Why was it that every time Malfoy and him meet it always seemed to be raining? It almost seemed cliché, really. Nonetheless, it was Harry this time that was running late. It had been a hectic evening at the Auror Department, well, more hectic that usual, anyway. Earlier this morning there had been an incident at 's. A third of their medical records were stolen. Nothing was left behind. No fingerprints, fibres, foot prints, witnesses- nothing at all. There was no evidence of anyone breaking in or breaking out, nor did alarms or protective spells go off. And how exactly do you build a case on absolutely nothing? You don't. The only thing observation they could make was none of the records stolen were the ones of purebloods, but that may have just been pure coincidence.

At least Harry got to escape the chaos for a few seconds before meeting Malfoy about other chaotic case. Harry knew Ginny understood what his job demanded, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. And that guilt drove him to want to close these cases even more.

Harry arrived at their new location: a quaint coffee shop. There was smooth jazz playing in the background and beanbags placed at every corner. Malfoy sat on a stool closest to the wall, away from all the hipsters. On the table were two steaming cups of coffee.

"Two spoonfuls of sugar and-"

"No milk. Merlin, I'm not daft," Malfoy scowled. His hair was slicked back- which Harry snickered at- and he wore very posh dress robes. If only his face looked as nice as his clothes, then maybe he'd actually look welcoming for once.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" the green-eyed man smirked.

"Shut up," Malfoy exclaimed exasperatedly, as he wrapped his fingers around his cup for warmth. "Update me, if you must."

Harry quirked an eyebrow at his unpleasantness. Not that he's usually pleasant- but just more unpleasant than usual. He actually liked his wit from time to time, but would never admit it if asked.

"You know that sentence doesn't make any sense. You want me to shut up but you also want me to tell you things. You're contradicting yourself." Malfoy rolled his eyes as if he was a child who wasn't getting his way and wanted to be sassy about it. In fact that was an accurate description of Malfoy's attitude most days.

Harry began to get out his files as he heard Malfoy huffing about in his seat. "This is getting ridiculous, Malfoy. Just tell me what's bothering you, for Merlin's sake!"

Malfoy suddenly exploded, and smacked his hand on the table. Luckily the hipsters in the corner were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice and the cashier looked too bored to care.

"It's fucking, Granger! That's what. Out of the whole Auror Department. No- the whole Ministry! You fucking pick her? The most disagreeable woman I have ever encountered in my entire life." Malfoy's little outburst almost amused Harry. It had been the most entertaining thing he's seen all day.

"What's happened to you Malfoy? All worked up over one girl? Merlin, she really has driven you mad!" Harry snickered. Go Hermione! he cheered, inwardly.

"One girl, he says. She's the mad one. She got angry with me for talking to another woman. Claims that it might put her in danger. What a load of bullshit."

Harry glared at Malfoy, "'Mione has saved my life upon multiple occasions. So if she believes that your actions may lead to harm, then I will not hesitate to remove the threat so that she will feel safe. Just as she has done for me. There's such a thing as respect, Malfoy. I suggest you have some for her."

Malfoy sat back down on his seat and returned Harry's glare, "Well I suggest that she has some for me. How can I work with someone who won't even trust me?"

"Well, do you trust her?" Harry pried. Harry wasn't much of a gossip; he understood the destruction it can cause, and has caused. But he couldn't help but notice that Malfoy was terrible at expressing emotions other than anger, grumpiness, and just no emotion at all. He needed someone to nudge him in the right direction. That was all.

Malfoy fell silent for a moment as Harry watched his inner turmoil. He looked down at his hands, which he had been clenching since Harry arrived, but now he stared at them with his palm open as if he were trying to read his hands for the answer. He then looked up at Harry with a slight pout on his face and his eyebrows knit together.

"I don't know."

Harry nodded understandingly, "Have you done anything that would make her trust you without a doubt?"

"No, but-" Malfoy began before Harry cut him off.

"There are no buts. You have no excuse for her not trusting you." Harry watched Malfoy sink back into his chair.

Ever since Harry brought Hermione into the equation he noticed Malfoy acting different. Not the obvious kind of different, but the kind that you'd detect when someone would say or do something out of the ordinary.

"How about we begin talking about the case rather than my personal life?"

Harry nodded, "Any progress on your end?"

"I'm still stuck doing slave work for them, and I'm not allowed to go to regular meetings just yet. They're smart, Potter. They won't let just anyone who shares the same vision as them in. Or else they didn't learn anything from Riddle's mistakes," Harry could hear a mixture of bitterness and determination in Malfoy's voice. Or was it determination caused by bitterness? He couldn't tell anymore.

Either way, Malfoy had a good point. They had to be patient, slowly wait for them to trust, and then pounce. Unfortunately, the only danger is if they wait too long. By the time they're finally in, they're become too strong to overtake. Harry hoped that Hermione's progress would speed up the process.

"And how is Hermione doing? Was the ball a success?"

Malfoy immediately scowled, "Despite her being a bumbling fool for the majority of it, she made an excellent impression. Everyone I spoke to made her out to be lovely fiancée, and wished to get to know her more. So much so, that Montague has invited us to a party at his manor this week."

"Good, he's letting you into his personal group. That's good," Harry found himself drifting off.

Suddenly he felt so detached from everything. He hadn't realized until now, when he had to ask Malfoy how Hermione was doing rather than ask her himself. He realized he had told Hermione that he would look after Ron, but he had asked Ginny to do that because there was just too much stuff for him to handle at work. He hadn't even told Ginny that he loved her since a few days ago. Why did it have to be impossible to do both? Run the Auror Department and spend time with his family. You can never succeed in one without failing at the other.

He promised himself then that after this he would go home. To say I love you to Ginny, and to take care of Ron. And try his hardest to be better.

"Potter? I know it's hard not to day dream about my perfect body, but we have to get at least some work done," Malfoy smirked at Harry's blank expression.

"Hm?"

Malfoy shook his head. They both sat in a rare, comfortable silence. Harry knew they both needed time to clear their heads, for there were too many thoughts in there to be healthy. Malfoy looked back at Harry, with his grey eyes piercing into his.

"You have to stop doing this to her. You have to stop keeping her in the dark." To a stranger, it seemed like Malfoy didn't say much. But to Harry, he said everything.

Harry stood up from his seat, and shrugged his coat on. As he was about to make his way out, he stood close to Malfoy, leaning down so that his mouth was next to his ear and said:

"You know my reasons, and so long as I stand by them you will not tell her. And that's an order." With that, Harry stormed out of the café and into the alley to apparate home.

Harry had gone over this a million times in his head. He had discussed it with Malfoy. And yet he still can't seem to get it into his head that Harry is protecting her with this. He thought that Malfoy respected him enough to honour his decision, like he has in the past. But he still continues to doubt the very decision Harry felt certain about. He understood the consequences. He understood the risks. But Harry loves Hermione. She is one of his closest friends. And he's given the chance to protect her from the very things that haunt her to this day, and Malfoy expects him to give it up?

Harry appeared in the middle of his living room to find Ginny sitting on the sofa, reading the paper. Her rich ginger hair was held up loosely in a bun with pieces poking out from every direction, as if she just came back from flying. Her legs were crossed, and her eyebrows were knit together.

She looked up and smiled at him, "What's got your panties in a twist?"

"You." He walked over the sofa next to her and planted a kiss on his forehead, "Gin, look, I'm so sorry I haven't been around lately and you don't deserve-"

"Shut up and come here, you big softie," she teased, pulling him onto the couch next to her. She curled up beside up, lying her head on his chest. He felt her breathe in unison with him, as he stroked her hand with his thumb.

He closed his eyes as he held the woman he loved in his arms, savouring the moment before it disappeared and got caught in the net of corruption and crime.

The blonde-haired man lifted his hood as he stepped into his boss' domain. There wasn't much light, just as it was every meeting, but there seemed something different about the room. Something changed. The man didn't know whether it was the ambience or just the vibe the group was giving off.

They stood in a semi-circle and though they all had hoods on, the man knew that standing in the middle was Montague. The man stepped towards Montague, bowing his head slightly to greet him. He dared not bow, for this group was different than the Death Eaters. This group was slightly more democratic, for everyone held respect for each other and everyone's talents put to use. Though Montague always had the final say, he didn't hold a king-like status like Voldemort had.

When the blond-haired man had shown himself to the council, Montague and the council followed suit. The group had shrunk since the man had last seen it, though his memory of that night wasn't exactly the sharpest for the pain had blurred some of the lines. A few members he hadn't seen before appeared, two women and a man. Montague cleared his throat, allowing the meeting to officially begin.

"Malfoy," Montague began, circling the man as a vulture would its prey. "You have proved yourself a valuable asset, but we knew that from the beginning. We have set you on paperwork duty to ensure that you had patience and discipline. Both of which are crucial characteristics for each member of our group to have."

Montague stopped in his tracks, and walked right in front of the blonde-haired man. Staring at him, eye to eye.

"The council believes you are almost ready for full recruitment."

The man scowled, "Almost?"

Montague nodded, "We must test your loyalty, you see. We can't afford to have a double agent on our hands, now can we?" Some of the blond-haired man's muscles grew rigid at Montague's words.

"But," Montague continued, "I have no doubt we'll have any problem with you." He suddenly felt them relax.

"What do I need to do?" the blond-haired man asked. He did not sweat, squirm, or twitch. He was a bit nervous with anticipation, but he didn't let it show. He was a trained liar. He was also a trained killer but that didn't mean he liked to kill.

"Hunt the following wizards and witches," Montague described, as a council member handed him a file, which was given to the man. "And bring them to the address provided for you in the file. Di Angelo will brief you for how to perform the second task."

"Failure to do so will result in immediate exile," Di Angelo said, with a haughty look on her face.

Montague threw her a look, then directed his attention back to the man, "Once again, I doubt we'll have any problems with that. I have high hopes for you, Malfoy."

The blond-haired man looked Montague right in the eyes, "Then they will be met. Now I'm finally out of the doghouse, I'm ready to get my hands dirty." Montague smirked at the man, looking as if his prey had surrendered to him willingly and was doing a dance.

"Excellent. Meeting dismissed."

The member all around began to murmur in low voices, glancing towards the blonde-haired man with varied expressions of interest, disgust, or confusion written on their faces. The man, however, was calm and quiet. He knew they all were speaking about him, and that was exactly how he wanted it to be.

Just as he was walking down the alley way to apparate back, he saw shadows shift and swing around him like a whirl pool. Then suddenly it stopped, and there stood a woman.

"Guess you're the talk of the party, huh?" Di Angelo stood leaning against the doorframe, twirling her wand between her fingers. Unlike the others, Di Angelo looked young, innocent, and naïve. Though her bite and bark are far more menacing than her looks. Her soft brown hair was pulled back into a loose braid, and her soft dark eyes makes those who meet her melt right into her little hands.

The man knew of her childhood, which was quite a perfect one in fact. Rich and loving parents, a baby brother, and enjoyed training magical creatures as a hobby. The man often wondered what led her to leave that life and choose one like this. But if there was one thing that Draco knew well, it was that you can never judge just from what's on the surface.

"Well, you know me. Mr. Popular, with the good looks and all. Can't help it if they're jealous," the man replied.

Di Angelo snorted, "I know they're jealous, but definitely not of your good looks."

"Sounds like you're pretty jealous of them too."

"Sounds like you're asking for a beating right now, aren't you Malfoy?"

"To be honest, not really. I'm quite tired and should be going." The man turned away from the young woman, grasping his wand tightly.

"You better watch your back," Di Angelo warned, before the man retreated back to his manor. "Some of these people will be out for your blood if you make one wrong move. You want to charm your way around this place? Fine, so long as you do your fucking job right. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, mother," the man faced Di Angelo sardonically, "You have no faith in me do you, Di Angelo? It's a pity really, I had such high hopes for you."

She began to circle him, watching his every move thoughtfully "I think we're both smart enough to know that there's more to you than what meets the eye." She swiftly grabbed him by the collar, disarming him before he had a chance to strike. "Hold on to your precious faith, Malfoy, while you can. I have high hopes for you."

She let go roughly, without so much of a flinch in her stoic expression, and left his wand behind before disappearing back into the warehouse.

It was obvious that the man was entirely confused by the woman's behaviour towards him. He was unsure whether she was on his side or the complete opposite. Was she threatening him or warning him? Or both? He had gotten used to easily reading people's expressions and physicality to scope out liars, people's true selves. But he had only met a few people in his life that he had difficulty reading, and Di Angelo just became one of them. He thought he marked her down as the enemy but now he wasn't so sure. Though he could say with certainty that his assumption about the power of her abilities was utterly and painfully true.

He grabbed a hold of his wand, and apparated onto the quidditch pitch. The man had not meant to end up there, but he felt something pulling him there. As if he were a piece of metal being dragged by a magnetic force to the field. It was only a matter of minutes to sun rise, and the man could see the sky turning purple nearing the horizon. He waited on the stands for the moon to disappear and the sun to take its place, and the sky to turn light blue.

As he sat there, he heard a few footsteps and immediately reached for his wand, "Show yourself."

"Don't mind me, Draco, my boy. Just going on my morning walk- that's how you know I'm really getting old," the wizard said, chuckling. He took off his hat revealing his silvery grey hair underneath, and took a seat next to Draco.

"Benny," he greeted his old friend, "Sorry about that- it's been a rough night."

"I can tell," Benedict answered knowingly, "I can read you like an open book. What is it this time? Lady trouble?"

Draco chuckled bitterly, he only wished it was lady trouble. It saddened him that it was far from that. He had always tried to shelter Benedict from the horrors that he had seen and experienced. He had never told Benedict about what his father did to his mother, nor did he tell him about his affiliation with the Death Eaters. He couldn't even bear to see old Benedict for years out of shame of what he had done and who he had been. During his childhood, Benedict had been like a father to him. He never pushed too much or questioned him; he only offered his support and nothing in return. Draco couldn't expose someone so pure hearted to the hatred he and his family hoarded.

"You couldn't be more correct," he replied, offering a small smile and lying through his teeth.

"Then I'm afraid I can't be of much help, I've never been much of a ladies man. In fact I much prefer the latter, if you know what I mean," he chuckled, "But tell me what's on your mind, and maybe that'll help, if only a little."

Draco supressed his urge to spill everything to the man, and pretended to check his watch, "Really, I shouldn't bother you and Rose is probably wondering where I've wandered off to. I…" for the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to say. It was apparent to him that Benny knew he was lying; he had done it a million times in the past, but still couldn't own up to it.

"It's alright, Draco. I understand," Benny answered, his eyes crinkled as he grinned. Benny always knew what to say when he didn't.

"Thank you," Draco said breathily, as he put his hand on top of Benny's rough and calloused ones. Perhaps it was just because he got caught up in the moment, or perhaps it had been true from the start but it was then when Draco thought to himself about the love he felt for Benny. It was truly unmatched.

Hermione still had not forgotten about the young girl in portrait. Her investigative instincts told her to follow her gut, and her gut told to her snoop. It was her brain that always got in the way. Don't you have anything better to do than snoop? Like, I don't know…working on the case? Besides, the real reason you want to snoop is to get back at Malfoy, isn't it? Yes, he endangered the mission and you're right, he shouldn't have acted the way he did in such a public place. However, nothing bad has happened yet because of it and this case will go faster if you work together. Suck it up, and stop avoiding the problem. Hermione decided for herself to go with her gut, and to her secret room she went.

Once again she reached the large wooden doors, opened them as gently as she could, and snuck in. In the large painting over the metal fireplace was the girl staring right at Hermione, cross-legged on the grass.

"You know, I was waiting for you to come back. You're a curious one, and people like you can't help but give in to the devil," the girl said expectantly, and very wisely. To be that wise at her age, well, it surprised Hermione.

Hermione continued to stare at the girl, shamelessly. It made her so hot and bothered that she couldn't put her finger on it. Who was this girl? And why is she here, hidden away from all the other portraits? With her grey eyes and silky blonde hair, she was a Malfoy, no doubt.

"Carina Augusta Malfoy."

"What?" Hermione snapped out of her state of intense concentration.

"And here I was thinking you were somewhat intelligent," the girl mumbled to herself, until realizing that Hermione still did not understand. "My name, for Merlin's sake! Carina."

"Oh," Hermione blushed profusely. It must have been obnoxiously obvious that she had been wondering about her identity. At times like these, she was never one to hide her desire for answers. "That's a nice name; it's a constellation. But I'm sure you already know that."

Carina nodded her head, "Located in the southern sky, containing the second brightest star."

"Rose Garrott."

"Not Malfoy? I didn't think you'd be one anyway. Too daft and much too book-wormy."

"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed, offended. She wasn't book-wormy. She just had a craving for knowledge that so happened to be in books. That was all. "I'm actually a Malfoy-to-be so, ha!" She never thought she would ever be saying something like that in her lifetime. She was slightly disgusted with herself.

"Really? I can't imagine why any of us would want to marry you. I mean, sure, you look like you fit in nicely. But you're too…nice."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Thanks? I think?"

"You're welcome. Anyway, who's the victim?"

"Draco, Draco Malfoy? I'm not so sure if you'd know him but-"

"I do."

Hermione watched the little girl suddenly become very distant. Carina wrapped her arms around herself, and her eyes shifted to the ground. She caressed her hair, and began to drift away into her own little world where no one, not even Hermione, could bring her back.

"And-and his father, Lucius? How is he doing?" she asked quietly, so much that Hermione could barely hear it herself.

"Lucius? He's…" she had difficulty stringing the words together. What was she to tell her? He was a disgusting human being who joined the Death Eaters and also forced his family into dark magic. And when the Dark Lord was defeated, went to jail and died. She just settled on giving her the lie that everyone gives:

"He's good."

"That's good. I'm glad," she said with a small smile, although you could tell she didn't truly mean it. "Congratulations. On your engagement, I mean. I'm going to sleep now- I'm quite tired. Do you mind?" Hermione knew that it was the middle of the day, at full sunlight. But she understood.

"Of course not," Hermione said with a knowing smile. She brushed herself off as she stood up from her seat on the rich blue couch. She stood at the door and looked back at her to say good-bye, but the small girl had already curled up into a ball letting out soft whimpers, thinking Hermione had left. She shut the large wooden door, and began to walk back to her room with her mind buzzing.

Hermione wanted to know what went wrong. She knew it had something to do with Malfoy or Malfoy Sr., but she didn't understand and she felt terrible. Carina was just a painting, but it didn't feel like that to Jermione. It was as if she felt what Carina felt as she wept. Was it out of grief? Anger? And why?

What had happened that had the mentioning of their names hurt her so much? She was determined to find out, and this time it wasn't just for selfish reasons. She saw a piece of herself in Carina and felt this sense of responsibility for her that she couldn't shake. But she left it alone, for now anyway. She knew Carina needed her space, and Hermione respected that.

It was mid-afternoon and the warm, golden light shone through her windows. It was her favourite time of day, not bright and not dark. Just enough. Though she desperately wanted to lie on her bed and take a nap until supper, she thought she would run over the case files for the hundredth time in the past two days. She felt as if something were staring her in the face, but no matter how many times she looked through them she missed it.

Crack! Hermione felt herself jump slightly as Mindy suddenly appeared in the room. She'll never get used to having house elves around.

"Hello, Mindy. How are you today?" Hermione asked politely, waiting for the little elf's answer.

"Mindy is fine, Missus Garrott. Mindy made some apple pies with the other elves today. Missus Garrott's favourite," Mindy replied with a pink tint on her cheeks.

"How did you know?" she laughed, "Thank you, Mindy. And please tell the other elves I said thanks as well. Was there something that you needed?"

Mindy nodded her head, "Yes. Missus Black spoke to Missus Greengrass today, and Missus has been invited to afternoon tea tomorrow at the Greengrass Manor." Hermione's eyes lit up at the sound of this. This was the exact opportunity she needed to collect research for her case. "Also: Master Draco wanted Mindy to remind Missus that the ball at Montague Manor is tonight. Master left this note."

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head due to her surprise and frustration, "Tonight? He never told me anything about Montague inviting us over. Let alone tonight! First Astoria, and now this? I swear, I'm going to kill him."

Mindy's eyes dilated to the size of quarters, "Oh please don't Missus. Mindy likes Master Draco. Besides, Master isn't here. Master Draco left for the office this morning and won't be back until it's time for the dinner party."

"Of course he won't, that fucking git," Hermione said, her facing growing redder by the second. She inhaled deeply and smiled, "Thank you, Mindy. You may go now. And don't worry, I won't actually kill Master Mal-Draco."

Mindy have her a grateful smile, "Thank you, Missus." Crack! And she was gone, and Hermione could finally let loose. She put her head in her hands and growled and groaned. He just had to be his stupid cowardly self and chose not to tell her anything until the day of. If he was trying to irritate her then he certainly did that, and more. She opened the note that he had left her:

Be ready by 7pm. This is Montague, so wear something satisfactory.

-DM

She took his note and immediately threw it in the fire. It wasn't worth her time right now, and neither was Malfoy.

I hope you liked this early update. One exam left and there's lots to come. Please let me know if anything is confusing you, I understand that somethings may seem unclear. Feel free to fav, follow, and/or review! I love all your support and utterly grateful for your reads. So tell me what you like, tell me what you don't like, and give constructive criticism! This story is for you. Thank you!

-GeekAttack xoxox