Sparks flew through the air and curses were shouted from the small group of witches and wizards as adrenaline pumped in their veins.
From the young age of fifteen, she had to learn how to block dark spells and cast her own defensive ones. She remembered how she used to be so terrified every time someone pointed their wand at her and everyone thought she was so prepared. They all praised her for being so skilled and she never told them that it was all on a whim.
Back then, in her mind she was constantly floundering for the right spell or curse. It was a real miracle that she didn't die then.
Now that she was trained by the Ministry's best, dueling was almost like breathing. Her mind was clear as she fired a lethal curse and watched as one of the opposing witches fell in a heap.
It had been years - nearly ten to be exact - since Hermione Granger's first duel with a dark Wizard.
Ironically enough, her very first opponent was the father of the man that had been by her side for the last four years.
Draco Malfoy was most definitely not her first choice as a partner - professional nor romantic - but the fates knew better than she.
When she was only nineteen, the head of the Auror department had assigned each rookie a partner.
She had hoped to be paired with one of her friends and former housemates. She knew that Harry and Ron would immediately become partners so she thought Dean Thomas would make a fine partner.
When her name was called, she stood straight and waited for the name of her friend.
"You'll be paired with Draco Malfoy."
Hermione never felt her jaw drop so fast. This can't possibly happen!
"Sir, surely there's someone else." She found herself saying before she could think to stop herself.
Draco, who was suddenly standing beside her, scoffed with a slightly playful smirk. "As if anyone else here is a better partner."
She rolled her eyes and looked to her left to where her two best friends were - already paired - and matched their glares.
"Miss Granger, you are paired with Mister Malfoy. There's no changing that." Their director said with finality and she fought the urge to stamp her foot.
"No offense, Malfoy, but you and I both know you'd hex me and leave me to die before you even thought to protect me." She said with a curl of her lip.
He moved to stand in her line of sight and crossed his arms. He looked offended which momentarily confused her. "If you even cared to notice, I've been working and training in this program alongside you for the last year and a half." His eyes hardened and his voice went low in a defensive tone. "And not once did I let our past interfere."
Hermione felt a blush cross her cheeks and crossed her arms as well. Her jaw tensed and she refused to speak.
He was right. In these last months, they had been forced to exercise near each other and in groups. Though she always focused on the fact that she was also working alongside her best friends, she couldn't deny the fact that he was there too.
And there had never been any snide remarks about her blood. There were the few jabs at her being a know it all that couldn't block a simple spell - that lasted one week until she had bested him in a group exercise.
But he was right.
"It's no secret that I was a fucked up kid. I was on the wrong side of the war for too long and I was so bloody blinded by my Death Eater father that I didn't realize what I was spewing was wrong. I know that." He said with a shame that made her feel uncomfortable. "But...I'm different now. I don't like to admit it often, but I'm better than what I was. I will never leave you in a dangerous situation, I promise. Let me prove that to you."
She was vaguely aware that the large room was slowly emptying now that everyone had their partners. Harry and Ron were lingering near the entryway, waiting for her to go to them.
It took her a moment to shake off her pride before she sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'm sorry, you're right. Since we graduated and got here, you haven't been like you were towards me. I know..."
She was slightly shocked to see a relieved smile cross his features. "Apology accepted. Now, partner, what should we do?"
"We go get our orders and you prove to me that you are better. If you don't have my back, I'll make you wish you were sentenced to Azkaban." She threatened before walking to her best friends and missing the smile he sent her way.
"Hermione!" Draco's frantic voice called out to her when a wizard Apparated in front of her with his wand raised.
In an instant, she raised a shield and the curse backfired.
A spell from behind her was cast and Draco's target was hit. The wizard snarled in rage as his arms and legs were bound.
She smirked and turned her attention back to the small group surrounding them. Both she and Draco had their wands raised and their backs pressed against each other.
"Any ideas? We're a bit outnumbered here and I'd much rather be at home right now." Hermione whispered to him.
Their dozen opponents were waiting and were eerily silent, save for the one grunting and struggling to free himself.
This was bad.
Robards had sent them to investigate an area that a number of underage witches had disappeared in and they had found this group. Before they could return to the department and work on a plan, they had been ambushed.
It was something that had happened dozens of times and each time one of them always had a brilliant plan that would save their asses. And she hated admitting that his plans were always the best.
Draco cast a quick Incendio and grinned when the opposing side lost another member. "I say you hop on out of here and start dinner while I finish them off."
"Oh, right! I'm the wife so I should go home and cook while you play the bloody hero." Hermione scoffed. "No way. You go." She ordered her husband and sent a stunner at one who angrily raised her wand in retaliation of her friend's fiery death.
Ten more were left. Maybe. If no more popped up.
She wanted to roll her eyes when Draco laughed at her suggestion. "I'm not leaving you, love."
"Then come up with a better plan than me going home. I'm not leaving you either." She vowed as another three Apparated around them.
Draco struggled for an idea. He was coming up blank thanks to his slow growing panic.
It always happened every time their situation got a bit too dangerous.
His protectiveness of his wife was both an advantage and hindrance when it came to their work.
In the beginning of their relationship, it was an amazing advantage. No one could stop them because they were both so determined to prove to the other that they were the best at their job.
They liked the competition of it all.
"I can't believe I got him to drop his wand while you just sat there like a troll." Hermione smirked after one of their first missions. She was gloating about catching one of Voldemort's former followers that had escaped previous Aurors.
He scoffed at her and shoved her lightly, "I couldn't help the fact that I was stunned!"
"The fact that you let yourself get stunned is another thing." She giggled - a sound he rarely had the privilege of hearing - and shoved him back.
Draco couldn't help but laugh, "Fine!" He conceded. "You win this round!"
He hadn't the nerve to tell her that he was only stunned because he jumped in front of her when her back was turned.
She didn't need to know that yet...
She gave him a triumphant smirk before going to start their paperwork.
The job required them to spend lengthy amounts of time together and Hermione, being the professional genius, was determined to have their work relationship be as pleasant as could be.
After their first five or six missions, they had slowly become friends and he found that he could easily joke around with her. And she loved that he was acting like any other friend of hers.
And when he had mustered up his own courage to ask her out on a date, after a dozen near kisses and too many longing glances, they were interrupted by a Patronus from their boss.
That was when they learned that they shouldn't be so cocky.
For nearly two years, he had felt an attraction to her that he buried deep down for three reasons.
One: She was Hermione Granger and he was Draco Malfoy.
Two: She would hex him if he so much as glanced at her in the wrong way.
Three: There was too much bad blood - for a lack of a better word - between them. His bigoted past was something he had been sure she would never forgive.
Of course, now that they were partners and he had made it very clear how sorry he was for his past mistakes, she had forgiven him and that gave him the courage to ask her out.
"I cannot believe we finally have a moment to ourselves to focus on whatever this is and we get called away." Hermione groaned as she pulled her heels off and hurled them into her Muggle car.
Draco could only shove his hands into his pockets as he watched her pull on her combat boots and pull her hair, which was morphed into smooth and loose ringlets, into a ponytail.
"I mean honestly! I know we have an important job to do, but I would love one bloody night off at least!" She carried on while slamming the door shut and pulling her beaded bag over her shoulder. "You'd think after all the dark wizards and witches we've caught in the last two months that they'd allow that!"
When she began stalking down the street to an Apparition point, he followed and silently agreed with her. He had wanted tonight to be special.
"And to think that I fixed my hair just right and wore heels and a bloody dress! HEELS! A DRESS! I never wear them anymore because of this exact reason and the one night I think 'you know what, Hermione? Let's have some fun!' is when we get called off!" She ranted and he couldn't help but smile as passersby looked at her like she was an escaped St. Mungos patient.
He couldn't take it anymore. She had to know. Tonight, it had to be tonight.
He quickened his step to catch up to her and the nervous beating of his heart made him reach out to grasp her hand. "Granger, it's okay. We can go out another night."
She stopped walking and gave him a look that made his breath hitch. "I know that, but I wanted it to be tonight." She whined and his heart practically soared as she mirrored his thoughts. "I can't take another day where I catch you looking at me that way that makes me drop whatever I'm holding or leaning in to kiss you and having someone interrupt what may be the best kiss of my life. I wanted to talk about it all and see wh-"
Whatever she was about to say was cut off by his lips. He kissed her with such hunger that made her drop her beaded bag and her stomach do excited flips.
Oh, Merlin!
She reached up and wound her arms around his neck to pull him closer still and kissed him back with an intensity that made him groan.
The noise sent shivers down her spine and she shuddered when he gripped her waist and pulled her lower body to him so they were flush against one another.
It was perfect. She was right - the best damn kiss of her life.
He was letting his hands roam around her back while hers made their way to the sides of his face and his hair. She couldn't recall anything else ever feeling so right.
When her fingernails began to scrape gently against the back of his neck, Draco knew that this was it. She was it.
No woman ever made him feel this way before and he doubted anyone else could come even close to her.
They kissed for hour long minutes, neither one willing to let the other go and lose the electricity that was passing between them.
Unfortunately, he had to pull away so they could breathe - he cursed his aching lungs - and looked into her darkened eyes. "...What were you saying?" He asked, breathless.
She laughed shakily and relished in the fact that his hands rested at her hips and made no indication of moving. "I honestly can't recall."
He laughed with her and rested his forehead against hers, "I think...it's safe to say that we're pretty damn good at this."
She could only nod while winding her fingers around a stray lock of his hair. "Definitely." She was about to lean in again when a light switch went off in her head and her eyes widened. "Oh shit! The mission!"
His smile immediately dropped when he remembered why they were standing on the street and not in the damn restaurant. "Right."
"The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back to this." She grinned and forced herself to let him go.
He happily agreed and after retrieving her bag, she Disapparated to their destination with him on her heel.
They were doing damn good.
They found the witch that was hell bent on finishing Voldemort's work in an abandoned cabin.
He immediately began firing curses at the deranged witch to cover Hermione while she ran to the unconscious Muggleborn woman tied to the chair in the center of the room. She untied her and checked for a pulse before placing a portkey in her palm and sending her away to St. Mungos where Healers were waiting.
"No!" The witch shouted as she lost her victim and she shot a multitude of spells of various colors. "How dare you!"
Draco lunged left and right to dodge the dozen or so spells. Then cried out in pain when the witch successfully cast a slicing hex on his upper arm. "Oh you bitch!" He shouted before sending a stunner that missed her by a centimeter.
"Draco!" Hermione shouted in alarm and turned from where the Muggleborn had been, raising her wand to fire her own hex. Before she could, the raven haired witch turned and a searing pain enveloped her.
"Die, Auror!" She sneered as Hermione curled in on herself.
He had no idea what the witch had done but without even raising her arm, Hermione was a writhing mess on the ground and a scream tore out of her throat that sent a shock of pain through him as well.
As if that weren't bad enough, Hermione's skin slowly began to split with tiny puncture wounds that bled swiftly. A small puddle began to grow beneath her and his heart squeezed in his chest.
He had to get her out of here.
His panic quickly replaced with a rage he had never felt before and he barely remembered half the spells he cast. He was so bloody angry that everything was pure instinct and adrenaline.
Hermione felt as if she were being dragged against broken glass then dipped in salt water. Every part of her screamed with pain and it wouldn't stop.
Then as suddenly as the pain came, it disappeared and the silvery grey eyes she was familiar with were staring down at her. That was all she could register before everything went dark.
That night, Draco had killed his first dark Witch on the job and Hermione spent a week in hospital.
He hadn't left her side once. Even when her two sidekicks came in and childishly blamed him, he had reached out and held her hand and had told them he wasn't going to leave her.
Since then, they knew that winging it would no longer work. They needed to have plans for every possible scenario.
But damn it all, now that they were surrounded by nearly fifteen, he was coming up with nothing. His panic was far too large. All he could think to do was cast a powerful shield while Hermione kept sending out every hex she could think of.
"You're outnumbered, you fools!" One of the dark witches cackled. "Just admit defeat!"
The others joined in her laughter and the pair were vaguely reminded of the Death Eaters laughing with Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts.
When he was about to voice to his wife that he had absolutely no plan, a blinding white light erupted from her wand and flew into the sky at lightning speed. It was an otter.
Bloody hell, why didn't I think of that?! He mentally kicked himself while simultaneously wanting to kiss her for her genius.
"A patronus?!" A wizard laughed, "Is the Ministry training you all to be complete imbeciles!? Do you see any Dementors here?!"
Hermione smirked at them, "No, but I do see someone you wouldn't like to face."
Draco turned a fraction and had a smirk of his own when Harry and Ron suddenly appeared with four other Aurors Apparating behind them.
"You want chinese for dinner?" Hermione suddenly asked as their colleagues began dueling and taking down the opposing side with ease.
Draco laughed and began to send curses and hexes to those trying to escape. "I was thinking steak."
"I'm sorry I had to call in reinforcements." Hermione frowned as she placed her feet in her husband's lap and rested her head against the arm of their green sofa. "I know you don't like working with Harry, Ron, and the others."
With a smile, he settled back against the cushions and began to massage the sole of her left foot. "I didn't mind too much. They were a bit too many for us to handle alone."
"That's true. My adrenaline was wavering and I was scared I'd pass out from the fear." She giggled when he touched a particularly ticklish spot.
"You were scared?" He asked with a hint of doubt.
After being married to her for two years, he was sure that he knew everything about her. He thought that, after her extensive training, that she no longer feared duels.
But he must've been wrong.
She nodded and sighed while summoning a blanket to cover them both. "I'm always scared. For you, not me. I'm terrified every time that you're going to drop dead next to me thanks to the likes of them."
Draco smiled and looked at her with pure adoration, "I feel the exact same way. But don't fret. I promise you, Hermione Malfoy, I'm not leaving you anytime soon."
His eyes and words were making her stomach do flips just like that first night. She was almost positive that that particular reaction would never die.
"You better not, Draco Malfoy." She warned while pulling her feet away from him. She sat up and made her way into his lap and he wrapped his arms around her small frame.
She snuggled into his chest and sighed with contentment, "I love you."
He'd heard those three words countless times in their years together and each time they caused his heart to skip a beat. With a smile, he leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too."
So I decided to start doing small oneshots to keep my creative juices flowing in between updates for my Dramione fic Love In The Dark.
I'm receiving prompts and will update as I go - I'm not too sure how often I'll update this but we'll see how it all goes.
Playlist -
Edge of a Revolution - Nickelback
Not Gonna Die - Skillet
Arms - Christina Perri
I Dare You To Move - Switchfoot