A/N: this chapter was getting way too long so I had to cut it in half, hence the weird cut point. I tried to find a decent place to stop the chapter and this was the best I could come up with. Enjoy, babes!
I arrived at Malfoy Manor shortly after my argument with Sirius and I tried to put it out of my mind for the time being. I knocked on the manor doors and Mippy answered the door, smiling as she saw me.
"Ah, Mistress said we'd be expecting you. Please come in. I'll alert them of your arrival."
I thanked her as she took my coat and led me upstairs and into the familiar dining room. There was a smell in the air that I couldn't quite identify, though it was warm and comforting. It seemed to be a mixture of herbs and spices, though I couldn't identify which ones.
"Mistress Y/n, my Lord," Mippy announced as she opened the door to the dining room. The table was filled with food and I finally realized why I couldn't pinpoint the exact smell. There was a variety of food and it reminded me of the feast tables at Hogwarts.
"Welcome home, child," my father greeted as Narcissa stood and pulled me into a hug.
"What is all this?" I chuckled, nervously.
"Your welcome home party," my father answered. "It's not much of a party at the moment as most of our friends have landed themselves in Azkaban but it's the best we could do on short notice."
I titled my head curiously as he spoke, before looking around the room. There was a large banner hanging from the ceiling: Welcome Home Y/n! "When... when did you do all this?"
"After you sent the letter."
"That was less than 24 hours ago."
He nodded. "Truthfully, we've had this ready for some time. We had the elves prepare the food once we got your letter. Narcissa did the decorations."
"Thank you," I replied, willing my eyes to remain dry, though they seemed to want to do everything but that.
"We have one more surprise, young lady," Narcissa said, a grin spreading across her face as she signaled to Bella, who quickly left the room.
"What are you planning?"
"Nothing... a little birdy told us you and Severus were back together so we brought you something."
I furrowed my brow but she offered no further explanation.
"A little birdy?" I chuckled. "You mean Rat-boy?"
Laughter escaped her lips as she nodded. "He was all too happy to tell us the two of you were getting back together."
I rolled my eyes, which only succeeded in making her laugh more.
"Y/n?" a familiar voice asked. I turned to find Severus standing next to Bella, looking confused as he walked over to me. "They said you would be here soon. Care to explain what's going on, love?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.
"I just came to visit for a few days. I wanted to see everyone."
He looked down at me, a soft smile on his lips. "Apparently Wormtail let slip the details of our... reunion."
I chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?" I winked and he pressed his lips to my forehead.
"After the meal, we have a surprise for you," Narcissa said as she sat down at the table, gesturing for Severus and I to do the same. Severus took my hand and led me to the table, pulling out a chair for me next to Narcissa, and I took a seat.
An awkward silence filled the room for a moment, as no one seemed to quite know what to say.
"Mippy... where is Draco?" Narcissa asked and the small elf ran over to her.
"I-I'm sorry, Mistress... he's refusing to come downstairs for dinner."
"Did you tell him Y/n was here?"
The elf shook her head and scurried out of the room. Severus squeezed my hand under the table. "Darling," he whispered. "You're not eating."
I looked down at the plate in front of me. The food looked delicious but I couldn't help the strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why did this feel so strange to me?
I began taking small bites of the food and, after a few minutes, Mippy returned with Draco. He was anxiously looking around the room and his eyes locked on mine.
"Y/n?"
"Hey, Draco. You weren't really going to let me visit without saying hello, were you?"
He smiled and hugged me from behind. "Thank you," he whispered before taking a seat next to Narcissa.
Finally the awkward silence dissipated as we found things to talk about. I found myself laughing without having to force it. The smile that spread upon my lips became genuine as we spoke.
"So, tell me... how exactly did you and Severus meet? I've heard this was not a quick romance... but how exactly did this happen?" my father asked, gesturing between Severus and I.
I chuckled, thinking back on our first meeting. "When we met we didn't exactly get along. He was trying to read my mind after the sorting hat took so long to sort me. We ended up working things out."
"And you got together after that?"
A small chuckle left Narcissa's lips and my father turned to her. "It took them nearly 18 years to get together after that."
"Why?" my father exclaimed.
"We were just friends at the time."
"That and she was dating Sirius," Bella chuckled.
"Bella!"
"What? It's not a secret, young lady. Ugh... if only my idiot cousin would've joined our cause... We could've been cousins!"
"Bella," I warned, my voice low.
She shrugged and continued eating.
"So after that, what happened?" Tom asked.
"Why the sudden interest?" I replied.
"Just trying to get to know you."
The words pierced my heart for reasons I couldn't exactly explain. I was here for Draco, Narcissa, and Bella, so why did his words strike me so hard?
I dropped my fork and Severus watched me cautiously. "Darling?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to get to know me? What aren't you telling me?"
"Sweetheart, why wouldn't I want to get to know you? You're my daughter."
"I'm-." I stopped as I saw Draco clutching his mother's hand. I took a breath, trying to slow my racing heart.
"I'm sorry... I'm just not used to... this."
"Not used to what?"
"Having a parent who stayed... who cared."