Have I told you I adore my beta Martee98? Because I do!

Chapter 14: A bouquet of warning.

She smiled the entire time on her way to the Ministry. Nothing could ruin her mood, not even when someone bumped into her, making her spill her latte over her robes. This is what happens when you've had the night of your life. And give him a shot of his own medicine.

He deserved the title of the sex god, oh yes ma'am. He's like Mozart with a Minuet, the man knows how to play the buttons… She giggled in the middle of the hallway, drawing some weird looks around her. But she couldn't care, to the point she even caught herself whistling.

She entered her office and was surprised to find a bouquet of white lilies sitting on her desk. "Malfoy, you are fast…Lilies, I'm no virgin, you git, you chose it wrong." She picked up the small card attached to one stem but smelled the flowers first.

She was about to open the card, but a knock on her door demanded her focus, "Yes?"

"It's me, Harry, can I come in?" She opened the door herself, hugging her most favourite wizard; her second most favourite, nowadays at least. The thought made her smile wickedly once more.

Harry smirked, "You look like the cat that got the cream. Why are you in such a good-mood this morning?"

She shook her head, with pursed lips, "No, nothing. I'm just happy."

Harry looked intently at her, "Does this happiness have anything to do with a certain ferret?"

Hermione held a hand against her breast, feignedly offended, "How dare you?"

The wizard held a hand up, "I suspect a TMI-issue. Don't need to know the details, sister." He jerked the chin towards the card. "He's sending you flowers? Lilies? Does he think you're a virgin?"

The feigned offended face became an annoyed one fastly, "What happened to too-much-information, Harry? I haven't read-" A new knock on her door, revealed a tanned wizard, "Blaise, do please join us, Harry is annoying me."

Blaise frowned, "Should I return?" The crease on his forehead got deeper, "Lilies? Who the hell thinks our Hermione is innocent and virginal?"

"Maybe a certain wizard who must have satisfied my sister thoroughly. She looked like the cat that got the cream, when I arrived." Harry couldn't help it, teasing Hermione was still one of his favourite past-times.

"If it is who I think it is, nah. He knows she's far from innocent. And he would be stupid to assume she hasn't fooled around with your Ron." Blaise was grinning now, circling a finger, "Wasn't there a rumour about you and Mister Krum?" Harry nodded, loving the way this conversation was heading.

"Well, thank you, Harry, Zabini. What is it with you guys?" She sat on the nearest chair, sighing deep and loud. Finally, she flipped the card open, letting her eyes roam over the curled handwriting. Her face, however, lost the light blush entirely; her eyes widened.

Harry dropped his teasing demeanour, "What did Malfoy write?"

"It's not Draco." They exchanged looks, and Harry went full Auror-mode instantly. He stretched his hand, requesting the card and she handed it over to him, with a shaky hold. Blaise read over Harry's shoulder.

Blaise cleared his throat, "I guess playtime is done."

Harry read aloud,

"Would hate to see a pretty witch get hurt, during a fight that does not concern her.

Stay away, before these flowers become my gift at your grave."

Hermione gulped before commenting, "Lilies are also funeral flowers…"

Blaise shook his head, "He warned you, witch. You were bringing his problems to your doorstep."

"And what exactly do you expect me to do? Ignore him? Knowing full well he's in trouble and turn the other cheek?" Hermione was tired of hearing the same shite on repeat, "Zabini, if you think a bouquet of flowers with a threat is going to stop me, then you don't know me at all, wizard."

Harry intervened, "This is an unmistakable threat, Hermione. You shouldn't take this so lightly."

"And since when have I walked away-"

He wasn't done, "But-"

"But nothing, Harry. They came after you, and I got caught in your crossfire. Have I walked away, Harry?" Her finger poked in his chest, "The question is, whose flowers are they? And how did they get here?"

"I don't recognise the writing." Blaise concluded, "And I think you should warn Draco about this." Her hand dismissed it, "Why not, Granger? He needs to know. They are actively telling you to back off, or they'll hurt you. He has the right to know."

"Do you know what he'll do, Blaise? He'll disappear, and only Godric will know where." Her rational sense was agreeing with Blaise, but her emotional side was fearing the outcome.

"He could surprise you." Harry sent a silent message to the other wizard while throwing a guess at Draco's reaction, "If he cares that way about you, which I suspect he does - even if Draco hasn't labelled it yet, he might stay and protect you."

"Or, he'll disappear with the northern sun, thinking I'll be safer if he's out of the picture. This is not solving a problem, this is using the easy, cowardly way out and hope it will solve by itself."

"I recommend you review those thoughts and label them correctly. This whole issue has become much more than just doing the right thing, Hermione."

"Don't be daft, Harry."

"And don't be a coward, Hermione. Draco needs to know, and I strongly advise you to decide upon your feelings based on what his decision will be to deal with the whole issue." Harry did not beat around the bush, and Blaise followed his reasoning silently. The Slytherin hoped, from the bottom of his heart, that his snake-brother would make the right choice. In front of him was a witch, willing to go through fire to save the blond. Women like these were hard to find. Behind the witches back, he signed Harry that he was going to make a certain call.

-oOo-

"Blaise."

"Man, we have a problem." Blaise had no patience left and grabbed the bull by the horns. "Your witch is being threatened."

It was silent for few seconds before a wave of swear words followed like a waterfall. "Fuck. I told her to stay put. But the witch never listened to me. Shite, fuck...Double fuck...I should leave the country, they'll sto-"

"If you leave, not only will you confirm Potter that you are still a first-class coward; you will also lose the greatest chance in your life at a decent happy family life. At a life with one of the most amazing witches alive. Don't disappoint me, Draco. Stop fleeing for once and fight back." The volume of Blaise's voice rose at every word. "Stop thinking you don't deserve the witch or that you are alone in this world. Fuck, Draco, you have me, you have her and even Saint Potter at your side."

"If something happens…"

"Running away will not solve the problem. You are disillusioning yourself if you think she'll stop fighting for your cause. If something happens while you're on the run, you'll never forgive yourself. Mark my words, Draco."

"What do I do?" The blond wizard was torn, between anger and fear. "What do I do, Blaise?"

"Start by getting your blond arse here, so we can finally start working on a plan. You, me, her and Potter. Maybe Pansy too…"

"Leave Pansy out of this."

"Brother, she's already in it, thanks to your lady." Blaise's anger was melting, almost certain Draco was finally listening to his reasoning. "When are you arriving?"

"Give me ten minutes."

-oOo-

The three moved from Hermione's office to Harry's, and their company had enlarged from three to five. Harry brought Ron in, and Blaise hadn't been able to withhold Pansy.

The bouquet had been delivered by a courier, that one of Hermione's assistants had brought in to her office. As of immediately, Harry issued an order to have every delivery, no matter what kind to be checked by his department before it got to Hermione.

Ron uttered, "Hermione shouldn't stay alone anymore. You'll have to move in with Harry or me, as long as it's needed."

Her chin jerked in a typical Hermione-way."The hell I will. As it happens, I like my privacy very much."

"But Hermione, your privacy won't protect your life. Harry, tell her. Tell her that she has to follow our request." He was getting worked up, gesturing big while he spoke.

This was Ron as she knew him. He meant it well, but she hated when he went dictator-wise on her, demanding her surrender. Her eyes spit fire, finger in the air, "Harry, don't you dare! I've very capable of-"

"I'll watch over her." Four words drew the attention from the Golden Trio to the blond wizard under the threshold.

"This is your fault, ferret." Ron's red face invaded Draco's personal space, hot-headed as ever.

"Weasley, for this one time, I agree with you." The matter-of-factly tone shut up the ginger-haired wizard. Even Harry grew surprised, thinking to himself I'll be damned, these are epic words. "Hermione, you are refusing a right suggestion. Therefore, you force one of us to camp at your house. Regardless of whether you want it or not..." Draco purposely used her own words to make his point. "From the four wizards here, I'm the most suited one. Two of them have families," pointing obviously at Harry and Ron, "Blaise is a single, like me. But the last thing you want to do is come in between the unresolved tension between a couple who has an on-and-off relationship." Draco raised a hand to stop Harry from adding, while Blaise and Pansy glanced at each other, secretly. "I may not have fought in a while, but the nasty tricks I learned back in time, aren't lost. I'm a great duelist, and I'm more than capable of protecting you."

Blaise and Pansy looked at the ground with a ghost of a smile on their faces. Harry looked Draco straight in the eye, nodding in acknowledgement, while Ron was still debating on his next move. Hermione was dumbstruck.

Draco cleared his throat, "They caught me the last time because I chose not to fight back. Which now clearly sounds like a stupid decision from my side." He waited for someone to speak.

Draco in my house 24/7? We'll see about that, I don't need a bodyguard. And yet...Imagine the amount of sex! Holy shit! Somehow he thought the same by the looks he threw her. Busted!

She giggled behind her hand, and all eyes turned to her, two pairs in confusion, two others smiling conspicuously and the silver one, outright promising with a smirk.

Hermione decided to drop a bomb, "Then I think I should contact my other source, update them on the new developments and ask if they have learned more.

Harry inclined his head slightly, "Who's your other source?"

She waited for just a second longer before answering, "Lucius Malfoy."

-oOo-

"Granger, are you completely daft?" Draco was finally alone with Hermione in her office.

Their gathering had ended in confused and heated arguments, on how wise it was for the Gryffindor witch to include a former Death Eater into the mess. Draco had refrained from comments, chewing first on the consequences of her actions and his fathers' involvement. He hadn't spoken to the man in more than ten years. Their last words were said in anger, and Draco knew none of the two would ever apologise to the other. The reason: the godforsaken Malfoy pride.

"No."

"Why the hell did you include my father into this? Has he even accepted your request?"

"No."

"Witch, give me more than a no."

"No." He paced back and forth, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves before he would do something rash. Hermione decided to give him some more intel, "He didn't accept it. Your mother forced him."

He spun around in seconds, incredulous, "What?"

"Your mother made it very clear that a no was not acceptable as an answer. I would never have guessed that she was the boss in their marriage." Her smile was huge at the memory

"She isn't."

"She is, from my point of view. You should have seen her...standing straight and determined." She giggled, "She bossed your father around and even told him to sit down."

Draco wondered for a second if Hermione was drunk, "My mother does not boss around."

Hermione snorted, "Your mother described your father as a big bulldog who barks louder than he bites. Hats off for Mrs. Malfoy."

Draco smiled now with pride, "I regret I've missed it." Soon his smile faded, "I haven't spoken to her in a while since I've returned."

Hijacking his arm, she dragged him, without hesitation, to the Floo, "There's a reason to stop postponing things." Destination: house of hell, also known as Malfoy Manor.