Chapter Twenty To Plan a Date

"OK. So how are we going to do this?"

They had reconvened in Harry's office after talking things through with Kingsley, and they were all buzzing slightly with the adrenaline from finally having a definite way forwards with the case.

Draco rubbed at his face. "Most of my social training has been how to avoid scandals in the papers, not create them." He sighed, stabbing his quill at the parchment. "We need to get caught. A formal announcement won't cut it. We want to create the most outrageous scandal the wizarding world has seen in decades. It's got to rock the foundations of the sacred twenty-eight and get every single gossipmonger and rumour mill spinning fit to take off."

Harry nodded. "So you guys need to go on a date somewhere."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, short of being walked in on in a hotel at it, a date would be best."

Harry tried not to look sick at the mental image. "So a date," he reiterated firmly. "Somewhere grand, ludicrously expensive –"

"And we have to be disgustingly loved-up," Draco grimaced. He didn't do soppy.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Up until that moment she had taken a backseat, still arranging how she felt about the situation, but it was time for her to step up to the plate. She was a professional, and professional she would be. "Not loved-up; we have to be scandalous, Malfoy. Cutesy hand-holding and giggles over dinner won't cut it. We've got to be all over each other."

Harry and Draco's eyes widened as they turned to stare at her.

Hermione fought to maintain a professional expression and shrugged as carelessly as she could even as the heat rose to her cheeks. "What? It's true."

Harry sighed. "Much as I wish I could disagree; she's right."

Draco shrugged, and couldn't help but sneak a smirk at Hermione. "You won't regret it, Granger."

Hermione rolled her eyes, the tension breaking. "I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much."

Harry snorted at Draco's offended expression, and even Hermione grinned.

"Right," she reached for a scroll of parchment. "We'll need to anonymously tip off our location to the reporters – not just Rita. I'm thinking we have an Auror pose as a staff member of wherever we go and they send the note, just to save the risk of a bribe coming to light."

The men nodded.

"Any ideas for possible locations? We'll need to get an Auror in there are soon as possible, and I don't really know where the wizarding elite go to relax away from the rest of us peasants."

Draco smirked, recovering himself. "I have a few in mind. Leave all that side of things to me; you haven't been on a date until you've been on a date with a Malfoy."

"Rich prat," Hermione muttered.

"Rich prat that you're very much in love with," Draco countered with a smirk.

Hermione stuck out her tongue.

"Charming," Draco drawled. "I can see why I adore you."

"If we're going to make judgements on each other's maturity, darling, you really shouldn't cast the first stone," Hermione replied, settling down behind her desk as she began scribbling notes to reporters. "Glass houses and all that." She finished the notes, gave a quick proof-read, and then reached to hand them to Draco.

Draco only snorted and rolled his eyes as he stood, making for the floo. "Just remember; leave all the arrangements about where and what we'll be doing to me, sweetheart. I'll come by your place to pick you up this evening."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So take the notes for the Auror! I can hardly fill in the information if I'm not party to it."

Draco jerked his head at Harry. "I'll let Potter know and he can pass it all on to the right person. Fret not, sweetling. Until tonight, au revoir."

"Make it big!" Harry bellowed after him as Draco disappeared into the floo, a melodious chuckle making its way back out of the flames to them in answer.

Hermione frowned at Harry. "You shouldn't encourage him. This is Malfoy, remember. He'll probably, I don't know, hire the Taj Mahal, or recreate the hanging gardens of Babylon." She gestured with the notes.

Harry chuckled, reaching out to take them. "You'd better hope he does the latter if he's going to do either. Romantic as the Taj Mahal is, I don't think you'd want your first public date with him to be at a mausoleum."

Hermione shuddered. "Yeah, definitely not." She went back to scribbling away for a few more minutes before she stopped, and looked up, twisting her quill anxiously between her fingers and splattering them with ink. "What do you think he's going to do, Harry?"

Harry got up, coming over to take her hands comfortingly in his. "Don't worry, Hermione. We both trust Malfoy, right?"

She nodded.

"I know it's probably not that pleasant for you, but all you've got to pretend is that you're head over heels in love with him, and can't get enough of each other. It'll only be for a few days." He half smiled. "At least he's not a prat anymore."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's still a prat. Just not the same one we went to school with."

Harry snorted. "Well I'm glad you two sorted out your differences."

Hermione laughed humourlessly. "You and me both! Can you imagine trying to do this with us at each other's throats every second?"

"Definitely not." Harry wiped his brow. "You saved me, and that's for sure."

Hermione frowned. "From what?"

"I'd have had to have gone in your place if you didn't say yes."

Hermione's eyes widened and what started as an evil chuckle developed into a full-blown laugh. "Oh, Harry! Now that I would pay to see!" She continued laughing as Harry's face reddened. "Maybe I should change my mind?" She let out another cackle.

He let her have her fun. After all, she was the one who would have to put on the performance of her life for the next three days. He shook his head as he returned to his own desk, sitting down as Hermione got up, mentioning something about popping over to her office. He'd never have imagined in his life that he would ever see Hermione and Malfoy as a couple, much less that he would be encouraging them to do it. A thought occurred to him, and he dropped his head onto his desk with a groan. Ron was going to skin him alive when the news hit the papers. After he recovered from the several thousand heart attacks he was going to have first, of course.


Hermione paced her front room, only just managing to restrain herself from wringing her hands. She already was aware of Harry's eyes following her movements from the settee and knew that he was probably able to guess there was something more than the high stakes involved with the mission that was making her anxious.

Draco had sent her an owl with a list of things to pack earlier in the day, and it had been welcome to receive some slight indication of where it was they were to go. Until then she had spent her time brushing up on her spellwork and concocting a believable tale of their sudden romance.

The usual robes and clothes had been on there, with, she thought the unspoken injunction to bring her best looking stuff. For the ruse to be plausible to the public, she knew she would have to look nothing short of fabulous. His list had also included 'cold weather gear', 'as many different dress robes as you have', and 'swimwear'. The dress robes did not come as a surprise, but the combination of winter wear and a swimsuit was confusing in the extreme. She trusted him to know what he was doing, however. Navigating the social circles and customs of the wizarding elite was what he had been raised to do, even if the Malfoy name had now fallen from grace, and she wasn't going to try to school him how best to make a splash in the society papers.

Harry caught her eye as she wheeled around to pass him once more, and smiled encouragingly. "It's going to be fine, Hermione."

Hermione paused, breathing deeply and very grateful that Harry did not practice Legilimency and could not possibly know the true reason for her current state. She'd popped down to the Obliviator's office and checked that afternoon – her Occlumency stood up against their attacks. "I know. I can handle anything that comes for us. I've got a portkey if I need to send Draco back." She patted at the locket around her neck, reassuring herself that it was still there. The interior had been fitted with a very careful undetectable extension charm, and inside was a plain ring she had dug out of her jewellery box at home to transform into the portkey.

Harry grinned at that. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know you'll go back on your word and take him out of the action if it comes to that."

Hermione snorted, the brief burst of levity clearing her features for a moment. "He's a civilian. He has no choice. If his plan is successful and we get the murderer's attention, he will probably be the bigger target of the two of us. Him being in the field will only end badly for us, and I am not willing to run the risk of him being caught in the crossfire."

Harry's expression creased with concern. "You'll have back-up, Hermione. Don't go taking on more than you have to unnecessarily."

Hermione mustered a reassuring smile. "I'm not you, remember."

Harry made an expression of mock affront, and Hermione forced herself to sit down. Her mind continued to turn over the matter of Draco, however. Draco and playing the loved-up couple.

She'd be lying if she said the prospect entirely filled her with dread. A very well-buried part of her had tingled a little at the prospect, but her rational side had instantly done its best to quash that. This was a mission. It was an act, and she would take nothing further from it than that. Draco wanted this lunatic caught as much as she and Harry did, and he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that. Case closed. Even so, thoughts of the Pandora's Box continued to dog her, and she had no way of knowing which way things might go if it was knocked open, or, indeed, exactly which way she wanted them to go.

She jumped violently as the object of her thoughts roared into the room from the fireplace, almost stumbling as she and Harry stood.

Draco frowned at her as he dusted some ash from his robes. "You OK, Granger?"

She nodded, valiantly ignoring the sudden flurry of butterflies twisting in her gut. "I'm fine." She watched as Draco's gaze swept her up and down. She had chosen what she thought of as her smart-casual robes – more dressed down than her work ones, but also a bit nicer. A silvery blue underrobe swept out from beneath a longer navy-blue over-robe that fastened, waistcoat-like, with a line of smart pearl buttons down her sternum. He'd said to dress warmly, so she had looped a white cashmere scarf her parents had bought her in France around her neck, and was wearing long black leather clothes, and buttoned boots to match.

His mouth twitched with what approached a smile. "Very nice, Granger. You'll fit right in."

"You know it would have been easier if you just told me where we're going," she replied witheringly, using it to conceal her outward sigh of relief.

Draco smirked properly at that. "Your reaction of genuine surprise and joy at how good I am at choosing mini-break locations will only give credence to our story. The staff and other patrons are all witnesses that Skeeter and the other reporters will want to pump for information."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you think so highly of my acting abilities." She glanced him over. Draco himself was somewhat predictably dressed in black, wearing what was no doubt a very expensive woollen greatcoat over charcoal grey robes, and, surprisingly, a deep green turtleneck.

He caught her eyeing it, and the surprise in her eyes, and shrugged. "What kind of doting boyfriend would I be if I didn't embrace my girlfriend's culture in my wardrobe choices? Especially if we've been secretly seeing each other for months. You'll have rubbed off on me by now."

Hermione ignored the sensations swirling in her gut at his words, focusing instead on the practicalities of the moment. "Five months going on six, actually," she corrected him primly. "We encountered each other in Flourish and Blotts when you were buying yourself a birthday present in June, and things went from there."

Draco arched an eyebrow at her. "Ignoring the fact that you chose a bookshop for the start of our great romance…you know my birthday, Granger?"

She frowned, annoyed at the blush rising unbidden to her cheeks. "You gave it to me when I filled in your paperwork. But anyway, I thought we were going to some fancy wizarding resort? Won't they look down on dressing like a Muggle?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "We're supposed to be attracting attention, right? And besides, these are enlightened times, Granger. There's no place for that kind of snobbery anymore. If a Pureblood wants to wear Muggle clothes, they will." Hermione couldn't help but smile at that and conceded the point with a tilt of her head, the slight softening of his expression letting her know that he wasn't entirely joking.

"Right." Harry clasped his hands together, and they gathered around. "Do absolutely whatever is necessary to make the biggest splash possible with your story remaining plausible. I don't need to remind you of the stakes involved." They all paused for a moment, seriously and frowning. "I have aurors stationed in parties nearby. If you are immediately successful and the murderer comes to you, call them in. Hermione," Harry eyed her sternly. "You are not to take this person on alone."

Hermione and Draco nodded, Hermione crossing her fingers in her sleeves as she did so.

"Right." Harry put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Good luck."

Hermione and Draco nodded solemnly, then turned to one another.

Draco put out his hand, "Come on, Granger. Let's go turn some heads."


So it's a bit of a short one, I'm afraid, but the good news is that the block I had on the next chapter has FINALLY been worked through. It might take a little while longer before I really get motoring, but I will try to be at least semi-regular with updating if I can!

I guess the biggest reveal in this chapter is the fact that Hermione and Draco's legilimency is particular to them. Perhaps it won't be so much a surprise to some of you, but let the speculations commence...
I didn't really want to spend too much time on detailing all of the preparations etc. before they leave for Draco's secret destination, which is part of the reason why its a bit of a shorter one, partly because it would get a bit boring and partly because it would ruin the surprise!

I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Please do review and/or favourite :) Tell me what you like or don't like :) Questions and speculations are always welcome :D As is incomprehensible flailing if that's what you go in for :)

If you want to get access to sneak previews to chapters before they're posted, you can like me on Facebook (JZJ Tomkins) or follow me on Twitter ( jtomkinsauthor) or Tumblr (jzj-tomkins):)