The Truth About Hermione Granger

The next day, which was Saturday, Snape met Hermione as she left the Great Hall after Breakfast. "I need to see you in my office in about an hour," he said. "You and I along with Mr. Malfoy have been invited to Malfoy Manor for the day. I've already cleared it with Dumbledore. We'll be traveling by flu powder. Please don't be late, poppet."

Hermione grinned at him. A new pet name? Snape was turning into quite the father! "I won't," she said. "Promise!"

He gave her a nod and grin as he entered the hall. Hermione turned and headed down the hall to find Harry and Ron. She had been famished when she woke up and hadn't been able to wait for them before going to breakfast. Now, though, she wanted to tell them where she would be for the rest of the day. They would want to hear this!

She found them in the common room, probably waiting for her. "Sorry," she said as she climbed through the portrait hole. "I was famished. Listen! My dad's taking me to the Malfoy's today!"

"And you're happy about this?" asked Ron, flabbergasted.

"Sure!" she said. "Maybe I'll see something incriminating! Anyway, look, I've got to get ready to go. I'll see you guys later! Maybe not even until tomorrow morning!" she added as she hurried up to her room.

As soon as she was changed, she headed down to the dungeons to meet Professor Snape and Draco for their journey to Malfoy Manor. She found them both waiting for her already. "Good morning, Draco," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Mione," he said, smiling at her.

Snape cleared his throat. "Shall we go?" he asked, standing.

"Sure," said Hermione.

Snape lit a fire in the fireplace and held out a little satchel of flew powder out of the top desk drawer. He offered it to Draco first, saying that he would put out the fire as soon as they were gone and aparate as soon as he got off the Hogwarts grounds. Draco took a pinch of flu powder and threw it into the fire. "Malfoy Manor!" he called, and was gone.

"Remember, Hermione," said Snape before he held out the powder to her. "You're a pureblood witch and proud of it! Be sure you act the part. If Lucius should ask about it, just tell him that you were SO ashamed of being muggle born and now that you know the truth, you're very relieved!"

Hermione nodded, took a pinch of the powder and threw it into the fire as well. She stepped into the lightly tickling flames and called out, "Malfoy Manor." She was quickly whisked away in a whirlwind. She kept her eyes closed until she felt herself slowing down. She opened her eyes and soon was tumbling out of a fireplace in what appeared to be a huge parlor. Draco stood ready to help her up as soon as she came through.

"Wow this place is huge!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Tell me about it," said Draco. "Do you suppose we should wait for Professor Snape?"

"I don't suppose he'll be long," said Hermione, looking around at the room. It was all done up in green velvet, silver and marble. She hurried over to a large window and looked out onto a huge garden with a fountain in the middle. "Wow," she said. "You really grew up here?"

"Sure," said Draco, grinning. "Lot's of places to hide when my father was angry with me."

Hermione grinned back at him. "I guess so," she said.

Just then, there was a popping sound and Hermione turned to see her father standing behind them. He only nodded at them and motioned for Hermione to draw herself up as tall as she could. She did so, trying to plant a look of smug indifference on her face. She must have been doing a good job of it, because Draco raised his eyebrows and nodded in approval. Soon, they heard footsteps and Lucius Malfoy burst into the room with a flourish.

"Hello, Severus," he said, completely ignoring his son.

"Good morning, Lucius," answered Snape, turning to pull Hermione to his side. "This is my daughter, Hermione."

Lucius sneered at her. "The MUDblood?" he asked, disgusted.

Without even stopping to think, Hermione pulled back her hand and slapped Lucius right across his face. "Don't you EVER call me that!" she hissed as her father grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "I am a full-blooded witch and don't you forget it!"

"Severus!" snapped Lucius. "Control your daughter!"

"Hermione, apologize," said Snape sternly.

"Why should I? He's the one who should apologize to me!"

"Do it now, Hermione!"

"I won't!"

"Hermione!"

"NO!"

This time, Hermione was surprised with a hand across her own face. "Now apologize!" snapped her father. "Immediately!"

She stood there defiantly for a moment. The slap hadn't really hurt and she could see the apology in her father's eyes, so she knew he hadn't meant it, but he only had to keep up appearances. Finally, she turned, and replacing the look of haughty indifference with one of arrogant pride, she said, "Sorry, Mr. Malfoy."

"That's better," said her father. "Now, as I was saying, Lucius, this is my daughter, Hermione, who I'm sure you know. Hermione, you remember Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes," she said, still keeping her chin high.

"A pleasure," sneered Lucius. Hermione only narrowed her eyes and let a sneer tug at her own lips. Lucius returned her stare in kind and the two continued to stare, neither backing down one bit. "Draco," continued Lucius. "Why don't you give Hermione the tour before lunchtime? I'm sure she'd just LOVE to see our house."

"All right," said Draco, taking hold of Hermione's arm and pulling her out of the parlor. "Come on, Hermione." He dragged her through the house until he reached the doors and led her out into the gardens. "Never thought you'd have the guts to slap my father!" he said as soon as the doors closed behind him.

"Well, he deserved it!" she said. "Really! Calling a full-blooded witch a mudblood! Just who does he think he is?"

"Okay, Mione, you can stop it now," he said. "You don't have to act for me."

"I know," she replied, grinning at him. "But it's fun! No wonder Snape does it all the time!"

"I never expected Snape to smack you, though," he said. "I nearly died!"

"He didn't hit me that hard," she said, shrugging. "Besides, I could see he didn't mean it and was only putting on a show. He had to really. Otherwise, your father might get suspicious!"

"My father's already suspicious," he said. "Well, he's suspicious of me, anyway. He thinks I'm trying to betray him or something. I don't know. He goes off on rants all the time lately. I think he's getting jittery because You-Know-Who knows he's got a mole."

Hermione suddenly stopped walking. "He KNOWS?" she hissed.

"Sure he does," answered Draco. "He always has. Anyway, enough of that. These are our wonderful gardens. Dad had them planted for mum, but she barely looks at them anymore. I think she wants a divorce."

"Really?" asked Hermione. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he replied. "I don't blame her! If I were her, I'd have left a long time ago. The way he treats her! He deserves to be buried alive!"

Hermione grinned as she turned to survey the house. It had four stories and was made entirely of red brick. She judged it to be at least one hundred rooms total. Finally, Draco led her back into the house and showed her all the interesting rooms. He ended with his bedroom. He said it was his bedroom, but it was really a suit. The first room had probably held all his toys when he was a kid, but now held several teenage wizard things, including a stereo, a great racing broom and some gag items like a fake crystal ball that would insult you when you gazed into it. "I got that from Goyle last year for Christmas," he said. "Swiped Professor Trelawny's real one for it once. Funny as hell!"

Hermione grinned as the ball told her that she was a great, slobbering git and turned to check out the other two rooms. One really was his bedroom and had a picture of Draco and his mother hanging on the wall. He was about six years old at the time and his mother was tickling him so that he laughed hysterically. Hermione couldn't help but giggle at the picture. "That's when my dad went away for a few weeks," he said, listlessly. "Mum was always happy when he was gone."

Hermione wasn't sure what to make of that, but Draco grinned, so she grinned back. She supposed that this must be why Draco had been so nasty. Perhaps his father didn't treat just his mother badly, but he treated Draco badly as well. She would have to find out. If Lucius had ever hurt Draco....

No, Hermione, she told herself. Stay out of it. You can't meddle in things and expect to remain undercover.

Finally, she checked out the last room, which turned out to be a private bath. It was magnificent with a huge bathtub, separate walk-in shower and a huge, floor length mirror.

"You really grew up here?" she asked, awed.

"Sure did," he said, smirking at her as he sat on the sofa in the first room. "This house has been in our family since the Malfoys were dukes! Come sit down for a minute."

Obediently, Hermione sat next to him. "It's amazing!" she said. "My parents had a big house, too, but nothing like this! It had six bedrooms, though. How many has this one got?"

"Thirty-five bedroom suits," answered Draco. "Just like this one. On the fourth floor, there are sixteen more bedrooms and some other rooms for servant quarters. But, that was before house-elves showed up here. They only need one room in which to pile together in a heap for a couple hours sleep. Or else they drop off wherever they are every four or five hours for fifteen minutes. Silly little things. They don't WANT to be treated well. They actually like being pushed around!"

Hermione only nodded. She had finally accepted the fact that House-elves did not want rights and dropped the subject. "They are mad little things, aren't they?" she sighed. "How many have you got here?"

"Only nine," he answered. "I mean since Dobby left. We used to have ten."

"Well, I guess you'd need that many to keep this place clean," she said.

"Actually, only three clean," he said. "We have two who cook, two who tend the gardens and two who tend the animals. They all have different jobs they prefer to do and as long as everything gets done, Lucius is happy."

Hermione looked over at Draco, curious. "You call your dad by his first name?" she asked.

Draco shrugged. "Sure," he said. "He never told me what to call him and my mum always referred to him as Lucius, so I started calling him that. He never corrected me. I don't think he likes being a father."

There it was! That was it! Hermione was sure of it now. Draco was mistreated, though she wasn't sure if it was just mentally and emotionally, or if it was physically, too. Just the fact that Draco thought that Lucius didn't like being a father revealed to Hermione that Draco felt that his father didn't act as a father should. But, was that abuse, neglect or verbal rebuke?

"Well," she said, finally. "Do you suppose we should go find our fathers?"

"Nah, they'll call us," he said. There was a long pause, and then Draco suddenly turned to her. "Mione," he said. "You heard what I said to Snape yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes," she answered. "Why?"

"It's all true," he said, hanging his head slightly. "I really HAVE liked you since first year. I'm always talking to him about you, but could never bring myself to do any of the things he suggested because I was afraid of my father. Well, now, Mione, I can say it and I don't care what your father says about it!

"I love you, Hermione Gran- I mean, Snape! I love you!" And with that, he pressed his lips to hers.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, pushing him away. "Draco, don't. You'll only get yourself into trouble. Look, we've both got to act like good little-" She stopped suddenly, realizing that anyone could hear them. Quickly, she pulled out her wand and cast a silencing charm on the room. Now, nobody could hear what either of them was saying unless they came in and they would hear the door open and be able to shut up before anyone heard anything they shouldn't. "As I was saying," she continued. "We both have to act like good little Death Eaters' children and do exactly what the Dark Lord says, no matter what we want! So, if Voldemort wants me to court another, you shall bite your tongue and go along with it! Besides," she added with a saucy smirk. "If it really comes to it, I wouldn't be opposed to an affair."

Draco looked at her wide-eyed at first, but then, seeing that she was joking, he smirked back at her. "Still," he said. "I DO love you, Mione. And, I can't stand to see you with another! Especially another Death Eater's son! Whoever he is, Mione, he'll be rough with you! He'll ruin you! Ugh! To think of Crabbe or Goyle with YOU! They wouldn't know how to treat a woman even if she told him exactly how she wanted to be treated! And NOTT! What a horrid brute! I can't stand it, Mione!"

Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure everything will work out okay, Draco," she said. "Even if I have to learn Avada Kedavra and kill him before we marry, I'll do it!"

He grinned. "I'd rather see you with Potter or Weasley, you know," he said. "At least they would treat you right!"

"I know, Draco, I know," she said. "And I'm beginning to see that you're not quite as bad as I thought you were."

He opened his mouth and was about to say something else when a sharp, loud bell rang somewhere within the large mansion. "Well, that's that," he said. "Come on, we'd better get to lunch."

He stood and held out his hand to help her up and the two walked down to the large dining room, hand in hand, only releasing one another just before they walked into the room.