Boys Night, Girls Night

I know it's been a while- but it hurts to admit this story is coming closer to the end..... Let me know what you think, new chapters will be posted in the upcoming week.....
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16.

Hermione roamed around the empty apartment while the realtor espoused various positives of its lease, location, blah blah blah. It was a nice enough apartment for a single occupant. It was simple, clean, spacious, everything she had requested.

And yet, when as she looked around she knew that she wasn't going to live here, either. Harry watched her, and knew from the set of her mouth that she was going to say no.
He made to tell the realtor when an owl rapped on the window. Hermione's eyes flew to his, panic settling into her face.

The realtor let the bird in, and in some relief, it flew to Harry. He ripped past the seal as if daring it to be from this unknown person causing so much damage. Hermione watched as his face, while no less alert than before, softened a little.

So it was from Ginny then.

She let out a whoosh of air and turned to the man who was patiently waiting a verdict. She shook her head. Unperturbed, he vowed they would find the right one. She grinned. When he said he liked a challenge, after the first four apartments, he had meant it.

"This next one, I am sure it will be the one. You like this area, right?" He questioned.

"Yes, I do."

"Good, this one is down the street a bit, a nice walk."

Harry joined her and made their way down to street level.

"What did Gin want?"

"Something about a girl’s night 'in' with you. I am to find my own bed tonight." He laughed.

Hermione, on the other hand shrugged. If she didn't have to face the surly snake tonight, that was ok by her. She'd no doubt get the full reasoning followed by more entreaties not to move out.

Harry stared at her until she looked back at him. He was unusually grave. "You do know he is sorry, right?"

She gave a tiny laugh, trying to keep it short so she didn't give away how frantic it was. "Really? He hasn't said as much to me."

"Oh come off it. You know as well as I do that you two care about each other, no matter the issue."

"Here I was thinking you of all people would understand that I don't want to talk about it, and I don't want to hear apologies on his behalf. If he wanted to, he would say it himself to my face. Not send some errand boy to make his excuses." Her voice came out barbed, intent on making Harry not question her and let the subject drop.

As only he would do, he sidestepped it. "He cares, Mione. Feed your delusions all you want, but when I saw him these past weeks it was quite clear. It's an act, a front. He just doesn't know how to take the pampered foot in his deisgner shoe out of his fat mouth and say as much."

She rerouted her thoughts. If she didn't she would begin hoping. And when it all came to nothing, she would be left with those pieces of hope in her hands.
"Then he must be a very good actor." She murmured.

"Or maybe you're just a very willing audience." he shot back.

“Does it matter if he’s an actor or I’m the audience? The show must end at some point, right?"

"Here we are!" cried the realtor, gesturing to the building. "Penthouse, top level." He made to enter the door.

"Can we view it ourselves? Alone?" Harry asked with an apologizing smile. The man nodded, un-offended and handed him the key.

When they opened the door, Hermione sucked in a little breath. It was gorgeous. Open, light filtered in through the floor length windows. She fell in love with it.

She wandered around and walked into the kitchen. The appliances were new. She grinned and ran like a little girl into the bedroom. Surprisingly, in a place so large, there was only a master bedroom and bath. A half bath off to the side of the den. But it still lacked something. She frowned.

She knew exactly what it lacked. The same thing that all the other apartments lacked. Draco.

"Mione, you like it?"

She forced a smile. "This is the one." So Draco wouldn't be lounging in the living room, tipping his chair back in the kitchen, walking in on her in the shower... she had to move on at some point.

“Mione?” She turned to Harry, who leaned against the door of her soon to be bedroom. "I meant to ask earlier about this Greg character."

"Oh, he's just a temp. Julie needed a couple weeks off, family emergency. But he's been nice enough; efficient too. I got lucky with the banquet this Friday." She meandered around the walk-in closet. That trunk at the foot of her bed wouldn't be so jammed packed anymore.

"You trust him, right?" Harry asked.

She looked at him levelly. "Enough. He came recommended from someone else at work. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just worried about the timing of it is all." Harry shrugged.

"Harry, I seriously doubt Julie's mother decided to get sick so my stalker could get closer to me."

Harry nodded. He wasn't so sure. The stalker’s behavior was erratic at best. Once the blood stained box arrived, he went silent. No contact since then. It put Harry on edge. But if Greg wasn’t the guy who was behind this, who was left? He continued as Hermione looked over the contract and closed the deal with the realtor, who’d come up to meet them- ecstatic at the purchase. She put down extra money down to move in by Friday, confidentiality so no one could find out who bought the apartment, etc…

When they left, he had whittled it down to certain suspects- the same ones the ministry had. Krum, a stranger, the creep at the bar, former dates…and for his own mental satisfaction Greg. Too many to track, but few enough to concentrate on.


_______

Draco was in a towering temper.

In a fit of what he would forever call ‘ the epitome of stupidity’ he decided to take a clue from old muggle movies Granger made him watch and dress the part for tonight’s activity.

He concluded that if Greg did work at the ministry, he most likely had Intruder Charms set up on the premise as well as Discharments Victus- which would prevent any magical identity concealment. So - he found himself sitting under a cottage window (after a tense moment of disarming the Intruder alarms), dressed all in black, with a mask.

The mask wasn’t a great idea, it limited his peripheral vision.

Not to mention it made him feel like a total fool.

And it itched.

He had been sitting here for hours, waiting for ickle Greg to come home. Spying on a suspect had always been a fun pastime. At Hogwarts, there was always someone to follow.

But now that it concerned someone he cared about- the fun had dissipated. It was deadly serious. If he even caught a whiff of suspicious activity- there was no magic to hold him back from beating this man to a bloody pulp.

Going through the many arrays or torture he could think of, he didn’t immediately recognize when a light appeared in the house, announcing the arrival of the occupant.
Ever so carefully, Draco waited until he felt certain Greg would be occupied with other things before turning around into a crouch and peering over the edge of the flower box.

At first, it appeared to Draco that Greg was talking to someone just out of sight. He hadn’t anticipated that he would live with someone else. In his mind Greg was a loner who creeped on his ...er, Hermione.

Watching closely Draco saw Greg gesturing wildly, quite obviously pissed off. Sneaking an Extendable Ear under the window was difficult, but manageable.

Listening intently, he heard another man’s voice. It stuck Draco as familiar, but he couldn’t place who it belonged to.

“You’re worthless! It would have taken five minutes!” Greg shouted at the anonymous man.

“Worthless? Just who is providing this cottage for you? Worthless?” the man thundered.

“You heard what I said!” Greg said hotly. Draco watched in a flash as the man who, so far, kept his face and form from being recognized, come out of nowhere and shove Greg up against the wall, face first, roughly.

Instead of backing up and sinking into a fighting pose, the man pressed along his back, his arms against the wall, sandwiching Greg in.
“Worthless?” he asked again, with a new note in his voice.

Draco was dumbfounded. Just what did he intend on spying on? A sadistic stalker, a relationship on the edge, or... Draco froze when the man tugged Greg’s head back and crashed his lips to his.

Or a lover’s meeting?

Like watching a train crash or a horrible accident, Draco couldn’t turn his eyes away. He heard as Greg gave in, moaning into the man’s mouth. It happened quickly, soon there was no clothing, and Greg was happily being dominated.

It was rough, heated, and just as Draco thought he was going to vomit, they turned toward the kitchen table, frantically going at it. While it was more than he ever cared to see, it did provide him ample opportunity for Draco was able to see the other wizard.

Theo Nott.

Damn it all. If Greg was with Theo, there is no way he’d be able to hide suspicious activities. Theo was notorious for being the one who ‘wore the pants’ in the relationship, male or female. He didn’t deal with secrets.

Unexpectedly, an owl fluttered down and held out its leg for Draco. It was Hedwig. Taking the scroll, he hurriedly unrolled it, praying for a diversion.


'Hermione is staying here tonight.

Surprise, I’m crashing on your couch.

I forgot to send this earlier- so when Ginny told me what you were most likely doing, I tried to send this out as fast as I could. After some wheedling, I found out that Greg came at the request of Theo Nott, whom Hermione had asked for help in finding a replacement. She pretty much implied that they were together.

-Harry'


A little late, Scar head, Draco seethed crawling out of his hiding place, resetting the charms and apparating back to his apartment.

So much for being the masked hero tonight.