A/N: This one shot is part of The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition's season 9 Prophet competition : Celebrate Good Times

Position prompt: Chaser 3 : accomplishing a personal goal

Optional prompts used:

(setting) Malfoy Manor

(dialogue) "I wanted to surprise you"

(word) respect


Hermione stood in front of Malfoy Manor, unsure of herself. Her visit was planned, Narcissa was waiting for her to help organize a party and everything was perfectly safe; she didn't have any reason to hesitate. Yet, a voice at the back of her mind was screaming at her to turn around and run away. She had heard many stories of people afraid to go to their significant other's place to meet their parents for the first time, but it was nothing like this. For years, the simple idea of the place had made her skin crawl as she remembered her time under Bellatrix's wand and knife. Still, here she was and she would not stop at the entrance before leaving like a coward.

Clenching her fists to find some of her infamous Gryffindor bravery, she took a first step and passed the entrance of the property. She stilled, waiting for any danger to come her way. When nothing happened, she berated herself for acting so ridiculously and started walking again.

She was trying to resist, but her movements were restrained by the muscular arms of Greyback who was effortlessly pushing her past the doors. She could feel his breath on her temple when she moved her head, subtle yet almost painful against her skin.

She followed the path leading to the manor, taking her time to admire the various flowers covering the garden. Half-hidden behind the roses, peacocks were watching her curiously. She made it to the building's door and knocked swiftly before she could convince herself that she should turn around. The door opened almost instantly and she forgot how to breathe.

The werewolf pushed the door open and the little group went through a couple of corridors before entering the sitting room where the Malfoy family and Bellatrix Lestrange were waiting. The mad woman spoke for a minute and then, nothing. Nothing but pain, screams and the taste of her own blood on her tongue.

Narcissa was smiling as she pulled the door wide open to let her come in. The young woman silently followed her through the grand entrance and a corridor while Narcissa tried to make small talk, not waiting for answers, just jumping from onea subject to another. Hermione didn't know if it was an attempt to help her forget about the room on the other side of the building or a simple demonstration of the woman's bubbly personality but she was grateful nonetheless. After what felt like forever but probably wasn't longer than maybe one minute, they entered a sitting room, much smaller and more colorful than the one she had seen last time. Hermione struggled to stay calm as Narcissa motioned her to take a seat just before a small house-elf appeared, his arms full of folders and magazines. He left them on the table in front of them and disappeared with a small bow.

"Now, shall we begin?" Narcissa said kindly as she sat down opposite Hermione.

If everything indicated it was a question, Hermione wasn't stupid enough to not understand it was nothing but an order. The pureblood had a way of ordering people around in the most polite manner, something that both fascinated and annoyed Hermione.

Since it was the reason she came here╶ amongst others she wouldn't share with Narcissa as long as she wasn't asked about them╶ Hermione took the nearest folder and opened it to discover various assortments of colors with notes about the type of occasions they were for and what kind of aesthetic went best with it. She was skimming through the pages, while making suggestions to Narcissa who was sketching the ballroom's plan and asking for her preferences between round and squared tables.

They spent most of the afternoon like this and although decoration had never been Hermione's strong suit, she was surprised to realise that she was truly enjoying herself. She still couldn't understand why the woman had wanted her help organizing a party after doing it on her own for half her life and criticizing Hermione's tastes for the last seven years. Still, she had asked her and, always a good friend, Hermione had said yes.

The two of them made an odd pair, she mused while listening to the woman explain in great details why perfect floral arrangements were essential for a good party. She already knew it, of course, and she had read it enough times in the papers to know that everyone else in the magical world was aware of it. The pure-blooded Lady and the muggleborn war heroin. Hermione had vouched for Narcissa during her trial, believing no one who lied in the face of Voldemort to save Harry should go to Azkaban. A few weeks after, the two of them had met in a cafe near Diagon Alley and had taken the opportunity to bury the hatchet. One thing led to another, the wizarding population of Britain had soon ended up seeing the two of them meeting for lunch or tea on a regular basis. Seven years later, the papers were still theorizing about the hidden agenda of the woman to get so close to a muggleborn half her age.

If their friendship had shocked the wizarding world, it was nothing compared to what had happened when they had found out about Hermione's relationship with Draco.

It had taken her a long time to bring herself to talk to him after all that had happened. There was too much history to unpack and despite being supported by Narcissa, none of them had been willing to make the first step. If she hadn't been obligated by her friendship with Neville to have a pyjama party with his grandmother, she hadn't been obligated by her friendship with Narcissa to talk with the ferret the woman called her son. When they had eventually seen each other three years after the end of the war, Hermione had discovered the mean boy he had used to be had grown into a smart and sensible man. Everything was drawing her to him, from his snarky remarks to the glint in his eyes when he laughed and she had been over the moon when almost a year later, he kissed her for the first time.

However, thinking about her boyfriend ruined her happy mood and she saw Narcissa frowning at her.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Hermione quickly answered. "I'm sorry, I just zoned out. What were you saying about tulips?"

"Is this about the manor? I know you said you were ready to come but if it is too much I understand." Narcissa looked at her worriedly with a slight frown on her face.

"The manor is fine. As long as you don't take me to the room where it happened, everything is fine." Hermione let out a deep sight, knowing her friend wouldn't let the matter go without an answer. "I was just… I was thinking about Draco."

The woman raised an eyebrow at the confession, looking both surprised and concerned.

"This is hardly the face a young woman does when thinking about someone she loves… Did anything happen?"

"No!" The answer had been rushed, and Hermione found herself blushing under Narcissa's doubtful expression. "I mean… I'm not sure. He has just been really distant lately and he doesn't answer when I try to talk about it. I know your husband is supposed to get out of Azkaban by the end of the year and it might be the stress of seeing him again."

"I don't see how Lucius coming back home could impact your relationship months before his arrival."

"Well…" Hermione took a sip of tea to give herself some time to properly formulate her answer. "I know you don't care about blood status but Lucius has always been adamant on traditions and family duties. He hasn't seen Draco in years and I can't imagine he'll be too happy coming back to his son dating… well, me. I think Draco is also aware of it and maybe he… I don't know."

Narcissa's eyes had widened in understanding and were shining with determination by the end of the explanation.

"Lucius may need some time to adjust but his family is his priority and if both my son and I want you here, he won't be a problem for you. The two of you were on opposite sides of the war but you are a wonderful young woman who makes our son happy; he will respect that. As for my son, he may act like an idiot but he loves you way too much to leave you. I promise you things will turn out just fine."

If Hermione wasn't completely sure the woman was right about her son, she was at least calm enough to go back to the choice of appetizers.

They spent an hour working on the party, which was starting to look quite promising by both Hermione and Narcissa's standards, when the front door squeaked and the sound of steps approached. Sending her an encouraging smile, Narcissa rose from her armchair and opened the door.

"Draco?"

"It's me, Mother." The approaching voice sounded too high for him to be calm and Hermione instinctively tensed. Would he like having her in his home after weeks of avoiding her and what might be a bad day? "I just came to change and take some clothes and then I'll be off to Hermione's."

"We have a guest, dear," intervened his mother. Hermione could almost see it in her mind how he hastily kissed her forehead before heading for the stairs. "Come say hello."

Draco walked back and passed the door under his mother's amused eyes, and Hermione gulped. He stopped abruptly when he saw her sitting on the couch, the cup of luke-warm tea still in her hands. He stayed like this, mouth opened and eyes wide for what felt like an eternity to Hermione who was nervously shifting under his gaze.

"Hermione?" he finally asked, blinking to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Hi, love." Her tone was shy and she hated herself for it.

"What are you doing here?"

Coming from anyone else, she would have felt insulted. However, this wasn't anyone else, this was Draco, the man who had offered her countless times to come to his manor through the years, without any success.

"I wanted to surprise you. So… Surprise?"

Finally smiling, Draco hurried over to the couch and helped her get on her feet before kissing her lightly.

"Best surprise ever," he declared when he took a step back, his hands still on her hips and a proud expression on his face. "You did it!"

"I did it," repeated Hermione with a beaming smile. She didn't tell him about the flashbacks in his alley or the burning feeling on her left forearm in the corridor. After seven years, without being able to even think of coming back, she was in the manor where she had been tortured. It was no small victory and she would not spoil it. "Will you offer me a tour?"

"I'm surprised my mother didn't offer you one," he teased before glancing at the folders and papers scattered across the room. "Though you seem to already have plenty of fun here."

"Narcissa wanted my help to plan a party. Plus, I wanted you to show me around." She felt herself blush before adding in the most confident tone she could manage, "I love you. So I figured that I would learn more about you and be… closer to you if you showed me the place you grew up in yourself."

Draco blushed, actually blushed, at her words and hid his embarrassment by kissing her again, more passionately this time. She rose on her toes and placed her hands behind his head, scratching his scalp with her nails while pulling him closer. She felt his arms snake around her middle and let him pull her against him. A muffled moan escaped her when he bit her lip and he moved his face away from hers. He left her breathless for the first time in weeks and she tried to resist the urge to pull him back to her as his forehead rested against hers.

"I love you so much, marry me."

His voice was pleading and it was barely loud enough to be heard. Still, she had heard him and froze.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

He tried to move away from her but she caught his wrists and forced him to stay close.

"This is not how I was planning to do it," he muttered. "I'm sorry! Please just forget about it."

His face was a deep red now and stubbornly turned towards the wall. She let go of one of his arms and used her free hand to cradle his jaw gently and make him look at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"I planned everything." The blond sighed, looking ashamed but leaning into her hand for comfort anyway. "I wanted to take you on a date, have a great night with you and then propose. I even have the ring!"

"Is that… Is that why you've been acting weird lately?"

Draco straightened up and looked ready to protest before puffing out a big gush of air and letting his shoulders fall in defeat once again.

"I was trying to be discreet," he admitted eventually. "I knew if I got caught up in the moment I would just let it out and ruin everything like I just did."

If she wasn't so shocked at the fact that he wanted to marry her, she would have found his face funny. She tried to regain a semblance of composure before speaking again.

"You didn't ruin anything." Her voice was quiet, gentle, as a soft smile pulled at the corners of her lips.

"I didn't?" His head had snapped back up at her words and his eyes were revealing his surprise and insecurity.

"You didn't," she repeated with more confidence. "You can ask me again if you want to make sure of it, though."

"I…"

A second after this, he was kneeling in front her, fumbling in his pocket before revealing a ring.

"It is far from what I have planned but I love you and I know you're it for me. Please marry me."

A bright smile lit up Hermione's face as she struggled to breathe. "Yes."

It had taken all her willpower to answer, to overcome the lump in her throat. By the time he had put the ring on her offered finger and was getting back up with the most dazzling smile he had ever made, the tears in her eyes had made her vision blurry and she felt more than saw him get closer for another kiss. She was pressing herself against him and opening her mouth to taste his tongue when someone cleared their throat by the door. Startled, they turned towards the intruder and saw Narcissa, long forgotten, who was sporting a wicked smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but you are still my son and there are some things I don't need to see."

"Wait, you were here the whole time?"

Hermione and Draco were both blushing furiously, which only made the woman laugh.

"This is still my home and my sitting room," she teased. "The good news is, your engagement party is almost ready, thanks to Hermione here."

"Is that why you wanted me to help?" Hermione couldn't believe she hadn't understood earlier that it wasn't just any party.

"More important question here," interved Draco. "How did you know I was about to propose?"

"I heard from Gringotts that you took your grandmother's ring from our vault. I assumed you were not planning on wearing it yourself."

Hermione laughed at that, before drying her lingering tears with the back of her hand and looking at the ring. Finally. The diamond in the middle was surrounded by sapphires and while it wasn't something she would have chosen for herself, she had to admit it was stunning. She loved it on sight and a comment made by the petty voice in the back of her head only made her love it more. Thinking of Draco's bigoted grandmother whose ring was on the finger of a mudblood who would tarnish the Malfoy line by giving birth to half-blood children would lighten her mood for years to come.

Sensing Draco was about to argue with his mother about privacy and boundaries, she pulled his hand lightly to get his attention.

"What about this tour you promised me, now? And maybe after this we could go on this date you talked about earlier to celebrate?"

His attention definitely on her and a big smile on his face, he leaned towards her before glancing in his mother's direction and enveloped her in his arms, agreeing with a kiss on her neck.

Tonight would be about celebrating and she couldn't wait to see what he had planned for her.