Author's Note: I'm so sorry guys. I've been bogged down with work which slowed my writing down the last couple of weeks. I've got a bit of a jump start on the next chapter now and I am going to really try to get it up by Wednesday this week (I'll write lots tonight and tomorrow to make it happen). Anyway, thank you for being so patient. Draco's survived the Muggle world all the way to May. Just a few months of his sentence left…
Chapter 40: Sneaking
The kitchen still smelled like the dinner that they'd cooked hours earlier. Fried fish and stewed vegetables lingered in the air while a quill scratched at parchment, and pages occasionally turned.
Finally, Hermione set down her quill. The minutiae of all the curriculum wasn't done of course, but…there was a frame work. She'd completed her outlines for the new Muggle studies curriculum, which included making it a mandatory subject for first years. For Merlin's sake, it was at least as important as flying. More important really. A wizard or witch could go their entire life without flying if it weren't for the first year flying class, but understanding the Muggle world was important, even if their only interaction with it was at King's Cross every year. Besides, there was so much the wizarding world could learn from the Muggle world.
Draco wasn't looking at her, but he'd heard her set the quill down as he turned the page in the book he was reading. Now that the scratching sound of her writing was done, the flat was bizarrely quiet. "It's done?"
"It's as done as I have the energy for at this point. I could flesh it out. I could make a great curriculum for them. But there aren't enough hours in the day. I know it's late, but do you want to get out of the flat for a bit? Go for a walk? My mind is buzzing too much to sleep, and I really don't want to do the dishes right now." She'd regret it later, but for now, she was ready to do something else.
The blonde's eyes flicked down to check what page number he was on and closed the book, looking at Hermione over the back of the couch where she was seated at the table. Her hair had fallen in front of her face. "Ice cream?"
"Is there anywhere even open at this hour?"
"We can try." She gathered up her hand bag and he slipped on a pair of shoes. As they made their way down the stairs, Hermione's face pulled into a rueful smile. "I was always on Ron and Harry about sneaking out after hours, but I have to say, a trip down to the Hogwarts kitchens would be just the thing right now."
He raised an eyebrow. "Have you finally given up on trying to liberate the house-elf populations of Britain then?"
She let out a breath. "Not given up per se, but there may be other battles that need to be fought first. Start by helping the people who actually want to be helped."
"The werewolves? Are you sure they want to be helped?"
She was quiet for so long that he almost regretted the question. "I haven't really spoken to anyone with lycanthropy except for Remus Lupin. I know you can't make a judgment like this on one person, but…I think he would have supported this. Because of Dumbledore, Remus had the opportunity to break the cycle. He got educated. He made friends. He was able to lead a mostly normal life for a few years. But it's hard to hide something like this, and I think it caught up with him, every time he thought he found something good. I imagine you noticed his worn out robes at Hogwarts. I imagine it had been a long time since he'd anything that lasted even as long as his year teaching us." She swallowed. "He deserved better than that. How many other people with lycanthropy are in the same position? How many never even got their Hogwarts education? All they know is rejection from society. Whatever lies Greyback or Voldemort told them…of course they believed them. And the worst part is, they probably didn't even need to lie to them. Remus is a good example of how poorly they would have been treated if they tried to integrate into wizarding society. Maybe they'd rather be separate at this point…but they're witches and wizards. They should have the option."
Draco wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't been particularly fond of Lupin as a teacher, but at 13, he hadn't been fond of much of anyone but himself, and perhaps his parents. He'd mocked the man's robes, and that he seemed to be sickly frequently. The professor had been nothing but patient with him, and Draco had mocked him. He finally found some words that seemed to be the right ones. "You won't know whether anyone wants help unless you try."
"Arthur is looking to see if he can find a contact point for me, and Percy is trying to see where we could find a little more support before going public. Revising the Muggle Studies curriculum actually seemed a little less overwhelming. I think I've done as much as I can on that, unless I want to take on the whole thing." Hermione shook her head, resettling her hair. "All I can do right now is try to lay the groundwork, and hope we can find the right opening if anyone wants to take it. And keep at my apprenticeship. Support isn't going to be easy one way or another, and the more I can do without anyone else's help, the better off we'll be. If I can initially be responsible for the healing potions, the wolfsbane potions…it would help. I just need to buy time to find a cure."
He squeezed her hand and paused to push her hair out of her face. "You do know people have been looking for a cure for being a werewolf…for as long as wizarding history goes back."
"But I have the advantage of having the first person to ever create a potion that tames the wolf as my mentor. I'll have access to his notes. There must be something that's been missed before, and I can find it."
"If anyone can, it's you," he conceded. He bent his arm the elbow, raising her hand to kiss the back of it, and they continued on a little ways farther until they found a shop that hadn't closed yet. It was time for dessert.
Draco wasn't the sort of man to usually dither over a decision. Once it was made, he might spend quite a while planning how to execute it, but the decision itself usually came easily enough.
It should be easy. He shouldn't feel any sense of obligation to the library or it's patrons, but he did. There were programs he was committing to at this point, that he was in the middle of. When he got his magic back, was he just going to leave the library without any notice? Without any warning?
But why stay if he didn't have to?
And then, of course, there was the chilling thought: what if they don't give me my magic back? What if I have to stay?
That thought was the one that kept him from telling Theresa or anyone else that he anticipated leaving the library in August. He frowned, looking at a patron on the other side of the library. He would have sworn the man had been looking at him, but why would he be? Draco studied the man as inconspicuously as he could for a moment before someone hit the bell at the desk several times in row with far too much energy. Really, all they needed to do was ask for assistance…
The annoyed teenager at the counter pushed a pile of books in his direction and Draco did his best to smile. "Are you returning these or renewing them?"
"Returning."
"Okay, I'll get this taken care of. Have a good day."
The teenager stared at him. "You need to check those in."
"I'll check them in. You don't need to stand there. You're welcome to look at other books in the library," he did his best not to grind his teeth as he spoke. Manners. Charm. Upbringing. He could put up with one petulant teenager.
In the end, the young man insisted on standing there until Draco scanned in his books—despite the line that was forming behind him—as if he didn't think Draco was trustworthy enough to scan them in and might try to steal the books he'd returned. Draco couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever been that obnoxious himself. He had the sneaking suspicion he had been. He did his best to smile apologetically to the next person in line. Everyone dropping off books could have just left them on the counter. The only time he needed to actually interact with someone returning a book was if they wanted to pay a fine or renew it.
By the time he was done with the small queue that had developed, Draco searched again for the man who had been looking at him earlier. He had moved over a few shelves and seemed to be attempting to browse nonchalantly, but something seemed awkward—and Draco caught him looking at him again. He wondered if the man was trying to smuggle books out of the place in his trousers or under his jacket. It wouldn't be the first time. Why anyone insisted on stealing books they could borrow for free he'd never understand. It didn't usually work anyway; the books had magnetic strips in them that would set off the sensor when he walked through.
Still, something about the man caught Draco's attention. He seemed to move awkwardly in his blue jeans, as though they didn't fit right, and his fingers twitched at his hip, as though reaching for something that wasn't there. Draco stayed dutifully at his desk until the man approached, waiting for one last confirmation.
"Is there anything I can help you with today? Did you find what you were looking for?" Draco asked, doing his best to be pleasant.
The man shook his head. "No, but I may be back another day."
"You do that, Mr. Caffrey," Draco said softly. He recognized the voice, even if the face was wrong. Some sort of glamor spell clearly, though the man obviously wasn't comfortable in Muggle clothing. "I'll be right here."
The involuntary jerk of the head—only a slight movement—told Draco that he was right. Burke had sent his associate to keep an eye on him. He stifled a smug grin and tried to keep his features smooth. He was pleased about being right, but it was too soon to decide whether this meant that Burke was taking the book and Draco's rehabilitation seriously, or whether it meant that Burke was desperately looking for Draco to be doing something, anything wrong, like not being where he was meant to be during work hours.
"Mr. Caffrey," he said, as the wizard approached the doors. He faltered only a moment before choosing his words. "If your friend is quite done with the book he's borrowed, we would appreciate getting it back. It's the only copy we have."
"I'll be sure to let him know," Caffrey said, tonelessly. Burke was going to fry him. He shouldn't have gotten made through the glamor spells he was wearing.
"And…" the hesitation lasted only a second longer this time than the previous time. "If the pair of you have time in your busy schedules, there is something I'd like to discuss with you." There. It was done. He'd tell them about the mirror. Hermione had told him that according to the head Weasel, his best chance was to tell the truth about it, and not hope that someone wouldn't find it. If there was dirt to be found on him, it would come out.
"I'll see what we can do."
Theresa watched the exchange from her office where she was having lunch, wondering a little at the odd exchange. She'd keep an eye on Draco….just in case. She could only hear a portion of the conversation, but something about asking about someone else's book just didn't quite sit right. She gave him a few minutes to recover from whatever it was before going out to the desk. "Old friend?" she asked, glancing at the door.
"Not exactly."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Not particularly." He felt her eyes boring into him, and looked up at her, rather miffed. "I let someone read the story I wrote. They haven't given it back or given me their critique. Let's just say…I'm a little anxious."
The woman relaxed. "Fair enough. If you're ready for your break, I'll take the desk."
Nodding wordlessly, Draco grabbed his sack lunch and left to go eat outside. He needed time to think.
"Caffrey actually came to the library to check up on you?"
"He did. I don't know how I recognized him through the disguise spells but…it was him. He set my teeth on edge even from across the room. I get the impression he and Burke will choose a highly inconvenient time to descend upon me for the meeting I asked for." He moved the food around on his plate without eating anymore.
Hermione laid her fingertips on his arm gently.
"Enough about that. They'll inconvenience me when they inconvenience me. Tell me about your day." He listened as she told him about the continued success of the mirrors. Business was booming. She hoped that she might be able to continue on in the shop, until Ginny was out for term, but…with her apprenticeship and her efforts to find a way to start helping werewolves…she had no time. On top of all the practical work, Belby had thrown a pile of reading at her. He insisted that if she truly thought she might have a future in research and development, a strong background in theory was at least as important as the practical applications.
"He's right, you know. You could hire anyone competent to do the physical brewing, but if you're trying to make something new…you have to understand the theory, the interactions…"
"Is this your way of telling me it's time to do my homework?" she teased.
"Well, I'm sure I could come up with an alternative, if you don't mind being a terrible student and disappointing Belby tomorrow."
"Gee, when have I ever upset a teacher?" she chuckled, leaning in to kiss him, her lips teasing and tugging his. For a little while, all homework was forgotten.