Author's Notes:
Happy New Year, everyone! May the new year bring you all luck and good health!
A year ago today, I started posting this story, and it has come a long way since then. :)
However, the rescue is only the first climax, now they need to deal with the aftermath and the consequences of the raid. It will be an emotional road...
My thanks: To my wonderful and lovely luunascope, who made me laugh with her comments to this chapter, and who makes sure it looks as good as it can!
Besides that, many hugs to Debbie, Linda, Katie, and Evora for having the patience to listen to my doubts and ramblings while writing this chapter! You are wonderful people, I'm happy to know you all!
Now, enjoy! :-)
Chapter 19 - Master still wears his coat
After leaving Hermione's new place, Draco didn't think of going home—he couldn't sleep anyway, not as upset as he currently was, despite the late night. Without thinking about it, he made for Potter's place, quickly reaching for the note with the address in his coat that Harry had given him earlier in the Department. With a sigh, he knocked on the door, hoping that Ginny was still up.
The door was opened by a tired-looking red-head who immediately perked up when she recognised him, a soft smile forming on her lips. "Draco... I mean, come in."
"I woke you up."
Ginny shook her head as she led him through to their kitchen. "I was waiting for Harry, might have fallen asleep on the sofa. He sent a quick note that the raid was a success, but that's all. Tea?"
He nodded, then sat down at the table, fidgeting with his hands. "We found her."
Ginny quickly turned her head towards him as she was igniting the stove. "Hermione? How is she? Is she okay?"
He nodded, his eyes fixed on his still fidgeting hands. There it was again, that image of her standing in that goddamn living room, looking all hurt and scared while he tried to keep his emotions under control.
"Hey, you okay?"
The touch of her hand on his startled him from his thoughts, and he looked up, shaking his head.
"It's like a déjà-vu having you sit here in my kitchen again–"
"I thought I could handle it, but everything came back when... when I brought her to her place," he replied, not hiding the bitterness in his voice. "I wanted to shout at her, let it all out—the pain and everything, just that she finally knows. And she just stands there in that living room, trying to say something. And... And..."
"You couldn't take it?"
He shook his head again. To his momentary relief, the kettle whistled, calling for Ginny's attention. He wondered while she let the tea brew why of all places he had come here; after all, they hadn't really talked in years, having only rekindled their friendship in the last few weeks. But then, out of all his friends, she seemed like the one who would willingly listen to him even at this time of night.
"I won't even pretend and say that I can imagine," Ginny said as she returned to the table with two mugs in her hand and a tired but sympathetic smile on her lips. "I mean it has been a long time, but..."
He accepted the mug she handed him and blew over it as it was still steaming. The scent was relaxing, so he guessed she had put valerian in his mug. Looking over the rim of his mug, he watched her sit down and place her head in her hand.
"It was probably just as upsetting for her," Ginny continued after another silent moment, stirring her tea carefully. "I mean I don't speak for her... But she probably didn't know what to say either."
He nodded, and then turned his head to let his gaze roam through her kitchen, avoiding her. The room still looked pretty much the same as last time he had sat here—days before he knew she had returned. The only addition were the children drawings on the wall and the odd toy laying around—it was oddly soothing that it hadn't changed much.
"Can we visit her?"
Her question pulled him from his straying thoughts, as it broke the tired and heavy silence. He chuckled briefly when he realised what she had asked. "Of course. Just remind me to write down the address before I leave. I think she would love to see a friendly face."
Her quickly raised eyebrow showed that she had heard the meaning behind his words, and she sighed. "I know it's not easy for both of you at the moment, but I'm sure she would be glad to see you too, despite everything. Just... Just give it some time."
Oh, time he had enough. Patience was something else.
..
The next morning, Draco woke up to find himself lying on a sofa, under a self-knitted cover and with a slightly stiff neck. It wasn't his sofa, and he didn't own any self-knitted covers. He let out a groan as he stretched his muscles before attempting to sit up.
"Well, well, our guest is finally awake."
"Guest?" Startled, Draco followed the voice to find Harry sitting in the armchair opposite the sofa, an amused smirk on his face and a mug that smelled suspiciously like coffee in his hands.
"You were already sleeping on my sofa when I made it home. Ginny said you basically crashed at the kitchen table, and she didn't want to let you go home. That's why you're here."
"She put something in that tea she offered." Grumbling, Draco sat up. He noticed the noise of children playing upstairs, grimacing as the noise rang in his head. "I should go home."
Harry chuckled. "No. In my house, sleepover guests get to enjoy a breakfast. And you get to meet my children."
Draco rubbed his face and quickly brushed through his hair to give it some sort of order, though it was probably useless. "I remember James."
"He's grown a bit since then, but I think you might like his sense of humour." Harry took a sip of his coffee. "Hermione is the godmother of his sister, Lily."
Draco remembered Ginny mentioning something similar over a beer they had shared not too long ago. "Why are you here? I thought the Department is run over with witnesses and arrested patrons?"
"Oh, we are. We don't even have enough cells," Harry replied with a sigh. "But the Investigation Department has taken over the interrogations, so that my people can get a decent amount of sleep. And Ginny insisted on having breakfast with my children—and you."
"Coffee is enough–"
"Harry?" Ginny came walking in, holding a set of plates in her hands. "Ah, perfect timing. Breakfast is ready."
"I could eat something at home–"
Ginny shook her head, still smirking. "I'm afraid our children have already seen you on the sofa. And believe me, they are curious."
Draco let out a groan. He wasn't in any state to deal with children, despite fondly remembering James when he was still a baby. "At least let me have a coffee first... No need to scare them."
Ginny chuckled, but after a nod, she walked back into the kitchen. "Oh, James could use a scare for all the shenanigans he's up to lately."
Confused, Draco looked at Harry who simply shrugged and finished his mug.
"He spends too much time with his uncles..." Harry got up and pushed his glasses back into place. "Ginny told me it didn't go too well with her last night?"
"Not going to talk about it." Draco threw Harry a warning glare before moving to his feet as well, groaning as his neck was still stiff. His shirt and his trousers were wrinkled from the night on the sofa, but it still looked acceptable enough.
Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "She wants to come in later to continue her witness account. Just, please, if you want to be there as well, keep to the observation room... I don't want to make it more uncomfortable for her than I really have to. And I don't know how she'll react to your presence while talking about what she's been through."
"Fine."
"Thanks. Now, you better join my wife for your coffee while I grab the children upstairs." With a brief smirk, Harry nodded towards the kitchen, holding up his empty mug for Draco to take. "Thanks."
..
Draco was still at the Potter house, just finishing his second mug of coffee after breakfast while listening to James' stories about his latest visit to his uncles' shop, when the fireplace came to life with its tell-tale whoosh, announcing a visitor.
The three adults in the kitchen looked at each other, curious who would come to the Potter house through the Floo network, as barely anyone was given access.
"Anyone here?"
Draco's eyes widened with apprehensive recognition. "Shit."
"Language," James said, delighted about the swear word.
"Stay here," Ginny said with a reassuring smile as she got up to greet the visitor; she almost ran out of the kitchen in her excitement.
"Who's come, Daddy?" Lily asked, pointing at the door. "And why is Draco using a bad word?"
Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "That's a complicated story. But I think it's your Auntie–"
"AUNTIE!" With that, Lily was off the chair and following her mother to the living room where the fireplace was located; her brother followed her. A few seconds later, an eruption of happy squeals were heard from the living room.
"I thought you said she'd come to the Department..." Draco leaned back, still shocked that she came here as well.
"Yes I did, Malfoy... But I'm sure Ginny will warn her that you're here as well."
"I should leave before anything happens." Draco got to his feet and straightened his shirt once more; he didn't want to meet her like this.
But Draco had no such luck; he was about to sneak out as Ginny brought their visitor in, followed by the children. He froze when he saw her at the door, his mind flooding with the memories of the night before when he brought her to her safe place—and with it, the renewed pain of that moment.
Hermione froze as well as she recognised him, although she managed to wave at him shyly. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know you were already here."
Draco took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "It's okay... I think."
Harry got up, momentarily drawing the attention to him. "You already had breakfast I presume?"
"Tibby made pancakes. But tea would be nice," Hermione said with a nod, trying to keep her hands from fidgeting nervously. "I found the note with your address in my pocket; that's why I came here..."
"Harry, just sit down again," Ginny said, waving at her husband while already walking over to the stove to set up the kettle.
"Auntie, where have you been?" Lily asked as she reached for Hermione's hand to pull her to the table.
"In a very bad place, my dear." Hermione glanced at Draco as she picked the girl up; he was still standing in his spot, watching her every move. "But your daddy and Draco here saved me."
"They are heros!" James exclaimed with a grin, as he stood next to Hermione who sat down and lifted Lily onto her lap
That brought Draco back to his senses; he took a deep breath and then rubbed his face, pushing a misbehaving strand out of his eyes. "I need to get out."
"Draco, please..."
He shook his head as he headed for the door, his lips pressed into a thin line. Right now, it was too much to hear her say his name. Once in front of the fireplace, he took another deep breath, hoping it would help to loosen the choking knot in his throat; he could hear them talk in the other room, glad he couldn't make out the words from where he was standing.
"Everything okay?" Ginny came out of the kitchen, sounding genuinely worried.
He nodded. "I'm fine."
"I understand," she replied, glancing briefly at the kitchen where the others remained. "Listen, Harry just offered that they could do the rest of her testimony here, he has one of your small recorders somewhere. I know you want to be there as well–"
"You don't think it would be a good idea."
She shrugged. "I don't know, really. I think it might be better if she had some support next to her; I just don't know whether your presence might upset her even more..."
"So I should leave?" he asked, his heart sinking at the prospect, despite the overwhelming situation moments before.
"Only if you want to," she replied, her face softening. "But if you want to stay here, you could distract the children, make sure they don't stray into the kitchen. And definitely make sure that James doesn't do anything he shouldn't. He likes you, you know?"
Leaning against the fireplace, he nodded, feeling the knot in his throat finally diminish, even though the heavy feeling in his chest remained. "Thanks."
..
James chose wizarding Snakes and Ladders for them to play, mostly because he loved how the ladders would move you around at random, and because his sister could play it too. Besides distracting the children, the game also gave Draco the chance to focus on something else than what was going on in the kitchen. The door was open, and he could hear the odd word coming over, but the children demanded his full attention.
"No, that's not right," Lily protested weakly, pushing Draco's pawn back one field, straight onto a ladder to his mock dismay. "You moved five fields, but the die only shows a four. Didn't Auntie teach you how to count properly?"
"My mother taught me that when I was your age..."
James took the die as it was his round; he was grinning with delight as the ladder pushed Draco's pawn back a couple of rows. "I'm going to win anyway."
Draco let out a short laugh, then pointed at the pawn in the last row, only a few fields away from the goal. "You still need to overtake your sister."
Lily stuck her tongue out at her brother, and then grinned broadly. "I'm going to win this round. And then we let Draco win. Everyone wins a round..."
"That's not how the game works!"
"Draco!"
Startled from the unexpected interruption, all three turned towards the kitchen door and saw Ginny coming out, looking agitated.
"Mum!" James cried out with a hint of fapprehension in his voice; his sister, however, stayed calm.
Draco got up to meet Ginny on her level, making sure Lily remained seated on the sofa. "Everything okay?"
After a second or two of heavy silence, Ginny shook her head. "Did you know about... about her... you know?"
He simply nodded. Her agitation could only mean that Hermione had told her. "For about a week now–"
"And why didn't you say something?"
"It's not mine to tell. Believe me, I was just as shocked when I found out."
"What's going on, Mum? Why are you angry?" James asked, taking a step back, towards Draco.
"It's nothing, my dear," she replied after a deep breath, brushing over her hair, and then turned towards Draco with a thin-lipped smile. "I think it's better you go back in. I'll watch the children."
He nodded in understanding. "I can stay if you want. It's Lily's turn..."
"I'm fine. Just go."
Draco didn't move right away, but watched her sit down in front of the game, cheering Lily when she saw that the girl was about to win. Only when he saw that she was seemingly calming down did he finally walk away and into the kitchen. Despite wanting to be part of it, he still dreaded sitting next to Hermione while she talked about her ordeal. Given his previous reaction, he didn't know whether he could stomach it—the memories of the fights he saw at the pits were still vivid enough. Too vivid.
Hermione was wiping her eyes when Draco entered the kitchen, and she shrunk when she noticed him. "Sorry."
"It's okay," Harry said soothingly and then turned towards Draco with a questioning look.
"Your wife said I should come in," Draco replied with a shrug, but he remained standing, watching her every move. "I can leave again–"
"No, it's okay," Hermione stopped him with a deep sigh, curling up on her chair. "At least you know already."
Unsure, Draco sat down, trying to keep a respectful distance, as she was already upset enough. However, the urge to take her hand and draw soothing circles on her palm was hard to keep under control, regardless of their own awkward situation.
"Please don't worry too much, Hermione," Harry said, leaving his professional voice aside for a moment to just be her friend. "She'll understand."
"What if everyone reacts like that?"
Draco caught her quick side-glance to him, the biting of her lower lip; he had never seen her so openly scared—her, the brave lioness. He had been shocked when he had figured it out, so Ginny probably went through the same. "They won't."
His whispered words surprised her, and so she turned her head to face him for a moment, an insecure smile playing on her lips. "Thanks."
"So," Harry continued with a more professional tone to his voice, even though the tension was still audible. "You said they knocked you out and you woke up in a cell?"
She nodded, nibbling her lower lip again. "I didn't just wake up in a cell, I was woken rather roughly with their Punishing Spell. It-It's like the Cruciatus, only it doesn't last as long..." She gulped. "They wanted to see my Creature."
"What else did they do?" Even Harry's voice was cracking now, despite the displayed professionalism.
"The guards just loved dishing out the Punishing Spell... Besides that, they were a bit rough maybe, but nothing more. I was only scared when the boss wanted to see me. He's called The Hungarian... He's dangerous."
Draco remembered the boss at the fight pit, he did have an Eastern European accent. "Did you...?"
To their shared dismay, Harry shook his head. "A few people escaped before we could get a hold on them. There's no one who speaks Hungarian or who is called that amongst those we caught."
"No, no!" Hermione shook her head, trembling now from the memories. "He tortured me, Harry. Just as bad as Bellatrix back then. I was his new pet, his-his new play thing..." She tried to continue, but her throat choked.
Without thinking twice about it, Draco reached for her closest hand to hold it; he was relieved when she didn't push him away, but instead grabbed it tightly, like a anchor to hold on to. "Did he...?"
The unspoken implication horrified them all; but to the relief of both men, she shook her head after a heavily silent second, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I... I didn't give up because I knew you'd be searching for me."
Harry briefly smiled. "You have no idea how many from the DA wanted to be part of the raid, just because of you... But Draco helped the most."
She smiled, squeezing Draco's hand in a silent thank you. "I'm glad to be back. I don't know how much longer I could have endured."
"I'm sorry it took us so long–"
"There was a mole," Draco said, ignoring Harry's warning glare. Instead, he focused on his thumb drawing soothing circles on her hand, as he could feel her tense up momentarily.
"Who?"
"You really had to mention that, Malfoy?" Harry straightened in his seat, huffing in irritation. "You know how–"
"WHO?"
"Riverside," Harry replied in resignation. "He's going to pay for obstructing your rescue, believe me. But right now, he is in isolation, until we have a solid case against everyone involved."
Draco was surprised by the force Hermione used to squeeze his hand now. She might look frail and scared, but damn, she was trying to break his hand in her growing anger. "We did find you, that's what counts right now."
"Draco, no. He helped put me through all this. For fuck's sake, I had to kill people! Kill or be killed!"
"I saw some of those fights, I know!" He pulled his pained hand from her grip, rubbing it briefly before crossing his arms. "And believe me, I would have cursed him into oblivion if Potter hadn't stopped me."
"His Sectumsempra barely missed Riverside–"
"The Sectumsempra?!"
"Yes," Draco grumbled, irritated by the surprisingly condescending tone in her voice as she stared at him with questioning eyes. "That or the Cruciatus."
But instead of having a go at him, her face softened into another shy smile. "Thanks."
..
It was evening when Draco finally knocked at the door to Hermione's safe place, flexing his fingers nervously. The rest of the testimony had been hard to bear for all of them, as Hermione told them details of her fights, or what The Hungarian had done to her. Going through the whole ordeal in detail once more had left her devastated, a shaking mess even. Yet, she hadn't allowed for either of them to comfort her—she only wanted to go back to her place and be left alone for the rest of the day.
He knew that Tibby would take good care of her, but he was still worried and wanted to make sure she was okay. That was why he was now standing in front of her door, waiting for her to open.
However, it was Tibby who answered the door, smiling as she recognised him. "Welcome back, Master. Mistress said Tibby can let Master in..."
"Thanks." With a relieved sigh, he entered the place. However, he stopped in the corridor as his magic reacted to the presence of hers, just as it had done in her office; the knot in his throat was back.
"Mistress is in the back," the house-elf said, pointing towards the door on the other side of the corridor, from where a faint warm light came. "Master still wears his coat!"
Despite his eagerness to reach the room, he was hit with a wave of apprehension as he stepped into the kitchen area, carefully approaching the area with the dining table and the sofa in the corner. He stopped as soon as he saw her, all cuddled up on the sofa, a book in her lap. "I... Hello."
"Hello again", Hermione replied with a nervous smile as she put the book on the nearby window sill where already other books were placed. "I wasn't sure you'd come at all."
"Master still wears his coat," Tibby piped in as she reached them, and tugged gently at Draco's coat. She was clearly expecting him to stay longer than just a couple of minutes.
"I said I'd come... and after everything today, I wanted to know how you're doing."
"I'm fine," she replied with an embarrassed blush. "My fine... But I was about to make some tea." She pointed towards the kitchen area after getting up. "It-It would be nice if you stayed for a cup."
"Tibby can make the tea for Mistress."
"Just take care of his coat, please." She smiled in embarrassment, only to let out a relieved sigh when he indeed handed his coat to the elf. "I'm sorry. She's as lovely as I remember her, but I'm used to do things myself."
He nodded, only to move out of her way as she went over to the kitchen area; the table seemed like a safe alternative. "How... How was your afternoon?"
"I took a nap. The potion they gave me at St. Mungo's really helps," she replied as she put the kettle on the stove before opening a cupboard to get a set of cups. To her apparent dismay, it was the wrong one, so she looked into the next one. "And you remembered some of my favourite books, thanks for that."
Not knowing where to position himself, he sat down at the table, running his hands over the aged, slightly rough surface while he kept watching her work at the counter. "I remember a lot more."
She smiled softly at his words. "I would love to go to my place and bring a few things over. Clothes and some other things."
"Just take someone with you."
"I will." A subtle scent of peppermint waved through the kitchen as she filled the hot water into the cups, before bringing them over. "I hope you don't mind the choice of tea. But I sleep better leaving out black tea in the evening..."
With a brief smile, he accepted the cup she was offering him, careful not to touch her unnecessarily. "I'm sorry about last night–"
"Don't be, please." She returned to her previous spot on the sofa, keeping the cup in her hand as she placed the cover over her legs; he had the impression that she did it to momentarily avoid his gaze. "I'm really grateful for everything you've done to find me. It means a lot."
Draco studied her as she continued to fuss with the cover. He felt the urge to sit down next to her on the sofa and grasp for her hand, remembering how it had felt earlier during her testimony, as horrid as the moment had been. Holding it, he had felt an odd peace in his soul, while his heart had been running wildly. After leaving the Potter house, he had ached for that peace all afternoon. Now, in her presence, he could feel a hint of it. But, and it was a big but, the table felt safer. Safer for him.
"We..." She sighed as she lifted her cup to her lips to blow over it. "We don't have to talk, okay? It's difficult enough to find something that isn't... you know?"
He nodded, bringing his own cup to his lips, relishing in the peppermint scent for a moment. "What were you reading today?"
The relief in her sigh was clearly audible in response to his offer to talk about books as a safe topic for the evening; with a smile she took a sip from her tea before she reached for the book with her free hand to show him. "Agatha Christie, although those are just some short stories..."