Meet Your Match

26. Part Of Your World

Several more months later

Hermione, Draco, and Theo sat across the kitchen table from Shannon, Thomas, and Janelle. Hermione pulled three stacks of papers and three pens out of her bag and set them on the table in front of her.

“I just want to say, this is very ominous,” Thomas said with a weak chuckle. The six of them stared at each other. 

Hermione had a speech prepared. She’d practised. She knew what she was going to say. Or she had. Now that they were sitting here and it was actually happening, the only thought going through her mind was that she might be on the verge of fainting. Draco placed his hand on her knee and she jolted slightly. He gave her what was probably supposed to be an encouraging smile.

“Okay,” Hermione began, noting the tremble in her voice. “You all are well aware that there have been things we haven’t been able to tell you. Things about ourselves, about our lives, stories that don’t add up.”

The three Muggles nodded in unison, looking wary.

“Well,” she went on. “We will finally be able to explain things to you, but we have some forms from the government that you’ll need to sign first. Now, we can’t explain to you why you’re signing before you do it, so there’s a significant amount of trust required on your part. And I should warn you that if you were to repeat or go public with what we share with you, there will be extremely severe consequences for you. Consequences which I vehemently opposed at all stages of negotia—”

“Granger,” Draco said firmly, interrupting her tirade.

“Right,” she said, smoothing a hand over her hair. “Well, there are severe consequences, so of course if you need time to think about it, we’ll understand.”

The three Muggles stared at them. Janelle’s mouth was slightly open. Shannon looked nearly as faint as Hermione felt.

“Blimey,” Thomas said, breaking the silence from the other side of the table. “You really are spies.”

“Spies?” Draco repeated after a pause.

“Yeah, of course!” Thomas said excitedly. “It all makes sense. I bet that school you all went to was a secret spy school, wasn’t it? Start ‘em young, that’s what they always say.”

Hermione opened her mouth, but Janelle turned to look at Thomas.

“Spies? Are you mad?” she scoffed. “Can you imagine this one blending in anywhere?” Janelle pointed an accusing finger at Draco. “With that height? And that hair? And that face? I mean, he is hauntingly beautiful. Truly unforgettable. Be the most useless spy in the history of the world,” she muttered under her breath.

“Sorry, love,” she added at the sight of Theo’s raised eyebrows.

“No, no,” Theo said, raising a conciliatory hand. “He’s been haunting me for years.”

Draco rolled his eyes.

“Well, what’s your theory then if you’re so clever?” Thomas asked Janelle.

She straightened up and eyed them all. “Clearly, they’re in witness protection,” she declared with a little nod.

Hermione shifted in her seat.