Breakfast at Natalie's

Hermione paced nervously in front of the door, waiting for Amy to arrive. She didn't know why she was so anxious. Malfoy had assured her over and over that Amy would be a great tutor for Cassie and Riley, but she was still apprehensive. It wasn't that she wasn't qualified enough. No, she just didn't feel comfortable leaving her children with a stranger. She was afraid that something might happen to them...that Joseph might find them and take them away from her...

Malfoy had even offered to take them to work with him, or even take time off to help look after them, but she had refused. It wasn't that she was worried about him mistreating them or anything; he treated them like they were his own children, and they adored him in turn, always jumping all over him when he came home from work. That was precisely the reason she didn't like him spending so much time with them--it seemed like he was taking her job, replacing her. And even worse, the more time they spent with him, the more attached they got. She would never be able to leave him if she wanted to. They bound her to him, and it was a tie that could not be severed, for her children's sake.

She sighed in frustration. Everything had gotten so complicated. She didn't know what to do...didn't know exactly she felt, especially about Malfoy. There was still a small twinge of loathing that flared up sometimes, but she mostly kept it in check. Sometimes she blamed him for everything that had happened, but deep down she knew that it was all her own fault. She knew that he still loved her--he told her that often enough, but she usually brushed away his displays of affection, leaving his words hanging in midair like a cloud of smoke. She knew that this puzzled and hurt him, but she could not go back to what they had so easily. She thought that it would be better this way, rather than to fall in love and have her heart broken all over again. She didn't want to get his hopes up, for fear of having to rip them away again.

She jumped, feeling a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey," said Malfoy. "Stop pacing, will you? You're going to put a hole in the floor."

"Sorry," she said. "I'm just..."

"Nervous," he finished for her. "Yeah, I know."

She noticed that he looked annoyed. "Sorry," she said again. "I can't help it."

The doorbell chimed, and Hermione rushed to open it. Amy stood on the doorstep dressed in a charcoal grey wool coat, gazing appreciatively up at the house.

"Hello," she said, shaking Hermione's hand. She spotted Malfoy lurking in the background. "Oh, Mr. Malfoy, I didn't know you lived here too."

"Er, this is my sister's house," he said vaguely.

"Right," said Hermione, interrupting them. "I need to leave for work, so I'll just show introduce you to the kids then."

"Oh, of course," said Amy, looking a little flustered. She gave Malfoy an apologetic look that was not lost on Hermione.

"They're upstairs," said Hermione, already going up the steps without bothering to see if Amy was following. She opened the door to the playroom, where a table and chairs had been set up. "Cassie, Riley, your new teacher is here."

"Well, hello there," said Amy, smiling amiably. "My name is Amy. I'm going to be your teacher."

"Are you a witch?" asked Riley.

"Riley," reprimanded Hermione. "That wasn't very polite."

"Oh, it's alright," said Amy. She turned to Riley. "Yes, I am a witch."

"Are you going to teach us magic?" said Cassie, looking up at her reverently.

"No," said Amy, with a glance at Hermione, who was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "You're a little too young for that. But I will be teaching you other things, like math."

"Aww, I don't wanna learn math," whined Riley.

"Riley, please don't make this difficult," said Hermione, sighing. "Amy is here to teach you what you would be learning in school. You will learn magic when you're older, I promise. But I have to go to work now, so I need you to stay here and be good. Do what Amy says, alright?"

"Yes, Mum," they chorused, rushing to hug her. She kissed them on their cheeks, and then left them with Amy, relieved that they seemed to get along quite well. Malfoy was slipping into his coat when she came downstairs.

"I'm leaving now," he said, doing the buttons.

"Yes, I can see that," she said, fixing him with an icy stare.

"What?" he said. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What is going on between you and Amy?"

"What?" he said, flabbergasted. "Nothing. There's nothing going on between us."

"Right," she said sarcastically. "You expect me to believe that."

"Seriously," he said. "There's nothing."

She continued to glare at him.

"Okay, fine," he said, giving in. "We went on a date. Once."

"You went on a date?"

"Yeah, so? What's wrong with that? It was only one date." He realized how bad that sounded after he said it.

She made a noise of disgust. "That is so typical of you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, offended. "Are you saying that I'm...promiscuous? That I sleep around?"

She refused to answer him.

"Ha! I know!" He grinned at her. "You're just jealous!"

"Don't be ridiculous," she replied. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Malfoy innocently, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Maybe it's because you're still secretly in love with me, but you don't want to admit it, so you get jealous every time I so much as look at another woman. Isn't that right?"

"No, I...it's not..." she protested. "That's not..."

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You think I don't know you? Do you think I don't notice how you get all huffy when other women talk to me? I know why you were acting the way you were towards Amy."

"I wasn't..."

"Just admit it," he said. "It's okay, you know."

"Fine," she said between gritted teeth. Anything to make him shut up. "Fine. I admit it. Happy now?"

"No," said Malfoy, smiling mischievously. "I want you to say it. I want you to say, 'Yes, I admit that I'm secretly in love with you still, and I've been acting all weird because I'm jealous.' Say it."

"I'm not going to say it," she said grumpily.

"Say it," he said, leaning close to her so that their noses were only two inches apart. "Just say it. I want to hear you say it."

"I won't!" she shouted, shoving him away. He stumbled backwards, and she took the opportunity to yank the door open and run outside. He steadied himself and then ran after her.

"Hermione!" he called, and he could see her running just ahead of him. "Hermione, come back!"

He chased her until she stopped to catch her breath, clutching a stitch in her side.

"I'm sorry," he said, as they leaned against two tall trees. "I didn't mean to tease you like that, alright?"

She kept her gaze on the ground, staring at a patch of yellowed grass.

"Hermione, please." He sighed. He'd done it again. He touched her shoulder lightly and then began to walk back towards the house. After he had gotten barely a few paces away, she spoke so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

"I still love you," she said.

"What?" he said, freezing in his tracks. He turned to look at her. "What did you say?"

"I love you, Draco," she said. It was such a relief to finally let the words out. Now she couldn't stop saying them. "I love you. I've always loved you, and I'm sorry that I've been so terrible to you the last few weeks. It's true, I am jealous. I don't want you to replace me."

"Hermione," he said, coming back and taking her hands gently. "I'm never going to replace you."

"Then why..." There were tears rolling down her cheeks now, but she ignored them. "Why Amy?"

"Amy," he sighed. "She was kind of a mistake. I wasn't the one who asked her. It wasn't a really date anyway, since Charlie and I were doing an all-night watch and I brought her so that I wouldn't look suspicious."

"Then, there wasn't anything?"

"Nothing," he said firmly. "We're just friends."

"Oh, Draco," she said, throwing her arms around him. "I'm so, so sorry. I've been an absolute monster. I really have. I don't know how you've managed to put up with me."

"I knew you'd come around someday," he said, half joking. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, and this time, she kissed him back.

-----------------------------

"Hermione? Did you just hear what I said?"

"Hmm?" she said, snapping out of her reverie. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Marion sighed. "I asked you if we still had any powdered dragon claw in the storeroom. I'm doing an inventory so that we can report to the potions supplies manager for this month's orders. What's the matter with you today?"

"I'm just a little distracted today," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The truth was, she'd been busy thinking about Malfoy. She felt giddy, like a schoolgirl in love.

"Yes, I can see that," said Marion, scribbling something on her notepad. "Will you do me a favor and check the storeroom? Here's a list of things I think we're running short on." Marion handed her a slip of paper. "I would normally send Gideon, but I can't seem to find him."

"Sure," said Hermione, taking the paper.

"Oh, and here's the key too," said Marion, giving her a tiny silver key on a chain.

Hermione exited the Children's Ward and began walking towards the long corridor where the storerooms were. Many of St. Mungo's employees referred to this corridor as "The Never-Ending Hallway" because it was the longest hallway in the entire hospital. It also happened to be among the most unused, since the only thing that was there were storerooms and broom closets and people were sent down about once a month to do an inventory check. Unbeknownst to her, she strolled right past the broom closet where Gideon, one of the Official Errand Boys for the Third Floor, lay unconscious, with his wand and his bright green Errand Boy robes missing.

She arrived at the very end of the hallway, where the potions storeroom for the Children's Ward was located, and she fished inside her pocket for the key. The door swung open after a hard push and then slammed shut behind her, enveloping her in a musty darkness. She sneezed twice and then muttered, "Lumos." Her wand flared to life, giving the already gloomy room a ghostly, almost sinister quality. She raised the wand to shoulder height, casting a grayish light over the rows and rows of grimy shelves that stood before her. The shelves were arranged in alphabetical order and had labels that were now beginning to peel off. She made a mental note to send a memo to the Magical Repairs Squad when she returned to the ward.

"Boars' hair, dragon claw (powdered), mangrove nectar..." said Hermione, holding the paper near the light so that she could read Marion's spindly handwriting. She moved slowly down the dim aisles, peering into the cardboard boxes and inspecting the contents of glass jars. By the time she had made it to the last few items on the list, her previous giddiness had worn off and she was feeling cross and irritated with Marion for sending her down here (and with herself for agreeing to go). As she reached the 'S' aisle, she felt a little tired, and she sat down on top of a stack of boxes.

Suddenly, she thought she heard footsteps. Was she merely imagining it? She stayed still and tilted her head to the side, listening hard.

There it was again. Coming closer now.

Her mouth felt dry, and her throat seemed to have stopped working. Then she realized how ridiculous she was being. Marion must've finally found Gideon and sent him down here to relive her of this tedious work (not that it mattered much now, since she was very nearly finished). She relaxed and leaned her head against the shelf again.

She could still hear the footsteps, closer now.

"Hello?" she called out.

The footsteps stopped abruptly.

"Is someone there?" No one answered. "Sorry to disappoint you, but if you've been sent by Marion, you can go back and tell her that the inspection is done. We're out of powdered dragon claw and tarantula venom."

The person didn't respond, but resumed walking, not back towards the door, but towards her. Her heart seemed to automatically quicken its pace. Should she run? She stood up, her legs a little wobbly.

The footsteps stopped, and now she could hear the person breathing heavily. She slowly stepped out from behind the shelf, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Gideon," she said, recognizing the errand boy. "You gave me quite a scare."

He kept his eyes fixed upon her, raised his wand and bellowed, "Imperio!"

There was no time for her to react; there was a rush of air and she flinched a little when she felt the impact. Then she felt a blissful sense of freedom, as if she didn't have a care in the world. That was when everything went black.