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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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So when you met the new you
Were you scared, were you cold, were you kind?
Yeah when you met the new you, did someone die inside?
"Upside Down and Inside Out" By OK Go
"Marital issues? That's what you have for me?" Diggle sighed into his morning cup of tea and handed Hermione a muffin from the Ministry cafeteria. "It's been a week, Granger. I expect better results."
"Sir," she said, tossing the muffin around in her hands as she followed him down the line. "Excuse my frankness, but it has only been a week. I can't undo years' worth of hatred in that short of time. And besides, we've hardly spoken since he told me about his wife's issue with him. You've kept us so busy with spells and potions that we hardly can stand a moment to get a word in."
"Are you blaming me?" Diggle smirked and led them to a corner table. He sat his tray, filled the brim with fruit, down atop the table top and plucked a grape to his mouth. As it hovered dangerous close to his lips, Hermione found herself staring at his beautiful teeth. -The fact that her parents were dentists meant, inadvertently, that she would always notice a straight smile when she saw one. And Diggle had a beautiful set of incisors. She pried her gaze up to his green eyes, but that only made the situation worse.
"No sir," she replied timidly.
"No matter. Today is a new day, Miss Granger. And one that I think will work to your benefit."
"Hand to hand combat." Diggle shouted to the group. Their training room had been enlarged by magic, and everything in the room had been transfigured into a dojo. The floors were hard wood padded with wrestling mats. The window had been replaced by a row of Bo staffs, boxing gloves, and protective gear. Above the door was a large, flashing sign that read 'no wands on the fight floor'. "One of these days, Auror or not, you're going to find yourself overpowered and without a wand. And then -and only then -will you find out what kind of human you really are capable of being. Today, you're to pair up with your partners. I want you to take no mercy on them."
"But sir," said Simmons, "Don't you want to train us first?"
"Oh? -No." He shook his head, eyes sifting around the room until they fell on Hermione. He stared at her longer than the rest. "I honestly just want to watch you lot beat the shite out of each other. See what you know. -Alright. Disrobe, grab some head gear and begin!"
"Disrobe, Sir?" Malfoy perked his head up for the first time that morning. Hermione watched as his hand absently roamed over his forearm. "You want us to take off our robes?"
"Do you expect to fight in robes, Auror Malfoy? Do you think the enemy will care if you had the time to put on your robes before a fight?"
Hermione looked from Diggle to Malfoy, and a realization set over her. This wasn't for free range or any other reason Diggle could come up with -this was simply to expose Malfoy's Dark Mark. Even if this was a jab at Malfoy, this was low. Not to mention, she didn't much like the idea of showing off a few scars on her arm as well. She came up to stand next to Malfoy and said, "Sir, if we're in our uniforms on Ministry time, then should we not practice maneuvering in robes?"
"Are you questioning my authority, Miss Granger?" His emerald eyes shimmered with warning.
"No, sir." She cursed under her breath and sighed, grabbing at Malfoy's sleeve. "Come on, Malfoy. Let's take a quiet corner." She ushered him towards the furthest back corner, turned on her heels, and strolled back up to Diggle. "This is low, sir."
"Is it?"
"You think by putting him on display, you're making a statement, but…" She shook her head. "You know what? Never mind. You'll see soon enough."
She made her way back over to Malfoy, who was fiddling with his buttons very slowly. She could see the anxiety written across his face, and she couldn't blame him. She felt the same, though for different reasons. Her hand reached out, touched his shaking fingers, and she said, "It's alright, Draco."
He jerked his hand away and rolled his eyes. "Do not assume to know me."
"I only assume to know myself." Her own hands curled button after button out of their loops until they were all undone. Cautiously, she slid the fabric off of her shoulders, down her biceps and finally off of her forearms. She watched him warily as his eyes trailed over the uniformed cuts along her right arm. They spelled the word that Draco Malfoy had been known for using all of those years ago.
His silver eyes jerked up to her chocolate ones, eyebrows twisted up and forward. "'Mudblood'," he read out loud. "When did this…?"
"Last week, you asked me how I could possibly be scared of Lestrange, even after death. This is the reason. Because every day I'm reminded that people like her still exist. That some prejudices are so strong, they'd drive a person to carve into another human's flesh."
He fell silent, lips pursed together in thought. She could tell he struggled with the scars -and who could blame him? They were ugly, vile things that she couldn't spell away. She had covered them up for so long… There were just some things, she had long ago admitted to herself, that just weren't removable. She shivered as she felt eye after curious eye train in their direction, and she closed her eyes in humiliation. This was the worst of it, she told herself.
There was a rustle of fabric as Malfoy let his robes fall to his feet, and he said quietly, "Would you look at that? We match." She pried her eyes open, finding his Morsmordre Mark almost immediately. The skin around it was red and taut, and with horror Hermione realized that he had most likely tried to burn it off at one time or another. He stared at the mark for a moment, then scooped up his robes, grabbed up hers, and said, "If you're quite done with swapping sizes, I'd say we continue on with training." He scanned his eyes around the room, and one by one the curious eyes drifted back to their partners. Then he placed their robes near the wall and grabbed up two padded headgears. Offering one to her, he took the other and slipped it atop his head and fastened the strap. Hermione did the same, and they prepared to spar.
"Ready?" He smirked, hands up in a confident stance. Hermione, still surprised at his sudden show of humbleness, took a moment to come to her senses before she also put her hands up and squared her posture.
"Are you sure you'd like to hit a girl?" she chided.
"A girl? No. You -most certainly."
"Oh? But I thought you said-" She jabbed out and caught him by surprise, landing a blow right in the stomach, "-I had breasts."
Draco grabbed at his stomach and put a hand up, coughing. It took him a moment to catch his breath, but when he did he smirked and replied, "Tits, Granger. The word I used was tits. -Where'd you learn to throw a punch?"
"Don't be surprised. I did sock you one our third year, remember?" She danced around him, arms up in a pretend victory. She was too careless -Malfoy took the opportunity and jabbed a good blow into her kidneys while her back was turned. His fist was firm, and she realized as she lunged in pain that he had given quite a bit in that punch. Maybe not all. Was he going easy on her?
"Maybe… we should use the gloves…" She winced.
"What's wrong? Can't take what you dish out?" He danced around her in the same way she had, mocking her. He stopped in front of her and leaned forward. "Poor little Gwanger. Should we call you a nurse?"
"No. But you're going to need one." She threw a nasty uppercut under his chin, and he stumbled backwards, clutching his jaw.
"Fuck sakes," he muttered. "I knew you were uncivilized, but this is ridiculous."
Hermione had never felt more free. She stood proudly, forgetting for the moment that she was supposed to be gaining his trust. No, this was much more satisfying. It had been too long since she could cut loose, and something about giving Malfoy a physical what-for was the best remedy. She ran at him, aiming low, but he blocked her and curved his hand around to her side, landing a hit to her ribcage. She ignored the pain, swinging her leg backwards and then forwards, jabbing it right between the legs. Malfoy doubled over, groaning.
"Savage…"
"Oh, I'm a savage now?" She jumped on his back while he crouched and wrapped her arms around his neck as she attempted a headlock. She thought she had it, but she caught the insidious smirk on the side of his lips before he lunged forward and sent her toppling over him. She landed with a firm SMACK back down on the mat. "Ooof!"
"Like I said. Savage."
"Get up, Auror Granger!" Diggle called out from behind them.
"Or do you concede?" laughed Malfoy.
Hermione struggled to find her breath, thinking over her next move. She kicked out her leg, hooking her ankle with his, and knocked him face down onto the mat next to her. She laughed, despite her bruised ribs, and threw a fist into the air. "Victory!"
"I've never been more humiliated." Malfoy jerked his head up and looked at her with squinted eyes.
"I'm sure that isn't true."
Auror Diggle abandoned his watch over Dean and his partner and strolled over to the pair, shaking his head. "Should I assume that you both are trying out some new technique I've never heard of before?"
"Just letting out some… frustration…" Hermione pulled herself to her feet and brushed her pants off.
"Yes, well," Diggle stepped over Malfoy, who was still lying on the floor catching his breath, and tucked a lock of hair behind Hermione's shoulder. "Perhaps if you insist on beating him to a pulp, use a bit more defense." He winked at her and looked down to Draco. "Alright there, Auror Malfoy?"
"Peachy, Sir."
"Wonderful. I'll let her get back to kicking your arse, then, shall I?"
He left them at once, settling on watching Simmons and his partner close by. Hermione knew she must have been blushing, so it was no surprise that when Malfoy stood and caught sight of her face, he jeered, "Someone's taking teacher's pet to a whole new level, aren't they?"
"Excuse me?" She frowned.
"Oh Auror Diggle. You're so manly. Can I suck your small cock, sir?" Angered, Hermione thrust her fist out, but her grabbed it and jerked her forward and into his personal space. He got right up in her face, nose to nose. "Go on. Deny it."
"You're trying to goad me. It won't work."
"It already has." He scooped her up from her stomach and threw her over his shoulder, where she landed, once again, on her backside. He turned to her and smirked. "You leave your guard down when you're angry."
"And you do when you're being prideful." Hermione sat upright and stretched out the muscles in her neck, rolling them back and forth. "That hurt."
"Gonna have a good cry about it later?"
"No. I'm going to knock you into next week."
"Then up off the floor, if you think you can handle it."
He offered his hand out, and after a hesitant moment she took it and let him pull her up to her feet. Competitive though they both were, Hermione almost sensed a sort of bond between them. Interesting, she thought, since all she had been planning to do was kick the living daylights out of him. They set their stances again, this time a bit more carefully, and Malfoy was the first one to throw a punch, to which Hermione blocked. They threw a few jabs back and forth before they spoke again.
"What happened to knocking me into next week?"
"I'm getting there."
"You're getting soft."
"You're soft." She found an opening and got him in the stomach again -but he was prepared and flexed his abdomen. Her knuckles hit firm muscles.
"I'm anything but soft, Granger." He winked at her. -Wait, he winked at her? Since when did Draco Malfoy wink at anything? The world was upside down today.
"You work out?"
"I keep myself in shape, if that's what you mean. You should try it sometime."
"I-" she lunged forward, "-Go to the gym-" drew her arm back, "-Three times a week!" and landed a good hit into his ear, which was only saved by his headgear. He acted as if it barely grazed him.
"And what do you do there? Run the track?" He laughed, shoving her backwards and throwing her off balance. He took his opening and tapped her headgear lightly. He was toying with her, mocking her. "But that's no big deal to you, right? Because Weasley loves you for what's on the inside, right? What would he say if he saw you flirting with Mr. Bright eyes over there?"
What? Hermione dropped her arms, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She unbuckled her headgear, jerked it off of her head, and threw it hard into his chest. "Fuck you, Malfoy. Just… fuck you." She wasted no time in barging right up to Diggle and saying in a stressed tone, "I need to leave."
"I didn't excuse you, Auror Granger," Diggle replied. Hermione shook her head, hands balling into fists. She was shaking, and she was sure he could see it.
"I need to leave," she said again, more forcefully. Diggle looked her over, glanced up at Malfoy, and then nodded. "Alright. You have ten minutes. Any longer than that, and you'll run laps until tomorrow."
"Sir." She took off in the direction of the exit and shoved the door open. The cool air of the hall hit her like a ton of bricks, as did her emotions, and she crumbled up into a ball against the wall, tears falling down her cheeks like a waterfall that she could no longer hold back. She buried her face into her knees and cried for a good few minutes, angry and disheartened. Did Malfoy really think bringing up Ron was even remotely tasteful? There was no way she was going to be able to do this. Auror Diggle would just have to find someone else. Anyone else.
The door opened again, and she whispered, "I had ten minutes, Sir. You told me-"
"It's me." Malfoy's cool, collected voice interrupted her. "What the Hell is wrong with you, Granger?"
"What's wrong with me?" She pawed at her tears with her fingers and tried to gain composure as she tilted her head up to look at him. "What the Hell is wrong with you?"
"See, used to I'd take pride in making you cry big, ugly tears. But I sincerely don't know what I did and… and it feels weird to watch you cry like this. Stop it."
"Oh, I'll just get right on that."
"What did I do?"
"Let's think, shall we? Did you not think that bringing up my dead husband's memory might stir a bit of emotion?"
"Dead… husband?" For the first time, Hermione saw him look remorseful. His face scrunched up like he had just eaten a very sour apple. "What are you going on about?"
"Don't tell me you don't know. It was all over the papers."
"I don't read the papers. Haven't in a long time." He slid down next to her, touching his marked arm with hers. The heat from his skin sent chills down her back. When was the last time she had touched someone? Really touched someone without there being a purpose?
"So when you mentioned Ron…"
"I didn't know." He shook his head. "Are you telling me that Weasley is dead?"
"Yes." She closed her eyes and allowed her curls to cover the sides of her face to hide her tears. "I… I just assumed you knew, like everyone else."
"Well, that's the problem with assuming, Granger." He nudged her shoulder. "You assume, and you make an arse out of yourself."
"You… You must do an awful lot of assuming."
He chuckled. "In the past, I made it my business to assume, I'll admit. It didn't really sit well with me, once I looked back on it all." He nudged her again, forcing her to look at him. "I had no idea about Weasley. I'm a pompous ass, but I wouldn't take it that far. Not on purpose. So…" He gritted his teeth. "I suppose… I'm sorry. I don't know how I would have reacted, if put in your situation. Worse, probably. If Astoria ever died I… I'd want to burn the world down."
Hermione found her stomach tingling, and she nodded appreciatively. "Thank you. That… that means a lot, coming from you."
"Not everyone is exactly like they were back in school, Granger. Even I have the capability of growing up, when push comes to shove."
"Hermione."
"What?"
"That's what I want you to call me." She offered her hand out to him. "If you've really changed like you say you have, you'll give me that as condolences for your poor choice of words."
He glanced to her hand, back up at her, and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Hermione. -But I'm not shaking your hand."
"You made me cry."
"You made yourself cry."
"Malfoy…"
He sighed. "Fine." He shoved his warm hand into hers and shook it. The skin of his palm was soft, and his handshake firm. "Are we done with the mushy? I'd like to get back to kicking your arse."
"Enough of the heavy," she agreed. He stood first, and she allowed him to pull her back up on her feet. They stood close, only half a foot between them, and the air was suddenly suffocating. It wasn't a usual thing for either of them, being so close to one another, and they didn't know what to do. Hermione attempted to back up, but she didn't realize how little space there was between her and the wall and fell back against it. "Oof!"
"Watch it, you clumsy oaf." He smirked and backed away, giving her room to breathe. "I… suppose you can call me Draco, if the need arises." He shoved his hands in his pockets. Standing there, so arrogant and yet so humbled, he looked like a Greek statue. "We are partners, after all." He strolled over to the door and pulled it open. "Coming?"
"How do I look?" she asked, trying to wipe away the last of her tears. "Are my eyes swollen?"
"Hard to say. You've always looked like a puffy-eyed gold fish to me. "
"Prick."
"Witch."
They walked back in together, ignoring the sideways glances from the other trainees. Diggle lightly grabbed Hermione by the arm as she passed and whispered, "Everything alright?"
"Honestly Sir," she said, taking notice of the way Draco moved, as if he truly didn't care what anyone else thought of him. "I think we've never been better."
Diggle grinned, releasing her. "That's my girl, Granger. Make me proud."
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How To Train Your Auror