Chapter 32

Hermione turned nervously in front of her mirror. She had on the ruby dress robes she had bought when she went out shopping with Ginny the prior week and her hair had been straightened and arranged in a half up half down manner. She had on minimal make up on, yet still enough to add an elegant touch to her face.

Draco was coming to pick her up in five minutes, and she couldn't be dreading the event more. She wished it was like all the other years, when her biggest worry was simply giving a speech in front of all those people. Harry always said a few words, but he liked to stay away from the spotlight, and Ron was always off getting drunk and talking to the press, so the honours always fell directly to her. She never really minded it, as she usually always said the generic things that she was expected to say.

Unfortunately this ball would not be the same as they usually were; no, this time she had bigger things to worry about. She and the Aurors were not only required to be guests and make small talk with the other attendees, but they also had to find and prevent the bomb from going off and hopefully finding the killer at the same time. The problem was that if they succeeded, not only would there be a large amount of casualties, but the killer would still be there to go after Theo, Draco, and who knew who else before they were satisfied.

She felt as if the weight of the world currently resided on her shoulders. She didn't know how she was supposed to manage all the things at the same time. Hermione Granger had always been great at multitasking, but this was a bit much.

When she had found out that her boyfriend was a target, she had gone into shock. It had taken Harry coming in and finding the letter, as well as him comforting her to calm her down. He had immediately assigned a protective detail to both former Slytherins against their knowledge. She had wanted to tell Draco about it, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Harry had also talked to her and told her that they needed to keep it as quiet as possible. So in other words, Harry wanted to use the man she loved as live bait without even telling him. She had argued that he had a right to know; both Theo and Draco deserved that some crazy person was specifically targeting them.

Besides, they would be able to help them narrow down the list of suspects, as well as make out any possible connection between the other victims. Harry had stated that while what she said made sense, it would have to wait until after the ball. There was too much currently going on, and the last thing they needed was to deal with two Slytherins who had the potential to harm their investigation, and that they needed to confirm a few more connections before involving them. Hermione had been upset that she had to keep something so serious from Draco, but had told Harry that directly after the ball they would be talking to both Draco and Theo.

She had several nightmares about finding Draco's body, and each time he had to wake her up from her dreams and hold her until she was comforted. Hermione hated that she would wake Draco so much through the night with her fears, but he had promised her that he didn't mind. She hadn't moved in or anything to the Manor, but since Draco spent the night as her place after Blaise was attacked, they had taken to spending the night together, as they had found that they slept best with each other, and that Hermione liked being intimate with him. It wasn't a chore as it had felt like when she had been with Ron, but instead it became something she enjoyed and something she craved.

Scorpius had gotten used to seeing her over at their place when he woke up, but he never questioned it. He had been happy that he got to see Hermione more, and Hermione had enjoyed being able to spend more time with him. She loved Scorpius, and she would often try to spend some one on one time with him, but she would also make sure that Draco got to spend some time alone with his son as well. In the few free hours she had she would visit Jamie, who had been spending a lot of his time sleeping lately. She wished she could tell whether it meant he was getting better or worse, but honestly she had no idea. The potion hadn't been going anywhere either, seeing how she was getting close, but each time she would adjust an ingredient she would either thicken the blood slightly too much or too little, and the same applied to the temperature of the potion. No matter how she adjusted it, she couldn't quite pinpoint where she needed to be.

She looked up as she heard the floo activate. She had restricted the spells around her house greatly, so she knew that it was probably Draco who had arrived to pick her up. She grabbed her wand and placed it in her bag and went out to greet him.

When she saw him, he had a large smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile back as she pressed her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned into her kiss.

"I missed you," he breathed out as they pulled away from the kiss. Draco took a look at what she was wearing again and kissed her. "Absolutely breathtaking."

She laughed, "You just saw me a few hours ago," she reminded him lightly. He was wearing dark dress robes which managed to make his smoky eyes stand out even more against them.

"Doesn't make me miss you any less," Draco grinned. "I could spend a thousand years with you and it would never be enough. I need you more than anything."

She felt her cheeks twinge slightly at that, but it didn't erase the smile on her face. He extended his arm out to her and she threaded her left arm through it. Draco placed his left hand on top of hers and apparated them just outside the ballroom. They would have to show their invitation cards to get into the event. They were standing behind several other people waiting to get up to the front, and Hermione took a look around. From the corner of her eye, she could see two large Aurors standing at the entrance. It would be a first warning to those who attempted to try anything funny to get into the ball. She doubted very much that it would be enough to deter the killer from getting in, but it never hurt to have an extra pair of eyes watching who came and went.

Once they got to the front, Hermione extended her invitation for Hermione Granger plus One. The person at the front smiled at the pair and nodded for them to proceed inside. She knew Draco was nervous about the event, especially since he wasn't quite sure how he would be seen. Everyone who had come across him after the war could tell that he had changed, especially after the birth of his son. He wasn't the same arrogant boy he had once been, and him being here with her was a testimony of how much he had changed. She reached down and took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Shall we find out table?" Draco asked with a smile. He pointed to where Harry and Ginny were, and the two began to make their way over to them. They always had gotten the table up at the front along with several other people who either were high in status, or had contributed greatly to the wizarding society. As they approached the table, Draco pulled out her chair for her. She couldn't help but smile back as he pushed her in and sat down beside her.

"You look great, Hermione," Harry complimented her. He had been wearing one of his favourite set of formal robes. He had changed so much from the scrawny kid she had come across in the Hogwarts Express all those years ago, and had grown up so much. But no matter how much he changed, he still had his unruly hair.

She smiled at her friend as Ginny added, "You look beautiful, Hermione."

"So do you," Hermione said. She was sitting with Draco on her right and Harry on her left, coupled with Ginny beside them. Kingsley and his date were across the table from them, as well as a few other people she recognized from the papers every now and then. There were two seats empty still, and she figured she would meet them as soon as they arrived. "I can't even tell that you just had a baby!"

Harry laughed, "I think you just made her day."

Draco smirked as Ginny playfully hit her husband. "So how is little James?"

"He has the loudest pair of lungs I've ever heard," Harry said as he ran his hands through his hair. "I never knew babies could cry so loudly before him. It's a miracle if we get more than a few hours of sleep per night."

Draco nodded understandingly, "It took Scorpius a few months before he was able to sleep through the night fully. I don't think I've ever been happier that I was when I woke up one morning and realised that he hadn't cried once. I thought it was a dream, and that his screams would wake me up any second now. In all honesty, while I can't wait to have more kids, the crying is not something I'm looking forward to."

Hermione laughed, "And how many kids do you plan on having?" she teased him lightly. Talks of the future were always something both of them somewhat avoided. While they both knew that they loved each other and that they wanted to get married eventually, things such as children had yet to be discussed.

"As many as you plan on giving me," Draco said as he stroked her face. "I've always wanted to have a large family, Hermione. Jamie and Scorpius are great kids, don't get me wrong. And I know Jamie isn't even mine legally, but I do love the boy. And they already consider each other as good friends, bordering on brothers. And when we cure Jaime, not if, when we do, I'll adopt him as well. Then we can also give them lots of siblings as well."

She couldn't help but smile at his passionate response. She knew how much he cared for her son, and it warmed her heart that he considered a future with her enough to think of such details. "I want a family with you too."

Hermione could see Ginny and Harry grinning like idiots at the two of them, but she ignored it as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Draco's.

"You two are just as adorable as you seem in the papers!"

Hermione and Draco jerked apart to see a perky blonde smiling as she saw them. But it wasn't her that caught Hermione's eye. It was Ron, standing there beside his date with a scowl on his face.

She sighed; she should have figured that the empty two seats would be for Ron. After all, he was the third member of the so called Golden Trio. But somehow it hadn't clicked in her mind when she arrived. Hermione could feel the tension in the air as Draco glared at Ron, and protectively wrapped his arm around her. Harry and Ginny were watching the situation, trying to figure out if they should do or say anything. The only person who seemed oblivious to it all was the blonde.

"…and when I first heard that you two were together, I was in shock, you know? I remember my friend Anna owled me as soon as she heard and was all like 'They're totally together, its official and everything!' and I was like 'No way! I didn't even see that coming!' And when Ronnie told me that you all would be at the same table as us, I swooned. I've wanted to meet you all for so long!" She paused for a moment before something flickered in her mind. "I totally forgot to introduce myself! I'm Leanna!"

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said warmly, trying to make the best of the situation. If Ron was here with someone else, then perhaps he had managed to move on after all. And that was exactly what she had wanted.

"Ron," Harry acknowledged his friend. She had no idea if the two of them still talked frequently or not, seeing how they barely talked anymore. The table had cleared out for the most part, seeing how the other couples had chosen to go join the dance floor, leaving it to just be the six of them.

"I'm going to get us something to drink," Ginny announced. "You have no idea how relieved I am to be able to drink alcohol again."

Harry laughed, "Grab me something as well, will you?"

Harry and Draco began talking about James again, but Hermione wasn't left out of conversations for long. Leanna quickly began talking to her once more.

"I read about how you adopted the war orphan! You have to tell me all about it! What made you decide to adopt him? How does Draco feel about the fact that you have a child now? Please tell me it hasn't added any strain to your relationship. I would hate for the two of you to be having problems because you stayed true to yourself. Do you think more people will adopt war orphans now that you have? Maybe it can be like a trend or something! Ooh, I'm totally calling it!" Leanna said as she flipped her hair behind her.

Thankfully for Hermione, the conversation was quickly interrupted by Dean. "Hermione, Harry, I need to speak to you both about your speeches," Dean said, stopping Leanna from her rambles. Hermione was relieved for about a second before she realised what it was code for. The bomb had been found.

As soon as Hermione and Harry left the table, Draco found himself alone with Weasley and his latest bimbo.

"Leanna, do you think you could grab us some drinks as well?" Weasley cooed. Leanna jumped up at the chance and immediately left the two of them alone at the table. Draco rolled his eyes. Perhaps he would be able to find Ginny and talk to her for a bit.

"Leaving so soon, Malfoy?" Weasley smirked as he gave Draco a cocky look.

"Pardon me for not wanting to spend time with the present company," Draco said.

"I wouldn't leave so soon if I were you, Malfoy. You see, the two of us have a lot to talk about," Weasley said, giving him a knowing look.

"And what could the two of us ever talk about?" Draco said a bit irritated.

"We could start off by talking about how you're going to break up with Hermione," Weasley said.

Draco laughed, "And why on earth would I ever do that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll tell everyone how you poisoned me in our sixth year," Weasley said as he leaned back slightly.

"If you haven't been paying attention, I've been exonerated for everything I've done while a minor. No charges have been pressed against me, meaning nothing you say can get me persecuted," Draco smirked. He wondered just how stupid the weasel was.

"I wonder how much you care for your son, Malfoy. What about Hermione's son? Would you want anything to happen to them? What about Hermione? Do you love her? You see, I have a lot of friends who could hurt them if I so much as told them to. So maybe you should be listening to me a lot more closely. As it stands, I can either leave them all alone, or I can simply have them all killed. Do you want to see them all end up like your other Death Eater friends?" Weasley asked with a dark smirk.

"You're behind all the slaughtering?" Draco asked, eyes narrowing. He needed to go find Harry, and get him to arrest the weasel. He would be able to use his memory as testimony and hopefully it would put him away for a long, long time.

"One of many. Now, how about you come with me, and I let everyone you care for live?" Ron asked him as he stood up.

He wasn't stupid; Weasley had no way of proving that he had anything that could harm anyone. But it wasn't just him; apparently he had others helping him. So even if he were the grandmaster behind it all, what was stopping someone else from coming after them? No; he needed to go with Weasley and find out just who else was helping him.

Hermione and Harry rushed to where Dean had found the bomb. It wasn't anything like muggle ones, however she could tell it was just as deadly. The entire potion was in a large vial, placed right under the hall where the ball was being held. She could tell it was a slow cooking one, and that any sudden jerking of the vial could set it off. No, they would have to be careful about how they dealt with it.

"What should we do?" Zacharias asked her. Her entire team was surrounding the potion, as well as several Aurors.

She closed her eyes, "We need to stop it from exploding. Clearly we can't apparate it away, because the motion would cause it to explode. We could attach it to a portkey, and send it somewhere remote, but again, just the initial movement might be enough to set it off and I don't want to take that chance."

"So our best bet would be to find a way to prevent it from exploding," Patrick said with a grim look.

Hermione could feel the blood pounding through her veins. It wasn't like the theoretical things she had dealt with on a daily basis. Even when she was testing evidence, it was never like the current situation. She had to admit that she didn't always work the greatest when under pressure. It scared her, because if she was wrong, then everyone above her would be blown into pieces.

"You can do this," Harry reassured her as he gave her hand a squeeze.

She took a deep breath as she wracked her brain, billions of ideas flowing through her mind. All she needed was one solution, but it seemed like all she had was ideas of how to get it to blow up.

Hermione opened her eyes suddenly, "We need ingredients that would counteract the potion; so things that would negate the impact of the volatile items. Quick, name as many items as you can that would help."

"Spider legs in powdered form," Patrick said.

"Bat blood?" Dean threw out.

"Crocodile heart, dandelion root, horse hair," Zacharias said scratching his head.

"Knotgrass," Hermione added as she scribbled it down on the piece of paper, "Salamander tail, Newt eyes, Valerian root."

They listed several more items before Hermione handed the list to Harry, "I need these, immediately. I don't know how long we have, so the sooner the better."

"I'm not leaving you here while I go get it!" Harry argued. "If it blows before I get back then you're dead!"

"We don't have time to waste!" Hermione fought back. "Please, just trust me Harry. I love you and I know how you feel right now, but I need you to do this."

Harry looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't say anything. He simply apparated out to get what she asked.

"The rest of you should leave too," Hermione said. "If you don't hear anything from me in ten minutes, start evacuating the building. Get everyone out of here; the less people impacted by this, the better."

"And you?" Zacharias asked her furiously.

"Someone needs to stay here," Hermione told them sternly.

"Why does it have to be you? All of us are qualified of handling it!" Patrick argued.

"Because I'm your boss. I've never given you direct orders, and we've always been a team from day one. But today is different. I'm commanding you all to leave here right now. There is no choice. You all must leave, or you'll have no job to return to," Hermione said in her best controlling tone.

"Maybe that's fine by me," Dean said. "I've known you since we were children, Hermione. I can't just leave you here."

"Please," she begged them. "Someone still needs to catch the killer, and if we're all dead, then no one can."

They gave her one final look before nodding. She watched as everyone cleared the room. She sat down on the ground beside the potion. If it were to explode now, then there would be so many people that she wouldn't get to say goodbye to. Would Jamie hate her for never giving him a proper farewell? It was unfair to him to give him a family only for him to lose it again; she prayed Draco would adopt him as his own, just as he one day planned to do. Her heart clenched at the thought of Draco. Hermione loved him so much and she knew this would destroy him.

It pained her to think about all the things that would happen if she died, so she pushed it all out of her mind. The minutes ticked by and she was getting jittery.

Thankfully, Harry showed up, panting with everything she had asked for in her hands.

"Help me get them into the vial," Hermione commanded. "We don't have long, and we need to do this now!" She picked up ingredients from the bag and carefully began to add them in. Harry followed her lead and did the same. Neither said a word as they added ingredient by ingredient to the potion. As the last one was added, they took a step back and waited.

The once green liquid turned a violent shade of purple. She could see it begin to bubble and shake, with drops flying out of it's container.

"We need to get out of here!" Harry commanded. He grabbed her hand and was about to apparate them out when the potion stilled. It turned a clear colour and slowly began to evaporate into a gas.

Hermione threw her arms around Harry, "We did it," she whispered.

"You did it," Harry informed her. He held her tightly. "Now come on; we need to go alert the rest of the team that the crisis has been avoided before they start to scare everyone."

She followed him up the stairs to the main room again. As Harry began to talk to the teams, she looked around. While the immediate danger was gone, she couldn't help but feel worried still; like something was off. She could see Ginny at the table, looking as if she were making small talk with Ron and his girlfriend. Everyone else looked so blissfully unaware of what just happened. She scanned the room quickly, trying to make out where Draco was, however she couldn't spot him anywhere in the room. She began to panic as she realised one thing; Draco Malfoy was missing.

A/N: What a long chapter! I didn't intend for it to be that long, but there were a billion things I wanted to fit in. Hopefully you enjoyed it and the story so far. But just remember one thing: things aren't always what they seem to be.