Summary: Hermione has left the Wizarding World for Muggle France. After two years of living a life without magic, two former Slytherins appear at her doorstep offering their services to be her own personal bodyguards. The past resurfaces and Hermione is reminded of what she truly is.

A/U.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Based on your reviews, I take it that you are all interested with my story. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

EMBERS

II

Draco watched as Hermione practically burned a hole onto the elegant white tiles in the house with her frantic pacing. When the Ministry of Magic had given them this particular job, Draco had immediately accepted. Life in London was getting tedious. With Voldemort gone, life was a bore. It almost made him want to transform into a super-villain. But that was out of the question. Instead, he'd have to make do with this. He hoped that the Death Eater would show himself soon. Meanwhile, he'd enjoy himself. This was almost like a vacation. He was already beginning to form an attachment with Muggle contraptions.

Apparently, so did Blaise. The dark-haired man sat with his legs propped up on the side table, his attention focused on the plasma screen TV hanging above the fireplace. An American football game was on. Blaise winced as one of the players toppled over another. "That sport looks a lot more violent than Quidditch."

"Can we please focus here?" Hermione asked impatiently. "What on earth am I going to tell my aunt since the both of you refuse to stay anywhere else aside from here?"

"We can't guard you when we're living someplace else." Blaise pointed out.

"I know that!" She snapped. "Why do you think I'm asking you to help me find a suitable reason then? Obviously I can't just tell her that I have a crazed murderer looking to turn me into a bloody corpse!"

"Calm down." Blaise soothed. "I've already thought of a story."

"You have?" Draco and Hermione said at the same time.

"Yes. Here's what we tell her. Draco is someone you've met online and had fallen in love with. Now he's your boyfriend coming over for a visit. He has no place to stay and so you offered. I would be playing Draco's best friend, offering him all the support in the world."

There were several objections to that single statement.

"Over my dead body!" Hermione shrieked.

"Are you fucking kidding me Blaise?" Draco asked, staring at him like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Which was exactly what it was. It didn't matter that the ugly duckling had transformed into a swan, she was still the same old Hermione Granger who worried too much and read way too many books.

Blaise shot them both an irritated look. "Do you have any other plan, then?"

He was met with silence.

"I see."

"Why can't you be my boyfriend?" Hermione blurted out.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You wound me Granger."

"We have too many differences, Malfoy." She snapped at him.

Blaise frowned. "That won't do."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because I already have a girlfriend."

"Oh." Hermione paused. Her eyebrows knitted together in curiosity. "Who?"

"Ginny Weasley."

"WHAT?"

"Yes Granger. You've been gone that long." Draco told her matter-of-factly. Something flashed in her brown eyes. Her lips pursed into a thin line. From what he had heard back home, Potter, the Weasleys, and the rest of her friends had heard nothing from her ever since she left. Draco briefly wondered why.

"Then it's settled then?" Blaise asked in a tone that brooked no argument. "So Hermione, when can we meet this aunt of yours?"

"Did you just call me Hermione?"

"We're supposed to be friends. It won't do calling you Granger." Blaise said with a shrug. He glanced at Draco. "You should start practicing too. The both of you should act the part."

Hermione stiffened. "I'm sure we can do it without having to touch each other."

Blaise frowned. "I don't think that will be quite believable."

"We're supposed to have met for the first time in person. It will suffice." Draco said through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at Blaise.

Blaise raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright!"

"She's gone for the rest of the day. But we're supposed to have dinner tonight. You can meet her then." Hermione glanced at the silver watch on her wrist. Her eyes widened. "And I am late." Brandishing her phone, she called for a town car.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"Work, obviously. You don't think I just stay here all day, do you?" Hermione arched an eyebrow and trotted off towards the door. The two Aurors followed her without a moment's hesitation. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked sounding annoyed.

"You don't think we'll stay here all day, do you?" Draco mimicked her. "We're your bodyguards, remember?"

"Fine." She said through gritted teeth. "But you are not to interfere with my work, is that clear?"

Draco and Blaise exchanged a look and nodded.

"Where is the bloody car?" Hermione screeched upon reaching the driveway to find it empty.

"You have half a dozen cars in your garage Hermione." Blaise pointed out confused.

"I don't know how to drive."

Draco rolled his eyes and walked over to his Mercedes. "I'll drive."

Work did not turn out to be as bad as Hermione had thought. She had locked the two aggravating Slytherins in her office (although that seemed rather pointless considering they could open it with a single spell) while she did her job. But it had been useful enough, since no one stumbled upon them. Hermione wasn't quite ready to reveal to everyone that she had a "boyfriend". A vain, blonde, egotistical boyfriend that she had "met online", which was actually quite perverted in her opinion. She would never look for a boyfriend online. That was just – weird.

Finally, after the last of the models had been fitted, she retired to her office. What she saw when she walked in made her want to laugh. Two grown men were seated behind her iMac arguing heatedly with each other. "That's not how you do it. You should click on the start button and just scroll up."

"How do I scroll up?"

"You just move your finger on that small square box. Apparently, it just follows your movement."

"Alright. What next?"

"Tap your finger if you want to select."

"How on earth do you know about these things?" Blaise asked, sounding amazed.

"The Ministry had that seminar on Muggle contraptions last week. You were too busy snogging Weasley to bother attending." Draco reminded him. That did it, Hermione burst out laughing. The two of them looked up from her laptop.

"Seriously? The Ministry had a seminar on that?" Hermione asked in between guffaws of laughter. "And here I thought wizards were too good for Muggle contraptions. With the exception of Mr. Weasley perhaps." She added as an afterthought, recalling fondly the interest Arthur Weasley had over all things Muggle.

"Yes. How else are we supposed to blend in if we didn't know anything about them?" Draco said matter-of-factly. "Why do you think I know how to drive?"

Hermione had forgotten about that.

"And why do you think I was able to call you earlier?"

That too.

Honestly, she had been too caught up in the Muggle world that she had almost erased magic out of her life. It was rather pathetic. Because in reality, being a witch was the best thing that ever happened to her. Until it had brought with it painful consequences. She shook her head. Now was not the time to emote on the past. "It's half past five. We should be heading home now."

They nodded, straightening themselves. "I still can't believe you work for a modeling agency." Draco mused as they exited the building. "From a boring Arithmancer to this."

"It's not exactly the life I had pictured out." Hermione said truthfully. "But it pays well. And it's not that difficult."

"Do you think they have a job opening?" Blaise wondered.

"As an assistant?" Hermione asked doubtfully.

"Of course not!" Blaise exclaimed. "As a model."

"That's more my line of work Zabini." Draco said with a grin.

"You two are unbearable." Hermione said, her lips twitching as they got into the car. Hmm, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Not until that Death Eater shows up.

Hermione shuddered at the thought.

I hope he shows up soon.

So that this will all be over.


And she could go back to living like a normal Muggle with no connections to magic.

TBC


A/N: Review and let me know what you think. Thanks!