Author's Note: Sorry to those who are waiting for me to update Repopulating. Next chapter is in the work, but I needed to flex my mind a little bit, and figured I'd work on another genre other than anime for a little bit. -DM6

Chapter 1- And So It Began. . .

Hermione had always been about seeing the best in people. She had openly admitted it from the beginning. However, even she had to realize that some people were just rotten eggs. So, as she stared down at the parchment in her hand, she sneered. Ministry Mandate; two words she had come to absolutely loathe. Several had been passed lately, though some had their good purposes. Like the freeing of House Elves; if you wanted one, you had to pay for one.

This Ministry Mandate however, was something entirely different. They were going to be pairing up Pureblood's with Muggleborn's in an attempt to educate the masses. Seemed like a good idea. Actually, it was a fantastic idea! However, Hermione didn't have the time to 'educate' a primped up, pompous, Pureblood supremacist- by the name of Lucius Malfoy.

She let herself come back to the present, staring across the massive desk at the Minister of Magic. Kingsley seemed to be awaiting her reaction, his face carefully blank, though his eyes were wary.

"I have too much on my plate, Minister Kingsley, to babysit and re-educate a prick like Lucius Malfoy. Furthermore, you- yourself, gave me a list of subjects you wished me to research, draw up, and prepare, so you may use as a basis for arguments to pass new laws into effect. Now, you turn around, and slap me with one of your stupid laws- that we know will do nothing to educate those who do not wish to be educated!" Hermione spoke calmly, and coldly. "I suggest you remove this mandate from my person's, lest you find yourself being presented with a law that will ensure that all Ministry Mandates have to go for a public vote."

"Hermione, that is an empty threat, and we both know it." Kingsley scolded her. "The Wizengamot would never let that law pass."

Hermione kept her expression cool, her eyes locked with Kinsley's, and never let her mask slip. "And yet I have two people on my list that absolutely loathe me. In fact, one stood by as I was tortured on the floor of his parlor. The Wizengamot, which is supposed to have our best interests at heart, does not."

"My hands are tied in this, Hermione." Kingsley finely sighed in defeat. "I tried to get your charges changed; someone else, someone who was sitting in Azkaban and couldn't hurt you. They would hear nothing of it. Truthfully Hermione, you are the best person for these two individuals."

"One problem, one of my 'charges' is a half-blood. Oh, and he's dead." Hermione snapped, slapping the parchment on Kingsley's desk and pointing to Severus Snape's name. "You cannot teach a dead man, Minister Kingsley . . . Unless there is something you are not telling me."

Kingsley sighed and held a hand up. One of the many filing cabinets scattered around the office opened, and a thick file popped out and flew into the Minster's hand. Kingsley pulled the file down and let it hover over his desk, his eyes never leaving it. After a few moments, he slid the thick file across the desk, it coming to stop just in front of Hermione. "Severus Snape is alive and well. It took a lot of time, a lot of potions, and a lot of research, but he is alive. He will always have the scars that Nagini inflicted upon him. He also has trouble speaking for long periods of time. Much of his vocal cords were damaged, and never to be repaired, it seems. He gave up finding any kind of cure himself, over a year ago."

Hermione reached for the file with shaking fingers, flipping it open to find a scowling Severus Snape starring up at her. "These are his hospital files from St. Mungo's?"

"Yes. All existence of his being there has been erased. We even altered memories of those who we thought could not keep it a secret. For all pretense and purpose, Severus Snape is, and for a while longer, will be dead. We decided to give you two charges Hermione, because we felt that you could not only handle it, but you could do the most good. Unless someone flatly spoke that you were a Muggleborn witch, no one would ever guess so. You have completely immersed yourself in the wizarding ways. Yet, you also remain in contact with your heritage. You have changed the Wizarding World more in five years than any Minister of Magic has accomplished in the last two hundred. It's all for the better too. You can do this Hermione. I have faith in you." Kingsley spoke gently.

Hermione closed the file. "I will be taking this with me."

"Of course," Kingsley smiled. "I would expect nothing else."

"And I am allowed to choose how to educate them, correct?" Hermione ventured further, letting a few ideas float through her head.

"Within reason, I believe. Also, you will not be meeting them on the same day. You will work with Severus on Monday's, all day. Tuesday's have been reserved for Lucius, also an all-day appointment. At the end of each month, you will present a file on how you think their re-education is going. Will it take more time than you think? What works best on them, and what doesn't work at all? You will continue with your normal job Wednesday through Friday. No working weekends to 'catch-up' Hermione. We all know you are nearly a year ahead of the game." Kingsley stated, smiling when she opened her mouth to argue."

Hermione snapped her mouth shut and glared at Kingsley. "Fine, I agree to your points. However, we are going to make a deal, here and now. If after six months of working with both of the Wizards, if there isn't a marginally noticeable improvement, you have to release me from this mandate to return fully to work. I will not waste my time on a fruitless endeavor."

"No." Kingsley stated with a sigh.

"No?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, temper flaring.

"Hermione, I often look around this office, and think: People like me as Minister of Magic. They think I've done a lot of good, making sure Muggleborn's and Half-blood's get the same rights and equal treatment as the Purebloods. Then, I realize, every law, regulation, and bill that has passed through my hands and into the Wizengamot's, has all been researched and carefully prepared by you. I have no doubt in my mind, that when I retire from this office, it is you that will be taking my place." Kingsley told her, his eyes sweeping around the office. "Yet you have never asked for anything. No thanks, no praise, or a mention in the papers. You take pride in your work, and the change that has come to the Wizarding World. And as a future Minister of Magic, you have to obey the rules, and laws. No under the table deal making is something a respectable Minister would do. So, again, I state my answer: No."

Hermione slumped back in her seat, Severus Snape's file clutched tightly to her chest as she mulled over his words. "I don't even really know were to start with these two." She admitted softly. "I work much better with books, parchments, and quills. It's the reason you offered me my job."

"I have the upmost faith in you, Hermione Granger." Kingsley stated with a soft smile. "You will find a way to turn this all around and make it a positive. You always do, and always have, and probably always will."

"When is my first meeting with them? The parchment didn't state." Hermione sighed, picking up the mandate again.

"Two weeks from now." Kingsley told her. "That gives you plenty of time to come up with a plan."

Severus Snape let his head rest against the back of his broken down, thread-bare couch. He had received his mandate today, and really, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry. He left the Muggle world behind as soon as he could, forsaken half of his heritage thanks to what his father had been. A Muggle father had beaten down his mother, made her wish she had been born differently, like it would have helped save her failing and miserable marriage.

The only thing that he might have been annoyed with in the whole mandate, was who is educator was. Hermione Granger. One-third of the Golden Trio, Brightest Witch of Her Age, one of the Savior's of the Wizarding World, and overall, pain in his ass.

Or, she had been, while she was in school. She was also the reason he was alive, though she would never know that. The chit had dropped a vile of dittany when she had pulled a flask from her purse. He had managed to drag himself to it, and poured the whole vial on his mangled throat. It had been more painful than the bite itself had been, but he had clenched his teeth hard and bared it. He couldn't risk making any noise and being discovered alive. He had passed out later on, and woken up in St. Mungo's with Kingsley standing beside his bed.

Severus shook his head to clear his thoughts. Not much he could do now. He couldn't even raise his voice. His yelling was akin to his normal tones now. The rasp was a permanent thing now too. Truthfully, it hurt him to talk for too long. He had retreated to his decrepit home in Spinner's End, brewing potions and sending in whatever new creation's he found under a false name and reaped the benefits.

Not that he could venture out and spend his money. He hired a House Elf, well, Kingsley had, but Severus paid the thing. The House Elf, Dotty, did all of his shopping, cleaning, and sometimes, even his floo calls since he couldn't hardly speak loud enough to do so himself.

"Does Master be needing something from Dotty?"

Severus opened his eyes to peer down at the small House Elf. She was truly the smallest House Elf he had ever laid eyes on. Half the size of most other's he had seen, but she worked twice as hard, and was more vicious than a dragon when it came to protecting him.

"Parchment and a quill, please." Severus rasped.

Dotty nodded eagerly and rushed to his desk, hopping up on his chair just to be able to reach the items he had requested.

Severus had been overly pleased with the House Elf within a day of paying her. She knew that he had some very old and valuable books within his home. More so, she knew that using magic around them could ruin them. It didn't always make things easy for her, but she was proud and happy to serve him. Who was Severus to complain?

"Here you goes." Dotty cried happily, setting the parchment, quill, and an inkwell on the battered coffee table in front of him. "Master likes a cup of tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you." Severus rasped, leaning up so he could begin to pen his note.

"What kind would Master's be a-wanting?" Dotty asked, her ears flopping happily.

"Surprise me, Dotty. And make sure to bring a cup for yourself." Severus replied, dipping the quill into the ink.

"As Master wishes!" Dotty agreed as she turned and hurried from the room as fast as her short legs would carry her.

Severus smiled softly after the small elf and glanced down at the blank parchment. How to begin?

Lucius Malfoy glared as he re-read the parchment in his hand for the fourth time.

"How dare they!" He snarled softly, gripping the parchment so tightly it began to rip in the middle. "I have done everything they have asked of me. Donated countless amounts of money, attended every charity event, and attended every bloody meeting to ensure that I was being a good boy!" He spat the last out.

"Father, it isn't that bad. I mean you are still under house arrest and only allowed to go out when such an event, like a Charity Ball, occurs. It states that if you comply and your educator believes you are sincere in your re-education against Muggles and Muggleborn's, then you will have the house arrest lifted." Draco pointed out, gently prying the poor abused parchment from his father's fingers. He smoothed it out and laid it upon the heavy mahogany desk.

"They have made my educator Miss Granger." Lucius spat. "Even if I was to pass everything, convincing that girl I have changed will be like convincing the world that Dumbledore was gay!"

"He was." Draco stated coolly.

"He was what?"

"Dumbledore, he was gay. They discovered his old journal's when he died, and published some of them. Apparently, Grindelwald and he were . . . very, very good friends." Draco explained, smirking as he examined his nails.

"Well, that certainly explained the robes he wore." Lucius muttered, running a hand through his hair. "My original point, that girl will not be convinced that I have changed."

"You haven't, you just play your part so well. She will spot that out instantly. What you are going to have to do, is change for real. Granger is a smart bird. She'll teach you all you need to know and have you re-educated in no time." Draco smirked.

"How did you get out of this?" Lucius asked, suddenly realizing that Draco hadn't gotten a mandate.

"That's because I am dating a Muggleborn." Draco reminded him.

"That is all for show!" Lucius snapped.

"Is it?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just because you are convinced that it isn't real, doesn't mean it is not. We've been dating for nearly six months now. You'll have to accept it sometime, father."

Draco stood up, stretched, and made for the fireplace. He grabbed a pinch of floo powder of the mantel and turned to face his father once more. "I think you would be happier if you did this. You've been stuck in this mansion, with nothing but bad memories, and memories of mother to keep you company. Do this father, and try hard. When you get your house arrest removed, venture out and see if there is a new Mrs. Malfoy out there. But I challenge you to make a choice between a Half-Blood and a Muggleborn."

With that, he threw the floo powder into the fireplace and stepped into the green flames and called out his destination. A second later, he was gone.

Lucius sneered at the fireplace that his son had just disappeared through and turned back to the mandate in front of him. With a disgusted sigh, he opened one of the many drawers on his desk and produced a fresh sheet of parchment. Next, he reached for his rare phoenix quill and dipped it into the inkwell, pausing when he realized he didn't even know how to begin.

In the end, cold detachment won out.

Hermione couldn't help but smile slightly as she read over the parchment she had just received via a handsome dark colored owl. Unsurprisingly, it was from Severus Snape. His letter was courteous, inquiring, and simply setting up the meeting. She almost had expected something along the lines of what she would read atop of one of her old Potion's essays.

She giggled slightly and grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, replying quickly and easily, and sent it on its way back with the owl. Glancing down at her breakfast, she discovered that same owl, had eaten all of her bacon. That caused a brief scowl, but it's not like she could have changed anything.

Hermione sighed and stood up, dumping what was left of her breakfast in the waste bin, and turned and placed her dishes in the sink. Just as she was about to head to the bathroom to begin her daily rituals, another dark owl flew in. This one, however, had a cold regal bearing that Hermione instantly assumed it picked up from its master. Not only that, as soon as she reached for the parchment tied to its leg, it bit her, drawing blood.

"Oh, you mean rotten thing!" Hermione snapped. Without a second thought, she drew her want from her robe pocket and changed the owl to a bright pink color. "On your way!"

The owl, seeming to not realize what she had done to it, pecked her again, and flew out the window.

Hermione glared after the thing, biting her lip to keep from letting out a breathy sob. No doubt, she'd had to use some dittany on the wounds that mean thing inflicted. She set the parchment down and rushed to her medical cabinet to do just that.

A few minutes later, sporting some nice new shinny white scars on her hand, and a freshly scrubbed face from crying as her skin painfully re-knit itself; Hermione was glaring back down at the parchment she had received from the devil owl.

She glanced unsurprisingly at the wax seal baring an 'M'. "M is for malicious, moronic, murderer, and. . .and . . . Mudblood." Hermione muttered as she ripped open the missive, scanning quickly over the contents.

"Jerk." She muttered, grabbing another piece of parchment so she could reply to Malfoy Senior. She scribbled a quick reply, and then realized she didn't have a way of sending it back. Sighing, she set the parchment by her purse then hurried back to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Once she was primed and ready to go, she grabbed her purse, and the parchment, and apparated straight from her apartment and to the Ministry halls. She landed gracefully on her heels, something that had taken a lot of practice, and falling onto either her knees, or rear end.

She nodded in greeting to several people as she passed before making it to the elevator's, pressing her floor, which she shared with few others, including the Minister himself. She stopped briefly at the owlery that was on their floor. She entered, immediately looking for her favorite owl. Osiris was a large horned owl with a fierce temper; however, he liked Hermione just fine. Everyone on their floor joked that he was her own personal owl. She was more than fine with letting everyone else think that.

"Hey." She crooned softly at the owl as she approached. She let out a soft hoot and hopped down to a lower perch for her. "I have a letter for you to deliver. I want you to drop it on his desk, bite him, and fly away as fast as you can, okay?"

The owl gave a happy hoot, and then lowered his eyelids in a glare.

"Good boy." Hermione crooned again, allowing him to grip the parchment between his talons. She quickly fed him a piece of ham she always brought for him, then moved out of his way so he could take off.

She smirked at the thought of Osiris biting Lucius.

Severus was surprised at the quick response he had received from Miss Granger. He expected she would wait a while, mule over her answer, and send him back a foot long message. No, instead, she had simply replied in agreement, and wished him the best in the upcoming days, and stated the time she would arrive.

They would, of course, be meeting within his own home. He couldn't go out in public, could they? He was sure he could meet at her place, but he would have to apparate straight into her home, and straight out. They would also have to ensure that no one would stop in that wasn't allowed. No Potter, no Weasley's, and certainly not any suitor that Miss Granger might be entertaining. If she was entertaining . . .

"Why should I even be thinking this?" Severus rasped to himself. He looked back down at the letter before setting it aside and reaching again for the book he had been reading. He had given himself a few days off from potions research so he could clear his mind, and truthfully, begin to work on his house.

Part of him wanted to leave it in its decrepit state, just so Miss Granger could see how Muggle he was raised. The other part of him wanted it to look as nice as it could, as he didn't want his first real company over to be disgusted by the squalor he allowed himself to live in. Oh, Dotty kept it clean, but you could only re-arrange the dirt for so long before it became obvious that you were doing it.

On that note, Severus sighed as he finished the chapter he was reading, and marked his place. He would have to move most of his books by hand to his bedroom up stairs so he could use magic to deeply clean the place. He planned on stripping the walls bare, using magic to color them something else, and repairing his book shelves. The floors were wooden, and really in need of a deep clean, resealing, and waxing. The windows were grimy, and no matter how much Dotty scrubbed by hand, she could never get them any cleaner. With magic, they would be like new.

"Dotty." Severus rasped.

The House Elf appeared immediately, wearing a ghastly pink skirt and shirt she had seen in a magazine. Severus had bought it for her, and had it tailored for her size, just for that reason. "Master calls?"

Severus smiled down at the elf. "I'm going to move all my books upstairs so we can really clean this place up. I was wondering, while I was doing that, if you would make the garden's out front and back look more presentable. I know the herb garden and potions ingredient garden are fine, but I think some flowers and trimming the hedges and taking care of the weeds are in order. You mentioned something about liking roses? Plant all you want."

Dotty's eyes grew round, widened, and then filled with tears. She flung herself at Severus's pant leg and hugged it tightly. "Master is the kindest, sweetest Master Dotty has ever known!"

Severus sighed, and stooped down to rub his hand along the House Elf's head, affectionately. "Don't cry, you silly thing." He rasped.

Dotty released him, and while still sniffling, turned and left the room, heading into the kitchen, and out the back door.

Severus shook his head, and then turned to look at all the books on the shelf. With a sigh, he realized that he was going to cheat. He would remove the oldest, rarest, and most temperamental books, and remove the rest by magic. That would mean he only had to carry about one-third of them upstairs by hand; which meant about three hundred books.

"That's it, I'm converting my old childhood room into a library." He rasped to himself, before approaching the shelves. He immediately began to pull down the books he would have to carry by hand. He started stacking them everywhere he could find room, leaving all the books that could be moved by magic, on the shelves. After about two hours, he stared at the stack of rare and irreplaceable books.

"Now upstairs to clean out that room, repair it, and prepare for bringing the books up stairs." Severus rasped to himself.

Lucius was furious, to put it mildly. Not only did Miss Granger enchant his owl to a ghastly shade of hot pink, she had the nerve to not reply. Oh, but she did reply, in her own time! With the meanest owl he had ever had the displeasure of dealing with! The thing had dropped the parchment on his desk, nearly landing it in his firewhiskey. Then it had swooped around, bit him hard enough to draw blood, and then left its dropping on him. The thing left hooting enough to make Lucius believe it was laughing at him.

After he had run upstairs and changed, throwing his expensive tailor made clothes straight into the fireplace; he returned downstairs to read Miss Granger's response. The note was even more discourteous and informal than his own letter had been. He was actually impressed by her ability to be as off putting as he tried to be.

The little chit had clearly not been happy with that fact that their meetings were going to have to be held at the manor. Part of him couldn't blame her, she had, in fact, had not had a nice time the last time she was here. Watching her being tortured in front of him was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of his life. She was the same age of his son. Still just a girl, and yet, she was the enemy. Still, he had looked on, coldly, as Bellatrix had not only used Crucio on the girl, but carved into her flesh with her favorite cursed dagger. No doubt, Miss Granger still carried those scars, and always would.

Lucius shook himself out of his memories and tossed the note into the fireplace. He allowed himself to amuse himself, for a brief moment, of setting up the room she was tortured in as the meeting place. However, in the end, it would probably only justify ruining his chances to prove to her that he was 'reformed'. No, the library would probably be the best place for their meetings. Far enough away from that room to make her comfortable, and, if Draco was truthful, Miss Granger would be most at ease in the library. Well, if she was able to pull herself away from the books long enough to even attempt to re-educate him.

"Maybe I can bribe her . . ." Lucius muttered to himself as he walked over to his sideboard and pulled himself a generous amount of firewhiskey. He couldn't bring himself to touch the previous glass on his desk, fearing whatever else that devious owl may have done. He took a sip, enjoying the slow burn as it made its way down his throat. His eyes trailed over the thousands of books and scrolls that lined the Malfoy Library. There was surely something here he could give the girl in return for her giving his good report.

He finished off the glass in one large swallow and smirked. A little Malfoy charm, a minor pinch of seduction, and the promise of some books she would never get her hands on otherwise; he would be free. Oh, he would have to work hard at seducing her. She would obviously suspect something. Once he had lured her in however, she would be putty in his hands. He would shape and mold her to his needs. After all, once she filed the papers, and he was cleared of his home arrest, he would be able to drop her like the filthy thing she was.

"You're plotting father." Draco announced as he stepped out of the fireplace. He waved his want over himself, cleaning himself of the soot and ashes he had collected on his journey. "And if it has anything to do with Granger, you might as well forget it."

"I have no idea what you could possible mean, Draco." Lucius replied smoothly. "Firewhiskey?"

"No, thank you, Father." Draco drawled, eye the decanter sitting on the side board. "Never could quite get used to the stuff."

"Your taste buds simply need some more refining, that is all." Lucius said with a delicate sniff. He placed his glass down on the sideboard, knowing that a House Elf would come along and clear it away soon enough. "It's rare that you visit two days in a row. What are you here for, Draco?"

"Can't a son just visit his father while he is having a difficult time?" Draco asked innocently, but it was lost in the smirk on his face.

"A normal son probably could. However, not a Malfoy son." Lucius replied easily, sinking into the chair behind his desk. "So I ask again, what do you want?"

Draco at once lost his cockiness and he cleared his throat. "Money."

"You get a monthly allowance, and you have a job. What could you possibly need money for?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up in the process. "I sink the allowance you give me into an orphanage. All the children there are Muggleborn and Half-Bloods. Their parents were killed when Death Eaters infiltrated Hogwarts and got their hands on the registry of future witches and wizards. My girlfriend, well, she has taken them all in. About fourteen kids."

"And they are in need of money? I donate to everything the Ministry of Magic asks me to. Why should I throw my money into this?" Lucius sneered.

"Because it would mean a lot to me." Draco answered easily. "And if that isn't enough, I have no qualms revealing to the Daily Prophet that I have tried hard to keep the small orphanage a-float. I also have no problems revealing that when we needed help, you denied us. That would be a problem to your carefully constructed image, wouldn't it? I can just imagine what Rita Skeeter could spin out of that."

Lucius narrowed his gaze at his son before he reached into his desk and pulled out a ledger. "How much?"

Draco left his father's mansion, feeling just a little bit lighter. Truth be told, he had lied to his father a lot recently. Not about the orphanage, or his sinking of money into it. About his girlfriend. He wasn't dating her. Truth be told, he couldn't get the girl to go out on one measly date! She was wrapped up so hard in her taking care of the kids, that she didn't even have enough time to treat herself to anything. From the moment she got up, till the moment she laid her head down at the end of the night, she was caring for those children! The only time he managed to get her anywhere that could be remotely considered a date, was when he paid for all the kids to go to the zoo. At least they got to leave her two bedroom flat for a few moments.

That was the other problem, trying hard to find a large place that could be converted into an actual orphanage. The only reason the Ministry of Magic hadn't stepped in and taken the children away from her, was that all the other orphanages were full. She kept her children fed, took them to the park for some daily exercise and fresh air, and tutored them as best as she was able to.

Abigail was her name, though the kids called her Abby. She was an American witch with a large heart. She had left her home in America, with all of her money, savings, and very few personal items, just so she could take care of the homeless children displaced by the war. More so, she didn't care what side of the war their parents were on. She treated each child with equal amounts of love, patience, and guidance. Some of the kids were more trouble than others, but she never regretted taking them in.

She had given up both bedrooms in her flat so the kids would have a room; one for the boys, and one for the girls. Each room was lined with bunk beds from floor to nearly the ceiling to accommodate all the children. Abby herself slept on the couch. She was careful to try and split all the money she received in donations between different funds. The most important fun was of course bills. After that, it was food fund, clothing fund, toy fund, and then, their future school expenses. She stretched every Galleon, Sickle, and Knut till it screamed.

Draco stopped outside his normal spot where he watched her, a small café in Diagon Alley. He took his normal seat, and the waitress immediately came over to take his order. He placed his normal- tea and some scones, and then set to watch her.

As he had learned, she had a friend who came over and watched the children for a couple of hours so she could take to the street and try and get money. She had managed to get a little extra to make some official pamphlets stating who she was, and what she did. Still though, she struggled to get anything out of the busy witches and wizards visiting. Draco had only watched her for about a week before he was convinced that he was half way in love with her. Scheduling a meeting with her about donating funds had been even trickier. It had taken nearly a month to convince her that he wasn't out to trick her or scam her in some way.

She, of course, had known who he was immediately. He supposed she had the right to be wary. The Malfoy's weren't exactly looked upon favorably after the war. Still though, he had managed. He donated to the charity, in return, once a month she had to sit down with him and talk to him about how things were going. More so, she had to be completely truthful with him. He, of course, also scheduled the rights to visit the flat turned orphanage whenever he deemed fit. After all, he was donating over a thousand Galleons' a month to ensure that everything ran smoothly.

It was at their last meeting that Abby revealed that she had lied to him. Things weren't going as well as she led him to believe. She had been forced to empty the future school funds saving to pay for things. Her landlord had found out what she was doing, and doubled the rent for the flat. She had tried looking for another place to live, but nowhere was willing to rent to her, once they contacted for landlord to ask about her rent history.

Draco could feel the twenty-thousand Galleon note in his pocket nearly burning. As horrible as it sounded, he was going to get a date out of her for it. He was, after all, a Malfoy. Malfoy's did nothing for free, even charity.