Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thanks as always to everyone who's been reading, leaving follows and favourites and especially reviews. I appreciate it all so very much! I meant to get this one up earlier but with the e-mail notification glitches I decided to hold off.
I wrote an angsty AU Draco/Hermione one-shot this week! It stumbled into my mind and I spent the rest of that day completely useless until I was able to flesh it out. It's called Saving Draco - I would be so honoured if you guys would check it out! Much different style than this one for sure.
Please enjoy our continuation here :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise.
When Draco awoke the next morning it was to the face of Hermione Granger almost uncomfortably close to his. She was still fast asleep, her face calm with a faint smile. Her hair looked huge and he resisted the urge to touch it.
Feeling his gaze on her, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking into focus.
"Thought I told you to stay on your side," she said, her eyes twinkling.
"I am on my side." He grinned back.
"Oh," she said, flushing as she realized where she was. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry," he said softly, "this is a nice way to wake up."
She looked away, seemingly embarrassed.
"I think it feels a bit weird." She wrinkled her nose but she was smiling.
"Why, was I snoring?" He laughed, then rolled onto his back to give her some space.
Draco got up to take a shower and a thought crossed his mind. Was he still mad at Granger for how she had treated him after the party? No, he didn't think so. He understood now what she was struggling with. He imagined, had he been in a similar situation, with the chance to recover his parents – provided he'd had a good relationship with them – he probably would have done everything he could think of.
In Granger's mind, apparently, that meant she needed to go it alone. He could only imagine her frustration.
"We can't show up at work together," Granger said quickly when they were both ready to leave. "What will people think?"
"They'll think we must have been up having raucous deviant sex all night long," Draco said straight-faced because he knew she would turn red and she did. "Who cares what people think?"
"I do," she hissed, eyes narrowed. Obviously humour early in the morning was wasted on her. "I'll leave now and you follow in five minutes, got it?"
"Got it, leave now." He nodded, lips twitching.
"You're unbearable," she shook her head. "Five minutes!"
With that, she was gone. Draco grinned. She was so easy to mess with... and so pretty in the morning.
Two minutes later, Draco apparated to work and saw Granger had not caught a lift up to their floor yet.
"You're early," she informed him icily.
"I didn't want to be late," he replied stiffly. The lift arrived and Draco walked in. Granger stared suspiciously and it reminded him of the day after he had selected her to be on his team. He almost smiled when she eventually joined him in the lift this time. She sighed, looking up at him.
"Thank you for last night," she said softly. "I really appreciate it."
"You'll appreciate me even more when I figure out a solution to your troubles, girl," he winked.
Her eyes widened but then she shook her head.
"I've learned not to get my hopes up." She gave him a sad smile and walked out to her desk as they arrived at Bullham and Miner. Draco just watched her arse go, smirking when she turned back and caught him.
Draco had thrown himself into his new self-appointed task that same evening and had been spending the bulk of his evenings researching, digging around Mungo's and trying to find an answer. It wasn't much like his job but the two seemed to be blending together. Work and research and work and research and work. But Draco didn't mind – he had been growing dangerously unhappy as well as dangerously addicted to his drinking. This gave him something else to focus on.
Privately, he hoped that Granger was happy for his help, though they mostly worked separately. He hoped that if this were to be put to rest she might finally be able to move on from this chapter of her life. Perhaps into a life with him.
The problem was that Granger was brilliant, the smartest in their year or century or something – there wasn't anything she hadn't already gone over. He quickly found out this would be a very difficult thing to accomplish. But he wouldn't give up, not if the answer was out there.
Granger had more or less become his second in command at work, co-ordinating her sub-team whenever Draco was unable to be there. They worked very well together, breezing through a number of jobs effectively in a short length of time. Draco could tell Hambone was impressed by the way he often stopped in the board room while the team was working and had nothing negative to say.
Now that Draco knew the burden Granger had been carrying for so many years, he had developed a stronger respect for her, the way she so efficiently separated her work from her personal life. But it also made him sad for her and all the more dedicated to the new cause he had taken up.
Rescuing two Muggles from one of the seasonally nicest places on earth. He would have found it almost laughable if he didn't know the situation better.
He hadn't told Blaise or Lila what he had been working on but they had both noticed a change in his demeanour. And Lila seemed only too keen to notice how well he and Granger were working together as she wouldn't quit winking at him whenever he was speaking with the brunette.
Granger had taken to coming by his office to discuss work-related progress and chat almost every morning. But they never discussed anything else related to her parents – the only thing worth mentioning would be results.
Draco had hardly realized how fast things had been going. It had been close to six weeks since he began helping Granger with her predicament.
This particular morning he had a bounce to his step as he set off, coffee in one hand, a folder in the other.
He had been at the Ministry late last night, poring over case after case when he stumbled on one almost by accident. It told of an Auror who had his memory automatically altered in the event of capture so he wouldn't share any classified information. When the Auror was finally recovered, his handlers had gone through a great deal of trouble trying to return his former memory to him since the altered reality had become so strong it was what his brain now believed to be true.
Draco had been searching for something else entirely when he found this one in the archives of the Auror's department. He had read through it, wide-eyed and quickly made a copy.
He arrived at work early, tucked the file into some papers on Granger's desk and went to his office to begin his work.
Twenty minutes later she came into his office without knocking, eyes wide and face pale. She was clutching the file so hard it was starting to fold.
"Where did you get this?" she asked, very quietly.
"Auror's Department." He stood, walking over to her.
"The Auror's..." she trailed off, staring at the floor.
"Yeah. What do you think?" he shoved his hands into his pockets, anxious. She looked up at him, tears threatening to overflow, brows furrowed.
"Draco," she choked, biting her lip. "This might be it."
"I know," he nodded.
The file had gone on to detail the trials undergone to return the man to his memory, resulting eventually in the discovery of a complicated counter-charm which had worked.
Draco was caught off guard as she threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his own arms around her, bringing her closer, kissing her hair softly.
She pulled back, hands on his shoulders and suddenly kissed him full on the mouth, flushing with embarrassment when she quickly pulled away. Draco barely had time to react but he grinned teasingly at her.
"I have to go to Australia," she said, snapping to action.
"I know," he repeated himself, "we'll go this weekend."
"We?" she asked, bewildered.
"I'm coming with you, of course," he said as if she were a child.
"Maybe I should go alone, just in case..." she trailed off and he knew what she meant. In case it didn't work.
"Then I'll be there with you, win or lose. You didn't have anyone there with you last time, I'll be there for you this time."
"Thank you," she said, eyes welling with tears again.
"Oh, you're welcome, Granger," he grinned at her, mussing her hair. "Now get to work."
"Draco, are you coming to Blaise's tonight?" Lila asked, coming into his office Friday afternoon.
"Not sure," Draco replied breezily, tidying his desk, getting ready to leave for the weekend. "I've got some things to take care of but maybe after."
He and Granger had agreed it was best not to tell people they were going to Australia for a weekend trip to avoid unnecessary questions.
"What sort of things?" Lila was asking innocently.
"Just some housework things," Draco said distractedly. He was mentally running through the things he needed to bring.
"That sounds suspicious," Lila teased. "This wouldn't have to do with your recent preoccupation, would it?"
"No," Draco looked up, feigning shock. "I don't know what you mean by that."
"You're a bad liar," Lila scolded him. "Are you or are you not seeing Hermione tonight?"
"You're crazy," Draco scoffed, shaking his head. "It's been a busy week and I have some things to take care of, is all."
"Fine, I'll believe you," Lila held up her hands in defeat.
Just then, Granger rushed into the office, eyes scanning a sheet of parchment.
"Are you set to go?" she asked. "I've set up a connection with the Floo network for us."
The brunette looked up to see Lila staring between the two of them, her mouth open in surprise.
"You are, you filthy liar!" she exclaimed, smacking Draco rather hard on the arm. "Where are you going?"
Granger just stared, eyes wide. She looked to Draco for help and he swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling as if they had been found out doing something illicit.
"Hertfordshire," he said, rather unconvincingly he thought. The look on Granger's face confirmed it. "We are going to Hertfordshire to visit old school friends."
"You two have mutual friends?" Lila was looking bewildered now. "Why not just apparate?"
"Apparition makes Granger nauseous," Draco blurted quickly. He ignored the disgruntled look on her face.
"I didn't know that," Lila said, looking oddly at Granger. "I've seen you apparate before, I thought. Strange, most people feel more nauseous using Floo."
Draco sighed, cursing Lila and her sudden skills of observation.
"I don't care for either, particularly," Granger said in a small, uncertain voice. "I prefer the Floo network."
"Okay fine," Lila said, tossing her hair back. "Obviously you two are in cahoots. Have fun!" She threw her hands up in mock irritation and left the office, closing the door behind her.
"So," Granger walked over to him, a sort of half smile on her face. "Are you sure you want to come?"
"I'm not going to let you do this alone," he said softly. He assessed her silently for a moment. "You know, Granger, it's alright to let people in. Trust me, I learned that the hard way."
She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment.
"You're right, I guess," she finally said, not meeting his eyes. "It was just so difficult for me to admit that I couldn't do it. I mean, they're my parents. I put them in that situation and I haven't been able to get them back out." She shook her head.
"You will," Draco said softly. He laced his fingers with hers and gave her hand a squeeze. "You'll get it."
"You've been so good to me," she said, finally meeting his eyes. "So helpful. I can hardly believe it."
"You deserve some rest from this," he said quietly. He took a deep breath; she was so close and he was so enraptured.
"Thank you." She bit her lip.
Draco leaned in, testing the waters. He pulled her closer, right up against him, wrapping an arm around her back. His other hand tracing her cheekbone. He heard her sharp intake of breath; she hadn't made an effort to move away.
Draco pressed his lips to hers, his eyes slid shut, relieved to feel her respond right away.
He kissed her deeper, his tongue meeting hers and he could barely comprehend the explosion of sensation in his brain. This was completely unlike the last time; that had been aggressive and drunken. This was gentle and thorough, passionate.
This time Granger was fully in control of her faculties and she was more than willing.
Draco kissed her harder, pressing her back against the door. He gripped her thighs, lifting her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands in his hair.
He realized he wanted to shag her right against this door and it was this thought, coupled with Granger's muffled giggle at feeling the evidence of his arousal that caused him to pull away.
He set her gently back on the floor, resting his forehead on hers as his heart rate settled. Granger bit her lip before smiling up at him, her eyes sparkling. She was so gorgeous Draco could barely stand it.
"Like I said before," she said, absently playing with the unbuttoned collar of his shirt, "five stars."
"I could say the same to you, girl," he teased, grinning back at her. "You're too fucking beautiful."
She flushed pink, looking away from him into the floor.
"So this means you still want to shag me?" she asked so softly Draco had to strain to hear her.
"You have no idea," he groaned, feeling rather uncomfortable right at the moment from their kiss and hearing her use the word 'shag'.
"Well," Granger said, extricating herself from the door he still had her trapped against and putting a safe distance between them. "Maybe we'll have to see how this weekend goes." She grinned when his jaw dropped.
Draco turned to her, smirking. He raised an eyebrow at her determination to avoid his gaze.
"Granger," he drawled, "you have before, haven't you?"
He had wanted to know for a long time whether she was a virgin. She struck him as the type to hold out, but there were a lot of things about her that had surprised him recently.
"It's been a while, but yes," she finally responded, face red.
"Don't say Weasley," Draco all but begged. Granger actually laughed.
"No, never with Ron."
"What a relief," Draco said exaggeratedly. "I might have had to reconsider. So how long is a while?"
He was having fun taunting her as she grew more disgruntled, throwing him a dirty look.
"Around a year, maybe more," she shrugged, avoiding his gaze.
"A year!" Draco was shocked. He didn't know what he had expected. He preferred the idea that she hadn't been with anyone in a while. He also suspected her list was short. "I can help you with that right now, if you like."
"Aren't you such a gentleman," she teased, now finding humour in the situation. "Right now, I think we'd better get going."
"You're right as always," he sighed, grinning in defeat. He tossed an arm around her shoulder and when she looked up at him he could see she was terrified. "Granger don't be nervous. I've got a good feeling about this."
"Okay, I'll try," she said in a quiet voice, forcing a smile.
They had moved, once more. What was it with Muggles and re-locating themselves so often? Draco's family had resided in Malfoy Manor for centuries – until Draco himself had moved into his own flat after the war.
It took two days of searching, asking the neighbours around their last known address, before they finally learned anything at all.
"The Wilkins? Yes, I remember," one man had said, looking deep in thought, scratching his stubbly chin. Draco found him to be quite unkempt and had to wonder whether the man actually knew what he was talking about.
"Yes, do you know where they moved to?" Granger asked sharply, breaking the man's reverie.
"Out of country, I thought," the man said, drifting off. "Must have been France or England I think. Yes, England."
Draco had glanced over nervously just in time to see the colour drain from Granger's face.
"They moved to England?" he asked, as Granger seemed lost in her own thoughts.
"Must've been a year ago," the man said, nodding with a toothless grin.
"When were you last here to check on them?" Draco asked under his breath. Granger shook her head, still looking confused.
"A little over a year. A year and a half maybe," she finally responded, her hand fidgeting nervously with her wand, tucked in her pocket.
"Do you know where in England they were going?" Draco asked, knowing exactly what was going on in Granger's head. Blaming herself for not keeping a closer eye on them, for not knowing their acquaintances better.
But as far as she had known, the Wilkins had loved their life in Australia.
"Nah, dunno." The man shook his head. Draco asked the man a few other questions but received nothing immediately helpful.
"Thank you for your help," Draco said politely as the man scurried off. Tentatively he set his hand on Granger's back, still apparently lost in her own mind.
"England," she whispered, meeting his gaze. "All this time, they've been so close."
"You couldn't have known," he replied softly.
"What if they've been in London, and I haven't known," she continued. "I certainly wasn't expecting this."
"Neither was I," Draco admitted. "But as least we will be able to track them down easier once we're back. Come on, let's go back to the hotel."
Vaguely she agreed, allowing herself to be side-along apparated back to the hotel room they had stayed in for the past two nights. Draco had offered to sleep on the couch though Granger, while flushing bright red, had declined, saying they could share the bed so long as he kept to himself. The brief conversation before they had left with regards to shagging had not come back up.
Draco knew she was back in that place where she was the one who had to figure this out and he simply felt alright to be along with her.
It took a long while and a very long shower for Granger to emerge, slightly less catatonic. She sat cross-legged on the bed, staring silently as Draco read a book, leaning against the backboard, propped up on a pillow. He finished his page and set the book down.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly, meeting her eyes.
"I think so," she bit her lip. "This is difficult to accept. I knew I should have kept a closer eye on them, I just have been busy with work and things."
"This doesn't change what we found out. We can still use the counter-charm once we find them in England," Draco reminded her. "That was the biggest hurdle."
"I know," she shook her head. "I just can't stop thinking what if. And what brought them back to England? Did they remember something?"
This thought hadn't crossed Draco's mind. He didn't want to say, but based on what he had read in the Auror's report, that didn't seem likely.
"I'm glad you're with me, at least," she said after a pause, giving him a sidelong glance.
"Me too," he said, gazing at her. "I've never been to Australia, I always wanted to visit for two days." He shot her a smirk, making her laugh as well.
"Here's what I don't get, Malfoy," she said, biting her lip nervously. "I feel like I knew who you were in school, right? I knew you so well and you were not the kind of person I wanted to have anything to do with."
He pursed his lips at her honesty, knowing it was true. She paused, as if she had overstepped her boundaries, but then continued.
"Then all those horrid things with Snape and Dumbledore and the war, and you were with them... and then one day I saw you at my new job and it all came back to me. I was furious. I hated you on principle, I actually wished you had gone to Azkaban."
Draco was shocked but still said nothing. He absently rubbed his wrist, the one which used to give him such grief. It still itched when he thought of it.
Her brow furrowed and she picked at a spot on the comforter, not looking at him.
"That day at Malfoy Manor, when I was captured and tortured by your Aunt Bellatrix..." she exhaled a ragged breath. "That was the worst day. I had nightmares about her for years. I still do, sometimes. Seeing you at work every day, it brought them back in the worst way. I know it wasn't your fault, but being there and knowing you were there too."
Draco paled, feeling immensely nauseous. That day had never left his memory either. He had always wished he had done more; at the time he simply needed to keep his mother alive. All he could do was lie about Potter so that they might have a chance to escape.
Waves of guilt poured over him, at the look on her face. He saw how plainly she was still haunted by the horrible things that had happened to her during the war. He didn't know how to say how much he wished he had been able to do more. He didn't know what to say to any of this.
"Now that I've finally gotten to know you," Granger continued, taking a deep breath. "I can't reconcile that awful boy with you. I almost feel bad being friends with you."
He knew he shouldn't be so bothered, but her words stung. He knew he had been horrible to her in school and he had made some highly questionable choices, but mostly everything had been due to his blood, his upbringing, his family.
He didn't know what to say. He wanted to say he wished he could take it all back but that wasn't true. Evil or not, they had been his family. His parents, his aunt and uncle. It may have been a dirty past but he couldn't ever completely escape it.
Certain things, he wished he could take back. But not all of it. Not who he was.
He still hadn't said anything and Granger was starting to fidget nervously, staring at him, her eyes wide. He realized he was frowning, his brows heavy.
"You're right," he said finally. "I was awful. That was who I was, how I was raised, but it isn't me anymore. I can't take it back, much as I want to, because it made me want something better for myself. You can only clearly see where you want to go when you've experienced where you don't want to be."
Granger met his eyes, hers so beautiful and pure. This topic reminded him how much better than him she was.
"Granger, it's been a long road to try and build a life of my own. It has been very difficult. You aren't the only one who thought I should have been tossed in Azkaban with the rest, with my father."
She flushed as he repeated her words, but still didn't say anything.
"But people do change, people forget, people move on. I can't forget what I did in school and the war but I can try to keep my past in the past and live in the present. For the future."
For some reason talking about the future made him want to touch her, to reassure himself that she was actually there.
The ghost of a smile crossed her lips.
"Where is your mother?" Granger asked, as if the question had just crossed her mind. Draco knew better – he knew she had wanted to ask for a long time. He smiled sadly.
"She has passed on," he said softly, "she grew very sick on her own after the war. I think my father being in Azkaban broke her heart."
Granger's hand flew to her mouth, an almost inaudible 'oh' on her lips.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking as if she wished she hadn't asked.
"It's alright, you didn't know," he said quietly, not meeting her eyes.
"What was your relationship like with her, if you don't mind me asking?" Granger's eyes were wide, chewing on her lip nervously.
Draco realized he had never spoken of his mother with anyone, not even Blaise.
"Distant, cold," he said, truthfully. "When I was young. We didn't have much to say to one another. My father didn't want her telling me things. As I grew older, more confused, when I was recruited to the dark side... I wanted to reach out to her but I didn't know how. I miss her. Like crazy."
To his horror, his voice broke on the last word and he quickly found Granger's hand in his, reassuring. He pursed his lips to keep from saying anything more.
She didn't say anything, which was fine with Draco since he didn't particularly want to talk about his mother anymore. It was a sad topic and he wanted to enjoy this moment, Granger holding his hand. He gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Her presence was immensely relaxing; Draco found he could have sat there forever in her proximity and the thought made him smile.
"What is it?" she asked, noticing the change in his disposition.
"You," he said, teasingly. He met her gaze, the soft pink flush to her cheeks. "You're amazing."
"I'm not," she rolled her eyes, keeping the atmosphere light.
"Yes," he said softly. "You are."
He shot her his best heart-melting smile, wanting to play with her just a little. As he had hoped, the flush in her cheeks deepened as she swallowed heavily, her breath quickening.
Her expression shifted and he knew she had caught on.
"So what makes me so amazing?" she asked, leaning in, her eyes sparkling.
Draco raised an eyebrow, inwardly grinning.
"You're stunningly beautiful," he began, his voice soft and low, still absently tracing her hand with his fingers. "You're brilliant and creative. You've got such a good heart, Granger. You're the best woman I've ever known."
He met her gaze, smirking a little at her expression, her brows high and her lips parted slightly.
Draco had never had a problem turning on the charm when he wanted to. This was evidently still the case – Granger was putty. Obviously, there was no more denying how bad he had it for her. After an extended pause she cleared her throat.
"Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin," she said, catching Draco off guard. "I'm very flattered, Malfoy, but I have a feeling you're simply trying to get me into bed."
She carefully extracted her hand from his.
Damnit, maybe he had laid it on too thick. Granger was different than his usual women, after all.
"Think what you want," he said, meeting her gaze. "I've made no secret of my desire for you. But I thought it was obvious that it runs much deeper than that. I want you to know how I really feel."
He leaned back, shrugging. He hoped she couldn't tell how fast his heart was racing. Most witches he met would have been overwhelmed at the thought of sex with him.
"I see," Granger responded quietly. "I wasn't aware."
"In fact," Draco went on, cursing himself the moment he opened his mouth, "I wasn't even trying to get you in bed tonight."
"Really?" she asked, looking surprised and almost – Draco wasn't sure – a bit disappointed.
"Not if you don't want to," he said quickly, trying to backpedal slightly. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was just playing her for a conquest but if she was into it, he didn't want to close that door.
"Well, I'm still not quite sure I believe you or if this is just a line," she said almost apologetically.
A line? She made Draco want to rip his hair out. He had invested weeks of his time into helping her find a solution to restore her parents memory, he had traveled to Australia with her, he had bloody well told her things he had never told anyone and she still doubted that he actually cared for her.
"I don't know what else I can say to you," Draco finally said after a pause. "I suppose we should just go to bed."
Technically, they should have stayed up unreasonably late to account for the time difference, but Draco felt suddenly exhausted and deflated. Not to mention, Granger had a rough day as well and probably wanted to get some rest.
"Okay," she agreed in a small voice, her brow furrowed as she gazed at him, for a long moment. As if she hadn't expected his reaction.
Draco prepared himself for sleep, settling under the covers. Granger too made herself comfortable, facing him and staring in a curious way. Finally she blushed and looked away, rolling over so her back was to his front.
In a somewhat awkward way that Draco didn't even notice at first, she had made her way to his side as if she wanted to be there. Draco rolled his eyes, though she couldn't see, and pulled her the rest of the way towards him, wrapping his arms around her.
She gave a small sign of contentment, settling into his warmth. Draco, on the other hand, was now hyper-aware of the way her bum was pressed into him, the way she squirmed slightly to get comfortable and he knew she could feel his awareness of her. It would probably be a long night.
Despite what Draco initially thought, within minutes he felt his eyelids slipping shut, so comforted by the feel of her in his arms and he knew this would be a nice thing to get used to.
"Draco?" Granger asked, her voice thick with sleep. She very rarely called him Draco.
"Mmhm?" he responded, nuzzling her hair gently, eyes still shut.
"Are you in love with me?" she asked, so quietly he had to strain to hear. His eyes flew open.
It was the kind of thing he hadn't allowed himself to contemplate for he was afraid of what he might discover if he gave it too much thought. All the same, he knew the answer.
"Yes," he said softly, readjusting his hold on her as casually as he could manage.
"Oh," she said, followed by a long pause. "I..."
"You don't need to say anything, just sleep," he whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"It's just, no one's ever been in love with me," she said and he suspected she was blushing.
"Well, I've never been in love with anyone," he countered.
"We work together –" she began.
"I know," he cut her off, "just sleep."
Draco felt suddenly cold and realized he was shaking just slightly. He hadn't expected that to come out but found he didn't mind. It wasn't as if he thought she might feel the same way; that was why he had never allowed himself to give it any thought. It was just nerve-wracking to put everything out there on the line to someone who could easily hurt him. Draco was not accustomed to being hurt by women.
Though it wasn't exactly a proud accomplishment, he was usually the one who did the hurting. He had been taught as a youth never to give anyone that sort of power over him. His father would be appalled.
Eventually Draco drifted off to an uneasy sleep.