The weekend passed quickly. While it had been rather uneventful, Hermione still had zero desire for Monday to arrive. She was feeling awkward and nervous faced with the prospect of seeing Malfoy again. She had lost too many hours this weekend trying to make sense of Friday...and she had yet to succeed.

Sure, she HAD noticed a difference in him. She did realize there were certain topics where his viewpoints might have changed, but, overall, in regard to her opinion of him, the jury was still out.

When she arrived at her office, she immersed herself in work until it was time for lunch. Her nervousness returned when half past one loomed closer. She squared her shoulders and gathered her things giving herself a pep talk as she made her way to Mafloy's office. Hermione, you're a woman of almost four and twenty. You are no longer a school girl. You're the Assistant Head of a department in the Ministry of Magic, so, for Merlin's sake, act like it!

Her nerves bolstered, she knocked briefly on his office door and swept inside. She crossed the room and deposited her normal wares on his desk. She had barely spared him a glance through all of this and, when she finally looked up, Malfoy looked wholly unfriendly. And, inexplicably, she was annoyed. She hadn't imagined that they would suddenly become best mates or anything, but she expected something above outright surliness. They had come to a truce-of sorts-in favor of a good working relationship...or so she'd thought. Where's my damned potted plant, Malfoy?

She maintained a neutral expression leaving him none the wiser of her sudden annoyance. As if she would give him the satisfaction (hah!).She resolved to be just as annoying.

She sat on the edge of the guest chair leaning forward to rest her arms on his desk. Her haughty look rivaled his own. "So, this is considered 'friendly' to a Slytherin? I don't know much about you lot, but I shall do my best to learn...for the sake of our working together, of course." The corner of her mouth quirked up of it's own accord, unable to remain in check at his annoyed look. Score one for Granger. "Don't worry, Malfoy. Monday's really aren't so terrible." His eyes narrowed realizing that fun was being had at his expense. "I see you don't have any new work for me today. Just as well; plenty more important things to do anyway." She rose and walked to the door as she spoke. With a backwards wave and a "Ta!", she was gone.

She was sitting in her office pouring over the department owl correspondence when an aide delivered a lovely leafy potted plant. It looked as though someone had gotten her a muggle plant. She located the card in the leaves: 'I liked the plant name. You give as good as you get, but I just gave you a plant. So, play nice. DM.' The plant tag read Dracaena deremensis. A warmth spread within her and a ridiculously loopy grin enveloped her face.

After that, things went much smoother. She actually looked forward to their meetings. Boundaries were pushed and tested, but, all in all, common ground was found. He did still take an inordinate amount of pleasure in baiting her, which tripped her up almost every time. Somewhere along the way, though, she learned how to deflect and avoid. Playing dumb or acting distracted seemed to work the best. Feigning distraction actually worked twofold: it deflected his barbs and deflated his ego. How dare someone not hang on his every word! Okay, it wasn't as bad as all that, but she imagined that she wasn't far from the truth.

Without her noticing, a full month had passed. A thirty-day review was in her near future, the Director had just mentioned as much to her this morning. A whole month. Wow. The adage, "Time flies when you're having fun," came to mind, but that wasn't quite right, was it? She smiled slightly at the thought. Having fun with Malfoy? She snorted delicately. A novel concept, indeed.

Hermione walked into her office to find the very object of her thoughts occupying her desk chair. She cocked a brow pointedly at his feet which happened to be propped atop her desk soiling her blotter.

"To what do I owe this dubious pleasure?" She walked lazily over to her desk, grabbed his shoes and yanked them to the floor. She waved him up and pointed sharply to the guest chair opposite the desk. He scowled, but moved to the seat as directed.

Once settled, his smirked. "I assure you, it's always a pleasure for you to see me, Granger," he drawled.

She shuffled papers on her desk, arranged them into neat piles and dusted dirt away left by Mafloy's expensive shoes. She didn't bother looking up but smiled in response and waited.

"Anyway, the deadline for those last few proposals I gave you was moved up. I need those today, if possible." Back to business.

She adopted a hurt expression. "Here I was under the impression that you actually remembered our one-month anniversary." She pouted...and then noticed Harry standing in her office doorway slack jawed. She choked on a laugh.

"Wha..?" was the only syllable Harry seemed able to utter. Even Mafloy looked amused.

Mafloy stood with grace and reached for her hand across the desk, leaning over to bestow a kiss on her knuckle playing the situation out. It was nothing more than a quick brushing of lips over flesh and yet her cheeks heated in a blush and a slow pulsing surge of energy ran through her body. Her reaction embarrassed her slightly. She desperately hoped that he wasn't able to feel her accelerated heart rate; she could fairly hear her heart racing. He was staring intently into her eyes and the power of their draw had her mesmerized.

She took in the twinkling eyes and his raised brow and realized he had noticed. Of course, he noticed! His overall countenance had her thinking of a wolf. The Big Bad Wolf of Red Riding Hood fame. She imagined their conversation: "Draco, what observant eyes you have" (sounding more annoyed than wondrous) to which the reply would be "All the more to gain fodder to tease you with, my dear."

Snatching back her hand, she broke the gaze and peaked at Harry who was doing a fair impression of a fish.

She spared Mafloy another glance underneath her lashes. He had made his way to the door and was even with Harry. He turned back just then to send her an exaggerated wolfish look. "Come to my office later and I'll really make it up to you, just bring those-proposals-I like so much and maybe you'll get a proposal in return," he fairly purred. With a wink, he swept past Harry and out the door.

Hermione brought her hands to her cheeks to cool them down because, after what he just implied, they were flaming.

When she took notice of Harry, he was busy looking between Hermione and the door pointing at each in turn confusedly trying to sort it all out. She took pity on him. "Harry, I'm not dating Malfoy."

His gazed zeroed in on her then. "I know what I heard. Your one-month anniversary, Hermione?"

"One month of having been saddled with him as a partner, yeah. I was just teasing him, Harry. Turns out the joke was on you instead." She smiled slightly shaking her head at Draco's antics.

"Since when do you tease people?" Harry having replaced Mafloy in her guest chair, apparently quite recovered from his confusion.

She narrowed her eyes and shot him a look. "I do realize that I'm more than not on the receiving end of teasing, but, as it appears, I am also capable of dishing it out...Thank you very much!" She sniffed, clearly affronted.

Harry's grin widened. "Just teasing you, Hermione. Good to know you're not yet immune to it. Figured working with Mafloy, you would be by now. How's that going, by the way? One month, you said? I'm surprised you didn't turn him into a ferret in week two." His eyes grew unfocused and he smiled fondly as if remembering fourth year when Malfoy had been turned into the aforementioned animal.

She laughed slightly bringing him out of his reverie. "No, Harry, that's your dream, and, anyway, I would think of something more original. Ferret's already been done, hasn't it," she returned.

Harry gasped playfully. "Why, Hermione Granger, I'm surprised at you. Spending far too much time with Mafloy, if you ask me." He tsked.

Losing patience with the topic of conversation, "Is there a point to you being here?"

"See! That's just what I mean!" He relented though when she appeared unamused. "Have time for an early lunch?"

"Sounds perfect."

At half past one, Hermione was in Draco's office. Before she sat, she sent him look that clearly said "I can't believe you did that earlier". His only response was to smirk.

"Were you able to finish those proposals?"

With another look (she was forever shooting him looks), "Do you realize who you're talking to?"

As if just meeting her, "Hermione Granger, isn't it?"

"That's me." And she handed him the proposals.

"I knew I could rely on you."

That surprised her. It was without sarcasm and it was from Draco Malfoy. And it was quite possibly the first compliment she had received from him. Sure, he had told her 'nice work' before, but that didn't count. 'Nice work' was trite.

Before she could stop it, "Always" escaped her lips in reply.

He levelled a look at her, one of those serious, penetrating looks that seems as if the other person is trying to peer into your mind. And, at that moment, all Hermione could think was that he had nice eyes.

It was then that a rather ear-piercing screech shattered their would-be moment. It seemed to reverberate off the walls.

"What is that?" Hermione yelled, hands against her ears trying in vain to protect her ear drums.

It stopped then, and a booming voice replaced it. "This is a Code Red Lockdown. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is a Code Red Lockdown."

Looking put out, he sighed resignedly. "That is what happens when you're on the same level as Magical Accidents. What it means is that you're not going back to your office for a while. You're stuck with me for a little longer than usual today, Granger."