tamingthemuse | Prompt 96 - Keckle - "Damsel In Distress" 4/?

Title: Damsel In Distress 4/?
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Rating: G
Warnings: none

Summary: Still waiting for Draco's arrival home, the Malfoys and Hermione are visited by something much more worrisome.

Birds sang in the garden outside her window as Hermione woke slowly, relishing the softness of the down-filled bed and the warmth of the magicked comforter that never seemed to lose its warming charm. She absentmindedly supposed that the charm was woven into the warp and woof, constantly cast while the blanket took form on the loom of some craftwitch from some unknown shop.

With a sharp tug, she climbed out of the laziness-inducing cocoon and pulled her nightgown over her head in a singular movement, dropping the crumpled fabric onto the floor as she headed to the en suite to clean herself up for the coming day.

Malfoy was coming home and she would get some answers from him. She would if it took badgering and hexing; her determination held no bounds at this moment.

As the hot water pounded against the skin and hair on her head, she leaned into it and let it massage the stress of being in the enemy’s lair out of her aching head. Even after their quixotic turn in the garden yesterday, she still felt that Lucius was measuring her worth and wondered if she was coming up wanting like she had for all her time in the wizarding world.

It didn’t really matter to her. The only thing that mattered today was finding out some important truths from Malfoy junior.

Her toilette complete, she summoned her robe from the wardrobe at the foot of the bed and went back into her gilded prison to find the house elves had set her room to rights and brought her breakfast while she showered.

Two cups of tea and three scones later, she was ready to face whatever the Malfoy family threw at her. Setting her face into an unreadable mask, she left her room and headed in the most likely direction—the front hall.

A house elf scurried past her and she stopped it with a quiet clearing of her throat. “I say, where might I find the master and mistress of the house?”

The elf looked frightened but bobbed its head and dipped low before her. “The Master and Mistress are having breakfast in the private dining room. Kimmy can lead you there if you like.”

“Thank you Kimmy—I would appreciate it.” Somehow, the Malfoy elves had adapted their speech patterns to something akin to an elf/wizard patois, combining their strange way of speaking into something more human, for lack of a better word. Hermione was more comfortable with elves than she had ever been from just this alone. If they allowed their elves to speak this eloquently (for an elf) then they couldn’t be all that bad.

Or at least she hoped.

The elf led her to a large mahogany door with a polished golden latch. “I will leave the miss here for now. Call for me if you have need of me.”

“I will, Kimmy.” With a soft smile she watched the retreating back of the elf as it hurried down the hall on a mission before turning to the door and opening it as quietly as possible.

It seemed that she was expected. Two similar faces with amazingly identical coloring turned to her as she slipped through the door, hesitant to interrupt their private repast. She stood with her back to the door until Narcissa Malfoy extended her hand and waved her to a seat.

“Do sit down, Miss Granger. You’re making me a knot of nerves just standing about like that. It’s almost as if you’re afraid we’ll eat you for breakfast.”

The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. “No, I thought more of a dinner entrée. With leftovers.”

Laughter tinkled wildly out of Narcissa's mouth, forcing Hermione to smile in return as she sat down in the elegantly turned chair. Lucius glanced up at her over half-moon glasses and met her eyes, a tight smile forcing its way onto his patrician mouth before he turned back to the Prophet that was folded neatly next to his plate.

“So, um, Draco comes home today?” Her throat was dry and scratchy for some strange reason. Narcissa noticed and a cup of tea wafted its way across the table to her, the sugar bowl and milk jug dancing along in its wake.

As Hermione prepared her tea, taking one lump and a dollop of milk to cool the hot beverage, Narcissa gave her a gentle smile. “Yes, I suppose that you are eager to pry into his psyche to find out what is going on. Believe me, Miss Granger, my son does nothing without reason. Even saving a life.”

“Oh, I understand that. I just want to know what he was doing in that cave at that particular time.” Hermione sipped her tea delicately and set the cup down. “I was attempting to retrieve something for the Department of Artifacts when the chimera attacked. It’s still down there—I got a few feet from it when that thing came out of nowhere.”

A loud clatter outside the window drew all their attention outside. Lucius stood and walked over to look out of the pane and turn back to the women with undisguised shock.

“It’s a flock of keckles outside. I’ve never seen them this close to inhabited areas.”

Narcissa stood, dropping her napkin carelessly to the floor. “I have. It was the night my father died. They’re harbingers of death and misfortune.” She looked first at Lucius, then at the inactive floo. “I do hope that nothing has happened with Draco.”

Hermione felt her heart leap into her throat as she, too, wondered the same.