Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters contained within
this story, J. K. Rowling does, and she kicks ass, so I wouldn't steal her
stuff from her.
Chapter 9: Malfoy
Dumbledore approached the Slytherin common room, but before entering he pulled a piece of parchment from his robes, opened it and glanced at the writing. He nodded his head in approval and told his password that let him enter any common room to the portrait that guarded the entrance.
He was almost plowed into by Draco, who had been adjusting his scarf as he was making his way to the common room exit. "Headmaster!" Draco said, startled as he looked up to see Dumbledore standing at his eye level.
"Hello Draco," he said. "I have something that I would like for you to deliver to your mother on your trip." Dumbledore took out the piece of parchment again and handed it to Draco.
Draco raised an eyebrow and pocketed the parchment. "Anything you ask."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Thank you," he said turning to walk out of the room with Draco. "I trust you will get it to her before an owl would at this point. It is snowing awfully hard."
Draco smiled weakly and looked at the ground as the walked down the corridor. "Headmaster, I want to thank you," he said. Dumbledore's eyes made their way to the ground as well. "I mean, for letting Hermione and I go to my mother, and for, well, everything. You have more than proven yourself to me."
"Now Draco," Dumbledore said, stopping and looking up. "Proof is in the eye of the beholder."
Draco looked up and turned to see Dumbledore, but he was already down the corridor. He shook the eerie feeling and began to walk towards the Gryffindor common room where Hermione was waiting for him.
"What could he have meant? Proof is in the eye of the beholder?" he whispered to himself as he walked up a flight of stairs.
"Not everyone is what they seem," a voice floated down to him. He looked up quickly to see Hermione walking down the steps towards him. "Faced with what seems like undeniable evidence, some people still don't believe. Some people believe when they shouldn't. People see what they want to."
Draco smiled unsurely. "Yeah, I guess so." He paused and looked at her. "I think we'd better get going; we have a long train ride ahead of us once we get off the grounds."
She kissed him and looked him in the eyes. "Don't be so nervous, she's just your mother." Hermione took a gloved hand and brushed his cheek softly. "You're the one who told me she didn't bite"
He laughed at this and took her hand as the walked towards the carriage that would take them to the train station. It was snowing hard and the carriage lurched as the horses tried to make their way against the wild wind. Draco's mind floated to the piece of parchment that was hidden in his robes. Should he look at it? What did Dumbledore have to say to his mother? Did he know anything? He looked at Hermione who appeared lost in her own thoughts as they approached the station.
They got on the train headed towards King's Cross Station where Narcissa Malfoy, or one of her employees, was waiting to pick Draco and Hermione up. Hermione's mind was on fire with doubt and questions about this meeting. She was about to meet the wife of, in her opinion, the most powerful Death Eater and employee of the Ministry of Magic. Lucius was notorious for his hatred of non-purebloods and had passed many of his traits onto Draco. Draco had been able to overcome the grip of his father, but Narcissa? She had been under his control constantly for longer than she or Draco had been alive. Although Draco had told her that there was nothing to worry about, she couldn't banish the feeling in the pit of her stomach.
When she looked over at Draco she realized he was scowling slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, leaning over and touching his knee tenderly. Concern etched her face as he squirmed slightly.
He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous. This is the first time I'm going to be home without Father." Draco looked out the window. "I'm happy that Mother and I are free, but he was still my father. I just don't know what to think and I don't know what state my mother will be in. As horrible as this sounds and as happy as I am to have you here for moral support and to meet my mother, I almost wish you weren't coming so I could assess life at Malfoy Manor first, you know?"
Hermione was taken aback. How could the man who she's supposed to marry not want her to come with him in this trying time? Her indignant reaction gave way to understanding as the concept of a household completely askew and out of control came to her mind. This was going to be a huge change for Draco and she was going to put something false on the family dynamic. He won't have to deal with the issue as long as she's there.
"Draco, I'm only staying for a little while," Hermione said.
"What? Why?" he stammered. His eyes were wide and he took her hand. "I need you Hermione! Please don't leave me there alone."
She looked him in the eyes and squeezed his hand. "You need to face it on your own. I'll meet your mother, maybe have dinner, but you need to stay and work things out about your father. I can't be there for that and you know it."
Draco looked down. "I know."
The train rolled to a stop at King's Cross and Hermione and Draco grabbed their bags and stepped off the train to see Narcissa Malfoy waiting for them. Her features had softened; she no longer looked as angled as she had at the Quidditch World Cup and her nose no longer pointed in the air. Hermione could tell that there was just the faintest hint of grey in her white blond hair as well.
Narcissa smiled warmly as she saw her son. "Draco!" she called holding out her arms. Her arms enveloped him as he drew near to her. "Oh, I'm so happy that you're here Draco. It's been so lonely around the house since you've been gone." She let him go and looked at Hermione. To Hermione's surprise, Narcissa's smile grew larger and she grabbed Hermione in a strong hug. "My future daughter-in-law. I'm so happy to finally meet you!"
"It's great to finally meet you too, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said pulling out of the constricting hug. She looked over at Draco who was beaming. Narcissa's welcome may have just made his lifetime.
Narcissa smiled. "Please, that sounds so formal, call me Narcissa." Hermione smiled politely.
The threesome walked to the car where the Malfoys' driver was waiting to take them to Malfoy Manor. As they pulled up, Hermione was awed at the sheer size of the property. The large house looked as though it was something straight out of Rome with large cast-iron gates with large M's on the front. "Your house is gorgeous," she whispered, her eyes wide.
Narcissa nodded in thanks. "I was thinking if you wanted you could have the ceremony and reception on the grounds. There's obviously plenty of room for a few hundred guests. It's entirely up to you though."
Hermione gasped at this. "We haven't really done any planning yet, Narcissa. Draco and I will certainly consider the option though."
They went into the house, which was, if at all possible, more beautiful than the outside. Narcissa gave Hermione a tour, showing her all of the places that could be conducive to the wedding, which Hermione and Draco hadn't even thought of setting a date for.
When they sat down to dinner, though, the conversation turned to a more serious note. The subject of Lucius had finally arisen. "It's too bad your father won't be able to see the wedding," Narcissa said, raising a spoonful of soup to her mouth.
Draco frowned. "You know he hated Hermione. He disowned me a week ago! I don't think he would have been thrilled to see the wedding."
Hermione squirmed in her seat. She didn't enjoy the turn the conversation was beginning to take. "I am sorry that no reconciliation was made though," she offered to mother and son. "I'd like to hope that he would have come around eventually."
Narcissa sighed. "Draco's probably right. Lucius was cold and selfish. He couldn't even be loyal to You-Know-Who when it wasn't convenient for him." Hermione had to keep her mouth from hanging open like a fish. "That was just Lucius."
"I guess I can't really argue," Hermione said softly. "You knew him better than I did obviously." She wiped her mouth with her napkin daintily and placed it back down on her lap. She wrought her hands nervously under the table.
"He was rotten to you, Hermione, admit it," Draco said, standing up.
Hermione stood up as well, trying to maintain her composure. "Yes, he was. You know he was, I know he was, practically the entire world knows he was. But I don't want to dishonor his memory, especially not in front of your mother!" Hermione's face went pink and she sat back down nervously.
Narcissa smiled. "Believe me; he was rotten to Draco and me as well. You dishonor nothing by telling the truth."
Hermione looked at her, disbelief spreading across her face. Her blush deepened and she looked at her watch. "My goodness, its getting late," she said standing up and placing her napkin across her empty plate. "I must excuse myself and head back to Hogwarts. My taxi will be arriving soon. I do apologize for cutting my visit so short."
"I'm very sorry too dear," Narcissa said standing as well. She looked disappointed as she approached Hermione. "Maybe on your next visit we'll get to chat alone and discuss some of the wedding plans. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful," Hermione beamed.
Narcissa hugged her tightly and released her to Draco. "Goodbye, Mione," Draco said kissing her forehead. "I'll miss you terribly."
Hermione blushed. "I'll miss you too, Dear." She kissed him deeply and wrapped herself around him. "Talk to your mother," she whispered almost silently into his ear before she released him.
The taxi honked outside. Draco nodded and kissed her again. "Thank you for coming!" Narcissa called out to her as she got into the car.
Hermione waved. "Thank you for your hospitality!"
As the taxi sped out of sight Narcissa turned to Draco. "Come in," she said coldly and swept around into the foyer. "We have much to discuss now that she's gone."
Draco and Narcissa sat in the living room and waited as their new house elf brought them some tea. "Yes, Mother," Draco said taking a sip of the hot liquid and letting it burn his throat. "What do you need to discuss?"
She glared icily at him. "You know very well what needs to be discussed." She sipped her tea and regained her calmer demeanor. "Everything seems to be setting up nicely. You and Hermione are getting on very well indeed. I trust everyone's opinions of you have changed drastically?"
"You don't even know the half of it," he muttered under his breath. She shot him a look. "Yes, everyone's been quite receptive to the change." He glared down into his cup, willing it to shatter and send the dark tea all over the white room. As his anger subsided he looked up at Narcissa. "Who killed Father?"
"I did," she said shortly. "That was the most important part of the plan, you don't really think I'd let someone else foul it up, would you?" She took another sip. "Yes, a few days after your encounter with him I thought it would be safe to act. Any sooner and the two incidents might have seemed connected. Naturally I didn't want to have to wait any longer than necessary to solidify my relationship with the girl."
Draco's jaw flexed. "Hermione. Her name is Hermione." Narcissa waved her hand in indifference. "And I'm starting to think that this isn't a very good idea."
Narcissa froze; her eyes darted to Draco's and held him. "Your father, one of the greatest servants of Lord Voldemort has been sacrificed for this mission!"
"He didn't ask for it!" Draco shouted. "No one in their right minds would believe that our family is all lovey dovey and pink flowers now that Father is gone! They're going to suspect me no matter who I'm married to or how far under the ground Father is!" He began to pace the room.
She slammed down her teacup so hard that it cracked, spilling tea out onto the floor. Draco felt slightly better. "The plan goes on. We have worked too hard to get our Dark Lord regenerated and he will have Harry Potter." She leaned in close to him. "And I don't care who you have to kill or fuck to get him."
Draco seethed and turned to walk out the door, but he remembered Dumbledore's parchment. Seizing it from his robes, he threw it at Narcissa. "Condolences from Dumbledore, I'm sure," he spat. "Maybe he sees through you, Bitch."
As he slammed the door behind him Narcissa resisted the urge to use Avada Kedavra and be rid of the useless slime too, but she settled for picking up the parchment. Her eyes scrolled down the paper and gasped when she read:
Mrs. Malfoy,
I am terribly sorry about the loss of your husband,
Lucius. He was a powerful man and a force to be reckoned with.
I have the highest hopes, though, that Draco will not
follow in the footsteps Lucius has left behind in the more,
undesirable parts of his private life. I will therefore ask you to
keep him out of your latest plot to overthrow myself and the Ministry
of Magic on behalf of Lord Voldemort. It is very unbecoming of such a
young gentleman such as Draco.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Chapter 9: Malfoy
Dumbledore approached the Slytherin common room, but before entering he pulled a piece of parchment from his robes, opened it and glanced at the writing. He nodded his head in approval and told his password that let him enter any common room to the portrait that guarded the entrance.
He was almost plowed into by Draco, who had been adjusting his scarf as he was making his way to the common room exit. "Headmaster!" Draco said, startled as he looked up to see Dumbledore standing at his eye level.
"Hello Draco," he said. "I have something that I would like for you to deliver to your mother on your trip." Dumbledore took out the piece of parchment again and handed it to Draco.
Draco raised an eyebrow and pocketed the parchment. "Anything you ask."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Thank you," he said turning to walk out of the room with Draco. "I trust you will get it to her before an owl would at this point. It is snowing awfully hard."
Draco smiled weakly and looked at the ground as the walked down the corridor. "Headmaster, I want to thank you," he said. Dumbledore's eyes made their way to the ground as well. "I mean, for letting Hermione and I go to my mother, and for, well, everything. You have more than proven yourself to me."
"Now Draco," Dumbledore said, stopping and looking up. "Proof is in the eye of the beholder."
Draco looked up and turned to see Dumbledore, but he was already down the corridor. He shook the eerie feeling and began to walk towards the Gryffindor common room where Hermione was waiting for him.
"What could he have meant? Proof is in the eye of the beholder?" he whispered to himself as he walked up a flight of stairs.
"Not everyone is what they seem," a voice floated down to him. He looked up quickly to see Hermione walking down the steps towards him. "Faced with what seems like undeniable evidence, some people still don't believe. Some people believe when they shouldn't. People see what they want to."
Draco smiled unsurely. "Yeah, I guess so." He paused and looked at her. "I think we'd better get going; we have a long train ride ahead of us once we get off the grounds."
She kissed him and looked him in the eyes. "Don't be so nervous, she's just your mother." Hermione took a gloved hand and brushed his cheek softly. "You're the one who told me she didn't bite"
He laughed at this and took her hand as the walked towards the carriage that would take them to the train station. It was snowing hard and the carriage lurched as the horses tried to make their way against the wild wind. Draco's mind floated to the piece of parchment that was hidden in his robes. Should he look at it? What did Dumbledore have to say to his mother? Did he know anything? He looked at Hermione who appeared lost in her own thoughts as they approached the station.
They got on the train headed towards King's Cross Station where Narcissa Malfoy, or one of her employees, was waiting to pick Draco and Hermione up. Hermione's mind was on fire with doubt and questions about this meeting. She was about to meet the wife of, in her opinion, the most powerful Death Eater and employee of the Ministry of Magic. Lucius was notorious for his hatred of non-purebloods and had passed many of his traits onto Draco. Draco had been able to overcome the grip of his father, but Narcissa? She had been under his control constantly for longer than she or Draco had been alive. Although Draco had told her that there was nothing to worry about, she couldn't banish the feeling in the pit of her stomach.
When she looked over at Draco she realized he was scowling slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, leaning over and touching his knee tenderly. Concern etched her face as he squirmed slightly.
He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous. This is the first time I'm going to be home without Father." Draco looked out the window. "I'm happy that Mother and I are free, but he was still my father. I just don't know what to think and I don't know what state my mother will be in. As horrible as this sounds and as happy as I am to have you here for moral support and to meet my mother, I almost wish you weren't coming so I could assess life at Malfoy Manor first, you know?"
Hermione was taken aback. How could the man who she's supposed to marry not want her to come with him in this trying time? Her indignant reaction gave way to understanding as the concept of a household completely askew and out of control came to her mind. This was going to be a huge change for Draco and she was going to put something false on the family dynamic. He won't have to deal with the issue as long as she's there.
"Draco, I'm only staying for a little while," Hermione said.
"What? Why?" he stammered. His eyes were wide and he took her hand. "I need you Hermione! Please don't leave me there alone."
She looked him in the eyes and squeezed his hand. "You need to face it on your own. I'll meet your mother, maybe have dinner, but you need to stay and work things out about your father. I can't be there for that and you know it."
Draco looked down. "I know."
The train rolled to a stop at King's Cross and Hermione and Draco grabbed their bags and stepped off the train to see Narcissa Malfoy waiting for them. Her features had softened; she no longer looked as angled as she had at the Quidditch World Cup and her nose no longer pointed in the air. Hermione could tell that there was just the faintest hint of grey in her white blond hair as well.
Narcissa smiled warmly as she saw her son. "Draco!" she called holding out her arms. Her arms enveloped him as he drew near to her. "Oh, I'm so happy that you're here Draco. It's been so lonely around the house since you've been gone." She let him go and looked at Hermione. To Hermione's surprise, Narcissa's smile grew larger and she grabbed Hermione in a strong hug. "My future daughter-in-law. I'm so happy to finally meet you!"
"It's great to finally meet you too, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said pulling out of the constricting hug. She looked over at Draco who was beaming. Narcissa's welcome may have just made his lifetime.
Narcissa smiled. "Please, that sounds so formal, call me Narcissa." Hermione smiled politely.
The threesome walked to the car where the Malfoys' driver was waiting to take them to Malfoy Manor. As they pulled up, Hermione was awed at the sheer size of the property. The large house looked as though it was something straight out of Rome with large cast-iron gates with large M's on the front. "Your house is gorgeous," she whispered, her eyes wide.
Narcissa nodded in thanks. "I was thinking if you wanted you could have the ceremony and reception on the grounds. There's obviously plenty of room for a few hundred guests. It's entirely up to you though."
Hermione gasped at this. "We haven't really done any planning yet, Narcissa. Draco and I will certainly consider the option though."
They went into the house, which was, if at all possible, more beautiful than the outside. Narcissa gave Hermione a tour, showing her all of the places that could be conducive to the wedding, which Hermione and Draco hadn't even thought of setting a date for.
When they sat down to dinner, though, the conversation turned to a more serious note. The subject of Lucius had finally arisen. "It's too bad your father won't be able to see the wedding," Narcissa said, raising a spoonful of soup to her mouth.
Draco frowned. "You know he hated Hermione. He disowned me a week ago! I don't think he would have been thrilled to see the wedding."
Hermione squirmed in her seat. She didn't enjoy the turn the conversation was beginning to take. "I am sorry that no reconciliation was made though," she offered to mother and son. "I'd like to hope that he would have come around eventually."
Narcissa sighed. "Draco's probably right. Lucius was cold and selfish. He couldn't even be loyal to You-Know-Who when it wasn't convenient for him." Hermione had to keep her mouth from hanging open like a fish. "That was just Lucius."
"I guess I can't really argue," Hermione said softly. "You knew him better than I did obviously." She wiped her mouth with her napkin daintily and placed it back down on her lap. She wrought her hands nervously under the table.
"He was rotten to you, Hermione, admit it," Draco said, standing up.
Hermione stood up as well, trying to maintain her composure. "Yes, he was. You know he was, I know he was, practically the entire world knows he was. But I don't want to dishonor his memory, especially not in front of your mother!" Hermione's face went pink and she sat back down nervously.
Narcissa smiled. "Believe me; he was rotten to Draco and me as well. You dishonor nothing by telling the truth."
Hermione looked at her, disbelief spreading across her face. Her blush deepened and she looked at her watch. "My goodness, its getting late," she said standing up and placing her napkin across her empty plate. "I must excuse myself and head back to Hogwarts. My taxi will be arriving soon. I do apologize for cutting my visit so short."
"I'm very sorry too dear," Narcissa said standing as well. She looked disappointed as she approached Hermione. "Maybe on your next visit we'll get to chat alone and discuss some of the wedding plans. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful," Hermione beamed.
Narcissa hugged her tightly and released her to Draco. "Goodbye, Mione," Draco said kissing her forehead. "I'll miss you terribly."
Hermione blushed. "I'll miss you too, Dear." She kissed him deeply and wrapped herself around him. "Talk to your mother," she whispered almost silently into his ear before she released him.
The taxi honked outside. Draco nodded and kissed her again. "Thank you for coming!" Narcissa called out to her as she got into the car.
Hermione waved. "Thank you for your hospitality!"
As the taxi sped out of sight Narcissa turned to Draco. "Come in," she said coldly and swept around into the foyer. "We have much to discuss now that she's gone."
Draco and Narcissa sat in the living room and waited as their new house elf brought them some tea. "Yes, Mother," Draco said taking a sip of the hot liquid and letting it burn his throat. "What do you need to discuss?"
She glared icily at him. "You know very well what needs to be discussed." She sipped her tea and regained her calmer demeanor. "Everything seems to be setting up nicely. You and Hermione are getting on very well indeed. I trust everyone's opinions of you have changed drastically?"
"You don't even know the half of it," he muttered under his breath. She shot him a look. "Yes, everyone's been quite receptive to the change." He glared down into his cup, willing it to shatter and send the dark tea all over the white room. As his anger subsided he looked up at Narcissa. "Who killed Father?"
"I did," she said shortly. "That was the most important part of the plan, you don't really think I'd let someone else foul it up, would you?" She took another sip. "Yes, a few days after your encounter with him I thought it would be safe to act. Any sooner and the two incidents might have seemed connected. Naturally I didn't want to have to wait any longer than necessary to solidify my relationship with the girl."
Draco's jaw flexed. "Hermione. Her name is Hermione." Narcissa waved her hand in indifference. "And I'm starting to think that this isn't a very good idea."
Narcissa froze; her eyes darted to Draco's and held him. "Your father, one of the greatest servants of Lord Voldemort has been sacrificed for this mission!"
"He didn't ask for it!" Draco shouted. "No one in their right minds would believe that our family is all lovey dovey and pink flowers now that Father is gone! They're going to suspect me no matter who I'm married to or how far under the ground Father is!" He began to pace the room.
She slammed down her teacup so hard that it cracked, spilling tea out onto the floor. Draco felt slightly better. "The plan goes on. We have worked too hard to get our Dark Lord regenerated and he will have Harry Potter." She leaned in close to him. "And I don't care who you have to kill or fuck to get him."
Draco seethed and turned to walk out the door, but he remembered Dumbledore's parchment. Seizing it from his robes, he threw it at Narcissa. "Condolences from Dumbledore, I'm sure," he spat. "Maybe he sees through you, Bitch."
As he slammed the door behind him Narcissa resisted the urge to use Avada Kedavra and be rid of the useless slime too, but she settled for picking up the parchment. Her eyes scrolled down the paper and gasped when she read:
Mrs. Malfoy,
I am terribly sorry about the loss of your husband,
Lucius. He was a powerful man and a force to be reckoned with.
I have the highest hopes, though, that Draco will not
follow in the footsteps Lucius has left behind in the more,
undesirable parts of his private life. I will therefore ask you to
keep him out of your latest plot to overthrow myself and the Ministry
of Magic on behalf of Lord Voldemort. It is very unbecoming of such a
young gentleman such as Draco.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore