Chapter 8 – The Vegetable Patch
Thursday for the trip into the forest to have a look at the glade in which Furgus Connell allegedly had spotted the unicorn was a cold day just at the beginning of February. The thermometer in the kitchen told Draco it was now a dazzling –19° C and it had snowed another meter just during the last 24 hours and it was still falling heavily. Draco got dressed and meet Hermione as she stepped out of her car on his courtyard just before lunchtime.
"Granger, are you seriously wearing that?" Draco frowned as he spotted Hermione's black coat and ankle boots. Well, he thought, at least she wears a hat.
"Why, do you think I'll be cold?" she wondered as she in turned spotted his yeti-like appearance.
"No, more like I think you'll freeze to death within the hour. Are you sure you want to do this today? In case you haven't noticed there a bloody snowstorm coming and you won't be able to see anything when we're surrounded by trees anyway." he said.
"Well, I'd like to give it a go anyway. Since I'm here and all." she said and wrapped her arms around herself to warm herself.
"Alright, as you wish. Let's get moving then, or else you'll freeze on the spot." he said and gestured to her to follow him.
They made their way though the snow, around the house, past the vegetable patch where Draco grew his odd specimens of plants (which thankfully were covered in a thick layer of snow and therefore didn't look like anything worth giving a second look) and into the forest behind the house. When they'd been walking for about an hour Hermione said;
"How much further is it?"
"I'd say about another mile north. Are you getting cold?" Draco asked.
"Cold wouldn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. I wish we could apparate." she shivered.
"Well, we can't. So just shut up and keep walking." Draco sneered.
"Looks like I struck a nerve." Hermione observed, but she kept walking in silence after that.
It took them another 30 minutes to get to the point where Mr Connell had spotted a unicorn some weeks earlier. And just like Draco had predicted; the visibility was shite.
"Well, this was a waste." Hermione concluded after having examined the glade for a few moments.
"Hate to tell I told you so." Draco shrugged.
"It has snowed so much since you can't notice any clue, whiff, sign or even the slightest hint of any bloody unicorn. And now we find ourselves in a bloody whiteout and I don't even know the way home anymore. On top of that; I'm freezing my fucking arse off." Hermione grunted.
"Better head back then." Draco suggested and made an effort to turn around and leave.
"Fuck no, we're not walking back. Give me your hand, Malfoy." Hermione said and held her hand out for Draco to grab.
Draco raised an amused eyebrow at her determination.
"Come off it, Malfoy. No one's going to see us here in the middle-of-absolutely-fucking-nowhere! Come on, quickly now!" she urged.
"Where are you taking us?" he asked.
"Your house? Will that do?" Hermione suggested.
"Tom might notice if there aren't any tracks leading back to the house. Better make it just at the edge of the forest. Think you can do that?" Draco asked and stepped closer to her.
Hermione just nodded with a resolute look on her face. Draco grabbed a hold of Hermione's hand and together they vanished from the glade only to reappear a split second later right in the middle of Draco's vegetable patch.
"I said just at the edge of the forest, Granger! Not in my bloody vegetable patch. Now you've ruined it!" Draco shouted and pushed Hermione off the patch and quickly jumped off himself. Hermione lost her balance and fell on her arse into the deep snow.
"Don't push me like that! And why do you care about a vegetable patch in the dead of winter?" Hermione snapped and she tried to crawl out of the snow.
Just then she saw the withered, hibernating plants. There was no mistaking these weren't ordinary muggle plants.
"Bloody hell." she gasped.
"Granger, not here." Draco said and pulled her out of the snow.
"You're bloody right not here." Hermione sneered.
Together they walked into Draco's house. Once all of their coats, hats and gloves were hanging over the fireplace to dry and Draco had made them both a cup of warm tea (with a splash of whiskey in them) they sat down by the fire. None of them spoke for a while but just stared with blank gazes into the fire.
"You're a fucking idiot." Hermione finally said breaking the silence. "What if someone from the Ministry found out?"
Draco looked at her, hoping his surprise wasn't obvious on his face.
"Thought someone from the Ministry just did find out." he said flatly.
Hermione sat quiet a while before she spoke again.
"What are you using them for?" she said and gave him a strict look. "And don't you dare lie to me, Malfoy."
Draco sipped on his tea before he answered.
"Me and Tom are making bootleg liquor and I'm mixing the plants into the brew. We then sell the whiskey to the local pubs. The whiskey in our tea is from a particular good batch from four years ago." he said flatly.
"Malfoy, for fuck sake. Have you gone mental? What you're doing is illegal in both the muggle world and in ours." Hermione grunted.
"Yes." said Draco calmly.
"You were sentenced not to use magic for six years by the Council of Magical Law and the Wizengamot, no?" Hermione said.
"Yes." Draco said calmly.
"Yet you're growing magical plants in your backyard?" she frowned.
"Yes." he said, still calm.
"Which you then sell to muggles?" Hermione said.
"Yes." said Draco again, still calm.
"And you think this is appropriate? You're not allowed to use magic." Hermione said.
"I'm not using magic. I'm growing magical plants. Big difference." Draco pointed out.
"Are you sure the Council and the Wizengamot would be of the same opinion?" Hermione asked.
"No, that's why I haven't informed them about it." he retorted icily. "But I can tell you that I'm certain my sentence only prohibits me from using magic by using my wand. No other kind of magic is specified."
"Don't you think it was implied?" she frowned.
"Now, that would have been impossible for me to understand." A small grin formed in the corner of his mouth.
"Of course. That would be asking too much of you." Hermione mumbled.
There was a long pause. Hermione finished her cup of tea.
"I think I'll need something stronger than tea. Do you want a drink?" She stood up.
"You're offering me a drink in my own home?" He couldn't resist an amused smirk forming across his lips.
"Whiskey?" she said as she walked over to the liquor cabinet.
"Sure." he said.
"Does this one contain your plants? Or is it just ordinary bootleg?" she asked and held up a bottle for him to see.
"Ordinary bootleg. No magic plants." Draco confirmed.
Hermione took out two glasses, which she then poured the whiskey in. When she put the bottle down she picked up the glasses and walked back to the armchairs and handed Draco a glass. Never taking his eyes off her Draco accepted the glass and drank from it. Hermione did the same.
"So." Draco finally said after a lingering silence as he watched the brownish fluid move about as he swirled his glass.
"So?" Hermione asked.
"So, will your report include what you learnt about me here today?" Draco asked as he looked up at her.
The look Hermione gave him when he'd finished asking the question was one he'd never forget. It felt like her amber eyes pierced through his clothes, skin, flesh and bones finally to penetrate deep into his soul. With great difficulty he resisted the urge to squirm and instead steeled his own gaze into hers.
"No." Hermione finally said.
"So your loyalty isn't with the Ministry anymore?" Draco arched a surprised brow.
"Loyalty is an elusive thing these days, isn't it?" she asked as she swirled her glass before she drank from it.
"As is morals." he filled in.
"Right." she said and finished her drink. "I should leave."
"Probably." he said but remained seated.
Hermione stood up and walked over to the fireplace to collect her drying clothes.
"Although…" Draco paused and Hermione turned around with a sort of annoyed expression.
"… you probably shouldn't drive." He turned his head lazily towards the window, which was now covered halfway with snow.
Hermione sighed in annoyance.
"I'll apparate then." she said.
"Right." Draco took another sip of whiskey. "Although…"
"What?" Hermione snapped.
"… Your car will still be here. What do I tell Tom when he asks where you've gone? How do I tell him you got away from here, the middle-of-absolutely-fucking-nowhere, in a raging blizzard without your car?" he asked and slowly let his hand run over his chin.
Hermione gave him a loathing look, which Draco ignored, finished his whiskey, picked up both their glasses and walked over to the cabinet.
"Refill?" he asked Hermione over his shoulder.
Ignoring her lack of response he refilled both their glasses and walked over to Hermione. She snatched one glass out of his hand.
"'Thank you, Malfoy'. You're welcome, Granger." he said mimicking Hermione's voice.
Hermione hissed something along the lines of "oh the nerve" before she strutted out of the sitting room, walked up the stairs and slammed the door to, what rightfully now only could be described as, her room.
^V^
When Draco woke up the next morning the snowstorm was gone, and so was Hermione. On his kitchen table he found a note.
Dear Malfoy,
I'm not sorry to sneak out on you while you're still sleeping. I did because if I would still be here when you woke up I was afraid I might have done something rash.
I want you to know that I'll close the report on the unicorns. The record will state your assistance was valued but no proof of any unicorns could be found. You and I both know that's probably not true, but this report will still be the best one the department has ever seen.
As far as your business goes… The aurors have no clue of what you're doing; please make sure to keep it that way.
It was nice to see you again, though.
All my love,
Hermione
"Fuck." Draco breathed and placed his head in his hands as he finished her letter. "Now she's really not coming back, is she?" he asked Nessy who leapt up on the kitchen table.
Nessy answered by head-butting Draco affectionately.
"Some support you are." he muttered.