Lost Control- Dramione Fanfiction

41. Narcissa Speaks

Hermione's shocked laugh slipped out before she could stop it while Narcissa took another sip of her wine, trying to hide the smile now playing on her lips. Biting her lip to stop her laughter, Hermione looked up at Draco, who was still standing, his gaze flicking back and forward from her to Narcissa. "Draco," She started warmly, "Can you sit?"

He shook his head furiously, "No way, tell me what's going on." His chest was now heaving as he tried to steady his breath. Hermione thought he looked like a small child about the throw a tantrum and she giggled again. She glanced over at Narcissa who gave her a wink and her stomach swooped with the new feeling of love and acceptance and then reached over to hold Draco's hand.

Narcissa spoke first. "Draco, Darling, if you're not going to sit. Then please be quiet long enough to let us explain."

Hermione smiled warmly up at Draco at the sound of Narcissa's playful teasing. Still holding on to his hand, as he continued to stare at her, she rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand gently, trying to soften the hardness of his features.

Slowly, Draco's face softened. Hermione watched as his shoulder's relaxed and he took a deep breath, finally putting his trust back into the two women sitting in front of him. Without looking away from Hermione, and still holding tightly on to her hand, he spoke, his voice soft and controlled again. "I'm sorry Mother. Please, tell me what's going on."

Hermione finally broke Draco's gaze as she turned her attention to Narcissa. She could still feel Draco's confused and frustrated gaze on the side of her face but kept her eyes firmly trained on Narcissa.

She watched her carefully place her wine glass back on the table before looking up at Draco. She felt his hand tense in hers and she rubbed the back of it again to soothe him.

"I knew you were in love with Hermione long before you did, Draco." Narcissa smiled, her voice soft but happy. Hermione's heart skipped a beat, not expecting the conversation to begin like this.

"Every holiday you would come home from school and complain. Complain about Harry Potter. Complain about Ronald Weasley. But you always had the most to say about Hermione Granger."

Suddenly, Hermione felt like she was watching something she shouldn't be, like she was prying on a private conversation. Her and Draco had never really spoken about their relationship from their school days, adamant on leaving the hate in the past, but Hermione was certain she wouldn't have called it love.

Draco must have been pondering the same thoughts because his voice was suddenly darker, "Mother, stop." He warned and Hermione could feel his palms starting to sweat.

But Narcissa just smiled, placed her hands neatly into her lap and ignored Draco's demand. "Every year was something different. Granger this and Granger that. Your Father and I would sit at the dinner table for hours listening to you complain about her. You'd never spoken about another girl like you spoke about her; always saying awful things but always with a hint of admiration."

Hermione held on to Draco's hand for dear life as her heart began to beat rapidly against her ribcage. She watched as Narcissa took a deep breath, like she was remembering a painful memory, and her voice suddenly lost its joy. "And then," she began, looking down at her plate, "in your sixth year, after the Dark Lord gave you the Impossible Task. I could see that something was different. I could see you were changing and that your alliances were beginning to shift well before you knew it yourself." Narcissa shook her head and smiled sadly, "You were the most intelligent out of all of us."

Hermione glanced over at Draco in the moment of silence to see his face just as hard as ever. His lips were pressed in a thin line and he gripped the arm rest of his chair tightly, almost as tightly as he was holding on to Hermione's hand.

"Your Father and I wouldn't accept it. We couldn't!" Hermione looked back at Narcissa whose eyes were now welling with tears as she stared straight at Draco. "And then, after the Battle, you stopped talking about her completely. You cut yourself off from the world and moved on. It broke my heart, but you coped with our wrongdoings in your own way."

The room was thick with emotion and eerily silent. Narcissa and Draco's eyes were still locked on each other while Hermione watched, feeling more and more like this wasn't a conversation she should be witnessing.

"Years you were gone Draco and I felt lonelier than I had ever felt before. I had time to sit by myself and relearn to hate everything good in the world. And that's exactly what I did when you brought her to dinner the first time. I had spent years pushing you to date Pureblood witches and, bringing her home, felt like a personal attack, like a punishment for the years your Father and I dragged you through our mess. But it wasn't until your Father's trial that I realised how deeply you loved this woman."

Narcissa then turned her attention to Hermione who felt like her heart would come out of her chest any moment. "The Healers at St. Mungo's told me you were the first one there. That he begged for you and your forgiveness for what he had done, and you still came running as soon as you could. That's when I realised that you are more of a witch than any Pureblood I forced him to entertain for dinner." Narcissa's face suddenly broke into a warm, wide smile and then she turned back to Draco. "I'd say, you're almost too good for my son." And with that the room instantly felt lighter and more welcoming. An immense weight lifted off Hermione's chest and she felt like she could finally breathe again. She felt Draco's hand relax in hers and he slowly ran circles around the back of her hand with his thumb. Draco's hard exterior had cracked and Hermione watched as he let himself relax, smile, and lean over to kiss his Mother on the cheek.

"I know it's been hard Mother. But, thank you." He whispered to her as she reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. "Draco," she spoke softly, "I'm just doing something I should have done a long time ago." She gave his cheek a little pat and then stood up suddenly but gracefully, her voice now back to its confident and elegant self. "Now, I'm going to leave you two alone. There's obviously something that you both need to discuss." She winked at Hermione before walking towards the door, her dress swishing glamorously around her ankles. Before she left, she looked over her shoulder at Draco and said, playfully, "I saw the box Draco, don't think you can hide that from me." Before throwing her head back in a tinkling laugh and heading out of the room.

Hermione's heart stopped for a moment and she glanced over at Draco. His eyes were wide with horror and his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

"Well," he said, his voice hoarse and shaking with nerves. Hermione held on to his hand tighter. "I guess we do have some things to talk about."