Chapter 4 Messy Business

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. Nightmares again. She got up and stripped her bed completely, throwing the sheets in the wash and taking an early morning shower before work. She applied the appropriate creams to her damp hair to get the frizz down. Sometime after her Hogwarts years she had realised that muggles had the best remedies for curly hair and that was why wizarding solutions really hadn't helped much at all.

While sipping her morning coffee a couple of letters flew in through her open window. The usual copy of the Daily Prophet, a letter from Luna attached to a copy of the newest issue of her paper the Quibbler. The third letter was simply assigned to her in font, printed writing. Hermione carefully set her cup down on the table and opened the letter from her mysterious blackmailer.

Ms Granger,

What a disappointing display. You deny Malfoy's advances? You better be planning on making it up to me, and soon. You now have a deadline. Four weeks and you have to be married to Malfoy - and not some shotgun muggle wedding, a legal wizards binding ceremony. Four weeks. Or your parents might meet a sticky end. Don't disappoint me again.

Fuck.

Hermione decided to work from home that day. She texted Ginny the details from the night before, not wanting to get into it in person just yet. She opened her laptop and went through the research she had been sent, some people had gone out into the field to speak to the giants near Italy and had reported back. She could totally focus on giants. And not the threat on her parents lives. Goddamnit.

Hermione quickly closed her laptop and drummed her fingers on the lid. What could she do? In her mind there were two options, keep trying with Malfoy and marry him - while aiding a criminal to get something she didn't even know what. Or, talk to Harry and get help investigating who the blackmailer was. Why not both? Her mind whispered to her. Maybe she could get Harry to be covert, he had been a professional Auror now for many years, he should be able to handle it. This might be a terrible idea.

Harry arrived shortly after five, having finished a desk shift at the Auror office. He flopped down on her sofa, exhausted, removing his glasses so he could massage around his eyes. Hermione set down a bottle of beer on the table in front of him but remained standing. Harry glanced up at the sound and then eyed her with suspicion. "This can't be good."

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh come on Hermione, a bottle of beer?"

"You're obviously tired!" She said defensive.

"And you are so tense," he said, sitting up. "What's the bad news?"

"I resent you reading into my physical posture that there's bad news."

"Aha, noted." Harry took a sip of his beer, then sat back to look at her. "Give me the bad news."

Hermione pursed her lips, keeping her arms crossed over her stomach. "I'm being blackmailed."

Harry nodded. "Of course you are," he said exasperated.

"You seem… not surprised."

"The past few weeks have been really shitty lately at work. Although I'm not happy you're being blackmailed, obviously and will do everything I can to help - I am also exhausted at all of the bad stuff going on out there."

"Okay, I suppose that's fair." She sat down and looked at him, calming down a little because of how surprisingly non-shouty he was reacting to this.

"Also, you don't seem afraid for your own safety, which is good I take it. Who's being threatened?"

"My parents."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. "Shit." He sat up and reached his hand out to rest on her knee. "I'm sorry Hermione. What do we have on this blackmailer?"

"Not much. The first time he called me on the phone in my office. He has knowledge of the muggle and magical world, he mentioned the battle but he emailed me and has a computer and telephone. I also received two letters, both typed on a computer and printed out."

"Okay, so, might be a half-blood, possibly muggleborn or a squib."

Hermione smiled a little to herself, glad she had managed to keep up with the detective brain of an auror.

"What does he want?"

"I don't actually know," Hermione said cautiously. "But it's something valuable, at least to him. He said he's not much for violence, so he needs me to ehem, befriend someone and break through blood-wards to get to whatever it is that he wants."

Harry looked at her for a minute, obviously thinking hard. "Blood wards?"

"Yep," she said, as nonchalantly as she could.

"Who's blood wards?"

"Uh… it's a man that… we know," she said.

"Hermione, it's kind of important for me to know all the details to actually do my job, you know that right?"

She sighed. "It's Malfoy."

He looked confused, disgusted, and then befuddled and then angry. Hermione retreated back into her armchair, ready for the explosion.

"For how long have you been blackmailed into marrying Malfoy?!"

"Only three days," she said, trying to cover her face with a pillow.

"Three days, Hermione! You should have come to me immediately!"

"I'm sorry okay! I was scared I didn't know what to do, I didn't want you to freak out, sort of like you're doing now."

He shook his head. "Let me see the letters."

"No."

"Hermione!"

"Harry it's embarrassing," she said and then threw the pillow at him as she started to go towards her bedroom. "Harry James Potter don't you dare!"

"I'm not letting you be in danger," he said, walking into her bedroom and making a bee-line towards her dresser and somehow picking the third drawer on the left, two down and finding the letters.

"How did you?"

"I've known you for a very long time Hermione, and also," he said, waving them at her. "We lived in a tent for months where I saw you stash your valuables at the same place every time. Maybe start shaking things up okay?" He walked out and back to the living room to sip his beer and read the letters.

Hermione huffed, but had to concede he was probably right. Especially if someone was watching her, changing up her habits and routines might be a good idea. She came into the living room, pouring herself a glass of wine and sat back down.

"This isn't much to go on," Harry admitted once she had sat down. He set the letters down and looked at her. "You need to find out what Malfoy has behind those blood wards."

"Wait, me? Why me?"

"Because your parents are obviously in danger, I'll contact the auror office in Australia and make sure someone keeps an eye on them for you. But in the meantime, while we don't know anything about this guy, you're going to have to keep doing this."

"Keep… seducing Malfoy?"

Harry cringed. "Please don't use the word seduce in the same sentence as Malfoy, it's kind of gross."

"Helpful," she said. "How would I get him to divulge something like that?"

"I have no idea Hermione. But if you could get him to talk about the people that might want to harm him or sabotage him in some way that would be immensely helpful as well, even though I have a feeling it's an almost never-ending list."

"Harry," she admonished.

"What?"

"You're being judgemental again."

"It's Malfoy."

"I mean, fair enough, but also we haven't been around him since we were kids. We've grown up a lot in that time, maybe he has too."

"Ugh Hermione, you and your bleeding heart."

She smiled and drank more wine. "It's why I do my job."

"I know, and I will always admire you for it."

"Thank you for helping me with this Harry. It's really offputting knowing someone is watching my every move."

He nodded, turning the beer bottle in circles while he thought. "If you could make a list of everyone you know that has been in your apartment or do your office at work that would be helpful too, and anyone you think might want to harm you. It doesn't sound like this guy is after you, but it's better to cover all the bases."

"Will do."

"Good, now I'm going to finish my beer and go home to my loving fiancé."

"Sounds like a dream," Hermione said.

"Careful what you wish for," he said with a grin. She threw another pillow at him.

"Funny seeing you here," Malfoy said, taking a seat next to her.

She was sat at the Cambridge, wearing her usual work wear, nothing too flashy or showy this time. He had emerged from the same side room to come join her at the bar. She clutched the glass of white wine in her hand to try to stable herself, feeling as nervous as ever around him.

"Funny indeed," she said. "Another meeting?" She gestured to the men that were taking their leave.

"Yes, another boring one, sadly." He waved to the bartender and was handed a drink, whiskey this time.

"You said you were in the Apothacary business, how are you going about selling potions in the muggle world?" She asked and sipped her wine.

Malfoy shook his head. "Wow, straight to business. Actually we sell them as remedies, and yes we adhere to all the laws about magic and muggles. Everything is above board, no love spells, nothing harmful, just small things that muggle technology hasn't been able to figure out so there's been a little magical help."

Hermione nodded. "Sounds sensible enough."

"Why does it feel like I'm being interrogated, or interviewed for my own job?"

"Sorry," Hermione said, sighing. Remembering the blackmailers words again: flirt. Don't disappoint me. "Talking about work is probably the last thing you want to do at a pub straight after a meeting."

He nodded and sipped his whiskey. "I suppose I'll take whatever conversation I can get. I suppose I shouldn't flatter myself into thinking you came back here to see me?"

"You definitely shouldn't flatter yourself nor should I stroke your ego." She took a deliberate sip of her wine.

He smirked. "Ahh, but you don't deny it." He leaned over onto the bar, his arm just invading her personal space but not touching her. "Starved for satisfying company, Granger? I'm sure Potter and Weasley can keep you entertained but there's only so much stupidity one can take."

"Okay, look," she said, turning towards him. "For some reason, I don't hate talking to you, it's weird and I honestly don't like it. But if I'm going to stay here and keep talking then you need to not talk badly about my friends, whether it's serious or joking - I will not tolerate it. Got it?"

Malfoy looked at her for a moment, holding her gaze. "Got it," he said steadily.

"Good," she said, not having really thought that would work or that he would stay after she lectured him. "It surprises me you're okay with making compromises."

"Why is that?"

"Because that means you don't want me to leave," she said, looking at him. "Thought you hated me."

"I thought you hated me, and yet, here we both are." He gestured around. "I can admit the company of a beautiful woman with wit and smarts to hold her own turn me on. Can you say the same?"

Hermione blushed and swallowed around the lump in her throat, not daring to be the first to break eye-contact from sheer stubbornness. "I can't," she said. "I'm not often very turned on by women." She took his grin as an accomplishment and smiled a little before breaking the contact, turning back towards the bar and sipping her wine.

"Just admit it, Granger, you're enjoying this. It won't kill you to admit it."

"It might."

He shook his head. "Why did you come back here then? To torment me?"

She furrowed her brows. "How am I tormenting you?" He let his eyes wander down her body and back up again and she felt her cheeks warm again under his gaze. "Don't be inappropriate."

"I thought I was being appropriate actually," Malfoy said. "The setting seems to suggest it, the atmosphere, the overall flirtatious banter."

"On your end."

"Your end too, missy, don't think I haven't noticed. Do you want to get out of here?"

Hermione turned to give him a stern talking to, opening her mouth to start lecturing him again on how she was not going to have sex with him, when he cut her off.

"To talk in private, it seemed to loosen your tongue and admittedly, you looked more comfortable surrounded by books than by people and alcohol."

"Oh," she said, hesitating. "I suppose you're right. About the book thing."

"Aha," he said, downing his drink. "What'll it be Granger?"

Hermione thought about what she was doing, the consequences, the absolute ridiculousness of hanging out with Draco-fricking-Malfoy of all people. The danger if she didn't. Her parents.

She downed the rest of her wine, set the glass down and stood up. "Let's go."

Author's note

My goodness it's been so long! Like… three years? I am.. SO SORRY. I hope this chapter can make up for the ridiculous wait, if not then I'm still very sorry. I stopped writing completely and then just lost all interest in this plotline. But I am here again with an update, if you liked this and like the story please let me know with a review - I love all of your feedback, both good and bad 3

Some juicy things coming up next chapter