TW: Depression, Child abuse mention, rocky marriage mentioned, Blasphemy.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. Online classes are trash and I got into a *little* accident (I'm okay and thankfully the other guy had better insurance than me.)


Questions for the daughters of Nyx:

Oizyz, is it hard knowing we only love you through our miserable, and never through our happier days?

Why would you ever believe I want lifelong patrons,

When it is my duty to ease people through their heartache and guide them through their pain?

It is my duty to help you find

The light at the end of each tunnel,

For she is my sister, Hemera, the day.

-Nikita Gill


Feeling the tickle in his spine that announced someone was on the Manor's property, Lucius had made his way to the front doors to answer the doors himself, wanting to confront the late night visitor personally. He had sent Crewe off after he had wacked him with his cane for not moving fast enough when Lucius was making him carry the last minute decorations in for the gala. The guest had only knocked twice when Lucius opened the door to see Severus Snape on the manor's steps.

"Severus, you know you have access to our floo." The men grabbed each other's left forearms firmly in greeting. It was how all Death Eaters had greeted each other and it was how the duo continued to greet each other years later. "Although I must admit that I am a bit surprised to see you, did Narcissa not write you that we were suspending the summer lessons this holiday?"

Snape's eyes would have flashed from the emotion that flared within him but his skill of occulemency was as great so he betrayed nothing. "She did, I hope you'll forgive me for bothering you after dinner. There was something I wanted to talk to you about in person though."

Lucius' lips turned down into a worrying frown and he stepped back. "Of course, come in. Should I call for Narcissa?"

Severus stepped past Lucius and looked around the manor. He appreciated the feelings of power he got every time he came to the manor, but never lingered on the emotion too long. "Thank you, Lucius but that is up to you. It does regard her cousin Sirius Black."

Lucius straightened completely, pressing his back against the closed door after crossing his arms. "Are you implying that we know anything about his whereabouts? I would expect questioning from the Ministry, but not you." Lucius would have replied with a threat to anyone else, but he was patient with Severus and always allowed him a chance to explain himself.

"Not at all, however, I happen to know that Hermione might." Lucius face twisted with confusion, but Severus continued as if he didn't notice. "Or at least I think she might. Everything was a bit fuzzy after she had knocked me unconscious."


Hermione looked down at her watch, watching the red second hand tick into the next minute while she rested her forehead on the door to the small drawing room. She tried to ignore the date on her watch, but the watch face was only so big.

She didn't want to go into the small drawing room for her session with Dr. Augsen. Not for the usual reasons she wanted to skip therapy, although she felt this one was much too soon as she and Draco only got back from Hogwarts yesterday, but because Dr. Augsen insisted on a group session for her first manor visit of the holiday.' She wondered if it had anything to do with what today was, but doubted it.

Hermione was informed of the special visit last night as they ate a tense dinner. She had used her robes to cover her owl's cage that she had coaxed Crookshanks into, but there wasn't a silencing charm like there was on Draco's cage cover. Crookshanks decided then was the time to wake up and start howling to get express his need to be free. Lucius nearly lost his mind and Narcissa sent Hermione with Draco upstairs to unpack. Lucius was very silent throughout the dinner although she could have sworn she heard him mutter things like "a bloody cat", "disrespectful child", and "my own home." She didn't eat much after dinner as she was worried about the group session the next day. When she went to bed, she felt the weird feeling in her back that she felt when Mr. Weasley and Ron were at the manor. It kept her restless even after drinking her nightly potion.

At one o'clock on the dot, she pushed down the brass handle of the door to see Dr. Augsen sitting on the couch with Narcissa. Lucius sat on the arm of the couch on Narcissa's side with his arm crossed. All three pair of eyes watched her silently as she crossed the room to sit on the adjacent couch and Hermione was thankful that Draco was not joining them.

"Good afternoon, Hermione. How-"

"Fine." Hermione looked down at the table in front of her. There was a vase with pink and white orchids in the middle of it.

"Hermione that wasn't very nice." Narcissa chastised with a slight frown.

Hermione felt the embarrassment of being scolded color her cheeks and immediately looked Dr. Augsen in the eyes. "I'm sorry, that was very rude of me."

Dr. Augsen had a small smile that did not reach the rest of the features of her face. "That's quite all right. I know you're not fine." No one spoke for a while after that- Hermione too shy at the moment to speak after her error, Narcissa and Lucius unsure if they should and Dr. Augsen wondering what was bothering her patient.

Hermione looked down at her watch again before deciding to speak. "Do you know what today is?" Her voice sounded small, but firm. She felt uncomfortable with the Malfoys being there, but decided ignoring their presence as much as she could would help her get through the meeting until it was either over or she was used to them. Somewhere along the way, she changed her thinking from sessions as a safe place to cry, but the place to go to where Hermione could refine her mental and emotional tools so she could continue to get better.

"July second." The therapist answered at once, wondering where the question came from. While all three adults had always paid careful attention to Hermione as thy chose to walk on eggshells around her, they now had their full attention on her, as if a stray hair or an abnormal fidget would be a clue that Snape was telling the truth. The group session had always been planned, but Andromeda insisted that they did not question Hermione about Snape's claims until after the gala to avoid over stressing Hermione. Lucius disagreed as he could tell Andromeda simply did not find Hermione capable, but played along after Narcissa had agreed that the request was reasonable enough. Narcissa pointed out to him that even though her sister worked for their government, she still held a a great mistrust and would not report anything about their escapee cousin.

"Do you know what it means to me, though?" Hermione blinked several times to get rid of the excess water from her eyes and was grateful a second time Draco was not going to be present. Lucius and Narcissa looked at Andromeda who hadn't replied. It was an odd situation as Andromeda had always been the knowledgeable one of the three Black sisters who always had an answer at the ready. "My parents shared a birthday today. It was sort of how they met- They were at the The Barracuda Casino in London to celebrate their birthdays one year and were inseparable ever since. Last year we celebrated by eating at L'Astrance in Paris. It's where I tried Bouillabaisse for the first time." Hermione put her head in her hands and stared at the floor between her knees. She traced the outline of the tassel of the rug beneath her feet with her eyes. The room seemed too quiet and it bothered her as her senses threatened to become overly sensitive.

Dr. Augsen glanced over at Narcissa and heaved a huge sigh. "Your parents, may God rest their souls-"

The mention of a higher power snapped Hermione out of her thoughts. She lifted her head and stared at her therapist with dry eyes. "What does God have to do with any of it? I spent years in a religious institution and not once had He made himself known. Even if he had, they're dead. Gone." Hermione looked away again, but this time it was with a heated glower at the warm fireplace. There wasn't a fire, but the wood was glowing red to the point where it almost looked as if it was moving. Hermione wrote it off that it was her eyes and her mind playing tricks on her. She leaned back and had crossed her legs, bouncing one foot in the air. "Why are we doing a group session? I was never given the details on why we're doing this."

"Group sessions can be beneficial, they help make sure everyone is on the same page as we all work towards a common goal." There was a pause and Hermione looked back at Dr. Augsen, completely unconvinced. "I had also received a letter from Remus Lupin and thought we could talk about the 'over use of your magic' he mentioned. It would help to have Narcissa and Lucius present so they can help support you in getting better."

Hermione felt herself pale, but tried to mimic the neutral masks the adults had, which became harder when Narcissa got up and sat with Hermione. She grabbed Hermione's hands and put them in her own hands. "I believe I mentioned that I have a background in healing?"

"Yes, ma'am." Hermione squeezed Narcissa's hands and was surprised that they were not as soft as she would have imaged them to be.

"Did Lyra ever tell you why she wanted you to practice emptying your mind and start meditating?" Hermione had to pause for a second before remembering that Lyra was Dr. Augsen's first name. She then thought about what Narcissa said for a few seconds, before providing a careful answer.

"I believe it was to help with my stress."

Narcissa gave a quick nod. "Yes, it would help with that."

Dr. Augsen jumped in then. "I believe I mentioned another method that would help."

Hermione became thoughtful again, scanning through every bit of a therapy session she could remember. "I don't remember. I'm sorry." Hermione felt bad and withdrew her hands from Narcissa's.

"Don't feel bad, it was my fault for not fully explaining why I kept pushing for you to practice it." Dr. Augsen gave a bigger smile for reassurance. "Do you ever wonder why any of the Malfoys are hard to read?"

Hermione ran a hand over her hair that she had decided to keep down for the day instead of putting it in a bun or a ponytail. "All the time actually." She said bashfully, quickly glancing at Narcissa for a reaction- but as if to prove her point, there wasn't any. "It's like there's constantly a mask."

Dr. Augsen looked pleased that Hermione was so observant. "That's because they all practice occulemency."

Hermione raised her eye brows now remembering that her therapist had mentioned it once. Hermione frowned, wondering why she hadn't thought about it too much before. "At least Draco and Lucius do. Narcissa has a bit of a natural ability for it."

"You do?" Hermione looked up at Narcissa who gave a warm smile.

"Yes. It's believed that a tiny percentage of wizards have 'more of an edge' over others and will sometimes have a natural ability of 'gift' over others."

Hermione's eyebrows came together at that. "I've never heard of that before."

"Yes, well, a lot of the books at Hogwarts are filtered to the Headmaster's liking." Lucius stated and Hermione saw he had his arms over his chest. "It is also a trait reserved strictly found in purebloods."

"Formerly thought anyway," Dr. Augsen corrected, "Metamorphmagus is considered a gift and there are half-bloods with the trait." Hermione thought Dr. Augsen sounded annoyed but the therapist continued to keep control of the conversation. "But coming back to the main reasons I am holding this group session, I was wanting you to practice clearing your mind as it is one of the first steps to practicing occulemncy, a form of magic that will prove to be very useful with not just your diagnoses, but with controlling your outbursts."

Hermione bit the inside of her lip. "What did Professor Lupin say?"

Dr. Augsen leaned forward to remove a letter from her briefcase that she always kept at her feet. She removed the parchment and handed it to Hermione, who read it with shaking hands from the anxiety she felt.

Lucius watched Hermione read the letter, paying attention to very detail as he was sure Andromeda and Narcissa were too. He could almost tell which parts of the letter she was reading as there were little changes she made every time she grew more concerned;

... She is a very bright and knowledgeable student, but I fear that the trauma she endured had affected her greatly... Her eye brows came together and her lips moved as she read with great fervor... The Divination Professor informed there was scorch marks in the desk Hermione sat at when she walked out of class... Hermione swallowed as her shakes turned into tremors... Arms nearly engulfed in flames... She held her breath to stop her labored breathing.

At last Hermione put the letter in front of the flowers as she stared off into the flames, lips pressed together. Ah... so it is true. Lucius felt like this confirmed his argument that Snape was telling the truth. It was obvious to him that Lupin had cooked up a different version of what happened that night- some lie about Hermione getting into an argument with another student. Narcissa and Andromeda insisted there was more to the story as Snape admitted he came in the middle of whatever was being talked about, but even before that, they were hesitant to believe an ex Death Eater had been over powered by three third year students. That had actually stopped Lucius from arguing further, especially when Narcissa brought up that Snape did not have the cool head he liked to pretend he had.

"Hermione," Narcissa placed a hand on her knee this time. "When we say that it's dangerous for you to loose control, we mean it. Small, tiny bursts of accidental magic have little to no affect on a witch, even when they're toddlers. However when it gets out of hand, and it becomes an often occurrence- or even one prolonged occurrence like the one Lupin had spoke of, it can damage what us healers call a magical core."

Hermione looked up at Narcissa, lines of worry etched in her young fave that shouldn't be there. "What is that?"

Narcissa blinked, taking a moment to think of how to explain it non-medical terminology. "I suppose you can think of it as a secondary 'spirit' or 'soul' in a way. Except instead of it just being an ethereal version of your physical body, it houses all of your magic. It can act like your physical body where you can strengthen or weaken it with overuse. It's why wizards use wands, to help stop the over use as unconducted magic as it's too harsh on us."

Hermione nodded her understanding and took a deep breath. "I understand."

"It's also why many wizard hate muggleborns. Wizards were taught that muggleborns were unnatural and that they had stolen another wizard's magic." Hermione's hand gripped her throat in horror and Narcissa gave Lucius a severe look. He put his hands up as if he were surrendering. "I only wanted to explain why the student Lupin says he witnessed her arguing with had said what he had about her lineage. She should have an explanation." Hermione's eyes dropped to the floor and Lucius narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. "You should have told us when it happened. We would have spoken to the student's family."

Hermione didn't look up, but focused her attention to her ring by tracing the outline of it. "I didn't think of it."

Another pause. "Did you want to talk about it?" Dr. Augsen asked.

"No, ma'am. It happened a while ago and I'd rather look forward to preventing any incidents from happening again."

"I see." Dr. Augsen's quick quill had been scribbling furiously as everyone spoke and had finally turned a page. "Well despite what other people were raised to think." Dr. Augsen's tone was pointed and no one needed to know it was directed at what Lucius had said. "Nor what they say, you know yourself best. They have their opinions of you, and quite honestly those opinions don't matter."

"I know." Hermione looked up with her lips pressed together and their eyes shining. "Dad always said that the weight of someone's words depended on your own scales. It's not the first time I was discriminated against and it won't be the last, I'm sure. I was just having a bad day."

Narcissa put an arm around Hermione and pulled her in as a few tears fell down face. Dr. Augsen looked down as she sighed and Lucius looked into the logs of the fireplace. He knew she was playing along to Lupin to cover up for Sirius, but he acknowledged and respected that she knew how to face the truth about some things. Lucius set his jaw and focused even more on to the fireplace as he thought about how they would would approach Hermione in the coming weeks to get the truth from her.

He was staring so hard into the fireplace that he nearly jumped when the logs completely shifted, revealing that something- or someone had been on the hearth. He looked at the women in the room to verify if someone else had saw it, but no one had as they had resumed the therapy session he was supposed to be listening to.

No matter. I needed to speak to Draco alone anyway.


"I don't think it's wise for you to go to your parent's place of business." Hermione was near the end of her next session with Dr. Augen on July seventh- which was coincidentally the Wednesday that marked the one year of her parent's death. Dr. Augsen had came by the manor early that day as she had asked Narcissa if she could go and visit her former home, along with Granger & Granger Dentistry.

"Why not?" Hermione snapped with more venom than she intended.

"Wasn't the business left in the care of their business partner? It's bound to be busy and I think it would be better for you to mourn at their home or the cemetery-"

"They didn't even want to be buried! Fudge forced them to be put there." Hermione waved an arm as she said this. She was hardly herself, she woke up feeling everything and nothing at the same time. Hermione felt like she was preparing for the funeral again. She hated how she felt and hated how she was acting because of it, but could hardly attempt to stop herself. "They loved the business and I won't even leave flowers if that's what you want, but that business was everything to them! I should be able to go!"

Dr. Augsen gave Hermione a look so serious when she flipped her journal closed that Hermione leaned back in her chair. "I said no. You said you would be fine without me accompanying you today and I will honor that. If I thought it was in your best interest to go, I wouldn't advise against it." Dr. Augsen stood up then and started walking towards the door. "I'll see you Saturday, Hermione."


Hermione stopped and looked up at the home she had lived in for thirteen years. She thought she would be moved to tears immediately, being crushed by her feelings of being home sick, but instead she felt anxious. Anxious and the emotional void that she felt earlier with Dr. Augsen. She walked on the cement walkway to the wooden steps of the front porch. The second step creaked under her weight, then Draco's and finally, Lucius' weight. A thought in the back of her mind how much stone she would have weighed if her parents had still been raising her instead of the Malfoys. Then she wondered how much stone she would have weighed if Narcissa did not keep such a watchful eye on her. Hermione's appetite had taken a nose dive in the past few weeks and Narcissa started brewing the yellow potions again. With that in mind, Hermione then decided it better to not dwell on things that she could not change.

Hermione slid her key into the first lock, then the second. It was a series of movements her body had already found to be slightly foreign, and it added to her somber mood. She pulled the dark wood, and stained-glass door open to allow the two Malfoy men into the once warm home. She expected there to be a layer of dust coating everything until she remembered the charms placed upon the home- the stasis charm affected everything.

"Will the charms be disturbed when we get there?"

"Yes," Narcissa had answered. "But the Ministry will be by after you leave to put any wards that were affected back up."

Hermione hated that the Ministry needed to be on her property again, but not as much as the fact that Narcissa had not joined them today. Narcissa informed that she needed to go to the Ministry as one of her many errands for the day.

Hermione walked over to the kitchen, making sure not to look anywhere but where she intended to go. Lucius and Draco followed and she immediately started to put a tea pot filled with water on the stove. She gestured to the small table her parents had in their kitchen area that sat beneath a window for them to sit. While they waited, she grabbed a stool hidden in one of the cabinets, placed her charmed schoolbag on the counter and started to throw food into it after checking the dates. She knew the food would still be good between the stasis charm and the preservatives put into the sugar-free treats, but she wouldn't risk giving Harry food poisoning when she knew his summers were already horrible enough as is.

Lucius opened his mouth to ask if she felt she was not being fed enough at the manor, but Draco spoke, being much more gracious in his questioning. "Why all the food?"

Hermione paused for a second, weighing what she should answer with, but decided to tell the truth. "Harry's aunt has put the house-hold on an extremely restrictive diet. I'm concerned he's not getting all of his nutrients."

There was silence and she could hear the tension build behind her, but ignored it, not caring at the moment who it was from. She assumed it was Draco, and was surprised when she heard Lucius' strained voice. "You could have asked for food to send at the manor."

She looked over her shoulder to see he looked slightly affronted, as if she was concerned he couldn't feed another mouth. Hermione felt some guilt and turned back to the cabinets, reaching for a box that made her go on her toes. "I didn't want to be more of a bother and I didn't think this food should be wasted." She was able to turn the box by catching it with the end of her middle finger, but it didn't fall. She heard someone get up from the chair behind her to help her and she leaned to one side so she could stretch to her maximum potential, determined to get the box herself. "I've got it-"

The box, however, had caught her by surprise by tipping off the shelf way easier than she expected it to, causing her to lose her balance. She wasn't able to recover her balance, but Draco caught her and she fell onto his firm chest instead of the cold kitchen tiles.

"Thanks," She said the word at the same time the water in the tea pot was hot enough to whistle, drowning out what she said. She ignored how her face flushed when she looked up to see he was the one who caught her as she pulled out two, mix-matching mugs to pour the water into after she dropped the tag-less white ambrosia tea bags in each one. She set one in front of Lucius and one in front of Draco, who had returned to his seat, before picking up her bag from the kitchen counter.

"Are you not doing to have tea?" Lucius asked, swishing the mug around. He frowned when he saw the tea bag as he was used to having the leaves filtered out before being served. He felt the need to look out the windows to make sure no one would see him drinking tea from a muggle mug, in a muggle house, that was in a tea bag that was only used by muggles.

"No. There are things I want to collect and... I think it's best I do that while you wait here." She glanced between the two Malfoys before heading out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Lucius pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time, but did not say anything. If there was one thing Hermione and Narcissa had in common, it was the fact that they were going to try to have things done their way. Usually he would be making sport of being the obstacle standing in her way, but he didn't want to cause her anymore pain. He wouldn't say he was going to bend over backwards to make her feel welcome to walk all over him for the day, but he wasn't going to make an already hard act even more hard on her.

"Perhaps I should go with her." Draco glanced up from his tea and looked into his father's near black eyes. Draco wanted to kick himself for sounding like he was asking his father for permission and stood to make his intentions clear. His legs shook as he walked, but he didn't stop until he was at the kitchen door and his father called his same.

"Draco, remember not to overwhelm her." Lucius didn't see Draco nod as he pushed the door open the door at the same time Lucius took a cautious sip of the tea.

Draco quickly caught up to Hermione, who had almost gotten to the top of the stairs. "Did you need something?"

Draco put his hands into his pockets only to remove them again. Standing on the stairs after she obviously intended to be alone for the rest of their time in the home made him self-conscious. He was worried for the first time if he had was being too intrusive and would end up with her wand in his neck for it. "No. I wanted to offer you my company. I don't know if you wanted to come back up here alone."

Hermione's jaw dropped and she tried to swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat on her way up the stairs. "I... I don't know if I wanted to."

"Then I can go up there with you and if you need to send me on my way after a while, I'll leave." Draco broke their eye contact as he stared off to the side. "I just know I wouldn't want to be alone." Something inside of him told him it was the right thing to say as it was the truth. He hated being alone and lately he had been concerned with how Hermione was handling everything- especially with the gala in two weeks.

Hermione turned to go up the stairs before turning around whilst shaking her head. "You don't have to do this. I can do it on my own. I'm bound to be a bloody mess and you've seen enough of that. Your parents too." She let her head hang as she picked at her nails and he was unsure if he was meant to hear her next words, but he did anyway. "I'm such a bother."

"You're stalling." He climbed the next couple of steps before pausing at the step that made him eye level to her. "You're the one who doesn't have to do this if you don't want to. You don't have to be fearless all the time. Especially when hardly anyone is watching."

Hermione shook her head, looking down. "I'm not fearless. I'm scared all the time. I can count on one hand where I wasn't shaking because of how scared something made me."

His arm twitched, wanting to put it over her shoulders to let her know that he genuinely was willing to enter the bedrooms with her, but he thought of his father's warning on overwhelming her. "You have a way of showing you're such scaredy cat then."

She gave a small laugh that wasn't all there. "Mom always said that was what bravery was. Being scared, but choosing to acknowledge it and do what needed to be done." She was twirling the ring that look like a fiery red sun and Draco watched her carefully, waiting for a clue on what to do next. Hermione looked up at him and watched his face carefully. Her anxiety was poking at her sides like an old croon, whispering that any second he would laugh in her face. Hermione knew Draco to be better than that, but she had a hard time forgetting, even when she had forgiven him for the few years of torment. And yet... "Can I... Can I talk about them with you?" Hermione realized then that the word she had been avoiding to use when describing the Malfoy's was 'safe.' It bothered her she had been so stubborn to accept the fact, but she could be free around them because they had seen her at her worst. Even Lucius she spoke to freely when she should have been daunted at the thought of interacting with a man who hated her guts.

The question was a whisper and Draco answered by giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Always." They started to walk to her bedroom door and Draco took in the details of her childhood home. A year ago he found her humble abode to be disgusting, thinking it had muggle germs that would ail him as if it were a plague. Now though, he found that his curiosity had grown from her to things he didn't know about her- like her past. The first thing he wanted to know was who her parents were, but knew he could never ask.

She looped an arm around his bringing his attention back to her. "You can turn back, you know. I'm liable to cry." He looked at her from the corner of her eye. She had her hair pulled into a bun that had fly-aways sticking out in every direction. There were no major offending stray locks yet, but it was only a matter of time until an unyielding curl made itself known.

"We're friends, right?" She looked up at his question and nodded. Her reassurance made him feel tall, like the man his father expected him to be. "Then I'm here for you."

She gave his arm a squeeze before taking in a breath that set her aching throat on fire. It felt swollen with the tears that she would allow to fall down at once point today. 'Be strong. Be Brave.' She imagined her mother saying to her. Hermione placed her hand on the door knob and watched her hand turn the plastic 'crystal' knob on her door. Stepping inside, she was hit with a wave of nostalgia as she crossed the room to her twin sized day bed. Hermione never had other people over so she and her parents had transformed what would have held a second bed into drawers that held her collection of her favorite books. She unzipped her bag and grabbed a few she planned on keeping at the manor to make her feel more comfortable with living there; Through the looking Glass, and Grimm's Fairytales. Classics. Interview with a Vampire. The only vampire book that she loved in it's entirely. 1984 and To Kill a Mockingbird, the books that taught her to have a voice. Every time she lifted a book, it felt like she was poking at a bruise- except her heart was the bruise.

She took a stack of her favorite Sherlock Holmes volumes before standing up and walking over to her book case on the left side of the room's door. She pulled out Of Mice and Men and carefully placed it in a smaller pocket of her book bag for safe keeping. It wasn't her favorite, but one of her mother's favorites and wanted to re-read it. To her right, Draco was staring at the other side of the door's wall and could see that his mouth was hanging open at what was in front of him.

As if sensing her watery eyes on him, he turned with a thumb pointing at this part of the wall that was covered from ceiling to floor with either trophies or medals. "Hermione, what the hell is this?"

She stared at it and finally the first tear fell. "My wall of shame." She joked as she joined his side. She could feel her dam cracking, but she felt like this was a necessary cry. She told herself it was okay to mourn on the anniversary of her parents death, that it wouldn't make her weak no matter what the dark side of her wanted her to feel. "Mum was obsessed with me doing curricular activities that weren't just reading or me playing the cello. My parents were 'pushers' so if I joined something, I had to push until I was the best." She made quotation marks with her hands at the last word. "Some of my awards aren't spectacular or are multiple spoils for the same win."

Draco glanced from her, to the wall and back again. He wanted her to keep talking, too afraid of seeing her shut down again. "Tell me about them."

She took a step closer to the wall and started to point at the medals that hung higher up on the wall. "Spelling bee at county then national level. Matheletes- which is a glorified mathematics club- at county then national level. That's my Girl Scouts sash and every badge on that sash means I achieved something. Table Tennis- which is rubbish- at house level. Chess at house level. Poker at house level-"

"You joined a poker club?" If the situation wasn't so sensitive he would have tried to make a joke about how odd muggles were.

"Somewhat. It was more of a recreational group full of the neighborhood kids that held random tournaments often and poker was one of them. My parents were fond of gambling though so they were ecstatic to think I would have that same love for it." She looked up as she rubbed the tears from her face. "I just counted the cards and got lucky. The dealer was an older kid who barely memorized the rules of the game."

Draco was grinning at this. "So you cheated?"

Hermione wanted to be offended, but it was the truth. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she knew what she was doing at the time wasn't right. "I told you some of these weren't very impressive."

Draco shook his head not wanting to laugh. "No, I'm impressed. I thought you were a goody-two-shoes."

Hermione had a shiver run through her as she thought about the rage she felt with Sirius and Pettigrew, wanting to literally kill them. She had come to the terms that if she had been given the proper chance, she would have. She wasn't innocent and the jury was out on how bad she felt about that. "I try to be, but I do what I need to. I hated being there, but mum never wanted me to just stay home and she convinced dad for a long time doing all of these things would only help me."

Draco was silent for a moment digesting what she said. "I see. Then are there any achievements here you do like?"

She made a face at the accusing tone he adopted, but understood he meant no harm and appreciated that he wanted to keep the conversation as positive as possible. "Yes." She pointed at the wooden shelves before them that held the trophies. Every trophy had a picture frame of her receiving the award it sat next to. It was extremely neat and Draco took a quick look around her room, noting that the trophy wall was the tidiest thing in the room. Hermione wasn't a slob, but it was clear extra care was put into this corner of the room. "These," she swept an arm over the lower three shelves. "Are for playing the cello. Most are at house level, but there are a few for county. When I went to nationals, I was threatened by another player and choked in the middle of my piece. I was supposed to go back the following year, but then I got my letter to Hogwarts."

Draco looked at Hermione who had an angry expression on her face. "It still bothers you."

"Yes." Her expression turned somber and she glanced at him. "I didn't tell my parents what happened until they finally pressured me into a break down. I think... it was one of the events that had my parents change their outlook of me taking over the business..."

"Sorry?" Her voice became really low and he didn't hear anything past 'I think.'

"The player who threatened me placed third in the competition." She said, not wanting to repeat herself. "Not even runner up." She pointed at the top shelf now. "Gymnastics, dance-"

"You were a gymnast?" Draco bent over to look at the photo of a very young Hermione who must have been around four was wearing a turquoise leotard with her hands thrown in the air. There was no trophy or medal in sight though.

"Briefly. Actually the photo shouldn't be there. My coach was eager to move me up the training ladder seeing I was a quick learner and I was eager to please. I suppose she threw caution to the wind a bit because of it. One day when I was training, I can't remember what I was doing exactly, but I fell wrong on my ankle. Completely broke it and if I had hit the ground a second sooner, it would have been my neck." Her voice sounded far away as it shook and Draco looked back to see she was pinching the bridge of her nose as her tears fell. "It's actually how I ended up in all of that," Hermione pointed at the medals she first talked about. "Rubbish. Mum and dad pulled me out, saying it was too dangerous even though I wanted to go back because I enjoyed it so much. They made a deal with me that if I could perform the element perfectly after I healed, they would let me continue with it. But I..." Hermione closed her eyes, willing herself to keep talking. "I couldn't even get back up on the bar, I was so scared." She rubbed her nose on her sleeve and Draco immediately handed her a handkerchief. "But I found my love for the Cello because of it, having to stay home from six to eight weeks. My dad felt bad enough to teach me in his free time." Hermione had stopped talking to control her breathing. "Anyways, they put me in dance next, which was fine until I started to be bullied by the other girls in the class after I was being awarded solos. I said I wanted to drop it, but they- or I should say mum- argued with me on it. We had a row so bad that I... I burned all of my dance wear." She blew her nose and looked up at him then. "That was the first time I remember using magic."

Draco couldn't help, but laugh. "The first time I used magic, I changed my father's hair to a very loud purple colour. I don't remember what it was for, but I remember how furious he was."

Hermione's hand that was holding the handkerchief flew to her mouth. "Did he- how bad did he hurt you? He had to have known it was an accident."

Draco shut his mouth, his smile completely gone as he stared at Hermione in amazement, not understanding how someone could be so concerned of his safety on an event that happened over ten years ago. "He didn't hurt me then."

"Oh." She looked down at her feet before looking back at the trophy wall. "I'm done here."

He nodded and held the room's already open door wider for her to walk through. He closed the door behind him, but he couldn't stand the silence. "I should have offered my condolences sooner." Draco placed a hand on Hermione's arm so she would stop and look at him as he said words that were physically difficult to say. "I'm sorry for your loss. You had a near perfect life and while the manor is astounding, it's not-"

"It wasn't a perfect life." She interrupted softly and he winced, realizing how he may have sounded. "But, thank you. I appreciate you telling me that." She touched his arm lightly before opening the door to her parent's bedroom. He didn't follow her in at first as she had placed both hands over her mouth and nose to stop herself from having an outburst. After a minute, she laced her fingers together and rested them on top of her head. "Is... Is Lucius a drunk?"

Draco threw his guard up and narrowed his eyes at her. "No." His tone was flat as he stared at her, wondering where the question had come from.

She turned to face him hearing his voice. "I'm sorry, that was rude... I only ask because..." Her voice was raspy and he knew she was struggling to suppress everything she felt to keep talking. She approached her parents bed and felt underneath the pillows that had an embroidered 'J' on it. "When I said I wanted to drop dance, dad took my side. Mum and dad argued about that and then mum's aunt died. They weren't close, but it was the last of her family so it hit her hard. Brought her back to the days she served I guess. There was... a few days afterwards that she slipped into an awful depression where she relied on sherry to get her through the day. Really put dad in a bind having to work double shifts, it's actually how Dr. Dixon- the man who was at the attorney's office- was hired." Finding what she was looking for, she pulled it out. Draco had never seen anything like it before and it made Hermione's hand shake as she stared at the metal thing. It looked like a misshaped 'L' that had been knocked on its side. There was a part of it that was shaped like a hook on the inside curve of the 'L' shape and Hermione kept her finger behind it rather than over it. "I was about seven or eight. She was completely plastered and I don't remember what I said, but it was something about wanting to be like her. She insisted I didn't, but I had always been stubborn." Hermione eyes the metal thing with a mournful expression. "She had grabbed me, her gun," Hermione motioned with the glock she held in her hand before putting it underneath the pillow, exactly how she found it. "And dragged me in the back yard, yelling about how if I wanted to be like her, she would teach me to be like her. The neighbors complained about gun shots, called my dad to make sure he was okay, which set him in a panic as he rushed home. He found me crying as mum was trying to force me to shoot the damned thing. Dad and I stayed in a hostel for a week, but I wonder if the main reason he decided to come back and help her was because I wouldn't stop crying for her. It was all my fault, what if they got a divorce?"

Hermione hugged herself as she started to sob. Without thinking, Draco crossed the bedroom and pulled her into a hug where she buried her face into his chest as she gripped on to his back for dear life. He didn't understand half of the verbs she said or what a 'gun' was, but it sounded oddly similar to one of his last few walks he had with his father. He patted the top of her head while she cried until she quieted into hiccups. Even then he held her still and she didn't back away. She hadn't been physically comforted in so long that even though a part of her said she was weak for it, she told herself it was okay today. Hermione didn't think about how it was Malfoy who was doing this for her, she thought about how it was Draco, her good friend- and literal- house mate.

They didn't talk for a while until he was sure she wouldn't dissolve again and the only sound she made regularly made were sniffles. "I went through something similar. I can tell you about it if it would help."

She looked up at him with red eyes and swollen lips. Her face was splotchy and wet, but he wasn't bothered by it. Their friendship had so far remained raw and unpretty after all. "Tell me."

"Father used to take me on these walks around the property. There's actually a substantial amount of trails to walk through." He didn't tell her about how his father would kill animals despite his pleas, thinking that may be a bit much at the moment. "There was one time though where he wanted me to- He wanted me to torture a toad that was by one of our ponds. He wanted me to use his wand to cast crucio on it."

Hermione pulled back then to look up at him. "That's illegal- the spell itself is illegal!" She looked scandalized and he gripped her tighter, hoping he didn't make a mistake of telling her this.

"I know, but you know his past, don't you? Or at least the rumors." He raised an eyebrow and didn't lower it until she slowly nodded. The Daily Prophet wasn't the most reliable source, but it was the only source that mentioned the Malfoys being involved with Voldemort that she could fine. "He's... better now anyways." He didn't bother to be offended at the doubtful look she gave him because he didn't wholeheartedly believe himself. "He held me, his wand between my hands and yelled at me to do it. After he screamed at me, he cast the spell himself as he held me and the wand in place. Soon after I was screaming bloody murder, but... he didn't stop." Hermione put a hand to her mouth and he gave her an apologetic look for telling the story. "Mother came soon after. I don't know how she found us, but she did. She slapped him before picking me up and bringing me inside the house. That's the only time I ever saw her hit him."

"Draco, I'm so-"

"No. It's alright. Just don't mention it to anyone." He looked into her chocolate eyes and knew she wouldn't without her saying another word. "I've never told anyone about that before."

This time it was her turn to hug him as he held her tight. He didn't cry, but she knew that he needed the hug as much as she had. Hermione knew too well what it was like to have the feeling of ripping off an emotional bandaid and recognized it on others. "She knew about him abusing you though. Why didn't she stop it more often?"

Draco thought about this for years and already knew the answer. "When she would heal me, she would reassure me that he loved me in his own way, that he was making me strong. She would say that he was struggling with his past." He paused to collect his thoughts before continuing. "When the parent that doesn't hit you, takes the side of the parent that does hit you, you just decide to go with what they're saying and adjust your life around it. Follow their rules, time how quickly you move around your home, count the steps between here and there while always making sure not even your breathing makes an audible sound."

Hermione shook her head before pulling away completely. "That's terrible. I can't imagine-"

"Don't pity me." He started to feel awkward and ashamed he had shared something like that with her. It made him feel like his father was right about him and that he deserved every blow for being vulnerable. "He's getting better." He said again and he knew he was saying it more for himself than for her at that moment.

Hermione wanted to say something, but could now see Draco putting up his occulemncy walls. They watched each other for a minute before she turned back to face the room. "I'll just grab a few things..." She murmured before walking over to her parent's desks, grabbing more pictures to keep at the manor. He watched her silently work quickly around the room, the last thing she grabbed was a periwinkle dress from her mother's closet and the two pillows on the bed. One with the embroidered 'J' and the other with an embroidered 'W.'

By the time they got down stairs, Hermione's face was mostly back to normal minus the remaining pink tint to her eyes. When they walked into the kitchen, she found that Lucius had drank both mugs of tea and was staring out of the window, watching two birds that had made a nest in a nearby bush. When Lucius turned to look at the two, he immediately noticed the wet stains on his son's chest and gave a small grunt before standing up. "The tea wasn't bad."

Hermione, who despised Lucius even more now after what she learned, didn't answer as she grabbed the mugs and proceeded to wash them after dumping out the tea bags. Using this opportunity, Lucius stepped closer to Draco. Lucius made a show of slowly drying Draco's robes as he spoke. "When we get back to the manor, I expect you to meet me in my study."

Draco had a shiver run through him and he paled. He met Lucius' eye when he answered, knowing that his father hated when he showed a complete lack of spine. "Yes, father."

When Hermione was done, she marched up to Lucius, "I have a two requests." Lucius placed his cane in front of him, resting one hand on top of the other. "I want to pick up flowers and I want to go to my parent's dentistry."

Draco and Hermione both expected Lucius to deny her out right. Both were surprised when he didn't. "I do recall your therapist forbidding you from going."

Hermione simply crossed her arms as she stared up at him. Her logical side was always surprised at the nerve she had when she spoke to him, but she refused to let people like him have power over her. "There's nothing in this world that my parent's didn't put more blood, sweat, or tears in and I have the right to honor it." Lucius pressed him lips together, not out of anger, but in thought. "I'll find a way to get there, even if I have to-"

"Even if you have to what?" Lucius was becoming tired of her threats and was becoming annoyed with her. "There's nothing stopping me from apparating us back to the manor. How would you get back here? You can't expect to walk back, do you?"

"I've already come up with several different ways I could get away from the manor. All of them ranging from writing to Rita Skeeter who has made it clear a couple times that she would do anything for an exclusive interview with me to summoning the Night Bus. Of course I'd rather not disclose all of my ideas in the event I need to use them." Her curt tone was as thick as his drawl. Draco felt like he was watching a chess match and kept glancing forth between the two.

Lucius gave her another once over, recognizing the tone in her voice that her mind was set. He wasn't shocked to hear that Rita Skeeter had tried to infest his manor for an interview, but he didn't like he hadn't considered the possibility before. Again he looked at Hermione's set features. Her eyes were puffy and her eyes were surrounded by a soft rosette color instead of the usual ivory of her scleras. She was handling herself better than he- or anyone for that matter- had expected. He knew Andromeda would be upset, and Narcissa was bound to take her side, but looking at Hermione, he actually felt himself sympathize with her. She wasn't ambitious like Slytherin's had the tendency to be but he recognized that she was brave- and mad enough- to get what she wanted by whatever means necessary. She would try to come back to visit the business and that would cause more troube than he felt was worth.

That reasoning, coupled with the confidence that she would handle herself for what she would see was what had him escort her and Draco to a local florist in Wembley that was by her parent's dentistry. She opted to create her own arrangement and picked out the flowers she saw in her dream a few months ago while Draco and Lucius waited outside. The arrangement had the florist blink several times before he rang up her bill.

"You like flowers?" He commented as he wrapped the flowers with white tissue paper and a ribbon.

"They're alright, I suppose." He gave her a weird look and she tried to apologize. "I don't mean any offense to you-"

The muggle florist laugh, revealing he was missing a premolar. She was deeply saddened by the idea that one of her parents might have been the one to pull the tooth for him. "I mean you picked out an arrangement that I would have made for a funeral. I was wondering if you liked flowers enough to study the meaning of them." He leaned over the counter, holding the flowers in front of her while he pointed at each one. "Pink roses signify love, and appreciation. Purple Asters represent devotion and wisdom, while Yellow Chrysanthemums are for recognizing sorrow. And of course Babies Breath is for long-lasting love.

Hermione delicately took the bouquet in her hands, looking at them through new eyes. She didn't recall ever reading into flowers, and had no clue how her subconscious came up with the arrangement in the dream- but then again, she read a lot. "Thank you, Sir. I don't believe I knew that." She looked back up at the shop keeper before turning to leave. When she was nearly to the door, she was stopped.

"Wait," she turned to see him coming up to her with a medium-sized pink flower in his hand. "Peony's are for hope. I always give one to the family I make a funeral bouquet for." He gently tucked the flower's stem behind her ear. "I'm sorry for your loss."

The act, though it was a regular thing for the florist to do, still choked her up. "Thank you." He nodded and watched her join the two men dressed in black at the store front before returning to his counter.

Lucius, seeing her with the bouquet thought that he should have warned her at that moment, but instead decided to lead them down the street the where the dentist office was. Draco had been admiring the difference in architecture between the wizarding and muggle world when he noticed that Hermione was struggling to keep the pink flower in her ear. After it nearly fell for a third time he stopped her and plucked the flower from her ear.

"What are you-"

"Hold still." She went completely rigid and he couldn't help but smirk at how comical it was while he weaved the flower's stem through the front of her bun. "There. Who knew your bushy hair would be useful for holding things in place." The joke would have earned a soft punch if it was made by Harry or Ron, but she respected Draco's wishes to not be hit when she remembered it.

"Bully." She retorted, but she was able to smile for a few minutes.

"I do believe we need to get back to the manor before dinner is prepared." Lucius was standing where Granger & Granger Dentistry was. He hadn't noticed that they had fallen behind until he turned to see they were not directly behind him. Lucius was taken off guard at the friendly gesture Draco had made with Hermione, but knew it was something that would have made Narcissa proud so he didn't comment on it- not matter how much Abraxas' voice taunted him in his head. Again he thought that he should at least warn Hermione, but decided it was too late. Any second she would see what became of her parent's place of business so there was no point as far as he was concerned.

Hermione started walking to Lucius' side and had glanced around the street to make sure they were in the right place. There were no lights in front of the building that Lucius stood in front of and she quickened her pace into a jog so she could get a better look. When she finally allowed herself to process in front of her, she dropped the flowers where they hit the floor before anyone could catch it.

'Granger & Granger Dentistry' had been peeled off of the white cloth store sign leaving an extra bright white imprint where the words were, protecting the bloth beneath it from the weather. That was all she could see of the actual building though since there was a wooden gate that had a huge sign on it: Central Dental Care - COMING SOON! No one said anything for a long time. Draco was waiting for Hermione to start crying again, often casting nervous glances at his father who refused to look at him. Lucius was watching Hermione, wondering if she would going to set the place on fire or go into hysterics. Both seemed equally likely.

Hermione was the one who broke the silence after she got over her shock. She was beyond tears at this point and she was too overly stimulated to even process the rage she felt inside. "He sold it." No one answered her and she rounded on Lucius. "The bastard sold it to them!" She pointed at the sign in front of her. Central Dental Care was a chain owned by two brothers, Hermione was familiar with their company as her mother often went into rants every time they were brought up. Several times they made offers to her parents, but sometimes they sounded like threats. "He knew and he still sold it to them!" Lucius was unsure if he should correct her for her language, point out she was so upset she was speaking in French or stay silent to watch what she intended on doing. Then the glint in her eyes went from fire to daggers. "You knew didn't you?"

He raised an eyebrow and gripped the end of his cane to draw his wand if she planned on attacking him. "I did."

She started breathing heavily from through her mouth. "Then that means Dr. Augsen knew." Hermione turned back to the building and crossed her arms, trying to physically stop herself from tearing down the boards in front of her. "Of course she did." Angry tears spilled from her eyes, but as soon as they came they stopped. "I'm ready to go home now."

Draco had picked up the flowers from where she dropped them and was unsure of what to do with them. His father nor Hermione seemed to make note of it though as they prepared to side apparate. Draco grabbed his father's other arm and hugged the flowers as close as he could to his body without crushing them.

When they appeared in front of Malfoy Manor, Hermione quickly walked ahead of them to return back to her suite. Lucius finally acknowledged that his son was still holding the flowers. "Your mother won't be too pleased to have genuine flowers in the house. Dispose of them quickly."

"Yes, father."

Lucius walked ahead of Draco, not once thinking about how Hermione's rebelliousness might have been rubbing off on him.


A/N: Ahhh, with this chapter I now feel like third year is done and over with. I hope everyone is doing okay with COVID terrorizing the earth. Remember to stay safe!

Guest 1: Thank you!

MotekElm: I appreciate it :D

Alice Helena: Same here! I absolutely adore Spirited Away!

Guest 2: I did my best and finished it in five days! Lol.

Charmed Mistletoe: Thank you ^-^ And I am for sure doing the best I can. Unfortunately for me, both of my jobs are deemed essential but at least my main job keeps me away from the general public.

Erythra-Selena: No problem :D