Chapter 2
A myriad of containment charms glittered around the fires that still burned in her department, Hermione noted the fire had to be magical or else the containment charms would have already smothered it, as she stared dazed at the destruction. They were in the holding area, and she had been here only a scant handful of hours before.
Now Hermione understood what Draco had meant by his comment they were all gone. Even creature they had rescued and been holding for placement or release; every sentient magical creature who had been here for testing or check-ins; and all of the employees that had been her to monitor or assist them were gone. Not everyone was gone Hermione corrected herself as she saw two bodies. One only half charred with a familiar shock of green hair belonging to Alec, the deputy in charge of the holding area overnight, who for some unknown reason changed the color about once a week. His hair had only been green for two days Hermione thought numbly. The second much smaller body was too charred to have any recognizable features, but from its small size she knew it had to be Mimzy, the first house elf to be officially employed by the ministry as anything other than cleaning staff. Hermione didn't even register that tears were rolling down her face.
Draco still gripped her wrist and to everyone's surprise as Hermione swallowed the sudden lump in her throat she turned and buried her face in his chest. Hot tears streamed down her face and for a moment she let herself be weak as she sobbed into his chest. The blonde stiffened for a moment in shock and then awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. Sirius squeezed her hand and Harry patted her back as he talked to the aurors finding out what information they had.
"Well, Granger when I envisioned holding you in my arms it was never in the middle of your burning office," Draco joked weekly not knowing what else to do to comfort the bereaved witch.
Hermione gave a shaky laugh and punched him lightly in the arm as she pulled back out of his grasp and regained control of herself. Draco flinched dramatically as if it hurt a great deal. This elicited a small smile from Hermione.
"You were always so dramatic Malfoy you should have decided to go into theatre rather than going to work for Harry in the Aurors," Hermione commented though she was no longer paying attention to them as her eyes flitted over the scene, now instead of talking in the sheer horror of the crumbling brick work and sections of the roof and floor supported by nothing but magic, surveying the chaos and making a mental to do list of things that needed to be done.
"I work with Potter not for him," Draco retorted.
"As of last month I'm deputy head auror, you work for me," Harry shot back.
Hermione ignored their bickering her mind whirring with a plan of action.
"Sirius and Draco use the contacts you both have in the magical underworld, I want to know who did this and I want to know who did it yesterday," Hermione directed.
Draco opened his mouth tell Hermione she at least was not in fact his boss, but a look from Harry silenced him. He and Sirius retreated slightly talking about who they could both contact and divvying up mutual contacts so they didn't waste talking to the same people. Hermione turned her attention to Harry.
"Right now I'd like your help to put this to rights, assuming your aurors are done gathering evidence."
Harry only nodded in response and offered his hand. Hermione took it and closed her eyes. She could feel both of their magics and gave a gentle tug on his to have it flow with hers. She opened her eyes using her wand to direct the flow of power as all the other witches and wizards stopped what they were doing to what awe stuck. A faint gold aura shone around the two friends. It was like the Hermione had pressed the rewind button and the devastation reversed itself. The containment spells evaporated as the magical fire raced across the floor back to its origin point in the wall opposite the holding area removing the damage it had caused. The walls rebuilt themselves bricks reforming and then replacing themselves. Even the bodies became whole again looking as if they were only sleeping, but they were still devoid of life. Magic could not restore that without making something twisted and wrong.
Draco shoved a chair under Harry as he sat down hard suddenly bereft of energy. Sirius caught Hermione as she suddenly fainted as the building finished repairing itself. He shook his a her.
"Always over extending yourself kitten," he murmured into her hair.
She opened her eyes and blinked up at him as if confused at the hint of disapproval in his tone. Then a smile flicked across her face, "But I fixed it Sirius."
He only shook his head again in reply. Hermione pushed herself away from him and held out a hand. Sirius seemed to understand what she wanted because he handed her his jacket. She wrapped tightly around Mimzy's small body and then cradled it in her arms.
"I'd like to go lay her to rest next to Dobby. I don't think there is anything else I can do here right now," Hermione said quietly, "But tomorrow I'd like to meet with all three of you in my office to discuss a game plan."
Draco and Sirius nodded and Harry took her hand again. The two of them apparated to shell cottage. After summoning two shovels they opted to dig the small grave by hand as Hermione lay Mimzy gently down in the sand.
When they were finished they went home and Hermione didn't even pretend she was going to go sleep in her own room. She changed for bed and then climbed in with Harry and let him hold her as she took comfort from the fact that he at least was still there.
The next morning Harry and Hermione arrived together in her office at seven and she ordered a pot of tea and a tray of biscuits from the kitchen which shortly appeared on her desk. For a moment she thought she noticed a slight pearly sheen to the milk but when she glanced at it again it just looked like milk. She shrugged it off not really paying attention and picked up a biscuit. She nibbled on it absentmindedly as she set out and poured four cups of tea. She glanced up at Sirius and Malfoy as they entered to see if they would like milk and sugar, she didn't have to ask Harry she already knew he would. Hermione put milk and sugar in three cups and left the fourth black for her.
She picked up a second or perhaps it was a third biscuit as she sipped on her tea and listened to the information Sirius and Draco had gathered. The blonde looked like he hadn't slept Hermione noted and as if of its own accord her hand reached up cupping his cheek. Her thumb gently traced the bag under his right eye.
"You should get some rest Draco," Hermione murmured real concern in her voice.
A slow smirk spread across Draco's lips as he met her worried gaze with a heated one of his own.
"I'll go home to bed if you come with me princess," Draco promised, "But once you are in my bed I'm not sure we'll do much sleeping."
That sounded like a good idea to Hermione and she couldn't understand why Sirius let out a feral growl at Draco's offer. Hermione realized she was feeling rather hot and slipped off her jacket but that didn't help. Harry wrapped a possessive arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her toward him. It only increased the heat flowing through Hermione's veins.
"If Hermione is sleeping anyone else's bed but her own it will be mine," Harry asserted firmly, "Besides she already did last night."
Sirius and Draco both growled at this revelation. Something about that seemed odd but Hermione could tell what just at that moment. Hermione nibble another biscuit as her right hand started to undo the buttons of her shirt in the attempt to relieve the heat she felt. The gazes of the three men dropped to follow the motion of Hermione's right hand.
Her shirt was all the way open now and it offered no relief. She pulled away from Harry, his eat adding to hers was too much. The heat kept climbing and the world around her began to blur. She could vaguely tell that Harry, Sirius, and Draco were arguing. They drew their wands on each other just as blackness closed in around Hermione.
A/N: In case I didn't make it clear Hermione is acting weird at the end of the chapter it is because she's drugged. All that will be explained in the next chapter.
