Hermione returned home from a day full of meetings and went upstairs to quickly freshen up before Draco came to pick her up. He'd invited her to Flourish & Blotts for a book signing this evening by Otto Lilienbecker, the famous German potioneer. She hadn't seen him in a week, since their date at Côte Bistro, and she was a little nervous about seeing him tonight.
She'd originally appreciated having space away from him last weekend, but then Saturday night had happened... making her reconsider what she felt about their fling. She'd been on her sofa reading, having foregone a girls' night out with Katie and Leanne, when Draco had returned home from his dinner with Pansy and Daphne. She'd seen the light flare in his front window, and wondered if he'd learned anything helpful about the Death Eaters, when she suddenly caught sight of a woman standing in his living room.
Reliving the scene in her head now, as she touched up her makeup in the mirror, her stomach roiled the same way it had Saturday night. She couldn't believe he'd brought someone else home with him! The woman's back had been to the window; she'd sported a slinky red dress, and her blonde hair was tied up in an elegant chignon. Draco had stood close to her before closing the curtains, and Hermione had spent the rest of the evening fretting.
Even now, four days later, she pushed back feelings of jealousy and betrayal, telling herself she had no right to be angry with Malfoy. She had no claim on him. They were only casually dating - Hermione had made sure of that when she told him she wasn't ready for a new relationship and wanted to keep things light. He was technically free to bring home whomever he liked. She just hadn't expected him to do so!
After a terrible night of sleep Saturday, filled with dreams of him making love to a blonde woman in front of her, Hermione had spent the past several days asking herself what she wanted from… whatever this was… with Malfoy. She'd held him at arm's length for the past month - enjoying the amazing sex and appreciating his companionship, but pulling away at nearly every opportunity for more serious connection.
She thought he'd probably be happy to date her exclusively if she agreed to it. She knew he was holding back from asking her to spend more time with him, trying to give her space, and she was grateful for it. She wanted to continue enjoying time with him, continue being desired by him - god, it felt good to have him look her over with those smoldering eyes.
But she wanted it without pressure... without commitment. But apparently, she had mocked herself over and over since Saturday night, you don't want to share him with anyone else. It was the height of speciousness, she thought with dismay.
She didn't want to lose Malfoy, but she couldn't ask him to wait for her, either. It would be selfish to ask that of him, and vain of her to think he might do so. She'd come to the unhappy conclusion that, if she was going to continue dating him without committing to anything serious, she'd need to make peace with him seeing other women too.
She frowned in the mirror as she dabbed on her lip gloss. She didn't feel anything close to peaceful about him sleeping with other women. But she didn't feel peaceful about committing to a real relationship with him so soon after her divorce, either.
-o~0~o-
Hermione opened her door several minutes later, and Draco stood grinning at her on the front step. He had the faintest dimples in his cheeks, and her stomach jolted pleasantly at the sight of his smile, despite her irritation that he'd brought a lady friend home Saturday night.
He looked stunning in his navy work suit and silk tie, and she reminded herself, not for the first time since Saturday night, that he was indeed one of the wizarding world's most eligible bachelors. It would be naive of her to think he wouldn't play the field if she insisted on keeping things casual between them; he likely had women falling all over themselves to get near him. The thought made her question what he saw in her; many of those women were probably ten years younger and perfect.
She did her best to smile back at him and push her insecurities away. Her confidence rose as his eyes roamed over her figure. She still wore her gray work skirt with a leopard print blouse, cropped jacket, and high heels, and his eyes lingered on her bare calves. He leaned down to kiss her gently, his tongue swiping across the seam of her lips, then wrapped his arm around hers and Apparated them to Diagon Alley.
Hermione was quieter than usual as they walked to Flourish & Blotts, which Draco seemed to notice as he cast about for a topic of conversation. They spent a few minutes in slightly forced chatter about their work today when, unable to hold back any longer, Hermione asked, "How did Saturday evening at The Alchemy Room go with Pansy and Daphne?" She examined his face for any sign of his amorous night with the woman in the red dress, but she didn't see a smirk or discomfort in his expression.
"It went well," he replied, somewhat upbeat. "It wasn't enjoyable listening to the Pure-blood drivel coming out of people's mouths, but we learned a little bit about what's going on."
Hermione's brows rose in interest.
"We picked The Alchemy Room because we figured the three of us would draw attention from other Sacred 28 witches and wizards." He grinned sheepishly, not quite meeting her eyes, with this statement. "We ended up with people at our table most of the night, which was what we'd been hoping for." He looked uncomfortable discussing the attention they had drawn, and she smiled brightly at him and nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"There were a lot of Pure-bloods there who think the pandemic shows Muggles, and basically anyone who's not Pure-blood, are inferior - more than I would have thought." He grimaced. "Mother expected that; she told me I was naive to assume our generation doesn't think that way anymore." He glanced at Hermione with an apologetic expression, seeming to take on some blame for Pure-blood wizards' prejudiced opinions.
"Draco, you're not responsible for others' views." He began to argue with her, but she interrupted him. "You're not. Your actions, your work ethic… you've worked with Muggles and wizards of all backgrounds for years, most of your adult life." She looked up at his troubled face as they walked down the street. "Draco, you've proven who you are and what you stand for."
He stopped walking, brows furrowed, casting about for a rebuttal. She glanced around and, confident no one was paying them any attention, grazed her fingers down the side of his neck. She might be upset that he was dating around, but she wasn't going to let him castigate himself for other people's prejudices. He leaned into her touch ever so slightly. "You're a good person, Draco. I know you're not a bigot. You can tell me what you heard without worrying that I'll think you agree with those views."
He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Thank you." His eyes crinkled further as his smile grew broader. "Has anyone ever told you how incredibly lovely and inspiring you are?"
Now it was her turn to grin sheepishly, momentarily forgetting her conflicted feelings about him seeing other people. She licked her lips, drawing his eyes down to the movement, and he looked around then tugged her into a nearby alleyway and kissed her soundly. When they came up for air, he let out a short laugh. "I feel like I'm 16 again, hiding in dark alleys for a snog!"
Hermione felt giddy too, and a laugh bubbled up at his silly statement.
His gaze turned more intense as she looked up at him. "I'd be happy to snog you right in the middle of Diagon Alley, but seeing as how your divorce isn't public yet… I figure you wouldn't appreciate that much."
Hermione gave a dry chuckle. "No, I wouldn't. Not yet." She grinned up at him. "Give it another month or two once the kids are out of school, though. Then we can snog in the middle of Diagon Alley whenever you like." The words were out of her mouth before she realized she'd just implied she wanted to see him longer-term and publicly.
Flustered, she started to back away from him, thinking of the woman from Saturday night and irritated with herself for sounding so eager. But a wide smile broke across his face, and he dove back in for another rousing kiss, effectively silencing all logical thought. When they finally broke apart and stepped back onto the main street, Draco picked up his story of Saturday night, and Hermione pushed her conflicted feelings away for later.
He cast a discreet Muffliato to avoid being overheard. "We got the most information from Greg Goyle - he owns The Alchemy Room." Hermione nodded; she knew that. "Greg said a group of Sacred 28 members meets each month at his restaurant; he rents them one of the private chambers. I think they're plotting how to re-establish Pure-blood power and anti-Muggle ideas, but Greg didn't say anything specific.
"I don't think Greg knew whether he could trust me enough to tell me more. I mean, he's right, he can't… and part of me wishes he knew for sure he couldn't trust me…" Draco looked at Hermione apologetically again. "But part of me wishes he did trust me so we could find out more about what they're doing." He twisted his lips, frustrated.
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked. "Do you think you could convince Goyle to trust you? Get invited to the meetings and find out what they're doing?"
Draco jerked his head toward her in surprise. He seemed tongue-tied and went briefly silent, pondering her words as they neared Flourish & Blotts. "I hadn't thought about it. It would be good for someone to infiltrate the group and find out what they're planning." He shook his head. "But I don't think I'm the right person. My businesses in the Muggle word are too well known.
"And I really don't want to listen to what they have to say. I did my time with the Death Eaters 25 years ago. I don't want to relive it again." He closed his eyes briefly.
"I guess that would be better suited to Harry's department. They could have someone go undercover…" Hermione trailed off. They had reached the queue for the book signing, which stretched down the block from the bookstore. They took their place behind a witch in green robes, and Hermione was thankful for the cushioning charms in her heels; it looked to be a long wait.
"Have you talked to Harry about it yet?"
"Not yet. Mother and I are having dinner with him and Teddy at Andromeda's this Friday to discuss it. Harry's looked into some things at the Ministry, and Mother's had tea with some Sacred 28 acquaintances."
Hermione nodded. "Yeah, Harry told me a little about what he's investigating. He asked me what's been happening in the Department of International Magical Cooperation since the pandemic started."
"Anything interesting?" Draco asked as they shuffled forward in the queue.
"Maybe. The department is interviewing for a new deputy head. I've worked with the director for years; she'd never hire a Death Eater sympathizer - not on purpose. But three of the final candidates for the position could be Death Eater sympathizers." She squinted, upset at the thought. "Harry thinks it's possible there's an organized plot to fill Ministry positions with Death Eaters." She gazed at Draco. "He was really grateful you brought this up to him."
Draco gave her a wry smile in return.
Hermione continued, "There's a new person in one of the British seats to the International Confederation of Wizards that Harry's worried about, too. He's a Sacred 28 Pure-blood, Aldrich Fawley. He's kind of an arse, in that way older Pure-blood wizards are -" she let out an indelicate snort, "and he's more conservative politically than I'd like, but he hasn't done anything that seems like he has an anti-Muggle agenda." She sighed, staring at cracks in the sidewalk as they slowly inched toward the bookshop.
Turning to Draco again, she asked, "Did you find out anything else Saturday night?" She decided if he didn't bring the other woman up, she was going to ask him about it. She wouldn't be defensive or accusing, but she wanted everything out in the open between them.
"We did, actually. We heard about a Pure-blood supremacy radio program based in eastern Europe. The wizard who told Pansy about it spewed a bunch of nonsense about how the pandemic shows the power of blood purity." He frowned at the memory. "I haven't taken the time to try to find the radio program. I figure Potter's group can handle that."
"Anyway, the guy got a little too handsy with Pansy, and after he tried to make a move on her," he shuddered, "we left. Pansy headed home, and Daphne came back to my house. My brother-in-law's out of town right now, and Daph and I haven't seen each other in awhile. So she came back with me and we spent the rest of the night catching up and remembering vacations we used to take together when all the kids were little." A nostalgic smile graced his face.
Hermione did her best to hide her surprise. Daphne was the woman in the red dress? His sister-in-law? Relief flooded through her, though part of her remained unconvinced. She knew he could be an exceptional liar when he needed to - he had survived Voldemort living in his house, after all. Yet he had been nothing but earnest with her since they first met up a month ago...
She quickly concluded he was telling the truth, as hard as it was to believe, after four days spent fretting over him and another woman. Merlin, she felt stupid. It was a perfectly reasonable conclusion to jump to, she internally defended herself. Her demeanor instantly brightened, though if Draco noticed the change, he didn't comment on it.
"So what did you do Saturday night while I was out doing Potter's work for him?"
Hermione elbowed him in response to his sarcastic comment, and Draco pinched her waist back, laughing. "I just stayed in Saturday," she replied, much happier with the memory of her evening as she looked back on it through new eyes. "Katie invited me out with her and Leanne, but I had a busy day and just wanted some quiet."
Draco nodded and they turned their conversation to Otto Lilienbecker's recent potions work as they approached the door of the bookstore, releasing the Muffliato spell around them. Giddy with delight that he hadn't brought another woman home Saturday, Hermione started to tuck herself into his side; but, remembering they were in Diagon Alley and not Muggle London, she pulled away again quickly. Draco clasped her hand in silent understanding, then shoved his hands in his pockets to avoid temptation.
As they made their way toward the author's table, they shifted their conversation to the kids' upcoming Slytherin/Gryffindor Quidditch match - the final match of the year. "Slytherin will win, no doubt!" Draco smirked. "Scorp's caught the snitch in every game so far this year. There's no way Gryffindor's new seeker will beat him."
Hermione side-eyed him. "That's not what Rose says. Their seeker's caught the snitch in every Gryffindor game too, and even though he's new this year, she said he usually catches it faster than their old seeker did."
"Not happening." Draco shook his head. "Scorp's not getting beaten by a 14-year-old who's only played three games!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Scorpius is only one year older than the other seeker; that won't make a difference! Besides, Rose just turned 15 today, and Scorpius doesn't act like she's some little kid he can walk all over."
Now it was Draco's turn to roll his eyes. "Witch, clearly you know nothing about teenage athletic development! In the Muggle world, your seeker would still be on a junior varsity team, while Scorpius and Rose would be on the varsity team. That year does make a difference!
"Also, Scorpius has played with his team for two years now, and your seeker's only been on the team for one. There's no way Gryffindor's had time to develop the ruthless precision and cunning of Slytherin's team." He wagged his finger at her in good humor. "Also, I didn't know it was Rose's birthday today! Have you floo-called her?"
"No, I'll call her when I get home tonight. I just got back from work right before you came over. But to your points, I think they'd all be on the junior varsity team because their fourth year at Hogwarts is like first year of Muggle high school." She waved her finger back at him. "And, how do you not know what a band-aid is, but you know how Muggle high school sports work?"
Draco pretended to be cross, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down his nose at her.
Hermione burst into quiet laughter, and he broke into a disarming smile, his eyes crinkling and teeth sparkling. "Theo's Muggle wife explained it to us. They have so many more sports at Muggle schools, while all we have is Quidditch!"
Hermione thought, not for the first time, that if Hogwarts had a decent Muggle Studies curriculum, it would go a long way toward improving magical and Muggle relations.
When they finally reached Lilienbecker for the book signing, Draco talked to him as long as possible before the store employee told him to move along. Stepping past the author's table, Hermione turned to him. "Do you mind if we spend a bit of time browsing before we leave?"
He laughed, flashing his grin at her again. "I wouldn't have expected anything less, love." She gave him a besotted smile, his endearment turning her insides to mush. They found a secluded corner, and he stole a kiss from her. It progressed until she forgot they were in a bookstore in public. A throat cleared behind Draco. They startled and pulled apart, aiming their faces at the shelves and hoping whomever was there wouldn't recognize them.
Hermione peered at the person out of the corner of her eye, feeling relief that it was an older wizard she didn't know, and who was no longer paying them any attention. They shuffled over to the next aisle, grinning, and Draco squeezed her bum before moving away from her down the aisle to the potions books.
She knew she should be more careful in public with Draco, but frankly, she had grown tired of worrying about what other people thought of the Brightest Witch of her Age. The only reason she and Ron were keeping the divorce quiet was so the kids wouldn't have to deal with their nosy peers at school. Rose and Hugo had confided in their closest friends, and Hermione was surprised the news hadn't leaked out by now; Hogwarts was a gossip mill. They obviously had trustworthy friends.
Hermione settled into browsing, trying to avoid fixating on her feelings about Draco. Half an hour later, she had several new purchases rung up at the register. She and Draco left the bookstore together and grabbed a small bite to eat back in Muggle Richmond before splitting for the night. She needed to call Rose for her birthday, and she also wanted time to unpack her confused thoughts about Malfoy, undistracted by his enchanting lips, fingers, and sinewy muscles.
Draco stepped out of the floo behind his mother, into the living room of the Tonks' household. Andromeda came up to greet them, her silver hair in an elegant knot at her neck and her golden-hued silk robes hanging gracefully on her lithe frame. "Welcome, Draco, Cissa, it's lovely to see you both. Thanks for joining us tonight."
"It's a delight, sister." Narcissa nodded, her hair falling over the shoulders of her steel blue cape.
"Teddy and Harry should be here any moment; they're coming directly from the Ministry."
They talked in the living room until the floo sounded. Teddy came through first, wearing his purple security detail robes, and Harry strode out immediately after, clad in his silver-gray Auror robes. Cheek kisses were exchanged with the women and handshakes among the men, and Andromeda led them to the dining room, calling for her house elf Pippy.
When Narcissa had decided years ago that Malfoy Manor didn't need a dozen house elves, Andromeda had taken on two of them to ensure they had a good home and to help her while she raised Teddy as a single grandparent. Pippy briefly appeared, then vanished again while goblets of moscatel and bowls of chilled strawberry-rhubarb soup floated in. The family caught up with each other over the first course, talking about Narcissa's fundraiser for St. Mungo's, Harry and Draco's children, and Teddy's recent international trips as head of the Minister's security detail.
After the house elves had vanished the soup - replacing it with rosemary-mint rubbed lamb and roasted potatoes, and a pinot noir from Burgundy - Harry got down to business, turning to Narcissa first. "Thank you for passing on the information Mrs. Greengrass told you in confidence. I promise nothing Draco shared will be linked back to you or Mrs. Greengrass. The rumors you've heard, unfortunately, appear to be true." He turned and addressed the rest of the table. "It looks like they're part of an organized effort to re-establish Pure-blood power."
An air of gravitas settled on the group as Harry continued speaking. "After Draco and I met last week, I followed up on Flint and Bulstrode. Malfoy, I think your conclusion was right - it's likely they took the Ministry posts so they could be in a position to disempower Half-bloods and Muggle-borns, and it does look like they've been working with each other secretly."
Draco felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. He'd been holding on to some slim hope that maybe the Death Eater plans weren't organized, that the pandemic was just bringing old prejudices out, and they could be stamped back down easily.
Harry continued, "Flint's department keeps wizarding records, like births and marriages. During the second war, they controlled the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, but the Ministry destroyed those documents and hasn't kept records on blood status since.
"Flint's made a lot of small changes in record-keeping, and when you look at them all together, they allow blood status to be more easily identified. Bulstrode is doing the same thing in the Health Division: all of her new health and safety protocols require more information than we kept before, on everyone involved in any health case or Auror investigation - Ministry staff, witnesses, victims... Flint's department is also keeping records on Hogwarts students now, which they haven't done since the war."
The thought of some bigoted Ministry official keeping records on Scorpius and his friends galled Draco. His mind immediately went to the terrible acts he'd been forced to perform on Half-bloods during his seventh year, and the idea of Scorpius being asked to do such a thing sickened him.
He hoped the current political climate would never let things go that far, yet after hearing all the prejudiced views at The Alchemy Room last weekend, he couldn't help but wonder what if...? Andromeda, too, looked distressed, no doubt thinking about how her daughter had died to prevent this type of Pure-blood power play from happening again.
Harry shifted in his chair. "Their changes make the Ministry's records informative enough to enforce the legislation you heard about: they could cite CoVID-related health concerns as an excuse to segregate Muggle spouses and deny schooling to Muggle-born Hogwarts students, and they now have the records to identify those people."
Andromeda spoke up. "But everyone knows that wizards can't get CoVID, regardless of blood status!"
Narcissa regarded her sister with sympathy. "People deny science all the time, dear. Look at what Muggle governments around the world did last year when the pandemic started. The Rowles' and Selwyns' terrible letter to the Prophet is already playing on people's fears, spreading false information and creating legitimate-sounding questions about how safe wizards really are around Muggles - and by extension, Muggle-borns and Half-bloods.
"I've had tea with some Sacred 28 acquaintances recently, and they parroted the Rowles' and Selwyns' views to me. They've all been talking with each other, and even those whom I know aren't Death Eater sympathizers are now questioning their safety around anyone with Muggle connections."
Her eyes narrowed. "And our new appointee to the International Confederation of Wizards supports Flint's legislation. He's been using his seat on the Confederation to talk to other Ministries around the globe, promoting similar measures - according to his wife."
Draco assumed this was Aldrich Fawley, the Pure-blood wizard Hermione had brought up. Draco knew that the more people started to worry for their safety, the easier it would be for them to accept segregation policies and Pure-blood power grabs.
He grimaced and swallowed a bite, the food feeling dry in his mouth. "I spoke with Greg Goyle Saturday night when I met Pansy and Daphne at The Alchemy Room for dinner. He implied a group of Death Eater sympathizers meet monthly at his restaurant. He didn't trust me enough to say more, but I inferred they're working on exactly the type of plans we're discussing."
Harry stabbed his fork into his lamb, and Draco turned to him. "So you think Flint and Bulstrode have increased monitoring and record-keeping to gather enough information to enforce segregation?"
Harry nodded, his face grim. "Yes. I think they're trying to set the records up to establish a modern version of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission."
Narcissa patted her napkin to her lips. "According to my acquaintances, it seems Flint and Bulstrode plan to introduce their legislation this summer, in time to keep Muggle-born students from attending Hogwarts."
Draco sat up straight. "We need to find out what's happening at these monthly meetings at Goyle's restaurant."
Harry responded, "We have enough information to open an investigation and assign a team to it for domestic threats. I'll need to keep it covert, though. I don't want this getting back to Flint." He looked around the table. "Can you think of anyone who might be attending Goyle's meetings that we could convince to become an informant? Someone who could legitimately be invited but work for us?"
Draco thought of Hermione's suggestion that he go undercover. He wondered if he should volunteer, but he held his tongue. He wasn't an Auror, and he had no desire to get entangled in a modern Death Eater group.
Narcissa set down her fork. "Flint has approached Gareth Greengrass. He may be willing to help you. Shall I attempt to arrange a meeting?"
Harry nodded in thanks, while Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't want his father-in-law endangering himself, either. Astoria's mother had already lost a daughter. She didn't need to worry for the safety of her husband now, too. He almost spoke up, but decided this was a conversation he should have with his mother and Gareth later.
-o~0~o-
The dinner plates magically vanished and the salad course floated in. Draco dug into his watercress, so preoccupied with his thoughts, he barely registered its bitter tang on his tongue. He forced his attention back to Harry as the Auror began speaking again.
"I'll coordinate the investigation with the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Harry glanced at Teddy. "As the head of the Minister's security detail, Teddy is briefed on international intelligence that the rest of the Auror department doesn't hear about. It sounds like related events are happening in other countries."
Teddy nodded. "I'm going to Romania with the Minister on Monday. He's meeting with their Ministry to discuss a Death Eater-like uprising in their Wizengamot - all the same types of things we've been talking about tonight, except it's moving at a quicker pace there."
Draco broke in. "Last weekend, a bloke at The Alchemy Room told us about an eastern European Death Eater radio program. Have you heard anything about it from the Romanian Ministry?"
Teddy speared a pear and radish with his fork. "I haven't, but we'll get a full intelligence briefing Monday morning before we portkey to Romania." The turquoise-haired young man turned to Harry. "I know you don't usually join us for pre-travel briefings, but could you be there Monday to talk through all this with us?"
Harry agreed. They discussed the trip to Romania a bit more, and as they finished their salad course, Harry turned to Draco. "The Department of International Magical Cooperation is interviewing for a new deputy head. Hermione said three of the final candidates could be Death Eater sympathizers."
Draco nodded. "Hermione told me she talked with you about the candidates."
"I wouldn't be surprised if the group meeting at Goyle's restaurant is tracking open positions at the Ministry and trying to fill them." Harry looked at Narcissa. "Let's try to meet with Gareth next week and see if he's open to joining Goyle's group."
Draco was still uncomfortable with Gareth getting involved in this, and he eyed his mother and Harry. "I'd like to join you when you meet with him."
Narcissa's gray eyes flashed at her son. He would need to talk with her alone about his concerns. She nodded at him, reading the doubt in his face and understanding they would talk privately later.
As the salad plates and rosé glasses disappeared, tiny ramekins of flan topped with a rhubarb reduction and small glasses filled with ruby port floated into the room, settling at each place setting.
Draco took a sip of the port, relishing its sweetness. Harry pulled several pieces of parchment out of his pocket and slid them across the table to Draco. "Malfoy, I know you thought I was joking last week, but I'd like you to seriously consider joining us as an independent consultant. No one else in the Auror department has the connections you and your mother have, and we'll need to hire a consultant with more extensive potions knowledge than we have on staff. I'd prefer that person be you."
As Draco picked up the pieces of parchment, Harry said, "Those are the lists of potions stolen from St. Mungo's and the group homes."
Draco quickly skimmed the lists, thinking out loud. "Half of these could be for recreational use. Another quarter could be sold on the black market." He shook his head, stymied. "About a quarter, though, don't jump out as being worth stealing. And I don't see a connection among them." He looked up at Potter. "I'll need to spend some time analyzing their ingredients and uses."
Draco glanced at his mother as he considered Potter's request to join the DMLE as a consultant. "I thought your suggestion was ridiculous last week, and truly, I don't have time for this, but I suspect I'll end up spending time on it regardless. I'll discuss it with Mother over the weekend, Potter, and perhaps we can discuss it next week when we meet with Gareth."
They finished their dessert course in subdued conversation, each person around the table thinking of their personal demons from the wars. Harry and Teddy - the loss of their parents. Andromeda - the loss of her husband and daughter. Draco and Narcissa - the terrors of having Voldemort live in their home, and a shell of a husband and father now living in the Manor.
As Draco quietly finished his port, he realized he wanted to talk through tonight's developments with Hermione. He'd initially been attracted to her as some abstract embodiment of goodness and light - well, that, and the way her desire for him was written all over her face. But as he'd gotten to know her better over the past month, he appreciated her intellect, wit, and honesty.
And he'd begun to remove her from the pedestal he'd previously put her on, as he discovered that she was a real person, with flaws, and hang-ups, and personal baggage. Finding out that she wasn't perfect made him want her even more; he felt like more of an equal to her, rather than constantly feeling morally bereft in comparison.
He knew her strategic mind would develop conclusions about tonight's discussion quickly, and he also wanted to brainstorm contingency plans for PotionLab's vaccine research with her. He hadn't brought it up tonight, but he was concerned the Ministry might try to pass regulations preventing him from mixing magical and Muggle employees. They wouldn't extend to his French operations unless France passed similar measures, but he had a vaccine team working in his British lab, too.
He'd stop by her house in the morning and see if she'd join him tomorrow evening to talk through all of this Pure-blood mess. Maybe, if he was lucky, she'd finally stay overnight and he could wake up with her in his arms rather than in an empty bed.
Bringing his attention back to the gathering around the table, he listened to Harry rib Teddy about the DMLE interns who were infatuated with him. Andromeda looked on with a doting expression, and the mood at the table lightened considerably. By the time they exchanged goodbyes, they were in good spirits again, despite the ominous reason for their gathering.
A/N: A HUGE thank you to my alpha canttouchthis and my beta Astrangefan for all of the help they provided on this chapter. They are fantastic!
And thank you readers for continuing to read - please consider leaving a note if you liked it or have feedback, I love hearing from you! As always, cover art is with this story on Archive of our Own and on tumblr at ElizColl1035.
I'm on track for the next update in two weeks. Happy Hannukah for everyone celebrating Hannukah!