermione finding something troubling. "How can she be tired? How can she sleep most of the day? She sleeps straight through the night! I never even hear a sound right across the hall, and I always leave the doors open," Hermione said, bordering on desperation.
"Granger, have you ever heard of a newborn sleeping through the night?" Draco asked calmly. "You needed your sleep," he commented, slightly gruffly.
"I wouldn't ignore my own daughter," Hermione said defensively. "I should put up some sensory charms at least, just to be sure. I can't believe that I haven't already," she mumbled, probably at least halfway to herself.
"She's been fine, Hermione. I wouldn't be asleep anyway," Draco said, looking anywhere except at the witch in front of him.
Draco could actually hear Hermione's head snap towards him, "You- stay up with her?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Yes... I didn't think you'd mind. You really did need the rest," Draco stated, looking at the light green and yellow walls of the room.
Hermione was silent for a tense moment. "Every night?" she asked, sounding surprised. "I don't- mind. Thank you," she said, seeming to process the situation faster. Hermione seemed shy, as if she was the one who was acting creepy, not the grown man staying awake most of the night with someone else's infant. But it was true enough that he wouldn't sleep much anyway. At least he could be doing something productive instead of simply waiting for the nightmares. When he was exhausted enough, sleep came more easily. "I'd like to be up with her tonight though," Hermione said softly. "You are welcome to be there too," she said, looking down at the sleeping baby. "I- feel like such a bad mother for not thinking about that earlier," Hermione said.
Draco felt an uncomfortable guilt settle in his chest, but at least the girl had gotten some rest. She seemed stable, as far as new mothers went, and he privately thought he played a large part in that. "You're not a bad mother," Draco said softly. "She'll grow up to love you very much," Draco said. "I'm going to go see about food," he said, trying to walk casually to the door before tears could reach his eyes. Malfoy men didn't cry so easily.
A/N: I know it's shorter than the last chapter, but this was a nice breaking point, and all of the other chapters should be longer. I just wanted to show a few scenes that stuck out to me as they lived in Malfoy Manor together. I hope people enjoy! I hope you enjoy the next chapter too, because I'm certainly nervous about it. There will definitely be a lot of progress next week.