"That's not possible," Blaise said when Draco simply stood there with a stunned look on his face. "Narcissa barely leaves the house and the wards only allow certain people into the Manor."
"How did you change the wards?" Draco asked Blaise.
"What do you mean?" Blaise asked, confused.
"Blood wards protect Malfoy Manor," Draco answered. "Only a Malfoy, a blood Malfoy, can change the wards of the house and the land around it. How did you get around that?"
"I didn't," Blaise said. "The Ministry set up their own wards, I didn't even think about your blood wards."
"Blood wards are stronger than any other type," Hermione chimed in, thinking aloud. "Malfoy who are the blood wards set to let in?"
"Death Eaters," Malfoy said matter-of-factly. "If they haven't been changed since the war, which they couldn't have been since my father and I were in jail, any Death Eater could easily gain access to the Manor."
"But all the Death Eaters are in jail," Hermione pointed out.
"Yes," Blaise said. "But a number of their children aren't. Several wives as well. And blood wards recognize blood, not who the person is."
"How is it I'm able to be here then?" Hermione asked curious.
"When you were held here the wards were altered to allow you, Potter, and Weasley into the manor," Draco told her. "It was so you could be easily brought in once you were captured."
"Fantastic," Hermione replied, suddenly very uncomfortable. "Can you fix them?"
"The wards?" Draco asked. "Absolutely. I'll go do that now."
"I'm going to go," Hermione told them. "I have some things to do before I go to the hospital."
"It's Saturday, Hermione," Blaise pointed out.
Hermione simply smiled and moved toward the fireplace.
"See you at work?" Draco asked hesitantly, avoiding Blaise's raised eyebrow at his question. Working on the weekend wasn't part of the agreement.
"See you at work," Hermione said with a soft smile. "Bye Malfoy, Bye Blaise." She walked out of the room and they heard the spin of the floo a minute later.
"See you at work," Blaise said in a mocking tone, laughing when Draco tossed a quill in his direction.
"Bugger off," Draco replied and moved to walk out of the room. "I'm going to check on my mother."
"Your mother is fine," Blaise said stopping him. "And if you think you're going to get out of here without us discussing the fact that you're going to work on a day you don't have to."
"You don't think I have a vested interest in her work progressing?" Draco asked him. "She's doing brilliant work right now and I think I can help."
"If someone had told me five years ago that Draco Malfoy wanted to help someone I would have had them taken to St. Mungo's immediately," Blaise said with a grin. "Welcome to being reformed mate."
Draco gave him a look and shook his head. "Are we done here? Can I go?"
"Yes, yes, go get ready for work," Blaise said with a grin. "Have a great time!"
"You're a child," Draco told him and turned to walk out of the room when all Blaise did was grin in response.
"Don't forget we have dinner with Pansy and Weasley tomorrow!" Blaise called out. "Bring Hermione!"
Draco waved a hand to acknowledge he'd heard him but didn't turn back around. Maybe he would ask her, he thought. She was the only one in the group who liked him and didn't annoy him. He'd bring it up at work, he decided, and see what she said.
He walked through Malfoy Manor then down into the dungeons. His mother hadn't renovated here, he noted. It still looked exactly the same as it had during the war, stone walls, dimly lit, cells lining the left wall. Exactly the same as when his friends had been held captive. Suddenly the thought of all of them, of everything that had happened, made him sick to his stomach. He managed to brace himself on the wall before he threw up. He turned and rested his back against the cool stone wall and wiped his mouth.
"Jake," he called.
Jake appeared and squeaked. "Is Master Draco okay?"
"Jake, clean this up," he said. "Bring me some water so I can rinse out my mouth."
"Jake can clean Master's mouth for him," Jake said. "Quick spell."
"Uh, sure," Draco conceded apprehensively.
Jake waived his little hand and there was a tingling in Draco's mouth. The taste of vomit was gone replaced with a slight mint flavor.
"Very good, Jake," he said sliding his tongue over his teeth. "Now clean this up. Also check on my mother every half hour, if anything at all goes wrong you are to immediately find me."
"Yes sir!" Jake pipped. With a snap, the vomit disappeared and with a small pop Jake did too.
Steadier, Draco made his way to the far end of the basement. There the Malfoy family crest was etched into the wall. Realizing he didn't have a wand, Draco took a piece of glass and slid it across his palm. He placed his bloody palm against the crest. The crest absorbed the blood and a minute later, Draco's hand was healed. He then set about changing the wards, grateful that to do so required his blood and minimal wandless magic, not his wand. After 15 minutes of different spells and charms, the Manor only allowed a Malfoy, Blaise, Pansy, Hermione, or anyone traveling with one of them. Anyone else who tried to enter the Manor would be transported to a cell in the dungeons and Draco would be alerted immediately. Satisfied that his home was now safe, he walked quickly out of the dungeons, avoiding looking around him. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was back on the main floor. He heard the clock in the main hall chime 9:00am and decided to get a couple more hours of sleep before heading to St. Mungo's. He walked upstairs and checked on his mother. She was sleeping peacefully. Draco then walked to his own room and fell into bed. He was asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.
Hermione on the other hand was wide awake, laying in her bed in her flat after having strengthened her own wards. If someone went after Narcissa, they probably weren't going to go after her too, but she wanted to be sure. She closed her eyes and lay there for a few minutes before opening them again. Sleep obviously wasn't going to come so she got out of bed, showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast. With nothing left to do in her flat, she decided she'd just go to work, perhaps see her interns who'd been suspiciously absent since Malfoy had started working for her. In fact, she realized, she hadn't seen Barb, her third intern, at all. Suddenly concerned about them, Hermione gathered her things and walked out of her flat. Making sure no one was around she used her muggle key to lock the door, then her wand to secure the wards. She slid her wand up the sleeve of the sweater she was wearing and walked out of her building toward Diagon Alley.
Not a minute after she left the house, Hermione had the feeling she was being followed. Unsure if it was a muggle or a wizard, she slid her wand down her sleeve and into her hand. She stopped walking and bent down, pretending to tie her shoe, but looking carefully at her reflection in the shop window and saw someone with dark jeans and a hoodie, with the hood up stopped, pretending to be looking in the window of the shop behind her. She could clearly see a wand in their hand. So a wizard, she thought, most likely expecting to catch her in the alley that led to the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione could feel her instincts from the war kicking in and she calmly stood and continued to walk. As she passed the shops along the street she kept an eye on the reflections in the glass. The hooded person was definitely following her, but at enough of a distance that she could probably catch them off guard. Hermione turned into the alley and immediately flattened herself against the wall. The person turned the corner and walked just passed where she was and stopped. The person pulled out their wand but before they could do anything Hermione stunned them. The person dropped to the ground and Hermione, making sure there were no muggles, quickly levitated the person down the alley and through the door to the Leaky Cauldron. She was relieved to see Michael Corner behind the bar.
"Michael," she called, levitating the man onto one of the tables.
He rushed over to her immediately. "Hermione, are you alright?" he asked, concerned. "Who is this?"
"He was going to attack me in the alley," Hermione told him. "Can you call Harry? Please? The auror office should know how to get a hold of him."
"Absolutely," he said, moving quickly to the fireplace to place the call.
Hermione quickly conjured ropes and tied the person to the table. With a flick of her wand, she removed the hood and saw it was a man, one she didn't recognize. Since he was unconscious, she examined his wand and went through the pockets of his clothing. She found a piece of paper with her address on it, nothing else. The man started to wake up and, unsure of what else to do, Hermione stunned him again and his head hit the wooden table with a thump.
Michael came back over and said, "Harry wasn't there but the woman I spoke to said she'd get a hold of him and send him directly here. Who is it?"
"I was going to ask you if you recognized him," Hermione answered. "I guess you don't?"
"No," Michael told her. "He doesn't look familiar at all."
"I guess we'll just wait and see what Harry thinks," Hermione said with a shrug.
"Can I get you a drink?" Michael asked her. "On the house."
"A butterbeer would be great," Hermione replied with a smile. "Thanks."
Michael walked away and returned a minute later with two butterbeers. The two sat at the table next to the one the man was tied two and chatted amiably for twenty minutes before Harry came barreling through the floo with Seamus right behind him. He looked at the man tied to the table, then Hermione who'd risen from her chair when she heard the floo and grabbed her in a tight hug.
"Are you okay?" he said, squeezing her.
"Can't...breathe…," Hermione gasped in reply.
Harry immediately loosened his hold. "Seamus, secure him," Harry said without looking at the unconscious man. "Tell me what happened, Hermione."
Hermione recounted to Harry what had happened while Seamus undid Hermione's rope spell and used the standard auror arresting spells to secure the man. Hermione had just finished explaining to Harry how she'd levitated the man into the Leaky Cauldron when Seamus interrupted.
"Uh, Harry?" he said. "You may want to take a look at this."
Harry turned and watched as the man's face, then body began to change.
"Polyjuice potion," Hermione said.
The four watched with curiosity as the man transfigured back into his original form.
"I don't know who he is," Hermione said when the Polyjuice potion finished wearing off. "He looks vaguely familiar though."
"I do," Harry told them, his mouth set in a firm line. "That's Rabastan Lestrange."
A/N: EVERYTHING IS SO DRAMATIIIIIIIIIC. I can't help myself!