Disclaimer: HP is not mine. Nope, neither is Draco. Time to wallow in grief...


"So what did the ferret say, was he forthcoming about his murders?" Ron asked with a twang. He was seated in an armchair, surveying the woman before him, with curious blue eyes.

His best friend, seated beside him, glanced at him with an annoyed expression before turning his gaze upon the woman in question.

'Mione is obviously upset about something and Ron can't keep his gob shut!

Hermione looked at the men, across her with a guarded look. Tensing up, she recalled the events of the day before. She had pondered about her ordeal with Malfoy all night. The more she thought, more agitated she became. She could grasp Malfoy's emotions towards his mother but it did not dilute the fact, that he had murdered someone.

She was his wife, someone he had exchanged vows with. Yet he just murdered her in cold blood. Whether there was any influence by a presumably undead Bellatrix was beside the point. He should have defended Astoria. She was his wife, after all!

Then again, he did mention something about protecting his mother that made him do it. These facts made his case all the more complex, and the recent complicated developments in her and Malfoy's relationship has only made the matter worse.

She was not being able to think straight. Her professional aloofness and impersonal manner of approach seems to have taken a beating since she started feeling something for the bloody Slytherin Prince!

She was just sympathetic towards him, ofcourse. Nothing more, nothing less!

She had felt restless all night, and had gone back to sleep, while a certain pair of silver eyes haunted her dreams.

The next morning she had arrived early at her Ministry office. She just wanted to escape the pressing silence of her home that made her submerge herself into more troubling thoughts.

She had owled both Harry and Ron to meet her in her office to discuss the proceedings of Malfoy's case. A very grumpy Ron had bustled into her office followed by Harry, who looked groggy and sleepy.

Ron had constantly mumbled under his breath, complaining about effing early morning meetings and not having been able to have a decent filling breakfast.

Hermione who herself hadn't slept well, couldn't argue much. She would go sleepless for days, if the Malfoy matter was not solved soon enough.

"So?" enquired Ron, irritably.

Hermione brought her attention to him, and sit up straight to answer.

"Umm… well he didn't respond much as usual. He is still convinced that Bellatrix has a role to play in this. He only complained about not being able to help his mother," Hermione said with a wary glance towards Harry.

Harry was looking at her with a puzzled expression. He edged closer and said, "I'm sure Hermione, you didn't call us this early in the morning to say this?"

Hermione cleared her throat, "Well, I might have inadvertently upset him. I sort of- hurt him by implying that he is a man who has nothing left" said Hermione with a sigh, "I disregarded the fact that he believed that his mother was still alive somewhere."

"And you said the right thing, Mione!" voiced out, a restless Ron.

"Let her finish, Ron," said Harry, still appearing sleepy.

Smiling gratefully at Harry she continued,

"yes, so well I think my words might have rendered him even more defensive and I'm afraid that my chances at making him confess has thinned considerably, so I …"

Bang! The door to her office was unceremoniously opened and three Aurors stormed in. Hermione looked at the men, startled as one of them approached Harry.

" there has been another murder. A certain Nott was found in his home, slaughtered."

Harry stood up immediately from his seat, and Ron followed his cue.

"Theodore Nott, is it?" asked Harry with a stern expression.

The Auror nodded and said, "No, Sir. It is Nott senior. His father. Theodore Nott is missing."

"I see. Please wait outside. I would join you in a moment," said Harry in a cool tone and watched the men evacuate their space.

Harry exhaled, and slowly turned to a worried Hermione," I'm really sorry, Mione. I guess I need to leave right away. You can manage Malfoy on your own for the time being, right?"

There goes my chance at avoiding Malfoy for eternity, Hermione thought unhappily and merely nodded at her friend.

"Hermione, I understand it is difficult to deal with Malfoy, but we have made a commitment," said Harry, as he began to adjust his Auror coat around him, "and I have a hunch, all these murders have some connection with him. Maybe you can ask him about them?"

Hermione smiled slowly, as an idea began to develop in her head, "I sure will."

"We will get in touch with you soon, Hermione. If that scumbag bothers you, don't hesitate to call me in!" said Ron, suddenly livid.

"Alright. You two get a move on," replied Hermione as she bit back a biting response.

The only time he actually seems to care about me, is when Malfoy is concerned. One would think, he was Ron's girlfriend. Not me!

Altogether soon, her office was vacated as the Aurors followed her friends out. Slumping against her cushioned armchair, she stared up at the ceiling. There was no running away from her responsibilities, which included a certain Malfoy.

She couldn't possibly pester Harry and Ron about her discomfort regarding Malfoy. They had a lot on their plates at the moment. There had been a series of disappearances and murders of people who were associated with Voldemort.

Although, Ron felt it was karma, she and Harry thought otherwise. No matter whatever crimes these people were guilty of; they were being hurt and hunted down. The Ministry could not afford to get blood on their hands, be it Death Eater blood or not. It was their job to safeguard the Wizarding society.

Her squabbles with Malfoy can take a step back for the time being. Realizing her impromptu meeting with her friends was really uncalled for, she grabbed her belongings and decided to leave. She voluntarily took up Draco Malfoy's case and she could not afford to chicken out now.

Harry's new instruction has sowed a great idea in her mind. Malfoy falling for her offer of helping his mother on selfless grounds didn't seem to faring well.

As she closed her eyes, she remembered the pair of leaden eyes that bore into her soul the other day. She shivered with fear and distress as she remembered how vulnerable he had made her feel when he had walked up to her, so menacingly.

"Don't push your luck, Granger" said Draco, darkly.

"Tsk! And look who is talking! You know what you have been reduced to, Malfoy? Just a lunatic under the rule of a mudblood" , she said acidly.

"I would watch what my mouth spews out, if I were you, Granger!" added Malfoy hotly.

"That's rich coming from a man, who has lost it all," said Hermione scornfully.

Hermione bit her lip and she tried to quell the sense of guilt that was resurfacing within her. She did not realize when her peaceful approach took such an ugly turn. So maybe all she required was an altogether different approach.

Deciding to put her thoughts into action, she headed back to her home. Changing her clothes for work, she grabbed her Healer robe and draped it around her petite shoulders. Standing before her fireplace, she contemplated her new resolution.

Help Malfoy.

Do not probe into his personal space, I repeat, do not!

Don't let the slimy moron get the better of you!

Do the right thing, even if it includes being nice to the evil prat.

Try and make peace with him. For Harry's sake.

Take a deep breath and pray to Merlin, your new plan works out.

Nodding to herself, she seized the floo powder and left for Azkaban.


White walls.

White ceiling.

White bed sans the sheet.

His unclean white outfit, that has turned a darker shade.

That Godforsaken window overlooking the blazing white sky.

His almost white knuckles that kept thumping against the white Granger pillow.

Granger.

Granger, that know-it-all skank!

Who the fuck was she to determine what I had left!

Cursing colourfully, he realized he didn't have much of a choice. Granger maybe a firecracker when it came to verbal battles, but even he knew he had crossed a line when he had threatened to step into her physical space.

He had enjoyed the fact that he was able to intimidate the mudblood. Yet even a fool would not have missed the look of obvious fear in her soft brown eyes. No matter how much he had taken pleasure in frightening her, he did not feel any bigger by doing so.

He concluded that there was a slim chance of her ever reappearing to his aid. She must have already closed his case shut, permanently securing him to this mental asylum.

There was no escaping now. He better enjoy his last few days of sanity, before he slowly descends into actual madness.

Granger was right. If not earlier, then now he was definitely destined to lose everything. That included his mother along with the faculties of his mind.

A sudden grunting noise of the door hinges, brought up his attention to his surroundings. A mass of brown curls greeted his view that steadily approached him. Granger had her head bent down, as she tried to struggle with the strap of her bag. She seemed to have got it tangled with her terror tendrils of hair.

Sitting up on the bed, he casually leaned against the wall with the Granger pillow behind him, as he observed the little witch before him.

She groaned loudly and finally with a swish of her wind, detangled herself from the thin strap of her handbag. She completely ignored his presence, as she like the previous occasion, conjured up a chair to sit on.

Seating herself, she produced a clipboard out of thin air. Crossing her legs, she propped it up on her knee, while she shoved the handbag deep into the cushioned seat of the chair, with a vexed glance at it.

Ha-ha, she actually thinks her hair was the innocent victim. Stubborn witch. Draco chuckled to himself and she promptly looked up at him, with a scowl.

Her lips set in a thin line; she measured him up with her scathing look.

"Draco Malfoy, I'm here to interview you for your weekly counseling. I would ask you questions and you would answer me. If I believe any of your answers to be false, then you will be punished accordingly. This is to condition you to tell the truth without the help of Veritaserum." Hermione said in one breath as she searched his ashen face for any tell-tale signs.

Malfoy remained composed. No hint of emotions defining his aristocratic features.

I swear, if he weren't so snappy at times, I would have mistaken him for a robot!

Malfoy was lounging on his bed, and looking straight through her. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable. He clearly was still upset from what she had said earlier and now, she has to make it better. His detached behaviour was the result of her doing.

She too would have ignored him, had he expressed such a statement to her. No cross that. I would have lost my cool by now.

Fidgeting with the hem of her lavender pencil dress, she began to fill out the paper with the patient record information.

Mudblood's face seemed to morphing into assortments of emotions within minutes. He could not deduce what each meant, but it sure showed how worked up she was to be around him.

Keeping her eyes on the clipboard, as she scribbled on, it was evident that she was trying to avoid another confrontation with him.

Pssh… what else did you expect, you fool? You better be glad she doesn't have those buffoons she call friends, in here to keep you restrained.

"So shall we begin, Malfoy?" she asked, looking up at him with a guarded expression.

Don't screw this up, again. Think of your mother.

Draco nodded slowly and sat up straight to look at her with his most nonviolent visage.

Hermione noticed the gentleness in his movements. He barely moved or talked.

Gods, what have I done? Am I not the one to be helping him out of his lunacy? I have committed just the opposite, haven't I! Hermione thought bitterly. She tried to suppress the uneasy feeling as she prepared to go about her counseling of Malfoy.

"Umm… so Malfoy, how has your relationship been with your parents?"

What the fuck does this have to do with anything? What is she playing at?

"Normal" said Draco, both curious and irritable at her stupid question. She scribbled again and looked at him once more, "and with your wife, Astoria Greengrass?"

Oh you cheeky bitch. Trying to make me confess something ridiculous aren't you! Well you won't be getting any of that!

"Normal. We were like every other couple in marriage" who were forced to be with each other due to pureblood shitty norms!

"I see. You confessed that your aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange is still alive. How does it make you feel?"

"I felt nothing towards her presumable death or factual survival. Yet I regret to inform you Granger, that I wasn't the happiest person on earth when she made me murder my wife and take away my mother" he said bitterly.

His eyes shone with rising anger, as he tried to keep up with this belittling interview.

Be careful, Hermione. You can't afford to make him more upset than he already is. Play safe. Else your plan won't work out.

Nodding to herself, she wrote down his answers, "I'm sorry but I need to ask you these questions as these are official instructions given to me. I would keep it toned down, if you want me to" she said gently.

"Why, would you be sorry Granger? It isn't your mother's life on the line. Do please continue. Leave no room for derogative questions. I know what the truth is, so I do not care what you all think about this. I have to nothing to hide," said Draco gutturally, "and for heaven's sake, you don't have to tone it down. Keep it as sharp as possible. I'm not afraid of you, Granger. I'm sure you know that better than me".

Great going, Draco! Way to not get her shaking like a leaf again! Very smooth!

He hated himself at the moment. He was at a crossroad. Neither could he let himself be soft for his mother's sake nor could he ignore the hurtful questions Granger hurled at him.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. She pretended to write some more, when all she was doing was scratching at the sheet with her quill.

This isn't going well. He seems pretty mad at me. The slimeball doesn't realize that I can hex him to hell if he tries anything smart! She thought angrily, as she felt her insides heat up at his condescending behaviour.

Then again, she did not have the luxury of the choice of doing any harm to him. He held a lot of information that are crucial to the Ministry so therefore she has to make this work, no matter how much she hated it.

Looking back at the permanent scowl decorating his face, she tried to think of happy thoughts and not lose her temper. She had to keep a check on her rage every time she would have to enter this room in future and the thought made her groan.

Keeping this façade of helping him selflessly was surely not working on him. He was Malfoy, but he wasn't stupid. He ranked the second highest in school. Her being ranked number one. The thought made her giggle like a schoolgirl. Almost.

Seriously,Hermione. Grow up!

Setting the clipboard aside and shoving it along with her stupid handbag, she earned a curious look from Malfoy.

It was time to lay all her cards down and be out with it.

To deal with a Slytherin, she would have to think like one.


Granger was acting strange. She actually stopped writing and just sat there and stared. He wouldn't lie. He was glad that this indicated she won't be mocking him with dim-witted questions, but the look on her face made him curious.

Was she smiling at him? What was going on? Thinking she has completely lost her mind, he moved closer to sit at the edge of the bed.

Took her long enough. Goes to show what happens when you become best friends with Scarhead and Weasel.

"I have given up, Malfoy. We both know nothing has been making sense lately. So I'm going to be honest about it…" said Granger.

There! Finally she is going to forever condemn me to this nightmare.

"I have a proposition for you. I know you would cooperate better if I come clean. So here it is. I would honestly try and help you with your mother, if you help me in return."

Malfoy appeared angry and stunned all at once. He said, "Pray tell me Granger, how can I be of any help to you, stuck in this bloody prison you call an asylum? And more importantly how do I know that you are actually doing something helpful and not feeding me bullshit?"

Hermione breathed out loudly and her shoulders sagged consequently. Frowning in deep deliberation, she regarded him thoughtfully.

"I have a solution to that, but first I want you to hear me out, and for that I need you to cooperate with me. Is that clear?" asked Hermione.

Stupid female is such a pain the neck! Draco thought irately, before giving her a stiff nod.

"Hmm. So here it goes. I am going to give you details of certain important cases the Ministry is covering. You must realize that if one word goes out, not only me but even you will be in trouble," said Hermione slowly, gauging his reaction.

He appeared unaffected, therefore she continued, "Well so there has been several murders and disappearances. It's nothing new to the Ministry, we deal with such cases, day in and day out…"

"Get to the point, Granger. Trust me, it gives me no pleasure to listen to you blabber on" said Malfoy curtly, his cold eyes hooked onto hers.

Hermione clutched at the sides of the armchair tightly. Her knuckles paling, as she tried to repress her irritation.

That ferret just doesn't know what's good for him. His arrogance is going to be the end of him one day!

"Malfoy, if you know what's good for you, then you would shut the hell up. Right about now!" she retorted angrily.

Malfoy receded back on the bed till his back hit the wall. With his hands at the back of his head, he suddenly smiled at her.

"Ooh, I'm shaking Granger!" he said grinning like the Cheshire cat. Sensing her rising temper, he quickly added, "I'm joking, Granger. I'm knee deep in this shit. I don't need you to tell me how worse it can get. So please proceed".

How dare he mock her like this! Look at him, smiling at her so sweetly. Looking all handsome and conceited at the same time.

Gods, Hermione! This is Malfoy! He is the spawn of the Devil himself. His looks don't matter, so get back to what you were doing already!

Internally groaning, she proceeded.

"These deaths and the missing persons are all related to Death Eaters. So as you too are connected to them, and with the recent demise of your father, I believe you might have some insightful knowledge about this," said the brunette, and waited for his response.

When he didn't answer, she continued, "I need your help to solve these cases. If you do not help me, then you are to be locked up here forever. Neither will I be able to help you nor your mother. So what is it Malfoy, do you agree or not?"

Malfoy retained his indifferent attitude towards her words. Not even a twitch did he make as she finished her statement.

He seemed to have schooled his features into a blank canvas. No hint of anger, anguish or fear. He had a faraway look in his eyes, as he stared around the room.

"Do you see where I am, Granger? Do you think I'm here to have a game of words with you? Shouldn't my answer be obvious already?" said Malfoy, sounding evidently distressed.

With a tilt of her head she said, "So I will take that as yes. As of your earlier concern about me keeping my word, well I'm ready to sign a contract with you. "

Draco looked at her skeptically, as he said, "and how do you plan to go about that?"

Hermione grabbed the clipboard from her side, and attached a yellow scroll to it, that she fished out of her handbag.

"I have already sorted that out. This contains all the rules and guidelines to the contract. I just need you to go over it. If you want to add or omit anything, then please say so," said Hermione in a monotone.

"Oh how not typical of you, Granger. You never cease to astonish me!" said Draco smirking at her, "and I'm sure I would like to make changes which you…"

"Provided I approve of the changes you want" said Granger, a soft smile adorning her pretty face.

Pretty? Merlin's balls! You're a Malfoy! How in the name of hell, can this mudblood be pretty!

With a scowl he snatched the clipboard, surprising Hermione. Draco could not fathom, whether her snobby attitude bothered him more, or his unnatural personal thoughts about her, did.


Hermione studied Malfoy, as he engrossed himself in the contract she had made in her office. Her plan was very sudden. She knew she had to pick up the pace of this case. That time when her friends were called away for duty on another Death Eater death, the idea simply sprung up in her mind, out of the blue.

The Malfoys were infamous Death Eaters, if not anyone else, then atleast he must be knowing something about these deaths and disappearances. If she could make him provide her with adequate information, then she would sincerely help him with his mother.

It was to be a win-win situation. She heard him clear his throat at her, and she looked at him questioningly, "yes?"

"Is this an Unbreakable Vow written contract?" asked Draco with a quizzical expression.

"Yes. How did you know so?" asked Hermione, surprised at his knowledge.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Granger."

She didn't answer. She just looked at him with pity and marvel. The Malfoys sure know how to ruin the future of their family members. Especially the bright ones like Draco.

"Aren't you taking this too far? What makes you believe that you are doing the right thing here with me?" asked Malfoy.

"We are in the same boat, Malfoy. I have as much to lose, as you have. You may not realize, but you are not the only one with a lack of options now. So if I were you, I would stop asking questions and get back to the matter at hand" said Granger in a business-like fashion.

Comprehending her words, he delved into the tiny scrawls of Granger on the contract sheet.

Glancing at her, he noticed Granger stand up and walk over to the side of the bed. With her arms folded across her chest, she looked up and stared through the curved window.

She was brought back to reality and out of her musings when she heard him snigger loudly. Tearing her eyes away from the beautiful sunset outside, she focused her attention upon Malfoy, "now what?"

The light from the window, illuminated his face, and he once more appeared like an angel. His hair glowing a brilliant light shade of blond and his light eyes sparkled. He was handsome indeed, but at that moment, he was beautiful as well and Hermione realized that she had been holding her breath all this while.

Stop gawking at him! Get a grip over your wits, girl!

"Participants have to spend atleast an hour together for a meeting, every day. Sounds like you really are enjoying my company, Granger" said Draco with a laugh.

Hermione blushed and straightened up her posture, "very mature, Malfoy. Keep your ridiculous thoughts to yourself and finish reading up the clauses."

Smiling to himself, he looked away. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Granger's lips twitch into a smile. Her cheeks were stained pink, and her face glowed in the radiance of the setting sun.

The lavender dress hugged her small self. In all these years, she has grown in all the right places. Althought of barely average height, she had tempting curves and a feminine grace. Her unruly hair kept blowing in the wind, as it gushed through the window.

He grudgingly admitted to himself at that instance, that the insufferable know-it all was sort of beautiful. Sort of. With that he haplessly realized that the time he was spending with her wasn't that horrible.

And what was worse that, he seemed to be enjoying her company, to say the least.

Darn it!

Shaking such horrid thoughts out of his head, he asked Granger for a scroll and quill. Releasing a sigh, he began to write down his own clauses.

A contract with Granger. This is going to be…interesting reflected Draco as he saw Granger pace the room, seemingly edgy.