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Off to see the Manor!

Chapter 9

Hermione woke at a quarter to nine in the morning. She leisurely showered and dressed casually in cropped twill ankle-length blue trousers, a lightweight plaid button down shirt, and very comfortable red flats. Hermione figured that she would dress to comfortably hike around the Manor grounds and to explore around the house. She braided her hair back to keep it out of the way.

Like yesterday, Harry beat her down to the kitchen. When Hermione entered today, however, Kreacher immediately popped up and set a fresh pot of tea in front of her, along with a tray of fruit and pastries like those he had made for the Malfoys the day before.

"Please be letting Kreacher know if you are wanting anything different or more Miss Muggle-born to be married to Lord Malfoy and to the last son of the Noble House of Black," Kreacher bowed before popping away. Harry laughed aloud while Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Maybe she would prefer Miss Mudblood to that long title. At least she had a nice breakfast.

"Today is Malfoy Manor day and then date-night with Draco right?" Harry asked, helping himself to the new food on the table.

"Right," Hermione affirmed as she took a sip of her tea.

"You and your fiancés made the paper," Harry smiled, sliding his copy of the Daily Prophet across to Hermione with the page already folded over to the photos. Hermione sighed as she looked over the moving photos of them walking through Diagon Alley and then sitting outside having lunch together. She looked tense as they walked and the Malfoys appeared somewhat menacing as they flanked her. No wonder no one approached them. They all looked much more relaxed over lunch. In one of the photos, Hermione was throwing her head back laughing while Lucius smiled at her and Draco, one of those rarely seen genuine smiles on Lucius' face. Draco had his hand on Hermione's and was grinning happily.

"You guys actually look happy in that last one," Harry commented, peering at his friend. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were a real couple that had come together naturally."

"It feels easier to be around them than I thought it would," Hermione admitted, with a bit of a blush.

"And you are attracted to them both," Harry stated with a bit of a grin. Hermione just nodded and continued to sip her tea. "Plan to shag them soon?"

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione exclaimed, sloshing tea out of her cup in surprise.

"Oh come on, 'Mione," Harry chuckled. "You've liked them more than you'd care to admit for weeks now. I've seen how you talked about them during that negotiation process. You liked that they argued with you and challenged you intellectually, kept you on your toes. You have to admit neither Ron nor I have ever had any hope of out-smarting you and at this point we certainly know better than to try."

"You are smart, Harry!" Hermione protested his slightly self-deprecating statement.

"I know," Harry smiled, "But you are smarter. I don't mind. It doesn't mean that I'm dumb. You are smarter than most people. Don't change the subject. You have admired the Malfoys since you've been able to work with them rather than fight them. Since they proposed marriage, you have permission to extend your intellectual admiration to include a sexual component. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it. I am just curious and want to make sure you know I am here to talk to about it if you need to. I know you would be there for me if I was seeing someone."

"Yeah," Hermione sighed. "It's times like these that I wish I had a close female friend. Not that you aren't the best friend in the world!"

"I understand, 'Mione," Harry soothed. "When I have some guy issue I can always go to Ron. I am sorry you haven't had that. It's not too late! As odd as she can be sometimes, Luna is really a great person. She would keep a friend's confidences and offer her advice when asked, even if part of what she said had to do with wrackspurts or something. She is really smart, being a Ravenclaw and all, and tends to think outside the box."

"Maybe I'll invite her to tea or to go dress shopping," Hermione nodded thoughtfully. She really did like Luna and the girl's laidback dreamy character was a nice contrast to Hermione's action-oriented, goal-directed self. "And to answer your question, there will be no shagging until the wedding. There have been a few very...intense kisses that I feel show a solid physical connection with both of them. I expect there may be more than kisses as I spend more time with them in the next two weeks. It is hard to describe, because they make it so I can't think straight in those physical moments."

"That may be exactly what you need," Harry smiled. He always told her that she needed to get out of her head and stop over thinking things.

"Yeah, I know." Hermione slumped a bit. "It's just that I'm worried a bit about losing control. What if I am the only one? What if they are able to keep a cool head? What does that do to the power in the relationship if I can't keep off them, but they can manage it just fine?"

"I don't know anything about sexual politics," Harry replied seriously. "I personally think you are wrong. The way they looked at you yesterday seemed…feral. This is one of those subjects better suited to a girl friend. I bet those aristocratic women would know a lot about this topic! Who knows, maybe one of those pureblood women can be a friend down the line."

"Not likely," Hermione snorted. "You want me to hang out and girl-talk with Pansy Parkinson or Millicent Bulstrode? Besides, didn't we just read yesterday that these women would hate me?"

"Make sure you ask Lucius and Draco about that today," Harry pointed at her sternly. "I want their opinion on any safety issues. And I want you to listen to them. They do know more about how those aristocratic types operate than we do."

"I never thought I'd see that day when my friend would demand I listen to the Malfoys and do what they say," Hermione teased, getting up from the table. She went over to Harry and kissed his forehead. "Speaking of which, I better Floo over. It is about ten now. I don't know how long I'll be, so don't wait up. I'll definitely see you tomorrow, we'll hang out. I am going to have Lucius enable the Floo, so you can at least Floo-call over to the Manor in case you need to get a hold of me. Have a good day!"

Harry just waved her off as she went over to the Grimmauld Place Floo in the kitchen and shouted her destination.

A moment later, Hermione was stumbling into a very nicely appointed room. Draco appeared to be pacing the carpet in front of the Floo and Lucius was sitting on the couch, sipping his tea. The only indication that Lucius was impatient, like Draco, was that one of his legs was bouncing absently.

"Finally!" Draco exclaimed, striding over to Hermione and pulling her off the ground into a hug.

"Put her down, Draco," Lucius scoffed.

"It is only just ten o'clock!" Hermione noted.

"I know," Draco replied, "But there is a lot to do today, a lot to show you."

"Draco is a bit nervous having you here at the Manor," Lucius explained and Draco glowered at his father. "We both really hope you like it, but we understand that the only time you've been here before was horrible for you. Believe me when I say that it was horrible for us as well."

"It was horrible," Hermione acknowledged soberly. The memory of the Crucio Bellatrix used on her made her shiver for moment. Draco noticed and began rubbing her arms lightly. "But I came today ready to replace old memories with new ones."

"If it helps," Draco supplied, "we are in the process of completely renovating every room in the Manor that holds a terrible memory from Voldemort's stay here. I still can't believe Mother invited that lunatic here."

"Draco," Lucius soothed, patting Draco's arm. "We've gone over this. Narcissa was troubled, but she did love you. She just did not always go about things in the best or sanest manner."

Hermione felt a bit the voyeur, observing this moment between father and son. She pushed back the awkward feeling though. These men would be her husbands, and she should try to understand their relationship, their dynamic. She also took the time to process what they were wearing. She had never seen them out of robes before, except Draco in his school and Quidditch uniforms. Regardless, she had never seen them in casual clothing before. Draco had on dark wash fitted blue jeans that looked suspiciously Muggle. He had paired the denim with a soft looking sage green t-shirt and what looked like Adidas sneakers. Lucius was wearing loosely tailored khaki trousers and an untucked white linen shirt. His footwear was much more wizard-like and appeared to be thin, brown dragon hide walking boots.

"I know, Father. You did the best you could," Draco assured Lucius, before turning to Hermione. "We are not always so maudlin, but there are some issues we have not had time to really deal with, because other things keep coming up. Enough of that though! We really do have a lot to see!"

"Tinky, we are ready to go," Lucius stated aloud. A moment later, an elf appeared with a bag she handed to Lucius. The elf beamed up at Lucius adoringly and was dressed in a very clean, neat pillowcase that had the Malfoy family crest on the front. "Thank you. Tinky, this is Miss Granger. She will be the new Lady Malfoy soon and will be coming by the house frequently before the wedding. I am assigning you to assist her with anything she needs while she is here. If she is pleased with you, you may continue to assist her when she moves in."

The little elf looked so sweet and Hermione could swear she saw Tinky tremble slightly while she snuck glances at Hermione right before she nodded and popped away.

"She looks so clean! Dobby was always so…" Hermione trailed off on her own, realizing she spoke without really thinking. She looked up at the Malfoys, unsure of what she would see and was met with very tight, guarded expressions.

"Malfoys have always treated their servants well," Draco said in a clipped voice. "Our elves are happy and grateful to be here."

"Unfortunately," Lucius inserted, "care and direction of the house-elves traditionally falls to the Lady of the Manor. The Black family had some bizarre and barbaric ideas regarding house-elves in general. Narcissa thought it best to implement those ideas here after she became Lady Malfoy. She felt it was unnatural to see happy house-elves and insisted that her methods were necessary, so they would know their place. Several of them had difficulty dealing with Narcissa's neglectful and abusive manner. Dobby had a very hard time. He had been with the family for so long before and had been so happy. Frankly, it was a battle that I did not have the energy to fight."

"I did not mean to offend," Hermione offered in what she hoped was a conciliatory tone. "I saw the heads of the Black family elves stuffed and mounted on the walls at Grimmauld Place years ago, so I do know what you are talking about. I did not know any wizarding families with elves and I do not know the norm. I can only assume this will be the first of many misunderstandings between the three of us, given that we don't know each other very well or each others' culture. We can anticipate situations when we will manage to inadvertently offend each other. Please know that it will never be my intention to cause offense or hurt your feelings. When the situation is reversed, I will expect the same is true on your end. I hope that as we learn more about each other these instances will become fewer."

Lucius and Draco nodded. The subject of house-elves appeared to be a sore one, although she had not known.

"I understand from Draco that you started a campaign to free house-elves and to promote their welfare," Lucius chuckled. "I can imagine that was hard for you when you realized they did not want what you perceived as freedom." Hermione just nodded, brows furrowed. She still did not understand it! "What you may not have known is that the wizard elf relationship has the potential to be very reciprocal. Elves clearly do the bulk of work in wizarding households; they have made themselves indispensible in many homes and businesses. Elf magic is different from ours. It is more elemental, which can be very powerful – but it can also be more unstable. I am not sure how, but when you juxtapose elf magic with wizard magic, the energy of our magic stabilizes theirs. It takes a very strong, older elf to manage on his or her own without some proximity to witches and wizards. If there were no benefit for them, why would they have adopted this lifestyle? It serves an important purpose. Without balanced, stable magic, elves do not live as long, tend to suffer from forms of mental illness, and have a harder time procreating.

"Since Malfoys tend to have very strong magic, we can maintain many healthy elves and they seem to value working here. After Narcissa died, Draco offered them their freedom in as reparation for how they were treated. They all declined. He offered them payment, but they declined that as well. Elves just do not have a use for money. We insisted that they each get a day off each week, which they initially tried to decline as well. We had to ensure them that we were not trying to get rid of them and told them that it was the only thing they could do to make us happy."

"It has been going fairly well," Draco joined in, having seemed to calm down. "At first they just sat and stared at the other, working elves when they had a day off. So I had to explain about hobbies and non-work activity. Initially, they did not see the point, but now most of them can identify at least one thing they like to do with their spare time."

"That must be why Kreacher has improved so much since people have started staying at Grimmauld Place consistently," Hermione realized. "He was quite a nutter when we first came across him, but he had been alone for a long time, with no one but Wallberga's portrait for company. That reminds me. I sort of invited Kreacher to come here with me when I move in. I am sorry I did not consult with you first."

"Pet, this will be your home," Lucius chided gently. "We want you to bring whatever, or whomever, you wish."

"Well, within reason," Draco snorted. "Potter can keep living in his own house I think. Let's be off! We will Apparate from here to the front door and start there. I will Side-along you. Only immediate family can Apparate within the Manor, so you won't be able until the Saturday after next."

With a wink, Draco encircled Hermione's waist with his arms and she felt the tug of Apparition. She opened her eyes to see lush green, well-manicured walkway that led up to the front door of Malfoy Manor. Everything looked so much healthier than when she had seen it last.

They set off walking away from the Manor. Draco explained that they would circle the Manor in order to show her some highlights about the property, but that it was too large for them to see everything that morning. They would only walk for about two hours and it would take days to really explore all the property.

"There are layers of wards surrounding the Manor and the property," Draco informed her, gesturing around him. He seemed proud to talk about the Manor and Lucius let him take the lead, strolling next to Hermione and holding her hand. "There are wards to keep specific people and certain kinds of magic out of the house. For example, owls carrying anything cursed or tainted are automatically sent to a local Auror office in the nearby village. We are coming up on the anti-Apparition wards now."

"I know, I can feel them. I can sense the anti-Apparition part, but there is more as well. It feels like there are alarm and barrier wards woven into the anti-Apparition," Hermione replied. She was curious about the complex security wards, like how they were constructed and how they were layered for maximum effectiveness. She was good with wards, having practiced extensively during the Horcrux hunt time. "I bet it would take me a while to dismantle them if I ever tried. Sometime do you think you can diagram out the wards for me?"

"You can feel the wards already?" Lucius asked, stopping their walk, his eyebrow raised.

"Of course." Hermione was confused. "Everyone can feel wards."

"Yes and no," Lucius responded. "Everyone can feel wards as they pass through them, but not many people can feel them until they are in direct contact with the ward. Even then, it is an exceptional skill to be able to identify the kinds of wards and how they are constructed without using a detection or revealing charm. You truly are a powerful witch."

Both Malfoys were looking a bit predatory and lustful all of a sudden. Draco had even stopped his commentary to look at her hungrily. Hermione considered the situation. Maybe she could have her own sexual power to balance out the upper hand they seemed to have with her physically, making her weak-kneed and muddled with their kisses. They seemed to really get wound up when they thought of her strength, so she wondered what a display of magical power would do for them. Hermione stowed the thought away for consideration and later experimentation.

"The days is not getting any younger, gentlemen," Hermione smirked, breaking their silence. She began walking again, tugging Lucius along.

The Malfoy men resumed their walk, reluctantly at first. Draco, however, went back to his enthusiastic tour guide role. They turned off the main gravel walkway shortly after passing the Apparition wards and started on a worn footpath that snaked through the forest surrounding the Manor. Draco shared that the Malfoy property included most of the forest and continued away from the house for at least ten kilometers in each direction, much further on the rear of the house. The bag Tinky gave Lucius had several bottles of water and fruit to snack on as they walked.

Hermione very much enjoyed the tour as they circled the Manor, which never did look small, even at a distance. The forest was lovely, green and shady with a winding stream and inviting looking glens. There were stretches of meadow and Hermione picked wildflowers as they walked. A minor stasis charm kept them from wilting from heat and lack of water as they went on. Draco and Lucius took turns telling her about the grounds. The more manicured, planned gardens were right up next to the house and were often used for entertaining. There was a substantial walled vegetable garden that Lucius called a kitchen garden and it was not easily visible from the house. Hermione learned it was 'gauche' to be able to witness farming or other manual labor from ones Manor, and blatantly rolled her eyes at the absurdity. The elves were able to grow almost all of the produce for the Manor in those gardens.

A small greenhouse was situated not far from the kitchen gardens. Hermione was somewhat surprised to learn that the greenhouse was primarily Lucius' domain. He apparently excelled at herbology and cultivated very rare, sometimes dangerous, plants in his greenhouse as a hobby. He grew several very fragile species for Severus, as they were important potion ingredients that worked best if grown a certain way.

Past the greenhouse and gardens, a small road led to a good-sized lake on the Malfoy property. A little boathouse held a few rowboats, several flotation devices for swimming, and an array of fishing equipment. The elves primarily used the boats and fishing equipment, catching fish for the kitchen. Neither Draco nor Lucius enjoyed those things, but they did like to swim in the summer. While Draco described the features of the lake - depth, marine life, swamp area on one side, a few good beaches, the small rocky area that included a cave - Hermione took an illicit moment to picture them both in their swim trunks. She felt herself heat up slightly and wished she had brought her bathing suit so she could take a dip and cool off. When she relayed her wish aloud, it was the Malfoys turn to picture her in swimwear and they looked her up and down with matching mischievous looks.

Hermione changed the subject by asking about the other side of the lake. Lucius explained that, like the Manor house itself, the entire property was heavily warded - primarily against Muggles. The wards aimed to make Muggles not notice the area and, if they did, the wards would compel them to leave immediately and not recall anything about the lake or forest they may have glimpsed. These wards were exceptionally durable and each generation strengthened them. As a result, many generations ago a relatively small wizarding village had set up along the edge of the Malfoy wards on the far side of the lake. The village was able to utilize the Malfoy wards to help shield it from Muggles, only having to erect their own less powerful wards on the other side of the village. They offered to take Hermione to the village another day if she wished, although they warned it was small and there was not a lot to see or do.

Beyond the lake were several buildings to house and care for magical creatures. The Malfoys had several Thestrals for their carriage. Hermione had no idea why they needed a carriage, but refrained from asking. The elves also kept a large flock of chickens, which produced both eggs and poultry for the Manor. It turned out Draco had an affinity for magical creatures, which made Hermione laugh aloud. She recalled to him and Lucius how poorly Draco seemed to do in Hagrid's class and that he did not seem to know much about magical creatures when he met Buckbeak. Draco defended himself, asking how many thirteen-year-old boys show good judgment and maturity when showing off for their friends. He and Lucius also conceded that neither was a fan of the good-natured half-giant either. They thought him an adequate grounds keeper, but wanted a Hogwarts professor to have more academic credentials. Hermione shrugged and disagreed, stating that she learned a lot from Hagrid and that sometimes real-world experience combined with genuine passion outweighs more impressive credentials. Therefore, they agreed to disagree.

Draco insisted they go inside the barns, wanting to show off his animals. She saw the Thestrals, with their dark, skeletal reptilian beauty. Hermione gasped at the sight of two other varieties of winged-horses. Hermione had only ever seen Thestrals and Madame Maxime's giant Abraxan that pulled her carriage. Here, however, were Aethonan and Granian that Hermione had only read about. Aside from the wings, they looked more like regular horses, unlike the reptilian Thestrals and huge Abraxan. There was a pair of Aethonan, one very light brown and the other closer to a chocolate color. There was only one Granian, who was such a light grey it looked silver. The Granian was a bit smaller and slimmer. Hermione had heard they were the fastest winged-horses. Draco walked up to them and the Granian began nuzzling him. He urged Hermione to approach, which she did tentatively.

"This lady here is Freya," Draco pet the Granian. "I just got her not long ago. Those two Aethonan are Merlin and then Circe. Father gave them to me for Christmas in fourth year."

"They are so beautiful," Hermione sighed, petting the lighter brown Circe.

"I can take you riding if you like," Draco offered, beaming. He clearly had both affection and pride for these creatures. They seemed to respond very well to him also. Draco's brow furrowed when Hermione blanched at his invitation.

"I'm not a very good flier. I'm afraid of falling," Hermione admitted. Circe head butted Hermione's shoulder, seemingly offended by her statement.

"Circe would never let you fall," Draco soothed. "Think about it, we could start off slow and just stay on the property."

Hermione just nodded as she continued to pet Circe. They gave all the horses treats of apples. Draco explained that a wizard from the village worked as their gamekeeper. He fed, exercised, and generally cared for all the animals at the Manor. They used to have other animals, but with all the chaos in the past several years, they found other homes for them. After saying goodbye to the horses, they left the animals and made their way back to the house for lunch.

Next - Lunch and a chat