Author's Notes:

I'm not dead!

Here's Chapter 37 for you all.

Remember when the last chapter was four days late. I thought that was late but here we are EIGHT days late. I could give you the usual excuses that I've been at work, uni and ill but you probably don't want to hear that. So, I'm sorry it's late. I'll try not to be late on the 1st February because I have a surprise for you all to kind of make up for these the last couple of chapters being late.

Anyway, we're back to Hermione and Draco's point of view but I had a few comments and messages asking what happened between James and Lewis so I thought I'd clear that up whilst also moving the plot along.

As always, I dedicate this fanfiction to all my readers.

I dedicate this chapter to pgoodrichboggs, geowynpnn, roni2010, tmtcltb, ayuzachan, MrsGinPotter, Sherlock Harry Winchester, Emma3mikan, Olivia, Leyaninnia, Karlie, catviking1, MaireadTBTS, gotmoreissuesthanvogue, Quest, beth, Anonymous, Celine and Guests.

P.S. Enjoy Xx

Draco meets Hermione at the door to the archives after receiving a note from her to do so. He offers her a reassuring smile as he approaches but she doesn't seem to be paying attention, lost in her own thoughts. He opens the door, guiding her through and making sure it closes properly behind them. On their silent walk through the corridor towards the main door, Hermione starts dawdling behind so he gently takes her hand and guides her along, leaving her to her thoughts.

The ministry official at the desk outside the door stops them as they exit, telling them that she's been ordered to check them. Draco rolls his eyes as they wait for her to cast the necessary spells on them. Once she's deemed them checked, she waves her arm towards the lift.

"Enjoy the rest of your day." She forcefully smiles which he returns.

They only have to wait a minute for the lift. A quick glance at Hermione tells him that she's not in the right mental state to disapparate right now so he presses the button for the foyer and the muggle exit.

He spends the whole lift ride wondering what it is that she found out in the Rowle's filing cabinet. By her reaction, he would assume that she got the answer she didn't want and she does descend from them but she had half been expecting that. Or at least Draco had. He doesn't believe in coincidences and there's too much evidence supporting his theory on her heritage.

The lift pings as they make it to the foyer. With their hands still entwined, he pulls her out of the lift and towards the exit. The sun's shining brightly in the sky when they step out into muggle London making Hermione cover her eyes. She glances up at him for a second before throwing herself at him in a tight hug. Unprepared, Draco stumbles backwards slightly but managed to steady his footing and return the hug just as tightly, rubbing her back comfortingly. He kissed the top of her head as she sighed deeply into his shoulder.

"Hermione-" He mumbles into her hair but she shakes her head, interrupting him.

"Not here." She mutters. "Let's go home." She adds, leaning away, taking his hand again.

This time, she guides him away from the Ministry and down a nearby alleyway where she tugs him behind a large bin and apparates them back to the estate.

It's the first time they've ever been walking around the estate in the early afternoon so they were both surprised to find the street rather crowded. It usually takes around ten minutes to walk from the gates to their house but today it took them nearly half an hour, having to stop for a quick chat with a few people they hadn't seen since the ceremony. He can tell that Hermione's starting to get restless so he tries to end the conversations quickly, stating that they were busy and needed to get going.

He unlocks the front door, letting Hermione enter first, allowing him to close the door behind him. When he turns around, he finds her slumped on the third step of the stairs. He stares at her for a moment before removing his cloak and joining her.

"I'm assuming the worst." He tells her, taking her hand in his own.

"Shush." She presses her fingers to his lips. "I can't do this here. Not in our home." She leans towards him, resting her forehead on his shoulder.

Draco brings his other hand up to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair.

"Let's go out for lunch then." He suggests. "We could try the Pentagon. I've heard it's nice."

Hermione's still for a moment before she nods against his shoulder, stands up and heads towards the door, pulling him by their entwined hands. With a wave of his fleeting hand, he locks the door behind them. He should have probably used the key since literally anyone on the estate can unlock a magically locked door but he doubts anyone would risk it.

They enter the Pentagon and are immediately greeted by a waitress with a very cheerful grin and a tight ponytail.

"Hi, do you have a booking?" She asks, glancing down at a book on her small desk.

Hermione glances past the waitress into the restaurant. She recognises a few people eating lunch with their partners or their friends and wonders if they're happy with the way things have turned out since the ceremony. She spots a dimly lit table in the back corner of the restaurant, in the opposite corner to the kitchens and restrooms.

"No, we don't but we'd-" Draco's beginning to explain.

"We'd like that table at the back, please." She interrupts, pointing at the table.

The waitress glances in the direction of her finger.

"Are you sure you want to sit there?" She asks. "Nobody really likes sitting in that part of the restaurant so we don't tend to seat people over there." She explains.

"It's perfect." Hermione smiles, squeezing Draco's hand.

"Is there a problem with seating us there?" Draco asks, raising his eyebrow at the waitress.

Hermione remembers that he's wearing the robes similar to his fathers. The ones he uses to either intimidate or seduce. The thought makes her stomach drop. Which technique is he using now?

"No, there's no problem." She announces, picking up two menus from her desk. "Er, follow me please." She adds then sets off towards the table they requested at a fast pace. She's definitely feeling intimidating.

Once they're sat at the table and have their menus in their hands, the waitress announces that she'll be back in a few minutes to take their drinks order before rushing off. Hermione glances around their surroundings, taking in the interior design of the restaurant for the first time. How did she not realise that everything is purple? The thick, lush carpet is a dark royal purple with gold vines stretching across the floor from wall to wall. The walls have a similar wallpaper on the top half then a mahogany wood panelling on the bottom half. On the table everything from their napkins to the table cloth to the candle is purple. She looks down at her chair to find that it too is purple.

"I think they've gone a little overboard on the colour purple." She mentions and it's as if she's seeing a switch flip in Draco's mind as he glances around in sudden realisation.

"You're right." He hums, turning to face her again.

She can tell that his thoughts are still in the archives. He wants to know what she found out but she knows he doesn't want to push her too much for answers. He opens his mouth to say something when their waitress appears with a notebook and quill.

"Can I get you something to drink?" She asks, quill poised over the notebook.

"Can we have a bottle of wine and two butterbeers, please?" Hermione orders.

The waitress nods as she writes their order down then tells them she'll be back in a moment with their order.

"Wine? Are we celebrating or drowning our sorrows?" Draco jokes.

"Neither, actually." She tells him, making him frown in confusion.

"What do you me-" He's about to ask when their waitress appears again with their order, placing them on the table.

"Would you like to order your food now?" She questions, quill poised again.

Hermione's about to send her away but that would only bring her back in a few minutes so she quickly glances at the menu.

"I'll have the salmon tikka curry, please." She closes the menu, handing it back to her.

"Yeah, I'll have the same," Draco states, passing his own menu up. "Can you do us a favour? Don't come back over here until our food is ready." He tells her. Her eyes widen as she nods then almost runs away. "Now she's gone for a while," He smiles at her. "Tell me?" He almost begs, taking both her hands in his own.

She nods, thinking back to the archives and what she found in the Rowle's filing cabinet.

"Karina Rowle-" She starts, staring down at their hands. "She is related to the Rowle's." She admits. "Which means, assuming that the Karina Rowle my uncle David found is the same one that's in the Rowle's filing cabinet, I'm also related to the Rowle. Distantly." She adds.

Draco squeezes her hand to gain her attention. "How do you feel?" He asks once their eyes are locked.

"Better than expected." She smiles softly. "I expected to find out that Karina grew up in the wizarding world until she was seven or eight and her parents realised she was a squib and left her in the country to fend for herself." She explains.

"That's what usually happened back then." Draco nods.

"I haven't read her file yet, I couldn't, but I'm assuming that Karina didn't even know her father or anything about the wizarding world." She mentions, smiling at Draco's confused smile. "Eros Rowle, her father, was in some sort of a relationship with her mother, a muggle."

"Really?" He asks raising a surprised eyebrow.

"He actually had ten children. Two with his first wife, three with his second wife, three with two different muggles and one with Viviane Black, who was widowed."

"He got around." Draco jokes but stops smiling when Hermione flashes him a serious stare.

"Anyway, I'm fairly certain that they're the same Karina Rowle since the year of death is the same which would be a rather large coincidence." She mentions, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip.

"I'm guessing you want to read her file to check." He states.

"Of course," She smiles fondly at him then sighs. "We should wait a few days. We don't wand Mr Vyner to get suspicious." She mentions.

"There's something strange about him. I don't trust him at all." He admits.

"I doubt we'll be seeing much of him since he's told us the code." She says.

"Speaking of codes, how did you know the one for the other door?" He asks her with a smirk.

"The same way I knew how to find the archives. By reading and then putting one and one together. Which one was it anyway?" She asks curiously.

"C1443R."

"The year the department was formed and I just guessed 'R' for registration." She explains.

Once again, their waitress appears seemingly from nowhere with their food. They thank her, waiting for her to leave before starting. A calming silence fell over their table as they ate, with only a few words being exchanged to ensure the other was enjoying their meal. When they'd finished, the waitress came to collect their empty bowl and placed the receipt in front of them. Hermione offered to pay but Draco insisted since she had paid for mostly everything in Muggle London for him.

Outside, a cool breeze blows through their hair as they walk hand in hand around the other shops, pausing for a few moments to look in the windows but nothing catches their eyes.

"You haven't told me what you found in the other room," Hermione mentions, squeezing his hand. "Were the banned books in there?"

"Yes, and there must be at least a few thousand books on hundreds of bookshelves" He complains. "I haven't found anything of interest yet but I've only gone through the first forty or so books on the first bookshelf." He admits.

"Well when I'm done with the filing cabinet, I'll come help you in the book room." She tells him as they head towards their back garden.

Hermione suddenly stops as they're about to enter through their gate, stopping Draco in his tracks.

"I don't want to go home yet, why don't we go to Diagon Alley for a wander and maybe a few drinks in the Leaky Cauldron." She suggests.

She can see the worried look in Draco's eyes but he still nods in agreement and leads the way towards the estate's gate. She lets him take charge of their disapparation which was possibly a mistake as they appear in a darkened corner of Knockturn Alley.

Draco disapparates them to Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley since he knows a few dark corners and alleyways out of view from the public, not that anyone down Knockturn Alley would care. It's an unwritten rule that you go about your own business and mind your own business whilst shopping in Knockturn Alley.

"Why are we here?" Hermione asks him, squeezing his hand tightly and taking a step closer to his side.

He smirks down at her. "Is Hermione Granger, the brightest and bravest witch of our age, scared of being in Knockturn Alley?" He teases her, pulling her towards Diagon Alley, a few alleyways away.

She rolls her eyes at him. "I've seen the sort of people who shop down here and I don't want a run-in with any of them today." She mutters, casting a suspicious look at an old women in a hooded cloak and a walking stick who's hobbling past them.

"I use to shop down here." He tells her, feigning offence.

"I know and I don't approve." She frowns up at him.

"You know?" He repeats. "I'm offended that you think so lowly of me." He jokes.

"I saw you summer before our sixth year in Borgin and Burkes." She mentions as they cross over the threshold from Knockturn Alley into Diagon Alley.

Draco stops dead in his tracks, causing Hermione to come to a sudden stop.

"What do you mean 'you saw me'?" He asks, feeling the blood draining out of his face and his body suddenly feel cold.

"Harry saw you and thought you were up to something so he followed you and I wasn't exactly going to leave him to get caught so Ron and I followed him. That's when he started kind of stalking you with his map at school. He grew suspicious of you and wouldn't let it go." She explains, tightly holding onto his hand with both of hers.

"With good reason." He mutters, setting off walking.

"I suppose." Hermione follows, still holding his hand. "Although, did think it was quite farfetched and told him to stop obsessing over you." She adds.

"Harry Potter figured out I was evil before Hermione Granger?" Draco asks with a small, joking smile.

"He figured out you were a Death Eater before me as well." She admits, making his smile fall. "I suppose he didn't actually figure it out, he just assumed you were because of your suspicious activities in the room of requirement." She adds.

Draco hums in reply, stopping outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour.

"Would you like an ice cream?" He asks, looking down at her with a soft smile, remembering the last time they were both in the parlour.

"Sure, it's quite a warm day." She answers. "What topping are you going to get?" She asks him as they enter.

"Probably chocolate frog. They're rather entertaining." He admits with a chuckle.

"I didn't know they did chocolate frog."

"They're tiny chocolate frogs that hop around your ice cream." He explains, pointing at the picture on the wall of a chocolate frog ice cream cone. The tiny frogs were doing exactly what Draco had described.

"That's adorable but I think I'm going to stick to a plain vanilla cone." She says as they step up to the counter.

"How boring?" Draco rolls his eyes.

"Hey!" Hermione playfully punches his shoulder. "For that comment, you can pay for them." She tells him before ordering her plain vanilla cone.

"I was already going to." He admits, taking a galleon out of his pocket.

He orders his own cone then hands the coin over to the man behind the counter who then hands him a few sickles back as change. On the way out of the parlour, Draco takes Hermione hand, gaining her attention.

"Try not to throw your ice cream all over me this time." He quips, earning himself a displeased glare in return before she tugs him through the door.

They spend the next hour going between shops, browsing at the different things they didn't need. When they reached Gringotts, Draco suggests going in so he can exchange some of his wizarding money for muggle money. For some reason, there's a lot of people inside Gringotts and Hermione thinks they're going to have to wait before they're seen to but Draco marches straight to the desk at the back of the foyer where the Head Goblin of Gringotts simply holds his hands open for his key.

Hermione watches in awe as Draco hands over his key for the Goblin to inspect before he hands it back and order a nearby Goblin to take them to the Malfoy vault. That was a lot quicker than it usually takes her. They manage to get a cart straight away which leads Hermine to believe that certain wizarding families have certain privileges within the bank. She stays in the cart as Draco steps out with the Goblin to collect some coins. He returns a minute or so later with his coin bag considerably heavier.

"I wasn't sure how much I would need." He admits jingling the bag. "So I just got a few hundred galleons." He adds.

"A few hundred?" Hermione stares at him. "Draco, one galleon is equal to around five British muggle pounds." She explains the exchange rate to him.

"So I have around two thousand pounds. Is that a lot?" He asks unsure.

"Yes, Draco, it's quite a lot. We could live off that for nearly five months in the muggle world." She explains.

"Really?"

"Yes, the cost of living is quite a lot with electricity, heating, water, rent or mortgage, food, clothes travel expenses." She goes into further detail. "We'll have to open you a muggle savings account. You can't keep that much money in the house." She tells him.

"It can wait for a few days." He tells her as they set out of the cart and head out of Gringotts.

They continue to look in a few shops, Draco buying a new quill, before Hermione suggests they head to the Leaky Cauldron. He complies, stating that it'll give him chance to read more of Alice in Wonderland with a butterbeer.

When they enter the pub, Draco heads over to a table near the bar, hidden behind the Eucalyptus tree Blaise had been enamoured with before the ceremony.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Hermione tells him as she takes her jacket off, hanging it on the back of the chair.

"You don't need to, I'll go." He tries to stand up but she places her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down into his chair.

"I'm going to get us some drinks and talk to Hannah whilst you get reading Alice in Wonderland." She tells him a little sternly.

He reluctantly leans back into his chair earning a smile from Hermione. She leans down, kissing his forehead gently, before walking around the potted plant towards the bar.

There's a small queue since it's after five o'clock and she assumes most people have finished work and have come to the pub for a quick drink with their friends before heading home. When it's her turn, Hannah smiles broadly at her, leaning across the bar and pulling her into an awkward and uncomfortable hug.

"Hermione!" She squeals excitedly, letting her go. "What can I get you?"

She stares at the other girl in confusion for a moment. They'd barely even spoke at Hogwarts and here Hannah was hugging her and squealing excitedly at her.

"I'll have two butterbeers for now." She orders, starting off on something light.

"Of course, so how have you and Draco been?" She asks, casting her curious gazes as she fills up the glasses. "Neville said he saw you this morning. He said you seemed pretty cosy." She winked at her.

Hermione smiles to herself. Of course! Hannah just wants gossip about her and Draco's relationship. It explains why she's being overfriendly all of a sudden.

"We're doing well. Will we be seeing you both at the Burrow on Wednesday?" Hermione asks, taking the glasses from her and handing over a few coins.

"Of course, Mrs Weasley is so kind to invite us all into her house." She states.

"Molly is the kindest person I know." She agrees as Hannah hands her change over. "I'll see you later then." Hermione nods, walking back over to Draco, setting their glasses on top of the table.

She takes her own book out to read but can't concentrate on the words. Her head is still swimming with thoughts of Karina and the Rowle's. Since Eurus Rowle, there have been so many descendants that she wouldn't be surprised if almost every wizard descended from them. Maybe even Draco was and they were very distant cousins. The thought weirds her out for a moment before she remembers that one of Eurus' grandchildren married a Malfoy. Technically, they were very distant cousins. She shivers at the thought.

"What's wrong?" Draco asks, glancing over the top of his book.

"I just remembered that Karina's paternal grandmother was called Celeste Malfoy." She admitted.

He raises his eyebrow. "Really? So we're…" He waved his finger between them. "…related. Somehow." He adds.

"Very distantly." She reiterates. "We're okay, although it's still a little weird." She smiles slightly.

"It's not that weird. Especially not in wizarding families. I'm sure you've heard that most pureblood families are only pureblood because they've married within each other. There's only so many times that can happen before you start marrying someone closer than distant cousins." Draco explains.

"I've seen the Black family's tapestry. Orion and Walburga were second cousins." She says.

Draco's about to say something when Hermione suddenly silences him with her hand. She shushes him as she crouches closer to the table. He stares at her confused until she flicks her eyes behind him. Slowly, he turns around and spots James Stuart from the Department of Registrations stood at the bar with another man. Turning back to Hermione, he ducks down closer to the table.

"Why are we hiding from James Stuart?" He questions her, placing Alice in Wonderland on the table as a blockade.

"I don't want him to see us." She whispers, peering over the top of the book towards the bar.

"Don't you think this looks a little suspicious if he does see us?" He asks.

She turns to face him. "You're right. Sit up and act normal." She orders him, sitting up herself.

Draco shakes his head. "I'm not sure what normal is right now." He mutters, going back to his book but he can't concentrate on the words as Hermione takes her wand out, muttering something as she waves it under the table. He can hear a scrapping noise coming from behind him and turns to find the tree slowly creeping closer towards them. It stops next to him, blocking his view of James.

"Are you done?" He asks her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, for now." She answers, looking down at the book in his hands. "Where are you up to?" She asks.

"She's just met the caterpillar and recited a poem about an old man. I'm finding it a rather confusing book." He admits.

"I did too the first time I read it as a child. You might have to reread it in a few years." She suggests.

"Perhaps." He nods, going back to the book.

He can feel Hermione's eyes on him for a few minutes before picking up her own book. She doesn't look that interested in it as she keeps glancing around the tree towards the bar.

"Are they still there?" He asks and she nods without looking at him.

"They seem to be arguing about something." She mutters.

Draco places his book on the table and leans back in his chair to glance at James and his friend. They did seem to be in a heated discussion. James was waving his arms around and frowning at the other man who was nodding back at him. Suddenly, James stormed past his friend, towards them.

Quickly, Draco ducked back behind the tree so he wouldn't be seen when James walks past them but he doesn't. Peeking through the branches of the tree, he finds James stood closer to them but with his back towards them and the other man is gripping tightly onto his wrist.

"What's ha-" He starts to ask but Hermione shushes him.

"I'm listening." She mutters.

He frowns her for a moment, considering telling her off for eavesdropping on somebody else's private conversations. Especially since their first argument was about him doing the same to her and her friends but his curiosity gets the better of him and he focuses his hearing on James' conversation.

"Lewis, why am I here?" James asks sounding very disheartened.

Lewis frowns at him. "What?"

"Why did you ask me out?" James reiterates.

Draco scoffs quietly. Their date isn't going very well then.

"I- I didn't ask you out." Lewis stutters. "I asked you if you wanted to get some drinks." He clarifies.

He can imagine James rolling his eyes at him. "I didn't mean out like a date, I meant why you asked me out for drinks." He shakes his head. "You haven't changed at all, have you?" He scoffs.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lewis asks sounding offended as he lets go of James' wrist.

"When I came out and everybody assumed we were together, you started acting awkwardly around me. You didn't want people to think you were gay as well." James asks quietly. "I mean, I kept telling everyone that we were just friends and… that I didn't think of you that way but I don't think anyone believed me." He adds.

"No, James!" Lewis sighs. "I didn't care if people thought I was gay." He explains, shaking his head. "Anyway, that doesn't matter now. I thought it would be good to catch up. We haven't spoken properly since the party." He answers the previously unanswered question.

"Lewis, we stopped talking after Hogwarts. We hadn't spoken to each other for three years when the war started. It was just coincidence that we ended up being held captive in the same place." James whispers loudly, his annoyance showing through in his voice.

Lewis is shaking his head. "No, it wasn't a coincidence and you know it." He snaps. "James, I don't blame you. I mean, they used veritaserum on you. You couldn't help it." Lewis laughs awkwardly. "If anything, I'm honoured that I was still someone important to you after three years, even it is a little sad. No offence." He adds. "But come on James, I'm glad I was there. No offence, but you needed me there. You couldn't have defended yourself against him, even if you had a wand."

"Thanks," James sarcastically says. "But if you recall, I was the one who saved your life." He adds so quietly that Draco barely caught it.

"Nearly getting yourself killed in the process." Lewis frowns at his friend.

"Don't be so dramatic," James tells him.

"You were in a coma for almost two months." Lewis reminds him, staring at his friend sadly. "I came to visit you every day." He admits, looking down at his shoes.

"I never knew that," James admits.

"Well, you wouldn't let anyone in to see you once you woke up and when you were discharged, you wouldn't answer the door. Then there was the battle of Hogwarts and I needed to recuperate, then there was the party at the Ministry last June and you ignored me completely. I thought you blamed me for what happened. I apologised and you said it was fine but it was still awkward. I thought if I gave you some time, you'd forgive me and get in touch but you never did. Then we got that red note from Mr Vyner and I knew I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see you again." Lewis says, blushing slightly from his long speech.

Draco turns to look at Hermione, who's already staring at him.

"Do you know Lewis?" She mouths to him and he shakes his head.

"We need to find out." She mouths again and he nods, going back to the conversation.

"I don't blame you, Lewis. I blame myself for…" He stops himself suddenly. "I blame myself. I've been nothing but trouble for you since our sixth year." He mutters. "To be honest, I thought you would have forgotten about me. It'll be six years in July since we left." He points out.

"What in Merlin's name are you on about, 'causing me trouble since sixth year'?" Lewis frowns in confusion.

"I know people started throwing curses and jinxes at you when I came out, it can't have been easy for you," James explains.

"I told you I didn't care about that. I can't believe you thought I'd forget about you. We were best friends for seven years and I know I said it was a little sad that I was still someone important to you but even after all these years, you're still the best friend I've ever had. My friends now don't know my like you did, probably still do." Lewis explains.

"The closest thing I have to a friend at the moment is Mr Vyner and Lyra," James admits.

"Wow, okay, I saw today the way Alexander treats you. The way he ordered you to find out everything you could about the Zykan's before the end of the day." He scoffs.

Hermione turns to face him, her eyes wide.

"How do they know we-" Draco starts to whisper but she shushes him turning back to the two men.

"We need to change that straight away. I don't care how long it takes but I'm making it my mission to become your best friend again." Lewis states. "If… if you want me as a best friend, that is?" He adds, nervously. "We've been through so much, it would be stupid to throw that all away." He smiles softly at James.

James doesn't say anything for a while and Draco wonders if he's going to reject his old best friend. It's been a strange conversation to overhear but if it had been him and Blaise, he's confident that Blaise would forgive him straight away. James reminds him a little of Blaise. They're both very friendly, happy people.

"I should probably tell you something, it's better for both of us if you find out now so you can change your mind before we become friends again." James sighs, looking down at his feet.

Lewis looks nervous as he stares at his friend. "It can't be that bad. Wait, you haven't killed someone, have you?" He tries to joke.

"Please, don't use humour to diffuse the awkwardness. I don't think I could bare it if you passed this off as a joke." He mutters.

"Okay, I won't joke. Promise." He says, with an encouraging smile.

Draco can see James' shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath.

"When the snatchers got me, they didn't think I was important so they locked me in a dungeon somewhere until they exhausted their more important prisoners. When they found out I worked in the Department of Registrations, they began torturing me for the names of Muggleborns but I refused."

"You idiot." Lewis interrupts. "Always thinking of other people rather than yourself."

"I didn't know any names. How am I supposed to remember every Muggleborn in the UK?" He rhetorically asks." I thought that if the snatchers thought I knew something but wasn't saying, they'd keep me alive longer than if they thought I knew nothing." He admits.

Draco nods in agreement. That was a very smart move on his part. Once a prisoner became useless, they were disposed of.

"Then they used veritaserum and of course I told them everything I knew, which was nothing, but I did have access to the archives under authorisation of Alexander Vyner. Then I told them I would never help them and I knew they weren't powerful enough to use the imperius on me."

"James!" Lewis sighs, shaking his head. "Just because you're under veritaserum, doesn't mean you speak every honest thought you have."

"I couldn't control what I was saying." He tries to defend himself. "Anyway, they asked if there was anyone they could torture for my cooperation, anyone I loved." He says, avoiding Lewis' face. "I tried to fight it but they found out in the end." He stops, not feeling the need to carry on.

"Me?" Lewis asks for confirmation, seemingly shocked that James had still loved him after three years of no communication.

"Of course you, why do you think you were kidnapped. It was all my fault. If I wasn't in love with you, they would never have come after you." James snaps.

"In love with me?" Lewis repeats.

"Are you not listening? I already said that." He shakes his head in annoyance.

"No, you said you loved me." Lewis states.

James pauses for a second. "What's the difference?"

"I love my friends but I'm not in love with them. I wouldn't kiss any of them." He tries to explain.

Draco casts his eyes to Hermione for a split second. Using that logic, they were in love since they'd already kissed a few time but he knew he wasn't in love with her yet and she isn't in love with him yet.

"I never said I wanted to kiss you." James states.

"But you do, don't you?" Lewis smiles as James stays silent. "How long have you been in love with me?" He asks.

"Don't tease me." James snaps at him.

"I'm not teasing, I'm curious."

James mutters something that Draco doesn't catch.

"Fifth year?" Lewis repeats louder than necessary and James shushes him. "Sorry." He apologises. "But you weren't gay until sixth year." He points out and Draco has to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Are you an idiot?" James asks him. "I came out in sixth year because I was finally comfortable with who I am. I first thought I was gay in fourth year when I found myself checking guys out more than girls but I knew for definite in fifth year when I fell in love with you," He explains.

"Why did you fall in love with me?" Lewis asks after a few moments of silence.

"I don't know." James throws his arms in the air in disbelief at having this conversation. "You're an adorable idiot." He admits.

Lewis blushes at that, chuckling as he awkwardly rubs his neck before his eyes suddenly widen.

"Wait, I'm an adorable idiot?"

"That's what I said."

"I am an adorable idiot." He repeats.

"What are you getting at?" James asks.

"You said 'I am'. Present tense." Lewis smirks. "You still think I'm adorable." He smiles.

"You're definitely still an idiot," James tells him, making him laugh.

"I here no denial there." Lewis teases.

"Fine." James sighs. "I still find you attractive. You've aged well." James admits, checking him out and making Lewis blush.

"I could say the same about you. I love those glasses. You look like a cute nerd." Lewis laughs for a second before realising what he said and staring in shock at his friend.

Draco hears Hermione chuckle from next to him so he turns to face her.

"They're adorable." She mutters with a smile, keeping her eyes on them.

"You think I'm cute?" James asks.

"Maybe," Lewis mutters.

"Well, this is unexpected," James mutters back, looking awkwardly down at his shoes.

"It shouldn't be, I left you enough hints during Hogwarts. I sent you that valentines chocolate in our last year, which you rejected, so I let you go." Lewis admits.

"Did you ever listen to Snape, never eat valentines chocolate in case they've been poised with a love potion." He tells him. "How was I supposed to know they were from you? You never left a note."

Lewis shrugs looking around at the bar. "I thought you knew I liked you." He tells him.

"Do you?" James asks, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes, I do," Lewis answers, looking back at his friend.

"Well, I'm not sure where we go from here," James admits.

"I could take you to dinner," Lewis suggests hopefully.

James doesn't answer for a moment and Draco can see the hopefulness draining from Lewis' face.

"Okay, but I want to go to a muggle restaurant. I'm fancying Chinese." James tells him.

"I know a great place." Lewis smiles, taking hold of James' hand and pulling him towards the muggle exit of the Leaky Cauldron.

As soon as the door shuts behind them, Hermione turns to stare in confusion at Draco.

"How the hell do they know which filing cabinets we were in?" She leans across the table.

"I don't know. They must have wards on each cabinet that tells them which one is being opened." He suggests with a shrug. "Is there any muggle devices that could track that sort of thing?" He asks.

"Not that I know of but I'm not exactly up to date with muggle technology." She admits, trying to think of anything she might have heard or seen in the muggle world.

"They'll know I was in the Rowle filing cabinet as well." She states, letting her head fall in her hands.

"Not necessarily. I told Kingsley that I wanted to check the legality of one of my ancestors. They would assume it's me checking the filing cabinets. Especially since the Rowle's are purebloods." He tries to comfort her.

"We shouldn't be talking about this here." She mentions, standing up. "Let's go home."

Draco nods, putting his book away and following her into Diagon Alley where her takes her hand and disapparates them back to the estate.

Thank you so much for reading.

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