Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's universe, I just like to play in it on occasion.
Author's Note: This isn't your typical story, it's actually a collaborative effort between myself and bookaddict19 in which we alternate telling parts of the story. So I'm only responsible for two-thirds of it (the concept of doing it in the first place was entirely mine, so I'll take the blame on that one), most especially the Draco bits. She took over Hermione, and together we came up with this. Canon-wise, it's compliant with all 7 books except for the epilogue of Deathly Hollows, and is set four years after the end of the war. Rated M for language and content.
Curse You, DeWitt!
by Scribe Teradia and bookaddict19
Chapter One
Every week, the local wizarding library hosts Story Hour for children of a certain pre-Hogwarts age. They come, they listen to stories, they go home. At least, that's the general idea. This week, however, one of the children (a little tow-headed boy of four or five) is still in the children's wing well after Story Hour is over with. It's not until a couple of hours before the library is set to close that the Head Librarian decides that perhaps something has happened to the boy's guardian, seeing as how he's now been there some seven hours without one, and she places a call to the Ministry to report a possible missing person and/or abandoned child.
Which is how Draco Malfoy, an Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, finds himself entering said library, an hour before closing, with one of the last people he'd have chosen to keep company with. "I don't see why you had to come with me," Cho Chang says, for at least the third time, with an angry toss of her head. "I could have handled this." Malfoy starts to count to ten, makes it to five, and explains, again, "If the child's parent has gone missing, it's up to the MLE to investigate the disappearance. And if they've simply abandoned the child, it's up to us to track them down and see that justice is done. Complaining isn't going to help matters, and it's unprofessional, besides."
While it soon may seem almost like old home week from Hogwarts, for the moment it is the Head Librarian who comes forward to greet the pair as they enter her domain. Elmira Vendworth is an elderly witch, prim, and of the no nonsense variety you would expect to be in charge of one of the larger Wizarding libraries in London. She's frowning, perhaps at the way the pair appears to be bickering, or perhaps it is disapproval for the whole matter. She offers polite enough greetings, however. "Good evening. I am Miss Vendworth, the head librarian. I trust you have come about the child? He is in the children's section with our children's librarian. It is this way." She only waits long enough for acknowledgement before sweeping off at a swift pace towards the children's section of the library.
It is a section far less imposing than the grand stature of much of the rest of the building - no cold marble here. Instead there are colorful rugs, low tables, and the shelves holding a wide variety of books that are low and made of warm wood. There is a welcoming space obviously designed for story hours and puppet shows and sitting in a rocking chair there, the young boy obviously tired by now in her lap, sits Hermione Granger holding book and boy and clearly telling a story.
"Yes, of course." Cho immediately schools her features into an expression of concern, and Draco wonders briefly how much of it is genuine as he trails after them into the children's wing, allowing her to take the lead for now since it seems to have shut her the hell up. It's been long enough that at first he doesn't recognize the woman holding the boy, not until Cho draws his attention with a disbelieving utterance of, "Hermione?" Then the quicksilver eyes focus and narrow, though he continues to let the social worker carry the questioning with, "What are you doing here?"
It's been a rather hard day for little Johnny, who can't be expected to understand why his mum never came back. The adventure of having luncheon at the library and getting to spend most the day with Miss Granger has rather worn off when he'd like to be home with his dog and his own special cup. So the interruption to the story prompts a sniffle. He's been very good about not crying today but it's been a very long time since his mum dropped him off. Hermione's brown eyes flick up at the interruption but at the sniffle go right back to the little boy and she rocks him with some of the expertise acquired from being 'aunty' to Harry and Ginny's kids. "Shhhh, you're all right, Johnny." It is the head librarian who introduces, obviously somewhat unnecessarily, "Miss Granger is our children's librarian."
"Johnny." Cho glides over to kneel beside the rocker, showing an empathy that rather surprises Draco, but it turns out she's really rather good at social work. "Hallo, Johnny. My name is Cho. I'm going to be taking care of you for a little while." This isn't strictly true, she's going to be getting him to a foster home where someone else will take care of him, but she decides not to complicate things with the details. Draco's gaze slides away from the child, meeting the Head Librarian's stare. "I'll need to take a look at the security logs," he says, quietly, his voice deeper these days, a rumbling baritone. "You have an ID on who dropped him off?"
The little boy clings closer to Hermione, who he at least knows, but she gently urges him to face the other girl. "Johnny, do you remember our story about Quidditch last week? Cho, here, used to play Quidditch in school. I know you enjoyed the story very much," she says soothingly, "maybe she'll tell you some more about the game."
The head librarian, meanwhile, says, "Of course we keep logs, the children must be signed in and signed out. We thought, perhaps, his mother was just late. The child comes to story hour regularly and Miss Granger informs me that she is sometimes late to pick him up. Never this late, however." The log is obtained and sure enough it has the mother's name in it, but no address, no mirror number, not even a Muggle telephone number.
"That's right, I played for Ravenclaw," Cho says, with an encouraging smile and nod at the boy. "I was quite the Seeker, too, though of course nowhere near as good as Harry." Draco leaves Cho with Hermione and little Johnny, following the librarian to check the logs. No contact information. Swell. "Granger's seen the woman, then?" That's slightly promising, maybe he can get a description out of her. Provided she's willing to talk civilly to him long enough.
"Why, yes, I believe so," the librarian replies. "She's very competent, our Miss Granger. She knows most of the relatives that bring children to story hour by sight." She's actually stopped one or two strangers from picking up children who were not theirs to collect though Miss Vendworth doesn't mention it. Appropriate reports were filed at the time.
Johnny slowly unburies his head at the mention of Quidditch, though it is still hidden when he smirks. Course that girl isn't as good as Harry Potter. He's a famous professional Quidditch player now and Miss Granger knows him. Miss Granger knows everyone. Or at least so Johnny believes.
Hermione smiles down at the boy, "There now, that's better. I'd imagine you're nearly hungry again. It's been a while since luncheon. He'll be needing some supper soon, Cho, but we saw to it that he had lunch and a rest." She doesn't call it a nap, though it was. Boys Johnny's age are sensitive about their naps.
"My goodness, yes, supper will certainly be in order. Johnny, if you'll come along with me, I'll see to it that you get something to eat." Cho smiles at the boy, holding out her hand. "And while you're eating, I can tell you the story of how Harry Potter beat me to the Snitch, back when we were in school." Draco nods politely at the librarian and drifts back toward the rocker when he left Cho and Hermione. Hopefully Cho can pry the kid away soon so he can get on with his job.
"But what about Mum? She told me to stay here," Johnny asks, looking not at Cho but at Hermione.
Hermione looks at Johnny and she's very gentle as she says, "Your mum seems to have been delayed considerably today Johnny. Do you remember that story we read where the girl got lost?" Johnny nods. "Well sometimes mums get lost too, but she'll be found and she'll want you to have been taken care of and to have had supper in the meantime. All right? Miss Cho will make sure you are taken care of until your mum is found from wherever she's gotten lost. It will be very important to your mum that you try not to be scared and stay safe and well. I know a big boy like you can do that for her."
Johnny swallows back the sniffle that was about to come out and nods. "Okay Miss Granger. You will tell her where I am when she gets founded?"
"Of course, I will Johnny. Straight away," Hermione says, hoping that the woman hasn't met with a serious accident. Johnny is a nice kid and fairly good for all that he's a curious little guy.
Johnny still doesn't look happy but he uncurls his arms from around Miss Granger and climbs down from her lap. "Do you know lots of stories like Miss Granger then?" he asks Cho doubtfully.
Still squatting so that she's eye level with the boy, Cho nods at him. "Lots of stories, yes. Though perhaps not quite so many as Miss Granger." Cho looks up to flash Hermione a smile, clearly agreeing that the librarian is superior in her storytelling. "She's right, though, that your mum would want you to be taken care of while she's being found, and Mr. Malfoy, there, will be doing everything he can to find her, isn't that right, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco nods seriously at the tyke. "Draco Malfoy, finder of losted mums, that's me."
To say that Hermione Granger is less than fond of Draco Malfoy is putting it mildly, though she hasn't seen him in a few years. For little Johnny's sake she keeps it out of her expression, but her eyes flare with dislike. "Johnny, perhaps you can tell Miss Cho some stories too. I'm sure she'd like to hear more about where you live and about your mum, dear, but for now let her take you for some supper and those quidditch stories she's promised you and I'll see about helping Mr. Malfoy with looking for your mum," she says, her voice full of the protective warmth that most often encompassed her friends at school.
Even without looking at her, Draco knows that look is in her eyes, can sense it in the way her shoulders straighten, but he doesn't so much as bat an eyelash.
Cho slowly gets to her feet, keeping hold of Johnny's hand, and smiles warmly at the boy. "I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will have your mum found soon enough, with Miss Granger's help, but let's get you fed first of all, hm?"
She turns her head to shoot a look, briefly, at the Auror that he chooses to ignore, instead favoring the kid with another nod. "I'll find her."
Johnny looks up and up at the much taller auror, then over at Miss Granger who gives him a little nod. He allows Cho to lead him off though his first words to her are, "But Buddy is going to be hungry too if Mum is losted. Who's going to feed Buddy?"
Hermione sighs tiredly, gets up from the rocker, shutting the picture book she was reading to the boy and setting it aside. "If you'll come with me there might be a photograph," she says sharply as she heads toward the back of the children's section where her office is discretely tucked away.
As Cho leads the boy off, she's quick to assure him that someone will be looking after Buddy, too, and for all that she completely loathes Malfoy, some part of her is relieved that he's on this case. She's seen firsthand that Slytherin stubbornness, after all.
Draco nods shortly at Hermione, his expression remote, silver eyes giving nothing away. "After you," he says, though he doesn't really need to, following her through the children's wing. "Vendworth said the kid's mother was in the habit of picking him up late?"
"Sometimes an hour or so, I believe she uses the story hour time to work," Hermione replies without looking back. Though there isn't much need for it her office is elaborately warded, though of course nothing that would hurt small children - it just ensures that small or large children won't be getting in to meddle with her things. The office once she's opened is wall-to-wall bookshelves, a heavy desk with a comfortable chair and a couple far less comfortable chairs across from it to which she nods for Malfoy to have a seat. Her desk is also scrupulously warded, but in a short time she produces a folder and starts going through pictures, which appear to be from a library event earlier in the year.
Draco pauses in the doorway, briefly, taking stock of her wards, sensing the needlessly-complex structure with just a little bit of concentration. It makes him smirk, faintly, because it's something she would do, even though there's clearly no need for it. He glances at the chair and decides against sitting, instead leaning over the desk from the other side. Looming. "The name and the photograph - if there is a photograph - aren't much to go on. You have no contact information whatsoever for this woman?"
"If she didn't put it this week in the logbook, perhaps it is in one of the past weeks. It is supposed to be there in case of emergency," Hermione replies, ignoring the looming pointedly as she rifles through the folder eyeing each tot and the accompanying adult or adults before setting it aside. Finally she produces one with almost a triumphant air, she knew there was one of Johnny's mum in there. "That's her." The woman has the same white blond hair as the boy did. She is perhaps a two or three years older than they are, though it is a bit difficult to tell. There is a certain careworn prettiness about her, beneath the smile as she looks at her boy and laughs at something he tells her lies worry and tiredness.
"If nothing else, surely the woman has a library card?" It's a library, and in Draco's experience people who frequent them tend to have cards, so they can get books out. Which generally requires leaving contact information, so they can track a person down if they're late returning said books. He takes the picture from her, eyes it appraisingly and then nods. "Pretty." If he has any other reaction to the photo, he's not sharing it with her.
"I'm sure Miss Vendworth is checking that for you as we speak, she's very thorough in that regard," Hermione replies. "I wouldn't have expected Johnny's mum not to come back for him. Some of the others, perhaps, but not his mother. It's always been very clear how much she cares about the boy." She's very concerned that the woman has met with an accident or some misfortune. "Keep the photo if it will help," she adds.
"It will, thank you." That's right, Draco Malfoy just thanked a mudblood, Hell has very likely frozen over. "Right now we're treating this as missing persons, and what you've told me gives me no cause to think it might be otherwise." He's so damnably smug and self-assure, but there's plenty of reason for that arrogance.
"You'll want to check with Cho in case Johnny can explain where it is they live if an address doesn't turn up... he's got a dog. He's spoken of Buddy often enough," Hermione goes on, disgusted with his smugness as usual but concerned enough about the boy and his mother to push past it. "Buddy seems to be a big dog, from how Johnny talks the dog is his constant companion when home." She's wondered at times if the dog is also his babysitter at home, but she really doesn't know what the mother does for work and there's never been any sign of the father. Given the boy's age though it is entirely possible that the father was killed during the war years.
"I'm sure she'll be in touch." Draco has no doubts that he'll be hearing from Cho, though whether she'll tell him anything of use is hard to predict. "Anything else you can tell me about the mother? What about the father?" He can't read minds, so he has to ask these questions, to get her answers to them.
"His mother looks tired whenever I've seen her and she's thinner than that photograph suggests. Johnny doesn't come to story hour hungry, however, and as I mentioned they keep a dog. I don't know her profession. The boy is four and it's only been the mother who has brought him in, I get the impression that the father may be dead but it's hardly the thing to ask about particularly given his age. No one ever brings him but her, if she can't bring him he doesn't come that week. So it seems that there may not be other relations," Hermione says, frowning slightly as she puts her formidable cleverness to recalling every scrap she can about the boy and his mother. "It seems to me that when Johnny's spoken about home that he doesn't go outside much. It is quite possible that they live in one of the rougher areas of London, perhaps near the wharf."
In his head, Draco has already started putting some of the pieces together, but he pulls out a notebook from an inner robe pocket and begins jotting things down as she speaks. "Dead, or otherwise out of the picture," is his only interruption, reminding her that there could be other reasons why there's never been a sign of the boy's father. Meanwhile, he's wondering where the hell the head librarian went.
Hermione shrugs at the interruption. She too, is wondering what is keeping Miss Vendworth. The elderly witch does appear, finally, frowning down at the parchment in her hand as she peers at it through the wire-rimmed glasses she wears. "I do apologize, it took time to find the application and then I did wish to look because I was certain it could not be correct... but perhaps I'm wrong and these buildings are still standing? I could have sworn they were blown up in the chaos a few years back." The buildings in question were badly hit in one of the attacks, those still left are in hazardous condition. For someone to live there suggests desperate circumstances indeed.
Draco takes the parchment from her and has to bite back an oath. "Some of them are still standing, but that area's not what I'd call residential," he informs the woman, with a little growl in his voice. Damn it. With an effort, he tries to sound somewhat reassuring when he adds, "It's a place to start, though. Perhaps it's an old address, and there's forwarding information to be found." He doesn't exactly sound optimistic, but it's an optimistic thing to say, which may come as a surprise to Hermione.
Hermione wanted a look at that address just based on Miss Vendworth's reaction to it - it isn't like the head librarian to show that much easily visible concern, though Hermione can read her moods at a glance. So she stands and comes around her desk to glance at it, in time for Draco's optimistic remark, which has her raising her eyebrows. The address in question increases the worry in her eyes. Even before that last year when she was apparating all over the country and trying to keep Harry and Ron from getting themselves killed she kept a close eye on the papers. She's very aware of the nastiness of the particular attack in that area of London. If there are buildings standing they probably should have been condemned.
Lifting his head, Draco meets Hermione's eyes, sees the worry there... and finds himself saying, again, "I will find her." He says it solemnly, quietly, and means every word of it. Then he asks of Miss Vendworth, "Can I keep this? It may come in useful." Handwriting analysis, for one, if they can get something to compare it to.
"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. Miss Granger, make a copy for the records would you? If there's anything else just let us know. Miss Granger will show you out when you are ready," Miss Vendworth says, before she goes off again to finish with the closing chores that she attends to and leaving Hermione, once again, alone with Draco.
She looked up after seeing the address and somehow got caught in his gaze, but the head librarian's words snap her out of it. Hermione is surprised to find herself believing Draco of all people, but then she'd never have expected him to be an auror at all or if he were, a bad one not the sort that goes looking for children's lost mothers. She holds out her hand for the application. "I'll just copy this, shall I?" It is an exceedingly simple spell, of course, but Miss Vendworth did ask her to do it. She hates asking anything of Draco Malfoy but even so there's a hesitant, "You'll keep m...us informed?"
Handing the document over wordlessly, Draco just watches her, momentarily awestruck by how completely predictable she is. The saying that Gryffindors wear their hearts on their sleeves is especially true in her case, it would seem, and he can tell by her body language alone the various directions her thoughts are going. He knows what the question will be before she even asks it, and remains silent, holding his reply until she's once again forced to look up at him, to demand it with her eyes (which he's sure she will), at which point he nods, holding his hand out for the parchment again. "Yes."
Hermione looks at the document in her hands even as her wand comes out and she casts the spell to replicate it. Certainly she's a Gryffindor, thus no coward, for she looks back up at she silence lingers not in mute appeal, but more as though daring him not to. Of course if he said no there's always the good chance that she would have felt she had to look into it herself. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Hermione Granger has gotten involved in investigating something dodgy. "Very good then, here you are," she says briskly, handing over the original and setting the duplicate on her desk to give back to Miss Vendworth in the morning.
That look in her eyes makes him smirk, because it's so very predictable, and so very Hermione. He folds the document in half and pockets it, along with his notebook, then produces a business card, which he offers her. "Call me if you think of anything else that might be relevant. And I'd appreciate if you didn't go digging around on your own."
Hermione takes the card gingerly and tucks it away, reminded with the smirk how very much she does NOT like him. She refrains from saying 'of course you would' in response and merely sniffs disdainfully. "I will certainly inform you if I think of anything further. I'll show you the way out. The front will be locked by now." The front was no doubt locked as soon as Cho departed with Johnny.
There's a tightening of his jaw, and Draco moves, getting between her and the door, his expression serious, silver eyes intense. "I mean it, Granger," he says, slowly, quietly, and there is a dangerous note in his voice that was never there when they were at school. "No haring off bravely into the night in search of little Johnny's mum. Leave it to the professionals."
Draco never learns, does he? He might as well have just thrown down a gauntlet. There's nothing worse than forbidding a Gryffindor to do something to ensure that they will want to. They are as contrary as cats (lions are cats after all, albeit big ones) and stubborn to boot. Hermione's eyes narrow as she looks up at him, "I wasn't planning to go haring off into the night, Malfoy," she says sarcastically, "now get out of my doorway." She didn't let him intimidate her in school and she's certainly not letting him intimidate her now.
"Or what? You'll hex me?" Draco sneers at her, and doesn't move, except to lean closer, his eyes narrowed and focused on her. "That ought to look good on your resume, hexing Law Enforcement. I'm not playing games with you, Granger, this is a serious matter, and if you go digging on your own you could screw up my investigation. My investigation. I've said I'll find her, and I will."
Hermione refuses to give ground to him, despite the discomfort of him leaning closer to her. Oh how she'd like to wipe that sneer off his smug face. Her tone is positively glacial as she gives him a withering glare, "Hexing you would be childish. Get out of my doorway so that you can go find the woman. Clearly I was overestimating your sense, Malfoy. The woman left her child who she very much /values/ for over seven hours. Something is wrong, ergo for your investigation you ought to be out investigating instead of revisiting your childhood. Perhaps you should check Mungo's first?"
"Do not," Draco hisses, "presume to tell me how to do my job. This isn't the first missing persons case I've been on, and I'm sure it won't be the last." He straightens, runs a slender hand through his short platinum locks, and says, "I want your word, Granger, that you're not going to get involved in this."
She continues to glare at him a long moment before giving him a very grudging, "Fine, though I'm surprised you would trust it." With worrying about Johnny's mother most the day and having to hide it from the children, most particularly Johnny, Hermione has got herself quite a headache in addition to being tired. She really wishes that Draco would just go away and look for the woman already. If he's as good at his job as he is at antagonizing her perhaps there will be word in the morning.
That smirk is back, and Draco says, "Gryffindor. Your word is almost as good as mine." It's true, too, Gryffindors almost always keep their word, and he inclines his head. For a moment, something flickers in his eyes (concern? no, can't be), and then it's gone, but he lingers long enough to add, "You look like shite, by-the-by. Go home, have a nice soak and a cuppa. I'll send word if I find anything." Then he's gone, passing through the door and slipping through the library, unerringly finding the back entrance without her help, as if he's done this dozens of times. That, or he's just really well-prepared.
Hermione trails after to make sure the door gets locked after him and returns to her office, muttering under her breath. It isn't surprising really, Malfoy has been annoying her for years even if the past three have been blissfully free of his particular brand of annoyance. A glance in the mirror on the back of her door confirms that, while she isn't looking her best by any means, she doesn't look as awful as all that, leading to more sarcastic muttering. Not that she ever expects anything flattering out of Malfoy. She gathers up her things, wards her office again and after checking to see that she is, indeed the last leaving, sets the warding as she exits through the staff door. With a crack! she apparates to the alley nearest her flat and tiredly makes her way and despite the way Malfoy always makes her feel contrary, even takes his advice. Of course she was planning on a soak and a cuppa even before he mentioned the idea. She's got a new wizarding romance to read.