A/N: Another chapter finally ready. Firstly, thank you again to everyone who has reviewed: you're amazing and doing wonders to my ego, soon enough it will get so big it won't be fitting through the door! lol
I know you're all waiting for the confrontation and downfall of Richard, we're not quite there yet, but we're getting close.
WARNING: The M rating comes back into play in this chapter, at the end (I will but a bold M in brackets at the beginning of the paragraph as a warning, so anyone who doesn't feel comfortable reading the material, skip right down to the end for the final couple of lines.)
And now I'll let you read :)
~ Chapter 27: Facing Fears ~
On the last day of term Hermione received an unexpected invitation from Narcissa, asking her to dine with her at Malfoy Manor on the following Monday. She stared wordlessly at the parchment long enough to draw Ginny's attention. After reading over Hermione's shoulder, Ginny gave a gleeful giggle.
"Things are getting serious," she teased quietly, not wanting to draw everyone's attention, "dinner with the in-laws." Ginny joked, but the laughter died from her face when Hermione gave her a less than impression expression.
"Sorry," Ginny said, realising what she had said, "That was a bad choice of words all things considered."
Hermione shrugged, "Well, at least on Monday I'll know my fate for certain. Monday's dinner will either be the start of something, or the end. I should send a reply before class." Hermione mused, "Otherwise I'll never get around to. Can I borrow your quill?"
Ginny nodded, handing it over without a word, and Hermione wrote a short response – or as short a response as she could – before tying the note to the patiently awaiting owl.
"I thought you were sending a quick reply?" Ginny laughed. "Not a bloody essay."
"It was quick: it was a small note, not an essay." Hermione defended, giving Ginny her quill back.
Ginny scoffed, "Hermione, you were writing non-stop for ten minutes. In letter terms, that's an essay not a note." She clarified.
Hermione didn't bother to dignify that with a response, choosing instead to finish her breakfast in silence, before making her way to her first class. Despite being the final day of term, the lessons were far less than relaxing, and the amount of homework for each class was certainly alarming. But with NEWTs just around the corner, that was to be expected.
Despite the large amount of revision to be completed over the holidays, Hermione's evening was, for once, not filled with study of any kind. Instead she packed a few things in her beaded bag for the next two weeks, and then went to McGonagall's office to arrange her alternative travel plans. Hermione didn't like the idea of travelling the Hogwarts express when she was capable of such quicker alternatives, but as her house was not connected to the floo network, she asked express permission to apparate from the village. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that being the top student ever to have graced the halls, and being on a first name basis with Minerva thanks to their time in the Order, may have worked in her favour, and had something to do with McGonagall agreeing to bend the rules for her.
Hermione left the castle mid afternoon on Saturday, having spent a good portion of the morning saying a very lengthy goodbye to Draco who would be using the floo network to travel later that evening.
"I guess I'll see you Monday," Hermione said, as she was about to exit the tower.
"Monday?" Draco queried, as he gathered up the last of his books he was taking home to study with.
Hermione grinned; apparently Draco was unaware of his dinner plans as of yet,
"Ask your Mother." She said simply, before departing and leaving Draco with a confused and wary look on his face. When she made it home, she spent a good half an hour in her room, unpacking her light luggage and mentally preparing herself for the onslaught ahead of her. She finally found her mother in the Library, sat in front of the fire, her head in a book.
"Mother?" Hermione called softly, not wanting to startle her: Hermione was very much like her mother, in that once she became lost in a good book the real world seemed to melt away, and any disruption tended to be ridiculously startling. Victoria looked up, from her book with a slight look of surprise, as Hermione had expected.
"Hermione! When did you get home?" She asked, standing to greet her daughter with a hug.
"Not long ago," Hermione assured her, "Is Father not here?" She asked, trying to keep her voice casual. Hermione had hoped he would have all the information she had asked of him.
"He's down in London, he should be home tomorrow evening." Victoria said, "How was term?" she asked, retaking her seat and patting the cushion beside her, inviting Hermione to take a seat.
Hermione smiled, "It was good." She said simply, not feeling like sharing too much detail. But she took a seat non-the-less, and instead turned the conversation to the book her mother was reading.
Hermione's weekend passed in a haze of anxiety, waiting for her father to come home. Though she was happy to finally spend some one on one time with her mother, which didn't involve talks of weddings. Hermione had distracted her mother with the journals Narcissa had sent her, and they spent nearly all of Sunday engrossed in the writings of the Grimm brothers. And without the talk of engagements and weddings, which always resulted in an argument, Hermione felt like she was finally getting back the relationship she used to have with her mother. She realised, that afternoon, that perhaps the reason they came to blows so often was not because they were so different, but because they were, in fact, too much alike for their own good. Hermione began to think she may have been a little harsh towards her mother: it was easy to forgive their arguments when they sat in such happy companionship. Hermione also found it easy to forget the war, while she was here like this, in her family home, that hadn't been touched by the devastation that wreaked havoc in the Wizard world: she purposefully kept her parents ignorant of the worst she had gone through, and they had never read a single copy of the Daily Prophet, so they had no idea just how famous their daughter was in her world. Perhaps that was a major problem in itself, Hermione thought to herself, by keeping them sheltered, I've kept them ignorant of the very reasons I have changed so much.
When Anthony finally did make it home, Sunday evening, he called Hermione into the office almost immediately.
"Hello, Father," Hermione smiled when she entered, "You look tired," she commented.
"Long drive," he said with a tired smile, "Here," he pulled out a manila file from his bag and handed it to her, "A detailed overview of your trust fund, including total funds and forms of access." Anthony gave his daughter a shrewd look, "I assume they will be your main points of interest? May I ask why you're so interested in it all of a sudden."
Hermione gave her father a sly smile, "You may ask." She told him, and she could see he knew the next part of her answer.
"But I'm not going to get an answer." Anthony finished, shaking his head, "You really are your mother's daughter, and you're too much like her for your own good. Alright then," He conceded, "When will I know what you're wanting all this information for?"
"Very soon." Hermione assured him, "But I need to know everything first, before I come to you. I don't like to be anything less than prepared, you taught me that. Trust me, please."
Anthony nodded, and let Hermione leave in peace, taking the file to her room before going down to dinner. Over dinner the conversation inevitably turned to the engagement. Hermione was surprised it had taken so long to come up, though she was certainly thankful for it.
"Hilda will be here at twelve tomorrow, to start your dress fittings." Victoria announced, halfway through the main course, causing Hermione to nearly choke on her wine. "Have you any ideas about what style of dress you want to wear?" Her mother asked, ignoring Hermione's brief moment of surprise.
Hermione shrugged, "To be honest, I've been a little too preoccupied with studying." She said dryly, "That kind of thing does tend to take precedence in a school, believe it or not." Hermione's tone earned a scowl from Victoria, but Anthony gave his daughter a smile – he indulged his daughter's spirit a lot more than Victoria did, maybe that was why Hermione found herself more drawn to her father these days.
"I suppose it just means I will have to try out a fair few styles, tomorrow." Hermione smiled at her mother, attempting to make peace before a war could start to brew. "But I need to be finished before five. I have dinner plans tomorrow evening, remember? I will be leaving here about six-thirty."
"That's fine, I remember." Her mother smiled, "And we should talk about Tuesday, now that we're all here." Victoria added.
"Tuesday?" Hermione queried apprehensively, was she about to find out just how her engagement was going to be announced?
"The engagement announcement." Victoria explained, confirming Hermione's suspicion. "We've been discussing it with Richard, he's become quite a social figure, so we thought we'd do an interview. A couple of magazines are interested in the budding Alden franchise, and we thought it would be good publicity, give our own business a bit of a boost."
"Excellent publicity for Richard," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "I hear he's always cropping up in the gossip magazines and social pages. He does love the publicity. A little too much, I think"
"It's not just the Alden's they're interested in, though." Anthony spoke up, "While the Aldens seem to be the next big thing on celebrity social scene, the Roseby-Granger clan are still a topic of interest in business circles. Not to mention in the slightly more reserved social scene." He said delicately.
Hermione laughed, "You mean the 'titled' social scene?" she challenged, "As opposed to RIchard's 'rowdy new money' class? Don't be afraid to tell it how it is Father, there's only Mother and I to hear."
Anthony shrugged, "Call it what you will. I had dinner with the editor of The Market magazine, and they've wanted to do a piece on our family for a while. About how we started out in the business world, and our plans for the future. Your mother and I thought we could do a few interviews in one go. Announcing you're engagement would be somewhat interesting in more than one field."
Hermione sighed, she had enough publicity to last a lifetime, "No doubt Richard will love that, he seems to be craving publicity, like a starving man craves food." As Hermione said the words, the seeds of an idea began to take root.
"Alright," she said slowly, "I suppose I can't really object as you seem to have everything planned. What about House and Garden magazine?" Hermione asked suddenly, turning to her mother, "Haven't they been in touch with you repeatedly, wanting to do a piece on the house and family's history? Would it be too short notice to see if they can send someone on Tuesday also? I mean, if we're opening our home to the press, we may as well give everyone a chance, especially when they've been asking for months. We wouldn't want to offend, now, would we?" She asked, innocently.
Victoria nodded, "I could call them tomorrow morning, see what they have to say. It's a bit of a wide variety of audience we'll be going for, it seems." She joked.
Hermione smiled, "Well, if they're interested in our family, they will likely be interested in out future as well as our past. And if you're going to make a public announcement, you may as well reach out to as much of the public as possible. What time are they scheduled to arrive?" Hermione asked.
"Eleven." Victoria answered immediately.
Hermione nodded, "In that case, there's something I would like to discuss with you before they arrive. And I want you to take me seriously, and listen to me patiently, and objectively."
"Alright," Anthony said slowly, "What about?"
Hermione shook her head, "Just put me down for a business meeting and nine. I'll meet you in your office. I realise, this will be cutting it fine with the press, but I would like to have tomorrow morning to prepare thoroughly. Hear me out objectively, and patiently, and it will take no longer than an hour, I'm sure." Hermione said. She saw her parents exchange surprised looks, but they consented none the less. Hermione changed the subject to something more general, ignoring the penetrating gaze of her Father.
After dinner Hermione went back to her room to look over the details of her trust fund and she couldn't believe what she discovered. She worked well into the night, puling together the vital pieces she would need for her proposal on Tuesday morning. With such a relief of pressure lifted from her shoulders, Hermione had a relatively peaceful sleep for once, and awoke at a decent time on Monday morning, allowing her a couple of hours to go over and finalise her proposal.
She felt she was as prepared as she was going to get, when her mother called her down to the ballroom where Hilda was waiting, with a ridiculous number of wedding gowns. There were ten rails filling the room, all containing gowns of varying shades of white and ivory, as well as an obscenely sized collection of veils and tiaras. She thanked the Gods for what was in that file, sitting in her room, as that was the only thing that got her through the hell that was Monday afternoon. She tried on about thirty different dresses, some of them more than once. She tried on two or three tiaras with so many variations of veils she lost count. Hermione felt this would have been a rather enjoyable afternoon, if she was planning a wedding to someone she actually wanted to Marry. More than once during the afternoon did her thoughts flit to Draco Malfoy, but she quickly pulled them back from such a dangerous route: until this engagement was fully dissolved, it was fruitless to think of the possibility of the next. It took Hermione a few moments to register the exact wording of her thought process at that point, but when she did she was slightly alarmed at the sudden revelation of her feelings. She had been so focused on the need to get out of the engagement with Richard, she hadn't stopped to fully consider the exact reason it was imperative to do so. Now she felt she had the answer: she wanted to be with Draco, not just now, but for a long time after.
When five o'clock came, Hermione excused herself to shower and dress for her dinner with Narcissa Malfoy. She was almost ready, wearing a knee-length black cocktail dress, her hair in a loose knot, and was just fastening the emerald earrings to her ears when there was a knock on her outer door.
Jumping from her dressing table, she moved out into her sitting room, pulling her bedroom door closed. Draco would be apparating into her room to escort her to the Manor, as only a Malfoy could apparate in or out of the place, and she didn't want anyone to witness his sudden appearance.
As expected, when she opened the door, Richard was standing on the other side.
"You look nice," he said, sounding surprised.
"Dinner plans," Hermione said shortly, "I'm glad you dropped by, I want to give you something."
She walked back over to the coffee table and picked up the box with her engagement ring, handing it over to Richard, who frowned as he took it, "I don't understand." He said.
Hermione smiled, "Apparently we're announcing our engagement rather publicly tomorrow." She said, "I thought we should take advantage of the situation, and you could present the ring to me, as if for the first time."
Richard smiled, "That will make a great photo opportunity." He conceded.
"Yes it will," Hermione agreed, smiling a little too broadly.
"Do you think you can convincingly feign surprise?" Richard asked, "After all, we'll want it to look as authentic as possible."
Hermione barely contained her grin, "Oh yes," she assured him, "I am a brilliant actress. I want it to look as convincing possible that it's the first time the subject has been broached between us. Don't you worry."
Richard smiled, "It shouldn't be too difficult. We should get some good photos out of it."
"Yes we should." She agreed. "Now, I have to finish getting ready, I'll see you tomorrow at eleven." Hermione told him, ushering him out of the door. On the threshold she stopped,
"Oh, I almost forgot." She said, turning Richard's attention back around. He frowned warily at her expression: Hermione was still smiling, but there was iciness to the expression, and something underneath that he couldn't place.
"Thank you for the roses, on Valentine's day. They were just what I expected of you. Tell me, did Melissa like hers, too?" Hermione said, and she was happy to see Richard pale slightly.
"I don't know what you mean." She stumbled.
"Yes you do. I didn't think you'd forget our conversation at New Years, so quickly. But apparently you did. I'll see you tomorrow Richard." She said, still smiling, "And make sure you don't forget the ring."
Hermione returned laughing to her room to see Draco sitting on her bed, "I thought you'd stood me up." He accused, eyes raking her entire from, "You look amazing." He told her.
"Thank you," she grinned, walking to her closet, "Just let me get my shoes and I'll be ready to go. I would have been ready before you got here, I just had something to take care of quickly." She said over her shoulder. When her shoes were on, and she had grabbed a thin dress cloak to put over her shoulders, she returned to her room to take Draco's hand, picking up a parcel from the end of her bed as she went.
Draco looked at her intently as he took her hand, "You seem far too happy considering your intended destination." He said to her, and was surprised to see her grin widen.
"It's been a rather good twenty-four hours. I'll tell you all about it later," Hermione said simply, "Now, shouldn't you be taking me to my intended destination, we shouldn't keep your mother waiting."
Without another word, Draco tightened his grip on Hermione and apparated them both into the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor.
When Hermione took in her surroundings, she was certainly surprised. "Wow," she breathed, "definitely not how I remember it." She said without thinking.
Draco gave her hand a squeeze, and Hermione looked up to see him gazing at her with some concern, "Are you going to be ok here?" he asked, and she knew he was remembering her last visit to the Manor also.
"I'll be fine, honestly." She told him, taking a deep breath. "I'm not saying it's easy, being back here, but you have to face your fears, right?"
Draco smiled reassuringly, and began to walk through the halls. "We'll be in the family reception room to start with, and then we'll eat in the family dining room-"
"Really?" Hermione said in mock amazement, "I would never have guessed that."
Draco turned his gaze upon her, and while Hermione gave a laugh, he didn't seem impressed by her sarcasm.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Draco continued, "After dinner, we'll move into the adjoining family drawing room. They are all rooms you've never been in before." He told her, and Hermione had to smile at the reassurance he had given her. She didn't want to ask about the only room she had seen in the manner, she couldn't bring it up, but he had told her without her having to ask, that she would not be subjected to that room this time.
"Thank you," Hermione whispered, as the turned a corridor. After five minutes of travelling the halls and going through a series of rooms, they finally made it to their destination, where Narcissa, Andromeda and Teddy were waiting for them. Narcissa was the first to greet her as she entered.
"Hermione," she smiled, "Welcome, I'm glad you could make it. I see you took the look way here." She said, and Hermione noticed Draco frown, as he went to get a drink for himself and Hermione.
"You know I don't go in that room, mother." He said tensely, his tone putting an end to any further questions.
"Thank you for inviting me," Hermione said, deciding to ignore the strange exchange between mother and son. She held out the package she had picked up before she left. "And thank you for letting me look at these, they were fascinating."
Narcissa grinned, "Aren't they?" she said, "You didn't have to return the so quickly."
"I've already read through them twice," Hermione admitted, "I didn't want to cause any damage by reading them too much."
From that point onwards, Draco was denied the opportunity of talking to Hermione much, as she and Narcissa became engrossed in conversation over the books. While half his attention was constantly on the brunette, Teddy who had taken quite a shine to him over the weekend soon claimed the rest of Draco's attention. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she watched Draco and her Godson out of the corner of her eye, while she conversed with Narcissa and Andromeda, who joined their conversation after saying a few words to Draco.
At dinner the conversation turned to Hermione's plans after she left Hogwarts.
"You were going to apply for Ministry, were you not?" Narcissa asked.
Hermione nodded, "I did, and I was accepted. I'll be working as a hunter, in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. But I'm also intending to invest in my parents' business. I was alwasy going to inherrit it, but I thought it would be nice to have a hand in the running for a while, before they hand it over completely. I actually have a meeting with them in the morning, to give them my proposal, but they shouldn't have any objections." She smiled.
"So you're trust fund covers the remaining costs?" Draco asked imediately, bringing Hermione's attention to him, and ignoring the surprised looks of his Mother and Aunt.
Hermione smiled, "They cover it all." She said gleefully, before looking back to Narcissa, who asked her details about the business and her future plans. When desert was served, Draco asked the question he had been dying to ask since Hermione had first revealed she had the money, not able to restrain himself until they were alone.
"So, the original business proposal," Draco hedged, "that no longer stands?"
Hermione allowed herself a sly smile in Draco's direction as she picked up her goblet, swirling the contents as she brought it to her lips, while choosing her words carefully.
"The original plan was going to be announced tomorrow. My parents have set up a bit of a press conference I suppose you could call it, with the number of journalists who are supposed to be there. If my parents are on board with my proposal, we will announce this way forward instead."
"So the initial proposal has been formally rejected?" Draco clarified with a frown, not entirely sure what Hemrione was trying to say.
Hermione's smiled widened a little more, "Not yet. The original offer will be made again tomorrow; he intends it as a publicity stunt. He doesn't yet know his proposal will be rejected, and the alternative announced."
Draco tried hard not to laugh, but he couldn't help but grin, "And how many magazines will be there?" He asked.
"Enough," Hermione shrugged, Draco chuckled then and Hermione knew he had figured out her plan,
"You are a piece of work, Granger." He said with a shake of his head, but she heard the compliment in his tone no nonetheless.
Hermione felt the curious gazes of the two women, experiencing this new dynamic between her and Draco for the first time, but thankfully they didn't question. They continued the conversation of business for a little longer, and Hermione explained a little about the other ventures her family were invested in.
When they removed from the dining room into an adjoining drawing room, Narcissa and Andromeda quizzed Hermione further about her family home and it's history, and for first time Hermione told someone in the wizarding world about her prestigious heritage. She explained how the house and grounds began as twice the size of what they were now, and the reasons for the down-sizing of the estate.
"The entire place would have been approximately half the size of this, I would imagine. It used to be known as the Roseby Park Estate. But after the first Muggle world war, times were changing, estates were becoming a thing of the past, and a lot of land was sold off. Not long after, the name changed to Roseby Manor: the house was still large, and the grounds were fairly extensive, still but not quite big enough to warrant the name 'estate', or so my family believed. Over the years a few more acres went, and then in the seventies there was the fire that destroyed half the house." Hermione said sadly, "It was a blessing and a curse: the insurance pay out was a well timed addition to the house funds, but there was nowhere near enough money to restore it to it's former grandeur. Instead, the house was redesigned to maximise the potential of what remained, and the rest was torn down and taken away. I came across the plans of the original building many years ago," Hermione smiled, "I've always wanted to rebuild it, take it back to it's former glory. Maybe even try and buy back some of the land." She shrugged, "Don't think I'll ever find the money to do it though."
The next questions that followed queried the inheritance laws, which were a lot more lenient in the Muggle world, than in the Wizarding.
"I will inherit everything." Hermione said, "it used to be that women couldn't inherit the lands and houses, but that's changed now: generally the eldest son will still inherit, but if there are no sons, the legacy goes to the eldest daughter, instead of the next male heir."
"But you lose the Roseby name don't you?" Andie asked, "Once you marry, I mean."
"Not necessarily." Hermione said, "My mother kept it, and created a double name: my full surname is Roseby-Granger." She explained, "If I married, I would still keep the Roseby, but the Granger would change."
Hermione was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable now the conversation had turned to marriage, so she changed the subject by making a comment on the decoration of the place, commending Andromeda for the fruition of her plans, and the conversation soon led to Narcissa's further plans concerning the rest of the rooms and the gardens. Draco spent a good portion of that conversation indulging Teddy, who seemed to have a second wind of energy, despite the lateness of the hour, cleverly stealing Hermione's attention back to him by making Teddy take his tiny steps in her direction. Eventually Teddy grew tired again, and after falling asleep on Hermione's lap, Andromeda finally took him up to his nursery and Draco steered the conversation back to a topic he could join in with.
When Andromeda returned, she retook her seat with a stifled yawn, and only then did Hermione realise how late it was getting.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, "I didn't realise the time, I hope I'm not keeping you up."
"Nonsense," Narcissa answered for Andromeda, adding with a grin, "She's just getting old, she'll be fine."
Hermione laughed, especially at the face Andromeda made at her sister, "But, really I should be going soon," Hermione said, "I have a long day tomorrow. And I don't want to keep you up."
"At least have one more drink before you go? Another wine? Or Firewhiskey to end the night?" Narcissa asked, genuinely wanting Hermione to stay longer.
Hermione nodded, "Alright, one more." She grinned, "I'll take the whiskey, just a small."
"Draco, come help me." Narcissa said, walking over to the sideboard.
"Before you go," Andromeda said, as the other two left their sides, "I'd love your advice. There's a room I've redone, but no one seems to want to use it. Narcissa barely goes in it, and only ever passes through it when she does. Draco refuses flat out to go in the room, and pretends it doesn't exist. I think it's a great space, but they seem to disagree."
Hermione shrugged and stood, "Alright, where is it? It's not going to take ten minutes to find is it?" she asked warily and Andromeda chuckled.
"No, it's through here." Andromeda indicated to the door on the far wall, at the opposite side of the room to where Draco and Narcissa appeared to be in deep conversation.
Hermione smiled and followed Andromeda, taking a sip of the wine still in her hand as she moved. She had no idea where in the house she was, but as Hermione had walked a good five minutes from the Entrance hall, she felt she was embedded in the Monor, and nowhere near the room she wanted to forget.
Andromeda opened the door and walked into the centre of the room, "See, this room is huge, it would make a wonderful entertaining space, don't you think?" She asked.
Hermione had taken two steps into the room and froze: it was different, certainly; the décor was at any rate. Except for the rug. Hermione's eyes stared at the rug; she couldn't seem to look away. Despite the changes in colours, there were no lights in the room and the darkness only made it more recognisable. She thought she was far away form this room, but she had been wrong. One year ago she had been taken to Malfoy Manor, dragged into this very room, and there on that rug she had been held down, kicking and screaming…
"Hermione?" She heard Andromeda's voice, but when she looked up it was Bellatrix she saw, walking towards her, reaching out to her and taking her arm. The contact snapped Hermione into her fight reflexes; tearing her hand away automatically she took hasty steps backward, and dropped the wineglass she was holding on the floor.
The shatter of the crystal in conjunction with the sounds of hurried footsteps from next door jolted Hermione back to her present situation and she shook herself to clear the past from her mind.
"Hermione, are you alright?" This time it was Draco's voice she heard, but she didn't look at him, she couldn't. She was experiencing a moment of weakness and didn't want him to see it completely. But she still saw them out of the corner of her eyes: Andromeda in front of her, Narcissa a couple of steps into the room, but Draco was in the doorway, he never comes in here, she remembered. She couldn't face anyone's gaze, not yet, not until she composed herself. Instead she sank to her knees and began to collect the pieces of crystal scattered across the floor.
"I am so sorry," she said, her voice shaky, as she picked up the pieces, "I didn't mean to drop the glass, it just slipped from my hand – ow!" she gave a sharp intake of breath as she accidentally sliced herself on a large shard. "And now I'm bleeding all over your floor," Hermione stated, "I'm so sorry." She repeated.
"Leave the glass, dear, we have more than we ever use, we won't miss one." Narcissa said queitly, moving forwards toward her. But it was Draco who got there first; he knelt wordlessly beside her, placed both hands on her elbows and made her stand. Silently her brought her back into the other room, where he sat her down and took out his wand. Without a word, he set to work cleaning and healing her hand.
Before an awkward silence could ensue, Andromeda spoke softly, "Hermione, I'm sorry-"
Hermione shook her head, "Don't be. I'm fine." Andromeda looked like she didn't believe a word Hermione was saying but she didn't press the matter.
"I should go check on Teddy, and then I think I'll turn in for the night. Good night everyone." Andromeda said.
"Goodnight, Andie," Hermione smiled, "I'll see you soon."
When Andromeda left, Narcissa decided to take her leave also, "I think I might turn in as well,"
"Narcissa, I'm so sorry-" Hermione began again, but Narcissa silenced her by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Nonsense, no apologies necessary. I hope to see you again soon." Narcissa smiled such a genuine smile that Hermione couldn't help but return it.
"Thank you for dinner, I've had a wonderful evening. Truly I have, we'll meet again soon, I'm sure." Hermione said.
"Draco will see you safely home," Narcissa said, before turning to her son, "Take care of her." She commanded quietly before leaving the room.
Draco and Hermione were silent for a few minutes, until Hermione wasn't able to take the silence any longer.
"Well, I sure know how to clear a room." She said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the evening."
"Stop." Draco said quietly; so quietly Hermione wasn't sure he'd actually spoken. "Stop apologising. Come on, I'll take you home." He said, taking her freshly healed hand in his and pulling her to her feet. They retraced their steps back down to the apparition point in silence; only when they appeared back in Hermione's room did Draco speak again.
He stayed close to Hermione, his body mere centimetres from hers; he placed his hands softly on her cheeks and rested his forehead against hers, "I'm sorry that happened." He whispered. "I never go in the room, I haven't been in there since…" he trailed off, but took a breath and continued before Hermione could interrupt, "We never use that room, I never thought Andie would… She doesn't know what happened in there, I should have told her not to, I should have made sure-"
Hermione placed her hands over his, "Stop" she told him, cutting him off from his rant, "I should have been more prepared for that. But I wasn't. I'd been having such a wonderful evening, I was relaxed, and almost forgot where I was. It was the rug that did it," She said softly, "I remember that rug vividly, I was laid on it for some time and it's pattern is not one I'll forget."
Draco took his hands from her cheeks and wrapped them tight around her waist, pulling her close to him and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoes to get as close to him as possible. Draco leant his head down, pressing his face into her neck, and whispered into her collarbone. "I was stupid to let you put yourself in that position tonight."
Hermione gave a small laugh at that, "You didn't let me do anything. You're mother invited me; it would have been rude to refuse. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into." Hermione assured him. She moved herself slightly so she could look at him, a question on her lips, but she hesitated a fraction of a second, not wanting to seem weak in his eyes.
Draco frowned slightly, "What is it?" He asked.
Hermione let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding, shook her head and looked at the ground, "Nothing, it doesn't matter." She mumbled.
"Tell me," Draco persisted quietly, lifting her chin to make her look at him. Hermione swallowed.
"Can you stay tonight?" she asked him quietly. "I know I'm going to have that nightmare, and I don't want to wake up alone." She admitted
Draco gave a small smile, "Is Hermione Granger actually admitting she needs me?" He asked and Hermione dropped her gaze, hating herself for being so weak. Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face, for Draco kissed her forehead and spoke in all seriousness.
"It doesn't make you weak to admit you need someone." He told her, "You are the strongest woman I know, Granger, and nothing is going to change that."
Draco brought his lips down to hers, but there something different in the way he kissed her this time, in the way she kissed him: it wasn't full of the need and angst like so many of their kisses were, this time it was more tender, something much deeper: It wasn't fiery and rushed, but slow and tender. Even as the kiss deepened as Hermione parted her lips wider allowing for Draco's tongue to explore her mouth, it was tender and sensual.
(M)Slowly, Draco disengaged his mouth from hers, trailing kisses along her jaw, down her neck and then across her shoulder, gently moving the strap down her arm, before moving across and doing the same on the other side. He reached his hands softly around her to unzip her dress, as she began removing his shirt, trailing kisses along his collarbone, and over his chest. When her dress and his shirt had been discarded, they stepped out of their own shoes, simultaneously making their way to the bed, their lips once again locked together, both trying to convey the emotions they had struggled so long not to say. Hermione assisted Draco in the removal of his pants, before he laid her gently on the bed, their lips breaking contact momentarily, but their eyes never straying from each other. Draco lowered his head to quickly capture her lips, before moving down to the hollow of her neck, and continuing down her body. Discarding the lace bra to the floor, he took one of her breasts in his mouth, gently sucking and biting at her nipple, while a hand caressed and squeezed the other, causing her to hiss with pleasure and arch her back, pushing her body into his. One hand he kept anchored on the bed at her side, keeping him hovering above her, while the other then skimmed down the contours of Hermione's body, slipping under the waistline of the lacy knickers to tease her; slowly he let a finger enter her and he was surprised at how hot and wet she was already.
A moan escaped Hermione's lips and she tangled her hands into Draco's hair as he moved to continue his trail of kisses down her body. Removing the final article of her clothing, Draco gently kissed her mound, eliciting another hiss of pleasure. Hermione instinctively lifted her hips lightly, begging Draco silently for more, causing him to smirk slightly as he willingly obliged. He took his time, drinking in the taste of her, and savouring every move she made underneath him, every moan and every sigh that escaped her, as he licked and kissed and suckled at her sex. Patiently he continued, as Hermione's breathing quickened, her gasps and moans becoming louder and stronger, until her back arched and he felt her body spasm beneath him as she reached her peak, crying out his name as she released.
Gently he kissed his way back up her body, until he hovered directly over her once again. Hermione took his face in both her hands, running a thumb over his lips that glistened with her wetness, before pulling his mouth down to hers.
"Your turn," Hermione mumbled against his lips still breathless from her high, and Draco could feel her mouth curling into a sly grin, he felt her try to shift her weight beneath him so that she could reverse their position, as her hands travelled down his body to the waist band of his boxers. Draco stilled her hands with his own, entwining his fingers with hers, he brought them back up and rested them beside her head, and he pulled back from her lips ever so slightly.
"No," he breathed, with a smile, before kissing the spot on her neck that always made her shiver, "tonight is all about you." He told her.
"But-" Hermione started, before Draco silenced her with another kiss. Within minutes Hermione was pressing her body back against his, her hips coming up to meet his, betraying her need for more of him. Removing his final barrier between his skin and hers, he positioned himself over her, his eyes boring deep into hers as he slowly entered her. The never broke eye contact, not once, as their bodies moved together, slow and tender. It was completely different from every other time they had been together: the passion and the need were still there, but it was simmering below something much deeper. Where before it had been sex, this was more, this was making love. And both knew it: something had changed between them tonight, whether it was Hermione's belief that she was finally free, that the unspoken end-date of their relationship was now lifted, neither of them knew. But it didn't matter, the fact remained the same: they couldn't deny the exact extent of their feelings anymore.
Draco could feel himself close to his release, but held back, wanting Hermione to come first. His hand moved down her body to come between them, his thumb brushing against the bundle of nerves at her juncture, to help her along to her climax. Soon enough, he felt her body begin to buck beneath him, felt her walls tightening around his length, as she cried out his name again in pure ecstasy. That was all it took for him to let go, he took her mouth with his, swallowing the cries of her release, as he released himself in her, moaning into her mouth as he did so.
As the waves of pleasure slowly receded from their bodies, their kiss slowed, until finally their lips parted, but neither made a move to shift their position. Draco remained hovering over her, still savouring the feel of being enveloped by her, as they both sought to catch their breath, his forehead resting gently against hers.
"Tomorrow has to go to plan: you have to get out of the engagement," he finally breathed, his voice thick with emotion and his eyes fluttering open to meet her gaze, "Because I've fallen in love with you, and I don't want you to be with anyone else." He admitted.
A smile spread slowly across Hermione's face, lighting up her every feature, she lightly captured Draco's lips for the briefest of seconds, "I will succeed tomorrow." She assured him, "Because I've fallen in love with you too, and I don't want me to be with anyone else, either."
The smile that graced Draco's features was the truest smile she had ever seen on him. Their lips met one last time before Draco rolled to the side, enveloping Hermione in his arms, and pulling her tight to his chest. They laid there quiet and peaceful, simply revelling in each other's presence without the need to talk, as sleep slowly took them.
A/N: So, there we have it. As always, let me know what you thought.
There are only three more chapters left (I say three, but there is the potential for a fourth one to rise up in there somewhere, I'll see how it goes.) But the next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for...revenge is on the horizon, and I can't wait to start writing it.
Thank you, once again, to all my readers, to everyone who has followed and added me to favourites, and especially to my reviewers - thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.
I'll try and have the next chapter ready in a week.
xBx