A/N:

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I truly appreciate them, and try to respond to every one. However, if you are reviewing as a guest (not that there's anything wrong with that) I cannot respond because your review is not linked to an existing account. If you don't care, great! If you do, don't think I'm ignoring you! Anyway - enough babbling.

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderfully magical world of Harry Potter, nor its characters.

xxx

The first week after Hermione's promotion had been nothing short of mad. Her desk was littered with old projects yet to be completed, and new projects that seemed to pile up faster and faster as the hours went by. Originally, she had been told that she would have to change secretaries – she would lose Jenna who would stay in her old position and instead gain Adam, the wizard who'd been secretary in that position prior to Hermione's promotion. Although she was depressed that she wouldn't get to see Jenna everyday, she did consent if only for the simple fact that Adam had been in that position for so long and could probably offer her some helpful insight. It wasn't until he had lost 6 owls, "forgotten" to take down phone messages, and refused to learn the modern Muggle technology that she had insisted the Minister allow Jenna to be promoted with her as well.

It didn't take long for either Hermione or Jenna to get into a routine in the new office – they both worked exceptionally well together. In fact, not much had changed at all for Jenna other than the content of the messages she took down and the sort of people she dealt with on a daily basis. Hermione, however, was in entirely new territory and was learning the ropes as she went.

Friday had finally come, and with it a promise of no work to take home. It had taken a week, but both witches had finally gotten their office in order, meaning that it would be the first day since being promoted that they wouldn't be bringing files home to organize. The wizard who had held the office previously had apparently not believed in physical files, computer files, or any other sort of organizational tactic. Neither Hermione nor Jenna could find any record of Auror history, including rescues, failed missions, completed missions, missions yet to be completed, missions in progress, etc. The only upside was that they had essentially started over. They would get to choose how to organize their office in a way that seemed to work for them both, and going through every file gave them a chance to familiarize themselves with current issues.

"Hey, Jenna? Have you seen my stapler?" Hermione yelled from the chair in her office. That damn stapler went missing every five minutes, and if it didn't, it would miraculously run out of staples the very moment she needed it. She was fairly confident that it had been jinxed, she just hadn't had time to go out and buy a new one.

"No," Jenna yelled back, "did you try your top left drawer? That's where I usually find it when I need it."

Hermione opened the top left drawer and, sure enough, there was the stapler. She lifted the top portion only to find it completely void of staples. Brilliant. She walked out of her office and into Jenna's, a quaint little space that they had both managed to make quite inviting. Straight ahead was the door to the lift, similar to the layout of their old offices. To the right was Jenna's desk, a very large and much nicer version of the one she had moved from. To the left was an armchair, magazine rack and a rather large plant. They had painted both offices a nice deep blue, and with the dark wood furniture and pristine white carpet, it really was one of the nicer offices in the Ministry.

"I need staples again. This bloody stapler is going to be the death of me," she said as she walked over towards Jenna, who's desk looked much like Hermione's – a chaotic mess. She was smiling cheekily at a text message she had just received. Jenna had also come from a Muggle family, and therefore used Muggle technology. Unfortunately, not many other wizards did so it was quite difficult to convince them that sending a simple text message or making a quick phone call without having to dodge secretaries was better than using owls.

"And who might that be?" Hermione said with a smirk, loading the staples she found in Jenna's drawer into her stapler.

Jenna rolled her eyes before responding, "The same man it's been for the past six months. He wants to take me out next weekend and I'm just not too sure about it."

"You mean in public?" Mystery Man, as Hermione had dubbed him, had been just that - a mystery. Jenna hadn't told a single person about him, including her family. The only reason Hermione knew was because every Monday without fail, he would send her flowers with a card that read, "To make your day better". The bouquets were not exactly subtle, and after receiving flowers from the same handwriting three different Mondays in a row, Hermione had confronted Jenna who immediately spilled, glad to have someone to share her secret with. Apparently, the two had met shopping for books at Whizz Hard Books in Diagon Alley when they struck up a conversation about a rather controversial book that neither wanted to end. He invited her to dinner, which she politely declined and instead gave him her phone number. Mystery Man was taken aback, but didn't argue for anything more as she walked away. A few days later, she had received a call from a rather loud wizard, wondering if she was, in fact, the Jenna he had met in the bookstore. She knew at once that he was special. What wizard, pure-blood at that, would be willing to go out and buy a Muggle phone just to talk to her?

According to Jenna, he was the only son from a family of pure-blood chauvinists who would denounce him from the family if they found out he was seeing a mud-blood. He and Jenna had talked about that at length, and he always swore that he would leave his family if it meant being with her out in the open. It was her choice to keep their relationship a secret, which she did. She always said she just wasn't quite ready to deal with the publicity of it all. They'd had to make all of their dates and time together as private as possible, which usually meant staying in at her flat and having food delivered.

"Yup," Jenna said, "in public. I don't know what to do 'Mione. I mean, he's a sweet guy and all, but the world would absolutely freak if they knew that he and I were together. And I mean 'freak' with a capital 'F'. He's not exactly the type of guy you bring home to Mum, you know?"

"You can't let him hide behind you forever, Jen. You've got to come clean. If he's willing to live with the world's reaction, why can't you?" Hermione watched as Jenna sat there for a moment, absorbing the advice.

"Okay, fine," Jenna said, smiling cheekily at her phone and sending a quick text, "He's been trying to get me to come with him to Pierre's next Saturday, but I won't come unless you do! So bring a date," she said slyly. Jenna had been trying to get Hermione to go out ever since she and Ron had split up nearly a year ago, but she had declined at every advance making some excuse about work or other plans.

The look of disdain Hermione's face must have been enough for Jenna, who stood up rather abruptly, causing Hermione to take a step back.

"Hermione Jean Granger, I will not allow you to stand there and deny me, yet again might I add, a wonderful weekend with my friend. You always claim to be too busy or too tired or too something, and end up flaking out on me. Next Saturday I'm going to be a nervous wreck and I'm going to need you. So, for me, I'm asking you to say yes. Go out with me and my Mystery Man. Bring a date or don't, but for Merlin's sake, do NOT stay home and sulk over the relationship you were never going to have with Ron!"

Hermione stood there for a moment, watching her friend breathe heavily through flared nostrils. There really was no reason to stay home next weekend. Their office was almost completely organized, and within another weeks time, she had no doubt that it would be impeccable. Her personal life was lacking – what with her breakup with Ron and her spat with Harry, she really had no friends left other than Jenna.

When she and Ron had decided to end things, Harry had completely disagreed with their decision and practically begged them to give it another shot. Hermione and Ron both tried to explain to him that there really was nothing worth fighting for, but he wouldn't believe it. Even the Weasleys knew that she and Ron had been forcing it, but Harry had been oblivious. She still kept in contact with Ginny, but very rarely given the fact that Harry had basically forbidden any talk of Hermione or Ron in their house. She wasn't even sure if he went to the Burrow any more for weekly dinners – she stopped going as soon as the breakup to ease the tension.

"Alright," Hermione said, "I'll go. But I'm not bringing a date!" She meant every word. No matter how uncomfortable she may be as a third wheel, she would do this for her friend because Jenna needed her. However, she would not be bringing a date.

"Oh, yay!" Jenna squealed, "You won't regret it. He's had Pierre's reserved for weeks and I'm sure they wouldn't mind adding one to the reservation. Now, we only have an hour until five, and I really want to get out of here on time. So take the stapler, and finish what you're doing so we can leave," Jenna said as she walked back to her desk. Chuckling at her friend's enthusiasm, Hermione did as she was told and headed back to her office.

She shut the door behind her and worked in silence for the next thirty minutes, preparing file folders and setting up her computer. No one in the entire department had a computer, and it was her first duty as Head of Department to make sure everyone had one. Emails really were so much quicker than owls.

Suddenly, Hermione could hear Jenna shuffling from behind the door, and before she could open it to see what was going on, it opened itself to reveal none other than the devil himself. The smile on his face really was quite disturbing.

"Ah, Miss Granger," he said, "I was just chatting with your assistant when she told me that you had left for the weekend. What a pleasant surprise." He aimed a sharp look at Jenna before looking back at Hermione expectantly.

Hermione had not seen Lucius Malfoy since his trial three years ago after the war. Looking at his thinning hair and sagging skin, she noticed how unkind time had been to him. His eyes, which use to be full of hatred and fire, now looked tired. He was leaning more heavily on his cane and his breathing was hardly even. Hermione began to wonder if he would fall out right there on her floor, but then remembered that she quite simply didn't give a damn.

Jenna was standing right behind him and added, "She is leaving, and she is not taking visitors! I will not hesitate to call the Auror department and tell them - "

"It's okay, Jenna. I can't imagine whatever he has to say will take very long," Hermione said, staring him up and down. Curiosity and pity over anything else caused her to motion to the chair in front of her, offering him a seat.

Lucius didn't even glance at Jenna before stepping into Hermione's office, waiving his cane to shut the door, and taking a seat in one of the two plush armchairs.

"How can I help you this evening, Mister Malfoy?"

He looked into her eyes and Hermione noticed something she hadn't seen before – determination.

"I'd love the formality of small talk, but neither one of us has the time for that so let's just get to it. I'm here to offer you a solution. You see, it seems as though you've gotten yourself into quite a predicament. I just got back from a lovely meeting with a Doctor Redd- "

She didn't even try to hide the shock on her face or the venom in her voice.

"Excuse me?" She hissed. No one was supposed to know about her father. Even though the war was over and Voldemort had fallen, Hermione still had enemies – which is why she was so hesitant to tell anyone. Death Eaters were not a common occurrence, but they were still out there. There had been several attempted attacks on her, along with Harry and Ron, after the war ended. Some attacks came from Death Eaters and others came from muggle-born hate groups, but she was always prepared. She did her best to hide her parents from the world, knowing that if the wrong side heard of her weakness, they would not hesitate to play her on it.

"Really Miss Granger, it is quite rude to interrupt someone when they're trying to help you. As I was saying-"

"Trying to help me?" She stood up from her chair and put either hand on the side of her desk. Her eyes dared him to stand up, but he remained seated. She continued anyway.

"How on Earth could you, a foul and insolent excuse for a man, help me?" She spat.

He waited a long moment before responding, showing no emotion on his sick-looking face.

"I am trying to tell you. Now, Miss Granger, I am going to continue my proposition without interruption, or I will walk away and you will never know the terms." He waited again for her to respond. She was fuming as she sat down and crossed her arms and legs, but did not say anything. She would hear him out because her parents taught her to respect people, even if they didn't deserve it. He had traveled all the way here, the least she could do was listen.

"As I said before, I've just come from a wonderful little meeting with Doctor Redd, who was kind enough to tell me all about your father and his experimental treatment," he began. Noticing the paranoid look on her face, he hastily added, "No need to worry; his memory has been wiped and he will have no recollection of our conversation. He explained to me the clinical trial and the money you needed to participate. He also mentioned to me that you took several pamphlets containing information on private donors."

Hermione glanced under her desk at her briefcase, whose buckling side contained the same pamphlets he was referring to.

"Now, as I'm sure you know, Malfoy & Co. handles exactly that sort of business. There are very well off wizards in this world, who wish nothing more than to help people such as your father. As he is not a wizard, it would be fairly difficult for him to gain financial help in a normal circumstance. However, being who I am and having the capability to pull strings here and there, I can make sure that his application is pushed in the right direction and is accepted without a second thought. Any expenses the private donor cannot cover, not that there should be any, I would be glad to take care of, of course."

Her face showed no emotion other than hatred as she said, "What do you want, Lucius?"

"Are we on a first name basis now? Lovely. Hermione," she flinched as her given name fell from his mouth, but he continued without a second thought. "I'm here to offer you a way to the money and my silence. I will tell no one of your father's condition and I will not let it slip who is pushing so hard for his application. I only ask one thing in return."

He waited for her to ask, and when she didn't, he continued.

"Now that I think about it, I'd like to ask two things. First, I ask that you remain calm, as I'm sure that my request will come as quite a shock."

"Just get on with it," she spat. There was no use in drawing out the inevitable.

He smirked at her overzealousness and said, "It seems as though I have a bit of a predicament myself. I am ready to step down as head of the company and let my son lead in my place, which is quite unfortunate given that he does not meet the established criteria. You see, an heir will inherit the company at twenty-one if, and only if, he is married. If he chooses not to accept the company at twenty-one or is not married, he will forfeit all rights to its future in addition to his entire inheritance. Draco has not searched for a wife, nor does he see the importance of finding one so soon; therefore, I have found one for him."

The silence in that room was deafening as Lucius waited for Hermione to understand the meaning of his visit, hoping quietly to himself that he would not have to speak the dreaded words out loud. Only when she made no move to speak did Lucius take a breath and sum up the reason for his visit.

"Miss Granger, I would like for you to marry my son."

There was a very long moment where Hermione let the words sink in and studied Lucius' face for any sign of humor. His weak eyes looked unsure, and his skin went paler, if at all possible. He began to shake his knee – a nervous tic she remembered Draco having in school during exams. She waited for him to crack a smile. To say that this was all a joke and that he really wanted her to assassinate the Minister in exchange for the money. Instead, she was met with another bout of deafening silence. She knew he was not going to be the one to break it this time, so she took that honor upon herself.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Lucius looked quite put out by her sudden lack of filter, but continued nonetheless.

"No, Hermione-"

"Miss Granger," she corrected.

"Miss Granger, then," he continued, "I am not fooling you. This seems the best solution given the problems we both have. You've broken up with that read headed weasel, and are now currently available. I'm assuming you want to make a career out of the Ministry, which means that a strong name behind you could never hurt. This situation grants us both the ability to get what we need," he said.

"So just to clarify then, you would like me to uproot my entire life and marry your son, and in turn you will save my father's life? Essentially, Draco will gain a company, a wife, and a fortune and I will drop my family, my flat and my freedom to move to the manor and play house wife? Seems a bit like I'm getting the short end of the stick here, Malfoy. I appreciate your offer," she said out of obligation, "but I'll find a way to make the money on my own."

"Ah, yes, but that would mean that you would have to ask for help, and you won't. You're much too proud and you don't want your friends to know. Why do you think that is?" He cocked his head as though he were thinking hard.

"Lucius, I don't appreciate you coming into my office and questioning my motives. I certainly never asked why you became a Death Eater, and would you like to know why that is? Because it's none of my damn business," she cocked her head to the side just as he head done. One of them was going to leave sorely disappointed, and she had no intention of it being her.

"Whether it is of my business or not, the fact is that I now know. I will not engage in arguments with you, Miss Granger. You know my offer, and it will stand as late as Monday at five in the evening. You have three days to decide, and if you accept my deal, I will personally deliver your father's application to our board. You know where to find me," he finished.

With that, Lucius stood up and waved his wand over the door, clearly removing a silencing charm she hadn't even noticed had been placed as he walked out. He practically knocked over Jenna, who'd had her ear shamelessly pressed against it trying to hear just an inkling of the conversation going on inside.

He continued without stopping until he reached the lift and after pushing the button, he turned.

"One other thing, Miss Granger. I will tell no one of this meeting if you won't. It'll be our little secret," he winked as he took a step back onto the lift. She eyed him and tightly nodded as the door closed.

She felt as though she was going to throw up, and quickly grabbed for her wastebasket. Jenna ran over and immediately began interrogating, plopping herself down in the chair that Lucius Malfoy had just vacated.

"What in the bloody hell did he want? You two were in here for one hell of a long time and I couldn't hear a word! Was it anything important? Why did he put a silencing charm up? Would you like a glass of water?"

Hermione replaced her wastebasket and leaned her head back in her chair. If she told Jenna the truth, it would mean potentially putting her entire family in jeopardy, but it would also mean that she would finally have someone to talk to. She had the feeling Crookshanks was getting tired of hearing about her sorry life. Hermione had always considered Jenna a friend, and had never once known of a time when Jenna had lied to her; in the same breath, she had also never entrusted Jenna with such a large and important secret. She could always tell Jenna a lie - that Mr. Malfoy had come to see her regarding a business deal or something of the sort. That would keep Jenna out of all the dirty details, but it would also mean that Hermione would be lying to her one and only friend.

Hermione picked her head up from where it had been leaning against her chair, and stared Jenna directly in the eyes. She could see nothing but worry and compassion.

"Can I trust you?" she asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Jenna retorted, looking taken aback. "Of course you can trust me. I told you my absolute deepest darkest secret – if I thought we didn't trust each other, I would have never said anything. What's going on, 'Mione?"

Hermione took a deep breath and started at the beginning. She told Jenna of erasing her parents' memories and sending them to Australia, not knowing if she would ever see them again; explained that for the first six months after the war that she was afraid to leave her flat without an escort because angry Death Eaters would try and kill her; gave the story on her father's cancer and how it was now at the point where a clinical trial was the only chance he had; and finally, she told Jenna of the deal Lucius Malfoy had just proposed. Essentially, her father's chance at life in exchange for her own freedom.

When she was done, Hermione put her elbows on her desk and her head in her hands, hoping that Jenna wouldn't be angry that she'd kept so much.

"Holy shit," Jenna breathed.

"Exactly."

"'Mione, I wish you would have told me sooner. Honestly, I'm surprised you've made it this long without completely breaking down. First, I want to say how sorry I am about your dad. I noticed that your mother was calling more frequently, and I would be lying if I said I never heard you cry in your office. I never asked because I just assumed it was stress from the job or something..." Jenna had tears in her eyes as it finally dawned on her how much her friend had gone through in the past few years.

"Anyway," she continued as she wiped the now falling tears from her cheeks, "what are you going to do about Draco? He's down right awful! Don't you remember how he treated us back in school?"

Jenna had been a year or two behind Hermione, Harry, Ron and Draco, but was a Ravenclaw. She was a petite girl who always had her long brown hair tied into a bun on top of her head. She'd worn it this way as long as Hermione could remember, and was teased endlessly about it by Malfoy and his crew.

"Believe me," Hermione said, "I remember. I just don't know what other choice I have. I could always take the chance and see if Dad's application would draw a donor on its own, but this really is the best way to make sure his treatment gets paid for. Not only that, but we're not even sure if this is going to work. The doctor said he was hopeful, but that doesn't mean much."

"Merlin, Hermione. I don't know. I really wish I could be of more help," Jenna said, standing up and conjuring some water in an empty cup Hermione had sitting on her desk. "I can't imagine how hard this decision must be," she said tentatively, "but if I were you...I'd do it."

The shock was evident on Hermione's face. "You would? Why?"

"Because it's only marriage. You never really had intentions of having kids anyway, and Merlin knows you wouldn't want any with Malfoy. His manor is huge and if you played your cards right, you'd never see him. Sure, you'd have to see each other for outings and you'd have to pretend to be a happy couple in public, but at home you could just ignore each other. Arranged marriages are very common. My mum and dad had an arranged marriage, and they turned out just fine. Even ended up falling in love and having a wonderful daughter. Who knows," she winked, "maybe the two of you could fall in love." Jenna turned around and walked back to her office, shaking her head at the laugh she heard coming from her boss's office.

"Yeah right, Jenna, and then maybe we'll have five bloody kids and live happily ever after," Hermione said, rolling her eyes and gather paperwork to take home. Her impromptu meeting with Lucius meant that she would have to work from home. Again.

"I know it isn't exactly ideal, and he was a total arse in school, but he might have changed. And even if he hasn't, that manor is literally massive. You could live there and never actually see him," Jenna said, also gathering some paperwork to take home.

"I know," said Hermione, "and I'm going to seriously think about it." Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, living at the manor.

Both witches got on the lift and pressed the button for the bottom floor, stopping at the floor beneath them to pick up none other than Ron Weasley. Hermione inwardly groaned at the awkwardness she knew he would bring.

"Hermione," he said, "are you ever going to answer my owls?" His eyes looked genuinely hurt as he asked.

"Yes, Ron, I will as soon as I find the time," she sighed, "I know you've been wanting us to have dinner for the last few weeks, but I'm honestly too tired. Between getting my office together and working on all of this bloody paperwork, I never have time to do anything anymore," she said as she glanced down at her briefcase and frowned.

He nodded, "I get it. You're busy. Just don't forget about me, alright?"

She smiled up at him, the first genuine smile she'd given him in a while. "I won't. I just need time to get settled."

As the door to the lift opened, all three got out and headed for the floo network. Hermione and Jenna walked to the end to give them more time to talk.

"Hey, Hermione," Jenna said, "Like I said before, I know this must be hard, but I would seriously consider taking Malfoy's offer. Mystery Man and I don't have plans this weekend, so just let me know if you need a girls night."

"I will, Jen. I really can't thank you enough for being such a great friend," Hermione smiled.

Jenna winked and said, "Don't mention it," before flooing to her flat.

Hermione stared at the fireplace, wishing she could go anywhere but home. The only thing there to greet her was Crookshanks and her impending future. She sighed for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day, and grabbed a fistfull of powder yelling, "HOME!"

xxx

A/N:

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