A/N:Hey everyone! It's been a while, right? Just a warning, this is going to be a little different and definitely non-canon but just bear with me and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making money off of this story. Any recognizable characters or storylines belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 1

Dear Miss Granger,

Thank you for applying for the position of Potions Mistress at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are pleased to inform you that we have selected you to fill the position. Please owl or Floo with any questions that you have.

Enclosed are directions to an international Portkey which will be leaving next Friday afternoon at 8:00 am Greenwich time, as well as instructions for once you arrive in the United States. We are enlisting your former classmate, Mr. Draco Malfoy, to show you around and introduce you to the area and our customs.

I will be sending further messages to fill you in on the requirements for the position. We are very glad to have you on board.

Sincerely,

Katherine Baker

Headmistress, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Granger! Open the bloody door! We have things to do!" Malfoy banged on her door.

Hermione waved her hand at the door, wordlessly unlocking it. She held her head in her hands and padded into the kitchen in her pajamas shorts and old Quidditch t-shirt, yawning. The tall blonde stepped into her flat, looking pristine in his black slacks and lavender dress shirt and tie.

"It's about bloody time," he snipped. "I was out there for ages."

"What's the rush, Malfoy?" Hermione yawned, wandlessly starting her kettle. "It's 6:30am, and my portkey arrived late last night. I would've liked to sleep in. And you could've just Flooed."

Malfoy crossed his arms. "I tried. It was locked."

Hermione poured the now-hot water into her mug and tossed in a tea bag, leaving it to steep. "Because it's 6:30am, Malfoy. The only people who would have called are in London, and it's the middle of the day there, and they're at their jobs."

"Which is exactly why I'm here. You are starting your job today."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and sipped her tea slowly. "Oh, I am, am I? The last I spoke with the Headmistress, the school did not require me until next week."

"I wasn't talking about that job. The Potions mistress or master at Ilvermorny has always been the in charge of Potions Research & Development at St. Mary's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, on whose board of directors, if you were unaware, Malfoy Enterprises has a seat. So technically, I'm your boss."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I socked you in third year, Malfoy. Don't tempt me to do it again with your childish stories."

"You shagged me a few years ago, too. I highly doubt you would do that again, either."

"You're right," Hermione smirked, finishing her cup of tea. "I wouldn't."

"Oh, don't make promises you don't intend to keep."

Hermione walked to her bathroom, locking the door so she could shower. "I fully intend to keep it, ferret!"

Hermione emerged from the bathroom, clean and ready in her neatly pressed black slacks with matching black heels, and blue sleeveless blouse. Malfoy sat on her couch, watching cartoons on the Muggle television on the wall.

"I would've never pegged you for a fan of Nickelodeon, Malfoy," she quipped, sweeping her long curls back into a knot at the base of her neck.

"What?" Malfoy looked back at her. "Oh, sorry. I just turned it on and it was there."

"Mmhmm, I'm sure it was. So where are we going?"

"We have a meeting at the Malfoy Industries New York office in, oh," Malfoy looked at his Muggle Rolex. "Twenty minutes?"

"Let's go then."

They stopped at a coffee shop called Lava Java on their way to the office, Hermione ordering her second breakfast tea and Malfoy getting plain black coffee. Malfoy paid the barista in correct Muggle cash, surprising Hermione slightly, and

Malfoy's cell phone beeped, and he paused to glance at the screen.

"Granger, have you ever heard of a Muggle shop called Victoria's Secret? Amelia says she has some things she needs me to pick up from there."

Hermione snorted her laughter, tea flying out of her mouth and nose.

Draco looked at her in slightly-amused confusion, "What's funny?"

"Oh, it's just-" Hermione snickered, struggling to catch her breath. "You're very naive about the Muggle world, Malfoy." She wiped away a tear and restrained herself. "I'm sorry, I know it's not something that you grew up with."

Malfoy grinned. "I know. I used to get embarrassed about it, to be honest."

"You, embarrassed?" Hermione sipped her tea nonchalantly, her eye sparkling with laughter. "Really?"

Malfoy chuckled. "Yes. Please, educate me. I'd hate to look a fool in front of an attractive woman."

Hermione patted Malfoy's shoulder fondly. "Victoria's Secret is a lingerie shop, Malfoy. This Amelia must be very trusting of you."

Malfoy's eyes widened. "A lingerie shop?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded, chuckling at him. "A very lovely one, actually. There's one in London, now, I think."

"Hmm," Malfoy took a sip of his coffee. "That's very interesting. Is it like Brown's shop in Diagon Alley with the sex toys and things?"

Hermione laughed again. "No, Malfoy. Not that kind of shop."

He smirked to himself and put his phone back in his pocket. "Looks like I'm going to the shops later then, eh?"

Hermione smiled and shrugged. "Do you like her, this Amelia?"

"Yeah," Malfoy nodded. "She's great. Beautiful, you know. Here I have a picture."

He pulled out his phone again and showed her a picture of them. He was right, she was gorgeous. She kind of looked like the Muggle actress Nina Dobrev, with sultry dark eyes and long dark hair.

"She's lovely, Malfoy. Does she work at the office with you?"

"No, actually. I met her at a Wizard club somewhere in, what do they call it, the Upper East side?"

"So she's a witch, then?"

"Yeah, a half-blood. She told me her mum is a witch and her dad was a Muggle, but he died in a car accident when she was very young, and she doesn't remember him well."

Hermione nodded, feeling for the girl. Her own parents had died the same way while they were in Australia, after she had Obliviated them during the War.

Malfoy nudged her. "You alright?"

Hermione nodded. "Course I am. I just miss them."

"You sure you're not just jealous over my new lady?" He teased, obviously trying to make her feel better. "You and I did used to shag, you know. Maybe you had some feelings you never told me about."

Hermione rolled her eyes and scoffed. "We shagged a few times, and it was alright, I guess, but trust me, you weren't good enough to get jealous over."

"Oh, now, there's a lie if I've ever heard one."

They laughed together, so like in the days after the War when they returned to Hogwarts, Head Boy and Head Girl together. They had bonded over their shared scars, hers screaming her "lesser" heritage, and his proclaiming his failed attempt at making his father proud. They had forgiven each other, even becoming almost friends, and gotten drunk and laughed and shagged. For most of their eighth year.

After graduation, they decided that they didn't want to be a couple, but they remained fond acquaintances. Hermione had gone on to begin her own very successful Potions business, freelancing for St. Mungo's and selling ingredients and potions in her little shop in Diagon Alley. Malfoy, similarly, had taken over Malfoy Enterprises after his father had been sentenced to house arrest, and had continued to sleep with every model and actress that threw herself onto his broom.

"I'm glad you've found someone nice, Malfoy," Hermione smiled at him. "Truly. It's about damn time you got over me."

Malfoy chuckled and opened the door to the building for her. "After you, my lady."

"You're so full of shit."

The Potions Research & Development team at Malfoy Enterprises had been very excited to meet her. Apparently, Malfoy had called a very early department meeting to go over company and department policy and to make sure that there wasn't anything Hermione wanted to change.

"So the ingredients are grown locally?" she asked, her eyes scanning the document in front of her.

"Yes," a young woman with glasses and an overeager smile said excitedly. "We have our own farm just a Floo's ride away in Pennsylvania."

"What's your name? I'm sorry I didn't catch it."

"Penny, Miss Granger. Penny Williams. I'm your university intern."

Hermione nodded. "Penny, call me Hermione, first of all. And second, I would like to for you, if it's alright with Mr. Malfoy of course, to begin research on how we can expand our raw ingredient output and also slowly introduce small quantities of more rare ingredients into our arsenal without diminishing the amount of ingredients we already produce. I would also like an in-depth inventory of our current stock, as well as the produce that we have at the farm, and a detailed audit of our financial standing as a department on my desk by 3pm tomorrow, alright?"

"Yes, of course, Miss Granger, er, Hermione. I'll get started right away." the girl bounced out of the room quickly, leaving the group in the room in awe of their new boss.

"As for the rest of you, I'd like to see your most current recipe collection, with detailed ingredient listings and expenditures, and the Potions lab needs to be updated to be up to code. I'd also like someone to owl the head of the Apothecary at the hospital and ask him or her to send us a list of the potions that they need, and the ones that they use most frequently. And I need those by 3pm tomorrow, as well. Understood?"

Everyone agreed and scattered, leaving Malfoy and Hermione alone in the large conference room.

"Your view is stunning, Malfoy," Hermione crossed her arms, stepping toward the wall-to-wall windows that was overlooking Central Park.

"Thank you. We recently bought this building, and the upper level floors are still being renovated. After they are, you'll have another Potions lab and more storage space, as well as a teaching lab for your students at Ilvermorny."

"That's very kind of you."

He smirked. "Nothing but the best. Now, we have another meeting to get you to."

"Another one?"

"Yes. You're meeting Amelia."

"Oh, lovely!"

They sat at a small cafe overlooking a pond in the Park, waiting for Amelia to arrive and catching up.

"You seeing anyone currently?" Malfoy asked, sipping on a glass of water.

Hermione bit her lip and tilted her head. "I guess you could call it that. I have a...friend who comes over sometimes, but he's not interested."

"Do you like him?

Hermione paused.

"Oh, come on. I used to be your friend, too. You can tell me."

"Yeah," Hermione admitted. "I do. I really like him. He just doesn't see me that way, I'm afraid."

"Hermione," Draco chuckled and touched her hand. "It's you. I'm sure he does see you that way."

"Well, we've been through a lot. And he's a bit older, and I don't think he's ready to settle down with anyone just yet, and honestly I think he sees me as a sister."

"Knowing you, he really does want to settle down with you and you just don't see it."

Hermione shook her head. "You don't know that."

"Hey, guys!" a beautiful woman approached them. Hermione assumed she was Amelia.

"Hello, love," Malfoy greeted her, standing and kissing her on the cheek, holding a chair out for her. "Granger, this is Amelia Parks. Amelia, meet Hermione Granger."

Hermione extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Amelia."

Amelia laughed and threw her arms around Hermione's neck, wrapping her in a hug. "I've heard just so much about you! Drake never shuts up about you. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was screwing you and not me!"

Hermione's eyes darted to Malfoy. "Does she know?" she mouthed.

Malfoy laughed. "She knows, Granger. She's just fucking with you."

Amelia giggled and sat back down. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I just couldn't wait to meet Drake's friends, since he's already met mine and my mom."

"Oh, your mum, huh?" Hermione raised an eyebrow and her glass at Malfoy. "Congratulations, playboy. You've got a girlfriend."

Amelia pecked his cheek and grabbed his hand. He genuinely smiled at her, rubbing her hand fondly. Hermione grinned to herself. It was good to see him so happy. The War had definitely taken its toll on him, turning the prankster into a more serious man-child. Which, if she was honest, she could say the same about herself.

They sat for an hour and talked and talked. Amelia was a lawyer at a Wizarding firm that dealt mostly with relations between the American wizards and the local magical creatures. She had graduated from Ilvermorny almost three years ago, the school where Hermione was going to teach, and Hermione decided that she liked the girl immensely.

Unfortunately, Amelia had to return to the firm to deal with an incident with a group of Wampus cats, half woman/half cougar creatures that were closely related to Veela, and a family who took a camping trip in the Appalachians earlier that spring. They said goodbye, and she Apparated away.

It continued to shock Hermione how open the American witches and wizards were. The Headmistress had informed Hermione that the Magical community was spread out through the Muggle world, but disillusioned, like the Hogwarts school in Scotland. Many of the buildings and homes in Manhattan actually belonged to Wizarding families, but they allowed the Muggles to believe that the families were simply old and wealthy families, and they were mostly left alone. It was much different than in Britain, where the magical community was almost reclusive, shut off from the outside world. It was a refreshing change of pace.

"You seem to be adapting to Muggle technology really well, Malfoy," Hermione commented, walking beside him as they made their way back to her flat.

"Well, I've had to, haven't I?" Malfoy grinned. "I'm thinking of buying that Muggle technology company, oh what's it called? The one that's named after the fruit, whichever it is. But I thought that i needed to at least be slightly familiar with the product that I'll be selling, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't have thought it of you, but it makes sense."

"Plus, I always did like Muggle Studies in school, even though I would have cut off my own foot before admitting it to anyone."

Hermione let out a laugh. "I knew it! Just wait until the rest of the snakes find out."

Draco looked at his feet, his face falling.

"Oh, Malfoy, I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It's fine, Granger," he sighed. "They still won't talk to me. Except Astoria, of course, but you know, it's a special exception."

Hermione nodded."I know. A lot of the Gryffindors wouldn't speak to me after they found out about you and me."

They approached her building, slowing as they reached the door.

Malfoy stopped. "We'll make it, right? We're making it?"

Hermione reached and grabbed his hand, wrapping it in her own. "We're making it, Draco."

.