Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. J K Rowling owns everything you recognise here.

title: 2 Sides of a Coin: Love and Hate

rating: PG

pairing: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger

summary: DMHG love story. Their love was flipped from hate. And it all depended on the toss of a coin. Heads I win, Tails you lose. This one event changed their whole life, read how. funny and fluffy fic.

word count: 4995

A/N: This is my second story. Another DMHG fic. This is meant to be humourous and also very fluffy. Its a bit of 5000 words so quite long (longer than my other chapters anyway) Its a one shot. Hope you like and please review.

The first time Draco and I met since the Hogwarts days, I left the office in floods of tears and he left with scalding hot coffee dripping off him. I avoided everyone I ran past and he glared so furiously at everyone that they all cowered and turned their heads in fear. As first meetings go that could be considered one of the worst ones.

The second time we met, the meeting was no less confrontational than the first. Only this time we were in a café and so we tolerated each other's company for a few extra minutes out of respect for the other patrons. Unfortunately that respect didn't hold out for long. The result of this meeting ended quite like the first. I ran out crying from the insults and he just sat there with ice cream dripping from his chin. His angered expression didn't prevent the waitress from handing him the bill, no matter how reluctantly she passed it to him.

Our third meeting was just as charmed. It was in a meeting and yet again our ideas clashed. The others left the room in a hurry as they sense a huge blow up. It was a known fact that we came extremely close to committing bodily harm on the other. This time though I strode out crying tears of pure anger. Draco was left sitting there in his executive chair spitting out crumbs from biscuits that I had shoved in his face. I would have thrown something much worse but biscuits were all I could reach.

Most people have probably noticed a pattern here. Draco and I would meet, we would argue, I would end up leaving and crying and almost always he ended up wearing some sort of food or drink. I wish I could say bad things only happen in threes, but I can't. Draco and I met six other times after that meeting. Five of those times resulted in tears and food flinging. I left him alone with spaghetti in his blond hair, red wine down his silk shirt, and even a handful of fruit gums found their way down his pants.

Needless to say we infuriated one another. For some people seven is a lucky number. However for us in particular our ninth meeting was the pivotal point in our relationship. It was the day everything changed and I remember it like it was yesterday

"Urghh you are an infuriating PRAT!" Hermione yelled loudly as possible. The man she was meant to be yelling at had yet to arrive but Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, Hermione's best friends for the past 11years amused themselves with her ranting.

Draco Malfoy was currently the bane of Hermione Granger's existence; He had been a nightmare since Hogwarts and had recently been assigned as Hermione's partner in the Auror Specialist department.

Before his arrival Hermione had worked with Harry and Ron as the usual trio. After seven years in school and working together as a team they were a dynamite force when out working. Once Voldermort had been defeated, the trio picked being Aurors as their career. They had received special training and treatment and were allowed to stick together as a team. Just the way they liked it. But now as crime levels had gone down, the bosses had decided to split them up to see how well they worked separately. It was this way they also focused on each of their specific skills.

Harry and Ron had been partnered with people they knew by sight and got along ok with. Hermione on the other hand got a much worse deal. Draco had been transferred over from Highland Patrol and Hermione's bosses had immediately snapped him up and partnered him with Hermione.

Draco had been a major shock to the Light Side during the war. Still the smarmy prat since first year, he had used his slick Slytherin skills to aid Harry in defeating Voldermort. He had gone against everything he had learned and even against his parents. But in return he received the cleaned name of Malfoy and the upstanding position in society.

Him partnering with Hermione seemed like the ultimate death sentence for her. From the first minute they had met they had argued. They had not agreed on a single topic or case so far. It had gotten so bad, colleagues avoided them when they were together and the partners have begged, on their knees, their superiors for a change but there was no such luck.

The reason for Hermione's anger this time, not that she needed a specific reason, was that on this occasion Draco had cleared a case without her authorisation. Though it was allowed to just use a boss, Auror protocol demanded decisions be made as a team. But for Hermione and Draco they were two separate fighting forces. Every battle almost comes to blows; every shout held an insult and every fight ended in violence.

Hermione stopped in her tirade to see her best friends trying to smother their grins to looks of solemn. Unfortunately they weren't succeeding.

"Oh honestly." Hermione sighed, though she was having trouble keeping a straight face as well. "I think it would be best if you both left before he arrives."

"Awh come on 'Mione." Ron pleaded, wanting to watch the drama unfold and be ready to help her out.

"No, its best you go."

"Will you be alright?" Harry, ever the concerned one, searched her eyes deeply with his emerald ones, for any doubts or worries of them leaving her alone.

"Hermione smiled inwardly. It was just the reactions she was expecting from them. Concerned brothers making sure no harm was done to her Noticing both boys concerned expressions because she had spaced out, she quickly smiled to reassure them.

"Yeah, go! I'll handle him just fine."

"OK then don't forget to contact us and tell us how this confrontation went!" Waving slightly, both Harry and Ron apparated simultaneously out with almost audible pops.

Harry and Ron had always been keyed into the wards so along with her they could apparate in or out. Everyone else was stuck to use the front door. It was for this reason Hermione anxiously paced, waiting for the doorbell to ring.

TRING-TRING

Hermione jumped. She had been startled out of her daze by the doorbell ringing. Thinking it had just been her imagination she began to daydream again. When the doorbell sounded for a second time, Hermione sighed in resignation and headed towards the door. Peeking through the spy hole, she frowned. The man her angered was towards stood in front of her, his face was twisted with a slight smirk. Oh how Hermione hoped she would wipe that smirk off his face. Putting her own false, misleading smile on her face she opened the door and graciously let him in.

Once inside the door shut with a slam. Pretences that were held for that minimum time were immediately dropped. Draco looked around while he waited on Hermione to at least pretend to be courteous. The room he was in was quite open. There was a square kitchen in the corner and a dining table to his right side. To his left was the living room. It was minimally decorated but the walls were filled with pictures. Some were moving and others were still muggle ones.

He entered quickly and stood waiting for her to shut the door. When Hermione turned around she took in his appearance. He was wearing his usual casual suit. His shirt was a baby blue colour and his trousers were navy. As per usual nothing, not a hair on his was out of place. His body developed through many years of quiddich and the war toning up muscles. Even Hermione had to admit, at least in her head, that he looked charismatic and dare she think it – Sexy. But to hide her outward reaction she covered up with a harsh tone.

"Malfoy, what gave you the right to finish the case without my approval or at least input?" Hermione leapt right in, eager for a fight.

Draco was just as eager to fight as her. Making his way to the nearest couch he settled himself into the seat. She hadn't offered and Draco had to bite back a smirk at the anger on his partners face.

"I didn't let you sit."

"And that is very rude of you."

"You aren't welcome here." Hermione bit out.

He had known she would be furious but couldn't help but aggravate her. Just like he knew she would be mad about the case. But he couldn't help but clear it just for his amusement of riling her up. She was the cutest when she was angered; the way her brow would furrow, and how she would bite her bottom lip to stop her from saying things she may later regret.

The attraction to her had formed on their first meeting in the patrol. It was the time he had to change out of the scalding hot coffee before a meeting with his superiors. After that all of their meeting were just as entertaining. Draco smirked at the fond memories.

"Stop Smirking! You are such a vile loathsome…" Hermione heatedly ground out

The smirk wiped off Draco's face and again he was expressionless.

"I'm well aware of what I am! Just as I am aware of the fact that while you may rank higher than me – by cheating I may add with the other two thirds – I only need approval of one superior. Its just too bad I didn't pick you." Draco merely blinked at the look of incredulousness on her face. Just to spite her he then said a noncommittal tone, "Could I have some coffee? I need to wake up from last night's clearance. Seriously though, you didn't have to call me so early. Couldn't bear to be parted from me?"

"Shut up Ferret!"

"Just can't let that go can you? Beaver."

"Like you then, I imagine. And stop trying to distract me from the topic." Hermione responded irritably.

"Is it working?" he interrupted again.

"SHUT UP" Hermione yelled. "First off you cannot have my coffee; you don't even deserve to be sitting down. Secondly I've been involved in that case from the beginning. I deserved to be part of the finish."

"You don't get everything you deserve or you would have received a slap back from third year." Draco replied, his silvery grey eyes glittering. But Hermione could define with what.

Listening to Hermione rant in that sensual voice of hers was beginning to Draco. She was standing like a beautiful Amazon warrior. Her hands were on her hips, legs were shoulder width apart and she was glaring down at him where he sat. He almost felt intimidated by her. Almost. Refusing to be caught at a disadvantage, he stood up so he was tip to top with her.

"You don't deserve to be an Auror. The only place you deserve to have is a cell right next to you kissed up daddy in Azkaban."

"Obviously the Ministry disagree."

"The Ministry has been known to be wrong and bribed. Wouldn't surprise me if that were where your fortune went. "

Draco went pale with the reference. It was common knowledge that the Malfoy name had been dragged through the dirt and with it lost the grand fortune the heir was meant to receive. In this case, the heir referred to Draco. In fact only he knew exactly what had happened to the money. His Father had as well but after being soul sucked he was useless to refer back on and get information from. However even without the Malfoy fortune, Draco still had enough money to keep him in the luxurious lifestyle that he was used to. This money came from the Black family, which his Mother had been part of before she had married and then later died.

In reality the money, the 4 large fortunes that the Malfoys' had lost had actually been given away by Draco as an Anonymous source. It had been distributed to charities and causes within the wizarding world. This was to try and make up for what Lucius had done, and also to help mend the wizarding world. Though it didn't make up for past misdeeds it certainly helped.

"Stop talking rubbish." Draco swallowed to rid himself of the unwanted memories. They were not wanted memories because it reminded him of the bad times and he didn't want to get the publicity on him now that he had faded from the Malfoy prestige.

"Stop what? Telling the truth?" Hermione refused to see the pain reflected in his eyes. She only focused on her hurt and anger that had built up inside her over the year and released it on him. She just wanted to see him hurt just as bad or much worse to make her feel better.

Draco growled. "I thought a Gryffindor like you would be able to get past old grudges. Well Miss Know-it-all, you have it all wrong. Not up to usual standards."

"Oh really?" She didn't look convinced as she stepped back from him. She just had to put some space between them. The body heat was becoming sizzling. This intensity made her body react in ways she didn't want. She had to concentrate to continue her verbal attack and being close to him wasn't going to help.

Draco smirked, as if he knew what reaction he was causing her body to have. "Yes really." His eyes lowered and focused on her lips. She had unconsciously begun to nibble on her bottom lip in anxiousness and it made her lips enticing and even more kissable.

Hermione watched as Draco's eyes lowered to her lips. Self-consciously she made a move to wipe them. She was stunned when he stopped her hand from touching her lips with his seeker reflexes. Draco was puzzling her. Hermione hated him with a passion. That was undeniable. But the passion seemed to be evolving into something more worthwhile. It was way too early to tell though. Wasn't it? There was no possible way it could be love. Lust perhaps, but never love.

Draco could see the confusion on Hermione's face. It was the same confused feelings he had had on their third meeting with the biscuits. That was the time he had realised it wasn't only hate he felt for her. No. That was too much for one person to fester. Somehow the hate had flipped over to be love. Everything he had hated about her, he now loved. Will wonders never cease? If Hermione was feeling the same things as he did then there was actually a chance for them and a relationship. Forgetting the arguments now he just had to convince her.

Hermione couldn't stand the silence. It was extremely creepy. Her emotions were in turmoil and it wasn't helping matters. Even more so with Draco Malfoy looking at her with such love filled – surely not! But it wasn't too difficult to read correctly. Draco was looking at her with passionate love expressed in his mirror like eyes. What trick was he trying to play on her? Him loving her was as likely as she loving him.

"Very likely then. " Hermione said quietly to herself.

"What is?"

Not realising she had spoken aloud caused Hermione to look at Draco curiously. He just stared back at her with a puzzled expression and sighed loudly. This meeting wasn't going according to his plan or the previous meetings. They had been arguing for the better part of twenty minutes. Of course the reason he had come to her apartment was for an argument. It was just too easy to wind up the Golden Girl. But the main reason was to express his feelings to get it off his chest.

"You are totally mad, you that, don't you Granger?" He said to Hermione irritably.

"I'm mad? You're the one who has been gazing at me like a lovesick pup! I thought you hated me Malfoy?" Hermione wailed confused with her emotions.

"I thought I hated you too. But I was wrong obviously, wasn't I?" He said, his eyes narrowing on her.

"Yes! For Merlin's sake yes. I was wrong! I thought I hated you. I thought you were the same insufferable know-it-all. I still do but for some reason I don't hate you. I can't hate you when I love you!" Draco had lost control. All his feelings that had been bottled inside him were now flooding out. "It's like everything I hate about you is now what I love about you. That coin has been turned over and its indicating hate has been beaten by love. Happy now!"

Hermione stood still with shock. The blood had drained out of her face and left her extremely pale. She barely blinked, staring at with an intense look, yet not exactly seeing him. She slowly swayed on her feet and took a step back and collapsed in her armchair.

"You love me?" was all she asked.

Draco was astounded at her reaction. He had just proclaimed his love and though her initial reaction had scared him, the question released his nerves. Hermione being articulate meant she would be perfectly fine or close to it. Now she just had to do the same. But would she?

"Yes I do. But if you heard the other parts of my monologue piece, you would know I still hate you too. Love just seems to overshadow it." He smirked his signature sign.

"But you love me…" Hermione was well and truly shell shocked.

"Merlin's sake! You are a stubborn mule. Get it through your overfilled brain – I. Love. You." Draco had had enough. Lacking patience at the best of times, he couldn't wait for her to take her own precious time in figuring things out. Deciding to take the initiative, Draco bent his head, closed his eyes, curled an arm around the sitting Hermione and pulled her to the edge of her seat to capture Hermione in a searing kiss.

The kiss was full of passion to say the least. Hermione got over her astonishment and began to respond back to Draco's presumptuous and disbelieving advance. Though in her mind she knew she ought to kick up a fuss, her body would not cooperate with her sensible and logical brain. It carried on for a long while until both participants were left breathless. The finally pulled back and Hermione took a huge gasp to cover her surprise and to regain her breath.

Finally she regained her vocal chords.

"How?" she asked hoarsely. But when he shot her a confused look, showing her he was unable to comprehend the question she asked him fully. "How could you love me?"

" To be honest, I really haven't got a clue how. Snape once told me that your worst enemy could be my greatest love. I didn't believe, but it could hold some truth to it."

"Then Harry and Voldermort must have been soul mates." Hermione said sarcastically, raising her eyebrow as a challenge. "Besides Snape hasn't ever said anything worth saying unless it was reporting for spying during the war. Therefore you can take what he says with a pinch of salt."

"Hey I resent that. He was a good Godfather, and he really helps out all Slytherins, old and new." Draco said indignant even after that mind-blowing kiss. He was secretly pleased that Hermione had forgotten why she had called him over originally. The case. But now all the focus was on them and their relationship. Maybe he should have done something like this sooner. It might have saved them both a lot of hassle.

"Lucky you, I guess!" She grumbled loudly. "Anyway you're missing the point. That kiss doesn't change anything between us. Absolutely nothing!"

"Of course it does!" Draco's short-tempered fuse blew. "it changes everything. I've admitted I love you. That kiss proves there is chemistry between the two of us; A lot of chemistry if you ask me. I have a strong gut instinct that you feel the same way but being the stubborn Gryffindor that you are you need a push in the right direction."

Draco caught her lips in another searing kiss. This one was more punishing however and when he lifted his head, breathless yet satisfied, he saw her bruised lips as the result.

"Hermione Granger. You are an intelligent woman. So use that brain of yours to come up with an answer. No typically Gryffindor impulsive reactions. Will you go on a date with me?" Draco held out hope that he had got through to her. He may be a sly Slytherin but sometimes a Gryffindorish forward approach worked, especially with an old Gryffindor.

There was silence as Hemrione stared at Draco, expressionless. She wasn't giving any indication to what she may have been thinking.

Then again, Slytherin methods were much more entertaining and had a higher rate of succeeding. Slytherins, old and new, weren't called sneaky for no reason.

"Fine. Seeing as you won't answer, let me charm this galleon." Draco pulled out a golden galleon from his pocket and placed it the palm of his hand. Seeing he had her attention he continued. "This way the decision is made for you. If it is Heads then it's a yes and Tails would mean a no."

Hermione looked on curiously.

"Basically Heads means you'll date me and Tails means I will leave you alone." Draco sighed.

"I know what it means idiot. Just toss the coin already," Hermione gritted her teeth, resigned to her fate.

Draco reached and pulled out his wand.

"Hey that's cheating!" Hermione exclaimed when she realised he was charming the coin.

"Never said I wasn't going to." He replied before returning his focus to the spell at hand. Whipping his wand into a series of gestures, Draco muttered an incantation just loudly enough for Hermione to hear. Her eyes widened when she recognised the spell.

The spell itself, put on the galleon was a classic heart's choice charm. Heads was the positive reaction and Tails meant the negative. The spell would look into the user's hearts desire not what the brain wants it to say. It was well known among lovers and cheaters. To work the spell the caster would say aloud what Heads and Tails would represent before the actual coin is flipped. The caster, the person who charmed the galleon would then have to spin the coin into the air and then proceed in asking the question. The question had to relate to the two possible options. The charmed coin would spin in the air until the question has finished being asked and then would fall to the floor showing the user's true heart's answer.

The spell finished being cast, made the galleon glow a tinge of blue showing it was working.

"There," said Draco. "Galleon, Heads means a date with me, Tails will mean I am rejected."

The coin flashed a green before settling back to a normal gold. Draco picked the coin up and flipped into the air.

Hermione watched on, despite herself. The spell wasn't used on a regular basis so she had never seen it in action. So she was entranced. She zoned back in when Draco began to ask the Galleon the question all the while the coin was rotating in the air.

"Does Hermione Granger, who stands in front of me, want to go on a date with me but doesn't want to allow it or does she really not like me?" Once the question had finished being said, the coin stopped spinning in the air and landed on the floor.

"I guess it's a date then. Friday at Seven, I'll pick you up. Bye!" Draco smirked and strode confidently out of the apartment.

On the floor by her feet, lay the symbolic coin. The Galleon Head lay facing Hermione and seeing Hermione's dumbfounded expression, it smiled and winked at her. But Hermione wasn't fazed by the wink, a stranger thing in the room had occurred. Realising that it made her brain click into place. All alone in the apartment, Hermione registered what he had said BEFORE the kiss. Her brain was obviously working much to slowly and was now playing catch up.

"I am not a stubborn mule, DRACO MALFOY!" She screeched at her front door, even though the person, who had angered her, had long since apparated.

So that was the meeting that changed them all. I did actually go on the date with him. The presumptuous man hadn't even thought I might still stand him up. Since he had gone to all that effort to snag a date with me I accepted reluctantly. But after that date and another mind blowing kiss, we went on another. And then another and then many more dates after that before he finally proposed.

Harry and Ron have remained my best friends and though, its only recently they have truly become grudging mates with him, they accepted the relationship quite well. That is it was a better reaction then what I had expected. I actually think they found the whole coin drama story rather funny and how I was incoherent.

The most symbolic thing about our whole relationship is that charmed galleon. After the first usage of it, I kept it safe, for who knows what reason. I was glad I did because Draco and I used it several more times in our lifetime. The coin is the luckiest thing for us. It being charmed was the best thing Draco ever did. It has brought us so many good luck 'charmed' things. It is now our special trinket. It was the coin that supposedly broke the curse that was upon us.

The second time I used it was to decide whether I really wanted to marry him or not. I had already accepted his proposal but I wanted to see if the galleon still worked. It did. Draco flipped it again as if to double check; of course the answer stayed the same.

Our wedding was so elegant. We only invited the people we were close to but many more turned up anyway. Our marriage was one of the most talked about weddings in history. Pureblood and Mudblood union that was totally unexpected. The other two front page weddings were Ron Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour's wedding 3 months after mine and then Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood's marriage 2 months after that. Harry's was the most talked about as it was the Boy-who-Lived. But our wedding was still very publicized.

The coin was then used in a series of events. Mainly we use it to ensure the right decisions on momentous occasions. Draco flipped it to see whether I really loved him after a major fight. I did still love him and always will no matter how much he infuriates me. I flipped it when we couldn't decide on either Wizarding or Muggle style wedding. In the end it was both merged. We both used it to name both our children.

Both Draco and I remained Aurors right up until retirement. I took time off for our children but then Draco did the same after that. Being veteran war heroes meant we had a bit of leniency. We also managed to keep being partners through the 4 years we took off between us. The bosses wanted to split us up but I kicked up a huge fuss. They had already split me from my two best partners – Harry and Ron, so I wasn't going to allow it to happen a second time, no matter what the policy was.

Draco and I still had trouble from those who couldn't let go of the past. Past grudges from school and how the prejudiced people couldn't get over the changes the Ministry had made. They were like me; how I had been before I opened my eyes. We tried to ignore them but I used to wish I could duel them. It was only Draco's support and how he managed to ignore them that I could remain calm like him.

So there you have it. This was the story of how Draco and I got together, and based life-changing decisions on the toss of the coin. Even nine years on I can remember it like yesterday and we have told our children our story many times so they understand Love and Hate are basically one in the same. It was for us and may be the same for them. It would be wrong of them to miss out on love, even though they are still only young, due to them being prejudiced against someone.

And though we still argue, we always will as our strong fiery personalities can clash on more than one occasion, we will never break up. Our dynamic personalities are stronger together. None of our arguments result in me crying from anger, sadness, or irritation. Oh and Draco doesn't end up with food on him anymore either. Well that is to say I don't throw food at him. He does get caught with food down him when he has just fed our youngest food-flinging child. He says that this food is better than what I used to do because sometimes he would end up at St Mungo's to get fixed up because I had thrown the plate along with the food at him. Our child liked to fist his food before throwing, so it was all mush. I've apologised to him but he still brings it up.

Like a coin being tossed, our hate was tossed into open air and it landed on love. The charmed coin brought all the love in my life and it is for this reason I am ever so grateful to being a witch.

Finite

A/N: hehe so what do you think. There are 2 more chaptered fics that I will post after i get back from my holiday - one is yet another DMHG fic (bet you couldnt guess i like that ship) and the other is a Golden trio friendship fic. Both are action adventureish.