Chapter 9
POV Hermione
Hermione glanced at her wand for the time as she hurried down the street. She hadn’t realized how late it had gotten when she finally left work. She was mentally going back over her notes and the information she collected during the week.
visit to Destination Unknown w/ Vivian
Found: white pill in back corner of dance area - taken to lab for analysis
Appare Vestigium revealed path of victim, broken door leading outside, hair and blood samples collected - taken to lab for analysis
Hermione had checked in with Phillip and Chang for updates on the status of the lab samples. Phillip couldn’t give a succinct answer, but Cho estimated a turn around of 3 days, just in time for the start of the week.
Muggle victim transported to St. Mungos for further evaluation and questioning
Two victims from Wizard clubs - reason for more Wizard than Muggle victims?
Legilimens to obtain description of possible suspect - seen passing out pills similar to one found at Destination Unknown, male, mid-twenties, shaggy dirty blonde hair, royal blue jumper, piercing on right ear, no pheromones detected - beta or using max strength suppressants
All victims currently @ St. Mungos for treatment - Wizard victims transformed back to human after 48 hrs, Muggle victim transformed back after 5 days with lingering side effects
Possible causes - starthistle potion, lycanthrope transfiguration charm (similar to Draconifors, unknown if any such charm has ever been used)
The fact that wizards and Muggles fell prey to such a terrifying transfiguration was concerning and cause for greater concern in Hermione’s mind. Were both groups being targeted? And for what purpose? Or, if Muggle victims were just collateral damage in the pursuit of wizard targets, how had the cause of the transfiguration made its way to Destination Unknown? Hermione thought of Felicity mistakenly taking one of the pills found at the club and going through a horrific transformation. She shuddered at the thought. Godrick, she loved the girl, but sometimes she thought Felicity should be put on a leash.
Suddenly she was at Malfoy’s door. She fluffed her hair up and smoothed her shirt.
After a quick rasp of the door knocker Malfoy flung the door open. He was dressed in dark jeans and a button up charcoal grey shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, along with a pair of dragon hide boots. The first two buttons were undone and he had a gold chain around his neck.
“Granger,” he drawled as he leaned against the doorframe. Her name dripped off of his tongue like golden honey, and Hermione wanted to savor every last drop. “Thanks for the early morning wake up call with the owl,” he said with sarcasm, and the yearning Hermione felt vanished. She was here to work after all, she needed to focus.
“Glad to see you are all dressed up for me, Malfoy,” she crooned. “I half expected that I would need to leviosa you to the stakeout in protest.”Suddenly she heard clamoring in the background, the unmistakable sound of glasses clinking and the pouring of alcohol.
“Yo, Drake, ask Goldie what she wants to drink,” said someone in the kitchen.
Hermione looked over Malfoy’s shoulder at the noise. Bottles and glasses were floating back and forth in the opening to what Hermione could only assume was the kitchen.
She gave Malfoy a sharp look. “Who the Circe is that?!” She demanded, her brows furrowed deeply.
“Chill Granger, that's ju-”
“You called for me, my dear?” Theodore Nott appeared as if out of thin air beside Malfoy, balancing two drinks in one hand while holding a third out for Hermione.
He still had his signature brown curls he had at Hogwarts, though he had clearly filled out over the years, no longer a lanky teenager. Theo was wearing a pair of casual joggers, a white shirt and a big smile. Hermoine had not noticed how nice it was before today.
But as Theo looked her up and down, his smile faded. “Granger, darling, I thought we were going to a club. Is that really what you’re wearing…?” he questioned her, his eyebrow raised.
Hermione looked down at her outfit and back to Theo, questioningly. She didn’t understand what was wrong with her black, wide leg trousers and creamy blouse. She even wore her highest heels that were still work appropriate and made sure to accessorize with her favorite gold bangles and necklace before leaving the office. And she had made sure to reapply her mauve colored lipstick.
“There’s only so much a girl can do when she still has to go to her day job before a night out, Nott-”
“Theo,” he said, and flashed her another smile.
Hermione felt warmth in her cheeks. “Theo. What’s so wrong with my clothes? The ads said this was a good day-to-night look. And who said you could tag along?”
“He’s not -” Malfoy started, before the lively brunet cut in again.
“Oh ho ho,” Theo chuckled, “wanting to spend some alone time with my boy Drake? Well, who am I to deny the Golden Girl a bit of fun?”
“That’s not -”
“Go on, Goldie, let your hair down for the night. Literally. Come in, come in, let’s fix you up proper!”
“Theo!” Malfoy protested as Theo linked arms with Hermione and passed off the drink to her in one fell swoop, pulling her into the loft and leaving Malfoy at the door, mouth agape.
Malfoy’s place was surprisingly warm and inviting. As she walked down the hallway she could see the kitchen through an archway on the right. Just peeking in as Theo dragged her along, Hermione could see a large range stove and stainless steel appliances. On the left opened up into a large living room with high ceilings. A whole wall was covered with a bookcase, but instead of books were rows and rows of vinyls. Music was already playing. Hermione freed herself and walked over to the record player, watching the record spin. Reading as it did Hermione read the title “Phantoms” by some band she had never heard of called Mariana’s Trench.
Hermione turned back to the rest of the room to see Malfoy had followed them in and seated himself in a leather lounge chair, a drink in hand but barely touched. Theo on the other hand was now leaning against the back of the couch, looking her up and down, sipping on his cocktail.
Hermione, uncomfortable with his gaze, shifted her eyes around the room.
“What’s the matter, love, not a fan of gin and tonics?” Theo chirped, motioning to the untouched drink in Hermione’s hand. She glanced down and watched the ice cubes twirl as she swirled her drink around, catching the familiar floral scent mixed with the burning sensation of alcohol.
“I actually quite enjoy a well made G&T,” she replied, emphasizing her doubts at the quality of the cocktail. Theo smirked and narrowed his eyes at her.
“Granger probably shouldn’t be drinking tonight anyways,” Malfoy piped up.
Hermione turned to scowl at Malfoy, trying to convey that he should shut his mouth to not give away the true reason for their outing.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Theo exclaimed as he downed the rest of his drink. “What’s the point of going out together if you’re not trying to get sloshed?”
She wasn’t dumb and knew Theo could probably make a mean cocktail. Besides, she was definitely gonna need some extra courage to get through this night.
Letting out a sigh she finally admitted, “Okay Theo, I’m at your mercy,” gesturing to her outfit. He gave her a wicked grin. Theo tucked his hand under his chin, walking around Hermione, inspecting her outfit as someone would decipher a cryptic puzzle. He lightly tugged at her trousers before pushing her hair behind her shoulders. “My professional opinion Granger… is that this is a mess”, he said bluntly. “But don’t worry darling… I’ll be your fairy godmother” he added with a wink and blew her a kiss. “Bippity Boppity Boo!” he chanted quickly, and with a wave of his wand Theo transformed her outfit. And just like that she had changed clothes. Now she was wearing tight dark-colored skinny jeans with a white, slightly shimmery camisole and black high heeled boots.
Hermione popped her foot to get a better look at the boots. She gasped at the height and needle thin heel and promptly set both feet on the ground. She stood for a moment, waiting for the inevitable topple from the lack of support and comfort. When she remained upright, Hermione glanced back at Theo. He was watching her with a cheeky smile, twirling his wand between his fingers and clicked his tongue.
Theo leaned in close to Hermione, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and brushed his lips along her ear. “Those comfort and support charms are just a little something extra from yours truly,” he whispered, and gave her a peck on the temple.
Hermione shivered at the sudden touch and looked up to see Malfoy watching intently, gripping his glass and slurping on his cocktail noisily. Playing along with Theo’s antics, she smiled and rubbed Theo’s arm, turning to whisper into his ear. “Much appreciated, Theo.”
Malfoy swiftly got up from his chair, downing his drink at the same time. Theo glanced back at him and asked, “And what do you think Drake? Is your date presentable now?”
Malfoy gave him a death stare and responded “ I think it's time we get this over with. And aren’t you needing to head home?”
“Oh Draco, trying to push me out so soon?” he asked, his hand clasped together over his heart.
Pushing Hermione along to the front door Malfoy only responded, “Always”.
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POV Draco
Draco apparated them to ‘The Floating Admiral’ a hip wizard bar in East London. He had been here a handful of times already.
Granger took a deep breath beside him, he could see the plans churning in her head.
“Okay, we are looking for any signs of dangerous drug activity. Keep an eye out for anyone acting suddenly erratic and dangerous.” She turned to him, looking him in the eye, “And we need to watch for drug dealing, I'm sure you will be good at that.”
Draco rolled his eyes and gave her a crooked smile. “Careful Granger, you are getting dangerously close to complimenting me” he told her.
“In your dreams, Malfoy,” she huffed back.
He leaned over, close to her ear, the second Slytherin today to do so. “You don’t want to know what you do to me in my dreams, love,” he purred, blowing hot air along her ear, down her neck, to her glands.
She covered the gland with her hand and snapped her head around to glare at Draco. “Not now, Malfoy!” she hissed under breath.
Her reaction set his stomach churning, something rising in him that made him want to forget the night, forget the easy way she flirted with his mate. He pursed his lips and looked away, putting on his best show of pouting. “You wouldn’t be so rude to Theo…” he said under his breath.
“Now I'm going to go in first, we don’t want to be seen together,” she said, clearly ignoring him. And with that she spun on her heels and marched in the club. Draco watched the sway of her hips and then caught the bouncer staring at her from behind as she walked through the door. He couldn’t ignore the jealousy creeping in from his pores. He wanted to thank and curse Theo for making the little witch look so delectable.
He waited a minute or two, then followed suit. As he passed the threshold of the club he was suddenly being pulled from behind his navel. Just as quickly, he was dropped in front of a busy dance floor, witches and wizards intertwined all around, moving to the music. He quickly scanned the area, but couldn’t see any sign of a huge mop of curly hair. All along the outer edge of the floor were apparition spots, people popping up one after another.
Draco quickly started stalking around the room, trying to find the bloody witch. Beyond the dance floor he could see numerous floating dance floors, above and below ground level. He had forgotten how large the club was. But then again he was usually high when he arrived in the past. He loved watching the opaque, floating platforms change colors throughout the night as people danced in waves around him.
Draco looped around the platform once, no Granger in sight. He set to work in the meantime, looking for any signs of “dangerous drug activity.” Gods, what did Granger really think of him? He needed another drink.
He sauntered around the platform once more for good measure. Nary a nefarious deed being done in this crowd, apart from the horrible dance moves by some of them. He stepped over to an apparition spot to move on to another area when he caught a glimpse of a mass of messy curls and light reflected off of white fabric on a dance floor above him. As Granger was busy scanning the area, Draco saw a tall bloke trudging toward her from behind, a determined, menacing look in his eye. But as soon as he saw them, Draco was whisked away. He promptly arrived at the bar platform, but his thirst for another drink was gone. He felt a jolt of adrenaline, and a need in his bones that he wasn’t familiar with. He sprinted to the edge of the platform and quickly reoriented himself to his omega. He could feel the faint tug of her pheromones. Why was she releasing them here of all places? He twisted to face the floating area directly across from him.
Draco’s blood felt like lava in his veins as he watched Frankenstein’s monster tower over Granger. He could almost see a cloud of pheromones trying to envelope her. What was this recessive alpha trying to pull with those weak pheromones? She was already backing away, wand in hand. Draco felt his heart drop when he felt the familiar burn of fear from the alarm pheromones wafting off of Granger.
He rushed to the nearest apparition zone, pushing a drunk couple aside. He practically dove into the spot that would transport him to the panicked omega. Draco hit the ground running, the alarm pheromones hitting his face. He worked to calm his own frantic heartbeat, he didn’t need Granger’s panic exacerbating his own.
Draco grabbed the man’s collar from behind and pulled him away and into the invisible barrier of the platform. “What are you doing releasing those pheromones?!” he demanded. She looked up at him, her eyes large and wet. “You did this! You got me all riled up outside,” she spat at him.
He turned away from Granger, facing the ugly lumberjack. From behind he could feel Granger lightly holding on to the sleeve of his shirt, terror in her finger tips. He pulled her close and tucked her under his arm. When did he become so attached to this tiny omega? He would deal with this existential crisis later. Right now, his focus was pinpointed on the man before him, eyes glazed over and locked on Draco’s omega. Draco released his pheromones, sending the message to all nearby alphas to back the fuck off. Paul Bunyon grimaced at the scent and walked away, surely back to the cave he crawled out of.
He heard coughing beside him. Draco spun around and immediately released calming pheromones, blanketing Granger to calm her - really both of them - down. He lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. He took a deep breath and Granger followed suit. They stood like that, wrapped up in each other, breathing in each other’s scents, until their hearts beat at a normal pace. He cupped her face and she nuzzled her cheek into his touch.
When he opened his eyes he finally said, “I need a drink”. He silently led her to the apparition spot, where they stood together as they were whisked away. Once at the bar he promptly orders them each a shot of tequila, which they take in unison. After another deep breath he asks, “What will it be?” glancing down at her.
Without missing a beat she responds, “Vodka cranberry.”
Draco leans on the bar and says, “Two Vodka crans please,” slapping a couple of galleons on the table top. The bartender looks up at him, then down on the coins in front of him. With half hooded eyes he slides them into his hand and drops them in the register, then busies himself making the drinks.
“Are you going to explain why you were releasing your scents? Aren’t we here for work… not pleasure?” Draco demanded, still slightly heated from what had just happened.
Granger flinched next to him. “I didn’t know what I was doing, Malfoy,” she retorted back without meeting his eyes. She straightened her back, determined. “This is all very new to me, I honestly wasn’t really aware I was doing anything.”
“And the other scent?”
“I thought I - I don’t know, I sensed you? It was just instinct.” Her voice dropped off near the end, but Draco heard every word. He saw red coloring her cheeks, not from the club lights.
His heart beating in his ears drowned out the music around him. He must still be worked up from King Kong trying to put moves on Granger. Where was his drink?
The bartender pushed the drinks toward them, his eyes lingering on Granger’s chest far too long for Draco’s liking. He picked up the drinks, handing one to Granger and leading them to the edge of the platform, but not before leaving a trail of pheromones for the bartender to choke on. They were able to survey most of the club as they sipped on their drinks.
“I don’t know how you drink these Granger, so sweet… Bleh.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. 'Four scoops of sugar in my Tea,’” she responded, giggling to herself.
Draco huffed. “Oh you were watching me all those years at Hogwarts, why am I not surprised?”
She furrowed her brow, but before Granger got a chance to reply Draco pointed down at a platform on the left. He could see what seemed like a couple dancing close to the edge and off the beat of the music. The woman slid a hand in his back pocket and pulled out a tiny baggie, a few pills inside. “Look down there, that's what you are looking for,” he told Granger.
“Are you sure? I can’t see anywhere out of the ordinary” she replied, standing on her tiptoes to see better.
He gave her an exasperated look. “Really? Are you really asking me that?”
Without answering his question she turned to Draco. “Okay this is the plan… I am going to confiscate those pills. I need to confirm they are laced. I want you to follow that man. We have to find who is distributing them or they will continue to get passed around.”
“So when I follow this strange man to a random place how are you going to find me?” he asked.
Granger chewed on her bottom lip, lost in her thinking. Then with a smug smile she took the straw from Draco’s cocktail and lightly tapped it with her wand. She slid it into the front pocket of his jeans. “There. I placed a simple charm on it that will lead me to you.” She looked up at him smiling like she had just solved a puzzle.
“Brilliant, Granger, can I get a kiss for the road?” Without hesitation, Draco swooped down, gave her a satisfied peck on the edge of her mouth - How about that, Nott? - and apparated himself to the entrance of ‘The Floating Admiral’. The guy had already started moving towards the exit as Granger was making the plan. Draco was determined to trail him, just as his omega had asked of him.
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POV Hermione
Hermione popped onto the platform below. She pulled the woman aside and pulled out her badge. “Miss I am from the Department of Mysteries, I'm going to have to confiscate those,” nodding towards the pills in her hand.
“Oh..erm.. Uh,” was her only response and she squinted at Hermione’s badge.
Hermione did not have the time to linger here with this dazed and confused woman. She snatched the small baggy and turned to find the exit. Confounded by all these damned apparition spots, she just wanted to find an exit sign. Instead, she pocketed the pills, gave a flick of her wrist and apparated to the entrance of the club. She took a deep breath of fresh air, sensing a trace of Malfoy’s scent. It was faint, but her glands throbbed as if Malfoy was there, licking her neck and wrist. She stepped away from the door, away from distractions.
Hermione took out her wand and gave it a flick. On the ground she could see a faint, twinkling line leading away from the club and towards the outskirts of the city.
She scurried down the road, walking two blocks before she saw a tall blonde man lurking behind a pillar, staring down the street. Hermione flicked her wand again to remove the charm and quickly made it to Malfoy’s side.
“How far is he?” she whispered to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“He is another block and a half down that way,” Malfoy purred in response, resting his own hand atop Hermione’s. He felt unusually warm. But as suddenly as it was there he snatched it away. Without meeting her eyes he said “follow me”.
They walked along the path for several more blocks, passing a few people out for late night strolls with their dogs or a smoke. The path was dimly lit by street lights, but they crept along, the people and lights became fewer and far between. Soon it was only the two of them and the man on the path, walking several hundred meters ahead. Suddenly the man turned, looking around the empty streets.
Thinking quickly Hermione pulled Malfoy towards her, leaning up against the brick wall behind them. She grabbed his collar and pressed her mouth to his. He didn’t hesitate to play into the act. He tangled his hands in her hair and sucked on her bottom lip. She responded by running her hands through his hair, wrapping one of her legs around him. Hermione peeked over Malfoy’s shoulder to watch the suspect scurry away. Malfoy continued to run his hands along her neck and shoulders, his lips never leaving hers. When the man they were following seemed a good distance away, Hermione broke from the kiss.
“We’re in the clear, Malfoy. Let’s g-”
His mouth was on hers again in an instant, his tongue prying open her lips to explore inside. Malfoy pushed her back until she was flush against the cold bricks, his hands hot against the skin at her waist. Hermione shoved him off of her, a mixture of lust and confusion swirling in her mind.
“Malfoy, enough, let’s go.”
He looked back at her, hands hanging at his side, slight disappointment painted on his face. It took a moment for his eyes to focus. Hermione didn’t sense any out of character pheromones, but noticed that Malfoy felt feverish to the touch. She couldn’t worry about that now. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him along the path to keep their suspect within sight.
Malfoy hurried along beside her, pulling his wrist out of her grasp.
Suddenly the man stopped, pulling his wand from a pocket and unlocking a side door of a house. Just like the rest on the street, this house was completely ordinary, if not a bit dingy. He quickly shut the door behind and the house lit up from the inside.
In a hushed voice Hermione said, “Come on, let's look inside.” Malfoy followed behind, pulling at his shirt collar. Hermione could see a light sheen of sweat coating his exposed skin.
Peeking in through a side window that for some reason wasn't blocked off or warded - criminals really are stupid - they could see cartons and cartons of small baggies stacked along the far wall. In the middle of the room, sat around a small table, three young women were placing tablets into the baggies. Hermione took the chance to get a look at the pills she confiscated earlier. She held the baggie up to the light from the window. The pills matched the tablets being packaged in the house and looked at least similar to the discarded pill at ‘Destination Unknown’. She would need further testing to confirm the contents of the pills and if they were in fact the same drug.
Suddenly she felt hot hands wrap around her from behind, resting just below her breasts. Malfoy laid his chin on her right shoulder, nuzzling her close.
‘WTF’ she thought. Hermione squirmed in Malfoy’s grasp, trying to break away. But this just made him pull her closer. His lips pressed against the skin at her neck and trailed along to her ear. She felt his hot breath wash over her as he nibbled on her ear, his breathing heavy.
“Really, Malfoy, here?” Hermione protested as he continued his onslaught.
“Yes, here. I want you Hermione. I need you,” he purred into her ear as his fingers began to wander.
Malfoy spun her around and started kissing up Hermione's neck. As he did she lost her footing and stumbled into the side of the building, making a large thump. Everything went silent inside the house, then an eruption of chairs scuffing floors and feet pounding down hallways sounded from the building.