Chapter 8

She didn't even know why she was nervous. It wasn't as if she was going to meet her boyfriend's parents for real. But that was exactly what it felt like at the moment, and if Hermione was being completely honest with herself, then she would admit that she had no idea how to handle the situation; again.

It seemed that lately Hermione felt like she didn't know how to handle a lot of the situations, and this was coming from the person who fought along her best friend, constantly endangering her own life through risky scenarios. But despite it all, she always had a plan; even if they were bad ones and ones that often failed.

But recently it seemed as if her life was just completely falling into pieces in front of her very eyes, and she was barely twenty-one. Hell, she still had two months until then, so she refused to accept it until that point.

Maybe it was growing up that caused her to lose perspective, or maybe it was growing up that caused her to realise just how messed up her life really was when she wasn't pretending that everything was perfect all the time. Because if she was completely honest, she would admit that she was very, very far from perfect despite her best attempts to strive for the best grades and her attempts to be the best possible person she could. Because underneath it all, she really was a mess.

It wasn't as if she and Malfoy were even together anyways. Just because some future version of herself had ended up with him didn't mean it would come to pass. She was sure in some alternative timeline she was probably still with Ron, and in another she was with Harry. Hell, in another universe she could probably be with Neville, and that would be okay, because that was how that reality came to play out. But in this one, she wasn't with anyone. And she refused to try and pretend to care for someone because she found out some information that was supposed to magically make things roll a certain way.

She wondered how much of the recent time was similar to that alternate timeline. When exactly did the two diverge? Did something happen differently prior to the children coming back that didn't in the alternate future? Hermione knew she probably would never have the answers to those questions, but she would be lying if she said it wasn't very interesting to her.

So then why was she so nervous to meet Narcissa Malfoy? She didn't love the older woman's son, nor did she particularly care what the blonde thought of her. She didn't want her blessings to be with Malfoy, nor did she care that the woman could possibly still hate her for her blood type.

So then why was she sitting anxiously in her chair, staring at the clock until four o'clock, when she would go meet the woman in question?

It was probably the implications of it all. Telling his mother would somehow make the entire situation far more real than it already was, and Hermione wasn't quite sure how to deal with it all. She still felt guilty that she had barely considered telling her own parents about recent developments, and if she were adding that to the list of things she should be honest about, she would admit that it was the furthest thing on her mind at the moment.

It was probably also her own fault that her relationship with her parents was currently the way it was. While the memory modification had been done with good intentions, it had caused a strain on their ties. Despite her parents understanding (after much deliberation and explanations) why she had done what she had done, it had been hard for her to talk to them after. They wanted to pull her into the muggle world and send her off to university so she could take on a 'real' career. They also believed that the world she lived in was dangerous, and that it probably would get her killed one day. And while she loved them for caring about her and wanting her to be safe, giving it up wasn't an option. Magic was a part of her; just as much as her muggle side was. She couldn't just give it up for the fear that something could happen to her.

So how was she supposed to tell them that she was going off to fight another war, with an enemy she didn't even know, because her future child came to warn her? She could picture how well the conversation would go.

"Stop worrying about it," she heard a voice call out. Hermione looked up in surprise to see Malfoy staring at her in amusement. He had been waiting at the table with her, calmly drinking earl grey tea as the minutes until they had to go meet his mother ticked by.

"How are you not worried about this?" she asked in confusion. "It's not like this is an everyday thing that we go tell your mother that her grandchild came back from the future. She probably won't even believe it anyways. I don't even believe it half the time. It's just so surreal."

"I know," he admitted, "But despite anything she might say, Scorpius is my son and I refuse to let her opinions get in the way. I'm giving her a chance to accept it, and if she does, then that means she will have some contact with her grandchild. If not, then it's her problem."

She smiled faintly at that, "Even if it means that Scorpius and/or you might lose all claim to the Malfoy fortune?" she asked. She wasn't quite sure Narcissa Malfoy had the power to do so, but she knew enough about the old blood families to know what kind of behaviour she might need to expect.

"She doesn't control the fortune. She has whatever Black fortune was left to her, but the Malfoy fortune is mine. I am the heir regardless of what may or may not happen. With my father out of the picture, everything is in my name. But regardless, even if it weren't I wouldn't denounce Scorpius for his blood or history, or should I say future. As my first child, he is my heir, but everything will be divided equally between him and any other children I may have. The only thing my mother can control is what role she is going to play in Scorpius' life."

"You make it sound so easy," she said with a slight huff.

"Because it's that simple," Malfoy said with a shrug.

She looked up and saw the clock standing over the dining table at ten to four, "We should go. I don't want to be late."

He nodded, extending his arm out to her. When she looked at him in surprise he said, "Only Malfoy's may apparate directly onto the property. It's one of the safety measures we have on the house. We temporarily disabled it when He was staying with us, but since then I re-placed that, as well as several other spells."

He could see she was still wary about going over to his place. And why shouldn't she be. The last time she went over hadn't exactly been the most pleasant of times.

"We've renovated the entire place," he said, after a few moments, "I burned that entire wing to the ground and rebuilt it. I didn't want any reminders of what life had been like when He was there. I know it was especially terrible for you, and if you aren't comfortable going, I can go talk to her myself. I won't blame you for wanting to stay away from that place."

She shook her head, "You live there, and after all of this, if we get to keep Scorpius, it would make sense that he would be living there, at least part time. I'm going to have to get used to it eventually, and there's no better time than the future to do so."

He nodded slightly as she slipped her arm through his. She felt her arm twinge at the place she was touching him, but shook it off. It was nothing more than her mind playing tricks on her. It was the simple combination of her not being in a relationship conjoined with the notion that she could be in one with the man who's arm she was holding, and nothing more.

She felt the sensation of apparition, and before she knew it, she was on the Malfoy property.

It was definitely a lot brighter than the last time she had been over. The gardens were well maintained, and the peacocks were a lot more flamboyant than they were before. There were several colourful flowers decorating the scene, and she couldn't help but stare amazedly at the sight. Even the once dark house was a glistening white colour.

She stood outside the door, taking in everything when Malfoy gently nudged her from her thoughts, "Ready to go in and face it all?"

She nodded bleakly, "I suppose so," she said, as he entered the Manor. She followed him in, where an elf greeted them.

"Master Draco, Mistress Malfoy is waiting in the Tea Room," the elf said as Malfoy nodded.

"Thank you, Druin," he said as placed his hand on the small of her back.

Part of her wanted to protest the elves. The fourth year in her wanted to go on a huge rant about it. Hell, even the 22 year old in her wanted to talk to him about it. But it was not the time or place for such matters. She supposed she could always bring it up in the future, but she had long since learned to pick her battles.

She looked around the house as they walked through it. There weren't family portraits scattering the walls like there used to be in Grimmauld Place, but more scenery paintings. There were fancy statues scattered around strategically, as well as vases, and other old, expensive looking items. She supposed one of the perks of being as rich as he was would be being able to afford such extravagances.

While she had a fascination of art, she rarely saw it up close, except for when she was in a museum. It was odd to see how Malfoy walked by it all, as if he were used to such sights.

Seeing Malfoy Manor as a visitor, and not as a hostage, was definitely a different experience. She decided in that moment, that whenever she would be bringing over Scorpius for his stay with his father, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

After all, it appeared to be an entirely different place than that which she had been tortured in.

Not that she blamed Malfoy for his actions. She knew very well that if he tried to oppose his aunt, that she would be deranged enough to kill him on the spot. After all, Bellatrix had killed her own niece and cousin, what was stopping her from killing her nephew?

As Malfoy opened the door to what she presumed to be the Tea Room, she took in a deep breath.

Mrs. Malfoy was sitting poised at one of the chairs which looked to be straight out of a Victorian catalogue. She was sipping a cup of tea from a cup which would be equivalent to at least four months of her salary, which was rather well off compared to others.

"Draco," she said calmly, "I did not know we were expecting…company. I was under the impression that it would just be the two of us here this evening."

Malfoy didn't look fazed, "The two of us have something we need to discuss with you of a rather private nature. I figured since you probably would find out one way or another, it would be best for me to properly explain the situation."

Narcissa did not look pleased, "Really, Draco? I expected much better than this from you. If you were having pre-marital relations, I would have hoped that you would have the sense to take the necessary precautions so that something like this did not happen. I thought I raised you better than that."

Hermione's face burned at her assumption. She could see how the elder woman had come to that conclusion with what they were saying, however it was far from the case, kind of.

Malfoy scowled, "She's not pregnant," he said flatly, "Well at least not yet-uh, I'm not quite sure how to explain that."

Narcissa pursed her lips, "Perhaps the two of you better sit down and explain the situation properly then," she said, giving Hermione a dirty look.

And so they did. Hermione sat silently as Malfoy explained the situation as delicately as he could, only throwing in the occasional input. However this was his mother, and he would know how to properly explain without escalating the situation any further.

After all of that, Narcissa spoke again, "I see; and I suppose that you personally verified that this child is actually yours, and not some sort of monetary scheme that Miss Granger is playing?"

Malfoy gave his mother an annoyed look, "Of course I did. I was there when the spell was cast and you can't falsify those kinds of results. The child basically looks like a carbon copy of myself, and I can't believe that you would even ask that sort of question."

"I mean no disrespect, Draco. But you have to see it from my perspective," She explained calmly, without even looking slightly fazed.

"I don't see how you can ask that sort of question without meaning disrespect, Mother," Malfoy said in an annoyed tone, "Besides, I was the one who found the children. If anything, the question should be if I'm trying to pull one over on her."

"I see," she said again, before falling silent.

"Is that all you have to say?" he asked her. Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from saying something. The situation wasn't exactly ideal, but the two of them were being treated as if they did something wrong when that was far from the case.

"What do you want me to say?" Mrs. Malfoy asked, "That I'm happy about all of this? Because I'm not. I might have accepted that the views I once held won't stand in this current society. But that doesn't mean that I don't still believe in purity. Do you want me to say I'm happy that apparently I have a grandchild which means that yet another catastrophic thing is about to happen and that my son is caught in the cross hairs? Because I'm not. I had hoped that you would honour the marital agreement that you had with Astoria Greengrass, but I see that is not going to pass."

"First of all, I refuse to have an arranged marriage. Both Astoria and I have agree that neither of us wanted that. I will marry for love, and love alone. I won't marry someone just because I'm supposed to, even if it's not Granger. After you and father, can you really blame me? It's not like you both had the picture perfect marriage," Malfoy asked, before his mother cut him off.

"Do not speak of your father or I like that. The two of us might not have had the best marriage, but we were happy," she defended. "According to your plan, there's a chance Scorpius is returned to the future. If you and Miss. Granger do not end up together, what do you think will happen to that child? Do you want me to put in effort and care for someone that will cease to exist?"

Hermione paled. She had considered many things, yet that was not one of them.

"Despite what may or may not happen, I would have thought family meant more to you than that," Malfoy said, standing up, "Granger, let's leave. We have better things to do with our time. Mother, if you want a relationship with Scorpius, or even I at this point, you will come to terms with what is happening. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy solitude," he said, as he led Hermione out of the room.

He let go of her after they apparated back to Grimmauld place. He started to pull away to head out, but she grabbed his arm.

"I know the two of us aren't close, but I'm here for you if you need to talk," she said softly. "That couldn't have been easy to endure, and I know that if that had just happened with my own parents that I wouldn't be okay."

He looked like he was deliberating something, before he sighed and said, "I just expected more from her. I know she still has her views on all of that, but I had hoped that she would at least care that she has a grandson. I'm disappointed to be proved wrong."

She nodded, "Honestly, I hoped that too. It would have been nice for Scorpius to have at least one grandparent. But even if it doesn't work out with her, I want you to know that you still have a family here, with Scorpius, me, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. You're not alone."

He cracked a smile at that, "Who would have guessed that the Golden Trio willingly accepts me with open arms and my own family doesn't? I think the world has gone and cracked. Especially you, Granger. I must say it's quite a surprise."

She laughed, "Call me Hermione," she said, before hesitating, "Or not. I mean it doesn't quite matter all that much," she admitted, as she looked down.

"Now I know something must be wrong," he teased, causing her to smile. "But then I suppose it's only fair that you call me by my first name too, Hermione."

She grinned, feeling oddly at ease with the man in front of her. She knew what he meant about it being a weird sensation. A week ago she barely gave the blond a second thought, yet now they were kind of friends.

Their conversation was interrupted by an owl making sounds from the window. She walked over and opened the pane, and as she received the letter she frowned. It had the official St. Mungos logo on it; meaning she was receiving a case at home, something which rarely happened.

She opened the letter, and as she scanned the contents, a hand went to cover her mouth in shock.

"Is everything okay?" he asked her, walking to where she was standing.

"Ernie MacMillan was found on the street, unconsciously and slightly tortured. He is suffering from memory modification, and thinks he's a muggle," she said, processing the information.

"Oh?" he said, not understanding the full relevance.

"The same thing happened to Pansy Parkinson less than a few days ago. If it were just one case, I would say it's bad, but no big deal. But to have two cases so similar in the span of such a short time? It can't be a coincidence. Whatever it as that the children were sent back to stop, I think it's starting, Draco," she said lowly.

"We need to see the children's memories," Draco said grimly. "We can't wait any longer."

A/N: Ahh they're calling each other by their first names! I'm so excited and happy with how this story is progressing so far. I also would like to thank you all for the positive feedback, especially when it's anxiously worrying about my (so far mild) cliff hangers. See you next week!