CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: Tension
The third week into their Auror training, Harry had already begun to notice the visible effects that the training was having on him. He was stronger, quicker, and his reflexes seemed almost inhumanly fast. It no longer took a great effort to run five miles in the morning, though he wasn't as keen as Ron who felt the need to run nine or ten. Quite often he would turn back and Ron would keep going for an extra mile or two – like last Saturday morning. Only this time when Harry turned back he noticed something he had missed on all his previous runs. He didn't know how long it had been there but there was a for sale sign hanging in one of the windows of a small, well-kept house owned by muggles. He hadn't even been sure why he had stopped to look at it. It wasn't like he needed a place to live, and yet a tiny part of him thought he did. He didn't linger there too long because he had been afraid Ron might come back. Now, one week later, whenever he didn't have Ron with him, he would take his time jogging passed it.
It was presently Monday morning and he was preparing himself for another grueling week of training under the watchful eye of Mackenzie. When he thought back on the years of having Oliver Wood as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, all that seemed like child's play compared to what he was doing now. But no one seemed to thrive off all the drills Mackenzie put them through more than Ron. He seemed to have boundless amounts of energy, and whenever he got knocked down by a curse he got right back up and gave it to his training partner ten times worse. The endless spent training had clearly improved Ron's spell casting to a level that now rivaled his own. It was Ron's nature to be aggressive and hostile, but now that he was channeling that energy into training, it made him one of the strongest in their class. He had been dueling with a guy named Roberts the previous week, and when he had forgotten to cast his shield charm in time, Ron's hex had hit him straight in the chest knocking him out cold. Roberts was gone for two days after that and when he returned he still looked to be suffering from the lasting effects of Ron's attack. Mackenzie loved Ron's attitude and the serious manner in which he took everything they did. He quickly became one of her favourites, but something she did that morning made Harry wonder what his friend had done to fall out of her good graces.
He, Ron, and the rest of the trainees were stretching and going through some warm up charms, when Mackenzie walked in being trailed by a tall blond individual with a permanent look of smugness planted on his pale face. Harry saw Ron stiffen beside him and a scowl formed on his own face.
"Listen up everyone," Mackenzie's voice boomed. The trainees stopped what they were doing and focused on their instructor. "There are no exceptions when it comes to taking a person on once training has already begun. The rules are clear on this. However, when the ministry itself steps in, rules have to be bent," she said, her look conveying her distaste with the ministry's decision. "At the request of the Ministry High Council, Draco Malfoy has been granted permission to enter the Auror program. He has taken all the same tests as the rest of you, and I have informed the council that I will not slow down my training so that Mr. Malfoy here can catch up. He knows he's going to be responsible for getting himself up to speed, and if he's incapable of that then perhaps another chosen profession would be in his best interests."
Malfoy did not look fazed at all by her words. He looked so calm, they could have been discussing the weather, not a rigorous training program. His expression only changed when his gaze met Ron and Harry's. He glowered openly at the two of them.
"That son of a bitch has no interest in being an Auror," Ron muttered to Harry. "I bet he's only here to be a spy for his band of Death Eaters."
Though Ron's voice was barely above a whisper, Mackenzie could see him talking to Harry. "Weasley, why don't you partner up with Malfoy today and show him just how much catching up he has to do."
"I'll work with Malfoy," Harry spoke up, ignoring the look Ron was sending him. Malfoy could get under his skin too, but he could probably do a better job of controlling his temper than Ron.
"I'm sorry, Potter, did you go deaf over the weekend?" Mackenzie glared at him. "Because I distinctly said I wanted Weasley to work with him. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No," Harry answered through clenched teeth, watching Malfoy smirk at him.
"Good," she responded with a satisfied nod. "All right, pair up everyone – Roberts, you're with me since we have an odd number now. We're going to continue with what we started on Friday – disarming an active target. Remember, no shield charms. Let's go!"
Scowling visibly, Ron walked with Malfoy to the far side of the room. There was nothing more he wanted than to hex Malfoy into oblivion, but he knew he would have to show restraint.
"Potter still coming to your rescue, eh?" Malfoy smirked as the two of them separated. "I suppose he's the only reason you lasted this long."
Ron clenched the fist holding his wand. There was no way he could let Malfoy provoke him this early on, otherwise he was never going to make it through the next five months of training. "You want me to disarm you first?" He spoke through clenched teeth. He was already planning on ways to send him hurtling against the back wall.
"No, I think I should go first," said Malfoy. "After all, I am the one who needs the practice." He pulled out his wand and aimed it at Ron.
Ron had no warning of Malfoy's attack, but it had become second nature to learn the signs of attack that Malfoy had barely flicked the wrist holding the wand before Ron jumped out of the way. Different props had been set up to act as cover and Ron dove behind the nearest object he could find. To make it a bit more challenging, the objects had been transfigured to disappear after a short time. They only provided two or three seconds of cover before you had to be on the move again – and Ron was constantly on the move. Malfoy was more relentless then anyone else he had faced so far.
After ten minutes of this, Ron felt something strike him in the foot and both his feet became as heavy as lead. He couldn't move. Malfoy moved closer to where he was standing and fired off a curse that hit him in the midsection. With his feet immovable, he had only his hands to brace himself for the fall, which didn't help much. He wheezed loudly as all the air came rushing out of lungs the second his head hit back against the flooring. Once he was down, Malfoy released his feet from the curse.
"What the hell was that?" Ron snarled. "You were supposed to disarm me, not use a binding charm on my feet then hit me at point blank range with a bloody curse."
"I disarmed you, didn't I?" Malfoy gloated. "Mackenzie never said how I had to do it."
It took Ron a moment to recover before he was back on his feet. With a firm grip on his wand, he glared menacingly at Malfoy. "It's my turn now."
At the end of the day, Ron's body was more sore than it had been since the first week of training. He was in a rotten mood and wanted nothing more than to spend a few hours in the weight room, burning off his frustrations, but he was supposed to meet Hermione so they could go down to the small pub through the magical barrier and grab something to eat. Since she had started her job, they barely saw each other for more than a couple of hours each day. But by late evening he was too exhausted from training and she from work that it didn't really count as time spent together. So he had suggested that when he and Harry were done training they head down to the pub for a bite to eat. She didn't mind working until then, so he had told her he would come get her when they were done. Of course that had been before Malfoy had gotten thrown into the mix.
He had spent the whole time partnered with the Slytherin, who even though had missed quite a lot, already knew enough practical magic that he wasn't too far behind the others. He went out of his way to show Ron that, using extra powerful spells to knock him off his feet, not caring if he injured him or not. Ron had refused to sink to his level until near the end when he really started to lose his temper. After Malfoy had attacked him without even allowing him to draw his wand, he had cast a spell that sent the Slytherin flying back so that he collided against the wall. It was a few minutes before Malfoy was able to get to his feet again. After that, he didn't seem as keen to make Ron's temper snap.
That did little to improve Ron's mood, so when he and Harry stepped out of the locker room into the hallway, he all but bit Harry's head off when he asked if he was all right.
"Fine, never better," Ron snapped.
"Why don't you get Hermione and I'll meet you guys there?" Harry suggested.
Ron grunted his agreement and rode the left up to the fourth floor. He needed a few minutes alone to get his temper under control. If he didn't, Hermione was going to know there was something wrong before he even opened his mouth.
He had never been in the Department for Experimental Charms before, so that served as a helpful distraction. He asked the receptionist behind the desk where Hermione Granger's office was and he got directed to the end of a short corridor.
She was seated behind a large desk, hunched over a pile of notes, writing furiously on a piece of paper beside her. He knocked on her open door to announce his presence. She looked up immediately and her face lit up when she saw it was him.
He plastered a fake smile to his face. "Ready to go?" He asked her, stepping inside.
She nodded. "Just let me file these away." She began putting the papers she had been reading into a large filing cabinet beside her desk.
"Hermione, do you have that folder I asked you to look through?" Said a voice from behind Ron.
Ron turned to see a man with short, brown hair walk into her office. He looked a bit surprised to see Ron standing there, before turning his attention back to Hermione.
Hermione walked around the desk and handed him a thick folder. "I made a few suggestions," she told him.
"We can go through them first thing tomorrow," he said to her. "I don't want to burn you out. You've been working a lot of hours lately – not that I'm complaining," he said, giving her a warm smile.
Ron forcibly cleared his throat and Hermione took the hint. "Ron, this is Jack, he's the director of the Experimental Charms Department."
Jack held out his hand and Ron shook it, probably with a bit more force then was necessary. But the other man didn't flinch or show his discomfort. He let go, knowing how furious Hermione would be if he damaged her boss's hand. Hermione, sensing the mounting tension, said good-bye to Jack and excused herself and Ron from the room. They didn't speak until they were back out in the main hallway.
"What's wrong?" She asked him.
"Wrong? There's nothing wrong," he answered a bit too quickly, pressing the button for the lift.
"Oh yes there is," she said. "You've only just met Jack, so there's no possible way you can hate him already. So there must be something else."
The lift appeared and the doors parted to reveal an empty cart. They stepped in and Hermione pressed the button that would take them to the Atrium. She looked at him expectantly, still waiting for an answer.
"You never told me he was good looking," he said, staring at the lift door.
"Excuse me?" She said incredulously.
"No wonder you don't mind working all those extra hours."
Fuming, Hermione hit the emergency stop button and the lift groaned to a halt between levels. "You know how much this job means to me, so I don't appreciate what you're implying. Why don't you just tell me what's really bothering you?"
"I don't want to talk about it." He leaned over and started the lift up again.
He was grateful they were only a few floors away from their stop, so he could get out of that confined space and not have to endure an interrogation from Hermione.
"What's he doing here?" He heard her hiss once they stepped off the lift.
Ron knew which he she was talking about immediately. Malfoy was exiting the lift directly in front of them, who was still in his training robes. He shot them a scornful look.
"I see with Fudge gone, they'll let just anyone in here." His gray eyes cold as he stared down Hermione.
"It looks that way," she countered, matching his gaze.
"So how does it feel, Weasley, now that your pathetic excuse for a father is actually running this place? Maybe your family can finally get that addition on to your one room house," he said with a sneer. "I bet he's already working on some law that will allow werewolves and other filth to be accepted as peaceful members of society," he said, speaking as if the very idea was laughable.
Ignoring the voice in his head that was telling him to walk away, Ron grabbed the front of Malfoy's robes and said in a deadly voice, "I'd be watching my back if I were you. I know your mother sent those Death Eaters after Harry and I know there's no bloody way you joined the Auror program so you could help save the world. So if I find out you're out to get Harry, what I did to you today in training is just a fraction of the pain you're going to feel."
Malfoy shoved Ron off of him and drew his wand. Ron had his drawn almost as fast.
"He murdered my father!" Malfoy spat.
"Your father tortured him for days and was planning on giving him to You-Know-Who. I'd say he got what was coming to him," said a spiteful Ron. If Malfoy knew what had happened to his father then he at least been in contact with certain Death Eaters, which gave Ron even more reason to hate him.
The seconds ticked by as he and Malfoy stood in a stand off position until surprisingly it was Malfoy who pocketed his wand first. He simply walked away, saying nothing.
"I think that had to be the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do," Hermione admonished.
Ron, who was still astounded that Malfoy had just given up and walked away said, "Hermione, not now."
"You drew your wand at him inside a Ministry building. What if someone had seen you?"
He started walking, not answering her.
"Why didn't you tell me Malfoy was in the Auror program?" She said, her voice having lost some of its edge.
"He just started today," he told her. "And I didn't want you to worry that I couldn't keep my temper under control while I'm around him."
"Well, you just blew that theory out the water," she said bluntly.
"Look, I was partnered with him all day and didn't kill him, so I think I can handle it."
Hermione didn't think that was funny at all. "Maybe he just wants to become an Auror."
He snorted. "Yeah, right. The only thing he's interested in is making our lives miserable. You heard what he said about Harry murdering his father. He's out for revenge."
"Ron, you don't know that for sure," though she didn't sound like she disagreed with him. "I dislike him as much as you do, but – "
"I don't dislike him – I hate him. And whether this wanting to become an Auror thing is an act or not, as long as I live I will never trust a Malfoy," he said, his voice sounding almost venomous, before walking off.
At that time of day, the pub was filled to capacity. People would get off work and stop by for a quick drink before heading home, or have their evening meal there. Harry felt a bit out of place at first, being there by himself while he waited for Ron and Hermione to show up, but he soon found some familiar faces among the patrons. Lavender and Parvati were seated in a booth with Neville and Seamus. Parvati waved him over.
"Hi, Harry," she greeted him. "How's the Auror training going?"
"Er, it's fine," he said, a little puzzled as how she had known about it in the first place.
"Hermione told me," she said, seeing his surprised look. "I ran into her last weekend while I was in Diagon Alley. She told me all about it."
He had never pictured her and Hermione as friends, but he supposed stranger things had happened.
"Look, there's Dean and Ginny," said Pavarti, waving them over much the same way she had done with Harry.
"I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be back," Harry told them. He took off before Dean and Ginny were halfway to the table.
With the training, he wasn't supposed to drink anything, but he supposed a butterbeer wouldn't hurt. Besides, he had to order something so it wouldn't appear as though he had just left to avoid seeing Ginny and Dean together. He had seen them together at school, so he didn't understand why it was bothering him so much now.
He spotted Ron and Hermione enter the pub. Ron headed his way, while Hermione stopped to say hello to Lavender and the others.
"Mackenzie would kill you if she saw you drinking that," Ron said to him, but that didn't stop him from ordering a butterbeer of his own.
Hermione came over a short while later, saying, "I didn't think it would be possible to carry on a conversation with those two if it didn't involve gossip or boys. But I suppose after being at school together for five years and then not seeing them for months can make you find some things in common." She was obviously referring to Lavender and Pavarti.
Harry found it strange that she only seemed to be talking to him and Ron was ignoring her altogether.
"I'll see you over there," Ron said to him, picking up his butterbeer and heading over to the table where their friends were seated.
When Ron was out of earshot, which didn't take long considering how crowded the pub was, he leaned over and asked, "did you two have a row on the way over?"
"It was Malfoy," was all she needed to say.
He should have figured as much. "So Ron told you he's in the Auror program?" He asked, taking a long drink from his butterbeer.
"No," she responded. "We had a little run in with him and I figured it out."
Harry tensed. He didn't think even Malfoy would be stupid enough to try something his first day at the Ministry. "Did he try something? "
"Not really, no," she said, not wanting Harry to go off the same way Ron had. "He was just the same as always, and Ron wouldn't let it go."
Malfoy had always been a sore spot for Ron, and after the day he had it was no wonder he had no tolerance left for the Slytherin. He could see how worried she was about Ron's behaviour. "He had a rough day, you should give him a break. He would never actually harm Malfoy."
She wasn't so sure about that anymore after having witnessed what she had. She didn't even want to consider the possibility of what might have happened if Malfoy hadn't walked away. But she didn't want to think about that anymore. It would only lead to giving Malfoy the satisfaction of continuing to disrupt their lives. "Are you hiding over here?" She asked, quickly changing the topic.
"No, I'm not hiding," he said, a little sharper then he intended. He was caught off guard by the abrupt change of subject.
Harry was a very private but person, but sometimes – like that moment, he was very easy to read. "I thought you'd be over there with everyone from school that you haven't seen in ages."
"There's plenty of time to catch up," he said in a nonchalant voice, taking anoter sip from his butterbeer. He watched as their table erupted into laughter over something and Dean throw his arm around Ginny's shoulder. He looked away, scolding himself for doing so. God, you're so pathetic, Potter.
"Are you going to come over there with me?" Hermione asked him.
He straightened and placed his half empty bottle on the bar. "I think I'm going to head home now. I'm tired."
He looked absolutely miserable and she was pretty sure she knew the cause of his misery. "Harry – "
"Hermione, please don't say it," he interrupted gently. "Just leave this alone, okay?"
He waited for her to nod, as if it were a silent promise on her behalf never to bring it up again. Then he walked out of there, wondering what had happened to make the sight of Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas together affect him so much.
