Author's Note: this story has been written for my dear friend abi as her birthday gift! i hope you like it! happy birthday dear abi, happy birthday to you! and i know it isn't the best i've ever written, but forgive me! and dear readers, i hope you enjoy it as well!! by the way, also forgive me for the random plot!

Hermione was sitting on a comfortable chocolate brown couch in her flat while looking at a stack of parchment for work. Her inevitable partner was sitting on her carpeted floor, leaning against the couch on the left side of her dangling feet, looking at the same parchments as she. Both had grown, the war and their age making each seemed so much more mature.

Draco Malfoy was the only man suited enough to be her partner. It seemed like Merlin himself had wanted them to be partners by the way both always seemed to be paired for the same cases all the time. It was only inevitable that he would be her partner for this puzzling case, and from all the time they spent together, it was only obvious that she would begin to notice him.

His hair was the same length as it had always been, short with his white-blonde hair falling into his eyes and having it cut cleanly before the nape of his neck, his light grey eyes looking at the words written on the parchment. He was smart, kind when he wanted to be, thin and fit, semi-muscular, irritating, always teasing and mysterious, infuriating all the time, and yet, at twenty-seven, he was certainly more attractive and intriguing than he had been at Hogwarts, no matter how much Hermione denied it.

She herself had also gotten much prettier. Her hair was no longer that frizzy bunch of brown locks she had called hair, but she had calmed it permanently to a frizzy, yet much more containable light brown wave. She had gotten taller, though not as tall as her partner, and, thanks to Ginny, had a whole new wardrobe that she could not look horrible in, no matter how much she tried. Her auburn eyes were beginning to tire of seeing the black ink and she closed her eyes quickly.

She must have kept her eyes closed for a bit too long, for her thoughts soon drifted to the wizard she fancied. She'd never tell a soul, not even Ginny, but she could always dream. It was times like these that she felt comfortable leaving her sanity behind and ignoring reality. His large hands were always warm, comfortable, and a bit calloused whenever they shook hands, and he seemed so perfect, even though she had only seen him in dress robes, he still seemed so fit and well-built, even if he was thin. And Merlin, how tall he was…

"GRANGER!!" Draco yelled, disturbing Hermione out of her fantasies.

"Huh? What?"

"Can you pay attention for one moment?! I was telling you something!"

"Uh, huh? What?" Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts, but it was to no avail.

"I bet I know who you're thinking about. That new bloke in our Department, aren't you?" he asked, putting down the several pieces of parchment, and he looked up at her, his infamous smirk on his face.

"No," Hermione said, her face reddening in embarrassment.

"Oh, I know, you were just imagining his dark face, coming closer to yours, and his brown eyes sparkling with affection for you-"

"Shut up!" Hermione yelled.

"-and he takes you into his arms and tells you something sickeningly sweet before kissing you, and before you know it, that wizard is making sweet, passionate-"

"I said to shut up, Malfoy!"

"-love to you right on the couch you're sitting on, and both of you are ripping at each others' clothes, and right as he's about to-" Before he could add any dirty details, Hermione, who had been scooting closer and closer to the edge of the couch in irritation, accidentally scoot herself off and landed straight into his lap. Before she could see Malfoy's look of surprise, she did the one thing she had wanted to do for weeks. She impetuously grabbed the back of his head and crushed her lips to his.

Before she could pull back and apologise, his lips began moving against hers and he was pulling her closer till he was crushing her breathless against him. Hermione felt like she was floating, she felt so light. It was as if she was imagining it. All she could see was darkness, although she perceived that the feelings going on in her body were the fireworks she could feel. His right hand began stroking her back, up and down, up and down continuously, and his left arm was holding her against him. Hermione Granger had finally reached heaven. She felt his tongue wet her bottom lip, and she felt both her heart and stomach both jolt in surprise. She opened her mouth and the bliss continued.

Hermione had at first kept her hands firmly on his head in order to keep him from pulling away, but she began to become more adventurous. Her hands traveled lightly to his cheeks, chin, neck, then around his shoulders and back up to his hair. She touched his soft blonde hair, winding the locks around her fingers and running her hands through it. She finally wound her arms around his neck and continued to kiss him back fervently. He kissed back just as passionately, to her surprise.

Finally, Hermione pulled back, mentally cursing her lungs for needing air. She panted, nearly delighting in the way he was doing the same.

"Hermione," he breathed nearly inaudibly, and she laid her head in the crook of his neck, feeling him bury his face in her curls a second later. Hermione suddenly giggled, finally realizing the absurdity of the situation. A moment ago, they had just been looking at paperwork as coworkers barely able to be civil to each other. The next, she was in his lap after a soul-searing snogging session. What insanity could do to people.

"So where do we go now?" she murmured into his neck, and she felt Draco kiss her jaw before answering.

"Well, we go to the Ministry and turn in our report because I found the answer in the numerous amounts of parchments-" At this, Hermione pulled back and stared at him, gaping, and making him smirk at her ridiculous facial expression.

"You found it?! When?!" she cried.

"That's what I was trying to tell you while you were rudely daydreaming. Speaking of which, what happens to that bloke you were-" He was once again cut off when she pressed her lips against his, not that he was complaining. All too soon, she pulled back and smiled breathlessly at him.

"That's my thank you to you." Draco smirked.

"I think I'm going to need a lot more 'thank you's' from you." Hermione rolled her eyes at him, then looked back into his inscrutable silver orbs.

"But, what happens after that? And no more literal answers," she said with a serious expression. Draco seemed to infer the atmosphere change and he looked directly into her auburn eyes, and spoke.

"I take you out on dates, we kiss, hug, and start dating. Although I'd rather keep out the sickening sweet talk. And what happens to that bloke you were thinking about?" Hermione giggled.

"That bloke was you, silly boy." She glanced up at him with a bright smile to see his expression, and he smiled back. Hermione giggled once again and hugged him hard. "Thank Merlin for impetuousness," she stated. Draco laughed and tightened his arms around her.

"Yes, thank Merlin indeed."