It's a Long Story
Draco’s head was still spinning as he paced at the docks, his hands tugging the hair at the back of his head. Who the fuck had her?
It couldn’t have been the potion smugglers—no one knew that Draco or Hermione were apart of the Aurors team here in Beccles. They were just on vacation—that’s what everyone thought.
He cursed. It had to be the pureblood freaks. The fucking purists had clearly gone into overdrive once they had seen Hermione with Draco. They should’ve been careful. She shouldn’t have ever been more than a meter away from him. Draco swore again.
He saw Potter coming up the pathway—the Aurors were crawling all over the docks.
“Malfoy!” Potter shouted. “There’s nothing by the docks. We’re going in deeper towards the shipment areas but since it’s Muggle land we’ve got to disillusion ourselves.”
Theo emerged from a boat looking disgruntled. “Anything?” He shouted as he walked down the dock.
“Nothing!” Draco yelled back.
“If this goes on for another two hours Kingsley’s going to grab more teams.” A junior Auror appeared behind Theo.
“Tell him to send those teams now.” Potter grunted back.
“Yes sir.” The Auror said and returned back into the boat.
Theo walked behind Draco and clapped him on the back. “We’ll find her mate. There’s got to be something that we’ll find that will lead us to her.”
“Do you have confirmation that it’s the blood purists?” Draco turned to Harry. “Is there any chatter back in London?”
“There’s no proof yet, but just based on how famous the two of you are and how much coverage you got back in Diagon Alley—it’s likely.” Potter replied.
“It can’t be your parents? The Greengrass’s?” Theo turned to Draco.
“Lucius wouldn’t be as insane as to do that to her. I’m not sure how far the Greengrass’s would go.” Draco said, dread settling in his stomach.
“Potter!” The junior Auror shouted from inside the boat. “Get in here!”
Harry ran down the dock, followed hotly by Draco and Theo. “What is it?”
“We’re finding traces of her magic here, sir. It looks like she lingered outside of the boat and eventually walked down the dock back towards the town.” The Auror skidded back the way they came with his wand out. “And…” He frowned. “It disappears here.”
Harry furrowed his brow. “How is that possible? Did they Disapparate?”
The Auror shook his head. “There would’ve been a strong surge of magic showing up—especially if she wasn’t alone. My theory is she was knocked out here sir—her magic would’ve gone out that way and any warming charms or anything else that was running would’ve gone out too. Perhaps they moved her to another location afterward.”
Harry lifted his wand. “Expecto Patronum!” His stag appeared and wove in between them. “Kingsley get those fucking teams here now, and send a team to block the roads that lead out of Beccles.”
***
Hermione’s head felt as if she was sitting beside a speaker at a Muggle concert. There was a consistent banging that had her swaying.
“She’s awake, Dim.”
“What kind of name is fucking Dim?” Hermione murmured opening her eyes. She startled as she saw bright green eyes staring back at her.
“It’s Dimitris.”
“Not Dimwitted?” She asked sweetly. Her tongue felt like sandpaper. The last thing she remembered was someone grabbing her at the docks.
Dim grabbed a handful of her hair and Hermione gritted her teeth as she looked him dead in the eyes as her hair was tugged upwards. “No, not dimwitted.” He snarled and let go of her hair.
Hermione’s eyes travelled across the room and widened once she saw Marcus tied to a chair that was pushed against the wall. She pulled onto her own bindings slightly—they weren’t even close to loosening. Her wand was sitting on a table beside Mason. Of course, it was beside the Muggle. “And what is it that you want, Dim?”
“We’re here to put an end to you.” Another man stepped forward, slightly beefier than Dimwit. “Getting rid of Hermione Granger will effectively end any future mishaps between the pureblood men and women and the Muggles.”
“I’m not a Muggle.” Hermione said dryly.
“Just a Mudblood.” Dim said squatting in front of her. “A Mudblood that stole magic, and is about to ruin one of the most ancient pureblood lines there is in the Wizarding World.”
The other man stepped forwards. “What did you do to convince the Malfoy boy?”
Dim scoffed. “I bet she has him under the Imperius. How else would she have convinced such a young indoctrinated Death Eater into such shame?”
Hermione flinched. “I doubt that was his choice.”
“He fulfilled a great honor for the Dark Lord.”
Hermione let out a cackle. “Who is now dead.”
Crack.
Hermione’s cheek stung. “How dare you.”
“Do not speak of Him in such a way.”
Hermione felt her anger bubble. She needed to get herself and Mason out of here. “Untie my bindings.”
“We’re going to have so much fun with you Miss Granger. When we’re through, the Malfoy boy will run back to his parents, and no child will behave in such a manner again.”
Hermione willed her magic to untie the knots at her wrists—a simple spell that she had learned by her second year at Hogwarts.
Dim grinned. “They’re spelled so you can’t even use wandless magic on them. The Dark Lord taught us that one.”
Hermione cocked her head. “Yes, I was there for that.”
Dim took a glance at his partner. “What—”
“In fact, the Dark Lord taught me this as well.” Hermione gave him a smile with her teeth bared and arched her back, the air filling with static.
She pulled on the magic that He had taught her, pulling and changing and fighting with her regular use of magic. Hermione took a breath and remembered what Draco had taught her—both the light and dark parts of her magic had to live together, exist as one. She exhaled, and where the ropes had been before were now snakes that slithered down her legs and towards Dim and his partner who had let out a small scream and had pulled out his wand.
Hermione stood, feeling goosebumps rise along her arms. “I wouldn’t do that.” She threw up a protego on Mason, the poor boy was still knocked out, and then pointed her palm outwards towards Dim. “Reducto.”
His wand, along with what appeared to be his wrist, snapped.
She felt alive—her magic was coursing through her and pushing out of the room. She turned towards Dim’s partner who had turned to run. “Incarcerous.” The man fell to the floor with a thud as ropes wrapped around his body.
Hermione turned to Dim. “I could use Crucio on you, as I’m sure you had planned for me.” Dim began to stutter. “But I do plan on running for Minister one day, and that would not do.” She gave him a small smile. “Levicorpus.” Dim hung by his ankle in the air and thrashed about. “Slugulus Eructo.” Hermione laughed.
***
Draco gasped as he felt the hair on his arms stand up. “Potter, do you feel—”
“That’s got to be Hermione.”
“Or a fucking rogue Death Eater.” Theo said as the four of them, junior Auror and all, darted away from the docks towards the shipment center.
There was a surge of magic that seemed to be sweeping across from the floor of the docks, its core unsettling and cold and powerful.
Draco followed closely behind Potter as they crept through an empty shipment center—all of its members gone for the day. Theo and the junior Auror—Al was his name, were sweeping the outside of the building.
“I’m gonna go this way.” Potter whispered, pointing to the left and Draco nodded taking a right. He was sure there had to be some type of protocol for this but at the moment, feeling the Dark magic seep right over and into his skin, he could care less. He was getting closer.
He had to take a breath to remember that he wasn’t still under the Dark Lord’s rule—that this magic, this enormity of Dark magic, had to be coming from Hermione.
Draco heard giggling.
He paused outside of a door and also heard vomiting, and within a second, burst through the door.
It was as if time had slowed down. Draco had been running one second and then it had felt as if he was running through mud. He turned his head and saw Hermione watching him with wide eyes. Time regained its usual speed and Draco fumbled into the room.
“Draco?” Her voice cracked through the room.
Draco spun in a circle as he saw one man wrapped in a frenzy of ropes, and another hanging by his leg in the air vomiting slugs. Hermione seemed to be crouching near an unconscious child. “Granger, what’s going on?”
Her gaze lingered on his face before she responded. “I’m not entirely sure.” She stood on her feet and swayed, and Draco rushed forwards to catch her as she fell.
***
The cleanup team had a nightmare of a task altering memories that night. Mason had to be checked twice by a mediwitch and then brought back to his parents who had already gone to the town sheriff once their son hadn’t shown up to dinner. Half of the police department had to be obliviated.
Hermione was tucked into Draco’s side after a screaming match with Al as she had refused to explain what had happened. Harry had profusely apologized to Al and had attempted to get a statement out of Hermione himself, who had then stormed up to her room and locked herself in it.
After the quietness in the Manor returned, Draco had knocked and let himself into Hermione’s room. “Pax made you tea this time.” He said and heard sniffling from the mound under the covers in the bed. “Oh, Granger.”
“Have I really ruined your engagement?” She turned towards him, her head peeking out of the covers.
“Granger don’t be ridiculous.” Draco set the tea tray down and went to sit beside her on the covers. Hermione laid on her back and looked up at him with a pout on her face. Draco wanted to reach over and pat her head. Instead, he slid down and laid onto his side. “Astoria was insane—this was just an excuse I used to get rid of her. I’m never going back.”
Hermione closed her eyes and laid her head on his extended arm. “I’m not sure how this rumor upset so many people.”
“The pureblood community has always been batty, Granger. They’re simply not used to a muggleborn outdoing all of their sons in school.”
Hermione let out a laugh. “Even the great and grand Draco Malfoy?”
Draco grinned as she moved closer to him, their faces now inches apart. “Even the great and grand Draco Malfoy.”
“How did you even know I was gone?”
“It’s a long story, Granger.”
“And you came for me.”
“I wasn’t very useful though, was I?”
“But you came.” She said, her honey eyes staring into his grey ones, their faces now centimeters away.
“Hermione.” Draco whispered, feeling her nose almost brush his.
“Draco.” Hermione breathed, tilting her face upwards.
Draco leaned down and held her face in his hand, his other arm working to drag her closer towards him. “Hermione.” He said as Granger’s lips parted, and he kissed her.
Hermione went limp in his arms as Draco dragged his lips across her jaw and peppered kisses along her throat. He found a spot underneath her ear that had her squirming, and Hermione threw her head back in ecstasy as Draco made his way down her neck. “Oh, Granger.” He murmured as he made his way back up.
Hermione bucked her hips as Draco rolled himself on top of her and settled his member against her. “Draco.” She gasped.
He smirked before kissing her once again.
Neither of them had time to adjust before Theo burst through Hermione’s doors in a sing-song voice. “Granger I’ve made everyone soup so stop moping and get out of bed—” Theo’s voice broke as he gasped upon seeing a blonde head on top of Granger. “Good Merlin!” He grunted awkwardly and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
“No Potter, do not go in there!” Draco heard Theo yell in the hallway.
Hermione giggled from underneath him.