A/N: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand


I could distinctly hear a muffled alarm coming from some direction as I lifted my head off the stack of papers that was on my desk. Groaning, I peeled off the paper that had become stuck on my face as I had slept and grabbed the object where the alarm was coming from. The Hello Kitty design on my cell phone was easily seen through my sleepy eyes. I turned off the alarm I had set the night before just in case I fell asleep at the office once again. Yawning, I grabbed my wand to conjure a cup of strong coffee as another work day began. After an inspection of my attire, I once again used my wand to conjure a new outfit and to put the files on my desk back in order. The names on the tabs stared back at me in bold print. All these people were depending on me to win their case in court for them. Around half of the files were simple civil cases, usual cases like wand theft or property damage, I would give to my lower level employees and they would be settled quickly. The others, the more serious and complicated like misuse of magic and people forced to committ crimes under magic influence of someone's hand. I would sort out those in a couple hours to the other partners of the firm. I reached my arms up to stretch all the knots out as Ginny burst into the door. She took one look at me and asked,

"You didn't fall asleep in your office again did you?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"It was an accident, I was tying up the Lesley case, but I got it done so we can file it away today." I said accomplished. Ginny looked at me and took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of my desk. She paused for a second and it sparked my curiousity. This was unlike Ginny. Usually she would burst into my office and dominate the conversation.

"What is it Ginny?" I asked, starting to get a little worried.

"The Temp agency sent over the person to take over for Holly while she's on maternity leave." I felt a wave of relief come over me. It wasn't anything serious about Ginny, she was just anxious because the last temp that had entered the firm had rubbed me the wrong way.

"Oh I'm sure they aren't like Paul, the old temp." I assured her but Ginny still looked worried. "I'm not getting it Ginny."

"Hermione, the temp is Draco." My seemed to stop all thoughts as I processed what she had said. I started to laugh in disbelief.

"But he's not a temp, he's got his own brand, remember?" I pointed out, trying to assure myself that Ginny had mistaken the new temp for Draco by accident.

"It was announced today," she took a newspaper I hadn't seen her carry in and placed it on my desk with the bold headline, "he sold his share of the business, made a disgusting sum of money actually. He quit his business." My eyes were too busy scanning over the picture of Draco. The last time I had laid my eyes on a full picture of him was over three years ago when they littered the Malfoy mansion which we shared at the time. When I moved out I moved all of our pictures into a box that I hadn't opened since. I lost my breath, he was still as beautiful as I had locked in my mind. I pushed the paper away.

"You have to be mistaken, he would never be a temp. He wouldn't especially for a secretary position like Holly's." I was trying to rationalize the situation. "A lot of people have blonde hair and blue eyes and it's early."

"Go see him for yourself, he's at Holly's desk right now." I felt my stomach drop. I tried to control my breathing.

"Ginny, it can't be him. It's been over three years."

"Hermione, breathe, don't have a panic attack. You can see him when you're ready." She hugged me tight.

"Can I just hide out here until the day is over?"

"You can until lunch." she pointed out, when I looked puzzled she continued, "Ron is coming by then to take you out to lunch." Damn, I hadn't remembered that. I tried to put on a brave face for Ginny because I knew she couldn't just hide out in my office with me all day.

"I think I can handle that. I mean Draco and I are over. Have been for a long time now. If I see him then great we can be civil, if I don't see him well then I'll catch him later." It sounded very convincing and it got Ginny out of my office but I knew it was complete crap. When Ginny had closed the door behind her my head fell into my hands with a sigh.

He was back. After over three years. He was back.

My desk was littered with evidence of what had happened because of that chilly late night in February. A picture of me being made partner because I put every ounce of my sadness in the break up into work force power. People had told me once I got serious with Draco that I had gotten soft, and I wanted to prove them wrong.

A picture of Ron and I as we celebrated our one year anniversary. There were more licenses to practice various kinds of magic law hung all over my office. The file cabinet to my right was filled with cases I had used at the time to fill my heart with the grateful faces of the cilents who had won their case instead of sorrow. My life was stable with a great respected job with plenty of income and a long term relationship. I had survived Draco's world. With my eyes watching the clock I tried to convince myself I was in fact a strong woman who could handle an encounter with her ex boyfriend, not a scared kitten.


"Ms. Granger, your lunch date is here." My mind went lightheaded as I heard Draco's voice comeover and announce it was do or die time. His voice was still as I remembered it, maybe a little deeper. I instantly noticed he said "lunch date" which meant he had caught onto the fact Ron and I were together. He deplored Ron and it was he biggest fear I would leave him for Ron, which he always felt was what my friends and family pressured me to do. Ron was fun, he was lovely really but it was the time in our relationship where we would get married or not. Mrs. Weasley would say something, for example, last month she told me that this summer would be perfect for a wedding. I knew she was hinting that there was pressure on Ron and I about where we were going. Honestly I didn't know if I could marry him. It's incredibly hard to go from the love of your love, someone you thought you would marry to the person after that. The thought of marriage hadn't crossed my mind after the break up and I didn't plan on considering it for a good long while. I smoothed my jacket even though I knew I had pressed it to crisp edges the week before. Slowly I turned my doorknob and quietly walked the path to where the reception area of the floor was.

Then there he was.

He was just sitting at Holly's desk, twirling a pencil, and I couldn't move. There he was only a few feet away from me, I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. His blonde hair was still the same, short in the back with longer bangs in the front. The suit he wore was clearly only high quality, which didn't surprise me at all. It was as if he were still the same from all the photos I had boxed up back then. I felt a shove to move me from my back and I turned to see Ginny giving me support. I gave her a shakey smile and began to put one foot in front of the other. When I passed him, I could tell he gave me a double take from the corner of my eye. I resolved to make it to Ron. Ron seemed so clearly not Draco with his blazing red hair, still in a boyish cut and his position with Fred and George's store.

"Hey Mya" Ron said as he kissed my cheek. I could feel Draco's eyes on my back as I closed my eyes to receive it. Thankfully Ron couldn't see Draco's desk from where he was but Draco saw everything, that was just his style.

"Hey, where are we having lunch?" I said walking toward the door.

"What's the rush?" he laughed, amused at my nervousness.

"I'm just really starving, we got five new criminal cases." I lied, practically pulling him to the door. Instead of complying, Ron took my hands in his and pulled me toward the front of the office. Confused, I tried to pull away.

"Ron, what are you doing?" He only smiled and pulled me until I was apparently where he wanted. With his hands in mine still he began to talk, loudly enough so that the other workers could clearly hear me. I saw Ginny's eyes freeze and widen.

"Hermione, we have known each other for a really long time. I've loved you the moment I saw you and I never thought in a million years you would feel the same. It was here that you met me for a lunch after that jerk broke up with you. Since then it has been a wonderful year and a month. I can't imagine my life without you." It was then I realized Ginny's expression because I knew Ron was proposing to me. "Hermione Granger, I love you." He got down on one knee and opened a ring box with a simple gold band with a tiny diamond on it. "Will you do the honor of being my wife?" I felt the breath get knocked out of my body. I stumbled back a couple steps and Ron reached out and caught me. The eyes of the others in the office were on my response. Had this been any other day about a month ago, I might've accepted. But the fact that the pressure on me to marry Ron was so great that I considered just breaking it off with Ron and the new addition of Draco didn't help either. I didn't want to embaress him in public so I whispered to him.

"Let me think about it." He looked sad but nodded as I hadn't exactly said no. He kissed me on the cheek again and put the ring back in his pocket. The office was silent but then continued working as if they had heard nothing at all. As I walked to the coat rack, I caught Draco's eyes, still piercing as ever. He looked at me with hurt but also with a sense of determination. Without anymore fanfair, Ron and I went out to lunch.


"My God Hermione, I promise I didn't know anything about that in advance." Ginny promised me later when she was leaving the office. I had forbidden anyone to come near my office for the rest of the day unless it was an emergency. Lunch had been awkward but it was at the same time still a typical lunch for Ron and I. We had left the lunch still in our relationship.

"It's alright. I told him I would think about it."

"If you have to think about it, then it's a no." Ginny pointed out and I gave her a look. "Okay, okay, ignore the smart person."

"When Draco is gone, then I'll give Ron answer. I don't want to tell Ron no just because I get caught up in some distorted reality of Draco sweeping me off my feet and then have it not be true." Ginny nodded.

"If that's what you think is best."

"Make sure he isn't too crushed?"

"Will do." Ginny tapped my desk. "Don't fall asleep here again okay? Go home and sleep."

"I promise I won't fall asleep here." Ginny gave me a supportive smile.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you." I responded and then looked at the pile of folders in front of me. I could do one. One wouldn't hurt me and it would require research which I had loved since I could remember. There was something about getting a thick book and conquering it that was thrilling and it would take my mind off what had happened. While I in the middle of reading the second book of research, I heard a knock at the door. My head shifted to the side and I couldn't imagine who would still be there.

"Come in." I said, reaching for my wand under the table just in case.

"Hey." Draco greeted me and now the moment I had tried to avoid was happening. He entered my office and approached the front of my desk. He walk still was the same and I had to snap myself out of this crush land.

"Hey." I said, a little breathless with being able to see him completely for the first time, not just the back of his head. "What are you still doing here?"

"I overheard Ginny saying you still fell asleep at the office so I figured I would make sure you didn't." The memories came back of Draco taking my sleeping body home so I could sleep well and him staying with me at the office all night when he had an early meeting the next morning.

"You don't have to do that." I pointed out. "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." he paused. "But do you think he can?" I knew he was referring to Ron.

"I know you don't like Ron being my boyfriend but you had three years to fix things."

"How do you feel when he kisses you?" I was taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"How do you feel when he kisses you? Does it feel like this?" and then he leaned from his easy access position from the front of the desk and kissed me. I let myself get lost for a moment, kissing him back. "See, just as I thought."

"You had three years, why pick now to come back?" I asked conflicted because I knew that something like this would happen with him being here.

"If you promise to say no to Weasel-" I interrupted him.

"I can't promise that. He's been there for me and you just up and left me one night because of a tiny fight."

"If you let me plead my case, will you promise to keep an open mind and possibly say no to that boy?" I looked at Draco's eyes, they seemed honest enough. There was so much history in those eyes, I felt my resolve slip.

"Okay."