September 18th, 2011

A/N: You guys should feel special. I'm totally procrastinating with homework and such for you. To compensate, you ought to take the time to review more *hint hint*. I like to hear from you guys what you'd like to happen, as long as it isn't totally cliché. I'm big on the whole fluff thing, so any problems you guys want to see come true, share! Any plot twists? Throw 'em at me. I know some people don't write, they only read, so if you have a BRILLIANT idea and you decide to tell me about it, I'm going to ask your approval to put it to use. Also, if you guys want my other stories to be updated quickly, I'd appreciate some fresh new ideas to get the ball rolling. This girl, when she gets writer's block, she gets it bad. And I know, like I said, I love fluff, but I don't want to have Hermione and Draco fall in love at first sight. I mean, really! And in this chapter I wanted to show that they do have lives outside of each other. For God's sake, she's still dating Ron! Anyways, if you want to make my day…Read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Two

Damn, what possessed me to actually take Granger up on her offer? Am I going insane? At least she said yes…I don't even want to think about this, Draco decided as he tightened his tie around his neck. Shaking his head in disgust at himself, he grabbed his wand and Apparated to St. Mungo's, determined not to let thoughts of Hermione Granger distract him.

"Good morning Healer Malfoy!" the most recent receptionist chirped, as perky as ever. Draco couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed at her. Her energy was contagious.

"Morning Cassie," Draco replied, taking in the lack of clutter on the girl's desk. "Slow night?" Cassie was a tad anal retentive, so if she didn't have any patients to deal with, she cleaned. Draco wasn't sure if she had an OCD or something, but he did appreciate having his office tidied up when he was too lazy to do so himself.

"Yeah, but I suppose that's a good thing," Cassie said thoughtfully. "Although there was one boy who came in with seven ears and five eyes. Poor thing, didn't even look like he was Hogwarts age."

Draco chuckled and crossed the distance to his office in only a few strides. "Let me know if anything interesting comes up," he told Cassie over his shoulder, pausing at his door before disappearing inside. He usually handed most of the emergencies, and he was never really bored with his job. You couldn't be, if you lived in a world full of magic.

He's in a happy state today…I wonder why, Cassie mused. Her superior was always quite nice and amiable, but on that particular Monday, something was strange about Draco Malfoy's enthusiasm.

Glancing around the waiting room, Cassie got up from behind her desk and poked her head inside Draco's office.

"I forgot to tell you earlier. Some of us are going out to lunch around noon. Would you like to come?" Cassie asked. Normally Draco would have, but he had a previous engagement that he was looking forward to. Not that he'd admit that to Cassie. She meant well, so no one wanted to hurt her feelings, and they didn't tell her that they didn't appreciate the way she meddled in their affairs.

Knowing that he would have to tread very carefully, Draco said, very slowly, "I can't, Cassie." Better to be as vague yet honest as possible if he wanted to drop the subject without an interrogation. Cassie was far too curious for her own good. "I have a…meeting, of sorts."

Cassie's eyes lit up. She knew that Healer Malfoy hadn't been in a relationship since he severed all ties with that pig Pansy Parkinson, and she wanted to see him with the right person.

"Where does she work?"

"The Ministry," Draco replied without any hesitation. Then he frowned at Cassie. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" But he wasn't mad. In fact, he found it amusing that Cassie was so interested in such a trivial matter.

"So you're not too daft, after all!" Cassie teased, knowing the healer wouldn't pay much mind to her words. Perhaps it wasn't her place, but Draco seemed like a good person and she wanted him to be happy.

"Besides, she has a boyfriend. Don't get your hopes up. This bachelor is going to stay that way for a while." Draco smiled when Cassie pretended to pout, but was caught unawares when she didn't budge from her spot in the doorway.

"Is it just me or does someone seem a little upset about that?" The teasing note was gone and it was no longer playful banter. Cassie was genuinely worried about him.

For whatever odd reason, Draco found the situation rather funny. Cassie was younger than him by a year, and she was acting like a doting mother or a concerned sister. She was reading too much into something that didn't even exist. Unable to keep the smirk off of his face, Draco made sure to set Cassie straight.

"Honestly, Cassie, I'm only having lunch with someone I know from school. And to top it all off, we never really got along as children," Draco said, running a hand through his hair for a reason unbeknownst to him.

"I see."

"What's with that smug tone, young lady?" Draco asked, attempting to sound stern and failing.

"Oh, nothing," Cassie replied breezily, waving her hand as if dismissing the question. "I think I hear someone. I'd better go check." Then she skipped out of his office, causing Draco to shake his head at her exhausting yet endearing ways.

Hermione sighed. She was really starting to hate her job. Sure, she was getting the chance to make things better for the creatures wizards considered beneath them, but she got stuck with all of the work. That meant she could make sure the papers got filled out correctly, as she was a chief believer in the saying, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." At least, that was what her boss said whenever she dared complain.

And her boss. If she had called Malfoy an evil, foul, loathsome cockroach, that man was a Dementor. He was terribly arrogant, thinking he could have his way with anyone, and if one turned him down on any offer, he got highly offended. Hermione thought Richard Gruesen was far too young to be in charge of anything, really, because he let his own silly problems affect the professional demeanor any person of high rank ought to possess.

One time, 'Mr. Gruesen', as he liked to be called, cornered Hermione on her way to the loo, and she had barely escaped. The only reason she got to keep her job was because she had an actual excuse, taking the form of Ron Weasley, war veteran and best friend of the infamous Harry Potter.

Remembering that awful encounter, Hermione bit her lip and found herself wanting time to go by faster. She was actually looking forward to lunch with Draco, but at the same time she felt terribly guilty, since she hadn't told anyone about her plans. Even Ginny remained ignorant of the situation, and Hermione told her almost everything.

11:50…11:52… Hermione couldn't leave until it was twelve o' clock, and the wait seemed excruciatingly long, so much so that she practically bolted out of her office the moment she could.

Hermione took care to drape her work robes over her chair before she left. She didn't know why, exactly, but she and Draco had somehow decided that they were going to have lunch in a Muggle café. Maybe Malfoy was just determined to show her how much he had changed, even though Hermione didn't need that to be proven. She could see it, even if Ron couldn't.

"Sorry I'm late," Draco said, pulling Hermione out of her reverie as he sat down across from her. "My co-workers decided to put me through hell by trying to figure out who I was eating with today."

Hermione smiled and nodded in understanding. "My secretary kept bugging me, too. What do you do, by the way? I know anyone can find out about my job from magazines and newspapers, but I know next to nothing about you." She refused to let the atmosphere grow awkward in any way. Hermione figured that Draco could use a friend, after everything he had been through.

"I work at St. Mungo's," Draco told her once the waiter had left with their orders. "I'm in charge of taking care of all the emergencies. Apparently a kid walked in with seven ears and five eyes last night." He chuckled. "'Dunno how it happened, but Cassie made it seem like it was an interesting story."

"Cassie?" Hermione echoed, her head tilted to the side. "Is she a healer as well?"

Draco shook his head. "No, she's our receptionist. The fifth one this month, actually."

Hermione's already doe-like eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, you people truly don't know how to keep anyone around for very long."

"It's not the healers. I think it's our boss more than anything else. She can come off as…over-bearing."

"She's the intimidating type?"

"Yes, but she's a saint compared to Umbridge. I think if any of the younger ones had gone to Hogwarts during her time, they'd be alright about sticking it out. Cassie doesn't seem to mind, but then again, she's friends with everyone."

"I'd rather take an intimidating boss over one that's a good-for-nothing loser," Hermione sighed, then looked shocked at her own words. "Please don't tell anyone I said that!" She had shared her opinions about Gruesen with Harry and the Weasleys, but that was it.

Draco stifled his laughter. "You really are a goody-two-shoes, Granger."

"At least I was never turned into a ferret," Hermione shot back, smiling.

They kept up that easy banter for the rest of the meal, and both decided that it hadn't been a bad experience. In fact, Hermione had had fun. She'd even gone so far as to confide in Draco about some of the thoughts she had been having about Ron. It was nice to have someone else to talk to, for a change. She couldn't complain to Harry or Ginny, as they were close to Ron, but Draco wouldn't go running to share the information.

As for Draco…well, he learned that Granger was an incredible listener, just like she had said. Without meaning to, he had told her all about his father going to Azkaban and how his mother was coping. He hadn't really talked to anyone for a while, especially someone who was frank and honest, but sensitive at the same time. And Draco couldn't believe that Weasley wasn't acting like the boyfriend Granger deserved.

"You ought to get some revenge or something," Draco commented as he walked with Hermione back to the Ministry. It wasn't too far from St. Mungo's, and they had half an hour to kill.

Hermione snorted. That was another thing Draco approved of. Granger didn't try to be prim and ladylike, which was a breath of fresh air compared to all the chits Draco's mother tried to pair him with.

"That's such a Slytherin thing to say," was Hermione's response. Draco felt his lips twitch into a smile.

"And that's a very Hermione-esque thing to say."

Hermione found that she rather liked talking to Draco. He was witty and the conversation never died due to lack of common interest. Apparently Draco was a lot like her, and Hermione had to wonder why she hadn't noticed before. They could have been really good friends back at Hogwarts if they had only gotten past their differences sooner.

Maybe she had accidentally thought out loud, the way she did on occasion, because Draco said, "Don't you think it's strange how after all those years of insults and rivalry, we're getting along as if we'd been friends forever?"

"Did you just read my mind?" Hermione asked, laughing. "But yeah, it is a bit strange that in just a few minutes I considered you as much of a friend as I do Harry." At Draco's expression, she added, "I know you don't like the comparison, but I never thought we'd be getting along, so I'm sure you'll find that you and Harry have some of the same traits or beliefs, because I know you don't think purebloods come above everyone else anymore."

"Damn, you've got me there," Draco muttered. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "You'd better get in there before your boss sends out a search party."

Hermione winced. "Do I have to?"

"You really hate your job that much?"

Sighing, Hermione shook her head. "I like my job, I do, but my boss drives me nutters. I dare say he'll be the death of me."

"Why don't you get him fired? Prove that you could do his job better."

"That's not a bad idea, and I appreciate the thought, but I don't think I'd be able to do that, Draco." It was still weird to use his first name, when she had called him Malfoy or 'ferret' ever since the incident in their fourth year.

"I forgot, you're too nice to do such a thing," Draco said as if that were a disappointment. Hermione was about to get defensive when she noticed his grin, and instead rolled her eyes.

"Being nice never killed anyone."

"Not yet," Draco countered. "Didn't you say it was an effort to even be polite to this Gruesen fellow?" Hermione shrugged in agreement. "Then it can probably kill someone to be nice."

Hermione grabbed Draco's arm to check the time. "Alright, I suppose I had better get going. We'll continue this argument later," she informed him stubbornly.

"Tomorrow, over lunch?"

It seemed as if Hermione was going to agree, before a flash of regret passed over her face. "I'm meeting up with Harry and Ron tomorrow."

"You don't sound too excited about that," Draco observed. Hermione's face lit up whenever she talked about the Chosen One, but when the conversation turned to the Weasel she usually avoided any questions. She didn't want to dump all of her petty issues on Draco, no matter how much of a good friend he was.

"Please don't try to be my psychiatrist."

"Who?"

A small smile graced Hermione's mouth. "They're Muggle therapists of sorts, and some even have their own talk shows. They make their money by trying to solve peoples' problems and get them to reconcile," she explained. "Sometimes they have these voices that makes it impossible to listen for too long."

"Like Snape's?"

Hermione looked upset for a moment. "Yeah, like his." Draco was about to ask her what he had done wrong when she used the time to slip away.

"I'll owl you later, Draco. Enjoy the rest of your day!" Hermione said before she rushed back to her work at a pace that she had never gone previous to her meeting with Draco.

Bewildered, Draco turned and headed back to St. Mungo's. He knew that some Potter had been quite upset by the death of their former Potions professor, but he didn't know why. Severus Snape had always seemed cold and calculating to Draco as a child, but as he grew older he began to respect the man more. If Severus hadn't been Draco's godfather, Draco wasn't sure what he would have thought about him. Admired him, perhaps, for the way he was so sarcastic at times. Aside from that, Severus had always been particularly nasty to Hermione and her friends. Draco knew that Hermione was as compassionate and soft-hearted as they came, but for what reason would she mourn Severus's death as well?

Draco was so distracted that he could only manage a nod of acknowledgement in Cassie's direction. The girl took it as a good sign – a distracted Healer Malfoy could only mean one thing. His date had gone well.

Who cared if the mystery woman had a boyfriend? Anyone in their sane mind would definitely pick Dr. Malfoy. He was charismatic and charming and rather dashing. Of course, Cassie didn't fancy her co-worker. That would be ridiculous. But she believed in every word she said – well, thought.

"Draco, darling," a voice purred. Draco stopped dead in his tracks and spun on his heel, abruptly changing directions and going back towards Cassie, where he wouldn't get attacked.

"Come, now, don't be like that," Astoria Greengrass said, pretending to be hurt. She was a very good actress, Draco decided as he neared Cassie. He felt a bit ridiculous for hiding behind a young girl but he couldn't help it. Astoria scared him.

His father had wanted Draco to marry the estimable pureblood after he graduated from Hogwarts and everything settled down, but Narcissa had met Astoria, and declared that she wouldn't have such a slut be with her little boy. She might not have said it exactly like that, for she was far too well-bred, yet the people who had been present and had some amount of brain cells could detect the meaning underneath her polite dismissal.

"Healer Malfoy, who is this?" Cassie asked, her hopes skyrocketing when she realized that this could be the mystery woman. Then she realized that was impossible. Draco wouldn't have looked so displeased if that had been the case.

"Cassie, this is Astoria Greengrass," Draco replied distastefully.

"The future Mrs. Malfoy," Astoria added with a pretty smile.

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Well, sort of. Yeah, guys, I intentionally used the amazing Bonnie Gruesen's last name for Hermione's despicable boss. I love Bonnie as much as all you other Starkiddies, but Gruesen sounds like gruesome to me, which is exactly what Richard is! Anyway, I had to go play a game called Killer Bunnies with my brother who just got back from Mexico, so until next time!

Review, because they make me post faster!