Chapter Ten

The first attack

Draco glanced at the white gold watch on his left wrist, an heirloom from his grandfather Abraxas. Hermione would still be at the meeting with the Muggle Minister and Arthur Weasley, so he could go home late.

He tapped the silver artefact with his wand and the three brains returned to their tank. As they hit the water, their tentacles twisted and elongated, reaching out for him. Draco picked up the three empty vials on the table and stood as far away as possible. He knew those brains didn't like what he was doing to them and that they wanted revenge.

He conjured a shield over himself and exited the Chamber of Thoughts, grimacing each time one of the tentacles struck his shield in fury. He closed the door and walked through the shelves full of prophecies towards the exit, needing to hurry if he wanted Hermione to suspect nothing. He met Blaise in the foyer of the Department of Mysteries, waving goodbye to the two guards.

"Blaise, I need to talk to you."

His friend gave him a sidelong glance and the two of them went out into the black-tiled corridor together, walking silently to the lifts. The magical barriers scanned them and let them pass, as they did every day. They got into one of the lifts, which was thankfully empty, and Draco turned to Blaise.

"After today, I'm going to tell Hermione that I'm working late. You know what to say if she asks you about it."

Blaise frowned.

"What are you going to do? Are you cheating on her?"

"Don't say bullshit," Draco growled through his teeth.

"So?"

"I can't tell you right now, and I can't tell her either."

Blaise rolled his eyes, snorting.

"You can tell me anything. The bow doesn't break between Unspeakables."

"I'd rather not say anything until I'm sure it's worth it."

"It has something to do with that mysterious thing you're doing with the brains, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Draco admitted quietly.

The golden grilles opened and the two of them stepped out into the Atrium, heading for the fireplaces connected to the Floo.

"I'll tell her that sometimes we have to work a couple of extra hours if she asks me. I hope you know what you're doing, Draco."

He gave him a tired look.

"I don't even know if it's going to work... but I want to try."

He waved goodbye to Blaise and watched him walk away to his manor through one of the fireplaces. Draco entered another and green flames engulfed his body.

"St. Mungo's," he whispered.

Hermione arrived home at eight o'clock, completely exhausted. The meeting with the Prime Minister had gone on far too long, but they finally had everything planned for the upcoming Quidditch World Cup.

She was surprised to find the room dark as she came out of the fireplace. Draco usually arrived at seven every day. She waved her wand, turning on the lights, and Crookshanks came over to greet her.

She decided to make some quick dinner, pulling several packets of instant ramen out of one of the kitchen cupboards. Hermione set a pot on the stove and, with a flick of her wand, the water was already boiling. She snorted, thinking that Draco was right and it was stupid not to use magic to cook faster. She poured the vegetable noodles into the water and glanced sideways at the shelf where they kept the bottles of alcohol.

Fuck it. After the hard day she'd had, she deserved it. Hermione picked up the bottle of Firewhiskey and poured herself a glass, conjuring up some ice cubes inside. She took a swig and her whole throat burned, as if she was actually drinking flames.

"How can he like this so much?" she mumbled, wrinkling her nose and looking at Crookshanks.

The cat purred and Hermione shrugged, taking another sip of whisky. She heard the roar of flames, a sign that Draco had just arrived. She divided the noodles into two bowls and set them on the table, sitting down and sipping more whisky.

Draco walked into the kitchen and his eyebrows rose at the sight of what Hermione was drinking.

"A hard day?" he asked, picking up another glass and the bottle of the honey-coloured liquid.

"Complicated... and long," Hermione commented, sighing.

"Just like mine."

Draco sat down across from her and they both began to eat.

"It's strange that you're so late... Did something happen?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

He shook his head, staring at his food.

"No, I had to stay a bit longer at the Department today."

"Why?"

Draco glanced up and arched an eyebrow, making Hermione roll her eyes.

"I hate that you can't talk about your work with me."

"I don't like it either," he admitted quietly, taking a sip of his drink.

They finished the food but remained at the table, hands around their glasses. Draco watched Hermione wordlessly, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Is it good?"

Hermione blinked several times and looked down at her glass, where she still had a little whisky left in it.

"It's quite strong, but the taste gets better after the second sip."

His lips twisted upwards.

"Yes, the more you drink, the better it gets. Be careful with that."

They both laughed and finished the last of their whisky in one gulp, leaving the kitchen. Draco sat down on the sofa and Hermione approached him, leaning against his chest and closing her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and clenched his jaw. There was nothing he hated more than lying to her... but he had to.

"Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, your presence is requested in the foyer"

The voice echoed throughout the Department of Mysteries, startling Draco and Blaise. They were in the Prophecy Room, going through the shelves to do the weekly cleaning of those that had gone out.

They ran into the central corridor and looked at each other in confusion.

"Why are they calling us?" Blaise asked, frowning.

"No idea."

The two walked briskly to the door leading to the entrance hall and, as they stepped out, they saw that the guards were holding a person.

"Miss, you can't go in. We've already called them and they'll be here soon."

"But it's important!"

Draco frowned at the sound of Hermione's voice and in three steps he was beside her, who was trying to get the guards to release her.

"What are you doing, Granger? You know you can't come in here," he asked angrily.

She looked up at him and his stomach twisted as he saw tears in her eyes.

"It's Pansy. Her shop has been attacked and she's hurt."

Blaise and Draco exchanged a glance and took off down the black tiled corridor, walking as fast as they could. Draco grabbed one of Hermione's hands and waved goodbye to the two guards, who were very upset.

The three of them passed the magical barriers together and entered one of the lifts.

"What happened?" Blaise asked in a worried voice.

"I don't know, I came looking for you guys as soon as I heard. Harry told me it wasn't serious and that she's been taken home."

Draco gritted his teeth and glanced back at Blaise, whose expression was closed. Maybe it was just a coincidence... or maybe it was the first of many attacks on purebloods, as the prophecy promised.

"Let's go," Draco urged, pulling Hermione to walk faster.

The three of them entered one of the large fireplaces and appeared in Parkinson Manor a few seconds later. An elf greeted them, indicating that Pansy was in her room.

Draco and Blaise took the stairs two at a time, followed by Hermione. They ran up to the door of their friend's room and pushed it open, stepping inside.

Pansy was lying on her bed, reading a book. She slammed it shut and stared at them with frightened eyes.

"What are you doing, coming in like that? Do you want to scare me to death?"

Draco and Blaise approached her and Blaise sat on the edge of the bed, scrutinising her face. She had several cuts covered in a slimy paste, and one of her hands was bandaged.

"We were worried about you. What have they done to you?" Blaise asked.

Pansy's eyes went wide at the sound of her friend's deep voice and Hermione sat on the other side of the bed, sighing.

"Thank goodness you're all right, Pansy," she murmured, sighing.

She looked up at Hermione and gave her a smirk.

"Hermione Granger worried about me... I think I've seen it all," Pansy said with a chuckle.

Blaise grabbed her shoulder, making her look at him again.

"What have they done to you?" he repeated, shaking her slightly.

"I'm not sure what happened, the aurors will tell me in a few days. The shop is practically gone, the fiendfyre has devoured everything.

"Fiendfyre?" Draco said, his face losing colour.

He'd already lost a friend like that, it couldn't happen again.

Pansy reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him to sit next to her as well.

"I'm fine, Draco. My leg took the worst of it, but the Healers said that I'm only going to have a few scars left."

Blaise frowned and pulled back the sheets. Pansy's right leg was completely bandaged.

"Who did this?" Draco asked, gritting his teeth.

"No one knows yet, they were probably using the disillusionment charm. I didn't see anything, suddenly the shop burst into flames and we were all able to get out in time."

Blaise clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. Pansy put her right hand on one of his knuckles, stroking it with her thumb.

"I'm fine, Blaise. Really, just breathe and cut the drama."

Blaise looked up at her with angry eyes.

"Breathe? You could have fucking died!"

His yell startled Pansy, Hermione and Draco. It was the first time they had ever seen him raise his voice.

"I'm safe and sound, you see," Pansy replied, looking sideways at Draco for an explanation.

He shrugged and met Hermione's gaze.

"Will you come with me to Diagon Alley? I want to find out what happened."

Hermione nodded and they both stood up. Draco leaned down and hugged his friend, pressing his lips to her ear.

"Now you're the one who doesn't realise anything," he whispered softly, so that only she could hear him.

As he pulled away, Pansy's green eyes stared up at him in confusion. Draco moved his head slightly towards Blaise slyly and grabbed Hermione's hand, leaving the room with her and closing the door.

"Blaise has feelings for Pansy?" Hermione asked in a whisper as they walked down the stairs.

Draco grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him and kissing her forehead.

"There's a reason they say you're the smartest," he murmured in an amused voice.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know, I was just suspicious... and his reaction confirmed it," Draco said, taking a handful of Floo Powder from the bag on the edge of the fireplace and throwing it into the embers.

He took a few steps and appeared in the Leaky Cauldron, and three seconds later Hermione was at his side. They entered Diagon Alley together and walked past Gringotts, turning right into the street where Pansy's mother's shop was.

The two of them carried that shop together. Her mother spent weeks travelling around, looking for new fabrics, and Pansy supervised the work of the dressmakers, making sure they made everything just like her designs.

As they approached, the area was full of Aurors. They saw Harry near the door, writing something in a small notebook with a pen. He was the only one with something Muggle, the others had quills or cameras in their hands and were making sure nothing was left unchecked. The place was completely destroyed, what little was left standing was still smoking and everything was black. There was ash everywhere and it smelled like it was burning.

Draco frowned and stepped through the yellow line of light that the Aurors had set up so that no one would approach the scene of the crime. Hermione gasped, but hurried after him.

An Auror stood in their way.

"Where do you think you're going? Only Aurors are allowed to be here."

Draco ignored him, looking for someone with his eyes.

"Potter!"

Harry turned at the sound of his name and gaped when he saw Draco and Hermione standing there. He shook his head and ran towards them.

"You can't be here! I've already told Hermione that Pansy's fine," he said, patting the other Auror's shoulder.

The man pursed his lips but walked away, leaving the three of them alone.

"She's my best friend, Potter. What if someone had attacked Hermione? What would you do?"

Harry glanced at Hermione for a moment and closed his eyes, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"All right... Come along, but this is classified information."

They both nodded and followed him silently, entering what was left of the small shop. Harry pushed aside a piece of wood with his foot and walked to the back, pointing at the wall with his index finger.

Draco and Hermione stood beside him, and both held their breath. There was a message written in large letters and black ink.

You are next, purebloods

Draco closed his eyes and covered his face with hands, sighing.

"Shit... not her."

"We'll find the culprit, Malfoy. And Pansy will have protection from now on, whoever it was won't dare attack her again," Harry said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Draco tensed as he felt it, but he didn't pull away. He felt Hermione's arm around his waist and sighed again, dropping his hands.

"Thank you, Potter. We'd better get going and let you get to work."

Harry nodded and the three of them walked back out into the street in silence. Draco and Hermione crossed the bright line, but he stopped after a couple of steps. He leaned over her and spoke softly.

"Tell Potter to give you his Invisibility Cloak."

Hermione frowned and stared at Draco, who nodded once. She broke through the yellow line again and ran over to Harry.

Draco watched them talk for a moment and Harry's green eyes briefly rested on him. Hermione returned to his side and they walked away.

"He'll bring it to me tonight. What do you need it for?" she asked, dodging the curious onlookers who had come over to find out what was going on.

Draco said nothing until they were back in the Ministry Atrium, inside one of the lifts.

"You're coming with me to the Department of Mysteries, tomorrow. There's something you have to see."

Hermione gasped, staring at him with surprised eyes.

"Isn't it dangerous? What if something happens to you if you tell me?"

"I'm not going to tell you anything, I'm just going to show you. You'll go under the cloak so no one will know you're there. If they find out I let you in, I'll end up in Azkaban," Draco muttered in a low voice.

"It's not the first time I've snuck into forbidden places," Hermione replied, smirking.

"I know. You looked all innocent but you were the worst of the lot. You had us all fooled."

Hermione smiled, but didn't answer. They were on the second floor and two women had just got into the lift. She moved a little closer to Draco and he put an arm around her waist.

"We'll talk later at home," he whispered close to her ear.

She nodded and looked into his eyes before stepping out of the lift, which was already on the first floor. She glanced back and saw Draco winking at her, a smirk on his lips, just before the lift shot down.