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How To Train Your Auror	By : Alcoholic_Rootbeer Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 7512 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I will not make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
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You know where I'm coming,
From though I am running,
To you, all I feel is deny, deny, denial,
I wanted to be a better brother, better son,
Wanted to be a better adversary to the evil I have done,
I have none to show to the one I love,
But deny, deny, denial.
Help me polarize, help me polarize,
Help me down,
Those stairs is where I'll be hiding all my problems,
Help me polarize, help me polarize,
Help me out,
My friends and I, we've got a lot of problems.
"Polarize" by Twenty One Pilots
Draco sat across from the deli outside the Ministry at a local coffee shop, sipping on hot brew and contemplating his next move. He wasn't sure why he wanted to sit so far away from his new partner, but the further the better. Maybe it was all of the stupid things they used to argue about in school that made him anxious. Perhaps, it was because of the war -of what had happened between them and what sides that had been chosen. He was ashamed of his past, but he wasn't going to say it to Granger. Not to her or to any of that golden threesome. No, he would gladly drink his black coffee and try to think of a way out of this entire matter before it got out of hand.
Who was that bloke standing next to her, he wondered? He recognized the git from school. Thomas… something Thomas… Dan? No, that wasn't right. -Draco perked up when he saw none other than Auror Diggle out to lunch with the pair. As he handed Granger a ham and cheese on rye, Draco couldn't help but think it was all a bit too chummy.
To his shock and dismay, he saw Granger's irritating brown eyes flicker across the road and over towards him. He ducked his head and hoped she hadn't noticed him staring. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She wasn't coming over, was she? He tried very hard not to make eye contact as she sauntered up to him, sandwich still in hand.
"Hello, Malfoy."
He gestured her with a wave of the hand. "Granger."
"Care if I sit down?"
"Actually I-" She sat down anyways, cutting him off. Draco gave out an irritated huff and stirred his coffee. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Her eyebrows were drawn together, as if concerned, but she sighed and attempted a smile. "Well, we'll be working together for the next few months. I thought we could try to… make amends."
"Amends?"
"We didn't get on in school, did we? I thought we could wipe the slate clean. What do you say?"
He chanced a glance up in her direction, attempting his best nonchalant glare. Wipe the slate clean? What good would that do? "I say you fall short of your reputation if you honestly think I care to 'wipe the slate clean.' -I don't care to clear the slate. I don't care to get to know you. All I care about is passing this training and being inducted into the Auror division. Understand?"
Granger folded her arms on the table and shook her head. She had aged nicely, he supposed, considering she always looked like a ruffled wet hen in school. Her hair was the feathers of course, and she would always nitpick her chicks (Potter and Weasley). But she had managed to tame her hair, now, much to Draco's disappointment. What could he make fun of her for, now? No buck teeth. No bushy hair. How would he get her to leave him alone? She spoke, drawing attention again. "No. I don't understand. Here, let's start off with something simple. What have you been up to since Hogwarts?"
Draco couldn't help it -he stifled a laugh behind his hand. "You call that simple? What have I been up to the last nine years?"
"Yes, well… you could give me a fact."
"You're not going to leave it alone unless I do, are you?"
"No, I will not."
"Fine." He rubbed his chin, inhaled, and debated of what to tell her. He didn't want to get close -not by a long shot. He was here to be an Auror, not to try to make up to Hermione Granger. If Draco had his way, he would avoid contact with everyone from his past. "I'm married."
"Oh?" She smiled, though there was a sort of… sadness? Draco couldn't be sure. "That's lovely. How long?"
"Three years this December."
"Wonderful."
They sat in silence for a good minute.
"This is the part where you're supposed to ask me something about myself."
Draco really didn't want to play this game, but her determined stare was fixed on him, so he might as well concede (for now). "Alright. What did you do before this?"
The question caught her off guard, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I worked in the Legal Council division, campaigning for House Elf rights." Of course she would be. What else would goody-two-shoes-Granger be doing but slogan for a hopeless cause? "And you?"
"See, this is what I meant by I didn't want to get to know you."
"Then… why were you watching us earlier?" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling sweetly. It made Draco want to vomit.
"I don't have to explain myself to you."
"Look." Her smile dropped and she leaned forward on the table, threatening to spill his coffee. Damn these tiny shop tables. "You and I are partners. There's no way around that. Believe me, I've already tried to get out of it. So, the least you could do is make this a little less unpleasant so that we can help each other grow as Aurors."
Out of spite, Draco said, "Well, then I'm going to make your life a living Hell." He smirked at her, a confoundment written across the pores of her face. "Run along, Granger. Can't you see I'm trying to ruminate?" He watched her skitter back across the street, and a feeling of superiority washed over him. Yes. That was much more like it.
Class resumed at a quarter till one. Hermione cursed silently to herself as she took her seat, still with Dean (Diggle hadn't told them to move with their partners, and after lunch she most certainly didn't want to). How could she think it would be so easy to approach Malfoy? Surely there had to be some kind of good in that frozen heart of his? Someone had married him for Pete's sake. So that meant that he had to have some kind of wholesomeness, right? Or perhaps they married him for his money. That would make so much more sense…
Diggle, after rollcall, excused himself from the room and brought out a large wooden trunk. He set it in the middle of the room, had the trainees spell the chairs and tables to stack, and then made everyone line up in a circle around the trunk. Hermione was instantly excited, and her worry of Malfoy dropped for the time being.
"Right." He stepped forward, away from the chest, and took a stance in front of her. "Miss Granger. You're the brightest witch of our generation, or so I've been told. Any guesses as to what is in the box?"
All eyes shifted to the brunette. Hermione thought about it for a moment before smiling. "A boggart."
"Very good, Miss Granger!" Auror Diggle clapped. "A boggart. The best defense against the Dark Arts is a good offence. Like Quidditch. We're all a team, you know. And the best part about being a team is knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses." He rolled up the sleeves of his robes and looked around the room. "So, who would be brave enough to show us their weakness?" The room hushed. Hermione was about to volunteer herself when the burly man from earlier who had made fun of Hermione's gender stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
"Right. Thank you, Simmons. It is Simmons, isn't it?"
"Sir."
"Very good." Diggle extended his hand and beckoned Simmons to the center of the circle. "Now, honesty is most important in being an Auror, Simmons. You need to be an open book to your fellow brethren. But you also need to be cool and closed when faced in front of the enemy. So, why don't you tell us now- what are we going to see when I open up that box?"
Simmon's square face meshed together in a sort of pride. "Snakes, sir."
"Snakes. Oh, how peculiar. Tell me. Why snakes?"
"Bit by one when I was a child. Nearly died."
"That would most certainly put fear in anyone's heart. Right, so -let's see if you're honest with yourself as much as you are with the entire room." Diggle strolled over to the box, undid the lock, and pulled the chest open. A serpent, long and graceful, with slanted black eyes and the color of sheer ivory whipped out of the box in one graceful whip. It landed feet away from Simmons, whose face blanched. The snake hissed, coiling its long body along the floor as it slithered here and there, exposing its deadly fangs and leaving Simmons a puddle of fear on the floor. He fell to his knees, completely shaken.
"Get up, Simmons," Auror Diggle encouraged. "Face your fear."
Simmons shook his head, his bulky body refusing to move. The snake drew closer, flaring its nostrils-
"Reddikulus!" Hermione shouted, brandishing her wand and imagining the tiny bows that her grandmother used to put in her hair when she was young. The snake choked, contorting, wrapping around itself until it was shaped just like the pretty ribbons. When it was finished, there was nothing but cute little hair bows.
The room fell silent. Auror Diggle glanced up at Hermione, who still held her wand out mid stance. She glanced around the ponderous faces and lowered it.
"I had it!" Simmons shouted, spinning to glare at Hermione. "I had it, you stupid witch!"
A cool voice perked up from the circle. "Obviously not, or she wouldn't have jumped in to save your arse." Draco Malfoy gave Simmons a calculated smirk and quirked an eyebrow. A few of the trainees chuckled.
"Miss Granger," said Auror Diggle, his voice calm and centered, "While I'm sure Auror Simmons appreciates you jumping to his rescue, I would like to ask you to refrain from helping in the future. The point of these training sessions is to weed the strong from the weak."
"I- I'm sorry, Sir."
"No need. If Auror Simmons had conducted himself like a proper Auror, he would have looked past his fears and conquered them."
Simmons rose form his knees, looked around the room in humiliation, and joined the circle in defeat.
"Thank you, Simmons, for that terrible display of showmanship." Diggle grinned from ear to ear. "Miss Granger. Perhaps you'd like to show us how it's done?"
"Certainly."
Her muscles tensed as she strode to the center of the circle, making sure to not get close enough for the boggart to detect her. She could do this. She knew she could. For herself. For Ron.
"What will we see?" Asked Diggle.
Hermione closed her eyes and thought. At first she thought it might be Ron's pale, dead corpse cradled so peacefully in his coffin. But it didn't set fear in her heart like she thought it would. Only a longingness, and a grief she could never overcome. She delved deeper, sifting through her greatest fears until she settled on the one that made her stomach plummet. She opened her eyes, glanced wearily around the room, and swallowed. "It… It's personal."
"Most of our worst fears usually are. Go on."
With a heavy sigh, she turned her eyes about the room until they fell on steel grey ones, making it a point to concentrate on him as she spoke. If he wouldn't speak to her, and vowed to make this class a living Hell, she might just return the favor. "Back during the War, my friends and I were captured." She watched him shift his feet uncomfortably, and his pale features flushed. Obviously knowing where she was going, he ripped his gaze away from hers and concentrated on the floor. A rush of relief washed over her that she didn't need to look at him anymore. Even if she was the one to instigate it. "There was a woman – Bellatrix Lestrange. She tortured me." Her hand slipped up and over forearm. "She did terrible things to try to obtain information from me. -That's what you'll see."
She stepped forward, wand at the ready. She thought she had prepared herself for this, but as the boggart began to take on the shape of Lestrange, she felt bile rise in her throat and her legs began to shake. Cold, dark eyes grinned mercilessly down at her. The boggart had even captured her heinous grin. Bellatrix cocked her head to the side, a knife in her hand.
"Where did you get the sword, little girl?" Her voice cackled as she screamed, "Tell me, Mudblood!"
Hermione inhaled deeply, settling the lump in her throat, and whispered, "Riddikulus." Bellatrix lunged forward, and the entire room darted back, Hermione included. She steadied herself, reminding herself that this wasn't real. "Riddikulus!" She shouted, and Bellatrix shrunk in size, eyes glazing over and becoming a tiny China doll.
Auror Diggle clapped his hands excitedly. "Wonderful work, Miss Granger. Though next time I wouldn't hesitate." He motioned her back to the circle, to which she did, even with her nerves on edge and her body shaking. She caught eyes with Dean first, who looked apologetically to her.
"You alright?" he whispered.
"Never better." Hermione set her chin out and her eyes reached Malfoy's once more. He turned away, a sickened look written on his face.
"Anyone else?" Diggle piped up. "Auror Malfoy, what about you?"
"Is this required?" He stared at his perfectly shined shoes.
"No, not at the moment. This is simply practice."
"Then I abstain."
Diggle exchanged glances with Hermione, as if to say 'make him', but she couldn't find it in her heart to find the words. It was disconcerting enough to see the woman who had tortured her to the point of haunting her dreams every night. -She just didn't think she had it in her to make Malfoy go through something like that. Even if he was a git. And deserved it.
"I'll go!" said Dean, and brandished his wand. Hermione scooted around the circle and made her way next to Malfoy.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" he muttered. "Nice spectacle, by the way. Was that for my benefit?"
"You want to make my life a living Hell, remember? I'm just returning the favor."
He tapped his leg with his wand, the both watching as Dean's boggart turned into a flock of birds out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. His face turned to hers. "Out of everything, your worst fear is my deceased Aunt Bella?"
"I think we both know why…" She swallowed a lump in her throat. It felt good to get it off of her chest. So many years, all she could think of was that Draco Malfoy had been in that very same Manor and not done a damn thing to stop his horrid, horrid Aunt. It was one of her greatest animosities towards him. "She was a terrible person, to put it lightly."
"But she's dead. What do you have to be afraid of still?"
For the first time, Hermione swore she saw a bit of the real him peak out. His expression had softened, and he looked at her quizzically. Perhaps, she thought, getting in with Draco Malfoy wouldn't be has hard as she had anticipated. She just needed a new approach.
"Well, I'll answer your question if you tell me why you won't accept the Boggart challenge."
"…That's complicated."
"It always is."
They stood in silence for a long time, watching as Dean turned his birds into Angry Birds characters. Hermione giggled into her hand, and Malfoy raised a curious eyebrow. "What are those?"
"Game characters."
"Why are they so misshapen?"
"It's part of the appeal."
"There's nothing appealing about a giant red ball of feathers with exaggerated eyebrows. Birds don't even have eyebrows…"
Laughing, Hermione debated on whether or not to push. Sometimes, it was best to nudge people in the direction you wanted them to go. But Draco Malfoy was cunning -he would probably see through her ploy at any moment. So how was she going to get any information out of him? But things were going well, weren't they? Perhaps, she thought, a little nudge…
"So, about the boggart…"
His relaxed demeanor instantly shattered, sending his arrogant sneer back on top of his sharp face. "I told you that I'm not getting chummy with you, Granger. So quit prying."
Then again…
Draco was relieved when training was done for the day. Having Granger trying to be friendly didn't sit right in his stomach. How could she so casually forget that they disliked each other? It didn't make sense. And he didn't like it.
He arrived home at a quarter past six and immediately went to look for Scorpius. He found his son and his wife in the library. Scorpius was bundled tight in a bassinet as Astoria read 'Timid Dragon' to him. When Draco entered the room, Astoria set the book down and greeted him with a forced smile. "Hello, Draco. How was your training?"
He noticed her tone and briskly replied, "Are you truly interested, or is this simply a formality and you'd like me to lie?"
"I'd like you to be honest with me."
"I enjoyed it. Quite a bit." He watched as her eyes dropped to the floor and skirted around her to pick up an excited Scorpius. His pudge had gotten even pudgier, and as he smiled with that toothless grin Draco could feel every fiber in his body jump in joy. "Hey there, little guy. Miss me?"
"Did you even miss us?" said Astoria, flicking an imaginary piece of lint off of her skirt in nervousness. Draco sat down with her, Scorpius in tow, and slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"Tori…"
"Don't you Tori me." She shook a finger at him. "I was hoping that your first day would be awful, and you'd second guess all of this Auror business. As it stands, you love it." She laughed, hollow. "You actually love it."
"I do." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "But not as much as I love you."
"Then… stop." There were tears in her eyes. "Please, just stop this, before it goes too far."
"You know I can't do that."
"Why not?" She scooted further down the couch, dismay written across her fine features. "What do you have to prove? You have me. You have Scorp. You're wealthy beyond reason. What more could you possibly want?" Draco felt a pull in his middle. He wanted to tell Tori all of the reasons why he had to do this, but he couldn't bring himself to. So, instead, he simply shrugged. Astoria's face fell and she rose from her seat. "I see." She wiped a few tears away and stood. "Well, this better be worth it. Because I might not see this through to the end."
"Astoria."
"No. Don't." She stepped away and walked to the door. Then she turned around. "Just don't. I've given this a lot of thought. You never did tell me why you wanted to do this. And it's been nearly a month. -When you decide you can open up to me… I'll be here. But until then, I think I'll take the guest bedroom down the hall from Scorpius. I won't leave you… But I won't be a part of this unless I know why. So can you tell me why?"
His heart pounding in his throat, he shook his head.
"Then have fun being on parental duty. I'm going to bed."
"Tori… Astoria!" But it was too late. She had shut the door firmly behind her, leaving Draco and Scorpius alone. The baffled father looked down to his son and frowned. "Well, she's in a foul mood, isn't she? S'alright, Scorp. I'll have you know I'm actually quite an attentive parent." He could do this. So he was to take the night shift? How hard could taking care of a baby alone possibly be? Scorpius giggled, cooed, then burped up all over Draco's sleeve.
Then again…
Hermione bolted upright in her bed as cold sweat dripped down her forehead. It had just been a dream, she assured herself. She reached over her nightstand and grabbed up the bottle of water she always placed next to her bed at night and took a hearty swig. As the lukewarm liquid sloshed down the back of her throat, she tried to shake the image of Ron's ocean blue eyes from the back of her eyelids. Hastily, she scrunched her eyes tighter. She couldn't do this to herself -holding on to these sort of things would never give her any sort of satisfaction. She wiped her mouth with the back of her arm and twisted the lid back onto her bottle before snuggling back into bed. That was before she heard a click click click of something tapping at her windowpane.
She sat up again, this time thoroughly jolted awake. She rolled out of bed and padded her way to the frame and unlocked it before pushing it up and open. A large, cobalt owl flapped past her almost immediately and landed with a graceful turn on top of her pillow top. It extended its claw, where a small scroll was tied. Hermione patted the owl thoughtfully on the head and couldn't help but admire its plumage and elegant demeanor as the owl allowed her to untie the note.
"Thank you." She smiled to it warmly and looked around the room. "I don't have much to offer, but would you like some crackers?" The owl hooted wildly and flapped its wings in excitement. Hermione grinned and said, "I'll be right back." She took to the kitchen, turning on the hallway light so that she could unwrap the message. She stopped just short of the pantry to read its contents, which were written in flowing script with a talented hand.
Granger,
I hope this message finds you satisfactory. My owl, Archimedes, enjoys any kind of food, so if you have the means I would ask you to feed him before he leaves you. Straight to the point, I require your presence thirty minutes before training this morning in front of the North entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
D. Malfoy
She turned the scroll over in her palm, searching for anything else, but when she decided that this was all he had meant to say she gave a huffy sigh and grabbed up a box of store brand crackers and a banana from the counter top before she trudged back to her room. After she set the food up on the window seal for the wondrous owl, she sat back down on her bed and whispered quietly to herself. "Well now, this will be an advantage for me, won't it? I wonder what he wants. -Do you know?" She glanced over to the owl, who hooted at her in happiness as it pecked into the banana. "You're welcome to rest if you'd like before you leave." The owl fluffed out its feathers and began to groom at them. Hermione, satisfied, crawled back under the covers and rolled over on her side, focusing on anything else but her late husband's image burned into the back of her eyelids.
As requested, Hermione sat outside the public bathrooms that were the North entrance to the Ministry, reading Luna's new article in The Quibbler. It was something about how garden gnomes had been coming to life in muggle communities and terrorizing the neighborhood cats. She was sure it was all rubbish, but she was always one to support a friend, and if buying a rag like The Quibbler was the way to do it, she supposed she would. After all, sometimes they would post spot on articles. It was like sifting rocks out of the sand.
A cough to her left broke her attention, and she rose her head up to see Malfoy; his eyes were dark with circles and his hair was particularly disheveled. Her eyebrows rose to new heights as she wondered what could possibly make Draco Malfoy look so unkempt.
"Er… Hello." He scratched the back of his head and leaned up against the wall next to her. His eyes trailed over the paper in Hermione's hands and his face instantly soured. "The Quibbler?"
"Luna Lovegood is a writer in it."
"Looney Lovegood?" He smirked.
"Oh, really. It's been nearly a decade out of Hogwarts and you still must resort to childish name calling?"
"Well, if the shoe fits. Besides, you'll never escape the Hogwarts nickname shame. Don't you know that?"
"So all those times you called me Mudblood… I'm just supposed to chalk that up to nickname shame?" Hermione said coldly, glaring at him. She knew she had struck a nerve, because he crossed his arms and a sneer ran across his thin lips.
"You know what? Maybe this was a bad idea."
Hermione's gut jerked. This was the big break she had been looking for to get closer to him -and she wasn't about to give it up now. Even if a part of her wanted to smack that insolent glare off of his face. He would have deserved it. All of the taunting, all of the name calling, all of the racial slurs… it made her dizzy with anger, but she pushed it deep, deep down. Focus on the mission, she told herself. Don't let your emotions get the best of you. You're better than him. "I'm… sorry…" she forced out. The words tasted like rotten cabbage as she watched him smirk.
"Well, well. I never thought I'd see the day Hermione Granger apologized to me. -Say it again."
"Don't push your luck."
He shrugged, obviously satisfied. "I assume you're wondering why I summoned you here."
"Yes. That had crossed my mind." She folded up the paper and tucked it under her arm, turning to face him. "So are you going to spill the beans? Or should I just go on ahead and pretend that you don't exist in class again?"
He rolled his eyes and ran his long, delicate fingers through his hair. Pianist fingers, Hermione noted. "Granger… you're a woman."
The words struck her across the cheek like a hard slap. "Well, yes," she said, a bit too tight. "I believe I've been one all through the years we've known each other. Thank you so much for noticing."
"Well, since you've grown a pair of tits it's been much easier to differentiate you from the male population." He smirked. "But that's beside the point. I need you to tell me something."
"Oh?"
"Why are women so bloody meddlesome?"
"I suppose it's because men are so bloody secretive."
He chuckled. "Touché."
"Why do you ask, Malfoy?" Could this be it, Hermione wondered. Could this be the in she'd been looking for?
"I…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I shouldn't be talking to you about this."
"And yet," she singsonged, "Here we are."
"Yes. Well… That's because I don't know many women whom my wife doesn't know herself. If this conversation ever got back to her, I think I'd be dead before I hit the ground."
"So I'm a sounding board."
"Something like that." He opened his eyes and turned his head to her. The silver flecks glistened in the sun. "Don't get me wrong. I still dislike you very, very much."
"Aww, I'm so touched." She shoved his shoulder and rolled her eyes. "Go on."
"She doesn't like that I've decided to become an Auror."
"Really? I would have thought she'd be excited to take an insurance policy out on you. You're worth millions, you know."
Malfoy wore an impressed grin as he said, "Good one, Granger."
"Thank you."
"Been saving that one for a rainy day?"
"Nope. Just came off the top of my head."
"-So anyways, last night she refused to come to bed with me. And I swear to Merlin, I've done nothing wrong. But she thinks I need to share my feelings -why on Earth would I want to share my feelings? What ring of Hell do I need to be in for that to occur?"
"Well, what does she want you to share?"
"It's personal."
"I'm beginning to notice everything is with you. -Look, if it were me, I would open up to my spouse. Secrets can cause rifts. And you never know how much time you have with someone… until they're gone. So don't cause a rift that you can't fix. Because all you'll do is leave a hole in both of your hearts and questions that she might never get answers to…" She cut herself off as it dawned on her that she was no longer talking about Malfoy's problems. Horrified, she tried her best to cover it up. "I mean… be honest with her. Open up. That's all you have to do."
"Yes, well… I don't do well with things like that," he said honestly. "I'm more of a brooding, sexy husband. Not the kissy-kissy emotional type."
"You have a very warped perception of yourself." She kicked off of the wall and looked at her watch. "Time to go to class. Pick this up later?"
He too pried himself from the wall, straightening out his robes. "Don't think this makes me like you. I simply needed someone to verbally abuse for a few moments."
"If that's your definition of verbal abuse, you're a kitten." Hermione walked over to the ladies restroom door and stopped. "Just… open up to her."
"I don't know how to do that."
"Well, you just opened up to me a bit, didn't you?" She was surprised when a warm smile spread across her lips. "If you can do that, you can do anything." Watching his face, she knew she had finally found her in. His soft expression was agitated but still very, very vulnerable. Perhaps this was the way to get him to spill the beans. Baby steps, she told herself.
SCENE!

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How To Train Your Auror