Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Say Please	By : ColdWaterFairy Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 28196 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
AN: Thanks to mamacita for being a wonderful beta
Draco pulled his coat closer to his body. He should be home in bed but instead he was out heading to the Wizarding world so he could get a copy of the Daily Prophet. A scuffling noise coming from the alleyway to his left caught his attention. He saw the drug deal go down and didn't blink an eye; he had seen enough of those kinds of dealings in New York. He just kept going till he came to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. He opened the door and entered; it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. He moved forward and found an empty table in a corner. It wasn't long before a witch approached him to take his order.

"A butterbeer, and do you have a copy of today's Prophet?"

"Yeah, and I think we even have part of yesterday's too if you want it."

He smiled his appreciation. "Yes, thank you."

Once she was gone he started to think over his options. If Hermione really had died, then he would return her to her like she'd asked. He ignored the twinge he felt at the thought. If she wasn't dead he had to assume she was trapped. If that was the case, all he had to do was take her to Potter. He could deal with getting her out of the painting. Either way she would soon be gone. He just couldn't believe the woman he'd been admiring was really Granger. Greg would laugh his arse off when Draco told him he'd been right.

His memories of Hermione at Hogwarts were not pleasant. She'd never been much to look at. Granted, after fourth year there had been a more concerted effort on her part to try and look like she knew what the word fashion meant, probably to catch the eye of that moron Weasley. Draco would never understand how someone as smart and obviously magically gifted as Hermione could fall for someone who was average at best.

The witch returned with his butterbeer and the papers. "Is there anything else I can get you?" From her tone she was hoping the answer would be yes.

"No, I'm good, thanks." He had already lifted the paper and started reading, effectively dismissing her. He looked through the obituaries; if someone famous passed away they always did a large piece on their life. But there was no piece on Hermione. He picked up the previous day's Prophet but found it was missing the obituary section. He quickly leafed through the rest of paper to see if there was anything of importance. There wasn't, but there was an article on finance he was interested in reading later. He picked up the current day's paper again and started from the beginning. The picture on the front page caught his eye. It was of Potter and Weasley exiting the Ministry; both looked tired and grim. Potter was just turning to glare at the camera, but Weasley kept his head down.

Draco dropped enough money on the table to pay for his butterbeer and a good tip, and then dropped more to cover the papers he was taking. He was just opening the door to walk out when a gasp drew his attention. Sitting at a table with several other people was Colin Creevy. Draco briefly made eye contact but fortunately was out the door and lost among the people thronging the sidewalk before Colin could recover from his shock and go running after him. Well, he thought, so much for being able to remain incognito.
Ginny was so surprised by Harry's response to her question that she didn't immediately react. Something had to be seriously wrong for him to get this worked up about it. It would explain why she'd been getting the feeling he'd been avoiding her. She wiped away his tears and laid her head on his shoulder and waited for him to get himself under control.

"Hermione is missing. We've retraced her steps, scoured her flat and her office, and it's like she vanished into thin air. I know this has to do with the missing witches. She was obsessed with the case; it would be just like her to go off and investigate on her own and not tell anyone. I should have been keeping a better eye on her. It's my fault she's missing."

Ginny couldn't believe it. Her head was spinning and her chest hurt. But she ruthlessly suppressed all her emotions and pulled herself together. She could fall apart later, when Harry wasn't around to see it. She had been with him long enough to know not to placate him or try to talk him out of his feelings of guilt. He would always feel responsible for keeping those closest to him safe, and Hermione was like a sister to him—Ginny would even go so far as to say Hermione was closer to Harry than Ron was. Having Hermione missing must be tearing him up.

When Harry finally calmed down it was his turn to comfort Ginny. She couldn't grasp the idea that her best friend—the woman who Ginny saw as being one of the most amazing witches, not to mention people, that she knew—could possibly be seriously hurt; the very thought of it left her reeling. For the sake of her own sanity and Harry's she wouldn't even think of any other possibility than that Harry would find Hermione and things would be all right again.

"Harry, you've got to keep this from my mother as long as possible. Oh, no—how is Ron handling this? He must be a mess! Padma sent me an owl today asking if I knew what was going on with him. Now I know. Is he going to tell her? The press will have a field day with this."

Ginny had to stop and take a breath. She collapsed back on the bed, overwhelmed. She couldn't believe this was happening. Hermione had battled seasoned Death Eaters, been Petrified, and been in a hundred other impossible circumstances, and she had always come out of them safely. Ginny had to believe this would another of those times. She knew being an Auror meant constantly being on guard, and she couldn't help wondering what had happened that Hermione hadn't foreseen.

"Have you found any clues?" she asked finally.

Harry sighed. "We found Luna's birthday gift on the floor of her office."

Ginny shot up in bed, clutching the sheet to her chest. "She disappeared from inside the Ministry?"

"We don't know that for sure," Harry replied, looking away.

Ginny just gave him an incredulous look. "You just don't want to admit that whoever is behind these missing girls could possibility be an employee of the Ministry—even an Auror."

"Trust me, Gin, we're looking at everyone now."

Harry pulled her back to his side. He was surprised at how well she was taking the news. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised if she was just trying to hold herself together until she was alone because she didn't want to add to his feelings of guilt. They were silent for several minutes before he felt her shoulders start to shake with repressed tears.

Ginny turned over and buried her face in his chest, her next words slightly muffled. "I'm a horrible friend, Harry. I haven't talked to her in two weeks except for a few quick owls. I've been so wrapped up in practices and the upcoming match. I just figured I'd see her at Luna's party."

Harry just rubbed her back until she'd calmed down. "How are we going to keep this from my mum? The minute she sees you or Ron she's going to start asking questions, and she can smell avoidance a mile away."

Instead of answering her he tilted her face up and kissed her.
Hermione heard the front door open, signaling Draco's return. She now realized why wizard paintings were always hung in pairs; it got damn boring being by yourself with nowhere to go. She didn't know what she was going to do while Draco was gone, assuming he worked. She didn't know what she dreaded more: being alone or having only Malfoy for company for hours on end. She sobered at the thought. She wasn't staying here, no matter what he found out.

He walked into the bedroom without acknowledging her. He seemed distracted. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. Hermione was about to ask what he'd learned when his hands moved to the fastening of his trousers and she froze. He wasn't going to take off his clothes in front of her, was he? Her sharp intake of breath had his head swiveling to look at her.

He smirked. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Granger. I won't insult your delicate sensibilities with my nudity."

He pushed his trousers down and stepped out them, leaving his boxers on. He gave her one last amused look before heading to the bathroom. She huffed and glared. When he returned from brushing his teeth he climbed into bed and looked at her. She was being surprisingly patient, he thought.

"You're not dead, from what I can tell. There was nothing in the paper today and from what I saw, nothing from yesterday either, although there is an article about Potter and his moronic shadow."

"Ron is not a moron! Or by moron do you mean someone who's actually worked for what they have?" She knew Ron wasn't as book-smart as she was, but he wasn't a moron. She glared at Draco.

He just gave her a bland look. "It's going to hurt one of these days, Granger—you know that, right?"

Hermione took the bait. "What's going to hurt?" Her arms were down at her sides, fists clenched. He thought her stunning in her anger.

"Because you're going to be forced to eat all the judgments you've made about people based on things you know nothing about." With that he turned on his side and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness except for the few rays of moonlight coming in.

Hermione was incensed. She didn't judge people without sufficient evidence. And Malfoy had given her more than enough to last a lifetime. He was a selfish, arrogant, prejudiced wanker.

She opened her mouth to tell him just that when he added, "Grow up. Granger—I did."

She flushed with embarrassment. Thankfully the lights were off; she'd been about to drag things to an admittedly juvenile level. Being around Malfoy again seemed to bring out her puerile side. She wondered what he meant by his cryptic comment about growing up. What had Draco Malfoy being doing since the end of the war? Where had he been? She'd heard rumors that his mother had packed him off to the States.

She turned around and went to sit in the uncomfortable-looking chair. Maybe she'd be better off lying on the floor. As she sat there she contemplated her next move. She'd ask Malfoy to read the article about Harry and Ron to her tomorrow. Hopefully he'd be in an accommodating mood. She spent hours thinking and watching him sleep before finally falling asleep herself.
Fuck, where is that old hag? The wizard moved further down the row of peddlers in Knockturn Alley, searching for the witch to whom he had given the painting of Hermione. He would do one more walk about and if he didn't see her he'd ask. When his search once again proved fruitless, he stopped at a stall where paintings were being sold.

"I'm looking for an old woman who also sells paintings here. Do you know where I can find her?"

"You must mean Pearl." The vendor obviously wasn't going say another word without compensation. Growling, the wizard dug in his pockets and came up with five Galleons, which he flung at the vendor, who picked up the money and inspected it. Finding it real, he continued. "She died last night."

"Where did she live?" The stall vendor looked like he going to ask for more money before he said anything further. The wizard quickly glanced around; seeing that no one was paying them any attention, he took out his wand. "Tell me where she lived or I'll turn you into a eunuch faster than you can say Galleon."

The startled man stuttered, "24 Tipton Lane, Manchester."

The wizard put his wand away and, with another casual glance around, walked off. Hopefully the hag had kept a record of her sales. He'd better make it quick, he only had an hour. This damn business was giving him a headache. He'd let his arrogance get ahead of him. He couldn't afford to let it happen again; Willow would not be so forgiving a second time.

Maybe it's time to lay a false trail for Potter and Weasley.
Harry, Ron, and Keller March sat in the office of the Minister of Magic, awaiting their meeting with him. Keller impatiently rapped his fingertips on the arm of his chair. He was a go-do type of person, and long stretches of inactivity made him squirrelly. Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying his best to position himself so the sunlight streaming in wasn't hitting him directly in the face. Although Harry didn't approve of Ron over-indulging in alcohol when he had to be at work the next day, he couldn't help but be a little amused at Ron's discomfort. Fair is fair; Ron had laughed at Harry when he'd accidentally run into a doorjamb because he didn't have his glasses on.

Harry heard the sound of footsteps approaching and turned his attention to the door. Blaise Zabini strolled in like he owned the place. "The Minister will be here shortly. He's running a little behind schedule."

Harry ignored him, as did Ron and Keller. Harry couldn't stand Blaise. If such a thing was possible, he had only become more smarmy and pretentious since leaving Hogwarts. Everyone knew he was gunning for the position of Minister of Magic. Becoming the current Minister's secretary would have been a nice stepping stone if it wasn't for the fact that in doing his job Blaise had alienated most of the heads of departments and a fair number of his fellow employees. He'd made it clear that if someone wanted a piece of the Minister's time they'd better have brought a nice bribe with them when they set up their appointment. People quickly learned that making appointments by owl was liable to get them a crack-of-dawn appointment a month later. Harry was certain that if Blaise ever did become Minister, over half of the employees would quit immediately, and he would be one of them.

The Minister of Magic walked briskly into his office and sat down in his chair. "Keller, something has to be done about those missing girls! The fact that it's accelerated to include a missing Auror is unacceptable. I thought when I promoted you to Head of your department I'd made the best choice. Don't make me regret that decision."

Both Harry and Ron bristled at the Minister's words. Keller was an exceptional leader. Yes, he was a little rough around the edges, but Moody had been the same way. Harry didn't doubt that Keller cared about the well-being of all his subordinates.

"Sir," Harry began, "we've all been working around the clock trying to find the missing witches, Keller more than anyone."

The Minister smiled condescendingly at him. "Calm down, Potter. I know you must be distraught over the disappearance of your little friend, but even you have to admit this situation is getting out of hand."

Harry was seeing red. He knew he had a tendency to let his emotions rule him and that usually led him to make rash decisions—like now, for instance. He was about to let the Minister know exactly what he thought about him when Justin Webster came running into the office.

"Sir, we just got notification that the body of a young woman has been found."

Harry turned to look at Ron and found him already looking back.
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