Draco was anxiously waiting for the morning mail. The owl was to bring them either salvation or the necessity to reveal Hermione's secret to her father. He understood why the Gryffindor did not want this information to end up in Dumbledore's hands. He is too focused on success and uses all means to achieve it like a Slytherin.

- Do not worry. Narcissa will definitely send you your favorite cookies. - he heard Pansy Parkinson's mocking voice.

- I know this. And I don't get nervous, I just slept badly.

Sometimes he wondered what his father saw in a possible alliance between the House of Malfoys and the House of Parkinson's. They did not represent anything that his family would no longer have. Even in terms of what his family has lost in recent generations. He talked to his mother about this and somehow he could not imagine that further involvement in inbreeding would be the correct policy. But how to explain it to an unrepentant conservative like his father.

- Ah Hermes, do not nibble me - Draco shook himself from the owl, which he had not noticed, busy thinking - Here and you can go back to mom.

- Your mother's owl must be waiting for an answer. - Blaise Zabini said under his breath, busy eating his traditional (in his opinion) Italian breakfast. Biscotti and coffee.

Draco broke the seal on the letter with trembling hands and read the words his mother had written. Relief flooded his heart, because although they fail to hide this information from the lecturer, his godfather is under no obligation to give the test results further. A smile crept on his face as his mother asked if he would mind inviting Hermione and her parents to Christmas. He took his pen from the bag along with an unmarked envelope. He wrote the answer on the back of his mother's letter. In the envelope, he wrote a short note to his friend, addressed her, and stood up.

xxx

- She succeeded? - she asked her husband. With a smile on her face and fear in her eyes, she tried to get him to deny her fears.

- Do you doubt our daughter? - Regulus ran his fingers through his black hair. I couldn't address Narcissa directly because I don't know what my status is in the wizarding world. It would be careless.

- Will you remind me why we even do this? - She whispered hugging her friend's side.

- Jean, we're doing this to get our lives back. However, even if there is no longer a place for us with our loved ones, we will always be next to each other. Besides, I can't imagine a day when I would quit you or Hermione. I may not be her biological father but we raised her together for so many years …

- Mr. Black, you can't help but notice that our little girl is a perfect match between me and the two of you. - The woman chuckled between sips of her honey tea.

- If you forgot, I took your surname. - A smile appeared on his face. - Hermione must have passed the information where it needed to be. Only one thing worries me. Or rather, not one thing, just a few things.

- What, honey? - She sighed, hoping that he shared her fears and that he had found nothing new.

- With each of her letters, I can see more and more that in a short time she has established a specific bond with Narcissa's son. I have never met him, but considering that Lucius Malfoy is his father ... There is one more thing. I'm afraid I'll never get my memories back before that accident. Regulus closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

- As for Draco, I noticed it too. She writes more about him than she ever wrote about Ron, and you remember that I thought she had a crush on him. As for your memories… It's a miracle that you got the majority back. You had a fractured skull ... Concussion. They had to give you over two liters of blood. You were lucky I was in the ward at the time and that I recognized you. I gave you Severus' blood. I wasn't sure a Muggle will erase your magic.

The man looked at her with surprise in his eyes. - What the hell did Severus give you so much blood for?

- The curiosity of a scientist. The difference between wizard's blood and muggle blood. - The woman replied without any embarrassment.

- And I was wondering where Hermione's penchant for books came from. It's in her genes. What else could have come from the intersection of Severus Snape and Jean Granger? - he concluded with a smile on his face.

xxx

She didn't know what happened when there was a silence in the Great Hall while we were eating breakfast. She didn't even think about it. She devoted all her attention to the upcoming humiliation associated with the Potions lesson. She did not consider it a humiliation that one of the greatest minds in the field was her father, but that she had completely failed to inherit his abilities.

- Malfoy, what are you doing here? Ron growled, his mouth full (as usual at a meal).

Hermione turned to see the boy she had spent more time with in the last few days than with anyone else - Did something happen? - she smiled at him.

- No, I just came to give it to you. - he stretched out his hand in which the envelope was addressed to it. - It must have fallen out after our meeting in the library yesterday. Do you have a list of the ingredients you need with you? If not, I will still manage to enter the dormitory for my own.

- Draco, I have one. You don't have to treat me like a child. - She looked as he returned her smile and turned to return to his seat.

The girl allowed herself to be smiling for a moment because of the presence of a sneak at her house table, but what she thought deserved approval was not necessarily like that in the eyes of her friends.

- Hermione, what's that supposed to mean? - Harry said with a face a shade more red than in the fate of Ron Weasley. Ron who just choked on his breakfast.

- What do you mean? I was assigned to the assignment with Draco, and for the time being, we announced a truce with all the courtesy that should surround two students of the same year at the same school.

Hermione Granger vowed to herself that she would finally talk to them tonight. She still didn't trust them, and she still felt pained at the fact that they rejected her so easily, but she missed them. But now she had other problems on her mind, and Gryffindor home prejudices were not her priority at this point. So she hurriedly packed her things and headed for the door with the letter in her hand. A brief moment was enough to make her worry again about something she should have admitted a long time ago.

xxx

Lucius Malfoy didn't like not knowing. He was not one of those people who did not penetrate deeper into the things that interested them. This time was no different. The fact that the witch named by his friend as the future Lady Malfoy was not of clear origin was disturbing. She had a stepfather and no one knew who her biological father was. And that in his eyes was unbearable.

- What bothers you, darling? - Narcissa asked, entering his personal office - you close yourself here whenever you want to solve a mystery. I know from your father that you have been doing this from an early age. - The woman chuckled slightly at the image presented to her by her deceased father-in-law. She had never thought before that conversation that Lucius liked to do puzzles as a child.

- You said Miss Granger has a stepfather. I can't help but think who her father is. - The man ran his fingers through his silky blonde hair.

- I was wondering too. But is it important? Maybe that eliminates her from Severus' plan? - she replied with a smile on her face.

To Narcissa's surprise, Lucius growled with a passion she hadn't seen in years. - I want to know who her father is.

- Luc, you're acting like a teenager now. Like when in school you tried to convince Sev to make a triad and he consistently refused you. How it was? "Lucius is really not into blondes."

- He liked the redhead. - he said angrily in his voice.

Narcissa sat down on the back of the armchair next to her husband. - Haven't you noticed all these years that he didn't say he wasn't interested in men? As for the redheads ... If you mean Lilly, he will love her for the rest of his life ONLY as a sister. How many years will you suffer from rejection?

xxx

Draco was waiting for Hermione just outside the door of the Great Hall. He could see that she was sad. His instinct was to immediately take her into his arms. The embrace was short, but it was enough to cheer her up. At least that's what he hoped for.

- I'll be there with you. Mom wrote that without your consent, this information could not be disclosed. I don't know how my uncle will approach it, but I don't think it will be too bad. - The boy tried to make his voice gentle.

- Why did your parents invite mine? - she asked walking beside him.

- Mom probably finally came up with theories about the amount of things I mention in my letters that have to do with you. - Draco immediately sensed the blush on his face. - you know, they are rather traditional, so suspecting my intentions, they would like to meet the family of my chosen one.

- But I'm only fourteen !

- The more interesting thing is that you did not contradict my potential intentions. - Hermione winced at his chuckle.

xxx

They both lay cuddled while watching a movie. It was a very limited time in their professional career where they could relax.

- You're better to cuddle than a pillow. - she said, stretching herself. - What are you giggling so much?

- I wonder about Lucius' reaction. How the poor guy discovers that his Sev at school was not as innocent as he thought ... - the man's voice was clearly amused.

- Bring me closer to what's going on. - Jean sat up and stared at her husband expectantly.

- Students outside of Slytherin were convinced that Severus Snape was lonely due to the regular bullying done by the Marauders. However, the truth was different. A large proportion of the girls and boys wanted to play the role of a "nurse" for him who would heal his broken heart. Lucius and his friends, however, wore blinders and saw him as a good expert in potions and spells. - He sighed and was silent for a moment, as if he was wondering about something. - And to Lucius, Sev has always been innocent about the romance. I have a suspicion bordering on certainty that he wanted to take this innocence away from him.

- Hermione is living proof that this innocence is long gone. It will actually be an interesting meeting. Interesting on many levels. - Mrs. Granger couldn't help but smile at the memory of the "innocence" of a man who was so confident both in and out of bed.

xxx

Severus Snape was pleased to see the couples working together during class. He was afraid that mixed Slytherin-Gryffindor pairs would be a complete disaster, but surprised himself positively. To his surprise, even Neville Longbottom was doing well after being taken under his wing by Pansy Parkinson. This couple was driving him crazy. Miss Parkinson was very intelligent as she focused her attention on something other than trying to become another Lady Malfoy. Neville Longbottom, with his knowledge of herbs and magical plants, embarrassed many adult wizards. If he only focused a little on his classes, he could add the mastery of potions to his achievements.

- I hope you all are ready today. Please clear the stands and leave the corked and labeled bottles with the reports on the desks. - he turned to the students in his usual monotone.

He watched as others left the room. Some confident, some like Ron Weasley and Vincent Crabble a bit nervous. However, Severus Snape did not expect the two couples to stay.

Harry Potter, Daphne Greengrass, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were left behind.

xxx

Albus Dumbledore paced the office. He felt that something was happening beyond his reach. He knew he had to do something about it. Only first he had to find the source of his problem, which unfortunately would have to wait. Unfortunately, Sirius Black is his priority now. This animagus couldn't get close to Harry alone until Potter learned what he needed to know.

xxx

To see the Potions Master watching you in complete silence is truly scary. Just as Harry wanted to talk to him about the difficulty of the burn potion, now he just wanted to run away.

- Professor, we wanted to ask about our potion. We did everything according to the instructions in the textbook and from the reference books from the library and still did not get the shade we should get from the answer key added to the task. - Miss Greengrass said, thereby saving Harry from facing one of the most intimidating teachers in his life.

- All requests will be forwarded when submitting assessments. However, today I can say that slight differences in shade may arise, among other things, if the ingredients or ingredient was unripe or damaged. However, it is also part of the test. You have to be able to select ingredients in terms of their quality. - He sighed impatiently. - Anything else bothering you, Mr. Potter?

- No, professor.

Harry looked worriedly at his friend. He could clearly see that she was comfortable with Draco Malfoy, and he wasn't sure if he was happy about it.

xxx

He felt. He was alive. Was. It was the most important thing at the moment. It wasn't just an illusory dream fueled by longing and regret. He could feel Peter. He was alive and in hiding. Which meant he had a chance of an acquittal. And to get my godson back. After all, only he was left with him. He didn't know what was going on with Remus, Lily and James were dead. And Reg ... his little brother. He is missing. Regulus Black is probably dead. And unfortunately he was dead to him the moment Sirius chose his brother by choice instead of his blood brother. And he missed him as much as he missed his friends ...

xxx

Hermione had never felt so nervous. Even on the day she first came to the castle. Fortunately, the shaking of her hand was noticed by the blonde standing next to her. She felt his support as he moved closer to her.

- And what stopped you? - she heard her professor's deep voice.

Draco looked at her and nodded his head for her to speak.

- We have no problem with the potion itself, but …

She handed Severus Snape the parchment soaked in the potion. Then she made a slight cut on the fingertip and dropped her blood on the parchment. The man did not even have time to say anything as his eyes began to show something that he had not expected. He did not raise his voices. He did not comment on anything, but wrote a short note on parchment with a pen. We'll have to talk later. No witnesses in the form of portraits who like gossiping among themselves so much. - It seems to me that everything is correct. However, it will test your elixir for possible abnormalities.

xxx

Narcissa Malfoy was no longer expecting guests that day. Therefore, she was surprised to discover that someone was trying to pass through their fireplace without warning.

- Lucius! Will you leave this office or should I buy you a supply of jigsaw puzzles for Yule so that you have something to do there? - she growled irritated.

- Honey, what do you mean? He replied opening the door. - Narcissa immediately calmed down because he had a book in one hand and glasses on his nose.

- Someone is trying to get in through the fireplace in the living room.

The spouses did not even have time to think about who disturbed their peace. Mitsy, their house elf, showed up immediately.

- Lord, Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Severus Snape has arrived. He is very upset and demands to see you. I didn't know what to do, because usually Mr. Snape is welcome. - the elf was prepared to be scolded, but nothing like that happened.

- You did well to let him in. Something must have happened.

xxx

Severus Snape was waiting impatiently for his friend. At your friends. The nervous girl was still before his eyes. He would have to find out how long she had been aware that they were family. He felt like an idiot trying to trade his own daughter as a way to get on Albus Dumbledore's nerves. Now, seeing the interactions between the girl and Draco, he will have to make sure that his godson will treat her as he should. With respect and dignity.

xxx

Another chapter. Hope you like it. There will have to be a temporary lull in this story, because I mixed up the prepared timeline and I have to organize it so that there are no mistakes. I know this is fan fiction in the AU expansion, but I wish you could read it well. Greetings. katie-krum

I wish you a Happy New Year.