Chapter 9
Hermione
Thoughtfully, Hermione looked at the list in the common room with the names of the students who would stay at Hogwarts during the winter holidays next month. The only name on it was Draco’s and that was just because he wasn’t allowed to go home to spend Christmas with his family.
Hermione thought that was wrong. What was the problem in letting him floo home for two weeks? But it had been decided and so Draco would be one of the very few students who would remain at school this year. From what she had heard, there would be even fewer than usual since families understandably wanted their children at home after everything that had happened lately.
She could imagine that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy felt the same way.
In the last few months, she had gotten to know Draco better and had come to see him as a friend. Hermione enjoyed living in a room with him. They also spent a lot of time in the library together, studying and doing homework and other than the rest of her friends he didn’t see it as a chore. She didn’t know how much of his character had changed in the War and how much he had been like that even before with the people he cared about. Considering he still regularly exchanged letters with his old friends and was close to his parents, they obviously had all known a side of him that had been hidden from Hermione until very lately. He didn’t just maintain contact, he had also expressed worry about Gregory Goyle, who had not just lost his closest friend Vincent Crabbe during the War, but also part of his closest family. Since then, he was hiding away in his ancestral home in London and never replied to letters sent by his friends. Despite their history, Hermione felt sorry for him. While Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott had repeatedly visited personally, he had not let them in and even if they had been willing to try, they would not have come past the wards. According to Draco, the only one of them who could actually break the wards to check on him, was Lucius Malfoy, and he wasn’t allowed to leave his own home for several more months.
Draco’s parents had surprised her as well.
It had started with her providing them with information about their son’s health, but then Lucius – yes, she was on first name basis with both of them now – had started asking questions about the current state of politics, probably out of sheer boredom, and they had gone from there. She enjoyed their correspondence, although until the month before, she had been convinced that it was only because they had nothing better to do.
Then Lucius’ letter offering to help her parents had arrived and to be completely honest, she was still confused as to what that meant. Maybe she was naïve, but they did doubtlessly love Draco. Maybe they did appreciate her as a friend of their son, as someone who had helped him out of the dark place he had been in after the War and had been there for him when they hadn’t been able to. What they thought of her blood status, she didn’t know. They were never anything but civil in their letters, but while they had, in the end, taken a stand against Voldemort, they had doubtlessly believed people like her beneath them and had raised their son with the same mindset, which had led to Draco behaving the way he had as a child and young teen. While she and Draco had openly talked about it and she believed him that he had seen the errors of his ways and wanted to change, had actively taken steps to learn about Muggle culture with her help far beyond Muggle Studies, she had no way of really knowing what was going on in Lucius’ and Narcissa’s heads.
But maybe it didn’t really matter. They did have interesting conversations and sometimes the best way to change people’s mind was for them to get to know someone they had been prejudiced against and allow them to see that they had been wrong with all their assumptions. And she did appreciate the offer to help her with her parents, whatever the reason for that was. She had given up hope before, had grieved their loss, and they had given her reason to hope again and for that she was grateful. And she was getting more open-minded as well. Thanks to Narcissa, she started to understand Wizarding traditions better and they weren’t all bad, really. The problem was the blood prejudice that still needed to be overcome, but otherwise she was fascinated by the topic and was a bit resentful towards Hogwarts that they had Muggle Studies, but no way for muggle-born witches and wizards to deep-dive into Wizarding traditions. Not even the way Wizarding politics worked was really taught at school, even Ron, whose father worked for the Ministry, knew shockingly little. Everything she knew she had found out herself or, lately, through the Malfoys. It really wasn’t surprising at all that muggle-borns hardly ever had high positions in the Ministry.
“Thinking about the holidays?”
She flinched and turned around to look at Harry. She hadn’t heard him coming into the common room and realised that she had still been staring at the list.
“Yes, I guess I am.”
“You’re going to stay, aren’t you?”
She sighed and nodded. She hadn’t consciously made the decision yet, but he was right, there had never been any other. She was eternally grateful to the Weasleys that they had given her a place to stay when she had needed it and she appreciated that they had invited her to stay over Christmas, too, but staying at the Burrow was exhausting, especially when everyone would be there during the holidays and while leaving Draco alone at Christmas felt wrong, she genuinely thought that she would enjoy being here more than going back to the Burrow.
“I think I am, yes,” she finally admitted.
“I thought so.” He smiled and she was so grateful to have someone in her life who knew her so well.
She took the quill that had been placed next to the list so people could write their names on it and added hers to Draco’s.
xxx
“I thought you were going to the Weasleys for Christmas?”
So Draco had seen her name on the list.
Hermione shrugged. “Yes, I thought it would be more relaxing to stay here. The Burrow will be so full over the holidays. I appreciate that the Weasleys allowed me to stay before school started. I told you my parents sold the house before going to Australia and I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. But I grew up in a big house. Not as big as yours, but for normal standards, it was big.” They briefly smiled at each other. “It was almost always just the three of us, my dad’s brother and his wife sometimes came to visit for a few days, but it was never for long and they are more on the calmer side, like us. There’s always a lot of hustle and bustle in the Burrow, but during the holidays it’s even worse and so terribly unruly.” She felt a little bad for saying that, but it was true. “It’s normal for them and they love it. I find it stressful, especially since there’s no way to get some quiet time in between.”
Draco nodded. “I get it. My parents and I usually have a private Christmas, just the three of us. We may attend some Christmas Ball on the day after Christmas Morning, but Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning is just us.” She could see that he would miss it this year and she understood perfectly well. She would miss her parents, too. “I … just don’t want you to think that you can’t leave me alone over the holidays. I’m feeling much better, I’ll still see my mind-healer, at least in the second week and if I need her in the first week, I can owl her and she’ll come. And I promise I’ll remember my lesson about eating and sleeping.”
She grinned. “I believe you. I’d still like to stay. Or are you trying to get rid of me?” She raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed.
“No, of course not!”
“Good, because you won’t. Now that I’ve made my decision, I’m looking forward to having a quiet Christmas at Hogwarts.”
Draco’s smile was contagious. With surprise she noticed how much she had come to like seeing him smile, how handsome he was when he did, especially now that he looked far healthier than at the beginning of the year.
Draco
Two days later, it was once more full moon and after the transformation, Granger came in, Crookshanks at her heels, and the first thing she did was kneeling down and stroking through his fur.
Yes, the transformation was painful, but still, having her and Crooks around was nice and made this night far less unpleasant. Even today, only the second month with her around during full moon, he hadn’t dreaded it all day, like he usually had.
“I wish I could take you out for a walk on the grounds,” she said thoughtfully, but didn’t stop stroking him. “Well, I guess you can roam the grounds of the Manor once the year is over. I’m sure the gardens are rather large.”
Draco tried for an affirmative noise and wagged his tail.
For a moment he pictured his mother’s reaction of him running through the rose garden, but that was something he knew he probably shouldn’t try; although Voldemort would seem less scary after that.
Granger chuckled. “I wish you could talk. What were you thinking right now?”
Draco noticed that his ears now lay flat on his skull and he huffed. Bloody wolfish body language.
Granger sat on her bed and patted the place next to her. “I’m reading a book with short stories right now. If you want, I can read a few stories out loud.”
Draco wagged his tail and jumped onto the bed, looking at her expectantly. When she started reading, he lay down and Crooks immediately cuddled up to him. He put his head on his paws and relaxed while listening.
After a while her reading stopped and before he knew it, he heard the now familiar click of the camera. He gave an extra heavy sigh and looked at her indignantly.
“What?” She asked with a huge grin on her face. “That’s what I got the camera for in the first place.”
She started reading again.
After a while he started pacing a little. Granger continued reading, but looked up at him every now and again.
Lucius Malfoy
He sat down next to Narcissa after taking the newest envelope from the Hogwarts barn owl and had to smile in appreciation. The charm he had used to protect the information in the letter he had sent her about her parents, was now applied to this one. His name was written on the envelope and therefore he would be the only one who could safely open it. Since it was the day after full moon, he could imagine why she had chosen this safety measure and, indeed, when he pulled the letter out, two photos came with it.
They had received a few pictures since they had sent the camera and they had caused them to stop worrying so much more efficiently than any letter could have. Draco smiling into the camera, looking healthier than they had seen him in a while, Draco playing chess in the common room (even if it was with a Weasley), Draco sitting with Harry Potter and TWO Weasleys on the sofa, looking at Quidditch magazines, and the last photo they had received about a week ago had obviously been taken by someone else than Hermione for once, because it showed Draco and her sitting over a book, obviously engaged in a lively discussion of whatever it was about.
Although Draco had kept his promise of being honest with them in his letters, sometimes describing that the mind-healer appointments weren’t always easy and that he still suffered from nightmares most nights and the occasional panic attack, but was doing fine most of the time, it was still good to actually see that he was getting better.
The photos they had received now were different, though, and Lucius appreciated Hermione’s caution. Both he and his wife looked at the first one in silence for a little while.
A big white wolf, lying on a bed (not Draco’s, he certainly didn’t use Gryffindor bedding), golden eyes half-closed while the ugliest, biggest cat Lucius had ever laid eyes on was curled up on his side. When Draco noticed the click of the camera, he lifted his head, ears pricked and eyes attentive.
“She’s right. He is beautiful,” Narcissa said after a while.
Lucius nodded. It was strange to see him like this, but it was true. The werewolves in Greyback’s pack had always seemed somewhat ragged to him. Draco wasn’t ragged by any means. His thick coat was spotlessly white and when he looked at the next photo, in which his son was standing in front of the window, he could see that he was rather impressive, both in height and statue. The comparison with an Arctic Wolf had been quite accurate. Hermione had obviously made him pose, because he looked rather unhappy in the second picture, while the first had seemingly taken him by surprise. “He is. That cat, though …”
His wife grinned. “Don’t let them hear that. They both seem rather fond of the cat.”
“I thought our son had taste,” he lamented and received a gentle swat on the shoulder.
To change the topic, he opened the letter and held it so that they both could read.
Lucius,
Narcissa,
As promised, here are two photos of Draco from last full moon. Don’t tell me he and Crooks aren’t adorable together! (“Do you think she’s asking for an honest opinion on the cat?” – “No, Lucius!”) Crooks seems to rather like dogs (and wolves) and he’s constantly cuddled up to Draco as soon as he sits or lies down. He is getting a bit restless, though (Draco, not Crooks), he’ll probably enjoy having some freedom on the Manor grounds in those nights once he’s home.
Again, he has taken the transformation rather well. He’s a bit tired the day after full moon, otherwise he seems fine to me.
You won’t believe what the Prophet wrote!
...
Hermione
She, Harry and Ron had been with Hagrid for tea on 1 December and this had given her an idea, which was why she was now knocking on McGonagall’s door. It was an hour before curfew and she hoped she would meet her in her private rooms. That stupid Gryffin in front of the Headmaster’s Office made knocking impossible and she had no intention of making a scene by yelling her name in front of the closed entrance.
Luckily for her, that wasn’t necessary. The door opened and her former house teacher stood before her.
“Miss Granger. Is everything alright?”
“Yes, good evening, Headmistress. Everything is alright, I just would like to ask you something. Do you have a moment?”
“Come in.” She stepped aside and gave way to a cozy living room.
Professor McNair sat on the sofa and two glasses of whiskey were standing on the table, one in front McNair and one in front of the armchair on the opposite side of the table.
For some reason Hermione had never imagined McGonagall drinking anything but tea, so this came as a bit of a shock.
“Miss Granger, good evening. Would you like me to leave you two alone?” Mc Nair asked, attempting to get up.
“That won’t be necessary. It may be a good thing that you’re here, too.” He settled back down.
McGonagall gestured for her to sit and McNair conjured another glass and poured her a very small amount of whiskey.
“Devon!”
“What? She’s an adult and we’re not in class. And right now, we have nothing else to offer. Are you trying to be impolite?”
The Headmistress rolled her eyes, but did not protest anymore.
Hermione couldn’t help but grin, but did take a sip once he handed her the glass. It was good, much better than the cheap whiskey they had had in Hogsmeade. She liked McNair, as far as she knew almost everyone did. And he was a good teacher.
“So, what is it, Miss Granger? Is it about Mr Malfoy?” She knew that after the incident with Slughorn, McGonagall had kept an eye on Draco and after both full moons, she had personally checked on him to make sure he was up for classes.
“It is, but he’s fine,” she reassured them immediately. “Harry, Ron and I were visiting Hagrid today and he told us that he would be gone for a week during the holidays. Visiting his brother.” Grawp was once more living with a colony of giants and Hagrid visited him regularly. He had cried when he had told them about Gawp’s move in the beginning of the year, but he had to admit that it was best for everyone. Hermione couldn’t have agreed more.
“Yes, he told me.”
“So no one will be outside after curfew. I checked, full moon falls on this week and I was thinking that Draco could go out for once. No one from our dorm except for Draco and me will stay over the holidays and I know that there will be very few other students overall. If we put a disillusionment charm on the windows of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers, they will not be able to see him outside and I can ask Harry to leave his invisibility cloak and hide Draco with it when we’re leaving the castle.”
McGonagall smiled just a little. “You’ve put a lot of thought into that.”
“Of course! I don’t want to take any risks, but so far ever since he was bitten, he has been locked up in a room during full moon and I think it would be a nice change to be able to go out and something fun to do during the holidays. I know he’d rather go home to see his parents.”
“I think, it’s a great idea. Between the three of us, we can make sure that no one sees them.” McNair looked at McGonagall, then at Hermione. “And as long as you two stay on the grounds when you’re outside …”
“We will!” She smiled.
Even McGonagall seemed convinced now. “We’ll take all necessary safety measures and will come to you after curfew. Don’t go out before we’re there.”
~tbc~