Better Man
Narcissa Malfoy was, for all intents and purposes, a loyal woman. She had been loyal to her husband and his ideology for their entire marriage. She had stood by him as he claimed to be a victim of the imperious curse after the first war, and she had stood by him again as their family had suffered for his lies during the second. She’d even been loyal to her family after they had declared her favourite sister, Andromeda, a traitor. But the one key piece of loyalty that people failed to recognise was her refusal to take the dark mark and become a death eater. She allowed herself the privilege of quietly abiding by the blood supremacy ideology that had been force fed down her throat her entire life, but she wouldn’t play an active role in condemning the one sister that she’d loved completely. Andromeda had tried to contact her once a year, every year, between the wars, and Lucius had forbidden her from responding. But Lucius was gone now. And with that came a new sense of hope for Narcissa and her sister. She’d mourned the loss of the other one, Bellatrix, but she couldn’t deny the overwhelming sense of relief at her demise.
Andromeda had discussed Draco’s sponsorship at length with Narcissa, and in the end they had placed a bet. Narcissa didn’t believe for a moment that he would accept it easily and he certainly wouldn’t become friendly with her, despite the overwhelming evidence that she was incredibly likeable. Andromeda knew that Hermione had made a huge difference in the lives of the other prior inmates of Azkaban, she insisted that Draco would be the biggest change of all. The stakes had been open, the winner would decide what they wanted upon the event of their success. So Narcissa had left the meeting with Draco at the house in Sussex with a scowl on her face, knowing full well that her sister would decide on something outlandish. She had prepared herself for the idea that she’d request their mother’s engagement ring or some other priceless – and therefore incredibly valuable – heirloom. Instead, she merely requested that they finally take the trip around wizarding Europe that they’d always talked about as children.
Narcissa had just arrived back at the Chateau in France when an unfamiliar owl swooped down to deliver a letter. She took it with caution, it flew off and waited on a nearby branch whilst she read.
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Dear Mrs Malfoy,
I’ve decided to take it upon myself to make you aware of the fact that your son, proud pureblood and heir to the Malfoy fortune, is currently sullying himself with none other than the muggleborn, Hermione Granger.
I’m certain that you’ll find this as horrifying as I have, they shouldn’t be under the same roof at all. I’d like to come and have a chat with you about what we can do to end this union and get things back to the way they should be.
Send the owl back with a time and a place, and I shall happily meet you there.
Kind regards,
Ronald Weasley.
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Narcissa didn’t bother to unpack, she would be going back to the manor in England right away. She wasted no time with her departure as she sent the owl along with a letter for him, requesting to meet him at the manor the following morning. She knew she was many things in this world, that there was an abundance of negative ways to describe her but disloyal would not be one of them. Not now, not ever.
Ron arrived at the manor with a sly grin on his face as Narcissa welcomed him through into the drawing room, a calculated move on her part. She sat them both down at a round table intended for taking afternoon tea upon before a tall, well build man in a black suit closed the door and stood just inside. Ron was able to keep an eye on him, but his hands began to sweat at the sight of the room. He looked around as Narcissa poured them both tea and indicated to the biscuits, remarking that they were quite lovely, and he should try some. He did, and she was right.
“So, Mr Weasley, what exactly are you expecting from this meeting today?” She smiled at him, a tight smile that held back a lot of choice words as she stared at him.
“Well, I guess I just thought we could work together to end this situation, it’s clearly very inappropriate. It’s not proper, we both know that. Do you agree, Mrs Malfoy?” He spoke with confidence.
“I do agree, I think this situation has gone on for long enough. I think there are some things that people of our status will accept and some we simply will not.” She nodded as she took another biscuit. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Obviously I wouldn’t want to include the authorities, that wouldn’t do, Malf – Draco, would end up in Azkaban again surely. But perhaps someone else could be convinced to take Draco in instead?” Narcissa took a sharp breath in through gritted teeth.
“See, I have a better idea.” She waved the tall man over. He placed a piece of parchment on the table in front of Ron, and passed him a quill, which Ron held in his right hand. The man stayed on his left side. “I was quite offended that you thought I would not already be aware of my son’s affections for Miss Granger. Truth be told, it warms me to finally see him happy. But it does concern me that you thought that you could infiltrate these family walls and ruin my son’s life.” Ron had caught on to exactly how this meeting would go.
“Well, you already ruined his life once so, forgive me for thinking you’d do it again.” He snarked, forgetting where he was. The man beside him wasted no time in crushing his head onto the table in front of him and yanking his left arm high up behind his back. Ron let out a disgruntled cry but could not get free.
“You are quite the bully, Mr Weasley, I’ll give you that. But you can’t run with the big dogs, so you’d better stay on the porch.” Narcissa rose from her seat to stand beside his head, where she could lean into his face. “I’ll never understand how things went so wrong for you, and I wouldn’t expect you to know either, that kind of knowledge requires depth and men who beat women do not have that.” She shook her head derisively. “You lost her, Mr Weasley, she’s not yours anymore. Nor is she Draco’s for that matter, she is simply a witch that is trying to exist on her own terms.”
“Arh!” Ron groaned as he tried to move again. “What do you want from me?!” She smiled a wicked grin as he tried to shrink back.
“This is an agreement that you will sign.” She indicated to the parchment, and she stood up straight again. “You will agree to never again get close to, look at or speak to Miss Granger or my son. You will also never be within a ten-mile radius of her home. And you will never encourage anyone else to do anything to them on your behalf. Understood?” He groaned at the feeling of pressure on his shoulder, as if it might pop out of place at any moment.
“And what if I don’t sign it?” He tried to be defiant, but Narcissa just rolled her eyes.
“If you do not sign this agreement, you will never leave this house. And if you break it in the future, your parents will never recover your body.. Once we’re done with it, of course.” She looked at him for a moment. “You severely misjudged how much a mother could love their child, and yet you know full well that your own mother killed my sister to save her only daughter.” She ducked back into his face once more, he tried to grab her hair but found that he couldn’t move his hand due to a charm on the quill he was holding. “Believe me when I say, I would take great pleasure in giving you your dues for what you did to Miss Granger. But as of now I will simply thank you for leading her right into the arms of my son. He deserves every single speck of happiness he finds in this world.” She stood up straight again and pointed at the parchment. “Sign it.”
He threw her a contemptuous glare and didn’t budge. A moment later his screams filled the room as his shoulder popped loudly out of place at the hands of the tall man. He screamed profanities as he signed his name on the dotted line. The tall man guided him back through the house to the Floo grate, and he considered pulling out his wand. The tall man wished he would, would have killed him in an instant if he had. Alas, he knew this and so left without kicking up any more of a fuss than he already had. Narcissa sighed loudly as she sat back down to finish her tea, staring at the spot of the floor that would be forever marred by the blood of Hermione Granger.
Draco would be lying if he said he didn’t find it difficult to leave her bed in the mornings, but Edgar wouldn’t allow him to break the routine of early morning coffee and cat treats. Except now, he would usually go back upstairs to enjoy his coffee in bed next to a sleeping Hermione. He was almost done with the last book as he picked it up that morning, once he started reading he couldn’t – or wouldn’t – put it down. He only halted for a moment when she turned in her sleep and snuggled into his side, to appreciate the small act of intimacy before he continued reading. Hermione woke up to the feeling of his gentle sobs as his eyes ran smoothly over the pages in front of him. She reached up to wipe his tears with a soft swipe of her finger and asked him what was wrong.
“I’d hoped Dobby had gotten away okay, even though I saw the dagger leave with him.” He sniffed loudly as he wiped the other side of his face. “But he’s dead..”
She said nothing as she took the book from his hands and pulled him into a cuddle, still half asleep as she cradled his head in her hands, swiping her thumb back and forth just behind his ear. He began apologising for the entire situation at the manor, as if he’d been in control of it at all. She shushed him and he insisted.
“Draco, it’s truly okay. I forgave you along time ago.” She promised.
“Why?! You shouldn’t have! I did nothing to earn it!” He pushed himself off of her and sat up, but she refused to be pushed away as she scooted closer to him.
“That’s not how forgiveness works. We give it when were ready, not when the other person requests it.” She shook her head. “That’s out of your control.” She placed her hand on his face as he looked at her. “I’m not saying that the guilt you feel is invalid when I say that I’ve forgiven you, I’m simply saying that you do not owe me explanations.”
“It took me four years to acknowledge that my bigotry was an issue, did you know that? Four years in the slammer before I could even admit to myself why. And it makes sense, why would I want to relinquish the idea that I’m inherently better than everyone else? But that admission didn’t change anything within me until I came here, and I experienced you. I mean, there’s no wonder I hated you, look how insanely amazing you are, how understanding, how talented and intelligent you are. Of course, they would want me to hate you for your ability to outshine me at every turn in my own godforsaken world. I was born into it, and I couldn’t match your abilities when you arrived at eleven.” He let out a loud sigh. “Sometimes I just feel like I’ll never make it past that room. That floor. The smell of that blood. Your blood, my love.” He shook his head with his eyes closed as she waited for him to get it all out but when he didn’t speak again, she did.
“Keep your eyes closed.” She instructed. “Where are you feeling this within your body?” He tried to object but she insisted.
“In my chest.” He sighed.
“And what does it feel like?” She pressed.
“It feels like.. Shame. Guilt. Sadness.” He curled over into himself as she continued.
“Okay, tell me where that comes from..” She waited a while before he spoke.
“It comes from seeing her – Bellatrix, her reaction to what she was doing to you. And the way that I just couldn’t imagine ever feeling that way about harming someone. I didn’t have it in me to enjoy it. And I wondered if that meant that I was weak, which was something I struggled with afterwards instead of realising I was just a normal person. Shame. And now I feel awful that instead of thinking about you and what had been done to you, I only cared about me and my reaction to it, in hindsight I struggle with that. Guilt. Now I know that after that happened to you, you suffered greater evils inside the walls of your own home. You didn’t get the happy ending that the hero always gets. Because you are a hero, instead, all you got was pain. You deserved the happy ending, Hermione.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Sadness.”
“Well, there’s still time, God willing I’ll at least have a few greys before I croak it.” She chuckled as she shifted closer to him and wrapped him up in her arms. “Who knows, maybe we can work these things out together. Maybe we’re just two messy people trying to create a masterpiece together.” He touched her nose with his before he kissed her, and refused to believe that he hadn’t died in Azkaban and gone to heaven.
When Draco left the house later that day to take his first driving lesson, Hermione wondered if she’d entered the twilight zone, but she was absolutely certain that she had when she received a knock on the door several minutes later. She’d been just about to joke that he’d changed his mind when she realised she’d be saying it to the wrong Malfoy. Narcissa gave her a polite greeting as Hermione reminded her that meetings between her and Draco were restricted still during his probation, but she assured Hermione that she wasn’t there for him. She’d waited for him to leave before arriving. Hermione took them through to the living room and offered her a drink which Narcissa declined, promising that this wouldn’t take long. She tried not to feel uncomfortable as Narcissa looked around the room, not with revulsion or disgust as she had expected, but with curiosity and uncertainty.
“I am sorry to call in on you like this, but I needed to speak with you alone.” Narcissa explained as she stopped looking around and focused on Hermione. “I had a letter a few days ago, from one Ron Weasley.” Hermione’s eyes widened but Narcissa raised her hand. “It’s okay, Draco told me all about him and his.. Ways.. And I didn’t take this contact from him lightly.”
Narcissa pulled out the letter she’d received from Ron and a copy of the agreement made between him and herself. She explained how the meeting went and what, exactly, the terms of the agreement were.
“Even if you and Draco part ways, I want you to know that you’ll still be under the protection of this agreement, and this family. I won’t have it any other way. We owe you an unthinkable debt for everything you’ve done and continue to do.” She looked around the room again before leaning into Hermione. “Did I see my son leave in a muggle car?”
“Yes.” Hermione giggled. “He insisted on learning after he gifted me the pink one outside.” Narcissa drew in a breath.
“Well, change isn’t always a bad thing. Learning something new might be good for him.” Narcissa shook her head with amusement. “Lastly, I just want you to know that I’ll never forget what my family did to you..” Her eyes drifted to Hermione’s forearm before they shot back to her face. “But I need you to know that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Our portion of the wizarding world has been very unkind to you, and yet you’ve provided us with so much compassion. It’s admirable at the very least.” She rose from her seat. “Well, I suppose that’s everything.”
Narcissa straightened out her robes. As she did so, she noticed the crystal otter that Draco had given Hermione before his first visit to see her. “Oh cute, did you know that Draco was obsessed with otters as a child? He thought the way they slept holding hands was so endearing. He always wanted to be one, he’d make Vincent try to do it in the lake when they swam as children, before they both got too old for such things.”
“He didn’t tell me that..” Hermione smiled as she banished the memory of Crabbe’s death in the room of requirement.
“It was not a gift for him?” Narcissa looked vaguely confused.
“He bought it for me, as a thank you when I arranged your first meeting with him, after the crash.” Hermione noticed the questioning expression on her face. “My patronus is an otter.”
“Is it really?” She raised her brows and Hermione realised she and Draco looked very similar when pulling that expression. She nodded. “What a strange coincidence..”
Hermione walked her out to the door, promising to make Draco aware of the recent developments with Ron before breathing a sigh of relief as it closed. She leaned against the wall in the hallway and wondered whether she was dreaming, had she really just had an entirely respectful conversation with the Narcissa Malfoy? Edgar fussed around her legs, she lifted him into her arms and cradled him like a baby, humming into his head whilst planting small kisses onto him.
“What a strange summer we’ve had, huh baby?” She whispered to him as she walked back into the living room where they lay on the sofa together and waited for Draco to return.
Draco found the idea of Ron contacting his mother to be particularly hilarious.
“The rat fell right into the viper’s nest!” He cackled as Hermione passed him the papers his mother had left. “I wish I’d been there to see his face. I imagine that shoulder pop was almost musical.” He noticed that Hermione wasn’t sharing in his frivolity. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “It’s just.. I spent so much time convincing myself of his potential that sometimes I still conflate that with being who he is instead of recognising that he’s a fucking idiot.” She sat down beside him. “The potential was all in my head, it was made up. I know that. But sometimes I just.. Wish he’d been a better man.” She smiled softly at him. “But I have a knack for finding great people in the most unlikely places. And I don’t regret anything that led me to this point.”
He kissed her and tried to ignore the pang of jealousy he felt for the fictional version of Ron she still held onto.