In Fate's Design

Chapter Six

It was so dark and cozy, not to mention comfortable and soft, she knew he had moved her to her bed the night before. She knew it even before she opened her eyes. He seemed to be slowly coming back to life, finally healing from the grieving process. Having Sirius back had definitely helped him. But she believed his main reason he had changed over the past couple of days was his first real mission as an Auror. And his chance at vengeance. She had never thought it would lighten his mood to work with Malfoy, but as he had been showing lately, her best friend was always full of surprises. She stretched, blushing as she realized how skimpily dressed she was. Normally, she would have worn something less revealing than her shorts and camisole, but last night, she had been extremely hot. Quickly, she changed into her work clothes. Hair up in a twisted bun, a pencil skirt, and an emerald blouse that Harry had gotten her for her birthday (she guessed that he had help shopping for it, it was quite curve hugging and feminine). She grabbed a pair of black pumps and headed for the silent kitchen. Before she could get there, however, she found Harry, sprawled out on the floor next to the couch.
"Harry?" She asked, crouching down and touching a hand to his shoulder. He stirred, but didn't wake up. She felt panic rising in her chest and she shook him harder. She noticed the empty bottle of firewhiskey next to his head and it clicked that he was passed out, drunk.
"Rennerverate" she whispered, her wand aimed at him. He groaned and lay flat on his back, shielding his eyes from the light.
She sighed in relief that he was awake and tackled him with a hug.
"Harry! Don't do that to me!" She squealed. He groaned again and covered his ears.
"So loud.." He mumbled, noticing that someone was on top of him. "Hermione? Ah, crud. I'm sorry." She got off of him and she helped him to his feet. Immediately, she could tell that this was a mistake as he swayed back and forth. She reached out to steady him, causing him to lose his last sense of balance and topple over, pulling her down with him. She fell on top of him with an "oof" and looked down at him.
They giggled for ten minutes, like little children who had fallen in the snow. Silently, she summoned the Hangover serum that would rid him of the annoying symptoms. It floated in, hovering by his head. She smiled and plucked it out of the air, handing it to him and he downed it in one gulp. He shuddered as the cool liquid took effect and she giggled again, helping him up once more. She looked up at him and smiled meekly. Suddenly, Harry felt very weak at the knees, with her looking up at him like that. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"So sorry, Hermione, I dunno what came over me. I just needed a break from.." He said, regarding the empty bottle.
"Harry, don't apologize. I understand." She said, pulling him into a hug. He relaxed into her arms and she pulled away slowly. "Why don't you go get dressed? You have a meeting with Malfoy at eleven thirty. Coffee?"
"Sure. Thank you, Hermione." He said before heading towards his room. He felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach, rising through him and causing a dull, yet comforting ache. He had felt it before, with Ginny during sixth year. The beast in his chest had chosen to awake, when he woke up to those honey brown eyes and messy curls. She had stuck with him through everything. Losing Ron had taken something out of them both, yet she had stayed by him.
Stop, Harry. He scolded himself for thinking like that. She loves Ron, you prat. She stays with you out of pity, not for comfort. You're broken. His elated mood ceased, and vanished. The beast went back into its slumber. And he dragged himself to shower.
He came out of the steam, feeling relaxed but saddened at the same time. He felt that by discovering feelings for Hermione while Ginny was grieving, he was betraying them both. Up until about three days ago, he had always believed that Ginny was meant to be his. Even when she pushed him away, she was his. But now, he didn't know what he was thinking. He put on the first shirt he grabbed, a dark green dress shirt, and slipped on his pants.
When he walked out to the kitchen, he realized that he was running late. He grabbed his coffee and toast, scarfed down the latter, and said a rushed goodbye to his best friend. Without thinking, he pecked her cheek and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. Then, he was off.
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The wind whipped at his exposed skin, numbing his nerves and most of his face. He needed to talk to Malfoy about the task at hand before he could be certain as to the next step.
"Potter." A tired voice that sounded oddly familiar said his name. He turned to see the very blond man he was waiting for. He nodded and led him into the warehouse in which they were to meet.
"What is the plan?" He asked the former Death Eater. He looked around and shrugged.
"You, Potter. You have to be the one to come forward with the evidence against me. That's the only way this will work."
Harry nodded solemnly and looked away.
"You've got to make it convincing. Search my Manor, search my family's business. Bring my mum in for questioning. It has to be authentic. Everything. And you can't tell anyone. At all." At these words, Harry swallowed the lump in his throat.
"And you?" He asked, barely audible. He didn't want to ruin any more lives. "What will happen to you? Where will you go?"
"Well, I'll be undercover, trying to clear my name and find the real culprit. If I can't, well, Kingsley won't be able to pardon me.. So I'll be headed for Australia."
"Australia? Malfoy, isn't that a bit of a chance for you to be taking?"
"What's life without a little risk?" Malfoy said, the glint in his eye and his words reminding him of Sirius. Before the tears could well up, however, he realized that he had just gotten his godfather back. Harry nodded, and held out his hand. Malfoy took it.
"I'll announce your arrest warrant at noon tomorrow. Try not to leave too early. I would advise either midnight or the early morning. Be safe, Malfoy."
A curt nod and brief "You too, Potter." Was all Harry got. Malfoy turned and apparated on the spot.