Chapter 14
The first time he was late to their study sessions, she was worried. It wasn't as if they had some sort of routine or verbal arrangement. But they had a routine of meeting up to study each night, and the first time he didn't show up on time, she couldn't help but feel worried. What if something had happened that had stopped him from coming? What if he had changed his mind and decided to end their session? Or what if one of his friends had found out and threatened him?
She scribbled her notes while trying to focus on her potions work, and not on the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about Draco Malfoy out of all people. What was it about the boy that had him clouding her thoughts? They weren't friends, they were barely even acquaintances. They were classmates at best, and even that had years of torment and fighting on both their sides. So why couldn't she stop thinking about him? What was he occupying her mind so fully?
Merlin, she was losing her mind.
She heard the chair across from her slide out, and she felt her heart stop as she looked up and saw Malfoy standing there, as he dropped his bag and slide into the chair.
But any relief she had felt by his presence quickly vanished when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep the night before, or if he had skipped it all together.
"Are you okay?" she asked, softly, against her better judgement as she looked at him worriedly.
"Fine, Granger," he said, brushing her off, as he opened his books and began to take notes.
"Are you sure?" she asked, again, "You look like you haven't slept properly in weeks."
"I've been stressed with school," he said, without looking at her, "I'm sure you know the feeling all too well, what with Potter beating you in potions suddenly. Now, if you don't mind, I would rather like to get to work. I'd like to finish this assignment before I leave today."
She hesitated slightly, before she looked up at him, "Harry believes you to be a Death Eater."
She wasn't all that sure what possessed her to say so, not when she knew whatever relationship they had was rocky enough to begin with. Yet the words had left her mouth before she even had a chance to think it over.
Malfoy got very still all of a sudden before scoffing and looking up at her, "Of course he does. Bloody Potter and his conspiracy theories. I swear the idiot has some sort of strange obsession with me."
She looked at him intently, and he shook his head.
"For Salazar's sake, Granger, if I was a Death Eater, do you really think I would just tell you? It would hardly be in my best interests for you to know if I was. And it hardly would be all that smart of you to be asking me such a thing. You don't know what I would do to you if I were."
He flinched slightly, and it was all the confirmation that she needed that she was right.
"You are, aren't you?" She asked him bravely. "You are a Death Eater. Why? How long have you been one? Is it because of your father?"
"You have no idea what you're talking about," he said darkly, as he cut her off. "If I were you, I would keep those accusations to yourself. Drop it, Granger, before you say something you come to regret."
"No," she said defiantly. "You aren't the same person any more, Draco. You've changed since we first met. You're not the same arrogant ass who spent years mercilessly mocking Harry. You haven't called me a mudblood in months, and the mere fact that you're coming to these study sessions is enough to suggest that you've changed. You haven't bullied any of the younger years, or abused your authority. And other than that incident on the train, you haven't once gotten into a fight with Harry, despite the fact that he suspects you. I don't think you're still the same person you once were, I think you've changed since then. I also don't believe you are a Death Eater by choice. So why are you one?"
"You know nothing about me," he slammed his hand on the table, "So stop acting like you're my friend or that you even care. I have nothing more to say to you, Granger."
He stuffed his books into his bag and stood suddenly, walking away from the table and from her.
And for the first time, Hermione couldn't help but wonder if she did the right thing.
Astoria grinned to herself as she stroked the chest of the red headed man who was naked in her bed.
She didn't particularly care for the man, nor was the sex all that good. But it was a means to an end, and she had her eye set on the finish line.
She had learned long ago that the best way to get things done in this world was to use what she had to her advantage.
And she had plenty of money and family influence, but those could only carry one so far and get one so much. And sometimes what she wanted required a little extra persuasion into seeing things her way and giving her the attention she required.
How else had she gotten Lucius to consider her a viable option for Draco's marriage? Sure, she hadn't slept directly with the man; she wasn't that depraved. No, she had simply slept with his acquaintances, getting them to whisper words of suggestion into his ear about how perfect the two of them would be together. And while Lucius was not easily manipulated, he did see the merits of her and Draco's impending nuptials enough to consider and approve them.
All she needed now was for Draco to agree to them. Sure, she didn't actually need him to agree to marry her. It just would make her own plans so much easier to pursue if he had an inclination towards her, just as she had one for becoming the next Lady Malfoy. But she wasn't all that articular about his genuine interest, if she was being honest. All she needed was for him to marry her and for her to give him an heir and she would be set for life.
But Hermione Granger still stood in her way, much to her annoyance. With her divorce pending, she was more than free to date Draco. And from the memories she had seen through legilimency on her bed partner, she knew very well who the public would side with.
"Ronnie," she said softly, as she looked into Weasley's eyes. "I've been thinking. About your divorce."
The ginger's eyes darkened, "I thought we agreed not to talk about that."
"That's what I was thinking about, baby," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "That if maybe you told the public your story, they would agree with you on how wrong Hermione was to leave you. That all you wanted was to be a family, and she had selfishly threw it all away. Maybe if she read it, she would finally understand your side of things and come back to you. You only wanted to be with her, after all."
Weasley looked thoughtful at that, and Astoria laughed internally. Men were so easy to manipulate if they believed she genuinely cared about them. After all, she was some daft bimbo. They would believe the idea to be theirs, even though she spoon-fed it to them. It was fine by her, however. All she needed was for Granger to get slandered by the press before she could try and spin it for her favour.
Hermione looked at the notes on the case of assault that had happened in a Muggle area of London a few weeks ago. The assailant had publically hexed the victim, causing their bones to shatter. And if that wasn't bad enough, there had been several muggle who had witnessed the attack, and had been horrified.
Suffice to say that damage control had been a nightmare.
The man was obviously guilty. They had witnesses testifying that he had threatened the victim before for sleeping with his wife, and had already punched him once. And from what they gathered, the affair hadn't ended after that, with the wife leaving the assailant shortly after.
"It seems like a pretty open and shut case," Hermione sighed, as she looked through the notes on the coffee table in front of her.
"I agree," Draco nodded, looking at his own copy. He had been one of the first on site, and his memories would be used among many as testimony.
They were currently working from Grimmauld place, as Harry had wanted to take Ginny out for a date since they barely had any time alone recently, so Hermione had offered to watch James while they were out. It was hardly any trouble as both the children had fallen asleep hours ago, leaving her and Draco free to work on the case and to try and put together her defense before she went before Wizengamont.
"Thank you again for helping me," she said softly, "I know this is hardly your idea of a fun evening."
"Please," he said with a smile, "It's not as if I were doing anything otherwise. Plus if it means one more bad guy goes behind bars, I'm only too happy to help."
She grinned, as he scribbled notes with his quill, looking thoughtful. She leaned closer to him, trying to see what he had written, before being caught by her proximity to him. It wasn't as if she hadn't been close to him before. They had dated, and they had hugged, and cuddled. She knew all too well what it felt like to be in his arms. So why was she so affected by him?
She stifled a yawn just then, exhaustion hitting her, and Draco gave her a concerned look. "You should get some rest," he told her softly.
"You came over here to help me," she shook her head, insisting, "It hardly would be fair to me to want to sleep."
"Close your eyes at least," he rolled his eyes, "I'll wake you up if I find out anything else that is useful."
She wanted to protest, but he was right. She was exhausted. So she closed her eyes, as she felt Draco lean her against him. She breathed in his scent, and realized just how much she had missed being in his arms. He had always had a way of making her feel safe back then, and now was no exception. She yawned again, and within moments she was asleep.
Draco woke up that morning to a young girl pulling his sleeve. He sat up instantly, to see that he had fallen asleep on the couch of Grimmauld place, Hermione nestled in his arms. She had fallen asleep while they were working, and her head had rested on his shoulder. He hadn't wanted to wake her, knowing perfectly well she hadn't slept much over the last few months. And sometime through the night he had fallen asleep as well.
"Who are you?" the girl asked him, with a questioning look on her face. "Why is mummy on the sofa?"
"Hello Rose, I'm Draco. I work with your mum," he said softly to the toddler, "Let's go into the kitchen so we don't wake your mother, shall we?"
She nodded slightly before going to the room, and Draco carefully removed himself from Hermione, to see Rose in the kitchen.
"I'm hungry," the girl announced, looking up at Draco expectantly, causing him to chuckle.
"Then we best remedy that. What would you like to eat, Rose?" Draco asked her with a smile.
"You cooking?" Rose asked, surprised, and Draco felt his heart twinge, knowing fully well she was surprised because Weasley never did.
"I might not be as good as your mum or Aunt Ginny, but I can make some pretty good pancakes. Would you be interested in that?" Draco asked her, forcing a smile back on his face.
"Yes!" She said a little too enthusiastically before realizing her mum was still asleep, along with the rest of the house hold, and covered her mouth as she giggled.
"How about you sit on one of the chairs, and I'll have them ready for you in no time?" Draco asked the girl, who nodded.
As Draco cooked, she babbled on enthusiastically, telling him a story about a princess and a glass slipped, which he supposed Hermione had told her. He listened intently, gasping when Rose paused for dramatic effects at different areas, and laughed at her energy. She was definitely a special girl.
"I like you," Rose announced when her story was over and he was piling a stack of pancakes onto a plate.
"I like you too, Rose," Draco said as he placed one on her plate.
She looked like she was about to say something, but Harry came into the room just then, carrying in an excited James, who lit up at the site of the pancakes.
"I saw you and Hermione had a sleep over," Harry commented, looking at him pointedly.
"We were working on the case," Draco shrugged. The last thing he needed was for Harry to ask him about his feelings in front of the children.
"I bet you were," Harry said as he helped James get some pancakes, "Anyways, sleep over more often so you can cook for me. It's rather nice to wake up to."
Draco snorted, "In your dreams, Potter. This is a onetime thing"
"No more pancakes?" Rose asked just then, looking up disappointed. She pouted at him softly, and as Harry smirked at that, Draco groaned.
"No more for Uncle Harry. Everyone else gets pancakes," Draco compromised, as the smile returned to the young girl's face instantly. How had he only met her, and she had him wrapped around her finger already? Like mother like daughter, he supposed.
"Something smells good," he heard soft voice say, and he saw Hermione enter the room, her hair tied up, as she smiled upon seeing him.
"Morning, Granger," he said, as he handed her a plate.
"You did all of this?" she asked in surprise as she blushed, realizing she must have fallen asleep on him.
"I asked for pancakes, Mummy!" Rose supplied giving her mum a kiss as Hermione sat beside her.
"Did you remember your manners?" Hermione asked her daughter.
Rose looked embarrassed at that, "Thank you!" she hurried, as she looked at her mum for approval.
"Any time, Rose," Draco said, before joining them at the table. He left a plate with a warming charm on it aside for Ginny, as he figured that the pregnancy was making her tired, and she would appreciate the rest.
"Sorry for falling asleep," Hermione told him softly, "I meant to wake up again and help you out. I feel so bad; you came over to help me, and I left you to it on your own."
He waved his hand, "I meant it last night, Hermione. You were exhausted and needed the rest. You basically had the entire case anyways."
She smile again at him, and he felt his heart flutter. He had dealt with his feelings for so long, and he would have to continue to endure them.
Draco leaned back in his chair, looking at the notes they had on the case that he had left unsolved. Between someone slaying magical creatures, and leaving them in specific patterns, a string of robberies, the murder that had occurred a few weeks ago, and the inferi attack, he wasn't sure how he was going to get through all of it.
It most certainly did not help that in the past day, several griffins had been slain, with their hearts ripped out and their bodies left intact.
The problem was that they specifically seemed to target pairs of soulmates, killing only one of the pair, and leaving the other to grieve. It was as if they specifically needed the pair to have one alive, and one dead.
It was cruel, he thought. To kill the one but not the other. Griffins mated for life, and Hagrid had sobbed when he told them that the other would die shortly after from heartbreak, aching for the mate they had lost cruelly.
The man from the murder, Arsenius Jigger, was a known potioneer, and Draco felt sorry for the man who had worked his entire life to educate others, but in the end had been brutally tortured.
As if someone were trying to extract information from them.
And the robberies had been far in range, from food, to supplies, one would simply just suspect one who was homeless and trying to survive. But then there was the added part that potion stores were also being raided.
Additionally, unicorn blood, dragon parts, and griffin hearts all could be used in potions. They weren't used commonly, as it was frowned upon to use unicorn blood or griffin hearts. But if someone was willing to murder over a potion, it was safe to say that what they were doing was most likely dark magic.
Suddenly the inferi attack made sense to him. What if they weren't created simply to wreak havoc? What if they were the result of a mistake? What if the person behind it had truly meant to bring a person back to life, not as an inferi, but how they once were?
Bloody Hell.
If he was right, and all his open cases were connected, things had just gotten far more complicated. Now, it no longer necessarily needed to be a Death Eater who was behind all of this. It just needed to be someone who believed they lost someone unfairly, due to unnatural causes, war, famine, or even natural deaths. And with the war still fresh in their hearts, the suspect pool grew larger and larger.
Why couldn't things ever be simple?