Kingsley waved his wand and a thin sheet of paper appeared before each of them. Then, he gave them all an expecting glare. Harry showed a circle with a finger in the air and they all rearranged to sit as they had in the morning. Hermione found herself between Malfoy and Ron. Not the most strategic position in her opinion. On the sheet of paper were the watch teams, and the schedule.

They worked by pairs, all the time, never let an auror on his own, was the golden rule. Even though they seemed to find an exception every time they were on big interventions, Kingsley persisted anyway.

All usual pairs had been broken though, and Hermione found that she wasn't with Neville any more. She was paired with Dean, who was usually with Lavender. She gave her old school mate a grin he returned widely, they'd never been paired together, it would be nice to chat a bit with him.

Kingsley was taking Colin with him, Neville was with Malfoy, Zabini with Ron, and Lavender with Harry. It promised to be interesting.

"Colin's in?" She asked with a small smile. She'd been asking for him to second them for quite a while, but since he hadn't yet managed to learn everything that was asked of them, Kingsley had always refused.

"Just tonight Hermione, for practice." She twisted her mouth in disapproval but Kingsley pretended not to see it.

"Everyone's packed?" They all nodded. "Let's go then."

Draco couldn't believe what he was seeing. They'd taken a Portkey to a ministry field, a bloody meadow near the Wales border or so he was told. There was no way for him to prove it since there was strictly nothing in sight but grass. It had only taken a few minutes for Longbottom and Granger to assemble the tent though, which looked positively disgusting, and they were now discussing the weather outside their shelter for the night.

"All right, I'm first with Colin." Said Shakelbolt, waving them all to go inside. Shakelbolt had taken the first round of watch, so they could all nap for a while. He'd also insinuated that they would work there the next day, to keep the practice going. Creevey looked positively twitchy at the very idea of spending a couple of hours alone with the big boss, which seemed to please Blaise to no end, for he kept smirking at the small blond.

Then they all entered what looked like a summer camp dormitory. Not that Draco had ever been in one of those. To his left, were several bunk beds with, for now, opened curtains for the lower ones. Facing him was a sort of lounge with a few worn sofas and a coffee table. At the far back of the tent, after the lounge and up two steps, sat a large meeting table, on which books laid randomly scattered. At his right was the only door of the whole thing, Draco hoped it was the bathroom, and next to it was a small kitchen.

Potter started explaining:

"All right, bunk beds, lounge, we eat and work on that table at the back, the kitchen's right here, and the bathroom's behind that door." Thank Salazar. "Usually we start by warding the place of course but it's always warded here so … Choose your bed, we'll make diner."

He and Granger went to the kitchen while all the others went to the dormitory. There was a large curtain to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the tent, but Draco suspected it wasn't sound proofed in case they were attacked. He took the bed on the farthest corner, the one above Blaise's and put his cloak on it. He only retrieved his coin, his parchment, and his wand from it, which he tucked in his robes pockets.

When he finally joined the others in the kitchen, or more the sink and cupboard, Blaise was annoying Granger already.

"Sandwiches? I thought you liked me more than that Granger."

"Like I'd cook for a troll. Go sit down or you'll have to make your own."

At this rate he'd get his arse kicked before eating anything.

"I'm next so I'll eat in bed, I need a nap." Yawned the weasel and Granger smirked at Blaise.

"You too, you know."

"Right shit. I'll annoy you later then." Draco's friend took a sandwich out of the plate Granger was holding and went to the dormitory. It was only when he closed the curtain that Draco realised he was surrounded by Gryffindors. He decided to quickly sit next to Longbottom before anyone else took the vacant spot.

They all started eating in a stretched and tired silence. Until Potter put his sandwich down and talked to Granger quietly. She was sitting beside him, at Longbottom's left, so Draco couldn't really see her. Potter was at the end of the table, next to Thomas that had Brown at his left, facing Longbottom.

"Brings back a lot of unpleasant memories to camp with you Mione."

"Yeah." Was her quiet answer. Draco saw Brown wink at Thomas.

"Tell us one." She asked Potter.

"Err … you've heard it all."

"Malfoy hasn't." She argued, glancing quickly at Draco. Potter rolled his eyes and rubbed his neck thinking aloud. Everyone's attention was taken.

"Right, err …"

"Tell the one about when Ron came back and Hermione lost her shit." Potter chuckled.

"Right. So, we were in the forest of Dean, Ron had left us, and we'd just come back from Godric's Hollow. Where I broke my wand, and almost died eaten by Nagini."

At the name, Draco shuddered he'd had a taste at that horrific snake too. Thankfully its slayer was sitting right next to him.

"I stupidly walked out of the wards, when I saw a patronus. It was a doe. I thought it was my father's. Orphan fantasy I guess. It was Snape's by the way. I followed it to the lake and it showed me the frozen water. It was the stupidest move ever but I didn't take off the locket to go in the water. Snape's been an arse, he'd put the sword of Gryffindor in the frozen bloody lake. Couldn't have just you know … put it on the floor or something. Anyway, I broke the ice and swam but when I tried to grab the sword, the locket started to choke me and I almost drowned."

He paused. Draco had never heard the complete story, he'd of course read the very long interview Potter had given the Daily Prophet after the war, but it'd been a general outline, not this detailed story telling. No one dared comment and they all waited until Potter started talking again.

"Right, so someone saved my arse. Grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the shore. I had taken off my glasses so I didn't realise right away that Ron had come back. When I did he was as drenched and frozen as I was, except he was fully dressed and he had the locket in one hand, the sword in the other. I was in my underpants, blind and well, a tiny bit out of breath. I was glad anyway but … I decided to just let him destroy that fucking thing. He'd come back but after the row we'd had, I felt like …"

"He needed to prove he'd stay this time." Granger seemed to feel bitter at the memory. Potter just nodded and kept going.

"So I opened it with parsletongue and the nasty shit started talking to him. I kept yelling at Ron not to listen but I'm pretty sure he couldn't hear me. The thing just morphed into his greatest fears at the time, which I won't divulge. No arguing. But after about two minutes he just destroyed it with the sword. It was … I mean, the piece of soul in there, it just screamed, it was awful. We didn't move for a while after that. And then decided to go back into the wards before we got ourselves killed. That's when Hermione comes into play. Go ahead. Your favourite part."

"Err. Favourite's a big word. As he said we were just back from Godric's hollow and Harry had almost died in my arms. So it's the least to say that I wasn't at my best. Plus, he'd broken his wand, and kept insisting on wearing that awful locket that played with our moods. So, he'd taken the watch and gone outside with my wand. I went to check on him maybe an hour later, and he was gone. He'd left me defenceless. I waited about thirty minutes worrying myself to death until I saw the both of them come back all smily faces and giggles, the sword of Gryffindor in a hand, the blasted locket in the other and well … I let you imagine my reaction."

"You kicked Ron's arse." Extolled Brown, Draco could help but chuckle.

"You're right I did. The idiot leaves us for weeks and comes back with his big fat grin like nothing. But Harry didn't want to give me my wand back, the idiot, yes, you were an idiot too, so I had no choice but to hit him. Which was useless and you're not allowed to laugh. So I played it the girl's way and gave him the silent treatment and the eights leg anytime he'd cross my path. He fell quite a few times. I also cut his hair randomly, made him grab a really hot pan once or twice, drink boiling tea pretending it was cold, cut holes in his blankets, in his socks, and under one of his shoes." At this point Brown was giggling uncontrollably, keeping herself steady on a laughing Thomas.

"Oh! The hole in his shoes! Shit I didn't know that." Potter looked amused and surprised at the same time. Draco couldn't help but comment.

"Vicious Granger."

"Thank you very much. Means a lot from a Slytherin." She winked at him behind Longbottom. Granger had definitely a bit of Slytherin in her. And some Ravenclaw, and sometimes some Hufflepuff. Draco wondered how the sorting hat had sorted through her. Potter made a face before saying:

"Don't tell him that but I knew you were getting back at him, even if I had absolutely no proof. He kept assuming he was just being clumsy and … I mean … I didn't say anything because it was just so fucking funny …" They'd lost Brown, and of course Thomas. Even Longbottom chuckled. Draco didn't dare comment, for he realised as Potter was still smiling, even after turning his face to him, that he apparently trusted him enough to confess such a thing in his presence. A moment passed and once Brown and Thomas had finally gathered their brains Potter stood:

"Enough for tonight. We should get some sleep. Set your wands to wake you up just in case guys." He ordered, stepping away from the bench.

They all did as asked and Draco followed the others to the dormitory. Brown and Potter stayed in the lounge, as it was their turn to back up surveillance, it wouldn't be wise to only have two aurors awake. Longbottom, Granger and Thomas settled in their respective bunk beds as Draco settled in his. Blaise was snoring. The weasel too. It promised to be irritating. Making himself the most comfortable he could hope to be in such a bed, Draco realised he could see all of them from there. Except Blaise who was under him. Err … in the bed under his. Granger would have loved that tongue slip. She was on a lower bed, Brown would later occupy the top one. He could only decipher her hair and a hand that poked from the cover. He slowly drifted to sleep, his gaze shamelessly fixed on her tiny fingers.

His wand vibrated at three in the morning, just as Blaise was coming back to his bed after his turn. Draco hadn't heard him leave, nor had he the weasel. A hand grabbed his arm and Blaise whispered:

"Your turn mate." Draco stood slowly and went out the dormitory space, feeling like shit.

Granger and Thomas were yawning in the lounge, Brown, Potter, Shakelbolt and Creevey had surely gone to bed. Granger gave a tired smile as he passed her to which he answered with a yawn. She chuckled lightly and Thomas followed. He had to look like shit. His cloak trailing on the floor behind him, he opened the tent and went outside. The weasel sighed in relief.

"I'm off." He said and stormed in. Longbottom was already waiting for Draco, sitting on his arse right in the grass, a book open on his lap.

"Slept tight?" He asked without lifting his face from the book.

"Didn't hear a single thing."

"Lucky bastard." He muttered.

"I thought that when you're that tired you'd sleep anywhere."

"Depends. I can sleep through the snoring but not their nightmares. After a few days it's all right but the firsts are always a struggle."

"Nightmares?"

Longbottom just nodded but didn't explain. Draco put his cloak on and settled next to him, his wand at the ready.

"So, how does it work?"

"I just did a round. We do one every few minutes, listen to any noise, you know ..."

"Yeah. Boring."

"Yes, especially since Hermione placed the wards. No one can see or hear us. It's useless to watch for threats but we should still stay alert. Sometimes we feel a bit too safe. It's not a good thing."

"Too safe? I never feel safe." Draco realised that as saying it. Even at the Manor he never really felt as safe as you should in your home.

"You'll see if you spend more than a week in hiding. Hermione's wards are … After a while you get used to the light chatter, Dean's cooking and Harry's story telling. When we went out to arrest Macnair we spent five weeks like that. We moved every other day but it lasted too long. We got used to it. And got hit by surprise. They'd guessed where the camp was and even if they couldn't attack us, they surrounded us. If we hadn't moved we'd have starved to death."

"Right, stay alert then."

"Indeed." Macnair eh? Draco couldn't help his curiosity. He'd forgotten seeing Granger's file as well as hearing Brown's talk about the circumstances, he'd had so much on his mind until that moment. But the curiosity had just made a comeback.

"How did you catch him?"

"Macnair? Ah. Hermione's file. Right."

"She's said she'd tell me but I guess .. " As Longbottom didn't say anything, and looked blankly at the open book on his lap, Draco concluded:

"I'll just ask her." The blank expression Longbottom wore swapped to an ugly face.

"Err. Don't. Shit, we all know anyway." He paused, took a deep breath and started: "As I said we were surrounded. The plan was to either walk out all at the same time to surprise them or let only one of us go out with the invisibility cloak and knock the most isolated one out. We disagreed because they all looked really alert and the ones we knew weren't easy catches. We also disagreed in case someone had to go alone. Lavender wanted to, Harry was ready to just go, Ron kept telling that a guy would be too tall for the cloak and ... after too long we still hadn't come to a decision so Hermione just took the cloak and left the wards. She managed to knock one out and then Ron went out. They knocked another etc. At a point I was left alone in the wards and I was watching the two last guys carefully. I had to tap the coin at the best moment but I heard shouting. What we thought to be Macnair's hiding protectors or whatever, was a trap and he'd come there with reinforcement. I had to leave the wards quickly to help. We fought for hours. They were tireless. At the end we'd barely managed to gain the upper hand but Macnair sensed that the wheel was turning and I don't know how but he grabbed Hermione by the hair and disapparated. We had no idea where he'd taken her. We guessed to his hiding but since we'd found it … we went there anyway. When we arrived he had another full rank of soldiers and it took us three more hours to get to him. When Harry opened the door to his office, she had her wand to Macnair and he was yelling at her. He'd beaten her for sure, she was covered in bruises. Lavender almost jumped on him in retaliation but Hermione told her not to. He was yelling nasty shit to her and I guess that he'd used the cruciatus, he was threatening to do it again. She lost it and crucioed him. She stopped right away when he started screaming though. I had to body-bind her to take her back to the ministry, she was a mess."

He paused again but Draco couldn't form a word. Granger had suffered the Cruciatus more than once.

"Harry saw her memories and told me that she'd managed to take her wand back from him but he was too strong and she couldn't fight him so she'd tried the Imperius and got lucky. Only it was weak and he fought it hard. He managed to break through it and crucioed her about ten times, kicked her, punched ... hem. I wonder how she's remained sane. My parents ... "

Shit. Draco hadn't remembered about Longbottom's parents.

"My aunt's a monster. I'm sorry for what she did to your parents."

"Thanks. I guess what happened to Hermione's worse. She's fine and she remembers. My parents don't know what happened to them. I think they're happy in their own way."

"I hope so."

"Thanks Malfoy." Draco nodded but lost himself in thoughts. Granger had been tortured more than once and he was sure he didn't even know the half of it. No wonder she'd snap at the manor's memory. No wonder she'd worry upon him seeing her file. He couldn't believe she managed by only scratching her scar from time to time. She should have been a mess. His worry expressed itself.

"You think she's all right? " Longbottom glanced briefly at Draco with a deep sad frown before answering.

"Nightmares. She's not the only one though. None of us is all right. I guess we just go on with it, you know?"

"Yeah I do." Longbottom gave him a sympathetic potato smile, that didn't help Draco's worries.

"Malfoy? Can I ask you something?"

"Go on."

"What happened to you after Dumbledore's death?"

"Err." Draco hadn't expected that and had no wish to speak about it. He guessed that Longbottom had shared a lot in the last few minutes though, so he decided to show him. He opened his cloak and lifted his shirt, showing his stomach.

"Sectusempra, twice." Longbottom winced.

"Shit."

"Yeah and look." He showed his back to him this time. "Nagini's bite when they escaped it at Godric's Hollow. Thanks for killing it by the way." As Longbottom shrugged in response, he went on." That on my arm is when Bellatrix thought my grades weren't good enough. And here, on my shoulder, it's seventh year. I didn't torture a first year with enough conviction."

"Shit, I was there in seventh. "

"Not at the end you were hiding. Actually I got punished during Christmas holidays for not torturing you too. I don't blame you of course. Just ... maybe I should have .. I don't know."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"No but we hated you, no wonder you didn't come to hide with us."

"I'd never have. They'd have killed my mother."

"Err. Fuck." There was a pause and Longbottom stood. "Round. Come on. I'm still sorry. I hadn't realised it'd been this hard for both sides. And you were alone. We weren't."

"Turned out all right. I'm on the right side now."

"Yeah. And not alone. Be sure to remember that. You're in now."

"Thanks." Draco couldn't believe he was having such a conversation with him. It felt odd, foreign. He'd been right to think he might come to appreciate the partnership. Now he had something to do that he'd pushed back since the day Longbottom had thanked him for his work.

"Longbottom? "

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry for bullying you all those years. I have no excuse. I was just a pretentious little brat …

"Stop. Malfoy? I'm not sorry for bullying you this morning, you deserved it. The tests are never this hard. We're even." Draco couldn't believe his ears. He'd been bullied. By Neville potato Longbottom.

"Shit you're snide. How is it that every bloody Gryffindor I talk to, ends up being a bit too Slytherin?"

"Auror training. And a bloody war. That's what happened to us. But be careful, you're turning into a Gryffindor too." Being bullied by Longbottom was worse than Gryffindor. Granger would be pleased.

"Careful Longbottom." The concerned chuckled.

Hermione yawned loudly. They were so tired that Dean, who wasn't the talkative type anyway, hadn't spoken a single word in the last hour. He kept reading through his notes from the day, but Hermione suspected he'd read the same sentence quite a few times already. Her own notes laid on her lap, unread, and she had no wish to go through them again.

"You're too tired for this Dean."

"I know. I'm just pretending to read because you were." Hermione chuckled.

"I was just pretending because you were."

"That's …" He didn't finish his sentence and settled the notes on the coffee table. "I'll brew some tea. Want some?"

"Yes thanks." Hermione watched him take the very few steps needed to reach the cupboards they dared call a kitchen. He took the kettle out and filled it with water, then settled it on top of a jar and proceeded to attempt a magical fire. Every time he got away from it, the fire vanished. The poor lad was exhausted. Smiling, Hermione stood and joined him.

"Here, I'll do it."

At Hogwarts she'd always played with fire, and made little blue flames she'd trap in a jar to take with them on the grounds. Lighting one up that night, brought back a few memories. Apparently it did for Dean too.

"Didn't you use to do that in school?"

"I did. Felt better than warming charms."

"You'll teach me? Once we're out of that bloody tent …"

"Course." Dean was now putting the tea bags in disparate cups, and Hermione thought of something.

"Want cinnamon rolls? If I find all I need in there …"

"Shit I do! When was the last time you brought some to work?"

"Before our last big intervention." Dean didn't seem to remember exactly which one, and even if she had no wish to mention it she said : "Macnair."

"Oh right. Butterbeer night. You still do that?" He asked, quick to change the subject.

"We try." Dean hummed in response and started rummaging through the tiny cupboards.

"I've got cinnamon here."

"Flour, eggs … Right, I think I've got all I need. There's only ten minutes left though, I'll make enough for breakfast so you can go to bed. What do you think?"

"I think I'll help and eat one before."

She smiled. How was it that with all this shit happening she ended up baking with Dean? She'd never really shared anything with him but small talks when he used to date Ginny at Hogwarts, or work talks. Sometimes they'd share a laugh at Ron's expense, but Lavender or one of the others was always there. They'd never been alone. They started preparing the dough, and Dean followed all her instructions, a small smile on his face. Hermione felt glad, and the peacefulness of the moment they shared was a relief, a break.

Of course it couldn't have stayed like that. The quiet before the storm. She didn't hear Lavender wake up, and take Neville's spot out. Then she didn't hear Harry wake up, and take Malfoy's spot out. She just heard a faint whisper but shrugged it away as Malfoy and Neville talking close to the tent. She had no idea that Malfoy had crossed Zabini, and was now watching his best friend with a smirk close in size to a plate. Both she and Dean were also completely oblivious to the troll that silently crept up at their back.

"Baking lovers?"

Hermione jumped so hard she took a full fist of flour with her, all the while withdrawing her wand and turning around. Dean looked like her male doppelgänger. Sparks threatened to blow at the tip of both their wands, until she realised who was now quietly giggling like an moron.

"You dumb troll, I almost hexed the shit out of you." She hissed.

"Told you I'd annoy you later." He answered, his grin the more infuriating.

"I could have blown you up." She said, trying to dust her robes.

"I heard it was something you do." She cocked an eyebrow at the tall dark man, just in time to see Malfoy hide a smile at his back, and discreetly close the dormitory curtain after him.

"Well, next time I will." He chuckled, as if he didn't believe her. What he didn't know was that she had absolutely no control over the damage her wand made when threatened.

"She will. I've seen her blow a rather large amount of things. You should be careful. And just so you know, I almost hexed the shit out of you too." Said Dean, but his grin, and the remains of dough on his fingers didn't make him look as menacing as he was trying for.

Ron walked out of the dormitory at that moment and with a joyous smile came to take the bowl Dean had gone back to.

"Go to bed guys I'll finish that up." Hermione didn't trust Ron with the dough for a second, but seeing that she only had one hour of sleep before they'd be back to work, she strode angrily to the dormitory.

Dean didn't follow right away, she supposed he was talking with Ron. Bringing the frail cover to her neck she realised she could distinctly see Malfoy from there, with the lights from the lounge. He was watching her, and she could tell he was still smiling. She scowled and heard him chuckle in response.

Draco had warned Blaise not to startle her. He hadn't listened of course. Draco had hoped she'd hex him but the lad had always been lucky anyway. Until recently that was. She'd settled in bed a minute or so after him and angrily dragged the covers almost to her face. Until she'd caught him staring and had pulled a face at him. Draco could tell she wasn't really angry though for she didn't turn around, but closed her eyes, shuffling to make herself comfortable. Draco had no wish to turn on his other side to sleep either.

Thomas passed the curtains a moment after and stopped at her bedside quietly. He put down something atop the pile of books next to her bed and went to his, on top of Weasley's. She didn't move and cocking his head Draco caught sight of a cinnamon roll on a tiny plate.

It seemed that they were all very fond of her. Thomas had just proved it, Potter and Weasley were an evidence, Brown too, and she'd pecked Longbottom on the cheek once, so he'd concluded they were close too. Even Blaise liked her, he'd told Draco so, and if one knew Blaise Zabini well, one could say that if the lad annoyed you, it meant he cared.

He guessed that with all she'd been through, and his guts told him he had yet to hear it all, the others would feel pretty protective of her. Especially since she was the only woman in the team without a wolf side to protect herself.

Draco knew for a fact that she was beyond skilled enough to defend herself, but his guts constricted any time he thought of what she'd been through, however strong she was, was not relevant, especially after Longbottom's story telling, if he could protect her, then he would. They were friends, weren't they? And she looked so … damn sometimes she just looked exhausted, but sometimes her eyes were empty again, and he couldn't bear with it. In the dim light from the lounge, safely out of sight from his crappy bunk bed, he confessed that to himself. He cared that much, and she'd become, somehow, important.

She'd fallen asleep. Her breathing had changed pace, and her left hand had slowly drifted out the cover to almost touch the ground. Draco felt his eyelids close slowly, he was falling asleep too when he heard it. A moan. His eyes flipped open when he realised it was hers. Her breathing sped up and she moaned again. Draco was completely frozen, trapped between an urge to get down his bed to do he had no idea what, and to clog his ears to never hear that pain again.

Longbottom hadn't lied, when the others kept snoring lightly as if nothing, the man couldn't sleep through the nightmares. He stood from his bed and quietly went to hers. Draco had to prick up his ears to hear what he whispered.

"Mione, shh, Mione, it's just a nightmare."

Draco saw him tentatively reach for her shoulder with a trembling hand. She startled in a deep breath but dropped back on the pillow as soon as she saw him.

"Sorry Neville go back to bed."

"I can't." Then Draco didn't hear her answer, but when he thought they'd just go back to sleep, Longbottom went for the curtain, and she followed, rubbing her face with both hands. Draco was still shocked when the curtain fell back in place after her. He had nightmares too, but he'd never witnessed anyone having them before. It didn't help that it was Granger either. Again it took him too much time to recover compared to her. Taking a deep breath he stood, after all they were supposed to get up soon. On his way out, he grabbed the plate Thomas had left for her.

Hermione followed Neville to the lounge and, as Ron and Zabini were reviewing their notes at the table quietly, she decided not to provoke the troll and pretend she wasn't here. She buried herself on the couch. Neville flopped on it beside her a few seconds later and, always the caring person, he'd brought her a cup of tea. Of course there wasn't any cinnamon rolls left.

Just at this thought Malfoy, in his not-so-shining armour, strode slowly out of the dormitory, his hair in disarray, his almost white beard … oddly flat on a side. He held a plate with a cinnamon roll in his hands. She frowned.

"Thomas left it for you." He said without a smile, but a confused stare. She sighed, it couldn't have lasted long until one of the two Slytherins found out anyway.

"You've heard eh? Thanks." He nodded but said nothing more, gave her the plate and sat on the closest sofa. Both men had probably been deprived of their last hour of sleep because of her. Neville had surely been woken up by Harry's shifting earlier in the night too. She couldn't make it right though. Putting the plate down on the coffee table, next to her cup of tea, she cut the roll in half and held out a piece to each of them. Neville took it with a small smile, and Malfoy hesitated briefly before taking it too.

"Thanks Mione."

"Too good Granger."

"Was about to offer tea but help yourself then." She snapped, gesturing to the kitchen for him. He finally gave her a small smile, hidden behind that odd start of a beard, but it slowly morphed into a smirk.

"No need." He said, grabbing her own cup, and quickly sipping from it. Neville half-chuckled half-yawned at her lack of response. Closing her mouth, agape from surprise, Hermione decided to finally comment on that beard. Since apparently they were sharing cups now.

"Good, you start acting on your looks Malfoy. After the tramp beard, you drink someone else's remains." This time Neville laughed out loud, and she couldn't help but follow the move as Malfoy almost chocked on the tea.

"What?" He said stroking his face. Zabini and Ron had finally noticed their presence and she heard Zabini, the troll with no loyalty whatsoever, come closer.

"I didn't dare tell you mate but she's right. You look like shit." Ron arboured a much too pleased smile and winked at Hermione with glee. Malfoy grumbled something incoherent and stood, her cup of tea still firmly held in one hand. He took one step to face her in all his height, and from her seat he felt really tall, gave her a glare and gulped the whole content of the cup all at once. Then he handed it to her, instinctively she extended a hand to grab it and there was her mistake.

"Here you churl, do the dishes while the prince goes get properly groomed." Even she couldn't hold her laughter as Malfoy walked a princely step, chin held high, one hand on his hip, to the bathroom.

Draco looked at himself in the mirror of the vestigial bathroom, which only contained a small sink with a mirror that barely showed him his face, a tiny shower which curtain was too short, and a toilet bowl. He, indeed, looked like shit. He guessed that what with all that had happened those past few days, he'd neglected his usual perfectly groomed appearance.

He was too pale, which totally said something. He was so sleep deprived he could even sleep through snoring as demonstrated the deep purplish rings around his eyes. And that beard. Salazar he'd never left it grow like that before. Tramp was an understatement. His hair was in total disarray too but only because he was just out of bed, usually combing it back with a hand was enough, though right now they were probably too long for that to work.

Fortunately Draco wasn't one to need anyone else but himself to take care of his grooming, so he grabbed his wand and corrected the letting-go with a few flicks of it. Once done the lack of sleep was still visible enough for Granger to call him transparent but at least he felt put together. He couldn't believe he'd let himself go like that, and that Granger, of all people, had been the one noticing it. Seeing that he was already in the bathroom he summoned fresh clothes and took the quickest shower he'd ever taken.

When he finally emerged from the room fifteen minutes later, Shakelbolt was up, as well as all the others. Half of them were already at the breakfast table, Granger and Thomas had taken surveillance outside and Brown and Potter were facing the minuscule cupboard that resumed the kitchen, talking quietly.

"Coffee's on the table Malfoy." Brown told him, before taking his spot in the baths. Draco went to grab himself a cup but before he sat, Shakelbolt asked him:

"Would you call Hermione and Dean, Malfoy? We're briefing quickly for the day."

Draco nodded and went for the tent's opening to find the duo. They were making a round, chatting a few steps away from the tent.

"Granger! Thomas! Briefing!" Both turned to him. Thomas started walking before her though which made Draco wonder why she'd just stare at him like that. It only lasted a second and she was at Thomas' heel before Draco could even process what had happened. Thomas gave him a nod before entering the tent and Granger walked past him, head bowed.

"Looks much better." She murmured. What? Draco followed her but only got confirmation that his ears weren't deficient when he finally caught a glance at her face while they sat down at the table. Unfortunately for her she faced him, and couldn't hide the remains of a light blush. Salazar's fucking beard she'd blushed. He didn't get any time to process that, less even dwell on it, as Shakelbolt started.