Thanks to everyone who has commented! It makes me smile =D

I kept forgetting to add the following disclaimer:

I do not own Harry Potter and will not profit from this story in any way. I write this purely for fun and because I love the characters so much. JK Rowling owns it all, the lucky woman.

Now on we go…..[sorry it's a short one and apologies for any typos]

The sun was still below the horizon when Hermione threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. She quickly had a shower and threw on a pair of black pants and a dark purple button up shirt and was sipping a cup of coffee by the time the first rays of light were piercing the lightening sky. A snowy white owl was perched in a tree outside the kitchen window and Hermione smiled as she walked over to let the animal in. Wings brushed her face as the creature flew past her to settle on its perch to sleep the day away.

"And good morning to you too."

Hermione stared after her pet for a few moments but got no response. Add that to the indifferent attitude Crookshanks had and Hermione reckoned she had two of the most unaffectionate animals in the whole of the country. She shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to make toast for a quick breakfast. A few swipes of butter and jam later and she was grabbing her bag and jacket, trying to keep the sticky breakfast from making a mess of her clothes, and heading out the door. She stopped just outside her garden gate, turned on the spot and appeared in a secluded alleyway next to the entrance to the library building.

After a couple of moments of hurried munching, Hermione turned to the wall on her right and spoke clearly but in a hushed voice," Hermione Granger, Head Librarian."

A plain black door appeared in the brickwork. Hermione let herself in quickly, just in case any muggles happened to be walking by. There was probably no chance they would even pay attention to her but she liked to be cautious all the same.

After closing the door firmly behind her she walked through a small foyer and into the break room. She deposited her lunch into the communal fridge and took a moment to make herself a cup of tea before making her way to her office.

After a couple of years people had stopped asking her why she chose to run her library just like a muggle would. They rarely used magic and because of that fact she was able to have things like kettles and computers in the building. It helped her feel connected to the muggle world and she felt it helped her staff remember that the world of magic wasn't the only world out there.

"Good morning Herbert."

The slightly balding man waved his hello without looking up from the book he was carrying. His glasses attempted to slide off of his nose and he absentmindedly pushed them back up. Hermione smiled and continued on through the library to the staircase that led to the upper floor and her office.

Once inside the relatively safe confines of her work room, Hermione hung her coat and bag up on the coat stand and sank down into her comfortable work chair. Almost without thinking she slipped her shoes off and tucked one leg under herself. She liked to be comfortable at work especially since the assignments she sometimes undertook were lengthy and tedious. It was all part of being a librarian.

She switched her computer on and while waiting for it to wake up completely she wandered over to the window with her cup of tea.

Even though the day had started off sunny and fair, there were dark clouds on the horizon. Hermione enjoyed any weather, except maybe heat waves but rain and storms were her favourite. She loved it when rain pelted from the sky and strong gales made the rain smash into the large window of her office. It made the space feel so cosy, especially when she only had the desk lamp glowing to illuminate a book or the computer screen. Her office wasn't particularly large but it was big enough for her and her desk. Bookshelves lined the walls and were filled with large reference books, mostly on medical topics for when she helped St Mungos out.

She walked over to the shelves and ran her fingers over the spine of one of her favourite books, Hogwarts: A history. She smiled as she remembered how often she would quote the book during her first year at Hogwarts. She could just see the eye rolling from her class mates every time she said something from the book. Especially Harry and Ron. They seemed the forget just how many times her voracious appetite for reading had saved them from danger or at least had helped them out of a tight spot only to plunge head first into more dangerous situations.

Thinking about Ron made her face lose the smile but only for a moment. An image of Draco popped into her head and her smile turned into a girlish grin. Sighing dreamily, she made her way back to her desk and sat in front of the computer. After an internal pep talk of 'ok, now let's get some work done', Hermione proceeded to pick up where she had left off with some research only to find her mind wandering every couple of minutes to the not so rapidly approaching evening.

She sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

Draco dismissed the house elf after relaying his instructions for the evening and looked at his watch. He was surprised to see it was only mid-morning. To him it felt like he had already gone through an entire day but he suspected it was his impatience for the evening to arrive that was blurring his ability to gauge the time. He wanted everything to be perfect, from his mother not interrupting to the lighting and music.

Narcissa had already promised to be good and stay out of the way but Draco was still unsure of her motive. He had learnt that you never trust a Malfoy on face value. You had to take time to observe and talk to them in order to gain a true sense of what they wanted.

He stood in the foyer, wondering if he had missed anything. He wanted to make sure that Hermione was comfortable at The Manor. Her previous experience had been less than enjoyable and he wanted to make sure that she didn't dwell on it too much. The entire house had been redecorated shortly after his father's death. It was a bit more elegant and understated and less 'dark magic dwells here'. The house elves were paid for their work and were treated respectfully. He knew she would appreciate that.

Draco ran his hand through his hair. Maybe a trip to Diagon Alley would ease his mind?

He grabbed his coat and exited the house. After turning on the spot he appeared right out the front of Ollivanders Wand Shop. He turned around to look at the shops, wondering what he actually wanted to look at when his eyes lighted on Flourish and Blotts. He raised an eyebrow as he thought 'maybe I can find something interesting there for Hermione?'

After spending quite some time browsing the shelves he happened upon a small booklet published by none other than Luna Lovegood. He smiled to himself as he flipped through the pages. Vivid images of rare – or non-existent if you knew Luna – creatures grimaced at him from the paper. Draco knew Luna had most likely drawn the pictures herself. He remembered that she was quite artistic even if she was a tad strange.

With his decision made he walked over to the cashier, ignoring the narrowing of the older man's eyes as he reluctantly took his customer's money. Draco could only think that the reason he wasn't refused service was because no one else was probably ever going to buy the book. With his purchase in hand he flashed the man a bright smile and headed back out onto the cobblestone street. He was about to return home when a feminine voice hailed him.

"Draco! Hey! What are you doing out and about? I thought you were a full-blown recluse these days."

He looked around trying to locate the person and saw Pansy Parkinson walking towards him.

He groaned inwardly but plastered a non-committal smile on his face.

"Hey Pans, I was actually just going to head home."

Pansy shook her head and grabbed his arm, steering him toward the Leaky Cauldron.

"Nonsense! You're going to have a drink with an old friend. It's been too long since I saw you last."

Draco had no choice but to allow his old friend to take him where ever she wanted.

Once they were seated and had their drinks in front of them, Draco had a chance to get a good look at Pansy.

Time had been kind to Pansy. Her face had balanced out well and she wore her hair longer now, with a straight fringe. Her nose was no longer an odd shape which made Draco wonder if she'd had it altered professionally. She wore minimal make up and it helped to make her seem fresh faced and younger than her years. Pansy was also sizing Draco up and liked what she saw. Very much so.

They sat in silence for a while and Pansy was the first to speak.

"So. Draco. What have you been up to? I know the papers say you whore around and generally lounge back on your wealth every night but I know you. I'm sure there's more to you than models and money. You'd get bored way too quickly for that."

She waited expectantly for what she thought would be a grand reveal.

Draco shrugged.

"Well, I don't do an awful lot really. And my mother is back at The Manor so I have to deal with her now."

Pansy smiled slyly.

"Oh yes, I know she is. She must have sent an owl out to every pure blood family, inviting them to a ball that's going to be held in a month's time. At The Manor. Didn't she tell you?"

Draco could feel his face drain of all colour. Oh no. A ball? If Narcissa had been in front of him her would have tried to strangle her. A party of this size was going to interrupt his life in more ways than one, he just knew it. And who knew what else she had planned.

Draco stood from the table abruptly.

"I need to get home. Now."

He almost ran out to Diagon Alley, completely missing the gleeful expression on Pansy's face. When she had received the invitation she had wished she could have been there when Narcissa told her hermit of a son about the party. She had never dreamed she would be the one to tell him! She sipped her drink. It had been better than she could have imagined.

Draco burst into The Manor.

"Mother! Meet me in my study. We have something to discuss."

Draco just made it to his desk before Narcissa floated into the study, almost as if she had been waiting for him to come home.

"Yes dear? You seem a little flustered."

Concern clouded her features as she reached a hand out to touch her son's face.

Draco swatted her hand away and sat behind his desk. He felt the need to place distance between them, in case his anger got the better of him. His father had said a gentleman never hits a woman in anger and he really wanted to remain a gentleman in this situation.

"I saw Pansy today. She informed be that we will be having a ball in a month's time. Is this true?"

His mother folded her hands in front of her and nodded her head.

"Yes Draco, it's true. I thought the place could do with livening up. Everyone is invited and I've already begun preparations. Actually I started them before leaving Paris."

She held a hand up to silence her son's tirade.

"No. I will not have anything said on the matter. We will be hosting a ball and you will find a suitable match at the party. The Malfoy legacy is serious Draco. I will not have you just choose a random muggle born to be with. You have a responsibility to this family. The ball will happen and you will be there with your party face on and any snide comments will be kept to yourself."

Narcissa turned and left the room, leaving Draco staring after her. His hands clenched the edge of his desk until his knuckles turned white. He was stupid to have thought his family could ever change. His parents had been part of the pure blood insanity for far too long to change. Obviously his mother thought it was fine for him to date Hermione until whoever she selected came along. Well then. He was going to attend the ball but he was going to do it his way. And their date tonight would go ahead as planned. His mother was just going to have to deal with it.