He stared at her.
"Wait. You were in the Middle East? But I thought you worked in research before this assignment" he said, trying to make the pieces fit in his mind.
"I was. But I am also a trained field agent. It wasn't planned out, it just happened this way. I was working at Camp Taji from 2001-2004 mostly in research, but I had the odd field assignment to keep me sharp. It was Harry's idea. During 2002 I was undercover in Shorjar, just outside the Green Zone. Everything was in political turmoil. I befriended the wizarding family who lived in the apartment next to mine. The eldest daughter became my informant." Hermione explained, as Draco sat in stunned silence.
"I was in the Green Zone in 2002. Harry mentioned you were in the Middle East, I just didn't know what you were doing or where you were stationed" he said, eyes widening "Wow" he muttered.
Hermione continued "Najwa was providing us information on a dark wizard who was trying to recruit other dark wizards. I passed information back to my supervisor who then passed it to the research team and that's how you were provided your assignments" she told him, watching as he mentally slotted the information into place.
"The information we were passed was about Avery" he stated, the picture in his mind coming into focus.
"Yes" Hermione confirmed. "Avery is Najwa's father."
Draco sat back, reeling from the shock of new information. He never did understand fully why Avery had gone to the Middle East after the fall of Voldermort. Now it made sense.
"After the first wizarding war, many thought Avery had died. However he had simply gone underground. Europe wasn't safe for a man who was 'Wanted: Pressumed Dead or Evading Capture.' He surfaced in Iraq where he settled with a Pureblood witch and had a family. He originally expected to live out his days in seclusion. That all changed after the return of Voldermort, who used the Dark Mark to summon his followers to the graveyard. Much like your own father, he now had a family that he put on the line out of fear mixed with a lust for power. When Harry defeated Voldermort this made him want to seek revenge. So he went back to the Middle East, where a political vacuum could be manipulated to recruit dark wizards. We always assumed he would make his way back to Europe but as Iraq started rebuilding, he went underground again. Najwa hasn't seen him in 2 years. I went back to the Green Zone and then my unit was shut down in December. Harry brought me home. I could have gone back to my research cover in the Middle East but I was ready by then to come home" she finished.
Draco couldn't believe what he had been told. Neither spoke.
"I just always assumed you were in the Baghdad Library" Draco finally said, chuckling, trying to defuse the atmosphere with humour.
"Yes well, once a bookworm, always a bookworm" she smiled "and yes, I did spend a lot of time in there, helping them to conserve what remained after the upheaval. It provided a cover for my research assignment so I was able to find out about Persian Dark Arts" she finished.
"No wonder you can insult me in Farsi then" he laughed, coming to her and planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Yea, you kinda have to know how to deal with the men when you are alone like that" she muttered.
He pulled her up from her chair, bringing her into a tight embrace, sensing there was more to that statement than his heart could bear to know. She pulled him down for a kiss, opening her mouth to let his tongue caress hers, and moaned as he deepened the kiss.
She broke away and he growled, his eyes hazy with lust. Hermione smiled as she sat back down.
"Later" she told him, picking up her quill.
Draco dropped a kiss on her shoulder as she resumed her work.
.
Her concentration was broken by the sound of screams coming from the rooftop. Grabbing their wands, their training switching their minds into gear, they raced to the terraced rooftop. Draco cautiously stepped out, holding Hermione back as he scanned the rooftop. His face visibly paled at the sight before him and he pocketed his wand, releasing Hermione and motioning for her to do the same.
A dark haired witch stood rooted to the spot in shock and fear in the middle of the terrace. Six feet in front of her lay the body of a woman, her fresh blood pooling over the tiles and glistening in the afternoon sun.
Hermione stepped forward as Draco cast a patronus to summon the aurors. She sat the woman down on one of the loungers, shielding her from the body as she attempted to comfort her.
Suddenly a MLE technician apparated to the terrace and set up wards to keep the muggles away. He was followed by other MLE technicians, the medical examiner who set about securing the crime scene and a mediwitch who apparated the poor witch who had discovered the body to St Camillus', the Italian version of St Mungo's, to treat her shock. Draco and the Trace specialist worked together to check for Dark Magic and search the area for the killer. Hermione made her way over to the body, seeing the letter dropped on her torso. She waited while technicians photographed the crime scene and then reached down with her gloved hand to pick up the parchment. Draco returned, out of breath having found no Trace to follow the killer and found Hermione rigid, face ashen, staring at the letter she held in her hand.
His face displaying openly the concern he felt for his witch, he approached her to give her comfort and ascertain the source of her anxiety.
He stared at the unfamiliar script and looked to Hermione for an explanation.
"It's the Persian language Farsi" she explained, tears welling in her eyes.
He waited while she choked back a sob for the translation
"It says, 'You're next, Mudblood'"
.
A/N: Shorjh or Al-Shorjh (Arabic,الشورجة) is a marketplace in Baghdad, Iraq. Located near Bab Al Sharqi market, Shorjh is Baghdad's largest and oldest market. The name Shorja comes from Persian شورچاه Shurchah and means "salty well". This market place is a landmark established long ago by Iranian merchants.
The Green Zone (Arabic: المنطقة الخضراء, al-minṭaqah al-ḫaḍrā') is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a 10-square-kilometer (3.9 sq mi) area in the Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city. Its official name beginning under the Iraqi Interim Government is the International Zone, though Green Zone remains the most commonly used term. The contrasting Red Zone refers to parts of Baghdad immediately outside the perimeter, but was also loosely applied to all unsecured areas outside the off-site military posts. Both terms originated as military designations.
Nawja is a Persian girls name meaning Passionate, Secret, Whisper. I chose if for the meaning secret, as she is Avery's secret daughter.
St. Camillus de Lellis was born at Bocchianico, Italy. He fought for the Venetians against the Turks. He devoted himself to caring for the sick, and became director of St. Giacomo Hospital in Rome. He was canonized in 1746 and was declared patron of the sick, with St. John of God, by Pope Leo XIII, and patron of nurses and nursing groups by Pope Pius XI. His feast day is July 18th.