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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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And when you lied before
You broke our tie before
And then I tapped into a feeling that I could not ignore
"Fury Oh Fury" by Nico Vega
It was their last day before the first cuts would be made, and Draco could feel the nervousness etch down into his bones. He had been doing exceptionally well compared to most of the other candidates, aside from Granger of course, but he couldn't help but notice the odd way their instructor would glare at him from time to time. Auror Diggle didn't seem like a man to be trifled with, especially not with so much hanging in the balance, so Draco kept his head down in class and stuck to the books as best he could. There was a bit of him that was jealous of Granger for having the courage to speak out against Diggle, like when they had been asked to remove their robes a week ago. How could she be so relaxed around someone who literally held her future in his hands?
But Draco was an observant man as well as intelligent. It didn't take much to piece together Diggle's intentions towards the curly haired brunette. The way he looked at her was very less than Holy. And it didn't take a genius to figure out that Granger might fancy him too. And really, who was to stop her from fancying him? It made sense, now that Weasley was out of the picture. Bollocks, he had felt like a dolt when she had told him about Weasley's passing. He never did like the git, but after the War, there was something different about the way Draco perceived the Golden Trio: he had come to the conclusion that perhaps he, Draco Malfoy, had been wrong about the way he saw the world.
That's what had drew him to his wife, Astoria; she shared the same disheartened feelings about their upbringings as Pure Bloods. They both craved a normalcy -a common goal to turn their lives around. And that had been all well and good, hadn't it? Getting married, having Scorpius, it was all worth it, but the moment he told her about his intentions as an Auror it had all gone downhill. He knew Granger was right in that one shouldn't keep secrets from their spouse, but there were some things so dark and deep in his cellar of guilt that they should never be brought to the light. Or at least, that's the way he saw it. It wasn't as if he was trying to sabotage his marriage -he simply couldn't let Astoria in on this, unless he wanted to lose her forever. He knew the moment he told her she would pack her bags and never look back. Some things were just too heavy of a burden to put on anyone else.
He looked up across the table at Granger, so lost in her books, and wondered how she could be so care free. It must be nice to be her, he thought, unafraid and unashamed. When the world looked at her, they saw a hero. A brave warrior. A courageous woman. He knew what the world assumed to see when they looked at him; a Malfoy. A Death Eater. A villain. But did she view him that way? So far, she seemed to be the only one in this entire classroom that didn't sneer when coming in contact with him. She still gave him a hard time, but then again… perhaps he deserved it. He had tortured her year after year. Her, Weasley, and Potter. But she still didn't have distain, even as she raised her gentle eyes from her book to stare back at him.
"Is there something I can help you with, Draco?"
"Nope." He sat his chin in the palm of his hand and leaned his elbow on the desk.
"We're supposed to be studying," she replied, reaching over the study table to point to his book. "Who knows what our first trial will be on Monday?"
"That's an easy one," whispered Dean Thomas over to the pair from his desk nearby. "It's the same one every year."
Draco smirked. Perhaps having Granger as a partner wasn't all bad. She did keep some very valuable company. "Well, go on. Or are you all talk, Thomas?"
"We shouldn't know." Granger shook her head, her curls bouncing around her face.
"Why the bloody Hell not?" he sneered.
"Because that's cheating."
"Is it really? Auror Diggle is sure to know that Thomas knows the routine -it's not our fault if he feels like sharing this piece of prized information to the air to which we are sitting nearby."
"I created this study group to do just that: study -If we obtain the information without his knowledge…"
"Look. Hermione." Draco made a point to use her first name in persuasion. "I promise, whatever it is, we'll study it. So… that's not really cheating. It's just… getting an advantage. Like you with Diggle."
"What advantage do I have with Greg?" she huffed, crossing her arms. He smirked. Oh, this was too good.
"Greg? Is that what we're calling him these days? Thomas, were you aware he's 'Greg' now?"
"Well, yes. Greg and I are actually chums outside of the Ministry, Malfoy…"
"You're not helping, Thomas. You don't count. Oy, Romero?" he said over to the olive skinned man who was Dean's partner. "You call Auror Diggle 'Greg' as well?"
Roman Romero was a man of few words. He simply shook his head and shrugged.
"See?" Draco pointed back at Granger. "You have an advantage, because he wants to suck on your tits."
The reaction he stirred from her was priceless. She flared red like a siren and her eyes were as big as saucers. Her hand gripped her pencil so tight it snapped like a twig; the top half fell onto the desk, rolled off, and hit the floor. She opened her mouth as if to say something, closed it, and then without warning threw the other half of her pencil at him. He ducked, and it flew back and hit the wall behind him. Draco threw his head back, chortling.
"You're an arse," she said hotly, rummaging through her book bag and pulling out another pencil. Of course she would have more, he mused. Always prepared for anything -well, anything but Draco's witty remarks.
"Probably so, but I'm not the arse Auror Diggle has his eyes on." He rose a suggestive eyebrow and wiggled it around. In his best impersonation of Diggle, he said, "Miss Granger, I'm going to have to hold you back after the bell. You've been very naughty." Then his voice rose and he struggled to gain his composure as he said in his most Granger way, "Oh, Greg. Should I show you my pencil collection? It's organized from longest to shortest, you see, and-" Her new pencil flew across the desk and hit him square in the nose. "Oy!"
"Go on, Dean. Tell us what it is. Anything to shut him up." She smiled warmly at her friend.
Draco rubbed his tender nose and leaned in to listen.
"Well, you and I have it in the bag, Hermione. He's going to train us on a Patronus Charm. He usually cuts those who can't produce one first, and then go from there."
Draco felt the bottom of his stomach go out. Without a word, he rose from his chair and gathered up his bags. Granger noticed, because she closed her own book and said, "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"But we were going to train this evening, remember?"
"Honestly?" He threw the strap of his book bag over his shoulder. "What's the point?" He turned and left the lot of them in the wake of the old library, fear settling into his ragged heart.
"Home so soon?" Astoria called from the den as Draco brushed soot off of his robes from the floo. He stepped into the foyer and strolled down the hall to find his wife tucked under the covers in the middle of the sofa of the den, a book in her lap. She looked up to him and tried her best not to smile at him. Merlin, how long was she going to keep this up? "I thought you were going to be studying until late?"
"Change of plans." He settled in on the couch and pushed the book to the floor before climbing on top of her. "I thought maybe we could make up."
"Draco." Astoria rolled her eyes as he settled his legs around her hips, pinning her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Yes there is. What is it?"
"I said it's nothing."
"Alright." She pushed him upright and crossed her arms. "What are you playing at?"
"What? I can't come home and ravage my beautiful wife?"
"No, Draco. You can't." She shifted and pulled herself out from underneath him, drawing her legs up to her chest. "We have barely spoken in the last week. In the past month, if I'm being frank. And when you're here, you're not really here, you know? I think its high time you tell me what's going on with you, before you ruin this for the both of us. -Is this about us? About the baby?"
"What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could you think this could ever be about Scorpius?"
"You applied, knowing you'd have a son to take care of. If this is your way of getting out of your paternal duties…"
"It's not," he said immediately, shaking his head. "I would never think that way, and quite honestly I'm insulted that you would."
"Then why would you bring a child into this world and then turn right back around and put yourself in danger?"
He sighed. "What… do you see when you look at me, Tori?"
She scrunched her face, confused. "I see you, Draco."
"Yes, well…" Shifting his weight on the sofa, he extended his marked arm between them and said, "When the world sees me, they see this." He paid careful attention to the way she flinched and glanced away. He would wear long sleeves most often around her to avoid those kind of reactions, but this time he made it a point to put it out in the open. "Everyone, even you, can't get past this hideous thing. You think I'd put myself through this kind of Hell if I just wanted out of watching Scorpius?" He lowered his arm to his side and rested his head on the back of the sofa. "You won't have to worry much longer about me being an Auror anyways. I'm fairly certain I'm going to fail the first trial."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved to hear it," she whispered. Something struck inside of Draco. He glanced through hooded lids at her and glared.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because it's the truth."
"I don't care." He lifted his head back up and stared forcefully back at her. "You're my wife. You're supposed to support me, even if you think I'm being an idiot."
"I can't support a death wish."
"For fucks sake, Tori! It's not a death wish!" He rose from his seat and ran his fingers through his hair. "You'd rather me be miserable? Is that what you'd want?"
"I want us to be a family! And so… if you being miserable means that you're guaranteed to go on living, then yes! It's what I want!"
"You really think I'd die? You don't think -after everything I've gone through – after everything I've survived… My father. The Dark Mark. The Dark Lord. I survived every time."
"Yes, Draco. You survived. And do you know how?" She stood as well, her hands wrapped around herself as she shook like a leaf in the wind. "Because you were a coward. You survived because you knew when to back down. It's what I loved about you. I have no idea where all of this courage suddenly stemmed from, but it will get you killed. Mark my words."
Draco opened his mouth to speak, but one of their house elves knocked politely on the door, interrupting them. "Sorry, sir. Waddles is here to inform Mister Malfoy he has a visitor at the front door."
"I… what?" Draco turned to Waddles, relieved at the change in subject. "A visitor?"
"Yes, sir. A Miss Hermione Granger."
"Who?" asked Astoria.
"Tell her… tell her to go home," Draco said quietly.
"Pardon, sir, but Waddles has already told Miss Granger there were no visitors. She will not leave the front steps without speaking with you first. Waddles apologizes, and will punish himself at once."
"No." Draco rolled his eyes, thinking of what Granger would say if she thought that he allowed his servants to still punish themselves for absolutely no reason. "No, don't punish yourself. I'll go see to her. Thank you, Waddles."
Waddles' eyes widened in bewilderment, and he gave a polite bow. "Thank you, Sir."
Draco made to follow behind Waddles, but Astoria grabbed at his arm and held him back. "Who is this woman, Draco?"
"Surely you've heard of the War Heroine who fought with Potter, Tori."
"The Hermione Granger?"
He rolled his eyes once more. "Yes. Her."
"What does she want with you?"
"She's my training partner."
"A woman Auror?" Astoria was astounded. "Oh, how peculiar."
"Not particularly. Are you going to let go of my arm now?"
Astoria released him at once and behind him as he trudged his way to the front door. He really would have liked privacy, but telling Tori to do something was like telling a cat not to knock off a cup from the table. They were both going to do it and look at you with 'what are you going to do about it' glares. So he pried the door open, despite her, and came face to face with busy brown curls and brown doe eyes.
"You still have house elves working for you?" she started in on him at once, eyebrows curving upwards in dismay. "I would have thought the simple mindedness of your father was beneath you, but then again-"
"They've all been set free," he interrupted her, leaning his long body against the door frame and crossing his arms. "The ones that live here choose to be here of their own accord. So kindly shove that up your arse and tell me what you're doing here, Granger."
He watched with amusement as the glare dropped from her face and her cheeks flooded with pink. "Oh. Oh I see… well… I… I'm sorry, I suppose…"
"You suppose?"
"Why did you run out on us?"
Her eyes roamed over the large doorway, and he noticed her fingers absently running over the Mudblood scars on her arm. It must have taken a lot of courage to come here again, he thought. A lot more than he would have had. "Because I didn't see a need in continuing our study session."
"Why not?"
"Yes, Draco," Astoria piped up, prying the door open farther to reveal herself. "Tell us all why not?"
"Oh." Granger tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, obviously not expecting another person. "You must be Draco's wife, Astoria."
"I am." Tori nodded. "And you're Hermione Granger? The War hero?"
"No." Granger shook her head. "I'm just Hermione Granger. That's all." She still had her book bag from the library strapped over her shoulder and a pencil tucked behind her left ear. "Draco talks very highly of you. It is nice to put a face to a name."
Astoria gave a coy smile, the way she always would when accepting a compliment. "I wish I could say the same about you, Miss Granger, but I only found out about you moments ago." She gave him a one over. "Draco loves his secrets."
"He certainly does," Granger agreed, and Draco could have hexed her for throwing him under the rug. He hoped that she sensed his newly found agitation towards her, but she either didn't notice or chose to overlook it, because she said, "I'm terribly sorry to intrude. Perhaps I should come back later…?"
"No." Astoria put her hand up. "I was just leaving."
"You were?" asked Draco.
"Yes. I'm going to stay with my parents tonight. I think we've said all that needs to be said. I'll just go gather my things."
"Tori…"
But she ignored him and took off down the hall, her heels clacking against the marble tiles. Draco turned back around, sadness swelling in him like a balloon. "Thanks, Granger. Exactly what I needed was you showing up to top it all off."
"Don't blame me because you won't open up to anyone." She poked him in the chest with her finger. "This could all be resolved easily."
"No." He looked back over his shoulder. "It really couldn't. -What do you want?"
"It's not what I want. I saw the way you ran out on us. And it only happened after Dean mentioned the Patronus, which means that you have a secret. You can't perform one, can you?" Her voice was gentle, kind even. Those big, wet eyes looked up at him with tender understanding.
"They… they say that Death Eaters can't perform the Patronus Charm. That we can't because our souls are too tainted for such a pure incantation." He chewed on his lower lip. Granger nodded, reaching out and grabbing his arm. She roamed her fingers over the magical ink, over the skull and the serpent. Her touch was soothing to his soul. No one, not even Astoria, ever touched this arm in such a way as if it were any other marking.
"For most Death Eaters, sure… but… I knew one who could." Her thumb grazed over the singed flesh on the outer edges. It had been two years since his last attempt to remove it. No matter how hard he tried, it would never yield. "I say you've given up too soon, Malfoy. We might make an Auror out of you, yet. But…"
"But what?" he asked.
"I need to know -why you do this. Why you put yourself on the line like this. I won't help you if your cause isn't a worthy one."
"And you're the one who decides if its worthy or not?" he sneered quietly, wanting to jerk his arm away but finding the touch too addicting. It was such a simple gesture of her, and she most certainly didn't need to do it, but she held on and continued to rub the mark thoughtfully. He could see her own scars, and he reached out without thought and slipped her arm in his hand, imitating her as he ran the pad of his thumb over the 'M'
Tiny cries from inside the Manor shook him from his daze, and he jerked his arm away quickly. He turned his head in the direction of Scorpius's voice when Hermione said, "Is that… a baby?"
"Astoria!" he called, entering the Manor and leaving the door open for Granger to follow. "Astoria, Scorpius is crying!"
"I'm aware," she replied, coming down the staircase with a small suitcase in her left hand, Scorpius tucked in her right. "And you're on Daddy duty."
"You're seriously leaving at a time like this?"
"I can tell when I'm needed -and I'm most certainly not right now." Her eyes trailed over to the door, where Hermione stood. She held in them a distain.
"And Scorpius? You just get to decide when you walk out on him too?"
"Draco, if I take him now, I might never come back." Hastily, she placed the bundled Scorpius in Draco's arms. She brushed past him and pushed her way by Granger as well. "You can handle an entire evening with your son. It will do you some good."
"Says the woman who's walking out on him!"
"I'm not walking out on him, Draco. I'm walking out on you. For a night. To cool down. Surely you can understand that?" She made a polite curtsy to Hermione and stepped down the Malfoy Manor steps before she disapparated on the spot.
"Bloody fucking…" Draco sighed, turning his head down to his son's wondrous expression. "Your mother really knows how to give an all new meaning to the word 'witch'."
"You have a son?"
Draco looked up. He had almost forgotten Granger had been standing there, through the thick of it. He was filled with embarrassment and what she had witnessed, but also a sort of pride that he could show off his most prized creation. He smiled down to his pride and joy and back up to her. "Hermione, meet Scorpius."
A tender smile swept across her face, and she thrust her arms out. "May I hold him?"
He placed him in her arms delicately, and he was surprised at how naturally she cradled his head. Scorpius didn't seem at all nervous about the new adult, and reached up to wrap a small, pudgy hand through her thick tresses. Granger leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, grinning ear to ear. "Oh, he has that baby smell."
"Yes, well… he is a baby."
"You know what I mean." She grinned down at the tiny, pale infant. "Hello, Scorpius. It's so very nice to meet you." Little Scorp blew a spit bubble in response. "Oh, he's so precious. He looks exactly like you…" She glanced up at Draco and added, "Poor fellow."
"You mean lucky." Draco smirked. "But he sure can imitate his mother's scowl when he's unhappy."
"Yes… she seemed like a rare peach."
"You weren't supposed to see any of that."
"I intruded. It comes with the territory. She seemed particularly upset by my presence -why didn't you mention me to her?"
Draco paused, wondering why himself. It wasn't as if he were hiding Granger. Far from it. But he hadn't ever brought it up in conversation. Not that Astoria ever gave him the time of day. "She's very against all of this. I haven't really told her about anything we've done, let alone who I work with or my day to day life."
"And you wonder why she's upset."
Scorpius cooed, as if agreeing.
"I don't wonder. I know exactly why." He offered his hands out to take Scorpius, but Hermione pulled him close to her and shook her head.
"No. Please… just a little while longer. I haven't held a baby since Teddy…" She kissed Scorpius on the cheeks and nuzzled him. "Ron and I were going to start a family of our own. We were trying, actually… when he…" She paused as Scorpius placed a finger in her mouth.
There, on the front steps of the Manor, Draco felt a tiny piece of his heart melt for her. He remembered the day Astoria had announced her pregnancy, and how much pride had stemmed from that very moment. To create something -to give life to another creature was by far the most astounding thing a human could do. And to have that taken away… To have that chance to create life with your other half stripped from you… "Hold him as long as you'd like, then."
"Thank you…"
Maybe it was the way she preciously held his son. Or it could have been the way she gave off such a trusting aura. He mulled around a thought in his head for a while before he spoke again. "I do it for him."
She glanced up at him and tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"Why I want to be an Auror. It's for him." He gestured towards his son. "I've done some terrible things in my life. I've caused a lot of people pain. There's some secrets that I can't even tell Astoria, because if I did… she'd leave me. Even after the War, my heart was adequately frozen. I only stopped what I was doing when Astoria announced we were bringing a child into this world. I… I deserve this mark." He reached over and ran his finger across Scorpius's cheek. "But if I become an Auror, I might be able to make amends. If I do this… I might be able to look him in the eyes when he's old enough to figure out what kind of a man I really am."
She watched him cautiously, running her tongue over her lower lip as she processed his words. He wasn't sure why it made his stomach jerk, but he didn't have time to think about it because she was staring at him with those eyes that always made you feel guilty, even if you'd done nothing wrong. "And what kind of a man are you, Draco?"
He blinked. "I'm not even sure of that anymore."
She took a pause, no doubt thinking. Then she said, "I see… we best get to work then."
"What?"
"On your Patronus." Hermione smiled up at him as Scorpius began to nibble at her hair. "If your intentions are truly just, we might have a chance of pulling this off."
He couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face. "We?"
"We're partners, aren't we?" She tried to pull her hair from Scorpius's mouth, but his fingers gripped tightly and wouldn't let go. She gave up, giggling. "And besides, that gives me more time to spend with this cutie."
"You want to help me?" he asked, astounded.
"I do." She pushed her way past him, Scorpius in tow, and let herself into the grand entryway. She looked over her shoulder, grinning. "Let's get started, shall we?"
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How To Train Your Auror