As Much As I Hate To Do So

Draco stopped short outside Hermione's office door. How was he to tell her that she was supposed to return to the manor she was tortured in for what felt like an eternity?

Sighing, he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Hermione looked up as Draco came in, a nervous look on his face, with a letter slightly crumpled in his hand.

"Hey. What's up?" Draco calmed down a little at the sound of her voice.

"Erm.. Maybe I should just let you read it." He handed her the letter, which Hermione took, a confused expression on her face.

As she read the letter though, the understanding dawned on her as to Draco's nervousness.

"Your mum wants us to visit for dinner. Tonight."

Draco sighed. "Yeah."

"She does remember..." Hermione trailed off, the letter falling to the floor as her hands trailed to her scar, pale fingers running over each letter.

Draco ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't think she could've forgotten it. I do know she redecorated the manor, though, so it should be okay." Hermione nodded. "Pansy told me. She also said room was also demolished."

"If you don't want to go, then I'll just tell her 'no thank you'."

Hermione shook her head. "No, no. It's okay. We- we can go, but, if anything happens, can we... Could we just leave immediately?"

"Yeah, of course. But I don't think you'll have anything to worry about, because it's just my mum. My father..." He trailed off with a sigh that held a tint of darkness to it. "My father is in Azkaban."

Hermione reached out a hand and a soft, comforting smile. "You don't have to talk about it."

Draco smiled gratefully for understanding. "Maybe later. So are you- can you- is it-" He tripped over his words.

Hermione sighed. "I mean- I can try."

"Thanks, 'Mione." He nuzzled his face in the scent of her hair before leaving her to do her work. "I'll come and get you for lunch?"

"Yeah, for sure."

***

Hermione's fingers twitched nervously as she surveyed her outfit in the mirror. Draco was coming in ten minutes and she still was unsure of the dress.

It was a long, black gown that exposed her shoulders, embroidered with a silver design that shimmered if the light hit it just the right way. Her makeup was simple, just a dash of red lipstick and eyeliner. Hearing the knock on the door, she shook her head and took a deep breath to steady herself.

She opened the door and Draco stood, in a crisp, dark green button down with black slacks and a matching blazer. He bowed, whipping a bouquet of red roses out from behind his back.

"For the beautiful lady."

Hermione giggled. "Aww. Thank you."

She pecked his cheek."You didn't have to."

Draco grinned."I did have to. Seriously, Hermione, you opened the door and I think the breath got knocked out of me."

Draco's eyes were so lovestruck Hermione couldn't have believed otherwise. She closed her eyes as their foreheads pressed together- her heels of choice not nearly tall enough to match Draco's height- and settled in comfortably as his hands found her waist. She shifted herself so that her head rested in the crook between his neck and his shoulder, and his breath hitched.

He pressed a chaste kiss to her temple before whispering in her ear, "We should probably go. As much as I hate to do so..." His breath tickled her neck and sent shivers down her spine.

"I agree. With both. Let me just grab my clutch." She walked (as fast as possible, of course, for someone in three-inch heels) and returned, taking a sip from a vial of potion in her right hand.

"What is that? Please don't tell me that you're planning on poisoning yourself before we go to the manor."

Hermione shook her head. "Of course not. It's a Calming Drought, mister master potioneer."

Draco sighed. "Of course. You're sure, right?"

Hermione nodded, a little shakily, despite the potion. "Yeah. Let's- let's go."

Draco slipped his arm around her waist before twisting on his heel and Apparating to Malfoy Manor.

***

Hermione's breath shortened and her heart pounded as they walked up the gravel pathway to the dark, brooding manor that seemed to emit a dark aura. The exterior of the mansion was the same, familiar darkness, but after making it through the creaking, rusted, gates and the looming double doors, she had to blink to adjust to the bright light.

The manor was bright and airy, almost the polar opposite of the place she remembered. The walls had been repainted to a clean, crisp, white, and while the floor was still dark, it had been redone with black and white marble, causing the light to reflect off of the streaks of white. The furniture had all been changed, and the number of windows had multiplied by ten. All the archways had been painted and decked out with Slytherin-style banners, and the dust and cobwebs were long gone. The banging in her chest subsided, but it began to speed up again when the , , of high heels on marble signaled the arrival of Narcissa Malfoy. Despite her nervousness, Hermione could plainly see that the grace and manners that Draco carried with him had been given to him by the aristocratic woman standing in front of her.

"Draco, darling! You're here!" Draco coughed awkwardly.

"Erm. Yes. I did send you an affirmative owl, and I wouldn't have dared not respond either way." He muttered the latter part. Narcissa narrowed her eyes.

"What did you say?" Draco shook his head hastily.

"Nothing, nothing." Hermione grinned.

"And Hermione! Thank you for accepting the invitation. I still haven't gotten around to redecorating the outside, and I apologize for that, but I do hope that the interior is sufficiently changed?"

"Oh- erm- yes, it's.. It's very nice." Hermione finished awkwardly.

Narcissa smiled. "Would you like a tour of the manor? The drawing room has been absolutely demolished, and I had it replaced with a library instead, not of magic, but it is filled to the brim with novels written by muggle novelists." Hermione's eyes lit up, and she could truly see that what Pansy and Astoria had said was true: Narcissa was the opposite of her husband.

As Narcissa led the duo through the newly furnished manor, Draco hung back while Hermione took interest in the paintings that lined the walls.

"Did you purposely fill it with Muggle novels just for tonight's dinner?"

"Well, I did want to immerse myself in Muggle culture more often and thoroughly, now that your father is gone, because I do think that some of the things they have to say are fascinating- like psychology, for example, the study of the mind. Wizards are nowhere near studying our own minds and what makes us so different from Muggles aside from our magic. Even so, after reading some of the books that I purchased from the muggle bookstore, I firmly believe that we are not superior. We may have magic, but they have technology, an amazing variety of inventions that allow them to communicate without having to physically send a letter, to talk without being in the same room, so on and so forth. It's astonishing!"

Draco smirked. "Yes. Hermione introduced our company to- to-" He stopped. " 'Mione, what are the things that you introduced to the company?"

Hermione looked over her shoulder from the portrait she had been studying. "They're computers, Draco."

"Yes, which allows us to cut tons of payments on parchment and quills." Narcissa nodded. "It is amazing. And here is the new library." She gestured to the room, still high-ceilinged and large but now with several windows along the far wall, the dimming light streaming through the room, and the walls were lined with bookshelves, filled back-to-back books on every shelf. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, ranging from psychology (Narcissa's new interest) to new fiction releases from some of the New York Bestsellers authors.

"Oh, my goodness, you have so many classics in this room- any Shakespeare?" Hermione exclaimed. Narcissa smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Of course- right over here." Hermione smiled at the large collection, gasping as she picked up the book.

"You have copies?" At this, Draco smirked.

"We are Malfoys, Hermione, and we get only the best. In materialistic things, but especially in women." Hermione blushed as Draco pressed a sweet kiss to her temple, and Narcissa's lips tugged upwards in a smile as the couple explored the vast variety of books in the library, Hermione pointing out classics and other recognizable novels that she knew.

It looked like she had made a rather good investment in the Muggle library.

***