Chapter Twenty-Four

Alright then Malfoy? I'm assuming you snuck out of my flat under your own volition?- H

Hermione toyed nervously with the clasp on her notebook. It was noon, her regular time to check in with Malfoy and she had no reason to feel hesitant but something had shifted last night in their relationship. It wasn't a large shift, it wasn't like they had suddenly become best friends but it was enough to shake the solid foundation of apathy and begrudging acceptance that had become their norm.

It had felt oddly intimate to have him in her flat and then for him to, unintentionally, spend the night. She hadn't had a chance to really think about it as she rushed about that morning, trying to get ready and get to work as quickly as she could, but now that she sat in her office, the box of takeaway she had ordered perched on her lap her anxiety and overthinking had caught up with her.

He had left this morning without a word, had he been offended that she hadn't woken him the night before?

Was he disgusted with having spent the night on her couch?

They already had such an odd relationship, was this going to make things even more uncomfortable?

She jumped, almost upsetting her untouched meal as her notebook chimed.

Really Granger, you make it sound like I snuck out after a shag. Did you really expect me to stick around for an awkward morning cup of coffee? I might be a Death Eather but I'm not going to torture either of us with a 'morning after' conversation. Go bother people with the intricacies of magical import laws or whatever it is you do at work. I'm busy.- D

Hermione felt her cheeks warm as she snapped the notebook closed and tossed it away from herself. Insufferable man. Did he have to be so difficult? She had just been trying to broach the subject tactfully, it had taken her a good ten minutes to find something to say that wasn't awkward, he didn't need to be so… him about the whole thing.

She successfully navigated the rest of the day without dwelling on Malfoy and when she waved goodnight to June she was even in a rather good mood. There had been some issues with the import of scarab beetles from Egypt that had been causing headaches in multiple departments but she had finally been able to broker an agreement that all parties were happy with and which would avoid an unnecessary beetle shortage for Diagon Alley. And the cherry on top was that Theo would be home in a few days so she wouldn't need to put up with Malfoy much longer.

Her good mood evaporated when she walked in the door to her flat and saw an owl waiting for her.

"Hermione, hope you haven't murdered Draco yet and all is going well. Unfortunately the dig is taking longer than we anticipated, I'll be here another few days. I already let Blaise and Draco know, fingers crossed this wraps up quickly. I'll send another owl before I leave.- Theo"

Just her luck, it seemed like Malfoy was destined to be a thorn in her side at least a little while longer. As if it could read her mind her notebook chimed from her work bag and she groaned.

I promised you I'd let you know if I intend on taking another potion; do you insist on testing this one or am I free to take it of my own volition?- D.

She weighed the possibilities mentally. If it was the same batch of potion, made by the same person, it might be alright. She was tempted to just let him take it and let him deal with the consequences but she knew she couldn't live with herself if something happened she could have prevented.

Tick tok Granger. I don't have all night.-D

He kept reminding her he was an insufferable wanker most of the time.

Ah yes. I forgot that the bustling social calendar of a social pariah who is curretly hiding from the public is so demanding. Bring it over. -H

The sun was just setting and it was overcast, he'd have plenty of shadows to skulk through to keep himself hidden. Theo, Blaise and Malfoy were unnervingly adept at skulking, she wondered if Snape had given them lessons when they were at Hogwarts or if they had practised as children.

A mental image of Blaise, Theo and Malfoy as children practicing dramatic twirls of their cloaks and hiding in shadows or secretly following Snape down the dungeon halls trying to imitate his signature prowl came to her mind and she smiled.

Resigning herself to dealing with him once again, she fed Crookshanks, fished out a packet of noodles and popped on her kettle.

She had just finished adding her noodles the boiling water when the knock from her front door startled her.

"That was fast-" She commented, opening the door but instead of Malfoy, Harry stood in her doorway looking exhausted.

"Oh! Hi Harry!" She plastered on a smile while she tried to inconspicuously check behind him. Thankfully the hallway was empty.

"Expecting someone Mione?" He asked her as he stepped inside her flat.

To respect her privacy, Ron and Harry never flooed to her apartment unless it was an emergency, they always apperated outside and took the lift up.

"Oh! Just some food delivery." She watched him eye her bowl of noodles on her table. "I was feeling less than inspired for dinner tonight and noodles just aren't cutting it." She explained hurriedly and he seemed to accept it.

"I'm assuming you didn't pop by unannounced to comment on my dinner." She teased but Harry's smile was tense and that put her on edge. "Is everything okay Harry? Is Ginny alright? And the Weasley's" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah Mione everyone is fine but I'm afraid this isn't much of a social call, I was in the area on my way to meet Ron for a raid so I can't stay long but I wanted to stop by and tell you myself before you heard it from someone else." He said, taking a deep breath as if bracing for the fallout of whatever he was going to tell her. "Malfoy and Nott are back in London."

"Oh… I already know that" said Hermione, confused. This was apparently not what Harry had been expecting because he looked taken aback by her reaction, or lack thereof.

"Did Ron already tell you?" He asked "I told him to let me handle it- Are you alright Mione? I promise we're keeping tabs on them, Nott is usually abroad with his work but Malfoy seems pretty secluded for now. Do you want me to set up extra patrols around your flat? Or you could stay with Molly and Aurther for a bit" he noticed her face and quickly amended "Or me and Ginny, we'd love to have you stay with us until they're gone."

"Harry, I'm fine. No, Ron didn't tell me. I-" And here Hermione cursed herself for not just pretending to be surprised, she was terrible at lying but apparently her mouth had worked faster than her brain. She scrambled for a truth that wouldn't land her in any more hot water. "I ran into Nott at the Ministry, he had stopped by to speak to my boss about some paperwork mishap, I'm sure Ginny told you about that. Malfoy and Zabini were waiting for him when he got done speaking with her so I knew they were in town. With how tightly the Auror's are at watching them, I figured you already knew…"

Harry was momentarily struck speechless just staring at her. Then he removed his glasses and ran a hand tiredly across his eyes. "Zabini is back out of the country again, so he's nothing to worry about. Apparently everyone and their keezel knew about them being here before Ron and I. Our department head just told us this evening. Ron didn't take it well."

No, Hermione didn't imagine he would have. "Do you think maybe that's why they waited to tell you? You know Ron's temper and how he is with the Slytherins, maybe they just wanted to make sure they were sticking around long enough for it to be worth telling." She said gently.

"That's what Ginny said when I told her." He said with a more genuine grin "She said you'd take the news well and she was right, I just wanted to make sure."

"I know you can put on a tough front Mione but if you see anything or feel uncomfortable I mean it, you can come stay with us or I can set someone to stand guard." He told her seriously.

This is why Hermione had always loved Harry, he might be oblivious and thick headed at times, but he was always there to have her back and he really did care. She knew that if she ever contacted him, day or night, rain or shine, that he would be there for her in an instant.

"I'm fine Harry, I mean it, I know you worry but they are allowed to be in the same country as us without us losing our minds. They've done their time and made their amends, and it's been eight years without Malfoy so much as sneering in my direction. I've gotten more attention from the creeps Ginny keeps setting me up on blind dates with then from the Slytherins." She told him gently, and up until a month ago that had been true.

"Yeah, Ginny still feels horrible about that." Harry said darkly. "That tosser is lucky I showed up when I did, I'm pretty sure Ron would have killed him if I hadn't. Not that it would have been a great loss to the Wizarding World but the paperwork would have been a nightmare."

Harry pulled her into a tight hug. "We love you Mione, I know me and Ron have been busy lately but I've still got your back. I don't want you to worry or hide away, just be a little more cautious right now. I know you can take care of yourself just remember what Moody always yelled at us: Constant Vigilance!"

"Right." He pulled back, checking his watch. "I've got to run or I'll be late and Ron would hate that. He's been stuck catching up on paperwork this week and I think he's itching to stretch his legs." Which was a polite way of saying Ron really wanted to hex something or someone.

With a kiss to her cheek he hurried out the door. Hermione locked it after him and went back to her noodles, which were cold. Sighing she poured them into a pot and lit the stove to reheat them.

Harry would probably come around to her helping Malfoy, Theo and Blaise. It might take some reasoning and time to get him to understand but she was fairly certain he would listen to her, she just had to be careful not to be around Ron when she decided to tell Harry. He would not be so forgiving.