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Tethered (Transcribed)

Summary:

Originally written by Ivy_and_right on IG, transcribed for AO3 by xmbriscoe

Read the original story here.

After the war, Draco is spared an Azkaban sentence. Instead, his wand has been snapped, he has been put up in a muggle flat and he is barred from using any form of magic. He must do as he is told if he has any chance of returning to the life he knew. And he must do it under the careful watch of Integration Officer Granger who isn’t to be trusted.

Chapter Text

*Text Conversation Titled: Ministry Hag*

Integration Liaison: Good morning, Mister Malfoy. The object in your hand is a mobile telephone. It is used as an instant messaging channel for any urgent communications regarding your welfare, integration into muggle society and general living needs. Please get in touch once you’ve been directed to your new accommodation.

Eight Hours Pass

Integration Liaison: You have been checked into your private courts for four hours and I’ve heard nothing from you.

Another three hours pass.

Integration Liaison: Are you well?

Integration Liaison: Do you not know how to use the phone? It’s really quite simple.

Integration Liaison: Do you need help?

Integration Liaison: Our systems indicate that your mobile device has bene damaged or lost. A replacement is on its way.

Integration Liaison: Mister Malfoy, I highly recommend that you comply as it will make things much easier for you.

An hour passes.

Integration Liaison Granger: Ministry Owl Officer Bennu has returned to base, well fed. The replacement phone has been delivered. Please open up the device and check in.

Draco: If I do will you shut the fuck up

Integration Liaison Granger: Mister Malfoy, finally. I was reaching the end of my patience.

Draco: YOU were running out of patience?

Integration Liaison Granger: Yes. Now that you’re here, please advise if you have received your first week of food supplies.

Draco: Yeah

Integration Liaison Granger: Great! And toiletries?

Draco: Yes

Integration Liaison Granger: Wonderful. You’ll be required to attend a job centre evaluation tomorrow at 3pm. Please dress smartly. Your wardrobe contains one suit, fitted to measure, and a selection of your personal clothing returned following inspection.

Draco: Where’s the rest?

Integration Liaison Granger: Many of your outfits have been confiscated due to the embedded enchantments. These are not permitted to be worn in muggle environments.

Draco: Give me my shit.

Integration Liaison Granger: Mister Malfoy, your sentence decreed you to live three years in muggle society to atone for your involvement in the war. You do understand what that means?

Draco: It means FUCK YOU

Integration Liaison Granger: Malfoy, might I remind you that I am in direct control of any leniency the Wizengamot might afford you. My reports will be based on your attitudes and progress and nothing else. So I suggest that you comply and listen to me.

Draco: You snapped my fucking wand

Integration Liaison Granger: I didn’t do any such thing.

Draco: You work for the fuck heads who did

Integration Liaison Granger: Your language is deplorable.

Draco: Oh my bad! Shit, that must be so fucking terrible for you

Integration Liaison Granger: Are you satisfied with your care?

Draco: Witch, go and suck Wizengamot dick

Integration Liaison Granger: Please report that you have everything you need for a comfortable night in your new (free) lodgings.

Draco: Are you STILL here?!

Integration Liaison Granger: I am unable to turn in for the night until you report you are safe, fed and acknowledge your job centre appointment tomorrow.

Draco: Yeah

Integration Liaison Granger: yeah, what?

Draco: If this phone buzzes one more fucking time

Integration Liaison Granger: Mister Malfoy, please confirm. It’s 2am and far past my clock out hour.

Integration Liaison Granger: Our systems indicate that your mobile telephone has been damaged or lost. A replacement is on its way.

 

 

*Text Conversation Titled: Ministry Hag*

9am the following morning

Integration Liaison Granger: Good morning, Mister Malfoy. Are you done throwing a temper tantrum?

1pm

Integration Liaison Granger: Mister Malfoy, your job evaluation takes place today at 3pm. Please respond.

2pm

Draco: What

Integration Liaison Granger: Please make your way to the address listed within your Welcome Home pack within thirty minutes. It is approximately a fifteen minute walk from your current location.

2:30pm

Integration Liaison Granger: Did you leave the house?

2:45pm

Integration Liaison Granger: If you’re not there now, you’ll have missed it. You need to arrive early to these things.

3:05pm

Integration Liaison Granger: Mister Malfoy, I regret to inform you that since you did not attend your scheduled job evaluation, you will not be permitted to receive messages from home. Your appointment will be rescheduled.

Draco: Granger you can tell your system that I won’t be getting messages from home anyway

Draco: I don’t give a fuck

Draco: Leave me the fuck alone

 

 

**Text Conversation Titled: Unknown Number**

?: I didn’t want to have to take this off the record but you really need to start bucking up your ideas, Malfoy.

?: I’m trying to help you. You don’t stand a chance of returning to the wizarding worlds and using magic again if you don’t just do what the ministry wants you to do.

?: I mean it, you’ll be there forever if you don’t check off the things they’ve determined to be essential to bring you back.

Draco: So the job shite

Draco: What else

?: Well the evaluation is just step one of the ‘job shite’. You need to show willingness to succeed in whatever job they thing you’re best suited to and I’ll warn you now, it won’t be well paid and it most likely will include physical labour.

Draco: Just send me to Azkaban

?: The court sentenced you to this instead since your crimes didn’t warrant a stay in jail.

Draco: This is WORSE

?: Worse than being Kissed daily?

Draco: I’m a fucking muggle

Draco: I won’t be kissed at fucking all

?: You have your freedom. Consider yourself lucky.

Draco: Remind me how I’m free

Unknown Number: You can work, you can earn, you can socialise, you can look after yourself. Most importantly, you can retain your soul and earn b ack your magical civilian status

Draco: I think you’re breaking some ministry rules by talking to me privately like this and I’ll report you.

?: I have to send all communications on the other phone to your case worker who compiles the evidence needed to end your sentence early or prolong it.

?: You have the freedom to choose which you’d prefer.

Draco: You think yourself so fucking mighty

?: Actually I pity you

Draco: That’s so much better

?: Just do as you’re told

 

 

 

**Text conversation titled: Ministry Hag**

Ten minutes pass

Integration Liaison Granger: Your appointment has been rescheduled for 12pm on Thursday. If you do not attend, you will receive a penalty of one additional month added to your sentence.

Draco: Will I really

Draco: Well isn’t that exciting

Draco: Thank you you miserable cow

Integration Liaison Granger: Foul and offensive language will not be tolerated. You have been switched to a censored vocabulary system.

Draco: What the fudge does that mean

Draco: Fudge

Draco: Are you shirting me Granger

Integration Liaison Granger: I am permitted to turn off the censored system at my leisure and will do so at a time that I believe you have learned your lesson.

Draco: You silly vainglorious birch

Draco: Silly

Draco: I can’t even say silly?

Draco: For fudge’s sake

Integration Liaison Granger: Please confirm your attendance to the rescheduled job evaluation.

Draco: If it gets you off my back

Integration Liaison Granger: It will

Draco: Fantastic

Draco: The sooner I never have to speak to you again, the better

Integration Liaison Granger: Better get used to it, I’m contracted to serve your sentence no matter how long it takes

Draco: What the fudge? Why?

Integration Liaison Granger: Confidential

Draco: But telling me so wasn’t?!

Draco: You’re saying that if I don’t comply and stretch out this sentence to ten years, you still have to work for me?

Integration Liaison Granger: For the Ministry on your case, yes.

Draco: What did you do?

Integration Liaison Granger: Confidential.

 

 

** Text Conversation Titled: Granger: Personal**

Draco: What did you do?

Draco: Granger

Draco: Why are you stuck with me?

Draco: Come on you daft bitch

Draco: Fuck yes

Draco: Granger, fucking talk to me

Draco: Why are you serving my sentence with me?

Draco: Come on, I have nothing to do and I’m so perilously bored, I might just jump from the apartment roof

Granger-personal: You know if you threaten things like that, I’ll be forced to have all your windows and doors locked and all sharp edges in your flat filed down.

Draco: Tell me what you did and I’ll behave

Draco: I’ll go to this shitty job thing

Granger-personal: It’s confidential

Draco: So you said and yet you raised it anyway

Draco: Will you get in trouble for even mentioning it?

Granger-personal: Yes, I’ve already received a warning

Draco: So, you’re panicking right now

Draco: Got it

Draco: Must have been something bad for them to be okay with you having the possibility of an unending sentence

Granger-personal: I just obstructed the course of justice

Granger-personal: There

Granger-personal: Now shut up about it

Draco: How?

Draco: On what case?

Granger-personal: No, you said you’d be good

Granger-personal: So fucking do it

Granger-personal: Keep an ear to the ground, do what they tell you and stop giving me shit.

Draco: You’ve got a mouth on you

Granger-personal: 🖕

Draco: Now you’ve done it

Granger-personal: Done what

Draco: Made yourself the most entertaining thing at my disposal

Draco: If you’re stuck with you, I may as well have fun with you

Granger-personal: Oh God

Granger-personal: What exactly does that mean?

 

 

**Text Conversation Titled: Ministry Hag**

Draco: I, Draco Malfoy, confirm my attendance to the job shite and do so attest that I’ll be on my best behaviour henceforth so that Granger doesn’t get into any more trouble regarding her secret crimes.

Automated Operator: Notice: This conversation is being monitored.

Draco: Now isn’t this interesting

Draco: Good morning Officer Operator

Integration Liaison Granger: Mister Malfoy, the Operator is a warning system.

Integration Liaison Granger: So be warned.

Integration Liaison Granger: Please.

Draco: look who’s finally learned some manners

Draco: Operator, the lady has been bullying me

Draco: I feel bullied and subjected to information against my will regarding this criminal’s aforementioned crimes

Integration Liaison Granger: Malfoy, stop.

Automated Operator: Notice: this conversation is locked for 24 hours.

Draco: What?

Message unsent.

Draco: Fudge off

Message unsent.

Draco: Ballsocks

Message unsent.