CHAPTER SIXTEEN- Reality
"Admiring the garden?" Narcissa asked when she came to wake Hermione up. The younger witch, unable to sleep, watched the sun rise from her window at Malfoy Manor. "It's beautiful," Hermione said.
The pain of complimenting Narcissa's home was great, but there was no denying the beauty of the Malfoy's home and gardens. The sun peaked up to show the yard covered with dew and flowers not yet destroyed by winter gleaming in the light.
"I enjoy it as well. I picked quite a few of the plants myself," Narcissa said standing next to Hermione. "You and Draco will be married just over there," Narcissa pointed.
Beyond the pond was a clearing of lush grass where you would be able to see all of Malfoy Manor. "Builders will be here Monday morning to build the pavilion. I found the perfect stone mason," Narcissa commented.
None of this interested Hermione in the slightest but gave a nod to show she understood. "Put your clothes on and head down for tea. We have planning to do and you need to be fitted for your dress before you go back to Hogwarts," she said leaving Hermione alone to change.
She did not have many clothes to choose from simply because she practically lived in her school uniform. She chose a thick grey sweater that was a little too big and simple blue jeans. After a short time spent in the bathroom she headed down for tea with Narcissa.
Hermione got lost on her way down and had to turn around twice to get her bearings in the mansion. "What kept you?" Narcissa asked as she poured tea. Mrs. Malfoy did not wait for Hermione to respond and dove right into nuptial preparations.
"Where is Darco?" Hermione asked. It didn't seem fair she had to be cooped up with Narcissa listening to her talk about table settings for a wedding she did not want. "Draco is out with Lucuis," she said quietly.
"The ladies have their duties and the men have theirs," Narcissa said putting an end to that discussion. "Now, let us pick a date so I can send out invitations this weekend," she said opening her planner. Hermione held back tears as she watched Narcissa's perfectly manicured hand creep through the calendar.
"It is freezing out here! Are we even sure they were spotted this far out?" Draco complained. He and his father were scanning a field for any signs of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
"Hold your tongue Draco and help me look. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home," Lucius snapped at his son. "Oh yes, I cannot wait to get back to my Mudblood fiancée," he said bitterly.
Lucius stopped searching for signs of a camp ground and turned to face his son. "If you do not choose your words more carefully and start showing a bit of enthusiasm towards this whole thing you are going to find yourself in more pain than you can imagine," he told his son.
"If you do your job and do it well, you will be greatly rewarded. Put that in your mind and do your duties!" Mr. Malfoy screamed. Neither man spoke the rest of their excursion and found no signs anyone had been there. "Let's get home, it is nearly dark," Lucius said.
Upstairs in Malfoy Manor, a very tall and thin witch with huge glasses was measuring Hermione for her wedding gown. A measuring tape was flying around Hermione and wrapping itself around her body.
"How long will you make the dress, Concetta?" Narcissa asked. "Notta too long. This one, she is shorter than I thought she be!" Concetta said as she made the tape fly with her wand.
Hermione immediately hated Concetta. Narcissa bragged about how she had brought her in from Italy and only does the most fashionable gowns. Concetta talked about Hermione like she was not in the room, as if she were a doll for Narcissa to play with.
"You have someone to fixa her hair? Is very, very bad. I send someone to you," Concetta said speaking to Narcissa. This continued for what felt like hours as the two older witches looked at sketches of her future dress.
Finally an agreement was made and with the sketches finalized the Italian witch hurried off. Hermione was feeling very lightheaded and hungry, all she had that day was tea. "Now that your fitting is over we can eat. I have to pick out parchment for the invitations," said Narcissa.
The food was meager and light, but Hermione at it all quickly. As Narcissa was feeling the textures of various papers, Lucius and Darco returned home. "How was your day, darling?" Lucuis asked his wife.
"Fine, fine," she replied absently. "We have picked a date for the wedding and she has been fitted for her dress," Narcissa added. "What will be the date?" Mr. Malfoy asked. "The 20th of December. The children will be out of school and just before Christmas. Does it suit you, Lucius?" Narcissa asked.
Suddenly loosing her appetite, Hermione got up and quickly walked out of the room. The 20th of December was less than a month away and she felt like a puppet in the Malfoy's plans.
She had finally reached the correct bedroom when Draco stormed into the room. "How dare you leave without permission!" Malfoy ranted. "Get out of my room or I will curse you out!" Hermione said with her wand drawn.
Malfoy looked her up and down for a moment, determining if she was serious or not. "You can't curse me in my own home," he said. "It will be my home too by the 20th, will it not? Now get out," she said sternly.
Having left his wand downstairs and being at the receiving end of Hermione's curses before, he said, "Fine, but pack your things. We're leaving tomorrow." After he slammed the door behind him, Hermione dropped her wand and added today to her mental list of things she would have vengeance for.