It was getting to that point that Narcissa fretted. She hated to fret. The stress and strain of fretting became a tedious and somewhat heart wrenching affair. When she was younger it revolved around what she looked like. What shoes went with this outfit? How did this robe make me look? Was my haircut too short? Now fretting took on a whole different meaning. Now questions permeated the air like and it was will she like me? What is she like? What are her parents like?
When she sent the invitation to the Grangers her heart skipped a beat. Would they even want to come to a wizarding home? How do they feel about their daughter being a witch? What do they knew about that wizarding world? What do we even know about the Muggle world? What if they decline their invitation how would that effect Draco and Hermione's friendship? For the sake of Draco and his friendship she hoped the Grangers will accept their invitation.
Narcissa waited for a few days and nothing. Not even a word from Draco and she would be meeting him at the train station tomorrow. In her Black training she kept herself busy. She looked over the papers that Amelia had given her. As it turns out Lucius was seen in dark alleyways of Knockturn Alley with his old Death eater associates. Especially Crabbe. Narcissa has always found him a bit of a hulking figure, man of very few words, and more brawn than brains. They were as thick as thieves at Hogwarts.
Narcissa tossed the folder back on her bedroom deck and sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew the bastard was doing something awful but evidently she was going to have to stay low, bide her time and wait for her idiot squib husband to screw up. She was waiting ever patiently for him to make his move, foul it all up, hell even try to assassinate her. She had many things in place for that particular screw up. She mused longer on the meetings of her husband when an owl tapped at her window. She stepped toward the window, took the letter, and before she could treat him it took off. She opened the letter to her son's neat scrawl.
Mother,
I hope this owl reaches you before you leave for the station. I have missed you and I wanted to thank you for inviting Hermione's parents to the manor sometime over the winter holidays. Hermione said her parents where not sure exactly how to reply to your invitation. Were they to be formal, or casual so on and so forth. I told her to tell her parents to be themselves. Hermione smiled and told me that she did not have time to write them back but they will be at the station. She is extending the invitation in meeting her family. I also took the liberties for family Black and Malfoy that it would be an honor to meet them. I hope I am not to forward mother. I wanted to give you notice of this meeting. I would never want you broadsided. See you tomorrow.
Your Son,
Draco
Narcissa smiled. Her son was doing wonderfully in assuming those pureblood social rolls. He was still adorably stuffy trying to make his father so proud of him and the way he addresses those in society are the ways he would like to see. He wants to be so strong, and grown, and powerful. She stood and went to her wall and placed Draco's letter into the box will all of his letters, placed the file in a tray waiting for further use and grabbed the notebook she had made out of her letters to her never lover. She used a simple spell of copying the letters and then began to write letters to Hermione in a never ending notebook. Now it looked like a simple notebook. She placed the charms on it that allowed her to keep her privacy just as she had for the file. She sat back called Dobby for a glass of wine. When he popped back she thanked him, he blushed, and she began writing. When she thought of her lover her words flowed as if writing to an old friend. When Narcissa finished slipped her feelings out onto paper she thought to herself. Aside from the age difference, Hermione being a child in fact, then getting to know the girl. Would she actually learn to love the girl with as much fire as the woman in the future? It didn't matter she would protect both.
People bustled and pushed waiting for their children to step off the train. She watched the people in their warm attire and hugged her coat closer to her as she noted the rosy cheeks from the bite of winter. She wasn't the least bit cold, she was at least smart enough to cast a warming charm on her shoes, and clothes. She stood there in a black skirt, red silk blouse and a heavy wool black coat. She saw the Weasley's and their flaming hair, and the Greengrass mother and father with their silvery blonde hair. She looked and found a very drab couple. Brown hair, brown coats. She looked closer and saw the man was slightly taller than she with big wide brown eyes behind large thick glasses. The woman with him looked trim and fit. Short chic brown hair cut into layers about the chin and her eyes were more green-brown then brown. Narcissa walked to the couple surprised they found their way onto the platform without magic. The entry way to the platform had a small charm on it to deter the muggles from finding their way there by accident. She stood next to them and watched their faces, expressions and noted the wonder and amazement at the magic around them.
"Hello, my name is Narcissa Black. Would you happen to be the parents of Miss Granger?" Narcissa asked as she stretched out her hand to the Parents and it took just one moment and she was slightly surprised at the recognition in the man's eyes.
"Oh yes we are! Nice to meet you. I am Dan and this is Jean. You must be Draco's mother. Hermione has written home about you," Dan exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh I bet it was horrible, last time I saw Hermione she was adamantly trying to apologize for Draco getting hurt by a troll trying to save her life," she smiled and moved the conversation along.
"Oh she was positively torn apart that Harry and Draco both got hurt, but she was very worried about Draco. When she wrote about you. She was in awe of your skills as a healer, and your patience and understanding. She said you put that Ron Weasley boy right when he tried to take care of her. She confessed she was pretending to sleep, but she heard everything. We thank you for looking after our little girl," chatted Jean.
Narcissa smiled at these parents and would find no reason not to like such likable people. She would have to sit them down someday and educate them on blood status but she could not do that to them yet. They are still in the discovery glow about the magical world. She could not pop that little bubble of appreciation.
"Mother!" Narcissa turned and found a blur of white and and then arms around her midriff. She wrapped her arms around her son and smiled eyes closed. He was still here, still alive, and not broken, like the last time he was last she saw him. It was a precious moment she allowed herself. Then he pulled away and stood back with a smile and motioned for a girl behind him to come forward.
"Mother I am sure you have already met her already but please allow me to introduce my friend, Hermione Granger," Draco said and stepped back to create room for Hermione to approach his mother. Narcissa smiled down at the girl who smiled at her and offered her hand to the girl and she shook it just as her father had. She looked up with wide eyes just like her mothers.
"It is very nice to officially meet you Miss Granger. I heard you love books. Would you like to come over and spend time with Draco at the manor and select a few tomes for you to read at your leisure?" Narcissa offered the young girl and she could have sworn her eyes lit up like she had discovered chocolate for the first time then Narcissa turned to the Grangers, "Of course the same invitation is extended towards you both. Maybe we can make a day of it and have tea and lively conversation while Draco and Hermione attack my library? I am sure you have questions, I know I do," Narcissa smiled winningly at the Grangers and they both nodded and as they all walked towards Kings Cross station proper they solidified arrangements for a future date over the holidays.
Snow blanketed the manor ground, and frost hugged the roof of the dwelling. Narcissa walked her gardens and cast warming spells on the plants and configured a glass dome to trap some of the heat and guard against the winter. It was actually Hermione's idea and she was surprised every day at her intelligence. She knew Hermione grew into a wonderfully smart woman but she was surprised that her intelligence had been so very keen from such a young age. She looked up from her roses as she heard Dobby appear.
"Mistress, Dobby has come to tell you the Grangers are here," Dobby said as he bowed his floppy ears brushing the ground. Narcissa turned around and smiled at the little elf. Ever since she had offered him his freedom he had tried to prove himself over and over again. He looked much better, cleaner. She never gave him clothes but she gave him cloth to craft his own clothes. It was close to clothes given for freedom but she found a loophole. Truthfully she adored his small brown breeches, and navy blue button shirt and a tan vest.
"Excellent, I trust you have delivered them safely and in the front parlor for afternoon tea."
"Yes Mistress but Lady Hermy dragged Little Master to the library as soon as we landed," Dobby explained as his head bowed a little in disappointment. Narcissa knelt down and lifted his chin with her long pale finger.
"She has a passion for books Dobby, just as Draco has a passion for brooms. You didn't do anything wrong just be in there place for when she tries to drag books off the top shelf. I would hate for her or Draco to fall," Dobby smiled up at Narcissa and popped away to aid the girl in her quest for knowledge.
Narcissa, Dan and Jean had a wonderful time over their tea. Lively conversation over magic, and technology inspired Narcissa to reformat one of the smaller and more obscure cottages by sea with some of the muggle technological advances especially that of the telephone. She loved the idea of having instant contact with another person without having to rely on owls. She would have to talk to Amelia and Severus about this tool. The Grangers had many questions about how magic works, and what was the beginning of magic, and what is society like for the magical community. Narcissa was finding a lot of her answers were vague and un-researched even though she lives in the magical world she could not answer some of these questions. The easiest one was the magical society question and it was simple to tell the muggles in her tea room about the Wizengamot, and the Supreme Mugwump, and her role in Society. She glossed over her role as she didn't want to appear as if she was a snob. She liked these people. She liked how fresh their ideas and questions where but she also had to admit they were dangerous. Muggles trying to change the wizarding world? Preposterous! She would have to go to Scrollblade and ask if there was a way to cast protective charms or massive wards on the Granger home. Dan Granger laughed and Jean smiled as Narcissa told The Grangers she would locate their daughter. They joked about her being buried under a mountain of books and Narcissa smiled as she walked down the hall to her library.
Once there the sight warmed her heart. Her son fell asleep at the massive mahogany table with his head resting on his hands. She leaned against the door frame and watched Hermione fly through the books. She seemed like she was on a mission and the bushy hair seemed to grow frizzier when she grew more frustrated. Narcissa saw a lot of Dan in the little bookworm, but it was in the eyes. She had Dan's eyes, but the more she watched the more she can see Jean's cheekbones and nose. The girls lips and chin where all her own.
"Who is this guy!?" Hermione exploded as yet another book plopped closed with a loud pop. Narcissa walked to the table and lightly tapped her fingers on the table to get the girl attention.
"Your parents are wanting to get home and are waiting for you. Perhaps you can come back over break," Narcissa looked over at her dozing son and smiled, "It seems like you both have been at this for a very long time."
"Oh that would be wonderful but the more I look the more impossible it seems to find this man," Hermione beamed up at Narcissa then dove right back into the book as if she had no regard for her parents and their time schedule.
"My dear, who are you looking for?" asked Narcissa as she looked at the name of the books the girl has almost buried herself under.
"Nicolas Flamel. We heard his name on campus in regards to a three headed dog and it's a puzzle that is driving me absolutely insane," Hermione said as she closed the book and helped Narcissa put the books away.
"Why on earth do you want to learn about the man who created the Philosophers Stone?" Asked Narcissa as she put up the books in her arms.
"What? Who? Are you saying all I had to do is ask you about this man and you knew him and what he was famous for?" Hermione fumed and then threw her hands up in the air, "Perfect just perfect."
Narcissa watched the girl pace back and forth in her library and went to guide her to the door to her waiting family but was stopped.
"No mother, let her stew. She needs a moment the think. It's the most mental thing. She literally blocks out the universe for a few moments then pops back to life. Just watch," Draco said sleepily as he put the book he was looking at back on the shelf. Sure enough she paced and mumbled to himself and fumed some more and began mumbling again. Then as if she were shocked back to reality she looked at Draco.
"The restricted section! But we can't get there until the end of term," Hermione said deflated.
"I'll send Harry an owl Hermione and tell him to check it out before we get back so he can have something to look at by the time we return," Draco appeased the girl. Narcissa watched the girl. It was almost like the morning that Hermione found her potions, and her instructions then popped to life asking to brew more of it in the future. It was adorable. Narcissa shook her head softly laughing then two heads turned towards her. She walked toward Hermione and reached up and above her head but a large tome and gave it to the girl.
"Obscure Magicians and their even more Obscure Invention by Anonymous," Read Hermione the looked up to Narcissa questioning.
"I believe you might be able to find some light reading in this little gem here. At any time you may call Dobby and he will bring you here to the Manor and you may peruse the library at your leisure. All I ask is that you bring the books back when you are finished. Some of these are quite old, but you seem like a girl who cares for her things. Is that a decent arrangement, Miss Granger?" Narcissa asked and watched the girl beam.
"This is amazing. Thank You Ms. Black," Exclaimed the girl as she shot into Narcissa's arms. Narcissa blinked in shock then tentatively put her arms around the girl and looked to her smiling son.
"She does that a lot when she is excited or given something truly wonderful," Draco told his mother noting her discomfort. It seemed Draco had to get used to a few hugs himself. She took a moment longer to hug back the little firecracker and then they turned to front of the Manor to guide the still cheery Hermione to her parents. When the Grangers said good bye to Draco and Narcissa both turned to each other and smiled then gathered their cloaks and went outside in the crisp evening air.
"She seems very nice Draco," Narcissa said to her son smiling.
"She is amazing actually," Draco said also smiling, "What are her parents like? I am sorry I was a horrible host but she dragged me into the library as if I was a hostage," Draco Laughed and his mother joined him.
"They are nice people, very inquisitive, and informative. I have some ideas I would like to do to one of the small cottages no one knows about. Also I will talk to a friend of mine and get their home warded. Do you think that is going too far?" Narcissa asked her son and her took her hand as they tromped in the snow.
"I don't think so. We have wards, why can't they?"
Narcissa smiled. Sometimes she forgot how young her son was. One moment he was like a young man brimming with charisma and bearing, then he would slide into his own age and hold her hand and say something completely innocent that only a child with that childlike logic could convey. She hugged her son and promised she would get right on those protection wards. Draco smiled and then went to make a snow man. He took out his wand when finished and she taught him a simple animation spell and he and Narcissa played tag throughout the night with a snow man on the loose.