A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers! I am happy to say that I've officially finished with exams for the year so hopefully I'll be able to update more often (fingers crossed!).
My fiancé pointed out that I should take the time to personally respond to each review. And I think that with the extra time I have now, I definitely should.
Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 12
Sunday, May 9th 2004 – 7:02pm
Malfoy Manor
Hermione could feel her heart racing as they Apparated into the hallway. She had managed to catch sight of herself in a mirror before they left and had been appalled at her dishevelled hair. Draco's hands had managed to do quite a number.
She was now presentable but that in no way alleviated the dread that had settled firmly at the bottom of her stomach. She was standing in Malfoy Manor, only metres away from the room she had been tortured in, about to have dinner with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.
Someone pinch her.
"You okay?" Draco squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Did she really look that terrified?
"I'm fine." She did her best to give him a comfortable smile.
He looked at her unconvinced, before leading her down the hallway. "My parents should be in formal lounge."
Beautiful artwork lined the walls, accentuated by polished silver frames. There were a few portraits interspersed with the other paintings, their pale aristocratic faces sneering down at her. The Malfoy ancestors clearly had no issues showcasing their disdain for anyone less than thoroughly Pureblood.
Draco sneered right back at them, almost threatening them to speak harshly against his pseudo-girlfriend. He was quite proud of the poise with which she held herself. One word out of line and he would have no qualms blasting those damned portraits from the wall.
He felt her stiffen beside them as they continued through the hallway, as she suddenly stopped moving.
"Wh-" Her eyes were firmly fixated on a large ornate set of doors. "Oh."
How could he have been so stupid? He hadn't even considered how difficult it would be for her to be in the Manor, let alone walk straight past that room.
"Shit. I am so sorry."
She shook her head and turned to him. He was taken aback at the resolve in her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault that your aunty was a psychotic bitch."
If he hadn't felt so serious, he would have laughed at her words. His mother's sister had always had a screw loose but 'psychotic bitch' didn't even begin to describe that woman.
"I'm being serious, Hermione. We can leave if this is too hard for you; reschedule for another time."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Too hard for me? Please – unfortunately, that wasn't the worst thing I had to face during the war. I saw friends die right in front of me at the place I had called home for six years. I'm fine."
And with that, she walked forward and pushed the heavy doors open. The lights in the room came on with a flick of her wand.
Hermione took a few steps in, slowly turning in a circle as she looked over every corner of the room. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out, she cocked her head to the side and smiled at him.
In that moment, she looked more beautiful and so much stronger than she had ever before.
She walked forward and laced her fingers with his again. "Shall we?"
Merlin, she was perfect.
Without thinking, Draco bent forward and quickly kissed her. "Let's go."
Before long, they stood outside another set of doors. "Ready?" He asked her.
She let out a little laugh. "As ready as I'm ever going to be." He flicked the doors open with his wand, leading her into the beautifully decorated room.
Narcissa's mouth blossomed into a wide smile at the sight of her son, as she stood from her seat to greet them. Hermione couldn't help but feel incredibly plain in the older woman's presence. Lucius was standing by the fireplace, sipping a glass of Firewhiskey.
"Draco darling!" Narcissa exclaimed, moving forward to embrace her boy. "I've missed you."
Draco's cheeks flushed lightly at his mother's attention. She had always been extremely affectionate towards him – something that surprised anyone who didn't know them very well.
Narcissa pulled away from him, only to turn to Hermione with a wide smile. "Miss Granger!" She almost whispered, before pulling her into a firm embrace. Draco had to stop himself from chuckling at the bewildered expression on Hermione's ace – he had a feeling that neither woman would appreciate it.
She pulled away from her, holding the younger woman at arm's length. "Thank you for coming, my dear. It really does mean the world to me…to us." Hermione merely nodded, her wide eyes flashing to Draco and back. "And look at you – absolutely beautiful. The pictures in the paper do not do you justice!"
"Draco." Lucius greeted from his place beside the fireplace. "Miss Granger." He nodded at her.
"Mr Malfoy. Thank you for having me." She responded.
"Lucius Malfoy! Come and greet your guest properly!"
Draco snorted at his mother's horrified tone and the admonished expression on his father's face. "I'm sorry, dear. Welcome, Miss Granger. It is a pleasure having you here. Shall we go to the private dining room? It is much more personal than our formal dining room."
Lucius offered his arm to Narcissa before leading the way into a nearby room.
Hermione looked absolutely bewildered. "What the hell?" She hissed at Draco after taking his proffered arm.
He chuckled at her confusion. "I told you he's not at all what you would expect."
"No shit." She whispered.
Draco pulled out a chair for her. She suspected that his chivalrous manners would never cease to surprise her.
A small house elf appeared behind her, Hermione letting out a small startled squeak. "Poppy is sorry, Miss! Bad Poppy! Poppy naughty!"
"No, no! I was just a li-you have clothes?" She nearly clapped her hands over her mouth as the words escaped. Poppy was wearing a rather darling white dress, with a large M embroidered over the front.
Draco laughed at her, quietening under his mother's warning stare.
"Yes, darling." Narcissa explained, not at all bothered by Hermione's utter surprise. "Draco insisted that we gift our elves with clothing a few years ago and give them the option to work for us. As I recall, it was not long after a speech you delivered at the Forum for Creature Equality."
Her eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Seriously?"
"Yes seriously." Lucius drawled.
"I, uh…you were pretty compelling." Draco mumbled, a deep flush rising to his cheeks.
"So Miss Granger, do tell me – how is it that you and my son came to be dating?"
Hermione smiled warmly at the older woman, recounting their well-versed story as their entrée was served. "And somehow he managed to completely sweep me off my feet." She finished.
A wide smirk adorned Lucius' face. "Yes, we could tell. I believe that would be a lipstick stain on your collar, Draco?"
Hermione's eyes widened with horror, blushing as she saw that blasted stain.
"Lucius!" Narcissa scolded him.
"What?" He asked, schooling his face into an expression of innocence – something Hermione would never have expected to see on him. "Malfoy men are irresistible…wouldn't you say, darling?"
Draco flushed, getting increasingly embarrassed with each passing moment. "Father!"
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Sunday, May 9th 2004 – 8:24pm
Malfoy Manor
Lucius cleared his throat as the remnants of dessert were cleared from their plates. "Miss Granger, would you be so kind as to join me in the drawing room?"
She felt her heart drop to her feet, her hands growing clammier by the second. "Of course." She replied, casting a nervous glance at Draco who could only flash her a reassuring smile.
Gathering her napkin and placing it on the table, she followed Lucius out of the dining room.
He poured two glasses of Firewhiskey, handing one to her before seating himself. Hermione took a large gulp of the amber liquid before sitting across from him. Her pulse was beating in her ears – the silence was absolute torture.
"Mr. Malfoy-"
"Lucius."
"Oh. Um, Lucius, I am under no illusions. I am a Muggleborn and that makes me unworthy of your son in your eyes. But I want you to know that I don't care."
He opened his mouth to speak but she continued, getting worked up with each word. "I'll have you know that I came first in our year of Hogwarts for a reason. I may not have come from a privileged Magical background but I worked hard to get where I am and to achieve what I have achieved. I will not have you belittling my efforts or trying to make me feel like I am anything less than your equal because of my heritage."
"Are you done?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow in her direction.
She suddenly felt incredibly sheepish but refused to show it. "Yes." She said, holding her head defiantly.
"What I was going to tell you, Miss Granger, was that despite my prior misgivings and transgressions, I have no issues with your involvement with my son."
"Huh?" Hermione almost cringed as soon as she let out that undignified sound.
"I owe my freedom, my family's freedom, to you and your friends. My biggest regret is that I was too narrow-minded to realise the truth about the Dark Lord before the war ended. The immense death, the bloodshed and the heartbreak was all for nothing – all for some archaic notion that I failed to realise was no longer relevant."
She could do nothing but stare blankly at him. What was she supposed to say to that?
"I want to apologise for the way I treated you and you friends – for the way I raised my son to treat you. I am just grateful that Draco saw the truth before I did and that you haven't held his mistakes against him."
He glanced down at his hands, his nervousness showing for a fleeting moment.
"I must say, I don't think my son could have found anyone better for him than you. This is the first time in a lifetime that I have seen him so carefree – so truly happy – and I know that Narcissa and I have you to thank for that. Please know that you are a welcome part of our family."
Hermione could only blink at him. Well, that was unexpected.
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Sunday, May 9th 2004 – 8:42pm
Malfoy Manor
Draco bristled nervously in his seat. "Mother, what the hell is taking them so long?" They had retired back to the formal lounge soon after his father had taken Hermione aside and he was growing impatient.
"Draco!" Narcissa frowned at her son. "I raised you better than that. Stop fussing and relax!"
He opened his mouth to respond when the doors opened. His eyes widened at the sight of Hermione and his father laughing and chatting amiably as they walked in.
"He didn't!" Hermione giggled, her face flushed with amusement.
"Oh I assure you he definitely did. Draco kept parading around for weeks in Narcissa's heels."
Draco scowled at his father as Hermione guffawed. "Father!"
"Lucius." Narcissa admonished half-heartedly, a smile alighting her face. "You're embarrassing our son."
"Nonsense, darling!" Lucius sat beside her, sparing her a dazzlingly adoring grin. "It's only fair that she knows – he might start wearing her clothes once they're married."
Both Hermione and Draco spluttered ungracefully as the older couple giggled to themselves before noticing the pair's horrified expressions.
"Draco?" Narcissa asked once she had settled down, cocking her head at them. "Please tell me you have at least thought about making an honest woman dear Hermione one day!"
Draco gaped at his mother, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish. Hermione's eyes widened, bristling in her seat beside the floundering younger blonde.
"Oh, we aren't at that point yet. You know…the point of…discussing all of that. We – uh – we're just…"
She trailed off at the amused expression on Lucius' face. "Oh please, Miss Granger."
"Please. I told you to call me Hermione."
"Yes, yes." He dismissed her. "It is only expected, that after a year of dating, that the two of you would be at that stage in your relationship – discussing the future. I know that you were raised better than that." He finished, turning to Draco with a glare.
"Bu-Father!" He turned to Narcissa for support.
"Oh no. Don't think you'll get any help from me." She responded with a frown. "Now, Miss Gr-Hermione, I have absolutely adored our evening – we certainly must do this again. But for now, I am thoroughly exhausted and desperately need to retire to bed."
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Sunday, May 9th 2004 – 9:03pm
Apartment of Draco Malfoy
Well, that had gone swimmingly.
He was acting like a coward and for once, he wasn't afraid to admit it. He had barely glanced at her after Disapparating from his parents' home and into her living room before bidding her goodbye and leaving.
They had been having such a surprisingly wonderful evening and his parents just had to go and open their bloody traps.
Draco wasn't sure why them talking about marriage had stirred him up so much. Perhaps it was because he knew this relationship wasn't real, or maybe it was because he was starting to actually feel some strange form of fondness for the Witch – but the conversation had made him squirm in his seat.
Damn his blasted parents!
How had he not realised that his parents, or his mother at least, would have had marriage on her mind? She was always pushing him to find a 'nice Witch' and settle down.
He had been absolutely mortified to find that the idea of 'settling down' with someone like Hermione wasn't all that horrible. In fact, it was somewhat of a charming notion. She was certainly the type of woman he could fall in love with.
'Whoa, what?!' He thought, stopping in his tracks. 'Mother of Merlin, I need some liquor.'
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The Double Date of the Century!
Monday, May 10th 2004
It seems as though the world and I just can't get enough of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. They say there is no rest for the wicked, and that was certainly the case for yours truly as I worked to bring you more news about our favourite couple. You're all very welcome.
The dynamic couple were spotted sharing a romantic dinner at the Argyle with none other than our beloved parents-to-be, the Potters. It certainly was a brilliant night to be a diner at the upscale restaurant, graced by the presence this new quartet.
But I must say, I wondered what happened to the Wizard that is supposedly a part of our famed Gryffindor War Heroes. Ronald Weasley – Ginevra's brother, Hermione's ex-boyfriend and Harry Potter's supposed best friend – was nowhere to be seen. Has he been replaced by Draco Malfoy? Does this have anything to do with his outburst last week at the Liberty Ball?
I was able to catch up with the snubbed Wizard this weekend and see what he had to say about the whole matter. And let's just say that he was not happy. He described the situation as "infuriating" and practically screamed at me after seeing the above pictures. "How dare they?"
When asked about the blossoming relationship, he almost imploded. "They should all know better than to think that their joke of a relationship is going to last."
He had less than kind words for his ex-girlfriend. "Bloody inconsiderate if you ask me. She practically led me on for all those years." And if that wasn't enough, he went on to say: "Hermione is mine. And she'll do well to remember it."
Is that a threat I hear? I certainly hope not or he won't find himself going scot-free as he did after the Ball.
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Tuesday, May 11th 2004 – 2:39pm
Office of Hermione Granger
Draco Malfoy was ignoring her. Again.
And he had another thing coming if he thought he was being subtle about it.
"What the hell was that about?" Mitchell asked.
They had just ended what had been yet another awkward, tense meeting and Draco had raced out of the room as if his broom was on fire.
Hermione stared down at the paperwork in front of her, shrugging in response.
"Please don't tell me this has anything to do with that article yesterday. I'm quite fond of the idea of you two kids getting together and having a bunch of blonde snobby know-it-all bookworms."
She scowled at him before sighing at his grinning face. "Oh shut up, Mitch. He's just a little freaked out, that's all. We had dinner with his parents on Sunday night and they got on our case for not having discussed marriage and whatnot yet."
Mitchell let out a snort at that. "Oh yeah; that would have been enough to get his commit-o-phobic gears churning."
"You don't say." She murmured, more to herself than in response to him.
"Hey, don't worry." He leant forward and patted her hand. "I know him well enough to be able to tell that what he feels for you is strong."
She stared at his retreating back, baffled by his last words.
Malfoy had strong feelings for her? 'Well slap my arse and call me Betsy' she thought sarcastically. Surely Mitchell was mistaken – whatever it was that was going on between the two of them was a complete farce, physical attraction aside. And that was just a matter of lust – and a yearlong dry-spell on both their parts.
With everything that was going on between the two of them, she couldn't even bring herself to really care about Ron's ridiculous interview with Parvati.
Wearily rubbing her forehead, she pushed all thoughts of Draco and her idiotic ex aside. It wouldn't do her any good to get behind on her paperwork again.
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Thursday, May 13th 2004 – 7:30pm
Zabini Manor
Draco dusted himself off as he landed in the parlour of the Zabini Manor for their monthly Poker night. It was a game that Blaise had discovered during a long vacation in the Muggle regions of Las Vegas. A game that he had fallen in love with and insisted on teaching his friends.
And they had all seriously enjoyed it.
If for nothing else, those Muggles had something to be proud of. It was an ingenious game.
He made his way through to Blaise's wing in the large manor. Despite his desire for independence, he refused to – as he called it – 'abandon' his mother and leave her alone until the time absolutely called for it. And with his impending wedding to Daphne, the time was approaching fast.
"Draco!" Theo greeted him as he entered the hazy lounge room. Blaise had made it into somewhat of a men-only zone, with its dark leather and oak furniture and dim lighting.
He loved it.
"Theo. Blaise." He nodded back at his two friends. "Who are we waiting on?"
"It's just us tonight. Pucey and Flint were roped into a double date by their girlfriends." Blaise explained.
"Girlfriends? Who on earth would want to go out with those idiots?"
Theo chuckled in response as Draco sat down at the table. "The Palmer twins, apparently. Year below us in Hufflepuff."
Draco snorted. "Of course they were in Hufflepuff. How long has that been going on for?"
"A few months. I'm surprised they managed to keep their mouths shut. Apparently you're not the only one with a few secrets under your sleeve."
"Speaking of," Blaise lent forward, a wide grin on his face. "You and Granger, hey?"
"Yes."
He said nothing else, pouring himself a generous glass of Firewhiskey and taking a large gulp. He had fervently avoided speaking to her unless absolutely necessary for the past week and Merlin, he seriously missed the witch!
Blaise scowled at him, flicking his wand to magically shuffle the deck of cards and deal the first set. "Come on, Drake. Give us something."
"Fine. What do you want to know?"
"Oh I don't know – how you ended up in love with the one girl you swore you hated?" Theo replied before glancing down at his set of cards. He threw a few chips into the middle of the table.
"Hell if I know." Draco quipped. "It just happened. We were forced to work together and realised we had a lot more in common than we thought. And then I figured out that I enjoy her company far more than I thought I ever would."
With a wide smirk, Draco scooped up the chips from the middle of the table, having won the first hand.
"And?"
"And I made a move."
Theo flashed a wolfish grin. "I bet you did. I reckon she's a total minx in bed."
"Theo…" Draco growled, his eyes darkening.
"I mean, you know what they say about those quiet librarian types – get them all worked up and they go off like a firecracker."
"Theo…"
"I can definitely imagine her being wicked feisty and all s-"
"NOTT!" Draco stood from his seat and slammed his fists into the table at the same time.
"Dude. Learn when to shut up." Blaise mumbled under his breath, leaning in his seat away from the other two.
"Whoa. Sorry man." Draco sat back down, eyes flaring angrily. "I didn't mean anything by it."
Draco stewed silently in his seat as they continued their game. 'Bloody hell, what's wrong with me?' He wasn't sure why he was so worked up. He had never shied away from making a few lewd comments and joking around with his mates in the past. It was somewhat standard for them to talk about their 'conquests' and whatnot. After all, they were still fairly young men.
But for some reason, it didn't feel right talking about her like that. She deserved more respect than that. He knew for certain that if he ever did somehow become that intimate with her, he wouldn't even consider sharing any of the details with his friends or speaking about her so callously as he had about other women. Hermione was far more than that.
He finally understood why Blaise kept relatively tight-lipped about Daphne.
A heavy silence fell between them as they played a few more hands, the tension slowly lifting.
"Seriously, though." Blaise started, sending Draco a cheeky grin. "What's Granger like in the sack?"
Draco scowled at his friend. "I'm not going to disrespect her like that. What Hermione and I share is personal so give it up."
Blaise let out a long, slow wolf-whistle. "Damn. It must be love."
A/N: As always, please review!
