Thank you to everyone for the reviews! Don't worry, this story will get dark. I just want to make sure I do it justice This is a pretty slow chapter, in that I'm just trying to set the scene for the rest of the novel. I really wanted to create a magical home for everyone so it's a lot of description. I promise there will be more action soon. Also, does anyone have any specific ships they would like to see here? My original thought was Draco/Hermione, but Hermione/Jacob Black is just so darn tempting…. And what am I going to do about poor Harry? Any and all insight/ideas welcome Enjoy!
Chapter Three:
The first thing Hermione noticed was the overwhelming smell of pine trees. Then, the oppressive muggy air, followed by the echoes of birds chirping through the forest. She opened her eyes and gasped in awe at the scene surrounding her.
The forest was like something out of a dream. The deciduous pines stretched up into the sky, their tops beyond her sight; ancient guardians from a time when magic flowed freely. The sloping terrain curved lazily downhill and a small river rushed by, gurgling and laughing as it bounced along. Fog hung heavily in the air, but every few feet or so a small ray of sun was able to burst through the fog and the trees to reveal how truly green the forest floor was. Decomposing logs had fallen this way and that, and squirrels – squirrels! – could be seen running around, scolding each other as they tried to protect their hoard.
Hermione turned from the silent appreciation of her new office towards Harry, inhaling the fresh forest air deeply. She heard a small cough behind her and glanced over at Draco, who was staring unhappily at the ground in front of him.
Hermione smirked coldly. "Afraid of a little mud?"
Draco shot her a dark glare and muttered something under his breath. Harry cleared his throat, embarrassed by the underlying tension in the question. While he had noticed a newfound tenderness between Hermione and Draco, he knew better than anyone that they had a long way to go, and he didn't want to start this new chapter in their lives with an argument.
Blonde hair suddenly danced across his face, and faster than he could blink Luna had grabbed hold of Hermione's hand and began sashaying through the forest towards the road. "It's not much farther now, Hermione! The will-o-wisps are glowing brighter the closer we get."
Hermione softly smiled. Being close to people after the war didn't come easily to her, but her relationship with Luna had always been full of warmth. Luna was the exception. "I'm really looking forward to seeing the house! When the Ministry said they were constructing one here just for us, I had no idea what to expect!" Hermione replied.
Draco chuckled. "Feel free to thank me in advance."
Hermione whirled on her heel and stopped to look at him. "Why should I thank you?"
"Didn't I tell you? I enlisted Draco to help me design the layout," Harry replied.
"Yes, well, it's good for business," Draco responded, brushing the compliment aside. While he certainly wanted to be in the country to keep an eye on Hermione, the fact of the matter was he would have moved here regardless. He took over his father's assets upon Lucius' incarceration, and was quick to invest in property which he then redesigned and sold to the highest bidder. He would have to be on the road a lot, but it felt nice to have a home base of sorts. And even better that he had acquaintances there.
Hermione smirked teasingly. "I will make sure to give you enough constructive criticism to last you a lifetime."
Harry barked in laughter while Draco groaned. "Gee, thanks Professor."
Hermione turned around, smiling smugly. "You're welcome!"
"We're here!" Luna excited exclaimed. The four had arrived at the end of a newly paved road, and they stopped in stared at their new home. The house was an unassuming two story with a front wraparound porch. It was painted a light brown color, and the chairs decorating the front porch were made of polished cherry wood and were engraved with the four Hogwarts house seals, one per chair. Hermione gasped in delight and allowed herself to be dragged up the driveway as Luna continued her running narrative about all of the plants she was sure to grow right out front.
"Isn't that a perfect place for a garden? Of course, our magical plants will have to be hidden, but I've always love roses and snapdragons. Isn't it funny that the flower is named "snapdragon" but that it's actually where the snapdragons live?" Luna exclaimed.
"Okay, now, while this looks like a muggle lock, it actually charmed so that it will only let the four of us enter. Anyone else needs express, spoken permission by one of us, and that can be changed at any time." Harry announced to the group. He stepped past Hermione and Luna, who were gazing around excitedly, and opened the door. He felt the warmth of the magic as it recognized him and the others, and with a grin he swung the door open wide.
Hermione squealed and darted inside the house. Luna followed after her, shouting, while Draco smirked and strolled in like he owned the place.
Harry walked in and whistled slowly. The house was much, much bigger on the inside. Every wall seemed to be made out of that same cherry wood. There was a small foyer upon entering with ample room to store coats and shoes. Harry removed his shoes and stepped towards a small hallway. He had only taken a few steps when the house opened up. He saw a beautiful combination library and sitting room to the right, complete with a fireplace and the couches exactly like the couches in the common rooms at Hogwarts. There were even embroidered pillows for each of them; two Gryffindor pillows, one Ravenclaw, and one Slytherin.
"Don't worry, I have a Hufflepuff pillow hidden in the hall closet in case we ever need it for a visitor," Draco announced behind him.
"I gotta say Draco, and I've only seen one room, but I love what you've done with the place!" Harry replied.
"Well, thanks. Come along this way Potter, you haven't even seen the best yet!" Draco replied firmly. Harry sadly left the beautiful library and continued down the hallway. They passed a bathroom on the left and had only taken a few more steps when the ceiling, which had been at a standard height for the rest of the house, suddenly became vaulted and raised to a point. Harry stepped into a large room which consisted of two separate areas, a kitchen with what looked like brand new appliances, (Hermione and Luna loved to cook the muggle way, much to Draco's chagrin,) and a dining room. While the ceiling was nowhere near as tall as the ceiling in Hogwarts, it still reminded Harry quite nicely of the place he had called home for seven years. And, to his delight, it appeared to be enchanted in the same way. Right now, the ceiling was charmed to look like the tall shelves in Hogwart's library.
Harry moved away from the dining room, which was completely encased by the cherry wood, and into the kitchen. A giant sliding window comprised most of the wall of the back of the house, and there was a porch in back, as well as a manicured lawn that looked suspiciously like an amateur Quidditch field.
Harry turned to Draco, grinning. "Is that what I think it is?"
Draco scoffed. "Of course, Potter. As if I could live without one."
"Harry!" Harry heard Hermione's voice coming from the basement. "You have to come see this!"
Harry turned to look at Draco. "Where are they?"
Draco turned back down the hallway. "The doorway to the basement is right before the kitchen. I charmed it so that you can't find it unless you're looking for it. You'll see why."
Harry and Draco trotted down the stairs into the basement and Harry grinned at the sight. There was a full potions laboratory as well as what looked like an underground greenhouse. Hermione was busy running around and looking at the equipment while Luna was carefully examining the greenhouse and muttering to herself about the proper living arrangements for the knargles and will-o-wisps.
"This lab is brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes shining. "It's perfect for our work! And that's not all! There's a dueling room down the hallway, and what looks like an underground pool-"
"-Because the last time I swam was SO much fun," Harry muttered.
"-And Luna said the dueling room doubles as a home theatre!"
Harry turned in surprise. "Really?" he said to Draco.
Draco just shrugged. "She asked for it."
Hermione, suddenly remembering that she had to unpack, suddenly ran past Draco and Harry and sprinted up the stairs. "Luna! We haven't seen our rooms yet!"
"I'm coming!" Luna squealed as she darted past the boys. They followed suit and the four of them ran in a line, up one flight of stairs, down into the foyer, up a second flight of stairs, and entered a large common room.
"Hermione and Luna, your rooms are to the right. Draco's and mine are to the left," Harry clarified.
"How will I know which one is mine?" Luna asked.
"You'll know," Harry smiled. "Go to the left down your hallway."
Luna and Hermione walked down the hallway and turned left. Shrieks of delight could be heard from the room as Luna danced around. Luna's room was painted a soft, light blue color, and all of her furniture made it look like it had been stolen from a fairy tale. Her dresser, desk, and bedstand were all made of knotted wood, and the four corners of the room held enchanted trees with flowers that would change color and variety every day, she would soon learn. A large window graced her wall, which overlooked the Quidditch field.
Hermione left Luna to her wonder and went across the hallway to her own room. She gasped in surprise.
Her room was perfect. That was all she could think. It was absolutely perfect. All of her furniture was made of a polished, light chestnut, and the queen sized bed on her right wall was covered with a fleece quilt that was made up of different designs, each design the cover of a well-loved book she had read during her time at Hogwarts. Each design was colored in such a way that when each separate piece was put together, she could see each individual book cover but she could see the big picture as well, the Gryffindor house crest. The walls of her room were a light cream, and as she took a second look she realized that all of her furniture was in a very vintage style, except for her bed. While Luna had a canopy bed – the canopy once again held up by four magical trees – Hermione's bed had a canopy that only draped against the right wall, and the two magical trees that held it up were carved to make room for her favorite books. She soon discovered that the shelves would adjust to accommodate the size of the books she placed there. And instead of flowers growing from the trees, delicate and intricate roses were carved into the wood, and she would learn that they glowed softly at night, comforting her as she fell asleep.
The wall across from the doorway had a small window on the left side of the wall. The right side was practically covered floor to ceiling with bookshelves. Her dresser and desk was on the left wall across from the bed, as well as the door to her walk-in closet and personal bathroom. Shorter bookshelves were to the left of the doorway, and the wall to the right was bare, perfect for her to hang pictures or artwork or potential paper ideas she had.
Hermione grinned in delight and ran down the hallway, veering left after she passed the common room, and ran straight into Draco, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered as tears ran down her face. "Thank you."
Draco coughed uncomfortably but held her tightly just the same. "Of course," he whispered gently.
After a few moments, Hermione pulled away and looked briefly around Draco's room. It was decorated in his Slytherin green – which surprised no one – but like Hermione's room, he had a multitude of bookshelves. Clearing her throat, Hermione blushed and backed out of Draco's room and straight into Harry's. She turned around grinning when she entered. His room was that warm Gryffindor red and was certainly Gryffindor themed. Harry had some bookshelves, but the focal point of his room was his enchanted wall. Hermione didn't know how he had done it, but somehow the wall mirrored the exact events of whatever Quidditch game he wished to watch. The enchanted painting was right above his desk, and Harry was grinning like an idiot. Hermione shook her head and sat on his bed to watch the first Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw game of the season.
Two hours later the group met up in their common room and sat, chatting about their favorite parts of the house. The house elves had arrived soon after they had discovered their bedrooms, and Crookshanks and Hedwig had immediately torn around the house looking for their special spot. Crooks was currently napping on Hermione's bed, and Hedwig was perched in the common room. Thanks to their magic, it had only take around an hour to unpack, and even though they were exhausted, they couldn't stop talking about the new house. Well, everyone but Draco. Flattered as he was by their praise, Draco still felt uncomfortable contributing frequently to the conversation. Instead, he listened to their conversation and smiled, happy that he had done a good job.
Hermione finally yawned and glanced at the enchanted clock painting on the wall, which had just struck eleven. "I think it's time we call it a night," she said as she stretched.
"I agree," Luna added softly. "The wisps are quite insistent that we visit town tomorrow. And not just because we need groceries."
Harry smiled and stood up. "Well then, I think it's a good idea then. Those wisps certainly sound like they know what they're doing."
Luna smiled, gazing off somewhere in the distance. "Of course they do, Harry."
Draco sighed softly and rolled his eyes. Hermione shot him a look and he turned and nodded to Luna in response, looking as penitent as possible.
Hermione smirked and yawned again. She stood up and went to hug Luna, and afterwards turned to the boys and wished them a good night. Harry walked over and hugged her as well and she relished holding her best friend in her arms. Harry and Luna exchanged hugs as well, and Hermione watched as Draco awkwardly stood looking at her and Luna, not sure what to do. Finally, he shook Hermione's hand, to her amusement, and he turned to shake Luna's hand, but she ambushed him with a hug instead. He patted her back and cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Hermione giggled at this sight.
Leaving the others behind her, she walked into her room, shooed Crookshanks off her pillow, and laid in her bed watching the roses twinkle above her. They had been in this house for less than a day, but somehow, she knew that it was home.