Disclaimer: All characters presented in the fic are the property of J.K. Rowling. I just like to play with them on occasion

Author's Note: Written for elementaldeity for the dmhgficexchange on livejournal.

Special Thanks: Terri, Inell, Zephyr and especially nakhashmekashefah for the wonderful feed back especially in the eleventh hour.

One more note: I've gotten many questions as to why didn't Draco tell Snape about Rookwood in Hogsmeade. Draco in my mind was still wary of others. The only person he showed any faith in was Hermione, Harry and Ron got a little of that faith as an extension in her. It would have been wise to do so of course, but when in shock we don't always do the right thing.

Chapter Six - Unspeakables

Hermione sat at her desk in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries pouring through some ancient texts regarding magical essence that flows through plant life. It had been three months since she had graduated and been accepted to work with the Unspeakables. Sighing as she read the twentieth account closely resembling the Greek mythology she'd studied in her youth.

"Nymphs, Dryads, Limoniads, Limniads… I might as well be reading Homer," Hermione sighed as she closed the text and placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes tightly.

"It appears as if your theory regarding the superiority of wizards to Muggles has been rendered invalid by this text," Hermione exclaimed, looking across the table of the library to her companion. "Wizards appeared to be as clueless about the true essence of magic running throughout nature as Muggles. I read all of this information as a child."

Draco chuckled as he looked up from the text he was reading. "Hermione," he replied, "I am quite surprised. Surely you know by now that you should always check the source of your information."

Hermione opened her eyes, her head cocked to the side as she looked at her research partner. Taking the book she had just been reading when he picked it up and handed it to her, she read the cover aloud, "The Magic of Nature, by Hector Omer."

As realization dawned on her, Hermione groaned, "H. Omer… Homer."

Chuckling, Draco took the book from her, closing it as well as his. "You will find that for every piece of information that Muggles have about our world, a witch or wizard was there to plant the seed. Come on, I think that we could both do with a break," he insisted, pulling her from her seat and leading her out of the library.

After their encounter with Rookwood in Hogsmeade, Hermione had been surprised to find Draco spending his evenings revising for N.E.W.T.'s as well as filling out applications. He had never given her the impression that he would seek employment, outside of perhaps establishing some independent business ventures, as those that had been run by his father had been dissolved with his death.

When asked, Draco would never tell Hermione what careers he was considering and she would not force the issue, though she was anxious to know what the wizard planned to do at the end of term. Graduation was fast approaching and she still had not spent a single day outside of his company since the unexplainable bond that drew them together had formed.

As it turned out, Draco had been concerned with what would happen after graduation, as well. Initially, he had just assumed that they would see how long they could bear the separation and, if need be, acquire a flat near her residence. After his encounter with Rookwood, however, he realized that he needed to find something to keep him occupied. It would do no good to slip back into the desolation that he had found himself in after his capture. So, he applied for the same job within the Ministry as Hermione and was pleasantly surprised when he was accepted, alongside of her, despite his family ties.

Hermione looked at Draco as they stepped out of the rundown phone booth that led from the Ministry into Muggle London. "Where are we going today?"

Draco shrugged, wondering why she insisted on asking him the same question daily. Over the past three months, their friendship had blossomed. Companionable silence was no longer a viable option as they had to speak in order to effectively work together. As they both had to eat in order to survive, they naturally fell into taking their lunch hour together.

"One would think that I Obliviated you every day. Where did I want to eat yesterday?" Draco asked, looking down at Hermione.

"You didn't know," she said timidly as she lowered her eyelids in a sheepish grin.

"And the day before that?" he continued, pausing until she reiterated her answer. "Now I'll give you one guess as to where I want to eat today," he continued.

Hermione crossed her arms, "Fine, Malfoy, let's go to The Leaky Cauldron," she snapped, in obvious frustration, "although, it would be a nice change of pace for you to choose for once."

Laughing, Draco offered her his arm before looking around to check for passersby. "I promise, Hermione," he started seriously, "if I have a strong opinion as to where we should eat one day, I will let you know." With that said, the two Disapparated with a 'pop'.

As Hermione and Draco unlinked arms and looked about the dusty pub, a smile spread across her face as her eyes fell upon her two best friends. Harry and Ron were sitting in a booth at the back of the pub, their heads lowered as they spoke intently with a dark haired man whose face she could not see.

Draco groaned as she grabbed his arm to pull him in the direction of her friends. While he imagined it could be said that the four of them became even closer after coming across Rookwood at the end of last year, he still avoided dealing with Weasley whenever possible.

Ron, it seemed, fancied himself some sort of guardian over Hermione. Draco had become the object of his obsession with his plans to join Hermione working as Unspeakable.

He had, at least, gained enough restraint to pull Draco away from Harry and Hermione before making his suspicions known. The Slytherin had actually been surprised that he had that level of restraint. Weasley had certainly never exercised it before.

"Come on, Malfoy, let's go join them," Hermione insisted, tugging him by the elbow.

Draco turned to face her. "I don't know. They look as if they are otherwise occupied. Perhaps we should wait until they are finished talking with their companion."

It wasn't really a lie; judging from the intent look on their faces and the fact that all three parties were bent over the table speaking in hushed whispers, Draco suspected that Weasley and Potter had not come to the Leaky Cauldron for a social call. Although he did wonder what could be so intense to require a clandestine meeting in the hub of Wizarding London. They couldn't possibly be doing working on anything sensitive for the ministry only three months into training.

"Don't be silly Draco. You know very well that they are only into their third month of Auror training. It's not as if they could be meeting with an informant or anything," Hermione countered. "Now, do come on if you're coming," she insisted, before dropping his elbow and walking over towards her friends.

Draco groaned and ran his fingers lightly through his hair in frustration. 'Damn that woman and this retched curse,' he thought, as the familiar tug in his chest urged him in her direction. "Following behind her like some damnable lapdog, father is surely rolling in his grave," he grumbled under his breath, as he quickened his strides, his words lost in the noisy din of the pubs lunch patrons.

Hermione smiled inwardly as the longing in her chest eased, indicating that he had chosen to follow her. She knew that he would, since they had begun working together at the Ministry their friendship wasn't they only thing that had grown.

After their first month of working together, Hermione had insisted that Draco and she needed to have a talk. It had become nearly impossible to sleep at night, her mind wandering at all hours, thinking of little else than Flooing the blond at his Manor. Perhaps what had been most frustrating for her were the appearances he began to make in her dreams.

Hermione had been unable to find any rational explanation for why the young wizard was now occupying her every free thought. She couldn't deny that, as a woman, she found him to be quite handsome. In fact, handsome really was quite an understatement now that he had chosen to lose the sneer that had taken residence on his face for the majority of their years at Hogwarts. And his intelligence was incredibly sexy to her.

'Oh Merlin,' Hermione exclaimed mentally, as her conscious self caught up with the subconscious's train of thought. 'This will not do at all,' she thought, hoping that these latest observations about Draco were a product of whatever mysterious link they shared. As appealing as Draco Malfoy might have been, and as much as he might have changed his political views, at the core he was still the same Slytherin that she had faced off-against numerous times. Hermione doubted that it would be very healthy to entertain any flights of fantasy about Draco Malfoy.

When they spoke the next day, Draco had confessed that he too had been having difficulty sleeping at night. After they had both grumbled about how ridiculous whatever curse they were under was, Draco had sighed in exasperation.

"I suppose that we will have to secure a flat," he had offered meekly, his eyes downcast, deliberately avoiding her own.

Hermione had coughed, sputtering as she tried to recover from the swallow of orange juice that had made its way into her windpipe. "Together," she had screeched incredulously. Hermione flushed slightly as the din of the small café died around them as the Muggle patrons turned to see what had caused such an outburst.

"I can't move in with you, Malfoy. The Weasleys, Ron, Harry; they'll have a fit if they find out that I'm shacking up with you. Besides I elected to accept Mrs. Weasley's offer to stay at the Burrow this year in order to save money before moving out on my own. I'm not sure I can afford to pay rent as well as put aside savings."

Draco lowered his voice and his head as he leaned across the table in Hermione's direction. "Listen Granger, if you think the Weasleys would prefer that I move in with them, then fine. I for one would like to sleep sometime this year and it doesn't appear as if that is going to happen so long as you're living halfway across the country from me.

"If the financial details of the arrangement are your concern, don't worry. I am more than capable of paying for both flats. "

Hermione opened her mouth in protest but Draco cut her off before she could speak.

"I insist on it, Granger. Really, I am the one that is demanding that we both change our living arrangements. If, when you are financially able, you feel so inclined, I am sure that we can come up with an acceptable rental agreement.

"As far as your boy-friends, they do not have to know. I believe that we can find a realtor that will be sensitive and discreet to our needs. It should not be difficult to find two vacant apartments that are adjacent to one another. We will simply alter the adjoining wall to suit our needs and set up our living quarters to mimic those from Hogwarts."

"Master Malfoy," the cold drawl of his former Head of House snapped Draco back to the present.

Hermione had led him over to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley who appeared to be dining with Professor Snape. Draco's mind started examining all the possibilities that would have drawn those three together as he replied in kind, "Professor Snape," bowing his head slightly in greeting.

"I do believe that Severus is appropriate now that you have graduated. Would you care to join us?" the professor asked moving over in the booth to make room for the blond.

Draco considered his options, mentally leaning towards excusing himself and taking lunch as planned with Hermione. While he wouldn't mind catching up with his old Potions Master over a meal, Weasley's presence was a significant deterrant.

As he opened his mouth to decline the offer, he caught sight of the glare that Potter was throwing towards Severus. The bemused look upon the older wizard's face as he arched an eyebrow in Harry's direction was too intriguing to ignore.

"We would love to join you," Draco replied, summoning a chair from a table next to theirs and offering Hermione the seat in the booth as he sat at the end of the table.

"Snape," Harry hissed, "I don't think that it's a good idea for him to be involved."

Severus chuckled as Ron's lips pursed and Harry's eyes narrowed in his direction. "Potter, I am surprised. I would have thought that you, of all people, would value the importance of keeping a man informed about developments that might have an effect on his personal life."

"Why you greasy-haired, overgrown, blood-sucking bat…" Ron started.

"While your limited vocabulary never ceases to amuse me Mr. Weasley, I do believe that Draco here should be made aware of all information regarding Augustus."

Draco's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at Hermione whose eyes were intently focused on her friends across the table.

"What information do you have about Rookwood?" he ground out through clenched teeth, as his eyes changed their focus to Harry sitting across from him.

"Severus," Harry said sharply, "regardless of how directly the information might impact Malfoy, he is not a member of the Order. This information is confidential as you well know."

Draco started to speak but Hermione cut him off.

"Harry Potter! I cannot believe you can sit there and say that with a straight face. I am not even going to address why the three of you are here discussing the affairs of an organization that I had been told was dissolved,"

"But 'Mione, Dumbledore said…"

"Ronald Weasley, I believe that I was quite clear when I said I was not going to address that at this time.

"As for you, Harry, Severus is right. Any information that you have about Rookwood should be shared with Draco. You, of all people, should be aware of what can happen when one goes off armed with partial information."

Draco inwardly took notice of the quieting effect that Hermione could have on her housemates, before turning to Severus. "As you were saying…"

Draco sat quietly, listening to Severus's explanation of the latest information that he had retrieved from Pansy Parkinson, of all people. Apparently, after the end of the war, she had approached her Head of House once it had been revealed that he had been working alongside of Dumbledore. Pansy had been concerned that, were the information she shared with her parents to come to light, she might be in jeopardy of serving time in Azkaban as she had been of age during her seventh year.

Severus had agreed to allow her to provide him with any information that would prove useful during the Post-War cleanup in exchange for his guarantee that he would speak with Professor Dumbledore about her situation.

"She couldn't possibly think that a jury would convict her for giving information about her observances at school to her parents," Draco snickered.

Severus laughed with Draco. "As charming as our dear Miss Parkinson can be, no one has ever accused her of being particularly sharp."

Cutting his eyes back at his former Head of House, Draco drawled, "And you felt no need to share that information with her Severus?"

"Who am I to turn down a perfectly viable source of information?" Severus retorted, his eyebrows arching as his lips thinned into a smirk.

Draco allowed Severus to continue without interruption. Apparently, Pansy had learned from her parents that Rookwood was still determined to capture him and take revenge for Lucius's betrayal. It appeared as if his obsession with the Malfoys had only grown in intensity, especially after receiving word that Draco had taken a position within the Ministry.

Remaining silent, Draco considered all that he had heard. Dumbledore had all but dissolved his precious Order. He had kept only a few members to minimize the publicity that had come to the group at the end of the War. Apparently, he no more trusted the Ministry's competence now than he did during their fifth year when he re-formed the organization wanting to ensure that some of the more cunning Death Eaters did not manage to slip away. Augustus Rookwood was one of the wizards on the Order's watch-list. One who had made a grievous error in setting up a meeting with Pansy Parkinson to discuss the best way to get at Draco Malfoy.

"So, when is the meeting?" Hermione demanded. She was still upset that she had been left out of the Order's activities, but the prospect of capturing Draco's torturer and getting one more Death Eater off the streets overshadowed any feelings of hurt that she might have felt.

Harry smirked across the table at his former Professor. "Yes, Snape, do tell Hermione and Draco when the meeting is."

Hermione glanced between her friend and Severus. It was obvious that Harry and the man were at odds about something, but what she could not fathom, as Snape had just informed them that Pansy would be delivering Augustus to them on the proverbial platter.

"Actually, Miss Granger, I cannot tell you when the meeting is to occur. It would be very unwise of us to try and confront Rookwood at this initial meeting as he undoubtedly is suspicious of any of his former associates. Captured Death Eaters are giving up any scrap of information they think might prove useful to the Ministry, on a daily basis. Despite his apparent show of faith, I do not doubt for a minute that Augustus will be prepared for any traps that we might try and set."

"So, you intend to let him walk out of there unscathed?" Hermione asked incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me."

Draco exchanged a knowing look with his former Head of House before putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Severus is right. Do not confuse Augustus's determination with lunacy. Whatever his motives are in continuing to hunt me, he is very sane and well aware of the lack of loyalty among his former associates. We would do better to try and track him rather than confront him directly."

Severus sighed, "It is nice to have a voice of reason amongst such fool-hearted bravery."

Ron cut his eyes at Snape before turning to Draco. "I don't know what you meant by 'we' Malfoy. As Harry stated, you are not a part of the Order. The bat should have never included you in this."

Draco's eyes narrowed as he turned towards Ron. "Look, Weasley. I don't know anything about your precious little Order and, honestly, I couldn't care less. What I do know is that it is me that Rookwood has targeted and I'll be damned if I trust you two to keep me safe.

"I trust that you will let me know when and where Pansy and Augustus intend to meet," he questioned Severus as he stood to leave. Upon receiving the older wizard's confirmation, Draco turned to Hermione. "I believe that I would prefer that we take our lunch elsewhere, perhaps a Muggle café downtown?"

Review Responses:

Katie/TigerLilly: See A/N as to why he didn't tell Snape. Glad that you're still enjoying it. Sorry I haven't updated sooner. Been a bit under the weather and also working on another fic. Hopefully I'll get back to regular updates with this. As I said, it is all written, it's just making sure I remember to come back and post the updated chapters as I get them back from beta.

rani singla: I will definately continue. As I said earliar, this is complete, just getting it all beta'ed before posting! Glad that you're enjoying it!

littlewolfdemon1: scritches your ears I have a fondness for wolves. le sigh Sorry for that moony moment. Glad that you're enjoying the fic. And thank you for the compliments. Hope you enjoy the update!

kazfeist: OMG!!! Thank you for correcting me. I love getting positive glowing "it's wonderful" reviews, does wonders for the ego, but it's nice to know someone's actually READING it, ya know. I'll try and update it in here, but this site is kinda a pain in that I have to re-upload and all that jazz. I know I corrected it the other places it's being archived. As for the overall grammar of it, thank my beta. SHE IS FANTASTIC!!!!

TheManWhoLetTheBoyLive: Well if I encouraged you to write then I am glad, especially if you are finding it fulfilling. Glad that you're enjoying the story, I'll try not to let time get away from me again before the next update.