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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Thank you, WayMay, for catching all of my lazy, passive writing and making it engaging, active writing! *hearts*
Or was it God who chokes
In these situations, running late?
No, no, he called in
"Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" by Panic! At The Disco
It was, of course, fate that Harry's phone would die shortly after speaking with Hermione, so neither he nor Draco had any idea of the ongoings at the Greengrass Estate when they stepped through the floo together and arrived in Headmistress McGonagall's office. She was already waiting there at her desk, writing something with a very lengthy and plumed quill. Her eyes flickered up to the green-flamed hearth as the Auror duo stepped through, and she gave out a heavy sigh. "Auror Potter. Auror Malfoy." She rose from her chair and nodded once to both of them in acknowledgement. "I'm so very relieved to see you."
"What's wrong, Headmistress?" Harry asked. Draco set the one suitcase he brought with him down beside him and watched McGonagall's face turn sour.
"Shortly before your arrival, Victoria Crabbe collapsed in class with convulsions. She's in the infirmary now, but I fear if something isn't done soon, she could very well lose her sanity."
"More visions?" asked Draco, catching her attention. She nodded slowly to him.
"Yes." The elder witch wrung her hands together, and she looked extremely disheartened. "Except, this time… it wasn't just Miss Crabbe. Willard Parkinson has, also, come under attack."
"Pansy's cousin?" Draco didn't know him well enough, but he was aware that he was on the list of three children with the possibility of a target on their back. "And the third child? Edward Lupin?" 'Teddy' Lupin, Draco's very own first cousin, once removed, was only tied in because of his mother's lineage to the Blacks.
"He seems to be doing just fine. For now."
"Right." Draco rubbed his hands together, relief filling his core. Though he didn't know the child well, there was always a soft spot in his heart for family. "Take me to the infirmary."
"Of course."
The fire lit to life once more, and out of the green flames burst forth Lindy Bolt, wearing a casual jumper and sunhat. "So sorry I'm late, Sir!" She gasped, turned around, felt through the green flames, and pulled out two suitcases. "I didn't get your owl until a few moments ago. My boyfriend and I were just saying our goodbyes…"
"No," Draco sneered, looking to Harry. "No."
"Yes." Harry insisted.
"I don't need her here, for Salazar's sake! I told you, I don't need an Auror detail-"
"Consider her a partner, then."
"Hermione's my partner!"
"Auror Malfoy, I can assure you my credentials make me an adequate replacement for Auror Granger." Lindy bowed respectably to him. "I promise not to get in your way. I'll be a lacewing fly on the wall."
"Hmph." Draco rolled his eyes.
Headmistress McGonagall raised an eyebrow and stared at Potter. "Another Auror, Potter?"
"Malfoy's personal detail."
"I don't need a detail!"
"I don't care what you think you don't need, it's happening. End of discussion."
The elder witch, between them, tapped her foot, obviously just as irritated as Draco that another Auror would be taking post in Hogwarts without previous consent. "I'll… have Argus set up another room, then?" She gave an irritated sigh. "Is there anything else, Auror Potter? Should I expect the entire Bulgarian Quidditch team as well?"
"No, Headmistress…" Potter bowed his head respectfully. "I'm really sorry to throw all of this on you, and I appreciate your cooperation."
"Considering I had no choice in the matter… -Auror Malfoy, I'll have Argus retrieve your bag, if you'd like to follow me to the infirmary…"
"Oh. No need." Draco smirked, glanced back at the over-eager Lindy, and pointed down to his bag. "Get that, will you?"
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Lindy nodded gleefully, scooping up Draco's bag with zealousness. "Absolutely! I'll just get mine as well, then, shall I?"
"Lovely," Draco drawled back, and turned his face to the McGonagall. "Lead on, Headmistress."
"Scorpius!" Astoria screamed, cradling her son in her arms. Hermione stared down at the small boy whose body shook at uncontrollable speed as his eyes rolled in the back of his head. She'd never felt so helpless as, standing there, watching the two-year-old convulse.
"It's a seizure." She said it out loud, solidifying it. Quickly, she dropped to her knees next to him and added, "Astoria, help me get him on his side."
"O-Okay!"
Hermione reached out to help, and as soon as her fingers touched his skin, Scorpius fell silent. The shaking ceased immediately. "Scorpius? Scorp!"
"What'd you do to him?" snapped Astoria.
"I… I didn't! I wouldn't-" She reached down to check his pulse. There, she detected a faint heartbeat and could see his chest begin to rise and fall. "He's alright." With quivering fingers, she stroked hair out of Scorpius's eyes. "He's alright…"
"Miss Granger," said Jameson from behind her, "We need to get him to St. Mungo's at once."
"I'll carry him," Astoria said crisply as Hermione tried to scoop her arms under the frail, unconscious child. Her green eyes glared daggers at her friend, as if she blamed Hermione for Scorpius's state. Hermione backed off and allowed Astoria the room she needed to gather Scorpius's limp body and stand. Jameson stepped over quickly, escorting his pretend girlfriend to the floo.
"I'll inform the Ministry," Hermione whispered, struggling to catch her breath as her heart beat wildly. Jameson caught her words and gave her a crisp nod of agreement before he and Astoria stepped into the floo on their way to St. Mungo's.
Hermione's eyes drifted over to the empty spot on the floor where Scorpius had laid only moments ago, tears welling up in her eyes as anger boiled in her brain. How could anyone attack a child like that? There was no doubt in her mind that whomever was responsible for those foxes had also done something to poor Scorpius. But just how -or why- was a mystery to her. Without thinking, she took off at a run out of the room, down the hall, and through the front door. She paced around each and every fox, looking for a connection. Frantically, she eyed over the fur, the paws, the blood pooling from each fox's mouth. Twenty-eight foxes for the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight' -a nickname for the twenty-eight families with the purest of blood dating back centuries. She recalled a book being written about them, titled: Pure-Blood Directory. Amongst them were the Blacks, Ollivanders, Greengrasses, and the Malfoys. It couldn't be a coincidence that the foxes matched in numbers. What she couldn't understand was why this was significant. Not every family in the 'Sacred' group had been followers of Voldemort. The Weasleys were shining example of that. So, if what Lucius Malfoy said that night in confidence was correct, then the attackers were only coming after the families of Death Eaters. So what was the connection?
Her head swimming, Hermione dashed back inside and charged over to the floo, determination set in her brow. She gathered up a bit of floo powder, shouted, '"Ministry of Magic!" and was gone, just like that.
The room hummed in her silence as the green fire she disappeared through crackled and fizzled out.
Draco's first impression of the still sleeping Victoria Crabbe was that she didn't look at all like her elder brother. Where Vincent had worn a scowl even in his sleep, Victoria looked like any normal child. And considering the entire Crabbe family were known for pudgy faces and double chins, it surprised him to see that the eleven-year-old was quite thin, with a head of wavy jet black hair and thick eyebrows. Well, at least that she had in common with her family -otherwise, Draco might have assumed she was adopted. If he squinted his eyes just right, he could maybe see it in the wider bridge of her nose…
"We gave her a sleeping draught to calm her nerves," McGonagall told him, approaching the side of the child's infirmary gurney. "Same with Mr. Parkinson."
"When are they expected to wake?"
"Very soon, I should say. Perhaps you'd like to get acquainted with your lodgings while you wait?"
Draco shook his head. "If it's all the same to you, Headmistress, I'd like to try to have a look in her mind while she's relaxed."
McGonagall nodded. "I shall inform Miss Crabbe's family, then. They must be kept informed if I'm to let an Auror rummage through their child's mind."
"Do what you have to."
Much to Draco's surprise, McGonagall placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, squaring him up. She was far more wrinkled than he recalled, but her eyes still glimmered with that hint of roguishness she used to carry as his Transfiguration Professor. It always frightened him the way she never cracked under the pressure, though he admired her for it.
"Speaking to you as your former teacher and not as the Headmistress of the school," she began, breaking out into an impish smile, "I am very proud to see how far you have come, Mister Malfoy. An Auror. Quite impressive, I should say."
Receiving praise should have been something that stoked his ego, but right now, in the moment, all he could feel was a sense of shame. He hadn't become an Auror to receive compliments. He'd done it to bring in Bastian Cane and to make up for all of his wrongdoings. He forced a half-smile to appease her and mumbled, "It's nothing. Really."
McGonagall winked at him. "Did you catch a spout of modesty in your growing up, too? Be careful, now. My old heart can only take so much shock." Removing her hand, she stepped away and approached Lindy. "Good to see you again, dear."
"You as well, Headmistress."
Draco watched the elderly witch leave through the door. He'd really lost his edge lately, hadn't he? Since when did he treat compliments as if he didn't deserve them? What was going on in his head? This entire case was shaking him down to the core.
"What shall I do, sir?" asked Lindy, settling their bags on the floor.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, for one, you could change into something fitting for an Auror instead of a walk at the beach." He nudged down to Lindy's bright yellow jumper and floral sunhat. Her cheeks darkened a few shades.
"Sorry, sir. I had just a little time off, and I thought I'd take the chance to enjoy it with my boyfriend…"
"This would make it the second time you've said that. I don't really care. -And to be honest, I don't care what you do, so long as you stay out of my way and sight. Got it?"
"Y-Yes sir." Lindy tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "But I do think I could be a better help to you if you just let me-"
"-I don't need anyone's help," he snapped, agitated. He knew he was taking his frustrations with the stone, Diggle, and the threats on his family out on her, but he didn't have anyone else to bully, so she'd have to do. Lindy's first mistake, he noted, was being submissive to his commands. If she had a backbone to tell him off, he might respect her. But as it were, all he could see her as was a pretty decoration to add to the ambience of the room. Pretty—and annoying. "Why don't you go knit a scarf, or whatever it is you repressed witches do when you aren't making lists." It wasn't his best sneer, but it'd have to do.
He thought for a moment Lindy might snap -her eyes narrowed, and her shoulders fastened back as if snapped together by a harness, but she simply gave a firm nod and said, "I'll go change into my work robes. Will you be fine on your own for a moment?"
"Just go."
He heard her rummage through her bag, pull out her clothes, and when he was sure the door had clicked shut once more, he snatched up a guest stool and took a seat next to Victoria. The first year stirred as if sensing his presence. Her eyes fluttered open, pupils like needle points against the sea-green colour of her irises. Her eyebrows twisted up in fright, and Draco quickly raised both of his hands in peace.
"Who are you?" she sneered.
Draco acknowledged her question with a quirk of his eyebrow, thinking while she didn't look like Crabbe, she certainly carried his arrogant tone. "I'm Draco. I'm an Auror for the Ministry of Magic."
"An Auror?" Victoria glanced about the room, but couldn't see much due to the fabric screen drawn around her hospital bed separating her from the rest of it. "Are… are you here to arrest me?"
"No." He narrowed his eyes. "Why? Have you done something to warrant being arrested?"
She shook her head vigorously, eyes wide. "N-No! I… I just mean… well, isn't that an Auror's job? To throw criminals in Azkaban?"
"Are you a criminal?"
"No…"
"Then I think we'll get along just fine." He extended his hand between them. "Nice to meet you."
Before having a child of his own, Draco had never been patient with children. He always thought them whiney, grubbing little beasts with sticky hands and spoiled attitudes (yes, he knew how ironic that sounded). But now, after two-and-a-half years of changing diapers and soothing fevers and falling asleep snuggled on the couch, he had a soft spot for anyone with a spout of innocence. Maybe that's also why he loved Hermione so much.
The young, female Crabbe eyed his hand suspiciously before taking it and giving it a firm shake. A bit too firm -ouch! Did she know what sort of grip she had? "I'm Victoria."
"Pleasure," he drawled.
"So, if you're not going arrest me, why are you here?" Victoria released his hand and sat up straight in the bed.
"I hear you've been having… dreams."
The raven-haired girl paled, and she nodded slowly. "They feel so real."
"Can you tell me about them?"
The door behind him swung open, and Victoria jumped. Her eyes softened when she realized it wasn't something from her dreams and only a petite, blonde haired woman wearing the same work-regulated robes that the Auror in front of her wore, and she relaxed her shoulders, scowling. "Who's she?"
"I'm Auror Malfoy's partner, Auror Bolt." Lindy replied, strolling up to Draco's side and offering a stiff hand out to the eleven-year-old. Victoria did not take it, instead trailing her eyes back over to Draco.
"Malfoy…?" Her scowl turned to a full blown grimace. "You're a Malfoy?"
Fucking Merlin's saggy left testicle, if he could hex Lindy six ways to Sunday, he would, and he would do it happily. But, because he had made a sacred oath to the Ministry, he wouldn't do anything to her -now. No, he'd wait for the right opportunity to sabotage her life. Fucking big mouth that Bolt had…
With a clueless tone in his voice, he sneered, "You have a problem with the Malfoys?"
Victoria crossed her arms, turning her head away from him. "My mum says that my brother died because he was under the thumb of a Malfoy."
"…Is that so?"
"Yeah."
Anger clawed inside his chest, and Draco rose to stand. He turned on his heels, purposefully stepping on Lindy's foot -hard.
"Wait!" Victoria shouted behind him, suddenly sounding very frightened. "W-Where are you going?"
"Oh, so now you're willing to accept help from a Malfoy?"
"Auror Malfoy," Lindy scolded under her breath, "She's just a child."
"Hmph." He leered in Lindy's direction. "Why don't you butt out of business that isn't yours, Bolt?"
"Am I missing something?"
"You're him, aren't you?" asked Victoria. Her voice sounded distant, but that could have been due to all the blood pulsing in Draco's ears as he struggled to keep his temper in line. "You knew my brother, didn't you?"
He sighed, closing his eyes. He knew he'd get here; he just didn't expect it to happen so soon. "I am. I did."
"C-Could you… could you tell me about him?"
Draco turned his head in the direction of Victoria, mouth still holding his distasteful sneer. He saw the timid expression on her face, and, without warning, she burst into tears. Draco's eyes went wide, and he exchanged glances with Lindy, mouthing, 'Now what?'
'What did you do?' she mouthed back.
'Me?'
'Yes, you!'
He stomped his heel into her toes on the way back to Victoria's bedside, taking his seat once again. "Stop that," he snarled, and the first year swiped quickly at her tears, lower lip pouted out. Just when it looked like her crying had ceased, she exploded into a fit of tears that had her sobbing into her hands.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, rubbing her nose on the back of her sleeve. "I… I-I just… My mum s-says never to trust a Malfoy, and I…"
Lindy quickly crossed the room, pushing herself into Draco's personal space as she clutched the child's hand and smiled. "You're confused. We understand. But I promise you, Auror Malfoy is a trustworthy, upstanding individual. You can trust him."
"R-Really?" Victoria asked.
'Sure,' Draco thought irritably, 'Just have a conversation like I'm not in the room. I'm one bloody foot away!'
"Really," Lindy nodded, turning her head and eying Draco over. "He might be a bit gruff and seemingly unpleasant, but he's a hero. Despite what your Mum thinks about the Malfoys, remember; he works for the Ministry, and if they can trust him, so can you. And right now, he's your only shot at getting those visions of yours to stop."
"Visions?" Victoria careened her head towards Draco. "I thought they were just dreams?"
"Lindy. You have possibly one of the loosest set of lips I've ever met. How many ships did you sink in your day? Hundreds? Thousands?"
Lindy blushed a brilliant shade of scarlet and sat down at the foot of Victoria's bed, silent as the grave. Draco smirked to himself. Good. At least something shut her up. Draco scooted his chair closer, measured Victoria's nervous glance with a cool stare, and said, "Look, I'm going to level with you, Victoria."
"My friends call me Vicky."
"Yeah, we're not friends." He smirked. "I'll make you a deal. I'd like to teach you a few tricks to make the dreams go away. In return, I'd like you to let me into your mind."
"In my mind? What for?"
"To see your dreams first hand. If I can understand them, I can help you to keep them at bay. But I won't force you." I'm not legally allowed to do that without your parent's consent, and I doubt the Crabbe family would grant that considering it is -me-. It had been a low blow to the gut to hear the Crabbe family held him personally responsible for Vincent's death. Especially after they'd grieved with him at the funeral…
He would stew about this later. Now, he had a mission.
"If I do… you promise to make the dreams stop?"
"I'll do my best."
Victoria chewed on her upper lip, thinking it over. "Would you do one more thing for me?"
"Demanding, isn't she?" Draco quipped to Lindy.
Victoria glared, crossing her arms. "If I do this, can you show me memories of yours? Like… ones of my brother?" She gave a small sigh, hands shaking as she brushed at her wet cheeks. "I… I just want to know… what he was like, you know? Can you do that? Is it possible?"
Draco's tongue weighed like lead in his mouth, and he struggled to find his voice. His answer came in a soft mumble. "I could show you a couple."
"Really?" Victoria's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you, Auror Malfoy! Thank you!"
He rolled his eyes, sliding his chair back. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm amazing and all." He snapped his fingers at Lindy, pointed to the bags, and brought his attention back around to the youth. "We're going to get settled in, and I'll be back after dinner. We can begin then."
Nodding, Victoria leaned back in her bed. "Great. Maybe I could get some sleep tonight."
"Maybe." He cracked a smile just as the door opened yet again. Draco would recognize that straggly hair and stubbled chin any day -sure, he aged a bit, but that was definitely Filch approaching him with a stamped envelope.
"Post for Auror Malfoy," Filch grumbled, eying the blonde up as if he were sickened at the sight. "Never thought I'd see the day…"
Draco snatched the letter up, gave a venomous smirk, and flipped the letter over to recognize the Ministry seal. He tore the letter out at once, and as his eyes scanned over the words, his heart dropped down into the pit of his stomach. He stumbled back, eyes wide, tearing his gaze around in every which direction before finally settling them on Lindy. "I… I need to… Goddamn it!"
"Language, Auror Malfoy!"
"Bugger language! My son's been… he's… I need to see the Headmistress at once."
Draco tore out of the room in a flash, the sound of his footsteps bouncing off the walls as the door slammed firmly behind him.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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How To Train Your Auror 2: Family Ties