A/N: Thanks for the support! For those eager to know Ron's punishment, some is below. And Harry... my crystal ball says he will make his appearance in two chapters time, at which point he will become much more involved in the story... and I'm much more skilled than Trelawney. You will also get some bits from Harry's perspective in the future. Happy reading!
For the reviewers: ShamelesslyObssessed [Thank you so much!]; loveroffelton [Some punishment is below, hope you and your dragon enjoy!]; arabellagrace [Some punishment is below]; fatyellowrat [Thank you!]; Ben [It's very tempting!]; cares 1970 [Thank you!]; Kermit 304 [Haha, enjoy!]; AliceGI [Haha]; Cat130 [Thank you!]; LanaLee1 [Thank you!]; MalecClaceWessaSydrianDramione [The answer is below, and why - that one is answered later, otherwise I would tell you]; StBerryFan22 [Thank you!]; CrazyPedantic [I was wondering where you had disappeared to :) The twins and Ginny got their information from Ron, which is why they thought accident - Ron's lying habitat is still firmly in place]; patty cakes rock [Hope you enjoy the below]; Chester99 [Haha, good guess, almost right - enjoy!]; and LittlebigmouthOKC [Haha, okay some punishment it outlined below].
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The next morning Hermione and Draco were eager to leave the sterile hospital. Healer Soundleaf and Healer Wishington were due to arrive in about an hour, but the couple were hoping that they would arrive sooner.
That morning Mr Horthworth had come by and told Draco to take as long as he needed to recover, and that they looked forward to having him return. If Draco had been irritated at the prod to quickly return to work, Hermione was furious. Draco had been non-committal in his reply to Mr Horthworth; so the man had quickly wished Draco all the best, before beating a hasty retreat under Hermione's glower.
Draco had proceeded to tease her since then, calling her a protective lioness and reminding her that, while he was injured, he was not a cub. Hermione blushed, she was honestly taken by surprise at her protectiveness. Draco, however, continued his teasing; even going so far as to wonder what she would be like when they had children. Hermione had responded by whacking his arm - lightly.
Hermione eventually announced she needed some coffee, burnt if it must be, if she was to wait any longer. Only minutes after she had disappeared out the door, it swung open again. Draco's smile was immediately wiped away when he saw the two who had entered.
'Auror Shacklebolt, Weasley,' Draco said in a clipped tone, face blank.
'Mr Malfoy, how are you doing?' Auror Shacklebolt asked.
'Healing,' Draco replied vaguely. 'But I daresay the hospital's reports to you would have mentioned that.'
'Yes, but I like to check, they can be rather dry and full of medical terminology that I, for one, don't understand,' Shacklebolt answered calmly.
Draco gave a false fleeting smile in response, he didn't have the energy or desire for niceties right now. 'Are you here for a particular reason? I can't imagine this is a social visit considering who is with you,' Draco asked, half wishing his wife would return, half praying to Merlin that she didn't so she wouldn't have to see her ex.
'You are right. Auror Weasley has something he would like to say to you,' Shacklebolt said. 'Auror Weasley,' he added with a stern look.
Weasley looked defiantly at Shacklebolt, but after the man's eyes narrowed, Weasley turned to Draco and said, 'I'm sorry that I accidently knocked the opened box out of your hand and you were accidently injured.'
'Weasley, don't bother with the insincere apology. We both know you didn't "accidently" do anything. You tackled me to get that box, and then you had to use a spell to open it, while you were choking me I might add. Then you managed to drop the cursed object on me. You knew it was dangerous and you shouldn't touch it, I had, after all, just warned you of that fact.'
'You were injured, Malfoy, perhaps your twisted brain has scrambled the events. It was your fault, I was trying to let you keep a reputation as being good at your job, but if you're going to lie—' Weasley was cut off.
'He isn't lying,' came Hermione's cold, clipped voice from behind the two Aurors.
'Hermione? You're in England? What are you doing here?' Ronald asked in surprise.
Hermione ignored Ron's question, continuing as if he hadn't spoken, 'Furthermore, the attack on my husband was witnessed.'
'Hermione, you look wonderful. It is so good to see you! Did you say "husband"?' Shacklebolt said as he turned to Hermione.
She nodded stiffly and crossed the room to stand by the hospital bed, taking Draco's hand in hers, their fingers entwining tightly.
'HUSBAND!' Weasley cried in outrage.
Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Yes, Ronald, Draco is my husband.'
'You married this death-eater scum!' Weasley sneered loudly. 'I always knew you were—'
'Auror Weasley, you are not helping your situation,' Shacklebolt abruptly intervened in a severe tone.
'Did you hear what she said!? This stuck-up, mental—'
Draco's snarl was simultaneous with Auror Shacklebolt whipping out his wand and silencing Ronald. 'Go back to the Ministry and wait at your desk, silently. I will talk with you when I return,' the Head Auror snapped.
Ronald hastily departed, still silenced and looking like a thundercloud. Shacklebolt turned back to the couple at the bed. 'I apologise for Auror Weasley. There will be an investigation into this matter, and although the process may take time, I can assure you that Mr Weasley will be dealt with appropriately. When I return to the office, he will be informed he is suspended-without-pay until the investigation is completed.'
'I confess I'm surprised he hasn't been suspended yet,' Hermione ground out coldly.
'He only returned to work this morning, and we needed to bring him here first,' Shacklebolt admitted.
'And what about the fact that no one stopped his harassment? Will that be investigated?' Hermione asked, voice like cut glass.
'I will make sure that will be included in the investigation by the internal affairs department,' Shacklebolt confirmed.
Hermione and Draco nodded; although anger still burnt in Hermione's eyes, she didn't intend to direct it at the wrong person.
'If the investigation is not undertaken properly, or resolved fairly, we will be charging him with assault,' Hermione added.
'Of course, and I can assure you that it will be taken very seriously. I would also like to say, congratulations. Hermione, marriage to Draco obviously suits you well, that is obvious, despite the trying circumstances of the last few days. I wish you both the very best.'
'Thank you,' Hermione replied.
'Well, I have an Auror to suspend, which means an owl load of paperwork, so I had best be off. I do hope you get better soon, Draco.'
Hermione and Draco bid the Head Auror goodbye and he strode out the door. Hermione turned to Draco.
'Why in Hades would Kingsley bring Ronald here?' Hermione asked with a frown.
'To apologise. I daresay Shacklebolt and the Minister are keen to try and smooth this over as much as possible, given I am on loan from the French Ministry,' Draco suggested.
'Did he apologise?'
'Not really.'
Hermione huffed, and opened her mouth, however she was cut off by the entry of Healer Soundleaf and Healer Wishington.
'Are you ready for a final check to be discharged?' Healer Soundleaf asked.
'Most definitely,' Draco replied.
After receiving a check-up, Draco was given permission to leave the hospital, and Hermione efficiently bundled him to their temporary home. Eager to get out of the hospital and back to their apartment to rest without any further disturbances.
A/N: Yay, Draco is out of hospital! In the next chapter, we find out the reaction of Draco's French boss. As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D
