A/N: Chapter written by me! Remember, avdubs is updating this story on her ao3 account too, so check it out there. This chapter is completely Draco's point of view, and is all one scene which worked out quite well in the end. Thank you all for your lovely comments and reviews, and as always, enjoy!
Draco
Draco couldn't draw a breath. From the moment he had looked through the peephole of the door and seen his mother standing outside, his heartbeat had faltered and his breath had caught in his throat, but it hadn't stopped him from wrenching open the front door, letting the door handle bounce off the wall when he'd let it go. It had been so long since he'd heard his mother's voice.
"I love you, Draco," she had told him, her voice quiet and hesitant on the morning of September the first, ready to send Draco off to his sixth year at Hogwarts.
His expression had remained stony during the interaction, and he looked away from her when she'd smoothed out the collar of his shirt. "Alright," had been his only response to her. "Mother I need to go, the train's waiting."
Looking back on that day now, Draco hated that he'd been so callous towards her. So full of arrogance that he didn't even want to tell her that he did love her back, and that he wanted her to be safe and careful while he was gone. Without his father in the Manor, and with the threat of Death Eaters being able to enter and exit at their own will, Draco had been terrified leaving his mother in the house alone while he was at school. But his arrogance and need to try and prove that he wasn't afraid of his task, had meant he'd left her on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters without even giving one glance behind him when he boarded the train.
The only means of contact he'd had with her throughout the year had been through various letters, but they hadn't been as personal or sentimental as they should have been. Many times, she had sent him a letter asking him to be careful, and to ask for help whenever he needed it, but at the time, those requests had made him scoff, and almost always went unanswered. He remembered when Hermione had confronted him about realising he always disappeared whenever he received letters, and it made him think how obvious he had been acting the entire time.
Staring at his mother then, however, was like he was finally being rewarded for striving to become good. He'd left the dark path that he'd been thrust onto, and that his mother had never wanted him on in the first place, and now was his time of repentance. It could have been seconds or minutes since his mother had spoken to him: "Hello, Draco." But it was hard for him to will his body and brain to respond to what was happening.
She spoke once more to him, her voice just as hesitant and soft as it had been when she had left him at the Hogwarts Express so many months before, "Draco?" Was all she asked.
It seemed to have broken him from the paralysis that had taken over him, and in one step he had closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her into his chest in a hug that he wished he could have given her so much sooner. He hugged her tightly, and didn't remember her feeling so much smaller than him. He could feel the bones of her shoulders which hadn't been there the last time he had hugged her, he was sure of it. Everything was familiar about her; the hug, the familiar way she smelt, and the way she rubbed his back in soothing circles as she had been doing ever since he was a little boy and would come running to her upset.
He thought he would have been strong when this moment came, and that he would be able to be the pillar that she could rely on so she didn't falter. But the moment he felt her shoulders hitch and heard her cry softly into his chest, his own throat tightened. He'd only ever seen his mum cry a handful of times in his life, and not once had he ever had to have been the person to comfort her from it. He remembered the last time he'd known she was crying, on the morning when he had been set to leave for Hogwarts for the first time with the Dark Mark etched on his arm. He'd been walking from his bedroom ready to go to the parlour to floo to the train station, but on his way past his parent's bedroom, had heard her crying from inside. It had made his steps falter, and he almost pushed open the door to see if she was alright, but he had shoved his concern aside and marched on; his brain had reasoned that he was meant to care only of himself and his task, and that he didn't need any distractions.
Draco felt her fingers curl into his shirt as she cried against him and he hugged her back tighter, trying to hold her together as he felt a tear slip down his own cheek. He didn't want to see her cry. He was too overwhelmed that she was there with them, and that she was safe and would continue to be safe; he would make sure of it.
It didn't matter how long they had stood there in front of the door hugging each other, because it meant that she was there. He didn't have to be worrying over the Order telling him that they had found her dead, and he didn't have to worry about anyone finding her. She was going to be protected now. She was the one to pull back first, and she looked up at him, her eyes slightly red. It struck him then how much she looked like his Aunt Andromeda, after being with the latter for so long.
Narcissa lifted her hand up to Draco's cheek and swiped away the tear that was there. "I'm so glad you're safe," she told him, her voice so fragile. "I was so...worried, Draco, I thought the worst-"
He shook his head and made her stop talking, and gave her a comforting squeeze on the top of her arms. "I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm more than fine, I'm safe here… The Order have done so much, mum, I'm so glad they managed to find you."
She gave him a small smile and then looked past his shoulder and it was then that he remembered they weren't alone in the room. He looked to where she was looking and saw Hermione standing a few feet away.
"Mum, this is Hermione," Draco explained to her, and could hear the shaking of his voice from the nerves of introducing them both. The last time they had seen each other in Madam Malkin's before attending their sixth year, his mum hadn't been too kind to her. "Hermione Granger. She's...done so much to help me get here."
Hermione's lips twitched up in what was meant to be a smile, but showed more nerves than anything. "Thank you so much, Miss Granger," Narcissa said to her.
"It's okay," Hermione said, and Draco could tell that she was just as nervous as he was. "And please, call me Hermione…" She said.
Remus, who had been the one accompanying Narcissa to Andromeda's house, stepped forward and walked to Hermione. "We'll leave you two to catch up. I'll go get your sister and tell her that you're here," he said to Narcissa who nodded and thanked him. He placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder to persuade her to walk from the room, as she had hesitated and almost looked like arguing that she should stay too. While Draco did appreciate that she wanted to stay there with him, he felt like everything might be a bit more comfortable if he were to talk to his mum by himself… Just at first.
The both of them were left alone in the hallway, and Draco started to take notice of how his mum looked. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, showing clearly that she hadn't had a proper sleep in quite a while. Her cheekbones were a slight bit more noticeable than he remembered them being, but in a sad way, it didn't surprise him; when the news of his father's imprisonment had struck, followed by Draco's task being assigned, Narcissa had oftentimes skipped meals, or only picked at her food. It was clear to Draco that the habit had been kept up, that being the reason for him being able to very easily feel the bones of her shoulders they had hugged.
"The living room is just in here," he spoke, gesturing his hand to their left through the archway that led to the cosy room. He was the first one to step forward and entered the room, and with a wave of his wand, lit the oil lamps on the walls that gave the room that much more of a comfortable feeling. He'd easily adapted to the small rooms of Andromeda and Ted's house, after growing up in Malfoy Manor where some rooms were larger than the first floor of this house it had been a bit strange at first, but now, he didn't think he could go back to living in such a large place.
He stood in the middle of the living room and watched as his mum walked in and looked around at first. He saw as a smile touched her lips, and she headed straight for the fireplace and began to look at the pictures displayed on the mantlepiece. One hand came to her mouth, her fingers pressed lightly against her lips as she looked at every single photograph, and Draco realised that this was probably the first time in over twenty years she had seen what her sister had grown up to look like.
"Aunt Andromeda is really great," Draco blurted out after some time of watching his mum look at the pictures.
She turned around and gave him a smile and walked away from the fireplace. "You call her Aunt?" She asked, her smile growing.
He shrugged, and glanced down at the floor. "Sometimes. It just...comes out. I've been living here for so long and it's hard not to become comfortable around her and-" He trailed off, but the look of concern Narcissa gave him at the abrupt cut off made him continue, "And Ted," he finished, not wanting to look her in the eye.
"Draco," she said softly and placed her hand on his forearm. "I hope you don't feel ashamed that you think well of your Aunt and Uncle," she told him.
He bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm not ashamed… I didn't understand at first. But it's gotten easier."
Narcissa smiled at that and gave his arm a soft squeeze. "And… Andromeda knows about me being released?" She asked, and it made him get a flash of a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach hearing that… She had technically been held by the Order as a prisoner up until her interview, and it wasn't something he wanted to think about in that sense.
"She does," he answered her question. "But she didn't know it was today, or that you were coming here. Neither did I, actually," he said.
"I hope that I didn't shock you too much," she smiled.
He shook his head and the corners of his lips curled upwards. "You did. But I'm glad you're here… I've…" He hesitated. It had been so long since he had been so candid with anyone but Hermione, let alone his mother. As he had grown older, especially first attending Hogwarts at age eleven, he had drifted farther from her in the sense of sharing his emotions, but rather had taken to copying what he saw of his father: being in control, strong, and not displaying any weakness. "I've missed you," he finished.
"And I've missed you too, Draco, more than you'll ever know," she assured him. "It wasn't even a question on whether I would defect to the Order or not. Knowing you were here, I knew what I had to do."
The comment made his smile fade, since it brought attention to the very noticeable absence of someone in the room. "It wasn't enough for dad," he said, his voice quiet.
When Narcissa didn't answer right away, he understood that she was just as disappointed as he was. Perhaps even angry too. "I tried to convince him, Draco," she said softly. "He...doesn't know how he can switch sides after everything that he's been involved in."
"And?" Draco snapped, his anger rising. "I got out of it! I was forced into this mess and even though it was almost too late, I changed!"
"I understand Draco, I do," Narcissa said quickly and placed her hand on his arm to try and calm him down. "But the Dark Lord is angr-"
"Don't call him that," he cut her off, and instantly regretted his tone of voice when he saw her expression. "I'm sorry," he apologised at once.
"No, you're right, I shouldn't use that name, I-" She started to say, but was cut off once more.
"Cissa?"
Both Draco and Narcissa turned their heads to Andromeda who was standing by the archway of the living room. He heard his mother's breath catch in her throat as she looked at the older sister she hadn't seen in so long; the person she had been forced to stop thinking of and never be allowed to mention. He knew that he wouldn't be able to imagine what it felt like for them both to see each other after so long, but from the expressions on both of their faces he knew that they probably hadn't been able to imagine either.
Andromeda was the first to move, and she walked over to them and reached across to take Narcissa's hand slowly. No time passed at all before Narcissa wrapped her arms around her older sister and hugged her tightly. Draco felt like he was intruding on something he shouldn't be seeing, and felt that even more so when he heard a sniffle coming from one of them.
He stayed on the couch and looked away, feeling like he should give them some privacy. Andromeda pulled back from the hug and placed her hand on Narcissa's cheek. "I never thought we'd get this moment," she said.
Narcissa nodded in agreement and swiped a finger under her eye to brush away a tear that had fallen. "If only it had been under different circumstances."
The both of them sat down on the couch opposite and silence filled the room again. Draco's mind was reeling and he began to tap his hand on his knee, willing for someone to speak, but nothing came.
"I should probably go tell Hermione that everything is okay," Draco said and stood up from the couch. He'd lasted a minute in silence before he couldn't take it anymore.
"Wait," Narcissa said, reaching her hand out to take Draco's and keep him from moving away. He swallowed hard, thinking that this was the moment that both he and Hermione hadn't been ready for, but didn't move from where he stood. "I want to ask you about Miss Granger," his mother continued.
He nodded and his eyes darted to Andromeda who gave him a small encouraging smile. "You can call her Hermione," he said at first. "What do you want to ask me?"
Narcissa must have sensed his unease and gave his hand a small squeeze before letting go, and she smiled at him similarly to how Andromeda had. "Is Hermione just a friend, or is she someone more important to you?"
He got another surge of nervousness, but the rational part of his mind told him that it shouldn't be worrying him. If his mother was upset about any of it, she wouldn't be sitting as calmly as she was with a smile on her face, encouraging him to talk. "She's more important to me than I ever thought possible," he finally responded, putting his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting nervously.
Of all the reactions he'd imagined his mother having to the news of his relationship with Hermione, a smile wasn't one of them. It seemed that even Andromeda was slightly surprised, but hid it well; better than Draco did, anyway. "You were afraid to tell me, weren't you?" Narcissa asked him, and he didn't bother lying, and nodded. "Draco, I would never be angry at you over who you decide to befriend or have a relationship with."
"But she's not a Pureb-"
"That doesn't matter," Narcissa stopped him before he could finish. "If any of those petty ideas meant anything to me, I would still be at the Manor with everyone else who has those thoughts," she said. "I've lost someone dear to me from those ideals already," she said, reaching her hand out to place it on Andromeda's knee, "And I am not prepared to lose my son from them either." Draco was slightly shellshocked. Really, he should have guessed all along, or hoped so more, that his mother would be understanding of the situation. She'd shown more than enough times how dearly she loved him regardless or anything. "From what I've gathered and been told briefly, Hermione is the whole reason you're standing here today safe and alive."
"That's right," Draco nodded and a small smile played on his lips.
"How could I disapprove of the girl who saved my son's life? How could I disapprove of her after she has brought you away from what we both know would have surely killed you?" Narcissa's voice faltered and wavered, but she stayed strong. "I've only been around you for an hour, Draco, and I can already tell that you've changed, but in a good way. You're not the same boy that I left at the train station last year, and I'm certain that Hermione played a very big part in ensuring that."
"She did," he said. "We wouldn't be here if she hadn't believed in me and helped me get out of that mess…"
"Her and Remus are sitting in the kitchen," Andromeda told him, and he thanked her and left the living room. He stopped in the hallway and let out a breath and sagged his shoulders, only then realising how tense he'd been for so long. He closed his eyes and leant back against the wall and counted to ten, gathering his thoughts enough to continue on. The events of the past hour had all been so sudden and unexpected that he could just tell he was going to be awake all night analysing every second of what had happened.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, Hermione lifted her gaze from a mug in front of her, and stood up from the table. "How is everything?" She asked and walked to stand in front of him.
"Okay," Draco told her, and then gave a small smile. "Better than okay. I told her about us," he admitted.
Her eyes widened slightly. "How did she take it?" She asked.
"We really didn't have anything to worry about," Draco told Hermione. "She understands that without you, I most likely wouldn't be here right now and she wouldn't either. She's glad that you've managed to help." He saw the faint flush of red on her cheeks and watched her let out a sigh of relief. He didn't blame her; the idea of Narcissa rejecting the idea of them had been worrying her just as much as it had been worrying himself. "She wants to see you," he said.
"Me?" Hermione asked. "Just me?"
"No," he assured her quickly. "I'm coming too. And Andromeda's in there still."
She agreed, and just as they went to leave the kitchen, they looked back at the table. The chair Remus sat on scraped against the tiles slightly as he stood up. "I'm going to take my leave. Tell your Aunt that Tonks and I will be around tomorrow," he said to them both.
The wizard walked past the both of them out into the hall and just as he reached the door, Draco spoke up. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "For helping bring her here." Remus didn't give much of a reaction but a small smile, and then bid them farewell and left the house, closing the door firmly behind him.
On the way to the living room, Hermione's hand darted out to grab Draco's just before they entered. From the tight grip she had on his fingers, he knew that her nerves were kicking in. It felt like she could just about break his bones when they actually walked in and both Andromeda and Narcissa turned their heads to look. It was under his mother's look, that Hermione let go of his hand quickly and he wanted to tell her that it was okay; that his mother really did understand and she didn't need to be afraid.
Draco took the initiative of placing his hand on Hermione's back and making her sit down in the armchair while he sat on the arm of it, his hand down by her side, fingers brushing against her leg where no one could see, just as his bit of comfort towards her.
"I'm sure that Draco's already told you that I now know about the both of you," Narcissa spoke after a few tense moments of silence.
Hermione nodded quickly. "He did. I- Thank you for understanding," she said.
"Like I told my son, I couldn't disapprove or think any less of you after you've had a hand in saving Draco from what was to come of him after the task he was set," Narcissa told her. "And I don't hold the beliefs of what the Death Eaters have, anymore. Not after all the mess it's caused… The people I've lost because of it."
Draco bit the inside of his cheek and looked down at his lap. He wasn't surprised that Hermione didn't answer straight away; even he was at a loss for words, and it was his own mother speaking!
"No matter if Draco and I had ended up in a relationship or not, I would have tried my hardest to help him out of what had been happening," Hermione said. "Regardless of our past together, which I'm sure you know about… I'm not the sort of person to be able to have a hunch of what's going on, and not find out what it truly is and not help."
"And that is very admirable of you," Narcissa smiled and Andromeda nodded in agreement too. "I hope that you can accept my apology for the way I've treated you in the past. And your friends."
Draco saw Hermione nod, and had a fair guess on what she was thinking. He knew she wouldn't forgive his mother that easily. It had taken a significant amount of time for him to earn his forgiveness from being so horrid to her in their earlier years, so he knew her granting his mother forgiveness wouldn't be as easy as her apologising and it being over with.
A silence fell over the four of them and Draco looked down at Hermione and gave her a small smile. Her lips twitched upwards and her hand snuck up to take his again, her grip tight. He gave her a squeeze back and then decided to break the silence. "Lupin's left. He said he'll be back tomorrow with Tonks," he said to his Aunt.
"It was good of him to come out so late," Andromeda said. "I'll be able to thank him tomorrow."
Narcissa looked at her sister as she spoke, a confused look on her face and it dawned on Draco that his mother knew Lupin was a werewolf. Would she not like to be around the next day when it wasn't necessary that he be near her after helping bring her to Andromeda's? He remembered back to his third year, back to when he'd arrived home with his parents and listened to them both discuss how a werewolf should never have been allowed in the walls of the school. He'd listened to them talk about how he was more animal than man, and shouldn't have been trusted around children, let alone their precious son… Thinking back to it made him feel sick in the stomach. He'd adopted those thoughts to himself, but after being around Remus more than a handful of times, saw that he and his parents had been very wrong - about werewolves, and the majority of other things.
Instead of Draco's initial thoughts, his mother surprised him by asking, "Tonks?" She asked. "Your husband isn't here now?"
Andromeda smiled and laughed softly. "No, no my husband isn't in at the moment. My daughter insists on being called Tonks," she explained.
"Not Nymphadora?" Narcissa asked and her brows were furrowed.
"Ever since she was old enough to know better, she's never liked to have been called it," Andromeda said with a fond smile.
"But Nymphadora is a lovely name!" Narcissa said, and Draco looked at Hermione who was smiling, covering it with her palm. He smiled too; it was evident how similar his mum and aunt were, just from that statement alone. He'd been told from Hermione after he'd first met Tonks about the hatred the witch held for her own name and as such, had wanted to be called Tonks as soon as she could decide to. Now, whenever Tonks had came to the house while Draco and Hermione were there, he couldn't help but find the look on Tonks' face humorous whenever her mother called her by her given name.
"Which is exactly why I named her," Andromeda laughed softly. "But I've given up on trying to have any control on her… She's her own person, always has been."
Draco saw his mother give a small smile at that and look down at her lap. He bit the inside of his cheek before standing up. "I think you should go to bed, mum," he said. "All of us, really. You need to rest." It felt odd saying that, he thought. He wasn't used to seeing his mum like this, or having the initiative to stand up and try to fix it. He knew that he was completely overwhelmed by this night, but had no idea how his mother was coping with it. Not only did she have to deal with her emotions of coming to him again, but also had to deal with reuniting with her sister, and meeting Hermione. Topped off with the fact that his father had decided not to join her, and she'd been staying in Merlin knows what condition while waiting to be questioned by the Order…
"I think that's a good idea," Narcissa agreed and stood up from the couch, as did Andromeda and Hermione.
"Come on, I can show you around the house quickly so you know where everything is if you need it," Andromeda said to her, and the both of them left the living room leaving Hermione and Draco alone.
His shoulders sagged as he let out a breath and turned to look at Hermione. "That went…" She started, and trailed off.
"Better than we thought it would," he said with a crooked smile.
"Exactly," she nodded and stepped forward to give him a tight hug before she stood back. "I'm going to get myself some water, you should go up and see your mum. Make sure she settles in okay," she said, and Draco agreed and let his arms drop from around her.
He had just reached the top floor when he saw Andromeda stop with his mum outside the guest bedroom next to his and Hermione's. "This is where you'll be staying," Andromeda told her sister. "It's small, but-"
"It'll do," Narcissa smiled. "It's only for sleep after all."
The both of them turned to the staircase when Draco reached the top and his foot pressed on a particularly noisy floorboard. Not a few seconds later, Hermione came up behind him and pressed her hand against the small of his back to get him moving off the stairs. He walked over to his mum and aunt while Hermione went to their bedroom to wait.
"I've been shown where everything is," Narcissa told him, "It's a lovely house, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "It is…" He didn't know why he was feeling more awkward than he had downstairs, maybe it was to do with the quiet that had fallen over them all. "Night mum," he said after a few seconds as he hugged her, deciding to break the silence, and then stood up straight again. He was very aware of Andromeda waiting by the guest bedroom door and Hermione staying by their own bedroom door, waiting for him. He wasn't really sure why.
"Where will you be sleeping?" Narcissa asked. "I only saw two guest bedrooms when Andromeda showed me around, I haven't put you out of a room, have I?" She asked in concern.
Draco bit the inside of his cheek and hoped to Merlin that his embarrassment didn't show on his face. "Uh, I…" He pointed his thumb back over his shoulder towards his and Hermione's bedroom where she was still standing by the doorway. He didn't want to look his mum in the eye because he knew she'd never have allowed him to be sleeping in the same room as a girl, regardless of who she was. To avoid her eyes, he looked past her to Andromeda who had a small smile on her face, visibly trying not to laugh, and he bit his cheek even harder to keep serious.
"Oh…" Narcissa said and then saw how Hermione was more in the bedroom than she was out of it. "Oh," she said once more when she fully realised. "...Goodnight Draco," she said to him after a few seconds, then looked behind him. "Goodnight Hermione."
"Night, Mrs Malfoy," Hermione said quietly and she watched with Draco as Narcissa went into the bedroom after Andromeda who began to talk to her. Draco headed into the bedroom with Hermione and walked straight to the bed and flopped onto his back with a groan. "I can't believe that just happened!" Hermione said as soon as she shut the door tightly.
"You can't believe it?! That was the most horrific thirty seconds of my life," he complained and put his hands on his face.
Hermione laughed and he felt the mattress depress when she climbed on, and the next second she was straddling him. "It could have been worse," she said, "She could have actually told one of us to go sleep in the living room."
"Or she could have expressed her disappointment that I was sharing a room with a girl," he added and took his hands off his face and instead put them on Hermione's knees.
"We're not doing anything but sleeping in here while she's in that other room," Hermione said and leaned down so she was laying on his chest and his arms wrapped around her.
"I agree," Draco said with no complaints. "Andromeda and Ted could bloody hear us and they're not even in the room next door."
Hermione groaned into his shoulder and shook her head. "Don't remind me… I've never been so embarrassed before…"
He smiled against her hair and the two of them lay in silence, and he began to rub her back slowly. After a few minutes, his hand slowed when he heard something muffled, and he strained to listen closer.
Hermione's head lifted up from his chest and she started to listen too. "It's your mother and Andromeda," she said. "They're talking." They both fell into silence again and listened to the sound of muffled conversation through the wall, not quite hearing what they were talking about or what the tone of the conversation was.
"I'm glad they're okay seeing each other," Draco said, resting his head back down. "I guess I was scared for how they'd react to being around each other, just like I was scared for how she'd react to us… But they both seem so normal."
"Maybe it's just a sibling thing?" Hermione mused. "Even though it's been so many years, they look like they're completely fine around each other…"
He hummed in agreement. "It probably is," he said. "There's no anger between them either."
"I think after everything they've been through, anger is the last emotion they want to be feeling," Hermione said and lifted her hand up to his neck and traced lines up and down with her index finger. "I'm sure the both of them felt their different types of anger back in the day when the wounds were fresh. Not now though. There's no need for any more negativity in life, really."
He nodded and let out a sigh. He glanced over at the side table by their bed and his eyes widened when he saw the time. "It's two in the morning," he told her, and she turned her head to look at the clock too.
"Time flies…" She murmured and removed herself from on top of him and started to get undressed to change into her pyjamas. He lay back, staring at the ceiling until she nudged his leg and told him that he needed to get ready for bed and that sleep would do them good. Five minutes later, the both of them under the blanket, Hermione had tucked herself against his side with her hand on his chest. "I'm so proud of how you did tonight," she told him. "I know how worried you were about this all, but everything worked out fine."
"It did, didn't it?" He mused, and found it surprising that he'd managed to keep his head screwed on throughout the confusing past few hours.
"Maybe that's a sign that other things might not be so hard as we keep working them up to be," she said quietly.
Draco turned his head and his lips brushed against her forehead as he spoke. "We don't want to lose our edge though," he said. "There might not constantly be a silver lining." She didn't respond to them and he could guess that it was because she understood he was correct. Just because one thing had worked out easier than the both of them had thought, didn't mean they should let their guard down on every occasion to come where they would think that hardships may occur.
He could feel the faint and familiar stirrings of a headache brewing behind his eyes and he let his eyelids shut.