Narcissa made her way slowly down the stairs. She turned over her options in her mind. If she was serious about permanently concealing her hairy dilemma then the only answer was suicide. However the post of DADA was long known to have been cursed and had previously been held by an actual werewolf. She wondered what accommodations had been made available to her nieces husband. There must be a dungeon room or some such although she cringed as she thought it…cage which would contain an adult werewolf on the premises of the school. She wished that Severus Snape was alive to consult. He was always there when she had a problem to conceal from Lucius. Actually he seemed to thrive on concealing her minor problems and not for any love of herself. She could tell when a mans interest was on her and Severus had always merely seemed her friend. She mentally muttered to herself as she descended the stairs with a grace befitting a grand ballroom. This was natural to her, this was the school she had reigned as their princess, in beauty , birth and intelligence. It was different for her older sisters, Bellatrix was always a bit hormonal and Andromeda had an odd taste in men. Odd as her sisters were in their own ways they had established both brains and power as their legacy.

Narcissa descended down to the potions classroom and wondered where she would find her husband at this time. She wasn't sure if class was in session or if she would have to wait in the creepy office that Severus had once occupied. She hoped Lucius had redecorated if that was the case some of those specimens in those jars starred back. She knew it was a charm applied to freak out the students but it still managed to freak her out as well.

She decided to check her appearance in the ladies room mirror and make sure that the floo travel this morning hadn't mussed her hair or robes. She entered the lavishly decorated prefects bathroom with out a problem evidently once a prefect always allowed the privileges.

There was a small woman with a tangle of curly hair wiping her face at the mirror as if she had just been ill.

" Are you ill?" Narcissa asked carefully worried about catching some nasty disease from the commoners.

" Just morning sickness." Replied the young woman with a wave of her wrist showing her binding marks.

" I had heard that there were several new marriages and that the students were allowed to continue their schooling. I am surprised that you have decided to have a child while you are at school or that they are permitting it." Narcissa was appalled.

" I think they are making allowances for me. They might not have been so understanding if another student was the first to make this mistake." Hermione was slightly bitter.

Narcissa slowly took in the girls appearance again. She had seen her before, on the front pages of the Prophet and more recently at her home. The time at her home she hadn't registered as the people were all suspected of being disguised. However the Prophet had ran her picture for several months under the heading Undesirable Number Three.

"You are that Granger girl? I…I must apologize for the inconveniences which occurred to you at my home." Narcissa was well aware she may have alienated the girl.

" You did nothing to me. I am well aware your sister was mentally unbalanced by her time in Azkaban."

Hermione was miffed by the casual wording of her torture however. Perhaps it was merely the way in which the upper crust referred to such matters.

" You are to kind to not accuse me of my complicity in such matters." Narcissa replied oozing charm in an effort to erase her first condescending impression. " I understand from the Prophet that my son was your Best man at your binding."

Narcissa paused, " I hope you will also forgive my reaction to your pregnancy. I assure you it is mostly bitterness at being unable to conceive myself." There, a bit of truth was much more likely to be appreciated by a Gryffendor.

" I knew Draco was an only child, however I was unaware there was a desire to have more children. I suppose I just thought one was all you wanted." Hermione murmered as she absently stroked the front of her robes.

" I just came in here to tidy up, floo travel you know and I had a visit with the Headmistress. Even when I was a student there was always talk of the cat hair which surrounded her desk and quarters. I simply have to rid myself if any has attached, Draco has an allergy to cats."

" I miss my cat. He went with my parents when they left the country a few years ago." Hermione said with a watery grin. She hiccupped softly and dissolved into tears leaving Narcissa starring helplessly for a moment.

"It is the baby making you cry isn't it?" Narcissa slowly patted the girls back as she sobbed.

Hermione nodded her head as she gasped and cried harder.

" There , there it is all the pregnancy causing this reaction. Have you seen a med witch? Have you told the father?" Narcissa was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to hold this girl, the same age as her son.

The girl sobbed and nodded at appropriate times, this could be her daughter, if her hair was blond and better managed. Or horrors…her daughter-in-law expecting a..a..grandchild. Was she that old? She glanced in the mirror and saw only the same perfection as usual, was that a white hair in the blond?

NO, NO NO. She was way to young it was merely sympathy and friendship which drew her to the young woman. It was because she had desired another child herself for years. Here though she was conflicted did she want the baby or the girl as her child?

Hermione pulled herself together, this bought of crying was not logical it served no purpose. She sniffed and wiped her face, pointing her wand at herself she performed a complicated charm to erase the ravages to her complexion. She looked at her reflection noticing the intent stare from Narcissa Malfoy, " Would you like an escort to your husband's office? Since my rooms are next to Draco's rooms I could also let him know you have arrived?"

Narcissa was impressed, the girl had gone from near hysterics to complete control in the matter of minutes. " You are not a house elf, however I would be grateful of the escort to my husband's office as I think they have been moved since I was a student here. "

Hermione steeled her spine, she was very wary when dealing with this family. She preceded Narcissa out into the hall leading the way to Lucius Malfoy's office.

~~~AN

Third time I have tried to load this, the computer gremlins are eating paragraphs and putting my autorsnotes in strange locations.

I apologize for the long delay, I had 2 different computers die on me. I was able to recover only one chapter and was a bit disappointed. Hopefully I will get busy again.