The alarm goes off and she reaches over to shut it off. It doesn't even feel like she slept. The long nights at the office are starting to overwhelm her, but still she refuses help. Get an assistant, they say. Her work is all she has. She likes to keep busy. It distracts her from her loneliness. It distracts her from the pain.

Five years after the war, Hermione Granger is the Head of the Department of Magical Creatures, single, and living alone in the home she grew up in. Her parents are living in Australia with different names and no knowledge of her existence. Harry and Ginny have been married for two years and just gave birth to their first child, James Sirius.

Ron is married to Padma Patel now. They're living in a modest cottage in Otterly St. Catchpole, two miles from the Burrow. He broke things off with Hermione due to her being a "workaholic" three years ago. She just recently started talking to him again.

So, she gets up and begins her routine. Waking up at 5:30am, she puts on her trackies and trainers then goes for a run around her Muggle neighborhood of St. Albans Hertfordshire. After, she showers then dresses for her work day and spackles some butter on her whole-grain toast and eats as she finishes some paperwork. She's always one of the first to arrive in The Ministry. By 8:00am, she's already in her office getting notes ready for the morning meeting at 9:30am. It's tedious but it's structured, controlled.

That morning though, something was different. She was the first in the department, but not for long because 15 minutes after her arrival, a well put together woman arrived. A woman she'd only seen in The Daily Prophet or Witch Weekly since her son and husband's trial after the war. "Good morning, Miss Granger. I don't believe we have properly met. Narcissa Malfoy." The witch put her perfectly manicured hand out for Hermione to shake, so she did.

"Mrs. Malfoy, for what do I owe the honor?" She said it softly as not to offend or come off as snooty. Hermione motioned for the woman to have a seat.

"Thank you, and please call me Narcissa. I wanted to speak to you about my son, Draco. He's attempted several times to apply for the potioneer position in your department, but has received not even an offer to interview. I don't mean to overstep, and he has no idea that I have come, but it is hard to see your child upset." The woman sighed then wrung her hands together. Hermione noticed the tremors in the witch's hand. The Cruciatus. Hermione's did the same.

"I will get him the interview. Owl me his application and credentials directly. I will also find out who is blocking his paperwork. I do not tolerate bigotry. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mrs. Mal-um, I mean Narcissa." She stood and walked the woman out. As they left the office, Narcissa pulled Hermione into a hug.

"You truly are as wonderful as he says." With that, she cupped Hermione's cheek and smiled softly at her before leaving a dumbstruck Hermione Granger behind.

"Did you see her?" Narcissa came into the dining room to sit for breakfast with her husband. Lucius was anxiously awaiting his wife's return.

She kissed his cheek then removed her traveling cloak. "Mipsy!" Her house elf popped in and took the cloak from her Mistress's hand then popped back out. Narcissa sat across from her husband. "Yes, dear, I did. She's lovely. She'll do quite nicely for our Dragon. We need to Owl her Draco's paperwork directly. She is just so well-spoken and so beautiful. How is it that she is still single?"

Lucius smirked, "Apparently, she works too much for most men's liking. Theo has asked her out to dinner on numerous occasions and has been unsuccessful." He chortled at the memory of overhearing the Nott heir at the last Charity Ball complaining about the Muggleborn best friend of Harry Potter.

"Well, once Draco begins working with her, she will have to see how amazing he is. Remember the crush he had on her First Year at Hogwarts. My goodness, he never shut up about her." She hid behind her smile and began to giggle.

"Ah, yes. That was until I unfairly berated him for being bested by her. You said he wrote about her going to the Yule Ball with the Bulgarian Seeker as well?" The Malfoy's continued discussing their hopes for their son's happiness over breakfast.

Meanwhile, said son was just waking up to start his day. "Pip?" *pop*

"Yes, young Master? Pip is come. Pip is to help?" Pip had been Draco's elf since he turned six years old. Draco had hidden him during Voldemort and the Death Eaters seige on the Malfoy Manor.

"Good morning, Pip. Has any post arrived for me?" Pip shook his oversized head No then excused himself. Draco decided to get dressed and gather up his courage to confront Granger head on. "Thinks she can just ignore my application, does she? Well, third times the charm, I guess."

A)N: Another Dramione because I just love the pairing. It's such fun ti write! Feed me with reviews!