Hermione's P.O.V.
Hermione sat in the living room of Grimmauld Place as she flipped through another page of her book. Even though a roaring fire was going beneath the mantle, she couldn't help but let herself bundle up in the thin blanket she had found thrown over the back of the sofa.
She had accompanied herself to the dust that she couldn't seem to escape since she had arrived a few days prior. Again, much like the previous summer, by floo. Only this time when she came stumbling out of the fireplace, she nearly tripped over the scraggly, toad-like elf that had "greeted" her. More or less it was just some mumbled grunts as he showed her to her room that she was sharing with Ginny.
The house that she toured through herself wasn't quite what she had been expecting. Aside from the horrid elf heads that hung on the walls as trophies, 12 Grimmauld Place was a dust ridden classy home between a Muggle residence. Hermione was surprised to find that bit of information when she had arrived but she didn't deem it as appropriate to ask Sirius how his family had come to own the house.
The Weasley family were obvious guests, but she was surprised to see a few familiar faces around the house, too. Her first night there, she ran into her old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin, and his "just-a-friend" Nymphadora Tonks (or just Tonks as she hated her first name). She seemed incredibly stubborn in a sense that Hermione could occasionally see in a bit of herself, but aside from that, she was interested in the particular magic Tonks invested in, one being her ability in Metamorphmagus. It was kind of odd to see her with white-blonde hair one minute, then turn to look again to find it a short bubble-gum pink.
There with them was Alastor Moody, and thankfully the real one this time. Hermione still wasn't quite accustomed to the eye that swiveled in the direction of anything that so much as moved.
A few other witches and wizards she was quickly introduced to popped in every now and then to speak with the rest of them in the kitchen. At those times, Hermione found herself either in the living room or upstairs talking with Ginny or Ron. She wondered what was so important that none of them were allowed to hear, but not wanting to pry, Hermione didn't ask about it whenever everyone was called down for dinner.
It was during one of those very meetings Hermione was sitting up in her room in a comfortable sweater and some trousers. Re-reading through A History of Magic again while Ron tried another product of the Weasley twins', Hermione allowed Crookshanks to nuzzle his way under her hand as she stroked the top of his head. Her foot lightly bounced in anticipation as her thoughts whirled with their upcoming visitor coming straight from the Dursleys. She had already heard enough from breakfast to know Harry was innocent, despite whatever the Ministry did or didn't say.
A minute later, a commotion of what almost sounded like stampedes of feet came from what she assumed was the front door.
Finally glancing up from her book, Hermione looked over to Ron who had an equally confused expression.
"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked, rising to his feet from the armchair. "Sounded like a whole flock of hippogriffs just came in."
Below the old floorboards that didn't do much to keep the sound out when someone was yelling through them, Hermione made out the voice of Mrs. Weasley calling up after someone on the steps.
"Straight up the stairs, first door on the left!"
Hermione and Ron were now standing in front of the door as she made out the sound of footsteps slowly wounding their way up. Curiosity getting the better of her, Hermione was about to reach for the handle when the door swung open on its own. The first thing she caught sight of was a pair of steely green eyes, disheveled hair, and crooked glasses.
"Harry!" Hermione cried, practically launching herself at him and into a hug. "Are you alright?"
Harry was about to nod before Ron came from behind her to pull her off of him. "He would be if you didn't nearly strangle him to death, Mione."
Quickly taking a step back, she let the two reacquaint before asking what had been worrying her for the past 12 hours. "We've all heard about what happened with the dementors," Hermione cut in. "And the upcoming hearing with the Ministry - it's...it's just ridiculous! I've already looked into it, they can't just expel you like that."
Harry's momentary smile slid off his face as Ron nodded in agreement. "It's really just unfair is what it is."
"Seems to be a lot of that going on nowadays," Harry muttered as she made a move to step around them. Hermione followed his figure as he took a minute to survey her and Ginny's room. "What on Earth even is this place?"
"It's, er, well…" Ron rubbed the back of his neck trying to think of the right words. "It's headquarters, if you could call it that. For the Order of the Phoenix."
Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. "The what?"
"The Order of the Phoenix," Hermione chimed in remembering what Ginny and Ron had filled her in on the day she arrived. "It's a secret society that was formed back when we were fighting You-Know-Who. I think Dumbledore even formed it himself."
"And he didn't think to tell me anything about it?" Harry snapped, a sudden annoyance taking over him. Hermione frowned at his sudden change in attitude but didn't say anything. "All summer, I didn't get a single scrap of news, and suddenly I've got a whole entourage showing up to bring me to some society that I didn't even know existed!"
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Harry beat her to it again. "Honestly, you think I'd get to hear something about all this. Come on, you both know I was the one who saw Cedric die last year, and I'm the one who saw Voldemort return. It's not like I've had nothing to do with this - !"
"Harry I know, but - "
" - I'm the whole reason he's back in the first place, and if there wasn't that stupid tournament in the first place, then - "
"Harry Potter, you stop it this instant!" Hermione shouted. Harry snapped his jaw shut even though that spark of frustration and annoyance still bubbled behind his eyes. Ron stood beside her, his hands stuffed into his pockets both looking worried for his best friend and frightened to open his mouth to the other.
"What's going on here?" a voice chimed in from behind them. Ginny poked her head in from around the doorway and immediately caught sight of Harry. "Oh, hi Harry!"
Looking between the red-head in the doorway and the boy who hadn't done much more than send her a forced smile, Hermione released a sigh and gave Ron a look that only said, I need a minute with him.
Nodding in agreement, Ron side-stepped around Hermione and said to Ginny, "Come on, Fred and George might still have that Extendable Ear thingy somewhere. We might be able to listen in a bit."
Ginny was about to retort before shrugging her shoulders with a bit of excitement. She was just as eager to hear what was going on downstairs as the rest of them. Ron shut the door behind him as he stepped out onto the landing, sending Hermione one last glance before disappearing down the hallway.
The second the door was closed, Hermione spun back to look at Harry with what he would describe as her "mother look". She was scolding him in a way he could only compare to Molly.
She and Harry simply stood and stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, the ticking of the clock on the side table echoing the seconds before Harry finally deflated.
"Alright let's hear it," he conceded, walking over to sink down onto the moth-eaten mattress. "What speech have you got planned this time?"
"Sadly, I didn't have one in mind," Hermione replied, her tone a bit harsher than she expected. "I thought of a nice greeting, but that didn't really go as planned."
Walking over to the bed, Hermione sat down beside him and stared out at the flaking walls. "Care to share right now?"
Harry took a second before shaking his head. "Not really."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and fiddled with a loose strand of hair. "I'm guessing your summer wasn't a wonderful one then?"
Harry snorted with no amusement. "So you did hear about the hearing tomorrow?"
"Yes," Hermione replied. "And I for one think it's an absolutely preposterous idea. Why on Earth would they charge you with expulsion for protecting yourself?"
"That's the same thing I've been wondering - "
"JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALOUD TO USE MAGIC OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL NOW DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERYTHING!"
Both Hermione and Harry's heads swiveled towards the doorway. Mrs. Weasley's shouting, which Hermione could only assume was directed towards the twins, carried all the way up the stairs and through the doorway. It echoed around the thin walls as she watched a small smile crack out across Harry's lips.
"I s'pose dinner's ready then," Harry said, rising to his feet as Hermione followed him down the stairs.
She took a special precaution to run past the screeching portrait of Sirius' mother who now took it upon herself to announce to the entire household that a "filthy Mudblood was staying in her home" and "oh the dishonor it brought upon the Black family".
She pulled Harry along before he had the chance to punch a hole through the painting.
Later that night, Hermione found herself in the living room again with Crookshanks curled up in her lap, his tail swishing from side to side as his contented purr ran up through her chest.
She didn't notice the footsteps creaking along the hallway until she heard a voice from the doorway.
"I never was a huge fan of cats, but this one seems to love you quite a bit."
Looking up from the bundle of fur, she gave Sirius a small smile as he strode into the room. "He had a long life in the shop, and I figured it was time to give him a chance in his own home."
Sirius chuckled as he finally came to a stop beside the mantle. Running a finger along the top, he brushed the layer of dust from his finger on his jacket as he sighed, eyes darting to each corner of the room. "Feels odd being back in my own home now," he remarked. "It looks a lot different from when I left it. I guess the wildlife that settled in didn't help much."
Hermione nodded at his reference to some of the banshees that she had been told were cleared out when Sirius first came back to his childhood home. "Does it feel good, though, to come back home to it?"
"Well, to be honest, I never did quite consider it my real home after I came back from Hogwarts," he replied. "After meeting James and Remus, it felt weird coming home without seeing any of them for an entire summer."
"I think I can relate to that," Hermione agreed in a quiet voice. As her mind drifted past Harry and Ron, the other one that came to mind was the blonde wizard she had stayed in contact with over the past two summers. "Not seeing someone you were close with in school over the summer is a bit odd sometimes."
"It seems like it," Sirius exclaimed, removing something from the pocket of his jacket. "And it also seems like you may have made another close friend there."
Coming forward, he handed her an envelope. Hermione immediately recognized the handwriting that had scrawled her name over the front of it, along with the newest address underneath.
"Harry wrote to me quite a bit to keep me updated on the tournament last year," he remarked. "Seems you may have made peace with my cousin's son. Draco, if I'm not mistaken."
Hermione looked up from the letter to see Sirius looking down at her with an easy smile. It wasn't strained or disapproving like she had almost expected it to be, but rather the opposite.
"Is he an admirer of yours?" Sirius asked as he started for the doorway.
Hermione refused to let her blush show, even if Sirius' back was turned.
"No," she replied in what she hoped was confidence. "He's just a friend."
Draco's P.O.V.
The next morning, Draco awoke to the light patter of rain on the window of his balcony and a soft nudge at the side of his face. Draco tried to swat it away, but the kneazle persisted and tried to nudge him completely out of bed. She managed to get a few inches before giving up and hopping back over the side of the bed.
Draco begrudgingly finally rose out of bed and quickly changed into a comfortable attire for the weather for what he assumed would keep him inside the Manor all day. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times and left it to hang in a casual manner, a few strands falling in front of his face.
Noctis followed him all the way down to the Manor's dining room and walked in to find his mother already seated at the table. She was seated by one of the windows with a copy of the Daily Prophet sprawled out in front of her and an untouched cup of tea beside it.
"Good morning, mother," he greeted as a house elf appeared with a tray of muffins and tea. Draco quietly thanked the elf before it disappeared and came to sit by his mother's side. She was occupied with one of the articles on the front page, and it wasn't until Draco accidentally scraped his chair across the floor that she finally looked up at him.
"A rather dreary morning, I'd say," Narcissa replied, finally lifting her cup of tea to her lips. Her lips screwed together in a thin line before she added another splash of cream to the cup. "I do hope you slept alright. We'll be heading out for Diagon Alley later today to pick up some of your school supplies."
"You know I can always go shopping by myself," Draco muttered before taking a bite of a muffin. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy her company, he just thought from time to time he was a little old to be accompanied every year by his mother to pick up some potion ingredients and school books.
"What, am I getting too boring for you?" Narcissa chuckled as she took another sip of her tea, finally seeming satisfied with the taste. "If it would help, I can always hold your hand like I used to back when you were younger - "
"Absolutely not."
Narcissa chuckled to herself as Draco scowled down at his breakfast.
"Well, I'm afraid I have to pick up a few things from Madame Malkin's anyways, so you'll be stuck coming with me either way," Narcissa concluded. "If you'd like, you can always invite someone to come along. Perhaps Ms. Granger is free today…"
"Mother, don't even start." Draco sneered. He didn't even bother acknowledging his mother's smile as the door to the dining room swung open and his father stepped in. Both he and Narcissa seemed a bit surprised to see him, seeing as he kept talking about some important business to attend at the Ministry today. Specifically a meeting he was supposed to have with the Minister himself before a hearing Duge was supposed to attend.
"Ah, there you are," Lucius exclaimed as he strode towards the two. "Afraid I have some news, Cissa, though I'm not sure if it's good or bad."
Draco was surprised once again at the use of his father's shortened name for his mother. Usually, he only ever heard him use it when the two were in private, and he usually left the scene before things got too...he honestly didn't even want to think about it.
"I don't think I'll be able to make it to the dinner tonight, and I know Mr. Parkinson needed to discuss something," Lucius continued. "We'll have to reschedule for some other time, though I know he'll throw some sort of fuss about it again with the other families."
"Weren't you glad he went and bragged that the Malfoy's hadn't shown up to their Christmas party?" Narcissa asked as she rose from her seat. Going to fix the clip Lucius was fiddling with to hold his robe together, she batted his hands away and continued. "You don't seem overly disappointed."
"Frankly, I'm glad to get out of it," Lucius muttered. He glanced down at Draco as the corner of his lip barely twitched upward. "You don't seem too disappointed either, Draco."
"If it means Pansy won't cling to me like a leach, I'll be okay with it," Draco replied. His father let out a low chuckle before smoothing down his robes when Narcissa stepped back to admire her work.
"In that case, I'll be off." Lucius stated, his easy and casual posture suddenly giving away to the father he usually saw nowadays. Leaning forward, Lucius placed a gentle kiss on Narcissa's temple before stepping back and heading for the door again. It gave Draco a little peace to know that, even though his father was not one to show emotion, he did love his mother. He couldn't remember a time when, even in public or in the privacy of the Manor, Lucius never left without bidding his wife farewell with an embrace or kiss.
"Do tell Mr. Parkinson I apologize for the inconvenience, though." Lucius exclaimed.
"I'm sure he'll be thrilled!" Narcissa called after him. Even as the door swung shut, Draco noticed the hint of a smirk on his father's lips as the echoing click of the door echoed through the now still dining room.
"He certainly will be," Draco mumbled as he took another bite of muffin. "He'll probably find some way to get us back there, though."
"I don't doubt it," he heard Narcissa mumble under her breath. "But before your father came in, remind me, what was it we were discussing?"
Draco played along and rolled his eyes. "Shopping."
Narcissa snapped her fingers as if a brilliant thought had struck her. "Right, right. Well, I see no reason why we can't have a few others accompany us to Diagon. I'm sure Blaise wouldn't mind getting out of one of the assemblies I heard he and his family were attending today with the Nott's. We can even invite Daphne to come along if you'd like. I know Blaise for one would be thrilled."
Draco snorted and nodded his head in agreement. A few friends tagging along certainly would make the trip a lot more interesting, and anything was better than another dinner with the Parkinson's. At the back of his mind, though, he genuinely thought about what Hermione would say if he ever made a request like that. Right now, he pictured her eating breakfast surrounded by the Weasley's and who he recently discovered to be his distant uncle, Sirius Black. He figured he was a rather distant thought in her mind at the moment.
He hoped his mother didn't notice him shake his head to erase the thought from his mind.
She probably would say no, honestly too busy with the start of school, especially at a new place. After all, she was just a friend.
Hello my fellow readers!
Apologies for the late update into the next chapter of Draco and Hermione's story, but I hope you guys enjoyed and stay in tune for the next chapter coming soon!
And, as always, I wish you a fantastic morning, afternoon, evening, or night!
-Summerwinds