AN: Holy Merlin it took way too long! Hope you like this one! R&R! It makes me happy. -
Chapter 15: Malfoy Manor
They landed on their bums in the entry hall. Man how much Hermione hated this means of travel, and by the look on Draco's face he hated it too. They stood up and Hermione looked around mouth slightly open.
"Wow." Is all that came out of her mouth as stood turning to look at the place.
"If you think this is impressive wait till you get out of this dinky little hall and into the real house." Draco said taking her hand and leading her into a room that broke off into different doors and stairs, "This is my home. Your trunk will be taken into your room but that doesn't mean you have to sleep there." He said with a wicked grin and a wink.
"Alright," She said with a seductive smile on her face.
They walked through the door ahead of them and into a small hall that lead to yet another door. 'Damn so many doors and halls. I have a feeling I could get lost if I wonder to far from Draco.' she thought as they stopped at the door.
"We are going to tell my father that we are here. Oh and don't worry about him, just relax a bit." He told her as he squeezed her hand gently for reassurance. She nodded but in her mind she was thinking, 'Oh relax when you're in a home of a known death eater and me being muggle-born, yeah sure I'm relaxed!'
Welcome home, now you will do well to keep your father in line if he does anything-ill manner toward Hermione. If he does anything to harm her, your family will pay!> The voice told Draco fiercely. 'Look I'll do what I can if anything does happen but I highly doubt he'll do anything that stupid if he knows what will happen to him and the family. I mean not only does he have to deal with you but he has my rath to fear too.' Draco explained. You have my trust and that is something to feel proud of.> 'Yes I'm very proud of that sir, thank you.' Draco replied finishing the conversation.
Draco knocked on the door leading to his fathers study. "Enter." they heard Lucius said as the door opened by its self.
"Father." Draco said as they walked into the study, "This is Hermione Granger, you might remember her from before." Draco said greeting his father.
"Of course I remember Miss. Granger. How wonderful to see you again! I hope that your trip here was ok." Lucius spoke with happiness in his voice as if he was over joyed to see her. He got up and kissed her on her hand.
Her eyes went wide but then she came back and said, "The trip was as good as it gets with a portkey." her voice was quiet with shock and amazement by Lucius's attitude toward her.
"My dear there is no need to be frightened of me for I swear that I will not harm you." Lucius told her softly, "Think of this place as your home from now on. After what Draco has said about you are pretty much family. You have nothing to worry or fear here."
"Thank you Mr.Malfoy." Hermione nodded her head in understanding and Lucius noticed that she no longer held fear in her eyes but instead curiosity. She looked around and gripped Draco's hand as Lucius saw them and remembered when his wife and him were just like the two of them. He quickly snapped his head away to keep his emotions from getting the better of him.
Draco then said, "Father, we'll see you at dinner. Do you know where Mother is by any chance? I'd like to tell her I'm home."
"She's where she always can be found during the day, in her library. Be sure to be down for dinner by 7:00 pm and not a second past that." Lucius spoke swiftly and stiffly as if the mere mention of his wife was painful.
"As you wish Father." Draco replied and gave a nod in his understanding.
"See you at dinner Mr. Malfoy." Hermione replied sounding more at ease with Lucius.
"It was good to see you again Miss. Granger." Lucius said with a nod as the two of them left the room.
Draco and Hermione walked back down the hall and toward the other side of the manor. He took her up 3 flights of steps and down a small hall to a huge door at the end. Draco went up and knocked on the door. It opened and they let them self's in.
There in the middle of the room on a rug in front of the fireplace sat a very beautiful woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and snow whit skin. It was Draco's mother. She turned to see who had entered her library and saw her beloved son standing there with Hermione. She had a very large smile on her face at the site of her son and got up to greet them. As she approached them she surveyed Hermione and if it was possible her smile grew to twice its original size.
"MUM! How are you doing?" Draco said as he hugged her tightly.
"Well darling. May I ask who this lovely young woman beside you is? She looks familiar but I could be mistaken." She said looking back at Hermione with a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh yeah, sorry mum, this is Hermione Granger. You met her at the world cup. She was with the Weasleys and Potter." Draco explained to her.
"Oh that's right I remember. Nice to meet you formally Hermione." She said giving Hermione a hug and a kiss on each cheek. She stood back and smiled at them both and Hermione could not believe how much Draco's smile was like hers. It made Hermione all happy and warm inside.
"Its nice to meet you too Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione replied giving her a smile too.
"Oh please dear call me mum. I prefer that to Mrs.Malfoy." She said shortly as if the topic of conversation needed to change.
Draco heard the hint in her voice and said at once, "Mum, I think that we are going to go and take a rest before dinner. Will you be down?"
"Oh yes I'll be there. I only dine with your father when we have company and when you are home so yes I will see you both at 7:00pm sharp. Oh and Draco my sweet, don't be late again. You don't want your father to lose his temper once more." She answered. With that she picked up her book and began to read. Hermione looked over at the book in her hand and read the title, "Mastery spells of Transfiguration" a book that Hermione had wanted to read and learn for a few years.
"Your reading the book I have been searching for for a few years now. I can't find it anywhere!" Hermione said going and squatting down by Mrs.Malfoy.
"Really? I would think someone as young as you would not even comprehend the complexity of these spells. It is after all the most advanced book of transfiguration ever written. I've never heard of anyone your age knowing the title for it being much to advanced." She told Hermione.
"Well, I've always had a knack for transfigurations..." but she was cut off by Draco here.
"And Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, and every other class you happen to take." Draco said with a smile, "After all you are the top student of our year!" He finished proudly as if showing off an awesome award.
She blushed slightly at this. "I see. Well while your here my library is at your disposal. I trust that you'll be in here with Draco for he comes here in the evening to read." Mrs. Malfoy told Hermione as the two of them got up to leave, "Well I'll see you both down there."
"Buy mum!" They both said together and walked out the door.
They went down to the second floor that Draco explained was his floor. He took her to all of his rooms which included a study, bathroom, lounge, office, and last his bedroom. As they stepped in Hermione noted it was big enough to fit half her house in it. It was a very nice room full of antiques. He also had a huge bed covered in the same black linen that filled his dorm at Hogwarts. It had hard wood floors and a huge fireplace that could easily fit Hagrid in it. In front of the fireplace were two big emerald green puffy chairs that looked as if they would swallow you whole if sat in too long. "Well this is my room. I hope you like it." Draco said to her.
"I love it! It is very elegant." She said leaning toward him and kissing him, "Mind if I take a nap luv?"
"Not unless I'm aloud to join you." He joked with her.
"Of course you're allowed to join me. I have a hard time sleeping without you holding me in your arms. Besides I would not have it any other way." She replied. They crawled into his bed and he pulled her close to him.
"Sweet Dreams Angels." He told her kissing her softly.
"Only if you're in them." She whispered kissing him back. They fell asleep and slept for about three hours. All of a sudden Hermione was woken up by a house elf that was tugging on Hermione's skirt.
"Misses, Misses! Its time to be getting ready for dinner is in but an hour! You is suppose be down for dinner with the master and mistress! I is Twinkie misses and I is your elf whiles you is here misses." Twinkie said.
Hermione finally woke completely and gave out a scream of surprise as she stared at a house elf about 6 inches from her face. "Hermione are you ok!" Draco shouted as he shot up looking around frantically.
"I'm fine. I just didn't expect to see the house elf there." Hermione explained.
"Oh right sorry I forgot to tell you that Twinkie would be your elf for the time you are here." Draco said giving her a kiss.
She got up to start getting ready and she noticed Twinkie following in her wake as if waiting to spring to action at Hermione's littlest whim. "Twinkie, you really don't have to follow me like this. If I need you I'll call, alright?" Hermione told Twinkie.
"Twinkie is sorry misses. I is but doing what I have been told to do. If misses wants Twinkie to go than Twinkie shall go till misses calls for Twinkie's service." Twinkie said and then gave a bow so low her nose touched the ground and with a crack she was gone.
As Hermione was in bathroom getting ready for dinner Draco sat in front of his fire starring into it deep in thought.
Draco, I'm please with your family for accepting our dear Hermione here. She seems to be very comfortable in your home.> The voice spoke into his mind making Draco jump out of surprise. 'I am glad to hear that you are pleased. I will make sure that she stays comfortable wherever she goes.' Draco answered to the voice. I have no doubt about that. Now for this ball, your father will discuses it at dinner tonight. Your mother will no doubt be taking Hermione out shopping for it so you will be alone. I want to meet with you at 9:00am. I will be waiting up here in your room for you after they leave. Make sure that Hermione is gone with your mother by then. Be ready. The voice told Draco.> 'Sir I shall do as you order.' Draco said simply and the voice answered back, Here she comes. Remember what I said young Malfoy!>
Hermione entered the room wearing nothing but a towel, "Now that is how I wouldn't mind seeing you walk into my room all the time luv." Draco said to her with a seductive smile.
"Only in your wildest of dreams." Hermione replied playfully.
"What! Are you spying on me while I dream now?" Draco retorted while she laughed. "But I would have to say that in my dreams you..." But her kissing him cut him off.
"Now's not a good time to explain your oh so kinky sex dreams about me. Now will you please direct me in the directions of my clothes." Hermione said
"On one condition, kiss me and then I might tell you." He said as he got up and walked toward her. She kissed him but did so in a way that just teased him rather than satisfy him.
"Luv why do you tease me so?" He asked her as he pouted.
"Because I can." Hermione explained, "Now where is my stuff?"
"In my closet over there." He pointed behind him at a door. They walked over and opened it.
"This is your closet!" Hermione gasped, "This is another damn room!" She said.
"Well you can never have enough space now can you." He replied curtly. He moved to a rack of dress robes and pulled a dark green one off its hanger. He also grabbed a pair of dress pants and a dress white shirt.
"The only formal dinner I've been to was the Yule ball and I'm not quite sure what is to be worn at a dinner like this." Hermione said rather shyly.
"Since you didn't grow up like I did, having to go to things like this at the age of two I can help you most effectively." Draco said with an air of arrogance.
"You are just loving the fact that you know more about something than I do." Hermione replied to him.
"You bet I am!" Draco said as he handed her a deep blue dress robe, black skirt that went down to her knees, and a deep blue off the shoulder shirt, "Here this will be perfect. Not to formal but not to casual. You and mother will go shopping tomorrow and you can get some new dress robes in different colors and stuff." Draco told her as she nodded and went into his room to get dress.
It was 6:45pm when they were finally ready to go down to dinner. He took her hand and placed a most sensitive kiss upon it. She smiled as he smiled back. They entered another pair of great huge wooden doors that opened as they reached them. There in the room, the size of the great hall, stood a wooden table big enough to sit at least a hundred people to it. At the end of it stood Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, waiting for them to come and join them.
"Good evening father, mother." Draco said nodding his head in respect to both of them.
"Good evening" They said to both Draco and Hermione, "Let us sit and eat then discuss what is to come during the next week."
"Miss. Granger I hope your stay here is shaping up well. And may I say that you look wonderful tonight, quite stunning. Draco has quite an eye for extremely beautiful girls." Mr. Malfoy said to Hermione.
"Thank you Mr. Malfoy, and yes my stay here is very comfortable." She told him, "I love it here. Every minute I spend here this place starts to feel more like home."
Mr.Malfoy nodded and dinner was started. It was better than Hogwarts with its 5-course meal. The silence was never broken unless it was Lucius making a comment to one of the many houses elves popping in and out of the dinning area.
"That was a lovely dinner!" Lucius stated, "I would like to invite you all into the sitting room for coffee and tea."
They all followed him with no protest and took a seat around the room. "Well Hermione I must insist that we go shopping tomorrow for our dress robes for Draco's up coming birthday ball." Mrs.Malfoy told Hermione.
"I would enjoy that very much." Hermione replied after taking a sip of tea.
"I have some things to discuss with father tomorrow a 9:00 so I would say around that time would be a good time for you and Hermione to go shopping." Draco suggested.
Wonderful!" Both women exclaimed.
"Well I think we will turn in for the night." Draco told his parents who nodded in response to them getting up.
"See you in the morning." Hermione said in a soft but firm voice.
Both Malfoys nodded to them as they left the sitting room.
AN: I can't believe I took sooooooooooooooo long to write. I had a baby in since I last updated and have been pretty busy. I will try and keep up with my writing again because I miss doing it so much! Please review! It really will make my day!