Draco awoke the next day, had a shower and some breakfast and then went into the living room to read the paper. The envelope on the coffee table kept drawing his eyes but he did not pick it up. He should just throw it away; write a letter back to the Ministry saying no thank you and get on with his life. So why was the envelope still there?
Draco put the newspaper on the sofa cushion next to him and stared at the envelope, weighing up his options and wondering why he was being so indecisive about the whole thing. He then picked it up, opened it and read the letter for a second time and this time he read it properly. The salary was pretty impressive, Draco thought, not that that mattered to him. They had given him a date which was the deadline for his reply if he wanted the job. The letter went on to state that after that set date, the letter would destroy itself. Wow, they really took themselves seriously, this lot.
Could he seriously see himself going into the world of espionage, travelling the country, maybe even the world whilst embarking on dangerous missions? He supposed he would be working alone, which would suit him just fine and the opportunities the career offered were alluring...the chance to see a bit of the world, do something worthwhile with his life for once. Draco looked around the silent living room of his flat and decided he could do with a break from the monotony, the boring, everyday routine that had become his life. He didn't have to continue the job if he didn't like it, he reasoned, he would walk away if he felt like it, no matter what the Auror department told him. He fetched a quill and parchment from the writing desk and began to compose a reply.
Hermione had told nobody about the letter she had received. She had sent a missive back as the letter had instructed, confirming that she would be at the Ministry at the time and date specified for a meeting with the Head of the Elite Auror Department. She had no idea who the Head was and she supposed that was the point, nobody was meant to know much about the Elite Aurors.
She would not tell Harry and Ron until her placement was definite. She might get to the meeting and realise that espionage really isn't the career path for her and decide not to pursue it. So, as far as the two boys and Ginny were concerned, she was still working in the very dull Junior Auror Office and was not about to become a highly paid spy for the Ministry of Magic.
On the day of the appointment, Hermione put on the smartest clothes she could find and borrowed Ginny's expensive cloak. She analysed herself in the mirror. She really did not look like a spy. Then she mused that it was probably better that way. She made her way to the Ministry, accompanied by Harry as usual and they walked together into the Auror Office. Hermione bid farewell to Harry who had reports to write and when he was out of sight, she went to the corridor as explained in her letter. She walked down the corridor and came to a stop before a door in front of which was a tall, square faced wizard who eyed her suspiciously as she approached.
"No entry" said the wizard "this section of the floor is still undergoing repair work"
Hermione knew this corridor. It had always lead to a locked door with a sign pinned to it informing people that the area beyond was being worked on and was unsafe for entry. The building work that was apparently required however had never quite been finished as far as Hermione could remember, in all the three years she had worked for the Ministry.
"Oh" said Hermione, taking out her letter to check she had got the location correct "I must be on the wrong floor"
The tall wizard raised an eyebrow at her and peered at the letter "your name?" he asked.
"Hermione Granger" Hermione replied. The wizard tapped the door with his wand and pushed it open.
"Inside" said the wizard and Hermione went through the door. It was shut and locked behind her at once.
There was a row of plush chairs inside this corridor, making up a waiting area with a table scattered with copies of Witch Weekly and a few books. There was only one other person here and when Hermione looked at the young man, who was perusing a copy of the Daily Prophet with little interest; she felt a pang of mixed amazement and anticipation. It was Draco Malfoy.
Hermione wondered then and there whether she should just turn right back around and leave. She had seen Malfoy around the Ministry on rare occasions, but it had always been at a fair distance, a distance which she had kept. This was the closest she had been to him since after the battle when he returned with them to Grimmauld Place. He had not lingered there long.
She looked at him. He looked just the same as he had five years ago, except maybe a little older, slim and tall with his same white blond hair, pale face, and icy grey eyes and expensive clothes. Should she say hello? Probably not.
Why was she just standing there, looking gormless? Draco thought. Was she scared to sit near him?
He had been quite stunned when she had walked in and he had considered walking out. He did not want to talk to any old schoolmates, past allies or not. He had left all those people far behind. They belonged to a different chapter of his life, one he did wish to return to but there she was, Hermione Granger, interrupting his life with her presence. The most he had seen of Granger was during those times he saw her scurrying along the corridors of the Ministry and he had always ensured he kept away from her as he ensured he did not go near or speak with any old faces who worked in the same building as he did.
Now she was this close, he was able to notice the subtle changes to her appearance since their schooldays. She looked quite different, Draco thought as he gave her a quick glance from over his newspaper, not dramatically so but a little different all the same. She had never been particularly beautiful but neither was she plain and certainly she was not ugly. She was wearing a pretty grey dress with a black leather belt to bring in her waist, midnight blue heels and a cloak which Draco was sure must have cost a lot of money. Her hair was the same, dark brown, flyaway and curly but it was much longer now and it cascaded down her back and around her shoulders. Draco found himself wondering how she had been although he dare not ask her. Why was she here, surely not for a job offer?
She was still standing there, looking uncertain and awkward as though she did not quite know whether she should sit down or walk away. Draco decided to ignore her as he had done the past three years and returned to his paper.
Hermione put herself on the chair furthest from Draco's own and saw him smirk behind his newspaper. Apparently, her mere presence was still cause for amusement to him. He was here for the same reason she was, she thought. They were both waiting for the same job, were they going to be expected to work together? That would be impossible. Despite Draco's bravery in the war and despite the fact they had fought alongside one another, Hermione could not see them having an amicable working relationship somehow. Maybe she really should just get out of there and forget the whole thing but before she could make up her mind, the door to Draco's right opened and a wizard who only looked a little older than they were, strode out and gestured for them both to enter. Draco held the door open for Hermione. Well, that was uncharacteristically polite she thought.
The office was very nicely decorated, airy and tidy with shelves of books and filing cabinets standing against the wall. There were a few paintings and Hermione saw a smart looking, bespectacled witch in one of the frames shuffle to the left to get a better look at the newcomers.
The wizard asked them both to sit down in front of the large mahogany desk and the pair did so. Draco shot a look at Hermione from the corner of his eye.
"My name is Agent Kestrel. Welcome to the Elite Auror Department" said the wizard. He was tall and quite stocky with neat dark hair and shrewd eyes.
"I have a question" said Draco suddenly. It had been a very long time since Hermione had heard his voice, smooth and upper-class.
"Later" Agent Kestrel told him shortly and Draco looked ever so slightly affronted "you have both been enlisted to this department because of your skill and ability to act under pressure as you have both proved in the past. We only accept the very best here and have decided you both would be an asset to this department. I warn you now, however that the missions you will be required to undertake will be neither safe nor easy. If you should become kidnapped, taken hostage or your missions otherwise compromised, we will deny any knowledge of your existence. The security of this department and the wizarding world will be resting upon your shoulders. Your wand and your wits will often be your only defence and your only weapons. Have I made myself clear?"
"Very" replied Hermione "I understand."
Her voice made Draco turn to look at her. It was a self-assured, confident voice, he thought, as it had always been. She was listening to and staring at this Kestrel bloke with the same rapt attention she would give the teachers at school. Some things never changed. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Listen," he said to the agent "I was under the impression I would be working alone"
"We prefer not to send our agents on missions alone, we have them work in pairs for safety and therefore I have made the decision to place you and Miss Granger on missions as a unit until further notice. I thought this would be prudent seeing as you have both been allies in the past and worked together to assist Harry Potter in bringing down Voldemort. Is this information incorrect?" replied Agent Kestrel calmly.
"Yes, that is correct –"
"Then I see no problem. You are both professional people, are you not?"
"Yes," Hermione piped up "but Mr Kestrel, Mr Malfoy and I were allies in the war yes but we have never been..." she seemed to be finding it difficult to choose the right words.
"We have never been friends" Draco supplied. He would not work with Granger! "We worked together because it was necessary"
"This is necessary" Kestrel replied firmly "you will work together or not at all"
"I want to be placed with someone else" said Draco, not caring if he offended Granger "you didn't put this in the letter! I wouldn't have bothered coming if I knew I had to work with her"
"You are refusing the position, then Mr Malfoy?"
Draco did not answer this at first. "No," he said at last "I'm not refusing the position, I'm just refusing to have her as my partner"
"I don't mind" said Hermione to Draco's surprise "if I have to work with Malfoy in order to work as an Elite Auror then I will. I conduct myself with utmost professionalism and if Malfoy cannot do the same, then that is his problem. I have no qualms about Malfoy being my partner"
She was not about to throw away an opportunity like this. Did Malfoy not realise how fortunate they were to have been offered a position here? If they really could not get on, then Agent Kestrel would be forced to find them new partners, she surmised. She was not going to refuse the job merely because she did not like Malfoy. Besides, she could put up with him; his insults would not bother her. She was no longer a child. Malfoy however, apparently still acted like one.
"I won't work with her" he said with a hint of petulance.
"Then it is with regret I am asking you to leave my office" said Agent Kestrel who really did look genuinely sorry that Malfoy was acting this way "the watchwizard at the entrance will show you out. If you repeat details of this meeting to anyone there will be ramifications" Agent Kestrel left his chair and opened his office door "good afternoon then, Mr Malfoy"
It looked as though Malfoy was definitely not going to get his way and Hermione smirked to herself at him. He looked thoroughly put out about it.
"Now hold on a moment" said Draco. He was interested in this job and it appeared this man was not about to give in. Maybe when the Agent saw for himself that they disliked each other and ended up arguing to the point of drawing wands, which they probably would, he would decide to make her work with someone else. "Look, fine" he conceded "I'll take the job, I'll work with Granger. But if it turns out I can't stand the woman, which trust me, I can't, I either want a new partner or I'll leave"
"If you decide you are unable to look past your own prejudices then, Mr Malfoy we will be saying goodbye" said Kestrel, closing his office door.
"Prejudices?" repeated Malfoy "ah, I see. You would have files on us, correct?"
"You are astute, Mr Malfoy" said Kestrel with the slightest smile "one of the attributes I admire in an agent."
"I'll have you know this is nothing about any past prejudices" said Malfoy, sounding annoyed "I couldn't care less about her heritage; I am no longer sixteen so you should get one thing right about me before we begin all this. I don't want to work with the woman because she's a self-assured little know-it-all with whom I have never had any time for"
"And you are a pompous, spoilt brat but I'm able to look past that" said Hermione before she could stop herself.
"Would you care to examine the case file?" asked Kestrel "if I am correct in understanding you are both accepting the positions I have offered, we have much to discuss and I am a busy man."
"I'd like to see the case file" said Hermione in that Granger-ish way that annoyed Draco so much.
"Mr Malfoy?" asked Kestrel.
"Yes, yes fine I'll see your case file" said Draco with a sigh. He reclined in his chair looking as though this whole meeting and everyone involved was beneath him.
Agent Kestrel tapped his wand on one of the desk drawers and took out a brown folder with the words Top Secret scribbled on its front.
"We have recently received intelligence from a former Agent that a group of Death Eaters still at large have been plotting to blackmail Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic." Kestrel began.
"We do not currently know why, it could be for any number of reasons. Now as I am sure you are both aware, most of the Death Eaters the Aurors apprehend have been reduced to little more than petty criminals since the end of the war, roaming the wizarding world and causing trouble where they can. We believe that the group of Death Eaters involved in the Kingsley Shacklebolt case have far more sinister and troubling intentions" Kestrel flipped open the file and looked at its contents.
"Last year, Mr Shacklebolt's daughter enrolled at Hogwarts. Mr Shacklebolt was keen not to allow her to go as the threats from the Death Eaters have been continuing for some time now but the child got her own way in the end as children often do and will be beginning her second year on the First of September. We have reason to suspect that she may be targeted by the Death Eaters and used as a ransom for their demands. Due to the importance of this case, the Elite Auror Department have been asked to step in to ensure the Minister's daughter is protected. We do not wish for the Death Eaters to be aware of our suspicions, that way if they do attempt to kidnap the girl, they can be brought to justice swiftly, quietly and covertly without drawing attention"
"You are using the girl as bait, then" said Hermione "and you are sure that is wise?"
"The safety of the Minister for Magic's daughter is of paramount importance, Miss Granger" replied Kestrel "but the security of both the Ministry and the wizarding world is also. We want to apprehend these criminals as quickly as possible but they are part of an organised crime syndicate. We are not speaking of thieves and troublemakers here Miss Granger but of intelligent and resourceful individuals who are extremely dangerous and desperate and many people could be possible suspects. Your roles will involve going undercover as teachers at Hogwarts for the year. The Headmistress herself will not know of your true reasons for working there and the other teachers will be equally uninformed. I must ask you to trust nobody on this mission, no matter how long you may have known them or how well you think you know them."
"This file contains all the information we have gathered on the case with profiles of known Death Eaters and profiles of your colleagues at Hogwarts. The Elite Auror Office will not contact you unless it is necessary and we ask that you keep correspondence to us at a minimum. That is to say, I do not want you to contact me or the office unless it is in relation to the case. If you find yourself in trouble, we cannot and will not help you. You will be on your own. Any important information you gather must be delivered via Tilly Talloak, whose painting hangs in this office. She was an Agent who worked for this department fifty years ago who was also once a Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. I am arranging for her other portrait to be hung in the Transfiguration Office"
Tilly Talloak, the bespectacled witch in the painting Hermione had noticed earlier, nodded at them from her portrait.
"This is how you should contact me while in Hogwarts. If your mission takes you elsewhere, use a patronus but be careful about it. You will tell nobody of this department and you will tell nobody of your mission. If for some reason you decide to or are forced do this, as I mentioned earlier, we will insist you do not exist and neither does this department. There are many Charms in place around this area of the Ministry – if an outsider and an intruder does attempt to enter, they will find nothing more than several derelict offices behind the door the watchwizard showed you through prior to this meeting. The security upon this department is unequal to any other in the whole Ministry. You will find further information about what is expected of you in this file which will destroy itself once you have read it so please do try to memorise what it explains."
"So we will be going back to Hogwarts?" said Draco who felt apprehensive at this prospect. At the same time however, he was rather looking forward to it, revisiting the school that had been his home for so many years, though he worried what memories it would force him to remember, the regrets and guilt that would be magnified upon living in the castle again.
"As teachers, yes" replied Kestrel "do you both choose to accept the mission I have outlined?"
"Yes" said Hermione who was thrilled at the idea of going back to the school, and as a teacher! She had considered that particular career before but never gone through with the idea. Now she would have the chance to do so. She thought she would make a very good teacher indeed. But would she make an equally good spy? Well, she would give it her best.
Draco laughed "me as a teacher?" he said "what subject would I teach?"
"You will both be working in the Transfiguration department. The headmistress, Professor McGonagall has been looking for new full time staff there for a while now so it is the perfect cover for you" explained Kestrel "how are your Transfiguration skills?"
"Perfect" said Hermione.
"Acceptable" replied Draco.
"Well you both received Oustanding marks for your N.E.W.T exams so you should have little trouble teaching the subject" said Kestrel.
How much more did this bloke know about him? Draco wondered.
"Do you accept the mission, Mr Malfoy?" asked Kestrel again.
"Yes" Draco replied, he must be mad, he thought to himself, going back to school and with Granger of all people. It should be interesting at least, he mused. "So I take it you will want us on the Hogwarts Express on the First of September?"
"Indeed" replied Kestrel who seemed pleased they had both acquiesced to take on the mission. He tapped the file in front of him with his wand to replicate it and handed one to Hermione and the other to Draco "go home, read these files thoroughly and be at Platform nine and three quarters at nine o clock sharp on the first" Kestrel stood up, shook both their hands and showed them out of his office "I expect good results from both of you on this case" and shut the door behind him.
Draco and Hermione stood alone together in the little waiting area. Both were unsure as to what to say to one another.
"See you on the first then, Granger" said Draco and strode out of the department without looking back at her. He had a lot to think over and a lot to read judging by the thickness and weight of the folder he had stuffed into his robes.
Hermione waited a few minutes after he had left as she did not want to walk down the corridor with him then she too exited the Elite Auror Department, excited and nervous and feeling as though finally, her life would not be as boring anymore. She couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts, even if she did have to spend most of her time with Draco Malfoy. This was going to be a very eventful year indeed.