Author's Note: I forgot to mention earlier...Teddy Lupin is in this story, and he is being raised by Harry and Ginny. Although they aren't married yet (since they are only nineteen and twenty here) Teddy still calls them Mum and Dad since he lives with them.
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FORMER DEATH EATER DRACO MALFOY AND GRYFFINDOR HEROINE HERMIONE GRANGER SPOTTED!
By Sasha Kingsley
This shocked us all. A few nights ago the former Hogwarts students were both seen entering Diagon Alley's Leaky Cauldron only minutes apart. Though we're not entirely sure if Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy were dining together, it was reported no other classmates of the pair walked into the pub. Call us crazy, but is it possible that a Slytherin and Gryffindor are joining forces? Could it have something to do with the disappearance of Lucius Malfoy? After all, Hermione Granger was by far the brightest witch of her year and Draco Malfoy was no oaf either. Check in next week's issue for more updates on this story!
"Granger, I'm not sure about this."
Hermione glanced up from her former gaze at the building and stared at Malfoy in disbelief. "What? Malfoy, how can you say that?! We're already here. There's no use in turning back now."
The pair were standing outside the ginormous building for St. Mungo's, and had been for nearly twelve minutes. Hermione had been ready to march inside the door and find them some answers but Malfoy had stopped cold in his tracks. She couldn't help but become frustrated at his indecisiveness.
"I know. But...I'm just not sure I'm ready to face my father now. I've been trying to track down the man for years and now I'm suddenly about to find out if he's here. I need a minute to process it all," Malfoy insisted before sitting down on a bench.
Hermione felt her face soften at his uncharacteristic vulnerability. Her mind flashed back to all the times she'd seen his face at school, set in its' usual cold glare. She remembered always pitying him, thinking he was just the most miserable person.
But now she was seeing him at his weak point, and she couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Malfoy...I know this must be hard for you. If this was my father, I wouldn't have even had the courage to come here. But look at yourself. You're more than halfway there. You can't stop now, you just can't. I know you can do this. And if you need support, I'm right behind you...literally and figuratively." Hermione said while standing in front of him.
He nodded reluctantly in agreement, sharply raising his head to gaze his silvery eyes into her brown ones. "I never thought the day would come where I'd need Hermione Granger's help with someone, nevertheless a family issue."
She smirked. "Well, don't get used to it."
"I don't plan to."
The two had a small stare-off, as if daring the other to continue their bickering. Finally, Hermione broke the trance and started walking through the front doors.
"We better get going. Let's go find that father of yours, Malfoy."
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Harry walked quickly towards Hermione's office at the Ministry, nearly tripping over his robes while doing so. His loud steps caused Arya to glance up from her work with a small smirk etched across her lips.
"In a hurry to see Hermione, I assume? Sorry, Potter. She's out today," she said while organizing her desk area.
Harry skidded to a halt and stared at Arya uncomprehendingly. "What? She's not at work? That's unheard of! Hermione...Hermione would never miss coming in! Even when she's sick she comes in. Where the bloody hell is she then?"
Arya Finnegan pursed her lips, contemplating whether to tell him. "Well...please don't yell, okay? I'm just a messenger. She's with Draco Malfoy."
There was a slight pause before Harry sighed in defeat and leaned his weight against the desk. "Oh, right. I forgot she was supposed to be meeting with him...I better go call her then. Er, thank you!"
"Wait a second, Potter," Arya stood up with narrowed eyes. "First, did you already know she was spending time with Malfoy? And second, what do you mean you have to "call" her? She's not around, she'll never hear you yelling."
Harry almost laughed at the girl's ignorance but instead managed to only allow himself a smile. "Right. Well, I sort of did. She and I had decided to try and help him find his father, Lucius, since he's been missing. And to answer the second question...go to the Muggle Studies department and ask about a cell phone."
Arya opened her mouth to protest to his vague answers but before she could the Boy Who Lived practically ran back down the hallway, leaving the papers on her desk fluttering in his wake.
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Draco stood behind Granger as she approached the secretary, her shoulders squared. Though he hated to admit it, he was jealous of her bravery. Hell, he was a former Death Eater! He should have been the one approaching the desk with a solid expression of determination but instead he was cowering behind Granger as if he were her son.
Now that was a disturbing thought...
He was shaken from his daydreams by the high pitched voice of the secretary replying to Hermione's request. "I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, but we are not allowed to provide you information regarding patients unless you are a blood relative. Is this young man by any chance a relative?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact..." Granger tugged at his sleeve to pull him beside her. "This is Draco Malfoy, Lucius' son. He's been trying to find his father for years. Please, Miss. Tell us if he's still being taken care of here."
The secretary, who wore bright red lipstick and her dark purple hair pulled up in a bun, took one look at Draco and nodded.
"Very well. I can see the striking similarities between Lucius and his son. Unfortunately for you two, Lucius was moved to another center a few months ago. We tried our best to heal him here but alas our efforts were not strong enough. If you would like, I can call the new treatment center and ask if he is allowed to have visitors. I'll owl you the answer in a few days."
Draco's heart sank. A small part of him had truly believed his father was in arms' reach, and that he'd miraculously want to talk to his son again. But at the same time, Draco had feared this would happen. His father was very particular about everything, therefore in some ways it did not surprise Draco that he had been transferred to a better center.
"Did...did my father ever mention me to you? Or to any of the other nurses and doctors who work here?" Draco managed to choke out.
Granger threw him a look of mixed curiosity and sadness, which he ignored. Even the secretary seemed taken aback by the question, but her business-like posture lessened at the sight of Draco's stance.
"To be completely honest with you, Mr. Malfoy...he did mention you and your mother a few times. He never went into much detail, unfortunately. But yes, your name was brought up. He worried about you and your mother. Quite a bit."
With her words Draco felt a small bit of weight lifted off his shoulders. At least his father hadn't completely shut them out of his life —he had only cut them out of a small part of it. Draco could deal with that.
"Thank you so much for your help...?" Granger trailed off.
The secretary's red lips stretched across her face in a kind smile. "Linda."
"Linda. Thank you, again. We'll both keep our eyes peeled for that owl." Granger finished, holding out her hand for Linda to shake.
"Erm, yes. Thanks for telling me about my father." Draco added awkwardly, shaking the woman's hand as if it were fragile.
Linda placed her other hand on top of Draco's in a comforting gesture. "You're welcome. I'm glad you came to check on him. He would have appreciated you coming, I know he would have."
With their final waves, Draco and Granger exited the main doors, both quiet. Draco barely noticed them apparating back to her apartment, since his mind was still stuck on the fact that his father had mentioned his name while at St. Mungo's.
"Malfoy?" Granger's soft voice asked.
He blinked, realizing they were standing side by side in her kitchen. "We're back. I'm sorry we missed your father. But don't worry, we'll find him. We'll just have to wait for that message from Linda, and then we can make our next move."
For the first time in possibly forever, Malfoy saw Granger as a friend. It was the strangest sensation, since the two had been enemies since their earliest days at Hogwarts. But as he stared at her talking, her mouth moving miles per second, he couldn't help but feel the comfort radiating off of her.
And he surprisingly liked it.
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"Hello, this is Hermione. I apologize for not being able to reach the phone right now but-"
"Damn it, Hermione," Harry sighed as he cut off her voicemail. He shut his phone and tossed it onto the bed, running his fingers through his tousled hair. He'd been trying to call her for over two hours, and was greeted each time by her cheery recording. Where had she gone with Malfoy that had taken over two hours?
"Harry, for Merlin's sake would you stop sighing at that cell thing and help me get Teddy into his bath?" Ginny yelled from their bathroom.
"Coming, Gin!" Harry shouted back, eyeing his cellphone one last time before heading off to help wrestle the three year old.
When he entered the bathroom, the first thing he saw was Teddy in Ginny's arms, squirming away from the bathtub.
"He refuses to listen to me and clean up. You try and get him in," Ginny muttered in frustration, handing off the toddler to Harry before exiting the room mumbling to herself.
Harry wrapped his arms around Teddy's small body, trying to calm the boy. "Teddy, stop moving. Why don't you want to get cleaned up for Mummy?"
He pouted in response and looked up at Harry with wide eyes. "I don't want to take a bath! I took one last night before bed!"
Ginny had reappeared in the doorway, pure determination in her eyes. "Teddy, just because you bathed last night doesn't mean you don't have to clean again tonight!"
Teddy was a stubborn toddler, however, and still refused to comply to his parents' words. "I don't want to."
Harry wracked his brain for a bribe that might get the stubborn boy to get clean. "Hey, Ted. How about this: if you take a bath and get cleaned for me and Mummy, we can go visit Auntie Hermione. Sound like a deal?"
At the mention of his favorite aunt's name, Teddy's stance shifted from stubborn to excited. "Auntie Mione?" he asked, looking over at Ginny for approval.
Ginny threw her boyfriend a "thank you, love you" look before smiling down at the boy who she viewed as her own son. "Yes, Teddy. If you get cleaned up and put on new clothes, we can go surprise Auntie Mione with a visit. But you better hurry or she'll already be in bed and then we'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"No! I'm going, I'm going. I want to see Auntie! She's so nice and pretty," Teddy said dreamily, taking off his clothes before carefully stepping into the bath.
"Now we know who to call when we need help handling this one," Harry joked to Ginny.
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Narcissa Malfoy draped a black cloak over her shoulders, carefully arranging it to shield her from the reporters before exiting her hiding place from the shadowed alley and walking quickly towards the front door.
She checked all around her before deciding it was safe and entered the familiar, drafty looking shop. The floorboards beneath her feet creaked and groaned, and the only light came from the faint sunbeams poking through the tiny window in the far back.
"Borgin?" she called out.
She heard footsteps from her left and swiveled around only to come face to face with the man himself.
"Narcissa," he replied. "Nice seeing you again. Any news?"
Narcissa was glad he was getting right to the point, instead of attempting to make small talk. She crossed her arms over her frail chest and looked the man straight in the eye.
"I think I know where Lucius is."
A pregnant pause surrounded the shop, with Borgin's eyes widening in shock as she waited for his reply.
"Wait, what? How? How can you be sure, Narcissa? The man hasn't contacted you in years! How can you know?" he fumbled.
She rolled her eyes. "Stop with the stammering, Borgin. I married the man. I know a lot of things about him. If you're still willing to help me find him, though, I need you to do me a favor."
He nodded in agreement. "Of course. What do you need me to do?"
She leaned into the space between them and said it softly. So softly, in fact, Borgin had to strain his ears to make sure he heard her correctly.
"So can you ask him?" she clarified once she pulled back.
Borgin didn't think twice. "Yes."