Chapter 36
A/N: I own nothing. JK Rowling and her publishers do.
Sorry it's been so long since an update ladies and gents! My kids finished school, which of course meant lots of field trips and things, and then my Aunt and Uncle came and visited for a week, and you better believe I was going to spend all the time I could with them. All my family lives far from me (Over 2000 kms), so I treasure every minute. BUT. Here's an update! Thank you all of you for sticking with me this long! You are all phenomenal!
Thank you SO MUCH to my beta AlaskanAppaloosa, who goes over and above, just because she's that awesome.
Also, just a note to remember to review fics you read! Fanfiction authors get paid only in reviews, and we live for every one.
To those who reviews about Ron being a butt? I agree. 100%. :P
Lucius guided the crowd down the hallway, pointing out the various rooms it connected. It seemed this hallway was mostly opulent offices and even a large conference room. He explained that this entire wing of the house was meant for business and not family living. All the rooms were accessible to those who visited the Manor, and were mostly meant for practical uses. With this in mind, the wing was set up so the only way to exit it was back the way you came with security being the foremost concern. This also had the added benefit of giving those who worked from home a 'safe place', so to speak, away from small children in which to work, while still being close enough to be helpful. It practically sang of practicality and thoughtfulness of design, which Hermione very much appreciated.
Guiding them back through the lobby, Lucius led them to the other end of the main floor, which was set up very similarly, being a self-contained wing connected only to the main lobby. This side though, was all about enjoyment and entertaining. A large ballroom, formal dining room, sitting rooms, and a billiards room were accompanied by a small kitchen that served as a transition point from the big kitchen that Lucius informed her was upstairs in the family living area. The entire wing was set up to make a statement, with grand rococo details on every available surface. It was overwhelming. Hermione had always understood in a purely theoretical sense that the Malfoys were incredibly rich, but this meticulously maintained home showed off that wealth in all it's grandeur.
If Lucius caught just how stunned she was at the display, he tactfully ignored it, choosing instead to outline the various events that he and Draco held every year in these very halls. A Christmas ball was the main to-do, but in June they also held a solstice celebration. These events were a chance to make connections with business partners and other aristocratic families. In addition to this, the Malfoys once a year held a dracken-only event, which featured live hunts and displays of skill from prominent dracken performers. It all sounded magical and Hermione couldn't wait to jump in with two feet into helping with everything.
If Hermione was honest though, she was happy they didn't spend too much time in this wing of the house. The reality was, she was there to see if she could make this a place that they could raise her children in, and while this first floor was lovely, it wasn't the living area. The dracken part of her mind whispered to her constantly about how this next heat would probably lead to a pregnancy, which in turn would mean that she needed a home, and now. There was also a certain allure to simply having a place that was hers. A place she could settle down and sink roots into. Hogwarts, while wonderful, had not been conductive to this, and neither had the orphanage, regardless of how she had considered it home . It seemed Lucius had picked up on the urgency in her, and he breezed them very quickly through the smaller area that was off the main foyer, which included mostly powder rooms and bathrooms for guests, along with a child and nursing-friendly bathroom that was utilized quite a bit during dracken parties.
Hermione wasn't the only one flagging by the time Lucius finally guided the group to the large staircase that was the center-piece of the foyer. Harry and Sirius were both smothering yawns, while both Charlie and Severus had clearly tuned out at the ballroom.
This changed though as they started up the stairs and Lucius explained the house set-up more thoroughly. The main floor was all accessible to guests, while the second floor was the main living area for the family, and had been the part of the house that had undergone extensive renovations after Voldemort had left. The top floor was entirely bedrooms and personal spaces for the family.
Lucius explained that it was tricky to know precisely how many bedrooms existed in the house at any one time. These parts of the home, influenced over hundreds of years by magical people living there, had become semi-sentient and magical, producing rooms or moving around things as it felt the family needed. It seemed to be especially responsive to Lucius' needs, and sometimes would even respond to his spoken requests. Hermione found this fascinating, while Sirius whispered to Harry that if they found something they didn't like about the house, they'd better keep their mouth shut, as they didn't want to offend it. If Harry found anything strange about being able to offend a house, he wisely decided to hold his tongue.
The large door at the top of the stairs opened into what Hermione could best describe as a living room, though it looked like no living room she had ever seen before. Nevertheless, this was clearly the main living area of the floor. Whoever the interior designer was, Hermione needed to give them a good solid kiss. Even in her wildest imagination, she had never expected a potential home to look this amazing.
The overall feeling of the space was airy and warm, all whites and greys and soft edges. Large windows gave so much natural light her dracken preened, and before Hermione realized it was happening, she had stepped into the puddle of sunlight and released her wings, sighing happily as the sunlight hit her scales. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room slowly, all too aware that Lucius had nearly stopped breathing to hear her dracken's reaction.
The room was ridiculously large, and split into several different sections with the clever use of furniture. The area directly in front of the window, where Hermione currently stood, was clearly created for her specifically. It featured a comfortable window seat, small built-in book shelves, and an off-white fluffy carpet that begged to be curled up on. She could easily imagine curling up there with a big fluffy blanket and a good book.
Directly in front and to the left was what Hermione deemed 'the social area'. It was dominated by an obscenely large sectional in a soft grey fabric. Thrown on the sofa were many pillows in a variety of whites, soft teals, and golds, giving the room a playful vibe that Hermione loved. More bookshelves took up the one wall, and there was a conspicuously blank space above the white fireplace that she suspected the interior decorator had left for a television. The comfortable chairs that were nestled in this area were a mix of patterns and fabrics, and yet all blended perfectly with the other furniture pieces. The only common theme seemed to be the inclusion of white, gold, and the soft teal that Hermione loved. The crown molding Hermione was sure was original to the house led her to the dining area, which she could easily envision swarming with children. The grey table and white chairs were sturdy and obviously chosen with a family in mind. They were also remarkably unpretentious, which Hermione was one hundred percent sure had been a fight Lucius had had with the decorator.
Looking around the room, she saw his influence everywhere. In the gold accents that permeated the entire room, in the obvious care that was given to quality of products used, in the large ornate mirrors that were scattered throughout the room. It even reached into what was clearly an area made as a play spot for children, with a soft teal rug on the floor. Beautiful handmade toys were already set neatly on shelved waiting for little hands to grab them, and if Hermione had to hazard a guess, the beautiful, ornate, white toy box with the words 'Everyday is magic with you' beautifully written in gold script on it was Lucius' choice as well.
There was a small kitchen that sat next to the dining room that blended beautifully with the aesthetic of the rest of the room, without drawing from its hominess. It clearly wasn't for cooking large meals in, but Hermione knew that the Malfoys employed an army of house elves that did most of the cooking for them. Still, it was perfectly serviceable for her needs, and she could easily see teaching her children to bake there. The rest of the floor plan was very open, with lots of room for a very large family to enjoy life together.
Hermione was broken out of her careful perusal by her boys. Both of them took a whooping dive onto the couch, sending the pillows in every direction. "Now this, Kitten." Sirius yelled as he smacked Harry with a pillow. "This is a home."
Hermione had never seen her mates look so vulnerable as they did at that moment. Especially Lucius seemed to have put his heart on his sleeve, desperately hoping that she would enjoy the home he had obviously put a lot of effort into.
"Yes. Yes it is." Lucius visibly relaxed at statement, while Charlie nodded, clearly looking over the space himself. Severus had obviously been in here before, and looking around Hermione could see his subtle hand as well, in the more practical aspects of the home. The comfortable throw blankets that had been put on the couch, the muggle appliances that peppered the kitchen, and the small toy potions kit that sat in the childrens' section.
Lucius stepped forward to tuck her arm in his own and guide her around, telling her of how the designer had put a focus on both functionality and form. Off the main room, everything got a bit more flexible. The rooms had been redecorated as the house had allowed them and Lucius admitted he wasn't sure that all the rooms had been done, while others had been purposefully left undone. The master bedroom, nursery, and children's rooms had been left untouched, in anticipation of his mate wanting to put a personal touch on them herself. Hermione was very grateful for this, as her only complaint about the house so far was that it, while beautiful, was cold. A home from a magazine rather than a home to be lived in.
Lucius seemed amused when she slipped from his arm and walked around the room, cataloguing out loud all the things she would need to make the home her own. The reading corner was screaming for her comfy reading pillow, and of course, her books. The living room needed pictures of all their friends and family, and some of the knickknacks they had all collected over the years. Harry chimed in that the kitchen clearly needed her kitchen aid mixer on the counter and Hermione couldn't help but agree.
"Yes. I could see this as my home. It just needs a bit of us. Then it will be perfect." Never in her life had Hermione been so happy as the moment all three of her mates descended on her, all snuggling up to her in a great big group hug in the middle of their new home.