Harry and Ron were pleased to note that Malfoy failed to show up to lunch, it was something that happened regularly according to Neville. They were less pleased however when they asked Neville about him and their former housemate revealed that he was good friends with the former Slytherin. Neither of them bothered to press the subject any further with Neville as they really didn't want to hear about Malfoy and how wonderful he now was.

Shortly before the end of lunch Neville left to get ready for his next class. McGonagall also left with Justin and Dave, leaving Harry and Ron to show Juliette around.

"Where should we start?" Ron asked as the trio stood up and exited the hall.

"I don't know." Harry replied, coming to a halt in the main hallway as he looked around their former school. "I quite fancy seeing if Gryffindor Tower has changed but without the password we can't get in."

"We could always ask someone." Ron suggested. "There's plenty of Gryffindors around the place."

"No self-respecting Gryffindor will reveal the password to three strangers." Harry snorted.

"They might when one of them is The Boy Who Lived." Ron retorted. "I've already seen a few people giving you awed looks, I bet we could find someone so star struck that they give us the password."

"Maybe, or we could just go up and talk to The Fat Lady, she might just let us in." Harry suggested.

Ron agreed, so they set off up the stairs in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. They never made it that far however as when they started up the stairs they found themselves behind two gossiping girls and Harry and Ron couldn't help but listen to the girl's conversation.

"I can't believe how hard this homework is, I swear Professor Malfoy is the toughest Professor going." The first girl said to her friend.

"Tell me about it, I heard her end of year tests are the worst." Her friend responded.

"Ugh, don't say that." The first girl whined. "It's O.W.L.S this year and I can't fail Transfiguration. I struggle enough with it as it is."

"You won't fail." The second girl reassured her friend. "She might be tough but Professor Malfoy is great, if you're struggling she'll help you in a heartbeat. Last year she gave me extra lessons when I fell behind and couldn't cope."

"I wouldn't mind extra lessons with Professor Malfoy, as long as it was the right one, of course." The first girl said with a grin.

"Who wouldn't, the man in gorgeous." The second girl laughed. "Although I don't think he does extra lessons."

"Maybe he saves them for his wife." The first girl said. "I heard a rumour that earlier in the year a seventh year caught the two of them coming out of the Transfiguration classroom one lunchtime looking slightly dishevelled."

"Lucky woman." The second girl sighed.

Still gossiping about their Professors the two girls suddenly turned into a corridor, leaving Harry and Ron staring after them.

"Did you hear that?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, it was rather disturbing. Those girls seem to think Malfoy is attractive." Ron grimaced at the thought. "Fancy having a crush on your Professor, it's just wrong."

"Not that you idiot." Harry tutted at his friend. "I meant did you hear the part about Malfoy's wife being the Transfiguration Professor."

"Yes." Ron nodded. "What about it?"

"Are you not curious as to what sort of woman Malfoy is married to?" Harry asked. "I mean, who in their right mind would marry a former Death Eater."

"Some pureblood bitch who's only interested in his money." Ron suggested.

"Maybe, but should we go and see for ourselves." Harry said with a smirk. "Do you fancy going to see the other Professor Malfoy in action?"

"Sure, I bet she's terrible." Ron laughed. "No wife of Malfoy's is going to be very bright."

"What is your obsession with this man?" Juliette asked as the two friends cackled about their former school rival. "He was a great teacher and he seemed pretty likable to me."

"He's not likeable." Harry told his fiancée. "You didn't know him at school, he was horrible."

"Maybe he was, but he's not like that now." Juliette responded. "Maybe you two should forget the past and move on."

"What does it matter?" Ron shrugged. "We're never going to see him again after today."

"Are we going to pay a visit to Transfiguration then?" Harry asked, steering the subject away from Malfoy before his best friend and fiancée got into a fight over him. "Classes will be starting in a few minutes."

"Yeah, come on." Ron said, turning and heading up another flight of stairs.

"Are you coming?" Harry asked Juliette as he started after his friend.

"Yeah, I think I need to make sure the pair of you don't cause trouble." Juliette muttered, following her fiancé and his best friend as they headed for the Transfiguration classroom.

When they arrived at the classroom the students were just entering the room so they slipped in with them and settled themselves at the back of the room. When the class was settled Harry and Ron could see the back of the Professor, standing at the front of the classroom as she wrote instructions on the board. The witch had brunette hair, which was tied up in a loose bun, was of average height and looked to have a pretty impressive figure.

"Before we begin today's practical work, everyone must complete these questions." The Professor said, not turning round but still holding the classes' attention. "Once you're finished answering them bring them to me and if I'm satisfied, you may start work on your practical Transfiguration."

"That voice is very familiar." Harry whispered to Ron.

"I know." Ron whispered back. "I've heard it before, but I can't think where."

Harry and Ron's whispering caught the attention of the Professor and she whirled round, her eyes widening as she spotted her former best friends at the back of the room. Harry and Ron didn't spot Hermione watching them immediately but after a few seconds they looked up. Harry gaped as he instantly recognised his best friend and worked out what her presence in the Transfiguration lesson meant. Ron however took slightly longer to recognise the sophisticated woman at the front of the class as his former crush.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, finally finding his voice.

"Get on with your work, please." Hermione told her class as she walked towards the back of the room. At Ron's shout they had all turned around, but at Hermione's order to get to work they obeyed, turning back to the front and getting their text books out.

"Hello boys." Hermione smiled at her friends.

"Hermione, it's good to see you." Harry smiled back and gave Hermione a quick hug. "You look great."

"Thanks." Hermione replied.

"Hermione, this is my fiancée, Juliette Summers. Juliette this is Hermione Granger, one of my best friends." Harry made the introductions between the two women as Ron continued to stare at Hermione.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Juliette said to Hermione. "I've heard so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, although I'm sorry to say I can't say the same thing about hearing all about you. The boys have been pretty slack with keeping in touch." Hermione replied.

"Sorry." Harry said sheepishly.

"You could have wrote to us." Ron said, entering the conversation.

"I did, all my owls came back with the letter's still attached. You were nowhere to be found." Hermione replied.

Ron opened his mouth to protest some more but he was interrupted by a student calling for Hermione. "Professor Malfoy, can you help?"

"Excuse me." Hermione said to her friends. "I'll be right back."

The mention of Hermione's surname seemed to make Ron realise what was going on, he had been so caught up with seeing Hermione again that he had forgotten all about the reason they were in the classroom in the first place. Sensing Ron was going to explode Harry bundled his friend out of the classroom, he'd known what was happening the minute he spotted Hermione but it had seemingly taken Ron longer to work out what Hermione's presence indicated.

"What are you doing Harry?" Ron asked as Harry manhandled him into the corridor.

"Making sure you didn't get us into trouble." Harry replied calmly. "McGonagall would have thrown us out if you'd kicked off in there."

"Would you blame me?" Ron snarled, pulling out of Harry's grip. "We go away for a while and Hermione marries the bloody ferret."

"Maybe we should hear what she has to say." Harry told his friend. "We might be misunderstanding things."

"How can we misunderstand?" Ron spat. "The kid called her Malfoy. I think it's pretty clear what's going on."

Ron had just finished speaking when the door to the class opened and Hermione and Juliette appeared, Juliette had stayed in the classroom to apologise to Hermione.

"How could you do this to us?" Ron snarled at Hermione as soon as she had shut the door behind her. "He's the enemy, Hermione."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ronald." Hermione snapped at her friend. "We've moved on from the past, Draco isn't the same person he once was."

"Draco is it? What happened to Malfoy?" Ron glared at Hermione.

"As I said, we put the past behind us." Hermione replied. "Besides, it would be weird not to use my husband's given name. It would also get a bit confusing otherwise, considering I'm also a Malfoy."

"You're a traitor, that's what you are." Ron hissed. "Wait until everyone finds out what you've done."

"If you mean marrying Draco, then everyone knows." Hermione said, looking baffled by Ron's threat. "Our relationship isn't a secret."

"My family can't know or if they do they can't like it." Ron snarled.

"Your family are perfectly fine with my marriage." Hermione told Ron. "They were all at the wedding and none of them have a problem with Draco."

"You're lying." Ron said hesitantly, sounding a lot more unsure of himself.

"I'm not." Hermione sighed. "Look, you two went away and didn't bother to keep in touch. It's not my fault if you don't like the way things are when you've returned."

"You're right, I don't like it." Ron said with a sneer. "And I'm not accepting it. You married Malfoy and that was your choice, but I want nothing to do with it or you."

"So we're not friends anymore?" Hermione asked sadly. She'd expected her friends to react badly but she had thought they would at least listen to her.

"No, I don't befriend Malfoy's." Ron took one final look at Hermione before turning and walking away from her.

"Harry?" Hermione turned to the man who hadn't said a word during her confrontation with Ron.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Harry sighed sadly and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Ron was harsh, but I agree with the sentiment. I'm not sure I can accept you marrying Malfoy. He was nothing but horrible to you and school and I don't believe someone can change that much."

"Then I guess we're done here." Hermione said stiffly. "Goodbye Harry."

Turning on her heel, Hermione went back into the classroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"I can't believe you just did that." Juliette said to Harry. "For years you've been telling me about this amazing friend you have back home, a friend that was there for you during everything you went through with Voldemort and saved your life countless times. Yet you just stood there as Ron laid into her before doing the same, only more politely."

"You don't understand, Juliette." Harry said, shaking his head. "Malfoy was the worst person when we were in school. He was awful to all three of us, especially Hermione, and he has done some terrible things."

"Clearly he's changed. If he was so awful to Hermione and she still married him, what does that tell you?" Juliette asked her fiancé. "People change Harry, they grow up. I think it's time you and Ron grew up before you lose Hermione's friendship for good. Maybe you should take the time before the Quidditch match this afternoon to think about Hermione and whether you really want to lose her from your life."

"I don't want to lose her, but she's married to Malfoy, that changes everything." Harry protested.

"It doesn't change who she is and everything she's done for you in the past." Juliette pointed out. "You and Ron have been pretty bad friends to her for a few years now by not bothering to keep in touch but if you leave here without apologising that will be it, she won't forgive you. Go and find Ron and talk to him, before the Quidditch match you need to have decided what you're going to do. You either apologise to Hermione and try and re-establish your friendship or you leave well alone and that's it, you're done."

"What are you going to do, when I'm talking to Ron?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to go back inside and apologise to Hermione, again." Juliette answered. "She didn't deserve the harsh way she was treated. You and Ron might not have noticed, but she was thrilled to see you both. But of course you ruined it and now even if you apologise she might not forgive you."

When Juliette turned and headed back into Hermione's classroom, Harry was left to go and find Ron. Heading in the direction his friend had disappeared in Harry pondered on his fiancée's words, maybe she was right and he and Ron had lost Hermione for good.