"Do we have to talk about this right now?" she muttered, frustration laced in her tone.
"But PANSY! Pregnant! I mean….I actually have no other words" he stated, pacing back and forth.
"Good. Then we don't have to talk about it" she muttered, focusing on the reports.
"I mean, it's Pansy! With a kid!" he continued, clearly having found some words, much to Hermione's consternation.
"And with WEASEL!..."
"Look, I get she was your childhood sweetheart" she started, putting the quill down and turning to face him.
Draco snorted derisively.
"Ok, your childhood friend, and I get that you have had a rivalry with Ron since you were 11, but he is still my friend and he was clearly there for her when she needed someone so you are just going to have to get over it. This could be good for her" she finished, not sure if she even believed the last point she had made.
Hermione picked up her quill and started going through the Trace report and crime scene photos, her mind ticking over.
"What are your thoughts about Blaise" she inquired as she made notes on her parchment.
"That he is a fucking wanker and I cannot understand why he said nothing." he stated.
Hermione scowled at him. "About the interview. And he said nothing because he was protecting his friend. His pregnant friend" she retorted, growing more than a little tired of his childish behaviour.
He sat down on the chair next to her sighing as he brought his head to his hands, tugging his plantinum locks in frustration. "This is my friend, Hermione. The man is practically my brother. Blaise and Theo are like my brothers. If you are asking me if I trust him, the answer is with my life and my girlfriend so long as she has knickers on and doesn't show off her legs" he grinned at her frown, as he tried to deflect with humour. "If you are asking me if I think he is capable of murder, then yes, under the right circumstances yes he is" he murmured, remembering the war. "If you are asking me do I think he killed the woman found on his estate or the other women, then no, Hermione. That isn't him, he couldn't do that." he met her eyes and she saw the pain in his.
"Do you….do you think if it wasn't your friend….." she whispered, searching his eyes for what he believed unable to ask the question out right.
"Do I think I would be so sure if it was an ordinary citizen?" he pondered this. "There is means, but there is no motive. He doesn't feel animosity towards muggle-borns. it doesn't matter whether I would be sure about anyone else, what matter's is that I am sure about Blaise." he finished, letting out a sigh.
"Ron mentioned something earlier" she started
"I fucking knew he would! If he's upset you, I will hex him into oblivion Hermione, I swear to Salazaar." He vowed, his concern resonating deeply with her.
"Relax" she smiled, giving his hand a squeeze.
"I mean it, Hermione" he stated taking her hand in his and clasping his hands together.
"He didn't upset me" she promised "actually, he just happened to mention that you and Harry had been in the Middle East." she told him.
He stroked her hand with his thumb. "Yea, Harry and I were sent over there originally together, then I went back as my first lead assignment. Avery had escaped at the end of the war and headed over there. When the muggle community got drawn into a war, there was a power vacuum and the Ministry had intelligence to suggest he was attempting to recruit dark wizards. I was part of a task force as part of a joint Muggle/Wizard black on black operation. It was a specialist unit of the GCHQ in London. Intelligence was passed directly to the unit via an agent who handled an informant. Research handled the intelligence and filtered through confirmed information and then we raided bunkers of dark wizards. No one knew who the informant or the handler were though, that was kept classified above Top Secret. Only the head of Mi5, Harry and Kingsley knew."
Hermione visibly paled and he realised with concern she was trembling.
"I know who the informant was." she whispered, her eyes wide.
He stared at her dumbfounded.
"How can you?" he asked.
"I was the agent who was her handler"