Ordinary Just Won't Do

"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

Ch. 2

Draco stepped out of the carriage at 89 Rosewand Road, opened the fence, and stepped into the yard that could only be Hermione's. He had been finding people for years and this was the first time he was afraid he wouldn't return with the body. He struggled to keep his Machiavellian air, understanding that, only she could put him through such a struggle.

Draco walked slowly to the door, looking around him for no apparent reason, he then knocked. While he waited at the door, he noticed how secluded Rosewand Road was. The little cottage was surrounded by trees and one house so far down the road it looked like it was hanging off the horizon. It reminded him of the Battle of Porto - Novo in Benin, the last stand of Wormtail, it was there that he was captured and sent to Azkaban.

Hermione opened the door without a smile and he slipped in. The decor was just like her but it wasn't like her to have the blinds down, the curtains closed, several locks on the doors, and from the looks of it several hexes on all entrances. He made mental notes of it all and equated it all to the reason she ran instead of retiring in England like the war hero she was.

"You made it Detective Malfoy," she said as she led him into a comfortable room with a large fireplace decorated throughout with red and black, "please have a seat."

"Yes, thank you," Draco replied, taken back by the use of his surname, she hadn't called him that in years.

"Would you like some tea?" Hermione asked lighting the fire the Muggle way.

"No, thank you," Draco replied with a shake of his head.

Hermione gave him a fake smile as she sat in front of him, "Let's cut to the chase Detective. You want to know why I am here and not off getting a silver wand handle for bravery, correct?"

"Correct, Miss Granger," he said looking up into her face for the first time since he arrived.

"The International Confederation of Wizards has been searching for MIA & Dead soldiers for Ten years. Still, five years ago the Minister of Magic, Percy Weasley, assigned the International Confederation of Wizards in Britain to find all the spirits and MIA bodies that we could. Just yesterday I completed my second to last mission, you, Miss Granger, are the last and only MIA soldier. Everyone else has been accounted for. Some were AK'ed, somewhere tortured to death, some died of sicknesses, some were killed the Muggle way, and many were just left to suffer when they could have been saved. You, Miss Granger, are a lucky one. You survived but you ran, and so part of my mission is finding out why."

Hermione nodded her head before looking down into the fire, speaking in a tone so low that Draco almost missed it, "My life is still in danger, Detective. So the question should not have been 'why did you run' but who are you running from'."

Draco stood quickly, turning his back to her, replied in his own dangerously hushed tone, "Then who are you running from Miss Granger?"

"Lucius Malfoy's avengers," she said looking up at the man she hadn't seen in half a decade.

"Avenger's? Everyone who would have wanted him alive is dead or worse! Who would be stupid enough to admit wanting him alive?" Draco asked, turning around to face her.

"Not anyone you would suspect Detective. What do you do with those in Azkaban who never had any cheerful thoughts to begin with? Those who never felt or experienced positive emotions, those whose whole lives were horrible and dark? So dark that there is not a soul for Dementors to take," Hermione asked as her eyes finally met his.

Draco inhaled loudly before answering the fragile looking young woman, "They are usually housed there until sickness or old age kills them."

Hermione nodded her head, "And they are granted visitors like all of Azkaban's  prisoners."

"Correct," Draco replied, mentally chastising himself for his lack of instinct on the situation.

"Detective, I don't think I have to explain how easy it would be for those still-sane prisoners to send someone else to do their dirty work," she said wringing her hands, looking wise beyond her years.

He shook his head, leaning down on the arm of her chair, staring at the side of her face asking, "Do you know who any of my father's avengers are?"

"I would never allow you on a suicide mission of that capacity," Hermione replied avoiding his gaze, "You know that, so why ask?"

"Humph," Draco laughed to himself standing up straight, "you haven't changed a bit Granger. Still bossy and have yet to realize that I have never cared what people would allow me to do."

Hermione stayed quiet and he leaned over again, his lip’s inches from her face, "You of all people should know that."

She stood up quickly, walking over to the fireplace, her hands pulling on the sides of the black dress robes she wore.

"Detective these men have been after me for five years. They denied me my wedding, my silver wand handle, my peace, my happiness, my damn 'Happy Ever After'. This is all I have, the only place sheltered from the War, Detective, these men want me dead. I know who they are. Whom do you think tried to perform anAbrumpo Exosssis on me?

"It broke every bone in my body and left me stranded just outside Scotland. There, five months after the Last Stand of Voldemort, an old American man found me, nursed me back to health, and brought me here. That wasn't the first time that was the last time I've been cursed by them, but every time I go out of town people are attacked and hexed."

"You've been hiding Granger," Draco replied crossing his arms, "that's not the Gryffindor I remember."

"You'd be hiding too, Detective, if four men half your size were trying to kill you and any you are close to," Hermione said as she turned to face him.

"Is that why you forgot our wedding?" he asked staring her down with such force she almost collapsed.

"Detective I couldn't reach out to you or any of my loved ones without putting you all in danger, " she replied looking away from his steel grip.

"Humph," Draco chuckled.

"Why is that so bad when we had been in danger for five years?"

She avoided his question, "When I first arrived in Waving Wands I stayed at the Bridge Inn, which is in the Plottable area of town, and these men tracked me down somehow and killed half the wizards in the Inn. So I decided to move somewhere they couldn't find me, so instead of going to another town I just moved to the unplottable district of town."

"Stop that Granger," Draco mumbled crossing his arms, "it makes me nervous."

Hermione smiled at the little known fact that she had relished in finding out. Draco had always become nervous when someone, especially Hermione, changed the subject. It was almost like throwing his guard off, and he might not know what to say, "Some things never change."

"Some things aren't of importance anymore, " he replied sitting back down on the sofa, noticing she wasn't lost on the entire meaning of his words.

"True," Hermione whispered wringing her hands, "are you sure you don’t want some tea Detective?"

Draco frowned as he looked up at her, "Yes, I'm sure. I'm rather tired and I would like to rest, Intercontinental Apparition is tiresome. Could you come to my room tomorrow morning?"

Hermione nodded as he stood up, "Where is your room?"

"The Corner Tavern, fourth floor, " he replied as he walked out of the room back into the foyer.

"What room?" she asked as he opened the door.

"I am the fourth floor," Draco smirked as he walked out of the door, "good day."

"Something's really do stay the same," Hermione whispered as she leaned against her closed door, meaning more than one thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco sat in the recliner in the front room of his fourth floor staring out the window. From his seat he could see across most of the town and could almost make out the patch of trees that started toward Rosewand Road.

She was different yet the same. Her eyes were lifeless, almost dead, her skin almost as pale as he used to be, and her voice, it was heavy and burdened. He could remember when she had first became the woman she was today, it was one moment, in the heat of battle, that defined who she was now. It seemed decades ago but it was just eight years ago at the Battle of Mt. Carleton in New Brunswick, on the thickly forested slopes of the mountain.

The rain fell slowly down, getting caught by the leaves and dripping down on their faces slowly. They were sitting in Muggle made trenches and foxholes waiting, waiting, the mud clinging to their clothes relentlessly.

The lightening lit up the sky for miles, showing the position of their soldiers for only a few feet. He knew the call would be made to move soon, only, he didn't know how soon. He had heard rumors that Voldemort’s legions had become friends with Muggle mortars and shells. The rumor was that in Hawaii Voldemort had destroyed a Muggle and Wizarding town simultaneously with Muggle shells.

Draco looked around him at the people who were in the trench with him and never before did the feeling of victory come to him so forcefully. To his right was his fiancÉ and to his left was most of Gryffindor House. His heart was a little perturbed at the thought that most of his old friends were on the bottom slopes of the mountain fighting with the Dark side.

Nevertheless, he looked past Hermione and saw a sliver of black hair and smiled, Blaise Zabini, his best friend was discussing with Hermione what they may endure. He smiled, those two were all he needed to be content.

Then the dark gaunt face of Sirius Black knelt before the trench, "Be ready to move in five."

Draco looked at Hermione as she crawled out of the trench and mode her way to a huge tree that was right behind them, and he followed her. He pushed his back into her, his nose right over hair, and she quickly moved behind him. It was always this way, he never allowed her to be ahead of him, he didn't mind, he didn't want to live if she died.

Her arms moved around his waist and her mouth met his ear, as water ran down the side of his face, "In 3."

At that moment Draco turned and pulled her to him with a smile, the lightening came faster and he could see her face, her eyes. They were full of life yet lifeless at the same time, his arms went around her neck, "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered as her head rested on his shoulder, "Crucio."

Draco jumped away from her to see a hooded man fall to the ground screaming, she had saved his life, again. Her wand was still pointed as the man screamed in horrible pain, he could see the other Death Eaters moving forward when Snape jumped from behind a massive tree and threw a grenade, "Move Out!"

He kissed her cheek as he ran forward, Potter threw the first AK, he moved never looking back, jumping behind trees, ducking hexes, and returning hexes. The rain never stopped falling, dripping relentlessly, the lightening lit up the sky and thunder drowned out orders as the forces moved into battle.

Draco knelt behind a fallen tree watching Hermione run throwing orders from Dumbledore, "Move in, force retreat, do it quickly, with little casualties to us. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE NOW!"

She moved quickly as water fell off her slender frame, she moved beside Harry, whispering to him quickly. He took her hand pointed to Draco, she nodded and ran her fingers over his hair before she ran back to him. "Draco, Snape got hit."

He looked over at her his eyes wide, the man was all he had for a father, "Not with AK right?"

"No, " she sighed throwing a Stupefy at a Death Eater coming from the right, towards Harry. "It was just the Cruciatus, he'll be fine later, he won't be giving any orders today, it's all on Sirius now."

Lightening lit up the sky around them and he stared into her eyes, in a split second her lively brown eyes had turned into a dead cold brown. His old Hermione was gone, he knew it, and she knew it.

Hermione turned to run back to her post as Draco threw an AK, but she stopped to look back at him, "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied chancing a glance her way, "now go."

Draco smiled remembering those days, he could remember her refusal to throw AK's, she never did throw them unless it was needed. Her decision to give one to Lucius Malfoy has put her life in danger. He wanted to know about these men now, and he didn't think he could wait till tomorrow morning to find out who was threatening her life.

He went to his fire place and threw some powder into it, "Hermione?"

She was walking out of the room when his head appeared in the fireplace, "Detective?"

"Yes, I can't wait until tomorrow morning, you should Floo over immediately," Draco replied his expression serious and stony.

"But Detective, it's late, I can come by in the morning, I shall think you'd want to sleep, " she replied almost stumbling over her words.

Draco stayed quiet for a moment before replying, "At the Battle of Mt. Carleton eight years ago, we didn't sleep for three days. Now I'm in the mood to work, I don't mean to stay awake for three days but I do intend to work when I have the urge. Now you Floo over immediately and be prepared to work."

Draco pulled his head out of the fireplace, throwing off his robes, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt, pulling off his tie, and laying his suit jacket on the wide couch in front of the fireplace.

Moments later she came jumping out his fireplace with a grunt, she had replaced her black robes with blood red ones. And placed her hair in a messy bun, "Here I am Detective."

"Good," he said walking over to the bar, pouring her some tea into a cup, and sitting it in front of her. "Now we will work."

Draco took his wand and conjured up a recording mechanism, "I want to know about these men who are they? Who are they connected to? And I'll figure out the rest."

"That night in Scotland they stood around me, laughing at my pain, and talking to each other. They thought I would die, I didn't, and when I came here I used every resource available to figure out who they are. I don't know exactly whom they are connected to but I know one of them is related to or close to Barty Crouch Jr," Hermione said sitting on the couch, right on his coat.

"Names please, if you know them," Draco said taking his Quill out and making a note on a piece of parchment.

Hermione sat her cup on her knee before speaking, "A dark Frenchmen, his accent is thick, Adelard Good. Hobson Wilcome, he spoke about Barty Crouch Jr. a lot. Then there is Antonius Rosier, pale blond man, handsome even. Then the man who reminded me of Fudge, Gram Tunnelly. Do you know these men?"

Draco smirked, with a deadly glint in his eye, "I grew up with Voldemort’s Elite forces in my house. I know these men, and I know them and their connections. Adelard Good is the great-step-cousin of Mr. & Mrs. Lestrange, he is their daughter's stepsons second cousin. Hobson Wilcome is Barty Crouch's daughter Melody, Barty Jr sisters’, oldest son.

"Antonius Rosier is Evan Rosier's son, and Evan Rosier was a Death Eater killed by Aurors in 1980. Evan Rosier is Pansy Parkinson's Uncle, on her mother's side, and all of Pansy's Uncles, aunts, grandparents on the Rosier side are dead. So Mr. Rosier has to be working under Stephson Parkinson, because Mr. Parkinson would treat his Father-in-law's great-grandson with respect. Gram Tunnelly is Cornelius Fudge's only grandson, by his only daughter Carly."

Hermione's eyes were wide with surprise, "How did you do that?"

"Malfoy's have been trained for centuries to keep a mental manual on everyone they know, and never forget a single connection, ever, " Draco replied looking up at her with a hard Draconian face.

"Fudge is dead, Crouch Jr, the Lestranges, & Stephson Parkinson is in Azkaban. I'm confused why would Tunnelly be in on this?" she asked looking at him with her eyebrow raised.

"He and Crouch Jr were best friends, they did everything together," Draco said turning off the recording mechanism in his wand.

"They want me dead Detective, what do you propose we do about that?" Hermione asked running her hands over her robes.

"I propose you come home to England and let the Aurors take care of you," he replied moving to sit on the couch beside her.

"There is only one man in the world whom I trust enough to take care of me anymore and he is not helping much right now," Hermione replied throwing a look at Draco before wringing her hands nervously.

"Then look, come home and I'll find all kinds of protective services to take care of you," he argued back relentlessly.

"Like they did Lily & James?" she yelled, glad that he was the fourth floor or the whole hotel would be awakened by their voices.

"No," Draco sighed standing up, his pinstriped pants pulling against his tight legs as he paced the floor, his hair flying behind him in a loose ponytail. " I can take care of you from right here."

"We need evidence Detective, can you use that brilliant brain of yours to figure out any way to find evidence?" Hermione asked her voice at a normal tone.

"Granger, never forget this, I'm still a Malfoy. Maybe not in my decisions or actions, but with connections and names, I will forever be a Malfoy," Draco replied as his cuff links unbuttoning because of his constant movement.

"Then powerful Mr. Malfoy explain your devious little plan," she replied looking up at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"I have two friends that are top Aurors, so do you Miss Granger, one even set up this Mission for me. Mr. Potter it seems is most anxious to get you home but my other friend believes that this is a 'suicide mission'. I know he would gladly send me top secret files," Draco said walking over to the massive desk that was right beside the recliner, "so I will just owl him and we shall receive those files soon enough. If not, his partner will be hearing from me."

"Who Detective?" Hermione asked looking over the couch as he bent over writing furiously on the parchment.

"Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter's partner," he replied as pulled out another piece of parchment, "and let me inform my old friend the Minister of Magic, Mr. Percy Weasely."

"Old friend? Humph," she laughed, turning away from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They both were laid out on the floor in front of the fire, work had ceased hours ago, and they had just been laying there remembering old times.

"You remember Porto - Novo?" she asked as she took another drink of her tea.

"Hmm, I could never forget that scenic hell-hole, the best place for Peter Pettigrew to go," Draco replied leaning his head on his hand.

"We had fun though," she replied laughing, "remember you tried to teach me Cor Cordi Seruptionis?"

Draco erupted in long, deep, laughs that made Hermione tingle all over, "How many animals did we give heart attacks to that day?"

"Too many," Hermione smiled, "I didn't learn that spell until I really needed to I guess."

"When was that?" he asked taking a long sip of his tea.

"The Battle of Madrid, three years later, the day Hagrid died," Hermione replied looking at her hands, "in my fit of tears I cast a Cor Cordi Seruptioonis on the Death Eater who AK'ed Hagrid."

"Speaking of old Hogwarts friends, why haven't you asked about them?" Draco asked as she sat up abruptly.

"Because, I'll never see them again. Why learn about them and have my heart yearn for them forever?" she asked looking over into his steel gray eyes.

"Why yearn when you can have them?" he asked sitting up beside her.

Hermione stayed silent for a while before turning her head toward Draco, "You said Blaise Zabini was Harry's partner?"

Draco smiled, his first breakthrough, "Well, they used to be partners. Blaise, at the moment, is working with Lavender Brown-Finch-Fletchley."

"Lavender married Justin?" Hermione asked, her eyes lighting up in delight.

"Yep, they have a child too. Justin is the Herbology teacher at Durmstang and Lavender is probably going to go there and work. Leaving Blaise with Potter again," Draco replied filling their cups full of tea again.

"How is Harry?" she asked quietly.

"Harry is a top notch Auror, living with his long time girlfriend Ginny Weasely in Godric's Hollow, " he replied drinking some tea.

"Is he happy?"

"Yea, you could say so, but there are some people in this world that could make it a little happier for the poor man," Draco replied throwing her a knowing look.

Hermione ignored him, "What about Ron?"

"Ah, Ron, some men say he is the luckiest man since Harry Potter himself," Draco chuckled, not agreeing with that statement at all.

"Why is that?' she asked placing her feet under her.

"Because he is the Chaser for the Chudley's Cannons, who, many say, have had their best year since 1980. Because he is engaged to the very elusive Pansy Parkinson, who is chairperson of the Remus Lupin Foundation," Draco replied laughing at the irony of all that, years ago Pansy would puke in public before looking at a real Werewolf.

"Really? Engaged?" she smiled.

"Really, he even donated to the foundation," he said laughing still. "Now the R.L. Foundation was established about five years ago by Sirius Black. They have some of the best research teams in Europe working on potions to stop transformations. Nevertheless, Pansy is really proud of a product they are working on to stop all transformations forever."

"Wow," Hermione mumbled blinking away tears, she felt she was missing so much.

"Oliver Wood, who is the captain of the US Qudditch world team & member of the Chudley Cannons, married his teammate Cho Chang a couple of months back, the wedding was huge," Draco continued not even looking at her.

"Dean Thomas and Hannah Abbot work with me at the ICWL, both are doing nicely, Hannah is dating Fleur Delacour's brother, and Dean is dating Angelina Johnson's younger sister. Angelina married a broken Fred a year after the War, and Fred closed Weasely's Wizard Wheezes after finding out that his twin was killed after being captured. He's still a nice Weasely but he's not the same some say."

"I didn't know George was killed in the war," Hermione said looking away from the fire.

"He was killed shortly after Voldemort was destroyed," he replied with a sad tone.

"Oh, Detective, may I ask you a personal question?" she asked turning her eyes from him.

"Yes."

"You are an old friend, what is going on in your life?" Hermione asked in a slowly a voice that Draco would have sworn was thick with emotion.

"I live in a Penthouse Apartment on Diagon Alley, my work is my life, my best friend is Blaise, Molly Weasely invites me to dinner ever Solstice, what else is there to know?" Draco replied standing up, sitting his cup on the mantle.

"Why don't you live at the Manor?" Hermione asked looking up at his tall muscular frame.

"I had it renovated for my bride but there wasn't a wedding. Now the whole house reminds me of her and I just don't live there anymore, I can't," he replied as another button on his shirt unbuttoned when he stretched.

"Why not Detective?" she asked looking at the man whom she once loved dearly.

Draco sighed loudly before looking up, "It's late Miss Granger, I think you ought to Floo home."

Hermione stood up about to oblige him but stopped, "Detective why won't you answer me?"

Draco let his father slip into his expression before replying coldly, "Just like it's too painful for you to think about going home, it's too much for me to think about the woman who holds my heart."

"Detective, why haven't you married anyone else? You deserve that," she replied avoiding his Lucius like eyes.

"Because Malfoy's only deserve the best and she is the best, I haven't seen her in ages. However, my love will never falter," Draco replied turning away from her quickly.

"Detective, you act as if we aren't in the same room," Hermione said loudly trying to get attention.

Draco poured himself a glass of Scotch and sat on the couch, tearing open the rest of his shirt, "You don't understand, you're not her, you can't be."

"Why not?" Hermione asked as pieces of hair fell out of his ponytail, framing his face, creating the look of a grief-stricken man over the love he lost.

"I knew her, I don't know you," he whispered as he hung his head and chocked back deep throaty sobs.

Hermione struggled not to reach out for him and realizing he was right she shut her eyes and before jumping into the Floo system whispered, "Goodnight Detective Malfoy."