𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐀 | 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦

two

"What are you doing in the office, Hermione?" Blaise asked, stopping in her doorway. She gave him a bashful grin and said, "I just wanted to double-check everything, since I'll be gone for so long."

"Merlin, do you ever stop working?" he asked good-naturedly.

"Oh, hush," Hermione responded, closing her drawer and tapping her wand against it to lock it. "Besides, I'm meeting up with Abraxas to go over our plans for the mission."

Blaise stiffened, eyes narrowing. "Abraxas?"

"You called?"

Blaise whirled, his wand out. Hermione hadn't even seen him draw it. Abraxas stood behind him, his silver eyes amused and a self-satisfied smirk on his face. He wore a dress suit as usual, his silvery hair making him look like a black and white filter. His eyes flicked over Blaise, evidently unimpressed. Blaise growled under his breath. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Abraxas snorted. "I work here, Zabini, do try to keep up with the times."

"If you try anything with Hermione, I'll-"

"You'll what, Blaise, hit me with a stunner? I'm so scared," he said, laughing. "Get over yourself, mate."

"I am not your mate," Blaise said, anger lacing his words more tightly than Hermione had ever heard it. She stood abruptly, saying, "You two know each other."

"Mm, we have a bit of a past," Abraxas said easily, crossing his arms. Blaise frowned.

"Abraxas, I'll meet you at the cafe, alright? I have to talk to Blaise for a second," she said.

"Perfectly fine with me," Abraxas said with a shrug. "See you in a bit."

He flounced off to the elevators, and Blaise watched him go, a hard look in his eyes. As soon as Abraxas disappeared into an elevator, Blaise slammed Hermione's office door behind him and locked it. "Why didn't you tell me that Abraxas Waten was your partner for this mission?"

"I did, actually, you just weren't listening," Hermione sniffed.

"Does Pansy know? Does Draco know?" Blaise asked.

"Stop being so pushy," she said. "I told Draco, I don't believe that I told Pansy."

"Draco must not have been listening," Blaise muttered. "Do you know who Abraxas is?"

"Yes, I do," Hermione said, crossing her arms.

"Then why are you working with him?" Blaise practically shouted. Hermione gave him an angry look.

"Do not raise your voice at me, Blaise Zabini. Abraxas is a perfectly capable Auror and we are privileged to have him at the Ministry. He's saved many lives, you know."

Blaise muttered something under his breath. "I can't believe you, Hermione. I know that you're all into accepting people, hell, you accepted me, but this is a little much. Even I can't deal with it."

Hermione rolled her eyes, miffed. Just because Abraxas had gone to Durmstrang didn't mean they had to hate him so much. She supposed that Blaise knew him from Hogwarts, during the Triwizard Tournament. Hogwarts and Durmstrang did argue quite a lot, she supposed. but she had been a little preoccupied and didn't really participate. 

Still, she meant what he said. He was a good Auror, and despite how obnoxious he could be, he had a methodical approach and could figure out the answer to almost any problem. "Don't worry about it, Blaise."

"Just watch your back, Hermione," he said darkly.

"Draco," Blaise said as soon as he picked up the phone. Draco sighed, expecting another rant about something ridiculous. He used his elbow to set the call on speakerphone, and Luna gave him a sideways glance out of the bulky goggles she wore. Understandable, since he was holding a solution that was incredibly corrosive and if he dropped it, there would be a sizable problem.

"Do you know who Hermione's partner is for her mission?" Blaise asked, not waiting for an answer. "Bloody Abraxas."

Luna groaned as Draco, predictably, dropped the solution. The plant that they had been working on died instantly, and the liquid tunneled a large hole in their worktable, the edges glistening with poison. "Draco, I swear-"

"Abraxas? What the hell?"

"Who's Abraxas?" Luna asked, still irritated that he'd killed their plant. Also the worktable. And apparently the floor, as it was still eating its way through everything it touched. She silently cursed Draco and took out her wand, trying to remember the spell to stall it.

"And get this, mate," Blaise said in disbelief, "She doesn't care what he is! She even said that it was a privilege to work with him!"

"You're joking."

"I'm not!"

"Working with the Dark Lord's nephew is an honor?"

Luna's eyes widened. "He had a nephew?"

"He had a nephew," Draco confirmed, finally answering her. "Only a few knew of him- the bloke was behind all of the Dark Lord's plans. Bloody genius, he is, but he's insane."

"I doubt even the Ministry knows what he is," Blaise muttered.

"Hermione wouldn't- well, if he'd changed-"

"He hasn't changed," Draco insisted. "He hasn't, and never will. Would you like to know what he was like? He was like the Dark Lord, and every Death Eater, combined into one person, with their brains multiplied by five."

"Oh," Luna said faintly.

"She can't- she can't work with him," Draco said.

"She said she knew what he was," Blaise hedged. "It's dangerous, though."

"Hermione can defend herself," Luna said.

"Yes, but it sounds like she has no clue what kind of danger he is!" Draco exploded. "I'm not letting her go on the mission."

Blaise whistled. "Mate, I agree with the first part, but she will never let you keep her from doing something she has her mind on. You know that."

"It's Abraxas, Blaise. And she's a muggleborn. You know what he did to them for fun-"

"I know, Draco, but she's going with Harry as well, remember? The two of them can handle it," Blaise said, trying to talk Draco out of the mindset he'd had just a couple of minutes earlier. He'd realized that yes, Abraxas was dangerous, but Hermione was definitely the match for his intelligence. She would have Potter with her too, and he'd managed to kill the Dark Lord. Besides, Abraxas had all of this time to do something, if he had been employed at the Ministry, and he hadn't. "If he wanted to hurt Hermione, he would have by now."

Draco hung up the phone, and Blaise closed his eyes, trying to ignore the looming feeling of danger.