An: A new chapter! Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 12 - Disagreements
Hermione yawned and headed up the grand staircase in Malfoy manor, maybe this time she might get a decent night's sleep, though night had already passed and they were in the early hours of the morning. The brunette witch had left the others at the hospital with Remus and came back to the Manor to inform Draco that he would survive. She had found the wizard she had been looking for pacing anxiously in the kitchen while the house elves all watched their master go back and forth. She thought Misty and Dobby looked quite adorable as their heads turned and their eyes never broke contact with the Slytherin wizard.
She remembered the guilty look that had come across his face when she saw him and she instantly gathered the wizard in her arms and reminded him that everything would be fine. She could feel the tension drain out of him as she told him Remus would survive as he was not seriously injured and she lightly teased him that he should learn some healing spells. She felt some moisture on her shoulder and she knew that the Slytherin was not crying because of Remus but because of incidents in the past that he had inadvertently been responsible for. She was beginning to wonder if the cold, insensitive Draco was better than the one that had grown a conscious in the last seven years.
For Draco, finding Remus bloodied and beaten was a repeat of an incident that had happened six years ago after he got out of Azkaban but the only difference was that that person hadn't survived. He had been staying at the Leaky Cauldron with his old cell mate from Azkaban, Phoso Crumpet. Crumpet was a kind old wizard who had been accused of stealing secret documents from the Ministry during the war with Voldemort. He had claimed that he was under the influence of the imperius curse but a closer examination of his bank account at Gringotts revealed that he had been paid off by Lucius Malfoy and had been receiving payments for years. Phoso had not missed the irony that Malfoy's son was his cell mate.
Lucius had threatened the life of Crumpet's granddaughter if he couldn't provide them with top secret documents. Scared, the old man did the only thing he thought he could, he agreed. When he was caught, he was disappointed to discover that the Imperius curse defence only worked if you had powerful connections and he was sentenced to life in Azkaban.
The older wizard had helped the young Malfoy adjust to prison life. Considering Draco was extremely spoilt, there were so many shocks for him. Phoso had shared his food with him and given him advice on how to keep the Dementors away. They had talked a lot and when Draco was being released he pulled some strings so that Crumpet could be released with him. When Barteby had first made the initial offer to Malfoy it had been very tempting for him to fall back into his old criminal ways. It was actually Crumpet that had reminded Draco how hard life was in Azkaban and that he should do everything possible to avoid living with those Dementors again.
Draco wisely said no and continued about fixing his life. A fortnight after the initial confrontation, he had received a message to meet Barteby in Knockturn Alley. The Blonde would have ignored the letter if it hadn't come with Crumpet's family ring. Draco immediately headed out. Somewhere along his journey to the alley, Hermione had spotted him and assuming he was up to no good followed him into the alley.
Draco had arrived in time to see four men using the cruciatus curse on his new friend. Phoso was bleeding severely from the side and his features were barely recognizable because of the heavy bruising he had on his face. Crumpet had pleaded with him to leave and not to give in to their request. He had told him that his life wasn't worth the rest of Draco's. Malfoy felt truly helpless. Crumpet's life was in his hands and after all the older wizard had done for him it felt very wrong to leave him to die. The young Malfoy drew his wand and decided to fight. They left the bleeding Crumpet on the ground and the four wizards turned their wrath on Draco. The poor Slytherin was no match for them.
Hermione observed the scene from a safe distance and could hardly believe that Malfoy was standing up for someone. She joined the fight without a second's hesitation. Due to her superior duelling skills the four men were soon subdued and Aurors were called to the scene. Unfortunately, Crumpet had not survived the night and she remembered the ghostly look on Draco's face when he had been told that Phoso had moved on to the next great adventure. She felt something tug at her heart and an overwhelming compulsion to comfort Draco. She took him by the arm and lead him into the muggle world. He hadn't even protested. He was introduced to his first cappuccino. She had expected him to call her a mudblood but he hadn't. Instead they spent the night talking.
That day had been a turning point in Draco's life and the start of the change that caused Draco to be the man he was today. Hermione knew it wasn't because of her, or Luna or the Weasleys that he changed. It was for Crumpet and the kindness that the man had showed him despite his history. He had been the only one willing to look past the Malfoy name and try to see the scared boy that resided inside.
It had also been a turning point in her life as well. Crumpet had a point about sacrificing his life so Draco would have a good shot at living his. She could apply that to her life. Harry had left so he wouldn't drown Hermione in his sorrows. It was time to accept that fact and move on. She had joined the Aurors the next day.
Draco brought her out of her thoughts by reminding her that she hadn't slept in a long time and that if she wanted to look her best she needed to get some sleep. She agreed with him and she now found herself curled up next to "Harry". Luna's suggestion was exactly what she needed and in a matter of seconds she drifted off in to what she hoped would be a wonderful dream.
-*-
St. Mungo's waiting room
Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Tonks sat patiently waiting for Remus's latest results. They had been told as soon as they arrived that his condition wasn't life threatening and Tonks wasted no time in sending Hermione home. The healers had been attending to Remus for the past two hours and Tonks busied herself questioning Harry on his travels. She had discovered that he had spent 2 years as a DEA undercover agent in Colombia and one year working with Interpol in Austria.
"Harry with so much muggle experience I'm sure you can become an Auror quickly. We're really swamped. A new class is supposed to graduate in three months. I can talk to the trainers and see if I can get you and Ron in, that is, if that's still what you guys want to do." Tonks offered sincerely.
"Definitely," Ron replied with a large smile.
"I don't think I could do anything else." Harry responded.
"Though there would be one drawback." Luna pointed out as she knew that Tonks never really thought her ideas all the way through.
"What's that?" Ron asked curiously.
"How would you feel being ordered around by Hermione?" Luna said as she levelled her gaze at Harry.
"Oh that's not unusual, she bossed me around all seven years at Hogwarts." The red headed stated cheerfully.
Luna's gaze never wavered from Harry and he knew what she was trying to tell him. It wouldn't be the same as Hogwarts. He wouldn't be the leader anymore. Hermione would be in charge and it would be her lead he had to follow even if he didn't like her orders.
"I can do it." The raven haired wizard stated with a determined look on his face.
"So it's true. You are back." Cho said as she eyed Harry Potter.
"Cho," Harry said with surprise.
"You heard pretty quickly." Tonks commented suspiciously.
"You're a healer now?" Harry asked ignoring Tonk's comment.
"Yes, it seemed like the right thing to do." Cho replied with a wry smile.
"How is Remus?" Tonks said abruptly stopping the small talk between Harry and Cho.
The Healer's face turned serious as she looked at the Auror in front of her.
"He suffered quite a few broken bones and a lot of muscle damage. Nothing life threatening, but he will be here for a while, especially with the full moon in three days. We aren't sure how the transformation will affect his injuries but we are hoping to have most of them healed by then."
Tonks nodded solemnly. "Can I see him?"
"Yes, but only one visitor at a time. He's still pretty weak. He's in room 3 on this floor." She gave Harry one final look before she departed.
Tonks wasted no time in going to see Remus and Harry was soon left with the company of his thoughts.
"Cho looked hot Harry. Mind if I date her?" Ron blurted out suddenly.
"Why are you asking me?" he said as he stared at Ron.
"Well, you did sort of have that thing with her in Hogwarts." The red head pointed out causing Harry to remember his awful experience on Valentines day with Cho.
"Ron, I don't care who you date but I really don't know how you could be thinking of something like that now!" Harry commented.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron replied angrily.
"Guys, now is not the time for a fight. Tonks will need our support over the next few days." Ginny pointed out.
"Have you decided what you want to do yet?" Luna said as her piercing gaze looked through Ginny.
"I haven't really given it any thought. I never wanted to be an Auror but I do want to do something to help." The red head witch replied honestly.
Luna processed Ginny words and a thought occurred to her.
"Do you want to work at the Prophet?" the blonde asked.
"Uh, I don't know. I worked for a beauty magazine once and I enjoyed that but I don't think the Prophet would have the same feel." She said as her perfectly shaped eyebrows creased in the centre of her forehead.
"You could propose a beauty column. I'm sure it will be a welcomed change away from some the news the Prophet offers today. You might also be able to convince some of the writers not to be to hard on the Aurors, particularly Hermione. Marietta Edgecomb loves to run Hermione's name through the mud." Luna revealed as she discreetly cast the muffliato spell.
"That little sneak, works for the prophet now?" Ron interrupted.
"Yes, she's the real reason I think Ginny should get a job there. Cho will tell you she's an excellent reporter, always getting the scoop on big issues, like the death of a high ranking Ministry official last month but what we really want to know is who her sources are?" Luna explained.
"So you want me to snoop around?" Ginny asked excitedly.
"No," Luna replied firmly. "I want you to work there and keep track of who Marietta meets. If we can find her source, we might be able to find Primus but under no circumstances should you `snoop'." Luna emphasised. Mrs. Weasley didn't deserve to lose her only daughter especially considering that she had been gone for the last seven years.
Ginny's features fell. "That sounds boring."
"It's an idea and it's your decision what you want to do. I was merely suggesting a potential option." Luna stated.
Tonk soon returned and announced that she would spend the night there with Remus and that they could return home.
-*-
Ginny sat in the kitchen at Malfoy Manor with the Daily Prophet in front of her. She had read the magazine from front to back, something she had never done before in her life. Of course written across the front page was an article about the return of England's Hero, Harry Potter, with a very good picture of him in St. Mungos. Ginny wondered who took the picture. She didn't remember any cameras the night before. The article had been written by Marieta Edgecomb and the witch had lambasted the Auror department and Magical Law Enforcement for the current crime situation. She went on to theorise that Harry's return was a good sign and that he had returned to save England again. Other reporters had also commented on England's hero and Ginny thought it quite pathetic the way they idolised Harry. She wondered if she had been that bad when she was in Hogwarts.
Luna was right about a beauty column improving the newspaper. It was filled with dreary, depressing stories and she had had to force herself to read it all the way through. Many ideas had occurred to her on how to improve the paper and she quickly started scribbling her ideas down with a quill. She had most of the evening to herself as Harry and Ron had gone to Hermione's mother's party. Ginny didn't really know Mrs. Granger so she didn't feel comfortable going. She knew they would be back at around 10pm since they had to attend the party that the twins were throwing in their honor.
"May I ask what's got you so busy?" a voice disturbed her from the doorway.
Ginny looked up and was met with warm brown eyes.
"Neville, what brings you here?" she asked.
"The twins' party, I told Luna I would meet her here." He told her from the doorway.
Ginny felt a bit disappointed when Neville mentioned Luna.
"Come have a seat. So you're going to the party with Luna?" She queried as she watched him walk to the seat next to her. His hair was neatly combed and he wore a loose navy blue shirt that hid his round tummy nicely and it look really sexy on him. His complimenting black pants just added to his overall appeal.
"Yeah, Luna and I have an arrangement." He explained.
"An arrangement?" The redhead queried with an arched eyebrow.
"Not like that!" Neville responded.
"You'll have to elaborate Mr. Longbottom." Ginny said in a prim voice.
The Herbology Professor sighed. "You have a mischievous streak just like the twins."
"Glad you noticed, now spill the beans on you and Luna." Ginny said dryly.
"Luna has, well, she's not quite, no that's not the word. She's, well not exactly, but" He stammered looking for the right words to describe the situation.
"Spit it out Neville." Ginny said impatiently as her fingers started tapping away on the glass table.
"She's afraid of men." Neville blurted out. "No that came out wrong as well. She's afraid of making the same mistake she made with Nicholas."
Silence descended the room as Ginny realised he was talking about the wizard that had created the virus that caused the death of her father. When Neville sensed she was comfortable he continued with his explanation.
"She likes me to approve of her dates. I was the only person that didn't like Nicholas and she feels that it was because on some unconscious level, I realised what he was truly capable of." He explained softly to her.
"So you're her lie detector then." Ginny surmised with a sense of relief.
"In a way yes." He replied after analysing what she had suggested.
"But wouldn't that affect your dating life." The youngest Weasley asked curiously.
"What dating life! Who wants to data a Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts?" he said in a Professor like tone.
"Neville! Don't put yourself down. You might be surprised how many witches might be turned on by the fact that you're a Professor." She told him.
Neville's face blushed a bit and she could see that he was still a bit shy despite the confidence that he had shown her earlier.
"Would you be one of those witches?" He asked taking a risk he hoped would pay off.
Ginny started twirling a strand of her hair around her index finger. "That depends Professor, will you punish me if my skirt is too short?" she flirted with him.
"Well, Ms. Weasley that depends on how short the skirt is." Neville said as leaned towards her. He glanced at her red lips and back up at her brown eyes.
"Professor, I think its short enough for a private detention with you." She said as her eyes glanced at his lips.
"My office, tomorrow night at 8?" Neville instructed now inches away from her face.
"Sounds perfect." She replied before he closed the remaining distance and kissed her firmly on the lips.
-*-
Mrs. Granger's house
Ron looked around the living room of Mrs. Granger's house and felt very uncomfortable. Most of the people at her party were in their late forties to mid fifties. It was a gathering of single persons who had either divorced or lost a spouse. Despite the fact that some of these women were in excellent shape, Ron was a bit put off by the fact that they were old enough to be his mother. Needless to say, he was quite popular at the party though. These older women appeared to be quite enamoured with him and his pocket was full of phone numbers. He wondered why it couldn't be this easy with women his own age.
Mrs. Knight was currently engaging him in a conversation about the stolen suitcases that had been mysteriously returned to the police at King's Cross. Of course, Ron knew the real story behind that but the woman kept prattling on about the thief and the untouched suitcases.
He glanced at the stairs and saw Harry sneaking upstairs. He immediately excused himself from his present company and desperately started to make his way towards the stairs as well. His eyes quickly darted around the room for Hermione and saw her heading into the kitchen with an empty tray of appetizers. Luna was busy in the corner talking with one of the neighbours and Mrs. Granger had busied herself flirting with a lawyer she had met recently. The coast was clear.
Ron made a quick glance around the room when he reached the base of the stairs and in two seconds flat sprinted up to Hermione's room. He quickly opened the door and darted inside.
"What's the score?" He asked as he sat on the couch next to Harry.
"Australia has 30 more runs to make off of two and a half overs." Harry told him.
"Go Australia!" Ron shouted.
"Shut up. Are you trying to get Hermione up here." A man with sandy brown hair asked.
"No." Ron said sheepishly.
There had been only one other guy their age there. His name was Dray Crumpet and he was the son of a co-worker of Mrs. Granger. Like Ron, Dray was popular at these parties and he received repeat invites regularly. He couldn't turn Mrs. Granger down as she was a very important friend of his family and he agreed to endure these events. He said it wasn't that bad because half way through the night he could sneak into Hermione's room and watch sports on her large screen TV. Ron had had a hard time believing that Hermione would have a TV in her room instead of a bookshelf full of books on some obscure area of magic but he was pleasantly surprised to find both the TV and a couch already positioned in the room.
The door opened and the girls came in glaring at the boys.
"A little help would be nice?" Hermione stated as she tapped her foot impatiently.
"The match is almost finished." Dray pleaded with adorable blue eyes.
"What's the score?" the brown-haired witch asked as she glanced at the top left hand side of the screen.
"Australia need 27 runs off two overs to win." Ron told her eagerly.
"You sound like you support Australia." Luna observed.
"I do." He stated proudly.
"You should be supporting England!" Hermione pointed out indignantly as she forced a space for herself between Harry and Dray. Luna was satisfied with a spot on Ron's lap much to Ron's chagrin.
"Stop drooling." Dray said to Hermione when the screen showed a close up of England's all rounder Kevin Petersen.
"I am not drooling. I'm simply admiring." She admonished him.
"Since when are you into sports?" Harry asked curiously.
"She's not really into sports, more the sportsmen." Luna teased as she enjoyed her current seat.
"Luna!" Hermione cried indignantly.
"Shhhh," everyone said to her.
A few minutes later the door opened again and an angry Mrs. Granger entered the room. She grabbed the remote and switched the TV off to loud protests from all five.
"I don't care if the match is almost finished." The older woman told them angrily.
"But it's the world cup and England has to win to." Dray started to complain but was stopped with a firm glare from Mrs. Granger.
"There is a full tray of chicken wings in the kitchen that needs to be served Hermione. Luna, please refill some of the wine glasses, some people are beginning to sober up to quickly. Ron, Mrs. Lazary is looking for you, Harry, Mrs. Crimply would like to continue talking to you about China and Dray, Mrs. Patrick would like to set you up with her daughter. Now get going!" She ordered sternly and all five left the room quickly.
-*-
A few hours later in Mrs. Granger's kitchen
"My feet are sore." Hermione complained as she propped her feet up on the chair next to her.
"I smell like wine." Luna said from the sink as she sniffed her white blouse which had a large red stain on it.
"Well, I have a date with Samantha Patrick." Dray informed them and Hermione and Luna both winced.
"I have a date with Mrs. Lazary." Ron said trying to top the three that went before him.
They all looked at Harry next who lifted Hermione's feet off of the chair and sat down, placing her feet gently on his lap.
"What I had a good night." Harry replied.
"The night isn't over yet. There's still that twins party to go to." Dray said as he took a seat around the table.
Harry and Ron looked astonished at Dray.
"You know the twins." Ron asked.
Dray smirked at Ron and Harry thought that smirk was strangely familiar. Hermione was also suspiciously snickering with Luna.
"Why do I get the feeling that there's something you're not telling me Ms. Granger." Harry said as he tickled the base of her foot.
"Harry, stop please." Hermione pleaded as she tried to pull her foot away from him.
"Not until you tell me. You've been glancing suspiciously at us all night." He said as he continued his assault on her foot.
"I'll tell you just stop please." She begged of him.
Harry's hand stopped his ministrations on her foot and she paused to look at her watch.
"Any second now," She said as her eyes stared at Dray.
Harry averted his gaze and soon found that Dray's face was changing. His eyes had gone from blue to grey and his hair was turning a platinum blonde colour. His chin had become pointed and Harry was now looking at the face of Draco Malfoy. There was a bright flash and hysterical laughter from the girls.
"Let me see." Luna said as she held out her hand for the camera.
Hermione gave it to her and laughter poured from Luna's small frame.
"Ron looks so adorable." The blonde witch cooed.
"Did you see Harry's face? He looks as though the world has ended!" Hermione told her friend.
From Harry's perspective the world had ended. He liked Dray. The man had appeared to be funny and nice, most definitely not Draco Malfoy. How could he have gotten along with Draco Malfoy all night? He should have known though. Draco was supposed to be there and he hadn't seen him, that and the fact that the name should have been a dead give away. How could he have overlooked the obvious?
"You tricked us!" Ron accused Malfoy.
"If you're too dense to realise it was me, that's your problem." Draco drawled out.
"Dray please. You were getting along so well." Hermione pointed out.
"It's not my fault. I just thought that they would have realised at some point during the night, unless this means I'm a fabulous actor. Maybe I should go to Hollywood?" Draco boasted.
"That's the last time I ever let you convince me to buy you a television!" Hermione responded to him.
Harry's mouth opened and closed like a fish. He had so many questions, namely how Draco could act as a muggle so well. He hadn't made a single mistake that would have lead Harry to believe he was a wizard.
"Surely Potter you couldn't expect me to show up as myself. The Draco Malfoy in a muggle house! You never know whose around which is why I should get going." Draco said as he glanced out of the windows uncomfortably.
The girls nodded and handed Draco his portkey which he used immediately. Hermione grabbed a bag with some clothes in it and said good bye to her mother. They all held on to the second portkey which was one of Crookshanks collar and pretty soon they were back at the Manor.
Harry and Ron both groaned at having to pass through the wards and Hermione mercilessly pushed them through. Luna was again waiting with a smirking Draco.
"Maybe you should get some grubbly root from the kitchen to settle your stomach Ron." Luna told him as they walked through the corridors.
The redhead wizard stared blankly at her.
"That sounds like a good idea. We'll go get changed and you take him to the kitchen." Hermione said as she winked at Luna.
Luna grabbed Ron's hand and led him in the opposite direction to the others. They soon entered the kitchen and found Ginny on top of Neville's lap in a passionate kiss.
"What the hell is going on here!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs causing Neville to break the kiss with Ginny.
"Uh.." the poor wizard stammered to the angry Ron.
"What does it look like Ronald?" Ginny glared at her older brother. She was a grown woman, why did her brother always have to do this when she was interested in a man.
The two siblings glared at each other before Ron broke the stare and headed upstairs.
Luna smiled at Ginny, "That certainly helped to settle his stomach."
The red head looked confused for a minute before a light chuckle escaped her lips.
"Lets go get changed. We'll be back soon Nev." Ginny called out blowing a kiss to her new boyfriend.
-*-
The Broomstick
The music was extremely loud as the seven entered the club. It was unbelievably crowded and Harry wondered if Fred and George had invited the entire wizarding world. The club was decorated with various Weasley products and Harry couldn't help but wonder if the twins were also using this as a promotional activity for their new party range of products.
Ginny took the first opportunity to break free of the group with Neville and the newly formed couple found a nice dark corner where she hoped her brothers wouldn't find her but with six brothers to hide from she should have brewed herself some lucky potion because her chances were slim to none.
For obvious reasons Draco had decided against attending the celebration and invited his girlfriend out to dinner instead. Hermione and Luna had been a bit disappointed but they understood, his image had to be maintained. They soon broke away as a horde of people surrounded Harry with warm welcomes. Ron managed to stair his way out of crowd to the bar with a gorgeous witch on each arm leaving poor Harry to fend for himself.
An hour later Harry found himself tucked away on a sofa set that Hermione had conjured in the back of the club. He had quickly managed to greet everyone and protect himself from further onslaughts by talking with Fred and George who were more than happy to show Harry their new range of products. His fans were weary of the twin's new inventions as one witch who had tried to approach Harry had a rather nasty encounter with the twins' indoor fireworks and as a result they gave them a wide berth. Only the Weasleys and a few of his Hogwarts friends had been allowed close enough to him. He enjoyed talking with the twins and he really had hoped that magical England would stop idolising him but with the reactions tonight, it might be a while before that happened.
"Let's dance!" Luna said bravely as she grabbed Ron's hand to pull him on to the dance floor. Luna had `accidentally' dropped a couple drops of the twins new nosebleed drops in the drinks Ron had brought for his two `friends', leaving him without female company.
"I don't dance." Ron replied as he resisted her pull.
"Ron," Luna pleaded.
"Why don't you take Harry? He likes to dance." Ron said trying to get her attention of him.
"But I don't want to dance with Harry, the finchworms might attack us. However, if I dance with you, we would be safe." Luna begged.
"Ron go and dance." Hermione instructed him.
"You're not my mother." He angrily told her.
"No but I'm sure I can get her here for you." The brunette responded quickly.
Ron reluctantly agreed and followed the happy blonde onto the dance floor.
"She still likes him?" Harry asked as he eyed the couple. Luna was actively explaining to Ron how to dance in time to the music.
"Of course, they would be a perfect couple, if Ron wasn't so bull headed." Hermione responded as she smiled at the out of time couple.
Harry mused over his thoughts before standing and holding his hand out to her. With a small smile she accepted and Harry tried to find an appropriate spot on the dance floor. They danced in silence for a while before Harry decided to talk to her.
"You know I missed you." Harry told her sincerely as a slow song started to play and he pulled her a bit closer to him.
"I know." She replied as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you." He continued.
Hermione placed her index finger on his mouth. "I don't want to fight Harry. Lets just pick up where we left off Harry. I'm your best friend Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of this generation." She said flashing him a dazzling smile.
"I'm your best friend Harry Potter and apparently England's Hero who's going to save you from the current crime wave!" Harry said in a fake super hero voice eliciting a chuckle from his dance partner.
"But seriously, Tonks offered to get me in the training program with the current set of Aurors that graduate in three months." He said as he felt her tense in his arms.
"Harry that may not be such a good idea." Hermione started.
"Mione, lets just agree to disagree on this one. You've stated that you're vehemently against this and I've pretty much continued like normal and started doing it." Harry replied.
"Nothing unusual there." Hermione pointed out.
"True, it's beginning to feel like I never left." Harry said with a small smile.
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