Author Notes:

I'm still amazed that you people keep reading this story! It makes me look forward to each update, but also a little anxious to keep it up... :-*

Last, but not least, many, many thanks to Gemini Sister who jumped in as a beta for this chapter after my previous decided to pull out.
(Laura, still thanks for all the help you provided!)

Now, enjoy! =D

Chapter 11: Where do we have to sign?

That Friday morning, Draco was waiting for his friends to arrive at the company, as he had called them in early for an impromptu meeting. None of them had sounded particularly happy, with Astoria being exceptionally cold in her response, still not over their fight they had had the day before. However, that fight, as well as the visit he had paid to Barsky, had made him come to a decision; he had thus spent the most part of the night working on the details of his plan.

Daphne was the first to arrive. She yawned when she entered the meeting room where Draco was going through his notes once more. "'Morning, boss."

"Morning, Daphne. Coffee?"

She raised her eyebrow in response. "That's the least you could do for scheduling this meeting this early." She smiled softly when he indeed got up to pour her a cup of coffee from the small side table. "Did you sleep at all? You look pale."

"You should know me by now," he replied when he placed the cup in front of her, the exact amount of milk and a single measured teaspoon of sugar added already.

"Yes, I remember you telling me about it," she replied. "As much as I disagree with my sister, she's right when she says it's not good for your health. You shouldn't forego your sleep–"

"I'll sleep when we have found her."

She nodded, and then carefully lifted the cup of coffee to her lips for her first sip. "So, what's this meeting about? Her?"

"Don't tell me that is true!" Pansy entered the meeting room, sighing loudly. A cup of coffee was already floating towards her seat where she was about to sit down. "Thanks, but that isn't enough amends for making me see my boyfriend even less!"

"Ron was over?" Daphne asked in surprise, drinking more of her coffee.

Pansy nodded, throwing a glare in Draco's direction, who just shrugged in response. "Late. Mumbled something about a blasted raid and being too tired for anything. I was looking forward to some morning sex, but instead, I sit here."

"It was Potter's decision to raid that factory hall, not mine," Draco said, ruffling the papers in front of his chair. Pansy's tendency to over-dramatise everything never failed to amuse him, but he was sure that once they had found Hermione, Weasley was going to make it up to her. She wasn't an easy person to live with, but she loved Weasley to bits; she just liked to moan about a bit.

The atmosphere tensed in the room when the Zabinis arrived as well; Astoria threw Draco a lethal glare for making her come in early after their fight, she remained defiantly silent otherwise.

"What's this all about?" Blaise asked, walking straight towards the side table to pour himself and his wife a coffee. He sounded wary, as though he was already suspecting the outcome. "I came home late to a still livid wife." He approached Draco who was leaning on the back of his chair with his arms. "I warned you. If I or my wife think you unfit to lead the company–"

"Blaise, I know," Draco said, straightening up to be on the same level as is friend and second-in-command. "Just sit down and I will explain everything."

Blaise shot him another wary look before he joined his wife at the table. "You've got some nerve, mate," he said, shaking his head, before taking the first sip of his coffee.

Ignoring Blaise's remark, Draco eyed his friends once more before he'd get started. They all looked tired and rather wary of the reason why he had asked them to come in this early, but he had been adamant about it. What he was about to tell them boiled down to their loyalty to him—a loyalty he had never truly before had to put to the test. "Thank you for coming, even if only to glare at me," he finally started. "I know I've been difficult to work with over the past month–"

"Have you ever not been difficult to work with?" Pansy said with a tired, but still mischievous smirk, shooting Astoria a glance who was about to say something similar, but with far more spite.

Draco only raised his eyebrow in response. "It doesn't mean that I don't appreciate your skills and your contribution to this company. Far from it. This company does owe a lot of its success to you–"

"Come to the point," Astoria said, demonstratively sighing deeply.

For a moment, Draco considered reacting to her remark, but it wasn't the time to be petty. Instead, he reached for his wand to distribute a set of papers to each of his friends. "I've asked you to come here in order to inform you that I plan to step down from my position as President of this company, at least for the time being."

"Mental," Astoria said under her breath, but still loud enough that everyone could hear her while going through the details on the papers in front of her. "Absolutely mental."

"Apart from the fact that I share Astoria's view, this paper contains some solid work," Pansy said while giving her set of papers a first glance. Her eyebrow was raised as it always did when she was reading a file for her cases. "It's just... why?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Daphne said, sounding defensive on Draco's behalf; it actually made him chuckle lightly. "He's trying to protect the company, protect us."

"She's right. What I'm about to head into could severely damage the reputation of the company–"

Astoria and Blaise both groaned. "Draco, this is insane," she said. "This is you obsessing all over again, just because you saw the slightest chance of getting her back–"

"Astoria, I want answers," Draco interrupted her, a surprisingly harsh tone to his voice. "I told you yesterday that I'm not going to stop now, we have a lead what might have happened to Hermione. Pansy might know the odd thing too about it."

"Hey, leave me out of it. You still owe me a morning off!" Pansy rebuffed. "But yes, they have a lead," she added more softly. "Ron said something about Draco being their best shot before he fell asleep."

"So," Blaise finally said, after having listened to the discussion and going through the papers in front of him. "You just did what I was about to do today after finding my wife fuming as soon as I mentioned your name? Draco, truly, this is insane what I think you're planning to do."

"What I'm trying to do is protecting you all. From what I know now, I'm probably going to ruffle some seriously dangerous feathers." Draco lifted his hand when Blaise wanted to say something. "No. I told Astoria yesterday that I know what I'm doing. I know the risks, or else I wouldn't take them. Stepping down temporarily—or so I hope—as President of this company is my way to keep the damage as small as possible. All I'm asking of you all is to keep the business running. I trust you all to work to the best of your abilities."

"Business as usual then," Pansy said, glancing over to Astoria and Blaise in expectation of a response.

"No," Astoria said, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "You're taking the easy way out, Draco."

He actually expected her reaction to be as defiant as this. "Wouldn't you do the same for Blaise? Try everything to save him?" he asked, challenging her.

"I... I... I don't know," she said, leaning back with a small sigh.

"Oh, that's encouraging, my love," Blaise commented.

"Oh come on, this is a different situation. I know you wouldn't do something so stupid to put yourself in danger. You like your comfortable life far too much, my dear." Astoria smiled apologetically. "Draco and Hermione broke up eight years ago. And he keeps running after her."

"She broke up with me, Astoria. Get your facts right."

"For Merlin's sake, stop bickering!" Daphne let out a frustrated sigh. "Sister, I seriously wish you never have your heart broken like he had. I can understand his reasons, and I fully stand behind him. If he finds closure this way, then, for fuck's sake, let him do it! It's not as if you could persuade him otherwise, anyway." She sat up, shooting her sister an annoyed glare. "Be glad that he trusts you enough to keep the company running, that he wants to protect us."

Pansy nodded. "It's not as if we can stop him; this is Draco we're talking about. I know enough about the investigations to understand how important this is. This paper is solid paperwork as I said in the beginning. We get the control over the whole company for the time being, with Blaise as acting President—which he acts as most of the time already—and with Draco as a silent partner, providing capital. I don't fully agree with everything, but he knows what he's doing. Or he wouldn't have set up something like this..." She held the papers up to emphasise her words. "Seriously, you all know how much he hates giving up control... And that's exactly what he is doing here. He is handing over everything."

Pansy's support felt like a relief to Draco. He hadn't thought that she would understand the situation, or rather his reasons, but it seemed that she knew him well enough. "Pansy is correct."

"All right," Astoria said in resignation. "Do it. Destroy yourself." She leaned forward, raising her hand. "All for her, that little heartless–OUCH!"

"Astoria, please. We all know she fell from your grace," Daphne said with an annoyed tone to her voice. "You don't need to add more insult to injury," she added, demonstratively putting her wand back into the pocket inside her jacket sleeve.

Draco eyed Daphne for a moment, surprised by her severe response to her sister's words. "I get that you don't like her," he then said, turning his attention back to Astoria.

"Don't like her is putting it mildly," Astoria muttered. "Where do we have to sign?"

.xx.

"I see the sacrifice of my weekly owl to your mother worked."

Draco ignored the comment from his father as he waited for the older man to be seated and then secured at the table in the visitor's room at Azkaban. His father was serving life in Azkaban, yet he always knew what was going on in the world outside; however, he anticipated that this time, his mother had informed his father about the current situation. Yet another person to try and talk some sense into him—he was tired of having to defend himself constantly. "Nice to see you too, Father."

Lucius gave a brief smile, indicating that he had recognised the polite lie. "You could visit more often, not just on my birthday and Christmas–"

"I have a lot of work with the company," Draco replied impatiently. He didn't like coming here, as the place still so hauntingly reminded him of how barely he escaped a life sentence inside himself. Even with the Dementors gone, the place was still depressing and managed to drain every happy thought from his mind.

Lucius nodded, seemingly accepting the evasive reply. "I've read about your successes in the library, though I wish the newspaper section was kept more up to date. And pages are often missing."

"I'm not here to listen to your complaints about missing pages, am I?" Draco said, interrupting the meaningless banter of his father. "Besides, you can count yourself lucky to be placed in the lowest security level with access to the library–"

"I've also read about the disappearance of her. And then your mother wrote me this..." Lucius was only chained to the chair from his lower body down, so he was able to use his hands to pull out a letter from his prisoner robes to read from it. "I wish I didn't have to write this, but I fear for our son. Ever since Hermione has disappeared, he acts strangely. He's obsessed with finding her, Lucius. I tried to talk to him, but I don't know what else I can do to let him see reason..."

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his chair when he heard his mother's words read by his father. He knew she was genuinely worried about him and his well-being, like his mother always had. However, he didn't know how to respond to his father's letter, so he just stared down at his hands on the table, avoiding his father's gaze.

"Don't you have anything to say to this?" Lucius asked, waving the letter in front of his son.

"Nothing I haven't already said to my mother," Draco replied, looking up with defiance. "I want answers, and this is a way to finally get them. Despite what everyone thinks, I'm not heading blindly into this, I know what I'm doing."

"You're a fool! Still blinded by your love for this woman."

"This was the same woman you let have a necklace from the family vault when we visited you at our last Christmas together," Draco retorted. "I know what the gesture meant. Don't act as if you didn't like her."

"I've never said anything like that. But it's you now who acts irresponsibly."

Irritated at his father's words, Draco leaned forward. "I am not," he said through gritted teeth. "For the time being, I have stepped down as President, which gives Blaise full powers to act in my stead. As of today, I'm nothing more than a very silent partner in the company–"

"You have not–"

"I have, Father," Draco replied with a harsh, impatient tone. "I know what I am doing. I'm not some stupid Gryffindor running blindly into things, I do calculate the risks. I want answers, and I will get them."

"You will only destroy yourself. Let the Aurors do their job–"

Draco snorted at that remark. "Really? They are incompetent fools... They lost three precious weeks before I was asked to step in to help." Tired of having his motives questioned by everyone, like his father now, he pushed his chair back to get up. "I'm finished. If you dare to order me here once more about this matter, I'll ensure that you will have your library rights revoked for the next three months."

"You can't do that."

"Remember who vouched for your character? She did. And who's acting head of family? I am. Perhaps you may be surprised to discover that it is within my power to request a change in your access rights."

Lucius sighed deeply and then nodded with understanding. "Just be sure about what you are getting into. You don't know what dragons you're going to tickle..."

"I do know what I am doing, Father..." Letting out a frustrated huff, Draco knocked on the door of the visitation cell to let the guard know he wanted out. He wasn't in the mood to even argue with his father about the situation, especially since he still had a few things left on his list that needed to be done before he could put his plans in motion, such as bring the Barsky family to the prepared safe house as soon as he was finished here.

..

Draco was strolling through Diagon Alley in the late afternoon, going through the events of the day in his mind. His friends had all proven to be as loyal as he hoped them to be, yet it still left him with a slightly bitter taste in his mouth. Especially Astoria, who had left the building again as soon as the business of the transition of power had been completed. The visit in Azkaban didn't help his mind either; it had felt too much like a bad déjà-vu back into his later childhood. At least the Barsky family had been more than grateful for his help, with the now relieved wife briefly attempting to hug him.

However, he still needed to get this mostly frustrating day out of his system, and a walk through Diagon Alley, as much as people still tended to annoy him with their stares, usually helped. Except for today. He couldn't prevent feeling tired of everything—his miserable loneliness, his friends and even his family questioning him and his motives, and even the plan he had worked out with Potter, where everything suddenly depended on him. For a moment, he wished that everything was over and they had her back already. He flexed his fingers when the memory of her hand in his ghosted over the skin of his palm at the thought of her.

"Draco!"

His first name being shouted through the throngs of wizarding folk had him perk up from his thoughts. No one ever shouted his first name when he was out. He briefly smiled when he saw a waving redhead come towards him.

"Hi, thanks for stopping," Ginny said. She looked slightly flushed as if she was in a hurry, but she showed the same soft smile she had when she had picked up her husband the evening before. "It was great to see you yesterday, even if we didn't really have the chance to talk. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Even I remember how your mother can be..."

She blushed and pushed her bag up. "How are you? And I'm not asking out of politeness."

"You never have." He sighed. "I guess I'm as fine as I can be in my current situation."

She scrunched her face up at his answer. "Fine. You should remember what my family thinks about that word."

He chuckled. He did remember that fine in the Weasley family usually meant that something wasn't as it should be, but you didn't want to talk about it. It was one of the many small things he had learned after they had taken him in as Hermione's boyfriend, a full member of the family.

"Anyway, I'm heading to an interview with the new Chaser of the Wimborne Wasps for my column," she then said, pulling him once more out of his thoughts.

"The Wimborne Wasps?" he asked in surprise, a smirk pursing his lips. "My family has always supported them–"

"I haven't forgotten the arguments about which team was the best. You and Harry never agreed on anything Quidditch-related." Her laughter was brief, but warm. "Anyway, you look like you could use some company. Want to join me? The interview is not going to take long, and I'm pretty sure they won't mind giving you some autographs. I for sure need to bring some home for my children. And we can catch up afterwards over a beer. It's my parents' turn to watch the children tonight," she added with a wink.

"I'm already one of the main investors of the team, silently of course–"

"Of course. So, you want to come along?"

Draco let the options turn through his mind for a brief moment. After all, he was still surprised that she offered him to go along, but then realised that she was right—he could use some company tonight, at least of the decent, enjoyable sort. And even as an investor, he didn't often get the chance to meet his favourite team. "Why not?"

.x.

"So, you say you're fine," Ginny started when they finally sat down to have that promised drink after the interview, tucking the autograph cards for her children away in her bag. "You don't look like it."

"You're just as bad as Astoria," he replied with a mock groan before taking the first sip of his beer. It had been a great idea to follow her to the interview; meeting his favourite Quidditch team had taken his mind off things for a surprisingly short hour. Some of the players turned out to be huge fans of his products, more than happy to have a picture taken with him. Maybe he should check with Daphne whether they could up the amount of money invested in the team for the upcoming season...

"Wait, wait... I remember she was with Zabini, right? A bit presumptuous and strong-willed?"

He nodded. "They're married now."

"What about you? The papers still like to bring pictures with you as soon as you show yourself with a decent looking woman."

"Ugh. I hate it. I'm not dating anyone. Can't. Won't."

Sipping her beer, Ginny glanced at him; the way she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly showed that she had heard the melancholic tone in his voice. "Not once since... you know?"

Draco shook his head. "She was the one."

"You miss her. I get that." She leaned towards him with a soft smile. "To be honest, I don't get why she broke up with you. You were so great together! We actually had a secret bet running in the family when you would propose to her–"

"Oh gods!" He let out a groan before taking a gulp from his beer to flush away the painful reminder.

"Yeah. I really don't know why she did it because now she's miserable a lot."

"Miserable?"

She nodded and took another sip. "She won't admit it, but I can see it. It's like she's missing an important part of her life, but she distracts herself with her work. Some days, no one dares to mention your name because then we all can see that she is still hurt. Other days, when she's at our place for dinner, she keeps mentioning you in almost every other sentence. But she's great with the children; they all love her. A bit like the aunt who knows all the cool tricks. And she taught both Lily and James to read–"

"Lily? I remember James was about a year old when... you know."

"Lily Sophia," she replied with a nod. "She was born after... after Hermione came back from South America, and we let her choose the middle name as her godmother."

"You know why she was in South America?" This was one of the questions Draco had because he still didn't understand where exactly she disappeared to and why. That he hadn't been able to find her had almost driven him insane the first year after the break-up.

Ginny shook her head. "No. The only person who knows the full story is Harry, and he won't tell me. It's like a thing between them." After a second or two in heavy silence, she leaned forward. "Harry told me a few things about what is going on in the department right now—if he's home at all. You know he's really scared they won't find her in time."

"Yes, they are desperate," Draco replied. He shared Potter's anguish because he, too, found the option of being too late too scary to think about.

"And as much as he rambles about you, he did tell me yesterday that he is glad you joined them, you know?"

"Sure you're not just telling me what you think I need to hear?"

Raising her eyebrow, she shook her head. "I might do that occasionally with my children, but you're old enough for the brutal truth."

He chuckled at that, relaxing a bit into his side of the bench. "Thanks." Ginny was still just as sarcastic as she used to be back then, not afraid to hand it straight back; he remembered that he had always valued that in her. That and her ability to explain Hermione's train of thought to him more than once...

"And please, don't lose hope. If anyone can find her, it's you... Whatever you have planned, I'm sure you can do it," she said with an honest and encouraging smile before putting the beer bottle to her lips for another gulp. "It's probably pretty crazy, but you're not Harry who still just runs into everything head-on, so–"

"Yes!" he said with an amused smirk. "Thanks for understanding that!" For the first time today, Draco felt his frustration and dread disappear, replaced by a faint hope—something he could cling to in the coming days. "Another?" he asked, pointing at her beer, and smiled briefly when she nodded before hastily emptying her bottle.