A/N – Another Way to Die. - Five years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the Elite Auror Department enlists both Draco and Hermione as spies due to their involvement in the war...can they learn to work together to overcome the obstacles set before them?
Inspired by the song - Another Way to Die by Alicia Keys and Jack White (- theme to Quantum of Solace. Not a songfic, however and completely unrelated to the James Bond books and films)
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or the song Another Way to Die or the James Bond series.
An owl soared over the overcast skies of the London suburb, its wings beating swiftly as it flew underneath the grey clouds. It fluttered overhead scrubby, unkempt street with overflowing litter bins and rain washed pavements and landed softly and lightly upon the windowsill of a dilapidated house with peeling paint and crumbling masonry. The group of Muggles passing by paid it no mind...they may have done, considering how unusual it would have been to see a tawny owl frequenting suburban London, but the owl was unseen to their eyes as it had come to rest upon the windowsill of a house that they could not see.
The owl pecked determinedly upon the glass of Number Twelve and it kept pecking until a young woman with brown, flyaway hair opened the window to allow it entry. She pushed open the window and the owl hopped inside, holding out its right leg for the woman to take the letter tied to it and the moment she had removed it, the owl took flight once more and the woman closed the window quietly. She took the letter and seated herself once more at the kitchen table. She examined the envelope and the postmark upon it and slit it open with her fingernail.
Hermione Granger had been working for the Auror department since she was nineteen. It had never been her first choice of career, she had, before the war, had plans to work in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She had many ideas that she was planning to implement if she gained a place in the office but when the war finished (and however much she cared about house elf welfare) working at an ordinary job at the Ministry seemed somewhat...well, bland. She did not crave the discomfort and heartache that came with living so dangerously, no she did not at all. What she craved, was the adventure.
She considered herself for a moment as she read through the letter. Surely what she should want was safety and comfort and predictability, a life with no need for unnecessary worry, a life that was carefree and simple. Should that not be what she wanted, should that not be what she, Harry and Ron had striven for, had fought so hard for? Yes, she admitted to herself, yes that was what they had worked towards, what they had achieved for the whole wizarding world.
Yet when Hermione was in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and the days passed by so slowly, so monotonously and she stood by as Ginny and Harry shopped for furniture and went to dinner and such like young couples starting a home together are apt to do, Hermione felt as though a part of her missed the excitement they had once shared. Why was she feeling like this? She should be happy, she should be content.
It was like an itch she longed to scratch, a niggling sensation that would not go away. She was bored. She was bored with the monotony, with the cases she was given as a junior Auror...boring, tiresome cases, things that she would only need to assist the Magical Law Enforcement Squad with, in the eventuality things might get out of hand. Being an Auror was not as thrilling as it sounded. Much of it was paperwork, which Hermione had no problem with as she sped through it as she had done with her homework at school. Maybe that was part of the problem, she reflected, that everything had become so suddenly, too easy.
She read the letter over twice, to be thorough and then smoothed it out on the old, stained kitchen table and stared at it. It was an invitation, a work placement. She had been recommended by her seniors to join the Elite Auror Department which was quite an opportunity given her age and the relatively brief time she had been working as an Auror. It was not a surprise as such – Hermione worked quicker and with more dedication than most of her colleagues which was a force of habit, she decided. It was just that she always needed to be the best in things she attempted. Still, it was quite an honour and a valuable opportunity. Mad Eye and Tonks had been Elite Aurors and they were the very best – she considered it a compliment for the Auror Department to even consider her as a candidate.
Hermione knew that the Elite Aurors were given more dangerous, more exciting missions than the junior or even senior Aurors, missions that were top secret, covert and often, hazardous. Hermione decided there and then, as she stared at the parchment before her, in the gloomy kitchen of Grimmauld Place, that she wanted to be a part of that.
Muggle London, what a tip, thought Draco as he stepped into his flat and shut the door behind him. Two drunken Muggle girls had approached him outside a grotty little pub in town, in Kensington, as he had walked by and decided to attempt and chat him up. They were quite pretty and if they had been sober, he might have considered stopping and enjoying the attention for a while but he had no time or patience for intoxicated, overly chatty girls.
His flat was large, sumptuously and expensively decorated and offered every comfort he could possibly wish for but yet he felt it was an empty, cold place, devoid of the life and charm he wanted in a home. He laughed at his own foolishness as he threw his cloak and wand down onto a table in the hallway and went into the living room. He headed straight for the liquor cabinet.
He had been working as a representative for the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. Apparently he still was not trustworthy enough to gain a rank amongst the officers. What a joke, he thought. He did not need the money; he had enough money to keep himself very comfortably for the rest of his life. The reason he had taken up the post was because he was attempting to make amends for his past indiscretions.
He often questioned himself about why he even bothered. It didn't seem to be making any difference to his reputation in the wizarding community. It did not seem to register with people that he had joined the Order of the Phoenix before Voldemort's downfall. Maybe the public thought he had only changed sides to save his own skin. In a certain respect, the public were correct. He was frightened and shocked by what he and his family had been dragged into...well, what he had been dragged into. Before he was born and when he was a small child, his parents had obviously been strong supporters of Voldemort; they knew what the whole situation involved. Draco had blindly followed, first out of trust for his parents that they knew what they were doing and then secondly out of fright when he realised just how deep they had dug themselves. He grew terrified. He turned to the Order out of cowardice.
The defining moment came when his delightful Aunt Bellatrix had dragged Potter and his friends into the parlour that night. Draco knew it was Potter the moment he saw him even with the after effects of the Stinging jinx...how could he ever mistake that face, that scar? He had known it for almost seven years. Why had he not admitted to his mother that he knew it was Potter, that he knew it was Weasley and Granger? Fright and cowardice again...he may not have liked them, he may have been close to hating them, the wonderful Golden Trio...but he was not hateful enough to have their deaths on his conscience. Let his parents, let Bellatrix and Voldemort do what they would with them but he would not be responsible for confirming their identities. He would be no part of that. Selfishness, he thought as he poured himself a measure of Firewhisky. A Slytherin through and through he thought, afraid, worrying about himself and his own peace of mind.
He could recall with ease Granger's screams, the screams that haunted his dreams and often his waking hours too. He remembered all too well the sight of Bellatrix, standing over her and laughing as wave upon wave of pain coursed through his schoolmate's body. She didn't cry, he remembered. She screamed, she yelled, she called for Weasley and Potter...she screamed for them, but no tears escaped her eyes. She fell limp after a while. Perhaps she had passed out from the pain...Draco knew how it felt to be subjected to such torture. He had thought she was dead – Bellatrix had been interrogating her for so long he would have not been surprised.
But she was not dead, still her heart was beating, still there was life left in her no matter how hard his aunt had tried to destroy her. She was still going. She epitomised Gryffindor, Draco thought and found himself feeling envious of her courage.
He left the sofa to pour more Firewhisky but he was only half way toward the cabinet when a tapping distracted him and drew his gaze to the living room window. He threw it open and the tawny owl glided into the house and landed neatly on the coffee table, staring at him with round eyes and holding out it's leg to which was attached an envelope. He took the letter from it and went back to the sofa to open it as the owl soared silently back through the open window and into the night.
It was from the Ministry of Magic and the Elite Auror Department, no less. What did they want with him? His first thought was that he was in trouble for something but then remembered he had done nothing wrong and skimmed through the letter to get to the relevant part. He almost choked on the last dregs of his whisky. It was a job offer, an offer to join the Elite Auror team. He actually checked the envelope to see if it had been sent to the correct address but there it was, to Mr Draco Malfoy, 14 Brownwood Crescent, Kensington, London. Well, this was quite the turn of events.
Draco knew of the Elite Auror Department. Most of the Aurors who were in the Order were a part of that team. It was a secretive, covert team of specialist law enforcers, mostly spies and such. Apparently, the department wanted Draco to be a part of this due to his involvement in the war; they thought he could be a valuable asset to the team. The letter went on to say it would give a good impression to others in the Ministry if he were to take the job and could lead onto more conspicuous and lucrative careers in the future.
What, did they expect him to someday become Minister for Magic? What a joke. He had no desire to become a spy for the Ministry. He was not happy in his current work placement but it was a necessary step towards repairing his repuatation. What was the point of becoming an Elite Auror? They were akin to the Unspeakables who worked in the Department of Mysteries...known of, but not usually discussed because their line of work was so secretive. Granted, some sections of the Auror Department would be aware of his being a spy but the general public wouldn't have a clue. He would be going around risking his life without any hope of recognition for it.
Draco looked at the letter and went to crumple it and throw it in the fireplace but changed his mind, folded it back up and slotted it back in the envelope before tossing it on the coffee table, closing the window and heading to bed.