A/N: Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time since I posted anything here, but you know how sometimes real life takes precedence over everything else. Chapter one is quite short, but I will be posting the second chapter at the same time. Please, as always, leave lots of reviews and let me know what you think. I truly think you guys will love this plot and the direction the story is going to take!

Talk soon!

She was in heaven.

At least, what she considered heaven.

Hermione Granger, head of the Dark Artifacts Department, was buried elbow deep in the contents of Severus Snape's personal vault. It took quite a bit of patience and persistence to be allowed access the contents, as the Goblins who owned Gringotts Bank took their patron's privacy very seriously. There also was that time that she, Harry and Ron used a stolen wand to break into the bank, put an Imperius curse on a Goblin to steal Helga Hufflepuff's cup from the Lestrange's vault and damaged the interior of the underground cavern by escaping on a blind dragon.

She couldn't help that these Goblins had long memories.

Hermione looked around her office; there was so much to do! On the floor next to her fireplace were old cauldrons that needed to be cleaned before being donated or destroyed. Under her desk were several private journals that belonged to her former professor; she was reluctant to read those. By the door were several glass jars of exactly what, she really didn't want to know, and was not looking forward to analyzing. In her hands at this moment was a diary of a young witch who had lived in the mid 1500's, ruled at the time by Queen Mary the first, who was also known as Bloody Mary. The young witch whose name Hermione found faded in the cover, Marie DeMarsico, was Snape's ancestor. Hermione found it amusing that this lively, flirty young girl shared the same bloodline as the broody Potions Master.

It was a very interesting read; Marie wrote about the Queen/s impending marriage to Phillip of Spain, which most wizards were very worried about, as they feared he would bring the Inquisition with him. She also wrote how madly in love Queen Mary was already and how merry court was.

"Don't you have a social life, Granger?" The smooth voice came from the front of her office; she didn't even have to look up to give her reply.

"Malfoy, don't you have someone else to harass?" Hermione quipped, suppressing a smile.

Their friendship was what you would call unexpected. After the final battle between Harry and Voldermort, Hermione could not help but have sympathy for the boy that she knew had lost his way. Harry admitted to her the only reason he even made it out of that forest alive was because of Narcissa. Hermione knew there had to be a good person in Draco, under the hatred and fear, after she saw with her own eyes Lucius and his wife tearing the walls of Hogwarts apart looking for their son.

"As a matter of fact, I have several people I would like to harass tonight," he continued in, eyeing the glass jars of mystery with disgust. "You just happen to be the first person on my list"

Hermione couldn't suppress the smile any longer. "I feel honored, Malfoy, I really do," she replied sarcastically.

Draco looked for a place to sit on her desk, but decided it was safest to just stand, as everything looked precariously balanced on top of each other, "What are the big plans for tonight? Dinner in Paris? Dessert in Switzerland? Breakfast in India?"

Hermione snorted, "Actually, I am sorting through the contents of your late Godfather's vault," she replied while stretching her arms, "And he came to possess quite a few interesting items that will unfortunately keep me here a bit late"

"Interesting, eh?" Draco asked, intrigued. "Anything I can try out on my house elves?"

"You're a prat," Hermione retorted, throwing him a mock glare.

"Like I haven't heard that one a million times." He smirked, catching her eyes. Draco had been trying to lure Hermione out from her office for the past few days. He would come in the morning, she would be there. He would leave at night; she would be the last one to leave. If she didn't smell so delicious, he would have thought she slept in her office.

"Let's get out of here, Hermione." Draco smiled, he was beginning to have feelings for her, and it worried him. To him, she was still that untouchable witch, the one that always made the right decisions, no matter the consequence, while he chose to do what was easy.

"Malfoy, I'm really sorry, but I need to get through all this," she gestured around her office, "Stuff."

He frowned, "Its Friday evening, Hermione."

She sighed, "I guess you're right, I have been spending entirely too much time with Snape's belongings." She smirked and looked up at him. "I am starting to become a recluse, next thing you see I'll dye my hair black and become all broody and dark."

"Leave it to you to make Emo cute." Draco laughed, leaving the office. "I will pick you up at your flat in about an hour or so?"

Cute? Really? Hermione wondered silently. "Yes," she replied. "An hour is enough time, I have a few things to finish here and I'll be off."

He was already out the door. "Don't make me have to come here and throw you over my shoulder," he threatened. "Because I will, and take great pleasure in doing so."

Hermione shook her head and smiled to herself. Could she date Draco Malfoy? Of course, there were the rumors of arranged marriages and Merlin knows he was Quibbler fodder, but being the best friend of Harry Potter didn't exactly keep her private life very private at all. She cringed as she remembered the day the Prophet came out with the news that she and Ron had called it quits. They made front page! She could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up her face as she remembered the headline: "Hermieweasly call it quits"

Hermieweasly.

She absolutely loathed whoever came up with the idea of combining names of famous couples. Of course, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Harry and even Ron had a field day with it. She shook her head to dispel the embarrassing memory. "Come on girl, focus." She needed to get through the rest of the diary before rushing home to freshen up for her dinner with Draco.

As she opened the Marie's diary, a small folded piece of paper fell to her lap. On the front it read. "Where thy heart be, I shall follow." Hermione smiled; it seemed that this young girl had an admirer! Her conscience was smug, looks like Marie here isn't the only one with an admirer. She opened the note to read the few lines of Latin that were faded on the paper, and so preoccupied was she with thoughts of Draco Malfoy in her head, Hermione read aloud the ancient incantation.

Discupio adamo modulus viaticatus

First came the winds --she felt maybe she was transported to the middle of a typhoon-- and then came the deafening noise. Hermione threw herself to the floor and watched in horror as everything started moving backwards. At first it was slow; she saw Draco coming into her office to arrange their dinner, she saw herself coming that morning, then the leaving the night before. It started speeding up, she tried to yell, scream for help, but her voice was lost in roar of the Ministry of Magic unbuilding itself. She watched helplessly from the floor as previous occupants of her office came and went.

She clutched her knees to her chest and buried her face. The sooner this was over, the sooner she would be able to figure out what exactly she did and what she needed to do to undo it. The wind continued, the noise wouldn't stop, and she didn't know how long she sat there in a state of panic, coiled so tightly she felt she would crack. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. There was no longer any type of movement going on around her, everything was still. Slightly hyperventilating, Hermione slowly lifted her head to see exactly what happened to her office.