Saturday, June 21st, 2003.

Part one: collective-working encounter.

Hermione flooed herself to Blaise's place around nine o'clock that morning, her bag full of shrunk scrolls and books. She dusted her robes after landing and took a step in Blaise's living, somehow feeling a tad strange to come here invited this time.

"Good morning!" Astoria's voice welcomed her and she let her bag down on the floor to turn to the kitchen.

She had no idea what she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't what was going on. Draco was moodily sulking on his stool, a cup of coffee in his hands, while both Astoria and Blaise were apparently still having breakfast, both wearing matching smirks Hermione found not to be a very good sign. Whatever they'd done to Draco though, she didn't really want to know.

"Ready to work?" Blaise asked in a tone full of insinuations Hermione judged preferable not to speculate about.

"Yes." She answered warily, and he chuckled, wriggling his eyebrows at Draco. The last growled and Hermione quit watching Blaise suspiciously to turn to him.

"Wanker." She heard him mutter under his breath as he turned his back to Blaise, directing a very small greeting smile to her:

"Tea?" He asked, pushing aside the coffee pot.

"Yes please." He didn't ask how she took it. Hermione was still surprised he remembered exactly how when he took both their mugs to the living, ignoring Blaise and Astoria's quiet sniggering with a scowl. Hermione joined him as he put down their beverages on the coffee table and sat directly on the floor in the middle of a giant mess she just noticed. There were books and scrolls all over the place again. One of the scrolls had a quill tucked in it. Hermione took it and recognised Draco's neatly looped handwriting. Without looking up from the notes, she sat on the floor too, accioed her own notes, and tossed them his way.

That's how they started the day, drowning themselves in notes and documents, working in peaceful silence. Blaise and Astoria apparently decided against perturbing the atmosphere. They joined them a few minutes later and started going through whatever they found. Although Hermione doubted Blaise knew what he was doing. His disconcerted frown was quite the sight. She had to hide her mocking smile under Draco's notes. She wouldn't perturb the calm atmosphere if she could help it, they had an oath to break.

Besides, Draco had found really interesting details that, if alone didn't seem relevant, when linked to her own notes …

It appeared as though no matter the kind of magic, when multiples charms/spells/curses were combined into one single object, you could - the conditional being the key part of the sentence - if you managed to find counter-charms/spells/curses for each layer of magic, you could deconstruct the whole magical object.

It would take a tremendous amount of work, a thorough study of every step Lucius Malfoy had taken to build the contract, but there was no mention of it being impossible anywhere.

The only tricky, awful, frustrating thing, was that it was blood magic, and that it might involve Draco at some point.

Hermione needed to study the oath itself, its magic, the way it worked, how it moved, and try to recognise every little layer of magic. Then, she'd have to work on breaking each and every layer. One by one. Baby steps.

Which could take years, she realised. Even with Draco's help. His notes were precise, followed with hypothesis and linked together sometimes. His note taking process was very similar to hers she noticed.

They could work faster together.

She lifted her face to him. He was watching her with a frown. His eyes shifted to her notes, and back to her again. Apparently he'd noticed too. She smiled and he smiled back.

Hermione hastily occupied herself with accioing the oath from her bag, adverting her eyes away from the smile. She opened it and started perusing it quickly. She had no idea where to start. Should she poke at it? Maybe prior incantatem would work?

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

"Well … I have the theory. In practise though, I have no idea where to start."

"Layer by layer." He muttered thoughtfully. Blaise and Astoria had lifted their gaze from their pages. "I didn't see him make it. I have no idea what comes first …"

"Prior incantatem." A white flare of magic sprouted from her wand and landed on the front page of the oath. Draco seemed suddenly as expectant as she was. For three seconds.

"Well that was productive." Muttered Blaise. Hermione ignored him entirely while Draco glared at him for them both. She had just remembered that the last layer would be the blood signature and that she couldn't start with that. A magical signature was already irremovable, let alone a blood one. It was irrevocable. She would have to start from the first layer and move her way up. The signature wouldn't matter in the end if it bounded to nothing.

Where would she start to make an oath? She'd grab a piece of parchment. She'd probably detail everything she thought of as conditions to put in it. To magically bound a writing to a piece of paper what would she use? A permanent ink spell? Something much stronger. Perpetual writing spells? Did these even exist? Yes. At Grimmaud place! On the family tree! The only way to remove someone from the wall was to burn it with a very complicated burning curse. Which was? No idea.

Fiendfyre would probably do though. Plus if it could destroy a Horcrux maybe it could just vanish the whole shitty thing! There was no way she'd cast friendfyre though. Or was it?

"HERMIONE?" Blaise's shriek made her jump out of her skin.

"Shit WHAT?" She barked.

"You are not casting fiendfyre in here." He warned. She felt her eyes grow wide, and realised the three of them were watching her worriedly.

"Wh … Oh. I thought aloud?" She cringed.

"A tad." Blaise's sarcasm made his mouth twist in a funny face. Hermione almost rolled her eyes:

"Well I won't I'm not stupid but … Fiendfyre destroyed a Horcrux." She tried to justify.

"Well that's not really an option here. Besides, how would you know that the oath wouldn't reappear somewhere else?" Astoria countered.

Draco watched Granger snatch the oath from the file she'd put it in, and stare at it intently for a few seconds. Then, she exploded:

"Godric's bloody beard! Read this!" She shrieked, her hair all over the place.

Draco hastily grabbed the oath and read:

Physically destroying the contract won't remove any of its bounding.

"Fuck." No getting rid of it entirely in one shot then. Nice try. But destroying its magic, layer by layer would certainly work, wouldn't it? The oath didn't answer that thought. Draco thought of it as a confirmation. What would be the first layer? What would he do first to make an oath? Point his wand at the fucking thing and mutter obscure bullshit. How the fuck would he know?

"Can I see it?" Astoria's question snapped him and Granger for that matter, out of their glooming thoughts. He shrugged and she passed the file to Astoria. It didn't take long for the witch to start glaring at the oath as she read it. Granger watched her a few seconds, her own angry scowl matching her girl friend's. Draco felt suddenly very strange to see so much expressed anger on his behalf. The feeling passed as Granger returned to her thoughts and completely shut down. Draco watched her knot a small hand in her mass of hair, scratching her scalp, while the other clenched in a tiny fist. Her big brown eyes blurred and he guessed her mind had started racing again.

What she thought though, he couldn't fancy guessing.

"Granger?" He tried. The previous time Blaise had had to yell. He wouldn't yell though. Instead he pricked his ears to hear her incoherent muttering.

"Not soul binding. Frigging intricate piece of …" He thought he heard. She rubbed her face then and continued, as Blaise scooted closer to listen too: "Magical core … imprint in the object … but moving … hidden conditions? How? … Seems thought interacting … only if you touch it?"

"Try." Draco snapped and she jumped. She didn't look guilty this time and tried right away to check her theory just as he'd told her. Astoria gave her back the oath and she put it down on the carpet, not touching it and stared at it again.

"Nothing. It only answers when you touch it." She eventually said.

"Touch interaction. That's a start." He nodded, already perusing through the humongous pile of books he'd brought back from the Manor. How he'd managed he didn't really know, but he guessed the presence of his father's portrait had made him more than willing to avoid any other trip back.

"A start right." She nodded. "I've never seen anything like that before. Maybe Bill would know …" Now she was more talking to herself. "Sensory charms are not strong enough. It has to be something dark. I can't picture anything capable of that. Although … I know a map that reacts to voices. If you talk to it … What was that charms? I'm certain I researched it …"

"What map?" He asked.

"Harry's map." She answered evasively.

"What kind of map is it?" He asked, his interest suddenly picked.

"It called the marauder's map." She explained, albeit reluctantly. "It's a detailed map of Hogwarts, with all the secret passages, that shows where everyone is in the castle in real time."

"Wh … You had a map like that in Hogwarts?" Draco startled. Of course Potter had to have a secret bloody map.

"Yes." She smiled. Draco was certain he'd seen a glint of mischief in her eyes but it vanished quickly.

"No wonder he never got caught." He growled. "That and the cloak … Sodding Gryffindors." He muttered, remembering fairly well a few times where he'd been severely punished while the goggled git had managed to vanish. She grinned:

"It's true we had an advantage. The map was really useful …" She stopped smiling to frown then and didn't continue. Draco found it strange.

"Where does it come from?" He asked. Surely if they could trace it's maker they could ask about it's magic.

"Harry's father. He's made it with Sirius, Remus and err … Pettigrew." She explained grudgingly, her eyes adverted to her hands.

"Remus Lupin? Sirius … Black?" Draco still asked. Lupin had been his professor. Black, although Potter's well known godfather, had also been his cousin. Wormtail he decided not to think about, he'd been the one finding his strangled body and the image still sent chills down his spine. Potter hadn't told everything in that post-war interview it seemed. Granger's head was probably full of unheard stories. She only nodded this time though, obviously not too keen on answering his questions. Draco understood why when Blaise decided to open his unthoughtful mouth:

"Shame they're all dead though now they can't help …" Granger turned her gaze from them then, swallowing. Blaise seemed to realise suddenly that he'd been rather insensitive. "Shit … I'm sorry I … You knew them right? Personally I mean … Lupin and Black?" She swallowed again before answering and Draco berated himself inwardly for pushing the subject too.

"Yes I … I hadn't thought about them in … a long time." She said in a small voice. "Em. Maybe we should get back to work?" She tried for a smile that she directed at Draco, something close to pleading in her eyes. Draco found that he hated the sight and returned to the subject at hands, not without elbowing Blaise in the ribs:

"Yes. You were talking about sensory spells. Let's see if there's anything about that in there." He said, returning her uneasy smile.

"Yes. It's a start." She seemed relieved and Draco decided not to branch that subject again. Although his curiosity sill tickled him long after they'd dropped the subject.

"Can I have it back?" Astoria asked, pointing at the oath with a finger. "I … I don't know maybe I'll think of something none of you did."

"Yes, because you always have brilliant ideas." Draco sneered, only half-joking. Her charity party still tasted sour in his mouth. She seemed outraged a second before she got the tone.

"At least I have some." She countered. "Besides my brilliant ideas always come to me when I'm angry and that piece of evil … err that thing does just that."

"Help yourself. Find a way to go around it." He challenged.

"Oh but I'll try." She pushed.

"Maybe she'll find out that you can marry a troll instead of a cripple." Blaise smirked. Draco didn't have the time to lift his fist to show his sudden wrath that Granger jumped in:

"Well in this case he'd have to marry you and, pardon me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty certain he'd rather stay under oath." At the shocked face he made, Draco burst in a bout of uncontrollable giggles Granger shared with him. Even Astoria stifled her laughter under a shameful hand. Draco only found his wit back after three blissful minutes. It had been quite a long time since he'd laughed like that. Blaise was glaring, arms crossed over his chest, the scene quite reminiscent of one that had involved the mention of some arse kicking. And bending over.

"You two finished?" He sulked moodily.

"Not quite." Draco smirked, turning to Granger. "Even if I were cuckoo enough to accept a marriage with him Granger, you forgot something essential." She wiped a few laughing tears with a sleeve before taking a fake tone he'd only heard once from her:

"Oh, did I? And what is that pray tell?" Draco tried to contain another wave of laughter, she looked quite like Skeeter like that.

"But that he's already about to marry Gr… Astoria of course." He explained, taking the worst plummy voice he could muster. The accent had a surprising reddening effect on Granger's face and Draco turned to taunt Blaise: "How are things going by the way? Found a ring already?" The lad saw red, and Draco heard Granger try to stifle her laughter at his side. She failed and he had trouble remaining serious himself.

"Oh you obnoxious little …" Blaise started.

"Don't lower yourself Blaise." Astoria cut, apparently unaffected by Draco's jokes, a tiny amused smile on her face. "He's only trying to piss you off."

"Sounds oddly familiar." Draco continued. "Who pissed me off endlessly for … years actually?"

"Alright I get it. Let's get back to work." Blaise sulked and went back to the book he hadn't been reading, Astoria to the oath, and Draco peeked at Granger. They shared a repressed chuckle and went back to reading rather hastily.

Siding with Draco against the nosey couple had unexpectedly felt natural, if uncontrolled. Hermione thought they both kind of deserved the little banter after all. Both trying to trick her into saying things about Draco. Thinking of which was certainly what they'd done to him too that morning before she arrived.

They shared only thoughts on the oath and sensory charms until it was almost midday after that. Astoria had perused the entire oath and was now wrecking her mind, making the nasty thing enlarge significantly every minute or so under rather unlike-Astoria groans. Hermione and Draco had found a few interesting points on how sensory charms worked but since he'd been targeting layering magic in his research they didn't have the right documentation on hand. They were now trying to figure out another layer of magic before heading to Hogwarts.

"You could change your appearance apparently." Astoria frowned, lifting her gaze to Draco and cutting their quiet conversation.

"How's that helpful?" He asked.

"It's not." She shrugged and turned to Hermione then: "I'm just brainstorming, anything that comes to mind you said." She paused, turning a very small smirk to Draco: "Although it's good to know you could."

"I don't see why." He frowned suspiciously.

"You could use a little tan you're a little pale." She answered patting his cheek with a cocky grin. Was she trying to get back at him?

"True." Blaise jumped in. "When the sun hits him you can see through him." He nodded for Astoria. Yes, definitely getting back at him.

They all had a little laugh and Hermione felt suddenly guilty as Draco's glare went right for her. Right, she'd been on his side until then. She grimaced and tried to return to the matter at hands.

"Why did you think of that?" She asked to Astoria.

"I thought of polyjuice for someone else to take his place."

"It wouldn't work its linked to him, not his appearance."

"Even if he gave that person his wand?" Astoria wondered.

"Well yes. It's linked to his blood, not his wand. It's too dark a magic to try to play this way."

"Blood?" Draco frowned at her confusedly. Hermione found herself equally confused by the question.

"Yes, blood magic links through blood." She articulated slowly. His eyes grew suddenly wide and he looked at her as if she'd sprouted another head.

"Blood magic? But … It's not blood magic."

"Of course it is. It's …"

"It's not. I signed it with my wand." He said his frown so deep his nose was pleating. Hermione felt her own face discompose.

"You … What?"

"It's not blood magic." He repeated, anger spreading a light red tint on his face. "I signed it with my wand." Hermione lost all sort of composure as the words sank in.

"Are you telling me that I've been working on deconstructing blood magic for shite?" She yelped, a large lump dropping at the pit of her stomach.

"Well you never mentioned …" He started and she was sure she had!

"I did!" She shrieked almost hysterically. And then, she remembered. Every time she'd been about to, something had cut the conversation. "Oh shit." She cried, helplessly lifting both her hands to her temples. "I didn't."

Draco stayed still for a few seconds and then he seemed to break. He threw around the scrolls he'd been holding in a rage she'd never seen on him before, shrieking himself:

"So all this for nothing?"

"Merlin's fucking beard! I can't believe I'd …" Hermione started but cut herself abruptly. Something clicked. "Wait. You signed it with your wand?" She asked. He seemed taken aback by her sudden trepidation, and answered cautiously:

"Yes." He hissed. His wand. No blood. His bloody wand! Genius!

"Godric's beard! It's … Damn your father was smart! This … this type of contract it's … I mean it's dark magic. It always involves blood."

"It fucking doesn't!" He cut, barking, and she lifted a hand to shut him up not retaliating his angry tone:

"He modified it then. It's … Draco I'm certain we can break it."

Draco? She'd called him Draco, again? Wait, what?

"Wh … how?"

"How much do you care for your wand?" She asked, her eyes pleating.

"A lot."

"Alright then I'll break it for you." She gave, as her gaze blurred, her mind racing again.

"WHAT?

"It's the only way, you'll get a new one." She dismissed as if it weren't important. It was his wand. "I'll check before but I'm certain …" She continued. "Look, I thought it was blood magic since your father's dead, and the contract still evolves around you. It had to be. If it's not, but he used your wand … It's only linked to it. My guess is that your father didn't want to make it illegal so you wouldn't be in trouble after the war. It's … well, worked against him. If you break the wand, it'll be as if you died. With no heir."

"Break the oath?" He asked while she caught her breath after monologuing.

"I'm not sure. The company could still return to your mother." She frowned. It couldn't be that easy. It was too simple.

"But I'll be off?"

"Yes." She nodded, the certainty in her eyes he had trouble trusting.

"Are you sure? Seems a bit …"

"I'll check. I'll check." She repeated, looking at something that didn't exist in front of her, her mind visibly racing once more, as she bit her lower lip. She was even tapping her foot on the floor, making her petite form shake. Suddenly, she stood. "Now. I'll check now." She nodded for herself, snatching the oath from Astoria's hands.

"I'm coming." He blurted, standing, and followed her out.

"Well, that was unexpected." Noted Blaise.

"What? The both of them so engrossed in their conversation they totally ignored us? Or the both of them finally leaving together? Because the fact that she found a way to break that oath isn't." Astoria droned.

"You think they'll jump into each other's arms once they'll be sure she's right?" Blaise wondered, although unconvincingly, couldn't be that easy.

"She is right. But nah, they're more the kind to extol weird complex things over a book and then feel awkward. Swots." Stori snorted, confirming Blaise's suspicions. He wasn't about to let the opportunity pass though:

"Should we try to get them drunk to celebrate?"

"Once she's broken it?"

"Well, yes, not now obviously."

"Oh." She frowned, seemingly disappointed. Good sign.

"What were you thinking?"

"Bringing a barrel of firewhiskey to your place for when they come back." She shrugged, a mischievous start of a smirk on her lips.

"And then we leave them alone once they're ignoring us, you know, the both of them alone, celebrating, too drunk to apparate away, no more floo powder …"

"You're the devil." She grinned, and bit her lip with conspiratorial bliss.

"I love you too." Oh damn.

"Granger, if it doesn't break the oath what's going to happen?" Draco asked her, as they closed the door to the dark room behind them.

"Your mother would be pointed head of the company." Granger seemed to speculate, walking in an taking in the large shelves that surrounded them.

"Oh." He murmured, and her previous amazement at the room vanished as she turned guilty eyes to him.

"I'm sorry I … Your mother … I didn't think …"

"Don't." He cut. "It's exactly what she wants. She hasn't spoken to me in months. I …" He paused realising what he'd been about to tell her. She hastily gave in a soft voice:

"You don't have to tell me." But he could see the worry in her brow gaze. Why wouldn't he tell her after all? Only Blaise knew, and if confiding in her lifted another weight from his shoulders what bad did it make? She knew a lot more than anyone else already.

"I told my father what I thought of him on his death bed. She hasn't really spoken to me ever since." He said before changing his mind. He didn't expect her sad look:

"I'm sorry." She gave, in all Grangery compassion. She had no idea how things had been since his father's death though.

"Me too. I wish I had earlier."

"You do?" She asked, visibly surprised.

"Yes, he would have disowned me." Which would have saved a lot of trouble. He wouldn't be there with her now though.

"Err … But your mother …" She started, the sad frown returning on her face.

"Some things can't be helped." Draco cut, finding that he didn't like that frown a bit. His mother, as much as he cared for her, had revealed the exact portrait of her first name, and had denied any ties with him upon finding out that she wouldn't get a sickle. Her love for him had been that shallow and he'd let go of it long ago.

Granger only nodded and didn't press the subject. She was way better at taking hints than Blaise was. Her attention returned to the large shelves that reached the ceiling and the first feeling that had gripped Draco when they'd entered the room returned. This time it was stronger than his questions about the oath:

"I can't believe we just broke in Mysteries and the guardian didn't even say a thing …" He muttered.

"Remember when I told you that I used my name sometimes?" She turned a smirk to him. He felt strange.

"You could have done that sooner then." He said, drifting his eyes away from her mouth.

"And I would have researched blood magic for nothing. Now at least, if I fall, it's for something." She said decidedly and Draco realised in what trouble they'd stepped in. She, especially. She was head of Law Enforcement and breaking in a room full of unspeakable documentation.

"Err … Maybe we shouldn't then …"

"We're here. Too late." She cut. "I might even take a look at a few other things while I'm here." Right. Hermione Granger. It was stupid to worry. She'd broken into Gringott's after all.

"Greengrass is so bloody right. What the hell were you doing in Gryffindor?" Draco couldn't help but say though. She only chuckled half-heartedly, perusing the aisles of dangerous books with interest already.

It took all afternoon, and most of the evening.

But she finally found what she'd been looking for.

"Here! Draco! Listen! Magical bounding through one's wand only binds the magical core of said wand." She extolled, shaking a book to him from the other end of the aisle.

"Does … does it mean …" He stuttered.

"You should break it yourself. Wait!" She shrieked as he'd been about to snatch his wand from the table he'd put it on.

"Wh … yes?"

"Do you still have your father's wand?" She asked.

"It's at the manor somewhere yes." He frowned, not following her.

"Of course! That's how! Draco if you break it too, the oath it'll …"

"Vanish."

Hermione watched him grab his wand slowly. She remembered that wand. She'd seen it that night at the restaurant Astoria had picked out, but now, just now, she remembered Harry using it. She remembered it being the trick that had made the elder wand disloyal to Voldemort. He toyed with it a moment and she said:

"You know that when Harry disarmed you it saved him?"

"I know. It's never worked quite so well since then." He said, thoughtfully looking at the stick of wood.

"I thought you cared a lot for it."

"I do. It's …" He started. "It's going to sound stupid but …" He cut himself, apparently unsure as to tell her or not.

"Yes?" She tried.

"Never mind. I'll just break it I guess." His mouth set in a weird flat line she didn't like. If Hermione had tried to spare his feelings regarding his mother, as she'd – wrongly – suspected it would be as sensitive a subject as his father's was, she saw no reason not to push him then. He'd started to talk after all.

"I thought we'd passed the point where there's still secrets between us." She said. Something twitched in his eyes but it vanished so quickly Hermione didn't know what it was. He grimaced then, but agreed apparently:

"Err … It's a reminder."

"Of what?"

"That I was a shitty death eater." His face grew sombre as his cloudy eyes returned to his wand. Hermione didn't comfort him, or contradict him. Yes he'd been a shitty death-eater. A death-eater. She'd been a mudblood. It was still carved in her arm. She'd moved on from that and it was about time he did too. He deserved to move on.

"Break it." She spat, that anger she felt anytime she thought of what he'd been through returning in an overwhelming blow.

He nodded, his gaze suddenly fixed on hers, and obliged.

Hermione waited for Draco to return from the Manor in her office a little while after. She'd obliviated the guard at Mysteries. Just in case.

She'd broken so many laws that night that she started to feel very guilty. A wave of something very unpleasant was washing through her.

Until Draco came back.

He entered the office, panting, his black robes sweeping after him, a cane in his hands. He looked … upset, angry. Tall.

"What …"

"My father's portrait … he … I told him." And suddenly his face changed, and his anger vanished as he eyes were fixed on hers. She managed to ask in a trembling voice, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under the cloudy gaze:

"And?"

"And if he weren't dead already he'd have died on the spot." He said, and then bit his lip. Was he … was he trying not to laugh?

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked warily.

"Fuck no. It's the best thing ever!" He grinned. Hermione was certain she caught a flash of sadistic pleasure in that smile. She couldn't share the feeling more. She chuckled:

"Let's break that oath then." He nodded, and Hermione opened the oath as he sat facing her.

He took a moment, where he watched the cane thoughtfully, and then he pulled the wand from it. Hermione startled when the cane suddenly burst into flames. He smiled. Oh.

"Wandless. Impressive." She gave with a small smile of her own.

"Well, I am impressive." He bragged, lifting his chin up with a cocky smirk.

"Break that oath already." She said rolling her eyes, but couldn't repress her smile, she preferred the bragging posh Draco to the angry and desperate one from far. He grinned, and didn't wait to break the wand in two pieces. Both turned their gaze to the oath. It didn't move for an endless second.

And then, it simply turned to dust.

"Disappointing." He scowled. Hermione shrugged:

"I would have expected it to yell or something …"

"Yell?"

"Never mind, I guess it's nothing like a Horcrux after all."

"Err … How were …?" He grimaced.

"Awful." He nodded thoughtfully, taking the hint and not asking more about it. They had an awkward moment of silence. Eventually he said:

"So, that's it?"

"Yes."

"Should we go back to Blaise's?"

"I guess."

A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews … hope you'll enjoy next chapter. Sorry for the late updates, there's a lot going on in my life.