Chapter 43: Good News

Hermione stayed up until well after 11pm looking over her research into the glaubepens lily. If truth was told, once Draco had left her to go to bed, she didn't really take in much research. Instead, she was going over what she had been told by him about Muggles and Muggleborns. It was certainly a massive revelation and one that would have dire consequences should it become common knowledge.

And yet Narcissa was adamant that that was the reason why magical folk were, well, magical. All because of one tiny gene in the human body. So why was it that Muggles were not aware of it?

Hermione's skills at Muggle sciences were pretty sketchy after having spent almost the entirety of the last six years in the Wizarding World, however in her summer breaks and holidays she still read up as much as she could about what was happening in her parents' World. After all, it would be easier all around if she did, and so had read about genetics and all the genes in the human body. She'd even gone so far as to investigate genetics in music, finding it as the major subject matter in a song called Forty Six & 2, by the Muggle band Tool1. The thought of the innovative progressive metal band brought her back to the present.

Draco would like to listen to Tool, I bet. I must introduce him to them.

However, she also knew that her knowledge of genetics could be improved, trying to understand why Muggles had not come across the gene yet.

Something to look up tomorrow, or perhaps I could ask Narcissa?

Knowing that no further work would be continued in the subject matter of the glaubepens lily, Hermione put her books away and retired to her bedroom.

"Hermione, Hermione, wake up!" Hermione could hear, rather than see the person gently rocking her to awaken.

"Wh-what?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

Draco was leaning over her, having already showered after his run with Robert and smelling tremendous.

"Your parents have just received a very cryptic owl from St Mungo's but it looks like Mother is ready to leave hospital today!"

That piece of news was all Hermione needed to awaken fully. She threw her arms around him and just held him. "I'm so glad, Draco. I know how worried you've been about your mother; that's so wonderful!"

"The only question they are asking is where she should stay. Dumbledore is in the process of making arrangements now."

Hermione furrowed her brow and pulled back from Draco. "Where do they think she'll be safe?"

Draco shrugged. "Not sure, I think they wish to use the Fidelius Charm to keep her in hiding."

"But that isn't always a foolproof method. Surely they can't think that she will be safe?"

"I think they were going to see if one of the Order members could take her in."

"Draco, you can't agree with this, surely?"

He looked at her in resignation. "What choice do we have?"

Hermione shrugged. "There's got to be another way. I better get up anyway."

She got up and before she could do anything, Draco pulled her close to him and gave her a kiss. "I know you have her best interests at heart, too, so thank you."

Hermione smiled and kissed him again. "You don't need to thank me, Draco. I'm here for you, and I'm here for your mother, too."

"I know; I still can't get over this."

"Well, believe it."

"I am getting better, don't worry!"

"That's good." She pulled back from him. "Now, I really need a shower so, I'll have to put you down, unfortunately."

Draco looked confused. "But you didn't pick me up."

Hermione grinned. "Figure of speech, in other words, I'll have to release you so I can go have a shower."

"Oh, right."

They pulled apart reluctantly and both left Hermione's room.

"Hey," she said, before she went into the bathroom, "do you think your mother would mind if I asked her about genetics and what she knows about it?"

Draco smiled, in the way that made Hermione's heart melt, "No, she will be happy to answer any questions you have."

"Brilliant!"

She went into the bathroom, watching Draco as she closed the door.

As the water soaked her, she thought about the issue that was at hand. Narcissa was able to leave hospital today, so why did that make her uneasy?

It was because she didn't know how safe Narcissa would be in the Wizarding World. If anything, she would be in even more danger because those that knew that she had gone into St Mungo's would find out through the traps that she was also released. Surely, there was another way.

Then the idea struck her. They had another spare guest room. Why couldn't she stay with her family? Hermione was positive that her parents wouldn't mind, and not only that, Draco would be able to have his mother around again. She knew how close they were, although she noticed that Narcissa had been taken aback at Draco's hug.

There was no reason why Narcissa couldn't stay with her family at all. The second guest room was quite cluttered, not having been used in some time but what didn't need to be in there could be moved into the old servant's quarters, which had long since been a storage room.

As soon as she got out of the shower, she didn't even bother drying her hair but instead put clothes on as quickly as possible and rushed downstairs to meet her parents on their way out to go to work.

"Before you go, what if Narcissa stays with us in the other spare room?" she puffed.

Robert looked at Jane and looked back to Hermione. "We had actually considered that ourselves, and probably for the same reasons you have, judging by the urgency. But the guest room is a mess."

"We can clean it up; no magic, either."

Jane looked at Robert. "We did discuss this, aside from the guest room, there was no real reason why she couldn't, and she would be much safer, even if Draco and Narcissa are under the same roof."

Hermione smiled. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"We'll have to let Dumbledore know, of course, but I don't see why not."

"I can let him know! I'll send him a Patronus about it!"

Robert frowned. "Is that safe?"

"A Patronus only seeks out the person that the message is being delivered to. Because it is THE anti-dark Magic charm, no harm can come of it. Besides, I won't actually put any details in, just let him know an urgent message is waiting here."

Robert looked at Jane, who nodded in affirmation. "Alright, let us know if you need anything and we'll take a couple of hours off at lunch."

"Thanks, Mum. I'll make sure I let you know of the outcome before you come back today."

"No worries. Does Draco know of this?"

"No, he only knows that she is able to come out of St Mungo's today. He was in his room when I went into the shower."

"Well, you should let him know as well."

"Okay. See you."

"Have a good day."

Hermione left her parents and ran back upstairs to Draco's bedroom.

Without knocking, she burst in, startling him from his book.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me! You're becoming very good at that," Draco exclaimed, although not too annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I just had some great news. Mum and Dad said that if it's alright with you, and providing Dumbledore agrees, your Mother can come stay here."

Draco's eyes lit up. "Please don't tell me you're lying."

"Draco, why would I lie about something like that?"

"Exactly, I just really hope you aren't."

"Of course not. Oh Draco!" she ran over to the bed and hugged him. "I would never do anything like that to hurt you!"

"I'm sorry for doubting it. I'm still getting used to this, that's all."

"I understand. Really, I do. But Draco, your mother can come stay here if everyone agrees. So, do you?"

Draco scoffed. "You are kidding, aren't you? I'd love that!"

"I'm about to send Dumbledore a Patronus. Don't worry, I'll just tell him we wish to speak with him urgently."

"Okay, does that mean he'll be coming here?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

Draco grimaced. "I just still have trouble talking to him, that's all."

Hermione hugged him tighter. "He has your best interests at heart, even if he doesn't always appear to. He won't do anything that you don't agree with, and besides, I doubt he'll be here long; he will probably have to go to the hospital if your mother is being released. He will have to ensure that all goes well in her being released."

"I guess so. Well, alright then."

Hermione cast the Patronus Charm and, with a bit of difficulty because her otter kept cuddling up to Draco, got her message out and sent her reluctant Patronus on its way.

They watched the otter's tail disappear through the window and then remembering about Tool, Hermione turned to Draco.

"I forgot to tell you in all this. You know how I asked you about if your mother would mind if I spoke to her about genetics?"

"Yeah."

"Well, there was something else I remembered. I had looked up genetics in music, I mean, Muggle music, and came across a band I thought you might like. Kind of in the same frame as Rammstein, heavy metal I mean. Well, it is and it's not. It's unlike anything I have ever heard of."

"So, are you actually going to tell me the name of this band or are you going to get me to guess?" Draco muttered wryly.

"Oh, sorry. The band's name is Tool."

Draco screwed his face up. "What?"

Hermione frowned. "I know, it's a strange title, and I would love to know why they named themselves that but that is what they are called. Anyway, I remember my parents always listening to a band called Pink Floyd when I was younger. They were known as progressive rock, Tool is kind of like that but with metal music instead."

"You know, you've never really explained all these genres to me. What is metal?"

"Rammstein is industrial metal. Because they use hard sounds in their music, but also they use a synthesiser to add other elements, it comes out as if you walked into a steel factory. You remember about Sheffield on 'The Full Monty'?"

"Yeah."

"That was a steel mill. So, look it is hard to explain but picture all those sounds of the mill at work, and you can kind of understand why Rammstein is called industrial metal. Then you have bands like Metallica, which is just heavy metal. Although, their later stuff is more mellow, they are still regarded as being heavy metal. Then The Weird Sisters, they are kind of grungy in a way. They sound like Garbage. Although I don't think I showed you Garbage. Metallica you might like but," Hermione stopped and started to giggle; the image of Draco as a metal-head had snuck into her brain and she was picturing him in long-sleeved Iron Maiden T-shirts with his hair much longer than it was and tight black jeans.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked, scepticism written all over his face.

"Have you ever considered having your hair much longer than it is?"

"Well, don't all wizards at some point do it?"

"In black T-shirts and tight black jeans smoking bongs?"

Draco started to laugh. "Okay, this is an inside joke I take it, but I can see why you might have started to laugh. But why is that?"

"Typical metal-heads wear that sort of thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just all the types of music produce their own kind of followers. Grunge fans listen to Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Silverchair2 and usually wear flannel and ripped jeans, punks, well, they come in two different sorts."

"Why is that?"

"There's old punk and new punk. If you can say that. There is the older punk like The Sex Pistols, who epitomised the British punk scene, even though there are others that also were into the punk scene there, and there's the Ramones, who were some of the American pioneers of punk music. Oh, and I forgot about Blondie! Blondie was a punk band but not in the same vein as The Ramones. Then of course Sid Vicious from The Sex Pistols was THE punk, even if the punk scene wasn't actually about what you looked like but your whole attitude towards society. He wore ripped T-shirts, ripped jeans, leather jackets, a padlock and chain around his neck, and lived a very fast life. Lived fast, died fast. He wasn't even 21 when he died."

"Jesus. That's young. I can't imagine that. So what's new punk?"

"New punk involves bands that were influenced by the old punk bands yet they have evolved into an entirely different group. New punk encompasses The Offspring, Millencolin, Green Day3, and, to be honest, I can't remember many others but the followers are those that are more into extreme sports. Skiing, skateboarding, bungee jumping, hang gliding, anything that gives you an adrenalin rush is more or less an extreme sport."

Draco had a look that Hermione now understood to be bewilderment yet still had scepticism somewhere there too.

"What?" she asked.

"How do you know all this? I mean, where did you fit in the time to learn about all Muggle music, given that you've been in the Wizarding World all this time?"

"Mum and Dad influenced my early choices in music, with Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones and such. I guess I have also listened to the radio each time I've been on break, and I also have some close family friends, who do know I'm a witch by the way but know the repercussions of disclosing that information, who have also influenced my music choices. My Dad's best friend's son Oliver is close to my age but a bit younger and he is a drummer for his band. He loves his music and loves the creativity of it so he has shown me the more creative bands that are around. He got me onto a lot of my music; that's how I found out about Tool writing about genetics."

"Should I be jealous of him?"

Hermione laughed, knowing that Oliver would never be anything more than the brother she never had.

"No, by no means. He's like a brother to me. More like a brother than Harry or Ron has."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, he has known me basically all my life and so he knows the ups and downs of being a witch. He saw how hard it was for me to understand what I was going through when I was young and even though he didn't understand it any better, he didn't shun me like everyone else did."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing."

"He's a wonderful person, I hope you meet him one day."

"At least you had someone then, I mean I know it couldn't have been easy but having someone your age who you could at least talk to must have been good."

"It was, but I didn't get to see him all that often so it was still hard."

Draco pulled Hermione close. She loved it when he did this because she felt so protected and it was so familiar being in his arms that she could just melt away in the warmth of it.

"You don't have to worry now. I'm here as well."

"You're here more than I could imagine," she muttered into his neck.

"I'm glad, because you are here for me, too," he whispered in her ear.

They held each other like that for a few minutes before Draco let go.

"So, what is this music that you want me to hear?"

"Okay, I only have one of their albums yet they have released two."

"Alright, well, let's put it on."

They walked out of Draco's room and into Hermione's where she walked straight to her CD collection and found the album she was looking for. Hermione loved being able to show Draco an entirely different world to the one he was used to and loved relishing his reactions to all of it. Showing him Tool was going to be no different.

"I'm not going to show you the songs from start to finish. I want to show you just how creative this band is. The last song epitomises it, I believe. It's called Third Eye. It's kind of like Forty Six & 2 – that's the song about genetics – but instead it delves into spirituality and humans opening up their Inner Eye." Realising the crossover into the Wizarding World, Hermione laughed. "I can't believe I never saw it beforehand; maybe Tool have a bit of wizard in them."

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "They actually wrote a song regarding the Inner Eye?"

"Yeah. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Where did you say these blokes were from?"

"I didn't. But they are American."

Draco furrowed his brow. "What's their names?"

Hermione opened up the CD packet. "There's Maynard James Keenan, he's the singer, Adam Jones who's the guitarist, and he does a lot of the creation of the CD covers, so I hear, Danny Carey, he's their drummer, and Justin Chancellor on bass. Have a look at the CD cover and you'll see what I mean about Adam's drawings."

Draco's eyes went wide as he observed them. "Hermione, how high do these guys get?"

Hermione laughed. "Who knows? If you think that's bizarre, wait until you hear their music. It's absolutely brilliant."

"I'm sure, if the art is anything to go by." Draco was silent for a minute in thought. "That's what I was going to say. Did you say one of their names was Chancellor?"

"Yeah."

Draco furrowed his brow again. "That's a name in British Wizarding society, although not a common one. They tended to stay clear of politics and kept to themselves. They were very creative in Arithmancy and the ability to manipulate space, take for example the expanding wardrobes and rooms. The camping tents at the Quidditch World Cup. Classic example. Anyway, he probably isn't one, judging by the genetic theory, because both parents had to be carrying the gene but I think that he could be related to the Chancellor family."

Hermione was gobsmacked, even though it would make a lot of sense. "Wow, I certainly wouldn't know. Although Arithmancy? I studied it a lot and there didn't seem to be much mention about who came up with the theory of manipulating space, only how to do it, although there was a mention about a bloke called Schroedinger. His was more about time travel and his main theory was of a cat that could potentially be both alive and dead at the same time, but that's another story. He was a Muggle and so it was interesting to note the difference in his belief and the Wizarding equivalent. He was close, but not quite there. But Chancellor, there was no mention of a Chancellor."

"As I said, it wasn't a common last name."

"Well, I really better show you then."

Soon afterwards, the music was playing around the room. It was always funny listening to 'Third Eye' because it was one of the most bizarre songs Hermione had ever heard in the Muggle World, with the exception of Milk It by Nirvana4, another of her favourite bands. In fact, it was stranger than anything that she had ever listened to in the Wizarding World, too. Judging from Draco's face, it was clear that he had never come across anything like it, either.

They sat still for the entire thirteen minute duration until the final bars stopped. Hermione stopped the CD and turned to face Draco.

"So," she asked. "What did you think?"

Draco didn't answer for a moment. His eyes reflected curiosity and maybe even scepticism but nonetheless it was clear he was considering his answer.

"The truth?" he asked.

"Yeah. It would be pointless if you didn't give your honest response."

"What did that bloke say at the start? About drugs in music?"

"I can't remember but it's something along the lines of 'people who criticise those who take drugs in the music industry should take all of their favourite music and destroy it because the artists would have been really high on drugs'."

Draco smiled. "That's it. Well, let's just say that these guys must have drunk too much mandrake restoring draught."

It was Hermione's turn to be confused. "Why is that?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Hermione, you of all people, having had to drink the stuff in second year, should know what mandrake draught does."

"It restores those into their original form."

"Exactly. So if someone is already in their restored state, then how do you suppose the mandrake draught is going to affect them?"

It took Hermione a moment to realise where Draco was going with this and then suddenly everything clicked into place.

"It would give them a heightened sense of being, amplified by the amount of draught taken."

Draco grinned. "You aren't the smartest witch in our year for no reason, Hermione."

For once, Hermione knew that Draco wasn't being condescending and smiled back. "I guess. So if that's the case, why do people take it?"

"It's not a common form of potion to take for the sake of it but some people do. Shift workers, those who work in the St. Mungo's laboratories at night, they will sometimes take it because it is great for keeping someone awake. Personally, I wouldn't touch the stuff for any other reason except for what it is brewed for but there's always going to be one or two."

Hermione found herself speechless. She knew it was a common thing for people in the Muggle World to take drugs for recreational or even work purposes, like truck drivers taking speed to be able to keep driving to make their destination, but she was finding it hard to realise that there would be similar-minded people in the Wizarding World that would do the same. She was finding it difficult to comprehend, especially in the case of the St. Mungo's shift workers. In fact, it was a little bit scary to be thinking that some important members of St. Mungo's would stoop to taking potions to keep themselves going. Then again, she had to concede that they were becoming very short staffed in light of the recent events.

"Anyway, where were you going with this?" she asked.

"Oh yeah. Well, let's just say that it really does seem like this is one long trip. It's bloody brilliant, and no, I have not done this in my past," Draco added matter-of-factly, making Hermione realise that she must have given him a sour look.

"Oh."

"Hermione," Draco looked at her sincerely. "I might have done some godawful things in the last six years but taking recreational potions is not one of them. I have never seen anything in it because, let's be honest, I see some great things in my everyday life anyway so why would I want to create another world when my own is so wonderful?"

Hermione had to give credit where credit was due; it certainly was an insightful delve into the mind of Draco Malfoy. It never ceased to amaze her just how clever and analytical he was. He never came across like that during school and it was really only while they spent so much time together that she could see it. She loved every minute of it, learning how his mind worked and could see just how intelligent yet practical he really was.

"You amaze me," was all she could say.

Draco moved closer to her and put his arms around her in a tight hug. "Why is that?"

"You have a very, very analytical mind but at the same time, you don't overcomplicate things."

"Why thank you, my Dear. Coming from you I know that this would be true."

Hermione laughed. "Of course it is. So we can conclude that you like Tool then?"

Draco smiled and nuzzled into her neck. "You certainly can. This is very creative music and it really is like you shouldn't be doing anything else when you listen to it. It's almost like a performance that can only be experienced on its own with all your attention, isn't it?"

"Absolutely. You can thank Oliver for getting me onto it. He has given me some wonderful choices of music to listen to. If it were up to me, given the fact that I am in the Wizarding World most of the time now, I don't get to keep up with the latest in Muggle music but he tells me all the time about certain music he's got into and why I should listen to it, even just to try."

"Was he the one who got you onto Rammstein?"

"Yes. I can't say I would have listened to them at all, otherwise. He did say that I needed to experience them, but he didn't promise that I'd like them. He just said that they were unlike anything he had heard before and thought that for the creativity side, I should have a listen."

"So it wasn't just the fact that they were all pretty muscular?" Draco muttered, quirking his eyebrow.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not the real reason, but," and here she smiled stupidly like the teenage schoolgirl that she was, "it does help. No, you have to admit their music is also very different. It's not something typically found in a girl's CD collection but it is still very, very good."

"Then that's settled. Hermione does not conform to the thoughts of others. I can see why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor."

Hermione could sense the joke in Draco's words but also knew that he was speaking the truth as he saw it. She was quite taken aback at his compliment to her house and knew that even though he had changed so much in the space of time that he had been there, compliments like that would not be repeated too often.

"Thank you, Draco. That really means a lot."

"That's alright. I know that Slytherins and Gryffindors aren't typically in agreeance with one another but I think in the whole grand scheme of things, they are far more similar than people realise. Let's be honest; Gryffindors are very headstrong and may go about things rather rash but Slytherins are equally headstrong, but they show it in other ways."

"You're right. I can't say that I would have found my equal in a Slytherin."

"Nor mine in a Gryffindor."

"I guess house rivalries really are pointless. Who cares if people aren't the same? You see many Hogwarts students of different cultures and backgrounds and yet the houses are sorted into different sorts of personalities. It's just housism, not racism."

Draco laughed. "That's a new word. But you're right. If we were to relate it to the Muggle World, Ravenclaws are typical academics, Hufflepuffs are hard workers, so more like working class, and Gryffindors and Slytherins are the puffed-out chests who sit on each side of the political spectrum, or, on each side of the sports field." Draco stood up and puffed his chest out. "I put it to you, Mr Speaker that the Minister for Workplace Relations – that's you, Hermione – has just spoken out of turn."

Hermione found this hilarious. "Alright, if we are going to play that game, Mr Speaker, the Attorney General's – that's you, Draco – findings are unsound. He has based his ideals and theories on heresay, not fact."

"Mr Speaker, can you please notify the Minister for Workplace Relations to sit back down because I am talking?"

"Mr Speaker, I was already speaking when the Attorney General voiced his unnecessary concerns. It is I that has a right to speak."

Draco started laughing. "Oh shit. Can you possibly imagine if we were walking around Hogwarts speaking like this? I'd die of laughter and I'm sure there'd be a lot of people who would be wondering what sort of potions we'd got ourselves into. Come to think of it, they probably will still think it of me. Especially with my newfound knowledge of Muggles."

"You're right. I tell you what, when we go back to Platform 9 ¾ the day we return to Hogwarts, you really ought to try it out. Oh," Hermione stopped talking. "Do we know how you are supposed to act when we get back there?"

Draco frowned. "I know that no one asked me what was happening over my break, although I suspected that they were wondering why I didn't know anything about what was happening with the Death Eaters. I have a feeling though that by the end of the break, they will have well and truly been alerted of my allegiances to the 'other' side. But no, I really don't know what I'll be expected to do."

It was at this time that Dumbledore's phoenix Patronus returned, looking exactly like a white version of Fawkes.

It opened its beak and announced, "I'll be 5 minutes after my Patronus. I just need to finish what I am doing here and then I will arrive straight away."

Hermione reluctantly pulled herself away from Draco. "We better go downstairs then and ready ourselves for him.

"Alright."

They went downstairs and Hermione put the kettle on while Draco pulled out a tin of home-made muesli biscuits just as they heard a knock on the door.

Upon opening the front door, Hermione did not need to say a thing before Dumbledore said, "Ah Miss Granger, I do apologise for keeping you waiting."

"Not at all, Sir. Please come inside."

"I always find it fascinating wandering through the halls of an older Muggle establishment. There are many interesting stories behind the walls that differ quite a lot from older Wizarding establishments."

"I can imagine, Sir."

Hermione led Dumbledore into the kitchen where Draco was already making Hermione and himself a cup of tea.

"Hello Sir. Did you want a cup of tea?" he asked.

If Dumbledore noticed the massive change in Draco since the last time they had spoken, he did not show it.

"Certainly, Mr Malfoy. I like white with two sugars and a dash of cream."

"Sir," Hermione said reluctantly. "My parents don't always have cream for visitors since they rarely use it themselves."

"Not to worry, it is probably quite a sweet brew as it is. Just the milk and sugar then, Draco."

Dumbledore and Hermione sat down at the table while Draco brought the cups of tea over to the big kitchen table.

"So Miss Granger," Dumbledore said between bites of his biscuit, "what sort of urgent news did you have?"

"Well Sir, since Draco's mother is able to leave the hospital today, she will need a place to stay. I imagine that you were in the process of organising somewhere before you left?"

"Certainly. Your mother is a hard woman to place, Mr Malfoy. Quite a hard woman indeed. We cannot allow her to stay with an Order member that may come under attack or who may be slightly more vulnerable than the rest of the members, especially in the circumstances."

"Well Sir, we wondered if it were possible to allow Narcissa to stay here, since no Fidelius Charm is in place with Draco and nothing has come of it. Of course, we understand that having them both under the one roof would be a bit bigger risk, but if Draco has been safe for the whole time this year, then two of them shouldn't be an issue."

"An excellent idea, Miss Granger, and I am surprised that I did not think of it myself." At this, Hermione saw Draco roll his eyes out of her peripheral. However, Dumbledore didn't seem to notice as he continued talking. "You are right; it may pose a greater risk but no worse than what is already in place. It would certainly put the rest of the Order members at ease as they will be able to continue with carrying out Order requirements without having to keep an eye on their establishment in case Voldemort catches wind that Narcissa is staying there. Besides, I believe that she will be a lot happier being here than somewhere else."

"That's brilliant, Sir. We really weren't sure if it would be wise to have both Draco and Narcissa under the same roof but I don't believe that there would be any issues."

"No, and so I will arrange for Aurors to deliver Mrs Malfoy here safely and promptly. If all goes well, she should be released this afternoon and should be here by around 4 o'clock."

"Well Draco, that means we have a bit of work to do cleaning up the spare room."

Draco nodded. "Righto. Sir, we better get moving then if we are to have the place clean by the time Mother comes here."

"Certainly, Mr Malfoy. I will leave you two to it then and make all necessary arrangements."

Hermione led Dumbledore to the front door.

"I'm glad that it can be arranged, Sir," she said with relief.

"I'm sure Mr Malfoy will appreciate it too, Miss Granger. Well, I best be off then and I will come around at 4 o'clock with the Aurors and Mrs Malfoy."

"Alright. Bye Sir."

"Goodbye Miss Granger."

Hermione shut the door as she heard a loud crack as Dumbledore Apparated away. She wandered back into the kitchen to give Draco a hand with the cake and teacups to see that he had already done away with both and was drying the teacups off to put them away.

"Oh," she said. "I was just about to give you a hand with those."

"Too late," Draco said matter-of-factly, "I figured the sooner we tidy up here, the more time we'll have to tidy the spare room and hopefully everything will be completed by the time Mother gets here."

"That's true. Well, I'll show you the spare room where your mother will be staying. It's not as big as our rooms but it's still quite comfortable. But it only has a single bed in it. It's a king single, but a single all the same. Kind of like what's at Hogwarts."

"I would normally say that she can have my room and I'll take the spare but ever since Lucius was incarcerated she has lived minimally at home and restricted her living areas to the small cozy lounge room on the same floor as the kitchen. I think she believes that she does not need to live all over the place and it only wastes time walking five flights of stairs to the Penthouse suite that her and Lucius shared. At the time I didn't understand it but I guess she's right. The single bed won't matter, either."

Hermione was finding it difficult to remember who Lucius was, as silly as it seemed, only because she was getting used to Draco calling his father by his first name and not 'Father'.

"Wow, really? It wouldn't have had anything to do with her exchange in Germany, would it? If she was happy living poorly over there."

"Now that you mention it, that's probably where it's come from. I don't believe she would have thought that earlier in life but I guess she's come to the same conclusion as Till, in that life does not need to be full of material possessions but instead, those persons who are close and the few possessions that have significant meaning."

"I guess Mum and Dad have come from slightly different backgrounds. Mum's family were no paupers but they didn't live in a house like ours, and Dad's mother died when he was only young and so his father raised him in the house of his own mother, which was a cottage in the woods. I think they both wanted a place that reflected how they live now, but as you can see, it's not anywhere near as big as Hogwarts or probably your château either. It all comes down to working hard to afford the dream but at the same time, they could certainly afford larger but they knew that it wouldn't suit them."

"It's not small; yes it isn't as big as the Château but I remember thinking when I first came here that it looked quite cozy. And it's certainly proved to be. It's full of things that your parents have collected throughout the years and it does reflect how they live. They can afford nice things but they are still homely."

"I guess. I know I'm not fussed how I live. I know you don't like them but the Weasley's home is eccentric but it couldn't be more homely if it tried. It smells like freshly baked bread."

"You're right; even if Ginny isn't so bad. But I can imagine what it's like. I can't say I would like to step foot in there, but granted, it's only been the last couple of weeks that I've associated with them. Maybe in time I'll be more comfortable being there."

"I think you will. We'll be sure to keep Ron away from you. But Ginny will find it pretty good. You'll be able to play Quidditch as well. Charlie, Fred and George play, even if Harry and Ron won't. So there'll be a few players there."

"Cool. As I say, in time then."

They entered the small former servant's quarters and Hermione did a double take.

"I don't remember there being this much stuff in here," she muttered, unable to hold in a sneeze.

Draco laughed.

"What?" she asked.

"I just find it funny whenever people sneeze; they always look like their head is about to explode. Their eyes half close and they have this funny look like their nose blocks up and then their mouth twists, and you my dear Hermione, are no exception!"

Hermione slapped his arm. "Like you would be either."

"I didn't say I wasn't. I just said that I find it funny."

"I bet you would, too," she muttered dryly.

"Oh Jesus, I am kidding, you know."

"I know, but I know you'd find it funny. I don't know, just that it's the sort of thing that you find funny. And you do come through with some odd things to say."

Draco scoffed. "You can't tell me that you don't agree with what I just said?"

"Well, I guess so."

"So? So you agree. It's just that I said it first."

Hermione smiled. "I suppose you're right. I'd love to see you sneeze. I'm surprised you haven't yet. Is there anything that is a sure-fire sneeze fest for you?"

Draco thought for a moment. "The only one that comes to mind is the sun. If I look directly at the sun or in the direction of the sun, it makes me sneeze, never fail. I'm not sure why it triggers something in my nose to sneeze but it does."

"That's a strange one. For me it's always dust. Like right now. Pity I said we'll clean it with no magic, which by the way, we better get started or else we won't get anything done on it."

The two teenagers started carting boxes and other items out of the room to move into the old servant's quarters. However, before they could stack the boxes properly away in the servant's quarters, they had to rearrange the items in there to allow for another room full of stuff to be shifted into there. Needless to say, it was becoming quite a chore to get the room sorted.

At last, they had the servant's quarters neatly rearranged to allow for more boxes to be put in place, having already included the ones that were taken out of the spare guest room.

They started carting more stuff to the servant's quarters when Draco started to laugh.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Is this you?" he asked, holding up a photo of a girl about 5 with exceptionally curly brown hair and teeth that were protruding out slightly with a large gap between them.

Hermione turned scarlet. "Oh, I forgot all about those photos there." She couldn't look Draco in the eye.

"Well, I can't say that I was expecting this. Don't worry about it, really. I had a gap in my front teeth, although admittedly it probably wasn't quite so noticeable as yours. But honestly, Hermione, it's alright."

Hearing this rather blunt description of her photo did not make Hermione feel overly great, but considering that he could very well have taken the piss, and he didn't, she felt slightly better. Not great, but better.

Draco chuckled to himself and put down the photo to stand near Hermione.

"Oi," he said gently, tilting her chin up towards him. "Look at me."

It was hard to look anywhere else except at his piercing grey eyes, especially when they were looking directly into hers with a look of tenderness and love.

"You're beautiful, Hermione. No one can say you aren't. Whatever you might have thought about yourself back then or even growing up, not everyone is drop dead gorgeous all their lives. But I am sure that you were probably the most beautiful little girl towards others, like you are now. And that makes you beautiful to others, regardless of what you may look like. Besides which, people change in appearances, take for instance Pansy. She was actually quite a cute little girl when she was younger, but now, now she looks a bit like a pug dog. Have you seen that?"

Hermione laughed. "That's what Harry always says about her."

"Well, for once he's right about something. And take for instance Blaise. Whilst I will not admit to a bloke being gorgeous, Blaise was a right little porker when he was growing up and then he ended up getting a growth spurt just before joining Hogwarts, where he seemed to drop the weight and come out of his shell. He's alright, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So there you are, my gorgeous girl, nothing to worry about."

And with that, Draco gave her a kiss on the forehead and continued to sort out the boxes of stuff.