Chapter Five

Another Chance

Draco sighed. He felt quite good, the mattress was too comfortable. Stretching out a hand, he enjoyed the softness of the sheets.

'Wait... silk sheets?'

His eyes opened slowly. The first thing he saw was his bedside table, where there was a glass of water but no wand. He looked up and watched the white canopy of his bed.

He blinked in confusion, looking around, and suddenly it dawned on him.

It hadn't been a dream. He really was out of Azkaban, and now he was in his bedroom.

And Hermione Granger had touched him.

Draco brought a hand to his cheek, remembering when she had stroked him during the trial. It had been weeks since he'd felt this good and it was all thanks to Granger coming close to him.

He snorted, rubbing his face with his hands and sitting up in bed.

"Master is finally awake!"

Draco didn't have time to answer. The elf disappeared with a crack.

Rolling his eyes, he got up and went into his bathroom, turning on the hot water tap.

As soon as the huge marble tub was full, he stepped into the warm water. The scent of lavender always relaxed him so he closed his eyes.

He was so tired.

Just as he was about to fall asleep again, a knock on the door woke him.

"Draco?"

"Coming," he replied, washing his hair.

He came out of the bathroom wrapped in his dark green bathrobe. His mother was sitting on the edge of his bed, which was already made.

Narcissa waited until he sat down next to her, looking into his eyes.

"Are you still angry?"

He gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes and avoiding his mother's sad gaze.

"You and Potter have betrayed me, both of you. I will never trust you again."

Narcissa snorted, standing up to face him. She held his chin with one hand and forced him to look her in the eye.

"Listen to me. If you thought your mother was going to let you die, you were so wrong. Harry has only helped me and I'm very grateful. You're alive and free, that's all that matters to me."

Draco laughed half-heartedly.

"Alive? For how long, Mother? You know what will happen if she doesn't accept me, and you know it'll be far more painful than dying in Azkaban."

"Give her time. She's helped you and she's willing to keep doing it."

"Because now she sees me as a creature, I'm just another project for Granger. Free the house elves and the Malfoy Veela!" he roared, standing up and shooting a furious glare at his mother.

She flinched and Draco blinked several times. He slowly walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'll never lose control with you, Mother," he whispered, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

Narcissa wrapped her arms around him and smiled.

"You can't get that angry or you'll transform. You need to be careful now," she replied softly.

Draco nodded and they pulled apart but Narcissa held one of his hands.

"I think the time has come for you to read the book Giorgio Malfoy wrote," she announced, leaving his room with him and walking down the corridor of the east wing.

Draco's grey eyes widened and he arched his eyebrows.

"Did he write a book? My Veela ancestor?"

"He knew that his son and his future descendants would be in trouble for sharing his blood, so he wrote down all the secrets that only Veelas know."

"And why have I never seen that book?"

"Because it's hidden. It would be dangerous if anyone outside the family were to read it. It is better that such things are not known," Narcissa answered, squeezing his hand.

They entered Lucius Malfoy's old office together and Narcissa approached a square mirror. She tapped the surface of the glass with her wand three times, reciting a few words, and then her hand passed through the glass as if it were water.

"Your wand is in here too, and your father's wand. You're a Malfoy, just say the incantation and your hand can go through the shield so you can take it," she explained as she pulled a small book out of the hiding place.

"I can't touch my wand, Mother. They'll know if I do," Draco said, crossing his arms.

"If you're ever in danger and need it, don't hesitate. You're still you, my son, no matter what that court of inept people says."

Draco smiled, taking the book his mother was offering him.

"You can start reading it but Harry told me he'd come for you early. There's paperwork waiting for you at the Ministry," Narcissa commented, heading for the office door.

Draco snorted, wrinkling his nose at the thought of Potter.

"Be nice to him, Draco," she ordered before closing the door.

"I won't kill him. He can consider himself lucky," he muttered, opening the small silver book.

It was like a diary written in Italian. The pages were aged and the ink partially faded.

Draco frowned and sat down in one of the armchairs, his eyes fixed on the ancient book.

Hermione was in her office, on the fourth floor of the Ministry of Magic. On her desk were several open books which she had been reading the night before by the fireplace in Grimmauld Place. Harry and Ginny had fallen asleep on the sofa next to her until she woke them up and the three of them went to sleep.

She was writing on a piece of parchment, deep in concentration, when two knocks sounded at her door. Hermione put the quill down on the table and sighed.

"Come in."

The wooden door opened and Draco Malfoy walked in. He was wearing one of his black suits and looked much better than he had the day before. His hair was regaining its blond colour and was once again clean and straight, combed to one side. There were still dark circles under his eyes and he was pale, though not as much as before.

Hermione hid the tension she felt, squaring her shoulders and trying to be professional.

"Sit down, Malfoy. Who did you come with?"

"Potter came and picked me up," he replied, his gaze down as he sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

She was still watching him. He looked quite angry, his fists were clenched and he had his eyes fixed on the floor.

"How are you?"

Silence. Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip nervously.

"You had no right to do this to me. Not you, not Potter," he growled suddenly.

"Well, you look a lot better than you did yesterday, and you're not in prison anymore. You should be pleased."

"Potter said the same thing," Draco murmured, rolling his eyes and snorting through his nose.

Hermione sighed, pulling several sheets of paper out of a red folder. She placed them in front of Draco on the table and held a quill out to him.

"You have to fill this out, we need to register you as a half-human. I suppose you'd prefer me to do it, but if you don't feel comfortable I can get one of my colleagues to assist you."

"No. At least I know that you, the great defender of magical creatures, won't judge me," Draco replied in a mocking voice.

She leaned back in her chair, waiting. He twisted his lips and pulled a piece of paper from the pocket inside his jacket, laying it on the table.

"Have you been tested?" Hermione asked, glancing at the paper curiously.

Draco nodded.

"And?" she insisted.

He tilted his head to the side, looking at her for the first time.

"According to the tests, I'm fifty percent Veela."

Hermione gasped, her eyes widening.

"That's a lot! I've seen your father's record and he's only thirty-five percent Veela," she said, picking up the paper and reading it eagerly.

He shrugged.

"I know. I guess the genes are stronger in my case."

"Can your father transform too?"

"Yes, but there are some differences between him and me."

Hermione nodded, assuming Malfoy wasn't going to explain that to her even if she asked. She put the paper back down on the desk, placing her department stamp on it. Draco sighed and started to write on the form, filling in all of his details.

"What about your wand?" she asked.

He looked up for a second, staring into her eyes, and focused on the papers again.

"It's at home. My mother keeps it in a safe place."

"You'll get it back, Malfoy."

"I doubt it."

Hermione was silent, internally debating all the questions she wanted to ask him. Draco sighed.

"If you have something to say, go ahead, Granger."

"Do you hate me?"

His left hand twitched, leaving a line of ink on the paper. He cursed under his breath and Hermione waved her wand, erasing the last of his writing.

"No," he replied, not taking his eyes off the paper and writing again.

"You can look at me, Draco. I'm not going to use the eye contact thing again but I'd like you to be honest."

His grey eyes went up and fixed on her, roaming all over her face.

"Does it bother you when I call you Draco?"

He shook his head.

"What about Harry? Do you hate him?"

Draco narrowed his eyes.

"I'd like to finish him off slowly for what he's done, but no. I don't hate anyone anymore."

"What has he done?"

"He betrayed me."

Hermione frowned, slightly confused.

"He made me a promise, Granger. And he hasn't kept it."

"Promise? What promise?"

Draco clenched his jaw hard.

"You weren't supposed to know about any of this."

Hermione rolled her eyes, leaning over her desk.

"I don't understand you, honestly. If I hadn't found out, you'd still be locked up in Azkaban. Isn't this better?"

Draco looked down and signed the bottom of the paper, pushing it towards Hermione. She snorted, knowing he wasn't going to give her an answer.

"I'll complete your registration today and you'll be able to live a normal life."

Draco raised his eyebrows, a fake smile on his face.

"Normal life?" he repeated in a deep voice.

"Well, almost normal. I'm working on a new law in favour of some of the most intelligent magical creatures, Malf... Draco. When I get it passed you'll be considered a human being again, and you'll be able to use your wand."

He crossed his arms, averting his gaze to the only window in the room.

"If we're done, I'll go find Potter so I can go home," he muttered as he stood up.

Just as he opened her office door, he heard her voice and footsteps.

"Malfoy, wait!"

He turned around, looking down at the floor and sighing.

"What do you want?"

Hermione frowned, punching him gently on the arm, and Draco winced.

"I understand you're angry but I'm just trying to help you. Don't be so rude."

Draco watched her suspiciously.

"I'm sorry. I need time to come to terms with everything that's happened, Granger."

Hermione gasped as she listened to his apology. It was something that, ever since she had met him at Hogwarts, she had thought would never hear.

"Never mind. Hey... Is it uncomfortable when I touch you? Does it hurt?" she asked when she found her voice again, worried about the reaction she'd just seen.

"No."

"Yesterday, when Harry hugged me at the trial you seemed to find it hard to breathe."

Draco looked away from her, leaning his back against the doorframe. Hermione noticed that he was much taller than she remembered.

"Seeing someone else touch you does hurt. My father hadn't warned me about that," he commented in a whisper, keeping an eye out for people passing in the corridor and avoiding her gaze.

"Oh, I had no idea. I'll try to be careful."

"I didn't know it either, Granger. It seems it only happens if I see you, so you can do whatever you want when I'm not around."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hermione replied, nodding and chewing her lip as she thought. "You need to spend time near me to fully recover... don't you?" she asked quietly.

Draco nodded. His arms were crossed, his gaze still fixed on the corridor.

"I could come and pick you up every afternoon, and we can have tea together in Diagon Alley. I think we could help each other, Draco. I could use your opinion on the bill I'm working on and it will help you to have me around you."

"As you wish," he said, stepping back away from her.

Her sweet scent covered every corner of that room and Draco didn't know if that would cause him to transform again.

"I don't think it'll take long for you to feel completely fine again. We can try to be friends and get along, maybe that'll be enough."

Draco grimaced.

"Friends?" he repeated, pursing his lips.

"I'm willing to start fresh and forget the past, Malfoy. I mean, Draco," Hermione added, offering him her right hand.

Draco stared down at her hand, then back at her.

"Do you want to be my friend after everything I've done to you?"

She nodded.

"I haven't even apologised to you," he said, his brow furrowing.

"I don't expect you to. I forgive you anyway," she replied, shrugging one of her shoulders.

Draco took a slow intake of breath, rolling his eyes. He stepped closer to her and took her hand, shaking it tightly. Hermione gasped but didn't look away from his gaze.

"You Gryffindors are always so..." he muttered, shaking his head. "Thank you, Granger," he added, releasing her hand.

Hermione stared at him intently and he gave her a smirk.

"I'm not going to transform just because I touched you."

"Why did it happen yesterday, then?"

"Because it was the first time."

She nodded, thinking about the notebook with all the information about the Veelas that was on her bedside table. She needed to write down everything they'd talked about so she could remember it.

"I'll be at Malfoy Manor at four."

Draco twisted his lips downwards, taking a few steps back.

"Alright," he said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

As he walked towards the lifts to find Potter, Granger's proposal spun around his mind.

Spending time together every day wasn't enough. The only way for him not to die was for her to be his mate... but, if Granger didn't know that detail, he didn't plan on telling her.

He didn't want her pity, or she accepting it just because she felt guilty.

"It's so weird," Ron commented as he sliced his steak.

Hermione sighed. The three of them were eating in the Ministry cafeteria.

"I know. When I arrived this morning there were five reporters waiting for me in the Atrium, including Rita Skeeter."

"That harpy can't get enough," Harry snarled, digging his fork into his sandwich angrily.

"At least I know she won't write anything that's a lie. If she does, she knows I'll tell everyone she's an unregistered Animagus and she'll end up in Azkaban."

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance and smiled, looking back at their friend.

"You're scary sometimes, Hermione," Ron said, sipping his water.

"That's true. You should have signed up for Auror training with us, you'd be great at it," Harry added with a nod.

She smiled back at them.

"I'd rather be where I'm needed most."

"Hermione Granger, spreading S.P.E.W. all over the magical world," Ron said in a mocking voice as Harry chuckled.

She snorted and kicked him under the table.

"Ouch! I was just joking!" Ron complained, pulling away from the table so she couldn't hit him again.

"Magical creatures are no joke, Ron. It's a very serious matter, they've been mistreated and treated as inferior beings for centuries!" Hermione replied in an angry voice.

Ron rolled his eyes and Harry shook his head, a grin on his face.

"Dobby would be so proud of you, Hermione. By the way... Are you going to pick him up today?" he asked, glancing at her.

Ron frowned and Hermione tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth.

"Yes, at four."

"I don't understand why you're so determined to help him. Malfoy doesn't deserve it," Ron muttered.

Hermione glared at him and Harry put a hand to his forehead, sighing. His friend would never learn to think before he spoke.

"What if it was the other way around, Ron? What if I was half Veela and needed Malfoy to survive? You'd want him to help me, wouldn't you?"

Ron clicked his tongue, nodding.

"Then you know why I do it," she added, crossing her arms over her chest.

"All right. Don't be mad at me," Ron mumbled, raising his wand and levitating their three empty trays towards the bar area.

The three of them got up and Ron said goodbye, kissing Hermione on the cheek. Once he left, Harry approached her.

"If you need me, call me," he whispered, taking one of her hands and squeezing it.

Hermione nodded and smiled up at him.

"Don't worry, Harry. Malfoy is not going to hurt me."

"I'm worried he'll lose control with you around."

"I don't think that's going to happen. Whenever he's around me, he always seems emotionless. What if he's an Occlumens?" Hermione asked, beginning to understand Draco's cold attitude.

"He probably is. See you at home, Ginny and I are going to make one of Molly's recipes," Harry commented.

Hermione nodded, watching him walk away towards the lifts. She sighed and returned to her office, picking up her handbag before heading down to the eighth floor.

Once in the Atrium, she stepped into one of the huge fireplaces with green flames and closed her eyes.

"Malfoy Manor."

When she found herself in the entrance hall of the gigantic mansion, Hermione felt a shiver running down her spine. She immediately heard the voice of a house elf.

"Miss Granger! Master Malfoy is in the garden."

She nodded, following the elf down one of the corridors and smiling at the sight of the blue suit he was wearing.

"What's your name?"

"Rinny!"

"You're a free elf, aren't you?"

"Yes! Rinny has been free since the Dark Lord died."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. She hated it when someone called Voldemort that.

Rinny opened a huge wooden door and pointed out into the garden.

"Master Malfoy is over there, reading in the willow tree."

Her eyes widened as she saw that the place was filled with all sorts of flowers and plants. It looked like an endless maze with walls of every colour and smell imaginable. She gave the elf a tiny smile and descended the three marble steps, walking down the stone path that wound through the gigantic garden.

As she approached the only willow tree, she saw that Draco was sitting on one of the branches with a small book on his lap. He tensed as soon as he caught her scent and slammed the book shut, stuffing it into one of the inside pockets of his suit.

"Hello, Draco."

He nodded, jumping down to the ground and removing some leaves from his suit as he walked over to her.

"I didn't notice the time, otherwise I would have waited for you by the fireplace. You must not like coming here."

Hermione shrugged.

"I don't care. As long as I don't go near that... that room, I don't mind being here."

"It doesn't exist anymore."

"What?" she asked, blinking.

"Mother burned it to the ground when I went into Azkaban and the elves sealed it with their magic soon after. It's impossible to get into it."

Hermione nodded, quite shocked. Draco walked past her, heading towards the inside of the manor, but he suddenly stopped.

As he turned his head to look at her, his face lost its colour and his hands started shaking.

"Who... who kissed you, Granger?"

My great-grandfather was Italian and his name was Giorgio Toscana. I've named Draco's ancestor after him :)