Some hours later, Hermione found herself sitting with Narcissa in the Leaky Cauldron. They had gone to Gringotts early on to get some of her gold, and then been to all the clothes shops in Diagon Alley as Hermione tried to replace everything in her lost wardrobe. They had found plenty of lovely items, and she sat in the restaurant area of the Leaky Cauldron now, surrounded by bags containing her purchases. Narcissa had, of course, been thrilled to have some female company, and seemed happy to help her choose what looked best. It had all cost a fortune, though, and Hermione was looking forward to the call from the insurance company telling her what she would be getting for her flat. She couldn't afford much more of this expensive spending without breaking her savings.
"So what do we still have left to get, dear?" Narcissa asked, snapping her out of her reverie. "Are you all set for things like cauldrons and broomsticks?"
"Yes," Hermione said, "I've never owned a broomstick, I'm not much for flying. And I never have any real need to make potions at home so I left my old school cauldron back at my parents' house...it's still there if I need it." Mentioning her parents was tough, so she cleared her throat. "To be honest, I think I'm done for now."
"What about furniture?" Narcissa asked. "You must have lost all of it."
"Yes - but I won't worry about that until the insurance money comes through," Hermione said. "Then I can look at getting myself a new place, and get the furniture at the same time. Besides, most of the things I owned were Muggle electrical appliances which wouldn't work at the Manor even if I had them."
"I see," Narcissa replied. "I was hoping you might stay with us, actually. I mean long term."
Hermine blinked. "I don't understand."
"Well," Narcissa began, "we have plenty of room. It's such a big Manor and with only two of us there it feels a bit...empty. I like having female company around after so long not speaking to either of my sisters, and having only my husband and son. And you'd be comfortable, well catered for; you could have the whole of the South Wing if you liked. You could bring in your own furniture and make it like a home."
"That's very kind of you, Narcissa," Hermione said, "but I think I'd like to have my own flat. I wouldn't want to be a bother and I'm sure I'll only get in the way."
"As you like," Narcissa replied, "but the offer is open. Ever since the war, Draco has been withdrawn and unhappy. Even Hogwarts didn't change that. But in the last few months, he's been going out more, to see you and to see his friends. He's enjoying his work and he's happy. I'm so glad to witness that happening, and after what I saw this morning, I'm now fairly sure I've found the cause. I would like it if you could be around a lot more, and Draco could be happy for a long time to come."
"You flatter me," Hermione replied, blushing again, "I don't think Draco being happy has much to do with me. He's making great strides in his potions and he's finally got closure on the whole matter with Lucius. I think he's happy because of what he's achieved and how he has distanced himself from what his father was - it's nothing to do with me."
"On the contrary," Narcissa said, "you, I believe, are his motivation."
"Listen, what you saw this morning was...it wasn't..." Hermione stuttered, not sure how to explain it. She didn't want Narcissa to think she had been sleeping with Draco, especially not while she was still engaged to Ron. "Draco and I aren't an item."
"Oh, I know," the Malfoy matriarch said airily. "Draco has never had a real relationship, he doesn't do long-term attachment. But I think that could change, and I think he wants that to change. I can see it between you two, I'm not blind, and I think you'd be a very compatible match. That's why I'd like you to stay at the Manor - so you might feel like a part of the family, because I hope one day you might be."
Hermione was stunned. Narcissa was hinting that she might one day marry into the Malfoy clan? Hermione wasn't sure about anything concerning Draco yet, except that she wanted him. She hadn't even considered what the future might hold. Except for that tiny, niggling voice at the back of her head, Draco at age thirteen calling her a Mudblood, which told her that he could never want something real with her, because she could never produce Pureblood children for him.
"As much as I like Draco, and I think he likes me," she said slowly, "I don't know what's going to happen between us yet, if anything. I'll think about your offer, Narcissa, and thank you for it. I know it means a lot."
"Well then, let's speak no more of it today," the older woman replied brusquely. "So, you say you're done shopping. Shall we order some lunch before we go home?"
"Yes, that sounds lovely," Hermione agreed.
They perused the menu and Narcissa went up to the bar to order for them both, insisting that she pay for lunch. Hermione didn't want to argue with her so she let her go ahead, and sat alone at the table looking around the pub. It had really become a very bright and cheery place since being taken over by the Abbotts; Hannah had seen its potential and really done a fantastic job with it. As she scanned the tables by the door, she saw a familiar redheaded figure appear from the Diagon Alley side. "Ginny!"
Ginny turned and saw her, waved and began weaving her way over. "Hermione! Merlin, I heard about your flat! How are you? What's going on? Are you staying here?" She hugged her friend tightly, squeezing the breath out of her.
"I'm - fine - Gin - choking," Hermione managed to say, and her friend released her apologetically. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about me, Gin, I'm fine," Hermione smiled. "A little shocked but Crookshanks got out OK and I wasn't hurt, so it could have been a lot worse. I'm here buying some new clothes, as you can tell," she gestured at the piles of bags around her feet.
"Who with?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Narcissa Malfoy," Hermione admitted. "Draco insisted I stay with him after the fire and she offered to come out with me today and shop."
"That's kind of them," Ginny said, sitting down opposite Hermione and sounding a little surprised. "I know you and him are close but I never thought they'd invite anyone to stay at the Manor."
"He invited me once before, but I said no then," Hermione recalled. "I didn't really have a choice this time, though. And to be honest, it's nice. They have so much space, and a big library with thousands of books, and the elves keep it all clean and tidy, and cook for me as well. I had breakfast on a balcony overlooking the gardens this morning."
Ginny's eyes were like saucers. "Wow. I almost wish I was snogging Malfoy now."
They both broke into laughter just as Narcissa arrived back at the table. "Good afternoon, Miss Weasley," she greeted her politely.
"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy. How are you?" Ginny asked.
"Very well, thank you dear. How are you and Mr. Potter? And Molly and Arthur?"
"Harry's busy working," Ginny said with a hint of sadness in her tone. "And Mum and Dad are doing well, thank you for asking. They've gone out to Romania to visit Charlie again."
"Wonderful," Narcissa said. "Would you care to join us for lunch?"
"Oh, no, thank you, I have a lot to get done today," Ginny said, standing up. "I've booked a fitting at a bridal shop in Muggle London, so I've got to get going soon."
"We'll come with you!" Narcissa announced, to everyone's surprise. "I haven't looked at wedding dresses since my own wedding to Lucius. And we're done shopping, aren't we Hermione?"
"Yes," Hermione said, "that is, if you want us to come, Gin."
"Of course!" Ginny exclaimed, "I was going to ask you anyway, Hermione, but I figured with your flat and everything...I could really use some help choosing my dress. I have to know which one I want before I go to Ireland, or they won't be able to make it in time."
"Great, that's settled then," Narcissa said with a smile. "We'll eat here and then go. I've never been to Muggle London before," she added. "Will what I'm wearing be appropriate?"
Hermione and Ginny (who had been introduced to Muggle culture by her fiance) spent the next half hour while they ate explaining the differences between Muggle and Wizarding London. Narcissa was fascinated by the comparison, as she had had no idea about Muggles before now.
"Well, it's certainly going to be interesting," she said afterwards as they gathered up their bags, and Hermione stuffed them all into her magically enhanced handbag. "Where do we go from here?"
Ginny had obtained directions from the lady on the phone when she made the booking, so she led them out of the front door of the Cauldron and into the streets. They had no need to use the Underground since the shop was in roughly the same shopping district as Diagon Alley, so they walked in the warm August sunshine and chatted. Narcissa was getting along very well with Ginny, both being from wizarding backgrounds, and Ginny was eagerly telling her about the wedding plans. As she watched the two of them converse, Hermione got the distinct impression that Narcissa had probably wanted a daughter of her own to do these sorts of things with her, and she felt a pang of sympathy, resolving to try and spend a bit more "girl" time with the Malfoy matriarch.
The afternoon rolled by quickly, spent drinking complimentary glasses of champagne and relaxing on plush couches in an upmarket dress shop. In deference to Molly and Arthur, Harry had allowed for them to pay for some of the wedding costs, but due to the Weasleys' financial situation, he had insisted that he at least cover part of it with his practically unlimited Galleons. Ginny's dress had been one of the things he wanted to buy for her, so she could afford to look at the most beautiful dresses in London without worrying about the price tag.
Finding the right dress proved to be problematic, though. Ginny spent the whole afternoon trying on one after another, and nothing quite seemed to work. She was not discouraged, though, and put on a bright smile each time, saying "It's alright, we'll find it." Hermione marvelled at her ability to remain upbeat, particularly when she was in a hurry to find what she wanted.
About three o'clock, Hermione's phone began to ring, and she jumped. "I'd better take this, it might be the insurance company," she said to Narcissa, who was watching with interest as she pulled the little device out of her purse. "Tell Ginny I'll be back in a minute?" Narcissa nodded.
She got up and left the shop, answering the phone on the way out. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Miss Hermione Granger speaking?"
"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"
"This is Michael from Pyrox Building Management regarding the fire that occurred yesterday at 122 West Road."
"Hello again Michael," Hermione said. "I hope you have some good news for me."
"We have talked with the insurance company," he replied, "and following further investigation it appears that the fire was accidental, and not a product of arson, which makes our job a lot easier. We have reached an agreement, and the insurance company is paying for the building to be reconstructed, at which time you will be able to move back in. However, we understand that in some cases this will not be ideal, so if you wish to sell us back your flat, we will buy it at the current valuation."
"The current valuation? You mean for the basic infrastructure?" Hermione asked cynically.
"We will negotiate an offer for you," the man replied, "but it will be significantly less than the property would originally have been worth."
"How long will it take for the apartments to be rebuilt?" Hermione asked.
"Approximately a year," was the response, "and after that time, the newly built flat will be under your name and ready for you to move straight back in, should you so wish. However, I know that it might be difficult for you to organise living arrangements for that long, so should you wish to take the option to sell it to us now, we can arrange a good price for you."
"I'll think about it," Hermione said. "What about the contents?"
"If you can provide us with an address, there will be a standard cost cheque sent out to all residents to cover the furniture and other belongings lost in the fire."
"I'd like to think about the offer," Hermione said. In truth, she didn't want to sell her flat for less than it was worth, but taking the other option would mean that she would have to stay at Malfoy Manor much longer than she'd planned, and she wasn't sure if that would be an option. Draco had offered her his hospitality, but she didn't think it would extend to a year's duration - Narcissa may have asked her to stay longer, but she wasn't sure what Draco would think on the matter.
"I will call you back in a week's time, then," Michael said, "will that be alright?"
"Yes, that's fine," Hermione replied. "Thank you."
"Thanks, Hermione. Goodbye."
She stood outside the bridal shop, phone in her hand, briefly shellshocked. She would either have to sell her flat for probably half what it was actually worth - making it difficult for her to buy another that was of the same standard - or she could wait a year, intrude on Draco's hospitality and move back in when it was refurbished. It was too much to take in right now, so she put it to the back of her mind; she would speak to Draco about it later on. She turned round, plastered a smile on her face and walked back into the shop, determined not to let Ginny or Narcissa see her unease.
The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. They left the shop at four o'clock, unsuccessfully, and Ginny was now beginning to get a little glum. "I was sure they would have something," she said, "they have all the best dresses in town."
"Is there nowhere in the wizarding world you can go?" Hermione asked, "they might be a bit more to your taste than Muggle dresses."
"There aren't many wizarding dress shops," Ginny said sadly. "Most girls just wear their mother's dress, and it's passed down through the family, so they don't do enough business. Trouble is, my mum's dress doesn't fit me."
"I know one place," Narcissa cut in. "We'd have to take a Portkey, but I'm sure it's still there...it's where I bought my dress all those years ago when I married Lucius."
"A wizarding shop? Great!" Ginny said, enthusiasm back in her tone. "I was sure there weren't any left in England at all."
"There aren't, dear," Narcissa said, "this one is in a small French village near the family holiday chateau. That's why we'd have to take a Portkey, it's miles out of Apparition range."
Ginny's mouth was hanging open. "Go to France to buy my dress?"
"Why not?" Narcissa asked. "I can owl them later on and ask for a booking next week, if you're interested. We could stay the night at the chateau afterwards."
"Well, if you're sure, I don't want to be a bother..." Ginny began, but Narcissa waved her away. "It's my pleasure. You must have the right dress, and if you can't find it here, then it's certainly worth giving this a try."
"Thank you. I don't know what to say," Ginny replied. She looked back over her shoulder at Hermione and widened her eyes in an expression of surprise and disbelief. Hermione was beginning to get used to Narcissa's overwhelming generosity by now, so she simply shrugged and smiled at her friend. She supposed that Narcissa was doing all she could to help because she regretted her past actions and, like Draco, was redeeming herself.
"Excellent, I'll get it sorted out for next week then, and send you an owl with the details," Narcissa said, satisfied. "It's the least I can do after, well, everything Lucius and I did...before."
"You saved Harry's life," Ginny replied bluntly. "Anything that you or your husband ever did to our family, was forgotten at that moment. I only have a fiance because you were brave enough to save him. You don't have to make up for anything, Narcissa."
"I did what needed to be done," Narcissa said quietly, but Hermione could see a hint of tears forming in her dark eyes.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione suddenly remembered. "Oh, gosh!"
"What's up?" Ginny asked.
"I forgot to buy food for Crookshanks," Hermione said, slapping a hand to her forehead. "All this time I've been thinking about myself and completely forgotten him. I need to go back to the Magical Menagerie before we leave."
"I'll come," Ginny said, "I can pick up some treats for Pig."
The trio exited the pub on the Diagon Alley side, and headed up the street. As they passed through the throng, though, Hermione noticed a sudden flash of red amongst the crowd and inwardly winced. "Uh oh." She motioned over towards it.
"Is that...no! It can't be." Ginny seemed to be trying to convince herself. "As if he would bring her out in public! He's trying to get the attention of the Prophet, I guarantee it."
"What's this?" Narcissa was leaning over, attempting to see what they were looking at.
"Narcissa, there's something you should know about Ron and I," Hermione tried to explain hurriedly, but before she could, she saw him notice her, and then suddenly he was on his way over to them.
"Ronald," Ginny said coolly as he arrived, Astoria Greengrass hanging languidly off his arm.
"Hi, Gin," he said, oblivious to the cool tone with which she greeted him. Then he turned to Hermione. "Alright, 'Mione?"
Hermione didn't trust herself to respond, so she pursed her lips, nodded curtly and looked away.
"Oh don't be like that," Ron said with a hint of irritation. "Have you met Astoria?"
"No, not since Hogwarts, and I don't want to, thank you," Hermione said dismissively. "We have things to be doing, so we're going to go now."
"That was rude," Ron said, "Astoria was very keen to meet you."
"Yes, I'll bet she was," Hermione said, looking directly at the Greengrass girl for the first time.
"She wanted to apologise for everything," Ron said, "even though I told her not to bother." Astoria nodded eagerly, looking at him with obvious adoration.
"Well thank you very much, Astoria, apology accepted," Hermione said sardonically. "It's interesting to me, Ronald, that you believe women are your property, and yet you seem to still apportion blame to them instead of yourself when things like this happen."
"Well it wasn't my fault," Ron said defensively.
"I can't even believe we're having this conversation," Hermione said in utter disbelief at his attitude. "Ginny, Narcissa and I need to go, so we're leaving. Have a nice life. Or fall under the Knight Bus, whatever works."
"Still cosying up to Malfoy's mother then?" Ron sneered, all traces of attempted civility vanished.
Shocked at his rudeness, and with an apologetic glance at Narcissa who remained in restrained silence behind them, Hermione glared angrily at him. "What I do is none of your business anymore. Please go away."
"You can't tell me what to do," Ron retorted. "Astoria and I are out shopping just like you and it's a free country. Besides, I want to talk to Ginny."
"What could you possibly want to talk to me about?" she asked incredulously. "Just piss off Ron, none of us want to see you."
"You're my sister," Ron said warningly. "You should be on my side, not hanging out with Malfoy's slag and his evil mother."
Unwilling to hear any more, Hermione took Narcissa by the arm and tried to lead her away towards the Magical Menagerie. She couldn't bear to have Ron insulting Narcissa like that - she could take it, but she didn't want Draco's mother to have to put up with it, and she was fuming that Ron would dare to come up to them and say those things.
Narcissa, though, would not be led. She drew herself up to her full height and bore down on Ron. "You, young man, need to learn some manners. You accost three ladies in public, verbally abuse us and refuse to leave, even when we have clearly indicated that you are not welcome. I suggest you leave your sister alone and take that money-grabbing Greengrass girl elsewhere, before things become very unpleasant for you."
Ron was not easily cowed, but the sight of three strong women glaring at him, hands slowly moving to their wands, was enough. He sneered at Hermione once more. "I see you have the protection of the Malfoys now. Well, just remember what happened to you the last time you were in their Manor, Hermione. You'll come crawling back to the Burrow eventually." With that, he turned on his heel, motioned to Astoria and strode away into the crowd.
Hermione couldn't believe he had said that. She stood there stunned, as Ginny and Narcissa gently led her into the shade of the Magical Menagerie and sat her down on a chair by the entrance. "Don't listen to him. Merlin, I can't believe I have to call that piece of slime my brother," Ginny was saying. "To bring up the war like that...I'm so sorry. I wish I could go back out there and Bat-Bogey Hex him into next week."
"It's okay, Gin," Hermione said, unconsciously rubbing her arm where the dreaded scar lay. "It's not your fault."
Narcissa was standing over her, looking decidedly awkward at the mention of what had happened in the Manor, but with a concerned gaze. "I think it's time we went home."
"I'll pick up Crookshanks' food quickly," Ginny said, getting up. "Just sit there for a moment, Hermione, and relax, okay?"
"Yes," she said. She wasn't upset, not really, just shocked that a boy she had known since childhood had suddenly turned into such a jealous, angry man. She didn't know what she had done to make him hate her enough that he would bring up such a traumatic event. Yes, she had kissed Draco, and that was wrong...but he had also been cheating on her, and seemed to think there was no blame in that. Was the crime of befriending a Malfoy really so awful that she merited this kind of treatment from a man she once loved?
"If you don't want to come back to the Manor..." Narcissa began, but Hermione cut her off.
"Don't worry, Narcissa, of course I want to come back to the Manor. You and Draco have been so kind offering me your hospitality. I'm only upset because I can't believe Ron would say something that vile to me and throw it in my face."
"Alright," Narcissa said, but she seemed unconvinced.
Ginny returned quickly with owl treats and cat food, and they left the shop, Hermione in silence, Ginny with an air of worry and Narcissa still awkwardly detached.
"Well, I'd better get home," Ginny said. "Thanks for coming today, it was great. Sorry about my brother, Hermione, he's an ass."
"I'll owl you about the French trip," Narcissa said as the redhead waved goodbye and parted from them. "Come on then, Hermione, let's go."
Hermione sighed. "Yes. I need to sort out all these new clothes."
They Flooed back to the Manor and Hermione left to go up to her room before Draco realised they were back. While she knew that he would want to be there for her, and she appreciated his support, she needed to be alone to collect her thoughts for a while. What Ron had said had thrown her through a loop and she had to get her head around it before she could discuss it with anyone properly.
As she sorted out her new belongings and organised them into Draco's old wardrobe, she suddenly came across a set of his old school robes, hung in a corner. She smiled and fondled the faded cloth. The familiar Slytherin logo etched onto the pocket reminded her of their school days, and she wondered again at the changes that had come across them all. Harry, once deprived of a home and family, was getting married and living in the warm confort of the Burrow. Ginny, once a shy little girl who had idolised Harry, was a strong and independent Quidditch player. Draco, her nasty, angry childhood bully who had tormented her in this very robe, had become a charming, sophisticated and mature gentleman who she cared for a great deal. And Ron, her best friend and the man she thought would be the love of her life, had become a spiteful, jealous personality, binge drinking, sleeping around and lashing out. Some changed for the better, she supposed, and others couldn't handle the truth about growing up.
She relinquished her hold on the robe and pushed it gently to the end of the rail, making room for her own clothes. She wondered how she had changed since school. She was still a bookworm, that was for sure, and she still liked to know everything. She worked hard, occasionally acted emotionally and loved her cat. Had she even really changed since she was at Hogwarts? If she was honest with herself, she knew the day that she had truly grown up was the day she Obliviated her parents, and removed all traces of her childhood from their memories. From then on, she had had no illusions about the world.
Remembering her parents brought a tear to her eyes, but she closed them, took a deep breath and carried on organising. She had looked for them after the war, and located a Wendell and Monica Wilkins living in Townsville, but the Australian Ministry had deemed it too dangerous to lift the Memory Charm; she was such a powerful witch that the removal of the spell might cause permanent damage to their brains. She had been shocked and upset to hear that she would never be able to lift it, but she had come to terms with the decision and understood that the risks were too great. She was still embittered, though, that her own magic had acted against her - it was ironic that at Hogwarts, all she had wanted was to learn everything and be the strongest witch in class, to prove to Draco Malfoy and the Slytherins that a Muggle-born could be just as good, and now, her magical gene was so enhanced that she had destroyed any chance of ever seeing her parents again. Brooding on it wasn't doing her any good, though, so she paused for a moment, put it out of her mind and continued with her task.
She finished soon enough, packed all the bags away and sat down on the bed. She was restless; it had been ages since she had taken a day off from work, and she wasn't used to the feeling of having nothing to do; usually she was inundated with memos keeping her occupied from dawn til dusk. While the absence of work was nice, in a way, it also made her feel edgy, like she had forgotten to do something important. She sighed; perhaps she was overworking herself like Harry and Ron had always said. She had never intended to be at the Ministry forever, as even she was aware that once she settled down it would be too much work, but she needed something that kept her on her toes, and there weren't a lot of jobs out there that could do that.
She picked up her new copy of Hogwarts: a History, and took it out to the veranda. The late afternoon sun was still bright and hot, and she settled down into a relaxed state, enjoying the warmth and the beautiful view of the gardens. Malfoy Manor truly was a gorgeous estate, and she found herself hoping that Draco might let her stay until her flat could be refurbished, for she couldn't help but love this balcony.
Suddenly, there was a little knock on the glass door, and Hermione turned to see Mimsy standing there a little awkwardly. "Master Draco has sent Mimsy to ask if mistress would like anything to eat or drink. He says she does not need to come down for dinner if she doesn't want to." How sweet of Draco, she thought.
"Thank you Mimsy, but I won't be needing anything at the moment. Please tell Draco I will join him and Narcissa for dinner tonight instead. But don't rush, it's not urgent!" she added hastily as Mimsy prepared to scuttle away. The elf looked at her and nodded, his big ears flapping, before disappearing back inside the bedroom.
She smiled and opened her book. She could definitely get used to living like this.