“Hermione, dear, where are your parents?” Mrs. Weasley asked kindly, looking around the platform.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek and tried to reposition Crookshank’s basket on her arm while still holding her trunk.

“They said they’d be a bit late, Mrs. Weasley. It’s okay, I can wait by myself,” she said, stifling a yawn.

She was exhausted. With how action packed the last few days had been, from catching Sirius Black, to confirming that Professor Lupin was, in fact, a werewolf, to discovering Ron’s rat was actually a friend of Harry’s father’s who was an animagus who was the actual bad guy, to then having to go back in time and do it all again to save not only Sirius but Buckbeak the hippogriff as well, she could barely keep her eyes open.

That being said, she thought the adventure might have brought her, Harry, and Ron closer. They certainly were more inclined to include her in her conversations.

But now that she was on the platform, she was trying to figure out how to get to the Malfoys on the opposite end without being noticed.

She had sent her parents a letter letting them know she would be going straight to the Weasley’s after term ended. Since they were so busy with their dental practice, they had agreed without question. Hermione also knew that they would never follow up with the Weasleys as more than likely her parents would forget that a change had been made in the first place. It was the one good thing about having a perpetually busy set of parents: they didn’t ask a lot of questions.

Malfoy had told her he would create a distraction, but as she slowly inched away from the group of redheads beside the Hogwarts Express, she wondered how that would be possible.

“Oh no, dear!” Molly cried, her eyebrows getting lost in her bright red fringe. “We couldn’t possibly leave you on your own!”

Hermione inwardly groaned as she stepped a little further back. Harry had already gone through the invisible barrier to greet his horrid excuse for family and Ron was busy picking an argument with Percy on the opposite end of the group.

She was just wondering if she would have to accept defeat, when a loud voice began weaving its way through the din of owls hooting, greetings, and the train engine cooling.

“ Oh Ginny Weasley

My love for you makes me queasy

It’s deeper than the black lake

And sweeter than a birthday cake…” Theo made his way into view, curls swinging as he twirled. He grabbed up Ginny’s hand, edging Hermione slightly further away from the group as he dropped to one knee.

“ If you wouldn’t mind

Looks such as mine…”

Theo flipped his curls and tossed Mrs. Weasley a wink.

“I’d love for you to be…” He seemed to pause for a long moment as if trying to think of a suitable rhyme. “…mine…”

With that he threw up a handful of Zonko’s no heat, wet start fireworks and Hermione realized this was the distraction she had been waiting for. Under the cover of the exploding hearts and whizzing stars, she set off at a run and made it around a small partition hiding from view.

When the bangs of the fireworks died out, she heard the Weasley matriarch ask where Hermione had got to and Theo’s swaggering voice answer:

“I saw her leave with her muggle parents a second ago, ma’am.”

There was some sort of loud giggle she was positive came from Ginny and then the sound of the Weasley clan making their way through the invisible barrier.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, then started when Theo popped up next to her.

“Could have worked a little harder on that last stanza if I do say so myself.” He brushed a piece of lint off his sleeves. “Here, let me take that for you.”

Grabbing up her trunk, Theo guided them over to where Draco, his mother and father all waited.

“Thanks for the distraction, Theo,” Hermione said, elbowing him in the ribs.

He puffed up his chest.

“Happy to do it, Hermione. Plus, gave me my shot with the Weasley bird.” He waggled his eyebrows at her before turning his attention forward.

Before she could question him further, she stopped short, realizing they were right in front of the Malfoys. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she could swear her face had just gotten three shades paler.

She hoped Draco was right and they did value loyalty above blood status, or this was going to be a very long three weeks.

Beside them, Draco beamed. Stepping forward, he wrapped his hand around her elbow and pulled her to stand directly in front of his family.

Hermione had never seen his mother before, but Draco had told her a few nights ago that her name was Narcissa. She was beautiful, with golden blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and a slightly kittenish face. There was an aristocratic air around her as was usual with purebloods, but there was also a softness she hadn’t anticipated.

Lucius, however, was just as intimidating as he’d been the last time she’d seen him. Tall and leonine with his ice blonde hair tied back in a black silk ribbon and his silver tipped snake walking stick glinting in the bright afternoon sun.

“Mother…” Draco swallowed. “Father… This is Hermione Granger.”

For a moment, her mind blanked. What was the proper way to greet them? Surely she shouldn’t curtsey. No, she definitely shouldn’t curtsey.

She was saved the trouble when Narcissa stepped forward and extended a soft hand towards her.

“Miss Granger, we are so delighted to finally meet you,” she said in a smooth, cultured voice.

With a wave of confidence she hadn’t known she possessed, Hermione shook Narcissa’s hand and smiled.

“Likewise, Mrs. Malfoy. Please, call me Hermione.”

Narcissa’s face warmed, her eyes twinkling as she squeezed Hermione’s hand once more before releasing it.

“Hermione,” she repeated. “And you’ve met Lucius already, yes?”

Hermione held back her grimace since the last time she’d met him had not been the best of circumstances. But she was surprised to see a smile playing around the corners of his lips as he stepped beside his wife.

“How wonderful to properly meet you, Hermione,” he said in a tone so warm she wouldn’t have known it was his voice if she hadn’t seen his lips move.

When he extended his hand, she forced herself not to hesitate to grasp his. He covered the top with his own.

“Draco has told us of all you have done for him this year. We are in your debt, Miss Granger, and that is something we do not take lightly.”

Letting go of her, Lucius stepped back and placed his hand on his wife’s back.

“You are a welcome guest in our home, just as Theo is here.” There was a promise shimmering somewhere in those words as Lucius spoke them.

Narcissa turned her attention to the two boys.

“Ready then? I believe Miss Greengrass and Miss Parkinson will join us in a few days’ time.”

With a regal flip of her cloak and a tap of Lucius’ cane, they made their way out of the station.

Hermione took a deep breath, then blew it out.

Well… Here goes nothing.

…

From the moment Hermione had stepped through the fireplace into Malfoy Manor, she was surprised to find it felt like home.

She was greeted by the large entrance hall, the dark wood floors warming the otherwise cold white stone walls. There was a large, curving grand staircase in the center of the room flanked on either side by two doors.

When she stepped to the side of the large fireplace tucked beneath the stairs with her trunk, allowing Theo to enter through the floo, a small house elf appeared at her elbow. He was old, as far as she could tell, with tufts of white hair sticking out of his ears and a pristine tea towel draped around his frame like a toga.

“I is Humph, miss,” he said in a croaky voice. “I is taking Miss Granger’s trunk and familiar to her room.”

Hermione blushed, not used to having someone wait on her.

“Pleasure to meet you, Humph… You don’t need to…” Her voice trailed off at the look of indignation on his face.

Without another word she allowed the elf to take Crook’s basket and her trunk and then he promptly vanished with a small pop .

“Better not to fight it,” Draco said, coming to stand beside her with a grin. “He can get cranky when he doesn’t get what he wants.”

Hermione couldn’t help but grin back.

“Come on,” he continued, interlacing his fingers through hers. “I want to show you the grounds.”

As soon as they stepped out of the wide double doors, Hermione gasped.

Rolling green hills stretched out endlessly in front of her. There was a wide paved walkway that led from the front entrance down the estate and curved off to where she assumed some sort of stables were. It was lined with neatly trimmed hedgerows on either side. But beyond that, she could see a wide garden bursting with color and life and could just make out water spitting from an ornate fountain.

Draco dragged Hermione through the grounds in his excitement to show her everything. She saw the peacocks, his mother’s rose garden that she’d spied from the front gates that held the most magnificent muggle and magical roses she’d ever seen. Draco showed her the large clear lake set against the southernmost corner of the estate with the promise that once Daphne and Pansy arrived, they would all go swimming.

But it was the maze Hermione loved the most.

It was comprised of tall, gnarled hedges – much rougher than the cleanly trimmed ornate ones that lined the rest of the grounds. The maze looked like something out of a fairytale offering adventure, passion, and perhaps a little danger. When she tried to step into the maze ahead of Draco, he caught her by the wrist.

“Wait. It’s spelled to trap anyone not in the Malfoy family if you enter without permission,” he said quickly, running a thumb across the thin flesh of her forearm. She shivered. “It’s an excellent place to hide in times of trouble.”

She shivered again, but for a completely different reason.

Theo caught up with them after that, insisting that Hermione had to see the Quidditch pitch even though he knew full well she couldn’t stand it. The moment they came towards the slate grey broom shed, she shook her head knowing she had just lost them both to the game.

While the boys played, Hermione settled herself on a soft patch of grass and contented herself to enjoying the last of the day’s warm summer sun on her skin.

For the first time maybe ever in her life, she finally felt that she had found somewhere that she belonged .