Hermione woke up early Saturday morning and began rifling through her closet. She never worried too much about how she looked or what she wore, but today was different.
This event would be the biggest social gathering in months, if not a year, and she was the one in charge. Many very influential and well-respected members of the wizarding community would be in attendance, and she needed to make a good impression. Part was for the sake of the project, but it was also about making connections for her future.
She had tried on over a dozen outfits, and none were quite what she was going for. As a hostess she needed to be formal, but she also wanted to remain respectable. Her intellect would obviously be the selling point, but she decided that maybe it was time to get noticed for selfish and petty reasons. There had been few things lately she had done solely for her.
With that in mind, she shoved her disheveled head in the fireplace.
"Ginny, I need your help!" She called to the empty room.
"Of course you do. I'll be right there." Her friend called.
She was not lying. As soon as Hermione pulled her head out and shook the soot from her hair, Ginny appear with an armful of dresses.
"I had already been collecting them. I know how drab everything you own is."
Hermione felt a bit lost when Ginny took control of a situation. Dresses were being pulled over her head and back off again before she even got a chance to see them. Finally one seemed to make the redhead happy. She turned her to face the mirror.
"I think this is it."
She looked at herself, and imagined greeting her guests, the picture of poise and sophistication.
"It's perfect."
She planned to arrive at Malfoy Manor an hour before the event was to start. She was bringing the actual technology, and it would take her a little while to set it up. She also wanted to make sure Malfoy actually got everything done.
Of course he did, he has nothing better to do.
She apparated just outside his gate, and stood a moment looking at the massive house. A chill ran down her spine as she tried to push the memories from her mind. It was not the building's fault, and she needed to remember that. The terrible woman was gone and she was a stronger person in the end. That had been her mantra over the years when she needed help forgetting.
She pushed the gate open and looked up again. It was a huge mansion, yet he complained so much about being confined to it.
A house is no comfort when you are in it alone.
She didn't know where that thought came from, but it was probably true. The greater the mansion, the greater the echo.
She proceeded up the walk, thinking of how nice it would be to have such a beautiful and expansive property. She always enjoyed camping as a girl, because the outdoors gave her a serenity she otherwise only found in books.
Finally, she could see the top of what she assumed was the tent set up for the evening.
The air was a bit chilly, but it was still a nice day for early March. She hauled her box of equipment up to the tent and set it on one of the tables. Lucius was nowhere to be seen, so she went ahead with setting up. A flick of her wand got the screen in place while she fiddled with the wires and buttons.
It was tricky to get muggle technology working where there weren't any plug-ins, but she had charmed the projector and the dvd player to run on a combination of magic and batteries. Hopefully it would last the length of the film.
She heard footsteps, and turned to see Lucius walking towards the tent. He spotted her, and for a moment she thought his eyes got a bit wider.
"Ah, there you are Miss Granger. I hope everything is in order so far. I would like to take a moment and run through how I have everything set."
It must have been her imagination. He was acting perfectly normal. Well, the way he had been acting lately, anyways.
"Guests will arrive and make their way towards the tent area. The first half hour or so can be spent in conversation, having drinks et cetera. I will have the elves send out the wine and a few hors d'oeuvres."
She tried not to cringe when he mentioned the elves. SPEW had gone basically nowhere, and she had tried her hardest to stop bringing it up. It only ever ended in embarrassment.
"As the host, I will welcome everyone, then I can call you up to say a few words about films and what they are. We watch, then continue with the merriment."
"That sounds wonderful. What else needs to be done?" She was getting a bit nervous. The event would have been fun, except none of her friends had been on their invite list. Hopefully it all went well enough for her to enjoy herself somewhat.
There were more footsteps, and she was unsure who it could be. Was Malfoy not living alone?
"We have the chairs father. Where would you like me to put them?"
Oh. That's who it was.
"Miss Granger, you remember my son Draco?" She nodded. How could she forget?
"And this is his girlfriend Astoria. They've just returned home for a visit and decided to come witness our first event." He seemed pleased. Even if everyone at the event hated him, he at least had his son to back him up. The girl seemed fine enough. Hermione recognized her from Hogwarts, and she never seemed like Draco's type.
"Hermione Granger; very pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you as well! Draco never mentioned that the two of you were acquainted, although I should have assumed since you were in the same year at school. So you work in the new Muggle Relations department? It must keep you rather busy." She was the first pureblood Hermione had met that didn't flinch a little when talking about muggles. She definitely didn't seem like Draco's type.
They continued chatting while the men set up the chairs. From the girl's stories about their travels it seemed like Draco was a completely different person. He had a respectable job, and barely spoke of his life before the war. Perhaps people like the Malfoys really could change.
She glanced at her watch. Guests would be arriving in 10 minutes. High-strung Hermione came back suddenly, panicking that everything would go wrong.
Lucius thought about the Granger girl as he lined the chairs up with his wand. He had to admit her looks had been a big factor in deciding to choose her for his plan. She was a very attractive young woman. He couldn't stand her, but she was easy on the eyes. He almost gasped when he saw her the first time that evening. It was the only time she wasn't wearing her matronly work clothes, or those abominable things she wore that day in her flat. He thought of how great she would have looked going to all the pureblood balls of old, on some stuffy rich man's arm, in deep discussion of magical theory. He could not picture her sitting and gossiping with the other women.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he realized Draco had been speaking to him.
"…so I was thinking of asking her to marry me this evening, when the film is done."
Wait, what?
"Well? I already spoke to her family about it, but I wanted the ring from our family heirlooms. I may not keep many ties to our traditions these days, but I must admit it is a beautiful piece."
He wanted the ring to give his girlfriend tonight? Wasn't this moving rather fast? He expressed this concern.
"A bit I suppose, but we have built this new life together, and I honestly can't see myself anywhere else. Isn't that what love is about?"
Lucius' mood turned suddenly foul.
"Why would you ask me that? If you have forgotten, my marriage was arranged. You may have the ring, as no one else will be laying claim to it. Go get it now before anyone arrives."
He didn't know why he was suddenly so angry, and directing it at his son. He should be truly happy that the boy found someone who tolerated him.
It was just the way Draco seemed to flaunt it, the way he made no effort and yet it came so easily. Lucius always got what he wanted, but it was never by accident or anything others might attribute to fate. It was through hard work and often quite a bit of deception.
The Malfoy name had always been about honor, loyalty and tradition. This was the first time in centuries the Malfoy ring was given to a woman who had not been arranged to marry the man.
Draco came back looking rather smug, just as the guests began to arrive. Lucius put on his performance face and began courteously welcoming them all to his property. Many of them were Ministry folk in high-end positions, and he could see Miss Granger making her rounds. Everyone seemed eager to speak with her. She was the war heroine, known for being incredibly bright and ambitious. Perhaps this was the first event she had been to without her two cronies in tow.
He was having less luck in conversation. Those he had at least been in contact with before the war tried to avoid him. Some eyed him suspiciously, while others came only to make polite conversation before rushing away. They would all be gauging his behavior, so he needed to make sure he was believably on the right track. Like Miss Granger, he needed to get in their good books if he wanted to get anywhere.
He kept to the perimeter, making sure all was going smoothly, and keeping an eye on conversation. He caught Draco discussing business with one of the people from Gringotts. Many people seemed to be interested in his work. The boy was an honest success, which was certainly a marvel to the rest of the wizarding community.
It was time to get things started. He made his way to the front end of the tent and cleared his throat. It went dead silent.
"Welcome. I am pleased to be here this evening as a part of such an interesting and educational event. I hope you all enjoy yourselves, but before we begin I would like to call up the woman in charge of this entire project to explain what we are all doing here tonight." He tried to say it without sarcasm. Hopefully it came off sincere. The crowd looked as wary of him as ever so he supposed it must have.
Granger smiled as she walked up to the stage. He could tell she was nervous, but the excitement of the crowd must have been feeding her confidence.
"Good evening everyone! I would like to thank you all for agreeing to be here for our first event. This is a very important step to truly connecting with the muggle world, while getting to experience something I hope you will all enjoy. I would also like to extend thanks to Mr. Malfoy for letting us use his property."
He nodded, as if it was nothing at all. It really wasn't anyways.
"What you are about to witness is probably the single greatest form of muggle entertainment. It is called a film, and it tells a story. They are almost like books, but instead of reading, you can experience it through sight and sound. They are created and recorded, which takes quite a bit of work, then people can watch them. Each time you watch the film it is the same. They can tell true stories or fictional ones, and sometimes a mixture of both. Tonight we are going to watch an older film called Casablanca. Keep in mind that muggles do not necessarily act and dress this way anymore. Some of it may be confusing, but I think you will find the story enjoyable regardless. Please leave any questions for me until it is done. Let's start the show!"
He dimmed the lights, and she fiddled with her contraption as people took their seats. As the movie began, he moved to the back of the room and sat beside Draco. At least this time he had someone else to discuss with afterwards.
The film started, and he could already see quite a difference between it and The Godfather. There was still struggle, but it was taking place during real war. Lucius found himself drawn into the story again, and could tell the rest of the audience was as well. There were gasps and sighs all around him, but he was absorbed in his own thoughts as it progressed.
The intrigue this time was fueled by anger and a pang he almost called regret. He was not sure who he identified with in this film. The other had been such a stark picture of his life, but this seemed to portray everything he was not. Perhaps it was why Miss Granger chose to show it. These people should be identifying with a hero like this man.
This Rick fellow had what he wanted at his fingertips, and yet he gave it all away. He had a chance at love, what the foolish seemed to be able to die for, and yet he sacrificed it for the sake of another. It was the sickening kind of tale these people would eat up. He could see it in their eyes, welling up with tears.
A love story about loss seemed to set the stage perfectly for the other event that was making Lucius inexplicably irate: his son's proposal. The audience was emotionally charged as the movie ended. Lucius wanted to gag when he heard sobs. The entire thing gave him an unpleasant feeling, like an unexplainable knot in his chest. It tightened as he watched Draco move to the front of the room.
Hermione was incredibly pleased with the film's reception. Everyone seemed to be absorbed in the story. They needed a few minutes to understand the format, but it didn't take long for them to be yelling at the characters, gasping and crying. As it ended there was a loud applause, although she could tell they had been disappointed in the less than happy ending.
It was a reminder that not all choices are selfish. In the years rebuilding their society after war, a love story about making a noble choice during hard times seemed to hit home. The crowd was buzzing.
She was about to get up and make her closing remarks when she saw Draco head to the front of the room. She looked back at Lucius, but he seemed to be fixed straight ahead, glaring at his son. That was a bit uncharacteristic of him.
"After such a wonderful example of what we can learn from other people, such as muggles, it seems a fitting time for me to give a little speech I prepared. Many of you know I did not have a conventional childhood, nor was my track record very good. I have not only been lucky enough to get the opportunity to straighten my life out, but I found someone who has been there to share in my new adventure. Astoria, will you do me the honor of continuing this crazy new journey as my wife?"
Everything else happened in a blur. She screamed and ran to him, an obvious yes. Everyone else was cheering and crying, rushing to congratulate the newly engaged couple.
Everyone… except for the father. He stood, still scowling, in the shadows, visible to none but Hermione.
None of the other guests seemed to miss their host, or question why he was not up making a toast to his son and bride to be. Perhaps they forgot who his father was, the young man shedding any similarities with how they perceived the Malfoys.
He would give a toast, of course, once his desire to leave was overcome by his need to uphold his appearance. Not knowing he was being watched, he solemnly took in the scene for a moment before reentering his façade, and taking back his place in the centre of the crowd.
It was curious, but knowing him she would never get a real explanation for his odd behavior. Perhaps there were true emotions inside Malfoys after all. The beaming Draco seemed to prove that.
It was something she needed to investigate some other time. For now, she had a party to enjoy.
A/N This took me a while, but I wanted it done in one chapter. I'll admit I picked Casablanca because it just popped into my head. I haven't seen it in years, so hopefully I still made it work within the story. I never intended to make Draco's life such a big part of the plot, but it ended up being a useful tool to get things in motion. I'll have more soon :)