He was late.
Of course he was late.
That ruddy bastard had been making her wait every time they met somewhere, ever since she had known him. It didn't matter that they hadn't seen each other in more than two years, he still was late. She sipped her beer in the quiet of the Muggle pub.
The door opened to bathe the cosy interior of the pub with icy wind which made all of the silly Halloween decorations on the ceiling and candles and even the fireplace swirl in response.
Hermione looked up expectantly, but it was just some old man with bright pink ear muffs. The old man started stomping his feet on the mat and Hermione thought of her grandfather absently.
The old man by the door resembled no one Hermione had ever known, but he had the presence of a man who smelled like her grandfather. That weird old man smell mixed with strange cologne and secret tobacco smoke. Maybe it was just his age. Maybe Hermione had just been away from her family for too long.
She sighed and rested her chin in her palm, staring off into the hundreds of reflections on the old bottles behind the bar.
Her mind wandered again to Hogwarts as it had been, a Halloween night not so long ago. Since the last end of term feast she ate in the Great Hall, not so long ago. She hadn't been back since she had been on the run. It had been five years already, she realized. Five hard, long years.
Five years ago, Hogwarts had been destroyed.
Four years ago, she had tried out the world across the ocean.
Three years ago, Hermione had finally began working her way back to Britain after finding out just how bad it had gotten.
Last year she had arrived in secret.
This year, she heard there was another revolution starting.
Tonight, she was going to join the surviving Order members.
Tomorrow, she would begin to orchestrate the fall of Him.
So next year, she could begin fixing her world.
The door opened again. Hermione glumly looked over to see that he was finally there. Ronald Billius Weasley stood in an ordinary looking leather jacket and a stupid hat that had earwarmers pulled up, despite the cold outside. She frowned at him and he smiled at her sheepishly as he crossed the room to sit next to her at the bar.
"Hey," He said, cleverly.
She took a deep breath and said, "Hey back, you git," in a sigh.
He gave her that old lopsided grin that used to turn her stomach to butterflies. She was surprised to find that it merely turned her stomach, now. "Got a safe way to travel, just outside whenever you're ready." He said.
She took another sip of beer from the pint she had ordered when he was 10 minutes late. "Are you going to even bother with safewords?" She asked after a moment.
"Nah, I can tell you're my girl from a mile off," He said, slinging his arm around her shoulders, and covering her in the smells of home. Grass and parchment and spearmint toothpaste infiltrating her carefully built up walls.
"Tell me the safeword, please," She said mournfully, ignoring the sob she needed to stifle before she finished the command.
"Blueberry pancakes," He said looking down at her with a concerned frown. "You ok, Hermione? I mean, you look awfully upset."
She sighed in relief at his safeword and told him, "I'm fine. I will be fine. Empire State. Now can we please go?" She put down a few pounds for her beer and stood to wrap her scarf more tightly around her throat.
"There's... there's probably something I ought to tell you before we go." Ron said.
Hermione sighed and sat back down, looking at Ron expectantly.
"Well, uh... we have... we have a spy who lives in the safe house where you'll be going. Well, I mean... it's his house." Hermione furrowed her brow. "I uh... I tried so hard for you, Hermione, I really did." He was wringing his hands and tapping his foot. Hermione did not like the look of this. Ron was afraid of her anger. Why would he be so anxious? Who was so bad...
"I mean I tried to get you somewhere else. Tried everything I could. But it's the safest place for you, everyone says. None of the bad guys know about it... I even told them I would marry you so-"
Hermione started laughing, interrupting him. "Oh, come on, Ron, this can not be so bad you would stoop so low as to marry me, would it?"
Ron's face darkened, having perceived she was insulting him. "Well, then. I suppose you don't appreciate how hard I worked for you to be safe! Blimey, Hermione, you can be so rude sometimes."
She sobered at his reaction. "I'm sorry Ron, I just thought you were trying to be funny. You mean that I'll have to be living with someone? Who is it? You seem pretty anxious to tell me."
He bit his lip and finally blurted out, "It's Malfoy."
Hermione was later surprised by her lack of reaction. She said, "Ok. You do mean Draco Malfoy, don't you?"
Ron was anxiously looking at her face as though expecting her to explode in a fit of rage or something. "Yes," He said cautiously.
"Well, he's better than his father at least. Shall we?"
Ron was perplexed, but rationalized that Hermione likely was planning on taking out all of her rage where it belonged, with Malfoy. He nodded and led her outside to transport her to the Malfoy's chateau outside of Suffolk.
The night was silent and she could barely see by the scant moonlight in the middle of this quaint secluded country road. She whispered into the dark toward the arm she was still holding, "Ronald? Is this the place?"
"Yep. Try not to use magic, they've got a trace on our wands now. Did you know?"
She rolled her eyes, "Of course I know that. You think I went off to live as a Muggle for research purposes?"
He snorted at her snark, "Sorry, 'Mione. Just… I don't know what to say to you. Come on, we've got to walk for a minute. Up the lane a bit."
Her eyes were adjusting to the dim light now. Trees dotted the roadside near a low stone wall which ran along the lane they were walking upon. It was quite cold out, but the air was still and no snow from the freak early season snowfall had fallen yet in this secret area of the world. She walked in silence for a moment, and then finally asked, "So will you fill me in on what's been happening?"
"Not in the open I won't. Never know who might hear."
Paranoia flashed through her mind. With a big red Justified flashing right afterward. The little hairs on her neck stood up as she realized they were being watched. "Are there sentries?" She breathed into his shoulder, hoping to mask that her words floated on her visible breath.
He made an affirmative noise but didn't say anything more. After a few more tense moments, they came to a gate which creaked pleasantly when Ron opened it. Beyond was a nice little garden and a squat little cottage with its door partly hidden beneath a sheaf of overhanging flowers. Hermione smiled at the picturesque scene that looked like it belonged on a puzzle or card with 'Get Well Soon' written in lovely calligraphy inside.
She realized it all looked strange after a brief moment. Then Hermione realized it was a very powerful illusion charm. The flowers ought not be blooming in this frosty evening and it was all slightly too bright.
Ron said a password and the whole building yawned and stretched out of the ground. The flowers dissolved into stone eaves and the plaster walls smoothed to a marble-like stone. The single pane of glass near the door split and spread and other windows appeared in the smooth finish. The door itself widened and thickened and a large ornate knocker appeared. The small cottage that had looked like it might be just one main room, maybe with a small bedroom attached, now looked like a three story Chateau, a huge expanse of castle-like elegance. Before Hermione could really get a good look, though, Ron was ushering her to the door.
Ron knocked thrice upon the door and it was opened a mere moment later. Hermione was not prepared to see the handsome blond wearing a dark blue turtleneck and some black trousers lit from behind in a becoming golden glow. "Finally. Get in before someone sees." He hissed.
They were ushered inside and Malfoy snapped his fingers. A small elf popped up next to the fireplace just inside the door wearing a loose dress and bow on her head next to large floppy ears. "Floppy, get their coats. Then set a tea service in my sitting room and don't forget to prepare a guest room."
The little elf nodded and Hermione and Ron took their coats and hats off, handing them gingerly to the little elf. Hermione resisted asking if the elf wanted any help, knowing the elf would only take that as an insult. When the elf popped out of sight, Malfoy gestured for them to follow him.
Ron and Hermione shared a look of incredulousness when Malfoy's back was turned.
"Granger," Draco said, gesturing to a chair near the fire with a small pillow on it. "Weasel," He said, pointing to another chair, looking less comfortable and further from the fire. Draco sat on the chair which he had apparently been sitting in before they came and took a sip of what appeared to be firewhiskey.
Hermione sat in the surprisingly comfortable chair and was glad for the warmth of the fire. She had lost several pounds while on the run and she seemed to always be cold these days. "Thank you for uh… seeing us. How have you been faring?" Hermione asked, her manners rusty but still there.
A glint of amusement shone through Malfoy's facade. "Very well, Granger. I've risen high within the Dark Lord's ranks and now sit atop an empire with only a few above me."
Hermione fought the wince at his subtle reminder that he was a Death Eater, sworn to the service of him and betraying that vow by agreeing to shelter her. The tea service appeared on a table between the three chairs and Malfoy gestured for them to have some.
Old habit had Hermione smelling the tea and looking at it for a moment before drinking it, looking for the particular sheen of veritaserum and smelling for a number of poisons. Ron took a drink immediately and grabbed a cucumber sandwich. When she focused on Malfoy again, he was watching her with an appraising gaze. "Would you mind telling me how long you've been a double agent? I mean… after Harry…" Hermione's voice broke and she cleared her throat. "After Harry, I had to go into hiding so I'm not exactly caught up," She said hesitantly, glancing toward Ron in her nervousness.
Draco crossed his legs and sat back in his chair a bit more. "May I have your safeword before we continue? The Weasel told me what it was before I agreed to house you."
She nodded in understanding. "Empire State."
"Just to humor me, can you tell me what I said when we ran into each other at the first open Death Eater attack after the Quidditch World Cup?"
Hermione tried not to be annoyed. He was running a double life and so his paranoia would definitely be second nature. But why ask about that particular memory? "You told Harry and Ron to get me away or else it would be… that I would be in danger." She answered, blushing.
Malfoy smirked at her blush, it confirmed for him that she was indeed Hermione Granger.
"Oi, I told you she only needed to tell you her safeword, didn't I?" Ron said with sandwich in his mouth.
Hermione sighed, "Ron don't speak with your mouth full."
"Sorry," He said sheepishly, then finished his bite. "You don't need to be embarrassing her for-"
"I'm not embarrassing her," Draco responded mildly. "I do actually have people who would kill me if this information came to light, Weasel."
"And additionally, I'm not embarrassed, Ron."
Ron put his hands up in defeat, "Alright alright. Sorry. Read too much into it. Carry on."
"Now then, I'll give you the short version, shall I? My father's failure during the Department of Mysteries prompted The Dark Lord to raise me to the status of a Death Eater as you know. Several years of dedicated manipulations of the zealots in the inner circle and with the aid of Professor Snape, I rose to a higher standing than a mere Death Eater. During this time, I failed at a particular mission. I had been assigned the task of assassinating Dumbledore and… suffice to say I couldn't do it. Rather than forcing me to suffer after the Battle of Hogwarts, the Dark Lord chose… a surrogate for my pain. Likely it was only because he was weakened after the battle."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Who? Not your parents?"
Draco shook his head, trying not to be influenced by her compassion for him. "The woman I was meant to marry. Astoria Greengrass."
"She… is she..?" Hermione stuttered.
"She's dead." Draco confirmed, gazing a moment into the fire with sadness hidden in his eyes. He took a sip of his drink. "She had been his prisoner for more than a year. From Dumbledore's death until shortly after the battle of Hogwarts… Anyway, that was when I went to the Light side by utilizing some of my contacts and offered to bring supplies and information to them in hopes of defeating… Him."
Their eyes met and Hermione couldn't name the emotion swirling in the depths of his silver gaze. "And how will we explain my being here?"
"We won't have to. None of the Dark knows this house exists. My parents have been…" He cleared his throat. "My parents have been Kissed for having failed Him. Many of the higher ranking Death Eaters have secret homes which no one speaks about openly. In case something goes wrong." He snorted and made a face into his glass, "Or right, depending on your perspective."
Hermione thought for a moment, digesting all this information. "But I'll be safe here? And I'll be able to conduct the research I've agreed to take on?"
"Yes. Though I don't know what the research is." When she moved to speak, Draco held up a hand, "I don't want to know, Granger. Safer that way."
"Not to mention easier to pretend she doesn't exist, right?" Ron said with a roll of his eyes. Draco's expression didn't change, but he put his fingers together below his chin and stared at Ron. After a minute passed, Ron finally blurted, "The goal here is to take him down right?" Ron said. "You know. Him."
"I'm not trying to protect him, if that's what you're insinuating. I'd kill him myself if given the chance," Draco snarled. "But you know that to do that she needs to figure out this mess. Circe knows your lot has failed enough times. Maybe the secret lies within her, maybe it doesn't. The concern here is if I know something, I may think of it in the wrong moment and be found out. I know it's difficult, but perhaps we might try to think logically?"
Ron's face turned red. "I didn't think of it like that, but you really need to stop calling me stupid, ferret, or you might just find out how smart I am."
"Really," Hermione interrupted. "Can we stop the childish bickering? You're both stupid. Malfoy, can you treat me like a human being or do I need to avoid you?"
Draco smirked, oddly pleased by her exasperation. "The first one, surely Granger. Though I won't be here but once or twice a week. Otherwise it will only be you and Floppy. Only the Weasel knows the precise location in the Order, and he has his own safeguards to keep that information secret, do you not, ginger?"
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yes. If I say the location I'll drop dead, I know I know."
"And Ron do we have a way set up to communicate with the rest of the Order while I research?"
"Yes."
"Then everything else is secondary. Malfoy and I will only have to deal with one another for a short time. In such a large house, if we have problems, avoidance can be the best solution. Do you agree Malfoy?"
"Of course I do." He nodded and set his glass on the nearby table. Then he continued, "But no matter our quarrels, Harry Potter must be stopped."
Hermione sat back in her chair finally. "Good. Then I'll get started tomorrow."
A/N: yay I'm posting another story. I've started this and have no idea where it's going. Thanks for reading, I have a few chapters written, so look for those weekly if you like.