If you never ask questions

You'll never hear truths

I don't own this story.

So kindly don't sue.

Seven Years Since Hogwarts

Chapter 3: Take Your Bull and Shove It!

Two days later, Narcissa opened the door to see the family's young lawyer standing on the front walk, her daughter skipping around their suitcases.

"Draco! Blaise is at the door for you!" Narcissa shouted up the hall. Clara popped her head through the bars of the banister and let out an excited yelp.

"Emi!" She called sprinting down the stairs. Narcissa shot her a stern look of disapproval, which made her slow to a trot. Narcissa caught her up in her arms at the bottom step and rolled her eyes.

"What would your father say?" Clara began to giggle as Narcissa placed her down. Clara immediately caught Emily's hand in hers and pulled her up the steps, chattering wildly about everything under the sun to the older girl. Draco passed the two on his way into the entrance hall, and gave them approving glances. Draco's hand slid along the wood until he had reached the bottom step. He walked to the door and leaned on it casually.

"Hello Blaise. And what pray tell brings you to my humble abode?" Blaise laughed as though the thought of anything at the Malfoys being humble was ridiculous, which in a way, it was.

"I need to borrow your mother." Draco glanced down at the suitcases.

"It appears to me like you need to borrow the whole house."

Blaise heaved in guilt. "You got me there. But it's not like it isn't big enough."

Draco leaned further onto the door. "Come on in. We'll talk there."

Draco pulled out his wand and levitated the bags inside by the door. Then he lead Blaise into the kitchen, where several bar stools had been put up.

"Draco. I just want my daughter to have some friends. Maybe even a real family. I could even pay rent."

Draco began to laugh. "Blaise. The house is big. Big and lonely. Besides, I'd never make you pay rent. It's not like it isn't big enough." Blaise smiled knowingly. She was silly to think he wouldn't take her and Emily in. She was silly to think Draco would force her to pay. But that was the Draco she'd always known. He seemed so different now.

"Alright. Just so long as your mother doesn't raise her like she raised you."

"And what, Ms. Zambini, is that supposed to mean?"

Blaise sighed. "I'afraidid you know exactly what it means. It means she can't make her prejudice. In the world todaypettydy racism just holds you back. And that's a fact. Even if I did still hate Muggleborns, it does my kid no justice if she does." Blaise paused for a moment to search Draco's eyes. "I can see however that you do."

"I guess you could call it resentment for being happy. I saw Ron's wife the other day." Blaise grinned. A house elf came in and served her a glass of milk, to which Blaise thanked him deeply.

"You mean the weird one who used to have blue hair?" Blaise asked, drinking from her glass.

"Blaise, are yoinsinuatingng that Mr. Weasley is bigamistst?" Blaise tried to contain her laughterconsequentlyly shooting milk out her nose. Draco just smiled. He thought for a moment about the two of them, but then he realized how much more like a sister to him she was. They were best friends roommates as of late, but not romantically attached whatsoever. It would never work. He'd still have to ask out Hermione.

-----

Draco found himself standing before the door of Hermione's office, a box of chocolate in his hand. He knew he was crazy, but he had to try. 'For the sake of my kids,' he thought, 'for the sake of my kids.'

Hermione looked up from her desk to see the silhouettete of a man outside her door. At first she ignored him, assuming he was reading the various memos posted there, but quickly realized that they were here to see her.

"Come in any time you feel like it!" Hermione yelled to the shadow. Draco breathed deep. It was definitely her alright. The voice was still the same, maybe warmer thanusuall, but still belonging to the same person. Draco tapped his fingers nervously on the copper handle. He knew he only had one shot at this. Only one conversation before she was out of his life forever. Draco turned the handle, all of his apprehension turning swiftly to raw energy.

As Draco entered the room he noticed that Hermione herself had changed a great deal. Her hair was no longer bushy, but pleasantly curly and it appeared to have actually been brushed. But Hermione met him with the same stiff decorum she would've greeted Snape with.

"Good day Mr. Malfoy, how may I help you?" Hermione managed to spurt between grinding teeth.

"That's bad for you you know," Draco mentioned.

"Since when did you care what's bad for me?" Hermione looked up at him and began to sip her black tea.

"Since I need a girlfriend." Draco could see her reach for tissues as the hot liquid shot out of her nostrils.

Draco placed the box of chocolates on her desk. Hermione looked past him to see that in the hall, Neville, Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Lee were all placing bets on how long it would take her to kick him out. "Could you please close the door?" Hermione askedearnestlyy.

Draco closed it and quickly sat down, afraid that if he didn't, Hermione might make Ron win the bet. (Ronald had guessed that the conversation would last thirty seconds tops.)

"Alright, Hermione, here's the deal. As you are probably well aware I amrecentlyy divorced. . ." Hermione nodded that she was indeed aware. ". . .and have three kids." Hermione tried tostiflee a laugh, she was curious as to his suddendesperationn. "But what you might not know is that I'm seeing a councilor who insisted I start dating. And you're the only single girl I know." Hermione immediately stopped laughing. Draco was being serious about dating her.

"What makes you even think I would accept an offer like that!" Hermione spat. Through her window she could see new beats being placed.

"I didn't."

"Malfoy, take that bull and shove it up your obicularis oris. An then you might like to leave my office."

Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Ms. Granger, don't act like this is such a shock. It's not like you aren't brilliant enough, or, dare I admit it, sexy in your own way. It just so happens that we've always hated each other. So, why don't you just agree." Hermione grabbed a stack of papers and leaned over her desk to hit him on the head with it.

"Let's get one thing straight, I am not sexy!" Draco smirked at her, leaned in until there was only an inch between their lips and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"Don't get your hopes up on me kissing you." Hermione grabbed his hand and placed it on his own cheek.

"What must I do to make you leave?" Hermione whined faintly.

"Go out with me," he dared boldly for the third time. Hermione sat back into her chair and Draco did the same.

"Alright. If you can find one thing we have in common, I'll agree to dinner." A smirk appeared on his lips.

"We both agree that Snape hates Harry."

"Nope. That's a fact. It has to be an opinion."

Hermione crossed her arms at him as if to say 'try again. That wasn't nearly good enough.'

'But why not?' Draco's eyes teased playfully back.

'Because I'm looking for an excuse not to date you.'

'Ah, I fully understand now. No problem, I'll just try harder.'

"We both agree that I deserve to be alone," Draco finally said.

"That's still a fact," she spit in annoyance.

"Tsk. Tsk. Be nice." Draco thought about it a moment. "This is impossible. We'll never agree on anything."

"Exactly." Hermione smiled. He'd given up, which meant that she had won. She looked over expecting Draco's face to be sullen, but it wasn't. He didn't even look remotely downcast.

"You just agreed with me," Draco chimed.

"Shoot!" She screeched.

Draco grinned broadly, he'd done it. Hermione agreed. "Well, goodbye then sweety." Draco got up and left the office, a stapler hitting the door behind him. Hermione crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair.

"God I hate him."

Ron came rampaging into Hermione's office. Seamus, Neville, and Harry, came in shortly afterward, though Ginny kept trying to pull Harry out again, telling him that Draco was just kidding and not to worry.

"DRACO JUST SAID YOU WERE DATING HIM!" Ron screamed.

"Ron, the entire ministry can hear you. And if you don't mind, I don't exactly want that common knowledge."

'Mental note to self: Draco is an ostentatious prat and I should pour cyanide into his expensive wine at dinner.' Ginny let go of Harry's arm and let him run into the room. Neville simply fainted.

"So it's true? You're really dating Malfoy?" Harry probed.

"Quite," Hermione sighed. Seamus knelt down and began to revive Neville, Dean took out a quill and began to take notes.

"And how did that happen? I mean, he's a slimy, praty, gitty, gritty, no good, rotten. . ."

"Ron," said Harry. "We get the idea."

Hermione smiled at how defensive her friends were getting about all this. "Dean stop writing." Dean obeyed immediately, shoving the quill in the pocket of his yellow robes, which began to reveal that his quill was leaking. "It's quite strange really. But I told him I would go out with him if he found something we had in common. After all, I thought we had nothing. . .Then he says that we'll never agree on anything. Which is right. So now I have to go out with him. DEAN! I thought I told you no notes! I don't want this public knowledge!" Hermione shouted.

"Then you shouldn't have been screaming," Wellington, another Auror said into her room.

"Thanks for the advice. I'm sure it'll help me now," Hermione replied sarcastically.

Dobby entered the crowded office. Hermione had hired him as her personal assistant after she left Hogwarts. Dobby walked up to her desk and placed a letter in her hand.

"An owl came Miss. Dobby was a good house-elf and came straight away." Dobby bowed low looking very odd in his mismatched socks and suit. Hermione smiled at him and began opening the letter.

"Hello Hermione.

I was thinking that maybe we could exchange dinner with a little excursion. Clara, Johnathan, Thomas and I were hoping you could make it this Saturday at one o'clock for a day at the carnival.

Good Bye My Dear,

Draco Malfoy.

With love and sloppy signatures,

Clara

Johnathan

Thom"

Hermione grinned at the children's signatures. She had to admit it was actually kind of cute. She was such a sucker for kids. Hermione read the card aloud to everyone in the room. Ron got very emphatic and irritable, particularly about the "My Dear" part, Harry was obviously still in shock, and Ginny snatched up the card to read the signatures.

"Aw, that's really adorable." Ginny cooed. Ron just glared at her. Dean was in the hall pretending not to be taking notes, and Seamus was still busy reviving Neville.

"Ginny, could you get down here and kiss him or something?" Seamus asked in desperation, the unconscious Neville still in his arms.

"No, I'm married. You do it."

"I'm a guy! I am not kissing Neville. Hermione?" Seamus whined. He looked up at her expectantly when she didn't answer him. Hermione looked down and pretended there was something dreadfully interesting about the floor by her feet. Seamus just groaned at the lack of help the girls were giving him.

"Seamus, you're a big boy now, why don't you just take him to the medi-witch?" Carmen, who'd suddenly appeared in Hermione's office next to Ron, said.

"Because Carmen, while I may be a big boy, Neville is a big boy. I can't lift him." Seamus looked at her hopelessly.

"Gah. The incompetence of it all. Seamus, you're a wizard. Wingardium Leviosa?" Seamus came to a sudden realization that she was right and lifted Neville with his wand and walked out of the room.

Dobby entered the room again this time weighted down by a huge bouquet of long stemmed white roses. Dobby placed them on the desk. Carmen looked more amused than usual at the sight of the flowers. Hermione gave Dobby a sickle from her pocket for all the trouble Draco was putting him through and smelt the roses. They smelled absolutely heavenly. Hermione handed them over to Ginny and took back the note. Hermione quickly scrawled something to Draco and sent it out with Dobby.

The letter was carried by Hermione's tawny owl Lucion all the way to the Malfoy mansion. Lucion tapped his beak on the window of Draco's upstairs office. Draco quickly got up and opened the window for him. Grateful that he wasn't carrying a bouquet of smashed roses, Draco took the letter.

"Draco. Could you tone it down a little? Everyone's still in my office." Draco laughed at the thought of everyone crowded into the fairly small room with Burgundy couches screaming at her to tell them why she would be so foolish as to date a Malfoy.

Draco looked over at his office door. The house had grown very quiet since Blaise went off to work. He nearly hit himself on the head. He'd forgotten to tell Hermione that Emily and Blaise were coming. Of course that was only to keep Clara from throwing a tantrum and because he wanted to escape an actual date with Hermione.