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A Witch's Tale	By : snowblind12 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 27756 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: This fanfic is based off the Harry Potter books which are owned by JKR. I make no money from this fanfic and these characters as well as the Harry Potter books and world belong to JKR!

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Please, tell me if your liking the story. One word reviews are fine. Possible words could be.. boring, awesome, interesting, sweet, crummy or maybe 2 words, such as...keep writing, great story, stupid story, ... please, just give me something! Ok, I'm done groveling.. Hope you like this chapter..
Friday
It was finally Friday and Hermione's last day at the ministry. Thursday, Draco had come back again and continued going through her notes. He was still arguing a lot of her points, but in the end he had conceded that while he didn't think her theory was correct, he did acknowledge that her theory was possible. It was incredibly vindicating. He was the first person who had really studied the data who had acknowledged she might be right. He convinced her to copy her notes and data and take copies home. She hadn't planned on doing that and argued the point with him at first. But in the end, after she had thought about it, she decided he was right. It was her research and her work and she should keep copies of her own, even if she never looked at them again.
She looked around her office and felt a little sad. She had been working in this office for over 2 years and was glad to be leaving, but she would miss parts of it all the same. She would especially miss seeing Harry. He popped in to see her most days at least once, and at least twice a week they had lunch.
"Knut for your thoughts." She looked up and saw the wizard she had just been thinking about standing at her desk. "I've come to take you to lunch." She smiled and felt a ping of sadness that this was the last time he would pop in on her at work.
As they walked down the street he turned down a cross street that they usually didn't take. She looked at him questioningly and he said, "I thought we'd go somewhere special for your last day." Two blocks later they entered a new and trendy restaurant called Swanky Bubbles. The restaurant had gotten great reviews and was supposed to serve several specialty champagne drinks, hence the name.
When the hostess took them to their table in a back room, Hermione was surprised by the 50 or so ministry workers and friends who jumped out and yelled, "surprise!" There was a beautiful cake that said' "We'll miss you Hermione!" Kingsley Shacklebolt walked over and handed her a peach champagne beverage and the party was underway.
All her friends were there, including Ron, Ginny, Mr and Mrs Weasley, George, Bill and Fleur, Luna and countless others. Her work friends were surrounding her and offering her their best wishes. She couldn't help that her eyes watered as she looked at everyone and thanked them.
Friday Continued
Draco was losing patience. He had been sitting in her apartment for over an hour and she hadn't come home. It was after 7 and she should have been home from work by now. Theo was in Berlin, so he figured she wasn't going out and should have been home.
Tonight was the evening he decided to talk to her about his proposal, but of course, the irritating Gryffindor had not come home like she should have. It took him about an hour to break through her wards and get into her flat. He would just wait and talk to her when she got home. If she got mad about him being in her apartment, well too bad. She should have come home on time and frankly should have put up better wards.
He fixed himself a sandwich and sat on her couch. He noticed the WQ magazine with his face on the cover amongst a stack of magazines on the end table by the sofa. He smiled and put the magazine in its proper spot, at the very top.
After eating his sandwich he started to get sleepy. It had been a really long day. He had been in the US touring the Poppinstock Magometer business headquarters. He looked at his pocket watch and saw it was 7:30 pm. He figured he would wait another 15 minutes and then apparate to his flat.
Hermione apparated into her apartment and headed to her bedroom. It was after midnight and she was exhausted. In her slightly drunken condition, she had not noticed the sleeping wizard on her couch. She put on her pajamas, brushed her teeth and went to bed.
She woke up at around 3am extremely thirsty and in desperate need of a glass of water. She headed back down the hall towards the kitchen and jumped when she saw the movement to her right. She had left her wand on her bedside table and she experienced a flash of extreme panic. She saw the dark shape of a tall wizard moving towards her. She froze and her heart was racing with fear. "Theo?", she whispered.
The light turned on and a disheveled and sleepy looking Draco Malfoy was standing not 5 feet away.
She felt instant relief followed by instant fury. "Draco Malfoy, what the hell are you doing in my apartment?!"
Draco woke up to unfamiliar surroundings. He heard the sound of footsteps and jumped up with his wand, ready if needed. He slowly remembered where he was. As he was reaching to turn on the lamp, he heard Hermione's soft and terrified voice. "Theo?"
He turned the lamp on, about to speak, when Hermione yelled at him. He internally rolled his eyes. It was too late and he was too tired for this. "I fell asleep waiting for you to get home. Where the hell were you?!"
She was speechless for a second. "Whe..wha.. Arghh. Im getting some water." She said with exasperation as she half stumbled and half stomped into the kitchen.
Draco followed. "I came by here to talk to you and you weren't home. I was waiting for you and I guess I fell asleep."
She stopped and turned to look at him, dumbfounded. They stared at each other for minute before Draco shook his head and proceeded to do what she had intended. She watched with continued bewilderment as he walked to the cabinet, grabbed a glass, opened the freezer and took a handful of cubes out, dropped the cubes in the glass and filled the glass with water.
He handed her the glass. She took it and drank half the glass. She then wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "How did you get in my apartment?"
He took the glass, refilling it as he said, "Your wards are shit, Granger. Seriously! It's a wonder you haven't been murdered in your sleep."
He handed the glass back to her. This time she looked at the glass and then back at him. She then noticed the dirty dirty dishes in the sink.
He followed her line of vision around the kitchen and shrugged. "I was hungry. I made myself a sandwich."
"This is too much." She collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table. "Why did I drink all that champagne?"
"Go to bed, Granger. I'll be back at 9am. We'll grab some breakfast and you can listen to what I gave to say. Then we're fixing your pathetic wards."
She dropped her forehead on the table and waved him out the door, absently.
He turned to walk away. "And take some hangover potion. I want you sharp when we talk."
Saturday Morning
When her alarm went off at 8am she groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. This was not right. It was her first morning unemployed and she should be able to sleep in. But nooo, she had to get up so she could have breakfast with that prat, Malfoy.
She slowly dragged herself out of bed and took a shower. 20 minutes later, a second hangover potion and a cup of tea had her feeling almost normal again. She scowled when she looked and saw the dirty dishes Draco had left. How in the name of Merlin had he gotten in to her apartment? Her wards were just fine.
Draco arrived right on time. She was on him immediately."You know, I don't appreciate you just breaking into my apartment. A normal person, doesn't do that. A normal person leaves when the person they want to visit isn't home. But not you! Noooo...Not Draco 'breaker of wards, briber of bosses' Malfoy! No, you just break through wards and make yourself dinner and sleep on the unsuspecting witch's sofa!"
He looked bored. "Are you finished? Because what I have to talk to you about is important"
She knew a lost cause when she saw one. "Fine. Let's go." She said resignedly.
They floo'd to The Leaky Cauldron and then stepped out into muggle London. Draco pointed out, correctly, that if the Prophet photographer was to catch them having breakfast on a Saturday morning, the gossip would be out of control.
They found a bakery cafe that was not too crowded. As soon as they ordered, Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, as if to say, "well?"
"Granger, I want you to work for me. I actually want you to run a department for Poppintock Magometers. I want you to oversee the quality of the magometers and test them in the field."
Hermione was floored. "Draco, I've never actually used a magometer. I've studied the results, but I've never used the equipment."
"Did you or did you not say that you wanted to gather your own research? And, do you or do you not care about what happens to wizardkind?"
Hermione sighed, exasperated. "Of course I do! On both counts!" She leaned towards him."But, Draco, I need to be trained, I need to gain experience. How are the employees of Poppinstock going to have any respect for me if I walk in as their boss and they have to show me how to do my job?!"
"Hermione, no one at Poppinstock has done quality research. It was always outsourced. I don't want to outsource it. I want it handle internally, and I want you to do it. You can take the devices and go wherever you want to search for your so called "'earth magic'. He rolled his eyes. You'll test the devices and compare the different models, but you'll also gather research. We'll find out once and for all if your little theory is true." He paused and took a sip of tea. "One thing, though. If your theory proves to be true, or if in the process of using the magometers you solve the mystery of declining magic, the credit goes to you as well as Malfoy Enterprises. Malfoy Enterprises owns Poppinstock and will in turn own your research."
"Draco, you won't own the research I obtained while working for the ministry. You know that."
"Obviously, Granger. That's why you'll be gathering all of your own, new research. You'll retest the ministry's findings, which should be done anyway."
"Draco, I.."
"I'll pay you well, Granger. You won't want for anything."
"Would I have to live in Texas?"
Draco sat back and contemplated for a minute. He knew she wouldn't want to move. "Granger, you can call home whatever you want, but you'll have to travel...a lot. Your weekends will be your own, but during the week, you'll have to be where the drilling is. At least at first. Once the department is built up and you have trained, trusted employees who can oversee the research sites, you can control and interpret the data from the home office, which yes, will be in Texas. At least for now." He sighed. "I just can't have you running a department in Dallas from London." He leaned towards her. "Granger, you can be home on the weekends. It's not a big deal to portkey as needed."
"Is the manufacturing done in Dallas as well? Are the machines built where my office will be?"
"Yes, everything is onsite. Also, besides Poppinstock himself, there are two other designers. They know everything about the devices. While you are learning, one of them will accompany you and your team at all sites."
"Is Leonard Poppinstock still involved?"
"Leonard has agreed to stay on in an advisory capacity. He and Lexie may very well accompany you occasionally."
"Does Lexie know the machines as well?"
Draco laughed. "She's spent half her life in that factory. She may not know how to build them and design them, but she knows how to work them. And, I know she'd love the opportunity to work with you!"
Hermione looked at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"
"Well, let's just say she was very taken with you at the quidditch match." He grinned.
She was too lost in her own thoughts to pick up on what he was implying.
"Oh, Draco...I don't know!" Hermione's head was spinning. She was ashamed to admit, even to herself, that she was worried Theo wouldn't like her living away from London during the week. They were just starting their relationship and she really liked him. What if the long distance would be a turn off for him? The logical side of her brain reproached her and said he's not worth the time of day if he didn't support her. But her emotional side would be devastated if he walked away from her. She would miss her wizard terribly, even if they had only been dating less than a week.
Their breakfast plates were delivered and Draco dug in. Hermione was a basket of nerves. "Hermione, eat! Theo may be too much of a gentlewizard to say anything, but you're too thin! Why do you think he always fixes you breakfast? Eat!"
"He told you that? He's never said a word to me." Her tone went from flabbergasted to worried.
Draco could see the wheels spinning in her mind and he didn't want her taking what he said out of context. She should neither be offended or insecure. "Hermione, Theo thinks your beautiful and perfect. He just thinks you don't eat enough and he worries about your nutrition." He ate a bite of egg and continued, "You may not have noticed, but he can be a bit controlling, he's just not always very obvious about it. You think he's being sweet, but really he's being Theo and making sure you eat breakfast."
Hermione ate a bite of egg as she absorbed what Draco had just said. Was this true? It must be. How else would Draco know that Theo had fixed her breakfast every time he stayed over? She should be angry. She should be furious, but she found she wasn't. She was touched.
She started to eat and once she had a few bites, she realized she really was quite hungry. She really hadn't eaten much yesterday as lunch and dinner were cake, appetizers and champagne beverages.
When they finished eating, Draco paid the bill and they headed back. "Draco, I need time to think about this. Can I tell you my answer in a few days"
He sighed with irritation, "I really don't get it, Granger. I thought you cared about your theory. You don't have a job. I've just offered you what should be your dream job and you want to think about it?"
She answered defensively. "Draco, I need to talk to Harry. He's all the family I have."
Draco rolled his eyes. Fuckin Potter..always getting in the way. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She did look a little upset. "It's fine, Granger. Take a week and decide."
When they got back to her apartment, Draco explained all the ways he had broken her wards. She was amazed. "Draco, where did you learn this? These wards were set up by Harry and Ron as well as their Auror trainer when they first started at the ministry."
"Hermione, think about it. I've been taught a lot of skills by a lot of wizards and witches. Some of them not the most law abiding."
She laughed awkwardly. They had never discussed his being a death eater, at least not really. Before his trial, he had apologized to her for not doing more to help when she and Harry and Ron had been captured. He had paid the medical bills to get the scaring removed from her arm. It was one of the many things the Malfoy's had paid for in restitution after the war was over.
"Ok, so you've told me everything that's wrong with my wards, how do I fix them?"
"Tell you what, you accept my offer and I'll have a professional come in here and put up wards nobody can get through."
A third voice out of nowhere said, "What offer is that?"
Hermione turned and smiled as Theo came bounding up and swooped her up into his arms.
- 9
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- 11
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A Witch's Tale