In The Arms of an Angel

Chapter 2 Emotions and Orders

The next morning Draco woke up after a nice long sleep to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs. When he arrived at the kitchen he found Hermione placing plates of bacon, eggs, biscuits and home fries on the table along with an array of condiments. She placed a warming charm on the food and started to dish up her plate. "It smells wonderful," he told her, causing her to jump and knock some of her eggs off of her plate.

She whirled around and glared at his smirking face. "What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?"

"Fun-Sucker," he accused as he came into the room and started filling his plate. She stuck her tongue out at him and cleaned up her fallen food before sitting down opposite him. When they were done eating and clearing up they moved over to the potions lab where Draco helped Hermione with the Dreamless Sleep and a new batch of the cream she had given him the night before.

"Are you brewing the Wolfsbane Potion?" he asked, his voice impressed as he looked into a simmering cauldron off to the side.

"No," she sighed, "I've made it a couple of times but that was only when the person who usually does it, wasn't able to. For some reason he seems to think I'm incapable of such a complex potion." Her voice had gotten steadily colder as she glowered until she huffed before finishing her small tirade. "I mean, I successfully brewed Polyjuice Potion when I was thirteen, but oh, no. This is way too hard for me, the git … sorry about that. He just annoys the bejesus out of me."

"Who?"

"You'll see him soon enough. I believe he's coming over after tonight's Order meeting to work on it, assuming nothing comes up. Speaking of, is it okay if I tell them you're alive?"

Draco looked at her hesitantly, "Will they all then feel obliged to come over here and interrogate me on my Death Eater ways?"

"Your Death Eater ways? You really have been in the Muggle World too long." She gave him a smile full of checked laughter before she turned more serious. "Including you and me, there are only eight people who can gain entrance here. But two of them may want to talk to you; though, you don't have to tell them anything you don't want to."

"Only eight?"

"Fidelius charm."

"But if you told me your address, then that would make you your own secret keeper. You do realize that is highly irregular."

"Yes, well. I decided that if someone captured me they would then have no reason for the secret any longer because they'd already have me. It's not like there's anything of interest here that they know about anyway. Plus, this way I know that my secret keeper isn't blabbing it any chance they get."

"Two questions. That they know about? And why would a secret keeper just go around telling people the secret; as the name says they're generally trustworthy with secrets."

"Yes that they know about. As for going around telling people the secret, that's how Harry's parents were killed. I feel completely justified in my paranoia. Now, may I tell the Order?" she asked, returning to the original topic.

"Yes, I suppose. But only if you have them swear an oath not to tell anyone first. I don't need the trouble that would come with the Death Eaters finding out."

She raised her eyebrow at him but agreed to his stipulation. "If you want people to think you're dead, why on earth were you standing in the middle of London screaming about not being able to hide?"

He looked down at the floor. If Hermione wasn't aware that it was an emotion that Malfoy's didn't feel, never mind show, she would have thought him to be ashamed. "Temporary insanity, I guess. Earlier in the day I had seen a couple of Death Eaters and had the sudden urge to make the muggles realize they weren't safe. This is despite the fact that they should already realize it, what with all the brutal or ‘unexplainable’ deaths that have been going around in their media. Obviously, though, I couldn't tell them why."

She tilted her head and gave him a contemplative look. "It was really stupid of you, but I'm glad they didn't catch you. Though, I wouldn't have been surprised if you were arrested for disorderly conduct or something of the like. You really were causing quite a scene. Not to mention the fact that you just looked like a drunken, raving bum."

"Thanks," he said rather bitterly at her comment, "I realize that now. Like I said -- temporary insanity."

It took most of the morning to finish the potions. Their time was filled with friendly banter, always steering clear of the subjects that one or the other didn't want to talk about. It turned out that during the time Draco was homeless in the muggle world, he had grown an affection for television, particularly comedy as he already had enough drama going on (though what the drama was he wouldn't say) in his own life. After they had finished the potions, she showed him her telley in the living room; he hadn't noticed it before because it was hidden away in a cabinet.

When she made lunch he decided to help her out, surprising her with his abilities in a muggle-style kitchen. Or any kitchen, for that matter, considering that she rightly assumed that his time growing up at Malfoy Manor meant that the house elves did all the cooking. She was happy knowing that she wouldn't have to worry about him being able to feed himself while she was gone.

After lunch Hermione retired to her library, and shortly after Draco joined her with a book that had caught his eye in the potions room. She was in the middle of a sentence, about the different type of snakes native to Albania, when she suddenly had a thought and put the book down to look at Draco. It took him a minute to realize that she was staring at him, but when he did he gave her a look that said ‘what are you looking at’ while his mouth asked one word, "Yes?"

"Draco, do you have your wand? I mean, I haven't seen you with it, and I was just wondering."

"No. It broke."

She gave him a look of extreme sadness; she could only imagine what it would be like feel like to no longer have her own wand, "In that case, we'll have to get you a new one," she tipped her head, looking at him, "some new clothes, too."

"Hermione, you may not have noticed, but Ollivander is dead. Where would I get a wand?"

She gasped at his pronouncement, "You know for sure that he's dead."

"Ummm, yeah. He's definitely dead." he visibly winced at the memory of that day, causing Hermione to let it go, instead of ask how he knew.

"There are other wand makers, you know. Maybe not quite the quality, but still some who are really good. We can go to Smith in New York. Get you some clothes there, too."

"No."

"No?"

"NO."

"Why not?"

"Because, Hermione. I'm not going to have you buy me anything. You're already doing too much for me, as it is."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "Draco, I'm not doing anything that any other self respecting person wouldn't. You are a good person. But more importantly, you are a wizard, and I know you must really miss your wand. Plus, I'm sure you don't want to wear Harry's clothes any more than you have to."

"Hermione, you don't know me well enough to say those things. I'm not a good person. I've done some really terrible things. I don't deserve a wand." By the end of his first sentence he had leaned forward to rest his head in his hands in an attempt to hide the single teardrop that fell from his eyes.

It didn't work and Hermione knelt down on the floor in front of him. She softly wiped the tear away with her hand and leaned over to look into his eyes, leaving her hand on his face. "You may have done terrible things, Draco, but obviously you didn't want to. And that makes you a good person, whether you believe it or not."

He unconsciously leaned into her hand. He had the sudden urge to kiss her but shook that thought out of his head and settled for rubbing his cracked lips over the hand that he had taken away from his face, leaving her hand in his. "Just because I didn't want to do some of those things doesn't change the fact that I did do them and there's nothing I can do to undo them. They'll always be with me and I'll always know that I have the ability to cause great harm."

"Oh, Draco," she cooed as she moved up to sit in his lap and held him close to her in a tight hug, rubbing his back. No longer able to hold back he burst into tears, sobbing into her shoulder. Through her shock she continued rubbing his back and whispered nonsense words in to his ear to soothe him.

It was a full twenty minutes later before he had cried himself out. He leaned back against the couch and looked up to the ceiling. "I'm sorry," he told her in a raw voice.

"Don't be," she responded, still in his lap.

"I've never cried in front of someone before." It was more of a whispered admission than anything.

"Not even your parents?" He just shook his head in response. She repeated her earlier actions and wiped away his tears, only this time she also leaned forward and kissed away the remaining ones from his eyes. "Then I'm happy you trust me so much."

He looked up into her caring face. He started to say something but stopped himself and went in a completely different direction, "Don't you have an Order meeting to get to?"

She looked at her watch and her eyes widened at the time, "Shit. I was supposed to be there five minutes ago." She paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't want to leave you right now, though."

He lifted his hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's okay, Hermione. I'll be fine. I'll probably do some more reading and have some dinner."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay. But I'm taking you shopping tomorrow." She got up from his lap, leaving the warmth of his body and went to the living room, grabbing her jacket before apparating to outside Grimmauld Place.

As soon as she walked through the door she was accosted and dragged to the kitchen. "Hermione, we were getting worried! It's not like you to be late," said Molly as she gave the girl a warm hug.

"Oh, I'm sorry to worry you. I was unexpectedly detained," she explained.

"That's perfectly alright, Hermione. Now let's start this meeting," Remus said. He had been the leader of the Order ever since Dumbledore's death. "Any Death Eater news, Severus?"

The man in question sneered at the phrase used. "Nothing more than the usual. Though, the Dark Lord is getting aggravated at not knowing where Potter is."

At this sentence, everyone in the room turned to look at Hermione. "What?" she asked as though she wasn't aware of exactly what they wanted.

"You do know where Harry and Ron are, don't you?" asked Remus.

"The general vicinity, yes."

"Why do they have to leave on these treks? They could be seriously hurt and we'd never even know," lamented Molly.

"They have to go because it's the only way to kill Voldemort," she rolled her eyes at those who flinched at the name. She would have thought that after so many years of them hearing it out of her and Harry's mouths would lessen the sting, but apparently not. "We've been over all of this before, and just because everyone wants more specific answers is no reason for me to give them," she addressed the group before reaching across the table to take Molly's hand in hers.

"You know that as soon as either of them is in any mortal danger I will know and apparate to them with my medical bag. I'm not going to lie and say that they are perfectly safe, but they do know how to take care of themselves. Molly, that's something you taught them." The older woman smiled over to Hermione. She already knew everything the girl had said; she just needed to be reassured about the safety of her youngest son and her surrogate son every now and then.

"When is the last time you heard from them?" asked Tonks.

"Two and a half weeks ago."

Soon enough they went on to other topics, mostly about how best to try and protect certain people that they thought might become targets soon for one reason or another. When they were finished with the planned topics Remus opened up the floor for anything that may have come up. Hermione looked up and down the table to see if anyone else had something to add. When it didn't seem so, she cleared her throat.

"Yes, Hermione?"

She sucked in a deep breath to steady her nerves as she had no idea what would happen when she finished her sentence. "Before I tell anyone this news I have promised to get an oath of silence from everyone in this room." At this request, some of the Order members were up in arms about the need for an oath. After all, what if it was something vitally important and they felt they had to say something. Others were ready the moment it was requested. After all, Hermione Granger would not ask such a thing if it were not important.

"If you do not want to take an Oath, you do not have to. I just ask that you leave the room while we speak on this topic." Finally, the members all took an Oath, barring two, who were sent to the living room and silencing and imperturbable charms were put on the room. "Draco Malfoy is alive."

One could have heard a pin drop from a mile away and then everyone in the room started talking and asking questions at once. Snape was the only one not saying anything. Instead he was staring at her, his head slightly cocked as if considering her.

Remus stood up, effectively silencing the group. "Now, Hermione. Are you sure about this?"

"If I weren't I wouldn't have said anything."

"Where did you see him?"

"In Muggle London. He was making a scene and everyone was steering clear of him but when I passed him he stopped yelling and started to mutter something about muggles. That’s when I really looked at him, and it was him. It took a second to recognize him as he was really dirty and he was hurt and it looked as though he'd been homeless for quite some time."

"Did you speak to him?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing of importance. He didn't want to trust me because he didn't recognize me, but eventually he did and now he's staying at my house."

"Draco Malfoy is staying at your house!" screeched Molly.

"Yes, he is, and if you had seen him first he would be at your house instead. You know as well as I do that he didn't want to kill Dumbledore. Besides, it’s not like he has a wand. Which reminds me, Kingsley, do you think you would be able to arrange a portkey for me to go to New York tomorrow to buy him some clothes and a new wand?"

"Ummm, I'm not sure I can. The person in charge of the Portkey and Floo office is a suspected Death Eater."

"Oh," she said, slightly glum. "I guess I'll just have to find another way."

"Hermione, you should not buy him a wand, you do not know what he'll do with it. He should be brought here so we can question him."

"I'm sorry, Moody, but that is not going to happen. He will get a new wand because he is a wizard and he deserves his wand and I trust him with it. I'm not going to bring him here. I wouldn't have even told you about him if he hadn't given me the go-ahead. I told him that there might be a couple members from the Order who will come home with me and that would be Remus and Severus, but I also told him that he doesn't have to answer any question that he doesn't to."

"You shouldn't go about making promises that you can't keep, girly. Especially to prisoners."

Hermione stood up swiftly, causing her chair to fall back behind her. She slammed her hands onto the table as she stared down the seasoned auror. "Alastor Moody, Draco is not a prisoner. He is a guest in my home and should be treated as such. Also keep in mind that he is in my house. If I say that he doesn't have to spill his guts then he doesn't and there is nothing you can do about it. And I am not going to stand here and let you berate me for not doing things the way you would, old man."

With that, she stormed out of the house, leaving her jacket and apparated back to her home. It took a full three minutes for the people still in the kitchen to get over the shock of what had just happened. They had never seen anyone stand up to Moody in such a manner before, and most certainly not over a defunct Death Eater. Snape was the first one to respond, with a full belly laugh, scaring the others even more as they had never seen him smile before, let alone laugh. Soon enough the meeting was closed and Remus and Snape left to go see the blond young man for themselves.


~~~oOo~~~


*I don't care if this is or isn't an English breakfast. It (truly by coincidence) happens to be what I order every time I go to Bickford's and is quite a yummy meal. Nothing that I ever speak of will involve sausages because they're disgusting; the smell and the way their nasty flavour taints everything they touch. Ok. Sorry about that little tangent.

I know that Draco seems a little ooc in this chapter, crying with her and all, but its the first time he's been able to let go and feel anything rather than just cope with what's going on around him in a very, very long time.

Thanks to BuffyXO for her wonderful beta services.

Thanks to Maizeysugah, kittycat30, and Lexy Malfoy for reviewing. Lexy, I had it done before you even reviewed, lol, so you must have been reading it at the time!