A/N: Heeheehee :-)
When Draco woke up on Sunday he had absolutely no interest in getting out of bed. Hermione was nestled in the crook of his arm, looking as beautiful as ever. He tightened his grip on her and breathed her in. Somehow she always smelled wonderful, even after another night of 'I'm so sorry I invited your parents without your permission' shagging. Another round of that right now sounded just lovely, actually.
Draco leaned down and kissed her eyelids. They began to flutter. He moved over to her cheek. She mumbled slightly. And then her lips. They responded slowly in return. Draco moved her hand from his chest down to where he was still naked under the covers. She giggled, still sounding half asleep.
Without a word she moved her leg so she was straddling him, her eyes still drooping as their kiss became hungrier. She rubbed herself against him before using her hand to guide him inside of her.
Draco ran his hands down to her hips and grasped them firmly to move her more rapidly. Hermione broke their kiss to let out a loud moan. She put her hands on his chest to brace herself while he set the pace. Even though it was morning and Draco would undoubtedly finish quickly, he was determined not to let that happen until they were both satisfied. He grabbed Hermione by the hair and pulled her back down for a sloppy kiss. This slowed her hips and he flipped them over, pulling out for a moment to give her lovely lady parts some extra attention before heading back in.
Hermione clawed at Draco's back as his movements became fast and rough. Before long she was screaming his name, and he was following closely behind with hers. He collapsed on top of her and took a moment to catch his breath.
Draco rolled off of Hermione and she resettled herself in the crook of his arm. "Promise me we won't stop doing that once we're married," he said while stroking her shoulder.
Hermione chuckled hoarsely, obviously still a little out of breath. "Well, not at first. But five, ten years down the road, I can't really predict. I'm not a seer." She looked up and winked.
Draco smirked. "I'm fairly certain that in ten years' time I'm still going to want to do that every morning."
"Then I'm fairly certain I will as well," said Hermione, smirking back at him.
"Can we please just stay in bed all day?" he asked, squeezing her tighter and kissing her forehead. "Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go again."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You know we can't do that. Today is parent's day, and if we don't go that just leaves my parents and your parents alone in a Muggle house. How do you think that will go?"
Draco groaned. "Not well. I admit it."
Polly began thrashing around in her cage. Hermione got up and threw on her robe before going over and letting her out. The owl flew around in rapid circles until Hermione opened the window. She immediately headed outside.
As soon as the owl was gone Hermione went back over to the bed and began shaking her future husband. "Come on, Draco. Time to get up."
"I don't wanna!" he pouted.
"Well, that's too bad." Hermione climbed back off the bed and walked towards the door. She turned around and smiled seductively at him. "I was hoping when your five minutes were up we could have a repeat performance in the shower." She let her robe drop to the floor, letting him take a good, long look at her glorious nakedness.
Draco immediately went to attention. "Don't need five minutes," he said, jumping off the bed and scooping her into his arms. They both laughed as he carried her towards their washroom and tossed her into the shower, immediately following after. Hey, if they were going to have a crappy afternoon, they might as well have a fantastic morning.
XXX
Hermione and Draco arrived at her parents' house a little early. They didn't want awkward introductions to take place without them.
Hermione was looking particularly pretty that day in a nice dress, tights and a cardigan - to hide the scar her parents didn't know about. She had spent the majority of the morning - when not shagging - straightening her hair with Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. While Draco liked the way it looked, he had grown very accustomed to the bushy mane he normally got to nuzzle into.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger were already waiting by the fireplace when they arrived. "Mom! Dad!" Hermione ran into each of their arms and gave them a hug. Her mom went over and hugged Draco immediately after and her dad shook his hand.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," he greeted.
"Oh Draco, stop being so formal. We've told you repeatedly to call us Emily and Wesley," said her mom.
Draco smiled. "Right. Sorry about that. Always forgetting," he said, tapping the top of his head. He, of course, remembered that every time he came over they wanted him to call them by their first names, but he just wasn't accustomed to doing that. All of his life he had been taught to call adults by their surname. Even though he was technically one of them now he still hadn't gotten used to the change.
"Would either of you like some sangria?" asked Emily. "I made some just for the occasion."
Draco started to say no, but Hermione nudged him and he quickly changed his answer.
Emily smiled. "Hermione, will you come help me, dear?" she asked, already walking into the kitchen. Hermione hesitantly followed.
As soon as they were gone, Wesley put a firm hand on Draco's shoulder and said, "So tell me about this father of yours, Draco. Just so I know what to expect."
"Uh … well, he's a bit of a traditionalist." That was putting it mildly. "He doesn't know much about Mugg - uh, non-wizards or their customs."
"So we should be gentle with him then?" he smirked.
Draco chuckled. "Yes. That would be ideal."
"And your family is 'pure-blood'," he pronounced it carefully, "is that right?"
"Yes sir."
"Ah! What did my wife say about being formal?"
Draco flushed. He was more nervous than he thought. "Sorry sir - umm … I mean Wesley. I'm afraid my etiquette has a lot to do with my upbringing, if that tells you anything about my parents."
"I hate to bring up ghosts of boyfriends past, but we've gotten to know the Weasley's fairly well over the years, and they were also said to be 'purebloods'. But Hermione says they're nothing like your parents. Is that right?"
Draco groaned. "Completely. My parents and the Weasleys don't exactly get along. Probably best not to mention them."
"Noted," said Wesley, giving him a smile. "Try and relax, boy." He began patting Draco's back, who attempted to smile at him. The two laughed slightly before there was a 'swoosh'. They both looked over to see Lucius Malfoy standing by the fireplace and eyeing them curiously.
"Father!" said Draco, moving away from Hermione's dad. "You Flooed in before Mother?"
Keeping his eyes on the Muggle man, he said in his drawling voice, "She is running a few minutes behind. I did not want to be rude by arriving late."
"You must be Draco's father," said Wesley, taking a step forward and holding out his hand. "Wesley Granger. Pleased to meet you."
Lucius looked at it reluctantly before catching the stern eye of his son. He grabbed Wesley's hand in his own and shook it. "Lucius Malfoy. The pleasure is all mine."
"Oh! You're here!" Lucius looked over to see Hermione entering the room holding two glasses of some red drink with what appeared to be fruit floating in it. A woman similar in appearance, but without that frigidness Hermione always emanated, followed closely behind her. "Where's Narcissa?" Hermione asked after handing her father and Draco a glass. Draco eyed his skeptically.
"She will be here any moment."
Emily tossed both of her glasses into her daughter's hands and held hers out to Lucius. "We are so happy you were finally able to make it out here. You have no idea how excited we were when we received your letter."
Lucius was not blind to the way his son's nostrils began to flare as he bent down to kiss Emily's outstretched hand. Draco's bulging eyes moved to Hermione, who was quick to look the other direction and take a sip of her red drink.
"Thank you so much for having us." He lifted his lips and smirked at her.
"Ooh, Hermione, he's so handsome! If this is how Draco is going to look in twenty years I'd say you're a very lucky girl."
"You're right! She is!" exclaimed Draco, throwing his arm around her. He leaned in and pretended to kiss her cheek while carefully whispering, "You are gonna owe me so much sex for that lie, missy."
She turned her head and kissed his lips. "Yes dear."
"You know, you really do have some magnificent chops. How do wizards get such great chops without dentists?"
Hermione and Draco turned, all color draining from their faces as they caught sight of Wesley gazing uncomfortably close into Lucius's mouth. "Dad! Back away from Mr. Malfoy and please stop staring at his teeth!"
Wesley put his hands up in defense and backed away slowly.
"It's Lucius, Hermione," Lucius reminded her. Looking back at her dad, he asked, "What is a 'den-tissst'?" adding an extra little slither to the end of it.
Hermione's parents laughed like this was a great joke, but Hermione and Draco knew he was completely serious. When no one else joined in, Wesley and Emily caught on and stopped their cackling.
After clearing his throat and pushing back his chuckles, Wesley explained, "It is the title we use in the 'Muggle' world," he winked at his daughter, clearly quite impressed with his knowledge of wizard words, "to describe the people who, as a profession, work on teeth. Emily and I are both den-tisssts." He smiled at Lucius who, surprisingly, smiled back.
"Yes, I suppose in the 'Muggle' world it isn't as simple as waving your wand to fix any imperfections."
"You mean like our daughter did?" said Emily, narrowing her eyes at Hermione, who instinctually covered her mouth.
"Mom, I told you. I was hit with a spell that enlarged them and the healer accidentally shrank them a little too much."
"Oh yes. Accidentally," her mother mocked, taking her glass back from Hermione and sipping it slowly.
"I … uh …" Hermione looked at Draco and licked her lips as she realized the perfect scapegoat. "It was Draco who hit me with the tooth-growing hex in the first place!"
Draco's jaw dropped. "Whaaat? Don't throw me under the Knight Bus just because you wanted an excuse to fix your teeth the easy way. You're welcome, by the way."
Swoosh!
They all turned to see Narcissa Malfoy walk out of the fireplace. She paused when she noticed all of them standing there, staring at her. Her eyes scanned each and every one of them until they found her husband. He looked back at her sternly and she immediately plastered on an obviously fake smile. "Dear husband, you forgot to bring this," she said, holding up a bottle of mead.
Lucius smiled back and said, "Ah, yes. How could I forget?" He held out his hand and she walked towards him. After wrapping his arm around her waist, he looked to the two Muggles and said, "Wesley, Emily, this is my lovely wife, Narcissa. Narcissa, this is Wesley and Emily Granger."
Wesley and Emily each held out their hands expectantly. Narcissa stared at them for a moment before hesitantly taking Emily's first, then Wesley's, who proceeded to kiss hers, Lucius Malfoy style. "I say, you have excellent chops as well," he said, looking up at her. "It's an entire family of perfect teeth. Now there's a rare find."
Narcissa's eyes turned icy cold as she continued to try and smile. "This is for you," she said, shoving the mead into Wesley's hands.
"Yes, thank you," he said, examining the bottle closely. "I will just go and put this in the kitchen. Emily, would you like to help me pour more sangria?"
"Certainly," said his wife, beaming at everyone before following him out of the room.
As soon as they were gone Narcissa pulled out her wand and cast a sanitation spell on her hands.
"Don't be dramatic, Cissy," said Lucius, taking her wand and sticking it back in her pocket.
"I can't help it. That Mudbl -" she caught Draco's eye, cleared her throat, and corrected, "man slobbered all over me."
"He was only mimicking your husband," Draco pointed out. "What took you so long, anyway?"
"I had to get up the nerve, Draco," Narcissa said honestly. "I still can't believe I'm even here. How your father ever got me to agree to this -"
"I thought you said it was both of your ideas to come here, Lucius?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.
"Ha!" spat Narcissa. "He only told me about this little lunch date yesterday."
"So then you lied?" Hermione crossed her arms and looked accusingly at her future father-in-law.
"Oh, you mean like how you lied when you said it was your idea to invite them here?" said Draco.
"I … he … Y-you wouldn't have come if I said it was his idea."
"I would have if you asked me to."
Hermione gave him a close-mouthed smile. She reached up and stroked his cheek. "That's sweet." Her hand stopped at his chin and clutched it hard. "But we all know you're full of it. If I had told you your father was the one to write to my parents and request this you would have canceled faster than I can apparate."
"Well … maybe …"
"Great, so now that we have established that you are all a bunch of liars, mind if I take this moment to point out how ridiculous it is to put you all in one family."
"Mother!"
"Cissy!"
"Mrs. Malf - uhh … Narcissa!"
"Here we are!" Emily announced as she and Wesley reentered the room. They each handed Lucius and Narcissa a glass before settling with their arms around each other. Neither Malfoy looked too sure of what had just been given to them.
"I'd like to make a toast," said Wesley, raising his glass. Hermione and Draco scooted in close and held onto each other's waists before raising their glasses with his. This was going to be interesting. "To our joining families. May Hermione and Draco have as many joyous years together as we have," he said, looking at his wife. They shared a small kiss before taking a sip of their drinks.
Everyone else followed suit, Narcissa the only one pausing for a moment to stare at the floating fruit in her glass before taking a sip. Her eyes immediately brightened as she did so. "Oh my, this is delicious!" She chugged the rest of it down. "What did you say it was called again?"
"Sangria," smiled Emily. "Come with me to the kitchen, Narcissa. I'll get you some more and tell you all about how it's made."
"That is quite all right. I will just have my house-elf come by on a future day and -" Draco stared daggers at her. Narcissa gulped before saying, "Actually, that sounds lovely. Painfully lovely," she added under her breath.
She followed Emily into the kitchen. Hermione's eyes trailed after them nervously. Draco gave her a nudge, letting her know it was okay for her to follow them. She did just that.
"So Lucius, tell me, what is it you do in the 'wizarding world'?" asked Wesley.
"What I do?" Lucius repeated, cocking one eyebrow.
"Yes, what you do. You know, as a profession."
Lucius thought about this. "I suppose the proper title for what I do is consultant, but I have not done much of that since the war."
Wesley stared at him openmouthed. "I'm sorry, did you say war?"
"I did," said Lucius, looking over at his son for clarification. It was clear by the pleading look in Draco's eyes that he wasn't the only one Hermione wasn't honest with. "But it was many years ago. Draco was just a boy back then."
Draco smirked. Yes, a mere boy of seventeen. Luckily, Wesley didn't ask for details and his father successfully got out of the entanglement without lying. Of course, he doubted his father would have minded lying. After all, he was a pro at it. Still, it was good to know it wasn't his go-to reaction.
"So if you don't mind me asking, if you no longer work as a consultant then what do you do with your time?"
Draco busied himself with his fruity drink so no one would notice how nervous he was. He didn't know what his father was going to say, but he hoped for the life of him it wasn't, 'I let little house-elf's convince me to try and kill your daughter'. He had a feeling a statement like that wouldn't go over well.
Before Lucius got a chance to answer the front door of the house burst open. An elderly woman with disheveled hair, unmatched clothes, and far too much makeup on now stood in the doorway with bright-red flames in her eyes. "Ahah!" she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Wesley.
"M-mother. What are you doing here?" he stuttered.
"I knew when you canceled on me for 'personal reasons' you would be here entertaining circus folk! Who the hell are the albinos?"
Lucius looked over at his son, who seemed to be just as clueless about the woman as he was.
The disheveled woman slammed the door behind her and took several steps inside. "Uh, Mother, this is Lucius and Draco Malfoy. Draco is, umm … a friend of Hermione's."
Lucius held out his hand as the woman crept incredibly close to investigate him. She sneered at it before scanning him up and down, her eyes suddenly homing in on his hair. "What are you, a damn hippie?"
"I am not sure. What is a 'hippie'?" asked Lucius, looking at Wesley.
"Definitely something you're not," he laughed.
Someone gasped. They all turned to see Emily coming out of the kitchen, Hermione and Narcissa just behind her. "Regina! What in God's name are you doing here?"
"Crashing the party you so rudely decided to throw without me. I swear, Emma -"
"Emily -"
"Emma, you should not talk back to your elders! Now, as I was saying, I swear you and my -" Regina froze, her eyes now homing in on her granddaughter's hand. Hermione tried to hide it, but it was too late. "You're engaged?" Regina's jaw dropped.
"Uhh, yeah," said Hermione blushing.
"But you're only fifteen!"
"I'm twenty-two, Grandmother."
"No you're not!" Regina glanced back at Draco and Lucius and gave them each a onceover. "For your sake I hope it's the little one. We don't need any albino hippies joining our family. But I suppose it's better than that family of clowns you brought by before."
Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other and exchanged satisfied grins. "You used to date one of the Weasley pests - I mean children, didn't you, dear?" Narcissa asked, moving her grin to Hermione.
"Umm … yeah," she answered, looking embarrassed.
"Well, I suppose with all of that red hair one can easily get confused with a clown."
"Who's this bitch?" asked Regina, putting her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at Narcissa.
Narcissa held her nose high and walked over to Lucius. "I'm with the albino hoppy," she said, slipping her hand into his. "Is that some sort of rabbit or something?"
Hermione and her parents laughed. "Not exactly," said Wesley.
"So when exactly is this wedding?" asked Regina, grabbing Hermione's arm and closely examining the ring.
"Clearly, this family knows nothing about personal space," Narcissa whispered to Lucius.
"Uhh … there's not going to be any formal wedding, Grandmother. We're, uhh, getting hitched," Hermione lied.
Regina looked up at her. "And I'm not invited to that?"
"Umm … well, no. It's very small, you see."
Regina burst into tears.
"Grandmother, please don't cry."
"Why shouldn't I? My own granddaughter hates me! Clearly her mind has been poisoned by her mother!"
"Now wait just a minute!" shouted Emily. "This has nothing to do with me and you! Hermione and Draco want to keep their wedding small and you need to respect that!"
"YOU ALL HATE ME!" Regina ran over to the sofa and buried her face into a pillow.
Wesley groaned. "If Mother's staying for lunch I'm going to need something stronger than my wife's sangria." He started walking into the kitchen.
"That sounds like a fantastic idea," said Lucius, pulling Narcissa along by the hand as he followed Wesley. Emily stared at Regina for a moment with her arms crossed before shaking her head and throwing her hands up in defeat. She followed the others into the kitchen.
When they were all gone, Draco pulled Hermione close and whispered, "I know you said your grandmother was loony, but you neglected to mention she was downright mental."
"It's all part of her charm, I assure you."
"That's an awfully big ring you gave my granddaughter," they heard Regina mumble from underneath her pillow. "And your family has this horrible air of arrogance around them. Are you rich?"
Draco looked appalled but Hermione could not hide her smirk. "Wow. She has you pegged."
"So … you are then?" asked Regina, sitting up and showing them a face covered in clunky mascara tears.
"I suppose I am," he said, pursing his eyebrows. "Does that matter?"
"Well, of course it does!" she shouted, jumping off the sofa and dancing around merrily. "My son could have married a countess, but instead he ended up with some nobody he met in dental school, who thought it was clever to give her daughter a name no one could pronounce or stand. Until now I thought it was all a waste."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Geez. Thanks, Grandmother! Unfortunately, his money is worthless to you."
She immediately stopped dancing. "Why is that? You're not Canadian are you?"
"I don't even know what that means."
"Why would that matter?" asked Hermione. "Their money converts just like everyone else's."
"No, no it doesn't, sweet, naïve child."
Regina carried on like that all the way through lunch. She kept sneaking off from the table and coming back with scissors to cut Lucius's hair with. They were able to stop her before she ever succeeded, but by the third time Narcissa was so pissed off she used her wand to shoot the scissors out of Regina's hand and straight into the wall behind her. Luckily, Regina blamed this on the ghosts that apparently inhabited the house. Apparently, they were attracted to bad energy, which all of them had, especially Emma. No, wait … Emily.
As annoying as she was, Draco could not help but see Regina's presence as a blessing in disguise. At least she gave everyone a common enemy. His parents were so busy despising her that they didn't have time to think twice about Emily and Wesley.
They were just finishing up when Regina went over to the wall and pulled out the scissors. She eyed Lucius carefully, but before she could even contemplate making a move Narcissa was on her feet.
"Listen to me, Mudblood, if you try and cut my husband's hair one more time I swear, I do not care how old and senile you are, I will not hesitate to hex - I mean pummel your arse!"
Regina stared at her openmouthed for a moment before nodding her head and using the scissors to point at her. "You're all right. You see, Wesley? This is the type of woman you should have married. One with money and balls."
Everyone ignored Regina, since all eyes were currently on Narcissa. "What is a 'mud-blood'?" asked Emily, turning to her daughter.
Hermione didn't answer. She was too busy using her fork to push around her mushy peas and trying to not look disappointed, but Draco was another story. He openly scowled at his mother while shaking his head.
Narcissa gazed back at her son. For the first time in her life she truly looked sorry for something she had done. "Excuse me," she said, running out of the room.
Draco got up from the table and followed her. "Where are you going?" he asked as she moved in front of the fireplace.
"Home," she answered. "This was a mistake. I never should have come here."
"Don't you dare!" said Draco in a demanding voice. He walked over to the door leading to the backyard and opened it. "Outside, Mother!"
"How dare you order me around like some -"
"I SAID OUTSIDE!"
Narcissa huffed several times before marching out the door with her fists clenched.
Draco followed and shut the door behind them. He immediately put a silencing charm around the backyard. "What in the name of bloody Merlin is your problem?"
"I do not have a problem, Draco! This is just who I am!"
"I told you never to use that word on Hermione! What makes you think that that doesn't extend to her family?" he asked, wagging a stern finger in her face.
"That woman is insufferable."
"You're insufferable!"
Narcissa was taken aback as she stared at her son with glossy eyes. "Draco, I … I really think I should go."
Draco's breathing became heavy. "If you leave now I will never give you another chance. You will forever be cut out of my life. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, I've heard that before," she spat.
"I mean it this time. You cannot try and manipulate Hermione into feeling sorry for you anymore. The only reason she has been letting you do it so far is because she knows I love you, and I do want you in my life, but if I say no more she will respect that."
"I have a hard time believing that. Your precious little busybody would never let you cut me and your father out like that."
"Do you seriously believe Hermione gives a damn about you, or that she truly wants you to be any part of our life?" Draco laughed cruelly. "She loathes you and father. She loathes everything about you. Who you are, what you believe in, the painful pasts you remind her of. But she's trying," he added. "Despite all that you and father have done to her, despite all that you represent, she's still trying. But you … the only thing you have against her is who did or did not give birth to her."
"That is not the only thing I have against her," scoffed Narcissa.
"Really?" said Draco, raising his eyebrows high into his hairline. "Then, please, enlighten me."
"Look, Draco, you and Hermione are both very smart, which is why it is pissing me off that you are both acting so foolish!"
"I will need you to elaborate."
"Is your love really so strong that you are willing to put thousands of lives at risk? Is it worth starting a new war over?"
Draco was silent. He blinked. "What made you say that?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know, Draco. Does it really matter?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Yes, it matters very much. What makes you think my marriage will start a new war? Is that your own idea?"
"I - well … yes. Yes, of course it is. Who else?"
Draco looked his mother over. He always knew when she was lying by this nervous twitch she got in her left eyebrow, and boy was that thing twitching. "You've heard the prophecy, haven't you?"
Narcissa's eyes widened. "How did you …?"
"Answer me," he demanded.
Narcissa sighed. "Yes, I've heard it."
"How?"
"You first," she said, crossing her arms.
"I overheard McGonagall telling Potter. They believe it's about me and Hermione."
Narcissa pursed her lips. "Draco, everyone believes it is about you and Hermione," she said matter-of-factly.
"Who's everyone?" he asked.
"All of the most elite pureblood families," she answered. "Someone overheard it and went straight to Arron Greengrass. The man has been spreading it around like fiendfyre."
"Who heard it?"
"Oh, I don't know, Draco. Does it really matter?"
"It does if you know."
"I just said I didn't know, and I meant it." Narcissa looked her son over. Even though she wanted to be angry at him for knowing and still being with that Muggle-born, she could not help but be affected by his distress. She sighed. "Hermione doesn't know, does she?"
"No," he said, moving his eyes to the ground. "And I'm not telling her either. Not until after the wedding."
"You mean after you doom yourself … and her?"
"That's not what the prophecy says."
"No, you're right," she said. "It's ambiguous. As are the people in question. You know they say Harry Potter wasn't necessarily the child of prophecy. There was someone else it could have been, but since the Dark Lord chose him he became the chosen one. I know the circumstances are different, but I still tried to convince everyone that there was another option. Unfortunately, no one sees Astoria Greengrass and that Weasley boy as capable of creating a great power. I blame myself for pushing you to be such a fantastic wizard."
Draco rolled his eyes. He wanted to tell her that he didn't need pushing since everything always came so naturally to him, but this hardly seemed like the time to gloat. "You know, Hermione and I aren't exactly planning on creating some great power together. I'm not even sure what that means, but if we never work together it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"I don't know, Draco," she said. "Prophecies are not to be taken lightly. You cannot manipulate fate, no matter how hard you try."
"Yes, Potter said something similar."
The two of them were silent for a long while. Draco was staring vacantly at the horizon and Narcissa was staring at him.
"What are you thinking?" she eventually asked.
Draco's world became solid again as he looked over at his mother. "I'm thinking I'm really sick of war."
"Aren't we all," she said, attempting to smile.
"But if this is what is necessary for things to change, then I'm not against it."
"But … Draco -"
"I don't want my children growing up in the same world I did, Mother. I want everything resolved long before then. So if this is what has to happen, then so be it."
Narcissa said nothing.
While keeping his gaze focused on his mother's cold blue eyes, Draco told her, "I'm going back inside now. We've been rude enough." He moved towards the door but, before opening it, he turned back towards her and asked, "What will it be?"
Narcissa looked back at him and sighed. "I don't want to lose you, Draco. By this marriage or," she gulped, "any other means."
"Then I guess you better start working on protecting me. Or, better yet, on protecting her. I have no intention of living without her. If she falls, I fall. Simple as that."
Even though Narcissa didn't say anything snarky, it was obvious by her expression what she was thinking. Still, she was a good mother and bit her tongue. "Oh, let's get this over with," she said, moving towards the door. Draco opened it for her and she headed inside.
Back in the house, everyone was currently in the sitting room while Emily went through their movie collection. They all looked up as Narcissa and Draco entered. "Just in time," Emily beamed. "Lucius mentioned how he has never seen a movie before, so we just had to show him what he was missing."
"Mom, I really think we should save this for another time. You're supposed to be getting to know each other, remember?"
"And what better way than by introducing them to their first film. Hmm … we need to make sure it's something good." Emily's fingers trailed across each movie title, which had recently been alphabetized by Hermione. She eventually came to a stop near the bottom. "Perfect," she said, holding up 'Titanic'.
Hermione and Wesley exchanged a look. "Uh, Mom, that movie is over three hours long. Shouldn't we start them off with something small, like maybe from Disney? Those are normally only about an hour or so."
"Why on earth would we make their first movie a cartoon? No, this is the one. Everyone take your seats. Wesley, could you please put this in while I make popcorn?"
"Mom, we just had lunch."
"Stop being so practical, Hermione! They need the entire movie experience!"
Hermione groaned while Draco came over and sat next to her on the sofa. He put his arm around her and she leaned in and whispered, "Everything all right?"
He nodded before kissing her.
"If you two want to snog for the next three hours then I suggest you leave the room before I vomit all over you," said Regina sneering as she watched them closely.
"Your mother is so charming," scoffed Narcissa as she moved next to Wesley and took the cover of the 'movie' he was putting in, carefully reading the back of it. "So this is just like a play, only on this little box?" she asked, pointing at the television.
"Something like that," he smiled.
Regina stood up from her seat on the sofa and grabbed Narcissa's arm. Narcissa's initial reaction was to pull away, but one stern look from Draco was all it took for her to let Regina drag her towards the sofa and into the seat beside her.
"So would you ever consider leaving your hippie husband for a salt-and-pepper man?"
Narcissa looked at Lucius and rolled her eyes. He laughed before standing up, moving his chair closer to her and taking her hand in his.
All of them sat around and watched the movie for a while, but right around the, 'Jack, I'm flying', bit Wesley stood up and invited Lucius and Draco outside to smoke the Montecristo cigars one of his patients had given him. They were more than happy to get away from the sappy movie, which all of the woman, even Narcissa, were enthralled with.
Draco didn't want a cigar, but he took a few puffs of his fathers out of mild curiosity. While the wizarding world had cigars they were, of course, wizard made and very different. Still, this one wasn't half bad.
After Draco gave his father's cigar back to him, Wesley reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, which is what he knew Draco really wanted. He had introduced him to them his first time over and Draco was an instant fan. Unfortunately, Hermione was not and openly expressed her opinion on the matter.
While Lucius was somewhat intrigued by the cigar and cigarettes, what really caught his interest was Wesley's Zippo lighter. For quite some time he practiced opening it as swiftly as Wesley did. While he didn't have the expertise of someone who had been using it for years, eventually he got it to open and ignite at the same moment. Even though it wasn't exactly smooth he was still satisfied.
It was hard to say exactly what it was they talked about while the women were out of earshot, but all Draco really cared about was that the conversation flowed. He rather liked Hermione's father, and it seemed like Lucius did as well. Wesley was a bit quirky, to say the least, but after meeting his mother it was pretty safe to say that he came out fairly normal, all things considered.
After they'd been out there for quite some time, the door opened and Hermione walked outside. Wesley smiled. "So the boat must be sinking then?" he asked.
"Yes," said Hermione, coming over and taking a seat on Draco's lap, since no other chairs were available. She looked down at his hand. "Dad, you know I hate it when you give Draco cigarettes."
"Hermione hates to watch the ending," her father said, completely ignoring her.
"Why is that?" Draco asked, turning the other direction before taking a puff of his cigarette. Hermione tore it out of his fingers and put it out on the ground. "Hey!"
She took out her wand and zapped him. His mouth suddenly felt minty fresh. "Why would I want to watch something when I know it is just going to make me sad? Seems nonsensical."
Wesley laughed. "Sometimes I wonder where you came from."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Dad."
A little while later they all went inside to find the three women crying.
"I don't understand. Why didn't they just apparate to the emptier lifeboats or warm the water?" asked Narcissa while bawling.
"They're only humans, dear," said Emily, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"What is this 'appiating' hooey-pooey you're babbling about?" asked a clueless Regina, wiping her tears on her sleeve. Everyone ignored her.
"But Jack and Rose were so in love! Why did he have to die when it wasn't, at all, necessary?"
"Just wait until we make her watch 'Romeo and Juliet'," laughed Wesley. Emily, Narcissa and Regina all shushed him. He laughed again. "While they finish up here I'm going to go pour that mead you all brought," he said to Lucius. "Who wants a glass?"
All said yes except for Narcissa, who said, "None for me, thank you. However, I would not mind some more of that 'sane-kria'."
"San-gria it is," he smiled.
Hermione and Draco helped him pour the drinks while Lucius sat back down next to Narcissa. He let her clutch tightly onto his hand while continuing to cry hysterically. The others came back in the room right as the credits started to roll.
"You know, in reality they both would have gotten sucked down with the boat no matter how hard they kicked," said Wesley, handing Emily a drink.
"Please don't ruin it with your trivial facts, darling," she said.
Everyone sipped on their drinks while the credits played out. When they were over, Emily turned to her daughter and asked, "So what are yours and Draco's plans for the rest of the evening, dear?"
Hermione crinkled her brow. "Oh, I don't know. We'll probably just go home and have a quick dinner before shagging all night since I owe him for lying." She threw her hands over her mouth. She could not believe she had just said that! And, judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, they couldn't believe it either. "I'm sorry. I …"
"Ha!" cackled Regina. "I always knew you took after your mother, Hermy-own."
"It's Her-my-oh-nee, Grandmother."
"Does that make it any less stupid?"
Hermione's dad opened his mouth to defend her, but instead ended up saying, "No. That's exactly what I told Emily when she chose it."
"Wesley!" snapped Emily, looking horrified. Trying to bring them back to fairly normal conversation, Emily turned to her daughter and asked, "So what did you lie to Draco about?"
Hermione threw a pillow over her mouth before saying in a muffled voice, "I told him it was my idea to invite his parents over, not Lucius's."
"I think she said something about Lucius," said Wesley, as he and Emily turned towards the older Malfoy wizard. "Why did she lie to Draco about you asking to come here?"
By this point Narcissa had gotten up and walked into the kitchen. Hermione stood up and followed her. While exiting the room, she heard Lucius say, "He was angry with me because Hermione overheard -" he cleared his throat - "family issues. You understand."
"Ah," several voices responded.
Apparently, the Occlumency had kicked in just in time.
In the kitchen Narcissa was closely investigating the bottle of mead. "Did you put Veritaserum in that?" Hermione asked, already red with fury. Narcissa ignored her and pulled the cork out of the bottle. "Answer me!"
Narcissa looked up for a quick moment and said, "No." She brought the bottle to her nose and sniffed. "Honestly, what good is an odorless, colorless potion?"
"I'm sure it's very good for whomever is using it," said Hermione. Narcissa put the bottle down. "Well, if you didn't do it then how come you didn't drink any?"
"I didn't want any."
"But you're the one who brought it."
"Only because Lucius left it behind."
"Oh, so you're blaming him now?"
"Of course not!" spat Narcissa. "He has no reason to use Veritaserum on your family and neither do I."
"You mean other than to humiliate me?"
Narcissa scoffed. "Do you think I enjoy hearing about how you and my son are going to shag all night? I have better things to do with my time than listen to you blab inappropriate secrets."
"I don't believe you," said Hermione, scowling at her.
Narcissa scowled right back. "Fine. I'll prove it." And with that, she picked up the bottle of mead and took a nice long swig of it before slamming it back down on the counter. When she was finished she gave Hermione a very smug, as well as satisfied, grin. "Go ahead. Ask me anything. You already know I am not shy when it comes to my feelings."
"Well, the point is moot now, isn't it? Everyone knows the Malfoys are skilled Occlumens."
"If you already know that then your whole argument about me not taking a drink in the first place is also moot, is it not?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at her.
Narcissa huffed. "I am not using Occlumency right now, girl, so go ahead and ask me what you want."
"Did you put Veritaserum in the mead?"
"No."
"Do you know who did?"
"No. I am trying to remember who gave this bottle to us. I am sure it was a gift and was clearly meant for me and Lucius."
"Who would do that?"
"I believe I already said that I do not know." Narcissa picked up the bottle again and went over to the sink, where she proceeded to pour it down the drain. "Are you an Occlumens?" she asked, looking back at Hermione.
"No, I never learned," answered Hermione, suddenly wishing she had.
Narcissa smiled wickedly as she tossed the bottle into the recycling and walked back over to stare at Hermione over the island in the kitchen. "Then let me ask you something."
Hermione gulped.
"My son told me tonight that you loathe me. Is that true?"
"Yes," Hermione answered in a hushed voice.
"And why is that?"
Hermione tried to bite her lip but there was no use fighting it. She had no choice but to answer. "Because when I look at you I see your sister."
Narcissa was taken aback. This was not the answer she was expecting. "But I have heard you are friendly with Andromeda. Does she not remind you more of Bella than I do?"
"Physically, yes, but that's not what I mean. It's the way you are that reminds me of her. Like when you speak to me as if I don't matter, or when you call me the word I have to look at every day because of her." She rubbed at her covered arm. "And let's not forget that you were there, watching as she did it."
"Draco was there as well," said Narcissa, trying hard to keep her nose high.
"Yes, but he's changed. You, I'm afraid, have not."
"Would you be happier if I was not in my son's life?"
Hermione took a deep breath and steadied her hands on the island before looking into Narcissa's cold blue eyes and saying, "No."
Narcissa stared back at her as if she didn't believe it, most likely questioning if the Veritaserum had worn off already but, deep down, she knew it had not.
"I'll even elaborate for free," said Hermione, knowing very well she didn't have to go on without a question. "I don't like you. There, I said it." She let out a breath of relief. That had been building up for quite some time. She looked back at Narcissa, who remained firm and unblinking. "But Draco … he loves you," she added, "and he is the most important person in the world to me. If you were not in his life he would not be happy, therefore, I would not be happy. Simple as that." Hermione paused and bit her lip. "Would you be happier if … if I wasn't in Draco's life?"
Narcissa did not answer right away. She stared back into the amber eyes of the witch her son loved and debated if using Occlumency was necessary. After all, the girl was only looking for some reassurance that the rest of her life was not going to be made miserable by her mother-in-law. But, still, her small moment of potential compassion could never overpower the blatant truth.
"Yes."
A deathly silence filled the room as the two witches continued to gaze at each other. The only sound Hermione could hear was that of her beating heart which, the longer she listened to, slowly became that of a ticking clock.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
It was then that Hermione realized the horrible truth. Without Narcissa's and Lucius's help the memories and pain she endured everyday would never go away.
