Harry decided on a cautious approach and pretended to need legal assistance, because the minister had reprimanded him in the case of the Malfoy observation. He and Ginny were admitted to Geoffrey Sloane's presence by elves, and Harry spun a tale about how he had suspected Malfoy and had wanted to catch him, but that he was in trouble now, because he could not produce evidence. Sloane listened in patience, while Ginny moved around the room. Harry hoped that Sloane would not realise that she was searching for wards.
The large eagle figurine that sat on Sloane's desk began to move. Harry wondered, what it meant, and itched to take the eagle into his hands, checking if it was of a similar kind as the figurines.
Sloane picked up a sheet of paper and studied it. Harry could have sworn that there hadn't been any letters on the sheet before Sloane had taken it. The lawyer gave him a smile that made Harry's hackles rise.
He reached into one of his drawers, telling Harry that he would give him a contract for legal advice.
But instead of papers, he produced a vial he shattered on himself, before Harry or Ginny could prevent him. For a second, mist rose from his person before it evaporated.
He proceeded to attack, and Harry and Ginny soon were hard pressed. Their spells just slid of the older wizard confirming Harry's suspicion about what exactly had been in that vial.
Ginny tried to cast a scutum on Sloane to prevent him from firing hexes, but that slid of as well.
That caught her off guard, she stumbled from the backlash, and Sloane disarmed her.
Harry only saved her from the killing curse by barrelling into her and taking her down on the ground on top of him, immobilizing his left arm, setting his own wand flying.
Sloane stood above him, his wand at Harry's throat, a triumphant smile on his lips.
"Apparently, your second is down and your pet herbology teacher as well." He pointed at the eagle and waved the sheet of paper that now assuredly held letters.
"And half of your aurors are compromised anyway." He grinned triumphantly.
"I don't think I'll wait for the surprise we have prepared for you, though, Mr Potter. I'll just finish you off, all by myself."
When Ginny tried to move, he pointed his wand at her, snarling.
"Just to satisfy my curiosity, Mr Potter. Was the Malfoy observation a sham?"
"I never suspected him." Harry told him. "I knew it was a set-up. You shouldn't have tried to frame the same person twice."
"A pity. It would have been delicious if you had arrested him for crimes against muggleborns. Just as it was satisfying to have the Granger witch involved in an amortentia case. When she had made such a passionate plea for its abolishment."
"The Minister knows everything," That was a bluff, Harry could only hope, that some of the others were more successful than he. He was afraid for Neville and Pansy. He should have sent them together.
Sloane shrugged. "Shacklebolt will be dealt with soon."
He showed his teeth. "I have you at my mercy. I am doused with Phoenix Potion, so indulge me and tell me, what you found out."
He did not bother to chain them with a spell, but Harry didn't think it made much of a difference. His fear for Ginny threatened to freeze him. He didn't know if he even could move.
Ginny made an elaborate tale of it. The occamy eggs, the goblin silver and the syphoning of magic. She did leave out that Luna and Hermione had taken some of the eggs. Her right hand stole to Harry thighs and pinched him hard. Harry twitched with his left hand and hoped she felt it. She had remembered his last resort.
Sloane pressed his wand harder into Harry's throat. From the corner of his eyes, Harry saw a mangoose patronus. Apparently, either Neville or Pansy had escaped. Hope flooded back into his veins.
"Not bad, you were a fairly competent head auror. It is a pity, we'll have to replace you. But you definitely know too much."
"I had plenty of help."
"We'll get all your friends though. In a few years, research will show that muggleborns do indeed steal magic and then we can establish our method as the standard of how to get it back."
Harry tried to incite Sloane to spill more beans. "You're not a blood suprematist though, why do you even care?"
Sloane snarled. "We only set right what should never have happened. My only grandson was robbed, descended from a lineage that goes back to the Selwyns and the Ollivanders on my mother's side and yet he has no magic. And then there is this Granger muggleborn witch who keeps getting magical children. And her married to someone who is as good as a squib, a disgrace for an old family. We only took back what should have been my grandson's."
"But it is not his magic," Ginny objected.
"You know, if I won't manage to kill your husband, the special surprise we prepared for him will do it, I am sure." Sloane changed the hold on his wand.
"So, Mr Potter might have a respite, but you won't." He pointed the wand at Ginny.
"That is a mistake," Ginny met his eyes, unwavering. "Harry will do anything to protect me."
The crooked lawyer laughed. "Avada--"
Harry closed his eyes.
For the fraction of a second there was no thought in his head. And then he filled that void with his summons. He felt a welcome weight in his hand.
The sword of Godric Gryffindor cut through Sloane's wrist and separated Sloane's wand from the caster. Sloane screamed.
Harry was covered in blood in a matter of seconds.
Harry and Ginny picked themselves up. Ginny stepped on Sloane's remaining hand and shook her head.
"I told you Harry would protect me."
They only ligated his wound after he had passed out.
The mangoose patronus approached and whispered in Pansy's voice. "They do have Phoenix Potion."
Harry nodded at it. "I know, thanks."
The mangoose disappeared again.
Harry hugged Ginny close and breathed in the smell of her hair. His own heart slowed, when he felt her exhale on his neck and picked up the beating of her heart in the artery of the throat.
"I told you I would be useless as a wizard when you are in danger." He pressed her even closer to his body.
"On the contrary, it was very good, I was here with you. I doubt you could have summoned that sword to save yourself." Ginny wriggled out of his arms.
Her smile was smug. "I mean you are practically a Slytherin by now, just like Dumbledore"
"Quick search of the house or check on Neville and Pansy first?", she asked.
"First we have to incapacitate him." He pointed at Sloane. "Then to Greengrass. Neville has this as a last resort as well."
Harry dropped the sword and it vanished.
There were several vials in Sloane's drawer and Harry forced a vial of Phoenix Potion down the man's throat.
A pair of silver-white mongoose arrived and relieved them of their fear for their friends.
"Thorough search it is then," Ginny grinned.
They started with Sloane's office. Harry drew on his authority as head auror to enlist some elves to disclose information about hidden cupboards and drawers, but the elves did not know much.
After several attempts, Ginny found the hidden safe and Harry reproduced Sloane's magical signature to open it.
More vials of Phoenix Potion came to the surface, and the books that were the key. There was also the vial with Snape's memories.
Harry took it and sighed with profound relief.
"Vinicius," Ginny held up a small, ancient book. It was written on parchment, with faded letters. "Shit with flecks of gold, obviously."
She opened the book at an earmarked page. "Amortentia," she read out loud. "That must be the recipe Sloane used to brew the batch for the framing."
"And then Slughorn just added ginger ….."
"Snape's annotations." Ginny opened the second book and revealed the small orderly handwriting of Severus Snape.
Harry took the third book. "Slughorn's research." He leafed through the book, half of its pages were empty, but there was what he had feared all along. A recipe for Phoenix Potion.
Harry showed it to Ginny. "Duration of shielding effect against every curse: Two hours. Against minor curses: four hours. Malfoy's original was better."
One patronus after the other arrived to inform Harry of successful arrests. Harry did not mind at all, that Sloane had regained consciousness and had to witness how his allies fell.
Pansy had decided against a clandestine approach. She was an auror and she could hardly pretend that she was anything else. Surprise and speed would be better than stealth. And she was sure the conspirators had a communication system. She suspected that Greengrass was one of the minds behind the operation, and he would not be arrested and be led away docilely.
She crashed through the wards in a move that was meant to intimidate. She ignored the wailing alarm and went straight for Rowan Greengrass whose signature Teddy had collected in a clandestine action in Diagon alley. Heading for his signature led her to him immediately.
Greengrass still had a nasty surprise up his sleeve. Pansy's disarming spells slid off him as if he were doused in oil, and Pansy held on to her own wand only by a hair. Every hex she shot at him was ineffective. She managed to hold her own for a while, even though the effect of the Phoenix Potion was unfamiliar. In a split second of inattention, though, she became disarmed.
Greengrass touched an eagle on his desk, when he had secured her, grinning triumphantly, and scribbled a small note. But he made the mistake of not killing her immediately. He grilled her for information and cast a cruciatus on her. It almost left her breathless but not unconscious. She feigned to faint.
She bid her time and when Greengrass turned his back on her, she concentrated on her patronus, and her mongoose appeared behind Greengrass. Wandless summoning of a patronus had its perks.
Her mangoose knocked Greengrass over and snatched his wand away, returning her own wand to her. She threw a hex at the bookcase behind him and buried her opponent beneath the books. He went out cold when she hit him with the eagle figurine.
She frantically searched for the Phoenix Potion, sent her patronus to alert Neville and Harry and any of the others it could reach. When she had found a vial, she forced it down Greengrass's throat and dumped him unceremoniously in his own bathtub. She had to undress him with her own hands, but once she had scrubbed him vigorously with sand, not caring if she took his skin off, the potion was weakened, and she managed to portkey him to Azkaban. From there she sent another patronus to tell Harry she had succeeded.
Neville paid a social visit to Mrs Fawley bringing her some plants from the glass house in Hogwarts and he chatted amiable with her about plants. Pansy's patronus nudged him under the table, and he bent down on the excuse to fetch his napkin.
"Careful, they do have Phoenix Potion," the mangoose whispered.
When Mr Fawley joined them, Neville had already conjured his own patronus under the table hidden by the tablecloth to be on guard.
Neville did not beat around the bush but informed him straight on, that he was arrested and produced the warrant. Fawley laughed at him, called him a pathetic excuse for a wizard and disarmed him. He was so preoccupied with gloating not even wondering why Neville stayed calm that Neville's punch took him completely by surprise. Neville's patronus carried back his own wand into his hands.
"I wonder, why nobody ever seems to account for the fact that I'm 6' 3." Neville told the astonished house elves and Mrs Fawley. He patted his patronus on the head and called him a good boy.
Mrs Fawley had a complete breakdown, confessed everything, wept copious tears, and voluntarily handed over one vial of Phoenix Potion swearing that they had no more. Neville felt obliged to console her, after he had fed the Potion to Fawley.
George smiled at the elf who opened the door. "Special delivery by Weasleys Wizard wheezes."
He and Angelina pointed at the boxes. The elf was puzzled but let them in. George chatted with the elf incessantly drowning all the protests that they were not expected with his own loud voice. The McFingalls were not amused, that George invaded their living room, but in their annoyance, they overlooked Angelina who let the boxes fall and disarmed the whole family. While she collected the wands, George threw the incarcerus spell at them and made neat bundles out of the suspects, brandishing his special arrest warrant signed by the minister.
They delivered the bundles without further complications into the able hands of auror Eugenia Shape who put them in the upper cells in Azkaban where they would await their trial.
Arthur and Molly Weasley were not as lucky as their son. The Dohertys had been suspicious of their social call, and they actually had to duel, before they managed to bundle up their suspects. They had unbreakable protective shields, just as Harry had warned, but they were not up to Molly firing objects at them in an alarming speed. Arthur insisted on searching the house and confiscated muggle technology that surely breached several laws. Molly just frowned when he 'accidentally' slipped one of the devices in his coat's pocket instead of the auror approved neutralizing bag.
"We should be too old for this," Molly said and let herself fall into a chair in their garden, after they had returned from Azkaban, but giggled when Arthur complimented her healthy flush after the exercise.
Viola Prestwich arranged an emergency meeting for several aurors and served tea and coffee herself. She only had to disarm one auror who had been suspicious of the muffins and had not succumbed to the sleeping draught. She wondered if this was a good sign, when she had forcefully fed the potion to him. They all would be questioned in the weeks to come. Some might prove innocent. With a sigh she portkeyed Wally to Azkaban where Eugenia awaited him.
Percy Weasley felt nauseous and frightened, when he entered his boss' home on a Saturday evening, uninvited and frowned upon. He was glad his older brother Bill was with him. Percy feared that Kimut only had to use his boss voice to make him buckle, but when the goblin suddenly produced a wand, it was Percy who saved his brother. While Bill and he transported Kimut to Azkaban he wondered if he had finally done enough or if this darkness would still remain in his mind, where his conscience constantly nagged him about the years he had abandoned his family.
Charlie Weasley joined Luna and Blaise in routing the Fjodors. And they were lectured by a very stern Luna that their treatment of magical creatures was atrocious, and she declared, that the greed for the money they had made in the smuggling clearly was due to a likely incurable infestation by lividgrains.
Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas trapped several goblins cutting off their escape routes with a string of carefully orchestrated explosions.
Hannah Abbot almost let go of Helena Prewett when Teddy's appearance changed to Harry's for a few seconds after they had arrested her.
It was lucky that Harry's stag found Ron not in the middle of tightly packed dancing floor but in the garden of the hotel where the wedding took place. Ron had stolen away with Ricky for a few moments to give her the new muggle passport he had forged. Ron promised Ricky who stood in awe at the silvery stag to explain everything later and disapparated on the spot.
At the gate to the Rosiers he took up a cat that prowled the lawn and informed the elf who opened him that he was scouting for Quidditch talents. The famous keeper was admitted and Max Rosier learned to his chagrin, that Ron Weasley was still a better than average dueller, and that even being doused in Phoenix Potion was no help, when there was a screeching cat with extended claws in one's hair and objects kept zooming in from everywhere.
Notes:
I don't do multiple PoVs in chapters usually, but I thought my readers would like to see more than just Harry...
Finally, Harry's preparation does pay off.
Chapter 89: The Core of a Wand
Summary:
While Harry and Co are preoccupied with the arrest, Draco and Hermione try to undo the curse put on muggleborn Neill.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
All of a sudden almost everyone had disapparated. Everyone but Colin's parents, the girls and Robert. Mum told Penny that she did not need to worry.
Dad had disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a package of biscuits that looked half empty. "Household without children. Neville and Pansy don't have anything useful in their kitchen. The expiry date of these was a month ago. There are eggs and toast though. Who wants eggs?"
Dad grinned. "Not occamy eggs, mundane chicken eggs."
They all wanted eggs, but munched on the biscuits anyway, while dad rummaged in the kitchen. Mum fetched some teacups.
At first there was silence. Colin hardly knew what to say anyway. He still had to process what he had learned about the elves, and that his family was connected to the undoing of the curse. Potter's cousin, who didn't look at all like he could be Potter's cousin, studied them, or rather he studied mum.
"So, everything went so fast…. These occamy eggs…. They are used to make a curse permanent."
He shook his head. "What even are occamies?"
Penny reached into her pocket. "This is a figurine of an occamy. They are beautiful, magical creatures. Stealing their eggs is a crime."
Neill was fascinated and watched it moving in between Penny's fingers.
"I have a figurine of a lion, that used to move when I touched it." He confided to her.
"Was it attuned to you?" Penny asked.
"According to Harry it was a trap. Meant to expose me as a wizard to the people who cursed me."
"This occamy was made by my godmother." Penny pointed at mum. "She would never curse me. It's just a toy."
Neill looked with something like yearning at the small occamy.
"So, while Harry unravels this bloody conspiracy, can I ask you something? You are wizarding folk, aren't you?" Dudley asked.
"Neill has been cursed with one of these?" He pointed at the drawers that still sat on the desk.
They nodded.
"There is something I don't understand." Neill said. "Why didn't they just throw a curse with a wand and be done with it? Shouldn't a spell be permanent anyway?"
"No spell is really permanent, there is just the effect of the spell that can be permanent. At least on persons." Colin could not help himself. Which spells were permanent and which weren't was one of the most interesting research fields in charms and he had talked at lengths about it with Professor Greengrass.
"I can cast a tickling spell at you, and I can do it for hours, because it is not a very taxing spell. But the minute I stop casting, you stop laughing." Mum told him.
"But if I cast something that has a permanent effect, like making you grow a moustache, that would remain until you shave yourself or you remove it with a spell of your own." Colin chimed in.
"Objects can be transfigured permanently, though." Meg would not be left out of the discussion obviously.
"Some spells can be tied. The praeda curse apparently is something that can't be cast to last." Dad had come over from the kitchen, plates in hand. Meg and Colin jumped up, the lifelong habit of setting the table taking over.
"So, how can we undo this curse on Neill." Dudley wanted to know.
"One solution would be to find the counter curse and apply that, with an occamy egg." Mum frowned. "The use of occamy eggs close too hatching would be highly questionable of course under the law for rare magical creatures, but exceptions are allowed if a life is in danger. That is, if we even find a counter curse."
"When in doubt, cast a patronus." Colin quoted one of Uncle Neville's lessons in DADA.
"A patronus?", Mum asked.
Colin nodded. "Yes, it's a patronus purpose to protect the caster. Uncle Neville says, this is, why they can be used in any dangerous situation if you're not sure about what to do."
"Wow, your DADA lessons actually seem to be useful." Dad remarked.
Colin rolled his eyes. "This is the moment where you tell me stories about how all your DADA teachers, but Snape were rubbish. And then mum cuts in and makes a case for Lupin. And then you bicker about Lupin and whether it was a good idea to let third years confront their greatest fear. I can assure you that Dawlish was not the best either. He was not Voldemort in disguise or anything, but he was boring and tedious."
"And he was biased as hell." Colin added just for good measure. "Uncle Neville on the other hand…."
"But Neill is not old enough to cast a patronus," Meg said.
"Not a corporal patronus…." Mum jumped up. "I bet Neville and Pansy have a book on patronus casting."
"They should." Dad laughed. "But maybe it is enough if he tries. Reclaims his magic by doing any spell."
Colin reached into his pockets. "I think he should try with my wand. It has an occamy feather core. If there is a chance at all, it would make sense, that it is my wand."
"Would that not be underage magic out of Hogwarts?" Meg and Penny wanted to know.
Dad scoffed. "There is no tracker on Neill yet, this shouldn't be a problem."
Colin stood up and went to Neill. Hopefully, he could do something against at least one dark curse. He asked after Neill's full name.
"Neill Ajit Dursley, I confer free use of my wand to you, of my own free will." He put his wand into the boy's hand.
Neill's eyes had widened, and he looked in awe at Colin's wand. "What do I do now?"
"Think about the persons you love, your dad, your mum, your siblings, anything that makes you feel happy. And then you yell. 'Expecto patronum'." Mum explained.
She demonstrated how to do it, and her otter sprang to life.
"Beautiful," Neill was mesmerized.
Mum studied her patronus, deep in thought. She turned to dad. "Should I alert Terry? I doubt he is involved."
"Tell Terry to grab his son, run and hide." Dad agreed. "These people are dangerous. They might also hurt the children on the receiving end to cover their tracks."
"They are their children, Draco." Mum hesitated, her otter still in attendance.
"These children are squibs, Hermione. The moment these people realise their 'stealing magic back'-scheme is not going to work who knows what they will do? There are parents who hurt children that do not live up to expectations."
Mum and Dad looked at each other in silent understanding. She instructed her patronus and the otter departed in a wink.
"Now, Neill, it's worth a try." Colin encouraged the younger boy.
"You don't even have to yell, you know," Meg told him. "If it's easier for you to focus you can use words, but there is no limit. Use your imagination about what magic can do."
Neill looked at Colin's wand, fidgeting, insecure.
"You can't really hurt anyone without meaning to." Penny had picked up on the reason for Neill's distress.
Neill swished the wand. Nothing happened.
"Take back what is yours," mum laid her hand on his shoulder. "And yelling might help after all. Even if you only yell, 'mine' or something like that. Just to channel your magic."
"Maybe imagine that you cut through this curse."
At first, Neill was too shy to get loud, but after several tries and promising little sparks that came out of Colin's wand, he shouted loudly, alternating between the words for the patronus spell and a strongly accentuated 'mine'.
A white-lilac shaft suddenly burst from the wand and Neill was flung several feet backwards and fell, his father calling out in distress. His watch fell off and landed on the floor with a loud crack.
Neill had fallen on his back and he stared with round dark eyes at all the people that surrounded him.
"Wow", he grinned.
He picked himself up. "I feel so much better."
And then he rubbed his ass. They all laughed.
Neill handed the wand to back to Colin. "Thank you very much."
Colin gave it back to him. "You have to be more formal about that, sorry."
Neill did his best to return the wand a second time. "I hereby return your wand and express my deepfelt gratitude for graciously lending it to me."
Meg and Penny laughed about the boy's serious face.
Mr Dursley let himself fall on the sofa with a huge sigh and hugged his son.
Dad brought the eggs and Neill was chatting away happily with Meg and Penny, questioning them about Hogwarts. They would all be in the same year.
Mum and Dad told Mr Dursley that they should best wait for the aurors to return before going home. The Longbottom's house was well warded, and people might be after him, if they realised, that he had been involved. Mr Dursley called his wife, and mum and dad informed Rina and Lizzie in short notes and told them to be extra careful. Colin could hear his own phone hum with the messages in the family chat.
Colin pinched himself. He felt off, slightly sick and his head hurt like hell, probably from crying. It was not that a conspiracy was unveiled every day. He was glad that Neill was freed of the curse, he was glad, that apparently the people who wanted to steal magic would be held accountable, but how could everything be so normal, when something as dreadful as the curse of the elves had happened?
He wondered what he could do to help the elves. He stood up and wandered to the drawers. He looked at the encased scutum spells fascinated at their opaque opal coloured hue. They looked strangely beautiful, not like the sickly greenish tinge of the one egg that held the killing spell and not like the turquoise praeda spell.
Maybe to be rid of magic was a thing of beauty. So many terrible things had been done with magic. There shouldn't even be something like curses. Wouldn't it be better, if one did not even have the chance to do dark magic?
Colin's finger approached the opaque egg as if of his own volition, gingerly touching it. It did feel slightly squishy, not as if it would give in at the first try, but frail nonetheless. Surely it would break if Colin poked hard. If he poked with just a tiny bit of pressure.
"Colin," he heard mum's voice.
He looked up. His eyes met hers and he flushed.
"Please, come here." Her smile held a lot of tenderness.
Step after step, Colin went to her, his gaze wandering back to the eggs several times.
Dad had stood up, his body tense, as if he were prepared to jump at the slightest cue.
Mum gently took Colin's hand, just the tip of his fingers, and Colin let her have it willingly. He felt like in a daze.
"You cannot help the elves without magic," mum said. "It would be a hollow statement."
Colin felt tears pricking his eyes again.
"How…," he stopped himself. How had she guessed?
"I know you. You would like to do something now, immediately, charging in like a Gryffindor, but this is not how it works."
Colin swallowed.
"We'll work at this." His mm pressed his fingertips. "The plight of the elves will not be forgotten."
Notes:
So, Colin's wand is put to good use!
This might be a bit of an anti-climax after the action in the last chapter but curses have to get undone!
Thanks to all my lovely readers whose comments make my day!
Chapter 90: A new house (January 5, 2005)
Summary:
The contact ban has finally come to an end and Draco and Hermione reunite.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Hermione had woken up in the middle of the night, and sleep had eluded her. Today, the 900 days were finally over, and she would see Draco again. They would meet at her parents who had taken Rina for the day, because Hermione had a defence case today. A rebellious elf had been sued by a distant relative of the Weasleys from the Prewett side because his inattentiveness had ruined the potions, he was supposed to watch over. Hermione could only hope that the trial would not be that long. She would call Draco the moment she left the courtroom. She just hoped she would not fall asleep. It was an easy case anyway. A potioneer was not supposed to let elves do the work, considering that there usually was so much wand work involved. If that case had not come up, she could have reunited with Draco yesterday.
Prudy had advised against that though: "They might be lenient about the last hours, or they might not. Better safe than sorry."
Prudy and Tatki were bustling around, while Hermione sat at breakfast. She had no idea why the elves were so excited. Prudy hopped up and down as if this were a special day for her. It would have been funny, if it did not almost drive her crazy. Hermione still feared that at the last minute someone would come up with a new scheme to separate her from Draco.
She looked around her flat and at the boxes she and the elves had packed. She was not sorry to move out. Their honeymoon was a good memory, but apart from that there was little she liked about it. She would always associate her flat with aurors supervising her every move and the dreadful time she had had Dragonpox. And it was too small for a family of three anyway. And they planned on getting another child in the near future, so that the age gap would not be too big between the sibling.
Draco had organised a house. He had been busy preparing everything for moving in since Christmas, or that is what he had told her. Hermione suspected that he had prepared at least since Rina's second birthday, if not even before that.
When Hermione had complained that she wanted a say in how the house was furnished, Draco had laughed. "You are a witch, Granger. Anything you do not want you can change with a swish of your wand." He had a point there.
Hermione had tried to pump her parents for information, but they had kept their silence. "It's supposed to be a surprise", her mother had told her. "We won't spoil it." Her parents were certainly in cahoots with Draco.
Hermione suspected that they had given some of their money as well. Draco did make money with Fortescue's, but he was far from rich. And occasionally he still had what they called RPP, or rich prat problem. It was not really a problem of Draco not knowing enough about money, it was rather a problem of Draco knowing too much about quality. And sometimes real quality was just not available on their financial level. Draco had even some quote about it from a muggle author: Captain Sam Vimes' boots rule or something like that. Hermione had yet to read that book. It basically came down to the fact that quality might cost an insane amount of money but was less expensive in the long run.
Tatki and Prudy had moved all her books already, and now there were just the breakfast dishes. Hermione stood and prepared to tidy the dishes and put them in the last box, but Prudy and Tatki were faster.
"Please," Hermione told them. "Let me do something. I'll go mad with excitement, otherwise."
It was true. Hermione could not remember ever having been that excited, not frightened at all, but filled with joy. Maybe when she had first ridden on the Hogwarts Express. Her excitement and joy made her look at the clock every five minutes. It was funny that the 900 days had somehow passed, but now the last hours seemed to crawl.
Finally, finally it was a quarter to nine and Hermione apparated to the side lane from where she could enter the ministry to a hopefully short trial.
The trial lasted only three hours, and judge Williamson, a halfblood judge who was not prone to cater to exaggerated pureblood expectations followed her defence and told Helena Prewett that she could count herself lucky that the elf had not decided to 'rat her out to the potioneers' society' as he worded it.
It was 12 o' clock sharp and her cheeks felt hot, and the blood pounded in her ears. She texted Draco and left the courtroom in a daze. Everyone was a blur before her eyes. She might have heard some people greeting her, but she picked up her pace and began to run. She was slightly out of breath, when she entered the great hall from where she could floo.
She saw his tell-tale hair from far away, and her heart leapt into her throat, even before she heard her phone chime. She wanted to call out, to shout his name, but tears sprang to her eyes and clogged up her voice. Apparently, tight with emotion, her body did not know, whether to laugh or cry. Turn around, she thought, look at me.
Although the hall at the ministry was buzzing and noisy, Draco somehow sensed her arrival. His face lit up as she approached, her curls flying. Her eyes were still blurry but when she saw what was in his rucksack, her body decided for her to break out in laughter. The tips of two French baguettes were just visible over Draco's left shoulder.
She came to a halt just in front of him, almost doubling over. He caught her before she fell and pulled her up.
"When we last saw each other, I promised you fresh French bread."
His smell reached her nose, familiar, and yet new and intoxicating, wrapping all around her and the rest of her laughter was swallowed, when his lips crashed down to meet hers. He tasted better than she remembered. His tongue was cleverer than her dreams. His body felt hard against her in an unfamiliar way and comfortable at the same time, reassuring. She felt as if she would drown. She felt as if she could float. One of his hands stole to the small of her back. She could feel it there, right through her coat. His other hand was buried deep into her hair at the back of her neck.
He broke their kiss and began to catch remaining tears on her cheeks and lashes with lips that felt as soft as silk. His mouth wandered towards her ear.
"Baguette magique. It's the French word for wand, did you know that?", he whispered. His voice sent jolts through her body, just as he had made her shudder when they had talked on the phone, late at night, whispering into each other's ears. His sexual innuendo drew a deep laugh out of her belly.
She raised herself onto her tiptoes and nuzzled her face in his neck. "A wand, all for myself."
She pressed her hips to his, chasing the feel of his arousal through his winter coat.
"All yours, Granger," he answered.
His mouth sought hers again and they melted into each other, entwined in their own magical circle, set apart from the buzz around them.
When they came up for air the next time, Hermione touched her lips with her fingers. She loved how sensitive her skin was, that the feel of Draco's mouth and tongue seemed to linger.
Draco let his fingers dance on her neck. His cheeks were flushed with the heat of the moment.
"I'm breaking at least two pureblood rules right now." His eyes glittered with amusement.
"Tell me all about it, Malfoy," she said. Her hand was on his biceps, ready to draw him in for another kiss.
"I'm in love with my wife."
"How undistinguished and vulgar."
"French kiss in public."
"Shocking. I am certain, your father will hear about that."
"I sincerely hope so."
He dove in again, nibbling at her lips, moaning hungrily until her heart was about to burst from her ribcage. Or was it herself who made that noises?
"Draco," she murmured into his mouth.
"Shht." He stopped and looked down at her face. "You should stop saying my name in that voice. I'd rather not have a French wand accident in public."
She laughed. "We can't have that… "
"There is making a point, and tell all these wizards and witches who watch us now, that they can go and fuck themselves and there is privacy."
"You want to show me our house."
He nodded. His mouth was set in a smile, a real smile that made her happy.
"I think, about every ministry employee on their way to lunch has seen at least a glimpse of our deliciously unprecedented behaviour." She looked around and indeed wizards and witches made satisfyingly scandalised faces at them. She grinned and licked her lips.
"I hope they all realise how ridiculously inadequate their own sex life is."
Draco took her hand. "I know you will forgive me, Granger. Blaise rented a fancy sport car just for today. You know, riding into the sunset to live happily ever after and all that. Not looking back on the past."
She made their linked hands swing. "I hope we can actually eat the baguettes and you didn't just bring them for the sake of a joke, Malfoy."
"It's all in my rucksack, everything for a picnic in our house."
They had attracted an audience, and she recognised some faces. Sloane looked as if he were about to vomit and Hermione hoped his stomach would give him trouble for years to come. Some aurors were there as well, she saw Neville shaking his head but there was also a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Parkinson grinned and waved at them. Harry or Ron were nowhere to be seen. If she knew Neville at all, he had probably warned them. What a pity. If she saw them now, she would be tempted to try how far Draco and she could go just by kissing.
"Yet, we will make him run." She quoted as they picked up their pace to leave.
Draco insisted that she would let herself be blindfolded, so that the house would be a real surprise. She obliged him, although she did not particularly like to be blind in a car. She laid her hand on Draco's thighs and drew circles on it, slowly closing in on where he certainly was aroused.
He swatted at her hand. "I'm driving."
She laughed, feeling dizzy with happiness.
"Baguette magique," she said.
The car stopped and she smiled, brimming with anticipation. Draco opened her side of the car and picked her up, carried her like a bride. She laughed again.
"I missed you so much," she breathed. "I want to make love to you."
She could feel Draco's breathing and his heartbeat where her body was pressed into his. He let her down and fumbled with her blindfold.
"I'm sure I'll love it." Hermione kept her eyes closed a moment longer.
"I really hope so." Draco's voice trembled just enough to show her that he was nervous.
She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a very familiar house number, a number she had seen every day of her childhood. There was a small wreath just above the number and a ribbon that read 'welcome'.
It took her a moment to process it.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she had to laugh. "That is why Monica and Wendell insisted that this New Year they would visit me. Oh my!"
Draco turned the key, took both her hands, and led her into the house.
"Prudy and Tatki did some extensions charms. It should be big enough."
"What did you do to persuade my parents? Where do they live now?"
"Nothing, it was their idea. They said, the house needs a family with children."
He searched her face. "Do you like it? We have a library."
"Do I like it? Do I like it?" She giggled.
She threw herself in his arms. "Draco, let's live happily ever after."
He picked her up.
"Bedroom?" he asked.
She nodded happily.
They didn't even make it to the bed. They didn't even shed all their clothes. The first time they made love in Mayweed Grove, Hermione's back was to the door of their bedroom, her legs folded around Draco, while he held her up, all the while incoherent words and sounds spilling out of their mouths, because no existing word could encompass what they felt.
They ate the baguettes in bed and initiated their marital bed in the midst of crumbs of bread and cheese.
Monica and Wendell brought Rina in the evening. She was so excited to see her mum and her dad at the same time and in the house of her grandparents, that she refused to go to bed. Hermione told her a story while she sat on Draco's lap, all of them cuddled together until her eyes finally closed. Draco first carried Rina to her bed and then they both went hand in hand to their own bedroom.