two months ago.

The ministry was a buzz this Friday morning as witches and wizards came into their offices for another day of work. Some old, some young. Among them were familiar faces saying hello along with new faces coming in for meetings or interviews. Always full of life and commotion.

A young couple walked through the floo in a rush, ready to take on the day and happy to be in each others company. Draco Malfoy, no longer a long time bachelor, and Hermione Granger, the young prodigy, walked towards the lifts hand in hand discussing that morning's Daily Prophet.

As they reached the lifts, they both smiled at the familiar faces of their friends. Harry Potter, who was the head of the MLE, his wife, Daphne Greengrass, the head of a fashion column for the Daily Prophet, and Blaise Zabini, who worked for Malfoy Apothocary alongside his best mate. Behind him stood Pansy Parkinson and Astoria Greengrass, both there for a meeting on one of the upper levels.

Hermione and Draco politely said hello and joined them in the lifts.

"So, Draco, are you coming to the Ministry Quidditch match for the charity game next month or are you going to skip out on us this year?" Harry said with a humorous tone.

Draco turned to him with his trademark smirk plastered across his face. "Eager to loose this year Potter? You should know better than to think I'd miss a chance to put the boy wonder in his place!"

Hermione lightly smacked his arm and mumbled, "boys" under her breath.

Draco mocked physical harm as he looked down at her, "That's domestic abuse! I'll have you know you've just attacked a Malfoy!"

The lifts came to a stop on Hermione's floor and without a second glance behind her, she simply said, "Too bad you made me a Malfoy as well." No one could see but she too had a smirk upon her face and she headed towards her office.

Back in the lifts Blaise let out a barking laugh and put his hands on Draco's shoulders.

"You know mate," he said well still laughing, "she's not at all wrong. You did it to yourself by marrying the witch". Blaise then continued to laugh and stepped around his boss to follow Hermione.

Draco hung his head and laughed to himself as he knew his best friend was right. Not a single person saw the glare that Astoria Greengrass gave the back of the brunettes head as the lifts doors shut and headed upwards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco Malfoy sat in his office, piles of paperwork covering his desk and giving him a steady headache. He was just finishing up the details on a contract with St.Mungos when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in", he stated, slightly irritated at the interruption, not bothered to look up.

The door opened to reveal Astoria Greengrass. She was dressed in a tight black skirt and green blouse with her black hair pin straight as usual. With her she carried a few folders of paperwork and a chocolate muffin she had gotten from the Cafe. She sauntered into his office, eventually coming to lean across his desk towards him, and set the muffin in front of his face.

"Busy this morning are you?" She smiled as he looked up. Draco gave her a friendly smile and sat back in his chair.

"Just slightly irritated at all of... this," he said gesturing to the cause of his headache.

"You work so hard, would be a shame to miss breakfast and have to go home early today. Maybe you could use a break from here." She slowly perched herself on the corner of his desk as she spoke, crossing her legs and sticking her chest slightly towards him. Draco did not see to notice this and popped a piece of muffin into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

"You know I can't leave Stori, I own the company. If I were to leave, Blaise would think he could make his own schedule, and trust me, he would never be here on time. Hermione would have his head and then my own. Thank you for the muffin though, we were running a bit late this morning and only had time to run out the door. Hermione wants me to be home in time tonight but i just don't see it happening." He popped another peice of muffin into his mouth, glancing down at his papers once more.

"That doesn't mean you still don't work too hard. You really should take a break. We are heading to the pubs in muggle London next Friday for my birthday and I'd love it if you could come. It would be just like the old days when we hung out. Pansy and Blaise have already agreed to come and I'm sure my sister will make it. A Slytherin outing for old friends."

She leaned slightly closer as she spoke, slowly showing a bit more cleavage than that of a respectable witch.

Draco looked up at her with a curious look.

"Just Slytherins?"

"Just Slytherins."

"No Gryffindors?"

"They couldn't keep up with us if they tried." Astoria smirked and threw her hair over her shoulder. "Besides, it's my birthday and I want to have fun with old friends."

Draco sighed and rubbed a hand against his face. "I'll have to ask Hermione if we have plans that night, we've been so busy I can't even remember what is happening tomorrow, let alone next week."

Astoria rolled her eyes and sighed before speaking. "You know Draco, you don't always have to ask her for permission. It's not as if she has you on a leash keeping you away from friends. It is your company, is it not?"

He was about to reply when another knock rattled his door frame. As he looked up, he saw his beautiful wife with even more paperwork in her hands. He closed his eyes and let out a breath of annoyance. Not towards her, but in knowing he was not going to leave his office on time yet again.

Hermione gave Astoria a questioning look as she walked in, wondering why the younger witch was perched upon her husband's desk. Astoria put her feet back on the ground and turned to him one last time before leaving, "Just think about it."

She grabbed her folders and left his office but not after shooting Hermione a fake smile as she did.

Hermione set the files down on top of a stack she knew to be untouched as she walked around the desk to her husband. He turned his chair and pulled her down to sit in his lap, nuzzling his face into her hair. She gently put her arms around him and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't want to work anymore. I just want to take you home and never see this desk again." He left gentle kisses along her neck as he said this.

She laughed at his antics and pulled away enough to kiss him on his lips softly.

"You know we can't leave yet. These need to be finished and they would be if you put all your effort into them instead of talking." She stood from his lap, despite his efforts to keep her with him. "I'm going back to my office to finish up before my meeting with our investors and you are going to power through this to get home on time tonight."

Draco squinted his eyes in confusion. "Why are you so insistent on me making it home tonight? You know I have to work late to make up for missing earlier this week from being sick."

Hermione put her hands on his desk and stared into his eyes, confident and almost scary as she spoke. "Tonight is our ten year wedding aniversary dinner, or have you forgotton." Her tone almost deadly.

He had forgotten, but he was not about to tell her that.

Draco swallowed before he spoke as not to stutter. "No ma'am I did not, I will be at the resturant on time, not a minute late."

She stood and smiled sweetly at him as if nothing had happened. "Well I best be off! I'll see you tonight." She walked out the way she had came and Draco let out a breathy, relieved laugh.

He looked back down at his paper work, a bit more light in his eyes and mumbled, "That woman will be the death of me".

Needless to say, Draco Malfoy finished his work for the day on time.