The Burrow was busy with life as Hermione sat next to her future husband; Ronald Weasley. Tonight, was their engagement party and Hermione was tiredly smiling. It was expected, they had been dating for years. She was happy. She was content. Hermione was fine.

Molly was yammering about the plans with Ginny who was excited that Hermione said she was her Maid of Honor. Hermione pretended to listen, but she was going over calculations in her mind. She had been working in the Department of Mysteries as of late because she needed a bit of excitement in her life. The witch was in the process of finding out the source of magic behind the Veil. It intrigued her to know there was more- well more, more out there. What better way to get over your fear of something than by learning about it?

"Did you hear me, Mione?" Ron asked and Hermione was brought back to the Burrow.

"Hm, love?" She murmured and he frowned at her.

"I asked you how you felt about going on holiday before you get wrapped up in work again. Seems you are still wrapped up in work after all." He said glumly and Hermione sighed.

Hermione softened her face and nodded, "I am sorry, Ron. I am very close to a breakthrough. Draco offered me a few more books from his library and I have been riffling through them the last couple of days."

"Don't call him that in my parent's house, Hermione," Ron growled and she nodded.

"My apologies," she said passively and the two witches sitting nearby glanced over.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked her and Hermione smiled.

"Just tired. I have been working a bit much lately," Hermione admitted and Ron snorted.

He made a wave and rolled his eyes, "she sleeps in her study most nights. Flopped over her desk."

"Being an Unspeakable is hard work," Arthur said, behind the group. "Her superiors speak her praises daily." He always did his best to make Hermione know her intellect was valued not abjured.

A beautiful peacock patronus floated into the room. "Granger, we need to speak. Now!" His voice was urgent but lacked the viciousness she was used to hearing when he chided her.

It dissipated and Hermione grumbled, "now what does he want."

"Is that Malfoy's Patronus?" Ron growled and Hermione nodded.

She stretched and sighed, "he probably is angry about ink spots in the books or something ridiculous. The man still has quite a temper."

"Why are you going then?" Harry asked curiously and Hermione shrugged again.

"He is lending me his rare editions of books. It is helping with work, so why not? He will give me a tongue lashing and then hand me the books I asked for last week. That is what he does. Most of the time I think it's because he doesn't have friends. I pity him really." Truthfully Hermione did pity Draco. They have made small talk and he expressed his loneliness for prattle at times when he was especially less steely.

Hermione moved to leave and Ron took her hand, "Hermione, this is our party. Don't leave." She took him in her arms and kissed him deeply.

"I will see you tonight," she said with a smile and his ears turned red.

"Promise?" He asked and she nodded leaning to his ears.

"I will put on those lovely knickers you love most." She breathed and he cleared his throat.

Ron let her go and smiled, "alright, that is a fair trade."

She sighed heavily as she went to the fireplace and called out Malfoy Manor. Everyone in the room looked at each other and shook their heads.

"She is an absolute nutter to be working with that prat," Ron sighed and Harry nodded.

"He must be the only bloke in a thousand-mile radius to have those books if she does that," Harry declared and Molly folded her arms.

"I expected more from her. This is her wedding after all!"

0o0o

"Bugger, Granger, hurry up!" Draco shouted as he was dragging her in the direction of his library by her arm.

"I hope you know I am missing my engagement party for this." She grumbled and Draco laughed evilly.

The man glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, "Weasley and you are actually going to get hitched?" He asked and she huffed.

"I don't understand why you think that is so funny."

"Because you and Weasley are the worse matched pair I have ever seen. Worse than you and me." He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I believe you and I are much more of a disaster than my current relationship," she replied and he chuckled.

He finally got her to the library and let her go. "See, I was reading and look what I found," he said with a smug smile.

"You actually read, Draco? I thought others did that for you." Hermione retorted and approached, clearly wounding his pride.

"Son, would you- oh, Miss Granger. It is awfully late to be over to read, isn't it?" Narcissa murmured coming into the library.

"Mother, we are going to need some tea. Miss Granger might need something stronger if this book says what I think it does." Draco declared and Hermione gasped as she read the tattered book.

"Draco! Oh, Draco! This is exactly what I was looking for!" Hermione screamed and Narcissa cringed at her volume. "This is the first time I've felt true excitement in ages!"

Draco chuckled as his mother left and shook his head, "Figures, Weasley doesn't shag well."

Hermione glared at him with a pointed stare, "careful, Draco... I might tell Miss Greengrass about your sour mouth."

Hermione pulled up a chair and started reading the book. She pulled a quill and parchment from her bag to take notes on her ideas of what the contents had. Draco set a cup down next to her that the house elf retrieved for them and Hermione glanced up at him. "Thank you," she murmured and continued to decipher the book.

He sat down on the other side of the desk with his cup and watched her with his legs up on the desk. He was growing fond of the witch's presence every so often and enjoyed their spats. He rarely had the ability to banter and she mildly did so. The Malfoy did not think much of her boyfriend, but she rarely spoke about him or her life in general with him.

"How is Potter these days?" Draco asked her and she raised her eyebrows in shock.

"Are we making small talk tonight?" Hermione asked and he snorted.

"We are going to be working on this together, are we not? You are going to need an accomplice if what is in that book is true."

Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes, "are you just withering away with boredom that you just elected to do a deadly experiment on the gateway to the other side? Not with a friend, but a rival from school... Draco Malfoy, I think not."

"How about the Weasley? You are getting married, correct? Why?" He asked her and she huffed as he ignored her statement.

"Because I love him," she told him and sipped her tea before turning to her work.

"I don't believe you," he told her with a smirk and she growled.

"Draco, what can I do for you tonight that you will not shut up about nosing in my life. Last I remembered we agreed not to talk about my life."

"I changed my mind. I sincerely want to know. What makes him so special that you must have him." Draco baited the flustered witch.

"Love, Draco," she said hotly and he shook his head.

"Tell me, does he make your blood boil with his ranting? Maybe it is the way he gives you little trinkets? There has to be at least one thing that sets him apart from other wizards for you to want to marry him." Draco demanded with a stern expression.

"Melin, Draco! I don't know! Did you want to hear that from me!" Hermione shouted furiously, slamming her hand down on the desk. "Now would you stop with your incessant badgering?"

He was surprised at her outburst and felt guilty as she sat back down with a tear trickling down her cheek. She returned to her work and he did not ask her anymore questions until her tea was empty.

"Would-"

"What!" She interrupted him and he exhaled.

"Would you like me to get you more tea?" He asked her and she lost her glare.

"Yes, please, thank you," she said in quick concession and he got up to retrieve her a fresh cup.

He left the room and went into the kitchen to see his mother sitting at the counter. "Draco, I don't like this business." She told him and he ran a hand through his hair.

"It is nothing, mother. She is working on some Unspeakable work and I offered our library. We like to look good for the ministry now, do we not?" He asked her and she dismissed him with a wave as he poured tea.

When he returned to the witch she was pacing the room. "Maybe, but that is risky. That would mean quite possibly an issue with what would come through... Of course, wards are nice, but what if it isn't enough... hm? Maybe to limit the radius..." Hermione was talking to herself as she drew different things with her wand.

He watched her a moment with scrutiny. "Are you driving yourself to madness, Granger?" He asked and she turned to him.

She smiled and took one of the cups, "no, just adjacent to it." She teased and he let out a scoff.

"Jokes now?" He asked her and she grinned.

"Draco, we could possibly solve the greatest mystery of the history of magic. I am mad with excitement." She declared gleefully and sipped her tea.

"So, tell me what are your calculations?" He inquired and she waved him over to the desk.

She pointed at the page she was translating in her notes. "This, this right here explains the possible magical source of the Veil. If we can figure out the source we may possibly figure out its ties to this magical plane. If we do indeed, figure that out... we can find out what could be on the other side. Not ghosts or any of the sort, but magic!" Hermione was so elated it looked like her hair was jiggling with it.

He frowned at her and their close proximity made her seem contorted, "Hermione Granger, what nutter ballocks are you going on about?" He growled and she giggled.

"Draco, this could answer the difference between planar magic. We could possibly, with careful precision of course, dissect the way the Veil works." She murmured and her smile made her look youthful and giddy like a kid on Christmas.

"This really has your knickers in a bunch, doesn't it?" He asked and she snorted.

"This is quite the find. This is what I have been looking for. I- I- want to know why I can't hear the voices..." She admitted and looked away.

"So, what do we do now?" His voice was gentle, unlike she had been used to.

She sighed heavily and rubbed her face, "well, I have to ask my superiors if I could run a test, but the likelihood is slim if I don't have more than this as proof."

Draco glared and folded his arms, "well, you should be able to. You have been working so hard on this. It would only make sense to let you do your little test."

"We shall see," Hermione sighed and shook her head, "but most likely it is going on deaf ears."

Draco took the book from the table and handed it to her. "Show them. Make them see, Granger. You have conviction and stop being spineless." He growled and she nodded.

"Alright, Draco. Thank you so much for your help. Please contact me if you find anything else?" She asked and he smirked at her with a nod.

"As long as you write and tell me if you are doing the experiment or not. I am intrigued to find out if I did indeed help with it. A little credit to the Malfoy's in history after the war would be nice." He chuckled and Hermione grinned.

"I agree, maybe you can actually pop in to see it if I can." She offered and he nodded.

"Draco, I believe Miss Granger was just leaving..." Lucius' voice slithered into the room and they glanced in his direction.

"Thank you for your findings, Mr. Malfoy," she nodded to Draco and took her things off the table. "Good evening," she told them and left the library quickly.

"I don't like that girl poking around here, Draco. I have spoken to you about this several times," the older man declared and Draco rolled his neck.

"You don't like much these days, father," Draco spat and left the older wizard alone in the library.