Title: Through the Fire and the Flames
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the songs used for the title and chapter headings belong to their respective owners. I did not and will not receive any payment for this work of fiction.
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Rating: M
Warnings: None for this chapter, really
A/N: Well, I had every intention of posting every day, but obviously, that isn't going to work. I didn't realize how hard it was to write 1,500+ words per day until I tried it. Yes, I'm making this up as I go along. I wrote the first chapter on March 31 and posted it on April 1. I started the second chapter on April 1 and have been writing it in what little free time I have had since. Now that the second chapter is posted, I will start on the third. I will post them as I finish them, but the chances of that being by the end of the month are slim to none, especially considering final exams are also at the end of the month. Anyways, here it is.
The battle had been fierce. Hermione had spent the entire night at Ron's side, fending off Death Eaters, trying to keep them from getting to Harry as he searched for and fought Voldemort. But they had succeeded.
She spent the following day and the next night asleep in the Great Hall. A plethora of cots had been set up in the room for the injured since the Hospital Wing had been destroyed and, even before, it was the biggest room in the castle.
There were two days left before the students would board the train and she used those two days to make plans for her summer. She was originally going to spend July in Dover with her parents, but she just wanted to get away now. She didn't want to deal with the press. She didn't want to deal with the celebrations. She definitely did not want to deal with whatever the Ministry had in store for her, and she knew they had something planned. She was one of the Golden Trio - they would never leave her in peace. So, Hermione wrote to her friend in the United States.
They had met when Hermione and her parents went to Nice for the summer a few years ago. She had been sunning on the beach when an American football had landed in the sand a few feet from her, spraying her with the grainy substance. James, she later learned, ran over to apologize and offered to teach her to play. They had spent the rest of the week playing on the beach, talking in the cafes, and just walking around town. The fact that he was a muggle only helped her decision to visit him.
Her parents picked her up from King's Cross on July 4. After double-checking that her unusually spontaneous vacation was acceptable, she packed a muggle suitcase and caught a taxi to Heathrow airport, explaining to her parents that she would sleep on the plane. She bought a ticket on the first flight to La Guardia airport in New York City before sending James a text message with her arrival time - yes, Hermione had a cellphone, but she only used it during the summer holiday, telling her muggle friends they weren't allowed at school; she had enough to deal with from stuck-up purebloods without flouting muggle technology. She boarded the flight minutes later and promptly fell asleep. She was woken up by the person in the next seat as they touched down on American soil.
It was nearing two in the morning before she finally made her way out into the public area of the airport. She immediately saw James walking towards her in what could only be described as clubbing clothes. He was roughly 6'2" with short black hair and ice blue eyes. He wore a tight black t-shirt to emphasize his muscular chest and arms. He also had on tight, black leather pants to emphasize, well, other parts of his anatomy. "Katie," he shouted when he saw her.
"You must be drunk," Hermione replied, giving him a hug.
"Maybe a little," he conceded before adding, "but there's a reason you have been deemed Katie for the summer."
"Oh really? And what, pray tell, is that reason?" Hermione asked as they made their way to the car - a typical, black town car, complete with driver.
"Hermione is the good girl, focused on her studies. And while that is perfectly nice in Nice, I want you to get the best experience of the city. In order to do that, I have created an alter-ego for you named Katie. I will introduce you before we go out tomorrow. First, though, we both need sleep," James explained as they drove to his flat.
His parents had a town house on Fifth Avenue, where James stayed on holiday from his university. During the summer, however, he stayed in a flat in a different part of the city so his parents could have their society functions and James could still go out with his friends.
When they reached his flat, James carried Hermione's bag up to her room, leaving her with, "Breakfast is anywhere from noon to two."
It turned out that Katie was the female counterpart to James's alter-ego, Max. Since she arrived on a Sunday, Hermione and James spent a couple of days shopping for Katie's clothes. Hermione fought it at first, saying she had plenty of clothes, but James argued that while Hermione had plenty of clothes, Katie did not. Hermione only agreed when he promised only a couple of outfits.
She should have known better. Once he figured out her sizes, he would leave her in one part of the store under the ruse of shopping for himself but actually going to pick out pieces for her. When he rejoined her, she would have picked out one or two items which he would then buy, letting her think those were the only items from that store. She only discovered what he was doing when, Tuesday afternoon, he dropped all of the bags from that day on Hermione's bed and went to his room to bring in the lot from Monday.
When she turned around to see all of the extra bags, Hermione asked, "James, what did you do?"
"Lie, cheat, and steal?" he answered as though he wasn't sure of the answer himself.
"Apparently," she answered drily. "Why did you buy all of this for an alter-ego I'll probably only have for this summer?"
"Because of that one word: probably. You realize there is a possibility of merging Katie into your established personality and you haven't even tested her out yet. That summer we met was my first summer with Max. Now, I've merged them. I have the same morals and values, but I'll no longer let myself get pushed around. I'm willing to try anything at least once, but I still consider my safety and the legality." James smirked before continuing, "Max's look and confidence attracts the ladies and James's mind traps them."
"I think I'm starting to get it. Max doesn't exist physically, so he can say and do whatever he wants without worrying over retribution. By experiencing that first hand, James gained confidence turning into the person you are today."
"Exactly, my dear. Because, no matter how much money you have or fame, or what you've done in your life, everybody has confidence issues," James explained, coming almost too close to the truth for Hermione's comfort.
As the summer continued, they developed a pattern. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, they would go out to clubs and parties. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday during the day, they would go visit the touristy sights, shop, or see a play. Sundays they would spend recovering on the couch before going to dinner with James's parents.
For the first couple of weeks, when they were going out as Katie and Max, James would pick out Hermione's clothes. He always seemed to pick the least conservative pieces in the closet, but Hermione knew he was just trying to draw her out of her comfort zone. She finally figured it out one day, though her thought process was a little bit different than his. Rather than trying to gain confidence, she decided that since she would probably never see these people again, she could be whoever she wanted to be and nobody would ever know the difference.
When they arrived back at the flat that night, Hermione found an owl waiting at her window. She untied the letter, expecting the bird to take off, but apparently it had been instructed to wait for a reply.
Dear Hermione,
I hope your summer is going well. I hate to bother you with this when I know you're trying to escape from the aftermath of the war, but I really need your help. Draco Malfoy's trial is in a week. I know he's always been a git to us, but that doesn't mean he deserves Azkaban. He's being charged with the attempted murder of Dumbledore, poisoning Ron, using an unforgivable on a minor, cursing Katie Bell, and crimes against humanity as a Death Eater. Is there any hope of keeping him out? Any ideas you have will be helpful. I'm sorry for asking this when you're just trying to get away.
Harry
She spent a couple of hours writing out the charges and possible ways to negate them before she thought she had it. She was thankful for all the reading on wizard laws she had done trying to get Harry out of the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year.
Dear Harry,
My summer is going well. I hope the Ministry and the Prophet aren't being too much of a bother for you. As for Malfoy's case, I think I have it figured out.
For the attempted murder, poisoning Ron, cursing Katie, and crimes against humanity, all of these were committed under duress. You said he claimed that Voldemort was threatening his mother.
For poisoning Ron, it was unintentional. It could be considered negligence on Slughorn's part.
For use of an unforgivable on a minor, he was also a minor at the time, so that should be lessened to simply use of an unforgivable. Also, in connection with cursing Katie, he easily could have watched her progress at throwing the Imperius throughout fourth year, and again as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad in fifth year. He easily could have known she would be able to throw it.
For cursing Katie with the necklace, she was not meant to open it while under the Imperius. It was unfortunate that, after throwing it, she decided to open a package of which she did not know the source.
As for the crimes against humanity, once again, he was under duress and he only attended them in the summer before sixth year.
You will most likely have to present memories for all of this. He will as well. You may also want to consider other possible testimonies to corroborate your story, such as his mother or Professor Snape.
Don't tell Ron, but I agree. Despite all he's done, Malfoy does not deserve Azkaban. Good luck.
Hermione
She was surprised to find herself believing what she said. She did not want to hear that Malfoy had been sent to Azkaban. It was not his fault he had been forced to follow in his father's footsteps.
After the night of the letter, Hermione spent another three weeks in New York City, following the same routine they had set in the first weeks. By the time she left, she found she was more comfortable in the Katie clothes. She liked feeling like the center of attention when she walked down the street. Not like the wallflower she had been before. Now she was the main attraction, not some sidekick to be overlooked.
She wore the jeans and a t-shirt look at home after she arrived since she wasn't sure how her parents would react to the short skirts and the tight cropped tops that made up most of her closet now. But she finally made an appearance on the morning of September 1. She wore a tight, black, leather mini-skirt with ripped, bleach-stained, black tights, white Doc Martens, and an Adam Saaks shirt. Her father wasn't too happy about her appearance, but what father wants to see his baby girl dressed like that. Her mother, however, was happy to see her daughter finally comfortable with her body.
Hermione had five minutes to get on board when she finally arrived at the train station. She quickly stashed her trunk in the storage compartment before making her way to the head compartment in the front of the train. She had been excited to find her head badge waiting for her when she got home, but she was curious to find out who got Head Boy. She was surprised to find Draco Malfoy sprawled across a bench when she opened the door.
A/N: Just a note about how a muggle would not understand the use of owls for communication: I'm assuming that these obviously intelligent creatures (the owls, that is) know how to work with the various postal services around the world.