Chapter 19
...genuinely smile...
"I can't believe you think that Pansy Flint is a suspect!" Draco snarled, irritated as Anthony Goldstein stubbornly defended bringing Pansy in for questioning against her will. "This is the same woman who can barely remember her sums, forget multiplication tables. This is even if the sums are related to her Joshua Hingleton shoes!"
"Nevertheless, she is a suspect," Anthony remained firm.
"She can't even brew a simple Pepper Up Potion, and you expect that she's the giant mastermind behind all of this?!"
"We have nothing!" Anthony suddenly exploded. "The only lead we had was on Vaila Seris, whose alibi is spotless. Perfect! She was nowhere near Azkaban nor Hogwarts at either incident! What do you think we should do? Children have been murdered, Malfoy. Not only does the entire Auror department have its eyes on me, but the whole fucking country! They're expecting Harry, Terry, and me to find this fucking mastermind and take this son of a fury down. Who is it? We've got no idea. Pansy unfortunately is the next step!" Anthony yelled.
Draco opened his mouth to argue again, but Hermione glared at him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's not get kicked off the investigation just because you can't deal with someone who is adamant about their decision. And I mean that in the best possible way, Anthony. We have not other options, otherwise," Hermione mediated calmly. Draco shut his mouth, but not before stewing. "I'm sure Anthony will do nothing wrong, Draco," Hermione sighed. "He'll just need to ask her some questions."
"Fine," Draco conceded. "You mess with her though, Goldstein," Draco warned.
"Awfully protective of your ex-girlfriend, aren't you Malfoy?" Anthony asked snidely. "Don't make me put you on the suspects' list."
"For Salazar's sake!" Draco snapped. "She's pregnant and one of my closest friends, no matter how vapid she is. She's got my back, and I've got hers. We only went out in what, fourth year? Fifth maybe?" Draco growled.
"Sounds too Gryffindorish for a Slytherin like you. Are you the father?"
"No." Draco deadpanned. "Goldstein, don't even go there."
"Then shut your damned mouth before I begin speculating that you and Pansy had an affair, Flint found out so you destroyed whatever sanity he had left in him, Pansy found out she was pregnant and so you set Flint off to kill your wife under the pretense that Flint had this personal hatred of mudbloods, and suddenly Astoria's dead so that everything works out for you!" Anthony shot back.
Hermione's mouth hung open, realizing how much sense that scenario made. Draco's eyes narrowed.
"First of all, you could perform an easy paternity spell to disprove that theory of being the father. Second, why would flint kill off Ronald Weasley or any of the Hogwarts students if getting rid of Astoria was the main goal? Third of all, why would he have killed Weasley, under my orders-"
"Collateral damage," Anthony shrugged. "Never seemed like Weasley's death affected you that much."
"- and finally," Draco grit out, "why would Hermione Granger, of all people, the brightest witch of our time, be even remotely close to me unless I've somehow faked a brilliant display of character all this time - which is impossible because she's fucking Hermione, and why wouldn't Pansy and I be living in Fiji right now if such an affair existed?"
"Which is why you're not currently in Azkaban," Anthony replied cheerfully. "Now shut up!"
Draco and Hermione followed Anthony to the interrogation room, but stopped before entering.
"Let's go," Draco said impatiently.
"No. You're not going inside," Anthony said simply, before throwing them against the wall as he entered the room and sealed it off.
"Merlin!" Draco cursed, rubbing his head. "That bastard."
Hermione groaned. "I guess we have to wait."
Harry's stag suddenly appeared in front of Hermione. "Gavin Finnegan was the student who let Flint into the castle. Find Haley Finnigan - she's the Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement. See if she knows if Aaron Dakota and Natria Crox were connected in any way, or if she knows where they are."
Draco and Hermione looked at each other. "Well?" Draco tapped his foot impatiently. "Let's talk to this girl."
"Alex?" Blaise asked, chuckling as he found his wife frowning at her cell culture.
"Mm?" she acknowledged him, still focused on the red media swishing back and forth in the rectangular plastic flask.
"Why are you in the lab?"
"Because I thought of something," she answered distractedly. She scrunched her eyebrows together as she peered into the microscope. "Well, damn."
"Fungus contamination?" Blaise smirked knowingly.
"A form of Aspergillus, I'm pretty sure. Honestly it's almost like we need a lab fairy to-"
"Alex," Blaise interrupted. "You might want to take a look at this."
"What is it?" Alex asked, pulling off her gloves and taking a manilla folder from her husband.
"The results from Hermione's scar," Blaise answered as Alex scanned the file's contents.
"And I thought the weeping angels were bad," Alex whistled. "My Merlin, these readings are off the charts. Hermione's scar was radiating so much chaotic magic, I'm surprised it didn't murder someone, or give her a tumor."
"See, that's why I wonder if Flint's ramblings weren't actually so crazy," Blaise said thoughtfully. "He was right about his wife's pregnancy and subsequent naming, before she was even aware of Felix herself. He predicted, basically, Astoria's cancer, even though he described it rather poetically-"
"Well, he kind of caused both the pregnancy and the cancer," Alex pointed out.
"True," Blaise conceded. "But Flint also mentioned darkness. When we were in McGonagall's office-"
"Hermione vanished all of the light by putting out - well - exploding the candles," Alex suddenly realized. "Darkness."
"Exactly," Blaise nodded. "Which is why I'm wondering if Flint is as crazy as we think."
"That's not exactly good news," Alex worried. "Didn't he say Hermione and friends would killhis children?"
"If I understood it correctly, that was one possible universe. Flint's goal was to prevent it-"
"-by killing Hermione first," Alex finished. "By that logic, he's already altered the timeline, so who knows what will happen."
"Right," Blaise affirmed.
"Actually," Alex thought carefully. "On the day when Hermione had that flip out, what was her original schedule if we hadn't met with McGonagall? That meeting was because Flint had been broken out."
"Let's check with Chloe," Blaise suggested, offering his arm. Alex pulled of her lab coat and hooked her arm in his, side-apparating to Chloe's office, startling her so that she knocked over her coffee.
"Blaisandra," she acknowledged them collectively. "How nice of the two of you to knock on my door, so politely, when you decided to grace me with your presence," she drawled sarcastically. She sighed as she tergeo'd the remnants of her coffee.
"Sorry Chloe," Alex apologized.
"You owe me a coffee. Now, what do you want?" Chloe asked, straightening her glasses. "I doubt the two of you have just popped in for a friendly hello. I do have work, you know. I don't have the luxury of snogging my spouse during business hours."
"We were wondering if you knew of Hermione's plans before Flint had escaped that day in the fall?" Blaise asked.
"I remember that day particularly well, because I had finally persuaded Hermione to come with me to this shoe convention. All of the best brands were there, and she had finally given in. Damn universe!" Chloe shook her fist angrily. "Even the Joshua Hingletons were there! Worked rather well for her that Flint broke out that very day," Chloe scoffed. "Criminals have no common courtesy. Disrupting a shoe convention? So low class," she sniffed.
"Pansy would've been there," Blaise looked at Alex.
"With both Fiona and Felix, though?" Alex asked doubtfully. "Maybe, well, obviously she'd be with Felix, she's still pregnant. But Fiona was still at Hogwarts at the time."
"Knowing Pansy, she might actually pull Fiona out with a "family emergency" excuse."
"Plausible," Alex contemplated.
"Hold on, what's all this about Pansy?" Chloe asked confused. "And what's this got to do with Hermione?"
Blaise and Alex looked at each other, wondering how much of Hermione's patient data they would be allowed to share.
"Basically, Hermione's scar is super messed up to the point where it drove her crazy," Alex summarized. "It happened the day we were just talking about, so we were wondering if it could be related to Flint's prophetic ramblings."
"I see," Chloe nodded. "Now, anything else? Otherwise, its back to this lawsuit between this family, er, coven of vampires and an error in the divorce settlement of Cho Wood."
"Seriously?" Alex snorted. "I thought she married a muggle man in the US."
"She did, but he turned out to be a vampire from seattle who looked oddly like the late cedric Diggory. Probably why she married him."
"Didn't they get divorce like twelve years ago?" Blaise frowned. Chloe shrugged.
"Yes, but some border is now being disputed and now I have to deal with boring old property law," Chloe sighed. "off with you two, this is a high profile case. Oliver Wood's wife? The press is already going nuts."
"See you Chloe," Alex waved, before apparating back to their office.
"So that establishes the killing children timeline," Alex concluded. "Any other loose ends to tie up?"
"It bothers me that her best friends would destroy as well," Blaise frowned.
"Perhaps the magic in her scar took over her body and, I dunno, possessed us too? I don't think we will ever know. I mean, we could speculate all we want…" Alex trailed off.
Blaise nodded. "Let's just hope nothing like that ever happens, he smiled sadly, grasping her hand.
"How may I help you?" a brown haired witch asked in a nasally voice as Draco and Hermione approached.
"We're looking for Haley Finnegan?" Hermione asked politely.
"She's in a meeting. Can I take a memo?" the secretary trilled. Draco cringed at the voice, feeling a nasty headache coming on.
"Tell her that if she doesn't come out now, her brother might murder some more children," he hissed.
The brunette's eyes widened.
"I'll send for her right away, sir."
"Your cooperation is greatly appreciated," he snarked. "Never like the Department of Law Enforcement. Just a bunch of lazy kids who didn't make the cut as Aurors-"
"Draco!" Hermione whacked him. "That is horrendously disrespectful. If you think I'm going to just sit here and let you kiss me when you blatantly mmph!" Hermione was cut off by Draco's mouth, but she shoved him away a moment too late - the entire meeting of Ministry's officials had just let out, only to encounter the Draco Malfoy and the Hermione Granger kissing in the middle of the despicable Department of Auror-Failures, according to Draco.
"You can't just cut me off like-" Draco tried again, but she pushed him off, glaring and beet red as she took in the gawking officials.
Kingsley was the only one who looked mildly amused. "Control yourself, Mr. Malfoy," he smirked playfully before exiting the department. The rest of the officials paused, but Luna took it upon herself to offer an explanation.
"Relax," she smiled dreamily, shifting her files on the latest wrackspurt attack causing corruption within the Department of Mysteries. "It's merely the rosetalops. They induce feelings of love, especially near Valentine's Day," she reassured them. None of the staff looked very reassured, and they slowly filed out of the room.
"I'm glad the sexual tension is finally getting somewhere," Luna sighed, poking Malfoy in the ribs. "You two were always a better fit than your previous partners. You always had passion, whether it was hating each other or loving each other. Not everyone finds that sort of passion," Luna smiled, skipping off.
"Hello," a petite woman greeted the two dumbstruck adults once Luna had danced away.
"Are you Haley Finnegan?" Draco asked quickly.
"Yes, I am. Why don't we go to my office, hmm?"
"That would be lovely," Hermione smiled. They entered a room that almost didn't resemble the office of the Head Detective.
"What news do you bring me of my brother?"
"We were actually wondering if you know where he is," Hermione said softly, noticing as Haley's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
"If I knew, I'm sure he would have been found already. For all I know, he could be dead. Whoever attacked those-"
"Your brother," Draco interrupted harshly.
"Sorry, what about him" Haley paused.
"Your brother. He attacked those children."
"Nonsense!" Haley exclaimed. "Aaron would never do such a thing!"
"Sona Goyle and Isla Balaji, heard of them?" Draco growled. "They're dead. Thanks to your brother. I think the Goyle and Balaji families would beg to differ."
"Where's your evidence?" Haley demanded.
"The fact that your son, Mrs. Finnegan, confessed to having let Marcus Flint into Hogwarts to carry out the massacre. Why? Because your brother darling imperiused him! It's not an unreasonable conclusion that your brother imperiused Crox, however they're connected, and imperiused another person to attack Hogwarts together!" Draco shouted. Haley had gone stark white.
"Gavin… h-he broke… an Imperius curse?" she stuttered out.
"Quite an impressive feat," Hermione nodded.
"He… h-h-he confessed?" Haley continued.
"I know this may come as a shock to you, seeing as they're your family-" Draco cut Hermione's good cop speech with a touch, seeing something in Haley's face. Not just shock, but a decision.
Haley Finnegan had just made a choice.
"We're all dead, anyways," Haley muttered. "No way out now," she swore under her breath, before inhaling deeply.
"Mrs. Fin-" Hermione began.
"Stop," Haley held up a hand. "Just. Listen."
"I was present the first time Marcus Flint had his time turner 'accident' five years ago. Vaila Seris was my partner when we were visiting the Department of Mysteries, and she had uttered the strangest incantation I had ever heard. I suspect it wasma form of ancient magic that only the families of pureblood would have access to. When the smoke had cleared, Vaila Seris had threatened me, my brother, my husband, my son, my whole family - she could kill them all. All but me in one instant."
"Some Gryffindor you are," Draco scoffed.
"Look who's talking! " Haley shot back. "You did no different in the War."
"I don't bloody preach about morality though," Draco sneered. "I'm no hypocrite."
"Anyway, " Hermione cut in, trying to get them back on track. Haley sighed.
"I couldn't just kill her and have that solve all my problems. She had an entire fucking network of assassins stationed at every family member's location. If she died, my family died. All I had to do was confirm her alibi. That's it. Small favor to ask in exchange for my loved ones' lives. I agreed.
"But then she began training Flint, I don't know how. The next thing I knew, she was knocking on my door, demanding I let her get to Gavin. I refused, but again, Assassins everywhere. Aaron, my brother, made the decision for me.
"Aaron, Natria, and I were the three forced to try to kill Rose Weasley. Natria is a pureblood," Haley spat, "a high class buddy of Vaila's. She was our supervisor - we had to kill a child each."
"If anywhere there was a line, that should have been it," Hermione growled. "You murdered a child! Why not just take Natria out? You and Aaron could've - oh," Hermione halted, seeing Haley's grim expression. "Aaron was imperiused by Vaila, so you'd have to fight two. Even if you killed Natria, Aaron would be under Vaila's control, and you wouldn't dare kill your own brother…" Hermione trailed off. "My Merlin, Draco, how could have we been so stupid? Why else would Vaila have a job? She doesn't fucking need one!"
"She wouldn't stop just there, though," Haley continued. "She's the one behind the French attacks and riots. For Merlin's sake, she funds, and therefore runs, the terror organizations in the Middle East. Why else do you think Syria's such a mess? Because she's launched a fucking international attack. I had no options!"
"Anyways, getting back to the task at hand," Hermione redirected them. "Do you know where Aaron and Natria are?"
"Fuck you, Haley Finnegan. You just cleared Vaila's alibi, this time, too!" Draco accused flatly, and she didn't deny it.
"Vaila's alibis are never hard to clear - this time especially. She hasn't done anything herself, since that incident five years ago. Everyone else does her dirty work. She really was in Nepal when the massacre happened. And I don't know for certain, but I would guess that Aaron's under Natria's watch, so they're probably at the Crox Estate."
"How on Earth do we prove that Vaila's behind it all?" Hermione asked suddenly. "This isn't going to persuade our favourite Wizengamot."
"Find Aaron," Draco thought aloud. "Natria, too. See if we can find any memories, physical evidence, hold Natria hostage?"
"Hah!" Haley snorted. "Vaila's a ruthless bitch. She'll let Natria die, that'll never work. Plus, Natria won't die, not under Saint Potter's watch."
"What about under my watch?" Draco growled.
Hermione whacked him on the shoulder. "We are not torturing or pretending to kill or holding Natria hostage."
"She won't care even if you do," Haley informed them solemnly.
"Is there some magical signature that might be left on Aaron after Vaila's imperius curse?" Draco asked.
Hermione and Draco looked at each other. "Alex." they said at once.
"Yes, it is possible to potentially match magical residue to the original spellcaster," Alex nodded as Draco and Hermione presented her with the idea. "I'll have to test a few rats, first, and I'd need written consent from Haley Finnegan to use the procedures on her brother once I've developed them. Hermione, you're a lawyer - go draft that and get Haley's signature. Draco, go find Aaron Dakota. Don't go alone though, grab Harry and Terry - Anthony's a bright guy, too. Let's move people!" Alex ordered.
Draco disapparated to the Auror's office, making Harry choke on his tea.
"How the fuck did you get through the Ministry's wards like that?" Harry asked, flabbergasted.
"I'll teach you the trick sometime. But we have to find Aaron Dakota and Natria Crox, now-"
"We're looking," Harry sighed. "But it's going to take us a while."
"We don't have time! We have no other leads. How did Pansy turn out?"
"Clean," Harry admitted. "Spotless, not a blemish."
"On the other hand, Hermione and i just found out from Haley Finnegan, maiden name Dakota, that Vaila Seris is behind it all. Crox is Seris's best girl friend, Seris imperiused Dakota to kill, and Crox made sure that Finnegan's wife murdered a kid at Hogwarts. Dakota did so under the imperius. Seris was there five years ago, when Flint first had his accident. Seris caused it, and Finnegan is now suggesting the Crox estate."
Harry, a bit shocked, nodded, but examined Draco carefully. "And where is the Crox Estate?"
"The fuck would I know?" Draco snapped. "Let's get a move on! Alex might be able to match the imperius curse's imprint to Seris's magical signature," Draco began to growl as Harry's face was blank with confusion.
"Proof, Potter," Draco sneered. "Don't you think Seris's trial will need some proof? Honestly, go any slower and you'll be going backwa- oh wait you already are."
Harry's lines of confusion cleared. "All right, we'll find the Crox Estate and search it. We'll need a warrant-"
"Got one," Hermione said sweetly from behind them. "It didn't take any time to get Haley's signature. I took the liberty of visiting Susan Bones, well Hopkins," Hermione amended. "The Crox Estate is in France actually, so let's go check in with Dennis and Christina, Alex's sister, remember?" Hermione asked Draco.
"How did you figure out-" Harry started.
"That it's in France?" Hermione grinned, holding up the magazine MagiChic Living. "Seris and Crox just love their publicity."
"Let's go." Harry smiled.
"It took a couple of hours for Harry, Draco, Hermione, Terry, and Anthony to convince the French Auror system (through Dennis Creevey and Christine(a) Rivers) that the French really ought to cooperate with the English for once. After a team had been assembled, they apparated a little ways off from the estate.
"Merlin you all apparate so loudly," Draco snapped. "What if Crox had been taking a lovely walk around the gardens? Honestly, you Aurors-"
"Shut up," Hermione hissed as they approached the border of the Crox land.
Pierre the expert ward remover, lifted his wand and began to unravel the Crox defenses one by one. "There ees one I cannot remove from ze outside," Pierre frowned.
Draco, sighing, grabbed Pierre's arm and apparated just beyond the order without a second thought. Although Draco had apparated silently, Pierre was rather vocally distraught.
"Vou do not grab me and manhandle another perzon! You could hev set off ze alarm!" Pierre snapped angrily. Draco ignored the Frenchman's tirade.
"Are you going to get ze job done?" Draco mimicked.
Pierre sneered before going back to his work. "Eegnorant buffoons," Pierre muttered. Within another ten minutes, they were in. As they approached the mansion, Harry laid out their game plan. Just as Harry was covering Aaron's capture, Christine interrupted him solemnly.
"A servant just saw us out the window. Let's go! GO! GO!" she shouted.
"Put up an anti-apparation jinx!" Harry commanded Hermione. "Well, you heard the french girl, GO!" Harry yelled at his team.
Hermione muttered a quick spell before sprinting after them. Christine shot an Alohomora spell towards the front door, unlatching it and throwing the double doors open. The ten Aurors were immediately bombarded with spells as they charged into the grand foyer.
"You are authorized to use deadly force," Harry shouted out to his team as Avadas came their way. Christine Rivers wasted no time in taking out six of their attackers.
"All Death Eaters" she spat. "Mangemort écume." She growled, moving further into the house. "I'll collect their skulls later."
Hermione and Draco looked at each other, slightly freaked.
"Alex wasn't kidding when she said her sister collected skulls," Draco muttered.
"Draco!" Christine hissed, after the attacks subsided. "If you were at your Manor, where would you keep your hostages?"
"Dungeons," Draco answered without hesitation. "Though they would be the first ones I'd move to a secret compartment or hideout."
"Where would you place that hideout?" Claudio, another French Auror, asked.
"Behind a tapestry of our family's heritage," Draco answered after a little thought.
"Hermione, Malfoy, Christine, Claudio and I will search out a secret hideaway for potentially Sabine Moreau and Aaron Dakota. The rest of you all keep looking for a dungeon. Let's go," Harry ordered. Christine nodded to her French team, and they complied, splitting up.
"Where would this tapestry most likely be?" Hermione whispered to Draco as they passed countless sitting and dressing rooms, a ballroom, guest bedrooms, a library (where Hermione very nearly got sidetracked), and numerous meeting halls.
"Somewhere accessible from most parts of the house," Draco thought aloud. "The hideouts were originally designed to hide the wizard's family in case angry muggles decided to attack with their mobs of anti-wizardists. Close to the dungeons, for hostage situations. Somewhere near the center of the house, at an intersection of many hallways. Ideally with a staircase from downstairs or upstairs nearby," Draco concluded just as the hallway opened into a giant intersection, five other hallways leading to a middle staircase.
"Some place exactly like that," Draco whispered, pointing at the giant family tree tapestry hanging in front of them.
"The Crox family tree," Hermione whispered in awe. "In virtute confidimus… in power we trust," Hermione translated.
"Hominem revelio," Christine cast towards the tapestry. "Nothing," she reported.
"The hideout probably has some form of shield on it," harry reasoned. "Let's take it down."
Claudio whispered a simple removal spell, and suddenly, Death Eaters were firing spells from all the hallways and from both directions from the staircase. "They're in there!" Draco shouted as he stunned five Death Eaters in the hallway they had just come from.
"OPEN IT UP, CLAUDIO!" Christine shouted, taking down wave after wave of their attackers.
Claudio blew open the tapestry, only to be shot down by none other than Aaron Dakota. Someone took a shot at Hermione, but Draco pushed her aside in the nick of time.
"I DON'T FUCKING THINK SO!" he roared, furiously taking on her attacker, intent to destroy.
"Hermione!" Christine shouted as she dodged a series of unforgivables. "Get Aaron to Alex and get Sabine to safety!"
Hermione shouted her assent, Harry moving to cover her as she duelled Aaron, who was remarkably fast under the Imperius. When it became apparent that Hermione could apparate them out, Aaron directed his wand to his heart.
"Avada-" he began.
"NO!" Hermione shrieked. "EXPELLIA-" she ran towards him.
"KED-" he nearly completed, but suddenly stopped and slumped to the ground. It was likely that Aaron's will to survive overrode the Imperius, finally. Hermione grabbed Aaron's arm and walked further back into the room, finding a young French girl chained to the wall.
"Aidez-moi madame," Sabine Moreau begged pitifully. Hermione wasted no time in vanishing the chains and grabbing tightly onto the little girl. Hermione quickly patted Sabine on the back, trying to comfort her.
"C'est bon, Sabine. Je ne vais pas vous faire de mal, tu es en sécurité maintenant," Hermione whispered, struggling to remember her last lessons of French. She quickly lifted the anti-apparation jinx.
As Hermione turned to grab Aaron and apparate them all back to Medrex, she saw a green spell make it's way towards Draco's back.
"DRACO!" Hermione screamed, mid-apparation as he fell to the ground.
AN: How many of you would kill me if I ended the story right there? After all, this is technically the last chapter (completed on the 1-year anniversary of this story) before the epilogue. Hehehe okay I won't stop here.
"I see you splinched yourself pretty well," Chloe stated dryly as she took in Hermione's bandaged arm and side.
Hermione sighed. "Well, I failed the first rule of apparition: destination, determination, and deliberation," she chuckled.
"Obviously you're feeling well enough to work," Chloe snorted. "So it can't be that bad."
Hermione pulled out an envelope from her purse, handing it to Chloe. Chloe eyed the creamy stationery carefully, and then looked back up to Hermione.
"You're fucking kidding me," she sniffed.
"I'm really not," Hermione answered, still holding out the envelope.
"But if this is a promotion, which means I'd be Department Head…"
"I'm resigning, yes," Hermione smiled grimly. "I'm moving to a new department."
"Let me guess. Law Enforcement?" Chloe asked boredly.
"Yes," Hermione looked surprised. "How did you know?"
Chloe held up the day's issue of The Daily Prophet, the headline screaming Department Head of Law Enforcement Removed in Hogwarts Massacre Investigation.
"Well, there's that," Hermione admitted sheepishly.
"Come on. A corrupt department? Of course you would jump to fix it, from the inside out," Chloe shook her head. "You're so fucking predictable, Hermione."
Hermione shrugged, dropping her letter onto Chloe's desk since she refused to take it. "I've got a bitch to sentence to Azkaban. We'll do coffee sometime."
"Every Wednesday at lunch," Chloe stated firmly. "We both know without a schedule we'll never see each other."
"Deal," Hermione smiled, turning to leave.
"Oh, and Hermione?" Chloe asked offhandedly.
"Yes?" Hermione turned back to face her.
"Take that bitch down. For me. And for Draco."
"It would be my pleasure," Hermione smiled grimly.
Hermione apparated to St. Mungo's, making her way to Harry's room.
"How are you holding up?" Ginny asked Hermione at the doorway.
"Holding," Hermione grimaced. "And you, Gin?"
"Harry's okay, that's what matter to me right now." Ginny paused, seeing Hermione's pained expression.
"Malfoy?" Ginny guessed, and Hermione nodded, holding back sobs.
"You never really know what you have till it's gone," Hermione whispered as Ginny enveloped her in a hug.
"I'm in love with him, Gin. Properly in love," Hermione concluded. "And that scares the shite out of me."
"You guys were dancing around each other for years," Ginny smiled. "It's interesting, what you two have. No matter if it was hate, or love, you two always had this energy, this… passion, I don't know. You can't find that in many others. What you have is rare." Ginny patted her on the back. "Be glad you still have the chance." (Do I hear a breath of relief? Yup)
Hermione pulled back smiling softly. "Thanks."
"Hermione?" Harry called from the room. "Is that you?"
"Coming Harry," Hermione called back.
"Glad to see you in one piece, oh Chosen One," Hermione teased as she approached the hospital bed. Harry grimaced.
"You're never going to let me live my arrogant self down, are you?"
"Nope," Hermione smirked.
"I haven't had the chance to thank you properly. You saved Sabine Moreau, and Aaron Dakota. That's one hell of a deed, Brightest Witch of Our Time," Harry returned, but then became serious. "You've done wonders for our French relations."
"Well, don't spoil it," Hermione said lightly.
"Go on," Harry smiled. "I know you're dying to see him. I'll still be here."
Hermione nodded, making her way to the room next door.
"Look at what the cat dragged in," came the snarky greeting as Hermione entered.
"Not looking too hot yourself, ferret," Hermione smirked as she took in Draco's bandaged but stable form. Hermione sat down in the chair next to Draco's bed.
"I'm always beautiful," Draco scoffed. "You just can't handle my flawless complexion."
"No, I can't handle your albino skin."
Draco looked offended. "I'll have you know that this skin was bred precisely to this luminescent, perfect marble for generations."
"If I smack you, it'll bruise pretty easily. Your poor marble skin," Hermione mocked.
"You wouldn't dare physically abuse a hospitalized man!" Draco gasped.
"Man? I see no man in here," Hermione giggled.
"Of course you do!" Blaise interrupted cheerily, Alex right behind him. "Pleased that you acknowledged our presence, you two bickering baboons. Draco, my friend-"
"What?" Draco asked boredly.
"How about those injuries? Broken ribs, some intestinal damage down there-?"
"What was the spell you got hit with?" Hermione asked.
"No one knows, probably an original spell," Draco winced. "Looks a whole lot like the Avadas, but it isn't.
"I thought…" Hermione began softly. "I thought I had lost you," she ended on a whisper.
Draco grabbed her hand. "I'm not leaving you this time. Not if I can help it," Draco assured her.
Hermione leaned in to brush her lips against his when-
"Eww," Hugo, Zayden, Scorpius, Ara, Rose, Blaise, and Alex (who also both had the maturities of eleven year olds) all chorused together.
Hermione and Draco looked up, startled to hear their children.
"So, I guess Scorp and I are now step-siblings?" Rose asked her mother bluntly. "That oddly seems fitting."
"I've always wanted an older brother," Ara stated. "Someone to beat up ex-boyfriends."
"I have no problem with this plan," Blaise said cheerily, and then seemed to realize something. "Wait, what ex-boyfriends?" he asked sternly, cracking his knuckles. Alex laughed.
"We'll see how things go, all right Rose? Hugo?" Hermione asked.
"Will he teach me Quidditch?" Hugo asked eagerly.
"Sure bud, once I heal up," Draco smiled.
"Yay!" Hugo cheered.
"So long as this guy -" Rose jabbed a finger at Scorpius, "doesn't mess with my things, I'll live."
Hermione smiled. "Scorp, you better learn not to touch Rose's books. If you value your life, that is."
Scorp shrugged. "I gathered that."
Once the children had finished their visiting hours, Hermione slumped back in her chair.
"I quit my job today," she stated.
"Oh?" Draco rose an eyebrow.
"I think I've done almost all I can on the rights for magical creatures. It's time for a fresh start," Hermione finished.
"I was thinking along the same lines," Draco said quietly. "I'm done with business. Alex and Blaise are more than capable, if I leave it to them, and Malfoy Enterprises is expanding under my father's control for now. I need to do something else, preferably constructive."
"I've been offered Head of the Department of Law Enforcement," Hermione smiled. "Care to join me in eradicating corruption, from the inside out?" she asked, echoing Chloe's previous words.
Draco mulled it over, seriously considering it. Hermione remained silent, knowing that he needed time to cover all of the pros and cons. She took the opportunity to look at him - really look at him. They were different people, now, compared to over a decade ago. They had so much to learn about each other still… and more to learn about themselves. Some things were familiar - the mussed blonde hair - its messiness a rare abnormality in Draco's carefully groomed routine. His face had filled out, just so that his face looked kinder than his pointy ferret face from their Hogwarts years. Gray eyes, flecked with hints of blue. A smattering of light, barely visible freckles, despite his insistence of his perfect complexion.
There were shadows about his eyes, less pronounced than the darkness she had seen over eleven years ago. Shadows that marked his permanent past - reminding of days in terror and nights in paranoia.
"No," he said, and Hermione met his eyes, startled out of her observations.
"Pardon?"
"I don't think it's wise to work together - knowing you, and knowing me, we'll always be talking about work offtime. It's not that I don't want to work with you, but I think it might unbalance us."
"That makes sense," Hermione nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. But she could never hide anything from him; he read her like a book.
"Hermione, look at me," Draco said gently, so uncharacteristically that she was almost startled. "Don't ever, ever, think that I don't want to be with you every second of my day. But I know you, and I know me. People like Blaise and Alex, who are easygoing and relatively low-stress people, they can work together like that. But we aren't like them. You always have something to do, and when you set your mind to it, you rarely ever stray. I love that about you. Me, I exist to challenge you. To question and nitpick and debate. Between the two of us, we'll never really leave the workplace. I'm just trying to do what's best for us."
"Draco, I get it," Hermione reassured him. "I agree."
Draco had opened his mouth to argue back, but then shut it before he gaped unattractively.
"You - you agree?"
"Yes, it makes logical sense. You convinced me. Plus you'd probably be a gigantic distraction in the workplace anyways."
"Oh, you know I would," Draco winked. He became serious again. "Let's take it slow, this time. Last time we rushed it, fell in headfirst without even realizing how quickly we had crashed. Let's figure things out, figure out each challenge one step at a time."
Hermione place her lips on top of his.
"If you're by my side, I don't care how long we take."
"You're sure about that?" Draco smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.
This was the Draco she knew. The cheeky bastard, a side only reserved for a few. Gone was the mask, the pretense, the exterior. The treasure lay naked in front of her, bare and so overwhelmingly good. The sweet, helpless romantic inside of him that had been viewed as a weakness, when in reality it was such a strength.
Draco had paid his time in the dark. And now began the era in the light.
"Always and forever," Hermione answered, a smile playing about her lips.
AN: THE END. Can you believe it? No, I can't. It's the end of a ridiculously *ahem* riddikulusly long novel that I committed myself to exactly a year ago, not realizing what a journey this would be. Am I crying right now? Yeah, a bit. I've made it. And I couldn't have made it without all of you. We still have an epilogue coming, but here is the last beauty in 2014. I want to thank you all, for your reviews, your support, your criticisms. I'm amazed how far I've come. I had actually planned out A Cinderella Story entirely, but then To Heal New Wounds was just a scene, just an idea that popped up into my head. And here I am now. 90,000+ words later.
Thank you. I challenged myself to commit to something longer than my usual short stories, and suddenly I find myself wishing that this universe really existed. So, until the epilogue, and please, drop a review in that little box right there. I sincerely hope you freaked when Draco got hit by that green curse. Did I leave any loose ends to tie up? Because I think I covered them all here - but of course, you'll be more critical than I am at this point.
Lots of love ~The Science Geek.