A/N: Hey guys! This is my first story so take it easy on me! I wrote it at like, 3 in the morning with Kalyla, so she gets some of the credit!

Kalyla in my head: Heyyy guys!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter (and the characters)

Claimer: If the Dragon's Tavern doesn't exist in HP, we own it!

Once upon a time, there was a bookworm and a jackass. Though the bookworm was smart and the jackass of average intelligence, they were good friends. Yet they had not always been… you see, those two characters are quite familiar people of whom we have all heard before. However, they are most commonly thought of as enemies. Well, I'm sure you all have the bookworm's identity riddled out – who else could it be but the brightest witch of her age, the one and only Hermione Granger. And now who else could the jackass be but Draco Malfoy, or as a very well-known Golden Trio like to call him, Ferret Boy. But this is set after those wonderful years at Hogwarts, a mere two years after graduating.

You all think you know how the story ended, don't you? Hermione ended up with Ronald Weasely and Draco became a father and husband of some pug-nosed "Pure-blood." But no one tells you in between these times, before Draco's pug-nosed wife came in, but just after Ron and Hermione hit a rough spot in their relationship and broke up. After all, when one component of a relationship is a great deal more sensitive, intelligent, good-looking, and clever than the other, it is difficult to maintain a healthy balance. Everyone but the specific Weasely in question knows who has the previously mentioned attributes.

So the day Hermione broke up with Ron, who else was she to run into but her old Hogwarts … Acquaintance Draco?

Brooding with every step she took, Hermione stalked the corridor leading to the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. It had been a long day to begin with, but then that doofus had the gall to pull something like this! She had enough and stormed out of the room her idiot boyfriend – exboyfriend had infested, yelling "We are OVER Ronald Weasely!"

The red-haired git stood opening and closing his mouth like a common cod fish. Ugh! To think that they had known each other nine years and he had not only forgotten her birthday, but their anniversary as well, all in the span of two weeks! Her final words to him echoed in his head and he rolled his eyes. All this trouble and I'd only forgotten two things! He thought.

Hermione, for one, had had enough of his ridiculous, non-existent memory. Just as she was plotting on how she would throw every single one of his possessions out of her apartment (on the third story) and onto the lawn below, she turned a corner and WHAM! Ran head-on into some poor, unsuspecting stranger. Although this stranger looked familiar… In her rage, Hermione couldn't place him.

"I'm sorry, that was totally my fault," He said, and when he spoke something clicked inside Hermione's mind – It was none other than Draco Malfoy, yet another idiot boy she didn't want to see anytime soon.

"Yes, it is your fault! Now kindly get out of my way before I hex you!" She snapped. Hermione began pushing past him when an iron hand gripped her bicep.

"What's got your knickers in a twist Mud-bl-" Draco started to say, but was cut off with a sharp slap to the face.

Hermione Granger in all her furious glory, stood before him, pure rage etched into every pore of her face. He felt something hard nudge his Adam's apple, and he realized that she was holding her wand to his throat.

Merlin's balls. I'm done for.

"Don't you dare call me that Draco Malfoy, and if you ever talk to me again, so help me…" She jabbed her wand harder into his neck for an instant.

Draco was visibly beginning to sweat now. He didn't really want to surrender with his tail between his legs – in fact, he's like to do anything but – but he had a meeting to get to in barely twenty minutes. With an angered Granger sticking her wand at him, he would be lucky if he made it out in one piece.

"Look," He said, hands held up in surrender, his eyes never leaving her wand, "I'm sorry." Hermione considered, then lowered her wand.

"I think that's the first time Draco Malfoy has ever apologized to me," She mused aloud.

Draco smiled meekly in response. "Or anyone for that matter." He looked down at his shoes, then met her eye to eye. "I really am sorry. I've learned a lot since the war, but old habits die hard, you know? And you did kind of bite my head off."

"I'm sorry then," Hermione said. "Ronald Weasely is just the most stupid, idiotic jackass I've ever met, you included."

Draco's eyebrows raised and he barked out a stunned laugh.

Ouch.

"He must have really screwed up in that case."

"You don't know the half of it," Hermione said, sitting down, meaning in girl language, stay and talk to me.

"I have to run, there's a meeting starting soon, but maybe we can meet up for something to drink later?" Draco suggested. This is what came out of his mouth, but in his head, warning bells were sounding. Upset female! Upset female! Warning! Warning! Hours of whiny prattle up ahead!

Hermione, oblivious to the inner workings of Draco's mind, looked surprised, but not unpleasantly so.

"Oh, okay…" It took her a moment to catch up with reality.

Draco took over for her, glancing earnestly at his wristwatch. "The meeting ends at one. How about you meet me at the Dragon's Tavern at two?"

Hermione finally smiled. "See you then," She said, and as Draco walked off, she continued her plotting of exactly how she would deal with that git Ronald Weasely. Yet as she reached the point of envisioning setting all his quiddich valuables on fire, she thought of something else.

What was the point? If she was over with Ronald, why bother herself with thinking about him? She turned her thoughts instead to Draco, and wondered why he was asking her to the Dragon's Tavern. Her logical mind came up with the logical answer – because she hinted that she wanted to talk to him. But her more dreamy mind wandered.

Perhaps he's had a crush on me since Hogwarts. She laughed lowly at the idea. Perish the thought! Pure-blooded Draco 'The Ferret' Malfoy having a crush on the ultimate mud-blood? The Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess? Outrageous. But still…

…He was quite good looking.

As two o'clock rolled around, Hermione found her way to the Dragon's Tavern and walked inside, immediately spotting her blonde friend at a table. He waved her over and she sat down opposite him. The moment looked up, time seemed to go backwards for a second. She realized she was staring. Who could blame her? Right there, sitting across from her was a Draco Malfoy with a broad, sincere grin plastered across his face.

Hermione felt herself blush.

This was going to be an interesting evening.

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~ Salamancia LillyPad and Kalyla