A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading my story with patience.

I thank my readers for giving me fuel to write down my thoughts even when I am struggling hard to overcome my hectic schedule.

Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows. They were most rewarding.

Thanks to: nikki98, louisethelibrarian, arya, Ramyfan, Grovek26, v-x-y-zz, smileyk, cordee, Gaerven, Lisa suschenko, real talk and guests for their kind reviews.

I/R: Thanks all for liking my last chapter. It was exceptionally hard to bring out all those emotions and from your reviews it seems that I am successful. : ))

real talk: I had the first hand experience and misfortune to live with a Schizophrenic patient for most part of two years who happened to be my roommate in my medical college (no kidding there). Their hallucination attacks are so intense that it seems they are in a completely different world; so based on that Hermione's response was not unreal or imaginary. She was actually seeing Draco torturing her and her body was reacting that way. There was also no breach in Fidelius because she came out willingly when her attacks started thinking that Draco was actually inside her quarters while the real Draco was in his uncle's study.

Acknowledgements:

Monsieur Olivier Metzner was the most famous French defense lawyer until his death in 2013. He committed suicide but his words inspired me so much that I took his character for the story. Though I guess he was as grumpy as he is here.

Quotes about German men were taken from several websites and my helpful German reader Ramyfan also supplied me some. Thanks to her. : ) Just to clarify: I have great respect for German nation and have no intention of ridiculing them here or anywhere.

The curses on sarcophagus were taken from the writing on Tutankhamen's sarcophagus.

Amadeus was world famous musician Mozart's middle name and since I like his music I used his middle name here.

The recipe of Sleeping Mixture was taken from Pagan Heart.

The facts about wand and wandmaker was taken from Pottermore.

Deep breath before the plunge is Gandalf's dialogue from LOTR.

Well I guess, that's it. So enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

My fiction 'The Poisoned Apple' has been nominated for The Hogwarts award in the category Hermione Romance. It is posted on the site and I would like you to cast your vote on the site under 'vote' tab.

The website is hogwartsawards DOT weebly DOT com **replace DOT with a . The link can also be found in my profile.

THERE IS ALSO A POLL IN MY PROFILE. FEEL FREE TO VOTE.

For adult language and theme this chapter is rated: M.

Disclaimer: The copyright to Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling. Any other characters are purely work of fiction and any resemblance is co-incidental.

Chapter 29: Deep Breath before the Plunge.

'Voluntary surrender'

'The essence of voluntary surrender requires that the offender, after having committed the crime, had evaded the law enforcers and the law enforcers do not know of his whereabouts. In short, he continues to elude arrest. If, under this circumstance, the offender would come out in the open and he gives himself up, his act of doing so will be considered as indicative of repentance and he also saves the government the time and the expense of looking for him.'

Draco Malfoy was staring blankly at page thirty six of his uncle's copy of 'Understanding Wizarding Criminal Law', it's lines leaving no traces on his already overloaded brain.

"How do you do that?" a curious voice suddenly asked and Draco was jerked back to reality.

He turned around and found a man at his mid-twenties staring at him expectantly.

"Pardon?" Draco asked back, arching an eyebrow.

The man moved his brown eyes sideways, indicating at the room in general with a mischievous grin, "I am asking that how are doing that?" he asked with tinge of impatience.

Draco frowned, "Pardon again?" he asked, feeling extremely irritated at his vague questions.

The man huffed in displeasure and gave him a deliberate look, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed that?" he asked skeptically.

Feeling that his temper was on the edge of snapping, Draco gave his fellow classmate his most arrogant and cold look, "Pray tell, what I haven't noticed?" he demanded.

The man remained completely unfazed under his cold scrutiny and gave a fleeting glance at his opposite direction, "The girls are staring at you." He whispered slyly.

As soon as the words reached Draco's brain, he straightened and looked around cautiously only to notice that his female classmates were indeed giving him keen looks.

"They are not girls. They are women." He corrected at his fellow classmate turning his gaze on him again, "And they are just curious because I am a foreigner." Draco said with supreme indifference.

The man snorted audibly, "We have other foreign students too, you know, but no one stares at them like that." He commented evenly.

Draco blinked twice before turning his full attention to his classmate, "You see Monsieur, both you and our female classmates are very much mistaken about my real status. I am a married man." he stated confidently.

His classmate shrugged, "So what?" he asked indignantly, "I bet that makes you even more elusive and attractive to them." He said wisely.

"I have a five year old son." Draco informed him sternly.

"Even better." He commented nonchalantly, "That means you are a family guy and girls just love family guys." He said knowledgably.

Draco rolled his eyes.

It was the last day of his first week at Sorbonne and Draco was waiting with a fine anticipation for his upcoming Criminal Law lecture class in the giant amphitheatre while skimming through the pages of his uncle's book, only to keep his mind occupied anywhere other than the previous night's incidents.

Feeling that discussion about women and their apparent interest in him was the last thing he wanted at that moment, Draco closed his book and looked at the timetable.

"So what's your name?"he asked his brown eyed classmate, keen to change the topic.

"Trying to change the subject?" the man asked back nonchalantly, "My name is Dominique." He replied, "Dominique Tricaud." He added with a smirk.

'Quite the Slytherin!' Draco thought to himself, impressed by his classmates correct assessment of his motive before moving on to the next topic, "So how is this Maître Olivier Metzner?" he asked with mild interest.

"You mean that old guy who will be teaching us Criminal Law?" Dominique questioned him, "He is most famous French Defense Lawyer of his generation." He stated with a satisfied look, "Simply brilliant. His family history is even more intriguing, you know, he is a Muggleborn and comes from poor farmer's family. But there is no one who can stand against him in the court. He has never lost a case." Dominique informed Draco proudly, "I heard that Sorbonne spent an entire fortune to hire him for teaching us and I guess the whole class is just waiting for him to turn up." He said eagerly.

For the first time in his life, the prospect of being taught by a Muggleborn wizard didn't sound appalling to Draco.

"How did he win those cases?" he asked feeling his interest considerably heightened.

"Well I heard that he finds tiny flaws in the procedures or legal arguments of prosecution or judges and wins the acquittal." Dominique replied smoothly, "I also heard that he is taking the Rochés case next, you know, the guy who tried to kill the minister."

This new piece of information intrigued Draco, "How do you know that?" he asked curiously.

"Don't you read newspapers?" Dominique asked him incredulously, "It is the talk of the Paris that Rochés have hired Metzner for his case against the Ministry. Trust me…. what's your name?" He asked mid-sentence.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Draco replied instantly keen to know the rest of the story.

"Yes, trust me Malfoy, it is going to be the trial of the century." Dominique declared smugly.

Draco was in deep thought following the declaration.

He was about to enquire further but the bell in the corridor gave a raucous ring and the man who entered their class immediately couldn't be more unsuitable for the severe reputation that preceded him.

He was a man in his mid sixties, slightly hunchbacked and with thin white hair that was unkempt. This half moon spectacles hung over his pointed nose and his dull blue eyes roved around the silent class room as he conjured a chair and slumped on to it with an air of defeat.

"This is Olivier Metzner?" Draco asked his classmate incredulously.

"The very same." Dominique answered with a small wink, "I know people expect some impressive looking wizard when they think of him but don't go on his looks." He warned Draco, "He looks very uninterested but I assure you he is watching everything very intently." He informed.

"Well, well, well," Metzner's baritone drawl silenced all pep talks and Draco turned his focus on his professor, "Those, who wish to prove themselves as lazy lawyers, can leave my class right now and I assure you that I will not mourn over their departures." He said supporting his right elbow on the arm of his seat, "And those who are attending this class only to ogle at my ugly old face can leave as well. That will give me more fresh air to breathe in and fresher brains to teach to. Anyone?" he asked pointing a finger at the door, clearly asking them to leave.

Not a single person moved a muscle in response.

"No one." Metzner commented, clearly disappointed, "Well then, you just enrolled yourself to hell, my dear students, because Olivier Metzner won't tolerate a single act of negligence from his students. Understood?" he growled, his voice uncharacteristically loud considering his frail physique.

A small smile appeared in Draco's lips and vanished immediately, 'Professor Snape.' He thought of his former Head of the Slytherin House.

"Remember, I will not follow standard books in my lecture classes. In fact I won't follow any books at all." Metzner warned them as lazily as waving a fly, "For me, Criminal Law is all about working hard and thinking even harder - because asking right question is harder than making a right speech." He commented gravely, "And if your miserable existences can do that perfectly, I guess you will become a good Criminal Lawyer one day." He said dejectedly.

"So what do you need for success?" he asked the whole class which was pin drop silent.

No one answered.

Metzner tapped his head with one finger and stood up, "It's all in here." He replied smugly.

Being a Slytherin for one-third of his life, Draco was completely immune to such threats and he cracked his fingers before proceeding to take lectures from his new professor.

After all, he was an 'M' like Metzner was – a Malfoy, the powerhouse of great brains.

•••••

"—German men are tall."

"—They are extremely punctual, it's in their genetic makeup. They can never be late."

"—In fact, German men place an enormous premium on the three 'P's – Practicality, Punctuality and Planning.

"— German men are thorough. They seem to live by the 'do it once and do it well' principle.

"—German men don't tend to leer lewdy. But Germans stare….."

"Claudia, can you please stop that nonsense?" was Hermione's irritated response to her intern's drone as she read from a book sitting before her desk.

"….But Germans stare. Not in a way designed to be particularly rude but in an unabashed, piercing, inquisitive way that makes you wonder if you have food on your face or your skirt is tucked into your underpants." Claudia finished and closed the book she was holding, 'Witche's Guide to German Wizards', "Any idea how our German delegates will be, Jean?" she asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione sighed in resignation, "You mean to ask if I have any idea how German men are?" she asked shifting through her papers in search of a report about a cursed sarcophagus, "I am sorry to disappoint you, Claudia, but I don't." she replied firmly.

"Since a self proclaimed bibliophile such as yourself can't offer me any help on the matter, Jean, don't stop me from gaining some knowledge about our honourable German colleagues." Claudia said dismissively and opened her book again.

"—Contrary to the popular belief that German men don't flirt, they most definitely flirt and they can be quite charming too. But they are not possessive." She read aloud, "But Jean, that's unfair. I want my man to possessive about me." Claudia said despondently.

"Merlin's beard, Claudia, are you serious?" Hermione asked her intern incredulously, "They will be bossing over you. I can't even imagine anyone trying to control me by any means." She said fervently.

"That's because you are already too bossy to be dictated by any man, Jean. I guess your husband will have a tough time if he ever tries to control you." Was Claudia's firm observation before going back to her book again.

Normally any mention of her husband would bring Hermione on the point of shouting at her colleagues but this particular comment conjured a small but satisfied smile on her lips, "I guess so." She agreed with her intern.

Meanwhile Claudia was scanning through the page she was reading.

"Found it." she said triumphantly, "Listen to this Jean, 'If the German men really like you they will come forward and ask you out.'" She read out from her book, "That's it, Jean." she declared happily, "What's the name of the guy who will be arriving today?" she asked hopefully.

"Günther Amadeus." Hermione replied absent-mindedly shifting through another stack of parchments with her uninjured hand, "He is the German Chief Curse Breaker." She informed Claudia, "Thanks Merlin, I found it." she sighed in relief retrieving a roll of parchment.

"What is that?" Claudia asked her curiously.

"This is my report on a sarcophagus that I curse broke before you joined us two years ago." Hermione replied as she unrolled the parchment, "It was a sarcophagus with a mummy that was discovered on the attic of a private house in Diepholz, Germany. At first it was kept in German Gringotts but eventually a French wizard bought it and shifted it to his Gringotts vault here. It was before I became Chief Curse Breaker but somehow Geccemp asked me to look into the matter. I checked it for curses and found that they were several runic inscriptions that were engraved inside it the lid." Hermione said as her brown eyes scanned through the parchment, "Listen, one of them said: As for anybody who shall remove this mummy; I shall ring his neck as a bird's." she read aloud, "Another said: As for any man who shall destroy these, it is the God 'Thoth' who shall destroy him." She continued to her silent audience, "The last one said: As for him who shall destroy this inscription, he shall not reach his home. He shall not embrace his children. He shall not see success." Hermione finished her reading and rolled the parchment again.

"Oh my Nostradamus!" Claudia cried in fear and gulped, "How did you curse broke it?" she asked with a horrified look.

Hermione gave her intern a smug smile, "Apparently, those who wrote that inscriptions never thought that a woman would be qualified enough to try to curse break it. That was the reason they used 'he' in all their curses and I being a 'she' got past it easily." She replied with a small wink.

"That's ingenious Jean." Claudia said with admiration, "But why were you looking for it?" she asked Hermione.

"Because it was Herr Günther Amadeus who sent it to Geccemp to see if anyone in French Gringotts could curse break those curses." Hermione replied dismissively.

"And he is coming?" Claudia asked her smile bright.

"And he is coming." Hermione gave a satisfied nod.

"Gosh, Jean, this is going to be so much fun." Claudia commented with mischievous grin across her pretty face.

Hermione was about to respond but the clock on her office struck eleven times.

"Time to meet our German guests, Claudia." Hermione said as she smoothed her Gringotts robe and stowed the parchment inside it, "According that book of yours, they can never be late." She said and ushered her intern to join her.

Sure enough when she reached Geccemp's office with the rest of her colleagues and her intern, Hermione found that their German guests had already arrived on time.

"Bonjour, Geccemp, sir." She greeted her goblin boss who was offering seats to their guests.

"Bonjour, Jean." Geccemp greeted back, "Ladies and gentleman, please make your yourself comfortable." He said and motioned his long fingered hands at the chairs that had been arranged around his large, highly polished table.

Hermione took the seat beside her boss; carefully avoiding the arm rest to prevent it from hitting her fractured forearm while the man who she guessed could be Günther Amadeus took the seat opposite her. When she looked up she found her German colleague casting a curious look at her plastered arm.

"Let me introduce everyone to our honourable German guests." Hermione heard her goblin boss announce with a flourish and she shifted her gaze to him, "On my right is goblin Gröger." Geccemp indicated at the serious looking goblin sitting beside him, "He is the deputy Head of the Gringotts Germany. And to his right is…" Geccemp's hand moved to the impeccably dressed long faced man with fathomless cold black eyes, pointed nose and back brushed shiny black hair, "….Monsieur Günther Amadeus – German Chief Curse Breaker." He said good-naturedly.

Everyone greeted their guests and Hermione risked a look at Claudia who was sitting beside her only to find her looking extremely disappointed. Chuckling merrily she made a mental note to ridicule her intern about Amadeus once the meeting was over.

While the German goblin exchanged pleasantries with the French hosts, his Chief Curse Breaker remained silent and curiously observed them one by one. Hermione's eyes accidentally met him and she noticed that Amadeus was giving her plastered arm an analytic look.

She in turn gave him a stern look at which Amadeus arched his eyebrow and turned away his head.

"Now, let me introduce you to my able-bodied Curse Breakers." Geccemp announced to his German guests with a flourish, "On my left is Jean Granger, Gringotts Chief Curse Breaker." He indicated to Hermione who gave small nod of acknowledgement, "to her left is her intern and Junior Curse Breaker, Claudia Beauchene." Geccemp said and introduced the rest of the Curse Breakers one by one.

The meeting continued after that and Hermione soon found out that her German counterpart was giving her a piercing look. Feeling irritated, she raised her chin defiantly at Amadeus who simply tilted his head and continued staring at her unabashedly.

Hermione was reminded of what Claudia had read to her just half an hour ago about the staring tendency of German men and she felt compelled to stare back at him; but stopped herself at the last moment.

"I remember sending a cursed sarcophagus almost two years ago." she heard a deep voice booming across Geccemp's office thus interrupting the discussion between two goblins and Hermione looked at the man who issued the statement, "Can anyone please enlighten me as to what happened to it?" Amadeus asked the room in general.

Hermione felt Claudia's hand as it tightly grasped her left thigh and squeezed it. She looked at her intern who was ashen faced and slightly trembling.

Without another word, Hermione withdrew the roll of parchment from inside her robes and handed it to her boss who was suddenly looking very serious. Geccemp in turn passed it to Amadeus, who extended his hand and took it silently.

Watching the exchange between them, Hermione stood up with air of extreme satisfaction and confidence to leave the presence of the arrogant man who was infuriating her for last thirty minutes, "Geccemp, sir, I am sorry. But I kindly ask you to excuse me and my team for now. As you know, it is Friday and we need to finish our works on some cursed objects before the weekly holiday." She informed her boss who nodded silently in approval.

"Thank you, Geccemp and good day to you, Goblin Gröger." Hermione bade the goblins goodbye, purposefully avoiding the German Chief Curse Breaker and left the office without so much a backward glance.

When rest of her colleagues was on their way to their offices Hermione grabbed her intern who was silent from the moment she set foot inside Geccemp's office half an hour ago.

"So anything that you would like to add on that book about German wizards?" she asked Claudia pointedly.

"Avoid their Chief Curse Breaker." Was Claudia's waspish reply.

•••••

Beautiful canopy of silvery green foliages were rustling in the early afternoon breeze as Audré lay down under her favourite Silver Maple tree. Their soft wood was cracking sometimes in the high wind, making the sound like a natural wooden chime.

The air smelt deeply of freshly mown grass since Audré's elves always kept their mistress's sacred sanctuary beautifully trimmed and she inhaled deeply, taking her favourite smell inside her body, mind and soul.

"Mother." She whispered to the air as if wanting them to carry her voice to her long dead mother.

The light and air played gently with the thick shade of leaves and Audré lost herself in her childhood memories.

Forty years ago this Silver Maple was the last tree that her mother had planted just a week before her death. Over the course of four decades she, Audré, had grown up with her mother's last landmark on earth. Now it's thick trunk branched near the ground while the crown was open, graceful and vase-shaped with light green and silvery leaves that turned yellow in the Fall. Her mother had told her that Silver Maples lived nearly 130 years so Audré hoped that one day her daughter might sit under this same thick shades and remember her when she would be long gone.

"Maman, are you tired?" Lillian's voice asked her from somewhere above her head and Audré smiled internally at the co-incidence of her thought.

"Tiredness is a luxury that I can't allow myself to be, dear daughter." Audré replied, still closed eyed.

She felt as someone sat beside her on the grass and then a pair of soft hands heaved her head gently. Moments later, it was placed carefully on what appeared to be her daughter's lap.

"You may not admit it, mother but I know that you are tired." Lillian said gently running a finger through her mother's dark brown hair.

Audré sighed deeply, allowing herself to enjoy her daughter's soft touch, "Have you not learned anything about your mother, Lillian dearest?" she asked her serenely, "Audré is never tired to fight back." She commented lightly.

"It's about Metzner, mother. Isn't it?" her daughter stated rather than asked.

Audré reached out and placed her hand on her daughter's smooth one, "You see dearest, I have shaken hands with almost all the defense lawyers of this godforsaken place but never have I come across such a challenging opponent. You know I retired willingly after your father died; I felt that I was too tired to carry on, on my own." She reminisced, "But it seems as if the courtroom is calling me again, Lillian. I miss those arguments and counter arguments. I miss that subtle battle of intelligence." She confessed.

"You want to take the case against Rochés?" Lillian asked, surprised at her mother's confession.

Audré gave a serene smile, "Though the news was published this morning, I was informed last night by a Ministry high official that Metzner is taking the Rochés case. He also told me that almost all the public prosecutors have already backed away from the case after hearing this new development since nobody wants to be defeated spectacularly. Now they want me to attend to it on Ministry's behalf." she informed her daughter calmly.

"May Lord bless Metzner and Rochés." Lillian commented lightly and gave a characteristic Malfoy smirk.

"Now tell me what's it with you, my dear?" Audré enquired from her daughter, "I know you'd probably deny but I am your mother and I can tell it when a bee buzzes in your bonnet. So don't hesitate and tell me about it." she proposed to Lillian.

Lillian remained silent as if considering her mother's offer.

"Well, I didn't want to disturb your already overloaded head with my petty problems, maman, but since you are insisting me, I'll accept your offer." She said after some time in a deciding tone.

Audré smiled and caressed her daughter's cheek fondly, "I know my sensible daughter always loves to solve her problems on her own and like her father, she too likes being secretive about her personal affairs." She said gently.

"I thought I inherited that trait from you, maman, because you never share your inner turmoil with us." Lillian chided her mother lightly.

Audré let out a breath, "My inner turmoils are not my own, dearest daughter, they are secrets that have been entrusted to me and I can't betray them." She commented somewhat gravely, "Now tell what is that you didn't wish to disturb me with?" she asked her daughter.

Lillian cleared her throat, "Maman, is Gabrielle Delacour anyhow related to Alexis Delacour?" she asked her mother.

That question surprised Audré but she preferred to keep calm, "Yes, she is his youngest sister." She replied, "Why?" she asked back.

Her daughter tried sound honest in her answer, "Don't get me wrong mother but I am not blind. Though you havn't told me anything about Cousin Draco's marriage and his relationship with his wife and son, I can sense that there is enormous tension between him and Jean regarding Adrian. You have even put them under Fidelius and they rarely come out from their quarter; so I guess it may be because cousin has inadvertently frightened his only son and in a way frightened Jean too. If I consider all these situations altogether, there must be some problem between us and Delacours when Jean and Adrian is concerned since they used to live with them before Jean's marriage."

"Elaborate 'us'." Audré offered her daughter.

"Us." Lillian shrugged lightly, "I mean our family." She replied skeptically.

"If by 'our family' you mean to imply Chombrun Malfoys, dear, then there is no problem between us and Delacours." Audré informed her daughter confidently, "But if by 'our family' you are implying to Draco and Narcissa as well, then there is still some areas of mistrust but I don't think it will exist forever." She offered hopefully, "So is it anything to do with Alexis Delacour's wand?" she asked her daughter casually.

"Bless the deity who made you, maman. How did you guess that?" was Lillian's astonished response.

Audré smirked, "Isn't it quite oblivious. You are studying Wandlore and you are an apprentice under renowned French Wandsmith Monsieur Antoine Curtius, who is very picky about his apprentices. Now you suddenly come here, ask your maman about a complete stranger and our family relations with his family. So it's pretty much clear that something in his wand must have compelled my reserved daughter to break her own rule." She explained evenly.

Lillian shook her head in admiration and disbelief, "Yes it is." She admitted, "Maman, something happened on Wednesday when I went to look for Julian in the Ministry." she said rather thoughtfully, "You know I usually don't ask him to accompany me anywhere but that day, it was different. The place I was supposed to go for a rare wand is already infamous for dark magical shops and I just wanted Julian as a backup. I told him to meet me in my office after lunch but he never appeared. I waited for him for an hour and then I realized that as always my brother has completely forgotten about it." she said with slight irritation, "So I went to the Ministry to charge him for his carelessness. He is always so forgetful." Lillian commented with barely hidden annoyance, "Anyways, when I went there, the receptionist took my wand for inspection but instead of returning it to me, he deposited it with some other wands in a cupboard. I was surprised because they usually return it immediately. So I asked him about it and he said that after the attack on Minister of Magic, no one is allowed to carry their wands inside the Ministry - not even the ministry workers. I didn't know it earlier and therefore didn't press the point. And then it happened." Lillian said looking suddenly lost as she narrowed her eyes, "I was pinning the visitor's pass on my robe when a man came there. I wasn't really paying him any attention, I was too furious at Julian for making me late." She explained, "I saw the receptionist return the man his wand and somehow I just stared at it. Then I realized it is an Elder Wand but before I could do anything, he was gone." Lillian said with an air of frank disbelief.

"Well, what's wrong if he has an elder wand?" Audré asked as casually, "He must have bought it like we all did when we were eleven." She commented.

"No," Lillian protested, "No one can buy an 'Elder wand', maman, no one. At least not anymore. There is virtually no Elder wand in entire French Wizarding society." she informed Audré.

"Why is that so?" Audré asked felling interested.

"Because maman, Elder wood is considered rarest wand wood of all. They are reputed to be deeply unlucky and Elder wands are trickier to master." Lillian explained to her mother, "There is an old superstition that 'wand of elder, never prosper.' It's the basis that wandsmiths don't work with elder wood anymore because they fear that they won't be able to sell their products to anyone. Even Monsieur Curtius never works with elder wood." She informed her, "The only time I saw one was when a man brought his elder wand for polishing, that he basically inherited from his ancestors. It was so fascinating to hold something so rare yet so feared." She said as if she could feel the wand now, "I never thought I would meet another Elder wand again in my life." Lillian said with a lost look.

"So your favourite wand lies in the hands of Alexis Delacour?" Audré teased her daughter playfully.

Lillian nodded, "Yes," she replied with a smile, "You know, maman, it takes a remarkable wizard to keep an 'Elder wand' for any length of time. It contains powerful magic and scorns to remain with any owner who is not the superior of his or her company." Lillian continued, "In fact only a highly unusual person can find his perfect match in Elder, and if such pairing occurs it indicates that the person is marked out for a special destiny." She commented wisely.

"If you are worried that he won't let you examine his wand just because you are Draco's cousin, Lillian, then leave that thought." Audré assured her daughter assessing the real problem, "I am soon going to work closely on improving our family relations and your studies certainly won't suffer for it." she informed Lillian.

"Knowing you, maman, I can tell that you have already made some arrangements on that regard." Lillian commented confidently.

"So mother and daughter are having a nice chat under a beautiful tree?" Narcissa voice suddenly asked them and startled, Audré and Lillian followed the sound only to find Narcissa standing a few feet away from them.

"Will not the aunt join us?" Lillian asked courteously.

"I would love to but I hope I am not intruding in family discussion." Narcissa offered hopefully.

"Not at all." Audré said as she finally sat up and smoothed her hair, "Come and sit here, Narcissa." she patted a place beside her on the grass.

Nodding her head in approval Narcissa soon joined them, "You know, Audré, I think I could have done well with a daughter." She commented after settling down on the grass, "I guess they are better than having a son as they can be a mother's great friend." She confessed and Audré immediately noticed a tone of barely hidden contempt in her declaration.

She turned her head to her own daughter and gave her a knowing look, "You are right Narcissa." she agreed with her sister-in-law, "My daughter is both my companion and my comfort." She said and patted Lillian gently on her shoulder.

Lillian, being almost as intelligent as her mother, caught the hint and stood up with an air of sudden urgency.

"I am sorry, maman, that I can't continue with your conversation. I have to do a report on a wand." She informed them and bade them goodbye with a smile.

Audré now turned her whole attention to Narcissa, "I hope that you know that my nephew has suddenly expressed the desire to redecorate his suite. He half destroyed his suite last night." She said casually.

Narcissa nodded and gave her an apologetic look, "Yes, I know. I am very sorry that he did that, Audré. I know you won't accept it but I will pay fully for the new furniture." She offered her.

Audré waved indignantly at her, "There is no need for such generosity, Narcissa, though I thank you for the offer." She remarked, "When my father bought this Château, my mother furnished all the inhabitable suites with 'Indestructible Furniture', meaning that they can never be fully destroyed. You can break them, burn them and even after that they will reappear as good as new. I presume that if we visit his suite now, we will see that everything is just in order as it was before he broke them." She said lightly.

"I have heard of those." Narcissa said looking impressed, "Though we have none at our manor."

"The original maker is long dead and they don't manufacture those furniture anymore." Audré said with a light sigh, "Another thing that I wanted to inform you is that, my nephew had a sudden fit of chivalry last night. He came to me and asked for a second chance to undo his wrong deeds." She informed Narcissa.

Narcissa frowned, "And you accepted it?" she asked sharply.

"Not fully." Audré assured her sister-in-law, "I just gave him one week to prove that he is genuine about it."

"Do you think he is genuine?" Narcissa asked her gravely.

"I will not remark on it right now." Audré replied cautiously, "Draco is a unique man in many ways. He is very persistent about his beliefs and works hard to achieve them. Let's see what he has for us in future." She commented firmly, "But he is not the burning issue for me Narcissa. It's his wife, Jean whose thought is troubling me." She confessed.

"Why? What happened?" Narcissa asked keenly.

"She suffers from nightmares about that fateful encounter between her and Draco. She takes Dreamless Sleep to avoid it. Now she is taking a pain relieving potion for her fractured arm but unfortunately it is counteracting with Dreamless Sleep and causing her hallucinations. Now I need a way to stop that from happening again." She said thoughtfully.

"I can offer you my help there, Audré." Narcissa said with a smile, "I know a recipe that makes an excellent 'Sleeping Mixture'. I used to make it for Draco when he had trouble getting into sleep after Dumbledore was murdered before his eyes. For months, he suffered from nightmares and I kept making it for it for him until it was over." She informed Audré, "This time though, I can make it for Granger."

"Does it have Kava beans?" Audré asked remembering Draco's explanation.

Narcissa shook her head, "No. I just use some flower extracts. It's very mild but very effective to fight nightmares. But how are you going to make her drink something that I made for her?" she asked Audré.

"Obviously I am not going to tell her the real reason, Narcissa. She'll think that you are doing this out of pity and knowing her, I am confident she despised being pitied by anyone." Audré supplied, "But I won't lie either, Narcissa. She'll know who made it for her." She assured her sister-in-law.

"But how is that possible?" Narcissa asked incredulously.

Audré removed a small grass from her hair and gave Narcissa a confident smile, "I have my ways." She confirmed.

•••••

The sweetest voice on earth reached Draco's ears as soon as he apparated inside the Château.

Adrian was singing!

His heart already contented with the spectacular lecture he had had with Olivier Metzner and spirit running high with plans that he was devising to soften up Hermione; Draco followed his son's voice like an entranced man.

The sight of his son for the first time in three days rendered Draco speechless. Every single element around him – air, water, light and earth completely lost their meanings as his eyes finally found the one person to whom his lonely heart belonged.

Adrian and his aunt Audré were sitting cross legged on a patch of grass beside some lilac bushes. His little son was wearing a yellow T-shirt with the picture of a red man holding dumbbells and a writing that said 'Mr. Strong'. His chest swelling in pride with the immense satisfaction that he had fathered the most handsome boy in the universe, Draco watched his son play with his little rabbit as his aunt gently stroked his silvery blond curls.

The magical Lilac bushes were emanating impressive smell in the late afternoon air which was also filled with Adrian's innocent chanting and Draco listened to him intently:

Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,
And he flipped it and he flapped it and it flew away.Powder Puffs and Curly Whiskers,
Powder Puffs and Curly Whiskers,
Powder Puffs and Curly Whiskers,
And he flipped it and he flapped it and it flew away.

Adrian was moving his head from side to side in rhythm and patting his quivering rabbit on his small back as he recited the rhyme. Draco deduced that it was a Muggle one, since he had never read any such Wizarding rhymes, but somehow his son's voice was making it sound like the most enticing music in the world.

"Now, Peter, you will flip and flap if a fly sits on your little white nose, okay." Adrian finished his rhyme and instructed his mute pet with a final pat on it's furry white back.

"Grandma Audré, can we play Hide and Seek?" he heard Adrian ask his aunt in such a sweet voice that Draco's heart ached to reach out and touch the little angel.

"We can." His aunt Audré pondered over the offer for a moment, "But as your Mama said, you are not allowed to run or bump or do anything that may hurt your arm further. Okay?" she asked Adrian in a warning tone.

"Okay." Adrian squealed and Draco fisted his hands painfully to control the overwhelming urge to run and wrap his son tightly in his strong arms.

He watched from his hide-out as Adrian and Audré stood up.

"Close your eyes; cover them with your hands and count up to ten, Grandma." Adrian instructed Draco's aunt as if it was her first time with this game, "And no cheating." He added the default warning.

Clearly enjoying herself, Audré closed her eyes and covered them with her hands as instructed by her 'Mr. Strong'.

"One….two….three….four…." Audré's voice echoed across the garden and Draco watched with fascination as his son tiptoed to hide behind a row of double knockout roses, while holding his pet rabbit.

The Slytherin inside him set on action and Draco immediately formulated a plan: He was not going to leave this place without a sweet kiss from his son.

"Nine….and….ten." Audré finished her counting, "I am opening my eyes now, Adrian." she warned her playmate and removed her hands.

Draco was not going give her the satisfaction of finding his son before him and he walked silently towards the thick and lustrous row of Double Knockout Roses where he knew his son was hiding. As he approached, he saw Adrian's little backside who crouched to hide himself more effectively from Audré's prying eyes.

Draco reached his unsuspecting son from behind and took a deep breath before executing his next action.

"Father got your conk." He said suddenly and scooped his son from underneath the bush without further ado.

Adrian yelped and clutched Draco's deep blue shirt tightly to prevent him from falling, clearly horrified at sudden unintended intrusion. His almond shaped grey eyes widened to it's maximum extent as he flinched away, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Father got your conk, Adrian." Draco repeated triumphantly, "How is my dear little son? Does his arm hurt now?" he asked and leaned down to plant a kiss on his son's plastered arm.

His dumbfounded son only stared at him in response.

"And who is this 'Mr. Strong'?" Draco enquired and kissed over Adrian's small chest, completely unabashed by his son's silence.

"Bravo, Draco, bravo!" his aunt's voice said and Draco turned around to face her, as she approached them clapping her hands elegantly in a mocking praise.

"Bravo!" she said with one last clap and faced her nephew full on face, "I see that you have joined our game without invitation." She commented with a smirk, "How does it feel to finally hold your son without any sort of disguise?" she asked pointedly.

Deciding to play along his aunt's game and good mood, Draco gave a satisfied smile and wrapped his arms more protectively around his son's little form, "It's the most wonderful feeling in the world." He stated smugly.

"Indeed." His aunt commented wisely and shifted her gaze to the terrified boy in Draco's arms, "How do you feel Adrian? Do you feel as good as your father feels?" she asked him airily.

Adrian simply shook his head as he clutched Draco's shirt tighter while trying to move away.

"But, dear Adrian, father found you and he deserve a reward. Doesn't he?" Draco asked his son brightly, bypassing the discussion about the unpleasant feeling; he was determined to get a kiss from his son, "And father wants two sweet kisses." He declared with a charming smile and offered his smooth cheek to his son.

In response, Adrian only wriggled and tried to free himself from Draco's tight embrace.

"Tsk…tsk…tsk…Draco" Audré tutted, "You have not followed the basic rule that Adrian set for his playmate: no cheating." She said lightly and Draco turned his gaze from his son to his aunt. He found her extremely relaxed and amused.

Knowing his aunt's nature, Draco's sixth sense told him it was not a good sign at all.

"Let us play again." She shrugged and reached out to pat Adrian on his small shoulder, "How about playing a blindfolded game, Adrian?" Audré enquired from the little boy.

Adrian nodded and blinked rapidly before answering, "Okay." He said eyeing Draco timidly.

"Draco, we are already familiar with the power of your open eyes." Audré said casually and looked directly into his eyes, "Would you mind if we test them when they are closed?" she offered in a challenging voice.

"Not at all." Draco replied with confidence, "I assure you, aunt Audré that open or closed my eyes are always vigilant." He informed her, "But I demand double reward for participating in blindfolded game."

"Deal." Audré flicked her head in approval, "Now put Adrian down." She briefed Draco.

Reluctantly but carefully Draco leaned forward and placed his son on the ground, who immediately hid himself behind Audré's skirt.

"Now, now, Adrian" Audré wrapped an arm around Adrian, "Don't be shy or scared? Did you not say that you are a brave man?" she asked him casually.

"I am a brave man." Adrian affirmed his eyes still wide and fixed on his father.

"Then come out and let's play with your father." Audré offered the little boy who came out from behind her skirt at last.

"Now, Draco, there will be no cheating this time." Draco heard as his aunt warned him, "And give me your wand because locating spells aren't allowed either." She held out her hand.

"But I will be blindfolded, aunt. How am I supposed to see where the wand will point me?" Draco protested.

"Nothing is impossible for you Draco." His aunt commented lightly, "Wand please." She insisted.

Cursing his luck under his breath, Draco took out his wand and placed it on his aunt's palm, "Happy?" he asked irritably.

"Certainly." Audré replied smugly and with a wave a her wand blindfolded Draco in the next moment, "Now turn twice and count up to ten." She instructed him.

Draco did as he was told - turned twice on the spot and started to count, "One…two….three…four…" all the while straining his ears for any sound of movement that will give away where his son might be.

But absolute silence prevailed upon the garden.

"Clap please." He asked his playmates.

A small clap issued from somewhere his right; it was short and sharp.

'That must be aunt.' Draco deduced, 'Children never clap so sharply.'

His eyes already closed and blindfolded Draco thought desperately for a way to find his little boy.

And the answer somehow came immediately.

With his feet in auto-pilot mode, Draco turned on his left and strode purposefully to a place where he knew his son was standing. He didn't know how such notion came to him but deep in his mind he was confident that it was to Adrian where his feet were carrying him.

Surely enough when he stopped and knelt down to reach his son's level, he could smell Adrian's intoxicating Peach and Honeysuckle scent standing before him.

Draco inhaled deeply - with his eyes blindfolded, the scent felt even better.

"Father didn't cheat this time, Adrian." he said softly to his son's scent, not bothering to remove his blindfold, "Now give me my reward." He pleaded, his heart aching to feel Adrian's small and sweet lips on his cheek.

"But Monsieur, I don't want to give you any kisses."Adrian's voice was shaking but confident.

"Monsieur?" Draco repeated, thunderstruck.

"Remove your blindfolds, dear nephew." His aunt said from somewhere above his head but Draco didn't care.

'Monsieur? Monsiuer! His son just called him Monsieur instead of father?' he thought, his heart clenching in unbearable pain.

And then suddenly the blindfold was removed and Draco closed his eyes in pain as lights hit his sensitive retinas.

"It is high time that you realize one thing, nephew." He heard his aunt's voice and blinking rapidly to suit his eyes in the light Draco opened them fully, "That parents can never forcefully impose themselves on their children. In order to get their love they must earn their trust." She said wisely.

Draco simply stared at his son who was wide eyed and striving to be brave under his father's incredulous gaze.

"I guess I removed that blindfold as well, nephew." He heard his aunt, "Now you can fully see what can be the implications of such an action."

Perceiving the inner meaning of her words Draco simply closed his eyes and hung his head in defeat.

"Patience, nephew, patience." Audré commented gravely and taking Adrian by the arm, she left him alone in the garden.

•••••

The exotic aroma of carefully selected and stewed herbs reached Narcissa's delicate nostrils and she inhaled deeply.

'Perfect' she commented, assessing the status of the 'Sleeping Mixture' as it softly simmered inside a crystal ewer.

Her mother Druella Black's family recipe of 'Sleeping Mixture' had passed from generation to generation as she learned it from her mother and her mother learned it from her mother. Druella had taught it to all three of her daughters: Bellatrix, Narcissa and Andromeda; but Narcissa suspected that apart from her no one used it anymore. Surprisingly the ancient recipe had remained unaltered throughout ages and Narcissa both feared and regretted that she might be the last of her mother's descendants to ever use it; since she had no daughter to pass the recipe.

The wonderful whiff of carefully measured Chamomile, Skullcap, Goldenseal, Elder flower, Peppermint and Pennyroyal calmed her nerves considerably and when the combined colour of the mixture reached palest of pink, Narcissa turned off the heat and closed the lid before sealing it tightly.

The ewer was ready to be delivered to Hermione Granger.

•••••

'Adrian was her precious.'

'Adrian was her son.'

'How dare that bastard asks for kisses from her son?'

The very thought made Hermione pissed off to the point of no return.

She lulled her son gently to sleep as he laid down beside her on their bed. It was her most favourite part of the day – putting her son into sleep and watching him snuggle against her chest. His very presence made Hermione feel warm and filled her lonely heart with innumerable joy.

'There was no way she would let that monster defile her son with his putrid touch.' Hermione gritted her teeth, 'The sinister Slytherin will not be allowed to touch her son again.'

She felt elated that Adrian had told off his father and addressed him as 'Monsieur' instead of using customary salutations.

'Draco Malfoy is merely a sperm donor and a sperm donor can never be a father.' She thought determinedly.

The ray of moonlight bathed their half-dark room and Hermione yawned before shifting her gaze to the crystal ewer on her nightstand.

It was filled with pale pink clear liquid.

Audré had delivered it to her on Narcissa's behalf when she visited her after dinner.

"What is it?" Hermione had asked curiously to the elderly woman when she placed the ewer before her.

Audré had given her a gentle smile, "It's called 'Sleeping Mixture'." She informed Hermione.

"Why are you giving it to me?" Hermione had asked apprehensively; she was not in favour of sharing her night terrors with anyone and let them think that she was a weak woman.

In fact she hated being associated with that particular word – 'weak'. She had never allowed anyone to pity her for her conditions and had strived hard to prove that she was not to be looked down upon because of her status as a single mother.

"Apparently Narcissa is under the impression that you are not getting a good night's sleep." Audré had replied casually, "She saw you when you came to me in the garden for Adrian and noticed those horrible dark circled around your eyes. After you left, she asked me about it and I told her that it might be due to some discomfort in your fractured arm." She had explained.

A gut clenching anger had engulfed Hermione's senses and she fisted her hands in order to prevent her from throwing it away.

"I am thankful that you brought it for me, aunt Audré but I am afraid I have no use for anything that is associated with the name of Draco and Narcissa Malfoy." She had stated through gritted teeth, "I therefore, kindly ask you to take it back to her." She had prayed.

Audré had given her a resigned look and leaned on the sofa that she was occupying on their sitting room, "You know, Jean, I completely agree with you. There is no reason on your part to accept what she had sent, no matter how true her intentions might be." She had remarked, "But had you seen as much life as I have seen, Jean you would have accepted it happily." She had said gravely.

Hermione couldn't but frown at her statement.

Audré scratched her forehead wearily and gave Hermione a tired smile.

"As you already know my husband Morpheus Malfoy is Draco's uncle; he is Lucius's elder brother. Morpheus had certain disagreements with his family, the details of which I will not disclose now, but it was so severe that he decided to leave his family and country. The Malfoys are originally French – their ancestor Armand Malfoy was a French wizard who settled down in Britain nearly thousand years ago. So when Morpheus left Britain, he came to the country where the original root of his family belonged – France. We met in Sorbonne while we studied Law there and fell in love with each other. In our final year, Morpheus proposed me and I accepted it not knowing that his family would be against this marriage. I loved him, Jean and I still love him. So when he told me about the true nature of his relationship with his family I didn't back away. I never wanted to be with any man as much as I wanted to be with him and somehow it didn't matter to me whether his family accepted me or not." Audré had paused and covered her face with her hands.

Hermione was feeling extremely curious to know the rest of the story and completely forgot about the ewer that Narcissa had sent her.

"We got married and three years later Julian was born. He is the original Malfoy firstborn since he is two years older than Draco." Audré started again, "Morpheus had been expecting a daughter but he was happy nonetheless. He wrote a letter to his mother, Medusa Malfoy informing her about the new member in the family." She stopped and removed her hands, "Julian was just an innocent child and whatever happened between his father and his grandparents never involved him. I was secretly expecting the family to reunite again and accept Julian as their grandson. Alas, how terribly wrong I was!" Audré had stated in despair.

Hermione had waited patiently for the rest of the story.

"Medusa, that abhorring woman, sent a Howler to Morpheus in the most despicable language possible. I still remember the day, Jean, it is so clearly imprinted in my memory." She shook her head gravely, "Morpheus cried just like a child when his mother told him that the Malfoys have no connections with a bastard child. Imagine, Jean, my child who was born three years after our marriage was declared a bastard?" she asked Hermione incredulously, "Can you even imagine how I felt when I heard it?" Audré asked Hermione in a pain stricken voice.

Hermione had no words to reply in response.

"Though my son is the Malfoy firstborn he was not Claimed by his original family. The Malfoys Claimed Draco instead and he is the official Malfoy Heir." Audré informed Hermione after regaining her control, "Narcissa knows that Adrian is born out of wedlock between you and Draco. It is not Adrian's fault and surprisingly she understands it. I have not told her the truth behind Adrian's conception; it is something that Draco himself should tell his mother, not me. I know it sounds extremely unnatural but Narcissa somehow feels for you and Adrian. She asked me about you and when I compared her with my mother-in-law Medusa, I couldn't help but feel relieved that Narcissa is not following our mother-in-laws cruel example. That is the reason I brought this ewer to you when she asked me. She assured me that it is not poisoned and I don't think she would naïve to do that. So as I said before, had you seen as much life as I have seen, Jean you would have accepted it without any grudge." She stated with a grim smile, "Anyways, I will just take it and throw it on her face, as you so rightfully instructed." Audré had stood up and taken the ewer from the table.

Hermione was clearly torn between her desire to deliver justice and take vengeance.

"Wait" she suddenly said, deciding for the former option, "I….. I think….. I'll keep it for the time being." She stammered for want of proper word.

Audré turned and gave her a skeptical look, "Are you sure?" she asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded biting her lips, "Are you sure she didn't send it out of pity?" she asked back.

Audré gave her an assuring smile, "I see no reason why she would pity you, Jean. You are a really successful woman and an excellent mother." She said confidently, "All I can say is that her feelings for you and Adrian is genuine and though I don't take pride on it, Jean, my observations have never been wrong." She said serenely.

The clock chimed once sonorously and Hermione was brought back from her reverie.

Sighing, she reached for the ewer that contained Sleeping Mixture and as instructed, she took two spoonfuls of it.

She lied down on her pillow and closed her eyes, waiting to see what miracles Narcissa's potion held.