True Love Cannot Stay Hidden Forever…..ch-6 The Dare Game

Draco's POV

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It was the 2nd day since my mother basically decided my future and made me promise to marry someone in nearly 2 months or so, a pureblood no less.

I love my mother, I really do but she needs to understand that I have just started my career and will surely need some time to even get used to my job.

Marrying somebody this early would surely be a recipe of disaster.

I need this ex-death eater chapter to get close from my life's history so that nobody could disrespect my future to be family or feel scornful.

In the after math of the terrible disagreement with my mother yesterday, I realized that I had actually felt offended when my mother said something about Granger. I didn't know why that was but I did know that Hermione Granger was about to turn my life upside down…

I went to Hermione's office thinking of excuses to make if I get caught, when I did reach it I saw not the usual stack of papers but a clean desk and a simple flower vase. This was very odd, never did any ministry official ever have a clean desk (not a proper and valid ministry official that is), Granger must've been late that's it.

I waited there anticipating she would show up any moment but she never did. She was 30 minutes late and there was I having negative thoughts. That's it, enough of waiting (obviously It wouldn't happen if you would wait for 45 minutes). I pushed the door opened but it wouldn't.

I tried shoving it forward but still in vain. I contemplated using magic but decided against it (Surely someone would notice if an entire went missing in the middle of the day!). I finally manage to open it to the slightest creek to peep through and see what was going on.

What I saw were five or ten women of the ministry peeking through a tiny hole fighting to see what I was doing inside Hermione's office. What so they expect me to do! We work on a case for Merlin's sake; I honestly never want to get inside a woman's mind.

I applied a little force and there were those girls looking at me with those fake innocent eyes and pouty lips. I would've at least made one perverted comment but something stopped me this time.

One of the women tried to make herself look appealing, anticipating that I would fall for it.

"Hello Draco fancy seeing you here. "She tried to purr but it sounded like a cat dying actually.

"Oh nothing, I was just waiting for Miss Granger to come so that we could get on with the case" I tried to say nonchalantly.

"OK well then would you like to join me in my office? We could have little cup of coffee or…" she left the sentence hanging and once again tried her level best to look provocative.

"No I'd rather wait here" I said a bit too quickly. Finally the woman's façade broke and she let out a frustrated cry. "Oh for Merlin's sake Malfoy get the hint! Besides what do you see in that girl anyway, sure she has got brains but that doesn't matter does it?" All the girls burst out in fits of giggles, all the while eyeing me up and down like a piece of meat.

I stood stiffly trying to contemplate about what my reaction could be. I had two choices (I) to agree and laugh with them and joke about how Hermione's smart but still wasn't good enough and couldn't resist me (ii) to shut the women about what they were talking and defend Hermione's honor.I knew that I was going to carry this regret my whole life. Without more thinking I chose the option (I). I made myself look cunning and I knew that they were waiting for an answer.

"Girls, you all know me so well…do you know that when I held her in my arms I saw her blushing (that was the worst lie I've ever said, she wasn't blushing but punching me on my chest to let her go). Now what can I say women? For the Salazar's sake I don't want this topic to go out of our hands. Let's keep it between you and me." They all started blushing and discussing about me and the faith I have put in them but I knew Hermione would come to know about this because those women couldn't wait to tell everyone about the fresh gossip they had learnt.

I looked around to see somebody or anybody who could get me out of this mess when I saw two people who boosted my ego more than Felix Felicis.

Pansy and Crabbe saw me with all those women and beckoned to come over to them. They were not alone, there were many others with them most of which I knew or noticed back in Hogwarts. They were looking anxious (no doubt, they saw me with a girl whom I hate the most and that too in my arms). Everybody was at lost for words until Pansy spoke up.

"So… Draco all these women throwing themselves at you, completely normal for you isn't it?

Although I did notice that ever since you started this love-hate relationship with that mud blood they've lessened in number" Everyone started laughing at that, many even commenting with a few "YOU GO Girl s". I knew Pansy never really fancied me, but seeing me with Granger had hit a nerve.

"Every women falls for me, you see. That Granger did too; she's having good days as she is working with me haven't you seen? 1st day at work with me and she got herself in my arms" Great I was telling lies again, God! This was going to be bad if Granger got to know…

"Draco we all saw or at least heard of what happened Hermione fell and you picked her up, stop pretending otherwise" said Blaise, great another mouth to shut up! Note the sarcasm.

"Oh you poor sod! Do you really think that I would ever stoop to that level… do you think that I'll lie about having gotten Granger in my arms! I'd rather be blind." I spat back.

My other so-called friend Millicent Bullstrode smiled a crooked grin and I could literally see the cogs in his brain shifting as tried to think of a good enough comment.

"Ok Malfoy, I believe you. If you say that Granger is as stupid as you claim her to be, why not you try to get Granger fall for you and then when she does, laugh the whole thing off" he said skeptically.

"Consider it done." What an arse I am. Why on the earth did I say consider it done? I knew this was going to hurt a lot (not only Hermione but me also). Great, so now I have to not only find a pureblood but also get Granger to like me. Yeah this was going to be easy.

With nothing to do except for brooding about the Ministry and picking on nervous interns, I decided to head back to my office to see if something came up from the Minister.

Suddenly out of nowhere cameras started flashing. I was almost blinded by the intensity of it .I honestly was annoyed, what is it with the media can't they just get a life! I turned around to see through squinted eyes, as to whom was it that caught all this paparazzi and saw Harry (effing) Potter with his red head wife Gemmy… Gina… ugh what was that Weasley's name… Never mind that and Hermione looking all sorts of startled. I roamed my eyes over her body (in a total ungentle man like manner) and my breath got caught in my throat. She was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans paired with black flats and a peach cardigan which brought out the bronze highlights in her hair.

She finally met my gaze and practically begged for me to save her from the madness. She was trying to reach me but the reporters were blocking her way, how often did they get to see two of the so-called "Golden Trio" together with a quidditch player no less. They obviously had questions as to where the other Weasley was, which in turn made Granger uncomfortable. I mean who wouldn't be! For me staying in the same room as him for more five minutes without a remark was painful, she lived with him For Merlin's sake!

Honestly though what could Potter and Granger say? "Yeah we were friends with Weasley but he turned into a complete beaver and is always in a state of drunken stupor." Yeah that would go well…

Before she could reply to anything I grabbed her wrist and started pulling her out of the crowd and the flashes were still continuing to follow our lead when suddenly a woman come to Hermione. Wait a minute she was the same woman who I asked not to tell about our little rapport to anyone.

She looked at me with surprise and I winked at her. She got to know what I was trying to indicate to her but she did something else "Hermione, you very, very clever woman, and fine you won now tell us how you did that". Fuck now I know why everybody says to not trust a woman but I wasn't thinking more about that, I was thinking what Hermione was going to say. When I looked at her she was trying to sort out what the woman was talking about but luckily Kingsley called us out Hermione didn't give much thought to it I encircled my arms around her waist and pulled her away from that crowd.

"Hermione and Draco I suppose you have heard that we have found a dead body at Diagon Alley but the marks on the body are quite strange. We examined it to check whether they were Ware-wolf bite marks, but no they were something else entirely.

I am sorry to inform you but we don't know what it is yet. We selected you both for this investigation because of the affairs Mr. Malfoy had been to; I think it is the right time to go to Knockturn Alley for investigation and to solve this mystery. You can go whenever you feel like just ask for a portkey or you can get brooms and of course apparition is always an option." Kingsley said as calmly as Dumbledore used to be.

Sometimes he would remind me of all the bad things I've done but Kingsley never gave much thought to it because he knew that I never wanted to do it, it was all just pressure, and this story was known only to him and Dumbledore, not a soul other.

There was silence in Kingsley's office and none of us were expecting to leave, it was an odd moment so I decided to break the silence. "Brooms would work and you can have them available in no time" I still remember those quidditch games I had back in Hogwarts.

The view was just fantastic and I would do anything to feel like those days again until Hermione spoke, "We should apparate, its faster and less conspicuous" she said with an air of defiance.

Honestly she would be great in Slytherin considering how she thinks so highly of herself. I was bored out of my wits but still complied; there was no point in arguing over trivial matters when the Minister is practically breathing down your neck.

I knew that I had a job to do and I couldn't wait to do it…

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