A/N: If I don't respond to your review or a part of the review- I swear it is only because I don't want to give away what happens in the future. I appreciate each and every comment made!
Hermione absentmindedly stared out of her bedroom window as she half listened to the music playing in the main suite, one hand stroking Persephone's puffed up breast while the other toyed with the ring on her necklace chain. Hermione had several feet of parchment in front of her, all for Persephone to carry back to Hagrid. The Malfoy library had so many books in it, she had considered using the time-turner in the event she could not get through all of the books regarding trials on magical creatures. Dr. Augsen had explained once that magic use was harder to trace with adult wizards living in the household unless the minor used their wand, due to there being a tracer on it until they turned Seventeen. However, Hermione took the deadline as a challenge and finished going through the last book the manor had this morning, leaving her with the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax before they went back to Hogwarts tomorrow, her only obligation was a session with Dr. Augsen later. She had not replied to Ron but sent Harry a letter, hoping she would at least get him to see her point of view. He had not replied and it hurt Hermione that her friends seemed to put a broom above their friendship but she told herself that they just needed time.
Persephone hooted softly before shaking her head and nudging the parchment with her beak. Hermione stopped petting the owl and started to string up the parchment, knowing the bird had a stubbornly restless personality. "You don't have to deliver these you know. I can hand them to Hagrid Monday." Hermione used two fingers to pet Persephone's back and the owl shook her head again. "Alright." Hermione wrapped the parchment, knowing she would loose the argument again with the owl and tied it to Persephone's feet.
After Persephone flew off, Hermione walked into her closet to retrieve her father's cello, planning to spend the rest of the day practicing before she cleaned it so it was in perfect condition for her return for Easter or Summer. Hermione had not talked to Draco in their last five days at the manor and he had not talked to her, save for simple pleasantries at dinner. A part of her was relieved, telling herself it was easier as she was able to focus on the Hippogriff case and not worry about a would-be complicated friendship. Although she wondered if Lucius' interruption in the library was the reason why he had pushed her away or if he never planned on their friendship extending past that hour. Another part of her, however, was extremely lonely as she holed herself in her room, also wondering if the Draco she saw on Christmas Eve was one she would ever meet again as he was fairly pleasant. Hermione brought her bow to the first string of the cello but heard a tapping on her window. Hermione's heart leapt for a moment, hoping to see Hedwig but instead saw a big dark horned owl that was one and a half times the size of Persephone. Its feathers were so black that even in the cloudy sky that promised more snow, the feathers held a strong, blue hue.
Hermione took the note that the owl had and read the fine calligraphy on it;
Mr. Malfoy requests the pleasure of your company for tea on Saturday, the second of January at one o'clock in the small drawing room. P.M.R.S.V.P.
Today? Hermione was about to laugh when the owl nipped her, but unlike Persephone and Hedwig who gave love bites, this owl broke skin. "Auuggh!" Hermione took a step back and looked at the parchment once more. Magically, an additional message had appeared;
Be careful of Posideon. He's known to bite.
-Lucius Abraxas Malfoy.
Hermione inhaled deeply through her nose. Hermione grabbed one of the quills she bought from Borkin and Burkes off of her desk and crossed out Lucius' note. Hermione was not just over him, but whatever games he tried playing with her. His attitude seemed to have changed since Christmas but she refused to think anything of it. Lucius Malfoy had only ever proved to her he was as evil as they came and had no redeeming qualities. She smiled wickedly as she thought of what to reply with and in her best imitation of what he wrote, she replied with the following:
I regret to inform you that I have a previous engagement (a breakdown if you must know the details) scheduled for that exact time and will prevent me from accepting tea with Mr. Malfoy on Saturday, the second of January at one o'clock.
Pardon the blood, Posideon acts quicker than I can read.
-H.J.G.
Hermione thought about writing 'mud' instead of 'blood', but decided against it as he was sure to show Narcissa. There was a fine like between sassy and rude and she did not want Narcissa to see her cross it. Hermione used her initials to sign the note like he signed the one he sent her for her birthday, not caring that a second drop of blood had landed on to the parchment. She tossed the owl a treat, and quickly tied the note to his foot while it was distracted in case he wanted to bite her again.
While she was wrapping her finger after she had washed the wound, another owl came back, except it was the small Scops owl Narcissa often used to send Hermione letters around the manor.
Hermione,
Please join us for tea this evening in the small drawing room at one. It would be nice to see you any other time of day other than dinner and I believe a chat over a steaming cup would be wonderful.
If there is a tea of your preference, please include it in your reply.
Sincerly,
Narcissa Midase Malfoy.
Hermione let out a puff of air. Narcissa knew she would come if she asked and while Hermione was slightly annoyed at the manipulation, she found herself not minding it so much knowing she was not going to be alone with Lucius. Hermione looked at her watch after sending her reply and saw she had fifteen minutes to get ready.
Hermione spent ten minutes fighting her hair into a freshly brushed, messy bun before spending the last five minutes taking her time getting to the drawing room. While she was on her way down, she noticed that Draco, Theo and Blaise were having a snowball fight outside. The sight stopped her in her tracks on the stairs as it brought back a memory of her and her parents making snow angels in the park by her childhood home. Her heart clenched and her mood sank as tears sprung to her eyes but she did not allow herself to become overwhelmed. Dr. Augsen had been extra tentative with her visits over the holiday, which was fair as Hermione was more of a mess than usual. Hermione knew she was a minefield and the only reason she had found herself to be sane for half of the holiday was the fact she was able to do research for Buckbeak's trial. It provided her with a distraction that lasted all day and she hoped
When Hermione got to the drawing room, Narcissa and Lucius were sitting at a round table, quietly chatting. Hermione padded over, already self conscious of her presence, and sat across from Lucius at the round table. "Good afternoon," She said more to Narcissa than to Lucius.
"Good afternoon, Hermione." The sound of Lucius saying her first name made her want to flinch in distaste to spite him, but she controlled herself. When Hermione acknowledge him again, he continued. "I'm happy you were able to reschedule your breakdown."
Narcissa never looked away from Hemione, but Hermione heard the slap under the table to Lucius' leg. Hermione then decided to look at him with a fake grin. "Only for Narcissa."
Lucius' slid his eyes back to Narcissa. "It's not fair she only respects you."
Narcissa raised an eyebrow as she looked at her husband. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Her tone seemed a if it were asking him what he really expected with how he had treated Hermione.
Hermione raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. "I always thought that was a muggle saying."
"As Theo stated, muggles have a way of taking what's ours and running with it." Lucius cleared his throat and fixed his tone not to sound as so condescending when Narcissa gave him another look. "The saying is an old Italian proverb that was often used by a famous spell caster named Barnabus Finkley." Hermione nodded as she took in the small fact, unsure of what to say.
Narcissa stood. "I'll go get the tea."
Hermione kept her eyes on Narcissa until she had left the room so she would not have to look at Lucius. Hermione felt her wand softly hum in time with her heart beat when she allowed her eyes to stare at the man in front of her. For his age he did look good as the only wrinkles in sight being tiny laugh lines. She thought back to his laugh in the library, and in her dreams, deciding she didn't like the sound at all. It was the opposite of Narcissa's and the more she stared at him the more disgusted she became.
"Why am I here?"
"It's rude to stare."
They spoke at the same time and both Lucius and Hermione took a deep breath as they resumed staring each other down. Hermione, being the stubborn girl she was, was determined not to break Lucius' gaze unless he did first. He opened his mouth to speak but Narcissa had came back with a tray of tea. When she set the tray down, Lucius looked away first, causing Hermione's chin to briefly tilt up with pride until she saw that Narcissa was wearing her winter robes as if she were heading out.
"You're not going to stay and have tea?" Hermione's voice sounded a little squeaky and it was her turn to she clear her throat.
Narcissa smiled as she set out the saucers and tea cups along with a two bowls, one with scones and the other with sandwiches. "No, I have a few things to wrap up at the Ministry concerning the orphanage. Now," Narcissa put a hand on each of their shoulders. She looked at Lucius first. "You are to state your peace, calmly." When he nodded she looked at Hermione. "And you, are to listen- just as calmly. Neither of you are to move from your seats until your business is done or Dr. Augsen comes for your session." Hermione stared at Narcissa, anxiety freezing her chest in place as she listened to Narcissa's words. "Do I make myself clear?"
Hermione was so busy staring at Narcissa she had forgotten to reply. "Yes, ma'am." She thought she saw Narcissa's pupils engulf her eyes after she agreed but Hermione happened to blink while when it happened and Narcissa turned back to Lucius. "I'll see you both at dinner." Again, Hermione watched Narcissa leave, refusing to look at Lucius until she had to.
Lucius and Hermione resumed their staring contest for the next few minutes until Lucius grew tired of it again. When he rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak though, she cut him off. "How do you like your tea?" Her tone was short as she reached for the tea pot and poured tea into her cup, then his. Hermione was not ready for them to talk about whatever Narcissa wanted them to talk about so she decided to do what her parents would have expected her to do with unpoured tea, which was to serve it while making small talk. Hermione focused on pouring slowly, letting the aroma fill the air between them. "The tea set- is it a family heirloom?" Hermione knew the tea set was pretty to someone but she actually found it to be too garish for her liking.
The tea set was unlike one she had ever seen before; the set was black but the handle was the head and neck of an albino peacock while the other side of the cup had the white feathers, decorated in deep rainbow, ringlets. The tea pot was a bigger version of it, with red jewels for eyes. "Yes and no. It's a family heirloom but one that I had bought from the family." Lucius took a sip of his tea straight, no cream or sugar. The same way she drank most tea.
Hermione realized this and was hesitant to drink from hers now, in case he noticed the lack of ingredients in her drink. She didn't want to acknowledge they had similarities so she focused on the peacock tea set instead, and how Lucius was actually the one to pick something so feminine out. Hermione looked back up at him again, one corner of her mouth curled upward as if it were to turn into a smirk. "Did you pick out the albino peacocks in the garden then?"
He raised an eyebrow at her almost smirk, wondering what was behind it. "I did."
"How absurd." Hermione lifted her tea cup to her face and whispered the insult into it before taking a sip.
Lucius' nostrils briefly flared but he had taken a calming draught beforehand so his anger was squelched immediately. He wondered if Narcissa would believe him if he told her how Hermione was acting as it was usually him who was insulting over tea. "Hermione, we live in the same household now. We eat dinner everyday that you are here together. Do you not think it's childish that we-" he took a deep breath, "do not know anything each other yet we're so hostile when we do talk to each other?" He looked at her and while her mouth had dropped into a perfect 'O', her face was red letting on she was already angry. When Hermione went to comment on how it was his fault for being a terrible human being, her mouth audibly snapped shut. He leaned back and a cocky smirk made its way on to his face, as he knew something she didn't. "I suggest whatever you say next, do it calmly as Narcissa's enchantment won't allow you to speak otherwise." The smirk he had on his face was the same one Draco made and she knew since first year it was the Malfoy equivalent of a rattlesnake rattling it's tail. She wanted to ask what he meant by 'Narcissa's enchantment' but she realized she didn't shut her mouth on her own volition as she had intended to speak. "If you do not believe me, try to stand."
Hermione stuck out her chin and sipped the tea. She had no intention to stand but as the seconds ticked on, Lucius' smirk grew and his eyes twinkled with amusement. When it hit Hermione he may not be playing her for a fool, she slid the chair away from the table and tried to stand, putting her hands on the arm rests of the chair.
Her body did not leave the seat.
Hermione dropped her hands and tried to stand, hoping gravity would allow the chair to fall to the ground but to no avail, the seat did not budge. She flopped back into the chair and ground her teeth together. Angry tears prickled as she felt betrayed by the one person she even had a smidgen of trust for in the manor. Tricking her into having tea with Lucius was forgivable but enchanting her seat so she was forced to stay... She wanted to scream and insult Lucius as he was the only thing she felt she could take her anger out on, but it was as if her jaw was wired shut. 'Calmly' Narcissa said. The realization that she couldn't speak unless it was in a calm manner made the betrayal worse as the seat was not the only thing enchanted, but she was. Lucius already said that though didn't he?
"It's how we do things here. Do not take it personally as she would not have done it to you without a good cause." Lucius pursed his lips then moved to pour tea into his cup. "More tea?" He didn't wait for her to answer as he poured into her half empty cup.
Hermione felt one angry tear fall. With all that had happened, she would have never imagined Lucius offering her slight words of comfort and pouring tea for her. It actually made her more angry. It was obvious he had been in this position before and knew how to get out of it as he was cool as a cucumber while he poured the tea. She never saw him so calm and Hermione forced herself to breath through her nose several times to calm down. "Why?"
Lucius sat back in his chair and picked up a Cherry scone in one hand, tea in the other. The glint had disappeared in his eye as he took a small bite of the scone. "Why are you having tea with me?"
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." Sarcasm dripped off of his name as Hermione tried to maintain her anger so her jaw would not lock up again.
Lucius took another bite of his scone and washed it down with the tea before replying as he weighed how he should respond. The things I do for Narcissa. "You can call me Lucius." Hermione stared at the blonde man, refusing to say anything more and he took it as a queue to keep talking. "We're having tea because I owe you an apology."
"An apology?" She repeated it back to him slowly, as if she wanted to make sure he heard himself right.
Lucius looked back at her, knowing she had no intention of making this easy for him. He knew she was going to press all of his buttons like a damn cat and he hoped the strong dose of the calming draught kept his anger at bay as they would surely be there until Andromeda freed them it didn't- and she was not due to be at the manor for another four hours. "Yes."
"So Narcissa is forcing you-"
"She-" This time it was Lucius' jaw that shut. He took another deep breath and did not speak until his jaw completely loosened. "No. I am doing this on my own volition, although," He emphasized the word as he saw she was going to interrupt him again. "She has been a great influence on me doing so. With that being said, I am sorry about-" Another deep breath, this time through his nose. "The library." He looked down at the bowl of scones in front of him, his lips in a fine line. His was apologizing on his own volition, as this is how he had to make things right with Narcissa, but even though he would do it a second time if his wife asked, it made him feel ashamed that it was the truth. He could practically hear his father rolling in his grave and it made his skin crawl with what he thought Abraxas would do if he was alive. He was raised to think that Hermione should be acting as a foot stool for his feet, not treating her as a human and having tea with her.
She was quiet for a few minutes, partially because it physically hurt to try to speak with her jaw locked, and partially because she wanted him to fully process what he said. "And?" Her hands were crossed over her chest and from how clipped her voice was, he guessed that was the most she could manage. A part of him wondered how far her stubbornness went. The rest of him was disgruntled that he finally reached the point where she was going to aggravate him to no end, causing his own temper to flare beneath the calm waves of the calming draught.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her, lacing his fingers together over his torso, mimicking her stance in his own way. "And for calling you a mudblood."
"And?" Her eyes never left her face as she watched him speak.
Lucius had to think for a moment but could not really think of what else he may have needed to apologize for. "And for being rude on the first dinner we had together."
"What. Else?" Hermione felt her jaw ache from how tight Narcissa's enchantment held it together.
Lucius' natural frown deepened. "I'm not sure what else there is to apologize for unless you want me to start listing specific events." He picked up his scone from his tea saucer to finish it off. He poured himself some more tea just so he had something to do as she calmed herself down enough for her to speak. He hated that he had to have this conversation with her but he told himself he had survived much worse.
Hermione brought one hand up to grip the ring on her necklace, allowing the pain of the spikes to distract her temporarily from her anger, which in turn allowed her jaw to loosen. She wiggled her jaw before speaking as it had started to ache, even when freed from the enchantment. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to- though you did forget to apologize for the basilik nearly killing me last year as I was one of the students who was petrified." Lucius' eyebrows went up, the draught causing him to forget about the mask he usually wore. It was information he already knew but had completely forgotten about. "You should be apologizing to Mr. And Mrs. Weasley for nearly killing Ginny. You should be apologizing to Draco for beating him and Hagrid for-"
He didn't allow her to finish. "STOP!" She had worked both of them up to the point where they could not speak but Lucius was better at recovering his emotions by default thanks to the calming draught coursing through his system. "For your information, Miss Gr-Hermione, we had apologized to Molly Weasley when we went to Diagon Alley and I have already talked to Draco." Both were true statements although Molly had not taken the apology well- which made their shopping in Diagson Alley even more tense. Molly was polite but very short in accepting the apology. He understood why as there really is no proper way to apologize for nearly having someone's child killed nor was his part of the apology filled with as much effort on his part as Narcissa would have liked as he gave her the excuse of Malfoy's don't apologize along with pointing out the Weasley's family history. The talk with Draco... had been interesting. It ended up leaving Draco more confused and cautious than anything else. It frustrated and angered Lucius that Draco did not welcome his efforts with open arms but Narcissa asked him to put himself in Draco's shows and imagine Abraxas giving him the same talk. Lucius understood the reaction after that, even though it left him unsettled that his wife kept putting him on the same level as Abraxas.
"What?" Lucius was pulled from his own thoughts as he looked at a floored Hermione.
"I'm not a fan of repeating myself." He grabbed another scone then pushed the bowl closer to her. "You should try one, Narcissa made them herself."
Hermione looked at the scones briefly then looked back up at him, letting go of the ring so her arms were crossed again. "I don't believe you."
"How insulting," Lucius had adopted a bored drawl in his voice. It was another behavior she noticed that Draco learned from his father. Lucius stated what he needed to and now it was Hermione's turn to process what he said or else the enchantment would not lift. "Although I suppose you could ask them yourself."
Hermione became unsettled with the new information. She wanted to villanize Lucius for all the things he did in the few years she knew of him. She could be friendly with Narcissa, even Draco if he made up his mind to be friendly himself but the thought of being on friendly terms with Lucius was not something she wanted to even fathom. Her friends would never understand. "Ron would have told me if you had apologized."
"The same Ron who sent you a howler for a broomstick?" His sneer was back on his face but she knew it was not directed entirely at her. "They have the audacity to cut you off at a time when you're more vulnerable than usual- and after you saved your friend from falling off his last broomstick?"
Hermione didn't want to hear Lucius' words anymore or think about how he learned about her saving Harry in the first quidditch game of the season. She told herself Lucius was trying to get into her head when he was simply stating the facts. "Don't say it like that!" Hermione felt her cheeks become wet as tears started to fall. She felt herself start to feel lonely and isolated again, the walls of of the two emotions crushing her. Narcissa's words intruded her current thoughts along with Lucius' words: If you think it's acceptable for your friend's to treat you like this, you may want to find new ones.
Hermione couldn't bear having to start over from the beginning with anyone else. She reminded herself that she and her friends would make up, as they always had. She told herself that saving Harry wasn't a big deal, they had saved her life in first year from the troll and she was returning the favor. After they locked you in the bathroom with it. Hermione gripped her head, willing herself to shut down the opposing thoughts, especially since they were no longer Narcissa's or Lucius' voice, but her own. You're always saving them somehow, but what have they done for you?
Hermione felt a jot of shock at where her thoughts had taken her. It was almost the same shock that scared her out of her bathtub on Christmas day. She felt terrible for thinking so low of her friends. They cared for her, let her know she was their sister and had always tried to be there for her, even when they didn't exactly know how. They were mad right now, but she just knew they wouldn't stay mad.
Lucius stayed there watching Hermione, unsure of what to do. He needed her to accept his words to satisfy Narcissa but he wasn't the best with children. Even with adults in general, he spent his life tearing them down rather than building them up. When he needed something from others, instead of buttering them up, he offered something they wanted or did not have- it was always a business trade as he had what people wanted or the means to require it. It's what had saved him many times with Voldemort in the past as he never was good at grovelling.
Feeling as if he had no other options but resort to offering something, Lucius pulled out his wand and summoned a back pack. One that he had enchanted with a lightweight charm on it along with a shrinking charm so when Hermione put her books in it, it did not look like she had half of the Hogwarts library on her back. He placed it on the chair between them that was previously occupied by Narcissa. Hermione completely snapped out of the rabbit hole she fell into and looked at the bag. "Wha-"
"A peace offering. Draco mentioned your bag was barely being held together."
A part of her wanted to know what else Draco paid attention to but she was upset Lucius had made her doubt her friends. "You think I will forgive you if I accept this bag? As a bribe?" Her voice was full of disbelief and her pale cheeks started to fill with color again.
"Please try to keep up, Miss- Hermione." Lucius' eyes twitched with desire to narrow into slits. He swallowed the tension that started to build in his jaw. "It's a peace offering, a start to a peaceful," He inhaled deeply as he could practically hear Abraxas' carcass rolling six feet under. He said the next word when exhaling, "Relationship."
She stayed silent for a very long time and he knew it was due to Narcissa's enchantment as she tried to speak three times but only ended up banging a fist on the table. When she lifted her hand a fourth time he spoke. "If you break my tea set, I'll be livid." It was the wrong thing to say as her hand pulled behind her to slap the tea pot off the table. He had barely enough time to pull out his wand and vanish the pot, leaving her to knock the scones off the table. "A child," he quickly vanished the two tea cups to the kitchen in the event she continued being petty and targeted them next. "A complete and utter child." His anger simmered again and he felt his hand twitch. I ought to throttle her. Lucius wanted to hit something himself, but reminded himself that he was trying to do better.
"A real peace offering," Hermione had resorted to massaging the area around her jaw as it was now completely aching. "Would be calling off the charges on the hippogriff."
Lucius looked at her and cocked his head to the side. He had a second to process what she said before his anger broke through the effects of the calming draught, completely locking up his own jaw.
"Do you really think this will work?" It was only Narcissa and Andromeda, under the guise of Dr. Augsen, in the Ministry's lift which gave them a free window to talk without the worry of someone over hearing them.
Dr. Augsen looked over at her sister. "My main job here is to study the wizarding population so I may act like an adviser of sorts. If there is one thing the wizarding population cares about? It's quidditch." Narcissa looked over at her sister with a questioning look only to see Dr. Augsen was laughing at her own joke. "The other thing they care about after that is what their Minister is doing."
Narcissa chuckled herself, then shifted the wine bottle in her hands. "Lucius' plan would have worked you know. Severly maim the Minister so he was no longer fit for office."
"Yes, it would have but while you didn't tell me how it was going to be done, you still ended up agreeing that it was going to be easily traced back to you and him." Lucius' wanted to get the Minister into their maze and let the creatures have a minute or two before pulling him out. However, Narcissa knew all the creatures in the maze were illegal to own, and if Fudge had actually survived being in the maze for a minute or two, his silence was not guaranteed. Especially if what Dr. Augsen said about him is true in regards to how close he is to Rita Skeeter. "Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't just try to bribe all of his essential and influential supporters into overthrowing Fudge. A Czar in muggle Russia was overthrown in three months that way."
Narcissa smiled at her sister. "Usually he would have, " or he would have killed him, "but this has become quite personal for Lucius and he wants it done... Right. He wants Fudge to suffer." Narcissa shifted the weight of the wine bottle in her hands as it dug into her forearm.
"Hmpf." Dr. Augsen did not say anything more and lifted her chin as the lift came to a slow stop on the last floor. She was surprised to hear from her sister shortly before the New Year to hear that Lucius had agreed to her plan and even hinted that he may have liked hers better. Still, she held a lot of resentment for her brother-in-law and blamed him for her involvement with Voldemort.
"Speaking of Lucius though, would you mind heading to the manor a bit earlier today?" Narcissa pretended to inspect her cuticles over the wine bottle she held. "I have Lucius and Hermione doing a bit of a, ah, trust exercise and they may-"
"You what? What did you do?" Dr. Augsen lowered her voice to a hiss as the doors opened. Neither woman spoke as they stepped out and the next group of people stepped in. After the doors of the lift closed, Narcissa replied in a whisper.
"Remember when you and Bella had argued over who would be the one to gather the mandrake roots and mother made you two sit in the pouring rain?"
Dr. Augsen's eyes widened by a full millimeters before her face went blank again. "When she made you sit us out there and we could not talk if our words came from our anger? You did not."
"I did- Somewhat. They can still speak when angry, but they have to be calm and it may hurt a little." Narcissa pursed her lips in thought. "I couldn't think of any other way to get them to have a civilized conversation willingly, but I don't think it would be beneficial for them to sit there for four hours if they can't work past their differences in the first hour or so." She started slowly walking to the Minister's office and Dr. Augsen followed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Narcissa kept her nose high, and her voice low. Appearances, as bothersome as she found them, were important as the Malfoys and Blacks were known to be very private families. She did not want her sister's co-workers to know she was close to Dr. Augsen or Andromeda, if they knew the truth of the healer's identity.
"I don't know if that should have been done." Dr. Augsen stopped pinching the bridge of her nose but under her glasses, there was a definite red spot from where the skin was pinched.
"It will be fine." The women walked the rest of the way to Minister Fudge's office together in what was primarily silence. They only spoke when others were around to eavesdrop, and they kept it at polite small talk not to make anyone suspicious about why they were together.
Dr. Augsen approached the new secretary's desk. The woman was older than the last but had the same type of air and look about her; She wore her hair in voluminous curls and the shirt beneath her blazer sank a little too low but showed just enough cleavage to still pass for professional. Her twill skirt could have been mistaken for a pencil skirt it was so tight and the woman had an attitude that said she was complacent to the point she no longer asked questions when it was someone above her demanding assistance.
"Good afternoon, Cheryl." Cheryl, the new secretary, looked up and gave a would-be bright smile if she didn't smoke half a pack a day.
"Hello, Aquila. Dropping off more files?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow as she watched Andromeda hand over the newest reports on Hermione. She knew the Ministry had given the Andromeda another identity as she was in an important position but how many of her coworkers did not know? Narcissa made a note to ask Andromeda about it another time but was thankful that she was able to walk around with her sister at the Ministry without anyone asking questions about their past- not that anyone would be bold enough to question a Malfoy. Or a Black.
Narcissa started her part of the act by clearing her throat, rudely interrupting the pleasantries being exchanged. Dr. Augsen gave Cheryl a funny look as Narcissa could not see it before turning around to leave. "I'll be heading back to my office as I have business to attend to." She took a step over and leaned into Narcissa. "I'll see if I can head over to the Manor early though to check on things." Narcissa would have smiled to show gratitude if she wasn't staring down the secretary, she knew Andromeda was going to head over to the manor early even though she had tried to make it sound as if it was going to be impossible.
"I have an appointment with the Minister today." Narcissa walked up to the desk and waited for the secretary to get up and announce her arrival. However, the secretary's smile faltered as she ruffled through the parchments on her desk. "May I have your name, please?"
Narcissa made a sound that was almost like a scoff when Cheryl finally located the parchment. It was a list of the visitors Fudge were to see today. She hadn't made an appointment as she knew there would be no use due to Fudge only meeting people twice a month. If she had tried to set an appointment, the gala would have already passed and they would have to come up with another way to get fudge out of office. "You don't know my name?" Narcissa slammed the paper on to the desk, leaning on to the hand to pin it before Cheryl could check the list and not see Narcissa's name listed. "What kind of circus is being run here?"
Cheryl jumped back, intimidated by the sudden action, her smile was gone. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Malfoy but per protocol, I have to verify your identity."
Narcissa sneered as she removed her hand, knowing her name was now on the paper. "I checked in with the front desk, who verified my identity by my wand, I walked past the revealing mist that hideous fountain in the main entrance gives off and you still question me when you know my name?" Narcissa glared at the secretary, refusing to give her name until Cheryl finally gave in and glanced down at the paper. Seeing Narcissa's name, Cheryl got up and slipped into the Minister's office without looking back at Narcissa again.
When the door opened again, Minister Fudge was right behind a now red-faced Cheryl. Narcissa gave a sweet smile as Fudge eyed her curiously. "Come in, Narcissa." Narcissa flipped her hair over her shoulder as she walked into the office. She quickly glanced around, and noted it looked bare compared to her husband's study. As Fudge passed the guest chair, he gestured for her to sit and her nose gave the smallest of twitches as she remembered what Andromeda said she walked in on when he had a meeting with Rita Skeeter. Thankfully, there was a respectable distance between the chair and the opposite end of his desk where he chose to sit, so she was able to cast a quick but silent scourgify charm on the seat before he turned around.
"Thank you for meeting with me today, Minister Fudge." Narcissa pulled off her robes as she sat and revealed herself to be in a dress that was as close to lime green as she was willing to get. Between the very low beateu neckline and the tight empire waistline, her breasts alone became a huge tease to anyone who looked at her but she made sure the satin dress hugged her child-bearing curves all the way down to her knees.
The results were immediate when Fudge looked at her and his eyes went over her chest, down to her legs then back up her legs, paused at her chest, then struggled to look her in the eyes. Her skin crawled but she kept the smile on her face as she needed to gain the Minister's trust until their plan could come into effect. "The pleasure is mine, Narcissa. How may I help you? It seems my secretary failed to mention that you were the last person I needed to see today and therefore never provided a reason on why you're here." There was annoyance in his tone as he spoke of his help but she could physically see him trying to fight the urge to look lower than her neck.
Narcissa made a point to frown. "I see." Narcissa placed the bottle on the desk and handed Fudge a silver envelope. When flipped over, it had the Malfoy crest in black stamped in wax. "The invitation to the gala we will be having in the summer. It'll be to help fund raise for the orphanage we will be opening and it will be where we plan to speak publicly about our views on muggle borns."
"Hand delivered by the lady of the house hold herself?" Fudge raised his eyebrows as he flipped the invitation in his hand.
"You stopped coming by the manor and I didn't want you to think you were unwelcome." Narcissa bit the inside of her cheek as she shifted to cross her legs, earning a glance down at her legs from him. She hated putting herself on display but a rat had to be lured into its trap somehow. "Plus, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to give a speech when at the gala? As having us take Hermione in was something you had suggested, and it would give great publicity if the Ministry was seen to be involved with something so wholesome." She placed one hand over the other and tried to keep an nonchalant look on her face. She would have tried for innocence but they both knew the Malfoys were anything but.
Fudge had used a letter opener to create an even slash on the top of the letter and pulled the black card out. He looked over the top of it at Narcissa. "And what's in it for me?"
She wanted to sigh as they reached the part of the conversation she was dreading. "What would our Minister like? A donation to the Ministry? To the Wizgamont? Or perhaps to a project you will be working on?" Narcissa had hope Fudge would just accept money but knew there was a great chance he wouldn't. Unfortunately she was right.
His eyes raked her body and her nails dug into her palms at the disrespect. If he tried this thirteen years ago-
"I want the orphanage to be a cover for another business." Fudge leaned back into his chair and Narcissa blinked. She could not remember the last time she had been caught off guard but knew the last time was when Voldemort had been her master. "Why do you look surprised, Narcissa? We know you had a wizard wedding and your vows are more than a simple binding. You weren't going to offer anything else were you?" He had a nasty smile as he eyed her chest.
Narcissa's hands itched and twitched as her magic came to life between her hands. Even if her body was something that could be offered, she wouldn't have even considered it. The way she presented herself today was simply to gain his attention and let him be more inclined to do what she had asked. I could kill him. A simple rag doll spell and I could press my thumbs slowly into his eye sockets and he'd feel every pound of pressure without even being able to scream. Narcissa's hand shifted palm up, gathering up the magic to cast the spell she was already aiming to his chest but she caught sight of herself in some magical artifact that was slowly spinning on Fudge's desk. It distracted her as she was the only bright thing on her side of the desk and she caught sight of her face. Her eyes immediately focused in on the diamond shape of her face, her small ears and high cheek bones before anything else- all features she passed to Draco. My Dragon.
Narcissa turned her palm over, letting her magic cancel out. She never lost control, that was what Lucius did. She realized then the hate she harbored for Fudge was great and she had to do everything she could to get him out of power as killing him, even subtly was too risky.. The turmoil he was creating was even causing Andromeda to act and she was the calmest of the three Black sisters. "That would have been silly of me. I doubt Lucius would like me throwing myself at you like I'm sure other women do on the daily." She stared at her reflection, not meeting Fudge's eyes as she was concerned she'd lose control of her anger again. Flattery. He lives to be flattered. "What kind of business do you have in mind, Minister?" She looked up at him finally and he was looking at her curiously. "Or should I inform Lucius to set up a meeting as this is business that should be handled by men?" She tried to sound like she was not trying to be sarcastic as she put a smile back on her face but it was difficult. She did not respect the man one bit.
"Hmm." He stroked one end of his mustache as he looked her up and down again. "Yes, have Lucius owl me." He reached for the wine bottle and read the label on it.
"It's from our wine cellar. I'm sure Mrs. Fudge would enjoy it greatly." Narcissa made a point of standing and pulled her robes around her, feeling she would not be covered up quick enough. "I hope you don't mind our meeting being short, I really did just come to invite you to the gala and I should start dinner soon." It was a lie as Crewe prepared all of their meals, but in order for Fudge to trust her she found the need to try and fit into his idea of a proper wife.
He nodded and stood to walk her to the door. "Of course not, a woman needs to take care of her family." He opened the door with one hand and tried to place the other on the small of her back but she turned to face him so he did not have the chance.
She felt the pressure of her magic pressing into her palm but she would not give in to it again. She gave a tiny bow of her head as she spoke, "Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to meet with me, Minister."
He gave a terse nod and straightened his back for anyone who may have been looking. "Anytime, Mrs. Malfoy."
She quickly left his office, not allowing him a second chance to touch her. The meeting went as well as it could but she wondered what business the Minister would need a cover for. Fudge was despicable and conniving but he always kept any business attention on the Ministry- or on the Malfoys. Narcissa took a deep breath when she got into the lift. She wondered if Lucius and Hermione were able to come to an understanding and hoped that when she got home, the manor was still in one piece.
Hermione was on all fours, determined to crawl up the staircase. After she tried to get him to pull the case with the hippogriff, he wasn't able to speak but when he finally did, he tried giving her excuses on why he couldn't. She refused to sit there and listen to what she assumed to be lies and tried to get away from him. Hermione wanted as much space between her and Lucius as possible but due to the chair that was still on her back, it made it incredibly difficult to move around. Even on all fours, she was still having a difficult time going up the stairs as the ornate crest rail of the chair kept hitting the same stairs she was trying to crawl up.
Lucius however, was at the bottom of the stairs, practically crying from how hard he was laughing. "You have absolutely no idea how ridiculous you look."
"Shove off!" Hermione wanted to yell instead of hiss but she realized that as long as her words came out calm enough, she was still able to speak. Hermione's frustration was starting to give way as she started to picture how idiotic she looked climbing up the stairs. Even if she wanted to return down the stairs, she couldn't as it would be much trickier than going up the stairs.
Not paying as much attention as reason started to slip though, the crest rail bumped into another stair above her head and Lucius doubled over in his seat from laughter. "I've never met anyone more- more stubborn!" His laugh was very unlike the one in her dream and the library which had initially fueled her anger even more. It made her realize that the one in the library was fake, and was used to intimidate foes. This laugh however was pure and contagious. She tried to focus on her anger and humiliation so her resolve to get to her room would not weaken but even she had to admit that a Lucius this open wasn't the terrible Lucius she had come to know.
Still, she wanted to get to the top of the stairs before anyone else saw her. Namely-
"Granger?"
Hermione sighed, not knowing if she should finally laugh or cry. She planted both hands on the stair in front of her and stepped to the side to see Draco, Theo and Blaise at the bottom of the stairs looking up her. His usually pale nose and cheeks were rosy from the cold outside. She imagined Jack Frost, if he was real, would have looked similar to how Draco looked now. "Yes, Malfoy?" She didn't care to specify which Malfoy as she knew Lucius was too deep into his laughing fit to speak. She herself would have laughed at Draco's face as he was in complete shock at the scene in front of him. Theo started to laugh and Blaise turned away, shoulders shaking as he bit his fist to stop from laughing out loud.
"What are you doing?" Even upside down, she could see that Draco was completely and utterly confused as he glanced between his father and her.
A chuckle escaped her lips then, which was a mistake. Once she let out that small sliver of laughter, she was unable to stop herself and soon she was struggling to maintain balance as her arms and legs started to shake. "I- I- Narcis-" She tried to speak but in her position, even breathing was becoming a task. Soon after, Blaise could no longer stop his laughter which caused an uncertain Draco to slowly join in. They all enjoyed laughing at the scene they were in until Hermione's chair shifted, then fell off, clattering down the stairs.
The laughter stopped for a moment and Hermione locked eyes with Lucius. They were silent for a second, then they both went into another fit of laughter, this time Hermione was able to roll away from everyone on the stairs. Barmy. I've gone absolutely mad. One tear slid out of her eye and she wiped away at it. Trying to remember the last time she laughed like this.
When she remembered, she found her laugh dying as it was last year with Harry and Ron she laughed this hard. The memory of how different things were for them just twelve months ago was sobering and she once again hoped she had not lost her friendship. She realized she would do nearly anything to gain their trust back, even if it meant she had to do their homework for the rest of the year or something similar. She looked at Draco who was looking back at her, uncertain of what he just witnessed but still laughing softly. Hermione looked away from him, fanning herself to cool her cheeks from laughing so hard. She thought briefly she wouldn't have minded being friends with him if he was as kind as he was Christmas Eve or any other time he was not jeering and insulting her pedigree. The thought made her feel guilty like she was betraying her best friends but she reminded herself that she didn't even know if she had best friends right now. Hermione hated the back and forth thoughts in her mind and sat back on the stairs, completely lost in her head again.
Lucius laugh was just starting to die when Dr. Augsen burst into the foyer. She looked at Lucius who was still trying to regain control of normal breathing and looked at Hermione who looked like the definition of 'depressed.' "What is going on here?" If Lucius h
Lucius gave one last sigh and stood up, Andromeda completely ruining his light-hearted mood. "You're early Dr. Augsen."
"Mrs. Malfoy asked me to come to the manor earlier than expected." She did not bother hiding her annoyance and she nodded at Draco as she past him to climb up the stairs. She briefly paused to look at the chair by the bottom of the stairs, but did not think much of it. She stopped in front of Hermione and held out a hand to help her up. "Shall we start today's session?"
Hermione nodded and used Dr. Augsen's hand to pull herself up. Hermione found everyone to be a bit to quite after they were all so loud and wanted to back to her room as soon as possible, as the silence made her anxious. Before turning the corner she glanced back to see Lucius had already left the room and the boys were starting towards the stairs themselves change out of their now wet clothes.
Again, she wondered if her and Draco could be friends and she found her self hoping that one day, despite what happens between her, Harry and Ron, they could.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, I promise I'll make it up.
MotekElm: Thank you, I was hoping I had pulled it off right.
InsideTheFridge: Thank you!
Guest: Awww, thank you, I appreciate that!
CharmedMistleToe: I really enjoyed writing the wholesome parts of that chapter :) Thank you.
Alice Helena: I am happy it was a good surprise as I was unsure how my readers would react tbh. AND SAME! I feel like they make such a powerful duo. I hate the whole one step forward two steps back thing, as a reader, but I found that as a writer, it can become necessary sometimes- although I still hate it. And hank you! I try to fit in the small details where I can because if I put in all the detail I wanted, each chapter would be 30k words long lol. Thank you for your kind words and I look forward to your reviews when ever I post another chapter.
HufflepuffMommy: Thank you so much for taking the time to read! I was wondering if anyone from our FB group would pick up on my fic and I am so happy you did! (Also, I'm also a hufflepuff so wooo!)