The Scavenger Hunt

Hermione

Harry has come up with a plan to help the auror department to become closer. There's this muggle movie where a company makes the employees do a trust building exercise and Harry has decided to do one for the aurors. Unfortunately there is an odd number of aurors in the department and I have Harry's permission to have a former member included. I would love it if you could come and be my partner. With your brain and my stubbornness, we can show the others that we women are not to be trifled with.

~Ginny

Ginny leaned back in her seat to admire the letter. It was the perfect thing she needed to lure Hermione. Taking a new sheet of paper, she started the second letter.

Draco Malfoy

This is Ginny Potter, please read before throwing away. Since your son is dating my niece and is friends with my son, I have decided to extend another olive branch. You don't have to take it but I would like it if you were my partner for the auror event that Harry has planned.

~Mrs. Potter

She was hopeful but she harbored the small fear that Draco wouldn't fall for the letter. She was hoping that if she mentioned Scorpius then it would goad him into taking this fake olive branch.

"Ginny, dinner's on the table." Harry called from the bedroom door.

She turned to smile at him while covertly hiding the letters from his sight. "I'll be down in a minute. I just have to finish this letter."

Harry shook his head causing black hair to fall over his forehead. "All you have to do is tell Hermione that it's a game of knowledge and witts, I'm sure she'll be up for it." He smiled as he remembered something from the past. "Don't be too long." He told her before he left. She waited until she heard him go down the stairs before she finished.

Anthony Goldstein

Have you found a partner for the scavenger hunt? I seem to be having a hard time finding one since I can't use Harry.

~Ginny Potter

She set her quil down and put the letters into separate envelopes. She gave her and Harry's owl the letters before she went to join her husband and Teddy for dinner.

Ginny woke the next day to find three letters. Three letters with positive results. The plan was preceding perfectly. She looked over and found her husband still fast asleep. As quietly as possible, she made her way to their drawing table and wrote quick letters to Rose, Narcissa, George, and Scorpius informing them that the scavenger hunt was a go.

.... . ....

Hermione walked into the ministry feeling like her nerves were going to pull her apart. Why did she ever agree to help Ginny?

She kept on walking until she found Ginny. Her sister-in-law was standing next to Harry. Hermione picked up the pace and headed in their direction.

"Hermione." Harry greeted her with a smile. "Glad you could help Ginny."

"Of course, what is family for." Was it her imagination or did Ginny look guilty. Hermione tried to catch her eye but the redhead kept her eyes trained to the floor. "I can't wait for a good scavenger hunt. I hope the clues are difficult."

"Someone wanted you to be their partner?" A voice scoffed from behind her.

"Ginny so kindly offered me the chance to be her partner, where we will kick your sorry arse." She told Draco without turning to him.

"I don't think so because Ginny is my partner. She sent me a letter yesterday with the explicit orders to read it before throwing it away."

Hermione scoffed. Why would Ginny want to be partners with him. She was all about winning and having Draco as a partner would secure them in last place. Okay, so Draco was smarter than that so it would probably be more like fourth place.

"Hey there, partner." A tall blonde guy that looked vaguely familiar walked up to their group. Ginny's face became beat red.

"Ginny, what is going on?" Harry looked at her questingly. Hermione wanted to know the answer to that question too.

Ginny greeted the newcomer. "Hey, Anthony." She looked Hermione and Draco in the eyes before explaining. "Anthony here is my partner. I sent you two letters as a way to make sure that Draco showed up and that he would have a partner. This is a team building exercise and it's important for every one of the aurors to attend."

Hermione felt her eyes widening at hearing her friends trickery. She was going to give Ginny a good thrashing for this.

. . . . .

Ginny watched as her friend stormed off. Draco glanced at them before following after Hermione. She really hoped that she hadn't just blown the plan.

"Ginny, what is going on. The truth this time please." She looked up into the green eyes of her husband.

Anthony must have sensed the attention because he excused himself.

Ginny sighed, knowing that she finally had to tell her husband. "I was trying to help Hermione and Draco."

"Why?" Harry interrupted her. Ginny put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband. He would know why if he didn't interrupt her. Harry took the hint. "Sorry, continue."

She decided to be blunt instead of beating around the bush, she just prayed that Harry wouldn't explode. "Hermione fancies Draco and he fancies her. They're both widowers and we all thought that if we intervened then we might help the two come to terms with their feelings and give each other a chance."

"What! Hermione with Malfoy!" People started to look at them with concern and growing interest. Harry quieted his voice. "Ron, your brother, would turn over in his grave and blow a gasket. And what do you mean by we?"

Ginny loved Harry, but she really wanted to give him a good thrashing. "Me, George, Narcissa Malfoy, Scorpius, and Rose. It was actually Rose's idea."

Harry deflated at hearing their niece's name. "Why would she want to do this?"

Ginny shook her head. "She, like the rest of us sensed Hermione and Draco's feelings and decided that the two of them deserved the chance to be happy. The only problem so far is that Hermione is pushing Draco away because she blames herself for Ron's death and is afraid of causing him pain."

Harry looked away from her with tears brimming in his eyes. He turned back to her before doing a double take at something that Ginny couldn't see. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He regained his composure before she could see what had him so shocked. "If your plan was to get those two together then it just might have worked."

Ginny turned to see what her husband had meant. Looking in the direction of where Hermione and Draco had stormed off to moments before, Ginny found a scene that made her squeal in delight. Draco had Hermione wrapped in his arms and was snogging her face like there was no tomorrow and Hermione was acting the same. Ginny wondered briefly as to why Hermione was tipped down instead of standing at full height.

....   .   ....

How could Ginny do this to her? To her! They were supposed to be best friends, sisters even.

A hand wrapped around her wrist. "Go away Ginny." She bit the words out.

A low chuckle rumbled behind her. "Too bad I'm not the Potter." Why did he have to follow after her!

"Go away, Malfoy."

The hand dropped away from her wrist. "So, it's Malfoy again." The pain in his words brought Hermione to a halt.

"Why did you follow after me?" She whispered without turning around.

Draco chuckled and she could imagine him running his hand through his hair. "It's quite obvious why Ginny did this." Hermione turned around to look at him, stunned that he had called Ginny by her name. He brought his eyes to meet hers and laughed. "Apparently, not that obvious." He continued when she remained quiet. "She's playing matchmaker."

Ginny was doing what! Hermione was going to have to have a long chat with her friend. "I'll tell her to stop." She said tersely.

"Why?" Did he really just ask her why? He should be the one to know why, Hermione had told him the reason why they would never be together. Then she remembered his words from that day, he had told her that she was worth the wait.

She put a hand to her forehead. "I can't do this. I try to keep you close but being friends isn't enough for you and I try to push you away but you have to be a stubborn git. I can't do this anymore."

"Wha...what do you mean by that?" His voice cracked and she could hear the fear in it.

"We should stay away from each other. Stop trying to be friends."

"Is that what you really want?"

Was that what she wanted? Hermione shook her head. "I don't but I'll hurt you more if we get together. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you." She turned to leave before he could protest but her feet jammed into each other. She started falling toward the ground.

Draco caught her by the hips, stopping her in mid-fall. "You're supposed to fall toward me, not away."

Hermione couldn't help the smile that appeared. "It looks like I can't even do that right." The smile fell away and she became serious once again. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"No." He looked down at her and smirked. "Now that I have you where you can't run away I can finally talk. I don't care if I get hurt because you pushing me away is more pain than anything that may or may not happen to me if we're together." His words caused her heart to wrench in pain. She had no clue that she was hurting him when she pushed him away. Before she could say anything, Draco leaned down and captured her lips with his. The kiss wasn't soft and sweet like the one from before, it was deeper, hungrier. It was one that had Hermione craving for more. Her arms slithered up around his neck and she kissed him back just as hungrily.

Hermione had enough awareness to vaguely hear a high pitch squeal, then Draco's tongue slipped into her mouth and clashed with hers. She didn't want this to end. She would have to thank Ginny for showing her what she had been running away from.

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