Chapter 4 – The Invitation
Once back in the car and on their way back Tom asked:
"So, Hermione. How long are you in town for?"
"A while I guess. Why?" she asked.
"Great! Then you should come over next weekend!" Tom exclaimed and punched Hermione playfully on the shoulder. "Draco and I have an elk in the freezer from our last hunting mission. We were planning on feasting on it!"
"Um, I mean, well, I don't know." Hermione said and shifted awkwardly in her seat.
"Come on, join us, now will you? The whole neighbourhood will be there and it would do this feast some good to have some new blood."
"Well, since I'm going to be in town anyway." Hermione said after a few moments of hesitation.
"Great! It starts at seven." Tom grinned. "And, um, if you'd want to bring a friend that wouldn't be a problem."
"Are you asking me to bring a date for you, Tom?" Hermione asked and peered at Tom through the rearview mirror.
"No!" Draco yelled.
"I mean, only if you'd want to." Tom shrugged ignoring Draco.
"What strikes your fancy then?" Hermione asked, she, too, completely ignoring Draco.
"Tell me you're not really doing this!" Draco grunted.
"Tall, dark and handsome would be a good start. Need to be witty and sharp as well. Smart dresser. And good hair of course, that's essential." Tom counted.
"I think you left out the most essential part, mate." Draco muttered under his breath.
"Do you realise you just described yourself, Tom?" Hermione chuckled.
"What can I say? I think I'm bloody fantastic." Tom grinned.
Draco rolled his eyes at the two of them. He was just about to say something very rude when Hermione let out a bubbly laughter. Instead of slandering either of them Draco turned and watched as she continued laughing. She really had the whitest teeth, didn't she? And he didn't remember them being so straight and perfect back at school. She squinted her eyes and a tear escaped and slowly rolled down her round cheek. She didn't seem to realise, but only continued laughing. Her laughter was so free and full of joy, almost contagious. Draco sighed deeply. This really hadn't been a good idea at all.
When Hermione pulled up onto Draco's courtyard it was late in the evening.
"Tom, give us a minute alone, would you?" Draco asked once Hermione killed the engine.
"Right, but when you're done here I need your help in the shed." Tom said and got out of the car.
"See you at the elk-feast, Tom." Hermione said.
"Right, and if you happen to have a tall, dark and handsome friend, don't hesitate to bring them." Tom grinned.
"Right." Hermione said and Tom gave her a smile before he closed the car door.
"You're obviously not bringing a friend." Draco said icily as he watched Tom make his way to the shed.
"Of course I'm not. I'm not an idiot." Hermione snorted.
They sat beside each other in silence for a while.
"That man, Mr Connell, he said he saw the unicorn on your land when he was hunting, in a glade. Do you know which one he was talking about?" Hermione asked after a while.
"I think so. There's a glade about sixteen miles from here. Perfect for hunting deer, and the forest is full of it. Sadly, as they keep eating by vegetables." Draco muttered.
"Can you take me there sometime?" she asked.
"Sure. If you so wish." he answered.
"Um, Malfoy…" she begun.
Draco turned his head towards her to let her know he was listening.
"When we were at that pub, I couldn't help but notice that everyone seemed to know who you were. And they all seemed to act rather strange. I mean there was a man twice your age that called you Sir!" she continued.
Draco shrugged coolly. "What can I say, Granger? I'm a respectable man."
"And I must admit I felt a tad uneasy being left there all alone. But as it turned out no one but Mr Connell dared even as much as look at me once you, Tom and Nigel had left." she said and turned towards Draco. "Who are you?"
"A man who they respect and who they wish to do no wrong, Granger. That's who." Draco said as he turned his head towards her.
"Right, but why?" Hermione asked.
"Because I help this town, Granger. That's why." Draco answered calmly.
"You're not going to tell me anything more, are you?" Hermione grunted and threw her hands up in the air as a gesture of surrender. Her right hand landed on the cup holder.
Draco shifted in his seat and turned his whole body towards her. As he did he placed his left hand on top of hers. As she didn't flinch or jerk away Draco hugged it briefly. The gesture was barely noticeable, but it was definitely there. He leaned in towards her a bit and said in just but a whisper:
"All you need to know, Granger, is that whatever this thing with the unicorns turns out to be, I'm not involved."
Hermione searched his eyes in silence. They sat like that in the echoing stillness with the darkness outside held at bay with the single light shining in Hermione's car. Without warning there was a loud knock on Hermione's window causing them both to jerk away from each other. Draco let out an unflattering squawk and Hermione almost drew her wand before she saw what had caused the loud noise.
"Fuck me, I nearly pissed myself!" Draco growled as a grinning Tom waved from outside.
"Did I scare you?" Tom grinned as Hermione lowered the window.
"Yes, you did. Good job." she sneered at Tom.
"Sorry, didn't mean to, love. Draco, I need you in the shed right now. A situation has occurred." Tom said and gave Draco a meaningful look.
"Right, I'll be right there." Draco nodded and Tom left again. "Sorry about him." he mumbled.
"That's alright. I've actually got to head back to the Ministry for a few days to attend some meetings. But I'll definitely be back for the feast, it sounds lovely." Hermione said.
"I'm sure it won't be. But I know I wouldn't mind seeing you there." Draco said and let a smirk slowly form across his lips.
"Oh, sod off." Hermione said, but she too let a smirk form across her lips.
"Well then, I'm off to see a man about a dog." Draco said and made an effort to get out of the car but Hermione held onto his arm.
Annoyed, he turned around. Hermione leaned in and kissed him swiftly on the cheek.
"Thank you, Malfoy." she said as she pulled back. "For all your help."
His expression softened a bit.
"Pleasure is all mine, Granger." he said before he stepped out of the car and closed the door.
Later that week at the cafeteria at the Ministry
"So, how's the unicorn hunt going?" Harry asked once he, Ron and Hermione met up for lunch.
"Wish it'd been more fruitful by now. But sadly I haven't even seen a trace of one yet. Might just be a wild goose chase after all." Hermione sighed.
"Did you ask Malfoy about it?" Harry asked as casually as he possibly could, but Hermione heard that this was the actual topic Harry wanted to discuss.
"As it turns out Malfoy's being more helpful than expected. He showed me around some local places and he's taking me into the forest where this unicorn allegedly was seen." she said and poked around her egg salad with her fork.
"You're telling us you're going into the deep dark woods with the wolf? What are you thinking Red Riding Hood?" Ron asked with his mouth full of chicken.
"Shut up, Ron. He's nothing I can't handle." Hermione sighed.
"No, he just got sentenced to six years without magic for being a bloody Death Eater." Ron mumbled.
"A sentence which would've been harder hadn't you been one of the many people who testified to his defence, mate." Harry pointed out.
"Right, but people don't really change, do they?." Ron said.
"People do change. It's our history that never leaves us. I'm not saying Malfoy has changed. I'm just saying your wrong, Ron." Hermione replied so dryly both her friends understood that was the end of this particular part of the conversation.
"So, what's Malfoy like in the muggle world? I always wondered." Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Surprisingly normal, actually. He's got friends and everything. His neighbour seems to actually like him and they invited me to a feast they're having. I told them I'd come." Hermione shrugged.
Harry and Ron exchanged meaningful looks.
"Hermione, please interpret this the most positive way possible; but do you think there's a chance you're getting too close to Malfoy?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"'Cause I excepted one invitation to his neighbour? No, Harry I don't think I'm getting too close to Malfoy. Besides, hypothetically if I was then so what? My job isn't about him. My job is about unicorns. Nothing else. If you're going to be all wary about him then go and investigate him yourselves. I'm done talking about him with you lot." Hermione snorted.
"We're not asking cause we're expect you to sniff around him, we're asking 'cause you're our friend. And we don't know what's on Malfoy's agenda." Ron said leaning across the table.
"Assuming he has even got an agenda." Hermione muttered under her breath.
"I mean, he disappeared after his sentence but his name is still whispered in all the wrong places and his shadow is cast wherever he stands. Now, we're obviously not really telling you this, 'cause it's confidential and sensitive information. But just be careful, alright Hermione?" Ron pleaded.
"Right, during our next meeting I'll be on my lookout for his shadow. Cheers, my dear auror-friends." Hermione rolled her eyes at the two men and stood up to leave.
"We've got you best interest at heart, at all times. You know that, right?" Harry said as he grabbed her arm as she tried to make her way past him.
"Much obliged, lads. Now, if you'll excuse me I've got to go and be involved in some other racket the two of you can worry about." she said and left.
Harry drew a long breath as he watched Hermione walk away.
"Is it only me, or is she all of a sudden sort of reminding a bit of him?" Ron asked Harry as Hermione strutted out of the Ministry cafeteria.