[thirty nine]

"Draco pack your trunk." Hermione said, this was her worst fear coming to life. Death Eaters back in Hogwarts. "Are the others awake?" She asked

"How could we not be, with Potter's incessant rasping at your door?" Blaise called out from somewhere in the living room

"He's still bitter." Ginny managed a small smile from behind Harry. Hermione walked out of the room to find the rest of their friends packing their things.

"Technically, McGonagall only asked for us." Hermione said "You don't have to come with."

"It takes a village, Granger." Pansy simply said

"I don't think that's how you— Never mind." She sighed "I suppose we'll floo, then?"

"With this threat, I doubt the floo network at Hogwarts will be open." Harry shook his head "There won't be a train until tomorrow either."

"Leave our transportation up to me." Celine assured "I just need to send a message. Theo?"

"."

Hermione sent a her a grateful smile before returning to their room, where Draco was still muttering under his breath about disturbances."By now I think I should call her McGonagall." he mumbled. If the situation hadn't been this serious, Hermione would've laughed heartily at that.

"Shh calm down, baby." Hermione chuckled lightly, pressing a soft kiss on his cheek "I'm not going anywhere."

Draco just huffed in response, but his mood looked visibly better. Up until then, he was grabbing their belongings from the room himself "Honestly, what's the point?" He muttered, and with a wave of his wand, the rest of their things flew into their trunks and packed themselves neatly. Sometimes, he loved magic. "How are we traveling?" He asked his fiancée

"Cel said she'll take care of it." Hermione said, though it came out as a question

"She's getting us a carriage from her parents." Draco explained

"What— All the way from ?" Hermione looked flabbergasted

"No, of course not." Draco scoffed, like it explained everything. Hermione shook her head and decided to leave it be. The only thing that matter was that they had a means for traveling all the way back to Hogwarts.

"Hey, Celine said it should take an hour for the carriage to arrive." Theo peeked into their bedroom "Draco, if you're going to show her, now would be the time."

"Show me?" Hermione looked at Theo curiously. She knew she had to talk to him again, especially after this sudden owl from McGonagall. However, now's not the time.

", yes. I should." Draco said. Neither of them have learned how to use the empathy link properly, so when Hermione felt a sudden wave of anxiousness that wasn't hers, she was surprised — until she realised it was Draco. Maybe that's why he was so convinced of her upset mood earlier that evening.

"Well, wherever you're taking me, I think we should dress up to leave already." Hermione pointed at his still-shirtless chest "That way, we won't be in a hurry when Celine's carriage comes."

"Right." Draco chuckled. He put on a clean pair of proper trousers and a dress shirt, wanting to look nothing but impeccable for their return. Whoever these Death Eaters were... Well, they ought to know he meant business.

Hermione threw her coat on after settling for some jeans and a Weasley jumper. With what Draco was planning on showing her, he doubted that was the right jumper for the occasion. He hid his smile and offered his hand for her to take. "What exactly are you showing me anyway?" Hermione asked

"The room, love." Draco said "The one my mother was talking about."

"Oh. ." Hermione said, now she was nervous. Whatever Malfoy ancestral tree this was, she was sure it wasn't meant to welcome her properly. It probably would've died after Draco proposed to her. A sign of her tainting an absolutely pureblood family.

"Stop that." Draco said, feeling her anxiety too

"I can't help it." Hermione said in a small voice as they exited the pool house "I'm not exactly the kind of girl you're to marry."

"And I was a ." Draco held her hand tightly "Does that matter to you?"

Hermione shook her head

"Neither does the stupid blood status or whatever." Draco sighed as they trudged to the main house. When they entered, it was practically unrecognizable. Hermione didn't know how construction with magic worked, maybe she ought to read more on it, but the manor seemed to be getting built fast.

"If everything's been torn down, wouldn't the room be too?" Hermione asked

"No, it's magic. We're kind of building the house around it." Draco said "There's a reason why this is the Malfoy ancestral home."

"Not so ancestral now." Hermione waved her hand around all the construction going on

"Yes." Draco chuckled and pressed a kiss on her forehead before they trudged up the stairs. The room was through the double doors in the middle of the hall "Oh, I see what you mean about building around it." Hermione laughed, she kind of felt stupid. Apparently, Draco meant literally.

He pushed open the doors to reveal a wooden room. That's right, completely wooden. There were tiny lights dotting the walls from the west wall towards the north. "Everything here was made from the large tree that was in the middle of this whole property the time they built it." Draco said, leading her to the north side of the room "This is us." He pointed to two dots of light just next to another.

Hermione's eyes were wide as she took everything in. On the wooden walls looked like branches, or vines — this was a family tree. Each tiny ball of light represented a Malfoy, and at the end of the intricate vein-like weaves were two lights that represented them. It was just like any family tree, especially like the one in the Black's drawing room, only there were lights to represent each one. Around the lights were tiny inscriptions of "" and "".

"." Was all Hermione could muster. She was in a room filled with his family history.

"Yeah." Draco nodded in agreement "Those other lights, the dim ones, they're for those who passed. Only our lights and my mother's remain bright."

"Well, you don't seem to blast off faces like Walburga Black did." Hermione said with a small laugh "I guess mine won't be blown off. I'm surprised the tree even considered me a part—"

Draco shut her up with a kiss "." He whispered "I know what you're doing. I can feel it. ."

"Okay." She breathed, pulling away "I'm sorry."

"You belong, okay? You a Malfoy." Draco shook his head "At least, you will be. None of that blood thing matters anymore, okay?"