The Game Plan
Author's note:
Hello, hello.
This was just a note to tell you all how much I love you.
Breathtaking x
Draco and Hermione were unceremoniously woken up an hour later by a somewhat irate Blaise.
He shot Draco a particularly filthy look as he shook them awake. Draco woke up and stared into Blaise's green eyes and he could have sworn that the Italian wizard was jealous.
He was too sleepy to think straight, so it took him all of two seconds to figure out what was going on. Draco saw the gentle way that Blaise shook Hermione awake. Softly, tenderly, as though he was afraid that she might shatter.
"Hey, Blaise," Said Hermione, sleepily. "What's up? You work at the ministry, why are you here?"
Blaise glared at Draco before he answered. "Because Draco called me here. Didn't he tell you about the break in the case that he made?"
Hermione thought groggily, and then understanding dawned on her. "Yeah, he wanted to tell me about a break in the case, but we got distracted."
Blaise looked down at the floor when he heard this. Draco, having already woken up, started functioning properly. He turned to Hermione and started explaining what had happened with Lavender.
"I walked into the supply closet and I found ingredients that have been there for thousands of years. All ingredients that come from really rare and dangerous animals. I started messing around with them; I finally found one that would deal with all the symptoms. I gave it to her and she's totally cured."
Hermione was pissed. Why hadn't he told her this? As if reading her mind, Draco answered, "I would have told you if we hadn't gotten distracted."
Hermione perked up. "So she's fine now? That's great. Why is Blaise here, then?"
Blaise felt an illogical, irrational jealousy that she was directing her questions at Draco and not at him.
Draco almost grimaced at her question. "Well… there have been a few more infections." Hermione sighed before she asked, "How many new infections?" Draco's gaze dropped to the floor and he said quietly, "Twelve."
Blaise had to interrupt. "That was before you and Hermione got distracted. There are now twenty-three new cases."
"Shit." Hermione and Draco said at the same time. Blaise nodded warily, "Shit, is right."
Hermione was determined to look on the bright side, "Draco, why don't you make more of the potion for whoever else gets ill?"
He shook his head as he answered, "I used the last of the ingredients on Lavender. They were all really rare. Someone got a stock of them hundreds of years ago, and they've never needed replacing because we've never needed them in this quantity."
Hermione looked sick as she began to understand. "So that's why you've called in Blaise?" She asked, "Because he's an expert in Magizoology?" Draco and Blaise nodded mutely.
Author's note:
A Magizoologist is exactly the same as a zoologist, only with magical creatures.
"Wait—are you telling me that we have to go hunting for these animals OURSELVES?"
Blaise grimaced; she was using her scary tone of voice. Draco pretty much felt the same way.
Hermione looked shocked. "But why us?" She asked. Both of the boys had no answer, thankfully, Minerva McGonnagall walked in.
"Miss Granger," She began. "We have chosen you three to go hunting for the ingredients because, quite simply, you are the brightest, most quick witted magicians of your entire generation.
"You, Miss Granger, can be the healer, in case anyone gets hurt. You are also the best transfiguration student I've ever had. Mr. Malfoy will be able to store the potions and preserve them properly; I also hear that he's excellent at charms.
"Mr. Zabini, here, is one of the best students Hagrid's ever had. He'll guide you about the animals. So you see you three were the most logical choice."
Hermione could not argue in the face of such logic, so she didn't even try. She'd had the wind knocked out of her sails.
Blaise and Draco felt the same way. The three of them were resigned to the fact that they'd be working together in very close quarters.
"How long will this hunt take?" Hermione asked, involuntarily looking at Draco. He shrugged his shoulders at her and looked at Blaise.
Blaise snapped his fingers and, immediately, there was an extremely long list in his hands. "We'll be lucky if we finish this in a few months."
Hermione's eyes widened. A few months? Shit. She'd have to live with the two gorgeous wizards for a few months? Whoa, that was bound to be dramatic.
The two men were thinking exactly the same thing.
Minerva McGonagall was trying to figure out which of the two wizards Hermione was currently seeing. They both obviously had feelings for her, but who did she care most for?
Minerva was getting some very mixed signals from the three of them and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
She walked out of the room, leaving the three to their own devices.
As soon as she walked out, the three burst into profanity simultaneously. Minerva heard them and grinned as she walked down the corridor.
"Fuck." Hermione swore. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow." Blaise replied. Hermione sighed and said, "I'll go fill up a bag with anything that we could possibly need. Tents, food, clothing, everything. I'll get all your stuff too.
"Draco, go get all the potions supplies that we'll need, in case anyone gets hurt. Skele-grow, pain relief, anti- allergy, everything.
"Blaise, get everything that we'll need to get ingredients from the animals. OK?" Both the boys nodded.
She walked out and apparated to their various apartments, getting sleeping bags, pillows, everything that they could possibly need. She even brought some alcohol, just so they could unwind. She accio-ed their most comfortable clothes and sleeping things and put them, with the tent and everything else into her backpack, which she'd charmed to hold everything and to be as light as a feather.
Blaise and Draco looked at each other as soon as she left. "I love it when she takes charge like that, it's so hot." Blaise said, grinning. All their animosity was forgotten but both were sure that it would resurface as soon as they saw Hermione again. Draco smirked and nodded. With that, they apparated to get what they'd been assigned to get.