Author's Note: Hey everyone, thanks to all who take the time to read, review, favourite and follow! It all means so much :)

I also appreciate constructive feedback! I'm working on two other fics beyond this one and I definitely take your opinions into account when I plot out my writing!

Fun fact: the most significant scene with Hermione in this chapter was actually part of the inspiration for this fic and one of the first bits I wrote.

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

When Draco woke on Saturday it took him a long moment to realize what was going on. He was nauseous and had a throbbing headache.

Dragging himself out of his room he was confused to see Lila in his kitchen before he recalled that she and Blaise had passed out tangled together in his living room the night before.

He couldn't even remember how late everyone had been over. Three, maybe, or four? Five? He rubbed his eyes as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

Lila swooped in, placing a large mug of coffee on the table in front of him, grinning. Draco had purchased a coffee machine earlier in the week to cut his new expensive habit of buying coffee out.

"You're amazing," he choked, nearly scalding his tongue in an attempt to chug it back.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting down next to him.

"Dreadful," he replied, "I think there is a good chance I will probably vomit this coffee."

He laughed as Lila wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Where's Blaise?" Draco asked, looking around.

"Out cold still," she answered, drinking from her own mug of coffee. "You two were on a whole different level last night. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."

"Yes," Draco said, a faint smile creeping onto his face. "Blaise and I have been training in the art of drunkenness since our days at Hogwarts. We've nearly perfected it."

"I think even Granger was a little shocked," Lila said, looking at him pointedly.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, nearly spilling coffee down his front. "Granger."

"She was fairly drunk too, though, from what I could tell," Lila said.

"Blaise and I were so out of hand."

Now the memories were coming back. After Granger had kissed him, she had been rather closed off around everyone else, drinking herself into a quiet stupor. But she was bound to have noticed he and Blaise behaving like teenagers.

"Fuck," he exclaimed, taking another miserable sip of coffee. "She kissed me Lil. Like, kissed me."

"No!" Lila said, eyes wide. "You didn't tell me that last night!"

"Well, I don't think I was all that coherent," he admitted. "She said she didn't want to shag me because we work together and we were too drunk."

"How sensible of her," Lila's lips were twitching.

Just then Blaise dragged himself into the kitchen, groaning faintly as he poured himself a mug of coffee. He nearly tripped over Lila's chair as he took a seat of his own.

"What the fuck was the matter with us last night?" Blaise asked, looking bewildered. "Do you realize how much whisky we drank?"

"I'm trying not to think about it," Draco said, feeling queasy.

"What have you got to eat?" Blaise's voice was muffled by his arms as he was half laying on the table.

"Not much," Lila said, "I already checked."

"Fine," Blaise lifted his head, blinking several times in the light. "I'm going to toss, and then we'll go get breakfast."

Monday morning came quickly as always and Draco strode into Bullham and Miner feeling refreshed, wondering what he would have to do next.

They weren't likely to hear back from the Diagon Alley committee until they had seen all of the other proposals and considered the merits of each, which could take at least until the end of the week.

Even if their proposal was selected, implementing the idea was the simplest part given that it was a magical firm and thus only required some paperwork and a relatively simple transfer of the concept through the wave of a wand. The hard work was all done, win or lose.

"After seeing how efficiently you directed your team, I think you may be able to divide them into two groups," Bullham was saying. He had scheduled a meeting with Draco to discuss the next direction.

"I agree," Draco replied. "Diagon Alley was such a large case, much more so than most of the jobs we do here. I think my team could handle two smaller jobs easily."

He hoped.

"Good," Bullham grunted. "Take a look."

He laid out a selection of job files in front of Draco. He perused each one, not too concerned. A job was a job.

"I think my team will be able to handle any of these," he told his boss.

"Fine," Bullham shrugged, "take these two, and I'll distribute the rest."

"There are a lot of new jobs coming in," Draco said, surprised at the volume of work in the company.

"Tell me about it," the older man shook his head. "Believe it or not, everyone wants you on their job."

"I guess these are the lucky two," he held up the two job files his team would be divided on, grinning.

"If this keeps up, I'll promote another new Senior Executive to help direct the workload," Bullham informed him. Draco was a bit shocked, but it made sense. His team had worked well enough under his guidance, although they still hadn't heard back. Maybe they had completely missed the mark with the Diagon committee, but Draco somehow doubted it.

He left Bullham's office, feeling a skip in his step when he saw Granger working diligently at her desk.

"Hi," he said, stopping beside her. He felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Oh, hello," she replied breezily, not looking up at him.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked, leaning in to see what she was working so hard on. She was making a shopping list.

"Dry," she said, still not looking up.

He stared at her, a little disbelieving. He knew he had barely thought of anything but her all weekend, looking forward to seeing her again at work. It seemed the feeling wasn't mutual.

"When you're done with that scintillating task, I need to see you in my office," he said, his tone returning to business. He turned and walked away.

Ten minutes later she knocked on the door. Draco took his time in opening it to let her in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, meeting her eyes. He could tell by her tense stance that she wasn't happy being there.

"Nothing," she said, looking away from him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Well, yeah," he said, feeling put out. "I did want to see you. But I see that it's one-sided."

His stomach was rolling in a disturbing manner that made him feel slightly sick.

"I don't know how to put this," she began uneasily, stealing a glance at him. "I'm quite embarrassed about Friday night. I had hoped you wouldn't make a big deal of it. I was very drunk."

"So was I," he said, stepping closer to her. "That doesn't mean I didn't mean it."

"Come on, it was stupid," she said, biting her lip. "You and I? It's laughable."

"I don't think so," he defended. His stomach was now wedged awkwardly in his throat.

"Let's get something straight here," she said, her voice snapping to business. "Just because you've been making an effort to be nice to me and I have been attempting to be civil in return for a couple weeks, does not make us friends, and it doesn't mean you know me."

Draco recoiled, feeling a stab of hurt in his chest. He had not expected her to treat him like this.

"You kissed me, Granger," he reminded her, feeling suddenly defensive.

"And I wish I hadn't," she threw back at him, her expression softening at something she must have seen in his eyes. "It isn't you. You've been very kind. I have some... issues to work through. Alone."

"Fine," he said shortly, holding up his hands in surrender. "Obviously I misjudged the situation."

"Was that all you wanted?" she asked, glancing back at the door anxiously.

He stared coldly at her for a moment, before walking to his desk and throwing one of the two new job files at her rather roughly.

"No," he bit out, "I was going to see if you wanted to be the team leader on one of these jobs, seeing how well you did last time and how I've got to split the team in two. Just to monitor the other half when I'm not there, nothing too hard. I thought you were the most qualified to be delegated the task."

"Oh," she said, flushing. He thought she was regretting her tone.

"But I can ask someone else if you aren't interested." He sat down at his desk, opening his own file and starting to work on it, effectively dismissing her.

"If you want to ask someone else, ask someone else," she said quietly, now looking nervous.

"I asked you." He pursed his lips, tiring of this inane conversation now. He wanted to sulk in peace and quiet.

"Okay, I'll do it," she finally said.

"Good. We'll meet as a team after lunch," he said in his most business-like tone, assuring her that he was done talking about feelings.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, then turned and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Draco stared mutinously at the door, long after it had closed. What the fuck! Women.

Over the next few days Draco did his best to push Granger from his mind entirely, a task at which, he had learned, he was miserable. He had taken to completely ignoring her unless it was necessary to speak about work. He knew it was childish but didn't care.

His team, now split into two parts, were settling well into their new tasks. Draco had selected Lila and Baxter to work with him – he had almost taken Pucey but then remembered how Granger and Baxter had been joking together the week before and decided he didn't want them to work together so closely again.

Beyond that, Pucey and Keats were a good team so it only made sense to leave them together. Draco's team was designing an ad for Quality Quidditch Supplies promoting the newest and fastest model of broom, and he had given the others a promotional campaign for Scrivenshaft's, the quill shop in Hogsmeade, though he would of course be working on both jobs.

With fewer members on his team, Draco had taken a more hands-on approach with the concept and design this time and found it was a fairly good way to get Granger off his mind. Of course, Lila tutting at him and sending suggestive looks in the brunette's direction wasn't helping.

"She doesn't want anything to do with me," Draco had informed Lila shortly on Monday afternoon when she had asked about it and he had left it at that, refusing to say any more.

He wished she would just leave him alone about it and stop sharing everything with Blaise, who found the entire situation just shy of hilarious.

Unless it was his imagination, Granger had been making an effort to be nice to him. Maybe she realized her rejection had legitimately bothered him. Draco didn't want her pity.

So he was doing his best to forget about his ill-conceived interest in her and move on.

"Can I talk to you quick?" Granger was standing in the doorway of his office, looking nervous.

It was Thursday at the end of day and Draco was preparing to leave for the day. He sighed, turning to her.

"Is it about work?" he asked, disinterested. He was just starting to distract himself enough to forget about her.

"Well, no," she said, fidgeting with her sweater.

"Then no." He attempted to walk past her but her hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks. Unwillingly, he lifted his gaze to hers, his expression hard.

"Don't be so mad at me," she said, biting her lip.

"Not mad," he said shortly, trying to loosen his arm from her grip. It only tightened.

"I mean it," she said. It seemed she was not going to take no for an answer. "I was insensitive on Monday. I need you to understand that I didn't mean to push you away like that."

"Well you did," he said colder than he intended. "What happened Friday meant something to me, whether or not it did to you. After seeing the way you treat people I am no longer interested in getting to know you better."

Her expression fell, her grip on his arm loosened.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she said quietly, her brow furrowed.

"Well yeah, me too," he said, running a hand through his hair, trying to keep himself calm. "Damnit Granger, what do I have to do to get you to let go of things that happened years ago? I was trying so hard and now we're right back where we were before all this."

"I don't know," she whispered. "There are just things about me you don't know, things I haven't told anyone. About what happened after the war." She was looking up at him desperately.

"Obviously I won't understand unless I know," he reasoned. How was he supposed to empathize with her reticence when she wouldn't tell him what was bothering her?

"I want you to be interested in getting to know me better again," she said, seeming very small and unlike herself. Draco shook his head.

"How can I get to know you when you won't give me a chance?"

When she had no answer he turned and left.

They had won the proposal, by a landslide, according to Hambone.

It was Friday afternoon and his team had just received the news and they were celebrating, chatting loudly, having set aside their work for the rest of the day.

Draco watched, not feeling very cheerful, as Hambone briefed him on the details.

"Good work, kid," his boss said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'll remember this one when it comes to bonus time."

Draco raised an eyebrow. He had never received a bonus before. He supposed that might be something to look forward to.

He glanced up as Hambone left the room. Granger was chatting with Lila. As if feeling his gaze, both girls looked up at him at the same time. Lila gave him a winning smile, Granger chewed on her lip nervously before her lips curved into the slightest of smiles.

Draco gave the two a resigned smile; after all, he felt great that they had completed their goal and it would be their concept as the new face of Diagon Alley. It was a good feeling to know he wasn't completely useless as a boss.

But he hadn't spoken to Granger all day and just looking at her was exhausting. The harder he tried to forget about her, the worse he felt about it. The way they had been moving toward friendship or something and now this – it was worse than when they hadn't been anything.

At least he had been willing to try.

After a brief visit with the rest of his team, Draco returned to his office to spend the rest of the afternoon alone with his thoughts.

Draco had realized something unsettling over the weekend. He was lonely.

He had always been able to overlook the fact that he was, for the most part, on his own. He had never been one to confuse alone with lonesome. In fact, he usually preferred it that way.

He wasn't sure where things had changed. Maybe it was to do with Astoria leaving their quasi-relationship for someone who could offer her a real commitment. Or the fact that Lila, who he might have seen a future with under different circumstances, was dating his best friend.

But it was Granger, the perpetual thorn in his side, who had been the final straw. He had allowed himself to actually care for her, in a way that he hadn't cared for anyone else. And she had rejected him, citing personal issues, though he couldn't say whether he believed that or not.

Regardless, there was nothing there for him.

Draco found himself thinking of his father for the first time in a long time. The last time he had seen his father's gaunt face in Azkaban had inspired extreme nightmares and that had been years ago. He had no desire to go back there; he didn't owe that man anything and believed he got what he deserved.

But he couldn't help thinking what it would be like to rot in a small cell, knowing there would be no escape and no one to care about you.

He wished he could see his mother. She had moved to France after the war was over and became very weak. She had succumbed to illness two years prior.

Despite the way he had been raised to care for no one, Draco suspected he had actually loved his mother in a small way. He missed her now, more and more frequently.

He had come to fully appreciate his friends since Hogwarts, where his only true friend had been Blaise. Draco hadn't deserved a friend like Blaise back then, he thought. But Blaise had always been by his side through thick and thin, as he remained now.

Draco had developed many of his other friendships after the fog of war had cleared from his brain, after his father had been put where he belonged. Only then had Draco been able to become his own person.

Now Draco found himself at a point in his life where he was interested in something more. He was starting to suspect that involved someone else. He had realized he didn't want to spend his whole life alone.

The problem with that was that he had trouble letting people in. The one time he had tried, he had been let down. He didn't know how to feel about that.

He had tried to push the troubling thoughts aside, though they only grew worse so that by the time Draco arrived at work Monday morning he just wanted to go back home.

He didn't want to face Lila and her sympathy, or Granger and her stupid big hair and big eyes.

He didn't particularly want to work either but he had nothing else to keep his mind occupied so that was what kept him going. That and the hinted promise from Hambone that he might be receiving a bonus this year. Maybe he would go on a trip somewhere.

Draco found his mind so cluttered that he felt as if he were just going through the motions of his daily life, not sure of what he was actually trying to accomplish.

Granger's attempts to talk to him only made it worse. As far as he was concerned, if she wasn't willing to show him the same respect and honesty he had tried to show her, he didn't want to hear it.

Wednesday night found Draco drinking whisky alone, as was the habit more often than not lately. Sometimes Blaise came over but Draco suspected even he was tiring of his friend's melancholy.

A huge thunderclap made Draco jump in his seat, spilling his drink on the floor. Cursing as he went to the kitchen for a towel, he nearly missed the soft knock on the door.

He paused, not sure if it hadn't been the storm, when it came again. No one knocked on his door; mostly they just apparated in.

It was Granger.

She stood on his doorstep in the pouring rain, her clothing soaked through, her hair drenched and plastered to her head.

"Australia," she ground out through clattering teeth, her fingers wrapped around her arms in a futile attempt to warm up. "I was in Australia."

"And what were you doing there?" he inquired, one eyebrow quirked. He gestured for her to enter but she stood firm.

"I went there to find my parents." He met her eyes and they shone with raw pain.

"What were they doing in Australia?" He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, feeling awkward and bewildered.

"I sent them there," she bit out, still shaking. "Before I left with Harry and Ron. I altered their memories, and they existed under the pretense that they were Monica and Wendell Wilkins. I did it for their protection."

"I see," Draco murmured. "And you went to undo the spell."

She was silent, staring at him unblinkingly with her wide eyes, her lips parted in despair.

"Yes," she finally replied, looking to the ground. "That was my intention, going there."

"Did Potter and Weasley go with you?" He wondered why this was important to ask.

"No," she shook her head. "I went alone. They didn't know. They still don't."

"Come in, Granger," he encouraged, realizing that she was still in the downpour. "No need getting sick."

She didn't respond. She was suddenly very transfixed with her sneaker, soaked through, digging into his front step. Then she looked back to him, her eyes dull and empty.

"I couldn't do it, Draco," she whispered, her voice cracking on his name. "The spell failed... I failed."

The words seemed to register with her, finally, when she said them out loud. Then her legs gave way, and Draco caught her before she could fall. He lifted her easily into his entryway and when he set her down she collapsed into him, tossing her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest.

Instinctively, Draco pulled her closer, not minding that she was soaking him with rainwater and her tears. His heart folded at the sight of her so distressed and he gathered her up, carrying her to the sofa in his living room.

So this was it. Her personal issue was her parents, trapped in an alternate life, across the world.

Draco wasn't a stranger to women showing up at his home late at night. But this was very different; those women weren't distraught and they weren't Granger.

He performed a drying spell, covered her in a blanket and went to make a pot of tea.

When Draco came back she had uncovered herself and was sitting cross-legged, biting her lower lip. He poured her a cup of tea and she sipped it quietly.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, looking up at him.

"You're welcome," he replied, unsure of what else to say, as if this was an everyday occurrence. "So? Spill."

"I told you most of it already," she began. "I sent them there when Harry, Ron and I were setting off to hunt down Horcruxes, so they would be safe and I planned on finding them later to reverse the spell. I was so excited after the war ended, I would finally get to see them again. However, when I cast the charm I made it so they couldn't be located by a spell. So no one else could find them."

She cut off, staring into the floor, picking at a spot on the couch.

"Well, it took me weeks just to find them. I'm aware of the irony," she continued eventually, glancing at him. Draco sat quietly, sipping his own tea. "They had moved two different houses in the time they were there, the first for my father's new job and the second because they had moved to a bad neighbourhood and been broken into.

"When I finally found them I was so overcome I immediately tried explaining everything, which didn't exactly go over well and they called the police on me."

"You went to jail?" he asked, looking up.

"Of course not," she waved a hand. "I'm a witch, remember?" Draco snorted.

"But it made things more difficult," she went on, "because I had read that undoing a spell like this could pose trouble if it happened too quick. The person usually needs to be forewarned or it could cause shock damage.

"So I developed a plan," she said, lips twitching. She looked up at Draco with an almost embarrassed grin. "I disabled their alarm systems, their telephones, disillusioned the house and I broke in. I figured if I could make them listen to me, maybe they might eventually remember."

"And how did that go over?" Draco laughed.

"Not well," she admitted. "They recognized me immediately of course, as the crazy girl from the last time. They wouldn't listen to anything I had to say and eventually escaped to the neighbours. I left for a while to lay low and do some research."

She paused in her story, rubbing her eyes and pouring another cup of tea.

"Long story short, nothing I tried worked. At one point I grew desperate and attempted the counter-spell, consequences be damned, but nothing happened. At all. Nothing. Can you believe that? And nothing I read gave me any understanding. I spent hours in the ministry, at St. Mungo's going through the case archives, reading through every book on memory charms I could find. Nothing."

"Did you ask anyone for help?" he asked. "A healer or someone who specializes in these things?"

"No," she said, flushing. "I've been too embarrassed. But I looked literally everywhere. It's been the most thoroughly researched topic of my life and it's the one I can't figure out. The one that's most important."

She looked defeated, her brows furrowed, staring into the floor.

"And you never told Potter and Weasley?" Draco still found that hard to believe.

"I told them everything was fine," she said in a small voice. "That it had gone well and my parents had just chosen to remain in Australia because they liked it there and had made lots of friends. Which isn't a complete lie because they do like it there. Every so often I tell them I've gone to Australia for a visit."

"Maybe they could have helped you find an answer," he said and almost laughed at the look Granger gave him. "Okay fine, but they could have at least been there for you."

"This was and is my burden to bear. That's why I couldn't tell you. I had an especially hard time with Ron after I gave up and returned home. I suppose he always thought he and I would end up together and I would give him a dozen red-headed babies."

Draco shriveled his nose at the thought and Granger laughed softly.

"I know, it's a difficult thought even for me. I told him I couldn't give him what he wanted, but I didn't tell him why, and he stopped speaking to me for a long time."

Draco stared at her for a long moment, then he sighed.

"You're going to figure this out, Granger," he said, meeting her skeptical gaze. "If you can't, no one can."

"It's been six years," she said, giving him a sad smile. "I think if the answer was out there I would have found it by now."

"Well I'm going to help you," he said matter-of-factly, "so that's something you didn't have before."

Her brows flew into her hair and her mouth opened in surprise.

"You don't need to do that," she said, biting her lip. "Though it is sort of nice being able to talk to someone about it."

"I have too much free time," Draco replied shortly. "I need something to do in my evenings other than drink whisky."

He was caught off guard when Granger threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a sudden hug. He stroked her back awkwardly, a little relieved when she moved back, wiping away a tear.

"You should get some sleep," Draco said after a moments' hesitation. "You can stay here if you like, I'll sleep on the couch."

"I couldn't do that," she said quickly, "I'll go home." Draco could see she didn't want to be alone.

"Really, it's fine," he said, shrugging. "You can have my bed."

"Well I can't make you sleep on the couch in your own home," she pondered.

"Then I'll sleep in the bed too," he grinned, raising his eyebrows suggestively. She flushed bright red, looking away.

"Fine, but no weird business," she said sternly, "and keep to your own side."

"I will," he assured her, raising his hands in surrender. "Granger, I'm glad you told me."

She turned, on her way to the bedroom already and smiled.

"Me too, sort of." She walked back over, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then hurried off again. Draco blinked, surprised before shaking his head and following her.