A/N: Another chapter early, I hope you all had lovely holidays and the you'll enjoy the New Years! And thank you for your comments, faves and follows!

HBSJ

Chapter 4

The letter had arrived.

It was a thick A4 envelope of noticeable quality paper.

The old-fashioned seal on the back made it obvious that the letter was from the Malfoy family but she was absolutely certain that the large watermark on the front portraying the intricate ducal crest would also do the trick.

In the privacy of her own room, she sniffed the envelope and sighed contentedly as she sat on her bed. That smell of quality paper was just heavenly, even after it had been processed by the delivery service.

Because of course the letter hadn't been sent by normal plain old Royal Mail. No, of course not. It had to be delivered directly apparently.

She took a deep breath.

And another.

It didn't help. She was still nervous as hell.

Bollocks.

She frowned and noticed the ducal seal on the back.

It was as posh as could be expected but she couldn't help but look closer. Yes, she knew she was procrastinating but that didn't make the seal any less fascinating. At least not right at this moment.

It showed the classic ducal coronet with its five strawberry leaves topping their coat of arms. The coat of arms displayed a serpent wrapped around intricate spears.

She turned the envelope back around. The serpent and the spears were also there on the crest but infinitely more elaborate, two mirrored snakes were wrapping around spears jutting out from the large M in the centre.

Having focused on the details, she lost some of her nervousness.

Without thinking anymore about it, she tore open the letter and a slew of papers fell into her lap.

On top was a handwritten reply from Draco.

No. Draco Malfoy. She should not be thinking about him as just Draco. That would probably get her into a whole slew of problems.

She read the letter greedily her eyes tearing down the page.

Her excitement at them being accepted made her want to scream and shout and jump but instead she just bounced on the bed, trying not to ruffle up the papers too much. There was probably some very important information on them.

She read the letter again, trying to take her time with it this time.

His penmanship was slightly slanted, bold and to the point.

Dartmoor, March 31st.

Miss Granger,

I thank you for you and your friend's request to enter into an apprenticeship with me and I am happy to inform you that we will be expecting you on April 15th of this year.

All the necessary practical information is enclosed with this letter.

I am looking forward to meeting you.

Best regards,

Draco Lucius Malfoy
Marquess of Bantham

What did he mean 'I am looking forward to meeting you'? Was it just a curtesy-thing or did it have deeper meaning? Did he look forward to meeting her or the two of them?

After pondering that for a good fifteen minutes, she shook herself out of her reverie.

Stop.

No more. He was just a man she'd never met. He hung out with some (at least one) despicable people and for all she knew, he could be a bored dandy who was too full of himself to even want to be around.

A small voice interrupted her internal berating of him. But that's not what Harry thinks and you trust Harry.

She ground her teeth. Just because he was so so so incredibly handsome in photos (and the videos on youtube she'd found), she probably wouldn't even get to know him.

She put it from her mind and picked up the phone to call Ginny who picked it up on the first ring. "What 'Mione?"

Hermione almost rolled her eyes. "Seriously, are you writing a book about how rudely someone can answer a phone?"

Ginny scoffed. "No." She said it as though it was obvious. "I'm busy. I'm doing my nails. What do you want?"

At this, Hermione actually rolled her eyes. Sometimes she and Ginny were just miles apart from each other but Hermione ignored her attitude, as she always did, because Ginny was her only female friend. "We're in."

Silence. "In where?" Hermione would bet anything that Ginny had gone stock still.

Hermione grinned. "We're going to Dartmoor miss thing!"

Ginny screamed and shouted and dropped the phone and then picked it up and did it all over again. She heard Ginny tear down the staircase. "Mum! I need new things! I'm gonna snag myself a marquess!" She then turned to Hermione. "When?"

In her own excitement, Hermione had forgotten about Ginny's motives for going. Suddenly, she was almost regretting asking her to come. The swooping of her stomach when Ginny had boasted to her mum was clearly just a reaction to the news. It wasn't in any way a reaction to Ginny wanting Draco.

It wasn't.

"April 15th." Hermione's voice was breathless.

Ginny, unaware of the battle raging in Hermione, began barraging her mum with orders of what she needed and where to get it and after waiting a few minutes for Ginny to realize that Hermione was still on the phone, which never happened, Hermione hung up.

Hermione sat for a few moments by herself in her quiet room, looking down at the papers in her lap. The letter itself was handwritten but everything else was printed on stationary.

There were instructions about payment, how much, account number and routing and all that. Instructions about their ponies, how they should arrive and when. They needed to sort out what to do about ponies for Ginny. She needed to speak to Harry about that.

And then there were the general instructions. How to behave on the grounds, how to dress, where to go and most specifically, where not to go. Hermione briefly thought that she should inform Ginny of this but deciding it could wait. She could only imagine what Gin and her mum was planning at this moment.

Which reminded her of her own mum, who needed to know that she had successfully roped her daughter into enduring yet another season's dreadful events.

She got up and went to the kitchen where most of the family usually gathered.

Despite her mum's wish for propriety and ladylike behaviour, most of the sitting rooms, drawing rooms and whatnot in the house was just for show.

The kitchen however, was a much beloved and much used kitchen.

Before she entered, she could smell something cooking and she couldn't help but smile. As she rounded the corner she took a deep breath, taking in all of the gorgeous scents in the kitchen.

Her dad was standing over a massive cast iron pot adding a bit of this and a bit of that to, what she was certain, would be a delicious dinner. On closer inspection, the stew did indeed make her mouth water.

She loved this, she always had. Despite her mum's love of society and the season, her parents loved making intricate dinners that often took most of the day. They put something on and let it simmer for hours while going about their business and checking in on it from time to time.

It was home.

Her mum stood on the opposite side of the massive marble-topped kitchen island making a tart. As she neared, she reckoned it would be a treacle tart from the ingredients on the island. It was Harry's favourite, maybe she should get her mum to make Harry a tart when she drove down to Devon.

In two weeks.

She was going there in just two weeks. She should tell them about it. But not just yet, she loved watching them doing what they did best and she didn't want all of their focus.

This was the only time her parents were really spending time together during their day. Her mum was always out and about raising funds to her charities and her dad was usually at the office in Bristol or in his office here.

Right now her mum didn't know anyone was watching, so she smiled happily at her husband and blew him a kiss. Her parents were almost disgustingly in love, even after all those years.

It was truly aspirational.

She was going to miss them all even though she would only be gone a short while.

Her mum, spidey-senses tingling and all, turned to her with a smile. "So? Did you hear from the young marquess? Are you going Dartmoor?"

Hermione couldn't help the grin that formed on his face. It would seem that she would interrupt anyway. "Yeah mum, I am."

The eruption of cheers that broke out from all of them, even her brother, made her heart soar.

But her mum, timing her comment perfectly when the cheers had subdued somewhat, merely said, "I am so happy you'll be joining the Season this year my darling."

Hermione's grin froze in place but she would honour their agreement. She huffed out a breath, trying to think of an answer before her dad interrupted. "Oh hush darling, let the kid enjoy her moment before you prance her around the ring like a prize pony."

Her mum mock-blanched. "I take offence to your tone Baron Heathgate."

Her dad grinned happily and went over to give her a kiss. "Please accept my sincerest apologies Baroness Heathgate."

Hermione almost wanted to roll her eyes at their sheer happiness at being married to each other. But then again, she aspired to a marriage like that. They were just so happy.

Draco was in a grumpy mood.

Having sent off the reply to the Heathgate estate a week earlier, the waiting was just about doing him in.

There was a week until they arrived and he had decided to distract himself with some sport with his friends. Specifically, the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse just north of Liverpool.

He was driving to Exeter Airport with anything but the road on his mind.

Blaise would be there. They'd get a few pints and Draco would get his mind set right. He had been so preoccupied that he needed his friends to beat some sense back into him. Set his priorities back into order.

He swerved to avoid the car he was overtaking and shook his head to re-focus.

Focus.

He ground his teeth as he neared the airport. Thank fuck they had booked rooms in a swanky hotel close by. It would be a great weekend if he couldn't remember much of it afterwards.

The first class flight was welcome, he didn't have to steer the damn thing. And the whiskey brought by the flight attendant too. He didn't have to drive again before he returned on Monday.

His mother had even urged him to go, making arrangements with his great aunt, The Princess Royal. Aunt Lucretia had told him specifically that she expected him to be on his best behaviour. He knew what that meant; impeccably dressed and utterly impeachable conduct.

It also meant that the press was there.

He should have expected that but it was irritating none the less. He just hoped that the very worst of the paps wouldn't be there but he knew better. They would be. The Grand National attracted too many celebrities for them not be there.

Draco had only one kind of feelings for the intrusive paparazzi: Loathing. Luckily, he only had to deal with them outside the comfort of the Malfoy estate or his friends' estates.

Only when in public. Which he was now.

Luckily, money could buy lots of things. Including a private car with chauffeur waiting close to the tarmac and a standing deal with the hotel that he could enter through the basement.

He didn't mind the paps too much when he knew he needed to face them but today he would avoid them at all costs.

The aeroplane touched down and when he gathered his things from the overhead compartment, the overt smiles of the flight attendants alerted him. They knew who he was and he needed to go now. He hadn't noticed them much during the flight, he had been too preoccupied.

Fuck.

As soon as the doors were open, he flew out of the aeroplane and into the safety of the car.

At his direction, the car sped out the airport gates and towards the hotel. He didn't have to look back, he heard the three cars chasing his car easily. But he didn't care much, they couldn't follow him onto the hotel grounds.

The roar of the supercharged engine was soothing as it sped along the motorway.

He leaned back into the seat, letting oblivion overtake him.

He woke up by a flash in his face.

His eyes were open instantly and glared angrily into the face of the man who had woken him up so rudely.

"You know, you'll never outsmart the paps by sleeping like fucking boar. Do you realize you snore loud as fuck?" The voice was smug to the extreme and the smirk made Draco want to punch him.

It was Blaise, of course. Here to gloat at Draco's lapse in vigilance.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, surprised at being able to fall asleep like that but he shook it off. The car was parked in the basement of their hotel and Blaise was looking at him expectantly.

They got into the freight elevator after Draco had tipped the chauffeur and the bellhop generously. Only when the doors where closed did they choose a level. And it was even the wrong one at that.

Blaise just couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut in the face of Draco's grumpiness. "Why are we going to that floor? You know we're two floors above."

Draco just rolled his eyes. "Because of fucking snoops, that's why." The elevator stopped and they got off, taking the stairs the final few floors.

Blaise prattled on. "So Pansy and Daph are meeting us there tomorrow and they're bringing Astoria. Theo is on his way here, he took a car so I'm sure he's flaunting a new Aston, again. And I called Harry too but he can't make it. Something about your horses needing attention or some such shite. We're all coming to yours in two weeks, I've already arranged it with the Duchess."

Draco glared at him at this information but Blaise just kept on talking, unbeknownst of the turmoil this information caused in Draco.

In one week, Hermione Granger would be there. He didn't know what to do with himself but none of this registered with Blaise as he updated Draco on the latest scandal that Pansy had gotten herself wrapped up in.

He didn't really give a fuck about whatever scandal she was involved in.

But Blaise's blathering suddenly broke his reverie. "Harry told me something interesting. You are getting new recruits next week. Two young women. Will Granger's sister and her friend."

Draco accepted the whiskey Blaise had poured and sat in the oversized sofa in the main living room of his suite. "Yes, they're coming next weekend. What about it?"

He didn't know why he was getting defensive. Blaise was his oldest friend. But with Blaise being the kind of man he was, he smelled trouble brewing. The wicked smirk that appeared sent Draco's teeth grinding. "And do you realize who she is? Do you realize the kind of woman you'll see and train every single day?"

Draco knew what he meant. Blaise had always made it his business to know everybody who was anybody and he had actually sort of made friends with Will Granger at school. Wisely enough since Will turned out to be a fucking genius and base on Will's advice, Blaise had tripled his fortune in just a few years. That also meant that he knew who Hermione was, debutante, baron's daughter, heiress and all.

He'd said train as if it was a dirty word and just like that, Draco's mind went to the gutter. Fuck. He had to shut down this conversation. "Mind your own fucking business."

Blaise's smirk turned into a grin. He knew he'd hit a nerve and Draco cursed himself for not being more aloof about it. "I can't fucking wait to come visit you this time."

Luckily, Blaise let it drop and Draco became more relaxed as the hours passed. They couldn't be bothered to dress for the races today, they would contend themselves with the whiskey and privacy. Something Draco cherished.

A pounding on the door marked the arrival of the Duke himself. Theodore Nott had become the duke at the unreasonably young age of sixteen when his father had died tragically in a hunting accident. Draco had never envied him the responsibilities thrust upon him at such a young age but he hadn't shed any tears over the late duke and neither had Theo. The man had almost been a monster.

Blaise opened the door and Theo swooped in. "What up fuckers?! Where's the fuckin' drinks eh?"

Draco chuckled at his antics. "Please don't talk like that. The whiskey is here and we've already got a glass out for you.

They spent the night talking about everything and nothing. It was refreshing. Maybe it would be good for him that they would join him at Dartmoor.

Maybe.