Disclaimer: I own none of these character.

Draco sputtered as he tried to protect his head and stomach. Pain ripped through him but he refused to retaliate. His face felt warm and he was sure his nose was broken

"Do you know what you put my family through?" the ringleader yelled, kicking him in the stomach again.

"What is going on?" He recognized the female voice interrupting them,

"Fucking Death Eater is walking around Diagon Alley like nothing fucking happened," The man said, spitting on him.

"That Death Eater saved Harry Potter's life so you best come up with a reason to tell him why you are beating a man to death,"

"How do you fucking know that?" The man asked, still not looking away from Draco,

"Because I am Hermione fucking Granger," She snapped back, and all three men turned to her.

"Are you—

"You are—

"No way!"

There was a hesitation and he heard her threaten them if they ever did something like this again. He was glad the beating had finally stopped, but now the pain was setting in. Draco clutched his stomach; there was blood everywhere, "Malfoy? Malfoy can you hear me?"

"Never thought I would be happy to see you, Granger," He said, coughing halfway through. Blood was pouring down his face.

"Can you walk?" She asked him and he nodded.

He leaned on her as she helped him sit up and then get onto his feet. Her arm was wrapped around his shoulder blades.

"We don't have to make it far," She encouraged,

"Not—not St. Mungo's," He managed to stutter, he wanted her to take him back home—but she didn't know where that was.

"No, we are not going far. Come on," She was encouraging him, so he limped along. His vision was going in and out as he leaned on her, and he wanted to warn her but his mouth wasn't working like it should.

"Merlin's beard! 'Mione!" That was definitely a Weasley, Draco could tell by the hair but at the moment everything was blurred together.

"I know—grab my bag,"

"He needs a healer—

"George! Grab my bag," She was demanding. Draco felt himself be lifted and he was sure it was magic, "Draco, this is going to sting," She warned,

"Do it," He managed to growl, and he felt searing pain. It was like scolding water had been thrown on him. He saw steam and he was pretty sure it was coming from him. When the agonizing pain stopped, he felt like his wounds had been healed a bit but he was still struggling to breathe. He saw a wand wave and felt something snap in his rib cage, "Warning?" He managed to growl through gritted teeth.

"It would have made it worse," Granger replied, "Now I am going to do your nose as well, you ready?"

"Bloody do it," He seethed,

"Episky!"

Blinding pain went through his face and he blacked out.

"Black out for the nose, mate? You were almost there!" A Weasley said, it was too friendly to be Ron. It had to be George.

"I can barely see," He said, his voice a little too laced with panic,

"Here," Granger, thrust something in his hand, "To take down the swelling. Your face looks awful,"

"Don't flatter me too much," He retorted, drinking it. As he swallowed the two faces in front of him started to clear, "Where am I?"

"The shop," George answered,

"How are sales looking?" He asked

"Fantastic, we are moving right along schedule and should be opening next week like you planned,"

"You seriously want to talk about sales right now?" Granger asked,

"Malfoy has a stake in the store," George said,

"I didn't know that,"

"I can die in peace, I have found something that I knew before Granger," Draco said.

"I should have poisoned that," She retorted, sitting down in a huff, "Who were those men anyway?"

"I have no idea. People who don't like Death Eaters?" He answered unhelpfully,

"That is going to be hard to narrow down who it is—I saw each of them so if there needs to be a line up to press charges—

"I am not pressing charges," Draco's voice was firm.

"Malfoy, these men beat the crap out of you—

"Thank you, for helping me Granger, I really must get going," He said, standing up.

"You shouldn't be moving," She was getting annoying, her bossy tone he remembered oh so well was coming out.

"George, I will see you in a week,"

"Course, but Malfoy, you really should lay low," He said, going to grab for him but Draco waved him off.

"You need skele-gro for your ribs!" Granger said, but he grabbed his wand and apparated before she could convince him to stay.

He managed to grab his bottle of skele-gro from his cabinet mostly by memory. His vision was caving in again as he sipped from the bottle. Groaning as he felt his bones shifting, he started making his way toward his couch.

He barely hit the couch before his vision caved again.

Pain caused him to wake up.

"Ruddy bird," The owl was pecking him, holding a letter. He didn't recognize the owl. When he grabbed the letter from it, he knew the handwriting. It was too perfect to be anyone else's.

He opened it and found that she had shrunk pain potions inside of it. His hands were shaking as he opened the bottle and relief came the instant it hit his lips. The note was simple and hoped he was feeling well. He looked over to his clock and realized if he didn't get moving, he would be late.

"Ah, Hermione told me, how are you feeling?" Potter asked as soon as he walked into the office.

"Like I got hit by the Hogwarts Express," He replied honestly, sitting down across from him.

"Did you get her potions?"

"Yes, I can't believe it tasted worse than the stuff Madam Pumfrey gave out," Potter laughed.

"Tastes worse, but it works faster,"

"True, which is the only reason I am here now," Malfoy admitted, letting his head role back in the chair.

"We don't have to raid the Folger house with you. Stay here," Potter said

"No, I will go," He said, rolling his head up, "We have been working on that for weeks,"

"If you mess it up because –

"I won't" Draco cut him off,

"Malfoy," He said patiently, and Draco knew he was trying to be kind, "I am not trying to placate, and I just want you to be safe. You look atrocious,"

Draco was asleep on Potter's couch. They raided the Folger house and had found an amazing amount of dark magic objects. Draco was boarder line impressed with how much they had been able to hoard. The aurors did their job and made sure everything was safe before letting the ministry take everything.

The two apparated back to Potter's office and Draco fell asleep on his couch. His whole body hurt. He had been able to ignore it through the raid, but it had caught up with him.

He was blissfully asleep when Potter's voice woke him up.

"He is sleeping,"

"Obviously, I just wanted to check on him," That was Granger.

"I'm fine, Granger," He grumbled,

"I would feel better if I checked," She said, Draco was just about to respond that he didn't care if she felt better or not when—

"I would feel better if she checked," Potter said. He nodded his consent and he heard a slight sigh of relief. Hermione was waving her wand over him

"You drank Skele-gro?" She asked, her voice was soft,

"Yes," He replied, another sigh of relief,

"I wish you would have let me look at you before you left," He wasn't used to this tone. This tone was much more difficult to refuse. Her fingers were feeling his ribs for breaks and anything that didn't grow properly. His body was tense.

"Are you sure you don't want to press charges?" Potter asked

"No, it only aggravates them," He responded.

"I need you to relax, this is going to hurt,"

"That will make me relax," He joked, it was a bad joke.

"One, two," He tensed at two, but nothing happened, "Three," She said. Still nothing. He relaxed, opened his eyes.

"You didn't do any—" Blinding pain hit him, "Son of a—

"You weren't relaxed," She said, but he felt like he could finally breathe normally now that the pain was receding.

"Why do you bother counting at all?" He asked, and he could hear Potter chuckling, "Laughing at my pain?"

"Empathizing with you," He corrected, "At least 'Mione does this well, you should never have her cut your hair,"

"Very true," She said, "Never let me cut your hair,"

"I wasn't going to," He said, opening his eyes,

"And here is this—you drank my potions this morning?"

"Yes," He replied, and he took the bottle in her hand, "What is it?"

"It will help the bruising around your face—so you don't look like a raccoon,"

"Thanks," He said, drinking it.

"How did the raid go?" She asked both of them,

"Well, we had no surprises," Draco told her,

"You made sure to check every crack? The last time—

"Mione, please, I don't want another repeat of last time either," Potter said

"Why do you care?" Draco asked, feeling much better as he sat up.

"I am the lawyer assigned to the case,"

"They allow you and Potter to work together?"

Hermione openly laughed, "I try not to have us work together just because I need to branch out, but yes 'they' allow us to work together, but I just got promoted so I am sure we will be seeing each other much more often,"

"How much more?" He asked, he couldn't keep the whine out of his voice. Hermione laughed again,

"Much," She replied,

"All I need is Weasel in here and then I'll jump head first out of the window,"

"We are underground—

"It's an expression, Granger," He replied,

"Mum, I didn't know you were coming over, I would have put on tea," Draco said, kissing his mother's cheek. She was sitting in his living room.

"Did you just get home from work?" She asked.

"Yes, Potter and I were going through paper work, and I have business associates coming over soon"

"I won't be here long. I am worried that—

"You or Father?" Draco asked, getting right to the point as he loosened his tie and started to pull of his blazer.

"We are both worried," She said patiently, and Draco raised an eyebrow as he moved into the kitchen to start making dinner, "For different reasons," She amended,

"Why are you worried?" Draco asked, he would address her concerns,

"I don't want him looking down on you and treating you poorly,"

"He treats me respectfully—more than I deserve,"

"And do you want to talk about your face?" She asked,

"It's nearly healed," He replied,

"That is the third time in six months Draco!" She cried out

"And I am fine," He replied tartly,

"I just want you to have pride,"

"I do, Mum, I just don't show it the same way," He said honestly, pulling out food,

"You cook?" She asked,

"Yes," Draco replied.

He hadn't seen his mother more than a few times over the past three years since graduating from Hogwarts. His mother and father may have taken him away from Voldemort, but it wasn't enough. He had to build his name from the bottom, and his family didn't understand why his name was so tarnished.

At first, no one would hire him. He was overly qualified for nearly every job he ended up applying for because no one would look at him. It wasn't until Potter approached him about applying to be an auror that he even thought about it.

"Apply," Potter growled,

"They will not accept me," He snapped,

"They will,"

"I don't want to get a job that you used your Golden Boy influence to get,"

"Malfoy—" Potter took a breath, and changed his tone, "You have a vast knowledge of Dark Arts, were second to only Hermione in our class and are an impeccable dueler. Don't worry about me using my Golden Boy influence and apply,"

"How did you do it?" Draco demanded to know, he was standing outside Potter's apartment several weeks after his application went through.

"Come on in, Malfoy," The Weasley girl called from the back, "I just finished cooking dinner,"

He stormed inside the apartment.

"How did you get them to hire me?" Draco asked Potter again,

"I took everyone's names off the applications," Potter told him, "And house affiliation. We had a couple of Durmstrong people apply, so I made sure everyone just had their school. When it came down to it, your application was strongest. The entire panel agreed nearly from the beginning,"

"And when you told them my name?" Draco asked, accepting the glass of wine that was thrust into his hand.

"There was some surprise—many people assumed it was Ron,"

"Weasel?" Draco said in disgust,

Potter laughed at his expression, "I know, and your potions scores were through the roof. Anyone who thought Ron could even get close to those scores doesn't know him at all,"

"He melted his caldron more than made potions," Draco said, and Potter laughed, nodding. Draco watched in some sort of amazement as Ginny started tossing things to Potter as he cooked over the stove. Potter would use them and throw them back without looking over his shoulder.

Leave it to two Quidditch players to rely on throwing as an everyday method.

"When does your season start?" Draco asked Ginny,

"I start training next week," She replied,

"Should I put money on the Harpies?" He asked, and she laughed,

"No—well, maybe—but if you are into betting, we need to have a long talk," She had a smile on her face that looked deathly competitive and he realized how Ginny made it to be a Quidditch player to begin with,

"If you sit down with her and George, watch out—they will have you betting on every aspect of every Quidditch match all year," Potter warned him, and he looked shocked when Draco laughed, "Fred and George bet on the Quidditch World Cup my fourth year and bet that Krum would catch the snitch but Ireland would win,"

"I still wonder how they did it," Ginny said,

"You don't think they just guessed?" Draco asked,

"Have you ever met them?" Ginny asked, her tone clearly teasing. She sighed, "I still wonder how they got the start up money for their store. They didn't have enough even after their winngings from Ludo Bagman," Ginny wasn't looking at him but at Potter making food, "Harry Potter!" She cried out, and Draco nearly jumped as he turned to Potter, "You know who gave them the money!" She cried out,

"No I don't," He responded,

"That didn't even fool me, Potter," Draco said coolly,

"Who invited you?" Potter asked, though clearly he didn't mean it, as he turned around and plated three dinners. It was some combination of chicken and sauce.

"Come on Harry!" Ginny cried out, exasperated, "Give me a clue, Fred and George never said anything!"

"Want to talk about your job?" Harry asked Draco,

"I hope the couch is comfortable tonight," Ginny said with a shrug, throwing a wink at Draco. Draco did not know how to handle the situation so he drank more of his wine. Harry slid the food over to both of them and then grabbed a bar stool that was near by so he could sit across from them. Ginny was quiet, staring at him.

Harry took a deep breath and put his fork down, "I gave them the money,"

Whatever Ginny had expected, it wasn't that. Even Draco couldn't hide his surprise.

"What?" She asked,

Harry shrugged, "When I won the TriWizard tournament, I didn't really need the winnings, so I gave it to them,"

"How rich are you, Potter?" Draco asked

Potter smiled at him, "I live a comfortable life,"

"I cannot believe you never told me," Ginny said, shaking her head and as she began eating.

"I don't tell you everything," Ginny looked up at that comment, her eyebrow raised, "But I try my best to,"

"Nice save," Draco joked.

He couldn't believe he felt this relaxed in their presence. He had spent years, years, hating Potter. And here he was, breaking bread with him.

"You are now officially employed, Malfoy," Potter said

"Finally, I thought I was going to have to get a muggle job," He said darkly, "How much opposition was there when they found out it was me?"

"That's when I used my Golden Boy charm to shut them up," Potter said with a smile, then winced when Ginny hit him with a rolled up magazine, "It is a wonder you and your ego fit in this apartment,"

"And I thought I was the only one that noticed it," Draco jeered, and Ginny laughed loudly.

"Oh, Draco, we all have different ways to tell him," She smiled,

"Draco?" His mum called to him, and Draco blinked his eyes as he looked to the pan and quickly grabbed the handle to flip the food.

"Mum, when have I ever kept company with people who don't think well of me?" He asked her, his tone teasing, "And I love my job,"

"You wouldn't have to work if you came back home,"

"I want to work," He told her solidly,

"Your father wants you to work,"

"For him," Draco said, "I do not want to work for him," He couldn't help the way his hand gripped the edge of the island firmly, his nails finding little to burry themselves into on the granite.

"What up, mate?" George called from his office which had a fire place, coming in through the floo network, "I brought Angelina and sales pro—oh, Mrs. Malfoy, how are you?"

"Quite well, Mr. Weasley,"

George barely contained his snort and Draco wanted to glare.

"I am Angelina, Mrs. Malfoy, please excuse him," She glared at George, "Draco has said such wonderful things about you"

"Ms.—

"Johnson," Angelina provided,

"So nice to meet you, Ms. Johnson," His mum said as she stood up, "Draco, I will floo home,"

"I will see you out," He said, walking with her toward his office and he turned back to the two of them, "Food is out and ready to be eaten, go ahead and help yourselves," He said and he went to walk out, but then he turned back around, "Please don't blow anything up," He was looking at George.

"Why does everyone always tell me that?" He asked Angelina, who responded by whacking the back of his head.

His mother was grabbing the floo powder above his fireplace. It was made out of the same black granite that was in his kitchen. Draco played with the corner of his desk, feeling the lines of the dark oak.

"I appreciate you for seeing me, Mother," He said formally, she nodded,

"You are friends with one of the Weasley's as well?" She asked, and Draco contained a sigh,

"I invested in his business, we are looking over numbers tonight. But yes, we are—friendly,"

She turned back to him, "We didn't give you that much money, Draco if you need any—

"I am doing quite well for myself, mother," He interrupted,

"But if you have been investing, you must not have near enough—

"I own this apartment, have a sizable sum in Gringotts and monitor all of my investments. You can tell father he taught me well,"

"Then you should work for your fath—

"Goodbye, mother," He said, turning and walking toward the door,

"Draco!" She called, and he turned around, "I—I am glad you are—comfortable,"

"Thank you," He said kindly before pulling the door back open,

"I am so sorry, Draco, I hope that we weren't too intrusive," Angelina said when he walked back out to join them,

"No, and I didn't know that she was coming so don't worry," He told her, "alright, let's look at these projections," He said, flipping open the binder. After he looked through it all, he looked up at George.

"Fred was better with numbers, so I had Angelina check my math," He said, and Draco noticed Angelina squeezed George's arm lightly.

Draco started discussing particulars, and having a few suggestions. A bottle of wine later, they were finally finished. He yawned widely.

"Potter needs me at work tomorrow, so I need to go to bed," Draco admitted,

"Ah, he would be a terrible boss," George joked, standing up.

"I'll see you for the opening this weekend," Draco said,

"You will—tell 'Mione to give you more of that swelling potion because your face looks bloody awful," Angelina told him,

"You should have seen it this morning," He said,

"We will walk ourselves out, have a goodnight Malfoy," George called,

"Good night!" He yelled to both of them.

"You want to invest in my store?" George asked, his jaw open.

"Yes," Draco said again. It had been the third time George had asked the question.

"Why?" Finally, a different question.

"I am a businessmen, and I know when a business is bound for success. You are doing well, but you need a boost to get you into Hogsmeade. I am your guy," Draco said

"I just—not that I don't—you don't like my family,"

"I'm—I'm starting something new, and working slow. This is part of the start," Draco confessed, and he watched George's facial expression soften.

"Okay then, do you want to see projections?"

Draco shook his head, "This first installment will be on faith. I want to show you I am a serious investor. So the first one, I will trust you. Obviously, I want to be more involved with the process as it increases, but I don't want you to think there is some sort of catch,"

"I appreciate that," George said

"Can we take you to dinner?" Angelina said, "It will make me feel better if we don't just take your money,"

"Dinner would be excellent," Draco replied.

Chapter one is out! Just setting up the stage, I am really excited about this story, as it is my second fanfic EVER. So very, very exciting. Between writing this story from Draco's point of view and watching House of Cards, I think I need to act much more nefarious.
Please, review! I do love hearing what people think!