A Little Selfish
Draco watched as Hermione cradled her coffee between her hands as he sat across from her in their board meeting. Kingsley was pacing back and forth in front of them, and Harry was leaning against a blackboard with his eyes closed.
"It's a little late for this, don't you think?" Draco spoke, and Harry's eyes flitted open.
"We've been watching them for quite some time." Harry replied. "It's a huge delivery of dark objects that are making their way through England, and they're arriving from the sea. We don't know if they're doing it the Muggle way through boats, or if they've got a portkey."
"There are currently 16 portkeys active on that shore." Kingsley replied. "It is quite a large port of importing and exporting goods; especially to the Wizarding World."
"And what do you want us to do?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes flashing.
"We have a team there figuring out when the objects will be arriving in the next few weeks, and where they might be stored. You two are the only—the best—potion masters that are in the DMLE and—"
"We're not potion masters, yet." Draco piped.
Harry held the bridge of his nose. "If you take everyone in the DMLE, and pull people that can handle wand work and potions to an almost extreme extent, it's you two."
"So, you need us to what? Stabilize the objects once your team grabs them?"
"You might need to assist and help plan that extraction. Once that's done, the objects need to be stored elsewhere and kept stable. We aren't sure what exactly they're made for."
"We have a house in the town there we can stay at." Draco said, pondering. He turned to Hermione. "We also have a few guest rooms—you'll have your pick."
She raised her eyebrows. "I suppose a hotel would blow our cover."
Harry winced. "Honestly Hermione, the obsession you have with the Leaky—" Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Hermione turned to glare at him.
"That would be lovely, Draco." She said pleasantly, her eyes just leaving Harry to flit to him.
Draco nodded, slightly unnerved. "Good."
"That settles it then." Kingsley said. "You leave tonight."
"What?" Hermione and Draco swiveled to face him.
"Minister—"
"Kingsley—"
He held a hand up. "We cannot wait any longer. If you two show up in the middle of the week, the locals will talk. It's not as if they don't know who you are. The two of you will leave tonight—Friday as it is—and begin your stay there."
"Oh so Malfoy, excuse me, Draco and I will be vacationing together in a little sleepy town. That will be quite plausible to the people that are in charge of distributing dark objects."
Harry sighed. "It's going off of... well, I'm not sure if you've seen the post."
"What about the post?" Draco asked, panic filling his chest. He hadn't been anywhere with Hermione.
"You know how they are at the Daily Prophet." Kingsley said withdrawing a paper from his coat and setting it down on the table.
Draco snatched it up and Hermione nearly knocked over the table by leaning over to read the front page. There was an image of Hermione watching Draco evaporate the mess Blaise had made in their potions class from last night with awe written blatantly across her face. The title read: Brightest Witch of Her Age Falling for the Second Place? Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.
Hermione gasped and slid off the table, landing softly with a thump. Draco felt his stomach in his throat. "Potter, I'm to be engaged."
"To who?" Harry replied, eyes on Hermione as she stood and began to read the paper over Draco's shoulder.
"Astoria."
"Well, if you're to be engaged, perhaps you could wait a few more weeks." Kingsley said. "Tell Astoria what's going on."
"I'm not sure if that's fair—" Hermione started.
"No, I..." He felt his cheeks almost flush. This could get him out of it, and away from Astoria. "It'll be fine."
Hermione paused her reading to look at him. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." He said staring right back at her.
Both of their eyes went back to the paper.
'"Honestly, you could feel the static in the room from her. It was like her magic was angry once Blaise had messed up his potion that badly—not that I blame her it smelled disgusting—and once Draco had gotten rid of it so smoothly, her magic dissipated and was replaced by something almost bubbly. Once she had cleaned her potion and left the room, Draco's eyes followed her the whole way out." Millicent Bulstrode explained to the Daily Prophet.'
"That bitc—"
"OKAY." Harry started. "Why don't you two get packing. You need to be there by sundown, so you only have about two hours until the portkey closes. There will be someone waiting to hand the portkey to you both outside of the Leaky."
Hermione scoffed. "Arrive together and leave together Harry? Will the press be there?"
"The press is everywhere, Hermione. Besides, you both only need one portkey."
She huffed and nodded. "I'll grab my things and meet you outside of the Leaky then."
Draco nodded, dread filling him as he awaited the conversation he'd be having with Astoria.
***
Draco leaned against the pole that held up the tipsy Leaky Cauldron sign. He closed his eyes as the spitting rain around him was slowly turning into constant pattering. Where was she? His bones felt hollow after that screaming match with Astoria.
"I'll only be fertile for a few more years, Draco! How am I going to explain this to everyone when they see you galivanting with that mudblood?"
"Mudblood? MUDBLOOD?" Roared Draco. "She bloody well saved us from that maniac! You don't need to wait for me, Astoria!"
"Oh Merlin!" She screeched. "Yes, and I'm supposed to crawl out of the Manor now with my head bowed as you're calling off our engagement for that brown haired little—"
"Don't act as if you haven't been dragging Greggory around—"
"Don't you dare, Draco Malfoy! I don't believe you for a second with your little cover up story."
"Just take the fucking out, Astoria, I know you want it. Take your belongings and leave the manor." Draco growled back, attempting to stay calm.
Draco rubbed his eyes, anger filling his chest as he remembered that earlier scrap. Anger, that in fact did not dissipate as someone barrelled into him, this time hard enough that they took down both Draco and the fucking Leaky sign.
He grunted as he attempted to break his fall; his back absorbing both of their weights. Almost instantly swallowing a brown bush of hair, he knew exactly who it was. "Granger, fucking Merlin!"
She groaned as she rolled off of him, crushed vials once again littering around them. There was a jagged cut across her collarbone.
"Fuck." Draco cursed.
Hermione's eyes unglazed as she looked down and watch the blood sweep down. "Fuck indeed." Her head swiveled around to locate her wand.
Draco grabbed her arm and steadied her, pulling out his wand. "Hold still." He straightened his arm. "Episkey."
Her eyes closed as the wound sewed itself up, wincing as the skin pulled slightly. "Merlin, thank you." She gasped as Malfoy pulled her up to her feet.
"Honest to Salazar, Granger. Do you not look at where you're going?"
"Sorry I was..."
Whatever she had said next went over his head as he looked down at the blue liquid on the cobblestones. His mouth went dry; what was she doing with those potions? "I... are you packed?"
She nodded with a hand to her head, picking up a brown satchel off the ground. She looked around and leaned in, whispering. "There's just an extension charm."
He raised his eyebrows, unsurprised. "I see."
"I just... we have a few more minutes. I need to grab a few more potions."
It was a societal rule that asking what potions a woman had was extremely rude, and regardless, Draco didn't need to ask. He fucking knew. "I'll come with you, then. We'll make it back in time; where is it?"
Hermione paused. "I... Knockturn Alley."
Draco nodded. "Let's go."
***
Hermione pushed open the little door to Lost Things and strode inside. "Stefen?" She called out.
"I don't have the energy for—" A man that resembled a faerie walked out—Stefen. "Ah."
Draco furrowed his brow. She was practicing occlumency, then. Why?
"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger, how may I be of assistance?"
"Stefen, I'm so sorry, I broke the vials again." Hermione said quietly.
He looked at Hermione and paused. "Did you now?"
She nodded.
"Well... my last batch goes to you then. I'll be out of stock for the next few weeks. Am I to presume that you'll be sharing?" He asked, reaching behind the counter.
Hermione swivelled to face Draco and turned back again. "Sorry why would we..." Her eyes widened as she glanced at Draco again. "No, it's just me."
She figured it out. Smart girl.
"Five galleons Miss Granger."
Hermione slid the coins across the counter and picked up the bag of potions. "Protego." She whispered, casting a shield charm around the bag. "Thank you again Stefen."
"Anything for you, Miss Granger."
Draco motioned towards the door. "After you, Miss Granger."