It was early on a Saturday morning when Draco shuffled sleepily into the kitchen. A low, pained moan fell from his lips as he rubbed his stiff neck with tentative hands, tracing a couple of big circles with his head to stretch out the tense muscles that were sending bouts of pain down his spine. It had been another rough night. He thought he had got rid of the nightmares, had almost forgotten about them, until they came back. Harder and more devastatingly realistic than ever before. At the moment there was rarely a night that wasn't plagued by horrific images that pulled him from his slumber in hourly intervals.
He had woken from another blood-curdling dream only minutes ago, covered in sweat and panting as if an Erumpent had stood on his chest, trying to suffocate him and squeeze every last bit of air out of his lungs.
He let out a long-suffering groan.
Coffee! He was in dire need of caffeine.
With a lazy flick of his wand, he brought the coffee machine to life, causing it to emit a low bubbling noise as the water inside it began to boil. Draco let out a deep sigh as the rich, nutty aroma of the steaming hot coffee came wafting over to him, slowly waking up his senses and gently stirring his sluggish mind.
Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he let out a drawn-out yawn. He really needed to make more of his sleeping solution. The demand for it had been very high lately. So high in fact, that the last batch had sold out in only a handful of days. Mr. Edwards was ecstatic and had praised Draco highly for his innovative thinking, when he announced that the little tincture had become the bestselling potion at Slugs and Jiggers. It had felt good to receive genuine appreciation for something Draco had created all by himself and he had to try very hard to keep a smug grin off his face, when the warm, yet unfamiliar feeling of pride filled his chest. Mustering all the self-control he possessed, he had muttered shy responses of "It's nothing." and "I was just toying around and got lucky.", all the while being painfully aware of the traitorous heat that was creeping into his face and turning it a bright shade of pink.
Stifling another yawn, Draco made a mental note to brew a double batch of the solution later that day, planning to take some of it away for his personal use. As far as he was concerned the small vial of Dreamless Sleep Potion on his bedside table best remained untouched. It was there for those especially horrific nights, that had him wake up screaming at the top of his lungs, but he preferred not to rely on the powerful solution if he could help it.
Dreamless Sleep Potion was brilliant for acute problems. People who had accidents or dramatic experiences and needed a few hours of rest for their bodies to recover and heal; but it was too easy to become addicted if taken regularly. In most cases the user would build up a resistance to the potion, which compelled them to continuously increase the dosage until they eventually overdose and fall into a deep, comatose slumber. It was practically impossible to be woken up once someone had reached that state, which generally landed them in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where their bodies wasted away on life-support.
Draco's potion didn't have any of those terrifying side effects, and therefore made a much better solution for people with chronic insomnia or nightmares.
His lips pulled into a self-satisfied smirk. It was no wonder the potion had become so popular.
His mind drifted briefly to a certain curly-haired witch that had been buying the solution regularly since Mr. Edwards had introduced it to her a few years ago, causing his stomach to flutter excitedly. Every few months Hermione Granger would rush into the shop, cheeks flushed and hair wild as ever, and every time their conversations had been short and slightly awkward, but strangely enjoyable. She was always polite, never making any snide comments or bringing up their difficult past.
It baffled Draco how someone like her could grant him so much understanding and kindness, when all he had done in the past was torment her for something she couldn't help. It intrigued him. He wanted to know more about her, learn to understand how that big brain of hers worked. She had every right to hate him, and yet she didn't.
Draco let out a deep sigh and began waving his wand in well-practiced motions, floating plates and cutlery over to the heavy wooden table, followed by butter and various types of jams and preserves, when a light tapping at the window caused him to halt. He looked up to see a ruffled looking tawny owl flapping its wings wildly; the sharp, hooked beak pecking impatiently at the window pane. With a quick wave of Draco's wand, the window sprang open, allowing the large bird to swoop into the kitchen and drop a freshly printed copy of The Daily Prophet onto the table, before perching on the back of a kitchen chair.
Ruffling its feathers pompously, the bird eyed Draco expectantly as he sauntered over to the kitchen counter, fished a couple of owl nuts from a heavy ceramic jar and offered them to the owl, accompanied by a few gentle strokes over the bird's soft plumage. It accepted both the treats and the fuss, cooing happily, before spreading its wings dramatically and leaving the kitchen the same way it had entered.
Once the owl had left, Draco continued to prepare his breakfast and settled on a wooden chair at the table with a plate of golden, crunchy toast. He pulled The Daily Prophet towards him and unravelled the thick roll of paper while taking a sip of his piping hot coffee, when his eyes fell upon the headline on the front page and he nearly choked on the scalding hot liquid. "Minister of magic receives anonymous threat, demanding harsher punishment for Death-Eaters."
Coughing wildly, Draco abandoned the steaming cup and began to read.
On Friday evening the Ministry of Magic received an anonymous letter, demanding justice for those who have lost their lives during the Second Wizarding War and threatening with "dire consequences" should the Ministry fail to deliver.
Addressed to Minister Shacklebolt himself, the letter read: "Those monsters (Lord Voldemort's followers) need to be punished for their crimes. We want to see them suffer like we suffered." And goes on to heavily criticise the lack of initiative the Ministry has shown over the past few years.
The addressor then threatened the ministry, stating: "Your time is running out. We have waited far too long and our patience is wearing thin. If you continue to ignore our demands, we will take matters into our own hands and there will be dire consequences for everyone involved."
When being questioned late last night, Head Auror Harry Potter confirmed that an official investigation has been opened. "The case has been given top priority. Members of both, the Auror Division and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are working hard to get to the root of this and find out who sent the letter. As of this moment there is no evidence of imminent danger, and we (DMLE) would therefore like to ask the general public to remain calm as further investigations are being made." Head Auror Potter states.
Meanwhile the Minister Of Magic issued a written statement, addressing the sender of the letter directly. "I will always fight for justice, but not cold-blooded revenge." The letter states. (Read the full statement on page 4.)
Draco nibbled absentmindedly on a slice of toast while reading the article; the small crease between his eyebrows becoming more prominent with every word. Reaching the bottom of the page, he placed the newspaper down in front of him, staring blankly at it as he tried to process all the information. Someone out there meant business.
He was pulled out of his thoughts a moment later, when a sudden roar from the fireplace in the sitting room across the hall announced the arrival of a guest.
"Oh, good! You read it." Theo sighed as he sauntered into the kitchen and dropped lazily into the chair opposite Draco. Letting out an appreciative hum, he reached across the table and stole a piece of toast from Draco's plate, earning himself a critical look from the blonde wizard.
"What?" he asked, shrugging nonchalantly. "I'm starving."
Draco let out a deep sigh and, with an exasperated roll of his eyes, waved his wand. He watched as two fresh slices of bread slid into the toaster, before levitating a clean mug and the still half-full coffee pot over to the table to land right in front of his famished friend.
Theo gave him a wide grin as he picked up the heavy ceramic pot and began pouring himself a generous amount of the hot beverage.
"You're lucky I'm feeling charitable today." Draco drawled, an amused glint in his steely-grey eyes as he watched his friend dump an unhealthy amount of sugar into his mug. Judging by his pale complexion and the dark circles under his eyes, Theo's night had been just as bad as Draco's. Although the jittery hands suggested that the brunette was already several cups of coffee ahead of him.
"You always feel charitable towards me." Theo smirked, his eyes sparkling impishly. "You love me too much to let me go hungry and deprived of caffeine."
He raised the cup to his face and inhaled the strong, almost burnt aroma of the dark liquid, casting his eyes dreamily towards the ceiling as he let out an exaggerated moan. "Mmmhhh! Thank Merlin, you're a coffee enthusiast like me. I would die if all you had to offer was boring old tea."
Draco rolled his eyes at his friend's theatrics. "Switch to tea in order to get rid of you. Noted." He quipped.
Theo shrugged at the jab, completely unfazed. "You would hate it without me. Your life would be far too boring." he deadpanned. "Anyway," the brunette's expression darkened as he pointed at the newspaper between them. "What do you think?"
Draco gave a non-committal shrug. "Too soon to get worried." he said, trying to sound more confident than he really was. "It might be a fluke. Someone got bored and thought an anonymous threat addressed to the Minister of Magic could make their life more interesting."
"That's what Blaise said. That it's too soon to worry." Theo sighed. "I hope you're right. I have a bad feeling about this." He rubbed his eyes wearily and let out a deep sigh.
"It's not like we can do anything about it anyway. We just have to keep our heads down and wait until Potter saves the day, yet again." Draco interjected.
"I guess." Theo sighed, staring blankly at the newspaper again and chewing his lip thoughtfully. "Anyway," he finally said, ready to change the topic. "What are you up to today? Anything interesting?"
Draco shook his head before taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm going to Flourish & Blotts. There's a new book on the properties of alpine herbs that I want. I'm working on a new potion and need to do some research."
Theo's jaw dropped, casting Draco an incredulous look. "Mate, it's Saturday!" He said, looking scandalised. "You can't work today! Why don't you come over to my place instead? We start drinking at a completely unreasonable time, be sloshed by noon and start making bad life decisions before 2pm."
"Or," Draco retorted. "You could come with me and help me with my research. Do something useful for once."
ooo
An hour later Draco was walking down Diagon Alley towards Flourish & Blotts. Theo had decided that being useful was definitely not an acceptable activity for a Saturday morning and had left Draco after breakfast to go and badger Pansy instead. He was sure the two would be drunk by noon and visit him later today to cause him a massive headache, but for now he just wanted to focus on his research.
The little bell above the door chimed as he entered the popular book shop and he smiled as the familiar scent of fresh parchment and printers ink filled his nostrils. Theo could say what he wanted. This was not work. He enjoyed coming here.
He walked down the aisles, scanning the little tags on the shelves in his search for the herbology section when a familiar mass of wild, chestnut curls caught his eye.
He groaned. Of course! If there was one person, he would expect to meet in a book store at 9am on a Saturday morning it would have to be her.
Hermione Granger was standing in front of a ceiling-high shelf at the other end of the aisle; her nose deep in a book, brows furrowed in concentration, and completely oblivious to her surroundings.
For a moment Draco considered turning around and leaving the little shop before she could see him, but curiosity got the better of him, and he approached her cautiously until he came to a halt right in front of her. Ignoring the wild thumping of his heart he casually leaned against the shelf and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Maladies Of The Magical Mind?" He read the cover of her book, his tone almost bordering on boredom. "You know Granger, if you're hoping to fix Weasley's brain I'm afraid you've taken on a lost cause. It's not a malady. He was born like that." He drawled in his most obnoxious, bratty voice.
Granger's eyes shot up and stared at him for a second, before she let out an exasperated sigh and slammed the tome shut with a loud thud.
"Malfoy." She said, offering him a friendly smile. "Nice to see you. What brings you here so early on a Saturday morning?"
Draco could feel the heat rise into his cheeks as she shifted slightly under her gaze. Of course she would ignore his snide comment and greet him with kindness instead of taking the bait and start a fight. Clever witch.
He cleared his throat noisily. "I.. uhm… I'm doing some research for a new potion." He explained, all his cocky attitude long lost. "A solution that relieves chronic pain."
He watched as the witch's brown eyes began to sparkle with interest, encouraging him to carry on. "Most of the potions we carry at the shop only alleviate pain for a short amount of time, which is great if you're treating acute injuries, but we don't really have anything that can be used long term to aid chronic ailments."
Granger's lips drew into a wide grin. "That sounds fascinating." She breathed, unable to hide her excitement. "So you're here to look up potential ingredients?" she asked, making her way down the aisle towards the Herbology section.
"Yes." Draco nodded, following the bushy haired witch to the back of the shop.
"You know there is this new book that's all about alpine herbs and their healing properties? There might be something useful in that, let me see… oh yes. Here it is." Granger pulled a thick book from the shelf and held it up for Draco to see. "And maybe you should look into aquatic plants too. I think there's a book on their use in potion making somewhere in here." Draco watched as her fingers trailed along the edge of the shelf, her head slightly tilted to read the back of each book; every now and again pulling one out and adding it to the growing pile beside her. "Oh, and you could also look into – "
"Do you work here?" he interrupted, unable to stop himself.
Granger's head shot up, a confused expression on her face. "What?" she asked, staring at him with big brown eyes.
"Do you work here?" Draco repeated. "Only you seem to know the place like the back of your hand."
"Oh." A slight blush crept into the witch's cheeks as she tugged a stray curl behind her ear and shook her head. "No. I just spend a lot of time here." She said, biting her lip to suppress an awkward giggle.
Draco studied her for a moment, unsure of what to say. He wasn't used to people showing this level of interest in his work. None of his friends cared much about potions unless they could cure a bad hangover.
"Anyway," Granger rattled on. "You should contact Neville Longbottom. If there's anyone who knows more about plants than these books, it's him."
Draco scoffed. "What makes you think Longbottom would agree to help me?" He asked incredulously. "I hate to break it to you, Granger, but I wasn't exactly friends with him in school."
That was an understatement. He used to bully Longbottom almost as much as Granger during their time at Hogwarts. He doubted the man would as much as open the letter if he tried to contact him.
Granger looked at him with furrowed brows. "I think you'd be surprised." She finally said, her eyes sparkling challengingly. "Neville is a good man who doesn't hold grudges. He'd probably really appreciate someone he can talk about his plants with. He doesn't get a lot of people who are willing to listen."
Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest and cast her a disbelieving look. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that Granger was a bit too optimistic. Just because she had decided to forgive him, didn't mean that others would feel the same way. His mind briefly wandered back to the newspaper article he had read earlier that day, causing him to shiver slightly as an unsettling feeling of foreboding settled in his stomach. People weren't especially fond of people like him. It would be prudent to just keep his head down and not draw any unnecessary attention to himself. He couldn't deny, however, that talking to an expert like Neville Longbottom could save him a lot of time and tedious research.
He sighed heavily. "Alright." He nodded. "I'll think about it."
Grangers lips immediately spread into a wide smile. "Great." She said, bouncing happily on her toes. "If you want, I can try and arrange a meeting for you. Neville's my friend. I owl him all the time. What do you think of next Saturday? It's a Hogsmeade weekend. We could meet him at the Three Broomsticks for lunch."
We? His heart stuttered slightly. Since when was she part of the plan? Did she really just suggest the two of them would meet Longbottom for a meal? She couldn't be serious?
"Why are you trying to help me?" he asked suspiciously, his question sounding harsher than intended, but she again ignored his accusatory tone and smiled.
"I like Mr. Edwards" she simply said.
"Excuse me?" Draco gaped at her.
"It's for him, isn't it? The potion you're trying to make?" The witch smirked knowingly. "I've noticed him being much stiffer lately. You're trying to find something that will help with his arthritis, aren't you?"
Draco looked at her dumbfounded. So she wasn't just smart, she was also incredibly observant. Brilliant.
Realising that he was staring at her, he averted his gaze to the floor and nodded.
"Yes." He confirmed. "He's been getting pretty bad lately. I am hoping to develop a potion that can alleviate some of the pain without making him feel too drowsy."
"That's really nice of you, you know? Trying to help him." The witch offered him a wide smile.
For some reason the statement made Draco feel defiant. Why did she always have to act like he was a changed man. He wasn't nearly as good as she wanted to believe.
"It's for my own advantage." He countered, trying to sound indifferent. "If I can rid the old coot from his pains he can do more work, which leaves less for me to do. I'm not keen on doing all the work by myself, you know?" he arranged his face into a haughty expression, but the clever witch wasn't fooled.
"Sure." She said, a challenging glint in her eyes. "You keep telling yourself that, but we both know you're just trying to hide the fact that you care about him."
"I do not!" Draco retorted angrily, his face burning with embarrassment as he glared at her. Merlin's left tit! The witch was infuriating. Why did she have to stick her nose into matters that didn't concern her?
She let out a small snicker at the sour expression on his face and stepped a little closer to look up at him. Her big, doe-like eyes were calculating, almost studious; as if she was trying to read him. Draco's anger subsided immediately and he swallowed heavily as he looked down at her; trying to ignore the warm tingling sensation that had spread in his chest. After a long moment of silence she finally dropped her gaze and let out a big sigh. "Either way," she said, her voice sounding a little husky as she turned around to collect all the books she had pulled off the shelves. "It's for a good cause, so I'm happy to help."
Draco let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and re-arranged his face into his usual mask of indifference. "Fine." He said, a haughty grin on his face. "But I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' when Longbottom tells you that he'd rather eat dragon dung than meet up with me."
"Deal!" Granger said, thrusting her hand towards him.
"Deal." Draco agreed as he clasped her hand and shook it.
"Well, that's settled then." She said happily. "I'll let you know what Neville says. I can contact you at Slugs and Jiggers?"
Draco nodded. "Sure."
"Great." She offered him a bright smile and dropped the pile of books she had collected into his hands. "You might want to get these anyway. For a bit of light reading." She squeezed past him to pick up the tome she had abandoned earlier and grabbed his hand to guide him to the till.
Draco followed her without a word and watched dumbfoundedly as she paid and stored her newly acquired book safely in her bag, a happy smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Right, that's me done." She said. "I'll see you soon, Malfoy." And with a little wave of her hand and a curt nod towards the woman at the till, she left.
"She's a force to be reckoned with, isn't she?" the old woman behind the counter said happily, as she pointed her wand at his books to scan them for their price. "That'll be forty-eight Galleons and 5 Sickles, please."
"Yeah, she is." Draco murmured as he handed her the money.
"Lovely girl, though." The woman prattled on as she placed the books into a brown paper bag. "She spends most Saturday mornings here, always happy to have a little chat. I think she is better now." She added thoughtfully. "Used to look awfully gaunt and much too skinny. Poor girl. Not sure she has anyone to take care of her."
Draco's brows furrowed, wondering what she was talking about. As far as he knew, Granger was constantly surrounded by friends. Surely they would take care of her?
The woman handed him the bag over the counter and they exchanged a polite goodbye, before he left the little shop with much more than he had bargained for. – Six books instead of one, a possible date with Longbottom, and a whole lot to think about.
ooo
A/N: Draco's first proper conversation with Hermione and she immediately arranges to meet him for lunch! I guess we'll see how that goes...
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story so far.
As always, I will aim to post the next chapter next Friday. Fingers crossed I will make it. :)
