Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, etc. It all belongs to JKR. I just own this little plot right here =D
A/N: This was written for the Third Task Mini-Gauntlet.
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visit
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.
-- J.R.R. Tolkien
He watched her from afar. Now, this was something he never expected to happen.
It has been seven years since he had seen her, since he had seen any of them for that matter.
Seven years ago, Draco took a path that he never would have thought possible. He left the life that he once knew and travelled far away, never to look back again.
After they lost the war, Draco’s life was devastated. The family name that had held so much power was gone forever. People who he used to look down upon and who used to follow his every command now looked down upon him. He no longer had a life there so he went to look for life somewhere else.
And working with dragons in Bulgaria is where he found it.
Draco never saw himself as the kind of person to be interested in dragons yet he discovered that they fascinated him. They taught him a new way of life. A life of planning anything and everything that happened.
But seeing her here was definitely something he had never expected. By no means something was it something he had in his calculations.
Hermione stood there, talking with some of his co-workers. She chatted happily and looked around at the reservation. Draco wasn’t sure what exactly she was doing here but he hoped she would leave soon. The last thing he wanted was for someone from his old life to walk in and disturb his new one.
But it was too late for him to wish for something like that. While looking around, Hermione had caught him standing there in the distance. She furrowed her brows, not really sure if she was seeing correctly. Draco’s co-worker, Maurice, followed her eyes and saw her looking. The next thing Draco knew was that they were both making their way towards him.
“Oh, bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath, right before they reached him.
They were soon standing in front of him.
“Hermione,” Maurice started, “this is Draco, the director here at the reservation. Draco, this is Hermione.”
“Malfoy,” Hermione said as a way of greeting and nodded.
“Granger,” Draco replied in the same manner.
And this was the way they greeted each other after seven years.
“You two know each other?” Maurice seemed thrilled.
Hermione smiled and nodded politely.
“Oh, you must have been a lucky gal, Hermione. Draco is such a gentleman.”
That was somewhat true. Draco had developed a nicer personality. While a lot of bitterness of the tough years will always be with him, he learned that he would rather have people respect him not because of his power or money, but rather because of his character. Life had taught him that power and money could be lost in an instant.
Upon hearing that Draco was such a gentleman, Hermione’s brows rose a little yet all she said, “Yes, such a wonderful gentleman.” Maurice didn’t seem to hear the sarcasm.
“Well, I think I will leave you two alone now. I’m sure you have lots to catch up on,” Maurice said.
“Thank you, Maurice, for showing me around.” Hermione smiled.
“No problem. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.” And with that, Maurice walked away, leaving Hermione and Draco alone.
“What are you doing here, Granger?” Draco asked abruptly.
Hermione let out a little laugh. “You wouldn’t know, of course, because you disappeared off the face of this planet seven years ago.”
Draco ignored her comment and asked again, “What are you doing here?”
“I work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry and I’m here to study a new dragon that is about to hatch in half an hour, I believe,” she said while checking her watch. She looked up at Draco for confirmation.
He nodded and looked toward a building on his right. “Everyone is probably already waiting in the Main Building. We should be there, too.”
“Lead the way,” Hermione answered.
Draco sighed and started making his way toward the building, with Hermione by his side.
He couldn’t believe this was happening. After he had built a completely new life for himself, he thought that the old life would never come back. And the very last person he was expecting to randomly walk into his life was Granger. Most surprising of all is that they acted completely normal towards each other. All throughout their childhood days, they have always hated each other and now, seven years after not seeing each other, they talked as if they have been working with each other every day. It all baffled Draco.
It wasn’t long before they reached the Main Building. Draco opened the door for Hermione and let her in. Hermione gave him a look and uttered a small, “Thank you.”
Inside the room was a table surrounded by men and women who all quieted when they came in. In the middle of the table was an egg.
“How is it going?” Draco asked.
“There are a few cracks already,” one man answered. Everyone looked up to Draco for direction.
He came around the table to examine the egg. “Looks like this one is coming a bit early. Just a few moments left.”
And he was right. In a couple of minutes, the cracks became wider and wider as the small dragon inside pecked harder and harder on the shell, desperate to get out.
Draco watched with fascination. In all the years of his work, he had watched many dragons hatch but he never did get bored of it.
Soon, the dragon broke through and jumped out of its shell. Everyone around started to clap, all with smiles on their faces. They all made way for Draco to approach the baby dragon.
His eyes never left it. He gently placed his hand on the table, palm up. The small dragon looked at him for a second before it jumped onto his hand. He smiled and brought it up slowly to his face. He petted it gently. It seemed like this dragon enjoyed petting.
The sweet silence was broken by Hermione. “May I?” she asked, holding out her hand.
All eyes turned toward Hermione, shocked.
Everyone knew how over-protective Draco was when it came to his dragons. He usually didn’t let anyone touch them until they were a few months old. He didn’t trust anyone to be as gentle with them as he was.
But how rude would it be to say no to a guest?
Reluctantly, Draco’s hesitating hand moved towards Hermione’s. The dragon jumped from hand to another easily.
Hermione brought the dragon up to her face and whispered, “Hey there, little fella.”
Draco nervously watched yet he had nothing to be nervous about.
She smiled as she petted it, being extra careful. Draco had never seen someone so gentle.
That night, everyone at the reservation gathered around the campfire to celebrate the birth of the new dragon while it was resting with its mother.
Draco watched as Hermione chatted with Maurice and then looked down at the paper that lay between his hands. He unfolded it to look at it one more time. Scribbles throughout the paper dominated the four small lines that lay on the bottom. He looked back up at Hermione and walked towards her.
“Maurice, will you please excuse us for a moment?” Draco asked when he reached them.
Maurice’s eyes sparkled with cheer. “Oh, of course!” she said hurriedly and winked at Draco before walking away.
Draco gave her a look. “Crazy old bat.” He shook his head while smiling.
He then turned to Hermione. “Grang”Hermione,” he fixed himself and then paused before sighing and continuing, “I would like to ask you for a favor.”
Hermione was taken aback. Never did she think that Draco would someday ask her for a favor. “Er, sure, I guess. What is it?”
He held out the paper to her. “When you go back, I would like you to give this to--”
“Go back?” Hermione cut him off.
Draco looked confused. “Well, yes, aren’t you going back?”
Hermione gave a pleasant laugh. “Oh no, I’m to stay with this dragon until he’s mature.”
His eyes widened. “B-but that could take a year or more!”
She smiled. “I know.”
A crazed look came over Draco’s face. His past had caught up with him and it looks like it was here to stay.