13
Hermione sighed in distress for about the seventeenth time in one hour. Her hair was in disarray, her make up was just barely finished and she had a slightly crazed look in her eye that made her look a tad unhinged. There was only an hour left until her mother would need her downstairs to help meet the guests, and she was nowhere close to ready. A sharp knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts, the girl in the mirror, reflecting her surprise.
"Come in!" she said, swiping a layer of mascara onto her lashes. It would have to do.
Mary appeared in the open door, carrying a black garment back gingerly along with her. "Your dress has arrived, my Lady."
Hermione nodded, waving her hand in the direction of her bed. "Just set it down, please. I don't need to know what my mother's pulled out her sleeve this time. Would you be a dear and help me with this mess of a haystack, Mary?"
"Of course, my Lady." the maid nodded, grinning in understanding. She and her mistress had spent many hours wrestling the mass of curls into submission before. "You know, the dress your mother picked isn't all that bad. Understated for her taste, if I may say so."
"That's not saying much." she sighed, her head jerking back as Mary pulled her hair one way.
"Well, I bet you'll be impressing your boyfriend no matter what you wear, my Lady." Mary said, smirking slyly.
Hermione sputtered, "B-boyfriend!? Wherever did you hear that nonsense, Mary?"
"I thought - Lady Catherine mentioned you would be escorted to the gala by -"
"Oooh, that meddlesome little brat!" Hermione growled, making Mary's eyes widen surprise.
"Draco Malfoy most definitely is not my boyfriend!" she said with vehemence, than, catching herself, she breathed out calmly, "He's merely an acquaintance."
Mary quieted for a while, focused on wrangling her mistress' curls into a low chignon to match her dress. The locks kept trying to fall out from her fingers as if they had a mind of their own. It took several bobby pins and spritzes of hair spray before the bun was held properly in submission.
Just as they finished, the clock on Hermione's wall clock struck six, signaling that she needed to be in her dress and downstairs in fifteen minutes. Mary quickly unzipped the garment bag, leaving the dress exposed.
Hermione supposed it was quite understated for her mother's tastes - thankfully - no one would pay her much mind in it, and she really couldn't be risking her anonymity by stealing the spotlight. It was modest, to say the least, a deep ocean blue color, with a square halter neck that framed her collar bones and a tight bodice, and a skirt that hugged her curves snugly. She slipped it on quickly, admiring the way the layers of the skirt fell smoothly down, accentuating her waist. Matching shoes were then slipped on, as well as a pair of diamond drop earrings - one of her father's birthday presents for her the year before, as well as a thin diamond cuff.
When she deemed her reflection passable - bar the untamable curl that had escaped from its prison, she quickly made her way down to the Great Room, with a minute to spare. Her father, surprisingly, was sitting in front of the fire, a pipe lazily hanging from his lip as he watched her walk in.
He stood as she approached, a conniving grin on her face. "You look, beautiful, my darling." he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Father, please don't embarrass me." she muttered, knowing full well what the man was up to.
"I have no clue what you're talking about, Hermione." he said innocently, "I'm just here to welcome our guest."
Perfectly on time at the strike of half past six, two figures popped out of thin air, looking nnplussed by their Apparition. She scanned her would be date discreetly, taking note of the pristine suit he had on. It would have been a surprise to see Malfoy in muggle formal wear, but she had no doubt in her mind that Narcissa Malfoy was just as adamant as her mother that her son be prepared for anything.
Hermione approached the two with what she hoped was a smile that did not seem as strained as it felt to her. "Good evening, Lady Malfoy, Draco. This is my father Lord Ralph Percy, Duke of Northumberland."
The man smiled warmly at the two guests, taking Narcissa's hand and pressing a kiss to it with a bow, then inclining his head at Draco. "A pleasure to have you in our home." he said, "It isn't very often I get to meet my daughter's friends, even less their parents. It's a shame you won't be joining us, Lady Narcissa, it would have been interesting to hear more of your world other than my daughter's version of it."
"Some other time, perhaps." Narcissa smiled sincerely, "I've promised your wife tea, so I'm sure it will be soon. In the meantime, Draco will come in my stead. I'll have one of our elves return for him when he's ready. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Percy, Hermione."
Hermione and her father smiled at the woman, watching her Apparate away.
"Now," Ralph said, turning to the two of them, eyes glinting at Draco mischievously, "best be telling me all you know about Hermione, my boy. I would very much like to believe that she's my perfect little girl - which she is, but perhaps there's a bit more to what she gets up to in that old castle of yours, eh? What do you know of one Cedric Diggory?"
Hermione saw the surprise in Malfoy's eyes as her father wrapped a strong arm around the boy's shoulder, and the Slytherin smirk that appeared at the opportunity to embarrass her, and she prepared herself for the worst. He opened his mouth, looking directly into her father's eyes, and what she expected never came.
"I'm sorry to dash your hopes sir, but Hermione's the perfect lady, even with Diggory." Malfoy said, smiling charmingly, "Quite a disappointment, actually, we've been waiting for her to crack but it seems you've taught her well."
Ralph Percy harrumphed in disbelief, glaring at his daughter, "I don't know what you've done to this one as well, but I'll catch you one day, love. No child of mine will be a goody two shoes!" And with that dramatic statement, he disappeared out the door.
Hermione sighed, and smiled apologetically at her guest, "He takes every chance he can get to embarrass me in front of my friends. Thank you for that."
Malfoy shrugged, "It isn't my place to tell him that you snog your boyfriend's brains out in the library's Restricted Section, Granger."
"I knew it!" Ralph shouted, popping out from behind the door, look of triumph on his face that quickly evolved into one of nausea, "Oh, I don't quite like knowing it. I'll pretend that I wasn't here and my daughter's never even heard the word snog. Yes, that's better."
Once again he disappeared, but by the sound of his footsteps, he was gone for good this time. Malfoy was smirking at her in mirth, watching her face flush in embarrassment.
"You knew he was there!" she accused, swatting his arm. "You wretched boy! Ugh! He'll never look at me the same again!"
Malfoy shrugged, "He was going to find out sooner or later. Or did you plan on leading another second life in a nunnery?"
She groaned, "You infuriate me."
"And it's an honor to do so." he nodded, "So what now? Do you have to greet your guests at the door?"
She shook her head, "I don't exist here, actually, well, I'm not supposed to. I usually keep my head down and help as much as I can, but with you here, I suspect my mother will give me less to do than normal, or perhaps pass my tasks onto someone else entirely."
"So they just act like you don't exist to them? That's harsh, Granger." he said, raising a brow at her.
She smiled sadly, "It's normal. Besides, it isn't much of a choice. I love magic, and if this is the price I have to pay, I'd do it."
"But what about your title? Your inheritance?" Malfoy asked a little stunned. "Will that all just be pushed to the wayside?"
She laughed, shaking her head no, "Of course not. My grandfather wasn't cruel enough to teach me to be his heiress just to give it to my brother. And my father knows it would be unfair. I just won't be in the spotlight for it, which is a blessing, to be honest. I can deal with the work in the background, the galas and dinners are just trimmings I don't need.
"You know, I'm actually kind of relieved that I have magic to save me from a few things. I'd have been engaged to the prince by now if I were a muggle." she said this with an amused laugh, but the look on Malfoy's face was incredulous.
"You aren't bothered by that?" he asked, "You'd have been a princess!"
"I'd prefer being a witch, thanks." she said drily.
He nodded, seeming to get a clearer understanding of her stance, "Well, I'm glad the Ministry's allowed you to live both of your lives then."
Hermione looked at him oddly before shaking herself off, "Right. We best be going. Mother's opening the doors at seven and even if she doesn't call on me for help I want to be there to oversee everything. Let's go, and if you put a toe out of line or do anything to ruin things, I'll make you regret it."
Draco had to remind himself not to tense up while her hand was wrapped around his arm. They had been standing to one side of the ballroom for sometime after the first guests had entered and it was taking him a load of patience not to react to the worrying of her fingers at his sleeve.
He had been observing her for a few minutes, taking note of the gracious way she spoke to the servants, beginning with a please and ending with a thank you. He wondered if he had ever thanked his house elves for anything in his life. Probably not.
The gala was an interesting sight, but not one out of his ordinary. Bar the magic, everything seemed to be exactly how he'd pictured it to be. There was a tasteful band playing in the corner, and servants were standing at the ready, not unlike the galas his own family would throw. Even the guests resembled much of his mother's, with the women looking as though they were in competition with one another, trying their best to look better than the woman next to them.
"Do you see that woman in the orange gown?" Hermione said, lips barely moving, a feat he admired, but personally would prefer the opposite.
"The one who looks like one of Hagrid's Halloween pumpkins?" he said in the same quiet way. He felt her hand grip his arm tighter, and saw the laugh she tried - and almost failed - to bite down.
"Exactly." she said, "Last year she fell into our fountain outside after having ten glasses too many. Father and I are placing bets on how many she has before she cracks. We think she might end up in our poison garden this year."
"I never took you for a betting woman, Granger." he said, grinning. "And you have a poison garden?"
"I indulge my father from time to time." she replied, "And yes, it's been there since forever, along with a regular herb garden, but I've put it to use recently. It's why I always have better potions than most. Mother sends a new supply every other week."
"Pity that I always seem to have a better potion than you, then is it?" he smirked.
"You've got Snape in your pocket." she said, nose wrinkling, "He always favors you Slytherins over anyone else."
"It might also be that I'm actually good at Potions though." he said, raising a brow at her, feigning hurt.
She even looked guilty about it, "Well,-"
"Though it does help that he's my godfather."
The scowl on her face made him chuckle out loud, "Come now, you don't think Snape's one for nepotism, do you? He's nothing but fair, well, except to the Gryffindors."
"Infuriating." she mumbled again, scanning the room for the nth time. "It seems as though Mother has everything covered. Dinner will be starting soon. Do you want to stay?"
"Is there an option not to?" he asked in surprise.
"I usually don't stay when the meal begins. People tend to ask too many questions." she explained, "The servants know to set a table for me if I decide to make a quick getaway."
Draco could barely hold in his sigh of relief, "Thank Merlin, let's go."
"Why?" she asked sharply, "Not keen on spending an entire evening with a bunch of Muggles?"
He balked at the insinuation, backpedaling quickly, "Of course not! I just thought you might be the type to enjoy these things. I've honestly attended enough of them to last me a lifetime."
Her expression eased, to his relief and she let out a chuckle, "Same here, Malfoy. It would be more worth my while if I were free to talk to anyone, but as it is, I don't quite enjoy being a spectator. Come on then, my brothers and sisters are probably still in the dining room."
They exited through a small passage that led them into a bustling kitchen. The muggles paid them no mind, except for a few who smiled at them knowingly, much to their embarrassment.
"Godfrey!" Hermione tutted, spotting a hulking beast of a dog lying next to a burner. "You know better than to be here during one of Mother's events. Come now, you're much too big for kitchen scraps and you know it."
The hound grumbled in protest at her, but followed none the less, sniffing at him as it passed by and letting out a sneeze. Draco scrunched his nose at the wetness it left behind.
"That means he likes you." Hermione laughed. "Padma and Su met him, he practically drowned them in slobber."
"Your friends have been to your home?" he asked as they exited into a hallway. The interior of the house was much like his own, the walls adorned with portraits and paintings, the windows draped in heavy curtains.
"Just recently." she said, leading him around the corner, "Only the two of them and Justin know."
"Finch-Fletchley? The Puff? I didn't know you were close." he inquired, trying to inspect the rest of the hallway discreetly.
"Yes, and you know they hate being called that." she said, glaring at him half heartedly. "We weren't close, but we come from similar backgrounds and he sort of found out a few years back when my uncle died and he saw me here. He was the first person I told outside my family."
"Good of him not to tell on you." he commented, eliciting a laugh from her.
"Justin's much too scared of me to ever stab me in the back." she said. "I have no clue as to why, but it does help if I need someone to push around a bit."
"Well, you are a bit terrifying at times, Granger, no offense."
"How can I not take offense at that, you prat?" she frowned.
"I don't mean it that way. You're just intimidating, I guess. You're top of the class and the teachers adore you, you're pretty and kind. People just don't know how to deal with someone like you."
The sound of himself complimenting her made him bit his own tongue, but it was too late, she was already looking at him as if he'd sprouted a second head. Draco could practically feel the blush rising into his cheeks as she kept on staring.
"Don't look at me like that, Granger." he snapped defensively, "I never said I thought so."
The look she was giving him was one of disbelief, "Er, okay." she said haltingly, "We're here."
Awkwardly she pushed open a pair of heavy wooden doors to reveal a casual dining room, where a small bit of chaos was unfolding. Two of the younger children were grabbing at each other, with hair wrapped around the other's fist, both screaming at the top of their lungs, their two nannies were trying their best to separate them. The two older ones looked to be in the middle of a heated argument, which the girl looked to be winning, because the boy was turning a bright shade of puce.
"Ehem." Hermione coughed, which affected the room surprisingly, the children all paused to look at the new arrivals.
"Mione!" the younger siblings yelled excitedly, letting go of one another to run at their eldest sister. The smaller boy jumped into his sister's arms, even though he seemed to be almost five years old.
"You have to stop doing that." Hermione said with an oomph, "You're getting much too heavy for me Maxie."
The boy ignored her complaint, choosing instead to look at Draco curiously, "Who he?"
"That's Draco, one of my classmates." she said. "Introduce yourself, love."
"I'm Max." the kid said, "This is Melly, and tha's Georgie and Katie. You Drakey?"
"Drac-o." he emphasized.
"Katie says you Mione's boyfriend!" he said, much to his sister's horror.
"No, he most certainly is not!" Hermione hissed. "And I'd very much appreciate it if you stopped saying that, Catherine."
The older girl just smirked at her older sister, a much too Slytherin look for Draco's liking. The kid however ignored this.
"But you do magic too?" he asked expectantly.
Draco sent a look to his classmate, "Is your house under the Trace?"
At the shake of her head he grinned at the young boy and flourished his hand, charming a paper dragon into existence and making it hover around the room. It landed on one of the servants' shoulders, which made him freeze.
"Aren't they muggles?" he whispered in horror,
"No, don't worry." she soothed, "Our closest nannies and butlers are squibs. The Ministry provided us with their resumes. Nice charmwork by the way. Wandless too."
"Convenient." he grinned. "And thanks."
"Do another one!" Max and Mel shouted.
"Come now." Hermione chided, "You two still haven't finished your dinner, and Draco hasn't even eaten. Where have your manners gone?"
"Sorry, Mione." the two chorused, effectively scolded. With their tails between their legs, they scampered back to the table. Draco sat awkwardly next to her, opposite to the older brother and next to the sister.
The dinner went well enough, he thought. Just one other fight broke out between the younger siblings, which was put to rest quickly by the older three. The sight of the five of them was an odd one to Draco, with him being an only child. It was probably one of the biggest differences between him and her, and he found himself a bit jealous because of it. Dinner in his home was a much quieter affair - with his parents doing most of the talking. This warm bond between the siblings was unfamiliar to him, and it made him wonder of a life with a brother or a sister.
He found himself looking at Hermione's face for a second too long, and caught Catherine's eye as he looked away. She was grinning at him knowingly, a brow raised at her sister, making him think that she would have been a Slytherin in another life.
As they finished eating and the food was cleared, they proceeded into a drawing room just across from the dining room, where Max quite quickly warmed up to him by sitting on his lap and commanding him to do more magic. He laughed in disbelief at the adamant look in the boy's eye, and with a look of approval from Hermione, he cast a few more charms - one that made two ornamental vases dance, one that turned Melissa's hair pink, and one that made Max's shoes three sizes bigger - drawing peals of laughter from him and his sister.
"Again, again!" the two cried.
"That's enough for tonight I think." Hermione said with an air of finality. "You two need to be in bed soon, and Catherine and George still have lessons in the morning."
"Aw, but Mione!" whined Melissa, pouting at her older sister.
"No buts, Mel, Mother's going to blame me if you can't get out of bed tomorrow, and I'd like to avoid that, thank you very much. Now, off to bed with you. Draco and I still have things to do."
"Suuuure you do." drawled Catherine teasingly. "Have fun, sis."
The four siblings vacated the room with their nannies, leaving the two of them alone. "Katie's becoming an infuriating thing." Hermione huffed.
"She's just taking the mickey out of you, Mione, no big deal." he smirked.
"No." she said flatly.
"No, what, Mione?"
"If you say it one more time Malfoy, I'll sever your tongue right out of your mouth." she said, eyes glinting murderously, making him throw his hands up in retreat.
"So, what now?' he asked cautiously.
"Want to go riding?" she asked, an excited look on her face.
"I thought you hated flying, Granger." he said, looking at her oddly.
"Exactly." she said, grasping his wrist and dragging him quickly along.
a/n: hello loves, I'm sorry I've been away for such a long time! I've just been dealing with school, and starting a new relationship and everything else fell a bit to the wayside. Hope this begins to make up for it!