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Harry watched as Hermione delicately forked a piece of lettuce into her mouth, she kept glancing at the clock on the wall and shooting not-so-subtle looks towards the door.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, a little disgruntled at her total lack of interest in his company.
She snapped her head around to look at him. “Oh, sorry Harry, everything’s fine, I was just—” A loud knock interrupted her and she leapt to her feet as though electrocuted. “Come in.”
Harry only just managed to repress a scowl when he saw who it was. Draco Malfoy sauntered in wearing a crisp black suit, his white-blonde hair perfectly coiffed.
“Potter,” he drawled.
Harry nodded in response. Whilst he and Malfoy had reached a civil sort of arrangement through working together at the Ministry, they certainly weren’t friends and he wondered why the former Slytherin had strolled into Hermione’s office like he owned the place.
“Granger, I need your help—there’s an emergency on Level Five.”
She stood and moved towards him. “Sure, what’s the problem?”
“I’ll explain on the way,” he replied, gesturing towards the door.
Harry observed this exchange carefully and, putting his Auror training into practice, began to catalogue Hermione’s physical reactions: dilated pupils, flushed cheeks. She was… scared of Malfoy.
His fists clenched; he would not allow his friend to be bullied again.
Her voice pulled him out of his reverie. “I’ll catch up with you later, Harry?”
Nodding, he watched the two of them leave her office and, after waiting a few cursory moments, wrapped himself in his trusty old Invisibility Cloak, and followed silently behind.
There was nothing immediately unusual to note, although he had some concerns about how close Malfoy was standing to Hermione; if he decided to attack her, she wouldn’t have time to reach for her wand and defend herself. Harry felt for his own, just incase.
“You don’t think he suspected anything, do you?” Hermione asked.
Harry frowned. Was Malfoy blackmailing her? He crept closer, trying to keep up with the conversation.
“No, Granger, for an Auror he really doesn’t seem to be that observant.”
She rolled her eyes, elbowing Draco in the ribs. And Harry puffed out his chest, pleased she had stood up for him.
“I wish we didn’t have to keep sneaking around like this.”
“I know, Draco,” she sighed. “It won’t be for much longer, I promise.”
Rounding the corner, Harry watched as Malfoy looked up and down the corridor before pulling Hermione into a small broom cupboard and locking the door. Harry’s heart pounded as he ran towards them, waving his wand in a complex pattern and muttering a Charm that would allow him to see through the wall.
Harry didn’t want Hermione to think he doubted her abilities, and so he decided to watch the exchange for now, ready to intervene if necessary.
The moment they were alone, Malfoy drew Hermione to him, pressing his face into her hair and inhaling. “Merlin I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
She chuckled. “It’s only been a few hours.”
“Too long, Granger.”
“Are you coming over again tonight?” Hermione asked.
Malfoy’s face lit up with a smile Harry had never seen before as he replied, “Yes, of course—a wild Manticore wouldn’t keep me away.”
Harry shook his head, chiding himself for his stupidity. He looked at the two of them one more time, a small smile on his face, before silently walking away and leaving them in peace.