Draco was nervous about facing Granger. Theo's confrontation the previous day had really rattled him, and he kept replaying his moment with her in the portrait room over and over again. She had a meeting at the Ministry that morning, so he wouldn't see her until after lunch, which gave him more time to stress. He didn't know how to act around her - did he lay on the charm? Up the sarcasm? Did he acknowledge the almost kiss or act like nothing happened? How would she be? Would she say something Granger-like and annoying? Would she -

"Good morning, Draco," Ursula interrupted his thoughts. She handed him a cup of coffee and sat down at the chair in front of his desk. "I had a great time the other night. Malfoy Manor sure lived up to its reputation."

"Thanks. Mother will be pleased to hear it."

"I was hoping you would save me a dance," Ursula pouted. "I wanted a chance to see those Seeker reflexes up close."

"Me too," said Sarah, joining their conversation and trailed by Louella Parsons. "I didn't see you dance with anyone but Robin and Hermione. Bit unfair, really, Draco. What am I supposed to tell all my girlfriends back in the States? I said I worked with the hottest wizards in England. How will it look when I have to tell them you wouldn't even dance with me?"

Where were you two six months ago? Draco grumbled to himself. Now he had girls lining up for him?

"Well, ladies, I won't make the same mistake next time," he winked at them, affecting a smarmy smile. "Besides, didn't you both have dates?"

"Of course we did," Ursula said, as if to suggest otherwise was lunacy. "But that doesn't mean you couldn't dance with us. Next time, definitely."

"Draco, do you have the report from the Goblin Liaison office?" asked Sarah, switching back to business. "I need to owl it over with the rest of them this afternoon."

"It's all ready to go, Sarah," Draco said.

"Perfect," she replied. "I can't believe how much we've gotten accomplished in the last month. It seems like I just started yesterday, but time is really flying."

"I guarantee you that as soon as nine o'clock hits, we're going to be bombarded," said Veronica, who had just joined them. "People were really impressed Saturday night and they're going to want to get involved. Draco, this owl just came for you."

Malfoy--

Robin and I are going to be out two weeks. Sorry for the short notice but I'll send all the details later. You're in charge.

Hermione

Hermione, huh? I guess she wouldn't very well call herself Granger. Still...

Draco knew he should be thrilled that she had actually left him in charge, officially admitting that he was competent and trustworthy. But really - two weeks? Wasn't that taking avoidance a bit too far?

And how could she leave the Monday after spew's most important night? Veronica was right - they were going to be slammed. It wasn't like her or Robin to leave so suddenly. It must be extremely important, which also irritated him, because she should have told him up front what was happening. He knew he would have to be near-perfect while she was gone or she'd chew him out upon her return. He found himself wanting very much to impress her.

"Alright, minions, slight change of plans," he announced. "Boss Lady and General Westinghouse have taken a powder and they put me in charge. The reign of Malfoy the Magnificent is upon us."

At that moment, Felix, Simon, Cassio, Briony and Ginger entered the room; their eager grins were all the encouragement he needed. Emboldened, he addressed Elliot, who trailed behind them with his sister and Rupert. "Ellie, you and Jasmine have a clear schedule today, don't you?"

"Pip pip, guv'nuh!" he said in assent.

"Great, then I want you two to help Briony today. She's going to be really busy answering owls and floos. I know it's desk work but it's good practice for you; just be sure to leave the goofy accent behind. The rest of you stick to your schedules. I'd really appreciate it if we could order in for lunch and work over this evening. I know it's Monday and we're all still recovering from Saturday's match and party, but if we don't want Granger and Robin crawling up our asses when they get back we need to put on a good show. Ariadne, Flora, nice of you to join us."

"Spare me, Draco, it's not nine o'clock yet," Ariadne pointed out. "Melody's not here and neither is Hugh."

"Hugh and Melody are at the Ministry," said Draco. "Do you think I don't know where everyone is supposed to be? Did you know Robin was going to be out?"

"No, and neither did you, so who knows what?" Ariadne challenged him. Her date with Oliver Wood had gone far too well for her to be bullied that morning. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Draco; he finally caved and gave her a grin.

"Alright, you have me there. You and Ginger make sure you answer all the owls and floos related to the funds from the ball, alright? You can borrow Cassio or Louella if you really need them, but I think you can handle it."

"We can handle anything," said Ginger, whose own date had also been spectacular. She couldn't wait to fill Ariadne in on the details of one Viktor Krum.

"Well, aces," said Draco. "And remember, today you address me as Malfoy the Magnificent or Draco the Great. Either will do."

X X X X

Hermione stared at the sleeping figure before her. A smile was playing around the corners of her mouth, and though she was exhausted she found she couldn't simply leave a note like she had planned. She and Robin had been invited to a conference in America that could lend great support and assistance to her werewolf plans; they had needed to leave immediately, leaving no time for preparation. Although she had been slightly uneasy about leaving Malfoy in charge (more a symptom of her own issues with him than any concern about his competency), Robin had convinced her it would be fine; after the confusing events at Malfoy Manor Hermione had not exactly been unhappy to get away from him for awhile.

The trip had been wonderful. They had learned new information that would greatly improve the chances of their success, including a way to mass-produce the heretofore tricky Wolfsbane Potion. Hermione was sure that by the end of the month, her initiatives would not only pass, but be popular as well.

Upon their return to England that night, Hermione had decided to stop into the office before going home. She had not spoken directly to Malfoy since Saturday night, and their owl correspondences had been brief. She knew from Ginger and Veronica that everything was running smoothly, but still wanted to make sure he hadn't turned her office into a brothel or pig sty in her absence.

The sight of the man himself sleeping at his desk was definitely a surprise. How many times had she fallen asleep like that after a particularly stressful week? It was one o'clock in the morning on Saturday, and parchment, quills and empty mugs were strewn over Malfoy's desk. Hermione had to admit that he looked sort of nice asleep - all of the smirkiness seemed to have melted out of his face, leaving him looking young and rather soft, not at all like her sparring partner. She almost loathed to wake him, but the more she stood there watching him, the more uncomfortable she became.

"Malfoy," she whispered. Nothing. She tried a little louder, "Hey, Malfoy!"

"Granger?" he asked sleepily, raising his head and automatically wiping his mouth in case of drool. "Am I dreaming?"

"That's a nice word," she said wryly. "If I'm involved, aren't they usually nightmares?"

"Not always," he said, his defenses weakened by exhaustion. "Sometimes you're wearing those pretty -" But at this he came completely awake. "What time is it?"

"One," she answered, her face hot. It's normal to have dreams about people, even if you don't like them. You had that one - She told herself to shut up. "Why are you working so late?"

"You've gotten my owls, right? We've been really busy. Why are you here? Why didn't you go straight home when you got in?" He studied her shrewdly. "You wanted to make sure I didn't muck things up while you were gone, didn't you?"

"Well, considering your track record..."

"My track record at spew has been spotless, and you know it," he said, hurt despite himself. "I may live to torment you, but I'm also really good at this job."

"You're right, and I'm sorry. Old habits die hard, okay? I wouldn't have left you in charge if I didn't think you were capable."

"That's bull," Draco said, still irritated. "We both know the General probably made you do it. Have Ginger and Ariadne been reporting back to you?"

"No, Malfoy," she lied with a straight face. It was Ginger and Veronica. "Look, do you want to hear about my week or not?"

"I do, actually," he replied. He realized suddenly that he was way too happy to see her; man, she made his head spin. One minute he was angry and the next he was sitting as eagerly as a puppy. "Why don't I get us some tea, then you can regale me."

"I'll get it." Hermione busied herself readying a little tea tray, trying to shake the image of the sleeping Malfoy out of her head. He had really looked almost cute.

"Thanks," he said when she handed him a steaming mug. "Hey, can I ask you an honest question? Without you taking the piss?"

"I guess."

"Does this rose tea make me seem girly? My dad always thought it did, and now Ellie, Rupert and Hugh are giving me a hard time, too. But it's always been my favorite."

Hermione giggled at the question. "I like it, too, Malfoy. And any man that uses as much product in his hair as Elliot Blackwell shouldn't be calling other men 'girly.' For that matter, I've seen Rupert listening to Celestina Warbeck and your father wearing his hair longer than mine. I think you're safe. Mind you, you spend more time on your looks than the average woman, too, but those guys shouldn't have anything to say to you."

He laughed at her answer. "I look this good naturally, Granger, but it's gratifying to know you think I look so handsome it takes me hours. On second thought, maybe I should be insulted."

"I think our best bet is just to take instant offense to whatever the other says," Hermione teased. "That's worked out so well for us in the past." Although she had been completely drained when she arrived, she found herself feeling energized by her banter with Malfoy. Maybe arguing with him all the time was keeping her sharp. "Anyway, Robin and I had a great week. You didn't tell anyone what we were there for, did you?"

"No, I keep your canine secrets. Minister Shacklebolt sent you, didn't he?"

"He did. He had heard of the conference from the American wizarding leader, President Rosenberg, and he knew a little bit about my plans. They asked me to present my tentative measures while we were there. It was very exciting. A lot of them knew Sarah, too; I let her in on the plans because I knew she would have contacts over there. They've come up with a way to make Wolfsbane Potion easy to brew and thus more widely available. The main concern has always been safety. The potion has also been improved, so that if a werewolf who takes the potion bites someone, that person won't become infected themselves."

"That's amazing."

"I know," Hermione beamed. "I was hoping that people would understand that werewolves deserve the same rights as other people. I know this potion sort of does the job for me; I mean, there's no real danger from them anymore. Hopefully the root of my cause will still be apparent. The reason that so many werewolves were willing to follow Greyback is that they were oppressed. Most of them honestly don't want to hurt people. Now there's little risk."

"There are still going to be detractors, Granger. You can't hold out for universal appeal."

"Well, the supporters are going to outweigh, I think," Hermione said. "Especially with all the goodwill we've gotten lately. Did you know that I've had more support from pureblood families since you started here?"

"You never told me that!" Draco exclaimed. "I thought everyone hated me and my family."

"No, now they can just be open about their allegiance again," Hermione guessed. "You know it pains me to say this, Malfoy, but I'm actually sort of glad you're here."

Draco studied her for a long moment without speaking. While she had been gone, he had missed her more than he cared to think about. True, she didn't look as pretty as she had that night at the Manor. But her cheeks were flushed from the hot tea and her crazy hair had begun to appeal to him more and more. What Theo had said was true - she was all he thought about, regardless of whether the thoughts were mean-spirited or not. He wanted her approval, he had discovered; spew was important to him, and so was her good opinion. His changing feelings over the last few months had been subtle at first, at least to him. Theo, master of observation, had of course known all along. The question was: what was he going to do about it? She still drove him crazy, and worse, she still hated him, or at the very best, disliked him.

"So am I," he finally said. They sat in silence after that, sipping their tea and exchanging sidelong glances at one other. Though neither voiced it, something changed during that time. Hermione felt maybe, finally, after everything that had happened between them over the last thirteen years, they might be working their way towards friendship. For Draco, he knew it was more.