Sweet Justice

***Depressing start to a pairing fic, I know, but in the words of Tyler Durden “Its only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything.” One of my favorite quotes. I've yet to hear another as true. -^_^-
Thanks for the reviews, keep an eyeball out for those homonyms and typos! You find 'em I'll fix 'em!

Chapter 3

Draco felt emotionally numb as the graveyard staff began covering the coffin with soil.

After his father was pronounced dead, Ministry officials investigated to make sure there was no foul play. Since he had passed so quickly after the sentencing they wanted to make sure he wasn't murdered by someone out for revenge, or perhaps even a family member. How absurd, Draco thought.

In the end it was discovered that Lucius had congestive heart failure. Which, according to his doctor (who Lucius had paid to keep it secret) would have killed him shortly after he would have been sent to Azkaban, maintaining his pride and status as a renowned Dead Eater. No wonder he seemed to prefer the idea of being locked away, he wouldn't have been there long.

The probation sentence may have actually sped up his demise. But Draco had decided to stop pointing fingers and thinking 'what-if?' It hadn't fixed anything in the past, and it wasn't going to start now.

The turnout at Lucius' funeral was pathetic. Understandably, most of his father's associates and friends were either on the run from the Ministry, in Azkaban, or dead. Still, Draco would have liked to see more people paying their respects to such an established wizard, despite the recent charges. Scanning the crowd he recognized some faces, mostly his fathers co-workers, a few Slytherins paying their respects for Draco's sake, including Blaise whom he nodded a thanks to, and another face he had not seen since he was very young.

His aunt, Andromeda.

His mother had disowned Andromeda as her sister before Draco was born when she married the muggle-born, Ted Tonks. He had only seen her tentatively at social gatherings and some well hidden photos in the attic. Seeing someone so sharply contrasted to his aunt Bellatrix was odd to say the least. Where his mother and Bellatrix had sharp features, Andromeda was softer, with a more down to Earth air to her.

Crying into her sisters brown hair, Narcissa seemed to have all but forgotten the silly feud instated so many years ago. With her free arm Andromeda hugged her sister tightly, silently reassuring everything was going to be alright, holding a bundle close to her chest with the other arm. If anyone could relate with his mother, it was her.

During the trials, Draco had overheard that his aunt had lost not only her husband, but daughter as well during the final days of the war, not to mention countless friends. He couldn't imagine how she could bare it. How she found the strength to comfort someone who use to hate her (after loosing so many loved ones of her own) took a strength Draco could barely contemplate. He had lost Crabbe and his father, but compared to her his loss seemed almost minimal.

As he approached the two of them, Draco debated what he should say. Under good circumstances talking to an estranged relative would be awkward at best, but this was... What was that?

In his aunts lap, the bundle she was holding moved, a shock of turquoise hair peeking out from around the blanket. Was that a baby?

Noticing the quizzical look on her nephews face, Andromeda turned to him and smiled weekly. “Hello, Draco. You've grown up quite a bit since I last saw you. You're the spitting image of your father when he was your age.” A smile tugged at Draco's lips at the complement. Holding up the bundle Andromeda pulled the blanket back showing the round face of an infant, now dark blue hair dusting the top of his head. “Draco, I'd like you to meet your cousin, Teddy.”

He had another cousin? He had known about Nymphadora, but nobody had told him that she had a baby. “He's...cute.” He said awkwardly for lack of anything else to say.

“Here.” She said, handing the bundle to Draco. “Get to know him for a moment, we'll have plenty of time to talk later.”

Draco was about to tell her that he had NEVER held an infant before, but when she used her now-free arms to give his mother a tight hug as she cried, he lost his words. Taking a few steps away from the grieving sisters he looked down into his cousins yellow eyes, remembering where he had seen that color before. “So you're Professor Lupin's kid, huh?” He said as the baby yawned, his hair turning a deep purple. “Does that change with your mood or something?”

“Now there is a scene I would never have imagined.” Said Blaise, lightening the mood as he approached.

“Shut it, Zabini.” Draco said halfheartedly to his fellow Slytherin. “He's my cousin.”

Looking down on the purple-haired infant Blaise nodded. “A Metamorphmagus, you're aunt is going to have her hands full with that one. Listen, joking aside, how about you let me treat you to a drink, or twenty. You look like you could use it.”

Draco looked back at his mother and aunt before turning back to Blaise. “In a little bit. I want to make sure Mum's alright. I'm pretty sure my aunts going to keep an eye on her for a while, but I want to make sure. Wait around for a bit, would you?”

Blaise nodded, looking back down to Teddy. “Its still so bizarre to see you holding a baby.” He laughed.

A small smile crept to Draco's face. “Don't get used to it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning Draco awoke with a massive hangover and a vibrating weight on his chest. Cracking an eye he groaned as the brightly lit living room flooded his senses. When his vision adjusted he realized that he was face to face with a massive, smash-faced, orange cat curled up on his chest. His angrily amber eyes glared back at him as if it was Draco's fault for occupying his usual spot on the sofa. Pushing the cat aside, it growled before sliding to the floor and walking down the hallway.

Realizing he was in a strange room after a night of blacking out he did the first thing anyone in his circumstance does; Am I still clothed? Check. Do I still have my wallet with all its contents? Check. Have I slept with anyone I didn't intend to? Judging from the small couch he was splayed on, he figured that was a check as well.

What the fuck had happened last night? Thinking to himself, Draco tried to reconstruct the evening. He had gone to the Leaky Cauldron with Blaise and ordered a pitcher of beer and a line of firewhisky shots. He remembered doing his shots, finishing the pitcher, ordering another one, becoming mildly emotional about the funeral, ordering another shot... some girl was hitting on Blaise...he didn't remember leaving the pub... He remembered being knocked to the ground, but not by who... feeling his sore ribs he recalled being kicked... a flash of red light and...the rest was such a blur.

Sitting up he rubbed his stiff neck before he realized that his parts of his shirt were stained with dried blood. Mostly the middle of his chest and his right elbow. Checking himself for injuries he only found his ribs on his right side to be tender, his nose wasn't broken, his elbow wasn't cut, and other than the massive headache he seemed overall intact.

Standing up to dust the orange cat hair off his shirt the smell of fresh brewed coffee flooded his nose. Hearing the clatter of dishes Draco's heart hammered with the realization that whomever this apartment belonged to, they were in the kitchen.

Walking down the hallway he had to step around the cat, its tail swishing back and forth as it glared at him. He wasn't sure who had put him up for the night, but he felt that they deserved his thanks. As he rounded the corner he was greeted with the back view of a woman pouring herself a cup of coffee. She was barefoot with a teal sleep-shorts and tank top outfit that did little to hide the curves beneath the fabric. Her long, chestnut hair was tied back in a loose ponytail which trailed halfway down her back. His mood shifted when he noticed she had a wand tucked into the tie holding her hair back. Putting on his most charming smile he subconsciously tried to fix his platinum hair before he said, “Thank you, for putting me up for the night.”

His smile vanished when she turned around, stirring her coffee as she looked up at him with brown eyes, Hermione smirked inwardly at his reaction. She had expected as much.

“Malfoy.” She addressed him stoically as Crookshanks rubbed against her calf.

“Granger!?” He blurted. She was quite possibly, the last person he would expect to see. When she handed him a small glass of fizzy looking water he asked. “Why am I in your apartment?”

She rolled her eyes. “Drink that and I'll tell you all about it.” She said as the toaster popped her breakfast up behind her.
Smelling it he asked, “This isn't poison is it?”

She spoke as she spread creme cheese on her toast. “If I wanted you dead I would have left you where I found you last night. Its tonic to take your hangover away, I'm sure your mother has enough to deal with without dealing with a cranky son.”

Downing it in one shot, he found it didn't taste half bad, the bubbles already clearing his head. “What do you mean 'where you found me.' What happened?”

She took a bite of her toast and leaned back onto her counter. “Judging from the Daily Prophets mention of your fathers funeral, I would imagine you had a couple drinks to unwind. Am I right?” Draco nodded. “I had just gotten off from work when I noticed a rough looking couple of guys venting their anger on the 'Death Eater bastard' as they so called you as they were kicking your ribs in.”

That made sense. Draco thought to himself. Blaise must have gone home with whatever girl was hitting on him, leaving him to his own devices to get home. Some friend. Glancing down at his snake and skull tattoo he made it his next priority to get rid of it somehow.

“Not that I'm against you getting whats coming to you, but I dislike fights being one-sided. If you were coherent enough to fight back it would have been different. So I stunned them and apperated you back here to sober up. You had a gashed elbow, broken nose, and two broken ribs. You're lucky I know a few healing spells.” She glanced at his blood stained shirt. “Woops, forgot about that.” She said pulling her wand out of her hair tie and pointing it at him. “Scourjify.”

As the blood and cat hair vanished Draco mumbled a thanks.

Sighing to herself, Hermione pulled out a large frying pan. “I suppose it would be rude of me to make my own breakfast and not offer you any. Do you like blueberry pancakes, because that's what I'm making.”

The tonic already done away with his hangover, Draco realized that it had also returned his appetite for the first time since his fathers death. He was famished. Faking an annoyed look, he pulled up a chair to the table and crossed his arms. “Well if you're making it anyway I suppose I'll stay.”

Never cooking for himself, Draco tried his best to watch how high the flame was under the pan, what ingredients she used, how she stirred it, and found himself realizing that she looked a lot like she did in potions class. Maybe cooking wasn't as hard as he thought it was.

After a few silent moments of cooking, Hermione placed two plates of pancakes on the table before retrieving a cup of syrup from the microwave an a french press of coffee. “Milk or sugar before I sit down?”

It took Draco a moment before he realized she had asked him how he liked his coffee. “Hrm? Oh, no. Black's fine.” After a few bites of the best pancakes he had ever had, Hermione broke the silence.

“So how's Narcissa fairing?” She asked as she blew on her hot coffee.

Draco swallowed before speaking. “To what? Father's death or probation?”

“Both.”

“Probation she seems to be taking to well enough. She was just happy to not be in prison and with her family...what's left of it anyway. She has one house elf left,” Hermione twitched slightly. “so I suppose she doesn't have to worry about cooking or cleaning. Father, on the other hand, meant a great deal to her. I'm not sure how she's going to get by without him.” He didn't want to talk much about recent events. Changing the subject, he asked her. “So, Granger, where's Weasley? I hear you two are an item now.”

Her face sank as she put down her fork. “Ron and I have decided to remain just friends for a while. The Kenmare Kestrels offered him a position as keeper just days after Voldemort's fall. They said they would 'love one of the Golden Trio amongst their ranks.'” She said in a bitter voice. “So he's constantly to and fro from Ireland. It would be too difficult to maintain a long distance relationship.” Laughing halfheartedly she continued. “Not to mention I don't want to spoil his fun from all the Quidditch groupies.”

Draco grimaced. The though of Weasley and groupies in the same room almost turned his appetite. “You mentioned you were leaving work when you found me. Where do you work?”

“At Flourish and Blotts, I'm the assistant manager.”

“It would figure, you being at a place where you can be surrounded by books AND tell people what to do. It suits you.” He said in a half-complement-half-insult.

Looking at her watch, Hermione finished off the last few bites of her pancakes before downing her coffee. “Speaking of which, I need to get to work soon, we're short staffed. You're mother's probably worried about you too.”

Draco finished his plate, taking the hint to be on his way.

A few moments later, a more appropriately dressed Hermione and a rather shaggy looking Draco stood on her front porch as she locked the door behind her. “Can you make your way home from here?” She asked him.

“I think I can manage.” He said, realizing that he was only about a kilometer from his apartment. “Thanks again. It seems I owe the Golden Trio more than one life-debt now.”

Hermione actually smiled. “I wouldn't worry about the life-debt, but you do owe me a new rosebush. You puked all over that one when we apperated here.” She said pointing to a sadly withered yellow rosebush at the foot of her stairs. “I'm only happy I chose not to appear in my living room.”

Cringing, Draco made a mental note to lay off firewhisky for a while. “Eehh, sorry. I'll be sure to get you a new one.”

“Good.” She said, pulling out her wand. “See you around then, Malfoy.”

“See you, Granger.” He said as she apperated away with a loud crack.

It wasn't until she was gone did Draco realize that in the entire time they spoke, he never once thought of the word 'Mudblood.'

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Yay, Hermione joins the fun. Reviews = Love