Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Blinded	By : ssdawn Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 26888 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter, it's characters, nor make money from writing this.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Once again thanks to the reviews for this story. I told you it'd be a slow burn to any romance, but I hope you're liking the mystery along the way.

Blinded Chapter 5
As she apparated to Malfoy Manor, she took a deep breath and looked around at the beautiful grounds. She admired the way that Draco had changed things in making the manor a friendlier looking place since the time when Voldemort had lived there.
The gates were once again open in anticipation of her appointment at 10:00 a.m. Before she could knock on the door it opened with a house elf welcoming her in. "This way Ms. Granger. Please follow." He led her down the hall to a room she hadn't been to before. Walking in she couldn't help but stare at the humongous library. She gaped as she looked at the high shelves of books, books, and more books reaching to the ceiling.
"So what do you think Granger? I thought that this room would be to your liking." Malfoy gave her one of his infamous grins. "Left you speechless I see. Just as I predicted."
She looked at him trying to regain her composure. She knew she probably looked liked a child walking into Honeydukes for the first time.
"Very impressive Malfoy." Her eyes roamed from one book to the next. It had been a long time since she'd just browsed in a library and found a book for pleasure reading. Most of the time she was reading for research and nothing else.
It took her a moment to shake herself out of her trance. It was just like Malfoy to try to find some way to distract her and draw the attention away from him. This didn't help to dim any of her strong suspicions about him somehow being involved.
"While I appreciate the tour Malfoy, that's not why I'm here." She turned away from the bookshelves to look at him.
He stood by a small table that held a decanter full of Firewhisky. Malfoy helped himself to a large shot of the liquor and drank it down. Holding up the glass towards Hermione he asked, "Would you care for a drink?"
Hermione almost rolled her eyes, but tried to control that action. "No thank you. Getting drunk at 10:00 a.m. is against Ministry rules as you already know."
Malfoy gave her a lopsided grin, "Your loss love. But it might help you loosen up a bit. You still walk around like you have a stick up your arse."
Hermione pinched her lips together and held her arm down at her side. What she really wanted to do was hex the nincompoop into next week, but knew he was just trying to get a reaction out of her like he had Harry yesterday.
She walked over to him and took the glass out of his hands before he could get any more liquor into his system. She needed some answers from him, and a drunk Malfoy wouldn't be a fountain of knowledge except crude words spouting from his mouth.
"You're a spoilsport Granger. You ruin everything." He sneered at the woman standing in front of him.
"This isn't happy hour Malfoy and I'm no barmaid." She crossed her arms in front of her chest getting ready for a face off.
The sneer disappeared from his face until all that was left was a long frown. All of the steam had seemed to be let out of him. Standing close to him Hermione could see more clearly the dark circles under his eyes. His pale skin seemed to have taken on a yellowish tint. His normally perfect hair now lay flat and lifeless. She looked into Malfoy's grey eyes that screamed of sadness. They wanted to say something to her, but she wasn't sure what it was. They stood there for sixty seconds staring into each other's eyes, though it felt like hours. Finally Malfoy turned around and walked to the nearest chair and sat down. He hung his head down, leaned forward and began to cry. It wasn't a soft cry. It wasn't a loud cry. It was something you might hear from a lost puppy wanting it's mum. The utter sadness radiating from this man drew Hermione to him.
She was there in an instant standing in front of him. Before she knew what was happening, he reached out pulling her into him. His arms encircled her waist, while his head rested on her stomach and her body stiffened. At first Hermione didn't know what to do with her hands. She looked like a bird in flight with her hands flapping out to the sides trying to decide where they should land. She finally put her hands on his shoulders, rubbing in soft circles to calm him like she often had done with Harry when he'd been upset.
Her mind was spinning as this whole thing had taken her by surprise. Her mind seemed to have gone blank. What should she say to him as he was mourning the loss of his wife?
She'd never been put into such an intimate, physical position with one of the parents of a kidnapped child. She usually knew what to say, but this was entirely different, especially from her former nemesis.
Finally her mind shifted into gear, "I'm so sorry for the loss of your wife. I know you probably loved her so much and will miss her terribly."
As soon as the words left her lips, his hands landed on her hips and pushed her back a bit so he could look up at her. "I don't miss that shrew!" The words came out in a shout. Then he continued, "So you think I loved her? Think about it Granger…arranged, Pureblood marriage? Only having sex to produce an heir and spending all of my money like she truly deserved to…" The sneer returned to his face and he stood up.
"My tears are for my son. He's one of the few people that I have ever truly loved in my life." His hands tightened on her hips as if to enunciate his point.
"I'm truly sorry that I mistook whom your tears were for." She had never been more sincere in her life. She knew what it was like to be with someone who only was going through the motions of trying to be with you. It sounded like he'd been stung in love too.
"Tell me what I can do Granger to help you find my son." His sincere plea melted all of her concerns about his supposed involvement in the kidnapping. Anyone walking into the room would have gotten the wrong idea about what was happening. Standing closely together, his hands on her hips and her hands on top of his, and the couple staring into each other's eyes spoke of deep intimacy.
As if in a dream, and before she could stop her hand from moving, Hermione reached up to place her hand on Draco's cheek. He leaned into her touch and she felt like liquid heat was melting into her hand and heading straight into her heart. His eyes looked into hers searching, trying to find some meaning in what was happening between the two former enemies.
"Do you truly mean it Malfoy? No games and playing around, but real work from you?"
"Yes, Granger, I mean it." He gave her a rare smile and she dropped her hand and stepped back. "I will use every resource I have to help you." Hermione went over to the table where the Firewhiskey decanter stood, and poured herself and Malfoy another drink.
He sauntered over, "I thought you said you couldn't drink whilst working under ministry hours?" He grabbed the glass from her and downed his whiskey.
She took her drink and knocked it back quickly bringing tears to her eyes. "Even I can be wrong at times Malfoy. Just don't let the public know alright?"
"OK," he again gave her one of his rare grins. "I'm glad to see that stick has dislodged from that pretty, little arse of yours."
"Gods Malfoy! You really know how to ruin a moment don't you?" She smacked his arm almost knocking his glass out of his hand. "No more drinking, it's time to go back to my office."
He gave a big sigh, "Always have to be the bossy know it all." That sentiment earned him one more smack on his arm as Hermione brushed by him with a huff.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy entering together into The Ministry of Magic, not only got the gossip mongers squawking, but made most people jump out of their way as they powerfully strutted through the grand foyer of the ministry.
No one stopped them as they looked like they were on a mission. Hermione walked slightly in front of Draco, as it was her offices they were going to. As they got to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, heads turned as their new Deputy Head walked in with someone as notorious as Draco Malfoy, and because it was his son that had been the latest kidnapping victim. The pair talked to no one, not even Hermione's secretary who made eye contact with Hermione. The stern look she received from her boss assured her that she needed to make sure that they were left alone and not disturbed.
As Hermione's office door shut, Draco sunk into the closest chair which just happened to be Hermione's. She sighed, "Out of my chair Malfoy. That's my desk and my chair."
"But it's nice and comfy and better than that chair," he pointed to the straight-backed office chair sitting across from her desk.
"Call over to your own office if you want your personal nice, comfy chair." Hermione glared at the man who was starting to get on her nerves.
Draco looked offended at her words, "Well that's not very welcoming Deputy Granger." He got up and sat in the chair on the other side of the desk.
"I'm not the Welcome Wagon Malfoy" Hermione snipped at him.
"What's a Welcome Wagon Granger?" Malfoy asked with all sincerity. He picked up a knick-knack sitting on her desk in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. Hermione grabbed it out of his hands and smacked it down on her desk and then sat in her chair.
"Oh, never mind. We didn't come here to discuss inane things." Hermione's patience levels were waning the more time she spent around Draco and on this case. She reached around to the filing cabinet behind her. Lifting a huge file out, she dropped it on the desk with a bang.
"This is what I have to work through. This is two years of notes, leads, and just plain crazy ideas about who is behind the kidnappings."
Draco looked at the huge folder curiously, "You would think with all of that information that they'd be closer to finding the kidnappers."
"The problem is, much of the material contained in this folder is pure nonsense from busybodies who want to feel important." Hermione reached up to push her fluff of hair behind her shoulders.
Hermione watched as Draco looked around her office. She knew that it was almost empty and sterile looking. She wanted to keep it that way. She wasn't sure that she wanted to become attached to being back here. She knew for sure that she didn't want to become attached deeply with those who used to be in her life. It was easier this way to keep a distance from others and less chance of being hurt.
Xxxxxxxx
(Two hours later)
Draco crumpled up the paper he'd been reading and tossed it into the trashcan. He picked up another paper and then proceeded to do the same thing to that piece. As he picked up a third paper from the file and started balling it up, he was startled from his crumpling.
"Draco Malfoy stop that this instant! Those are official papers you are ruining." Hermione tried to act stern besides the fact she wanted to do the same thing to the papers that she'd been perusing.
"What did you call me?" Draco asked sitting up in his chair staring at Hermione.
"I called you Draco Malfoy. That is your name isn't it?" Hermione gave him a sneer to equal his own.
"Well yes…but that's the first time you've ever called me Draco. It just surprised me." Hermione rolled her eyes at him. She did understand why this would be shocking to him. She knew if he ever started calling her by her first name it would be awkward.
She leaned back in her chair and knocked some of the papers onto the floor. "This file is truly full of rubbish isn't it?" Draco cocked his eyebrow at her statement. "I guess that explains why Kingsley came begging on bended knee for me to head this investigation."
"Because you are a hot shot investigator who can solve any case, right?" Draco egged her on. His tone came out a bit teasing as he kicked his legs up onto her desk.
Hermione leaned forward and casually pushed his legs off her now cluttered desk. "No, not at all. He wanted someone else to take the fall for the lack of momentum on this case. He couldn't have the great Harry Potter take responsibility for it could he?" Hermione turned her nose up at her own words.
Draco smirked at her, "Little bit of resentment there Granger? We all can't be as wonderful as the Savior of the Wizarding World can we?" Hermione couldn't help but smile back at him. "I thought you and Potter were best friends?"
"Well, best friends usually support each other and believe them when they tell them about what another best friend has done. And then they don't take sides." Hermione had crossed her arms letting the words spill from her mouth. Draco just sat there studying her. She finally looked up. "What?"
"Is that why you left England?" He stared at her waiting for answer. His grey eyes seemed to want to penetrate her mind making her very uncomfortable. There was no way in hell that she was going to get into the true reasons of why she'd left seven years ago. Spilling all of her secrets to Draco Malfoy wasn't on the agenda for the day.
Before she could say anything else or he could keep questioning her, there was a rap on the office door.
"Ms. Granger, something just came into the Auror department and you need to take a look at it."
Hermione jumped up from her desk and swung the door open. Auror Dean Thomas walked in holding a package wrapped up in red paper. He set it on Hermione's desk.
"Has anyone other than you touched the package? Also, how did it arrive?" Hermione's brain was back to running at full gear.
"Oddly enough, it was delivered to the main lobby by a Muggle postman. We quickly realized he was under the Imperius Curse. We had to obliviate him after he delivered the package." Dean Thomas looked just as concerned as Hermione felt.
Looking over at Malfoy he looked even paler than normal. This package could mean nothing about this case or it could turn out to be something huge. They wouldn't know until they opened it.
Hermione got her wand out to check for any spells or curses that might be on the package, but Dean stopped her, "We've already thoroughly checked the package and found no curses or traces of spells anywhere on the package."
"Thank you Dean for being so meticulous on your end." Hermione smiled at her former Gryffindor housemate.
Then her eyes looked over again to Malfoy who sat staring at the package. He looked as if he were frozen in his seat. "Well, are you going to open it? Or are we going to keep looking at the beautiful red paper?" Draco mumbled.
His words woke Hermione up from her stupor. She hated this part of her job. This same thing had happened before during a kidnapping case. The object inside the box hadn't been a pleasant thing to look at. She felt hesitant to open up this box expecting the worst to have happened again.
Hermione tried to steady her hands as she didn't want to truly show how she was feeling in front of Malfoy. After all, this could possibly be a link to his son. With trembling fingers, her hands tore at the red wrapping paper that fell away onto the floor. The box on the outside said, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" and Hermione felt either this was funny or a very sick joke.
Both Dean and Draco kept their eyes on her and she wanted to ask them to look away, but no words would come from her dry mouth. She ran her tongue over her chapped lips and took a deep breath. Slowly she lifted the lid off of the box and then gasped, despite trying not to react.
Draco looked in the box after hearing Hermione's response, "Oh sweet Merlin!" He looked like he wanted to vomit as his skin became pale and he almost fell over. He stumbled backwards and fell into his chair as his hand went over his mouth as if to hold back a scream.
Dean leaned over and looked into the box, "Is that a child's finger?" Dean also looked liked he wanted to lose whatever was in his stomach.
"We are dealing with some pretty sick bastards that's all I'm going to say right now." Hermione also felt nauseous as she looked at the severed finger of a child surrounded by six pink and purple, very dead and mutilated Pygmy Puffs.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I must know what you're thinking! Please review and I promise not to keep you waiting too long with this evil cliffy I've left for you.
- 4
- 5
- 6
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Blinded