Planned Liars • Draco Malfoy

Chapter #17

"I've been looking all over the Ministry for you and you're sitting in the café?"

I sighed as Draco - because it was his voice, of course - walked around the table to stand in front of me.

"Friendly reminder: that's because of you. Who didn't let me sleep properly?" I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Come on, you love it," he smirked and I sighed yet again.

"Welcome to my life, Hermione," I said, turning to look at her and pointing at Draco.

"Oh, Granger, didn't notice you there," he said before she could reply, looking at her for the first time.

"Hello, Draco," she greeted him, laughing at my expression.

"I left you an envelope in your office. You might want to take a look at it," he said, looking at me with that gleam in his eyes that I knew it was something big.

"I'll remember," I told him, smiling as he began to leave, not taking his eyes off of me until he exited the café.

"Woah, it almost felt like a fire was burning between the two of you," Hermione said, sipping her coffee and turning to look at me in surprise. "Most people would envy you such chemistry after all those years."

I couldn't stop smiling when she said that. I absent-mindedly stared at my coffee, biting my lip.

"I hope it won't change after the wedding, because apparently such things do change," I confessed.

"Judging by the way he looked at you, I think it won't," she said. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Where is your wedding taking place?"

"I have no idea," I replied truthfully, shrugging.

Hermione blinked a few times, lowering the coffee she had right under the lips.

"What? How come?" she asked in total awe.

"He has already arranged it all and he wouldn't tell me. Says it's a 'surprise'," I made quotations marks with my fingers.

Hermione leaned back in her chair and shook her head in disbelief.

"I would have never thought I'd say it, but he's romantic."

"Oh, yeah," I said sarcastically, "even though I can't choose anything. Remember the dress I wore for your wedding?"

"Yes...?"

"Well, he bought it for me. At first I thought it was sweet, but then he goes, I want you to wear it for that wedding. And everything goes this way."

"You can protest," Hermione said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, of course I can. But this bloody thing knows me well enough to manipulate me."

And this was perfectly true. Over the years, I began to notice more and more events in which I let Draco take control over me. Starting from convincing me to approve of his little "exchange" with Nott during the Yule Ball, then persuading me to join the Inquistorial Squad, then to come back to the Manor with him... It wasn't like I had no way to manipulate him, but he seemed to be using his ways much more often than me.

"Besides," I added after a moment of thinking, "we have very similar taste, so I usually like what he chooses. That's why I'm not so against it. It's just that Draco is... Draco."

"Ron doesn't usually notice when I don't like something..." she sighed.

"But you don't tell him?"

Hermione smirked and it looked almost unnaturally on her.

"Of course not."

We laughed at that and then bid goodbye, since she had to go back to her work. I took my unfinished coffee with me and set off towards my office.

"Aurora, a witness from that St Mungo's situation is to come in five. They sent her to us because the other department is busy, apparently," Mira told me the moment I stepped in and I groaned.

"Ugh, they're always busy," I rolled my eyes. "Alright, call Shane, he must be here too."

Mira nodded and sent him a quick note as I settled myself by my desk and picked up the blue envelope Draco had apparently left me. Inside, there were three dossiers, each about another location to choose for our honeymoon - Hawaii, Iceland or Egypt. There was also a note from him.

The choice is yours.

I smiled and began to read the dossier about Egypt, when the door opened and Shane stepped in.

"Why do I have to be here?" he said with a groan no quieter than mine.

"You ask me as though I had estabilished those rules," I replied, not looking up from the dossier. "Because all Obliviators on the case have to be present during a witness' state..."

"Yeah, I know," he interrupted me reciting one of the rules, apparently tired, then used his wand to conjure himself a chair next to me. "I guess it's better than filling in all those papers."

"Few more years, Stagridge, and maybe you'll get yourself an assistant too," I laughed.

"Really funny, Aurora," he said just as someone knocked on the door.

I dropped the dossiers and straightened in my seat, then shouted:

"Come in!"

The door opened, revealing a brunette girl wearing a green-gold shirt with the logo of Holyhead Harpies.

"Hello. My name is Dalia Blorege, I was supposed to come here to give a statement as a witness...?"

"Yes, please, come in," I said, then beckoned her to sit in front of my desk. "Mira, prepare the witness form, please," I called to her and she nodded.

With the corner of my eye, I looked at Shane and tried to stop myself from bursting out laughing. He was staring at the girl as though he had just seen Merlin. His mouth was agape and he didn't even blink.

"Don't drool here, will you?" I whispered to him, chuckling and he shook his head suddenly.

"What?" he said just as Mira passed me the witness form.

"Mrs. Blorege, you have to fill all those fields here and here," I explained, pointing at the form. "And here we will ask you some questions. If you have any problems, please ask."

"Thank you," she said as I passed her a quill and began writing right away. All the time, Shane was literally gaping at her and even once their eyes met - this was when she looked away quickly, blushing slightly.

I had to ask her all the questions, because Shane was totally unable to do so. He was stuttering and just a total mess in general. He didn't stop staring at the door even after she left.

"Earth to Stagridge?" I laughed, waving my hand in front of his face and he eventually turned towards me.

"Aurora. I think I fell in love."