AN: School thou heartless bitch. Exams are approaching which means I am panicking while doing absolutely no revision (should be doing mock papers as you read this). Anyway, thank you to my beta GarnetAles, who makes these chapters pretty.
I know some of you were confused why chapter 3 updated again. I just had to edit some ages for minor characters that I really hadn't thought through, but all fixed.
-EtB-
When he glanced up to catch her eye a message was passed between them. If anyone would cause trouble over the carefully created fabrications Hermione and Draco were telling, it would be Analise.
Analise looked over the bed towards Martha while half-heartedly pulling the quilt up to the pillows. They were arranging bedrooms for the rest of the family that were arriving later. Not everyone was staying over. Her cousins, uncles and aunts were but she knew her grandparents were leaving and only spending the evening with them. She and Martha had been roped into helping out, and she disgustedly carried out her orders. Analise was under the impression that doing work in others' houses was similar to servitude, why should she have to help when she was a guest?
At the moment two of the four guest rooms had been prepared; Analise and Martha were to take over setting up one of those remaining, Draco and Hermione the other. 'Guest rooms' was a bit of a stretch Analise had snidely remarked to Martha upon entering the room. The rooms being commandeered for sleeping were; the second sitting room, Hermione's bedroom, the spare room and Mr Granger's study. Analise and Martha were making up the sofa bed in the sitting room, whereas Hermione and Draco were setting up a camp bed in the study, the desk having been pushed against the wall.
Analise had really wanted a snoop in Hermione's room but unfortunately had no reason to go upstairs, there was a small bathroom downstairs, much to Analise's irritation. As the younger generation were to camp out in the living room, Analise had started to plan a way to get herself inside Hermione's room. She and Martha had been trading ideas while preparing the room and so far none were workable. She wasn't sure exactly why she didn't believe the story told to them all earlier but something hadn't rung true.
Analise may not be a nice person but no-one had ever said she wasn't smart. She had identified a few slips in the tale spun. For one, why was Mr. Granger confused about the relationship between Hermione and her 'fiancé'? Surely Hermione had kept in contact with them whilst they were in Australia, at least to point that they knew about any relationships. And that brought her on to another topic. Why did her aunt and uncle move to Australia for a couple of years anyway, just to come back and carry on as if they had never left? They even opened up their old dental practice again. Why had Hermione only visited them in Australia the one time, just before they came home? It wasn't as if the Grangers couldn't afford the flight costs. When they had announced they were moving to Australia they hadn't even mentioned Hermione, everyone had assumed they had fallen out over it and Hermione hadn't wanted them to move. Then no-one had heard from Hermione for at least a year, not that she ever really talked to them beforehand.
'She always thought she was better than the rest of us' Analise snarked internally, 'I'm surprised she hasn't hidden herself away while we are all here!' Analise shared her thoughts with Martha who agreed and added cruelly that her parents were probably forcing her to be friendly.
-EtB-
As the two walked out of the sitting room and towards the room where they had left Analise's parents and the Grangers, they went over their plan.
They would wait until everyone at dinner and then ask their questions. That way Hermione and her parents would have to answer and the rest of the family would surely spot any flaws in the story fed to them. Then, thought Analise, Draco would see how manipulative and bossy Hermione was. What kind of person lies to her family? Not one Draco would want to associate with, Analise contemplated. As the best looking of her cousins and obviously the most interesting, Analise schemed Draco would talk to her for the rest of the night and see what a better alternative she would be to her lying cousin. Hopefully Draco would be able to see past her unsavoury relation to Hermione and accept her. Draco must be from a very respectable family where people like Hermione wouldn't be tolerated, Analise was sure. Once he saw the woman he was currently shackled to's, true colours he would come crawling to her. Martha had nodded while Analise had explained her plan, and, once finished, had complimented Analise on her cleverness.
As they entered the living room, Analise and Martha sat on the small sofa opposite the fireplace. The adults turned to them to fill them in on what they had missed. "We were thinking of going out later, so you kids can catch up. You could either stay here or all do something together." Miranda Granger relayed to them.
"Hermione might have some friends round too, so it won't just be the few of you. There's a club or something around here they go to sometimes. Hermione would know more about it than we would." Richard continued on from his wife.
At this point Hermione walked in fiancé in tow, "Hey, what's been decided?" she questioned. They were informed of the new plan concerning the 'parent' generation. It was then that Mr. Granger turned to Draco to ask concerning his cousin.
"Did Tonks or Remus get back to you on whether or not they could make it, we were talking about them joining us the last time they were here?" Analise hadn't heard of them yet and was naturally interested in why Draco's cousins would be friends with Hermione's parents.
"They said they might ask Andromeda to look after Teddy, and if she could, they would be able to make it." Draco recounted, "Aunt Andy's wanted to have Teddy over at hers for a while, I think they will be here later. I'll speak to them and see what the plan is."
"That's brilliant," Miranda commented. Turning to Sam and Anne Webber she finished, "Draco's cousins are lovely, we met them after we came back from Australia. Their little boy Teddy is the sweetest child you have ever seen."
Analise wondered how this 'Tonks and Remus' and the Grangers had the occasion to become so close. Surely it would be more likely for Draco's parents to be closer to her aunt and uncle. She dismissed the thought; she would ask her questions at dinner. She looked to her cousin sitting next to her; Martha was paying avid attention to the conversation taking place before her. Analise sighed internally, that girl never picked up on anything amiss. Later on her other cousins would be here. Rory would understand there was something wrong. Tom and Jack had been friends with Hermione in their youth, because they were all a bunch of book worms, Analise critiqued. They would undoubtedly swallow every story told to them. Nicole and Rachel would be indifferent and uncaring as to whether the story was true or not. It would have to be her, Martha and Rory's duty to uncover the truth.
She wondered belatedly whether Draco's cousins would have been similarly duped, then remembered her aunt telling them earlier that Hermione and Tonks were good friends. Maybe these cousins were in on it too? Analise considered what they could possibly be hiding to warrant all this secrecy. Maybe Hermione had been sleeping around and gotten pregnant. That could explain the move to Australia and then back again, if they didn't want anyone to know. Oh, she would find it all out later, she promised herself. She sat back and listened to her family discussing what to have for dinner, her scheming finished for now.
-EtB-
AN: So because of exams, I'm not sure when the next update will be, hopefully not too far away. To those who understandably want longer chapters, I am sorry but for this story I planned shorter chapters. I could update more I suppose to trick you into thinking they're longer. In future stories they will be longer, but for this one unfortunately they won't get much longer than nearly 2000 words.
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor have I not kidnapped her and forced her to sign all rights to me so alas I do not own Harry Potter. It's a cruel world.