Hermione was so engrossed in the written words, in fact, that the sound of approaching footsteps and soft voices did not penetrate her conscious until a moment before the door opened.

The library door was swung shut with more force than strictly necessary.

"How many times do I have to tell you," a recognisably cold voice menaced, "to raise these matters in private?"

Hermione's immediate reaction on hearing the approaching footsteps had admittedly not been thoroughly thought through. But she had lived for far too long in an instinct driven constant fight-or-flight mode, it was harder to re-adjust to relative safety than most expected. And she was just damn tired of fighting. So there she was, crouched low and hopefully completely hidden behind a large chair and trying to breathe as softly as possible; desperately hoping that neither Draco nor the unfortunate 'you' accompanying him would notice her book lying open on the table along with a cup of fresh tea and biscuits. She just hoped she would remain hidden for long enough to avoid a confrontation.

"but we're starting to garner international attention," the second voice stated plainly, offering no apologies, "at the moment it isn't a particular worry but you know how these things can snowball."

"Pressure from all corners of the country – and soon the globe. Just what we needed."

"There are two issues here. Both must be treated diplomatically and kept completely separate in public opinion if we have any chance of resolving this quietly. We have to tread a fine line to keep both sides as content as possible. Somehow we have to enact radical change at a remarkable pace and maintain everything as it is now. The country is still very much dependent on the old crowd who flocked here during your father's time and the revenues derived from their ill-gotten gains, however we must balance--"

"Yes. I am well aware of the situation, thank you. I don't suppose it would be diplomatic to call them 'ill-gotten gains', either," Draco wryly observed.

"Funds amassed from questionable activities may be a better turn of phrase." This was delivered without any inflection to suggest it was a joke.

"Let's just ignore the semantics for now."

"We must find a way to remove these accounts."

"It's not as simple as all that. I'm sure there are angles to this we haven't explored," there was a long pause, broken by a Draco's sigh as he dropped into his seat. "Alright. Just watch to see if this progresses. Given the increased awareness we may be forced to move things up a bit and–"

"And the wedding?"

Hermione tried not to react, but even so a chocked gasp escaped her. Maybe…?

"This has all happened at a rather inconvenient time and I don't want to lose control of things. An agreement has to be reached quickly, quietly and, above all, cleanly…"

Just maybe? Hermione felt it might not be entirely appropriate to cross her fingers, but she wished silently all the same. Surely Draco was leading somewhere with this?

Draco gave another tired sigh. "No, the wedding will remain as planned."

Poo.

"Remember to discuss this confidentially next time. That is all, thank you."

Hermione held her breath even after the door closed, remaining motionless and wishing that the discussion had been just a little less vague about everything. Was it paranoia, or had she really heard only one pair of footsteps leave?

"Unless you're in the middle of a game of hide and seek with the cleaning staff, I suggest you come out now, Hermione."

Damn and blast that man!

"Yes – well…" Hermione rose gracelessly from her hiding place. She hoped he had some royal version of the Marauders Map. She really didn't want to credit him with some extra-sensory awareness of her presence and the only other explanation was her own short coming.

"How did you know?"

"No one else has a biscuit habit quite like yours." He replied in a tone without the sharp edge of mockery. Resting his head against the back of the chair, eyes closed, Draco began massaging the bridge of his nose. "Although I don't know quite how you managed to be here. Theoretically this entire wing should be closed except to those with official business… perhaps a betrothal ring counts as official business these days. I'll have to have all the wards checked and spellwork redone."

"I should hardly think it would be a problem – unless there are other secret fiancées out there I don't know about." Her response also lacked the belligerence their exchanges usually had.

Draco's hand fell away from his face, "No one else. There's just you." His piercing grey gaze seemed to hold her in place. It was an uncomfortable feeling of being examined, somewhat akin to an insect stuck through with a pin. Until he blinked, and then slowly let his head fall back and his eyes shut again.

"You are opposed to the idea of change, aren't you?"

Her reaction to his making her edgy and uncomfortable was to turn it all back onto him. That need for the upper-hand was also the reason she remained standing while Draco was sitting.

"Change for the sake of change, maybe. Otherwise no. But I'm sure you're in favour of it?"

"Of course. The current system is intolerable. One small group of people hold all the power due to this myth of blood and birth. They amass political power through this control and economic power by profiting from the suffering of others."

"You do realise this country had no other viable products or industries, that the money earned from that suffering has gone on to do good? What do you think funds healthcare and schools?"

"You can't argue that the ends always justify the means, how can you measure something like good against bad? No system, no country should be built on that!"

"Should is a troublesome word. And it's not so easy to change something so large so quickly. There are limits to everything. Despite all this talk of what I should do, it's more a question of what I can do."

"You can make laws, freeze assests, retroactively prosecute and punish those people for those crimes."

Hermione was progressively becoming more agitated, yet Draco's tone remained mild. He hadn't even opened his eyes, and Hermione wasn't sure whether to feel irritated or grateful for it.

"This is what you think I should do. There are those of the opinion that legally I cannot do any such thing because for many there is no hard evidence of any illegalities and the others have not broken Cytheran law or the laws were not broken in Cythera. Considering the economic benefits to this country some would even argue it is also inadvisable that I should do so."

"Are you having fun playing devil's advocate?"

"This is a complex issue. There are multiple stakeholders and countless views on it. There needs to be a consensus; one that benefits this country and its people."

"You sound just as hollow as your advisors! Do you even have your own opinions any more?"

The silence stretched for several moments, "I only want what is best for Cythera."

"So, that's a no? … You know Draco it's all very well and fine to talk of economic benefits when you live in a palace."

With that, Hermione turned on her heel and stormed towards the entrance. She had just thrust the doors open when Draco's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Have you noticed any House Elves lately?"

A/N: Why, hello again. It's been a long while. Considerably longer than I assumed. Apologies for the extended absence. Blame my long run of bad luck, blame travelling, blame moving countries and moving house. Blame me. BUT there's finally a new chapter and soon there'll be another to follow it. If anyone is still reading, of course…