Draco's POV:
And I wanted to tell my mother, but if I really wanted to have a decent conversation with her I'd have to retreat to the Manor. Where my Death Eater father hid from the Aurors. I didn't want to see his face. Stupid git. I hated him, and sure he was my role model as a child, but things change. And in this case, many, many things changed. I would write her a letter, she preferred the old-fashioned way of things rather than using telephones.
Mother, I need to speak with you. I'd prefer that my father isn't there when I am. I know you love him, but find a way to keep him away. Please? I can't stand the sight of him. You know what he made me do. You saw the pain I was put through. Just, think about it and owl me back.
Sincerely,
Draco
There wasn't much more to say. I wasn't going to tell her I was in love with a muggle-born by owl. It was a lot better to do this face-to-face, even if my father was present during the time. If Hermione was okay with it I'd bring her along with me. I wanted my mother to formally meet her. It might've been too soon, we weren't even in a relationship, but I wanted to get this visit over with. The sooner the better. If I could have this trip sorted out within the week, that would be quite nice. Maybe I'd stay for a few days, change her opinions on my father. Whom I'd once thought would care about what I had to say to him. But he didn't. He made his only goal to bring back The Dark Lord, and in that, he succeeded. Which I thought was great back then, when I was a child. But that was terrible, two years after he'd returned in flesh I was given his mark. At first, I was proud, I felt dangerous, but that was the adrenaline. When I disarmed Dumbledore, it hurt me. I couldn't kill him, not our headmaster. So Professor Snape did and here we are today. Free of all Voldemort's wrath. My mark faded, I no longer felt it squirm beneath my skin.
Hermione's POV:
I couldn't bear the thought I was in love with him. It wasn't awful, but really, him? My enemy. Well, he wasn't my enemy now, but still! I wanted to tell him, that I wanted to feel his lips pressed against my neck. I wanted to tell him that I wanted to feel his hands on m waist. I couldn't. What would he think of me? That I was some kind of attention whore. And I swear that I'm not, but when I look at him I'd feel butterflies fill my stomach. He was so much better than Ronald. And it felt right like we were being drawn together by something. That was absurd, there weren't magnets attached to our torsos. I couldn't live without him. But what about Harry? What would he say when I told him about Draco? If I could just flip the switch that told me whether or not I fancied somebody. What about Dracos' parents?! If we did ever start a relationship. They were his parents. We couldn't just ignore them, they were the only living relatives (that he knew of) he had. And if I ever did have his children-NOPE! Why was that even a thought that came into mind? Why did I still deny myself of the love I had for him. It wasn't that big of a deal, I loved him, end of the story. But that wasn't all. I broke up with Ronald. My best friend was Harry Potter. I was a muggle-born. All these odds defied us, yet I found myself longing for his touch. I was terrible. I wished that I could just turn it all off. Get rid of my love. Get rid of my pain. GO back in time, prevent all of his from ever happening. If I wouldn't have returned the time turner to Professor McGonnagal after third year I could change everything. But what I did was for the good. With the necklace, I probably would've prevented so many good things from happening. Not that how I felt for Draco was bad, but it wasn't really great either. So I'd have to get over myself or just face the truth. Tell everyone the truth. Tell Harry. And Ginny. They would hate me. And Molly Weasley, she would disown me, she'd taken me in as her daughter, and she probably wouldn't invite me into her house again. They'd all accepted Draco, though. So how much would change if I dated him? A lot. I wouldn't be able to walk around saying we were 'just friends' and I would have to tell Harry. He had to know. Hell, I'd probably tell him about the way I felt for Draco before even telling Draco. So maybe sometime during this week, I'd be able to see him again.
Dear Harry, I really need to tell you something, and not by owl. It's important, and you might hate me, you might not, but either way, you need to know. I'll leave it there, just, please, reply a.s.a.p. I need to speak to you, and Ginny for that matter. Anyway, that's all.
Sincerely,
Hermione But should I really send him this? Was it really necessary to tell him and Ginny before Draco knew? Yes. That's all the answer was. So, I quickly rolled the parchment, slid it into the talons of my owl, and sent him to Harry, closing the window behind.
Draco's POV:
After half an hour or so, my mother has replied to my letter. In a simplified form, she would like for Hermione and I to visit her before next week. That meant I'd have to tell Hermione about the arrangements I'd made.
"Hermione, erm..." I pause, not knowing how to word it. "Would you like to visit Malfoy Manor with me next week?" That really was the only way to ask her. All I could do now was hope she says yes. Or something along those lines.
"Why? Don't you hate your parents? Especially your father. I thought you hated him. And what would he say about you having me in your Manor?" She asks, keeping the door shut between us. Fuck! She hadn't replied yes or no. Just 'why?', what was I supposed to do with that response? Say 'oh, don't worry Hermione. Just want to let them know I love you.' She didn't even know. Fucking idiot! How was I supposed to reply now?
"I wanted you to uhhh...meet them." I say quickly, hoping not to have to repeat myself. She would be confused. She would think 'why in Merlin would he want me to meet his parents?' She'd met my parents, just not formally. Not in the way you'd want to meet somebody's parents. "My parents." I say, aiming to clarify myself further.
"Why would I need to meet your parents?"
Hermione's POV:
He wanted me to meet his parents! Did this mean he thought the same way about me? I hoped so. Even if it didn't, this gave me so much hope, that maybe one day I'd be able to love him. But maybe he just wanted his parents and I to be on better terms, seeing as I lived with Draco. That was probably it, he would never take interest in a filthy mudblood like me. I wasn't special, I was just me, Hermione Jean Granger. Ordinary, smart, Gryffindor, mudblood. That was all I was, that was all I would ever be. Unless...No. I wasn't special in any way whatsoever. He was my friend and never would be anything more.
"Last time you...encountered them, well, you know." He says awkwardly.
"Yeah, so you want me to 're-meet' your parents because?" I ask, hoping that if he did feel EXACTLY the same then it would slip, but of course:
"We're living together. I thought it'd be best that I take you over there to get on better terms with them." When he answers with this, the smile that I'd hoped would form vanished. He was my friend. That's all he wanted to be. And I wish I was okay with being his friends, but I wanted more than that.
Draco's POV:
I was hoping that she'd object when I said 'we're living together' but she didn't. The only sign of her feeling the same way was how her expression immediately changed. At first, it was a neutral expression, but when I answered her upcoming smile dropped. So maybe, but it was practically impossible. I called her a mudblood, many, many times. I didn't even know why she chose me to live with, over Luna Lovegood or Harry Potter. After all, I was a 'foul loathsome evil little cockroach' as she said so many years ago. So maybe, maybe I was special, and maybe she loved me as much as I loved her.
"Right, that makes sense." She replies, her mouth still frowning. What if I wasn't just 'the guy she lived with'? But there was a small chance of that. She didn't, no. Right? How should I know? It's probably not a good idea to go up and ask her whether she thought of me romantically or not. What if I waited too long and by then she found somebody else. I knew that Gryffindor boy, Cormac McLaggen had fancied Hermione since sixth year. From her point of view, he was vile and arrogant, much like I had been years ago. So really, I had no reason to object to his liking of her. But he really was vile, unpleasant, arrogant, etc. Did I really love her or was it my mind playing tricks on me? What if I'd just been brainwashed...by myself?! That was stupid. I hadn't 'brainwashed' myself, I did love her, I knew for a fact I'd never let that thought leave me. Or would I? Why was I cursed to fall in love this easily? And how, I'd hardly trusted anybody these past few years. I guess Hermione had just broken the barrier. And maybe I did need her in my life whether it be friendship or love.
"So, would you like to re-meet my parents?" I ask after a moment.
"I suppose so. When would we visit them and for how long?" She asks, brows slightly furrowed. I pause, thinking about when would be alright for my parents. Maybe Hermione was a good influence on me. I was thinking of my parents and their opinions on things. She was special, there was no doubt about that.
"We'd visit them sometime next week. And we'd stay a few days if you're okay with that." I reply, looking at her for an answer. What if she didn't want to go back there? She probably wouldn't, after being called a mudblood in an offensive way and tortured by my now deceased aunt. I wouldn't blame her, neither would I.
"Like a holiday?" She asks nervously. Rather than speaking, I nod my head slowly. Her eyes widen and she bites her lip. "Oh, how many days is a few?" She asks.
"3, 4." I reply. "Unless you'd only like to spend the day with them. Whatever you decide." I say, frowning slightly. I knew that my parents would make her feel uncomfortable.
"Okay." She nods her head. "That's alright, I can deal with that." She mutters, frowning with her eyes furrowed.
"If you don't want-" She cuts me off.
"No, it's fine. I'll be fine. I'm sure they're much nicer people now." She smiles.
"I hope so." I reply, doubting what she had previously said. Unless my parents had 'magically' decided to become better people, my mum would side with my father once again. It was always him, never me, and I know that sounds selfish, but the only person who's ever picked me was the dark lord. And I was NOT thankful for that.
Hermione's POV:
So now I was supposed to attend a few days at his parent's manor. That was GREAT! Absolutely terrific! Did I want to go? No. Was I going because he needed me to? Yes. So that was amazing. I had to go meet my future boyfriend's-NOPE! I had to go re-meet my FRIENDS parents. His mum wasn't awful, she hadn't really been awful until after the Battle of Hogwarts. Lucius had always been awful, a physically and mentally abusive father. Poor Draco. He'd put on a tough front, but really he was just trying to protect himself. That explained why he did everything to Harry, Ron, and I. Except for now, I was thankful for what Draco had done to Ron. Was living with Draco having a bad influence on me? I just admitted I wasn't angry about the cruel words he'd spoken to Ronald years ago. Yes, definitely a bad influence, or that was just me. He hadn't shown any sign of anger towards me during the past two weeks. Why couldn't I just decide? It was always two choices that were practically impossible to make.
"Are you absolutely sure? I can cancel the trip, it'll be no fuss. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Whatever you need." He says, blushing. Was he blushing? Maybe that was just the heat. There was no way he was blushing over me. But now he was looking at the floor, a sign of his embarrassment. So maybe, but probably not.
"I'm sure. I don't want you to go alone. I know what he did to you, I don't want it to happen again." I reply, smiling kindly. He didn't deserve any more of those awful puncture marks. I guess there was no going back now. I mean, there was like a 0.0001% chance they were my future parents-in-law, soooo... Yeah, no. That wouldn't happen. That tiny percentage, plus the fact we weren't similar in anyways, it was impossible. I think? Everything had been so complicated since I'd bumped into him. A bloody book store, in muggle London, of all places. And who knew why he was even there, but thank Merlin anyways. I would've ended up living with Harry and Ginny otherwise. That thought scared me, and Merlin! Ginny was pregnant, who knew what kind of pressure she was under right now. She needed her best friend and I was in this cottage worrying about myself. I was so selfish. I'd visit her sometime this week, help them out with Teddy. God, I miss Remus and Tonks! And who would've thought I'd say that? My DADA teacher and his wife of all people. But they were good people, and they didn't die in vain. They died for their son and one day he would hear the stories of his brave parents. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, the couple who deserved better. A lot better than they got. As I'd heard from Andromeda, Tonks' mother, Tonks couldn't bear the thought of Remus going to war alone and rushed after him, in fear he would be murdered. Then instead of only one dying, both died. Teddy could've had one biological parent, but she couldn't let him go. Nymphadora couldn't let Remus leave without a last kiss or whatever. That was selfish, but she loved him and at the time I would've done the same if I was put in that position.
Third Person POV:
Great! Hermione thought. She had to attend a 'holiday' at the Malfoy Manor. The place where the word mudblood was carved into her skin, now leaving a scar. The place where Bellatrix Lestrange took part in killing Dobby the house-elf. The place she was terrified most of. She would return to because she loved somebody. And Draco, he would have to admit that he was in love. To be more specific, a muggle-born which his father would loathe. And his mother, she would choose her husband over the kind-hearted boy she'd raised. And that was cruel, selfish, wrong. But if she did take the right side, would her abusive husband hurt her? All these factors, changing other people's perspectives.