Blood of Mud, Wing of Bat

---

Chapter 23: May Combust in the Presence of Heat

---

The mustard-yellow waiting room outside of Malfoy's office was as much of a zoo as the Aur Central lobby had been. Poopsie was jumping up and down screeching, there was a witch sobbing in the corner (Hermione recognized her as the one whose wand Malfoy had commandeered the day before) and to top it off, there were two blustering Aurors trying to get past Poopsie into the inner office.

As Hermione edged into the crowded little room clutching her broomstick, briefcase, and the two evidence bags, she stared at the two Aurors with interest. She recognized their uniforms, but only because she knew a lot about Aurors and their organization. She'd certainly never expected to see people from their particular department face to face.

---

Aurors or hit-wizards had once been an elite force, used to hunt down and destroy Dark wizards one-on-one and with devastating skill. But during the long war that had led to Lord Voldemort's eighth and possibly final defeat at the hands of Harry Potter, the ranks of the Aurors had grown to several thousand, many of them hastily trained and packed off to battle still wet behind the ears. Though these "ickle Aurors" were a joke compared to the originals, their sheer numbers allowed the part of the Ministry then known as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to swell in both power and influence until it almost overwhelmed the rest of the Ministry.

During the war, near-martial law had seemed a comfort to those who feared Voldemort's dark armies, but afterward there was a backlash against the tremendous power the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had come to hold. Many called for reforms, fearing unfair hunts and imprisonments such as had followed the first war.

A decision was made to dismantle the bloated Department of Magical Law Enforcement in favor of a less centralized approach. Each department of the Ministry would have its own Aurors drawn from the oversupply of young Aurors who'd survived the war. These lesser Aurors would then be authorized to act only in their own specialized jurisdictions, preventing too much power from being centered in one place. And the core of the Aurors' strength -- the elite force that had once been the terror of the Dark Wizarding world -- would be split down the center. The hit-wizards would become Auror Special Operations, and the covert operatives become Auror Covert Operations.

The Department of Auror Affairs was created and charged with carrying out the redistribution of personnel and then continuing to oversee the activities of the resulting splinter departments on an ongoing basis.

As far as the wizarding public was concerned, that solved the problem completely. With the bulk of the "ickle" Aurors scattered hither and yon, and the most powerful Aurors split into two different departments with two different directors and two different agendas, it was not possible for fear of Aurors to dominate a peacetime wizarding world.

Many of the oldest Aurors were livid over the division. Since then, they had done their worst to prove that those Ministers who had helped make the reforms happen were, themselves, Dark Wizards. It was an ugly business, though fortunately mostly hidden from public view. Hermione had heard quite a lot about it from Arthur and from family friends.

One of the side effects of the restructurings was that there were now Aurors - loosely termed - in many different departments, some of them so obscure most people weren't even aware that they existed. Until, of course, they ran afoul of them.

One of those little known departments was the tiny Bureau of Unique and Magical Menageries Enforcement and Rescue. The two Aurors who comprised that department had no job other than to look into allegations of criminal abuse or neglect of magical animals. Acting on tips provided by various shelters, activist groups and concerned individuals, they had the power to arrest and charge those guilty of committing crimes related to magical pets as well as work animals, zoo specimens, and illegally held wild species.

Hermione had to wonder why those two particular Aurors - "ickle" Aurors if there ever were any - were trying to get inside Malfoy's office.

---

A few minutes after Hermione arrived and sat down, the clamoring voices silenced suddenly. She looked up from the Knowitall she was working on and saw that Malfoy had appeared in the doorway, hand braced tensely on the frame. His pale eyes darted to Hermione's, then down to the Aur Central evidence bags she had with her. Then he stared suspiciously to the two Aurors. Finally he turned his attention to the wandless witch in the corner.

"Who are you?" His voice almost too-quiet after the hubbub of before.

"Gina White," said the witch tearfully. "You have my wand?"

Malfoy hesitated, and Hermione wondered if he'd had to consult the Memoralias charm to verify the claim. People had forgotten more after drinking less than Malfoy had that day.

"Ah," he said sourly. "You'll have to wait."

"But - "

"And you?" Malfoy demanded of the Aurors.

"I'm Officer Bendover," said the male, "and my partner here is Officer Bangor." He indicated the female Auror. "We're technically with the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but we've been permanently assigned to the Bureau of Unique and Magical Menageries Enforcement and Rescue."

Malfoy's nostrils flared. "Bendover and Bangor from the department of B.U.M.M.E.R?" he exclaimed indignantly. "Is this a joke?"

"Nobody is playing a prank on you Mr. Malfoy," said Bendover seriously. "You can check with Central Authority if you wish, and you'll find we are quite legitimate. Our department assists entities such as the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Magical Animals with enforcing the relevant laws."

"What relevant laws?" asked Malfoy suspiciously. "No… forget it. I don't have time do deal with this right now. Weasley, come with me. Poopsie, call Blitzkrieg & Ramhomme and tell them I need someone here as soon as possible."

Poopsie clapped a palm to her cheek in an expression of sincerest dismay. "Yes, Master Draco," she said unhappily. "Poopsie call them right away."

---

Blitzkrieg & Ramhomme Attorneys At Wizarding Law were high powered lawyers with a reputation for ruthlessness and being "color blind" vis-a-vis a client's allegiance to Dark or Light. Hermione wasn't at all surprised to hear Malfoy retained them. He fit the profile of their typical client perfectly: rich, pureblooded, and with severe legal difficulties. Hermione rather expected Poopsie's stricken expression had to do with the sort of reception Freed-elves usually encountered when contacting the firm.

---

Apparently the mention of lawyers didn't scare Bendover and Bangor at all, because as Hermione moved to follow Malfoy into his office, the two Aurors barged in after them.

"Mr. Malfoy, a word," said Bendover.

Malfoy spun defensively to face them, and Hermione stopped right where she was, unsure of what to do.

"I realize you are a very busy man," said Bendover, "but we've come on a matter of great importance."

"Is this your owl?" asked Bangor. She moved over to the conference table, visually inspecting Malfoy's giant eagle owl, which was standing on top of its cage on the table. Bendover followed.

"Yes," said Malfoy, backing away as they came farther forward. "What's this all about?"

"You don't mind if we take a look at him, do you?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Do you use this owl for fighting other owls?"

"No."

"Sir, are you aware that owl fighting is illegal in England, Scotland and most of Europe?"

"Yes," said Malfoy. "But -"

"These eagle-owls have been known to attack other owls even in the wild. Many times wizards own them because they want a tough owl that will fight and is big enough to injure most other types of owls," said Bendover.

Malfoy was beginning to look seriously annoyed. "I happen to like the breed. Is that a crime now?"

"Sir, we've received a complaint that your owl attacked two post-owls belonging to the Daily Prophet newspaper. That's why we're here."

Bangor poked at the owl's feathers with her wand, revealing dried scabs underneath. "These look like fighting wounds to me, sir."

Malfoy blanched. "How did -"

"Can you explain how this happened?"

"No," began Malfoy. "But -"

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow an owl known to be vicious and aggressive remain at large," said Officer Bendover.

"Now wait just a minute," began Malfoy, but he was too late. Officer Bendover pulled out his wand and stunned the owl. The owl's feet loosened and it toppled over. Bangor caught it before it could hit the table.

Malfoy looked as if he had just been stunned himself. After a couple of abortive attempts, he finally managed to say: "You had better have a warrant for this."

"Oh yes," said Officer Bendover. He dug a piece of paper out of his pocket and peeled off the copy stuck to it. "This is for you," he said, handing it to Malfoy. Hermione noticed Bendover hadn't put his wand away; perhaps people sometimes got violent when their pets were confiscated.

Malfoy took the warrant and read it. Instantly he was furious. "Willful neglect? Excessive confinement? Unlawful ownership of a dangerous bird? This is preposterous!"

The difference between a confused, irritated, off-balance Malfoy and an outraged Malfoy was pretty impressive. The two officers edged back, and Bangor got her wand out too.

"Mr. Malfoy," said Officer Bendover, "please calm down. We do have the power to arrest you if it becomes necessary."

Malfoy did not appear to be calming down at all. In fact he appeared angry enough to spit poison. "I donate twenty thousand galleons a year to the SPCMA!"

"That's very generous of you Mr. Malfoy, but the fact remains that this owl's water hasn't been changed and his cage obviously requires cleaning. He's been in at least one fight and you claim you didn't even realize he was injured though it happened at least 48 hours ago. How long were you going to wait before you looked after the welfare of your bird?"

"I'll have you know Ginger is very well cared for," said Malfoy.

"Well if we had come and found the claims weren't substantiated, we might have been able to leave Ginger here, but as it is -" began Bendover.

Malfoy growled. "Poopsie!" he yelled.

The Freed elf appeared with a BANG, causing both Aurors to jump.

"Yes Master, what is -" began the elf.

Malfoy grabbed Poopsie by the collar.

"Who is supposed to be in charge of keeping this cage clean?" he demanded in a low, furious voice.

Poopsie's eyes rolled nervously and her ears drooped. "Ginger's cage is Sticky's job, Master," she said.

"Well then," he said, silken and deadly, "tell Sticky to get over here and clean it. And the next time he embarrasses me like this, he's going to find himself cleaning toilets for some charity organization for ten knuts a day, is that understood?"

"Oh no, not clothes!" wailed Poopsie. "Not clothes for Sticky!"

"Just tell him," said Malfoy tightly, pushing her away.

"Yes Master," said Poopsie miserably. She vanished with a second BANG.

Both Aurors' expressions had changed from neutral to hostile during Malfoy's interaction with the Freed elf. Hermione wasn't too happy with him either, for that matter. There was no excuse for abusing house-elves. If that's how he treated even the Freed Poopsie, who could defend herself, imagine what he did to the poor enslaved ones at his Manor! And after that little display, one really did have to wonder how he treated his owl.

"The Daily Prophet didn't complain about my owl's cage," said Malfoy. "Who did?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy," said Bendover frostily, "but we aren't at liberty to -"

"The person would have to be here, wouldn't they?" demanded Malfoy. "They'd have to claim they witnessed - " His eyes narrowed. "It's Nesbitt, isn't it!"

"We can neither confirm nor -" began Bendover, but apparently this revelation had snapped what little restraint Malfoy had left. He stamped his foot like the spoiled child he had once been.

"That bastard couldn't care less about my owl," he snarled, "he's just trying to make trouble for me! This is harassment, pure and simple!"

"Now, Mr. Malfoy," began Bendover.

"I'm sick of it!" Malfoy yelled. "As a matter of fact I'm done with it. I refuse to put up with this anymore."

"Now just -" Bendover began again, but Malfoy grabbed the bowl of owl tips from his desk and hurled it straight at the Auror's head. Bendover was forced to abandon all pride and leap out of the way. The bowl struck the wall hard, exploding into shards and hundreds of loose Sickles.

"Oh my God," said Bangor, backing away.

Bendover leveled his wand at Malfoy. "Petrif -"

Even before he'd finished the spell, Malfoy had drawn his own wand with lightning speed. "Erratus!" he yelled. Bendover's curse misfired and he fumbled his wand and dropped it.

"Don't even start with me," hissed Malfoy. "I'm way out of your league."

As he started toward Bendover, the Auror stooped and snatched up his wand, backing away. He looked pale. "Bangor, go," said the Auror tensely.

Bangor scurried toward the fireplace, still carrying Malfoy's giant eagle owl in her arms. Malfoy's pale eyes darted after her, but Bendover succeeded in bringing his attention back to himself by lifting his wand again.

Hermione never knew what spell he tried to cast that time - a calming charm might not have been a bad idea - but before even the first syllable was out, Malfoy reacted.

"Exstinguate!"

And the spell died unborn. Bendover backed farther away and Malfoy kept coming, his pale eyes gleaming.

"Tell me how it was done," said Malfoy. "Was it done through the SPCMA? Who is his contact there?"

"I can't tell you that," said Bendover as he backed farther around the conference table.

There was a flare of green light from the other end of the room as Bangor made her escape via floo.

Malfoy hooked his fingers into the owl cage as he passed it, and hurled it to the floor with a crash that made Bendover jump and stumble backward faster. Owl feathers and dust went everywhere.

"Yes you can," said Malfoy as kicked the cage's carcass aside and kept coming. "And you will." He was so focused on Bendover that he didn't even seem to notice Hermione, though he passed so near her that she could feel the heat coming off him, hear him breathing hard.

It was about this time that it really struck home with Hermione that she was not spying and she was not in the tiny obscure body of a fly. She was life size, in person, and standing right in the line of fire. She pressed herself back beside a pillar protruding from the wall, trying to present as small a target as possible as the stressed-out looking Bendover tried to curse Malfoy again.

"Stupef-"

"Deflecto!" Malfoy yelled immediately, and Bendover's curse bounced off him and hit one of the towering outer windows instead, shattering it. Both Bendover and Malfoy cringed as a tremendous quantity of broken glass crashed to the floor below. Hermione flinched and almost cried out as she was hit by several flying shards.

If I live through this, she vowed, I promise I will never, ever feel guilty about being in fly form again.

Bendover looked as shaken as Hermione felt. Malfoy recovered more quickly and began to advance on the Auror again.

"I think I've been quite reasonable about this," said Malfoy, "especially considering I am not really armed. But if you curse me again I am going to make you regret it. Do you understand?"

Far from understanding, Bendover looked confused. "Not really armed? What -" There was a pause. "Wait a minute," said Bendover. "That's a student wand you're using!"

It was true; now that the Auror had drawn attention to it, Hermione could see that it was an ordinary student wand still bearing an Ollivander's crest. A wand like that would be unable to withstand the kind of power an adult could put into a curse. Even the defensive spells Malfoy had cast already were probably near the limits of what it could handle. Too much more abuse, and it would simply burn up like a bit of tinder. Needless to say it wouldn't last a minute in a serious duel.

Hermione suspected it was his son's wand. He would have had access to it all summer every summer for four or five years now. By practicing diligently he could have become proficient enough at using it to perform simple spells like those defensive ones. And with Salazar temporarily out of school, the wand was available for borrowing.

"Yes, it is a student wand," sneered Malfoy. "And it's a sad testament to what Aurors have become that I was able to chase you around the room with it."

Bendover's jaw tightened, and he raised his own wand again. Malfoy dropped the student-wand and drew Gina White's oaken wand from the vee of his robes instead.

All right. Now Bendover was really in trouble.

Malfoy's ability to Apparate with nearly any wand was an impressive trick, but that was probably all it was - a sideshow stunt, a lot of obsessive practice put toward a very narrowly specialized skill. That skill was not likely to translate to any other kind of spell. There was a reason why he hadn't tried to stop Nesbitt and Benkmann from searching his yacht using magic - if he tried to curse someone using a stranger's wand, the same wild side effects would happen to him as happened to anyone else desperate enough to try such a thing.

However, right at the moment Malfoy looked ready to give it a shot anyway. And nobody, but nobody wanted to be on the wrong end of an experimental wand attack. Or an experimental wand defense for that matter.

"Look," said Bendover shakily. "That isn't your wand either, is it? You're not going to be able to do anything to me with that."

"Try me," snarled Malfoy.

Bendover gulped. "All right. Let's think about this logically, here. You don't know what will happen if you try to use that. You wouldn't want to be responsible for a death, would you?"

"Can you hear yourself?" demanded Malfoy in disbelief. "Are you as naïve as you sound?"

"Just… calm down," said Bendover. "Nobody needs to curse anybody."

"A little late to think of that," said Malfoy. "Since you already tried to curse me three times."

"You became violent," said Bendover. "It was necessary to defend myself and my partner."

Malfoy swelled up in indignation. "You kidnapped my owl, accused me of animal abuse and -"

"OK… just… hold on a minute," said Bendover. Hermione realized he was now edging toward Malfoy, rather than away. She wondered if he was going to try to disarm him physically. "I understand you're upset, and believe it or not, I can even understand why. You're not the first person to lose it when we come to take their pet. Actually it happens more often than you'd think. It's an upsetting experience, and not one most people are equipped to deal with. Especially when it comes as a surprise."

"This isn't about my owl," said Malfoy. "It's about Rudeo Nesbitt and his vendetta against my family."

But he sounded somewhat less angry than before, more resentful. Bendover was close enough now that he appeared to loom over him. Hermione realized that Malfoy was responding to the physical domination without even being aware of it.

"You may be right," said Bendover. He spoke in a calm, positive voice. Hermione wondered if he'd been trained in de-escalation or something. It wasn't an area she had any knowledge of. "I'm not going to deny it because I don't know anything about it," Bendover continued. "Maybe someone did have some ulterior motive for reporting you. I don't know. But I'm not going to curse you again, all right? So don't worry."

"You couldn't if you tried," said Malfoy. The tip of his wand jerked a bit, nearly tapping Bendover's chest.

"Just… try to calm down," said Bendover. He took a final step closer, and put a hand on Malfoy's wand shoulder. Malfoy flinched at the touch, but didn't pull away. "Put the wand down," said Bendover. "You don't need it for anything. As long as you remain calm, I'm not even going to try to do anything to you."

Malfoy looked as if he'd rather eat glass, but he finally, grudgingly lowered his wand.

"Good," said Bendover soothingly. He shifted his hand down to Malfoy's bicep. "Why don't you come over here and sit down and try to relax," he said. "We can talk things out, and keep things civilized." He turned Malfoy toward the desk.

"Ow, easy," said Malfoy, scowling.

"I'm barely touching you," said Bendover patiently. And it was true; Hermione could see he wasn't forcing Malfoy in any way. "Come on."

Hermione was amazed that Malfoy had allowed Bendover to touch him at all. She was even more amazed when, after a reluctant pause, Malfoy allowed the Auror to guide him back to his chair and sit him down.

Once seated, Malfoy put his elbows on his desk and dropped his head into his hands in apparent defeat. Gina White's wand was still curled loosely in the fingers of his left hand. Bendover resisted what must have been a powerful temptation to try to take it from him, and instead patted Malfoy's back reassuringly.

"I know it's very painful to lose a pet," the Auror began.

"Don't patronize me," gritted Malfoy, without moving from his position.

Bendover sighed. "Look," he said. "You can come down to the SPCMA and talk to them. They realize that sometimes there are circumstances that make it difficult to care for an animal properly no matter how much you might want to. Sometimes if the animal has been placed in a shelter or foster home, you can get it back later by proving you have managed to clean up your act and that the temporary hardship has passed."

"My 'hardship' isn't going to pass until this harassment ends," said Malfoy. "And at this rate, the harassment isn't going to end until I'm dead or wrongfully convicted."

"Maybe you're better off not having a pet at all then," said Bendover.

"Is that all you think about? Pets?"

"Yes," said Bendover. "It is my job after all."

He gave Malfoy's back a final pat, then turned his attention to Hermione. It was a bit of a surprise - she'd almost forgotten she was really there.

"Are you all right, Ma'am?"

"Just a few cuts," said Hermione. "I think I need to sit down." Her knees were all rubbery from release from adrenaline. She walked unsteadily to one of the chairs in front of Malfoy's desk and sank into it. "This is a lot more excitement than I'm used to," she admitted.

"For all of us, I think," said Bendover. "Ah, speaking of which, I'd better nip back in at the SPCMA and let Bangor know everything is all right. She's fresh out of school and tends to be a bit impulsive. There have already been several… incidents."

Malfoy lifted his head and turned to watch as Bendover went over to the fireplace and threw a packet of floo powder into it. Green fire flared up.

"Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Magical Animals, Main Office," said Bendover. But instead of entering the floo right away, he turned back toward Malfoy and Hermione. "You know -" he began.

And a huge belch of green fire flared out of the fireplace behind him.

In the next instant, Officer Bangor plowed into the room, wand at the ready. She nearly bowled Bendover over as she ran forward a couple of steps and then aimed at Malfoy.

"Stupe-"

Malfoy's eyes widened and he dove out of his chair onto the floor before she had finished the curse. The curse hit the chair and smacked it violently backward, ramming it into the base of the liquor cabinet. Malfoy hit the floor rolling and came up with Gina White's wand pointed directly at Bendover who was still standing horrified in front of the waiting outgoing floo.

"Expelliarmus!" The unfamiliar wand bucked in Malfoy's hand. There was a tremendous flash of red and violet light and the nugget of the curse slammed Bendover dead on, trailing streamers of fire. Bendover's wand shot toward Malfoy and Bendover himself was bowled backward into the floo and vanished with a bright flash and a shower of whistling sparks.

Even before the sparks had died, Malfoy was gone. Disapparated, Hermione assumed.

"Jesus," squeaked Bangor. "What the devil was that?"

Hermione wasn't entirely sure. Even Malfoy couldn't have foreseen exactly how his Expelliarmus would have been mangled by his using White's wand. One thing was for certain, though: the SPCMA's main offices had just been visited by a flaming wandless Auror travelling backward at extreme velocity.

This was never a good thing.

As Hermione opened her mouth to answer, Malfoy silently re-Apparated directly behind Bangor.

Hermione's mouth fell the rest of the way open as Malfoy lunged at the Auror and tackled her in a headlock. Hermione was taken aback by the suddenness and violence of the action. Bangor had the typical sturdy build that most witches in law enforcement sported and probably outweighed Malfoy, but they were matched in height and he'd clearly taken the advantage with the surprise attack.

The Auror's wand clattered to the floor as he dragged her staggering backward, Gina White's wand's tip pressed into her back. Their panting rang out harshly into the air of the office.

"Listen, you simpering blue-robed rubbish," he hissed into the Auror's ear. "I know Nesbitt is behind this travesty of justice and I want you to bring him a message from me."

"I… I…" choked Bangor. Her fingers struggled to pry his arm from around her neck. He clung viciously, refusing to give in despite the obvious effort it took to keep his hold.

"You tell that smug bastard," Malfoy continued, "that the day he finds the balls to face me one on one in a real duel, when I'm not unconscious, drunk, wandless, or suffering the aftereffects of a severe electrical shock, is the day that I will wipe the world clean of him once and for all. Do you understand?"

Bangor nodded frantically.

"And as for you," (here Malfoy's mouth twisted into an unpleasant sneer) "I have enough problems in my real life without being Bendovered and Bangored during my off hours. If I ever see the pair of you on my property again I will personally turn you into toads and have you sent over to Building E, Amphibian Butchery for parting out. Is that understood?"

Bangor nodded again.

"Good," said Malfoy. "Accio!" A packet of floo powder jumped up to his wand hand from one of her pockets. "Old Mill Ruins, Haverford Swamp," he said, throwing the powder into the fire.

"Wait a minute," gasped Officer Bangor. "Havorford Swamp, that's a hundred kilometers from nowhere! You can't send me th--aaaggghhh!!!" At which point she vanished headfirst into the floo after a firm shove from Malfoy.

"Yes, actually, I can," he gasped. He was panting like a blown racehorse.

He rammed Gina White's wand back into a sleek combat sheath laced tightly to his right forearm, then stumbled to his desk and braced a hip against it, head bowed, struggling to regain his breath. His right hand was gripping his left shoulder hard.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked. She had remained frozen in her chair the entire time, and had had a perfect view of everything that had happened. And a perfect view of Malfoy grimacing horribly now.

"If I wasn't all right," he said through his teeth, "would I tell you?"

"You look like you're in pain," she said.

"Remind me to thank Trelawney for sending along such an astute observer," he snarled.

"Sorry," said Hermione.

She remembered Arthur saying that despite having access to the best Medi-wizards, Malfoy was accumulating irreparable damage due to being injured in combat so many times. She also remembered how stiff he'd been after being manhandled by Nesbitt the other day, and how he'd protested when Poopsie had pulled on his left arm. He'd even complained when Bendover only touched it. It seemed fair to bet that at least one of those injuries was to that left arm or shoulder. She also wondered about the gunshot wounds she'd seen him suffer in the Pensieve. The kind of wounds that could kill instantly like that weren't easily healed up even by accomplished medi-Wizards. Who knew what condition he was in internally?

His gray eyes darted up and caught her staring. He looked away immediately, scowling harder.

"How much," he panted, "do you want to be paid for your silence?"

"About the shape you're in, or about your attacking those two Aurors? I don't think that last is going to be anybody's secret for long," said Hermione.

Malfoy made an impatient hiss. "It was self defense," he said. "I don't care who knows about that. I meant the other."

"You don't have to pay me," said Hermione.

"I don't expect you to protect my secrets out of the goodness of your heart," he growled. "Not with Arthur Weasley hanging on your other ear asking for information. Tell me how much."

Hermione winced. It wasn't just that it felt wrong to accept money for something like that. She hadn't yet decided whether to tell Arthur what she knew. If she accepted Malfoy's money then she would be burning a bridge she did not want to burn.

She watched as Malfoy gingerly used the fingers of his left hand to tug his sleeve back down over the combat sheath on his other arm. Because of its placement it was easy to think Malfoy's primary wand lived in an ordinary wand pocket in his robe sleeve instead. She wondered how many other people the hidden sheath had fooled.

"Look," she said, tearing her eyes away from that. "I'd be more than satisfied if we can just finish our meeting instead."

"No chance," said Malfoy. "At least not tonight. As soon as one of those B.U.M.M.E.R. imbeciles goes crying to Special Ops, Nesbitt and his little buddy are going to be all over us like-"

POP! POP!

As if on cue, there was a loud double-pop and Rudeo Nesbitt and his new partner Benkmann Apparated into the other end of the room and started pelting straight toward Hermione and Malfoy. A curse sizzled over Hermione's head and smashed into the bookshelves behind the desk. She realized with a shock that Nesbitt had been aiming for Malfoy and that because of where she was sitting she was once again directly in the way.

All hints of physical disrepair vanished, Malfoy lunged spectacularly over his desk, drawing Gina White's wand. Hermione leaped up too, hoping to prevent him from cursing the Aurors back. With a wild grab of her free hand she managed to seize his wand arm by the wrist, throwing him off balance and herself tumbling after.

In that moment she was struck by three sudden thoughts.

The first was, I just did something incredibly stupid and I don't even know why I did it.

The second was to notice how thin his forearm was, and how the fluid interplay of bones and muscles against her palm reminded her incongruously of their fleeting handshake the day before.

The third was oh no, he wasn't casting a curse, he was Disapparating.

And then the world squeezed sickeningly in around them.

---