Chapter 3: Malfoy Manor
"Draco, why don't you show our guest around while I make us some lunch. You guys are hungry right?" Narcissa asked them as she turned to face her son and Hermione.
"Yes ma'am" Hermione said. %After all, we had skipped breakfast% she mused.
"OK then, but please don't call me ma'am, dear, makes me feel old." Narcissa said as she walked off in the direction Hermione assumed was the kitchen.
As soon as his mother had left, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand, "Well, this is our living quarters." he waved his other hand around the room.
Hermione gasped as she took in the surroundings. The fireplace she had just stepped out of was immaculate. Taller then the average man, and it was done in a gray brick and the inside had an amazing silver vein design. Above the mantelpiece was a still portrait of the Malfoy family. All wearing the malicious looks Hermione had grown accustom to, up until the recent year, that is. As she looked around, Hermione realized that the entire living quarters walls were all in the same gray brick as the fireplace. Behind her, on the huge aerial rug the color of blood red, was an oversized black leather couch and two chairs. They were much alike the those from their head dormitory, except far more luxurious and, as Hermione could only guess, more expensive. Also, she noted, in the corners of the rug, along the sides of the couch, were tall candelabrums. As she gazed up, Hermione noticed that, lining the walls on both sides, were highly polished suits of armor. In between the second and third suits were doors on both sides.
"What's in there?" Hermione asked pointing towards the door on the left side.
"The bathroom." Draco laughed.
"Oh... and the door your mum went into?"
"The kitchen."
Beyond the couch were two grand stair cases which led to the upstairs on different sides of the manor. In the space between on the ground level, was the hall. Tables lined the walls with various trinkets atop them on both sides, and at the end of the hall was a door.
"What's in there?" Hermione asked, curious about everything.
"Father's study. Its locked, but you wouldn't want to go in there even if it wasn't." Draco stated.
"I see...." Hermione answered and was almost certain that she wouldn't want to go in that room.
"Come, I know a room you'll like" Draco said when he noticed the nervous way Hermione was eyeing the Study door. Then taking her hand, he led her through a door on the left into a completely black room. Draco clapped once and a fire erupted in the red stone fireplace in the far corner of the room, illuminating shelves which were filled with hundreds of thousands of books.
"Wow, Draco! This is amazing!" Hermione exclaimed as she walked across the rustic wood floor to the middle of the room.
Books lined every inch of the wall, from floor to ceiling. Ladders were attached to the shelves, allowing easy access to the tops of the shelves.
"I figured you would like this room." Draco laughed and wrapped his arms around Hermione from the back. "These books go back generations and generations. Some are so rare that we are the only known family to hold a copy of them."
%I would have loved to live here.... all these books to use at my disposal% Hermione thought to herself.
"Come on... There is still more to see." he said, for he figured he had better get her out of the room before he lost his time with her to a mound of books. He lead her through another door into a huge screened in sun porch, causing her to be even more amazed at the beauty of his house.
"Oh Merlin, Draco, it's beautiful..." Hermione said as she looked through the screen into the back yard that held an immaculate, three tiered fountain. The water was squirting from the top and trickling down the sides of the other tiers into a huge basin on the ground.
Draco walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her yet again, "You still nervous?" he whispered in her ear, hoping she wasn't.
"Not at all." She replied as she rotated in her arms to face him. "When is it that I get to see your room?" she asked with a seductive grin on her lips.
"When ever you would like." Draco replied as he gently kissed her.
"Oh good, you're already out here. It's such a beautiful day, how about we eat out here." Narcissa suggested as she carried out a tray filled with food out onto the sun porch.
As it turned out, to Hermione's great surprise, Narcissa was a fabulous cook, and she had made a dish that Hermione had never heard of or tasted before. They spent the entire meal laughing and chatting about everything, and Hermione could sense the affection that Draco held for his mother by the way they would address each other.
"Mum, Hermione and I are going to go out later, so I am going to bring her to her room so that she can get settled." Draco said, after their meal was complete.
"That sounds like a good idea, why don't you two go relax in the heated pool for a while. I think I am going to go lay down for a bit." Narcissa agreed.
"Are you feeling ok, Mrs. Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"Of course, dear, I'm just wore out from all the excitement of having my baby boy come home." Narcissa answered and with that Draco stood and went to give her a hug. After their embrace, Narcissa began collecting the dirty dishes.
"Here, let me help you." Hermione said as she began picking up so dishes along side Narcissa.
"No no, dear. Your the guest, I can handle it. You run along now with Draco." Narcissa told her as she took the dishes from Hermione.
"Come." Draco said as he wrapped his arm around her and led her along the same path which led back to the living quarters to gather their luggage. Again Draco took most of them, and Hermione took the ones that he couldn't carry. Once they had reached the top of the stairs, Draco turned left and walked down the barely lit hall filled with tapestries and large portraits. He opened the last door on the left, almost dropping some of the bags in his attempt, and set all the luggage on the floor. Clapping once, a fire again erupted in the room. The room had quite a different feel about it. Unlike the rest of the house that she had seen so far, which was very Malfoy, in that is was dark yet not overwhelmingly so, this room was light and bright. It almost seemed as if she wasn't on the Malfoy residence at all. The walls were still the same gray brick pattern as before, and the floor was in the same rustic wood that the hall and the library had been decorated in. The only difference was that the bedspread was in baby blue floral print, which brightened the atmosphere of the entire room. The dresser was short long and white, and had a full mirror on its top. Next to the dresser was a door that Hermione could see led to the bathroom. It was perfect, just like every other room of the house that she had seen.
"Will this room do?" Draco asked as she took in the room.
"Its absolutely perfect, like a dream." Hermione said as she fell backwards onto the bed.
Draco crawled atop her and kissed her passionately. Her hands traveled up his back under his shirt, felling his muscles tighten under her fingers. Draco rolled over and pulled Hermione so that she lay on his chest, running his hands through her hair.
"You really love your mum, don't you?" Hermione asked as she rubbed his chest.
"Meaning what?" Draco asked, confused.
Hermione sat up a bit so that she could look into Draco's face, " I think your relationship with your mother is wonderful. I can see that she loves you very much and vice versa. I never would have expected it from the Draco that I used to know..." Hermione stopped abruptly. She hadn't meant it to come out the way that it did. She quickly crawled off the bed and walked to the window that she soon discovered, looked out over the horizon and at the front of the manor.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant it to sound the way that it did." Hermione said as she fidgeted with her nails.
"I know what you meant." he said, leaning up on his elbows. "I do love my mother, very much. She has always been there for me, unlike Lucius. She has always thought that I was somebody and worthy of her time, unlike Lucius who only had time for me when it was convenient for him..."
"Draco, I have the utmost respect for you mother, but do you know why?" Hermione asked trying to keep him from talking about his father anymore.
"Why is that?"
Hermione began walking over to the bed, "Because she raised the man that I love, and he happens to be kind and caring and I hope one day, I will be able to call her my mother-in-law." Hermione said as she brushed always a loose hair from his face.
"You will." Draco smiled as he pressed his smiling lips to hers.
"Draco, why don't you show our guest around while I make us some lunch. You guys are hungry right?" Narcissa asked them as she turned to face her son and Hermione.
"Yes ma'am" Hermione said. %After all, we had skipped breakfast% she mused.
"OK then, but please don't call me ma'am, dear, makes me feel old." Narcissa said as she walked off in the direction Hermione assumed was the kitchen.
As soon as his mother had left, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand, "Well, this is our living quarters." he waved his other hand around the room.
Hermione gasped as she took in the surroundings. The fireplace she had just stepped out of was immaculate. Taller then the average man, and it was done in a gray brick and the inside had an amazing silver vein design. Above the mantelpiece was a still portrait of the Malfoy family. All wearing the malicious looks Hermione had grown accustom to, up until the recent year, that is. As she looked around, Hermione realized that the entire living quarters walls were all in the same gray brick as the fireplace. Behind her, on the huge aerial rug the color of blood red, was an oversized black leather couch and two chairs. They were much alike the those from their head dormitory, except far more luxurious and, as Hermione could only guess, more expensive. Also, she noted, in the corners of the rug, along the sides of the couch, were tall candelabrums. As she gazed up, Hermione noticed that, lining the walls on both sides, were highly polished suits of armor. In between the second and third suits were doors on both sides.
"What's in there?" Hermione asked pointing towards the door on the left side.
"The bathroom." Draco laughed.
"Oh... and the door your mum went into?"
"The kitchen."
Beyond the couch were two grand stair cases which led to the upstairs on different sides of the manor. In the space between on the ground level, was the hall. Tables lined the walls with various trinkets atop them on both sides, and at the end of the hall was a door.
"What's in there?" Hermione asked, curious about everything.
"Father's study. Its locked, but you wouldn't want to go in there even if it wasn't." Draco stated.
"I see...." Hermione answered and was almost certain that she wouldn't want to go in that room.
"Come, I know a room you'll like" Draco said when he noticed the nervous way Hermione was eyeing the Study door. Then taking her hand, he led her through a door on the left into a completely black room. Draco clapped once and a fire erupted in the red stone fireplace in the far corner of the room, illuminating shelves which were filled with hundreds of thousands of books.
"Wow, Draco! This is amazing!" Hermione exclaimed as she walked across the rustic wood floor to the middle of the room.
Books lined every inch of the wall, from floor to ceiling. Ladders were attached to the shelves, allowing easy access to the tops of the shelves.
"I figured you would like this room." Draco laughed and wrapped his arms around Hermione from the back. "These books go back generations and generations. Some are so rare that we are the only known family to hold a copy of them."
%I would have loved to live here.... all these books to use at my disposal% Hermione thought to herself.
"Come on... There is still more to see." he said, for he figured he had better get her out of the room before he lost his time with her to a mound of books. He lead her through another door into a huge screened in sun porch, causing her to be even more amazed at the beauty of his house.
"Oh Merlin, Draco, it's beautiful..." Hermione said as she looked through the screen into the back yard that held an immaculate, three tiered fountain. The water was squirting from the top and trickling down the sides of the other tiers into a huge basin on the ground.
Draco walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her yet again, "You still nervous?" he whispered in her ear, hoping she wasn't.
"Not at all." She replied as she rotated in her arms to face him. "When is it that I get to see your room?" she asked with a seductive grin on her lips.
"When ever you would like." Draco replied as he gently kissed her.
"Oh good, you're already out here. It's such a beautiful day, how about we eat out here." Narcissa suggested as she carried out a tray filled with food out onto the sun porch.
As it turned out, to Hermione's great surprise, Narcissa was a fabulous cook, and she had made a dish that Hermione had never heard of or tasted before. They spent the entire meal laughing and chatting about everything, and Hermione could sense the affection that Draco held for his mother by the way they would address each other.
"Mum, Hermione and I are going to go out later, so I am going to bring her to her room so that she can get settled." Draco said, after their meal was complete.
"That sounds like a good idea, why don't you two go relax in the heated pool for a while. I think I am going to go lay down for a bit." Narcissa agreed.
"Are you feeling ok, Mrs. Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"Of course, dear, I'm just wore out from all the excitement of having my baby boy come home." Narcissa answered and with that Draco stood and went to give her a hug. After their embrace, Narcissa began collecting the dirty dishes.
"Here, let me help you." Hermione said as she began picking up so dishes along side Narcissa.
"No no, dear. Your the guest, I can handle it. You run along now with Draco." Narcissa told her as she took the dishes from Hermione.
"Come." Draco said as he wrapped his arm around her and led her along the same path which led back to the living quarters to gather their luggage. Again Draco took most of them, and Hermione took the ones that he couldn't carry. Once they had reached the top of the stairs, Draco turned left and walked down the barely lit hall filled with tapestries and large portraits. He opened the last door on the left, almost dropping some of the bags in his attempt, and set all the luggage on the floor. Clapping once, a fire again erupted in the room. The room had quite a different feel about it. Unlike the rest of the house that she had seen so far, which was very Malfoy, in that is was dark yet not overwhelmingly so, this room was light and bright. It almost seemed as if she wasn't on the Malfoy residence at all. The walls were still the same gray brick pattern as before, and the floor was in the same rustic wood that the hall and the library had been decorated in. The only difference was that the bedspread was in baby blue floral print, which brightened the atmosphere of the entire room. The dresser was short long and white, and had a full mirror on its top. Next to the dresser was a door that Hermione could see led to the bathroom. It was perfect, just like every other room of the house that she had seen.
"Will this room do?" Draco asked as she took in the room.
"Its absolutely perfect, like a dream." Hermione said as she fell backwards onto the bed.
Draco crawled atop her and kissed her passionately. Her hands traveled up his back under his shirt, felling his muscles tighten under her fingers. Draco rolled over and pulled Hermione so that she lay on his chest, running his hands through her hair.
"You really love your mum, don't you?" Hermione asked as she rubbed his chest.
"Meaning what?" Draco asked, confused.
Hermione sat up a bit so that she could look into Draco's face, " I think your relationship with your mother is wonderful. I can see that she loves you very much and vice versa. I never would have expected it from the Draco that I used to know..." Hermione stopped abruptly. She hadn't meant it to come out the way that it did. She quickly crawled off the bed and walked to the window that she soon discovered, looked out over the horizon and at the front of the manor.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant it to sound the way that it did." Hermione said as she fidgeted with her nails.
"I know what you meant." he said, leaning up on his elbows. "I do love my mother, very much. She has always been there for me, unlike Lucius. She has always thought that I was somebody and worthy of her time, unlike Lucius who only had time for me when it was convenient for him..."
"Draco, I have the utmost respect for you mother, but do you know why?" Hermione asked trying to keep him from talking about his father anymore.
"Why is that?"
Hermione began walking over to the bed, "Because she raised the man that I love, and he happens to be kind and caring and I hope one day, I will be able to call her my mother-in-law." Hermione said as she brushed always a loose hair from his face.
"You will." Draco smiled as he pressed his smiling lips to hers.