Thanks for the rave reviews! I am so happy to get them and I think you guys have been brilliant so I really thank you. And please, please stop thinking 'off' because stories do not go 'off' they got straight with proper plots O.o; I hope. Once again, review and everything answered at the bottom.

Chapter 10: Relative Issues

Don't look before you laugh

Look ugly in a photograph

Flash bulbs purple irises

The camera can't see

City of Blinding Lights, U2

Hermione pulled her loose khakis further up her thin waist and jumped over a pool of dirty water. "So what you're saying is that she hasn't said anything at all until now," Hermione asked the man next to her. He too had held his trousers high before jumping over the water. "Yes, nothing at all. And then I get the letter and it just says I have to go meet her," Draco replied, making sure he watched his step before stepping into another pool of gunk from the recent shower.

Hermione frowned and stopped at the traffic lights. "You received the letter yesterday from Blaise. Why didn't she just send it to your?" Hermione asked again. "How should I know? She's always favoured Blaise over my other friends," Draco snapped. Hermione shrugged and pulled Draco to one side, her scarf covering half of her face. Draco snickered when he saw her face but stopped immediately when Hermione started glaring at him.

"I can always go home you know, Malfoy," Hermione said in a deadly whisper, her eyes glinting," Ben's not safe with Pippin especially at the rate of which she obliges to his whims and wishes."

"Yes, yes, I know. Did you know? The other time Ben asked Pippin for chocolate she went to Honeydukes and bought the largest bar of chocolate I'd ever seen," Draco nodded genially. Hermione glared at Draco angrily. "It is not funny, Malfoy! You haven't seen her in five years and she sends you a letter requesting to meet you and this is how you behave? You're hardly serious at all!" Hermione practically shouted into Draco's ear.

Draco flinched and raised his eyebrow as he saw the crowd stare at them. "Yes, I know honey, I'm very sorry. We'll just get the flat one at one of the other shops. I'll sort her later," Draco said loudly and placed an arm around Hermione shoulder. Hermione blushed embarrassedly, as she realised the scene she had made.

When they eventually crossed over to the other side of the road, Hermione stopped and grinned stupidly at the building in front of her. Majestic and regal looking, it was one of her favourite places in the whole of London. It had seven floors each filled with a different surprise. When she was younger, her parents would bring her here at least once a year to shop for Christmas presents. It was heaven. Toys lined every inch of one corner and on another floor was the gigantic food hall with everything to make Hermione happy.

"Harrods," Hermione said happily and tugged Draco in, relishing her childhood memories of running into the huge hall full of everything she ever wanted. "This is Harrods?" Draco asked cynically, "I thought Harrods was bigger."

"You haven't seen the rest of Harrods yet," Hermione replied, too happy to be angry with Draco. She hadn't come here for ages and now that she was back, she was just ecstatic. Hermione weaved through the thick crowd with Draco following close behind. They headed towards the sushi bar and sat facing the entrance of the restaurant. Hermione ordered a glass of water for the two of them and sat back relaxing. It was twelve thirty, and they were early. She wouldn't be here till at least one.

"What time is it?"

"One forty five."

"Okay. What time is it now?"

"Still one forty five, Malfoy."

"Right. You do know it's a working day right? And that I have to get back to the office to at least tell them that I'll be out for the rest of the day? What about now?"

"Malfoy, if you don't shut up, I'll use my wand on you."

"But she's late!"

"I know, so just wait, I'm sure she'll be here soon enough. Give her time to walk. She's probably never been here before, you know," Hermione sighed and looked across the table at the nervous Draco. He was twiddling his fingers and taking sips of his fifth glass of water. He would need to go to the toilet soon. And just as Malfoy wanted to ask about the time again, he halted, his eyes fixed at the entrance. Hermione turned and saw a small elderly woman with a head of blonde hair and anxious grey eyes facing Draco. And she waved, smiling.

Draco half sat and half stood, fixed in his position, his mouth slightly parted like a fish. And there he stood, like a dumb and mute person, unable to do anything. Hermione looked at Draco and at the woman again. The last time Hermione had seen her it was at the Quidditch World Cup back in Year Four. And she clearly remembered the disdain etched in her face when Draco pointed out that she was a muggle born. But as the lady glanced over at Hermione, she looked surprised at seeing her, yet she smiled kindly. She had changed.

Hermione nudged Draco forward with her hand and he stood ram rod straight. "Mother," Draco said, almost disbelievingly. The lady walked across the floor to where they sat and pulled a chair in between the two of them. "Hello Draco," Narcissa Malfoy smiled and faced her son, "It's been a long time."

Ginny twirled her spaghetti and slurped happily. She had just spent a few hours trying to find a dress design that suited the bridesmaid and she had. Ginny had eventually decided to just stick to dark green for the bridesmaid dress, she felt that it was 'different' especially since it was a marriage between a wizard and witch. She knew most of her friends went for a lighter pastel colour like pink, or light orange, but she wasn't like her friends so she decided to have a go at green. And now, she was having supper (at ten) with Hermione at a quaint Italian restaurant on one end of Diagon Alley.

"You know, the cut really fits you well. Covers up nicely yet revealing just the right stuff," Ginny mentioned to Hermione who felt she was going to be paraded like an animal in a frumpy dress on the day itself. "I bet the dress is hideous, bridesmaids always get ugly dresses so they don't up the bride," Hermione moaned, "It will be too tight around my waist, and it will most definitely show off my disgusting bum and my fat thighs and arms."

"You must be delusional! You don't have a big bum, nor fat legs or arms. What do you want to dress up in? Some oversized dress that's cut so that you actually do look frumpy and fat?" Ginny retorted. Hermione moaned again and started criticising her overly big paunch and short neck, and how her hips were too big and her feet were that of King Kong's. Ginny, tired of hearing Hermione's complaints about her body that she slammed her knife and fork down and pinched her on her arm where it hurt and glared hard at her. "Stop complaining already! You look perfectly fine in the dress. It's a good halter neck, and it's not the string type that cuts into your neck. It's the type that has a clasp on the back and is thick and made of fabric and it does not show off your bum, of which you don't have any anyway. Plus your arms look perfectly normal and your feet fit just fine in the mules so just stop broaching the subject of your body anymore!" Ginny practically hollered at Hermione.

Hermione raised her hand meekly in reply but got cut off by Ginny who yelled and threatened to choke her to death. At the threat, Hermione eventually fell quiet. Ginny took another bite of her spaghetti and watched as Hermione poked at her pasta.

"So tell me, what did the letter say?" Ginny broke the silence and asked, interested. Hermione eventually took a bite of her pasta and replied," Oh, it just said that she was back and that she wanted to meet him. And since he's a terribly 'shy' man, I say he was scared, he asked me to go with him as one of the stuff that he needed assistance in," Hermione replied as she took a sip of water. She just wasn't in the mood for eating now. And she had heard that eating anything after ten would lead to more fats being accumulated, and after the talk about the dress, she just felt sick.

Ginny frowned when she heard Hermione's answer. "Then you met her at Haddocks, and then?" Ginny prompted Hermione who sat next to her. "Harrods, Ginny, Harrods. All I can say that around his mum, Malfoy's a different man. He's polite, gentle, funny, yet somehow, very formal," Hermione described what she remembered. "And then what happened?" Ginny hinted. Hermione laughed at Ginny's curiosity and carried on, " Oh, she talked about how she decided to escape to a village in quaint little Marseille, where she met this muggle and fell in love with him. I think it's a load of baloney but I still think she's changed from the last time we saw her. It's as if her eyes had been opened when she went over there and met the muggle. It's as if this muggle was all pure and kind and taught her that muggles were not all bad and she hardly ever uses magic at all! She came late because she lost her way due to her reading the map upside down! Can you believe it? The woman who had so much power in the time of the Dark Lord lost her way with an upside down map?

"It was just that Ginny. She actually talked to me without looking as if she had something nasty up her nose. She talked to me like a civilised person, with no usage of the M word. Plus, she was like the perfect mother. She fussed over Malfoy, quarrelled with the helpers who helping him and practically forced him to eat more for sushi and the other Japanese dishes. Malfoy looked like he was having fun talking to her. Eventually they ended up trading gifts. Malfoy gave his mum a pair of white gloves and in return was presented with a grey scarf; it was the first time I had ever seen him look so happy before."

Ginny was impressed. "Alright then, since Draco Malfoy could have such a nice time with his mum, I'm going home to give my mum and big hug and thank her for being perfect in all her imperfect ways. Then I'll give Harry a big kiss to thank him for being perfect in all his imperfect ways. After that, hugs round the table for all the perfect siblings…" Ginny announced and went soft when she reached the last part. Hermione too had fallen quiet. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm just being insensitive," Ginny murmured softly and gave Hermione a hug from across the table.

Hermione smiled into Ginny's red hair and laughed. She straightened herself and looked brightly at her friend. "Forget it, Ginny. I've gotten over him already. He was just another fish in the pond, another stone on the ground. I'll just pick another up when I go somewhere else to fish," Hermione replied as brightly as she could and poked her lifeless pasta, hoping that Ginny wasn't staring at her. Ginny grinned at Hermione and pinched Hermione's cheeks hard. "Stop acting strong, woman. I can tell what's happening and it ain't looking good for you if you keep doing this act of yours," Ginny teased Hermione, "Tell you what. Let's stay out for a little more, shall we? It's Friday night, I'm sure Malfoy's elf can handle him till he gets back from work. All you have to do is remember that you've done enough on Wednesday so this is your break. IF, and only if he yells at you, tell me because I've got your back. I know this place that sells brilliant handmade chocolates and good coffee. So spill all the details." Hermione smiled, Malfoy could wait for another hour in the least. Ben was tucked in and sound asleep, Pippin was happily sewing the curtains of her room and Malfoy wasn't back from work, working over time to make up for the lost hours on Wednesday. Yes, he could wait indeed.

It was twelve when Hermione got back to the Manor. A weary Draco, still in his work robes, opened the door and gave her a weak smile. "You could have at least owled me to tell you were late," Draco said with his back turned. His cases and files were scattered on the glass table and pieces of parchment lay on the floor.

"I'm sorry, but I kind of forgot the time. But I bought some coffee," Hermione lied hopefully, holding up the bag of coffee enticingly in front of Draco's face. Draco batted the bag away and grinned. "Pour me the most potent cup you can, Granger. I'll be staying up way past your bedtime to finish this," Draco joked. Hermione grinned back and walked to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she came back with two steaming mugs of coffee in her hand. She handed Draco his cup and he scrutinised it as he ruffled his hair. "Even the cups found their way from your home to mine?" Draco asked. It was the same black and white striped mug, which Hermione used to serve the coffee at her apartment. "It's reserved for you, look at the bottom," Hermione called out as she walked back into the kitchen to get some cookies. Draco raised the mug warily and found inscribed on the black bottom in white messy letters: DRACO. Draco smiled.

"Couldn't stand using the same mug as charming old me, could you?" Draco said through a mouth full of cookies. Hermione giggled, "No, more of couldn't stand using the same mug as ugly old you." Draco pulled a face and took a cautious sip of the coffee. "Mother's going back tomorrow. I'm sending her to the train station in the afternoon. And this coffee tastes different," Draco announced. Hermione set her cup down and looked at Draco's back. " What if I told you that the coffee was more expensive, and that you were just suited with the old coffee that you drank?" Hermione asked his back.

Draco ruffled his hair and turned to face Hermione. "Granger, I don't have time to go through any coffee analogy, so just get on with what you have to say," Draco replied. "I just think," Hermione took a deep breath, " I just think that you shouldn't be seeing your mum anymore."

"And why?"

"You haven't seen her for ages and now that you're back you're different! I'm not saying that different is bad, but I just think that if you can make do without your mum, maybe you should. She doesn't appear for five years and all of a sudden, she contacts you through Blaise and wants you to meet her, there has to be a reasonable explanation for it," Hermione was on the verge of crying. Draco slammed his half empty coffee cup on the table, the brown liquid splashed over his papers. "This is my business Granger, so just stay out of it. If you don't have the reasonable explanation for her sudden appearance then leave," Draco snarled, daring Hermione to look up. Hermione bit her lip and ran up the stairs, her high heels clacking on the cold marble floor.

Draco stared at the mess in front of him. He cleared up the mess he had made on the parchments and set the coffee aside. Draco held up his paper with messy scrawls all over it but couldn't remember what he had been thinking when he wrote any of it down. He threw the papers down in a flurry and cradled his head in his hands as he leant on the glass table.

On the second level, Hermione had slammed her door shut and the tears instantaneously came pouring out. The leopards in the picture cowered behind the dense jungles, their yellow eyes peeking meekly out from the lush greenery. And Hermione sank behind the closed doors and bawled. Ginny had said to tell her all but Hermione couldn't. Hermione just couldn't. She had purposely missed out on a few crucial minutes.

It was Wednesday afternoon. Draco had announced that he needed a suit and he was soon at the Gents Department looking for suits. After finding one that he favoured, the helpers came to get the measurements. Narcissa and Hermione sat on the plump cushions waiting as Draco changed into his tuxedo. In the short amount of time, Narcissa had apologised to Hermione for her past behaviours, and handed over a slip of parchment with some writing, pleading with Hermione to tell it to Draco. She was leaving on Saturday afternoon and hoped that Hermione could help. She couldn't face Draco like that, oh no, she had just come back after five years to see him. So please, help her. Hermione had smiled tightly at her and said that she would try to help. Just then, Draco comes out from behind closed doors, and the praises from his mother showered on him and his suit start, leaving the parchment at the back of Hermione's buzzing mind.

Hermione tearfully stood up and headed to the bathroom, and looked at herself with rivers of mascara running down her cheeks. "I'm all washed up, aren't I?" Hermione asked the mirror and the mirror grunted, starting another round of tears.

The next day, Draco and Narcissa had apparated in the gardens near the train station. "You don't have to follow me, Draco," Narcissa smiled and gave her son a hug. "Thank you for helping me." Draco froze in the hug. "What help?"

"Oh don't play silly Draco. You lent me so much to help my shop in Marseille. I'm sure with so much the business would start again," Narcissa laughed. And then, Draco felt the pieces click in his brain. The coffee analogy and what Hermione had said last night all made sense suddenly. "How much did she give you?" Draco asked in a steely voice. Narcissa touched her hair consciously and picked up her bag, ignoring the question.

"How much did she give you?" Draco repeated tightly. "A hundred and fifty thousand," Narcissa said in a hushed voice. "Goodbye Mother," Draco said and turned, walking further into the gardens, only stopping when he came to a drinking fountain. His mouth was parched and had a foul taste in it. As he lifted his head he saw in the curved reflection of the drinking fountain his mother's back just disappearing.

Draco shook his head and ran a hand quickly through his hair. Turning his back to the entrance he walked to a tree and whipped out his wand. But the loud bang didn't come. Instead, the young man had ran towards the train station and taken the stairs up two at a time in search for his mother. He eventually found her, with her platinum white hair sleek as usual. And there she stood hugging joyfully a paunchy man with a beer belly. His brown hair was flecked with grey and his head was slowly balding. Behind a pair of thin glasses, his eyes were alight with pleasure from seeing the lady.

And then, she turned and spotted her son staring at her forlornly and she gave a shy wave. And he waved back, holding up the grey scarf with a forced smile. The train soon came and the pair got on the train. When the lady looked out of the window, she saw no one but a lone scarf tied to the railings. Soon, it was gone too as a scruffy beggar untied it and put it around his neck, glee playing on his lips, unable to believe his luck.

Draco felt like knocking his head on the wooden table in his room, or maybe the parquet floors, or maybe even the mirror. How could he have been so stupid not to believe Granger? Right, believe Granger? His brain retorted. Wasn't she the one that practically hated you and pulled tricks on you last time? Draco knocked his skull. The stupid voice had got to go.

He walked into the bathroom and washed his face until he heard footsteps edging closer to the bedroom. He slammed the bedroom door shut with a flick of the wand and heard a small yelp. "Are you alright, Malfoy?" A shy voice came. Draco dried his face on a towel and crumpled on the soft white carpet near the door. "Yeah, I'm fine. Even after knowing that my mother, the lady that brought me up, practically scammed her son of a hundred and fifty thousand galleons," Draco said in a loud voice. He pushed an envelope through the crack of the door. "Thanks," the voice replied.

Hermione was leaning on the opposite side of the door as she pulled out the envelope. Inside, contained exactly four hundred and fifty thousand pounds. "You know, you could have told me that my mum came back to borrow money off me," Draco continued, watching the shadows on the opposite side of the door through the crack. Hermione was pacing in front of the door. "And shatter your joy? I think last night's dealings were much better," Hermione replied sarcastically.

Draco laughed hollowly. "At least now my mother isn't so much of a taboo subject is it? Now you can curse her to no end or whatever and I won't feel like hurling a curse at you to protect my self esteem." The pacing on the other side stopped and an edgy voice came through the door. "If that is how you treat people it's no wonder your mum decide to leave. Plus, I think if Ben ever knew this side of you he would be begging to leave you. You've got so many bloody sides to your face that I'm not sure what I'm actually talking to. Is that the real you or is it just one of your faces that you put up?" The voice was trembling violently and Draco knew that he had gone too far.

"God, I'm sorry Granger, I really am," Draco opened the door and poked his head out to apologise. Instead of seeing a crumpled girl sitting down, he found himself inches from a livid Hermione who was staring angrily at him with teary eyes. "I have no need to hear such puerile comments of anybody," Hermione whispered fiercely, her voice an octave higher than what it normally was, and turned around so violently her hair whipped against Draco's face, stinging painfully.

"Puerile?" Draco murmured angrily under his breath, "And you say I'm puerile?" But his defence had gone unheard. Instead, he locked the door and jumped up and down on the bed yelling obscenities at the walls, the pillows, the carpet, the doors and anything he laid his eyes on for half and hour before exhausting himself and collapsing face first on the messy bed. In a matter of minutes, he had conked out.

When Draco woke up it was pitch black. He looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was ten in the evening. Draco cursed himself. He had been knocked out for five hours and the phone was ringing in a very far away place. Draco soon started cursing again when he tripped over the fallen duvet and some pillows, and stubbed his toe on the door when it refused to budge.

Eventually, he made his way out of the room with a sore head, a bruised toe and some nasty bruises forming on his knees and shins. Cursing silently, Draco walked down the hall until he reached a table with a ringing phone. When he picked up the first thing he heard was static before some words came across the line.

"Mum…car…"

"Hello? Who's there?"

"Truck." And the phone went dead.

YAY. That's a nice hanger. This is definitely longer than the previous chapter and I say, it was quite fun. Hols were good, I got a bit sick so I was out for the count for two days when I got back but I'm back!

Lucie-Book Worm Thanks! But I am no where near JK Rowling. PS I am not a boy :D

LadyJaye you are demanding! I posted one just before the holidays and now I'm back, I've got another one. So, hope this one kept you satiated for now.

frostlilyRight! I finally understand you and thank you for that. I find information overloading nasty for the head. Hope you get better and sleep more yeah! You're a really great reviewer (:

lecilli Oh gosh, you guys have got to think a bit more 'straight'! Haha but that would be rather different I guess.

And to mysticpam, viede, natiiee, dragoneyes5000 too for reviewing. Remember to give comments and really, if you need to flame to get your point across then OKAY! Just do it! (: