House: Ravenclaw
Position: HoH
Category: Standard
Theme: Family
Main Prompt: [Object] Bullet
Second Prompt: [Character] Narcissa Malfoy
Word Count (excluding header): 2651
Beta: LadyS, RowenaHermioneRavenclaw, and Wish
AN- Some violence (non-fatal). References to drugs and gangs.
Draco hated being summoned to the warehouse so late at night.
The warehouse in question was down by the docks in Felixstowe. Thousands of containers passed through the shipping terminal every day, but the darker corners had a reputation for extremely dodgy dealings.
Draco and Hermione had been undercover for nearly a year attempting to infiltrate a criminal organization. A new drug called Black Magic was being circulated through the Wizarding underworld. The Ministry of Magic had tracked it back to a specific Muggle gang and a yet unknown Wizarding connection. Draco and Hermione, as trained undercover operatives for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, were tasked with joining the gang and passing their intel back to the Ministry.
Hermione ー or Helen, as she was known by the gang ー and Draco ー who refused to use a pseudonym despite Hermione's claims that his name was a dead giveaway ー posed as less-than-scrupulous real estate agents who could secure temporary spaces for the gang to exchange and process goods. So far the goods had only included weapons and common drugs such as cocaine and meth.
Over the year undercover, their roles in the criminal organization had evolved. Hermione was frequently tasked with keeping track of inventory and Draco was sent to public events to schmooze with law enforcement and politicians so they'd turn a blind eye to the gang's activities.
'I don't like this,' Draco thought as he approached the warehouse. 'It's too quiet. There should be more people moving about.'
Hermione had been summoned thirty minutes before he had. She had theorized that the Black Magic was finally coming in and that they needed her on-site for her quick math skills during the intake process.
As much as Draco hoped she was right, his instincts were screaming that something else was going on. Like every other time he had to travel to the docks, he wished that he had been able to bring his wand. However, undercover protocol limited them to wandless magic only. Thankfully, they were both skilled.
Arriving at the warehouse, Draco strained his ears to gauge the situation. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, he pushed open the door and immediately wanted to vomit.
"Ah, Draco," drawled Billy, the gang's main enforcer. "I'm glad you could finally join us."
The warehouse was lit by a single overhead light, casting a nauseating glow down on Billy, and a lone figure strapped to a chair. Her hands were bound behind her back, her feet were tethered to the chair legs, and a ball of cloth was stuffed into her mouth.
Draco's mind raced and his heart felt like it was being torn into shreds. He wanted to destroy Billy and anyone else who had dared to harm Hermione. He wanted to race to Hermione, gather her in his arms, and protect her. He wanted to take her away from this place and never return.
Those thoughts fell away when he felt scratching at the mental Occlumency barriers he carefully maintained. He lowered them instantly.
"They've got a leak who's working with the Muggle police and they think it's me," Hermione's voice immediately rang in his mind via Legilimency. "Do what they say, Draco."
"Helen, here," Billy said, "if that really is her name, has been passing info on us to the coppers. You know what happens to rats around here."
"What are you going to do with her?" Draco asked with as much cocky bravado as he could muster. "How much does she know?"
Billy sneered at Hermione. "Not a hell of a lot. We thought there was a leak, so we've been keeping the good stuff from her. From both of you, actually. You two came in at about the same time and it took some time for us to figure out if we could trust you. Turns out that was a good thing with Little Miss Blabbermouth."
"You trust me, right?" asked Draco, forcing his voice to remain level despite the sheer terror bubbling in his veins.
"Not yet," Billy replied with an evil grin. "But I will once you take care of this bitch."
Draco resisted the urge to lash out and schooled his expression. "What do you want me to do?"
Billy walked over to Draco and pushed a Glock into his hand. "Shoot her. Prove your loyalty is to us."
"Woah!" Draco said, "I thought you didn't kill people."
"We don't," Billy confirmed, "but we mess them up so they regret fucking with us."
"It's ok, Draco," Hermione's voice floated in his mind. "I prepared for this to happen. If you aim for my leg, I'll be fine. I cast a spell before I left that will minimize the pain and won't cause any long-term damage. Just hit me in the leg below the knee."
'Hermione,' he thought, wishing he'd spent longer on his own Legilimency skills so he could plead with her.
"You've got to do it, Draco," she ordered. "Otherwise, you'll be discovered, too."
"Any problem?" Billy snarled, snapping Draco out of the one-sided mental conversation.
Draco's eyes shot to Hermione's. Her eyes were boring into his as she continued to mentally order him to shoot her in the leg.
Steeling his nerves, Draco raised the gun and replied, "No problem at all." He aimed for her right calf and pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to freeze as the bullet whizzed through the air. Draco watched in absolute horror as the tiny metal projectile spiral towards Hermione's leg. Upon impact, Hermione let out a tortured scream through the cloth gag that sounded to the world like she was in agony. However, Draco was so familiar with Hermione at this point, that he recognized that she was acting.
He breathed a sigh of relief that her spell had worked.
That was until the bullet exited her leg and ricocheted off a metal container in the background. The bullet bounced backward and embedded itself in Hermione's back.
Her scream shifted from acting to entirely, heart-wrenchingly authentic.
Draco sprinted towards Hermione.
"Fuck, Draco," Billy yelled, "we've got to get out of here, man!"
"She needs help," Draco cried while trying to staunch the blood pouring from her wound. "Shhhhh," he said to her, "it's ok. It's ok. I'm so sorry."
"Screw this!" Billy yelled. "Leave the bitch and save yourself."
"I'm not going anywhere," Draco said, speaking more to Hermione than to Billy.
He heard Billy run from the warehouse, but he couldn't care less what happened to the man. His only concern was the witch screaming in agony with a bullet lodged in her back.
Using his pocket knife, he freed her from her restraints and removed the fabric from her mouth. He gently pulled her into his lap, hoping that he wasn't causing more damage but needing to hold her. "Shhhh," he comforted. "Hermione, Iー"
"Draco," she tried to speak. "I…" her eyes dropped shut.
The fog obscuring Hermione's mind rapidly lifted as she slammed back to consciousness. The smell of antiseptic made it clear that she was in a hospital. The dull ache in her back immediately reminded her of the reason for her presence there.
Cracking open her eyes, Hermione recognized that she was in a post-operative ward in St. Mungo's. She was in a double occupancy room, but she couldn't see the other patient behind a thick curtain.
She attempted to sit up in bed and let out a low groan when her body protested.
"I would suggest taking it easy," said Narcissa Malfoy as she walked around the curtain. "The ーHealers spent nearly ten hours removing that bullet from your spine and repairing all the damage my son caused. They ー"
"Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione gasped. "What are you doing here?"
The older woman pulled a chair up to Hermione's bedside and took a seat. "My son caused quite a stir when he showed up with you around two this morning. According to the gossip, you were cradled in his arms with blood gushing out of your back."
"Where is he?" Hermione asked. "No offense, but I'd have expected to see him here in your place."
"Oh, he's here," Narcissa said as she nodded to the closed curtain. "It took six Healers with stunners to take him down. He wouldn't let anyone come near you."
"But why are you here? I appreciate it, but Mrs. Malfoyー"
"ーNarcissa, please dear. None of this Mrs. Malfoy bit. After all, there are two of us now."
"WHAT?!"
"Of course I suppose you might choose to keep your own name. Or will you be hyphenating?" Narcissa asked, raising her eyebrow in a motion that her son had clearly inherited.
Hermione shook her head and pinched her arm to wake herself up from this impossible dream. The sharp pain alerted her that this was reality. "I have no idea what you are saying."
Narcissa smiled. "I suspected that might be the case. When Draco came to visit a few weeks back, he was as clueless as you are. I figured the two of you would work it out on your own soon enough."
"Would you care to explain?"
"It seems that you and Draco married nearly a month ago."
A sudden memory bombarded Hermione's mind. Hermione and Draco had been gaining ground with the gang. They'd spent the night drinking with some of the crew and Billy had been taunting them about their unspoken sexual tension. Hermione and Draco had played along and one thing led to another and Billy was performing a raunchy, mock wedding ceremony. She recalled the jolt of emotion when Billy pronounced them husband and wife and ordered Draco to snog the bride. When Draco gently pressed his lips to her forehead, she'd fought to suppress the feeling. Billy had laughed cruelly at them, causing her to spring away from Draco. She'd forced her attention to shift to the gang's plans for their next illegal activity. Draco had done the same.
"We aren't married. Nothing about that was even remotely legal. In the Muggle world, you have to file for licenses and things like that."
"That may be the case in the Muggle world, but the Malfoy family is bound by Moste Ancient Magick. You and Draco recited vows to one another, correct?"
"Yes, but it was just in jest."
"The magic doesn't recognize jest. Bonding magic is among the oldest magics. When a couple recites vows with pure, unadulterated love in their hearts they are married by the laws of the ancient magic."
"But Draco and I don'tー"
"Clearly you do, my dear," Narcissa said. "I watched as your name stitched itself into the tapestry. You're already part of our family, but it is my greatest pleasure to welcome you."
"Iー," Hermione started, "What I mean to say is we… um… I…" Hermione stumbled over her words.
Narcissa squeezed Hermione's hand and said, "I know it's a lot to take in. You've gotten to know me over the last few years that you and Draco have been working together. We aren't the same family that we once were. Lucius is no longer around to poison and manipulate our lives, and Draco and I have worked hard to rebuild our reputations from the ruins after the war. I hope you never find a reason to regret being part of our family."
"I know you've changed, Narcissa," Hermione said, sincerely.
"I don't know if Draco ever mentioned it to you, but I always wished for more children. I know your own mother is off in Australia, but I hope you'll view me as a surrogate mother. I always longed to have a daughter. Oh, I'm just so excited to have you join the family."
"Don't overwhelm her, Mum," Draco said as he walked around the curtain from the other side of the room. He looked considerably more ragged than his usual self, but Hermione figured that was only to be expected after so many stunners. Even so, her heart skipped a beat.
"Ah, Draco. Did you have a nice sleep, darling?" Narcissa asked.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Mum, can you give us a few minutes?"
Narcissa squeezed Hermione's hand and stood from her seat. "I'll just go down to the café and get myself a cup of tea. I'll ask the Healer if it's alright to bring you back something." Gracefully, she swept out of the room.
Draco claimed the position his mother had just vacated and grasped Hermione's hand.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione. Don't worry. I'm going to fix everything."
"You couldn't have known the bullet would ricochet. Besides, your mother relayed that the Healers think I'll make a full recovery."
"I didn't mean that," Draco said, shaking his head. "Well, no. Of course, I'm sorry that I shot you. I could have killed you."
"You didn't."
"But I could have!" Draco said. "And now we find out that we're married because of some insane, archaic magic that my family is saddled with. I'm going to fix it, Hermione. I promise that I'll find a way."
Hermione felt her heart stutter. "Oh."
"No one will ever need to know about this. I'll swear my mother to secrecy. I'm going to figure it out so you won't be forced into something you don't want."
Hermione bristled. "Who are you to tell me what I want?"
Draco blinked at her.
"Your mother explainedー"
Draco snorted. "My mother has wanted you as her daughter for years now. She'd say just about anything to make that happen."
"Your mother explained," Hermione continued while shooting him a silencing look, "that the magic works only when the proper emotions are involved."
"But you don'tー"
"Given that my name is on your family's tapestry, clearly I do."
"You do?" Draco asked with a nearly unbearable note of hope in his voice.
Hermione's heart leapt into a gallop. She was certain that if she were in a Muggle hospital, the monitors would be sending frantic alerts to the doctors. "I do."
Draco squeezed her hand so hard it nearly hurt. "Say it. Please, I need to hear you say it."
Hermione didn't need to summon her Gryffindor courage to get the words out. The truth came naturally. "I love you, Draco," she professed.
Draco gently caressed Hermione's cheek with his free hand. "I love you so much. I never thought I'd ever be able to tell you."
Hermione's pulse raced as a sense of belonging and fulfillment flooded her veins. She leaned into his touch. "Draco," she whispered.
Draco leaned over her hospital bed. Hermione pushed up to meet him. When his lips were a whisper away from hers, he pulled back.
Hermione groaned.
"I'm doing this all wrong," he said. "Hermione, I… I… What I'm trying to say is that I love you. I never let myself believe that you might love me too, but now that I know I don't want to wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to marry me."
"We are already married, Draco," Hermione said, slowly. "Have you forgotten what brought this revelation to light?"
"I want to do it properly," Draco said. "I want to marry you in front of all our friends."
"All of them? Even Harry and the Weasleys?" Hermione asked in jest.
"All of them. I want to show the world that we are family. And, someday, when we're ready, I want to expand that family with you."
Hermione felt a tear fall onto her cheek before Draco gently swept it away with his finger.
"Marry me, Hermione? I don't have a ring or anything yet, but I'll get you whatever you want."
"I only want you. I want everything that you just described. But right now, I want you to kiss me."
"Who am I to deny my wife?" Draco asked cheekily, as he bent down and, finally, claimed her lips.