Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, I just play with her fictional works.
Other business: Sorry for the very long delay everybody. Enjoy this new chapter as a New Year's gift. I'll try to be better next time.
"Are you bloody serious?" Harry asked, looking between Hermione and Malfoy rapidly with a frown marring his face.
"Yes, Harry. We're serious." Hermione responded, "We started dating in Fourth Year and got married after the war ended."
"Merlin's beard." Harry sat down on his desk with a heavy thump and ran a hand through his jet-black hair, "I don't even know what to say."
"Well, we came to tell you that we're moving back to Britain permanently." Hermione replied.
"Where were you to begin with?"
"Greece. At one of my estates on the coast." Draco smirked. Hermione glared at him, as if to say, 'be nice.'
"And you're just coming back now."
Hermione sighed. "I missed everyone. And Draco and I are going to try for a baby, and I wanted to raise them here. Draco agreed."
"Under duress." Draco muttered under his breath. He was still a bit uncertain about the whole plan, but Hermione was his mate and he would follow her anywhere.
"If you had told 17-year-old me that someday, you and Malfoy would be having a baby, I would have been convinced that you were insane." Harry shook his head, "Have you seen anyone else?"
"We ran into Luna near the fireplaces upstairs, bu you were the first person we purposely sought out." Hermione smiled.
"Well, it's great to see you, Hermione." Harry smiled back. "And Malfoy, I guess. It's good to know you're happy. Would you like to come over for supper some time? See Ginny and meet the kids?"
"Of course! Does Saturday work?"
Draco and Hermione stood in front of the gates to Malfoy Manor. Unlike the last time Hermione was here, today was a bright day with nary a cloud in the sky. She was quite nervous about going inside, even with Draco there with her. More than anything, she wanted to blow the whole place out of existence. Even from the gates, Hermione could feel the stench of dark magic emanating from the property. Though the place had been deserted of Death Eaters for several years, dark magic never truly left a place. Once it was settled, it was there to stay, and Malfoy Manor had seen dark magic for many generations.
"In theory, the wards should let you in, since we're married. Unless my mother changed them somehow." Draco murmured to his wife. He could feel in his bones how on edge she was. Draco knew that Hermione could have gone her whole life and then some without ever seeing the Manor again. Personally, the memories of the place haunted him as well. The Death Eater revels and Dark Lord's tortures would scar his mind forever.
"We should just burn it down." Hermione huffed.
"Over my mother's cold dead body, unfortunately." Draco kicked at a microscopic pebble on the cobbled path, "We should go inside. Now or never."
"Never would be perfectly fine with me."
"If my mother has to read the Daily Prophet to learn that we've returned to Britain, she'll murder the both of us."
An unexpected pop made the pair jump with surprise, drawing wands instinctively.
"Mistress would wishes to know if ex-master Draco and his mudblood will be entering or not?" The old house elf sniffed indignantly.
"You fuckin' little piece of—" Draco growled as he aimed a swift kick at the house elf.
"Draco!" Hermione pulled his arm back to keep him from hurting the small creature.
"He called you a mudblood!"
"That doesn't mean you can hurt him."
Draco muttered several curses under his breath before answering the house elf, "Yes, we will be coming inside."
"Mistress wills be waiting in the library." The house elf snapped his fingers and disappeared into nothingness.
"Well, isn't this a fine start to seeing my mother again?" Draco groaned.
"Maybe she won't be as rude as the house elf."
"I still can't quite believe that your Veela chose a muggleborn for a mate." Narcissa said flatly as she stirred her tea, "Your ancestors would be quite displeased to learn that the bloodline is to be muddied so."
"You've had quite a long time to start believing it, Mother." Draco responded.
"I didn't know what to believe, with you disappearing for years. I can't leave the Manor, how was I supposed to know you were even still alive?"
"I imagine you would have found out in some way."
Hermione watched the conversation with both great interest and worry. Though Draco and his mother spoke politely enough, the tension could be sliced with a simple wave of her wand. She sipped her tea, determined to finish the cup of opaque liquid even though it tasted as if one of the house elves had cleaned their feet in it.
"It is a moot point. Regardless, your father will be happy to learn that you have finally returned. He would encourage you to take up the Malfoy seat in the Wizengamot." Narcissa waved her hand as if to physically swipe the previous conversation away.
"I have no interest in politics, Mother."
"Preposterous, you are the only eligible Malfoy left to hold the seat." Narcissa frowned deeply, and glanced over at Hermione as if the young witch was to blame for Draco's unsatisfactory attitude.
"I'll think about it." Draco grunted, standing up abruptly. "As for now, we will be taking our leave."
Hermione stood to follow her husband out of the library. As soon as the pair crossed the threshold, Draco took her hand and with a crack, apparated out of the Manor. With a slight stumble, they landed in the still empty living room of their London flat.
"Well, that went splendidly." Hermione sighed.
Draco shook his head in response. With a soft grunt, he sat on the floor with his back against the wall.
"Are you okay?" She knelt next to her husband, placing a hand on his cheek. Draco smiled slightly and placed a kiss on her hand.
"I'm exhausted. Stressed out, among other things." He pulled Hermione onto his lap. Usually, the scent of his mate could bring him some sense of calm.
"Well, we did just visit my least favorite place on Earth, so that's quite understandable to me."
"I'm sorry that I put you through that. I know how that place makes you feel."
"I'll forgive you this time. Next time, the only reason I'm going back there is to torch the place."
"Someday, we'll do that."
Hermione conjured a bed for the night, since they had not yet moved their furniture from the villa in Greece to the flat. Draco suggested that he could buy whole new sets of furniture, but Hermione insisted that she was attached to their old things. Wisely, Draco did not bring up the subject again. Hermione was much too stubborn to be reasoned with when it came to certain topics such as furniture, books, and breakfast food.
The tall Veela and his mate helped each other strip off their clothes before retreating under the covers, holding each other close. Hands caressed bare skin, kisses landed on cheeks and lips. Draco purred with content as he wrapped his arms tightly around his mate and pulled her closer, reveling in her scent. Hermione, equally as exhausted as Draco, quickly fell asleep in her husband's soothing embrace. Soon after, Draco also slipped into sleep, dreaming of small waddling toddlers with curly blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes.