Boys Night, Girls Night

Let the fun begin!!!There will be another chapter posted tomorrow!!
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29.

Draco stood there for a minute to give her a head start, grinning his head off. Shaking his head indulgently, he walked back into the ballroom. Not entirely able to help himself, he spotted Hermione talking to Ginny and Ron.

Ginny saw him over Granger’s shoulder entering the room and her face lit up with mirth. Draco executed a formal bow, which only highlighted the heavy irony only he could exude.

The rest of the night was pretty much a blur. He talked business with fellow business owners, argued with Percy over new dictates for international standards for trading, and managed to pass by Granger whenever he got the chance. A hand squeeze here, a hidden smile there, whispered moments in passing.

Just when he thought the night couldn’t get any longer, he looked around to take another look at Hermione. He could have sworn she wasn’t more than a few feet in front of him not two minutes ago.

Walking forward towards the balcony doors, he felt himself pulled into an alcove. Before he could even raise his wand- he felt a warm kiss on the underside of his chin. He staggered a bit- “Granger?” he whispered.

A steamy little giggle made him relax. “Just who were you planning on being grabbed by?” he heard her amused whisper.

“And just why would the Head of International Magical Cooperation be grabbing me to begin with?” he asked with false solemnity. His arms already wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer.

“I," she said while wrapping her hands helpfully around his neck, “was planning on giving this sexy stranger walking by a quick kiss and to inform him that I’m leaving.” Hermione stretched up onto her tiptoes and brought his face to hers. She felt his smile on her lips.

“That stranger is one lucky bastard.” He murmured. Migrating from her lips he placed one on her forehead as she made to leave. She squeezed his hand, and from what he was able to see in the darkness, Hermione managed a credible leer in his general direction.

“Half hour, thirty minutes, 1,800 seconds…” she whispered.

Draco smiled. Sounds perfect to him. Leaving the alcove he saw her making her way up the staircase, Henry Serpens not far behind, but succeeding in not being obvious about it. Making his way across the room, he nodded to Harry and Ginny who were also getting ready to leave. He walked up to Pansy and Blaise, who seemed to be having a slight disagreement.

“Blaise, Pansy, I’m heading out.” He announced with a raised eyebrow as they continued to bicker with their social smiles plastered on their faces.

“I’m coming with you.” Blaise said quickly, ignoring the exasperated sigh from his wife.

“Well, Blaise, I hate to say this, but…I love you but I’m not in love with you.” Draco said sheepishly.

Blaise had the grace to refrain from commenting, instead giving him a familiar smirk. “Like I haven’t heard that from you before.”

Draco sniggered. “Sorry, Pans, seems your husband is taking me home instead.”

Pansy grinned briefly before directing her glare at her husband. “You have twenty minutes, or you might as well sleep there.”

“Yes, mother.” Blaise murmured, but only when she was safely out of ear shot.

Draco shook his head, “After you dear, since I’m inviting you into my apartment.”


______


Hermione nearly ran up to her apartment, Henry Serpens following quickly behind. “What’s the rush, Ms. Granger?” He asked somewhat breathlessly while performing the normal checks on security.

Hermione flashed him a smile and noticed Roger getting out of his chair in the corner. “I’m just happy. Hi, Roger! I see you’re taking over for poor Serpens?” She nodded to him. Roger stretched, and tried to muffle a yawn.

Hermione giggled, in love with the world at the current moment. “You know, if you spent less time hiding your secret affair, you might have more time for sleep.” She winked before heading into her apartment.

Kicking off her heels, she noticed she only had twenty minutes. In typical Head Girl fashion, she went into efficiency mode. Casting charms in quick succession, her dress came off and hung itself on a floating hanger, her legs waxed, and her hair came undone.

She hopped in the shower real quick, get the grime of smoke and clammy sweat off her. Another charm, her hair was dried and remade, the lightest of makeup applied. She ran over to her trunk, which she had yet to unpack, and selected a red lace corset which was begging to be worn. She complied with the picture of Draco's face when he saw her in her nightie in her mind.

She deemed it wise to select out certain clothes and lingerie to hang in the closet and stay behind. Hermione then packed up the trunk as it was coming with her. A weekend full of naughtiness.

Grinning to herself, she put the dress back on, slipping her trench coat on, and sliding back into her shoes. Looking at the clock, she was amazed at herself. Right on time. Slipping her wand in her outer pocket, she charmed her trunk to come with her.

Stepping outside, she saw Roger raise an eyebrow. “Lucky girl with no paparazzi catching this moment.”

Hermione smiled. Waving her wand, she sent the trunk over to Draco’s with a knocking spell. She was pretty damn sure he would get a kick out of it. “Serpens leave yet?”

Roger placed a hand to his heart and look mockingly offended. Then punched the number for the elevator. “Has he replaced me in your esteem?”

“Oh Roger, you know that’s just not possible.” She said earnestly, before letting out a laugh.

______


“So what you’re saying is I shouldn’t trust Serpens?” Draco asked Blaise, loosening his tie as he made his way to the bedroom. Armani might know what he was doing, but staying in restrictive clothing was not Draco’s forte.

“Yes.” Blaise put bluntly. “You really don’t remember how he reacted when I took Pansy away from him?” Blaise followed him, willing him to listen. He already spent the past fifteen minutes of his limited twenty trying to make Draco listen.

Draco frowned. He did remember. He sent Pansy howlers for weeks, bothering Pansy’s father like he had any power over his daughter and her decisions, and when that failed, caused a public commotion by confronting the two in the middle of the ministry with Rita Skeeter reporting on it.

“But where’s the motive? I’m not disregarding this,” he started when Blaise looked to interrupt, “if he has such close proximity to Hermione, I’m going to check it out. But he has ministry clearance. Harry himself performed the security check with veritaserum on all prospects who would protect Hermione. I don’t particularly like the guy, but veritaserum? I don’t see how anyone can pass that.”

Blaise still looked disgruntled. “He dangerous. He might not say it out loud, or bring attention to himself, but I’m telling you Draco from first hand experience, this guy is dangerous. There is something slightly off about him. I ended up putting a restraining order against him for Pansy. I’m going to ask that you do the same for Granger, or at least have Harry switch her guard so he’s no longer in it. I would have told you earlier, but I wasn't aware their were two people on her guard until I saw him tonight, Roger was always her daytime watch.”

Draco looked at the determination on his friends face. A restraining order in the wizarding world was pretty substantial. By signing one, it worked kind of like the trace magic on an underage wizard or witch. By having the head of law enforcement sign the document and performing the spell, the person causing the problem would not be able to get within five hundred feet of the victim.

A sort of enchanted bubble or invisible wall prevents them from getting too close. It was effective for physical attack, or abduction. But if the attacker had a wand, well, distance doesn’t really bother a good aim.

Draco wasn’t about to let anyone with a shady background come remotely close to Hermione. “Ok, I promise to speak with Harry in the morning. Besides, Serpens retired his watch duty after the gala, Roger is taking over tonight. AND-,” Draco said loudly because it looked as if Blaise was going to interrupt again, “ and I will send an owl tonight, right this very minute, for Harry to look into Serpens background and remove him from Hermione’s watch, effective tonight.”

Blaise finally relaxed. “Good. Thanks.”

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door. Blaise went to answer it and came in with a wry grin on his face. “Either Granger packed herself into a suitcase, or…” His hands came palm up in a shrug.

Draco passed him and looked at the trunk on his threshold. He started to snigger.

Oh, this weekend was going to be fun.

“Consider this your cue to exit.” Draco motioned for his friend to leave.

“And consider this your warning. A- Pansy will find out about this rendezvous, and B. Write to Potter immediately.” Blaise smirked before apparating.

Glad Blaise left, he let himself sport a rather goofy smile come to the surface as his dragged the trunk inside.

Ten minutes.

____


“You know you looked beautiful tonight, right?” Roger told her as the entered the alley.

Hermione glanced at him, “Thanks Roger. Oh, and thanks for helping me with all of this with minimal complaints.” She joked, trying to quicken her footsteps, eager to get to Draco.

“No problem, Hannah.” She heard whispered.

Hermione felt her heart stop, turn over, and start again. Turning around, she carefully edged backwards towards the apparation point.
“What was that?” she asked, nonchalantly, hoping she heard him wrong. Either way her hand made its way to her pocket.

Hermione registered Roger’s face looked odd, not at all showing the normal cheerfulness that she associated with him. It was almost slack, no emotion. He stood exactly where he was a few seconds ago, not moving towards her. The whole situation felt surreal. He didn’t look threatening. He just looked like a puppet with its stuffing knocked out.

Hermione felt goosebumps on her arms, the hair rise on the back of her neck, all warnings.
Staring at Roger’s face, the two corners of his mouth pulled up. Not in a leer, or smile…but like they were attached to strings that someone pulled on. Truly frightened, she edged backwards.

“I said Hannah.” Came a voice.

But Roger’s mouth didn’t move.

Hermione decided to screw seeing her attackers movements and turned to flee, grasping for her wand. Oddly, she didn’t hear footsteps behind her.

It wasn’t two feet away from freedom that a dark figure hurled out behind a dumpster, knocking her to the ground. Her wand was sent flying ten feet away, out of reach.

She tried to scream, but found a large hand quickly pressed against her throat cutting off air supply. Out of some instinct of survival, she tried to move her legs in a position to roll them over, or at least do some damage below the belt. The figure had no face, a spell to obscure the features was being used. The body on top of her was like dead weight, she couldn’t fight, she couldn’t move. She turned her head to the side, hands ripping at the grip on her throat, gasping for breath. She saw Roger just standing there, exactly the same from she turned away from him.

No help there.

She heard excited pants of breath in her ear. Exhilaration.

No, this is not happening to me! She screamed to herself.
She reached above her head, searching for something, anything to help her. Just then her hand grazed something.

Her vision was blurring from lack of air.

Fight, Hermione, don’t stop fighting! Came a new voice in her mind. It sounded uncannily like Draco. Oh Merlin, she had promised him to be careful. Reaching again while kicking at her attackers legs, her hand grasped something cool, hard.

A trash can lid.

Hermione gathered any energy she had left and brought it down on her attackers head. It made a rather satisfying crunch.

And then suddenly Hermione could move, her assailant cursing and falling to the side. She rolled over, coughing, tears streaming down her face. Taking a deep breath and felt her lungs fill with air. Crawling frantically, she was within reach of her wand when she heard a sinister amused laugh…and then a yank on her ankle.

Hermione felt fear choking her again, she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She kicked as hard as she could, desperately reaching for her wand. Just a little bit farther.

When she heard “Hannah” being tauntingly called out, she lost it. Turning onto her back, she focused on the figure grabbing her leg and kicked as hard as she could.

Finally breaking free, she dove for her wand and felt the familiar sucking sensation as she apparated towards the one place she wanted to be.