Chapter 12

His foot was bouncing with enough force to shake the uneven table, causing the coffee to ripple against the edges of the paper cups. Strong arms rested against the rough wood, wand twirling between his long fingers while unseeing eyes stared at the unpolished stone that made up the wall behind Blaise. Thoughts ran unchecked through his mind, pulling him from being able to hear the colorful commentary between his two oldest friends sitting around the circular slab.

Between the unsolved injustice done to his mother, Astoria and her obsession with his marriage contract, the prophecy that was claiming him to be either the savior or the damned of the purebloods of the wizarding world, and the killer wreaking havoc on London, sleep had become a rare commodity for Draco. Meals were gradually beginning to be replaced by coffee, and his coffee was being replaced by whiskey depending on location. As if that wasn't enough to terrorize his waking hours, thoughts of Sebastian and what his motives might be started to prioritize themselves in his mind. Knowing what he did about Sebastian's proclivity for unconventional forms of entertainment and compulsive nature to push limits, Draco knew him being in London would not end well.

He was on the edge of the highest ledge looking down as the earth twisted below him, barely visible through the fog of his overactive imagination. Stones weighed him down by way of his abdomen not stopping him from teetering in the wind. And the thing that threatened to pull him over was knowing Hermione seemed completely smitten with the man Draco detested more than Voldemort. Even with the knowledge that he had other and far more pressing matters to deal with, he was unable to keep his mind from scrutinizing how those two met and how she saw anything good enough in him to be with him.

There had been more than one occasion that the two of them had argued about her ability to choose proper company during their eighth year. Hermione, in Draco's opinion once he got to truly know her, was everything light and good. She was intelligent and curious. Ambitious and cunning. Kind and loyal. Brave and trusting. The best traits of all the Hogwarts houses and had enough fire to light up the darkest of nights. But that fire, that light, is what attracts those that lurk in the shadows.

"How dare you!" Hermione yelled across the empty common room.

"It's the truth." Draco did not match her volume, deciding it better to keep an even and calm tone. He set down his book before standing to looked at her with a steeled stare. "It needed to be said."

"You have no right!" she continued to yell, if anyone had woken up, they were cautious enough to not come out of their rooms. "It's between me and Ron!"

"Apparently not." Draco lifted an eyebrow, "He wasn't conspicuous. You're just too gullible and believe his stupid lies, even after he was caught in the act."

The ones that preyed on her kindness and used her willingness to trust those who put on a good face, saying everyone deserved a chance and sometimes even a second or third chance. Granted, that was how the two of them became close. Close enough of friends for him to be able to tell her when she was being an idiot. An unfamiliar concept for her. At least they used to be. He wanted nothing more than to still be that close so he could warn her about Sebastian and have her listen without suspicion or doubt.

Sebastian was the worst kind of monster that escaped from the deepest shadow engrossed pits. The worst because he paraded around in bright clothing and a smile plastered on his face using a tongue of silver to get exactly what he wanted in almost every situation. Ice flowed through him the moment their hands touched. Spreading through him like a dry forest catching aflame, freezing his insides instantly. Something Voldemort, even at the peak of his dictatorship, could never do. There was a darkness that followed Sebastian around, and he seemed to wear it as a badge of honor. He was charismatic and confident enough that no one around him would believe he had a demon that rested just below the surface, a demon Draco had seen first-hand. He was able to mask his darkness so well the brightest witch of their age was fooled. Sebastian was lying to her, manipulating, and cheating on her, fully qualifying Sebastian Reeves to be the very last person alive that deserved her.

Fire filled his chest as the scene from the pub came to mind again, a fire he could not explain. There was no reason for him to feel as protective or angry as he was, yet here he sat, wand still twirling between his fingers expecting the flames to engulf him completely. Situations began to play through his mind that would allow him to expose the black ink of Sebastian's soul in a way she would not stubbornly defend him.

"If you don't stop, I'm going to make it where you don't have a bloody foot." Threatened Blaise.

"Oi! Don't do that. Then we'd have to lug him around," Theo quipped. He was leaning back on the hind legs of the rickety wooden chair he occupied with his hands resting behind his head, using only one of his feet to keep balanced. "Or we'd have to hear him thud around like Moody."

Draco rolled his eyes at the exchange but stopped the movement of his foot none the less. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest after slipping his wand back into the holster on his arm.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Theo asked.

Not answering, Draco cut his eyes at his friend. As much as he appreciated his friend's observation skills in certain situations, this was not one of them. He had no desire to discuss the train of thought he had been pulled from, especially at the Ministry in a public break room. He was all too aware of the ever-watching eyes and open ears that constantly surrounded him. He was even more apprehensive when one pair of eyes and ears belonged to reporter – Denis Creevey. The trio had run into him twenty minutes before on their way to the small table. He refused to allow anymore of his words to be misconstrued and turned into a headline.

"Let me guess, girl troubles. Oh, no! Astoria troubles." He teased, rocking while still on two legs of the chair.

"Barmy witch. Why do you keep her around? She's a bloody nightmare." Blaise said.

"I'd rather not discuss it, especially here." Draco said looking around the room.

"It's not like we can find you anywhere else lately." Theo complained. As if a light had been turned on, Theo's eyes went wide and a laugh of a smile came onto his face. "Is it so a certain someone doesn't hear you speaking of such ventures with someone else?"

"Wanting to look good for a certain golden girl?"

"Thinking that talking about sex with Astoria will ruin your chances with her again?" Theo laughed. "It can't be that good."

Draco's face flushed, be it because of frustration at the choice of topic or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. "There is nothing to ruin with Granger." He claimed. "Besides, she's with Reeves." Draco added through a tight jaw, hands clenching into fists at his sides while his arms remained crossed, hiding the gesture.

"Right. So, the sex… I have a theory. She's a minx, right? I mean, how could she not be?" Blaise winked.

"If you're so intrigued, why don't you distract her and rid me of her in the process?"

"Mmm, she is fit, but that's too much crazy. Doesn't balance out for me." Blaise rubbed his chin. "Besides, if I'm going to get a witch close to home, it's going to be Luna. Bloody gorgeous."

"Lovely but barmy in her own way. You know who is probably the perfect balance? Right fit and likely one of those closet minxes. Granger. Should ask Reeves the nex-"

Draco kicked Theo's chair resulting in him flailing his arms about in an attempt to grab something before he fell with a resounding crash on to the break room floor. With the gracefulness of a troll, Theo jumped to his feet and brushed off his shirt, looking around to judge who might have witnessed his indiscretion. Once the chair was righted, he sat back down with a scowl.

"Someone is touchey." He huffed while still looking around the room, reddened cheeks visible through his scruff.

Laughter filled the air as Blaise wiped a single tear from his cheek. Draco closed his eyes with a shake of his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. The week of sleepless nights was creeping up on him, weighing down his eyelids, and using extra effort to open them again. Stifling a yawn, he stood and made his way to the lifts, with the intention of heading home, taking a large dose of dreamless sleep that had finished brewing this morning, and sleeping until well into the next day.

Blaise and Theo squeezed into the lift just before the grate closed and returned to their animated chat about which eligible witch they would be bringing to the Gala before it meandered to the newest product that George Weasley was releasing at the end of the month. By the time they reached the second level, his two friends were discussing ways they might be able to utilize the product on some of their coworkers.

A sense of irony came over him in a crashing wave as he saw his friends walking into the lab. They were in front of him, looking like a couple of bodyguards, similar to the way Crabbe and Goyle would while in Hogwarts and it made a smirk skip across his lips. The two with him now, however, would never consider themselves mindless goons. No, they'd be more of accomplices than lackeys and Draco found he preferred his company that way. People that could hold an intellectual conversation – well, most of the time it's intellectual. Before they got halfway through, however, they stopped mid-step causing Draco to run directly into their backs.

"Bloody hell." Draco said giving Theo a slight shove to move him out of the way. Once his line of sight was cleared, stones dropped into his stomach seeing the reason for the abrupt stop.

Visible through the window of Hermione's office at the back of the lab was her and Sebastian in the middle of what appeared to be an argument. A silencing charm had been placed, but with the flush in her face and the untamed mane of curls frizzing more than normal, it was clear to Draco this was more than just a simple misunderstanding. Standing more than a head taller than Hermione, Sebastian looked down at her and said something that caused her shoulders to slump. All the fire he had just seen in her, the fire that was unequivocally and wholly Hermione, had been extinguished with one sentence.

Waves of anger crashed through Draco's chest when he saw her saddened eyes drop to the floor as Sebastian continued to berate her. The fire that was taken from her had become alight within him and licked through his body, up his cheeks to the top of his ears. His heart was threatening to break through his ribs and his hands kept forming and releasing fists. He had no idea what was being said or why they were arguing, nor did he understand this sudden urge to protect her, but he wanted more than anything to keep her from looking as broken as she did in that moment. He knew she was more than capable of handling her own battles, and she typically preferred to do so. But she did not know Sebastian the way Draco did. She couldn't see the fiend dying to emerge.

The war had been over for so long, she had begun to let down her defenses. She had begun trusting and forgiving those that didn't deserve it, himself included, and believed that the world was as good as she was, but she was wrong. She was disturbingly wrong, and he was seeing the proof in front of him. Being as good and pure as she was, she did not deserve to look like she had just lost a war, especially because of someone she was dating. Regardless of who it was.

Draco burst his way into the office, blowing the door clean off the frame. The thunderous boom made both occupants of the room jump. Hermione recovered first, backing herself into the far corner just as Sebastian was pulling out his wand. Before the brute had an opportunity to say or do anything else, Draco threw a right hook and hit Sebastian on the underside of his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards giving Draco time to grab ahold of his wand again and begin sending hexes his way.

Sebastian recovered in time to shield himself against all the spells flying in his direction, causing them to ricochet around the room. Hex after hex after hex was sent, all blocked. Draco was too quick offensively to allow Sebastian a chance to do anything but stay on the defensive, until a spell was heading for Hermione. Draco barely had time to shield her before the magic hit. Seeing her almost injured because of a rogue spell made Draco's blood boil.

Shifting his position where he was now in front of her, he fired a rapid stream of spells with two hitting their mark and Sebastian was forced to a knee. A smirk played on Draco's face when he saw the blood drip down Sebastian's arm. In retaliation, Draco's lower leg was hit with a burning hex and he yelled out. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nose but he ignored the searing pain flaring up his leg.

"You're done, Sebastian." Draco's growl echoed off the walls of the small space. "I will not allow you to do here what you did in Salem."

Sebastian gave a maniacal laugh and sent another hex Draco's way. He was able to block this one and sent three spells of his own in quick succession throwing his opponent off balance. Sebastian was a brute, he relied too much on his size or strength and didn't give any care to quickness or grace, which was a benefit for Draco whose own dueling style was all about the minimal movement to amplify speed. Once Sebastian was successfully occupied Draco sent a final nonverbal spell that knocked Sebastian back into the wall, leaving a large dent in his wake as he slid down to the floor.

…

At least that's what Draco wanted to do. But he wasn't a bloody Gryffindor and knew it would not benefit anyone in the long game. Which is what Draco needed to plan for. The long game. Winning a battle meant nothing if the war was lost. No, he would not risk losing this war, so instead, Draco turned his head from the hollowness of Hermione's body and grabbed his bag before turning on his heel and walking towards the lift to leave. His friends close behind.

None of them spoke. The lift was crowded with excited workers, but Draco heard nothing over his pounding heartbeat. The atrium was chaotic, but Draco didn't see the flashes of cameras or the two wizards being carted off in cuffs past the darkened veil that clouded his eyes. Snow was falling in an unwavering sheet, but Draco felt none of the chill through the fire eating away his chest cavity. Fresh baked pies and bread were being sold from the muggle bakery two streets from his flat, but he didn't smell the mouth-watering scents of apple and pumpkin drifting through the air over the fictional smoke protruding from his nose. He climbed the slick stairs to his flat, not tasting the bile that was threatening to finish its path outside of his mouth because of the stale copper on the tip of his tongue.

He lit the hearth out of habit before he turned to the kitchen. Three glasses slammed onto the counter and were overfilled before they were handed out. None of them spoke. Silent questions passed between Blaise and Theo while Draco collapsed on to the couch and put his newly bare feet onto the coffee table staring at the flames before him.

The first glass of mahogany liquid was drained in four deep gulps and was overfilled again within seconds of it being emptied. It was not until he took a fifth gulp of the spirits that Theo finally broke the silence.

"So…" He tested. His eyes studied Draco looking for signs of what had happened that caused the dramatic shift in his demeanor.

"Rule 4." Draco said simply as if it were to explain everything. But if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure that was the rule that had gotten so deep under his skin. He almost went against everything that he was, every instinct of self-preservation and analytical focus he had, in an effort to batter and confront someone as calculated and cruel as Sebastian. And for what? Simply because he had a self-proclaimed rule to always respect women. That didn't seem right to him, even in the solace of his own mind. Because Sebastian was vile and cruel and deserved to rot in Azkaban for three lifetimes? Where Draco could agree wholeheartedly with that, he knew that wasn't the full reason. But it was the only reason he was going to admit.

He had gotten over his silly crush, because that all it was, a silly crush on one of the first witches that had treated him decently after the war. A silly crush because she was smart and challenged him to be smarter. A silly crush because she was able to go toe to toe with him in witty banter regardless of the tone. But it was just that, a silly crush, one that he had gotten over because he knew, no matter how much he wanted to be different. No matter how much he tried to change. No matter how many people he helped. None of it would make him deserving of her.

It did not mean he didn't still want the best for her. He'd began wanting that for her in their eighth year, even if his crush had begun back in third year. He knew she deserved more than him, she deserved more than Ron Weasley or Viktor Krum, and she definitely deserved more than Sebastian. He was allowed to want that for her as a friend. That's what they were, friends. Friends and co-workers. He was allowed to be protective of her for those reasons.

No. The reason he was seeing red was because of Sebastian Reeves. Because of the man Draco knew he was and what he was willing to do to reach his goals. He didn't trust the man. Didn't trust him in London, didn't trust him inside the Ministry, didn't trust him in his and Hermione's lab, and certainly didn't trust him with Hermione. He was dark and from the darkest lineage in the history of the wizarding world.

"What's rule 4?" Theo asked.

"I think it's don't waste good." Blaise answered after Draco made no indication he was going to.

"I don't understand."

Another sip of the Scotch burned down his throat, closing his eyes he reveled in the feeling. Not dousing the fire raging in his chest but subduing it enough to allow him to speak without his 15 year-old-self coming out.

"Rule 4. Protect… Protect the women. Twenty-five is don't waste good."

"I thought you said you didn't have a thing with Granger?" Blaise questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't. It was Reeves." Draco's jaw was tight, and his eyes narrowed still staring at the fire. One arm resting over the top of his couch, the other brought his glass to his lips once more waiting for one of his friends to ask the impending question.

No one knew the history between him and Sebastian, and it was a history he was hoping to keep buried with the body. Fate decided to have other plans. He really didn't want to have to drudge this up, not now, not ever. Not while he still had so many other things to figure out. So many other questions still left unanswered. He wanted to retreat into himself, find his mother's file and only worry about that. Like his plans had originally been.

Fate decided to have other plans.

Instead of finding his mother's murderer and showing the world that she was still the elegant, strong, beautiful woman she had been when she was alive, he was forced to find the murderer of his old school housemates. An active murderer that was threatening to become a serial killer with an unclear motive, making them extremely dangerous. Instead of a quiet reentry into London, he got his name and business plastered all over the Daily Prophet and any other gossip magazine in the country earning him the obsessive attention of Astoria that he had somehow allowed to happen. Instead of peacefully integrating himself into the Ministry, a prophecy and promise of an impending doom for purebloods was thrust onto his lap. Instead of starting fresh and building a life he could be proud of and he was proud to pass on to his future children, he was forced to watch the woman that acted as his own personal north unknowingly fall in love with the type of monster she lost her childhood trying to defeat.

Fate decided to have other plans.

"You know the bloke?" Theo asked.

He was drowning. Thrown into the stormy seas of the Atlantic without a way to stay afloat as the waves crashed, pulling him into its treacherous swells refusing him a chance to gather a breath. The only way to stay alive, the only way back to the security of the shore was to climb onto the ship.

Another gulp of liquid smoothed his vocal cords and he took a deep sigh while setting his glass down on the table. His feet planted onto the ground once again, he remained on the edge of his couch and ran a hand through his hair. He locked eyes with bright hazel and the deepest brown before he dove into the history that was Draco Malfoy and Sebastian Reeves circa 2000, Salem, Massachusetts, USA.

The two who had hardly touched their first overfilled rocks glass when Draco originally poured it, had finished their second by the time they had heard his story. Theo, on more than one occasion, had thrown himself into pacing Draco's living room and Blaise had broken his empty glass in anger.

"You have to tell her!" Theo shouted as he looked into Hermione's darkened window next door.

"I can't." Draco said. He had returned to leaning back into his couch, legs stretched out in front of him on the ground while his hands racked through his hair. Exhaustion was pulling at him more than ever now that he had gotten through the explanation.

"How has he gotten away with it all?"

"The same way Potter did in school. Difference being, at least Saint Potter was on the right side of things."

"I have to warn Pansy!" Blaise said. "She's always going out with the two of them. Her and Granger have really clicked. Imagine that. A writer and a bookworm."

"Granger cannot be told." Draco warned.

"I don't understand, mate. Why?" Theo turned and looked at him.

"Think about it. As soon as Granger gets told she can't do something, what does she do? Bloody stubborn witch she is, goes right to it!" When Draco saw the looks on his friend's faces, he continued to drive the point home.

"First year – don't go to the third floor. Where does she end up? Second year – don't wander the halls, especially if you're muggleborn. Where does she end up? Third year – Sirius Black is a dangerous murderer – who the hell does she save? Dates Krum, gets taken to the bottom of the Black Lake, starts a fucking student army against a teacher. She's just as bad as Potter. Sixth year- she corners me when I'm making my way to the cabinet halfway through the year. Questions me. I tell her to leave it alone. What does she do? She bloody follows me and waits for me to try to talk me out of it. Then she runs off and searches for Voldemort's bloody horcruxes. Winds up in the Manor, tortured. Eighth year – I tell her to stay away. Warn her I'm no good. What happens, she forces her friendship and makes me question every bloody thing. She's a sodding stubborn witch that doesn't know a damn thing about self-preservation. If you tell her Reeves is who he is, she's going to try to help him. Bloody noble swot. She'd go back in time to help Tom Riddle if she could. Fucking Gryffindors."

Sometime during his rant of Hermione's inability to worry about herself over others for once in her life, he had stood up and began pacing the path Theo was on earlier. He rolled up his sleeves, ignoring the faded mark on his left forearm, and ran his hands through his hair.

"She too hopeful for her own good." He concluded leaning against his mantle looking into the fire.

"I'll make sure Pansy doesn't tell her." Blaise cupped his shoulder and left.

Theo remained behind for another thirty minutes and saw Hermione had made it home, alone. He waved to her, which she returned but the smile was sad and her eyes distant. At which point, he pleaded to Draco again that they needed to tell Hermione of the person she was allowing inside her home. Claiming he wasn't sure they were even together after what they saw, hopeful thinking on Draco's part, he reiterated that it would do nothing to simply tell her. She needed to see it for herself. She needed to deduce on her own the type of person Sebastian Reeves was and why she needed to leave him. Then, and only then, will she truly understand.

The problem was, how?

Once he was alone, he could finally succumb to the exhaustion that had been tearing at him all week. Removing his shirt and laying on his couch following downing a heavy dose of potion, he listened to the fire crackle and watched the snow fall by the light of the full moon until his eyelids would no longer open.

His eyes flew open after an unknown amount of time. It was still dark outside, ne noticed, but the moon had rotated so it wasn't as bright coming through the window. Snow was still falling peacefully, and his fire was a pathetic pile of smoldering ash. He looked at his watch and saw it had been no more than two hours since he'd fallen asleep. With the amount of potion he'd taken, he should have been peacefully asleep until at least midmorning. So, what had woken him?

He grabbed his wand from the table and tested the wards around his house, everything felt normal. None of them had been taken down or even tampered with. He looked around and nothing seemed out of place, so he listened.

Silence.

He was about to lay back down on when he heard it. Spells being fired off and furniture crashing. His eyes went wide, the sounds were coming from Hermione's flat. He listened again.

CRASH. Their adjoining wall trembled and that was when he heard it. A sound he hadn't heard since his eighth year. Her scream.

AN: Welcome back! I know it's been well over a week since I've updated and I'm so terribly sorry but I hope this chapter makes up for it. We all know that you can only go for so long and go so far by yourself when it comes to important things. This is why Draco needed to confide in his friends and that is also why I'm happy to say Thank you to my new beta Blueeyedsue. I can't express how much I appreciate you helping me find the little things.

And thank you to all the readers and reviewers. I love hearing from you all and am really glad that you're all loving the story. I hope you all keep reading and keep enjoying and if you do please keep reviewing. It gives me all the more motivation to keep writing the story!