Unforgettable Season- Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, just the story line.

A/N: It’s me again! This is the sequel to In the Headlights, so if you haven’t read that then I strongly suggest you read it before reading this, or else you might not have much of an idea of what’s going on. The title is after a Cut Copy song, in case anyone is wondering. On with the story!

***

Hermione Granger was pissed off.

After a late night, the twenty-two year old had woken up to the sound of her alarm blaring, her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, gone without a note, only to find herself running twenty minutes late. Hermione Granger was never late. She swore angrily and rolled out of bed, jumping in the shower for a quick wash before slipping into her lime green robes, the appropriate outfit for her job as a Healer. Another glance at the clock told her that she had to report to work in five minutes, so, after employing a few more choice swear words, she disapparated with a loud pop, appearing in an Apparation Safe Zone just near the entrance of St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, rushing into the building which bore the sign “Purge and Dowse, Ltd” and giving a quick wave to the Welcome Witch at the front desk.

She quickened her pace as she saw an elevator going up opening, and she squeezed in just before the doors closed. The elevator was cramped and stuffy.

“Hermione, Healer Boomheart wants to see you straight away,” said another Healer in the same lime green robes she wore. “He’s waiting for you on your floor.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said as the other Healer got off on the third floor.

“Level Four, Spell Damage,” said a cool voice, and the doors opened with a ding. Hermione stepped out and onto the floor where she spent so many hours.

“Ah, Healer Granger, there you are!” said Healer Alosis Boomheart, hurrying over to her with a stack of folders in his arms. “You’re running late,” he noted.

“Yes, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Hermione apologized, looking down at the floor.

“Good, good. Now, I have some new patients for you. Three new ones as, a matter of fact. We have Stephan Muster, who was on the receiving end of a rather serious Stunning Spell and is currently unconscious. Something seems to have gone wrong with the spell and we can’t get him to wake up by normal means. Then there is Taylor Pearson, who put on a Vanishing Necklace, but the charm had not been applied properly and so she has now broken out into a strange rash. Removing the necklace has not done anything to improve her condition, unfortunately. Last, there is Broderick Fredrickson who has had an incredibly powerful Tickling Charm cast on him, and he won’t allow Healers close enough to remove the jinx.”

Hermione struggled to accept the three new folders on top of her already large pile in her arms. “Healer Boomheart, with all due respect, I just don’t have time for these cases. I already have five other patients, four of them who require extensive amounts of attention. Surely there is someone else who can handle these cases?”

“Yes, there are other Healers who could handle these cases, but you are by far the most skilled on this level, which is why I am assigning them to you. Now, if you don’t mind, I have more cases I need to hand out,” Healer Boomheart said finally, sidestepping Hermione who had opened her mouth to retort, and darting into the elevator.

“Fuck,” Hermione muttered as she walked through the halls to her office. She looked around the room fondly; it was rather small, but had all the space she needed. In the center of the room there was a white desk with a set of quills and some parchment beside a stack of blue folders. In the corner of the desk was a photograph of her and Draco waving on a backdrop of a rather pretty green field. There were a series of certificates on the wall, featuring her Hogwarts diploma and a framed piece of paper making all visitors to the office aware of the fact that Hermione was the recipient of an Order of Merlin: First Class.

Dumping the folders in her arms on top of the stack already present on her desk, Hermione looked over her patient chart and sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

***

Draco Malfoy was in a fantastic mood.

After a long but very fun night with his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, he had woken up just as his alarm went off, an hour before Hermione’s would. In a very pleasant and timely fashion he had showered, changed into black dress pants and a crisp black shirt, eaten his breakfast, pulled on a cloak, read The Daily Prophet, all before apparating to the Apparation Safe Zone right near the Ministry of Magic. He entered quickly, waving at a few of the wizards who he walked by and made his way to the elevator.

Looking down he saw the button for his floor, Level Nine, Department of Mysteries, to have already been pressed. He waited patiently as the elevator went up, stopping on level one, level three and level six, before finally stopping at his level. He was the last person left in the elevator, and he stepped out promptly.

Following the end of the Second Wizarding War, a new department had been formed within the Department of Mysteries. Working in the utmost secrecy, a select few worked alongside the most important members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to infiltrate any groups of Dark Wizards who posed a threat to the reformed community. Draco had been offered a position here as soon as he had left Hogwarts, as his past living with Dark Wizards offered valuable experience, which was just what they needed within the new department. Since joining up he hadn’t looked back.

“Malfoy, a word please,” he heard his boss, Edgar Fenwick say as he stuck his head out of his office. Draco walked over quickly, closing the door gently behind him and taking a seat across from his boss. Edgar Fenwick was a small man with a receding black hairline, thick black spectacles and rather large green eyes which his glasses only made appear larger. “We have some new information which needs to be investigated, and Potter seems to think that you’re the man for the job. He’s requesting a private meeting with you later on today. Here’s the folder with all the information. Are you willing to work on this?”

Draco accepted the dark green folder with the word “Private” printed across it in large bold letters and flipped it open, looking over the contents quickly.

“It will require a lot of work, but if we can complete it successfully then there will be much cause for celebration,” Fenwick explained.

“I’ll arrange the meeting with Harry now, and I’ll definitely work on this job. It’s right up my alley,” Draco agreed, and Fenwick dismissed him from his office.

Draco hurried towards his own office, happy to be back in his sanctuary; his office had high ceilings with bookshelves on two of the four walls. The whole room was full of dark wood, his desk covered in various reports he was yet to finish writing. There were two photo frames on his desk, one containing the photograph Hermione had given him on their first Christmas as a couple, and the other was the picture his mother had given him that same Christmas.

Against one of the walls a stone fireplace, and it was to here Draco went, placing the new folder on his desk. He grabbed a handful of powder from a cup which sat above the grate, tossed it in and asked for Harry Potter. A moment later Harry’s head popped up in the fireplace, smiling at Draco.

“Draco, how are you?” Harry asked pleasantly.

“Fine thanks. How are you and Ginny?” Draco said, summoning his chair so he could sit in front of the fireplace where Harry’s head hovered.

“We’re doing well. Ginny’s almost eight months along now,” Harry said proudly. “Let me guess, Fenwick showed you the report?” he asked, his tone turning businesslike.

“Yes, yes he did. I’m happy to help you out with this, Harry. What do I need to know?”

“You need to be aware that though you work in the Department of Mysteries and you are not allowed to talk to anyone about any of your jobs, this particular job has to be kept absolutely secret. You can’t tell anybody anything about it, because if something gets out then we’re ruined, and we only get one shot at this. If anyone asks what you’re working on, though they should know that as an Unspeakable you won’t be able to answer them, tell them that you’re just finishing some reports.

“Another thing you’ll need to know is that this will require some pretty heavy acting on your part, as well as time away from home and Hermione. It’s a full on task. The first part of the job is written on the last page of the information within the folder. Oh, by the way, Ginny misses you two. She’s planning lunch this weekend at our place, and the whole family is invited. Make sure you’re there. The pregnancy has made her crazy,” Harry said with a wink before his head disappeared with a pop.

Smiling to himself, Draco ran a hand through his blonde hair and scooted back to his desk, opening the green folder again and flipping straight to the last page. There was a small message written in Harry’s handwriting, and all it said was “Find Gregory Goyle.”

Raising his eyebrows at the message, Draco thought back to his days at Hogwarts where Goyle had followed him around, along with Crabbe. After the war had finished, Goyle had disappeared, fearing prosecution for his crimes, and no one had heard from him since then. The last rumor Draco had heard told him that Goyle was hiding in Northern Europe, but these claims had yet to be verified.

Moving the folder aside, Draco pulled out a quill and started writing a letter to some of his contacts, asking if they had any solid information on the whereabouts of his old friend.

It was going to be a long day.

***

“How was your day?” Draco asked that night as he and Hermione sat eating dinner in their apartment.

“Long, tiring, and stressful. Yours?” Hermione asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

“Long but interesting. I saw Harry today,” Draco remarked, fumbling with his chopsticks as he tried to pick up some noodles. Hermione had introduced him to Chinese takeaway, and whenever they were both too tired to cook they would order it in. Despite having eaten the food almost once a week, Draco still hadn’t mastered the use of chopsticks.

“Really? How is he?” Hermione asked, summoning a fork and handing it to Draco who smiled guiltily in response.

“Good. Ginny’s almost eight months pregnant now. She’s invited us over for lunch on the weekend. The whole Weasely brood will be there.”

“That sounds good. I’ll send an owl to Ginny after dinner,” Hermione decided, and the two lapsed into silence again as they continued eating.

After they had finished and Draco had cleaned up, Hermione sent an owl to Ginny saying they would be glad to visit on the weekend before joining Draco in bed, yawning widely. She moved closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck and he wrapped an arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

She looked up at him and he bent his head down again, this time kissing her lips softly. When he pulled back she made a sound of annoyance, and chased his lips, pressing hers against his more firmly. He smiled against the kiss but broke it again.

“You’re tired. You should sleep,” he said, and Hermione yawned as if to prove his point.

“But I was having fun,” she complained, sounding like a young child.

“Trust me, so was I, but you’d regret it in the morning,” he said as he lay down, Hermione moving her head to rest on his chest. He flicked the light off and closed his eyes, his arms holding Hermione against his body.

Within minutes she was asleep, and he too followed not long after.

***

A/N: Huzzah, first chapter of a new fic! I’m surprised I got this out so easily as I was planning on taking a break, but once I started writing I couldn’t stop. Please R&R!