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A Witch's Tale	By : snowblind12 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 27761 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: This fanfic is based off the Harry Potter books which are owned by JKR. I make no money from this fanfic and these characters as well as the Harry Potter books and world belong to JKR!

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Please review if you are enjoying this story. It motivates me greatly to keep writing.
Draco had just left his meeting with Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The ministry was considering opening a day care on site so that they could employ more young witches, as well as wizards. There was pressure on young couples to have children, but the ministry needed workers as well. The magical community had frowned on the idea of both parents working and it was only in the past couple years that it became more socially acceptable for children to go to daycare so that both parents could work. But daycare was expensive and the ministry needed an incentive for ambitious young witches and wizards to choose a job at the ministry over other opportunities. Hence, Malfoys involvement. They needed galleons for this project, and who better to ask, than the Malfoys, who were climbing back to the top of the social and politically influential ladder. Draco had just agreed to a substantial donation for the project. Of course, being a Malfoy, Draco had to get something in return. So, after much back and forth, it was agreed that 'The Malfoy Learn n' Play Childcare Center' would open in 6 months time. The Malfoys would fund the construction as well as 50% of the operating costs for the first 5 years. Witches and Wizards who worked at the ministry could enroll their children at the center for a fraction of what other centers cost.
With that task done, Draco contemplated his earlier conversation with Theo and decided to pay Granger a visit.
Hermione was in her office going through her file cabinet and double checking there wasn't anything important she had forgotten to share with her coworkers. She was deep in thought as she flipped through the S's when she heard a slight cough. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the doorframe watching her.
She raised her eyebrows, "are you lost Malfoy?"
He smirked. "Shockingly, I'm actually here on purpose."
Hermione had a surprised look on her face as she closed the file cabinet and gestured towards the chair facing her desk. "You care to sit?" This was Theo's best friend, and for his sake, she would be nice to the viper.
Hermione's office was small and all it took was a couple steps and he was standing in front of the chair. He sat and watched her. She sat down and looked at him expectantly. "Well, spill. What could possibly bring you all the way down to the bowels of the ministry?" Hermione's department was on the lowest floor and no one ventured down there without a specific purpose.
"Yeah, well I did have to ask directions. Seriously, Granger, how do you stand it down here?" He looked around with his typical sneer, like it was all beneath him.
"Well, that's rich.. coming from the prince of the dungeons himself. You should feel right at home."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Truce, Granger. I didn't come down here to goad you." He paused and contemplated her for a second. "You just naturally bring it out of me." He grinned at her.
After a second she grinned back at him. "Well you don't tend to bring out my best side either."
He leaned back in the chair and said, "so...Theo tells me you have a theory that's not very popular around here."
She couldn't help notice how much Draco had changed since Hogwarts. He had a casual arrogance about him now instead of the puffed up, forced arrogance of youth. He was comfortable in his skin and she couldn't help but find it attractive. She thought about how to respond to his statement that was not really a question. She really didn't want to talk to him, of all people, about her theory that magical purebloods, and probably wizardkind in general, were heading to extinction. "Actually, the research speaks for itself. It just seems no one around here wants to acknowledge what's right in front of them." She sighed. "Are you sure you want to hear it? You won't like what you hear."
"I thInk I can handle it, Granger." He was looking at her expectantly as if to say 'get on with it.'
Hermione looked at her watch. It was 4:58 pm "I'm supposed to meet Theo in 30 minutes at The Wayward Broom. Let's head over there now and I'll tell you."
Draco looked at his watch. He was supposed to be at Victoria's at 6:30 for dinner so he had time. "Fine."
Hermione stood and waved her wand over her desk and file cabinets to lock them and grabbed her robe. Malfoy gestured towards the door for her to lead the way.
He followed behind her and couldn't help notice the nice sway to her backside in the pencil skirt and kitten heels she was wearing. They took the elevator to the main atrium where it was crowded with the hustle and bustle of staff heading home for the day. Hermione noticed many a young witch checking out Malfoy as they walked past. She internally rolled her eyes.
They didn't speak, but Draco Malfoy practiced all the manners that his pureblood mother had forced upon him as he grew up. He opened doors and let her lead the way. Hermione was surprised by his behavior. She was so used to Draco, the obnoxious wanna be death eater of her past, that the polite and considerate Draco of the present seemed all wrong and she found herself even more on guard. She kept waiting for the snide comment or the jab about her heritage. As they approached The Wayward Broom a camera flashed as a young man jumped out from a side alley to take their picture. She was closer to the photographer and Draco immediately leapt between them, his hand automatically shielding his face from the camera wielder who was now crouched low as he walked beside them shooting more photos. Hermione wasn't a stranger to paparazzi, but they didn't photograph her as frequently as they used to and she was taken by surprise. Hermione heard Draco mumble under his breath what sounded like, "vultures." The protective move he had just done, added to the mystery of the new and improved Draco Malfoy. She couldn't help but believe it was for show. It was too much to believe anyone could change that much in a mere 4 years.
They quickly dashed into the restaurant where a happy hour crowd had assembled at the bar. A hostess approached them and before Hermione could speak, Draco slipped something in her hand and whispered something about a quiet table. The hostess quickly lead them to a corner booth in the back of the restaurant.
They slid into the booth across from each other. A waiter arrived promptly to take their drink orders. After they ordered, Draco raised his eyebrows and said, "well, are you going to tell me or not."
"Why are you so interested in my thoughts on this matter, Draco?" It didn't pass his notice that she called him by his first name. "I'm sure you could walk into my boss's office and with a little Malfoy signature bribery you could have all the information you want."
He shook his head. "Hermione, surely you've figured out that it's usually what the ministry doesn't want to admit that holds the most value. It's not what they accept to be truth that I'm interested in. It's what they refuse to accept that holds my interest."
Hermione couldn't help the small smile that crept on her face. She was always preaching the same thing to Harry, but Harry still had total belief and faith in the ministry.
"Unless wizardkind finds a way to tap into more natural sources of magical power, the wizard race will become extinct." There. She told him. She watched as his expression morphed from casual arrogance to shock to disbelief.
"Uh, Granger. Thats quite a theory you got there." His tone was condescending and his expression was incredulous.
His look and tone mirrored her boss's, and it made her angry. "Well, by all means feel free to leave. I really couldn't care less whether you, or anyone else, believe me or not. I'm done with caring what anyone thinks. I know what's in front of me and I don't look at the world through rose colored lenses. The evidence speaks for itself and I'm not wasting my time or energy trying to explain or handhold or defend the obvious."
Her outburst defied her and proved she did care, and Draco knew it. It scared him because now a piece of him believed her. He leaned back and exhaled, deflated with the enormity of what she had just said.
The waiter arrived with their drinks. Hermione took a large sip of her wine and Draco sat in silence.
"Well, this is an unexpected sight." Theo suddenly appeared at the table and slid in next to Hermione. His smile slid from his face as he sensed the tension between his witch and his best mate. He kissed her on the cheek. "Sooo, what's going on?"
Hermione smiled tensely at him. "Draco was just leaving." Draco just kept watching her and made no move to leave.
"Granger, just give me a minute. You can't drop a dungbomb on me like that and expect me to just accept it."
Theo now understood. "Ahhh, she told you her theory."
The waiter approached and dropped off menus and Theo ordered a drink.
Draco leaned forward. "Ok, so talk me through what you're thinking."
Hermione couldn't help the small feeling of relief that he wanted to hear more. For all her denial a minute ago, she wanted to be listened to and if not believed, at least taken seriously. Theo had his arm draped behind her on the bench. His thumb rubbing the back of her neck.
She took a calming breath. "Well, there are two big pieces to what the evidence is showing. It's been acknowledged that there are less muggleborn wizards and witches being born than there were even as early as 5 years ago. It's also been acknowledged that those very muggleborn children are showing evidence of stronger magic than their pureblood counterparts. Meanwhile there are more squibs than ever before and pureblood children who are not squibs are showing declining magical ability."
"Yes, we know this, Granger. That doesn't explain..."
She interrupted impatiently. "Give me a minute, I'm getting to it." She looked at Theo, who nodded at her reassuringly. She was grateful.
"I believe, that muggleborn's magic is the most pure. It's what I like to call, 'earth magic.' It's not diluted, it's not inherited, it's straight from Mother Earth. It's the most pure form." Now came the part she knew Draco wouldn't like."On the other hand, purebloods magic is diluted from generations of being passed down." She saw the argument about to come from him, "let me finish!" She took another sip of her wine. "The second piece of the evidence is the declining sources of this 'earth magic.' With industrial development, destruction of forrests and natural landscapes, mankind and wizardkind as well, to a lesser extent, has destroyed valuable sources of earth magic. With this destruction, less earth magic is available to feed wizardkind. 100 years ago, there were plenty natural magical resources to supplement pureblood magic as well as produce fresh, muggleborn magic. Now, there is a shortage. Mother Earth is no longer able to supplement the pureblood lineage and is instead producing less, but stronger muggleborn witches and wizards."
Draco was struck to silence. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Granger, that is soo out there... earth magic? Are you kidding me? So what, you didn't like being told that muggleborns were weak and purebloods were the ideal so you decided on this theory to switch the playing pitch?"
"Draco, his isn't personal. The data supports everything I just said. Look at the data and then tell me I'm wrong."
"This is thestral shit. I have to go." Draco stood and picked up his robe. He threw enough money on the table to cover their drinks and then some. He looked from Theo to Hermione and back to Theo again before saying, "enjoy your dinner."
Hermione couldn't help her disappointment. Not, that Draco believing her would make any difference, but it would have been nice all the same.
Theo took hold of her hand that was resting on the table. "Hey, did you truly expect a different reaction?" He was squeezing her hand reassuringly.
She let out a slight laugh and looked at him. Merlin, she could look in those blue eyes all day. "No, I didn't." She realized those words were true. Her gut instinct had been that she didn't want to tell him for the very reason he wouldn't take it well. She couldn't let it bother her that he had responded exactly as she thought he would.
She decided to change the subject. "So, how was your Prague research today?"
As Theo and Hermione fell into easy conversation and were enjoying the start of a nice evening, Draco was reeling from what he had just been told. As he walked, the cool night air calmed him. It just wasn't possible what she had said. It was common knowledge that pureblood wizards and witches were the most powerful, the strongest magic bearers. She was off her broom and that was the simple truth of it. He looked at his watch and realized he was late to dinner with his hot apothecary witch.
He apparated to Victoria's to find the witch in a fit of rage and jealousy. She was clutching the evening issue of the Daily Prophet which showed a large picture on the front page of Draco and Hermione from earlier. The picture showed Hermione leaning into him and sheliding her face as he shielded her from the photographer. The caption didn't help. 'Most Eligible Bachelor and Reformed Bad Boy, Draco Malfoy and Golden Trio's, Hermione Granger Dating! Story page 3 by Rita Skeeter.
"Just leave! Does she know you're seeing me as well?"
Draco rolled his eyes. While he had hoped to be buried balls deep in this witch after dinner, he now realized it was going to take a lot of work, reassurance and charm to achieve that task. She just wasn't worth the effort. 20 minutes later he was back at his flat with takeout.
Theo and Hermione were having a great time laughing and flirting over dinner. Theo was pleased as she had eaten almost all of her meal and the couple drinks they had enjoyed had left them feeling relaxed, the tension of the visit with Draco was all in the past.
Theo had his arm around Hermione as they exited the restaurant. They were heading toward the apparition point when the camera flashed and the same photographer from earlier started rapidly taking shots. Theo pulled her in close and she buried her head into his chest as they dashed by. They quickly apparated to her apartment.
"Does that happen to you a lot?" Theo asked.
Hermione was hanging up her robe and kicked off her shoes before collapsing on the sofa. "Not as much as it used to. But today they got me twice. Going in with Malfoy and out with you... brilliant. I can just imagine the headlines." She was rubbing her neck and then her hands moved to her feet.
Theo sat on the sofa and pulled her feet onto his lap. She leaned back and smiled softly at him. His hands started to move up her legs, massaging as they went. He was watching her reaction as his hands continued their journey. He stopped and whispered in a dominant and seductive tone. "Get over here, Miss Granger."
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A Witch's Tale