Theo owled.

Of course he did.

He was a perfectly wonderful, charming, good looking and appropriate wizard for her to fall for… so she wasn't excited about him. She didn't think NEVER was an appropriate term… but certainly not now. It just wasn't a good time for her…

She dodged a couple of well meaning owls asking her for another date and they eventually stopped coming.

It was official… no one wanted Hermione Granger.

Hermione was headed to the Auror office and her mind was with the Dragons currently being crossbred, skinned and caged in Romania. The Sanctuary there was incapable of handling anymore Dragons and the poachers and breeders were taking full advantage. England needed to step up and take drastic responsibility but she wasn't sure where exactly they could house a Dragon Sanctuary… or secure the funds for one.

She was idly reading through a report on the welfare of the Dragons under their current breeding captivity when she walked straight into someone.

"Oh, forgive me," she looked up to find Theo Nott standing there in the middle of the office, dashing as ever and grinning at her like a fool, "Theo!" she smiled back at him.

"Well, I've rarely had to succumb to stalking a witch to get a second date, but here we are," he leaned down and gave her a casual kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, stop that! What on earth are you doing here?" she said brightly.

"He's here with me," a familiar drawl caused her smile to fade rather quickly and her head whipped around. He was tan again.

She gulped.

"Malfoy," she greeted flatly, "I didn't know you worked with Malfoy, Theo," she smiled again and began walking towards the conference room.

"Ay, someone's gotta keep the man on his toes. He does the curse breaking, dark magic, bad wizard work… I handle… well, all the boring bits. Isn't that right?" he looked at Malfoy with a jolly expression. Was he really in Slytherin?

"Well, I'm heading to a meeting now, but I'll catch up with you soon," she smiled and attempted a casual wave at the pair of them.

"You know, I've heard that before…" She stopped and turned as Theo spoke to her. She watched as Draco's jaw clenched and his body tensed just a step behind Theo, "I'm still waiting on the second date," Theo grinned.

"It wasn't a date though, was it Nott? I thought you said you just shagged her," Malfoy said in a monotone voice.

"Malfoy!" Theo paled, "What on earth has gotten into you," Theo elbowed his friend, "Your mother would slap you for speaking in front of a lady like that," Nott was genuinely affronted, "I didn't say that, Granger. I said we never had a proper date," he made a flat face at Malfoy and continued, "And I would still love to take you on that date… Are you free tonight?"

Hermione glared at Draco who was grinding his teeth flat.

"I am," she smiled, "Will you owl me where to meet you? I do have to be off," she tilted her head towards a conference room.

"I will definitely owl you," Theo grinned, "However, we are coming with you. We are on the same case you are," he gestured towards Conference Room B and Hermione's heart sank.

"In what world could curses and dragons ever intertwine?" she breathed the ghost of a laugh.

"We're expanding, Granger," Malfoy spoke then, "I'm consulting on all sorts of Dark Magic activities that I might have knowledge in. Director Freeman asked me to come in and offer some insight on the Dragon Breeding."

"Ah. Expanding your empire. More galleons in your pocket," she glared menacingly at her, "What a perfect set up for you. How was your honeymoon?" Hermione stopped and squared her shoulders to him.

"Brilliant, Granger, thanks for asking," The flame in his eyes matched hers but Theo remained ignorant and walked on.

"Where'd you end up?"

"Colombia, actually. Had such a great time the last time, thought I'd try it again with the wife. How was the night before my wedding?" his eyes darkened and he stepped into her space, "Heard you got thoroughly shagged, by my best man nonetheless. It's a bold move, Granger, not one I'm sure I'd be willing to undertake. But you really showed me," he spat, looming over her.

"It's none of your business who I spend my personal time with," she turned towards the conference room again but his hand shot out and grabbed her by the elbow.

"It is when it's my best fucking mate," he hissed.

"Wrong. Nothing I do or ever do again, is any of your business. And if you ever need clarification? If you ever are wondering if you should get involved? Ask your bloody wife," her voice wrapped around the last word like a curse and she yanked her arm away from him.

Hermione walked into the conference room muttering something about a 'bloodygitwithabsolutelynofuckingclue'.

The date with Theo was fine. She laughed and they chatted about work and their time in Hogwarts. He was bright and she learned that he was the brains behind Malfoy's work. He didn't have the same expertise in all things Dark Magic but he seemed incredibly knowledgeable in contract law and financing.

She didn't feel the same chemistry flowing between them as she did with Malfoy and she idly wondered if she ever would.

When he asked if he could see her again, she decided honesty was the best policy.

"I had a wonderful time with you tonight, Theo-"

"But…" he interrupted, sensing where this was going.

She gave him a small smile, "But-I'm not ready for any commitments right now. I'm just getting started in my job and I'd like to keep my personal life casual."

"I can understand that," he leaned down and kissed her sweetly, letting his grip rest on her elbow.

"If things change or you want to meet for dinner again, you know where to find me. Goodnight."

She felt disappointed that she didn't feel more attached to Theo.

She Apparated home, trudged up the stairs and ran a bath.

She dipped into the warm water, leaned her head back against the side and closed her eyes. She felt some strong emotion lurking around her consciousness and it was pressing against the boundaries.

She took a deep breath and felt the water ripple slowly around her. Another deep breath but as the air pushed out of her lungs it shuddered.

She failed to keep that emotion out as it overwhelmed her.

Draco Malfoy was married. It was over and she needed desperately to move on to put this all behind her and get on with her life. Her chest heaved as her tears mixed with the scented bath water.

After a good five minutes of emptying her lungs and soul into the bathtub, she wiped frantically at her cheeks and breathed in deeply, filling her lungs until she thought they would burst.

"Ok. It's done," she said into the air, "It's over."

The next few weeks were still a blur of her getting used to her position at the Ministry and trying to correspond over the Dragon issue with the Romanian Sanctuary. They weren't very prompt and it irked Hermione to no end.

Everytime a memo was delivered, she would rip it open, only to be fiercely disappointed.

She grabbed the most recent files on it and stomped across the hall to her bosses office.

She rapped her knuckles quickly on the window pane of the open door, "Got a minute?"

"Hermione, of course, of course!" Beatrice Waterstone was the most unkempt and kind Department Head in the history of the Ministry. She reminded Hermione so much of Molly Weasley that she often had to stop herself from being too familiar, although she doubted Beatrice would mind.

Beatrice stood and ushered her in, closing the door and pulling a quill from her curly ratted mess of a hairdo. Hermione smiled as she wondered if that might be her someday.

"What can I do for you, dear?" she smiled warmly, signed her name quickly to a piece of parchment and then returned her attention to Hermione.

"It's this Dragon situation in Romania and well, all over Eastern Europe. I fear it's getting out of hand and my liaison with the Dragon Sanctuary isn't upholding his end of the line. It's frustrating to say the least," she pursed her lips and handed over a file, "Here, you can see the amount of poachers, eggs and dragon hatchlings that have been apprehended by local MLE in the past two months. It's out of hand!" Hermione's voice grew heated.

Beatrice sat back in her chair and looked over the file, stuffing her quill back into her mane and tugging on her earlobe as she read.

"These were sent by?"

"The Romanian Ministry! I want to be more aggressive," she said decisively.

"Aggressive?!" Beatrice was shocked by the word, her voice raising an octave or two, "What on earth do you mean, dear?"

"Well, I'd like to travel to Romania myself. I want to see what it's like on the ground and get a feel for what the next step is."

"Mmm, mmhmm, and what do you think the next step is?" Beatrice asked, not looking up from her paperwork.

"I think we need to begin fundraising and campaigning to open a dragon sanctuary here in Great Britain."

Beatrice looked up at her with a skeptical facade, "Oh, Hermione… that would take…"

"I know. I know what it would take. But I truly believe we've got to do something and soon."

Beatrice closed the file gently and laid it on her desk. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk and Hermione recognized her face. She was about to let her down gently.

"Beatrice, I'm only asking for a chance. Send me to Romania, at least. From there, I'll report my findings and we can see if there enough need to move this along. My department can handle fundraising and sponsors, we can find a space and a staff…" she felt the wind leaving her as she realized just how much she needed this win.

It was silent for so long that Hermione dropped his eyes to the floor, feeling she had failed at this too.

"Ok."

Her heart soared, "Ok?"

A smile played at the corner of Beatrice's lips, "Ok! We hired you for a reason, right? I've got to trust my instincts the same way you trust yours. Set it up with Marjory, she'll make sure you're scheduled and have per diem for your trip. One week! Report back what you have after that. Ok?"

"Thank you! Yes! Of course! THANK YOU!" she gushed and grabbed the file off the desk. She almost hugged the woman but she resisted. She smiled as she heard Beatrice chuckle behind her as she left.

Marjory took complete control of planning the trip for her. She was staying at a B&B in the small village outside the sanctuary for 3 days. She was desperately wanting to visit the adjacent areas and speak to their authorities as well, but she wasn't going to push it just yet. Romania was an amazing start.

She had called on Harry, Ron and Ginny to celebrate her small victory and they had all agreed to meet for dinner at the Toad and Lily.

It was a nicer place, maybe out of their budgets but they could splurge on big occasions. What else was all that award money good for from their Order of Merlin?

Hermione rushed home and put on one of her favorite dresses from Paris. It was bright red with a scallop lace neckline and tulle that jutted out at the waist. She paired it with black heels and a red lip and was ready to go. She apparated to the restaurant and found it was raining… again. Wasn't it always raining?

She ducked quickly into the restuarant and into the back of a one, Draco Malfoy.

Bollocks. What kind of luck was this?

"Er, hullo," she grimaced and when he moved to the side, his beautiful fucking wife, with her perfect hair and long eyelashes and full lips was standing there. Her stupid fucking perfect eyebrow was perched high on her forehead as she appraised Hermione and all of a sudden, Hermione hated her dress.

It was nothing compared to the simple black but somehow immaculate robes of Astoria Greengrass… errr, Malfoy.

Because this beautiful, perhaps part Veela, witch, was Draco Malfoy's wife.

She sucked in a harsh breath.

"Miss Granger!" the Maitre'd gushed, "Why the rest of your party has already arrived! Can I escort you?"

"Please," she nodded, "Pardon me, Malfoys. I guess being the Gryffindor Princess has its perks," she smiled tightly and followed the host past the lobby.

Her heart was pounding wildly and she swallowed a gulp as she walked with her head held high into the dining room.

Her eyes landed on her small group and she smiled.

"Hermione!" they stood to greet her, Ron rushing over to kiss her on the cheek, "Are you going to tell us what we are celebrating?"

"Oh gosh, you will probably all think I'm silly," she blushed, not realizing they were expecting some grand reason, "I've just had some travel for a passion project approved! I'm to head to Romania in a week to size up the illegal Dragon trade and possibly open a Sanctuary here in the UK."

She sat as Ron pulled her chair out for her and grinned at her table mates.

"Brilliant!" Harry gushed and she looked as Ginny smiled brightly at her too.

"Thanks! I know it's not much, maybe not enough to warrant a fancy dinner… but it's my first big project! I'm over the moon!"

"Will you see Charlie?" Ginny asked, placing her napkin idly in her nap.

"I hadn't thought of it! What is he doing out there now?"

"I think mum said he's working with relocation and acquisition… whatever that means," Ron shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see him. Let your mum know? Maybe she'll want me to bring him something."

"Oh, I'm sure she will," Ginny mused while perusing the menu.

Hermione bristled as the Malfoys were escorted to a table just a few away from theirs. Malfoy's eyes kept glancing over to her and try as she might to ignore it, she couldn't. They locked awkward eyes on more than a few occasions and Hermione flushed each time and took a long gulp of wine.

The four of them chatted about work and laughed about memories long past but Hermione kept attention to the blonde couple on her left. She sighed in relief as they stood to leave and she ordered just one more glass of wine.

They laughed until the lights dimmed and Hermione was surprised as they walked to the bar just down the street. 'Just for a nightcap', Harry had said with a wink, and they all played along, knowing full well it wasn't just a nightcap.

The music was lively and reminded her of a tiny cafe in Cartagena where she had fallen for a boy with silver eyes.

Instead she swayed by herself in her pretty red dress and nursed a beer that had been bought for her by someone in their group.

Some Gryffindors found them and she laughed and hugged them all in turn. Catching up with most of them for the first time in years and giggling as Neville Longbottom bought her a shot of something that tasted like peppermint but burned like the devil.

She didn't remember when Neville got so… well, so hot. He was taller now, much taller than her but he wasn't lanky. He had filled out in all the right spots and his eyes were fringed by thick lashes that stuck together when he blinked. His smile was so genuine that Hermione blushed whenever it was directed at her and as soon as he placed his hand on her lower back she felt herself melt into him. She felt desperate for his attention and she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol impairing her judgment or the sheer need of wanting to feel something.

She remembered laughing as she pulled Neville's face towards her. Knowing fully that she was being selfish but needing to do it anyway. He seemed happy to oblige as he wrapped his arms around her waist and in the same way that Harry had said 'just a night cap' she told herself 'just for tonight'.

He had asked if she was sure… then again and one final time when they were outside her door.

She had groaned and told him to stop being a Hufflepuff, to which he laughed and kissed her breathlessly as they fell backwards into her flat. She quite enjoyed his kiss and the way his voice said her name into her hair. It kind of shook and she liked that he looked at her like she was beautiful and loved and worthy.

She felt coy but sexy in his presence and they bumbled through a drunken interlude that left her feeling happy for all the right reasons. She had felt empowered and beautiful and like letting loose with someone she felt safe with, it was exactly what she needed.

It wasn't until it was over and she was laid with her limbs sprawled across him. It wasn't until he breathed into her hair and said that he had always hoped they would find a way together. It wasn't until he held her tightly as he drifted off to sleep… that she realized what a monumental and life changing mistake she had just made. Her breath was coming shallow and sharp and she wanted nothing more than to leave… but it was her bed.

AUTHORS NOTE:

I am fully aware that this part of the story is just awful :( Poor Neville... Poor Hermione... I promise things won't stay so depressing! But unfortunately, H really needs to get to a broken place before she can rebuild it. Things will get better! Stick with me!

If you are a fan of Grey's and know the storyline I'm inspired by, Neville = George. :(