Two months had passed and Hermione found herself spending more time at the Manor than she wanted to admit. It started out as little things, like joining for dinner. It became hard for Hermione to not accept Narcissa's offers to join them for dinner since it beat eating alone. She still occasionally went over to the Burrow, but she felt like she was on the outside looking in with them. Even with Fred being gone, they still were such a complete family. She constantly felt like she imposed on their time together, no matter how many times Molly told her she was part of the Weasley Clan.

She hated to admit it, but things were different since her breakup from Ron. She hoped that they would go back to being friends, but she soon realized they were really only friends because of Harry. Ron still became jealous of her relationship with Harry even after the breakup, making everyone uncomfortable at family dinners when he accused the two of them seeing each other behind his sister's back when they were joking around together. Ginny pulled Hermione aside and gave her trust, which Hermione greatly appreciated. She also informed Hermione that she would be willing to hex her brother at any point.

Harry and Hermione were more like siblings. They had both lost their families so they clung to each other. Their bond together was special, and most of the Weasley's understood it. Most did not include Ron.

Her time with Narcissa was different than any time with the Weasley's. She spent time with Hermione simply because she wanted to. She would take her to lunch, to shop, and or to the spa. They spent the most time together one on one, and Narcissa always made sure to focus all of her attention on Hermione. She made her feel important and loved.

Narcissa quickly became the mother Hermione needed in her life. Sometimes she felt guilty that her own mother had no idea she had a daughter and she wasn't searching for a way to return their memories properly. If she were honest, she truly felt afraid that her parents would be too hurt over what happened and wouldn't forgive her. The only thing worse for Hermione than not having her parents have any recollection of her was having her parents have their memories but still wanted nothing to do with her.

Hermione always made sure that she kept her parents in her heart, but often focused all of her energy on the research with Narcissa to help with the void they left. They spent most of their days sitting together working, and usually finished their nights drinking tea by the fire.

They wished to create a Family Law Division at the Ministry, and they could only hope that by laying everything out to the last detail would help their cause. They drafted two new charities to set up: Granger's House, an orphanage dedicated to providing necessities and a stable home for the kids who no longer have guardianship; and Dum Spiro Spero, a shelter for those who need a place to escape abuse from family or spouses. It translates to "While I breathe, I hope" in Latin, which they both agreed felt like a meaningful name for their organization.

While Hermione and Narcissa's relationship developed more meaningfully than Hermione could have ever thought, her feelings for Draco became stronger every day. He had a quick wit that kept her on his toes, and a dark sense of humour that seemed to balance hers perfectly. His intelligence and passion about what he believed in often lead to very heated debates between the pair. She found so many of his traits endearing; like when his nostrils flares while he's angry or the way his reading glasses hang in his face while enraptured in a book. She loved how comfortable he felt around her; often stealing bites of Hermione's food of her plate and laughing at her display of rage.

Hermione loves the way he calls out her own name when he's not paying attention or when he's too overjoyed to remember to call her 'Granger.' She loves the way he absent-mindedly puts his arm around her chair and plays with her curls when they sit next to each other. She loves that while he's often comfortable around her, he still remembers to be a gentleman at heart; pulling out her chair at the table, opening doors for her, escorting her while walking side by side. She loves how open he became around her, sharing emotions that she never knew he possessed.

She knew he felt terrified of becoming his father, of being a coward, and not doing anything important with his life. She knew how he desperately craved to have a little girl of his own to spoil and love, even though most believed he just wanted an heir to carry out the family name. She knew how he wanted to teach his own kids to fly a broom and play Quidditch. After everything he's told her, she often wondered if her feelings were still one-sided, or if he felt the same pull to her.

She noticed that their time together left her feeling possessive and jealous of Draco. She logically knew he wasn't hers, but a part of her screamed constantly at her that he was. She hated that voice inside her head and, embarrassingly enough, Narcissa caught her on more than one occasion arguing with herself.

One evening, Draco's close friend Pansy joined them for dinner. The pair of them got on famously and had each other laughing in riot all night. Hermione enjoyed the way Pansy made him laugh, she really did crave his happiness. However, when they retired to the sitting room for tea Pansy placed her hand on Draco's arm to be escorted. Hermione saw red and immediately became enraged. She didn't know how lost in her own mind she was until Narcissa pulled her aside and jerked her back to reality. She saw the older witch smiling smugly at her and giving her a curiously look at the same time.

"Are you alright dear?" She questioned lightly. Hermione didn't trust her voice so she just nodded in response.

"Dear, your eyes are completely black, are you sure you're alright?" She could tell how much she startled Narcissa upon looking at her, all joking and playfulness tossed to the side.

Hermione croaked out a weak 'yes' and looked at Narcissa in obvious pain. Narcissa reached out and stroked her hair in comfort. She grabbed her clenched fists and gasped at the sight of the blood seeping out of her fingers. When Hermione finally opened up her hands, her palms pooled with blood. Narcissa immediately found four marks on each of her hands that looked surprisingly unlike fingernail markings.

Narcissa healed her with a quick wand movement and ushered her into the sitting room. To both their relief, Pansy and Draco were sitting in different lounges. Draco sat alone on a loveseat, and Hermione felt an overwhelming desire to sit crawl up onto his lap and breath in his comforting smell. She sat next to him closer than usual, granting her a questioning look from him. Gratefully Narcissa quickly changed the subject to talk about the plans they have in motion for the Wizengamot.

Hermione learned later that night that Pansy was currently in a relationship with Blaise Zabini and very much in love. She felt immediate relief that her mate's friend had no intentions of being with him.

Mate?

What the hell-?

She shook herself out of her trance and back into the conversation with Pansy. They were talking about the differences between Muggle and Magical designers, and how Pansy dreamed of creating a store that infused both. She quickly took a liking to the stubborn and sassy witch once she noticed Pansy and Draco sharing the same looks that she and Harry shared. She mentally slapped herself for assuming that the two were more than friends, only to see they were more like siblings.

But really, what claim did she have on Draco? He wasn't hers, and he didn't seem to show interest in her that way either.

Later that night she sat by the fire with Narcissa, both separately reading their own novels. She stood up and stretched, preparing to head out to her room.

It had been a painfully long argument, but Narcissa won in the end. Hermione spent so much time at the Manor that Narcissa felt like Hermione needed her own room. Hermione dreaded going back to her own flat after spending several nights in her heavenly guest suite. The bath was sublime, and she loved ending her night soaking with a glass of wine. A luxury she didn't have in her own apartment. Crookshanks even had his own little palace at the Manor so she didn't have to worry about him staying by himself too much. Narcissa even filled Hermione's walk-in closet one day with a new wardrobe, something Hermione especially put up a fight about. She was an adult after all and could take care of herself. But in the end, Narcissa's tearful explanation of always wanting a daughter to dote on had her huffing and accepting the grand gesture. Damn Slytherins.

She really was becoming too accustomed to living at the Manor. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay once Draco had his own wife and family.

The pain she felt at that thought put her in absolute agony. Her heart felt like it broke at the idea of Draco being with someone else other than herself. She rubbed her aching chest and bid her goodnights, too consumed in her own thoughts to see Narcissa reading a textbook about Veelas.

A/n: Thank you for sticking with me reposting these chapters!