In-Laws

In Laws

By: Tassana Burrfoot





Chapter Eleven





She had been running down the halls for a while now, slowly contemplating why they continued on and when they would end. Finally, she let her frustration out on a wall, punching and kicking at it. She felt hot tears cascading from her cheeks, but she didn\'t care. Everything about this place frightened her and now, she was lost. Memories of the drawing room flooded her mind. She grabbed her head with both hands and cried out in despair.



"Goodness!" exclaimed a female voice.



Startled, Hermione glanced around her. The corridor was empty. "H-hello?" she called out meekly.



"Up here, dear," the voice directed.



Hermione looked up to see a portrait of possibly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Long, wavy brown hair framed a perfectly chiseled face. The woman in the portrait had a button nose, full lips, and slanted amber eyes. She was the epitome of perfection. Her eyes held the utmost warmth in them as her lips pulled into a friendly smile.



"Hello, dear," the woman greeted. "I must ask, what was the reasoning behind that dreadful scream? I thought we\'d heard the last of screams when Lucius informed me that the Dark Lord was defeated."



"I was frustrated," Hermione apologized, blushing.



The woman nodded. "Yes, walking these passages can be frustrating, especially if you are new. What\'s your name?" she asked.



The Muggle-born hesitated. "Hermione Gran... Malfoy," she answered.



The woman in the painting gave Hermione a curious look. "Really? A new Malfoy?" she said. A twinkle was in her eye as she added, "I won\'t have guessed. I meant, your full name."



Hermione\'s eyebrows furrowed. "You wouldn\'t know my family," she told the picture. "My family is all Muggle."



The woman clapped her hands together happily. "I can\'t remember the last time we had someone with Muggle parentage in the family. We\'ve certainly never had a Muggle-born," she stated. "I am Evalon Gwendolyn O\'Reilly Malfoy. It is a pleasure to meet you, Hermione."



Hermione\'s eyes widened. "Hermione Jean Granger Malfoy," she gave. "You\'re Evalon?"



The woman smiled and clapped her hands again. "Finally! For years I\'ve been waiting for one of these women to know who I am! Who would\'ve thought it\'d be a Muggle-born? I take it you fetched my name from the history books?" She gave a pleasant smile to show her approval.



Hermione tilted her head. "You aren\'t upset that I\'m Muggle-born?" she inquired.



"Upset? Goodness, no. I\'m actually quite pleased. This family is long overdue for a Muggle-born member," Evalon answered. "Too many purebloods with their conservative ways. If you knew the rubbish I\'ve had to endure all these centuries... The last Half-blood to become a Malfoy had to feign hatred of her mother just to be accepted by the house."



The young Gryffindor\'s eyes widened. "I won\'t have to..."



Evalon shook her head and stopped her. "Rest assured. Thought there will be those who disapprove, most of us are ready for some change. You weren\'t here when that self-proclaimed \'Dark Lord\' roamed these corridors. Hideous man. I was so happy when I heard Harry Potter and his friends defeated that disgrace," she sighed lovingly.



Hermione rolled her eyes. "Even portraits know the name Harry Potter," she mumbled. Then, louder, she said, "I don\'t suppose there was any talk of Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger?"



"Potter\'s faithful friends, yes," Evalon answered. "Wait! Hermione..."



Hermione smiled and nodded. The portrait sat there for a moment and stared at the girl. Then, she danced around and announced, "Don\'t go anywhere! I\'ll be right back!"



As if she\'d know where to go. Hermione stood there alone and bewildered as Evalon left. The Gryffindor couldn\'t begin to understand the woman\'s odd behaviour. Nevermind fathom as to where the woman went off to.



"Hermione!" a voice called.



She turned to see Draco approaching her. She almost had the urge to ignore him until she saw the handle of the picture she had broken in his hand. Then, she thought about her actions in the dining hall and realized it wasn\'t Draco\'s fault.



As he approached her, he handed her the handle. "This was an antique, you know," he informed her, a slight twinkle in his eye. "It was given to my great grandmother as an anniversary present."



Hermione pursed her lips. "I\'m sorry," she said as she cradled the handle. "I promise I\'ll fix it."



He shrugged. "No need. She had a whole cabinet full of them."



Her eyes widened in indignation. "Then why..."



"What concerns me most is your behaviour," he interrupted her. "It\'s my fault, I suppose. I was so excited to be returning home, I didn\'t stop to think..."



"I met Evalon Malfoy just now," she interrupted him in turn. She pointed to the empty portrait in hopes to steer the conversation from her embarrassing moment. "She was there. She went away, but assured me she would return."



Draco looked at the painting curiously. "I\'ve never seen anyone occupy that painting," he told her honestly. "I\'ve always assumed it was just a landscape."



"Yes, well, to assume is to make an arse out of you and me," Hermione said before she caught herself. She laughed at Draco\'s expression. "It\'s a Muggle saying."



He shook his head in amazement. "You\'ll never cease to amaze me," he quipped, smiling at her surprise. He pulled her close and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.



"Young love. Isn\'t it sweet, Guinevera?" said Evalon, causing the couple to break apart.



Hermione smiled to find Evalon in her portrait along with a younger female. This girl had strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes. The girl in the portrait sneered nastily, "I never thought I\'d see a Malfoy with a Mudblood."



"Guinevera!" Evalon scolded. "I\'ve heard enough of that filthy word. You will not use it in my presence again."



The girl bowed her head. "Of course. I\'m sorry, Grandmum," she said, though she didn\'t look the least bit sorry.



Evalon accepted the apology and turned back to the couple. "I am sorry for taking so long," she said to Hermione. "It\'s not everyday we acquire a new Malfoy. Even less common to acquire one of Muggle parentage. Is this the handsome Malfoy who managed to snag you?"



"Did you just say \'shag\' her?" Guinevera asked, scrunching up her nose.



Hermione blushed deeply, but Draco laughed. "She didn\'t say \'shag,\' she said \'snag.\' Though, I have shagged her as well," he commented, earning himself a pop on the chest.



"Honestly, Draco, I don\'t need a bunch of portraits running their mouths about such things," Hermione hissed at him.



"Oh, look, Grandmum," Guinevera said, pointing at Hermione. "She\'s a Gryffindor. When was the last time a Malfoy has married a Gryffindor?"



Hermione followed Guinevera\'s line of vision to see the Gryffindor necklace she wore. She had forgotten to take it off before they left her parents\' home. This only seemed to thrill Evalon even more, however. "Draco, you have truly outdone yourself!" she exclaimed. "Beautiful, intelligent, Muggle-born, Gryffindor, and a heroine. My dear, the two of you will be as legendary in this family as my husband and me."



Hermione inwardly groaned. She hadn\'t realized that meeting Evalon would earn her a sort of "portrait paparazzi." She dreaded all the portraits that would follow her and Draco around the manor. Life at Malfoy Manor was going to be interesting. But, first...



"Draco?" she inquired, glancing up at him.



He met her honey-coloured eyes and smiled. "Yes, my darling?"



"I wish to go to the drawing room," she announced, surprising both him and herself.

---

Author\'s Note: I know these chapters are a bit short, and I don\'t really have an excuse as to why.



I also want to apologize for not bringing in a full trial. I know some of you wanted to see it and are disappointed it didn\'t occur. As much as I wanted to do the trial, I really wanted to focus more on these next few chapters. Eventually, I will probably post a possible trial either here or on my livejournal. (Why haven\'t you friended me on livejournal yet? Links in my profile.)



Thanks for reading!