FANTASTIC WOMEN AND HOW TO WIN THEIR HEARTS

CH. 1

Draco and Hermione were busy working in their lab inside the Department of Law Enforcement. Hermione never wanted to become an Auror, she did however want to help the wizarding community. Her and Draco, along with their team, worked in the first ever forensics lab for the Ministry of Magic. They would find and analyze trace evidence left behind by dark wizards and criminals, decipher markings left behind by spells. They determined that each spell left a distinguishing mark, similar to a finger print. Each wand was of course unique and also left behind trace evidence.

Whenever a new case arose with a new suspect the Department of Law Enforcement had to gather the necessary evidence in order to acquire the suspect's wand and test it to determine whether it was the wand used in that particular crime. If you are a criminal or guilty of a crime your wand was put into a database similar to your fingerprints getting taken at a police station. Potions were often used to enhance certain properties in evidence, and even find DNA on items that seemingly had none. Severus Snape was a very big part in the development of new potions. A lot of Arithmancy was involved as well. All these tools were currently being used in their latest case. Rogue deatheaters have been attacking businesses on Diagon Ally, and most recently the Orphanage. Draco was furious. Luckily there have been no casualties, but there have been people injured. It was work that they were both proud of. They truly felt like they were making a difference and felt like they were helping the Wizarding community the best they could.

Hermione was sitting in her office working on some paperwork for a new case Draco and she had begun working on. She had been growing increasingly frustrated all morning. She usually loved to spend as much time in the lab as possible, but this latest case was just a big question mark. She needed to clear her head so menial paperwork it was.

"Hermione, why are you always cooped up here? You need to get out more!" In walked a loud, leggy redhead with all the fiery personality her hair would suggest she had.

"I missed you too Ginny. Congratulations on your wins," Hermione smiled fondly at her best and oldest female friend.

Ginny settled comfortably in the chair in front of Hermione's desk and begin telling Hermione all about her two weeks away. She truly loved playing with the Harpies, but every time she was away she missed her family and friends more and more. She of course missed Harry more than anything, but she knew he was just as busy as she was.

"Ginny we've been over this, the answer is NO", Hermione answered for the umpteenth time.

"Why not, you aren't seeing anyone are you?" Ginny tried reasoning with her. "Let's go to lunch, we can talk about this more. I'm more than sure you haven't eaten today."

"Ginny I really wish I could, but Draco and I are really stuck on this case we need to finish it."

"Oh come on! Don't use work and Draco as an excuse. You always do that."

"Ginny the last guy you set me up with had a girlfriend!"

Draco always had a knack for showing up at the right time. Just as he was walking into Hermione's office he overheard the last of their conversation.

"Well that wasn't my fault. He tricked us all! This guy isn't like that Hermione. He's single, good-looking, and really smart."

"I don't know Gin..."

"Sorry to interrupt." Draco cleared his throat, sounding quite annoyed.

"Draco!" Hermione stood, a little embarrassed to be caught talking about such matters at work. She was a very private person after all.

"Hey Malfoy, it's good to see you!" Ginny smiled at the annoyed look on his face.

"Ginerva, glad to see your home, Potter can stop moping about now." Draco smirked at the viscous look Ginny gave him at the use of her birth name. Serves her right; she was always trying to set up Hermione with these losers that didn't deserve her.

"Was there something you needed Draco?" Hermione sensed that she needed to defuse the situation. They may have all been friends, but Draco and Ginny loved antagonizing the other. It was a sport to them. See who can piss the other one off more.

"I found it, Hermione. The piece of evidence we needed to get these bastards." Draco said proudly.

"That's fantastic Draco! You need to show me everything now." Hermione was already out of her office before Ginny could utter another word about lunch or a blind date.

"Well I guess, I'll be having lunch at the Burrow after all. Can you make sure she has something to eat please?" Ginny directed the last part of her sentence to Draco, who still stood in Hermione's office. She was already half way out the door.

"Of course I will. Hey, Red?"

Ginny halted in her tracks and turned around. Draco only called her Red when he wanted a favor.

"Do you think you can meet for a drink tonight?"

"I don't see why not. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I just want to talk to you about something. I'm not comfortable discussing it here. Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at eight?"

"Oh, okay then. Eight is fine. See you there."

Draco was late, and Ginny was a nervous wreck. They were friends yes, but they never did this. They didn't meet up for drinks, just the two of them. Harry was fine with it; he figured that Draco had a favor to ask. Ginny however, had a strange feeling. She really hoped he wasn't going to confess to having feelings for her. That was just gross.

"Sorry I'm late, I lost track of time. Firewhiskey, really?" Draco's greetings were truly one of a kind.

Ginny had just taken a swig of her drink just as Draco walked up and promptly started coughing. "Well hello to you to Draco," she finally got out after her coughing fit.

Draco raised his glass to her. The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Draco gathering his thoughts and Ginny giving him time to gather his thoughts. He decided to just outright say it.

"I'm in love…" Ginny had just taken another sip of her drink and promptly spit it out. Draco really had a knack for picking the wrong time to speak.

"Oh Merlin…..no, no, no, no…Draco do not do this. No, no, no" Ginny was shaking her head side to side almost violently.

"Ginny, I'm trying to tell…." It was almost comical how she kept muttering to herself.

"Draco you can't, I love Harry…no, no, no…" She started to sound more angry at the thought that he may try to come between her and Harry. And angry Weasley was bad. An angry Ginny Weasley was even worst. He did not want to be on the receiving end of her bat-boogey hex.

"I love Hermione!" He blurted in self-preservation.

"Wait, what?" Now Draco really wanted to laugh. They way her eyes bugged out of her head and the fact that she nearly toppled out of her chair; it was wonder he managed to keep his composure.

"Ten "no's," really?" Draco smiled ruefully.

"You love Hermione?" Ginny questioned, relieved.

It wasn't exactly easy for Draco to be so forthcoming with his feelings. He was a Slytherin after all. He was also raised by Lucius. His family may have changed, but showing your true feelings too others so easily was still seen as a sign of weakness. A weakness he was never fond of showing. "I've had feelings for her for quite some time. I never thought she could ever feel the same for me. When I overheard you trying to set her up on a blind date today I knew I had to do something. I figured you were the best person to tell, and ask for help."

"You really love her? This isn't some joke?" Ginny was still a skeptical. They may all be friends now, but she was very protective of Hermione. And however much he had changed, was still Draco Malfoy. He was still a snarky, slight less snobbish arse. He and Ron often argued, with the former finding all too entertaining to rile up the easily offended ginger.

"Yes. I didn't think that fact would go over well with her friends so I've kept it to myself. I can't anymore. How can I get her to fall for me?" Draco's head was lowered slightly as he stared into his drink.

Ginny had never seen Draco look like this before. He looked unsure of himself and it was strange. It was a far cry from the arrogant persona he usually was. She thought about the person Draco had become and whether he was a good fit for Hermione. Hermione never mentioned Draco in a romantic sense, but then again she wouldn't. She thought about Draco and Hermione's interactions over the past couple of years. She remembered that it was Hermione who helped Draco redeem himself; she brought him around and was partially responsible for the change in his attitude. Out of everyone Hermione was the one who helped the Malfoys reform their image. Now that she thought about it, Hermione was quite close to the Malfoys.

"She smiles." Ginny was looking directly at Draco. "I don't even think she realizes it. You always make her smile, and she's happy. Maybe that's why she's uninterested in these blind dates. She has you."

Draco didn't even know how to respond. The idea that Hermione may feel the same was something he had hoped for.

"I'll help you. But I swear if you ever hurt Hermione, my bat-boogey hex will be the least of your worries. I'm older now and far more creative. What do you want me to do?" Ginny couldn't resist the urge to help her friend find love. If anyone deserved it, it was Hermione.

Draco would never admit it out loud, but Ginny Weasley was absolutely terrifying sometimes. "Well, first of all, stop trying to set her up on blind dates . How can I get her to know I'm interested in her? I want to be subtle about it, and make her fall for me gradually."

"Show her that you are interested in the things she's interested in. Show her you pay attention to her. Books! That's the way!" Ginny beamed quite proud of herself.

"She has books; a whole wall and then some." Draco almost sounded bored and Ginny stating the obvious. Gryffindors….

"Muggle books, Draco. She has a collection of her favorites, and even collects rare ones. I think that's the best place to start. It shows her that you know her and that you have no problem going into the muggle world." Ok he had to admit that she may have a point.

After another hour of sitting and talking with Ginny, Draco felt confident that his plan to make Hermione realize he was interested in her was a good one. Draco didn't feel comfortable outright confessing his feelings, he was unsure of the impact it would have on their friendship if she didn't reciprocate those feelings. Plus, he was a Slytherin after all.

Hermione had books everywhere. She had a huge bookcase in her office that spanned the length of one wall. She also had several bookcases of varying sizes throughout her apartment. Draco noticed that the books in her office were mostly about laws (muggle and wizarding), equality, ethics, and history books. He decided that may be a good place to start. He hadn't been to her apartment in while and had no idea what may be in that colossal collection.

Draco's adventures into the muggle world were always interesting. Everything was still so new to him. Muggle technology such as televisions, phones, computers and the like were becoming increasingly common in the wizarding world. He felt like he always learned something new every time he visited muggle London. On this particular trip, he was going to muggle Paris. He had the whole weekend to find the perfect books for Hermione. He had found a rare book dealer through his research on the MuggleInterWeb that Ginny had told him about. He bought a laptop just for this, although he couldn't believe all the information muggles had on this contraption. Draco felt like he found just what he was looking for. He found several books about something called the Women's Suffrage. Hermione loved things like this. It was all about equality.

Hermione was always the first one in the door, and sometimes the last to leave. Draco tended to come in just after her opting for more sleep and coffee. He always brought Hermione coffee and a scone knowing she neglected breakfast practically every day. On this Monday morning Draco happened to be at work even earlier than Hermione. He wanted to put the books on her desk before she got there to surprise her when she arrived.

Hermione walked in to her office and was surprised to see a slightly large, neatly wrapped package on her desk along with her usual coffee and scone. She immediately knew it was from Draco, but the handwritten note on the package cemented that thought.

Saw these while in muggle Paris and thought of you.

-Draco

Hermione smiled at the simple note and was ecstatic to open the package from Draco, but let's be honest she already knew it was books. Normally she would wait until she got home to open a gift, but she decided she could be a little risky and opened it immediately. She could instantly tell that these books were old but in great condition. Her excitement soon faded and quickly turned to a quiet anger when she saw the books. The nerve of Malfoy!

Unbeknownst to Hermione, Draco was watching her reaction the whole time. He was horrified to say the least. She looked genuinely happy at first, and then somehow began to look extremely angry. He didn't know where he could have possibly gone wrong. He decided to go hide in his office before she could see him. It sounded silly, but he spent so much time in the lab there was no way she would go to his office to look for him.

"Honestly Draco!" He forgot she was the smartest which of their age, "What the bloody hell were you thinking getting me those books?"

"Hermione I…" Draco wasn't even given a chance to speak.

"The nerve! I thought we got passed this! I thought you grew UP! But no….you are still the same, snarky arse you have always been!" Hermione dropped books on his desk and stormed off.

Hermione was fuming. She was always rational and she was aware that she might be overreacting. She knew Draco may not know the significance of these books, but it still pissed her off. He should have read them or at the very least skimmed the pages!

Draco for his part was completely and utterly confused. What did he do wrong? He went to Paris to find her books for Merlin's sake! He realized that he must have offended her in some way and wasn't sure how. He shrunk the books and walked to the floo in the forensics department. He decided that he made need some more help.

AN: I obviously don't own anything. All my thanks to JK Rowling and her wonderful series. That being said I'm happy to be writing my first Harry Potter fanfiction. I hope ya'll enjoy it. I'm pretty sure I caught my mistakes in this chapter.

-Jen