~four~
It had been several weeks since Draco had been home to visit his parents, and finding himself free one Thursday afternoon, he decided to pay a visit to the manor. Using the floo from his and Justin's shared flat, he stepped from the ornate fireplace into the manor's reception room, to be greeted by the familiar pop of house elf apparition.
A small elf dressed in a custom made, grey suit bowed heavily towards him. Since the war, it had become law for all house elves to freed and those choosing to continue in service, as many did, due to their inherent, loyal nature, were required to be treated as paid employees.
"Hello Loxey," Draco greeted. "Are mother and father home?"
The elf shook his head rapidly. "Master Draco, Sir, I is afraid Mr Malfoy is in town. Madam is home, but she is entertaining a visitor in the orangery."
"And who might that be?" Draco asked, removing his jacket and levitating it over to the coat stand in the corner.
"The pretty miss, Sir, from the ministry. I believes it is about Madame's ball."
Draco's heart missed a beat as he realised who exactly Loxey was referring to. "Ah, well could you inform her that I'm here please?"
"Certainly, Master Draco."
"Oh and … you couldn't bring me some of those delicious cherry scones of yours could you? I'll take them in the library."
The little elf blinked and beamed with pride before bowing deeply and disappearing with a pop.
Draco took a moment to take in the surroundings of his childhood home. This room had always been used as the manor's floo point and had been arranged as a reception area. He noted how his mother had arranged some new photographs on the expansive, mahogany sideboard. There was a snap of him in his healer garbs that she had insisted he have owled over to her on his first day at St Mungo's. There were also a few snaps of her last charity event - an afternoon tea, held in the manor's grounds. Yes, Draco could see how hard his mother was trying to make a good impression on any visitors to the manor.
As he walked out into the corridor, Draco smiled to himself as he noted the newly painted wall panels, that now had creamy and pastel hues. It was a stark contrast to the dark and heavy gothic interior he had grown up with. Windows throughout this part of the building had been opened up by the removal of all the heavy and dark drapery and valances, and soft, iridescent voiles hung in their place. The whole corridor was bathed in warm, afternoon sunshine and the removal of the angry, family portraits certainly added to the overall effect.
Narcissa Malfoy had been very gradually introducing these interior changes to the manor. She had experienced a great deal of resistance from her husband at first but was determined to see it through and, using all her Slytherin cunning and charms, had managed to begin the slow but certain transformation.
Draco had made his way along the first corridor, and was turning off towards the west wing that housed the library. This part of the building had not yet begun to be refurbished, and the difference here was dramatically noticeable. The sudden change from light and airy, to shadowy and heavy was stark and oppressive. Draco felt the cold creeping of the darkness of the war beginning to return to his conscience and he shuddered at the effect.
He continued on with a deep breath before halting abruptly at an unfamiliar sound. He could hear… something. A quiet but nevertheless very noticeable sound of … breathing. Heavy breathing. And then a little sniff.
Instantly concerned, he strode quickly forwards, wand in hand, his eyes wide and darting around to discern where the sound was coming from.
Only a few meters ahead and backed firmly into a large doorway, he discovered Hermione. Her back was pressed into the corner between the door and the doorframe. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears, staring around wildly. She had the palm of one hand pressed to her chest as she breathed heavily and intermittently, whilst the other was splayed against the dark wood of the door, as if to steady herself.
"Granger?" Draco called as he rushed towards her. She didn't move an inch.
"I… I…" she stuttered, struggling to control her breathing and talk at the same time.
Draco tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder, looking deeply into her brown eyes.
"Hey, hey. It's ok!" he assured before calling calmly for Loxey to bring a draught of peace from his mother's supplies.
"Come on, Granger," he said quietly as he slowly guided his arm around her shoulder and with his other hand took hers in his. "Let's get you out of here."
He gently guided Hermione through the manor until they reached some French doors that led out into the most beautiful Italian garden. They continued together, down the stone steps and onto a neat gravel path, finding a bench to sit on.
Hermione continued to breath heavily but now much more regularly, as she took in the fresh air and change of surroundings. Draco was still holding her hand, grazing his thumb gently across her skin and watching her carefully with concern.
Loxey arrived swiftly with a vial of calming draught and which she gratefully drank, slowly feeling it's comforting effect take a hold. Draco sent him away but asked him to be ready to come back quickly if called upon.
After a few minutes, she ventured a glance in Draco's direction, to find him still watching her.
"Oh, Draco. I'm so sorry! I…"
"It's ok! Don't try to apologise," he interjected. "I assume you're visiting my mother?"
"Yes. Ministry business. We want to support her with her gala evening. It's a great idea…" she trailed off, swallowing thickly and taking a deep and calming breath.
…but I needed the loo… and then I must've taken a wrong turn. I… I ended up … well lost, and then…" she looked down with embarrassment, fiddling nervously with the hem of her jumper.
"Things started looking a bit familiar..?" Draco ventured.
Their eyes met once more, Hermione's full of an unspoken apology.
"Yes! I told them at work that I was going to be fine. What happened here is in the past… and I was fine, you know? Your mother has been so kind… but… but then I stupidly went the wrong way and ended up …. ARRRGH!" she shouted with a frustrated growl, snatching her hand away from Draco's and gesticulating angrily.
"Stupid, bloody panic attacks!" she exclaimed with frustration.
Her eyes suddenly rounded with realisation. "And your poor mother! I must've been gone for ages! Whatever must she be thinking?! Oh, I've ruined everything!"
"You've done nothing of the sort, Granger. For such a smart witch, you don't half talk some nonsense." Draco chided with a small smile. She turned her head sharply to him.
"Who could possibly blame you for feeling this way when visiting this place? It's us who should be sorry, Granger. And … we are. Deeply so."
Hermione returned a small smile of her own at Draco's genuine words.
"I know. But that just makes me feel even worse for ending up like this, when you and your family have been making such an enormous effort to make amends."
"Granger…" said Draco, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose, "… the very fact that you even came here is testament to your wish to see beyond our past actions and to give us a second chance."
He turned to face her once more. "Don't be so hard on yourself for struggling with what happened to you here. It was fucking horrible. I was there, remember?"
A sombre silence fell over them both, and they sat staring ahead, taking in the view of the neatly manicured lawns and flower beds before them for a few moments.
"Come on now," Draco said standing up from the bench and turning to face her again. "I'll show you to the bathroom and wait for you. You can freshen up and when we go to mother, I'll tell her that I distracted you and we lost track of time."
Hermione considered his suggestion with a worried expression, chewing her lip nervously.
"It'll be fine!" he reassured her. "We'll stay well away from that part of the manor. Honestly, mother will be so glad to see me that she'll soon forget that you kept her waiting for so long."
Hermione smiled and nodded. He held out his hand which she took and he helped her up from the bench, enjoying momentarily how her hand felt in his, before she let go and followed him back into his childhood home.
Narcissa was sitting at a small table in the orangery when Draco and Hermione arrived. There was paperwork and a mood board spread out across its surface.
"Miss Granger! There you are!" she chimed upon Hermione's return, before her eyes drifted behind to her companion.
"Hello mother," Draco greeted as he came forward, placing a soft kiss on his mother's cheek.
"Darling, what a wonderful surprise! That hospital has kept you away from me for far too long!" she said, beaming adoringly at her son.
Hermione stood back and took in the sight of Narcissa. She noted how her eyes sparkled with pride as she absorbed the sight of Draco. Hermione had suspected for a long time that the two must share a very special bond, especially following her brave actions both during and after the war.
"Mother, you must forgive me," Draco began, taking a step away from his mother and pulling out the nearby ornate, white chair for Hermione in a gentlemanly act of chivalry. "I bumped into Miss Granger here, and of course, being old friends from school, we got quite caught up in conversation."
Narcissa looked suddenly across at Hermione who was now walking meekly towards the table and chair. It was as though Draco's arrival had indeed caused her to forget about her meeting with the girl from the ministry, just as Draco had predicted a few minutes earlier.
She waved her hand nonchalantly as Hermione retook her seat.
"Nonsense, dear. No need to apologise at all. Miss Granger and I had all but finished our little tete-a-tete and were just about to take some tea. Will you be joining us, Draco?" she asked eagerly.
Draco shook his head. "Thank you, mother, but no. I think I'll leave you two ladies to your planning. I'll be in the library if you need me."
He noticed that Hermione immediately looked sharply in his direction, with wide eyes full of interest at the mention of the manor's library. He couldn't help but smile at her with a playful roll of his eyes, to which she smiled back with a blush.
Unbeknown to the pair was the fact that the small interaction had not been missed by Mrs Malfoy, whose blue eyes carefully took in the connection between the two young people before her.
"The library, dear?" she asked, continuing to eye the couple carefully.
"Yes, mother. I'm certain that we have a relatively unknown book on restoring memories somewhere in our collection. It will be a huge help to my independent study."
"You've chosen memory restoration as your study?" Hermione asked with a shocked expression.
Draco smiled knowingly. "Yes. It's an affliction that has affected many of late."
Hermione's eyes twinkled with emotion as Draco briefly kissed his mother again.
"I'll be in the library then, should you need me," he said before turning to her.
"Goodbye Hermione. It was unexpected pleasure to see you here."
"Likewise," she replied before he walked quietly away, leaving her to finish her meeting with Mrs Malfoy, her eyes following him every step of the way - a point most definitely not lost on her table companion.
The gala evening that had been planned by Mrs Malfoy promised to be a wonderful affair. Hermione had assisted in selecting the charitable groups that the funds would go to support, and helped with the ministry guest list. As she was packing away her notes and belongings into her smart dragon-hide satchel, there came a pop of apparition as Loxey arrived with a small trolley of tea, sandwiches and cakes, served on the most decorative china that Hermione had ever seen.
Loxey kept eying Hermione with huge eyes full of concern as the table was set, making her fidget uncomfortably in her seat. She was relieved when the elf finally disappeared and Mrs Malfoy began the ritual of pouring tea, gesturing to Hermione to help herself to a sandwich or sweet.
"So, Miss Granger, of course you will be coming along to the gala." Narcissa declared.
Hermione nearly choked on her tea with surprise.
"I..um… well, thank you Mrs Malfoy," she replied, setting her teacup down on its saucer and regaining her composure. "That's very kind of you, but it would be rather unusual for someone of my standing…"
"Nonsense" came the fast reply. "You will be a most honoured guest and I absolutely insist that you are there. And I shall be inviting your friends as well."
"Harry and Ron?" Hermione questioned with further disbelief.
"That is correct. I owe so much to the three of you - yourself, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley. You spoke up for my son so selflessly during the trials. A trifling invitation to a gala evening is nowhere near enough to express my thanks, I realise, but I hope it's a start," she said, taking a delicate sip from her cup.
Hermione noticed her companion's eyes sparkling but her composure remained stoic as she broached the difficult subject. Setting her cup down, Narcissa smiled at her broadly before changing the subject.
"So, tell me Miss Granger, will you be bringing a special someone along to the gala?"
"Oh, well, possibly. I've been dating someone for a couple of months now, so he would naturally be my date, assuming we are still together then. He's undertaking the healer programme, actually."
Narcissa's eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement. "Really? Is it someone… I might know?"
"Yes actually. You do know him."
Narcissa's smile spread widely across her rose pink lips and her eyes widened in anticipation.
"His name is Justin Finch-Fletchley. He shares student lodgings with your son."
While Mrs Malfoy's smile remained frozen in place, her eyes belied her disappointment. "Ah, yes, of course. Mr Finch-Fletchley. Draco does mention him from time to time. You know, my husband and I tried so hard to convince Draco to let us buy him a flat of his own, but he was so insistent that he try the 'student' life for himself."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. He wouldn't even let us contribute towards getting the place more… comfortable," she carefully explained.
Hermione absorbed the information with interest as Narcissa continued with a sigh.
"Yes, our Draco is determined to prove himself, not only through his healer training, but also through the way he lives his life. He's trying so hard to make changes."
Hermione nodded empathetically. "Yes, I can see that."
"Do you know," Narcissa said, leaning in towards Hermione with a mischievous demeanour, "during his final year at Hogwarts, he came home one weekend and declared over dinner that he intended to become a small business owner, selling Muggle music paraphernalia of all things!"
Hermione couldn't help but give a small laugh at the image conjured.
"You mean vinyl records and the like. When I've visited the flat, I've have noticed that he has quite a growing collection."
"Yes, yes, something like that," Mrs Malfoy replied, wafting her hand around with indifference.
"Looking back now, I believe that that was the point when it all began - Draco distancing himself from all this," she said gesturing around at the manor's lavish interior.
"There has always been so much expectation placed on him to emulate his father, even from a very young age. Just imagine Lucius' outrage when Draco announced his plans!" she said with a playful smile.
Hermione's eyes widened at the thought, and she nodded understandably before taking another sip of tea, allowing her companion to continue.
"I have to admit; we were both rather relieved when he instead turned his attentions to healership. Such a noble art."
"Yes it is," Hermione agreed. "And sadly one that we are desperate need of in terms of recruitment and development, as a result of the war."
"Quite," the matriarch agreed quietly.
"Draco tells me that he has been finding his training quite challenging recently."
"Yes he is. You know, dear, I often wish he had a close companion, a… girlfriend if you like. Just someone to keep an eye on him and care for him during this time. I do so worry about him."
Hermione smiled. "Well you can count on me to check in on him whenever I'm round there."
Narcissa reached out in a touching gesture, taking hold of Hermione's hands in hers and looking deeply into her eyes, which widened with unconcealed surprise.
"Thank you, dear. You are such a uniquely gifted young lady," she stated emphatically, before withdrawing her hands and reaching for the teapot. "Would you care for another?"
"Thank you Mrs Malfoy, but no. I'm afraid I must be getting back now."
"Of course, of course! I shall ensure that Loxey sees you to the floo safely."
She called out Loxey's name and, taking her quite by surprise once more, took hold of Hermione's shoulders and kissed her lightly on each cheek.
"I am delighted to have finally made your acquaintance, dear," she whispered.
"And I yours. It's been a lovely afternoon." Hermione replied, before being led away by Loxey along the corridor and back to the reception room where she had arrived. She wondered with longing, which of the large, oak doors might lead to the library that Draco had mentioned earlier.
Her thoughts then turned to Draco himself and a small smile spread across her lips as she imagined him running a little record shop on Diagon Alley. As ridiculous as it had first sounded, she actually thought that it would really suit him, and wondered if he had sadly squandered this dream in pursuit of something more 'noble' as Narcissa had put it, in order to prove himself to the world.
Loxey levitated her jacket over to her and she made her way to the manor floo, her heart full of new-found fondness for the Malfoy mother and son.