Monday, 1 July 2002
The next five months seem to fly past Hermione in a whirlwind of change. Later in May, Hermione left Attorn du Maurier, her apprenticeship finished. The first week of June, Draco insisted they go on a week-long holiday in celebration—both the completion of her apprenticeship as well as his twenty-second birthday. They went to the French coast and spent the time lounging on the beaches and sampling the fine dining of the region. Despite the obscene amount of galleons that he must have spent, Hermione had a wonderful time and they returned with a golden hue to their skin and natural highlights in their hair.
Hermione spent the rest of June with her nose in a book and a quill permanently attached to her hand as she gathered evidence and wrote and rewrote her speech. Draco didn't try to distract her while she worked, but made sure that she relaxed every evening. He spent the night more often than not but never brought extra clothes, choosing instead to Floo home to the Manor to change.
As the day approached, Hermione was terrified that she was going to mess up her first advocacy case. She had let Draco buy her tailored, expensive robes that were designed by a famous Italian wizard. Draco had coordinated with his friends and had even reached out to her friends so that the audience chamber would be packed.
Now that the day was upon them, Hermione paced in the antechamber and tried to calm her breathing. There was a knock on the door and she held her breath, worried about who might be there and almost hoping that the Wizengamot would end the session early so she wouldn't have to stand in front of them. Maurier walked in instead.
He took one look at her and tsked. "Hermione Granger, you need to take a moment to breathe." He walked up to her and held her still by gently resting his large liver-spotted hands on her shoulders. He looked even frailer since she'd seen him a month ago. He had always been skinny but now he looked almost skeletal.
"Are you all right, Mr Maurier?"
"Léon, to you. You're no longer my apprentice, you're my equal and my replacement. Now, three deep breaths, and I want you to tell me in one sentence what you're going to accomplish today."
Hermione did as she was told, inhaling until she felt like she would burst and exhaling until she was sure she'd collapsed her lungs. Three times and then she looked him in the eye. "I hope—"
"Nah-eh," he interrupted. "Tell me what you will accomplish today."
She grinned. "I'm going to get werewolves equal rights."
"Yes, you are. Do you have your notes?" She slipped a few note cards from the sewn-in pocket in her left sleeve. "Good. You have them, but I know you won't need them. You're ready. Let's go out there and wow those old wankers in the Wizengamot," he teased.
She giggled at his language, but straightened up and hooked her arm around his and let him escort her into courtroom ten.
Léon introduced her and then climbed the first steps into the audience seating. She turned around and looked out over the crowds—spotting Harry and most of the Weasleys. She saw Katie, Oliver, and Marcus. Minerva McGonagall and a few staff members from Hogwarts. And right in her corner, in the front row Narcissa Malfoy. Afterwards, no matter the outcome, Draco had planned a congratulatory lunch with their friends and a private dinner with Narcissa. He had promised that it would not be at Malfoy Manor.
She looked back up at the Wizengamot and if she'd been any closer she would have a crick in her neck from peering up at them. Her eyes travelled over each face, many of them old, wrinkled, and unfamiliar and yet there were faces in the group that she recognised. She saw Draco and Susan, Theo Nott, Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom who had taken the seat from his grandmother who had only been holding it in trust. Hermione took a deep breath and started her prepared speech.
* . * . *
When she looked back on the day of her first advocacy case, Hermione had trouble remembering just what she had said. She did remember that there had been an extensive inquisition and that she'd only floundered once or twice. She remembered the elation she felt when the gavel came down but she was honestly not sure the exact wording of the verdict. She knew that she hadn't gained werewolves completely equal rights to wizards, but she'd definitely made a giant step in the right direction.
Lunch had been at a noisy pub and Hermione didn't remember who was there because she had still been riding the high of winning a case in the Wizengamot. She had come down by dinner time with Narcissa.
"I was thinking we could travel to Mum's new property by Floo," Draco said as he leaned against the door frame of her room while she put the finishing touches on her makeup.
"New property?" Hermione said without looking over her shoulder.
"In Brighton. You'll never have to ever step foot into Malfoy Manor again."
"She didn't buy property just because of me, did she?" she turned to look at him.
He looked like he was choosing his words carefully, "Not solely for you, no."
She scrunched her eyebrows together before shrugging. He would tell her if it were important. "You still live at the Manor, though, right?"
He nodded and stood, stepping further into the room. "Yes, we still both live at the Manor." She stood and he reached out for her hand. "You look splendid."
She grinned. "I'm nervous."
He chuckled. "You shouldn't be, you faced down the Wizengamot this morning. You can do absolutely anything now."
"I didn't get as much as I wanted for werewolves," she frowned and they walked towards the fireplace as they talked.
"You got the Wizengamot to retract every bit of Umbridge's anti-werewolf legislation and reopen the Werewolf Support Services. So now those inflicted with Lycanthropy can find work and go to the Ministry or St Mungo's to transform on full moons if they have no secure place for themselves."
"It's a start, I suppose. I want the Registry to be discontinued or at least increase the privacy to only those just within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I want the Wolfsbane Potion to be free and accessible to all."
"You've planted the seeds for those. It doesn't make sense to restrict access to the Register from the DMLE and the Potion is fiddly and expensive. What needs to happen next is starting a charity foundation to raise money and register with the Ministry so they can argue about how much funding it will receive the next time they do the budget. And much of that is new, you know. Up until the early nineties, the Ministry was still funded solely by donations. Tax collection was unheard of. The whole thing will take some time." He grabbed a pinch of Floo powder and tossed it into the grate. "Malfoy Cottage!"
Hermione followed and stepped out of the fireplace into a cosy, well-decorated sitting room. Narcissa was standing there with a smile on her face. "Welcome to Malfoy Cottage, Miss Granger."
"Hello, Mrs Malfoy."
Draco surprised Hermione when he walked over and hugged his mother. "Did everything turn out okay?" he asked quietly.
"I'm not hopeless, Draco," Narcissa answered.
"I know," he muttered. He reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand but Narcissa eyed the action. Hermione made to pull away completely but Draco grabbed her hand and slipped it into the crook of his elbow. Narcissa led the way into the dining room.
Dinner was a simple lasagne Florentine that was already on the table. Draco opened the wine and poured the glasses. They served themselves from the dish in the centre of the table. The first few minutes were quiet as they tucked into the dinner. Hermione noticed how nervous Narcissa seemed, and even how Draco was quieter than usual. "Everything is delicious, Mrs Malfoy," she said.
Narcissa tipped her head and smiled almost shyly. "Thank you."
Draco finally broke the silence. "Mum has been expanding her potions skills into the kitchen. Had to tell Nomi, our kitchen elf, that she was not allowed in this kitchen. She was very unhappy because the other elves are still allowed to come here to clean."
Hermione smiled. Conversation ebbed and flowed around various topics, but it wasn't until Narcissa brought out the dessert that anything of true weight was said.
"Draco rarely stays the night at home any longer, I've noticed," Narcissa said, watching Draco from under her lashes.
He responded by taking a larger-than-necessary bite of tiramisu. Hermione was almost sure he flushed just the slightest bit pink, as well.
Hermione didn't know what to say either but instead just watched Draco. When the silence lasted long enough to be uncomfortable, Narcissa giggled.
She looked at Hermione. "Really now, you're not children anymore. I was just teasing you. As long as your both happy," she turned to pin Draco with a different sort of look, "and taking precautions."
This time, Draco did turn a light pink. "We are."
"Well, now that that's settled. I'd like to make you an offer, Miss Granger. I'd like to make the first donation to your new Lycanthropy Foundation. I'll donate the first fifty-thousand galleons and an offer to brew the Wolfsbane potion for the next six months without pay."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Fifty-thousand?" she repeated.
"Yes, unless you don't think that's enough?" Narcissa said, smiling and looking innocent.
Hermione blinked a few times and closed her mouth, Draco sniggered and Hermione turned to look at him. "You... You knew?"
Draco's sniggers turned into a full out laugh. "Of course, I knew but seeing you so speechless was a pleasant bonus."
She looked back at the other woman. "I... I don't know what to say. I mean, thank you, of course, but... I don't even know how to go about creating a charity fund or..."
"Draco will help you. The biggest problem is finding permanent, qualified potioneers to brew the Wolfsbane Potion. Part of the fund will go to the ingredients to brew in large quantities, of course, but it will also be needed to pay a potioneer and a team of equally talented assistants since it requires seven days of brewing each month."
Hermione nodded, her hand twitching because she wanted to take notes. "Do you have any suggestions or references?"
Narcissa frowned. "As much as I liked Severus Snape, he didn't do Britain any favours by being so strict with his NEWTs requirements. I'm afraid there haven't been many NEWT-qualified potioneers to come out of Hogwarts in the last two decades. You'll probably need to outsource to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons. Using your connections at Hogwarts—"
"She means since you were McGonagall's favourite student."
Narcissa shot Draco a look for interrupting before continuing, "Yes, speaking with Minerva McGonagall and using her to parley with the other schools' Heads to incentivise students to immigrate for potions careers might be the best option."
"Let's talk details later, Mother. Are your evening flowers blooming tonight?"
Narcissa sighed and glanced at her delicate wristwatch. "Yes, Draco, the night garden should be blooming by now."
"Then let's go see!" He grinned and stood. Though he seemed to be twitching with impatience he slowed enough to offer his arm to Hermione to escort her out.
"I didn't know you were so passionate about flowers," Hermione said as all three of them headed out into the warm night air.
"Draco, have you not been bringing Miss Granger flowers like you should?" Narcissa scolded lightly.
"I have too!"
"He has brought me flowers," she said, not wanting Draco to be in trouble with his mother.
"Mum's two favourite subjects were Herbology and Potions."
"Potions was yours, right?" she asked him.
"Yeah, at least when Snape taught it. Slughorn was a pompous arse."
"Draco," Narcissa said, though Hermione wasn't sure if the scolding tone was more to do with his language or with his assessment of Professor Slughorn.
"What was your favourite subject, Miss Granger?"
"Arithmancy and Transfiguration."
They walked around a garden wall and Hermione felt her mouth fall open again. The night garden was magical. There were fairy lights and even glowing lamps that resembled the moon to encourage the flowers to bloom. The whole space was bursting with colour and texture.
"It's beautiful," she murmured.
Narcissa smiled. "Thank you," she said softly. They spent the next quarter of an hour strolling through the meandering space with Narcissa and Draco taking turns talking about each of the plants.
"I had a wonderful time, thank you," Hermione told her hostess when it was time to leave.
"I'm glad. I enjoyed the company," she pretended to glare in Draco's direction. "Sometimes I think he's punishing me by staying away. I know that's not true, of course, he's just grown up so fast." She pursed her lips and hummed in thought, but didn't give voice to it. "Please feel free to visit whenever you'd like. I've been spending a lot of my time here. Getting out of the Manor for a while, you know." Hermione nodded, understanding the reference to her previous house arrest.
Draco told his mother goodnight, hugging her and kissing her cheek. He turned and addressed Hermione, "Ready to Floo home?"