Any Random Tuesday

Chapter Two

Draco doodled on his parchment as the professor of his advanced potions ingredients class droned on and on about the properties of fluxweed. His mind just wasn’t with the subject; it hadn’t been with any of his subjects for the last week. He just couldn’t get over that last night with Hermione and then, she hadn’t responded to his owl. He just didn’t know what to make of it. Did it mean that she didn’t want anything to do with him? Had that last night been goodbye sex?
He sighed to himself as his pen scratched right through the paper. Class had been going for over an hour and all he had was a blank piece of paper with a hole in it. That was really going to help come exam time. Too bad he couldn’t just ask Hermione for notes. She took this class as well, but in a different section.
“Tomorrow we will cover ginger,” the professor announced as everyone started shoving books, papers, and pens into their bags. Draco had just slung his heavy pack over his shoulder when he felt a presence behind him. “Mr. Malfoy, may I speak with you?” he asked.
“Sure,” Draco responded as he turned to face the professor.
“Please, follow me to my office.” Draco obeyed nervously. He trailed the tall wizard along the corridor struggling to keep up with the long strides of the professor’s legs as he seemed to march along. It seemed like ages before the man stopped before a plain oak door and turned the knob. “Take a seat,” he commanded pointing to a large black leather chair in front of a stately Victorian desk.
Draco sat placing his book bag on the floor. The professor leaned against his desk and studied Draco for a moment. “What did you want to see me about sir?” Draco asked feeling uncomfortable with the mans scrutiny.
“Your friends with Hermione Granger, correct?” Draco was stunned. Why would someone ask him that? And how was he suppose to answer? He didn’t know what he and Hermione were. “Mr. Malfoy?”
“Well, I know her,” Draco responded.
“Have you seen her in the past week?” he questioned.
“No, I haven’t,” Draco answered confused at why the professor would want to ask him about Hermione, “Why are you asking me about her?”
“We are concerned. She hasn’t shown up for any of her classes or her internship since last Tuesday and she hasn’t written to anyone to say she’s sick or had an emergency or anything of the like.” The professor stated.
“Has anyone tried to contact her?” Draco asked trying to hide the panic he was feeling.
“Yes, several faculty members have sent her owls, but there has been no response. We are quite concerned. Up to this time she has been a model student.” Draco’s mind was in overdrive thinking of all the possible things that could have happened to her. The professor was right. Hermione would never skip out on her responsibilities without a good reason or without telling anyone why. He kept imagining her dead somewhere in a ditch along the side of the road.
“Well, professor I will be sure to let you know if I hear from her,” Draco responded trying to keep his calm.
“Thank you Mr. Malfoy,” The professor said dismissing Draco. Draco practically ran out of the office. He felt like he was going to be sick. He ran into the nearest bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked at his pale face in the mirror; he had to get a grip. He couldn’t just freak out like this, he didn’t even know if there really was anything wrong, and if something was wrong wouldn’t Potter or Weasley know? They were suppose to be her best friends.
“I’ll go to her flat,” Draco told himself; “If she’s not there then I will know that something is really wrong.” He pulled out his wand and apparated away.
When Draco arrived on the London street he was surrounded by buildings, cars whizzing past and other people crowded the sidewalk. He looked around him trying to recognize the building that he had only seen once before. Luckily as he pushed his way down the street he recognized the entrance by a small Thai restaurant. It had always amazed Draco that a witch would want to live in muggle London, it seemed like a foreign country to him, but then again Hermione had been born a muggle.
Draco rushed up the stairs to her second story apartment and began to bang incessantly on the door. “Hermione!” he yelled, “Hermione are you there?” He tried to turn the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge, he pulled out his wand and tried an un-locking charm, nothing. Draco took a few steps back and through his weight against the door, again nothing. “Damn it,” he swore. This was desperate. He would never have peace of mind if he didn’t know that Hermione was okay. He was going to have to go to Potter for help.


Harry had spent all day in a meeting with Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. They had been trouble shooting what to do about a recent appearance of Wesley’s Wizard Wheezes in muggle candy shops. It wouldn’t have been such a problem if no one had bought them, but unfortunately their had been incidents of muggle children turning into Canary’s and having tongues swollen to unimaginable sizes throughout the city of Norwich.
George Weasley had been brought in for questioning, but as far as Harry could tell he had nothing to do with the placement of the sweets. Harry’s job as head auror was to track down whoever was responsible for the placement of the candy. He had just sent two of his top Auror’s to work on the case and now it was four pm, an hour before Ginny was expecting him home for dinner.
Harry stared at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. “It must be bigger than Everest,” he thought to himself with a sigh. There was no way he was going to get all this done before it was time to go home. He pulled a file from the top and started writing his report on the interview he had conducted with George.
A few minutes later Harry was startled by a knock on his door. “Come in,” he grumbled hoping that it wasn’t Shacklebolt asking him to stay later or a junior auror needing assistance with their duties. He pushed his work aside as the door swung open.
Glancing up Harry was shocked to see the slick blonde hair and icy gray eyes of Draco Malfoy standing in his doorway. Harry hadn’t seen Malfoy since the final battle and had hoped that he would never see the man again. Malfoy had been cleared of wrong doing by the Ministry tribunal, but Harry found himself unable to forgive Malfoy for his role in the war. “Well Malfoy, what do you want?” Harry spat out the venom lacing his words.
“I need your help,” Malfoy responded his gray eyes turning steely.
“You need my help?”
“Yes, it’s about Hermione…”
“Hermione?” Harry interrupted with disbelief, “What could you possibly need my help with concerning Hermione?”
“Potter, she’s missing!” Malfoy yelled.
“What kind of joke are you trying to pull Malfoy?”
“Listen to me, this is not a joke.”
“How would you even know that she is missing?” Harry screamed.
“We go to University together and I am her lover!” Malfoy screamed back at a loss for control. At first Harry just looked at him in shock, his eyes wide with horror, and then suddenly he just cracked and began to laugh hysterically.
“You?” Harry began struggling to speak in between the giggles that rose out of him like smoke from a fire, “and Hermione?” The man shook from head to toe as Malfoy clenched and unclenched his fists silently counting to ten in Latin as his face turned a deep shade of red, almost Gryffindor scarlet.
“It’s not funny,” Malfoy gritted between clenched teeth, “I haven’t seen Hermione in a week, she hasn’t been going to classes, she hasn’t even been to her internship, and no one knows why.”
“How do I know you’re not lying to me?”
“You can talk to the professor if you really want to. Just please help Hermione,” Malfoy begged.
Harry crumbled. “Fine, I’ll go check out her apartment, but if everything is fine I never want to see or hear from again, understood?”
“Fine, if nothing’s wrong you will never see or hear from me again.”
“Alright let’s go,” Harry responded as he grabbed his jacket and wand and headed for the atrium of the Ministry of Magic with Malfoy following close behind.

Minutes later Draco and Harry apparated into the alleyway by Hermione’s street that Draco had been in earlier that day. They walked out to the street. Everything seemed the same to Draco. The cars still whizzed by and the people crowded the sidewalks. It was as if nothing had changed in the short time Draco had been away.
“Malfoy, let’s go,” Harry yelled startling Draco. He hadn’t even realized that he had been standing still, lost in a daze. The people passed around him as if he wasn’t even there. It was like a crazy metaphor for how he was feeling. He struggled to move forward and follow after Harry.
They made their way into Hermione’s building and up the stairs to her apartment. Draco stood against the wall watching as Harry banged on the door several times calling out for Hermione before he ran his wand over the door checking to see what wards Hermione had put in place. “Malfoy, what did you do to try and get in here?”
“I tried an unlocking charm.”
“Anything else?”
“I also tried slamming my body in to it.” Draco admitted with a sigh.
“You did what?” Harry asked with a grin as he pulled a paper clip out of his pocket.
“What are you doing with that?” Draco asked
“Opening the door,” Harry responded rolling his eyes as if it were the stupidest thing he had ever heard.
“Like that’s going to work,” Draco replied with a sneer. Harry just shrugged his shoulders and stuck the paperclip in the lock. He fiddled with it for a moment and then the door opened with a click.