Author's Notes:

Surprise, this update comes one day early. I plan to be out of the house for most of the day tomorrow, so I wouldn't really have the proper time to update then.

My usual thanks to my beta, MusicLover19, for proofreading the chapter and providing further comments, and the usual lovely bunch of ladies who still have the patience to listen to my doubts and ramblings while trying to get this story written. I love you all! :-*

Now, enjoy!

Chapter 28 - Dancing around the Christmas tree

"Hermione! Great to see you again!"

"Great to see you too, Theo!" She smiled at the warm welcome back from her fellow Auror and occasional team partner as she entered the open desk area at the Auror Department. It was late morning, so most of her colleagues are still at their desks, updating their files. At least those that didn't have a night shift assignment.

He came up to her, walking through the lined-up desks, a big smile on his face and opening his arms in an offer for a hug. "You look good."

"I feel good enough right now." She discreetly declined his offer, not wanting to risk anything right now. "Working with a therapist to deal with everything."

He nodded, and then leaned against the nearest desk. "Potter said you also work things out with Draco?"

"Yes." She looked down for a moment, avoiding his gaze, before she looked up again with a nod and a shy smile. "It's hard, but yes, we are working things out..."

"Honestly, that's great to hear. Just you two finally talking again, regardless what it's going to be in the end."

"Thanks." Her smile softened at his words, and she leaned against the desk opposite his. "Is Harry in already? He wanted to see me."

"He's in his office, yeah," Theo replied with a nod. "He wants the files about every single arrest and their charges on his desk before they are sent over to the Prosecution Office. You know how it works..."

"Yeah." She definitely remembered how much of a pain in the backside the Prosecution Office could be before they would even consider a case to be solid enough. She had had enough cases in her Auror career where she had to do additional research to back up the charges. "Tea later?"

"If you're up to it, sure." He rose to his feet, still smiling warmly. "I'd love to hear a bit more about how you're doing..."

"See you later then." After a wave, Hermione turned towards Harry's office to see what he wanted from her.

..

However, she couldn't just enter Harry's office without visiting her own next to it. It was still almost exactly how she had left it, down to the piles on her desk. Seeing it now, it felt like a place from another time, from the past. Once inside, she noticed that the frame on the shelf had been moved, the one where she kissed Draco on the cheek just as Ginny took a picture of them.

Had he been here? Had he seen the picture, and maybe even wondered why she had kept it?

At least now things looked better once more, maybe they might get to that point again. However, as much as she longed for it, she still struggled with trusting his repeated words of acceptance, because she struggled even more with trusting herself enough. She hated those doubts, and it was overwhelmingly exhausting to constantly fight against them.

Not to mention the creature constantly making itself heard in her head, although it was calmer whenever she spent time with Draco.

Did he really not care about her being a Harpy? Had he really forgiven her the mistake of breaking up with him?

"Hey, you managed to come..."

Hermione startled as she heard a voice from the door, pulling her from her thoughts. Holding the picture tight in her fingers, she looked over, only to see Harry standing there. "Yes. It's nice to be back..."

"Thinking about you and Malfoy?"

"Maybe. It's still complicated enough, and I just don't know..." She returned the picture to the shelf before joining Harry at the door.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said with an affirming nod before stepping outside with her following him. "Now, are you up to answering a few questions? Plus I have a few suspects you might help me with..."

"You know I couldn't see anyone in the audience."

"Yeah, I know." He led her over to his office, which was still the same chaotic system it ever was, the complete contrast to her organised desk.

"Would you let me visit Riverside later?" she asked as she sat down in the visitor's chair opposite him.

"What would it bring you?" Harry asked with a concerned voice, putting up his usual recording device. "You probably only end up upset and angry, and then I'd have to call Malfoy to pick you up–"

"Harry, please. I want to see that cockroach and let him know what I've been through thanks to him!"

"Hermione, no." He remained calm in response to her short outburst; he even took off his glasses to clean them, as he always did as a distraction. "As much as I understand the sentiment, I can't let you do that. It's against the rules, you know that."

"Pfft! He didn't care about the rules either when he sabotaged everything–"

"I know, I know." He put the glasses back on his nose, his gaze relaxing again. "He'll get what he deserves, okay? I'll make sure of that..."

With thin lips, she accepted his answer; it had been a long shot anyway. She had been able to forget about Riverside while she was at home, mostly focused on her reconciliation with Draco. But now that she was back in the Auror Department, she just felt the urge to see the person who had been willing to sabotage her rescue just because he followed some stupid and dangerous organisation, based on a false sense of power. "Fine."

"And I don't want to risk the progress you made with your therapy already, okay?"

She nodded, still pressing her lips together, and let out a heavy sigh. "I said fine. Now, let's get it over with..."

..

Hermione was glad that Harry tried to keep his questions as to the point as possible as he questioned her for additional information she might remember, now that the initial shock and exhaustion had worn off.

She had tried to dive into her memories in a search for more details, but Harry finally stopped the interview when the techniques Dr Pendry had showed her failed to keep her grounded, a panic attack with a flood of unwanted images threatening to take over.

A few minutes later, the sound of those last gasps of her opponents still rang in her ears as she sipped her tea Harry had ordered to be brought down from the cafeteria. In front of her lay a a row of pictures of suspects they still held in custody because their stories hadn't yet been verified.

"Do you remember or recognise any of those?" Harry asked, sitting opposite her, holding his cup of tea up to his lips. "I know it's just a lucky shot, but maybe you do."

She reluctantly shook her head, her eyes fixed on one of the women in the line in front of her; she wore a dark burgundy dress that was dangerously low-cut, her arms covered in long black sleeves. "The guards looked all the same to me with their uniforms and helmets."

"What about that woman you keep staring at?"

"I'm not sure..." She took a sip from her tea and sighed. "But looking at her brings up images of the rescue. I mean, the moment Draco found me."

"Was she there?"

"Maybe. But I was so focused on Draco at that moment that I didn't really notice anything else. That colour though... Hm."

The longer Hermione stared at the picture of that woman, the more she was sure that she had been there, probably in the background somewhere. And the longer she stared at the picture, the more her creature screeched in her head, as if it recognised the woman.

"What's her story?" she asked a few moments later. "She doesn't look like she had to fight in a pit."

"She was forced to play the companion for the night to some patrons–"

"Draco too? I mean, he was at the pit as a patron, right?"

Harry nodded, albeit rather reluctantly, his lips pressed into a thin line. "He managed to gain a lot of information from her... And she showed him the way to the cells."

Hermione finally looked up from the picture, straight at Harry who had leaned back in his chair, still holding his cup of tea up. "I think you can let her go. I mean, if it's safe enough for her... If Draco trusted her with the information, then you should too. You know how little he trusts people outside his family and friends."

"True." He emptied his cup and placed on the table before he leaned forward again to collect the pictures and put them back into the file folder. "You vouch for her, then."

"Yes."

"Alright." He got up, the folder in his hands to place it on his desk. "I'll have Theo check her out once more, and if everything seems fine, I'll have her transferred to one of the safehouses. Maybe she can contact her community herself from there..."

..

"What about this one?" Hermione asked in the afternoon the next day, as she pointed at one of the Christmas trees sold in a corner of Diagon Alley—it was medium-sized, with dark-green foliage and enough branches to decorate. "It would fit nicely in the corner of the living room, don't you think?"

Draco stepped up to her to have a look at the tree she had chosen, checking their surroundings for other people. "Better than the other you considered? I mean, this one is a bit smaller..."

"But I think it would fit better into the room," she replied, checking the branches for their stability. She was glad that he had immediately agreed to come along when she told him about her plans. After Saint Nicolas' Day at the Burrow, her place seemed a little empty, as if it was missing something. And it was a good excuse for more time spent together as encouraged by Dr Pendry.

"Well, it's up to you..."

She nodded absent-mindedly and continued to inspect the tree more closely. Both her tree choices had their merits—the first one was bigger, more impressive even, and something they would have put up when they were together, while the current one made for a more intimate impression, better fit for her living alone and just wanting a bit of decoration to cheer her place up.

She had already allowed Tibby to put up subtle decorations like a few twigs here as well as some lametta and baubles there. It gave her a feel of normalcy, something that made her smile when she saw it and look forward to the holiday.

She still had to buy gifts, though.

"It looks like you want this one," he said with an amused tone in his voice. "Let's pack it up and bring to your place. The salesman said thirty minutes, and I think they are almost over. So, we still have the chance to get out of here without anyone seeing us."

"Yes. This one." With a smile, she nodded and reached for his hand. "Although, I still need to pick up the baubles at my old place to decorate it."

"I have something better." He waved for the salesman to wrap the tree up for transport and the payment.

..

Shortly after, Hermione was still putting up the tree in her place, trying to find the best position. She was curious what Draco had meant earlier with something better, but he had refused to give her any details when they walked to the next Apparition point with Draco levitating the tree carefully behind them—she had been glad for it to be a quiet night in Diagon Alley, with no reporters or any other curious folk following them.

But now, she wanted to know what he had in mind. It had only been a few minutes since he had left to collect his surprise, but her curiosity was slowly killing her.

To her relief, the fireplace came alive seconds later, announcing his return. Holding a box in his hands, Draco stepped out of the fireplace; his teasing smirk only grew when he saw her curious expression, eager to know what was in the box.

As soon as he handed her the box, she opened it, only to be surprised to find very familiar items in it—items she hadn't seen in years but that brought a lot of memories back. "You... You kept them? All our baubles and the small figures?"

He nodded and reached for one of the hand-blown baubles depicting a beautiful winter scene. "I kept the flat for a long time with everything in it, even though I couldn't stay in there any longer. I sold it about two years ago, and just kept the smaller things."

"It was a beautiful flat. Comfortable and everything..." She held up another bauble in red and decorated with ornaments. It was one they had received from her parents, most likely when they had moved into said flat.

He nodded as he turned around to place the first bauble on the tree, a more pensive expression on his face now. "It was difficult to sell it, and I haven't touched the money I received for it."

Hermione nodded, barely containing a sigh. She understood the sentiment, because even for her, the place held some of her best memories as well as the most heart-breaking one. She placed her bauble on a branch next to his. "What do you think? Would we still live there if it wasn't for... you know?"

"Maybe." He shrugged as he lifted the next bauble from the box, only to smile when he recognised it. "Hey, I think we bought that one in Vienna, remember?"

"Oh yes, we did!" Hermione replied with a blush. "I remember the stand lady finding us cute because you wouldn't stop peppering me with kisses in front of her. And those macarons!"

"You loved the raspberry ones..."

"They were heavenly!" She let out a short chuckle. "Perfect mixture of cream and pastry..."

"I think we bought baubles at every Christmas market we visited. My favourite is still the one we bought in Strasbourg, though." He held up the next bauble, a seemingly simple one with a very delicate ornament painted on it. "That was just after your promotion, remember?"

She nodded and reached for the bauble in his hand. "I remember that I was so happy about it, finally getting somewhere I'd be able to do something. And the Christmas market there was just perfect..."

"Can I ask you why didn't go back to your previous position when you came back?" he asked, tilting his head, showing a soft smile. "I mean, I'm sure they would have taken you back without hesitation."

"I was scared I'd have to explain what happened and where I've been. I left them rather abruptly too, you know? So Harry offered me a position in his department if I passed the exams needed."

"Which you did, of course."

"Wasn't easy, though. Lots of physical stuff, and you have to keep it up as well." With an embarrassed smile, she placed the bauble in her hand on of the branches, close to her first one. "I miss the work, but I don't really miss the training."

"Do you want to go back?"

She sighed as she turned to face him; he was going through the remaining items in the box with a rather melancholic look as he moved them around. "Honestly? I don't know right now. I mean, I do like the job, but it can take a while, like months, to work through everything with Dr Pendry, and I can't just sit around until I pass the medical exam..."

"Just take your time, okay?"

Brushing over her hair and with her lips turned into a thin smile, she nodded.

"Everything alright?" he asked quietly when she didn't say anything, reaching for her hand.

"Yes. I just had that thought in my head—what if it never happened. I mean the accident and everything connected to it."

He gently massaged the palm of her hand, repeatedly brushing over her wrist as well. "We'd probably be married with a lot of children running around. Not all ours because they would be best friends with the Potter children..."

"And you and Harry would argue about whose son was responsible for the latest shenanigans," Hermione continued, momentarily indulging in the fantasy. They had discussed children back then, and she had started to think about it more earnestly when Ginny announced her first pregnancy. But then the accident happened.

"Ginny and I would probably place a bet on who would hex the other first over it."

"Oh yes, you totally would!" He laughed, and for Hermione, it was one of the best sounds, as it chased her previous heavy thoughts away.

"You know what's missing?" she asked a few seconds later, pulling her hand away to wander over to the shelf with some of her music; with a grin, she pulled an album out and held it up. "It took me a while to find another copy because I lost it in my last move."

"Merlin!" Draco exclaimed when he recognised the cover, only to laugh again. "You played those Christmas songs so much, I could probably still sing them all."

Joining his laugh, she placed the disc in the player, only to be amused by his mocked groan when the first song started playing—only bell chimes at first, and a female voice singing, until it turned into an uptempo number.

She started to sing along, even trying to give a performance to his amusement. "All I want for Christmas is you..."

"Hermione..." He shook his head, chuckling at her over-the-top impersonation of the singer.

However, she kept her act up, it was simply too much fun to see him trying not laugh out loud. "I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know..."

"Gods, and I thought you changed!" He could no longer contain his laughter and just kept shaking his head at her performance as he watched her sing and dance for the rest of the song.

She was a bit out of breath when the song finally ended. "Haven't done that in a while..."

"You danced through the whole flat doing this song," Draco replied, shaking his head once more before brushing a few strands out of his face.

His still amused gaze changed into something else when the next song started playing, a classic with a more measured, solemn style—something her parents would play at home. As the low voice of the female singer started, he offered his hand.

"What...?" But then she understood his gesture, and she let him pull into a slow dance.

However, it wasn't a close dance, they were simply holding their hands and moving in a slow circle. For Hermione, it was like back then, just another of their many silly but also quiet moments they had once shared. She missed them so much, and the more time she spent with Draco now, the more she felt drawn back to him, the more she wanted him back, despite all her doubts.

But was it the same for him? Or was she reading too much into all the things he had done for her so far, or all those small things like this dance?

The song eventually came to an end, yet she kept his hands in hers, not wanting to let go just yet. "Can I ask you something? It's just that I feel like we're dancing around it, even more so in our last session with Dr Pendry..."

"What do you mean?" Without letting go of her hands, he sat down on the armrest of her sofa.

"Maybe it's a stupid idea to ask this... But... But have you ever thought about what it would be like if we got back together?"

It was an eternally long moment of heavy silence between them, despite the music still playing, before he finally sighed and squeezed her hands. "It's not stupid, because I would be lying if I said I never thought about it. I mean, we sort of do a couple therapy..."

She chuckled, feeling relieved that she didn't hit another sore spot with him. "True. It is a bit weird."

"But it does help us, doesn't it? I think we're both able to let go of what happened, and look at us now, we enjoy spending time together." He pulled her closer; a smile softened his earnest expression. "I missed you a lot over the years, missed what we had... We were a good team, after all."

"We were," Hermione said, surprised how quiet her voice sounded.

"I still care about you, okay? Just right now, I'm trying to figure out if I can trust my own heart. Most of my friends tell me to be cautious, and maybe they are right when they say that I wouldn't survive another break-up. So, the question is, is it worth the risk?"

"I understand that," she replied, avoiding his gaze by looking at their hands. "Sometimes, I don't trust myself either... And I don't know whether I'm worth the risk, to be honest. I haven't trusted anyone anyone enough to let them get close and find out; I don't know what will happen if I let go of my control–"

"Shh... It's okay. No need to worry about it tonight." With a reassuring smile, he let go of her hands, only to cup her cheeks, his thumbs brushing over the skin. "How about we finish decorating the tree and then see what Tibby has prepared for dinner? Or you could do another one of your performances to that abysmal Christmas song?"

"Hey, I made you laugh with it!"

"Yes, you did! Because you're so off-key and over-the-top, it's unbelievable..."

"I'm not off-key, pff!" She nudged him into his chest. "Just no one can reach the heights of Mariah! And for that, you can finish decorating the tree yourself while I have some fun singing to the songs."

"Sounds like I need to get used to it again, hm?" With a smirk, he got up and went over to the Christmas tree to hang the rest of the baubles while she let the first song play again.

"All I want for Christmas..." Performing to the song a second time, Hermione felt an odd relief growing, or rather hope based on his last words.

Maybe. Just maybe.