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Monday, 17 September 2012

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Hermione was already dressed when Draco opened his eyes. She looked like she was going somewhere. At seven in the morning.

"Are you finally leaving me?"

"Don't be daft. I just need to go to Perth. It's already afternoon there and I didn't manage to visit them yesterday. My parents are waiting to hear how it all went this weekend."

Draco sat up at that and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you taking anyone with you?"

"No, it's just a quick visit. I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Is that safe? Have you talked to Potter?"

"No, I haven't talked to Harry. It's only my parents. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Hermione. Slow down please."

Hermione came over and sat down on the bed. It was rather cute how Draco's hair would stick up at odd angles when he woke up. He looked at her with one eye still closed.

"You made it through the first round and you are that much closer to winning the elections. If anything we should be increasing security. Just because Potter caught one maniac does not mean all is safe. There might be others. And didn't Potter say something about possible traps that the guy may have left behind? Has your parent's house been cleared by the Auror's office? Has it even been checked?"

"You worry to much."

"Maybe you should wait until an Auror can escort you."

"I told my parents I would be there in 10 minutes."

Draco rubbed his eyes again, even harder this time, before sighing and throwing off the covers.

"Then I guess I should come with you."

"Seriously? You want to come meet my parents?"

"Not particularly, but neither do I want to be left here and spend the morning wondering if you're under attack."

"Ok. Let's go then."

Three minutes later they flooed to Hermione's house and from there they flooed to Hermione's apartment in Perth. Draco had a good laugh at the fact that she had registered it under the name Hoppetossa, and then he got a 30 second grand tour of the one bedroom apartment.

"How much do your parents know about me?"

"Basically nothing. I didn't come home during school holidays telling them about blast-ended skrewts, or about being bullied or about how often we all ended up at madam Pomfrey's for one reason or another. I mostly talked about the happy moments. The Gryffindor common room and how much I liked my teachers. I didn't want to worry them."

"And when the war broke out?"

"I told them some stuff and tried to explain what was happening but I played it down. If I had told them the truth they never would have allowed me back in sixth year."

"Do they know we are dating?"

"Yes."

"Do they know I was a Death Eater?"

"No."

"What do I tell them?"

"The truth. But try not to scare them too much. They do not belong to our world and it is hard for them not to understand such a huge part of my life. They have read a couple of books about Harry and the war, so they are not completely ignorant about the way things are."

"I tend to be mentioned in those books. And not particularly favourably. There was the vanishing cabinet incident, the Dumbledore incident and Vincent's fiend fire incident."

"True. Ok, then they may know who you are. I don't know."

"I see."

"My best guess is that they haven't put two and two together. Yet. They probably don't know who you are right now but if they ever start re-reading those books on the war then they will figure it out."

"The villain of the story."

"Not of my story."

Hermione took his hand as they exited the apartment building. It took a few minutes to walk from the apartment to Hermione's parents house and Draco worried that there might be photographers around. He had not anticipated moving about in public even this much and he cursed not having thought to take polyjuice with him. Hermione just laughed at him and told him to stop worrying.

"We're out on the patio", a female voice called from somewhere as they entered the front door. Spring was coming to the Southern Hemisphere and this was the first day that the temperature had risen above twenty degrees. They walked through the house and found Hermione's parents sitting outside drinking afternoon tea. Hermione hugged her parents and introduced Draco.

When the basic topics, like weather and everyone's health had been covered Hermione's father turned to Draco and said. "So, I here you have been useful to have around lately. Maybe you can explain to me what those bugs were."

"The maledictapes? They are basically biological drones designed to deliver a lethal dosage of poison to a preprogramed target. Highly illegal."

Hermione looked impressed at Draco's extremely good muggle analogy. She knew he had been socialising a lot with muggles for over a decade, but it was one thing to know and another thing entirely to see it.

"That sounds serious. What would have happened if they had caught up with Hermione?"

"She was well guarded so it is unlikely that the maledictapes would have succeeded in their mission. She always has someone with her now that she is running for office."

"Are assassination attempts common in your world?"
"No, not really. One can, of course, find deranged individuals in any society. But we have a well functioning law enforcement agency so things tend to be more quiet than this."

"But the last minister of magic, what was his name again?"
"Kingsley."
"Yes, him. Wasn't he assassinated?"

"No, he was an unfortunate victim of a broken wand. It was ruled an accident."
"Are you sure about that."
"Potter seems to be."
"You know Harry then?"
"Yes, we played quidditch together when we were kids."

Hermione almost choked on her tea at this extreme stretching of the truth. He was making it sound as if their constant battle on the quidditch field meant that the two of them had been friends.

"Ah, yes. Quidditch. I saw a game once when Molly and Arthur had us over for Sunday tea. It looked rather scary, if you ask me. Do you know the Weasleys?"
"We are acquainted, yes."
"Good people. Although somewhat ignorant about even the most basic thing in the real world."
"They have lived a very isolated existence. They've never had any reason to socialise with non-wizards."

"You know Arthur once asked me to explain to him how a DVD player worked. He had gotten his hands on one and screwed it apart but couldn't figure out the mechanics of it. I tried, but in all honesty I'm not very technical myself so I don't really know the details of it."
"It works pretty much like an old school vinyl record player, but instead of a needle tracking minute vibrations in a groove you have a laser reading the disk."
"Yes, that's a good way of describing it. Good for you."

"You sound like I am a particularly talented puppy doing a trick."
"I'm sorry. It's just that some of the wizards I've meet have been rather… em… how shall I describe it?"
"Amish?"

"Ok, not really the word I would have used."

"Time travellers?"

"Yes, that's closer to the truth. It is rather amusing to see how helpless some of them are when it comes to even the simplest things. Not Harry of course, but he wasn't raised to you world was he."
"No, he wasn't."
"So what about you? Are you muggle born like Hermione?"

Again, Hermione had a hard time not to explode with laughter. Her father thought Draco, of all people, was muggleborn. A small smirk appeared on Draco's face but he hid it well.

"No, I am one of those soon-to-be-extinct pureblood wizards," Draco said. Then he added, "like Ron is."
"Well, you seem to be much better adjusted than Ron ever was."
"Well, what can I say. I have had quite a few muggle friends in my time. And unlike Ron, I like to read."
"Well there's something you two have in common then. That one wouldn't even put her books down at mealtimes when she was younger."
"Oh, I remember. At Hogwarts we joked about her being so addicted to books that she would probably die a horrible death if she spent more than a few hours outside the library. Although that theory was flawed since she always carried half the library with her in that bag of hers."

"She still does. Hermione dear, how many books do you have in that purse of yours?"

"I don't know. Probably somewhere between 20 and 30."

"We tried to give her one of those e-readers a couple of years ago. Those can hold thousands of books. It didn't help.

"I like proper books that I can hold. Besides, most of the interesting books aren't published as e-books."

"But your hands, dear. Don't you get tired?"

"Being a witch has many benefits, one of which is that I can make any book weigh as much or as little as I want to."

"Are you seriously claiming that you have over twenty books in that little purse of yours?"

Hermione drew her wand and accioed the books out of her purse. Her parent laughed as a line of thick volumes floated out. Draco drew out his own wand and levitated an olive tree down from a side table so Hermione could neatly arrange her books there. Draco noted his copy of Ewan Fawley's autobiography was in there. The one with his margin scribbles. He smiled when he remembered how appalled she had been about that particular habit of his.

Once all the books were out they counted them. Forty two books. Hermione's parents were appalled and started talking about giving Hermione a bookshelf for her birthday. Which is how Draco found out that Hermione's birthday was only two days away.

"So what is on the agenda this week for you two?"

"I'm not sure really. I'm still recovering from everything that happened this weekend. Do you remember Draco?"

"Well, tomorrow is your last day at Purple Palace. We only rented the place for four weeks so you need to give madame Primpernelle back her keys on Wednesday. All the newspapers and the wireless want interviews. And Ewan Fawley, of all people, is inviting everyone to a masquerade on Thursday"

"So no time to just relax?"

"Not if you want to get elected, no. I also think you should get some big names to officially declare their support for you."

"Like who?"

"Well, there are the usual suspects like the Weasley clan, the Potters and the Longbottoms, but I think we can get more now. I bet Daphney could get her parents to support you. We could check with Markus and maybe he can get the entire team on board. And I bet Septima Vector and Rowena Lestrange would back you now they are out of the race, plus Blaise of course. Maybe we can find some ministry workers that would be willing to support you, although that would be risky for them in case you lose so maybe they won't want to go public with their support of you."

"So are you her campaign manager?"

"No, I'm just someone who has the unsavoury habit of opening her mail when she is busy. Which reminds me. I think it's time to start thinking about who you want to hire as your inner circle at the ministry. If you want to keep Kingsley's staff or replace some with people you trust."

"Well, I already promised Pansy I would hire her as my secretary. I even think she was talking about taking time off at Gringotts so she could start this week."

Draco was silent at that and looked at Hermione speculatively.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Who is Pansy?" came from Hermione's mom.

"Well, that would be miss Pansy Parkinson who is the current girlfriend of a certain Ronald Weasley. And Hermione here is currently running against her great uncle, mr. Neolin Parkinson."

"Oh, my. That doesn't sound like a good idea at all. She could be a double agent, secretly working for her great uncle."

"When you put it like that, then of course it doesn't sound good. But she's smart and we get along. I thought she was your friend, Draco? Don't you trust her? Do you really think she would take on the job if she wasn't rooting for me?"

Draco took a sip of his tea before answering. This really wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in front of Hermione's parents. When he put his cup down he just said; "No, of course she wouldn't. She likes you, she is a loyal friend and she would probably make an excellent secretary for you."

- # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # -

They did not make it all the way back to England after their visit. When they got to Hermione's apartment Draco drew her into a hug and whispered to her.

"Do you know what I've never done on this side of the planet?" When she shook her head smiling he whispered to her a long list of things he had never done in Australia. Hermione gave him a wicked smile and decided it was high time he tried some of those.

Afterwards Draco's arms snaked around the witch collapsed on top of him. He kissed the top of her head. He was falling for her way to hard for his own good good, he felt. She would probably leave his heart in pieces when she came to her senses. But until that day came he was going to enjoy the ride. It was way to late for him now to be the noble one leaving her for her own good. Way to late.

He almost drifted off to sleep when Hermione spoke up.

"Draco?"

"Mhmm?"

"Why do we keep having muggle sex?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just curious."

"What? Are you trying to tell me that there is some sort of 'wizard's sex' out there that I don't know about?"

"Of course there is. Magic is a wonderful thing that can be enjoyed in so many ways."

"Well, seeing as you are the first witch to be foolish enough to let me see her naked, you are going to have to enlighten me."

"Seriously? You've never used your wand on a woman?"

"Unless you are referring to a certain rather impressive part of my anatomy, then no. It has never even occurred to me. I guess you are going to have to teach me. So how do you have 'wizard's sex'?"

"Oh, the possibilities are endless. And can even get rather disturbing if taken too far. Like any magic, one has to be careful and know where the limit is. But if used responsibly then magic can be endless fun."

"Give me an example."

"Well, plenty of spells can be adapted to be used during sex. Name a spell."

"No, you name one."

"Well there is mobilicorpus, formentopellis, descendo, spongify, everte statum, duro, impedimenta, engorgio, obscuro, locomotor mortis, ascendio, flipendo. Oh and the hover charm. Always a favorite. And the flame freezing charm. Oh, and titillando of course."

"The tickling hex?"

"Yes, well it's not really a tickling hex is it though. That's just what the standard book of spells, grade two, defines it as."

"Oh, what is it then?"

"It's a foreplay charm. Only kids who haven't quite mastered it's subtleties use it as a tickling hex."

"I see."

"I can get you a book you can read."

"I would prefer practical exercises, if you don't mind."

"I see. Theory bores you, does it?"

"Oh, I'll read your book, don't worry. I just need you to be ready to demonstrate for me whatever I have difficulties with."

"I can do that," Hermione said as she lifted her head and placed a kiss on his nose.

"So about Pansy. Why don't you want me to take her on as my secretary? Do you think she will betray all my secrets to the highest bidder?"

"No, Pansy is trustworthy."

"Good because I already offered her the position."

"But what happens when she breaks it off with the Weasel?"

"What? You don't think they are going to work out?"

"Call me a pessimist."

"Why would they break up?"

"I don't know. You broke up with him twice. He can't be all that perfect. What if he falls penis first on top of some witch?"

"I don't think he would do that to her."

"Ok, then maybe she just comes to her senses and dumps him for some other reason. What if it gets ugly between them? Whose side are you on then? Will you fire Pansy?"
"No, I don't think I would fire her. I like her. Whatever happens between them is their own private affair and I can't see myself getting involved."
"I just think it has the potential to be messy, that's all."
"Well, call me an optimist. I think it will work out between them."
"Oh yea?"
"Didn't you see them together at the move-in party? They are completely mad about one another."
"I will never understand Pansy's taste in men."
"Oh? Didn't she date you?"
"Barely. And even that wasn't the smartest thing to do."

"Are you calling me stupid?"
"No. Confused maybe. But never stupid. Don't worry. You'll come to your senses sooner or later."
"You need to find some self confidence."
"If you say so."
"So what's on the agenda today?"
"We need to get going, actually. You have lunch plans with Luna."
"I do?"
"Yes, she owled yesterday. You owled back saying you would meet her at Purple Palace at eleven thirty."

"So now you're not only reading my mail but answering it too?"
"Pretty much."
"Good thing Pansy is starting early. I need a proper secretary. Anything else I should know about?"
"George is mad at you. You should talk to him."

"I should, shouldn't I."
"What is it with the two of you?"
"We dated."
"Yes, you said that."
"It was brief and then we promptly broke up."
"Ok."
"But we sort of forgot to stop getting naked together."
"I see."
"Don't worry. We decided not to go there any more when he started dating Iris. And now I have you to get naked with."
"What is it with the Weasleys?"
"They can be charming."
"Have you dated any more Weasleys I should know about?"
"No, just the two."

"I must say that I think that is two too many."
"That's what Harry says too."
"At least you've never dated him. How is golden boy handling the two of us being together?"
"He's trying. He's never been fond of me dating anyone, really."

"Considering your dating history, I'm not surprised."
"Who do you think I should have dated?"
"I don't know. Prince Charming or some other fictional character. Definitely not me. You're crazy for dating me."

"You'll just have to be my prince Charming."
"I think George Weasley called me 'Prince of Darkness' last week."
"That's close enough."
"If you say so."
"So are you going to trust me to walk alone around Diagon Alley today or are you coming with me?"
"I was thinking of sending Louis with you."
"Not him again. I thought we were done with Louis."
"What? That he got killed by the Maledictapes?"
"Sounds like a fitting ending for the guy."
"Who's going to shadow you around then?"

"You could wear your own face."
"None of this again. I have agreed to be seen in small doses in your general vicinity when there are other people around. But the two of us being seen alone together is a whole other matter."

"Well, sooner or later we are going to have to deal with that."
"Think about it this way. If you and Louis keep dating then you are off the market which means it will be less likely that you end up in the tabloids. Even if you are hanging out with snakes every now and then."

"You and your stupid valid arguments."

- # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # -

[Draco:] Potter. I just found out that it's Granger's birthday on Wednesday.

[Harry:] Yes, I am aware.

[Draco:] I just wanted to ask if I am expected to do anything.

[Harry:] Are you seriously coming to me for relationship advice?

[Draco:] Forget I mentioned it.

[Harry:] No, its Ok. Hermione doesn't take her birthday too seriously, so you don't have to either. Relax.

[Draco:] What did you guys do last year?

[Harry:] She came over for dinner if I remember correctly.

[Draco:] Ok, good to know.

[Harry:] Another thing I wanted to mention: I don't think we should relax security around her.

[Draco:] I completely agree. There may be other lunatics out there.

[Harry:] Does that mean Louis is still alive?

[Draco:] Yes. She doesn't like it, but I convinced her it was the smart thing to do.

[Harry:] Good. She always gets moody if I send an Auror her way.

[Draco:] Some time off every now and then would be appreciated though.

[Harry:] Just let me know when and where.

[Draco:] I'm not complaining, people are just noticing how much Louis is around.

[Harry:] Relax Malfoy. It's fine.

[Draco:] Thanks. She tried to give me the slip to go alone to Perth this morning.

[Harry:] You went with her? That must have been fun. Meeting the parents and all.

[Draco:] It was Ok. We both made it out alive.

[Harry:] Always something. Do you want me to invite the two of you for dinner on Wednesday?

[Draco:] Or we could do something at Nott manor?

[Harry:] Just ask her what she wants. Either is fine with us.

[Draco:] Ok. I'll get back to you.

- # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # -

Hermione met up with Luna at Purple Palace. It was slower today since her book was not being handed out for free but there were still people stopping by. Isabella and Helga were at the counter handing out cupcakes and explaining to people that the books had been free yesterday but now they were being sold at cost. Elina and Erik would take the afternoon shift. It was amazing how much her staff had done here. Isabella had immediately taken it upon herself to set up a work schedule and Erik always talked to her house elves and made sure there were enough cupcakes available. She was going to have to give them stellar recommendation letters now that she was closing this place.

"So, what am I going to fill the Quibbler with now that you've stopped writing for me."
"What do you want to fill it with?"
"Well the race is not over yet so people will want more on the elections and the candidates. How about the real story behind your assassination attempts."
"Sure. I would have to get it approved by Harry because it's an ongoing investigation, but I could write something."
"Question is if it is going to be the truth. I notice that Louis is sitting in a corner over there pretending to read a book."
"Good point. I'll have to consult with the two of them about that."
"Those two?"
"Yes, Harry and... well… Louis. Who would have guessed that those two would unite over a common goal; to keep me alive."

"So how did Louis become your knight protector? Off the record."

Hermione drew her wand and cast a muffliato. The buzz of the place immediately quieted.

"Remember when I got poisoned?"
"Of course. I tried to talk to you as you stumbled passed me but you just smiled and kept going. I should have realised something was off with you."
"Well, I thought I was just drunk and went to the bar to get water. Draco Malfoy happened to be there and he realized something was wrong. Not wanting to draw attention to us he sent me out of the room. He took another route and met up with me. I was completely out of it by then. When he realized that I had been poisoned he sent his house elf for his bezoar and my house elf for Harry. Then he made Harry promise to keep his involvement a secret."
"I see. When did he become a decent guy?"
"They are all decent people, the snakes. The rehabilitation program worked. They've all dealt with their demons and people are just too blind to take notice."

Hermione then went on and told the story of how Louis got invented and how he saved her from the falling chandelier and finally from the maledictapes.

"Now, I wish I could print that version of the story."
"I know. Me too, in a sense. But Draco would never go for it. He thinks he is so hated that I would lose the election if people knew."
"Yes, the best thing one can say about the Malfoy's is that they have been keeping to themselves since the war."
"When does the Quibbler go to print?"
"Tonight," Luna said batting her eyes and smiling her most charming smile.

"So you need this by... ?"
"Well, I couldn't get a hold of you yesterday so I have enough material to go to print, but having an article in there about the assassination attempts would really make the issue. I would love you forever if you got it to me by seven."
"As I said, I have to get it cleared with Draco and Harry, but I should be able to get something together. I will just have to end it with something like "of course there is more to this story, but as this is an ongoing investigation I am not at liberty to go into more details at the moment", or something like that."

"That's a good idea. Gives us a chance to then go back and rewrite it with the whole truth later."

- # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # -

[Hermione:] Are we Ok?

[George:] We will be. I know I'm probably being ridiculous. I just can't help it sometimes.

[Hermione:] It's good to know that you care.

[George:] Always.

[Hermione:] Do the two of you want to come to my house on Wednesday for a birthday dinner?

[George:] Will he be there?

[Hermione:] Yes, George. Him and a whole bunch of other snakes.

[George:] You're not making it easy for me, are you?

[Hermione:] You are going to have to learn to forgive at some point, George.

[George:] I really don't want to forgive. People died.

[Hermione:] I know. People died on both sides. No one walked away unscarred from the war.

[George:] They deserve their scars. Probably deserve a few more, if you ask me.

[Hermione:] Vengeance is not the answer here. We won and we made them face the orbs and repent their actions.

[George:] So they just get to say they're sorry and that's it? All is forgiven?

[Hermione:] George. I love you. I'm on your side. Don't bite my head off.

[George:] I'm sorry. But I'm not sure I can come and face a den of snakes on Wednesday.

[Hermione:] I understand George, I really do. But holding on to anger forever isn't good for you.

[George:] Whatever, Hermione. Not everyone is a saint like you. Seeing demons as decent people.

[Hermione:] I don't want to lose you.

[George:] You won't. Just don't ask me to become friends with snakes.

[Hermione:] Ok. That's fair. You're still invited on Wednesday if you change your mind.

[George:] Thanks. I'll think about it.

- # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # -

They had argued back and forth about the Quibbler article and how much truth it should contain. In the end neither one of them was happy with it. But it was already a quarter past seven so they decided it was as good as it was going to get and sent it off with Hermione's owl.

Onde the owl had left they collapsed on the couch just holding one another. Draco's hand traced lazy figures over Hermione's lower back as she once again attempted to find Draco's magical essence so she would be able to project her thoughts to him. The silence between them stretched on as she focused.

+ I think I can feel you. Fumbling around in the darkness like a lost little puppy. Maybe you should look for me a little more to the left. +

Hermione's hand shot out and hit Draco hard in the stomach. He just laughed at her as he doubled over.

"A little to the left? I'm trying to find your mind with mine here. There is no little to the left. There is no up or down. Try to be a little more useful, would you."

Draco just continued laughing at her frustration as he pointed his wand at a nearby window where an owl had started tapping insistently on the glass. With a wave of his wand he opened the window to let the bird in.

He snaked his hand back around Hermione as he used his wand to loosen the parchment from the owl's outstretched foot. The bird ruffled its feathers a bit and then took flight and disappeared out the still open window.

Hermione almost fell to the floor when Draco suddenly jumped to his feet cursing. She just stared at him as he first paced back and forth and then kicked the couch a couple of times, still cursing. When she tried to ask what had happened he threw the crumpled parchment att her and left the room.

Hermione smoothed the parchment out and recognized the list of headlines that Draco always got from his source at the Daily Prophet. She gasped as she read the top headline. "The secret love affair of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy."

No wonder Draco was upset. They had been outed somehow. This was not good.

Hermione got up and ran downstairs where she found Draco poring firewhiskey in a glass. When he heard her enter he reached for another glass, filled it too and handed it to her.

"To the end of it all," he said as he raised his glass and emptied it. Hermione just put down hers on a nearby table.

"Don't be such a pessimist all the time. We knew people would find out about us sooner or later. This just makes it sooner."

She then took out her fred and send a message to Luna.

[Hermione:] Ignore the article I just owled you. I'm rewriting it. You're going to get to print the truth.