DISCLAIMER: HP ISN'T MINE.

A/N: I don't know if this actually took long to post but I'm sorry if it did. I couldn't think of anything but then I remembered that I'd written a lunch date with Harry and Ginny a while back in a previous draft and didn't think to use it in this draft of the story. Heh. Happy reading :)


The a few days after the meeting, the raid date was announced as well as the time and place. It was going to be on Thursday two weeks from then. With the date for the raid being relatively close, there was more to be done in Hermione's office. That meant later nights spent at work.

With late nights came a new set of bruises as the beatings had become progressively worse.

Hermione had, however, gotten better at her healing charms and, soon, she'd gotten the hang of them and was able to make the bruises disappear as well as stop hurting. Her skin was no longer tender and painful.

She left for work that morning without the finger shaped bruises on her arms and, for once, she wasn't paranoid as she entered the office. She removed her blazer, hanging it on the back of her chair, and sat down.

"I didn't think that jacket of yours could be removed," Draco teased as she dipped her quill in ink and got to work. Hermione shrugged in response, her lips curving up into a small smile.

"Any info on Thursday?" Draco asked.

"I've told you all I know," Hermione said, "When they release more information to me, you'll be the first to know."

At long last, Hermione could finally deem Draco's presence in her office as tolerable. She could be with him for hours on end and didn't have any urges to body bind him and lock him in a broom cupboard and if that wasn't an improvement Hermione didn't know what was.

"Hey," Draco said, breaking the silence.

"Mhm?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight? Staying home."

"That would mean you have no plans?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "I wouldn't be able to go out. My flatmate doesn't like it when there's nobody at home."

"Lunch then?"

"Lunch?" Hermione thought back. "Lunch today is no good. I made plans with Ginny and Harry last week. What about tomorrow?"

"It's a date," Draco said, "I-I mean… not like a date but more like we have just set the date. We've set the date for lunch. Tomorrow. Lunch."

Hermione laughed at his obvious discomfort, getting back to work.

Noon came sooner than expected and Hermione stood, sliding her jacket on.

"I'm going to lunch," She announced to Draco, who'd finally found something useful to do by double checking everything she had looked over.

"Have a nice time," Draco said absently, his full concentration appearing to be on the documents in front of him.

Hermione left the office apparating outside and walking down the street to a restaurant that she and Ginny had set as their official rendezvous spot. They had stumbled across it when they were out shopping one day and whenever they had plans to see each other it was an unspoken rule to meet there.

Hermione walked in and saw Ginny wave to her from a small booth in the back, Harry sitting next to her. She smiled and waved back, heading over. Ginny stood to greet her, hugging her as much as she could with her large belly between them.

"Ginny, you look like you're about to explode!" Hermione said.

"Eight whole months already," Ginny said, "Harry can't stand me anymore."

"That's not true," Harry said defensively, "I'd just rather stay out of your way. Don't need you throwing a fit and something happening to the baby."

"Throwing a fit will not do anything to be the baby, Harry."

Hermione watched them bicker and realized that she had not spoken to Harry since their disagreement on Draco Malfoy. She wondered if now would be a bad time to apologize for how she'd yelled at him but she didn't really want to do it in front of Ginny… since Ginny had an uncanny ability to drag herself into her business and overanalyze her choices. She'd rather not have her professional relationship with Draco analyzed. It would make all the improvement for naught. She'd find Harry later after lunch and apologize then. For now, in front of Ginny, she'd just say it never happened.

"How's work going then, you two?" Ginny asked, their argument finally over.

Hermione shrugged, sipping her water and looking over to Harry.

"Great. Raid's two weeks from now," Harry said, "Hermione, tell Ginny who you decided to bring along."

Hermione choked, almost spitting her water across the two of them. Way to throw me under the bus, Potter.

"Nobody," Hermione said, crying to stop her coughing, "Nobody of importance."

"Hermione."

"Really, Ginny, it doesn't matter," Hermione said, looking over at Harry and glaring. It was hard to distinguish his answering shrug as truly apologetic or sarcastically apologetic.

"Apparently it does since you haven't told me yet."

Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes and mumbling a fast and quiet Dracomalfoy... under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"What?!"

The entire restaurant went quiet with Ginny's exclamation. They turned toward the booth they were sitting in and Hermione felt her cheeks heat up.

"Ginny, you've attracted the attention of the entire restaurant," she mumbled, "did you have to react like that?"

"Draco Malfoy?!"

"Ginny, shut up!"

Ginny sat down, shooting Hermione a look of blatant disapproval.

"Why on earth would you decide to bring him on a mission that you could possibly die on?" Ginny asked, "I know you're bright, Hermione, but I think that's the dumbest thing you've ever done."

"He's not going to cause any trouble or do anything."

"But you don't know that. For all we know, he's in the ministry to destroy it from the inside out."

"You're acting just like Harry did. I really wish you'd take the time to find out who you're talking about. I spend every day with him in an office and, if he were really plotting to take down the ministry, don't you think I'd have found out by now?"

Hermione was getting tired of defending Draco. Of course she was angry about just about everyone judging Draco right off the bat but it was getting tiring arguing to prove them wrong. She hope desperately that he'd be able to do what she asked him to during the mission… that he'd be able to prove Harry, as well as everyone else, wrong.

Harry, Ginny and Hermione dropped the subject after that, opting for more pleasant conversation for their lunch date. No doubt this subject would come up at a later time but Hermione didn't want to talk about it now and was grateful that her two friends stopped talking about it. Instead of arguing over Draco, they had a pleasant lunch and, by the end of it, the matter of Draco Malfoy was forgotten.

"How's Ron?" Ginny seemed hesitant to ask. None of the Weasley family had even seen Ron since his drinking problem started.

"He's… the same. As usual," Hermione said. Suddenly, the mood changed and Hermione didn't like it. She hated when people asked this because it meant she had to lie. She had to lie that he was doing 'okay' or that he was getting better little by little when that was the exact opposite of what was happening.

"Hermione, you don't have to stay with him. If it's a problem, you aren't obligated to fix it," Harry said. He knew how hard it was for Hermione to let go. They've been best friends since first year and she and Ron had dated since the end of school. But if he was telling her to let go… would that mean he just didn't care as much as Hermione did?

"No, really. He's getting better. Little by little. We just need time."

"Hermione…"

"No. It's great. Everything's fine. The only way to go from this point is up."

She hated lying to them… especially when they were the ones who knew her best. But she had practiced that lie so many times she even seemed to convince herself that things were okay for a bit.

Hermione checked her watch, surprised how much time had gone by, and stood. She told Ginny they'd have to meet up again sometime, kissing her on the cheek as she said goodbye. She waved at them as they left the restaurant and Hermione picked something up for Draco, thinking it was the least she could do since she had to decline his offer to take her to lunch today.

On her way back to work, she couldn't help but think over why Ginny had even brought Ron up. He was her brother, yes, but she had also begun to get fed up with his drinking habit and rude and violent tendencies when intoxicated. Then her mind drifted to what she would think about her defense of Draco.

They've obviously been spending a lot of time together… what if she's starting to like him? Like… like him, like him. More than a partner, more than a coworker, more than a friend?

She shook the thought from her head as she continued to make her way to work. She needed to stop getting so distracted by little things like this or else she'd never get work done and she'd end up staying too late. She apparated back to the office and dropped a brown paper bag on Draco's desk.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Chicken sandwich. It's good," Hermione said.

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her.

She smiled back, suddenly taken by surprise at just how charming his smile was. She shook her head before sitting back down and getting to work.

Get those thoughts out of your head, Hermione, she thought to herself, The faster you get this work dne the earlier you'll get home tonight… maybe he won't be as angry tonight.


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