dragons_can_learn | A wake-up call

A wake-up call

Draco was more tactile than either Harry or Ron, and after earlier events they were entwined together, naked and happily and relaxedly tired. On an impulse he'd had before he kissed her gently, open-mouthed, and then flinched as he broke the kiss and sat up.

"Fuck!" He balled his left hand into a fist even as he reached for his wand with his right. "Someone with the Dark Mark just cast Morsmordre. About sixty five miles that way." He pointed, eyes darkening and face closing down. "That's why it was feared of course." He frowned, then cursed. "Slytherin's serpent! That's probably Runton. Muggle village that contains the largest group of squibs in Europe! And if they've half a brain there'll be a standard anti-apparition ward slowing the Aurors down!"

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Draco meanwhile also knew that speed was important as although anyone inside would have ringing ears they would have been protected from the flash by not looking directly at it - but they would still be utterly disorganised - which was the only way to take on seven to two odds. And fixing ringing ears wasn't that hard.

Still, Draco recognised the first figure; the masks didn't conceal identities to people who already knew you - and he'd taught him how to stop ringing ears. "Greg? What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" There was a bit more bite to Goyle's voice than normal. "No one wants to hire a former Death Eater, and especially not one with my OWLs, the Ministry Mudblood Mandates prevent me getting a job there." He was of course talking about the preferential hiring practices for the muggle-born in the Ministry of Magic (even if they'd rapidly run into a glass ceiling) "And I don't want to rely on your charity. So I'm doing the only thing I'm good at. Now get out of my way Draco and cancel that Serpensortia you cast behind your back before I remind you how although it took your help to get an E at Potions I managed an O in Dark Arts."

Draco tried not to let Goyle having spotted that worry him. "We don't have to do this Greg. Leave now and I didn't see you." He apparently hadn't seen the second Death Eater sneaking round the edge of the house to outflank him.

After ensuring that the Dark Wizard in the house was magically bound, to be collected later by the Aurors, Hermione headed back to the street to check around her surroundings. That was when she noticed Draco talking to someone, who he had identified as Greggory Goyle.

From her position on the street, Hermione saw the second Death Eather sneaking round. "Stupify!" With a quick reflex, Hermione cast her spell at the target.

And she moved forward slightly. "Watch your back Draco!"

"Thanks!" Draco called back as his snake reared up in the grass, spread its hood and but the Death Eater who'd been sneaking up on him on the ankle.

"You're working with Granger?" The astonishment in Goyle's voice was evident although he visibly relaxed as the serpent found its mark. "And she's wearing your colours? If you're becoming a Dark Lord I'm in."

"Only in the classic sense, Greg. Now. Go!" Draco raised his wand.

Hermione bit her tongue slightly, not to respond to Goyle's jabs. Especially to not react to the claim that Draco is trying to become a Dark Lord.

"We still have a few more to round up." Hermione headed towards the next house, confident that Draco could now fend for himself for a little bit.

"I'm not telling you where they went."

"I know and I didn't ask... Extonio." A flashbang hex detonated on the shield of the person Draco saw with a wand in one of the buildings; the shield wouldn't stop light or sound. This was followed by a shriek of outrage and he saw in silhouette someone bashing the person he'd just hit with a frying pan - and the wards preventing apportation fell.

Goyle teleported away just before the Aurors appeared.

Hermione paused slightly, when she felt the wards go down. And then steadied her shoulders, when the Aurors appeared. Hermione knew that there would be a ton of questions, but there was still work to do. There were still a few Dark Wizards to round up, and to make sure that no one was hurt.

Of course, she is a little worried about how the Aurors themselves might treat Draco. She was ready for a confrontation.

Draco was aware of the risks, so he was going to try to do to the Aurors almost what he'd done to the Death Eaters as four materialised; he recognised Harry and Ron and guessed that the other two were their partners. "And what exactly do you think you are doing?" His voice dripped sheer aristocratic scorn of the sort he had sometimes tried for at school but never quite managed. "Coming to the scene of a Death Eater attack like this, wands by your sides. At least Scarhead and Weasley Number 6 are prepared for trouble." It was instinctive to both of them of course, half behind trees and taking cover - with wands pointed at Draco but scanning for any threat.

"But we..."

Draco cut them off. "There are your Death Eaters. And if I wasn't on your side you'd have lost your hands and wands the way they did."

Ron wasn't letting Draco get away with the stampede. "You mean you're not part of this, Malfoy? Then what are you doing here."

Draco's voice continued to drip scorn. "Where do you think the warning came from?"

And Harry joined in, pointing his wand at Draco. "That was Hermione's Patronus."

Hermione stepped forward, moving to stand beside Draco. She tilted her head, with a slight frown on her head.

"He asked me to send it to you, so we could warn the Aurors."

The two Aurors stepped back. Harry and Ron they were used to, but Hermione had a reputation all of her own - but the two boys spoke almost simultaneously.

Harry was fractionally first "Hermione? What are you doing with him?"

Ron's voice was even more outraged. "Hermione? What are you wearing?"

Hermione arched an eyebrow at both statements.

"You immediately ask those questions? A cult of Death Eaters almost destroyed the village, and you ask about my clothing choices and my friendship choices, rather than to get a sense of what has happened?"

"These cloaks have protective charms woven in them. We had decided to help, and Draco offered me the extra protection. So I took it."

"And yes, before you freak out about that, I consider him my friend."

Harry nodded. "Good point. How secured are the ones you caught."

Draco smirked. "That one's got about fifteen minutes to get his blood thinned. The rest I took down will take Ennervates and pepper-up potions or spells. I don't like stunned enemies getting back up."

Ron wasn't so easily swayed. "But. That's Malfoy colours. You're wearing Draco Malfoy's colours."

"There are a lot of scared families too. I would advise that the Squibs that were dragged out of their homes get looked over by a healer. We don't know how much mental or physical damage might have been done."

Hermione tilted her head at Ron, with a slight roll of her eyes. "Do you expect Draco to be carrying robes of a different color in his home, Ron?"

"Also a quick heal from the effect of really bright lights and loud noises might help. I used a flashbang spell because there were six Death Eaters in a group." Draco shrugged.

Ron persisted. "Do you know what it means if he's asked you to wear his colours?"

"Bollocks the damn robes, Ron!" Hermione really didn't care if there was some hidden meaning to it, that she didn't know. She knew that Draco wouldn't expect her to abide by something foolish. And if he did expect her to... then they would have words later.

Ron raised his hands. "You don't know what... For that matter why are you wearing Draco's robes? You're not...?"

"They have protection charms on them, Ron." Hermione hates repeating herself.

"We just dealt with a cult of Death Eaters. And I wasn't about to walk into a situation unprepared, or unprotected."

"So you and the ferret are a couple now?"

Behind her Draco waited for her answer, tense, and Harry's head snapped round.

Hermione straightened her shoulders. And moved forward until she was closer to Ron and Harry. "Would you like me to answer that, using your nickname Ron? Or mine?"

"Or should we finally act like the adults that we are... and start realizing that there is a bigger world than what happened to us at school. And that we have to move forward to make our magical community a better one."

"I will not address Draco as a ferret. And I will considering it an insult if you do it."

"Draco and are exploring a new opportunity right now. It could mean we end up as a couple. It could mean we stay just friends. But it has no bearing on what happened here today. So act like an Auror and do your Bloody job!"

"To be fair to Ron I started it." Draco's voice was amused and he'd relaxed a lot at Hermione's comments. "And fixing that bloody school would be a good place to start fixing the magical world. I can't promise to ever like you, Ron, but I can stay polite for Hermione's sake."

He held out his hand and Ron took it. "For Hermione's sake, Draco." Ron's knuckles turned white in the handshake while Draco was unconcerned. "Now as she forcefully pointed out I have work to do."

The handshake helped Hermione calm down a lot. Which is just a good thing in general for all three men. She loves all of them (in different ways), but she has been known to get violent when her anger is riled.

"Thank you Ron. Harry." Hermione replies. "We will talk later."

She moves to Draco's side, taking his arm in hers. "I think they can finish up here."

Draco smiled. "I think we can. Remind them not to obliviate the Squibs and to check before obliviating the muggles. Harry. Ron."

He nodded to the pair of them before kissing Hermione lightly on the lips and taking the pair of them back home.

Hermione returned the kiss. And closed her eyes as Draco Apparated them back to his home. It felt good to be helping people again. And it felt even better to be fighting with Draco at her side.

"You were bloody amazing." She told him, once she regained her bearings.

Draco sat down, shivering and curling up slightly. "Thank you. I'm just glad that all worked. And that Greg for once was smart."

"And so were you asking me to be your girlfriend, by asking me to wear your robe?" Hermione playfully asks.

"I thought we did that mind to mind earlier?" Draco smiled, shivering slightly. "I was asking you to tell the world."

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