Huge thanks to my Alpha/Betas NuclearNik and Monica03, without them I would be a mess and this story would be a disaster. Also a huge thanks to my Omegas (pre-readers) MarshmallowMcGonagall, QuinTalon, and Weestarmeggie!
To everyone who reads, subscribes, bookmarks, comments/reviews, follows, reblogs, likes, etc: I appreciate you all SO VERY MUCH. With the length of my chapters and the editing process, it leaves little time to come back and interact (I'll still try, however!). I promise though, all of it makes me go starry eyed and flail about every single time.
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Hermione popped a crisp in her mouth and chewed as she watched Harry prod at the roast Ginny had packed him for lunch. He'd been unusually quiet ever since they sat down. It was the first time it'd been just the two of them since she'd returned to work.
"So, erm, Hermione. I was wondering..." Harry pushed his glasses up his nose as he took a moment to study her. "I know he's a tosser and we all have an awful history together, but— I mean… He does treat you alright behind closed doors doesn't he? He's not blackmailing you to date him or anything is he?"
If she rolled her eyes any harder, they'd likely get stuck. "Of course he's not blackmailing me. I don't give in to terroristic threats of any sort, you know that. I'd sooner curse him into a ferret permanently." She felt the phantom warmth of Draco's arms around her from when he carried her to bed after she'd fallen asleep reading, and she couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her mouth. "But yes, Harry, he treats me quite well. I honestly couldn't ask for better."
"Just doing my due diligence. It's too bizarre of a situation not to at least ask. If you'd told me last year any of this would be as it is, I'd have sent you to get your head checked." He chuckled and finally took a bite of his lunch.
"No joke. I'd never in a million years have predicted this." Her word choice made a thought swirl in the back of her mind. "Hey, is there anything left of the Hall of Prophecy, do you know? I mean, our fight with the Death Eaters did quite a number on it, but I never heard if they repaired or not."
Harry squinted as he stared over her shoulder. "I'm not sure, I'll have to ask. McLaggen is still sore over losing the charity match to Malfoy and the rest of us though. He may try to make life difficult if you were wanting to get in and see if there's anything involving you, seeing as doing so is a favor and not a right."
"Hmph. I can get by him legally if I really wanted to, or I could just borrow your cloak and avoid him entirely. Although, I do need to pay him a visit anyway." Her brows furrowed at her sandwich as she decided exactly what unpleasantness she wanted to unleash on the pompous arse.
"Do I want to know why?"
She raised her eyebrows at him. What other interaction had Draco and Cormac had?
"Oh. They did play sort of dirty that day but everyone's let that go already, Hermione. Maybe you should as well. Besides, do you really need another excuse to do something nasty to him after all the harassment he gave you during our last couple of years at Hogwarts?"
She shrugged. She'd been secretly unpleasant to the man back then, having given him boils to the bollocks more than once despite the fact he'd never been able to pin it on any one person in particular. Besides, she was more interested in getting vengeance for how he'd been a twat to Draco in what should have been a friendly match with the rest of his team following his lead.
Harry sighed and stopped attempting to persuade her. He'd long since learned that she was going to do what she wanted with or without his help. "Anyway, I'm glad at least that he's treating you decently."
"More than decently, Harry. I meant it when I said that I couldn't ask for better."
Hermione wouldn't say it out loud, but it was for the better that nothing had ever developed with Ron. While Ron could be sweet in a boyish manner, she needed more in a partner. It would have been a relationship of extremes. The good times would have been great, but the bad times? Honestly, they would have been a nightmare and there would have been no going back from them unless she gave in. It would have been a waste of time, effort, and likely the destruction of a longtime friendship.
"Well, if he hurts you, dove, I'll curse him until he's nothing but a greasy spot in the grass." He took her free hand in his and tenderly squeezed it.
Warmth bloomed behind her breastbone, and she gave a squeeze in return. "Thank you, Harry. I don't think that'll be necessary, but it's always good to know you've got my back."
"Always, Hermione, always."
Her heart swelled and she squeezed his fingers tighter. Hermione sometimes wondered if they hadn't been twins in another life. If she even remotely believed in Divination, she would have been tempted to seek out the answer. As it was, she still considered the whole segment of magic a ridiculous waste of time.
They pulled apart after another moment to continue eating their lunch. When only the crumbs remained, they tossed their trash and sat back in their chairs. Hermione's office had been the place to escape to that day, apparently, as some mad thing was going down that somehow hadn't involved Harry for once.
"So what's got everyone stirred up today?" Hermione packed away her empty containers after spelling them clean.
"Oh, they're pretty sure they've discovered the bolthole of one of the few remaining Death Eaters at large."
"And you're not involved, why?"
"Their reasoning is since I'm the cause of the fall of their master, my presence will likely inspire them to fight to the death in an attempt to finish what Voldemort couldn't. As it is, they're keeping Malfoy in disguise so he can help. They'd really flip their shit if they saw him there."
Hermione's stomach clenched at the thought of Draco mixed up in that mess. She knew from experience Death Eaters were dicey, but add in the element of law enforcement and the threat of Azkaban and, well, it didn't make good odds for success. Magical fights were confusing, overwhelming, and dangerous. "Harry, I don't even want to think of him being close to any of that."
"He'll be fine, Hermione. He's staying out of sight even in his transfigured state." His lips quirked to the side, and he looked away from her. That couldn't be good.
"Harry, what have they done to Draco that has you looking like that? If you're this amused, it can't be anything good."
"Well, let's put it like this. After Williamson got done with him, he could easily fit in at any Weasley function."
Her mouth fell open before she snapped shut with an audible click of teeth. "He didn't."
"Oh, he did. Sort of reminds me of Bill now, honestly. If Bill had a mustache."
Hermione felt slightly guilty for the bubble of laughter that rose in her throat. She couldn't picture it and hoped there was either photographic evidence or that she got to see him in person before they undid the magic. Although, she preferred it to be from across the room so he couldn't see any mirth that may come from the sight.
"What did he do when he saw his reflection?"
"Scowled mainly. There was little he could do seeing as everyone was all rushed off as soon as their appearances were altered." Harry looked far too pleased at the memory.
"What did Draco do to deserve Williamson turning him into the Weasley doppelgänger?"
Harry froze and his eyes drifted back towards Hermione. "Well, erm, he... uh, sort of, maybe tricked Proudfoot out of his office."
Her eyes narrowed Harry. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer to this, but she was going to ask anyway. "Which office, exactly, would that be?"
Harry squirmed under her gaze. "I think it's about time for me to be getting back to my own office. Lot of work to catch up on. You know how it goes!"
He jumped to his feet, but Hermione matched him and had her wand drawn and pointed at him before he could take so much as a single step. "Harry James Potter, you will tell me which office you speak of or you will have a semi-permanent set of antlers so you can match your Patronus."
Harry's hands shot up, palms open and facing her in surrender. "Um, well, um..."
"Out with it, Harry. Now!" She shifted the grip on her wand and leaned forward.
"Alright, alright. Easy! It was this office."
"I'm sorry. I'm sure I didn't hear you correctly. I could've sworn you said it was this office. My office. The office I currently reside in."
"Yes, that's correct."
"And how exactly did Draco trick this man out of his own office?" She'd found it suspicious before that Proudfoot—coincidentally the same man who had trained her—had behaved with repressed hostility more than once, but she thought she was just being silly since all of her direct interactions with the man were perfectly normal.
"Actually, he didn't so much as trick him as he did blackmail him." Harry squeezed his eyes closed as if waiting for an impending explosion.
"... Go on."
"I'd really rather not."
"Oh, no, Harry, I insist. Do continue."
Harry sighed. "What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, yes?"
Hermione merely raised her brows in answer.
"So, after Draco earned his Auror badge, he happened to stumble upon some documents. He stayed late one night after everyone else went home and was able to piece together that Williamson and Proudfoot had pulled some strings with a few members of the Wizengamot to get both his and his mother's sentences extended further than what had originally been planned."
Hermione's eyes went wide. "And he didn't report them?"
"Of course not, Hermione. Then he would've had no leverage over either of them. If that got out, it'd be a massive scandal. Even now things are tentatively peaceful, and something like this would disrupt the public's trust in the law enforcement department. They knew it'd be the end of their careers and the end of their good standing in society. So they're willing to walk the line and dance to whatever tune Draco may come up with."
Suddenly an office seemed an awfully small price to pay in comparison to what he should be extracting from them.
"Sounds like Williamson's playing with fire by doing Draco like he did."
"Not disagreeing, but truly it's unsurprising."
"And how do you know all this?" Her eyes narrowed at him again.
"Well, that was purely by accident. For once. Skeeter was running a story on me at the time that had my, erm, admirers all stirred up over. You remember when she ran that story speculating Ginny was leaving me for Zabini? Anyway, some of the admirers had taken to waiting in the lobby for me after I got off work, so I'd been wearing the cloak to get around unscathed. The entire floor was empty, save for Draco and Williamson. Draco was in Williamson's office, now his office, and they were having what one may call an intense conversation."
Harry brushed a hand back through his hair as he looked everywhere except Hermione. He licked his lips before continuing.
"It got heated, and I decided that it may be prudent to stick around, just in case wands were drawn. Draco shut him up quickly with all the evidence he'd collected. Explained how every little piece fit together as if he'd been giving a presentation at a board meeting. When he was finished, Williamson knew he was beat, so he asked Draco what he wanted. It started with both offices but Draco's yet to really cash in on anything. He's probably just waiting. He's different from how he used to be. That Draco probably would've squandered the boon he'd gained. Now, though, I'd say he's saving it for something big."
Hermione's brows knit tightly together. If those two had done that to Draco and his mother, what else had other people done? She was almost afraid to learn. If wizarding society hadn't been so small, it would've been prudent to phase out all of the old guard with vetted individuals that could be actually counted on to do their jobs.
"That's, well, more than a bit disturbing. Who knows what else one would find if we went turning over rocks."
"Yeah, no joke. I hope it's something we don't have to deal with for a long time, if ever. Now that I've told you what you wanted to know, I really do need to be getting back to my office."
Hermione lowered her wand and reholstered it. "Today I'll let you remain antlerless, I suppose."
"Gee, thanks, Hermione."
"One more question before you go."
Harry shoulders tensed as he froze. "Yes?"
"Does Draco know that you know?"
"Yes. He cornered me later and demanded that I keep my silence."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Bang up job you've done of that."
"Let's put it like this: between the two of you, I'll take my chances with him rather than go up against you with or without a wand."
She snorted, then waved him off. There was no doubt Draco was a powerful, capable wizard, but Harry knew exactly what she was capable of. He closed the door behind him as he left.
Hermione became engrossed in her case file again and began to magically hang photographs and documents in the air around her in order to keep her desk from getting cluttered. They'd yet to locate the victim of the latest sacrifice, but seeing as the first had caused quite a shock to all involved, she had a feeling the second one would be no less surprising.
The Department of Mysteries had finally been able to undo the enchantments and booby traps that had been placed on the femur, then reverted the bone to its original form. That is to say, they turned it back into the victim, one Emilia Macnair. The wife of Walden Macnair, who'd gone missing after Voldemort's fall. Rumor had it that she fled their home with some of the other Death Eaters who went to ground.
Hermione burned to know why they'd suddenly sacrificed her. Had she threatened them in some way? Her gut told her it was worse than that. The way that Voldemort's followers slavishly behaved, Hermione suspected that it was voluntary, like Pagan rituals performed by the Vikings. To be a sacrifice in certain situations was seen as an honor, and that prospect didn't bode well for their suspect list nor their motives.
She glanced across the room at an antique mirror hanging on her wall, watching as the shadows shuffled about in the background. Harry's gift to her when she'd gotten the job had been Mad-Eye Moody's Foe-Glass. He still had almost all of the former Auror's equipment, including the trunk. It had come about that Moody had left the items in his will to Tonks. Andromeda had contacted Harry after everything settled and asked him if he wanted the items before she donated them to Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts class. While he'd let a few things go to the school, the majority of it was set up in his office.
She was still watching the glass and was surrounded by floating evidence when the door opened. Draco slipped in, now blond again, and she was almost disappointed she hadn't gotten to see him as a ginger until she noticed the mustache still on his scowling face. He'd managed to make it partially turn to his natural coloring, but apparently something out of the ordinary had been done to make it remain after he'd fixed the rest of his appearance.
"I would rather not go home and shave, so I'm here to request a favor. Can you please get rid of this bloody mustache? I've no idea what Williamson did, but I can't get it to budge."
Hermione pinched her mouth together before resorting to biting her lips between her teeth in an attempt to withhold her mirth. His eyes narrowed at her as she slowly lost the battle and let out a string of giggles.
"I fail to see what's so comical."
"I'm so—sorry," another wave erupted from her lips, "I just never thought I'd see the day where you sported a mostly ginger mustache of all things."
He clenched his fists at his sides and made to march right back out of her office when she jumped up and sped around the desk, catching his arm right before he got to her door. She placed herself between him and the exit, leaning against the wood.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed at you. I don't know what he did, but we'll get it fixed. I promise."
"It's going to cost you for laughing at my expense."
"What's the price?"
He said nothing before crowding into her space and putting a hand on each side of her head. Leaning down, he rubbed his nose against hers, then trailed the tip down her jaw, bending his head to kiss directly under her ear in that one spot he'd recently found that made her buck against him when he bit or suckled there. She tilted her head to the side to grant him access. Normally she wouldn't entertain such behavior in the workplace, but she could make an exception this once. It was an awfully small price to pay.
Instead of worshiping the spot with his lips, however, he took the opportunity presented to him and rubbed the scruff that had been magicked onto his face up and down her neck. She shrieked and tried to push him away, but he seized her wrists and pinned them to the door on either side of her head. She had no hope of Harry coming to her rescue either, not after putting up an active silencing charm when they'd taken their lunch break.
"That tickles!"
"I can tell, or at least I could before you deafened me." He rubbed against her tender flesh a few more times with what she could tell was a wicked grin.
Before she could shriek in his ear again, he pulled away with a chuckle to watch sparks shoot from her eyes as she glared at him.
He leaned in again, pausing to show her he wasn't going to do anything else obnoxious, and this time placed a tender kiss upon her lips. She kissed him back for a moment before pulling away.
"All that facial hair, especially the mustache, has to go before anymore kissing can occur."
"But Granger, I thought you liked big, scruffy men. From what I recall, Krum often sported a five o'clock shadow."
Hermione scowled at him. "And I also didn't let him rub up against me like an overgrown cat either."
She struggled against the hands that held her pinned to the door. It was obvious that if it was a matter of strength against strength, she would lose every time. So she closed her eyes and began to focus. It must've reminded Draco of when she'd vanished her bra because he quickly let go of her and took two steps back, hands raised in surrender.
"Now, if you're done fooling around, let's try to undo whatever it was Williamson did you."
She led them back over to the desk and had him sit in the chair Harry had been occupying not even an hour before. After reclaiming her own chair, she studied his face and began some simple diagnostic charms before working her way down a list of spells. She'd almost exhausted the list and thought they were going to have to recruit Fawley when she finally hit pay dirt.
The spell was seldom used and unlikely to be thought of by the average Auror. Really, the only reason she knew it was because she'd learned it in preparation of going on the Hunt. It was one of those last resort sort of spells that one hoped they never had to use. Typically, it was reserved for healers who were dealing with strong and complex transfiguration magic.
She scowled furiously. How dare that old codger transfigured Draco like that. What was he supposed to do if he couldn't figure out how to undo it? Shave it off and hope it didn't come back? Go to St. Mungo's and have them figure it out?
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't noticed he'd moved until he was pulling her to her feet. His hand slipped around the back of her neck to thread his fingers through her hair and cup the back of her head, still so gentle despite the fact that she'd been fully healed for a bit.
He dipped his head down and paused just close enough that she could feel the puffs of his breath against her lips and when she didn't object, he closed the gap between them. Her fingertips traced along the bottom of his waistcoat as she felt the brush of his warm tongue along the seam of her lips, and she was about to open for him when the click of the doorknob turning sounded in the room.
Quicker than she could blink, he was gone from her and she found herself pressed against his back, his hand gripping her hip and holding her in place as he stood tall in front of her. They were in the DMLE; who exactly did he expect to come through the door? Voldemort or Bellatrix perhaps?
"Potter." Draco moved to the side, revealing a befuddled Harry standing in the doorway. Harry squinted at the man before ignoring him entirely.
"I've got that report you were wanting, 'Mione. There wasn't much information to be had on Emilia Macnair, but we're still waiting on a couple of interviews to be completed. Until then, I thought you may be interested in what we do have so far." Harry tossed the file as if it were a frisbee and Hermione watched, impressed, as it floated across the room to land neatly in the center of her desk.
"Thank you, Harry. Hopefully it'll give me something to work off. Have you been able to do anything with the blood samples from the last scene?"
His mouth pinched together. "No. McLaggen told me this morning that they've been in contact with the Ministries of a few other countries after they hit dead-ends with their own methods, so they're trying out some new techniques. He should know something by the end of the week."
"Thanks, Harry."
He nodded to her before departing, pulling the door firmly closed behind him.
"Next time, I'll be sure to lock the door." Draco moved to her desk and flipped the folder open, reading through the contents of the thin report. "I need to stop by the Manor after dinner to check on Mother. I'll ask her what she knows about Emelia. They're about the same age and moved in similar circles, so she probably has a great deal more information than what little is here."
Hermione should've been embarrassed to have been caught the way they'd been, even though it was only Harry, but she couldn't find it in herself to be bothered. There shouldn't be a next time seeing as they were at work, but she said nothing. Instead, she moved to stand beside him, their arms barely touching as she read through the scraps of information. She bit her lip and wondered if she'd be breaking any sort of rules by asking if she could accompany him. She didn't want to seem as if she were inviting herself though, and before she could open her mouth to ask he'd already spoken up, as if he knew what she wanted.
"Would you like to accompany me? I'm sure Mother has a list of things she wants me to do and you likely have questions I wouldn't think of."
"I don't want to impose…"
"Nonsense. Mother won't mind. I daresay she's been wanting to talk to you for a while now."
Hermione shifted her weight and ran her palm down her trousers. "Oh?" Her voice hitched, and she cursed internally.
Draco turned and tucked her against him before tipping her head back with a finger. Gray eyes studied her intently. "Hey," he murmured, "you don't have to if you don't want to. She just wants to get to know you a bit. Usually there's a process to these things, and while she's been compliant to my wishes, she's still interested in the woman who has her only son's undivided attention."
Draco had been shielding her? It shouldn't surprise her, but she'd expected him to have a list of traditions and events to comply with since they'd formally begun their relationship, but to date there'd been nothing. She relaxed against him and slid her arms up around his neck. "Tell me more about courtship in your world. I'm sure Narcissa has been looking forward to this since you were a boy."
He sighed as he watched her, as if he were debating what all to tell her. Finally, he snagged her chair and sat, pulling her into his lap after he was settled. She leaned into him, watching him with wide eyes. It wasn't the first time she'd wondered about it, but Ginny had been unavailable for interrogation, and she'd rather hear it from Draco anyway.
"It's a very old process. Antiquated to say the least. Usually there's a meeting between the parents and they decide if the match is a suitable one. This depends on different factors like if the match is one for family gain, a political match, to settle a feud, or what have you. The biggest decider lies in their genealogy. Despite their obsession with keeping bloodlines "pure," they wanted to ensure that if there was any relation between the two parties, it was quite distant. It'd be pointless to maintain purity if it resulted in potentially compromised genetics of any offspring."
She raised her eyebrows when he didn't continue.
"Are you sure you want to hear all of this? It's all a load of old tosh."
"Yes, I'm sure. Please continue." She would bet her best tart pan that at least a few of the traditions still meant something to him, whether he admitted to it or not.
He sighed quietly. "So after the match is approved, there's typically a series of meetings between the parents and the proposed match. With females it would be things like tea, party planning, or dabbling together in the garden with Mother. It's an opportunity for the parents to get to know them and decide if they're good enough for their child. Men typically hunt, smoke cigars, and sip bourbon, or do activities like golf. Traditionally there are many chaperoned dates, although to my understanding, unsupervised outings have become acceptable in the last century as long as they are kept entirely public. Dinner is often had at the gentleman's home to see if everyone fits together cohesively as a family unit. This is more important for situations where generations of families live together, where the younger couple will take over the estate when the elders pass. Like in the case of my parents..."
Draco paused and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, perhaps recalling a memory, and then he seemed to come back to himself and resumed where he left off. "Anyway, if the arrangement seems to be working out, the man's parents will throw a ball which is the equivalent of announcing the impending engagement to society. At different points, there are gifts given or gestures made to signify that each party is still as strongly invested. If after six months to a year the parties are all in agreement, a marriage contract is drawn and an engagement is made. Then there's another party and a society announcement. Sometimes for the first year or so the newlyweds will live at another property to adjust to married life with no additional interference if they're to live with other generations at the same estate."
He was right. That did sound antiquated but also charming in the way things can seem when they're not being forced onto you.
"And you're sure you don't want to do any of these?" She wouldn't believe him if he said no. He would have been raised to expect these traditions to be maintained and would maybe even have looked forward to at least a few of the steps.
He picked up the hand that wore the ring he'd given her and kissed the palm of it. "Well, I did do one of them."
She repressed a shiver at the feel of his lips on the sensitive skin and refocused on the discussion. "It's a bit unbalanced though, seeing as I have no idea where to even begin. What are some things I can do? I want to be able to do something significant for you, too."
"If you really, really want to, then I suggest talking to Mother, but don't feel obligated. I only know half of it with a very vague idea of the rest. My father didn't find it very pressing to go beyond my responsibilities for whichever witch I decided was right for me. Said he didn't want to spoil any potential surprises. It's apparently one of those things you learn about more after you experience them or some such rubbish."
"Do you think your mother would be amenable to tea?"
"Yes, but like I said, don't feel as if you have to do anything you don't want to."
"It only makes sense to get to know her, seeing as she's the mum of the man I'm enamored with."
The corners of his mouth curled in delight as his eyes brightened. The lock clicked into place and then he was kissing her again, more fervently than before.
See you all next Saturday!