We were dismissed and told to report tomorrow for work and more announcements about the Matching Pulse, as they have now taken to calling it. They discouraged everyone in the department to find who they were matched to as the there will be a ledger of the couples out in the next few days since the pulse was still in effect and they effectively created it so they would have a list of couples out. So people would not be confused and everything could be organized correctly.
At this point I don't know if I should scream or cry or laugh. I am hysterical by the time I get home. My small grey cat Moonlight is roaming around following Crookshanks. I should calm down a bit, after all it is not the end of the world.
Moonlight was a gift from Luna surprisingly after the war we became great friends, and met up a couple of times when I was travelling since she was travelling too in search of mysterious creature. Afterwards she joined the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures which is being renamed Department of Magical Creatures as now they are dealing with laws that would give rights to magical creature that could self reflect. Such as house elves and werewolves, who are still considered creatures although they are humans for most of the time.
I put food in both of their small bowls and went to take a shower and then promptly knocked out.
Morning came and I woke as I always did. Waved my wand to get the kettle going. Then I felt a small pull and remembered the day before. "Fuck!" I got dressed and ready to go and I apparated to the Ministry.
Absolute pandemonium, would be one way to describe it. People were screaming and shouting and running and absolutely everywhere. Someone crashed into me, I just saw a flash of messy black hair, "Harry!" I recognized that hair everywhere.
"Hermione! I am so sorry! It's crazy in here today isn't it! The Auror's are trying to do some crowd control. But it's too much with all the other cases the department has to do. We were only able to assemble a small team. . ."
"Yeah, what's going on? I just got in."
"Well, the ministry put out the announcement of the Department of Mysteries accident yesterday. And a lot of people have question especially since a lot of the people seem to be drawn to another person that is not their significant other." That was expected. I mean, Me and Malfoy.
"Do you know what happened yesterday? I heard it originate from your department." I looked down and looked around. "Hermione. Hermione please tell me you had nothing to do with this." Harry looked at searching me face for answers.
"Ok, I had nothing to do with this." Looking slightly confident, maybe he'll believe that tremendous lie.
"Seriously Hermione. What did you do? This is absolutely insane. Figures it would be you set something like this off."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Every since Ron got engaged you have been acting out and being really strange. Out of focus. I understand that you might be upset, that maybe you were hopeful, that maybe you and Ron were going to get back together. But you never gave Ron any indication that you wanted to get together after the war." I looked at him with my mouth open. I could believe what was coming out his mouth.
"I was the one who asked him out after the war! He said no!" I shouted at him, a few people looked our way.
"That's not what Ron told me." And we all believe Ron.
"Well fine, go ahead believe him. Obviously, I am a liar, since I am the one that went on to have a girlfriend 2 months after I asked him out." I hate that Harry always takes Ron side. "And then just as I was getting over him he decides, that he wants to get married to me. And asks me while he drunk and is already engaged to Lavender. And I am the one punished for it. Did you see Malfoy in the bunch?!" I ask in a hurry, I need to get away before I start crying. "You know what, forget it."
Now he is the one with his mouth open. Good he deserves a little bit of shock. That idiot. Boys are stupid. I started to walk away, when I felt his hand on my arm. "Let me go, Harry." I said quietly, I was tired already.
"I am sorry, Hermione. You're right I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that and I should pay more attention to the only person that has been by my side. I'm just around Weasley's all the time. They are starting to rub off on me I guess." He chuckled, nervously.
Yeah he should be nervous. "Just listen to me next time I am tired of having to defend myself. when none of it has been my fault. He rejected me."
"Ok, but really what has been going on? You have been all over the place lately."
"Yeah, I have to go. We'll talk about it some other time. Have you seen Malfoy, I am looking for him?" I said absentmindedly.
"Yeah, he's around here somewhere. Said he was looking for you. Wait! Your not! Wait, are you matched with Malfoy?!"
"Well yes if you must know, I found out yesterday when I was making out with him in plain daylight, the department were giving a speech at the time it was quite unexpected."
"Hermione, how can you be so calm about this? It's Malfoy. You should be angry." I realized, I should be having another reaction to my matching with Malfoy. But after careful deliberation, I realized it made perfect sense for me to be matched with Malfoy.
"Can you point me in his direction? But we will have lunch and talk about this later. Owl me, ok Harry?" I was walking towards the direction he was pointing and saw Malfoy standing against the wall next to the elevators.
"Yeah, sure Hermione.I still don't know who I am paired with, I just know it isn't Ginny. She's -" That's the last I heard of Harry as I walked away from him.
Draco Malfoy works for the Department of International Magical and Muggle Cooperation. I heard rumors back when I started working for the Department of Mysteries that he got the job because he excelled in his punishment after the war. Draco Malfoy was sentence to live for 1 year as a muggle no magic and no connection through magic. During that time he was enrolled in a sixth form school and taught muggle studies. Of course, he excelled and went on to go to university for 2 more years before being offered a position within the ministry.
I have not heard anything else about him and we mostly avoid or don't really see each other even though we work in the same building. Snape often talks about him and his accomplishment within both the wizarding community and the muggle government. They say he's changed.
"Malfoy -"
"Call me, Draco, Hermione. I heard there is no way out of this so might as well familiarize ourselves with our first name." Excellent point, don't know if I am ready for that.
"Ok, Draco. We seemed to be matched and one of the first couples to know actually. How lucky I am that you were in the Ministry when everything happened? I feel like hugging you but that's not important right now-"
"You're rambling Gran- Hermione. It's ok though, I just don't know what they next step is for couples that this has happened to. My parents apparently have been matched together since I saw them being quite amorous last night and this morning when I woke up. But it's been quite a stressful time since I got a notices and the news this morning, apparently there is nothing that can be done at the moment about the matches." Great now he's rambling.
"Now you're rambling Malfoy, I mean Draco."
"I do not ramble, Granger." I laughed a bit.
"I have to get to work soon before Professor Snape decides to give me a lecture. But we should have dinner. To figure out what's to be done about this." I point at him and myself, its weird and awkward but I think if I just leave quickly I'll be able to survive, the embarrassment.
"I'll owl you Granger." I was running toward the elevators.