A/N: Hello! Hope everyone is staying safe from covid. Reviews make me happy :-)

...

Hermione pressed her fists into her eyes, wondering briefly whether her already hectic morning would feel any better if she did. Apparently not. Malfoy had shown up to her office as soon as she opened.

Last night had been disastrous. At least Harry had been too surprised to properly question her. She then had to send letters to her clients, delaying appointment dates. She knew that she shouldn't prioritize one case over others, but she tried to convince herself that Malfoy's case was urgent and short on time, which gave her the excuse to do so. Her mind went back to last night after Malfoy's head disappeared in a whirl of green tinged flames.

"Hermione, what's going on?"

Hermione looked at Harry warily. Really, she was too tired for this. All she wanted was a normal, ordinary night after work - her dinner with Harry filled with monotonous conversation and relaxation afterwards. Life refused to be ordinary with Malfoy around.

"Malfoy hired me for a case," she replied, unwrapping a set of throw away chopsticks that came with the food Harry brought. It was Thai, her favorite.

Harry did not reply. When she glanced up, he was staring into his paper box of fried rice. He scooped up a mouthful and began to chew.

Hermione turned back to her chopsticks. Unlike Ron, who tended to react right after he heard something, Harry was the opposite. He was more like her. They both needed time to process what they just heard. She rolled her chopsticks together between her palms and split them open. She hated it when they split unevenly.

"How do you do it?" Harry finally asked.

"Do what?"

"Be so forgiving."

"I –"

"Don't try to deny it. Here I am, everyday working and seeing every horror the magical world has to offer. And I know that the stuff you cover on your cases can be more horrifying. You know yourself that you have seen more terrible stuff than I have. You're the one who sent me that case of the stalker-turned-patient who kept on leaving death notes on the muggleborn healer's door. After all these years, how do you still feel like it's still worth it?"

"Having Malfoy as my client doesn't necessarily mean that I forgave him, Harry."

Harry nodded mutely, still staring into his food.

"Well, at least he pays me well," she said, trying to lighten the mood. Harry had rolled his eyes and thankfully turned his attention back to food.

Maybe she should find out a way to direct Malfoy onto one of her partners. Ever since he came in and requested for legal help, her life had gotten so confusing.

"Granger, did you hear a word of what I just said?" Malfoy was looking at her, irritation clear on his features.

"Until when do we have time?" she asked, getting ready to take notes.

"Apparently they won't publish my condition until next month if we endorse them a portion of what they negotiated at first by this week. What's frustrating is that they won't give me any names, only a Gringotts bank account for me to order the deposits into. I've already tried running the account with the goblins, but it was a top security vault like the ones old families use to protect their property. They won't give me a name. It's going to hard trying to catch who is behind this."

Malfoy ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a huff. She hadn't seen him this frustrated since when they were young.

"Did they suggest how much of the stocks they require before this week ends?" she asked, trying to find a loophole behind Witch Weekly's threats.

"If we endorse a portion of your stocks in such a way that if we find a loophole, we will be able to get them back."

"They didn't specify how much. I guess your method might work, given the current circumstances." Malfoy seemed to be deep in thought. "I'll talk with my funds manager about it," he said.

He dropped heavily into one of the chairs in front of her desk. They were white, to match the décor. Hermione had made sure that the chairs were comfortable when she first designed her office, hoping to provide some sort of comfort to potential clients. Now, she just wished that she had bought the most uncomfortable chairs possible. Only if something as inane as hard chairs could get Malfoy out of her office fast enough.

"Look Granger." Malfoy's staring was doing nothing to help relieve her headache. "Can't we just file a complaint for defamation or something like that? One of my legal advisers brought it up, and I've seen cases of it used in muggle society."

Malfoy was well researched, Hermione had to give him that.

"Wizarding laws are vague concerning when you can file an official case on it," she replied, handing him a sheaf of parchment with her notes. When she heard Malfoy's case yesterday, defamation had been the first thing that had popped into her mind. After all, it was quite common when she was young to read articles about a celebrity suing a newspaper company over defamation.

"Wizarding laws allow claims against defamation to be made in government-approved news sources, excluding opinion pieces or other magazines. I don't know what kind of shallow old wizards thought that it would be smart to differentiate between them." Hermione let out a huff. Malfoy looked annoyed, rifling through the papers she had given him. "Also, they only allow you to sue if you can prove that the information the other party holds is fake, which in our case, is not."

Malfoy let out another of his growl-ish sighs. "Then we can't take action against what they're trying to print against me? Since Witch Weekly is a gossip magazine and I'm an actual werewolf?"

Hermione nodded. "For now, yes. Whoever is trying to threaten you did their law research. But I'm trying to find a way to go against how they blackmailed you. My team will look into corporate law and approach this as a case between two companies. Witch Weekly is trying to defame you on the surface, but it's also connected to your potions company as well."

Malfoy gave her a slow nod, as if he couldn't see where she was heading. He always did like to be one step ahead of everybody.

"I think that is a legitimate approach, Granger. Would there be a way to keep all of this out of the press?"

Rifling through her drawers, Hermione took out a fresh sheet of parchment and began jotting down names.

"I am not an expert in corporate law, as I focus more on civil rights. Here is a list of my colleagues who are more than compatible with your case. If you want, I can ask them to take over the detailed process. I- "

"No."

Hermione looked up at him. His face was tense, his body rigid in the white chair.

"What's the matter? They are almost the best lawyers in corporate law. I can guarantee that my colleagues will not leak information or intentionally try to sabotage your case because of who you are. If it bothers you, I can help you have anonymous meetings with them as well."

Malfoy did not relax. "It's not because of how competent they are, Granger." He pulled his hair back from his forehead, emphasizing his widow's peak. Hermione briefly wondered whether Malfoy men went bald. They probably didn't have any hair problems, considering their superior genes. Seriously.

"They need to be the best, with you stampeding over their heads every passing hour," he muttered. Hermione glared at him.

"Anyway, it's not because I don't believe that they're skilled enough. I don't want to risk any more exposure, no matter how trustworthy your lawyers are."

Malfoy stood up, rearranging his robes so that they fell neatly over his body. They were immaculate as always.

"I'm not the best lawyer for your case, Malfoy," she argued, standing up as well. "Isn't that what you want? To have the best and win the case? Why would you throw this away?"

Malfoy looked deeply amused.

"I never thought that I would hear those words coming out of your mouth, Granger," he said, walking towards the door of her office. "We both know that you already know corporate law, at least as much as those commonplace lawyers know. You're just saying you're not the best because you didn't spend as much time on it."

He stopped in front of her door.

"I'll expect another approach to be constructed by our next meeting. I'll bring some of my legal representatives over with me. Owl me when you're done."

With that, Malfoy swirled out of her office, leaving only the faint sound of the door closing behind him.