Chapter 7

"Ron and Hermione don't think that I should propose to Cho," Harry said as soon as Draco let him into his flat.

He kept replaying the conversation in his mind, trying to understand. His friends had been supportive of his relationship with Cho so far, which is why it took him so off-guard. Maybe Ron and Hermione had been the wrong people to ask for advice. They weren't as close anymore.

"So why are you here?" Draco asked.

"What do you think I should do?"

The blond disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two glass tumblers and firewhisky. He poured them each a glass before offering one to Harry. "It doesn't matter what I think. You already know what you need to do."

Harry took a large swig before setting down the glass. A comfortable silence stretched and filled the room, something that still surprised him after all this time. Draco was the last person that he had expected to become his best friend. The blond liked to pretend that he was still a snarky Slytherin, but Harry knew that Malfoy also enjoyed their friendship. They were always frank with each other, which caused a lot of shouting matches. They ended up resolving them after sleeping on the issue at hand.

However, Draco's advice was not what he needed to hear right now. He didn't know what he needed to do, that was the whole problem. He loved Cho. She was patient, kind, and smart. Cho used to make him laugh every day, a lightness that he needed after the war. She had helped him heal in a time that he thought that would be impossible. But somewhere along the way, they stopped laughing and space grew between them. They each tried to bridge the gap in their own ways, but it wasn't working.

Maybe there was some truth to Hermione's words. He had initially come up with the idea of getting engaged to save their relationship. Harry knew that they were in trouble, but he wasn't ready to let go yet.

He knew what he needed to do.

"Thanks, Draco. I'll see you tomorrow."

The blond took the glasses and firewhisky back to the kitchen.

When Harry returned home, he found Cho sleeping on the couch. She looked beautiful with her dark hair fanned out around her like a halo. He felt guilty that she had been waiting up for him. Gently waking her up, Harry carried her up to their bedroom determined to make things right between them.


As soon as Weasley walked in, Draco knew that something was wrong. He looked torn between guilt and relief as he sat down. They were waiting for Granger and the way that the redhead kept glancing at the door most likely meant that he had something to do with her tardiness. It wasn't a secret that Granger still carried a torch for Weasley and Draco wondered what it was about the wizard that attracted witches out of his league. First Granger, then Pansy.

Potter stormed into the room without so much as a hello and threw the Daily Prophet on the table between him and Weasley.

TASK FORCE IN TROUBLE AS PERSONAL DRAMA UNFOLDS!

Last night, Ronald Weasley, 25, and Hermione Granger, who just celebrated her 26th birthday, were spotted quarrelling outside the Leaky Cauldron. It is well known that the pair has a tumultuous history. Childhood best friends turned into lovers, our sources say that it was Granger that pulled the plug three years ago, a decision she seems to regret if the shouting match was anything to go by.

Weasley has been dating Pansy Parkinson, 25, for the past two years. Granger and Weasley have been assigned to the task force responsible for capturing the Stranger, a serial killer responsible for the murders of four witches. The task force is led by Harry Potter and includes former Death Eater Draco Malfoy, who is known for tormenting the Golden Trio. This task force seems to have been doomed from the start, more focused on dealing with personal drama than performing their jobs.

Will the Stranger be caught before another witch is killed? Is it time to assign a new task force? What does Miss Parkinson think of her boyfriend working with his ex-girlfriend?

Draco glared at Weasley who had paled after reading this morning's paper. He was glad that he was only mentioned in one sentence, but it still caused him considerable damage. Wasn't working with the Golden Trio supposed to help his reputation, not make things worse? Draco should not have been mentioned. He would have to talk to his contact at the Prophet, he paid her considerable money to keep his name out of the papers.

"Please tell me that the Prophet made this up," Potter said, his voice barely containing his rage. "That is what I told Hendry and the Minister of Magic this morning when they yelled at me for an hour straight."

"I- I'm sorry," Weasley said, his head in his hands. "You let it slip that I was planning on proposing to Pansy yesterday and Hermione didn't take it well."

"And you had to hash it all out in public? What were you thinking? No, don't answer that. It's very clear that you weren't. I have half a mind to listen to Hendry and kick you off this team, Ron."

The redhead looked up, his face horrified. "They want to kick me off?"

"Do you not realize how much this negative publicity affects us? The public wanted us to catch the killer yesterday. We still don't have a suspect, his selection process, or his goal. You just royally screwed us," Potter said. "And Hermione called in sick today. Is she going to return to work, Ron? How bad was this fight?"

"I don't know! Get off my ass, Harry. You were the one that fucked up by letting it slip that 'I thought that I could at least count on your support, Ron'."

Draco was tired of this bullshit and stood up. When the two continued fighting, he slammed his hand on the table making them jump.

"Enough. What's done is done. We need to do damage control. We stop what we're doing and we focus on the financial records that Gringotts gave us. I know that it'll show how the victims are connected. If we all go through them together, we'll get through them quickly enough and we can hold a press conference where we can address both the article and update the public on our progress," he said. "It will also show that we have a good relationship with the goblins, which will demonstrate the professionalism of our team."

"But the goblins gave the records to you, not the team," Weasley said.

He shrugged. "We bend the truth. I will not get kicked off this case."

"Okay, we'll hold the press conference tomorrow. We'll work all day and night if we need to," Potter said and they all agreed.


The three wizards had worked through most of the day and made a dent in the pile of financial records. It was difficult at times to follow the trail of money and they often had to check other documents to verify where the money went. None of the victims lived in the same area and while some owned property, others rented. Their homes were not built by the same company.

Potter had gone to get their dinner, leaving Draco alone with Weasley. The redhead ignored him and the stress from this morning didn't seem to be bothering him any longer. It irked Draco that he could let it go so easily, that it didn't bother him that their reputation was now in tatters because of him and Granger. Potter had tried to see her earlier in the day, but she would not see him or answer his letters.

"If it was up to me, you'd be off this task force."

Weasley didn't look up. "Good thing it's not up to you."

"It's disgusting that you're not bothered that you almost cost us this case and the smartest person on this team refuses to come in because of you," he said.

The redhead threw his quill on the table. "Don't pretend that you care about Hermione, we both know that you can barely stand working with her."

His blood boiled as yet another accusation was thrown his way. He was tired of people always putting him down, expecting the worst from him. Granted, Draco had been a little shit growing up but he had changed and he wanted people to recognize it. He liked Potter – and Granger was growing on him – but he didn't think he would ever like Weasley. The ginger represented the ignorance that Draco was faced with every day. Even after everything they had all been through, Weasley still saw the world as black and white.

"Granger is my partner and she deserves respect. Don't think that I haven't noticed how you've been playing with her feelings since this task force was created. I've seen the way you look at her and the way you act around her and I'm warning you right now that if you hurt Pansy or Granger, you will have to deal with me," Draco said.

"Whatever, Malfoy," Weasley said, turning back to his file.

Draco was trembling with anger that the redhead was so nonchalant about his mistreatment of Granger. Granted, he didn't care one way or the other for the witch. She was emotional, too high strung, and an annoying little chit. But, Granger was his partner and that gave him a responsibility to look out for her.

Potter came in with dinner and if he noticed the tension in the room, he didn't say anything.


Every journalist that Harry knew was here and then some. He knew that the room would be crowded, but he hadn't expected this many people. There was overspill into the corridor and the hushed voices added to his overwhelmed feeling. The press conference had been Malfoy's idea and he was tempted to force his former partner to come out here and take the lead instead.

Draco had always been a good public speaker. He was good at reading the crowd, while Harry felt out of his element. But, he was the lead on this task force and he would one day be the Head Auror, which meant that he had many press conferences in his future. Unfortunately.

As soon as he stepped onto the podium, Harry was blinded by the flash of the cameras and everyone started shouting questions at him, the voices blending together so that he couldn't understand a thing that they were saying. Harry raised his hands and waited for silence.

"Thank you for coming out here today," Harry said. "I wanted to update the public on our progress so far. The killer is targeting witches that are a part of the communal wards offered by Goldstein Enterprise –"


"Where is she?" Malfoy asked as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace.

Hermione sunk lower into her blankets, wondering if it was possible for them to swallow her whole. She had expected Harry to be the one to come, not Malfoy. It had been days since she last showered, her hair was a mess, and her eyes were still red from crying this morning.

"In her room," Ginny said. "Good luck. I've been trying to get her out of bed for days now."

She heard his heavy footsteps come closer to her room and pulled the blanket over her head. It was a stupid move, but she didn't want to face his anger. They were partners and she had let him down. Fresh tears pricked at her eyes at the thought of how disappointed Harry and Malfoy must be with her behaviour. Hermione was disgusted with herself for letting her past with Ron ruin her career at the Ministry.

The door opened and she was surprised when the bed dipped right beside her legs.

"Granger, look at me."

She shook her head, knowing she was being childish. How could she look him in the eye when she knew that he was about to laugh at her. It seemed like she had little choice when Malfoy pulled the blanket from her face.

"I'm expecting a bonus after we solve this case, dealing with both your and Potter's personal drama," he said.

Hermione was about to answer when he interrupted her.

"It was a joke," Malfoy said. "Do you want us to remove Weasley from the task force? You are more valuable than he is and there are other competent witches and wizards that could take his place."

She was tempted by his offer. Hermione wasn't sure that she could face Ron anytime soon and the thought of working with him was unbearable. There was no telling how long this case would last. But, this concerned both of their careers. Ron would not go from the task force quietly. He had worked hard to reach this point of their careers. They both had and it wouldn't be fair to either of them to walk away now. As much as she didn't want to see him, she would suck it up. It meant a lot to know that Malfoy was ready to support her and would choose her if one of them had to go.

"No, he's as much a part of this team as I am. I appreciate the sentiment," Hermione said. "Has there been any progress?"

Malfoy nodded. "The communal warding system is the thing that links the victims. Now we just need to figure out if the killer works for Goldstein, is actually Goldstein, or if someone has managed to break through the wards. We need you on this, Granger."

"I can do it," she said, tilting her chin up. Hermione was trying to convince herself more than Malfoy. "Based on the previous timelines, he's going to kill again soon and we're still not going to be able to stop it."

"We are doing the best we can right now," Malfoy shrugged, standing up. "Take the weekend off to sort yourself out and I expect to see you at the office on Monday morning or I will come back and drag you there myself. Clear?"

Hermione nodded. "Monday."

"We'll limit the interactions between you and Weasley for the next couple of weeks unless it's unavoidable. The case comes before your personal drama."

"Why are you being so kind?" she asked.

He looked uncomfortable. "Contrary to what you believe, I'm not a terrible person. See you on Monday."

She watched him leave. Hermione was confused about Malfoy's behaviour. Part of her wanted to be suspicious about his motive. He was acting out of character and she knew that there had to be a reason for it. What did he have to gain? But Hermione had to admit that she didn't really know Malfoy. Was this a facet of his personality or a deception?

And when the bloody hell did she get so paranoid?


By the time that Ron got home, he was in a terrible mood. He didn't think his mood could get worse after his fight with Hermione. He wasn't going to tell her about his plans to propose to Pansy and was going to announce it to the team after Pansy accepted. Although he would always love Hermione, she was in the past. There wasn't a reason for her to know about his plans with Pansy, which is why he was pissed at Harry for letting it slip. Ron had made a mistake when he told him about it in New York.

Pansy was sitting at the table and had already started eating dinner. She was wearing his favourite dress, her hair gathered up exposing her long neck. It should have turned him on, but he only felt more exasperated. Ever since he had started working on the task force, Pansy made sure that his favourite meals were on the table and she looked better than ever. Any man would have loved it, but he knew what was really going on.

"Aren't you going to come and eat?"

Ron sighed. "Come here, I want to talk to you first."

"If you're going to break up with me and tell me that you're going back to Granger, then don't bother. I don't know why I even bothered –" she said, walking towards him.

He grabbed her arm and tugged her towards him so that she fell into him. Ron picked her up and walked towards the couch where he sat down and adjusted her so that she was sitting on his lap.

"I'm not breaking up with you. I love you, only you," he said, pulling her closer, "But you need to stop this. I love that you're making my favourite foods, wearing my favourite things, but I know you're not doing it for the right reasons."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't do those things if I didn't want to."

"You're doing it because you're scared that I'm going to leave you for Hermione. You just admitted it yourself."

"What do you expect me to say?" she said, her gaze hard.

He searched her blue eyes, wondering how exactly to word what he wanted to say. Ron had never been good with words or expressing his emotions and he hadn't cared about it too much… until Pansy. She always acted strong, and she was, but she was also fragile.

"You don't need to do those things to prevent me from leaving you. I know you've found it difficult since I joined the task force and I don't know how I would react if I found out you and Zabini were working together," Ron said. "I have never hidden my past with Hermione. I need you to trust me when I say that I don't have feelings for her anymore."

"I want to trust you," Pansy said, grabbing her wand and summoning the Daily Prophet. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Ron rubbed the back of his neck. There were two ways this conversation could go. He hadn't told her about the fight because she would want to know what had set it off and he would have to tell her about his plan to propose. He had been carrying around the ring for over a month now, waiting for the perfect moment. It would ruin the surprise. But if he didn't tell her, then she would think that he still loved Hermione.

He didn't want to hide things from Pansy. Their relationship was built on trust and honesty. His hands suddenly clammy, Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box. Her eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"I've been carrying around this box for the past month waiting for the perfect moment. I told Harry about it when we were in New York and he let it slip to Hermione. That's why we had a fight. She was upset about it and I had to be frank about it, about you," Ron said, looking at her hands. "I was a bit harsh with her, but she needed to know that you're the love of my life and I don't plan on ever letting you go. I didn't tell you about the fight because I didn't want to spoil the proposal, but the Prophet ruined it."

Pansy kissed him, taking him off guard. It wasn't the reaction that he had been expecting, but he let himself get lost her in her.

"Yes."

He pulled back. "What?"

"Yes. I'll marry you, Weasley."

He could feel the large grin on his face and he picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder and carried her up to their bedroom. When he was explaining to her why he was fighting with Hermione, he hadn't meant to actually ask Pansy now. He had wanted the proposal to be romantic, but if she said yes… That's all that really mattered anyway.

"Wait, my ring –"

"You'll get it later, Parkinson."


Hermione lingered by the lift, trying to work up the courage to enter the conference room-turned-office. She wasn't ready to face the team, but she knew that she had to. The Daily Prophet had announced Ron and Parkinson's engagement and although it still hurt, it wasn't as bad as the night that she found out that she and Ron were over forever. She knew that she had to let go of the past, but how was she supposed to do that when she had to work with the redhead?

It was Malfoy's words that made her move towards the door. Harry had been understanding, but he would never be able to support her fully, torn between his loyalty to his two childhood friends. It was strange that she had started to rely on Malfoy, but he had become an actual partner after their spat in the lift. They were by no means friends, but she knew that she could depend on him. It was a reassuring feeling and with that thought, she entered the room to see that Harry, Ron, and Malfoy were all waiting for her.

She took a seat on Malfoy's left, the furthest seat from Ron.

"Now that we are all here," Harry started. "There's been another murder. It's time to put aside our personal issues and get back to work. We have a killer to catch."