He paced the length of the lounge, while Hermione sat with a cup of tea in her hands, her features fixed resolutely.
"I already told Draco, I am not going back to London. The killer is here and we need to catch him" she stated cooly.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I completely agree with Draco. You should come back to London. We can protect you better there than we can out here" he replied, sitting down opposite her.
"Harry, I don't need protecting. I might spend more time in research than out in the field, but I am still a trained auror. And you said yourself, Draco is your best Hit Wizard. I am just as safe here as in London" she said, as if that was the final word on the matter.
Draco came back into the room and stalked over to the drinks cabinet where he poured himself a large muggle whiskey.
"I told you, she's being her usual stubborn self" he ground out, preferring to show the anger he felt rather than his fear.
He slammed the bottle down on the sideboard and turned to face Harry, who had taken off his glasses and sat massaging his forehead.
"Don't speak about me as if I am not in the room" Hermione complained, glaring at Draco.
They had fought about it most of the later part of the afternoon and in the end she had apparated to the Italian Ministry to make an international floo call to her best friend, while Draco hexed his suite into oblivion. Harry had flood to the Ministry immediately and now sat in Hermione's hotel room, acting as mediator between the couple.
"How about a compromise then" suggested Harry, putting his glasses back on and leaning back. Draco and Hermione both looked at him.
"I spoke with Blaise before I left Ministry. Go to his Villa. It's almost as old as Malfoy Manor so it has strong familial wards. I know a body was found on the lawns there, but no one should be able to get into the house. We can always come and set up extra wards for the grounds."
Draco and Hermione looked at each other, weighing up the possibility.
"If you insist on staying here, that's certainly what I would prefer" Draco told her, putting his now empty glass down.
Hermione got up and walked over to him, stepped on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Ok" she told him, then turned to Harry "We will go to the Villa."
Draco pulled her to him possessively. Harry averted his gaze. Neither had actually intimated directly to him the nature of their relationship, but the level of concern Harry had sensed in his former rival was apparent and more than one usually felt for a partner in an investigation.
Clearly Draco Malfoy had fallen in love with his best friend.