With you in my Arms

93. Impeccable timing

It took all of Draco's power of persuasion to convince Hermione of her and their son's safety being paramount for him, that he would never allow anything to happen to them. His life depended on them being with him. How could he think of doing anything like what his lovely wife had been suggesting?

"Lea, please, you don't know what you're saying!"

She glared at him.

"No, Draco Malfoy, you don't know what you're talking about. In all my life I've never just sat back and let other people do all the... stuff. I've been fighting Voldemort before you knew what it truly meant to face him."

"I have faced him! I had him live in my home! He's taken over my life and the lives of everybody I knew and was close to. I've seen things that would make you pale and wish yourself to the other end of the earth."

His temper was rising.

"Why do you suddenly have a death wish? Is this life with me not satisfying enough for you any longer? Would you prefer to be Weasley's and take care of his brood?"

The red tinge on her cheeks didn't bode well. She slowly put their son on the couch and carefully placed cushions around him so that he couldn't roll off.

Then she rounded on him. Her hands had got hold of the front of his shirt before he knew what was happening. Being roughly pushed back his back hit the wall.

"I have fought Death Eaters when you were too much of a coward to come clean and tell Dumbledore what was going on. I had to watch my friends nearly being killed by your brain dead sidekick. It's only thanks to Harry that you're still alive."

"Oh, yes, I forgot! St. Potter! Why didn't you get him as a boyfriend then? Why did you hunger after that moron Weasley? Oh, but I forgot. He had already found somebody else. Somebody willing to be his little slut. Were you really stupid enough to want to be in her place? They've been all over each other in ways you don't want to know about."

"How would you know?"

"I've seen them at it. Down in the dungeons. Found themselves a nice little hidden broom cupboard for their intermezzi."

His face was only inches away from hers.

"I was too disgusted by what they did to even report them."

"Ha!"

He leant his mouth towards her ear and told her what he had witnessed. Hermione went pale.

"He never!"

Draco straightened up again and crooked his head to one side, his expression and body language telling her that he indeed was telling the truth.

"How... how could he?" she close to sobbed.

Gathered her shaking form into his arms he wondered why they had been having this argument in the first place.

"Lea, dear." he whispered into her hair.

She looked at him.

"Why did he do that?"

She saw him shrug.

"He's a moron. He never deserved to be as close to you as he was."

"He's always been..." she found herself lost for words.

"It doesn't matter any longer." his lips touched her forehead.

They stood there for long moments each following their own memories. It was Hermione that finally broke the silence.

"Have you ever done... that?" her voice was shaking.

Draco sighed. His last girlfriend had been wanting to try it, but he had been rather reluctant. Not that he wouldn't have been interested, tempted even, but he had never actually found the nerve to go through with it. He was rather thankful for it not having happened now. That would have put him on the same level as Weasley. Maybe seeing him at it had been for a reason after all. Even if it had been to put Draco off from trying.

"No. I haven't. My last girlfriend at school wanted to, but..."

She waited for him to continue. He sighed.

"I saw Weasley and Brown at it before we could do it. It put me off. I didn't want to try any longer."

He cupped her face gently.

"And I'm rather glad that I didn't do it."

Hermione's eyes were smiling at him again, even if her face was still showing a stern expression. She reached up to kiss him.

Harry was sitting in the library that was part of the Auror Office. He didn't quite know what he was looking for. His day had ended about two hours earlier but something had made him come here. The room was spacious and the quiet atmosphere was soothing his frayed nerves. He knew that neither Hermione nor Draco would have to go back to Azkaban in order to deal with Malfoy senior again, but what Neville had told him after he had been talking to the Minister during his lunch break had been disturbing to say the least.

Neville was to brew the Draught of living Death. Harry remembered that being the first potion he had prepared using Snape's old Potions book. He could still recall all the alternative instructions as well. Though the next part of what he had been told had greatly disturbed him. Hermione's mother-in-law was to see her husband in prison and pretend to have a cup of tea with him before he was executed.

Why would Lucius Malfoy want to do that? Why was Narcissa Malfoy prepared to do it? Even the last typist in the office knew that she and Mulligan were a couple, not officially of course, but still. Wasn't it too dangerous? What did Shaklebolt want to achieve with it?

Frowning he looked at the book in his hands. He didn't recall picking it up, let alone what it was about. Checking the cover he didn't quite believe what he was reading.

The hidden History and Knowledge of the House of Malfoy