Chapter Six: Draco's Discovery

Ron and Hermione had been planning their trip to Australia for a few days now. They had decided on going by aeroplane instead of by Portkey or the Floo Network. They knew that the Ministry of Magic was being slowly rebuilt from the top down as the Daily Prophet reported on a daily basis. They also knew that the trials for the Death Eaters would be beginning in June. So they would need to go in the next couple of days to be back in time for the trials, as it was still mid-May.

It was a glorious afternoon at Potter Manor and so Ron and Hermione were outdoors sunbathing with Harry and Ginny and Sirius and Amelia. However, to Ron's frustration, Hermione could not relax enough and so had started to read a book. She was reading the copy of The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, given to her by Harry. Ron then moved behind Hermione and began to give her shoulders and neck a massage as she read. As he did, he read the book over her shoulder. Hermione knew he was reading it over her shoulder but before she could tell him off, Draco Malfoy came outside to join them.

Harry, who had been about to give Ginny a massage, spoke, 'Good afternoon, Draco, what brings you out here?'

Malfoy was still surprised that Harry insisted on calling him by his first name turned to address him. 'I have just received the date for my hearing in front of the Wizengamot. It's going to be on the fifth of June – my birthday, just perfect, isn't it?'

Before Harry could reply, Ron spoke this time in a scathing voice that gave away no sympathy. 'Tell me, Malfoy, do you know what we were doing on Hermione's eighteenth birthday? Or mine?'

Malfoy shrugged, feeling small again.

'I'll tell you, shall I? We, that is Hermione, Harry and I were living in a tent almost freezing our arses off as we tried to figure out how to find Voldemort's Horcruxes, so you'll have to excuse me if I'm not entirely sympathetic to your plight, Malfoy,' said Ron.

'I'm not asking you to be, Weasley, I'm simply informing my cousin of my trial date,' said Malfoy.

'And it's duly noted, Draco,' said Sirius as he caressed Amelia's back, 'you don't have a thing to worry about right now as there is plenty of time to make a defence for you,' Sirius told him.

'Thank you, I'll just leave you all to it,' said Malfoy before he trudged off back into the house.

'That wasn't very nice, Ron,' said Harry.

'I know, but I told you before he and his mother came here that I wasn't going to be nice to either of them, because they stood idly by and watched as my wife was tortured by that bitch,' said Ron before he got up and went back into the house.

Hermione watched as her husband walked away from her with a sad expression on her face. She then got up and made to follow him.

She found him in their suite pacing back and forth.

'Ron, are you all right?' she asked when she had closed the door.

'No, Angel, I'm not. I hate him, I hate his mother and everything they stand for. Every time I see either of them, all I can think about is that night in their fucking house. I want them to get out, I'm sick of being reminded of the worst night of our lives!'

Hermione walked over to her husband and embraced him. He wrapped him arms around her and held her tight.

'I love you so much, Hermione. I don't know what the fuck I would do if I lost you, and I came so close that night …' he whispered into her ear.

'Oh, Ron, I love you too,' she whispered back to him.

Suddenly they were kissing. Ron was kissing her with a passion and a fury. Hermione was kissing him back with just as much gusto. His hands got busy with untying her bikini top and pulling it off over her head and he moved to kiss her breasts as his hands then moved to her bikini bottoms as her hands tugged down his shorts. They stopped kissing so Ron could scoop her up into his arms to carry her to the bed, where, they spent the rest of the day making love.

0o0

It was very late when Ron's stomach woke him up by rumbling. It was dark in the room and his wife was fast asleep next to him. He gently crept out of the bed and put on a pair of pyjama bottoms and his dressing gown and went down to the kitchen. In the kitchen he found Professor Snape and Narcissa Malfoy talking as they as drank chamomile tea.

'Don't mind me, Professor, I'm just getting a snack,' said Ron ignoring Narcissa.

'You do not have to call me "Professor", anymore, Mr Weasley,' replied Snape.

'Sorry, force of habit,' said Ron as he gathered some Pumpkin Pasties and a few Chocolate Frogs, 'and you don't have to call me "Mr Weasley" anymore either.'

'Force of habit, I'm afraid, Ronald,' said Snape.

'If we're doing first names please don't call me Ronald, only one person is allowed to call me that and that's when she's angry with me, so it's Ron, if you don't mind,' Ron told him.

'Of course, Ron, but would I be right in thinking that Hermione is the one who calls you Ronald?' said Snape smirking.

'Yep, you got it, Severus,' replied Ron before he turned to Narcissa and said, 'You remember Hermione, don't you, Narcissa? The beautiful girl you and your son watched being tortured and did fuck all to help? I expect he got off on it, much like his father? Did old Lucius take out his quarter of an inch cock, grip it between his thumb and forefinger and start tugging as my Hermione screamed in agony, while that bitch of a sister of yours cursed her without mercy?'

The corners of Snape's mouth twitched as Ron said the bit about Lucius' manhood, but Ron ignored it as he waited for a satisfactory answer from Narcissa.

'I think you gave Lucius too much credit in regards to his manhood, young man,' said Narcissa.

'Well, you would know, wouldn't you?' Ron shot back.

'What do you want me to say? You know that my sister was certifiable. She would not have allowed family to come between her and her prey. She would have killed both of us if we tried to stop her,' said Narcissa.

'I'll bet it never crossed either of your small minds to help a muggle-born before, or since, has it? Of course not!' said Ron.

'I can't change what happened that night. I can't go back in time and kill my own sister before she tortured your Hermione. I can only apologise for my inactions,' said Narcissa.

'I don't want you to apologise – not to me, at least. I don't give a shit about anything you may or may not want to say to me. I don't give a shit whether you or your son apologises to Hermione for what happened that night, or all his bigoted bollocks he threw at her in the past. I'm not Hermione or Harry. I'm not interested in helping either of you, or forgiving you for what has happened in the past. I'm not as compassionate as Hermione or Harry, and on that cheerful note, I'm going back to bed. Goodnight, Severus,' said Ron.

'Goodnight, Ron,' replied Snape before he left with his snack.

'He's right, isn't he, Severus? I'm nothing more than a coward,' said Narcissa.

'I don't know about that, Narcissa. After all, it took a very brave woman to come back to my house two years ago and offer herself to me for protecting her son,' said Snape.

'That was not entirely bravery, Severus. I was desperate for my son and I had needs that you admirably satisfied, Severus,' she replied shyly.

'Ah, yes, the infamous Black Libido,' said Snape smirking at her.

'Don't make fun of me, Severus,' she said hotly.

Snape pulled her on to his lap and began kissing her passionately. They were kissing so furiously that they did not hear someone approaching the kitchen.

'What do you think you are doing, Mother?'

It was Draco.

'Oh, Merlin, Draco, I can explain –'

'Oh, you can, can you? You have an explanation that makes it all right for you to be all over another man while my father is barely cold in the ground?' said Draco.

'As a matter of fact I do. Now sit down and listen!' said Narcissa.

Draco complied before his mother began to speak.

'Your father was cold even when he was alive, Draco, you should know this better than anyone. He was as cold and as parsimonious as they come. In fact, he was so tight I'm surprised he was willing to give up his seed for your conception.'

Severus snorted.

Draco could not disagree with his mother about his father's stinginess, but was rather repulsed when she mentioned his conception.

'Two years ago I began seeing Severus, Draco. I felt I owed him a debt for keeping you safe, but he would not have any of it. Severus is a good man, a far better man than your father. And I mean that in every way, Draco. You have to understand, your father was in prison and I needed help. But I never thought that during that year Severus and I had together, that I would fall in love with him. I felt things with Severus I had never felt before, or been allowed to feel before. That's the trouble with arranged marriages, Draco. I never loved your father, and he loved himself far too much to love another person. With Severus it was different. He made me feel loved and safe. He treated me the way I deserved to be treated. Not like a trophy wife and somebody to provide him with an heir. Why do you think you are an only child, Draco? He was not interested in me while he was out raping and killing with the other Death Eaters as the Dark Lord became more powerful.'

Draco listened to his mother's words and understood. He understood but that did not mean he had to like it. However, he realised that he loved his mother more than anyone else, so he said, 'He truly makes you happy?'

'Yes, Draco, Severus makes me happy,' she replied.

Draco then stood up and got himself a glass of water and left the kitchen.

Snape turned to Narcissa and said, 'Well that could have been worse.'

'Really, Severus, how could it have been worse?' said Narcissa.

'He could have walked in us shagging,' replied Snape with a shrug before kissing her deeply once more.