Hermione was staring blankly at her new desk. She had been promoted to the Department for the Welfare of Magical Creatures. Apparently a place for S.P.E.W. had been found. Not only would she work on House Elf rights, but the rights of werewolves and centaurs and any other creature human witches and wizards considered beneath them.

Mindy, the girl who had her old secretary job brought in the last of the paperwork Hermione needed to fill out. Hermione's blank expression didn't change. She barely blinked when her promotion was announced. She signed the papers without looking, but Mindy didn't take them away. Instead, she walked over and closed the door. Hermione finally broke out of her near paralytic state and blinked several times.

"Can I help you Mindy?" Hermione asked in a polite, if distant tone.

"I think you are the one who needs help. Now don't give me that offended look. I've been in enough messed up relationships to know you've got guy problems."

Hermione was stunned, and her shock increased when Mindy took a seat, looked pointedly at her, and demanded, "Spill."

Even more shocking to Hermione was the fact that she did spill. Not with any names though. She used Man A (Draco) and Man B (Harry). Apart from that, for the next few days, Mindy heard everything.

"So then I slept with Man B even though I think I was thinking about Man A. But I'm not really sure if I want Man A either. I know I shouldn't be with either. And I feel really bad about hurting Man B, because he is…was my friend. I don't even know if we are friends anymore. And I thought Man A despised me, but then he told me he cared for me, but I don't think Man A cares for anyone other than himself, but I don't know what kind of ulterior motive he could have." Hermione paused and took a deep breath. Mindy looked thoughtful.

"Well, you definitely got yourself into a bit of a mess."

"Thank you Mindy for giving the understatement of the year. It's been such a help."

"Well, you said you aren't sure if you want, Man A was it? Well, I think you need to figure that out."

There was a knock at the door. "Come in" Hermione called and Harry walked through the door.

"We need to talk. Can you spare a few minutes?" Hermione nodded, not trusting her voice to speak.

"We'll finish this later," Mindy warned on her way out.

"I need your help." Harry wouldn't look at Hermione. His gaze swept her new office, never resting for too long on a particular place; just never at her.

"What's the problem?"

"It's Draco. He was telling us everything we needed to know. But when we went to get more information, he wouldn't say anything. Not even an insult." It was so strange to hear Harry call Draco by his name rather than Malfoy.

"What do you want me to do?" She couldn't see Draco, she couldn't.

"I need you to talk to him. To use your Empathy to get him to talk. If he doesn't tell us, we can't help him, and he will die." Cold seeped into Hermione's bones, chills went down her spine, and fear enveloped her. She could only nod in response.

Draco couldn't believe it, couldn't believe her. First she's just toying with him, and now she has to rub it in his face? They walked in together! Harry and Hermione. Well if it isn't the bloody fucking perfect couple.

And to make matters worse, she kept blathering on about how they only wanted to help him. He didn't believe them. Why would they want to help him? Why would she? After all, she was only playing a game. That's what she said.

He didn't speak to them. He didn't even look at them, especially not her.

Hermione was getting exasperated. She could tell Draco wasn't even listening to her. She couldn't understand why one minute he would be open and helpful, and the next unwilling to do anything at all. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Harry, I need to speak with you." He nodded, exasperation showing on his face. Neither saw the pained look that crossed Draco's face, but Hermione felt it. She turned back to look at him, but she could decipher nothing from his back.

Hermione and Harry went back to Hermione's office.

"Harry, I don't know what you want me to do. I don't know how I'm helping. I can feel that he's hurt and upset, but that's all. I don't know what to do."

"I don't know either Hermione. But we have to figure out what's going on. Because if we don't, a lot of people are going to die, and you'll be one of them."

"I know. Look, why don't I try to speak with him alone, see what I can do. If he doesn't give me anything, I'll take what we do know and start researching." She was looking at Harry the whole time. He never once looked at her. "And Harry…" he finally looked at her, "we need to talk as well."

He stared at her for a few seconds. "Hermione," he paused, "if anything should come up, you would tell me right?"

"Harry, what are you talking about?"

"Er, nothing."

"No, you're concerned. What's the matter?"

"I'm not concerned. Nothings wrong. Just forget I said anything."

"Harry, I know you're worried. Now just tell me what's going on."

"I'm worried you might be pregnant because we didn't use any protection!" He said in a hurried rush. Silence followed his pronouncement. Hermione went through shock that he felt that way, and then, surprisingly, amusement. She began to giggle, and then laugh. Harry turned red with embarrassment.

"I'm so glad you find this funny." He was indignant.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry. It's just…I am a very good witch. You don't really think I had no idea how to perform a simple contraceptive charm?" Her laughter was dying down, but mirth still bubbled beneath the surface.

"When did you do that?" He was now incredulous.

"Harry, did you forget a little thing called wandless magic? How long has this been bothering you?"

Harry didn't answer her question. Instead he had one of his own. "Why do you know a contraceptive charm?"

Hermione's laughter stopped abruptly. She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she answered, "You didn't think you were my first, did you?" Again, he didn't answer her question. He just looked away.

"I think you should try and get information from Draco now." Hermione felt anger building inside her, but instead of trying to hide it under a stoic's mask, she let it all out. She showed emotion, real, raw emotion for the first time in weeks. He was upset that she wasn't a virgin for him.

"How dare you." Harry turned back to her at the quiet menace in her voice. He recoiled slightly at the rage burning in her eyes. "I can sleep with whomever I want, whenever I want. You have no say in the matter. And I can have a one night stand mistake. I'm allowed to make a mistake!" She was shouting at this point. "People make mistakes, so why can't you understand that what happened between us shouldn't have?" She stopped shouting, and was now breathing heavily. It felt good to let her emotions out, but she regretted it instantly. What if they now thought she was unstable and couldn't fight? That was the reason she decided not to feel anything in the first place.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. Hermione felt his pain. It was sharp and intense.

"Me too," she whispered back, sincerely. Harry hesitantly went up and put his arms around her. Hermione had every intention of giving him a brief squeeze before going to talk to Draco, but she didn't. Instead she held on to him. He wrapped his fingers in her hair. Hermione knew she should stop now, but…she didn't want to. Harry was one of her best friends, and she didn't want to hurt him. Finally, she pulled back.

"We'll talk more later, okay? Right now, we have a job to do. I'll see what I can do with Draco." Harry nodded his response. Hermione let go of him and left her office. Mindy was sitting outside, and gave Hermione a bit of a smirk. Hermione gave her a confused look, but the smirk was forgotten as she made her way back to Draco.

Draco was fuming now. They had been gone for a long time. Probably needed a snogging session, he thought bitterly. The door handle turned, and Hermione entered the room, alone. He eyed her critically, trying to decipher in anything had gone on other than talking. He couldn't tell. She looked composed, but Hermione had a very icy exterior. It would be difficult to tell. He tried to think of how she looked after they had been together. And then he regretted his thoughts as memories began to flood his mind. Memories of Hermione with flushed cheeks and swollen lips, the feel of her body against his.

He wanted her, and he was angry with her for being with Harry. She didn't speak for a long time. Instead she sat across the table from him. And just looked at him. He looked right back in her eyes, and tried to get some control of his thoughts. She was an empath. Did she know what he was feeling? He shifted uncomfortably at the thought, but did not look away.

And then he began to talk. He wasn't going to. He didn't want to help them. And so what if he died? Or so he thought. But when she was sitting this close to him, he knew he wanted to live. If only to ruin her relationship with Harry. What does she see in Wonder boy anyway? He told her all he could remember. And then he let his head fall on the table, not caring that his forehead would get red.

He heard Hermione's chair scrape against the floor, but to his surprise she wasn't leaving. Instead she walked around the table and sat in the chair next to him.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was timid, shy. He rolled his head to the side so he could look at her. And her eyes had so much expression of them. Never had she been so open with him through her eyes. He could see right into her. He never noticed how closed off she had been until now. He slowly raised his head, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I'm fine. I think."

"Draco," she began, but Draco didn't give her time to say anything. Instead he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. He thought she would pull away or turn her head. He did not expect her to press him back into his chair. He had forgotten how wonderful it felt to taste her. He slid his hand under her shirt, her ill-fitting drab shirt, and marveled that she didn't protest. Instead, she moved her mouth to his neck, sucking on his pulse point. He stifled a moan.

"No one can hear us," she whispered into his ear before nibbling on the lobe. They broke apart instantly when they heard a knock on the door.

A/N: Ahhh, it's been over a month since my last update! I'm so sorry. I must say thank you to all who have reviewed thus far, and everyone who has put this little story on favorites or alerts. I really do appreciate all of you!!!!!!! (Even if I am too lazy to thank everyone individually:)