Later that week Draco was pacing in his room, looking irritated. Blaise was lounging in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace, glancing at Draco from above a glass of firewiskey.
,,Draco, buddy, you should stop or you're going to make a dent in the floor." Blaise said for what had to be the fifth time in half an hour.
,,They should have been here by now!" Draco grumbled, not paying attention to Blaise.
,,And they will be. I'm sure 'The boy who won the war' Potter is a... well a man of his word. If he said he'll be here, then he will." Blaise said nodding, finishing his drink and placing the glass on the coffee table. ,,Now, tell me, do you have a plan?"
,,Kind of, but I don't know if it will work." Draco said uncertainly.
He had stopped pacing and was now staring out the window.
,,Why is that?" Blaise asked, his eyebrows raised. It wasn't like Draco to be unsure of something he planned so diligently.
,,I don't know if she will agree to it." Draco said quietly.
,,Aahh, I see what this is about." Blaise said, a smile spreading on his lips, ,,You're worried she'll make a scene."
,,She always makes a scene when it comes to something like this." Draco scowled at his reflection in the window. ,,It's like one of her many hidden talents or something. Should have seen her when she found out Potter had Aurors watching her."
,,Bet she went mad." Blaise smirked, evidently amusing himself with the situation.
,,Mad?!" Draco huffed, turning and taking a sit across from Blaise. ,,She went berserk, mate. As soon as she saw me in the house, she started throwing curses at me."
,,Well, look on the bright side." Blaise said with a mischievous look on his face. ,,At least she didn't egg that ginger demon on you."
Draco threw an angry glare at his friend, who burst into laughter. A moment later, Hermione's voice came from the common room.
,,They're here." she said, and Draco could hear voices talking energetically.
,,Here goes nothing." Draco groaned, getting up and opening the door. ,,Coming?" he turned to Blaise.
,,Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Blaise grinned.
,,Glad at least one of us is having fun." Draco scoffed under his breath.
When they entered the common room, the place was packed with people. Truthful to his word, Harry came, but to Draco's despair, he had brought a few too many people with him. Ginny was just hugging Hermione, smiling widely at her friend. Neville and Luna were whispering to each other, and next to Harry were none other than Ron and George. With a jolt in the stomach, Draco thought about Fred.
I never realized just how much they resembled each other. Wonder how he feels, not seeing his twin anymore. Is it like missing half of you?
As if feeling his thoughts, George glanced at Draco, startling him out of his dark musings. Looking to George's left he noticed Ron staring at him as well.
,,What's HE doing here?" Draco asked promptly, frowning slightly at Ron.
,,Whatever HE is doing, I suppose." Ron said calmly, gesturing at Blaise. ,,Moral support." Blaise offered Ron a grin in return.
,,Now is not the time to be peaky, Malfoy. We need as many trusty people as we can gather." Harry said warningly.
,,Exactly." Ron said with a nod, shoving his hands into his pockets. ,,Besides, I'm on a holiday right now, and what better way to spend it than to chase around Dark wizards." he shrugged and grinned at Draco.
,,My baby brother has grown into a fine man." George mocked grinning widely and slapping Ron over the back in a very brotherly way.
,,Didn't take you for a brave one, Weasel." Draco bit out.
,,You don't scare me, Malfoy." Ron grinned, leaning back slightly. ,,You may be called Draco but you're no fire-breathing beast."
,,Now if you are all finished with your welcoming speeches, I'd like to get right into the problem at hand." Harry said rather impatiently, fixing Draco's eyes.
,,Oh we haven't said ours." Luna said airily. ,,But I guess that can wait."
Everybody chuckled, even Blaise, while Draco only rolled his eyes and took a sit as far away from everyone as possible. Harry then started presenting the situation from the Ministry's perspective. It appeared that a group of rogue Death Eaters had started to make a move against key people who helped Voldemort's demise. Neville and Luna said they had also been attacked while on a research trip in the northern part of the country. They had escaped thanks to a Devil's Snare they were just studying. The plant had attacked the dark wizards, giving Neville and Luna enough time to disappear. George said he also heard of strange and, seemingly, random attacks while working at the joke shop.
After putting all the pieces together, the Ministry concluded it had to be an organized group, acting systemically. Seeing how Hermione was also attacked, there was no doubt in Harry's mind that they were very serious about what they were doing.
,,And I am very sure they will not give up until they manage to hurt us." Harry said grimly. ,,The Aurors' office is now trying to check cases of strange disappearances or kidnappings that might be linked to the group. There is suspicion they had been acting in the shadows for longer than these recent attacks."
,,In the meantime, we have to do something." Hermione said. ,,I propose we form a plan to lure them out of their hiding. It's better to face them on our own terms." she concluded, looking over everyone gathered there.
Harry and Ron nodded their heads, while Neville and Luna exchanged serious looks. Draco frowned, fixing his grey eyes on Hermione. He knew she would say something like this. Hermione continued talking, unaware of his stares.
,,Since they seem to have a bigger interest in me than in the rest of you," she was saying, ,,I propose to..."
,,No!" Draco cut her off, his voice steady and cold.
,,Excuse me?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing at him dangerously.
,,You're not excused. And whatever you are thinking, the answer is no!" Draco said, returning her look with an even more dangerous one.
They stared at each other in that manner for a few moments, before Harry broke the silence.
,,Malfoy, let's hear her out first. She's smart and you know that, and she will come up with a good plan." Harry said tentatively, giving Hermione and encouraging smile.
,,You know as well as I do that her plans will most likely involve putting herself at risk to lure the bastards out." Draco snarled. ,,She spent way too much time with you two." he gestured with his head at Harry and Ron.
,,What is it to you if I put myself in danger, Malfoy? Why do you care?" Hermione asked slowly, her voice cold.
Draco's head jerked in her direction. After a moment's pause, he stood up and strode until he reached her armchair.
,,Because of this." he said in a cold whisper, letting a small piece of parchment fall on her lap.
Hermione unfolded it, her eyes widening slowly as she read it.
,,What does this mean? What is this?" she asked, confusion and worry laced in her voice.
,,That, Granger, is a note my father left me in his study right before he disappeared." Draco answered, not taking his eyes away from her. He noticed the small twitch her hands gave at the mention of Lucius Malfoy.
,,Even so" Hermione started, her voice trembling slightly. ,,What does this have to do with me and with what we're planning?"
,,Granger, I thought you were smart." Draco snapped, bending down and grabbing her shoulders in a tight grip, forcing her to look up at him.
Harry and Ron both shifted in their seats. The others remained quite still, watching as Draco and Hermione had a battle of wills.
,,If he is involved, we don't know what can happen." Draco said darkly.
,,Maybe you're misunderstanding his words. Maybe he meant that he knows something, and he will... help..." Hermione said trying to sound confident, but her voice faltered at the look of pure anger Draco had in his eyes.
,,I don't want to see another member of my family hurt you. Therefore, I am not taking any chances. If indeed he is trying to help, he can come wearing a white flag or something, I don't care. But until we know for sure, you are not doing anything stupid. " Draco said with finality, clenching his jaws.
,,And what exactly are you going to do to stop me?" Hermione frowned up at him, trying to get up.
Feeling her move, Draco pushed her back down, tightening his grip on her shoulders.
,,Don't test me, Granger." Draco said warningly.
,,Or what? You'll chain me or curse me?" she bit out, finally mustering enough force to push out of the armchair she was sitting on and move past him.
His hand jerked up and he grabbed her by the elbow.
,,Hermione, please." Draco blurted out in desperation, every ounce of coldness gone from his voice.
Everyone let out a gasp, a deafening silence covering Draco's words. Ginny even covered her mouth with her hands, staring in shock between Draco and Hermione, while Harry, Ron and George gaped at Draco as if he grew another head or sprouted wings. Blaise watched his friend with mild amusement, tapping his chin with his index finger. The only ones who didn't seem too shocked where Neville and Luna. They both looked at Draco and Hermione with calm, steady eyes, waiting to see what happened next.
Hermione turned and stared at Draco in stunned silence. It was like her brain had stopped working, not able to process Draco's words properly. She just stood there, like a statue, not able to move a muscle or make a sound.
Taking advantage of her shock, Draco closed in on her. He placed his hands on her arms, this time in a gentle manner. He forced her to look up at him, his stormy grey eyes boring into hers. These past few days had strained him, and Hermione's current stubbornness made something snap inside him. His carefully placed walls crumbled slowly, and he could only think about how to keep her safe. Nothing else mattered much to him at that time. He couldn't care less how that would make him look. He had to explain it to her, to make her understand.
,,How do you think it will make me feel if I see my father hurting you? After what my aunt did to you in my own home. How do you think I could bare it if something like that happens to you again?"
He paused for a moment, squeezing her arms slightly. Hermione remained silent, looking up at him with her mouth slightly opened.
,,I may not have been able to do anything then" Draco continued quietly, ,,but I sure as hell can do something now."
,,And what is that?" Hermione whispered despite herself, catching her breath seeing the intensity in his stare.
Her arms went up, slowly placing her hands on his forearms. She looked in those grey eyes, returning their intensity, searching for something but before she was able to find it, Harry's voice snapped them both out of their daze.
,,That, is working with all of us." Harry said. ,,It's better than working alone. I'm sure even a Slytherin like you would agree, isn't that right?" he asked.
As if he was doing it against his will, Draco slowly pulled his eyes from Hermione's, though his arms were still holding her. Part of him felt like he never wanted to let her go. He quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
What right do I have to think this way? None. He thought bitterly before finally releasing her. His fingers still felt her skin.
,,Well, I agree with Potter. Or should I say with 'Harry' now that we're on first name basis with the Gryffindors" Blaise said with a smirk directed at Draco.
Draco's pale face showed a soft tinge of pink. He glared at Blaise and scuttled away from Hermione and back into his chair. Ginny looked from him to Hermione and chuckled softly.
Ginny will have a ball with this one. Hermione sighed, groaning inwardly. But her heart fluttered against her will when she remembered Draco's words.
Thank you all for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed the evolution in Draco and Hermione's interactions. Stay tuned to see what happens next. A heartfelt discussion to warm up their hearts, perhaps? ;)