Most people covet a life of recognition. They would do anything for even a moment of fame, bend themselves in half to gain the fleeting admiration of others.

When she was younger, Narcissa thought all Gryffindors belonged in this category. Worthless attention-seekers suffering from a self-destructive hero complex. Where she had charm, wit and subtlety, they had their obnoxious, loud bravery… and - unfortunately - the support of the teachers and much of the wizarding world. Many of these tactless idiots became renowned political figures and leaders, leaving her with a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't understand what people saw in them.

Yet, now, as the bravest little lioness stood in her dining room, shaking with so much anger the magic of the manor rippled around her, it all made sense.

She hadn't cried out savagely or trampled away with promises of vengeance. She just stood there, letting her son clean and treat her hand, her eyes still strained on the fire-scorched, waterlogged carcass of the book. Narcissa knew that look. That strain in the jaw. That quickening heartbeat as plans rushed through the mind, one more devious than the other.

That ruthlessness.

It was a look so sinister it clashed with the lioness's normal self in a flurry of emotions on her face.

Narcissa exchanged a look with her husband, who built his occlumency walls even higher. While they had no knowledge of the girl being a Legilimens, she knew he didn't want to risk it. He was bothered by Hermione's intense stare ever since she stepped into the room. They heard about the fate of that Edgecomb girl, and if Hermione would do that to her ally, there was no telling what she had planned for her enemy.

In the end, all she did was talk, yet Narcissa knew how deep her words cut. The crimes her husband committed by the Dark Lord's bidding he could cope with. If she had thrown a list of victims in his face, he would've shrugged it off.

But she told him the things he feared the most. How he failed his family and himself. How weak he'd been. How he ruined so many others by speaking his mind on certain matters, misjudging just how much those sheep would be swayed by his words.

She knew this because, after the trials, she spent weeks huddled up in their bed, just hugging him, whispering calming words into his ears as he broke down. It was painful to watch, but Narcissa believed it would lead to healing him, eventually.

And when they finally got his sentencing, it was Narcissa's turn to be comforted.

Such an awful situation. A bloody cruel joke.

A joke that might get a new punchline thanks to this little witch's fury.

Hermione threw another book on the ground, catching wisps of magic with her wand, unravelling the unknown spell with ease. Even as the jinx snapped and coiled back, she could clearly undo it with some effort. Yet she seemed unsatisfied.

Hermione worried her lip and dug into her bag again with one hand, the other casting the strongest Protego Narcissa had felt in a while. Draco did the same, without letting the witch out of his sight.

The book she pulled out was small and thin - a short story, maybe - wrapped in elegant black leather. But Narcissa could not see any words on the cover or the spine, not the author's name, nor the title. How strange...

She slid it away from them, gently, but it still made a heavy thump as it landed on the floor.

They waited. And waited. And after a minute, the book still lied on their floor, untouched, unscorched, unbelievable.

Narcissa saw her husband's occlumency shatter, emotions quickly filling his face before he could reign them in.

Glancing at the girl, Hermione was smiling wickedly, maybe even cruelly. Yet this placated Narcissa like nothing else, since this devilish smile was finally on their side.

Hermione wanted to do a little dance and cry out in triumph. Yes, it would've looked ridiculous, but she felt a rush from the fact that her plan not only worked, but it was a big middle finger from Lady Karma aimed straight at those book burning bastards.

They tried to stop Muggle knowledge without knowing anything about Muggles?

What a joke.

She smugly flipped open the cover, quickly checking if it still worked. The screen lit up without a problem, the words of Virginia Woolf filling her vision. She navigated to another book, something she deemed more appropriate for now, quickly glancing at the number of the books in her library. Three hundred forty-nine. Good. For a moment, she worried she didn't have enough, since she didn't use it too often, but this was her first successful experiment. And it held enough books to satisfy the wizard's sentence.

She got back in her seat - when did she even get up, anyway - and put the device in front of Lucius Malfoy. The man was startled for a moment, staring at the screen with furrowed brows, but eventually giving in to his curiosity. Hermione watched as his eyes traced the lines back and forth, reading the page in record time. When he finished, she flicked with her finger, getting to a new page. He read that too, without a single question.

After reaching the end, he tried to mimic Hermione and moved his finger over the screen. In the air. When it failed to flip, he finally looked at Hermione with an arched brow.

Hermione knew this was the best she could get from the man, asking her to 'explain please' was extremely unlikely. So she started anyway.

"Are you familiar with the concept of e-readers, Lord Malfoy?"

"I can't say I am Miss Granger."

The power dynamic shifted between them, as Lucius's tone went from covertly hostile to overtly curious. Apparently, dangling a get out of jail free card before his eyes was enough for him to forget about his prejudices. Or put them on a tight leash, at least. Hermione hoped this fragile truce would last until she left the manor. It would make this dinner exponentially more enjoyable.

She continued, "It is a piece of muggle technology that allows for storage and access to thousands of books with a single hand-held device."

Narcissa gasped and gripped her husband's left hand so hard her knuckles whitened. Hermione wanted to smile at her calmingly, but her hands were full with a speechless Lucius Malfoy.

"On this one, I have currently over three hundred books, ready for reading. Thankfully, our little arsonist forgot these exist. Maybe never even knew about them in the first place." She shrugged. It didn't matter. Those who remain wilfully ignorant have only themselves to blame.

"I am willing to lend you this e-reader, but, it comes with a price. Think of it as another deal, Lord Malfoy, since I suspect that you Slytherins are physically unable to ask for help."

None of them refuted this statement, although Draco grumbled under his breath. Lucius silenced his son with a glance, then nodded hastily, finding his voice once again.

"Name it. If it is something within my ability to provide, it will be yours." The air was tense as they waited for her answer. Even Draco caught his breath. Come on, just what did they think she would ask? To line the Ministry's Atrium with the severed heads of Death Eaters?

But they did have a point with the bated breaths. Honestly, it would've been a pretty solid dilemma if she didn't have an answer already. Hermione had a project in mind that could use the help of one of the most influential wizards in Britain. But there was a caveat. She did not want to reveal her plans just yet. She didn't even trust Harry and Ron with this secret. Not that she could hide it for much longer, judging by Lucius's questioning looks. The Dark Lord's tactician was still as sharp as ever.

Well, that was a problem for another day. Even if he figured it out, he would not be so tactless to ask her directly, thank Merlin.

Hermione went with the strategy of starting small and building up from there. After all, she never said the price would be just one thing.

"Firstly, you are to call me Hermione."

A small favour. Hermione watched as Lucius thought about it, harder than she would've.

"I will," he said.

"Secondly, I wish to have full and unrestricted access to the entire Malfoy book collection."

She was careful not to say Malfoy library. Theo said their family kept most of the valuable books in Gringotts, and Hermione assumed the Malfoys would do the same. The 'library' could technically limit her to the ones in the manor, maybe even that one room, if Lucius was strict about it.

And she wanted them all.

Lucius nodded much faster this time, her second wish making much more sense than the previous. "You have it."

Hermione grinned. Now she had them all. Not that she would want to come back here for a while, but maybe Draco could collect them for her? She turned to face her wizard just to find him smirking with a 'You could've just asked me' look, and twinkling eyes. He was apparently rather amused by something.

Taking her eyes off Draco's silver gaze, Hermione straightened her back and turned to Lucius once again. "Finally, I want your word that I will have your full support for my upcoming plans," she said, keeping her eyes firm and her face as unmoving as she could. "Whatever they may be," she added quickly, just to be sure.

Something was definitely off with the elder Malfoy, as she could follow the emotions that crossed his face quite easily, for the first time in her life. First confusion, then understanding, suspicion, fear, scheming, and finally, acceptance. He nodded for the last time, with his lips pressed tightly together.

"I personally will support whatever plans you have for the future, Miss Gra- Hermione."

A rush of dopamine made her grin like a maniac before she remembered why she had this opportunity to corner this old snake. She quickly added 'Find the responsible for this atrocity and make them pay' to her plans. It may have sounded far-fetched at first, but having the support of the entire Malfoy clan made her feel nigh indestructible. She will find them, she will make them pay, and she will have a happy ending, even if she has to Impedimenta the elusive bastard.

She pulled her chair next to Lucius, and to his credit, he didn't flinch. "Good… here. Let me show you how to use it."

"All clear?"

It took only five or so minutes for Lucius to grasp the basics of Muggle technology. For someone who's never even heard of a touch-screen before, it was pretty impressive.

"Yes." He answered, flipping through page after page with enthusiasm, not even looking at her. In that moment, Hermione felt a sort of kinship to the man, one that could only exist between two bibliophiles. Theo had warned her how much Lucius appreciated books, nearly tripling the family collection in a few short years, but it was something else to see him absorbed in Muggle literature.

Maybe in a different universe, they would've been best friends.

Maybe in this one, they still had a chance to be.

A/N: Remember my darlings, people can change, but you have to give them a chance. (This does not extend to people who burn books. They will get their comeuppance! ;) )

Also, thank you for the many amazing comments! Please keep them coming. :)

Next chapter coming on Sunday (?), where we finally find out just what sort of mess Draco had got them into in the tea room. Until then, stay awesome!

Love,

LydieBerry