Laughter bubbled up Hermione's throat as she spun and dodged. Bright colors splashed around her, diverted left and right by her steady shield charm. Across the room from her, she saw Draco frown and change stances. She shifted her feet accordingly before he struck again.
Dropping her Protego, Hermione jumped over what was once a table, ducked under a barrage of hexes, and aimed her wand. Before she could return fire, she heard Draco shout "Serpensortia!" A large, black snake poured out of the tip of his wand. In the moment she spent eyeing the creature, Draco again let loose a volley of different offensive spells.
Hermione snapped back into the moment. A quick wave of wand conjured a sturdy shield while she weighed her options. She could continue to draw this out and try to show off some more, or she could pull out her trump card and end the fight early on her own terms. The latter would likely carry more weight, so she snapped her wrist and canceled her shield.
Whispering now instead of casting silently, Hermione Vanished the snake Draco had conjured. She sidestepped on nimble feet to avoid his continued casting. With a deep breath, Hermione raised her arm and slashed it diagonally, twirling her wand in a circle at the end of the motion. "Serpensortia ultima!" she cried.
Draco's eyes widened dramatically. He scrambled backward as the monstrous, emerald green snake dripped down to the floor. It coiled its massive body up in front of Hermione, hissing threateningly. She smirked at her opponent. Almost as if knowing he'd lost, Draco dropped his wand arm.
Hermione wasn't done though. She'd never been one to do things by halves, and Harry had encouraged her to her best, after all. So she would show him her best. In a loud, clear voice, Hermione told the snake, "Go over to the pale one and wrap his legs up, but don't hurt him."
The look on Draco's face was a memory Hermione would treasure for the rest of her life. "You - How do you -?" His mouth snapped shut when the snake reached his feet and began slithering around him. "Alright! I yield!" Hermione grinned at him wolfishly.
"Begone," she said calmly, and the snake vanished. Arching an eyebrow at the blond, she waited for his anger at losing to her. Instead, he laughed loudly and strode right up to her, picked her up, and spun her around.
"That was absolutely brilliant," he said to her. "Potter said you had some hidden talents, but I'll admit that I wasn't expecting anything like that." Hermione blushed both at his praise, and the fact that his hands had slid down to the dip in her waist and had remained there. "I'm not even going to wait for the Deputy Head and whoever else thinks they matter around here. Welcome to the team, Granger." His eyes sparkled as he smiled at her.
Hermione blushed even harder and somehow managed to convey her thanks without stuttering. She still wasn't sure how she had let Harry convince her to join the Aurors after all these years, but perhaps being bored had something to do with it. She didn't want to be known for just her brain anymore. Besides, being stuck in the very lowest level of the Ministry, where she wasn't allowed visitors or even Ministry memos, had become very lonely. That probably also explained why she'd let Harry adopt her as his sister.
"You know," Draco continued obliviously as he removed one hand from her waist and used the other to turn them both to the door of the training room, "you're going to have to tell me how you learned Parseltongue." Hermione was entirely too distracted by the heat of the hand on her lower back to try to remember how she had gained the ability during the sibling ritual. He glanced down at her and smirked. "Maybe over dinner," he added confidently.
Hermione simply laughed and twisted out of his hold. She darted down the hall, high on her win and Draco's flirting, and paused just before turning the corner. "I'm free tomorrow at seven," she called back to him. Her giggle floated down the corridor behind her as she left to find her brother.