A/N: So, I know... I'm a loser. I haven't updated in almost a year and my longer fic has been around for two years and remains rather untouched. To be fair, college is difficult, especially for science majors (lots of time spent in lab, or thinking about lab). Plus, being an adult also involves holding down a job, kind of a bummer. Not that any of this can be truly used as an excuse, but maybe it'll help a bit. Unfortunately, through the process of moving out of my dorm and my family moving to a different state, my HP books have been packed away. This means that The Closure of Knowing probably wont get any attention until next month, as I need the books for the direct quotes. Yes, I know that tomatoes are probably being thrown at many computer screens as we speak (But not really, because I'm sure wonderful nerds such as yourselves would not dare harm the very magical box that connects you to the internet). Fortunately, I have a bit more time on my hands at the moment and will hopefully write more often, updating my other fics and maybe starting some new short ones.

November 2000

Hermione Granger sat behind a large pile of memos, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. It had been a long day full of red tape and bureaucracy. She was looking forward to that evening when she and Ron would head over to Harry and Ginny's.

The newlywed couple had just gotten back from their honeymoon, as they had to postpone their original trip so Harry could complete an Auror mission. Ron and Hermione were happy to be able to see their friends again and catch up.

There was a knock on her office door and Hermione stifled a groan. People had been popping in all day, adding to her workload, already made heavy by the Gringotts refurbishment that was to take place this month.

While the upkeep and renovation of Gringotts wasn't usually under the purview of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the new legislation that Hermione had passed ensured the safety and fair treatment of many species of magical creatures-one such species being Goblins. Now, Hermione was being inundated with forms and approvals for Goblin work orders.

"Come in." Hermione sighed, shifting the pile of memos so she could actually see the person approaching her desk. Much to her surprise, she saw a familiar blonde man step into her office.

"Oh, hello...Malfoy." she said in a very formal manner.

"Granger." he nodded. "You're the person in charge of Goblin work orders, correct?"

Hermione paused. She hadn't realized that Malfoy would have any interest in the rights of magical creatures. "Umm, yes. Why do you ask?"

Malfoy sighed in exasperation. "I work at Gringotts and my bosses are wondering what the hell is taking so long." He seemed to really hate having to talk to her and Hermione was somewhat pleased with his discomfort.

"What's taking so long?" Hermione repeated angrily, standing up to her full height. Not really that menacing of a pose, because while Hermione was of average height for a girl, she was still a good bit shorter than Draco. "Have you ever processed over a thousand work orders, Draco?" Hermione asked with a glare.

Malfoy seemed rather surprised that Hermione had called him by his first name, but made no move to actually answer her question, assuming it was rhetorical.

Hermione continued her rant. "Because it's quite a bit of paperwork. And, the work conditions at Gringotts are not yet up to code. You can go and tell your bosses that until they expand the Goblin's break area and up their pay, I cannot sign off on these." To illustrate her argument, Hermione picked up a tall stack of the aforementioned work orders and tossed them haphazardly back onto her desk. She was going to regret that later, but her point was sufficiently made for the time being.

Malfoy stood there for a moment, one eyebrow raised at the sight of Hermione's now messy desk. Pushing a hand through his hair and sighing, Malfoy looked directly at the muggle-born witch and simply replied, "Alright."

Hermione opened her mouth to deliver an angry retort, but stopped suddenly, her jaw still partially open. Finally she spoke. "Alright? You're saying alright? No snarky remark about my blood status or appearance?" she asked, stunned.

"No," Draco replied, almost guiltily, "This matter really doesn't concern me directly, so why should I care? One of my bosses will just be down here next week to yell at you, but I'll still have a job either way."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at the mention of Draco's bosses. "Oh, they're going to come yell at me, are they? Well, you can tell your bosses that I have had years to perfect my yelling skills and that angry retorts wont get them very far in this office." At the point where Hermione espoused her yelling abilities, Draco had muttered "I'll say" under his breath and smirked. There was no doubt in Hermione's mind that he was making a dig at her somewhat volatile relationship with Ron. Not that they fought nearly as much now as they did in school, but their fights were still considered legendary in the Weasley household.

Draco's un-muttered reply was simply, "I'll pass that along. I still do need fund authorizations that were put through your office for the replacement of the guard dragon." Hermione shuffled through her stack of completed forms before finding the correct one that allowed Gringotts to purchase a new guard dragon for their high security vaults, under the perview of one Charlie Weasley, of course. She was about to hand the form over but stopped suddenly.

Oddly curious, Hermione figured she would take this opportunity to find out exactly why Draco was so much less rude than he normally was around her. "Okay, I understand why you wouldn't care whether I signed the work orders or not, but that still doesn't explain why you haven't insulted me directly. As I recall, that was one of your favorite pastimes."

Malfoy, who had his arm stretched out to accept the form, dropped the appendage heavily and rolled his eyes. He stood silently for several moments before exhaling loudly, "Fine, Astoria thinks rather well of you and wouldn't be pleased to know that I was rude." He was, of course, referring to his girlfriend, Astoria Greengrass. Astoria worked on the same floor as Hermione and the two witches had been friendly for quite some time despite the fact that Astoria was a pure blood from an upstanding Slytherin family and Hermione was a Muggle-born engaged to a blood traitor.

"Oh," Hermione replied before beginning to laugh. It was quite comical to think that Draco Malfoy, a wizard who did anything he wanted without regard to others, would be so easily swayed by his girlfriend's opinion. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll stop," Hermione continued after seeing Malfoy's positively murderous expression, "Here's the form. Charlie Weasley's address is on the back and if you owl him, he'll begin the inspection and transfer process."

Malfoy stepped forward and practically ripped the parchment out of Hermione's hand. He looked rather embarrassed and moved quite quickly towards the door.

"Draco," Hermione called out, waiting for Malfoy to turn around, "you can tell your bosses that if they send me an owl and are open to pay negotiations for the Goblins, the authorization forms can be completed by the end of the week."

"I'll pass that along," Draco replied before practically jogging out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Hermione looked down at the mess of parchment on her desk, but couldn't quite muster the energy to be angry about it. All she could think of was Malfoy's reaction to her laughter. Sitting down in her desk chair, Hermione began to laugh anew, thinking she couldn't wait to tell Ron about it later.