I had a really shitty Thursday and writing makes me feel better so here's an early chapter! Also, I made a Tumblr so if you have one, I'm Dowling17.

I step out the floo network as Harry approaches. Relief washes over me as I contemplate what they've talked about.

"Well, she took it better than I thought she would, honestly" he says as he ruffles his hair.

"You told her that she's with me and not the Weasel?"

Thank god. My heart starts to pound and my palms become sweaty. He looks around placing his hands in his pockets.

"Well, you did that for me actually. I planned—"

I cut him off. "I did? How?"

"The necklace. Not to mention, Ron isn't as ostentatious as that ring you got her," He whistles. "She took it well, considering. She was shocked and in disbelief but she doesn't know— er— remember how far you've come, mate. Are you—" Harry stops, frowning at the pillow tucked up under my arm. "What's with the pillow?"

I feel color rushing to my face and mumble out "An experiment."

I clap his back and head off to see my girl. She still doesn't remember me but my heart is soaring. I always felt like I didn't deserve her, anyhow— she's too pure. I may have changed, but surely ex-death eaters don't get as lucky as I have been.

I look around her door to find her sleeping, remnants of a calming draught on her nightstand. Good, I only planned to plant the pillow I took and slept with last night. I gently lift her head and replace the pillow with the one that now smells like me. It may be blocked now but I know, deep down, I'm still in there. What we have goes beyond what can be remembered. We're one and the same. My heart aches for her and it becomes hard to breathe. I miss her wit and the light she brings into my life.

I step into the hall and think of the darkness before her. It was almost seven years ago that we were assigned together. My life was nothing but work, firewhiskey, and a string of one night stands. I always felt empty. I was rightfully mistrusted- only having avoided Azkaban on account of Harry. He shocked the Wizengamot by appearing to my trial to testify of my coercion into becoming a death eater to replace my father, or die along with my mother and father. He told them of how I refused to identify him in the Manor and he had asked them how they think they would have said no to Voldemort as a child, when I first took the mark.

I kept out of the way after the war apart from work and nights at the bar. When Hermione and I got paired together she had laid the law down from the moment I walked in. Without seeing me more than in passing since the war ended she had come in what was to be our office, her eyes blazing and bushy hair flying, declaring that if I placed one toe out of line then I was gone.

"I'm serious, Malfoy, Harry may think you deserve to be off the hook but I'm warning you. Another thing, you better carry your own weight! I won't be doing all the work while you just scowl about!"

We had our fights and somehow the back and forth banter and witty zingers turned my world upside down. I started to eagerly rush to work just to rile her up, to see the determination on her face and fire in her eyes. The snappy comments made way to laughter and teasing. We worked together until she was promoted to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I hadn't realized that I quit drinking and sleeping around before she left.

I laugh out loud, shaking my head. Our first kiss. With Hermione no longer as my partner, life wasn't the same. I had no one but Blaise. Of course, not counting my mother but no one brought life to my world like Hermione Granger. She made me feel. Whether her know-it-all attitude was pissing me off or her caring nature was making me second guess my entire upbringing, she showed me there was more to life than I knew. Within a week of her promotion, I showed up to her apartment, firewhiskey in hand, unable to stand straight. She had answered the door, hair wilder than humanly possible, in a robe going off about it being 3 am. I fell over and she levitated me to her couch asking what on earth I thought I was doing.

"This." I had brushed my lips against hers lightly. She had told me to go to sleep and when I woke, she was gone. She had left out a glass of water on the coffee table alongside a hangover potion and pepper-up.

I rise to my feet. A medi-wizard stops me as I turn to leave.

"Mr. Malfoy! Good to see you. I've just come to let you know that Miss Granger can be released in two days time. Her labs and tests all appear normal. No more bleeds have appeared so she'll just need a follow up in about two weeks." He smiles and shakes my hand as I give him my thanks.

I haven't even had the courage to see her awake yet and she's to be discharged to me in two days. I grab some floo powder and head into the office. It was my first week as Head of International Magical Cooperation and I've only spent a few hours a day in the office. Working from home had been easier than hearing condolences over Hermione's condition.

My assistant is waiting for me when I arrive. Jacob, I finally learned his name is.

"Anything new, Jacob?"

"Yes, sir—Miller has that report you wanted done, I've placed it on your desk and Johnson just got back from MACUSA with a full report, as well, sir." he states, his demeanor more confident than when he had first started.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I prepare to spend the rest of the day— and most of the night— catching up. A knock pulls me from my paperwork what feels like just a few minutes later, but my clock informs me that I've been filing paperwork several hours.

"Mister Potter, sir." Jacob announces.

Harry blunders past Jacob, entering my office hasitily.

"We caught the bloke!"

"What?! Who?! Where is he, Potter?" I demand. This man is going to learn exactly what happens when you piss off a Malfoy.

"Trust me, Draco. This guy is a nobody. He's just as slimy as Mundungus was. He's singing like a proverbial canary but, there's not much he knows. He was ordered to take Hermione out, by any means necessary. He's no idea who hired him, they didn't come to him directly. We verified that with veritaserum already."

For the second time this week, my world shatters. "So, what you're telling me is even though we've got the guy, my fiancée still isn't safe yet?"

My chest tightens—I can't go through this again. I can't lose her again. Memory loss she may be able to come back from, but death…

His expression darkens "She'll be safe, Draco. This guy was just a hired wand but he's cooperating nicely. I don't suppose he thought we'd be looking for him because he was caught hanging around St. Mungo's. One of the security guys glimpsed his face at the Q&A and recognized him. The threat of Azkaban nearly had him in tears."

"Take me to him." I demand darkly.

"You know I can't do that." He pauses, ruffling his hair and adds "but I can take you to the viewing area. That's it though." he warned.

We head to the lifts and wait for the voice to call for Level Two; Auror Headquarters. He steers me passed empty cubicles to an enclosed room. Through the one way glass, I can see a gruff, disheveled man in a set of tattered robes, and a trench coat. My blood boils. This git ruined my life and for what? A couple hundred galleon, if that. I'd give the entire Malfoy vault to have Hermione back with her memory.

"What information has he given up?"

"He doesn't know much, like I said; he's not the brains or the bank of this organization. He's just a pawn. He's known down Knockturn Alley for all your shady needs. Contact is made, deliver instructions and half up in a drop spot in an abandoned building then a drop when the job is done for the rest." He ruffles his hair and pauses. "I'm thinking – we let him go."

"Are you mental!?" I exclaim.

"Don't be daft, Draco." He drawls as if he's explaining something to a child. "Let him go with a tracking spell. He may not have succeeded in the way planned but The Daily Profit has had Hermione's memory loss, how they found out, I have no idea, plastered on the front page all week. They may consider job done regardless. Or make contact for another attempt. We'll have surveillance there and wait for them to come."

"This isn't over, is it?"

"I'm afraid not. Have you seen Hermione? Awake, I mean."

"I'm getting to it. I'm just –" I sigh. "Nervous." I admit.

"THE Draco Malfoy? Nervous?" He laughs. "Come on, mate. The longer you remain hidden, the harder it'll be." He claps my back.

I glance at my watch and decide to call it a night. "I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

Thanks to cls2256 and to y'all for reading! Don't forget to show some love! Follow/review. The long awaited meeting occurs next week! After that the pace will begin to pick up. Hope you enjoy. Updates on Saturdays-ish, if I can wait that long.