I was NOT expecting such great feedback from Chapter 1; I feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside :D. Thank you for all your kind words and support. Still have to make changes to Chapter 3, but here's Chapter 2 to explain a little of Marie and Draco's dynamic. Enjoy!

Truth be told, neither Draco nor Marie could say exactly when they became friends. The odd pair first met back in Hogwarts…sort of. He got her a glass of punch during the Yule Ball during Fourth Year, much to the displeasure of his…lovely date Pansy Parkinson- It's just a fucking drink, woman-, and the two began talking. He complimented her unique navy opne-backed gown- do you really?! It's my first design so I'm real nervous about it!- and she thought the blond boy was a cute little thing but would look so much better without all that damn hair gel slicking his hair back. The pair only spoke for a few more moments before the girl excused herself, thanking him again for the punch and saying she didn't want to worry her friend by being gone too long. Draco was pretty sure she didn't attend Hogwarts and for a brief moment wondered who her friend could be. The moment passed almost as briefly as it came, though, and he continued to enjoy his night. After graduation, he worked for Malfoy Enterprise for three months exactly before saying fuck it and deciding to pick up his childhood hobby turned passion, photography, and making his own business. By the time he was 24, M. Photography had taken the Magical world by storm and everyone wanted the famed Draco Malfoy at their event or taking family portraits. While Draco enjoyed the fruits of his labor, when he was photographing for fun, he was always snapping candid photos of everyday things people never thought twice about. His unique eye and approach to photography caused him to get a request to photograph a spread for a bridal and formalwear boutique in, get this…America; Atlanta, Georgia to be specific. How in the hell someone in America heard about him was beyond him, but sure enough, he found himself Apparating to the city of Atlanta at the end of the week to do this spread. He arrived at the botanical garden where the shoot was taking place and began to set up his equipment when he heard a familiar southern accent he hadn't heard in years.

"Hey, you must be the photographer! Thanks so much for traveling so far; I just love your work and figured I'd try getting a hold of…" the two made eye contact…"YOU!"

Sincerely, Marie Bridal and Formalwear was Marie Duponte's pride and joy. Born and raised in New Orleans to voodoo witch doctors, Marie was from one of the most powerful Magical families in America. After attending a witch's academy in New Orleans, she moved to Atlanta to attend a Muggle university and fulfill her life dream of becoming a designer. At 24, she had become a household name in both the Magical and Muggle world for all wedding and formal affairs. In quiet moments, Marie sometimes wondered about the blond boy who got her punch at the ball when she went to visit her friend at Hogwarts that one year, but from what her friend said about Slytherins, or whatever they were, she guess he was pretty well-off. When she came across a photo in Witch Weekly by M. Photography, she immediately got her assistant on the phone and told her to do whatever she had to (within reason, of course...yea, in reason) to get him to photograph her new collection. She was working with one of the models when someone notified her that the photographer was here. As she made her way over to him, Marie got a glimpse of his blond hair and for a split second, thought of the blond haired punch boy. Nah, couldn't be, she shook herself of the thought. Well, she'd be damned and thank God, Merlin, and little baby Jesus that he finally let go of the hair gel. The shoot went smoothly, and the two caught up on each other's lived and successes over dinner that evening. Draco was impressed to learn of her success in both the Magical and Muggle worlds, something that he had started to consider recently. Marie told Draco about her desire to open a shop in London, which resulted in Draco agreeing to use his platform as a photographer to promote her designs to some of his clients The two kept in touch, and in a few short months, Marie found her clientele in London increasing at a rapid pace. During a visit to London, Draco suggested Marie consider moving to London permanently. After all, she had an assistant manager at the original shop in Atlanta who could easily do the day-to-day runnings and Marie could still check in every month or so. Truth be told, Draco had grown fond of the woman and, blame his spoiled only-child upbringing, he wanted her to be closer. Marie had dabbled with the idea of moving to London; she did love London and was happy that her designs were getting recognition in both worlds but America was home. Yet a year and some change later, Marie found herself uprooting her life in Atlanta, Georgia and moving into a penthouse apartment that straddled both the Magical world and the Muggle world. Sincerely, Marie blossomed and, because of her involvement in both worlds, M. Photography was now talked about in both Magical homes and Muggle homes.

The two friends continued to work with each other over the years, and at 28 years old, neither name could be said without the other's coming up in the same sentence. Business-wise, their success was record-breaking and was recognized across both worlds. As far as their personal relationship, the pair was like yin and yang…both literally and figuratively. While Draco was more of the mysterious type, Marie was social and outgoing. While Draco was a man of few words, Marie was a woman of many. While Draco enjoyed his bachelor life, Marie was engaged to Draco's longtime friend Blaise Zabini whom she met at a Welcome to London gathering Draco hosted for her a month or so after her big move. The two were getting married at the end of October, and Draco truthfully couldn't be happier for his two friends. There were moments when he would sometimes wondered what it would be like to have someone look at him with adoration in her eyes the way Marie looked at Blaise. Then he would notice a gorgeous leggy sultry-eyed woman and there went that thought. Marie just shook her head and rolled her eyes at his antics; she knew whenever that dear man-child of hers found "The One" he was gonna fall hook, line, bait, and sinker. In the meantime, Marie enjoyed her darling fiancé and Draco enjoyed his bachelorhood and the two basked in their unlikely friendship.

Clearly, something needed to shake up this homeostasis.

So I'm really excited to get to the good stuff starting next chapter (you know, that initial awkward Draco/Hermione stuff that leads to the spicy Draco/Hermione stuff), so I apologize if this background chapter seemed a little rushed. If there are any questions left unanswered, shoot me a review and I'll try to clear things up. I have some grad school things to finish up for the end of the quarter, so it'll be a week or two before I can post a new chapter, but hopefully this can hold you all over until then! xx