Narcissa Malfoy knew more than she let on. She had always known that her son had an odd soft spot for the Golden Trio's own Muggleborn, Hermione Granger. Of course, he covered his childhood fascination of her with endless insults. Narcissa didn't know if he acted more to appease Lucius or if it was just for Draco's own sanity. Either way, her son had had his eye on Hermione for quite some time.

She knew for certain when she overheard a conversation between him and his best friends, Theo and Blaise, the summer between fourth and fifth year. They were spending the night at the Manor and she overheard the two other boys tease Draco for his crush, which he vehemently denied. Curious over who had her son passionately denying his affections, she decided to stay close to the door, but out of sight. And that's when she heard it.

"I said Granger looked good one time, are you guys ever going to let it go?" her son whined out.

"Mate, you said she was the most beautiful girl in the room and barely took your eyes off her the entire night. Not to mention you almost punched me in the face when I made a joke about Krum not saving her in time during the second task at the Black Lake. You even study in the library at the desk that I know has a perfect sight of Granger's designated table. Just admit it mate, you have it bad." Blaise was chuckling at her son's frustrated groans.

"I have never liked Granger, not for a single second, and I never will. So back off ."

And that was it. The other two heard his commanding voice and quickly changed the subject.

Narcissa walked away from the room with a smirk on her face. Sure, the girl may not be a Pureblood, however, she was known as the brightest witch of their age. And of course, Malfoys always have the best.

The moment she heard Hermione Granger avidly fight for their freedom after the war, boasting over small actions she claimed 'changed the tides of war,' she questioned whether or not those intense feelings of her son were one-sided.

It didn't help the poor girl's case when Narcissa noticed her taking every opportunity to watch Draco during the trials. She caught her gaze at one point and noticed her quickly change her direction to hide a blush creeping up her face.

Of course, she truly believed in helping Hermione's cause so she could help her friends finally be free of sociopathic husbands, but she also knew she needed to get close to the witch. Especially if she would be her future daughter in law.

She knew her son believed himself to be unworthy of Hermione's affections. That is, of course, if she shared his affections. She knew she needed to gain the witch's trust and bring her into their everyday life.

She knew she was on the right path after their first interaction together. The fact that they only had eyes for each other at that moment, completely forgetting her presence in the library with them, confirmed it. She had quietly made herself scarce, and neither realized she even left.

The following two months flew by. The group became closer to finding what they were actively searching for, and she felt prepared to take on the Wizengamot. She, of course, insisted on Hermione spending more time than necessary at the Manor. Even going out of her way to offer a suite and allowing her beast of a cat entrance into their home. Hermione repeatedly refused to stay, however, she quickly changed her mind when she saw the ensuite bathroom. Narcissa knew you could charm any witch with a luxurious bathroom.

Narcissa spent fewer nights alone and more with the darling witch. She even found that Draco was more likely to join them at night rather than hide in his room if she were around. Interesting, considering he still denied being fond of her.

She knew that Hermione missed her own parents dearly. Narcissa felt the heavy weight of guilt on her chest about her role in a war that caused the poor girl to take those drastic actions. She currently had a group of researchers developing and testing a potion to help bring back memories to those obliviated. A potion in which her son took a particular interest in once the three of them had a conversation about Hermione's parents at dinner one night.

She didn't want to get the girl's hopes up, but they were making large strides in development. They currently had a potion that allowed an individual to recall the memories, but then lost them again after a day or so. Hopefully, they would find a permanent solution by strengthening the potency of the potion.

It didn't take long for Narcissa to notice quirks of the girl that often left her puzzled. She would unconsciously move closer to her son whenever they were in close proximity together. She sought comfort from Draco first, whenever she felt uneasy or nervous, even though she had been in a relationship longer with Narcissa. Hermione's eyes sought out Draco whenever she entered a room, even if she could not physically see him. She could even detect when Draco was in large amounts of distress from a room away.

The moment she finally understood what might be happening was the dinner with Pansy. The entire night Hermione seemed more on edge, and seemed to develop… inhuman characteristics when Draco physically touched Pansy in an intimate gesture.

Her eyes became completely black and she grew small sharp talons where her fingernails usually were. Hermione gripped her hands so tightly that she drew her own blood.

Narcissa had heard of things like this happening before, but never in the case of a muggleborn. Maybe, just maybe…

. . . . .

"Hermione, dear, when is your birthday?" The two were currently in the library for their afternoon tea.

"September 19th. Why do you ask?"

"I knew it was coming up but didn't know the exact date," Narcissa said innocently, "I just thought that you would like to have a dinner party here to celebrate, your twentieth, correct? I do remember you being a bit older for your year. You could invite the Weasley's around if you'd like. The elves are always looking for a reason to cook for a large gathering."

Hermione smiled brightly, "Yes, my twentieth. Would you really do that for me? Usually, we have a get together at the Burrow, but things have been different after things ended between Ron and me."

"Yes, of course, ask them over. Perhaps since your birthday is on a Sunday, you could ask them over for a Saturday night?"

"Thank you so much, Narcissa, I will go floo call them right now." She left the room quickly with a slight bounce in her step. It warmed Narcissa's heart that something so simple could mean the world to the girl.

She really hated deceiving her. She knew that if Hermione were a Veela, she would be undergoing a painful transformation on her twentieth birthday. She wanted her to have a special night beforehand. If, of course, her assumptions were correct.

Narcissa had spent much of her time outside of working on the Department of Family Law researching family lines and Veela blood. She noted that many of the symptoms of a turning Veela were similar to the strange behaviours Hermione possessed. It seemed that every passing day Hermione became more and more beautiful. Hermione looked like she was even glowing recently; her son could hardly keep his eyes off of her whenever she was around.

If Hermione truly were to transform, she would need all of the support she could get. Everything about her life would be turned upside down. She would learn that she wasn't truly a muggleborn, and Narcissa hated to think of how the public would spin it if any rumours were to get out.

It would explain her undeniable attraction and possessiveness of Draco, assuming that Draco was her mate. It would explain how the two had been drawn to each other for years.

Narcissa felt anxious about how their night would play out. She did not let Hermione and Draco know that she had invited over an additional guest for dinner. Specifically, company she knew would give anything to be with Draco.

She only hoped she hadn't made the wrong decision in inviting her over.