Hey Lovelies! I hope that you are all having a fabulous weekend! I know that mine could have gone better, so wishing good things for all of you! "Silenda Asservo" is a spell of my own creation and it means "Secret keep" in Latin. I hope that you enjoy it! I enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 9 – Who I Am With You
Without missing a beat Hermione replied, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that on time was late Draco?"
He opened his mouth, thought better of it, and then looked to his mother for help. For her part Cissa just laughed and shook her head, "You're on your own sweetheart. For I recall telling you that quite a number of times when you were growing up."
His ears reddened and he ducked his head, "Thanks for all the help Mom… Anyway," he looked up at the collection of people gathered in the room. "What are we not killing Weasley for?"
"For insulting your Mother, and for yelling at Harry and Hermione. When we got here they were trying to get him to apologize."
"Which I'm still not going to do by the way." Ron spoke up from across the room and both Harry and Draco took a step in his direction.
Narcissa grabbed Harry, and Hermione put a hand on Draco's arm to stop his curse. "You have one more chance to apologize Ron, to all three of them. Cissa, Draco and Hermione, or else I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"There's no need to ask." Gruffly he marched past all of them and headed for the door. "I'm not apologizing to a Malfoy, and I'm sure as hell not apologizing to her." He jerked his head in Cissa's direction. "I can see myself out. Thanks."
Hermione and Draco were his last obstacles on the way to the door, and he bumped roughly into Hermione's shoulder on the way out. "Hey Ron!" He turned back to her only for a second, but it was long enough. "Silenda asservo."
His hand grabbed for his throat and he coughed hard, when he caught his breath he fixed his glare on Hermione. "What did you do?"
"She prevented you from telling their secret." His gaze shifted to Luna. "That was smart thinking Hermione."
"Thanks." She turned to Ron, who was still standing in the doorway. "You're free to go now, but know this, if you try and tell anyone about Harry and Cissa you may find that you will never be telling anyone anything again."
"What the devil does that mean?"
With a nod from Hermione Draco took Ron's arm and pulled him out of the room towards the kitchen. "Just don't get any ideas Weasley, Potter and my mother are stronger than you think." With that he left him standing on the kitchen hearth and returned upstairs.
After Ron's outburst the rest of the evening went by splendidly. Draco seemed to take all of the people he had once loathed in stride. He knew now, that they all had one thing in common, they all wanted to see the couple on the couch happy. He didn't notice when the brunette sank down on the couch next to him, but he looked over when she spoke. "What are you thinking about so hard over here Lord Malfoy?"
"I'm not the Lord Malfoy. He is. The only reason I'm still a Malfoy is so that the fortune goes somewhere. I would have gladly taken her name."
"I'm sorry." She started to stand up to move away and he touched her arm.
"No, I am. You were just trying to be polite. I was being an ass."
"Ha. I never thought I'd see the day where the infamous Draco Malfoy was apologizing to a muggleborn."
"Don't get used to it Granger." A smile tugged on the corners of his lips. "No, I was just thinking that even though I was adamantly against this at first, I'm glad that she found him. He is so much better than Father ever was."
"I got the impression. She seems to have become a different person with him."
They sat quietly for a moment, watching the pair as they worked together to beat Neville and Luna at Wizard's Chess. "No." She turned to look at him, and he continued. "She's not a different person, she's herself. She had to become someone else to be a Malfoy, this her, the real her, was just buried in there the whole time. The lion among the snakes it turns out."
"I don't think she was the only one."
"Oh?"
"Well for a snake, you seem awfully comfortable here in the lion's den."
He turned his chin down to look at her and she was surprised to see that the smile on his face was a truly genuine one. "When you are raised by a lioness and a snake you must make a choice, I chose the snake, thinking that venom was surely a better way to protect oneself. I was wrong. For the lion taught me many things, and one of them was that your family, your pride, is the best protection you can have." He paused and waited for her to say something, but she was enthralled by what he was saying.
"I should have listened to my mother a long time ago, if not her words, then her actions. She is someone that I would be proud to be." He looked over to where she was tucked close under Harry's arm. "And I think that she's found her pride here among the rest of you lions. My mother may be the Queen of Slytherin, but she would have made one hell of a Gryffindor."
Hermione drug her eyes around the group sitting there and settled once again on Draco. "You know, if things would have been different, I think you would have too." To his surprise she planted a kiss on the underside of his jaw and got up, an action that didn't go unnoticed by his mother.
The evening ended quietly, and as they were all saying goodbye Cissa pulled Draco to the side. "I saw that, in the library with Hermione." She smiled. "Give her time, and then give it a shot."
"What?" He looked down at his mother like she was crazy. "What are you talking about?"
"The kiss. I saw it. And I saw her eyes when she came over and joined us. Whatever you two were talking about really meant something to her. I think, if you want it, you may have a shot there that you didn't have before." A knowing smile crossed her lips. There was nothing that he could hide from her; she was his mother after all.
He bent and kissed her cheek, "We'll see Mom. Tell Harry thanks for me. I'm assuming you won't be coming home tonight?"
"I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption." She kissed him back and gave him a little shove towards the fireplace. "Think about it." He nodded and in a whoosh of green flames he was gone.
The other three guests followed suit and soon they were alone in the house once more. She sighed as she moved into his waiting arms. "That went well."
"That may be an overstatement."
"I meant with Neville and Luna. Honestly I was expecting more resistance from Neville than Ronald. People surprise you I guess."
"Well Neville had a point. I am his friend, and you are not Bellatrix." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "As far as Ron goes, well I'm just glad Hermione thought of that secret keeping charm in time. Who knows who he would have told?"
"Hey," she moved her chin up and kissed his cheek, "I think five out of six is a pretty good acceptance rate. I'm not complaining one bit. Though I am sorry that you are loosing your best friend over me. I wish-"
"Hush." He pressed a finger gently over her lips. "Ron's reaction to us is Ron's problem. Either he will get over it and accept that you are now the most important person in my life, or we will have our parting of ways. Neither option is your fault."
She chuckled against his finger. "I think I'm a rather large factor in either result."
He dropped one shoulder and swiftly lifted her into his arms bridal style. "Nah. I think it's me." He headed up the stairs with her held firmly to his chest. "What was going on between you and Draco before he left?"
She snorted a small burst of air out of her nose and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. "He's being daft. I was trying to fix it. I don't know if I succeeded though."
She felt rather than heard his chuckle as he carried her up the last flight of stairs to their bedroom. "What's he being daft about?"
"A girl."
He unceremoniously tossed her onto the bed. "That's not an answer Cissa…" He left her lying there and headed for the bathroom to change for bed.
She sighed and rolled over on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. "Hermione. He's being daft about Hermione."
Harry's head stuck back out of the bathroom. "Draco and 'Mione?" He paused and seemed to consider it for a moment. He shrugged. "Hey, who would have guessed we would end up together, they seem more likely than us. They certainly would keep each other on their toes." He laughed, "But then again I've come to enjoy not knowing exactly what I will be coming home to at night."
"You best watch yourself Lord Potter. You may just find yourself coming home to an empty bed." She smiled and apparated herself to just outside the door, when Harry poked his bed back out of the bathroom he gasped. He didn't think that she would actually leave. Through the crack in the door she watched him fight with himself for a second before she walked back in the room. "Careful there. You never know what you may lose."
He wrapped her in his arms and held on tight. "I'm sorry. I didn't think. Please don't ever disappear again."
"I didn't go anywhere. I was in the hallway. But now you know, I won't be taken advantage of in a relationship again Harry. If this is going to work we are going to have to be equals. In every since."
"I know." He sighed into her hair. "I guess Draco wasn't the only one being daft tonight."
"No, but you I know the message sunk in for. Him we will have to wait and see."
"You told him to ask her out?"
"I did. It worked for you, and I think that if Hermione considers what I told her the first time she came here on Halloween, she will give him a chance, just like I gave you."
"I was a chance?"
"And a risk, and a mystery, and the most certain thing that I've ever done." She pulled his lips down to hers and they were lost in each other for the rest of the night.
It was Thursday morning; sitting at breakfast that Cissa was interrupted by the whoosh of green flames in the hearth. She looked up to find Hermione standing there. A smile split her face and she moved to wrap her in a hug. "Thank you."
"I take it he listened?"
The younger witch nodded, "He did. And we had a good time. You raised a very polite young man."
"Well that's always good to hear." She kissed Hermione's cheek. "Would you like something to eat before work? You and Harry can just go together from here."
"That would be lovely, thank you."
The kitchen door opened and Harry came in fighting with his tie. "There is an awful lot of laughter in here for seven-thirty in the morning. Hermione?" He looked confused at the sight of his best friend sitting with his beloved at the breakfast table. "What are you doing here this early?"
"She just came to thank me." Cissa smiled and lifted her eyebrows at Harry, who took the hint well.
"Ah. So neither one of us is completely daft then. That's good to know." He pecked her on the cheek as he moved around the table. "Neither one of the men in your life is completely useless."
"I take it you told him?"
"Had to, we don't do secrets. Besides the whole us being a secret thing."
"Actually Cissa, I don't think that we are a complete secret anymore. I mean, we keep telling people, we may as well tell everyone."
"Harry," she looked over at Cissa with an apologetic look, "Sorry. It's just that after Ronald's reaction I think you guys may need to take this slow. Give it a couple weeks and tell a few more people at Christmas. Then a few more after that, and a few more after that, just go slow."
"But Hermione, wouldn't it be better,"
"Harry, she's right. We can ease people into it, rather than just taking out an advertisement in the Prophet. Though that would be a sight. That Skeeter woman would be furious that she missed the story of the decade."
"Okay, okay, I get the point. No Rita, no papers, just a few at a time. We will do this your way."
Hermione and Narcissa locked eyes and both dissolved into laughter. "What is so funny?" He was looking back and forth between the two.
"Nothing, darling, nothing. It's just that you are learning. I will most always get my way."
"Don't you know the old muggle saying Harry, 'Happy wife, happy life'?" At her statement both Harry and Narcissa turned pink.
"She's not my wife Hermione."
The younger witch gathered her things and headed for the grate. "Close enough." And in a second green whoosh, she was gone.
