"Why am I more nervous this time around than I was before?" Hermione muttered to herself as she fixed her makeup in the bathroom mirror.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Draco answered from the bedroom, making her smile slightly.
"I'm still getting used to your range of hearing," She laughed. "It's a bit jarring, I'm not going to lie."
He walked into the bathroom and kissed her head. "I'm surprised you're not already used to it."
They smiled at each other in the mirror and he looked over before running a hand through her hair. "It's getting longer."
"I know," She sighed, reaching up to fix one of her curls. Her hair was now long enough to just barely brush her shoulders, and as she looked it over she frowned slightly. "Should I cut it again?"
"That's up to you, love," He said with a smile. "I liked the shorter look but I've grown fond of this as well. I know you probably don't want your long hair again."
"Not for a while, no."
He kissed her head again and went to grab one of his waistcoats as she continued to frown over her hair. It didn't necessarily look bad, but she had just grown used to the short bob and wasn't quite ready to let it go.
"Your hair looks fine," He said from the closet, causing her to jump.
"I never said it looked bad," She said.
He looked out and raised an eyebrow at her. "You've got that look on your face though."
"Do not."
"I've been around you enough to know by now what kind of face you make when you're unhappy with something," He smiled.
She sighed and leaned against the counter before looking back at him. "Do you think there's enough time for me to-"
"Nope."
"But-"
"I'm not letting you make a rash decision before we go meet my parents for lunch."
She scowled at him before reluctantly giving in. "Fine."
He smiled before taking both of her hands and saying, "I can make you an appointment to have it done professionally so that you can get that same length as before. I know you'll be upset if you cut it too short beforehand."
After thinking it over for a few seconds she decided that he was right. "Okay, that makes sense."
"Good." He squeezed her hands and then asked, "Are you ready?"
"I think so," She said nervously.
"It's alright; remember, my father likes you now," He said reassuringly.
"I still need to impress your mother," She countered.
"Which I fully believe you will." He then faltered, as if he was trying to decide on whether or not to say something else. "By the way...don't be surprised by the way my parents react around each other. Mother's just...become a little more reserved the past few years so it may seem cold and stiff, but they do love each other."
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise but she nodded in understanding. He squeezed her hands again and disapparated the two of them, landing shortly after in front of a beautiful restaurant that they had not been to yet.
Hermione stared up at the restaurant nervously as her stomach twisted itself into knots but he gently pulled her forward towards the doors as he draped her arm inside of his to be closer to her.
"Good afternoon," He greeted the host cheerfully. "My parents are waiting for us in the restaurant."
"Yes; right this way, Mister Malfoy."
As they walked through between the tables, Draco tried to ignore the chattering around him. While it had been a few months since they became public about their relationship, people would still whisper and mutter about the two of them whenever they went anywhere in the public. It was starting to grate on Draco's nerves, but Hermione seemed to be used to it and was able to successfully ignore the talk. He chalked it up to her being Potter's friend for years and the thoughts immediately went to the back of his mind as he caught sight of his parents.
Hermione slowed down ever so slightly and he gently pulled her forward again, giving her a reassuring smile. She didn't return it however and carefully maneuvered her way to be slightly behind him.
"Ah, Draco!" Lucius greeted warmly. He stood up from his side of the table as the two of them stopped on their side and looked between the two of them. "Good afternoon to you as well, Hermione."
"Good afternoon, Mister Malfoy," She answered curtly.
He chuckled. "Please, call me Lucius."
Hermione smiled and then glanced nervously at the quiet woman sitting patiently at the table. Narcissa Malfoy was still absolutely beautiful; her blonde hair was neatly pulled back into a tight bun with only a side-set of bangs sweeping neatly across her forehead. Her piercing blue eyes were set on Hermione, and her nose turned upwards ever so slightly at the realization of exactly who was standing behind her son.
Her expression softened only when Draco pulled away to walk around the table and embrace his mother, who stood up to happily meet him with a hug.
"Hello, Mother," He greeted warmly, squeezing her gently.
"Draco, it's so good to see you," She answered as she pulled away to look at him. "You are looking very well! Much better than the last time I saw you."
Hermione was shocked at the forwardness of his mother's words but Draco simply chuckled before saying, "Well, I am in a much better place mentally, physically, and emotionally than I was when you last saw me."
She smiled up at him with bright eyes, rubbing his arms slightly before he pulled away and gestured towards Hermione. "I understand you two have met already however these are much better circumstances so I would much prefer to think of this as the first time. Mother, this is my girlfriend: Hermione Granger."
Narcissa's eyes hardened as she looked over at Hermione and the smile disappeared. Hermione wasn't quite sure exactly how to react, but she nodded her head and said, "It's nice to see you again, ma'am."
The older witch simply made a humming noise as her arms dropped to her side and she sat down again. Lucius put a hand on his wife's shoulder and looked up to address both Draco and Hermione. "We're very happy that you two have decided to meet with us today. I hadn't realized how long it had been since Draco had seen his mother until a few days ago and I just couldn't let that slide."
Hermione couldn't help but smile at Lucius as she sat in the seat opposite him with Draco pushing her chair in gently. Draco then sat opposite of his mother and took Hermione's hand underneath the table, giving it another squeeze.
"How is work going, dear?" Narcissa asked Draco with a smile.
"It's going very well!" He answered brightly. "We're hoping to acquire a new vineyard soon!"
"Another one?" Lucius asked in surprise.
Hermione smiled. "It's the third one since May."
Lucius returned her smile and gave Draco an approving look. "That's very impressive, Draco!"
Draco beamed and looked over at Hermione as he said, "This one was actually Hermione's idea; I hadn't realized we dealt primarily with red wine until she pointed it out in early August and mentioned a rather nice vineyard located in New Zealand. I believe that they will be a great addition and will allow us to expand our customer base."
Narcissa's smile faltered slightly but Lucius's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? How much do you know about wine, Hermione?"
"Not as much as you and Draco, I assume," She said, trying to discreetly shrink down into her seat. "But I very much enjoy discovering new wines and it's pretty much common knowledge that I try to learn everything I can so this situation was no different."
There was a chuckle from both Draco and Lucius, but Narcissa's stern expression was unwavering. Hermione faltered and looked down at the empty plate in front of her as Draco sighed next to her.
"Speaking of wine..." He started. "...Would you mind if I order a bottle?"
"Not at all," Lucius answered. "I was considering ordering one as well."
He then looked over at his wife and asked, "Which kind would you like, my dear?"
Narcissa didn't look at him as she said, "I don't have a preference."
Lucius seemed unfazed but Hermione was surprised by Narcissa's coldness towards her own husband. Nevertheless, two bottles appeared on the table shortly after and both the Malfoy men uncorked the bottles. Hermione glanced over at Draco as he poured her a glass, but he only gave her a half smile before he looked towards his mother.
"Have you travelled anywhere interesting lately, Mother?" He asked in an attempt at finding a happier conversation.
She pursed her lips slightly before answering, "Unfortunately, no; I've only been to visit Aster Zabini a few times these past few months, but she's spent most of those times sulking about her son's newfound romance. It doesn't help that he's been ignoring his mother's letters since the Prophet broke the news that he's with that little blood traitor."
It seemed that this last sentence was more muttered to herself, but Draco and Hermione both discreetly glanced at each other nervously. Neither of his parents noticed their secretive look though, and Narcissa took a sip of her wine while Lucius then gestured towards Hermione.
"How is your work going in the Ministry?" He asked curiously, gently swirling the wine in his glass.
Hermione swallowed the sip that she had taken before nodding. "It's going very well! The amount of new cases has dropped again thankfully, and I've nearly collected enough research to begin working on the first of my papers soon."
"That's wonderful to hear!" He said happily.
There was a quiet huff and Hermione's shoulders dropped as Draco stared at his mother. Narcissa avoided everyone's eyes as she took another drink before glaring at Hermione.
"And is my son part of this research?" She asked then.
"Mother," Draco said in a quiet, warning tone.
Hermione frowned but answered, "No; I have clients who have volunteered to help me by giving me information about their experiences."
"And just what do you hope to accomplish with these 'papers'?" Narcissa asked, ignoring her son.
"I hope to further bridge the gap between society and those inflicted with lycanthropy," Hermione said confidently.
"That's a very large task to undertake," Narcissa said, swirling the wine around in her glass while she stared down Hermione. "I hope you're not planning on using Draco's status and wealth to get your research more publicity."
Hermione stared back at the older woman as the air tensed around the entire table. She then straightened in her chair and lifted her chin as she said, "No, I am not, and that is a very rude thing to assume of me."
Draco's eyes widened as he stared down at the table. He had never known anyone recently to talk back to his mother; he was even too frightened to talk back to her.
Lucius shifted in his chair uncomfortably and looked towards his wife. "Perhaps we should change the subject."
Narcissa only responded by taking a long sip of her wine and Lucius sighed before looking back towards Draco and Hermione. There were a few moments of painful silence and Hermione suddenly pushed her chair back before standing up.
"Excuse me," She muttered before rushing off towards the bathroom with her head down.
Draco watched her go sadly and as soon as she disappeared around the corner, he turned back towards his mother and asked, "Why are you attacking her?"
"I'm not attacking her," Narcissa said defensively. "I'm just making sure she isn't using you."
"Hermione has done nothing but help me," Draco said angrily.
Narcissa snorted with a roll of her eyes, which only caused Draco to become angrier. He opened his mouth to say something but Lucius cut him off.
"Narcissa, dear," He started. "Hermione is a lovely young woman who I feel is a good match for our Draco. She is ambitious and cares a great deal for him."
"I don't want our name and status to be used for her to climb the social ladder in this world," Narcissa said bluntly. "Too many people have tried to do that already."
"Hermione would never do that!" Draco exclaimed. "Mother, she is the most wonderful person and she is helping those like me; I would've thought that would make you happy!"
Narcissa breathed heavily through her nose and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Draco, but I cannot accept her."
"And why not?" Draco demanded. "You haven't even given her a fair chance!"
"She's not going to fit in with our way of life, she won't understand our ways." Straightening in her chair, Narcissa gave Draco a hopeful look. "I recently ran into Zinnia Greengrass and she delightfully informed me that her daughter, Astoria, is still single-"
"No."
Draco stood up then and glared at his mother, who gaped at him as she stumbled through her words. "But...but she is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and is a pureblood! She will be a good fit for-"
He held out a hand to stop her and looked away, closing his eyes and taking a deep, frustrated breath. "Mother, with all due respect, there is no one else on this earth that I could ever want as much as Hermione. Hermione is perfect, and I will not allow you to disrespect her in my presence. So either you be respectful and polite to her for the rest of this lunch, or I will leave with her right now."
His mother stared up at him in shock, gaping at her. Lucius was silent as he looked between his wife and son. Nobody moved for a good minute, but then Draco nodded and straightened up.
"Well, I suppose I have my answer," He said quietly. "I hope you change your mind, Mother."
He then turned around and saw that Hermione was just walking out of the bathroom with red eyes. Walking quickly to her, he took her hand and led her back out of the restaurant, neither of them saying a word.
A/N: So I love the idea of Blaise's mother being named Aster still so I'm carrying that over into this story as well as her being casted as Thandie Newton (absolutely wonderful actress by the way, please look her up when you get the chance). And I took a different take on Narcissa this time, I think you all will appreciate her reasoning when it is explained. I hope you all enjoy, love you all! <3