Hermione was with her fiance, family and future mother-in-law outside of Hogwarts.
'Are you ready to go, Hermione?' Anne asker her daughter.
Hermione's shoulders were covered by Draco's strong arm.
'Yes, I am.' Hermione responded, looking at Hogwarts.
'Are all your things packed?' Richard asked.
'Yes, I sent them home this morning.' Hermione answered.
'Oh. Well, isn't that efficient?' Richard smiled at his wife.
'Shall we go by portkey?' Narcissa asked.
Anne and Richard looked at her questionably.
'Yes.' Hermione responded. She then turned to her parents, 'Don't worry, it'll be fine.'
They nodded and followed Hermione, Draco and Narcissa. Suddenly Hermione stopped.
'Are we forgetting anything?' Hermione asked Draco.
'I don't know. I feel as if we are, too.' He answered.
'Leavin' so soon?' A gruff voice behind them asked.
Hermione and Draco turned to see the giant Hagrid standing there.
'Hagrid!' Hermione cried. She ran and hugged him tightly. 'I knew I was forgetting something!'
'Well i'm jus' glad I's caught ya before you gone and ran off before sayin' g'bye.'
'Hagrid, you've been such a great friend. I hope this isn't the last time I see you. Your will come
to the wedding, won't you?'
'O' course.' He smiled.
Draco then walked up next to his crying fiancee.
'Well, I wish I could have known you better, Professor, but much to my previous actions I did not. I'm sorry. Hope to see you at the wedding.' Draco said politely, sticking out his hand for
Hagrid to shake.
'Malfoy, I always thought you were an insufferable git-' (Draco's face dropped) '-but any man 'Mione loves, can't be all bad.' Hagrid finished.
Draco smiled and Hagrid swooped down to give him a quick hug. As he did he whispered into
Draco's ear, 'An' if ye hurt, 'Mione, i'll be payin' ye a visit.'
Draco's eyes widened. 'No, sir, she'll be safe.'
Hagrid let go and smiled. 'Good.'
Then Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape walked up to them.
Hermione looked at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes and she ran over to hug him. He was surprised, but then embraced his former student.
'Thank you so much, Head Master, for everything. If it wasn't for you, I don't know if i'd be here in front of you today.' Hermione said as she hugged the old man.
'You are truly a great witch.' Dumbledore said, 'You have great potential, and I am glad I was able to help you build that power.'
Hermione then hugged McGonagall as Draco went up to Dumbledore. Again, Draco put his hand out, Dumbledore shook it.
'Thank you, Head Master. I know I made one of those wrinkles in your face, and grays in your hair.' Draco smiled, 'I realize now how much you did for this school and it's students. Thank you.'
Hermione went to Snape.
'Thank you, Professor. I know you don't like me much, but thank you for accepting your favorite student's fiancee.' Hermione said nervously.
'I don't dislike you.' Snape replied, 'You a very gifted witch, but you also have a big mouth and you are a know-it-all...'
Hermione's face dropped.
'-But i'm glad I was able to teach you a few things here and there.'
'Thank you, Professor.' She smiled.
She then stood back and happily waited for Draco to finish his rounds. He was at McGonagall.
'Well, Mr. Malfoy, I can truthfully say you've almost been a thorn in my old sides.' McGonagall
said with her signature look of pursed lips.
'Um..thanks??' Draco responded questionably.
'However, no matter how disobedient you could be, I knew you had a heart in you some where, and I see it clearly when your with Miss Granger. Good luck.' She smiled somewhat.
Draco's face changed into a smirk.
'Well, thanks you ol' broad!' He cried hugging her.
Her eyes widened into an uncomfortable look.
'It was a pleasure pissing you off all these years!' He concluded.
Her face tightened again. Dumbledore smiled as Hermione giggled behind him. Draco then walked up to Snape.
'You will be great. You will never be forgotten in these halls of Hogwarts, I will make sure of it.' Snape said.
'Thank you for never giving up on me, Professor.' Draco said, his face was now serious once again. 'You will never be forgotten and neither will your lessons.'
Snape nodded. 'If you need anything. You know how to reach me.'
Draco then hugged Snape. Hermione couldn't tell by his face that Snape was happy, but she knew he was. As Draco let go he walked back over to Hermione and took her hand.
'Ready now, baby?' He asked.
She nodded.
The teachers then left them.
'I think our parents went off already.' Hermione stated.
'They must have left the portkey back where we were.' Draco said.
They walked over and saw a broach. Hermione looked down. It was a snake with green and
silver colors. Like Draco's charm around his neck.
'It's my mother's broach, kind of a Malfoy symbol.' Draco explained.
She nodded. They both grabbed it and soon they were on the floor in the tea room of Malfoy
Manor. Narcissa, Richard, and Anne were already sitting down.
'Ahh, nice of you to join us.' Narcissa smiled.
'We had some last minute good byes.' Draco explained.
Hermione stood up and looked around. It was huge....dark...but beautiful. She saw a man in black and white standing still next to Narcissa.
'Who's that?' Hermione asked Draco.
'Wadsworth. Our butler.' He replied.
Hermione kept looking around. She saw other butlers and maids in small dresses.
'And them?' Hermione asked.
'More butlers, servants and maids.' Draco responded.
'Why don't you give Hermione a tour?' Narcissa suggested to Draco, 'I already gave Mr. and Mrs. Granger one.'
Hermione looked over at her parents in awe. Her parents smiled.
'Yes, Hermione. It's a lovely home. Go look.' Anne said happily, sipping her tea.
'Would you like a tour?' Draco asked her.
'Yes, thank you.'
He held his arm out and she took it. The parents kept talking.
'Well, that was our afternoon tea room.' Draco said.
'It's so dark.' Hermione commented looking around quickly.
'Yes...my father liked it dark, but that'll change soon hopefully.'
He then directed her to another door. He opened it and inside was a HUGE open room. It had a beautiful hardwood floor, crimson colored walls, dark sapphire curtains and a black grand piano.
'Oh. My. God.' Hermione said breathlessly.
'I'm guessing you like the Ballroom?' Draco asked laughing at her open mouth.
'It's beautiful!' She exclaimed.
'It's not used much at all. Not anymore anyway. My father and mother used to host balls when I was younger. I would get so mad because I was "too young" to come. I sneaked down once in awhile, though. They did know how to throw a grand party.'
'That's so wicked. Why didn't they do parties anymore?' Hermione asked.
'They stopped throwing them when I was like 8. My father really got serious for the Dark Side, so he had no time for things like parties.'
'Oh.' Hermione said, not quite knowing what to say.
'On to the next room?' Draco asked.
She nodded.
He finished the main floor. A kitchen, dining room, library and a conservatory. Hermione was amazed. The Malfoys' were so freaking rich...filthy rich really.
'Upstairs now?' He asked.
'I can't believe that was all one floor. How many floors are there?' She asked a bit nervous to hear his answer.
'Only two more.' He responded nonchalantly.
'Wow...how do you not get lost??' She asked, a bit stupidly.
He laughed.
'I've lived here since I was born.'
She smiled sheepishly. They then walked up the grand, red carpeted staircase. Once they got to the top, it just divided into two large hallways, doors filling the sides.
They took a hallway, the right one first. They walked down.
'I feel like walking the red carpet.'
'Umm...you are walking on a red carpet.' Draco said, not understanding the muggle world's "red carpet".
'Never mind.' She laughed.
He opened the first door. It was a huge magenta and deep purple room.
'Oh wow! This is gorgeous!' She exclaimed.
'This is my mother's room. The only room in the house that she was able to make look how ever she wanted.' Draco responded.
'I can't see Lucius Malfoy sleeping in here!' Hermione cried.
'He didn't.' Draco looked at her confused, 'I said this was my mother's room.'
'Doesn't that mean it's your father's too?'
'No. It means it's my mother's.' He grinned.
'What??'
'Come here, i'll show you my father's room.' He said bobbing his head to the direction of the hall.
She nodded and took his hand.
They walked to the door across his mother's. He opened the door. It was even bigger than the last. It was cold, and the walls and floor were gray stone. The bed sheets, rugs, and curtains were dark green. Every piece of furniture was black rod iron.
'Wow...creepy.' Hermione said. She then realized she was holding her breath and she gasped.
'Alright?' He asked.
'Fine. How could someone sleep in here?? I'd have nightmares!'
'Not if you are the nightmare.' Draco said quietly, leaving the room.
Hermione noticed his hurt tone in his voice and followed him out of the dark room. It sent chills up her spine to imagine Lucius in that room.
Draco then led her to another room. He opened it, it was about the large size of Narcissa's room. It was silver, black, green, and gold colored. There was a huge bed and huge closet. It was a fairly nice room, not as beautiful as Narcissa's but beautiful.
'This is great! I love it! It's so big! And look at the bed, huge!' Hermione said excitedly.
'This would be my room.' Draco said looking around it.
'Really?? I love it.' She smiled.
She looked around the room for a bit, until she came to a desk. It had a bunch of papers and
books on it. She then saw a small picture under a pile of papers. She lifted it up. It was a happy looking Lucius, holding a small boy with light blonde hair on the beach.
'That was me and my Father, when I was four.' Draco said quietly from behind her. 'It's a family
vacation in Athens.'
'You look so happy, and so does he.'
'Yeah. We were.' He then grabbed the pictures and threw it into a drawer.
'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have looked at things.' She said with a solemn face.
'No. I'm not mad at you.' He said softly. 'C'mon, this is going to take forever if we take five
minutes in each room.'
He left the room and she followed sadly.
He walked up to a dark door, but passed it without even looking at it.
'Wait, what's in there?' She asked.
'It's my father's office, now come on, there's more rooms.'
'We aren't going in there?' She asked pointing to the dark door.
'No.' Draco replied, 'I'm not allowed in there.'
'Your father won't let you?' She asked touching the door.
His eyes widened and grabbed her hand, roughly. She felt his hands were cold and he was trembling a bit.
'No. He won't. Now just leave it alone, come on.' He said almost harshly.
'I'm sorry, are you okay?'
'I'm fine. Let's keep going.' He said.
She followed him to the third to the last room. He opened a door, inside was a room filled with brightly colored clothing, decorations, and papers. It was sort of a "junk room" as to the look of it. Everything was cluttered.
'Wow, is this where you keep things you don't use anymore.'
'Yeah. This is where my parents kept their party things. Dresses, suits, decorations, invitations,
banners, etc...they don't really go into this room anymore.'
'Oh, well, maybe you should now.' Hermione commented.
'Maybe.'
He shut the door and went to another door and opened it.
It was a very large bathroom. It was marble everything. There was a shower, separate from the oversized Jacuzzi tub. There were two sinks, and a large vanity filled with cabinets and drawers. There was also a towel closet next to the toilet.
'Wow, this...is a beautiful bathroom...as weird as it is to say so. It's even nicer than the Hogwarts'
Head Room bathroom!' Hermione exclaimed, 'I can see now why you weren't as excited as me when we first saw the Head Boy/Girl room, who have it twice as nice here.'
'The company was better there, though.' He said smiling.
Butterflies flew through her stomach. She was happy he said that, she was afraid he was mad at
her.
'Well, good.' She smiled.
They left the bathroom and went to the last doors. There were two doors side by side. Draco opened them simultaneously. It revealed the largest room she's seen yet. It was dark, dark, crimson, black and silver. With the largest bed Hermione had ever seen in her life. There was a couch and a a few love chairs. They were overstuffed and looked incredibly comfy. There were two large closets and another bathroom. There were also a few bureaus and wardrobes, made of cherry wood.
'This...I think is the nicest room i've ever seen.' She sighed, taking it all in. It also smelt very nice and rich.
'This was my parent's room.' He said.
'Was? Oh, cause now your father won't be sleeping here, yeah.'
'No. It hasn't been their room for awhile. That's why my father has his room and my mother has her room. They haven't slept in the same bed in years.'
'Why not?' Hermione asked, 'They are married.'
'They are. It doesn't mean my father is faithful to my mother.' Draco said quietly. 'You could call this the 'sex' room I guess if it was titled. My mother and father used to sleep here, until I was 8, I don't want to imagine what they did but they did sleep together until then. After that my Father became obsessed with the Dark Lord, he started to change. He became violent and angry. He made my mother sleep in 'her' room, he would sleep in his and occasionally...he'd sleep in this room, with company.'
'What? And company you mean...a woman not your mother I assume.' Hermione asked in shock.
'Your assumptions are correct my dear.'
'How can your Father do that to you two? In your own house?? Where you mother is just down the hall??'
'He can. And he did. Frequently. I was so happy to finally go off to school, it killed me though, to leave my mother here alone.'
Hermione looked around the room. She saw a picture in a pretty, red and white tassled frame. It was of two people in white. Hermione realized it was a very nice looking and happy Lucius Malfoy, and a very beautiful, brilliantly happy Narcissa Malfoy.
'Oh my god...' Hermione whispered as she looked at it, 'They are both so lovely, so happy.'
'They were. That was twenty years ago, their wedding day.'
'Your mother is pretty, but in this picture she is breath-taking, Draco!'
'That was before the pain my Father put her through...they did love each other. I remember that from when I was little.' Draco said. He held the picture.
'They look so beautiful together. It's so sad how your father became, treating the both of you the way he did. I really had no idea, Draco, not one idea how horrible your home life was. I feel horrible for hating you the way I did, I see now why you were so horrible our first six years at Hogwarts, you were raised in this home, with a deranged father, I really am sorry, Draco.'
'Don't apologize, Hermione. I could have not been such an ass, my mother was a good person, and she was still in the home, too. I could have acted like her, but I acted like my father instead.'
'I see why now, though. I would be scared not to listen to him. I'm sure being only eight, when the man you looked up to starts changing, you change also, some what.'
'I guess.' Draco muttered.
'Children do as they see. You, being such a young child, saw your father and his power, so you acted like him.'
'Sounds familiar.' He smirked.
She felt relieved...she couldn't tell if he was going to yell, cry, or what. She was happy for that infamous smirk.
They left the room quietly. Draco took the picture with him, but left the frame. He stuffed the picture into his robes. They then walked back to the large staircase.
'What about those rooms?' She asked pointing down to the other doors, 'Your butlers, maids, etc...their rooms?'
'Heavens no. My father would never permit them to be on the same level as us. The servant's quarters are on the "lowest" floor.'
'Quarters? Ohh, aren't you sophisticated?' She said sarcastically. 'Well, I think that's silly.'
'What?'
'Having them on the "lowest" floor. A.K.A. the basement.' She snapped.
'Well, my father was the lord of the house and that's what he wished.'
'So, what are those other rooms down there?' She asked again.
'Closets and guest rooms.' He replied, 'They all pretty much look the same, don't worry, your not missing anything.'
'Draco. There are like 8 doors down that hall. How many guest rooms to you have?'
'Well, two are closets, one on each side of the hallway. So that would make six guest rooms, Miss Must-Know-Everything.' He said mockingly.
'I'm sorry if i'm fascinated with this house. It's beautiful, how did you stand living at my tiny, ugly house for two weeks??'
'I loved your house. It was so comfortable and family-like. There were pictures and things of you
every where!' He smiled.
'It was so small, though. It was about as big as your father's room.'
'But it's was nice and you could feel how much love was in there, very much unlike my ruddy house.' He sighed as he walked with her down the stairs.
He then led her to another door at the bottom of the stairs and opened it. There were down stairs.
'Servants' quarters?' She asked.
'Yes. I've never been down there, father never permitted me or my mother.' He said, 'Would you like to see it?'
She smiled. She felt happy that he was being brave, taking her to a place his father wouldn't allow. 'Yes. I would like to see it.'
They walked down the creeky stairs. As soon as they reached the bottom all the butlers, maids, and house elves stopped what they were doing and stared. They couldn't believe one of their masters came down to them. They dropped what they held and turned toward Draco, faces to the floor.
'Good evening, Master Draco.' They all said together.
Hermione was in shock. These people, elves, probably thirty of them in all, all just dropped what they were doing for Draco. Just because Draco walked down to them.
'Umm...at ease.' Draco said uncomfortably. 'It's okay. Lucius isn't here. You can go about you business, i'm just showing my fiancee the manor. All of it.'
They all looked at each other and then looked at the pretty girl holding their master's hand.
Then a little dirty girl elf stepped forward, still looking at the ground.
'Master?' She asked quietly.
'Yes?'
'Minky wishes to ask you a question.'
'What is it Minky?' He asked, bending down to meet her eye to eye.
She jumped back, seeing his eyes. She looked further down at the floor. He stood up.
'I don't want you all looking to the floor!' He cried, but not in mean way, 'Just go on with what
you were doing, I don't care if you look at me!'
They trembled, but started to do work. Except Minky. She stood there. She raised her eyes a bit.
'What did you want, Minky?' Draco asked.
'Minky has to tell you something, sir.'
'Tell me.'
'Your fiancee...she's not a pure blood.' Minky said. She then flinched, as if waiting for Draco to hit her.
'Draco...' Hermione whispered, seeing the elf flinch, 'She thinks your going to hit her.'
She looked down at the elf and saw the elf's eyes clutched closed tightly.
'I'm not going to hit you, Minky. Open your eyes and look at me.'
She did. And she looked up at her master.
'I know Hermione isn't a pureblood, it doesn't matter, okay?'
'But your father!' Minky shouted.
'My Father can go to hell. Besides, I guess you all don't know, but my Father is finally back in Azkaban...where he belongs.' Draco swallowed hard.
'Master's in Azkaban??' Another elf asked.
'Yes, as of this afternoon.'
The servants all looked at each other. Hermione giggled as she saw small smiled appear on their faces.
'Are you our Lord now?' Minky asked.
'You don't have a Lord.' Draco replied. 'You are all just helpers to my mother, all right?'
They all nodded happily.
Draco then looked at Hermione.
'Ready to go back up with the 'rents?'
She nodded, smiling big because of her pride for her beautiful and brave fiance.
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