"So, I did it." She told herself, running her slender, chalk white fingers through her sleek blonde hair. "I took one back for us. One more slice of respect won back from that boy and his mudblood girl."

She got to her feet, legs trembling at the unfamiliar feeling of being upright. Since he'd left, she'd spent so long sat down, staring out of windows, into space, at the wall. Now she felt some of the strength she had felt before flooding back to her. She felt the old feeling of pride settling back down after being so mercilessly disrupted.

As she strode across the vast, monochrome room towards the bed, her long dress fluttering about her ankles, she remembered what it had all been like before, and the realization of how short a time ago that had been suddenly struck her. "It's been only a month. Four of the longest weeks of my life have past by since he left, and now I am alone, still, in this house. But I am fighting back." But it was not enough she knew. It was not even near enough. They were still together, her son and that muggle scum. It would not do. So long as they were together, he would be happy.

She sat down gracefully on the bed, her light weight failing to let even the slightest squeak escape from the beds ancient, thoroughly worn out springs. "I have to do something bigger." A small trickle of excitement was caught up in her blood. "Something to tear his world apart! I have to do something more to that girl, something less curable, something that will certainly twist the knife I've surely already planted through his heart."

"I'm going mad." She told herself. "I'm going insane, this is my son, and I'm thinking of knives in hearts, hurting the one girl he's truly learnt to care for. What am I thinking?"

A tiny spasm bought Narcissa's neck twitching to the side, and the thoughts of knives through her son's heart suddenly became more appealing, more inviting, more delightful. "He'd do it for me." The image of Lucius' face swam across her the wall at which she had been staring. "He promised he'd do anything to keep me happy, and to this day he's kept his promise, and I should do the same for him, it's only right, it's only fair." She scratched at the back of her hand distractedly, blinking away her husband's face.

"I miss my son." The thought hit her like bomb, destroying all violent thoughts in her head. "I miss my son." She whispered, hardly daring to let it sink in, hoping it would pass as soon as she heard it aloud. It didn't. Soon she felt tears stinging the corners of her neglected, bare eyes, which were usually lined heavily with makeup. She cried, letting Lucius' face be replaced by that of her son, her baby, her angel, who had left her alone in favor of a mudblood.

It was that girl she did not like. Not Draco. The girl who'd stolen him away. She would pay. She would pay for what she had destroyed. If it hadn't been for her, Lucius would not have been sent to Azkaban, Draco would not have left, never to be heard from again. If it hadn't been for her and that Order she herself would not have to be here, staring out at this unfamiliar landscape, missing her own manor house.

Hermione Granger had ruined it all. With that thought clearer in her head than any before, Narcissa Malfoy swiftly got to her feet once more.

"Do you want your coffee black or white, Blaise?" Hermione's voice sounded from the kitchen and Blaise, Harry and Draco looked up from their game of exploding snap. Nearly a month had passed with no further attacks, no threats or, pretty much anything from people they'd rather not hear from.

"Um, black please, Hermione." Blaise replied, before turning directly back to the game. Harry was looking at Draco, whose worried expression was reflected on the face of the black haired boy.

"What are you thinking, Draco?" Harry asked, bringing Draco out of his reverie.

Draco sighed deeply. "I know I shouldn't be, but I'm starting to get a bit concerned we haven't heard anything from Narcissa."

"It may have just passed. She's got her revenge. That could be the end of it." He tried a reassuring smile but Draco didn't catch it.

"I know. That's what I'm hoping, but something just doesn't feel right. She'd have tried to make contact or something. She wouldn't have just left it."

Harry gave him a defeated look before turning away. "You know her far better than I, so I know I can not try to pretend to you that I too have been a little concerned."

Blaise ignored their conversation, gratefully accepting the mug of black coffee Hermione handed him as she sat daintily down beside Draco. "What are you concerned about?" She asked, her expression merely curious. Little got past her these days. More so than ever before, Hermione was constantly on the look out for information, suspicious conversations and anybody different in a regular crowd.

Draco turned his blue eyes onto her. There was care in those eyes Harry had never seen before, never expected to see in Malfoy, yet here he was, playing cards with the boy he'd once hated, who now loved his best friend. "We're just discussing my mother once again." Draco told her.

"Must you?" Hermione sighed. "I'm almost fed up of hearing about it. Nothing's happened for a month now, we must just presume she feels we've learnt our lesson." She slouched heavily against the couch, the fatigue of being on constant lookout displayed on her delicate face.

"I'm sorry, darling." Darling? Harry thought. Since when was Malfoy a "darling" man? "But you must realize it's not right."

Hermione let her dark eyes drift between the three of them, taking in Harry's determinedly calm demeanor she was so used to, Draco's blazing expression, and Blaise's wonderful dismissal of the urgency obviously felt by the two men opposite him. "Ok." She admitted huffily. "It doesn't feel quite right, but try to see this from my point of view. I'm fed up of always having to look over my shoulder as I walk down corridors or down the street. I'm fed up of having to have all my food made right in front of me before I can eat it, or not leaving any of my possessions unattended. I hate this sensation that I'm a time bomb just waiting to be detonated and then that'll be it. The end of Hermione Granger when, to me, it feels as if the danger's passed.

"You're right." Harry said. His eyes were beaming at her though his lips remained emotionless. "You're absolutely right, of course you are, but you have to understand the position this is putting Draco and myself and Blaise in as well." He looked to the other two for support but found none. " We care about you. Draco and I would die if anything were to happen to you…"

"I wouldn't be too thrilled either." Blaise cut in, grinning at Hermione. "Best coffee brewer in the country, I'd say."

"Thanks, Blaise." Hermione laughed.

Harry continued. "Seriously though 'Mione. You've been next to dead twice in the past year. How do you think that makes us feel? Draco and I… and Blaise have had to stand by and watch you practically die twice."

"Technically you were pretty much dead yourself through one of those times, Potter." Blaise pointed out, but was ignored.

"We're worried about you. I just want you to realize what danger you're in." Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze.

Draco took her other hand in his, bringing her attention onto him. "I know it's been tough for you, having to be so careful, but we don't really know what Narcissa's planning, and until we know that, you're not safe as far as we're concerned." He bought her fingers to his lips and kissed them warmly, making her smile.

"Maybe you could just take it down a notch though." Blaise added. "I mean, watching restaurant people cook your food? That's just weird!"

"I never thought I'd say this." Harry said. "But Blaise is right. You should take it down a level, relax a bit."

Hermione nodded gratefully. "Ok, I will. Now that I have your permission."

Harry acknowledged the sarcastic note in her voice but chose to ignore it. "I'm just trying to look after you."

"I can look after myself. You should know that by now, Harry." Hermione said pointedly.

"But can you though?" Draco asked. "Like Harry says, that's twice they've managed to get you now, twice in the past year. That's not much of a track-record, Hermione."

Hermione snorted. "I'd like to remind you all who was the most successful Head Girl Hogwarts has ever seen? Who received straight "Outstanding" grades in their NEWTs? Who…"

"We get the idea, you're amazing." Blaise said, cutting Hermione off. "But it just takes one mistake, one lapse in concentration, then for all we know, that could be the end of Hermione Granger."

It is ten to one here, and I am still awake. I have arachnophobic and I saw a spider right by my bed nearly two hours ago and now I cannot sleep. At least I'm not doing anything tomorrow. By the way, if anybody's read that thing about some guy who has hacked onto JK Rowling's system and is saying that Hermione's being killed off, then it's pretty much bullshit. Emma Watson was talking about it in some article I read the other day. Film comes out in twelve days. I'm actually so excited. Also, don't know if you get this in America, which is where I know a lot of you are, but did anybody see the Doctor Who finale!? Oh my god. I do love David Tennant.

Sorry about the random half conversation there, got a bit carried away.

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