Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Depressing, but true.

Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! This time around we get a big surprise from Draco's parents, plus a little more stupidity from Harry and Ron! Why not?

I was going to chat a bit more about the story, but dudes, I went to a heavy metal show last night kind of by accident and now I feel wrecked - no voice, major headache, and some very weird pictures on my camera. Like, a disproportionate number of men with handlebar mustaches and long, Lucius-style hair, waving at my lens with cheery smiles. What the hell? But seriously. Epic mustaches.

A couple of you have asked if I take fic challenges or requests. The answer is: I have no idea! Feel free to make a request and if I think I can pull it off, maybe I'll give it a go. That said, I have a few other stories kicking around in my head, and this gal's only got so much time, so it's nothing personal at all if I can't do it. I just want to make sure I do a decent job if I take something on, which I'm sure you dig.

Lots of reviews = another early chapter! I'm writing the ending at the moment, and I think it will clock in at around 16 or 17 chapters... In case you were curious. At the speed we're going now, that means we have one more week together, and then I'm going to have to plan out my next story. Crazy.

xo

Galfoy

They were all a bit nervous as they stepped up to the front door of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Harry and Ron were worried about the Order's reaction to Draco, Hermione was worried about Draco's reaction to his parent's, and Draco was only worried about one thing: what his parents would say when he told them he was in love with Hermione Granger, poster-girl for Muggle-borns, brightest witch of her age, and a member of the Golden Trio. Horcruxes could wait; he planned to tell them about his feelings before he did anything else. The sooner he made them realize he wouldn't be making them little pureblooded babies, the better. Besides, it might be a good test to see if their loyalties really had changed. If they murdered him in cold blood, well, at least his suspicions were correct. He really didn't know what to make of this defection nonsense.

"Look, Ron and I will go in and explain things to any of the Order members who are here. You two can stay in the sitting room for a bit, and when we're done explaining, Malfoy can go speak to his parents. Sound okay?" said Harry.

Hermione and Draco nodded mutely, and the foursome stepped inside the front door. Harry and Ron split off immediately to look for Order members, while Hermione turned to Draco. She had a knowing smile on her face.

"You're not going to wait for them, I imagine?" she said.

"How is it you know me so well?" Draco chuckled. "No, I have no intention of waiting. My parents don't play by the rules, and neither do I. That, and I sure as fuck don't take orders from Potter."

Hermione nodded. "I'm sure you'd understand if I stood outside the door and kept an ear out for you?"

"Of course. I pity my parents if they try and cross you. That was some scary shit you pulled on Potter."

"Yes, well, it's easy when you're not faking it," she said absent-mindedly. "Shall we go find them? There are quite a few rooms here."

Draco shook his head. "No need. See my signet ring?" He held up his hand to show her the gold band with a green "M" on it. "This will take me to them."

He tapped the ring with his wand, closed his eyes, and waited. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and smiled. "Only one floor up."

Hermione furrowed her brow as they started up the stairs. "Wait, couldn't they have used that to find you?"

"No, it's for short distances only. Handy little charm, though. Especially when you grow up in a house the size of the manor."

He reached the door that the ring was leading him to. Suddenly he felt incredibly nervous.

Turning to Hermione, he put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Listen, whatever happens in there, just know that I love you. Truly. I'm so glad I found you. Well, I guess technically you found me, but -"

"This isn't goodbye, Draco," she said, frowning. "I'm not letting anyone hurt you, parents or not."

"I know, and I'm grateful... I just... I'm going to tell them about you and I don't really know how they will react. If they say anything hurtful that you happen to hear, pay them no mind. I think it's too much to expect them to understand."

Instead of responding, Hermione leaned in and kissed him. His chest exploded with the same butterfly feeling he had when they kissed for the first time. He savoured the moment, letting himself absorb her taste, her scent, the feeling of her lips. He almost whimpered when she broke away, although he felt calmer and far less afraid than he had minutes earlier.

"You'll be okay. I'll be right here," she assured him. With a last peck on the lips, she pointed him towards the door, and he turned the knob.

His father was sitting at a writing desk, scribbling something down, while his mother was standing by the only window in the room, looking out with sad eyes. They looked very much the same as they always did in the manor, except in this strange house, their rigid posture, expensive clothes and stern expressions looked out of place. They both looked broken, their pride sucked away by the circumstances of the war.

Draco cleared his throat.

His mother gasped and his father stood up quickly, looking at Draco with a shocked expression.

"Is this a trick?" Narcissa whispered, obviously fearing that she had lost her mind.

"No mother, father, it's me," Draco said calmly. "I've been in hiding, and I found out that you were here only minutes ago."

"But they told us they didn't know where you were!" his father said, his cool demeanor dropping to expose a very tired, worried man. His hand shot out and he leaned against the desk heavily, swaying slightly. Draco looked at him with concern.

"They didn't, father. They are only finding out now. I was asked to wait to see you until they knew, but as you can imagine, I wasn't interested in waiting."

Narcissa broke the awkward distance between them and rushed forward, crushing Draco in a fierce hug. It was one of the only times he could remember her embracing him, and he had to remind himself to hug her back after the surprise had worn off.

"Draco, I've been so worried about you," she sobbed into his shoulder. "We thought you had been killed!"

"It wasn't for lack of trying, mother," Draco said, stroking her hair, relishing the rare affection. "I've never been closer to death, but in the end, they didn't succeed."

Lucius walked up to him now, placing a hand on Narcissa's back. "Cissa, perhaps we should let him explain things to us." His tone was gentler than Draco had ever heard, and he wondered briefly if his parents had actually changed somehow. They were so... Different here. There was no posturing, strutting about, or snide comments, and they were already well into a conversation. This simply didn't happen with his parents. It was making him uneasy.

They moved over to the loveseat, his parents sitting side by side and Draco taking the plush matching chair in front of them. It felt strange, having his parents look at him expectantly. They had always been so dismissive, and now, here they were, waiting on his words.

Bizarre.

He decided to start with a bang, lest he not be able to finish. Gathering all his courage, he took a breath and spoke.

"Before I begin, I'd like to make something clear to both of you. If you are hoping that this is a big misunderstanding and that I'll be waltzing back to the Dark Lord, you are gravely mistaken. I chose to leave his service, and I will never return. Further, as much as the Order annoys me to no end, I will be helping them bring the Dark Lord down to the best of my ability. Is this understood?"

He noticed his father clench his jaw and his mother's eyes widen, but eventually they both nodded.

"I destroyed something, something very important to the Dark Lord. I did it to weaken him, because I realized that I no longer believed in what he stood for. I also did it knowing that I would likely be killed for my transgression, but it was a sacrifice I was prepared to make. I didn't confide this in either of you because I didn't believe you would understand, and I didn't want my mission to be sabotaged."

"Once the deed was discovered, I was taken out into the woods and beaten nearly to death. They broke more bones than I can count. They tortured me. They also left me with this." Draco pulled up his shirt and showed his parents the lettered scar across his chest. They both gasped at the sight.

"I didn't die, as you can see. The reason I didn't die is because someone fought off the Death Eaters and took me away from those woods. This person healed me, looked after me, and nursed me to health. I would have died if it weren't for their efforts."

"Who did this for you, son?" Lucius asked, having noticed the complete lack of clues in Draco's explanation.

There was a small silence as Draco readied himself.

"It was Hermione Granger."

"Hermione Granger?" his mother repeated, looking puzzled. "But... You hated each other in school, as I remember. She's the Muggle-born."

"She's Potter's best friend," said Lucius, with a frown.

"Yes, all of the above. She's also a very bright witch," continued Draco. "She healed me with minimal supplies. She hid us in a remote cave. She hunted for food and set up complicated wards to keep us safe. She is the only reason I'm alive. She also did this despite the fact that I bullied and taunted her all through school, despite the fact that I have the Dark Mark."

"My goodness... She certainly has strength of character," he heard his mother murmur.

Draco's brow furrowed. The explosion he was expecting hadn't come. Perhaps it was simply building up to his final piece of news.

"There's more," he said. Lucius raised his eyebrows at him as if to say, get on with it.

"I've fallen in love with her."

The look on his parents' faces was almost enough to make him burst out in nervous laughter. Both their jaws dropped open at the exact same time, leaving them looking like fish out of water.

"I realize she's Muggle-born, and that she's a member of the Golden Trio," he said, rushing to finish. "I also realize that this is probably exactly the opposite of what you had hoped for me to do, and trust me, it's the last thing I expected to happen. But please believe that I have never been happier or felt more complete than I do with her. I am not asking you to understand, or approve... I simply wanted you to know."

A painful silence descended on the room. The only sound Draco could hear was his mother's breathing and the ticking of an old clock on the bookcase.

Eventually, Lucius took a deep breath. He looked eerily calm.

"Where is she now, Draco? Surely a woman with such courage didn't leave you to confront your Death Eater parents alone."

The door opened and Hermione walked in, stopping behind Draco's chair, with her hand on his shoulder. "That's correct, sir. I'm right here."

"This room has a rather complicated silencing charm on it, Ms. Granger," Lucius said, his eyes narrowing. He was obviously wondering how she managed to hear him ask for her whereabouts.

"Apparently not complicated enough, sir," Hermione said, lightly. She was either completely unafraid, or very good at pretending, Draco decided. And Hermione didn't usually pretend.

The corners of Lucius's mouth twitched. Was he trying to suppress... A smile?

"Ms. Granger, you helped someone you knew to be a Death Eater from a terrible fate. I admit, I'm curious as to why."

"Well, Draco says it's because I'm a 'bloody Gryffindor', but I simply prefer not to judge people based on their past if they are trying to change for the better." She paused. "Also, I'm a bloody Gryffindor."

Lucius bit his lip to keep from laughing and Narcissa coughed to cover up her smile.

"I take it, then, that you return Draco's feelings for you?"

"Very much sir. You've raised a charming young man," she said, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Although between you and me, he's not much of a hunter."

Lucius and Narcissa both snorted with laughter, trying unsuccessfully to school their features under a mask of seriousness.

"I do apologize for that glaring omission in his upbringing, Ms. Granger."

"Not a problem, sir. And please, call me Hermione."

"Very well, Hermione. May I ask what your plans are for the future?"

"I plan to help bring down the maniac living in your house, sir. Beyond that... Well... Let's just say I'm a bit preoccupied with survival at the moment."

"I see," Lucius said thoughtfully. "And your plans for my son?"

"I'd like to make him happy. Honestly, I'm not too concerned about the details."

Draco shook himself out of his stupor at the banter passing between Hermione and his father, and looked back over his shoulder at her. "You already make me happy, Hermione."

"Glad to hear it, love," she said, shooting him a glowing smile.

Narcissa spoke up for the first time since Hermione joined them, fixing her elegant gaze on the couple. She looked quite at ease now, a gentle expression on her face.

"Well, it appears our Draco has found a witch who is intelligent, level-headed, courageous and witty enough to keep my husband on his toes. I see no reason to offer anything but warm congratulations, wouldn't you agree, Lucius?"

"Indeed," Lucius said with a cheeky smile.

"Uh, excuse me, but did you both just offer us your blessing?" Draco stammered. This couldn't really be happening. He must be imagining things.

"We did, Draco," said Narcissa, innocently. "Why? Would you rather not have it?"

"No, it's just that... I expected a lot more... Uh... Anger."

His mother's expression turned sad. "Draco, we thought you were dead. We were out of our minds with grief. We've spent our lives living the way we were taught only to discover that in the end, we had gained nothing of real value. It was a difficult lesson to learn. Today, not only was our son returned to us, but he is happier and more fulfilled than we have ever seen him. If we owe anything to Hermione, it is our everlasting gratitude, not our scorn."

At the shock of her words, Draco felt his eyes well up with tears, and Hermione's hand tightened on his shoulder. He had been terribly wrong about his parents, and it was a relief.

"Thank you for your understanding," Hermione said, saving him the trouble of speaking while he was getting choked up.

Suddenly, Hermione's eyes darted towards the door, and she raised her wand.

"Hermione, what are you - " Draco began.

He didn't have a chance to finish, as the door flew open and an angry Harry and Ron ran in. Hermione threw up a shield spell before anyone could so much as blink, sheltering Draco's parents from a handful of hexes.

"Are you quite finished!" Hermione shrieked. "Imbeciles! We are all fine!"

She stood, panting, between the two camps, glaring daggers at her two best friends.

"Shit," said Harry and Ron at the same time.

"We've done it again, I think," said Ron immediately after.

"We'll just be leaving, seeing as how, y'know, everything's under control," said Harry, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. He and Ron turned and ran, with Hermione following close behind them, shooting what seemed to be very unpleasant hexes their way.

"Cowards!" she yelled, disappearing out the door. "Get your sorry arses back here and face me like men!"

"Oh dear," said Narcissa. "I almost feel bad for those boys when she catches up to them."

"Now darling," Lucius said calmly. "I'm sure they knew what they were getting into when they tried to out-duel a witch with rather terrifying reflexes."

Draco chuckled to himself. It was endlessly amusing to see Hermione put the Demented Duo in their place.

"She really is something else, Draco," said Narcissa, looking at him fondly. "Very different. Very bright."

"If you mean she's not a pureblooded airhead, yes, she's certainly something else," he replied. "She's bloody amazing."

Screams that sounded an awful lot like two young men being hexed into a hole rose up through the old house.

Lucius smirked, and with something resembling pride in his voice, said, "I think I quite like her."

At Hermione's request, the Order refrained from questioning Draco's parents that evening. Also at Hermione's request, she and Draco were set up in their own room with a large bed to share. Everyone in the house was a little scared of her following her attack on Harry and Ron... The two boys still hadn't figured out how to change their feet back to normal, and were stuck with having wheels underneath each ankle instead. They had both fallen down the stairs multiple times, and had incurred everyone's anger by rolling over at least a few toes.

After washing up for bed, Hermione slipped into the small backyard for a breath of fresh air. When she heard the door open and close, she assumed Draco had followed her out, but was surprised to find Narcissa beside her instead.

"Evening Mrs. Malfoy," she said with a smile.

"Good evening Hermione. And please, it's Narcissa, dear."

The two women gazed up at the stars together for several minutes in comfortable silence. Narcissa pointed upwards and said, "That's Draco's constellation right there."

"It's beautiful," Hermione said, admiring the twinkling namesake. "Unique and dramatic, just like him."

Narcissa laughed happily, and Hermione decided that the woman beside her was really one of the most stunning people she had ever laid eyes on. Her white-blonde hair shone in the moonlight, and her smile seemed to carry a light all its own. If it weren't for the regal nature of her face, she could easily pass for eighteen. Hermione vowed to make her laugh more often, just to enjoy the results.

Narcissa's expression eventually sobered, and she looked lost in thought.

"Hermione, I should tell you... I know about the horcruxes. I know that's what Draco destroyed, and I imagine that's what you've been doing for the past while as well."

Hermione didn't bother to deny anything. Draco's mother was obviously an intelligent woman, and besides, Hermione didn't really believe that she supported Voldemort after such a drastic defection.

Narcissa took her silence as an affirmation, and continued.

"I've also judged by the panic at the manor that most of them have been demolished."

Hermione gave her a firm nod. "One left, and then we can end this."

Narcissa turned towards Hermione with a very serious expression on her face. "It's that blasted snake, isn't it?" she whispered.

Hermione didn't hide her surprise. "How did you know?"

"A hunch. I've been around enough dark magic to know when something's really off the charts. I've never met anything as evil as that snake, minus perhaps the Dark Lord himself."

"Well, you're right," Hermione said, impressed. "Once we figure out how to kill Nagini, Harry will be able to confront You-Know-Who. And maybe I'm being optimistic, but I do believe we can get rid of him."

"I completely agree, my dear," said Narcissa. "When Draco disappeared, I had to completely reevaluate my beliefs, and you know what I discovered?"

"What?" asked Hermione, intrigued.

"I don't really like following the orders of others, especially when those people are trying to harm my loved ones. Malfoys are leaders, and yet we let ourselves be foolishly led astray by that lunatic. It's shameful, but I'm happier knowing that I prefer my autonomy and my family over false power. I don't plan to make the same mistake twice."

"I'm glad to hear it," Hermione answered truthfully. The more she spoke with Narcissa, the more she liked her.

"Draco is very lucky to have you, dear. I'm very proud of both of you."

"That's very kind of you to say. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what your reaction might be."

"I imagine our reaction wouldn't have mattered a tick, in the end, if I've judged your personality correctly," Narcissa said with a smirk.

Hermione chuckled. "I suppose not. But it's good to have your support regardless. And I know Draco is thrilled, if not a bit confused."

"Yes, well, we haven't always been the best parents to him," she said with a frown. "I know it's rather late, but I plan to start making it up to him."

"This is a good start," Hermione whispered, nudging Narcissa's shoulder with her own. The older woman smiled and winked at her.

"I'm glad you think so. At any rate, I'd best head upstairs, darling. It's going to be one of those long nights." Narcissa turned and walked gracefully back into the house.

Hermione was puzzled as to why the night was going to be particularly long, but decided that if Narcissa was making some kind of reference to her and Lucius's love life, she'd rather not know.