Hermione stepped up to the wrought-iron gates of the Lestrange Estate with a heavy suitcase in her hands. Inside her suitcase was everything she would need for the next three months. Assuming nothing went wrong with the final interview she would be given, anyway. Narcissa Malfoy didn't seem like the type to dangle an opportunity in front of someone only to snatch it away, but Hermione didn't know the woman well. They had only communicated through a series of letters a week ago.

Hermione had graduated from Hogwarts two days previously. She had been Head Girl and had received no less than seven N.E.W.T.s. It was the end of a very impressive scholastic career, and (hopefully) the beginning of a bright future for Hermione at the Ministry of Magic. A highly-sought internship at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement awaited her, but Hermione had been forced to decline the offer. That was because of the dire letter she had received from her mother a month ago.

Her parents were both dentists and had a successful practice. Or so Hermione had thought. For the last few years, she had noticed that her parents seemed to have fewer patients than before. Her father was always quick to assure her that things were fine, and Hermione was too focused on studying during the summer break to put much thought into the matter anyway.

The truth had first come out in a letter from her mother a few months ago. The opening of a new dental office nearby, replete with a spa-like facility, had stolen away the few patients they had remaining. Moving to another town was out of the question, unfortunately. Her parents didn't have the money to open a new practice, and what's worse, their house was leveraged as well. From her mother's most recent letter, Hermione had learned that her parents were in danger of going bankrupt and losing everything they owned.

Hermione's parents had told her, in no uncertain terms, to ignore their problems and to focus on her career. But how could she? Her parents had sacrificed a lot for her sake. Hermione had to at least try to help them.

Making a great deal of money as a soon-to-be graduate of Hogwarts was easier said than done, however. Hermione had asked around the Ravenclaw common room to see if anyone knew of a job where she might be able to make some quick money. Nobody did. Hermione had then asked the teachers for some advice. They had been less than helpful. The teachers had all told Hermione to listen to her parents and to accept the prestigious internship she had been offered.

Help, when it did arrive, came from a very unexpected source. Word of Hermione's quest for money had reached the Slytherin common room. Draco Malfoy had found her in the library one day and had told Hermione that his parents were looking for a maid to work at the Lestrange Estate.

At first, Hermione had assumed he was making fun of her and (as Head Girl) had threatened to give him lines. Draco Malfoy was a pureblood, and over the years, he had made Hermione's life quite difficult. She was muggleborn, and even though the term meant less and less as time went on, people like the Malfoys did their best to keep it relevant. In Draco's case, it had meant calling her a mudblood over and over again. Though he had wisely ceased doing so as soon as Hermione had become a Prefect.

Draco's offer was quite serious, however. And as soon as he told Hermione about the number of Galleons she could make as a maid to a pureblood family, he had her full attention. Even so, Hermione was prepared to reject Draco's offer. He had antagonized her too many times over the years. She would not stoop to serving him like that, no matter how much money was involved.

Draco had clarified that Hermione wouldn't be working at Malfoy Manor, however. The job opening was at the Lestrange Estate. Hermione hadn't really understood why Draco's family would be hiring for a service job that wasn't at their house, but the interconnectedness of pureblood families had escaped her. Now, Hermione knew better. Narcissa Malfoy was a sister to Bellatrix Lestrange, who was the current owner of the estate.

Not knowing how to contact Bellatrix, Hermione had instead sent a respectful letter to Narcissa inquiring about the position. Narcissa had written back the very next day. The woman wanted a list of Hermione's qualifications, some information about her upbringing, and (strangely enough) a picture. Hermione had written several parchments worth of information for Narcissa's first two requests and had sought out Colin Creevey and his camera to fulfill the last one.

Hermione hadn't held out much hope that she would be hired. The "upbringing" part concerned her the most. If her son was anything to go by, Narcissa Malfoy must be similarly concerned with Blood Status. Being a muggleborn would almost certainly disqualify Hermione from consideration.

Hermione had never been more pleased to have been wrong. Narcissa had written back the next day. The woman explained to Hermione that, pending a "final interview", she had been hired. Hermione was to show up to the Lestrange Estate within a week of graduating and would work there as a live-in maid for three months. For this, Hermione would be paid an eye-popping sum of four hundred Galleons a month, or two and a half Galleons an hour working full-time. That would convert to a muggle currency of twenty pounds an hour! Some quick math was all Hermione needed to learn that she would make almost ten thousand pounds by the end of the summer.

That would be enough to save her parent's house from being foreclosed, at least. Ecstatic, Hermione had written a profuse thank-you letter to Narcissa and had sent the good news to her parents. Predictably, they had been angry that Hermione hadn't listened to them. But the decision had been made. Hermione had already declined her internship. There was no going back now.

It wasn't like it was the end of her Ministry career. Hermione had explained that she would simply apply to a less prestigious department later on, such as the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It would mean for a slower career path than Hermione would otherwise have been on, but that was a small price to pay in order to save the house she had grown up in.

The iron gate opened as soon as Hermione touched it, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. No one was around, but it seemed as though she had been expected. As she walked through the open gate, Hermione's view of the Lestrange Estate was no longer blocked. The grounds inside were sweeping, and between two large, somewhat overgrown gardens was a wide stone path that led to the manor.

The black, regal manor house looked gigantic to Hermione's eyes, though she really didn't know how it compared to other rich, pureblood residences. For all she knew, it could be a cottage in comparison to Malfoy Manor. Hermione rather doubted it was, though. This manor was easily five or six times the size of the house she had grown up in.

As Hermione neared the manor, a house elf suddenly Apparated in front of her. Hermione dropped her suitcase in surprise and stepped backward, barely keeping herself from shrieking. The house elf, who might have been female (it wasn't so easy to tell, as the elf was only wearing a tea towel), curtsied to her.

"Hello. Miss Granger, is it?" The house elf asked politely, keeping her knees bent and her head bowed.

"Y-Yes." Hermione answered after a moment, having collected herself.

"Please follow me. Mistress Malfoy is waiting in the first-floor study." The house elf said again, turning around and walking toward the manor.

Hermione picked up her suitcase and followed. The first-floor study. Did that mean there was another study on the second floor? How many studies did one house need? The door opened with a wave of the house elf's arm. Hermione took note of that with interest. Was the door enchanted, or did the house elf use their own brand of magic? She had to remember to ask later.

Wait a minute. Hermione had been so surprised by the house elf's jarring appearance that she hadn't thought about what that fact signified. There was at least one house elf here. If the Lestrange Estate had house elves working there, then why did they need a maid? Hermione followed the house elf inside, wondering what she was really here for.

The grandness of the entrance hall made her temporarily forget that question. The floor was marble, the walls were made from dark oak, and rich, clearly old tapestries hung from the rafters. Hermione couldn't help but stop and gape at the wealth concentrated here. The house elf coughed politely, however, and Hermione got herself moving again.

They crossed the entrance hall and entered through a door on the other side. Hermione thought that might be the study, but no, the door only led to another hallway. The house elf seemed to have no trouble navigating the corridors, and Hermione could only hope that she wouldn't get lost too often here. The house elf led Hermione to the third door on the right and knocked quietly.

"Come in." came the voice of a woman, calling through the door.

"You can leave your suitcase here, Miss Granger. I will take it to your room." the house elf said quickly, curtsying once more.

Hermione set her suitcase down, reflecting on the fact that the house elf considered her to have already been hired. That had to be a good sign. The house elf skipped forward, touched the handle of her suitcase, and Disapparated with a loud crack.

Hermione found herself alone in the corridor. She took a deep breath to help calm herself, then reached for the handle of the door. Hermione opened the door and walked inside. A small, though richly-decorated study greeted her. There was a large oak desk in the middle of the room, and behind it sat a woman in an emerald dress.

Hermione's first thought was that Narcissa Malfoy was a beautiful woman. She was blonde, with cold blue eyes, pale skin, and she appeared to be in her late thirties. Narcissa was looking at her in a very measured way. Though the blonde woman smiled at her, Hermione noticed the woman's smile slip slightly as she took in Hermione's clothing. Hermione was wearing jeans and a simple white top. Perhaps Narcissa didn't approve of Hermione's muggle clothing? That was unfortunate, but Hermione really hadn't had much of a choice.

"Hello, Miss Granger. Please sit down." Narcissa said after a moment, motioning to the chair in front of the desk.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. Let me just say I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be here." Hermione replied as she sat down, striving to sound both polite and eager.

"Of course, of course. I was very impressed by your list of accomplishments. Seven N.E.W.T.s! My son only got four, I'm afraid." Narcissa remarked lightly, continuing to gaze evenly at Hermione.

"Oh. Yes. Draco and I know each other." Hermione said awkwardly in response.

That was something Hermione had been wrestling with. Draco had bullied her quite a bit during their first and second year. Hermione hadn't been able to make any friends in Ravenclaw, so she mostly stayed in the library when she had any free time. Such a habit had helped Hermione rise to the top of her class, but Draco (and others in her own house who were envious of her academic ability) was always there to bring her down a peg with a cutting insult.

Draco had likely brought up Hermione in a derogatory way to his parents at some point. What that meant for Hermione's chances of being hired by Narcissa Malfoy was unclear. Hermione had a very difficult time reading the woman. Narcissa's face was studiously blank, except for when the woman seemed to want her feelings to be known. Hermione rather suspected that Narcissa wanted her to know that her choice of clothing was unsatisfactory without coming out and saying so.

"What I'm curious about is why, with such excellent grades, you are so interested in being the maid here at my sister's estate." Narcissa said softly, letting her question hang in the air.

Hermione thought for a moment before answering. Obviously, the excellent pay was the reason why Hermione was here. But Narcissa had to know that already. What the blonde woman was really asking was why Hermione needed the money so badly that she was willing to work as a servant to a pureblood family. Hermione decided to answer Narcissa's real question, and to answer it honestly. Her experience with Narcissa, brief as it was, told her that lying to this woman would not be a very good idea.

"My parents are deeply in debt. They're in danger of losing their house. I need the money from this job to keep it from being foreclosed." Hermione replied quietly, hoping she wasn't giving Narcissa too much leverage over her.

"That's a terrible shame, my dear. You have my sympathy." Narcissa said absently, sounding somewhat less than truly sympathetic.

"But...that's the reason why I'll work very hard and do the very best job I can. You can count on me, I swear." Hermione said intently.

Hermione could tell instantly that pity was not going to help her. The wealthy pureblood woman no doubt already had her pick of charity cases. Narcissa's eyebrows rose approvingly at Hermione's confident statement, however.

"I like the sound of that. I do need someone driven to succeed at this job. My sister's demands can sometimes be unreasonable." Narcissa said with a genuine smile, tapping her fingers on the desk.

"Whatever they are, I'm certain I can handle it." Hermione replied confidently, thinking that if she could swing seven N.E.W.T. classes while fulfilling her duties as Head Girl, then Bellatrix's demands would be easy by comparison.

"I like you already, Miss Granger. I think you're perfect for this job, to be honest." Narcissa said approvingly, locking gazes with Hermione.

Hermione's breath caught, and she was unable to look away from Narcissa's blue eyes. Something about being praised by this woman (who, Hermione would wager, did not give out praise easily) was oddly pleasurable. Hermione couldn't afford to spend too long spellbound, however. With some effort on her part, she blinked and attempted to collect herself.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione replied softly, trying to sound as confident as before but not quite succeeding.

"Hmm. If you're going to be the maid here, you'll need to refer to me differently. You will address me as Mistress Malfoy, or simply Mistress when we're alone." Narcissa said sharply, looking into Hermione's eyes once more.

"Y-Yes, Mistress." Hermione answered in an embarrassingly breathy tone, completely unable to look away from the older woman's gaze.

"Very good. Now let's go over your duties." Narcissa said calmly, with a small smile on her face.

Her duties? Of course. Hermione blinked once more and tried to pull herself together. She was going to blow this if she couldn't focus. Hermione's sudden, quite unexpected attraction to Narcissa Malfoy was clouding her thoughts. Being attracted to her employer was a complication that Hermione hadn't planned for at all.

"As you already know, we have house elves here at the estate. Two of them. Mani and Teoni. They'll be taking care of most of the cooking and cleaning." Narcissa explained easily, drumming her fingers on the desk once more.

So Hermione had been correct. The house elves here already had a handle on the work the manor required. Hermione kept her questions to herself, however. Narcissa would doubtlessly explain her purpose here shortly.

"What you will be doing is providing a human touch. The house elves will cook the meals, but you will be serving them to us. They will be cleaning the rooms, but you will be there to attend to my sisters and I. If we require it, you will help us select an outfit, help us dress, and fulfill any other tasks we may have for you. In addition, you will greet guests and ensure that their stay here is as pleasant as possible." Narcissa detailed in a cool tone.

Hermione's listening ability was such that she was able to memorize Narcissa's words even as her imagination was overtaken by the image of the blonde woman wearing very little in front of her. Hermione did the best she could to not blush at the thought, but she doubted she could hide very much from Narcissa at this point.

"As our servant, you will be representing the Lestrange family as well as my own. Needless to say, Miss Granger, you will do so with grace, poise, and dignity. Is that understood?" Narcissa asked sharply again, her voice leaving no doubt as to the answer she expected.

"Yes, Mistress." Hermione answered without a trace of hesitation.

"Excellent. Now...I don't want you to think I was unmoved by your need, Miss Granger. I am willing to advance you your payment now, if you wish." Narcissa said after a moment, sounding a little warmer than before.

"You...you will?" Hermione asked with quite a bit of surprise in her voice.

"I am. The full three months pay. On one condition." Narcissa said silkily.

Hermione could hardly believe it. If she got her pay in advance, her parents would not have to live during the summer under a cloud of uncertainty. Hermione very much wanted to provide them with that peace of mind. Assuming that Narcissa's condition was not too onerous, of course.

"What is the condition, Mistress?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Narcissa didn't answer immediately. Instead, the blonde woman reached into a drawer and stood up from the desk. She was holding something circular in her hand. Hermione couldn't quite tell what it was until Narcissa walked out from behind the desk. She was holding a bracelet of some kind. It was silver, and it shone beautifully in the light.

"You will have to wear this during your stay here." Narcissa said simply, a fetching smile on her face.

"A bracelet, Mistress?" Hermione asked very politely, wanting more information before she committed.

"Yes, Miss Granger. You will not be able to remove it as long as you are a maid here. It will prevent you from leaving the estate without receiving my, or my sister's permission. It's not all bad, however. When you do leave here, I will allow you to keep the bracelet as a gift." Narcissa explained coolly.

Hermione stared at the bracelet. Her common sense told her to reject Narcissa's proposal. What if her duties proved to be too difficult or unpleasant to stand? Hermione would be literally prevented from leaving without working the full three months, regardless. It was a foolish condition to accept just to get the money quicker.

On the other hand, getting the money quicker had its benefits. Also, removing her option of leaving had an upside. This way, a particularly bad day of work could not cause her to quit prematurely, leaving her without nearly enough money to save her parent's house. It wasn't a great argument for accepting Narcissa's proposal by itself, but...

If Hermione was being entirely honest with herself, there was something exciting about the idea of putting on the bracelet. If she did, then she would truly be under Narcissa's control. Hermione would have little choice but to obey her Mistress's instructions, whether she liked them or not. Before Hermione had met the blonde woman, she would have said that being under someone's control like that had no appeal to her. But now, Hermione most certainly saw the appeal. Or she felt it, anyway.

"I need a decision, Miss Granger." Narcissa said softly, a note of impatience in her voice.

Hermione looked up into Narcissa's icy blue eyes and made her decision. It was a foolish one, no doubt, but it nevertheless felt right to her. Hermione wordlessly extended her hand towards Narcissa, her palm upward, and presented her wrist to the blonde woman.

Narcissa smiled and reached down to fasten the silver bracelet onto Hermione's wrist. There was a clear opening on one side, but as soon as Narcissa attached the bracelet to Hermione's wrist, the opening vanished completely. It melded perfectly to Hermione's skin and looked as though it had always been there, and (most exciting of all) always would be.

Narcissa's fingertips brushed the sensitive skin of Hermione's wrist and the contact made her heart flutter. Narcissa's fingers were incredibly soft. The blonde woman held her wrist for several seconds longer than was necessary, not that Hermione minded in the least. She was once again held captive by Narcissa's assertive gaze, and this time, there was no doubt that Hermione was a prisoner in more ways than one.

"You must be tired from the journey, Miss Granger. Take my advice and rest for a few hours in your room before dinner. Teoni will show you where it is." Narcissa said coolly, releasing Hermione's wrist after a time.

"Yes, Mistress Malfoy. I will." Hermione answered at once, her thoughts oddly scattered.

"A maid outfit will be hanging in the closet in your room. Put it on when you wake up. You will be expected to wear it whenever you are on duty." Narcissa explained further, walking back to her desk.

"I understand, Mistress." Hermione murmured softly, inwardly eager to put on something that would meet the woman's approval.

"Your pay will be given to you after dinner. That will be all. You are dismissed, Miss Granger." Narcissa said smoothly, the picture of composure.

Hermione nodded and stood up. Hermione wanted to express her feelings to Narcissa. Something about how grateful she was, or how intensely excited she was to begin working here. But Narcissa was no longer looking at her. The blonde woman had turned her attention to the papers on her desk. Hermione had indeed been dismissed.

Hermione was a little off-put by the way Narcissa was ignoring her. They had just shared an intense connection. Hadn't they? Instead of being annoyed, however, Hermione was filled with an odd sense of longing. Hermione wanted Narcissa's attention, but the blonde woman was intentionally withholding it. And Hermione did not dare to try to demand it.

There was only one thing to do. No doubt this was precisely what Narcissa intended for her to think, but Hermione was forced to conclude that she would have to wait until the woman who had such power over her would deign to pay her some attention again. And until then, Hermione was determined to do everything she could think of to gain Narcissa's approval.