Disclaimer: I owned Harry Potter I would be rolling around in a bed of diamonds and money...

DEC 15, 2004

"Seriously, Ron? You want me to go on a date with Cormac? Cormac McLaggen."

Hermione shot a pleading glance to Harry who leafed through a file on her desk, pretending to not notice the conversation happening between his two best friends.

"What's wrong with McLaggen, 'Mione? He's a handsome enough bloke," Ron offered, "wealthy," he added.

As if looks and wealth were the most important things to Hermione Granger. She was about to say as much when Harry decided to offer his two knuts. "Ron, Hermione isn't concerned with looks or galleons…"

"Thank you, Harry!"

"...I mean, obviously, she was with you for two years! Kidding! Ouch, ouch, Hermione. I thought we were on the same side!" Harry said as he protected his head from being swatted with a rolled-up copy of The Daily Prophet.

"HEY!" protested an incensed Ron.

"I happened to love this poor, ugly fool very much, Harry," Hermione teased as she wrapped her arms around Ron's waist."

"Some friends," Ron said as he playfully pushed her away. "I really think you should give McLaggen a shot. He's not that bad once you get to know him."

"Yes Ron, I expressly remember trying to get to know him back in sixth year. But, it was difficult to talk, you see, with him trying to examine me for strep throat using his actual tongue in lieu of a tongue depressor." Harry guffawed at that, while Ron looked somewhere between disgusted by the imagery, and utterly confused by the muggle terminology. "Besides, you only want me to go out with Cormac so that he'll set you up with Romilda Vane. I know all about your little deal."

"That, tha, that's completely off point," Ron sputtered.

Hermione was mentally preparing her rebuttal when there was a sharp knock. Draco Malfoy pushed his way through the partially closed door. "Granger, do you have that file ready?"

"Hello to you too, Malfoy. Yes, it's just here," replied Hermione, summoning the file in question with her wand and floating it over to Draco.

"Impeccable as always, Granger," he said, scanning the file. "The amount of detail that you put into your work is astounding considering these two wankers hanging around your office all throughout the day."

"Fuck off, Malfoy," countered Ron, but without the same bite had it been six years earlier.

Six years earlier, after the Battle at Hogwarts and defeat of Voldemort, marking the conclusion of the war, Harry Potter testified at Draco Malfoy's trial, as well as that of Draco's mother. Narcissa Malfoy was sentenced to five years of house arrest for her involvement with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Draco, according to the Wizengamot, had been coerced into taking the dark mark, effectively branding him a junior Death Eater. Having been found not guilty of casting a meaningful crucio nor the killing curse, and with the help of Harry's testament, Draco was acquited.

Both Draco and his mother had thanked Harry and Hermione at the trials, not only for Harry's testimony and Hermione's support but also for saving Draco and Gregory Goyle in the Room of Requirement, as well as for banishing the dark lord.

Despite having defected in the last moments in order to save his family, Lucius Malfoy's fate had been sealed, having been in too deep with the dark lord. He had been sentenced to Azkaban and had received the dementors kiss.

Draco completed his N.E.W.T.s with the help of private tutors that his mother hired and helped to shine a positive light on the sullied Malfoy name through reparations and philanthropic efforts alongside Narcissa.

He went on to study Magical Law and had been hired on two years ago as a Magical Advocate (the equivalent to a muggle barrister), representing the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where Harry and Ron worked as Aurors; and Hermione—after a brief stint in the grossly underfunded Department of Magical Creatures—was now the Senior Analyst for the DMLE, working closely with both the law and order sides.

Hermione was sporting a lovely blush about her cheeks at Draco's assessment of her analysis, and Draco took notice. Lifting the corner of his lips in the slightest smile, he asked, "so, what exactly are these two giving you a hard time about today, Granger?"

"Oh, you know," she sighed, "Ron was just saying how I was shallow and only concerned with wealth and good looks when it comes to potential suitors." She was not about to mention that the suitor in question was Cormac McLaggen. Though they had established a pleasant work relationship, he did enjoy goading her, and she certainly didn't need to give him that particular fodder.

"Wealth and good looks, you say?" asked Draco. "I'll take you on a date, Granger." Hermione couldn't help but notice how he growled her surname in the most delicious way. She blew an imaginary hair out of her eyes to keep from flushing. Harry glanced between the two, pondering, while Ron broke into a fit of laughing coughs.

Yes, Malfoy must be joking.

"Seriously, Malfoy, you're just as bad as they are." Hermione stood up and shooed the men out of her office. "Out, all of you, some of us have actual work to do."

Hermione closed the door and listened until she could no longer hear their discussion of the upcoming Quidditch match as they rounded the corner. Leaving the witch and her wayward thoughts behind.

A/N: This is my first published piece. I'm an American and would love a British Beta if you could send one my way. This will be a multi-chapter fic. I will try my best to update weekly. The first 10 chapters are in the editing phase. Rated M for language/adult situations, but this will not be explicit.