Hermione swallowed the last of her drink and picked up the fresh one, not wanting to waste it. She stood up and looked for her handbag but she couldn't see it.
"Malfoy, have you seen my handbag?" she asked Draco.
"No, I haven't. Have you checked the floor underneath the table?"
Theodore Nott was across the room talking with a group of guests but his eyes moved away from them and came to settle on Draco.
"Quick Granger, Nott's coming over!" said Draco tersely.
Theodore excused himself from the guests he was chatting to and began walking towards Draco and Hermione. The latter was scrabbling around underneath the table in search of her handbag.
"Found it!" said Hermione, emerging from under the table to find Draco and Theodore Nott standing in front of her. Hermione blew a strand of hair out of her face and brushed down her dress, feeling rather embarrassed.
"I lost my handbag" she informed Nott weakly.
"I see" said Nott with a scornful little smile "you are Hermione Granger, are you not?"
"Yes" said Hermione.
"I approve, Draco. If only more purebloods would date Muggleborns, much of this prejudice that lamentably still exists may not be so prevalent" said Theodore with a smirk at Hermione.
"That was a very good speech, Theodore" said Draco. Hermione noticed his jaw was stiff and he looked quite angry.
"Thank you, Draco. I must ask however, how the pair of you managed to procure invites? I was not aware I had sent one to either of you" said Theodore calmly.
"Miss Granger has recently been doing a little charity work for the House Elf Foundation and she was supplied with an invite by her superior. She kindly agreed to allow me to accompany her tonight" explained Draco convincingly.
"I was not aware I had any connections with the House Elf Foundation" replied Theodore "tell me, Miss Granger whom employed you? I was under the impression you were both working for the Ministry? You have managed to acquire yourself a small role in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad have you not, Draco? Unless I was misinformed"
"I have only been working at the foundation for a few days, it's only a bit of volunteer work" lied Hermione quickly "oh, what was the chairman's name again?" she added to Draco.
"I don't recall" replied Draco thoughtfully "and no, Theodore I resigned my position last week. I teach at Hogwarts now with Miss Granger"
"Ah, a teacher" said Theodore "how very quaint"
Draco looked as though he would have liked nothing better than to punch Theodore at that moment.
"And that was how the pair of you met, was it?" Theodore went on.
"We are not dating" clarified Hermione. "We are work colleagues"
"I see" said Theodore "perhaps it was too much for me to hope that Draco here had decided to put aside his intolerance of Muggleborns"
"I admire Hermione very much, Theodore" replied Draco with forced impassiveness "she is an admirable teacher and a pleasure to work with"
Hermione felt herself blush.
"Well, it was nice talking to you again, Draco" said Theodore briskly "but I am a very busy man and must ensure I do not ignore my other guests. Please have a pleasant evening, Draco, Miss Granger"
"What an absolute arse!" whispered Hermione angrily "and he suspects something, you know, because he didn't send us the invites"
Draco was watching Theodore. He had strode through the crowds of people and had walked over to a corner where a thickset wizard was standing looking stern. Theodore whispered something in the man's ear and the man's eyes flickered over to Draco and Hermione. Theodore moved away and fell back into discussion with another guest.
"It looks as though Nott has asked his bodyguard to keep a watch on us" said Draco unconcernedly "we should wait a while before we search his room. We need to act as though we're here for the ball, come on Granger I know you can dance"
"Dance?" Hermione spluttered "can't we just sit here and talk?"
"And look as though we're not here to have a good time and sit in a shadowy corner looking suspiciously as though we might be plotting something? Not a very sensible idea, Granger" replied Draco. Yes this was the main reason he thought they should dance but he also wanted to see what it would be like to lead a tipsy Hermione Granger across the dance floor.
The band was playing a waltz and there were already many couples swaying to the music. Draco held out his hand to Hermione and hesitantly, she placed her own in it. A nervous and slightly drunken giggle escaped her lips as Draco put his free hand on her waist and she put her other hand on his shoulder.
Draco's grip on her was gentle and Hermione, with a little help from the Firewhisky, relaxed in his arms and listened to the music.
"There you see" said Draco quietly in her ear, her hair tickling his face as he breathed in that shampoo smell again "this is nice, isn't it?"
"Mmm" said Hermione. They weren't doing much dancing, they were mainly just standing there moving gently but Hermione was content with that because she worried that if she did dance she would fall over. Perhaps she shouldn't have started on that third drink.
"You're pissed, Granger" Draco observed. While it was highly amusing and quite enjoyable to be in the company of Hermione when she was inebriated, it was probably going to cause some problems.
"I'll book a room and take you back to it in a little while" he whispered to her "I'll search Nott's room alone because I don't think you're in much of a fit state to complete this particular part of our mission"
"Oh, I wanted to help" said Hermione petulantly. She had to admit however that she was feeling rather drunk. It would perhaps be for the best if she had a little lie down for a while.
The song finished and Draco gently prised Hermione away from him, being careful because he was not sure if she could stand very well unsupported. She held onto his arm and let him lead her out of the ballroom and into the lobby towards the reception desk.
"I'd like two of your very best suites for tonight, please" Draco told the witch behind the desk. She looked up from the parchment she had been writing on.
"I'll see if we have any spare" she said and flicked through a folder. Draco waited patiently while Hermione hiccupped next to him.
"I'm afraid we only have one suite left...we're fully booked because of Mr Nott's ball" explained the witch.
Hermione hiccupped loudly again and swayed.
"Fine, I'll take it" conceded Draco.
"Will that be only for one night?" asked the witch, looking at Hermione.
"Yes" said Draco expressionlessly.
The witch took some gold from Draco and gave him the room key.
"Let's get you to bed, Granger" said Draco wearily.
"Oh, will you be joining me Professor Malfoy?" Hermione giggled as Draco slid back the lift grille.
"Not right now, Granger" replied Draco. His eyes were on Nott's bodyguard who had just stepped into the lobby and was staring at them both suspiciously through the grille as the lift began to ascend. "Marvellous" Draco muttered to himself.
Hermione slumped her head against Draco's shoulder, feeling lightheaded and closed her eyes.
The lift rattled to a stop after a few moments and Draco pulled back the grille with one arm, supporting Hermione with the other. He helped her walk down the well lit hall with its plush carpeting, searching for their room. When he finally found it, he forgot he had the key and tapped the doorknob with his wand and said "Alohomora." Nothing happened. Scolding himself for being so forgetful, he tried the key instead and the lock clicked open. Interesting, Draco thought, the keys must be magical.
"Ooh!" said Hermione as they stepped into the suite.
It was painted in a pale yellow with a spacious living area with a soft, gold coloured velvet sofa and chairs, an ornate fireplace and a liquor cabinet which Draco reminded himself to lock before he left Hermione alone. There was a huge window near the living area with a magnificent view of London and to the right was what Draco assumed was the bedroom. He pulled Hermione towards it and helped her onto the huge king sized bed. She sank into the soft pillows and gave a contented little sigh.
"There's the en suite bathroom in case you need to puke, Granger" said Draco pointing to the bathroom next door "will you be alright?"
"Oh, I'll be fine, yes" said Hermione cheerfully.
Draco used the bathroom and then checked on Hermione. She was fast asleep. He went into the living area, checked he had his wand, looked again at the scrap of paper the waiter had given him and crept quietly out of the suite.
Draco took the lift to the top floor where Nott's room was and with very little surprise, saw the burly bodyguard standing directly outside of it. He turned round and faced Draco.
Far from being worried about the bodyguard's presence, Draco was pleased about it because he could use this wizard to his advantage. Draco strolled casually along the corridor and came to a halt outside Nott's room.
"Is Mr Nott inside?" Draco asked the bodyguard.
"No" replied the bodyguard in a deep voice "return to the ball please sir, Mr Nott is there entertaining his guests"
"Are you quite sure he isn't in there?" said Draco, placing a hand on the doorknob and rattling it.
"Step away, sir" warned the guard.
Draco whirled around and drew his wand. "STUPEFY!" He was far too quick for the bodyguard who crumpled to the floor with a loud thud. Draco then began swiftly searching the man's pockets until he found a shiny silver key which he used to unlock Nott's door. Dragging the bodyguard by the feet, Draco backed into the room and shut the door quietly behind him before locking it again.
Nott's room was very grand and very large with huge, soft sofas, expensive artwork and luxurious rugs upon the floors. Draco pointed his wand at the stupefied bodyguard, whispered "Wingardium Leviosa" and steered the man who was now hovering a few inches above the ground, onto the sofa.
Draco pointed his wand at the bodyguard again, muttered "obliviate." Nott would return and assume the bodyguard had fallen asleep on the job. Then, he set about searching.
There was a desk in the living area and Draco went to this first, rifling through papers and invoices and planning permission documents from the Ministry until he came across a photograph of Indigo Shacklebolt. It looked as though it had been taken in Diagon Alley as Draco could see a part of Gringotts in the background. He put the photo back and looked for further clues. There were letters from Azkaban in the top drawer and Draco took one out of its envelope to read it.
Dear Theodore,
I am confident you will do all you can to try and secure my release, yet I am still worried. I can feel myself getting weaker in here by the day. I can see myself going the same way as your sister. I do not want to die here in Azkaban.
Please hurry and find a way.
With love,
Charlotte
Charlotte was Theodore's wife. She had been put away in Azkaban shortly after the war and it sounded to Draco as though Theodore was planning some sort of way to get her out. Before he could reflect further on this however, a sleek, female voice behind him purred
"I told you I would see you later tonight"
Draco turned sharply with his wand drawn. Astoria Greengrass was leaning against the bedroom door frame, still in her emerald green dress although she had taken her hair down and now it flowed around her shoulders and down her back in a shiny, dark brown cascade.
"Its fine" she said "you won't need to stupefy me like that unfortunate bodyguard"
"Why are you in here?" demanded Draco, still with his wand raised.
Astoria walked slowly towards Draco, her hips swaying in her green dress. "Have you not worked that out already?" she said softly.
"You're sleeping with Nott" replied Draco. How was he going to get out of this one?
"Yes, I am" said Astoria, examining her nails "although I'd much rather be sleeping with you, Draco Malfoy"
"Well keep dreaming" replied Draco. She was very close now and Draco backed away. Astoria laughed quietly.
"I don't care what you're doing here; Theodore has many aspects of his businesses he keeps hushed up. The reason you are searching the suite is of no concern of mine. Did you find whatever you were looking for?"
"No" Draco lied.
"Then perhaps you should remain here a while" suggested Astoria "and keep searching"
"I've found nothing useful" Draco told her, trying to keep calm "I'm leaving" he turned to leave the room.
"I'll handle the stupefied bodyguard then, shall I?" said Astoria. Draco stopped.
"I'll move him if you want" said Draco.
"No, you have planned this well" said Astoria politely with admiration "Theodore will believe this particular henchman fell asleep on the job, correct? Poor fellow, Theodore will probably sack him now"
"Goodbye, Astoria" Draco went to open the door.
"I'll not say a word to him, if you don't want me to" said Astoria quickly.
"Why would you do that?" asked Draco suspiciously.
"I like you" Astoria replied simply "and I do not get involved in Theodore's business affairs. If an old schoolmate decides to break into his suite and search it, it is none of my business. What would I gain from informing him you were here?"
"It sounds as though you two have a trustworthy relationship" remarked Draco.
Astoria laughed again "and what would you know about trust, Draco Malfoy?"
"Rather a lot more than you, Miss Greengrass I assure you" said Draco and hurriedly left the suite, closing the door on Astoria.
Draco practically ran back to the room where Hermione was currently asleep. Astoria had sounded genuine but he could not be sure she would not tell Nott about him breaking into his suite.
"Wake up Granger you drunk!" said Draco, shaking Hermione awake.
"Ooh, Malfoy, hi!" said Hermione, looking happy he had returned. Unfortunately she still sounded as though she was completely wasted.
"The search did not go as planned" Draco explained and Hermione frowned.
"Oh forget the stupid mission" she said airily "let's have some champagne, look there's some here" and she reached onto the bedside table where there was a large bottle of champagne on ice. Hermione was pissed and having quite a good time and in her inebriated state, she wanted to forget about the job they were on and have some fun which she had not properly had for a very long time.
"I don't want any fucking champagne, Granger!" said Draco exasperatedly.
"Ooh you sound grumpy" said Hermione "you always tell me to let loose a bit well now it's your turn!" she stuck out the bottle of champagne.
Draco sighed, sank onto the bed and uncorked the champagne before taking a big gulp straight out of the bottle.
"See! We're having fun, aren't we?" said Hermione, moving closer to where Draco was sitting on the bed.
"We need to get out of here, Granger" said Draco seriously, handing her the bottle "we should get back to Hogwarts, I wasn't careful enough...I've fucked up"
"I don't want to leave" whined Hermione "it's nice here, I never get to stay in posh hotels"
"No, we're leaving" Draco told her firmly.
"Then I'm taking the champagne!" Hermione said resolutely.
"Fine!" Draco practically shouted, hauling Hermione from the bed. She collapsed on the floor, clutching the champagne.
"I think I need a lie down" she said, holding her head. She was starting to feel a bit ill, everything seemed to be spinning. "I don't think I can Apparate"
Draco looked at the fireplace, wondering if it was connected to the Floo Network.
"You're going to have to, Granger!" said Draco loudly, trying and failing to drag Hermione to a standing position by her wrist.
"Ow!" she shrieked "you're hurting me, Malfoy!"
Draco let go of her wrist and dropped heavily back onto the bed "if Nott breaks into this room with a gang of cronies it's your fucking fault!" he told her furiously.
Draco marched into the living room, wrenched open the liquor cabinet and poured himself a large Firewhisky, downed it in one and stormed back to the bedroom.
"Champagne?" Hermione asked, holding out the bottle "I do feel quite ill" she slurred.
Draco removed his jacket and threw it onto a chair and then started unbuttoning his shirt.
"What are you doing?" said Hermione with a little hiccup.
"I'm tired so I'm going to bed" Draco told her irately, pulling off his trousers "so move over, will you?"
Hermione blinked in astonishment and then pulled her dress over her head. Why was she doing that? He had intended for her to wear one of the robes the hotel provided, he was going to go and get it for her.
Hermione tossed the dress across the room where it landed in a heap beside the chair.
"Do you not want a robe?" Draco asked her. She was lying on the bed in her underwear, staring at him and looking quite unabashed.
"No, it's too warm in here" Hermione replied sleepily. She felt very, very tired and very, very drunk. She rested her head on the soft, comfortable pillows and sighed.
"Right, fine but don't have a go at me about this in the morning" said Draco. He pulled back the covers and threw them over Hermione before carefully climbing into the bed next to her. When Draco awoke the next morning, Hermione's arm was draped over his waist.
"You complete twit!" Hermione yelled through the bathroom door as she tried to brush the taste of Firewhisky from her teeth "I hardly ever drink, Malfoy and I have one night out with you and end up so pissed I can barely stand and then wake up in my underwear with you in the bed next to me half naked! Why did you let me have all those cocktails, all that champagne?" Hermione slammed her toothbrush down on the sink.
"Don't you go blaming me for your loss of self control!" Draco shouted back at her with equal anger "I didn't know you were going to get so legless, did I? Will you get out of the bathroom, I need a fucking piss!"
"Then you can fucking wait!" Hermione screamed back. She rinsed out her mouth and washed her face before pulling on a robe.
Hermione wrenched open the bathroom door and came face to face with Draco who was still in his boxer shorts. She looked him up and down and snapped "get dressed!"
Hermione had woken up that morning feeling disorientated and confused. She also had quite a terrible headache. When she turned over and realised that Draco Malfoy was lying in bed next to her wearing next to nothing, she had panicked and screamed.
It was only when Draco explained to her what had happened and that they had simply both gone to sleep, that she calmed down a little. She had then stormed into the bathroom and had not emerged for half an hour.
Draco pushed past her and used the bathroom while Hermione pulled on the now crumpled dress she had worn the previous night.
"Did you find anything out at all?" she asked snappishly "when you went to Nott's room?"
"How about you apologise for being such a bitch and then I tell you?" Draco called back at her.
"Don't call me a bitch, Malfoy!" Hermione yelled.
"Well you're acting like one!" said Draco loudly "all I showed you last night was kindness, all I did was look after you and make sure you were safe and now you're acting as though it was my fault you couldn't control your drink! I was going to give you a robe to wear last night but you refused it and went to sleep!"
Hermione paused in zipping up her dress. He was right, he had done nothing wrong. It was her fault she had been so irresponsible and really she was angry at herself, not Draco. He had behaved like a gentleman and because she was so drunk, he had to go and search Nott's room alone. She felt embarrassed and guilty for being so mean.
"I'm sorry" said Hermione softly as Draco walked back into the bedroom "I behaved irresponsibly and unprofessionally. Thank you for being so kind to me last night, it was very nice of you"
Draco grabbed his shirt and started pulling it on "I found a photograph of Indigo in Nott's desk" he explained "and a letter from his wife from Azkaban. It sounded as though Nott had been trying to figure out a way to get her out of there"
Hermione's eyes widened "then this proves it's Nott behind the kidnap rumours!"
"It proves he's involved" pointed out Draco "the photograph might not belong to him. We need to think of every eventuality, every possibility. Someone might have planted the photo there, we don't know"
"And you weren't seen? You got into the room okay?" said Hermione.
"I stupefied the bodyguard Nott had spoken to at the ball and put him on the sofa. Then Astoria Greengrass strolled out of the bedroom" explained Draco calmly.
"Astoria Greengrass, who is Astoria Greengrass?" said Hermione sharply.
"The woman in the green dress who attempted to chat me up last night" said Draco, pulling on his trousers "she's Nott's lover"
"We need to get out of here!" cried Hermione.
"That's what I said to you last night but you wouldn't have any of it" said Draco.
"I'm sorry" said Hermione again genuinely "surely she would have told Nott you were there?"
"She told me she stays out of Nott's business. She told me she wouldn't tell him I was in the room and I think she was telling the truth" said Draco "Nott would have sent someone here to our room already if she had spilled the beans"
"I still think we should leave here as soon as we can" said Hermione nervously "let's go back to Hogwarts, okay?"
When they were both dressed, they left the room and went into the lift which took them to the lobby. Hermione could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchens and her stomach rumbled.
Draco quickly approached the reception desk and returned the room key before steering Hermione towards the exit.
"Draco!" said a voice behind them. Draco grimaced.
"Theodore, how pleasant to see you" Draco said, arranging his face into a smile "did you have a nice evening?"
"The ball was a great success, the Squib Advice Bureau will be thrilled with the donations we collected. Ah, Astoria, how are you this morning?"
Astoria Greengrass was striding over to them. She was wearing a neat brown blouse, tightly fitted jeans and leather heels. Her dark hair was swept into a shiny ponytail which she had draped over her shoulder and her lips were painted a light pink. She looked Hermione up and down; her sparkling eyes travelling over her crumpled dress and uncombed hair.
"This is Miss Astoria Greengrass" said Theodore "she works for my property development business, very clever woman, very efficient. Perhaps you remember her from our Hogwarts days, Draco? She was in the year below us."
"How do you do" said Astoria politely, holding out a small, thin hand to Draco.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Greengrass" said Draco, taking Astoria's hand.
Astoria smiled at him sweetly, her hand still in Draco's "and who is your friend?" she asked, raising her neatly plucked eyebrows at Hermione who blushed a little but did not drop her gaze from Astoria's own.
"This is Hermione Granger" said Draco "she teaches at Hogwarts with me"
"You are teachers?" said Astoria, finally letting go of Draco's hand "how delightful" she added in a voice that suggested she thought a profession as a teacher was very far below her standards. "You are leaving already?" she added.
"We must return to Hogwarts" said Draco "but thank you for a lovely evening, Theodore"
"But you must both join Theodore and I for breakfast, it is the weekend after all!" said Astoria with a little laugh.
"We can't, I am afraid" replied Draco but Theodore seemed to think this was a wonderful idea too.
"We insist!" said Theodore "you must sample the breakfasts here at my hotel, Draco. I have recently employed a very skilled Squib chef from France and his cooking is simply delicious. That is unless you object to having your meal prepared by a Squib?"
"Of course we don't" said Hermione who was rather annoyed at this suggestion.
"We are hardly dressed for breakfast, Theodore" pointed out Draco.
"Oh who cares!" said Astoria, smiling at them both and she put her arm through Draco's to lead him into the restaurant.
Theodore put an arm behind Hermione's shoulders to encourage her forwards although Hermione noticed he did not touch her. He is probably worried about my Mudblood germs, she thought.
"We cannot stay long" said Draco, taking a seat at the table Astoria indicated and accepting a menu from a waiter.
"We will both have pastries and coffee" Hermione told the waiter and he nodded.
"I will have the full English today please," said Theodore "and a cup of tea, two sugars"
"A coffee, black, no sugar" said Astoria to the waiter "I shan't have anything else, I must watch my figure" she added, looking at Hermione with a smirk. What a bitch, she thought.
A suited man approached the table and muttered something in Theodore's ear.
"Please excuse me for a moment" said Theodore and left the table with the man.
When Theodore was several feet away and absorbed in conversation with the man in the suit, Astoria leaned across the table towards Draco.
"I told Theodore the bodyguard came into the suite and fell asleep on the sofa. It was a sensible decision to Obliviate him...he does not remember a thing" she said quietly and quickly. She glanced over at Theodore and then reached into her handbag to bring out a business card which she handed to Draco "in case you want to contact me...if you ever need to acquire any information"
Draco took the card and pocketed it "why are you doing this?" he whispered "why are you trying to help me?"
"Why not?" replied Astoria mysteriously. The waiter reappeared with their coffee and pastries and Astoria took a delicate sip from her cup.
Hermione took a bite of pastry. It was delicious. She glanced at Astoria who was sipping her coffee elegantly and watching Theodore. Why did Draco trust her? She seemed to Hermione like a complete cow.
"I am sorry about that" said Theodore genially as he took his seat at the table "I never have a day off, there is always some sort of business to handle...regrettable but necessary to be successful and ensure my businesses run smoothly"
"How is your wife, Theodore?" said Draco suddenly. All heads turned towards Draco. Theodore looked stunned for the briefest of moments.
"She is coping" replied Theodore in a much blunter voice than one he had adopted moments previously "how are your parents, Draco?" he added carelessly.
"Dead" said Draco simply. Hermione imagined Theodore already knew this. "Is your wife eligible for parole? It is terribly unfortunate she was arrested...the court did not believe her when she insisted she was acting under the Imperious curse?" continued Draco.
"My apologies, Draco but I would rather not discuss my wife" replied Theodore.
"Of course, it was insensitive of me" replied Draco courteously as the waiter appeared with Theodore's breakfast "I was merely concerned for her"
"Your concern is appreciated" said Theodore. "So how is Hogwarts these days?"
Draco and Theodore fell into discussion about Hogwarts and Hermione quietly ate her pastry. When she had finished, Draco turned to her.
"Are you ready, Hermione?" he said.
"Yes" Hermione replied, getting to her feet "thank you for inviting us to breakfast, Mr Nott, Miss Greengrass"
"I hope to see you again soon, Draco" said Theodore, standing up to shake Draco's hand.
"Have a pleasant day, Draco and you too, Miss Granger" said Astoria.
Draco led Hermione swiftly out of the restaurant, back into the lobby and towards the exit where the doorman nodded at them politely and opened the door for them.
They were back in the gloomy alleyway. Hermione could hear traffic passing by on Oxford Street beyond the building. Draco grabbed hold of her hand and they Dissapparated.
"What a cow!" exploded Hermione as they reappeared outside the Hogwarts gates "did you see the look she gave me when she said she was watching her figure?"
"Why would you find that insulting?" said Draco as they went through the gates and into the grounds "your figure is fine. She looks like a stick"
This seemed to cheer Hermione up.
"You don't want to trust her because she acts like a bitch" observed Draco.
"Why do you trust her?" asked Hermione. A group of second year Ravenclaws heading in the direction of the lake stared at Draco and Hermione as they passed and giggled at the sight of them in their evening wear.
"Little brats" mumbled Draco "I don't trust her completely, Granger but I don't think she's going to say anything at all to Nott. Just because I took that business card of hers doesn't mean I'm going to contact her but you must admit, she could be a useful informant"
"Well I just think we should be careful" replied Hermione.
Hermione found it was quite embarrassing to walk through the school amongst all the students but Draco didn't seem to care at all.
"Nice suit, Professor" laughed one brave Slytherin student as he walked past them.
"Thank you, Mr Meadows" replied Draco casually "I still haven't forgotten that Transfiguration essay, Meadows" he added warningly as the boy skipped off.
"It'll be on your desk Monday morning, sir!" Meadows yelled back and rounded the corner.
"See, you make a wonderful teacher" said Hermione.
Draco chuckled at her "I'm getting used to it"
They went into the Transfiguration Office together and Hermione headed straight for the bathroom to take a shower. Draco shrugged off his jacket, pulled of his tie and collapsed onto his favourite chair by the fireplace. He looked at the stack of unmarked homework on his desk and sighed wearily, knowing that it would take the remainder of the weekend to mark although Hermione's assistance would help considerably. He still had not forgotten that she had told him she would mark his fourth year's essays. He then remembered Astoria's business card was still in his trouser pocket and he took it out to look at it.
She lived in London, in Camden. Her job description was Personal Assistant to Mr Theodore Nott, Property Developer. Draco was considering sending her an owl although he knew Hermione would disapprove of this idea. She probably spent more time around Nott than anyone and could get access to some very useful information. Draco put the card in his desk drawer and thought he might as well get started on the stack of homework while he waited for Hermione to finish in the bathroom.
Hermione turned off the tap and wrapped a towel around herself before taking a pot of moisturiser from the cabinet and rubbing it into her cheeks. She felt much more refreshed now she had showered and her headache had gone. She thought about what Draco had told her, the photograph he had found of Indigo and the letter from Nott's wife.
Then she realised something.
"Draco!" she shouted as she came out of the bathroom, using his first name without even thinking about it.
"What happened to using my last name?" asked Draco but Hermione ignored this.
"I think we've found Nott's motive!"
"Well, explain" said Draco, putting down his quill. She was wrapped in a towel, her hair wet from the shower and Draco remembered the sight of her in her underwear.
"The photograph and the letter are connected," said Hermione excitedly "Nott is obviously desperate to get his wife out of Azkaban...he's planning to kidnap Indigo and blackmail Kingsley into setting his wife free"
Draco thought about this "it makes sense, Granger" he said "and I think you're probably right"
"We need to tell Kestrel immediately" said Hermione and she turned to Tilly Talloak's portrait.
"Miss Talloak?"
"Yes?" said Tilly
"We have some important information for Agent Kestrel" Hermione and Draco explained everything that had happened at the Flutterby Hotel and Tilly nodded and vanished. She reappeared five minutes later.
"Mr Kestrel applauds you for your work and is pleased with how the mission went. He urges you to be vigilant, to continue working on the case and report anything important" said Tilly.
"What, that's it?" said Hermione.
"Yes, that is it" replied Tilly haughtily "Agent Kestrel is very busy and you cannot expect him to babysit two novice agents. It is not his role to hold your hand through every mission and case. It is your job to be the spies, not Agent Kestrel's"
"Alright, fine" said Hermione. "So what do we do now?" she said to Draco.
"I think we should send an owl to Astoria Greengrass" replied Draco.
Hermione frowned "Well I don't"
"Listen, Granger she's the only informant we might have. If we can get enough information out of her we might be able to catch these Death Eaters before they even go near Indigo" said Draco persuasively.
"Don't you remember what Kestrel said? Trust no-one –"
"I've already told you, I don't completely trust the woman! Yes, for all we know she could be lying to us and might she might have already told Nott everything but don't you think it's worth a shot?" said Draco. "Just put aside your dislike of her for a moment –"
"This has nothing to do with my dislike of Astoria Greengrass!" said Hermione untruthfully. But Draco was right, she was letting personal reasons get in the way of the job in hand and that was not acceptable. She did not like Astoria at all, the way she was so tactile with Draco, the way she had tried to chat him up last night at the Flutterby Hotel and she certainly did not like the way Astoria looked at her and spoke to her.
Was she developing a crush on Draco Malfoy? If she was not, then why did she feel a twinge of bubbling jealousy when Astoria had slunk over to him in the lobby and taken hold of his arm? She had considered the fact she might have feelings for Draco when she was at the ball, when he had held her on the dance floor but now she knew it. They had spent so much time together, they had practically been living together...he had been kind to her, made sure she was alright when she had been so embarrassingly intoxicated. But she would have to get over it or live with it because they had a mission to complete and Hermione was pretty sure Draco did not feel the same way about her. She thought about how ridiculous she was being, she was no longer a teenager yet here she was, nearly twenty three years old and agonising over a tiny little crush on Draco Malfoy.
Hermione let out a sigh. "Look, we'll write to her, you're right she probably can help us. I'm going to get dressed"
Draco went to his desk and took out a sheet of parchment and Astoria's business card. Draco was quite perceptive when it came to women. He knew why Hermione did not like Astoria and he had seen that jealousy in her face when he had admitted her found Astoria attractive, the smile on her face when he had complimented her figure and then called Astoria a stick. She was growing fond of him and Draco was unsure what to do about that because he had not yet made up his mind if he felt the same about Hermione. She was pretty, she was clever and she could be very funny and he did find her attractive but was that enough? What would happen if they did admit their feelings to each other, would they start going out? Draco couldn't see that happening somehow.
He scribbled out a draft of the letter to Astoria and set it aside for Hermione to look over. She would make a nice girlfriend, Draco thought. Better than Pansy ever was, anyway.
"I feel so much better now" said Hermione, coming out of her bedroom "I put a clean towel out in the bathroom for you to use" she added.
Always thoughtful, Draco thought. "Thanks. I've written a letter to Astoria, it's on my desk if you want to read it over and let me know what you think"
Draco went to take a shower and Hermione picked up the letter. It seemed fine to her, short and to the point, not giving away too much. She took an envelope from Draco's drawer, folded the letter and put it inside then went out of the office to go to the Owlery.
She was walking past the Charms corridor when she saw Indigo standing nearby; chatting with the friend she was always with.
"Hello, Professor" said Indigo and Hermione stopped to talk to her.
"Good morning, Miss Shacklebolt. Did you have a nice weekend?" said Hermione pleasantly.
Indigo and her friend exchanged smirks "yes, thank you Professor. Did you? I heard from a third year you and Professor Malfoy walked through the castle earlier and that you were wearing a dress and Professor Malfoy was wearing a suit"
Indigo's friend giggled but stopped immediately when Hermione looked at her.
"Did Professor Malfoy take you on a date, Professor?" asked Indigo daringly.
Hermione looked at her "No, Miss Shacklebolt and I would appreciate it if you did not make such assumptions"
"I'm sorry Professor" said Indigo, sounding a little abashed.
"It's quite alright, I admire inquisitiveness in my students but not rumour mongering, do you understand?" said Hermione gently.
"Yes, Professor" said Indigo, staring at her shoes.
"How is your homework coming along?" Hermione asked.
"My homework is fine, Professor. I got given my first ever detention on Friday, though" said Indigo "Professor Longbottom said my work was substandard in Herbology. I've got to go to the detention on Wednesday. Aren't you friends with Professor Longbottom, Professor Granger?"
"Yes" said Hermione. Indigo really was rather nosy.
"Well can you ask him to move my detention? I was going to go and watch some of my friends practice Quidditch on Wednesday evening..."
Cheeky and nosy, Hermione thought "I am afraid not, Miss Shacklebolt. If Mr Longbottom has given you detention, you must go to it. Have a nice, day Miss Shacklebolt"
"You too, Professor" replied Indigo disappointedly as Hermione walked away.
Hermione climbed the stairs to the chilly Owlery with its glassless windows and its walls and floors covered in owl droppings and mice skeletons. She chose a handsome barn owl and tapped the envelope with her wand to put a Vanishing Charm on the letter which would cause it to disappear one Astoria had read its contents.
The owl soared off through the nearest window as soon as Hermione had finished tying the letter to its leg and she watched it fly over the grounds, past Hagrid's cabin, over the forest and out of sight.
Draco looked up from the homework he had been marking as Hermione entered the Transfiguration office, holding a stack of sandwiches and a flask of tea.
"I brought us breakfast" she said cheerfully "I thought we could have lunch here as we have so much work to do today" she placed the sandwiches and tea on Draco's desk beside a pile of fifth year Ravenclaw essays. "I sent the letter too"
Draco smiled at her thoughtfulness, pushed the fourth year's homework towards her and took a sandwich.
"You can get started on those now" Draco told her, reclining in his chair.
"Oh yes, I said I would mark these, didn't I?" said Hermione, taking the essays and picking up a quill. She pointed her wand at the chair at her desk and it zoomed over, coming to rest next to Draco's own. She then picked up a sandwich and set to work.
Draco chewed his sandwich and watched her. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice. He examined her face, her smooth skin, the neat bridge of her nose, her dark brown eyes, and the shape of her lips, a little pursed in concentration as she read the homework. Then a sudden, crazy idea came to him and he knew he had to voice it straightaway before he lost the courage.
"Granger"
"Yes, what?"
"How do you feel about making a little trip to Hogsmeade this evening?" said Draco lightly. She would probably refuse and say they had too much work to get through to have any leisure time.
"Why would you ask me that?" said Hermione, looking up from the homework.
"I thought it would be pleasant to have dinner there this evening, it would make a nice change don't you think?" said Draco, trying to keep his tone casual.
Hermione frowned "and what about Indigo?"
"It would only be for an hour or so" said Draco "after curfew, when she'll be safe in her common room. What do you say?"
Hermione continued to frown, looking at Draco thoughtfully and then her face broke into a smile and she replied "alright then, but only if we manage to get all this work done by this evening"
Draco threw down his half eaten sandwich and pulled a stack of homework towards him "we'd better get working then" he said.