The sun was still high when Hermione stared at her own lock of hair on the floor. Draco thought she would start crying when her cheeks reddened. But as he looked at her eyes they were set with determination. A fire raged in her irises and Draco realized that was what Hermione Granger was: a fire. She was loving, caring, and warm but if something crossed her she would do anything in her power to burn it down.
"Granger," the wizard whispered. He reached out to grab her hand. Draco was upset about this to, how dare someone threaten them? Her? His blood was boiling, yet he was also nervous she would do something brash. He needed to be the calm one now.
She let him take both her hands in his, they were soft, warm. "I cannot think of a single moment when anyone I don't trust could have gotten this close to me." The gears in her mind were whirling, "Draco, who the fuck could have done this?"
Hermione jumped up from the couch and started pacing. "I hug a few people at the office, but I trust all of them.-"
"Granger," Draco tried to get her attention.
"Ugh-constant vigilance! How could I have forgotten! Where else have I gone in the Ministry?-"
"Granger," firmer.
"I did submit paperwork for the Magical Creature department. I was only there for a few minutes!-"
"Hermione!" The witch in question faced a now standing Draco. He was holding the two envelopes. "Tracers or trackers will work better than you pacing."
Hermione blushed before muttering, "Let me get my wand."
Draco raised an eyebrow, "You don't keep your wand on you at all times, Miss Constant Vigilance?" He didn't mean to stare at her shorts and had to remind himself to look into her eyes, which didn't look as if they wanted to burn the world down at the moment.
"Oh shut up, ferret. I would like to believe I am safe in my own home." She jogged up the stairs to get her wand from her nightstand. She paused and looked around her lilac room: everything was as it should be, nothing was disturbed. A sigh of relief was let out before Hermione bounded back down the stairs.
It was around lunch time but hunger was the farthest thing from their minds as they set to work try various tracking and tracing spells on the envelopes and even on her hair.
Leaning back into the couch the witch and wizard sighed in defeat. "Whoever is doing this is really covering their tracks, " Draco stated. He meant to keep his tone lighthearted but couldn't keep out an edge of anger. He watched Hermione from the corner of his eye, not missing the fact how comfortable they both were next to each other.
"Maybe..." Hermione took a breath and closed her eyes, "maybe the reason we can't track anything is because whoever left these behind, doesn't have any magic abilities. There would be nothing to trace, just like at the kidnapping sites. Magic traces magic, ergo, no magic, no trace."
Keeping his eyes steady on the woman next to him, he reminded her, "Only those with magical abilities are able to get into the Ministry."
Hermione Granger opened her eyes to his stormy grey ones. Oh how he reminded her of the ocean, calm, stoic, deep but get him angry and you might just drown or be thrashed upon rocks. She knew she might just do just that.
"Try thinking outside the magic box, Malfoy. Wizards think one way because everything can be explained or done by magic. I can change a mouse into teacup, how? magic. But in this bigger world we have a thing called logic, there's a reason behind everything."
"What so you're saying all purebloods are just ignorant?" Draco snarled, leaning away from her.
"No, but wizards in general don't follow logic. They usually don't need to." Hermione went into lecture mode. This used to annoy Draco to no end, it still often does, but lately it had a more calming effect. " A goblin, a magical creature, for instance could have left these on our desks. We know logically that doesn't make any sense. It would have looked odd and someone would have told us. They didn't magically fly in like the other messages because magic leaves traces. We have been trying to find non-magical kidnappers who are capturing magical children and messages suddenly non-magically appear? These are normal people who look like us, nothing looks amiss except that one big aspect. They are getting around it somehow; we're just missing the how."
The blond wizard nodded, "We know someone is helping them from the inside."
Hermione's hands fluttered, "Yes, yes but I don't think they left the notes either. They would be too worried about breaking their cover. They would have to use magic and there's-"
"No trace," Draco finished. A headache was fighting it's way between his eyes, they were talking in circles. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "So what do we do, brave mentor?"
"Nothing. I say we ignore the notes. We've been warned, we'll be watchful. We know they don't have magic but that they do have an ally who cannot afford to be caught. We have a month."
"Less than a month," Draco corrected.
Hermione grimaced, "Yeah, lets get to work then."
The next day found Hermione eating lunch with Harry and Ron in the redhead's office. She had filled them in on the threats. They, of course, went into over-protective mode which she had to smile and roll her eyes at.
"This is serious! Why are you smiling?" Harry whined, throwing down his fork.
"You two are just so cute. Acting like I'm a poor damsel in distress." She took a sip of water before shaking her head.
Ron pointed his fork at her, "You are a damsel, you are in a distressful situation. Damsel in distress."
Harry snorted, he and Ron high-fived. Hermione threw her hands up in frustration. "Why do I even bother with you two!"
"Because we love you and you love us," Harry stated.
Smiling sweetly, Hermione threw a spinach leaf from her salad at him. "Of course I do."
Ron twirled his garlic noodles around his fork. "Hermione, everything aside, this is getting dangerous. Someone got so close to you to cut some of your hair and without you noticing. We know you can take care of yourself, we'd honestly be dead without you. But..." he trailed off not able to continue.
"But whoever did this is, doesn't seem bent on world domination. Just on hurting you. So if you aren't planning on stopping your investigation, please catch the bastard fast," Harry finished for the tall wizard, his green eyes serious.
Hermione looked between her two best friends. How much they have grown since they first met, hell since they finished Hogwarts. Both were tall, strong, and charming in their own ways. She knew how much they cared about her and she didn't want to worry them. Speaking of grown men, she turned in her chair as if she felt him come on. Ron's door was open, but Draco Malfoy still knocked.
"I've come to collect my partner," he smirked, leaning against the door frame. The trio's friendship was something he admired but loathed. The loathing probably stemmed from jealousy but he wasn't about to admit it. After he had finished his lunch with Theo, he had gone back to the office but Granger wasn't there.
"Mentor," the boys corrected automatically.
Draco sneered, but without real malice, "Impressive trick. Do they get a cookie afterward?"
Harry stood, about to protest when Hermione closed the to-go box on her salad. "Actually, they get beer. 8 o'clock?"
The red-headed man grinned, "Worth it. See you Herms!"
Her eyes shifted over to her dark-haired best friend, his shoulders relaxed. "Sounds good 'Mione. Be careful," He pointed his fork at Malfoy, "constant vigilance!"
"Yes, yes, vigilance of constant. Got it." Hermione walked toward the man in the doorway.
Malfoy titled his head at Potter, "You have a leaf in your hair."
His eyes widening, Harry reached up to grab the offending spinach. "Dammit, Hermione!"
The witch in question didn't hear the rest of his rant as she grabbed Draco's hand and ran down the hallway, laughing.
They finished up early to train, there were too many people dueling on the mats so they planned to use a side room. It was smaller but served the same purpose. Hermione set up the radio and started her stretches but froze when Draco walked in. He wore a plain grey short sleeve t-shirt, which meant for the first time she was able to see the Dark Mark on his left arm. Or what was left of it rather. She had to rip her eyes away from this arm to look at his face, it didn't betray a single emotion: anxiety, nervousness, but mostly determination. He walked over to her and started to stretch as if he wore a short sleeve everyday.
It was faded, more like a dark smudge than anything-an ugly scar of the past. She didn't look for long this time, the fitted shirt was far more interesting. As he leaned, the end of it lifted up a bit exposing some of his toned stomach. Quidditch years and Auror training did him good.
"You're staring, Granger," Draco smirked. He had been self-conscious coming out. He hadn't displayed his Dark Mark to anyone since Snape, unless it was against his will like at the trials. When she didn't flinch, wince, make a comment, or run from the room Draco marveled at how much he has come to trust this witch. This beautiful, intelligent, strong, witch wearing those small running shorts and a fitted shirt.
He had to roll his eyes when she blushed, "I'm observing your technique. It's what good mentors do."
"Right. What are we focusing on today?"
"I figured we could do some dueling, practice your patronus, and if you're up to it I can kick your butt in pins," Hermione smirked.
"Hey, that isn't fair, you can't take my look. Stop this instant!" Draco protested taking out his wand.
Hermione took out hers, "Make me," she challenged.
Draco smiled a genuine smile. One that took Hermione's breath away, breath that she had to find quickly as he fired his first spell at her.
In a few hours they were tired, sweaty, and laying on the mats. Hermione checked the time, 7:00. She had an hour before meeting Harry and Ron, Draco's head was on her stomach and they were lazily tossing a ball of light against the wall only to catch it with their wand, throw, catch, throw, catch.
"Hermione?" throw, catch, throw. Draco turned his head to look at her. She was already looking at him. He had to look away from her golden gaze, and focused on the ball of light. Catch, throw, catch, throw, "How are you not afraid?"
Catch, "What do you mean?" Hermione leaned on up on her elbows forcing Draco to sit up as well. If someone told him he would be laying his head on Hermione Granger's stomach five year ago he would have hexed them. Now he missed the comfort of their close contact, it was as if some of her courage seeped into him, making him braver.
He looked at his left forearm. The mark he had taken out of misguided pride for a man he followed out of fear. Fear for this own life and fear for this family. Fear has influenced his life in great amounts. How did Granger have this threat hang over her and go on as if everything is okay?
"About what happened, how are you not scared?" he refused to look at her. At least until she put her hand over his mark.
"Draco, I'm terrified," she whispered. Upon seeing his confusion she elaborated, "Someone invaded my personal space and proved they could have hurt me whenever they wanted. I have no idea who. That kind of threat is, petrifying."
Interrupting her seemed like a bad idea but this was nagging at the young Malfoy. "Yet you act as if nothing is wrong. You had lunch with Harry and Ron, you're training with me, going about work as if everything is okay. It's like some intense Gryffindor strength." He didn't mean for his voice to sound frustrated but he could only imagine how different his life would have been if he hadn't been ruled by fear-if his family hadn't been.
Hermione laughed, "Yes, it would be nice if our houses gave us crazy personality super-powers." She shook her head, "No, even us lions feel fear. It's a normal human emotion, but it is important to recognize it and control it before it controls you."
"You make it sound so easy," Draco smiled, lightly pushing her. She playfully fell over with an "oof!" then rolled over until she was on her back again looking at the ceiling.
She took a deep breath before responding, "It isn't easy. Most times, doing the right thing isn't. I would have never gone camping with Harry, would have never found all those horcruxes, would have never fought for the light or protected my parents if I had let fear control me."
Draco ran a hand through his already messed up hair, "Damn Granger, you didn't have to get so deep."
Sitting up again she swatted his shoulder, he chuckled and they both stood up. "You should come get drinks with me and my friends tomorrow night."
Slowly raising an eyebrow Hermione took a moment to think it over, "Having drinks with a bunch of Slytherins?"
"Hey, I've been hanging out in the lion's den." The blond shrugged, "You don't have to, just an offer."
Hermione smiled, "Of course I'll go. I'm just giving you a hard time."
"Like a good mentor." They gathered their belongings and left the room. Draco and Hermione walked out of the office, into the hallway, and almost into Emily who was running past.
The brunette grabbed the woman's arm to stop her. That was the intention, however, Emily had been running too fast, spun when her arm apprehended, and smacked into the other witch who lost her footing. Both women tumbled to the ground in a heap of laughs. Draco watched the whole accident, jaw dropped, hands up. A gentleman would tried to catch them but he didn't want to get stabbed by a wayward heel.
Emily was clutching her side, face red, "Fancy running into you two here."
Hermione was trying to stop laughing as they untangled their limbs, "Shit, Emily, you came in like a wrecking ball."
This started a whole new fit of giggles as they unsuccessfully attempted to stand. "Oh honestly," Draco huffed as he pulled one arm on each witch but there was a smile he couldn't keep off his face.
"All I wanted was to break your walls!" Emily continued, doubling over.
Draco thoroughly looked bewildered, Hermione had to wipe the tears from her eyes. Emily took several deep breaths before finding her control. The blue/blond haired witch gave her friend a hug and then surprisingly hugged Draco as well. He widened his eyes at his mentor before hugging her back.
"Okay, what can I do you for? I have three more people to tackle today," Emily winked at them.
Hermione cleared her throat and leaned in, "We need some help with our unofficial case."
Emily looked suddenly serious, "You had a break?"
Nodding Hermione started, "Emily I need you to set up a meeting with Mr.-"
Her sentence went unfinished as Emily pushed both her and Malfoy through the nearest door which happened to be a supply closet.
"Shhhhhhh, 'Mione, the walls have ears!" Emily hushed closing the door behind them. Draco turned around looking. "Not literally! Well maybe literally. You can never tell with wizards, possibly made them invisible like those Weasley devices." She rolled her eyes.
"Sorry" Hermione dropped her voice to a fast whisper, "We need a meeting with Mr. X."
Emily gave an exasperated look as she threw her hands up. "Hermione, we're regulars. You can set up a meeting whenever you like."
The younger witch shook her head, "You've always been his favorite. If I try, he'll be suspicous. He's never liked me the same since I took away his pet unicorn."
Draco kept shifting his gaze between the two of them. "Excuse me, who is Mr. X?" he asked at a normal volume.
"Ssssshhhhh!" both women reprimanded.
Emily leaned in close, "Alright, I'll get you an audience. The unicorn thing was your fault. I'll slip you the time and day when I can. Make sure you wear the right...attire."
Hermione hugged her quickly, "Thank you!"
"I know, I know, I'm the best." Emily smirked before slipping out giving them both a salute.
"Okay, who the fuck is Mr. X?" Draco asked again.
His companion jumped, almost forgetting his presence. Draco didn't appreciate that. He also didn't appreciate how she waved him off walking out of the room.
"I'll explain later, we're late for drinks." Draco followed her.
"We? Since when was I included?" he watched her carefully.
She huffed angrily, "Draco Lucious Malfoy, you have been included for the last two months. We are late, do I need to drag you?"
He chuckled, shaking his head at his mentor turned best friend. When could such a thing have happened? "Lead the way, Hermione Jean Granger."
They left the ministry together, a little spring in Hermione step even though Draco didn't fully understand why.