Chapter 6: If No One Sees It...
"Wait!I think,my dear
We have a guest!"
-Down Once More, The Phantom of the Opera
Lucius was glad the Dark Lord had called for him when he did. It would be an opportunity to talk to him about his new charge. And the Dark Lord would be pleased that Lucius had a new outlook on his predicament. Besides, it unnerved him to imagine Granger, or Hermione, as he must call her, running her hands all over clothes that had been Draco's. Sleeping in his bed.
"Ah, Lucius, the man of the moment. How's little Granger?" Unlike Lucius' pronunciation of her surname that was usually filled with underlying resentment, the Dark Lord used it as almost a pet name of sorts.
Lucius smirked. "I found her looking at a book on the Dark Arts not too long ago my lord. Even though she doesn't know it yet, she's eager to explore the darker side of her nature."
Voldemort nodded slowly. "And what about her power? Has it been dampened from her imprisonment?"
"I don't know how much power she had before my lord," Lucius admitted. "But I doubt she lost much. I could feel it rolling off of her like waves," he confessed.
LHSLHSLHS
The first thing that was unusual about the next morning for Hermione was the fact that she'd woken up in a bed. The sun had woken her up, which was unnatural as well. It took her a few moments to realize that she was out of the dungeons. She drew herself up on her elbows and took a look around. That's right, she was in Draco's room. Or ex-room. She made a mental note to ask someone about Draco's lack of presence, not that she was complaining.
Getting up and heading to the kitchenette, Hermione grabbed a piece of toast. Malfoy was already at the table. It struck her as oddly homey, seeing him there in his pajama bottoms, dinking coffee and reading the paper. It reminded her of when she'd eaten with her parents over summer. She felt a twinge of sadness at the though of them. The Professor had said he'd taken care of it, but really how does one explain a six month absence?
"Do you drink coffee?" Lucius asked her without looking up from his paper. He gestured to the pot.
"Yes, thank you," Hermione rummaged in the cupboard. After putting in so much milk and sugar that the coffee was now a beige color, she took a sip. It was strange to think that not too long ago, Hermione wondered if she'd ever drink another cup of coffee. The simple act that most people took for granted was a small ecstasy for her. And apparently, it showed.
Lucius raised an eyebrow at Hermione's face. One would've thought she'd never tasted the stuff before. She nearly drained the cup before looking up.
"Are you going to eat anything, or is coffee enough substance for you?" Lucius didn't bother to try to hide his amusement.
Hermione stared at him. She noticed that he didn't have laugh lines. When he smiled, his skin remained wrinkle free. But then again, she didn't suppose he smiled a lot in his line of work.
"Yes," she took a bagel a paper bag on the table. He didn't have a toaster though, not as if she'd expected one. But her wand had been confiscated back when she'd first been taken. Muttering a spell under her breath, she toasted the bagel. Stupid idea, she thought afterwards, especially since she was still holding it.
Lucius watched her all the while. As a result of sleeping in his son's bed and clothes, her scent intermingled with his. It saddened Lucius, to think of his son who he'd lost forever. But if he played his cards right, he would have the student that Draco had always been lacking as.
The room seemed to be shrinking under Malfoy's scrutiny. Hermione cleared her throat before asking the question that had been twinging at her all day. "Why am I here? With you? Not that I'm complaining," she added hastily. "I'm grateful, but why you? You hate me."
Lucius sighed and folded his paper up. "People I hate tend to end up dead. So you can cross yourself off of that list. I never hated you girl. I think that your beliefs are horridly childish and naïve, but I don't hate you for them." Then he unfolded his paper and resumed his reading. Hermione understood that the talking part of breakfast was over. She finished her breakfast and slipped back to her room.
LHSLHSLHS
The excitement about Hermione's release was so great that no one noticed that Draco was late until the day he arrived.
Tonks answered the door, luckily. Though Harry, Ron and Ginny were resigned to the fact that Draco was a part of the Order, it didn't erase the animosity they had towards him. They felt like Draco had been sent by Voldemort to worm his way in and do serious damage, like Snape. The only thing that quieted their worries were the constant death threats on Draco's life. And even then, the three were reluctant to trust him.
The adults too were more than a bit suspicious of the youth. And even though his loyalties checked constantly, unlike Snape's had been, Draco had almost been turned away. But considering that Dumbledore had wished that if ever a Hogwart's student needed help they wouldn't be turned away; they'd given the boy a somewhat safe haven.
"Hey cuz," Tonks greeted Draco in a familiar tone that no one had ever used with him.
"Hi," he was much too tired to say much else.
"Er…" Tonks was trying to think up anything else she could say for small talk. The kid looked like hell and she didn't want him to feel like crap too. "We got some news from our Phantom spy. Hermione's out of prison."
Draco froze. Why hadn't Snape told him about this? He looked at Tonks, wondering how the whole Order could brainwash themselves into thinking that the spy was anyone other than Severus. They were so clearly deluding themselves, he could hardly stand it. But it was a relief she was out. One less thing to worry about.
"Tonks?" Lupin wandered into the foyer. "Who was at the door…?" He trailed off, seeing Draco had answered his question. "Oh, Draco…it's been awhile." Draco knew Lupin had run out of things to say, so he made it easy on them.
"Yeah, I was just wondering where I could, freshen up?" Draco had stayed here before, but thought it would be more polite to announce his departure. And despite his behavior at school, one of the only things his father had taught him, it was politesse.
"Sure," Lupin absentmindedly slipped his arm around Tonk's waist. "Upstairs, I'm sure you know the way."
Draco nodded and carried his small satchel with him up the stairs. Sighing to himself, he realized that this was going to be one long visit.
LHSLHSLHS
Hermione realized that after Lucius had left a half hour earlier, she had been waiting for Snape, even though he probably wouldn't come.
She opened up the closet, intending on finding something to wear. At this moment, even Draco's clothes would be a nice alternative to the scruffy outfit she had on now. But instead of finding rows of Malfoy's clothes, she found woman's clothing, all in her size. Shocked, she opened the drawers. There too, all of Draco's clothes had been replaced with ones for her.
Surveying the room, she wondered what else had changed about the room. Her gaze fell on the nightstand. On it, was something she was positive hadn't been there the night before. It was the book she'd been reading in Malfoy's library. Unable to resist, Hermione laid the heavy book onto her lap and began at the place she'd left off.