Perfectly in Pieces

Chapter 49: Hermione

All rights reserved to J. K. Rowling
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It was confirmed again.

Not that she needed another confirmation.

She knew it.

Draco knew it.

They all knew it.

The first meeting surprised her; creating a good bit of confusion to work through for a while before the anger set in with the clarity of what exactly she was hearing.

Draco had not needed the time. He knew as soon as the words left the representative's mouth.

He had almost blown his cover when he put two and two together. Just like he is struggling not to do so now as the familiar Russian in the fireplace buggers her name to hell like he always did.

She anchors her emotions to focusing on Draco's uncharacteristically dark hands flexing and squeezing his thighs. Doing the motion every time Viktor said her name, or smiled at her for a leeringly long time that proved the history between them.

Ancient history at this point.

She already told Draco as much before this specific meeting, but it seemed the blonde, now bald male next to her, was not appeased. Whispering predator over and over again under his breath.

She has to hold back a smirk.

"This is all very impressive Hermy-own."

The seriousness of the meeting falters again at his wreck of her name. The other representatives from Russia also flinch at the stutter.

"Just call me Granger, Viktor, like we discussed before, it is easier for you..."

"Do not call her Granger."

The threat is clear. But the reason for the anger and bitten out words confuses the men in the floo in front of her.

She can't stop her eyes from rolling, or her hand from sliding behind his unfamiliar broad and older body, to pinch him in the back to hopefully stop this nonsense.

If I could, I would throw a shoe. But that doesn't seem appropriate to do with who he is pretending to be at the moment.

"Ms. Granger will suffice." Draco adds on, after she proves she will not be letting go of his skin between her fingers until he does.

"Ms. Grrranger." Viktor says it in a guttural way, dragging out the consonance with his accent as he softly smiles at her again.

Seeing her on the other end of a floo call was surprising for all of them. She had expected that. She knew her presence was something they all had come to never assume to see.

And I know who to thank for that...

She hears the rustling of parchment from their side of the floo as the Russian representatives in the fireplace look down at what the owls had brought them.

"We are all very happy to see that your time back with The Order has created an increase in your health in many aspects, Ms. Granger. We are all aware of your reputation, and can see by what you have sent us, and what you have accomplished, that it precedes you."

"Thank you sir." It is all she says, because it is all she can convince herself to say in a realistic way.

Her health.

What a load of absolute bollocks.

That bubbling righteous anger starts moving into her chest, making her skin flush and her nostrils flare.