Over the next week and a half or so, Hermione had a wonderful time with Draco and his parents, more so than she thought she ever could. They were out of Malfoy Manor more than they were in it, for Lucius and Narcissa wanted to treat their son and his girlfriend to every luxury possible in the country, despite Draco's constant reminders about their reduced finances.
They had breakfast at the Manor every morning, served by the lovely house elves that now had an hour off-duty every Sunday, to their confusion but gratitude. It was a big house after all, and several female elves were (to Hermione's horrified delight) pregnant. She had asked Draco on how that worked, and he had shrugged, telling her that it was his father who saw to their breeding, although he assured her that Lucius was very careful and knowledgeable about what he was doing.
After breakfast, they would all Apparate to a known Wizarding community, with Draco bringing Hermione using Side-Apparition, as all the Malfoys had been to these places before and simply wanted to show Hermione around. Draco would show Hermione to his favorite places and sites, as well as give her a tour of each village's bookstore, much to her delight. Lucius and Narcissa would call on their friends, pure-bloods and half-bloods alike, although they visited more of the latter, for the pure-bloods mostly lived in houses like the Malfoys' and were less receptive to Lucius and Narcissa for their now apparent "blood-traitor" status, although the family was still feared and respected. Lucius made sure of that, and Hermione found it amusing how Lucius and Narcissa could be so warm and friendly privately, but in public, they were as cold and condescending as ever.
Hermione and Draco would join Lucius and Narcissa for lunch with whichever family they were visiting for the day, and then the Malfoys, with Hermione, would depart to go shopping. Actually, it was Hermione and Narcissa shopping. Lucius and Draco were there to hold bags and give opinions. Narcissa delighted in spoiling Hermione with dresses, robes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. Hermione protested vehemently to the indulgent treatment, but Draco's mother would have none of it. She told Hermione seriously that she'd never had the chance to have this kind of fun, seeing as Draco was too ugly, and her sisters called her hobby "nonsense," and pleaded with Hermione not to spoil her fun.
Of course, Hermione couldn't say "no" after that. Day after day, she patiently modeled for Draco and his parents her new clothes, and thought of her rather drab dressing before she came to Wiltshire. Well, I guess there's no going back now. I'll never be able to wear anything plain again after this. It was true. By the end of the holiday break, Narcissa had basically bought Hermione a wardrobe three times the size of all her wardrobes, from babyhood to now, combined. Now I see where Draco gets his generosity from.
After Narcissa saw that Lucius and Draco had had enough bags to carry, or that she was getting hungry, Hermione and the Malfoys would go to the fanciest restaurant in town. They liked to eat foreign food whenever possible, so Hermione got to taste a wide variety of food during her stay. Draco revealed that their family had a tradition of visiting a foreign country for a month every year, and so that was why all of them liked to eat non-traditional food.
Hermione was astonished when Draco told her that he had been to Greece, France, Belgium, China, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Australia. Lucius and Narcissa had been to almost every country in the world, and claimed that they had enjoyed the liveliness and festivities in the American Deep South the most. In fact, their favorite city was New Orleans, and Hermione was brimming with questions about everywhere Lucius and Narcissa had been, particularly that splendid city.
However, Hermione counted mentally that although Draco was eighteen, he had only been to about fifteen countries. She realized that his family probably hadn't gone on their annual trip since Lucius's incarceration in Azkaban, and so thoughtfully expressed her desire to visit New Orleans sometime, prompting Narcissa to excitedly plan a trip to the United States next summer, of course, with Hermione traveling with them.
They would arrive back at Malfoy Manor early in the evening, with Hermione feeling like she was going to pop from all the food Narcissa kept forcing onto her. Lucius agreed that she looked underfed, and Draco helpfully supplied the fact that she would sometimes skip meals to study for an exam. Her room was on the other side of the Manor in relation to Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco's bedrooms. This was because Narcissa didn't "trust her little boy not to be naughty with his girlfriend around," although Draco protested that at school, their rooms were already right next door to each other.
"We've shared a bloody bathroom together since September!" he had cried vehemently, until silenced by his father's glare. Hermione didn't mind. Their bedrooms were very close to the drawing room, where she had almost been killed last Easter. Her bedroom was right upstairs from the dining room, and that's all she really went to in the house. She hadn't even been inside Draco's bedroom once, again, per his parents "old-fashioned" rules.
Her room was very nice, though. It was much larger than her room in Montecino Tower, and also came with a bathroom. The walls were painted a champagne color, and all the furniture was made from rosewood. Her bedspread was red embroidered with gold swirls, and Hermione could immediately imagine Narcissa having bought this very "Gryffindor" bed set from Diagon Alley as soon as she received Draco's letter.
Her only complaint could be about the window, for there was none. Although Malfoy Manor had a lot of windows, they were all big, tall windows that were for the living rooms, drawing room, and dining room. In the bedrooms, especially the smaller ones, windows were nonexistent, and Hermione wasn't lucky enough to be placed in one with a tiny pane of glass. However, the lack of windows made the room seem more cozy and safe, and Crookshanks definitely liked that.
In fact, Crookshanks felt right at home here, and although he couldn't go outside and hunt for his food as usual, it was made up for the fact that he and Lucius Malfoy took an immediate liking to one another. On the second day of Hermione's stay at Malfoy Manor, Hermione and the Malfoys had gone to Diagon Alley, specifically Magical Menagerie, to buy Crookshanks a litter box as well as cat food. While three out of the four wizards browsed for treats and toys, an awkward Lucius Malfoy was left in charge of Crookshanks, and they bonded quickly.
By the fourth day of Hermione's stay, Crookshanks would always follow Lucius into his study once the family got home from dinner, and curl up in his lap while he went over his papers and research to relax. Hermione didn't mind, though. Lucius had never had a pet besides his owl, and neither had Narcissa. They had explained to Hermione that in the old Wizarding families, it was uncommon to keep pets other than owls, who were considered the most expensive and "high-class" pets.
However, Crookshanks would still stand guard over Hermione's sheets at night, so she didn't feel lonely. She was also getting along very well with Miffi, who was devoted to her. Although the Malfoys had been ruthless masters in the past, after Lord Voldemort's occupation in the Manor, all three of the Malfoys, Lucius in particular, came to appreciate the work the house-elves did for them, shuddering at the thought of having to please the Dark Lord and clean and cook and launder all at the same time during Voldemort's usage of the Manor as his headquarters.
Hermione grudgingly accepted that the elves were never going to petition for regular pay, extended holidays, or wear decent clothes. She compromised with her beliefs and the proof that both the Malfoys and the elves were happy in this situation, and dropped any further requests for elf rights. If everyone can treat their elves like this, then I think we'll be all set. Some things are just impossible to change. she thought, although she didn't really mind, as her beliefs hadn't really changed, and she was going to continue on S.P.E.W, although with less expectations.
In the evenings, while Lucius would read or wrote with Crookshanks in his study, not really "working" as he had promised, Narcissa, Draco, and Hermione would do whatever Hermione wanted to do. This made Hermione feel uncomfortable, for she didn't know what she could want after everyday being so fun and relaxing, unless it was homework. However, Draco had forbidden her to even touch a book, saying that Malfoy Manor's library would be available to her only on Christmas day, as a present from the entire family. Hermione was only allowed to write letters to Ginny and Zacharias, and Narcissa made sure Bubble took long trips just so Hermione wouldn't be able to write novels instead of enjoying herself.
In the end, Narcissa suggested that Hermione show them Muggle pastimes, as both she and Draco were rather interested in that. So in the evenings, Hermione would play Muggle cards with them, after a trip to Muggle London to buy the cards, which fascinated the entire Malfoy family, although they were on edge the entire time. Thankfully, Hermione had made sure they looked decently Muggle in dress before they left Diagon Alley so their discomfort wouldn't be added onto by the pointing and whispering of Muggle bystanders. So far, Hermione had managed to teach them Blackjack, Poker, and Old Maid, and they were delighted with them. They had even started gambling, and finally, Lucius and Crookshanks were drawn over by the sound of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts being passed from hand to hand. Lucius always managed to beat them in Blackjack, having an uncanny knowledge of when he ought to take another card, but somehow, whenever they played Old Maid, he would always end up holding the Joker.
On the day before Christmas, Hermione went with the Malfoys back to Muggle London again, and rented a car. She had learned to drive and had obtained a license over the summers away from Hogwarts when she wasn't vacationing out of the country or at the Burrow, and had the pleasure of driving the Malfoys through the streets of London. They were frightened at first, but eventually, they got used to sitting in the vibrating vehicle and stared outside at all the Muggle buildings and shops in the nice, warm car. Draco sat in the front with Hermione, and was fascinated at her operating so many pedals, buttons, and the wheel all at the same time.
That day, Hermione took the Malfoys shopping in Muggle London as well, and they bought a variety of things with the Muggle money Hermione had exchanged for the money she had withdrawn out of her Gringotts account earlier in the morning. Although the Malfoys protested that she was their guest and they would not take her money, Hermione insisted that this was her treat, so she could thank them for their generosity and hospitality in at least some small way.
Narcissa was enraptured by the newest Muggle fashion trends, and bought many Muggle coats, scarves, and hats. Lucius was enthralled by Muggle books on things such as electricity, which was a completely new concept to him. Hermione thought he rather resembled Mr. Weasley as he flipped through the pages of the four books he had bought on the subject, fascinated by this technology. Draco fell in love with the televisions in the electronics store they walked into, and begged repeatedly for one to be installed in Malfoy Manor, to which his parents replied with a carefree "We'll see," although Hermione couldn't see how they could put electricity in a Wizarding home.
For lunch, Hermione took the Malfoys to a movie theatre that also served meals with each movie. They watched, "The Parent Trap," and the Malfoys were quite delighted with the movie, as well as the meal, which consisted of fish and chips and something called "soda pop" that they rather enjoyed. Even Lucius got himself a refill, and Draco downed several cups of the bubbly drink.
In the afternoon, Hermione drove them to visit Muggle monuments such as Buckingham Palace, and while they were inside touring the grand place, which rivaled the opulence of Malfoy Manor, Hermione was regaled from Lucius the tale of Armand Malfoy receiving the original Malfoy land from King William I.
For dinner, the family headed back to Malfoy Manor, where a sumptuous Christmas Eve meal was waiting for them. Hermione laughed that if this was the meal preceding tomorrow's sure-to-be even grander meal, she was quite frightened for her poor stomach tomorrow.
"Then don't eat so much." Draco had suggested, helping himself to generous amounts of green bean casserole, one of his favorite foods.
That evening, the family didn't play cards, but sang Christmas carols. Narcissa was rather talented on the piano, and Hermione, Draco, and Lucius would sing along as she played. Of course, the house-elves had decorated the Christmas tree at the beginning of December, according to Lucius, but now they all placed the presents they had prepared for one another under the lavishly decorated tree.
Hermione had already mailed off Ginny, Harry, and Zacharias's presents with Bubble, and she even sent a little present to Ron as a sign of goodwill. She had made Draco send presents to people outside his family, as well. She had expected him to send some things to his old friends, such as Pansy Parkinson and Gregory Goyle, but he had declared that as they would not send him anything, neither would he. In the end, he just sent presents to Ginny and Zacharias, only to satisfy Hermione, though.
Hermione had had no idea on what she was going to give to Lucius and Narcissa for Christmas, as they seemed to already have everything, so she settled for Muggle specialties that would surely excite them. For Draco, though, she had already had her present ready since September.
She was left to wonder what they had prepared for her, and what they were planning to give to each other. As she snuggled with Crookshanks that night, she wished to be wrapped in Draco's warm arms and fall asleep, which seemed like she hadn't done for ages and was used to after several months, but looked forward to Christmas morning tomorrow, as it would bring her closer to going back to Hogwarts, and therefore closer to falling asleep to the beat of Draco Malfoy's heart again.