Dear Readers,

So, this is my first Dramione fic.. Actually my first real HP fic. I love reading Dramione, so I thought "Why not write some?". Please don't be too harsh on me if this sucks. I tried my best. Anywho, all information in this is from what I have learned from the books, and what I've found on the Interweb. If you find that any information is innacurate, do not hesitate to notify me. It will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses,

You'reAbsurd

[Disclaimer: I own nothing.]

Chapter 1: The Assignment

Hermione yawned hugely, stretching to get the knots out of her back. She ran her hands through her hair and winced as they got caught in the tangled curls. She sighed. No matter what she did to it, her hair was still as unruly as ever. She'd tamed it a bit over the years, but it had taken much time and patience. She glanced at her watch and realized she would be late to work if she didn't hurry. She hurriedly gathered up her things and made her way into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Draco strolled to the lifts, a steaming mug of tea in one hand, The Daily Prophet in the other. He was paying more attention to the article he was reading than where he was going, so the wall he suddenly rammed into was a complete surprise. Hot tea splashed across his chest, scalding his hands. He cursed under his breath, rummaging in his pocket for his wand. He pointed it at himself and muttered Scourgify before continuing to the lifts. He entered one and pressed the button for his floor.

As it rattled to a stop, a computerized voice announced; "Department of Mysteries". He cautiously stepped out of the lift, trying to be more aware of where he was going so he wouldn't run into something again.

"Good morning, Draco," Hermione said, not looking up from her desk.

"Granger," he replied with a curt nod in her direction. He didn't take his eyes off his paper until he reached his own desk, where he breathed out a sigh of relief. Hermione had started calling him "Draco" ever since they had begun working together. Though he had a new-found respect for the woman and was trying to put his past behind him, he just couldn't bring himself to call her "Hermione". It was far too strange. He had spent too many years calling her "Granger" and "Mudblood". Plus he had always reserved the use of first names for only his closest of friends. And she was far from that.

He settled into his chair, pulling out his workload for the day. He let out a frustrated sigh when he saw the stack of paperwork he would have to do. He ran a hand through his hair and frowned when he remembered he didn't have any tea left. He asked his assistant to get him a fresh cup, rolled up his sleeves, and plunged into the pile of papers. He had made little progress when he heard the magnified voice that had suddenly filled the room.

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy please report to the Minister's office immediately."

Draco's head snapped up. The Minister's office? What did the Minister want with them? He slowly rose from his seat and walked over to Hermione, who was waiting for him. He couldn't help the surprise that flitted across his face at the sight of her wringing her hands nervously. She was always so brave. A typical Gryffindor. He smirked slightly. Guess she wasn't as courageous as she thought.

They got into the lift and rode up to the top floor, where the Minister's office resided. Hermione kept tapping her hand on her leg anxiously. It was driving Draco insane. He grabbed her hand to still its motions. Her gaze locked with his. Her expression was startled and confused.

"Stop it," he told her. "Your incessant tapping is driving me mad."

"Sorry," she whispered, embarrassed. She tried to remove her hand from his grasp, but he held onto it. She gave him a questioning look.

"If I let go, you'll just start up again," he explained. She nodded her head in understanding and agreement. He was probably right. It was rather odd to be holding hands with her former enemy though. Well – it couldn't exactly be called "hand-holding" as he had his fingers wrapped around her wrist like a vice. But it was close enough. She tried to ignore the sparks of energy she could feel floating between them. If she really thought about it, she would narrow it down to her loneliness. She had recently broken up with Ron after she found out he had been cheating on her with his secretary. She had left work early one day and thought she would surprise her boyfriend by showing up at his office. Needless to say, when she walked in, she'd found him in a very compromising position with a woman that was most certainly not her. She had broken up with him on the spot, screaming and throwing things at him as he tried to justify himself while struggling to pull up his pants. She'd stormed back to their flat, shrunk all his things, packed them in a single box, and dropped said box out the window. And that was that.

She liked to think she had healed from that experience. But she knew she was just lying to herself. She was still damaged goods. She couldn't fully trust a man anymore – which is why she hadn't been on a date since "the incident", as she deemed it. Being cheated on just did something to a person.

So yes – that must have been why she was feeling any sort of attraction towards Malfoy (she may have addressed him as Draco out loud, but she still called him Malfoy in her head). She was craving male attention. Or any attention for that matter.

They had finally reached the Minister's office. Draco dropped her hand and knocked sharply on the door.

"Come in," called a low, gruff voice. Draco pushed the door open to see a middle aged wizard hunched over a desk. William Barrows, Minister for Magic, the nameplate read. He looked up when he heard the door shut. "Ah, just the two I wanted to see. Sit, sit." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. Draco internally rolled his eyes. Just the two I wanted to see, he thought. Who else would we be? You sent for us! He tried not to let his annoyance at the man show through.

"You wanted to see us, Minister?" Hermione asked, getting straight to the point. There was no use in beating around the bush.

"Yes," he paused. "I have a new assignment for you both." Hermione and Draco shared a look of surprise.

"Both of us? But sir, we work in different divisions –" The Minister raised a hand, stopping Hermione mid-sentence.

"I realize this, Miss Granger. But this assignment requires the best. And that is you two," he said, pointing to the both of them. "You are the best Unspeakables the Ministry has." Hermione blushed lightly at the compliment, while Draco looked smug.

"So, what is this assignment?" Draco asked.

"You are familiar with the Ever-locked Room, correct? Otherwise known as The Love Chamber?" They both nodded. "The Ministry has recently approved of the continued research of the Chamber, and what's inside it."

"What is inside it, Minister?" Hermione leaned forward in her seat.

"For many years, we have been trying to understand the complexities of self-sacrificing love and the magical protection it creates," he explained. "But when the war with You-Know-Who began, it sort of took a back seat to more important things at the time. Now that the war is now over, we would like to continue our studies."

"And.. you want us to do that?" Draco asked slowly.

"Yes," the Minister clasped his hands together in front of him. "Your assignment is to find and/or create a spell to repel the Killing Curse." He let the words sink in for a moment. The Unspeakables stared at him with wide eyes. "I have all the faith in the world that you will succeed."

"What – what about our other assignments?" Hermione stammered.

"They will be given to other staff members."

"Where are we going to work?"

"All of the details will be explained at a later time," he assured them. "For now, you may go."

They left the room quietly, wrapped up in their own thoughts.

This is going to be impossible! How are we supposed to find a counter-curse for the Killing Curse? Hermione thought.

Oh no! Thought Draco. What am I going to do? I'm going to be locked up with her for weeks, months, maybe even years!

As they walked back to the lifts, Hermione began to drum her fingers anxiously on her leg again. Draco wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Kill me now.

I have a feeling this story is going to take quite a bit of research.. But, I hope you enjoyed that! Reviews are absolutely outstanding, for it lets me know what you thought of it, how it can be improved, and if you want to see more. Ideas and constructive criticism are welcome. Stay lovely! (: