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Hermione was asleep by the time they made it back to her room and Draco simply smiled at her in her slumber and placed his girlfriend gently between the bed sheets, only freeing her of her shoes. She moaned softly as the soft surface replaced his strong arms.
"Draco." He smiled, but didn't answer, thinking it would only wake her. Hermione, however, was less asleep than one might think. She cracked open one eye, watching as Draco crept from her room. "Where are you going?" Draco stopped and turned back with a grin.
"To bed, where else? To see my mother?" he asked and Hermione smirked.
"Why Draco, I never knew..." he shook his head slowly and she laughed. Then, Hermione puffed out her bottom lip. "Stay with me?" she asked. "Please? I don't feel like another nightmare tonight..." Draco sighed, but ultimately agreed. He had promised, after all. Draco crept toward the bed and made to get in beside her, but Hermione stopped him once more. "Wait... Draco?"
"Yes?" he said, slightly mockingly, and Hermione looked pleading.
"Will you find Eglamour for me?"
~*~
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR: A Mother's Secret
"Good morning!" Narcissa sang as she waltzed into the kitchen. Hermione couldn't help but smile from her spot at the table, where Draco was pressing a small slab of dragon steak to her cheek, which had swollen overnight, despite her protests and threatening. She held her wand loosely in hand as if ready for an attack, but it was really just to spite Draco. He had, in fact, retrieved it from Osric before returning to her the night before, and had conveniently forgotten to give it to her until she'd spent nearly half an hour looking for it. At the sight of the teenagers and Eglamour, who was perched in Hermione's lap and looking with wanting eyes at the steak, the brightness in Narcissa's face diminished. "Oh, dear..." she muttered, frowning. Hermione was quick to disagree.
"No, it's fine, Mrs. Malfoy... Draco's just being a prat," she assured sweetly, ignoring the tired look Draco gave her. In truth, he was sick of her complaining, but she too was sick of his unneeded worrying. It was mutual annoyance, and mutually accepted. Narcissa, however, was nowhere near as accepting. Hermione thought she might know where Draco got it from.
"No, it's not fine... let me see, come now," she insisted, floating over to the two and moving Draco's hand away to view the lump. She gave a small sigh. "It's not as bad as I thought, dear. I know just the thing," she said, although sadly, and searched her bathrobe pockets for her wand. Hermione looked to Draco, but he was watching his mother earnestly. "Ah..." she said with a slight smile as she located her wand, then flicked it without another thought. Draco watched impassively as Hermione's swollen cheek rapidly began to shrink. She smiled as the pain ebbed away.
"Thank you," she praised and Narcissa gave her a warm smile.
"I'm sorry, dear. He doesn't mean it when he does things like that... I know he doesn't," she said, and Draco turned to her.
"Mum," he warned and she gave an apologetic smile. To his request, Narcissa also healed the stings on Hermione's leg and the tiny scrape from the playground. Again, she thanked her.
"Draco, will you bring Lucius some breakfast for me? I believe he's in the drawing room; he always is," Narcissa requested, her voice gaining a little more contentment at the thought of her husband. Draco gave her a pleading look and she laughed. "Don't look at me like that. Go on, now. Hermione will be fine with me for five minutes," she said and Draco rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Mother," he agreed, then left to get Lucius' tray from the house elf kitchen. Eglamour looked up at Hermione with pleading eyes, and she giggled softly.
"Go ahead." Now with permission, Eglamour followed his favorite Slytherin out the door. Hermione shook her head after them in amusement; Draco was, so far, the only man Eg had ever warmed up to. She couldn't state for Lucius, however, as they'd never officially been introduced.
Narcissa conjured each Hermione and herself a cup of tea, then sat down at the table, smiling warmly at her son's girlfriend.
"Lucius told me what you did, love. I just want to let you know that I really appreciated it. I'd thank you, but it seems... wrong, somehow." Hermione giggled.
"Draco said the same thing," she blurted, then covered her mouth. Usually in the company of Mrs. Malfoy, she would be prim and proper; the perfect match for a man of Draco's caliber... but she'd forgotten herself for a moment. Narcissa, however, seemed to think the opposite.
"Don't worry yourself, dear. I happen to know that Draco prefers a woman who will speak her mind, and I am not about to disagree. And..." she said, smirking. "You can stop dressing like that. I know you don't like it." Self- consciously, Hermione looked down. She had again dressed in clothing much more feminine than she would in the company of only her boyfriend. Hermione gave a small sigh and, taking Narcissa's advice, didn't hold in her thoughts.
"Pink really isn't my color, is it?" she asked, giving the older woman a small smile. Narcissa gave a soft laugh.
"I wouldn't say that, Hermione. You are a very pretty girl, I would imagine anything would look good on you," she said, smirking into her teacup at the slight blush in Hermione's cheeks.
"That means a lot coming from you, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Narcissa," she corrected, and Hermione gave a small smile.
"Narcissa, then." Draco's mother then lifted an eyebrow.
"Draco doesn't complement you? I would imagine I taught him better than that..." she mused to herself, and Hermione laughed, feeling more able to talk with every passing moment.
"Oh, yes, he does... so much so I sometimes find myself wishing he'd just stop," she admitted and both girls laughed.
"I love him dearly, but yes... he sometimes does go a bit overboard, doesn't he?" Hermione gave a slow nod, pulling her legs up into her chair and resting her knees against the table, smiling at the thought of Draco.
"The moment he saw those stings he had us on a broom and on our way here," she said, laughing along with Narcissa. "Mrs. ... Narcissa, may I ask how you became so handy with injury charms?" Narcissa smiled warmly at her teacup.
"When I was younger, I always wanted to be a Medi-witch. I took all the post-graduate classes after Hogwarts... I'm technically qualified to be anything from a school nurse to an emergency ward assistant... but I never got that far. I married Lucius right out of school... and it wasn't long before I had Draco to take care of... and now, with Lucius the way he is, I see no reason not to stay here with him." Hermione was completely enticed with the conversation.
"That's so ironic..." she muttered to herself and Narcissa looked up.
"Hm?" Hermione looked a tad bit frightened; she hadn't meant to say that loud enough for the older woman to hear. At the look on Hermione's face, Narcissa too dropped her smile. "What is it, dear?" Hermione shook her head.
"I've always wanted to be a Medi-witch. Up until this year, I've spent a lot of time with the school nurse, just observing... but I haven't gone back once this year." Narcissa tiled her head curiously.
"Why not?" Hermione shrugged slowly.
"I don't know... it's never crossed my mind. I suppose I have been busy, though... we're prefects this year, and I've been spending a lot of time with Draco..." Narcissa shook her head.
"Do you still want it, love?" Hermione smiled sadly at the table, trying to tap into her inner feelings... decode her desires. She nodded very slowly.
"I do... but I gave up on thinking there was any real possibility a long time ago..."
"What happened?" Hermione looked up sharply. "To change your mind?" There was just something about Mrs. Malfoy that made her seem trustworthy... with one small smile Hermione felt like she could tell her everything that she kept dear, and wouldn't be judged in the slightest. She subconsciously found herself relieved that Narcissa hadn't passed this quality down to her son; he would have broken a lot of hearts.
"Well... I had a row with my best friends near the end of fifth year... and that summer, I took comfort in my boyfriend. We were young... and stupid... and... we did some stupid things without thinking..." she tried, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to say it. It didn't matter; Narcissa finished for her.
"Pregnant?" Hermione looked away, feeling ashamed. "Continue, dear... trust me, you'll feel better if you tell someone," Narcissa insisted and Hermione looked up, giving her half a smile.
"I told Draco," she stated, and the older woman smiled.
"I thought you might have." A moment later, Hermione sighed.
"Well..." she started again. "I pretty much gave up on all my dreams the minute I found out... I mean, I wasn't going to abort it or anything so terrible... it was my problem, and I had to deal with it. My boyfriend didn't leave me... but he was a muggle... and he couldn't really be of much help when I was at school. In the end, none of it mattered... Froth's brother... well, I miscarried at seven months and... let's just say he had a lot to do with it." Narcissa frowned. She'd imagined something had happened... but nothing like that. As when she had told Draco, Hermione wasn't crying, but Narcissa stood from her chair, taking a step around the corner of the table to hug her nonetheless.
"I'm so sorry, love," she whispered, and Hermione gave a grand sigh, smiling into the women's soft robe.
"Thank you." Narcissa didn't speak, she simply held Hermione close to her, as she would her own daughter. "I don't really know what I'm going to do now... I never want to see those boys again... and Draco is really my only friend... well, the other prefects could probably be considered friends, but they're scared to death of him, so it makes casual conversation difficult." Narcissa gave a soft chuckle as she let Hermione go. "I've never really thought about what I was going to do after school..."
"Well," Narcissa said. "If the way he looks at you is any indication... I think you'll be with Draco for quite some time," she said with a grin, as if spreading gossip. A smile graced Hermione's features.
"Really?" Narcissa shrugged.
"I'm just his mother, what do I know?" she joked and Hermione laughed softly. "You can't tell me you're surprised? You must know he's crazy about you." Hermione gave a light shrug, turning her eyes toward the table.
"I've never really thought about our future, either... I guess deep down I've always thought something will happen to tear us apart..." Hermione suddenly looked up. "He isn't betrothed or anything like that, is he?" Narcissa gave her an understanding smile.
"Actually..." she started, and Hermione felt as if her heart were being squeezed hard enough to make lemonade from it. "Yes... he technically is." She looked down at the table, willing the tears not to fall. Hermione told herself that this wasn't unexpected... she knew he was too good to be true. "But," Narcissa continued, and Hermione looked up. "I honestly doubt he'd enjoy being married to Pansy Parkinson... bit obsessive if you ask me... and I don't think Lucius will mind if I simply... misplace the papers." A grin spread across Hermione's face, matching Narcissa's. "Oh, but don't go off being mad at Draco for not telling you... he doesn't know." Hermione looked surprised.
"He doesn't?" Narcissa shook her head.
"He knows he has to be married by a certain date... but I've neglected to inform of the consequences should he do otherwise. The girl does, though. I made her promise not to tell him... I always believed in Lucius. I was sure he would come to his senses and call it off... it was the day after he was born that the papers were drawn up... his life was planned out before he'd even begun living... it wasn't fair. I decided that even if he did end up marrying Parkinson... he could do what ever the hell he wanted in between. It was only just, right?" Hermione nodded.
"I can't argue against that." There was a brief period of silence before Hermione spoke up again. "I really do love your son, Narcissa. More so than anyone I've ever met in my life. And now... he's all I have. I don't know what I would do without him..." she mused, gaining a smile from her boyfriend's mother. "But... that also gives me guilt."
"How so?" Hermione sighed.
"Draco knows that. He knows my sanity hangs off a thread around his finger... and I know that, even if he someday no longer feels the way that I do, he will still care for me. And I have reason to believe he will pretend, for my sake... and I don't want that. I'd rather be miserable and let him be happy with someone else than know he's wasting his life on me." When Hermione looked up again, Narcissa's eyes were shining with tears. Before the younger girl could fathom what was happening, Draco's mother embraced her again, this time for her own comfort, and cried into Hermione's shoulder. Impeccable, as always, Draco chose this time to make his appearance. He stopped his rapid pace as he stepped into the room, noticing his mother in the arms of his girlfriend. He gave Hermione a questioning look, but she seemed just as clueless.
"Oh, Hermione..." Narcissa whispered in hushed tones, so low Draco couldn't hear. "You remind me so much of myself..." she continued, finally pulling back and sniffling as she wiped her eyes. "A mother couldn't ask for a better quality in a daughter-in-law." Hermione, although completely shocked, gave Narcissa a warm smile. Draco, who had heard this statement, made his presence known.
"Mum?" Narcissa jumped slightly, turning to him. "Alright?" he asked as he approached the table. Narcissa smiled, nodding. She watched as Draco stepped up behind Hermione, placing his hands lovingly on her shoulders, and sniffled in happiness as she saw Hermione smile, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes. Even at seventeen they were so much in love...
"Draco," she started, speaking softly. "Hermione has reminded me of something very important I need to talk to you about... I was planning on waiting until at least Christmas... but I think it will be better for you if I tell you right away. Let me just go put on something presentable..." she said and stood from her chair, scurrying out of the room and to the MP3000 in the entryway. When his mother disappeared behind the brass door, Draco stepped around her chair and knelt on the floor beside Hermione.
"What's going on? What happened?" he asked, an unsurprisingly concerned note in his voice. Hermione smiled.
"Everything is fine... I told her about Ewan," she stated softly, and Draco seemed surprised.
"Why?" Hermione shrugged.
"She asked. It did feel nice to tell another woman," she admitted, smiling.
"Well, then what's she on about now?" Hermione held in a smirk.
"You'll find out, Drakey. If I told you, I'd ruin.... the surprise. And the suspense. I don't know all the details, but... I'm pretty sure it's not going to be that bad."
~*~
Narcissa took a breath before bravely reentering the kitchen. Draco and Hermione weren't speaking, but were sitting together, simply waiting for her. Draco looked up when his mother entered the room and she gave him a small smile as she reclaimed her vacated seat.
"Alright, Mum, tell me something," he prodded and Narcissa's smile lost half it's potency.
"Well, honey... as you know, it's written and legalized that you are to be married by your eighteen and a half birthday..." Draco shot Hermione a panicked look; he'd never told her any of this... he could only imagine how much of a shock that must be. Hermione, however, seemed away somewhere in thought. In truth, she found the date odd.
"Mother, must we talk about this now?" Narcissa nodded.
"I think the sooner the better. There's something about this you don't know, Draco." At this, Draco's attention was drawn away from his girlfriend and replaced on his mother, intrigued.
"Something I don't know?" Narcissa nodded.
"Haven't you ever wondered what would happen if you DIDN'T choose a bride by that date?" Draco took a moment to think, and found himself shaking his head.
"No... I always assumed I just... would."
"Well," Narcissa said, her smile creeping a little higher on her face. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Draco looked intrigued.
"Now that you mention it..."
"A bride will be given to you."
"Given? Mother, I mean no disrespect, but I feel you may be leaving out something..." Draco said, his eyes gazing suspiciously at his mother, who dropped her view to the table.
"She's already been chosen, Draco. The day the papers were made, she was chosen... in fact, you were supposed to simply marry her, with no choice in the matter, but... with your father's predicament, things have been changed." Draco looked somewhat scared. Hermione, who was surprised, but saw no real problem, simply watched his reaction, looking bemused. She felt the hand on her thigh tighten slightly and placed her own over it, to comfort him.
"Who is she, mother?" Narcissa laughed.
"Can't you guess, Draco?"
"Please... tell me it's not Parkinson," he begged, but at this, even Hermione laughed. He turned to her. "Why is this funny? This is NOT funny..." Hermione shook her head, trying to become serious again... but it was quite difficult. Draco wretched his hand from her leg and she frowned, her laughter dwindling.
"Draco," she said softly, but he interrupted.
"How are you both taking this so lightly? I have to marry that... ugh, I don't even know what to call her, next year... and you act like it's no big deal! This is my entire life we're talking about!" At this, Narcissa smiled. "Mother!" Draco scolded, outraged and confused.
"Draco," Hermione said again, "Haven't you been listening to anything? You DON'T have to marry Pansy UNLESS you don't have someone else."
"Exactly," Narcissa agreed, and Draco looked between them.
"What?"
"All you have to do is find another girl willing to marry you, love," Draco's mother said, smiling warmly, and he slumped his shoulders.
"Are you sure?" She nodded.
"I changed everything not that long ago. I didn't want to betroth you in the first place, but, of course, there's no arguing with your father... although, he doesn't mind so much now," Narcissa said, giving him a slight wink. Draco shook his head.
"But..." he started, but then stopped, turning to Hermione. He had a lot of questions to ask his mother, and it was preferable if she were not there to witness it. Taking the hint and understanding, Hermione gave him a light kiss at the corner of his mouth and left the room without the slightest indication of where she was going. Draco watched as she walked into the entry room and spoke to the MP3000. It didn't surprise him to see Lucius' drawing room appear as the door slid open, revealing his peanut butter and jelly covered father. Hermione had insisted to the house elves that they make him a sandwich for breakfast, and from the look he seemed to be enjoying it. When the door closed behind his girlfriend, Draco turned back to his mother. "Mum," he said. "Why didn't you... tell me?" Narcissa frowned.
"I didn't want it to bother you, love... I wanted you to be as carefree as possible for as long as possible... I know this is all a shock, but..."
"Mother, what am I going to do? You should have told me. I've wasted my whole damn life trying to be the one guy everybody wanted... and I never took the time to find someone I could REALLY spend any time with."
"Draco..."
"I absolutely refuse to marry Pansy Parkinson."
"I'd imagined you would," she said, nodding slowly in agreement. "And now you don't have to."
"Then who the hell AM I going to marry?" he asked, gazing at her with furious eyes.
"But... what about..."
"Hermione?" He laughed. "I can't ask her, Mum."
"But, Draco... I thought you cared about her... she loves you to death." Draco gave a frustrated sigh.
"I do, Mother... that's why I can't do it. I can't ask her to throw herself at me just because of some stupid papers my father signed god knows how long ago... I know she'd do it, but that's not the point."
"Draco... you two are so worried about each other that you're not looking at the big picture. If the roles were reversed, would you marry her?"
"Of course I..." he stated before he could stop himself and Narcissa gave a subtle smirk. "But Mother..."
"And how would you feel if you knew she had to be married, and she chose some random muggle over you? Her ex-boyfriend, perhaps?" Draco felt his heart drop at the mere thought of ever losing Hermione... especially to either of those muggle bastards. "Hermione isn't stupid, Draco. I think it would hurt her more if you didn't ask... she does have the option of saying no, you know."
"Congratulations, Mother. You've figured out a way to make me feel horrendously guilty no matter what I choose to do." Narcissa laughed and gave her son a hug.
"Oh, off with you now," she said and Draco stood up, giving her a half smile as he started for the big brass doors.
~*~*~*~
"Ooo! Ooo! Look-y!" Lucius called, beckoning Hermione toward the broom closet she assumed the house elves kept, unsurprisingly, brooms in... but Lucius seemed much too excited to be looking at a common broom.
"What, Lucius?" she asked, looking up from the mountain of pictures he'd drawn over the weekend, which he had evidently been waiting and waiting to show her.
"Come, Mynee, look," he said, ducking back into the closet, and Hermione shook her head, standing and coming up behind him.
"Lucius..." she started again as she stepped into the closet, but he shushed her, holding a finger over his mouth. Hermione did the same, smiling, and Lucius grinned, then pulled back a curtain, revealing the dark closet to be twice as large as it seemed. Hermione looked confused; the other side was as bright as midday. She looked up at her boyfriend's father, but he gave her a gentle push, motioning for her to enter.
Hermione stepped into the lighted corner with no idea as to what was going on. The moment her eyes adjusted to the light, however, she smiled. Lucius followed close behind her, pointing toward the element of his excitement. On a large trunk, which filled up a good part of the closet, was a poster- board box, decorated with drawings of bugs and butterflies. Large holes were cut into four sides of the box, and were covered with thin sheets of plastic.
"Look," Lucius whispered, his voice betraying his awe. Hermione did as she was told, stepping up to the little box and kneeling beside it, then peering into one of the four windows. "See... they might seem dead... but they're not," he stated, and Hermione unconsciously grinned as she watched a tiny monarch butterfly struggle to hatch from its cocoon. There were two other brown, pill shaped hangings connected to the roof of the box, and the remains of another on the floor. Hermione turned away from the butterfly, looking to her companion.
"What happened to the forth one?" she asked in a whisper, as if any loud noise or movement might startle the birthing creature. Lucius smiled.
"I let him go," he whispered. "The box says not to open it 'til they're all born... but he came out a week ago, and I thought he might be lonely." Hermione smiled warmly, turning back to watch the miniature miracle in process.
"Hello? Hermione? Lucius?" called the unmistakable voice of Draco Malfoy from the drawing room, and Hermione's head snapped up. She moved to stand, but Lucius stopped her.
"No," he said... shaking his head. "Watch..." Again, Hermione turned back to the box. It wasn't a minute before Draco joined her, being forever shushed by his father. Confused, he knelt down beside Hermione while Lucius occupied the space across the way. Draco looked confusedly at his girlfriend, not bothering to first look into the box.
"What's going on?" he asked softly and Hermione turned to him, grinning.
"Look," she said, repeating what Lucius had told her. Draco looked confused, but he placed his hands on the edge of the trunk and leaned in to look inside the poster-board box. Hermione giggled softly at the look of surprise on his face, and ducked below his arm to lean herself against his chest. "They're beautiful."
~*~*~*~
A/N: I have nothing to say about this chapter... except, in my defense, I know this may seem very sudden, and I'm sorry... but I needed it for future happenings which were planned in my mind. Trust me, it will all come into play.
Oh yeah, and... Anybody else ever buy those butterfly boxes when they were little? And you had to give them these little pads of sugar... lol, I loved those things. :oD
Last time on LGG:
Hermione was asleep by the time they made it back to her room and Draco simply smiled at her in her slumber and placed his girlfriend gently between the bed sheets, only freeing her of her shoes. She moaned softly as the soft surface replaced his strong arms.
"Draco." He smiled, but didn't answer, thinking it would only wake her. Hermione, however, was less asleep than one might think. She cracked open one eye, watching as Draco crept from her room. "Where are you going?" Draco stopped and turned back with a grin.
"To bed, where else? To see my mother?" he asked and Hermione smirked.
"Why Draco, I never knew..." he shook his head slowly and she laughed. Then, Hermione puffed out her bottom lip. "Stay with me?" she asked. "Please? I don't feel like another nightmare tonight..." Draco sighed, but ultimately agreed. He had promised, after all. Draco crept toward the bed and made to get in beside her, but Hermione stopped him once more. "Wait... Draco?"
"Yes?" he said, slightly mockingly, and Hermione looked pleading.
"Will you find Eglamour for me?"
~*~
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR: A Mother's Secret
"Good morning!" Narcissa sang as she waltzed into the kitchen. Hermione couldn't help but smile from her spot at the table, where Draco was pressing a small slab of dragon steak to her cheek, which had swollen overnight, despite her protests and threatening. She held her wand loosely in hand as if ready for an attack, but it was really just to spite Draco. He had, in fact, retrieved it from Osric before returning to her the night before, and had conveniently forgotten to give it to her until she'd spent nearly half an hour looking for it. At the sight of the teenagers and Eglamour, who was perched in Hermione's lap and looking with wanting eyes at the steak, the brightness in Narcissa's face diminished. "Oh, dear..." she muttered, frowning. Hermione was quick to disagree.
"No, it's fine, Mrs. Malfoy... Draco's just being a prat," she assured sweetly, ignoring the tired look Draco gave her. In truth, he was sick of her complaining, but she too was sick of his unneeded worrying. It was mutual annoyance, and mutually accepted. Narcissa, however, was nowhere near as accepting. Hermione thought she might know where Draco got it from.
"No, it's not fine... let me see, come now," she insisted, floating over to the two and moving Draco's hand away to view the lump. She gave a small sigh. "It's not as bad as I thought, dear. I know just the thing," she said, although sadly, and searched her bathrobe pockets for her wand. Hermione looked to Draco, but he was watching his mother earnestly. "Ah..." she said with a slight smile as she located her wand, then flicked it without another thought. Draco watched impassively as Hermione's swollen cheek rapidly began to shrink. She smiled as the pain ebbed away.
"Thank you," she praised and Narcissa gave her a warm smile.
"I'm sorry, dear. He doesn't mean it when he does things like that... I know he doesn't," she said, and Draco turned to her.
"Mum," he warned and she gave an apologetic smile. To his request, Narcissa also healed the stings on Hermione's leg and the tiny scrape from the playground. Again, she thanked her.
"Draco, will you bring Lucius some breakfast for me? I believe he's in the drawing room; he always is," Narcissa requested, her voice gaining a little more contentment at the thought of her husband. Draco gave her a pleading look and she laughed. "Don't look at me like that. Go on, now. Hermione will be fine with me for five minutes," she said and Draco rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Mother," he agreed, then left to get Lucius' tray from the house elf kitchen. Eglamour looked up at Hermione with pleading eyes, and she giggled softly.
"Go ahead." Now with permission, Eglamour followed his favorite Slytherin out the door. Hermione shook her head after them in amusement; Draco was, so far, the only man Eg had ever warmed up to. She couldn't state for Lucius, however, as they'd never officially been introduced.
Narcissa conjured each Hermione and herself a cup of tea, then sat down at the table, smiling warmly at her son's girlfriend.
"Lucius told me what you did, love. I just want to let you know that I really appreciated it. I'd thank you, but it seems... wrong, somehow." Hermione giggled.
"Draco said the same thing," she blurted, then covered her mouth. Usually in the company of Mrs. Malfoy, she would be prim and proper; the perfect match for a man of Draco's caliber... but she'd forgotten herself for a moment. Narcissa, however, seemed to think the opposite.
"Don't worry yourself, dear. I happen to know that Draco prefers a woman who will speak her mind, and I am not about to disagree. And..." she said, smirking. "You can stop dressing like that. I know you don't like it." Self- consciously, Hermione looked down. She had again dressed in clothing much more feminine than she would in the company of only her boyfriend. Hermione gave a small sigh and, taking Narcissa's advice, didn't hold in her thoughts.
"Pink really isn't my color, is it?" she asked, giving the older woman a small smile. Narcissa gave a soft laugh.
"I wouldn't say that, Hermione. You are a very pretty girl, I would imagine anything would look good on you," she said, smirking into her teacup at the slight blush in Hermione's cheeks.
"That means a lot coming from you, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Narcissa," she corrected, and Hermione gave a small smile.
"Narcissa, then." Draco's mother then lifted an eyebrow.
"Draco doesn't complement you? I would imagine I taught him better than that..." she mused to herself, and Hermione laughed, feeling more able to talk with every passing moment.
"Oh, yes, he does... so much so I sometimes find myself wishing he'd just stop," she admitted and both girls laughed.
"I love him dearly, but yes... he sometimes does go a bit overboard, doesn't he?" Hermione gave a slow nod, pulling her legs up into her chair and resting her knees against the table, smiling at the thought of Draco.
"The moment he saw those stings he had us on a broom and on our way here," she said, laughing along with Narcissa. "Mrs. ... Narcissa, may I ask how you became so handy with injury charms?" Narcissa smiled warmly at her teacup.
"When I was younger, I always wanted to be a Medi-witch. I took all the post-graduate classes after Hogwarts... I'm technically qualified to be anything from a school nurse to an emergency ward assistant... but I never got that far. I married Lucius right out of school... and it wasn't long before I had Draco to take care of... and now, with Lucius the way he is, I see no reason not to stay here with him." Hermione was completely enticed with the conversation.
"That's so ironic..." she muttered to herself and Narcissa looked up.
"Hm?" Hermione looked a tad bit frightened; she hadn't meant to say that loud enough for the older woman to hear. At the look on Hermione's face, Narcissa too dropped her smile. "What is it, dear?" Hermione shook her head.
"I've always wanted to be a Medi-witch. Up until this year, I've spent a lot of time with the school nurse, just observing... but I haven't gone back once this year." Narcissa tiled her head curiously.
"Why not?" Hermione shrugged slowly.
"I don't know... it's never crossed my mind. I suppose I have been busy, though... we're prefects this year, and I've been spending a lot of time with Draco..." Narcissa shook her head.
"Do you still want it, love?" Hermione smiled sadly at the table, trying to tap into her inner feelings... decode her desires. She nodded very slowly.
"I do... but I gave up on thinking there was any real possibility a long time ago..."
"What happened?" Hermione looked up sharply. "To change your mind?" There was just something about Mrs. Malfoy that made her seem trustworthy... with one small smile Hermione felt like she could tell her everything that she kept dear, and wouldn't be judged in the slightest. She subconsciously found herself relieved that Narcissa hadn't passed this quality down to her son; he would have broken a lot of hearts.
"Well... I had a row with my best friends near the end of fifth year... and that summer, I took comfort in my boyfriend. We were young... and stupid... and... we did some stupid things without thinking..." she tried, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to say it. It didn't matter; Narcissa finished for her.
"Pregnant?" Hermione looked away, feeling ashamed. "Continue, dear... trust me, you'll feel better if you tell someone," Narcissa insisted and Hermione looked up, giving her half a smile.
"I told Draco," she stated, and the older woman smiled.
"I thought you might have." A moment later, Hermione sighed.
"Well..." she started again. "I pretty much gave up on all my dreams the minute I found out... I mean, I wasn't going to abort it or anything so terrible... it was my problem, and I had to deal with it. My boyfriend didn't leave me... but he was a muggle... and he couldn't really be of much help when I was at school. In the end, none of it mattered... Froth's brother... well, I miscarried at seven months and... let's just say he had a lot to do with it." Narcissa frowned. She'd imagined something had happened... but nothing like that. As when she had told Draco, Hermione wasn't crying, but Narcissa stood from her chair, taking a step around the corner of the table to hug her nonetheless.
"I'm so sorry, love," she whispered, and Hermione gave a grand sigh, smiling into the women's soft robe.
"Thank you." Narcissa didn't speak, she simply held Hermione close to her, as she would her own daughter. "I don't really know what I'm going to do now... I never want to see those boys again... and Draco is really my only friend... well, the other prefects could probably be considered friends, but they're scared to death of him, so it makes casual conversation difficult." Narcissa gave a soft chuckle as she let Hermione go. "I've never really thought about what I was going to do after school..."
"Well," Narcissa said. "If the way he looks at you is any indication... I think you'll be with Draco for quite some time," she said with a grin, as if spreading gossip. A smile graced Hermione's features.
"Really?" Narcissa shrugged.
"I'm just his mother, what do I know?" she joked and Hermione laughed softly. "You can't tell me you're surprised? You must know he's crazy about you." Hermione gave a light shrug, turning her eyes toward the table.
"I've never really thought about our future, either... I guess deep down I've always thought something will happen to tear us apart..." Hermione suddenly looked up. "He isn't betrothed or anything like that, is he?" Narcissa gave her an understanding smile.
"Actually..." she started, and Hermione felt as if her heart were being squeezed hard enough to make lemonade from it. "Yes... he technically is." She looked down at the table, willing the tears not to fall. Hermione told herself that this wasn't unexpected... she knew he was too good to be true. "But," Narcissa continued, and Hermione looked up. "I honestly doubt he'd enjoy being married to Pansy Parkinson... bit obsessive if you ask me... and I don't think Lucius will mind if I simply... misplace the papers." A grin spread across Hermione's face, matching Narcissa's. "Oh, but don't go off being mad at Draco for not telling you... he doesn't know." Hermione looked surprised.
"He doesn't?" Narcissa shook her head.
"He knows he has to be married by a certain date... but I've neglected to inform of the consequences should he do otherwise. The girl does, though. I made her promise not to tell him... I always believed in Lucius. I was sure he would come to his senses and call it off... it was the day after he was born that the papers were drawn up... his life was planned out before he'd even begun living... it wasn't fair. I decided that even if he did end up marrying Parkinson... he could do what ever the hell he wanted in between. It was only just, right?" Hermione nodded.
"I can't argue against that." There was a brief period of silence before Hermione spoke up again. "I really do love your son, Narcissa. More so than anyone I've ever met in my life. And now... he's all I have. I don't know what I would do without him..." she mused, gaining a smile from her boyfriend's mother. "But... that also gives me guilt."
"How so?" Hermione sighed.
"Draco knows that. He knows my sanity hangs off a thread around his finger... and I know that, even if he someday no longer feels the way that I do, he will still care for me. And I have reason to believe he will pretend, for my sake... and I don't want that. I'd rather be miserable and let him be happy with someone else than know he's wasting his life on me." When Hermione looked up again, Narcissa's eyes were shining with tears. Before the younger girl could fathom what was happening, Draco's mother embraced her again, this time for her own comfort, and cried into Hermione's shoulder. Impeccable, as always, Draco chose this time to make his appearance. He stopped his rapid pace as he stepped into the room, noticing his mother in the arms of his girlfriend. He gave Hermione a questioning look, but she seemed just as clueless.
"Oh, Hermione..." Narcissa whispered in hushed tones, so low Draco couldn't hear. "You remind me so much of myself..." she continued, finally pulling back and sniffling as she wiped her eyes. "A mother couldn't ask for a better quality in a daughter-in-law." Hermione, although completely shocked, gave Narcissa a warm smile. Draco, who had heard this statement, made his presence known.
"Mum?" Narcissa jumped slightly, turning to him. "Alright?" he asked as he approached the table. Narcissa smiled, nodding. She watched as Draco stepped up behind Hermione, placing his hands lovingly on her shoulders, and sniffled in happiness as she saw Hermione smile, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes. Even at seventeen they were so much in love...
"Draco," she started, speaking softly. "Hermione has reminded me of something very important I need to talk to you about... I was planning on waiting until at least Christmas... but I think it will be better for you if I tell you right away. Let me just go put on something presentable..." she said and stood from her chair, scurrying out of the room and to the MP3000 in the entryway. When his mother disappeared behind the brass door, Draco stepped around her chair and knelt on the floor beside Hermione.
"What's going on? What happened?" he asked, an unsurprisingly concerned note in his voice. Hermione smiled.
"Everything is fine... I told her about Ewan," she stated softly, and Draco seemed surprised.
"Why?" Hermione shrugged.
"She asked. It did feel nice to tell another woman," she admitted, smiling.
"Well, then what's she on about now?" Hermione held in a smirk.
"You'll find out, Drakey. If I told you, I'd ruin.... the surprise. And the suspense. I don't know all the details, but... I'm pretty sure it's not going to be that bad."
~*~
Narcissa took a breath before bravely reentering the kitchen. Draco and Hermione weren't speaking, but were sitting together, simply waiting for her. Draco looked up when his mother entered the room and she gave him a small smile as she reclaimed her vacated seat.
"Alright, Mum, tell me something," he prodded and Narcissa's smile lost half it's potency.
"Well, honey... as you know, it's written and legalized that you are to be married by your eighteen and a half birthday..." Draco shot Hermione a panicked look; he'd never told her any of this... he could only imagine how much of a shock that must be. Hermione, however, seemed away somewhere in thought. In truth, she found the date odd.
"Mother, must we talk about this now?" Narcissa nodded.
"I think the sooner the better. There's something about this you don't know, Draco." At this, Draco's attention was drawn away from his girlfriend and replaced on his mother, intrigued.
"Something I don't know?" Narcissa nodded.
"Haven't you ever wondered what would happen if you DIDN'T choose a bride by that date?" Draco took a moment to think, and found himself shaking his head.
"No... I always assumed I just... would."
"Well," Narcissa said, her smile creeping a little higher on her face. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Draco looked intrigued.
"Now that you mention it..."
"A bride will be given to you."
"Given? Mother, I mean no disrespect, but I feel you may be leaving out something..." Draco said, his eyes gazing suspiciously at his mother, who dropped her view to the table.
"She's already been chosen, Draco. The day the papers were made, she was chosen... in fact, you were supposed to simply marry her, with no choice in the matter, but... with your father's predicament, things have been changed." Draco looked somewhat scared. Hermione, who was surprised, but saw no real problem, simply watched his reaction, looking bemused. She felt the hand on her thigh tighten slightly and placed her own over it, to comfort him.
"Who is she, mother?" Narcissa laughed.
"Can't you guess, Draco?"
"Please... tell me it's not Parkinson," he begged, but at this, even Hermione laughed. He turned to her. "Why is this funny? This is NOT funny..." Hermione shook her head, trying to become serious again... but it was quite difficult. Draco wretched his hand from her leg and she frowned, her laughter dwindling.
"Draco," she said softly, but he interrupted.
"How are you both taking this so lightly? I have to marry that... ugh, I don't even know what to call her, next year... and you act like it's no big deal! This is my entire life we're talking about!" At this, Narcissa smiled. "Mother!" Draco scolded, outraged and confused.
"Draco," Hermione said again, "Haven't you been listening to anything? You DON'T have to marry Pansy UNLESS you don't have someone else."
"Exactly," Narcissa agreed, and Draco looked between them.
"What?"
"All you have to do is find another girl willing to marry you, love," Draco's mother said, smiling warmly, and he slumped his shoulders.
"Are you sure?" She nodded.
"I changed everything not that long ago. I didn't want to betroth you in the first place, but, of course, there's no arguing with your father... although, he doesn't mind so much now," Narcissa said, giving him a slight wink. Draco shook his head.
"But..." he started, but then stopped, turning to Hermione. He had a lot of questions to ask his mother, and it was preferable if she were not there to witness it. Taking the hint and understanding, Hermione gave him a light kiss at the corner of his mouth and left the room without the slightest indication of where she was going. Draco watched as she walked into the entry room and spoke to the MP3000. It didn't surprise him to see Lucius' drawing room appear as the door slid open, revealing his peanut butter and jelly covered father. Hermione had insisted to the house elves that they make him a sandwich for breakfast, and from the look he seemed to be enjoying it. When the door closed behind his girlfriend, Draco turned back to his mother. "Mum," he said. "Why didn't you... tell me?" Narcissa frowned.
"I didn't want it to bother you, love... I wanted you to be as carefree as possible for as long as possible... I know this is all a shock, but..."
"Mother, what am I going to do? You should have told me. I've wasted my whole damn life trying to be the one guy everybody wanted... and I never took the time to find someone I could REALLY spend any time with."
"Draco..."
"I absolutely refuse to marry Pansy Parkinson."
"I'd imagined you would," she said, nodding slowly in agreement. "And now you don't have to."
"Then who the hell AM I going to marry?" he asked, gazing at her with furious eyes.
"But... what about..."
"Hermione?" He laughed. "I can't ask her, Mum."
"But, Draco... I thought you cared about her... she loves you to death." Draco gave a frustrated sigh.
"I do, Mother... that's why I can't do it. I can't ask her to throw herself at me just because of some stupid papers my father signed god knows how long ago... I know she'd do it, but that's not the point."
"Draco... you two are so worried about each other that you're not looking at the big picture. If the roles were reversed, would you marry her?"
"Of course I..." he stated before he could stop himself and Narcissa gave a subtle smirk. "But Mother..."
"And how would you feel if you knew she had to be married, and she chose some random muggle over you? Her ex-boyfriend, perhaps?" Draco felt his heart drop at the mere thought of ever losing Hermione... especially to either of those muggle bastards. "Hermione isn't stupid, Draco. I think it would hurt her more if you didn't ask... she does have the option of saying no, you know."
"Congratulations, Mother. You've figured out a way to make me feel horrendously guilty no matter what I choose to do." Narcissa laughed and gave her son a hug.
"Oh, off with you now," she said and Draco stood up, giving her a half smile as he started for the big brass doors.
~*~*~*~
"Ooo! Ooo! Look-y!" Lucius called, beckoning Hermione toward the broom closet she assumed the house elves kept, unsurprisingly, brooms in... but Lucius seemed much too excited to be looking at a common broom.
"What, Lucius?" she asked, looking up from the mountain of pictures he'd drawn over the weekend, which he had evidently been waiting and waiting to show her.
"Come, Mynee, look," he said, ducking back into the closet, and Hermione shook her head, standing and coming up behind him.
"Lucius..." she started again as she stepped into the closet, but he shushed her, holding a finger over his mouth. Hermione did the same, smiling, and Lucius grinned, then pulled back a curtain, revealing the dark closet to be twice as large as it seemed. Hermione looked confused; the other side was as bright as midday. She looked up at her boyfriend's father, but he gave her a gentle push, motioning for her to enter.
Hermione stepped into the lighted corner with no idea as to what was going on. The moment her eyes adjusted to the light, however, she smiled. Lucius followed close behind her, pointing toward the element of his excitement. On a large trunk, which filled up a good part of the closet, was a poster- board box, decorated with drawings of bugs and butterflies. Large holes were cut into four sides of the box, and were covered with thin sheets of plastic.
"Look," Lucius whispered, his voice betraying his awe. Hermione did as she was told, stepping up to the little box and kneeling beside it, then peering into one of the four windows. "See... they might seem dead... but they're not," he stated, and Hermione unconsciously grinned as she watched a tiny monarch butterfly struggle to hatch from its cocoon. There were two other brown, pill shaped hangings connected to the roof of the box, and the remains of another on the floor. Hermione turned away from the butterfly, looking to her companion.
"What happened to the forth one?" she asked in a whisper, as if any loud noise or movement might startle the birthing creature. Lucius smiled.
"I let him go," he whispered. "The box says not to open it 'til they're all born... but he came out a week ago, and I thought he might be lonely." Hermione smiled warmly, turning back to watch the miniature miracle in process.
"Hello? Hermione? Lucius?" called the unmistakable voice of Draco Malfoy from the drawing room, and Hermione's head snapped up. She moved to stand, but Lucius stopped her.
"No," he said... shaking his head. "Watch..." Again, Hermione turned back to the box. It wasn't a minute before Draco joined her, being forever shushed by his father. Confused, he knelt down beside Hermione while Lucius occupied the space across the way. Draco looked confusedly at his girlfriend, not bothering to first look into the box.
"What's going on?" he asked softly and Hermione turned to him, grinning.
"Look," she said, repeating what Lucius had told her. Draco looked confused, but he placed his hands on the edge of the trunk and leaned in to look inside the poster-board box. Hermione giggled softly at the look of surprise on his face, and ducked below his arm to lean herself against his chest. "They're beautiful."
~*~*~*~
A/N: I have nothing to say about this chapter... except, in my defense, I know this may seem very sudden, and I'm sorry... but I needed it for future happenings which were planned in my mind. Trust me, it will all come into play.
Oh yeah, and... Anybody else ever buy those butterfly boxes when they were little? And you had to give them these little pads of sugar... lol, I loved those things. :oD