AN: So sorry. I am back. Expect more chapters throughout quarantine.
"That is why you needed me. Lightning in a bottle." Draco was staring up at the ceiling of her workshop. The rafters were reflecting the flicker of flames from the cauldron fire and were otherwise barely illuminated from the gray light of the window.
"I was always hopeless with a broom." Hermione was breathing harder than he was. Deep shutter breaths that, in the case of a more amenable witch, may have concerned him. She took the direct hit, both of the fall and the bolt. She would be hurting far more than him and she deserved it.
"Do you have a death wish Granger?" He injected as much venom into the words as possible but given his exhausted state it came out more as a trite barb.
"I needed it for the Cure-All. It's the secret you know." Draco rolled his eyes. Of course he knew. But the mass market Cure-Alls just put up a lightning rod and called it a day.
"I could have just bought it you know. Just because you are dreadfully poor doesn't mean that the rest of us have to go to such drastic measures for a bit of a spark."
"You are in need of teaching aren't you?" She quipped as he felt the rustle and crunch of her hair near his left ear. "The best potions come from the finest ingredients. Fresh from the source and untouched by anything else. The catalyst was the hardest to find. But now it's done and we just need to wait."
Draco pulled himself up, his biceps screaming. The fall wasn't kind to him, but he was sure clutching the broom during an electrical shock didn't help.
"Great. Then we're done here?" He turned to see Hermoine laying flat on her back staring up at the ceiling similar to his earlier position. She looked different from their school days but also no different at all. She had the same messy and uncontrolled hair. The same wickedly intelligent and calculating look in her eyes, even while staring at an expanse of wood. However, her face had lost the baby fat of the earlier years and regained the shape that she should have had during the war. It occurred to him that he never considered why she looked so thin during the battle of Hogwarts. Only that she looked weak. A mistake that he was sure countless death eaters tried to take advantage of.
"For now. It will finish brewing in roughly 2 days. I shouldn't need you until then." Her eyes seemed to dim as he shifted himself into what could be considered a standing position.
"Right well, best of luck with that Granger. Send me my bottle in the post and have a lovely life. No need to thank me. You pretending I don't exist is thanks enough." She chuckled to herself and slowly shook her head. He had to restrain his scoff.
"See you later Malfoy." Her eyelids fluttered lower and he had the minor concern she shouldn't be sleeping on the floor before pushing it swiftly out of his mind. Maybe waking up with a back screaming in pain would teach her not to rope people into flying into a fucking thunderstorm.
"Next time you need a broom, call a taxi service." Without another thought he turned heel and stalked to the fireplace. He was so distracted by the thought of his large and comfortable bed that he didn't notice Hermione's smile or the weight of a small wood plaque drop gently into his pocket.
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He stalked into his office with a dramatic flourish. The office assistants make a point to be elsewhere when they knew he was on a tear and this was no exception. In spite of his plans for a quick nap before heading back to work he had managed to sleep the whole day yesterday. The house elf only woke him up when Blaise and Theo were practically wedging open the door.
After some halfhearted assurances that he was indeed alive they left with a promise of details at a later date. Clearly he would have to come up with something. Maybe a nice tale about a Bali princess on vacation… Did they even have princesses?
With his mind slowly returning to his body he couldn't help but groan. He hurt all over. The crash managed to mangle his muscles and the strike managed to turn his nerves into twitching, burning pathways. Thankfully the house elf left a healing potion by his bed that was working far better than usual. He was able to haul himself to the office this morning with only the vague hint of dizziness and a slightly sour taste. He would have to figure out where she bought it.
"Drizzella" He called as he sank into the well worn leather wingback chair behind his onyx desk. Both pieces were worth their weight in gold, and they weighed a lot.
"Yes Sir." A waif of a blonde woman poked her head out from the open door. She was pretty in the standard way all delicate kept women are, all grace and no edge. The exact opposite of the mess he had just worked with.
"Coffee. A lot. Food. Something filling I can eat while working. Appointments, what did I miss?"
The girl was scratching a quill onto a pad she had produced and ripped the sheet of paper before handing it off to the other assistant, Marie. Not only was she pretty but she was damn good at her job.
"A meeting with the London Home for Magical Children. We made an appropriate donation in your name which seemed to placate them. A meeting with the board which after a lot of grandstanding was moved to Thursday. And a meeting with Mister Macy of Grayskies Industries. In regards to his… marital problems." She hesitated in a way that let him know that the last point was still outstanding.
"I take it he was insulted." Draco sighed as he stared out the window into the London gray. His office was on the 56th floor, giving him a great view of the dreary weather that the city was known for. He paid far too much for what most often looked like a dirty dishrag.
"He was not pleased. We managed to convince him to come back this morning. If I could be so bold to advise-"
"Yes yes. Send him in when he arrives. Try to make sure my coffee gets here first." He had a long day ahead of him.
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Hermione finally had caught up on sleep by the second day and had busied herself with random house keeping things. Her contacts had all been notified she would be out for the day and any issues must be addressed before then or wait until after. Crookshanks was brushed, fed, and slept by the cauldron. She had even managed a bath to get the last of the caked mud and rock off. She was still sore and deeply regretted slipping the last of her quick-recovery potion into the floo with Malfoy. Hopefully his servants find it in the ashes and get it to him.
With a sigh she glanced around her workshop and wished she could afford servants. Never a house elf slave but perhaps a house elf housekeeper. Compensated and cared for of course. However, as she always did, she decided it was too much trouble and risk. Instead she grabbed the broom herself and began sweeping.
It was roughly nine when another thunk notified her of Malfoy's arrival. Or delivery she supposed. The little wooden plank charmed itself back into her pocket for the next time she needed it and a groan indicated that her apprentice was unaware of his transport prior to arrival.
"Welcome back Malfoy. I am so glad you are a punctual student." She placed the mop back in the corner and spelled the dirty water to water her herb garden, although looking at the sky they were probably going to get a drink anyway.
"Why am I here?" He had landed on the couch this time and while looking much more sober, seemed as equally underwhelmed with the situation.
"We made a deal, remember." She drifted over to the cauldron and stirred the perfectly brewed Cure-All. A scent of honey and cayenne tickled at the back of her nose indicating it's readiness. Slowly she began to portion out the mixture to the waiting vials next to her. Careful not to spill a drop.
"You couldn't have shipped it?" With a heft he pulled himself up running his hand through his disheveled sickly blond hair. Apparently he had grown it out longer as little curls flipped upwards at his ears like a petulant child. It looked horrible and that made her smile.
"To my greatest disappointment, we aren't done yet." She responded tersely, not too happy with the situation either.
"Oh so you want me to stick around. Well Granger, didn't those idiot boys tell you kidnapping is not the way to get a man?" He shook out his shoulders and began to wander around the room setting off alarm bells in her head. She hated having him here, in her private space.
"Please, I just had breakfast. I would like to keep it in my stomach." She stoppered the final vial and began gently laying them in a basket cushioned with velvet lining. "Unfortunately we made a deal and thus the need to keep your sorry self around."
"Well I release you. As wonderful as it's been, I would rather return to my life. Whatever your secret is, it's not worth you." She tried not to bristle as he picked up a perfectly round stone on her bookshelf. It was a gift from the Grand Mahinki and was supposed to soothe any animal you threw it to. Apparently Malfoy didn't count.
"Oh how generous. Unfortunately I still need you." She tucked the last portion in and folded the velvet over her precious cargo in relief. It had to work this time. There was nothing else.
"Admitting weakness Granger? How trite." She rolled her eyes and stalked toward him. She snatched the ball and set it gently back on the shelf. God, he was such an ass.
"Make no mistake. I would love for you to be gone this instant. I had every intention of releasing you today with the lesson of not recklessly making unbreakable vows. However, something has come up and I would rather not find another assistant when I have a perfectly good slave right here." She grabbed his wrist and stalked toward the fireplace. His indignant snort was certainly satisfying.
"I thought you were against slavery." He muttered as he eyed the basket. "Where are we going anyway?"
With a flourish she grabbed a handful of floo powder before whispering their destination. If she was going to have to drag him around she may at least grant herself the joy of confusing him.
A flash of green and the smell of smoke greeted her before stepping out into a bright, golden room. She didn't wait long before pulling the man behind her out of the way as another wizard appeared where they stood a second earlier. While it would have been funny to seem him landed on, the other traveler certainly did not deserve it.
"Where in the hell are we?" She released his wrist and turned to find him gawking at the large room. While she wanted to make fun of his she really couldn't blame his reaction. The first time she saw the place she had to be pulled out of the way of a memo swarm. The floos exited into a huge domed space reminiscent of a train station. Thick pillars of marble climbed toward the ceiling with golden vines creeping towards the top. The ceiling itself was finely painted with images of the various native magical creatures. Set inside the paintings, finely polished gemstones threw light from the windows down to the floor in rich reflective confetti. She stared at the opal clouds curling around the Impundulu, it'll brilliant yellow feathers flaked with gold and its dark beak shaped from jet. It was beautiful, it was welcoming, it was everything the Ministry of Magic in London was not.
"The ministry of magic of course." She replied tersely wondering how patient she should be. This is an amazing place, worthy of wonder and respect but they also didn't have a lot of time.
"Very funny." She followed his gaze to the entrance gates and decided it was a perfect excuse to head forward. Holding her basket close to her chest, she set out at a brisk pace, avoiding any bumps and shoves from the self-important officials. At least that's the same everywhere.
"Not all ministries need to be ebony black and dark as midnight." She called back. She heard a grunt of disgust and could only assume he was following. A warming heat was drifting through the various ports of entry, their shimmering golden gates swing open and shut as witches and wizards passed. Little enchanted golden creatures twisting between the grates giving the illusion of walking into a magical garden. She wondered briefly if a muggle had seen it and decided it must be what the gates of heaven looked like.
She spotted Anike at the far left. Her wrap was the deep purple of the high agents and her braids were piled high on her head similar to a beehive popular in the young witches here. The ensemble gave off a strict and intimidating air but it was all erased by her huge almond brown eyes and gentle smile.
Both of which were turned on Hermione as she stepped up to the gate. The excitement that glittered in them was near heart breaking. She could live with hope, hope acknowledges failure. But excitement just existed to be crushed if this didn't work.
"Sister Hermi! It is so good to see you. Arike sent word. I have been praying to the spirits for your success and now here you are!" Anike was near explosive with her optimism which in any other circumstance, Hermione loved that about her.
"It has been too long Sister. Unfortunately I don't have time to catch up." She smiled weakly at the girl. "Perhaps on the return trip?"
"Of course, of cour-" Hermoine felt Malfoy step up behind her to loom behind her just as Anike cut herself off. The warm almond eyes froze over, turning hard and calculating. "Sir. Wait your turn."
"Unfortunately," Hermione sighed. "He is travelling with me."
Anike gave her a wistful glance before her eyes bore into Malfoys left arm. "I see no curse on you. But Hermione. He is… I cannot."
"Just this once Anike. I am so sorry to put you in this situation but I do need him. I will be keeping a very close eye on him. I promise."
"Promises are not enough. Even yours." With a sigh Heromine rolled up the left sleeve of her robe and thought of the oath. A thin golden line snaked it way around her left wrist and drifted gently to Malfoy like a kitten pawing a toy. A swift yank dropped her sleeve and cut off the visual. She felt like she was hiding an embarrassing secret.
"Sister Hermi. It is a great risk you take. He is black, blacker than night." Anike's eyes were doubtful and mistrusting as they drilled into her old school mate. His demeanor was a placid and regal calm but the flashes behind his eyes surely concealed his anger. Hopefully, he could manage to keep cool until they had managed to enter the country.
"Even the night has a moon. For every evil there is good. And when there is not," she held up her arm with a relaxed smile she did not feel. "I have a leash."
It took only a moment more before Anike fell into open laughter. "How I would hate to be stuck as your dog. Well Sister Hermi you know the risk, now pass on, before someone sees. We will have to chat another time"
Herminone bowed her head in thanks as the gates sprung open. With a quick shove she pushed the blond boy through and into the bright and busy streets.
