Chapter 41
Hermione arrived outside Malfoy Manor. She placed her hand on the cold stone of the entrance way and sighed. She did not want to be here and she'd been dreading this day ever since Draco had mentioned it. It wasn't as though this was a particularly special meeting; it just contained some of her most absolute most favourite people.
She should knock instead of standing around out in the entrance way like she couldn't figure out how to get in. Actually that wasn't the problem; it was more like figuring a way to get out that preoccupied her mind. It wasn't a question of the day going well; it was only a question of how horrible it would be.
Draco didn't really sympathise with her, he just kept saying that she would be fine and it was just a day with the women. Did he really not recognise how nasty the Slytherin women could be, she wondered. Maybe just because it was his mother, he didn't. He knew Pansy was 'colourful', but he always insisted that she was well meaning. In what deluded sense exactly, she asked on occasion.
The door opened and her moment of putting the whole horrible day off was over.
"Miss Granger," Narcissa Malfoy said behind the large, black lacquered door. "I see you made it."
Hermione wondered if the woman hoped that she wouldn't. Perhaps she didn't understand how truly one directional and persistent her son could be.
"I am so glad you can join us today." The blond woman's speech or expression didn't match her words. Maybe she was dreading this as much as Hermione was. That thought actually made her feel better. "Please join me in the salon." Such old fashioned word, Hermione thought as she walked into the room that could potentially have been built before the word was phrased. There were six women in the room.
"This is Syllestine, Agora, Horetensia, Myrrah, Gelsey and you know Pansy of course." Narcissa grabbed a plush seat around the small table where the tea service lay. There was one additional seat for her, next to Pansy. Narcissa said the names so fast, Hermione didn't really get a sense of who was who, except Pansy, no mistaking Pansy.
"Of course," Hermione said with the largest smile she could manage.
"We travel in the same circles," Pansy said. Hermione noticed that she made sure to communicate that their association was both distant and based on happenstance, which was fine with Hermione.
"Hermione here was raised by muggles," Narcissa said.
"Oh," one of the other women said. "How extraordinary." Not really, Hermione thought as the woman looked her up and down. Maybe she was looking for signs of obvious muggleness. Hermione hadn't realised that this had not been known by everyone. Were the Malfoy's keeping that fact a secret? If so, why announce it now? Probably because she couldn't be trusted not to give it away.
"And she is engaged to Draco? How extraordinary," the woman repeated.
"It was looking like Draco was never going to settle down, being much too comfortable in his bachelor ways," one of the other women said. Hermione could tell that the woman suspected that she was pregnant. Hermione just smiled and internally cursed her misfortune and what she had potentially done in a previous life to deserve this.
"She works," Pansy said stressing the words. Hermione turned to the girl sitting next to her, silently thanking her for pushing her under the bus, but what had she expected, really? It was Pansy and she would likely milk everything she knew about Hermione and her unsavoury associations.
"Are you not a friend of Harry Potter?" another of the ladies asked.
"Yes," Pansy responded before Hermione could get a chance to. "She is the nerdy third of the trio." Pansy obviously loved dropping these little nuggets when she could. She was wearing black today with white trimmings, her slim shoulders brushed by her ridiculously straight, shiny hair. Her lipstick was shocking red with a liquid quality. In fact, all the women were more made up than the hour would require. Hermione hadn't been aware of this so she hadn't worn anything special. She also wondered why Draco hadn't pointed this out. He normally seemed to overly caring that she was dressed appropriately.
"If nothing else, the children will be intelligent, I suppose." A brunette said then turned her attention away from Hermione. "Did you hear about the Slouhughs'? I hear the Ministry has been ransacking their house of nearly a weekly basis. There must be something suspicious going on there. Something to do with that new illegal objects law."
"Actually it's an illegal charms law," Hermione said and the room went completely quiet. She had said something wrong, but she wasn't sure why. They all stared at her then turned back to their conversation.
"Marcella has fled to France, I understand."
"Poor thing. To be harassed such."
"It was awful when they were here," Narcissa confirmed. "They had no manners and they thread mud throughout the house." Hermione was pretty sure that was an over exaggeration. Why would aurors have mud on them? And if by chance it had, it wouldn't have been something that Narcissa would have dealt with.
"These things are used for illegal activities," Hermione said not being able to stand back and have the reason of why these things were done completely overlooked.
"My dear, we are not criminals, but some of these things that are being confiscated are heirlooms."
"They still pose a risk," Hermione said.
"Nonsense, they might have been made in times past when things were different and such things were more acceptable, but they are our history. Asking us to hand over things that represent the traditions and heritage of our past in unconscionable."
Hermione knew they were not going to listen to her. It if was one thing they could be depended upon it was to stick to their traditions.
"She is very spirited, isn't she?" one of the women said.
"She works with the laws," Pansy said with an eye roll. "If you get her started, she can talk for hours about something completely inconsequential."
Hermione turned to Pansy again with a tight smile. "Based on our many in-depth legal conversations," Hermione said trying to point out the cheek of saying something she knew nothing about. It wasn't like she'd had any conversation with Pansy that remotely had any kind of actual meaning.
"Tea?" Pansy said with a sweet smile. Hermione wanted to punch her. Not that she trusted Pansy pouring her a tea, who knew what she would pour in it just for her own amusement.
"So when is the wedding?" one of the women asked Hermione. The woman was looking at her intently and Hermione had no response. They hadn't actually discussed the wedding as such.
"Early in the new year," Narcissa said. "January." Hermione's mouth dropped open. She had not been privy to this conversation and yet the date had been set, and all of these people found out the same time as she did. She was going to kill Draco when she got home. She tried to hide her fury, knowing that Pansy observed just about everything she did.
"We will be invited, won't we?"
"Of course," Narcissa said. "It will be reserved, but still esthetic."
"She will wear your wedding dress, I take it? It is the most beautiful dress. I remember the day you wore it."
"I don't see why not," Narcissa smiled. "All Malfoy brides wear it." Hermione got an image in her mind of a manky old dress full of hole, and the only reason it stayed together was that all the vermin in it were holding hands.
"Let's see if it fits," the brunette said with excitement.
"Should we?" one of the other said.
"She is of course larger than I was. It might not fit," Narcissa said. "It will need readjusting." She rang a little bell and waited for one of the elves to appear. "Fetch my wedding dress."
Hermione looked on in horror. These women were going to play dress up with her like she was a doll and there was nothing she could do about it. She was expected to comply, to be demure, reserved and accepting of the things her elders did to her. She could also see the amusement in Pansy's eyes, but Hermione was too bothered to be concerned about Pansy at the moment. More of a concern was the realisation that she was at Narcissa's bid and call from now on, and when she was living in this house, she had to follow direction from Narcissa, Mrs. Malfoy and mistress of this manor. When Narcissa died, that title would fall on Hermione along with all of its responsibilities to tradition, 'good taste' and family honour.
Hermione saw her life stretch out before her. Harried, belittled and stuck in this house, forever.
The couple of elves appeared carrying a white dress, careful to not let any part of it touch the floor. It was silk with a large amount of beading along the whole dress.
"Put it on girl," one of the women said with a shooing hand. Pansy didn't look pleased now, Hermione noticed. The only upside to this whole mortifying affair. "The elves will help you."
They returned carrying a screen, which looked too heavy for their small bodies.
"Come Miss," one of the elves said. Hermione didn't know what to do, but the elf was pulling her hand. They began undressing her before she knew what was happening and the dress was being pushed over her head. It did up in the back and it was very tight, Hermione could hardly breathe. Then the elves carried the screen away.
"Oh, it is just a gorgeous dress," someone said.
"She's quite a fleshy girl, isn't she?"
"Those beads are diamonds, aren't they?"
"And opals," Narcissa said. "The Malfoys had an opal mine at one point."
"Really, I never knew."
"It's gone now, such a shame, I love opals."
Hermione still couldn't breathe. The dress wasn't that tight, but she felt like she was suffocating. Her heart sped up and she felt an incredible sense of dread.
"And pearls."
"I can't," Hermione said trying to get some air, trying to get a hold of herself. "I can't do this." She ran from the room, she wasn't sure where she was going, she just needed air. She ran in a blind panic, but ended up at a door which she wretched open. She felt a sense of relief when she got outside, but she her heart was still beating at a manic rate. She had no idea where she was going or what exactly what she was running from.
She collapsed down on some grass, letting its feel under her hands comfort her. She was in a garden and it was nice and still. The sun was shining, bird chirping. Normal stuff.
She heard gravel crunching behind her. The walking stopped just behind her. Hermione had no idea who it was, but it was someone wearing heels.
"I told you," Pansy said. "You didn't listen to me and now you've got yourself into a mess."
Hermione couldn't talk; she couldn't trust her voice even if she had something to say.
"Maybe you'll believe me now when I say you don't belong here."
"Who are you to say that?" Hermione challenged, although she knew it was true in probably every possible sense, most importantly she didn't want to.
"You don't give up do you? Even when it's blind in your face. But then, I would be the one not running away in someone else's wedding dress. You really are mental, Granger."
Hermione bit her teeth together. God, she hated Pansy. She hated Narcissa and every one of those horrid women in there. Just like what she would become if she stayed and lived in this environment year in and year out.
"You're going to get grass stains on that." Pansy said before turning and walking away.
Hermione didn't know what to do. She didn't even have her clothes or her wand, which were back in the house. She just wasn't ready to go back in there again. She just wanted to lie down and close her eyes, soak up the sun and forget absolutely everything. Not that she could as Pansy had so helpfully pointed out, she couldn't get any more fucking grass stain on this fucking dress.