Disclaimer: Not mine. Not yours. Only JK Rowling's.

A/N: So, chapter two of "Mister Granger's Mission" is here! I had awesome responses for last chapter and I'm so happppppy :)

So, review afterwards! Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Best Friend

"Dad?"

"Harold?"

"Me?" Mister Granger squeaked, willing his eyes to go back to their normal size. He swore he was having a heart attack as he stared at his wife and his daughter.

Hermione, now a fifteen-year-old girl, gave him a sweet smile and laughed. "Dad, why are you so surprised?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's just Draco."

Just Draco. "Oh, Lord, spare me," Harold exclaimed to the heavens above, making Mrs. Granger glare at him. "What are you doing, choreographing a scheme to invite the boy for summer behind my back?" He glared at his wife. "And you agreed! I thought I was the man of this house; the one who's supposed to make the final decisions!"

"Quit being melodramatic, honey," Jean said. "It's just Draco."

"Just Draco... just Draco?" Mr. Granger thundered. He turned his furious eyes towards his daughter and Hermione, humbled, looked down at her lap. "He called you that insult, Hermione! He had made you cry; made you feel like your first four years in Hogwarts had been a living hell."

"Dad," she started, frowning at him, "we talked about this, remember?"

And talked about it they did.

Once Hermione Granger turned eleven-years-old, the whole Granger household shook with astonishment when they discovered that she was actually a witch. No wonder she had been having some random burst of accidental magic such as burning a fairytale book she deemed stupid without using a match and conjuring Newton out of thin air once the sly cat had strayed too far away from her again.

To say that Mister Granger was surprised was a big understatement. He always thought his daughter was different, but to know that she was actually a witch was way different. He and Jean had allowed her to go, of course. They both talked about it and concluded that Hermione might belong to this school, Hogwarts, if she attended.

The first letter they received from her from Hogwarts was full of tearstains. And no, they weren't because she was missing them.

It turned out that the big secret that Draco Malfoy had always been hiding was that he was a from a prominent Wizarding family and he was a wizard. Mister Granger had pieced everything together, especially after hearing the word "Muggle" from a passing witch, clearly remembering the boy's slip of tongue when he was still five-years-old.

It also turned out that Draco was a bigoted Pureblood wizard. Hermione's tears were because he had ignored her the very first time they met on the Hogwarts Express, even insulting her about her being a 'nosy, know-it-all'.

It had broke Mister Granger's heart that his daughter was so devastated over this. She and Draco had been friends up until they were nine-years-old. After that, he had completely disappeared. It had somehow relieved him but seeing his daughter missing the boy had pained him. And now that he showed, completely different from the polite (but sly) boy he once knew was unnerving.

Thus, his determination to accomplish his mission had increased.

She was able to manage to survive her first year, especially since she found new best friends such as the famous Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. When Mister Granger heard of this, he scowled once again. He thought that with Malfoy as his daugther's enemy was a step forward but once the two came into the picture he took two steps back.

When she became a second year student, her newfound bitterness towards Draco had continued. And then, he started to call her the 'M-word'. Once again, Hermione had sent a tearful letter to her parents, stating how she was so hurt for being insulted by him of all people and ranting and ranting why he was changed and all.

Harold was tempted to go to Hogwarts to complain to Headmaster Dumbledore but Jean reasoned out that they are Muggles, they would not be able to understand the beliefs and ideologies of magical people, especially the Purebloods.

Hence, once again, he was forced to read the pained letters from her daughter.

And then, one letter addressed to them from Dumbledore came, stating that their daughter was petrified by a basilisk. Although he had no idea what a basilisk was, he knew that his daughter was in danger and immediately went to Hogwarts, a devastated Jean in tow.

To his surprise, it was remorseful Draco who had greeted them and brought them to the infirmary. Their walk was a tensed, silent one. Once they arrived, Draco wordlessly gestured them inside. Mister Granger completely ignored him, all the tearstained letters of his daughter in his mind, and merely went inside without a single glance back.

Before they could completely enter, Draco said, "I have my own reasons, sir. I am sorry."

Weeks had passed with the couple worrying over their daughter's welfare. Another owl from the Headmaster came, stating that Hermione was well already and she would be free to go back for her summer vacation.

Hermione sent them a letter, this time saying that she was sorry for being reckless and making them worry. The tone of her letter was very light and extremely happy; Mister Granger did wonder. At the latter part of her letter, he understood. Turned out that it was Draco Malfoy who had been determined enough to help Madam Pomfrey brew the antidote for their petrification.

"He apologized to me, Daddy," she said in her letter. "He said his reasons which I cannot disclose. But do know that I've already forgiven him. Please do not be mad at him anymore."

Mister Granger had literally seen red, especially because his logical and reasonable daughter easily forgave a boy that had been insulting her by calling her the most loathsome word in the whole world.

Jean, skeptical, further inquisited Hermione once she came back. In the end, she understood that Draco was currently undergoing a very rough time in his life, despite his age. Hermione claimed he needed a friend, and she still wanted to be one to him; hence, the forgiveness.

Their bond of friendship strengthened by their third year. There was just one incident when Draco had become really mad at her for punching him in the face.

"He was insulting Buckbeak, Daddy!" she exclaimed, words slightly blurred by her tears. "And I just got hurt that he was using such words against an innocent creature. And the Slytherin had the nerve to get mad at me when both he and I know that he was at fault here. Now, he wouldn't talk to me. What should I do, Daddy? He's pushing himself away from me again."

It was Mrs. Granger who replied to their daughter's letter, insisting after hearing Harold's rejoice and 'thank yous' to the heaven's above. Once again, she reprimanded him for taking their fight so lightly. She reminded him that Draco was undergoing difficulties in his household and losing a friend might ruin his life. Therefore, Mister Granger merely sullenly stared as Jean wrote her advice to their daugther.

He discovered they made up, which had greatly disappointed him, but after seeing Hermione so cheerful and happy from her third year in Hogwarts, the disappointment disappeared.

And now that she was almost a fifth year student, her secret friendship wtih Draco tightened. She even addresses him as her best friend already in her letters.

It was the summer before her fifth year and Mister Granger just discovered today that Jean and Hermione had invited Draco to spend his last weeks of summer with them.

"But honey…"

"But what, Dad?" Hermione asked, her frown deepening. "It's the first summer without his…" She pursed her lips and stared. Mister Granger's eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"His summer without what, Hermione?" he pressed on.

Hermione sighed. "I can't - ."

" – tell?" her father asked. "Is that it?"

"Dad…"

"Hermione," he said, slightly beseeching. "Are you sure it is a good idea to befriend this boy?"

"DAD!"

Mister Granger sighed. "Listen to me, sweetheart," he said, his voice softer. "I mean, you are keeping secrets from us all becaue of this boy. Didn't we promise to be honest with each other."

The brunette looked away. "He has reasons, Daddy," she said. "I can't tell. I will be destroying his trust, then."

"What if this secret of his is causing your life?" he asked, watching as his daughter's face paled. He somehow knew that Draco's family, especially his father, was a dangerous figure in Hogwarts. He heard from Arthur Weasley, Ron's father.

"He's my best friend," she said. "He trusts me, Dad. So please, please, please, allow him to stay here with us for just a few weeks, okay? He promises to be good. He told me to tell you that."

She was giving him that puppy dog eyes again. Sheer stupidity, remember?

"Oh, fine," he sighed in resignation. Hermione grinned widely. "But, if he hurt you or made you cry, I'm going to kick him out of this house."

"He's a good boy," she said with a smile.

Mister Granger rolled his eyes. "A good boy," he said. "Right."

Harold felt like he was watching his five-year-old Hermione all over again.

"Is he here yet?" she asked, dashing out from her room towards the sofa. She climbed up on it, peeked outside the window, then stepped down from the couch once again. And then, she jogged towards their front door, opened it with a bang, and looked left to right for any sign of her best friend.

"He's not yet here," Mister Granger said. "Sweetheart, can you sit down? You're giving me a headache."

Hermione sheepishly smiled and sat down on the sofa. "I'm sorry, Dad," she said. "I'm just excited to see him."

He scowled. "You've been with him for the whole school-year, honey," he pointed. "I bet you're not that excited to see me after being away from me for ten months."

The brunette stuck out her tongue. "How immature, Dad," she said.

Harold pointedly stared at her gesture. "Look who's talking, Hermione," he said.

She smiled. "I guess I only learned from the best," she said, standing up to hug him.

Mister Granger patted her back and fondly smiled at his daughter. Warmth spread through his whole form when she looked up at him adoringly. "I guess you do."

That was the reason why he hated Draco Malfoy. He wanted his daughter all to himself.

Just then, their doorbell rang and Hermione stood up with a soft shriek of excitement.

"He's here!" she exclaimed, dashing toward the door. Mister Granger merely watched as she opened the door and greeted the person outside.

"Inspector Draco Malfoy, what a pleasant surprise," she greeted, a teasing grin on her face. Mister Granger watched as a small smile appeared on the boy's face, regarding her daughter with warmth in his beautiful gray eyes.

Harold glared.

"Is he here?" Mrs. Granger asked, peeking outside the kitchen door.

"Hello, Mrs. Granger," Draco greeted, inclining his head.

"Oh, Draco, look how much you've grown!" Jean cried and completely walked out from the kitchen to envelop the fifteen-year-old boy into a hug.

It was clear to Harold that the gesture had immensely surprised the blond. Well, he couldn't blame him. After all, Hermione's mother just discovered that he had mocked her and her parents for the early parts of his year and he wasn't expecting such a warm greeting from her mother.

"How have you been?" she asked.

Draco blinked. "I-I've been fine, Mrs. Granger. Thank you," he said, clearing his throat. "A-and how about you?"

Jean laughed and pulled away from their hug. "No need to act so polite to me now, Draco," she said. "Just call me Jean."

"Jean," Harold emphasized. "The cooking. Remember?"

"Tsk, Harold, really," Mrs. Jean said.

Mr. Granger rolled his eyes, now looking back at Draco. To his surprise, the blond was also staring back at him.

"Mr. Granger," he said.

The protectiveness in him resurfaced as he stared at his daughter. "If you are expecting me to let you call me as 'Harold', then you are utterly mistaken, boy."

"Harold!"

"DAD!"

Hermione's eyes turned into fire. "Please," she said, glaring at him. "Be good."

Mr. Granger scowled and turned his back, feeling the blond's eyes on him. "I'll be waiting for dinner."

"Oh, speaking of dinner," Mrs. Granger said as he took a few steps back to their bedroom to take a nap. "Hermione, sweetheart, I think I do not have enough chicken meat for our dinner tonight. Can you be a dear and buy it for me?"

"Of course, Mom," he hard his daughter say.

There was a pause as Harold walked up the stairs.

"Do you want to go with me, Draco?" she asked.

"Of course."

Mister Granger halted.

"Oh, Hermione, let him rest for a while. He just arrived. ," Jean said.

"It's all right Mrs… err, Jean," the blond said. "I will accompany her."

"All right," his wife said. "Now, off you go so that I can prepare our dinner now. Be careful!"

"We will, Mom, see you later." And with that, the door closed with a soft bang. Now, it was only Mrs. Granger who was left in the living room.

Harold counted from one to ten before dashing down the stairs towards the window. Mrs. Granger looked at him in surprise.

"Where are you going?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"I'll be back before dinner," he said, hastily kissing her cheek goodbye. "I just remembered that I have this annual bonsai meeting in the park near here."

"Bonsai meeting?" Jean asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Not now, Jean," Harold said, walking out of the door.

"Harold? HAROLD!"

But then, he was far too gone already.

"Good Lord, why are you doing this to me?" Mister Granger beseeched to the heavens above as he hastily hid behind the shelf filled with canned tuna. "This is too much for my old heart, dear God. Please spare me."

Harold was inside the Express Mart, a supermarket that was nearest to their house, and currently, he was spying his daughter and her best friend.

It was clear to him that the blond was mesmerized by everything that he was seeing in the market. Oh, especially the automatic doors. He swore Draco had stuck out his hand countless times just so he could watch the door sensor his movement and automatically open. If he were to accompany the said boy, he would have melted into a puddle of embarrassment already.

But Hermione… good god, she looked like she was enjoying! Perhaps it was because of the endearing look on Draco Malfoy's face? Mister Granger made a face. Girls were little suckers to adorable boys. It was enough for Harold to imagine ruining the pretty face of his daughter's best friend.

"What are those?" he heard the boy say, awed.

He watched as Hermione stared at where he was pointing at. "Oh, that?" His daughter smiled. "Those are pushcarts. They help you carry the things you'll be buying." Hermione pulled one and gave it to Draco. "Here, give it a push."

The blond did what he was told and blinked. "Wow," he said, making another stupid look on his face.

Hermione laughed and playfully punched his arm. "It's nothing to be amazed about," she pointed out. Draco raised an eyebrow at her, making her sheepishly smile. "Oh, all right. You're a Pureblood; anything Muggle amazes you."

Unable to help it, Mister Granger snorted. Hermione's hair whipped around, a suspicious look on her face. "Did you hear that?" she asked, looking around wildly. Harold hid himself farther away from his daughter's eyes.

"Hear what?" Harold could hear the distraction in Draco's voice.

Hermione sighed. "Well, never mind," she said. "Come on. Mom is probably waiting for us already."

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about my father," Hermione said.

Mister Granger straightened his back and pressed himself harder against, this time, a shelf full of nappies. His daughter and the boy were already done with their shopping and were now waiting for the clerk to finish packing the things they had bought.

"Your father?" he heard the boy asked. Harold took a peek and saw the troubled look on Hermione's face and the handsome smirk present on Draco's face. "What about him?"

Hermione frowned. "Well, he has been nothing to you but rude," she pointed out.

Harold made a noise at the back of his throat. Draco seemed to hear him because he looked at his direction. Mr. Granger hastily hid again behind the shelf and prayed to God he was not seen.

"What? What is it?" he heard his daughter ask.

Draco was silent for a while before saying, "Nothing, nothing. I thought I saw somebody familiar…" He cleared his throat. "As for your father, I think I'm getting the gist why he's hostile to me."

'He does?' Harold asked, surprised. Because frankly, it was making him frustrated that his family never understood. And for the boy to claim he somehow understood, he was surprised. And begrudgingly impressed.

"You do?" He could hear the surprise in Hermione's voice. "Why do you think so?"

The blond chuckled. "I think you're father's going to kill me if I revealed it to you," he said.

Hermione growled. "And now you're keeping secrets from me!" she accused. "Come to think of it, you still haven't told me why you cried when we were five-years-old."

Mister Granger snorted, guessing the embarrassment Draco was feeling. After all, sobbing moments of men were not really their most memorable memories.

"It's between men," Draco said. Harold smiled. He could hear the scowl in his voice.

"It's between men," Hermione mimicked. "You boys are really something, huh?"

The blond chuckled once more. "You're a girl. You won't understand," he said.

Hermione scoffed. "Ah, really," she said. "The infamous 'You're a girl. I'm a boy' line. Bloody sexist."

"Bloody feminist," he pointed out.

His daughter laughed. "Ooh, touché."

The clerk had cut off their little banter by saying that Hermione had to pay already. Harold immediately emerged out from his hiding place, not wanting to lose the two.

"Draco, cut it out!" Hermione exclaimed. Once again, the teenaged boy was playing with the automatic door, this time swinging the plastic bag back and forth.

"What? It's bloody amazing," he claimed, but followed her nonetheless. They finally walked outside the supermarket and Harold dashed so that he could not lose them.

Hermione and Draco waited at the bus stop, the plastic bags still clutched tightly in their hands. Mister Granger was positive that his daughter was struggling to hold the heavy package and he was tempted to run towards her and rescue her from the burden she was currently experiencing, but the boy had beaten him into it.

"You know," he had said, "if you do not take care of your wand hand, you will never been able to perfect the Patronus Charm."

"Oh, shut up, I can… HEY!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "What? You were struggling," he pointed out. "Hence, I relieved you from your burden."

"I can carry it, thank you very much," she grumbled, glaring petulantly at the single bag she was now holding.

"Are we going to fight over this trivial thing, too?" he asked, a cheeky smile on his face. "Fighting with you everyday is taking its toll on me already, Granger."

Hermione merely puffed out her cheeks and shook her head. "You are impossible, Draco Malfoy. Do you know that?" she asked.

"You just noticed it now?" he asked with faux surprise. "I had been trying my best to be anything but impossible to you all my life, Hermione Granger."

The brunette grinned. "Fine, fine," she said.

Their conversation was cut short when the bus arrived. Draco hastily scrambled up the bus, even dashing past a surprised brunette. Mister Granger almost made a fit, the lines 'Ladies first' ringing wildly inside his head. But then, his jaw slightly dropped when the boy juggled all of the packages on his left hand just so he could stick out his right hand to help Hermione up.

"Good Merlin, I think I should have more alone time with you," Hermione pointed out, clutching his hand and pulling herself up the bus. "It still surprises me that you're not that pretentious bastard walking all over the Hogwarts corridors acting like you own the whole bloody universe."

Draco cracked a grin. "I live to surprise one Hermione Granger, miss," he said.

As soon as the two were completely inside the bus, Mister Granger snapped out of his surprised stupor and ran for the door. Thankfully, the bus driver was able to spot him. Harold nodded a greeting to the bus driver and hastily slid himself down on the very first vacant chair he could see. The bus was strangely empty, save for a sleeping old woman and her pet cat. Hermione and Draco chose a seat at the very back of the bus, which was convenient for Harold, because he would not be seen.

It was nearing twilight already, and the street lamps were being lit. Mister Granger looked outside the window and he could already see shopkeepers closing down their shops. Through the window, he could also see the reflection of his daughter and her best friend, talking animatedly to each other.

Harold cursed his old age, already having a slight hearing problem. He had to try his very best to strain his ears just so he could clearly hear what they were talking about. Shifting, he pressed himself closer to their direction and started to catch snippets of their conversation.

"… father?"

Hermione had just finished asking a question and it made Harold curious as to why Draco had made such a sour expression on his face.

"Didn't we promise to make this two weeks of summer fun and void of any stressful things?" the blond snarled, which prompted Mister Granger to frown. It was clear that the boy's cheerful mood had drastically dropped to a nasty one.

His daughter sighed, a worried look crossing on her face. "It's getting frequent, Draco," she pointed out. "Don't you think it's time for you to get some… I dunno… help?"

"From whom?" Draco scoffed. "From your almighty Dumbledore?" Hermione gave him a pointed look and he slightly glared in return. "We've talked about this already, Hermione. Nobody can help me. This is something between my family and me. So, can we drop this topic off?"

"But…" Hermione claimed, but stopped herself in the end. The brunette took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and finally rested her head at the backrest of the seat. "If you wish it, then."

A tensed silence settled between the two teenagers. Mister Granger had this strange feeling that what they were conversing about a while ago was nowhere near lighthearted. He had never seen the boy so enraged like that; only in Hermione's letters.

"I'm sorry," Draco suddenly said, reaching for Hermione's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

The brunette cracked a small, sad smile and gingerly placed her head on top his shoulder. "I'm sorry, too," she said. "I promised to give you a good break but I'm insisting for us to talk about this topic. I'll never ask it again."

"Never?" Draco asked with an eyebrow raise.

A sheepish smile flitted on Hermione's face. "Well, probably not 'never'… but, not for the whole summer break."

The blond laughed. "Figures," he said. "But I'll be able to appreciate it if you drop off your inquisition for a while."

Hermione smiled up at him and reached out for his hand again. "I promise to do that," she said. Just then, a thought crossed her mind. "Although, I think my father will be at the back of your throat for a while."

Harold's heart broke into millions of pieces. His daughter had no enough trust on him! Although, he didn't really doubt her because he made it clear that he did not exactly like her best friend. But still! She could give him some credit. He was, after all, an adult (a respectable one in their neighborhood); hence, he could act mature if he wanted to.

'Mature, pssh,' a little voice inside his mind scoffed. 'And look what you are doing, Harold! Spying on teenagers! Yes, mature. Very mature.'

"Oh, shut up," he growled, prompting the old lady (who now had woken up) to look at him strangely. Harold looked at her and gave her a smile. The old lady merely glared at him and went back to sleeping.

"Your father's a good man," Draco said.

Harold blinked.

Wait. What?

"Wait. What?" Hermione exclaimed, disbelief clearly heard in the tone of her voice.

The blond smirked. "Surprised I said that?" he asked. Was it just him or did Mister Granger see him pointedly look at the back of the seat he was sitting on. "Oh, he can be rude, all right, but he only thinks about your safety. Apparently, though, he thinks I'm dangerous."

The brunette blinked at him, her eyebrows slowly creasing. "You? Dangerous?" she asked in disbelief. "Why?"

A small, mysterious smile appeared on his face and this time, Harold was so sure Draco was looking straight at him. "I have no idea."

Mister Granger's eyes narrowed.

The boy was positively lying.

"How was your trip to the supermarket, Draco?" Jean asked as soon as they gathered around the dining table. She was sitting on the left side of Harold, who was at the head of the table. Hermione was sitting on her father's right side and finally, Draco sat beside the brunette.

"Fascinating," Draco answered. And then, he started narrating animatedly his experience in the said store, making it clear that he did have a good time.

While he was mesmerizing the two women on the table, Mister Granger contemplated. He was now sure that the boy somehow knew, if not completely knew, what he was doing… why he was being a completely git to the said blond.

'He is far more perceptive than I thought,' Harold mused, thoughtfully looking at the smiling boy. A small ounce of respect blossomed in Mister Granger for Draco but there was no way in hell he would voice out this newfound respect to the blond.

Harold finally concluded that separating Draco Malfoy from his precious daughter would be more difficult, especially now that Hermione was so attached to the said boy. But he was a Granger, and Grangers never give up. The challenge merely fuelled his determination and he swore to the cosmic powers above that he would accomplish his mission and ultimately be the victorious one in the end.

A/N: So, how'd you like it? Good? Bad? Eh? Meh?

Once again, this story is a spin-off from one of the chapters in "Alphabet Love". So, if people are wondering what the heck is with this "Inspector Draco Malfoy" thing, do read that chapter in "Alphabet Love" and maybe you'll understand :)

Things are getting quicker because, need I remind you, this story will only be a five-chaptered one. So, yeah, I jump from one age to another. XD I hope you understand that; I kinda summarized everything that had happened from their first to fourth year in a few paragraphs through Harold's perspective. I mean, hey, this is not entirely a Dramione romance; this is a story told through the eyes of Hermione's dad. Therefore, he can tell the story of his daughter and her best friend through a short summary XD

That's it for now, my lovely darlings. I think I'll update this coming Friday!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe

P.S. Do ignore the grammatical errors. I'm a little distracted now so I had no time to proofread this chapter all over again. Hope you understand!