Dinner went on without any problems. Leila and Marianna were just as
gracious and welcoming to Draco, or Ron as they knew him, as they were to
her. After dinner, Draco helped with the dishes (Hermione offered for him
to help as a 'housewarming initiation.' Actually, she just wanted to see
him squirm at the idea of doing manual labor.) Draco did the job without
complaining and raised his eyebrows challengingly at her, as if testing her
to make him do something else. After he finished the job, he started to his
room and Hermione excused herself and followed.
"Do you have that owl I can use?"
"In the corner," Draco waved his hand and a blue sheet flew off s cage containing a large barn owl.
"And where did you learn how to handle manual labor? Been spending time with the house elves?" Hermione let the owl loose and watched intently as he stripped off his shirt and sat on the bed. Her eyes ran up his body and she saw his cocky grin overtaking his face.
"Living on your own in various condos and forests helps you with the dishes. What about you? Suddenly so interested in the male body.what, has Potter been refraining from his strip teases lately?"
"Yeah," Hermione's face dropped in fake disappointment. "I really miss those days."
Draco laughed amusedly at her, "I see your sense of humor has improved."
"Then again," Hermione continued her train of thought, putting her finger questioningly on her chin, "maybe it's just your sex appeal."
"I know I'm sexy, my dear, but could you please try not to act so desperate. You sound like Pansy," he stood up and walked over to her.
"Please, Draco, I was only using my new and improved sense of humor to the furthest extreme. You and sex appeal are never to be used in the same sentence unless the word 'none' is also in there," Hermione pushed a long fingernail into his chest.
"Well then, how come you can't keep your hands off me?" he grabbed her finger.
"It's inner beauty that counts. For some reason, I seem to believe you posses that.I'm still trying to figure it out," she scrunched up her nose.
"You're impossible," Draco rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed.
"And you're beautiful," Hermione smiled. "On the inside and out."
Draco sat up and eyes her up and down. She was amazing. She was cunningly intelligent, funny, caring, kind, and beautiful. On the inside and out. "I love you." The words came out of his mouth involuntarily, but they still carried so much meaning. He meant it. Every word.
"And I love you," Hermione sat next to him on the bed and took his hand. It was calloused and rough, but to Hermione it was the most comforting thing in the world. Her hand fit in his perfectly. The bumps and dips in his hand fit with hers much like her strengths and weaknesses fit with his. Her head gently slumped to his bare shoulder. "How did this happen?"
"I don't know," Draco spoke into her hair, his lips gently resting on the crown of her head.
"After five years."
"We ended up together."
"Again," Hermione's thumb caressed his hand. "Remind me to thank Harry in my next letter."
"Yeah, I guess it turns out that Potter really isn't all bad," Draco laughed. "Of course I was wrong."
"Why do Marianna and Leila think your name is Ron?" Hermione changed the topic to a question that had been pestering her all night.
"I couldn't tell them my own name and Harry had just told me Ron was engaged and when she asked my name Ron was the first thing that popped into my head. Horrid name."
Hermione chuckled, "I really should be going to bed."
"Don't," Draco wrapped his arms around her and Hermione nearly melted into his warm skin.
"And what am I supposed to do? Sleep here?" Hermione kissed his hand that was now hanging loosely around her neck.
"Good idea," Draco smiled and pulled her down on the bed with him. "I've waited five years to hold you. I don't want to let go now." He snuggled his face into her hair and she let out a giggle.
"And what would Marianna and Leila think if they walked in to see two supposed strangers in bed together?" Hermione tried to convince him, as well as herself, to let her out of his arms.
"Who cares?"
"Until this whole thing with the Ministry is cleared up, no one can know we are together. No one can know we are in contact. I'll be here in the morning," she smiled.
"Fine," Draco sat up, "but if you go running off in the middle of the night, I'm going to hunt you down and remind you of that."
"I won't," Hermione laughed at his childish stubbornness.
"You promise?"
"I swear. See you in the morning," she backed off the bed and turned around just as she reached the door. "None can resist Draco's sex appeal, especially not me," she laughed. "Draco, sex appeal, and none all in the same sentence. See you, beautiful," she blew a kiss and bounded down the hall to her room.
Draco just sat there and laughed before falling back on his bed. The day had gone perfectly. He enjoyed very second of her company. Too bad it wouldn't last. Harry was going to talk to the Aurors. Ha. Yeah right. It had taken a truth potion for Harry just to tell Draco where Hermione was. It was only a matter of time before the Ministry caught up with him. He had been running for three years. Three long years and it seemed like the ministry got closer every second.
Harry paced his kitchen for the thousandth time, clutching his teacup even tighter with each step. He had been outdone by Malfoy. Harry had been caught completely off guard when he opened his door to see silver eyes staring down at him and a wand pulled out in his face. He had asked before he forced Harry to tell him where Hermione was, of course, but he had found out nonetheless and now he was there with her.
He was torn now between one of his best friends and his job. The Aurors had been in search of Draco Malfoy for years and now Harry knew where he was. It was his responsibility to turn him in; he was a criminal in the eyes of the Ministry. On the other hand, Hermione was happy for the first time in.well, what seemed like forever. He didn't want to take that away form her. If the Aurors found out that he didn't tell them, he would be fired, no doubt, maybe even thrown into Azkaban for a short period of time. It was looked upon very seriously if you held information for the Ministry when you worked for them. His previous experience with the dementors made him fear that greatly, but he knew what he had to do. It was his friend's happiness or his, and Harry had never been a selfish person.
A knock reverberated through the house and Harry jumped, almost spilling his tea. He had been pacing all night and without his rest was jumpy. He opened the door to the familiar face of Tristan Lacoure, another Auror. Harry quickly shoved the letter he had held in his hands into his pocket and stepped back, welcoming Tristan silently into the house.
"What can I do for you?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
"Harry, I need you to take this," Tristan held out a vial with a clear potion settled in the bottom of it.
"A truth potion?" Harry looked at the glass container questioningly. "What's this for?"
"You have to take it no matter what it's for, so just drink it," Tristan was obviously getting impatient, either impatient or nervous.
Just answer me this. It's about Malfoy, isn't it?"
"Yes, now please take the potion."
Harry swallowed down the potion reluctantly, aware that the choice he had made previously to save Hermione had just been taken away from him.
"Do you know the current location of Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes," Harry no longer had any control over his mind or vocal cords. He answered calmly, no longer aware of what he was doing.
"Where is he?" Tristan felt horrible. Harry had been one of his best friends out of the Aurors and now he was doing something that could probably get Harry sent to Azkaban. He decided that if Harry gave him truthful information, he would brew his own truth potion and tell the Ministry that Harry had given him the information willingly. Friendship could be such a horrible thing sometimes. It placed Tristan in a position where he had to choose between friendship and his own well-being. Lying also wasn't looked upon very highly by the Aurors either.
"Basel, Switzerland. He is staying at a place called Serenity's Home," Harry spoke dully.
"Thank you, Harry. You should be back to normal in an hour. I'm sorry about this, man," and with that, Tristan stood up and left Harry standing in his living room in a daze.
HogwHHH
"Do you have that owl I can use?"
"In the corner," Draco waved his hand and a blue sheet flew off s cage containing a large barn owl.
"And where did you learn how to handle manual labor? Been spending time with the house elves?" Hermione let the owl loose and watched intently as he stripped off his shirt and sat on the bed. Her eyes ran up his body and she saw his cocky grin overtaking his face.
"Living on your own in various condos and forests helps you with the dishes. What about you? Suddenly so interested in the male body.what, has Potter been refraining from his strip teases lately?"
"Yeah," Hermione's face dropped in fake disappointment. "I really miss those days."
Draco laughed amusedly at her, "I see your sense of humor has improved."
"Then again," Hermione continued her train of thought, putting her finger questioningly on her chin, "maybe it's just your sex appeal."
"I know I'm sexy, my dear, but could you please try not to act so desperate. You sound like Pansy," he stood up and walked over to her.
"Please, Draco, I was only using my new and improved sense of humor to the furthest extreme. You and sex appeal are never to be used in the same sentence unless the word 'none' is also in there," Hermione pushed a long fingernail into his chest.
"Well then, how come you can't keep your hands off me?" he grabbed her finger.
"It's inner beauty that counts. For some reason, I seem to believe you posses that.I'm still trying to figure it out," she scrunched up her nose.
"You're impossible," Draco rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed.
"And you're beautiful," Hermione smiled. "On the inside and out."
Draco sat up and eyes her up and down. She was amazing. She was cunningly intelligent, funny, caring, kind, and beautiful. On the inside and out. "I love you." The words came out of his mouth involuntarily, but they still carried so much meaning. He meant it. Every word.
"And I love you," Hermione sat next to him on the bed and took his hand. It was calloused and rough, but to Hermione it was the most comforting thing in the world. Her hand fit in his perfectly. The bumps and dips in his hand fit with hers much like her strengths and weaknesses fit with his. Her head gently slumped to his bare shoulder. "How did this happen?"
"I don't know," Draco spoke into her hair, his lips gently resting on the crown of her head.
"After five years."
"We ended up together."
"Again," Hermione's thumb caressed his hand. "Remind me to thank Harry in my next letter."
"Yeah, I guess it turns out that Potter really isn't all bad," Draco laughed. "Of course I was wrong."
"Why do Marianna and Leila think your name is Ron?" Hermione changed the topic to a question that had been pestering her all night.
"I couldn't tell them my own name and Harry had just told me Ron was engaged and when she asked my name Ron was the first thing that popped into my head. Horrid name."
Hermione chuckled, "I really should be going to bed."
"Don't," Draco wrapped his arms around her and Hermione nearly melted into his warm skin.
"And what am I supposed to do? Sleep here?" Hermione kissed his hand that was now hanging loosely around her neck.
"Good idea," Draco smiled and pulled her down on the bed with him. "I've waited five years to hold you. I don't want to let go now." He snuggled his face into her hair and she let out a giggle.
"And what would Marianna and Leila think if they walked in to see two supposed strangers in bed together?" Hermione tried to convince him, as well as herself, to let her out of his arms.
"Who cares?"
"Until this whole thing with the Ministry is cleared up, no one can know we are together. No one can know we are in contact. I'll be here in the morning," she smiled.
"Fine," Draco sat up, "but if you go running off in the middle of the night, I'm going to hunt you down and remind you of that."
"I won't," Hermione laughed at his childish stubbornness.
"You promise?"
"I swear. See you in the morning," she backed off the bed and turned around just as she reached the door. "None can resist Draco's sex appeal, especially not me," she laughed. "Draco, sex appeal, and none all in the same sentence. See you, beautiful," she blew a kiss and bounded down the hall to her room.
Draco just sat there and laughed before falling back on his bed. The day had gone perfectly. He enjoyed very second of her company. Too bad it wouldn't last. Harry was going to talk to the Aurors. Ha. Yeah right. It had taken a truth potion for Harry just to tell Draco where Hermione was. It was only a matter of time before the Ministry caught up with him. He had been running for three years. Three long years and it seemed like the ministry got closer every second.
Harry paced his kitchen for the thousandth time, clutching his teacup even tighter with each step. He had been outdone by Malfoy. Harry had been caught completely off guard when he opened his door to see silver eyes staring down at him and a wand pulled out in his face. He had asked before he forced Harry to tell him where Hermione was, of course, but he had found out nonetheless and now he was there with her.
He was torn now between one of his best friends and his job. The Aurors had been in search of Draco Malfoy for years and now Harry knew where he was. It was his responsibility to turn him in; he was a criminal in the eyes of the Ministry. On the other hand, Hermione was happy for the first time in.well, what seemed like forever. He didn't want to take that away form her. If the Aurors found out that he didn't tell them, he would be fired, no doubt, maybe even thrown into Azkaban for a short period of time. It was looked upon very seriously if you held information for the Ministry when you worked for them. His previous experience with the dementors made him fear that greatly, but he knew what he had to do. It was his friend's happiness or his, and Harry had never been a selfish person.
A knock reverberated through the house and Harry jumped, almost spilling his tea. He had been pacing all night and without his rest was jumpy. He opened the door to the familiar face of Tristan Lacoure, another Auror. Harry quickly shoved the letter he had held in his hands into his pocket and stepped back, welcoming Tristan silently into the house.
"What can I do for you?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
"Harry, I need you to take this," Tristan held out a vial with a clear potion settled in the bottom of it.
"A truth potion?" Harry looked at the glass container questioningly. "What's this for?"
"You have to take it no matter what it's for, so just drink it," Tristan was obviously getting impatient, either impatient or nervous.
Just answer me this. It's about Malfoy, isn't it?"
"Yes, now please take the potion."
Harry swallowed down the potion reluctantly, aware that the choice he had made previously to save Hermione had just been taken away from him.
"Do you know the current location of Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes," Harry no longer had any control over his mind or vocal cords. He answered calmly, no longer aware of what he was doing.
"Where is he?" Tristan felt horrible. Harry had been one of his best friends out of the Aurors and now he was doing something that could probably get Harry sent to Azkaban. He decided that if Harry gave him truthful information, he would brew his own truth potion and tell the Ministry that Harry had given him the information willingly. Friendship could be such a horrible thing sometimes. It placed Tristan in a position where he had to choose between friendship and his own well-being. Lying also wasn't looked upon very highly by the Aurors either.
"Basel, Switzerland. He is staying at a place called Serenity's Home," Harry spoke dully.
"Thank you, Harry. You should be back to normal in an hour. I'm sorry about this, man," and with that, Tristan stood up and left Harry standing in his living room in a daze.
HogwHHH