Return to Eden

A/N: Sorry for not having this done sooner because of winter break and all, but if you knew my family during the holidays, you´d understand. Enough said. This chapter is very important to the overall plot so pay close attention. I´m about to throw some more characters in the mix. Hope you enjoy! PLEASE R/R!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: I don´t own Harry Potter. Although I *WISH* I owned Draco Malfoy.

Return to Eden

Chapter 5: Aftermath

It took almost an hour before Hermione calmed down enough for Draco to make sense of the situation. As far as he knew, something major must have happened to make her cry the way she had. In all honesty, he wasn´t sure if he wanted to know since he had never seen that kind of reaction from her before. Curiosity, however, got the better of him. He had to know why she had come to his house looking for him. If that was even why she was here.

Draco scooped her up from the floor and set her back down on the edge of his four poster bed. She sat there quietly letting her eyes trail across the patterns on the rug that adorned the floor. Hermione would have never believed she would ever step foot into Malfoy Manor much less the room of her enemy. The voice in her head piped up at that thought. Is he really your enemy any more? Of course he is, he´s still a Malfoy. But you just found out that your parents were friends. So, that doesn´t change anything. Are you sure?

"Yes! I´m sure!"

Hermione looked up to see Draco watching her with a cocked eyebrow. He had crossed over to his desk to retrieve the chair positioned there. He walked back over to where she sat and set the chair in front of her. He gracefully lowered himself in the high-back chair and propped his bare feet on the bed next to her. Draco had been dressed for bed in emerald, satin pajamas when she had unexpectedly stumbled out of his fireplace. Hermione was dressed in the clothes she had worn for the day; a beige cotton blouse, a brown corduroy skirt, and brown clogs. She averted her eyes from Draco while he got settled to not stare where his top was left open exposing the smooth, defined planes of his muscular chest. She impulsively tried to wipe her wet cheeks when she heard him clear his throat. Her eyes snapped back to his, noticing that he had that smirk plastered on his handsome features.

"So, do you always talk to yourself? Or is that a recent development?" His eyes held the air of teasing in them while he spoke.

She glared at him for all she was worth. She was not yet sure if she could trust him especially with what she had just discovered and what had just occurred. It seemed like everything was happening too fast. Her life had done a 180 in a day.

"No, I do not usually speak to myself. If that´s all you wanted to ask me, then I´ll be leaving now." Her voice took on a tone of disgust. "I don´t even know why I thought I could trust you. You´re nothing but a Slytherin bastard!" She hopped up off the bed and started towards the door before she felt a pair of strong arms take hold of her.

"Just wait a damn minute. First of all, you´re not going anywhere until you tell me what´s going on with you. Second, I think you´ve forgotten that this is my house. You can´t exactly go traipsing down the corridors. You´re just lucky that my father´s not home right now. He´s away on business."

"He´d probably just kill me anyway. Isn´t that what you want? Death to all Mudbloods? I bet you probably help him with all the torture. Well, I offer myself up without a fight. You can just kill me now and save us all a lot of trouble. One more mudblood gone." Her voice was becoming delirious during her rant, and she was having trouble breathing.

Draco was gazing at her as if she had gone mad. Either she was hysterical or she really did have a death wish. He was hoping it was the former.

"Just calm down. No one is going to kill you. Not while I´m here anyway." Draco smiled down at her with the last statement. With all the shock he had from seeing her, he had been too distracted to take notice that she was here. In his home. With him. It had been his greatest fantasy since that day in the prefects´ bathroom. The only problem was she seemed slightly unnerved. He had to find some way to pacify her.

Too bad she wasn´t going to cooperate. "That´s probably what you want me to believe. So I´ll go quietly. Quick and quiet, another mudblood dead. Well, I don´t think so. HELP! HELP! MALFOY´S GOING TO KILL ME!!!"

Draco clapped his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming. He lowered his head so his mouth was right by her ear. His voice came out a hiss as he spoke, and he shook her by the shoulders to emphasize his point. "What is wrong with you?! You´re going to wake the whole manor with your hysterics. You need to calm down and breathe. In and out." She complied and started to take deep breaths. He could feel her body lose its tension. "Good. I´m not going to kill you, but I won´t let you go until you promise to be quiet. Do you promise?" She affirmed that she did by nodding her head. He gently lifted his hand from her mouth.

Hermione looked up into those eyes she knew to be so cold, like ice. They were now anything but. For the first time in the whole day, a sincere smile crossed her face as she gazed into those eyes and she was able to forget all that had happened for a few moments. "Thanks. I panicked. I´m afraid I don´t handle some situations well."

Draco gave a small chuckle. "I think that´s an understatement. You lost your head there. But, on to more important matters." He took a deep breath and steered her back to the bed returning to his seat in the desk chair. "Now, what´s wrong?"

Hermione cautiously resumed her place across from the person she loathed for six years, but could possibly have all the answers to her questions. Upon hearing his question, she gave a bitter snort. "What isn´t wrong."

Draco appeared confused. "What do you mean? Not everything can be wrong."

Hermione gave him a look that plainly stated that she wasn´t kidding when she thought everything was wrong. "Trust me. My life went to hell and back today."

Draco leaned back in his chair clearly not believing her. She didn´t get top marks on something I guess. No, it must be something. She wouldn´t cry and put on that display over a mark. "Do you want to embellish on that a little bit?"

Hermione decided she had better start at the beginning. Maybe Draco could help her sort out everything she learned about her past. From the way Dumbledore spoke, he could probably tell her more about her birth parents. I have to remember to speak with Mrs. Malfoy as well. "Tell me about the Rosiers."

Draco´s eyes widened in surprise. He sat up in his chair and leaned closer to Hermione studying her with a wary expression. "Why do you want to know about the Rosiers?"

Hermione´s expression didn´t change as she spoke, her voice coated in sarcasm. "Just enlighten me."

Draco regarded her with a raised eyebrow, but proceeded to recite the information passed down from his father. "The Rosiers are a pureblooded family whose history goes back as far as the Malfoys. They were one of the first families to attend Hogwarts when it was first founded and have always been Slytherins. They are known for liking their privacy and siding with people of power. One of the more famous was Holcomb Rosier who helped defeat Uric the Oddball in the Goblin Revolt of 1302. The Rosiers are a very wealthy family and also rather large. The Malfoys and the Rosiers have always been closely linked over the generations." A smile spread across his face. "It´s pretty much always been the Rosiers, the Zabinis, and the Malfoys. Between the three families, we run the wizarding world."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the last statement. She just knew he would find a way to be arrogant about this. "Okay, that´s good. That all makes sense, but what can you tell me about the present Rosier family."

Draco continued to gaze at her strangely. These were odd requests coming from her. A mudblood wanting to know about a pureblood family. "Are you sure you want to hear about all this?"

"Yes. Tell me as much as you can. Boring details and all." She gave him a meek smile. This discussion of her birth family was taking her mind off of less pleasant things.

"If you´re sure." Draco braced himself for a long explanation. "My father´s best friend while he was at Hogwarts was Evan Rosier. They had grown up together since, like I said, the Rosiers and the Malfoys were close. His father was Winston Rosier who married Catherine Bromley. Evan was the oldest of four children. The other three were the twins Kerry, a girl, and Kyle, a boy, and then Natalie, the baby. They all graduated from Hogwarts as Slytherins."

"What else? What about after they graduated?" Hermione was eager to learn more about her new family. They were the only family she had left.

"Well, Evan got married around the same time as my parents to a French Duchess named Cordelia de Altair. She was my mother´s best friend and they were both in Ravenclaw. They had a daughter around the same time I was born named Regina. Kerry Rosier married my father´s second cousin, Julian Malfoy. They have identical twin girls named Calista and Serena. Kyle married Professor Snape´s baby sister, Melina. They have three boys, Anthony, Trent, and Dominic. Natalie is the proverbial black sheep of the family. She´s the only one to not have married by the age of twenty-five opting instead to develop charms for the international ministry. She´s written quite a few books on her discoveries. There´s cousins and such, but that´s basically the Rosier family. Is there anything else you wanted to know?" Draco was beyond curious by now. Why in the world would she want to know about the Rosiers? It doesn´t make any sense.

Hermione cocked her head to the side as she processed this new information. She enjoyed hearing Draco pick down her family tree. She decided she´d dig a little deeper. "Tell me about Evan´s wife, Cordelia."

"I really don´t know much about her. She was Head Girl while at Hogwarts. She transferred there from Beauxbatons because of some power struggle. Her family is probably the wealthiest in France and she was third in line for the throne. After Evan got killed in the Raids of 1981, she became a resident of St. Mungo´s as a result of torture from the Ministry. My mother goes and visits her occasionally. That´s really all I know about her."

"What about their daughter, Regina?" Hermione was on the edge of her seat hanging on to Draco´s every word.

Draco rose from his spot in the chair and began to pace the room. He ran a hand through his silver tresses before coming to a stop. "Look, why do you want to know all this? Are you doing some sort of special project or something? Because I can´t come up with any other reasons why you would want to know."

Hermione stared straight into Draco´s eyes. Her face wore a grave expression of complete seriousness as she stressed every word. "What happened to Regina?"

He studied her for a minute, as if measuring her validity, before responding. "Nobody knows what happened to Regina. She disappeared when she was only six months old. If she lived, which is unlikely, and made it to Hogwarts, which is damn near impossible, she would be in our year."

Hermione nodded as she listened, her eyes never leaving his. "Draco, I have something to tell you." She stood and made her way over to where Draco was standing laying a hand on his shoulder, her eyes holding the truth. "I´m Regina."

*~*~*

The afternoon sun was beaming down on the small town of Hogsmeade as Ron and Ginny Weasley made their way to the twins´ joke shop. It hadn´t been that exciting of a summer for either of them. It had been a couple of weeks since Ron had heard from Harry, but it had been only yesterday that he had received the strangest owl from Hermione. She asked to be opened up on the Floo Network which he, of course, complied, but was puzzled by it nevertheless.

It was no secret that Ron harbored a crush on Hermione. In fact, it was apparent to everyone at Hogwarts with the exception of Hermione herself. That was probably the reason Ron was presently worried about her. The letter did not sound like the level-headed Hermione he knew. If he didn´t know better, he would say that she might´ve been overwrought about something. He shook his head of the thought. He was, as likely as not, overreacting.

Ginny, on the other hand, had no idea what was plaguing her brother´s thoughts, but was positive that it had something to do with the female third of the famous Golden Trio. She knew what it was like to have feelings for someone that had no clue you were even in the same realm of existence. It was depressing to think that all she would ever be to Harry was `Ron´s little sister.´

Since there was nothing to do at the Burrow, Ron and Ginny had decided to come to Hogsmeade and hang around. The twins had invited them to come saying they needed someone to test their newest product. Before they became human guinea pigs, however, they had popped in over at The Three Broomsticks and had a butterbeer while visiting with Madam Rosmerta. It felt like it had been ages since the last Hogsmeade trip of the school year, and it seemed strange to be there during summer holidays.

As they walked side by side, Ginny turned her head towards Ron and took in his melancholy expression. She knew that he was worried about both of his best friends since the return of Voldemort. Especially Harry, even though they knew he was staying with Sirius and Remus for the summer. She decided a light conversation was in order. To take Ron´s mind off of unpleasant thoughts.

"So, why did Fred and George want us to come by the shop today? I don´t remember what the letter said."

"They want us to test their new product. Some kind of gum. I´m game as long as it doesn´t have anything to do with spiders." He shuddered as he spoke. "I still haven´t forgiven them for those Licorice Spiders."

"Oh, Ron. It´s just a spell. It´s not like they hurt you. They´re made of licorice for Merlin´s sake!" She let out a breath of exasperation. "Sometimes I wonder if you will ever grow out of that." They had arrived at the door of Weasleys´ Wizard Wheezes and pushed it open. A tinkling bell announced their presence as they entered.

"I don´t care. They have legs like a spider, and they crawl like a spider. That´s enough for me to stay far, far away."

Ginny just rolled her eyes at her brother as she browsed through the aisles of the joke shop. The shelves were lined with the ingenious creations of the Weasley twins, and they had a hard time keeping the store filled. The classic products were there. The Ton-Tongue Toffees, the Canary Creams, and the fake wands, but there was also hundreds of new inventions.

The Licorice Spiders, as Ron had previously mentioned, which crawled just like a real spider. Floating Apples that looked just like candy apples and made you float around after eating them. Five different kinds of Confunded Cookies that made you forget where and who you were for a few minutes. Shrinking Mints made you six inches tall for an hour while freshening your breath. Glow Worms tasted just like gummy worms, but gave your whole body a luminescent glow after eating. And Static Pops which came in eight flavors and made your hair stand on end while eating.

"Oy! Ron! Ginny! Come back here and help us out!" George´s voice carried out to them from the back room of the store where the inventions were made.

Ron shot Ginny a look that very clearly said `we´re goners´ before making his way to the back room. Ginny cautiously followed him in expecting the worst.

The room was filled with bottles and tubes giving it the look of a laboratory. And in the center of it all sat the infamous Weasley twins with identical mischievous grins decorating their faces as they held out what looked like two strips of ordinary gum.

Ron raised an eyebrow at the twins. "Okay, before we start the test which I´m sure I´ll regret later, I want to know what it does."

Ginny chimed in. "Yes. What does it do? Because if it´s something that mum will be shouting about later, I´m not sure I want to participate."

Fred and George exchanged looks before they put on a false air of innocence. "We promise that it won´t be anything you´ll regret. It´ll be over with before you get home so you don´t have to worry about mum." They extended the gum out once more.

Ron and Ginny reluctantly accepted the strips with wary faces. They studied the seemingly normal pieces before popping them into their mouths. They chewed as a few moments went by. Nothing happened.

"I think something´s wrong with them. Nothing´s happening."

Fred and George couldn´t hold it in any longer and they both burst out laughing while congratulating themselves on a job well done. Ron and Ginny looked at each other and their eyes widened in surprise.

"Your hair is orange!"

"Yours is blue!"

They ran to the side of the room where a mirror hung on the wall and upon seeing their reflection, gasped in shock. Ron´s hair had turned the same bright orange as the Chudley Cannons and Ginny´s had turned a turquoise blue. Automatically, both took the gum out of their mouths.

Ron reacted first, his face turning red clashing horribly with his orange hair. "What IS this stuff?! My hair is bloody orange!!!"

The twins were trying to compose themselves long enough to explain. Fred took the job upon himself. "It´s called Dye Gum. It turns the chewer´s hair into their favorite color. Don´t worry. It doesn´t last very long. But it´s still hilarious." He continued laughing with George at the expense of his youngest siblings.

Ginny, once again, rolled her eyes at the antics of her brothers. "It just figures that you two would come up with something like this. Annoying as you are, I have to give you credit for this one."

The four Weasleys laughed over the success of a new product. Suddenly, the tinkling of the bell could be heard as someone entered the shop. They stopped laughing and looked at each other before silently making their way to the door. A voice that was slightly panic-stricken sounded out from the front of the store.

"Ron?! Are you here?!"

Ron rushed out the door at the voice of his best friend, followed closely by Fred, George, and Ginny. "Harry? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Harry was standing in the entry way of the shop with Sirius and Remus close behind him. His face was pale and held feelings of anxiousness and worry. His usual bravery had flooded out of him as he stood before his best friend preparing to tell him his worst nightmare.

Ron took in Harry´s expression while noticing the presence of the other two that had entered the shop. Fear took hold of his heart and gripped tightly. "What´s going on?"

Harry looked into the face of each Weasley before speaking. "It´s Hermione."

Fear was squeezing Ron´s heart into nothingness as dread set in. His eyes grew wide in alarm and he ranted hysterically. "What happened?! Where is she?! Is she okay?! Have you seen her?! Have you talked to her?! WHY AREN´T YOU ANSWERING ANY OF MY QUESTIONS?!?!"

Harry grabbed Ron´s shoulders and tried to shake some sense into him. "Ron, calm down. You´re not going to be any help if you don´t."

Ron closed his eyes and nodded for Harry to continue. The rest of the Weasleys closed in so they could hear Harry speak.

"I got Sirius to take me to her house today because I had a bad feeling. When we got there, we found that her parents were killed last night. The house was ransacked and all her stuff was gone. Rowena, her trunk, everything. She was gone." Harry took a shuddering breath. "We think the Death Eaters took her."

*~*~*

In a forest cave, far away from both Malfoy Manor and the joke shop in Hogsmeade, an ancient hag stood next to a boiling cauldron that was large enough to hold two men. With her sat a beautiful sorceress, that looked to be of gypsy descent, and a nymph of fairy blood. The hag added a flask of black liquid that made the boiling stop and the contents turn blood red as she slowly stirred. A smile spread across her wrinkled and cracked features as she turned to the others, her voice a hoarse rasp. "It is beginning."

A/N: I´m sorry if I confused you with my section jumps. To clarify: the D/Hr scene is at night, the joke shop is the next day. Don´t worry, I´ll fill the space in between. If the last part seemed cryptic that´s because it´s supposed to be. Anyone wanna guess what´s gonna happen or where the three beings play a role? Be my guest. You´ll be seeing more of Blaise in the next chapter and Narcissa will also play a big part. I´m open to any ideas or suggestions. Also, tell me if I screwed something up. Once again, I would like to extend my humble thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review this story. It has received much more feedback than I could have ever thought. Thank you. And as always, PLEASE R/R!!!!!!!!!!