Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter Universe. It all belongs to the Queen, J.K.

Beta Love: Dreamingofstars85

A/N: Because I know a few of you who will appreciate this— This chapter was ** THIS CLOSE** to being named "Eight Minutes to Ravish You". Unfortunately, "Body Shopping" fit better, dammit. Anyway, enjoy! I seriously love you guys and your reviews and kudos and general excitement and support for me and this fic. It's what's kept me going this past YEAR AND A HALF OMG I NEED TO FINISH THIS FIC YESTERDAY.

P.S. This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but the next chapter is so nearly done, and should be out quickly!

Xoxo, Luce


CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Body Shopping

Hermione sat on the counter in the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee while Finn explained what he did with his time when he wasn't babysitting her. It wasn't something she'd given much thought to before, but she supposed that he did have to have a real 'job'. Draco was leaning on the counter next to her, also working on his coffee, as he listened and occasionally chimed in.

"You're a hitwizard," she said flatly, setting the mug on the counter next to her.

Finn shrugged. "Sometimes," he said, nonplussed. "Mostly though, I track. I honed those skills pretty quickly when I realised that I didn't have to be here. Now, if there's a particularly hard wizard or object to find, he sends me. I watch them for a while and bring the information back. He usually sends someone else to do the final job. "

Hermione sighed and didn't say anything else. She wasn't sure why, but this felt icky. He literally stalked and killed people for a living. He was a Death Eater, so of course she knew he killed people, but somehow, making it his literal job title made it a harder pill to swallow.

Hermione picked up her coffee again. Living in London really was the best. Finn had popped out for ten minutes that morning and brought back three perfectly hot, delicious coffees, and had promised to take her to get bakery sweets very soon. This was her second day at Finn's and she was settling in quickly. It felt amazing to be out from underneath the Dark Lord's thumb, no longer worrying about running into Bella, or Dolohov, or anyone else in the hallways. She also wasn't complaining about the increase in alone time she got with Draco. She never minded spending so much time with Finn, but now that she and Draco could actually be alone, she found she rather enjoyed it.

She pulled her mind back from wandering to the bath they'd shared last night and focused on what was ahead for the day. She'd promised the Dark Lord that she would come back and see him as soon as she was settled, and she knew better than to make him wait. She was heading to the Manor for breakfast with Narcissa and then a meeting with the Dark Lord. Finn said he had to head in as well to collect an assignment, and Draco decided to tag along for breakfast. So they were all dressed and ready, sipping their coffee and preparing for the day ahead. Hermione had chosen another black dress and was starting to think it may be her signature colour now. It just didn't feel right to wear bright, happy colours yet. She wasn't sure if it ever would again.

"Alright, doll. Ready?" Finn asked, finishing off his coffee and tossing it in the bin.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pointed her wand at the rubbish bin, moving his discarded paper cup into the recycle. "Seriously, Finn. Is it that hard?"

He chuckled and threw on his cloak. "No, but what would you do all day if you didn't have me to take care of?" He winked at her and then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Draco put his hands on her hips and nuzzled into her neck from behind her. "I could come up with several things to do," he whispered in her ear, nipping at the sensitive skin on her neck.

"We are having breakfast with your mother in ten minutes!"

"So you're telling me I have eight minutes to ravish you then?"

Hermione spun out of his arms, shaking her head but smiling. "No, we have to get there early or she will lecture me about punctuality."

Draco shrugged and sighed. "That's mother," he agreed.

"Together then?" Hermione asked, holding her hand out and smiling when he took it.

"Always," he said before they apparated to the manor.

xXxXxXx

"We are going to have to start planning soon," Narcissa said offhandedly as she delicately dabbed her face with the napkin.

"It's a bit early for that, mother. We aren't even publicly dating yet."

"It's never too early to plan for the inevitable, Draco."

Draco squeezed her hand under the table but said nothing. He was well versed in when to and when not to argue with Narcissa Malfoy. This clearly was one of the times to hold his tongue.

"Have you two decided when you will be announcing this?" she asked.

"Not yet. I believe there may be a specific timeline we will be asked to follow. Besides," Hermione said smirking, "I haven't even officially received a contract yet, so technically, there isn't even anything to announce."

Draco scoffed and Narcissa smiled, holding back a laugh.

"I see. I will ask him, then," she said. After a minute, Narcissa looked at her son. "Draco, your father sends his regards. He is hoping you will come see him soon."

"Not likely, mother," Draco said flatly.

"I figured as much," she said primly. "However, I also told him I would ask you, so now I have."

"Yes, you have."

xXxXxXx

Hermione curtsied in front of the desk where the Dark Lord sat. He had waved her in and held his hand out, pulling the chair out for her to sit.

"Good morning, my Lord," she said.

"Hermione, how are you?"

"I am well, my Lord."

"And how are you finding Mr Rowle's residence?"

"It's lovely, Sir."

He smiled at her, "Excellent. I think it's time we discuss your future here, Hermione. I assume you know what Mr Rowle does for me?"

"Yes, my Lord, we've discussed it." she answered.

"It would make sense to keep you working with Mr Rowle, wouldn't you think? You two seem to function very well together."

"Yes, Sir. We do."

"And Mr Malfoy, of course."

"I would like that, my Lord."

"I think it would play well into our little image we are building up for you two," he said, pulling out a folder. "I would like you two to start being seen in public together. With Mr Rowle, at first, but on your own, soon enough. I have a job for you three in Belgium. It seems like the perfect opportunity for you to come out of the shadows."

"Very perfect, my Lord. And what is the job?" she asked.

"Just a name, Miss Lestrange. Mr Rowle will know what to do. I suggest you learn as much as you can from him."

Hermione took the thin folder that he handed her and stood from the chair. She curtsied again. "Yes, my Lord."

She met Draco and Finn at their old room and the three disapparated to Finn's house. Hermione sank onto the couch in the sitting room and was quickly joined by both Draco and Finn. Biting her lip, she looked over at Draco.

"I need to write the Order," she said. "I think it's time we went to see them."

His brows drew together and there was a pause before he spoke. "Alright."

From his expression, Hermione had been sure he was going to argue with her, so she was surprised at his easy agreement. She summoned a piece of parchment and a quill and drafted a quick letter to Professor McGonagall.

Professor,

I am so sorry. I haven't been able to do much of anything until today—I've been watched like a hawk, to say the least. Draco and I would like to come see you and the Order, please. We have much to discuss.

H.G.

Hermione sent the letter off with Finn's owl and anxiously waited for the reply. She knew it wouldn't be back for a couple hours yet, but she couldn't help constantly checking to see if the bird had returned yet.
"So, the Dark Lord told me he gave you a folder?" Finn asked, drawing her attention back to the present moment.

"Oh, yes, he did," Hermione said, walking into the kitchen to grab the folder and bringing it back into the sitting room. She handed it to Finn.

He looked it over before handing it to Draco. "We'll start in Knockturn, then," he said.

Draco nodded, "Yeah, might as well."

Hermione eyed Draco curiously. He looked at her and shrugged. "Finn's been taking me with him for the past couple summers."

She raised her eyebrows at the boys, waiting for one of them to explain it to her. Draco passed the folder back to her, pointing at the name. "We need to ask around about him until we get a lead. Then we follow the lead and get as much information as possible. Sometimes it takes a couple days, sometimes it can take a couple weeks or more. Then we bring the information back and hand it off."

"And people don't start to run away when they see you? If you're always asking after people, and then, I assume, they eventually turn up dead, wouldn't people be a little hesitant to give you leads?"

Finn smirked. "Very," he said. "That's why we don't go as us." He raised his eyebrows at her and smirked.

"You Polyjuice the whole time?" she asked, surprised. Polyjuice once in awhile was fine, albeit disgusting. But long term or too often and it caused poor physical reactions.

Now Draco was the one smirking. "Not Polyjuice."

She raised her eyebrows. "Then what?"

"That's why I'm so good at this, doll. I've perfected the art of physical deception. I can be in the field, tracking, for days on end, and not need to figure out how to continuously Polyjuice or glamour myself." He winked at her. "And you thought I was all good looks."

She laughed. "No one would ever call you modest, Finn. So? How do you do it?"

"Secret weapon, doll."

Two hours later, Hermione was knee deep in parchment and texts that Finn had about the potion he'd developed. She was still trying to figure it out, but overall, it was genius. A delicate combination of several Polyjuices, the recipient's blood and something similar to Felix Felicis, interwoven with notice-me-nots and glamours. It was very complicated, and Hermione couldn't even imagine how many test runs the potion took. Finn had explained the whole thing to her twice now, and she still had questions. It was a long lasting potion that took months to leave the system. The effects were activated with a spell, and could essentially be turned on and off as the caster wished. It was bloody brilliant.

"So you get to choose the traits you want?" she asked, skimming the Polyjuice portion of the notes.

"Yep. You get your hairs from several subjects and then essentially cherry pick the qualities you want to keep."

"Huh," she said, reading in depth the bit about extracting qualities with a spell and implanting only those in the potion. "How long does it take to brew?"

"From scratch? Four months."

"We don't have four months! The Dark Lord—"

"Lucky for you, I keep several bases in stasis ready to go. For Draco and I, it would take two days to get a new look because we have already done the preliminary work. For you, it will take maybe a week."

"So what do we have to do?" she asked.

"We will add some things to yours tonight, and in four to five days you'll have to add your qualities and the last of the spellwork."

She nodded. "Alright. And how do we pick the qualities?"

Draco looked at her with a serious expression. "Very carefully."

She laughed and elbowed him in the ribs. "Seriously, Draco?" She shook her head at him, still grinning.

"We go shopping, doll," Finn said, also chuckling.

"Shopping?"

"Yes. Body shopping."

xXxXxXx

Hermione and Draco were sat at a little coffee shop in muggle London and were people watching. They had discussed the ins and outs of the potion all night long, and decided that the following day they would start to gather ingredients and get things ready. While she and Draco did that, Finn had gone to buy Hermione an owl that wouldn't be easily recognised as belonging to them. If they were going to be corresponding with the Order, they couldn't keep using Finn's owl since it was known by too many people.

"So blond or brunette?" Draco asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Well, probably not brunette, right? That's what I already have."

"True. You could always go as a redhead," he said, smirking.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't blend in enough."

"Good point. So blond it is. You'll probably want lighter skin, as well. Eyes?"

Hermione shrugged. "Blue? I don't know. What do you look like?"

"Not as devilishly handsome as usual, but still striking," he said with a grin.

She kicked him under the table.

"Very similar to that night we went to the Three Broomsticks. A few skin shades darker, brown hair, green eyes," he trailed off and shrugged again.

"And that's enough?" she asked.

"I change a few features on my face, I shrink down two inches, and I don't wear the same clothes. It's more than enough. People are easy to fool when they don't know they need to be looking."

"Alright then," she said, finishing her coffee. "Let's go make a new me."

Draco laughed and finished his drink as well. He stood with her and escorted her out of the shop. They spent the next hour carefully choosing different muggles, collecting hairs, and meticulously labelling baggies with which traits were to be extracted.

When they got home, Finn instructed Hermione on how to add her blood and spells to the waiting potion. Once she was done, they all met in the kitchen and finished off the Chinese take away from the other night. Hermione thanked the gods for cooling cabinets and reheating charms—the food tasted exactly as good as it had the night Finn brought it home.

She was just tossing the box in the rubbish bin when there was a distinctive tapping at the window. Hermione immediately turned to see an owl waiting to be let in, a letter carried in its beak.

Finn opened the window and took the letter, reading the front and then handing it to Hermione. "For you," he said.

Hermione took the envelope and tore it open, pulling the letter from within and quickly reading it.

I believe you are right.
M.M.

Hermione's heart sank. The letter was so much shorter than she was expecting. Five words plus her initials, followed up by a time and place at the very bottom. She read it once more before looking up and meeting Draco's eyes. With a shrug, she handed the letter over to him. He quickly read it, then folded it up and placed it on the counter.

"Well, I guess we've got an appointment tomorrow then."

Hermione bit her lip. "Guess so," she said.

xXxXxXx

Hermione had showered, shaved, dried and applied potions to her hair, put makeup glamours on her face, and was now standing in front of the closet in her room, trying to decide what to wear. She didn't want to choose anything too different, but she literally didn't own anything "Hermione" anymore. Narcissa had stocked her closet full of fancy dresses and colourful trousers and blouses, and Finn had bought her several things that were more practical, but nothing that said Hermione.

It took her awhile, but in the end, she chose a pair of skinny pink trousers with a rolled hem, which she transfigured black, a baggy black blouse with long sleeves, and black flats. Always black, now. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and knew they would be surprised by how much she'd changed, but this was the best she could do. At least the shirt would hide the weight she still hadn't gained, as well as her Mark.

When she walked downstairs, Finn and Draco were waiting for her in the kitchen. They didn't say anything, which spoke volumes about how they both felt about this meeting. She had talked with Draco about it a bit the night before but he hadn't really said much, just that he would support her and that she shouldn't stress about it.

"Are you ready, doll?" Finn asked.

"I suppose so," she said with a shrug. "I just want to get it over with, I think."

"You look nice," he said. "But I think you'll need a jacket." Finn walked over to the barstool and grabbed his worn leather jacket. He pointed his wand at it, shrinking it several sizes and then handed it over to Hermione. "I'll be with you in spirit," he said with a wink.

Hermione slipped the jacket on, smiling when she smelled the collar and it smelled like Finn. It might be weird, but she didn't care. He'd been her saving grace the last few months while her entire life was turned upside down, and she cared deeply for him now. He was like an inappropriate older brother. She laughed at the thought.

After a quick goodbye to Finn, Hermione and Draco apparated to neighborhood the safehouse was located in. She had thought it was no longer an active safehouse because the Death Eaters had found out about it. "They don't trust me with their current safehouse," she said quietly. Draco squeezed her hand.

When they arrived on the doorstep, Hermione turned to Draco, more nervous than she ever thought she would be to see the Order. She still didn't know who would be there… if Harry would be there.

"It will be fine, Hermione," Draco said, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it before letting it go entirely.

Hermione nodded and knocked on the door, holding her breath.