Unrequited

I watched him hand her down from the carriage and my tongue stuck in my mouth. I couldn\'t give them - either of them - a word of welcome. The truth is, neither of them were welcome in *my* house. I wanted to boot both my son and that interloper he married down into the pits of hell.

Instead, I pasted a smile on my face and stood in the doorway of my house. Instead, I steeled myself against the fact that, for the first time ever, a mudblood was going to cross the threshold. She was going to bring her filth into my hall, sleep in my sheets, eat my food.

*Ah, ah, ah!* A voice spoke in my brain. *It\'s not yours anymore, is it Narcissa?*

Cursed memory. Of course. Lucius, in his final act against me, left everything to Draco. I was here only by his goodwill. Which meant that I had to make nice with the mudblood currently tucked under my son\'s arm.

They were both rosy and faintly smiling. Draco\'s arm was slung possessively around *her* shoulders, holding her tightly to him. It didn\'t take a genius to figure out that they had just shagged like minks in *my* goddamned carriage. From the smug look on Draco\'s face I guessed that the mudblood was proficient in sexual matters. It sickened me to the point where I wanted to vomit but I refused to show weakness in front of the mudblood.

They stood before me. I forced myself to extend my hand and greet them with a degree of warmth. I wanted to go inside, bolt the door and perform Cleaning Charms on myself until the skin fell off. Wasn\'t it enough that her officious mother called me a hag and punched me in my face? Why did I have to suffer the indignity of having to be hospitable toward this - this creature!?

Could I poison her? No. That\'s a sure ticket to Azkaban. Then, too, I\'d never be able to convince Draco that I had nothing to do with it. I had to do something. I know Lucius was spinning in his grave - if he had a grave to spin in. That damned Wizengamot ordered his death and then his cremation. My Lucius, destined to spend eternity as tiny particles floating around the ether. Another thing I could blame the mudblood and her kind for.

It was beginning to snow so I led them inside. I suppressed the shudder that rippled through me. At once, every portrait on the wall began screeching in protest over the mudblood that darkened my doorstep.

\"MUDBLOOD!\"

\"BLOOD TRAITOR!!!\" That was obviously for Draco and I couldn\'t say I disagreed.

\"FILTHY BLOOD!\"

\"GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE!!\"

Those charming sayings and more echoed through the Great Hall of the house. I stifled an amused grin.

\"I\'m so sorry, Draco. I\'d forgotten about the paintings.\" There. I should sound appropriately contrite.

\"I\'m sure you *did* forget, Mother,\" he replied silkily. Damn him. His bullshit detector was as finely honed as his father\'s - at least when it came to me. \"Why don\'t I show Hermione to our rooms whilst you take care of this unpleasantness?\"

He didn\'t wait for my response but only whisked the shocked looking mudblood out of my presence and up the stairs. Damn him to hell.
********************

I should have known that my homecoming wouldn\'t be all that pleasant. At least Mother tried to keep up the pretense. But when we walked through the door and those fucking portraits began screaming bloody murder, I knew. It was her passively aggressive way of letting me know that we were only there under protest. Typical Narcissa Malfoy move. As if I had no idea of how she really felt about the idea. She made that quite clear on several occasions.

When Hermione opened the parchment two mornings ago, I thought that Mother was trying to extend an olive branch to us. I should have known better. I *should* have known better. But due to the lulling qualities of the season and my own misguided desire to make peace with Hermione, I was fooled into thinking that everyone was looking for peace on earth, goodwill towards men. Stupid me.

I got Hermione into my room, away from the traitorous portraits. I had no paintings in here of family. Only a few abstract daubs I\'d done during summers when I was bored. I was aware of the soothing qualities of the space. It was done in the same shades of sand and sea that Hermione used to charm my room at Hogwarts. I\'d placed Calming Charms into the very walls and they sent out peaceful vibes which went a long way to smoothing our ruffled feathers. I sat her in chair and called for a cup of tea with milk and sugar.

\"Hermione, you must know that I had nothing to do with this.\"

She looked at me with large, dark eyes. That\'s when I knew. She wasn\'t just shocked at the verbal assault, she was also angry. Livid, actually. I think she was just trying formulate a literate response to the affront.

The tea arrived via a house elf who took off with a squeak. Hermione accepted the cup without a word and took a hearty swallow. She inhaled deeply and began.

\"I know you weren\'t involved in this. No. I also know that your mother has no love for me. Fine. I can deal with that.\" She smiled thinly.\" I just don\'t want this to be entirely bad for you. I *wanted* to spend my time with you, even though I insisted that we spend equal time at my home. That\'s why I agreed to come with you. I didn\'t want separate holidays.\" The smile turned sweeter. \"I like you Draco. More than I should, I\'m afraid.\"

Her words sent a warmth into my bones. \"I like you, too, Hermione. We\'re here now and I\'ll be damned if I let her intimidate me into leaving before time, Hermione.\" I knelt in front of her chair. \"She\'s not going to ruin my holiday and I won\'t let her ruin yours.\"

\"I swear, Draco, if she stages another little stunt like that again, I won\'t be responsible for my actions.\" Her look was fierce and I was reminded strongly of her Gryffindor status.

\"Trust me. She won\'t. She\'ll seethe quietly and make snotty comments, but I think this is the only large display of animosity she\'ll show.\"

Hermione finished off the tea. \"Alright, but she better had taken those portraits down. I had enough of that at Grimmauld Place.\"

\"Do you want me to check before we go back downstairs?\"

\"No. I\'m not that big of a coward.\"

\"Alright.\" I took her hand in mine. I was recalling our patching-up session in the coach. \"What do you want to do now?\"

She laughed at my hopeful look. \"Not that. At least, not right now. What I really want is a nap.\" To prove her point, she yawned broadly. \"I can barely keep my eyes open these days.\"

\"Then into bed with you, Madam Malfoy!\" I smiled at my sleepy wife. Now that her outburst had subsided, her energy waned. The last couple of weeks hadn\'t been easy on either of us.

She got up from the chair, kicking her shoes off. I tucked her under the down coverlet. \"I\'ll wake you for dinner.\"

\"Mm-hm,\" she replied sleepily.

\"Meanwhile,\" I said, sotto voce. \"I\'m going to have a little chat with Mother dear.\"
*********************

I watched him descend the staircase, the little woman not in tow. I\'d never seen that look on my son\'s face before. In that moment he reminded me so strongly of Lucius that I was slightly frightened of him. But then I pulled myself together. This is my offspring. He wouldn\'t dare to do anything to me.

\"Care for some tea?\" I called out to him smoothly.

\"Please. You know how I take it.\" He replied just as smoothly. Draco crossed the hall and seated himself across from me. I poured him a cup and added three sugars and one milk. He took the cup and drank.

We sat there in silence until he\'d finished the whole cup and I thought I\'d go mad with the suspense. Tired of it, I broke it first.

\"Well?\" I snapped.

He only smiled an oily smile that made me sick to my toes. How often Lucius looked like that when addressing me, as if talking to a small, slow child. Draco put his cup down and crossed his knees. He was becoming comfortable - the better to dress me down.

\"Impatient? Tsk. Nasty trait, Mother.\" I felt a bit surer. We were on familiar territory. Lucius would often begin with a mild chastising. Apparently his son followed in the mold.

He poured himself another cup of tea and drank that down. Ah. A refinement that Lucius never practiced. Once my dead husband had begun, he did not stop until he was done flaying the skin from your back and rubbing salt in the wounds. Draco and I just sat until he\'d finished enjoying the second cup and two chocolate biscuits into the bargain. I only became edgier. I sighed heavily and waited.

\"That was an awfully nasty stunt you pulled today, Mother.\"

Finally. We can get on with it.

\"I understand that you\'re not happy with either Hermione or myself, but under the circumstances, I don\'t think that it\'s asking too much that you be a civil and hospitable hostess.\"

\"Hospitable? You want me to be hospitable to that little guttersnipe? Laughable.\"

\"Hermione might be many things, but a guttersnipe she is not. What she is is a Malfoy. I expect you to treat her as such. You knew that the portraits would erupt into pandemonium.\"

\"You can\'t blame me for the honest reactions of your ancestors.\"

\"Oh, but I can. In fact, I have no problem with blaming you for this whole sorry mess.\"

\"Bollocks, Draco. That\'s utter rubbish. It\'s not my fault that you\'ve fallen in love with a mudblood and just happened to get her knocked up.\"

\"Case of forbidden fruit. We always want what we cannot have. I blame both you and Father for it. The damage is done. Regardless of how you feel about the situation, you would do well to remember that this is *my* house. I own it and everything in it. I own all of our other property as well. I own those jewels around your neck, in your ears, on your hands. Watch your step, madam.\"

\"Are you threatening me, Draco?\"

\"No. I am not.\" He leaned forward and I caught the slightly mad look in his eyes. \"I am promising.\"

My own son sent a shiver down my spine. Since his father was dead, Draco had become harder, less apt to take a lot of crap from anyone - especially me. But I was not defeated. Not yet. However, I\'d learned under Lucius\'s fond tutelage that sometimes discretion was the better part of valour.

My nod of assent was almost imperceptible. Just like his faint smile of victory. But I saw it. I almost felt sorry for the Muggleborn. If blood will tell, then she is riding for a very hard fall, indeed.
**********************

I tried to fall asleep after Draco left me. But as soon as I\'d gotten comfortable in the huge four poster, my mind was active again. I wondered what Draco was saying to his mother. Were they having a huge row? Were they commiserating? My insatiable need to know everything was proving to be a liability in this case.

I turned onto my back and stared up into the draped velvet canopy. It was dark blue. Funny. I expected everything in here to be either green, black or silver. This was obviously Draco\'s room. I noticed that everything in the room was designed with the intent of soothing the occupant. It would have done its job, too, if the present occupant wasn\'t so wrapped up in herself.

I sighed, thinking about what a mess we were all in. I\'d gotten a husband I never asked for but was rapidly falling for, in spite of. Draco got a wife who was totally unlike the wife he *should* have. And Narcissa DEFINITELY didn\'t get anything she wanted out of this whole deal.

I looked at the folds of softly gleaming blue textile, feeling my eyelids grow heavy at last. Unfortunately, that\'s the moment when Draco decided to come back. Damn him.

\"Well?\" I snapped grumpily.

\"Foul mood, my sweet?\" He came over and sat on the edge of the bed. \"I got Mother to be a little nicer to you.\"

\"How did you do that? Threats and torture?\"

\"Right in one.\"

\"Draco, you didn\'t.\"

\"Not the torture part, no.\"

\"Thank God for that. But how could you threaten your own mother?\"

\"Oh, don\'t give me that wide-eyed innocent face. The question should\'ve been \'how could I have *not* threatened her?\' Let me tell you something, love. Narcissa Black Malfoy can be one of the meanest bitches in the Northern Hemisphere and don\'t you forget it.\"

\"I haven\'t. Still, she is your mother.\"

\"And that\'s why I\'m qualified to let you know how evil she can be. Merlin\'s balls, Hermione! Have you forgotten how rotten she was to you that day in Dumbledore\'s office? I secretly cheered when your mother belted her one.\"

\"No, I haven\'t forgotten. I just had other things to deal with since then.\" I glowered at him, remembering all of our combined tantrums.

I saw him pull on that civilized veneer. \"Listen, darling, I\'ve let Mother know in no uncertain terms that she is not to upset you in any way.\"

I didn\'t know what to make of his slick reassurances, but the word \'darling\' cheered me greatly. So, I just let it ride. I nodded, feeling tired once again, but fighting it. He patted my hand patronisingly and I let him. Draco played hero for me; I let him bask in it. God knows it was just a matter of time before we were back into a blazing row.

\"Would you care for a spot of dinner now?\" he asked solicitously.

\"Please. I suddenly feel famished.\" And I did. I felt as if my stomach was going to implode if I didn\'t eat soon.

He got up from the bed and threw a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace. Draco placed an order for all my favourites: coq au vin, asparagus and a chocolate souffle. My stomach gurguled in anticipation. He also called for a pot of tea and a carafe of pumpkin juice to be sent with the food.

\"Chocolate bicuits, as well,\" I called from the bed.

\"You\'re going to burst open if you eat all of that.\"

\"Just get me the damned biscuits, Draco.\"

He pulled his head out of the fire and saluted me smartly. \"Yes, ma\'am.\"

I couldn\'t help myself. I giggled. Telling the beleaguered house elf about the biscuits, he left the fireplace again and crawled up beside me.

\"That\'s a nice sound. Do it again.\"

\"Do what again?\" I asked, feeling coquettish.

\"Laugh.\" His silvery eyes had gone dark. I knew that look. I loved that look. He wanted me again and Merlin help me, I wanted him, too.

\"There\'s nothing funny happening.\"

\"Damn. We\'ll have to remedy that.\" And he began to tickle me. I don\'t think I\'ve ever laughed that hard in my life. When I was flushed and breathing hard, he stopped and kissed me.

Oh, Lord. He\'s such a good kisser.

We were curled together on the bed and his hands were toying with the skin of my back underneath my jumper. Just as things were getting interesting a knock interrupted. With a muttered curse, Draco pulled away from me and got up.

A parade of elves came in bearing food and drink. My husband stood at the opened door, impatiently tapping his foot, hair disheveled. \"Will you bloody hurry it up?\"

\"Draco, they\'re doing the best that they can. Don\'t rush them.\" I was remembering Dobby\'s sad condition before he was inadvertently freed from his servitude.

\"It\'s their fault we\'re not doing what we were doing previously, wife of mine,\" he growled at me.

\"I\'m also starving.\" I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The last of the elves bowed and gave me a neat little bow before leaving. \"See? They\'ve left.\"

Draco sighed at me. \"You\'ve got to get out of the habit of crusading all of the time.\"

We sat at the beautiful little round table. \"I can\'t stop crusading. I\'m a Gryffindor. That\'s what we do.\"

\"Please. The problem with Gryffindors is that they\'ve never learned to pick their battles. Get them to feeling offended and off they go. Whee!!\" He passed me a plate filled with goodies.

\"That\'s not true. There were plenty of times I\'ve ignored you just to keep the peace.\" I dug into the delicious food.

He forked up a bite. \"Mm. Bloody marvelous cooking. And what do you mean, you\'ve ignored me.\"

\"Just what I said.\" I took a sip of the juice.

\"Honey, you couldn\'t ignore me if you tried.\" He gave me a cocky grin.

\"You\'re such an egomaniac.\"

\"And you love it.\"

\"I tolerate it.\" He gave me a surprising raspberry and we settled down to eat. After a few minutes of silence, Draco spoke again.

\"Aside from the screaming portraits, how do you like the house?\"

\"What I\'ve seen of it?\" I put down my fork and wiped my mouth. \"I think it\'s very nice. A little austere, but elegant.\"

\"That\'s the Malfoys - austere but elegant.\"

\"I\'m so sure.\" I took a swallow of juice and leaned back in my chair. \"Draco, I don\'t think you\'re naturally austere anymore than I am.\"

\"You mean you\'re not?\" He asked innocently.

\"Please.\" I toyed with my hair. \"And you\'d better stop that or you\'re going to get more than you bargained for.\" He had started to slide his stockinged foot up and down my leg.

\"Really? I look to be surprised.\" The rotten bastard continued his teasing. I looked up and saw the snow falling heavily.

\"Well, we\'ve eaten and there\'s nothing left to do...\"

\"Ha. Anything is better than boredom?\"

\"Precisely.\"

\"You\'re terrible, Hermione.\" He got up and extended a hand to me. \"Come on. Let\'s go.\"

I eyed that hand with suspicion. \"Where are we going?\"

\"Just come on,\" he grinned engagingly. \"I promise you\'ll like it.\"

\"Hmm.\" I put my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet.

We left the room and I was surprised to see that the hallway was ablaze with torches. Somehow I\'d imagined low lighting and menacing corridors leading to unknown horrors behind forbidden doors. I gave myself a mental shake for my overly dramatic thoughts. There were Chippendale cherry wood tables lining the walls. Vases and bowls contaning fresh sprigs of pine, holly and hothouse gardenias stood sentinel on the tabletops. The stone floors were covered in oriental carpets that my feet sank into. Draco and I strolled the hallways until we came to a large wooden door.

\"Go ahead.\" He said.

\"You really want me to open it?\"

\"Actually, only the lady of the house can open this door.\"

\"I\'m not the lady of the house.\"

\"Yes, you are and have been from the day I married you.\" His eyes glowed warmly. \"Go on then. I haven\'t been in here since I was a child.\"

I put my hand on the knob and noticed my ring shimmer in the torchlight. The handle turned easily but creaked loudly. A smell of flowers greeted me and I peeked my head around the corner. The torches flared to life and I think I gasped with what I saw inside.

This room was lined with windows that would flood it with sunlight during the day. However at night, there were panoramic views of starshine and a fat, cold winter moon. It was empty except for bright, fluttering yellow and white curtains that puddled on the polished parquet floor.

\"What room is this, Draco?\"

\"I should think you would\'ve guessed.\" He steered me inside the massive space.

\"Is this the nursery?\"

\"Right in one.\"

\"It\'s so large.\"

\"I hear those words a lot.\"

\"Ho ho ho.You better not have.\" I glared at him.

\"Just teasing, Hermione.\"

\"Hm.\" I walked around the perimeter of the bow-shaped room. I could almost hear the laughter of Malfoys past echoing from the walls. \"Where\'s the crib?\"

\"Stored away for future use.\" He came up behind me as I stood in the center of the space. Draco wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. I leaned back into his strength and reveled in it. This was the Draco I liked best: gentle, teasing. \"I honestly didn\'t ever think I would have children.\"

\"Why not?\"

\"After the war the Malfoys were infamous, reviled. What respectable family would hand their daughter over to us?\"

\"You still have a great deal of wealth and wealth buys influence.\"

\"Heh. You\'d be surprised at what it *can\'t* buy. Besides, I think I\'d wanted you for so long that I was ruined for other women.\"

\"Ruined for other women? A wee bit dramatic, aren\'t we?\"

\"I don\'t think so. I watched you every moment I could.\"

\"Did you?\"

\"I did. Only problem is, now that I\'ve got you, what in the world am I supposed to do with you?\"

\"Don\'t do anything other than what you\'re doing now.\" I felt him sigh against my back and we stood looking out of the windows, feeling a tentative peace.