Italy was the next stop on holiday.
They loaded themselves into their closet sized room for the ride, from Paris to Milan, stopping in Switzerland midway. It departed first thing in the morning, so none were chatty as they loaded their belongings onboard.
It was noticeably quiet between Ernie, Pansy, and Theo. More so than just the early morning exhaustion.
Susan sat between Theo and Pansy so that they might not kill one another in a rage. A repeat of the night before. She smiled shyly, tucking a strand of hair away as she engaged with Theo, quietly, keeping the tension of the party light and airy. Their words were comfortable, polite.
She expressed excitement for their adventure in China, fast approaching. It chugged closer as they plunged deeper into the continent. Theo assured her of the fun times they'd have. He spoke of their shared flat. She wanted a two bedroom, cozy and comfortable, a small traditional flat for the two to share in Chinese culture. By the little glitter of her eyes, she sought a place to submerge herself in.
Britain had slowly and surely killed many of her reasons to live. Her faith in humanity was risked. Every belief ruined by the surface of Lord Voldemort, thus exposing the dark side to the wizarding world, and costing her the family that made her.
Theo needed escape, as well. His father's imprisonment was a tough tarnish upon his dignity. It led to a bottle being a nurse and therapist, to all the pain. The laughs were a wicked devious shield to the deep sadness beneath the flesh, the very guts of a wizard torn apart by a war and split loyalties. Although he'd been spared a Dark Mark, he was indeed aligned with the mess of Death Eaters, forever.
He pushed for a third bedroom with his sweet Hufflepuff roommate, a roomier place, something similar to home, so their guests might have the comfort of their own space during a visit.
"What guests?" Pansy snapped. "You'll be lucky if you ever see me again, Theodore Figgis Nott."
It'd been a mad fight when Ernie was returned to the flat once Draco found him. A few curses were fired. Theo had a pair of swollen beaver teeth, Pansy's cheeks puffed twice their size, bats flew out of noses, and legs were a pair of jiminy cricked sticks that refused to function.
It'd been Hermione's job first thing to right their cursed appearances before departing for the train station.
Draco and Hermione sat opposite the mess of people on the other side. They all shoved themselves together in their anger, oddly enough.
Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's bicep and leaned against him, tired as ever, from the night before. Her hair was controlled by a one sided plait. Little baby hairs tickled her eyebrows as she stared off at her companions, lost in thought, fighting the threat of sleep as the train rocked her so peacefully.
There were gentle waves within Pansy's dark length from last night's plait. It gave definition to her otherwise flat style. She wore a simple shift dress with a long frilly grey cardigan. It was rather relaxed than her typical posh presentation.
Lack of sleep was her stylist.
Ernie drifted off to sleep as he sat. Every so often, he'd catch himself in his seat from falling over. There was a likely possibility that he was still a bit sloshed. He slipped his hand into his blazer and grabbed out a small vial. It was an anti-nausea potion of creamy pink. As he tilted it back to drain the contents into his open mouth, the cover of his sleeve slipped back and revealed a collection of markings upon his hand.
Hermione gasped. "Ernest! What's happened to your hand?"
Between the two knuckles of his fingers were thick black tattoos. All over. They decorated his flesh on both hands of his creamy pale. There was a wand with sparks out the end. Another was a black 'H' striped of gold. Another was a golden snitch. A small lightning bolt.
"The least painful of my mistakes," he replied flatly.
It was a clear source of tension between the three of them. Pansy went rigid at their mention. Theo's gaze shifted quickly throughout the room. Anywhere but Ernie's new collection of tattoos.
Draco's hand squeezed her hand gently. A soft reminder of his support in a tense environment that she generally hated. Magic surged around her in a blanket of protection and ease.
Even Ernest was ashamed of their presence. He pulled the fingers back below his sleeve, the probable reason of long sleeves on a summer day.
Hermione quickly found her thoughts. "Can I see them?"
Her hand outstretched the space between. Although there was hesitation in him, he offered his hands.
"I rather like them," she said after close inspection of them. They were brilliantly detailed for their small space. "They were done by a muggle?"
Ernie nodded. "Yeah. The man had a beard like Dumbledore's and was covered in tattoos himself."
"Honestly, they're brilliant." She fingered his hand, running over the smooth surface. It was as if he'd colored ink of a pen upon his flesh. She felt the raise of the designs.
It was that statement that attracted a bit of Pansy's attention. She overlooked Hermione as the designs were examined.
"You really think so?" Ernie asked.
"I do." Hermione nodded. "The artist must have been quite talented. These are beautiful. As a Muggle, he's done spectacular. Is that a Phoenix?"
Pansy leaned forward and touched the bird. "I thought that it was pleasant to look at."
"It is. It's much like Ernie, I daresay."
Hermione was busy holding and touching Ernie's hand that she hadn't been thinking about much else.
Susan suddenly leaned forward from beside Pansy. "Hermione. What's that?"
"What?"
"That there."
What the witch pointed to was the giant ring at home between her pinky and middle finger.
It'd been so late the night before and with all the drama in the flat, Draco and Hermione hadn't announced their engagement to their friends. There was never a moment that felt appropriate. Even now, it was not what she expected out of announcement.
Hermione withdrew her hands. She glanced back at Draco with a bitten bottom lip. If she let it go, she will burst into smiles and just not stop.
A claw latched onto her hand and pulled her forward, out of her seat to the floor, and brought her hand up above her head.
"Is that...?" Pansy looked at Draco with disbelief.
"It is." He confirmed.
"Nooooo." There was a wicked grin of shock and glee. "Oh, Narcissa is going to just hate that."
Hermione wretched her hand out of the grasp. Long red lines from Pansy's fingernails dragged down their surface. She rubbed their sting away.
"Why? Because a mudblood's touched it?"
All eyes of the room landed on her; the air sucked out in an instant. A hush overtook all sound of breath, motion, heartbeat.
Draco's magic became a wall behind her. It loomed overhead without him having moved a muscle from his seat.
"Don't call yourself that," he said sharply.
As if the power of the term mattered any longer. It didn't sting. She hardly noticed at all when it was used. It was a silly word that once held meaning, like Voldemort. People shied away from using it back then, but now, the idea was moot.
Hermione shrugged and continued, "Why's she going to hate it?"
Draco said nothing. His eyes fixed to Pansy. The two shared a moment of silence, one that confused everyone, or the very least, it confused her. What was the secret? Did it matter or was it a pureblood thing?
"This is one of Merlin's precious stones," Pansy finally revealed.
The entire train exhaled.
"Merlin? Thee Merlin?" Ernie questioned in total disbelief.
Hermione herself found the news too mad to believe. She waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't be ridiculous."
Pansy snorted. "Deny it all you like. Doesn't make it less true. Draco's given you the most precious, expensive, sought after stone in all of history. The black eye of Merlin. This has got to be the most treasured thing within the Malfoy family vaults."
"You're kidding." Hermione hoped it was a joke. A bad joke.
The witch shook her head. No. Not a joke.
The weight of what was on her hand suddenly felt overwhelming. It was too heavy. Too rare. Too much.
"You can't give me this." She placed her hand on Draco's lap. "This is too much to give to me."
He rolled his eyes. "Big news, everyone. Hermione and I are getting married."
Smiles alit their faces. A bit of surprise in Susan's. She clapped excitedly. Theo chuckled. Ernie congratulated them, a very obvious joy about him.
Pansy was the only one who paused. "Is that all?"
"What you mean, all?" Theo snickered.
"No other news, I mean."
Draco sneered. "I've only just gotten engaged, Pans. Not good enough for you? Shall I announce that we've swapped wands and have adopted a werewolf? Will that be news enough for you?"
Her brown eyes gave a swift glance toward Hermione before they targeted back forward.
She shrugged. "You two weren't engaged already? Figured all that love stuff meant you were to be married soon. If you expect us to be surprised, don't be so obviously in love."
"You're tarnishing their announcement, sweetheart," Ernie declared. "We really are over the moon about it. Even if Pansy does seem ungrateful."
Draco nodded to Ernie. "Thank you. At least someone remembered to be proper."
It was a splendid triumph that Ernie and Pansy were back to discussion as a couple. They were less tense with one another as the journey to Italy continued. His tattooed hand even laced in with hers.
All were touched by the reunion, even if they tried not to appear so. It was a great relief to have Ernest with Pansy. A beautiful bit of control to the changing tides of her moods, not different than Dracos.
Susan moved across the compartment to gush over the ring. She loved the black diamond. It was so different that it was perfect. They discussed things about the wedding, what Hermione thought she might do, how much she wished she wouldn't miss Neville and Hannah's wedding. They were to be married soon. Neither wanted to wait after Hogwarts too long. It was the opposite of Harry and Ginny, who were comfortable taking things at their level. Neither was in a rush.
By the time they departed the train, all were breathed in with new life. A renewed sense of contentment.
Milan was a crowded place. It thrived with life. The platform of their train was packed like a can of sardines. It was the last thing Ernie wanted to do while nursing the worst hangover of his life, more nauseous than conscious. Hermione sympathized. Mornings were a struggle for her. It was not nausea, just an upset feeling that lasted well into lunch.
Draco grabbed her luggage, shrunk into one single case to avoid the suspicious of the train employees who often asked where their belongings were. He carried his and hers, one in each hand, and pushed through a crowd of tourists with a downward snarl. It parted the crowd effectively. She walked closely behind. More than once, she stepped on his heels.
"Sorry," she'd whisper.
To avoid being lost amongst the sea of people, the rest of the group marched in a tight line, bumping into their leader at any short stop. Pansy hissed at Theo so many times that Ernie changed places so that a duel didn't erupt in front of the entire country of Italy.
"You have to talk to her," Hermione told Draco once they'd found the street that Blaise lived on. It was not too far from the train station. Pansy thought it'd give them a great look of the city rather than the grey bustling street walk that it truly was. "They can't fight like this. It's going to get us all exposed."
Draco listened to their bickering with a dramatic eye roll. "Let them fight it out. Believe me, it's better not to intervene. They'll be attached at the hip soon enough and we'll all be wishing for these days."
"What if they hurt each other? Or Merlin forbid, another person?"
He sighed, long and low.
"This being a good friend thing is ruining my life." He growled.
She grinned. "Thank you."
"Pansy!" He called. "Why in the bloody hell am I leading your tour?"
The girl swiped the black strands out of her eyes. She marched to the front. "If your damn ego gave anyone else the chance to lead, you wouldn't be. Move over. No, no. Don't let me disrupt your loafer's intention at being the most arrogant thing in Milan."
Although the witch was ramped by Theo's arguments, she played carefully around Draco. It was not done in anger. The lighthearted swat at his belongings was evident of that. Especially since she'd punted Theo's bag into a traffic-ridden street two blocks passed.
Pansy took the helm of the walking tour to Blaise's townhouse within the city limits of Milan. His personal estate was out of the city a ways, but he preferred the city during the week, according to Pansy's informational rambling.
"You did tell him that you'd have guests, did you not?" Draco asked.
The witch flicked a few fingers over her shoulder in dismissal. "Like I'd allow anyone to outshine me."
"Pansy." The tone warned her to approach the truth, quickly.
A pureblood was brought up on the strictest manners. If Draco were to show up unannounced to another's home, it would reflect poorly on his breeding. A wizard like Draco would die rather than be improper. Hermione found it all rather circular thinking but kept the thought to herself.
She opted to observe the architecture they passed.
"Of course, I told him of our plan months ago," Pansy said with a tone to match. "I am perfectly capable of this position as hostess, and I'd like you to remember it. It's my holiday. I'm in charge."
The blonde witch was visibly shocked by it. "Says the witch who made me hunt through Paris to find one of her lost charges. Had I known the line of authority; I'd have told you to bugger off."
A grand cathedral was on their left. Hermione was entranced by it. She stopped to stare in the awe at the enormity of it of decorated building, not only functional, but as beautiful as the day.
The grounds were scattered with few tourists. How could that be? Didn't they know that most churches held impressive libraries worthy of a university? She stopped against the iron gates, gripping the metal in her hands, and that's how Draco found her many minutes later.
He followed her line of sight and scoffed. "You lived in a castle for seven years and this cathedral impresses you?"
His arm outstretched for her to take it. She complied, returning back to the walk. Her small white trainers tapped against the pavement as they walked amongst the brilliant townhouses that lined the roads. All were ancient, beautiful decorated stone faces, four stories tall, dipping with the road and rising with it.
Every muggle wished for a life such as that. A beautiful house, on a beautiful street, enriched in culture and comfort. A bit of her yearned for that normal life. The life that she was owed after all she'd done for the world.
Her hand held tight to his arm. "What will our home be like, Draco?"
"You mean the place in Surrey?"
"Castle. The castle in Surrey," she corrected. "And yes. What will it be like to live there?"
He inhaled. "Well, it's Reigate Castle. There is a room with every kind of purpose imaginable. Ballroom, Owlery, dungeon, library."
Hermione went giddy.
"A library? Truly?"
Draco grinned down the length of his nose. "A library fit for only you. I'll be surprised if you finish half of the books inside."
"Care to wager?"
There was a tingly spark in her skin. Games with Draco were a thrill, the test of her determination. More often, the win was less intoxicating than giving in to Draco's lures.
"I'm listening," he practically sang.
"If I haven't read half of them in six years' time, you may...book out a Quidditch pitch and have me play as Keeper," she said. "And you know how I am on a broom. That is how confident I am that I shall win."
Italy brought out a lighter side to Draco. He wore a trench coat of medium tan, a polar opposite to his usual monochromatic style. There was a vest of grey beneath it, a white-collar shirt, identical grey slacks. The patterned navy tie was an ode to his days drenched in darker color. She rather liked his holiday fashion. It contradicted the serious manner in which he held himself. The grey vest, slacks, tie and Salvatore Ferragamo Oxfords were a more relaxed Draco she adored.
The sun of the day was beautiful. It was warm, but not too much so. Her light blue capris, dainty white trainers meant for gentle walking, and billowy lilac blouse kept her cool enough as to not become over sweaty and moist.
As a girl on Draco's side, it was expected that she be as perfect as a model. That was much pressure. Draco did not believe so. He thought it ridiculous to worry about what others would think of her because she was the one who had him, not the other way around. It was clear that he was not self-conscious. She couldn't just pretend that she matched his attraction level.
She made great effort to maintain an appearance fitting of Draco's station, no matter how much true effort it required of her.
Pansy made a squawk at the front of the line. "This is it! Here it is. He's even gotten his name on it, oh for Salazar sake! He's vainer than Draco. Look at that. Why not lease a banner to drench to house with his name so that the entire block knows?"
Ernie moved to the front by Pansy's side as she marched up the stone stairs. Draco and Hermione, hot on their heels. Susan and Theo were behind, talking amongst themselves and marveling at the street, one that even Hermione noted, was an entirely muggle part of Milan.
Exclusivity in Italy was only done so in muggles parts; the wizarding world was too small and disinterested in such blatant displays.
"You've not told me what you want if you were to win," he commented under his breath.
The Slytherin witch rang the bell, after Hermione's small instruction since a knocker was absent.
"A bell? That is quite clever." Pansy hit it once more, then again since she couldn't hear any bells.
Hermione was pulled close to Draco's side. "You do know I love to read, don't you? Honestly. I'll be the winner no matter what because I'll have read so many books. Imagine what I might learn."
A mocha-skinned man opened the door. He bade them inside off the street. Like the pop of a bubble, they felt themselves enveloped into the house's privacy and anti-apparation wards.
The air was warm. Windows street-faced were open, allowing a gentle summer breeze whisper in from outside. Dense curtains rested to either side of the latticed glass.
It was a snug foyer, modernly updated in a sea of fresh, clean white paint with warm wooden floors. Brushed bronze spindles lined the steep stair up to the overlook of the second story. In the vast space of free air hanged a chandelier of circles upon circles of lit candles. The halo glow casted odd shadows upon the rest of the bright space.
One wall of the entrance was filled with built-in shelves, plump full of books of every generation. Some were new leather. Their crisp bindings were shiny and untouched. Others were far more fragile. They were dull in color. Leather, cracked in places, perfumed with their age.
One large archway sat on each side of the foyer, a continuous flow from one room to the other. A desk was center in the one to the right, an office of some kind. It had quills, parchment, a few books.
The room to the left was done up with couches, chairs, tables, a giant fireplace in the center of it all. The soft blue of the dotted wallpaper clashed nicely with portraits framed in gold upon every surface of the walls.
Pansy stood in wait in the foyer. "We're not to be greeted by our host?" Her foot stomped. Her demanding gaze was at the butler who motioned for them to stay where they were. It was an insult. Apparently. Hermione was ready to wait but her friend wouldn't have it. "We'll wait in the parlor when he's ready to grace us with his presence, the prat. I will not be treated like some commoner off the street. It is an insult to the house of Parkinson. Insult, I say!"
The shriek echoed through the empty of the home. It bounced off every wall, leaving every belief that their arrival was heard in all corners of the place.
She started to march into the parlor to their left but was thrown back into the foyer once she crossed the threshold of the room.
"Why the son of a - ."
"My ears are burning," a voice replied flatly. It came from deep within the house. There was that hidden tone of power that commanded its authority over all in its domain. "I'll just wager that it's Pansy. There is no witch alive who can give me a migraine like her."
Draco chuckled under his breath. The voice, again, noticed.
"Was that a Malfoy snicker I heard? Why I didn't think there was one alive and out of prison."
Hermione wrinkled her nose. She did not like that. It was a horrid thing to say about him. If only they knew what he'd been through just to overcome his father's forced legacy...
She stiffened her hand in Draco's. He patted it lightly.
"Don't worry. The opinions of cowards and deserters hardly concerns me. Why, I doubt there is a wizard alive that respects the word of a Zabini," he stated.
"You're one to talk." The voice rumbled down the hall until it greeted them lowly.
Finally, a figure emerged from the depths. It was short, not tall like her Draco was, and was average. The figures arms were taut, knotted behind its back as it glided forward as if a crowd balanced upon his head. It took ages for light to illuminate their host to the eye.
He looked exactly as he had in Hogwarts. A vain look of superiority upon his face as he glanced through the front of their party.
"Ah, the mudblood lover." Blaise greeted Draco. Then he turned to Pansy with a curl at the edge of his mouth. "And the Huffle-fucker. Interesting spread you've anointed yourselves with. Rather kill the bitch than touch her, wasn't it, Draco? And Pansy. A Hufflepuff? Need I say more?"
Draco's arm possessively wrapped around Hermione, pulling her a step back away from their host. "Such a familiar tone. I'd have thought a refugee as yourself might have changed it since the Dark Lord's fall. Wouldn't want this cushy life of yours spoiled by such connections, would you?"
The room filled with tension. It sparked the air. Just before a battle, when the air fell quiet and sticky in anticipation, that's what it felt like. The war. It brought her back to empty fields, skies split with black clouds, screams. So many screams.
Lost in memory, she'd built up a wall of thick magic around her. Venomous. Ready to attack. She was ready for what curse would sling. It wasn't until Draco's magic touched hers lightly that she realized how dense her piping hot magic was. A single thumb ran down her arm, cooling the tension instantly.
"Oh, wipe that scowl off your mug, Pansy, before it stays like that." A lazy smile showed a set of brilliant white teeth. "Hufflepuffs scare easy, you know."
Pansy yawned loudly, patting her mouth in drastic exaggeration. "You done?"
Blaise nodded. "Grumpier than I remember." He then turned to Draco. "At least someone still likes to play."
The host stuck out his hand which Draco shook. They both smiled and said their greetings like normal people did. Blaise welcomed Hermione to his home. He'd just about reached out his hand to shake hers, a significant act from a pureblood like Blaise, when the brown eyes caught a glance over her shoulder and narrowed. The smile left.
"You," he bellowed. "Get out of my house."
He pushed through until he came right before Theo Nott. "Get. Out."
Blaise' tone was so vicious that it would not have been strange to see him bite a flesh out of Theo's arm. He was near foaming. So angry. His slanted dark eyes were so narrowed, filled with rage, a commanding voice that echoed through the halls once more.
Theo's face was blown wide. His eyes were double their size, as was his mouth in shock. "What's gotten into you, Blaise?"
"You didn't tell me he'd be here." He spat at Pansy.
She was equally confused. "A last-minute change of plan. That is Theo, that is..." Blaise was unmoved. "Theodore Nott."
"We only shared a dorm for seven years!" Theo exclaimed.
Something was between the Slytherins that Hermione didn't understand. She stood out of the way with Susan and Ernie, not wanting to disrupt whatever was between them all.
If the journey had proved one thing, it was that Slytherins kept to themselves in Hogwarts but were no less plagued with drama. It was not to ever be heard of. General consensus in Hogwarts was that all Slytherins got along, evil together and the like. They were all confidants of the others. Now, it was proven anything but true. Though they did not show such disagreements outside their dormitories, they were still filled with teenage angst and grudges the same.
Hermione bit her lip. Draco was close to Blaise, one hand on the wizard's shoulder. She worried for his safety. Her wand was close to her hand, just in case he needed her.
Like reading a thought, his icy grey eyes raised to meet hers. A subtle shake of his head released her hold on the wood.
"I want that dog out of here now," Blaise shouted.
"Dog?" Theo repeated with disgust.
Apparently, that was the time for Pansy to start to care. She dropped the overly large black sunglasses off her face. "We know he's a dog. That's not news. He's always been that way."
Theo shot her a sharp glare. His mouth silently spoke words that looked a lot like, "Fuck off."
"Get that bloody bastard out of here!"
Blaise was livid. The veins in his forehead near popped from his skin. He'd just about ripped his wand from its holder at his side when a soft voice hummed through the walls.
"BB." It called.
It changed the entire mood of the room. The Slytherins seemed to recognize it. The most changed was Theo, who towered over Blaise now with a nasty anger. His lips trembled with fury. Draco changed, too. He grabbed hold of Theo's shoulders and held him back away from Blaise as if he was to lunge at the wizard's throat.
Question crossed Pansy's face as she looked to her side. The Italian wizard shuttered himself. He withdrew from the moment, a face devoid of much reaction as his friends changed dramatically. He fussed with his tie before returning a soft call back to the voice.
"Stay there. I'll be a minute," he said. "Just sweeping out the filth."
"You bastard!" Theo pulled the leash of Draco's arms taut. His arms shot out in front of him, clawing their way at Blaise. "Her? Her? You slick git."
Susan's finger touched Hermione's shoulder. "Who is she? Do you know?"
"No," she whispered back.
Whoever it was had to be a Slytherin. There was no other explanation.
Blaise struggled against Theo's hold as Draco struggled to restrain him. They all latched at each other's clothes in death grip without care of their luxury linens wrinkles. Their shoes scuffed against the floors. A thick fog of tension. Pansy pulled away from the group. She was more interested in the voice. Each way she searched through the house to find it's source.
All the while, Blaise and Theo shouted at one another.
"Blaise!" Draco grunted when the wizard's hands grabbed Theo's throat. He pulled them apart.
It left Blaise wide open. A leg kicked up from the roaring bull that was Theo and thudded square in his chest. He fell backward with a sharp inhale. Theo stomped forward to deal another blow but was meant with an extended wand. Blaise snapped a curse off at him that send Theo to his knees, bound and tied with cords upon cords.
A soft gasp came from Susan's lips. Her hands covered her mouth in shock.
The scene was intensified by the wizards grunts all trying to force the others in other direction.
Hermione saw a figure of all white appear down a hall. It came out of nowhere. The house birthed another being into their presence just as Blaise had once emerged.
"Blaise," the soft voice gasped in shock.
Everyone stopped.
The witch of golden blonde hair, sky blue eyes, a grace of a personified angel, sat within a wheelchair. She was dressed in all white. A billowy white gown, what an angel would wear within the clouds. She was rather beautiful. Familiar to all.
Pansy shrieked in joy. "Daph!"
She ran toward the witch and wrapped her arms around her neck.
It was Daphne Greengrass, a fellow student of Hogwarts, elder sister of Astoria Greengrass, who disappeared from England sometime after the war ended. Blaise was known to be in Italy, his home country, so it was not guessed they'd be together.
Draco's arms dropped to his side. He ran a single hand through his hair. He was the wizard who was ignored. Blaise kept his eyes fiercely on Theo who rubbed his over and over again, not believing what he saw.
"I can't believe it's you." Pansy was beside herself with joy. "I've missed you in England all these months. When are you coming back? Why haven't you come to see me?"
"What the hell are you doing here with Blaise?" Theo asked swiftly.
The joy of Daphne's face fell away. She looked at Theo with near tears in her eyes. Blaise jumped to her defense, turning on toe and facing Theo as a block between the two.
"Isn't it obvious, Nott? They're married," Draco said.
"Married?" Theo echoed harshly. "You married him?"
It was clearly directed at Daphne, who hanged her head as if in shame.
"Don't you dare open that mouth of yours," Blaise said. "Don't you speak to her."
Hermione was wildly confused. She looked to either Hufflepuff for explanation, but none came. They hadn't a clue to what the problems were. But they knew to stay out of the way.
Daphne's hand hid her face as she slumped into her seat.
"Daphne. What the hell is this? What are you doing with him? Why are you in that chair?" Theo fired off question after question, contorting Blaise's face from anger to sheer red.
They were about to be at each other's throats again when Daphne straightened, overcome with her manners, she gestured toward the parlor. "Perhaps we should sit down. I'll ring for tea."
"But D..."
"I am fine, Blaise. We can do this," Daphne stated evenly. "They're our friends. We owe them some explanation."
He agreed with his wife, but didn't release the scowl when he looked to Theo. "He's not my friend. But I'll allow for Pansy and Draco to hear."
"But he's with us," Pansy said. "We're all together."
"Then you can leave together." Blaise glared.
"I'll not be going anywhere!" Pansy shrieked with another dignified stomp. "Daphne is my friend. I've not seen her for nearly a year, not a single word either, you pompous arse. We'll all be staying for some damn tea, biscuits and a bit of answers!"
Hermione noticed a slight wave of Draco's wand, and the cords released their hold. It allowed the wizard to rise. However he was held back by one clenching hold of Draco.
They were all ushered into the blue parlor with tea and biscuits, finger sandwiches and pastries. There was a small loveseat where Hermione and Pansy smashed together, leaving their boyfriends with frowns as they chose a seat elsewhere.
Two grey eyes glared intensely at he sat across the room. She swallowed back a chuckle as she dropped a sugar cube into her cup and Pansy's. The Slytherin witch fussed over a smudge on Hermione's capri's. They had been a choice at a shop in Paris at Pansy's insistence. She used her wand to nurse the stain, lifting it from the fibers.
Tension was thick through the air as polite pleasantries were exchanged. Daphne rolled herself to Blaise's right side. They held hands. Blaise's knuckles turned white in the hold. It reminded her much of the way Draco held onto her.
She smiled over her teacup. A love haze clouded her eyes as she watched him sip properly, straight backed and proper as ever.
"Loved the exposé in The Prophet. I finally understand how you've been able to overcome," Blaise spoke to Draco.
Draco's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
The grip on his seat tensed as he awaited response.
"The papers do manage to make it to Italy. No use pretending - ."
"BB, stop avoiding." Daphne's small voice was so fragile to the ears of the others.
Except Theo. He allowed himself consumed in seething rage. His flesh was boiled red, a clear expression of the monster within himself. The bottle of ale was an outline in his pocket. More than once, he reached down to tap against the glass, almost in comfort. The bottle that took away the pain. But not yet. Not just yet.
Hermione watched the room closely. She read the Slytherins for their tensions.
"Out with it now," Pansy declared after many tense minutes in complete silence. "What's going on? Why are you guys in hiding here and married, without telling us? I mean, Daph. It's me. You couldn't tell me?"
"Things were changed in the war, Pans. Even I."
There was the obvious tremor in the witch's arms as they laid against the cool metal of her wheelchair. They were unmistakable. The greying flesh of her arms was lifeless against their far too sunken body. The distinct purple around the eye – that was yet another item checked off Hermione's list. She glanced to Draco to see if he'd noticed.
Daphne squeezed her fists as if she wanted to regain the strength to stop it.
She couldn't. It'd never stop.
A great sadness washed over Hermione. It was a sharp, overwhelming, sudden emotion. Tears surged upward.
Whether she went rigid in her seat or subtly held her breath, she didn't know. Whatever it was, Pansy read it like a novel and clutched her hand together with Hermione's. She shifted her weight toward her friend, happy to have someone know her secret and be supportive in times that it weighed upon her more heavily than others.
She already sensed her pregnancy affecting her thoughts. It wouldn't be long before it would affect her body, too. Draco was sure to learn then. It was fast approaching, she knew. The time to process it was shortening with every moment that the information went unsaid between the couple, sure to reach a point where its silence was irreparable to their relationship.
That frightened her. That ached her. The thought of betrayal that Draco might feel burned her heart...But.
But.
She just couldn't fathom the reality. It was too much. She'd only just gotten engaged, a notable step with Draco Malfoy. It hurt her to imagine what might be said about their child. Conceived before marriage. Sure, the wizarding world would surround her with praise, a pure example of what every war survivor should do. But...
But.
There was that small voice that knew others might say things. Whisper things... Hermione Granger, the mudblood slag.
It wretched her with terrible indecision. Which made her even more guilty for feeling them.
Pansy's hold in that moment was an anchor. An anchor to something that was real. Stable with all the information available. That was enough.
"What about you has changed?" Pansy retorted.
"She's become a gold-digging slag from what I can see." Theo growled.
Blaise raised a pointed finger. "She was one of those with you, Nott. She was one of those every year at Hogwarts when you paraded her round like a prized pikey for you to shag and use and toss away when you wanted to. Now she's got a bit of decency to her. An association with a reputable family."
That statement was a bit dubious since Blaise's mother was a known Black Widow with many dead husbands buried in her trunk and much more money than a single mother of a pureblood aristocrat could have ever dreamed of, such husbands losing their fortunes upon their death with a common beneficiary. It was unspoken of within decent society. There was plenty implied but nothing confirmed.
"She loved me!" Theo roared in a rage.
An entire room turned tense, tenser than before. The mood forced everyone to the edge of their seats. A subtle change ready for anything, having left a war just behind. However, it was not just that.
It was entirely mortifying to have the two scream at one another over Daphne. Her cheeks turned hot with embarrassment. A hand hovered by her face, eyes flashed around the room, a noticeable swallow within her throat.
The two spoke of her sexual past as if she was not in the room, not a person that deserves respect, no matter how sexually promiscuous their history.
She was a witch. Not an object. Not a toy for the pair to fight over. A person.
Hermione shot out of her seat and grabbed hold of both of their ears as the mother Weasley out of her shell of ignorance to punish her two mischievous sons. "You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Daphne is a witch, a woman, and she is right here. So help me, God, I'll curse you both to eat endless slugs if you do not start behaving like a couple of adults."
Their ears were released free in a different color than before.
Blaise was another sheet of embarrassed when he saw Daphne's face. His hands touched hers. The witch did not resist his look of consolation and appolgy, though Hermione thought she should have. Had Draco tried such a thing, he'd have gotten a few curses thrown at him. Perhaps a couple more for forgetting just who she was.
Theo was more scared of another. He looked at Hermione's disappointed face and hung his head a bit lower as he settled back to his seat. Quietly.
"Right. That's better." She took a deep breath and brushed off the invisible dust. A moment she was reminded of time with Harry and Ronald. A bit of the old Hermione back in the flesh. "Now. Daphne, begging your pardon, please. Continue."
Pansy stuck her tongue out at Theo while her hand rejoined Hermione's with a triumphant squeeze.
"Thank you." It was barely a whisper above the tension.
There were times in the war when Hermione encountered Death Eaters and Snatchers. The allies took them as informants for they lacked much knowledge of Voldemort's side of things. He had used dark magic. Darker than the world knew, barely believed to exist. It was useful then. Harry and Ron and Hermione were given tips that came from the informants of where to avoid, how to infiltrate, just who was on the radar of persecution.
It was how she had been brought forth to a muggle torture house. Voldemort established it as a place to satisfy his hungrier of followers with rape and torture, violence, and use of unspeakable curses.
Many met their deaths in the house. Many were women. Their exposed bodies thrown about like nothing but discarded rubbish. Their eyes all frozen, glassy, filled with blood. One woman was indescribable in condition that hope for her recovery was far too little that Hermione was given the task of easing the transition, lest the woman suffer longer for an undetermined length of time. The curses were so rare. Some were created just for the purpose of the war, to torture muggles and muggleborns.
There was no information she could draw from that might help. The potions failed. Spells of every diagnostic angle were inconclusive. Magic failed her that night.
After it was done and the woman buried with a shred of respect, Hermione cleaned herself up in a loo after vomiting her will to live in the grass. The grimy mirror splattered and streaked. It showed back an unpleasant image. A witch, sunken into her bones and weary beyond words. She was battered, broken. Eyes puffed red with tears over yet another sacrifice she'd made for the good of the world.
In that moment she felt Daphne reflected that past image of herself in truest form. The witch was frozen with inability whether it was mental or physical, clearly something traumatic had taken hold of her soul. Unreleased from the torment, Daphne carried on. She lived in her shell. The hollow space where a person used to reside. Not dark, blackness. Anger and disgust.
"Now what's this about change?" Pansy snapped. "I'm tired of this secrecy nonsense. What has happened? Did you and Blaise run in to some kind of trouble?"
"Trouble?" Blaise snarled. "Trouble? Is that what you all say about me? 'ran into trouble' like I'm a bleeding miscreant."
Pansy twisted her hair round a finger. "That's not what I meant."
"Well I think it is what you meant."
"But it isn't. Was it, Ern?"
No one looked to Ernie. They all kept wrapped in the confusion that was laid at their feet. A situation that was denied explanation that warranted much.
Theo and Daphne? Now Blaise and Daphne? With secrets?
"Yes, please. Ask Ernie bleeding Hufflepuff if you were being genuine in your snooping," Blaise sneered.
"You're stalling, Blaise." Draco said it so casually, in that collected, yet unenthused tone that encouraged eye rolls throughout the room. "I've not got all day for this circular conversation. You see, I'm on holiday. I'd like some time to actually enjoy Italy. Now either show us to our suites or start explaining. I can't stand this conversation any longer. We'll all be gray before you finish telling us what you meant to tell us."
Hermione sipped from her teacup in quiet curiosity. It was rude to be so nosey, but the suspense was impossible. There was something amongst the Slytherins that she sensed they all knew, but not entirely.
Try as she could, Draco's mind would not allow her to peek inside at what it held.
She sniffed in contempt when he politely forced her out of his thoughts and into hers.
"Fine. Have it your way, spoil sport," she thought with her harshest resolve.
"You're right, Draco. This conversation is best put on hold. All this is exhausting. Daphne tires so easily," Blaise said suddenly. He released his hold on her hand. Her weak face looked to him for explanation, but he continued his pace toward the back of her wheelchair, grasping the black grips gently in his dark hands. "She needs rest."
There was that fragile look of resistance in the poor woman's eyes. "But BB."
"Some other time. They'll be here for a few days. We'll do it then. Once you're strong enough." His hand patted her shoulder gently.
Those sky-blue eyes pleaded toward Pansy in their sad way. Hermione was even drawn to their call, their plead.
"You'll not leave me without saying goodbye?"
A clench of her hand burned Hermione's flesh in it's clutch. "Wouldn't dream of it, love."
"I still want to talk to you, Daph," Theo erupted out of his silence.
Pansy's neck snapped at attention. "Well get in line."
"You'll not say a word to her." Blaise's hold tensed on Daphne's chair as if Theo might pull it away in an act to literally steal his wife.
Theo pointed a finger. "I don't give a damn what you say, Blaise. She owes me an explanation. You'll do that won't you Daph?" His voice lowered to a somber, perhaps sultry tone. "After all this time, you'll pay me that one favor. Won't you? For me."
There was a pause in breath. Everyone fully expected an eruption out of the grumpy Mister Zabini, who seemed ready for an excuse to curse Theo to nothing but soot, alas there was silence in a moment that warranted some indication of emotion, anything that revealed the answer of the request.
Daphne look a defeated mess in her seat. She slumped slightly; shoulders hunched. Hermione took stock of the witch with a sharp eye. In addition to the trembles, dull complexion, and obvious impairment, there was an aura about her presence that left the air sickened around her.
She sighed, the clear sign of her defeat. "Yes. I suppose I will."
"But Daph." Blaise whined.
"I'll talk to him," she said, firmer still. "Later, Theo. We'll talk."
The rest of the group was quiet as Daphne was wheeled out of the room. Her wheels squeaked with each rotation. It burned Hermione's heart to see the witch so broken in a state of total distress, wheeled through a beautiful house she was bound to without a single soul to comfort the loss of her home and friends apart from her husband. Whatever reprieve it was.
Once the sound was lost to the bowels of the house, a collected sigh was expressed.
"Nice holiday you've got us on, Pansy. Why, I'll take out an advert to shout the fun I'm having," Draco stated as he rubbed his temples gently. So much for relaxed holiday Draco. He was turning back to uptight Draco in front of their eyes.
"Sod off," Pansy spat. "How was I supposed to know that yet again Theo is the worst companion?"
"Goes without saying," Draco sneered back. "Don't you think?"
"Both of you, shut it!" Theo crossed his arms with a deep-set anger. "What's Daphne doing here with Blaise? Zabini, of all people!"
Draco narrowed his eyes. "You didn't expect her to wait for you all her life, Theo? You only used her for fun anyway. Isn't that what you always used to say?"
"Theo." It was the first time Susan said anything since entering. "You never told me about Daphne."
Pansy's spine straightened. "Allow me to explain it for you then."
"Don't!" Theo jumped up. His arms brushed the edge of the fancy floating chandelier above their heads.
"Why not?" The Slytherin witch shrieked back. "Ashamed of yourself after all these years, finally?"
"Hey, I never did anything to her that she didn't want!"
Pansy snorted. "That's rich. You never gave an option. It was a guilt game until she gave in no matter how depraved the request. She's just lucky you were only too selfish. Salazar knows what you might've made her do!"
The two fought back and forth, despite the urging of the two Hufflepuffs urging to keep calm and quiet. All the while, Hermione glared at Draco to intervene with their nonsense. It'd gone too far.
Something, though, had his attention. A glaze shuttered his eyes. He was not going to be of any help.
A fold of a cloak was parted for a grab at a wand, when Hermione stood again. She bared her lioness claws at both of them.
"Do not do this again," Hermione said through gritted teeth.
The styled eyebrows met in a sad downturn. "Hermione, you know what he did to my poor Ernie. The wizard's a waste! Selfish, and a blowhard."
"Hey! How come you're taking her side?" Theo shrieked.
Each Hufflepuff was poised at their Slytherins side, comforting words whispered in their ears, the petting of their arms in attempt to defuse the situation at hand with their smooth words that comforted in the most upset souls.
Susan was burrowed into Theo's side. She hugged his waist and squeezed herself tightly against him as she whispered, "Come, come, now Theo. There are no sides. We are all the world here."
"I'm not taking anybody's side!" Hermione retorted.
Pansy put her hands at his hips. It highlighted the seriously drawn in waist under the floating folds of her dress and cardigan. "How can you take his side after all he's done? He's ruined our dream holiday with all his shenanigans. He's ruined my boyfriend's flesh with those horrid little pictures. And, he was the one who came up with those ideas for the 'Potter Stinks' badge!"
"Draco did that!" Theo shouted back.
"Not unless he's also the one who ruined your cousins wedding by changing the bridal party badges to atomically correct elf genitalia."
Susan and Ernie gasped. "That was you?"
Hermione, too, was shocked. That wedding was discussed at length in Hogwarts since it happened during the school year and the bride and groom were prominent members of the Ministry.
"I heard she cried so hard she had to be sedated," Hermione added in sadly.
"She did," Theo confirmed. "Pansy was the one who kept taking pictures of her crying, making her cry harder! And laughing."
"Whaaaaat?" Ernie said. He looked back at his girlfriend with such disgust and surprise. The combination twisted his features to a nasty mix. It made Pansy cower under its gaze. "You ruined that magical day for them on purpose? Why? Why would you do such a thing?"
She became panicked. Her eyes darted to Theo as he smirked with glee, crossing his arms proudly against his chest.
A glisten came to her eyes. "Please..."
"Because she wanted to be the first bride to wear a transforming dress," Theo answered. "Libby was going to wear one first, so Pansy wanted to make sure it was stopped before the dress was ever showed off."
"A dress?!" Ern cried. "You forced that couple to move to Australia over a dress?"
Pansy was so irate her fists shook with the power. A redness overtook her flesh. Fire engine red. Complete with steam out the ears.
"How. Dare. You. You promised to take it to your grave. Now I'll very sure make sure that you are sent there!" She grabbed hold of her wand and let loose a shot of bright red fire.