A/N: I swear it's Wednesday. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
—
The Manor had changed since Hermione's last visit. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the whole atmosphere was different. She could still remember how last time the ancient magics made her body feel like it was burning up while squeezing the air out of her lungs. Passing through the protective barrier now was still unpleasant, but it was much more bearable, like trying to pass through aspic instead of lava.
Draco's hand found the small of her back, and as soon as he touched her, all the unpleasantness vanished, and she could finally take a deep breath and assess her surroundings.
Much like the Nott Manor, even the foyer oozed a certain dark pretentiousness. The menacing marble statues and the glaring and snickering portraits of generations of Malfoys tore into every bit of bravery she'd gathered during the day.
One particular painting - that stretched nearly from floor to ceiling and depicted a man so reminiscent of Lucius it made her shudder - called out to them.
"What filth are you bringing into our sacred home, you foolish boy?" it sneered.
Draco's hand suddenly dropped from her back, as if startled by the voice. He was staring at the man, muttering only a single word. "Grandfather?"
His tone was so strained it made Hermione wince.
"Answer me, boy!" he boomed. "What is that mudblooded whore doing in my house? Get rid of her! Immediately! Before I lose my temper and call Lucius to fix it for you, like he always does."
Draco was still frozen in place, his face fallen back into that emotionless mask she'd finally gotten rid of these past few days. And it pissed her off.
"What a pleasure to meet you, Abraxas Malfoy," she said sweetly, but purposefully left off his title. "I am saddened to hear that you have not been informed about my invitation."
Both men looked at her like she'd just sprouted a second head, with a flash of fear lighting up Draco's eyes.
"What is the meaning of this, Draco? Did you invite a filthy mudblood to the manor?" he snapped.
"No, Abraxas. I did."
Narcissa Malfoy walked out of the neighbouring room with a fake smile and thundering eyes. Her dark grey dress was immaculate and flowed around her gracefully as she approached them.
"Narcissa…" The man turned his reddened face to her and frowned deeply. "You were such a refined and brilliant young lady when my son introduced us. I cannot fathom what would bring you to let that… thing roam freely around our home." His eyes narrowed. "I should've known you've lost both your senses and your worth as a woman after all those miscarr-"
"Velarium Fortis!" Hermione shouted, waving her wand and conjuring a thick, red and gold curtain over the painting, muffling both the surprised cry and angry growling of the man. He struggled against her magic, trying to scream through the fabric, but the spell was perfected on Walburga Black. This old git had no chance.
Hermione was in the crossfire of two Malfoy stares once again, albeit in a more pleasant way.
Narcissa stepped closer to her, but still staying out of reach. Hermione could vaguely remember Draco doing something similar when they first met. Was it a pureblood thing? She made a mental memo to ask Theo later.
Narcissa curtsied. "Miss Granger, what a pleasure that you could join us today. Let me welcome you to our home."
Hermione just stood, staring at the witch for a couple of seconds. She had expected many things from their meeting; from angry glares to terse but polite conversation.
But Narcissa Malfoy was smiling at her.
Her brain rushed to kick her body into action, and curtsied back, leaving the muscle memory from her sessions with Theo to take over. "The pleasure is mine, Lady Malfoy."
She was seemingly pleased with her answer and signalled Draco to take her coat, which he obeyed without a word. Hermione glanced at him, to check if he was okay. The sight of his mother loosened his façade. While still not smiling, the smallest twinkle in his eyes told her that things will be all right, and she decided to believe it.
Turning back to Narcissa, she could see the witch appraise her, but no matter how hard she tried, Hermione could not even guess what was going on in her mind at that moment.
"I assure you, this visit will be nothing like your last one," she finally said. "In fact, I know I have no ground to seek your forgiveness, but I do hope you would gracefully allow a humiliated witch such as myself to seek even a sliver of redemption."
The Malfoy Matriarch bowed before her, extending her clasped hands to her, and without her lessons from her brother, she could've mistaken the gesture for prayer.
Hermione was extremely grateful for all those books her snakes lent to her. Thanks to those, she knew that this was an act of seeking forgiveness. Normally, she would be offering Hermione her wand, turned upside down. It showed both submission and an acceptance of any punishment she may see fit. It was a totalitarian show, one that the Dark Lord had expected from his followers. Not something a Muggleborn should ever experience.
Yet, it was not this fact, that warmed Hermione's heart, but that Narcissa Malfoy had deemed her knowledgeable enough to interpret the meaning of such an old ritual.
She stepped closer, gently grasping the witch's hands, and pulling her upwards, trying her best not to be forceful. Narcissa was much taller than her, making the pull a bit awkward. Thankfully, the grace of the older witch was absolute.
She looked at her expectantly, so Hermione dug about in her mind for the proper response.
"Lady Malfoy, my heart may be in tumult yet. But in my mind, I see only a wife with limitless love and support for her husband and child. It is only human to err, so please do not seek my forgiveness, as it was given already."
Narcissa's carefully coloured lips had parted in surprise. Hermione now remembered the thankless nights she sat in her room, trying to come up with a fitting answer to every possible scenario, as per Theo's guidance.
If only for this one moment, it was all worth it.
"Thank you, Miss Granger. Your words warm my wretched soul," she said with a wistful smile. "Now, let us retire to the sitting room. I'm afraid our drawing room is still under renovation."
Suddenly, Draco was at her side, offering his arm to her. She took it without hesitation, snuggling close to him as he led her deeper into the belly of the beast.
—
A/N: I finally finished re-planning the whole story! :)
Remember how I estimated in the beginning that this whole thing would be done in about 21 chapters? Yeah... now it's 60…
(Please don't hurt me, I swear it's a much better story arc than the original. Much more detailed, too. We'll have sooo many shenanigans, I can hardly wait!)
Also, please send some coffee my way, Merlin knows I need it.
Thank you for sticking with this story!
Up next: Draco's declaration
Love you all,
(A very sleep-deprived) LydieBerry