IX

"Come now, Ollivander, there must be something you can do," Draco prodded the older man who stood before him. "Your shop may have been ruined during the war, but your knowledge cannot have died along with it. We need a wand now."

"We?" he asked. "You know that the wand chooses the wizard. Who is the wand for?"

"Hermione Granger," he answered.

"And why is Miss Granger not here herself, so she can select her wand?"

"I am here," Hermione said from inside Draco's pocket. Her tiny head and hands poked out where he could see her.

"Come out of there," he told her, and took her out of the pocket. He set her up on the counter and peered at her curiously. "How in Merlin's name did you get so small?"

"I accidentally spilt reduction potion on myself," Hermione hedged.

"And you cannot use the same wand to reverse the spell?"

"Only if you are able to repair it," she said. "The pieces are in Draco's pocket as well."

"Well then, young man, let us have a look," said Ollivander as he held out his hand. Draco fished them out one at a time, and by the time the third was produced, his face had already fallen, though he held his tongue to the last. "I am afraid, my dear, that your assessment of the wand is quite correct. None of these pieces contains the soul."

Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears again.

"I can provide you with a new wand, to be sure," he added quickly as he pat her tiny shoulder in reassurance. "But I don't think that wand will be able to reverse the spell of its predecessor."

The tears now came on in full force. Draco stepped over and picked Hermione up, holding her against him again.

"Why do I get the feeling there is more happening here than you're telling me?" Ollivander asked when he saw this. "I was under the impression that Miss Granger was the particular friend of Ronald Weasley?"

"Ron is the one who destroyed the wand," Draco explained with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"And was he also the cause of this—little—debacle?" he inquired, flushing as he realized he'd chosen the wrong word even as he'd said it.

"Unfortunately, yes," Draco said, and Hermione flushed as well.

"Then perhaps all is not lost, after all," Ollivander suggested.

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Hermione hopefully.

"It's quite simple, really," he replied. "If Ronald Weasley is the one who dumped the elixir on you, it is Ronald Weasley's wand that should undo it."

"Right," Draco said grimly. "I'm on it." When he set Hermione down, she began to protest, but he placed a pinky on her lips to stop her. "You stay here, doll. Let old man Ollivander find you a new wand. I'll deal with the weasel."

"Are you sure?" she asked, wringing her tiny hands.

"Looks like it's to be a late supper," he answered with a grin. "Hope you're hungry."

Blushing softly, she replied, "I think I'm starving, actually."

"Then I'm most definitely sure," he replied. "I'll see you soon, yes?"

Hermione nodded, and the pair of them watched Draco pop into thin air.

"Well then, my dear, let's see which of these wands takes a fancy to you," said Ollivander cheerfully as he turned and began selecting boxes. Smiling fondly at the old man who was once more in his element, Hermione gave him her full attention.

OOO

Ron was asleep in Lavender's bed, alone. Draco could hear Lavender singing in the shower, so he knew the two of them would not be disturbed as he stepped into the bedroom like he owned the place.

"Oi, Weasley, wake up," he hissed. "You have a bit of unfinished business."

"Malfoy, what the devil are you doing?" Ron demanded. "You can't just come in here—"

"Don't you tell me what I can and cannot do," he growled fiercely. "Put on that robe. You're coming with me."

"What? But that's Lav's robe, mate?" he protested. "Where do you think you're taking me?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he said. "Now put it on, or I'll take you just as you are. I'm sure I don't care if anyone sees your rather uninspiring arse."

Turning purple with embarrassment, Ron slipped on the robe. Draco grabbed him by the wrist and Apparated the two of them back to Ollivander's shop. When Ron saw where they were, and spotted Hermione trying out wands in the background, he balked.

"I'm out of here," he said. "I want nothing more to do with Hermione Granger."

"Afraid she's going to hex you with her new wand?" Draco sneered. "I wouldn't blame her. No, Weasley, I've brought you here to fix her, and then you needn't trouble your bloody red head about her any longer. I'll take very good care of her from now on."

"You?" Ron scoffed. "I didn't sell you Hermione, you know, just her bloody doll house. She'd never want anything to do with a lousy git like you."

"Yes I would, Ronald," Hermione told him. "Now shut up and make me big again."

"Me? How would I make you big again?"

"Recite this incantation," Ollivander said as he handed him a book. "Once you've said the words, all it will take is one swish of your wand and—"

"Bloody hell," Draco groaned.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"We forgot to grab his wand," he said. "You stay right here. I'll go get it."

"Bloody git," Ron grumbled as Draco disappeared once more.

AFTERMATH

Draco and Hermione sat cuddled together in a restaurant booth, giggling. She was her old size again.

"Tell me again about the look on Lavender's face when she found the wrong bloke in her bedroom as she stepped out of her shower," Hermione begged with a chuckle.

"She was so horrified, she screamed and ran out of the bloody house in nothing but her towel," he chuckled. "Scared the old couple who were out for a walk nearly out of their skins."

"At least Ron was kind enough to actually turn me back," Hermione commented, her nose wrinkling a bit.

"Yeah, once he had our word we wouldn't have him arrested," Draco added distastefully.

"Dinner was really good, Draco. Sorry I didn't get to make it since they'd taken all the food." Hermione said shyly as she looked down at her hands. "Thanks. And thanks for helping me. Really—it was great of you."

"Why are you blushing, doll?" Draco asked coyly.

"I'm not blushing," she lied.

"You are," he whispered against the shell of her ear.

"I just wondered what we should do now," she said. "Go our separate ways? Make another date? What do we do?"

"For starters, I'd like to give you a good and proper, real kiss, Miss Hermione Granger," he answered, his face still close to hers. "The one that royal git probably never gave."

"Oh, really?" she chuckled, feeling almost giddy from his nearness and his touch. "What makes you say that?"

"I have never seen you glow, Granger," he answered and his lips claimed hers, softly at first, and then with a much more fervent air.

When Hermione came up for air, she asked, "Am I glowing yet?"

"Not yet," Draco said. "But perhaps you will be in the morning."

And with that, Draco snapped his fingers even as their lips met again, Apparating the couple back to Hermione's shop again. His parents didn't see him for the next three days.