Chapter Five: Implications

The club was busier than usual for a weekday and Draco was being petted by a blonde who smiled entirely too wide, the strain showing the effort she was putting into bedding him. As he turned away, slightly bored, he noticed Pansy and Blaise heading to the booth he kept reserved for his friends.

Fran or Frida or whoever was trying to get into his lap made an outraged noise as he stood up and left her. She still called after him though.

"Didn't think I'd see you here tonight, Pans," Draco said, slipping in beside them. Pansy seemed to have enjoyed herself with Granger, she was relaxed and smiling. Blaise seemed nervous.

Pansy looked up at Draco with twinkling eyes, playing with a strand of hair. "Blaise begged me to come with him. He thinks you're going to be impossible."

"I usually only aim for incorrigible so impossible may be a stretch," Draco drawled, indicating drinks be brought for the table. "Seeing how you think I have no ambition, Pansy."

"Still with news of Hermione and Theo whisking themselves off to Italy to live an idyllic romantic life and now Blaise and I have come back with Granger-mortared mind walls, you're going to go wild trying to find out why we need them," Pansy replied, an infuriating nonchalance in her voice.

"Pansyyyy," Blaise groaned, immediately downing the whisky that had arrived and rattling for another.

Draco had stilled, looking at them cautiously. He reached out and felt in their minds, large walls penning in memories. There were no messages on these ones though. The unavoidable feeling of intense curiosity overtook him again. He brought his hand under the table to clench against his thigh. He would not succumb to behaving the way they all clearly thought he would.

"And why would you need those?" his words came out like silk, slippery and careful not to snag on anything. It was too smooth and Blaise flinched.

Pansy looked at him, right in the eyes, "Because it's not right, Draco. We love you, but it's not right. We have to protect ourselves. And-" she gave him a more significant look. "We have to protect her from you."

Blaise looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in this moment, he didn't disagree though.

Draco's mind burned like something was buried within him screaming to know, to consume, to absorb. He knew it wasn't right, but he couldn't help it.

He summoned every ounce of restraint he had and gripped his tumbler until his knuckles were white but all he said was, "Alright."

Blaise slumped in relief and Pansy blinked away the mistiness that had uncharacteristically entered her eyes.

"I am interested in how she creates these walls though, it's either brand new magic or very, very old," he asked to steer them away from their fear.

Pansy smirked at him in encouragement. "Yes, she created it. Something about Potter struggling in school with Occlumancy so she devised a way to help if he needed it. Though I think it was only after the war. She was telling me about it as Theo and Blaise really outdid themselves trying to have the most awkward, stilted conversation ever." She rolled her eyes.

Blaise glared at her, knowing she was throwing him in the deep end now. They shared a look like they knew they should divulge at least some details.

"Granger wants to meet with you," Blaise told Draco to distract from Pansy's comment.

"I thought she needed protecting," Draco threw out sarcastically.

"She knows you and Theo had a falling out, she doesn't want Theo fighting with his brother. She hopes to become your friend I think," Blaise watched carefully for any wayward behaviour. "Theo must have told her about how you guys grew up. If you decide to though Drake, I have to warn you it's tough to be around them."

"Ugh, yeah. It really is," Pansy flicked a lock of hair from her face.

Draco snorted at the looks on their faces. "What do you mean?"

"It's one thing to see it in the papers, but it doesn't properly capture what they're like together, it's way worse than at the Venus Ball," Blaise explained.

Pansy made a face. "Yeah, they're so sweet, it's disgusting. And they're so fucking considerate of each other, just, bleuuurggh." She shivered. "Theo shielded her eyes from the sun for an hour. A whole hour! And 'Mione just won't stop touching him, like she can't bear to be away for a moment. Truly sickening. I'm sure you'll see the pictures in the Prophet tomorrow."

"That doesn't sound fun to be around," Draco replied. He saw Ron Weasley and his girlfriend come in and raised a hand, receiving one in return.

Blaise and Pansy exchanged a glance.

"Draco," Pansy warned and he turned to look at her, eyes wide like he had been thinking perfectly innocent thoughts. She sighed at him. "He has a wall, too. Any way you wouldn't have learned anything useful. They were young and fumbling. Just experimenting with no real idea what they were doing."

Blaise scoffed. "And how did you wrangle that information out?"

"Girl talk is a powerful thing, Blaise. I'm sure I'll know more on Saturday when I get ready with her for the next Twenty-Eight Party. And don't worry, yes you can come with me. Salazar knows I don't need to be dating right now," she sniffed, bobbling her head in an annoyed way. "Fuck knows how the universe thinks I'll get an orgasm from that bumbling fool."

Draco slid her a drink, she looked like she needed it. That was another wrinkle of this spell, the witch had to get off or it wouldn't work. Clearly Venus wanted to ensure it was a good time for those affected by her magic.

Ron and Fay were coming over to join them. Blaise quickly turned to Draco. "So, can I tell Theo and Hermione you'll meet them?"

Draco just raised his eyebrows at his friend's worry. "Sure," he told him before greeting Ron with a grin and swept his arm out to encourage them to join in.

And the whole time his brain continued to burn.

Hermione was waiting at the Leaky Cauldron at 3pm on Friday. She jiggled her foot, slightly nervous. She wasn't sure her course of action had been wise, but she was here now. She knew Tom Jr. at the bar would look out for her if needed.

She looked at her watch, 3.05pm, he was late. Of course he was. She huffed. No one's time was more precious than his own.

Her foot jiggled some more.

She saw the door open and Malfoy stepped in and locked eyes with her. She inhaled and exhaled through her nose as he came over.

"Granger," he said in greeting, standing by the table. She gestured with her hand for him to sit.

"Tom, get Malfoy a whisky, would you?" she called out, but her eyes didn't leave Malfoy's carefully stoic expression.

"What kind?" Tom's voice called back. The bar was empty except for a couple in the opposite corner.

"The expensive kind, I'm supposed to be making a good impression," she replied. Malfoy just raised an eyebrow at her.

There was a pause as Hermione waited for the drink to arrive, eyes never leaving Malfoy's face. He seemed fine with staring at her impassively as well.

"Here you are," the barman had come around and delivered it himself, checking in on her. She turned to him and gave him a kind smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate it, Tom." The wizard nodded and left.

"So, whereabouts is Theodore?" Malfoy asked her, the words dripping from him syllable by syllable.

"Not here yet. I told him and Harry a different time to you," she was locking eyes with him again like it was a challenge.

"You lied to your boyfriend and Potter just to spend some alone time with me?" Draco smirked at her.

"Yes, I did want to see you alone for a little bit. And no, I didn't lie to them. And Theo isn't my boyfriend," she corrected.

"I highly doubt they would have let you if they knew. A lie of omission is still a lie, Granger," his words were smooth and calculated, she felt herself burn with anger just a little. He continued, "And what is Theo to you then if not a boyfriend? You're not currently seeing anyone else." He gave her a knowing look.

She narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?" She had only told Harry about Oliver not seeing her anymore. He and Devin were the only ones with that knowledge.

"Cho Chang happens to be a magic item restorer. She works with my parents," Draco supplied easily, taking a sip of his drink, eyes still set on her.

Hermione felt that creeping dread she got when she was about to learn something she didn't want to know.

Draco spoke again. "I was all too happy to try to covertly ask Wood about his dating situation. See, it would be inappropriate coming from his boss and Cho was too nervous to just ask."

"That is not why you were there that day," Hermione hissed at him, leaning over the table with crossed arms.

"Incorrect, Granger. That is not the only reason I was there that day." He tsked at her. "See where lies of omission get us?"

Hermione shot him a dark look. She pretended she didn't feel his magic pressing in her mind. Like ivy climbing her castle walls, trying to find cracks in the stone to get inside. He was very good, it was incredibly subtle.

"And I guess you reported back that I stormed the place to make sure Oliver was OK, creating a narrative that perhaps I hadn't settled for just Theo. Which, of course, you already knew. You hastened whatever plans Cho had about the situation so Oliver would stop seeing me," Hermione theorised, being rewarded by Draco's smirk as confirmation.

"So then, the question becomes why, Malfoy? You never answered me that day, but I will find out now." Her tone was harsh.

"Why does anyone do what they do?"

She exhaled in exasperation. "Clearly it depends on the individual. It could be money… power… or even love." She waited after each suggestion, but his face showed nothing except a growing boredom.

A spike of annoyance bristled in her and she felt his ivy tighten around her castle, disguised by the emotion.

"Tell me why then, Malfoy?" she repeated. "There are theories floating around. Harry thinks you're awful to me because I'm Muggle-born, but Blaise refuted that. Olly thinks you have a wildly obsessive love for me." She wafted her hands around like it was a ridiculous notion, but he was impassive, unmoving. "So, which is it?"

Draco quirked his lips at her. "Who's to say it isn't some strange third option. Like perhaps I've always considered you a rival that needed to be taken down, or maybe you committed a grave injustice against me I'm getting you back for. Or it could just be that I find your presence intolerable for no other reason than it's you."

His invasion in her mind had tightened again, trying to strangle her into submission but it wouldn't be that easy. She shrugged at him. "Sure, so which one is it? I'm just trying to find a way for you and Theo to reconcile. I'm not going to let go of him anytime soon. I'll be in his life. Can't we make this easier on ourselves?"

"Nothing good comes easy Granger, and you have an unfortunately large reservoir of goodness so I'd say you should expect things to continue being difficult for a long while yet, unless you're willing to compromise on exactly how easy you can be." She curled her lip at the innuendo as he edged further into her mind, his eyes widening a touch as he felt a slight difference on a turret, it didn't feel the same as the rest of the castle. It felt like Pansy.

Malfoy was finding loopholes in loopholes and now he'd finally discovered how she was able to create walls in other people's minds, adding them to her own like an extension.

She ran her tongue over a canine, "Having fun in there, Draco? You don't think I didn't notice, did you?"

There was a beat before Draco made his feelers surge, trying to slither in anywhere he could. Hermione looked back at him and sent her own attack at his defenses. Where he was subtle, she was aggressive, a jackhammering in his brain shook loose his hold on her and retreated. She increased the attack, and he moved two fingers to his temples, rubbing it with a tight smile as he fought her off. She knew his brain would feel like it was in a paint mixer, not that he knew what that was. She felt him scramble to fill the cracks and holes that were forming. He really was remarkably quick, any ordinary wizard would be completely defenseless by now. But Hermione just needed that one moment when he was distracted and didn't realise- ah, there it was.

She focused on a singular point, holding it in the crack that he hadn't been able to fill quick enough. She knew she had him and judging from his scowl he knew it, too. She immediately halted the attack, a metallic tang coursing their minds as Hermione kept her lancing in the crack on the precipice, he knew if he tried to do anything while she was there, the whole thing could come crashing down. She knew a swansong would be playing in his ears as he waited for the fall.

But it didn't come, she retracted and left him alone.

"That is certainly an interesting technique," Draco observed, coolly. As if she hadn't almost seen all his secrets.

"The wonders of Muggle technology," she replied with a sarcastic smile not elaborating.

There was a pause and Hermione could feel the flush of victory heat her neck.

"Was that not fun?" Draco asked, eyes still boring into her own.

It was like being dashed into ice water and the smile she didn't know she had dropped. He just raised an eyebrow at her and gave a single laugh in his throat.

"I'm trying, Draco. Can't you? For Theo?" she fell back on earnestness and hoped for a glimmer of sentimentality from him.

"I assure you, Granger. This is me trying very hard," letting his words glide between them to ghost over Hermione and an unbidden shiver of nerves passed through her.

"Hermione!" Theo had arrived. He was early, probably wanted to avoid Hermione being alone. Sorry, Theo, she apologised in her mind. It was outside her castle and she knew Draco heard it judging from how his smirk increased.

Hermione could tell she looked tense and the way Malfoy looked like he was poured into his seat, relaxed and unruffled had Theo bristling towards his friend.

Hermione reached to him and took his hand, pulling him down into a chair beside her. "Hey babe, how'd the meeting go?" It was a small manipulation and she felt guilty but the endearment turned his attention back to her and he smiled, leaning in to kiss her quickly.

"Very well, actually. But we've been extended dinner invitations by Priya and Rahul if you're OK letting me borrow Devin again?"

"It will be good practice for him for when we go to Italy, there isn't much I need him to coordinate at the moment," Hermione replied.

"Ah yes, where is your puppy, Granger? I didn't think he would let you come meet me alone," Draco drawled, blinking as if he hadn't just dropped an implication into the conversation.

It did its job, drawing Theo back to why he'd arrived early just to find the perpetually late Draco already there. But then, Harry entered.

"Oh, everyone's here already," he said, taking the last seat giving Hermione a distracted hug. "Theo, Malfoy," he greeted the other two.

"Yes, Granger and I have been getting on splendidly for the last twenty minutes, haven't we?" Draco presented the question to her with a tilt of his head, cold amusement in his eyes knowing he was getting her in trouble. There was an uncomfortable stilling in the air from the three of them.

"Are you OK?" the question came out of two different people, each aimed somewhere else. Theo's was to Hermione, Harry's aimed at Malfoy. There was a moment of confusion.

"You're asking Draco if he's OK?" Theo queried.

Harry nodded slowly. "Um, yeah. If I were Malfoy, I would have waited until one of us showed up. Hermione is scary," he raised a finger to point at Malfoy. "And he's bleeding from his ear, so clearly something happened."

Draco touched his fingers to his ear and they came away bloody. "Huh," was all he said though.

"He's fine," Hermione dismissed the incident. "Just a little shaken up." She waved a healing charm at him anyway.

Theo had grabbed her head and turned it side to side to check for similar afflictions but found none. Then he rounded on Draco. "What did you do? I know you must have started it."

"He was testing me. I passed, did I not?" she directed the question at the man opposite her who scoffed and looked away.

Theo shook his head. "Since this has gone swimmingly already, can we just have a bloody drink and at least practice civility?"

"Sure, I'll get it," Hermione stood and went to the bar, she could feel two sets of eyes on her as Harry needled Malfoy about using the Manor's pitch to practice for their social Quidditch team.

She put in the order and made sure they were all distracted before slipping off to the bathroom.

She locked the door and gripped the sink. Her layered necklaces jangled discordantly on the porcelain. She scuffed her foot hard on the ugly linoleum, enjoying the way her heavy boots felt powerful and sturdy, her heel a clicking dagger on the ground. She was going to miss her bounty hunter clothes when she became an ambassador.

She knew she was distracting herself because she didn't want to think about it. She wouldn't think about how their mind battle had actually tested her magic for once. Or about how fired up she got when they verbally tried to unseat each other. She screwed up the piece of her that was curious about his motivations. He was a vile, arrogant bastard. This meeting had not been for his benefit.

Safely behind her castle walls, she thought about Theo instead. The way he was able to make her smile, his gorgeous cheek dimple that only appeared when he was embarrassed, how her heart would race when he did something unexpected like gathering her hair and twisting it into a top knot or turning an easy reach for him into a twirl, kissing her in a dip and leaving her breathless. He was why she was putting herself through this.

She felt like she had collected herself enough and drew in a final breath. Then the door unlocked and Malfoy stepped in. She looked at him in outrage.

"It's not like you're using it," his smirk was more infuriating than ever, challenging her to be uncomfortable. She ignored that and watched him through the mirror. He didn't wait for her to exit. He turned away and used the stall. She refused to be cowed though. Glaring at his back, knowing this was another test for her resolve. She heard his zip again and he exited, coming to stand right behind her.

He leant down, arms passing in the gaps where she gripped the sink making her clench the sides harder. His breath rolled across her neck, "Still here, Granger?" he chuckled and she could feel it vibrate through her. He washed his hands in the sink as they stared at each through the mirror. He was taking far too long and she glared at him. He smirked again and removed himself, passing through her arms again. He tilted his head at the paper towels on offer before leaning again and wiping his still wet hands down the sides of her black jeans and she opened her mouth in shock at his audacity. She could see him looking at the side of her face, dragging the backs of his hands slowly upwards over her again before he stepped away.

"So, you still want me to try?" His eyes stole hers from the mirror to look at him properly and she thunked her mouth shut, clenching her jaw in… what was it she was feeling right now? Anger, certainly. Discomfort too had settled in the pit of her stomach. And though she hated herself for it, the barest hint of arousal. She swallowed, her tongue feeling like a cactus in her mouth. He laughed again and left.

She set the tap to its coldest and cupped her hand in the water and splashed it on the back of her neck to curb the shame-filled heat pooling there. She waited a couple more minutes, getting her breathing and flushed face back under control before she went back. She was going to have to be very, very careful.

As Hermione returned she could tell Theo had apologised to Draco, and Harry looked at her ready to chastise Hermione for not being forthright in her actual plan. They managed to converse for a couple of hours without mean-spirited insults being traded. However, this was only achieved by Draco and Hermione not actually speaking and barely looking at each other.