Hermione sighed as she perched on her stool behind the counter. Prince's Potions was having a slow day.

"Shall I put some music on?" Ron said from the doorway to the back room, pointing at the gramophone near Hermione.

"If you like. No customers to complain about it. Nice day out there. Hogwarts will be out soon."

"They're still in the middle of their exams. We've had lots of orders for the concentration potions." Ron said as he rummaged through the box of records they kept under the counter.

"Any for felix?"

"A couple but I wrote back saying that they had to state the reason since its against the law to use felix during exams or quidditch matches. You know, like you told me to."

"We could get shut down. Harry's got a big match coming up, has he written for some?"

"Yeah. On credit of course. I told him he didn't need it, Wimbourne Wasps are a walkover for the Tutshill Tornadoes."

"Has he written?"

"Who he?"

"You know, our business partner."

"I can't believe you still don't like him. And no, no word."

"He didn't call you mudblood for six years. And you didn't have to live with him in seventh."

"You liked living with him, admit it."

"No. Never."

"Fair enough. I'd hate it too. It'd be torture." Hermione picked up on the sarcasm.

Hermione smiled. Then she laughed as My Generation by The Who filled the room from the gramophone. "Why did I ever introduce you to muggle music?"

"This is muggle music? How the hell do they get that sound to come out without magic?"

Hermione sniggered. "Do I have to explain it to you again? It's called a synthesizer. Its made specifically for those moments of music."

Hermione left Ron to ponder the wonders of muggle music and went back to writing what was bound to be her next bestseller.

"Hey, would you take it out of my wages if I used a love potion?"

The question made her look up. "Why would you need one Ron?"

"It's been a slow month."

"What? No guys melting at the Ron Weasley charm?"

"Not one."

"Oh you poor thing. Didn't my book help at all?"

"Considering its aimed at women for getting men- not at all!"

"Not that one. That's Ginny's book. Don't you know the difference between hers and mine?"

"Yeah. Hers I can understand. Yours… not so much."

Hermione glared. "Before we start trying to lop each other's heads off, or other appendages, we need some more arrowroot. Here's a galleon. Buy what you can for that."

It was his turn to glare. She was always like that; treating him like a slightly dim child. They were the most unlikely pair of business partners in Diagon Alley. His twin brothers, over in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes down the road, made countless jokes about how they'd one day blow up their own shop, and personally, Ron had to agree with them. He was surprised it hadn't happened already.

As he returned from the shop, little brown bag of arrowroot in his hand, he bumped into Draco Malfoy.

"Oh! Hey Draco, how's it going?" Ron tried not to blush. Draco, at twenty-seven, was astoundingly beautiful in a manly way.

"Can't complain." Draco smiled. "I was just on the way to the shop. Grumpy Granger send you out on another errand?"

Ron chuckled as they fell into step with each other heading back to the shop. "Arrowroot shortage. But I think she just wants some alone time, 'coz I swear I saw some in the brewing room."

Draco laughed. "It would be like her. How's it going in there? Ready to kill each other yet?"

"If I didn't love her so damn much then yeah I'd blow the shop up just to spite her."

"Love her?"

"As a friend. God no, I wouldn't get in your way. Besides, she's a bit to…female for my tastes."

"Good. How would you blow the shop up anyway?"

"Easy. Let Fred and George in for a day. That, or ship Seamus Finnegan in."

"He was good at blowing things up at school wasn't he?"

"He didn't do it on purpose. It just happened. Kind of like you and Hermione."

"What are you on about? It hasn't happened yet." Draco stated.

"But it will."

"She doesn't even like me."

"Yes she does. She just doesn't know it yet. You could always slip her a love potion."

For a moment Draco paused and considered it. "No, she'd know, and then she'd never speak to me again."

"Personally I don't see that as a bad thing." Draco just gave him a 'look'. "But seeing as she's your future wife, yeah it wouldn't help much."