Thank you everyone so much for reading this story, and thank you to those who have reviewed. I don't know if I've mentioned this on this site, but this is my first fanfic. So this has been an incredible response and I'm so honored. As a member of the Dramione community, I know how picky and territorial we can be! Thank you for welcoming this piece.
She'd spent the rest of the evening at the library, pulling books, newspaper clippings, and journals on Chimaeras and any relation to goblins. Though there was not much to be found, there was enough to put together a solid case for bringing a Chimaera into Gringotts. There would not have to be any torture or training, as Chimaeras are naturally fierce and antagonistic. Except to goblins. Wizards could securely access their vaults at Gringotts as long as a goblin was with them at all times.
She quarreled with whether or not to pen a thank you note to Draco. He clearly had two intentions with sending that book. One - to help her; two - to anger Ron. After four drafts, she decided against it, and would thank him in person. If the opportunity arose.
When she saw Ron the next morning before the game, he was his normal self again. There was no indication that he had been troubled by Draco Malfoy the day before. Ginny kept trying to communicate with Hermione with her eyes, but Hermione just shook her head and told her they'd talk later. She knew she'd seen Draco's initials on that note, so there would be no getting around explaining to Ginny why Draco Malfoy had sent her a gift with a note calling her his Saturday girl.
Ridiculous.
She went with Harry, Ron, and Ginny to Hodgley Field at 7AM, and while they warmed up and got dressed, she picked out a place in the stands for Katie and her to sit. She brought a book, of course, and cast a warming charm on herself. Katie arrived around 7:30AM as the rest of the crowd began filing in. Hermione was surprised to see so many people out this early on a Sunday, but she supposed she didn't fully understand the fascination with Quidditch anyway.
"Hello, there!" Katie ambled up the bleachers, and Hermione stood to guide her up. Katie batted her away. "I'm not so pregnant I can't see my feet!" She laughed. "Not yet anyway!"
"How's everything going? With the baby?"
"Excellent." Katie sat and began unpacking a bag, handing Hermione a bag of popcorn for them both. "My sister just had her first last year, so I've got the inside scoop for all the tricks and potions."
"Oh, that's wonderful."
Katie smiled and waved at someone Hermione didn't recognize. Hermione caught a glimpse of Aiden and a few other Magical Creatures coworkers settling in a few sections over. She still could not believe how many people were here. She saw a flash go off, and to her right she found Bozo and Skeeter.
"What is the press doing here? Isn't it just a scrimmage?" Hermione said.
"They'll have photographers here every now and then. It's rather nice to see all of the Hogwarts alums back on the same field again, especially after Draco joined the team." Katie munched her popcorn. "And I guess with Ron playing Keeper for the other team, it's probably a nice newspaper opportunity."
"Hm." Hermione scowled at Skeeter.
"So, they tell me not to have too much chocolate while pregnant," Katie said, turning to her bag, "but if you drink some too, I feel like I could get away with it." Katie pulled out two thermoses and offered one to Hermione. "Hot cocoa?"
Hermione smiled and took it. "Thanks."
Katie smiled and tucked her chin into her scarf as a wind gusted past them.
"Katie," Hermione started. "Can I ask you who the father is?"
Katie laughed and turned to her. "Merlin, how long have you been holding that in?"
"About six weeks." Hermione smiled. "I don't mean to pry. I'm just curious."
"Of course. Not at all." Katie pushed her hair away from her face. "I actually had a donor."
Hermione was not expecting this at all. She blinked at Katie. "Really? I- I mean, do they have magical options for women in the Wizarding World?"
"I had it done the Muggle way." Katie grinned, and her hand absently came up to her stomach.
"Oh! How … how nice!" Hermione smiled at her. Katie gave her a sly grin.
"You want to know why, don't you?" Katie said.
"Terribly so." Hermione gave a nervous laugh. "I've never heard of someone seeking out a donor at twenty-one."
"Twenty, actually," Katie said. "My birthday is in December." Katie's eyes glazed as she looked out over the empty field. "With the War, and watching so many people I loved die, I just decided that I didn't want to waste any more time before getting what I want. I want a family. I want to be a mother. And I decided to get it."
"What if…" Hermione stopped and rephrased. "Do you fear that you've moved too quickly? If that perfect man that wants a family as well comes along—"
"Then we'll have another. The 'perfect' man would be 'perfectly' fine with dating and wedding a single mother, don't you think?" Katie smiled at her. She was so confident, as if she'd answered these questions thousands of times.
"I believe so." Hermione laughed. "I applaud you for going after what you want."
"Thank you," Katie said, taking a sip from her cocoa. "I felt like, I've come this far. I've fought in a war, I chose the winning side. I shouldn't have to wait or settle. Those are the two most damaging things a person could do."
Hermione was struck. She stared at Katie as she wiped cocoa off her lips and marveled at her getting what she wanted. She was brave. Gryffindor brave. Hermione let her mind ruminate on waiting and settling. She agreed. Quite damaging.
As if on cue, twelve broomsticks shot out of the cabins, blonde and ginger heads immediately spotted. The friends, family and co-workers in the stands cheered, stomping their feet. Katie stood and yelled something, some chant that other D.M.L.E. officers joined her on. Hermione clapped and whooped, mentally preparing herself for a Quidditch match.
"I think you may be the only person in the history of the magical community that doesn't like Quidditch, Hermione Granger." Katie looked down at her, laughing.
"I like Quidditch just fine!" Hermione yelled over the crowd.
"You're lying!" Katie sat back down and knocked her elbow playfully. Hermione grinned.
Oliver Wood grabbed his broom and headed to the center of the field.
"Thank Merlin Oliver Wood is back in England." Katie said, grabbing some popcorn from her bag. She offered the container to Hermione.
"Thank Merlin for Oliver Wood!" Hermione grabbed a handful of popcorn, and Katie laughed, wiggling her eyebrows.
The players lined up in a circle in the air around Oliver, and Hermione spotted Draco looking surly next to Harry, so different from the flirt who asked for books to be gift wrapped. His face was set. She scowled at him, examining him. Oliver was giving a pre-game pep-talk, and the whole group laughed at something he said, all except Draco. He was adjusting his gloves. Hermione watched as he held his broom steady with just his thighs while his hands were busy. She swallowed.
Movement from the right drew her attention. Ron was waving at her. She lifted her arm to wave back. He beamed.
Oliver Wood dove down to the box holding the balls. When the Bludgers flew up and the Quaffle was tossed, Hermione had a thought.
"Katie, when does the game end if there is no Snitch to catch?"
Katie threw more popcorn into her mouth and replied, "It's a timed game instead. So, they play until the timer runs out." Her eyes were flitting across the field, catching all the nuances that Hermione would never understand.
"And how long is the game?" Hermione realized she had no idea how much of her day would be spent here at the field.
"Usually around six hours." Katie grabbed her hot cocoa.
"Six hours?!" Hermione squawked.
Katie was laughing. "Relax, Hermione! It's only an hour and a half." Katie was still giggling as Hermione glowered at her. "You looked like a Grindylow had stolen your galleons!"
Hermione humphed and sipped her cocoa. She tried to follow the Quaffle, asking Katie a few times where it had gotten to, but found it infinitely easier to follow Harry and Ginny, and infinitely more interesting to follow Draco. It had been so long since she'd gotten to watch him fly. He had retreated from Quidditch in their sixth year, and Umbridge had made everything so unpleasant in fifth, and the Tri-Wizard Tournament had canceled the sport in fourth. She'd never gotten to see how good he'd gotten. He flew so differently from Harry. He was more precise.
She watched him spin the Quaffle to Ginny as a Bludger rocketed towards him. Hermione gasped as he dipped at the last moment, the Bludger grazing his ear. Katie looked at her.
Ginny curved the ball toward the left hoop, and Ron missed it by inches. Half the stands cheered as the D.M.L.E. scored the first points. Ron and Ginny shared words in the air, while Harry laughed. Oliver Wood dove to grab the Quaffle and bring it up to Ron, as he had no intention of doing anything but argue with Ginny.
Once the ball was back in play, Katie said, "It's so odd seeing Draco Malfoy in red, don't you think?"
Hermione was, of course, already watching him, so she adjusted her eyes to take in his whole appearance. The D.M.L.E. chosen color was red, as they were mostly Gryffindors. The Department of Magical Transportation had chosen a lavender color, which was clashing wonderfully with Ron's hair. But Draco… looked good in anything.
"I guess so. He's more of a Gryffindor these days than most, though." Hermione laughed at bit as Harry dodged a Bludger and tossed the Quaffle to Draco.
"How are things with you and him?" Katie asked. Hermione took her eyes off Draco as he swerved around the D.M.T.'s Chasers, and checked in with Katie. She was eyeing her over the top of her cocoa, innocence written across her brow.
"Me and Malfoy?"
"Yeah. Do you see him much?"
"Well, he and his mother frequent Cornerstone Books, so I run into him on occasion." Hermione played with the open-close flip on her thermos.
"And how is that?" Katie was still watching her.
"Tense, at times." Hermione laughed. "But in general, there's a sense of moving forward." Hermione looked up in time to see Draco chuck the Quaffle toward the hoops. Ron came in at the last second to bat it away. Ron gave him a smug grin and Draco immediately turned and headed down the field, waiting for the play to start.
"You're becoming friendly with Narcissa Malfoy I hear?" Katie twisted the top off her thermos and added more hot cocoa with her wand. "That must be interesting!"
"'Challenging', is more the word." Hermione laughed. "She originally just wanted to invite me to tea to thank me for speaking at her son's trial. She's quite kind actually."
"That's nice to hear. I've never met her before." Katie dropped some marshmallows into her cocoa and twisted the cap back on. Hermione noticed that Katie's attention had fully left the game. "And the three of you spend time together? I couldn't help but see the pictures from Fortescue's."
"Oh," Hermione laughed. "That was… an odd, one-time thing. Narcissa wanted to see me on my lunch break at Cornerstone, and Malfoy was with her that day." She watched as the D.M.L.E. Keeper let the Quaffle slip by him, allowing ten points to Magical Transport. The stands cheered and groaned, all but Katie Bell. "It was… completely random."
"Or completely intentional." Katie raised her brows at Hermione.
Hermione was about to respond when the group to their right gasped. She looked up in time to see Ron catch the Quaffle hurtling toward the right hoop, but duck at the last moment as a Bludger aimed for him smashed through the hoop. The wood splintered and sprayed everywhere, leaving just the post behind. Oliver blew his whistle and asked for a pause so they could repair the hoop.
The clock stopped and Oliver froze the Bludgers in midair. Ginny and some of the other players stayed in the air, but others made their way to the ground to grab water.
"I don't know if I've ever seen a match pause. I mean, other than when Dementors attack, or when someone enchants a Bludger," Hermione said.
"I'd say any game where Harry Potter is involved is always an exception to the rule." Katie laughed. "No, they don't usually pause, but professional Quidditch pitches have reinforced hoops, not wooden ones. So, this wouldn't usually happen."
Hermione looked down and saw that both Draco and Ron had dropped down to the field and had dismounted. Harry was drifting down too. From a distance, it looked like Draco and Ron were talking, which was… different. Then she saw Ron cock his head in her direction. She froze.
"Interesting," Katie said next to her.
Harry was dismounting his broom a few paces away. Ginny was circling above, looking down at them, then looking at her in the stands. Ron took a step in to Draco. Draco remained very still, waiting. Then Ron shoved him. And then there was chaos.
Harry ran the twenty paces to them as Ginny dove. The people in the stands murmured. Draco regained his footing and said something back to Ron. Ron responded by punching him in the face.
"Oh! Ron!" Hermione stood. She ran down the bleachers, hopping over the onlookers who had started cheering on the fight. She could hear Katie on her heels and the clicking of the camera to her right. Hermione reached the wall at the edge of the pitch just as Draco rammed into Ron, taking him to the ground.
"Stop!" Hermione yelled. Ginny hit the ground running as Harry pulled Draco off Ron. Hermione had never seen Draco in a real fight. Usually Crabbe and Goyle had taken charge in these situations and Draco had escaped to whine about his injuries. She'd never seen him hit someone in the face like she was currently watching him hit Ron.
Hermione started moving to the entrance to the field, but Katie grabbed her arm. "They've got it Hermione. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!" Katie's face was beaming.
"What?" Hermione was breathless, looking between Katie and the boys. A flash went off to her right and she turned to see Bozo taking a picture of her! She looked back to the field. Harry had pulled Draco back by the arms but Ginny hadn't gotten to Ron yet, so he charged at them both. Ron sucker punched Draco in the stomach while Harry had his arms restrained. Harry looked affronted while Draco slumped to the ground, gasping for air.
"Ron! Stop it!" Hermione tried to run to the field again, but Katie grabbed her again.
"Don't you wonder who it is that's gotten them in such a tizzy, Hermione?" Katie was smiling at the field.
"Oh, I know exactly what's happening here, and it's completely juvenile!" Hermione pouted.
Ginny stood in front of Ron, pushing on his chest. Harry helped Draco up, shielding him from Ron. As the boys were pulled further apart from each other, Ron yelled across the distance.
"Stay the hell away from her!"
Heat danced up Hermione's back. Ginny looked at her, and Katie squeezed her arm, laughing. Ron finally looked back to the stands and found her there at the edge of the pitch. His eyes burned into hers as she gaped at him. He turned and headed to the opposite stands. Oliver Wood, who had missed the whole thing from being up in the air fixing the hoop, sensed that someone should be with Ron and followed him over.
Hermione stared down to the left and saw Harry taking Draco to the cabins. She looked at Ginny, who was standing in the middle of the field with her hands on her hips, breathing hard. They made eye contact and Ginny's face split into a huge grin. Katie laughed again.
"I… I still have no idea what everyone thinks is so funny. That was totally barbaric." Hermione shook her head and looked at Katie.
"Well, Hermione," Katie said. "Oliver Wood might have been the referee of the match today, but it seems like you get to decide who won." Katie smiled brightly.
Hermione blinked at her. She looked to Ron with Oliver Wood's hand on his shoulder across the field, and then to the cabins where Draco and Harry were disappearing, the rest of the D.M.L.E. team following.
She turned to Katie, who was wiggling her brows at her. Hermione frowned. "You tell me. To wait or to settle." She turned from Katie and headed back up the stands to gather her belongings.
The game was effectively postponed. Skeeter tried to interview her as she stomped over to the cabins, but Hermione found that silence was the best remedy for Rita Skeeter.
"Miss Granger! Which of these dashing gentlemen has your heart? Have you told Ron Weasley about your romance with Draco Malfoy? Is he still waiting on your response to his proposal? Do you think either of these men truly won that fight?"
"I think they're both morons," Hermione mumbled as she outpaced Skeeter and her ridiculous heels, sinking into the grass.
"What? What was that? Miss Granger?"
Hermione ignored her and continued. She approached the cabin door just as Draco and Harry exited it. Draco's eye was swollen and cut along the brow. There was bruise forming on his jaw as well. Harry saw her marching over and quickly stepped to the side. Smart man.
"Are you alright?" She stopped in front of Draco. His hair was wet from the shower.
He looked at her and tightened his jaw. "I'm fine."
"Good." She shoved at his shoulders. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
He stumbled in surprise and his back landed against the door of the cabin.
"Me?"
"Yes! Why are you giving Skeeter more ammunition?!" She shoved him again. "You know the pictures of you two brawling will be all over the papers tomorrow!"
"And what makes you think that was all about you, Granger?" he hissed at her and stepped off the door. She held her ground.
"Of course it was about me, because you can't leave well enough alone!"
"For your information, I've been aching to pop him since the day we met."
"Yes, and I'm sure whatever you said to get him to hit you first had nothing to do with me. You've been baiting him all weekend!"
"Baiting him? I sure I don't know what you mean—"
"Oh, please, Malfoy. The mint?" she said. He hid a smirk and bit his tongue between his teeth.
"Those are my favorite mints, Granger. However did you know?" His voice lilted.
"And you knew he'd be with me when your present arrived –"
"And you're welcome for that, by the way," he smirked. "Or have you not figured it out yet."
She gasped. "'Have I not figured it out!?' Of course, I have! Even someone as vapid as your Tuesday girl could figure that out –"
"Oh, I was curious, seeing as I received no 'thank you' card –"
"Well thank you, Malfoy, for swooping in and saving me from my ignorance—"
"It's back to Malfoy, is it? I thought we were getting somewhere, Granger."
"Yes, when you're being an absolute moron, it's Malfoy."
"And when is it Draco?"
"When you're being an absolute asshole!" She shoved his shoulders again. "Don't you dare bring me into this petty behavior again." She pointed a finger at his face.
"I didn't bring you into it at all, Granger. He did."
"If you want to hit him, hit him. Don't use me to get him to hit you first," she hissed.
On cue, a bulb flashed to her left. She turned and found the camera, Skeeter, and Harry, Ginny and several other members of both teams watching them.
"I apologize that your game was ruined," she said. She marched off just as Ron and Oliver Wood were heading into the other cabins.
"Hermione—" Ron's voice.
"Don't start, Ronald Weasley!" She growled at him and continued off the field.
The rest of the day was ruined. She said goodbye to a smirking Katie Bell and went straight to the library to continue drafting her new proposal. Her goal was to lay it on Mathilda's desk the following morning and demand a meeting the following day. She penned a note to Kingsley asking if they could meet tomorrow afternoon. Her determination distracted her from the overwhelming desire to hit someone herself.
She came home just before dinner time, and found Harry and Ron still in her living room. They both stopped talking when she entered and looked up at her. Ginny popped her head out from the kitchen.
"Dinner, Hermione?"
"No, thank you." Her stomach grumbled. She turned to Ron. "Didn't you have to leave tonight?"
"Yeah," Ron stood and dragged his eyes off the carpets. "I wanted to say goodbye before I left."
"Goodbye." Hermione turned and headed toward her bedroom. She tossed her bag on the bed and flipped on the lights with her wand. She heard the door creak and turned to scowl at a very small looking Ron Weasley leaning against her door frame.
"I'm sorry." He pouted.
"For?" She placed her hands on her hips.
"…for whatever you're mad at me for."
She threw her hands up and growled. "Not good enough, Ron!"
"Look, I don't know what to say!" He stepped into the room and left the door cracked just enough for Harry and Ginny to inevitably eavesdrop. "You should have heard what he said about you, Hermione. You would have punched him too!"
She felt a blush run up her neck. "Then let me punch him!"
"I was defending you –"
"No, you were staking your claim," she said. He looked up at her. "I don't know what you think is going on here—"
"I saw the papers," he said. "I've seen the pictures of you both."
"Oh, wonderful!" she quipped. "You know, Skeeter printed that Harry and I were dating when we were fourteen, and that was true as well!"
Ron looked at the ground. Hermione stepped closer to him and touched his arm.
"Ron, I want to make sure that we're clear," she said quietly. "You and I are not dating." He looked up at her. "It's impossible to do so at this time, and… and I don't think it's what we'd want anyway." He opened his mouth, and before he could say anything they'd regret about him wanting her, she said, "And I'm going to begin seeing people." He closed his mouth. "You can't come punch people in the face whenever you see me pictured in the paper with them."
He nodded. He looked at her face, searching. "So, there's nothing going on with you and Draco Malfoy?"
Hermione looked into his blue eyes and thought of a Slytherin ring handing her a drink, grey eyes flashing at her, warming her, a silver voice whispering You think that's why they call you the Golden Girl?, the ghost of a hand guiding her across the street, the press of her hip against the Cornerstone counter as his body invaded her space… and the heat of his breath on her face as he hissed the number 35,000 at her.
The moments that were only moments, and not enough to wait for, not enough to pin a dream on.
She blinked and did not lie. "There is nothing going on between Malfoy and me."
After that, Ron left. He'd hugged her and smiled sadly as he pulled her door closed. She stood there, listening to him make plans with Ginny for Christmas, and truly felt for the first time in almost ten years like she and Ron Weasley would not be getting married and having children one day. She felt a loss, but not so sharp as the one nagging at her now that she'd taken stock of her "relationship" with Draco Malfoy.
Perhaps she should contact Rita Skeeter. She would be devastated to hear that neither gentleman was her chosen beau. She laughed at herself as a knock rapped on the door.
Harry leaned against the door frame. "He's gone."
Hermione nodded, and turned to fold some clothes. Harry was the only one she knew who chose to do certain household chores the Muggle way, like her.
"You know," he continued, "I didn't get it for the longest time."
She looked back at him, raising her brows in question, picking up clothing to fold.
"I thought… well, I thought it was very odd… and unlike you."
"Harry, what-?"
"But I saw you together today. And I think I get it now."
Hermione frowned at him. "Saw…?"
"You and Malfoy."
Her hands stopped folding the jeans she was working on. "Saw us? What do you mean?"
He looked at his shoes. Trainers, she realized, and her heart warmed at the normalcy.
"You're very alike. Both well-read, both passionate. And when you fight…. It's not like with you and Ron. And I think I get it now."
He looked back up at her and smiled lightly.
"There's nothing to get," she said softly. "Malfoy and I do not have a relationship."
Harry blinked at her, and looked at his shoes again. "Okay."
She turned and continued folding her jeans. She heard him close the door.
The date on the paper read November 1, 1999. Today was the day Draco was to announce his consulting firm, wooing the entire wizarding world with how far he'd come and how ambitious he was. Instead, he was punching Ron Weasley in the face.
"THE FIGHT FOR HERMIONE GRANGER'S HEART!"
by Rita Skeeter
Hermione frowned. Her head hurt. The article featured some wonderful pictures of the fight, but several more of Hermione standing at the edge of the field with Katie, Hermione shoving Draco, Hermione storming off the pitch.
What angered Hermione most about the article was its accuracy. There was nothing to fight with Skeeter over. The two boys did start a brawl on the Quidditch field and it did have something to do with her. Skeeter didn't exaggerate anything.
Hermione shoved the paper into the rubbish bin. She took the Floo into work and ignored the staring and the conversations that would stop as she passed. She got to her desk and found seven Howlers waiting for her. She frowned. She sent them into the conference room and cast a silencing charm.
After thirty minutes of enduring the Ron Weasley Fan Club, the Society for the Preservation of Draco Malfoy's Lineage, and a few Quidditch enthusiasts who were really looking forward to yesterday's game, Hermione finally got to turn in her proposal to Mathilda. She returned to her desk to find a note from Narcissa, requesting that they meet somewhere private for their lunch that afternoon, and suggested a little shop in Muggle London, surprisingly.
Hermione was more surprised that Narcissa still even wanted to meet. If Hermione was having a day like today, Draco and Narcissa must be swamped as well.
Hermione arrived at the coffee shop and found Narcissa tucked into a corner next to a bookshelf. She was dressed as "Muggle" as Narcissa Malfoy could manage, but still looked the epitome of grace and fashion.
"Oh, Hermione, dear," Narcissa stood and pulled her in. "What a day I'm sure you must be having."
"Yes," Hermione said, pulling back. "It's been trying. But what about you? Wasn't Draco supposed to announce his consulting firm today?"
Narcissa pursed her lips together. "Yes. Yes, he was. And now it needs to be postponed at least a week." Narcissa shook her napkin onto her lap.
"I'm so sorry, Narcissa."
"Oh, it's not your fault. You didn't engage in a pissing contest in front of a camera." Narcissa pressed her hand to her temple, and Hermione's eyes widened at her language. "I apologize. I'm under a lot of stress."
Hermione hid a smile. "Not at all. And do let me know if there is anything I can do to help with… 'damage control.' I suspect that the best thing I can do is stay away though."
Narcissa's eyes sparkled and the waiter arrived. Narcissa ordered a tea for her and coffee for Hermione, but when the waiter asked about French press, drip, decaf, espresso, macchiato, Hermione watched Narcissa's brows shoot up in confusion. Hermione jumped in and just clarified that a regular coffee would be perfect with some milk.
Narcissa turned back to her and said, "Well, before the shenanigans of this weekend happened, I did want to invite you to lunch for a specific purpose, Hermione."
"Oh?" Hermione set the menu down to give Narcissa her full attention. Narcissa leveled her eyes on her.
"Hermione," she began, "You do know how grateful I am that you chose to speak at Draco's trial?"
Hermione blinked at her. "Oh… yes, of course. It was the right thing to do."
"You have really given him a second chance. This business – should it ever get off the ground," she mumbled, rolling her eyes and then continued, "will truly be an opportunity for Draco to prove himself. To set himself apart from the War. From Lucius's reputation. And I cannot thank you enough for that opportunity."
Hermione was so thankful that the waiter arrived with their coffee and tea and to take their order. She had never heard Narcissa talk about Lucius and she didn't know how to respond to this at all. She had a faint memory of Narcissa using her maiden name when placing books on reserve at Cornerstone. The waiter moved away and Hermione clutched at her coffee cup.
"I- Yes, I am so glad that Draco has this opportunity as well. He has a very keen eye for business opportunities."
Narcissa sipped her tea, eyeing her over her cup. She set it down. "I have also told Lucius just how instrumental you have been in Draco's new life. Your friendship and Mr. Potter's friendship have been most influential."
Hermione blinked at her. Narcissa continued.
"Lucius would like the opportunity to thank you for speaking at Draco's trial as well." Narcissa's eyes glittered and Hermione felt very stiff. "I've also told him you are now a dear friend of mine, and that it would… behoove him to get to know you better."
Narcissa added just a touch more sugar to her tea. She stirred with her spoon, and watched Hermione's face.
"He would be honored if you would visit him at Azkaban this coming Saturday."