Dinners at Malfoy Manor were usually a formal affair, and as always the three Malfoys had gathered in the smallest dining room for dinner. The room itself had only been used for the first time a few weeks previously as Narcissa had insisted that the rooms Voldemort had used, including the main dining room, be gutted and redecorated as part of the family's new start. As such a large portion of the manor was currently inaccessible, but the inconvenience was a small price to pay to rid the manor of the darkness it had played host to over the last couple of years.
Over dinner, Lucius began to fill Narcissa and Draco in on the progress he was making in convincing Kingsley to allow him to go and find a specialist to help Severus, but it quickly became clear that Narcissa's mind was elsewhere and she wasn't listening to what her husband was saying. Exchanging a glance with Draco, who had also noticed his mother's distraction, Lucius smirked wickedly as an idea to grab Narcissa's attention hit him.
"In the end, Kingsley said I could make provisional arrangements to go and see one of the specialists, and get them checked with the Ministry before receiving final approval," Lucius said. "Of course to get him to agree to that I had to dance naked down Diagon Alley."
"That's good," Narcissa muttered distractedly, before her head suddenly whipped up and she stared at her husband in bewilderment. "What was that about being naked?"
"I knew you weren't listening," Lucius tutted as Draco chuckled quietly to himself at the idea of his father dancing naked down Diagon Alley.
"Sorry, I've got things on my mind," Narcissa admitted with a sigh.
"Things more important than Severus's recovery?" Lucius asked in surprise. "I would have thought he would be your priority, Narcissa. Our time is running out. If we don't get help soon, I doubt even the specialists will be able to help him."
"Of course Severus is my priority," Narcissa protested. "But I have complete faith that you can persuade the Ministry to allow your trip. And it sounds like I was right. It seems you're finally making progress."
"I am," Lucius confirmed. "Of course, I will have to draw up a very tight schedule to get it approved. The Ministry won't allow the trip if they think I am just using it for a few days away. Every second of my time must be devoted to helping Severus."
"Which it will be," Narcissa said. "Are you planning on going alone, or are you going to ask if Draco can go with you?"
"It would be good to have Draco with me, but I don't think it's wise to push the Ministry's generosity," Lucius said, giving his son an apologetic look as he knew Draco was desperate to help the godfather who had done so much for him in the war. "But since that wasn't what had you so distracted, would you care to share what's on your mind?"
"I was thinking about Hermione," Narcissa said softly.
"Granger?" Draco queried with a frown. His mother had mentioned running into the former Gryffindor a few weeks ago, and it had been clear that the meeting had affected his mother in some way, but he had no idea she was still thinking about the muggleborn witch.
"Yes," Narcissa confirmed with a nod. "The poor girl is so alone."
"Alone?" Draco scoffed. Obviously he knew Harry Potter had died defeating Voldemort, but he didn't think that would have left Hermione all on her own. "With Weasley and his family? Surely her life is overrun with redheads."
"The Weasleys have thrown her out," Narcissa explained. "I'm sure it won't stay quiet for long, but Hermione is pregnant with Harry Potter's child."
Draco's eyes widened in shock, and it was only the fact his mother was so solemn that revealed that she wasn't just joking. "I did not see that one coming," he admitted. "I thought Potter was loved up with the Weasley girl, and as for Granger, I thought she had Weasley trailing after her like a lovesick puppy."
"Things are complicated in that respect, which is part of the reason the Weasleys reacted so badly to the news," Narcissa said with a shake of her head. "They view it as Hermione having betrayed them, and they want nothing more to do with her."
"Given the fact they'd virtually taken Potter in, I thought they would want to hang onto his child," Lucius remarked.
"Well they don't," Narcissa said. "They don't want anything to do with Hermione or the child."
"That is sad," Lucius admitted. "But I hardly see why it concerns you, Narcissa."
"It concerns me because when I ran into her a few weeks ago she was feeling so low that she was considering giving her baby up," Narcissa explained. "And now she feels she has so little support in our world that she is thinking of returning to the muggle world. I think after everything she has done to help save our world, she deserves some support in return."
"But surely her parents are in the muggle world," Lucius pointed out. "All she'd be doing is returning to them."
"Her parents are in Australia," Narcissa said with a shake of her head. "I don't know the details, but Hermione sent them away to save them from The Dark Lord's attention. As I said, she didn't go into details, but I got the impression they hadn't just moved and could return at the drop of a hat. I don't even think she knows exactly where they are as she mentioned having to find them."
"So if her parents are on the other side of the world, why is she going back to the muggle world?" Draco asked in confusion. "She's a war heroine, surely she has the whole world at her feet."
"She would do, had she not been pregnant," Narcissa answered. "With her parents not around and without the support of the Weasleys, she has no support in regard to the baby. And with no childcare, people are reluctant to employ her as she won't be able to return to work once she's had the baby. And if she doesn't have a job, she can't support herself and the baby."
"That is very sad, but as I said, I don't understand what it has to do with you, Narcissa," Lucius said. "You can't fix things for her."
"Maybe I want to try," Narcissa said, her ice-blue eyes locking with her husband's. "That girl would have given her life to save our world. She fought when she could have ran. She sacrificed everything, and I think someone should care enough to help her. She may be a muggleborn, but she is a witch, and she belongs in the wizarding world."
"I have to say, I agree with mother," Draco said gently, causing both his parents to turn their heads in his direction in surprise. "Don't look at me like that, I've matured enough to admit that she is a hell of a witch," he said with a chuckle. "In fact, she's one of the most talented people I've ever met. Her magical skills should be appreciated, and our world would be a darker place without her in it. Besides, we wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Granger."
"What do you mean?" Lucius asked with a frown. "What did she do?"
"Potter may be considered the hero for defeating The Dark Lord, and quite rightly so I may add. But he couldn't have done it without Granger. She was the brains behind The Boy Who Lived. Without her, Potter never would have survived Hogwarts. So yes, Potter saved the world, but Granger saved Potter and gave him invaluable support. Without her, I don't think Potter would have triumphed, and if he hadn't won, we would all likely be dead by now."
"And you think that is enough to warrant helping her?" Lucius questioned with an arched eyebrow.
"Do you not think our lives are worth offering a helping hand to a young woman in need?" Narcissa snapped, glaring icily at her husband. "We are supposed to be changing our views after all. Or was that all talk for the Ministry and the press?"
"You know it wasn't," Lucius hissed. "Thinking the way we did almost cost us everything. We have to change, we have to evolve. But you also know change like that doesn't happen overnight. It's one thing to say I can accept muggleborns as part of our world, but another to actually aid one."
"Well aid Hermione is just what we are going to do," Narcissa announced, the plan which had been brewing for a few days coming into sharper focus as she spoke to her husband and son. "I will not have that girl driven out of our world."
"And how are we going to stop that from happening?" Lucius asked gently, not wanting to upset his wife, but he wasn't able to see how they could help when it was the entire way the wizarding world worked that was the problem for Hermione and her unborn child.
"Firstly, we're going to offer her a job," Narcissa said.
"In one respect, that could be a good move," Lucius said with a thoughtful nod. "It's common knowledge how smart she is, and that is always a good attribute in an employee. Plus, hiring the most famous muggleborn in the country would be wonders for our reputation. But we still have the same problem other people have. If she has no-one to look after the child, how is she going to continue working for us once she's given birth?"
"If needs must, I can help out," Narcissa said with a shrug. "But she did mention there are services out there, albeit expensive ones. I was thinking if we gave her a good paying job, she could afford to hire help. It would also enable her to find somewhere decent to live as at the moment she's stuck in this ratty little flat. She played a massive part in saving our world, and as Draco said, our lives, and she deserves better."
"Fine," Lucius sighed, well aware that Narcissa had set her heart on helping Hermione and nothing he could say would change her mind. "You can offer her a job. Of course, I will have to meet her to discuss how the job will work, but you can make the provisional offer."
"I'll go and see her tomorrow," Narcissa said with a large smile. "And Draco, you can come with me."
"Me?" Draco questioned. "Why do I have to come?"
"To help me convince Hermione that this is her best chance of getting the life she deserves," Narcissa replied. "I want her to say yes, Draco."
"And you think I'm going to be the one to convince her?" Draco scoffed. "In case it slipped your notice, mother, she hates me. You may have forged a connection with her, but I certainly haven't."
"Well now is your chance to make that connection," Narcissa said. "Call it the mothering instinct, but something in her calls out to me. She has no-one else, and I will not be another person who just walks away from her."
"I'll go with you," Draco conceded, like his father knowing that it was pointless to argue with Narcissa once her mind was made up about something.
As Narcissa basked in her victory, her husband and son exchanged amused looks. They both knew that whether they liked it or not, Narcissa was going to take Hermione under her wing, and they doubted it would stop with helping her get a job. No doubt the young witch would soon be a big part of their lives, and for everyone's sake they both silently vowed to do everything they could to learn to accept Hermione as part of their lives. What neither of them knew was that before long that Hermione would be a very important part of their lives, and not just because they wanted to keep Narcissa happy. Hermione would soon become an honorary part of the family, and within months both Draco and Lucius would be willing to do anything for the feisty muggleborn witch and the child she was carrying.