Two weeks later…
It had been a long two weeks for Hermione. She had been watching Malfoy's ex-wife since receiving the file and she finally had to agree with the Ministry that the woman was up to something. It started out rather boring. Alexia would play perfect mum to Abby in public and in front of Malfoy, but the nights she left Abby with Draco were the nights that brought the real woman out.
Hermione had learned that Alexia Malfoy was indeed, very intelligent, almost scary intelligent at times. She would read for hours, marking pages in books on rituals. She would study potion ingredients, learn them, smell them, and taste them. It was as if she was trying to memorize them in every way possible and Hermione couldn't help but find it a bit odd.
She would also visit different manors staying anywhere from and hour to all night and by watching, it seemed as if the woman hardly slept. Alexia Malfoy, she discovered, had loads of odd habits, some explainable, some not, but Hermione was sure the woman would need to be eliminated.
Ooooooooooooooooo
"Can I talk to you?" A voice called from behind Hermione.
Hermione froze momentarily at the sound of Harrys voice but quickly began to walk again, ignoring the man following behind her.
"Five minutes… that all I want." He said.
Hermione whipped around, barely controlling the anger she felt. How dare he ask for her time when he couldn't spare a second of his a few years ago.
"For what?" She asked coldly.
Harry raised his hand in surrender, "I just… I just want to talk about a few things in private."
She didn't want to, she really didn't, but the motto was know thy enemy and despite their past, he was her enemy.
"Fine, five minutes." She replied and started walking towards her office with Harry close behind.
Once they had arrived, Hermione told Harry to wait outside for a minute. She didn't give him an explanation but then again, he didn't ask. She went inside her office and closed the door. She checked around to make sure that there was nothing that would give her away, then started placing various items around to make her look more… secretarial.
"Come in" she called from the office.
Harry walked in slowly and took the seat, George's seat, which she had pointed to.
"Your time starts now." She said as she leaned back.
Harry nodded and seemed to just sit there for a minute before he raised his eyes to look at her.
"I didn't know everything... you know, about what happened."
Hermione shrugged, "You didn't ask."
"You could have said something… I would have listened." He replied
Hermione snorted, "In case you forgot, Potter, I tried to tell you the reason, I tried to explain it to you but you wouldn't listen. You yelled, called me every name in the book and practically tossed me into the street on my ass."
"Look, I didn't come to fight. I came to apologize." Harry stated.
"Apology accepted, now if you are finished, you may leave as I have work to do."
Harry didn't budge but instead looked up to her, "So, can we try this friendship thing again? I mean, we were good friends at one time and i just think we could start over."
Hermione grew silent for a moment before giving him her answer.
"No, I don't have, nor need friends, so if you don't mind, I would like to get back to work."
Harry stood from his chair, "What do you want from me? I'm trying to right a wrong but you won't give me the time of day."
Hermione waved her hand, silently putting up a silencing charm.
"Why in the hell should I care? You thing you can just waltz in here after everything, ask for my forgiveness and that be the end of it?"
Harry went to open his mouth to reply but before a single word could pass his lips, she smacked her hands down on her desk and stood.
"I gave up everything for you, Harry." She started, "I stuck by you through thick and thin, day after day during school I helped you, encouraged you, cared for you and even loved you… but what did I get? A smack in the face as if I were a total stranger that pissed on your shoes."
"I loved you like a brother, Harry. I would have gladly died to protect you and I tried, by Merlin I lowered my self-esteem and begged for death, I gave up my pride and begged a man to kill me in order to protect you."
She let out a small, almost psychotic laugh, "I was tortured, forced to sleep in my own urine until my skin was burned, I had blisters and open sores that were scrubed with everything from lemon juice to alchol. I was cursed with the Cruciatus curse on a daily basis, raped repeatedly, and many more things that would make your hair curl…and what did I get? I got myself fucking abandoned by the people I tried to protect. I got tossed out on the street without a place to go, black listed from jobs, places to live and even stores. Mothers pull their children away from me like I'm going to eat them or curse them and you ask if we can start over?"
"We didn't –"
"Of course you didn't." She yelled, "You never took the time to ask what happened, how I was feeling… You were so wrapped up in yourself that you didn't stop to think about what I was going through."
She walked around toward his chair and leaned against the wall, "Do you have any idea what it is like to have a man you cannot stand, force his self between your legs and take your innocence? pound into you putting his bodily fluids inside your body then taking your abilty to have children away because you are not worthy to have a child by them? Do you have any idea what it is like to have said man, insult you while he fucks you, calling you vile names and treating your body as if it didn't feel pain?"
Harry just sat there, looking down to the ground. He hated reading what happened to her but to hear her actually say it, it made him want to vomit.
"I do, Harry, and I put up with it to protect you."
"I didn't know." Harry yelled back, his chest heaving just as hard as hers was.
Hermione leaned over towards him, her face only inches from his.
"You didn't deserve to know. You don't deserve to know now and yet you do. As far as I am concerned, you, Harry Potter, are as dead to me as I was dead to you when I needed you the most. Now, apology accepted so leave my office."
Harry raised his hands once again in defeat and walked to the door.
"If I could take it all back, I would in a heart beat." He stated before walking out the door, hiding the single tear that fell from his eye as he realized the old Hermione was gone and he was one of the main causes.
Ooooooooooooooooooooo
Three weeks later….
Hermione walked to a closet that was only used for one thing… weapons. Yes, she could easily pull her wand and say two little words that would end Alexia Malfoy, but it was so much easier to make it look like a crime, suicide or natural causes when it involved someone with status. Less questions from the press and such.
A mugging? Random stabbing? The choices were endless but Hermione decided to go with her favorite way of killing. It was painless, no blood was shed, and it was untraceable considering once it entered the body, the liver absorbed it and neutralized it. Anyone who examined the body would claim it as unspecified or natural cause and that would be the end of it.
She pulled out the syringe filled with the thick black liquid and checked it to make sure the proper dose was loaded for a woman of Alexias' small stature.
She then tucked it into her black, military style pants after making sure the stopper was properly engaged, pulled her hair into a tight bun to avoid hair pulling if Alexia decided to go that route and headed out the door.
She always walked when she was about to do an assassination. Yes, her magical signature could be covered, yes, the ministry would protect her if it came to that, but walking was just easier and allowed her to clear her mind and mentally prepare for the task at hand.
Three blocks down, twelve to go and on the fourth block, she was slammed against the wall hard, knocking the air from her lungs before she even had a chance to react.
"Where the fuck is she?" A voice seethed.
She knew that voice but what the hell was Malfoy talking about.
"Who?" Hermione wheezed out.
"Who the fuck do you think? Abby and Alexia are missing?"
Hermione's eyes went wide, Where the hell did that woman get to? she was at the Manor two days ago.
"I have no idea." She coughed, trying to get the air to enter her lungs once again.
The hand around her neck grew tighter.
"I warned you." He hissed, "Woman or not, no one messes with Abby."
"I don't know where she is Malfoy."
Draco sneered and pulled Hermione to his chest before apparating them away.
They landed in the library of Malfoy Manor where Hermione was quickly bound and thrown onto the brown leather couch.
"You have one chance to make it out of this alive." Draco stated as he walked over towards the girl on the couch. He pulled out a small green bottle, tilted her chin, and forced the clear liquid down her throat.
"Do you know what I just gave you?"
Hermione nodded, "Truth serum"
"Very good, you haven't lost your brain cells after all."
Hermione sneered, "I wouldn't do this."
Draco looked down at his watch, "In less then a minute, you won't care what you say."
He felt bad in a way. This wasn't much different then what his father had done but at the same time, his daughter was missing and that was all he cared about.
"Are you Hermione Granger?" Draco asked to test if the potion had kicked in.
"Yes"
Good, it had kicked in. One word answers we always easier.
"Do you know where Abby is?"
"No"
"Were you following me at any time?"
"Yes"
"Why?"
Hermione tried to keep her mouth shut but it was impossible. She knew that because of this, Draco had not only signed his own death warrant but hers as well.
"Because the Ministry suspected you of trying to become another Voldemort."
"And where do you fit in?" he asked
"I was to kill you if you were."
Okay, he was not expecting that at all.
"What do you mean? Why would you kill me?"
Because…I'm an Assassin for the Ministry."
That floored Draco. Of all the answers he was expecting, that never even entered his mind.
"And was I to be killed?"
"No, you turned up clean." She answered
Draco looked down at the way she was dressed, " Are you on a mission now?"
"Yes"
God, he didn't realize he was just making things worse.
"Who?"
"Alexia Malfoy." Was all she said as the potion started to wear off.
Alexia Malfoy, his Alexia Malfoy… but why? He waited until the potion was completely worn off before slumping down on the couch next to her.
"She's an idiot… Why would the Ministry go after her?" He mumbled.
Hermione smirked, "Your idiot, is way smarter then you think."
Draco ignore her remark
"Why?"
"I really shouldn't tell you that, Malfoy, but as it stands now, you've already killed us both."
Draco head whipped around faster then she thought humanly possible
"What? What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Lift my sleeve to my shoulder." She stated, "I've got a charm on me that alerts my boss when I've been subjected to any truth Serum. The mark should now be glowing red, which means I will be killed, as will you for giving me the potion."
Draco's eyes grew wide as he lifted the sleeve and just as she said, a small diamond mark was glowing red.
"You know, maybe I should tell you what I know." She said as she shifted slightly, "I've been watching Alexia for over a month now. I have discovered that Alexia Malfoy, who was Alexia Fisher when you married her, is really Alexia Fitzgerald. She used you for your money, your status, and your blood."
Draco cocked an eyebrow
"Or shall I say, she used you for your sperm as well."
Draco frowned at her, "What are you playing at?"
"I'm not playing at anything. Alexia is involved with a group of people that we have been watching for months. She has been involved with these people for years and you were the perfect pawn in their plan."
Hermione snorted, "I was trying to kill her before she could finish with her plan but thanks to your kidnapping and her disappearance, Abby is as good as dead."
Draco grabbed her by the arms painfully.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked while shaking her.
"A ritual." Hermione replied, "Alexia needed an innocent, pure blooded child. The ritual calls for the casters own blood in the form of pure innocence, which brings Abby into the mix. Everything was planned, you, the marriage, the pregnancy, everything and now that she has everything together, Abby has about a month to live."
Draco dropped his grip on Hermione, stood, and punched the closest wall he could find before dropping to his knees and letting out the most heart breaking sob she had ever heard.
"Thats my baby girl, my daughter." He cried, "I want her back."