Chapter 14: Perfect ….
.
So because I have been so bad about updating lately, I am trying to give you some shorter but important chapters.
I am so excited to see what happens next and I am the one writing it ;)
Okay that is PLENTY of my babbling, shall we see who is knocking?
.
.
"Just a moment!" she yelled.
She grabbed her jeans she had discarded on the floor before her bath and threw on her bra and shirt. In her haste to dress she didn't see her shoe and with a thud fell on the hard wood floors.
"Ow" she got up and rubbed the side of her bum where she had fallen.
*knock* "Hermione?" *knock* "Hermione are you alright?"
With another stumble and crash into the door, she opened it.
"Narcissa, I apologize. I am such a klutz sometimes."
"Are you alright?" she smiled
"Oh yes, I just tripped and fell over – well – everything!" Hermione laughed.
"What can I do for you Narcissa? Surely I am not late to dinner am I?" she looked at her watch beginning to fret.
""No, oh my goodness no. you still have plenty of time to get ready."
Walking over to the black suede sofa she patted the spot next to her urging her to sit down.
Hermione sat, and was greeted by another warm and motherly hug. She had not felt that in years. Sure Molly always had motherly hugs, but they seemed so obligated some days. Who would have thought that this woman, the one who watched as Hermione was being tortured would be so comforting. Hermione was beginning to understand why Draco had talked of his mother in such high regards. After a long moment the two witches let go of one another.
"I wanted to come and make sure you were alright after that horrid room. Lucius and I were worried you would have ran out the moment you were done. He was more worried that you would be hurt."
Narcissa gave a soft smile; she knew this was all out of character to the Malfoy's that both Hermione and Draco knew. She also knew it would take some getting used to. Everything about this situation was different. As a whole, they were in fact still a pureblooded family. The only difference in the current days; is that they wouldn't mind having half-blooded grandchildren.
"I appreciate the concern from all three of you. I know Draco didn't want me to go into that room because he didn't want me hating him. I knew a secret of his that he had not really told anyone, and when I informed him of that his eyes lit up and he looked as though an extra heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders."
"The secret regarding your parents" Narcissa half asked.
She knew of this secret after Draco had broken down after the war and told her. She knew then that her son would eventually pursue Hermione, but she also knew he would only do so if Hermione allowed it. She knew the real reason he left the magical world was because he needed to make a name for himself outside of being death eater scum. He would have to prove to Hermione that he had in fact changed, and not just the way he dressed. He would have to show her the change of heart he had made.
"Draco told me about it after the war and the trials. He couldn't bear to hold it in any longer, he only hoped that your parents were alive. He even tried finding them to restore their memories for you, but when he had found them you already had done just that; and he knew that whatever chances he had at making redemption would have to be done where you would least expect it. he doesn't wish for me to tell you these things Ms. Granger, but I thought you should know. The boy that went to school is not the man that walked into my home this afternoon. I want to thank you; thank you so much changing my family for the better. and thank you for opening our eyes to so very many possibilities."
Hermione sat there with her lips half parted for a minute.
"Mrs. Malfoy, your son has helped me also. We were rivals yes, but we overcame that and I have grown rather fond of his friendship. If I may be so bold as to say that sometimes I don't ever want our time to end. I feel safe and like he truly has changed and I know that you played a large part in that change as well. He speaks of you and how you were with him as a child. Thank you for allowing me to come here, you have no idea how much better I truly feel. While the scenario in that room was the same, it was so different. I had the chance to fight back, and I quiet literally got fight against my fears and defeated them head on. And Draco got to do the same. It was important for the both of us."
"Well, I am so proud of both of you. I told Lucius I wanted nothing more to do with that room. So he got rid of it the moment you both were finished. I am just happy that you both feel like the world is no longer on your shoulders."
Narcissa wiped a stray tear that had started falling down her cheek. "Now!" she clapped her hands together. "Shall we get you ready for dinner? Would you like some assistance?" she beamed
"I would appreciate all the assistance I can get. I know many spells about my hair and make-up now days thanks to Pans and Gin. However, I know very little about dresses and what makes me look good. And I don't want to overdress or worse; underdress!"
Both women laughed and thus began the bonding experience they both had always wanted. Hermione with a mother figure showing her what looks best with what and to make her feel pretty. It wasn't prom or anything special just simply playing dress up.
"Hermione, how did your mum used to do your hair for special occasions?"
"Oh um, she never really tried to do anything with it. The curls would never cooperate with her and hair spray did nothing but make my hair hard." Hermione fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "We never really did anything like this. We didn't have fancy dinners or anything. We were not very close but when we would talk it often felt like it was out of obligation. I loved my mum don't get me wrong. We just never really got on like a mother and daughter should."
Narcissa's face fell. How could anyone treat their daughter like they were nothing? She questioned herself. If Hermione were Narcissa's daughter she would have been given the world. She had always wanted a daughter, but due to something wrong with her Narcissa was not able to carry any other children after Draco. Nobody was ever able to give her answers though so she just had assumed that it was a family curse. She would do her best to make Hermione feel wanted….Always.
"Well then, we will just have to make our own memories!" she smiled and continued fixing Hermione's hair.
Her hair had tamed a lot since the previous years but it still had a lot of curl to it. Narcissa had taken her hair and parted it in half around the sides of her head to put it in a half ponytail. Although instead of just letting the loose curls fall out of the hair tie, she wrapped it lazily around the base of the ponytail and stuck it in place leaving a slightly mess bun just below the top of her head. The remaining curls cascaded around her face and down her back. Her bangs were apparent and parted perfectly to the left side of her face. Her eyes were brushed lightly with a purple shadow that traced the outside of her eyes with a purple gray grey shadow on the top eyelid making the mocha honey color of her eyes pop perfectly. Her lips were graced with a Rosie Berry Matte lipstick that made her pouty lips look fantastic.
"Now that we have the hair and make-up done we can get the dress!" Narcissa stood up and waltzed gracefully over to the wardrobe thumbing through the dresses that filled it.
"Narcissa, I could only hope to be able to walk across the room without tripping over the air." Hermione laughed.
"My dear, it has taken many years for me to learn to not trip over the air. I promise I have not always been so graceful. I suppose that means nothing too high for your shoes?"
"Oh please don't make me tower tonight. I am not sure I could handle that!"
Both women started laughing, after a few moments Cissa put her right index finger to her lips. She looked in deep thought and pulled out an A-Line/Princess V-neck Knee-length Chiffon dress, it was in the purest shade of emerald and looked like it would hug Hermione in all the right places while also being rather modest.
Hermione gasped "That is beautiful. Although I don't know how it will look on me. Do you think this color will wash me out?"
Narcissa smiled "Hermione, this green will make those eyes pop even more than they already are. Now go put it on and we will see if we need to alter the color.
After a few moments, Hermione checked herself in the floor length mirror. The V-Neck didn't dip too low and there were small sleeves that cupped her shoulders. It was perfect in length, which she was grateful for. She knew she could not handle a floor length gown, she had tripped over a shoe earlier; that was enough embarrassment to last a lifetime! She twirled and ran her fingers down the length of the dress feeling the subtle silk trimming around the edges; she relished in the soft velvet feel of the chiffon. This material was not cheap and she knew that she would likely never wear something so extravagant again.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the bathroom door to find Narcissa sitting on the same black sofa as before; waiting ever so patiently for her to come out of the bathroom. She put her hands over her mouth and smiled once again at the beauty that stood before her.
"Hermione! You look stunning!"
Hermione blushed. "Thank you."
"I will go, I am sure Draco will be 'picking you up' promptly in about 5 minutes. I wouldn't want to intrude on such a moment between the two of you."
Hermione turned, looked down and realized she needed shoes.
Before Hermione could ask, Narcissa was out the door and down the hall. She was on her own for this one.
Although when she skimmed through the various shoes she found a pair of Louboutin Tpoppins - Suede Black heels. She had always wanted to wear a pair of the red soled shoes but they were far too expensive. She slipped them on and studied herself once more.
Testing out the shoes, Hermione walked over to the dresser drawers and decided to look at the boxes that were placed on top. They looked like jewelry boxes and she was curious. Maybe there would be a matching set of earrings and a necklace. She felt that her neck was a bit bear; she had taken off the necklace her mother had given her, her first year at Hogwarts. The pain after they passed was too hard to continue wearing it.
She opened the first box to find a pair of beautiful black diamond earrings. The beads that dangled were strung together by a thin strand of 14k white gold. They were simple but elegant all at the same time. She wondered for a moment if it would be okay to wear them when she saw a note that was written once again for her eyes.
Hermione,
Please help yourself to the jewels in these boxes. Whatever would look best with the colors you have chosen for the evening. I look forward to seeing you at dinner.
With love,
Narcissa
Hermione laughed, she had not ever felt so at home. And of course of all the places she could possibly feel safe would be Malfoy Manor. Thank Merlin that Draco was not here to laugh at her now always present blush. She shouldn't feel so at home here. But who cared, her best friend was here and they both were able to overcome a fear they both had. Now perhaps they could move on with life.
She opened the second box and found an assortment of different necklaces. She scanned through them and her eyes fell on a simple black diamond necklace to match the beaded earrings. The chain was long enough that the beads fell very close to the barely visible cleavage but remained modest.
Just as she was putting it on, a knock on the door told her that dinner had finally arrived.
She walked gracefully over to the closed door and opened it. Her heart thumped in her chest at such a rapid rate she was sure she was going to fall victim to a heart attack.
Draco stared at her, mouth open wide with surprise. He smiled wide and for the first time in a long time Hermione saw that it not only reached his eyes but the twinkle that once shined in his eyes were back. She stood there head held high, fighting the urge to fidget with dress or her hands. She looked like amazing.
Draco moved forward, took her right hand. He took his right hand and brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him realizing how close they were. Before she could say a word his lips were on hers. It was short and sweet. They parted after a moment, shock apparent on Hermione's face.
"Hermione, I- I- I am so sorry."
.
.
.
Well another chapter down, I don't know how well I did on the last few chapters. I hope they have been enjoyable. Thank you as always for reading and following and favoriting! (I know that is not proper) but who cares ha. let me know what you all think. If you have idea LET ME KNOW! I love help with my writing! Every little bit to make every single one of my followers happy!
Love you all!