Quarrels & Loves

Poise & Press Releases

Summary: Draco and Hermione have been hiding their relationship from the public since it even began. When Skeeter arrives unannounced for an interview and catches them both off guard, however, that's pretty much the end of it.

Draco was getting sick of being the last one called to a crime scene. He was second to Potter alone in the department now, yet everyone insisted on calling in anyone else before him. Time was everything when they were trying to hunt down suspects and the inability to follow protocol had cost them more hours than Draco bothered counting.

"Why didn't you call me sooner, McLaggen?" Draco demanded, crossing his arms. "You knew right away it was in my division, but this case is now a day old."

"Forgive me," McLaggen sneered, shoving the report file at Draco's chest. "Can't have someone messing up the scene before a real auror can see it."

"Precisely why you shouldn't be here," Draco replied with a glare. "Get lost."

McLaggen apparated without a word and Draco took a deep breath. Of all the aurors, McLaggen had always been the worst. The others at least tried to hide their hatred for him but McLaggen didn't bother.

At the very least, Draco could be glad McLaggen's reports were fairly well done. All the first details were clear and he'd followed the rest of protocol perfectly. The only part he'd failed at was alerting Draco to the scene the same day it had been called in.

A crack behind him drew his attention away from the report and he looked up to see Hermione walking toward him.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said with a frown. Hermione shrugged and glanced around the site, eyeing the scattered aurors that had come with McLaggen to gather any remaining evidence.

"Cormac returned with some choice words," Hermione told him, sliding a little closer to him than Draco was comfortable with for a public setting.

"Hermione," he warned, looking down at her.

"No one's paying attention," she told him, "Plus, you're about to leave for three days. Let me have this."

Draco glanced around the park and sighed before grabbing her hand under the cover of their cloaks. Hermione grinned.

"Tell me what happened," Hermione said, looking around the park as well.

Draco didn't know much more than what he'd read in the report, so he quickly summarized it all for her. Another murder, but in a muggle neighbourhood this time. The man was muggleborn and if Hermione hadn't been staring at him so pointedly, he wouldn't have told her that the victim had been tortured to death instead of avada'd.

"And how did McLaggen know it was yours?" she asked, eyeing the photos from the report.

Draco pulled one particular photo to the top and Hermione's breath caught.

"Oh," she said softly, staring down at the carving in the victim's arm. The crooked letters were hard to read, but the word 'filthy' was legible enough.

"No suspects yet, but it's definitely a blood purist," Draco grumbled, closing the file sharply. He knew he was the best choice for cases involving the dark arts or Death Eater enthusiasts after the War, but he didn't always enjoy it.

One of the aurors looked up at them then and Draco dropped Hermione's hand. She took a step back and gave him a small smile.

"I'll be at the office finishing paperwork all day," she told him, "Skeeter's coming in the afternoon, though. Something about an annual interview with the auror department, but I think it's just her excuse to make me miserable."