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Unexpected	By : draconisdemented Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 26235 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Note: Once again, I do not speak French. I am using a dictionary/translator
on my computer, so I'm e ite it won't be perfect. If you do speak French, I
would like to apologize now for any slaughtering of the language I may have
inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?

French translations: ((example))

��..

Virginia awoke with a start,
her heart pounding. Her boyfriends, who had actually deemed to sleep for a few
more hours before they left for the Manor, shot up on either side of her at the
same time. Swirling images were still rushing through her head, and she
couldn't stop them. Long, flowing hair like rosewood, so dark and rich a brown
it was almost black, shimmering with dark red lowlights. Eyes of the same color
but even darker, lit with the tiniest specks of a green more vibrant then even
Harry could claim. A sense of steadiness, calmness, peace. A sense of the
earth. The sweet, cloying smell of orchids, and the last, longing notes of a
song sung by a voice that could make angels weep.

"Gods�" Virginia breathed as the dream
finally crumbled completely.

"What�" Blaise started.

"The fuck was that?" Draco finished for him. All three
of their Marks were ablaze, casting odd shadows on the starry walls of their
bedroom, and they were tingling strangely. o:p>

"I have no idea." She stated, staring at her shining
arm. "Did you�"

"Yes." They answered in unison.

"Was it a male or a female?" She wondered, trying to
call the vision back.

"I'm not sure." Draco replied, his silvery eyebrows
furrowing. "I'd rather know why we had the dream at all."

"As would I." Blaise muttered, falling back onto the
pillows. "That was�strange. And familiar."

"Yes." Virginia agreed, blowing a
lock of hair away from her face. "Very familiar, and yet�vague, as
well."

"It reminds me of someone, but I can't for the life of me
remember who." Draco said, looking disturbed at that fact.

"Me too." Virginia and Blaise said together, sighing in frustration.
She knew she'en ten those eyes before, damn it. But where? And why were they dreaming about them? Needing a
distraction, since her life had been much too complicated in the last few weeks
for her to try and wrap her mind around yet another mystery, she slid over
Draco's legs and onto the thick rug. "I don't really want to think about
this right now. Wanna go to the kitchens and get
something to eat?"

"Sounds good." Blaise murmured, also getting to his
feet. "We never ate after practicing."

"Strawberries." Draco suddenly said, almost reverently,
his eyes gleaming a bit psychotically.

"What?" She asked, thoroughly confused.

"Strawberries." Blaise repeated as he put on a silver
robe that was trimmed in black yeti fur and slid his feet into his knee-high
boots. "He's utterly obsessed with strawberries."

"And I'm just hearing about this now, because�"

"Because Draco can't have obsessions like normal
people." Blaise commented dryly, throwing Draco and her each a robe.
Draco's simply hit his chest and slid to the floor, his eyes locked onto the
wall and still glittering strangely. "See? He's a freak. He's obsessed
with them, yes, but he only remembers once or twice a year. And when he
does�Well, you can see him. It's fucking deranged."

"Alright�" Virginia said slowly,
buttoning up her robe as she leaned over Draco and waved a hand in front of his
face. Nothing. "Yes, well, this is definitely�"

"It's okay, ma aim�. You can say
it. Draco has problems. We just have to love him anyway."

"Do you think he'll even make it to the kitchens like
this?" Virginia asked, and Blaise
smirked. He walked over to them, and a wave of his hand had Draco's robe and
boots in their proper places. On him. Then Blaise leaned in, much as Virginia had just done, except
he whispered.

"Strawberries, Dray. You know you want some. Come on, follow
me."

Then he held out a hand, which Draco took without even looking.
Torn between worry and laughter, Virginia took his other hand,
and they left their room and the Slytherin common room without being questioned
on Draco's less-than-sane state. Which basically meant that their friends were
all asleep. And, so it thankfully seemed, was the rest of the castle. Oh, she
was sure there were plenty of students up, it was the last time many would see each other for two weeks after
all, but they met none in the hallways, which was all that she cared about.
When they made it to the kitchens, Blaise tickled the pear and they ducked
inside.

"Eek!" They heard something squeak, and a second later,
they were surrounded by house-elves. None of them were jabbering like usual,
however, and she'd been there with her lovers enough to know that it was their
presence that made the elves so formal.

"How mlE>mays we serve yous,
m'lords?" One tiny elf asked, shaking from fright.

"Food. Whatever was for dinner. And for the love of Hades,
don't forget the strawberries." Blaise said, and the elves disappeared
immediately, except for the one who had spoken.

"This way, m'lords." It said, as if they didn't already
know the way, and led them to the small ng rng room off to the left side of the
large chamber. Since it was so late, they hadn't expected anyone to be there,
so it was quite a surprise to find Hermione sitting with her head in her hands
at the long table.

"Hermione?" Virginia called, and the
girl's head shot up.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide and red from
crying. Dried tears stained her flushed cheeks, and her hands were trembling
around the mug of tea she was clutching tightly.

"Gods, Hermione, what's wrong?" Virginia asked, going to the
other girl's side at once and sitting beside her. Draco and Blaise followed,
Blaise more than a bit reluctant and Draco not really noticing due to his
berry-haze.

"Oh, oh, it's�it's nothing." Hermione choked out, fresh
tears springing to her brown eyes. Virginia uncurled the girl's
fingers from around the china cup that was sure to break any second, and took
them in her mak making Hermione turn to face her.

"It's not 'nothing'. What happened? Did someone hurt
you?"

"N-No, it's nothing like that, it's just�I had a fight with
Ron." Hermione finally said, lowering her head. Virginia reached out with
their clasped hands and forced the girl to look at her.

"A fight with Ron? About what?" She asked, and
Hermione's eyes turned angry.

cla class=MsoNormal>

"He had no right to treat you like that!" She exploded,
genuinely shocking Virginia and Blaise. "Absolutely no right! You're his sister, for Merlin's sake! And I know
that we've had problems lately, but Ginny, you're like a sister to me, and I
could never have done what he did! I don't have any blood siblings, so I know
how precious they are. I tried to tell him that, but he said�Well, he didn't
say very nice things about either of us." Hermione's cheeks reddened, and Virginia felt her ire rising
again. Forcing it down, as Hermione didn't need her to freak out right then,
she settled on gripping the girl's hand more firmly.

"But aren't you supposed to be going to the Burrow with him
and Harry tomorrow? You could work it out then, unless you don't want to."
Virginia suggested, her tone making it clear
which option she would choose. Hermione gave a small sob.

"What!?" Virginia burst out
incredulously. Her brother was totally in love with Hermione! He would never�

"I know!" Hermione cried. "I couldn't believe it
either! Harry almost hit him. Said something like 'Then what am I?' and stormed off. They'll make up tonight, though.
They always do. I'm the only expendable one." She let out a shrill laugh,
and Virginia's eyes widened. She
glanced at Blaise, who shrugged eloquently and went back to watching Draco eat
the strawberries that she hadn't even noticed had arrived.

"You're not expendable, Hermione. And I don't think I ever
apologized for calling you the same thing." Virginia said, and she almost threw
a spoonful of the pudding by her elbow at Blaise when he snorted. Almost. She didn't feel like having this
turn into a very messy food fight, which it was sure to do if she hit him with
tapioca.

"Don't worry about it." Here sae said morosely. "At
least you had a reason. You weren't in your right mind anyway, which was
completely understandable. But Ron�"

"Didn't he try to curse Draco for doing the same thing? Ended
up puking worms or something." Blaise commented wryly, a silver goblet in
his hand and his cerulean eyes following yet another berry that was about to
meet its end.

"Yes. And it was slugs." Hermione said, a ghost of a
smile on her lips before it disappeared as swiftly as it came. "What am I
going to do, Ginny? I can't stay here because I didn't sign up, and if I go
home, my parents are going to ask endless questions�Maybe I could go with Parvati." She finished weakly, obviously not relishing
the idea. An idea formed in Virginia's mind, and she
gulped. But it seemed the only thing to do, really�

"You could come with us." She offered, and almost jumped
out of her skin when something crashed onto the floor. Turning, she saw that
Blaise had actually dropped his goblet, and years upon years of facial control
seemed to have deserted him as he stared at her in open-mouthed horror. Draco
continued eating strawberries, lessless as to their conversation, which was
probably for the best.

"Et vous perdu votre
esprit?" Blaise hissed, and Virginia steeled herself.
((Have you lost your mind?))

"No. And it won't be that bad."

"Are you kidding me? A mudblood in a Manor full of Slytherins
for two weeks? Let alone in that
Manor. The house itself will try to get her for even being there. And there's
our pets�"

"Is there a way around that?" She asked, and he looked
away, his smooth, sculpted jaw ticking.

"Yes." He finally spat out. "As long as she never
goes anywhere without a pureblood at her side. Shall we hire a
babysitter?"

"Very funny." Virginia sighed. Hermione
stayed silent, not looking at any of them. Draco continued to eat strawberries.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Blaise snapped, then
took a deep breath, and continued in a much steadier tone, "I refuse to be
pleased about this."

"I know." Virginia said, grinning
slightly. "I'm not asking you to be. But I just can't stand the thought of
sending her to spend Yule alone." Seeing that he wasn't breaking, she
added, "With muggles. Would you
bestow that fate upon anyone?"
He gave her a withering look.

"Nice try. But I'm afraid I don't care if she has to spend
Yule in a bloody fucking cave as long
as she's not with me."

"Oh, come on, Blaise!" Virginia

"You really want this?" He asked, sounding resigned.

"Yes."

"Fine." He said, waving a hand at Hermione dismissively.
"But she'd better have her shit ready to go at eight. And gods help us all
when Draco snaps back into reality. He's never going to forgive me." Virginia stood and pounced
into his lap, laying kisses all over his face.

"Thank you!" She said, smiling at him. "I'll tell
him it was my fault. It won't be too horrible, you'll see. You can show off how
much better you have it or something." She teased, and he graced her with
a small smirk. She gave him a last, lingering kiss, before taking her seat next
to Hermione again.

"So you'll come, right?" She asked, and Hermione finally
looked up, her eyes wary.

"I don't know, Ginny�"

"After all that trouble I just went through?" Virginia laid it on thick, her
face falling into a pout. Hermione flinched, and then nodded hesitantly.

"Alright. I'll go."

"Go where?" The voice had them spinning around, to find
that Draco was done with the gigantic bowl of strawberries, the red stains from
the fruit making his usually frost-blue lips almost purple. Blaise was scooting
minutely away from him, and seemed to be bracing himself. Virginia thought that was a
rather excellent idea, and did the same.

��..

Hermione stood nervously
outside of Snape's office door, really not wanting to knock. What the hell had
she gotten herself into? What in the hell had she been thinking to accept an
invitation to Malfoy Manor? Damn Ron!
If he hadn't been such a prick, she wouldn't be standing there at seven fifty-eight in the morning, about to willingly put herself in a snake den
much worse then any at Hogwarts. She must have lost her fucking wits sometime
between last night and early this morning in the kitchens. Taking a deep
breath, she knocked three times and let her fist fall. Right when she was about
to give up and leave, the door swung open.

The room was full of trunks and
green-robed students, and Snape stood in their center, telling them to all shut
up and get in some sort of order. Many of the Slytherins trickled out after a
minute, leaving Ginny, Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Anton, Melody, Daphne, Crabbe,
Goyle and Snape behind, along with Hermione herself, of course. Ginny spotted
her and called her over to where they were all standing in front of the
fireplace. The office was sparsely, but richly, decorated, and all in the
colors of Slytherin; silver, green and black. The fireplace was roaring and
crackling, and there was a large pot of floo powder
sitting on an ornatever ver stand next to it.

"We're

"To the Manor's carriage
station. We'll ride from there." Ginny replied, her cheeks glowing with
anticipation.

"And the wards?"

"Oh, they won't be a
problem." Ginny said, grinning at her. "Not in one of the carriages.
Only those triggered into the wards can call the carriages into existence, and it'll
take us safely through. Dray says it's easier that way with so many of us
going. Less chance of accidents."

"Oh." Hermione
responded weakly. "Accidents. Great." Ginny looked at her, cocking
her head to the side, blood red hair falling over one eye.

"Don't be so nervous,
'Mione. Come on, it's time to go." The girl said, and took her hand,
leading her to the fireplace. Everyone shrunk their trunks and other
belongings, and Draco took a pinch of the powder, throwing it in the flames.

"The Crossways!" He
said, and disappeared into the fire.

Ginny went next, and then
Hermione. It felt much the same as the ride to their Alexandria
office had, smooth and easy, but quite a bit shorter. She came out in a large
marble foyer that was done completely in black, the torches the only light in
the room. She moved forward as Pansy stepped out behind her, and the others
soon followed. Once they were all there, Draco led them down a dark hallway
that went off to the side, and they walked for a good three or four minutes
before they came to a door. Draco mumbled something and it sprung open, and the
sunshine almost blinded her. They'd come to some sort of courtyard.

It was surrounded by the tall
black walls of the building, and she couldn't see anyway out, not even up since
the top was glassed over. Draco walked to a plaque that hung on the far wall
and that had his family's coat of arms emblazoned on it, before slicing his
hand and laying it on the platinum surface. There was a deep rumbling noise,
followed by a dull 'boom' to their left. Hermione turned as a giant carriage
took shape on the snow-free grass, swirling out of a cloud of dark mist. It was
black and lined in silver, and there were no horses of any kind to be seen. It
looked old, yet brand new, and she marveled over the detail in the silver
engravings.

"Let's go." Ginny
said, nudging her ribs and walking for the carriage.

Everyone piled inside, and it
was even larger than it had appeared. The walls were made of black velvet, the
long, cushioned seats of leather, and the carpet under their feet was softer
then any she'd ever felt. The side walls were mostly two huge windows that
weren't visible from the outside, giving them a perfect view. There were
brackets for torches, but seeing as it was early morning, they weren't needed.
A wet bar sat against the back wall, rows of wine- and shot-glasses alike
lining the surface, while two heavy, ebony doors were built into the bottom,
and that was where she presumed the liquor was. She was proven right soon enough.

"Who wants a drink?"
Blaise asked, stretching as he walked for the bar. Ginny went with him while
everyone said that they did, and the two of them started mixing drinks.
Hermione turned to one of the windows and started. The carriage was moving down
a long, country drive that was lined with trees that met over their heads, and
she hadn't even felt them move, let alone leave the courtyard.

"Here." Ginny said
from beside her a few minutes later, and Hermione eagerly took the glass she
held out to her. She wasn't usually a drinker, but her nerves were shot to
hell. The alcohol burned down her throat and spread through her belly, and
after a few more long gulps, she felt herself unwinding a bit. She also felt
eyes on her, and looked up to find the Slytherins regarding her with
unconcealed amusement.

"You are aware of what that is you're drinking, aren't you?" Anton
asked, his own glass mostly full compared to hers. She shook her head.
"Then you've had more than enough." He said dryly, taking another
small sip of his own milky green alcohol. Wait,
Hermione's slightly addled brain intoned, green!?
How had she not noticed that before? What the hell was she drinking? Ginny
seemed to know what she was thinking.

"It's Absinthe,
Hermione." The girl said, a crooked grin on her rosy lips.

"La F�e
Verte!" The Slytherins crooned, clinked their
glasses together in a toast, and drained most of what was left of their drinks.
((The Green Fairy!))

"Oh lord." Hermione
mumbled, looking at the glass in her hand and back up at Ginny, who smirked.

"It's not as bad as you
think." Ginny said, as Blaise pushed a panel on the wall. A small table
appeared out of nowhere in front of him, and a quick summoning spell had a dark
bottle, a metal cylinder container, a spoon and sugar cubes zooming towards
him.

They settled themselves on the
table, and he sat his empty glass down, filling it with a good amount of more
green liquor, except it was darker then what they were drinking. She soon
realized why. He put the spoon over his glass, and she saw that it was slotted.
Then he placed a sugar cube on it and shook the cylinder, which rattled and
sloshed, before popping the cap off with his thumb. What she assumed was ice
water dribbled over the sugar cube and into the glass, and she watched in
fascination as the liquor louched, turning the same
cloudy green as the drink in her hand. He refilled everyone's that asked for
it, while Hermione's vision swam a bit.

"You okay?" Ginny
asked, watching her closely as she finished her her own glass.

Hermione nodded, and it wasn't
much of a lie. She was okay, just�floaty. She'd only been drunk once before, and she wasn't
really drunk now, just mellow and sort of carefree. The Slytherins soon began
chatting quietly amongst themselves, while Ginny got wrapped up in onveonversation on different Irish truth potions with her boyfriends and Snape.
Hermione turned to the window once more, and saw that they had come out of the
shadowy passage through the trees and were traveling along the top of a large
hill lengthways. Nothing but white, snowy fields and dense forests sprawled in
every direction around and below them.

It was cultivated, but in a
very natural way. Every once in a while, she would catch sight of the famous
winged horses that they were known to breed, or a small nook hidden in the tree
line with fountains and benches. Occasionally, she would swear something huge
moved through the trees, but she could never get a clear look, and whether it was
due to the alcohol or the thick foliage that was still on the trees even in
winter, she wasn't sure. There were also odd rock formations every mile or so,
but as for what their purpose was, she didn't know and wasn't entirely sure
that she wanted to. It was after one of those that she glimpsed a herd of
unicorns in the distance and gasped.

"Unicorns!" She
breathed in awe, having loved the creatures since they'd seen them in Care of icalical Creatures. Ginny turned and vaulted over Hermione, pressing her face
against the glass.

"Ooooh,
I adore unicorns." She said happily, her eyes locknto nto the creatures'
as they drank from a shallow creek after the stallion broke the ice with one
huge hoof. The sunlight glinted of their silver and whcoatcoats, and a flash of
gold testified that they had a relatively young one with them as well.

"There are three herds on
the property." Draco said, leaning back against the seat and sipping his
third or fourth drink. "Mother loves them. One of the mares even let her
fix its broken leg once. We can go out to see them sometime soon, if you'd
like."

"Really?" Ginny asked
excitedly, turning to face him when they rounded a bend and entered a stretch
of forest. Hermione was teeming with questions, desperately wanting to know why
all of the trees still had leaves, even while they were iced over and weighed
down with snow, but she stayed silent.

"Yes, it is." Pansy
said, looking up from a book she had in her lap that she'd been using to show
Anton something. "I've always loved coming here. It gives you a sense of
peace knowing that there's nothing around for miles and miles except
nature." Hermione silently agreed, knowing exactly what she meant.

"How much longer should it
take us before we reach the Manor?" Hermione asked curiously, and Snape
laughed.

"A good forty-five minutes
at the best." He said, looking out of his window. Wow, she thought.
It takes almost an hour and a half to get down their driveway? Resuming her sight-seeing, the time seemed
to fly. It really was incredibly beautiful, like some winter wonderland
straight out of a fairy tale. Drifting off into slightly fuzzy daydreams, Draco's
voice startled her out of her daze quite a while later.

"Ah, good. We've
arrived." He said, and she snapped her head around, sucking in a breath.

A seemingly never-ending wall rose
and rose into the winter sky, and the imposing black stone stretched to either
side with no end in sight. The front of the carriage became transparent, and
directly in front of them were two huge doors made of the same stone, forming a
gate in the wall. At first, she thought the gigantic shapes to either side of
the gate were statues, until they moved to block the way, wings the size of an
airplane's stretching out and fanning snow in every direction. A strangled
scream catching in her throat, she could do nothing but stare at the dragons
and their riders as the telltale icy cold seeped into her bones and thoughts.

The dragons looked like the
same type Harry had fought during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but they were even
larger, and the creatures on their backs were most assuredly Dementors. The
tall, hooded figures swooped off of the dragons, flying straight for the
carriage. Willing herself not to panic, Hermione looked around and saw that no
one else looked very surprised. Ginny shot her an apologetic look, as if she'd
forgotten, while Draco stood and left the carriage, taking Blaise with him and
going out to meet the damnable creatures. The two Slytherins walked up to them
and the Dementors actually bowed, putting a clawed fist on their chests as they
did so.

"Are they insane?" Hermione finally
exclaimed.

"Of course not."
Anton replied. "There are Dementors all throughout the grounds, barring
the Manor itself."

"What?" Hermione choked out, hoping she wasn't about to faint
as her head started swimming. At least the bone-chilling cold had dispersed
after the Dementors had bowed.

an>

"It's a relatively new
development." Pansy supplied, looking more than a bit delighted with
Hermione's nervous fear. "The Dementors wouldn't answer to their fathers,
but they will to them. They're drawn to them."

"Drawn to them."
Hermione repeated feebly.

"Yes. They're the ones who
came looking for Draco and Blaise, not the other way around."

"And what happens when
they change their minds and decide to start sucking souls left and right?"
Hermione asked, a slightly hysterical note in her voice. Bloody Dementors, she thought wildly. You've got to be joking.

"They won't." Pansy
laughed. "They offered to take the ooathoath among their kind that means
anything, and tied themselves to Dray and Blaise. They won't hurt anyone under
their protection."

"Oh, oh, that's great." Hermione mumbled. "And
what if some muggle happened to wander too close to the property? They wouldn't
even be able to see them before they were dead." No one said anything.
"Oh gods. You don't even care,
do you?" She accused.

"Not particularly."
Melody answered carefully. "But it's not a problem, so don't go all
pro-muggle on us. Muggles can't cross the wards, and the Dementors won't
without leave to go feed."

"'Leave to go feed'? Feed
on what, exactly?"

But no one ever answered her,
their attention outside once more. She followed their line of sight and felt
her heart skip a beat. The Dementors had kneeled down (which still put them at
almost the same height as Draco and Blaise), but that wasn't what terrified
her. Seeing the two Slytherins stay completely still while the Dementors kissed
them is what got to her. She yelped, thinking that they were Kissing kissing
them, but they pulled back almost immediately and got back onto the dragons.
Draco and Blaise turned and walked back to the carriage, a gust of cold air and
snow following them in, and both looked okay except for large, blue lip prints
on their cheeks.

"I can't believe you let those
things touch you." Hermione said, barely even realizing that she was
speaking aloud.

&nbso:p>o:p>

"They're not that
bad." Blaise said evenly as he and Draco sat back down. "They just
need direction. And understanding."

"'Understanding'?" She questioned. "What's to understand?
They're soulless and evil." Blaise raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps." He agreed.
"But everything serves a purpose. Even them."

"Yes, yes." Draco
said distractedly, and lifted a hand.

His signet ring flashed, and a
low rumbling turned her attention to the gate once more. It seemed to be
shaking and shimmering, and an instant later, it was gone. The carriage moved
forward again, the dragons moving back, and they passed under the new archway.
When they came out on the other side, she knew her mouth fell open. Manor
didn't quite cover it. It was more like a palace. Much more. It rose out of the
countryside as if it belonged there, all dark stone and forest green trimming,
and it was built right into the side of a mountain that they hadn't even been
able to see before, due to the trees and the guard wall.

< sty style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>The Manor stood eight stories
high, and stretched across a huge expanse of ground. She could see around one
side from the angle they were approaching it, and realized it was even more
massive than she'd thought at first glance. The driveway curved, making a huge
circle up to the front doors and then away from them. A black marble awning was
positioned over the entranceway, so that no one would get wet if it happened to
be raining or snowing, as it currently was. There were seven enormous stables
to the left, and a heated (as was obvious by the steam) pool that almost the
size of a small lake with diving boards and rope swings to the right.

The entire front lawn, but for
the drive, was an enormous garden that was still in bloom, the vibrant petals
sticking out shockingly against the crystalline white snow. Black lattice
chocked with ivy formed covered walkways and secluded nooks throughout the
expanse of flowers and exotic plants, and she caught glimpses of numerous
magical creatures. Crups and Red Caps, Snidgets and Acromantulas, others
she couldn't even name, and there appeared to be a miniature snowball fight
going on between fairies and doxies. She looked over all of it that she could
see, speechless. The gods only know what might be behind this place, she thought absently.

They
pulled up underneath the awning a few minutes later and got out, stretching
their legs gratefully. The carriage disappeared on its own after the last
person stepped out, and they were about to go inside when they heard a whoosh
of air. Before anyone could say anything, Narcissa and Silana landed on the
snow a few feet from them, dressed in identical silver Quidditch robes. Both of
their cheeks were flushed and their hair was coming out of their tight,
constraining buns, wisping around their smiling
faces. They dropped their brooms on the ground carelessly, sweeping their sons
into hugs. Soft, quiet words were spoken before both women embraced Ginny and
Severus.

"It's
so good to have you all here!" Narcissa said, wrapping the other
Slytherins in tight hugs as well before stepping back. Something in her pocket
was vibrating and wiggling, and a Snitch zoomed out a second later. Narcissa
snatched it out of the air surprisingly quickly, and actually looked slightly
sheepish when Blaise and Draco gave her knowing grins.

"You
still can't remember to leave it behind, can you?" Blaise asked teasingly,
and she slapped his arm.

"Shut
up, you." She said, trying to sound stern and failing miserably. Hermione
felt eyes on her and looked up to find Silana regarding her silently. Wanting
to break the silence, Hermione said the first thing that came to mind.

"I
didn't know you played."

"Hmph." The woman huffed. "You're not the first to
think they got their skill from their fathers. Bunch of rubbish." Her eyes
narrowed. "What exactly are you doing hequotquot;

"Mother."
Blaise interceded, shooting Hermione a death glare before the woman turned to
him. "She's a guest." He finished simply, and Silana looked at him
for the barest moment before nodding.

"As
you wish." She said, a hint of distaste still lacing her low, refined
voice. She was a beautiful woman, as beautiful as Narcissa (which was saying
something), and each had long, flowing, white-blond hair. But where Narcissa
had blue eyes as pale and icy as a wolf's, Silana's were almost as dark as her
son's were. And neither looked a day over twenty-seven, tops.

"Alright,
come along, now." Narcissa said, moving for the ornately carved, ebony
front doors. They opened before she reached them, and everyone went inside,
brushing the last of the snow off of their cloaks and robes. Right before the
doors closed behind them, Hermione saw a house elf appear, grab the women's brooms,
and disappear. Turning back, she stifled yet another gasp.

The entrance hall looked like
something out of a dream. The floor and pillars were green-veined, black
marble, and the walls and ceiling were covered with giant, moving murals that
showed scenes from the ancient legends of their people. It was oddly like being
inside a huge piece of art, rather
than just looking at art. The murals
continued, and euallually, she stopped trying to soak everything in as they
walked down hall after extravagant hall. Her trance was broken when four huge
dogs tore down the hallway, and slid to a stop as they spotted Draco and
Blaise. They immediately hid behind them, and the two Slytherins glanced at
them warily. She looked closer and realized that they were still puppies. Lord,
how big do they get?

"Bloody savages!" A
voice yelled from around the corner. Hermione got quite a shock when a banshee
came into view. Tall and willowy, she had the floor-length black hair of all of
her kindred, as well as the green-tinted skin. She was as thin as could be,
with black pupils and irises, while the rest of her eyes were the same pale
green as her skin. Her gaze fell on Draco and Blaise, who actually fidgeted
under her glare. "Ooooh," she crooned,
"Just who I was looking for, young Master Malfoy, Master Zabini. GET YOUR
BLOODY DOGS AND KEEP THEM AWAY FROM MY KITCHENS!" The banshee then turned
on a heel, sweetly said, "comecome home, babies," and disappeared.
Blaise and Draco glared at the pups.

"We're not home for five
minutes, and already you evil little buggers get us yelled at by Keravin."
Draco said, and the dogs had the grace to look bashful. "Well," he
continued, "you know what has to be done." The pups began shaking
their huge, furry heads. "Nasha! Kalan!&n>!"

Hermione grinned then, as she'd
heard Draco and Blaise talking about the two dogs that they'd had almost their
entire lives, and who had been the founders of the three kennels somewhere on
the property, and three more at Blaise's estate. But the stories that they'd told
the Slytherins who had never seen them before (and that she'd overheard during
the trips to the dungeons that she, Ron and Harry had taken to visit Ginny)
didn't prepare her for the actual thing. Those were definitely not normal
dogs. Because the two gigantic hounds, which looked like huskies but were built
like mastiffs, didn't look nearly as old as they should've, and their heads
came up almost to their owners' shoulders.

She could practically ride
one of them, not that she had any intention to try. They fell all over Draco
and Blaise, yipping happily, before backing away suddenly and gathering around
their pups, which had started to whine. The two young men's eyes lit up, while
Pansy and the other Slytherins looked wary, but not terrified, so Hermione took
that as a good sign. Then she almost fainted. Cats don't come in that
size, except for the Nundu. Haven't for thousands
of years. If the black and white giant that stood at eye level with them
and still had all four feet on the ground was their 'baby kitten', then she
needed to start exaggerating their stories for them.

"Hello beautiful."
Blaise cooed, fearlessly wrapping his hands in the cat's fur, while Draco did
the same. A huge pink tongue darted out and loud purring filled the hallway.

"Where is Letalis?" Draco asked, and almost as soon as he spoke,
an even larger cat stalked down the
hall towards them. To her horror, Hermione saw a little fear enter the watching
Slytherins' eyes. The cat stopped in between Draco and Blaise and leaned into
their scratching fingers, before its gaze landed on Ginny.

��..

Virginia did nothing as the giant cat walked towards her, a predatory
gleam in its dark eyes. She knew that it was a male as the cat moved closer, and
for some reason, she didn't feel afraid. Muscles rippled under its strd fud fur
as it paced closer to her, the black and white contrasting beautifully. Its
eyes were a dark, purplish-red, and they burned with an almost startling
intelligence. It held the stare as it got ever nearer to her, and she met it
unflinchingly, not even so much as blinking. It stopped in front of her and sat
on its haunches, its nostrils flaring as it drew in her scent. She reached out
a cautious hand, wanting to run her fingers through its fur, when Antonke. ke.

"I wouldn't do that. Letalis isn't like the others..." He started, but then
stopped as the huge cat bumped her hand with its head and purred, deep and low.
It leaned forward, and a huge pink tongue scratched her cheek as the purring
got louder. Sitting back again, it lifted a huge paw up between them and
flipped it over so that the pads faced up, before extending it to her.

She instinctively recognized
the show of trust immediately. She put herself in danger by exposing herst
st
to those retractable claws, and it risked the sensitive pads of its feet to
human trickery. She placed her hand palm down on its paw immediately, looking
into those eyes that seemed to see right through her. It flexed, and she felt
the softest brush of claws before they were gone and it was purring again. It
lowered its paw and circled her slowly, rubbing sleek fur against her skin. It
stopped after the third circle, and sat to the side of her, purring while she
scratched behind its huge, furry ears. She looked up and saw that Blaise and
Draco were grinning, while Hermione's eyes were huge and her other friends'
mouths were hanging open slightly.

&qWhatWhat?" She asked,
wondering why most of them were staring at her as if she'd sprouted a third
arm.

"Letalis
is extremely violent towards strangers at times," Narcissa said as one of
the pups came up to her. "And he never likes any of them. Well, until now,
that is." She added, smirking. The smirk didn't last long, however, when Hermione
fidgeted and drew the eyes of not only the two cats, but the dogs as well.
Growls filled the air immediately, and Hermione paled until she looked like a
pasty sheet.

"Knock it off." Draco
said, looking as if he'd rather tell them to attack. The animals quieted down
gradually, but their eyes stayed locked onto Hermione. They hadn't noticed her
through their initial excitement over their Masters being home, but Virginia was
almost positive that Hermione wasn't going to have a minute after this without
furry faces following her everywhere. When Blaise grinned evilly a moment
later, that belief was solidified.

"You know what?" Her
raven-haired lover asked, his eyes glinting menacingly as he watched their pets
watch Hermione. "I think we just found that babysitter."

"What?" Hermione burst out. "But they'll eat me. Especially one of those�those Nundu
things."

"Nundu?"
Draco questioned sarcastically. "Okay, for one, Nundu
are leopards. And they hate it inside."

"I know they're
leopards." Hermione said. "But it was the only cat that I could think
of that's so large, and--Wait�what do you mean 'they hate it inside'? Do
you actually have some of them
here?" She looked around as if expecting something to jump out at her from
the shadows. Which probably wasn't too unlikely�

"Yes, but like I said,
it's not as if they're inside."
Draco rolled his eyes. Hermione simply stared at him as if he were insane.

"Enough about the
cats." Silana interceded. "We'll meet you in the family dining room,
hmm? I'm guessing that Virginipan>pan> will share a room with you two," she shot a look at her son
and Draco, "and the others know where their rooms are. Pansy?"

"Yes, my la-Silana?"
She changed s abs abruptly when Silana shot her an exasperated look.

"Would you mind showing
Hermione to an empty room somewhere in the wing yours are in?"

clasclass=MsoNormal>

"Of course. I'll show her
to the dining room as well." Pansy agreed, keeping her face neutral until
Silana, Narcissa and Severus were gone around another corner.

"I cannot believe that you've let a mudblood into
the Manor, Draco. Whatever are you going to do when a Lethifold
gets her?" A voice said from behind them, and they turned to see one of
the family portraits scowling down at them. It had the silvery hair of all the
Malfoys, but its eyes were a light blue instead of grey. "Her presence
here is quite blasphemous."

"Oh, yes. It was really my choice, Damian." Draco hissed,
sarcasm dripping from every word.

"You control the Manor. It
was your choice." The portrait
bit back, crossing its arms over its chest gracefully.

"Was it? Did you always
get everything you wanted? Let's go find Gabrielle and ask her." Draco
purred, and the portrait actually paled.

"That won't be
necessary." It said, its eyes narrowing into a pretty potent glare for a
painting.

"I didn't think it would
be." Draco commented dryly. "Come on." He said to the others,
and they started back down the hall. The dogs all ran off in different
directions, except one, while both cats stayed with them. The dog kept bumping
Draco's hand, before it finally licked him.

"Hey!" Draco said.
"Damn it, I told you." He
said, glowering at the dog. "I may like you, but you're still a canine. Gods, that's
gross." Blaise shot him a sympathetic look, but couldn't hide his smirk completely
as they continued walking. Three staircases and a million turns later, they
came to a large, open room filled with more plants. In fact, almost the entire
Manor was filled with them. Virginia
loved it. Everywhere you turned, something green and alive was there to greet
you. Two twisting staircases led from the room, one going to the left, the
other to the right.

"We'll see you in a little
while, alright?" Pansy said as she and the other Slytherins started up the
left set, Hermione trailing them, and the dog followed at a lazy hand signal
from Blaise. Virginia and Draco nodded at Pansy in agreement, and as soon as
the others were out of sight, Virginia's
boyfriends took her hands and pulled her, laughing, down a small side corridor.

"Where are we going?"
She asked as they passed the last torch and all fell into darkness. Her eyes
adjusted immediately, since, unlike a cat, she didn't need even the smallest
bit of light to see as long as the circumstances were�normal.

"To our room." They
said simply. It wasn't long before light became visible again, and they came
out in another open room much like the last. They led her to a plaque on the
wall that was the same as the one in the stables, and stopped in front of it.

"There are quite a few of
these all over the grounds." Draco explained. "We'll key you into
them later tonight. All you have to do is cut your hand like I did at the
carriage station earlier, and put in on it. No one else can get in, even if
they had our blood. Give me your hand. You'll have to come with me this
time." He said, and she intertwined her fingers with his.

He cut his hand and laid it on
the plaque. A moment later, dark, blue light enveloped them from head to foot,
and she felt herself�disintegrate. It was quite unlike portkeying
or Apparating (which they had taught her to do on
excursions past the castle's wards), but it was over soon enough. A breeze
tickled her face, and she looked up, unable to stifle her delighted gasp. It was the most beautiful room she'd ever seen, more beautiful
than she ever could have imagined. The walls were enchanted much like their
bedroom walls back at Hogwarts, and looked as if the night itself had been
poured into them.

It didn't seem as if there was a
roof, but she knew that there had to be, since the sky she was looking at
certainly wasn't the sky that she was familiar with. Bloody looking twin moons
were barely visible in the soft, yet bright, moonlight (which was somehow still
silvery), and the sky was a multitude of brilliant colors. Green faded into
blue, which faded into purple, which faded into black, and the pattern kept
repeating in brilliant stripes. Stars shown everywhere, along with novas and
comets and nebulas, and she stared in wonder at the alien sky for a long time
before snapping out of the trance it had her in, and looking at the rest of her
surroundings.

The canopied bed against one wall was
huge, and it could easily sleep at least five people comfortably. It was made
out of a strange, dark, rich wood that was engraved with symbols she didn't
recognize, although some seemed vaguely familiar. The canopy's curtains were
blue and black, as were the numerous amounts of pillows piled on top of the
bed. The silk sheets were blacker than the hangings, and were strewn with
slowly revolving planets and glowing mercury stars. Thick, scrumptious looking
furs were piled at the foot of the bed (she recognized them immediately for
yeti and werewolf), and she knew that they would be as insanely soft as they
appeared.

The rest of the furnishings were
ancient and elegant, made from the same black wood as the enormous bed. A desk
stacked with scrolls, quills and ink sat against the far left wall, and an open
door right beside it allowed her to glimpse a room full of books, vials and
various other objects, magickal and non-magickal alike. In the center of the
huge bedroom, three green-cushioned divans sat in a circle around a tiled fire
pit that was built right into the emerald-veined, black marble floor. More rugs
were scattered over the ground, candles floated in midair everywhere, and the
room was full of leafy, rainforest-type plants and flowers, which she knew was
their preference.

They loved the concealing thickness
of it all, loved the different scents that were unlike any others in their
world, loved the dark vibrancy of the colors, and she had to admit, so did she.
There were also roses, climbing the starry walls and stopping at the ceiling,
their dark green vines and black, blood-tipped petals swaying in the gentle
breeze and making the stars seem to flicker and dance. To the far right, a
section of the wall was obscured by silver fog, and she walked towards it
curiously. She stopped in front of it and experimentally stuck a hand through
the glittery mist, and when nothing happened, she went through.

Was it even possible to hallucinate
such utter beauty? She didn't think so, which is what made her decide that she
wasn't crazy. It was as if she'd just stepped into space. Literally. Everything
was darkness but for the stars shining everywhere, and when she took a step
forward, her foot sunk into steaming, swirling water. It was like a liquid sky.
Another step and the stars above her began falling, turning into snow as they
tumbled down. The sky flashed green and lit up briefly, before more colored
flashes followed and lighting danced madly around her, as if she were in the
middle of an electric snowstorm.

Smiling broadly, she stepped back and
out of the mist, the thorny walls of their bedroom solidifying around her once
more. Turning, she continued surveying the room. There was an obsidian-tiled
path that disappeared into the wall directly across from where the bed was, and
she followed it. She passed right through the wall, just as she had thought she
would, and found herself outside in the sunlight once more, on a cliff that
overlooked the ocean. Black sand and cerulean blue water stretched for as far
as she could see, until it the beach curved and the rest blended in with the
horizon. The salty air whipped past her, and she knew where the breeze had come
from now.

Right at the water's edge was an
oasis, on a small strip of beach far beneath her, with a circle of palm trees,
ripe with coconuts, shading a small clearing from the sun. Even from where she sat,
she could see that the grass looked sinfully soft, and exotic flowers and fruit
were growing here and there. Thinking about how a muggle would react if they
saw black sand in France, let alone a tropical oasis, even on the Mediterranean Sea, she smiled. She
could hear the waves crashing against the cliff face where the beach was
nothing more than a foot long strip, and she knew she would be spending many
nights laid out on the thick grass underneath her feet, soaking up the
atmosphere of serenity.

"Do you approve, ma �me?"
Draco whispered in her ear and she jumped, having been so lost in her thoughts
that she hadn't even heard him and Blaise approach her from behind.

"Very much so." She
murmured, leaning back against him and pulling Blaise closer to them. "But
where did the black sand come from? There aren't any volcanoes around
here."

"It's been here since before my
grandfather was born." Draco replied, kissing the top of her head.
"Imported, I suppose. I never bothered to ask. It's always just�been
there."

"The idea that we might actually
be able to relax here for two whole weeks seems almost too good to be
true." She sighed longingly.

"We can if we don't leave."
Blaise said, playing with hers and Draco's hair. "Voldemort couldn't get
past the wards around this place even if he had an army. It's one of the safest
places in the world, and definitely the safest in France. But I don't really see us staying cooped up here the whole
time." Then he paused, and added, "Not that that would be bad, on second ughtught. Yes, we could just stay here. There's plenty to do." Virginia rolled
her eyes.

"I don't think so." She
said, smirking at him. "You're not getting out ofglingling with the
muggles that easily."

"Damn." He sneered, then
sniffed. "Fine. But if I die of
boredom or some weird disease, I'm never going to forgive you."

"I'm sure you'll survive." Virginia
snickered, wondering at the fact that her boyfriends would willingly, and quite
gleefully, submerge themselves in a life-threatening, gory battle, but balked
at having to spend a few hours around muggles. There was a soft 'pop' to their
left, and a house elf appeared, bowing low before speaking.

"Master Malfoy, Master Zabini,
m'ladies Narcissa and Silana be wantin' yous to go down ta the cove for you
lunch instea' of the dinin' room." They nodded, and she continued.
"Wills you be needin' anything else, m'lords?"

"No. Tell them that we'll be
there in a moment." Draco said, and the house elf bowed again,
disappearing with another 'pop'. "Well, come on. Let's go." He said,
and when they made to move, Virginia felt a
sharp tug on her hair that pulled her back and into Draco once more. He hissed
at the same time she did, and Blaise's mocking laughter had their hisses
turning into growls. They looked up to find their lover almost bent double with
mirth, and soon realized what had happened. The sly, sneaky bastard hadn't been
playing with their hair. He'd tied
the red and silver locks together in a tight, elaborate knot.

"Blaise!"

��

Hermione followed the Slytherins
through the maze that was Malfoy Manor, as they all made their way down to the
cove like the house elf had informed them to do. She was still slightly amazed
at the pure extravagance of the home around her, and at the thought that had
been put into each piece of furniture and art. It was huge, but it didn't feel
empty and haunted like she'd feared. It was teeming with life of all kinds, and
she would have felt completely at ease were it not for the dark magick that
saturated the very walls, and if those walls hadn't felt as if they were
constantly watching her. Shivering, she sped up so she wouldn't lose the
others.

The dog that had followed them to
their rooms was still at her heels, and she got the feeling that it wasn't
going to leave her be anytime soon. The room that Pansy had told her to use had
been the opposite of what she'd expected. Instead of being small and dreary
like what she'd figured they would give her, it had been as richly decorated as
the rest of the house. Everything had been done in light, airy blues and pale,
creamy reds. She got the impression that the colors were for her benefit, since
most everything else was darkly shaded, but how the room had been prepared so
quickly, she had no idea. All she knew was that it was beautiful and infinitely
better then what she'd been hoping for.

They finally reached a room on the forth floor, which was
wall-less on one side, and Hermione could hear the ocean. Top-of-the-line brooms
were placed in stands along the two side walls, and each of the Slytherins took
one. They were talking amongst themselves, and she wondered if she could fade
into the floor. She couldn't fly. The only people she'd ever flown with before
were Ron and Harry, and one time with Viktor. She hated it, hated feeling the
ground so very far away, and she knew she couldn't manage on her own. The
thought of telling the Slytherins that was mortifying, but she didn't want to
end up as nothing more than a splat on the rocks.

"Umm�" She started slowly, and when none of them looked
over, busy fastening their cloaks against the cool wind, she cleared her throat
loudly.

"What is it, Granger?" Anton snapped, and she flinched.
Feeling foolish, didndidn't meet his eyes.

"I can't fly." She mumbled, hoping they heard her since
she really didn't want to repeat it.

"What? Did you just
say that you can't fly?" He
asked in disbelief, and she looked up to see that his expression matched his
voice. "Every witch can fly!"

"Well, I can't." She said, feeling tears start to sting
her eyes. Forcing them down, she told herself that under no circumstances would
she let them see her cry.

"You've got to be fucking with me." He said, and then
turned to his friends. "Well, who wants to do it?" Crabbe and Goyle
immediately shook their heads, as did Melody and Daphne. Anton looked at Pansy
almost desperately.

"No way." The tall Slytherin girl said, tucking her dark
brown hair behind one ear. "I always
have to do shit when it comes to her."

"Great." He said sarcastically, and turned to Hermione.
"Come on." He said, motioning her over. She went to his side slowly,
and then stood indecisively. "What are you waiting for?" He
questioned, his voice carrying a hard edge.

"How�"

"Sweet gods." He said under his breath, then louder,
"Just get on."

So she did, throwing one leg over the broom and rearranging her
robes. He slid on behind her, and the other Slytherins mounted as well,
sweeping out of the open wall with even more grace then they had on land, and
that was saying something. Anton's arms wrapped around her waist, gripping the
handle of the broom, and they shot out after the others, the dog's barking
following them. Her stomach dropped and she fought being sick as she saw that
they were even farther off the ground she she'd thought, since the earth
dropped by way of a steep cliff, and all that was underneath them was water.
Closing her eyes, she took several steadying breaths before opening them again.

They were farther out over the waves by then, and Anton flexed his
right hand, which had them turning in a wide arch and then diving. Gritting her
teeth and nearly biting her tongue in an effort not to shriek at the top of her
lungs, she thanked every god she could name when they straightened out again.
Looking forward, she saw that they were approaching a cove that was carved into
the cliff face itself, protected on all sides except from the front. Draco,
Ginny and Blaise were already there, as were their mothers and Snape. Anton landed
them smoothly on the small, black-sanded beach, and Hermione did a double take.
Black sand? She thought wonderingly. Where in the hell are we?

"Ready to eat?" Narcissa asked, gesturing to the picnic
set out on the ground on a low table.

It was laden with food and bottles of chilled wine, and Hermione
felt her stomach growl. There were fruits of all kinds, many that she didn't
even recognize, salads, breads, seven or eight different kinds of cheese,
sliced meat, pasta and a range of desserts. Cushions had been placed around it
on the sand, and they all sat down, filling their plates and talking in
cheerful, contented voices. Hermione stayed mostly quiet, however, content to
eat and watch them. They seemed different then they did at school, more open and
expressive, and she realized why with a jolt. There was no one here for them to
be guarded around. The Manor was safe, and they didn't have to worry about
being attacked or stared at hatefully.

They were alone among their own kind, excluding her, and it seemed
to make a world of difference. They were still refined, still graceful and
elegant with every movement that they made, but that was more unconscious then
anything else. And they weren't being loud and boisterous as most people would
be in a similar situation, just�happy.
Genuinely so. It was a new experience for her to see them like that, and one
that she found she rather enjoyed. Sipping her goblet of Chateau d'Yquem and
idly eating Cr�me Br�l�e, the
saltwater breeze rustling her hair and their voices lulling her, she only
snapped back into reality when a statement from Narcissa caught her attention.
She should have known that the peace couldn't last forever.

"Oh, darlings, did I mention that I invited the Weasleys over
for Yule?"

��

Hehehehe�Please tell me what you thought! That means REVIEW,
people, review! (Okay, I admit, I get
a bit fanatical about reviews)�/grins
sheepishly/�So�Review!
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