Disclaimer:  Harry Potter and Co. belong to J.K. Rowling.  I am only a fan.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapter Five:  The Morning After *~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione let out a small groan.  The second blast had been close, too close.  Her ears were ringing and her head was pounding.  She let out a small cough.  She was dizzy, trying to get a gauge on her bearings.  She tried to move, but she felt pain.  She heard shouting and suddenly there was a figure above her and lots of smoke as he lifted her up and carried her away.

Draco propped her on her feet and squeezed the both of them into a crevasse in the wall of the tunnel, hidden by darkness.  Damn it, Granger! He cursed to himself.  He knew she was going to go after him, he even surprised himself by going after her.  He didn't dare venture further down this train of thought, especially in this position they were in; barely any space between their bodies, faces inches apart.  She was coming to.

"Dra—"she started, but he quickly put his finger to his mouth in a gesture of silence.

They could hear voices in the tunnel.  Draco pressed himself closer to her, watching the tunnel intently, wand out and ready.  She didn't dare breath, she felt like a trapped rabbit.  She could smell a faint musky scent of aftershave or cologne on him.  Her eyes traveled over his handsome face, his eyes set with concentration.  Her body was betraying her mind, which wanted to push him away.  Her face flushed with the realization that she was not holding her breath out of fear of being caught, but of being in such close proximity of him.  The voices were coming closer and she forced herself to pay attention.  Viktor and the newbie-auror passed by.  She looked up at Draco, who looked down at her, giving each other looks of confusion.  Draco noticing her flushed face and baited breath, stepped away from her but leaned his face toward her and whispered in her ear.

"Sorry Granger.  I don't fuck mudbloods."

She made a motion to slap him but he stopped her hand mid-motion.

"You are such a bastard." She whispered, her voice dripping with loathing.

Draco's expression darkened as he pushed Hermione back against the wall, pinning her with his own body pressed against hers.  He brought one hand up to tangle in her hair and cradle the back of her head as he leaned into her.  She could feel his breath on her lips, when she coyly smiled.

"So, who's the new auror?"

"Damn you, Granger." Draco shut his eyes in frustration before opening them and storming out of their hiding spot.  "Find out for yourself." He called out angrily behind him.

"Don't worry.  I will." She said to herself.

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"Come on.  I know a place you can stay at."  Harry told Krum.

For some reason, Krum didn't want to go back to wherever it was that he called home.  Harry didn't think about that too much as he had more pressing matters on his mind. 

"Aren't you concerned at all about Hermione?" he asked Krum as they walked.

"No." Viktor shrugged.  "She can take care of herself."

Harry was a little annoyed with this answer.

"You know who took her, don't you?" he pressed further.

Krum's face gave nothing away.  He was hiding something.  Harry knew it. 

"Vat are you doing here?" Krum changed focus back to Harry.

"It was time for me to come home."  Harry answered quietly.  He was still upset about Krum's secretiveness.

"I'm glad.  It's good to see you again."

They had arrived at the flat Ron and Harry now shared.  Harry had just placed his hand on the doorknob when the door flew open.  Ron stepped out, nearly colliding with Harry.

"I was just about to look –"Ron had just noticed their visitor.

Harry and Krum pushed their way past Ron who was doing a great impression of a goldfish out of water.  Harry drew the curtains all around the house.

"What is he doing here?" Ron hissed as he closed the door.

"He needs a place to stay for a little bit." Harry answered.  "How's Ginny?"

"Ginny vas hurt?" Krum asked.

"No.  She'll be alright.  Just cuts and bruises.  Why was she there in the first place?" Ron's eyes narrowed.

"I vood think that vas obvious."

"She's a member of the Underground, isn't she?" Harry guessed as he transformed back into himself.

"That little…!  I'm going to wring her neck!" Ron was pissed off.

"Don't worry.  She can take care of herself." Krum assured Ron.

"You seem to say that a lot, don't you?" Harry said sarcastically as he leaned against a wall, arms folded across his chest.

"I'd be careful if I vere you.  People vill begin to think you actually care." Krum advised, chastising Harry.

Harry didn't like what he was insinuating.  He took his wand out and changed back into Jameson.

"I'm going back to the Ministry to see if I can help with anything.  Are you coming, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, it's going to be a long day."

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Hermione sat on the examining table while the medi-witch examined her.  A screen surrounding the table protected her from the pacing and raving Sabian on the other side.  Draco was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with a look of amusement on his face.

"You disobeyed a direct order, Granger!  Of all the reckless…You put yourself and others in danger!"

"I told you the death eaters were going to come after him!  Voldemort sent Flint and his group." She shouted back.

"All done dear." The medi-witch told her.  Hermione hastily threw her shirt back on, stood up and walked around the screen.

"Look we all got out with only minor cuts and bruises." Hermione said calmly.

"You made it out only because Draco came to rescue you!"

"Rescue me?!  I…You…" she was spluttering angrily.  Draco gave a smile of superiority.

"You were close to capture by an auror and a death eater.  You were lucky I had gotten there in time." Draco said cockily.

"I didn't need your help.  I was doing fine on my own!"

"Your shoddy rescue mission was a disaster.  Viktor was taken by an auror.  They're probably booking him right now."

"I wouldn't bet on that, Malfoy."

"Well, I'll find out anyway." He said airily as he opened the door to leave the room.  "I've got to get to work, someone around here has to do their job properly."

Hermione let out a frustrated yell as she picked up the nearest thing to her and threw it toward the shutting door, shattering it against it.

"I hope that vasn't expensive." Sabian commented.

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Harry and Ron stood in the lift, waiting to arrive at their destination.

"So, what's the deal with Malfoy?" Harry finally asked, not being able to hold it in any longer.

Ron smiled, "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that.  Truth is, I don't know."

"Is he a Death Eater?"

"Surprisingly, the answer is no.  I'm not sure why, being the git that he is.  I'm not sure whose side he's on."

"I was sure, being who his father is, that he would be first in line to sign up.  Since when did the Death Eaters not want feeble minded gits with limited talent?"

"No, they still want that.  He just hasn't said yes to them.   Of course, he's never said no, either."

Their destination had arrived as they stepped through the open doors. 

There was a flurry of activity at the office after last night's action.   Harry made himself busy with random papers on a nearby desk as Cho Chang walked up to Ron.

"There you are!  I've been looking all over for you." She handed Ron a clipboard of paper.  "You too Jameson, here's the report from last night.  Witness reports, arrest records, stuff like that.  Interrogations are being done as we speak."

Ron and Harry walked toward the interrogation rooms, Harry flipping through the pages, searching for something.  Cho Chang was walking with them trying to keep up with them in the crowd.

"Shacklebolt is looking for you two.  Fudge ripped him a new one, I think." She continued.

"Is this the most up to date arrest log?" Harry asked her as he flipped through the pages some more.

"Yes, this is everyone that was brought in last night.  Oh, I've got to go."

Cho took off in the direction of her name being called.  Harry took Ron off to the side, looked around and spoke in a low voice only the two of them could hear.

"She's not on this list."  He half whispered to Ron.

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Hermione.  I saw Malfoy take her last night."

"Malfoy?  Are you sure?" Ron whispered incredulously.

"Yes I'm sure.  But he didn't arrest her, she's not on this list.  Come with me."

Harry walked down toward the offices.  He stopped in front of one of the doors.

"What exactly is Malfoy investigating?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron looked at the name on the office door.

"Are you nuts?!  He could show up here any minute!"

"Relax.  I'm just going to have a look around.  You just keep an eye out."

Harry unlocked the door and stepped inside.  It was a nice office furnished by filing cabinets, a sofa, and a large desk with a leather chair behind it.  Harry looked over the top of the desk.  Nothing real useful here, there were no important papers on top except for a few office memos.  Harry began to search through the desk's drawers.

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He didn't like him.  That's for sure.  There was something about Jameson, the new auror that he didn't like.  He had a feeling that he was not all that he seemed.  He had to be a loser, after all he hung around Weasley.  Granger had taken a fancy to him, this seemed to piss him off even more.  Something was nagging at the back of his mind, though.  Just before he had rescued Granger, he had heard Jameson call out her name.  Her first name.  How did he know her name?  He had heard their whole conversation, she had never given it to him.

The doors to the lift opened and he stepped into chaos.  A wizard had run up to him handing him a clipboard.

"Here's the rep—" he began, but Draco had cut him off.

"Just give me that and leave me alone." He said impatiently.

He turned to the arrest log and scanned the list, and then scanned it some more.  Krum's name wasn't on the list.  He stopped a hurried auror passing by.

"Did Krum get arrested last night?" he asked him.

"No, didn't you hear?  He escaped." The man replied.

Draco headed to his office.  He needed to think. 

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Nothing.  There was nothing in the drawers.  Harry looked up and scanned the walls.  Wanted posters were hanging on the wall.  One in particular caught his eye.  It was of Hermione Granger.  It must have been taken without her knowledge, probably by an auror.  She was walking through the muggle streets of London wearing black pants, boots and top, all covered with a long black muggle jacket.  Harry took his eyes off the picture and let them settle on Malfoy's filing cabinet.  He opened the drawers and thumbed through the files.  Reports mostly, arrest records of Death Eaters and protesters.  He had just heard Ron in a loud voice when he came across the thick file of Granger, Hermione.

"You're in early today, Malfoy."

"Shut up Weasley." He heard him reply.

Harry hastily picked up the file and stuffed it into his robes.  He then went into the corner and threw his invisibility cloak around himself as the door to the office opened. 

Draco stepped inside his office.  He threw the report on his desk and paced his office.  So, Krum hadn't been taken in by Jameson.  Why?  Why didn't he do that?  He looked up at the wanted pictures on the wall, in particular Hermione's.  Her voice taunted him in his head.  I wouldn't bet on that, Malfoy.  Urghh!  He hated when Granger was right.  He tore her poster of his wall, crumpled it and threw it into a trash bin.

"Stupid mudblood." He said frustrated. 

The hairs on Draco's neck stood on end.  He was not alone in the room, he could sense it.  Weasley burst into the room, flinging the door wide open. 

"Didn't they teach you any manners, or are you too poor to learn?" Malfoy asked annoyed.

Shacklebolt's head peered in.

"I need you to interrogate the suspect in room seven." He said curtly.

"Yes sir." Malfoy's demeanor changed drastically.

"And where's Jameson?" Shacklebolt inquired.

"Right behind you sir." Harry appeared behind him.

"Oh, there you are.  I was wondering where you were.  You need to question the suspect in room five."

"Yes,sir."

Draco watched Weasley and Jameson walk off.  Something didn't feel right, he was sure there was someone else in the room.  On a hunch, he walked over to his filing cabinets and opened a drawer.  He flipped through his files.  It was gone.

"Dammit!" he cursed as he slammed the drawer shut.

He walked out of his office toward the chaos that was abound in the lobby.  He scanned the crowd of aurors, suspects and reporters from various wizard newspapers.  Bursts of flash from the cameras dotted the chaos.  He found who he was looking for and pulled him aside so they could talk quietly.

"I've got another proposition for you, Creevey." He spoke low.  "You see that new auror over there?  His name is Michael Jameson.  I need you to tail him."

"And why would I do this for you?" Colin asked with fake disinterest, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

Draco smiled.  Annoying little Gryffindor still feared him a little.  He stepped closer to him, a smirk spreading across his face.

"I'll make it worth your while."

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Witches and wizards opened their morning editions of the Daily prophet that day to the headline:  Death Eaters Caught!  Complete with a large photo of the auror Malfoy, with two Death Eaters in the grip of his two hands.  A smaller headline below the photo read: Exclusive photos by Colin Creevey inside!

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Thanks to all who reviewed!  Sorry for the wait, and sorry if this chapter is a bit slower than the others.  I thought that we needed a break from the "cliffies", or at least give FayeValentine00's poor monitor a break!  ;)  ;)