Chapter 7

Hermione was quickly walking down Diagon Alley. Her moderate heels were clicking on the cobblestone sidewalk with every step.

"Come on Sophie," she held on to her daughter's hand tightly. "I just need to stop by this one place before dropping you off."

"Look Mummy," Sophie was skipping to keep up with her mother's rapid speed. "Can we go there? It looks fun."

Hermione's gaze followed her daughter's outstretched finger pointing straight at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and she instantly winced at the sight. Of course the colorful shop windows and giant displays of 93 Diagon Alley would attract her four and half year old little princess.

"Honey," Hermione was glad she didn't have to lie. She always tried to be as honest as possible with her daughter. "They won't be open for another few hours. It's only seven and they open at ten."

"Oh no," Sophie looked with disappointment at the giant head above the entrance of the joke shop. "What's under the funny man's hat?"

Hermione turned to look at the shop again. She really didn't want to think too much about the very place that she had caught Ron cheating on her. But Sophie didn't know and it wasn't a reason to ignore her questions. Even more so when she tried to encourage her inquisitive mind as much as possible.

"A bunny," she smiled as she fondly remembered the first time she had ever seen the shop. Of course she herself would never take her daughter to this place and that very thought filled her with sadness. Sophie could very well end up the only child in all of Hogwarts to never have set foot into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"He moves it up and down when the shop is open," she continued explaining.

"Why," Sophie was just as inquisitive as Hermione herself had been throughout her entire childhood.

"Well," Hermione thought of a way to explain that the giant head was supposed to be performing a well known muggle magic trick but Sophie was quickly sidetracked by another shop front.

"Can we come again soon," she gazed longingly at the candy displayed in the shop window.

"Sure," Hermione felt uneasy. Maybe she could get away with taking her to Hogsmeade instead. They had some pretty amazing shops as well and Honeydukes would most likely be a hit with her daughter.

"Are we almost there," Sophie started whining when the shops weren't as exciting anymore.

"Yes," Hermione answered. "I am sorry girly. I promise this won't take long. I just need to pick up a few papers. They're really important for one of my clients and you are a real trooper for being so patient with Mummy this morning."

Sophie beamed at the compliment but Hermione still felt bad for dragging her along. However, they had spent the night at her parents' house in the London suburbs. Hermione didn't want to go back and forth between London and Wiltshire knowing she would waste more time that way and she had too much on her plate especially since it was the beginning of the month. Everybody seemed to need her when bills were suddenly due and the gold tied up in other things. Plus, Sophie had never been to Diagon Alley. Therefore she had decided to take Sophie along with her. She just quickly needed to stop by at the offices that headquartered the Ministry's planning commission for the European Cup and get the application forms for the grant that could give Pansy and Theo five thousand galleons for their expansion. Then she would return to Wiltshire to drop off Sophie at Magical Tots and stop at the pub for a quick meeting with Pansy and Theo before finally going to her office.

"Mummy," Sophie was still chattering excitedly. "Can Draco come over and play today? He telled me about his Firebolt. I wanna go on it too but he say I need to grow bigger. But I am sure I am bigger now. "

Hermione stopped suddenly. This last bit was news to her and she certainly did not like the idea of Sophie riding a broom at all. She smiled at Sophie. All the books always said not to project your own fears on to your children.

"We're going to see about riding a broomstick," she quickly explained before starting to walk again. Malfoy was in trouble now for mentioning those deathtraps to her daredevil of a daughter.

Hermione soon found the building she was looking for. It was still early but she knew that it would already be open. With less than two months until the kickoff match for the Cup it was most certainly crunch time now. She quickly picked up Sophie, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and entered the building.

An hour later Hermione finally left the Theo's pub to make her way to her office. Theo had told her they would work on filling out the application right away and owl her if they had any questions. The couple was beyond excited and had hugged Hermione several times. She smiled to herself. It wasn't like she was saving lives like a Healer or keeping the public safe like an Auror. Yet, she was helping people keep their businesses or accomplish their dreams and she loved it. If everything went well the Notts would have their expansion done by the end of the month. Hermione knew they would know if they qualified within days and with the help of magic the expansion itself was a cakewalk.

Just as she stepped onto the sidewalk she remembered she hadn't checked her phone for messages since getting to her parents the previous night. While not a lot of wizards and witches knew how to use a mobile Hermione still used them for her business along with computers, printers and whatever else made her life easier.

"Careful there," someone grabbed her upper arm as she almost tripped over the curb.

"Thanks Malfoy," Hermione's breath hitched as she realized she had nearly escaped a nasty tumble. "Yikes, that could have been bad. Last thing I need today is a visit to St. Mungo's."

"Always busy, huh Granger? But you should probably watch where you are going instead of digging through your bag," he watched her turn red and couldn't help but shoot her a lopsided smirk. "And you're welcome. I was actually just on my way to your office to see you."

Holding on to her phone tightly Hermione looked at him in surprise and only then did she take in his attire. He looked great in grey slim-cut slacks and a tailored navy jacket over a white button down shirt. She smiled because despite his rather nice looking outfit his hair was still disheveled. He must certainly know that it looked rather good on him.

"Why," she finally comprehended what he had just said.

"Business," he shot her a cocky smile that had her go weak in the knees. "And I guess some personal matter as well."

"Oh," she anxiously fumbled with her phone trying to turn it back on. How did he always manage to get her all flustered with just a hint of a smile? She became even more nervous when she remembered that Lavender had sent him a letter pretending to be her. Suddenly she wondered what exactly her friend had written to the man in front of her. Knowing Lavender this would not end well for her.

"Business," she asked innocently. She would focus on what else he had said instead of worrying about the odd tension between them.

"Yes," Draco was positively surprised by her sudden skittish behavior. "I want to hire you. And you asked me to come over for dinner tonight. I just wanted to confirm the time."

"Hire me," Hermione looked at him dumbfounded. "Dinner?" That cheeky Lavender had mentioned something about dinner.

"Yes, I want to hire you," he shot her a grin. "You are the best financial consultant in the all of magical Britain."

"I am the only financial consultant in the all of magical Britain," Hermione corrected him.

"Well, nevertheless," he took her arm to guide her down the street to her office. "I am in need of your services."

Hermione stared at him with her mouth open. Did he have to make this sound so dirty? And why did she like it? Draco smirked as he placed his index finger under her chin and gently pushed her mouth close.

"You inspired me," he finally confessed. "I mean you were right about what you said. I just gave up and I am planning on re-opening Malfoy Apothecaries no matter what."

"I thought nobody wants to do business with you," Hermione bit her lip thinking about what the blond had said a few weeks back.

Somehow his news had her rattled. She knew there was something happening between herself and Malfoy. Something that was not only dangerous for her but also for Sophie's sweet, innocent heart. Once Malfoy got his act together there weren't many reasons for Hermione not to fall for him. But was she ready to trust a man again? And why was he suddenly doing all this? A tiny voice inside told her it was not just because of her but also for her. Hermione shook her head at that thought. But before she could say anything else or ponder the effect he had on her the device in her hand started ringing.

"Hi Amy, I am almost at the office," Hermione was grateful for the distraction. "What do you mean you've been trying to reach me...? Calm down... Oh, I turned it off in Diagon Alley because it doesn't work there... What happened? ... Merlin... Okay calm down. I'll be right there."

"What's the matter," Draco jumped at the panicky tone in her voice. Hermione's last sentences had been decidedly higher pitched than the previous ones.

"That was my office manager Amy," Hermione responded quietly as she clutched her mobile. "Apparently she has been trying to reach me for an hour... My office has been vandalized."

A few minutes later both Draco and Hermione arrived at her office. The scene in front of them was horrific. A magical line had been drawn around her office to indicate it was an active crime scene and several magical law enforcement officers were guarding the premises while onlookers were trying to catch a glimpse of what happened.

"Miss," a very young looking officer stopped her. "You can't go any further. This is a crime scene."

Hermione wasn't paying much attention to the young man who was holding her back. Instead she was trying to look at the front of her office. She had rented out a small shop that had formerly housed a specialty bookstore. She had liked the idea of it being easily accessible for both her clients and her staff. However, the very same magical line that marked this spot a crime scene also hid it from prying eyes.

"This is Miss Granger," she barely registered what Draco was saying. "She's the owner and I am with her."

"Sir, the owner is here," Hermione heard the young man sent a message to one of his supervisors. As soon as he got an answer the barrier admitted both her and Draco. She felt the officer's grip loosen and lost her balance causing her to stumble forward clumsily.

"We've been through this once before today," Draco quickly grabbed her arm and guided her closer to her business. "You need to be more careful. It's going to be alright."

Hermione looked at him. He was trying to comfort her and she was welcoming his kindness. She wasn't used to things like this anymore. Her life had been pretty mellow since the war ended. This had to be the most terrifying thing she had experienced in a long time.

"Oh, Hermione," Amy ran toward her. "I am so glad you're alright. I was so worried when I couldn't get a hold of you. I called your home and nobody answered and your mobile was turned off. I thought whoever did this," she gestured around wildly, "may have captured you as well. These messages are very hateful..."

"I am sorry," Hermione hugged her employee. "You know how muggle devices don't work in Diagon Alley. I turned off my phone and forgot all about. I am so sorry you thought I was missing. Is that why Magical Law Enforcement is here?"

"Yes," Amy shot a quick look at Draco. "I am sorry Hermione but that's not all. I guess they consider this a hate crime against muggleborns. That's why..."

"Oh my god," Hermione exclaimed interrupting Amy's explanation. She had only just noticed the building and the damage that had been done to it.

Ignoring both Draco and Amy she moved away from them and closer to the front of the building. What she saw now nearly had her in tears. The big shop windows were covered in red graffiti saying derogatory thinks like Mudblood and several other choice words. The lanterns at the entrance of the shop were ripped off and smashed into pieces on the ground. One of the windows was smashed as well. Looking through it Hermione could tell that the reception area had been vandalized and Amy's desk was overturned as well as all the chairs in the waiting area. There was more graffiti on the walls but Hermione was too far away to read what they said. She only hoped that the stronger wards on the actual offices had held. She couldn't imagine what would happen if all her files were destroyed or - even worse - missing. Yes, she backed up her files regularly. However, everything she had worked on the previous week would be gone and lost forever. She would have to work for hours to make up for the missing files. In addition, she held sensitive financial information on many businesses in the wizarding world; data that could easily be abused if it landed in the wrong hands.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," she heard a familiar voice behind her and froze. "You're not authorized to enter at the moment. My Aurors need to make sure there is nothing dangerous inside. Once we clear the office you may enter and assess the damage."

Hermione remained rooted to the spot. She simply did not want to turn around. She exhaled noisily to mentally preparing herself for what was coming. And here she had thought this day couldn't get any worse.

"Ma'am," she heard him repeat himself. "You need to step away from the entrance while the investigation is still going on."

Hermione almost shook at the sound of that voice. It had been more than five years since she had last heard it. She thought for a moment. Yes, she hadn't seen him since the night of the First Annual Memorial Ball. He had already been cold and distant to her that night. He had never written to her, never called or made any attempt to contact her. He had chosen Ginny over her thus ending an almost eight year long friendship. The most shocking part about it was that she hadn't been surprised at all. She had always come in second to Ron. So it only made sense that she had been bumped to third place when he had finally been in a committed relationship and their enemy was dead.

"Oh, come on Harry! You cannot seriously take her side on this," Hermione looked at her friend in disbelieve.

"I am not taking anyone's side here, Hermione," Harry retorted back."You are my friend and she's my girlfriend. Can't you just get along for one night? For my sake, for the sake of all those who sacrificed their lives! Frankly, you are acting just as ridiculous as she does, Hermione."

Next to him, Ginny shot her a smug smile as she placed a reassuring hand on Harry's arm. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the redhead. Of course Harry never saw that side of Ginny. But she did. After nearly ten months of nonstop fighting between the two former friends Hermione wasn't surprised by anything the youngest Weasley did or said.

"Yes you are taking her side," Hermione put her hands on her hips. "You need to tell Ginny that this is rubbish. Skeeter is just trying to sell her books and get her revenge on me now that she is registered as an animagus and I don't have anything to hold against her anymore."

"Look how paranoid she is," Ginny finally huffed. "Yes, Skeeter's Tell-All was a revenge ploy against the mighty Miss-Know-it-All. Never mind that Harry defeated the darkest wizard of all times and saved our world from being forever changed. But of course he couldn't have done it without you. All hail to the powerful Hermione Jean Granger! You just want all the attention because you think you are the true hero of this war."

"I didn't say that, you are crazy and deranged if you think otherwise," Hermione was getting more and more agitated by the younger girl's attitude. "All I said was that the part about our secret affair is rubbish. You do not seriously believe that stuff. Don't you trust Harry at all?"

"I know Harry didn't cheat on me," Ginny walked toward Hermione. "We were broken up. Plus who would want someone as ugly as you anyway? You are too skinny and flat-chested with unruly hair in the most boring shade of brown. You have no sense of fashion. You think because Lavender helped you pick out an outfit for tonight you look good? Underneath the makeup and nice dress you are still the ugly, uptight bitch who swooned after my brother until he finally gave in. He is dating you out of pity. He'll find someone better, more beautiful and fun soon and you'll be gone for good. Bye, bye bitch."

Ginny had mouthed that last sentence and Hermione had to pinch herself to avoid shedding tears of anger. She couldn't believe her former friend was using her own insecurities against her. So much for trusting someone with your deepest thoughts and swearing them to secrecy. Apparently nothing was sacred to Ginny anymore.

"But Mum is right, it's not normal for a girl to only hang around boys as much as you do," Ginny continued. "You must just hate that you don't have Harry's full attention anymore since we've started dating again. Oh, my brother isn't enough for you. You want Harry as well. But we're all sick of you. It's not just me but my entire family. Mum thinks you're a snob who is too good to do any real housework. Oh come on Hermione, you judge us because my parents aren't as well-off and successful as yours. Seriously, they put their hands in other peoples' mouths. Gross... Dad only tolerates you because he loves everything muggle. Bill and Fleur think you're domineering, Charlie finds you annoying and Percy thinks you're not as smart as you pretend to be. George is too nice to say anything bad about you but I am sure he'd rather see you gone as well. We're just waiting for Ron to finally come around. He's always been a bit slow but I guess I can't blame him since you've been putting out for him."

Hermione looked at Harry hoping to finally gain his support after this terrible attack. Oh, Hermione had been horrible to Ginny over the past year as well. But it was always in reaction to the younger girl's attacks and never ever this personal. To Hermione's disappointment Harry just shook his head and she knew right then and there that their friendship would never be the same again. Ginny had finally won!

"I am tired of this bullshit," Harry finally yelled. "I am going back inside. This is supposed to be a night of celebrating the end of the war and honoring the fallen. It is not another opportunity for the two of you to rehash your entire fight of the previous year. Get over it!"

Hermione stood there dumbfounded and dejected as she watched Ginny catch up with Harry. The younger witch was apologizing before interlinking her own arm with her boyfriend's arm. Just as they reached the door, Ginny turned back to shoot Hermione a victorious smirk. Hermione didn't know it at the time but she wouldn't see Harry again for another five years.

"There you are," Ron approached her carefully. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Blimey, did you and Ginny argue again? I've already talked to her. She's out of line, spreading things about..."

Hermione turned to look at her amazing boyfriend. She was absolutely in love with him. He wasn't perfect and could be jealous and insensitive at times. But he loved her and always meant well. Best of all, despite her problems with Ginny he had never sided with his sister and always defended Hermione. He had often talked to both Harry and Ginny and oddly enough was the voice of reason in their argument. But Hermione didn't want him to get tangled up in their mess. She was sure Ginny would get over her insecurities once she saw how happy Hermione and Ron actually were. But that didn't mean Hermione would be able to forgive and forget so easily. After everything Hermione and Ginny had said and done to each other it would take a miracle for them to be friends again. She felt the same about her friendship with Harry. He definitely needed to grow a backbone when it came to Ginny first before she even considered them friends again.

"Let's get out of here, Ron," Hermione shot him a seductive smile and ran her hand down the front of his dress robes. At that very moment she needed comfort from Ron more than ever. "With me at Hogwarts and you helping George it has been a while since it was just you and me. After all, your mother made sure we weren't alone for too long over Easter Break. She still thinks I am the one corrupting your innocence."

"Yet we still managed to...," he wiggled his eyebrows, "I love it when you're corrupting my innocence by the way. There are a few things I thought about doing to you as well."

With that he pulled her closer and kissed her passionately before disapparating them to the hotel room they had rented for that night. The night that followed had not only been the most passionate and intimate coupling either had ever experienced until then. No, it was also the night Sophie had been conceived in an act of true love and devotion - well, at least on Hermione's part.

"Ma'am," the man reiterated his statement much more sternly this time. "I need you to step aside now!"

Did he not know it was her? The front of the building clearly identified this as Granger's Accounting and Business Consulting. She glanced at the windows. Ah, the one that had her name on it was currently smashed into a million pieces. Well, maybe he didn't know who this business belonged to but he didn't recognize her at all? She had been his friend for years after all. Her hair was still the same big mess of brown curls, she hadn't grown or shrunk and her figure had changed only slightly after giving birth to Sophie. Maybe she would be able to get past him without him recognizing her.

"Hermione," she heard Draco's voice call out for her and she winced.

Great, so much for laying low! Damn her stupid unique name. Inhaling deeply she readied herself to face the man who had been her friend a lifetime ago. She slowly turned around and for the first time in five long years looked into the green eyes of her former best friend, the savior of the wizarding world and current Head of the Auror Department Harry Potter.

So, in my crazy head that last scene is definitely a typical soap opera moment complete with with Hermione turning around in slow motion and dramatic music as their eyes meet for the first time in years. I just wish I could add sound effects at the end.

Well, anyway there's Harry and a glimpse of Ginny in the flashback. I hope I didn't go over the top with her bitchiness! Let me know what you think!