The Right Thing To Do

Chapter 13

Dear Narcissa,

I beg your forgiveness for the way I behaved at dinner last night. I can be very passionate about my projects and I know that Draco can be very passionate as well. I very much enjoy your company and I truly appreciate the invitation into your home and to your dinner table.

If there is anything I can do to apologize, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Hermione J. Granger

~*~

Dearest Hermione,

You are so kind to think you need to apologize. The truth is, I quite enjoyed myself last night. I don't get to Muggle London for theatre as often as I used to, so last night was just what I needed.

I am sure to be visiting Cornerstone next weekend, so I shall see you then. Perhaps we can have a quick lunch on your break?

And I have sent with this note a small package, as I believe you did not get to taste it last night.

Yours,

Narcissa Malfoy

Hermione opened the small brown package and found a container of the pumpkin soup. When she brought it to her lips she almost cried.

~*~

Monday morning she was met at her cubicle with a memo from the Auror Office. She winced as she opened it, hoping not to be dealing with Draco this early in the week, but it was from the head of the Auror Office requesting a collaborative meeting between her department and theirs regarding the dragon egg found the week before.

Clunky footsteps, and then Aiden was poking his head over her cubicle wall.

"You get invited to the party, too?" He flashed her a grin and waived a matching memo at her.

Less than an hour later she and Aiden were sharing a lift up to Level 2 with the scent of the orange Aiden was peeling and devouring. She declined when he offered her a wedge, and tried to ignore the smell like she was currently ignoring his yammering about how much nicer the Level 2 desks and cubes were from theirs.

They found their way to the conference room with a minute to spare and the first pair of eyes she met upon entering were Draco's. It was to be expected, as he was the analyst on the dragon egg case, but still surprising first thing in the morning. She quickly looked elsewhere and found Aiden pulling a chair for her next to an older witch who was there to take a transcript.

"Let's get started." Gawain Robards, head of the Auror Department, stood and tapped his wand on the table. A three-dimensional image of a dragon egg appeared in the middle of the table, and Hermione immediately thought of those science fiction holograms. "As you all know, this dragon egg was apprehended in London last week, and with the help of Miss Granger," he nodded at her, "it was identified as a Portuguese Long-Snout egg. Now, smuggling dragon eggs is not uncommon, but it was Mr. Malfoy who pieced together that the Long-Snout egg was found within a three-block radius of where the Hungarian Horntail egg was found a month ago."

Hermione looked at Draco, and found him suppressing the smirk he would wear in Snape's class every time the professor would praise his potion-making. Well, at least he was suppressing it. Draco stood.

"We believe these dragon dealers are selling to the same buyer, although unsuccessfully thus far," Draco said.

He took a stack of papers that were arranged in front of him and began passing them out. When Hermione received hers, she found that it was a full seventeen-page report. Hermione looked up at him, and watched as he summarized the report, pointed to the important charts and maps, maintained control of the room, and for the first time she wondered what it was he planned to do after his probation completed in December. Because he was quite good at this.