A/N: Hey all… well here I am with another chapter. Thanks for the reviews.
DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot.
Chapter FourHermione placed her belongings to the side of the entry hall. Directly in front of her was the staircase leading up too the three bedrooms. Her parents, her room and the guest bedroom. Ron stood beside her silently, looking around at the dusty furniture. A musty scent filled the air all around them showing the house hadn't been occupied in five years.
"Malfoy can sleep in the guest bedroom, you can have my bedroom and I'll sleep in my parents bedroom," said Hermione firmly, "Tomorrow we will start redecorating. Malfoy is to not touch anything in this house other then the furniture in the guest bedroom."
Ron nodded, not daring to argue with Hermione's strict rules, "Could you ah, show me to my, I mean your room."
Hermione nodded and collected her bags. Sirius and Lupin would be arriving with Draco in the next hour. They would remain here while Hermione and Ron collected their remaining things at their other house.
Hermione walked slowly up the staircase with Ron following. A lump had formed in her throat as she took in the familiar surroundings. It was harder then she expected it to be, having to return to her childhood home. At the top of the staircase she turned left and walked along the carpeted hall. Dust bounced up from the ground with every step. At the end of the hall was a closed door with Hermione's name on the front framed in a silver frame. She took the sign down and opened the door. Ron looked at her as Hermione wiped a few tears away.
The room was large with pale blue walls and white skirting boards. The window seat had yellow cushions blending in well with the blue closed curtains. The bed was a double with a yellow and blue cotton quilt. Other furniture scattered the room painted white with flowers painted on the front of the drawers.
"Very… blue, yellow and white," commented Ron with a nod.
Hermione smiled a little, "This room was my creation using my favourite colours. You can change it tomorrow. I am kind of past this colour scheme."
Ron nodded and placed his suitcase on his bed, "So can you show me around. I want to know this place if we have to protect Malfoy."
Hermione walked out of the room with Ron right behind her. She gestured to over at the door across from Ron's room, "That is the bathroom. Right next to it is the guest room… Malfoy's room."
They walked past the staircase and down to the door away from the other rooms.
"This was my parent's room… now mine obviously."
"Do you want to be left alone? I can go unpack my gear… do you have any clothes in there?"
"No. I took them all when I had to come back."
"Right. If you need me I am a holler away."
Hermione nodded holding the name frame in her hands. It was a gift from her parents when she had been accepted into Hogwarts. They had always known there was something special about their daughter. Hermione took a deep breath and turned the door handle. As she pushed the door open a yell came from down stairs.
"Hermione? Ron?"
Hermione backed away from the door instantly and headed down the hall and down stairs, dropping the silver frame on the ground. Standing in the hall entrance was Lupin, Sirius, and a quiet Draco. Hermione avoided his eye contact and gave Lupin and Sirius a brief smile.
"It's very dusty in here," commented Lupin, "I never noticed that earlier."
Lupin pulled his wand out and gave it a flick causing the dust and musty scent to cease to exist.
"The house is being redecorated tomorrow," said Hermione before finally looking at Draco, "These are the rules and you have to obey them. No touching anything in the house except what is in your room. You can use the bathroom and toilet of course but nothing else. Also you stay out of mine and Ron's room. You eat what I serve you and you do as Ron and I tell you. This is my parent's home and mine as well. If you don't obey the rules I will have you sent to Azkaban for siding with a Death Eater."
"Hermione!" cried Sirius and Lupin.
"You want me to do this, those are my terms," replied Hermione as Ron came down stairs.
"Hey, the smell is gone… so has the dust," he said with a grin, "So we all set?"
"Yes, are we?" said Hermione raising her eyebrows and looking at Lupin and Sirius.
"We are set," sighed Lupin, "Narcissa is bringing you Draco's gear tomorrow."
Hermione nodded, "I'll write to work and tell them I can't make it in tomorrow."
"I'm on call all the time," shrugged Ron.
Lupin and Sirius nodded.
"Let me show you your room," said Hermione to Draco as she turned and walked up stairs.
Draco followed Hermione silently trying to ignore her figure in front of him. She had gone back to her slim, slightly curvy figure like she had when she was first brought into the Malfoy Manor. He quickened his steps as she walked down the hall at a fast pace. She walked over to a door next to one labelled 'Bathroom'.
"This is your room," she said opening the door and flicking the light switch on.
It was a moderate sized room with a double bed, bedside tables with lamps, a wardrobe with a chest of draws beside it. The walls were plain white with matching curtains. The bedspread was a dark hue of blue.
"You can decorate it the way you want tomorrow," murmured Hermione stepping out of the room as Draco looked around it.
As Hermione turned to leave Draco grabbed her by the hand. She instantly pulled away looking him in the eyes surprised.
"I truly am sorry," said Draco softly, "If I could take everything back that's happened, you know I would."
"No you wouldn't," replied Hermione, "You would still want to play the hero… try and out do Harry in that area."
"What has Potter got to do with this argument?" cried Draco, "Nothing!"
"Who said it was an argument?" replied Hermione before turning and walking back down stairs to go and collect her remaining things.
HD
It was well past midnight by the time Hermione and Ron had collected their furniture. They had stacked it all in the back of the lounge room. Ron went to bed and Draco was already asleep. Sirius and Lupin had fallen asleep on the lounges. Hermione finished her drink of cold water and headed upstairs. She glanced over at Draco's door at the top of the stairs.
His words of taking everything back echoed through her mind over and over, but Hermione shook her head and headed to the room she least wanted to enter. She stood at the door and picked up her silver frame from the ground. She transfigured a bobby pin into a tack and pinned it to the door before hanging her silver name frame too it. Finally she pushed the door open, closing her eyes as she did. Her hand felt along the wall searching for the light switch.
As she turned the light on she opened her eyes. It looked exactly how she remembered it to look. Crème coloured walls with white skirtings, maroon heavy curtains, big dark wooden framed queen-sized double bed with dark maroon silk quilt cover and pillows. The other furniture around the room was dark in colour as well. On either bedside table was a photo. On her mother's side there was a photo of Hermione with her father from when she was seventeen. On her father's side there was a photo of Hermione with her mother from the same day.
Hermione closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the bed and ran her fingers over the quilt. Tears filled her eyes and she looked over at the dresser and saw all her mother's makeup and jewellery along with her father's watches, his reading glasses and name tag from work. The business Hermione had sold not wanting to keep it. She stood and walked over to the dresser and ran her hands over her parent's belongings.
Hermione turned and walked over to the wardrobe. She opened it and found what looked to be an empty box, but Hermione knew inside were her mother's jewellery cases. She placed the box on the bed and opened it. She grabbed the pearl necklace case and placed the expensive birthday present from Mr Granger inside. Soon Hermione fell into her routine of grabbing a case and placing the jewellery inside. The only thing she didn't put away was the locket necklace her father had given her mother on their first anniversary. Inside it was a picture of both her parents. Her mother updated the photo every year. Hermione placed it around her neck kissing it before continuing with packing her parent's belongings away.
At 3am she had moved onto the clothing. She ran down stairs, silently, and found garbage bags under the sink. She placed all the clothing inside and apperated them to outside a second hand clothing store. Once she apperated back home she sent all the furniture, except for the bedside photo's too a second hand furniture store. Now the room was bare. Hermione knew the change was sudden but she felt it was the right thing to do. She pulled her wand out and changed the crème colour too a goose egg colour, a soft purple it was really. She changed the carpet to a shiny wooden floor. Under the window she placed her double bed with a new dark purple silk quilt with silk pillows, only they were in a shade lighter in purple. Tan wood coloured bedside tables were added with a photo of her and parents on either side. A big tan coloured wardrobe sat on the left side of the room with a dresser a few meters away from the door on the right side.
Satisfied with the room Hermione muttered the unpacking spell and sent everything into the place she wanted it. Photos on the wall or dresser. Her clothes in the appropriate drawer or wardrobe all in colour order. Finally she looked at her watch and saw it was five thirty in the morning.
"Merlin," muttered Hermione grabbing a change of clothes and a towel. She saw no point in sleeping now but decided she would go to bed early that night.
HD
Draco woke to the sound of water running in the bathroom. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. No doubt his father would be wondering where he is and no doubt his father would figure out the answer easily. Thankfully Snape was heading to Azkaban with high security marked on his forehead. Draco glanced at his watch and saw the time cursing at it. It was too early for him to be awake, for anyone to be awake for that matter.
Nevertheless he sat up and pulled on his robe. Luckily for him his mother would be coming over that day with clean clothes. He grabbed his wand and looked at the room. It was too… plain for his liking. He pictured green in his head and waved his wand. The furniture was fine, all in dark wood. The bed was nice but needed a quilt over change. As the room moved around him the quilt turned into dark green with the pillows going the same colour. The bed pushed itself against the wall near the door and the drawers sat at the end of it against the wall. The wardrobe moved across the bed not blocking the light from the open forest green curtains.
"Better," muttered Draco walking across the white carpet and admiring the green painted walls. He opened the door and stepped out, wondering what to do.
Next to him the door open with a humming Hermione stepping out drying her hair with her towel. She stopped at the sight of him dressed in baggish jeans and a long sleeved dark blue top.
"Sorry for waking you," she muttered heading down to her room, "If you head down stairs I'll be down to make breakfast in a moment."
"Alright," replied Draco doing as he was told. As he reached the bottom of the staircase he heard voices coming from the lounge room. He peered in and saw Lupin and Sirius sitting up on two lounges talking, "Did you two spend the whole night?"
"Must've fallen asleep," said Sirius, "Long days do that, you know."
Draco nodded remembering all too well the long days in his cell, "Where is the kitchen?"
"Other side of the hallway I think," said Lupin, "I heard Hermione coming from it during the night rustling some bags… must've been about 3 am."
Draco nodded and headed across the hall as Hermione came down the staircase looking deep in thought. He quickly sat down making it seem he'd been there the entire time. She didn't take a glance in his direction as she walked in and began searching through the kitchen for something to eat. Obviously not finding anything she pulled her wand out and cleared away everything. With a sigh he watched as she turned around crossing her arms and tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.
"Remus! Sirius!" she called, "Can you both come here… please?"
Draco gave Lupin and Sirius a shrug as they walked in with questioning looks.
Hermione smiled at them and gestured to the cupboards and fridge, "No food. It was all out of date or way past the best before. I need to go shopping before we can eat."
"Alright," nodded Lupin, "You need us to stay with Draco?"
"Yeah. I'll go to a muggle store close by," Hermione glanced at her watch, "Only they don't open for another three hours. So while I wait I'm going to get started on the lounge room. I did my room last night."
"All night?" asked Sirius with raised eyebrows.
Hermione nodded, "I couldn't sleep."
Without another word she walked out of the kitchen leaving three stunned, yet worried men.
"She has… err… changed," commented Draco, "More… uptight?"
"She's normally not like that actually," said Sirius as him and Lupin sat at the table, "For a year she was always down and crying at a drop of a hat. Then she slowly returned to getting on with life but your reappearance has really sent her life into a spin."
"Oh."
"Draco," said Lupin in a low voice so Hermione wouldn't over hear in the lounge room, although the sounds of furniture moving helped with that, "We all know you love her. What I am asking you is to not try and woo her back with every chance you get. Oliver is only a recent development and to me that says she is finally letting go of all the bad things that have happened in her life and finally seeing happiness does exist."
"You are saying I'm a bad thing that happened to her?"
"You happened during a bad time," said Sirius glancing at Lupin, "What Remus is saying with you Hermione… Hermione will only think of the terrible things she went through for a while. If good things begin happening with you involved there is a chance she will see happiness with you. But for now just let Oliver play the role of her happiness."
"And what if he is her only happiness? What do I do?"
Lupin shrugged, "Move on… find your own source of happiness."
"Oh yeah and that is completely simple to do, considering the fact my father most likely wants me dead now more than ever."
"I know. But if you love her like you say you do… you'll let her be happy."
Draco sighed and looked through the kitchen door and into the lounge room one. Hermione looked at the walls thoughtfully as she changed them from a pale yellow to a pale blue with white skirtings, matching the dark blue lounges nicely.
"Okay, I will," sighed Draco, "But it will be hard to play nice guy around Oliver."
Sirius slapped Draco on the back with a smile, "We know, but you'll cope."
"Oh my!" came a cry from the entrance hallway.
"So sorry Narcissa. I didn't see you there!"
Sirius and Lupin stood and ran into the hall to see Arthur helping Narcissa pick up the bags she had dropped. As both stood they smiled at each other in embarrassment. Lupin and Sirius looked at each other curiously before looking back at the two.
"Would you like me to help you with these?" asked Arthur holding up the three bags he held.
"Oh, that would be nice," said Narcissa turning to see her cousin and cousin's bestfriend, "Oh, hello Sirius, Remus. Where is Draco's room?"
"Ah," said Sirius as Hermione stepped out of the lounge room having finished the redecorating, "Hermione, Narcissa needs to know where Draco's room is."
"Get Draco to show them… I need to do the kitchen," said Hermione brushing hair from her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, "Draco, show your mother where your room is."
Draco stood and left with his mother and Arthur as Sirius and Lupin stood in the kitchen doorway smiling to each other.
"Never would've have guessed that," chuckled Sirius, "All it takes is a run in."
"Guessed what?" asked Hermione sending all the furniture and appliances away to the second-hand shop before replacing them with her own. She then changed the walls from plain white to a country pale yellow, but left the white tiles. The benches changed from white to a darkish yellow with brown cupboards.
"Narcissa and Arthur," said Lupin, "They were giving each other the eye."
Hermione looked at the two with a frown, "The eye? The whole… lovey-dovey eye?"
Sirius nodded and Hermione shook her head in disbelief.
"No way. They haven't even seen each other since till just then."
"Sometimes that's all it takes," shrugged Sirius as Hermione changed the hallways carpet from a beige to wooden floors, along with upstairs and the walls went the same colour as the lounge room, "A little run in."
"If anything does happen, I think Arthur will talk to his children. I know it's been four years, but he'll want to do the right thing by them."
"Well yes, of course," agreed Lupin, "But they can't blame him for wanting to be happy."
Hermione nodded and looked up the stairs as Draco came down ahead of his mother and Narcissa, "That's what most people just want," she said looking away from Draco, "Happiness."
"Hermione… did you just change all of this?" asked Narcissa in surprise looking around, "It's beautiful. The colour brightens the room up a lot."
"Thanks," smiled Hermione genuinely.
HD
As Hermione unpacked the shopping gear from just returning the front door burst open causing Ron to run out of the kitchen with his wand at the ready. Hermione reached for hers frowning before putting it away as Ron came into the kitchen laughing, followed by Harry and Ginny. Hermione cried out happily at the sight of them and ran over to them both hugging them in unison.
"What are you two doing here?" she cried stepping back, "You both should be on your honeymoon."
"We know," said Ginny following Hermione over to the bags of food, "But when we heard about the attack in Diagon Alley, well you know we would come back instantly. We went to your apartment but you both were gone."
"Yeah… Malfoy is back… Draco," said Hermione, "But how did you find us?"
"Well we went to Sirius' but he was gone and then to Remus and Tonks. Tonks said we would find you all here."
Hermione nodded, and sighed as she placed a bag of flour in the pantry, "Well Malfoy is back. He has sworn to be on our side for good, after using the truth potion and the spell I created that can detect lies no matter what. Only problem is his father is after him. So Ron and I are his protectors and this is the safe house. Lucius won't think of looking here for him, as he knew nothing about my parents. Plus it's under protection spells."
"It must be hard coming back here," commented Harry walking over having overheard Hermione telling Ginny everything in summery.
"I've been redecorating. Being a witch has its perks," smiled Hermione as she began dividing mince into freezer bags, "So how was your… three day honeymoon?"
"Lovely," smiled Ginny, "Lazing on the beach, Harry taking me muggle shopping… spending time together."
Hermione chuckled as Harry blushed, "Oh come on Harry. You're not a boy anymore."
Harry shrugged, "I'll let you ladies talk… where's Ron gone?"
"Lounge room with Sirius, Lupin and Malfoy."
Harry nodded and left as Ginny and Hermione laughed at his blushing moment.
"So anyway," grinned Ginny calming down, "How is it going with Oliver?"
"Good," grinned Hermione, "He came to the apartment last night… and we kissed. I'm going out with him tonight. I got a letter from him before I left for shopping. I'm meeting him at Hogsmeade."
Ginny nodded, "Nice. He has changed a lot from what I have heard."
"He has. Not everything is about Quidditch."
HD
Hermione looked at her reflection and turned around slowly. Her dark blue jeans fitted her properly and flared out nicely. Her black heels went nicely with her clothing. Her black ¾ sleeved v-neck top was snug fitting but wasn't too tight. She pulled on her black cloak and pocketed her wand for protection. She grabbed her purse and gave her curled hair a final critical look before leaving her room. At the staircase she nearly ran into Draco.
"Oh, sorry," apologised Hermione stepping back for him.
"It's alright," replied Draco, "You look nice."
Hermione half smiled, "Thank you."
"Have a nice night as well. You deserve it."
Hermione nodded and Draco walked over to his room. He stood inside his doorway and watched Hermione walk downstairs humming softly. He sighed and shut the door behind him flopping onto his bed. He'd lost her for sure. But as Lupin said, if he loved her he would want her to be happy and he did. Even if that meant loosing her to a 28 year old.
A/N: There you go. I know not a lot happened in that chapter, sorry. I'm just trying to sort out their lives at the moment. Work out where they stand with everything. Anyway, please review.
Until next time…
Love yas!
Love Coz!