Don't own it or make money from it. All rights to J.K. Rowling and her associates.
Hermione looked from her mother to her father and back again. Her parents had been lovely to her since they'd come, although she suspected that had been mostly her mother's doing. Her father appeared to have been elbowed several times. Still, there's been no talk of them being disappointed in her, or upset- she'd even tried to ask her mother once and both her parents had immediately brushed it off. Well, perhaps they were in denial. She still felt that she was, at times.
"So you're getting everything you need, darling? Vitamins, classes, literature?"
Hermione nodded again. "Yes, Mum, I am. Madame Pomfrey has been very helpful. She even helped me create a diet plan that I can use at every meal. And she loaned me several books, although the ones you've brought me will be a big help."
Mrs. Granger hugged her daughter again and sighed. "I understand your wanting to stay in school- it's not so unusual, even in our 'muggle' world, but I want you to know that you're welcome to come home for a visit any time you like. And we'll have you for Christmas, too, so that will be nice, won't it?"
"Er," replied Hermione.
Her father raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean? You're not planning on staying here, are you? So you can be near that boy?"
Another elbow met his gut and he rolled his eyes. Hermione bit back a grin.
"No, Dad, nothing like that…but, well, he did invite me to spend a few days with him at his family home over the holiday- not for Christmas itself, or anything, but he thought it might be good for me to spend some time with his mother, too…" her voice trailed off as she watched the two of them nervously.
Her mother seemed very open to the idea. "Of course, darling. That seems like it would be alright. We met her at the conference, you know, and she seemed like a lovely woman."
"A bit prickly," grunted her father. Hermione hid her smile behind a cough and nodded.
"Well, his family is a little stiff. They're very old wizarding blood, so it's to be expected." Hermione delicately left out the bit about them being stuck-up, pompous, self-absorbed wankers.
"Yes, that's what that Professor Snape said," her mother murmured. "Still, I don't see why you shouldn't. We'll need the contact information for his home, in that case. Would you go straight there and then come home?"
"I don't know yet. I suppose I'll have to ask Draco later." If I ever see him, she grumbled to herself. I know I've been the one avoiding him, but you'd think he could be a little more persistent once in a while. After all, this is supposed to be our baby, isn't it?
Another elbow hit her father and he grumbled a bit. "Speaking of diets and meeting up with your-" another elbow- "fellow, your mother and I wondered if you'd like to invite him and his mother to dinner with us. The headmaster gave us permission to take you down to that little village for a while this evening."
Hermione looked from one parent to the other, unsure of how she should respond. Clearly, her mother loved the idea, her father hated it and Draco? Narcissa Malfoy? How would they react? Never mind that, as much as she loved her parents, Draco would find some way to humiliate her later on in private because of it. She bit back her immediate desire to say no and choked out a weak yes.
"Sure, Mum," she replied, "that would be great."
Narcissa stared at Severus as he regained his color. She turned back to Dumbledore and crossed her arms. "What do you mean, he didn't know?"
"Your son seems to have trouble trusting our Severus," he replied calmly. "Lemon drop?"
"Thank you," she murmured and took one of the candies. "But I don't see why he wouldn't- I've trusted him with my son's life, after all."
"As I have trusted him with my own," responded the headmaster. He gave Narcissa a thoughtful glance. "How much do you know?"
"About Severus betraying the Death Eaters or Draco's mission?"
At that, Severus began choking again. Narcissa turned to him.
"Oh, darling, why are you so surprised? I'm about the only person you act like yourself around anymore. Of course I saw what was happening. Do you think I was pleased when Lucius told me about them searching for Potter and Evans? No, of course not. I had a son of my own, I could imagine the terror that poor mother felt. I don't blame you at all for doing what you did or what you continue to do. And I knew full well when you accepted the Unbreakable earlier this year that you must have worked something out with Dumbledore already. Otherwise you never would have agreed. You'd have wormed your way out of it somehow."
She turned back to Albus and smiled. "As for my son's task, well, you know I can't really talk about it, what with the vow- but I'll answer what questions I can. I can't say I'm pleased about the state of affairs or why he's changing loyalties- belief in blood purity is a hard thing to get out of one's system when you've been brought up on it your whole life- but I am relieved, in a way. I want my family in one piece."
"His change of loyalties does not guarantee that," Albus cautioned her, but she only shrugged.
"I know that. But he'll have a better chance of it with you all than with the other one."
Severus finally managed to begin breathing again and he glared at both of them. "When were you going to mention all this to me, Narcissa?"
She smiled again. "Oh, Sev. I couldn't say anything without proof. And, here's my proof!" She gestured at the three of them. "So here I am. You'll get over it, dear."
Snape grumbled to himself rather forcefully and Albus twinkled at him a bit before the door opened again and Draco walked in. The three of them turned to look at him and he eyed them in return. A sinking feeling hit his stomach and he knew that someone had spilled the beans to another someone, even without the look of dread that had pasted itself on his professor's face.
"How did the conference go?" he finally asked.
"It was fine," Narcissa murmured. She moved towards him and frowned. "You don't look well, darling."
"What do you expect?" Draco replied evenly. He glanced at Dumbledore and raised an eyebrow. "Why is Snape here?"
"Lemon drop?" the old man responded.
Severus wanted to fling the bowl of candy out the nearest window, but he settled for balling his hands into fists. He stalked over to Draco and looked him in the eyes.
"Since this seems to be the time for revelations…" he began in dangerously quiet tones, "Draco, you should know that I know all about your task because your mother made me take an Unbreakable vow to help you in any way possible, to the extent of completing the task for you. She and the headmaster have informed me of your decision to become a spy for the Order. I do not wholly approve of this course of action, but it is more desirable than serving Voldemort. I should know. I have been doing it these past fifteen odd years," he finished in one breath, then sat in the nearest chair.
Draco stared at him for several quiet seconds before he turned back to Dumbledore. "I'll take that Lemon Drop now," he begged.
After a lengthy discussion in which egos were wounded, soothed, placated and finally compromised, the four of them arrived at a suitable plan of action. Draco would continue to fake plots to kill the headmaster, leaving Snape to kill him at the end of the year (Draco had strenuously objected to Albus' actual death, but both men had finally convinced him it was quite alright and that Albus had lived as long as he cared to); after which Snape would take Draco and his mother to be hidden and cared for by the Order. Albus would use Draco's connection to Hermione to pass extra information along to Harry so that he would be better equipped to take down Voldemort, and Snape would, after secreting mother and son, return to Voldemort's side and continue his double agent work. After they'd worked out that side of the equation, Narcissa turned to her son. She could tell he was at least a little upset about the news of his headmaster's impending death, but they still needed to decide what would be done about the girl.
"Draco, please tell me what happened with her. Were you really only searching for a way to complete your task? I find it very hard to believe that you honestly thought the answer lay in a muggleborn girl's maidenhood."
"Mother!" Draco exclaimed, looking as if he'd like to lose his lunch. Narcissa rolled her eyes.
"I could have said a great many worse things. You're the one who slept with her. Now stop being a cow and tell me what happened. And don't pretend like you love her."
"I don't," he replied, knowing it was true, and yet…he sighed. "She was helping me study- headmaster's orders!" he explained as he saw her frowning again. "And we were talking and yes, I thought if I could get closer to her then maybe I could use her, somehow. Anyway, we were studying late one night in the library and she was upset about something, so I put my arm around her and one thing led to another. That's all, I swear, Mother." Having unwittingly described Hermione's experience with Ron, he sat back in his chair and waited for his mother to respond. It seemed rather foolish to him to have to lie to his mother about the pregnancy after all the other secrets they'd just revealed, but he knew it was this or his neck. Possibly his mother's neck, too, so he tried not to feel too bad about it and adopted a smug, nonchalant look upon his face.
"The library?" Narcissa whispered. She turned a pale face to the headmaster. "You allow your students to have sex in the library? What's become of this place?"
"It was a one time occurrence," Albus replied, still sucking on a candy. "And since then, there are precautions in place which would highly discourage any future couples from taking part in such an activity." He winked at Draco, who flushed.
Draco really hadn't been considering what it would be like to have Hermione up against a bookcase. Of course not. That would be even more foolish than the lie he was already telling. Besides which, he'd been doing his best not to kiss her too soon and he hated to think what might happen if he did get her up against a bookcase. His face turned a brighter shade of red and Dumbledore twinkled a little more before turning back to Narcissa.
"If you would appreciate it, Mrs. Malfoy, I can excuse your son from his classes the rest of the afternoon and you may spend some time with him in the village. I believe Miss Granger's parents have already made similar arrangements, if you'd care to catch up with them."
Narcissa smiled and took her son's hand/ "Thank you, Headmaster. That sounds like a lovely idea. Severus," she nodded to him as she left the office. "Come along, Draco. Where were they? The medical wing? Come on, let's go together. That will look best."
Draco followed his mother out and tried not to glare at Snape too much. He cast one last longing glance at the Lemon Drops on Dumbledore's desk and then they were gone.
Snape looked to his old mentor and friend. "You are insane, Albus," he muttered.
The old wizard licked the tips of his fingers delightedly and smiled indulgently at Severus. "Of course. Now, what do you plan on doing for your next set of lessons with Miss Granger?"
The subject effectively changed, Snape sighed and sat back down. There was absolutely no point in arguing with the man. It was a complete waste of time.