Chapter 5 – Visit at the Manor Hermione's view was blurry. Clearly the combination of having lost quite a lot of blood and green flames spinning around here head, wasn't quite healthy. She closes her eyes, hoping the trip would be over soon. She had never really liked travelling by Floo Powder but now she downright hated it, and wished it would be over soon. Somehow, maybe because of the fact she should not be doing this or maybe it was just such a long distance, the journey seemed to last much longer than any other she had ever made before. It looked as though she was slowing down, her head was swimming and therefore she fell at the bare cold stone floor of Malfoy Manor at full length. "Damn." She said, wile trying to get on her feet, beating dust from her cloak and dressing her bushy ponytail. Hermione's gaze went through the room she'd just entered, and she gasped. The closest closet to describe the chamber was some sort of mediaeval dining room: the walls made out of rough, old, grey stones, just like the floor, there were innumerable stained-glass windows, which portrayed breath-taking performances of ancient magicians. In broad daylight they probably would have spread some sapphire bluish colour, judging by what was visible at the moment; in the middle of the room there stood a huge oaken table that could easily seat about thirty people in claret velvet upholstered chairs; the beautiful crystal chandeliers at the ceiling spread a welcoming white light and lightened up the almost lifelike portraits of various member of the Malfoy family at the wall. Tensely she stepped further into the room, her footsteps echoing with every movement she made. She looked rather impressed at the gigantic portrait of no-one less than Lucius Malfoy himself, and nearly shrieked out of pure shock as she came to stand face to face with the living replica of the portrait. She had not heard him coming. "Can I help you, Miss Granger?" He asked coldly, while eying her with a polity questioning look. On his private property his voice seemed to sound at least a dozen times as menacing. Hermione gulped. "I would like to see Draco, Mr. Malfoy." She informed him politely, carefully avoiding eye contact. Lucius raised an eyebrow. "I am afraid Draco is not at home at the moment, Miss, is there anything else I can do for you?" Malfoy senior, on the other hand, tried hard to do make eye contact. Hermione considered for a moment, looking down at her shoes. What if Lucius would open this letter while Draco, maybe, did not want his father to read it? "No, thank you." She said, as she looked up. But a second later she wished she hadn't because she looked right into those ice-cold, cruel eyes of Malfoy. "I-" She began, but she knew it was no good: she tried hard to block all memories but Malfoy was already searching her mind in eager to find why, for God's sake, this Mudblood wanted to see his son. All kinds of pictures were flashing in Hermione's view, all of them somehow had something to do with Draco. Lucius Malfoy smirked at the sight of Hermione growing fangs, but his sneer disappeared as he found where he had been looking for. He broke off his spell. Hermione blinked. "Where is the letter?" He demanded. Hermione, who knew there was no point in trying to ignore Malfoy's order and denying she had a letter, hesitatingly took the letter out of her pocket and handed it over to him. Malfoy grabbed the letter. "Whom is it from?" He asked, while eying the seal with great interest. "I don't know, sir." She said truthfully, whishing she had opened the bloody letter herself in at home. Malfoy grunted, and took out his wand to break the seal. But, however, as he had hardly even managed to unfold the letter, it was summoned out of his hand. "What?!" Lucius exclaimed, facing a furious Draco Malfoy who was walking hurriedly towards his father, clutching the envelope tightly. "How do you even consider about opening my post without my permission?" Draco bellowed, with a coldness that made a shudder running over Hermione's spine. He was about two inches taller than his father, and was casting his father a look she had only seen him wearing as he faced Potter. Lucius Malfoy's eyebrows almost vanished in his hair. "Why, I am your father and I can open whatever I please," He said, his voice was dangerously low. "No, you can't." Draco said, eying his father in pure loathing. He turned to face Hermione. "Granger, come with me. We need to talk." This last sentence echoed through the room with the weight of a funeral bell. Hermione didn't even dare to object.
Hermione followed Malfoy through a great oak door leading them into a gigantic hall, which resembled remarkably much with the one at Hogwarts except for the fact it was covered with sapphire stained-glass windows as well. They passed some more corridors, lightened with torches, and decorated with even more portraits of ancient relatives. "Here." Draco said, gesturing her inside. The door looked threatening in a way. Obviously this should be Draco's room. She covered her mouth in amazement when she entered. "White?" She asked, half laughing. Draco mumbled something she could not understand, and pushed her in the sofa quite roughly. "Did you read it?" He asked aggressively, towering in front of her. Hermione's smile vanished abruptly. His pupils were narrowed in suppressed anger. "No, of course not." She answered. "Did you read the letter?" He emphasized. "No, I did not." Her temper rised. "Did. You. read. The. Letter?" He repeated, stressing every word. The room seemed to grow darker. Hermione looked right into Draco's stormy grey eyes, they looked extremely much like his father's at the moment. "I did NOT read that fucking letter of yours, Malfoy!" She screamed, getting up. She took a quivering breath and added: "I came her to bring it, but now I bloody hell wish I had opened it!" Draco grasped both of her arms painfully hard to keep her from running away, and looked her in the hazel eyes. "You fucking bastard." She hissed hatefully as he started searching her mind. She could tell by the force he used to search her thought, he was much better at Leglimency than his father. Draco released his grip, and blinked. "Sorry," He sighed truthfully, "I should have believed you." He flung himself down in the sofa, burying his face in his hands, looking exhausted. "Lucius shouldn't have forced you to give him the letter," He said, taking her hand and trying to pull her back in the sofa. "Leave me alone!" She whispered poisonously, as she tore loose her hand. She stared at him, "I only wanted to bloody bring it to you, and no-one seems to even bother to say as much as 'thanks'. No, the only thing I get is having my mind searched twice!" Malfoy frowned. "Twice?" He asked, somewhat confused. "Yes, mister." She sneered, her lips were as thin as McGonagall's when she got angry, "Your oh-so-nice father had already searched it before you did." To Hermione's surprise, Malfoy started laughing hysterically. "What the fuck is so funny, Malfoy?" She spat. It took a while before Draco was finally able to answer due the laughing. "He…" Draco snorted, "He…" Malfoy tried again. "What, Malfoy?" she demanded, getting really irritated. "He must have thought you would have some-" He started laughing again. Breathing hard Draco swallowed, trying to get his face even. "He must have thought you would have some memories of the two of us snogging, or something." He was howling with laughter again. "Just imagine what a shame that would be for him…" He said, between to fits. "His only son, shagging a Mudblood!" Somehow Hermione didn't seem to find this at all funny. Her hair was shimmering in electricity. She crossed her arms. "Sorry…" Malfoy said, wiping tears out of his eyes after a few more minutes. "I just though-" "The idea of the two of us fucking, extremely funny. Yeah… I noticed." She said, rolling her eyes. "Just imagine how Lucius would react." Draco said with a dreamy look in his eyes, staring at the ceiling. "His face, oh, I would give anything to see his face…" Hermione frowned. "You're fucking odd, you know?" She questioned, somewhat admiring nevertheless. "Am I?" He asked rhetorically, folding his hands under his head and eying her questioningly. "Yes, you are." She said, placing both of her arms on either side of Malfoy. Her head was barely five inches from his. Malfoy's eyes were gleaming in a mischievous way Hermione had never witnessed before.