Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has been following this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it! I Also want to warn you guys that I am back at school, so some weeks I may update later than Tuesdays during the week, but I promise you I have every intention of finishing this story!
Chapter 3:
*End of Hermione's second year*
Hermione had a hard time adjusting back to day to day life after being paralyzed for a few months. Even though she couldn't see them very often, she could feel the Slytherins hovering over her for the last few days of school. Logically she knew she should be slightly annoyed, but all she felt was warm.
The boys' reaction to her the day she woke up irritated her to no end. While they were excited to see her, they didn't ask her how she was feeling or even if she remembered anything. She had been aware of every moment. While time passed differently for her, she could still remember Draco reading to her, and Pansy and Blaise making sure that they never got caught.
"Granger!" Hermione was shaken from her thoughts as a familiar voice yelled at her down the empty corridors. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Hermione tried to wipe the smile off her face as Draco stomped down to where she was standing.
"Going to grab everything I need to bring home." She saw the way his eyes lit up, even as his lips turned into a mean sneer. "What are doing, Draco? Terrorizing the first years?" He rolled his eyes and continued past her.
"I'm checking in on the friends lucky enough to visit The Manor." He stopped for a moment, turning around. "We don't let trash in." Hermione felt Harry coming up behind her, so she pretended that the blush she felt spreading across her face was from anger.
"Whatever, Malfoy. Come on, Hermione. He's not worth it." Harry pulled her with him and she stumbled slightly, trying to keep up. She turned around to look at Draco, and she shook her head slightly at the anger she saw on his face.
By the time the train rolled into the station, Hermione was practically bouncing out of her seat. Ron rolled his eyes, looking at Harry. Hermione ignored him instead of engaging his attitud as she normally would, she was way too excited to spend the summer with Draco to let Ron ruin her mood. She tried to grab her things slowly, but still managed to be out of the compartment in the time it took for Harry and Ron to find the energy to get out of their seats.
"Bye, guys!" She called back to them, looking over her shoulder. "I'll see you at the end of the summer!" She wouldn't lie and say she wasn't looking forward to seeing them in Diagon Alley before the term started, but she couldn't say that she wasn't ten times more excited to spend her time with the Malfoys. She heard their confused reply as she walked down the corridors and didn't bother to respond, knowing they would forget all about her the moment she was gone.
Hermione waited patiently by the bench, knowing that the Malfoys would not be able to approach her directly. She began to get antsy after a few minutes. She glanced around, looking for any type of indication of the person she was supposed to be meeting. Spotting the Weasley family, Hermione hid behind a pillar when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Before she had a chance to react, Hermione felt the unfamiliar pull of apparition.
When she finally felt her feet hit the ground, she felt nauseated and shaky on her feet. She glanced around at her surroundings and was grateful to see her luggage sitting close to where she landed. Now that she wasn't worried about her belongings, she took a moment to look at where she would be stay for a few months. She was in awe; the manor was beautiful.
"Welcome, Ms. Granger." She heard a voice say from behind her. She spun around, looking down at her shoes.
"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione glanced up at the Malfoy matriarch and smiled shyly. Mrs. Malfoy glided across the formal and gathered Hermione up into a hug. At first, Hermione was tense, but she slowly melted into the warm embrace.
"Please, call me Narcissa." Hermione smiled and nodded.
"Mother, please don't smother her." Hermione heard Draco's familiar drawl from across the room. She pulled back slightly, as he continued. "I am rather fond of her." Hermione blushed slightly, but still ran over to him to give him a hug. She breathed in deeply, melting completely into him. She loved how he always smelled of spiced citrus; she assumed he was always wearing his ridiculously expensive cologne.
"Hey," he whispered as he pulled her against him tighter. As ridiculous as it sounded, he felt like coming home.
"Hi," she whispered, feeling the flush in her cheeks spread down to her neck. They abruptly pulled apart at a pointed cough from Mr. Malfoy. She waved slightly, feeling more awkward by the second.
"Thank you for allowing me to stay at your home, Mr. Malfoy." Mr. Malfoy made his way over to where his wife was standing, who was looking fondly at Hermione and Draco. Mr. Malfoy smiled at Hermione, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist.
"I believe my wife has already addressed this." His drawl reminded Hermione so much of Draco's, and while his demeanor was intimidating, she relaxed. "Call me Lucius." Hermione smiled, glad that she was being accepted into Draco's world. Narcissa turned slightly to look up at her husband.
"I bet these kids are pretty hungry." She said, looking up at Lucius.
"Masley!" Lucius called out. Draco turned to Hermione and whispered,
"I'm glad you're here."
Dinner was a quiet affair, for which Hermione was grateful. It had been a long week and she was glad for the peace. She was shaken from her thoughts when Narcissa asked,
"How is the soup, dear," Hermione swallowed quickly, before turning to look at her.
"It's fantastic, thank you." Hermione said, matching Narcissa's smile. Narcissa turned to look at Draco.
"How was your year?" Draco's grin quickly faded into a scowl.
"Terrible." Lucius placed his spoon on the brim of his bowl, before raising his brows at his son.
"Now, son—" Lucius began before Draco cut him off.
"No, Father, it was terrible. Hermione could have died." Hermione looked down at her lap at his words, no longer feeling hungry in the face of the truth of his words. Realizing how harsh he sounded, Draco reached out and grasped Hermione's hand and squeezed slightly in apology. Hermione tried for a smile, as Narcissa and Lucius shared a significant look. Narcissa tried for an even tone,
"Draco, I think your father and I both will need a little more explanation." Draco, still holding onto Hermione's hand, continued.
"There was some creature or person who paralyzed Hermione—" Hermione cut him off.
"Basilisk." Lucius turned to look at her, abruptly.
"What?" Draco nearly yelled.
"The creature who paralyzed me." Hermione stated, starting to get emotional. "The creature who paralyzed me was a basilisk." Draco looked at her, directly in the eye.
"How—? Why?" Draco paused and then nearly stomped his foot when he said, "What?"
"Harry, he killed it. But before I was paralyzed, I knew what the creature was?" Lucius, gaining more and more interest as she went on, asked,
"You knew?" Hermione nodded, sharply.
"It was in the pipes." Lucius let out a low curse before turning back to Hermione.
"It was my doing." Lucius admitting, looking angry at himself. Draco's head shot up and he opened his mouth, before Narcissa shook her head at him. Draco slumped down, defeated. Hermione had begun to pale, unsure of what to do. But slowly she sat, and stared at Lucius, almost in defiance.
"Did you invite me here to finish what your monster couldn't?" Draco sucked in a breath and Narcissa tilted her head and looked at Hermione with a new respect. Lucius couldn't help but smile slightly at her boldness. He began to see what his son saw in her.
"No," Lucius began, "I had no idea what the diary I gave young Miss Weasley would do, but I will admit I would never have given it to her if I knew what it did." Hermione shrunk slightly but pressed on.
"Why?" Lucius gave her the respect of not pretending to not know what she was talking about.
"The Dark Lord told me it was important." Draco paled. "I wanted to be rid of it."
"And the rubbish bin didn't cover it for you?" Lucius barked out a laugh and shook his head. Yes, he definitely understood where his son's interest came from. The tension from their conversation never fully left, and Hermione was still wound like a spring for the rest of dinner. By the time she had said goodnight, she was almost ready to make a run for it, but she wanted to spend her summer with Draco. After changing into her nightgown, she pulled out Hamlet and tried to read but ended up lying in bed staring at the ceiling. After a few moments, she heard her door open. She shot out of bed, and grabbed her wand prepared to defend herself with the few spells she knew.
"Hey! It's just me." Draco said, putting his hands up in the air. Hermione sighed in relief, before throwing the nearest pillow at him, laughing when he jumped. "Hey!"
"That's what you get for scaring the life out of me." Hermione joked. Draco grinned in relief; he was glad to see that she was in good enough spirits to joke around with him.
"How are you doing?" Draco asked, sobering the mood. "Dinner was intense. I had no idea it was my Father's creature. If I did, I wouldn't have—"
"Have what? Not have come over this summer?" Hermione back tracked at the hurt she heard in his voice.
"I just would've been more prepared." She said, not sure how to word what she wanted to say. She figured that saying that she was already afraid of his rather and the attempt on her life didn't help, wouldn't go over well with Draco's fragile ego. He sighed and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry." She didn't respond but snuggled into him more. They were silent for a beat, content to just bask in each other's company. After a few moments, Draco pulled away and looked at the book lying on her covers.
"What's Hamlet?" He questioned, never having seen the book in his library.
"A muggle play, but I haven't really started it," She admitted. Draco sat down next to her, leaning his head back against the headboard and grabbed the book, inspecting the cover.
"I can't sleep." Hermione finally admitted. Draco looked up and looked at her.
"I was too worried about you." Draco said softly.
"I was worried about me too." Hermione said after a moment. She slid down and laid her head down on her pillow, turning on her side to look up at him. "I heard you."
"When you were—?" She nodded before he could continue.
"Will you read to me until I fall asleep?" Draco grinned and nodded. He settled in before opening it.
"Act 1. Scene 1. Elsinore. A platform before the castle." Hermione smiled as she read, closing her eyes, knowing that with him there, nothing could go wrong.
The rest of her time at Malfoy Manor passed quickly. She and Draco swam a lot, and when Draco was out flying, Hermione was having tea with Narcissa. While their relationship was tense in the beginning, Narcissa became someone Hermione could confide in. She was surprised how sad she was when it was time for her and Draco to go to her home.
Hermione was glad that she had had Dumbledore hook up the floo to the magical network because she really did not enjoy apparating in any means.
"Okay, you both have everything you need?" Narcissa asked, fusing slightly with Hermione's cardigan and Draco's collar. Hermione and Draco exchanged an amused glance which warranted an eye roll from both Narcissa and Lucius, before the two of them nodded. Pleased that they were on schedule, Narcissa ushered them to the floo with Masley following with their luggage.
"If the two of you need anything, please do not hesitate to owl." Lucius said as he came to stand next to his wife. Hermione and Draco nodded.
"Thank you so much for having me. I know what you risked having me here and I really appreciate it." Hermione said, stepping into Narcissa's embrace.
"It was no trouble. Besides you kept Draco entertained, so what more can we ask for?" Lucius joked, which still threw Hermione for a loop every time a joke came out of his mouth. Narcissa and Hermione laughed at the faux offended look on Draco's face, before he too cracked a smile. After a moment, Draco gave both of his parents a hug and promised to see them in Diagon alley a week before school, as Hermione needed to meet the Weasley family, to Draco's never-ending annoyance.
Waving one last good bye, they pocketed their shrunken luggage and flooed to the Granger Residence. Eyes watering slightly, Hermione grinned as she ran over to her parents. As Draco pulled out the luggage that had begun to re-grow, Hermione's mum and dad scooped her up, a sight that made Draco smile. Remembering that she had a guest Hermione pulled back and wiped her eyes while saying,
"I'm sorry I am being terribly rude." She looked up at her parents and continued. "This is Draco Malfoy." Draco walked over and held out his hand to Dan Granger.
"Mr. Granger, thank you for allowing me to stay in my home." Dan, who was not pleased to have the young man who tormented his daughter for a year in his home, reluctantly shook his hand after a gentle shove from his wife. After, Draco turned to Emma and offered his hand out to her as well. Of course, Emma bypassed the hand shake and gave Draco the same warm welcome she gave her daughter. He would never admit it, but Draco teared up just as Hermione had.
"All of Hermione's friends are always welcome here." Emma said. "But I have to admit, I was very curious as to why she would invite you over, let alone to stay for half of the summer?" Dan looked at him expectantly as Draco flushed. Hermione scowled at her parent's forwardness and said,
"Draco, you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable." Draco shook his head but came over and stood next to her.
"No, no, it's okay." Draco said, squeezing her arm. Both Hermione and Draco missed the significant glance between Dan and Emma. "My parents allied with the wrong man a long time ago. And now, they're in too deep, so we have to keep up appearances."
"Appearances as in appearances of hating and bullying my daughter?" Draco winced at Dan's words, but nodded. Dan crossed his arms and continued his questioning. "What happens if everyone knew you were friends?" Draco looked over at Hermione, who nodded, which spiked both her parents' interest.
"Honestly? I would probably be hung by the upperclassman in my dorms." Draco continued, even though Dan's face had gone pale. "Hermione might be able to escape, but your family would be hunted. I know your next question and we understand that you're afraid; we are too. But we don't want the bad guys to win by keeping us apart." Seeing the look on her parents' faces, Hermione added,
"These bad guys don't like me because of my blood." Sensing confusion, she continued, "It's prejudice plain and simple. It wasn't right then, and it wasn't right now, and I am not going to bend over backwards to please them." Draco nodded and said,
"But we are being careful. We don't owl while we are at school." Dan and Emma seemed to be warming to the idea of the two of them being friends but did not look anywhere near pleased.
"Actually, I charmed two journals at the end of the year so that we can talk to each other without fear of being caught." Hermione said. Emma looked pleased when Draco added,
"It is really advanced charm work." He smiled in Hermione's direction. "I probably won't be able to do anything like that until my forth year." At Draco's confession, Dan relaxed slightly and even smiled when Hermione punched Draco in the shoulder. While Emma and Dan still had concerns about the magical world and their daughter's place in it, they knew they needed to let it go for the evening.
"How about some lunch?" Emma asked, ushering Hermione and Draco into the kitchen. Hermione went right to the fridge to grab lemonade, while Draco asked,
"What can I do to help?" Emma directed him to the plates and told him to set the table. Within about ten minutes they were ready to eat. The four of them settled in, hungry, but still feeling the leftover tension from their previous conversation. They ate in silence for a few moments, eating their sandwiches, before Draco asks,
"So, Mr. Granger, what do you do for a living?" Dan, pleasantly surprised, answers,
"I am dentist. Emma and I actually own a practice." Taking a drink of lemonade, Draco nods. Emma winks at Hermione deciding that Draco might actually be okay.
"That sounds fascinating. Tell me about this practice of yours'." While Dan and Draco converse back and forth, growing more and more comfortable with one another, Emma notices how happy Hermione is. Hermione was always a sweet girl, but she never had much self-confidence. At least, not until she came home with a new best friend that seems to adore her. She watched as Hermione interjected herself into the conversation every time Draco got confused by a term or concept. It was adorable how patient she was, and how attentive Draco was to everything that Hermione said. Emma looked at Dan and nodded. Draco would be made welcome anytime he came to the Grangers.
"Hermione!" Harry yelled, running down the alley. "It's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see you as well." Hermione responded, hugging him back. She didn't realize how much she missed them. She waved over to where the Weasley family was standing. "Hi, Ron."
"Hey." He responded. "How was your summer holiday?" Hermione smiled and flushed slightly. Ron being Ron and Harry being Harry, didn't notice at all.
"It was fantastic."
While he had been to the Granger household many times, Draco had never been so nervous in his life. He hesitated, standing in front of the door. Finally, after a few moments, he found it in himself to knock on the door.
"Mr. Granger?" Mr. Granger smiled before rolling his eyes, gesturing Draco inside.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Dan?" Draco smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"At least one more time?" Dan and Draco shared a laugh before walking into the kitchen. It was lunch time and Draco had been too nervous to eat before he came.
"Can I grab you something to eat? A beer?" Draco nodded.
"Can I get a water?" Dan nodded and made his way out to the garage to grab a bottle of water, as Draco fidgeted in his seat. When he returned, Draco said, "Thanks."
"So, what brings you here? Not that we don't love having you." Draco grinned slightly, his nerves still with him.
"The war. It is getting more dangerous." Dan furrowed his brow in concern. He couldn't understand why these children were soldiers in this ridiculous war. It just isn't fair.
"Do we need to pull the two of you out?" Draco shook his head, taking a sip of his water.
"Unfortunately, it is even more dangerous in the muggle world than at Hogwarts. At least there we have Dumbledore's protection." Dan nodded, but stayed silent for a moment. Then, he said,
"Then I think I know why you're here." Draco blanched slightly and looked at Dan apprehensively, but then said,
"I love her." He did, more than anything. He just wished he had more time with her. More time to be a family after the war.
"I know." Dan said, smiling slightly.
"I know it's early, but with the war coming up—." Draco paused, looking Dan in the eye. "I'm most likely not going to make it." Dan frowned and began to protest before Draco continued. "I want her to be my wife, for as long as we can be together. And then, after I die, she will be Mrs. Malfoy. And at least then, she will have some protection." Dan nodded, thoughtfully. He knew how hard it was to Draco to swallow his pride enough to ask and Dan knew that Draco was a good man, one that would treat Hermione well. After. A moment, Dan asked,
"You really don't think you're going to make it?" Draco shook his head sadly, but firm.
"There will be some protections that I have plans for, plans that will make it impossible for me to still be seen as a servant to the Dark Lord. I will be killed the moment they find out."
"And Hermione?" Draco grinned, despite the terrible topic.
"Will be protected and loved no matter what. Our friends will protect her, and if we were to be married, she would have the entirety of the Malfoy family behind her. No one would dare touch her." He paused, "My parents adore her. They will treat her as one of their own."
"You guys are just kids." Draco smiled sadly, shaking his head.
"I know, but there is not helping it. The war was thrown on us so fast, there is nothing we can do but survive."
"Are you going to tell Hermione?" Dan questioned, after a moment.
"She worries enough about me."
"She'll miss you." Draco nodded, he would miss her too.
"I have plans to make sure she'll remember how much I love her. And our friends will look out for her and make sure she moves on."
"You and I both know, she won't just move on." Draco shakes his, knowing that Dan is right.
"They will make sure she is happy one day. She will have you as well." Dan nodded grimly, sad that his daughter will be a widow so young.
"Is there any way you can survive?" Dan asked, desperate to see the man who had become like his son survive this war he shouldn't even be fighting.
"It's highly unlikely. But Hermione will survive. I'll make sure of it."
"You have my blessing." Draco smiled in relief, reaching out his hand to shake Dan's, but Dan pulled him into a hug. Draco didn't even try to pretend he wasn't crying; Dan had become like a second father to him. He couldn't believe he wouldn't be able to able to start a family with Hermione and give Dan and Emma the many grandchildren that they deserve. It just isn't fair. Dan attempted to keep the tears at bay but failed as well. He couldn't believe that the man he saw as a son was going to die in a few years' time. It just wasn't fair.
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I'll see you all next week!
-Kat