The Best Mistake

Chapter Twenty-One | April Fool

As Hermione attempted to read through the book Narcissa had given her, she sighed distractedly. Malfoy glanced up at her from Irrevocably Tethered: Magical Bonds and More—one of the books on bonds from Luna's collection. Not looking up from her own book, Hermione couldn't see his expression, but she could practically feel his annoyance.

They continued reading in silence—Malfoy sat in a deep brown leather armchair by the fire and Hermione sprawled out on a matching chesterfield across from him. They'd taken over this little section of the outrageously massive Manor library since Hermione moved in several days ago.

Each day after work, they ate dinner with Narcissa then retired to the library to research the bond. So far, they hadn't discovered much. Most of the information on Bonds of Circumstance was either too vague to be useful or so esoteric that they needed to spend hours trying to interpret the text—which led to heated arguments and shouting matches, which then led to Hermione storming out of the library in a rage, which inevitably led to Malfoy apologizing profusely in the morning with ridiculous flowers and silly compliments. It was—wonderful.

After just this one week of living in the Manor, Hermione hated to admit that she'd quickly become accustomed to the lifestyle changes that came with a pureblood ancestral home. Having the elves, who were paid handsomely with excellent benefits as Malfoy assured her, to take care of everyday tasks like cleaning and cooking really took some stress off her shoulders.

Additionally, Hermione feared she'd never get Crookshanks to come back to their flat with her when the time came. He was living like a king, prancing about the place as if he owned it. After he presented Hermione with a screeching garden gnome on their third day there, placed lovingly at the foot of her bed before it scurried off to the open balcony door, leaving a trail of mud and blood in its wake, Hermione knew it was official. Crookshanks had truly become a Malfoy.

Malfoy himself was as inscrutable to her as ever. Because they'd been spending nearly all of their time together, researching the bond in the criminally large Malfoy private library when they weren't at the DMLE working as partners, Hermione was sure she should have a better understanding of his behavior toward her at this point. She didn't. The gifts, the compliments, the concern for her—none of it had stopped, but he hadn't mentioned the marriage thing again. In fact, he actively changed the subject when Hermione brought it up one evening.

He was just so nice. Well, when he wasn't arguing with her, of course. But even then, Malfoy would smile and his eyes would light up like he was enjoying it. Honestly, Hermione thought he might be under some sort of enchantment until he'd taken an opportunity to call Harry a "four-eyed fuck" when his glasses fogged while sipping a steaming cup of tea. That particular brand of Malfoy charm simply could not be faked.

Besides, Harry didn't seem to mind Malfoy's insults any longer, so no harm was done, and it did relieve some of the tension the department was under. Greyback and the Death Eater, whoever he was, hadn't returned to her flat since the night she'd moved out. It was still under hourly Auror surveillance, and Hermione, of course, had no plans of returning until any threats were neutralized.

Narcissa's words had stuck with Hermione. Her priorities had to change—safety and health had to come first. Until the situation with the Death Eaters was settled and the escapees were back behind bars, Hermione and Malfoy decided that it would be best for her to stay at the Manor at all times with the exception of the Ministry so that she could continue to do her job at the DMLE, since she was strictly doing desk work.

This led to her current problem.

Hermione sighed again, closing her book. While the story of Orion and the Scorpion was more riveting than she thought it would be, the theme was hitting a little too close to home—the arrogant hunter who claimed there was no animal he could not kill being hunted and slain. The consequences of Orion's excess of hubris made her feel unsettled. It reminded her of her own mortality, and part of her felt weirdly sorry for the scorpion. Hermione shook off her anxiety over the story. She was meant to be taking a break, but the story, coupled with the fact that she felt something of a prisoner lately, were making her anxious.