Draco's home was a lot smaller than Hermione had expected. She hadn't expected a flat of his own, rather another manor or large house. The floors were hard wood, the walls matching appropriately with a light grey with white molding. No pictures hung on the walls. The furniture was modern and very…clean. There was an expansive bookshelf that lined the far wall, facing a set of matching black couches with white pillows. His fire place opened up into his living room, on a tiny stone clearing about three feet wide that met seamlessly with the wood.

She peered around the corner and could see a hallway that was lined with three doors all closed. She wondered what they could be and wondered if there was anything else she could spy.

Draco drew her attention away with a wave of his hand.

"Just before I arrived at your home last weekend, I had a meeting with two former house mates of mine." He was watching her curiously as she whirled around, caught in her attempt at snooping. He only raised a brow and asked, "Would you like anything to eat or…?"

She smiled and said, "No, no, that's alright. I can always eat when I get home."

"You had lunch?"

"Well, no. I was outside your office most of the afternoon—"

Draco frowned and walked past her around another corner she could not see around from the floo. She followed him, looking eagerly around every corner. As they rounded the corner they came upon his kitchen, which he was busy rifling through with his wand out. She realized that she'd always thought he'd have hired chefs or house elves. Most likely house elves.

"Why are you giving me that strange look?" he asked suddenly, not looking at her.

She hadn't been aware of it. "I always suspected you'd have house elves to do your dirty work."

He scoffed. "I don't live with my mother anymore, so of course not."

"Why of course?" she asked, moving to sit at his table.

He looked at her and momentarily paused in his cupboard rummaging. "Just never occurred to me I suppose, when I got my own place."

"I see…I also never expected to see Draco Malfoy cook anything."

His smirk was wide then. "I prefer to do more menial tasks with magic, as opposed to your muggle way of doing things." He added water and rice to a pot, a set of knives floating idly by awaiting instruction.

"I figured as much," she smiled as he started waving his wand and set to work a pot and wooden spoon to stir whatever it was that he was making. Hermione expected him to sit down across from her but he decided to lean against the granite countertop. He peered at her as if he was observing some great detail she was unaware of.

Becoming suddenly insecure under his intense gaze, Hermione looked away and said, "So, who did you meet with?"

"Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, you remember them from school?"

Her eyes snapped to his and she almost blurted about her run in with Zabini, but she held it in and nodded, allowing him to finish.

"I discovered some information that could be related to the case. Blaise isn't who I thought he was." The look on his face was one of disappointment.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought he was well past blood superiority, but he's not. He was also," Here, Draco paused and met her eyes, "asking after you. Theo told me that it wasn't the first time either."

Hermione grew quiet and looked at her hands, clasped in front of her on his table top. She frowned and shook her head. He cocked his head at her and she said, "I had a little run in with Zabini a few days ago. He told me that he was sorry about my dilemma. And he didn't apologize either, which doesn't matter but really, you've seen how the Aurors on the case treat me. It's a shower of apologies every time they see me if they're involved in the case." Draco nodded. "And then he just stared at me for the longest time."

Draco pulled a chair out to slump in, seeming tired all of a sudden. His hair was in his eyes and he had that strange look on his face that she'd seen many times. So handsome. She frowned at herself for thinking such a ridiculous thing during such a serious conversation.

Luckily, he hadn't seemed to notice her trailing thoughts. "Theo told me to watch our backs. That Blaise is doing something within the Ministry. He didn't tell me what though and like that helps anything." A scoff. "Theo also said that Blaise had been gone from work the day of the first murder." He paused and studied her face.

"I saw him write Rachelle's name down on a piece of paper, along with a few others."

She was shocked to say the least. She spread her palms flat on his table, leaning forward. "Do you have the paper? How did you see it? Where was it?"

"Calm down Hermione, Merlin." She leaned back and fought not to roll her eyes in her frustration. "I snuck into his office and was trying to investigate for any evidence against him. I cast a Disillusionment charm before he came back in and I saw him write it down. And he was smiling, the smug prick."

"We have to tell Harry. I already didn't trust him from the way he was acting when I ran into him. And you just have too much against him not to be ignored."

"I already told him," he sighed.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief, half smiling. "That's what you've been up to then? Investigating Zabini?"

He nodded.

She sobered up and realized something of his past that she'd forgotten. "You're friends, you and Zabini, aren't you? I'm so sorry Draco. I should have—"

"Should have what? There was nothing you should have done. It is what it is—he isn't who I thought he was. He made that very clear."

"What did he do?"

He sneered in mild anger and stood to tend to the food he was making. "He called you a mudblood." Somewhat disgusted, Hermione went silent which Draco took as a sign to keep going. "There's something you need to understand about Blaise. He was never one to outright brag about his blood superiority, even during the war. He came off as neutral. He never just called muggle born's 'mudblood' for instance. So that he would directly say that, insult you like that…that's all I need to know about him, about where his loyalties lie."

Draco had gotten progressively angrier during his speech and Hermione felt compelled to say something to calm him down, but she wasn't sure if there was anything she could say, so she remained in her thoughts. Moments went by slowly and he wasn't saying anything.

Breaking the silence when she was sure he'd calmed back down, she said, "He was your friend at one point in time, and for that reason…I'm sorry for whatever happens." She'd lost too many friends to not know what it was like, at least a bit, for Draco. He was being forced to consider betrayal by someone who'd been close to him, and that was a big deal, even if he wasn't going to admit it.

Draco looked at her, his gaze soft, before turning back to the food.

Soon enough the food was ready, and he was floating the plates to the table. Which was a strange thought to her. She never would have imagined sitting at a table eating food that Draco Malfoy had prepared for her. She didn't hide her smile from him as he sat.

"Oh, it's chicken and rice," she exclaimed.

He narrowed grey eyes at her. "What? Is it not good?"

"Of course it is, just didn't expect…you know, never mind." Giving up, she started to eat.

"That's what I thought you said."

After a while she asked, "What did Harry say?"

"About what, Blaise?"

"What else?" she asked, shooting him a scathing expression.

Ignoring it, he replied, "He didn't really say anything, I just left him with it and he hasn't come to me with anything new. Though I know he's been watching him."

"That's strange he hasn't come to you with anything else. Or me," she said, scowling into her food.

"You forget that legally we aren't a part of this case. Not on the investigative side of it. He warned me you'd obsess over it, not that you already haven't. Technically he can't say anything to either of us."

"How do you know though? It takes a lot to get through to Harry, to make him consider something that wasn't his own idea." She fought.

He peered at her again. "When it comes to you, people tend to take things much more seriously. Trust me, he's looking out for you. Now, just worry about eating your food before you give yourself an aneurism." He chuckled into his bowl.

"I'm ignoring that last comment."

More chuckling. Hermione found his laugh was contagious and she began laughing with him. It was so ridiculous to start laughing for no reason, and yet here they were, laughing at hardly anything together. He had a nice laugh.

It suited him.

"I'm going to keep watching Blaise. The searching I did hasn't been enough to find out what he's keeping in his desk. There wasn't enough time."

Hermione dug her hands deep in her hair and smoothed it all back as she thought hard about what the following weeks would entail. She released her brown curls finally and looked to see that Draco was watching her intently.

They'd been at his flat, sitting on his couch for nearly an hour discussing what could be done about Blaise. Draco had been tailing him for four days, lying low, but wasn't anywhere nearer where he'd originally caught site of the list Blaise had. It hadn't been enough time. No worthy result came from just four days of work, and they both knew that.

Hermione figured it'd be months before this case was solved.

Draco was speaking again, "I'm going to need to know if he approaches you again. It's too big of a risk to leave it to chance."

She said, matter-of-factly, "We'll need a way of communicating. In school, for Dumbledore's army I created coins that would alert us when there was a meeting. I could recreate it, but perhaps in something more conventional."

He smirked at her, that indiscernible emotion in his eyes. "That's a good idea. But what would we use? Coins are too loose, and easily lost."

"True. How about our wands?"

He raised a brow. "A heated wand would be difficult to handle in public."

"It wouldn't be hot enough to burn, just enough for you to notice if you were holding it or had it in your pocket." She moved herself so that she was crossing her legs on his couch, he watched her while she did it, and when their eyes met he looked away.

"You cast the spell then," he rushed out, handing her his wand.

Hermione hid her smile and, saying nothing of his obvious appraisal, took both wands in her hands, closed her eyes and thought the particular spell it would take to enchant them. She gave his back, and waved her own. He waited, and the way his eyes went wide told her it worked.

"Now, how does this work so I can contact you?"

"Just think of me, and you'll know where I am, that little tickle of thought you need when you apparate. I made it the basest version of the spell, so it's simpler when in need of it considering the circumstance it'll be used for." If she suddenly found herself in a fight with Zabini, she didn't have the time to waste to cast a complicated spell to call Draco.

"Good idea." He merely nodded and repocketed his wand.

Hermione, feeling comfortable in his presence, and incredibly tired from the events of the day, rested her head on the back of the couch and let her eyes slip closed. She didn't think much of what Draco would think of it.

"Now what," she muttered on a yawn.

Draco, in a completely different state of thought, smiled despite himself. He caught himself after a moment though and suddenly looked away, down at his hands. Then he looked at her again, forcing himself this time.

His fingers twitched with the urge to touch her, to touch her skin, to feel the fine curls of her brown hair, to feel her fingers curl around his own. The urge was radical and misplaced, and it was hard to acknowledge where it stemmed from.

So he set his jaw and stopped himself, settling for looking at her, for watching her as she dozed, breathing evenly and looking for the entire world completely and utterly at peace.

And Hermione was unaware of it all as she slipped into her dreams.

Hermione dreamt of wide fields and black skies. She was in her pajamas and her hair was loose. And though there was a rapid wind all around her, she couldn't feel it.

In the distance, there was a crackle of thunder and then a flash in the sky as it began to pour. She wasn't wet though. The rain hit her, but she remained dry.

Another loud clap in the dark sky, and she felt strong arms grip her waist. She turned and her eyes met a familiar grey stare. She didn't feel alarmed at his touch, and instead leaned into it, letting her eyes fall closed. It was the first time she felt comfortable enough to close her eyes in a long while. And she relished the feeling. He was so warm.

When Hermione woke, it was to plush pillows and soft dark sheets, a warm smell surrounding her. After a moment of sleepy confusion, she sat up in a bed she didn't remember climbing into. The sheets were a deep shade of ashy green that were almost black, silky against her hands. The pillows were the softest she'd ever felt. She let herself sink into them once more, just to savor the feeling.

Draco must have carried her to bed from his couch since she had so thoughtlessly fallen asleep next to him. Though she couldn't imagine his state of mind when he'd actually decided to carry her. Perhaps he had merely levitated her in here. Either way it was an embarrassing thought, and she buried her face into his pillow even further.

Maybe he wouldn't notice if she took one with her?

Sighing, she sat up finally and ran a hand through her tangle of curls, noticing happily that she had slept in her work clothes. She hoped somewhere in the back of her mind that the minor amount of makeup she had worn wasn't smeared to oblivion on his bed from sleep. A quick survey told her no, it thankfully hadn't. She assumed she was in the guest room.

Hermione groggily stood and shuffled out of the bedroom. She was in the hallway she'd spotted with the line of doorways earlier. The living room was dark, and she could see no source of light from the kitchen.

Just what time was it?

Beginning to worry slightly, Hermione made quiet steps to the other two doors in the hallway, listening to both before deciding no one was in them. Why isn't there a clock around here? she thought, annoyed. Quietly, she went to investigate the kitchen, which was spotless and empty of any telltale blonds, and walked back to see if he was maybe sleeping on the couch. He wasn't anywhere.

Glaring at nothing in particular, she went back to listen at the doors and listened exceptionally hard for any breathing noises. None.

Draco Malfoy, where did you go?

Giving up, she decided to go back and wait for him in the room she'd awoken in—secretly glad she'd be able to sink into the pillows and blankets again. Smiling, she spread her arms and legs out shamelessly underneath the covers and looked around the room. The bed was the centerpiece of the room across from the door, with a double door closet across from the foot of the bed. A wardrobe to the left, and an end table to the right of the bed. No pictures on the walls save for a moving portrait of Draco and Narcissa in a city—not London—looking happy for once. A solitary Slytherin insignia adorned the front of the wardrobe. The bed was king sized…

This is Draco's room.

Now that she was immersed beneath the covers again, she realized for the first time there was a distinctly male scent attached to them. That was the comforting warm smell she'd first noticed.

Her eyes went wide as thoughts swirled through her head at the implications of her sleeping in his bed. It both excited her and made her anxious. He had allowed her to sleep in his bed, when she could have been perfectly happy to be left on the couch.

He cared about her, she knew. The only other reason being he was suddenly too accommodating to guests, which was entirely out of the realm of possibilities.

The revelation made her entertain thoughts that she hadn't thought of before. Biting her lip, Hermione turned on her side and gathered the blankets about her shoulders, fighting for sleep to claim her before she allowed her thoughts to go any farther.

Hermione awoke for the second time that early morning, but to a much different sensation. The smell of food hit her and the lingering trail of sleeps' fingers left her as she slipped from the silk sheets and tried to smooth her mess of curls before she left the sanctuary of Draco's room.

Hermione didn't remember anything of the night, or of her dream, as she walked to the source of the delicious smell of morning breakfast. She wasn't quite so surprised to see the blond head of Draco bobbing about his kitchen, preparing two plates of food. She hummed at the sight and seated herself at his little table and smiled.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think that this is becoming a thing," she said, amused.

Draco looked at her, blond stubble she hadn't yet seen gracing his lower jaw, and smirked casually as she finished up the plates and set them on the table.

"Well," he remarked, "It sort of is. Wanting to eat me out of house and home?" Hermione smiled before she dug in.

"Too redundant to include both anyways, so might as well knock one out for you."

Draco huffed a laugh and started eating himself.

"How did you sleep?" he asked hesitantly.

Hermione felt her face redden. "You didn't have to let me sleep, especially not in your bed." A blank look. "…And I slept rather amazing actually. I think I might just steal your pillows."

"I never pegged you for a kleptomaniac. I'll make a reminder to put a ward on my things." He smiled towards his food. "As for lending you my bed, I figured you wouldn't much enjoy my awful couch all night."

Hermione knew that he knew his couch was bloody comfortable too, but she let it pass. "Thank you. I haven't slept that well in a long time."

Draco held her gaze as he said, "Anytime."

Their conversation inevitably turned to Blaise and Theo. Hermione and Draco both finished their food in the process, and Hermione offered to clean them this time, in return for him letting her use his bed.

"When do you think you'll have another chance in his office?" she asked him.

"I don't know. He's always there when I'm not in my office, so it's difficult to find an opening. It might be weeks before I have another chance."

Hermione knew he wouldn't like her next idea. "How about you distract him with some minor detail about the case and I go in? Besides, I can hold a Disillusionment charm much longer than you. I'd be able to find out what we both need to."

Draco's grey eyes pierced hers as he thought over the idea. He clasped his hands together on the table before him and finally said, "Too dangerous. If I can't distract him long enough, or if your charm wears off then you're stuck in there. It'll be suspicious no matter what."

"But it's necessary."

He sighed and said, "If you're discovered, we'll lose the element of subtlety and surprise all within a moment. It's not worth it."

"Polyjuice potion."

His brow furrowed and he asked, "Who though?"

"Theo?"

His eyes widened slightly and he seemed to want to laugh but he said, somewhat incredulously, "Theo lost his good graces when we went to lunch with him. He sided with me when I...stuck up for you." He faltered a bit, but it was out and didn't much matter now. He kept talking, "Besides, there's something strange there. I don't quite trust Theo either. Not completely."

Hermione fought the urge to plead with him. "It could work though. You could have another lunch out with Theo, as I go and meet with Blaise as Theo. Then afterwards I could simply obliviate him, and he wouldn't remember a thing." She grinned, knowing she had him on a good idea.

Draco would have been stupid to ignore the almost guaranteed success of the plan, but he still worried. He'd always worry—nothing was ever certain with these things. And Hermione's constant certainty often threw him.

Finally, he reluctantly agreed. "It does sound good. But what if Theo doesn't agree to another meeting? We also have to gather some of his DNA, and I have absolutely no clue of how to go about that. The man is pristine."

"I see him all the time in files, I know when he takes his lunch. I can search to see if there's anything like a loose hair on his desk, lunch in the bin," she supplied, cheerful.

He shook his head at her. "Hermione. Do you always have to think everything through to its limit?"

She smiled happily and said, proud, "Of course. I'm Hermione Granger."