"Like bloody hell, you are!" Draco exclaimed.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Why not?"
"Because you could get hurt!" He said, gesturing towards her.
"Did you forget what line of work I'm in?" She asked calmly.
"Well...no, but..." He let out a frustrated groan and turned to walk a few steps before turning back around to face her. "I don't know what I would do if I accidentally hurt you."
"Draco, you're not going to accidentally hurt me and I will tell you why," She said, pushing off the desk and straightening up in front of him. "You're going to be in in your holding cell which I will cast a containment charm on specifically made to keep you in there."
"But-"
She held her hand up to immediately silence him. "Then, on the door to your cellar where you will be kept contained, I will have placed not only an Imperturbable charm but also a room-sealing spell similar to what Professor Snape had on his office door in fourth year."
"I-"
"If by the extremely slim chance you manage to somehow get past all of those, there will be a Caterwauling charm on the area so that I am notified immediately, and you will be so distracted by the wailing noises that I will be able to subdue you with not only a full body bind but also chains and ropes, considering a Stunning spell will have no effect on you," She stated firmly. "By then, any Aurors that I have notified, which will most likely just be Harry, will have joined me and they will be able to help subdue you if needed, and you will be transported to a holding cell in the Ministry where I can assure you that you will not be able to breach the door and get out."
Both Draco and Blaise were staring at her quietly while she firmly held Draco's gaze. Even though she was a few inches shorter than him, Draco was still absolutely intimidated by her.
He finally looked down at the floor, stuffing his hands in his pockets and sighing in defeat. "I suppose that could all work..."
"You sound like you've had this planned out for a while," Blaise said slowly, tilting his head as he looked at Hermione.
"Do you really think I'd still be alive in this line of work without a proper containment plan for my clients?" She asked, looking over at him. "He's not the first one to forget a potion, and he won't be the last."
"Fair point."
"Are you sure that will all work, though?" Draco asked worriedly.
Hermione stared at him for a moment before reaching over to snatch the still rolled-up Prophet from Blaise's hand and proceeded to smack Draco quickly over the head with it.
"Oh not you too!" He snapped.
"I like her," Blaise grinned.
"Draco Malfoy, don't you ever doubt my abilities again!" She said in a chastising tone.
He rubbed his head again before giving her a sheepish look. "Sorry, love."
Her face instantly flushed and Blaise's jaw dropped as he looked between the two of them. "Well this is certainly progressing quickly."
"It's just a pet name, Blaise," Draco said, rolling his eyes.
Blaise paused for a moment before a grin spread across his face. "Shouldn't she be the one giving you the pet name in this situation?"
Hermione snorted while Draco scowled and said, "That was a bit of a stretch, mate."
"I suppose it was a bit ruff," Blaise laughed.
Before he could react, Hermione reached over and smacked Blaise's arm with the paper as she laughed. "That was horrible!"
"I know, I know; just give me a little bit and I'll sure you'll be howling with laughter soon!"
Hermione was holding her stomach at this point, laughing loudly and having to sit down in one of the chairs to avoid falling over. Draco put a hand over his face and let out a deep sigh before glaring at Blaise.
Blaise simply gave him a smug grin and gestured towards Hermione. "At least someone appreciates me."
She had quieted down at that point, wiping away a stray tear while taking deep breaths. "I needed that laugh; thank you, Blaise!"
"Glad to be of service!" He said, giving a small bow.
Draco sighed exasperatedly and said, "Please don't encourage him."
"I'm sure Ginny does that enough," Hermione laughed. "She loves puns."
"Of course she does." Draco let out a groan before shaking his head and turning to Hermione. "Alright, so I have conditions for you staying on Saturday night."
"And what would those be?" She asked, smiling up at him.
"First, you will stay as far away from the cellar as possible," He said.
She shrugged. "Easy enough to do."
"Second," He went on, "No wearing any perfume or anything that can give off a scent."
"Alright."
"And third..." He trailed off slightly before looking over at Blaise. "You will be joining her."
"What?!" Blaise exclaimed.
Hermione, however, remained calm while holding up a finger to catch Draco's attention. "Counter proposal: Harry joins me."
Draco growled slightly. "I'd rather it be someone I know and trust fully."
"You know Harry already," Hermione scoffed.
"That doesn't mean I trust him enough to handle me at my worst," Draco argued.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Fine. Ginny joins me."
"Absolutely not!"
They both turned to look at Blaise who was glaring back at the two of them. "I will not risk Ginny getting hurt!"
"If everything goes to plan, she won't be," Hermione said confidently. "Do you really think I'd put my best friend at risk like that if I wasn't completely certain of my abilities?"
"Mistakes can always happen and you know it," Blaise argued.
"And Ginny is competent enough to know when to get out of a situation, but fine." Hermione sighed before looking back at Draco. "Well, since you won't let me stay without someone there with me..."
She trailed off and he straightened triumphantly.
"...I suppose I'll just have to sneak in after you've locked yourself up."
He blinked. "What?"
"You can't really stop me once you're locked in," Hermione shrugged. "And knowing you, you probably lock yourself in at least an hour, hour and a half before you start to change, so there's plenty of time."
Draco scowled at her. "You really aren't going to stay away, are you?"
"Would you rather have someone else that is guaranteed not as competent or knowledgeable at handling the situation be there with you?" She asked.
He grumbled for a few moments before sighing. "Fine. You can stay there on your own. Just...please let someone know if things get out of hand."
The pleading look that he was giving her coupled with his voice growing quiet made her soften a bit, and she nodded. "Of course I will."
He then pulled her against him and wrapped his arms loosely behind her back as she laid her head on his chest, standing there quietly for a moment.
"Alright, I'll stay with her."
They both looked up at Blaise as he rubbed his face exasperatedly and said, "I doubt Ginny would ever forgive me if something happened to her best friend and I said no to helping."
"I really appreciate that, mate," Draco said.
"I promise that nothing will happen," Hermione added.
Blaise sighed and nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I have full faith in your abilities, Hermione. It's just...a very real situation that can get out of hand very easily if one thing goes wrong, and I'd rather it be me in harm's way than Ginny."
She nodded in return. "I understand."
"Well," Draco started grimly, catching their attention, "I suppose we have a date Saturday."
Even though he knew it was pointless to continue taking his potions for the next few days, Draco still did, if anything to minimize the pain that was starting to grow. By the time Saturday had come, he was already severely regretting agreeing to have Hermione keep watch but knew that it would be impossible to change her mind.
Hermione and Blaise both showed up a little after eight in the evening which allowed for about an hour before the sun went down for Hermione to set up the charms. They found Draco already locked in the cell with a bottle of firewhiskey, sitting against the back wall with his knees propped up and arms resting on top of them as he took drinks every now and then. Blaise sat down on the staircase and watched quietly as Hermione made her way over to the cell.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked quietly as she stopped just short of the cell door and looked down at Draco.
He avoided looking at her as he took a long drink of his firewhiskey before answering, "Like shit."
She frowned then and shifted her weight. "Is there anything I can get you right now? Once I place the charms on, it'll be difficult to get anything if you need it."
He closed his eyes then and she saw his jaw clench, followed by his muscles tightening. He started to take long, deep breaths through his nose and she thought he was going to break the glass in his hands before he finally relaxed.
"No, it's okay," He said slowly, his eyes still closed.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "I can get you some books or something-"
"I'm fine," He snapped then, opening his eyes.
Blaise waited for Hermione to react, and was completely surprised when she stayed calm. She took a deep breath and then nodded, stepping back and pointing her wand at the bars and muttering charms to herself.
Draco closed his eyes again as she worked, and apart from Hermione's muttering the entire cellar was silent. She finished about five minutes later and lowered her wand, looking back at Draco again.
"I'll see you in the morning," She said quietly before turning around and walking towards the stairs. She didn't expect Draco to say anything in response and wasn't surprised when he didn't, giving him one last look before walking up the stairs with Blaise in tow.
After she closed the door going to the basement, Blaise looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright?"
She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Just...not used to seeing him in that kind of mood. Reminded me of when we were back at school."
Blaise knew what she meant even though she didn't say it and stepped back as she raised her wand to the door. After placing the Imperturbable charm on it, she lowered her wand for a small break and pulled the sleeves up on her arms.
"If it makes you feel any better," Blaise started quietly, "That was the calmest I've ever seen him at this point even when he took all of his potions."
"Really?" She asked in surprise.
Blaise nodded and put his hands in his pockets, nodding towards the door. "Even I avoid him at work on the full moon days. But that was the first time I've ever seen him hold back on snapping at someone."
"That was holding back?" She asked with a forced laugh.
"Trust me, it definitely was," He said.
She smiled slightly and looked down at the floor before raising her wand again. "I'm going to put another containment charm on this door as well in addition to the Imperturbable charm and the room-sealing spell, just in case."
"Not a bad idea," He nodded as she started again. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, it's alright." She went silent again as she concentrated, muttering to herself again as she moved her wand all around the door.
He somewhat enjoyed watching her work and he definitely noticed that she took her time and was extremely thorough. Minutes later, she lowered her wand again and took a deep breath before starting up again for the next spell.
After a little bit, she took a step back and looked at the door happily before finishing it off with a quick Caterwauling charm. "That should do it for this door."
"So now we just need to go take up residence in the attic?" Blaise asked.
Hermione looked down at her watch and then out of the window. "I think we've got a little bit of time. Sunset isn't for about another thirty to forty minutes or so."
"Is sunset when he's going to change?" Blaise asked curiously.
"It's a little different for every werewolf," Hermione shrugged. "I have some who change as soon as the sun goes down, and I have some that take a little longer to change. I just use sunset as a good measure because no one changes before that."
"I'll trust your judgement on that," He grinned as they walked towards the kitchen. "You are the expert after all."
She gave a small laugh before shaking her head. "I am far from an expert in this matter. I just know as much as I need to help my clients. They all teach me new things with every full moon, from behavior to food cravings."
He raised an eyebrow while still smiling. "Are you sure you're not an expert?"
"Well compared to you I might be," She grinned. "But at the same time, you seem to know a little more about Draco's habits than I do so when it comes to him, I'd say you're the expert."
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Blaise laughed.
She laughed at that as well and shrugged. "It could be both."
He shook his head and then ducked down to reach into the cabinet with a small groan. "Well, I suppose I'll be drinking wine tonight since he took all the firewhiskey."
"Are you sure you should be drinking tonight?" She asked skeptically, noticing that he was grabbing not just one but two bottles. "You're supposed to help me in case something happens."
"Honestly after seeing how thorough you were with your spells, I'm sure we will be just fine," He smiled. "And don't worry, one of these is for you."
"I don't think I'm going to drink," She said, shaking her head.
"That's perfectly fine too," He replied as he searched through the drawer for a bottle opener. "I'm bringing it just in case."
After successfully finding it and grabbing two glasses of wine as well, he smiled and nodded towards the stairs. "After you."
A/N: Yay, a little Blaise and Hermione bonding time! I haven't really gotten the chance to write these two spending time together yet in almost any of my stories so really excited to start working on the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy! <3