"Would you like to visit the training center? I usually try to get in at least an hour after work, but since we don't have much going on this afternoon, perhaps we could get in there now?" It was only two, but we didn't have much else to go over in the office.

It was expected of partners to train together a bit, but it wasn't a requirement to do so often. Ron never wanted to train at all, let alone with me, so I didn't have high expectations of a response. If he said no, I would simply do it after work like normal. I liked staying in shape and it helped me feel confident in intense situations.

He perked up a bit. "Yes, please. As much as it pains me to say it, Potter is right. I haven't dueled or sparred with you really at all, unless you count that time you punched me," He raised his brow at me and I flushed crimson. "I feel it's important to know how your partner fights and how we can work together should the need to use those skills arise."

I was pleased that he understood the importance of the physical aspect of our chosen career. "Did you practice often with your partner in Paris?" I asked as we made our way down to the basement training center.

"Yeah, daily actually. It's much more enjoyable to work out when you've got someone to talk to and we dueled at least once a week, sometimes twice."

He hadn't spoken much about his partner and I was curious. "Did you like your partner? Was it hard to leave?"

He seemed to think it over. "We got along great actually. His name is Kip and he's getting pretty close to retiring from field work and working in more of a mentoring capacity. It was a good partnership and I learned a lot of skills from him that you can really only learn in the field when the situations arise. I'm thankful for the experience."

I made a sound of understanding. It was becoming clear that not only had Malfoy matured, but he seemed to have gained a lot of valuable experience in his time away. The likelihood of this partnership working out were rising by the second.

We each went to our respective changing room and I rummaged through my duffle for a change of clothes. As much as I had come to enjoy looking nice, I also loved the feel of a good pair of tight-fitting yoga pants. I pulled on a pair now along with a sports bra and my trainers. The last thing to do was pull my hair up into braid and I was ready to go.

Draco was already waiting in athletic shorts and a well-fitting tank top. I was thrown off for a second by the muscles rippling his arms and chest. Yes, he certainly spent a great deal more time in the gym than Ron did.

With that thought I mentally chastised myself for two reasons. One, I had no right to be judging his body or reason for noticing. Second, I really needed to stop comparing him to Ron. There really wasn't a comparison between the two. They were such different people, they just both happened to be my partner at some point. I was quickly realizing however, that the two experiences were going to be vastly different.

He appraised me for second. "Well, Granger, this is your show here. Do you want to take me through what you normally do and then maybe we can spar a bit?"

I nodded. The thought of sparring with Malfoy did funny things to my insides. "Sure. I usually do the equipment first. Let's do some warm up stretching and then it's an arm day for me."

He tagged along as we made our way to the treadmills for ten minutes to warm up followed by ten minutes of stretching.

We arrived at the pull up bar first. "I like to get this one out of the way."

He just shrugged and reached for the bar. I positioned myself and jumped to reach mine.

"I forgot how short you are, especially now that you've ditched the heels."

"Well, we can't all be six feet." I wasn't sure when it had happened, but it seemed that he towered over me these days.

He simply chuckled and matched me move for move on the pull up bar. "Merlin, Granger. How many do you typically do?"

I tilted my head to the side as I dropped down, landing lightly on the balls of my feet. "Three reps of ten."

He was clearly impressed. "We only had one female on the team in Paris. Her max was five."

"Well, I've learned I can't rely on others to save me so I need to be in top physical condition to save myself."

His face fell at that. "It's not bad to be self-sufficient, but I really am sorry you've had such an awful partner. I hope to change your impression of what it's like to work as an actual team."

"Challenge accepted, Malfoy. Let's keep going."

We moved through the gym and spent the next 45 minutes on the equipment. By this point we were both sweating.

Malfoy took his shirt off and wiped his face. "Up for some sparring?"

I was momentarily dazed by his body. I was never one to ogle and rarely stopped to appreciate the opposite gender, but this was a sight worth seeing and even I couldn't ignore it.

Shaking my head to clear it, I said, "Yes, of course. I'd like to get to know your fighting style."

Harry had done a lot to revamp the training program here. Weights and dueling had always been a part of it, but sparring was a new edition. Other programs around Europe had adopted the regimen when it worked so well here. As wizards it was easy to rely on your wand, but it made us vulnerable too. Being able to fight back in the event our wand was out of reach or broken was an imperative skill to have.

Malfoy and I circled each other. He was holding back from making the first move. "What's wrong, Malfoy? Afraid to have your arse handed to you by a girl?"

The taunting worked and he struck. I ducked expertly.

We were both focused as we danced around the mat, striking occasionally. I continued to dodge and move out of Malfoy's grasp. I got a couple good shots in myself that landed expertly.

It had been several minutes and I was starting to realize he was holding back. So, with his next punch, I grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back. I straddled him, pinning him to the ground.

The position was intimate and I tried to remind myself this was work. "Either you really suck at fighting, or you were holding back."

In one swift move, he broke from my hands that held his wrists. He placed his hands on my waist and flipped me over so our positions were reversed.

"Guilty." The crooked smile he gave was sweet and it did funny things to my insides. "I have a hard time intentionally striking a girl, even if she is expecting it and we've got spells to heal any damage."

"Good to know. Doesn't help me learn how you fight though."

"No, but I've learned you have excellent skill and form. You have to be able to take down a man a foot taller than you."

I smiled at the compliment and looked down at where our bodies connected. "Perhaps we should get up now?"

He seemed to realize in that moment that he was still straddling my hips and scrambled off, embarrassed.

"Right then. A bit more stretching then call it a day?"

I nodded, using my towel to wipe the sweat from my neck and chest. He did the same and I swear I saw him following my movements. That couldn't be right though. Reformed or not, Malfoy had never found me attractive.

"Sounds good. We can focus more on this and dueling this week. Then Harry should feel comfortable giving us field assignments."

"I can't wait to get back at it."

I pointed a finger at him accusingly. "Just don't go easy on me tomorrow. We need to work together and build trust. I can't do that if you're holding back."

"Alright, alright." He held his hands up defensively as we walked back towards the changing rooms.

It was close enough to quitting time so we said our goodbyes and headed home.