Draco was awake. Draco was still bloody awake. After tossing and turning seemingly endlessly, he growled in annoyance and cast a wordless tempus. It was 2:37AM when Draco threw off the covers and sat up in bed, restless and frustrated. Hermione Granger was depriving him sleep and not in the way he'd like a witch to be. Rather than spending the night keeping him awake in bed, she'd taken up an uninvited residency in his head. Not that he'd want the know-it-all of the century in his bed anyway.

But even after taking a Calming Draught, the witch was like an apparition; she was something in the corners of his eyes that he couldn't quite see, but still ever present. Their entire evening had been strange, which Draco knew was the reason she was loitering in her brain like an unwelcome solicitor. When Granger showed up, uninvited and early, she shocked him, ruining his third trial for his experimental potion. Her claim that Theo was entertaining company was slightly suspicious, but her presumption that she could floo over without invitation screamed up to something. Draco wondered if she was there to snoop instead, given her incessant nosiness and history of snooping at school. He locked Granger in the library, unknown to her, while he went back to clean up his wasted efforts and make notes on the lack of progress he'd made. After finishing, he returned to the library ready for her to hex him for locking her in. Instead, he found her totally engrossed in examining his bookshelves; her reputation as a swot was truly unparalleled. He stopped in the doorway and watched as the petite witch slowly moved from shelf to shelf, clearly fighting the urge to pick up the ones that interested her.

But that wasn't the part of their evening that kept replaying in his head, keeping him awake. It was the uncomfortably blatant conversation, which he started. He wasn't sure what possessed him to thank her, let alone so overtly. And in turn, her extremely personal confession about her parents unnerved him. Draco couldn't understand why the witch would share something like that with him of all people. He thought of the torment he'd gone through with his own parents, their lives hanging in the balance when Draco had been tasked to kill Dumbledore. He had been weak on all accounts, a coward. She, on the other hand, had made the tough decision to protect the people she loved no matter the cost. They could not be more different.

Or that is what he spent most of his night thinking as he stared into the darkness while sleep eluded him. As he pulled off the covers and wordlessly brightened the room, his eyes landed on the watch his father gave him sitting on the nightstand. He immediately thought of his father in Azkaban, and realized they both knew what it was like to lose a parent to the war without them dying. Perhaps she knew he struggled with that on some level and felt like he could empathize.

But the worst part of their bizarre evening was his own slip-up, which would sporadically pop into the front of his mind every so often as he reflected on the night, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. Assuming Theo had shared everything with her was a foolish error he usually wouldn't make. Draco noted with great irritation that Hermione Granger got under his skin and reverted him back to the reactive and impulsive little boy he was when they met.

Resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be able to find sleep, he trudged back down the library and began to pull out every book he thought would help with memory charms. As he sat down and cracked open the first in the stack, he swore for a moment he could smell the vanilla in her perfume. Draco shook his head and forced himself to focus on the words on the page in front of him. Perhaps he could do something for Granger that no one could do for him: return her parents, fully mentally intact. Helping her could bridge their strange relationship from civil to friendly, and could help make amends to Theo for speaking out of turn.

Tap-tap-tap. Draco cracked a single eye before shutting it quickly, the early morning light shocking him. Trying again, he opened both eyes and found himself staring into the large eyes of an owl tapping on the window. Draco picked head up from his makeshift pillow, an open book, and immediately felt the crick in his neck. Theo's tawny brown owl waited patiently with a scroll of parchment tied around his leg. As Draco reached for it, the owl nipped him, looking for treats. "Cheeky bugger," Draco muttered, snagging a treat from the bowl by the window before opening the parchment.

Draco,

Come by for a casual lunch in the kitchens today. I have someone I'd like you to meet.

Theo

P.S. - Hermione will be joining us as well, so please play nicely

He paused at the post script, wondering if Granger confronted Theo last night over their father. There were several secrets between the Draco and Theo that they'd sworn to take to the grave, including the events of the night Draco took the Dark Mark, the day of Nott Senior's death, and the one time Blaise had been so blackout drunk he'd tried with a surprising amount of effort to instigate a threesome that neither Draco nor Theo was particularly interested in. Well, both of them were a little interested, but that was part of why it was going to the grave. These were secrets that they vowed would be buried forever, unspoken even when alone. Instead, Draco had dropped enough of a hint that even someone as dense as the Weasel could sort it out, let alone Granger, who could be an absolute bloodhound when it came to hunting down something she wanted. Draco wondered if this lunch summons was some coded message to relay Theo's anger or a convoluted way for Theo to tell Draco that he'd cut him out for good because Granger couldn't keep her mouth shut. Draco stewed as he reread the short invitation, unhappily picturing the different scenes that could have played out last night at Nott Manor.

A long shower and a few hours later, he walked through the floo towards the kitchen. As he walked in, he spotted Granger in the corner chatting with a gaggle of house elves. He immediately noticed that she was wearing that blue sundress again; the one from the disastrous pickup Quidditch game. Outside of the Yule Ball, he hadn't seen the figure Hermione Granger usually hid under robes or in loose muggle clothing. At the pickup game, he'd struggled to keep his eyes off her, exploring the curves the dress revealed from his spot safe in the air. Now he found himself in the same predicament, which, given how little they liked each other and how she'd probably destroyed his friendship with Theo last night, was especially frustrating. He cleared his throat softly, causing her to whip around. She gave him a soft smile and quick wave as she walked towards him.

"Granger, do you know what is going on? I got a letter from Theo this morning demanding that I come for lunch." Hermione only shrugged in response, the skirt of her dress rising just above her knees as she did. Draco internally cursed that he even noticed, forcing himself to inspect his fingernails instead. "Don't have another mystery sister to introduce, do you?"

"Not exactly," she replied with a touch of humor in her voice. Draco tensed, realizing his fear was right. She'd shared with Theo what he'd promised not to tell and she was enjoying holding it over him.

"Did you tell him what I sai-" Draco was cut off by his friend's entrance. Theo practically bounced through the door before stopping in the doorway when spotting Draco and beaming.

"Draco! You made it. Lord Malfoy, I'd like to introduce you to Miss Lovegood." Draco felt his stomach drop at the sight of the witch on Theo's arm. If there was anyone who should like him less than Granger for events that happened at Malfoy Manor, it would be Luna Lovegood.

"Oh, we know each other," Luna said absentmindedly, wearing a dreamy smile. "It's nice to see you again, Draco. You look well. No more wrackspurts I see."

"Hello, Luna," Draco shifted awkwardly, training his eyes on the wall directly behind her, unwilling to make eye contact with the blonde. Her eyes had always unnerved him, large, protruding, and unyielding. Draco was conflicted; clearly Hermione hadn't yet told Theo what he'd said, which Draco was thankful for. However, there was little chance he would be able to navigate this lunch without someone mentioning how Draco and Theo's new beloved knew each other, which he calculated would play out disastrously.

"I didn't realize you two were already acquainted," Theo said, clapping his hands once in excitement. He guided Luna to the small table in the kitchen corner and pulled out a seat for her. Draco and Hermione moved to sit down too. "It seems like I missed out on a lot at Hogwarts, stuck in that dungeon of our's." Draco nodded, trying to avoid wincing when he said the word dungeon. "Luna and I met a few weeks ago. She interviewed us about Hermione becoming a Nott and we've been seeing each other ever since." When the house elves set plates down in front of them silently, Draco silently thanked the Gods for allowing him something else to look at.

"I read it, the Quibbler, right?" Luna nodded happily. "I picked that issue up. It was very well written and full of, eh, interesting information." Draco wracked his brain to come up with a compliment for the article, which included quite a lot more about Theo than Hermione. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Hermione's shoulders moving up and down as she looked down at her plate. Perhaps she also found Luna's inclusion of the creatures in Nott Manor ridiculous.

"Yes, Luna has been educating me on all sorts of creatures. I feel like we never got the proper Magical Creatures education with Hagrid."

"He is a lovely man, but was a bit of a joke as a teacher," Luna added. Draco scoffed in agreement. Hermione again caught his eye as she bit her bottom lip, looking desperate to keep a thought in. "Hagrid," Draco realized after a moment, knowing he was coming close to upsetting the balance of their delicate civility agreement. "She is friends with him. Fuck." Suddenly the memory of the Buckbeak situation resurfaced in his mind and he tried to push it back down as Theo started talking again.

"Anyway, I would have never known about the nargle infestation. Luna's made us talismen to hang around the property to help," Theo said, beaming. Draco watched the interaction with curiosity. He'd never seen Theo like this with any witch, so confident and calm. Perhaps Loony was a rather good development.

"That's thoughtful," Draco said. "You can never be too careful," he added, hoping he sounded sincere in his interest in these imaginary creatures.

"Malfoy Manor also has an infestation of nargles, at least in the basement it did. Perhaps we could help Draco with that when we're done here," Luna suggested sweetly before popping some fries into her mouth. He felt his stomach twist at her words, thinking of how thin she'd looked when he'd come home for Easter break that year. Draco closed his eyes, preparing himself for what would come next.

"When were you in the basement of Malfoy Manor?" Theo asked, puzzled as he looked between Luna and Draco.

"During my sixth year," Luna said simply. "I stayed there with Mr. Ollivander."

"You - you were there during the war?" The color drained from Theo's face as he looked at Luna with muted horror.

"Yes, for a few months. Draco was quite kind to me when he was home from Hogwarts. He snuck down snacks and even played Exploding Snap with me a few times," Luna gave Draco an appreciative grin, which unleashed an onslaught of guilt within him. They hadn't spoken of her time in his home following the war, save for when she visited him during his house arrest following the Battle of Hogwarts and he'd begged for her forgiveness. She's given it easily, saying she'd never had cause to be upset with him.

"Draco?" Theo asked, his voice dangerously low. He turned to his friend, his usually warm brown eyes sparking with accusations.

"Theo, you know what that year was like for me," Draco started gravely, desperate to appeal to his friend's logic. "I didn't want to keep her there anymore than she wanted to be there. I ev-"

"Keep her there?" Theo asked, his volume increasing with each word. "Luna? Luna was the girl in the dungeon? The girl yo- the girl you tortured?" Theo shot out of his seat, pushing his chair back with such force that it clattered loudly on the ground. As he made his move towards Draco, Luna placed her hand tenderly on Theo's forearm to stop him. Draco gave a single grim nod of affirmation to Theo as he stared questioningly at him. "Why? Why didn't you tell me? Why wasn't it brought up during the trial?" Theo asked, clearly struggling to keep calm.

"Luna didn't press charges," Draco said quietly. "You know I had to, Theo. I couldn't let the alternative happen. I still regret everything I did, you know that, don't you?" Draco could feel himself starting to babble urgently. Theo squeezed his eyes shut as Draco spoke, tensing his entire body. "And I did tell you, at the time. I just - you didn't know her. And I had no idea you two were - I would have said something immediately if I ha-"

"Theo," Luna's honeyed voice said his name sweetly, calling his attention away from Draco. "Hermione mentioned she spotted a moon frog by the pond. Why don't we take a walk and look for it?" Theo nodded, huffing out a deep breath. "We'll be back," Luna said as she walked him out of the kitchen. Draco watched them go, frozen in shock at the exchange.

"That was the first time I've seen Theo mad," Hermione broke the uncomfortable silence, her voice reminding him of her presence. Draco rubbed his temples, focusing on steadying his breathing. The fact that Granger had heard this disastrous exchange made him even more embarrassed, though he couldn't place a finger on why. She knew Luna was at Malfoy Manor because Granger and her friends helped save her, so it was no surprise. Perhaps it was just the additional reminder that of his past he was concerned about - another reason for her to hate him.

"That wasn't him truly angry," Draco finally spoke, his composure regained. "I've only seen him truly angry three times. The first was the night his mother was killed in front of him. The second was when I took the Mark," he said, unconsciously grabbing his forearm. Draco could see Hermione processing the information, the gears in her head practically visible.

"And the third?" She asked carefully, while looking at her untouched plate.

"During the Battle," he said, hoping she wouldn't push it. He locked eyes with her and she studied him for a moment, seemingly weighing her next question. "I think many of us were truly angry that day," he added as a note of finality on the subject.

"You tortured her before we rescued her?" Draco gave a sharp nod, eager to avoid further discussion of one of his greatest regrets. "Luna never mentioned that to me," Hermione said, pensively nodding as she looked through him.

"She was strangely understanding about the whole ordeal. Bella wanted me to get some practical experience, as she called it. She said either I practiced the Cruciatus on Luna or she'd give her to Greyback so he could finetune his Imperious." Hermione blanched at the mention of the brutal werewolf and Draco wondered if he'd forced her to relive her own experience at Malfoy Manor again. "Which I couldn't stomach, knowing exactly what kind of tasks he would've had her perform. But for some reason she just - well, Luna looked at me with pity as I did it. That was the worst part. She pitied me when I hurt her."

"Oh," she said nearly inaudible as she stared at him with wide eyes. Hermione looked as sick as Draco currently felt. He looked back at the door the couple left through, feeling extremely foolish for his behavior over the past few months. Apparently he didn't have to worry about Hermione Granger ruining his friendship with his best friend. He poisoned Theo against himself, his mistakes coming back to haunt him yet again.

"I didn't take you for an Exploding Snap fan," Hermione commented lightly, pulling Draco back to the room and away from his mental spiraling.

"I'm not," Draco shrugged, wondering why that was something she felt the need to comment on, of all things. He expected disgust or pity instead of an inquiry about game preferences. "I prefer Wizard's chess. But Luna likes it." Hermione seemed to register a moment of shock, before her eyebrows furrowed and she began to worry her bottom lip. Draco knew she was considering something, but he wasn't sure why his comment would invoke deep reflection. Lost in thought, Hermione did not hear him sniff loudly and stand up. Only when he pushed his chair back in and started to walk away did she look up.

"Where are you going?"

"I think I need to leave before he gets back," Draco sighed heavily. "He'll need some time to calm down, I suspect," he added, wondering if time would be enough to ease the rage he saw coursing through his best friend just minutes ago. "Have the elves make him beetlebourbon biscuits. That is his favorite when he is upset," Draco added, walking past her.

"Wait!" Hermione grabbed his arm to stop him. Draco felt himself straighten, acutely aware of her gentle touch. "I have something for you." She disappeared out another door, giving Draco a moment to wonder at his strange physical reaction. She came back in carrying a small potted plant, which she handed to him with a smile. He took it tentatively, looking between her and the plant. It had several long green leaves sticking up out of the deep green pot it was in. "Muggles usually bring a gift when they visit someone for the first time. A hostess gift. Or in your case, a host gift. I forgot last night and after being there, I thought you might like this."

"A plant?" Draco asked, wondering why she'd ever think he'd want a plant. "Do I look like Longbottom to you?"

"It's called a snake plant," Hermione said as a self-satisfied smile broke out across her face. She leaned in a big as she said, as though she were letting him in on some big joke. Draco felt his lips twitch in response, but didn't let his face betray him. "I saw it on my errands this morning and I thought it could brighten up your home."

"Thanks, Granger," Draco replied, now staring at the plant with wonder as he analyzed this new and surprising development. Perhaps she didn't care about the past like he thought she did. Perhaps they were moving away from civil and closer to becoming friends. Perhaps she was a friend who thought about him during errands and purchased gifts for him. He could use this to win Theo over again. "A snake for a snake," Draco said proudly with a smirk.

"It is just common courtesy, Malfoy," Hermione replied, still smiling at him. "We're civil, remember?" Malfoy could feel himself deflate in disappointment almost immediately. She still hated him. This plant wasn't a peace offering, but a reminder that she was being nice because she had to. For Theo. He felt foolish for even momentarily entertaining the possibility that they could be friends.

"Right," Draco said briskly. "Thanks, Granger. You've got a smudge on your cheek by the way," he added just as he left the room, aware of how childish it was to lie to make her feel self-conscious in a petty retaliation, but unwilling to let himself care.

Rather than head directly home, Draco flooed to the manor. He quietly walked towards the kitchen to grab whatever was made for lunch, the only noise in the hallway his stomach rumbling with hunger.

"Draco, darling," his mother's voice called from the end of the hall as she walked toward him, "what are you doing here? I thought that you were having -" Narcissa stopped, staring at the gift in his arms. "What is that dear?"

"A plant," Draco answered, cursing himself for not going directly home and requesting lunch from Tippy in the comfort and safety of his own home.

"Yes, I can see that. Did you buy yourself a plant?" Narcissa asked, a mix of humor and confusion in her light voice. "You know your mother has a green thumb; I gladly would've helped you pick one out."

"No, Granger gave it to me," Draco said gruffly, knowing what would happen next.

"She gave you a present? Does that mean -"

Draco held up his hand. "No, Mother. This was a muggle custom. She called it a hostess gift."

"So, she doesn't realize what a gift like this means in wizarding society?" His mother's disappointment was palpable.

"No, and I'll thank you not to tell her." Draco gave his mother a stern look, one she returned twofold.

"Nonsense. I'm tutoring her, my love. She needs to know she can't be giving single young wizards tokens like this," Narcissa sighed, eyeing the plant again. "Other families will not be so understanding. Could you imagine if she gave this to someone like the Longbottom boy? His traditional grandmother would be setting the wedding date despite her protests. Or worse, someone willing to threaten Theo should he turn their proposal down following a courting gift." Draco noted the sevre look she leveled him with.

"It's a plant, Mother," Draco said exasperatedly, annoyed that his generation was still held to customs that had fallen out of favor long before he was born. He didn't want to start a fight by explaining that he was certain Hermione had given Neville Longbottom gifts in the past.

"Again, I can see that," Narcissa responded, plainly as annoyed by him. She reached out to touch the tip of one of the green leaves, rubbing it between the pads of her fingers as she examined it. "I'm not familiar with the meaning behind that one, but we should consult the books to determine what she meant by it should you be mistaken in her intentions."

"She meant that I am an adult living in an empty house," Draco said too loud, his patience officially worn thin. "I believe we can consider this a pity present, especially after today," he added bitterly

"She's seen your house?" Narcissa asked quietly, her face neutral as she watched for his response, though he could see her internally celebrating. Draco bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying something rude that would set his mother off.

"I'll speak to you later, Mother. I had a rather unfortunate lunch at Theo's and never got to the actual eating aspect of the meal," Draco said dismissively, unwilling to recount his strange evening with Granger the night before. "But I beg you not to blow this out of proportion with Granger," he added as he began walking towards the kitchen again.

"I'll make you a deal," Narcissa offered from behind him. He stopped, but refused to turn around. "Tell me what happened at lunch and I swear to you that I will only mention the meaning of exchanging gifts between two unbetrothed people in formal society. I won't mention you to Hermione at all."

Draco sighed and let his eyes drift to the ceiling as he thought about his mother's words. He turned around to face her, knowing he'd lost when he saw her small smile. "Very well, Mother. Lead the way."