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The parlour in which Narcissa Malfoy chose to serve tea was located the farthest away from the drawing room where her sister had spilt the blood of her son's intended. She had redecorated when the war was over, completely gutted the home to be honest, all that remained of the Manor in its originality was Draco's wing which he refused to live in and the exterior walls she walled in sections of floor space that held the most horrific memories including the drawing room and her formal dining room. Narcissa Malfoy had been put on magical probation and sentenced to house arrest during the first year and a half after the war in exchange for Draco not being tried as an adult, not that he knew that. She was still technically on probation, she would be for the rest of her days, but the house already had long since been lifted. "Missy Prince has arrived Mistress." A house elf in a tea cozy announced as Narcissa placed the books again on the long low table against the wall. She had been trying to place them in such a way as to entice the young girl to perhaps ask to borrow them.
"I'll be along Quince. " she said moving them to the chaise and following the elf out to the come and go room to find the girl nervously playing with a bouquet of flowers that neared her name, at the last minute Hermione had called Amy and asked her to send over a few stalks of paper white narcissus to add to the roses.
"Good afternoon Hermione," she smiled the warmest greeting she could muster.
"Good afternoon Mrs Malfoy." She replied, handing her the bouquet. "I had been hoping to give you dahlias but it seems they are completely out of season and the greenhouse isn't producing either."
"This is a beautiful bouquet from one flower named woman to another," she smiled taking the parcel. "Quince please fetch the vase Draco created for his first trafiguration test, it will be fitting, oddly enough it is decorated in narcissus and roses as well."
"I also brought another small gift, my father said it was your favoured blend." She said producing the tin as Narcissa directed her towards to parlour she had set up.
"He was not mistaken, it's very kind of you to bring gifts Hermione and I grateful for your thoughtfulness." She smiled kindly turning to the chaise and gesturing for the girl to sit. "Just move the books dear. How do you like your tea?"
"A touch of honey," Hermione replied picking up the books and glancing at the titles. They were exactly what she needed to work through the intricacies of the two house titles she held, she summoned some courage realizing that Narcissa had pulled them for a reason. "Mrs Malfoy."
"Cissa," the elder witch reminded her.
"Cissa right, would I be able to borrow these? I'm having trouble deciphering the difference between wizarding customs and pureblood rules when it comes to my two house titles." Hermione ventured.
"Of course dear, these would be perfect, though I'm sure my son wouldn't mind helping you out." She smiled.
"Oh I don't want to worry him with such silliness." Hermione blushed, part of her, the really competitive part, didn't want to admit that she was under educated when it came to the more intricate parts of pureblood life.
"Well should you have any questions after reading the texts I would be more than happy to clarify. Now enough about that, I asked you over so we could get to know each other. Tell me what it was like growing up in the muggle world." They spent the rest of the hour discussing the different customs and and experiences Hermione had growing up when she started talking about her Hogwarts years Narcissa had interrupted her. "Darling, my son while quite oblivious to the amount he spoke of you, kept me quite abreast of your school time adventures. I would like to apologize to those which."
"No- no that was not your fault, I forgave your son and I owe the same to you. It would be ridiculous to believe you could have saved me or the others while we were here. Draco told me of some of his plans however and I had wanted to discuss those with you." Hermione quickly redirected the conversation not wanting to make it awkward for their first visit.
"Which are you thinking of?" The elder witch nodded knowing her son had a great many plans to fix the divide he had sadly been brought up with.
"Draco had mentioned a few ideas but the one that stuck out the most was that magical children who have no magical family left are being raised in the muggle community like Tom riddle and Harry. A community that while I love dearly and believe had its own merits isn't equipped to care for magical children especially those who are already distraught from the loss of their parents. He wanted to create a refuge for them and I find myself with more properties than I know what to do with at this time never mind when we marry. I had thought if I sell the property at Spinner's End, which my father has assured me holds no sentimental value to him, and wisely invest the money with the goblins then chose a property of mine that doesn't hold family blood ties we could create the Malfoy Family Home for gifted childre. I haven't spoken to Draco about this since he brought it up, as we haven't seen much of each other the last few days. I spoke with a woman today that I think would make a perfect matron of the home, a young hufflepuff girl a few years behind us at Hogwarts. Exceptionally kind and giving of herself, I'm getting ahead of things. I suppose I would have to check with Draco again to make sure he is on board and we would want to have it ministry sanctioned so that we could get access to the Hogwarts reports from the book of births. I just wanted to know if you would aid me in assembling a steering committee that would later become the board of directors." Hermione had babbled on and Narcissa had nodded where she seemed expected to listening while thinking to herself of all the times her son had complained of the young girls crusader ways and her take charge attitude in the past. Certainly she must have calmed slightly since her youth but her passion remained.
"I'd be happy to Hermione, let me know when the time is right and I know just the group of people to call upon." Just as the sentences dropped a knock came on the door.
"Mrs Malfoy, Miss mckinn- Prin- grang." Theodore Nott stumbled for the right salutation to the girl he recognized from Hogwarts.
"Hermione is fine, Theodore but it's prince if you need it later on." She smiled.
"Right you should both come with me there's been..." He was cut off by a silver stag bounding into the room.
"Hermione you need to come to St-Mungo's we had an incident while out on a mission. Please bring Mrs. Malfoy if you are still with her." Harry Potter's voice rang through the room.
"Well of course he had to do that." Theo sighed offering his arm to the elder witch then his other to Hermione who looked shocked that Draco would have them send for her at all. "It's not quite as dramatic as Potter made it sound. I'll let you both see for yourself."
Theodore Nott lead the current and future Lady Malfoys to the come and go room where all three floors into the magical healing centre where both women exchanged nervous looks before following the special investigations Auror up to the heirs room.