With all that commotion outside, the wizards in Malfoy Manor had definitely noticed someone was coming.
Sure enough, as soon as Draco passed through the gates, before he had even reached the largest building on the grounds, he could already see someone coming from afar to greet them.
Judging by the tall figure, it was a witch.
And the only woman who would appear here was probably that one person...
"It's Lady Malfoy! She must have been dying to see you, Draco."
"Mm, I think I can already see a whole table covered in cookies."
"Uh... good luck, Draco."
"..."
Pansy and Astoria's comments made Hermione look toward Draco, not really understanding what they meant. And after hearing them, Draco's face showed obvious helplessness.
Hermione, still unclear on what the problem was, felt nervous about the people and things she was about to face, but she was also a little curious about their strange reactions...
Noticing Hermione's gaze, Draco gave a small shake of his head. "It's nothing. My mother just has an extraordinary passion for baking cookies. I think you can probably tell from the Christmas gifts every year."
"You mean those sweet cookies that make Goyles and Crabbe eat until they're stuffed every year?"
"Mm... those are my mother's work."
Hermione could now understand why Draco looked so resigned, but her attention quickly shifted to the figure drawing closer.
"So... that person is..."
"Yes, my mother."
Even from a distance, the dazzling blonde hair shining in the sunlight, her tall figure, and her pale skin were enough to show that she was a rare beauty.
And the witch who had come out to greet Draco and the others was none other than the current mistress of the Malfoy family, Narcissa Malfoy!
...
In truth, Hermione had only ever met one member of Draco's family before, Lucius Malfoy.
And from that Malfoy, all Hermione had felt was the arrogance and distance of a pure blood, which made her worry that Draco's family might not welcome her.
Now that she thought about it, the fact that she was standing in Malfoy Manor today was actually rather unbelievable, wasn't it?
While Hermione was thinking about all this, they arrived before Narcissa without her even noticing.
Then, in the very next second, the scene before her made Hermione's eyes widen in shock...
"Wuwuwu, darling, I missed you so much~"
"...."
Suddenly pulled into a hug, Draco raised both hands with practiced ease, clearly used to letting the other party vent her emotions.
"Darling, have you lost weight again? Don't tell me you haven't been eating properly. Your father and I have both been worried about how things are going for you at school. Listen, your father is very unhappy about what you've been doing lately. He doesn't like you getting involved in these matters at all."
"..."
She clearly had no intention of giving Draco a chance to answer. The words just kept pouring out without pause.
Held tightly in Narcissa's arms, Draco's expression could not be seen, but the girls beside him seemed able to sense the helplessness in his heart anyway.
And this did not seem to be the first time such a scene had happened.
Hermione noticed that Pansy and Astoria were not especially surprised. If anything, they looked amused, as though this was exactly what they had expected.
Seeing that, Hermione immediately understood this definitely was not the first time.
And because of that, her expression turned a little odd, and the way she looked at Draco became rather subtle...
'This is a little different from what I imagined.'
Lady Malfoy's first impression on Hermione was not exactly cold, but she definitely did not seem like the kind of woman who would wear all her emotions on her face.
Yet who would have thought that in front of everyone, she would reveal such an... unsteady side of herself?
'Maybe they really aren't that different from an ordinary family after all.'
For some reason, seeing this eased the tension in Hermione's heart almost at once.
Maybe it was because the image of Narcissa she had built up in her mind had completely shattered.
But to Hermione, that shattered image might actually have been a good thing.
Still not having noticed that Draco's group now included Hermione, Narcissa wiped at the corners of her eyes, despite there not being a single tear there, then released Draco and turned her gaze toward the bowing Kreacher and Dobby...
"Go prepare dinner."
"Yes, leave it to Dobby."
"Yes, respected madam."
With a crack, Dobby and Kreacher vanished straight into thin air.
What was worth noting was that when she had been giving orders to Dobby and the others just now, Narcissa seemed to have turned back into the mistress of the Malfoy family.
But the next second, when she looked at Pansy and Astoria, a smile reappeared on her face. For some reason, though, Hermione thought she caught a trace of mischief in it.
"Has Draco been bullying you two at school? You know what he's like. Draco is just like his father, completely hopeless at taking care of girls, stiff as a piece of wood."
"Exactly! You have no idea what Draco is like at school..."
It was as if she had said exactly what was on Pansy's mind. Pansy, who had looked a little embarrassed a moment ago, immediately became animated at the topic, while Astoria stood beside her with a smile.
This warm and harmonious scene made Hermione, who could not get a word in at all, feel a little envious.
Just as Hermione was starting to feel somewhat lost, Narcissa seemed to remember something and suddenly looked over in her direction...
"You must be Hermione, right?"
"Eh, yes!"
Completely unprepared to hear her own name called, Hermione first answered in a fluster, then quickly recovered and performed the wizarding curtsy she had practiced for so long.
It was worth mentioning that before coming here, she had specifically asked Pansy to teach her properly.
And Hermione's little head really was very clever. The curtsy she performed at that moment was polished enough that even Narcissa, standing right in front of her, could not point out a single obvious flaw...
"How lovely. No wonder Draco mentioned you in his letters."
Narcissa stepped forward and took Hermione's hand, making Hermione's whole body stiffen as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Eh?"
'In his letters? Draco?'
Hermione had never heard a word about this. She abruptly turned to look at Draco standing nearby, and her beautiful brown eyes filled with emotion and a gentle warmth.
Clever as she was, she understood at once.
Sure enough, if Draco had not said something to his mother in advance, there was no way Narcissa's attitude would be this warm.
Not to mention remembering a young witch who was not even pure blood...
The only thing Hermione was curious about now was what exactly Draco had written in those letters.
Had he described her as cute?