Pansy
Their first idea of transport for Narcissa was dismissed out of hand. Harry had offered to rent a car and drive her all the way to Surrey from Scotland. Narcissa was much more polite in her refusal than Draco who told Harry that he was completely mental and in no uncertain terms his mother would not be hurtling toward England in whatever deathtrap Potter was operating.
Hermione insisted the Floo would be fine, but she wanted Padma to accompany the Malfoy matriarch as it was a long way. The healer agreed and it was settled. Hermione, Theo, and Draco would go ahead to her parents' house and prepare a room for Narcissa and she would come along after.
Hermione felt an odd sense of comfort as she, Theo, and Draco crossed the threshold of the Floo and entered her parents' house. It was a jarring realisation when compared to how anxious and uncomfortable she'd felt when the whole ordeal began. Had so much changed that this home that she never thought could be home again finally felt like hers again?
She didn't waste time dwelling on it. There was too much to do. 'I don't know how long you will be here, but I'd like you to be as comfortable as possible,' Hermione explained. 'I haven't been in m-my parent's room since…they left. I'd like to offer it to Narcissa. It's large with a private bath and I think it would suit her needs. What do you think, Draco?' she turned toward him and watched as he processed the implications of her suggestion. She knew that he knew how big a step this was for her.
"If it is okay with you, I think that will be nice," he said, finally finding his words.
"It's more than okay," she reassured. "They are gone, Draco. They aren't coming back."
Theo and Draco exchanged an unreadable look, but Draco finally nodded and agreed.
"Okay," Hermione continued, "Theo, we can keep you in my old room. I'll transfigure something more comfortable than those hospital beds. I assumed Draco and I could settle in the guest room I was using," she explained. Draco and Theo both nodded in happy agreement.
"Good," Hermione said with a sigh. "I know it's hard going back to no magic," she allowed. "Do you mind making us some lunch?"
"Of course," Draco replied.
"I'll straighten up the kitchen and garden," Theo offered.
"Great!" Hermione beamed before pecking them both on the cheek and heading up the stairs to prepare their rooms. She started with the hardest first. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and counted to five before opening them again and reaching out to open her parents' bedroom door.
They were double doors and as she pushed them forward, opening up the room she'd not been in for over five years, dust particles fell from their edges. Inside it was like a time capsule. It looked exactly as it had the morning she'd obliviated her parents, with the exception of there now being a layer of thick dust over nearly everything. Her mother's dressing gown was even strewn haphazardly across her vanity chair, her morning perfume still uncapped.
Hermione sniffled. As comfortable as she'd gotten in the house again, this was such a real reminder of her parents and what she'd lost. Her dad's slippers were next to the bed exactly as he'd always placed them. Her mother's throw pillows on the floor as they'd not remade the bed by the time Hermione had extracted them from her life - or her from theirs, however one chose to look at it.
She reached out and touched the crumpled bedding as if some part of them might have lingered behind but there was naught but dust and emptiness.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she shook her head, as if to banish them.
They are gone. They are safe. That is what matters.
She raised her wand and first cleaned the room of all dirt, dander, and dust. Once the room was clean, she set about making it better suit Mrs. Malfoy's needs. She turned her parent's walk-in shower into a large tub. She stripped the bed and arranged new bedding before she set about resizing her mother's clothing to better fit the more petite Madam Malfoy.
She'd worked up a sweat by the time she was satisfied with the room, and in the end it barely resembled the teal blue and cream owner's suit her mother had designed with an interior decorator only a year before her parents' departure to Australia. Warm brass fixtures replaced the brushed nickel that was there before. Hermione transfigured the warm down comforter a sage green to go with sateen sheets of crisp white. Pink accents gave the room a feminine feel and Hermione nodded her head with satisfaction. It would do.
When she turned around she saw Draco standing in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face as his grey eyes bore into her. "Do you think she'll like it?" Hermione asked.
He swallowed before pushing himself off the door jamb and moving into the room. "She'll love it," he assured Hermione, reaching out and pulling her close.
Hermione rested her head against his broad chest, He'd gained enough weight back by that point that he no longer looked emaciated, but rather athletic, his shoulders broad and his arms strong. She let him wrap them around her. "It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," she said, and she knew he'd understand exactly what she meant.
There was a comfortable silence before Draco held her tighter to him and breathed in the top of her head. "I'll never stop feeling like I don't deserve your kindness," he breathed against her.
Hermione sighed. She knew anything she said would fall on deaf ears. "Is lunch finished?" she asked instead.
"Mmhmm," Draco murmured softly, nodding his head against her.
"Good," she said. "Your mother will be here any minute and I have one more thing to take care of." Draco looked at her quizzically but she just pursed her lips into a small smile.
Her surprise was almost as much for him as it was for Theo…almost.
He sighed, rolled his eyes, and let her go. She almost giggled as he huffed when he turned on his heel and made his way back down the stairs. Hermione gave Narcissa's new room one more look and nodded to herself before shutting the door and moving down the hallway to the room she and Draco would share. She smiled at Pigwigeon who was flapping happily in his cage - a loan from Ron for the day. Jotting out her message, she quickly attached it to Pig's leg and sent him off to find the addressee most urgently.
Narcissa settled in very quickly, taking her own lunch in her room while Padma made sure the room was equipped with all the most important things the elder Malfoy would need. With Padma there, Hermione took her opportunity to retrieve her surprise - in the form of a annoyed, cross-armed Pansy Parkinson, tapping her food impatiently in an alley beside The Leaky Cauldron.
"Granger," she spat. "What could you possibly want?"
Hermione took a deep, calming breath. She tried to remember everything she'd learned over the last weeks about the Slytherin mentality and not take Pansy's rude behaviour personally. "Pansy," she greeted calmly. "Have you been reading the Prophet?" she asked cryptically.
She saw a beat of hesitation behind Pansy's eyes before the black-haired woman nodded at her. "About you and your incredibly stupid war with the Ministry?"
Hermione snorted. "I was hoping you cared a little bit more about who I was fighting the ministry for," she added.
Pansy's eyes widened marginally. "So, it's true. You have them?" Hermione could hear the eager tone that Pansy was trying very hard to cover with apathy.
Hermione looked around the alley. There was no one there, but one never knew where ears could be hiding. "If you'd come with me, I can answer any questions you have. I don't fancy having this conversation in the middle of Wizarding London."
Pansy looked around the alley, then, before hesitantly nodding. She reached her hand out hesitantly before taking it back. "If you splinch me, I swear to Merlin, Granger…"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I only splinched Ron once, and it was a dire situation. You'll be perfectly safe." Pansy swallowed as if that news didn't comfort her in the least but reached her hand out again and Hermione took it, immediately Apparating them to her back garden.
Pansy stumbled momentarily before snatching her hand back and stepping away from Hermione. The Slytherin took the moment to look around at her new surroundings. Hermione noticed this trait in Draco - always looking for exits, always on guard. "What's this?" Pansy asked. "Some Muggle aristocrat's garden? I don't feel a high level of magic here."
"You might say that," Hermione allowed, a smirk on her lips. "This is my childhood home. We were considered aristocracy at one point, when things like that mattered in the Muggle world."
Hermione took delight in the sound of Pansy's mouth snapping shut and the image of her eyes nearly bugging out of her head as she processed what she'd been told. "Now," Hermione continued, "this is a very long story, and I suppose I don't have to tell all of it. The boys will fill you in on all the details, I'm sure. But while the Prophet has written all manner of lies, one thing that is true is that I did remove Theo and Draco from Azkaban - I've also, since, removed Narcissa. I was working on a case as an Unspeakable to remove the Dark Mark."
"Th-Did you do it?" Pansy asked, her tone devoid of the original apathy, instead pleading - just stopping short of reaching out for Hermione's arm again in earnest.
Hermione nodded. "I did," she admitted. "As you know, The Ministry is very unhappy with my handling of this case. I'm sure to be out of a job very soon, and I'm doing everything I can to avoid them going back to Azkaban, but if I can't…"
"Of course you can't," Pansy sneered, straightening her posture and taking on the look Hermione recognized from their Hogwarts days. "As special as you think you are, you aren't above the law."
Hermione was starting to struggle to bite her tongue. An argument, though, was the last thing she wanted. "Regardless," she finally said, "I know how much you mean to both Theo and Draco and I wanted to offer the opportunity for you to visit with them - if you want to, that is."
Hermione already knew she wanted to. "They're here?" Pansy asked, her brown eyes darting around as if she might spot them at any moment.
"They are," Hermione said. "I will need a Wand Oath, though, for their own protection. You cannot tell anyone, not even someone you think is a friend where they are or even that you saw them."
Pansy hesitated.
"I understand if that is too much. If so, I can simply Obliviate you and send you on your way…"
Pansy swallowed. After a long moment she finally agreed, "Fine."
Hermione smiled and took out her wand, motioning for Pansy to do the same. The other woman reluctantly did so. "Juramentum honoris in magica." The tip of both of their wands glowed amber as the spell was cast, and Hermione smiled to herself when it was done.
"Now," she said, turning toward the house. "I haven't exactly told them you are coming, so…"
Pansy's short legs moved quickly to catch up with Hermione, and she could feel the excited tension radiating from the other woman. She smiled to herself. Pansy might have been a right bitch, but she had to admit, she felt a little bit happy to be able to facilitate this reunion - and not just for Draco and Theo's sake.
She led Pansy into the house and stifled a giggle at the gasp of awe the woman beside her let out when she saw the inside of the house. No doubt, Pansy had laboured under the same false narrative Draco had - that Muggles were largely poor. They walked up the stairs in silence as Hermione approached Theo's door and knocked lightly.
"Come in," Theo called from the other side. She heard Pansy take a shaky breath as she turned the knob and opened the door. Before she had the chance to even open it, Pansy pushed through the door with trembling hands and stepped into the room, Hermione right behind.
Hermione watched as Theo registered Pansy's presence, his eyes drifted up to see who had entered, then back down to his book, then up again in a hilarious double take. "Pans…" his voice was breathy and shocked, but before he could even register who he was seeing Hermione watched as Pansy stalked into the room, pulled Theo up by the collar and shoved their mouths together.
Hermione's eyes widened. She'd not expected that. "Uh, Theo, are you …okay?" she asked, not knowing exactly how to respond. Theo soundly ignored her, but as he realised what was happening, his own hands moved up to cup Pansy's face and Hermione stood in the doorway feeling very much like an unwanted voyeur.
They broke apart for air, and Pansy's cheeks were wet with tears. "I swore if I ever saw you again, I would do that," she confessed.
Hermione slipped out of the room and closed the door softly behind her.
She heard Draco's voice in Narcissa's room and decided to look for him there. He was having tea with his mother, Padma sitting in a lounge chair near the end of the bed. "Oh, Miss Granger," Narcissa greeted. "Thank you so much for the accommodations. They are lovely."
"You are most welcome," Hermione smiled. "Can I borrow Draco for a moment?"
"Certainly," Narcissa obliged. "I'm feeling very tired." Hermione knew that was a lie. Narcissa had never looked more awake over the last weeks, but she wasn't about to contradict the woman. She watched as Draco kissed his mother's head and walked toward her, shutting the doors behind them as they exited.
"Is this about our surprise?" Draco asked, his lips curling up at the corners.
Hermione snorted. "I suppose I'm not that stealthy."
"Not even remotely," Draco assured.
'Well, I'll bet I surprise you just a little when you find out what it is.'
"Do go on," Draco encouraged as they moved down the hall to their bedroom.
"Pansy's here," Hermione said.
"Pansy?" Draco asked, the shock evident in his voice. "Parkinson?" Hermione nodded. "She came here willingly? You didn't kidnap her?"
Hermione slapped his shoulder, "Of course not," she answered needlessly. "She's been very anxious to know how the two of you are. And she agreed to a Wand Oath to be here, so she really must miss you."
"Well, where is she?" Draco asked, and she could hear that he was eager to see his old friend as well.
"Well," Hermione said, a blush creeping up her face. "I took her to see Theo first…"
"Let me guess," Draco began, "she finally made the first move and now we are to avoid that room like dragon pox."
Hermione laughed. "I don't think it's quite that debaucherous, but I did think they deserved a minute."
"That was a very nice thing to do for Theo," Draco admitted.
"I assumed it was a nice thing to do for you as well," Hermione hedged.
"Of course I miss Pansy," Draco allowed. "We have been friends since we were in diapers. We had a falling out after I took The Mark, but I've always felt protective of her. I know she can be intense, but…"
Hermione shook her head, "You don't have to explain Pansy to me. It's very unlikely she and I will become best friends, but I will happily take civility."
"You two are more alike than either of you'd ever admit, I'd imagine," Draco said. "Both of you, absolute mother hens."
Hermione swatted at Draco's shoulder again, but he dodged her this time and laughed as she frowned up at him. "Maybe the two of you need to be mothered. Ever think of that?"
"Yes, dear," Draco quipped.
Hermione left Draco, Theo, and Pansy alone for most of the rest of the afternoon. She'd considered sitting in with them, but it felt forced and like she was intruding on something intimate.
Instead, she spent a bit of time with Narcissa, sent Padma home for the day, and went through her mail - or the mail that Harry and Ron deemed safe for her to open. She had a feeling they'd filtered out some non-threatening hate mail while they were at it because she found none in her tidy stack.
Junk.
Invitation to an Unspeakable convention in Lyon.
Quibbler.
Ministry of Magic - Wizengamot.
Hermione's heart thumped in her chest. She took a deep breath and blew it out. She tapped her wand against the envelope and bit her lip.
Well, it's not going to open itself.
It was good Draco wasn't around. It would only make him feel guilty. She swallowed hard and ripped open the envelope.
Ms. Hermione Granger,
It is our duty to inform you of potential disciplinary action regarding alleged misconduct in your capacity as Unspeakable for the Ministry of Magic. The Wizengamot will convene next week on Monday, April 21st at 9:00am. Your duties as Unspeakable are suspended until this disciplinary hearing is resolved.
The three prisoners in your care will come to the Ministry with you on the date of your hearing and be kept in Ministry detention until the Wizengamot reaches a decision about your status as Unspeakable. Regardless of the outcome of the hearing, their case will be transferred to Unspeakable Drugar at its conclusion.
Hoping you are well,
Matilda Plimpton
Hermione shoved it back in the envelope.
Fuck.
She had less time than she thought, and no matter what they weren't going to let her bring Draco, Narcissa, and Theo back to her house after Monday. She bit her lip.
Five days.
Well, it was more like four-and-a-half now. If she wasn't so preoccupied with her next moves, she'd have taken the time to be seriously annoyed that the Wizengamot labelled the hearing 'disciplinary' - as if she'd already been found guilty and all that was left to be decided was her punishment. A tingle of resentment itched the back of her skull, but she ignored it.
No, she had no time for resentments or annoyance. What she needed to do was plan, and get all her chess pieces on the board where they belonged. She put the envelope in her top bureau drawer and tossed the rest in the bin. She quickly jotted a few notes to the relevant people and attached them to little Pig's leg.
"Sorry, love. Long journeys tonight," she purred, petting the little owl on the back of the head. Pigwidgeon tweeted happily and flew out the window.
Hermione checked the time and realised it was already near dinner. She smiled to herself thinking of the perfect idea to feed the trio of Slytherins in her old bedroom. She hopped down the stairs two at a time and made her way to her father's study where she picked up the old land-line phone. She dialled the number she remembered by heart and ordered enough pizza to last them through the night.
When the delivery driver arrived, she tipped him well and took the pizza up stairs where she knocked politely at the door of her old bedroom. She could hear laughter on the other side and she smiled to herself. That was exactly what she'd hoped Pansy would bring to the house.
Draco opened the door and eyed the pizza boxes in her hand. "Is that…"
"Yep," Hermione answered with a broad grin.
"Oh, this should be interesting," Draco said with a laugh. "Do we still have Coke?"
"Yeah, I just didn't have enough hands to bring it up," Hermione said.
"I'll grab it," Draco said, pecking her on the cheek before moving past her toward the stairs. Hermione made her way into the room where she saw Pansy stiffen in Theo's arms, but the grin plastered on Theo's face was unchanged. Hermione felt her heart leap. He was happy - blissfully happy. She had to make sure he stayed that happy.
She squashed those thoughts and placed the pizza on her old desk. "Pizza?" Theo questioned. "Isn't that a little too much for her first Muggle meal?" Hermione could hear the teasing in his voice and they both giggled at Pansy's displeasure.
"I've had pizza before, you fools," Pansy replied, pushing away from Theo and crossing her arms over her chest. "I spent an entire year in Italy with no magic," she pointed out. "Most of the time my father's friends kept us afloat, but we did occasionally have to fend for ourselves."
"Good," Hermione said with a smile. "I hope you like Surrey's closest approximation to the fine dining of Naples."
Theo snorted but Pansy frowned. Hermione felt the awkward silence engulf the room. She didn't know how to talk to Pansy. They didn't have the same rapport that she had with the guys, and all Hermione really knew about Pansy was that she'd been a first-rate bitch in school. Still, Theo loved her - so she couldn't have been all bad, right?
Draco saved them from death by uncomfortable dead air by bounding into the room with a bottle of Coke, plates, and cups.
"Oh, Pansy, stop acting like there is a stick lodged in your arse. Hermione isn't going to bite - at least not you," Draco quipped. Hermione felt her face flush as she stared back at him outraged. He didn't look remotely apologetic.
"I…Draco!" Hermione sputtered when she found her words.
"Oh, get used to it, Granger. Draco has no sense of decorum amongst friends," Pansy said, her tone slightly amused. At least her posture relaxed, and she returned to sitting next to Theo at the edge of his bed.
As they ate, Pansy complained that the Coke was ungodly sweet, to which Draco replied, "No such thing," and Theo and Draco did the majority of the talking while Hermione happily let them take the lead. She had a lot on her mind, and besides, she didn't have much to add. Tonight was about reconnecting with Pansy.
"So, why did you let me come?" Hermione had been zoned out when Pansy asked, so Pansy asked again. "Why did you let me come here?"
Draco and Theo were having a conversation in the corner. Hermione hadn't even noticed.
"Well," she started, "Theo mentioned that he was worried about you. And I knew that you and Draco were close. I assumed you wouldn't turn them into the Wizengamot or Aurors. They've been through so much; I thought the least I could do is let them see an old friend."
Pansy stared at her for a long moment, picking at the edge of her nails as she seemed to be trying to see inside Hermione's head. "And why in the world do you care about what Theo or Draco want?"
"Pansy, I…"
"Oh, I know that you are Draco are fucking," Pansy said. "Even if he didn't tell me, It's obvious. You look at each other like you want to swallow the other whole. It's actually disgusting," Pansy pulled a face. "But no matter what sappy bullshit he tells me about how he's in love with you and you are in love with him, I find it very hard to believe that you just put the past in the past and fell in love with a man who has been rotting in Azkaban for five years. Not Little-Miss-Fucking-Perfect."
Hermione sighed. "I'm far from perfect," she muttered. "Look, I get it. I wouldn't believe it either. If Harry or Ron came to me and told me they'd fallen in love with you, I'd either assume you are playing a trick on them, gave them a love spell, or they were having a psychotic episode. I don't blame you for being sceptical. All I can do is try to show you that I'm serious. I have no reason to play games. It's not as if falling in love with him has been without personal sacrifice. But it's worth it. He is worth it to me."
"It's not like I can do anything about it," Pansy pointed out. "Draco's so goddamn hard-headed; besides, it sounds like he's going back to Azkaban anyway…"
"I am doing everything I can to stop that," Hermione interrupted. "In fact, if I can get him a new trial, I would very much appreciate it if you could offer testimony on his behalf."
"I'd do anything for Draco," Pansy answered instantly. "And for Theo."
"Yes. Theo as well," Hermione amended.
"I don't know how I'm going to leave here," Pansy finally said after a beat. "I just got them back." Hermione could see pools of unshed tears in the other woman's eyes, and she watched in fascination as Pansy seemed to be able to control them, not a single one fell. Sniffing, she regained her composure and that was the last thing Pansy said to her the rest of the evening. She and Draco went to bed only a few moments later leaving Pansy and Theo to themselves for the night.