Chapter 3

All characters belong to JK Rowling.

Malfoy Manor. Home at last. Draco looked around to see that his mother had done some redecorating. The air of glum that was covering the manor was gone, replaced with overt pompousness, just like how it was before Voldemort took over his house.

"Draco, the sitting room. Now." Narcissa ordered him as she walked towards the said room. Draco was confused, he just reached home not even for a minute. In the past, when he came back for the summer holiday, a feast will await him. His mother called it a belated birthday feast. His father called it completing another successful year in school. There was never a time whereby his mother behaved like this to welcome him back.

He followed his mother, while his house-elf started to levitate his trunk to his room. He looked at his house-elf and smiled. His house-elf gave a terrified look back. Merlin, Hermione had a weird influence on him, smiling to his house-elf and all. Leaving the terrified elf behind, he hastened his steps into the sitting room. Narcissa was already sitting, legs crossed, fingers tapping the velvet couch, waiting for him. Draco took a seat at the armchair beside her.

"Do you know where your father is?" asked his mother.

"I don't know? I expect him to be travelling with Aurors, catching Death Eaters? Surely, you will know his location better than I do," answered Draco, a frown creasing his forehead.

"He is in Azkaban."

That made him choked. He could feel his blood ran cold. He straightened his sitting posture, looking baffled at his mother's statement.

"No, we bribed the Wizengamot! We gave them enough galleons to ensure Father will not be thrown to Azkaban!"

His mother blue eyes pierced his.

"No, Draco, your father's crime was too big to escape Azkaban but we have enough money and influence to keep his imprisonment a secret. They agreed that much because you were ordered to go back to school. I have been keeping it a secret from you as per their request."

"That makes no sense! We should have bribed them with more money then!" This was the first time he was shouting at his mother. Narcissa remained seated on her sofa, looking rather unbothered by all the shouting. Instead, she summoned the house-elf. With a crack, the house-elf appeared, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. Is this the time for a fucking tea party, Draco muttered to himself.

Narcissa sipped her tea, then shot a look towards her only son, "More money? Draco, the Ministry does not want our money. They have plenty of money from seizing all the Death Eaters' vault. Your aunt's vault alone was enough to rebuild Hogwarts. Our money is useless now. Even the Weasleys will rather starve than take Malfoy's money."

Draco swallowed. He had never felt so powerless in his life, not even when he was tasked to kill Dumbledore. Malfoy's money was useless. That was a sentence he never thought he would hear in his life.

"Now, do you understand the predicament that we are in? The Ministry does not want our money but they want our obedience, compliance and we are giving them that. If they asked you to jump, you jump as high as you can. If they asked you to donate money, you ask them how much. We will do what they want until we are part of the wizarding society again. No matter how long it takes," Narcissa ended her speech with a sharp tone. Her fingers trembled for a second, Draco would have missed it if only the cup did not clink against the saucer.

"How long is Father being imprisoned?" asked Draco after some time of silence. He stared at the biscuits in front of him. The pastry was as much food as he could get for his welcome feast.

"Well, Draco, that's the funny thing about keeping your imprisonment a secret. He will stay there for as long as the Ministry wants to."

"And he agrees to this? Indefinitely locked up in Azkaban?" Draco had a hard time believing his father, the almighty Lucius Malfoy would accept the fate of being locked up in such a horrible place.

"I did not give him a choice," Narcissa paused briefly as she stared into space, "I told him I did my part to ensure your future is spared in the Forest. It is his turn to do the same."

Narcissa Malfoy held her cup elegantly. Just because she was no longer the darling of the wizarding society, it did not mean she would start behaving like those blood traitors Weasleys. Of course, unlike previously, nobody cared if she held the teacup elegantly. Nobody wanted to meet her. Her social calendar was empty, except for maybe barking orders to her house-elf. That and writing letters to her son in Hogwarts.

Today was different. Philomena Parkinson asked her for tea in Parkinson Manor. She was more than happy to visit her old… acquittance. Narcissa offered her house but Philomena was badly masking a distaste. Malfoy Manor was tainted, nobody wanted to visit it.

"How are you? It has been some time since we last meet. Is Lucius still traveling around the world, catching his old friends?" asked Philomena. Narcissa smirked, calling Death Eaters as old friends, how original. If this was in the past, Narcissa would probably put down her cup and left.

"Yes, the Ministry is very grateful for my husband's contribution." She kept her statement vague. The Ministry was probably able to build another gaudy sculpture with the amount Lucius donated.

"That's nice. I wanted to meet you because Pansy mentioned that Draco has been hanging out with a certain muggle-born and red-haired pure blood in school. I do hope my daughter is wrong." Philomena smiled back at her. Narcissa scoffed, so this was why she wanted to have tea with her.

"No, Pansy is correct. I asked Draco to hang out with those people," Narcissa choked the words out before continuing, "As you know, my family is under close surveillance by the Ministry. Draco hanging out with them is the best proof that we are changing, don't you think?" Philomena laughed while nodding her head. Narcissa mused, the woman in front of her might not be her friend but they agreed on many things.

"Careful, Narcissa. If you obey the Ministry too much, the blood purity will end with your son," said Philomena, clearly hinting the possibility of having a non-pure-blood wife for her son.

"I am thinking of marrying Draco to one of the Greengrass daughters. They are pure-blood, thank Merlin, but they also display tolerance towards muggle-borns." Narcissa looked up to see Philomena laughing like a madwoman, at her.

"What's so funny, Philo?"

"The Greengrass has a pristine record, what makes you think they will want to be associated with you? Please, Narcissa, even my family has a better standing than yours!"

"Excuse me? Your daughter wanted to give Harry Potter up while I was the one who lied to You-Know-Who about him dying. I hardly think your family is better than mine," Narcissa was clutching the teacup handle tightly, controlling her rising outburst. Philomena continued to laugh, finding the situation even more amusing.

"Narcissa, my fool of a daughter might do that but remember, none of my family is a Death Eater. Elenora Zabini and her son hated muggle-borns and blood traitors too in the past but as you can see, they have a pristine record by keeping their heads low, not parading their association with You-Know-Who. You can't compare Draco's record with Blaise now, can you?"

"Daphne is a friend of Draco and Pansy. I don't think a marriage between my son and her sister is impossible," Narcissa sipped her tea, in an effort to hide her embarrassment, losing to the woman whose favourite past time was getting married.

"I think you know, being friends is different than being married. Right now, you will reluctantly accept muggle-borns as Draco's friend. Will you accept a muggle-born as his wife? A muggle-born in your house?" Hearing Philomena's words, Narcissa stood up. She could not be here any longer unless she wanted to join her husband in Azkaban for doing an Unforgivable towards the woman in front of her. She took her coat and handbag and started to walk towards the fireplace.

Narcissa then raised her head and spoke, "Let me make this clear, Philo, don't expect to see Draco with a mudblood as a wife or even them entering my house. I am sure the curse that Lucius put against mudbloods are still in effect despite him traveling the world." With that, she threw the floo powder and disappear from the fireplace. Philomena smirked at how she managed to rattle the great Narcissa Malfoy.

Hermione sighed and looked at her room in Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was really one hardworking elf. The house was truly scrubbed clean on every corner and those screaming paintings were put away. Hermione was not sure where all the paintings disappear to but she was not complaining. She could enter the house without Walburga's screaming about her being mudblood and filthy. Just like her grandnephew.

Harry mentioned that Kreacher was bored on most days that when he was tasked to clean the house, he did it overzealously. She was about to scold him for the elf mistreatment when Harry interjected. He tried to free Kreacher and paid him but Kreacher started crying, lamenting that he was a bad elf if his master did not want him at all.

She threw her body into the soft mattress. The room was rather big and she had her own bathroom. This was Regulus' bedroom previously and apparently Kreacher was honoured that someone who bravely fought for his master's cause would be staying in the room. As she stared into the ceiling, she was reminded of how Narcissa Malfoy did not even bother to greet her. Like mother, like son. She was feeling really stupid now. For one year, she thought Draco had changed. It was not easy for her to forgive him and moved on from their past but she tried. She tried her best to the point of having a funny feeling towards him.

Draco was so easy to be around with when he did not spend every minute spewing hateful words towards her. After finally breaking their ice with that quidditch argument, they started a friendship. They would do their homework together, visited Hogsmeade together.

The funny feeling started during Valentine's day this year. Someone sent her chocolate and she realised she wished it was from Draco. It was not. The chocolate was from a seventh-year Ravenclaw who was enamoured with the Golden Girl. After that realisation, she tried to manage the funny feeling but sometimes she could feel Draco was having the same feeling towards her. He treated her differently than how he treated Daphne or Ginny. He would walk slower to match her pace. He would sit beside her for hours at the library for no reason.

The only time someone feebly supported her point was when Draco flew past her during one of the quidditch matches and Luna lightly mentioned, "Funny, don't you think? He flew to our area five times since the game started when the snitch was nowhere near us." Hermione told Luna that we could not see the snitch so maybe Draco was on to something. Luna, again retort with a light tone, "Well, then why is the other seeker always at the other end of the field?"

He probably did all those things just to mess with her. He could not openly taunt her like in the past so he was doing this, offered his friendship when maybe at the end of the day, he and Pansy would get together to laugh at her. Of course, Pansy was his girlfriend for the longest time. It was her being stupid thinking he actually changed.

"Fancy for a dinner?" Hermione lifted her body and saw Ron at her room door. She jumped immediately and hugged him. It had been too long since she saw her two best friends.

"How are you! Merlin, eighth-year was weird without needing to save you and Harry!" Ron laughed as they both went down to the dining room. Kreacher had cooked a spread for the four of them. Ginny and Harry were already seated.

As they started dinner, Hermione started to forget the hurt that was sitting at her heart since morning. She started telling them about her study plans (Harry and Ron had to stifle a yawn), what Cambridge course she intended to take (Human, Social and Political Sciences) and also her plan in general after A-Level and before admission.

"Just asking, if you are not accepted in Cambridge, will you be going to another school?" asked Harry as he cut his steak. Hermione gave deep thought to the question and shook her head. If Cambridge was out of the question then she did not see the need to go to university. She was only doing this to honour her parents' memory after all.

"Is muggle school free like Hogwarts?" Ron was asking this time. Hermione had to hide the stab to her heart again.

"Unfortunately, no… but I have more than enough to pay for school and live comfortably for the next few years," answered Hermione as stared at her glass. After realising that retrieving her parents' memory was impossible, she started to settle things logically, like she always did. She sold her parents' dental clinic. Next, she sold her parents' car. The last step was to sell her house once she was admitted to Cambridge. She was planning to rent a flat near Cambridge for three years. In her final year of university, she would then start considering buying a house for herself.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, if you are that rich, can you consider dating me again then?" joked Ron. The entire table laughed. She and Ron were probably a love story that should have been but never was. When the war ended, everyone was rooting for them to get together. Hermione and Ron thought something would happen after the teenage angst in fourth year and sixth year, after the horcrux vision of her and Harry being together and after the kiss during the war. But nothing happened. Those feelings felt so small compared to the friendship they shared from being avoiding death every day, from fighting a war together. Mrs. Weasley was probably the saddest at the thought of them not ending up together.

"Anyway, what's with the frosty farewell at the station with Malfoy just now?" asked Ginny, raising her right eyebrow. Hermione immediately kept quiet. Nobody knew about the Potions classroom incident, well maybe except Draco himself. With a deep sigh, she then started telling them about what happened.

At the end of the story, Ron was the angriest. He always got her back, probably the after-effect from the lingering feelings. Harry was shaking his head in disdain towards the Slytherin. Ginny looked sad. She, too, probably thought Draco had changed and considered him as one of her friends.

"But please know, Daphne, Blaise and Theo are genuine when it comes to the friendship. They were scolding Draco in the classroom, in disbelief that he would actually use that word again." Hermione tried to convince her friends about the Slytherins trio. To be fair, even Pansy was genuine, genuine in not wanting any friendship with her. Hermione then tried to steer the conversation away from the Slytherins, asking Harry and Ron about their training, asking Ginny about her upcoming try-outs with a few quidditch clubs. Despite all the distractions, Hermione saw the look that Ginny gave her. She should have known; Ginny could even see her hurt relating to her parents. Compared that hurt, Hermione was practically parading her emotions now.

A/N: Just a note, this will be a slowburn Dramione.