A/N: Thank you all so much for the supportive reviews and all the faves and follows. I was delighted to see a few of you caught my Pride and Prejudice clue in the last chapter. I can't wait to delve more into it and I'm quite sure it won't be what any of you expect. Hehe.

I DO NOT own Harry Potter.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 4

In the Emerald Gleam

The last day of Hermione's summer break before she would leave for Hogwarts was spent in elated happiness.

Callum had been the perfect date. He was extra attentive and funny while charming and kind. They spent hours talking in the Flimsy Flutterby and when the bartender had started giving them dirty looks because they had stopped ordering drinks they left and walked through Meadowlark together, their arms brushing each other's every so often.

When night fell and the fairy lights lit up the streets she reluctantly said her 'goodbyes' and apparated back to the Ackley Country House but not before Callum had promised to owl her during the school term.

She was currently lounging near the pool, reading one of her school books for Arithmancy, barely taking note of Clara staring at her from the pool.

"Where were you all day yesterday?" Clara asked again for the third time, suspicion lacing her words.

"I told you already; I went to Meadowlark to cool down." Hermione replied monotonously as she turned the page, never taking her eyes away from the page.

Clara flicked pool water in Hermione's direction but it splashed on the ground, too far to reach her.

Hearing the splash, she glanced up at the older girl. The blond had her arms crossed over the edge of the pool with her chin propped on her arms as she stared at Hermione.

"For some reason I just don't buy that."

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that it's the truth."

Hermione didn't know when she had learned to lie so smoothly and without any guilt. Perhaps Harry and Ron had a bigger influence on her than she had thought. If she wanted to she could convince herself that she was just bending the truth a bit. She really did go to Meadowlark to cool down but Clara didn't have to know it was her date that did the cooling down and not the village.

Clara narrowed her eyes at Hermione and just as she opened her mouth to push the subject further the distant sound of a door closing made both girls turn towards the house.

Ladon was making his way to the pool in his swim trunks and a loose shirt while a house-elf waddled after him balancing a tray of sandwiches and drinks.

When he reached the pool he smiled pleasantly. "Ready for the new term tomorrow, mon trésor?"

Hermione nodded, her trunk packed since that morning, every piece of clothing folded neatly, her school books stacked in alphabetical order (minus the one currently propped on her lap), her quills groomed and pointy, and her inkwells full.

"Of course I am." she mumbled, still upset by Ladon's choice of defending Malfoy over her the day before. She watched grudgingly as the house-elf (she didn't know his name) placed the tray of food on a poolside table before bowing so low his nose touched the ground. Then with a loud crack he disapparated.

"Great. So, we'll leave a quarter to eleven. We shouldn't have any trouble since you can apparate on your own but we'll still go together just in case." Ladon said as he took a sandwich from the tray after offering one to Hermione which she refused.

She stared at him as he lounged back in his chair, irked at his failure to notice her displeasure with him, or to be more accurate, his failure to react to it.

"Oi, pass me one of those!" Clara called from the pool. Ladon bit into his sandwich while watching Clara mischievously, not moving to obey.

Clara glared and before Hermione could take a sandwich to the older girl, Clara swiftly pulled herself from the pool, water streaming down her half-naked body. She was wearing a bright blue two-piece bathing suit, always opting for the Muggle option because it was always more "free-spirited" she said.

She marched confidently towards the tray of food but Hermione took note of the way her green eyes kept flicking towards Ladon.

Ladon, on the other hand, barely even registered that Clara had left the pool and ate his sandwich happily.

"You could've passed me one." Clara snipped at him.

Ladon shrugged, "The bread would have gotten all soggy."

Glaring at him, Clara snatched a sandwich off the plate before biting into it aggressively. Hermione's curiosity was piqued at Clara's peculiar behavior but she didn't have time to ponder on it as Ladon addressed her again.

"So, back to what we were talking about, mon trésor," Ladon finished his sandwich and turned to Hermione.

Remembering, she sat up straight, better to glare at him, "That's right." She cut him off. "I don't want to side-along apparate with you. You don't even need to accompany me to the station, I can manage on my own."

Ladon's pleasant smile slid off his face into a pronounced frown. "What do you mean? Of course I will accompany you. You'll-"

"I can go with her." Clara cut him off as she reached for a colorful drink on the tray, having finished her sandwich already.

Hermione nodded in agreement, "Yes, I'll be fine with just Clara."

Ladon shook his head, "I do not know why you girls like to team up against me, I am now regretting ever introducing you to each other."

Hermione and Clara grinned at each other.

"But, like it or not, I will be coming with you to the station."

Both of their grins slid off their faces, almost mirroring the other.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue but Ladon held his hand up to stop her.

"This is your last year at Hogwarts. I already missed out on your first six years, mon trésor, I won't miss this last chance."

And with that he stood up and smoothly pulled his shirt over his head, folded it neatly, and placed it on his chair before heading for the pool. Both girls glared after him.

Halfway to the pool he stopped and made his way back to them, catching them glaring at him.

Unperturbed by their glares he addressed them both, "By the way, we were invited to the Malfoy Manor for afternoon tea. Dress nicely and-"

"What?" Hermione's shrill voice cut him off and he looked at her in surprise and then confusion.

"I thought you made up with Draco, mon trésor?"

Glaring fiercely, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Made up or not, I will not be setting foot in Malfoy Manor. Go on your own!"

Crinkling his brow Ladon looked thoughtful, "That wouldn't work seeing as how you're the guest of honor."

She nearly choked on her spittle.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Narcissa Malfoy wants to meet you. She didn't get a chance during the ball and she's looking forward to it."

Narcissa Malfoy wanted to meet her? Hermione was utterly confused although she had to admit she was a tiny bit curious. She had never officially met Malfoy's mother before. She had seen her from afar, and she always remembered Harry describing her face as someone who smelt something foul. Personally, she had no opinion on the Malfoy matriarch herself, but just the fact that she was married to that judgemental Death Eater (although Lucius Malfoy was no longer a Death Eater and had actually turned sides to fight for the good, but that was beside the point) and was mother to that insufferable jerk made her apprehensive in meeting her.

But she wasn't going to cower from it.

Having nothing to hide, why should she fear running into Malfoy in his own territory? He had hurt her first. Lifting her chin, she met Ladon's eyes.

"I'll go."

Ladon had his mouth open in mid-sentence, probably trying to convince her with some hogwash reason of why she should go. He snapped his mouth shut and smiled happily at her.

"Great. We'll meet at the fountain at a quarter to three."

He bent and took a glass from the tray, taking a swig of the colorful drink.

Hermione noticed Clara sipping her drink, her eyes fixated on Ladon's bare chest. Hiding her smile, she pretended to read her book again. She caught when the older girl's face twitched when Ladon barely glanced at her as he placed his glass back on the tray, making his way to the pool again.

When he performed a perfect swan dive into the deep end Clara huffed and wrung out the excess water from her long blond hair right onto Ladon's folded shirt.

Hermione snorted on her laughter and both girls left before Ladon even surfaced after his dive.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next two hours Hermione spent in Clara and Carita's company as they shopped in Meadowlark. Alford and Carita were also invited to the Malfoy Manor and Carita was alarmed that Hermione had nothing suitable to wear.

Being an heiress, according to Carita, meant that she had to act and dress a certain way. The Malfoys, she had explained, were one of the most prominent and richest families in England despite their dark background. After switching to the good side their popularity and wealth had increased tenfold after the war, despite it only being a couple of months since the war's end. Whatever Narcissa Malfoy wanted with Hermione, Carita was going to make sure she was dressed appropriately.

Gritting her teeth, she had listened to Carita go on and on about the Malfoys. She didn't want to be rude and be caught not listening so she had actually paid attention and it made her blood sizzle.

It took them the entire two hours to find something that Carita approved of. She finally settled on a light rose colored set of robes with intricate bead and lace work all throughout. It cinched at her waist, exaggerating the tiny width of her before flaring slightly at the hips. The witch's robes were of very high quality, Hermione could tell, and she didn't own anything like it. It was flashy in a way that contrasted with the periwinkle blue dress Ladon had given her which had a quiet, elegant beauty.

"Don't you think this is a little much for afternoon tea?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

Carita 'tutted' at her as she took the robes from Hermione's hand and gave them to Wilhemina, the witch who owned the shop. She watched as the older witch marched towards the counter at the front of the shop to wrap up the robes.

"Of course not, Hermione dear. Attending afternoon tea at a pureblood's estate, especially one of Narcissa Malfoy's standing, isn't some droll affair. It's one of indulgence and a way to flaunt your social standing. You being an heiress to such a prominent bloodline makes it incredibly important that you look the part. You can't just wear any old thing. And you being so young, well one-must-dress-their-best." Carita poked Hermione on the nose after every word of the last part of the last sentence, making the younger girl giggle.

Clara appeared next to them just then with an armful of robes, grinning.

"Put those right back where you found them, Clara." Carita ordered sternly, not even glancing at the robes in her daughter's arms.

Clara's grin slid off her face, "But you just said to look our best!" She shook the robes at her mother who just shook her head in return.

"You bought a new set of robes just yesterday. Wear those." Carita walked off towards the counter and Clara followed, calling after her.

Grinning widely, Hermione trailed after them. The Malfoy Manor wouldn't be too bad with the Ackleys in company.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At a quarter to three Hermione was following Alford and Ladon up the gravel path towards the apparition point, Clara and Carita walking beside her.

Clara had been forced to wear the pair of lilac colored robes she had bought the day before. She looked slightly grumpy but her make-up and hair were impeccable. She had helped Hermione with hers again, and was pleased when Hermione had shown her what she had learned from the first time they had met.

This time Hermione's hair was braided from the side of her head into a low wavy ponytail that fell down past her right shoulder. She had tendrils curling around her face giving her a fairy-like look. Her make-up was also light and airy, almost whimsical.

When they all made it to the apparition point, the elaborate iron-wrought gates swung slowly shut behind them. They all held hands and apparated to Malfoy Manor.

When the aftershocks of apparating wore off, her stomach clenched at the sight of the iron gate looming above her, a great big 'M' set into its workings. It swung open to reveal a meek little house-elf, wearing a dirty rag for a toga. The sight of it set her teeth to grinding.

"Welcome, Mistress's guests, welcome!" It squeaked, so high-pitched Hermione assumed it was a female house-elf.

She bowed and bowed before imploring them to follow her down the path and they did. They walked, for what seemed like an eternity, past hedges, gardens, and flowerbeds before the manor came into sight. And an impressive sight it was.

The mansion towered over them with its peaked roofs and two-story tall glass-paned windows set into every floor. There were probably hundreds of rooms in there. Hermione didn't know which was bigger; the Lamoureux estate or the Malfoy Manor.

She distantly wondered what their library looked like.

They finally reached the courtyard before making their way up the steps to the intimidating front doors. They swung open with a loud creak at their approach and the house-elf scurried in, leading them towards the drawing room, Hermione assumed.

As they walked across the entrance hall, their shoes clicking on the polished tiles, Hermione took in the beauty of the hall. Extravagant stairs made an impressive sight as they passed, leading up to a wide landing that had two staircases leading up to the floor above. Huge portraits lined the walls, some of beautiful landscapes, others of portraits of wizards she didn't recognize. They glared down at them as the group stopped in front of a pair of oaken doors and the house-elf knocked.

The doors swung open and the elf stepped inside.

"Alford and Carita Ackley, their daughter, Clara Ackley, Ladon Lamoureux, and his sister, Hermione Lamoureux." the house-elf squeaked before disapparating with a resounding crack.

Alford and Carita then stepped inside followed by Ladon. Clara looked at Hermione, shrugged, and then followed them. Hermione sighed, steeling herself, before stepping into the drawing room.

It was decorated lavishly with thick rugs and velvet couches and lounges. A marble fireplace was set into the wall, and more frames of landscapes and portraits lined the walls.

Hermione, realizing that she was idling by the doors as she observed the room, looked towards the clutter of people near the couches in time to see Lucius Malfoy shaking Alford's and Ladon's hands and Narcissa Malfoy greeting Carita with a kiss on each cheek before turning to do the same to Clara.

Thankfully, Hermione didn't see the youngest Malfoy anywhere so she made her way slowly to the group.

Glancing uncertainly towards Lucius Malfoy, she turned her direction towards Narcissa and approached.

Carita looked towards her immediately and gently took her arm to bring her forward.

"Narcissa, this is Hermione, Ladon's long-lost little sister." she beamed.

Hermione gave Carita a smile before looking at Narcissa. To her surprise the Malfoy matriarch was smiling kindly at her. Kindly!

Narcissa took Hermione's hand in her own and kissed her gently on each cheek.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Hermione. We've known Ladon for a very long time and he's become family. I hope you will come to see us as the same in time."

Not letting go of her hand, Narcissa led the way to the gardens. Apparently, afternoon tea was for the ladies only because Alford and Ladon stayed behind with Lucius in the drawing room. Just before the door closed Hermione spotted a different house-elf scuttling over to the men with a bottle of firewhiskey held above its head.

Hermione was a little thrown off balance by Narcissa's kindness. She was expecting a prissy, hoity-toity snob but the Malfoy matriarch was more like Carita than anything she had conjured in her mind.

Narcissa led the women down a long hall with a set of open glass-paned doors leading out into a lush garden in full bloom. It was definitely touched by magic, the garden, as Hermione followed Narcissa to a quaint white table laden with dishes full of treats, sweets, and a tea set.

The numerous flowers and trees were swaying beautifully and the air was full of the sweet fragrance of flowers.

Narcissa insisted Hermione sit next to her and they soon tucked into tea and biscuits. Carita was right, this was far more elaborate than any other invite to afternoon tea she had ever received before. The table was practically straining with the amount of elegant dishes placed on it with all types of sweets and food she could think would be appropriate for tea time.

And the hostess was dressed to kill. Her outfit was mint green and absolutely reeked of galleons. It was high-necked with small emeralds sewn into it all the way down to the hem by the ankles. The sleeves were wide and heavy with the amount of embroidery in it. It was really beautiful and she couldn't believe that to Narcissa, the robes were probably only appropriate for small social gatherings like afternoon tea time.

"Hermione, how does it feel to have found your brother?" Narcissa asked as she stirred a sugar cube into her steaming teacup.

"Well, seeing as how I wasn't aware I had a brother, it came as quite the shock." Hermione replied as politely as she could, taking a biscuit from what looked like a hand-painted dish.

Carita shot a stern look towards Hermione; apparently she didn't sound as polite as she had intended. It couldn't be helped. No matter how kind she seemed, Narcissa was still the mother of that jerk and the wife of that other jerk.

Narcissa merely chuckled softly before taking a sip of her tea.

"I do believe that would be shocking to anyone. But I am glad it all worked out in the end."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue that no, it didn't all work out in the end because her life was still a tad bit upended but another look from Carita had her glumly picking up her teacup and sipping mechanically.

Carita then smiled cheerily at Narcissa, "And where is dear Draco? I didn't have the chance to see him yesterday when he visited."

Hermione nearly choked at the mention of her nemesis.

"He's visiting the Zabinis. He's quite close to their son, Blaise. He spent most of the summer there. He should be back soon though; I told him we were having you for guests this evening." Narcissa replied just as cheerily.

Breathing a little easier, Hermione took another sip. If Malfoy knew they were here there was a slight chance he might not show, hoping to avoid her. She had to cling on to whatever little hope she could. She did not want to see him after what happened the day before.

"He made Head Boy you know."

Hermione nearly choked again.

What?

Her mind started racing, the squeals and congratulations that came from Carita blanked out from her conscious mind.

She felt her heartbeat speed up. The Heads had to see a lot of each other throughout the year. The one person she didn't want to see at all this year was Draco Malfoy and he had been made bloody Head Boy!

Resisting the urge to groan, she caught Clara smiling knowingly at her.

"Hermione made Head Girl this year as well." Carita stated proudly. Narcissa clapped her hands together in delight, turning to her.

"Truly? Oh how happy that makes me. I hope you and Draco can become great friends." She beamed at Hermione who kept her mouth clamped shut to prevent herself from offending the hostess by insulting her son.

Returning the smile shakily Hermione responded carefully, "I actually already know Malfoy, er, Draco."

His first name sounded odd on her tongue.

Narcissa looked genuinely surprised, "You do? I would expect you didn't know him as you are in different houses."

Hermione shook her head, "I've known him for a while." Not wanting to admit that they practically hated each other, she took a safer route, "I was also staying at Grimmauld Place during the war."

There, leave it as vague as possible.

Narcissa stared at her for a moment, her teacup pressed against her lips, and then all of a sudden her eyes widened, "Hermione. I thought your name sounded familiar. You're Harry Potter's friend, Hermione Granger."

Apparently, it wasn't vague enough. Hermione nodded her head, waiting for the outbursts, the threats, the anger, the disgust.

But all she received was thoughtful surprise.

Carita looked cautious, not knowing the Malfoys' relationship to Hermione but knowing their past views on Muggleborns. Clara looked defensive, ready to defend Hermione if need be.

"My, how this world is small." Narcissa mused.

And then she took another sip from her tea.

Hermione felt as confused as Carita looked relieved. Clara was still throwing defensive looks towards Narcissa, but she too continued to sip her tea.

"I thought you would have met each other during the post-war celebrations." Carita inquired slowly, trying to work the puzzle that was Hermione's relationship with the Malfoys.

Narcissa shook her head, placing her empty teacup back onto the table. "We were never introduced. We did attend a number of the celebrations and events but I never met Miss Granger. Now, as I try to remember, I don't think I even noticed her with Harry Potter."

Pursing her lips, Hermione interrupted, "That's because I only attended a few of the events in the beginning. I left halfway through summer to visit France." And then she met the brother she never knew she had and her life was thrown into chaos once again.

Narcissa smiled slowly, "Yes, and then Granger became Lamoureux."

Hermione could literally sense the change in Narcissa's manner. She suddenly stopped being the kind and gentle hostess and switched to a sly and uninviting pureblood matriarch. She almost seemed...predatory.

Right, now she can check off her dislike for all three Malfoys.

"If you're all finished with your tea I do hope you will stay for supper."

Carita shared a look with Clara, and then smiled politely at Narcissa, "I'm not sure if we can, Alford-"

"Oh nonsense, I won't take no for an answer." Narcissa clapped her hands together and stood from the table.

A look of annoyance flashed through Carita's eyes but her smile never wavered. She gave Clara and Hermione a heavy look before standing as well and following Narcissa back to the Manor. Apparently, it wasn't only Hermione who had sensed the change in Narcissa's demeanor.

Three house-elves apparated into the gardens as Hermione and Clara followed the older women. The clanking of dishes could be heard as they cleared the table and then Hermione was back inside Malfoy Manor.

"This is the most tense afternoon tea time I've ever had." Clara whispered.

"Well, better prepare yourself. From the looks of things supper won't be any better." Hermione whispered back wryly.

She knew once Lucius Malfoy put two and two together the atmosphere would get even worse. She knew Lucius disliked her from the second she had surpassed his son in every subject at school, even worse being Muggleborn. After the war their prejudice may have been tampered down but it didn't disappear automatically. The supremacy Purebloods held over Muggleborns went back centuries and generation after generation that prejudice had time to grow and darken, ingraining itself into the very makeup of what a "pureblood" was. The only exceptions were families like the Weasleys and Ackleys.

Sure, she wasn't really a Muggleborn anymore but they couldn't just flip a switch and like her now that she had a different last name. She was still Muggleborn to them and even to herself.

Or atleast that's what Hermione had assumed when she sat down at the long carved wooden table in the Malfoys' dining room.

One glance at the head of the table and Hermione's assumptions were made correct. The look Lucius Malfoy gave her proved that he recognized her and was just as disapproving of having her at his table as she was at being there!

As the house-elves bustled to and fro with the supper dishes, the doors opened and in marched Draco Malfoy.

Oh woe be upon her.

She thought she might actually get through this horrid day without having to see his unwelcoming face!

Glaring down at her plate, she listened as everyone greeted him happily.

"Draco, we thought we wouldn't get to see you before we left." Carita chirped.

"I apologize for my late arrival. I was kept back. We were playing a game of Quidditch and I had to wash up, and the time passed all too quickly." Draco explained politely.

Hermione shot a glance at him; his excuse was so shabby, she was surprised they actually accepted it as the truth.

He sat down next to Ladon who was on Lucius's left hand side. Alford took the guest of honor seat, on Lucius's right hand side. Hermione was seated next to Alford putting her directly in front of Draco.

He was wearing a set of simple navy blue robes and his hair was still damp from his recent shower, slicked back in a more carefree version of his younger self's hairstyle.

As her eyes fell from his hair they inadvertently met his grey ones. Her heartbeat skipped and she quickly looked down at her plate. He had already been watching her as she observed him.

She silently cursed herself for getting caught.

Feeling like she just acted like a coward trying to hide something, she lifted her eyes up defiantly to find him chatting happily with Ladon.

Pursing her lips, she focused her attention on the fresh dishes set upon the table and followed Alford's example by serving herself.

She was behaving like a fool.

She didn't know why Malfoy always seemed to rattle her nerves but she didn't like it and she needed to make a stronger effort in keeping herself calm and collected.

As she passed a bowl of peas to Clara, who was seated next to her, the older girl gave her an apologetic smile.

"If I had known he would show up now, I would have taken your seat instead so you wouldn't have to be across from him. Sorry." Clara whispered.

Hermione shrugged, returning the smile, "How could you have known? It's alright. I can handle one meal atleast."

Clara grinned, spooning peas onto her plate before passing it to Narcissa who was seated next to her on the opposite end of the table to Lucius.

Supper passed without much incident and Draco didn't look at Hermione once throughout. Once everyone had cleared their plates and the house-elves had magically whisked all of the dishes and platters away, Narcissa cleared her throat.

Addressing everyone, she began, "Now, the reason I asked you all here today is due to the fact that I wanted to officially meet Hermione."

Hermione tensed as everyone glanced at her, not including Draco.

"Now that I have met her," Narcissa continued, "I have made a decision."

Hermione felt confusion take over as she looked towards Ladon who flicked his eyes at her uncertainly.

"Having come to the knowledge that Hermione grew up amongst Muggles it has come to my attention that she is in dire need of training." Narcissa stated primly.

Hermione's jaw nearly dropped and she swore she caught Draco smirking into his knuckles. She felt a heat climbing up her neck as embarrassment took over.

"Now, Narcissa, I wouldn't state it so drastically." Carita interrupted.

When Hermione looked up hopefully, she saw Carita shooting a warning glare at Clara. Looking at the older girl, she saw that Clara was glaring angrily at Narcissa, clearly offended by her implication that Hermione was not "proper".

A rush of affection for Clara beat down her embarrassment for the slightest of moments before Narcissa continued.

"It's not meant to be an insult, Carita. I only feel that the girl needs proper training in order to be a suitable heiress, especially to a lineage as old and prominent as the Lamoureux bloodline."

"I don't need proper training. I don't need any training at all, actually." Hermione burst out, interrupting Narcissa again.

"I highly doubt that." Draco drawled under his breath.

Both Ladon and Hermione heard; the former jabbing his elbow into the younger boy's ribs while the latter shot a dark glare at him.

Draco scowled but said nothing again and Hermione felt a flutter of affection for Ladon.

"Having been an heiress myself, Hermione, I do believe you do." Narcissa snipped.

Hermione pursed her lips and crinkled her eyebrows in annoyance.

"What are you trying to get at, Narcissa?" Lucius asked dryly from his end of the table.

Narcissa stuck her nose in the air, which seemed to aggravate Lucius, much to Hermione's interest that she almost forgot to be irritated. It was the exact same thing she did to irritate Malfoy.

"I want to train the girl myself, of course." Narcissa stated stoically.

She was met with complete silence.

Lucius raised a delicate eyebrow. Draco's eyes were nearly bugging out of his head.

"Mother, are you out of your bloody-"

"Draco, show some respect for your mother, especially in the presence of guests." Lucius interrupted, his expression cold and his words colder.

Draco's face withered into itself and Hermione couldn't resist a smirk of her own this time. He caught her eye and glared ferociously.

"Well, Narcissa, as good an idea as that is, it truly is up to Hermione in the end, isn't it?" Carita broke the awkward silence, smiling delicately.

Nodding in approval to Carita's words, Hermione opened her mouth to express just what she thought of Narcissa's insane idea but Ladon beat her to it.

"I think it would be a wonderful chance for Hermione to experience what it truly means to be an heiress." Ladon smiled pleasantly, not glancing at Hermione at all. "However, I think we will need some time to think it over."

Hermione grit her teeth, not liking this situation one bit. Just the fact that Ladon was pushing it off for a later discussion gave it a more real chance of actually happening and that rattled her nerves.

She recognized his diplomatic approach; not wanting to offend or insult his hosts but he needed to nip it in bud right here, right now!

As Narcissa opened her mouth to respond, Hermione shot forward, "I don't want to." She resisted the urge to add 'and you can't make me' thinking it would sound too childish. Not that she didn't already sound childish.

Everyone looked at her.

She plundered forward, "I leave for Hogwarts tomorrow and I won't have time this year, studying for my N.E.W.T.S. and having Head Girl duties. It just can't be done." She shook her head as if that were enough to convince them all.

Narcissa flapped her hand at her, "Nonsense, Hermione, nonsense. You're a clever girl, if Draco's second place in all of his subjects is to be counted for anything."

Draco flushed at his mother's reference to him being second to Hermione who was always the first of her class every year in every subject she took.

"It seems as if you have it all planned out, Narcissa." Lucius drawled in amusement.

"Of course. The girl will meet with me during her Hogsmeade visits. We'll have a few hours in the morning for training and she'll have the rest of the day to relax in the village. I think that's suitable enough."

Hermione's jaw dropped. Was this woman seriously just planning away her school year?

"That's actually quite a good idea, Narcissa. What do you think Hermione, dear?" Carita asked, smiling pleasantly.

Hermione frowned, "If I must get training, why can't you train me?"

Carita's smile deepened, "As flattering as that is I believe Narcissa would be better suited."

"Why? You raised me just fine." Clara stated dryly.

Hermione would have giggled but her mind was too frantic.

"You weren't raised as an heiress, Clara. And neither was I. We were both raised with complete freedom. Rules did not apply to us. That's why Narcissa is better suited." Carita explained simply.

Narcissa's eyebrow twitched at Carita's words which could be considered a subtle insult.

Hermione mulled over her words, recognizing now that Carita definitely knew how to play the pureblood game. Carita probably didn't come from a wealthy family or a renowned bloodline but she clearly knew how to keep her wits about her in the presence of such families. She wondered what her history was but didn't have much time to think it over since the state of her last school year was at stake.

"I still don't see why I need any training at all. It's not like I'm going to marry some arranged pureblood and serve as a matriarch to some stuffy bloodline."

Lucius took offense to her words but Narcissa only smiled slyly.

"Oh, who knows what could happen, Hermione. After all, you are the heiress to a bloodline as ancient as the Gaunts. As the aftershocks of the end of the war pass the suitors just may start lining up." she winked and Hermione caught the way her eyes lingered on her son for a microsecond too long.

Hermione almost burst out laughing.

If Narcissa thought for one second there was a chance she and Draco Malfoy would ever end up together, she was sadly mistaken.

Another half hour passed before Hermione finally grudgingly accepted Narcissa's invitation to train her during her Hogsmeade weekend visits. Not too long after she was thankfully back at the Ackley Country House.

It shouldn't be too bad. Narcissa actually wasn't as insufferable as the males in her family. She had a cunning humor and was quite clever. She could actually learn a thing or two from the Malfoy matriarch. She just had to take example from Carita and keep her wits about her.

"Sorry you had to go through that."

Hermione looked up at Ladon's words.

The siblings were lounging in one of the sitting rooms on the second floor. She was reading, of course, and Ladon was sketching something in his drawing pad.

She had discovered, rather late, Ladon's passion for drawing. He was amazing at it and he spent much of his idle time sketching.

At his reminder of their evening at the Malfoys, Hermione sighed deeply, "It was out of your control. She wouldn't take no for an answer. It shouldn't be too bad anyway."

Ladon smiled. "You're right. Narcissa can seem a bit overbearing at times but she's a good lady. You can trust her in giving the proper training."

And not much else, Hermione presumed.

"Why do I really need this training anyway? What will it entail?" she asked curiously as she sat up.

Ladon shrugged, "I've actually never been exposed to any training myself, so I'm not quite sure."

Hermione frowned, "Then why doesn't Lucius train you?"

He chuckled, "Well, if I needed training, Alford would be more than capable seeing as how he comes from a wealthy bloodline. But, I was raised as a pureblood, I wouldn't need training. I knew I was the heir to the Lamoureux bloodline from the moment I knew myself."

"I guess that makes sense." she nodded her head slowly before settling back into the couch to continue reading.

It was later that night that she realized that was the first time she hadn't gotten into an argument with Ladon through an entire conversation. She smiled to herself as she climbed into bed, everything packed and ready to go in the morning.

As her head nestled into her pillow she didn't even realize she was already drifting off to sleep until her eyes popped open at a loud crack as a house-elf came to wake her. It was morning already and she was off to Hogwarts.

A/N: I hope everything panned out well. Narcissa is one cunning lady. I figure she would have to be, considering everything she did in the books for her son's survival.

Please don't be shy and leave a review letting me know how you like it so far!

Thanks for reading and see you next chapter aboard the Hogwarts Express!

Chapter Title from Sea Wolf "White Water, White Bloom"