Besides the scent of soot, Draco immediately recognized the smell of his family home. His Mum always had the house elf use lemon when cleaning. This particular room was where the skirmish with the Golden Trio happened six years prior. Back to his own body he stepped out and magically dusted and adjusted the sleeves back to normal. He decided he was going to act normal in what was potentially going to be a sensitive situation.
A house elf suddenly apparated into view, "Master Malfoy, welcome home. Do forgive me Sir for not having tea ready; I was not expecting your arrival." The small elf pleaded.
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"Mimble? Did some just floo in?" Came a familiar voice from down the hall. "Yes Ma'am, tis be Master Malfoy and Miss Granger." The elf responded, bowing. Mrs. Malfoy entered the room, very surprised to see her son and Hermione. "Draco, Miss Granger, what a surprise. Is something the matter?" She hurried over and put her hands on Draco's shoulders.
Hermione walked to a nearby chair and sat down. "Actually, Mrs. Malfoy everything is fine now. We successfully completed our objective and not a moment too soon." She said examining her hands. Sitting back into the chair, she sighed. "Did you hear, Draco?" After the Djin went through the veil, the voices sounded almost happy?"
"What do you mean 'voices'? What is she talking about?" Narcissa asked confused. Her tone was stepping into motherly seriousness and the concern on her face was slowly becoming stern.
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"It was nothing really." Draco answered, being his vague self when it came to a 'need to know' sort of information. Narcissa let loose a bit on him. Her eyes got that motherly authority glare. "It certainly does not sound like nothing. Answer me completely Draco." Narcissa demanded, reformed into accepting her sister who married a muggle-born and though more tolerate about non pureblood ideologies, she still held the heir of aristocracy and nobility that deserved respect.
Giving Hermione a look he proceeded to tell Narcissa the synopsis of their 'business'. The woman was none too please. "That was foolish, of both of you. Your father got sent to Azkaban the first time because of breaking into the Department of Mysteries. Did you expect for the authorities to turn a blind eye to your presence if you had been caught? No matter what explanation you both gave. I'm glad you both made it out unnoticed. I do not know if I could bear to lose my son as well." Narcissa remarked, just as Mimble brought in tea.
"It was for the greater good. Did you really want a potentially dangerous being running amuck if given the chance? We had to risk it, Mother." Draco voiced as he took a seat on the nearby sofa. Narcissa elegantly sat down upon a cushioned chair while Mimble passed out tea. "That does not mean I have to like or agree with your actions Draco. Just promise me you won't do something that risky again darling?" Narcissa asked though she was secretly pleased that Draco had done something remarkably unselfish. That was an improvement compared to their past. Even sitting down having tea with his once despised school associate, Miss Granter, who was now his trusted work associate was really something.
"I don't make promises I can't keep, Mother. But I'm sure Hermione and I are done taking risks for the time being." He said realized a moment later he had referred to Granger by her first name.
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Sitting quietly, Hermione knew better than to get in the middle of family disputes. Of course the previous events could have gone much worse. They were lucky not to have gotten in trouble. She let out a quiet sigh of relief when Narcissa seemed as though she were more at ease with her son being home safe and less upset about their risky actions. Draco assured his mother that the two of them didn't plan on doing anything foolish such as breaking into the Department of Mysteries again. 'Wait, did he just use my first name?' Hermione thought. She couldn't repress the smile on her face and thought she should say something. "Yes, I apologize for worrying you, Mrs. Malfoy. I can promise that I'll do my best to avoid such situations in the future."
"You say that…" Narcissa said sipping her tea, "…but you look rather pleased with yourself now." She had a knowing look in her eyes and a smirk that told Hermione that she didn't mean about the events in the Ministry. This made Hermione blush, "Well…" She glanced at Draco making eye contact for a split second before turning to her tea, "…This tea is fantastic, what kind is it?"
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Draco smirked when his eyes met with Hermione's for but a moment. He was able to suppress a blush that threatened to creep onto his cheeks, but the light hearted smirk at the corner of his lips was unsurpassable. "Miss Granger, it is a herbal tea from Japan with essence of cherry blossom." Mimble answered, as the house elf brought ordeurve sandwiches.
Narcissa looked between the two and said nothing more on the matter. Draco finished his tea and sandwich feeling satisfied. "We should return to Tanis soon. I'm sure your superiors are anxious to receive any remained valuables within the ruins." Draco commented to Hermione. His own superiors would be contacting him in the next twenty four through forty eight hours on return to make more potions. With skills like his, he could only be gone for a few days before he was needed once more.
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Hermione thanked the elf and took a sandwich for herself, politely nibbling at it. After all the excitement, it was nice just to relax and enjoy a cup of tea. Then Draco brought her back to reality and thoughts of work. "Yes, I suppose we should. Well, I should at least. There shouldn't be much left to do since the Djinn has been dealt with. If I can find King Xerxes I think that should be just about all that's left. Shouldn't take any more than one day. If you have any business that you need to tend to, I'll understand." This, in Hermione's mind, was a way to gently offer that he could remain as her work associate in Tanis for one more day; or part ways now that it appeared their cooperative work was mostly done.
She couldn't help but feel something, although she wasn't entire sure what that something was, for him. He was his own man now; no longer under the influence of others she was noticing some things about him that she admired on several levels. She was still upset about Ron; but she'd been subconsciously preparing herself for the inevitable.
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"The first three passages to the Djinn required Alchemy. If you wish to reach King Cerberus or Hoenheim's resting chamber, you are going to need to tolerate my company for another day, probably two." Draco remarked as a matter of fact. His tone wasn't icy, but more casually stated that she NEEDED him. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he past three days with her had been enjoyable. He was in no hurry to return to the Alchemy Centre yet.
Narcissa excused herself from the sitting room. Her elegant black dress and hair style complimented her regal manner. Once Narcissa was out of hearing range Draco spoke more freely, "Besides, you owe me a rain check on dinner, remember? I think that merits taking our time to return to Tanis now that impending danger is past us."
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Watching Narcissa leave, Hermione was going to comment how lovely her dress looked, but was caught off guard by Draco mentioning dinner. She looked at him confused for a second, but then remembered yesterday she had offered to make him dinner. "Oh, yes I nearly forgot. Um, should we try that new transcontinental ferry? I've heard it's a wonderful experience. Have you heard of it?" The ferry she was referring to was a new type of transportation service designed for witches and wizards who needed to travel further than they were able to apparate; without needing to get involved in muggle modes of transportation. Luckily for Hermione and Draco, their combined efforts were able to get them from Egypt and back, however exhausting it was. Not everything was able to do what they managed to do, so the Cloud Ferry Company devised the system. The ferries were able to travel faster and further and to more destinations than trains.
Without waiting for a response, Hermione stood up, "Well, whether you have heard of it or not, I'll make reservations." With that she apparated. A few moments later, she apparated back into her seat with a wide smile on her face. "I got us a table on the Cloud Nine ferry this afternoon at three o' clock. That gives us a couple of hours. We'll arrive in Egypt around seven and dinner will be served at five o' clock." She informed, rather excited. "I've been meaning to find an excuse to use the Cloud ferry system." She sat back, Mimble refreshed her tea. A unexpected sigh slipped passed her lips that was less than cheery compared to her demeanor moments before.
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Draco didn't mind the idea of taking the ferry. Apparating was exhausting when going long distance. Between the two of them they had managed, but definitely didn't want to keep doing so unnecessarily. The longer the distance and the more you do so in a short period of time meant greater risk of something going wrong. Missing an eyebrow or getting splintched.
When she apparated out of the Manor he was shocked. "Mimble, how did she do that?! I thought only house elves and Malfoy bloodline could apparate in or out." Draco asked out loud.
"That is true of the past Master Malfoy. Madam Malfoy asked that the barrier be altered so those persons who Master Malfoy or Madam Malfoy address on a first name basis can come and go as they desire." Mimble explained and a moment later Hermione popped back stated their boarding time and dinner reservation.
"Thank you. " He said verbally expressing his gratitude for Hermione's efforts. He had no ever been to Cloud Nine ferry before. While such way to travel had been known to him, the ferry was something he had yet to experience; another adventure with Hermione Granger. At least this one had no risk of being sent to Azkaban. Hermione sat back down, while he sat on the opposing end of the couch. As Mimble refreshed her tea she appeared to be lost in thought. It wasn't her normal look of intellectual thinking, but rather an emotional pondering.
For a moment he wondered if she was pondering just what this dinner meant. What if she was suddenly feeling worried that this was a date or something? Oh bullocks was this a date? It sure sounded like one. But jumping into any relationship after a recent break up was a bad idea. He knew that. She most certainly did as well. While the idea was possible now that she was available, he did not want to be a rebound; but rather a choice. "Hermione, this may be difficult for you, but don't over think this. It's dinner between two friends." He said and hesitated until he finally forced himself to add, "It would be inconsiderate to both of us to view it as anything else for the time being, until you're ready." He finished revealing a tiny fraction of his feelings.
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Draco's concerns brought Hermione out of her reverie of thought. She smiled at how considerate he was being. "I appreciate your concerns, Draco, but I'm not the kind of girl who goes looking for a rebound after a break up. But I am glad that you consider us friends." She sighed deeply, "Actually, I've been thinking about my position in Gringotts as a Curse Breaker. I . . . this may sounds silly . . . when I started my position, my father gave me a record, the one you heard yesterday, that he thought sort of related to my career."
She sat up and took another sandwich, "Rush's 2112 album is a rock ballad about a person who discovers an artifact from a long forgotten time that changed the world for the better. My father said that it reminded him of what I described of my position as a Curse Breaker. I . . . may have possibly taken the message a bit too literally. The events over the past couple of weeks had me so excited to…I don't know, live the story? I suppose? For a while now, I'd been wondering to myself if bringing the past up to the present might assist in making the world a better place. But now I feel like it's just a bit too farfetched." She had been looking into her teacup, lost in her thought, but she looked up at Draco with a gleam determination in her eyes. "I have a new plan though! I did some research on Ministry careers, and there's a position in the Department of Magical Creatures that consults directly with the law makers. If I play my cards right, I could with hard work and possibly a bit of influence make my way up to help making laws that are beneficial to the advancement of wizard kind. What do you think?" She looked to Draco, eager for his view on her idea.
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To Draco it sounded like Hermione had no such interest besides friendship. They worked well together. And now she was going all noble and wanted to go work at the Ministry to make the world a better place. A Curse Breaker was more of a job that was for thrill seeking and traveling. It definitely didn't make the world a better place besides putting more galleons and other currency into the system. 'Leave it to Granger to save the world, explore ruins of the past, and then return to England to make the world a better place.' He thought to himself. He knew it had been foolish to feel drawn to her the more time they spent together.
Weasley had been a fool to make her wait on him. The ginger git didn't appreciate what he had. Now she was career minded more than ever before and out to jump into the politics of the Ministry of Magic. A realm he desperately avoided because of his father. "You can do whatever you put that brilliant mind of yours to, Granger. Be it Curse Breaking or politics. Do not go advancing the idea that house elves should be free. They enjoy serving wizard households." He said vaguely recalling that silly club she tried to build back in Hogwarts years ago.
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'Brilliant mind' Hermione repeated in her mind. It truly tickled her to hear someone who once mocked her of her birthright compliment her so kindly. "Thank you. Though you are entitled to your opinion on House Elves. I do still have plans for the Society for the Promotion of Elven Welfare. However, it does seem that most house elves prefer to be indentured. On my spare time I've interviewed as many as I've come across, and the only ones that say they'd rather be free come from abusive families, or families with at least once abusive member. Perhaps I could set forth some legislation warranting background checks to avoid situations such as the one Dobby found himself in. Poor creature." She sighed and sipped her tea sadly.
After a moment she cleared her thought and turned her attention back to Draco. "Of course that could take anywhere between several months to several years to accomplish. Even if I started tomorrow, I would consider it a holiday from my current job." She thought for a moment, "You know, perhaps I should take a holiday. Turn in my registration and take some time off? I've put plenty into savings. I could thrive for approximately a year without need for work, travel around for a few months, make new friends, and get to know some new ones better." She punctuated her last statement with a wink at Draco.
As much as she had disliked him in school, Draco was seriously starting to grow on her, almost scarily so. Despite the fact that she just ended a relationship, if one could even call what she and Ron had a relationship, she could almost feel herself falling into the realm of desiring to date Draco Malfoy. Of course she didn't want to seem desperate, to him or even herself. She really hardly knew the new, improved Draco. But what she did know of him she liked so far. Despite this, she felt the smartest thing to do was to be patient and get to know her new friend better. Though a little flirtation couldn't hurt, right?
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Draco just nodded his head. They could agree to disagree when it came to house elves. Dobby was poorly treated. He himself guilty at moments, but not nearly as often as his father. That didn't mean the servant creatures needed the same rights as a wizard. When she started talking about going on a holiday, now that was a topic worth discussing. The wink she gave brightened his cheeks a bit. It had been a while since he had an opportunity for flirtatious interactions. He had almost forgotten that they were more fun than actual dating and courtship behavior. "Berlin is nice in October if you enjoy the company of a pint and new people. Barcelona has old world literature and architecture that is sure to catch your attention. The Maldives is a very popular island nation located in the Indian Ocean if you want a bit of sun and seclusion. Tokyo is nice area for fresh seafood. Rio is absolutely outlandish, but they know how to have a good time." Draco revealed. His family was wealthy. While his father had only been fond of traveling for political reasons or Quidditch matches, his mother had been more adventurous and pursued them to travel around during various occasions.
He checked the time and estimated their need to depart soon. "If you will excuse me. I need to send and owl." He told her leaving her alone so he could retreat to his suite to write up a notes to the Alchemy Centre when to expect his return.
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Listening to Draco talk about all the fantastic different places made Hermione's eyes widen. She immediately began to take mental notes. "Wow, those places sound wonderful! Thank you for suggesting." Mentally marking which order she would most likely want to visit those places. Draco excused himself and she nodded, pulling out a world map from her bag. "I'll be here then." She started mapping out the locations Draco suggested. Narcissa returned to the room not longer after she had begun.
Narcissa glanced around to be sure her son was gone; she sat across from Hermione who just noticed her presence. "Oh, Mrs. Malfoy—" Narcissa held up a finger to her lips, "I just have a couple of questions for you, Miss Hermione Granger. You seem to be warming up to my Draco. Do you have any romantic intentions towards him?"
This took Hermione a bit by surprise, but it made sense. It would be natural for Narcissa to be protective of her son, especially when her husband was in Azkaban. "Well, um, I suppose I'd be lying if I said I didn't, but I don't know Draco all that well yet. The last two days he's been wonderful company. He's definitely matured since our years at Hogwarts…Actually I noticed a difference during our repeat year. A good one I assure you, though he still was a bit overly competitive." Narcissa nodded in approval of Hermione's answer. "Next, what are your aspirations for your future?" Hermione then explained what she had just told Draco moments before. Narcissa was quite impressed, "Well, I very much look forward to seeing how that turns out. One more: do you have any ill intentions towards Draco? Keep in mind if you do, there will be consequences." A strong motherly tone entered her voice.
Hermione shook her head, "Heavens no! I'd much rather see him happy than anything else. He has such a charming smile, when it's genuine. I've only caught glimpses of it here and there—" Narcissa held up her hand, interrupting Hermione, "That's enough, I believe you. I will stay out of your way for the time being." She smiled, stood up and left just before Draco returned from wherever he went to send an owl. Hermione was rather stunned by the meeting with Narcissa. Had she just given Hermione permission to date her son? If this was some sort of aristocratic custom, interview of suitors, it was new to Hermione.
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Draco wrote up a note that stated to expect his return to the Alchemy Centre within the next 48 hours. He signed the letter and sealed the envelope with an official Malfoy crest emblem. Giving it to Aquila he sent her out into the crisp autumn weather air, watching her fly out of sight. He checked the time as he headed back downstairs sitting room to return to his house guest. "Well Granger shall we go?" He asked extending his hand out to her in a very courteous manner to assist her up from sitting position on the couch. They were both already dressed nicely for the occasion of ferry travel and dinner. They appeared not out of place as they apparated to the check in station.