In-Laws

In Laws

By: Tassana Burrfoot





Chapter Nine





They had taken cars out of Surrey and to Whitshire, but then Narcissa had a clever idea. They stopped at a local pub and waited while the witch Apparated home. She returned shortly with three threstral-drawn carriages. At first, Amy and Henry had been apprehensive about boarding the seemingly horseless vehicles, but Narcissa assured them everything would be alright.



Being the gentleman Draco was, and heir to the Malfoy Estate, he took it upon himself to ensure everyone was seated comfortably in the carriages. He helped Amy and Henry into the carriage with his mother and father, then helped Luna take the third carriage along with Blaise and Padma. Once they were situated, he joined Harry, Ginny, and Hermione in the second carriage.



He was so excited to be returning home that, at first, he didn't notice the sullen look in Harry's eyes, nor the concern shining in Ginny's. It wasn't until the carriage lurched into movement that he felt Hermione's shudder and paid any of them any attention.



Concern washed over him as he took in their states, especially Hermione's. He had known Hermione since the beginning of their Hogwarts careers and had never seen her so frightened. She stared down at her fingers, where she twiddled her thumbs nervously.



Finally, Ginny spoke up, "It's going to be alright, Hermione."



The Muggle-born said nothing, just continued to stare into her lap. It took a moment for realization to sink in for Draco. Then, he remembered. Malfoy Manor had been where Hermione had been tortured by his Aunt Bellatrix. It was something that had played in his nightmares over and over again. It was something he knew she would never forget. Worried, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.



Harry shook his head. "This was a horrible idea," he commented, for he, too, remembered Hermione's torture.



Draco rocked his wife and softly sang a Latin lullaby. When he finished, he whispered, "I promise nothing will happen. Bellatrix is dead now. There is no one alive who will harm you."



Hermione shuddered and Draco could feel her tears through his shirt. It pained him to see her this way. He hadn't known that returning to the manor would have this affect on her. "Would you like us to turn back?"



She gazed up into his soft, warm gray eye and shook her head. "I'll be okay," she said, shakily. "I just... just keep me from the drawing room."



He nodded quietly and returned to his gentle rocking and cooing.



The two couples remained quiet throughout the journey, the only sounds coming from Draco's whispered words in Latin. He focused solely on his wife, helping her to prepare herself for the upcoming trial. He knew what it was like to be tortured. Hell, Bellatrix had tortured him as well. He knew there were no words for comfort he could offer Hermione.



Ginny was nervous. She had heard of Malfoy Manor from her father, but had never actually seen it. Even Arthur Weasley had been impressed by its undeniable beauty. Ginny just hoped it lived up to her expectations.



Harry was not happy to be returning at all. Though this return was much different from his last venture, he couldn't suppress a feeling of foreboding. He could hear the rattle of the venomous snake, though he could not see it.



"Sweet Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed, causing everyone in the carriage to hurriedly look up. She pointed to a spot out the window and behind Draco and Hermione.



Draco turned in his seat and looked out the window. Though his wife was distressed, he couldn't help the smile that crept on his face. He was home.



Harry was shocked. He hadn't remembered the manor looking like this. They passed under a stone arch which was carved to resemble a snake. The land on either side of them was littered with lush green grass and blue bonnets. The dirt road was lined with evenly separated oleander bushes so one may easily see the large meadow behind them. Large white oaks were stationed like guardians throughout the land.



Hermione chanced a glance out the window and gasped. Perhaps it was the lingering daylight, or maybe the lack of sinister intent upon entrance, but she found the world around her quite different from what it once was. Though she quickly took note of the oleander shrubs (didn't Lucius know oleander was deadly?), she couldn't deny the abrupt beauty. This was not the place she had been to before.



The manor soom came into view and Ginny squealled in excitement. She suddenly found it hard to believe that anything evil could have ever existed in those sparkling stone walls. Everything was just too beautiful.



Harry and Hermione were both astounded by the breath-taking view. Malfoy Manor was definitely perfection in the daylight.



As their carriage lurched to a halt, Draco opened the door and stepped out. Harry followed behind him and they helped the girls out.



Once everyone was out of the carriages, they started a sort of procession into the entrance hall of the manor. Lucius and Narcissa entered first, followed by Draco and Hermione, followed by Amy and Henry, followed by Harry and Ginny, followed by Blaise and Padma. Luna skipped alongside the group, darting from Draco to Blaise and back again, like a wily pup.



"Narcissa, have the house elves fix us a grand dinner," Lucius easily ordered as he allowed his wife to help him out of his cloak. "Make sure they are careful to add some Muggle friendly foods."



"All ready done, darling," Narcissa preened, turning so her husband could remove her cloak. "I spoke with the elves when I fetched the carriages. Dinner should be ready."



"Pity. I had hoped to provide our guests with some entertainment before the meal," Lucius commented. "No matter. We shall dine first and entertain later. Probably best that way, anyway."



Hermione gave Draco a nervous glance. He nodded once, then spoke up, "Father? Might I make a suggestion? I know we normally entertain in the drawing room, but I thought perhaps we could go into the study or even the library."



"Rubbish," Lucius snorted, throwing his son a distasteful look. "Why on Earth would we do that? What's wrong with the drawing room?"



"Please, sir," Hermione piped up, politely, "I beg of you. It's difficult enough for me to be here, much less to step foot into that room. I understand this may unbalance your plans a bit, but I cannot return there."



If Amy and Henry had known of Hermione's torture in the Malfoy Manor, they never would have agreed to dine there. As it was, they were the only ones who knew nothing. And no one deigned to elaborate on Hermione's fear.



Lucius turned his icy gaze onto Hermione. She thought for sure he was going to refuse her request. To her surprise, his glare became softer. He even gave her a smile. "Very well, Ms. Malfoy. We shall take a tour of the manor instead. I'm sure your parents and friends would enjoy that much more."



Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, but Lucius wasn't finished. He looked to his son and said, "Draco, why don't you escort Mrs. Granger to the dining room. Narcissa, you can escort Mr. Granger. I will escort Ms. Malfoy here."



Hermione started to protest, but the look on Draco's face stopped her. He seemed immensely pleased that his father was taking such a bold step. She accepted Lucius' arm with reluctance and took the front of the procession with him.



Whatever warmth Lucius had displayed with his front turned to the others, he quickly lost when he turned his back on them. Hermione practically shivered from the cold that seemed to radiate off of him, but still managed to speak. "I appreciate what you are..."



He interrupted her with a soft hiss of his voice that only she could hear. "Do not think I am honouring your request, Mudblood," he whispered. "Though I regret to say, in time, you will be the lady of this manor. It would not do for you to linger on things that have passed that cannot be changed."



She glanced up at him. "I know, it's just..."



"You will also learn your place here," he hissed, continuing as though she hadn't spoken. "Gryffindor though you may be, you will live among three high class Slytherins. I will not have a repeat performance from Christmas. You will conduct yourself, as always, like a lady with a title you do not really deserve. Remember, it is only given to you because Draco loves you so much."



Hermione's nose wrinkled and she glared at the elder Malfoy. So, this was what he thought?


She knew she would eventually have to face the demons which lurked in the drawing room. One look at Lucius told her they weren't the only demons in the manor. She now understood the reasoning behind the oleanders. Everything in this manor and on the grounds was beautiful, perfect,... and deadly.

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Author's Note: Another chapter! Wow! Don't get too used to this now, though I must say, we are getting closer to the end of this story.



hotbabe says
"For me these two should be the pair to end up with each other in the end! Im so happy that you were able to make a beautiful and magical fiction for these two very interesting characters!"



I agree with you. In fact, one of my early predictions was that either Ron or Hermione was going to give their lives to save Draco. I thought it would actually be pretty interesting to see that after all the teasing he did to them that they still saved his life. (Course, it ended up being Harry who saved him.) Then I thought it would be kinda cool if Hermione saved him and forced Draco to realize that all the things he had been taught were lies. I think that if he and Hermione had ever been given a situation in the books where they were forced to work together or whatever that they would find themselves completely smitten by each other.



My ideals of Draco and Hermione are vast and possibly endless. They really are the timeless couple that never came to be. This is why I love fanfiction so much. After I read my first Dramione story, the possibility of Ron/Hermione was non-existent, though I knew the books were set up specifically so that those two would get together. I just... can't see it. I have completely immersed myself in Dramione and am loving every moment of it.