In-Laws

In Laws

By: Tassana Burrfoot





Chapter Twelve





During her flight through the manor, Hermione had been vaguely reminded of the Jim Henson classic, Labyrinth. The first time Draco had stepped to the side, she thought he was going to walk through the wall. She was surprised when he revealed a passage she hadn\'t seen and was again, reminded of Labyrinth. "Things aren\'t always what they seem," she quietly quoted.



"Pardon?"



She shook her head. "Nothing," she answered.



Draco glanced at his wife worriedly. He wasn\'t sure if this was a good idea. He had never seen her so frightened then what he had witnessed in the carriage on the way to the manor. He wasn\'t excited at the prospect of seeing that fright again.



Portraits lined the halls. Apparently, Evalon had ensured the news of Hermione arrival would spread like wildfire. Some of the portraits watched in couple with interest while others sneered and scowled. Every once in a while, Hermione heard someone mumble about Mudbloods and "tainting" the line. She ignored them all.



They finally came upon a large oak door and Draco stopped in front of it. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, casting her a worried glance.



She stood straight and held her chin up. "It\'s now or never," she answered, bringing as much of her courage to the forefront as she could.



He held her hand as he waved his wand at the door. The door seemed to slither away like a snake. Draco stepped across the threshold and patiently waited for her to join him, preparing himself for her flight.



For a moment, all she could do was stare. She felt her fear rising as flashbacks from the past hit her like a ton of bricks. She saw Greybeck grabbing her by the hair and pulling her into the drawing. She saw Bellatrix. She closed her eyes and took a single step forward. The screams of her past came upon her like a tidal wave. Bellatrix casting the Cruciatus Curse over and over while interrogating Hermione about the sword. Tears fell freely from Hermione\'s eyes as she took another tentative step forward. She would not let them get to her. She would win.



She could still feel the effects of the Torture Curse. Her skin crawled painfully. To this day, she did not know where she found the courage to lie to Bellatrix. To insist the sword was a copy.



She squeezed Draco\'s hand hard and heard his bones pop. Bellatrix was in the past. The Cruciatus was in the past. There was nothing in the manor that would hurt her now. Not while Draco was there. She was safe.



Draco watched his wife in amazement. He had never seen such strength and determination. He knew how hard this was for her and he silently prayed it would go well.



Then, very slowly, she opened her eyes. The fireplace crackled merrily. She glanced upward and saw that the chandelier had been replaced. This new chandelier made a vast difference over the drawing room. Or was it the lack of werewolves and mad women? There was a certain peace and calm in the drawing room that hadn\'t been there on that night.



Overstuffed, dark green armchairs semi-circled the fireplace. A grand piano sat in the far corner and was put on display for a set of green chairs. Where did that come from? Had the piano been there the night she was tortured? She didn\'t remember it. Pictures of Draco growing up adorned the wall near the fireplace.



Above the fireplace was a family portrait. The three Malfoys looked happy and at peace. She continued looking around and was surprised to see even some older portraits. But it was the pictures of Draco and his family that lightened her heart.



Draco as a baby. Draco as a toddler. Lucius throwing Draco in the air and catching him. Narcissa rocking Draco to sleep. Draco\'s first broom. A picture of the family standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. A picture of the family standing in the Colosseum. Draco\'s first day of school. Draco\'s first steps. Draco peeing on Lucius as Lucius was trying to change his diaper. Lucius and Narcissa\'s wedding day. Lucius and Narcissa kissing under one of the white oaks. The trio picnicking in a park somewhere.



"What park is that?" she asked curiously.



Draco shook his head. "That\'s not a park," he told her. "That\'s in my mum\'s garden."



Hermione smiled. If she hadn\'t known it before, there was no mistaken it now. Lucius and Narcissa loved their son. Even more, Lucius and Narcissa loved each other. Every bookshelf, every open space, was covered in pictures. Their entire story was posted in pictures all around the room.



Draco breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her smile. He had worried about her going into this room. Her fear during the carriage ride had alerted him. He hoped to never see that fear again.



"You were such a cute baby," she said, laughing at a picture of baby Draco feeding himself. "Completely spoiled."



"I was not!" he quickly denied.



She looked at him and he smiled, then winked. Without warning, he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "Soon, there\'ll be pictures of you in here as well," he said before kissing her.



"What\'s going on in here?" Lucius\' voice interrupted them.



Startled, Hermione jumped, breaking the kiss and looking at Lucius with wide eyes. When she realized who it was, she visibly calmed. Draco straightened and answered, "We were just sharing a private moment, is all."



Lucius folded his arms and glared at Hermione. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with this room?" he questioned.



As the others filed in, Hermione dusted off her shirt and shrugged. "Eventually I would have to come in here and face my demons. I figured now was as good a time as any. And, I had Draco with me. I knew I would be safe."



Since Lucius had all ready given a tour, everyone just lazed about the drawing room. Narcissa and Amy swapped baby stories which causing Hermione and Draco to blush while others laughed. Luna surprised them all when she asked to play the piano. Though a bit weary, Lucius granted his permission.



Smiling mysteriously, Luna tested a few chords before she began. Her music was so pleasant that the other people started taking the seats around her to listen. Then, she began a song Hermione knew by heart.



"Draco," she whispered, touching his hand.



He had been whispering to his father and not paying attention. He glanced at his wife before listening to the music. His eyes widened in surprise. How could Luna possibly know?



"Oh, I know this song!" Amy exclaimed, clapping her hands. "It\'s called \'I Can\'t Help Falling in Love With You.\' Luna, how do you know this song? It\'s a Muggle song."



Luna just lifted her shoulders lightly as she continued to play. "It was playing on the radio at the bar-be-que," she answered, "and Dean told me that it was played at the dance Draco and Hermione went to. It was the song of their first kiss."



She changed tunes and continued, "This is the song of their first dance together." She played "As The World Falls Down."



Hermione stood up and moved to sit on the bench beside her Ravenclaw friend. "Luna? Would you mind playing these songs at the wedding?" she inquired.



The mystical girl nodded. "I don\'t mind at all. It would be my pleasure," she replied.



The rest of the evening passed in perfect harmony.



(II)



Two months later found Hermione standing in front of a full-length mirror wearing a long, white wedding gown. The gown was sleeveless and had sequence covering just about every last bit of it. Staring at her reflection, Hermione felt like a shimmering yeti.



"Can we get something with a little less sequence?" she asked, frowning.



Her mother smiled at her. "You look so beautiful."



"No, I look like a freak," the girl corrected as she stepped off the podium. "I\'m taking this off."



Narcissa, who was standing at one of the dress racks, held up another dress. "What about this one?" she asked.



Hermione\'s eyes widened. The one Narcissa held was worse than the one Hermione was currently wearing! The billowy sleeves and high, ruffled collar reminded Hermione of the Renaissance. The girl promptly shook her head no.



She slipped in the dressing room and began stripping out of the atrocity she wore. They had gone through more gowns than she cared to count. Even Ginny had been lacking in finding a dress Hermione liked. Luna kept picking dresses that were very odd or completely inappropriate for a wedding. Padma found pretty much all the dress that made Hermione look like one of those princesses found in fairytale books. And while she liked the princess look, Hermione found it too childish. Narcissa kept looking to give Hermione birth control dresses. And Amy was determined to put Hermione in something better serve on a New Orleans Mardi Gras float.



They had gone through hundreds of dresses. Hermione knew there had to be something that she would like, but the gods only knew where it was.



Then, as she was slipping on her jeans, she heard Ginny shriek. "Hermione, try this on!" Ginny cried, tossing yet another dress into the dressing room.



Hermione groaned, but pulled her jeans off yet again. She picked the dress up and was surprised by how light it was. That meant no sequence or beads. The dress was a soft ivory colour rather than pure white. Curious, the Gryffindor slipped on the dress and buttoned it up. Looking down, she gasped.



Picking up the dress skirt so as not to tear the hem, she dashed out of the dressing room and climbed onto the podium. Tears welled in her eyes as her mother, friends, and mother-in-law stood around her. She looked perfect.



"My little girl has grown up," Amy wept.