Second Chances ~ Part III
Part Three
Hermione spent the next two days crafting an identity for Draco. She had spent hours at the local library, trying to decide where he should go and what on earth he could do when she got him there. London had been thrown out. Though there was anonymity to be had in a city as large as London, there were too many Wizarding locations there. Happenstance could easily cause him to bump into someone on the street who would recognize him and it would be game over. Even with some of the cosmetic changes she planned to effect, Malfoys were too high profile to slip away unnoticed in an accidental meeting.
However, there were as many, if not more, problems to be had placing him in a small community. While she could ensure a place with no magical families, the very nature of a small village would put him under great scrutiny by the locals. Even if he happened to be a quick study, there was no way she could teach him enough about Muggle culture to avoid suspicion in a small place.
Which left her wondering about places where eccentrics were, but wizards weren’t. She decided upon a university town. Plenty of people came in every year, many of them ‘finding themselves’ as it were, and his age and quirks would be less noticeable.
In the end, she settled on Cambridge. She hoped the history and dignity of such a revered seat of learning might appeal to him, not to mention that the prestige of such a University drew in the upper echelons of society. Muggle or not, she figured Draco would feel more comfortable surrounded by people of privilege. His own aristocratic features and mannerisms would help him blend in, if he could curb his habit of boastfulness. While considering the logistics of potential hiding places, she considered how Draco’s personality traits, both positive and negative, would effect his ability to remain inconspicuous.
Once the location was decided, she spent a day-and-a- half frantically searching the city for a furnished flat in a suitable area. Fortunately, it was summer and fewer students made for more available housing, but finding someplace appropriate wasn’t easy. She had a new appreciation for those students who did this every year. Sorting through some of the horrid crawlspaces and mouldy cellars that passed for student housing was an enormous job. Granted her budget had more flexibility than some, but she didn’t want to commit too much of it to rent before knowing if she could find the prat a job.
Coming up with a reasonable source of employment was a problem unto itself. With virtually no knowledge of the Muggle world, he also had no particular skills or experience to offer an employer. His best options were likely in food service or customer service, but even then he had much to learn about how things worked in the modern Muggle world. That, of course, was counting on him accepting the fact that he would have to work to pay his way. She didn’t know just how much money he had hoarded away in a Gringotts vault, but they couldn’t make too many transactions like George had helped her to do. Exchanging that much money into Pounds was bound to catch the attention of someone, and even as large a sum as it was, Draco couldn’t live forever without any income.
By the afternoon of the 16th, Hermione had successfully secured a flat that might, just might, pass muster with the snooty blond. It was small, but well-kept and adequately equipped with simple, but comfortable, furnishings. The rent was a bit higher than she had aimed for, but there were two exits to the building, and it would be relatively easy to enter and exit without being seen. In addition, it was located down the street from a thriving commercial area with several small restaurants, grocers, chemists and assorted other businesses which could provide not only the daily necessities, but also a potential source of basic employment.
There were still several other matters she couldn’t attend to without him, but for now she was pleased with all she had managed to accomplish in such a short time. Leaving the landlady with a firm handshake and the keys to the flat, she ducked into the small space between to buildings and left for London.
Apparating to her usual spot, she moved quickly towards Headquarters to see Tonks. Her meeting with Draco tonight would be late, and she hoped she could manage a nap before then. It was a Monday night, so the house would be quiet in the evening. Her mother would be at photography class and her father had a football game. Both had said they wouldn’t be home until late, which suited her plans for a nap, if not those for her clandestine conversation.
Number Twelve popped up on the street before her, and Hermione hurried up the steps, hoping Tonks would be there. She needed to learn what had been discovered about Spinners’ End. While busily working to find a place to hide Draco over the past few days, she had frequently wondered if she was being had. It had been a lot of effort for her to go through if this whole mess just ended up being a trap. Her deep, visceral feeling was that he was sincere, but she was hopeful, not stupid.
The door creaked softly, and she winced at the noise. Fortunately, Mrs. Black stayed silent and she was able to clear the front entrance without her screeching. Making her way down to the kitchen, she knocked on the wall at the top of the stairs and called out, “Hello? Are you here Tonks?”
A voice drifted up the stairwell. “Wotcher! Is that you Hermione?”
Hurrying down the stairs, Hermione poked her head into the kitchen to see Tonks sitting alone with a cup of tea and a copy of the Daily Prophet opened to the Sports and Entertainment section. “Hi, Tonks. I’m glad I found you here. I don’t have an owl and I wasn’t sure how I was going to contact you if you weren’t here.”
“I was wondering the same thing this morning at the office. I managed to look into your information, then had no idea how to get in touch with you. I wouldn’t put much trust in owls these days. They’re smart birds, but simple enough to intercept. Even the Floo isn’t particularly secure, not that your parents have a connection, I expect,” the purple-haired witch observed.
Hermione shook her head. “No. I think I need to make some more of the Galleons we used for the DA, or perhaps something slightly different. We really need a better way to communicate with Order members.”
“The Order is so disordered at the moment, I wouldn’t know who to bring the idea to. It’s not a bad idea, though,” Tonks said with a shrug.
“So, did this place on Spinner’s End check out?” the younger witch inquired with great interest.
Tonks nodded. “It would seem your informant knows where old snarky-pants goes when he needs a place to hole up. I found the place, in Manchester as you expected it to be, and it’s definitely Snape’s. It’s quite the squalid, little hovel, but then the whole neighbourhood was that way. One of the neighbours gave me a pretty accurate description of him. The reconnaissance I did doesn’t show regular occupation, though there were signs the place has been used within the past month. From what I was able to observe, there are several wards and spells in place to trap unwelcome visitors. If you were wanting to get inside, it’s going to take a while.”
“Getting in there isn’t urgent, for now at least, but some time in the future I might need to. At the moment, I’m just pleased you found it where it was supposed to be.”
“So you’re going to help this informant of yours then?” Tonks asked, giving her curious look.
Hermione nodded slowly. “Yes. Actually, I’ve done most of the legwork for it already. I just wanted to know what you had found before I arrange to meet him.”
“Arrange to meet him,” the older witch said sharply. “You haven’t met him already?”
“No, I’ve met him before, but not face-to-face recently,” she explained.
Tonks gave her the most serious look she had ever seen from the normally happy-go-lucky woman. It was a pointed reminder to Hermione that Tonks was an Auror, and a good one at that. For a long moment, they held the gaze before Tonks shook her head. “Whoever this is, don’t let your guard down. I can tell, as much as you want to, you don’t completely trust him. Anyway, what kind of help is it?”
“I’m helping him go into hiding by disguising himself as a Muggle.”
“Hiding as a Muggle? I don’t know too many wizards who could manage that.”
“Well, he is intelligent enough and I’ll give him a crash course in Muggle living. Besides, I’ve set him up with a flat close to a university. There will be plenty of quirky people around.”
“So long as he isn’t too quirky. Will you be alright meeting this person on your own?”
“I hope so. I plan to arrange our meeting at a coffee shop on Brick Lane in Whitechapel. It’s a bit bohemian there, so even if his clothes are a bit off, he won’t be too out of place. I also plan to be there well ahead of our appointed meeting time. I should be alright.”
“Hermione, I know you came to me because I wouldn’t ask too many questions, but will you tell me who this is or let me come with you?”
“I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, Tonks. Checking up on his information didn’t put you in conflict with your employer. Helping me do this would.”
Tonks laughed humourlessly. “Like being part of a quasi-vigilante group doesn’t?”
Hermione snorted. “I suppose you have a point. I was going to go ahead with a meeting tomorrow morning at ten.”
“I’m back on evenings for the next week. I can be there.”
Hermione furrowed her brow in consideration, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning at eight. We can grab some breakfast and do a thorough search of the area before he shows up.”
“Sounds good,” Tonks agreed.
Hermione turned to climb the stairs out of the kitchen, glad she would be able manage a few hours of sleep before her correspondence. Considering the early start she planned for her busy day tomorrow, it would be invaluable. As she crested the stairs, she heard Tonks call out, “Wait a moment! You didn’t tell me who we’re meeting tomorrow.”
Glancing back with a slight grimace, she said, “Draco Malfoy.”
She heard and exclamation of shock from the room below, but didn’t stop to offer any further explanations. If she did, she would most likely be here all night. Besides, it would give them plenty to discuss over breakfast in the morning.
***
Hermione arrived home to an empty house and managed to sleep for several hours. When she woke, she received a disgruntled look from Crookshanks, who was dozing at her feet, but ignored him while preparing for her conversation with Draco. She checked over the list of things he would need to live as a Muggle and reviewed what she had arranged to date. She was reasonably satisfied with the background story she had created for him and the flat she had found would do fine. The biggest hurdles left in creating a new identity for Draco Malfoy were altering his physical appearance and creating the appropriate documents needed for his day-to-day life.
When the appointed hour arrived, Hermione enchanted her quill and directed it to the blank space at the bottom of her letter.
July 17th, 2:00 am.
Almost immediately, Draco’s handwriting appeared on the page.
What was the supplemental reading Professor Vector assigned for the lessons on Greek Arithmancy?
Precocious Pythagorus by Aris Kampus. It was a journal article from the 1994 edition Arithmancy Annual.
Good enough. You slapped me a few years ago when I was teasing you about one of Hagrid’s creatures. The only person at Hogwarts who ever dared, though probably not the only person who wanted to.
The corners of Hermione’s lips twitched at the memory. Slapping him had felt very satisfying at the time. She couldn’t help landing a small jibe.
Hexing someone isn’t quite the same, even if it is more enduring.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that. My face was still smarted the next morning.
I think I’ll take that as a compliment then. Anyway, did you have any trouble these past few days?
I’ve changed locations twice since Friday. It may not have been essential, but I’m trying not to be in one place too long.
How are you travelling?
Apparating. What did you think?
Hermione shook her head at the parchment as she wrote her response.
Perhaps, not using your wand might have been a better plan. If you are concerned about being traced, using magic is more likely to alert someone to your whereabouts. How far are you from London?
I’m somewhere on the South East side. I don’t even know what street I’m closest to.
South East where? Deptford? Greenwich? Blackheath? Woolwich?
I think I’m close to the river here. There’s a fair bit of green space with some odd buildings in it nearby.
Probably Greenwich then. How well do you know London?
Beyond generalities, I would think it rather obvious that I don’t. The only places in London I have had reason to visit are Diagon Alley, the Ministry, and on the rare occasion, St. Mungo’s. The Floo was always sufficient for my travel needs before.
For a moment, she glared at the paper. It was odd how simple words on a page could sound so stuck up.
Well, I suggest you open your eyes and have a good look around. You’re going to need to start travelling as a Muggle now.
And just how, pray tell, am I to do that? I may not know much about Muggles, but I do presume that they expect pay in return for use of their transportation systems.
Seems to me, you are going to have a long walk ahead of you.
She felt a bit guilty for the smirk which graced her face as she wrote that. She was trying to help him, but Malfoy was still being a stuck up prat. However, it was easy to imagine just how overwhelmed he might feel in the large city, not knowing how to get around. Hermione spread out her map of London on the bed beside her and skimmed along the river to see if she could readily spot a location that met his description.
Fine. I’ll walk. Can you at least tell me where I’m going?
Brick Lane near Whitechapel. It’s in East London. From what I can tell, you are in Greenwich, near the park. You could follow the A200 up to Tower Bridge, but I think that will take you too close to areas where there might be Wizards. Besides, that would involve some backtracking. I suggest you follow the park north to the river and cross using the underground tunnel. When you get to the other side, follow Westferry Road north until you reach India Dock Road. Got that?
Hold on Brains. I’m trying to copy this down.
Hermione waited a few minutes for Draco to copy down the directions. She wasn’t certain how advisable it was for him to be travelling this route in the early morning hours, but if he was to arrive at her preferred rendezvous point on time, there was very little choice left in the matter.
Alright. Follow the park north and there is supposed to be a tunnel I can use to cross the river. Travel along Westferry until I get to India Dock. Where do I go from there?
Turn left and follow India Dock Road east. It merges with another part of the road and a ways down becomes Commercial Road. Keep following. You should reach a major intersection with several roads, Braham, Whitechapel, Leman and another part of Commercial. You want to turn right onto Whitechapel Road. Just a short way up, Osborn meets Whitechapel on the north side. Follow Osborn. It turns into Brick Lane after about a block.
There was a long pause before Draco wrote back.
Just how far is this place?
About five miles, give or take.
FIVE MILES?!
Do you want my help or not? I’ve decided on a place for us to meet. You can be there or not.
She wondered if she was pushing him too hard. She didn’t want to force him to walk such a long distance, but, for both their sakes, it would be safer. Not having the ability to use the tube would make his journey more difficult. There was no getting around that. In a way, this could almost be seen as a test of his sincerity. If he actually walked the whole way, she could be reasonably sure he wasn’t bringing a group of Death Eaters with him. She was startled from her thoughts when a new message appeared on the parchment.
Alright, I’ll get there, even if it gives my feet blisters. Where exactly do you want to meet, and what time? Not too early I hope.
There’s a coffee shop called The Black Bean at the corner of Brick Lane and Buxton. Be there by 10 tomorrow morning and I’ll have breakfast waiting.
That makes it a rather early morning to get there by ten.
Is where you’re staying really the sort of place you want to have a lie-in?
Point taken.
Be careful, keep your wand hidden, and for heavens sake if you get lost, ask for directions!
Yes, Miss Prefect. I will see you tomorrow if my feet don’t drop off before I arrive.
Stiff upper lip, Princess. I expect you to be punctual. Goodnight.
Goodnight Brains.
***
Go on to Part IV