Irredeemable (Harry Potter fanfiction)

9 - Family Time

The next couple of weeks passed in a similar rhythm, and Draco had still gotten no further with Hermione. He kept telling himself that the timing wasn't right, but secretly knew it was because he was scared of ruining the only proper friendship he had. Sure, he was on good terms with Nott but he didn't enjoy his company like he did Hermione's.

Their alchemy classes were a source of joy; Professor McGonagall was a very different teacher in that subject than she was in Transfiguration. Possibly it was the fact that she was teaching only two very able students, but she encouraged them to discuss any ideas and intuition about the subject with her and treated them more like colleagues than pupils. And of course, Draco had reason to speak to and spend time with Hermione as much as he wished.

The Easter holidays were getting nearer, and the fifth and seventh year students were starting to plan some serious revision for their approaching exams. Draco was going home during the holidays under the guise of seeing his mother, but he was only going really because Hermione was going home to see her parents and he did not relish the thought of being alone at school once more. They had been over in Australia for a couple of months looking after the property and business that they had set up there whilst their memories had been erased.

His mother was pleased he was coming home, and informed him that she would be at the station to meet him. No doubt trying to catch a glimpse of the girl he was apparently seeing, he thought darkly. He knew if he was going to get anywhere with Granger he would need to act soon; the school year was soon to be over, and the run up to exams would be so busy and stressful he was pretty certain there would be no time for such diversions. He decided he would ask to see her over the holidays, get her on her own, and then make his move.

It was a typical evening in the library when he saw his chance.

"What are your plans over Easter?" he asked, as she sat writing a reply to a letter from her parents.

"Not a lot." She said. "My parents have just written to tell me they need to stay on in Australia for a few more days to sort out something to do with their business licence over there, so it looks like I will be on my own for the first week. Oh well, at least I will be able to get some revision done!"

Draco could have leapt for joy! "Well, why don't we meet up during the week and do some revising? Maybe go out for dinner or something after?" he kept his voice as nonchalant as possible, whilst his heart beat frantically.

"That would be nice." Said Hermione enthusiastically. "Although why don't we further your interest in muggle studies and I will take you out somewhere I like to go when I need to relax?"

"O.k." said Draco, thoroughly intrigued. Where would Granger take him?

"Great! Well, I'm guessing you'll want to spend the Friday night with your mum, so why don't we go out on the Saturday? We can then meet up later in the week to revise if you would like to."

"Sounds like a plan." Said Draco, pleased with how smoothly that had gone.

It was soon the morning that they were to depart, and breakfast was served as usual in the great hall before all those going home would gather their belongings and get taken to Hogsmeade station. Draco was one of the first outside to the waiting carriages so managed to get one to himself, and was then left waiting on the platform watching a trickle of students filing along to the station gates.

Draco had smuggled some pastries from breakfast to eat during the journey, and was rather looking forward to getting lost in one of his library books for the duration of the trip, when he heard someone call out to him.

He looked round to see Hermione standing with Longbottom and Lovegood, waving for him to go over and wait with them. Surprised, he approached, rather unsure of his reception from the other two.

"Hi." He said, nodding to Neville and then Luna.

"Malfoy." Neville said guardedly, making it perfectly clear the only reason he was doing so was out of respect for Hermione.

Luna however, c****d her head, then said "Wrackspurts?"

He looked at Hermione and Neville in bewilderment; was she insulting him in some way? Hermione was trying hard not to smile. "Tiny invisible creatures that float into your ears and make your brain go fuzzy." She supplied.

Still unsure if they were taking the piss or not, he frowned at Luna and responded with "Possibly." Luna seemed satisfied with this, and nodded sagely, before turning away to rummage in her bag.

Yes, thought Draco, the nickname of Loony is well deserved! Although he had to admit that she had acquitted herself well during the war; she had showed very little fear when taken by death eaters to be imprisoned in his family's dungeon, and had no hesitation in fighting for Hogwarts when the time came.

Neville had struck up a conversation with Hermione about Herbology revision, and Draco stood there feeling rather out of place until the train appeared in the distance. There was no sign of Potty or any Weasel's, so he assumed they must be staying at school.

The train clattered into the station, and all the students gathered their belongings in preparation to board. Acting the gentleman, Draco stepped up to the nearest carriage and opened the door for Hermione and then Luna to enter. Longbottom looked at him like he had grown an extra head; obviously he had never seen Draco do anything for anyone else's convenience. It was rather shaming really; despite learning to be an arrogant little git, he had also been taught the impeccable manners expected of a pureblood heir. He had just never bothered to display them at school to those "beneath" him and to be honest, according to his father at least, that was almost everyone.

He followed them when they entered an empty compartment, presuming that the previous invite to be with them still stood. They all stowed their bags and cloaks, then himself, Neville and Hermione pulled out textbooks and Luna settled a box of weird looking objects on her knee, then proceeded to thread them onto a long thin chain. Draco could only assume it was to make some form of jewellery, but this obviously wasn't unusual behaviour as the other two didn't react to it at all.

"Are we still on for tomorrow night?" asked Hermione, when their revision was interrupted by the trolley witch selling refreshments.

"Yes." Said Draco glancing at the other inhabitants of the carriage, surprised that she would mention it in front of them. They seemed to be paying no attention, although Longbottom seemed to be staring a little too intently at his cauldron cake.

"Great, get to mine for seven, we can have something to eat then head out." She turned back to her Arithmancy text like it was an everyday occurrence to be going out with your former bully during the holidays.

They were fast approaching London, so Draco and Hermione removed their robes so they could traverse the underground without drawing too much attention. Neville and Luna were obviously planning to use a form of wizard transport to get home as they remained in theirs.

Draco was a little concerned about what his mother would think seeing him get off the train with Lovegood, Longbottom and Granger. Particularly if she realised that Granger was the girl he was seeing the next night. Ironically, she would probably approve more of him seeing Loony Lovegood as a pureblood than Granger as a muggleborn!

The train pulled into the station and they all piled off, Draco having a moment of confusion and a little stab of horror when he thought he caught sight of his aunt Bellatrix standing next to his mother on the platform. He quickly realised it must be her other sister, Andromeda, although he had never even seen a picture of her before due to her being disowned long before he was born. She looked like Bellatrix might have done if she had been sane and not embroiled in the dark arts; her hair was healthy and sleek and she looked well-nourished but the biggest difference was the expression she had when looking down into the pram that he could only assume held "little Edward". This was what Bellatrix might have looked like if she had the capacity to love.

He was about to bid Granger a quick farewell but realised she was already on her way over to his mother. What the hell?

"Hermione!" cried Andromeda, pulling her into a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good thanks. How are you? And little Teddy?" She moved round to get a better view into the pram. "He has gotten so big!" It was then she noticed Narcissa standing next to her. "Mrs Malfoy." She said politely, before turning back to the child.

"Miss Granger" his mother replied with a smile that didn't touch her eyes. She then caught sight of Draco, and started towards him, her smile genuine this time.

"Hello mother," he said as she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Draco, I'd like you to meet my sister!" she pulled him over to where Hermione and Andromeda were standing, practically shoving Granger out of the way.

"Andi, this is Draco."

Andromeda looked at him appraisingly, "Hello Draco, I have heard a lot about you." From her expression he guessed she wasn't impressed by a lot of it.

"I'm sure you have," he said smoothly, "and sadly I should imagine most of it is true."

"Draco, don't be so rude!" his mother snapped, but by the look on Andromeda's face he had just gone up a little in her estimation.

Draco stepped next to Hermione to get a look at his little cousin, and was amused to see a chubby baby with an incongruous mass of chestnut ringlets on his head. Draco let out a laugh, when before his eyes the hair morphed into his sleek blond style. He had never seen a morphmagus change before, it was totally disconcerting, particularly from a child so young!

"It takes some getting used to." Said Andromeda, stepping up beside him. "He is getting more control now, before he would just change the colour, now he can mimic the length too!"

Teddy squawked and waved his arms at his grandmother, who cooed "Clever Teddy!"

"Well, we had better be going," said Andromeda. "It's nearly time for Teddy's tea! It was lovely to meet you Draco, I'm sure I will see you again soon."

She turned and hugged Hermione again. "Lovely to see you dear. I will send you an invite to Teddy's birthday party; tell Harry and Ron they'll get one too!"

"I will do!" laughed Hermione. "See you later." Hermione gave them all a quick smile before picking up her bag and heading for the barrier. Draco watched her retreating back and wondered how she seemed so relaxed when the atmosphere was so strained.

"So Cissy, are you still alright to have Teddy on Thursday whilst I do some shopping in Diagon Alley?"

"Of course," said his mother. "I'm looking forward to it! And of course Draco will be around to help!"

Great, thought Draco. I've only been off the train for ten minutes and I'm already being roped in to babysit!

"I'll see you on Thursday, then." They hugged, and then Andromeda started wending her way to the barrier into Kings Cross.

"How was the trip darling?" his mother asked. "Not too tedious I hope."

"No, it was fine." Actually, it was strangely good, he thought. Lovegood and Longbottom were unobtrusive travelling companions, and Granger was always easy company.

Narcissa took his arm and they walked from the platform together, talking of what they had been doing. Draco casually mentioned that he was seeing "the girl" the next night, and Narcissa could barely contain her glee; "Just let me know if you want me to approach her parents…"

Arriving back at the dingy house, Draco went an unpacked whilst Narcissa conjured dinner. The conversation was stilted; Draco felt rather annoyed that, even though she had vouched for them, Narcissa still seemed to view Hermione as being beneath them. He had thought it was only his father who truly believed the pureblood ideology, but maybe not.

Once he was lying in bed that night, Draco wondered what Granger had planned for them the next evening. He knew that this was the perfect opportunity to make his move, but was unsure how to do it. She was not immune to his charms, of that he was certain, and there had been that weird kiss behind the tapestry, so maybe it wouldn't be all that difficult…

They were sitting at breakfast the next morning when Narcissa began her inquisition about his plans for the evening.

"So, you're seeing her again tonight?"

"Yes." Replied Draco, already wishing he hadn't mentioned it to her.

"Where are you going?"

"Over to hers for something to eat, then she is taking me out somewhere."

Narcissa frowned at this. "I know we are no longer as solvent as we once were, but really Draco, you should arrange and pay for the date!"

"I mean, taking me to a place of her choosing then. I know how you think things should be done, but really, that formal courting style is not appropriate here!" He was getting fed up of this grilling; his mother's expectation for him to find himself a wife seemed to be turning into an obsession with her!

"Draco, I know you think I am being pushy, but time is of the essence! I just don't want to see you left without anybody. Once you are out of education it then gets a lot harder to find someone suitable!"

"Why couldn't I meet a girl at work? Or in the pub, or in a bookshop?" He was raising his voice now. "For goodness sake, I'm only 19!"

"Your father and I were married by the time…"

"I know," he interrupted, "and look how well that turned out!"

His mother looked hurt for a moment, before anger quickly spread over her features. "How dare you, you ungrateful little s**t?! We gave you everything you could possibly have wanted and I will not tolerate you speaking ill of your father or showing me such disrespect!"

Draco knew he had crossed the line; his mother had never sworn at him before. He knew he should apologise, but just couldn't bring himself to say it at that point.

"Get out!" his mother screeched. "Get out of my dining room!"

Draco stood and retreated to his bedroom, where he sat glumly on the bed. He shouldn't have antagonised his mother but she was putting so much pressure on him about getting married. He wasn't ready to marry anyone, had no desire to have children now, and the only person he was even remotely romantically interested in was Granger, whom he could never marry anyway even if she would have him.

After sitting for a while, Draco dragged himself downstairs to apologise to his mother; it would be a miserable two weeks otherwise and she was right, he hadn't been brought up to be disrespectful of his parents.

His mother was still in the dining room where he had left her so Draco walked around the table and resumed his place. "I'm sorry mother, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

"I'm sorry too Draco, I should never have used such foul language." She reached over and took his hand. "I know things are difficult for you at the moment; our change in circumstances, the loss of your father, the future that promises nothing but hard toil for you. That is the main reason I am pushing this Draco, I don't want you to have to do it alone. I wasn't just being flippant when I said I don't know what I would do if I had lost you, I honestly meant that. If you hadn't been there giving me a reason to carry on I don't know if I could have gotten through those first few days after the final battle. The horror of Azkaban whilst awaiting trial, fearing that we may be in that place for the rest of our lives, and then upon our release the shame of giving away the families lands and wealth. Giving away your inheritance and having to act like I'm grateful to do it! If it wasn't for you I would have gone the way of your father. I want you to have that Draco, that love for someone other than yourself that keeps you fighting!"

"But mother, I don't think a marriage that is arranged will precipitate a love like that." Draco was actually rather touched by what his mother was saying. In her own domineering way, she was just trying to help him.

"Not love for a wife Draco, that is too easily set aside. Love for a child!" She gave his hand a squeeze. "I will stop asking for now. You should go and enjoy time with your girlfriend, if nothing has come of it in six months' time, I will start some discreet enquiries."

Draco knew that was the best deal he was going to get for the moment. He would have to think of a new plan to stall her once the six months were up.

"Thank you mother. I am not ungrateful for all you have done, I hope you know that." He stood and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, before retreating back to his room. Glancing at his watch he saw he had several hours to fill before it was time to start getting ready for his evening with Granger. He decided to some Transfiguration revision by turning his books into a flurry of blackbirds, then into mice and then into tortoises and back again, which took up a little time, but not as much as he had hoped. He found himself wishing he had something like Hermione's music player to help pass the time.

Eventually the time moved on enough for him to get in the shower and prepare himself. He was feeling nervous again but tramped it down, he knew what he wanted to achieve tonight; some kind of agreement with Granger, ideally one that got her out of her clothes.

He styled his hair, shaved, put on aftershave and finally dressed in black jeans, a steel grey shirt that matched his eyes and the black blazer he always seemed to wear. Satisfied with his appearance he went down to say goodbye to his mother.

"You look nice darling," she told him, "don't worry if you are going to be out late. I'll put up the usual wards when I go to bed. Have a nice time."

"Thanks. See you later!" He didn't add that if he was lucky he wouldn't be coming home at all that night.