Chapter Four: Old Friends, New Friends

Draco Malfoy woke up to the sound of rain hitting the windows. He groaned as he dragged himself out of his four poster bed, showered, got dressed into an Italian made business suit and a matching tie before jogging down the stairs of his mansion. As he made his way into the kitchen, he couldn't help but think about the Granger girl and the things she told him.

"Draco, would you just cut it out? Nothing's going to change between us. I'm a dancer and you're just a rich employee somewhere I'm sure. We're complete opposites and I'm not looking for love right now. Thanks but no thanks. I'll survive without you."

A rich employee? Ha. He was more than that. He was the goddamn boss, but that was besides the point. The point was that she was leading a sadder life than he was and he had to somehow change that.

Why did he have to change that? Maybe it was his good natured instinct that had engulfed him since his father's death. He realized after Lucius' passing that he had controlled his son's life and that Draco didn't have to hate anyone just based on their blood ethnicity. It had once been all about the blood and all his life, Draco Malfoy had been told to not befriend anyone outside a pureblood and to despise anyone who isn't one. It took his father's death to make him realize that blood isn't everything; everyone doesn't deserve to be treated like shit just because of their blood, and power isn't everything.

Lucius had long disowned his son when Draco had dared to question Lord Voldemort and his "master plan." Draco questioned his own life as a pureblood and found out so many secrets about his father that would have surely damaged his reputation. Lucius had done what had to be done but had paid for it in the end anyway. He hadn't been there at the time of his father's death, but the personal at St. Mungos hospital told Draco that Lucius had died by the Avada Kedavra curse and he had heard witnesses, wizarding witnesses, say that he had been killed at the hands of Death Eaters. Draco remembered how angry he had been at the time. When he had gone to his funeral, he remembered not even feeling an ounce of sadness, just rage.

Draco poured himself a hot cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. Who he was and how he behaved before had nothing to do with the person he was today. He was different, not like his verbally and physically abusive father. Once Lucius passed, Draco promised himself that he wouldn't act like his father; no, he wouldn't take over what his father had created. He wouldn't hurt his children and make them feel worthless. He wouldn't lie to anyone if he could help it, and he wouldn't cheat on his wife every night she was away.

He also learned from his father's passing that muggle objects should not be shunned. They were brilliant items that any person could use. The first thing that Draco bought when he got the job at the Ministry was a telephone; a device where two people could talk to each other threw. He had been so excited, he had given everyone at the Ministry floor his phone number. Draco soon came to regret it as they called him with questions up the ying-yang. They wouldn't just call him in the evening, no… they would call him at one in the morning. Once he realized this pattern, he took his phone off the hook before he went to sleep.

Riing. Riiiiing….

He quickly stood up and picked up the device.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. I was wondering if you could come in, Boss. There's a slight emergency happening…"

Draco sighed, rubbing his temples with his free hand. "What kind of bloody emergency, exactly?"

There was an excruciatingly long pause before Draco began to lose his patience. It wasn't even past seven-thirty…

"Johnson! If you want to keep your job, you had damn well better answer me!"

"Alright, well… someone cast a spell here at the office and there are papers flying and people flying and well, it's just mass chaos in here. You should probably come in and see for yourself…"

With that, Draco hung up the phone and quickly made it to his chimney. He grabbed some of the Floo Powder and shouted "Improper Use of Magic Office!" before disappearing in a cloud of green flames.

He regained his balance again when he arrived at the business office and stepped out from the fireplace. He regretted it the minute he set foot in the office as he saw his employees being thrown against the wall by an invisible force, papers flying all over the place.

"What's going on here? Who's responsible for this chaos?"

He threw his arms up and looked around him, searching for anyone who could give him an answer.

"Sir," started Ginny Weasley with a pile of papers in her hands. "I'm so glad you're here! It's been absolute madness since about five this morning!"

Draco looked down upon her and then around the office, waving his hands in an attempt to set things right. "Ginny, let's skip the welcoming and fast forward to the part where you tell what the bloody hell is happening," He replied as he tried to calm things down a little.

"One of the employees brought in their children and they couldn't have been more than ten years old. The eldest must have had some…premature powers because he said a spell and then everything evolved into mass confusion…"

"Finite Incantatem!"

At this, the spell that was cast seemed to die out and people that were being held upside down against the wall came tumbling down onto the floor and the papers ceased to be thrown across the room. In essence, every action appeared to stop.

"Alright, now clean up this mess!" Draco turned back to Ginny as they both walked into a separate office, his office. "Who did the troublesome children belong to, Ms. Weasley?"

Ginny fumbled with papers as she searched for a name and a face. "I believe it was Pansy Parkinson, Draco."

He raised an eyebrow and felt himself let out a chuckle before exiting his office to find his ex girlfriend from Hogwarts. Draco walked quickly to the daycare nursery that was at the entrance of the building. He soon spotted the fellow ex-Slytherin as she tucked some charcoal black hair behind her ears.

"So it's your brats that caused havoc in the Improper Use Of Magic area… who's the unlucky man who has the unfortunate luck of being the father?"

Pansy set down her young son who looked to be about six years old and turned around to see Draco.

"You know that's so funny, Draco. You almost had the luck of being a father in our sixth year, I believe," Pansy replied smirking at him.

"The past is in the past. Luckily, I didn't have to father your children. So tell me, who is it? Who's the father?"

"Well if you must know, and apparently you must, it's Blaise. Blaise Zabini is the father."

Draco watched as she gently touched her daughter's forehead with a loving touch and felt himself weaken. "So is this the one who received her powers a bit early?"

He kneeled down so he was eye level with the small girl. She looked only about a year older than the boy and had Pansy's black hair, Blaise's nose and eyes, and Pansy's slim figure. Both of her children undoubtedly belonged to Blaise Zabini and it didn't surprise Draco in the least that the two would end up together. Pansy shared the same prejudice that Blaise did when it came to blood.

"Yes, it is. Her name's Christine, and this little prince's name here is Brandon," Pansy replied as she playfully messed up her son's brown hair.

Draco smiled at the two and stood up again to look at Pansy. "Make sure you keep your children in the nursery while you work. The Improper Use of Magic department gets hectic enough with little children running around."

"My apologies, Draco. I promise it will not happen again. Will it?"

Draco saw as she slightly elbowed her daughter in the back.

My god, I can't imagine Pansy actually succeeding at mothering a human being. I'd take both these poor children from her if I could.

"Be sure it doesn't. I'll see you around," he said before opening the nursery door and going back to his office.

Once he arrived back there, he locked himself in his office, grabbed a quill, and began to work on some paperwork.

Maybe I can get Granger to come and work for me. She's stubborn as all hell but she might just appreciate my offer.

It was about half eight by the time Draco got out of work. He tiredly opened his door and instantly saw a female figure sitting at a desk and immediately recognized the employee. He walked over to her.

"Ginny? I didn't think you were still here," He stated, watching her work.

The freckled face woman looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I just got to working, and I guess I wasn't really paying attention to the time. Are you going home, sir?"

The way that she talked to Draco made him feel like they were nothing more than employee and employer. She sounded so tired and casual, he felt bad for teasing her in school. Draco gave her a friendly smile and nodded.

"Yep, I am. I suggest you go home too. Work will still be here for you tomorrow."

She folded the piece of parchment and put it into an envelope before quickly addressing it and shutting off the lamp.

"You're right, sir. Thank you. Can I ask you a question now that we're both off our shift?"

Draco looked at her as he locked the main door, waiting for her to walk out first. "Yeah, sure. Shoot."

Ginny exited the doorway and began to look a bit nervous. "Why are you so nice to me, Draco? You made my life a living hell in school and now that I'm an employee, you act like we've always been friends."

Draco stopped at one of the fireplaces and turned to her. "I'm nice to you because I've gotten over myself and I've come to realize that people shouldn't be judged on blood, or their financial status. Some events have happened to me, and it made me a new person, so enjoy it," Draco kidded, smiling.

Ginny let herself grin before entering the fireplace next to Draco. He watched her disappear before entering the fireplace in front of him and flooing back to his mansion.

When he arrived at his mansion, he stood in the middle of it, only just realizing just how empty it was. It was a three bathroom, three bedroom, and five guest room house and he was the only living soul in it. He didn't even have a house elf anymore; he had gave it clothes and set it free once his father passed. Draco sighed in discontent and began walk upstairs to his room.

"How I long for another soul to share my complaints and my loneliness with…"

He fell on his bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes, and felt his eyes begin to drift asleep.