They Apparate just outside the gates of Malfoy Manor. Draco commands the dark heavy metal to open by simply stepping forward. Potter follows him, gulping. His last memories of this place are not happy ones. They both stop a couple yards ahead, looking over their shoulders. Hermione Granger has not taken a single step. She is stuck to the gravel on the path, unmoving. Eyes wide without seeing. Remembering. Her hand reaches for her arm and holds tight, like something there hurts. Harry walks back to her, offering his hand and beckoning her to come.
"She is no longer here" Draco hears himself say "I know she hurted you but she isn't even alive anymore." There is a pang in his chest at that. A pain he hadn't paid attention to yet. He will deal with it later, so he swallows and brings his chin back up. "She cannot hurt you, not today, not ever again. Think Granger, we don't have much time before people notice you two gone."
That does it. She lets go of her arm and moves forward, intention in her stride, a purpose for every step. The large doors atop the stone steps come open for the heir of Malfoy and he leads the others into the house. Lucius Malfoy stares at them from across the hall, proud and judging.
So he came round, Draco thinks, she conquered him too. She has a way of winning people over. Let's see how she fares with these two.
"They are not here to take her, Father. They will meet her and go back to Hogwarts. When the Ministry comes to investigate, they will stand by us on this matter."
"Very well, then. Do I need to take your wands?" He is back to his old self, all Pure-blood pride, sneering at the sight of something beneath him. It is all he can do not to break now, so that he does not reveal the utter relief coursing through his veins that he no longer has to fight children. That he is not put in a position of fighting for the Dark Lord's child, ruining all his chances of remaining free.
Draco shakes his head while holding a hand up at the others. This will go quietly. His father invites them further inside, leading the way up the staircase and through the corridors. Malfoy ancestors look down, some make remarks about the Mudblood and Draco is secretly sorry for Granger. They see Narcissa standing before double doors half way down a corridor. A lioness guarding them, really. She thinks it fortunate that her son came home, but she knows nothing of the intentions of his company and was not expecting two.
"Stand down, Mother. They mean no harm." He truly believes it but he can see the fright in their faces, the tension in their bodies and a corner of his mind regrets that they still have wands. "Is she still asleep?"
She shakes her head and turns, reaching for the door. Not for the handle but for the engraved wooden door itself. She puts her palm against it and it comes ajar.
"You have wards on the door?" Granger asks, her voice but a whisper.
"The Dark Lord had us put them in place. Only five people could open the door" He can see Granger doing the maths and noticing something but continues "He added something later but never told us what. I'm not sure if you can make it past... just be careful" He walks inside immediately after his mother and moves to stand between Delphini and the door. Narcissa notices but keeps her face steady and looks towards the door.
Harry and Hermione seem to be gathering all of their Gryffindor courage. Harry moves a hand forward, hoping for a stunning spell alone but all too aware that it may be much much worse. When nothing happens, he steps in the room. Hermione follows him and they both take a moment to steady their hearts. Then, they look. Draco stands in their way but they can see her. They stare at the baby playing on the floor. A stuffed hippogriff forgotten by her side, playing with colourful cubes.
"She is... older than I thought" Granger breaks the ice "How old is she?"
"A bit over nine months" Draco answers and his voice draws the little girl's attention. She giggles, drops the cubes and crawls over to him. The little dress she's in ruffling against the carpet, becoming not-quite-so-white. "This is Delphini." He says, picking her up. The child takes in the sight of the two newcomers, quickly shifting her eyes between them.
"Nine months... that means..." Granger is mumbling, her mind alight and running "She is the reason Bellatrix wasn't there when Snape killed Dumbledore... She is named after a star, so no doubt people will believe her to be Bellatrix's." Narcissa looks at Hermione then, thinking the girl was also named after the dragon that guarded the oracle. But that is a Gaunt tradition and it will only hinder their chances. So the Slytherin in her beckons her silence.
"Since no one knew of the-the-the... affair" her face twists a bit at that "they will also assume she is Rodolphus'. I think there is a chance this could work, Harry."
Harry is dumbfounded. The Dark Lord's child has black hair and green eyes. He suddenly realizes that what he had seen through the connection with Voldemort were not memories of himself the night his parents died but thoughts of her, of this child. Now so obviously different, too young, curls in her hair and not a scar in sight.