Author's Note: This piece was written for the Riddikulus Fest 2019 so a huge thank you to the mods for hosting. This is actually the SECOND piece I wrote based on the prompt, and I'll likely clean up the other one for posting, only it wasn't very funny and didn't feel right to submit. I hope you enjoy.

Prompt: Hermione is a criminal mastermind and Draco goes undercover in her organization.

Alpha love to Kyonomiko, who kept my head on straight with more voracity than usual. Beta love to I Was BOTWP, who stuck by me through the many moods and iterations of this piece. I know I wasn't easy to work with on this one, so thank you ladies xoxo

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise.

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

"Haven't read the entire store yet?" He guffawed; she tittered. It was a thing they did, but she hadn't yet grown tired of it. In fact, ever since Malfoy had taken over proprietorship of Flourish and Blotts, Hermione found herself frequenting the shop more often. Long years had passed since the youthful animosity between them had dissolved to the occasional debate over the merits of experimental runic translation methodology.

But she came to Flourish and Blotts for the books, not the inane jokes.

Maybe for a glimpse of the jawline he had grown into many years previous.

For the books. Because if there was one thing Hermione liked, aside from magical creatures, and a splash or three of firewhiskey in her mid-morning cuppa, it was books.

Not that she hated her job. She only hated the endless heaps of tedious policy, her unreasonably inadequate co-workers, the early mornings and late evenings, and … right. But there were things she liked about it. Like magical creatures, and the splash (or three) of firewhiskey.

"What brings you in today, Granger?"

She offered a smile to the blond. "Bowtruckles."

Malfoy gave an appreciative snicker. "Of course. You know where the magical creatures section is?"

She knew where every section was. "Er… have you reorganized?"

She knew he hadn't. He gave a facetious shrug, his brows high on his forehead. "I can show you to them, if you'd like."

"Please."

With a grand flourish, Malfoy led her through the shop and presented the shelf on magical creatures, exactly where it had always been. Hermione beamed in return. "Thank you!"

He returned the grin. "Let me know if I can help with anything else today, Granger."

"Absolutely."

Malfoy had already retreated by the time she began scanning the titles, her fingers lingering on the spine of a book about Bowtruckle habitats. Casting a surreptitious glance around the room, she slipped the book free from its position on the shelf before making her way back to the front.

Her fingers grazed Malfoy's as she dropped her coins onto the countertop. His grey eyes met hers, a hint of his old smirk tugging at his lips. "Have a nice day, Granger."

"And to you!" Clutching the book, she left the shop.

Draco stared at the door for several moments after Granger's departure, an absent smile lingering on his face. He would have to remember to ask her what she thought of the book the next time she was in.

The door opened again and he rolled his eyes, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets as his oldest and most eccentric friend, Theodore Nott, walked into the bookstore Draco had purchased as a means to occupy his days. Among other reasons. He quirked a brow at the intense look on Theo's face.

"Why have you grown a moustache?" Draco frowned. The look was quite unbecoming, and he wondered whether no one else had thought to tell Theo. Surely one of his assistants might have inquired.

"Why not!" Theo exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

Draco's mouth opened and closed again in consideration. "The fuck are you wearing a cape for?"

Theo shrugged a single shoulder. "It's on trend. The real question is, why aren't you wearing a cape?"

"You do realize," Draco began, cautiously, "you look like a fucking villain."

"On trend!" Theo repeated, waving a hand. "Never mind these pleasantries! I have a problem with NOTTingham Corp and I need your help."

Draco chewed on his tongue. "That sort of help?"

"That sort of help." Theo gave a suggestive flicker of his brows.

"Very well." Draco waved to the small, quiet intern he employed, who was stocking shelves across the shop, signalling he would be stepping into the back. Theo followed, fiddling with the terrible moustache he wore while Draco cast privacy wards on the back room. "What can I do for you?"

Theo folded his arms across his chest. "Someone has managed a way around my wards and stolen three million galleons from the safe."

"Three million –" Draco shook his head. "Why the fuck weren't you keeping that sort of money in Gringotts?"

Releasing some sort of guttural sound from the back of his throat, Theo pushed his cape off of his shoulder. "You know I don't trust enclosed spaces."

"Except those enclosed spaces are designed to protect your galleons." Draco ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. "What do you need me to do?"

"Find out who," Theo said, his eyes narrowing. "Who has stolen from NOTTingham Corp. We need to make them pay for this atrocity!"

Theo had always possessed a flair for the dramatic, and over the years, Draco was certain it had been getting worse. He frowned, nodding. "Fine. I'll look into it."

Stepping closer into Draco's personal space, Theo cast a furtive glance around the back room. "Word's been going around, Draco. This isn't the first occurrence of ward-breakers thieving from the wealthy. There's some sort of criminal organization behind this, and I would sooner stab myself through the innards than allow them to rob NOTTingham Corp. any further!"

"Graphic," Draco muttered, shaking his head. "Leave it to me."

Theo stepped away, clearing his throat. "You will, of course, be paid generously as always for your efforts."

Draco adjusted his tie with a nod. "Of course."

"The more information you can provide," Theo said, his brows flickering in an awkward and suggestive manner. Draco arched a brow in return. "Right, well. Toodles."

With that, Theo strode from the shop, leaving Draco to his thoughts.

"Romilda." Hermione stopped on the threshold of the girl's office, folding her arms. Her gaze flickered back into the corridor of the Department of Transportation. "Have you got that report for Magical Creatures?"

Romilda Vane looked up from her desk with a surly expression. "Yes. Come in, Hermione."

Hermione stepped in, casting a dozen wards and enchantments before settling into the chair opposite Romilda's desk. "Where are we at with the plan?"

Romilda huffed a long, drawn out sigh. "We need more money. NOTTingham's new development won't budge and the Bowtruckles in the area are at risk of losing their entire habitat once Nott breaks ground. We need to see progress on building their alternative homes before it's too late."

Looking around the office, Hermione considered the thought. "I'm sure we can get through Nott's wards again. I mean, he's practically asking for it, keeping his fortunes where anyone could reach them."

"Anyone with extensive knowledge of wards," Romilda piped in. "Just let me know when you're going to make a move and I'll distract him." Her lips quirked with a smile as their stares met. "Nott's a bit of a rake, and he can't resist a girl who compliments that horrid moustache he's grown."

Hermione snickered. "I appreciate it, Romilda."

The girl gave a wink, leaning back in her seat. "Not like it's much of a sacrifice."

Rising from her seat, Hermione released the extensive range of enchantments from the office. "I'll keep you posted when we're ready to go ahead."

Romilda returned an absent smile. "Have a nice day, Hermione."

Draco sidled up alongside Adrian Pucey, flashing a pocket watch in acknowledgement. His hair was glamoured a dark shade of brown and he wore a pair of tortoiseshell aviators. Pucey nodded as Draco glanced around. "Tell me you've got something for me."

Pucey sucked on his teeth for a moment, toeing the ground. "They're running things from within the Ministry. Four large corporations have been hit now by these ward-breakers, all of which could be considered… shady. The hit on NOTTingham Corp. has been the most significant by far. "

Draco scoffed. "Because no one else is paranoid enough to keep millions of galleons in a safe in their back office."

"True." Pucey's tone was clipped.

"What are they using the money for?" Draco asked. Theo had been owling six times a day, and he was interested in wrapping up this situation sooner than later. "Who's in charge?"

"Don't know, don't know," Pucey listed. "All I know is the magic they're using is impressive as hell. NOTTingham's wards are extreme, so whoever broke them knows what they're doing."

"Tell me you've got a lead," Draco said, an edge to his tone.

Pucey snorted. "Of course I've got a bloody lead." He handed Draco a slip of paper. "This is the leak I've found. Junior member in the Department of Transportation."

Draco scanned the sheet; the name was unfamiliar. He would have to make a visit under Polyjuice.

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

"Are you sure there are any books left?" Malfoy grinned as she approached the front counter. "How did you find the Bowtruckles?"

"They were enlightening." She returned the smile as he leaned in, dropping his arms to the wooden surface. "How's business?"

He shrugged. "Same as always. The Ministry?"

"Dry." Hermione pressed her lips into a tight smile, meeting his grey eyes. "Policy and creatures and the like." Vault robberies and thwarting major corporations.

Malfoy flashed brilliant white teeth as he held his hands up. "I couldn't manage it."

The bell above the front door rang and Malfoy scowled. Hermione jumped, startled, as she turned to follow his gaze. It was Theodore Nott. Merlin, Romilda was right. The man's facial structure was not well-suited to a moustache.

Nott wore some sort of extravagantly embroidered cloak and a deep frown as he stared at Malfoy; Hermione ducked away down the aisle in an effort to escape. She hadn't known the man well at Hogwarts, but he seemed, if possible, even more bizarre now than he had been as a youth. All she knew about him now was that his corporation was grossly successful and he had made a name for himself through stepping on others. And destroying the habitats of magical creatures.

Frankly, he deserved everything he had coming.

Still, Hermione frowned, and when she returned several minutes later to make a purchase, Malfoy and Nott were nowhere to be seen. The shop's nervous young intern rang her purchase through and she went home, disappointed.

Draco prowled the hallways of the Department of Transportation, dressed as a dark-haired and middle-aged man. It had been an enlightening twenty-four hours.

Not only was Romilda Vane his leak as per Pucey's investigation, but she was also Theo's most recent flame. It didn't add up – or else it added up too well.

Theo had been all too keen to rant about his recent projects, which seemed to include the woman with whom Draco had arranged to meet under the pretense of a Ministry project the Department had been working on.

Tapping on the door to the girl's office, Draco looked around and his eyes widened in surprise to see Granger walking in his direction. In a quick moment he ensured his Polyjuice was still active and his shoulders sank with relief.

The door opened and a dark-haired girl blinked at him, and then turned to stare at Granger.

"Hello," Draco said, reaching out a hand. His gaze flickered to Granger; her hair was tied back and she wore a smart outfit. She looked quite pretty. "Daniel Martin."

"Romilda Vane," the girl introduced herself, turning to face Granger. "Hermione, I've got a meeting just now. Shall I stop by your department in an hour?"

"Perfect." Granger flashed him a tight smile, before turning back to her colleague. "See you, Romilda."

She turned on one pointed heel and walked off. Draco stared after her, a furrow of consternation in his brow.

Romilda's expression was tight as she motioned to the door of her office and Draco followed with an appreciative nod. "What can I help you with, Mr Martin?"

Draco stared around her office, as if some indication of her involvement with an underground crime syndicate would jump out at him. He brandished an empty file folder. "I'm with a sub-committee in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and we're looking to connect with key members within the Department of Transportation with regards to an upcoming initiative involving the Ministry's representation at a national conference next year."

Romilda Vane blinked at him. Confusion was always an excellent tactic.

"Right," she drawled, scribbling a few arbitrary words on a sheet of parchment. "Shall I send you some information, then?"

"Please do." Draco opened his mouth to continue drawing out the conversation, and by extension, buy himself more time, when he froze.

There was a book on the corner of Romilda's desk; a chill swept through his veins. His voice dropped. "Is the Department of Transportation involved in many projects coordinating with the Department of Magical Creatures?"

"What?" she asked, waving a hand. "No."

Draco kept meticulous records on every book he sold. His gaze lingered on the cover as he asked, "So your meeting with Hermione Granger – that isn't business related?"

He didn't dare breathe as a flush crept to Romilda's cheeks. "No. We are meeting as friends." He could hear the scorn in her voice; his questions had grown personal. "And actually, Mr Martin, I've got quite a bit of work to do so if you'll excuse me –"

His heart skipped a pulse as a memory drifted through his mind from weeks before. Theo had been discussing a new development project that would annihilate thousands of hectares of Bowtruckle habitat outside of London… he had been ranting that an opposition had risen, taking offense on behalf of the Bowtruckles who would lose their homes...

"Holy fucking Merlin," he breathed to himself, leaping to his feet.

"Excuse me?" Romilda exclaimed, her voice high with derision.

Draco held out a placating hand. "I'll be in touch. Thank you for your time."

"That meeting was incredibly odd," Romilda said by way of greeting as she slipped into Hermione's office, dropping her bag to the floor. She brandished a book. "You left this in my office, by the way. Thought you might like it back."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping a head to her forehead. "Of course, how daft of me. Thank you for returning it."

She tucked the book on Bowtruckles into an innocuous spot on her bookshelf, surrounded by other books about magical creatures.

Romilda folded her arms, leaning against the side of Hermione's desk. "So I've made plans with Nott for tomorrow night."

"Perfect," Hermione clipped, making a note in her notebook. "That should give us plenty of time to break the modified wards on NOTTingham's safe."

Rolling her eyes, Romilda turned to leave. "Hopefully this is the last time." She flashed a grin. "Although it is fun to see Nott knocked down a rung or two."

Hermione returned the sentiment with a musing smile. "It is, isn't it?"

Romilda scoffed. "And to think of the Bowtruckles."

"Right, the Bowtruckles." Hermione shook her head. "See you tomorrow, Romilda."

Draco paced the corridor outside Granger's office, shoving a coiled set of Extendable Ears into his pocket, his eyes wide. His Polyjuice had worn off and he didn't have any left; he felt exposed by his light hair.

He couldn't believe it – only he could. Granger had been wild over magical creatures for as long as he could remember. He wondered who else was involved aside from the two of them. According to Pucey's intel, there was an underground network running through the Ministry.

Even Draco hadn't been keen to hear of the implications of Theo's latest developmental monstrosity. He wasn't surprised this group had decided to take action, but he didn't think Granger was so willing to skirt around the law.

There was no way he could report this to Theo. But he obviously couldn't let it go ahead, either. It was evident Vane was playing Theo to keep him distracted.

He would speak with Romilda again, and make his way into their network in disguise, and then he would convince Granger –

"Malfoy?"

"Granger." He turned to face her, his eyes wide in surprise. "How are you?"

"Fine." She edged into the doorframe of her office, looking cautious. "What brings you to the Ministry?"

"I… er…" He pressed his hands together, easing closer to her office. "I wanted to tell you that –" He grimaced; Granger cocked a brow, her forehead furrowing in confusion. He wanted to tell her not to go through with it, that he knew what she was doing, and that Theo was going to find out. The words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them. "Do you want to get a drink with me? Tomorrow night."

Granger's expression softened, her brown eyes large as she stared at him. "Malfoy… really?"

"Really," he bit out, feeling warm around the collar. He couldn't very well retract the offer now, even if he wanted to.

But she smiled. "I'd love to." She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, her face tilting to the side. "Only – tomorrow night isn't the best. I've already got plans."

"Oh." He swallowed a thick breath. "Right, of course. Well... " He gave a shrug. "Tomorrow's the only night… that works."

Her face fell and she rubbed at the back of her neck, knocking a few confined curls loose. "Oh… of course."

Cursing himself, Draco felt a flush rise to his cheeks. "I mean, it isn't the only night, just that I need you to not be busy tomorrow –"

He broke into a sweat.

Granger shook her head, frowning. "Malfoy, are you alright?" She edged back into her office with a gesture and Draco followed, feeling his nerves prickle with discomfort. "What's so important about tomorrow?"

Her gaze fell away from his at the question.

Draco released a breath, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I just really want to take you out for a drink tomorrow." He hoped she would catch the sentiment as it was conveyed through his eyes without needing to spell it out for her.

She smiled again, giving him that same half-confused, half-endeared look. "That's really sweet of you, Malfoy, but I just can't change my plans. What about tonight instead?"

"Granger," he whispered, shaking his head. He felt unsteady and nauseated. "You can't."

Her entire body was seized with tension and her eyes fixed on the floor for a long moment before she spoke again, her voice hushed. "What do you know?"

He stepped closer, meeting the surprise in her stare as she looked up at him. "Enough. Theo will skin you, Granger."

"Which is why he can't find out." Her face tightened. "Are you planning on telling him?"

Draco grimaced. "Not if you don't go through with it."

"You don't understand," she ground through her teeth. "He is going to destroy those forests with zero regard for the magical creatures –"

"I get it, Granger," Draco muttered. "But I just can't let you do this."

"So you didn't actually want to go for a drink with me," she mused, her face falling. "That was just…"

"I did," Draco said, quickly, his eyes widening as the words continued to pour from his mouth. "I do. Tomorrow."

Her voice was scarcely above a breath. "You do realize this will go ahead without me there, right?" Her eyes flickered to meet his. "If you think this is just something I'm doing on my own – "

"I didn't realize," he conceded, scratching the back of his neck. "But you've just as good as admitted it, so…"

Granger cursed. "Okay, Malfoy. What is it going to take to keep your silence on this?"

He hesitated; his heart raced in his chest. He had told Theo he would find out who was behind the robberies, and now he had. But he wasn't willing to give Granger up – in more ways than one.

She whispered, "What is Nott paying you?"

"He's my friend, Granger," he choked. "I can't."

"He's a complete madman," she hissed, her eyes tightening. "And he has abysmal fashion sense, if I'm being honest, and that moustache."

"Right!" Draco exclaimed. "Who wears a cape?"

Granger huffed, throwing her hands up. "He literally screams, rob me, I'm a villainous arsehole."

"Okay, you're not wrong," Draco said, pointing a finger in her direction. "But I can't betray him like that."

Granger was silent for a long moment, and when he glanced down he was startled to realize she held her wand. Her expression was contrite as she looked at him, raising the wand. "I'm sorry, Malfoy, I don't want to do this –"

He caught her wrist, furious. "Don't you dare Obliviate me."

She glared in return, attempting to wrench her wrist free from his grip. "What else can I do, Malfoy? I can't let you inform on us."

"I told you," Draco ground out. "Drinks. Tomorrow."

Her expression shifted and she lifted a brow; her wrist stopped pulling at his grip. She whispered, "The Bowtruckles need their treehouses, Malfoy."

"You're building treehouses," he said, his voice matching hers. He stared at the chocolate in her eyes. "Three million galleons worth of treehouses."

"They need a lot of treehouses."

Draco frowned, keeping her wrist in his hand. His thumb grazed the skin of her pulse point. "What if I could convince Theo not to go ahead with the project?"

Her head shook, incredulous. "You could do that?"

"I don't know." Draco managed a thick swallow. "Maybe he could relocate the development to a different area."

Granger's eyes widened. "I have a list of alternate locations, but Nott refused to meet with me. Before all of this, of course."

"Before you decided to rob him blind?"

"Right."

"Fine." Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why don't you give me the list and I'll discuss it with him tonight?"

Granger flashed her teeth, extricating her wrist from his grip with care. She rummaged through her desk, drawing a folder of information from a drawer. "This is everything we'd compiled about the community of Bowtruckles living in that forest. It also includes the proposed alternates and their merits."

"Thorough," Draco said, leafing through the folder. Granger cocked a brow. "Not that I expected anything less, of course."

She beamed at him. She shifted on the spot, her eyes locking with his. "So… you'll let me know how it goes?"

He offered her a grin, belying the nervous tingle in his stomach at the idea of actually approaching Theo with all this. "Yes." He hesitated, pursing his lips. "Tomorrow, at drinks."

Granger rolled her eyes as her lips twitched. "Fine. Tomorrow, then."

Draco dried his clammy palms on his trousers before tapping on the door of Theo's personal office. The many pieces of artwork that littered the hallway were all equally atrocious and he found he wasn't surprised that this was Theo's creative taste, given his fashion sense.

A statue stood outside the office, shaped like a cresting wave converging with a llama. Draco would have been impressed at how the sculptor had managed such a thing if he hadn't been so perturbed by it.

He'd never been to the headquarters of NOTTingham Corp. Theo was both flighty and pretentious, and most of their dealings were kept behind closed doors and in back offices for a reason.

But recently Draco had been considering leaving all that behind. Business at Flourish and Blotts was thriving and he didn't need the extra headache.

Besides, Theo was the only person he knew who ever asked him to investigate shady things, and Draco wasn't sure how that friendship was going to end up if Theo realized he had donned a different hat.

The door swung open and Theo stood before him. His moustache had been gelled and curled at either end. He wore some sort of floor-length knitted poncho in a clashing colourway that made Draco's stomach roll. Draco fought to keep his expression neutral as he nodded and stepped through the door; he didn't need to antagonize his old friend any more than necessary.

"Your owl sounded urgent," Theo proclaimed, leaning a hand against the extravagant mahogany desk by the excessively large window.

Draco couldn't keep his gaze from flickering to a door at the side, behind which he suspected Theo's safe stood. He sucked on his teeth as he turned back. "I've come to report in."

"And?" Theo asked. "What have you learned with regards to the thieves?"

Draco hesitated for a long moment. "Nothing, I'm afraid. But I do have some information about the reasons you're being hassled over the new development you're planning. Did you know how much Bowtruckle habitat will be destroyed?"

"Of course I know," Theo said with a chuckle. "But we need the land more than they do, don't we?"

Draco wasn't certain Theo understood what habitat meant.

"Anyways," he carried on, brandishing the folder. "It's the reason you're being targeted. Did you know there are numerous locations you could build this project where the land is not only cheaper, but your development will be more accessible to your target demographic?"

Theo blinked several times. "It has to be on that land."

"Why?" Draco stared at him hard, waving the folder again. Theo's gaze fell to it but he didn't take the offering. "Why not consider the other options? The opposition will leave you alone if you leave the Bowtruckles alone."

"Okay, one," Theo said, raising a finger. "This isn't what I'm paying you for. Two, since when do you care about fucking Bowtruckles? Three." Theo frowned, twirling his moustache around a finger. "Three, I'm not relocating the development. Besides, I don't want the opposition to leave me alone, I want them to pay!"

"I care about the interests of my client and friend," Draco said with a smooth tilt to his head. "And your best interests are to consider another alternative."

Theo snorted but finally took the folder, flipping through with a cursory glance. "No. Not interested."

"Fine." Draco pressed his lips together. "Then tell me, why that land? Why are you so adamant that you aren't willing to even consider anywhere else? The opposition isn't going to let up, and they've got powerful ward-breaking magic. It is my suspicion they will attempt to thieve from you again."

He watched as Theo's gaze flickered to the side room where Draco thought his safe was; the action confirmed it. Theo snarled, "Let them try."

With a dismissive gaze, Draco swiped the folder back from Theo's hand. "They're smarter than you think. More well-connected."

"Aren't you supposed to be focused on taking them down?" Theo growled. "If you aren't helping, I'm not going to pay you."

Draco shook his head. "I don't want to help you. Not when you're ignoring information right in front of you. Unless you're going to tell me what you want that specific land for, this job is through. Good luck next time they come for your safe, because I don't think they're going to stop at three million."

He strode for the door, shrinking the folder and slipping it into a pocket. His heart pounded in his chest as he reached for the knob, knowing if Theo didn't take the bait and he left, that would be the end of it. Granger and her team would hit him again the next night. Theo's fury would know no bounds. All hell would break loose.

If those Bowtruckles didn't have their treehouses, Granger would never let it go.

"Wait."

He fought to keep the smirk from his lips as he turned around, arching an unimpressed brow. "What?"

"It's…" Theo folded his arms. "It's embarrassing, alright?"

"I can't help you if I don't know the details."

Draco's nerves tingled with anticipation as Theo toed the floor, looking less self-assured than Draco had seen him in years, since they had been awkward and fumbling children.

"You can't tell anyone," Theo muttered in a low voice. Draco pressed his lips together in an approximation of a grimace but didn't acknowledge the statement either way. "I like it because it's symmetrical."

Draco stared at him, stoic. "That's why you want to build on that land," he deadpanned.

"Yes." Theo shoved his hands into his pockets, scowling.

"Symmetrical."

"Right." He flailed his hands about him in an awkward way. "It's fascinating. I like mathematics." He folded his arms. "Besides, the building design is symmetrical and it needs to be precise –"

"You're fucking barmy." Draco shook his head, interrupting. He re-sized the folder, pointing out a parcel of land for sale, even despite the fact that he was ready to walk away from the situation entirely. "I recommend this one. It will save you money. No one but you gives a rat's arse over the symmetry of a piece of land."

Theo frowned, twirling his moustache once more. Draco wished he could cast a severing charm to remove the offending hair from his old friend's face. "I don't like that one."

Draco huffed a sigh of irritation. "Why! Tell me why."

This conversation had turned far more inane than he had anticipated.

Theo smacked the sheet with the back of his hand. "There's a small pond. What will I do with a small pond?"

"I don't fucking know," Draco said, feeling his calm slip, replaced with ire. "Stock it with trout? Who cares what you do with it? It won't have any bearing on the section you'd be building on anyways."

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Theo swiped the folder back. "I'll give it some thought."

Draco lingered for a moment, slipping a pamphlet Granger had given him onto the corner of Theo's desk beneath some papers. "Fine. Let me know how you want to proceed."

With a wave of his hand, Theo sunk into the high-backed chair at his desk, his eyes flickering across the sheet Draco had pointed out. Fighting a smile, Draco let himself out.

Hermione paced the small, confined space of her office, hands clenched and a heavy tension in her shoulders. She hadn't slept for fear of how things had gone between Malfoy and Nott the night before. He'd said he would let her know that evening but she needed to know in advance of that, since the plan was set to go ahead while Romilda distracted Nott that evening.

Huffing a breath, she sat down to send an owl to Flourish and Blotts. Almost instantly she rose instead, collecting her cloak from the coat rack by the door. No one would notice if she stepped out for half an hour. She was the only one in the department who actually did any work anyway.

Throwing open the door, she dashed out into the hallway – and collided with something hard, dropping to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs.

Her eyes snapped open in surprise and she caught a flicker of platinum blond at the back of her vision. Freezing, Hermione met the startled grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. He looked to be in pain and she realized belatedly that her elbow had landed on his stomach as they fell.

"What the fuck," he choked out, clutching his midsection.

"I'm so sorry!" Hermione exclaimed, her voice oddly pitched. She rose to her feet, seizing his hand and giving a voracious tug to assist him to his feet. Malfoy stumbled in the zeal of her efforts, crashing into the wall outside her office. Hermione released a squeak of horror, approaching him as he rubbed at his face which was red.

He raised a hand as she reached out, an embarrassed panic racing through her, as if to halt her advance. "Stop, Granger."

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, clapping a hand to her mouth. "I didn't see you and I was in a rush –"

Malfoy shook his head, exasperated, as he leaned a hand against the wall to support himself. She wondered how hard he had hit his head. He managed, "Clearly."

Cautious, Hermione took a step closer, wrapping her hands up together to keep from making matter worse. "Are you alright?"

"Think so," he bit out, pressing against his cheekbone and wincing as if it were tender. He shook his head, focusing on her. "Now, where were you off to in such a rush? Do I need to come back later?"

She whispered, "Flourish and Blotts."

Malfoy stared at her for a moment before his lips twitched. "I see. Because you haven't already read every book in the shop?"

She exhaled a breath of relief. "Not quite yet. Come in to my office?"

He hesitated, scratching his head. "So long as you haven't rigged the door to trap me in an oversized box or something."

Hermione tittered. He cracked a grin as he followed her from the corridor, waiting for her to cast a series of privacy wards. She folded her arms across her front as she turned to face him. "So? How did last night go?"

Malfoy offered a half-hearted shrug. "It's yet to be determined. I managed to get him to consider another option, and I left the pamphlet."

"Good," Hermione said with a nod. "We only need him to see the other options are more viable long-term."

Edging a step closer, Malfoy leaned against the side of her desk. "So you'll call off the hit, right?"

Shooting him a stare, Hermione managed a casual shrug. "It depends on what he decides. Everything is set to go ahead tonight…" She squinted at the tension in his shoulders. "And to be honest, you won't be able to stop it if you try."

"So you stop it," he suggested. "If he switches the development site, you don't need to take his galleons, right?"

"It's a big if," Hermione reasoned. "If you want to cancel our plans for tonight I'll understand."

Malfoy's eyes widened in surprise and his lips parted to speak before his jaw clamped shut again. He hesitated, shifting on the spot. "I don't want to cancel."

They both jumped, startled, as a letter eased through the memo slot on her door. A ratty, damaged sheet of parchment lay on the floor, its edges curled, and Hermione blinked as she read the address. "It's for you."

They exchanged a look as he took the letter, slipping it open and reading it. "It's from Theo." His nose wrinkled in disgust. "It's… wet."

She eased a step closer; the writing was almost illegible, the ink smeared and bleeding across the rest of the page. "Can you read it? It looks to be in some sort of code."

Malfoy ghosted a faint smirk across his lips. "Yes, I can read it. It's a code we developed as children so our fathers wouldn't know what we were talking about. Theo's found the pamphlet."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed.

"He's been…" His lips twitched. "Affected."

She had hoped there was a side to Nott that wasn't a completely vicious, money-hungry, power-mongering buffoon. She'd hedged her bets on it when she'd asked Malfoy to pass along the pamphlet about the lives of Bowtruckles. About what happened when they lost their habitats.

She snickered, picturing Nott sobbing as he read about the creatures whose habitat he intended to destroy.

"So…" She trailed off, fixing Malfoy with a leading stare. "What else has he said?"

His lips twitched. "He wants to pursue another option for the development."

Her mouth fell open in incredulous surprise. "No!"

Malfoy grinned.

"I can't believe it!" she declared. "Your plan worked?"

"Looks like," he agreed, shaking his head as he folded the letter and tucked it into a pocket. "So you can call off your team."

Hermione hesitated, fixing him with a hard stare. After a moment she sighed. "I suppose you're probably right. There's no need to go ahead with the plan if Nott is going to willingly change the location for his development. Although if he goes back on his word, I won't hesitate to proceed."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "I'll remind him of the pamphlet if he tries."

Clapping her hands together in delight, Hermione gave him a grin before digging through her desk for an inter-departmental memo. She scrawled a quick message to call off the plan before the purple note folded itself up and left to make its way to Romilda.

"Are there many of you?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually – never mind. I don't want to know any more than I already know."

"Says the bookstore owner running some sort of underground investigation," Hermione intoned, her eyes warm as they met his.

He gave an easy shrug. "Well congratulations, Granger. You've accomplished your goal, and you only broke about two dozen wizarding laws to do so."

Hermione nodded, feeling relief and satisfaction pour through her at his words. "You're right. All said and done, it's been a good week."

Malfoy snorted, his chin down and eyes meeting hers through his lashes. "I'd better get back to the shop. Seven tonight? We can do dinner?"

Feeling a frisson of nerves chase through her stomach at the thought that his interest in her was actually legitimate and not just a distraction technique, Hermione nodded with a bright smile.

Following a delicious dinner in wonderful company, Hermione leaned back in her seat, sipping her glass of wine. Draco had been a lovely date and they'd kept up a flow of steady conversation throughout the meal.

She was feeling a flush in her cheeks at the way his grey eyes were sparkling as he stared at her, and she wasn't entirely certain whether it was the wine.

Draco had been gracious with the tab, despite that Hermione had offered to at least pay for half. And when she rose from her seat, he assisted her with her cloak like a proper gentleman. She had started to consider the thought that they ought to make plans to see one another again.

But his hands lingered on her arms, his scent dancing across her senses like a caress and she met his eyes. "Would you care to join me for a night cap?"

A hint of a smile played at his lips. "Yes."

His hand fell to the small of her back as they walked but Hermione froze, dropping a hand to his other arm as her eyes widened.

It was Romilda and Nott.

Romilda looked beautiful as ever, and Nott appeared to be wearing some sort of toga, a great swath of his bare chest on display. Hermione blinked several times while the image seared the back of her eyelids. She wondered how Nott could possibly consider that appropriate date attire. Then her gaze swept to Draco; his jaw was clenched, eyes unblinking.

"Romilda," Hermione greeted, breaking the tension.

"Hermione!" Her painted eyes were hesitant; they flickered to Draco and back. "I didn't realize you had plans tonight."

"Draco," Nott said with a guffaw, clapping the blond on the shoulder. Draco returned with a grimace and a polite nod.

"Theo."

His grey eyes met hers again. Hermione shifted on the spot.

"Romilda, you received my memo this afternoon, didn't you?"

The girl's eyes brightened, her lips parted in consideration. "I skived off early. What was it about?"

"I've got to use the loo," Nott announced and strode off.

Hermione watched him go, an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could feel Draco's hand tense on her back. "About the plan – I called it off."

The blood drained from Romilda's face. She glanced at Draco once more, but shrugged, apparently taking some sort of cue from Hermione. "The plan's… just finished."

"You've –" Hermione gasped, catching a hand in her curls. "Finished."

"What did the memo say?" Romilda hissed, ducking in.

Draco cleared his throat, the sound of it strained. "Theo's been convinced of an alternate location for his new development."

"Why did you skive off early!" Hermione exclaimed, feeling her voice rise with derision and attempting to quell the wild tossing of nerves chasing through her.

Romilda gestured a hand at herself. "I had to get ready." She worried her lip, eyeing her fingernails. "So what are we to do, then? The preliminary report suggests there was twelve mil–"

Hermione hissed, cutting the girl off.

Draco's eyes were wide as they flickered in the direction of the loo. He choked out, "Twelve."

Not trusting herself to speak, Hermione stared at the ground. Twelve million galleons…

Romilda still stared at her fingernails. "I mean, to be fair, he does sort of deserve it anyways. And we needed to be sure the development wouldn't go forward."

Hermione choked on her next words, shaking her head instead. "He probably won't be able to develop much of anything now."

Draco huffed a long sigh, shifting on the spot.

Edging in the direction of the door with wide eyes, Romilda looked back toward where Nott had gone. "I feel like we ought to… leave."

Hermione met Draco's significant stare. He shook his head, looking at a loss. "I can't believe you didn't plan ahead for this."

She clenched her jaw, feeling the same sentiment clanging around in her skull. "I think you need to decide, now. What are you doing about this?"

Across the restaurant, Hermione saw a flourish of the white of Nott's toga and her stomach rolled. Romilda stepped closer to the door and darted through it without another word.

"You weren't involved," Hermione ground out under her breath. "And if you don't say anything to him he won't know."

"Fine," Draco muttered. He leaned in to drop a lingering kiss to her cheek, and her nerves tingled with the feel of it.

Nott had returned, twirling his moustache as he frowned.

"Romilda had to leave, I'm afraid," Hermione said, taking another step toward the door. "Stomach flu, she said."

"Right," Drao contributed, making an apologetic face.

Nott frowned, looking put out.

He had no idea what was coming.

Draco turned to her with a forced grin. "So about that night cap?"

Nott folded his arms with a disgruntled brow raised, his foot tapping the floor in irritation as she was dragged from the restaurant and felt the pull of Apparition.

Six Months Later

Draco's gaze flickered up as Hermione let herself into his flat above Flourish and Blotts. An absent smile tugged at his lips as she joined him on the couch, giving him a quick kiss.

"Hi," he said, turning to face her. "How was your day?"

She gave a dismissive shrug. "Uneventful, to be honest. Linus is looking a bit frazzled in the shop downstairs."

Draco snorted. "Linus is always a bit frazzled."

She tilted her head to the side. "Fair point." Her gaze fell to the letter Draco had been reading for the seventh time when she arrived. "Who's the letter from?"

Draco cleared his throat and set the letter aside. "If you can believe it, it's from Theo Nott."

"Nott?" The bridge of her nose wrinkled in surprise. "We haven't heard from Nott since he liquefied and donated all of NOTTingham Corp.'s assets and left London six months ago."

"After being robbed of the majority of his worth," Draco said with a pointed stare.

Her brows flickered as she caught her lip between her teeth. "To be fair, Romilda and I did return the money anonymously. Nott just decided to give it all away anyways."

"Right," Draco conceded. "So he's… invited us to dinner."

Eyes widened in surprise, Hermione snickered. "That'll be interesting."

Draco stared, uncertain, at the small log cabin in front of him. "It's very… symmetrical."

"Perfectly!" Theo declared, a smug grin on his bearded face. He wore a bizarre combination of a plaid flannel smock and loose white linen trousers. His feet were bare as he stood in the dirt. Theo waved a hand alongside the cottage. "Here you'll see my axe, of course. And the tools."

Hermione shifted on the spot beside him. "I like your pond, Theo."

"Thanks!" Theo beamed. "It's stocked with trout, as per Draco's suggestion. We'll be having the catch of the day for supper!"

"So this is… the same parcel…" Draco trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

"The parcel of land you suggested I purchase," Theo said with a grin. "Brilliant idea, that. Plenty of room for Rommy's pet Bowtruckles, too!"

"Rommy?" Hermione questioned, a furrow in her brow.

Romilda Vane emerged from the cottage, dressed in a one-piece plaid outfit. Her expression was that of shock as she took in the pair of them, then she offered a banal smile as she settled in at Theo's side. Draco glanced at Hermione.

"Hello, Hermione," Romilda said. "And Draco."

"Romilda," Hermione said, blinking. She forced a quick smile. "So good to see you again. We er… we thought you'd had an accident or something, when you vanished."

"Nope!" Romilda declared, looking shifty. "It appears I'm just more suited to living off the grid."

Theo swung an arm over Romilda's shoulders, beaming at the lot of them. "As am I!" He chuckled, scratching his beard. "It turns out, NOTTingham Corp. being robbed was the best thing that could have happened to me. Really made me evaluate the important things in life."

"Right," Hermione deadpanned; Draco found her hand, interlocking their fingers. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she exchanged a glance with Romilda.

Romilda carried on with her blank smile.

"Well." Draco shoved his free hand into his pocket, rocking on his feet. "Great to see everything's worked out for you."

"Absolutely!" Theo exclaimed with vigour. "In fact, if I could thank the people responsible, I would!"

Romilda tittered. Her eyes met Hermione's again as she ducked out from beneath the aggressive hold of Theo's arm. She gestured a vague hand towards the vast wilderness around them. "I've just got to… pick some greens for the salad."

She darted away.

"Excellent," Draco proclaimed, clapping Theo on the shoulder. Hermione's lips twitched as he caught her stare. "Just… excellent."