The Best Mistake

Chapter Fourteen | Toil and Trouble - Part One

"Hermione!" Malfoy's voice rang above the hoard of DMLE employees rushing toward the emergency apparation point. At the desperation in his tone and the very unexpected use of her first name, a chill ran down Hermione's spine. She froze.

Turning around slowly, Hermione met his furious expression with wide and confused eyes. He looked dangerous but unnervingly vulnerable at the same time—a combination that nearly had her stepping back in retreat.  With his wand tightly gripped in his hand, he stalked toward her and flung the door to the nearest conference room with a non-verbal spell. It banged against the wall, and he nodded toward it.

Hermione walked in, keeping her eyes on him trailing behind her. When he slammed the door shut using the same spell, she winced and waited, but the only sound that came from him was his furious breathing.

Cringing at the frantic look in his eyes when they met hers, Hermione questioned, "Are you—are you alright?"

He laughed humorlessly, shaking his head as he started to pace beside the long table. "Am I alright? Am I alright? You've really got some fucking nerve, Granger."

Eyes narrowing, Hermione tried to piece together what could have caused Malfoy to act like this. He looked to be on the precipice of a nervous breakdown, or perhaps he'd already tipped over the edge, judging by the way he grit his teeth and gripped his wand in his long fingers, as if itching to curse something.

"Excuse me?" she dared ask, taking a step toward him.

"Excuse me?" Malfoy mocked, voice grating and high pitched. He laughed again, a cold and cruel laugh that made Hermione straighten her spine, reminding her of the posh prick of a bully he'd been in the early years of their schooling.

His eyes trailed over her before his lips twisted into a grimace. "How can someone so intelligent ask such imbecilic questions all the bloody time? Am I alright? No! I'm not! I've just found out that I'm going to be a—" Malfoy's already pale skin turned nearly green as he tried to say the word, and he gave an exaggerated gulp before turning away from her to compose himself. "I just found out that you're—pregnant—which I'm still processing, mind you, and at the first sign of danger, you run right toward it like a fucking moth to a flame! Do you have a death wish?"

"Wha—"

"Is that it?" Stalking toward her, Malfoy searched her face. "You want to be a martyr, Granger? Join the ranks of Saint Potter? Well, I'd say I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that would be a lie. I rather think I'll enjoy this." He made it to where she stood trembling, standing nearly toe-to-toe with her and looking down on her from his considerable height and sneered.

"You, Granger, won't come back from a Killing Curse like the lucky boy wonder. You will die. You won't become The-Granger-Who-Lived; you'll just be gone, and while I can't continue to have this conversation with you every time you throw yourself into the most dangerous situation possible with no regard for your well being, I am not going to let you take our—Merlin's tits I need to get a fucking grip. I won't let you take our unborn child with you."

Hermione had to resist the urge to slap him or perhaps hex him right on the appendage that had gotten them into this mess in the first place. Is this really what he thought of her? Thought she'd do? In her estimation, he deserved a good slap. How could he possibly think that she'd willingly put the baby at risk? It was unfathomable. Clenching her fists to stop herself from doing something she'd regret, she seethed.

"How dare you!"

"How dare I what, Granger? Tell you the bloody truth?"

"It's not the truth," she screeched, making him wince. "I'm following protocol! I can't ignore a summons from the head of the DMLE, Malfoy. No more than you can! And it's not as if we'd be apparating right into the middle of a duel! Both the baby and I would be perfectly safe. As Robard's said, base is at Gringotts—where, if you're finished with your dramatics, we need to be off to and immediately before we're both fired."