A/N: A fairly speedy update for you this time. Thank you for all my reviews, you guys are great :) and Thank you to everyone who has read so far and added me to their alerts and/or favourites, it really means a lot.

So, here it is, the one we've all been waiting for... mwahahahaha ...gods I hope you like it lol

Oh, and there's nothing M-rated in this one, just so you know ;)

xBx

~ Chapter 28: Sweet Revenge ~

Hermione awoke after quite possibly the best night's sleep of her life, cursing the buzzing from the alarm clock.

"What the hell is that God-awful sound?" Draco murmured into her hair. They were both laid facing the same way, Draco's arm wrapped protectively around Hermione's waist, holding her close, her back pressed firmly against his chest.

Hermione laughed, "That's my alarm clock," she said reaching out to hit the snooze button, before turning around to face Draco.

"Good morning," Hermione smiled up at him.

"Good morning," Draco smiled lazily back, pushing a loose curl gently behind Hermione's ear, "How did you sleep?"

"Really good," Hermione said, then she remembered the reason she had asked Draco to stay, "I didn't have a nightmare." She said suddenly. "It usually would take a lot less to trigger the nightmares, than what happened yesterday. But I didn't dream anything." Hermione smiled, and snuggled into Draco's chest. She didn't say it out loud but she knew he was the reason: she felt incredibly safe enveloped in his arms, safer than she'd ever felt before.

It was as if Draco could read her thoughts, "You're welcome." He said, and Hermione heard the smirk.

"Did I say you were the reason?" She asked, looking up at him with a smirk of her own.

"You didn't need to," Draco told her, the infamous Malfoy cockiness coming into play, "It's always me."

Hermione laughed, and reached up to kiss him. Draco deepened the kiss almost instantaneously, running his tongue along her lips, begging for entrance to explore her mouth. Hermione immediately obliged, tangling her hands in his hair and bringing him even closer, she moulded her body to his, and felt his arousal pressing against her.

Draco let out a frustrated growl as the alarm clock started buzzing again.

"I thought you'd turned that damn thing off." He complained, as Hermione laughed gently against his lips, before pulling away.

"I hit the snooze button," she sighed, "I have to get up now, I have an important meeting to prepare for." She said, reaching behind her to shut of the alarm, properly this time, and tried to disentangle herself from Draco's grasp.

Draco frowned, and tightened his grip. "No." He stated, sounding like a petulant child.

Hermione raised her eyebrows, and laughed, "You sound like a spoilt child." She told him.

"I am a spoilt child." He replied with a grin, earning himself an eye roll. "I always get what I want."

"Boy, are you going to have a rude awakening." Hermione laughed, "I'm the one who always gets what she wants: you're going to have to get used to losing a few battles every now and then." She warned.

"Now who sounds like the spoilt child?" Draco joked.

"Either way, I need to get up, it's eight-fifteen. I have forty-five minutes to get ready. Today is a big day, I can't be late." Hermione reiterated, and finally Draco let her go, with a huff.

"Fine," he conceded. "I'll just wait right here."

As Hermione went to shower, Draco took in his surroundings properly for the first time. He had been in Hermione's room on a couple of occasions now, but he had never really taken it in: Hermione had always been there to command his full attention. But now that her distracting presence was absent, he finally took in the décor, and couldn't help but be a little confused. Hermione exited the bathroom twenty minutes later, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe, her hair teased into a French braid that fell down her back, and her make up simply, but fully, done. As she moved around the bed to make her way to her closet on the other side, she took in Draco's confused look.

"What's wrong?" she asked, not breaking step.

"I can't believe it took me so long to realise, but why is your room decorated in Slytherin colours?" He asked, "Do you have a secret obsession with my House?"

Hermione laughed as she entered her closet. "No," she called back. "I had my room like this long before I started Hogwarts: before I even knew I was a witch." She told him. "It's based on the Emerald City, from the Wizard of Oz."

"Never heard of him." Draco called back, and Hermione laughed.

"It's a Muggle movie. My favourite film." She told him, reappearing five minutes later fully dressed, fastening a belt around her waist. "How do I look?" She asked.

Draco took in her appearance from his spot, reclining against her headboard, the covers at his waist. She was wearing a black pinafore dress, cinched with a white belt, and a pair of white heels.

"Very professional." Draco commended and Hermione smiled.

"Good," she said walking to her dressing table, when she walked away Draco noticed the flash of red from the sole of her shoes and chuckled.

"What's with the red soles?" He asked, "Trying to help muster some Gryffindor courage?"

Hermione glanced down and grinned, "I hadn't even thought of that." She admitted, "I like these shoes with this outfit, it has nothing to do with the colour of the soles: that's just the colour the designer picked to use on all his shoes." She explained, as she fastened a watch to her wrist, and flattened out her dress.

"Okay," she said, and Draco heard the slight nervousness in her voice. He stood from the bed, wrapping the sheet around his waist.

"You'll do great," he said, walking up to her, and putting an arm around her waist. "You're completely prepared, you can do this." He told her with sincerity.

Hermione smiled, thankful for the vote of confidence. "I can." She agreed, before placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"You need to get dressed." She told him, "If someone comes in here and sees you naked in my bed, well that'll be another scandal for us to work through." Draco laughed, as Hermione continued, "Wait in my sitting room. If anyone finds you there, you can say you called around early and I told you to wait for me there. They won't buy it if they find you in my room, no one is usually allowed in there."

"Noted." Draco nodded, "I'll go home and change, then wait patiently." He glanced at the book sitting on Hermione's bedside table, then back at her, "you brought books home right?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, knowing precisely what he was meaning, "the second one is on the coffee table through there." She told him, "Now I have to go." She said, turning to leave. She picked up the file she had put together the day before, from the writing table in her sitting room, and made her way down to her parents' study.

She knocked on their door with five minutes to spare, but when she entered both her father and her mother were waiting for her. They both looked up with a smile as she entered, and moved themselves from their desks to stand in front of the small table in the centre of the room.

"Alright," Anthony said, eyeing the manila file in Hermione's grasp, a small gleam in his eyes, "Are you going to tell us what you've been up to?" he asked.

Victoria frowned, and looked from her husband to her daughter, "She's been up to something?" She asked.

"While you've been thinking of weddings, Hermione has been studying the business." Anthony said, before taking a seat at the table, and signalling for the girls to follow suit. "We have two hours to discuss what you want to discuss," he said, "Shall we begin?"

Hermione smiled, taking a seat opposite her parents, thankful her father was taking her seriously. "I know that the main draw to my marriage with Richard is to get my claws into the Alden fortune." Hermione said frankly, "Please," she said, when her mother looked set to interrupt. "Hear me out. I've been looking into the finances of the business fully: To secure the business' growth and future success, we need to expand." She said, opening the file and pulling out the top papers and handing them across the table.

Hermione then went on to discuss her plans for expansion, her reasons for opening two more clinics and a detailed validation of the locations chosen. She walked them through the costs she had tallied for each location, separately, before going through the forecasts she had come up with for each clinic's estimated potential revenue for the first eighteen months.

Her parents listened objectively, and for that she was grateful. They asked her questions here and there, and their tone told her they were taking her seriously: as serious as any other businessman would be taken, and this gave her the confidence to answer every question with conviction.

"Alright." Anthony nodded, when Hermione had gone through everything, "This is what your mother and I have been thinking about, but we hadn't gone into it this thoroughly. But you've been through all our finances: to cover the costs we will need to find an external source of revenue."

Hermione smiled, "Not necessarily." She said. "I realise that this is where the Alden's money comes in, in your plans. But there is an alternative." Hermione pulled out the final piece of paper: the details of her trust fund, and passed it to her parents.

Anthony looked ready to object, but Hermione cut him off, "I have the money to cover all the costs. If we focus on one clinic at a time, the funds will continue to incur the interest, and any extra-unforeseen costs, along the process, should also be covered as well. The only flaw in my plan, is that I need you're signatures to access my money before I turn twenty-five."

"This money, your trust fund, it's for your future: to buy a house, see you through university." Anthony hedged, "You shouldn't have to spend it all in the business."

"This business is my future. I won't be going to University. I have money in the Wizarding World – a pay out, for the part I played in the war, that will be enough to buy a home, or rent somewhere in London. I have a place at the Ministry when I leave school – I can live of my wage. I want to invest in the business. I don't want to just inherit it, I want to be a part of it, and work along side you as an equal, before you hand it over to me completely." Hermione stated.

Victoria and Anthony looked at each other, communicating without words, before looking back at their daughter.

"Are you sure?" Victoria asked.

"One hundred percent." Hermione nodded, giving them a small confident smile.

Her parents looked at each other once again: Victoria raised her eyebrows in a silent question, Anthony tipped his head to the side, and lifted his shoulders in a single shrug, at which Victoria gave a resigned nod.

Anthony looked back at his daughter, a proud grin spreading across his features, "In that case: Welcome aboard." He said, holding his hand out across the table.

Hermione grinned, even laughed, as she took her father's hand and shook it, relief flooding through her.

Victoria glanced at the clock, "People will be arriving soon," she said, "We'll do all the paperwork this afternoon, open your trust fund, sign some contracts: by this time tomorrow you will be an equal partner in the business." She smiled, looking to stand.

"Just, one more thing, before we move." Hermione said casually. Anthony chuckled.

"Here it comes," he laughed, leaning back in his seat.

"Here what comes?" Hermione asked,

"The ulterior motive." Anthony said, "You're my daughter, I know you well. Let's hear it."

"We all know the main reason for me marrying Richard, was to access his money for this purpose." She indicated to the papers spread across the table, "We don't need it anymore. So this engagement can finally be put asunder. I never wanted to marry the guy." Hermione admitted, "I told you I did before you went into hiding, for purely selfish reasons. I could see it was what you wanted, and I knew then that I would be erasing myself from your memory and sending you away, with the possibility of never seeing you again. I wanted our last weeks together to be happy." Hermione explained. "I don't want to marry him, we have no chemistry, it was only for his money, can we call an end to this ridiculous charade now?"

"You truly never wanted this?" Victoria asked, "But you seemed so excited before we went into hiding." She said uncertainly,

Hermione shrugged, "I'm an excellent liar." She said, "It was important to you, I just wanted to make you happy, before I sent you away."

Victoria looked at her daughter with a pained expression, before moving around the table and embracing her, "I'm sorry," she said, "I never realised you were so against it from the very beginning. Is there really nothing at all between you?" she said, pulling back.

"I can't stand the guy," Hermione said bluntly, as Victoria sat down next to her daughter, "He's a complete arsehole." She said simply, causing her mother to frown at her language, and her father to chuckle.

"I think it's about time you knew the truth." Hermione said warily, "He's been sleeping with Melissa behind my back, for a while."

Her parents eyes widened at the revelation, "I warned him not to cross me," Hermione continued, "I told him to stop, but he didn't. And now he's going to pay. You're on my side now, right? All talk of this wedding is done with? The engagement is officially over?" Hermione clarified.

"Of course," Victoria said heatedly, "I didn't know about that, of course I won't make you marry someone like that. You're a Roseby, you can do much better." She said and Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at her Mother's sudden change.

"If I'm honest," Victoria continued, "I'm incredibly relieved you found an alternative: The Aldens are no proper match for a Roseby lady." Hermione laughed and shook her head, but before she could say anything Victoria spoke again, "What are we going to do about the reporter? They're expecting a story."

Hermione allowed herself a smirk – a smirk worthy of the most cunning Slytherin. "Leave it to me." She said, "We'll announce my investment into the family business: a new dawn of the Roseby-Granger franchise. But they'll get an even better story, don't you worry." She said. Victoria frowned, and Anthony surveyed his daughter warily.

Hermione stood, "I should go meet the reporters, and I believe Richard will be waiting for me, with them."

"Hermione?" Anthony started, sounding very wary indeed.

"I'll tell them you're held up with some business: come along in fifteen minutes, that should be time enough." Hermione grinned, "Hell hath no fury like a Roseby woman scorned." She added with a smirk Draco would have been proud of, as she left the office.

Taking a deep breath, and rearranging her face into a demure, happy smile, Hermione ascended the stairs and made her way to the formal sitting room on the first floor, where the interview was going to be held.

When she opened the door, she saw a dozen reporters sat around, with a handful of photographers, and sat on a couch, looking far too comfortable was Richard. Everyone looked up as the door opened.

"Sorry to keep you waiting everyone," Hermione said, addressing the press first, "Richard, what a pleasant surprise." She said, before turning back to the journalists gathered, "My parents will be along in about fifteen minutes – some business is holding them up, I apologise. Can I organise some refreshment while you wait?" She offered, though she knew full well they would have been seen to by the housemaid.

"We've been well taken care of all ready, Miss Granger," one of them said, "Perhaps we could start off asking you some questions before your parents arrive?" He suggested,

Hermione smiled genially, "Of course," she said, "If you wish, I shan't object to that." she declared, sitting next to Richard, the pieces of her plan falling perfectly into place.

"Now, Richard has become quite the social figure recently, but you have been completely off the radar, why is that?" the reporter asked, getting right down to business.

Hermione laughed, "I have been at school, up in a rather remote area of Scotland. The lessons are quite demanding, so I don't leave the premises much, I do a lot of studying." She explained.

"What classes do you take?" a female reporter asked.

Hermione thought quickly, "Chemistry," she said, thinking of potions, "Maths, Ancient Languages." She said, in place of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. One of the journalists let out a low whistle,

"That's some serious education," he commented, to a general titter of amusement.

Hermione laughed good naturedly, "Hence the ridiculous amount of time I spend holed up in the Library." she joked.

"But when you're here, during your holidays, there have been a few snaps of the two of you together," another male journalist hedged, "You seem quite cosy together." He hinted, and Hermione laughed again.

"Richard and I have been close friends for a very long time." She explained, "A couple of years ago, we started to date, but then I went travelling for a year, and things have been so hectic since I returned," Hermione trailed off. "But I think he'll always be my friend. As I say we've always been close."

"So no Wedding bells on the future horizon?" a woman asked.

Hermione gave a small laugh, as if to dismiss the notion, but Richard spoke up, "Funny you should say that, actually."

Hermione's heart rate accelerated but she maintained a calm exterior: as much as she wanted to laugh at how perfect the conversation was going, she transformed herself into a look of polite confusion. "What are you talking about?" She asked, looking directly at Richard, as if she had no idea what was about to happen.

"I know this year has been hectic, and we've only been on a few dates, but what we have is built on a solid foundation that can only get stronger, I'm certain." Richard said as he pulled the ring box from his pocket and slipped off the couch onto one knee. There was a collective intake of breath from everyone else in the room, and the sound of cameras clicking filled the air. Hermione's face displayed only shock, her mouth falling open slightly in a convincing display.

"Richard," Hermione breathed with warning, fully investing herself in her role.

"Hermione Roseby-Granger, will you marry me?" Richard asked, lifting the lid off the box, to reveal the ruby ring.

Hermione bit her lip to stop her self from smirking. She kept her face strait, however, managing to show a good impression of discomfort. "I wish you had spoken to me of this, before." She said quietly, and she was happy to see Richard's smile falter slightly.

"If I did, it wouldn't be a surprise." He joked, trying to regain control of situation.

"Richard," Hermione said, shaking her head a little, and looking completely mortified, "I thought you knew. After our year apart, I thought you felt the same, that we're better as just friends. And regardless, I know we've been friends for a long time, I know my parents and yours have associated for a long time, but still." She let the sentence hang, as if searching for the right words, "We can't…" she tried, "We're different. Our families are…different." She never said anything about a class divide, she wouldn't be so crass as to say it so bluntly. But she certainly dropped heavy hints, hints she knew any good journalist would pick up on.

"I mean, you're…and I'm…" she trailed off, managing to look even more uncomfortable, despite how much she wanted to smirk and gloat in Richard's face.

The photographers were still taking photos and the journalists were taking hesitant notes, their eyes glued to the spectacle in front of them. Hermione bit her lip, she wanted so desperately to laugh, but she maintained her character. "I'm sorry, Richard," she breathed, standing up.

"Excuse me a moment," she said to the others in the room, before bolting out of the door, leaving Richard kneeling there looking like a fool. She made it up a flight of stairs before she let out the laugh desperately trying to escape. Doubled up with laughter, she held onto the banister as tears ran down her face. But she sobered quick enough as she heard a door slam from the floor below and furious footsteps coming up the stairs.

Hermione moved away from the banister, further down the corridor, she was only a few doors from her room when Richard's furious voice called out to her.

"I suppose you thought that was funny?" He demanded.

Hermione turned and gave him an insolent smile, "No," she said, "I thought it was hilarious. I told you not to embarrass me, I told you not to cross me. You ignored me." She reminded him.

"You've been planning this for months?" He asked, seething.

Hermione shrugged, "I've been planning my way out of the engagement for some time, but this just all fell into place. Like fate." She said.

Richard took a couple of furious steps forward, and Hermione took a couple of steps back. She had left her wand in her room, and suddenly felt slightly vulnerable, but she didn't let it show.

"Are you to blame for my business as well? Humiliating me in front of the press wasn't good enough for you, you had to undermine my business too." He asked.

Hermione frowned, completely lost, "What? What's wrong with your business, the bar is thriving, isn't it?" She asked.

"No." He shouted, "It took a nose dive after New Year." He told her through clenched teeth.

Hermione looked unconcerned, "Nothing to do with me. Maybe you should have stayed put at the bar that night, instead of leaving to fuck Melissa." She said with venom. "Don't expect me to feel guilty, about any of it. You told me you loved me, you wanted to marry me, but you were fucking Melissa behind my back, thinking I didn't have a clue. Well I knew, all of it. Now I've released you from your engagement, go marry her. I know she wont give you the connections you seem to need, but that's your problem not mine. And don't deny your continued affair, I know you were in a serious relationship with her before I returned, I know you went to her bed after we argued over summer, I know about New Years, I know about Valentines day and the roses: I know it all. So be honest for once in your life!" Hermione shouted; her rant had started calmly enough, but she had built up a head of steam and by the end of her tirade she was openly yelling at him.

"Oho," Richard said, beginning to turn red with rage, "You're one to talk about honesty." He seethed, "When you've been lying to me for years!" he yelled.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have time for this." Hermione said, "It's time you saw yourself out, and don't come back." She said, giving him a disgusted look, before turning around and continuing to her room. She had taken two steps when a vase exploded against the wall to her right.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Richard yelled, as Hermione whirled around, "We are not finished yet."

"Yes we are!" Hermione shouted back, "And could you please refrain from destroying my family heirlooms!"

"Oh, like that bothers you," Richard spat, "no doubt you can fix it with a spell, otherwise what the hell use is that school of yours!" he yelled,

"That's beside the point!" Hermione yelled, "That vase was an antique!" The anger suddenly fell from her face to be replaced by complete and utter shock as Richards words finally sunk in. "What did you say?" she breathed.

Richard scoffed, "You heard me. Give it up. Be honest for once in your life," he spat her own words back at her. "I know you're a witch."

Hermione simply stood there, breathing erratically, with no idea what to say in response to such a statemant.

###

When Hermione had left, Draco had dressed and apparated back to the Manor to shower and change. Just as he was about to disappearate back to Hermione's, there was a knock on his door.

With an exasperated sigh, he went to the door, muttering "stupid damn clock," under his breath as he went.

"Yes?" He asked his mother with a resigned smile, as soon as he opened the door.

"Good morning to you too." Narcissa smiled, "You didn't come home last night." She stated.

"No I didn't," Draco said, "is that all?"

Narcissa frowned, "Where were you?" she asked.

Draco sighed; his mother knew the answer, so why was she making him say it out loud? "I stayed at Hermione's." he said, "To make sure she was okay, after what happened." He didn't say anything about nightmares; it wasn't his place to tell. Hell, he hadn't even told his mother about his own nightmares, he wasn't going to tell her about someone else's.

"Is she alright?" Narcissa asked with concern, "After what happened?"

Draco smiled, "She's fine" he assured his mother, "But I have to get back, she's currently in a meeting with her parents, about the business. I would like to be there when she gets out, to see how it went. She was quite nervous." He didn't admit that he was nervous for her also: everything rested on this. His mother let him go without a further word, and Draco reappeared in Hermione's bedroom.

He made his way into her sitting room, to sit in front of the fire, picking up the book on the coffee table to pass the time. Every now and then he kept glancing at the clock, wondering how it was progressing. He finished the book just after eleven: her meeting would be done by now, the verdict given. She would be sitting down with journalists, Richard would be making his proposal again, but would she be accepting, or refusing? He didn't want to think about it, not until he had to, so he summoned the next book from Hermione's bedroom and carried on reading.

He had just finished the first chapter when he heard the crash of what sounded like breaking china, just down the hall. He stood with a frown, and made his way out into the hallway, where he saw Hermione and Richard stood a few paces apart, simply staring at each other. The tension in the air was palpable, as Draco walked up to them.

"This had better be good: they've just blown the horn three times, it's getting serious." He said, coming up behind Hermione. He could practically hear her eye roll at his comment, as Richard scoffed insolently at Draco.

"I should have known you would be around. What is it with you people? Do all you freaks have to stick in packs or something?" Richard snapped.

"Don't." Hermione seethed, "Don't you DARE call me a FREAK!" she yelled.

"What's going on?" Draco asked, fully taking in Hermione's ire and realising it was nothing he had seen before.

"He knows," she said looking up at him, Draco frowned and she elaborated, "He knows I'm a witch."

Draco looked back at Richard, "How?" he asked.

"How long?" Hermione added, looking back.

"Since you came back after your first year." Richard admitted, and Hermione's eyes widened.

"How?" She breathed again.

Richard sighed, "After you went to Scotland that first year, I was in my father's study, sat in the window seat hidden behind the curtain like I always used to do. They didn't know I was there. A couple of associates called by, and when my dad left to fetch drinks, they started talking, about really weird stuff. One of them had mentioned Hogwarts, they said something about seeing Dumble..someone." He said.

"Dumbledore," Hermione said tonelessly.

"Whatever," Richard snapped, "Said he wasn't worried about the break in over the summer, though it caused a lot of anxiety, I don't know. Then they started talking about some kid named Harry Potter, sounding far too excited about the guy, apparently he joined a house team, was the youngest player in a century, looked just like his dad. They sounded like they hero worshipped him or something." He spewed off, sounding irritated at every word he said.

Draco gave a laugh, "Yeah, them and everyone else." He muttered

Richard scowled at the interruption, and continued to address Hermione, "Imagine my surprise when you come home talking about your new best friend Harry Potter, and your Headmaster Dumbledore. I tried to ask you questions but you wouldn't tell. But when you went back: I had borrowed a book from you over the summer, I returned it to your sitting room, and my eye was caught by a book left on the coffee table. The title immediately captivated me."

"Hogwarts: A History." Hermione said ruefully, shaking her head. Of course, she thought, "The only time I left it because it wouldn't fit in my trunk."

"I read it." Richard said, "Told me everything I needed to know."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked after a moment. "I could have talked about everything, if I knew you already knew."

"I was hoping you would come to me, and share your secret. I thought you might be able to trust me." Richard said.

Hermione looked at him incredulously, "I couldn't" she said, "It's against the law. When I accepted my place, I accepted the responsibility of keeping the Wizarding world secret from all Muggles who didn't need to know. If I spoke of this to you, I would have broken that promise and broken the law. But if you had come to me – that was a loophole." she snapped, frustrated at Richard's stubbord idiocy.

"Well I know now," Richard said, "Why don't you tell me all about it."

Hermione looked at him and saw the small glimmer in his eye: it was a hopeful glimmer, the one Hermione had when magic was new and exciting to her too.

Hermione shook her head, "I can't. Because what I have to tell, you don't want to hear." She said honestly. Richard frowned, and Hermione expanded.

"Magic is new to you, despite that you've known about it's existence for years. You want to hear about my lessons: about brewing potions that can turn you into someone else – you don't want to hear that the transformation makes you feel like your skin is bubbling off your body in the most painful of ways. You want to hear about spells that can repair things, or make objects fly – you don't want to hear about the ones that cause you the most excruciating pain imaginable, spells that can torture you to insanity. You want me to tell you about the castle, with staircases that move and portraits that talk – you don't want to hear about the secret chamber that housed a monster that almost killed me in my second year, or how the castle was nearly completely destroyed last June at the culmination of a war we've just been fighting in." Hermione said.

"War?" Richard asked.

"Yes." Draco said tightly, "War. She's not being melodramatic; we were at war for a few years."

"Is that what you were doing when you disappeared for a year?" Richard asked, "Fighting in a war?"

"Yep." Hermione said shortly, "But I'm not talking to you about it. You need to be leaving." She reminded him, "Don't think I've forgotten everything you've done, in light of this new revelation. You need to leave, and never set foot in this place again. We are well and truly through." Hermione said turning her back on Richard once more.

"Before you go," Draco said suddenly, stopping Richard in his tracks, "How's the bar doing?" he asked with a smirk.

Hermione looked at him shrewdly, the cogs turning in her mind, thinking of what Richard had said earlier.

"You?" Richard said warily, his anger quickly retunring.

"What?" Draco asked with an innocence that didn't fool anyone.

"You bastard." Richard seethed.

"Something wrong? The last Hermione told me, it was going well." Draco said. "Though she hasn't mentioned anything since after Christmas." He said.

"Am I missing something?" Hermione asked, "What's going on?"

"I've been losing too much business." Richard said, "I've poured nearly my entire fortune into that place, and I'm getting nothing back." He snarled at Draco.

"That's surprising," Draco said, "According to your doorman, they're turning people away at the door." He smirked slyly.

"Which doorman?" Richard seethed, "who is working for you, is it Hopley or Goyle?" he demanded, but Draco only chuckled.

Hermione looked at Draco with a shocked laughed, "He doesn't mean-?" she started.

"The very same," Draco nodded, cutting her off before she could say which one. "Still a good friend, didn't return to school to do his NEWTs, lets face it, he's not the most intelligent, but he's not stupid. And he's loyal, especially to me." Draco explained quickly, before turning back to Richard.

"You know," Draco suggested, "If your bar is becoming such a drain on your limited resources, why don't you sell? I'm always looking for a new business opportunity."

Hermione smirked up at Draco, "How long have you been planning this?" She asked.

"Christmas Eve." He told her simply, laughing at her shock.

"Why?" Growled Richard,

"Remember that line I said you had crossed? At the Grangers' Christmas party? That's why." Draco smiled. "You angered me. You made yourself my enemy, and I've been looking to ruin you ever since. Your blatant disrespect toward Hermione was the main incentive. I told you to treat her right, you did the opposite, and this is the result." Draco said.

Richard looked set to explode, and after a second of silent seething he did. He launched himself at Draco it a fit of rage. Draco shoved Hermione to the side, out of harms way, as Richard's fist swiped across to make contact with Draco's face.

"Richard!" Hermione screamed, "What is the matter with you?!"

"He has no decorum," Draco growled, retaliating with punch into Richards gut, followed by an upper cut to the chin, before pushing him away, flinging him to the ground, and straightening his shirt, "it's to be expected with his kind. New money never have the proper sense of what civilised society is actually like."

Hermione laughed in spite of the situation, as her parents came to the top of the stairs, "What the hell is going on up here?" Anthony demanded, taking in the scene, and stopping Richard in his track as he made to attack Draco again, after just getting back on his feet. Hermione went to Draco's side, looking up him with concern: his nose was bleeding, and when she wiped her thumb across his lips to remove the blood, it was immediately replaced with fresh.

"Richard was just leaving." Hermione said coldly, without looking at him.

"Too right he is." Anthony said, having taken in the scene and processed the situation correctly. Victoria came over to her daughter's side and handed Draco a handkerchief.

"Thank you," Draco said, somewhat thickly, stemming the flow of blood, "I apologise for what you've just witnessed. That should not have happened, not in you're home. I''m terribly sorry."

"Don't apologise," Hermione snapped with a frown, "You did nothing but defend me, it's Richard who should apologise, until he's blue in the god-damned face."

"Hermione we need to return downstairs," Victoria said tentatively.

"Go," Draco said, "I'll be fine. I can't say the same for Richard if he shows his face again, though." He added.

Hermione laughed, "Sure?" she asked, and when he nodded she continued, "ok, go back to my sitting room an wait for me there."

"No." Victoria said, having watched the pair's exchange extremely closely, taking in Draco's hand still resting on Hermione's hip as if it was the most natural think in the world, and Hermione's hand resting gently on his shoulder.

"Mother-" Hermione began, turning to glare at Victoria.

"Clean yourself up," Victoria said to Draco, ignoring her daughter's glare, "And then make your way to the library, help yourself to a glass of whiskey, I think you've earned it." She said, much to the surprise of both Hermione and Draco.

"Thank you, Mrs Granger." Draco said politely, "But I would hate to intrude, I know you have company."

"Nonsense. We'll be doing the main part of the interview in the drawing room below. We will probably take a couple of them on a tour of the principle rooms at some point, but you won't be intruding. Hermione shouldn't be hiding you away in her room: you are a friend, here at her invitation, you may as well relax in comfort." Victoria said before turning back to the staircase.

Hermione gave Draco a reassuring smile, "I guess I'll see you in the library." she said, "I'm sorry, I have to go. Are you-?"

"Go do your duty." Draco said, gently pushing her away with a smile, "I'll be fine. I have an excellent book to read."

Hermione smiled and made to follow her mother down the stairs. When they were halfway down, and Victoria was certain of being out of hearing range from anyone she asked her daughter, slyly and quietly: "Was there another reason why you were so hell bent on dissolving the engagement?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Is it not enough that the guy was a lying man-whore? Do I automatically have to be involved in a ridiculous love scandal as well? I swear mother, you're almost as bad as the people at Witch Weekly." She scolded.

Victoria looked at her confused, "Witch Weekly?" she questioned, "Is that a magazine? Paper?"

"Don't go there, Mother, I am begging you." Hermione said, and something in her face caused her mother to laugh.

"Oh dear, you don't like them?" Victoria hedged.

"It's full of ridiculous gossip, and once something has been printed in that magazine it will spread through Hogwarts quicker than rats spread a plague." Hermione stated.

"Speaking from experience?" Victoria quizzed.

"Unfortunately," Hermione admitted, adding: "I may have downplayed my role in the war to you, just a little bit. I'm a bit of a celebrity in my own right, in the Wizarding World. I've had enough publicity to last me a lifetime."

"You should have said, if I had known-" Victoria started, but Hermione cut her off just as they got to the door of Drawing.

"Oh no. I wouldn't have forgone this little gem of a morning. I don't mind an interview that is completely in my control. It's speculations that irritate." Hermione said, before returning into the clutches of the journalists for a tedious couple of hours of questions, questions and more questions.

After a couple of hours simply sitting and talking about their family life, their business and their plans for the future, Hermione and her parents gave a tour of the house, posing for photographs in the odd room here and there, and answering the odd question about the house's history. Eventually they ended the tour in the Library.

"This is without a doubt, my favourite room in the house," Hermione said, as they all entered. She saw Draco sat in an armchair next to the fire, book in hand, looking completely relaxed. He glanced up as the large party entered, and Hermione gave him a smile.

"I apologise," Draco said standing up, "I can leave if I'm in the way."

Hermione shook her head, "Nonsense, you should stay." She said, before turning back to the journalists, "This is Draco Malfoy, a good friend of mine, from school."

"Are you local, Mr Malfoy?" A man asked casually.

"No, sir. I live in Wiltshire." Draco answered politely, with a smile, "I'm here in York for a couple of days, and I took the liberty of calling here, I didn't realise you would all be here, I'm sorry to intrude."

"Nonsense," Victoria chimed in, echoing her daughter's earlier words. "It's not an intrusion, any friend of Hermione's is certainly welcome here."

"You certainly looked very at home when we came in," a female journalist pointed out, "have you been here often?" She asked sugestively.

Hermione laughed, "I'm sure this room feels incredibly cozy for him. His library is about three times as big as this one, I'm sure." She joked.

Draco shrugged, "The Small Library is about this size." He said with a smirk, Hermione simply rolled her eyes at him.

Another man spoke up, "What brings you up to York?" He asked.

"Business." Draco said simply, "My family an I are always looking for ways to expand our franchise. But I don't want to steel anyone's thunder, you're here to learn about the Roseby-Granger family franchise." He said with a smile at Hermione who had just perched on the arm of his chair.

Hermione shrugged, "The Malfoy's run a large estate, and also have a couple of vineyards in Italy." She said to the group, "Very successful family, but surprisingly modest." She added.

"Is that so?" a woman asked, intrigued. "How big of an Estate do you run, if you don't mind me asking?"

Draco nodded, "The family estate covers 35,000 acres. We farm a fair amount of the land, and it pays well for itself – you may not realise but a lot of your produce probably comes from my estate: fruits, vegetables, cheeses for example; we do a lot. But my family are very private, our name doesn't appear on anything, so you'd never know. As Hermione said, we have vineyards in Italy, there is also an opportunity of purchasing another in France." He said honestly.

There were a few startled looks about the room that were quickly smoothed out: clearly no one had anticipated just how wealthy he was when they had first laid eyes on him. Hermione couldn't help but smile; she could practically hear their brains ticking over the speculation of pairing her off with such a superior gentleman, after she had just rejected a mediocre man in front of them.

"You mentioned you were here on business?" someone asked, "Can we ask how you are planning to expand your franchise?"

"Certainly." Draco smiled, he had been hoping they would ask him this, "I hear there's a bar about to come on the market – quite a unique place. I know the bar manager there, and he says the current owner is losing a lot of money. It's just draining his resources. But with the right handling I think I could turn it into a sound investment. In fact," he said suddenly, turning to Hermione, "You might know more about the situation, I believe you're acquainted with the owner? I met him here on Christmas Eve. Alden his name is." He said, acticng as if he had no idea about the scandal that had recently happened.

Draco's facial expression never changed, but his eyes sparkled with mischief and Hermione tried not to laugh as she nodded.

"Yes, but we'll not talk about that right now. It's a little bit of an awkward subject at the moment." Hermione said, and Draco feigned confusion perfectly.

"I'm sorry, should I not have brought that up?" he asked.

"It's fine," Hermione said, turning her attention fully back to the journalists, "Are there any more questions?" she smiled, resisting the urge to laugh. She had thought her revenge had been complete earlier, but Draco's little addition truly capped it off nicely. For once in her life, Hermione couldn't wait to see her name in print.

A/N: So, there you have it, as ever please leave me a review, let me know what you thought.

With regards to the size of the Malfoy Manor estate, I've based it on Chatsworth House, perhaps JKR intended it to bigger? I don't know, but Chatsworth seemed like a good size.

I'll hopefully have the next chapter ready to go at some point next week :)

xBx