Draco and Hermione spent the rest of December and bringing in the New Year in Italy. After the wedding they had taken a portkey straight to their hotel to avoid the media frenzy that was waiting for them outside the Manor. The hotel had been recommended by Blaise and was in a remote little area where they could celebrate in peace.
And what peace it was…
It was odd, honestly, to be somewhere people didn't know who they were. There wasn't a single gasp of recognition, a heated glare, or a camera flash in their direction. They were free to do whatever they wanted without being scrutinized for being together.
It was lovely. So much so that they had even played with the idea of following in Blaise's footsteps and moving there. But alas, too many friends and family they'd be leaving behind if they did. Well, for Hermione anyway. Draco would only be leaving Blaise (who'd kill him after he'd already moved) and his mother whose house arrest would be over, thus giving her the mobility to come along if she wanted.
They decided to save the thought for a later time and instead came back home laden with their luggage as well as every trinket they had seen fit to buy. Hermione stared at it all piled on her –their living room floor and began to wonder where they were going to put it all.
"Have you thought about moving, Draco?"
Draco took a moment to look around and shrugged. "Not really, no. Do you want to? If so, I'm sure we could find something and buy it before the end of next week."
"Next week?" Hermione repeated with her brows raised. "Do you really we could do that so soon?"
Draco laughed and pulled her close to kiss her on the forehead. "That's what happens when you have money at your disposal. You're a wealthy woman now. Act like it!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. That particular bit he'd been saying to her throughout the entire honeymoon. Every time she had seen something she liked, she had immediately stepped away from it once the price had come into view. Eventually Draco would simply leave her side for a few minutes and come back with items already bought and in bags. The more he kept this spending up, the more obvious it was to Hermione how deluded she'd been about his net worth.
"I'll go put all of this away." Draco gestured to everything on the floor. "And then," he added mischievously. "Our honeymoon continues."
Hermione felt herself blush as she crossed her arms over chest. "What? The past week and few days weren't enough for you?"
"Absolutely not,"
Hermione laughed. She was not about to argue with the man –especially seeing as they would both be back to work come Monday morning. For the first time in her life she didn't want to work. She would rather stay in this euphoria of being married instead of slipping back into the average routine and the chaos that often liked to follow them.
It was perhaps then an unwise decision to head into her personal owlery (less impressive as it sounded, as it was just a wide closet with a single open window she had magically accommodated for her use) to see what they had missed out this past week.
As expected there was a pile of Daily Prophet papers and on each front page were photographs of her and Draco (none from their wedding day) and scraps of writing about what they had heard was at the nuptials and other such things of the like. There was also (happily) letters of congratulations and gifts scattered around the room. Despite how many there were, Hermione was particularly drawn to, judging by its shape, what she assumed was a painting.
On the wrapping itself there was a note:
Sorry for missing the festivities.
I owe you one.
-Theo N.
Truth be told, Hermione had cared less that Theo hadn't been at the wedding. Ever since Blaise's warning at the party Narcissa had thrown for Draco, she had felt quite wary about being around him. Again, if she was being true to herself, she would've taken one look at the wedding gift from the man and set it ablaze. And yet, that wasn't something that she had wanted to do. On the contrary, she felt intent on opening it to see it more closely.
So she did.
She ripped off the wrapping and came face to face with a painting that bordered on beautiful in a confused type of way. New art. But that wasn't what drew her to it most. Its frame was intricate and ornate. Old and very well polished. She touched it with both hands, felt a jolt, and then felt dizzy immediately after.
"Hermione," came Draco's merry voice. "Don't tell me that you're seriously going through the-"
Draco stopped dead. He knew something was wrong the moment he had stepped into the room. The feeling of something dark and unwelcoming was lingering in the air and, having worked with dark artefacts solidly for the past five months, the feeling hit him hard.
He looked over at Hermione who was seconds away from hitting the floor before he rushed over and grabbed her.
"Hermione!" Draco shouted at her. He shook her arm, hit her face, anything to get a response from her.
But nothing.
Draco picked her up and disapparated on the spot straight to St. Mungo's where he screamed out for anyone's attention. This was exactly what he needed, wasn't it? Draco Malfoy, carrying an unconscious Hermione Granger in his arms. He'd been floating on clouds for days –months even, and now this. He could already feel the gazes and hear the questions brewing in every onlooker's mind.
What has he done to her?
Definitely big mistake.
He's going to Azkaban for sure now.
Draco pushed aside everything once a Healer with a stretcher finally came into view and put into perspective one very clear thing: one of those cursed objects had made its way to Hermione. And he had a feeling that their marriage was a big reason why.
Draco had been sitting outside Hermione's room for hours. He didn't even know for how long anymore. What he did know was that Ginny was here as well as her brother. And Blaise and Liliana. And Uriel sans Lydia as she was currently working an undercover case she couldn't leave.
"Draco," Blaise nudged him. The blond looked up and then stood when he saw Hermione's Healer come out of her room.
"How is she?"
"Well, the good news is that whatever she touched did less damage than the other victims of these cursed objects." The Healer said. "Perhaps the curse wasn't as strong or maybe she didn't hold it long enough to take in enough of the curse. A DA Division Auror would have to decide that."
Oh, I intend to…
"...And the bad news?" Draco asked thickly.
The Healer sighed. "Although there's less damage, there still is damage. It'll be hard to fully assess everything until she wakes up, but-"
"What have you assessed already?"
"Mr. Malfoy-"
"What did you assess already?"
Draco narrowed his eyes at the man when he saw the Healer hesitate. Another sigh on his part and he finally laid it all out.
"Her heart is weak as well as her lungs. She also...spasmed quite a bit while we were in there."
Draco closed his eyes. He had flinched at the word "spasm" and his memories immediately brought him back to his Manor and Bellatrix and what she'd done. He'd been standing so still and so quiet that he had almost lost touch with where he was. It was...peaceful that way actually. Not to be in reality for a moment and come to terms that his life had just gotten Crucio-ed.
"When can he see her?" Blaise asked from his side. Good ole Blaise, always stepping in for him when he was a mess.
"We're just wrapping up in there, so he'll be able to see her in just a moment."
"Do you hear that, Draco?" Blaise said to him. "You'll be able to see her soon."
Blaise's words had been drowned out when he heard a pair of footsteps. He didn't have to know who it was that was coming, and Draco straightaway went up to Harry to get his desperate answers.
"What do you know?"
Harry stepped back in surprise, but then frowned soon after. "Malfoy, I don't think-"
"Don't baby me, Potter." Draco snapped. "You and a hell-load of Aurors have been at my apartment for hours. You must know something, so out with it."
Harry knew that Draco was going to bombard him with questions (and probably hex him) if he didn't comply with his demands. However, he didn't want to do this with an audience.
Harry lifted his glasses a little and rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning to Ginny and Ron. "We're all probably going to be here for a while. Maybe you should head to the cafe lounge downstairs and get something to eat?"
Ginny and Ron exchanged looks before nodding.
"Coming guys?" Ginny encouraged the others. Blaise, Liliana, and Uriel bitterly agreed and passed on their unvoiced sympathies to Draco as they followed the two redheads out of earshot.
"It was a painting." Harry explained to Draco. "Well, the frame, specifically. When Hermione touched it…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know what happened when she touched it." Draco said solemnly as he ran his tired hands over his face.
"There's… There's something else too. There was a note on the painting's wrapping."
Draco noticed Harry's shift in demeanor and prepared himself for what he was about to hear. "And?"
"Before I tell you, you have to promise not to go crazy."
"Potter," Draco said as calmly as he could. "My wife is laid up in a hospital. I'm going to go off no matter what you tell me. So just-"
"The painting came from Nott."
The painting came from Nott.
The painting...came...from Nott.
Draco's jaw clenched and his eyes turned to murderous slits at the mention of his name. "Theo did this? Theodore Nott did this to Hermione?"
Harry took a deep breath, his wand tucked in his sleeve but ready to be used in case Draco became uncontrollable.
"Yes. Now, before you go and do something rash-"
"Rash?" Draco repeated with venom in his voice. "Oh, trust me, nothing I do concerning Theo will be rash. It'll be calm and calculated and won't leave a single trace."
Harry's eyes widened. "Malfoy. You can't do anything. Do you hear me? You can't."
"Why the hell not?!" He shouted at him. "Look at what he did to Hermione! My wife! You expect me to sit back and do nothing?"
"That's exactly what I expect you do to!" Harry shouted back before he took out his wand and cast a Silencing Charm around them. "You're an Auror, or did you forget? You can't go taking the law into your own hands. And don't forget that Hermione was my friend long before she was your wife. I'm upset just as much as you. If… If it makes you feel any better I'm the lead on the case. I will find Nott. I swear to you on that."
Draco still looked like he wanted to spit fire, but instead he let out an aggravated breath and conceded with a nod. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and then ducked a little when an owl flew over his head. It dropped a letter between them with Draco's name on the front before it continued off.
"Great," Draco said as he bent over to pick it up. "I wonder what fresh hell is this."
He ripped open the envelope in a messy fashion and then read its contents. Harry watched as the blond's eyes stretched. Then they narrowed. Then his lips turned into a snarl. After a moment he closed his eyes and took deep, controlled breaths. Harry was sure the man in front of him would explode, but it didn't happen. Instead he did something else that completely baffled him.
Draco laughed.
It started out as a small chuckle and then it turned into insane laughter. Harry was worried.
"Malfoy," he said tentatively. "What is it?"
Draco didn't say anything. He continued to let his laughter go on until it died to a low rumble in his throat as he handed the letter over for Harry to read.
"Read it out loud." Draco said, an incongruent mirth in his voice. "I want to hear it."
With a wary eye Harry did as he was instructed. "'Dear Mr. Malfoy, in light of the recent events concerning Hermione Malfoy, née Granger and your known association with one Theodore Nott –a suspect in the Malfoy case –you are hereby...suspended until further notice?'"
Harry looked up from the letter and found Draco's jubilant expression staring back at him. "Malfoy, Auror Warren can't do this. He can't just-"
"I don't care."
Harry furrowed his brow. "You..? You what?"
"I said that I don't care."
"But you love being an Auror."
Draco nodded. "I do, but I love Hermione more." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And hey, look at it this way. Not being an active Auror means that I can hunt down Theo and gut him without any consequences. A lose-win situation if you ask me."
Harry felt his insides squirm at that. Draco had said it so calmly, so nonchalantly that it made his skin crawl. If Draco had noticed Harry's discomfort then he didn't let on. Instead he turned his attention to Hermione's Healer who had just come out and said that he could see her now.
Harry watched him leave. In his opinion, the state of Theo's health was in much more danger than Hermione's at the moment. He frowned and then brought his attention back to the letter he held in his hand. He had been astounded at first when he had read it. But now that he remembered its contents and what this meant, he was angry.
Harry left St. Mungo's without a word to anyone and headed straight to the Ministry after a quick pit-stop at home. People said hello to him as he went, but he didn't pay them any attention. He had an agenda on his mind and the moment he got to Auror Warren's office he barked out an order that made the older man look up from his work with a bemused expression on his face.
"Unsuspend him."
"I'm sorry?"
"You heard me." Harry said with anger in his voice. "Unsuspend Malfoy. You know good and well that he wouldn't do anything to hurt his own wife."
"Oh, you're talking about him." Auror Warren replied in a bored tone. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Let me assure you that I know no such thing. For all I know Malfoy and the missus could've had an argument and he sent that painting to punish her."
"If that's the case then you would've arrested him, not suspended him." Harry argued. "And certainly not through a letter and not without talking to him first. Own up to the fact that you did this out of spite, Quintin."
"I'm not admitting anything, but let's say for a moment that I did. So what? He doesn't deserve to be here."
"That's not up to you to decide!"
"I'm Auror Head!"
"And a piss poor one at that!" Harry shouted at him.
Auror Warren gasped in outrage. "How dare you!"
"No, how dare you. You can't let personal feelings get in the way of your job! Malfoy's a good Auror, and you know it. And I know several people –myself included –who would swear before the Wizengamot that he would never do anything to hurt Hermione."
"Swear all you like, but I'm going to make sure that Malfoy stays gone. He's tainted my Department long enough. Now, if you don't mind seeing yourself out, I have work to finish."
Harry was red in the face, but he complied anyway. He left Auror Warren's office and slammed the door behind him. He didn't leave the Ministry though. Instead he went straight to Kingsley's office and put in front of him one of the few muggle devices that didn't go haywire around magic: a tape recorder.
Harry smiled broadly as he watched Kingsley's face contort in controlled rage and disappointment.
Author's note: And…the honeymoon is over… Draco and Hermione were having some pretty good days. The shoe was bound to drop sometime and boy did it ever. BUT good news comes in the form of Harry! Bye bye Auror Warren.
-WP
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