Visitor.
While Narcissa Malfoy sat reading her book in the living room at Malfoy Manor, her son was busy making plans for when his best friend, Blaise Zabini, arrived. Draco and Blaise had struck up a friendship in their first year at Hogwarts, and over the course of their first three years at the school it had come to light that Blaise's mother wasn't really the maternal sort and often left her only son to fend for himself in the holidays. Of course, Narcissa wasn't at all impressed and had made it clear that Blaise was welcome at the manor at any time and would be considered part of the family. However, Blaise's mother was getting married yet again in the first week of the summer holidays, so Blaise had been obliged to go home, but the second his mother headed off on honeymoon he would be arriving at the manor, where he would stay for the rest of the summer.
"Do you think Father can really get us tickets for the World Cup?" Draco asked for what must have been the hundredth time since the start of the holidays.
The Quidditch World Cup was being held in England over the summer, and the first thing Lucius had promised Draco at the beginning of the summer was that he would sort them some tickets for at least one match. However, Lucius hadn't yet presented the tickets and even though Draco worshipped his father and thought he could do no wrong, he was beginning to worry that for once his father wouldn't be able to deliver on his promise.
"He said he could," Narcissa replied as she put her book down and focused on her son. "And when has your father ever broken a promise he's made you?"
"Never," Draco answered. His father had even come through with new broomsticks for the entire Slytherin quidditch team once Draco was on the team, which he'd promised to do before Draco had returned for his second year at Hogwarts.
"He won't let you down, Draco," Narcissa reassured her son. "He's promised you tickets for the quidditch, so tickets for the quidditch you'll have."
"He will remember to get tickets for Blaise as well, won't he?" Draco checked. "He should be here in two days time."
"Blaise will not be forgotten," Narcissa promised. "Now why don't we go and get some fresh air. You've been inside all morning. We should have a walk before lunch."
"Or I could have a fly," Draco retorted with a cheeky grin. "I could race you to the centre of the rose maze."
"But you'd have the advantage being in the air," Narcissa pointed out.
"But you'd have the advantage of actually plotting the maze and knowing the best way to the centre," Draco shot back.
"You're just like your father," Narcissa said with a fond chuckle. "You have an answer for everything."
"It's a skill," Draco replied cheekily.
Narcissa laughed lightly at her son, but their laughter was interrupted by the ringing of the front doorbell. The second the sound echoed around the ground floor of the manor, Narcissa and Draco froze and looked at each other in bewilderment. Given the methods of travel in the wizarding world, it was rare to get a caller at the front door. But even more confusing was the fact that whoever was at the door had passed through all the security wards of the manor without setting one of them off. Only a small selection of people could even enter through the front gates without detection and even fewer could reach the front door without triggering an alarm of some sort.
"Maybe it's Blaise arrived early," Draco suggested weakly.
"Your father hasn't yet keyed Blaise into the wards," Narcissa replied. "He was planning on doing it over the summer. Besides, we're meeting Blaise in Diagon Alley. How would he have gotten here early?"
"The Knight Bus?" Draco offered, not sounding entirely convinced himself.
"I think we're about to find out," Narcissa murmured as she heard a faint popping sounds outside in the hall, followed by a knock on the living room doors. "Come in," she called, knowing full well that it would be one of the family's house elves come to inform them who their unexpected visitor was.
Sure enough a small elf called Misty entered the room and informed Narcissa that a young girl was at the door asking for Master Lucius.
"Who is this girl?" Narcissa demanded.
"She didn't say, she just asked for Master Lucius," Misty answered.
"And what did she say when you told her that he was at work?" Narcissa asked.
"She said she would wait," Misty replied. "She's sitting on the doorstep."
"She's sitting on the doorstep?" Narcissa queried with a look of horror on her face. It wasn't like they had neighbours who would see a stranger sitting on their doorstep, but it still wasn't a good look and it was something she was planning on allowing. "Bring the girl to me, Misty."
"Yes Mistress Narcissa," Misty said with a bob of her head, before she backed out of the room and headed back to the young girl at the door.
"Who is this girl?" Draco asked his mother.
"I have no idea," Narcissa muttered, several ideas whizzing through her head, each as improbable as the next. The trouble was, she just couldn't think of any young girl who would be asking for her husband.
Luckily the two Malfoys didn't have to wait long to meet their mystery caller. Within two minutes, Misty returned and showed a young witch into the living room. The witch in question looked to be around Draco's age. She had a wild halo of bushy brown hair and large brown eyes, which gazed directly at Narcissa, unflinchingly in the face of the older witch's scrutiny.
"I understand you wish to see my husband," Narcissa began once she'd dismissed the house elf.
"I do," the girl replied in a polite, but firm voice.
"My husband is at work," Narcissa said.
"So your House Elf informed me, and like I said to her, I am happy to wait outside," the girl said.
"I will not have you sitting outside on our doorstep like a common beggar," Narcissa tutted. "Since my husband isn't here, you can deal with me."
"I can't," the girl replied with a stubborn shake of her head. "I will only speak to Lucius Malfoy."
"And what, you're going to just squat here until he returns?" Narcissa asked. "I could throw you out."
"You could," the girl agreed. "But I would merely come back and wait on the doorstep. I don't mean to be rude, Mrs Malfoy, but I will not leave until I've spoken with your husband."
"I could call him for you," Narcissa admitted, not sure if she wanted to aid the young witch or not. "But I would like to know what all this is about. Do you know my husband?"
"I've never met him before in my life," the girl replied. "But I must see him. It's urgent."
"Very well," Narcissa said with a sigh as she elegantly rose to her feet. "Wait here and I will go and send for Lucius. Draco, look after our young guest."
Draco nodded at his mother's request, his grey eyes never leaving their unexpected guest. Truth be told he'd been watching the girl since the moment she entered the room. There was something very unusual about her, and Draco couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Maybe it was the way she'd spoken to his mother, almost like her equal, rather than a child addressing an adult. Or maybe it was the confidence in which she held herself. The girl was totally sure of herself, and her right to be at Malfoy Manor, that much was obvious.
Draco might have even wondered if it was her looks that had captivated him, but as attractive as she was, he knew more attractive witches. Her hair was far too wild for his liking and her front teeth were a bit too large for her mouth. She certainly wasn't a classic beauty like his mother, or even Daphne Greengrass, who was rapidly turning into the hottest witch in their year. But there was certainly something about the witch that drew Draco's eye to her and caused him to be totally transfixed by her.
"I'm Draco," he finally offered, finding his voice and his manners. "Do you have a name?"
"Doesn't everyone?" the girl retorted with a teasing smile.
"Yes, but I was asking what yours was," Draco replied, his voice a bit sharper as he hadn't appreciated her initial glib answer.
The girl looked at Draco for several long minutes, and he thought she wasn't going to bother answering him. But then she slowly nodded her head, almost as if he'd decided to let him in on some big secret.
"Hermione," she said quietly. "My name is Hermione."
In return, Draco nodded his own head and offered the young witch a small smile. He didn't know why, but his instincts were telling him that while the girl hadn't lied to him, she hadn't told him the truth either. The girl's name might very well have been Hermione, but if it was Draco was betting it was a middle name or even a nickname.
"You should sit down, Hermione," Draco said, gesturing to the sofas and chairs standing around the room. "Even if father chooses to come home to speak to you, he will need time to sort things at work. There will be a short wait."
"Thank you," Hermione said softly as she sat herself down on the nearest corner of sofa.
Draco could tell that small talk wasn't on the agenda, so rather than ask questions he doubted he would get any answers to, he settled himself back on his own chair to wait for his father's return. Not that he had to wait long as Narcissa returned to the room to informed them that Lucius was on his way back home and would be with them shortly. In the mean time she summoned Misty back and ordered the elf to provide tea and refreshments.
The tea had only just arrived when Lucius Malfoy strode into the living room, his eyes instantly fixating on the young witch who had arrived at him home and stubbornly refused to leave without seeing him.
"Mr Malfoy," Hermione said, jumping to her feet at the sight of Lucius.
"Miss..." Lucius retorted, deliberately trailing off as he had no name to work with. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting."
"We haven't," Hermione replied as she reached into the small bag she was carrying and pulled out a sealed piece of parchment. "But I believe this will explain everything."
Lucius took the envelope offered to him, and turning it over in his hands, his eyebrows raised as he examined the seal. Very carefully he opened the seal and read the contents of the letter. Once he got to the bottom of the letter, he went back to the top and read it a second time before folding it up and slipping it into the inside of his robes.
"Do you have it with you?" he asked Hermione.
"I do," Hermione replied with a nod of her head. Carefully she extracted a golden locket from underneath her top and unclasping it from around her neck she handed it to Lucius.
Lucius studied the locket for several minutes, at one point even opening it up and gazing at the two small pictures inside. He then handed the locket back to Hermione without another word and picking up his tea cup, he sat down next to his wife and gestured for Hermione to take her seat.
"How long?" he asked.
"A week," Hermione replied.
"A week?" he questioned, virtually spluttering with the shock. "You've waited a whole week before coming to see me."
"I wanted to be sure before coming to you," Hermione admitted with a slight shrug. "And I didn't want to believe it," she added in a small voice. "I still don't want to believe it."
"I can understand that," Lucius said with a sympathetic smile. "But you understand what has to happen now, don't you?"
"I do," Hermione replied. "I promised that if this was to ever happen, I was to do exactly as you said."
"You can trust me, Hermione," Lucius said gently. "You do know that, don't you?"
"I trust my parents judgement," Hermione said. "They promised me that if the worst should happen, you would protect me with your life."
"And I will," Lucius vowed. "But I do have some questions if you're ready."
"I'm ready," Hermione replied with a determined nod of her head, aware that Draco and Narcissa were watching the conversation with both bewilderment and fascination.
"What happened to your mother?"
"I don't know," Hermione whispered. "She went into the village for some herbs, and she never returned. I went down to the village and nosed around, but I couldn't find any sign of her. She's just vanished."
"I promise that I will do my best to find out what's happened to her, but we have to assume the worst," Lucius said. "If it's been a week, then she's clearly not able to return to you."
"Either because someone has her, or she's dead," Hermione whispered, blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Oh, you poor thing," Narcissa cooed as she switched seats to sit next to Hermione and wrap her arm around her. Hermione had seemed so strong when she'd first arrived, but since handing over the letter to Lucius it was as though her barriers had begun to fall and had exposed the vulnerable child she truly was.
"As sad as all this is, do we get some answers?" Draco asked. Like his mother he felt sorry for Hermione now he knew her mother was missing, but he was well aware that he and Narcissa didn't yet know the full story.
"Hermione was sent here by her father," Lucius explained. "The letter was from him, imploring me to look after his daughter if anything should ever happen to her mother. The necklace she used to prove her identity belonged to her father and I know he gave it to the only woman whom he'd ever loved. So I know Hermione is who she claims to be."
"And that is?" Draco questioned.
"Aria Hermione Riddle," Hermione answered, sitting up proudly. "Daughter of Lord Voldemort."
"The Dark Lord?" Narcissa gasped. "You're his daughter?"
"I am," Hermione confirmed. "And I was always told that the one person, aside from my mother, who he trusted the most was Lucius Malfoy. I've always known that if I ever needed help, Lucius was the one I should come to. So when my mother went missing, and I finally admitted to myself that she wasn't coming back, I found the letter my father had left and brought myself here."
"You did the right thing, Hermione," Lucius said. "We will look after you."
"Of course we will," Narcissa agreed with a nod. "We'll sort you your own wing of the manor and you can come and live with us."
"Is that wise?" Hermione asked, looking between Lucius and Narcissa. "My mother and I stayed under the radar for a reason."
"Dumbledore," Lucius spat. "Your father explained it in his letter. Albus Dumbledore was the reason he kept you a secret. He didn't want the old man getting wind of the fact he had a daughter. And you're right, I still think we need to keep your identity a secret. Luckily your father was already planning for such an eventuality. You're already using your middle name, so all we need for you is a new surname."
"And then what?" Hermione questioned with a frown. "I'll still need a back-story. I can't just appear from nowhere."
"You leave that to me," Lucius said with a smirk, clearly looking forward to doing some major deception. "Although I suppose the back-story will depend on how we want to play things from here. Would you like to go to Hogwarts? I assume you've been getting some sort of education."
"I've had private tutors my entire life," Hermione replied. "But I have always wanted to attend a real school with other students. But doesn't he run Hogwarts? Isn't it dangerous?"
"Only if he connects you to your father," Lucius replied. "And I can't see why he would. If I didn't know about you, then no-one else did. I promise you Hermione, I can keep you safe."
"I trust you," Hermione said solemnly.
"So what's the plan, Lucius?" Narcissa asked her husband as he got up to pace in front of the fire, a sure fire sign his brain was working overtime.
"I'm thinking," Lucius muttered, waving his hand dismissively. "Give me some time to think."
While Lucius was thinking, Narcissa, Draco and Hermione finished their tea and refreshments. Narcissa also asked Hermione a few questions about her life, although she was careful not to push the young girl as it was clear she was still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her mother. Then again, how could she really be expected to come to terms with the loss when what had happened to her mother was a mystery? How could she accept that her mother wasn't coming back, when she really didn't know what was happening?
"I've got it," Lucius suddenly crowed, snapping his fingers and whirling around to face the others, all of whom had turned to look at him expectantly at his declaration. "Blaise," he announced smugly.
"Blaise?" Hermione queried with a confused frown. "Who, or what, is Blaise?"
"Blaise Zabini. He's my best friend," Draco supplied.
"Your best friend who happens to have a mother who marries for fun every couple of years," Lucius said. "He's also a boy with a slightly murky past."
"Blaise's past isn't murky," Draco argued, sticking up for his friend. "He's a pureblood, just like the majority of Slytherins."
"Just because his mother says he's a pureblood doesn't make it so," Lucius retorted. "But that's not the point. The point is, his mother is currently getting married to yet another hapless wizard."
"I still don't understand," Hermione muttered.
"Who's to say this new husband of hers doesn't have a child of his own, say a daughter," Lucius suggested with a devious smirk.
"I get it," Draco said with a grin. "You think we can pass Hermione off as Blaise's step-sister."
"I do," Lucius confirmed with a nod. "I can get his mother on board easily enough, and as Blaise's step-sister a sorting into Slytherin will be likely, meaning you and Blaise can keep an eye on her."
"I don't need baby-sitting," Hermione retorted sharply. "I might not have attended school before, but I'm not stupid. In fact I'm quite a formidable witch."
"I'm sure you are," Lucius said with a low chuckle. "But I'm sure you will agree that it will be best for you to have some support if you are to attend Hogwarts. Draco and Blaise already know Dumbledore, and they will be able to warn you if he's getting suspicious of you."
"I guess so," Hermione conceded. "Just don't think of me as some helpless witch that needs saving," she warned Draco.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Draco said, holding his hands up as though he was surrendering to Hermione. Although truth be told he'd already worked out that Hermione wasn't to be messed with and was quite likely more capable than any other witch their age.
"That's all sorted then," Lucius said with a clap of his hands. "Welcome to the family, Hermione."
Hermione smiled softly as she looked around at the three Malfoys. It was never the plan to end up with the Malfoys, but Hermione knew that she couldn't have better protection now her mother was gone. She would be safe as part of the Malfoy family, and sooner or later her father would be back and then she would at least get some of her family back. But until then she would go along with Lucius's plan and come September she would be off to Hogwarts posing as Blaise's step-sister. And no matter what was happening, Hermione couldn't help but be excited at the idea of attending Hogwarts. She'd always wanted to go to the legendary wizarding school, and now finally she had her chance not only to head off to Hogwarts, but to be sorted into Slytherin and follow in her father's footsteps.
A/N - I know a lot of people have been asking about the 3rd part of the Darkness trilogy, and I'm sorry to say my reply is the same as it's been since the end of last year. There is still work to be done on the 3rd part, and I don't know when it will be ready to publish, although I am aiming for sometime this year. If I'd known the problems I was going to run into with my writing last year, I wouldn't have published the first couple of parts, but I didn't so now I'm afraid that all I can do is ask for people patience. The 3rd part will come, and I promise that as soon as I have a better of idea of when that will be, I will add a note to whatever story I'm publishing at the time. The same applies for the second story in the Tangled Web universe. Although I am further on with that story, and know exactly where it is going. In fact just recently the plot for the third story in that series has started to bubble. So I promise I will keep people up to date with my progress, and I will publish as soon as I can. But until then, thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the other things I am publishing.