Okay guys, so I'm not sure if some of you will remember, but I actually had this story posted about a year ago. I had posted several updates and the story was almost done but after heavy debate (with myself) I had deleted it. There were quite a few of you that had enjoyed the story and I have gotten several PMs asking to repost this, so I have obeyed all of your wishes. However, I have edited pretty much each chapter so it will almost be like reading an entirely new story. The plot will still be the same though! And for those that are just coming across this story for the first time, this story was influenced by the 2016 film "Morgan". It's one of my favorites so I wanted to pull the HP universe into it as well. This is a non-magical AU but there is something else lurking within the updates o_O

Happy reading everyone!

Chapter 1:

A group of scientists held clipboards in their hands, pens and pencils hovering as they stared ahead at the sight before them. Many were frozen in shock, others too amazed to say a word as they watched in fascination. Ahead of them, in the dark with only a single overhead light, sat a mere girl, appearing no older than five years old, twisting and turning an object in her hand. Just as she picked up the object, with a flash of movement of her hands, she placed it back down and moved onto the next. Each cube she picked up was larger than the last, and solved faster than its predecessor. They didn't have time to glance at the clock before them, afraid they would miss any of her movements.

Greedy eyes continued to bore into the child as she continued to amaze them, discarding cube after cube without pause. The girl sat emotionless, deep into concentration as her fingers glided over the patterns before her, taking only a fraction of a second to set the pattern correctly before moving onward. Several wires were attached onto various parts of her skin- at her temples, the base of her skull, ribs, wrists, chest - they were everywhere, taking their programed measurements and calculations before sending the figures into their designated machines. Monitors were blaring around the scientists, lights flashing and needles spiking as the girl continued to do as told. But she paid them no mind. She was used to them by now.

Alas, her fingers picked up the remaining puzzle and pulled it in front of her. She didn't bat an eyelash as she turned her wrist- once, twice, three times - before placing it back onto the table. With no other contraption to solve, she intertwined her fingers together and placed her hands onto the table along with the puzzles she had solved. She turned her eyes to stare at the glass that shielded her from her audience and waited.

On the other side of the glass, however, the scientists had burst into hushed whispers, their writing equipment flaring across their papers. At the front of the room, behind the numerous monitors, stood two seperate scientists, both grinning in pride at their success.

It had taken the girl 7.3 seconds to perform twelve of the most difficult puzzles on the planet, two being specifically designed to be impossible to solve. Yet, she had done them all.

With ease and without hesitation.

One of the scientists in the audience stepped forward. "Congratulations doctors," he stuck his hand out and shook both hands of the ones in charge. He had a large grin of satisfaction on his face. The older man nodded his head towards the girl behind the glass, "You have managed to create the accomplishment of the century. We have all agreed to continue sponsoring the project and our companies will be in contact with the corporation immediately following our departure." The man took another step forward, his bespeckled eyes never wavering from the girl. "This is...exquisite work you have both accomplished. She's absolutely perfect."

Both doctors said their thanks, promising to share the results of their next testing, and watched as the audience of scholars dispersed from the viewing room.

A hand pressed down onto a large, blinking red button before speaking into the microphone. "Well done, Hermione."

The girl beamed at the glass.

There was static playing within his head, getting louder and louder until it was all Draco could hear as it shifted from the right lobe of his brain to the left, pounding against his skull. Silver eyes blinked in confusion; his pupils constricting from their previous dilated form.

He shook his head, clearing the fog that had clouded his senses, and glanced down at his hands that were glued upon his keyboard. He lifted his fingers off of the keys and flexed his hands. Several pops filled the air of his office as he clenched his fists, relieving the tension that had knitted itself through his phalanges.

He brought his head up to look at the bright computer screen and frowned as he scanned its contents. He had just finished his dissertation for the week. A tedious document that was over three dozen pages long, all single spaced. His frown deepened when he glanced at his clock. It was barely a quarter past eleven. He had barely started the introduction of his report when he had walked into his office at eight this morning. That hadn't taken long at all.

Draco had barely logged off of his computer when his phone buzzed to life. He didn't have to look at it to know who had sent him a notification. It was always the same person. Crouch. His boss.

He left his station immediately, taking care to lock his office door behind him as he went.

"Bloody hell," a voice rang out. It was one he recognized. A good colleague of his, he supposed, since happened to share the same hall that held both of their offices. Conversations were kept at a minimal, but for Draco, it was more than he had ever shared with another.

"Please tell me that you are not done already."

Draco turned to look at Dr. Theo Nott, but didn't stop his stride towards the elevators. "With the latest dissertation, yes," he answered. "For the day, however, that would be a no. Crouch just asked for my presence in his office."

Nott's brows rose high on his forehead. "You know," he shook his head, "I have been working on the same report for the past two months. Sometimes it's hard to believe you're even human."

A forced laugh lodged itself out of his throat at Nott's piss-poor attempt of a joke and instead of responding, he reached forward to press the button that would call the elevator. "As much as I would like to stay and chat," he turned to look at his colleague once more, "we both know I mustn't keep our boss waiting."

The mention of their supervisor had its desired effects. Nott straightened up, "Of course, of course," he nodding his head in a wordless parting. Draco faced forward but listened as Nott's footsteps faded down the hall, eventually disappearing. When the bell chimed, signaling the arrival of the elevator, he sighed in relief. He would have the compartment all to himself.

The electric panel before him was flashing against the dim lighting of the elevator, trying to capture the attention he wasn't giving it. He could feel the forces of gravity tugging at his stomach, faintly, as he flew higher and higher into the air. Yet, all he could do was stare at the highlighted button of the top floor. His destination. He lifelessly counted each chim that rang throughout the compartment, signaling each floor he passed.

9...10...11

He rolled his shoulders, scowling as the fabric of his suit jacket protested, and sighed impatiently. Could this thing go any slower? It could be alot worse, he thought to himself. He could have had to share the bloody thing, being forced to listen to some imbeciles drone on and on about their lives. Being alone meant that he could appreciate the quiet, the peace, the serenity it was to only hear the soft, whimsical music that was drifting out of the overhead speaker.

15...16...17

Draco relaxed against the paneled wall, wrapping his hands around the wooden handles on both sides of him and squeezing. He prayed to whatever higher force there was that no one was going to be joining him on the ride. He really didn't want to deal with anyone, especially from these top floors. These people, these vermins acted as if the mere ground they walked upon was nothing but gold plated tiles; as if they had expected nothing more than to have others fall at their feet.

24...25...26

He scoffed at his thought. Did those people really think he was intimidated of them? Did they think they were able to make his palms sweat like the other disposable workers here? If anything, it was their palms that started to sweat. It was their smiles that would stretch in uncertainty at his presence, not the other way around.

They all knew who he was. They knew he couldn't care less about them or whatever their imposing titles were. Those people knew he loathed them so it was useless to say otherwise because he, truly, didn't give a damn and wouldn't hesitate to let them know.

It's just who he was; the well known and arrogant but deeply respected and feared, Dr. Draco Malfoy.

He knew his place here, knew that he wasn't the average worker like all the others. Unlike everyone else, he hadn't applied for any job here at the corporation. Instead, the man in charge had come directly to him.

He had only been out of his doctorate stage for less than a year- a few months actually - but his grades had been the highest ever achieved. It only benefited him even further that he had graduated early. He had always been intelligent, that he could could remember. He may have only been twenty three years old, but he knew he was quite successful for being so young. His success alone was the reason why he was always being called up to Crouch's office.

28...29...30

The metal doors opened with a ding.

He took a deep breath before pushing forward.

As always there was no one in sight, excluding the boss's secretary that sat perched outside of the large doors. There was only one room on the top floor, and that was the office belonging to the boss. It was rare to ever be called up here unless there was a breakthrough in one of the experiments or if there was an emergency, but he had the...delight of being called up here almost on a daily basis. He was only doing his job. When he was called, he went. There was no other option.

He left the elevator, and stridded down the long open space — the soft sound of the heels of his leather shoes tapping against the stone floor and the secretaries obnoxious typing- was the only sound that could be heard.

This was the worst part about having to come up to the top floor. He hated how he always looked at his watch, pretending to be in a hurry, and hated how the bimbo of a secretary would pretend that she didn't see him until he stood right in front of her desk. He hated how she would fake a look of surprise and then recheck the appointment book as if their boss had people coming in and out of his office as if it were a damn bathroom. It wasn't that he had so much dislike towards the secretary, he just didn't like people in general. He had never been a people person, and was damn sure that he never would be. It was just something about the general public that made his skin crawl. Sometimes he cursed his intelligence thinking that it was the problem, but instead, he always settled on believing it was the fault of the people. Their sheer stupidity wasn't something he took lightly.

"Ah yes, Dr. Malfoy," the secretary nasally replied. "Mr. Crouch will see you now."

He hid his grimace and continued past her desk without sparing her a glance. Draco rolled his eyes before reaching down to pull the large door open.

Mr. Crouch was sitting at his desk and going through multiple files, occasionally bringing his attention to the computer on his left. His graying head snapped up, however, as the door closed behind him. It was routine by now that Draco made his way to sit in one of the two chairs available. He always picked the one that gave him the view of the entire room, from the door to the windows and anyone else, had there been anyone actually joining them.

"Draco," Mr. Crouch smiled at him. "Thank you so much for coming as quickly as you have," the older man spoke.

Like he had done with the secretary, Draco nodded his head. He wasn't a talkative man unless the occasion called for it.

As if sensing his wanting of getting down to business, Mr. Crouch grinned and gathered numerous files. The stack was far more thick than he had expected, much more than he had ever seen before. There were at least a twenty separate folders, each secured in sealed folders that had dark letterings stamped across the covers. His eyes widened as he read the word 'SECRETIVE' in thick, bold print. That was most certainly something he had never seen or dealt with before. Usually the research projects that the corporation funded were open to one another, and even the public more times than not.

His brows furrowed in confusion. The amount of work in those folders had to be years long. How long, exactly, had the project been in progress? He couldn't recall any of the research experiments lasting longer than a year, yet, the folders before Crouch had to be the product of decades. What could they possibly be working on? And more importantly, why was it so secretive?

He immediately figured it was something military, or pharmaceutical at least. Medicine was quite tricky to work with because results were always changing as the medications were tweaked. It made sense to be considered 'secretive' if the project was military based, but their corporation never dealt with anything of that sort. Biological warfare could be a strong possibility.

"Draco," Mr. Crouch's voice stirred him from his pondering. "I must discuss with you the basics before I attempt to reveal the information detailed inside these folders. As I'm sure you have seen, this project is the highest priority of the company, and has been for some time. There are only a handful of individuals that know of its content and it must remain that way until further notice. I have asked you here today, because I have decided that it is time for you to join the team in charge of this project.

He swallowed thickly, and stared at Mr. Crouch with unblinking eyes. Whatever was in those folders was big. Probably more advanced than anything he had come across. Ever. The man before him had his full, undivided attention.

"You will be expected to move to a private lot out for an unspecified amount of time. It could be a few weeks, or it could last for years. At the moment, I'm afraid I do not have the entire facts for myself and that's the reason why I have decided to involve you."

His silver eyes widened in shock. Moving? For up to the possibility of numerous years? He couldn't imagine his life any different than it was now. His room, his office...those had been his only source of familiarity for as long as he could remember. It was all he knew. However, he could feel the tingles dancing across his skull at the possibilities of the content within the folders.

"Unfortunately that is all I can tell you at the moment until I get your answer," Mr. Crouch continued.

Draco's gaze snapped to the man. He was...being given a choice?

Mr. Crouch leaned forward. "I need you to decide, Draco."

Before he could stop himself, or think otherwise, his mouth moved to give his reply. "I'm in."

Hope you guys like the first chapter! And happy holidays!