Chapter 9
"So Healer Granger will be moving in here permanently?" asked Narcissa.
"That is the plan, yes" replied Draco
"Well then" said Lucius "there is no reason for your mother and I to continue to stay here."
Hermione was confused "Wait.. isn't this your home?"
"Is that what you thought dear?"Asked Narcissa somewhat amused "goodness no, this is Draco's home, purchased after, well, after the unpleasantness with Astoria."
"Divorce mother. The word you are looking for is divorce."
"No reason to be vulgar Draco"
"Are we to assume you mean to marry Healer Granger" asked Lucius. Hermione was surprised to notice there was no disgust on his face or in his tone. And she could not quite keep the narrowing of her eyes to herself.
Which of course he noted and laughed. "I do think you had better explain my new circumstances to healer Granger Draco, or she will continue her suspicions, which I am to assume from her attitude since arrive here must be founded in reality."
Draco sighed and nodded "Hermione, my father really doesn't know who you are beyond what he has been told."
She stopped short and turned to him slowly "What does that mean precisely?"
"The conditions of my release" began Lucius quite calmly "were very specific. Anyone it was deemed I could be a threat to, anyone I may have held a grudge against or felt the desire to harm in any way, those memories were removed. The memories of my family were left completely intact, or so I assume. I can really only assume that to be the case. It is the same for anyone who was spared a life sentence in Azkaban or executed. I know who you are from news reports and what I have been told. I know the same about my prior self from the same sources, but there is no context. No emotion behind it. Those reports may as well have been an entirely different person. I have no feelings about your blood status or you as a person. The memories of what caused those prejudices have been completely eradicated."
Draco's reaction in the cemetery now made sense. "I … don't quite know how to feel about that. I am, on the one hand, pleased you no longer wish for my death, but I am opposed to your free will being removed."
The room was silent. Narcissa finally replied. "Your compassion continues to surprise me Healer Granger. I would have assumed you would glory in the downfall of an enemy."
"Please, call me Hermione. I have had no enemies of my own choice. And I have never been pleased with the downfall of any person save one. And in the end I am not sure he could rightly still be called a 'person'. I am sorry for your loss." She said this sincerely and sorrowfully to Lucius who accepted her condolences with grace.
The next day cubby came to tell her there was a very agitated man at the door for her.
Coming downstairs she was both pleased and anxious to find none other than Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter at the door waiting for her. "I is sorry Miss Hermione, when I left there was only one."
"It is alright Cubby, Harry is very fast."
"You is Harry Potter?!"She squealed Harry was taken back "Then you must be Ronald Weasley! It is a very great honor to meet you! I is Cubby, Dobby was my Uncle." The two men had to stand there while Cubby shook their hands and told them how very much Dobby had loved them and promise to visit the garden with her. Which was fine with Hermione because it gave her time to collect her thoughts and decide how she was going to explain this to Ron. Draco who was leaning on the staircase grinning was clearly going to be no help.
When that was done she had to stand still while Ron cast every dispel magic spell he knew at her. "Sorry Mione, had to be sure you were not being ensorcelled."
"I am not spelled into staying here Ron."
"That is what Ginny said. Then just what the hell do you think you are doing Mione?!" Draco started to come forward to defend her when he heard Ron's next words, clearly Ron had not seen him yet. "OK, so everyone knows you have probably had a crush on him since school, but dating PATIENT?! Are you mad?! You could lose your license, you could lose your position in the Ministry."
Crush on him since school? He was glad he wasn't the only one "I most certainly did NOT have a crush on Draco Malfoy in school Ronald Weasley. You.. you GIT!"
"Oh and you expect us to believe you hauled your prissy arse down to a Quidditch game for me and Harry? What position did I play Hermione?"
"Beater?"
Draco grinned. "Keeper Hermione, I was Keeper."
"I cannot see what this could possibly prove."
"You knew what position my Daddy played" piped up Scorpius behind her. When had he arrived "You Scorpius Malfoy are a traitor. And I only knew that because Harry was a Seeker." She could hear Draco snickering.
She could see Ginny running up the path. Thank Merlin "I am sorry Hermione, I tried to stop them. Stupid boys."
"And it is really none of your business Ronald Weasley. Besides, he fired me as his healer."
"Oh then I suppose we just came here to take the piss out of you."
"Have I mentioned lately how much I hate having boys for best friends?"
"Not since I left for Romania, no."
She threw herself into his arms "I have missed you Ronald Billius Weasley, where are my children?"
"Mum and Dad have them and they are not getting out of their grasp until they are spoiled rotten and you know it, so if you want to see them haul your prissy are to the burrow and you might as well haul the ferret's prissy arse with you." He reached down and ruffled Scorpius hair "And haul ferret junior along Mum and Dad never have enough kids to spoil."
After hugging her the three left.
"Since school hunh?"
"Shut up." She blushed
"What the hell was that anyway?"
Hermione grinned from ear to ear "Acceptance."
