Ginny sat at the end of Hermione's bed, reading the latest issue of Witch Weekly as Hermione poured over her Potions essay on Belladonna and its various purposes. She'd invited Ginny up because she wanted to do a bit of girl talk, but as Lavender and Parvati were currently getting ready to spend the evening in the Astronomy Tower with their respective boyfriends, the talk was being pushed back.

Hermione envied her housemates and their ability to flaunt their relationships to anyone who had the misfortune of showing interest in their conversation. She had learned early on to never ask where they were going or when they would be back. They would both give her pitying looks, and she was sure that they pictured her as an old spinster living alone with a plethora of cats and no passion in her life.

If there was one thing Hermione wasn't lacking, it was passion. When Draco touched her, she sometimes wondered if it was possible for her skin to sizzle. He could give her looks that made her want to melt in her shoes. And yet, she wasn't able to tell anyone that she had one of the most desirable wizards in the school as her lover and mate. Parvati and Lavender finished their primping and tossed off a few pleasantries to Ginny and Hermione before they left.

Ginny tossed the magazine away as Hermione finished the last sentence of her essay. She rolled up the parchment, placed a protective charm on it, then tucked it into her bag. She used her wand to seal the room so they could talk in private without worry of someone interrupting them.

"So, what's so important that you wanted to talk to me about?" Ginny asked.

"We're almost at the end of term," she said softly as she stared at her hands.

Ginny waited for all of ten seconds before she prodded her for more. "And?"

"And, we have no plans for what we're going to do. I can't go months and not see him. I'd go mad. He'd go mad."

"You have no sort of contingency plan? At all?"

She shook her head. "No. And what worries me is that Draco will be expected to join the ranks of Death Eaters. Up until now, I'd managed to put all of that aside and not think about it, but now that it's baring down upon us, I'm terrified that he'll be killed or have to kill."

Ginny shifted on the bed to lay on her stomach and dangle her feet off the end. "Why don't you talk to him about this?"

Hermione blushed a bit. "Because every time I bring it up, he sees fit to distract me."

Ginny grinned. "Distract you how?"

"Does it matter how?" she asked, feeling her face heat more at the thought of Draco thoroughly distracting her.

"Yes. You've offered very little in the way of details. I'm female. I live on details," Ginny said as she rested her head on her folded arms.

Hermione frowned. "Why am I not equally curious about your sex life?"

Ginny laughed. "Because I'm shagging your best friend who you think of as a brother. Although, if you want details, I can supply them. For instance, Harry loves to..."

"Don't," Hermione nearly whined. She put her hands over her ears. "I don't want to know what Harry likes"

Ginny reached forward and removed Hermione's hands as she laughed so hard tears were falling from her eyes. "Fine. I won't tell you. But that doesn't mean I don't want to know. What does Draco like?"

Hermione sighed and smiled. "Everything. And he's equally good at it all."

"So, no more mishaps like the first time?" Ginny questioned.

Hermione shrugged. "Well, not exactly like the first time, but there was one mishap."

"What?" Ginny asked.

"The portraits outside Draco's room heard us and reported it to the Headmaster."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Heard you?"

She nodded and bit her lip. "And the Headmaster said something to Draco."

The red-headed girl sat up and smirked at Hermione. "How loud were you screaming for the portraits to have heard you?"

Hermione blushed again. "That's not the point, Ginny! The point is that the Headmaster knows that Draco and I are shagging."

"Loudly," she said, suppressing a giggle.

"You're wholly unhelpful," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"You didn't present me with a problem to offer my help. Put up silencing charms. My question is what were the two of you doing that brought out such a vocal reaction?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You won't be happy until I divulge, will you?"

"No." Ginny tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled.

Hermione could feel her blush all the way to the tips of her ears. "We hadn't seen one another in days," she insisted.

"Ah. Pent-up sexual frustration?"

"Tons. We didn't make it to the bedroom."

Ginny leaned back on her hands and looked at Hermione. "Sofa?" she asked.

"Floor," Hermione answered.

Ginny's smile widened. "Were you on top?"

"Once."

Ginny's eyebrows rose slightly, her interest piqued. "So, Draco can go multiple rounds in a night? Interesting."

"I know I'll regret this, but can't Harry?"

Ginny grinned. "He can now. But in the beginning, whenever I would put my hands down his pants, we'd have to cool down for fifteen minutes. He's much better at holding it back, now."

"I knew I would regret asking," Hermione said as she covered her face with her hands and tried to get the thought out of her head of Ginny with her hands down Harry's pants. Ginny roared with laughter. Hermione steadied her breathing and then looked up at her friend. "I don't know what to do about the end of term. He's being decidedly obtuse, and it's driving me mad."

Ginny tilted her head. "Maybe he's as afraid about it as you are and talking about it would make it too real."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose. But then why won't he talk to me?"

"Because he's a guy, Hermione," she said with a roll of her eyes, feeling that it should have been obvious.

Hermione checked her watched and groaned. "I have to meet Harry and Ron," she said as she reached into her nightstand and reached for the book Lucius had given her. She tucked it into her bag.

"Meet them for what?" Ginny questioned. Hermione knew she felt left out of a good portion of Harry's life, but that was his decision.

"Practice," she answered as she stood.

"Mind if I tag along?" Ginny asked as she moved to the door with Hermione. Hermione looked at her for a moment, and knew that if it was her in Ginny's shoes she would be incredibly jealous that her boyfriend was sharing something like this with his two friends and not the one he professed to love. Harry would just have to deal with it. As would Ron.

"Sure," she said as she released the ward and opened the door, ready to face the wrath of her two friends for first, allowing her to come to their practice, and second, not consulting them before making the decision. But it was time that both Harry and Ron realized that Ginny wasn't a child and that every time she was pushed aside it hurt her.

*~*

Hermione found the door to the Room of Requirement and entered, smiling at her two friends. She noticed their smiles fade as Ginny entered behind her. Toughen up, boys, Hermione thought. She settled her bag on the table and removed the book. Ginny stood staring at Harry, daring him to object.

"What is she doing here?" Ron questioned.

Hermione didn't look at him as she opened the book to the last page she left off. "I brought her along because it's time that she see what we do during our practices."

"She's not of age," Ron insisted.

Hermione looked up at Ron, a frown on her face. "She wasn't of age when she got saddled with Tom Riddle's diary, either. But she still had to deal with it. She's one of two people who have had him running around in her mind and lived to tell the tale. So, shut up, Ronald."

Ginny beamed at Hermione. She held her head a bit higher at Hermione's defense of her. Hermione read off the first spell, four dummies appeared along the opposite wall and each one stepped forward and practice it. Harry's shot yellow sparks and it fizzled, Ron's wand issued a puff of smoke; however, Ginny and Hermione's spell hit the targets, causing both of them to light on fire. Ginny watched as it burned and looked her friends. "Just what kind of spells are we performing?" she questioned.

"Offensive spells," Hermione said as Harry and Ron cast it again, both of them managing to correct what they'd done wrong and soon their dummies were on fire.

Thirty minutes went by, practicing the spells. The dummies writhed, disintegrated, rolled into balls, even fell to the ground and shook. They were working on a spell that caused the limbs to roll in towards the body when Hermione suddenly hit the ground with a loud scream.

The three of them rushed to her side as another scream tore from her lips. "Hermione?" Ron choked.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, frantic to keep her from screaming.

"N-Not me," she panted, before another scream was wrenched from her. "Dr-Dra-co," she said as she writhed on the ground. Harry reached into his back pocket and removed the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said as the map began to reveal people. Harry scanned the map and shot to his feet immediately. "Ron, come on!"

Hermione managed to get to her feet, with Ginny's help. "I'm coming too."

Harry shook his head. "No. You could signal we're coming."

"I'll put a silencing spell on her,"Ginny said and used her wand to do so.

Ginny helped Hermione along, the other girl periodically stopping to scream in silence as pain coursed through her. They found Harry and Ron hiding behind a wall, and when the girl's arrived, Harry brought his finger up to his lips. The wail of a woman could be heard and Ginny looked to Hermione only to see that it wasn't her.

Harry held up his fingers, ushering Ginny to help them. He started counting down, and when the last finger was down, they all moved into the hallway and cast spells at the offenders. Hermione looked around the wall, as the shouting increased. She could see Draco and what looked to be Padma laying on the floor. There was a great pool of blood beneath them both and Hermione felt the sudden urge to wretch. She removed the spell from her, as long as they weren't attacking Draco, she was fine. Hermione counted four Death Eaters as she stood and joined in the fight with a loud, "Stupefy," sending one of them flying back to crash into the wall.

A bolt of green light barely missed Ginny, making Ron and Harry much more aggressive in their casting, using the spells they'd been practicing on for months. She heard Harry cast, "Atrophe," and there was an inhuman scream released from the Death Eater it hit. They watched as his hands and feet rolled in towards himself. The Death Eaters grew desperate, and began to retreat down the corridor. Both Death Eaters came flying through the air towards them suddenly, hit in the back with spells. The four students looked up to see Professors Sprout and McGonagall rush forward. The Death Eaters were bound together as Hermione made her way to Draco. She put a hand on his face, and he turned towards it. She felt relief flood through her as she sought out their bond and clung to it, stroking along it, letting him know that she was there.

She looked up to see McGonagall staring down at her, a question dying on her lips as Draco reached up and took her hand in his. His eyes opening briefly to look at Hermione, gave her a smile, then promptly passed out again.

She felt Ginny touch her on the shoulder and she moved away from him to allow Madam Pomfrey to examine him. It wasn't until Ron wiped a tear away that she realized she was crying. He patted her on the shoulder as he and Harry moved aside to allow Madam Pomfrey to escort Draco and Padma down the hall.

Dumbledore entered the corridor, spoke with a passing Pomfrey briefly, before moving over to the four students. Ginny had an arm around Hermione's shoulders as she still shivered from the pain she had experienced. Professor Sprout used her wand to clean the blood from the floor. Dumbledore stood in front off the students and sighed, "I'd like to see the four of you in my office." He looked to McGonagall who continued to stare at Hermione. "Minerva, could you fetch Severus and both of you meet me there as well?"

Minerva cast a look at Dumbledore, then turned and made her way through the castle. Ginny led Hermione away from the scene and towards the Headmaster's office. Harry broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

Hermione sniffed and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm fine. I'm worried about Draco and Padma."

Ron shoved his hands into his pockets. "I've never seen that much blood before."

Ginny glared at him. "Could you be more insensitive?"

He looked at her and frowned. "Did I say that out loud?"

Harry snorted and shook his head. "Afraid so."

The gargoyle allowed them up the stairs and to the Headmaster's office. There were four chairs already seated in front of the desk, and Ginny settled Hermione into one before she sat down. Hermione leaned forward and pressed her head into her hands. Ginny rubbed her hand over her back and gave a sad look to Harry and Ron.

The door behind them opened and Professor Snape and McGonagall entered, followed shortly by Dumbledore. He moved to the Floo and called the Auror office. Hermione found her head spinning by how fast it all seemed to be happening. Before Dumbledore became situated behind his desk, the Death Eaters were ushered into Dumbledore's office as the Aurors came through the floo to collect them. When their masks were removed, Hermione found herself disgusted to see that one of them had been Theodore Nott, one of Draco's fellow housemates. She remembered that Theo and Blaise had been good friends. The names of the attackers were revealed, and besides Theodore Nott, there was Adrian Pucey, Walden McNair, and Esmerelda Zabini, Blaise's mother.

The Death Eaters were escorted through the Floo and Dumbledore took a seat in his chair. Snape and McGonagall moved foward, Severus standing to the right of Dumbledore's desk, McGonagall standing behind the students. Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of him and sighed. "Miss Granger, are you alight?"

She nodded. "I'm not the one that was attacked, Professor."

"True, but I have a feeling that you might be responsible for stopping the attack." He leaned forward, placing both hands on his desk. "It was very foolish of you to go after the attackers and not report it to someone."

"Sir," Harry started, "had we hesitated, they could have killed them."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm well aware of that, Harry. But you're still students in this school, you should have reported it," he answered. "Any of you hurt?" They all shook their heads. "Good. Luckily you did arrive in time to keep them from permanent injury. Both Miss Patil and Mister Malfoy will be in the infirmary for a few days, but they will make a full recovery."

Hermione felt relief wash through her to know that he would be okay. She felt that he would, but it was more comforting to hear it from someone else. "Professor, does this all have to do with Blaise and Pansy? I mean, was it simply revenge?"

Severus spoke up then. "There have been questions, among some of the Death Eaters, as to Draco's loyalty to the Dark Lord. They saw his unwillingness to take responsibility for planning the attack on you as him being disloyal. They had mentioned taking some sort of revenge with the help of a student. I tried to advise them against such an action, but as you can see, my words were unheeded."

"And did you tell anyone about this possible attack?" McGonagall questioned.

"He informed me," Dumbledore answered.

"You knew they were going to attack him and have the help of someone in the school?" Harry questioned.

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid I didn't take the threat seriously. A mistake I will not make again."

"And what would have happened had they simply just killed him and not thought to torture him first? There could be two dead students on our hands!" McGonagall shrieked.

He nodded gravely. "I'm aware of that, Minerva. No one's regrets are greater than mine."

She shook her head. "I have a question," she started. "How is it that Miss Granger knew of the attack?"

Dumbledore looked to Hermione and gave her a sad smile. "Would you care to explain or I could?"

She blushed a bit as all eyes turned to her. "Draco's a Veela. I'm his mate. When he experiences something in large amounts, I feel it. He felt my attack in the winter."

McGonagall sighed. "I suppose this is information that everyone in the room knew except me?" No one would look at her and she frowned. "So, let me see if I understand all of this. Mister Malfoy is a Veela. Hermione is his mate. They can feel when someone is harming the other. Because of this, these students were able to thwart a possible double murder that you saw coming?"

Dumbledore shifted a bit under her penetrating gaze. "That sums it up, quite well."

She shook her head. "Headmaster, I find your penchant for keeping secrets wholly distasteful and problematic. Those children were seriously hurt and it all could have been prevented." Harry glanced at Ron, both marvelling at McGonagall laying into Professor Dumbledore. "If it hadn't been for these children interfering all the time, Mister Malfoy and Miss Patil could be dead. One hundred points to each of you," she said as she swept from the room, magic crackling through the air as she left.

They all watched her leave and then turned to Dumbledore who had a bit of a smile on his face. "You're free to go."

They all stood but Dumbledore's voice stopped Hermione. "Miss Granger," he called, "do refrain from going to the infirmary."

Her eyes met his as a blush tinged her cheeks. "Yes, Professor."

They left the office and Severus turned to Dumbledore. "This could have been a bloody disaster," he said as he took one of the vacant seats. "You took a risk that needn't be taken. And Miss Patil and Draco paid the price for it."

"But we found a mole, Severus. Some good came from it."

"At what cost, Dumbledore? We have two children in the infirmary. I doubt they would agree with you about something good."

Dumbledore frowned. "I'm making decisions that will help us in the long run."

Severus frowned. "You're treating this as a chess match. We're all just pawns in your game. But you're risking their lives when there need not be a risk."

The older man scowled. "I didn't allow the attack on Draco. I felt that threat was diminished. I never would have allowed students to be hurt under my watch."

"It's happened countless times, now, Dumbledore. Ask for Aurors. You know there will be more attacks. We have to do everything we can to protect the students. They aren't prepared to face Death Eaters."

The older man seemed to be contemplating this. "Then maybe it's time we prepare them. They will bring the fight to us at the most convenient time, Severus. We must be prepared. The students must be prepared."

Severus inhaled deeply. "We only have a month left. The Seventh years still have to take their N.E.W.T.S. The leaving feast is around the corner. Make no mistake that the capture of his servants will not go unpunished."

"No, I imagine it won't. Which is why we'll be prepared. I look to you to institute a dueling club, Severus. But only the Seventh years. They'll be our fighters when those of us grow too old."

"And the Slytherins? Do you intend to invite my own house?"

"I do, indeed. Maybe it's time we convince Mister Malfoy to bring his relationship with Miss Granger into the light."

Severus shook his head. "Lucius will come after the boy. Our job is to protect him."

"I do not feel Lucius is a threat to Draco."

He raised a dark eyebrow, sensing that there was even more he did not know. "Narcissa left Lucius. He'll be even more unhinged. I can't imagine that Draco would be safe from him."

"Another attack will not happen to Draco especially while he's in these walls."

"He only has a month left in these walls. He will still have to go home."

"Let me worry about that, Severus. Go check on your student."

Severus stood and stormed to the door, muttering about chess pieces on a board as he did.

*~*

Harry was shaken awake later that evening and looked up to find Hermione. He sat half up and reached for his glasses. He took in her attire, a simple black t-shirt, and long striped pyjama bottoms. On her feet were blue bunny slippers. He nearly laughed at seeing them. "Hermione, what are you doing in here?"

"I need to borrow your cloak," she said, biting her lip as she waited.

"Dumbledore told you not to go to the infirmary," he answered.

She shook her head. "I can't sleep until I see that he's okay. Please, Harry."

Harry sighed, tossed back his sheets, and moved off the bed to his trunk. He reached inside and removed the cloak and watched as Hermione wrapped it around herself and then proceeded to sneak out of the boys dorm, the common room, and down the hall to the infirmary.

She opened the door slowly and as quietly as possible. Hermione saw Padma first and made her way over to see the girl sleeping on her side. Both of her arms were bandaged and Hermione felt sorry for the girl who had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. She turned her attention to Draco who was on the other side of the curtain. He seemed to be sleeping and she didn't want to shatter the rest he was getting. She started to turn and leave when his voice stopped her, "You're here, aren't you?"

She looked back at him, to see his eyes staring at where she was hidden. She looked around before removing the cloak and sat beside him. He smiled as he reached for her and pulled her down for a soft kiss. His hand fisted in her hair as her hands settled on his chest. When she pulled away, she pressed a kiss to his chin and sat back. "I'm so sorry we didn't get there sooner."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize. You had nothing to do with this," he whispered.

She noticed that there was now a white scar line that seemed to move from the corner of his eye to his temple. She traced over the newly healed skin and he took her hand in his after he sat up to properly face her. "Can it not be healed?"

"Poisoned blade," he answered. "Pomfrey has done what she could, but it's going to be there forever. I do think it makes me look a little more dangerous," he said with a smile.

"It's not funny," she insisted.

"Well, this one isn't as bad as the others."

Her eyes widened. "Others?"

"Yes. They didn't just cut my face."

He unbuttoned the top of his shirt and showed her the fresh scars marring his pale skin. She gasped and moved over them with her fingers. "Draco," she said softly. She felt tears well in her eyes and wondered if they had gone to help him quicker if they could have been spared. "That's why the floor was covered in blood."

He looked over at Padma and frowned. "She got the worst of it, I think. They went after her because she's a half-blood," he whispered. "We held our own as long as we could, but when they hit her with the Cruciatus, my concern for her distracted me. I didn't realize I even cared about what happened to her until we were put in that position."

She shrugged. "You work with her alot. And you trust her. You're growing," she said with a smile.

"Merlin forbid," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her. "I'm glad you came. I feel better just being near you."

She sighed. "I couldn't sleep until I saw that you were okay," she said as she grasped his wrists in her hands. "I love you, Draco." He kissed her again and brought his hands up to cup her face. She knew Draco's kisses by now to know that they were slowly getting into a dangerous territory. Hermione pulled away and leaned her forehead against his. "I should go."

He frowned. "I wish you could stay," he said as he tugged on one of her curls.

She nodded. "So do I. But I need to go before someone finds me out of bed. Good night," she said as she stood, slipped on the cloak, and made her way out of the infirmary. Draco laid back, his arms folded beneath his head, and stared at the ceiling. He inhaled deeply, still able to smell Hermione where she'd been sitting on his bed.

*~*

Naricssa was no stranger to sunrises. Since Lucius had been gone, she'd seen it nearly every morning, when the weather permitted, sleep often eluding her. But now, she was in a strange house with rather hostile people. Molly Weasley, the matriarch of the family, seemed to be trying to be nice to her. The others hardly tried to hide their insults about her, her husband, her son, or her family in general. Dinner the evening before had been a disaster. She'd held her tongue as long as she could until Bill, the oldest, questioned whether or not her son was still a snot-nosed bully. It was all she could do not to hex that earring away.

She'd finished her meal quickly and retreated to her room. She could hear Molly blasting her son for his hostility and his arguing that he didn't consider her a guest in their home. Narcissa was not happy with the arrangement either. But she knew that Lucius would want her to be safe, and with the Weasleys she had to assume that she was.

She grabbed her cloak, just needing to be outdoors for a bit. She moved out of the house and down the stairs as quietly as she could. She moved through the backdoor and found a small bench beside a small stream. Their garden needed a lot of work. If the plant didn't appear brown and dead, it was over-grown and causing chaos. She wasn't one to tell a person how to run their house, well, that's not entirely true she thought to herself as she remembered telling her friends, on more than one occasion, that their home needed better up-keep. But she didn't know, nor did she like the Weasleys. They already saw her as an invader of her space, she couldn't imagine the kind of sour reception she would receive if she told them that what they were doing was not good enough.

Instead, she used her wand and banished no less than four gnomes and then set about relieving their garden of the over-growth. By the time she saw other people moving around the house, she had cleared one entire side. Gardening had always been a favorite past time. Lucius thought it was frivolous, that the house elves could handle it. However, it was part of being Lady of the Manor that she enjoyed. If Lucius had his way, they would remain in their bed forever without much reason to leave. While that might have been fine for him, given his Veela heritage, she still longed for a bit of freedom.

But now, faced with freedom, she found she hated it. She would much rather Lucius be standing over her all day, trying to convince her to abandon her tasks in the garden and return to their suite. It was often difficult to turn him down. She smiled as she thought of the bench in the garden where he had grown so impatient with waiting that he had taken her on it. The smile turned into a frown and nearly fresh tears as she thought of how much she missed her husband.

The sound of the door sprang her from her thoughts as she turned to see Molly exiting the house. "Good morning," she said, a smile on her face. "Breakfast is ready," she said, stopping just behind Narcissa, who had her back to her.

Narcissa sniffed and wiped at her eyes, tucking her wand into the pocket of the cloak she was wearing. She turned and offered Molly a smile. "Good morning."

Molly said nothing about the tears, instead, she waited for Narcissa to walk towards her and turned. The gasp that Molly emitted was audible. Narcissa looked to the other woman, wondering at her surprise. "Did you do this?" Molly asked, gesturing to the garden.

Did I do something wrong? "Yes, you had gnomes and they're attracted to over-growth. I just thought..."

Molly stepped forward and smiled. "It's wonderful," she said as she looked to the part of the garden which was clean. "It's simply wonderful," she said as she beckoned Narcissa into the house.

She smiled. "It's just a few spells, really. I'd be happy to tend to the other side, if you wouldn't mind," she said as she entered the house.

Molly gestured to the same seat she'd taken the night before, and Narcissa sat down, and spread her napkin over her lap. Molly floated both coffee and tea onto the table, and Narcissa helped herself with a steaming up of tea. She held the saucer in her hands briefly, warming them.

"Tend to the other side of what?" Arthur asked as he entered the kitchen.

"The garden! Oh, Arthur, it looks splendid. And she got rid of the gnomes."

He said nothing. No 'thank you'. No, 'you shouldn't have'. Just nothing. She wished she could make him disappear as easily as she did those gnomes. He didn't look particularly impressed that she had done anything, and she thought to turn him into a tea cozy.

"You should have a look, dear," Molly prodded.

Narcissa had to hand it to the other woman. She was trying to make them all get along. Especially her husband. Arthur Weasley, Narcissa had surmised, was a proud man to have so little. He found that his Muggle contraptions and interest in Muggle life were all in supplication for being born a pureblood. She wondered how offended he actually was to have her in his home. It was one thing to enter their home and destroy their property. It was quiet another to have people that were above one in rank enter a home that was not on par. She hoped that it caused him a great deal of distress, her being there.

Arthur seemed to inhale his breakfast, as did the other Weasley men in attendance. Narcissa wondered if they even tasted the food as it entered their mouths. She supposed that with a family as large as the Weasley's that one had to eat quickly to ensure that someone didn't take the food from their plates. As she looked at Molly, who had very pretty manners, she wondered what had happened to the men in the family.

She had to hand it to the Weasley matriarch, she was an excellent cook. Her food seemed to be made from warmth and love. While Narcissa wasn't particularly fond of comfort foods, she could see that none of the Weasley's had any complaints about her cooking. She was a fan of gourmet cooking, personally. She wanted deep, rich foods. Lucius was very similar to her. He actually preferred French cuisine over any other. Narcissa was a fan of both Greek and Italian. Draco, in typical teenage boy fashion, would eat nearly anything put in front of him.

She had a desire to see her son. He had grown so much so quickly. She remembered when he was just a baby, pink and chubby. When he was an infant, he was rather quiet. But once he became a toddler, he became a terror. He screamed so much so often that she thought he had a condition. The Healer merely laughed and told her that Draco was perfectly fine, just a bit spoiled and used to getting his way. She knew that was true. Draco was able to turn on the tears at the drop of a hat, and Lucius often left the room to prevent his ear drums from bursting. Narcissa supposed it was her fault that Draco had developed an addiction to chocolate biscuits. Every time he cried, she gave him one. She didn't know what else to do, really. She was a new parent and a screaming two-year-old frayed her delicate nerves.

As a child, Draco was precocious. Narcissa had decided within her circle of friends that they would allow their children to play together. Like many other children of the elite pureblood society, Draco was an only child. She knew that he was often lonely, with nothing more than house elves to entertain him. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had made delightful playmates. Draco was still very close to them, if she recalled. She wondered what his new path would do to those friendships. For Draco's sake, she hoped that it wouldn't cost him two of his closest friends. She remembered them running through the garden, pretending to be Death Eaters, like their fathers, and taking down Muggles and Muggleborns. She knew that it wasn't right for them to have done that, well, she knew it now, but none of them knew any better.

Her thoughts drifted to Hermione. She was a lovely girl who seemed perfectly able to keep her son in line. She was incredibly intelligent. Like her, Hermione hated being trapped into the whole Mate situation. Narcissa still felt herself wanting to struggle against the bond, because belonging to someone so completely was suffocating. However, the bond was firmly planted; she loved her husband, just as she was sure that Hermione would grow to love Draco, if she didn't already. She felt that they were both lucky to have such a perfect match in one another. Draco had lofty ambitions, some of that the work of his father, but Hermione was just as capable. In fact, she was probably better than Draco in some areas. She smiled as she remembered the way the two of them had clung to one another, neither wanting to leave the safety of the house and the togetherness they had built.

Molly noticed Narcissa's smile and gave one of her own. "Knut for your thoughts?" she said to Narcissa.

Narcissa was brought from her reverie. "Lost in the past, I'm afraid. Draco has grown so much."

Molly nodded. "Indeed he has. That's the thing about children. You hold them as newborns and before we know it, they're getting ready to complete school and go into the world."

Narcissa nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, it seems like just yesterday he was a precious little baby. Now he's nearly grown and I'm sure he'll be ready to marry Hermione the second she gives her approval."

Arthur looked at her. "You think Hermione would marry your son?"

"Eventually, yes." He shook his head and she was confused by his statement. "Is there a problem?"

Arthur frowned. "Yes, there is. Hermione, before your son tricked her into some relationship, was very much interested in our son, Ron."

"I assure you, Arthur, there was no tricking. Things...happen," she supplied, trying not to get into an argument.

Molly could see that this could start a fight. "Have you met Hermione?" she asked.

Narcissa nodded. "I have. She spent some of the Christmas holiday with us," she said as she sipped her tea.

They both looked at her then, equally surprised looks on their faces. "With your husband there? He knew she was in his home?"

She nodded. "It was his idea. I think he quite liked her."

Molly smiled at the look of approval on Narcissa's face. "She's brilliant."

"Oh, yes. And quite lovely. Draco is very taken with her."

"So, was Ron," Arthur supplied. He shot a look at Molly, reminding her that she should be loyal to their family and their son's heartbreak.

Narcissa set her tea cup down and turned to Arthur. "Is there something you'd like to say to me?"

He started to speak, but she heard a distinct thud of a foot connecting with a shin, and watched as Arthur flinched. Molly had put an end to whatever it was he would say. She rather liked Molly. "No. I'll take my leave," he said as he stood, dropped a kiss on Molly's head, and left.

Narcissa looked to Molly and frowned. "Was your son deeply hurt?"

Molly nodded. "From what his sister tells me, yes. But I believe they've since made up."

She frowned. "I'm sure Hermione would rather walk over broken glass than to have hurt her friends."

Molly looked at her for a moment and then sighed. "To be honest, I don't think Ron and Hermione were a good fit. He often irritated her to the point of her yelling and screaming at him, and she was too bossy for him to tolerate. But I don't like the thought of my son heartbroken over losing the girl he wanted."

Narcissa sipped her tea and frowned. "Draco would never hurt Hermione. It's just not in his nature."

Molly eyed her for a moment, then sighed. "He's a Veela, too, then?" When Narcissa said nothing she shrugged. "I suspected as much, anyway. Fleur, my future daughter-in-law, is half Veela. I believe the only traits she holds are the looks and the allure. She doesn't seem to display other characteristics. But how odd that it picked Hermione as his mate."

"The belief is that you're destined to be with someone you severely dislike. In Draco and Hermione's case, could you think of someone more...impossible for them? Draco was raised to hate her kind and tormented her through most of their schooling, and Hermione has an honest dislike of Draco. Ill-suited they truly were."

Molly smiled then. "I take it she's made him work for whatever they have?"

Narcissa smiled. "Indeed. I believe Draco said that he had even been nice to her friends in order to get into her good graces."

She chuckled. "Good for her. Now, let's get to work in the garden," she said as she stood and used her wand to clear the table.

Narcissa smiled and followed Molly to the back of the house, glad to have something to distract her from her ever pressing loneliness.

*~*

To Be Continued...

Chapter End Notes:

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