Dramione - Hate Is A Strong Word

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

~Hermione's POV~

We walked, hand in hand, up the dark, winding path, being careful not to trip over twigs and thick, surfaced roots. As we strolled on further, a clearing appearing in the dense forest; huge wrought iron gates stood in boldly front of us, innately carved with ancient spiralling patterns. Draco walked forwards confidently and pressed the palm of his hand against the centre of the gate, the place where, traditionally, a lock would be. At his light touch the gates jolted and suddenly glided open, to reveal marvellous acres of land, which could not be seen when the gate was closed; perfectly kempt, curved paths of an assortment of bright flowers spread for miles, large decorative fountains were placed in sections of the garden. A tall manor house stood in the centre, with a wide, stoned path leading up to it. The mansion was pristine and gleaming, but the ancient bricks showed the true age of the building. This was a house passed from generation to generation for thousands of years. The walls alone held so much history.

Draco turned his head to me and I gaped back at him in awe. As we approached the front steps, the large doors opened and a house elf appeared from behind them.

"Good evening Master Malfoy, good to see you back again." The house elf bowed.

"Thank you Kepsy, lovely to see you too." Draco smiled.

"And it's wonderful to meet you Miss Granger." Kepsy looked to me.

"Thank you, and you Kepsy." I replied.

"Follow me, Mistress Malfoy is waiting in living room."

Our footsteps echoed across the hard floor as we weaved our way through various rooms to our destination; a heavily polished wooden door. Kepsy knocked twice loudly and a high, strong voice answered,

"Enter."

Kepsy's fingers clicked and the doors glided open; the room was furnished with leather couches and a grand armchair. Narcissa Malfoy sat upright in her seat at opposite end of the room, her long blonde hair was groomed back into a neat ponytail.

"Mother." Draco whispered, but his voice carried easily across the room.

"Draco." Narcissa replied, and she stood up and walked steadily across the room. When she was much closer to Draco and I, she looked him up and down once to assess his wellbeing and suddenly brought him into a crushing hug. Draco wrapped his arms around his mother and kissed her on the cheek.

Narcissa pulled out of the hug and turned to face me. I smiled kindly at her,

"Mother, this is Hermione Granger."

"Hello Ms Malfoy." I said nervously. She looked from Draco to me and then burst into tears, quite uncharacteristically. She enveloped me into a hug, her strong hands wrapping around me as she sniffed.

"Thank you." she whispered into my ear so slight only I could hear it.

Thank you for what? I wondered. But whatever it was, I was happy she had so easily accepted me. I knew it must be just as hard for her as it was for Draco to rid herself of the prejudice upbringing, so her heartfelt welcome was incredibly touching.

We sat down on the chairs and talked for the rest of the evening, even sharing some laughs and some stories, we got to know each other very well. I discovered that she was a lovely women, who cared for Draco deeply and who was trying to make amends for the past whilst still suffering from the memories. We chatted for hours until it was very late and the sun had fallen beneath the distant hills.

Narcissa stood up and led us up a few flights of stairs until we reached a long corridor. We walked past a few closed doors and then Narcissa stopped and entered a room. Once we were inside the tidy bedroom Narcissa turned to me.

"So this is your room for your stay here and Draco's is just down the hall. I hope you have a lovely sleep and find your bed comfortable enough. If you require anything please just call Kepsy."

"Thank you very much." I smiled. Draco pecked my lips as they left the room.

Narcissa stopped in the doorway, and looked back at us,

"Oh and no sneaking to each other's rooms." She said firmly but smiled kindly. "See you tomorrow." And she left. Draco looked at me then at the door. "Draco come on." He hurried out after his mother, winking at me and mouthing 'see you later', before he rounded the doorway into the corridor.

I smiled to myself and looked around the room. There was a large queen sized bed, which lay on an ornate mahogany bedframe. Trailing my hand across the carvings in the wood, I noticed old craftsmanship that would have cost thousands of galleons when it was purchased. The full length windows showed the glorious gardens to the occupant and the white billowing curtains added glamour and a modern touch to the manor room. A single door on the other side of the room led to a huge bathroom with a freestanding bath and many different taps, much like the prefects bathroom in Hogwarts. I made a mental note to use it during my stay.

I opened a chest of drawers and found an assortment of clothes that had been laid out just for me. I ran my hand across them, looking at the different selections. The very top drawer was full of night garments; from cotton pyjamas to silky nighties. I pulled out my favourite cream nighty and tried it on. It was so smooth and soft and looked like something out of a 50's movie. I smiled to myself and crept into bed, curling up in the cosy duvet.

I awoke with a start. I had heard something. It was still pitch black around me, so I hadn't been asleep for too long.

"Hermione." Something whispered. I grabbed my wand,

"Lumos." As the room lit up, a silhouetted figure came into view. "Oh it's you." I said rubbing my eyes.

"Did I wake you?" Draco asked, "Oh I'm sorry, I'll leave if you want."

"No, no it's fine." I got up and grabbed his arm to turn him round.

He looked down at me and then appraised the nighty. He smirked.

"Yeah, you're right, I'm not going anywhere." He pressed his forehead to mine. "You look amazing Hermione."

I blushed, "Thanks." He pecked my lips and drew back from me slowly.

"Hey, where are you going?" I demanded, but I stopped him mid reply, as I crashed his lips to mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me closer. My fingers locked in his hair and we stumbled into a wall. Draco held me against the wall, and I circled my legs around his hips to stay up. He kissed along my neck and I nibbled at his ear.

"I love you Hermione."

"I love yo-

"Draco get back in your own room, I told you no sneaking into Hermione's." Narcissa interrupted us as she yelled from down the stairs.

We awkwardly broke apart and I slipped back to my feet. Smiling sheepishly, I kissed Draco goodnight and pushed him out the door. He winked at me before being swallowed by the darkness of the corridor.