(A/N)

So now that the plot is more or less established, I thought it would be good to get started with their chemistry a bit. ;)

Hope you like it!

-Mili

"This is a dead end!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed with a frustrated groan.

Malfoy couldn't help notice that the brunette was becoming more and more vocal and irritable with each passing second that they spent locked up in the office with parchments upon parchments lying on the table; none of which seemed to hold any clue about either the victims or the happenings.

"Apart from the obvious, is there anything particular you are looking for?" Malfoy asked trying to sound as patient as possible, his own endurance bordering on the edge.

Hermione looked up from her parchment with a scowl that obviously meant that it was intended to tell Malfoy that she thought he was a daft idiot.

"Uhh…what I meant was if we are looking for anything apart from the recent unusual happenings of the vicinity of the Marshlands and the whereabouts of the unidentified victims. Anything specific that might have struck a chord with you? You are the research expert from what I have heard after all." Malfoy knew it was better to keep her feeling calm with some flattery rather than take on her fury, no matter how tempting that might have seemed. He knew when to save his own hide; he was a Slytherin after all.

The sudden disguised compliment made Hermione feel a little surprised. Draco Malfoy was many things, a flatterer he wasn't and neither was he anything but civil or annoying to Hermione Granger after all. What was bothering her the most was her own lack of knowledge about the subject, all she knew were the muggle stories of will-o'-wisps. She had always prided herself regarding her knowledge and reasoning skills and yet here was a topic she had completely overlooked in her years as a witch. She felt a little flustered if she was to be honest, but she would never admit that to Malfoy. Obviously.

But her own share of embarrassment could not come in the way of the investigation. So, she decided to use a little of the Slytherin cunningness that she possessed with the Gryffindor bravery that she had to pry the information out of Malfoy.

"Would there be anything you know of it that I might not? Something that you heard as a story as a child, perhaps? You grew up in a wizard household so there must be something that you already know and I don't. So?"

Hermione had very carefully framed her question, making his bloodline and heritage an advantage clearly would make him feel superior, not that he did not feel that way already. On a usual basis, Hermione would have gone out of her way to get him off the pedestal he puts himself on, but she felt the need to extend an arm of civility as he had if they were to find any leads for the case.

"Actually, there is one place where I could dig in for some information while you can ask Harry and whoever he was appointed as his fellow auror to go do so interrogations at Knockturn Alley. Am pretty sure someone over there would have some clue as to what is happening in the Marshlands."

Hermione was fairly impressed. She had been so busy in fussing over her lack of knowledge that the thought of someone on the wrong side of the law having any knowledge almost never crossed her mind!

"Brilliant, I shall owl him to see me before he leaves for the day. It has any case been two days that we have locked ourselves in this stuffy office. And I could honestly do with seeing a new face." She sighed.

"I am pretty sure my face is pretty handsome and in fact even charming to look at. Why would you possibly want to look at my dear friend, Scarhead's face?" The sly Slytherin said with a smirk that caught Hermione off-guard.

It had never really escaped her attention how his pointy nose and chin had matured over the years and become a perfectly carved nose and a sharp set jawline. His eyes had earlier always seemed calculative and menacing. Even dead and haunted during the War. Now they mostly looked guarded, with an occasional twinkle of amusement or other flits of emotions that he could not mask quick enough.

"I thought you were Harry's friend Ferret!" She could not help retaliate with a comeback. She could not and would not register the Pureblood Prince, Draco Malfoy flirting with her, Muggle Princess, Hermione Granger.

Malfoy got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked towards Hermione with an amused expression plastered over his face. As soon as he had crossed over to her chair, he bent down and with his face inches away from her, he said, "I thought we were done with the nicknames and were being civil. Guess not my bushy-haired friend, eh?"

Hermione could only register the unexpected proximity and nothing else. It took, what felt like, a few long minutes for her brain to process what he just said.

"My hair is not bushy. Not anymore at least. Also, where are you planning to go digging for information?" She decided to change tact and diverted the topic. He had not budged even slightly and it was making Hermione uncomfortable in a very weird manner. She did not understand why was her heart beating faster than usual or why did the room feel so stuffy suddenly.

Malfoy looked pretty pleased with himself as he stood up straight and casually walked away saying, "I don't think you would want to accompany me there anyway, so I will go check it tomorrow first thing in the morning and let you know by noon."

Hermione wasn't pleased with his cryptic answer. She stood up in a second.

"But we are partners. You cannot just go hunting in places without informing me! How do I know you are not going hurt any person or break into someone's house for all I know!"

"I am an ex-Death Eater, sure. But you broke into Gringotts, not me. Trust me I would do nothing illegal." He said with an exasperated sigh.

Despite his resigned attitude, Hermione was not satisfied.

"If you aren't going to do anything illegal you might as well tell me! I could come along and maybe even help! It would be easier for you too! So why don't you just tell me where you are off to!" Hermione knew she was running low on patience. She had managed to raise her voice only slightly, but it wouldn't take long for her to completely go bollocks.

Draco had been brooding in a corner up till now. He suddenly whipped around. He looked more annoyed than angry, but there was a bit of self-doubt, an emotion one never really saw in the Malfoy heir.

"Fine. I was planning to look at home."

"Home? You mean your apartment? What could you possibly find there? Oh wait! You were planning to come in late while you late me slog on this case, didn't you!" She half-screamed.

He covered the distance between them in three strides before he held her arms above her elbows in a death like grip and yelled, "By home I meant the Malfoy Manor, Miss-Know-It-All. I was planning to check out some manuscripts that might be there. And I did not want to ask you to accompany me to the house where I lost my sanity and you were tortured on the drawing room floor!"

He saw panic and terror take over her demeanour. Her entire body stiffened in his arms as her eyes widened and glassed over. He knew he had crossed a line. He did not know what about Hermione always put him on the edge.

He loosened his grip and held her close. He looked into her eyes and tried to gauge the damage he had caused. "Shit. I am so sorry Hermione. I am so so sorry! I really am. I just don't like talking about the place or taking anybody there. I should have just told you instead of creating drama. You don't have to come. I'll be fine. I am sorry. Please. You will be fine and safe." He cooed as he brought her closer and tucked her in his arms.

He knew he had stunned her with his mannerism and was feeling guilt wash all over him. He kept saying sorry, until he felt her regain her composure a few minutes later.

"I will come with you." Came a whisper, barely audible.

He thought he was imagining things when suddenly she repeated it louder and looked straight in his eyes.

"We both have witnessed tortures in that house. Nobody should relive any of that alone. Not me, not you. I will come with you."

She looked every bit the Gryffindor Princess she was as she said those words. There was something about her determination that could not make him refuse her offer.

But as he went to sleep that night, anticipating the next day's visit to Malfoy manor with his childhood nemesis, he couldn't stop thinking about how he had called her Hermione and the syllables had just seemed to roll off his tongue so easily. And how she had felt in his arms that day, as if she was meant to be held by him, just like that, often and a lot.