Snuggles and Screaming
Hermione awoke the next morning snuggled up against Draco's side and wide eyed. She had miraculously slept through the full night—Draco had spoken to her extensively about potential campaign plans until they had both fallen asleep on her bed. She and Draco had a day full of planning—the Aurors were coming for dinner once again so she and Draco needed to come up with a few plans on how to tackle hot spots for Dark object distribution—and how they would even find those hot spots in the first place.
Draco turned and pulled her closer into him, murmuring. "Sh..." Hermione shrugged herself into his arms.
"I didn't say anything." She whispered back.
"I can hear your brain."
She huffed.
"Hmm." He shifted against her. "We have a long day today, don't we?"
Hermione yawned. "Apparently so."
"Has Potter sorted through the Auror problem?"
"He's dismissed two Aurors from the team, but those two didn't necessarily start the whole escapade. They were just acting like idiots during the barn raid."
"Has he used Veritaserum?" Draco asked.
"Yes. Results have come back inconclusive—whoever planted it really did make it a big loop in everyone's head."
"We'd have to assign tasks individually then. Send a few Aurors on a goose chase to make sure no one really knows what's going on. If there's a mole, they won't be able to get the same task from everyone. Potter needs to pick a smaller team he trusts for the main events."
Hermione smile and nuzzled her face back into his arm, her back warm against his chest. "You should tell Harry that—he'd appreciate it. Running the department on top of this and going to a majority of Ginny's games is driving him a little loony."
"Speaking of looney, do you still talk to Lovegood? Or any of the other girls you were prancing around with in eight year?"
"Watching me in our last year of Hogwarts, were you Malfoy?"
"This bush on your head was always in my way." He grinned, a hand slithering to coil itself amongst her curls.
Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back as he began to massage her scalp. "The girls and I meet occasionally; we have sleep overs, brunches. Hmm, oh yes don't move from that spot."
"Have you told the girls about us then?"
"Ginny knows from Harry, I think. Everyone else—well not yet. What about from your little Slytherin gang?" Draco, Theo, Blaise, and Pansy were legendary in the way they protected each other.
"I've received a letter from Blaise, but nothing from Pansy. Something tells me once she figures out where we are she'll storm the manor."
"Are we bad friends for not telling them?"
Draco turned Hermione to face him. "Maybe a little. You're allowed to be a little wild Golden Girl—they don't always need an explanation."
Hermione cut her eyes at him but moved closer nevertheless. She sighed. "We'd better get our day started."
***
Draco and Hermione poured over maps of Beccles and marked down magic hotspots that were being sent in by Aurors that were Apparting into the manor and then Disapparating back out into the town. They tallied up the number of Aurors that would be present in the raid and when Harry stopped by in the afternoon, he split up the groups so that the Aurors of whose loyalty was questionable were sent to empty, magic devoid locations. He paired the rest of the Aurors that would be present into groups of two—patrols would be set public to the whole team, but once a raid began, randomized groups would be selected for the raid. Each individual Auror would have their own signal that would signify that they were needed in a raid, that way, no groups could be notified of false raids and no mole could get through. Neither Hermione or Draco knew what the codes were—their sole tasks was to throw up balancing spells and to pour their stabilizing potions over potential dark objects. Draco had consistently been testing the potions throughout the afternoon while Hermione sat with Harry and planned the orders of the raids.
Hermione rubbed her eyes. "This is an extensive plan—it should work out."
Harry yawned. "Raids start in two days then. You ready for tonight?"
Hermione leaned back in her chair. "As long as Ron doesn't pull the shit that he pulled last time."
"I talked to him—told him why he couldn't say stuff like that, especially in front of everyone."
"Did the other Aurors ever ask what that whole fight was about?"
Harry shook his head. "Passed it off as a grudge from the War—they get that we had to put up with a lot."
"Hm." Hermione murmured.
"Also, 'Mione, Ron's bringing his kid to the meeting. Lavender's got this awful cold—their elder two kids are behaved but the last one has been driving Lavender a little nutty."
"He's... what? Coming to the meeting? Is that even allowed?"
"The kid can just stay in the parlour room until it's dinner time."
"I see. Well, I'm sure it will be fine."
Harry gave her a small smile. "Everyone will be behaved. We'll have a productive evening."
"Indeed. Also, Harry if you don't mind, I'm going to try and nap until everyone gets here. Training my magic with Draco has been draining me a little."
"See you in a few hours." He said and began to gather their scattered papers.
***
Hermione had barely closed her eyes by the time she heard the telltale sound of her door being opened.
"Are you asleep?" Draco's whisper barely reached her.
"No." Hermione responded, her voice muffled by the pillow she was laying on. She turned over. "How are the potions?"
"Still stable—they should work as planned."
"Do we have enough?"
"Enough from what Potter's estimated." Draco slipped in beside her.
"Are you napping before the meeting?"
"I was attempting to." Hermione said with mirth in her voice.
"We'll nap together then." Draco grinned as he slipped under the covers and dragged Hermione onto his pillow, her body snuggling into his. Barely moments later, she was asleep.
***
It wasn't until Cricket popped into their room with a "MASTER IS NEEDED DOWNSTAIRS WITH MISS GRANGER" that Hermione and Draco dragged themselves out of bed and careered down the stairway that led towards the dining room.
They paused outside of the grand oak doors, and Draco casted a smooth over spell over both of their clothes and hair. "Ready?" He asked.
Hermione shivered as her hair combed itself down and nodded once to enter the room as Draco pulled the doors open. The Aurors sitting at the table, totalling to about twelve, turned their heads once Hermione and Draco opened.
Harry was smirking at the far end of the table. "Welcome you two."
She fought a blush as she made her way to the opposite end of the table with an empty seat, as Draco followed smugly behind her.
"How are you, Potter?" Draco asked, flicking his wand so that the chair that Hermione was beelining for pulled itself out. Hermione turned around and shot him a wide-eye don't do that.
"Doing well, Malfoy." Harry watched bemused as Hermione scrambled into her chair. Draco pushed the chair in for her, and then walked around the table to slide into the next empty chair, opposite of Hermione.
Relax. Draco mouthed at her. Hermione pursed her lips and let her eyes travel along the dining table. Harry sat at its head, a thousand papers around him on the table. Beside him was Ron's child—a quiet thing with a book in his lap, glasses sitting on his face not unlike Harry's. She recognized this child—practically Harry's nephew, but out of the three Weasley children, this one adored Harry. She smiled softly as he would pause from reading his book and peer up at Harry for a few moments, then return to his book. Ron was sitting beside him. Hermione's eyes slid from Ron's down the table towards Draco's.
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes met Draco's who was looking at her curiously. She felt her face warm and instead dragged her eyes back to Harry's paper mess. "Okay everyone, thanks for making it today. We're just going to go over how we'll be splitting up the roles for our training exercises and the actual blow days."
"Have you found the culprits?" An Auror asked.
"We can't disclose that at the moment." Harry said. "Right now, we're going to stick to protocol because that is the only thing that's going to stop us from blowing this operation. Everything will be on a need-to-know basis—if that's too much for anyone, you're free to leave now."
"Kingsley does need some paperwork done." Ron grinned.
Not a single Auror stood from the table, so Harry continued with his pairings. "Dawlish and Hermione. Draco and Berrycloth. Williamson and Robards. Wilkinson and Chang. PS and Ron..." The list went on.
A small voice piped up. "And can I help Uncle Harry?" Ron's child had stopped reading his book at was looking at Harry with wide eyes.
Harry paused midsentence, seemingly to have forgotten the children was sitting there. "I'll have a list of things for you to do once you get home, Hugo."
"In the meantime, why don't you go sit in the parlour room; the room right out in the hallway." Ron suggested slightly, realizing that perhaps having him in this meeting was not the best idea.
Hermione watched bemused as Hugo slipped out of his seat and walked (waddled, more like) out of the dining room.
"What a sweet thing." Wilkinson said.
"Goes nutty at home while he knows I'm out here doing this stuff." Ron said. "I reckon with how much he likes reading he'll do well at Hogwarts and go straight into the Auror program as well."
"I'm surprised you didn't go into that, Hermione." Dawlish said, two seats down from Hermione.
"I fancied potions a lot more—took a little bit more schooling." Hermione replied.
"Is that where you had met Mr. Malfoy?" Robards asked—the previous department head looked up from the papers he was shuffling.
"No—we were acquainted during school. We simply met again during our Potions Mastery." Hermione answered.
"Where Malfoy was a git during school, you mean? Not acquainted? Some would even change git to Death Eater." Cho Chang said bluntly.
Hermione turned her head to stare down the woman. "We were children were we not? I distinctly remember you outing the members of the Order during that exact same time—now that I think of it, it almost sounds like you were working for the other side."
"That is not what that was. My family—" Cho sputtered.
"Do not bring family into this for anyone then—everyone at this table has been cleared to have a distinctively high security level, and they have been determined to not be a threat. If I hear anyone call Malfoy a Death Eater again, you will not be working as an Auror anymore." Harry's voice held firm as it travelled down the table.
Hermione's eyes dragged to Draco's as his head was cocked and he was staring at Cho with a slightly amused look.
"Oh, daddy!" Hugo's screaming could be heard as he ran into the dining room, book forgotten, with tears streaming down his face.
Ron stood from his chair and swept the boy up into his arms. "What happened, Hugo?"
"There was t-this c-creature!" He hiccupped. "It was so small, with crooked ears!" He sobbed.
Half of the table had gotten their wands out before Hermione had realized Draco had casted a protective spell over Pax, the poor baby house elf, who came hurtling into the room seemingly searching for Hugo. "Wizard baby!" Pax was screeching, Hugo's book in his hand.
Harry attempted to huff out a laugh. "Oh, Hugo look. It's just the manor's baby house elf."
Hugo's screaming increased with every step Pax took towards him. Pax, on the other hand, seemed to have understood this as an invitation for fun.
***
After Draco had profusely explained to Pax afterwards that he was not allowed to speak to guests without Cricket until he was older. Pax was upset that Hugo had refused to play with him, and seemed to be ignoring every word Draco was saying.
Draco made his way up to Hermione's room and slipped through the door with a knock. The witch was snuggled into an armchair, a thick book in her lap. Hermione looked up with a sleepy smile. "A productive meeting, don't you think?"
Draco let out a breath. "I hope Weasley doesn't sue me for Pax terrifying his child."
Hermione stood from the chair, setting the book down. She was in a light grey nightgown embroidered with a small flower patch pattern. She stretched, and Draco held his breath as she arched her body to him. "He wouldn't do that—we faced a troll at that age. Come." She said, at his thunderstruck face. "Bedtime."
Hermione slipped into the covers, and Draco numbingly slid underneath the covers with her. "How are you sleepy? We've just napped."
She yawned and pressed her back into his chest, wriggling until she found a spot she liked. "We napped hours ago."
He nipped her ear, and extinguished the lights around the room with a wave of his hand. "Goodnight, Granger."
Hermione wiggled once more before she stilled, and pressed a small kiss to the part of his arm that she was resting on. "Goodnight, Malfoy."