The morning came, and Hermione woke up bright and early as usual, only feeling pulled down by the guilt in her conscience. She rubbed her eyes, feeling weary, and got ready for work slowly.

At the Ministry, she didn't want to do any work, and felt even worse when Padma came instead of Malfoy to collect the forms. "You all right, Hermione?" she asked, and Hermione sighed.

"No, I don't feel all right. I was so terrible to Malfoy yesterday! I mean, he always says he put the past behind him, but I don't think he has."

Padma closed the door. "Er, Hermione, I'm not really sure I'm the one to talk to."

"Well, you're the one who works with Malfoy everyday! You should know something about him!"

Padma sighed. "Look, Hermione, I think he fancies you. Honestly."

Hermione chuckled. "That's already out of the question. I asked him."

Padma's eyes widened. "What?"

"I asked him. He was just cold to me. But I said some nasty things. Oh, I wish I could take them back now! What I'd do for a Time Turner."

"Are you really feeling that guilty?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's been six years! We fight occasionally, and he's only been civil to me, well, till recently, after we shagged. And then I thought he was going all lovey-dovey over me, but apparently he isn't, and it turns out that I'm the one who misinterpreted his actions, not the other way around! So apparently, he doesn't fancy me at all, but I thought he did." Hermione put her face in her hands and groaned. "This is so confusing! But I should apologise like an adult."

She sighed and looked at her friend. "Should I?"

Padma blinked and didn't know what to say. "Sure? Whatever you think you should do, I suppose."

Hermione groaned again. "All right. I'll hand these forms in myself. Thanks, Padma."

Padma nodded slowly and quickly escaped. Outside, she contemplated what she'd just heard, confused, and shook her head before walking off.

Inside, Hermione had set her mind to apologising to her former enemy, and picked up the forms Padma had "failed" to pick up and walked out, heading robotically to his office.

She knocked with a false sense of confidence about her, and opened the door. Padma wasn't there, but the wizard she'd come for was, as well as his friend. He looked at her coldly.

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

Theo glanced at her and smiled. Hermione smiled pleasantly back.

"Give us a moment, would you, Theo?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Sure."

He walked out, and Hermione cleared her throat and shut the door. "Padma forgot to pick up these forms, so I'm delivering them to you." Her stomach was tightening at the thought of apologising to him.

"Thank you." He took them with an air of coldness, and Hermione turned around, fully intending to fly out of there, but stopped herself, knowing what she had to do.

"Malfoy," she started, turning to look at him. He wasn't paying attention. "Malfoy," she tried again, louder. "I…I'm…I'm…I'm sorry."

Draco's face shot up and he looked at her, now definitely paying attention. Hermione closed her eyes for confidence and opened them to meet his.

"I'm sorry for judging you so quickly and for being so…rude to you, when all you wanted was a fresh start at friendship. So, I'm sorry for being so rude to you. And I'm sorry for judging you."

Draco was looking at his desk, and he nodded. He looked back up at her and stood. "Well, thank you for your apology," he said, and Hermione felt like running away and hugging him as he came closer. "I probably have some faults too. I…I suppose I was a bit too forward in starting a friendship." Hermione nodded. The want to hug him was becoming stronger. "So another try?" He smirked a little and stuck out a hand, and Hermione stared at it.

She thought to herself for a moment, then chuckled and took his hand, looking him straight in the eye. "Another try," she said as they shook hands, and Draco smiled.

"Good. Well, thanks for the papers, Granger. I'll see you later."

Hermione nodded, the hand he'd shook feeling strange, and she walked out. Once she'd closed the door, she sighed heavily before going back to her office.

Inside, Draco was smiling still.

It was seven in the evening, and Hermione was eating and chatting loudly with her friends at her flat, when an owl suddenly arrived. She opened it, hoping it wasn't an emergency from work, and was surprised indeed by its contents.

'Dear Hermione,' it read, 'Do you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night? Sincerely, Theodore Nott'.

Over the years of working together (she had several meetings with Unspeakables), they'd become good friends, although they teased each other enough to make it look like they were enemies. Hermione had just presumed that that was how former Slytherins naturally were; cocky, witty, stubborn, and making fun of everyone most of the time, and had easily become his friend.

Hermione quickly replied, 'Sure, after work?', and sent it off with the snowy owl before going back to her friends.

"And who was that?" Ron inquired, and Hermione shrugged.

"It was just Theo."

"Theodore Nott? Don't tell me you two are going out!" Lavender exclaimed.

"No, Lavender, we are not going out," Hermione replied. "Just because we exchange owls does not mean that we're dating. If that were true, I'd be dating all of you!"

That got laughs out of everyone, although Lavender looked a bit put out.

"So what did he want?" Harry asked.

"Just dinner tomorrow."

"I bet he fancies you!" Padma exclaimed, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You think everyone fancies me, Padma!"

"That's because you're gorgeous," Ginny explained, rolling the word 'gorgeous' off her tongue like silk.

Hermione laughed and pretended to be extremely flattered. "Oh, thank you, Gin. Of course, it is hard to be as gorgeous as I am. That explains everything."

"Oh, Lavender, by the way, what's going on with you and Terry?" Ginny asked.

Lavender seemed surprised by the question. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Hannah frowned. "Really? Didn't you shag him three weeks or so ago?"

"Wow, so much interesting stuff happens at the Ministry!" Neville exclaimed.

"Oh, at the after party? Yeah."

"And? Gods, Lav, do I really need to spell out my question for you?" Ginny said impatiently, and Lavender shrugged.

"We just shagged. That's all. He was being sore about it for a little while, but I just told him to get over himself."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Nothing's going on between us."

"Wasn't he heartbroken?" Hannah asked, and Lavender shrugged again.

"I guess. I don't know. He didn't seem too different to me at work."

"Ernie said that Terry had quite a crush on you before," Hannah said quickly before shutting her mouth.

Lavender shrugged. "Wouldn't make a difference."

Hermione laughed. "Lavender, you whore!"

"What?" Lav asked, annoyed. "What's wrong with it?"

Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean looked at each other.

"You've slept with everyone!"

"Not everyone!" Lavender exclaimed, and Hermione laughed.

"All right, who at work haven't you shagged?"

Lavender held up her fingers. "Harry, Ernie, Ron…uh…oh, Theo…Malfoy…"

"Malfoy? Really?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I tried, but he wouldn't shag me. Um…I've never shagged Neville, just to clear that up too, even though he doesn't work with us…I swear there has to be more…"

"See, Lav! You've shagged most of the men our age in our department, and probably some older or younger!" Ginny piped in.

"You shagged Seamus and Dean?!" Padma exclaimed, and both boys looked at each other, then back at her.

"Guilty," they said in unison, and Lavender shrugged.

"I don't think it's a big deal," she stated, and the girls rolled their eyes.

The owl came back knocking at her window, and Hermione got up to get it.

"Tell Nott to shove off 'cause we're having a pleasant dinner talking about sex!" Seamus called after her, and Hermione shook her head, giggling.

The letter just confirmed the time, and Hermione was writing back a response when someone was suddenly knocking at the door. Hermione groaned.

"Will I never get to eat?" she asked out loud, and her friends chuckled. At the door was Ernie, and Hannah stood up.

"Hi!" she said happily, her voice a tone that was only available when her boyfriend was around.

Ernie smiled. "Hey." He kissed her cheek. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let me just say my goodbyes."

Hannah turned and smiled at them. "Goodbye everyone! I'm going out with Ernie tonight. Thank you for dinner, Hermione!" She exchanged hugs and kisses before going back to Ernie. "Thanks for inviting me over too."

Everyone called out goodbye as the couple left, and Ginny sighed. "How adorable are they?"

"Very cute," Padma commented. "After two years, you'd think they'd be getting married by now."

"Don't rush them," Hermione said, and the blokes laughed.

"You girls are bloody hilarious," Ron said, and Hermione hit his arm.

"You're one to talk."

"Why thank you," Ron replied, mocking a bow.

"Well anyway, when do you think you'll be getting a boyfriend, eh Hermione?" Harry said, raising his brows, and Hermione shrugged and began poking at her food.

"When the time comes, I guess."

"Oh come on! We know plenty of great wizards for you to meet!" Ginny offered, and Hermione shook her head.

"It's all right, really!"

"Maybe if things work out with Theo…" Lavender said, and winked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what things you're talking about."

Lavender grinned. "You will. I can see it."

"You turning into a Seer now, Lav?" Hermione asked, and Lavender smirked.

"Trust me on this one. I can tell with the way he acts around you."

"We barely even hang out!"

"Trust me on this one," Lavender repeated with a wink, then spoke no more on the subject. Hermione trusted Lavender's words as much as she would trust a Death eater with her wand.

The next morning, Hermione found an owl pecking at her window. Tired and a bit disoriented, she let the owl in and accepted the letter. It was from Hannah.

"Dear Hermione," she read in her morning voice, "I've got such news to tell you! Dinner last night with Ernie was great, all romantic and all, but later on, he told me some sweet things and then…oh, bugger it! I've gotten—" Hermione gasped, and suddenly squealed loudly. "Hannah's gotten engaged!" she yelled to her room, and got dressed quickly. The owl had long left, but she was planning to pay a visit to the Leaky Cauldron during her lunch break.

The morning went by fast, and before she knew it, she was heading to Diagon Alley with Ginny, Padma, Susan, and Lavender. All five girls burst into the inn and quickly found Hannah behind the counter. The girls began to squeal.

"Hannah Abbot! You lucky witch!"

"Show us the ring!"

"How did he propose?"

"Was it really romantic?"

"Where did he propose?"

"How did you take it?"

"What was it like?"

"Show us the ring!"

Hannah laughed at all their questions and comments, and called over an employee to take over for her.

"Come on girls," she said, holding up her long skirts, "Come to my room and I'll tell you all about it."

"We've only got an hour!" Hermione said as they all went up the stairs to Hannah's flat above the inn.

She sat them all down on the couch before sitting in front of them. She smiled widely and showed them the ring. Four of the girls, excluding Hermione, nearly swooned at the sight.

"You're really engaged!" Susan cried, and hugged her friend. "Soon you'll be Mrs. Hannah Macmillan!"

"Oh my Merlin! Join the engaged club!" Ginny exclaimed, and went to hug her as well. Padma joined, as did Hermione. She'd suddenly felt a little bit jealous. Already, at twenty-three, Hannah was already the second to get engaged, after Ginny, to her childhood friend no less, before Hermione. And Hermione had turned twenty-four only five weeks ago. And after hearing the details of the proposal, Hermione yearned for a sweet boyfriend like Ernie (although not quite as sappy).

Who knew that she was going to have that opportunity in only a few hours?


A/N: Thanks for reading! I'll have two chapters up by next week, hopefully. I have more time to upload more chapters! Review! It really does make my day! -LoVeDoNtHaTe