Recompense and Redress

Hermione stepped out of the Floo fireplace and nearly bumped straight into the boys.

"Ron!" she exclaimed. "Harry! What are you doing here?"

The two wizards eyed one another, and Harry reminded Hermione,

"We work here. Aurors in training."

"Oh. Right." Hermione shook her head as if to rid herself of an annoying insect. Harry's face softened a little, and he asked,

"How's work coming on advancing… Elfish welfare? Conditions for Squibs?"

She wanted to hug him for asking, and she wished she had a better answer. She just flashed him a hopeful little smile and said with feigned confidence,

"I'll get there. Hope you're both well."

"Y'Know, I think I'll head on up," Harry said knowingly. "Ron, I'll tell Madam Norwalk that you'll be a few minutes late."

"Right." Ron mumbled the word, and he and Hermione stepped away from the row of Floo entrances and into a secluded pocket of the great atrium. He jabbed his hands into the pockets of his robes and said, "Harry says I should hear you out. So, go on. Talk. I'm listening."

Hermione's mouth fell open in surprise. She had a speech ready for just this moment, but somehow now she'd forgotten it. She stammered,

"W-Well, it's just that, you see, people have the capacity to change. Sometimes, very often, in fact, we become as adults the product of our upbringing. Those who are raised to have compassion and humility most often grow into humble and compassionate adults. But look at your brother Percy. He's not like the rest of your family, is he? Not quite. And it's rather the same sort of -"

"Leave my family out of this," Ron snarled, but Hermione continued,

"Andromeda Black - the mother of Tonks - she's the sister of Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. She's their sister, by full blood. But she walked away. Do you hate her? Do you hate Andromeda for -"

"Tonks' mother didn't nearly get me killed," Ron said sharply. "She didn't spend years and years bullying, bandying about threats and foul terms the way Malfoy. Andromeda Tonks wasn't ordered by Voldemort to kill Albus Dumbledore."

"But Draco didn't do it," Hermione reminded him. "He couldn't, because despite whatever orders he received, he wasn't wicked enough to -"

"Come off it," Ron whispered, looking heartbroken. "We're all Draco Malfoy's victims… you probably most of all. And victims are not obligated to forgive their tormentors."

"No, they aren't obligated, but they are allowed," Hermione said firmly. "I have forgiven Draco Malfoy, because I can sense with every part of me the profound change within him. He's still Draco. He's still snarky and sarcastic. He has to fight against the prejudices that were injected into his very -"

"You can stand here for the next ten hours blathering on, and I'm still not ever going to feel sorry for Draco Malfoy," Ron snapped. He took a half step toward Hermione, looming over her, and he asked softly,

"Are you and I still… you know how deeply I…"

"Ron, I think we're at an impasse right now," Hermione said. "A philosophical impasse. You say that you want nothing to do with me until I renounce Draco Malfoy and call for his punishment. As for my part, I'm not sure how I'm meant to socialise regularly with someone who's this intransigent. How is the wizarding world meant to -"

"I don't care about the 'wizarding world,'" Ron said, far too loudly. Hermione looked around; he was making a scene. He'd also interrupted her four times, which she thought was very rude. He barrelled on, "I care about the fact that you forgave Draco Bloody Malfoy for things that just can't be forgiven, 'Mione. If Bellatrix Lestrange was alive today, would you forgive her? For killing Dobby, for killing Sirius, for trying to kill Ginny, for carving the M-word into your arm and using the Cruciatus Curse on you? Would you forgive her?"

"It's not remotely the same thing," Hermione argued, but Ron scoffed and insisted,

"It is exactly the same thing, and if you don't know that, you're not half so brilliant as you make people think."

Hermione pinched her lips, unwilling to cry in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. She took a shaking breath and said lightly to Ron,

"It pains me to see you like this. Stubborn, unmoving in your unwillingness to help us all take steps forward instead of being weighed down by old enmities. To answer your earlier question, Ron… no, you and I are not dating. Not for now."

"Yeah, I think it's much better that way," Ron said bitterly. "I'm late for work. So are you. Bye."

He stormed off then, leaving Hermione standing alone with one hand pressed against the wall as she struggled not to show any emotion.

"And so, Madam Singh, you can see that my plan would simply put into place basic, common sense measures to protect those House-Elves who are placed with families."

Apsara Singh thumbed through Hermione's report and read aloud,

"The use of corporal punishment such as beatings and ordered self-harm would be prohibited. Withholding food or water as punishment would also be prohibited. Miss Granger, I really don't know how well certain people are going to take to this."

"Well… certain people need to learn that House-Elves' lives have value, too," Hermione said rather sharply. "They need to learn that it isn't only witches and wizards who deserve respect, dignity, and humane treatment."

Apsara Singh sighed heavily and passed the papers back to Hermione.

"Draught me something I can take to Mr Tratt. No promises. It's all a load of wondrous ideas, Hermione, but I don't know that it'll lead anywhere. In the meantime, there are four newly recognised Squibs who need to be registered. Here are their files."

Singh put the files down on Hermione's desk. Hermione felt so irritated that she said nothing at all as Singh left. Hermione opened a file and began reading.

Harriet Crabbe, aged eleven. Member of Sacred Twenty-Eight Pureblood family. Recognised as Squib when all attempted wand matching failed. No account of accidental childhood magic. Inability to perform any spells, even with instruction and various wand types. Recently took up residency in the Borrows Home for Child Squibs when her family disowned her.

Hermione's heart sank. Suddenly her door flew open, and a little folded piece of paper came fluttering into her office. It landed on her desk and the door shut, and Hermione realised it was an interdepartmental memo. She cracked open the plain black seal on the back and read in very neat writing,

D. Malfoy requests the immediate presence of H. Granger on Level Nine.

The entrance to the Department of Mysteries admitted Hermione so quickly and easily that she figured she must have been put on some list of authorised visitors. Inside the rotating entry chamber, she took a few trembling breaths and waited for the door to open. When it did, she stepped out into a narrow, slick black corridor and saw Draco Malfoy leaning against the wall. He stood up, and he just silently beckoned.

Hermione followed him into his little office, and once the stone door had scraped shut, she sat in the narrow, black wooden chair opposite his larger leather one.

"What's going on?" she asked without pretense. Draco slid something across the desk to her. It was a little unmarked cube of dark grey metal, and Hermione demanded, "What is it?"

"It's a Whisper Record," Draco said simply. "We don't usually record them with this level of detail, but this one seemed important. I missed the first few words."

"What's it about?" Hermione felt very afraid now, but Draco folded his hands on his black wooden desk and said quietly,

"Just pick it up and listen."

Hermione reached slowly for the little cube, no larger than a die, afraid that she would be cursed or killed for touching it. She wrapped her fingers around it at last and shut her eyes, and suddenly the quiet, distant voice of Albus Dumbledore filled the space between her ears.

'... must tell her, tell Miss Granger… to stay the course. Walk this path. Apology and atonement. Guilt. Forgiveness. Sorrow and friendship. Recompense and redress. This is… the way forward. Hermione Granger… and Draco Malfoy… together you can save it all from the next… and the next… and the next. Walk this path. Stay this course. Apology and atonement. Recompense and redress..."

The voice trailed off then, and new whispers took its place before the recording stopped. Hermione tossed the little cube down onto the desk and shoved her chair back a little.

"That's different than a portrait," she snapped. "Portraits are just facsimiles, just recreations of the person who was but no longer is. You're telling me that those words were spoken by Albus Dumbledore himself from the other side of the Veil?"

Draco blinked a few times and finally whispered, "Yes."

Hermione tried to catch her breath. "I wager you're not meant to play these recordings for people."

"No. I could be sacked if they knew I'd shown it to you." Draco reached for the cube and opened a little wooden box on his desk. He carefully arranged the cube in a line of other similar-looking ones, then shut the lid of the box. He sighed and told her, "It seemed very important that you hear it. I know you've been facing doubt from your friends. I haven't been… well, I've been sorry, but perhaps not exactly supportive. And though I despised Albus Dumbledore from the moment I knew how to do it, I think he's speaking wisdom here. I think you needed to hear that."

"Is this some sort of trick?" Hermione asked, her throat clogged with some sort of knot. Draco shook his head and declared,

"Half of my working day is spent wishing it were all some sort of trick. But, no. That was Albus Dumbledore, speaking directly to you."

"And to you," Hermione pointed out. Draco put his lips into a line and nodded once.

"And to me."

A very, very long silence passed then, and Hermione found herself reaching across Draco's desk. His own long, thin fingers met hers halfway, and then he began to stroke at her knuckles with his thumb. Hermione remembered the way his thumb had looked moving along the label of the Red Stripe beer, and she shivered a little. His fingers drifted across her palm as his thumb grazed her knuckles, and Hermione kept her eyes locked on their hands as she noted,

"You kissed me."

"Only sort of," Draco said rather snidely. "Once it got down to brass tacks, it was really you doing the kissing, Granger."

She couldn't help but smile just a little at that. She kept watching their hands, and finally she heard Draco whisper,

"Hermione."

She raised her eyes to him, and she watched his tongue go along his bottom lip carefully. Then he asked in a soft voice,

"Come here, will you?"

She rose, reluctantly pulling her hand from his. She let her fingers drag along the wood as she stepped around the table. She wasn't miniature; she was of just slightly below average height, but Draco was tall enough that, even sitting, her face was only a little above his when she approached. He parted his knees, and Hermione stepped between them, sliding her hands onto his face.

"No," he whispered, and Hermione was confused. He stood then, pulling her hands away from his face and keeping his fingers laced with hers. He shook his head and insisted, "This time I'd like to do the kissing."

"All right," Hermione nodded.

He did kiss her then. He kissed her so hard that she staggered backward, backing up until she hit the slick black wall. Draco pressed her body against the wall and massaged her lips with his, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and urging her to dance hers with his. They both sucked and nibbled at one another, and suddenly Hermione heard a legitimate moan vibrate from her mouth onto his.

Draco's hands held fast to Hermione's waist until she moaned, and then he trailed one hand up the silk blouse she wore beneath her outer robe. He cupped her small, round breast in his hand and squeezed a little, and Hermione gasped. She tipped her head back against the wall, and Draco stammered,

"S-Sorry. I'm sorry."

"No. Don't…" She reached for the hand he'd torn away, putting it back onto her chest and meeting his eyes. She rather boldly reached between them and let her knuckles drag over the front of his trousers, eliciting a hiss and a rickety sigh. She felt the burgeoning firmness there, and her heart sped up. Draco shook his head and insisted,

"This isn't the time or place. We'll both wind up sacked for this sort of thing."

"And you haven't got a father to bail you out anymore," Hermione said, knowing she was being cruel. Draco stared at her for a very long moment, his face devoid of any emotion. Finally he took a little step back and told her,

"You are bloody brilliant, Hermione Granger, and you're very pretty, and once you set your mind to something, you see it done. I admire you, and more than that, I want you. Come to Kensington tonight."

Hermione smirked a little, thinking back to how awfully she and Ron had fought in the atrium. She reached for Draco's hand, brushing the pad of her thumb over his fingernail, and she murmured,

"Ask me nicely."

He closed the gap between them and kissed her again, much more gently this time. His lips were careful, delicate even. His tongue stayed in his own mouth. His palm caressed her neck and then her cheek, and he whispered against her lips,

"Please, Miss Hermione Granger, will you come to my house tonight? I promise there will be loads and loads of wine."

She grinned broadly then, her smile faltering a little when she eyed the wooden box on the desk behind him and thought of Dumbledore's voice coming from beyond the veil. But she huffed a breath and nodded, and she said,

"Yes. Seven o'clock sounds wonderful. I like tikka masala. And loads and loads of wine. Thank you, Draco… for showing the record. I'll see you tonight."

He let her slip by him, and he seemed to struggle to speak before he finally said,

"Bye, Hermione."

Author's Note: Oh, man. Dumbledore communicating from the other side? Who else will Draco hear? Harry seems pretty open to Hermione's dreams; will they stay close, or will he side with Ron in the end? Can Hermione and Ron ever *really* date again after this? And what the heck will happen with all that wine? We're definitely seeing the slow burn start to catch on fire now. ;) Thanks for reading and please do leave a review.