Apocalypse
XxX
Confusion
A week passed since the incident in the victims house.
Hermione and Draco haven't talked to each other since then, and no article has been published because there was leak in information.
Draco had spent this week in what he called '' quality time'', but nobody knew surely what he meant by that. In matter of fact, maybe he had decided to straighten his relation with Astoria, but nobody could tell anything for sure because he had not attended any work and had not allowed people in the periphery of his house.
Hermione on the other side, had worked her mind off onto this case.
Hermione flooed to her work early at the Monday morning. She thought there would be a lot of less people in the corridors, but that was apparently too much to hope for, because people were rushing everywhere from department to department, bumping into each other as if in purpose. The whole Ministry was like one, massive bung. She sighed silently for herself as she pushed past two wizards, wishing that all of the people would miraculously vanish at least until she reached her department in level two.
She wondered how the ancient walls still kept together and didn't fall into one total mayhem, because as far as she have seen they were bearing a lot of pressure. Sure there were wards protecting them from inside and outside, but could they keep the amount of people for a long time? She doubted it.
The witch reached the Ministry of Magic Lifts, and immediately pushed the button of level two. Hopefully she would get the whole elevator for herself and get some time to think her problems through without someone else breathing into her neck. And so she did. Shortly after she heard the doors and the magical wards close behind her, and the lift moved quickly upwards.
Hermione soon remembered the Ministry in Bulgaria. It wasn't half as big as the wizarding Ministry in London, and there were fairly a lot of less people crowded in there. It was not a rare occasion that you were the only one in the department, if not the whole Ministry, in the opposite of here, where the corridors and all of the corners were full of people or goblins, who were now also allowed to walk around in the Ministry.
The witch fumbled with her emerald green scarf, trying to untie it from around her neck with one hand. The knot was apparently too firm because she felt how the leak of air was choking her. On the elevator trip her mind drifted through what seemed like the whole case for several times, but she soon realized that there were still no assertions that could be taken as serious among her and the colleagues. Only stupid thoughts that buzzed inside her and refused to leave her alone.
That meant that she had nothing to come with. Nothing to impress the colleagues and her boss with. Nothing at all, and it made her desperate.
Lost in her own world, she heard how the doors opened again and hurried out so that the group of people that pushed themselves into the elevator wouldn't squeeze her to death.
Hermione walked through the mid corridor of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, straightly over to where the Auror offices were located. It meant that she would have to pass the immense mass of people firstly, secondly pass the Wizengamot Administrations Offices where she could find the most annoying wizards and witches in the whole wizarding society, for then finally reaching the doors of the Auror offices. She didn't even bother by stopping to talk with other aurors because she knew very well that there would be plenty of time for that kind of stuff later on. Right now she felt like she needed to get to her cubicle as soon as possible to find something that may lead to the right answer. Because she felt that she was beginning to get impatient already after a week.
The young auror pushed the doors open and smiled when she saw Harry waving towards her, while he stood together with Ron by the side of the offices.
She smiled even more as she approached them. " Good morning! Slept well? You are quite early today."
" Good to see you, Hermione.", Harry told her, taking another sip from the coffee. " Perhaps, maybe you should go and talk to Robards. He has already asked for you twice."
She shrugged. " I'm still supposed to be in bed according to my schedule. Ill talk to him later."
The second friend frowned. " If I'd get the opportunity I'd floo back home and chill out. Honestly, Hermione, I don't understand why you bother by showing up earlier than you are supposed to. There is no point, you won't get rewarded anyway-"
" I thought it would be easier to get past the crowds if I'd come earlier, but it seem like I was wrong.", she explained, sighing.
Harry chuckled at her. " Then I'd recommend you to acquire yourself a couch, or your own sort of floo network directly into your office. I thought you knew that the Ministry in wizarding London never sleeps, Hermione. I expected more from you."
She shrugged. " It wasn't like that in Bulgaria. Viktor and I always-"
Ron rolled his eyes. " Oh but for Merlin's sake..."
" What, Ronald?", she snapped, sending him an annoyed gaze.
He shook his head, sending Harry a small smirk before he hid it with his cup. " Nothing, 'Mione. Just forget it."
Hermione rolled her eyes annoyingly around, and wondered where the decision of going straightly to her office disappeared. She pulled softly at her hair to make it hang loosely down her side, and gave them another severe gaze before she walked away and left them behind her. Frankly, she couldn't understand why Ron always seemed to have a problem with her relationships. She assumed that he was still not entirely over their fixation that they once had, and the protection towards her would perhaps never fade.
Or perhaps, maybe he was just trying to annoy her.
The witch sniffed for herself as she took the two remaining steps towards her office. When she had reached the heavy door that led into her cubicle, she heard some foreign and weird sounds from inside. She narrowed her eyes into sprinkles before she pulled out her wand, and opened up.
The light inside her office was on already, and her eyes widened out as she took a look around her office. They stopped on a certain point, and she could hardly keep her nerves together.
" You?!", she exclaimed through shock, slamming the door behind her.
The wizard looked up through his fringe. " Good morning."
Hermione licked her lip twice as she walked towards her desk smelled her bag roughly against it, eying him with an unreadable expression. Her hand found its way to her hip, and she leaned against her desk, holding up her weight with her left arm. He didn't seem to take her hint yet. Or wait, no. He simply didn't want to take her hint.
He watched her silently. " Anything else?"
She drummed her fingers against the desk, scowling in his address. " I don't get the question, Malfoy."
Despise his deadpan she could see the playful glance in his eyes. " It just seems like there is something burning on the tip of your tongue. Perhaps, something that you would like to get out?"
She had to swallow down the irritation that grew inside of her, and tried her hardest to keep her slapping hand calm, but it twitched despise her efforts. He seemed to notice it, and she assumed that this made him hope. Well, she wouldn't let him hope. She was not going to let him spoil her nerves.
He took a look around her office, and she saw a muscle twitch in his lip. He was acting childish. Acting childish, because he knew it would annoy her. " This is a nice, expensive desk by the way. I guess you have got a taste in furniture, Granger."
" Thank you.", she smirked, before taking a look around. She soon noticed that her bookshelves were moved, and her desk was replaced with a cheap one, made of light wood. She pointed down at it, and frowned towards him. " Hold on. Where is my desk?"
" This is your desk.", he retorted calmly, patting the desk that he was sitting behind. " I believe they swapped them."
She laughed with confusion. " Who do you mean by they?"
Draco simply shrugged, and slid his hand through his light hair.
She closed her eyes to prevent herself from blowing up, and decided that she'd break the question to him in a civil manner. " On what purpose are you here, Malfoy? And what have you done to my office?" She paused, nodding towards the second desk that was placed in the room. " Why are there two desks? I didn't ask anyone for an extra one. "
He sat up onto his chair as if he was feeling home, and laid down the documents that he seemed to be reading down on his desk. Or rather, her desk.
" You are a cranky bitch today.", he commented.
" Thank you.", she snapped back.
The auror couldn't decide weather she should try to demand some explanation from the pompous prat once more, or if the best would be to ask Robards, but soon realized that the air was beginning to grow thicker in there and she had to get out. She bit at the tip at her tongue and turned towards the exit to find the Head Auror among the many others, but was stopped by the deep voice from behind her back.
" You know, a day ago your life was worth a 100 galleons", he said out of nowhere, and she could hear the smirk in his voice.
She turned around and looked at him. " Pardon?"
He cocked his head innocently to the side. " Your boss paid me for my heroic action down there at the victims house."
" And you accepted it?", she managed to stutter out between the shivers of astonishment.
He shrugged his shoulders. " Frankly, I don't care. They are just some multiple fishes in the ocean of my fortune. Enough for Astoria to spend on her clothing and manicures anyway. You can have them if you want."
" No, thank you. I have got enough of money. ", she laughed with disbelief. Only the thought of the incident in the victims house made her spine freeze together. " You know, Malfoy, I knew you were an egoistic little bastard, but not to this degree. A normal, mentally healthy person would never take money for saving a life." She paused to make the words sink into him. " But then I forgot that you are not mentally healthy. All you think about is wealth and pride."
" Not only.", he corrected her, pointing up in the air. She expected him to say something ironic, and so he did. " I also happen to think about girls, firewhiskey and my appearance."
She snorted. " Yes, I expected something like that."
What followed them was a pretty much awkward silence where the only thing they heard were the loud laughs from the Auror's common room mixed together with the sound of some magical typewriters, and she took this time as an opportunity to calm and divert her mind. At least try, because she wasn't prepared to be as confused as she was this early at a morning. Her well organized head couldn't take chaos, and a stranger in her private office was worse than chaos. To her, it was a disaster.
Earlier this morning she thought she would get back to her private office and try to get a connotation in this case, but the blonde arrogant really interrupted her logical thinking. She doubted that even when he was gone that she could go back in tact. That was how much his presence affected her, and not in a positive way.
And what confused her even more was the leak of information. She was not informed of any early interview for The Prophet. Then why was he here? What kind of profit would it give him?
Hermione brushed off the hair that hung down her face, and took off her beige designer coat, revealing an black, transparent blouse composed with the emerald green scarf, and a pair of muggle jeans. Pulling her handbag further up her shoulder, she hung her coat on the hanger that stood next to her. She walked over to her desk and sat down into her office chair, sinking further into it until the back reached her back and she could relax into it. Biting her front teeth into her lip, the witch finally took the chance to look up at the blonde Malfoy heir, who she found staring back at her with an amused deadpan.
" What?", she spat at him when she saw the amusement growing.
He licked off the smirk. " I'm just glad you finally found a taste for fashion." He paused and cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to make a conclusion, shrugging a little. " I mean the Scandinavian dress you wore a week ago and this blouse suits you better than the loose jumpers you wore at Hogwarts. You have to agree with me there."
Hermione knew that she was more than used to handle compliments, but this one came very unexpected. She didn't like the compliment he gave her, mostly because she was used to being underestimated and crushed by him. She liked him better the usual way, the way she knew he was.
Or perhaps, maybe it was meant as an insult? With Malfoy she couldn't know.
No, the new Malfoy tactic did not satisfy her. It actually made her even more suspicious.
" Ill take that as a compliment.", she smirked.
He gave her a small nod, and just when he was about to answer her she heard how the door went open from behind her and the Head Auror appeared in the door frame. Hermione acknowledged his presence the next, and turned her chair around to face him. Her body as well as her whole nerve system felt an immense relief, and she mentally forced herself to act diplomatic, not as she had done with Malfoy. He closed the door after him, and she immediately shot up from her chair to greet him.
'' Good morning, Mr. Robards.", she said with a look of honor. " It is a honor to finally meet you in person."
The Head Auror nodded, and gave her a quick smile. " Indeed, Miss Granger. I should have taken the time to meet you before, but I didn't have the opportunity to do so. My apologies for that."
" Oh, nothing to worry about.", Hermione assured him, shaking her head.
The young Gawain Robards gave her a grateful look, and then turned his attention towards the wizard that sat in the second office chair, just beside the window. He took a step into the office and Hermione understood that his sudden presence was planned. She knew it by the way they exchanged their gazes. She changed her focus from her boss to the blonde wizard, and couldn't wait to ask the question that lingered on her tongue.
" Mr. Robards, with all my respect to you, but on what purpose did Mr. Malfoy get his own desk arranged into my office?"
The Head Auror raised a calming arm into the air. " Let's take things in order."
He slid his hand under his jacket, and gave her a bunch of papers. Hermione accepted them and breathed out before she took a look down at the first page. Her eyes rolled quickly over the content, and she turned to the next page just to get a correlation.
She looked back up at her boss. " My apologies, but what is this?"
" The documents that contains the verification of Mr. Malfoy's relocation.", Robards replied calmly, sending the blonde a reassuring look.
Hermione nodded quickly, but felt the warning alarm prick down her spine. " Yes, I understood as much. And yet, what does this mean?"
Of course she knew what the papers said, but she still hoped that she had read it all wrong. Made a mistake that she could laugh of later. She heard how the blonde wizard cleaned his voice, and turned towards him to give him a questioning look. Tired, not even to mention confused, she sifted her gaze between her boss and the reporter again.
" Miss Granger, sit down for a moment.", the young boss told her, nodding towards her office chair.
Draco watched her as she sat down into her office chair with her fists clenched firmly by her sides, and he guessed that she was staring to blow up again. Just as she had done so many times in Hogwarts. Her face was focused directly on the young, tall Head Auror, and he seemed to ponder on how to break the big news out to her correctly. With her it was an important moment.
" Now, Hermione..." He stopped, frowning. " Can I call you that?" Granger nodded beneath her heavy curls, and seemed to tense up even more.
The Head Auror walked around on the empty floor. " You see, after the rather... breathtaking incident at the now deceased Benjamin Bloodworth's house, I gathered the wish to personally thank your savior."
My rather uninviting savior, she mentally muttered, feeling sick just by the thought of it.
" I know I should have informed you of this earlier, and that was kind of a part of the plan from the beginning. I believe Potter told you that I would like to meet you personally, didn't he?", he asked, fumbling with the painting on her wall.
" Yes, he did say as much.", she replied, shaking off the sleepiness that poured over her already heavy eyelids.
He nodded severely. " Well, the reason was the latest issue. This has never been tried before, but we decided that to reunite one of the wizarding world's best aurors and our definitely best reporter would make progress. This means that Mr. Malfoy has been assigned to work with you on Bloodworth's case."
Hermione blinked once. Twice. Tried to recover the signals that had reached her mind from her ears. She felt how the oxygen in her lungs gathered into a lump somewhere in the middle of her trachea and her stomach pressing up against her ribs, but weirdly enough she didn't feel like she was being choking. Her lids fell down in front of her eyes and opened just the same second, only with her eyes doubled in size. She could almost feel them pop out from her skull. And even with all the desire to hide the shock, she still couldn't manage it. She didn't even bother by trying.
" Of course, if this won't work, Cuffee and I will re- consider our decision."
She tried to find something useful to say, but what came out instead was something that seemed like a squeak. " Pardon?"
It seemed like he saw the shock that flashed across her whole face. Well, as said earlier, it was kind of obivous that he did. There was not one flake of her human being that could hide it.
" Believe me, Granger, if our calculations are right you might save yourself from a lot of hard work by doing so.", he said apologetic, giving her an innocent smile. His index finger shot up into the air. " In matter of fact, reporters are excellent aurors. Hard working, and charismatic. And professionals at revealing."
Hermione nodded briefly for herself, mostly to prove that she still could control her body.
" Well, I must say that's something... new.", she finally managed to press out, feeling how the nerves from her shoulders shivered, leaving her arms tense and uncontrollable.
The Head Auror gave her a severe look, nodding towards the door. " Miss Granger, I would like a couple of words with you afterwards. But for now, I will leave you two alone to discuss your case by yourselves."
Hermione woke up from what seemed a deep trance of worries and unnecessary thoughts, and murmured something baffling as a goodbye. She heard Malfoy thank him for the opportunity, and then the door closing mildly. Her hands found their way to her bag, and she pretended as if she was very busy by finding the necessary documents. In reality, she simply needed some time to comprehend these new routines.
She wondered on how it would be to work together with her enemy. Or was he even an enemy? Frankly, she couldn't say so, mostly because they had grown up from the age where you were either a best friend or an enemy. If she'd allow herself to call Draco Malfoy an enemy, then there would have to be a better reason than the fact that she despised him. Couldn't handle the sight of him.
There it was again. The needy necessity to over analyze everything, and make things that are ill even worse. That must have been the main reason for why she didn't become a healer. She'd probably take a simple virus as what Muggles call cancer.
Hermione heard how the former Slytherin thumbed through some papers. " So, shall we continue?"
She snapped her head up, giving him an ugly glare that would perhaps set the necessary lines. " Continue? We haven't even begun."
" There it is again. The childish behavior, Granger. You really have to get rid of it if you want to get somewhere in this life.", he retorted with a laugh in his voice, his eyes narrowed and focused on something that was written with ink on the paper.
Hermione resisted the urge to scream at him. " I'm not the one acting childish. I recall that you didn't even tell me what your purpose here was. I call that being immature and annoying."
She saw the corners of his lips lift into a simper.
" Let's not make this difficult, Granger.", he said as seriously as he could, looking at her from under his long fringe. " The sooner we start and the less we argue, the more time we get to work."
She noticed that his hair had perhaps changed a lot from the last time that she had seen him. Well, his whole appearance had. Four damned years had passed. Merlin knows what could have happened during that time.
The only thing she actually knew about him was that after being the wizarding Britain's own Casanova for two years, he had eventually married the former Slytherin Astoria. Well, she wasn't surprised. The woman had never been a troll, her parents had a whole fortune just as his own, and then there was this last thing; she was a pure blood. Even thought it was known that blood didn't matter to the Malfoy's anymore, she doubted it. A pure blood would always have more authority than a muggle born.
She shrugged. " I'm not making this difficult Malfoy. I'm just being correct."
He sputtered out into something that seemed like a laugh, but quickly ended it. " Right. The brightest witch of our age."
Hermione couldn't help but rolling her eyes. The Slytherins had used tthatas an insult since the second year. " Don't you have a new insult to come with?"
He shrugged, and it seemed like from then on he had lost his interest in insulting her. He adjusted himself comfortably on his chair, and buried his face into the papers that laid in front of him, studying them with caution and deep, personal interest. Well, of course he'd have personal interest in this case: if not, he'd rather stab himself than to work on a boring case with her. At the same moment as she realized that, she wondered wheather he did, or did not know something important regarding the incident in the victim's house. Perhaps, maybe it was because of his knowledge that he was put to work with her? Because she remembered that he seemed prepared, and didn't even as much as gasp before he defended her against the attacker.
" Right,", she sighed silently for herself before she looked up at him, trying to wave off the incident again. " Let's work, then. Ill search for a list of all the known potions as I was supposed to today, while you-"
" We are working together, Granger.", he stated. " That includes deciding things together. "
She looked at him. Really looked at him, wondering whether the boy had became crazy or was testing the limits of her kindness and civil politeness.
" This is really out of my comfort zone, Malfoy. ", she snapped, trying to make him understand that he could be honest with her and stop playing polite. " I'm an auror, which means that I'm used to either boss around, or work by myself. I just need some time."
He snorted, and rolled his eyes. " Well, to be honest, this is not my dream either, but the clue is to act mature about it and do the best out of this. For Merlin's sake, Granger, we are done with Hogwarts. A long time has passed since then. We are no longer teenagers with severe hormonal issues -"
Hermione blinked twice just to reason some obvious facts for herself. She had always been sure that it was Malfoy who acted like a little kid, but time seemed to change even this. She couldn't help but admit that yes, she was the one making a big deal out of this. The man was assigned to work with her at this case. So what? What difference did that make, except from making the work easier for her? Why did it bother her so much that a honored and such talentful reporter worked with her in a case that seemed for confusing than it was difficult?
She understood with her head. But her tongue betrayed her. It simply refused to leave it like that.
" I never had any hormonal issues. ", she said silently, understanding that she didn't have any good insults to throw at him at the moment. Protesting was her best weapon at this moment.
He frowned at her as if she'd just said that he looked like a Weasley.
" Okay, let's try again.", he breathed, seeming a little declared. " Look Granger, I did not ask for me to work with you, if that is what you thought. Robards asked me. And you do understand that this is an once in a lifetime opportunity that I simply couldn't deny? You would do exactly the same for your career.", he said in a capertioned voice.
She bit her lip, and thought of it for a moment. The young auror fought against the war that was filling her head, and let the horrible, but unfortunately real truth sink into her. Right. She didn't really have a choice. And even if she had, he wasn't worth the trouble that would appear. He had won this time. 1-0.
She breathed out, and forced herself to fake a smile. " You are right. I'm sorry, I overreacted. A bit. Let's just make a peace treaty and try to get somehow comfortable with each other. Well you know, comfortable enough not to kill each other. I'd like to live a bit longer."
" A bit?", he laughed, but the laugh stopped when he saw the expeession in her face. Deathly. Draco seemed okay with the suggestion. " I'm fine with that. Let's try our best to work on the case, not our relationship."
Their conversation was paused with some seconds of silence where they shared each others understanding, even though Draco didn't believe that this "happy deal" would last. This time it wasn't his temper that was the main problem. The puffy haired Granger's temper wouldn't last.
During their next minutes they agreed on how they would work. Well, "agreed" was perhaps not the best way to call it, but that was the closest they could come to "agreed". Hermione would go to the archive and get a list of forbidden potions in Wizarding Britain that could cause death, while Draco would try to make a list of people that had got an O.W.L in potion classes during the latest ten years, which perhaps could give them a short list of suspectives. The only reason for why he got the hardest job was all because he had lived in Britain through all these years, and Granger strongly believed that he knew all of the wizards that lived in London. Especially since he was a famous reporter. And no matter how many arguments Draco would have against the allegation, Hermione would still clung onto it until he'd have no other choices than to agree.
Draco of course didn't believe that this was the right angle to start from, but he soon realized that Granger had became even more stubborn throughout the years and he simply didn't have the wish or energy to talk against her.
So with Granger out of there and the whole office in his disposition, he sat down and started something that seemed like it would take years to finish.
XxX
Hermione searched through the shelfs where the witch had told the list would lay, but the luck didn't seem to be with her today. Well, of course it wouldn't; with all the negativity the bloody Malfoy had pressed into her through all her pores there couldn't be any luck to find.
She sighed as she slid her index finger through the spines of the maps, trying her best to concentrate her thought on the case. There were more important things in the world than satisfying her own ego. Malfoy and the problems with him could wait until tomorrow.
The auror sighed heavily for herself, and wrinkled her forehead when she realized that there were two more shelfs that she had not paid attention to. She squatted to reach the bottom shelf, but didn't even get the time to get hold of the shelf before her heel slid down the slippy floor and she fell backwards, bumping her head into the shelf behind her.
Hermione groaned silently, and instinctively pulled her hand onto the back of her head, not because of pain but because of her reflexes.
Well, at least she would get rewarded with a yellow- purple mark on her buttocks. Great.
" May I help you? "
The new voice snapped her up from her trance, and she looked up and noticed the friendly, masculine hand that was reaching out for her.
Hermione gave the male an innocent smile. " Oh, I am sorry, I thought I was alone."
" I'm sure we often do that. Staying between these thick, tall bookshelves really makes you appreciate some company. " He smiled back at her, his eyes searching across the shelfs. He pushed at a book that was sticking out from the mid- shelf, and directed his eyes back at her. " So, what are you searching for?"
Hermione nodded towards the shelf in front of her. " I am trying to find a list of all the known potions, forbidden and not. With an explanation of effect, of course. "
" Well, then I suggest that we start by getting you up from there.", he smirked, taking her by her wrist and carefully pulling her up. She quikly brushed off the coat, constantly reminding herself of the fact that she was not alone.
Hermione noticed that the male was dark and short haired, and was actually quite taller than her. Actually he reminded her of Krum.
Viktor.
She couldn't keep herself from thinking about Krum, even thought she understood that what had been was now gone, and there was no point in regret or through- thinking.
Well, perhaps, maybe that was the problem. Her nature loved thinking things through.
The witch was still young, and youth still had this strong affection on her, even with her mature thoughts and imaginations. And perhaps, maybe the youth together with the belief that good resided in everyone was the problem between her and Krum, because as far as she could remember she had always thought the best of him. Until recently, when she finally saw the true colours of the man. Her man.
Her one true love.
She looked away from the young wizard to clean her mind.
" Right. The potions.", she sighed, narrowing her eyes to read at the spines of the books.
The wizard made a sound of agreement and squatted down beside her, his face immediately lit up while he pulled out a white map. He looked down at it to read through the first papers, and the second after he handed it over to her, his lips stretched into a smile again.
" There you go.", the dark haired wizard said as they started walking towards the exit. " I believe these are for investigation purposes. Am I right?"
Hermione nodded. " Yes, you can clearly say that. If it wasn't, then I would not have accessed this part of the archive, right? At least I needed permission to pass through."
He laughed as an answer, turning left between the shelfs. " Yes, you are right. The security here is stronger than in Wizengamot."
" And nobody has ever tried to break in?", Hermione asked, following him when he turned once more. The whole archive was one, massive labyrinth.
The man shrugged. " Well, sure there has occurred some problems throughout the years, but you have never heard of any robberies, have you?"
" Actually I returned to London for a week ago. I still have not read any of the news during the last four years.", she replied and noticed the backs of the security guards that she remembered were placed in front of the entrance.
He laughed, and accompanied her towards the exit. " The most of it is cheap gossip. Believe me, you have not missed anything. Shortage of facts always ends in gossip."
Hermione smiled as they stopped, and nodded thankfully. " Thank you for helping me out. I really appreciate it."
And then she walked away with the direction of her house, feeling that she had a long night in front of her.
XxX
Draco listened as the last sound in the department vanished. A door was closed, a key was turned over, and he saw how the light that reached through the door sprinkle changed into darkness.
He decided that he would try to get a correlation in the sources he had found during his Hogwarts trip today. Sit in the office for an hour or two in peace and harmony, with only his thoughts and brain as company. Perhaps, maybe it would help him out with his concentration and ability to work. Well, at least one thing he knew: he wouldn't go home this evening. Astoria and her nagging were the last things he needed right now.
Well, he would get '' nagging'' sooner or later anyway.
He already knew how it would be. He would step out from the floo, and the first thing he would see was her irate face. She'd give him an interrogation, and accuse him for being unfaithful while he would sit still in silence just listening to hers complains, because by earlier experience he knew she would blame him for lying. Trying to prove something would only cause more barking from her side. Eventually the conflict would blow up into real rage. And then, as always, she'd tell him to stay away from her, leaving him to sit alone in the vulnerability of the darkness in his study and sip from the bottle of his fire whiskey in silence.
She would get him trapped inside a small cage in his own house. Make him a prisoner of his own fortress.
For Godric's sake, he was a human being, and human beings have their rights. Simple rights as having ownership over their own belongings, and their personal anatomy. But Astoria did not seem to understand. It was as if he lived only for her. As if there was no other point in living. As if he had lost the ownership and control over his life somewhere down the road, and she had found it and decided that he was now a servant.
The blonde snorted silently for himself as he turned to the next page and continued writing down the name of all the O.W.L's He did not truly believe that writing down the O.W.L's would bring them forward in their investigation, but he actually managed to understand Granger.
Well, at least he'd tried to stay away from being difficult. He'd excused her with telling himself that she needed time to get things working out. At least she'd given him something to work on at the moment.
It wasn't easy being reunited with one of the Wizarding Britain's former Death Eaters. Especially a Malfoy. Personally he would not enjoy that kind of company either.
Frankly he could see her problem in working with him. He wouldn't have been happy himself if he'd been assigned to work with her on an article a week after he'd returned from what would seem to be a Paradise in opposite to Britain. It would be a disaster. He'd eventually attack her with one if the sharp razors that he used for his morning shave rituals.
The young wizard couldn't help but laugh of the thought. He was beginning to sound like his dear father who would kill anyone who stepped into his business, and only the thought of becoming the elder Malfoy made him shiver. Even thought that he was a prideful Malfoy, he still despised the rules his ancestors had lived after.
The old tales about prejudices and hate.
They meant nothing. Nothing but cheap rubbish to him. He had been through too much to keep on getting brainwashed.
Author's note:
Oh, my dear dramione shippers! It was such a long time ago. I still can't believe how you have managed to wait for this chapter. I would have probably spammed the author's inbox with messages. You have been the greatest!
Right, so I have decided to publish this chapter after many weeks of suffering from the leak of inspiration. Right, I do know I have been suffering with it a whole lot, but it has reached a level of where I don't know whether I can publish anymore or not. It has been horrible...
But now I'm back!
And, hopefully, I will manage some quicker updates.
Actually, I will start writing a new chapter right away...
Lots of hugs,
- Juliakri