From the Ashes

07 -Number 12 Grimmauld Place

Hermione re-entered the room and immediately entered the cooking area.

"No ones lived here in a long while. Not since the war. Harry comes once in a while but it's generally left pretty empty." She fished out a pot from under the counter she placed it on the counter, and turned to the pantry, occasionally pulling out items. Astoria wandered over to assist, "Let me," she said, taking the can of diced tomatoes and the bag of pasta from Hermione's arms, she turned and deposited them beside the stove.

"Looks like we can make a solid meal at least, tomato pasta." Hermione now placed several spices, an onion, and garlic down on the counter. "It's simple but it'll do the trick."

Astoria began to fill the pot with water while Hermione found a pan and began the sauce. She did it by hand, out of habit. She liked to do things like this the muggle way, it reminded her of where she had come from, and of her parents. When she had retrieved them from Australia and helped them recover their memories, they had understood her reasoning but had not entirely agreed with her method. They still visited and loved her of course, but there was a tension, almost a fear, in the air when they interacted with her as if they expected to be back in Australia any day now. She had sworn at the time never to do it again. They had said that they would rather have faced the danger with her than be forced into a false life without her. She had taken their choice. The decision still haunted her, even though it had been reversed.

Hermione crossed to the stove and this time opted to use her wand to light the element, Astoria eyed it with longing as Hermione lit the second one.

"Ours were taken when we were captured," Astoria said, nodding that the wand. Hermione grimaced sympathetically, tucking her wand into her waistband and digging around for a knife.

"When we figure all this out you'll be able to get new ones. Nothing beats Ollivander's, but there is a new wand maker in Diagon alley, Finius Bouck, he's from abroad. Interesting fellow. When he first arrived I met him. Had to make sure he sourced his materials ethically." Hermione said the others were now staring at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"You know, the cores and the wood. There was some discussion about the dragon heartstring as of late. The ministry banned it due to the endangered status of dragons in the United Kingdom."

Lucius sat up, "Banned? What are they using now then?" He looked nervous, his own wand had contained a dragon heartstring. Hermione nodded.

"Yes, banned. There are still using unicorn hair and phoenix feather. Thestral and Dittany have been coming back into fashion, though I believe that Finius Bouck is in the process of creating some more stable options."

Astoria drained the pasta and poured it into the waiting bowl.

"It sounds like you've been quite busy," she said to Hermione, for the first time Hermione caught a slight sneer in the lyrical voice. She let it slide by, Astoria was pureblood after all and a few years would not remove decades of tradition.

"I have. You'll find that lot of things have changed since the war." Hermione poured the sauce over the pasta and ushered plates onto the table with a swish of her wand. "I have to ask. You only recently joined the Malfoy's, why join them when your family so successfully stayed neutral in the war," Hermione asked.

Astoria sat at the table, Lucius glowered at Hermione from the end of the table. She had stated a fact, but to the Malfoy's it was still a raw wound.

"Draco and I have been engaged since our fifth year. It was not disclosed to our peers but pure blood families often plan their marriages. These pacts are enacted after the couple finish school. It was not long after the war that I sought out Draco." She said this without faultering, "I love my husband," she went to Draco's side. "I felt it was my duty to join my family no matter their current situation."