A/N: First off I would like to thank all of you for reading this far, and give a special thanks to those of you who left me a review, this story sat on my computer for a long time because I was so afraid it was terrible and your kind words have really encouraged me to keep writing and posting so thank you so so much. Really.

Secondly, this is my first time writing or posting a Fan Fiction, so please if you see any blaring issues please message me or leave a comment, I don't really know what I'm doing so I'm always open help! That being said please be kind, I'm true Hufflepuff in that I care probably a little to much, and I tend to take things to personally (thought I'm not sure if the latter is a Hufflepuff trait).

Third, I should be uploading chapters on a regular basis, I'm aiming for Tuesday's where I am. I have up to chapter 22 written, and edited. (Shout out to my husband who edits this for me) As of this moment it looks like there will be give or take 35 chapters, and once I finish it, all I might just throw it all up and let you guys have at it. Lemme know what you think, I know I hate waiting for uploads but I maybe one of the few I don't do well with suspense.

Love, Momma Badger

Chapter 7

Draco lay in bed that Saturday evening, trying desperately not to think of the almost that had happened the previous night. He punched his pillow as the moment ran through his brain over and over again. Merlin's beard! Why did I kiss her?! But the image of her soft lips swept over his eyes.

"Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost his." He could almost hear Hermione's eleven year old voice in his ears.

She looked at him as she stood in the compartment door, he was alone. Crab and Goyle went to find the snack trolley even though Draco had told them it was coming. "Who are you?" Draco cringed at the harshness of his prepubescent voice.

She gave him a stern look. "Hermione, Hermione Granger. And you are?"

Draco gave her a reproachful look. "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Hermione's eye widened, "Malfoy, I've read about you. Your family dates back very far, and has had some significant roles is Wizarding society."

Draco gave her a proud smirk. "Yes, we are quiet a powerful and influential family." Draco looked over her, she was cute for a eleven year old girl, and obviously well read and intelligent too.

"Well, if you see a toad, Neville is in compartment thirty-six" She nodded and pranced off to the next compartment

"Okay." Draco mumbled as he watched the young witch's unruly curls spring after her, hoping she would be sorted in to Slytherin.

But she wasn't, and Draco watched Hermione from afar, sitting behind her in classes so he could stare at her as she bounced off her chair to answer questions and watch her laugh with Potter and Weasel. It wasn't until a few weeks in to classes before Draco even knew she was muggleborn. Parkinson made some joke about it, crushing any hopes Draco had of romance with Granger. His parents may forgive a Gryffindor, but they would never allow a muggleborn. Draco cringed again. After that moment he did everything in his power to suppress his attraction to her, he tried hard to convince himself that she was beneath him.

That year Draco went home for Christmas, as he stepped off the Hogwarts Express on to Platfrom 9 ¾ he looked around for his parents, instead Nibsy's shrill voice cut through the thinning crowd. "Young master Draco, Nibsy has come to pick you up!" Over Nibsy's shoulder Draco watched Hermione hug her mother and father, both of her parents had come to take their daughter home for the holidays. Hermione looked over at Draco and Nibsy with a sad look on her face, Draco sneered back at her and then barked at Nibsy to retrieve his things. Hoping that Hermione had not caught his longing look before he realized his mistake.

Nibsy was back a few moments later with Draco's luggage, and they apparated back to the foyer, where Draco's mother waited for him impatiently. "Draco! My Dear! Oh how I've missed you. You must tell me everything, your friends, classes, everything!" His mother gushed hugging him tightly and kissing him. "Oh how I missed you." She whispered sweetly in his ear.

"Dearest, I'm sure that nothing has changed much in the two days you haven't had an owl from him." Lucius' voice was cold and crisp.

Draco felt his mother tense as if her husbands words were a bath of ice water washing over her. "Of course, Darling." She let go of Draco and smoothed out her already flawless robes, her voice eerily echoing Lucius'. "Come Draco, dinner will be done soon."

At dinner Draco sat silent until spoken to, as he was expected to do. Lucius finally addressed him. "Draco, how are you ranking thus far?"

Draco smirked to himself. "Fine, father, I'm so far second in the year."

"Second? Pray tell, who is first?" Lucius cocked his eyebrow at a threatening level.

Draco blood ran cold at the spike of Lucius' eyebrow. "A girl in Gryfindor," he said with a believable nonchalance.

"Really?" Lucius drew out. "Who is she?"

"Hermione Granger." Draco gathered himself, saying her name gave a surge of courage. "She's quite annoying, always asking the professors questions, and bouncing off her seat to the answer professor's when they quiz us. She's like a book really, she just knows everything. She's easily the smartest girl in our class, and she has this unruly, unkempt, mane of curls so it's easy to pick her out of the crow..." Draco stopped just now noticing the look on his mothers face begging him to stop while he had a chance.

"And her lineage?" Lucius growled now glowering at his son.

Draco froze he had no idea what to do, apparently it was obvious to them that he had a crush on Hermione, and if his father knew, Draco would would be punished. Then without warning, as if his father could read his mind, Lucius stood up and back handed Draco so hard that Draco fell from his chair. "Father, please, no!" Draco pleaded but it was too late.

Draco's cheek had a phantom ache from where his father's family crest had struck his cheek. A small scar was the only indication of the that particular beating, even though that was far from the only thing Lucius did that night. Draco was still various colors of yellow and green on Christmas, there were certainly salves and potions to help heal injuries of that nature but the elves were forbidden to comfort or soothe Draco of any of his beating unless they were visible and Draco was to be in the public eye. Draco had become very adept at compartmentalizing as he grew, and the beatings became less and less as he learned to carefully pick his words and actions. When Draco went back to Hogwarts after holiday, he did everything in his power to avoid Hermione all together, and the moments that she was near him, he became cruel, fearing for his safety. Simultaneously destroying any chance to pursue Hermione he'd ever have. Draco hated his father, for so many more reasons that this, but right now Draco hated Lucius to his core. Hermione was amazing, and he'd never get to tell her.

Hermione pretty much went through Sunday in haze of confusion. Weasley's left and right asking her what was wrong, her nerves were spring loaded waiting for anyone to confront her about Malfoy. Hermione already threatened Ginny into silence with a few choice memories from her hen's night. Harry, being the most intuitive of all her friends, cornered Hermione insisting that whatever it was is would be okay to tell him she laughed at him. If he really knew what had happened the things Malfoy had said and did-or worse the things she wanted Malfoy to do, she shivered at the thought- Malfoy would see a side of Harry that not even Voldemort had seen. So she had kissed him on the cheek and told him it was really nothing, because it was nothing. Wasn't it?

Which brought Hermione to Monday morning returning to her office, a safe space where she knew that thoughts of Malfoy would be pushed out by work and memos. She sat down and immediately started on her Werewolf files, going over them with intense scrutiny, and taking extensive notes. She had just finished her third file after lunch and figured she had time for another one before she would go home and work on it some more. She opened the file and nearly jumped out of her seat when she saw the smirk of Draco Malfoy looking back up at her. This can't be right?! Hermione pushed the photo aside and looked at the name of the file and sure enough Draco Malfoy was scrawled across the top of the page with Bitten by: Fenrir Greyback written just under Malfoy's name. Hermione's mind went blank and for a moment, all she could do was stare at the photo of Malfoy smirking at her as if she were a first year again.

She hastily picked up the file and rushed to Mr. Batemans office, barely giving him time to answer after she knocked Hermione spilled into his office. "Mr. Bateman, I can't take Malfoy's case, I just can't," she blurted out at him.

"Hello to you too, Miss Granger." Mr. Bateman half greeted her, still looking over the paper work in his hand, his feet casually kicked up on to his desk reclining back into him chair. " And yes, you will take that one, the minster himself specified that."

"And when were you going to tell me that?!" Hermione spat back at him, regretting her tone as Mr. Bateman looked up and gave a her serious look. "Mr. Bateman, sir, with all due respect." As if tacking on these few other words would soothe his look.

Mr. Bateman went back to his files. "Look, you were going to fight me on it either way, and letting you figure it out just kicked this conversation down the road, and some of us have things to do other than get testy with our boss, Miss Granger."

Hermione bristled at the accusation. "Yes, Mr. Bateman, but surely a heads up would have been nice."

"Miss Granger, need I remind you who is the boss here?" questioned Mr. Bateman.

Hermione curled her fingers in to a fist, tilted her head to the side and let out a slow breath. "Mr. Bateman, I do not think you understand the circumstances that Malfoy and I have between us, there is simply no way I can work with him."

"Granger," Bateman said in a sharp voice. "You are a bloody adult and you need to handle this like one, working with Malfoy came from over my head. So deal with it."

Hermione looked shocked, but finally acquiesced. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Bateman." She turned on her heel and left the office.

When she got back she delved in to Malfoy's files, looking into his various friends and family ties, though it seemed a majority of them were in Azkaban or lost in the war, when she came across some of the dictations form his sentencing.

Pross: Mister Malfoy, did you take the Dark Mark?

Def: No.

Pross: Why, then, did you threaten to kill Albus Dumbledore, and let Death Eaters in to Hogwarts on June 30th 1997?

Def: I was threatened by Lord Voldemort.

Pross: But Surely Voldemort wouldn't have had just anyone fulfill this task. Why you?

Def: Because he was looking to punish my parents further.

Pross: Further? Please elaborate.

Def: Look, he already had Fenrir bite me for my father not getting the stupid prophecy.

Hermione read that last sentence over and over again, even though the text went on. Harry was wrong, they had always assumed that Malfoy had the Dark Mark, instead he was bitten, and now he was a werewolf. That was why his Wizengamot was closed to audience, and that was why his sentencing was so light in comparison to others and they must have registered Malfoy on the werewolf register after this discovery. Hermione leaned back in her chair. Was that why he was such a loner all of eighth year, why he really looked so sickly all of their sixth year? He was still adjusting to being a werewolf. Hermione heart swelled with pity. Malfoy couldn't catch a break, first being abused by his father, then being bitten by a werewolf for his father failing at something Malfoy had nothing to do with, and finally being forced to serve the man who ordered his attack. He never stood a chance...

She stood up and popped her head out of her office, "Melody, would you please send out the summons to my cases? I would like to see each of them by weeks end."

"Of course Miss. Granger! How would you like me to sign them?" Melody asked pulling a quill form her messy bun to make note.

"For now just use Bateman's name; he is the head of the department" Hermione decided.

"Yes Ma'am! I'll have them out by end of day!" Chirped Melody

"Thanks, Melody." Hermione shrank back into her office, she hated it when Ginny was right, now she had to speak to Malfoy.