Witch? Wizard?

Witch? Wizard?
Chapter III

Draco
had been furious the night Blaise had walked in on he and Hermione in
the Hogshead Pub. They had just begun working on his first assignment
and the bastard had nearly ruined it for them. The Ministry employed
Hermione Granger as well, working for the Aurory, though her talents
were utilized for research more so than fieldwork.


When
Captain Long called him into his office, Draco had not known what to
expect. His supervisor and he started off on shaky ground at best,
though Draco succeeded in keeping his opinions to himself after being
shown just how bad an assignment Long could cook up for him.


Upon
entering the office, he inwardly groaned upon spotting Granger\'s bushy
hair pulled up into a messy bun. Surely, he hadn’t done anything to
warrant having to tolerate her presence. Ironically, it was his
exceptional training and the witch\'s exemplary research skills that led
them to be selected to work this case.


\"Draco Malfoy, Miss
Granger here informs me that you all know each other from your
schooling. Please sit down,\" the captain ordered, phrased as a request
undoubtedly out of respect to the witch. \"You both have been selected
to work together on a situation that has just recently come to the
Ministry\'s attention. It appears as if some person or persons have
found that Muggles and Muggleborns are a commodity. We would like for
you to investigate and see what you come up with.\"


Draco
felt his pulse quicken as realization hit. He was finally being given
the opportunity to work on an actual case. No more babysitting the
agents from the Department of Misuse of Magic; no more trudging over
the Ministry\'s archive of Mad-Eye paranoia; for the first time since
completing his training, he was to be turned loose in the field and if
he had to suffer the Gryffindor\'s presence in order to do so, so be it.


\"Forgive
me Captain Long. But, if what you say is true and there are wizards
dabbling in human trade, I would think the Ministry would want to send
in its top agents to investigate,\" Granger\'s voice interjected.


Draco\'s
first inclination was to snap his head in his former schoolmate\'s
direction and inform her of exactly what she could do with her
thoughts, but the lingering possibility of his superior snatching this
opportunity from him quelled his temper.


The captain
apparently held no less tolerance for reprove from his subordinates
than outsiders. \"I understand Miss Granger that many of my colleagues
consider you to be one of the greatest minds born in a century, but I
can assure you that the Ministry has officials with years of experience
that make them very capable of allocating resources appropriately. If
you are not as confident in your abilities as your superiors, please
let me know now so that a suitable replacement can be found. Otherwise,
kindly shut your trap and allow me to do my job.\"


Draco
could not contain his reaction that time. A sneer reminiscent of his
days at Hogwarts quickly found its way over his features as he looked
through slit eyes at the dumbfounded witch.


\"That will not
be necessary, sir,\" she mumbled. \"I am sure that if I have the
confidence of my department I will be able to execute this assignment
to their satisfaction.\"


And that is how Draco Malfoy came to
be spending what appeared to be an intimate evening with the witch in
Hogsmeade. They had agreed that the best way to learn anything would be
to put their ears to the ground. Despite his public acceptance into the
Ministry, Draco was fortunate in that most did not trust this change.
It made it quite easy for him to maneuver in questionable
establishments, drawing little more attention than a raised eyebrow, or
smirks of \'I told you so.\'


Hermione Granger on the other
hand, was more difficult. Her face was well known, having been best
friends with Harry Potter and in the media since her fifth year at
Hogwarts, there was little doubt about where her allegiances lie. So, a
story was born. One in which Hermione Granger, had been seduced by
Draco Malfoy. In this way, their presence was at least tolerated in
establishments of ill repute. Hermione and Draco appeared very
convincing as she batted her eyelids accordingly and accepted Draco\'s
touch without hesitation, often returning it for the benefit of those
watching. It was their hope that the lure of the famous \'mudblood\'
would be too attractive, enticing their target or targets to make
contact with Draco.


Months passed with little progress being
made, though Hermione had been able to uncover the reason for the human
trade. It appeared as if some of the old pureblooded families were
becoming increasingly concerned about low birth rates and were looking
for added insurance for the preservation of their lines. Unlike their
earlier suspicions, Draco realized they were not dealing with torture,
hate, or murder; but the enslavement of breeders.


Weeks
spent in close company will either drive two individuals mad or closer
together. Draco was surprised to find that his assignment with the
mudblood actually brought them closer. They were not friends by any
means, but found that they did share many mutual interests and could
carry on pleasant conversation quite easily. It wasn\'t until a night
spent in Knockturn Alley that the remnants of their rivalry from school
interjected itself into the present.


\"Well, well, well. Out for a lover\'s stroll?\" a voice, leaden with firewhiskey drawled from the shadows.


Hermione
reflexively clung to Draco\'s side, shrinking away from the disembodied
voice. She might be a brilliant and competent witch, but she was wise
enough to know that this was not her element. Knockturn Alley was not a
place to be trifled with, nor was its inhabitants.


\"Jealous,\" Draco sneered, his silver eyes dancing in the light of the moon. \"It has been a long time lover. I must admit that was an admirable performance you gave last we met, though a bit dramatic, even for someone with your tastes.\"


Stepping
from the shadows, Hermione recognized Blaise\'s weathered form. One
would not imagine that less than five years ago, he had been the Head
Boy at Hogwarts, his eyes now bleary and clothes worn. \"Dramatic, lover?\" he hissed. \"If it were not for this mudblood bitch, you would have no cause to question my performance,\" Blaise snarled as he reached out to grab Hermione by the hair and pull her close to him.


\"Don\'t
touch her,\" Draco bit out, stepping around Hermione to place the tip of
his wand beneath Blaise\'s chin. \"Surely you haven\'t deluded yourself to
believe that this witch had anything to do with our arrangement. I
believe that I\'ve always made it clear that a shag and affinity for
sucking cock are the only reasons we ever shared a bed,\" Draco bit. He
wouldn\'t allow his concern for Hermione to show in his voice, if Blaise
thought that he could use her to his advantage, Draco had little doubt
that he would do it, so instead he dropped his wand and allowed a
finger to stroke the wizard\'s cheek. \"Our arrangement is hardly one
hinged upon other relationships, much less one with a mudblood,\" he
continued, his voice sultry.


Blaise released Hermione at the
touch of the wizard he had craved. \"I thought...\" he stammered before
Draco\'s lips descended upon his, silencing him as he wound his hands
into the corn silk strands of hair that had illuminated his every
fantasy in the time they\'d been apart.


\"Come to me
tomorrow night,\" Draco whispered into his ear, playfully nipping a
lobe. Despite the anger he had felt towards his lover in the Hogshead,
he had not intended to stay away for so long. Working with Granger
surely was not gratifying in any sexual sense, but her dedication and
enthusiasm towards the case had claimed his spare time. Being with
Blaise again would be what he needed, but tonight he was on the case.


Draco
arrived home early the next evening, anticipating the need of a nap for
a very long, and very fulfilling night. His sleep was filled with
visions of varying witches and wizards with beautiful Grecian features
and red lips that pouted seductively. As he slept though hedonistic
fantasies, Draco\'s dream lovers filled the empty spot on his bed
reserved for Blaise Zabini.


\"Draco..... Draco....\" a voice
pled, rousing him into wakefulness. \"Draco Malfoy, if you don\'t wake up
this instant I will come through this fireplace and drench your bed
sheets.\"


\"Hermione?\"


As Draco sat up in
his bed, his vision coming into focus as he rubbed the sleep from his
eyes, he could see the worried expression on the witch\'s head in the
fireplace. \"What is it, Granger?\" he groaned, less than appreciative of
being woken just as the Patil twins were about to...


\"It\'s Blaise. You have to come to St. Mungo\'s right away.\"


When Draco found the ward that Blaise was being kept in, he strode purposely for the door.


\"I
think you\'d better....\" Hermione attempted to warn, but he would not be
deterred. He might not want to marry the poof or any such nonsense as
that, but they\'d been involved for years and Draco wanted to know what
had happened last night that Blaise was now resting in a bed at St.
Mungo\'s as opposed to at his side at the Manor.


When he
entered the room, he walked over to the first set of curtains. Pulling
them back, Draco nearly lost his balance as he looked down into the
face of..... Hermione? Turning, he nearly ran her over as he attempted
to flee the room.


\"What??? Who??? Ho-\" he stammered as
Hermione held onto him. Draco\'s eyes narrowed in confusion as he tried
to relate the image of Hermione before him, Hermione in the Hospital
bed. \"Where\'s Blaise?\" he demanded, pushing himself out of the witch\'s
arms and towards the second bed. When he pulled back the curtain, Draco
did not try to speak, he wasn\'t able, for the site before him caused
him to faint.