She changed into her favourite pair of muggle jeans and a black t-shirt with the name of a muggle band in thick white writing. She slipped on a simple pair of white trainers and headed down the small hidden stairway to the bar.

The place wasn't packed, but there were more occupied tables than there were empty ones and Hermione was happy for her friend and landlord that had managed to turn this place around and what's more, make it profitable.

There had been many times where Lathinia, Ginny and herself sat in the empty bar listening to the bar keep complain about her uncle, the one who had left her this bar in his will. Lathinia had been adamant that the old loon had done it to spite her for falling in love with a muggle and having his child. Her uncle had been a well known blood puritan with a failing bar that procured more debt than it did revenue, and he had left it to her in punishment.

Lathinia was stubborn and instead of selling the bar she'd decided to turn the burden into an opportunity and hopefully have her uncle turning over in his grave.

Hermione and Ginny had brainstormed a few ideas with her and an easy friendship had blossomed between the three.

The witch in question looked stressed when she turned around to face Hermione.

"I've had to leave Henry alone at the flat!" She wailed with a demented desperation in her eyes. "I've got to go! Hopefully I can find someone within the hour to cover! Thank you again, 'Mione. I truly love you."

With that, Lathinia had Apparated away.

Hermione got to work behind the bar where several impatient patrons were waving their hands in the air or shouting to her. Hermione started on the far left and worked her way down the bar.

When she got to the end she was surprised to find two pairs of very curious eyes trained on her. Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy were sitting at the bar with matching looks of incredulity.

Hermione was temporarily stunned by their seemingly sudden appearance and she quickly schooled her features to mimic a look she had seen on Malfoy's face for the better part of seven years - indifference.

She tossed the rag she'd been using to clean up the minor spills on the bar over her shoulder and put a hand on her hip.

"What can I get you?"

Theodore laughed, surprisingly loud and boisterous.

"An explanation for starters, Granger."

Theo's eyes were filled with a sparkle of amusement where as Malfoy was looking at a fixed point just over Hermione's left shoulder.

"It's a bar, Nott." She shrugged, feigning ignorance. "The process is pretty self explanatory. You order, I pour, you drink, I collect payment - and then, hopefully sooner rather than later, you leave."

He barked out another piercing laugh and even Malfoy had a hint of his trademark smirk.

"Your finest lager, if you would."

"Finest?" Hermione snorted. "You obviously haven't been here before and it shows."

Hermione busied herself pouring two pints and set them down before the two wizards, slamming the glasses a little harder than necessary when a commotion from the direction of the lavatory caught her attention.

Phellius was banging on the occupied door with a fervour she hadn't seen him display since she'd known him. Nott and Malfoy turned around in their rickety stools to assess the commotion.

"Common!" He slurred, pounding on the door. "Lemme in!"

"Phellius!" Hermione called, putting on her primmest face and glaring pointedly at the vagrant. "You will do well to wait your turn like a proper gentlemen or you might just find yourself being removed from this bar - arse first."

Phellius blanched slightly at the prospect of having to find somewhere else to administer his fix.

"But Ms. Granger - theys isn't evens doing their business." Phellius whined like a small boy being scolded, fixing his pitiful yellow tinted eyes at her. "Theys is snogging, Ms. Granger."

The whites of the eyes of Snake Dust users always made her inwardly cringe.

"That may be, Phellius - but I'll not ask again for you to behave like the gentlemen I know you are."

The drunkard perked up at being addressed as a gentlemen, just like he always did when Hermione had to scold him and he seemed to calm slightly while he waited for the bathroom.

Hermione returned her attention to the bar where Nott was nearly hanging over the edge in an attempt to flag her down. She sighed and stopped expectantly in front of them.

"I'll take it that's a regular occurrence?" Nott jerked his head towards the bathrooms.

"Phellius is our resident Snake Duster." She used a popular colloquialism to reference a Snake Dust user and Theo Nott's eye brightened as he righted his posture. "Harmless, really. Bit of a firm hand is all."

But Theo wasn't listening.

"If you'll excuse me Draco, Granger." He didn't look at either person he addressed as a slow smile spread over his handsome face. "I do believe I have a new friend to make."

Hermione shook her head as Theo sauntered over to Phellius who flinched violently when Nott thrust his hand forward to shake. There was a dull prickle over the right side of her neck, the tell tale sign that someone was watching her. Her gaze flicked to Malfoy who was appraising her with the kind of intensity that sent a shiver of warning right down her spine.

"What are you doing here, Granger?"

She put a hand on her hip and raised one brow in question.

"I'd have thought that was obvious, Malfoy."

"The Ministry's Head Librarian is moonlighting as a bar keep." He offered in the same condescending tone. "That's what is obvious in this case."

Someone from down at the other end of the bar called her name and she wordlessly filled a pint with a dark lager and sent it flying down the surface of the bar into Ted McAvery's waiting hand. He winked at her in thanks but only Malfoy saw the exchange because Hermione was still watching the silver haired man and debating what answer she was going to give him.

"I'm helping out a friend." Is what she decided on.

"Not the first time either, if observation is to be trusted."

"If it is, then I might observe that I have never seen you here and could be justly wondering why you've decided to grace us with your presence."

He smirked. An attractive pull at the corner of his mouth that suggested he had a secret and knowing Malfoy the way she did, probably more than one.

"I haven't been here since my sixth year." He was watching her reaction to his statement closely. "I see that the patronage is considerably more swotty than I remember."

"New management."

"You?"

"No, as I've said, I helping my friend who owns it."

"As you said." He smiled into the dregs of his pint.

She narrowed her eyes at him. Did he not believe her? Did he think that she was low on income?

She opened her mouth, to say what, she didn't know but Theo chose that moment to return to the bar with a pleased smile and a hand on the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

"Fruitful efforts, Nott?" She questioned, without caring for the answer.

"Indeed, Granger. Kind of you to ask." He took a heavy sip of his lager and pulled a cigarette from his pack, lighting it with the tip of his wand. Theo was a handsome wizard with his chocolate brown hair that seemed to be perfectly styled and warm green eyes that sparkled more with mischief than with malice.

"Care to partake in the festivities?" He asked around a puff of smoke. She swatted it away from her face with the bar rag and scowled.

"No."

"More for us, eh Draco?" He patted the blonde on the shoulder and slammed his hand on the bar with excitement.

"You'll have to partake in your illicit drug use without me, Nott." Malfoy drawled. "As usual, I don't care for your witless plan to sample every mind altering substance you can get your plebeian hands on."

Theo mocked offence with a hand on his forehead as he slumped over in his stool dramatically.

"Plebeian? Draco, you wound me." When he lifted his head back up he was smiling and putting his cigarette back to his lips. "I'm the furthest thing from a plebeian."

"A little closer once that rubbish goes up your nose."

"How else am I supposed to forget that the world still hates us and that there is nothing good left in this world?" His gaze flicked to Hermione who was watching the interaction with barely contained amusement. "Besides you, Granger. Of course. One of the best things I've never had."

Hermione stifled a laugh.

"You'll really begrudge your best friend for a wanting a few mindless minutes of bliss?" His lower lip jutted out in a pathetic attempt at a pout after his eyes settled on Malfoy again.

"I'll need another drink if I'm going to have to drag your carcass back to Nott Manor tonight." Malfoy lamented, shaking his head and letting a few soft silver strands fall into his eyes. The sight was jarring and he caught Hermione starring.

She felt her cheeks darken under his curious gaze and she turned away from the two wizards, using her wand to send a round of Ogden's Finest floating through the air to land at a table in the back. One of the women seated at the table who's name Hermione couldn't remember tipped the shot glass towards her with a wink in silent gratitude.

She stepped around the oak bar and made her way to the occupied tables inquiring as to their needs and found herself quite busy for the next hour. Her eyes kept trailing back to where Nott and Malfoy sat. The pair always seemed to be discussing something in which both were passionate, they spoke animatedly for upwards of an hour and there didn't seem to be any lull in the conversation.

It was two hours to closing when she served them, what Nott instructed would be their final round of libations.

"Mind altering substances burning a hole in my pocket and all that . . ." He offered by way of explanation.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

She had a personal disdain for Snake Dust, something that ran deeper than just a normal disregarded for a drug that had destroyed many a life. Snake Dust had gained popularity after the war - with so many witches and wizards struggling with PTSD and other trauma it made sense that they would turn to the quick and easy solution. The Mind Healers that most of them required cost the kind of galleons that most families didn't have access to, in desperate for a solution to their woes most turned to drugs.

The Ministry had waged war on the substance after too many people started to use. Group Homes and homelessness were at an all time high and the Ministry itself was under immense scrutiny by other countries.

Aurors were diverted from active cases and instructed to patrol the streets of Wizarding England and apprehend users and dealers alike.

Hermione had found the whole thing rather unsavoury. Addicts being thrown in Azkaban was only causing more mental health problems and she had said as much to the Minister in a strongly worded letter that had ended up reading more like a novel than correspondence.

Though Hermione's position as Head Librarian was well regarded and quite a feat to obtain at age twenty-four, her pleas had gone unanswered even with a personal connection to the crusade.

Ron had dabbled in the drug shortly after failing his early entrance exams to the Auror Program. Of course Harry had barely even needed to take them which only fuelled Ron's depression and age old issues with jealousy. Ron's dabbling quickly became a problem when he'd forgotten to lock Georges shop one evening leading to a terrible ransacking that the DMLE had yet to solve two years later.

Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes barely recovered from the loss and Ron's abuse of Snake Dust was outed to his entire family.

No one saw much of the red head anymore save for the few minutes he spared for last years Christmas celebrations at The Burrow. He had been well received until Harry had caught him stealing money from Ginny's satchel, money that she was going to give the younger kids for Christmas.

Harry had tried to discreetly deal with the issue but Ron had flown off the handle, yelling and screaming, even falling as low as trying to physically harm Harry. The commotion had alerted the entire family, effectively ruining Christmas.

It was the last time anyone had seen Ron.

"Well, you can't do that in here." She said primly, setting their drinks on the bar.

"You didn't have any problem letting that mangey git snort it off the back of your toilet seat." Nott's tone was teasing but Hermione bristled anyway - she didn't like the implication that she was enabling Phellius. Mostly because it was true.

"If Phellius doesn't do it here he will take to the streets where his lack of subtlety would surely get him arrested." She was scolding him in the same tone she reserved for work, or how she sounded years ago regurgitating passages from textbooks. "I don't think it would do well for your ego to have me believe the same of you, Nott."

"It is an illegal drug, Granger." Malfoy said with casual arrogance. "I'm surprised the great swotty Granger would object to those consequences."

"You have no idea what I object to, Malfoy."

"I suppose you're right."

She gaped at him.

Draco Malfoy conceding that easily? He'd obviously had too much to drink.

Nott looked between the two with a charming smile.

"Well, I suppose I shall be off." He stood from his chair and pulled his cloak over his shoulders and leaving a generous sum of money on the counter. "I wouldn't want Granger here thinking I can't be subtle."

He left with a smirk and sweeping of his robes. The cool November breeze tickled the hair over her collar bone when the door opened and shut with Theo's departure.

"Aren't you going with him?" She questioned Malfoy who had remained seated in wake of his friends exit.

"No."

She furrowed her brow and turned away from him.

Hermione ignored him for the remainder of the night, choosing not to scold him when he reached over the empty bar and grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey from the bars inventory. She almost stomped over in her fury to kick his entitled arse out of the bar but she reconsidered when she realized that if he helped himself she could adequately ignore his existence.

It was only when the the bar was empty and near closing that she spoke to him again.

"We're closing, Malfoy." She huffed, maneuvering her wand to drag a chair with a drunk wizard still occupying it to the door. She flicked her wand and the man was dumped from the chair onto the street outside. She had done this three times already and now could finally lock the door and go back upstairs to her flat.

Lathinia had obviously been unable to find someone to cover and Hermione was exhausted.

"Get out." She demanded more forcefully.

"What do you know of pure blood Wizarding Society, Granger?" He drawled with perfect annunciation.

Hermione scowled at him for his question and for the fact that despite the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed he was entirely unaffected.

"As absolutely little as possible."

"I find that hard to believe." He smirked and continued. "This is a rather seedy area of town."

He moved from his stool when it started to wiggle beneath him as though it was trying to unseat him. Hermione had waved her wand and all the stools hovered in the air before turning themselves upside down and landing on the bar.

"I would be remiss in my training if I were to allow you to leave here unaccompanied." He finished, grabbing his expensive cloak from the floor where it had fallen from the upturned stool.

Hermione tossed the bar rag under the bar and stepped around it to face him, only a few feet from each other she stared him down.

"Allow me?" Her tone was dangerous. "I don't believe you have the authority to allow me to do anything."

"Forgive me." He amended making her gape at him for the second time tonight. "I just mean that Madame DeCrois would leap from her grave and drag me to the seventh circle of hell if I didn't walk a witch home considering both the time and the location."

Why would he care? She would expect this type of male show boating from Harry, or even Ron before . . . everything. But Malfoy? What should he care if she met an unfortunate end in Nocturne Alley.

"Madame DeCrois?"

"My etiquette instructor from ages six to fifteen." He explained with a solemn expression, looking quite put out by her reaction to his offer and show of manners.

"No need to irk the dead." She said delicately. "No need for such an antiquated display of masculinity, either. I live upstairs in a flat above the bar."

It seemed to be Malfoy's turn to gape at her now.

"You live . . ." His eyes drifted the ceiling as though he might be able to see through it and directly into her flat.

"Yes." She answered primly. "No need for me to step one foot outside in such a seedy neighbourhood."

A loud crack of Apparation startled both her and Malfoy as Lathinia rushed over to Hermione and enveloped her in a warm hug.

"I'm so sorry, 'Mione." She wailed into Hermione's hair. "Henry threw a dragon sized tantrum and I couldn't find anyone to cover and then I fell asleep! My mother showed up a few hours ago to watch him but saw us sleeping and didn't want to wake us! I'm so, so sorry!"

She pulled away from the hug and stiffened when she noticed the intimidating figure that Malfoy cut.

"Is everything okay?" Lathinia asked slowly, reaching for her wand.

"Of course, Lathinia." Hermione assured her friend. "Mr. Malfoy here works with me at the Ministry and was just keeping me company while I closed up. No need for apologies, your mother was quite right letting you sleep - you look like a new witch."

The two women smiled at each other, Lathinia having been put to ease by her explanation of Malfoy's presence.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy thank you for keeping our lovely Hermione company tonight." She threw an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Your drinks are on the house."

"That will not be necessary - Mrs . . ?"

"Ms. Bergsdorf." She amended with a cheeky smile.

Hermione nearly groaned.

Malfoy handed an even more impressive sum of money to Lathinia than Theo had left and smiled politely.

"Draco Malfoy." He extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet one of Hermione's friends." Lathinia offered. "No one ever visits her except for Ginny Weasley and even she doesn't come by as often . . ."

"Lathinia," Hermione interrupted before she could convey anymore to Malfoy about how pathetic her life was. "Everything's closed up and all the balances paid. I'll be heading up to my flat now. Have a lovely evening."

"I'd better get back to Henry." She sounded resigned, like she had hoped to speak more to Malfoy. "Thanks for tonight, Hermione. I don't know what I would do without you."

Lathinia was gone with another loud crack of displaced air.

"You'd flirt even more shamelessly." Hermione grumbled under breath. It wasn't that the notion of Lathinia's interested smile that she directed towards Malfoy stirred up anything other than revulsion, it was that she didn't want to start thinking of Draco Malfoy as a sexual being.

But now the thought was already there, smack dab in the middle of her brain.

The smirk on Malfoy's face didn't confirm that he'd heard her muttering but she blushed anyway. Malfoy cleared his throat, bunched his cloak under one arm and made for the rickety wooden door.

He said nothing to her before he swept out of the bar.

.

Saturday found her still tangled in her sheets around midday. Hermione never usually slept in but she'd had a later night than usual, the bar being open until the early hours of the morning.

What had woken her was a large tawny owl pecking incessantly at her bedroom window.

She groaned her annoyance at the intrusion and opened the window struggling with the lock that had rusted over from years of disuse. Owls normally came to the window in the kitchen, this one had obviously tried there first by the annoyed look in it's knowing eyes.

The owl hooted his annoyance.

"Yes, well, it is Saturday." Hermione tried to reason with it.

It nipped at her hand and flew away leaving Hermione glaring at its retreating form as it took to the skies. It had a dropped a letter with her hastily written address on the front and she tore it open with a scoff.

Hermione,

Ron's been apprehended by an Auror team that was dispatched to Scotland. He's being held at Azkaban.

Please come to The Burrow as soon as you're able.

Harry

Hermione choked on a gargled sound that bubbled out of her mouth as she scanned the letter a second time. When she had analyzed every word and letter she raced around her room in a mild panic, shoving her legs through the jeans she'd discarded on her floor last night and the same black t-shirt.

She was still throwing her hair into a messy bun at the top of her head when she launched herself into the Floo.

Molly was wailing something fierce when Hermione stepped through into the charmingly chaotic house. She was clutching onto her husbands shoulder screeching about her nerves and dabbing at her tears with her latest unfinished knitting project.

George was seated on the couch and hardly noticed Hermione's entrance as his dazed focus was fixated on the window.

Percy was muttering something to his mother while his father nodded gravely along, even though it appeared that Molly wasn't listening.

Harry was flipping through an impressive stack of papers on the kitchen table while Ginny paced behind him, pausing every so often to look over Harry's shoulder at whatever he was reading. She stopped in her tracks when her eyes met Hermione's and she started to well up, her bottom lip trembling despite the firm grip her teeth had on it.

"Oh Ginny." Hermione walked briskly to the youngest Weasley and held her arms open so Ginny could fold herself into them. She looked over the mane of red hair to Harry. "What's happened exactly?"

"Ron's gone and gotten himself arrested." Ginny muttered, stepping out of Hermione's embrace. "We all knew it was only a matter of time, but they've taken him to Azkaban, Hermione! Azkaban!"

"Just a holding cell." Harry said taking off his glasses to rub the lenses with the sleeve of his robe. "The Minister owled me as a courtesy - Hermione you and I will travel to the Apparition Point and throw our weight around a little bit to see what we can do."

Hermione frowned.

"What could we possibly do?"

Ginny stared at her oddly.

"You're the Golden Trio! Hermione Granger - Brains Behind the War's victory! Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and then Died - AND LIVED AGAIN!" Ginny screamed the last bit making Hermione step back. "If you two can't get the Minister to show some leniency then I'm certain it would take Merlin himself!"

"Ginny's right, 'Mione." Harry fixed the stack of papers and pushed his glasses back onto his face. "You know I hate doing this kind of thing." He sighed and closed his eyes as though he were warring with a headache. "But this is Ron we're talking about."

"Of course." Hermione felt terrible for the dread that crept over her when realization dawned that she would have to use her unwanted fame as a bargaining chip for Ron's freedom. Hermione had washed her hands of such titles like, "Golden Trio" and "Brightest Witch of Her Age" and yet they seemed to follow her around like a pack of Nargles.

Ginny and Harry both watched her expectantly with matching looks and even Mrs. Weasley had stopped crying long enough to fix Hermione with an unreadable expression.

Hermione sighed and smiled kindly at her chosen family.