"Well, I'm here." Hermione whispered to herself.
She appeared inside the flat, carrying only a small trunk and a cat carrier. Crookshanks was meowing loudly as he kept fidgeting, wanting to be released.
"In a moment Crookshanks." Hermione said softly, putting the carrier and trunk down.
She then stared around, taking in the part of the flat that was visible to her from that spot. She noticed the common room, with the couch and the black square thing in front of the couch, which she recognized as being a TV. She noticed the kitchen and smiled slightly.
Hermione wasn't extremely fond of cooking, always preferring to read a book than to spend hours preparing food. Nevertheless, she had indulged herself in the kitchen from time to time, so she was very impressed seeing how completely equipped it seemed at first glance. It had all the electronics a kitchen needs to be comfortable and easy to use.
Moving her eyes further than the kitchen, she saw the door to the balcony and her slight smile transformed into a full one. That place looked perfect to her, even from afar. Sitting on one of those chairs, a cup of hot tea resting on the table, a book in her hand and a pleasant breeze blowing over her hair. That was the image of perfection to her.
"Now that place I'd want to exploit to its fullest." she said, nodding inwardly. "I bet it would be great sitting there and simply enjoying the air and view in the evening, while the sun is setting. Yes, I'll be sure to try it out sometimes."
After this conclusion and being satisfied with finding something she really liked in a place she hadn't expected to find anything pleasant to herself, Hermione continued the survey. She turned to the left, noticing a small hallway.
Taking a few steps towards it, she soon saw the door at the end of it. That made her stop immediately. At first it was the color of the door which made her stop, but then something else made her feel a tingling down her spine.
The place was rather quiet, but after years of warfare, her hearing got better at picking up sounds. Hermione heard a sound as if a door had been snapped shut, then nothing. Everything fell quiet again. She frowned, stepping back from the hallway.
"Malfoy. He's here early as well."
The fact that she wasn't alone and the realization of who else was there, just a few feet away from her, made Hermione feel uncomfortable. She wanted to find her room quickly and shut herself up there. The reason why she came so early was to avoid something like this to happen, to minimize the risk of them having to bump into each other sooner than they had to. Apparently, her precaution was for nothing, as Draco, probably wanting the same thing, came early as well.
Hermione let out an annoyed sound, before levitating the trunk and Crookshanks carrier into the right-side hallway. She thought her room might be in that part of the flat, and sure enough, after taking a few steps into the hallway she saw the reddish door.
"Really? First the TV and now this. What's she playing at?" Hermione said, mockingly.
Thinking about Narcissa and her reasons to go to such lengths to ensure her comforts there, made Hermione's brow furrow. Nothing good could come out of a Malfoy who tried too hard to please. They were all Slytherins after all.
With these thoughts playing in her head, Hermione reached her room, opened the door and peered inside carefully. Finding that it looked safe enough, she let Crookshanks carrier down and opened its door with a flick of her wand, then levitated the trunk to the large bed. Hermione twirled around for a moment, taking in all the details of the room.
The space was large enough to be split into three sections.
On the left, Hermione saw a normal-sized bedroom, with a large double bed, half masked by crimson hanging curtains, and two nightstands. To the right there was a living room, containing a fireplace that occupied almost the entire wall, two armchairs and a small, cozy looking couch, all facing the fireplace. On the floor, beneath the couch and armchairs laid a thick, fluffy red carpet.
Looking further back into the room, Hermione's gaze was met by a row of large windows, with golden-colored drapes. In front of the windows, facing the door, was a small but elegant desk. It seemed to be made from the same wood Hermione's door was, cherry wood.
"Narcissa Malfoy sure is something. She's so detail-oriented." Hermione shook her head with a half-smile.
She couldn't help but be impressed with all of this. The space she was about to live in was actually very comfortable and nice. It was nothing like what she had expected. But, then again, what had she expected? A dungeon looking room? Or perhaps a real dungeon?
Hermione shook her head, smiling at her own imagination.