Hermione sat in the Aurors office shaking. It was the third time this month her apartment had been broken into. Nothing was ever taken, but she would always come home to find her door wide open, her things strewn everywhere. Someone was searching for something and she couldn't for the life of her think what it might be.
Ron sat next to her, a supportive arm around her shoulder. "I don't know why you don't just move in with me, 'Mione."
She sighed and shook her head. "We have been there before Ronald. We would kill each other."
Harry stuck his head out of his office and waved her in. She made her way robotically in and sat opposite his desk.
"You need to move out of there Hermione. It's dangerous." Harry stated without beating around the bush.
"It's my home," she whispered. "I can't live with Ron. I would probably rip his head off or curse his balls off after one night. We are just too different to live together. And before you even suggest it, I am not imposing on you and Ginny."
Harry slowly pulled his glasses off and massaged his temples. "We have no other options, Hermione. We can't run fingerprints, the wizarding world has yet to catch up with the muggle word with that bit of science. We can't trace their magical signatures because they aren't using magic, and you refuse to move somewhere safe."
"It's my home," Hermione repeated.
"You'd be safer living on the street," Harry muttered. Out loud he said, "We have one other option. You take in a border. Someone on the Ministry House Arrest Program. They can't leave the property so there is no chance of someone breaking in while you are out again."
"I don't think I am totally comfortable with sharing an apartment with a known criminal Harry." Hermione started wringing her hands. "Most of the criminals coming out of Azkaban now are minor Death Eaters"
Harry shook his head, understanding her worry. "I'll personally make sure you aren't stuck with some homicidal maniac. You know I would never do anything that would put you in danger."
Hermione gave a small nod. Harry was right. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
"Stay with Gin and I the night at least. I'll send Ron over to straighten up the apartment, and in the meantime I'll get someone on finding you a housemate."
Hermione nodded again. "Can I use your floo?" She asked in a small voice.
"Sure, Mione. And tell Gin I'll be about half an hour late while I sort this out, can you?"
They both stood and Hermione threw herself into her best friends arms, wrapping him in a bear hug. "You really are the best Harry." She kissed him on the cheek before walking over to the fireplace, throwing the floo powder. "12 Grimmauld Place!" She shouted before being sucked into the Eather.
Draco sat on the floor of his tiny damp cell. He no longer shivered like he did when they first brought him here. He was used to the cold and the damp.
His hair hung in long lank strands around his face and his naturally slight frame was bordering on waifish. His pale skin had taken on a transparent quality. He had memorized the little roads and lanes his veins made, imagining a tiny city lived under his skin.
According the scratches he had made in the thick stone walls of his cell he had been imprisoned for just under two years. Each brick represented a month and he made a mark every time a breakfast like meal came through the little slot at the bottom of his door. Of course, there were times he had misbehaved, especially when he had first been imprisoned. He learned quickly bad boys didn't eat. Some days it was just beans. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were beans. Those days got no marks either. Some days it was just overcooked ham and undercooked eggs. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Those days got three marks. maybe he had been in longer. Maybe less. It didn't matter anyway. He had no idea when he would be out.
Originally his jailors had taunted him. Telling him all about the fun they had torturing his infamous Death Eater father. After a few goes of that and receiving no reaction from the boy they switched methods. Then it was how fun his mother was. How she willingly spread her legs to them for a softer mattress or better food. Those were the days he didn't eat. It took him a while to learn to not react to them.
He didn't even know if his mother was in prison. Her trial was after his. She had barely done anything. She had saved Sainted Bloody Potter's life! She deserved better than this place.
"Ha! So the Malfoy heir is still alive, huh?" He heard a voice outside his door. It was recognizable, but he couldn't place it. Maybe a jailor? Maybe he was hallucinating again. It was possible, he hadn't eaten that day.
"Stand back, Mr. Cornfoot while I go in an' shackle 'im up." Came the gruff voice of his regular protagonist cum jailor.
Draco shuffled back to the far wall, shielding his eyes from the light as the door swung open. "Up ya stand, ya piece of shite! Some tosser from the Ministry wants a word with yer!"
He slowly slid himself up the wall. He stood with his legs slightly parted and his hands face down and out before him. It was rare someone wanted to see him. Usually, some Ministry official asking about one thing or the other they had found in the Manor. He knew the drill though. He didn't relish the beating he would get if he didn't comply.
The clink of the thick, dwarf forged chains rang around the room. The Jailor waved his wand and the chains attached themselves around his wrists and ankles. One end of the chain remained in the Jailors' hand like a leash. The man gave it a tug. "Well c'mon with ya then, Death Eater scum. It's bad manners to make them ministry pricks wait."
Draco shuffled behind the Jailor down the dark halls of the Azkaban fortress. All he could see of his visitor was that they were a male and had short black hair. It wasn't Potter though. He couldn't stand to see Potter. Too much had changed since the final battle. He couldn't admit he respected the wizard now.
He was finally led into one of the interview rooms off of his wing of the fortress. Honestly, it just looked like a converted cell. Small room. Thick stone walls. The only difference between his cell and this room was in the place of a tiny flea ridden cot, there was a solid metal table in the center of the room. There was only one chair as well. He was expected to stand.
The man who had come to visit him sat down. "It's been a while, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco stared at the man. He was probably around his age. He recognized him from school. A Ravenclaw maybe? Or a Hufflepuff? "I recognize you, but I don't know your name." His voice was dry and scratchy. You could tell he hadn't spoken in a long time.
"We were at school together. I am Stephen Cornfoot. Now a paralegal with the MLE office." the man flicked his wand, transfiguring a small chunk of the wall that had fallen into a stone stool. "Have a seat. We have some things to discuss."
Harry had remained incredibly tight-lipped on who her new housemate was to be. "Trust me," he would say, or "Believe me I won't put you in harms way."
For some reason, this only made her more nervous. Yet Harry had never done any wrong by her before, why would he now?
The morning light managed to break through the perpetually dirty windows at Grimmauld Place. It was as if all the dark magic in the past had tainted the house itself.
Hermione dragged her way out of bed and down to the kitchen. Harry was already up, sipping on a steaming mug of coffee. His hair was even messier, and it looked like he had been up for hours stressing.
"'Mione, you have to promise not to get mad with me." he said, stress evident in his voice.
Hermione sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. "I'm not going to like my new housemate am I?"
Harry cleared his throat. "Please understand that we didn't make this decision lightly. In the end, from the list of people due to be released, this person is probably going to be the one to cause the least trouble for you."
"Just tell me, Harry, please." Hermione snapped. Her nerves were pulled tighter than a piano wire.
"Draco Malfoy."
"WHAT!"
Harry flinched, and she could hear Ginny running down the stairs.
"I will NOT LIVE WITH DRACO BLOODY MALFOY!"
Harry cowered as he said in a small voice. "Well, Ron's offer still stands and so does mine. Like I said... He was the best of a bad bunch."
"I saw the list, Hermione. It really could have been worse." Ginny said as she sat next to her, rubbing small circles on her back. "I saw Gregory Goyle's name on that list. Can you imagine living with him?"
Everyone in the room shuddered. She couldn't believe she had to babysit Draco Malfoy.
"Or even worse. Pug - Faced Parkinson." Harry added, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"Argh!" was all Hermione could manage before she banged her head into the table. "When are we going to do this then?"
"As soon as you are ready. We had one of the paralegals bring him to your apartment at dawn." Harry said sympathetically.
"Might as well get it over and done with then." Hermione's muffled reply was heard.
"Let me get you a coffee before you even consider leaving," Ginny said as she moved over to the muggle latte machine Harry had insisted on getting.
Hermione still hadn't lifted her head, but from the noises coming from the general area of the coffee machine Ginny had finally figured out how to use it.
She couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy. Admittedly, it was better than either Goyle or Parkinson. But Draco Malfoy? Really? Surely there was some little-known robber about to be released from Azkaban or something. Or better yet, just someone who hadn't tried to kill her or torment her for most of her life. Was that seriously asking too much?
Finally, Ginny placed the steaming cup of java down in front of her. "Strong, sweet and milky. Just the way you like it." Ginny said with a twinkle in her eye. "Maybe living with Draco won't be so bad?" She winked at the coffee. "However you might need to get used to the lack of sweetness."
Hermione nearly gagged, and Harry actually wretched at Ginny's implication. "Are you kidding me?" Hermione almost screeched.
"You would have to be cold and blind to not admit he was at least attractive in school Hermione." Ginny grinned matter-of-factly.
"Merlin no! Not even once!" Hermione took a sip of her coffee. "Okay, maybe once. And only because I was a bit tipsy."
Ginny broke into gales of laughter and Harry turned a sickly green color. "I can't believe both my wife AND my best friend have fantasized over the ferret."
Draco paced around the small, but elegantly furnished living room. So this was to be his new residence. On one side of the coin, it was an upgrade to his Azkaban cell. On the other it was Hermione Granger's apartment. He was contemplating on asking if it was too late to go back.
Stephen Cornfoot sat on one of the plush embroidered couches flicking through some paperwork. He seemed to read Draco's mind. "There is no going back now, mate. You signed the release papers, and Auror's have added the confining wards to the place. Short of committing some grievous crime here, you are here for twelve months."
"But it's Granger! She is likely to cut off my balls and serve them to me for breakfast."
Stephen laughed. The man actually had the nerve to laugh! "Nah, she is harmless when you stay on her good side. A skill, if I recall from school, you had better learn quickly."
Draco just turned around and headed into the kitchen. He didn't even know why they had placed him here. Couldn't he do his house arrest at the Manor? Why wasn't he allowed to stay in one of the units the MLE gave to parolees? Who's idiot idea was it to lock him in a house with Hermione Granger?
Just at that moment, his silent question was answered when Bloody Saint Potter stepped into the room.
Hermione waited outside her apartment tapping her foot impatiently. She just wanted to get this done so she could lock herself in her room and never have to see the ferret-faced asshole ever again. Harry had only gone upstairs a few moments ago, but it felt like hours had gone by.
How was she supposed to live with Draco Malfoy anyway? He was a prejudiced pig. He was a branded Death Eater. She was tortured on his sitting room floor! How could Harry honestly think this was a wise idea? They would kill each other by sundown.
Finally Harry and a man Hermione recognized as having been in their year at Hogwarts came outside.
"Ms. Granger. Thank you for agreeing to this. I am Stephen Cornfoot. We were at Hogwarts together." He held out his hand and Hermione shook it loosely.
She vaguely remembered the man. He had been in Ravenclaw, but would have fit just as well into Slytherin. He had tried sucking up to her in second year to get better grades. He had been the perpetual tag along, always hanging on to whichever crowd of students could help him better at the time. She had never particularly liked him. Yet he seemed to have grown up some and come into his own.
"Yes, I remember you." She said, barely disguising her dislike of the man. "Is there any paperwork I need to sign? Or can I just go upstairs?"
Stephen shook his head. "No, Ma'am. Everything is signed. I will come up with you again and sit with you both to explain the terms of the arrangement and - "
"Are you saying this is going to affect the way I run my day to day life?" Hermione took a step back and raised her eyebrow at the man.
"Not too much, no. We will need you to come into the MLE office once a month for a meeting on his progress. But that's about it."
"Fine. Let's get this done with then." She swept passed both Harry and Stephen, her jacket flying back in the breeze her body had created.
"She reminds me of Professor Snape," Stephen said in aside to Harry. "I can't tell if that's scary or a turn on."
"Be scared," Harry said with a withering glance. "Be very scared."