October drifted in with miserable weather. Heavy rains became
torrential at times, leaving Hermione stuck inside the mansion while Draco
was at work every day. She very quickly became bored and chose to buy a
journal on one of the very few outings she had to the village.
Once she opened it, the memories of a blank diary began to fill her brain. Harry had once opened a blank diary in their second year and it turned out to be possessed. Quickly, she dipped her quill in the ink and wrote the date at the top of the page. When the words didn't disappear, she breathed a sigh of relief. Underneath the date, her quill hovered, for she had no idea what to write in a diary entry.
I'm in our new home, she finally scrawled. You know, the second Malfoy manor. In a ways that seems what it is because whatever Draco does, he's imitating his father. So it would only seem natural that he wants to run his house the same way. It drives me crazy sometimes, the way he tried to act like Lucius, but only ends up making a fool of himself.
She paused for a moment. It felt good to put these thoughts on paper where no one else could read them but her. But how secure would that be? She would never tell Draco or anyone from the house that she had a journal in which she wrote her most secretive and nasty thoughts but if Draco ever found out, he would make it every piece of his business to see it. Grabbing her wand from the nightstand, she waved it over the book and chanted, "Demini." The words she had written faded out of sight slowly. Waving her wand again and muttered, "Emergen." The words reappeared, no different than from when Hermione wrote them. She smiled in satisfaction and continued to vent her feelings about Draco and their poor excuse for a marriage.
It wasn't as if she didn't catch Draco giving her hopeful looks whenever he thought she wasn't looking. He often glanced her way during supper, hoping to catch her when she was noticing him, and stared at her, almost willing her to do something. When Hermione looked up, however, he would turn his head away.
I don't know why he just doesn't say what's on his mind, she declared in the journal one afternoon. The rain was pounding at the windows, making them rattle and there was a distinct sound of thunder in the background. She lay on her stomach on the bed, scribbling furiously in her journal. I mean, if he has something to say, why doesn't he? It's never stopped him before. The way he flouted around school, acting like he meant everything to the world. Well he never did until me. I thought marriage would bring us closer together but I think it's driven a stake between us. I can't figure out, for the life of me, why he's been acting so hateful towards me ever since the wedding. We were okay friends up until that moment when we were pronounced husband and wife. Should I have done something differently during the ceremony? Or is he just scared like me?
Her last comment was more bitter and sarcastic than genuine. She had been terrified of failing at marriage, not because she wanted a marriage with Draco to work, but because she wanted to know how she would be as someone's wife. But almost a month after being married, she determined the fact that she had failed already and that, in her mind, was pretty sad.
She received an owl from her parents the following morning, telling her that they were going to visit. "We'll see you in a few days, darling," her mother had written, practically making Hermione gag. Her life was miserable as it was; the last thing she wanted was to have her own mother fawn over everything in the new house, including in her new husband. Hermione knew her father would be on her side, though, so that helped in her decision to agree to the visit.
Sure enough, the Saturday that followed, Mr. and Mrs. Granger showed up on the front doorstep of the mansion, mouths agape. "It's beautiful!" cried Mrs. Granger as Gemini, one of the maids, accepted her coat with a great look of disgust. "Your father picked a wonderful piece of land, Draco."
"Thank you, Mrs. Granger," Draco replied in a real attempt to be nice. Ever since the night when he and Hermione had finally consummated their marriage, he had been more lenient in the ways of her life. Her parents' visit was considered a luxury.
"Mom, why don't we sit in the sitting room?" Hermione asked desperately to try and stop her mother from staring at Gemini, who had fairy blood in her veins. "This way," she directed them, rather roughly.
"In a hurry to get them out?" Draco smirked.
"Shut up and help me," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Well I'm glad to see you two have adjusted so well," Mrs. Granger said, taking a seat daintily on the sofa. "After all, you are both adults now and should be able to act like it."
Hermione and Draco both pasted grins on their faces, neither one willing to mention the food fight that had almost erupted over dinner a few nights ago. "Right, Mom," Hermione answered. "Draco got a job with the Ministry! Why don't you tell them about it?" She looked expectantly at him.
"Well, um, I work in the Magical Licences office," he began, desperately searching for words to make it seem like he was hardworking. Hermione knew all he did all day was sit behind a desk and play Exploding Snap with Hobbs. "And it can be trying at times."
Mr. Granger gave him a withering glance but his wife was beaming at the couple sitting across from them. "Good for you!" she cheered for him. "I'm glad you have a job you like."
"Hermione, dear, why don't you tell them what you do with your day?" Draco asked, turning towards her. Hermione shot him a nasty look.
"Well, I try to help out with the housecleaning as much as I can," she said slowly, watching her mother shake her head violently. "What?"
Mrs. Granger smiled. "My dear, that's why you have a housing crew. They are supposed to clean and you pay them for it. You're not supposed to do anything of the sorts! You're the lady of the house." She drew herself up with pride and Draco hid a snort of contempt.
"Mum, it's not like that," she started but her father interrupted.
"Krystal, if the girl wants to help out, let her help out!" There was a bitter tone in his voice. "She's living with her husband now; you can't boss her around anymore."
"I'm not trying to boss her around, Edward. I'm simply trying to advise her."
"Giving her advice she doesn't want, mind you."
"Oh, and I suppose you're the expert on our daughter here?"
"I am and have been for many years," Mr. Granger returned before glancing at Hermione. "Let's not discuss this here."
But Mrs. Granger was raring to go. "What's not to discuss here, Edward?" she asked, her eyes glaring. "Shall we not discuss the fact that you practically raised our daughter while I was supposedly out on the town, ignoring my responsibilities as a mother? Or the fact that you helped her with her homework while I drank my life away? Oh, I know what it is! It's the fact that you wanted to tell her all her life that she was a pureblood, that must be what we shouldn't discuss here."
Silence reigned in the room as Mrs. Granger finished yelling. Hermione felt mildly shocked that her father had wanted to tell her all along but had been held down by her mother. Yet, she was beginning to feel that nothing in her life could ever truly surprise her anymore. In the past few years, she had been subjected to so many revelations and had experienced so much that she just didn't care anymore.
Mr. Granger stood up immediately. His wife's outburst seemed to have lit a spark in him. "Let's go," he said to her, helping her up by the arm. "Now," he persisted when she refused. Turning to face Hermione, he smiled softly. "Sorry about this, honey. I promise I will come visit you soon again. We'll show ourselves out." He stalked out of the room, Mrs. Granger following closely behind him, muttering how the truth had to be told.
Draco and Hermione sat in silence for several moments after they heard the door shut. Hermione was staring at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Draco was the first to speak.
"Do you think we'll be like that when we're older?"
And for the first time in many months, Hermione began to laugh. She laughed until her sides ached and she felt parched in the throat. Tears of laughter and confusion rolled down her face as she gasped for air.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked, appearing suddenly alarmed at the possibility that his wife was losing her mind. "Hermione, what's so damn funny?"
She wiped away the few remaining tears and continued to giggle. "Will we be like that when we've been married for twenty years?" she asked. "Draco, we're like that now." Once again, she collapsed into a fit of giggles. "You heard us, trying to stump each other with stories to my parents! We're ridiculous now." She continued to laugh and pretty soon both she and Draco were rolling on the couch in laughter.
"It's nice to know that you're human," Draco said, looking over at her when they had finally calmed down.
"What do you mean?"
"That you can laugh like that. I've never seen you laugh before."
Hermione looked away. "Up until now, there hasn't been much to laugh at."
Draco nodded slowly before looking at the clock on the mantle. "I'm going to go inform the cooks that there will be just two of us for lunch today instead of four, like it was originally planned." He stood up and began to walk away but doubled back and leaned over Hermione, his hands on either side of her on the sofa.
"Things will get better," he promised before kissing her gently on the lips. He left for the kitchen then and Hermione touched her lips lightly. Living with Draco Malfoy was like being on a non-stop roller coaster.
I don't get it, Hermione wrote in her journal that night after Draco had gone to sleep. My parents are geeks; well, my mother is at least. My father at least seems sensible but nothing could surprise me anymore. And Draco is, well, he's changing every day. One minute he's biting my face off over something as trivial as accidentally pulling the sheets off the bed in my sleep. The next minute, he's kissing me gently and telling me that everything's going to end up all right. Is this what marriage is supposed to be like?
With all the confusion of her parents' visit and the task of trying to keep busy during the day, Hermione had forgotten about what Draco had been in such a bad mood about that one night when he came home from work. She was reminded, however, when one evening, after supper, she and Draco were in the sitting room, not talking when the doorbell rang.
"Wonder who that is?" Draco muttered, looking up at the clock.
Hermione shrugged. Her mind was off in space, trying to think of new things to do during the day. Maybe she would become an alcoholic. It would give her something to do.
"Mr. Malfoy? You're father is here." Gemini had entered the room, followed closely by Lucius Malfoy. Draco instantly stood up.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
Lucius grinned his evil grin. "Don't I have the right to come visit my favourite son and daughter-in-law?"
Hermione didn't bother pointing out that they were his only son and daughter-in-law.
"I thought I told you a few weeks ago that I didn't want anything to do with you," Draco said carefully, his voice controlled.
"Well, you and I have a few other things to discuss," Lucius replied, his smile vanishing. "Please, where's your office?"
"The same place as yours," Hermione piped up from the sofa and Lucius glared at her. "Coincidence?"
"Foolish girl," Lucius muttered before following Draco out of the room.
Hermione sighed and stared at the mantle across the room from her. What a boring life she led. It wasn't long until she could hear screaming voices through the walls.
"I don't know how you could do this!" Draco screamed. "After all you've put us through already and then you throw this on me!"
"I found you a decent wife, didn't I?" Lucius replied, just as loud.
"Except for one thing!" Draco cried, but the rest of his sentence was lost as Gemini entered the room and asked if Hermione wanted anything else.
"No, thank you," she replied, eager to get rid of Gemini so she could strain her ears to hear what was being said.
"So we'll do it again," Lucius said, almost pleadingly. "And this time for real."
"No way." Draco's voice was defiant. "You blew this one, Dad. Big time." Somewhere in the giant house a door slammed and soon Draco appeared back in the sitting room.
"Everything alright?" Hermione asked, fully knowing the answer.
Draco only shook his head. "Not exactly." He leaned forward. "Look, Hermione, we've got to talk."
"Draco, don't you dare." Lucius appeared in the room and looked absolutely furious. "Don't even think about saying a word."
"Why not, Dad? Want to tell her yourself?"
Lucius suddenly looked frightened. "No. But you won't tell her, either."
"Want to bet?" Draco's eyes were shining. "Watch me."
Once she opened it, the memories of a blank diary began to fill her brain. Harry had once opened a blank diary in their second year and it turned out to be possessed. Quickly, she dipped her quill in the ink and wrote the date at the top of the page. When the words didn't disappear, she breathed a sigh of relief. Underneath the date, her quill hovered, for she had no idea what to write in a diary entry.
I'm in our new home, she finally scrawled. You know, the second Malfoy manor. In a ways that seems what it is because whatever Draco does, he's imitating his father. So it would only seem natural that he wants to run his house the same way. It drives me crazy sometimes, the way he tried to act like Lucius, but only ends up making a fool of himself.
She paused for a moment. It felt good to put these thoughts on paper where no one else could read them but her. But how secure would that be? She would never tell Draco or anyone from the house that she had a journal in which she wrote her most secretive and nasty thoughts but if Draco ever found out, he would make it every piece of his business to see it. Grabbing her wand from the nightstand, she waved it over the book and chanted, "Demini." The words she had written faded out of sight slowly. Waving her wand again and muttered, "Emergen." The words reappeared, no different than from when Hermione wrote them. She smiled in satisfaction and continued to vent her feelings about Draco and their poor excuse for a marriage.
It wasn't as if she didn't catch Draco giving her hopeful looks whenever he thought she wasn't looking. He often glanced her way during supper, hoping to catch her when she was noticing him, and stared at her, almost willing her to do something. When Hermione looked up, however, he would turn his head away.
I don't know why he just doesn't say what's on his mind, she declared in the journal one afternoon. The rain was pounding at the windows, making them rattle and there was a distinct sound of thunder in the background. She lay on her stomach on the bed, scribbling furiously in her journal. I mean, if he has something to say, why doesn't he? It's never stopped him before. The way he flouted around school, acting like he meant everything to the world. Well he never did until me. I thought marriage would bring us closer together but I think it's driven a stake between us. I can't figure out, for the life of me, why he's been acting so hateful towards me ever since the wedding. We were okay friends up until that moment when we were pronounced husband and wife. Should I have done something differently during the ceremony? Or is he just scared like me?
Her last comment was more bitter and sarcastic than genuine. She had been terrified of failing at marriage, not because she wanted a marriage with Draco to work, but because she wanted to know how she would be as someone's wife. But almost a month after being married, she determined the fact that she had failed already and that, in her mind, was pretty sad.
She received an owl from her parents the following morning, telling her that they were going to visit. "We'll see you in a few days, darling," her mother had written, practically making Hermione gag. Her life was miserable as it was; the last thing she wanted was to have her own mother fawn over everything in the new house, including in her new husband. Hermione knew her father would be on her side, though, so that helped in her decision to agree to the visit.
Sure enough, the Saturday that followed, Mr. and Mrs. Granger showed up on the front doorstep of the mansion, mouths agape. "It's beautiful!" cried Mrs. Granger as Gemini, one of the maids, accepted her coat with a great look of disgust. "Your father picked a wonderful piece of land, Draco."
"Thank you, Mrs. Granger," Draco replied in a real attempt to be nice. Ever since the night when he and Hermione had finally consummated their marriage, he had been more lenient in the ways of her life. Her parents' visit was considered a luxury.
"Mom, why don't we sit in the sitting room?" Hermione asked desperately to try and stop her mother from staring at Gemini, who had fairy blood in her veins. "This way," she directed them, rather roughly.
"In a hurry to get them out?" Draco smirked.
"Shut up and help me," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Well I'm glad to see you two have adjusted so well," Mrs. Granger said, taking a seat daintily on the sofa. "After all, you are both adults now and should be able to act like it."
Hermione and Draco both pasted grins on their faces, neither one willing to mention the food fight that had almost erupted over dinner a few nights ago. "Right, Mom," Hermione answered. "Draco got a job with the Ministry! Why don't you tell them about it?" She looked expectantly at him.
"Well, um, I work in the Magical Licences office," he began, desperately searching for words to make it seem like he was hardworking. Hermione knew all he did all day was sit behind a desk and play Exploding Snap with Hobbs. "And it can be trying at times."
Mr. Granger gave him a withering glance but his wife was beaming at the couple sitting across from them. "Good for you!" she cheered for him. "I'm glad you have a job you like."
"Hermione, dear, why don't you tell them what you do with your day?" Draco asked, turning towards her. Hermione shot him a nasty look.
"Well, I try to help out with the housecleaning as much as I can," she said slowly, watching her mother shake her head violently. "What?"
Mrs. Granger smiled. "My dear, that's why you have a housing crew. They are supposed to clean and you pay them for it. You're not supposed to do anything of the sorts! You're the lady of the house." She drew herself up with pride and Draco hid a snort of contempt.
"Mum, it's not like that," she started but her father interrupted.
"Krystal, if the girl wants to help out, let her help out!" There was a bitter tone in his voice. "She's living with her husband now; you can't boss her around anymore."
"I'm not trying to boss her around, Edward. I'm simply trying to advise her."
"Giving her advice she doesn't want, mind you."
"Oh, and I suppose you're the expert on our daughter here?"
"I am and have been for many years," Mr. Granger returned before glancing at Hermione. "Let's not discuss this here."
But Mrs. Granger was raring to go. "What's not to discuss here, Edward?" she asked, her eyes glaring. "Shall we not discuss the fact that you practically raised our daughter while I was supposedly out on the town, ignoring my responsibilities as a mother? Or the fact that you helped her with her homework while I drank my life away? Oh, I know what it is! It's the fact that you wanted to tell her all her life that she was a pureblood, that must be what we shouldn't discuss here."
Silence reigned in the room as Mrs. Granger finished yelling. Hermione felt mildly shocked that her father had wanted to tell her all along but had been held down by her mother. Yet, she was beginning to feel that nothing in her life could ever truly surprise her anymore. In the past few years, she had been subjected to so many revelations and had experienced so much that she just didn't care anymore.
Mr. Granger stood up immediately. His wife's outburst seemed to have lit a spark in him. "Let's go," he said to her, helping her up by the arm. "Now," he persisted when she refused. Turning to face Hermione, he smiled softly. "Sorry about this, honey. I promise I will come visit you soon again. We'll show ourselves out." He stalked out of the room, Mrs. Granger following closely behind him, muttering how the truth had to be told.
Draco and Hermione sat in silence for several moments after they heard the door shut. Hermione was staring at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Draco was the first to speak.
"Do you think we'll be like that when we're older?"
And for the first time in many months, Hermione began to laugh. She laughed until her sides ached and she felt parched in the throat. Tears of laughter and confusion rolled down her face as she gasped for air.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked, appearing suddenly alarmed at the possibility that his wife was losing her mind. "Hermione, what's so damn funny?"
She wiped away the few remaining tears and continued to giggle. "Will we be like that when we've been married for twenty years?" she asked. "Draco, we're like that now." Once again, she collapsed into a fit of giggles. "You heard us, trying to stump each other with stories to my parents! We're ridiculous now." She continued to laugh and pretty soon both she and Draco were rolling on the couch in laughter.
"It's nice to know that you're human," Draco said, looking over at her when they had finally calmed down.
"What do you mean?"
"That you can laugh like that. I've never seen you laugh before."
Hermione looked away. "Up until now, there hasn't been much to laugh at."
Draco nodded slowly before looking at the clock on the mantle. "I'm going to go inform the cooks that there will be just two of us for lunch today instead of four, like it was originally planned." He stood up and began to walk away but doubled back and leaned over Hermione, his hands on either side of her on the sofa.
"Things will get better," he promised before kissing her gently on the lips. He left for the kitchen then and Hermione touched her lips lightly. Living with Draco Malfoy was like being on a non-stop roller coaster.
I don't get it, Hermione wrote in her journal that night after Draco had gone to sleep. My parents are geeks; well, my mother is at least. My father at least seems sensible but nothing could surprise me anymore. And Draco is, well, he's changing every day. One minute he's biting my face off over something as trivial as accidentally pulling the sheets off the bed in my sleep. The next minute, he's kissing me gently and telling me that everything's going to end up all right. Is this what marriage is supposed to be like?
With all the confusion of her parents' visit and the task of trying to keep busy during the day, Hermione had forgotten about what Draco had been in such a bad mood about that one night when he came home from work. She was reminded, however, when one evening, after supper, she and Draco were in the sitting room, not talking when the doorbell rang.
"Wonder who that is?" Draco muttered, looking up at the clock.
Hermione shrugged. Her mind was off in space, trying to think of new things to do during the day. Maybe she would become an alcoholic. It would give her something to do.
"Mr. Malfoy? You're father is here." Gemini had entered the room, followed closely by Lucius Malfoy. Draco instantly stood up.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
Lucius grinned his evil grin. "Don't I have the right to come visit my favourite son and daughter-in-law?"
Hermione didn't bother pointing out that they were his only son and daughter-in-law.
"I thought I told you a few weeks ago that I didn't want anything to do with you," Draco said carefully, his voice controlled.
"Well, you and I have a few other things to discuss," Lucius replied, his smile vanishing. "Please, where's your office?"
"The same place as yours," Hermione piped up from the sofa and Lucius glared at her. "Coincidence?"
"Foolish girl," Lucius muttered before following Draco out of the room.
Hermione sighed and stared at the mantle across the room from her. What a boring life she led. It wasn't long until she could hear screaming voices through the walls.
"I don't know how you could do this!" Draco screamed. "After all you've put us through already and then you throw this on me!"
"I found you a decent wife, didn't I?" Lucius replied, just as loud.
"Except for one thing!" Draco cried, but the rest of his sentence was lost as Gemini entered the room and asked if Hermione wanted anything else.
"No, thank you," she replied, eager to get rid of Gemini so she could strain her ears to hear what was being said.
"So we'll do it again," Lucius said, almost pleadingly. "And this time for real."
"No way." Draco's voice was defiant. "You blew this one, Dad. Big time." Somewhere in the giant house a door slammed and soon Draco appeared back in the sitting room.
"Everything alright?" Hermione asked, fully knowing the answer.
Draco only shook his head. "Not exactly." He leaned forward. "Look, Hermione, we've got to talk."
"Draco, don't you dare." Lucius appeared in the room and looked absolutely furious. "Don't even think about saying a word."
"Why not, Dad? Want to tell her yourself?"
Lucius suddenly looked frightened. "No. But you won't tell her, either."
"Want to bet?" Draco's eyes were shining. "Watch me."
