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Dataset card Data Studio Files
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They watched mother and son leave the ice cream parlor. Draco felt humbled and a little ashamed by the encounter. There were women out there every day going through what Hermione went through and maybe worse. He was supposed to be helping people. He was on the Wizengamot with the express purpose of helping the wizarding community, and yet it took something horrible happening to Hermione before he even realized that there were women out there who needed help getting away from their husbands.
They disapparated from Fortescue's to the foyer of Spinner's End. Draco pulled Hermione and Rose close to him and buried his face in her curls. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear.
She pulled back to look at him. The anguish he was feeling must have shown on his face. She placed her small hand on his cheek and asked, "What could you possibly have to be sorry for? You did a good thing today."
Rose, not interested in the seriousness of the conversation, wriggled free of his embrace and ran off, calling for Tansy. It wasn't hard for him to imagine Rose in Jacob's place. The thought of that precious girl in shabby robes and begging for ice cream brought tears to his eyes.
He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Hermione caught the gesture and guided him into the study. She made him sit on the couch then went to get the scotch. He heard the tinkle of glass and the slosh of the scotch. He took deep breaths trying to get the ache in his chest to subside.
A glass was pressed into his hand. He took a sip automatically and relaxed a little as the ball of warmth traveled through him. He dropped his head in his hands. Hermione settled beside him and ran her hands through his hair.
"Tell me what has you so upset," she said finally.
"I should have done something sooner. I had no idea that there were women like her or you out there, needing to get away from their husbands. I kept putting you and Rose in the place of those two and it broke my heart."
"Draco, love," Hermione said, "you can't blame yourself for this. You did an incredibly kind thing today. We're working on changing the laws and soon we'll be able to set women like her free."
"I should have already done it. You shouldn't have to always be the one that makes everything better."
"Hey, look at me," Hermione said. He turned his gaze to her. Those chocolate eyes gazed into his. "How could you possibly think you haven't done enough? You didn't know. You can't fix what you don't know about. You've done so much for us. You took Rose and me in. You helped me through my grief. You've been absolutely and completely amazing."
She took his glass from him and set it on the table. He was surprised when swung a leg over him and straddled him. He brought his hands up automatically to circle her waist. He tipped his head back to look at her. She cupped his face and said, "No more sad thoughts tonight."
Her lips crashed down on his. He groaned into her mouth as she massaged her tongue against his. She tasted like her ice cream and scotch. The combination of cream and liquor was intoxicating on his tongue. His hand easily found her silky curls. He gathered up a handful and wrapped it around his fist.
He crushed her against him in desperation, thrusting into her mouth and tangling his tongue with hers. She was here and safe. He'd managed to save her. Her breath was coming in gasps and pants, the musical sound warring with the pop and crackle of the fireplace. He broke the kiss and pulled on her hair, exposing her neck to him. He attacked the column of her throat. She gasped and mewled above him.
Her hips started undulating against him. Her core rubbing against the erection straining against his slacks. He let go of his hold on her hair and grabbed the full globes of her ass grinding her into him. He felt like he'd been waiting forever to get his hands all over her lush curves. He bit and sucked on the curve of her neck, marking her like they were teenagers again. He thrust up against her as she rolled against him. Her pants turned into full-throated moans that echoed off the walls of the study.
"Mummy! Tansy says it's time for bed."
Draco groaned quietly into Hermione's hair. She chuckled as she slid off him. His precious girl really had an impeccable sense of timing, he thought as he followed Hermione and Rose upstairs to tuck Rose into bed.
Two Weeks Notice
November 12th – 22nd
To: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic
From: Hermione Granger, Head of the Department for Magical Education
Date: November 12, 2013
Re: Formal Resignation
Dear Mr. Shacklebolt,
In regards to your recent letter, after much reflection, I find that I am unable to accept your generous offer allowing me the time to comply with Ministry Code of Conduct 104.3.a. I find that requiring an employee to return to an abusive situation for the sake of appearing discreet or virtuous to be counterproductive to the aim of the Ministry, which exists in part to guard the safety of its citizens.
Since I am being given the choice of my career or my safety, I will choose my safety. This letter is to serve as my two weeks notice to allow you the time to find a suitable replacement. I thank you for the opportunity that you've given me to serve the Ministry and Wizarding society and sincerely regret that we must part on these terms.
I strongly urge you to reconsider your stance on this matter. You have the opportunity to effect great change within the Ministry and guide our society out of its archaic practices and bring it into the twenty-first century.
Hermione J. Granger
Head of the Department for Magical Education
Draco looked up from the parchment Hermione handed him after thoroughly reading it, looking for anything that might reveal their plans before they were ready to take on the Minister. "Are you ready to send this? Are you sure? There's still time to change your mind."
"I'm sure. No one is going to tell me how to live my life," Hermione responded. She folded the letter up and sent it off through the halls of the Ministry to the Minister's office. "Now comes the hard part, telling my staff that I'm leaving."
"I don't envy you that job, but it's not like they won't ever see you again. You'll be back roaming the halls before you know it," Draco said. He got up out of his chair, walked around Hermione's desk, and kissed her. "I have to go get started on my own work. I'll see you at lunch."
Hermione reached up and straightened his already straight tie. "I'll see you at lunch then."
Draco closed the door behind him and said goodbye to Mrs. Edvard as he walked by. He mused about how much his life had changed in the last few months. He went from a lonely widower sending his only son off to school to a man who'd found everything he'd ever dreamed of in such a short amount of time.
"I swear to you, Hermione, I didn't make a comment to any reporters," Harry said. Draco held back a chuckle at the earnest expression on Harry's face.
"I know you didn't, Harry," Hermione responded. She patted his hand soothingly.
Harry deflated at the reassurance, like a balloon someone let go of. Harry had barged into his office as soon as he'd arrived. He was worried and stressed out that Hermione would be mad at him for the article that appeared in The Prophet. Despite reassurances from Draco that Hermione wasn't angry with him, Harry refused to calm down. Draco finally told him to join them for lunch so that he could talk to her just so that Harry would leave his office and let him get to work.
"You're not mad?" Harry asked.
"No, Harry. It was a good article, certainly better than I expected when people finally found out about our relationship. Whoever wrote it did a good job."
Draco pulled Hermione closer to him in the booth and gave her a peck on her temple. She smiled up at him and placed her hand on his thigh. Draco looked at Harry, "I told you everything was fine, Harry. Now stop wringing your hands like a batty old lady and relax."
"Clever, Draco," Harry responded, rolling his eyes. Draco grinned back at him.
Hermione looked between the two of them. "You two have talked about this already?" she asked.
"Harry pounced on me as soon as I walked into the office, fretting about the whole thing."
"I was not fretting."
"Why didn't you just come talk to me about it, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Your secretary scares me," Harry mumbled, clearly embarrassed that he could take down dark wizards without breaking a sweat but Hermione's secretary reduced him to quivering in his shoes.
"She's not that bad. Draco gets along with her just fine. So does Theo. Anyway, I have other news that you should be aware of," Hermione said.
"Oh, what's that?" Harry asked, looking between Hermione and Draco with a look of curiosity and dread. Draco could practically see the thoughts running through Harry's transparent face. If he had to guess, Draco would say that the possibilities of the impending news that Harry was expecting warred between engaged or pregnant or possibly both.
"I'm quitting my job," Hermione announced.
Clearly not one of the possibilities that Harry had considered, he sat there doing an incredible impersonation of a fish out of water before he recovered enough to respond. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I'm quitting. In two weeks I will no longer be Head of the Department for Magical Education."
"But...but why, Hermione?" Harry asked, clearly flabbergasted that Hermione would quit anything.
"Mostly because I was given an ultimatum by Kingsley. Break up with Draco and return to Ron or lose my job."
"That's not right, Hermione," Harry protested, "You shouldn't have to give up your job. You shouldn't have to choose between Draco or your career."
"It's a choice I made gladly, Harry."
"But what are you going to do now?"
"Spend more time working on the divorce bill with Theo. I agreed to help Narcissa with her charity ball, though I doubt she actually needs my help. She could probably plan it in her sleep."
Draco snorted at this. His mother probably could plan every detail involved in a charity event before her tea went cold. She'd been raised with the expectation that she would be a society wife and all the duties that it entailed.
Harry wasn't content to accept Hermione's answer though. "But what about after the divorce bill passes and the charity ball is over. Then what are you going to do with your time? You can't just sit around reading all day."
"Oh, I probably could. Have I told you that Malfoy Manor has one of the largest libraries I've ever seen?"
Harry looked at Draco and asked, "Is that how you got her to date you? Bribe her with books."
Draco laughed. "No, but I wish I'd thought of that. It totally would have worked."
"Oh, it definitely would have worked. Every nerdy girl secretly dreams of a prince giving her a grand library full of books," Hermione said.
"Well, he's better to look at than the beast is at least," Harry retorted.
Draco looked between them confused. "Thanks, Potter. I think?"
Harry and Hermione laughed good-naturedly at Draco's confusion before Hermione explained, "It's a Muggle cartoon called Beauty and the Beast."
"Oh," Draco responded. He'd tried incorporating more Muggle elements into his life after the war. He wore Muggle clothing most of the time now and found them more appealing than wizarding robes. He'd been happy to ditch the quills and ink bottles for pens. The Muggle technology eluded him though. "That's the moving drawings right?"
"Yes. Think of it like what you did with Rose's walls but the pictures tell a story."
"As fascinating as Draco's Muggle education is, back to the matter at hand. What are you going to do with your time, Hermione?" Harry interrupted.
Draco was thankful for the interruption. He got along well with Harry now. First name basis and all that. But he didn't like to appear ignorant in front of his former rival all the same.
"There's a plan in place, Harry. Don't worry," Hermione reassured her friend.
Hermione and Draco walked back to the Ministry hand in hand. Harry was called away right after lunch to help with MLE business.
"Did you tell your employees that you were leaving yet?" Draco asked. The cold November day made him extremely glad that he was a wizard and his clothes were protected with a warming charm as he watched the cold and miserable Muggles scurry to their destinations, bundled up in coats and scarves and hunched over against the cold. He slipped a £20 note into the tin of a beggar on the street as they walked by.
Hermione caught him slip the man the money and pulled him to her for a quick kiss. He kept his arm wrapped around her as they continued their walk back to the Ministry.
"I only told Mrs. Edvard. She threatened to retire. She said she wasn't going to keep working for a Ministry that thought firing the "great Hermione Granger" was a good idea."
"Well, maybe you could convince her to just take a vacation. You're going to need your own personal secretary soon."
"I'll talk to her about it."
"Who do we know that's good at finding people?" Draco asked the group.
Draco, Blaise, Theo, Greg, and Harry were sitting in a booth drinking at the Dragon's Den. Hermione, Ginny, Tracey, Daphne, and Helena were on the dance floor enjoying themselves for a raucous girls" night. The ladies had "allowed" their significant others accompany them to the club with the promise that they stay in their booth and leave the girls to their fun.
"Who needs finding?" Greg asked.
"Honoria Blake. I'm not sure how old she is. She has a son named Jacob who's probably five or so."
"Another bird trying to blackmail you into supporting her kid?" Blaise asked.
"What!" Harry goggled at Blaise.
"It's happened over the years. Rich as Croesus and widowed is usually a combination for trouble. Plus the whole former Death Eater thing makes people think that I'm an easy target for a payday. But no, that's not what this is. Hermione and I ran into her and her son when we took Rose out for ice cream last week. She looked like she didn't have two knuts to rub together. I just want someone to find her discreetly and see what her situation is and if we can help her."
"I'll start asking around. See what I can dig up," Greg volunteered.
"Thanks, mate," Draco said, "She held herself like a pureblood if that helps."
"If you can't find her, Greg, just let me know. I'll search through the Ministry records and see if I can find her," Harry offered.
"We need to keep it quiet though. I have a feeling there's a husband that we don't want to alert to her presence or our interest in her," Draco said.
"Why the interest in this woman and her kid though?" Theo asked.
"I felt bad for them. They were so poor and miserable. The boy was begging his mum for ice cream and it was just awful having to watch her tell him they couldn't afford it. I've never been poor. I've never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from, but I put Hermione and Rose in the shoes of that poor woman and son and I felt awful for them."
"You know we wouldn't ever let Hermione or her daughters ever go without." Harry said, "I feel guilty that Ron was abusing her and we never knew about it. She's like a sister to me and I never knew that my best mate was abusing her for years. Ginny and I are horrified that we never suspected. We would've stepped in if we knew something was wrong. But I would never let them end up begging on the streets."
Draco took a sip of his scotch and savored the liquid fire that raced through his veins. The drone of conversations swirled around their booth. The heavy thumping from the dance floor could be heard behind them. Draco studied the drink in his hands as he contemplated Harry's assertions. Draco wanted to blame Harry, Ginny, and the Weasley clan for not knowing about what was going on with Hermione's marriage to the Weasel, but he knew it wasn't fair to do so. If Hermione never said anything and Weasley was obliviating her, then how were any of them supposed to know.
"There's nothing for you to feel guilty about, Harry. I know you would've done something if you'd known. The same with the rest of the Weasley clan. I don't think Hermione blames you either," Draco responded.
Saturday rolled around. Hermione was recovering from girls" night by having a lazy Saturday afternoon. His mother came over for tea and to discuss the details of the upcoming charity ball. Rose was sitting with him in his armchair, curled up on his lap fast asleep.
The fireplace flared green and the voice of Molly Weasley called out, "Hermione, dear, are you home?"
Hermione got up off the couch and stood before the fireplace. "I'm here, Molly."
"Do you have a moment that I could talk to you?"
"Why don't you come over? Crouching in front of the fireplace can't be good on your knees."
A few moments later Molly was standing in the fireplace looking a little startled to see his mother sitting there on the couch. Hermione greeted Molly with a hug. His mother got up, walked around the coffee table, and shook Molly's hand.
"It's so nice to see you again, Molly," his mother said as if the woman hadn't been responsible for her sister's death, not that his mother blamed Molly Weasley for killing her sister.