CHAPTER 6

Our rooms were small stone cottages in different rows. Ours was the third cottage on the third row, hence the number 303. When I turned the knob and stepped inside, I realized it was not just a room. It was magically expanded to have a bedroom with a bath and a small living room. Apart from the deep mahogany furniture, everything else was pristine white. As I closed the door behind me, Malfoy who was sitting in one of the armchairs near the fire, looked up. Apparently, Zabini had left. We stared at each other for a moment before I strode off towards our bedroom. There, lying at the foot of the bed was my trunk which had already been unpacked. I found a pair of my old jeans and a t-shirt and walked towards the bathroom to change.

When I came out to the living room, Malfoy was still sitting there looking into the fire. "I'll probably return after dinner." I said walking towards the door. First day or not, I had no intentions of having a meal with Malfoy. And without a glance backwards, I left the room.

I spent the rest of the day at Harry's, talking about random stuff in an attempt to cool my nerves. But as the day came to a close, it only became worse.

"You can't go to the Manor." Ron said. We were sitting around the fire after dinner.

"And again I can't think where else he will take me Ronald." We had discussed this, a number of times since the afternoon. "You can stay here." He replied as if it was as easy as that.

"Ron, we have discussed this before. I would prefer to be here, but not everything I want is going to happen from now on. Don't make it any more difficult for me, please."

Before Ron could reply, Susan spoke, "Hermione, you know Ron is just worried about you. Anyways, if you leave Hogwarts tonight and find anything wrong at the Manor, we'll be at the Burrow. Just come there. Even Harry and Ginny will be there tonight."

"How did everyone react?" I hadn't asked that question yet. The Weasleys had come to know after Harry's wedding when Ron went back and screamed his head out at everybody. It was obvious. I knew Ron would rant and he had. That much Ginny had informed. I hadn't asked about anyone else's reaction. I knew it couldn't be good. Learning about their reactions before the wedding would have made it worse.

"They were upset, specially Molly. But they are more worried, for you, for your security. No one's ignorant of the risks involved here."

"And Bill and George?" I had to know. Though Malfoy wasn't to blame for Fred's... death, but he was definitely responsible for what happened to Bill. Every Weasley hated Malfoy for it.

"Bill is a grown and mature man, Hermione." Harry replied.

"And has every reason to hate that son of-"

"Ron." Susan squeezed his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

I looked up at Susan and smiled. The Ministry, it seemed, had at least made one good pairing. Susan had a way with people which I know Ron had always lacked.

Realizing that I couldn't sit here any longer, I got up. " I should get going." After a round of hugs, very reluctantly from Ron, I made my way towards my cabin. It was only drizzling now.

When I entered my cottage, Malfoy stood up. I closed the door behind me but did not move. This was really awkward, more than I had anticipated. After a few seconds Malfoy spoke up. "Your things will be transported by a house elf, so you won't have to worry about them. They'll be in place when you reach—"

"We are leaving?" It was not sudden, I knew we would be leaving. But the words were spontaneous. I was not comfortable with the thought that I was being taken to the Malfoy Manor.

"Yes, to the Manor. I have requested to set up a floo network. If you will." He said and extended a hand for me. I looked at him, too shocked to speak. Then recovering I replied, "I can travel myself, thank you. Unfortunately, I've had the pleasure of visiting your humble abode. "

He simply looked at me and said, "I know. I just don't want you lost amongst the floo network. Once you know it, you will be free to travel by yourself." I looked at the still outstretched hand. It was true. The last time I had been there, I had hardly been able to analyse my surroundings. More of all, i hadn't been there through the floo.

Realizing I had no way out of this, I took the hand. It was not hard, but not soft either. He slowly pulled me close enough and threw the floo powder into the flames. When the flames turned green, he pulled me into the flames along with him and said "Cottage at Malfoy Manor." Cottage? That dreadful place had a cottage too? And Malfoy was taking me there? The confined place of the fireplace was pushing us closer and I felt him pull me closer to him. But before anything else, he had swiftly stepped over an emerald green carpet and was helping me out. This cottage I realized, as I turned and looked around was bigger than the one at Hogwarts. It had two rooms, a small kitchen and a moderate sized living room. The entire cottage seemed to be furnished in typical Slytherin colors. After a few minutes I decided to break the silence and ask Malfoy, "Where are we?"

"It is a cottage on the southern side of the Manor. You will find your things in the master bedroom. The floo network has been established between the two rooms here and our alloted place at Hogwarts, so you will be able to return to school on Monday. If you-"

"Hold on a second, when you say return on Monday, you mean to say that I need stay here, at the Manor, for a whole day tomorrow?" I crossed my arms in front of me and continued, "If you don't remember Malfoy, then I will remind you that only a few months ago I was tortured here by your Aunt. I am not staying here for a minute more than required. I only came because tonight because I know the Ministry will keeps tabs on us tonight."

His cold gray eyes did not even flicker at the memory. Of course, he must have enjoyed it. His tone was as monotonous as I had heard it earlier this morning. "No, you were tortured at the Manor, and this is not the Manor. Moreover, you will be required to spend your weekends here, like you said, the Ministry will keeps tabs on us and not just for tonight. I am not taking any chances with the Ministry. You will not be disturbed here and will be perfectly safe. Dippy." He all of a sudden called out, and almost instantly a house elf materialized in front of us."You can call her for anything required. She will be here all the time with you. Don't worry, I won't bother you." And with that before I could say anything else, he had walked out of the cottage door into the night.

Dippy turned and bowed, her nose almost touching the ground. This was so wrong. I had always been against house elves being enslaved and here I would be, depending on a house elf. Okay, if she would be here, I would have to make sure of a few things.

"Um… Dippy?" Kreacher had been difficult at first, but still I was not his master. Then again, the house elves were not used to good behavior most of the time. Dippy bowed again, then stood up looking at me with shining eyes and said "Yes mistress?"

I cringed. This was going to take some time being accustomed to. "Um…. Dippy, you are not to bow like that for me. A simple greeting will do. Okay?" Dippy looked as if I had told her something that she would have difficulty following, yet I knew that she wouldn't be able to disobey a direct order like that. Dippy bowed halfway, then stopped and looked at me, frightened. Good, one thing was done, now for the next. "More over you are not to punish yourself if you can't obey any of my orders." I looked at her, questioningly. She just shook her head.

Well, the initial things sorted out, I turned to look at the room. The kitchen was to my right, the two rooms across the room and the main door to my left. "I didn't know there was a cottage here." I said walking towards the master bedroom, talking aloud, more to myself.

"This cottage was built about two and a half months back for Master Draco." Dippy said walking behind me to the room. I looked around the room. This too was adorned with the typical Slytherin colors. There was a double sized bed in the middle of the room with emerald green covers. The white curtains were drawn. There was a door to the right. Walking up to it, I realized it was a dressing area. There was a door to the left that led to the bathroom. The opposite wall had full length mirrors and the door to the right was a small walk-in closet. On the first rack a few of my clothes were kept. The last two racks were filled with Malfoy's robes.

I went back to the room. There was a writing desk at one corner. It seemed as if it was regularly used, a small fireplace near it. 'Malfoy lives here, not in the Manor?'

I looked at Dippy who was still standing in front of me. She could probably tell me. "Dippy, does Master Draco come here often?" she seemed relieved that this time I had not asked her to do something that she wasn't used to. So she eagerly replied.

"Yes, Master Draco lives here."

"Malfoy lives here? But why doesn't he live in the Manor?"

"Master Draco does not wish to stay there but Mistress wants Master Draco near. So Master Draco shifted here."

"But why doesn't he wish to stay there, it's his home." This was strange, Malfoy not wanting to stay in his own home.

"After the fall of the Dark Lord, Master Draco had an argument with Mistress. Dippy doesn't know why but after that night, Master Draco hardly goes to the Manor. Mistress asked Dippy to be with Master Draco always."

Malfoy had an argument with Narcissa Malfoy? He had always been proud of his family. In the sixth year, he had been really enraged because his father was sent to Azkaban. Not to mention this same Narcissa Malfoy had lied to Voldemort just to find her son. So, this came as a piece of news. I was blankly staring at the wall when it occurred to me. "Dippy, if you are supposed to stay with Malfoy all the times, then how come he said you are going to be here always?"

"Because Master Draco asked Dippy to be with Mistress all the time." She replied and smiled as if I was asking a silly question.

It was already late and I was feeling tired but I wasn't sure if I could sleep, specially being so close to the Manor. Thank God, Malfoy didn't live there. I would never want to set foot inside that place again.

Dippy found my night clothes, a pair of shorts and a tank top, while I took a bath. It soothed my nerves to some extent. I put my clothes on and got inside the covers. The bed felt really nice. 'Of course,' I thought, 'these people got nothing but the best.'

Dippy extinguished the candles and walked out. As soon as Dippy left, a strange kind of feeling crept upon me. It was like when we were on the run. I was again feeling scared to sleep lest somebody would attack. I clutched my wand and lit the candles again. The illumination helped but only a little. I could not make myself go to sleep. That night, I spent the entire time sitting on the bed, my knees drawn close, wand in hand.