Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and followed! It all means so much :) There was a bit of concern regarding the other ladies in Draco's life but not to worry, it's all just part of the plan... I think I am nearing the end of writing this as I never intended for it to go on forever so it's looking to be maybe 14-16 chapters total?

I've also written maybe around 5 or 6 chapters worth of content for another new story that hasn't yet been published :) Stay tuned!

Please enjoy and review! xoxo

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise.

True to her word, and almost unbelievably, Granger appeared to be giving it another chance. Later Monday afternoon, Draco had seen her and Baxter joking together as they worked toward a final concept. Tuesday morning Draco was sitting in with their team to receive an update and she had actually smiled at him! He had returned it with a weak smile of his own.

He wondered what had changed, though he didn't want to look too closely into it, afraid she might suddenly swing the other way again. Afraid he might show up one morning and her desk would be empty.

But it seemed she was making a legitimate effort. It was a huge weight off Draco`s back, knowing that she was finally on the same team as everyone else, and him.

Lila had completed her previous job and was working furiously to catch up, despite Draco`s repeated mentions that she wasn`t behind.

Adrian Pucey and Sol Keats had thrown out the idea of incorporating some of the rich history of Diagon Alley into the pitch. After all they had learned, of the street and its history, of the wizards and witches on the committee, it seemed only fitting.

Back hundreds of years ago, Diagon had served as much more than a shopping street, had provided for food, shelter, entertainment, even a battleground.

Granger and Baxter had run with the idea more brilliantly than Draco could have imagined, and on Thursday when they finally showed him their latest revisions – a modern interpretation of the historical Diagon Alley, Draco had nearly fallen out of his seat.

He had stared, jaw dropped, as they waved their wands projecting the concept and design on the wall and everyone watched appreciatively.

"This latest idea was Granger's brainchild," Baxter informed him, grinning after everyone else had gone back to their work.

"Granger, I could kiss you," Draco blurted, grinning. She wrinkled her nose a little, flushing pink.

"Well, you probably shouldn't do that," she said in a small voice. "Just doing my job." At that she gave him a smile.

Draco arranged for a meeting with Bullham Friday afternoon, a chance for his team to rehearse their presentation and to determine areas of weakness or loose ends.

All in all the trial presentation went very well, with each team able to thoroughly articulate their side. Draco noticed Lila was shaking like a leaf next to him when she got up to speak.

It had the desired effect on Bullham; he seemed quite impressed and a little shocked when he saw the concept. He walked over to Draco after the presentation, clapping him on the back.

"Good work so far," he said loudly. "I'm glad to see you have been making progress. Now don't fuck it up."

"Yes sir," Draco swallowed out.

"You have a meeting with the selection committee next Friday. The sooner we get in, the better our chances," Bullham continued. With that he left the board room, leaving Draco's team emotionally drained but excited.

"Well, you heard him," Draco said, containing a smile. "We've got a week to polish everything up. At this point I would say our chances are good but we can't run the risk of losing out. We'll break for the weekend and Monday morning we will begin an analysis of our presentation to make it spotless."

His team trickled out of the room, gathering their things and leaving for the weekend. When Draco looked up with his own files in order, he noticed Lila was still there, waiting for him.

"Draco, can we talk?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course," he replied, taking a seat once more and she followed suit.

"Well, it's just, Blaise has been owling me," she blurted, biting her lower lip.

"Oh, really," Draco responded hesitantly, at a loss for words.

"Yes," she continued, "and he's invited me for drinks tonight with his friends. I assume that means you're going to be there."

"Yes, I'm going," Draco replied, suddenly feeling as if his heart had jumped into his throat. He wished he hadn't been so adamant about telling Blaise that Lila was just his friend. "Did you say yes?"

"I haven't answered yet. I wanted to talk to you first," she looked at him nervously, "if you think it will be awkward I won't go. And if you would rather I don't see Blaise, I'd understand."

"Lila, I can't tell you not to see Blaise," he sighed. "I can tell you to be careful. Blaise isn't known for his long-term relationship potential. Besides, we decided we were best as friends."

The word friends left a bitter taste in Draco's mouth. The air was becoming stifling.

"I know we did," she replied. Something in her tone left Draco wondering. Had she wanted him to say something else? They had admitted to being attracted to one another just a week ago, albeit drunkenly, but had called it off before it started. If she was willing to see where things went with Blaise he couldn't hold that against her.

"I don't mind," he finally said. He loosened the top buttons of his shirt, feeling very hot. "I want you to be happy, Lil."

"Oh, you too, Draco," she said, standing and gathering her things once more. "I think you deserve to be happy." She smiled, sweeping from the room, leaving Draco pondering how that might feel.

Draco apparated to Blaise's late, not in a particular hurry to get there. As he suspected, Lila was sitting with Blaise, laughing at something he had said, Astoria was deep in a conversation with her new boyfriend Matthew and Daphne was gossiping to Sally-Anne Perks.

Draco took a seat at the couch with the latter two, though he had no interest in what they were discussing.

Even Theo, who was usually single, was absent tonight, as he had a date.

Draco couldn't remember the last time he had felt so alone.

"Hi Draco!" Sally-Anne said, seeing him take a seat next to her.

"Sally-Anne," he said softly, "it's been a while."

"Been busy, you know," she said, brandishing a half full bottle of wine. "Wine?"

"I'd love some wine," Draco said gratefully. Both girls grinned widely at him. Obviously he had selected the drunk-on-wine couch which was perfectly fine with him. At least he wouldn't be getting sloshed alone.

As he started into his third glass of wine, Draco started to relax and enjoy himself, telling Daphne and Sally-Anne about work, and they filled him in on trivial details of their lives. Soon the conversation flew back to their days at Hogwarts, laughing belligerently as they recalled some of his antics.

More than once, Draco caught Lila watching him closely and he flashed her a tight smile, though he didn't feel entirely certain of it.

Draco felt the wine hit him, having drank almost an entire bottle, as he stood to visit the loo, nearly stumbling over Sally-Anne's feet, who laughed hysterically, spilling wine on herself. Draco grinned back at the two as he made his way out of the room.

When he stepped out of the washroom, Lila was standing there.

"Are you alright, Draco?" she asked softly, eyeing him speculatively.

"I'm fine," he replied, vision clearing slightly.

"You seem rather drunk," she stated the obvious, looking uncomfortable.

"Yes, well, long week. I can handle myself, but thanks for the concern," he smiled at her.

"I just wanted to be sure you were alright with my being here, with Blaise," she said hesitantly.

"I have no problem with you, no problem with Astoria, no problems whatsoever," he said, starting to feel irritated but he pushed it back. It wasn't Lila's fault.

She flinched and Draco realized his tone was harsher than he intended.

"I'm used to being alone, if that's what you're thinking," he said in a softer voice.

"That doesn't mean you have to be alone, Draco," she said quietly.

"Well, I can't have you," he said, grinning.

"We agreed -" she began.

"I know. That was a joke." He cut her off. They were both silent for a moment and Draco considered heading back to his seat and his glass of wine.

"What about Sally-Anne? She seems nice," Lila said tentatively.

Draco shrugged, not wanting to talk about this anymore.

"She's alright," he said noncommittally. Lila's eyes flashed and she smiled.

"How about Granger?" she asked. "She was definitely noticing you this week."

"Kill me first," he groaned, though he didn't mean it at all. "What do you mean? Did you talk to her about me?"

"Just about work. I told her she needed to give you a fair chance and that if she got to know you she would realize that you aren't half bad." Lila shrugged.

"That explains things," he admitted. "She was much easier to get along with. But she would never in a million years want to date me."

"You're probably right," Lila grinned. There was a twinkle in her eye.

"No meddling," Draco warned in a low voice.

"Oh, of course not," Lila replied loftily. "That isn't my business."

With that she strolled back to the living room, and Draco followed her, suddenly feeling suspicious. Women were impossible to understand.

He returned to his wine and his old school friends, picking up where the conversation had left off.

By the time Draco dragged himself out of bed the next day it was well into the afternoon. He had stayed at Blaise's far too late and drank far too much wine, but it had been better than he was expecting.

He flooed into Diagon Alley, intent on stopping at Gringotts to withdraw some money. His account was modest but at least it was all his.

Draco's family account still had significant wealth to it – but Draco had been intent on making a life for himself and hadn't accessed it in years. After the dust of war had settled, Draco had anonymously donated a large portion of it to a cause his mother held dear. The rest – millions of galleons – Draco had left alone.

He wandered through Diagon Alley, past the little shops, imagining if his marketing campaign was accepted to promote the street. It would be a very big deal indeed.

On a whim, Draco decided to visit Twilfitt and Tattings to purchase a new tie for his presentation on Friday.

He had narrowed his selection to a shimmery silver-grey or a bright green, holding one in each hand.

"Go with the green, it suits you," said a familiar female voice. It was Granger.

"Thanks," he responded. "I've never been good at shopping for clothes."

He looked her over. She was dressed differently than he usually saw her, in a casual light pink dress and a denim jacket.

"You look strange," he said, staring at her.

"Thanks?" she replied, raising her eyebrows. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Nice, I meant nice. You look nice," he grumbled. There was no way Granger was causing him to stumble on his words.

"Thanks," she said again, flushing pink this time.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked, berating himself for calling her strange.

"Had some shopping to do," she shrugged. He noticed she was carrying a Flourish and Blotts bag and grinned. "It feels almost surreal being here, in Diagon Alley, doesn't it?"

"It does," he agreed. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," she admitted. "But I think we've had enough time to prepare, and we have a strong team."

"I agree, I think we've got a good chance at it," he responded, hesitating. "Can I buy you a coffee?"

"I told Harry and Ron I would meet them for dinner in a bit," she said, biting her lip. Draco shrugged.

"Okay," he said simply, walking to the register to pay for the green tie. She followed him anxiously.

"I suppose just quick wouldn't hurt," she said, smiling. He flashed her a grin of his own and walked her across the street to a small outdoor cafe.

"So," Draco began, breaking the awkward silence as they settled into a table and ordered beverages. "What do you do for fun?"

"I read," she replied, lips twitching.

"Of course you do," Draco snorted. "That's all? No surprises about you?"

"I suppose I like to cook, and sometimes I like to paint."

That was surprising. Draco had always thought she was very practical and never considered her to be artistic. Of course, he knew she had a creative mind from working with her, but maybe he had never given it much thought.

"And you?" she was asking. "Do you have any hobbies?"

Draco thought about it. Most of his spare time he spent drinking at Blaise's house with his other friends from Slytherin. Somehow he doubted Granger would be very surprised or intrigued at that.

"I like to travel," he said finally. "But with work lately I've been so busy it's hard to get away from London."

"I know what you mean," she replied, sipping her coffee thoughtfully as it was set on the table. "I used to go on trips with my family almost every year when I was young."

She paused, frowning, as if deep in thought. Draco found himself wondering what was on her mind.

"It's just difficult now, that's all."

Draco was interested to find that once they started opening up to one another it was relatively easy to have a conversation.

"You know," Granger said, "you were right to push me to stay on the team. I never gave you a chance because I was afraid of what I would see. That you would be better than how I saw you, that I might want to be friends with you like everyone else is."

"That's very honest of you," he said, feeling taken aback. "I've wanted to make things up to you for a while now, because we've been working together for so long."

"Now I see it," she nodded. "You're... different than you were."

Draco felt the wind knocked out of him in a good way, almost like an exhale of relief.

"I'm glad," he said, smiling. "I don't like who I was when I was younger. It took getting away from Lucius for me to realize that."

"Do you visit him?" she asked softly, as if it would make up for overstepping her boundaries. Of course she knew his father was still in Azkaban, serving a life sentence for Death Eater activity and treason to the wizarding world.

"I haven't in almost five years," he informed her, his face blank. "I no longer consider him my father."

Granger met his eyes, hers containing something. Pity, maybe, mixed with respect. He stared in return, his brow furrowed. She made him feel uncomfortable.

"Hermione, there you are!" came a voice, snapping Draco to attention, quickly looking away from her big brown eyes to the direction of the voice.

It was Potter and Weasley. Now he was uncomfortable. He had had minimal contact with those two since the war. Granger was one thing; he saw her every day.

"We were looking for you," Weasley said, staring at Draco with disbelief.

"Malfoy and I were just discussing work, we met in Diagon Alley," Granger informed the two, making it certain they were not there together.

"I was just leaving. Granger," Draco said softly, setting some coins on the table to pay for their drinks. "Potter, Weasley."

With that he took his leave, one last glance at Granger, who gave him a small smile of thanks.

As Draco left Diagon Alley, something Lila had said the night before was lingering in his head. Maybe he didn't need to be alone.

He was not attracted to Granger.

It was Monday morning and this was the dominant thought in his head. Of all the women he could possibly be interested in, Granger was certainly not the one.

Of course, she was very pretty and basically a genius. Loyal and kind-hearted.

But she hated him.

Not anymore.

Since he had sat down to coffee with Granger on Saturday in Diagon Alley, Draco had not been able to get his mind off of her.

There wasn't a point anyway. He hadn't been willing to risk the fallout of dating Lila because he was her boss and he actually liked Lila, and she liked him. Or had before Blaise swooped in with his irritating charm.

Draco could tell Blaise had got to her over the weekend. There was something in her misty-eyed expression that he had seen before in other women. He hoped Blaise would treat her well or he might have to step in and he didn't relish that idea.

Still. There were probably tons of women Draco could date who didn't work for him. At least, a few. If the word of Witch Weekly was anything to go by, he was a mysterious, attractive, intelligent stud and high-class marriage material. Direct quotes.

Maybe he needed to go on a date with someone he didn't work with to get his mind off Granger. The girl at the coffee shop across the street was becoming quite friendly as he now stopped for coffee every morning in an effort to get through the day.

Except he didn't have any particular interest in the girl at the coffee shop, and he wasn't the type to ask girls out casually anyway. It seemed very frivolous to him.

His odd relationship with Astoria had just fallen into place one night after too many drinks, and had never gone beyond the bedroom. He hadn't even known what the make of the situation with Lila. He just wasn't the type to have a girlfriend or particularly want one. Draco had meant it when he told Lila that he was used to being alone. His life was very habitual and he didn't need anyone else coming in and throwing a wrench into it.

Especially not someone as bull-headed as Granger.

With that settled, Draco started to feel focused on the task at hand once more. He was to meet with his team to prepare for their presentation this coming Friday, and he would be damned if he let any loose ends slip through the cracks.

Draco was relaxing Monday evening, a glass of whisky in his hand when Blaise's owl arrived. He untied the letter, unfolding it carefully.

I think I may have misjudged your relationship with Lila. Did I cross a line by asking her out?

Draco re-read the letter, frowning. Blaise rarely spoke to him candidly about women. He picked up a quill to respond.

No. I told you we were friends, so no harm done. She and I discussed taking it further and decided against it, as we work together.

He needed another drink. Taking a deep swig, he nearly choked as Blaise's owl flew back in rapidly.

I got the impression it was more like a brother-sister friendship.

Draco shook his head. He didn't want to be discussing this but he responded anyway.

That is an extremely uncomfortable analogy given that I had sexual interest in her.

Minutes later there was a loud crack and Blaise appeared in Draco's living room, looking contrite. Upon seeing that Draco was drinking whisky Blaise filled a glass of his own, taking a seat and nearly finishing the drink before he spoke.

"If you want me to back off I will," he said.

"It's fine." Draco sighed. "I already told her I was fine with it. She asked me about it on Friday afternoon."

"Oh," Blaise said shortly. "I like her."

"I know," Draco replied, finishing his drink. "Lila's one of my closest friends. You hurt her, I'll hurt you."

"Deal," Blaise said. "I hear you've got it bad for Granger anyway."

Draco stared at him, exasperated.

"That is yet to be decided," he said. He didn't like Granger, and it wasn't anyone else's business even if he did.

"You know you're her boss too. It's funny." Blaise grinned.

"I'm fully aware," Draco replied, giving in to the urge to smile in return.

"Alright," Blaise shrugged. "You ought to settle down anyway. I'm sick of reading about your damn love life in Witch Weekly."

At this, Draco laughed.

"Or you could just cancel your subscription to that blasted rag."

"Cancel it?" Blaise looked affronted. "The gossip is all trash but do you know how much you can learn about women and sex in that magazine? You should read it, it might help your cause."

Draco grinned, shaking his head. Blaise was his oldest friend but he was completely insane.