Hermione rolled on to her back and groaned as she stretched her muscles. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and grumbled at the time. Seven am on the dot, just like any other time she attempted to sleep in. She had hoped to get a little bit more time of shut eye to prepare for the day. She felt unnecessarily nervous, even though she just had to get ready to see Narcissa.
And Draco, a part of her mind reminded her and she brushed it off quickly.
"Crooks, I have a feeling today is not going to go well." The orange fluffball just stared at her and jerked his tail, patiently awaiting his breakfast and silently telling his human she had no reason to worry.
Hermione poured some cat food in Crookshank's dish and turned on the coffee pot. Extra strong coffee for today; she knew she would be thanking herself later.
She told Narcissa that she would be there at nine am sharp. She honestly felt amazed when she got a letter saying that Malfoy agreed to help her. She knew that he apologized for everything he had done as a child, but it didn't make him any less of a sarcastic arse. She hoped they could just get along for a few hours without bickering.
Hermione spent longer than usual under the hot stream of water in the shower. She placed her forehead against the cool tile and let the water run down her back and relax her muscles.
She wrapped a soft towel around her body and stepped in front of her full length mirror. She loosened her grasp on the fabric and let it pool around her feet so she could examine her body.
Her dampened curls fell heavy and slack around her face and looked longer than usual. She noticed that her hair seemed to be growing faster than ever before, but she put it to finally eating better and getting a healthy amount of rest. Her body seemed to become more defined every time she looked in the mirror. Her clothing had become more snug around her waist as she had developed curves, years of stunted puberty finally catching up. Her legs looked toned and lean. It even seemed that the scars littered her body were fading more quickly than normal. She knew her looks caught some more attention lately, and she didn't want to question a good thing. Not that she wanted to date the men who seemed more attracted to her just because the her looks changed, but it did help her feel more confident in her own skin.
She carefully picked out an outfit to wear, promising herself that she didn't want to dress nice to impress Malfoy, but instead told herself that Narcissa had standards. Yes, she would look nice for the Malfoy Matriarch.
She picked out a soft navy blouse with tight black slacks. She turned around and noticed her arse looked rounder than usual. It may be time for new clothes soon, and she sighed over the idea of spending more money on herself. She knew that Narcissa would be more than happy to join her to the shops. Hermione picked out a pair of short black heels, and an elegant pearl necklace to complete the look. She quickly dried and styled her hair and gave herself one last lookover.
At five of nine, she grabbed some floo powder and shouted for Malfoy Manor, arriving in their sitting room with Narcissa waiting for her with a smile upon her face.
"Hermione dear. You look lovelier than usual."
"Well, I just have some errands to run later, so I wanted to make sure I looked nice enough to stop by the Ministry." She ignored Narcissa's knowing hum and smirk.
Narcissa walked over and grabbed Hermione by the arm and escorted her through a tour of the Manor. While walking in the halls, she felt Hermione tense.
"That part of the Manor has been demolished and repaired. Too many bad memories for the both of us." Hermione gave her a weak smile, silently thanking her for addressing her own concerns head-on.
They approached a refined wooden doorway with gold trim. "I think this will be your favourite room yet," Narcissa whispered and Hermione felt excitement bubble over.
They walked into the most magnificent library that Hermione had ever seen. She could not contain the sharp intake of her breath as she walked around, inspecting the thousands of texts running along the wall. She could tell there were many first edition copies and original tomes in this room. She loved being in a room with so much knowledge that she didn't even know where to start.
"Still ever the bookworm Granger?" She heard a deep familiar voice from behind her.
She turned around and to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the door with a smirk on his beautiful face.
Just his face. She internally groaned at the added adjective.
But he definitely is a gorgeous man. He had a tall lean figure and silky pale hair that hung loosely in his face. He had a deliciously long neck that she couldn't help but want to sink her teeth into.
She had no idea where these thoughts were coming from, but she tried to shake herself from her trance. She knew that his ego would inflate more than necessary if she didn't close her mouth, stop staring, and say something witty.
"Well hello Malfoy," she said huskily. Not witty. Not even remotely. She inwardly groaned.
He quirked an eyebrow but walked into the room and shoved his hands in his front pockets. He looked comfortable wearing a cashmere grey sweater and dark wash jeans. Jeans. And they fit his arse spectacularly.
"So Granger. Mother tells me you're trying to find out a way to unbind souls?" He questioned, trying to make pleasantries.
"Yes. We wanted to find a way to help women who truly need it. In our patriarchal society, women are viewed as objects. A man can mentally and physically abuse his wife, but to the Ministry, there isn't a good enough reason for divorce. Not even if their husband is in Azkaban due to the bond. Many wedding vows include fidelity clauses as well, leaving for a very lonely life for those women. If we could find a way to unbind a husband and wife's magical cores, we could bring forth laws to allow for divorce and get rid of those disgusting ones already in place." She placed her arms on her hips and continued talking as he opened his mouth to respond.
"Your Mother has become quite dear to me. I know we have not had the best interactions throughout our history, but I am willing to put it all in the past so we can get this accomplished." She finished in a stern voice that dared him to defy her.
He laughed at her and gave her a dazzling smile. "I can do that Granger. I honestly wanted to thank you." Hermione could not keep the surprised look off her face. "My Mother has not been much more than an empty shell in years. Thank you for giving her back her shine, I really missed seeing her smile" He paused for a moment and gave her a serious look.
"And I also wanted to apologize to you again... I was a prat to you during Hogwarts. You are an incredible and brilliant witch; I am so sorry I made you feel less than that. I don't deserve the kindness you've shown me since the war." He bit his lip while looking at her guiltily and she softened her gaze.
"Malfoy, I forgave you a long time ago. Yes, you were a spoiled prat, but I never thought you were evil. I don't think you are even capable of doing those despicable things that people spread rumours about. I am so sorry for what you had to go through. I know I may not be the one you want to talk to, but I am here if you ever need a friend to listen. The war hurt us all and we lost so much. It's time to bury the hatchet and move forward. What do you say?" She reached out her hand and smiled shyly, "Hi, I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to meet you."
His lips quirked up and he took her hand, "Hello Hermione, I'm Draco Malfoy. It's my pleasure." He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Hermione felt a jolt of electricity and a pull towards him. She quickly dropped his hand and took a couple paces to the bookshelf, ignoring the startled look on his face. She didn't even want to think about whether or not he felt that as well.
"So, where should we begin?"
Draco and Hermione spent hours sifting through the Malfoy archives for books that could be useful. Hermione couldn't stop staring at the blonde over her shoulder. She simply couldn't help herself; she felt inexplicably drawn to him and she had no idea why. She watched as he twisted a short strand of his hair around a finger and couldn't help but want to see if his hair felt as silky as it looked.
And his smell. His smell was driving her crazy. She knew she would be addicted to it if she spent more time with him. He smelled like green apples, expensive cologne, and spearmint. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes as she relished the scent. When she opened her eyes she noticed him staring at her with a small smirk on his face. She quickly buried her head in the book and hoped he wouldn't notice her blush.
"I think we need to start looking at older literature. Perhaps even some information in our Dark Arts books. I know it sounds crazy, but it makes sense: Unbinding souls. If you really think about it, dark magic could be used for good intentions and vice versa. I've seen light magic used with bad intentions as well." He looked at her and tensed, waiting for the obvious blow up over his idea.
"I think you might be onto something," she started slowly, "but how would we ever get the Wizengamot to approve of using a spell from dark literature?"
"We research it well. Figure out everything we know about what it does and how it's cast. We prove to them that even though it may be created by a dark wizard, we could alter it. Most magic, after all, is grey and not just black and white as we're taught." She nodded her head in agreement.
"Okay. You know your library best, so lead the way." She followed him around the bookshelves helping him carry back tomes to the table. She tried to ignore how every time he placed a book in her hands and brushed her exposed skin it felt like burning fire. She tried to ignore how she impulsively leaned closer to him when he came near her. She tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered when he smiled genuinely at her.
That night she went home and felt like screaming her frustrations into her pillow. She couldn't see her newly developed attractions for Draco ending well.
A/n: Wow I can't even say how many times I've cringed rereading my old writing. I am very pleased with these new chapters, I hope you are too. I promise it will be all reuploaded soon!