Chapter 7

I have walked through the ruins of an empire as it fell through the passageway of time. I have witnessed star after star exploding like fireworks, as I fixed my gaze light-years into the sky. And I had yet to learn the most destructive thing in the world is the quiet yearning between two people who long to find their way back to each other.

-Lang Leav

Present Time: August 2000 / Draco's Time: Same as Present

The next few weeks passed uneventfully. Draco continued to go to the Ministry twice a week to meet with Granger and although they still bickered constantly, there were no more large fights. They were slowly getting used to each other, though Draco couldn't see how they'd ever be able to work on something more than mundane laws. They may have settled into a sort of truce, but that didn't change either of their political leanings.

Draco and Granger were putting the finishing touches on two more drafts when a commotion in the hall outside drew his attention away from the page he was reading. He looked over at the closed door and strained his ears. There was shouting and something about the voices sounded familiar.

Granger stood and opened the door, poking her head into the hall. "Oh, it's you, Arthur. Do you need help?"

"It's not him who needs help! It's us!" a familiar voice cried. "We're the victims of a horrid crime and are being wrongfully accused of-"

"No one's accusing you of anything," a wizard's voice cut in. "If you would calm down and-"

"Calm down?! Calm down?! My house was nearly blown up, my daughter almost killed, and you're asking me to calm down?"

Draco's heart dropped. He knew that voice. Daughter almost killed. He stood and rushed to the hall, nearly knocking Granger over. He grabbed her waist at the last moment to keep her from falling to the ground but was too distracted by the scene in the hall to be affected by their sudden closeness.

Daphne and Astoria's mother was shouting at Arthur Weasley while Daphne stood to the side watching them, her hair falling out of its ponytail and her dress torn in several spots. Arthur was holding three wands and clearly trying to get Mrs. Greengrass to calm down.

"Draco!" Daphne called when she saw him, then ran across the hall and threw herself at him, snaking her arms around his middle and burying her head in his chest.

Draco wrapped one arm around her back and placed another behind her head as he pulled her closer. He could feel her shaking against him. "Are you okay?" he murmured in her ear.

She nodded.

"And Astoria?"

She nodded again and whispered, "Everyone's fine."

"Oh, great," Mrs. Greengrass said from the other end of the hall. "Draco's here. As if this couldn't get any worse."

She was still sore about him breaking up with Astoria, since she'd been looking forward to having one of her daughters marry a Malfoy. Draco also suspected she believed a lot of the nonsense written in the tabloids about his exploits with Daphne, despite the retractions that had been printed. He tried his best to ignore her.

Draco spotted Granger speaking with Arthur Weasley in low tones. She was nodding, then gestured toward him and Daphne. He wondered if that was a good sign, then focused back on Daphne, who was still clutching him tightly. Whatever had happened must be bad since Daphne was rarely affectionate like this.

Granger walked over to them, holding Daphne's wand, and Draco gave her a searching look, but she didn't give anything away. She touched Daphne's back and said gently. "Um, Daphne?"

Daphne jolted at the unexpected touch, then pulled herself away from Draco and stood up tall, smoothing her dress with her hands. "Hello, Granger," she said formally, her voice shaking slightly.

"Arthur's going to question your mother and we need to question you too. I can do it." Granger motioned toward the office she and Draco had been working in. "In here, if you like. Malfoy can be there."

"He can?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not in trouble?"

"No. I just need to get your statement, then you can leave." She handed Daphne her wand, which backed up her reassurances that Daphne wasn't in trouble.

Daphne looked over at Draco warily and he nodded and took her hand. "Okay," she said to Granger as she took back her wand.

Granger went into the office and conjured a third chair while Draco gave Daphne a final, comforting hug before guiding her into the room.

"Okay," Granger began when they were all seated. "Tell me what happened. Just start at the beginning." She was holding a quill over a blank parchment, ready to write notes.

Daphne had been fixing her hair and when her ponytail was tidy again, she took a deep breath and started talking. "There was an accident at my house. I - well - maybe I should start sooner. I-" She balled her hands up and looked over at Draco, clearly nervous. He shifted his chair closer to her and grabbed one of her hands in both of his, then nodded for her to continue.

"I was at an Antique Shop several weeks ago, looking for a new vanity table as mine was just - I don't know - dull. It was a classic and lovely, but I was ready for a change. Anyway, I found one and while I was paying and setting up the delivery, the saleswoman pointed out some antique makeup brushes on a high shelf in this gorgeous glass cup.

"She said they would go well with the vanity and I waved her away, saying I never understood the concept of makeup brushes. Muggles just pat powder on their face and that somehow works? How does it stay on? I told her I had no need for that sort of thing, as I apply makeup with my wand like a proper witch."

Draco saw Granger purse her lips and Daphne noticed too and said in a rush, "I have nothing against Muggles. Don't get me wrong."

"You're fine," Granger said. "Just continue your story."

"The saleswoman insisted and even threw the brushes in for free and I thought, 'Why not? It will be a nice ironic decoration.' So, they were delivered with the vanity and I sort of forgot about them.

"Then today, I was sitting in front of the mirror, combing my hair, when a spider crawled across my foot." She shuddered and looked over at Draco. "You know how much I hate anything that crawls," she said to him.

"Even babies," he provided.

Daphne laughed and squeezed his hand. "Exactly." She turned back to Granger, who was watching them curiously. "Anyway, I jumped up, knocking the vanity, and the brushes fell over. Once that happened...they exploded, just like fireworks. I dropped to the ground as the fireworks zoomed around my bedroom. There were colorful flames everywhere, setting everything on fire, and I-" She stopped and looked down at her lap.

"You're okay, Daphne," Granger said kindly. "Take your time."

Draco handed Daphne a handkerchief and she patted her eyes, then looked back at Granger. "My mother came into the room, screaming, then sent an elf to call for Magical Law Enforcement. I crawled under my bed as I waited for them." She turned to Draco and added, "Mother was useless. She didn't even try to put out the fires. And my wand was at the other end of the room and I can't Summon it with wandless magic, like you can."

Draco squeezed her hand. "You're okay. You made it out."

She sighed and looked back at Granger. "The officers arrived, they put out the flames and once they found the source of the fire called in a representative from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. They said they thought I'd cursed the brushes and was planning to pass them off to a Muggle, but that the magic had got away from me. They said I got what I deserved. But I didn't curse anything! I would never do that. I promise."

"I believe you," Granger said quickly.

"You do?"

Granger nodded and put her quill down. "This isn't the first crime like this, where a Pureblood has been targeted with a Muggle artifact. Surely, you've heard about this."

Both Draco and Daphne shook their heads.

"But - " Granger let out a sigh. "This is that Pureblood thing you all do where you try to hide the unsavory parts of your life." Both Draco and Daphne scowled at her, but she seemed unphased. "Anyway, no one really thinks you did anything. That MLE Officer was just being cruel. I'll make sure his boss hears about it."

"He mentioned fines," Daphne said. "He said it was illegal to tamper with Muggle objects and that we'd be fined."

Granger shook her head. "No. As long as you can provide proof of your story. For instance, the memory of the saleswoman trying to give you those brushes, you'll be fine. Are you willing to do that?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay." Granger stood up. "Let me go get a vial for the memory and check on your mother."

"That's it?" Daphne asked.

"Yes. I'll be right back."

Once Granger had left the room, Daphne turned in her chair to face Draco. They were quiet and Draco could tell Daphne was trying hard to keep from crying. She was patting at the bottom of her eyes with the handkerchief he'd given her as she looked around the room.

"So, this is where you work."

"This is it."

"Quaint," she said mockingly.

Draco let out a laugh.

"Also bland," she continued. "Would it kill them to hang up a piece of art or even install one of those fake windows?"

"I haven't asked." They were quiet for a few more moments, then Draco said, "Hey. I'm glad you're alive and I'm sorry about your mother. Are you hurt?"

"A little."

"Where?" Draco leaned back and began scanning her body.

She pulled up her dress slightly, revealing a nasty burn on the middle of her thigh.

"Shit!" Draco swore, leaning forward to get a closer look at the injury. "Fuck, Daphne. I don't know how to heal burns. How bad does it hurt?"

"It's fine. I think the adrenaline is muting the pain for now. I'll have an elf tend to it once I'm home."

"Here, let me numb it at least." Daphne nodded and Draco took his wand out and applied a mild Numbing Spell to her leg. He wanted to make it stronger, so she wouldn't feel any pain, but knew if he did so, she wouldn't be able to walk.

When the spell was finished, he looked up at Daphne and saw tears silently streaming down her face. "I was scared, Draco," she whispered when she saw him looking at her. "I am scared. They're targeting Purebloods? How did we not know?"

"They're probably keeping it out of the papers so as not to tip off the person behind all this with what they know."

"But we would have heard, right? I guess Granger's right. I doubt my parents will talk about this to any of their friends."

"Yeah, she's probably right, but don't tell her." He looked up at the door, which was slightly ajar, and saw Granger standing in the hall. She gave him a sheepish look at having been found eavesdropping, then shifted out of sight. He guessed she was still just outside, listening in. Nosy Gryffindors.

Daphne was wiping her eyes now. "Dammit. I'm such a mess."

"No, you're not," Draco said. He took the handkerchief and began wiping away her tears and cleaning up her smeared makeup. "You're allowed to be scared, Daphne. You don't have to be strong all the time."

"Advice you should take yourself, sometime."

He smiled, then handed the handkerchief back to her.

"My father's going to kill me," she continued. "You know he can't afford this right now. And there will probably be fines-"

"There won't be fines, you heard what Granger said. And I'll sneak money into his account to pay for the damage to your room."

"He'll notice."

"Maybe, but he won't question it. He'll just think the goblins make a mistake. He'll take the extra money without question, believe me."

Daphne reached out and took Draco's hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be a disaster. Well, more so than you already are."

She kicked him slightly but there was no force behind it. He remembered her injured leg and stood up. He needed to get her home. "Let me go find Granger so you can give her that memory, then we'll get you out of here."

He placed his hand on her shoulder before walking out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Granger was leaning against the wall right outside the door. Draco went to lean next to her.

She held up an empty vial. "Her mother already left."

"She left her here?!"

"Yeah. She told Arthur she needed a Calming Draught and that Daphne would be fine with you.

Draco sighed and rested his head against the wall. The fear he'd been holding in was starting to creep out. He used Occlumency to clear his mind but he was exhausted and it wasn't very effective. He couldn't lose Daphne right now. She was his only friend.

Draco clenched his fists together and took several breaths. "Her estate has wards that are supposed to protect against this."

Granger shifted so she was leaning on her side, facing him. "Those don't work like you think. I know you're told they protect the family members from all harmful objects, but that's not technically true. Your wards only protect you from Dark Magic that didn't originate inside the house. But there are plenty of ordinary spells that can still be harmful, like fireworks."

"How do you know that?"

She shrugged. "I know a lot about wards. I became a little obsessive about protecting myself after the war." She sighed heavily, then cocked her head toward the door. "I'm going to get her memory, then you can take her home."

"Wait."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to call in one of my house elves to treat a burn on her leg. Are you going to have a fit?"

Granger shook her head. "I know burns. I can heal it, at least well enough to get her home."

Before Draco could protest, she turned to the room, opened the door, and disappeared inside.

"I'm going to treat your burn," Draco heard her announce.

"Oh, no," Daphne replied, "you've done enough."

Draco went into the room and closed the door behind him. Granger had taken his seat and was holding her wand up to Daphne. "Show me where it is."

Daphne looked over and gave Draco a pleading look.

"Malfoy said your leg was hurt. Which leg?" When Daphne didn't make a move to show her, Granger said sternly, "I assume it's under your dress, as I don't see anything on the bottom of your legs. Show me or I'll lift your dress up myself."

"You're very bossy," Daphne said as she exposed the burn on her thigh.

Granger bit her lip and leaned forward to study the burn. Draco was impressed. Most witches he knew would turn away from such a nasty injury. "You're not the first one to tell me that," Granger said absently, lifting her wand. "Now, sit still."

Daphne winced and Draco walked closer to her and offered her his hand, though regretted it immediately when her sharp nails dug into his skin. "What's happening?" Daphne asked Draco through clenched teeth.

"You're being healed."

"Not that! Why is she doing it?"

He shrugged. "She didn't want a house elf in here."

"I'm just going to call them as soon as I'm home."

"I know, she's not very logical."

"She can hear you," Granger chimed in, annoyed.

"We know, Granger. Now don't forget that part on the side," Daphne replied, pointing to a spot on her leg.

Granger snorted. "And I'm the bossy one?"

A few moments later, Granger leaned back and Draco saw that the burns were faded to a pale pink. "That's all I can do for now. You'll need a salve and should apply it once a day for a week. I'm sure the house elves will know about it."

Granger pulled Daphne's dress down, then mended a few torn spots with her wand before standing up. Next, she instructed Daphne to bring the memory of the saleswoman from the Antique Shop to the top of her mind and extracted the memory with her wand, placing it in the small vial she'd been holding earlier.

"Okay, that's all we need for today. I'll write-up everything you told me and send it over for you to sign tonight. And try not to worry about whoever's behind this. The Aurors are close and this saleswoman might be the last piece to the puzzle. I'm sure they'll be caught soon."

Daphne nodded and pulled herself to her feet, testing her leg before standing up straight. "Granger, uh, thank you. I was never kind to you and today - well - you've been really kind to me."

This reminded Draco of something future Draco had said about Granger. "She continued to fight to make the world around her - a world that was unbelievably cruel to her - better."

"Yeah," Granger shrugged. "I'm obviously a much better person than you." They were all quiet, then Granger smirked to show she'd been joking.

Daphne looked to Draco and raised her eyebrows. "She's funny. You didn't tell me that."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't encourage her."

When Draco met with Granger again the following Friday, he decided to start out with the 'thank you' he'd planned so he didn't have to spend the entire meeting stressing over it. He'd already been stressing about it since the day of the accident. Once the initial shock had passed, all he could think about was Granger and how she'd been unnecessarily kind. Why? Was it because she was working with Draco now and wanted to keep him happy?

No, it wasn't a political maneuver. He got the feeling she was just that nice. It made him feel sick. "Thank you for helping Daphne," he began. The words were simple and didn't adequately express how deep his gratitude was, but it was all he could bring himself to say for now.

"It was nothing," she said in reply, waving him away dismissively.

"It wasn't nothing," he replied sharply, a little offended she was brushing him off. "You could have left her with her mother and Arthur Weasley, that would have been nothing, but you took Daphne aside, let me stay with her, you were...nicer than you needed to be."

Granger shrugged. "I could tell she was terrified and the MLE officer shouldn't have scared her. She didn't deserve that. Is she okay?"

"She's strong," Draco said defensively. "She may not be as strong as you and your friends because she was never raised to be that way. But she is - deep down. She was just rattled the other day and her mother wasn't helping."

"I wasn't judging her," Granger said quickly. "I'm not as judgmental as you say. You don't know me as well as you think."

"Maybe Hermione seems rigid and self-important and like she's judging everyone, but that's just a defense mechanism. Inside she's lost and unbelievably lonely."

That future Draco's words seemed to be playing on a loop in Draco's mind now. Draco pushed the words away and reached for something else to say. "And you don't know me," he replied.

"I really don't."

"What?" he asked, surprised. She never agreed with him this easily.

She shrugged again. "You were really sweet with Daphne. I've never seen that side of you. It was...weird." She paused to cringe. "Anyway, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, of course you'd be kind to your girlfriend, but - well - I didn't know you had it in you, Malfoy."

Draco scowled at her and wondered if she knew how obnoxious she came off to other people. "She's not my girlfriend," he said eventually. "All those articles in the tabloids about us weren't true."

"Oh, I don't read those, I know they're made up. I just assumed - you seemed...comfortable together. And you look like a couple, both tall and slim with blonde hair - though yours is white-blonde and hers is yellow-blonde…" she trailed off and blushed slightly. Draco couldn't help but smile. She was cute when she fumbled like this - which wasn't often.

Granger's not cute! You seriously need to get laid.

Draco pushed the voice from his mind and smirked back at her. "Well, you were wrong, again. Daphne's a friend and we don't like each other like that, despite the fact that we're both tall and slim and have similar colored hair," he finished, mockingly.

"But you did date her sister. That one was real?"

"I thought you didn't read the tabloids."

She blushed again. "I hear things."

Draco leaned forward, crossing his arms over the table. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I dated her sister for about six months, then broke up with her, just after my father died. I'm single now, if that's what you're really after."

She sputtered, clearly at a loss for something to say, and it was hilarious to watch. Then she took a breath and rolled her eyes so thoroughly it looked like it hurt. "That was not why I was asking," she claimed. "I'm just a curious person."

"Sure," Draco said, still smiling.

She hit his arm. "Stop smiling. It's...gross."

"Gross?"

"Yes, go back to smirking or sneering. I'm much more comfortable with that. I can't handle you being nice."

"You started it."

"I did not! You were the one who was unexpectedly sweet."

"To Daphne. Not you," he countered.

"Whatever. Let's just go back to how it was before."

"Deal." But the more time Draco spent with Granger, the harder that was becoming.

"Okay," Granger said, taking a deep breath before turning back to her pile of papers. She grabbed three small stacks and placed them in front of Draco, in a row. "Here are three draft laws I need your approval on. They're going to the Elders next week."

Draco leaned forward and read through the summaries. He could tell instantly none of the laws applied to him and didn't bother flipping through the rest of the pages. "Did you think I'd care about extending the Goblins' contracts, approving salaries for the Hogwarts' professors, or adding a wing to St. Mungo's?"

"No. But you need to approve every law. I believe it was you who told me that. So, if you wouldn't mind flipping to the last page and adding your signature."

Draco gave an exasperated sigh but he was secretly relieved they were back to bickering. This was familiar. That almost playful teasing from before, that was…strange. It felt natural at the time, joking with her good-naturedly but thinking back now, even just a few minutes later, made him cringe.

"You could have just sent these by owl," he pointed out. "That would have been easier."

"It was very easy for me to walk across the hall and hand these to you."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Maybe it was easy for you, but I came all the way from Wiltshire."

She scoffed. "You Apparated or Floo-ed to the Ministry entrance, walked through the lobby, and took a lift up here. The whole trip was probably five minutes. Don't be so dramatic."

Draco gave her a final glare before taking the quill she'd slid across the table and signing next to the Sacred Twenty-Eight Liaison signature line on all three laws.

"Perfect," Granger said, pulling the papers back and placing them on her pile, then checking her watch. "Just in time for lunch."

As is on cue, there was a soft knock on the door before it opened to reveal the Weasel. "Ready?" he asked Granger, then looked past her and glared at Draco.

"Oh, Ron. What are you doing here? We usually meet at the lift."

Weasley shrugged. "I fancied a walk across the floor."

"Sure you did," Draco said sarcastically. "She's in one piece, Weasley, so you can stand down."

Weasley snorted, but didn't return his wand, which was in his hand, back to its holster.

"When I kill her, I'm obviously not going to do it here, in the middle of the Ministry," Draco drawled. "I'm going to lure her away and do it somewhere sinister, under a full moon, while wearing my Death Eater robes."

Weasley turned redder than Draco had hoped for and he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. He knew if he pushed Weasley any further, he'd get hexed.

Granger grabbed her boyfriend's arm and tried to pull him into the hall, but he stayed in place.

"Are you threatening Hermione's life?" he growled. "Because if so, I will-"

"He's just joking," Granger cut in. Draco wished she hadn't interrupted Weasley, since he wanted to hear what he was going to say next. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you," she added, pulling Weasley into the hall again. This time, she was successful.

Weasley flipped Draco off, then marched angrily toward the lifts. Granger turned back to Draco and hissed, while barely suppressing a smirk, "Kill me? Really? I'd like to see you try," before following after her boyfriend, slamming the door behind her.

Draco heard future Draco's words again. "He's just rubbish for her but she clings to him because she has an incredibly flawed view of herself, something we had a big part in creating. She thinks she won't be able to get anyone else to love her, so she should take what she can get."

How depressing. Of course Granger was better than fucking Weasley, did she really not see that? Granger, the person who knew everything? But it wasn't Draco's business. He didn't care.

Keep telling yourself that.

Shut up.

Draco and Granger were working on fixing up yet another arcane Pureblood law that was completely ridiculous while Draco wondered at the stupidity of his ancestors. Anytime Granger brought up this same topic, he always defended them, but he was pretty sure she could tell he didn't actually believe the positions he defended and was just arguing them to annoy her.

"The thing that irritates me the most about these is that they're so protected. We're not allowed to scrap them completely but have to ratify them to make them reasonable. Some of these should just be flushed down the toilet and forgotten forever."

"There's precedent to throw them out," Draco replied automatically, "but you have to prove the legislation has become harmful to every single British citizen, which is hard to do. There's usually at least one person benefiting from each of these laws."

Her head snapped up so quickly, he wondered if she'd hurt her neck. "What?"

Draco shrugged. "I know things."

"How?"

"I found a book," he said nonchalantly, then turned back to the papers in front of him. He hadn't meant to bring up the book he'd found in the Manor library and hoped she'd move past it. It was a very helpful list of legislative exceptions that have been made over the years, going all the way back to the times before the Statute of Secrecy. He knew if she got her hands on it, she'd be able to do a lot of damage. Fuck, he always talked too much around her. Why was that?

Just then, he was saved by the appearance of Daphne in the doorway. "Good, you're still here."

"What do you need?" Draco asked, trying to remember if he'd made plans to meet Daphne today.

Daphne conjured a chair and took a seat next to Granger. "I don't need you. I need Granger. I checked with your assistant and she said you don't have lunch plans today."

"I don't have an assistant."

"That plump witch with the pointy glasses."

"Gladys? She's been here for ages. She's my superior. What did you say to her?"

"Oh, that explains why she was so resistant to help me. No matter," Daphne waved her hand while Granger looked back at her, horrified. Draco's lips twitched slightly. He knew exactly how Granger felt. There was no stopping Daphne when she was in this sort of mood.

"Anyway, I'm taking you to lunch as a thank you. Somewhere nice." She paused and looked under the table, assessing Granger's outfit. "Yeah, that should work."

Granger crossed her arms over herself defensively. "I'm okay. A simple thank you is plenty. If you want to go all out, you can owl me a thank you note."

"No," Daphne said simply.

"I don't want to go," Granger countered, sternly.

"And I didn't want to be healed, but you went and did that anyway. You're coming."

Granger narrowed her eyes. "If I agree to this one lunch can we call it even?"

Daphne paused to think, then said noncommittally, "Probably."

"That's the best you're going to get," Draco told Granger. "She never makes commitments like that."

"It's just good sense," Daphne replied. "That way people can't accuse me of breaking my promises later. She stood and tried to pull Granger up by her elbow. "Come along. We'll want to beat the rush."

Draco leaned back in his chair and laughed inwardly at the expression on Granger's face. She clearly wasn't used to being bossed around like this. When she reached the doorway, she looked back at him, confused. "Wait? You're not coming?"

"You want me there?"

There was an awkward pause and Granger blushed and started to shake her head. He could tell the question had just slipped out. She seemed to suffer from the same word-vomit ailment he did.

"Of course he's coming," Daphne said. "We need him to pay. Get up, Draco. We're going."

Normally, Draco would resist being bossed around like this, but he was looking forward to this train wreck. Everything in his life had been so dull lately, he could use some entertainment. When they arrived at the lift, Granger turned to Daphne and asked, "So that's why you like Malfoy? For his money?"

"Obviously," Daphne said as they walked onto the lift, which, thankfully, was empty. "Draco has very few good qualities."

"I know," Granger said quickly.

Draco sneered at both of them, but they ignored him. "He's nice to look at," Daphne continued. "And on occasion he'll say something funny, but you have to wade through a lot of awful comments to get it, so it hardly seems worth it." She looked over at Draco and winked. "But he's incredibly generous."

"It's easy to be generous when you have unlimited funds," Granger argued.

Draco was about to retort but Daphne got there first. "You'd think so, but I know a lot of rich people and that's not the case. Plus, Draco's the type that would give you money even if he didn't have much. But he only does that for close friends," she added, "which is a very short list."

"Because of all his bad qualities," Granger finished, smirking at Draco.

"Exactly."

"That's enough," Draco cut in. "I'm not going to listen to this the entire time and pay for lunch. Change the subject."

"Fine," Daphne said. They were exiting the lift now and stopped on the side of the Atrium. "Let's decide where we're going. How about the Silver Goblet? Have you been there, Granger?"

She shook her head.

"They have a lovely terrace so maybe we can get a table outside. And their mushroom soup is div- Why are you scowling?"

"Mushrooms are the one food I hate. I had to eat a lot of them during the war. It's a long story."

"Oh, no matter, the rest of their food is good, too."

During this interchange, Draco had been shaking his head, trying to catch Daphne's eye, but she was focused on Granger. "Daphne," he said in a low voice, "aren't you forgetting…?" He eyed her meaningfully, willing her to catch on.

"Oh, Merlin! That's right."

"What?" Granger asked.

"The last time my sister ate there the silverware was dirty and they blamed her instead of taking responsibility. We're boycotting the place in protest." Draco nodded, impressed at her quick lie. The real reason they couldn't go there was because the owner was very prejudiced against Muggleborns and Draco was pretty sure he wouldn't let Granger inside the front doors.

Daphne was thinking hard, scanning through the places she knew and probably trying to remember which ones claimed to keep up a "pure" clientele, which was code for not serving Muggleborns. Draco was thinking, too but he didn't know all the restaurants as well as Daphne.

Granger crossed her arms and leaned against the pole. "Are you two trying to think of a Pureblood establishment that will let in a Muggleborn?"

"What?! Of course not," Daphne cried, affronted. "Seriously, Granger. We fought a war over this and the world is moving past-"

"Let's go to The Cottage." Draco said, saving Daphne from what was turning out to be a very convincing performance.

"The Cottage? Oh, is that the café near-"

"Yes," Draco said quickly. The restaurant was in a small town near the Manor but he didn't want to bring up Malfoy Manor in front of Granger. It primarily served Purebloods but Draco was sure they'd let Granger in, as long as she was with him, since the owner adored his mother and him, who went to the restaurant frequently. Luckily, Narcissa was hosting a charity tea today and wouldn't be there.

"Near what?" Granger asked.

"The river," Daphne answered quickly, lying easily again. "Let's go."

When they reached the exit, Granger hesitated in the doorway, almost causing Draco to run into her. Daphne, who had gone through the door first, turned around and cocked her head at Granger. "What's wrong?"

"My mind is racing through every decision I've made in my life, wondering where it all went wrong. What could I have done differently to avoid ending up here, forced into a fancy lunch with the two of you?"

Daphne rolled her eyes, then took Granger's hand and pulled her outside.

"And you say I'm dramatic," Draco quipped, following behind them.

When they reached the Apparition Point, Daphne turned to Granger and asked, "Which one of us do you want to Apparate with?"

"Oh." Granger frowned, but also leaned slightly toward Draco, probably without realizing. He sighed and took her hand, then promptly Apparated them just outside the restaurant.

She jumped back as soon as they reappeared. "You're supposed to tell people before you do that!"

"I just saved you from making a very difficult decision," he countered as he dropped her hand. "Daphne, who can barely Apparate herself in those ridiculous shoes she wears, or me. You should be thanking me."

Daphne arrived and stumbled slightly before straightening and patting down her dress. "Ugh, I hate Apparating in heels," she grumbled before walking up the path.

Draco gave Granger a knowing look and could tell she was trying hard to suppress a smile.

As soon as they sat down, Daphne thanked Granger for helping her again then proceeded to try to find some common ground with the other witch. It was shocking how little they had in common. From hobbies, to their top three favorite colors, to the music they liked, to the types of holidays they preferred, there was nothing the two of them agreed on. Besides the fact that they were both witches who had attended Hogwarts and didn't like Quidditch, they were opposites in every way.

And yet, the conversation between them flowed easily. Draco stayed quiet for most of it, interjecting occasionally, but mostly just watching the two of them. It was funny to watch them discover every way they were dissimilar.

"What about sweets?" Daphne asked. "Everyone likes those. What are some of your favorites?"

Granger shrugged. "I don't like sweets very much. My parents are dentists, which are people who work on teeth and in the Muggle world, if you eat too many sweets you can get bad teeth. So, I always avoided them growing up and when I did eat them when I was older, they were too sweet."

"You think sweets are too sweet?" Daphne asked in a very judging tone.

"I guess so."

"It's official," Daphne announced. "We have nothing in common. Well, besides Draco."

"What?" both Draco and Granger said at the same time.

"How do you have me in common?" Draco continued. "I'm your best friend and I see her on occasion for work. Does that really count?"

Daphne shrugged. "We both see you regularly and not many people can say that. I think it counts."

"Are you some sort of recluse?" Granger asked.

"None of your business," he snapped.

She nodded, unaffected by the harshness of his tone, and took another bite of her pasta.

"Don't be so touchy, Draco," Daphne scolded. "Oh, that reminds me, when are you going to the future again? Soon? Can you ask about me?"

"Not here," Draco replied in a low voice.

"Why not? Granger knows. You know, right?"

"Yeah, I know he time travels. And if you're worried about people overhearing, you don't need to be. I cast a spell as soon as we sat down. Anyone trying to listen in on our conversion will just hear a buzzing sound."

"What? You did that?" Daphne asked. When Granger nodded, Daphne leaned toward Draco and whispered, "I sort of like her."

"You have awful taste in people," he hissed back. "First Blaise, now her?!"

"And she picked you as a best friend…" Granger added.

They were all silent for a moment, then Daphne burst into laughter and both Draco and Granger smiled slightly, though they were both trying to hide it.

"I do have questions about the time travel," Granger said when Daphne had recovered. "Not about the future," she added quickly, probably in response to Draco's frown, "but about the mechanics. How does it work? How do you know when you're going to the future? Do you mind explaining that part?"

Draco didn't see the harm in that. He told her all he'd learned so far and even that he'd figured out how to stop it but had been cautioned by his future self to wait until after November, so as not to mess with the current timeline.

Granger listened intently the entire time and he was slightly uncomfortable by her unwavering attention. This must be how the professors felt back at school. Once he was finished, she leaned back in her chair and said in an awed tone, "Fascinating."

"Yeah."

"But why did you switch places in November? I know you both had pieces of time turner in your blood, but still, why would the other one have to go back? Or maybe, he jumped back first and you had to go forward. I wonder what laws of magic are at play there," she finished thoughtfully.

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I know how to end it and that's all the information I need. I don't have time to research further because I'm spending all my free time studying legislation so I can keep you from passing ridiculous laws."

She smiled at that, then turned to Daphne, who looked deep in thought. Clearly, she didn't find the details of Draco's time travel as fascinating as Granger - just another way they were dissimilar.

"That reminds me. Daphne,-" Daphne jumped at the sound of her name, then looked right at Draco. She gave him an odd look, like she was trying to tell him something, but he didn't get the message.

"-have you ever seen a large book in your family's library with a dark purple cover and the picture of an elaborate scale on the front?" Granger asked.

"Don't answer that," Draco said quickly. Shit. She was back on the topic of the legal text he'd discovered. How did she know what it looked like?

As if in answer to his question, she turned to him and said, "Yes, I know about the book of exceptions. That's the only way you could have known about being able to scrap one of those arcane laws if you could prove every citizen was harmed. What I didn't know was that there was more than one copy.

"The Elders have a copy they never let anyone see and they refer to it anytime they're conferring on a particularly contentious situation. And if there's precedent for the issue they're reviewing, they usually go with what was previously decided. This makes perfect sense!" she exclaimed, looking excitedly at Daphne, who wasn't following.

"This is why the Purebloods have always had an edge, why they always know exactly how to manipulate the legal system to get what they want. They possess a book of rules that none of us - even the Ministry workers - have access to. Damn, talk about corruption. And I'm guessing there's not just one copy of this book, but...say...twenty-eight."

Damn. She was too fucking clever. Draco kept his face blank and stayed quiet.

"Does it update as they write in new passages? Is it linked to their book? Or does it stop at a particular date?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied. Draco willed Daphne to chime in and change the topic.

"I have something to say," she said, as if on cue.

Draco gave her a warning glare and she waved him away. "It's not about any books. I just need to tell you two that I need to go."

"What?" Granger asked. "You're leaving? But this lunch was your idea."

"Well, I didn't expect it to go on so long. I thought we'd just suffer through several awkward pauses, rush through the meal, then be done in under an hour. How was I supposed to know you'd gab on for almost," she looked over at Draco's watch, "two hours."

"Two hours?!" Granger looked down at her own watch. "I need to get back, too."

"Fine, but I'm going first. I need to catch a Portkey to Turkey in ten minutes."

"Turkey?" Draco asked.

"I'm picking out a new rug for my room and I want a traditional Oriental one, this time with more blues and greys in the pattern, which will go better with the overall décor than the other one."

"I saw the damage to your room. The rug looked fine."

"It was singed on the side a bit."

"And the house elves couldn't mend it? I didn't put that much money in your account."

"You don't need to worry about me going over budget. I'm going with Blaise, the best haggler in the world."

Draco rolled his eyes. "When you return from Turkey, you're going to go home, lock your door, read a good book, then go to bed alone, like the proper, self-possessed witch you are."

"Of course, Father," she teased, rising to her feet. "Thanks for the lovely lunch, Hermione. This isn't over though. I'm taking you shoe shopping sometime next week."

"But you said-"

"I didn't commit to anything," Daphne said with a smile. "See you later!" She was outside before Granger could say another word.

Granger sighed. "Wow. That was...a lot."

"Yes, she's exceedingly annoying."

"Yet also somehow likable."

"That's Daphne."

"So...what? We're friends now?"

"You and Daphne?"

"I certainly didn't mean me and you," she sneered.

"I know that. Anyway, yeah, she called you Hermione, so she's decided to be your friend. You're stuck with her now. I've been trying to get rid of her for ages with no luck, but if you figure out how, let me know."

Granger smiled at that and he smiled back. After a few seconds, they each paused and made their faces blank. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. That they were sitting together alone at a nice restaurant, smiling at each other, which felt oddly like a date.

"Are you ready?" he said quickly, looking at her half-eaten plate. "You said you needed to go."

"Yeah, let's go," she replied, sounding relieved.

Draco waved to the waiter, then stood up and waited for Granger to do the same. She looked confused as she stood and followed him to the door, where he paused so he could hold it open for her.

What the fuck are you doing?

Holding the door open for a witch, like a proper gentleman.

This is Granger!

Her voice drew him back to the present. "How did you just pay?" she asked when they were outside.

"I have an account," he explained.

"But how did they know it was you? Someone could easily use Polyjuice to impersonate you and eat lunch for free."

"Do you really not know?"

She crossed her arms and said defensively, "I'm not friends with any rich Purebloods. How would I know?"

He held his hands up. "Easy, Granger. I wasn't trying to insult you. I'm just surprised there's something about the magical world you don't know." He pulled the chain with his father's ring out from under his shirt and showed it to her.

"I showed this to the maître d' as we walked in. He used an Identification Charm to confirm it matches with the magical signature originally used to set up the account."

"Then what? They send the bill to Gringotts and the Goblins pay the restaurant on your behalf, taking money from your vault?"

"Yes."

"Huh. And I assume the reason most people don't do this is because the Goblins charge a hefty fee for that service."

Damn. She really was clever. Why was he still surprised by this? "Yes. And the fee they charge is excessively high for what they're doing, because they're fucking greedy. But all the Purebloods who can afford it pay, since paying on account, as we call it, is a mark of status."

He expected her to defend goblins, or poke fun at the Purebloods for being ridiculous, but she surprised him. "It's too bad the goblins are so greedy, since that would be a really convenient method for all of us. I hate having to carry so many coins around."

"You're not going to defend the goblins?"

She shook her head and let out a small laugh. "I was nearly killed because of a goblin's excessive greed. They're not my favorite species." She leaned in and said with a low voice, "But don't tell anyone I said so."

They were almost touching now, and he could smell her again, and it was making his head all fuzzy. Fucking hell. They needed to end this. When was she going to leave?

She was looking down at her shoes and biting her lip, then she pulled her wand out of her pocket. Good, now all she had to do was turn on her toe and disappear.

But she didn't, since she never did the thing he wanted her to. "Can I get out of shoe shopping?"

Draco laughed, then scolded himself for it and made his face into a frown. "No. And it wouldn't be the worst thing for you to get new shoes."

"Shut up," she grumbled, hitting his arm. He stepped back, out of her reach. He was trying to figure out a way to get her to leave before she touched him again. Could he just say "good bye" and go? Why was he so nervous?

She started talking again. There seemed to be no limit to the amount of words she could say. "At the beginning of this lunch, I was cycling through non-violent diversions I could create and slip out. Then - well - it wasn't awful, and I didn't have to Levitate all the tables and chairs or throw the room into darkness." She held her hand out for him to shake. "So, uh, thank you for the non-awful lunch, I guess."

So much for his plan to not touch her again. Draco took her hand. "You're welcome. I guess."

Granger's lips twitched and she dropped his hand. "Okay. I'm going to go. I need to apologize to Gladys and see if I missed anything. Hopefully, no one told Ron I left the premises with two Slytherins, since he'll assume I'm getting murdered."

"But it's not a full moon," he pointed out.

"And you're wearing your normal clothes."

"Exactly," he smiled, then stopped. Fuck. Why was there so much smiling today?

"Bye, Malfoy. See you Friday."

"Bye, Granger." She popped out of sight and he smiled one last time, figuring it was okay since she wasn't here to see anymore. Plus, she was funny. It was okay to smile at jokes, right?

Not Granger's jokes, said a voice in his head.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed, then scolded himself for being a nutter who talked to himself. Fucking hell. He was definitely drinking tonight. He needed to forget this lunch, and Granger's smiles, and her stupid but also clever jokes.

He took another deep breath, then grabbed his wand in his pocket and Disapparated home.