CHAPTER 9~ Arrival at the Malfoy Manor
Hermione woke up the next morning to a soft kiss on her cheek. At first she thought she was still dreaming, but when her eyes fluttered opened, she saw Draco sitting on her bed and leaning over her. "Hey," she mumbled with a small smile even though she was still half asleep.
"Hey, it's time to get up. You meet my mother today," he whispered.
"Oh sure, just start my day off by making me nervous. That is greatly appreciated," she said sarcastically. "I love waking up and being made nervous by my oh so caring boyfriend."
He rolled his eyes. "Don't start this shit with me, it's too damn early. I was just reminding you in case it slipped from that know-it-all brain of yours."
Hermione sat up and glared at him. "I am not a know-it-all, Malfoy. I have just as many flaws as you do, so don't be pulling that bullshit with me! Can't we go one day without being like this?!"
"You started it," he said immaturely. "I would like to go one day without having an argument. Hell, I'd like to go all of vacation so that my mother doesn't think this is all a joke! If we go to the Manor and we fight my mother will reprimand me for not having a strong relationship and she'll say that it will never work because we're much too different."
"And would you listen to her?" She turned away from him and stared out her window into the rising sun.
"Of course not. You know why? Because I know the truth. I know how we feel for each other and I know that our fights are all immature and meaningless."
She turned her gaze back to the blonde-haired boy that was sitting on her bed. He was looking at her lovingly and ran a long, pale hand down her face, and caressed her cheek. She leaned into his touch and scooted closer to him on the bed.
"I should get dressed," she muttered.
"Alright. I'll meet you downstairs. The carriages leave in three hours, and I wanna make sure we have everything ready and we eat and all that good stuff."
He kissed her quickly on the lips and closed the door softly behind him. The only thing he wanted was for their Christmas break to be perfect. He didn't mean to argue with Hermione all the time over nothing important; it was just routine by then. Both knew that no one would ever understand the relationship they had, but that was fine because they planned on never telling anyone that they had a relationship.
Hermione brushed her teeth and changed her clothes quickly. She never really meant to fight with Draco over stupid things, but it just seemed so ritual that it was hard. Of course she loved him, but showing her love for him in a real touchy, feely way was hard since she was used to jumping down his throat at every chance she got. What she was most afraid of about the break was that Jeremy would say something stupid around Mrs. Malfoy or that he would try to hurt her in some way. She figured that if she stayed around Draco she would be pretty safe though.
When she walked down the stairs, Draco was sitting on the couch. He was propped up on one elbow with one of his legs dangling over the arm and the other on the floor. In front of him was a book that he was holding and turning pages with his free hand.
He looked up when she walked down. Like him, she was dressed in muggle clothes. She was wearing baggy black jeans, and a black t-shirt with a dragon on it. In her hand, she carried a grey sweatshirt that was also decorated with a dragon.
Draco was wearing a white t-shirt with baggy black jeans and a black sweatshirt with a green snake embroidered on the back was draped over the back of the couch.
He peered up as she came in, but went right back to reading. For some reason he just could not put his book down, and he didn't know why.
Hermione cleared her throat as she stood behind the couch. He didn't look up and continued to read as if he hadn't seen or heard her. She tried again, but still he did not look up. Finding that she was getting nowhere with the method, she walked around the couch and knelt on the floor in front of him. He still didn't look up at her or say anything. Getting a bit annoyed, she snapped his book shut and kissed him fiercely on the lips.
A bit shocked by her not so subtle way of getting his attention, Draco gasped a little, but quickly pulled her closer to him to deepen the kiss. Now that she had his attention, she pulled back and he gave a slight whimper. Hermione shrugged and got up and moved toward the exit of the common room, but was pulled back.
"You can't just do that to me," he whined in a manner very unlike his.
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
He sat up and pulled her down onto his lap. "First you come down here and take my book. That's just not right. Then you kiss me like that and just walk away. That just leaves me feeling empty, and I don't like that feeling."
"So?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked into his grey eyes.
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him, and gently kissed her neck and up to her lips. His tongue dove into her mouth and he pushed her down onto the couch. She moaned involuntarily, and Draco stood up and walked to the exit.
"Hey, where are you going?" she asked feeling deprived.
"I'm hungry, I wanna go eat."
She growled as she watched him exit. She would leave a few minutes later so people wouldn't get suspicious watching the two enemies walk in together.
Draco smiled to himself as he entered the Great Hall. He knew what she had been trying to do, and he beat her at her own game.
He took a seat at the end of the table and was soon joined by Jeremy and Blaise, who was now Jeremy's girlfriend. Draco was slightly confused by this new revelation because the night before, Jeremy was confessing his love for Hermione, but he decided to shake it off.
"Hey, how's it going?" Blaise asked brightly as she sat down across from Draco.
"Pretty good. And yourself?" he responded. He and Blaise had also been friends for a long time, but he hadn't talked to her very much since school had started up again.
"I'm alright. Do you mind if I spend some time at the Manor over break as well? My parents are going away on that business meeting and I need a place to crash for a while."
"Yeah, sure, my mom won't mind since she likes you anyway."
"Thanks, Draco. You don't know how much this means to me."
"It's no problem. My mom will just have one more person to fit in the limo, but I'm sure she won't care."
He looked up as Hermione came through the doors and watched her as she sat down next to Ron and Harry.
"Are you really going out with her?" Blaise inquired in a low voice as she followed his gaze.
Draco shot a glare at Jeremy. "Yes I am, and I don't want the whole school to know, so can you please keep your voices down about it in here?"
"Look, Draco, I only told her. I swear, no one else knows," Jeremy said.
"If they do, I'll beat the shit outta you. You may be bigger, but I'm stronger and smarter, and I think we all know that."
Jeremy glared at him. "What's gotten into you lately? Ever since you've started dating that Mudblood you've been different. You never come down to the common room anymore, and you've been pulling away from your true friends."
"How can I trust you as I used to, Jeremy? You lied to me about your father and not being a follower of the Dark Arts. You swore you'd always stay away from that shit, and now I find out that it's part of your very being, and you've known for years. How can I trust you?"
"Just because of who my father is, it doesn't mean I'm into all that, Malfoy," he retaliated. "I know you've defied your father, so what makes you think I won't defy mine?"
"Because of who he is. You fear him, so you will do anything so he will let you live. That's why."
"That's not necessarily true! I do not wish to be my father's pawn. True, I am mad that I am not my father's heir, but I am defying him by not doing anything about Hermione."
"Don't give me that bullshit. What about what happened last night? You call that not doing anything? I think you would've raped her had I not come along. I can't believe you would be so cruel to her. Answer me something now, Riddle? Has your father been planning this since fifth year when you tried to push her too far, or is this something recent and that's why you've tried to get close to her again?"
"You know damn well that I loved her back then. I wanted her to be the only woman in my life back then, but she had other plans. She told me she loved me, but broke up with me anyway."
Blaise was looking between the two as if she had no idea what was going on. She had not been informed of any of this information and was trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. She had seen Jeremy at the "conventions" as Lord Voldemort liked to call them, but he was part of the outer circle, not the inner circle like she was. Draco didn't know that she was a Death Eater, and she planned to keep it that way. Her father had taught her a charm that would conceal the Dark Mark to everyone but her. It was of course Dark Magic, like most of the things her father had taught her, but she didn't care any more.
"Do you two mind telling me what's going on?" she questioned loudly.
"I'll tell you on the train," Jeremy answered.
After that, the two Slytherin seventh years stopped bickering for the time being. They would occasionally glare at each other across the table, but never anything more.
Hermione had finished her breakfast, said goodbye Ron and Harry and headed back up to her common room. She had seen Draco leave, and he didn't look too happy about something, so she figured she'd ask him about it while they were alone.
Draco flopped down on the couch and put his hands over his eyes. He was extremely angry with Jeremy and didn't want to see him over break, but he didn't have a choice. The whole relationship with Blaise was just so he and Hermione would think that he wasn't really following his father's orders. Draco looked up when the entrance to the common room opened and Hermione walked in.
"What's wrong, Draco?" she asked while sitting next to him and putting her arm around his shoulder.
"Blaise is coming to my house for break too. She's going out with Jeremy and she needs a place to stay."
"I thought you were friends with her. Why do you look so upset?"
"Wasn't it only last night that he was declaring his undying love for you? Isn't it odd that he all of a sudden is ready to move on? I don't trust him. I know he's up to something and I don't know what. While we're at the Manor, you are not to leave my side. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just I don't want him to try anything while I'm not around."
She nodded as she rubbed his back gently. She knew he was upset about the arrangements, but she didn't want her vacation to be hell. "Did he tell Blaise about us?"
"Yeah, but she swore she wouldn't tell anybody."
~
They took the horseless carriages down to the Hogsmeade station. Hermione rode with Parvati and Padma Patil and Lavender Brown. They didn't really talk about too much since the ride was pretty short.
Hermione split up with the three girls on the train and sat alone in the last compartment. Within three minutes, Draco, Jeremy, and Blaise walked in. She looked at Draco as if he were crazy for even attempting to sit in the compartment with her of all people. Seeing the look on her face, he did a charm so the door could only be opened from the inside and he turned the glass black so no one could see in and then he sat next to her.
"I'm not that stupid," he whispered.
"Well, I don't know about that. Sometimes you can be a little off your rocker." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her in mock anger. "I'm joking! If you were stupid you wouldn't be Head Boy."
"And then I wouldn't be going out with you, and my life would be shit, and you'd probably be staying back there with Potter and Weasley." He looked across the compartment to where Jeremy was talking with Blaise. "And you might even be going out with him," he added in nothing more than a whisper.
"I don't know about that. He's been acting like a real jerk lately. Maybe, but I don't know." She sighed and leaned on his shoulder.
The whistle blew and the train took off. Jeremy and Draco explained the situation to Blaise and why they weren't too happy with each other. She listened intently while the boys talked, and Hermione added some of the parts they missed or screwed up. Blaise was shocked by the whole situation and asked why Jeremy wasn't in Voldemort's inner circle.
"He says that as of now I am unworthy to even be his son. He says that once I start obeying him, I will be in the inner circle. I don't know how much I want it though. I really don't wanna lose my friends because my father is a power hungry asshole." He let out a sigh and pulled Blaise closer to him.
Draco eyed him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. He still thought everything that Jeremy said was a lie. Patience was one thing Draco never had and never cared for.
The bare trees and snowy plains passed by in a blur. Everything seemed so slow when the four weren't talking. It was so calm outside, and Hermione wondered why people couldn't be that way. All people had tempers and were angered easily when provoked in the right way. Hermione stared out the window and let out an involuntary shiver as they past by a frozen waterfall. Draco noticed and wrapped his arm tighter around her. She looked up into his eyes, smiled a bit and put her head down on his chest. The sound of his slow, steady heartbeat helped her drift off into a dreamless sleep.
~
Hermione was shaken awake a while later and she noticed that the train had stopped and they were now at Platform 9 ¾. Draco pulled her to her feet and helped her lug her heavy trunk off the train and he soon followed with his. She placed Crookshanks' basket on top of her trunk that was now on a trolley, and Draco placed his eagle owl on his trunk.
Suddenly, a tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes pulled Draco into a hug. "It's so good to see you again!" she cried.
"Mum, I've only been gone for a few months. It's not like it's been so long," he responded as he returned the gesture. Once she let him go, he put his arm around Hermione's waist and said proudly, "This is Hermione Granger, the Head Girl and my girlfriend."
Hermione held her hand out to Narcissa, and Narcissa took it in hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Malfoy." She smiled sheepishly at Draco's mother.
"The pleasure's all mine, dear. And please, call me Narcissa." Hermione nodded and let go of Narcissa's hand. "Draco, where is Jeremy? We have to get going."
"Oh, he'll be right along. Blaise will be staying for a while too because her father is also going to the convention. She only recently found out and didn't find time to owl you. That's alright isn't it?" he asked quickly.
"Of course. Blaise is always welcome. You know how much I love her."
"Yeah, well, here's Jeremy and Blaise. Let's get going."
Narcissa led the four teens through the wall back to King's Cross Station and to a black limousine. The driver put the four trunks in the trunk and they brought their animals with them in the back of the large car.
The ride was uneventful, and rather boring. Narcissa asked Hermione continuous questions about her life and parents and schoolwork. Hermione answered them all, but was still slightly nervous. Draco felt her pain, literally. She was gripping onto his hand so tightly that he swore it would break off.
The ride didn't take too long, but it was long enough to make Draco's hand red and unmovable for a little while.
"Draco, show your friends where they will be staying," Narcissa said as she got out of the car. "Jeremy will be in his normal room and Hermione and Blaise will be on either side of his, okay?"
Draco hopped out of the car after her and whispered in a small yet demanding voice; "I will not put Hermione in a room anywhere near Jeremy's. He has changed this year and I fear for her safety. She will be staying in my room, and if you don't like the idea, I'll sleep on the floor."
"What are you talking about, Draco? Jeremy wouldn't do anything like that."
"Yes he would." His eyes bored into his mother's. The only person that had ever made her feel smaller than him had been Lucius, and it now appeared as if Draco had picked up that characteristic. He was demanding and would get his way no matter what she said. The difference between the two men was, Draco wouldn't become violent.
Narcissa sighed as she saw the determined look on her seventeen-year-old son's face. "Very well, Draco. She will stay in your room, and I will not have you sleeping on the floor. Your bed is big enough and I trust you."
"Thank you, Mother." He smiled a little and turned back to the car.
Hermione, Blaise, and Jeremy were all leaning casually against the limo waiting for his instructions. None of them had heard what Draco and Narcissa were talking about, and they didn't want to interrupt because it looked serious.
"The house elves will be bringing your bags up to your rooms," he said. "Jeremy, you and Blaise will be sleeping in the guest wing. I know that you both know where your normal rooms are, and that's where you'll be staying. Hermione, come with me."
Draco and Hermione clasped hands as they began walking up the steps to the large, white manor. It was a very old style house, but was in great conditions and looked as if it was built only a few years before, but had actually been standing for thousands of years.
"Is your hand okay?" Hermione whispered to Draco as they made their way through the halls.
"Yeah, it's fine. I couldn't feel it for a little while, but I'll be alright." He gave her a reassuring smile as he led her up another flight of stairs.
After a few more flights of stairs and some more hallways, Draco finally opened a door to reveal a large room that was decorated in green and silver. The sheets on the bed and the drapes were black, but the walls were silver, and the chairs and sofas were green.
"Into your House colors much?" Hermione asked figuring it was Draco's room.
"Yeah, well, I happen to like the House I'm in and am very proud to be there. This is my room and yes, you will be staying in here because I don't want you near Jeremy's room and my mom agreed."
"Your mother agreed to let me stay in the same room as you for the entirety of the vacation?" Hermione queried, her eyes growing wide with shock.
"Yes, as a matter of fact she did. She said she trusts me."
Hermione smiled and sat on his king-sized bed. "Is that such a good idea? Having me sleep in the same room as Draco Malfoy for three weeks? Oh the possibilities of what may happen!" She fell back on the bed dramatically and closed her eyes.
Draco sat down on the bed next to her and he watched her lips turn into an evil smirk as she felt his weight next to her. Her arms went around his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips.
They didn't get very far, for there was a knock at the door, and they broke apart immediately. "Who is it?" Draco called with a trace of irritation in his voice.
"It's me," Jeremy answered. "Your mother would like to speak with the four of us down in the main living room."
"Okay, we're coming."
Draco and Hermione got up and exited the large room. They walked with Jeremy and Blaise down to the room his mother was speaking of and sat down on a loveseat.
Narcissa watched as they all settled into their seats and began speaking, "I just received an owl from Lucius. He would like me to apparate to France to meet him. I do not wish to disappoint him; therefore I will be departing once I am packed. Rufus will be assisting you with anything you wish. I trust you all to make wise decisions. I am truly sorry that I will not be here for Christmas, but I will send each of you a little something."
The four teens stared at her as if she had three heads. She stood and walked out of the room before anyone had the chance to say a word.
Hermione woke up the next morning to a soft kiss on her cheek. At first she thought she was still dreaming, but when her eyes fluttered opened, she saw Draco sitting on her bed and leaning over her. "Hey," she mumbled with a small smile even though she was still half asleep.
"Hey, it's time to get up. You meet my mother today," he whispered.
"Oh sure, just start my day off by making me nervous. That is greatly appreciated," she said sarcastically. "I love waking up and being made nervous by my oh so caring boyfriend."
He rolled his eyes. "Don't start this shit with me, it's too damn early. I was just reminding you in case it slipped from that know-it-all brain of yours."
Hermione sat up and glared at him. "I am not a know-it-all, Malfoy. I have just as many flaws as you do, so don't be pulling that bullshit with me! Can't we go one day without being like this?!"
"You started it," he said immaturely. "I would like to go one day without having an argument. Hell, I'd like to go all of vacation so that my mother doesn't think this is all a joke! If we go to the Manor and we fight my mother will reprimand me for not having a strong relationship and she'll say that it will never work because we're much too different."
"And would you listen to her?" She turned away from him and stared out her window into the rising sun.
"Of course not. You know why? Because I know the truth. I know how we feel for each other and I know that our fights are all immature and meaningless."
She turned her gaze back to the blonde-haired boy that was sitting on her bed. He was looking at her lovingly and ran a long, pale hand down her face, and caressed her cheek. She leaned into his touch and scooted closer to him on the bed.
"I should get dressed," she muttered.
"Alright. I'll meet you downstairs. The carriages leave in three hours, and I wanna make sure we have everything ready and we eat and all that good stuff."
He kissed her quickly on the lips and closed the door softly behind him. The only thing he wanted was for their Christmas break to be perfect. He didn't mean to argue with Hermione all the time over nothing important; it was just routine by then. Both knew that no one would ever understand the relationship they had, but that was fine because they planned on never telling anyone that they had a relationship.
Hermione brushed her teeth and changed her clothes quickly. She never really meant to fight with Draco over stupid things, but it just seemed so ritual that it was hard. Of course she loved him, but showing her love for him in a real touchy, feely way was hard since she was used to jumping down his throat at every chance she got. What she was most afraid of about the break was that Jeremy would say something stupid around Mrs. Malfoy or that he would try to hurt her in some way. She figured that if she stayed around Draco she would be pretty safe though.
When she walked down the stairs, Draco was sitting on the couch. He was propped up on one elbow with one of his legs dangling over the arm and the other on the floor. In front of him was a book that he was holding and turning pages with his free hand.
He looked up when she walked down. Like him, she was dressed in muggle clothes. She was wearing baggy black jeans, and a black t-shirt with a dragon on it. In her hand, she carried a grey sweatshirt that was also decorated with a dragon.
Draco was wearing a white t-shirt with baggy black jeans and a black sweatshirt with a green snake embroidered on the back was draped over the back of the couch.
He peered up as she came in, but went right back to reading. For some reason he just could not put his book down, and he didn't know why.
Hermione cleared her throat as she stood behind the couch. He didn't look up and continued to read as if he hadn't seen or heard her. She tried again, but still he did not look up. Finding that she was getting nowhere with the method, she walked around the couch and knelt on the floor in front of him. He still didn't look up at her or say anything. Getting a bit annoyed, she snapped his book shut and kissed him fiercely on the lips.
A bit shocked by her not so subtle way of getting his attention, Draco gasped a little, but quickly pulled her closer to him to deepen the kiss. Now that she had his attention, she pulled back and he gave a slight whimper. Hermione shrugged and got up and moved toward the exit of the common room, but was pulled back.
"You can't just do that to me," he whined in a manner very unlike his.
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
He sat up and pulled her down onto his lap. "First you come down here and take my book. That's just not right. Then you kiss me like that and just walk away. That just leaves me feeling empty, and I don't like that feeling."
"So?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked into his grey eyes.
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him, and gently kissed her neck and up to her lips. His tongue dove into her mouth and he pushed her down onto the couch. She moaned involuntarily, and Draco stood up and walked to the exit.
"Hey, where are you going?" she asked feeling deprived.
"I'm hungry, I wanna go eat."
She growled as she watched him exit. She would leave a few minutes later so people wouldn't get suspicious watching the two enemies walk in together.
Draco smiled to himself as he entered the Great Hall. He knew what she had been trying to do, and he beat her at her own game.
He took a seat at the end of the table and was soon joined by Jeremy and Blaise, who was now Jeremy's girlfriend. Draco was slightly confused by this new revelation because the night before, Jeremy was confessing his love for Hermione, but he decided to shake it off.
"Hey, how's it going?" Blaise asked brightly as she sat down across from Draco.
"Pretty good. And yourself?" he responded. He and Blaise had also been friends for a long time, but he hadn't talked to her very much since school had started up again.
"I'm alright. Do you mind if I spend some time at the Manor over break as well? My parents are going away on that business meeting and I need a place to crash for a while."
"Yeah, sure, my mom won't mind since she likes you anyway."
"Thanks, Draco. You don't know how much this means to me."
"It's no problem. My mom will just have one more person to fit in the limo, but I'm sure she won't care."
He looked up as Hermione came through the doors and watched her as she sat down next to Ron and Harry.
"Are you really going out with her?" Blaise inquired in a low voice as she followed his gaze.
Draco shot a glare at Jeremy. "Yes I am, and I don't want the whole school to know, so can you please keep your voices down about it in here?"
"Look, Draco, I only told her. I swear, no one else knows," Jeremy said.
"If they do, I'll beat the shit outta you. You may be bigger, but I'm stronger and smarter, and I think we all know that."
Jeremy glared at him. "What's gotten into you lately? Ever since you've started dating that Mudblood you've been different. You never come down to the common room anymore, and you've been pulling away from your true friends."
"How can I trust you as I used to, Jeremy? You lied to me about your father and not being a follower of the Dark Arts. You swore you'd always stay away from that shit, and now I find out that it's part of your very being, and you've known for years. How can I trust you?"
"Just because of who my father is, it doesn't mean I'm into all that, Malfoy," he retaliated. "I know you've defied your father, so what makes you think I won't defy mine?"
"Because of who he is. You fear him, so you will do anything so he will let you live. That's why."
"That's not necessarily true! I do not wish to be my father's pawn. True, I am mad that I am not my father's heir, but I am defying him by not doing anything about Hermione."
"Don't give me that bullshit. What about what happened last night? You call that not doing anything? I think you would've raped her had I not come along. I can't believe you would be so cruel to her. Answer me something now, Riddle? Has your father been planning this since fifth year when you tried to push her too far, or is this something recent and that's why you've tried to get close to her again?"
"You know damn well that I loved her back then. I wanted her to be the only woman in my life back then, but she had other plans. She told me she loved me, but broke up with me anyway."
Blaise was looking between the two as if she had no idea what was going on. She had not been informed of any of this information and was trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. She had seen Jeremy at the "conventions" as Lord Voldemort liked to call them, but he was part of the outer circle, not the inner circle like she was. Draco didn't know that she was a Death Eater, and she planned to keep it that way. Her father had taught her a charm that would conceal the Dark Mark to everyone but her. It was of course Dark Magic, like most of the things her father had taught her, but she didn't care any more.
"Do you two mind telling me what's going on?" she questioned loudly.
"I'll tell you on the train," Jeremy answered.
After that, the two Slytherin seventh years stopped bickering for the time being. They would occasionally glare at each other across the table, but never anything more.
Hermione had finished her breakfast, said goodbye Ron and Harry and headed back up to her common room. She had seen Draco leave, and he didn't look too happy about something, so she figured she'd ask him about it while they were alone.
Draco flopped down on the couch and put his hands over his eyes. He was extremely angry with Jeremy and didn't want to see him over break, but he didn't have a choice. The whole relationship with Blaise was just so he and Hermione would think that he wasn't really following his father's orders. Draco looked up when the entrance to the common room opened and Hermione walked in.
"What's wrong, Draco?" she asked while sitting next to him and putting her arm around his shoulder.
"Blaise is coming to my house for break too. She's going out with Jeremy and she needs a place to stay."
"I thought you were friends with her. Why do you look so upset?"
"Wasn't it only last night that he was declaring his undying love for you? Isn't it odd that he all of a sudden is ready to move on? I don't trust him. I know he's up to something and I don't know what. While we're at the Manor, you are not to leave my side. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just I don't want him to try anything while I'm not around."
She nodded as she rubbed his back gently. She knew he was upset about the arrangements, but she didn't want her vacation to be hell. "Did he tell Blaise about us?"
"Yeah, but she swore she wouldn't tell anybody."
~
They took the horseless carriages down to the Hogsmeade station. Hermione rode with Parvati and Padma Patil and Lavender Brown. They didn't really talk about too much since the ride was pretty short.
Hermione split up with the three girls on the train and sat alone in the last compartment. Within three minutes, Draco, Jeremy, and Blaise walked in. She looked at Draco as if he were crazy for even attempting to sit in the compartment with her of all people. Seeing the look on her face, he did a charm so the door could only be opened from the inside and he turned the glass black so no one could see in and then he sat next to her.
"I'm not that stupid," he whispered.
"Well, I don't know about that. Sometimes you can be a little off your rocker." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her in mock anger. "I'm joking! If you were stupid you wouldn't be Head Boy."
"And then I wouldn't be going out with you, and my life would be shit, and you'd probably be staying back there with Potter and Weasley." He looked across the compartment to where Jeremy was talking with Blaise. "And you might even be going out with him," he added in nothing more than a whisper.
"I don't know about that. He's been acting like a real jerk lately. Maybe, but I don't know." She sighed and leaned on his shoulder.
The whistle blew and the train took off. Jeremy and Draco explained the situation to Blaise and why they weren't too happy with each other. She listened intently while the boys talked, and Hermione added some of the parts they missed or screwed up. Blaise was shocked by the whole situation and asked why Jeremy wasn't in Voldemort's inner circle.
"He says that as of now I am unworthy to even be his son. He says that once I start obeying him, I will be in the inner circle. I don't know how much I want it though. I really don't wanna lose my friends because my father is a power hungry asshole." He let out a sigh and pulled Blaise closer to him.
Draco eyed him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. He still thought everything that Jeremy said was a lie. Patience was one thing Draco never had and never cared for.
The bare trees and snowy plains passed by in a blur. Everything seemed so slow when the four weren't talking. It was so calm outside, and Hermione wondered why people couldn't be that way. All people had tempers and were angered easily when provoked in the right way. Hermione stared out the window and let out an involuntary shiver as they past by a frozen waterfall. Draco noticed and wrapped his arm tighter around her. She looked up into his eyes, smiled a bit and put her head down on his chest. The sound of his slow, steady heartbeat helped her drift off into a dreamless sleep.
~
Hermione was shaken awake a while later and she noticed that the train had stopped and they were now at Platform 9 ¾. Draco pulled her to her feet and helped her lug her heavy trunk off the train and he soon followed with his. She placed Crookshanks' basket on top of her trunk that was now on a trolley, and Draco placed his eagle owl on his trunk.
Suddenly, a tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes pulled Draco into a hug. "It's so good to see you again!" she cried.
"Mum, I've only been gone for a few months. It's not like it's been so long," he responded as he returned the gesture. Once she let him go, he put his arm around Hermione's waist and said proudly, "This is Hermione Granger, the Head Girl and my girlfriend."
Hermione held her hand out to Narcissa, and Narcissa took it in hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Malfoy." She smiled sheepishly at Draco's mother.
"The pleasure's all mine, dear. And please, call me Narcissa." Hermione nodded and let go of Narcissa's hand. "Draco, where is Jeremy? We have to get going."
"Oh, he'll be right along. Blaise will be staying for a while too because her father is also going to the convention. She only recently found out and didn't find time to owl you. That's alright isn't it?" he asked quickly.
"Of course. Blaise is always welcome. You know how much I love her."
"Yeah, well, here's Jeremy and Blaise. Let's get going."
Narcissa led the four teens through the wall back to King's Cross Station and to a black limousine. The driver put the four trunks in the trunk and they brought their animals with them in the back of the large car.
The ride was uneventful, and rather boring. Narcissa asked Hermione continuous questions about her life and parents and schoolwork. Hermione answered them all, but was still slightly nervous. Draco felt her pain, literally. She was gripping onto his hand so tightly that he swore it would break off.
The ride didn't take too long, but it was long enough to make Draco's hand red and unmovable for a little while.
"Draco, show your friends where they will be staying," Narcissa said as she got out of the car. "Jeremy will be in his normal room and Hermione and Blaise will be on either side of his, okay?"
Draco hopped out of the car after her and whispered in a small yet demanding voice; "I will not put Hermione in a room anywhere near Jeremy's. He has changed this year and I fear for her safety. She will be staying in my room, and if you don't like the idea, I'll sleep on the floor."
"What are you talking about, Draco? Jeremy wouldn't do anything like that."
"Yes he would." His eyes bored into his mother's. The only person that had ever made her feel smaller than him had been Lucius, and it now appeared as if Draco had picked up that characteristic. He was demanding and would get his way no matter what she said. The difference between the two men was, Draco wouldn't become violent.
Narcissa sighed as she saw the determined look on her seventeen-year-old son's face. "Very well, Draco. She will stay in your room, and I will not have you sleeping on the floor. Your bed is big enough and I trust you."
"Thank you, Mother." He smiled a little and turned back to the car.
Hermione, Blaise, and Jeremy were all leaning casually against the limo waiting for his instructions. None of them had heard what Draco and Narcissa were talking about, and they didn't want to interrupt because it looked serious.
"The house elves will be bringing your bags up to your rooms," he said. "Jeremy, you and Blaise will be sleeping in the guest wing. I know that you both know where your normal rooms are, and that's where you'll be staying. Hermione, come with me."
Draco and Hermione clasped hands as they began walking up the steps to the large, white manor. It was a very old style house, but was in great conditions and looked as if it was built only a few years before, but had actually been standing for thousands of years.
"Is your hand okay?" Hermione whispered to Draco as they made their way through the halls.
"Yeah, it's fine. I couldn't feel it for a little while, but I'll be alright." He gave her a reassuring smile as he led her up another flight of stairs.
After a few more flights of stairs and some more hallways, Draco finally opened a door to reveal a large room that was decorated in green and silver. The sheets on the bed and the drapes were black, but the walls were silver, and the chairs and sofas were green.
"Into your House colors much?" Hermione asked figuring it was Draco's room.
"Yeah, well, I happen to like the House I'm in and am very proud to be there. This is my room and yes, you will be staying in here because I don't want you near Jeremy's room and my mom agreed."
"Your mother agreed to let me stay in the same room as you for the entirety of the vacation?" Hermione queried, her eyes growing wide with shock.
"Yes, as a matter of fact she did. She said she trusts me."
Hermione smiled and sat on his king-sized bed. "Is that such a good idea? Having me sleep in the same room as Draco Malfoy for three weeks? Oh the possibilities of what may happen!" She fell back on the bed dramatically and closed her eyes.
Draco sat down on the bed next to her and he watched her lips turn into an evil smirk as she felt his weight next to her. Her arms went around his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips.
They didn't get very far, for there was a knock at the door, and they broke apart immediately. "Who is it?" Draco called with a trace of irritation in his voice.
"It's me," Jeremy answered. "Your mother would like to speak with the four of us down in the main living room."
"Okay, we're coming."
Draco and Hermione got up and exited the large room. They walked with Jeremy and Blaise down to the room his mother was speaking of and sat down on a loveseat.
Narcissa watched as they all settled into their seats and began speaking, "I just received an owl from Lucius. He would like me to apparate to France to meet him. I do not wish to disappoint him; therefore I will be departing once I am packed. Rufus will be assisting you with anything you wish. I trust you all to make wise decisions. I am truly sorry that I will not be here for Christmas, but I will send each of you a little something."
The four teens stared at her as if she had three heads. She stood and walked out of the room before anyone had the chance to say a word.