Chapter 9

"Potter, hi," Draco said, surprised to find Harry Potter waiting at his desk. "Hermione's in a meeting right now."

The Boy Who Lived nodded. "I know," he replied. "I actually was hoping to talk to you."

Worried though he was, Draco got to his feet. "Is the conference room okay, or should I be worried for my safety?" he asked.

Harry chuckled. "No, I promise, no hexing," he said. Draco led him to the nearest empty room and shut the door. He made himself comfortable while watching his former enemy squirm.

"So, what's this about?" Draco wondered as the uncomfortable seconds ticked by.

"Hermione," Harry replied. "I wanted to apologize to her about telling Ginny, who in turn told the rest of her family, but Hermione won't talk to me. I thought maybe I could convince you to pass on the message for me. Just let her know that I'm really sorry."

Draco scowled. "Perhaps if you'd kept your mouth shut, you wouldn't need to beg me to talk my wife into forgiving you," he stated, knowing he now had the upper hand. "Hell, I wouldn't forgive you for this if I were her. She trusted you to keep this a secret."

Though his cheeks reddened, Harry said nothing in retaliation. "You're right," was his only reply. "Look, just tell her I'm sorry and I'm hoping she'll talk to me soon."

Harry got to his feet, ready to leave, when Draco stopped him. "We're going to the Leaky tonight," he shared. "It's our usual Friday night tradition. You weren't exactly part of my plan to commemorate our one week anniversary, but she's usually nice when she's had a few."

"You really think it's a good idea that I crash your date?" Harry asked.

Draco shrugged. "It's a public place, often frequented by wizards young and old," he replied casually. "Who's to say you didn't just happen to bump into us there?"

"Could work," Harry agreed. "Think she'd believe it?"

"She was drunk enough to marry me," Draco replied with a laugh. "I think, with the proper amount of libations, she'd be willing to hear you out."

"Hope you're right," Harry muttered.

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Hermione sat down at the bar beside Draco who was already two drinks in. "Hey," he greeted her, leaning in for a kiss.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pulling back.

Blond brows furrowed as Draco signalled the bartender. "Kissing my-" he started before she clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Do. Not," she said seriously. Shaking her head, she dismounted the stool and began to walk away.

He placed a few galleons on the bar, not caring that it was more than he owed, and followed her outside. She was seated on a bench across from the pub, and didn't seem to object when Draco sat down beside her. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I forgot we're still a secret."

Sighing, Hermione rested her elbows on her thighs and leaned forward. "Don't be," she said softly. "There, um, there was a meeting this afternoon. My boss and his boss and the Board of Directors have spent the week apparently debating the pros and cons of us working together. Will you get special treatment? How distracted will we be having the other one there? What to do about the publicity we've caused. That sort of thing."

"But I don't report to you," Draco pointed out.

"I know," she agreed. "That's what I told them when I met with them. That we hardly interact at work."

His nails ran a soothing pattern down her back. "So, you didn't deny that we're together?" he asked.

Turning to face him, she smiled briefly. "No, I didn't," she replied. "I told them we're together. I didn't mention any more than that though."

Draco basked in the joy he felt from hearing her confession, but it was short-lived feeling. "I can't imagine they took that well," he said. "I remember my first day, being told that relationships with department colleagues was greatly frowned upon."

Hermione nodded. "They are," she confirmed. "People have been fired for it in the past."

Draco's eyes widened. "Were we...sacked?" he asked, afraid of her answer.

She sat up straight and shook her head. "No, but-"

"Hermione? Fancy seeing you here," Harry greeted her, smiling as he approached the couple. "I just got off work and thought I'd grab a drink before going home. Merlin, this has been a long week, hasn't it?"

She frowned as he sat down beside her. "You're doing that thing again where you talk fast because you're hiding the fact that this isn't some random coincidence that you're here," she stated. "Did Draco tell you where we'd be tonight?"

Behind her, Draco shook his head, but Harry nodded. "Yeah, he did," he admitted. "But you wouldn't talk to me, and I wanted to apologize. But you wouldn't listen to me, so I sort of asked Malfoy for help. It was his idea to meet you here. Why are we out here?"

Draco glared at him. "We were discussing something personal," he stated.

Harry blushed. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, getting to his feet. "Can we talk though? I'll wait inside for you."

Hermione nodded and waited for him to leave. "Playing mediator now?" she inquired, one eyebrow quirked.

He shrugged. "He begged. It was pathetic," he replied. "Besides, he's your friend. He told his girlfriend, not Rita Skeeter. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible to forgive him."

With a shrug, she got to her feet, intent on entering the pub. "You might be right."

Getting to his feet, he grabbed her hand to still her. "Wait, what you were saying before we were interrupted," he said. "What's going on?"

Hermione sighed. "You're being transferred," she told him. "I don't know to which department though. They don't even know yet."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Draco nodded. "Well, better than losing my job," he decided.

"So, then you're okay with this?" she asked.

With a shrug, he replied, "Sure, why wouldn't I be? I still have a job, I'll still get to spend time with you. Working in a different office isn't that big a deal."

Smiling, she wrapped her free arm around his neck and kissed him. "Well, that's a load off my mind," she replied.

As they entered the pub, Draco led her to the bar with a smile on his lips. "You realize you just kissed me," he said. "In public."

"So? I like you," she replied as he ordered them drinks. "And I like kissing you. I'm okay with people knowing about that."

"Yeah?" he asked, leaning forward to kiss her once more. "Good to know."

Behind them, Harry cleared his throat. "Don't make me sit between the two of you," he warned.

The couple pulled apart, and Hermione turned to face Harry, who took a seat on her other side. "I'm sorry I stopped talking to you," she told him. "I sort of got...that way again after seeing Ron. I'm okay now though."

"Still friends then?" Harry asked. Nodding, Hermione pressed a kiss to his cheek. Looking past her to Draco, he held out his hand. "What do you say, Malfoy? Think we can be friends too?"

Draco accepted the handshake. "Yeah, Potter, I think we can be."