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How To Train Your Auror 2: Family Ties	By : Alcoholic_Rootbeer Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 7990 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I will not make a profit from this story

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
First off, I'd like to thank WayMay for whipping my terrible writing into shape. She had to endure quite a bit, so please give her a round of applause while she made this chapter the pretty little gem it is compared to the lump of coal she recieved.
Secondly, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to someone who doesn't know me, but could really use the good vibes. She's a friend of LightofEvolution, and her name is Jenny. Jenny is kicking ass and taking names in the battle against her body. Please, give her all of the good vibes.
~A.
I stared up at the sun,
Thought of all of the people, places and things I've loved.
I stared up just to see
With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.
You can feel the light start to tremble,
Washing what you know out to sea.
You can see your life out of the window tonight.
If I lose myself tonight,
It'll be by your side.
"If I Lose Myself" by OneRepublic
Harry Potter received the letter in the middle of the night while snuggled up next to Ginny, who was three weeks away from giving birth to their third child, Lily. Things were already stressful at the Ministry with the attack of the 'white-wolf', as the Auror Department was currently nicknaming the assailant, but adding his wife's pregnancy on top of that put Harry in a constant state of restless sleep and an overabundance of coffee and tea to keep him going during the day. So when the large, tawny owl pecked loudly at his bedroom window, Harry didn't grumble. He shuffled over to the window, opened it, and greeted the owl he recognised as a Hogwarts staff owl with a stretch of the arm. It landed gracefully on his arm, digging its talons into his skin. Harry winced but smiled gratefully as the owl presented a scroll attached to its leg.
"Thanks," he told it, giving it a pat on the head before untying the scroll. "Want some of my biscuits? They're over on the table if you're-"
The owl didn't need to be told twice, hooting excitedly as it flew over to Harry's desk and began to peck wildly at his evening snack. Ginny rolled over when she heard the owl and sat up, muttering, "Harry?"
"S'alright, Gin. Just something from Hogwarts."
"Oh..." She laid back down and before her head hit the pillow, she was asleep once more. Harry smiled and glanced down at the wax stamp on the scroll. He recognised it immediately as McGonagall's Headmistress stamp. Becoming more concerned, he peeled back the stamp, unrolled the scroll, and read quietly to himself.
'Dear Mr. Potter,
I require your presence at Hogwarts at your earliest convenience. Following the events of this evening, which I will discuss with you upon your arrival, I find myself in need of your services as both an Auror and a friend. Please floo when you receive this letter, and let me know when to prepare for your arrival.
Best wishes,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'
Hmm... Well, that was peculiar. What could McGonagall possibly want with him when he had a perfectly good Auror detail set up at Hogwarts? Whatever it was, it sounded urgent. He left the window open should the owl decide he'd like to leave before Harry came back to bed and took off to the fireplace in the living room. Grabbing up a bit of floo powder, he tossed it into the fireplace, said, "Hogwarts" and stuck his head into the flames.
"Headmistress?" he called out, searching around the hearth of the Headmaster's office that he once associated with Albus Dumbledore. He spotted McGonagall pacing in front of her desk, and she jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Auror Potter," she sighed. "It is good to see you again, though I'm afraid the circumstances, to which I have called you, are grave."
"What's wrong, Minerva?" The schoolboy in him felt out of place for using McGonagall's first name in conversation, but he reminded himself that he was an adult, and this was cordial to address friends by their given name.
"You do recall the name of a female student you've ordered under the protection of your Aurors from the Ministry?"
"Of course. Victoria Crabbe. Vincent Crabbe's sister, if I'm correct."
"Yes. Well.." McGonagall trailed off, then sighed once more. "Victoria came into the infirmary complaining about dreams."
"Dreams? You called on me because a student is having some dreams?"
"Dreams about a white wolf, Auror Potter. Which, if I'm to have read your briefing correctly, was associated with another attack earlier this week."
"Are you saying she's having some sort of premonition?"
"Either that or, a more logical explanation is that someone is directly targeting Ms. Crabbe through her dreams as a way to provoke her. You were personally trained by Severus in the ways of Occlumency. I think it rather prudent that you consider training Ms. Crabbe."
"I... Not to sound rude, Headmistress, but I am the Head Auror at the Ministry. I can't just drop everything I have going on here to educate a student on Occlumency." Harry rummaged through his mind for another way and came up with one after only a few short moments. "But I do know someone who is just as versed at me, if not more so. I can send him in a day's time. You remember Draco Malfoy? He was also trained in the craft."
"Malfoy? Isn't he an Auror now?"
"Yes. And he works for me, so he can't turn the assignment down. You'll have your man by the end of the day tomorrow."
"I think that would be a marvellous gesture on your part, Auror Potter, considering you threw three Aurors into my school without a moment's warning. You caused quite an uproar amongst the students trying to figure out why the Ministry would find it so prudent to send Aurors to care for us."
Harry tried to force a smile, even though inwardly the scolding caused a flare of irritation inside of him. "My... apologies, Headmistress. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't of the utmost importance and urgency."
McGonagall pursed her lips and said, "Yes. I'm sure you wouldn't have. But be that as it may, I do not appreciate being forced into the situation you've put us in. -You may tell Auror Malfoy that we shall have a room set up for him prior to his arrival."
"Of course..."
"And please tell him that time is of the essence."
"Yes, Professor," Harry quipped, and McGonagall broke out into a small smile.
"Goodnight, Mr. Potter."
"Goodnight, Headmistress."
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddeeeeeee!"
Draco and Hermione awoke to knees on their stomachs as Scorpius bounced merrily up and down on their intertwined bodies. Hermione had been on the cusp of a very saucy dream involving her, Draco, and a small broom closet tucked away in the halls of Hogwarts when she jolted awake. Draco groaned next to her, as awake as she was but more perturbed as he glared up at his son and said, "What do you think you're doing, young man?"
"I play!" Scorpius shouted, vaulting himself into the air and made to land his knees into Draco's chest when the prepared father jerked his hands up and caught his legs before they had a chance to do any damage. Scorpius giggled, unaware that he was pushing on his father's patience by the second. "Yay! Daddy play too!"
"No, Daddy not play, Scorpius. It's..." He reached over to the table for his wand, waved it about, and watched as red smoke formed itself into the time. "Six forty in the morning. Shouldn't you be sleeping? We spent all afternoon at Honeydukes with no nap -you should be passed out right about now."
"Nope. Play." The Slytherin-to-be rolled to his side and climbed on top of Hermione, pressing his nose to hers. "Mummy play too?"
Staring up at the innocence in those eyes, she sighed and caved. "Alright, sweetheart. We can play. But maybe I should make breakfast first? How do pancakes sound?"
"With Seerup?" he pronounced the word with the cutest drawl that made Hermione want to snuggle him. Which is exactly what she did. She wrapped her arms around the child and engulfed him in a suffocating hug, to which he tried to wriggle out of much like a cat that didn't want to be pet. Speaking of which...
"Yes, with Syrup. And Uncle Dean is bringing over a surprise for you today."
"Suppise? Oooh! Gimme!"
"Only if you're good, and only once Uncle Dean arrives." She couldn't help but notice the impatience that overtook Draco time and time again had indeed been passed down in lineage. She glanced over to the already-falling-back-asleep Draco and tapped him on the arm. His eyes bolted open, and he turned his head to her. "Pancakes?"
"Hmm? Yeah... sounds great..." He closed his eyes, adding, "But you don't have to cook them... just get one of the... (yawn) house elves to do it for you..."
"They're free elves, Draco. I'm not going to ask them to cook pancakes for us this early in the morning when I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."
"Whatever," he grumbled back, turning on his side to make a point that he want to go back to sleep.
"Shall we go whip us up some pancakes, then?" Hermione turned her attention to Scorpius, who rubbed his stomach and nodded. She dragged herself out of bed, threw on one of the silk bathrobes Draco had given her for Christmas, and took the child's small hand to lead him down the stairs and into the kitchens. As she gathered her ingredients, Scorpius took a seat on one of the swivel stools at the counter, watching.
"No magic?" he asked.
"Not everything requires magic, Scorpius. Remember that. You're perfectly capable of being a whole individual without a wand."
"Pweeeeease?" he begged. Good lord, she thought, this child was definitely going to be a Slytherin after all. She caved to the tiny pout and big, grey eyes, pulling out her wand from her bathrobe and giving it a flick. Scorpius watched in delight as the ingredients began to pour and mix themselves in a bowl. "Yay!" he shouted, a bit too loud.
"Shhh, sweetie. We don't want to wake Daddy."
"Daddy mad?" the child asked her suddenly, eyebrows knitted upwards in concern. He was far too young to be concerned with such things, she thought. She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Of course not. Why would you think that Daddy's cross?"
"He no plays me."
Oh, that pulled Hermione's heartstrings right out of her chest. She gave him another big hug and bent down to his eye level. "No, Scorpius. Daddy's just sleepy is all. He's had a rough couple of days, and he's very tired. I promise he'll be right as rain when he wakes up, and you can bet he'll want to spend his morning playing with you. He loves you more than anything."
Scorpius beamed with pride, and he attempted yet again that infamous Malfoy smirk. "Daddy love me."
"Yes. Yes, he does. And I love you, too. And Mummy, and Uncle Harry, Uncle Dean, and so many others. You are a very loved child, Scorpius. You are so, so special." She patted his head and with another flick of her wrist put a skillet on the stove and let her magic ladle out pancake mix. Great, she thought, at this rate, he'll grow to have a larger ego than Draco. That was saying something. "Scorpius, would you like to check the post for me?"
"YES! WOO!" Scorpius bounded off of the chair, ran around the island counter a few times, and took off out of the kitchens and to the owlry. Hermione had no idea where he managed to find so much energy, but she wished she could bottle it up and use it on days like this morning.
Tomorrow would be the start of her training the new Aurors. The thought made her both thrilled and apprehensive. With all of the new threats looming over their heads and this white-wolf masked assailant running about, she felt as if this might be the only peaceful morning they might have in a very long time. She suddenly wished Draco would get his bum out of bed and enjoy it with her -did he not understand that tomorrow marked the beginning of a whole new set of complications? With him working this case and her taking over the training, they'd see so much less of each other, not to mention Scorpius. It broke her heart to think that the lives they had built with each other could be wedged apart by work, but that was the life of an Auror. However, now she had a wedding to plan, and trainees to attend to, and she'd be taking on a whole new role in Scorpius's life as an official step-mother. Well, she supposed, she had already fit that role for almost the entire time since she had met him, but to know that it would be legal... it set a warmth over her skin. All around her, her friends were having children -Harry and Ginny were on number three, for crying out loud! And someday, she might actually become a birth mother herself.
Oh, good Lord, she suddenly thought, what if Draco didn't want more children? They'd never really discussed it- not that Draco hadn't tried. She always avoided the subject whenever possible because it brought up the thought of Ron and her trying right before he'd... she swallowed a lump in her throat and closed her eyes. It was nearing three years since Ron's death. What would he say if he could see the new ring on her finger? Would he be happy that she had found someone new, albeit his schoolboy rival? Would he be proud of her for loving Scorpius as her own? Would he hold her in contempt for not allowing more time to pass before she decided to make a life with Draco? Perhaps he'd kiss her forehead and tell her everything was going to be alright? She wished, in a moment of darkness, that Harry had not discarded the resurrection stone so she could see Ron just one last time. But that was long since gone, discarded in the Forbidden Forest and lost to the world forever.
She dabbed at her eyes when she heard Scorpius's tiny footsteps approaching the kitchen. He bounded through the door with letters in his hands and a grin on his face. "Here, Mummy! Post!"
"Thank you, sweetheart." She reached out and took the mail, sifting through it. There was a letter addressed to Draco with Harry's Auror seal stamped to the back, and another from her parents with Harry's forwarding address. Hermione's parents didn't like sending by owl, so when Hermione had moved in with Draco, where muggle post would never dare tread, she gave them Harry's address to keep the lines of communication open. She answered their phone calls when she could, but being around magic made cell phones finicky, and it was tricky to get reception in the walls of the Ministry. She opened up her parent's letter and scanned it once over. Oh goody, they were coming for a visit... wait... they were coming for a visit? Next month? Oh, good Lord! Hadn't they ever heard of making plans instead of inviting themselves? Not that she didn't love her parents dearly, but preparing herself for the torturous events of her father and Draco quipping back and forth at an alarming rate was never the highlight of these annual visits. At least they could see how much Scorpius had grown, and she could tell them about their engagement.
Looking over to the other letter addressed to Draco, she allowed her mind wander to Diggle's request as she watched Scorpius leave for a moment and return with a few dragon plushies to play with atop the counter while he waited on his pancakes.
What would Diggle's letter say, she wondered, should she choose to accept it? Would it be a stalker letter professing his ongoing adoration for her? Or would he apologise like he had at his Wizengamot trial? What could he possibly have to say to her that he hadn't already said? She didn't like to admit it, but ever since Draco had told her about Diggle's request to give her a letter her curiosity had been peaked. And she knew that she would never get her answers if she turned it down.
"Mummy!" Scorpius shouted, now tugging on her robe. "Pancakes!"
"Hmm?" She turned around and saw that the magic had done a fine work of stacking beautifully golden brown pancakes on top of each other on a plate. She smiled, fixed Scorpius up a plate, and cut his pancakes into little triangles just the way he liked them.
"Seerup," he reminded her. Hermione sat a bottle of maple syrup in front of the toddler and watched him drench his pancakes in the sugary goodness.
"Use your fork," she suggested when he made to pick up a bit with his fingers. Scorpius rolled his eyes and picked up the utensil.
Draco arrived promptly on time as Hermione finished making a second plate, and she sat it down in front of him as he took a seat next to his son. "Are they good, Scorp?"
"Yummmmm..."
"Great." He smiled up at Hermione. "Thanks."
"You're most welcome," she grinned back at him and went to make herself a plate. As she began to butter her 'fluffy circles of scrumptiousness' as Ron used to call them, she glanced over at Draco and said, "I've made a decision."
"Yeah?" He chewed on a bite of pancakes and swallowed. "What's the verdict?"
"I've decided that it would be in the best interest of your lead to accept the letter. I mean, it's only a letter, isn't it? He couldn't curse it from his cell in Azkaban..."
Draco set his fork down and scowled. "Diggle said the same thing."
"Did he?" She made a point to stare down at her pancakes that now had far too much butter to be healthy, thinking how eerie it was that she and Greg had shared a thought so similar. She didn't like the idea that they thought the same way in any form or fashion.
"Who Diggull?" Scorpius asked his father.
Draco smirked. "A tosser, that's who."
"Draco! Language!"
"Sorry, Hermione. -Scorpius, he's a major tosser."
She rolled her eyes. "I give up... Scorp, Diggle is a very bad man that Daddy and I put away in prison because he did some very bad things."
"Why?" asked the inquisitive blonde.
Draco gladly accepted the challenge to answer. "Because he didn't clean up his toys when his parents told him to."
The toddler's eyes went as wide as saucers, and he stuffed a whole forkful of pancakes into his mouth before dashing off, presumably to clean his room.
"That was downright cruel," Hermione scolded. Draco chuckled as he dug into another helping of pancakes and threw a smirk her way.
"Yes, but it got him to be responsible, so really I should be receiving an award for parent of the year."
"How very Slytherin of you..." She nudged her thumb towards the end of the counter. "Post came for you. It's from Harry."
"What does Scarhead want now?"
"You've practically been friends with the man for two years now. Don't you think you could drop the childish name calling?"
"That's not how our friendship works."
"Well, at least you're admitting you're friends." Hermione sat down beside him with her plate at Scorpius's abandoned chair and watched as he opened up Harry's letter. His eyes scanned over the words, and with each passing moment, his face grew sterner. "Something wrong?"
"He's sending me on assignment," he answered her, eyes still meticulously scrutinising every letter on the page. "There's been a development at Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts? What sort of development?"
"Apparently, one of the students is having visions of this man in the white-wolf mask." He handed the paper to her, and she hastily read over Harry's sloppy handwriting.
"Well, this is good, isn't it? It's a connection."
"He wants me to teach the kid Occlumency. Thinks it will help."
"And what do you think?"
He turned his face towards her. "I think we should be approaching this offensively, not defensively. With Legilimency, I might be able to sift through her dreams and get a better grasp as to if it's being put into her head or if she's making the whole thing up."
"Does it say who the student is?"
"Yeah." Draco's eyes shifted down to the paper. "Read at the bottom." There was a sobering way in which he spoke, and she trailed her gaze down, down, down to the bottom to read, "Victoria Crabbe. Crabbe... as in..."
"Vincent's sister, presumably." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and glared at his plate. "Of course, it would be her, wouldn't it? I mean, it couldn't have been one of the other two students being monitored, could it? Just my bloody," he slammed his fist down onto the table, "luck!"
Hermione sat a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Maybe this could be a good thing," she offered. "You could tell her stories about her brother."
Draco snorted an indignant laugh. "Yeah? And say what? 'Hi. My name's Draco, and I used to bully your brother around while getting him to do my dirty work. He eventually turned evil, tried to kill the famous golden-trio, and ended up getting himself burnt to a crisp. I was there. I watched it all happen, and I didn't save him because I was busy trying to save my own arse.' That'll go over real well, Hermione." He stood up from his seat, disposed of his plate in the sink, and walked to the doorway. "I'll go talk to Diggle today before I leave. Potter wants me sent off tonight. I..." He turned back around suddenly, sadness etched in his brow. "I don't like going on assignments without you, you know?"
Indeed, Hermione knew exactly how he felt. For the last two years, they practically worked every case together, side by side. They were an excellent team, feeding off of each other's knowledge and wit. The fact that fate pulled them in different directions on possibly one of the most dangerous cases they had ever worked put a great strain on both of their hearts. She stood up and walked up to him, running her fingers over his Dark Mark. "We'll keep in touch by floo, and depending on how this turns out, you might not even be gone that long. -We'll get through this. We always do."
Draco let his cold demeanour shift to a soft, tender persona he only allowed around her and Scorpius. He pulled her close to him, kissed her on the lips, and whispered, "Love you, stupid witch."
She cracked a smile. "Love you too, arrogant prat."
When Draco entered the Azkaban interrogation room for the second time, not twenty-four hours later with Lindy by his side, he noted the conceited smile Greg Diggle wore as he watched his once-pupil approach the table.
"Hello, Draco. I take it you have an answer for me."
"She'll do it," Draco said, "So now you've got what you want. Tell me where you hid the stone."
Diggle grinned from ear to ear, and he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, yes, the juicy bit. Are you ready for it, Draco Malfoy? It's been under your nose the entire time. Practically in plain sight, but none of you were bright enough to figure it out. I really am quite surprised Hermione didn't, but then again her brilliance has been clouded by the shadow of a smug-faced Malfoy, so I can forgive her just the once."
"She's never needed your forgiveness, you prick. -The stone's location. Now."
Diggle chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "I stowed it away inside of a box... in the Department of Mysteries." Diggle watched as Draco's face turned to one of sheer astonishment at his confession. "So you see, I very much doubt anyone in a white-wolf mask got their hands on that precious little gem. Because if they did, you'd have a traitor in your midsts. As it were, I can guarantee you, it hasn't moved, and I'll gladly tell you where I've stowed it. -You'll find it tucked behind a prophecy on the nineteenth row, nine shelves up."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "It better be there, Diggle."
"It will be, Draco. You have my word."
Easter Egg! There's a significance to 9 and 19. Can any of you figure it out? XD
~A.
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How To Train Your Auror 2: Family Ties