This couldn't be right, she thought critically to herself. Standing at the front door to Malfoy Manor, her stomach back flipped several times. The last time she was here was when… well, she'd rather not remember that now.
Looking at the piece of parchment in her hand and back up to the front door, she deduced that there was no chance there was a mistake, and this is where she was supposed to be. The icy winter wind nipped harshly at her nose as a closed hand wrapped knuckles against solid wood.
Heart beating almost out of her chest, her mouth dry as if someone had stuffed it with cotton wool, she waited on tenterhooks for the door to open. Eventually, it did.
"Miss Granger?" a gaunt-looking man asked her, stepping forward into the light.
An audible gasp stuck in her throat as she quickly raked her eyes up and down the man for a fleeting moment. His face was gaunt and sunken, eyes bloodshot and he was around twenty kilos underweight. Blonde hair hung messily around his father and his skin was grey and sallow.
"I…" she began, stumbling over her words. "I'm here for the governess job," she spat out. "The agency sent me."
He stood for a moment as if processing her words before finally accepting them and stepping back to allow her in.
"To be honest, I was expecting you. Follow me," he mumbled under his breath before turning quickly and leading her off towards the west wing of the manor, pushing open a large oak door he entered a large office with a roaring fire, leather-bound books lined the walls, the room was like something she had read about in her jane Austen novels and she wondered if the room was constructed around those times.
"Sit," he gestured to a leather wingback chair.
Looking at the chair hesitantly, she sat down primly, crossing her ankles and placing her hands in her lap. He, on the other hand, opted for leaning on the edge of his desk, gaze boring into her. She almost felt as if he might be searching for her soul.
"You probably have questions, Miss Granger, about why I would need to enlist the help of a governess."
"Well, yes, actually. I'm sure Draco is well over the need for a governess."
"He sighed haughtily, resting his hands upon his knee as if trying to form the right words in his head. "I have a daughter, Elouise. She's just turned six years old and is in the need of a Governess to further her education until such a time she heads off to Hogwarts. That is if that is where she is destined for." his voice cracked slightly as he talked.
Confusion etched in every line of Hermione's face as she tried to make head and tails of this situation in which she found herself. "I-" She began.
He held a single hand up and cut her off. "Six years ago, Narcissa gave birth to Elouise." He noted the surprised look on Hermione's face.
"I know. It was as much a surprise to us as it is to you. We thought she was past the child-bearing age. Unfortunately, not long after she birthed the child, she haemorrhaged and couldn't be saved. The elves have been raising the girl ever since, "A sad, drawn-out sigh escaped him as he had a recollection of the exact moment his world fell apart, "but I feel it's time she had a female around to help guide and shape her into a young lady."
"You've had a child for six years and not a soul knows about her?" She asked, confused. "Mister Malfoy, I've perceived you as a monster, but I didn't think you could stoop so low as to keep a young child locked in your home being raised by elves. Do you not have a heart?"
"You will know your place, Miss Granger if you are to work for me," he bit venomously. "It's none of your business what I do with my child," his voice steely, eyes narrowing slightly at her.
"Are you ashamed of her, Mister Malfoy?" She asked bitterly. "Are you so ashamed of your young daughter that you have kept her locked away from the world?"
"You know nothing, Miss Granger," he spat, slamming an open fist upon the wooden desk with rage.
"I know that any self-respecting father wouldn't leave his daughter locked away from the world for six long, drawn out years. I suspect you have a cold stone where your beating heart should be."
"Miss Granger, I know your tongue is sharp and your wit is unmeasurable but if you wish to work under my roof, you will stop your outbursts and keep your opinions to yourself. I owe you no explanation for why I have lived my life the way I have. In fact, I owe you nothing."
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but closed it just as quickly. She wanted to change this girl's world and if she kept back talking, she wouldn't be afforded that simple opportunity.
"That's better. Now, if you want the position, it's yours. Know I expect you to teach her a wealth of knowledge and ready her for a life at Hogwarts when the time comes. You need to nurture and embrace her. Merlin knows I know nothing about embracing nor nurturing, hence why I am bringing you in."
"I'll take the job, Mister Malfoy," she said confidently, although deep down her stomach was tying itself into knots. All the what ifs started flooding it. What if the girl hated her? What if she hated living here under the Malfoy roof?
Exhaling sharply through his nose, he gave her a curt nod. "This way then, I'll show you to your quarters and then take you to meet Elouise."
She followed him silently, an awkward heaviness sat mulling in the air and she wondered to herself, was this the right thing to do working for Lucius Malfoy? He wasn't the most welcoming of people and Moreso after Narcissa died from all the accounts she had heard.
"Here," his deep voice pulled her from her revere, not even remembering part of the journey to her chambers. "This is where you will stay. Dinner is at seven sharp every evening. I expect you to have Elouise prepared and in the dining room on time every evening. Your morning starts at eight a.m., you get an hour for lunch at twelve, and your time is yours from eight each night. Saturdays and Sundays, the elves will deal with the child."
She only nodded, unsure what to even say to that. The way he spoke was almost with hatred and distaste for his own daughter and he was only merely fulfilling his parental obligations.
Pulling the door shut once again, he inclined his head slightly as if inviting her to follow him. Silently she followed him again, this time only mere feet to a door beside her own and pushed the door open.
A small, lithe child with skin that looked as if it had never been kissed by the sun and hair as pure as freshly fallen snow stared up at her from where she sat on the floor, emerald green doe eyes staring almost through her, then she watched as the emptiness was replaced by pure happiness when the girl saw her father.
"Father!" the girl exclaimed happily, jumping to her feet and launching herself at Lucius's leg, wrapping her arms around the limb tightly.
Hermione deduced by the irate look on Lucius's face and the fact he wasn't reciprocating the affection that Lucius truly hated this poor child that clung to her father so desperately for affection and Hermione felt a large lump forming in her that.
Kneeling down at the child's level, Hermione smiled gently at the girl. "Elouise, I'm Miss Granger, I'll be looking after you." She held out a hand for the girl to take.
Elouise looked hesitantly at Hermione and the outstretched hand and grasped her father's leg even tighter.
"Elouise, let go at this instance. Miss Granger will not harm nor worry you; she is here to help." He shook his leg forcefully, dislodging the tiny child, who went flying backward and landed hard on the floor. A few seconds passed glacially by before she cried.
"Miss Granger, deal with this petulance," He whispered before turning on his heel and storming from the room.
Shaking, Hermione took a deep, calming breath and sat beside the girl on the floor. If only murder was legal in certain contexts, she thought sadly to herself. How could a man treat a child from his own loins as evilly as this?
Hermione spotted a small toy dragon on the floor and clutched it in her hand. Picking it up, she held it before the child. "What's his name?" She cooed gently, trying to take the young girl's focus off of her emotion.
"Draco," she sniffed softly. "My brother Draco got it for me, and I called it Draco."
Draco, Hermione pondered. Obviously, he knew about the child and wondered why he had let Lucius treat his own sister is such a manner.
Trying to push all the hatred she had for Lucius to the back of her mind, she wanted to focus here on in towards making the girl's life better than it had been from now on.
Swiftly Elouise took the dragon from Hermione and clutched it tightly to her chest, staring at Hermione through tear-filled eyes. "Will you be my friend, Miss Granger?" She whispered shyly. Her gaze dropped to the ground and her cheeks flushed red as if she were ashamed to ask such a question to another person.
"Yes, sweetheart, of course," Hermione agreed, a small smile on her face, but deep inside her heart was shattering into pieces. She'd never met a girl so broken before.
A/N: I am so excited about this story. I got the inspiration from Sanditon after I found and binged-watched seasons 1 and 2 in a day.
-Aliasmel1