Hermione burst through the fireplace in Malfoy Manor, coughing up
soot and dirt. She smiled weakly at Lucius, who was sitting in a chair
reading the newspaper. He looked up suddenly when she appeared and stared
in wonder before going back to his reading, without asking any questions.
Hermione made her way upstairs. It had grown dark outside during her time at the Weasley's, although she had only intended to stay for lunch. She didn't want to part with them for each time she left one of her old friends, it was like leaving behind another piece of her life. She hated the feeling.
Draco was in his room with the door wide open. Hermione was alarmed to see that he was carrying several sword-like blades and that his bed was littered with at least five or six of them.
"What are you doing?" she asked casually, walking through the door without knocking. He looked up, surprised to see her.
"Just thinking," he said, going back to staring out the window.
"About what?"
"Lots of things." His eyes looked glazed and faraway, like he hadn't slept in days. "About Mum and why she was driven to insanity. About Dad and why it appears that he doesn't really give a damn about anything. About you and what's going to happen to us after you leave."
"I've written to Dumbledore and asked him about an internship in Potions," she said quietly, relishing the look on Draco's face. "Just for curiosity's sake," she added quickly. "I'm still not sure you should leave your father." She giggled. "I think I just gave him quite the start." She told Draco the tale of her visit with the Weasleys and the look on Lucius' face when she spouted out of the fireplace.
Draco chuckled. "He must have just about fallen apart on the spot," he said. "Things like that can really startle him." He sighed heavily and looked at her fondly. "I hope Dumbledore responds soon," he told her, touching her hand gently. "I really don't want you to leave me next week."
"Technically, it's two weeks almost," she said just before he kissed her tenderly on the lips. She felt herself shudder and heard all thoughts of taking things slowly from now on floating out of the window. She didn't want to hesitate; she didn't want to stop. All she wanted was to lose herself in Draco's heart.
"Hermione! That bird of yours just crashed into the window!" Lucius' voice echoed from down the stairs but he didn't sound angry. Hermione sighed and sat up, slowly pushing Draco off of her.
"Ignore him," he muttered, but she persisted.
"It could be a reply from Dumbledore."
Draco stood up and straightened out his clothes while Hermione fixed her hair. The two of them went downstairs together and Hermione took the letter gingerly from Lucius. He, too, looked lost and isolated in his eyes.
Ripping open the paper, Hermione's eyes scanned the paper. "Upstairs. Now," she said, pulling Draco by the hand. They stopped on the staircase, once Lucius was out of sight, and Hermione let out a little squeal of delight. "Snape's willing to take you on as an assistant," she said, hugging him. "He would be 'thrilled' to have you work with him! And Dumbledore's willing to accept you. What is it?" Draco's face, which had been so elated only seconds before, had taken on a dark look.
"I have to tell Dad," he muttered, going pale and his eyes growing wide.
"I thought you knew that from the beginning," she said softly, touching his arm.
"I did," he answered, "but it didn't really occur to me until now." He looked at her, his eyes full of panic. "What's he going to say? He's not going to like it, Hermione, and I can pretty much guarantee that he's going to try and stop me."
"He won't do that," she assured him, "especially if he knows it's what you really want." But deep down inside, Hermione knew that she couldn't argue with Draco's point; Lucius was going to be furious.
But they were both far from the truth. Instead of screaming and shouting, Lucius simply said, "No," when they approached him the following morning.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" Draco asked, following his father around the kitchen, shaking the letter in his fist.
Lucius looked at him. "I mean no, Draco. You would think someone with your brains and talent would be able to understand a simple phrase like that."
"But Mr. Malfoy, it's what Draco really wants to do," Hermione started but a sharp look from the elder Malfoy stopped her.
"I don't really see where it concerns you," he told her calmly. "And unless you can prove otherwise, I can't really say you should be involved with this conversation."
"But Dad, it does involve her," Draco protested. "It was Hermione's idea to write Dumbledore and ask him. You know Professor Snape, Dad; he's a good guy." (Hermione rolled her eyes but chose to say nothing.) "Besides, you're always saying how I need to do something with my time."
"I have no problem with you being an assistant to a good man like Severus Snape," Lucius informed his son. "I do have a problem, however, with you leaving the house for so long."
"I told you he needed you," Hermione whispered to Draco, only to receive another look from Lucius.
"I thought I told you to stay out of this, Granger," he warned.
"Dad, stop it."
"No. I'm tired of this little girl butting in wherever she feels necessary. It's almost like she thinks I'm not competent enough to run my own household."
"Dad, that's enough."
"No, it's not. We took her in for the summer when she had nowhere else to go. No one else wanted her and we took her in like a charity case. Instead of bursting into our personal lives, she should be grateful that we were kind enough to keep her off the streets this summer."
"Dad, I love her," Draco said quietly, interrupting his father's rant. Both Hermione and Lucius looked at him in surprise but Draco kept his head down. "I do love her," he repeated, "and I really don't think you have any right to talk to her like that."
Lucius opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words. He looked back and forth from Hermione to Draco. "Do you love him?" he finally asked Hermione and it was her turn to look speechless. Draco's prying eyes weren't helping.
"Well, yes," she said, tilting her head in his direction. "I do. That's why I don't want to leave him this year."
Lucius was silent for a moment's time, during which Hermione and Draco shared furtive looks. When Lucius finally did speak, joy rang in his voice. "Well, then, let's arrange a marriage for you two, shall we? We should have the same crowd as last time and the same caterers and everything, right?"
"No," Draco said softly and Lucius stopped.
"I'm sorry; did I just hear you tell me no?"
Draco nodded. "Yeah, Dad, you did."
Lucius' eyes once again travelled from Hermione to Draco and back. "May I ask why?"
Draco looked at Hermione and she nodded slowly. "Well, we're in love, yeah, but we don't want to get married just yet."
"Why the hell not?"
"We're barely nineteen," Hermione piped up tentatively. "We want to enjoy being teenagers in love before moving onto something more serious." An appreciative look from Draco told her she had hit it right on the nose. "Maybe further down the line," she added for Lucius' sake, "marriage will be an option. Just not right now."
"So you want to leave me," Lucius finally said, rounding the topic back to Draco heading back to Hogwarts. "Leave me here alone?"
"I left before," Draco said and Hermione winced. She knew what was coming.
Sure enough, Lucius stood up and began to pace the room. "That was different," he said quietly. "Your mother was here then."
"Dad, I miss her too," Draco said, standing up behind his father but Lucius raised his hand to stop him.
"Don't," he said. "Don't even start. I know you want to go for your own reasons, but I just need time to think about all that's happened."
"Me, too, Dad."
"I'm going to leave for now," Hermione said, standing up and heading for the door, but Draco stopped her.
"Stay here," he told her firmly. "You're as good as a part of this family now." He turned back to his father. "Dad, I know what happened between you and Mum's sister so many years ago. I know a lot more than you've given me credit for and I still blame you for Mum's descent into insanity, as much as I don't want to believe it. You were the cause of it and although we've both suffered her loss, that gives you reason to be more concerned about recovering than me.
"I am going to Hogwarts, Dad, and if you can't be happy for me because I'm making something of myself than so be it. I don't need your approval, nor do I need your consent. I only hope that you'll give me your respect." He held his head triumphantly, a small grin forming on his face. The grin grew, however, when Lucius turned around and he was smiling sadly.
"I see a little bit more of your mother in you every day," he said, looking at his son rather fondly. "She was stubborn, too." He sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Go, if you must, but make sure you write to me and visit as often as you can."
"I will," Draco promised, squeezing Hermione's hand in silent happiness. "Thanks for understanding."
Hermione made her way upstairs. It had grown dark outside during her time at the Weasley's, although she had only intended to stay for lunch. She didn't want to part with them for each time she left one of her old friends, it was like leaving behind another piece of her life. She hated the feeling.
Draco was in his room with the door wide open. Hermione was alarmed to see that he was carrying several sword-like blades and that his bed was littered with at least five or six of them.
"What are you doing?" she asked casually, walking through the door without knocking. He looked up, surprised to see her.
"Just thinking," he said, going back to staring out the window.
"About what?"
"Lots of things." His eyes looked glazed and faraway, like he hadn't slept in days. "About Mum and why she was driven to insanity. About Dad and why it appears that he doesn't really give a damn about anything. About you and what's going to happen to us after you leave."
"I've written to Dumbledore and asked him about an internship in Potions," she said quietly, relishing the look on Draco's face. "Just for curiosity's sake," she added quickly. "I'm still not sure you should leave your father." She giggled. "I think I just gave him quite the start." She told Draco the tale of her visit with the Weasleys and the look on Lucius' face when she spouted out of the fireplace.
Draco chuckled. "He must have just about fallen apart on the spot," he said. "Things like that can really startle him." He sighed heavily and looked at her fondly. "I hope Dumbledore responds soon," he told her, touching her hand gently. "I really don't want you to leave me next week."
"Technically, it's two weeks almost," she said just before he kissed her tenderly on the lips. She felt herself shudder and heard all thoughts of taking things slowly from now on floating out of the window. She didn't want to hesitate; she didn't want to stop. All she wanted was to lose herself in Draco's heart.
"Hermione! That bird of yours just crashed into the window!" Lucius' voice echoed from down the stairs but he didn't sound angry. Hermione sighed and sat up, slowly pushing Draco off of her.
"Ignore him," he muttered, but she persisted.
"It could be a reply from Dumbledore."
Draco stood up and straightened out his clothes while Hermione fixed her hair. The two of them went downstairs together and Hermione took the letter gingerly from Lucius. He, too, looked lost and isolated in his eyes.
Ripping open the paper, Hermione's eyes scanned the paper. "Upstairs. Now," she said, pulling Draco by the hand. They stopped on the staircase, once Lucius was out of sight, and Hermione let out a little squeal of delight. "Snape's willing to take you on as an assistant," she said, hugging him. "He would be 'thrilled' to have you work with him! And Dumbledore's willing to accept you. What is it?" Draco's face, which had been so elated only seconds before, had taken on a dark look.
"I have to tell Dad," he muttered, going pale and his eyes growing wide.
"I thought you knew that from the beginning," she said softly, touching his arm.
"I did," he answered, "but it didn't really occur to me until now." He looked at her, his eyes full of panic. "What's he going to say? He's not going to like it, Hermione, and I can pretty much guarantee that he's going to try and stop me."
"He won't do that," she assured him, "especially if he knows it's what you really want." But deep down inside, Hermione knew that she couldn't argue with Draco's point; Lucius was going to be furious.
But they were both far from the truth. Instead of screaming and shouting, Lucius simply said, "No," when they approached him the following morning.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" Draco asked, following his father around the kitchen, shaking the letter in his fist.
Lucius looked at him. "I mean no, Draco. You would think someone with your brains and talent would be able to understand a simple phrase like that."
"But Mr. Malfoy, it's what Draco really wants to do," Hermione started but a sharp look from the elder Malfoy stopped her.
"I don't really see where it concerns you," he told her calmly. "And unless you can prove otherwise, I can't really say you should be involved with this conversation."
"But Dad, it does involve her," Draco protested. "It was Hermione's idea to write Dumbledore and ask him. You know Professor Snape, Dad; he's a good guy." (Hermione rolled her eyes but chose to say nothing.) "Besides, you're always saying how I need to do something with my time."
"I have no problem with you being an assistant to a good man like Severus Snape," Lucius informed his son. "I do have a problem, however, with you leaving the house for so long."
"I told you he needed you," Hermione whispered to Draco, only to receive another look from Lucius.
"I thought I told you to stay out of this, Granger," he warned.
"Dad, stop it."
"No. I'm tired of this little girl butting in wherever she feels necessary. It's almost like she thinks I'm not competent enough to run my own household."
"Dad, that's enough."
"No, it's not. We took her in for the summer when she had nowhere else to go. No one else wanted her and we took her in like a charity case. Instead of bursting into our personal lives, she should be grateful that we were kind enough to keep her off the streets this summer."
"Dad, I love her," Draco said quietly, interrupting his father's rant. Both Hermione and Lucius looked at him in surprise but Draco kept his head down. "I do love her," he repeated, "and I really don't think you have any right to talk to her like that."
Lucius opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words. He looked back and forth from Hermione to Draco. "Do you love him?" he finally asked Hermione and it was her turn to look speechless. Draco's prying eyes weren't helping.
"Well, yes," she said, tilting her head in his direction. "I do. That's why I don't want to leave him this year."
Lucius was silent for a moment's time, during which Hermione and Draco shared furtive looks. When Lucius finally did speak, joy rang in his voice. "Well, then, let's arrange a marriage for you two, shall we? We should have the same crowd as last time and the same caterers and everything, right?"
"No," Draco said softly and Lucius stopped.
"I'm sorry; did I just hear you tell me no?"
Draco nodded. "Yeah, Dad, you did."
Lucius' eyes once again travelled from Hermione to Draco and back. "May I ask why?"
Draco looked at Hermione and she nodded slowly. "Well, we're in love, yeah, but we don't want to get married just yet."
"Why the hell not?"
"We're barely nineteen," Hermione piped up tentatively. "We want to enjoy being teenagers in love before moving onto something more serious." An appreciative look from Draco told her she had hit it right on the nose. "Maybe further down the line," she added for Lucius' sake, "marriage will be an option. Just not right now."
"So you want to leave me," Lucius finally said, rounding the topic back to Draco heading back to Hogwarts. "Leave me here alone?"
"I left before," Draco said and Hermione winced. She knew what was coming.
Sure enough, Lucius stood up and began to pace the room. "That was different," he said quietly. "Your mother was here then."
"Dad, I miss her too," Draco said, standing up behind his father but Lucius raised his hand to stop him.
"Don't," he said. "Don't even start. I know you want to go for your own reasons, but I just need time to think about all that's happened."
"Me, too, Dad."
"I'm going to leave for now," Hermione said, standing up and heading for the door, but Draco stopped her.
"Stay here," he told her firmly. "You're as good as a part of this family now." He turned back to his father. "Dad, I know what happened between you and Mum's sister so many years ago. I know a lot more than you've given me credit for and I still blame you for Mum's descent into insanity, as much as I don't want to believe it. You were the cause of it and although we've both suffered her loss, that gives you reason to be more concerned about recovering than me.
"I am going to Hogwarts, Dad, and if you can't be happy for me because I'm making something of myself than so be it. I don't need your approval, nor do I need your consent. I only hope that you'll give me your respect." He held his head triumphantly, a small grin forming on his face. The grin grew, however, when Lucius turned around and he was smiling sadly.
"I see a little bit more of your mother in you every day," he said, looking at his son rather fondly. "She was stubborn, too." He sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Go, if you must, but make sure you write to me and visit as often as you can."
"I will," Draco promised, squeezing Hermione's hand in silent happiness. "Thanks for understanding."