They didn't right away. They let Josiah work his shift, observing him from afar. Either Ron or Harry was a constant tail on the man, but subtle. One or the other was always around, watching what he did and how he did it.

He was clever, Hermione had to give him that. But she was quite sure that Ron had been correct: Josiah's primary goal was information-sharing rather than sabotage. He wanted to be involved in the investigation.

Harry and Ron had told Kingsley about it, of course. They'd gotten permission to keep Josiah on the Manor guard detail to keep an eye on him for a while, hoping he could lead them to O'Leary. The other Auror was too smart for that, though. If he was sharing information, he was using owls when he was at work at the Ministry.

The night of the full moon that weekend provided a fuller Auror team, as ever. Ron volunteered to be the Auror on duty within the cabin that held their prisoners. He was interested to see how the rabid howling of the werewolves just outside the walls affected Duncan and Jackson. The other Aurors would be inside the Manor like usual.

James had been ecstatic with the plan to remove the soundproofing on the outbuilding. Nearly his entire pack could now roam without the Wolfsbane potion. He still took it, holding to his promise to be the last one, but this month it provided an added benefit.

James intended to stake out the cabin personally, howling whenever he wanted to keep the pack nearby, rather than enjoying the expansive grounds, and make sure they made loads of noise. He planned to scratch at the windows to terrify the prisoners. Hermione didn't think she'd seen him look so happy.

For the first time, several of his pack elected to join him in taking the potion once more. Jacob was first, enthusiastically volunteering to help James harass all corners of the cabin. Hermione had to laugh.

Duncan presumably knew about the Wolfsbane potion. In the labs, her scientists had had to control the werewolves somehow. Hermione knew the fired former Head of Magical Creatures at the Ministry had been involved and probably shared the information.

But Hermione thought the sounds of a loose werewolf deliberately scratching at the windows and howling on the other side of a thin wall would still terrify her. She might not even think clearly to recall the potion. Maybe she'd assume they weren't using it. And the wards would hold, of course. They'd been holding on the Manor for nearly a year now, every month. But Duncan wouldn't know about that. Hopefully she'd think any second a wolf could break down the door.

All night.

No one knew what Jackson knew and the man was much harder to rattle than Duncan was, anyway. But Ron was still eager to watch how it affected them both.

Knowing they could no longer trust at least one Auror on their team - again - Harry re-verified all the wards around the Manor and its grounds himself. He was taking no chances.

As for Hermione and Draco, she didn't plan to torment him again this month. She knew it was going to be a long night filled with loud, close howls, just outside the Manor. The wolves were deliberately going to be causing a ruckus. And she knew the Veela in Draco wouldn't relax. It would be mean to heckle him about it this time.

Next month, maybe.

Next month she'd see if she could get his attention on her in bed again rather than standing by the window all night.

In fact, the night was so incredibly noisy that Hermione took a dreamless sleep potion. She gave up an hour or two past dark and Draco darted to the hospital ward to fetch one for her.

ooo

"I don't like that potion," Draco declared in irritation the following morning when Hermione finally awoke.

"Why not?" she yawned, still groggy.

"You felt… blank. When I reached out to you it was like hitting a wall. There was nothing there. I had to keep checking that you were still breathing. I hate it."

Huh. "How is it usually when I sleep?"

"It's obvious that you're sleeping and not awake. But you're still there. I can get flashes of things from your dreams, sometimes."

And no dreams with a dreamless sleep potion. Hermione supposed it was like being flat unconscious. Odd. She shivered a little as she remembered how it had felt when Veela had disappeared, after she'd been shot. A stray thread, dangling in the breeze. Empty.

Gods, how long ago had that been? Ten months?

Veela. Draco gave her a quizzical look before his eyelid slid over to reveal black eyes. He traced a claw down her cheek.

"My Hermione."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. She knew he was still in there. How could he not be? Every time he fed from her vein, it was Veela feeding.

"I love you."

"Veela loves his Hermione."

He kissed her on the forehead and when he stood back up, his eyes were grey once more.

"He's always there?"

"We're both always here."

ooo

While Harry tailed Josiah, Ron continued the fiction with Duncan. He spent very little time in her cell, pretending to sneak a few minutes here and there. But in one brilliant manoeuvre Hermione had to admire, he smuggled in a slip of paper and a quill.

Duncan leapt at the chance to communicate with her beloved O'Leary. The note itself was nothing much - a simple declaration of 'Let me know if I can do anything to help from here' - but it solidified her trust in Ron.

Hermione still didn't know if this would wind up being helpful but it was entertaining. She and Rose had decided not to write back from O'Leary's perspective again. They didn't want to risk giving themselves up in how they wrote or phrased things. It wasn't worth the gamble when they didn't know what they could really get out of it. The scientist was already twitchy and overly alert, jumping every time the cell door opened. She was on edge, ready to run at the drop of a hat whenever the 'plan' would finally begin.

Amazingly, Rose convinced Ronan to let her speak with Duncan. Hermione didn't know how the Veela had done it but she was thrilled. She couldn't wait to watch. Rose had a very specific plan.

They were all gathered around with the addition of both Patils, James, and Blaise. Everyone was watching with bated breath.

Ronan went in first and the effect on Duncan was visceral. She cowered in the corner, flinging herself as far back on her cot as she could get and curling in on herself. Ronan, who'd been in this cell with Duncan many times, only smiled at her malevolently, black eyes narrowed.

With this secure bit of distance, Rose crept around from underneath Ronan's arm. "Hello, Dr Duncan."

Hermione felt a change in the air immediately. She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but Draco shifted uncomfortably. The other wizards did as well, but none more so than Ron and Harry - especially Ron.

She looked up at Draco, puzzled. "What is that?"

Ron choked out, "She's… Veela-ing."

Hermione whipped her head around to stare at the others. Padma and Parvati both looked confused at first, too, before Padma stared at Blaise. "Do you feel it?"

"I think we all feel it," Blaise said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but it's… strange. It doesn't override the mate bond so it feels more like a tugging pull. It's strong."

James shifted his weight. "It's irritating. Like I have to stare at her even though I don't want to."

"Speak for yourself," Ron breathed, eyes fixed on Rose in the room. The blonde was almost glowing, in Hermione's eyes. She was radiant. Her smile was wide and beautiful, her eyes sparkling.

Harry looked rather distressed and Hermione knew he was thinking of Ginny. She leaned in. "It's not real. You know it isn't."

He still seemed annoyed. "Even so, I don't have a 'mate bond.' It's… difficult. Really fucking difficult."

Harry looked over his shoulder and Hermione knew he was gauging leaving the cabin altogether. Finally he seemed to decide against it and just crossed his arms firmly over his chest, looking quite cross.

Hermione kicked Ron lightly in the back of the calf. "You're going to want to get that under control before she comes back out here. Ronan will have your head."

"Until then, though…" he murmured, pressed against the glass.

Hermione prodded Draco through the thread. He let her feel it openly, wanting her to understand what it was like for him. He was not attracted to Rose. It felt as Blaise had described it, like a weight pulling on him. It was driving his eyes to look at her, like a gravitational force. But there was no desire in it.

It was obvious Duncan did not recognise Rose from the labs. It was the risk they ran, and it had been worth it.

Duncan seemed dazzled. It was easy to see why. Rose was exuding a quiet calm, a friendly and approachable openness. Duncan was looking at her as if she were a drink of water in the desert. Beautiful. Stunning. Confidence-inspiring. Duncan wanted to speak with her.

She understood why Rose had cranked up the Veela charm. If Duncan was romantically attracted to O'Leary on any level, Rose's clear sexual attractiveness could be disarming. Even if Duncan wasn't, Rose clearly seemed like the kindest, gentlest person to approach her in months.

She hadn't looked at Ronan since Rose entered the room.

"Dr Duncan, I'm Dr Cotillard."

Duncan's eyes flashed with curiosity. "What sort of doctor?"

"I'm a psychologist."

Of course, this wasn't remotely true. A year of classwork at uni ten years ago hardly qualified Rose. But in this scenario, it could elevate her, in Duncan's eyes. She could seem closer to a peer.

"Why are you here? Why would they let you talk to me?"

"That's a very fair question, Dr Duncan." Rose was nodding easily, her blonde hair shining down her shoulders. "I had to argue for it. Quite hard, in fact."

"Why?" Duncan whispered, unable to look away.

"I've reviewed your interrogations and I have a responsibility, as a medical professional, to speak up when I see something concerning. I have no say in your physical treatment, I'm afraid," Rose gave Duncan a sad and understanding look, regretful that the scientist had been subjected to such things, "but I have some things I'd like to talk to you about. If you'd like to talk to me, that is. It's up to you, of course."

Even Rose's voice seemed more melodic. Hermione had a bizarre curiosity of whether the Veela's handwriting would be even prettier right now.

"Alright," Duncan said with a touch of caution. "What is it?"

"It's probably a bit awkward, but that's why I'm here: to talk things out. So I'll dive right in, shall I? It's about your relationship with Raquel O'Leary."

Duncan's physicality changed at once. She drew back again, further onto her cot. She'd slowly crept forward without Hermione noticing, but now she slunk back again. Wary. Watchful.

"What about it?"

"Dr Duncan, I'm concerned that you have an unhealthy view of her. I think you'll do anything for her."

"So?" The sulky tone from her initial interrogation was back.

"You don't deny it?" Rose's voice was soothing, worried. "I'm glad you don't. It lets us get right down to things. I don't think Raquel would do the same for you, Jamie. Can I call you Jamie?"

The scientist nodded, a short bob of her head. "You're wrong, though. She would."

"How do you know?"

"We've been friends for over ten years."

"Is she your best friend?"

Duncan hesitated, considering. Finally she gave another short nod. "Yes." Then before Rose could respond, she rushed to clarify, "but it's not like we're attached at the hip or anything. I usually never leave my labs. My social circle isn't wide."

An interesting qualifier, Hermione thought. She seemed to both want to claim O'Leary as her best friend and distance her at the same time. Maybe to prevent further questioning? They were close but not close enough for Duncan to know anything more than she'd already given them?

Hm.

"Maybe I misread things, then," Rose said smoothly. "But I can't help feeling like she means a lot more to you than you mean to her."

Duncan shook her head again. "No. Raquel would do anything for me. She even supports me, pays me for the work in the labs."

"That's just employment, Jamie. That's not friendship."

The scientist stiffened. "She doesn't do it for anyone else. The rest of it was all funded by the military. But Raquel pays me."

A point of clear pride, Hermione reflected. She felt special. And of course, Duncan thought she had an ace up her sleeve: O'Leary was actively trying to free her, something she wouldn't say to Rose. That belief alone told Duncan that O'Leary would do anything. She had full confidence in her so-called best friend.

ooo

Rose continued prodding around the edges of the scientist's fixation with O'Leary for another half hour. Hermione still didn't think they had anything new but it was interesting. It was a shame they couldn't run this exact experiment without having done the whole faux escape plan interaction first. Hermione thought Rose could have raised significant doubts in Duncan's mind.

If things continued to drag out while the search for O'Leary continued, they could still do it. When the escape plan never materialised, Duncan might lose faith. They'd keep it tucked into their collective back pocket for now. Rose had built a good rapport.

Also, it was just entertaining. Any entertainment was a good thing. And Rose had delighted in getting to speak to the scientist herself. Hermione was impressed that the Veela hadn't been overcome with the same kind of rage from having been in the labs, but her curiosity had outweighed everything else.

They'd all been pleased to have something new to do. The Manor was beginning to empty, at long last. With the payout of the settlement, several more of the tenebris ones had left to try and begin a new life of their own.

There'd only been one serious incident that Hermione had heard of so far: Felix chose to relocate again after vandals attacked his home one night. He didn't know if they were trying to force a confrontation or if it was just kids being jerks. He'd refused to engage as the windows were smashed, wouldn't go outside. He left the neighbourhood the following day.

But the Manor was growing quieter every day. Hermione sensed Draco's mounting impatience with her staying at the Manor, at least for now. She couldn't promise when she'd want to leave.

It all just felt so unfinished.

She and Padma privately agreed that some of the tenebris ones had given up on ever finding O'Leary. To them, it did feel finished. They'd found as many as they could. The Ministry had been cooperative with new laws and regulations, enabling them to live without fear of unjust prosecution. They'd gotten the financial settlement. They'd been able to take out their rage on the two perpetrators that had in their grasp as often as they liked.

Those who felt ready were moving out and moving on.

Hermione just couldn't turn her brain off. There had to be something they hadn't tried with Duncan or Jackson, some new angle or tactic. It was like a brain-teaser she couldn't solve. The Aurors and Parvati were searching high and low for O'Leary, tearing apart all the glitzy locales Duncan had unwittingly recommended.

She felt guilty about Draco's desire to leave in contrast with her own desire to stay.

"We could go to Italy," he suggested one afternoon. "It'll keep us close to Padma and Zabini, if you like. I know he's planning to move them there next."

Humouring him, Hermione asked, "Do you have a place in Italy, then?"

He thumbed the ring on her finger back and forth. "We have a place on the Amalfi coast. I can show you. Would you like to see it?"

She swallowed hard. That would be a long flight. But she couldn't deny that she was bored and he'd been so patient with the Manor. She hadn't flown with him since their little jaunt to Ireland and that hadn't been so bad. Not really.

"Come on, Granger," he murmured. "Let me take you to Italy for the night. Maybe two nights? Please?"

As it always did, the 'please' sealed the deal. He asked for so little. And they did have fun in Ireland. They'd have fun in Italy too, even without the side purpose of the trip. She found she was excited at the prospect of seeing what could be their home, and with a start, realised she could get all sorts of trips just like this. They could fly around all over the place, Hermione getting a first hand opinion of every Malfoy home and Manor.

Draco was grinning at her, following this train of thought. He kissed her hand. "You can pick your favourite. Or you could pick a rotation of them and we hop around every few months. Anything you want."

That settled things. Hermione got changed and went to go find Padma, letting her know of their plans to go house-hunting, in a manner of speaking. Italy first, though. She promised they wouldn't be gone past the weekend.

Padma smiled and waved this away. "We'll be fine here. Go on, go enjoy yourselves. Blaise and I will take next weekend to do the same thing - how's that?"

Fair was fair. Hermione laughed and gave her friend a quick hug and headed back to meet Draco.

Who knew? Maybe this was just the thing to make Hermione feel motivated to move on. After all, she hadn't been in the labs. If Draco didn't care, shouldn't she default to what he wanted for a change?

Hermione just had this nagging question that if the Manor emptied, if everyone moved on with their lives, would the Ministry keep up the hunt? What if the pressure for justice… evaporated?

But that was silly. Even if the rest of the world got bored with the whole thing, Parvati definitely wouldn't stop looking. She had one hell of a book going so far, exposing every facet of the experimentation that she'd been able to dig up. Hermione had seen the rough drafts and piles of edits as Parvati compiled chapter by chapter, mounds of work in the little cottage she now shared with James.

If anyone needed a break, a weekend in Italy for instance, it was probably Parvati. But Hermione knew the journalist was like a dog with a bone. She probably wouldn't relax the entire trip.

Hermione was determined to relax. The more she thought about it, the more excited she was to go. She'd been too wrapped up in things here.

She felt Draco's excitement at her mounting enthusiasm. He'd had an idea that a basic shield charm would keep the wind off her face, and thought she'd feel much better with her eyes open on the flight. Hermione didn't know about all that, but knew he probably had a point that she wouldn't feel nearly as nauseous if she could see fixed points.

It didn't seem like more than twice the Ireland flight, even though she knew it must have been. Was Draco getting faster? Or maybe she really was getting used to it. The shield charm was both brilliant and obvious. Hermione felt a little dumb for not having thought of it.

That she might be getting used to it excited Draco, too. She knew his keen desire to take her everywhere. Apparition couldn't be done at those distances and portkeys were a nuisance to arrange. The whole world was at their feet with his wings. Hermione was really coming around to the advantages.

ooo

The Malfoy place in Italy was… breathtaking. It wasn't on the water, but back on a high cliffside with views of the sea and the mountains alike. She was stunned.

It was dusty and abandoned, but not derelict. The two of them tackled the basic cleaning with charms and spells, and before long things were much improved. Hermione went from room to room opening windows and airing drapes. The natural light was gorgeous.

Forced to confront her own assumptions, she had to admit she couldn't imagine the Malfoy family in a place like this - not after having seen Malfoy Manor.

"It's not that I didn't believe you…" she trailed off as Draco put his arms around her from behind.

"Well, it's all very different. London can be a bit dreary, after all. It's one of the reasons we liked the other places for holidays."

He was being diplomatic.

"That doesn't mean it isn't true," he insisted and proceeded to distract her from the whole train of thought with his hands. Then his mouth.

ooo

"You're getting hot. Do you want a change of clothes?"

"I didn't bring anything lighter than this," Hermione said regretfully. She really hadn't anticipated the temperature difference. London had been a bit dreary, when they left.

"I know you didn't," he said simply. "Go buy something."

Draco pointed to a boutique on the right side of the cobblestone street. "Go on."

Something else she was going to have to get used to, she supposed. He tucked some money into her hand.

"How much more Muggle money do you have?" She was momentarily thrown.

"I got plenty from Gringotts. I knew we'd be out and about eventually. Go on." He gave her another nudge.

Hermione was amused. "What are you going to do?"

"Scout out somewhere to eat dinner on this little street. Don't worry, I won't be far." He kissed her on the forehead. "And after dinner, we can walk around. There's loads of history here. There's a Piazza just around the corner and a Duomo I think you'll like."

Hermione perked up even further. She'd look for some sensible shoes.

"Not too sensible," he murmured into her ear, giving her the shivers.

Of course by the time she was done, he was already waiting at the door of the boutique. She was still mildly encouraged by how secure he felt, leaving her long enough to buy a dress and some sandals. He trusted the thread. She could feel like leaning into it when they were apart, but he felt confident enough to let her do some things alone.

He gave her an approving look. "Nice."

She felt a little self-conscious, really. Not because she thought the dress didn't look good; she'd bought it because she thought it did. It just wasn't the sort of thing she usually wore, summery, flowy, printed. But it suited where they were and it would remind her of being here.

She smiled up at him. "Thank you. Where are we eating?"

Draco had selected a lovely place with outdoor tables overlooking the sea, white tablecloths and fine wine glasses. Flowering vines draped the facade and the breeze was divine. Hermione inhaled deeply and really thought about living here.

"Do you like it?" Draco asked, a little bashfully.

She stared at him. How could she not? She realised he was really trying to show it off. The home, yes, but also the dress, the delicious meal. The sightseeing after dinner. He was showing her what he wanted to give her, whether it was here or somewhere else.

She stifled a small laugh. "You don't have to bribe me to leave the Manor. We will leave soon, I promise."

"It's not a bribe!" he exclaimed quickly. "Well, a little it is. If it makes you want it sooner rather than later. But this would all happen anyway. I'm not just trying to get you to move."

That also surprised her. "I don't think you'd… dangle this in front of me and then yank it away after we move out. I don't think that of you. Do you think I do?"

Draco was getting tangled up and it was sort of cute. "No, I - I just - I can feel how much you like it. It's - I can't give you these things there. We will go back to the place I can't spoil you in and - yes, alright, fine, it's a bribe. Please can we move out soon? So that we can do this every weekend? Every day?"

Hermione could help smiling. She nodded and took his hand over the table. "Alright. We will. I promise."

"Here?" He was trying to sound casual.

"I don't know how somewhere else could beat this, but I'd like to see them try."

Draco considered this. "This is one of the better ones, knowing what makes you like it here. The sea, the views. But some of the others have their own different highpoints."

"Well, I promised Padma she and Blaise could get away next weekend, but after that, show me a new one?"

"I know you'd like to end up close to the Zabinis."

'The Zabinis.' Hermione hadn't really thought of them like that, somehow. But certainly they'd get married, too.

She was going to be a Malfoy. She looked down at the ring on her hand and smiled.

"Even so. Where would you show me next?"