Salvation

Hermione's POV

Time passes quickly. I didn't even notice it was getting dark outside. We made good progress with the gate today; tomorrow I'll tackle the runes. If we continue at this pace, we'll have dismantled and re-cast the protective spell around the building by the end of this week.

It felt good to work with my hands again; I've missed it. I felt like my old self again. Back then, I loved solving complex and intricate puzzles like these with my mind. Back then... I wish I knew where I lost myself on my journey. The war drained my entire personality and left only a shell behind.

I didn't realize how empty I felt. Day in and day out, I existed without a real purpose and without any reason. Today's events made me realize that I've stopped living; I'm just surviving, not living.

Oh, we're back at Malfoy Manor already; I must have been lost in my thoughts.

"Hermione, would you like to freshen up before dinner? We can meet in the dining room in about half an hour," Bellatrix asked me cautiously, noticing that I was preoccupied with my thoughts.

"Yes, thank you very much, a quick bath will do me good," I replied politely, retreating to my room.

The room was larger than my apartment in London. WOW. And the view directly overlooking the garden. You can tell again that the Malfoys have enough money. Are those peacocks back there? Ha, I must tease Draco about it later.

After the shower, I feel reborn. I notice my pleasant mood is still lingering. That's strange. Oh, I must hurry; I don't want to be late for dinner.

Narrator's POV

In the dining room, everyone was just waiting for Hermione. Narcissa and Bellatrix sat next to each other, and Draco sat opposite them. There were still many empty seats at the long wooden table.

"Mother, I'm hungry," Draco whined.

Narcissa just shook her head, saying it was rude not to wait for the guest with dinner, and Draco should behave.

At that moment, Hermione walked through the door.

"I apologize for my lateness," said Hermione, taking a seat next to Draco at the long table.

Bellatrix replied, "It's okay, Hermione. I hope your shower was as refreshing for you as it was for me."

Dinner was served, and many different dishes were placed on the table. Draco had already begun to eat, and the Black sisters also loaded their plates. Hermione looked around and ultimately decided on a piece of meat with potatoes. It was eaten in pleasant silence, and everyone at the table seemed to enjoy the food.

"I'm stuffed. I don't think I could eat another bite, even if I wanted to," said Hermione, patting her full stomach.

Everyone at the table grinned and agreed. But dessert was still missing.

"How about we serve dessert in front of the fireplace and enjoy it?" Narcissa suggested.

"Yes, sounds good," Draco and Bellatrix agreed.

Hermione followed the others into the living room and sat down in an armchair.

"Hermione, I wanted to talk to you about something. If your friends Mister Potter and Mister Weasley want to visit, they are welcome, but I would ask you to let me know beforehand so I can cook enough for them," Narcissa said, turning to Hermione.

You could see from Hermione's expression how it darkened. She hadn't told her friends about her new project yet. The last time Hermione had heard from them was at the terrible Weasley family dinner. This thought train ruined Hermione's good mood. She slumped in her chair, and suddenly she felt the urge to leave the room. She looked around the room and noticed that everyone was staring at her.

"Tappy," Hermione called for the Malfoy house-elf. "Could you please bring me a glass of Firewhiskey?" Within a few seconds, a glass of the liquid was in her hand. She took a sip and turned to Narcissa.

"Thank you very much for the offer, but I don't think it will be necessary. I would like to go for a smoke now," Hermione said and stood up.

The other three were surprised by this abrupt change in Hermione's mood. Bellatrix mumbled something about smoking outside in the conservatory, and Hermione was gone.

After a few minutes passed without Hermione returning, Narcissa got up and decided to check on the younger witch. Hermione was sitting on a garden chair, staring out into the dark horizon when Narcissa found her.

Narcissa cleared her throat softly not to startle Hermione too much, but Hermione didn't spare Narcissa a glance. Narcissa sat down beside the young witch and looked in the same direction. The two of them sat in silence together for a while.

Hermione turned around and whispered, "Do you want a cigarette too?"

Her voice sounded thick and uncertain, as if the owner had recently been crying.

Narcissa turned to her and gratefully took a cigarette from the pack she was handed. She looked closely at Hermione as she put the cigarette between her lips. With her wand, she quietly lit her cigarette.

After both had taken several drags, Narcissa began to speak.

"Before I had to marry Lucius, I could smoke as much as I wanted. You should know that Purebloods disdain such Muggle activities, and I always had to enjoy my cigarettes in secret." She took another drag and blew the smoke up to the dark night sky.

"My husband caught me smoking once, and I was punished. Since that day, I never smoked again. Until today," Narcissa said with a smirk.

Now the two witches sat in silence again.

"Molly caught me smoking once. You should have seen her disappointed look. She's not my mother and has nothing to say about what I do in my life," Hermione murmured.

Narcissa just nodded.

"I can only imagine how my parents would react if they saw me now," Hermione said and started to laugh.

Narcissa looked over at her and was about to start laughing with her when she saw the fresh tears on Hermione's cheeks.

"They were dentists, you see. Smoking is a dentist's worst enemy. They always told me from a young age to stay away from it and how bad it is for my health. Well, Mother, too bad, Father, you're not here anymore," Hermione yelled into the night.

By now, tears were streaming down her face.

Narcissa didn't know what to do. Should she leave the agitated witch alone or would she benefit from a hug?

"Hermione, I'm so sorry for what happened to your parents. May I give you a hug?" she asked.

Hermione finally looked at her. In her eyes, you could see how vulnerable and lost she felt inside. Narcissa stood up and took a step towards her. With her arms spread open, she slowly approached Hermione. Narcissa hugged her tightly.

Hermione let it all out and started sobbing. The two just stood there.

Narcissa noticed Hermione starting to tremble.

"Darling, let's go inside and get you into bed. Today was a very exhausting day, and it's time for all of us to go to bed," Narcissa whispered softly.

Hermione let go of the older witch and let herself be led back into the house. The other

 residents had long since gone to bed. Once in Hermione's room, Narcissa said:

"Thank you for opening up to me. I will always have an open ear for you if you ever need it. Sleep well and dream something beautiful."

Narcissa gave Hermione one last smile before closing the door behind her. Hermione was still upset. However, she felt something deep inside her lighten up a bit. With this feeling, she fell asleep, and that night, no nightmares haunted her.