Disclaimer: I don't own anything aside from the plot. Characters are created by the brilliant J.K Rowling. Harry Potter A/U Fanfiction. Enjoy! :)
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Malfoy's Beach House – Maldives Island – 5:00 P.M
After a couple minutes of staring at the ocean, Hermione felt that it's time for her to explore her temporary home, so she went back inside. Once she stepped into the threshold again, she began to admire the things that she wasn't able to appreciate when she first arrived; like the large pristine white sofa-bed in the middle of the room with cloud-like pillows, the large flat-screen LED television on the wall and the modernized light fixtures that gives the room an ethereal glow. Gingerly, she moved towards the sofa-bed and sat down; she ran her fingers on top of the cushions and let out a smile when she felt how soft it was. She then turned her gaze towards the other side of the partition of the room, with curiosity peaking, she stood again; she leisurely padded towards the other side and realized that it was the dining area that she stepped into. She marvelled at the exquisitely carved dining table and the fine detailing on each chairs; "Everything seem so fancy here, Merlin!" she said to herself.
Crack!
Hermione immediately snatched her wand from her back pocket and turned towards the sound, with her wand hand raised, she asked; "Who's there?"
"Miss!" A tiny creature yelped.
Hermione furrowed her brows and tried searching for voice; "Show yourself!" she said.
Slowly, a tiny elf appeared behind the other side of the dining table; the creature moved away from it and began to bow. "My name is Didi Mistress, I is here to serve you..."
After lowering her wand, she moved towards the elf and kneeled right in front of it. "Hi Didi, my name is Hermione, it's nice to meet you" she said with a smile.
The elf stared at her with its huge beady eyes; "Mistress is right, you is different" the elf said.
Hermione chuckled; she then furrowed her brows and started thinking. "Are you allowed to tell me who your Mistress is?" she asked.
The elf began playing with the hem of her floral dress; "I is not allowed Ms. Hermione..." the elf replied.
Hermione sighed; "Well...we can't do anything about that..." she said.
The elf straightened itself and stared at her Mistress; "Is Miss hungry? I can fix you something to eat" she offered.
Hermione stood up; she leaned her side on one of the chairs and bit her lower lip. "I'm not hungry, I just had lunch before I left, but, a fruit shake would be lovely" she said.
The elf beamed; "Yes Miss, what fruit does Miss want?"
"What fruit do you have here?"
"We have fresh coconut and mangoes" Didi replied.
Hermione thought for awhile; "I think I'll try the coconut, I haven't tried that yet" she said.
The elf smiled; "I'll make your shake Miss but where is you having it? Do you want to have it in the Lanai? The sun is about to set and you's can watch it there" she offered.
Hermione thought for a couple of seconds; "Yes, I'd like to have it there, but can you point me where the Lanai is? I'm quite lost" she admitted bashfully.
The house elf beamed; "Of course Miss, please follow me"
oOo
Potter Manor - London, England – 1:00 P.M
"Do you think Hermione has already left?" Astoria asked while playing with her sleeping daughter's hair.
Harry tore his eyes away from his book and took a peek on his wrist watch; "I'd like to think so" he replied.
Astoria nodded; "I'm just wondering..." she replied.
Harry just smiled.
oOo
Malfoy Manor – Wiltshire, England – 1:15 P.M
"You're wearing off the carpet dear" Lucius drawled.
Narcissa stopped pacing and turned towards her husband; "Why isn't he here yet? He's supposed to be here!" she said petulantly.
Lucius took off his reading glasses and placed it on top of the book his reading; "Did you owl him?" he asked.
"Of course I did! I even told him to come by! He needs to eat those cherries you bought!"
Lucius frowned; "Did you do something with those cherries dear?" he asked suspiciously.
Narcissa scowled; "He won't die" she replied vaguely.
Lucius brought his hands on top of his desk and clasped it; "You laced it with something then?" he asked casually.
Narcissa waived her hand dismissively.
"You're planning on acting now, aren't you?" Lucius asked.
"The sooner the better" Narcissa replied.
Lucius smirked; "You work fast love, I'm impressed" he complimented.
Narcissa smiled brightly; "I work with aim, that's why" she boasted.
Lucius chuckled; "Well, I bid you goodluck then. Let's just hope that your son doesn't get suspicious" he said.
"Mum? Dad?"
"Looks like your victim is here" Lucius observed.
Narcissa glared at her husband; "Don't you dare breathe a word!" she hissed.
Lucius threw both hands in surrender.
Narcissa let out a sigh of relief; she then composed herself and pasted a huge smile on her face. "We're in the Drawing Room love!" she bellowed.
Draco's head peered behind the door and smiled; "Hi!" he greeted. He then pushed the door open and padded inside. "I'm here" he said.
"It's nice to see you again, son" Lucius replied.
Narcissa gingerly walked towards her son and flung her arms around him; "What took you so long?" she asked.
Draco wrapped his arms around his Mother's waist and returned the hug; "Err—I've been working?" he replied.
Lucius sniggered.
Narcissa pulled away and pinched her son's both cheeks; "Don't be cheeky with me young man!" she said.
Draco pried his mother's hands away and began soothing his cheeks; "That will cost you another box of my precious cherries!" he said.
Narcissa laughed; "You can take them all love" she replied.
Lucius stood from his chair; "Why don't we go to the dining room and eat lunch, it's almost time anyway" he said.
Draco smirked; "Let's, I'm starving, I haven't eaten all day!" he said.
Narcissa turned towards her husband; "Good, after our lunch we can eat some of those delectable cherries" she said while smirking triumphantly.
Lucius rolled his eyes; "Lead the way then" he said.
oOo
Millicent appeared inside her living room with a beet-red face; she threw her clutch bag on her settee and began stumping her foot. "That sodding prick! I can't believe I wasted my time with him! Argh!" she shrieked. She angrily padded towards her fire place and scooped a copious amount of floo powder; she threw it on the grate and waited for the green flames, once satisfied, she shouted her friends address.
Pansy Parkinson's face appeared on the other side of the flames; hair wrapped in a fluffy towel and body enfolded with a silk robe. "Millie?" she asked confusedly.
"Pansy!" Millicent cried.
Pansy kneeled right in front of the fire place and furrowed his brows; "What's wrong with your face? Why is it...red?" she asked.
Millicent sat on her haunches as tears began welling in her eyes; "You are right..." she said.
Pansy frowned; "What do you mean I'm right?" she asked.
Tears began running down Millicent's cheeks as she struggled to speak; "That—that fucking arsehole...he—he...oh Pans, I can't even say it!" she cried.
Pansy's face softened; "What do you want me to say Millie?" she asked.
Millicent sniffed; "Can you—can you come here? I don't want to be alone..." she pleaded.
Pansy stared at her friend for a couple of seconds and sighed; "Alright, I'll be there. Just give me 10 minutes and I'll floo through" she said.
Millicent wiped her tears and forced out a smile; "Thank you Pans, I'll be waiting" she said.
Pansy nodded and severed the connection; she then stood up and padded towards her vanity. She plucked her mobile phone on top of it and began scrolling; once she found the number she dialled it and waited for the other person to pick up.
"Hello"
"Theo? I can't make it"
"Why? But we already planned this a week ago? Please don't bail on me Pans" Theo pleaded.
Pansy padded towards her bed and sat down; "I really want to go out with you but I can't. Millie fire-called me awhile ago, crying, she asked me to come over and I wasn't able to say no" she explained.
Theo sighed.
"I'm really sorry T, I'll make it up to you. I'll try to leave her place early so I can drop by your house, would that be alright?" Pansy bargained.
"Alright...just let me know, okay?" Theo said.
Pansy smiled; "I will, talk to you later! Ciao!" she said.
"Bye" Theo replied.
Pansy clicked off her mobile phone and placed it on top of her side table; she then took off the towel from her hair and began drying it.
oOo
"There under the shrub, catch it!" Molly exclaimed.
Ginny ran towards the shrub her Mother was pointing at and crouched down; she was pushing some leaves away when she felt a sharp pain in one of her fingers. "Ouch!" she yelped. She hastily pulled her hand away and brought it right in front of her face; "The bugger just bit me!" she said.
Molly padded towards her daughter; "What happened?" she asked worriedly.
Ginny showed her bleeding thumb to her Mother; "The bloody gnome bit me!" she said disbelievingly.
Molly chuckled; "Of course it will bite you dear, you're throwing them outside our yard" she said a-matter-of-factly. She then pulled her wand from her pinafore pocket and pointed it at her daughter's finger; she casted a cleansing charm and sealed the wound. "All better" she said.
Ginny smiled at her Mother; "Thanks Mum!" she said. She was about to turn towards the shrub again but stopped when she noticed an owl flying towards their house; "Do you recognize that owl?" she asked.
Molly turned towards the incoming owl and furrowed her brows; "I don't think I ever saw that owl before" she said.
Ginny straightened her stance and stood beside her Mother; "It might be Anthony's but I'm not sure, he always used his own owl in sending me letters" she said.
The owl flew towards Molly and began flapping its wings wildly in front of her. Molly immediately raised her hand; allowing the owl to perch its claws on her arm. Once settled, she reached for the letter attached to its foot and almost instantly the bird flew away.
"Looks like it for you and Dad" Ginny observed.
Molly shrugged her shoulders; "Let's see who this is from then," she said. She tore the seal open and began straightening the paper; once pleased, she began perusing its contents. After a couple of seconds, her face lost its colour.
"Mum? What's wrong?" Ginny asked worriedly.
Molly folded the paper; "It's from Mr. and Mrs. Brown" she said.
Ginny furrowed her brows; "Lavender Brown's parents?" she asked.
Molly nodded.
"What do they want?" Ginny asked.
Molly hid the letter inside her pinafore's front pocket; "They want to talk to your Father and I, they did not say why but it looks to me that it's about what's written in the paper last week" she said.
Ginny bit her lip.
oOo
Malfoy's Beach House – Maldives Island – 5:15 P.M
Hermione sat comfortably on a large C-shaped settee while gazing at the setting sun; "One loves the sunset, when one is so sad" she said to herself.
"Miss, your shake is here" The elf said while placing the tall glass on top of the square table.
Hermione turned towards the elf and let out a sad smile; "Thank you Didi" she replied.
The elf studied her Mistress face; "Does Miss not like it here?" she asked worriedly.
Hermione shook her head; "No Didi, I like it here...In fact, I think I'm falling in love with this place..." she admitted.
The elf smiled; "This place is most beautiful among my Mistress's houses, this is Didi's most favourites!" she exclaimed.
Hermione smiled; she then leaned forward and grasped the shake on top of the table. "You really can't tell me who your Mistress is, right?" she asked before taking a sip from her drink.
The elf shook its head; "Didi is sorry Miss" she squeaked.
Hermione drank a couple of gulps and threw a huge smile at the elf; "This is delicious!" she exclaimed.
The elf beamed; "I is glad that you like it Miss" she replied.
Hermione took another sip of her shake before placing it back on top of the table again; she began perusing her surroundings and almost instantly her gaze fell on the left side of the Lanai when a tiny movement caught her eye. She furrowed her brows and began moving towards the edge of the settee she's sitting on; cautiously, she leaned over it and felt disbelief when she felt her fingers get wet. "Is this a swimming pool?" she asked.
"Yes Miss, that is one of the pools in this house!" Didi replied.
Hermione turned towards the elf with huge eyes; "What do you mean one of the pools? How many does this house have?" she asked.
"We only have three Miss"
Hermione swallowed hard; "Three?? Why do you need three swimming pools when you have the beautiful ocean at your disposal? This is insane!" she exclaimed.
"The pools are made based from my Master's preferences Miss!" Didi squeaked.
Hermione furrowed her brows; "What do you mean?" she asked.
The elf moved towards Hermione and sat on the floor; she then pointed her crooked finger towards the cup shaped pool that framed the back and sides of the Lanai. "This pool is my Mistress's, she is very afraid of the ocean so Mistress likes this" she explained.
Hermione nodded; "Okay...how about the two other pools?" she asked.
The elf began playing with the hem of her floral dress; "The others two is the Jacuzzi and the infinity pool"
Hermione's brows rose; "You have a Jacuzzi here? But its Muggle!" she said incredulously.
Didi nodded; "The Masters is liking to infuse both Muggle and Wizard style in this house!"
"Oooookay" Hermione said.
The elf beamed; "Miss should explore the whole house, you should sees the beauty! Oh how Didi will like to guide you!"
Hermione chuckled; "I'm sure I'll need a tour, I'll get lost in this house" she replied.
Didi hastily stood up; "Didi will help Miss but first, Didi must fix Miss dinner its almost time!"
Hermione took a peek from her watch; "I haven't set the correct time in my watch yet, what is the time difference between here and London, do you know?" she asked.
The elf snapped her fingers and instantly the time in London and time in Maldives appeared right on of her.
Hermione smiled at the elf; "Why thank you Didi, I will now adjust the time in my watch" she said.
The elf smiled back; she then snapped her fingers again and almost instantly, tiny fairy lights began lighting the Lanai.
Hermione stood up and began moving towards her original perch; she sat down again and grabbed her shake. "Thank you for lighting this place Didi, it looks lovely" she said.
The elf bowed; "Didi will fix Miss her dinner, it will be ready soon"
"I'll follow you then after a couple of minutes" Hermione replied.
The snapped her fingers again and vanished with a loud crack.
Hermione took a sip of her drink and let out a huge sigh after; she then turned her gaze towards the descending sun and felt sadness claim her heart once more when its glow gave way to the sapphire night skies.
oOo
Malfoy Manor – Wiltshire, England – 1:54 P.M
Draco patted his lips with his napkin and leaned back on his chair; "That was excellent," he said.
Lucius began swirling his wine inside his goblet as he stared at his son; "You're not really kidding when you said you were hungry son" he said.
Draco chuckled; "I take it that you were surprised then" he asked.
Narcissa chuckled; "Don't mind your Father, he's just not used to seeing you eat so much" she replied. She then furrowed her brows and stared at her son worriedly; "Have you been eating a proper meal love? It looks to me that you lost a lot of weight ever since you moved out" she said.
Lucius rolled his eyes; "Narcissa stop babying your son, he is a grown man and he can take care of himself" he said.
Draco threw his Father a grateful look; "Dad is right Mum, I'm alright. The work load is just heavy that's why I lost some weight" he assured.
Narcissa nodded; she then grasped her goblet and took a sip of her wine.
"So, where are my cherries?" Draco asked with a huge smile.
Narcissa's eyes widen; "You want to eat them now? But I assumed you just had your fill?" she said.
Lucius sniggered; "Your son is a growing man, he has room for measly cherries" he said. He then turned towards his wife and grinned; "Why don't you let your son sample those delectable cherries darling" he drawled.
Draco took a sip of water from his glass; "I won't eat that much Mum, just a bite or two" he said.
Narcissa relented; she snapped her fingers and called for her elf.
A tiny elf appeared beside her Mistress and curtseyed; "You summoned Mistress?"
Narcissa turned towards the elf and smiled; "Hi Mimi, can you get the cherries from Paris, please" she said.
"Mimi will get those cherries right away Mistress" Mimi said, she then disappeared with a loud pop.
"Where is Didi?" Draco asked.
Narcissa waived her hand dismissively; "Didi is doing some errands for me" she replied.
Lucius muffled his laugh.
Narcissa opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted with her elf re-appearing; she turned towards the tiny creature and accepted the boxes. "Thank you Mimi, that would be all" she said.
The elf curtseyed again and dissapparated with a loud pop.
"Is that my cherries?" Draco asked brightly.
Narcissa smiled; "Yes it is, its two boxes you see, since you're Father and I doesn't eat much sweet, you can both take them home" she said.
"Really?" Draco asked. He then turned towards his Father; "It's all mine?" he asked.
Lucius gestured for the box with his hand; "Indeed it's yours son, please don't eat them all in one sitting" he said.
Draco smiled widely; "Of course I won't, thank you though" he replied.
Lucius nodded.
Narcissa passed the boxes to her son with a huge smile; "Here you go love, don't eat too much" she said.
Draco accepted the parcel and opened the first box on top; he studied the chocolate dipped confection and picked the first cherry from the left.
Narcissa turned towards her husband and winked triumphantly.
Lucius rolled his eyes.
Draco plucked the sweet from the box and popped it into his mouth; he chewed it with vigour and swallowed every last morsel of chocolate. "This is excellent but it has a weird after taste" he observed.
Lucius turned towards his wife and raised his brow.
Narcissa cleared her throat; "It's the same dear," she said.
Draco popped another cherry into his mouth and began chewing it slowly; he then turned towards his Mum and frowned. He was about to open his mouth to speak but was not able to utter a word because his eyes rolled at the back of his head and his vision blackened.
Narcissa immediately pointed her wand at her son and casted a stasis charm; preventing him from falling face first into the table.
Lucius clapped his hands; "You my dear are excellent!" he said jovially.
Narcissa smirked towards her husband; "He's such a smart man, he was able to tell that something's different with the taste" she said.
"He's our son, of course he's smart" Lucius said. He then grasped his goblet and took another sip; "So, now that you have your son incapacitated, what is your next step?" he asked.
Narcissa ignored her husband's question; "Do you want dessert? I think I want some cremebrulee" she said.
Lucius pointed towards his son; "Aren't you worried that he might wake up?" he asked.
Narcissa grinned mischievously; "1 cherry is for 12 hours of sleep, since he ate 2, it's safe to have dessert" she said.
Lucius laughed; "You make your house proud" he said.
Narcissa smirked.
oOo
Malfoy's Beach House – Maldives Island – 7:40 P.M.
"The dinner was terrific Didi" Hermione complemented while dabbing her lips with a table napkin.
Didi beamed; "Didi is please that Miss like my cooking" she said.
Hermione leaned back contentedly on her chair and sighed; "I'm so full I don't think I can walk" she said.
"Does Miss want some coffee?"
Hermione shook her head fervently; "No Didi, I don't think I have space" she said.
The elf nodded; "Does Mistress want to tour around the house then?"
Hermione smiled; "I think that's a good idea, I still don't know where to sleep tonight" she said thoughtfully.
The elf beamed; "Didi already moved your luggage to one of the rooms Miss, does Miss want to see the rooms she'll be sleeping in?" she asked.
Hermione stood up and placed the napkin on top of the table; she then began piling up her utensils on top of her plate. "We can go after I clear this up" she said.
Didi's eyes bulged as she stares at Hermione's action; "No Miss, Didi will take care of it!" she cried.
Hermione ignored the elf's reaction and carried her plate; "Where is your kitchen?" she asked.
Didi hastily snapped her fingers and instantly, the cutlery disappeared from Hermione's hand; "I is taking care of the dishes Miss, I can show you your room"
Hermione stared at her empty hands and rolled her eyes; "I can help you with those you know" she said. She then turned towards the little elf; "But since your excited, you can take me to that room" she said.
Didi flashed a triumphant smile; she then raised her hand and gestured towards the corridor that's connected to the dining room. "Didi will show you, please follow me Miss" she said. The elf began padding towards the corridor.
Hermione followed the elf.
Didi stopped on the first door from her left and turned towards Hermione; she began fiddling with the hem of her dress again and stared at Hermione nervously. "This is Missus room, Didi hopes that it is to your liking" she said. She then turned towards the door and opened it with a snap of her crooked fingers.
Hermione walked towards the door and moved closer to it; she pushed it open and peered inside. "Okay...is there any light here?" she asked.
Didi stepped into the room and snapped her fingers; instantly the light fixtures illuminated the whole room.
Hermione felt her jaw drop when she saw the whole room; "Is this—is this where I'd be sleeping at?" she asked.
Didi beamed; "Yes Miss, you're clothes are already inside the closet" she said.
Hermione took a tentative step inside the room; her eyes began to wander on the small sitting room at the base and the huge king size bed on the elevated platform behind it. She slowly pointed her finger on the sliding door on the right, a few steps away from the bed; "What is that?" she asked curiously.
"That is the walk in closet Miss, you're clothes are in there" Didi replied.
"Oh!" Hermione said. She then walked further into the room and approached the L-shaped sofa that's built in into the base of the platform; she leaned forward and ran her fingers on top of the smooth foam. She then began padding towards the two steps stairs and started climbing; once she reached the top of the platform she moved towards the bed. She sat down on top of the comforter and began bouncing up and down; "This is so soft!" she exclaimed happily.
Didi followed Hermione and beamed; "Is it to your liking Miss?" she asked.
Hermione beamed; "It is! I love this room!" she exclaimed. She then fell back on the bed and let out a contented sigh; "I still can't over the fact that you have Muggle stuff in here" she said while studying the airconditioner that's perched on the wall on top of her bed.
"Mistress had that installed because sometimes the weathers here is extreme even cooling charms don't work" Didi explained.
Hermione sat up; "Really?" she asked.
The elf nodded; "Yes Miss, the climate here is erratic" she said.
"I see" Hermione replied while stifling her yawn.
The elf noticed; "Didi will leave Miss to rest" she said.
"But we still need to tour the house" Hermione said.
"We still have tomorrow Miss, you should rest"
Hermione conceded and fell back on the bed; "Thank you Didi" she said sleepily.
"Miss is welcome" Didi squeaked. She then pointed her hand on the airconditioner and zapped it on, she dimmed the lights and dissapparated with a loud crack.
Hermione sat up again and began taking off her ballet flats; she crawled up the headboard and pushed the comforter at the bottom of the bed. She pulled one of the fluffy pillows and hugged it closer; she found her most comfortable spot and closed her tired eyes.
oOo
Malfoy Manor – Wiltshire, England – 7:00 P.M
Narcissa zipped the last bag; she then padded towards her sons bed and leaned forward. She gently stroked her sleeping son's cheek and smiled; "I hope you'll forgive me for this love, I just want you to be happy..." she whispered.
Lucius pushed the door open and peered inside; "Are you sending him off now?" he asked.
Narcissa sat on the bed and turned towards her husband; "I will" she replied.
Lucius padded towards his wife and furrowed his brows; "Are you crying?" he asked.
Narcissa sniffed and waived her hand dismissively; "Of course not! Don't be silly" she replied.
Lucius shook his head; "How are you sending him?" he asked.
Narcissa stood up and began rummaging her robes pocket; she plucked the small velvet drawstring bag and pulled out a diamond earring.
Lucius raised his brow; "You are aware that if you send that with him, he can use it to comeback first thing in the morning?" he asked.
"Of course I am! That's why I have Didi there, once Draco arrives, she will hide the earring from him" Narcissa replied smugly.
Lucius crossed his arms on top of his chest; "He can always order Didi to return it to him" he challenged.
Narcissa grinned; "I already ordered Didi not to follow any of his commands pertaining to leaving the place" she replied.
"How about Ms. Granger then? I'm sure she is aware that the other earring is in her disposal, she can leave anytime she pleases" Lucius asked.
Narcissa winked; "I already tinkered with the other earring, she won't be able to leave alone" she replied slyly.
Lucius raised his hands in defeat; "You are the queen of scheming my love" he said.
Narcissa laughed; "Of course I am," she replied. She then turned towards her son; "Should we send him off?" she asked.
"You get it over with, we don't want your son waking up here, Merlin knows there would be hell to pay!" Lucius said.
Narcissa nodded; "Mimi?" she called.
A tiny elf appeared with a loud pop and curtseyed; "Yes Mistress"
Narcissa pointed towards the luggage's; "Bring that to our Beach House in Maldives, Draco will be staying there" she said.
The elf bowed; "Yes Mistress, is there anything else?"
"Once you deposited all of his things inside his room, have Didi tend to him and apparate back, okay?" Narcissa said.
"Yes Mistress" The elf curtseyed and began padding towards his young master's luggage, she held it in her crooked hands and dissapparated with a loud pop.
Narcissa turned towards her son and perched herself on the side of the bed; she leaned forward and pried Draco's hand open. Gently, she deposited the diamond earring on one of his open palms and clasped it closed; she leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her son's forehead. "See you soon love, have a wonderful trip" she said. She then pointed her wand on his closed fist and muttered; "Portus"
A faint glow erupted from Draco's closed fist and in a matter of seconds he disappeared from his bed.
Narcissa turned towards her husband and smiled; "It has been done, let's hope for the best" she said.
Lucius nodded.
oOo
Malfoy's Beach House – Maldives Island – 11:12 P.M
Didi sat on the floor, waiting patiently for her young master's arrival; "Master should be here any seconds!" she said.
Blue light erupted in the middle of the room as Draco's body appeared out of thin air.
Didi hastily pointed her finger on Draco's slumbering body, gently, laying him on top of the huge sofa bed; "Young Master is here!" she said excitedly. She then padded towards Draco's sleeping form and silently pried his hands open; gingerly, she plucked the diamond earring and hid it inside her dress pocket. She pointed her finger on her young master for the second time and began levitating him towards his own room; "Didi will take you, to your room Master" she said.