A/N Hello everyone! I hope you don't mind that I am updating earlier than expected. This story is very easy to write so Im pretty far into it. Plus I'm having surgery next month so I might be off of here for a minute. I hope you like the story and don't worry...this will be a dramione story. Just give it a chance and please REVIEW! So far I've gotten very few to let me know if anyone likes it. Happy reading and don't forget to review!

Lunch

Draco and Hermione worked together until the store employees arrived. Hermione knew of many spells. She had even invented a few on her own. But to make an object incapable of being reproduced was unheard of. They were no closer to a solution to the problem than they had been when they started that morning. The staff of Malfoy's Quidditch supply company arrived at 11:30. He took a break to direct them of their daily duties and bring Hermione and himself a cup of tea.

"Thank you." she said after receiving the steaming cup.

"You are welcome. I think we need to take a few minutes off."

Hermione nodded.

"Impressive store." she remarked.

"Thank you. Quidditch is my passion." he smirked.

"I never thought you were into it much at school."

"Really?" he asked surprised.

"Honestly I thought your father pushed you into it."

"Well he did. But I loved Quidditch. I loved being a seeker."

"You weren't all that good at it." she smiled.

"Not against the famous Harry Potter I wasn't. But against the other houses I held my own."

She laughed.

"Not many could beat Harry at Quidditch."

"How is Potter?"

"Same." she replied. "Three kids. Happy."

Draco nodded.

"Figures he would have the perfect life."

"I think he deserves it." Hermione said. "He had a rough life."

Draco coughed a bit but said nothing.

Hermione sipped her tea and looked back at Draco. He was watching her intently.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"It's something. You are staring."

"I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"How funny it is that you are sitting here."

"You asked me to come."

"No, I mean back at school. Could you ever imagine this?" he laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes before answering.

"Honestly, no."

"Yeah…"

"Well we should get back to work."

"You are absolutely right." he said standing up and reaching for some research books. He tossed Hermione one.

"I got these from the library at Hogwarts." he sensed that she had a feeling of unease. "I borrowed them, I didn't steal them." he answered her unasked question.

"I didn't say that." she replied.

"You had a look of horror on your face that could only be associated with the concept of stealing books from the library at Hogwarts. You have changed very little I'm afraid."

She scowled.

"How were you able to borrow these?"

"I donate large piles of gold to the school. I've established a scholarship fund for students who can't afford books and supplies."

Her mouth fell open.

"Ah, I've surprised you."

"You have."

"Well it wouldn't be the first time. It seems some have just waited for me to follow in my father's footsteps. But even he doesn't tread there anymore."

She opened the book and began to read. Draco sat in an armchair across from her and opened a book of his own. The book of copyright spells was one she had not read previously and it fascinated her for some reason. She read straight through until 3 o'clock when her stomach gave a loud grumble. Rubbing her eyes she marked her page and set the book on the side table. Draco was still reading. It was odd to her. Ron was never much of a reader. She could spend the entire day reading and he would interrupt her over and over. Asking questions, wanting her to put the book down and do something with him. But neither of them had spoken a word since before noon.

"Mr. Malfoy?" she said hating to interrupt someone who loved to read as well.

"Draco. Please." he said.

"Fine, Draco…I'm a bit hungry. Can we take a break and grab some lunch?"

"Oh, of course. I just got wrapped up in this…" he said motioning to his book. "What would you like?"

"Anything is fine. As long as we are not eating at the ministry." she joked.

"There is a café up the street. If you don't mind walking a block or two. Or we could eat in."

"I don't mind walking. Might help clear my head." she said standing up to stretch her legs. As she stretched her arms her cashmere sweater lifted revealing a flash of midriff. He opened the door to his office for her and they left the store heading for the café. It was a short walk from the store. They didn't talk. Hermione felt slightly uncomfortable at the attention the two of them were gathering as they arrived at the café.

They sat at an outside table where it was much less crowded. The waiter came over and took their drink order.

"Red wine please." Draco said.

"Same." she replied. She never drank during the work day, but since this was not the typical 'at the office' work day, she could relax a bit.

"I've never been here." Hermione said casually.

"The food is excellent. Try the salmon."

"Ron hates fish." she said not thinking. "He hates the way it smells. I can't even cook it in the house."

"Well he's not here, and you are not cooking."

"Won't your wife be upset that you had lunch with me?" she joked.

"No, it's not like that with us. She pretty much leaves me to myself. She is shopping in Paris this week. Buying more useless trinkets I expect. Will Weasley be upset with you?"

"Well to tell you the truth he wasn't all that happy that you and I would be working together. But I explained that we are both professionals and we need to leave the past in the past."

"And he accepted it just like that? I guess he has changed." He lifted the wine glass the waiter had brought and sipped slowly. He nodded to the waiter.

"Can I take your order?"

"I'll have the salmon, with buttered potatoes and beans." Draco said handing the man his menu.

Hermione considered the other options but chose to have the same thing.

"It's a lovely place." Hermione remarked.

"I try to come a few times a week." he said sipping his wine again.

More silence followed as Hermione tried to think of things to say. The whole situation was uncomfortable in her opinion. The silence was broken when their food arrived.

"Thank you." Draco told the waiter.

"If there is anything else please let me know." the polite young man said. Hermione tasted the salmon.

"It's delicious." she said.

He nodded and began to eat himself. A moment later Hermione had an idea.

"What about an anti-gemino spell? Instead of something automatically duplicating it might make it impossible to duplicate."

"That is a brilliant idea." he said wiping his mouth with the corner of a napkin. "But even the regular Gemino spell is extremely difficult. Developing one that could keep it from being reproduced might be near impossible."

"I think we can handle it, but that would have to be only the first spell. And you wouldn't be able to use it on the original pair. Those would have to be kept under lock and key so that you could make the gloves that were for sale, and then you could use the anti-gemino spell on those."

"It could work." Draco said. "It's worth a try anyway."

They both finished their lunch and the waiter brought the check. Hermione reached for it.

"Don't be ridiculous." he said "I am paying."

Hermione smiled at him for maybe the first time she could remember.

"Thank you."

He smiled back.

"You are welcome. Now let's get back to work."

They walked quickly back to the Quidditch store and sat about coming up with the spell. Hermione knew how to cast the Gemino spell, but she hadn't mastered it yet. It wasn't a spell that was commonly used. Several attempts later she produced a so-so Gemino spell on a candlestick.

"Brilliant!" Draco proclaimed.

"It's not. It's only mediocre. But it's a start." she said touching the candlestick and watching several brass copies burst forth from it.

"It's better than I could do."

"Now…" she said studying the copies. "How to prevent this from happening to your gloves…"

"I haven't the slightest clue." he replied.

Hermione looked at her watch. It was nearly 6.

"It's late. Should we call it a day?" she asked.

"I think so. I think we are off to a good start though. Just let me close up and I will apparate with you."

"There's no need." she said.

"It will only take a second. Be right back." he went into the front of the shop and she heard him cast spells and turn a lock on the door. He came back a moment later.

"Are you sure you don't want me to…"

"No, I will be fine." she smiled slightly. "Can I take this book with me?"

"Only if you promise to bring it back." he joked.

She smirked.

"I might run off with it…" she replied coyly.

"I know where you work…" he laughed. "We can't apparate from back here. We can in the front of the store." he motioned towards the door. She went in front of him and noticed the feeling of his fingertips on the small of her back as he followed.

"Thank you." she said blushing slightly. "Tomorrow morning at the same time?"

"Yes, but meet me at Hogsmeade if you don't mind. We can head up to Hogwarts and see if there are anymore books on Gemino spells."

She grinned at the prospect of being in the Hogwarts library again. And being allowed in the restricted section without worrying about getting caught.

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

She saw him watching her as she apparated away. He had an odd little smile on his face that was very unlike the old Malfoy. She really liked that smile.

By the time she got home Ron had already picked up Hugo and was preparing dinner.

"Hello love." he said leaning over to kiss her cheek while he stirred some pasta.

"Hello."

"How was it?"

"How was what?" she asked.

"Working with the ferret?"

"Grow up." she replied somewhat annoyed.

"What?" Ron asked oblivious.

"It's been nearly twenty years. Let's lose the name calling."

Ron's face dropped.

"Okay, I take it that your day didn't go well by your attitude."

"No, my day went perfectly fine thank you very much."

"Really?"

"Really. We got a lot accomplished."

"Good. The faster you get done, the faster you won't have to work with him."

"He's not that bad honestly."

"Yeah right."

"Seriously, he's not. He's changed."

"Changed how?"

"He's just a normal person now. There was no fighting or name calling or rude remarks all day. He was a perfect gentleman."

Ron made a rude noise.

"Just drop it for now, okay?"

Ron nodded.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Not really, I had to take a late lunch."

"Why?"

"I got caught up in a book and we didn't break for lunch until three. It was about copyright spells and how they used to…"

"Weren't you lonely eating alone?" Ron interrupted.

"No, I went with Dra…Mister Malfoy."

"You ate with him?" Ron said astounded.

"At the café down the road from his Quidditch shop."

"That place is pricey." he said absentmindedly.

"He paid."

"So you had a date?" Ron fumed.

"Don't be ridiculous. We had lunch."

"If he paid it was a date." Ron replied angrily.

"I offered, but he insisted."

"See!" Ron replied.

"What? Are you serious? He's married, I'm married. It's just two people working together. You of all people should know that I would never be attracted to someone like him."

Ron didn't answer.

"I'm not going to talk to you when you are being this unreasonable. I'm going to take a shower."

Ron opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly. Arguing with Hermione was pointless.