A few weeks after Hermione had started her job, she found herself in a dive bar a few blocks away from the Ministry. She was nursing a tumbler of Firewhiskey, hoping her two ex-best friends wouldn't turn around and notice her. It was doubtful that they would, the bar was dark and they were drunk.

"If looks could kill, Granger." Draco smirked as he slid into the chair across from her. "Someone would be dead."

"What do you want Malfoy." Hermione sighed.

Draco tossed the days paper at her. "You're never in it, yet the Golden Boys are?"

Hermione sighed at the question. "What have they done this time?"

"More war stories and another book on the way." Draco took a sip of his own drink, Mulled Mead.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione pushed the paper away from her and crossed her arms.

"What are you up to, Granger?"

"I am Assistant Deputy Researcher of Ancient Runes, Symbols, and Translations." The witch smirked.

"You know, that wasn't in the paper." Malfoy paused. "Your two friends shit and it makes the paper, front page. You get a legislation past, soon after the War, and it barely makes legal section."

"I refused to sell myself out to the new regime. I gave enough of myself during the War." Hermione took a swallow of her drink. "And after our falling out…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you and the boy wonders had a falling out?" Draco looked shocked.

Hermione's hands tightened around her glass. "I guess it didn't make the papers, didn't want them to look bad."

"Do you hang out with any of your friends?" Draco asked, suddenly concerned.

"Do you?!" Hermione snapped. "Sorry, I didn't… yes."

Draco nodded. "Who?"

Narrowing her eyes, Hermione eyes the boy, no man.

"Look, Granger." Draco held his hands out in front of him. "I talk to Theo, Blaise, Daphne, and Tracie."

Hermione sighed and put her face into her hands. "Why do you care?"

"Because, it honestly appears that no one else does. You walked in here and the waitress didn't recognize you. The boy wonders walked in here and they got the best seats in the house." Draco smiled at her. "I still care about you, Mia."

Hermione's eyes softened. "I visit the Delacours, and in extension Luna and Tonks."

"All who have been pushed out of the limelight." Draco frowned. "What the hell happened?"

Hermione chuckled without humor. "Not here."

"My place, or yours?" Malfoy grinned.

"Yours, I don't want people knowing where my place is." Hermione stated. She had a flat that she lived in, she couldn't get herself to move into the Selwyn Manor.

As she followed him out of the bar, Draco couldn't believe it was still easy talk to her. He hoped they could rekindle the friendship they formed during their Eight Year.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Once they were situated in his flat, Malfoy raised his glass. "Alright, spill."

"Why?" Hermione cocked her head.

"Because I'm curious."

"No." Hermione shook her head. "Why do you care?"

Draco glanced to the floor, before look back up at her. "Because I was an arsehole."

Hermione merely raised an eyebrow.

"You were smarter than me, better at everything." Draco paused. "And you had the audacity to be a muggleborn. We've been over this before."

"Not the particulars. What is the prejudice anyway?" Hermione asked.

Looking up at her, Malfoy gave her a rueful smile. "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it?" The witch leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

"For three centuries, an estimated total of 40,000 witches and wizards were killed in witch hunts." Draco paused. "I can give you a history lesson."

"This wasn't covered in Binns class. In fact I haven't found this information anywhere." Hermione frowned. She hated it when something of importance wasn't covered in school.

"The Ministry was trying to cut down on blood prejudice."

Hermione snorted. "Please continue and are there are any books…?"

"I'll get them to you." Draco smiled, glad some things never changed. "Anyway, the best known of these trials were the Scottish North Berwick witch trials, Swedish Torsåker witch trials and the American Salem witch trials. Among the largest and most notable were the Trier witch trials, the Fulda witch trials, the Würzburg witch trials and the Bamberg witch trials."

Hermione gaped at him. "Fuck."

"Exactly." Draco shook his head. "And every single muggleborn is a threat. Just one word to the wrong people and the witch hunts start again."

"So, if there wasn't a threat of witch hunts?"

"There might not be prejudice." Draco frowned.

Hermione chuckled. "There would be socioeconomic prejudice."

Malfoy raised his glass to the witch across from him.

"So, you don't hate me?"

"No, I don't think I ever did." Draco hated how small and insecure her voice sounded. Something really bad must have happened after she graduated. "Not for being a muggleborn at least."

That caused her to smile, if only slightly.

"No, after you punched me in Third Year, I started to begrudgingly respect you." Malfoy paused. "During our Fifth Year, I stopped begrudgingly respecting you and started respecting you. During our Seventh Year… I realized that you were better than me. Better than my whole family."

"When did you realize?" Hermione had a sinking suspicion she knew.

"You lied to my aunt."

"Partial truth."

Draco shook his head. "You stood up to her. Merlin, Mia, you spat in her face after she had tortured you. I remember what you said to her to this day: 'How does it feel to have filth on you!' You were so brave, braver than I ever was."

"I was scared." Hermione stared out his window. "I was so scared."

"So was I and all I did was cower in a corner. I couldn't make her stop."

Hermione looked over at him. "We've been over this."

"I know. Head Boy and Girl." Draco sighed. "I don't know if I would have forgiven myself had I been in your position. That's why I care, you are such a good person."

Hermione snorted. "No I'm not."

"I can think of quiet a few people who would disagree with you, myself included." Draco paused. "Now, spill."

"You'd think that blood prejudice was just a Death Eater thing, but it wasn't." Hermione sighed. "I may not have been call a mudblood, but they were all thinking it."

"Hermione." Draco's voice was uncharacteristically soft.

"It didn't hurt when Voldemort's side called me it, I expected it." Hermione rubbed her scar. "This didn't hurt me emotionally, I knew that's what she thought of me. But to know that my side thought the same thing…"

Draco waited for her to continue and when she didn't he pressed. "How did they make you feel inferior?"

"Author was always asking the most inane questions about muggles. Molly was surprised when I performed any advanced magic." Hermione shook her head. "I was Harry Potter's muggleborn friend. At first the only people to see me any different were the Twins. Poor George."

"How's he doing?"

"He's holed himself up in his shop ever since Fred died." Hermione wiped away a tear. "He isn't the same, not without his other half."

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't kill him." Hermione shook her head. "Would you believe the next person to see me as a witch was a student from Beauxbatons?"

Draco's eyes widened.

"Yeah, Gabrielle Delacour, Goyle or was it Crabbe?" Hermione frowned. "Anyway, one of them was picking on her and I sent him running."

"It was Crabbe."

Hermione inclined her head towards the blond. "A few days later, Fleur shows up at my spot in the Library asking if I can teach her the spell I used. I wish she had asked me before Victor."

"What was wrong with Victor?"

"Did you know that my kind aren't allowed into Durmstrang?" Hermione sneered.

Draco winced. "I'm sorry."

"Draco, it's not your fault. I know that's not how you see me. Especially since I got better N.E.W.T.s than you." Hermione smirked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Are those the only people who don't see you as a muggleborn?"

"Mudblood, Draco, they see me as a mudblood. And no." Hermione shook her head. "Luna Lovegood could care less if I was purple and had snakes for hair, as long as I am her friend. Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, I didn't get to know Remus while he taught; but at Grimmauld Place I got to know both of them."

"He probably knows about prejudice."

"Knew, Draco, he died at Hogwarts." Hermione looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "And now their son is subjected to yearly tests. He's a Metamorphagous! And even if he was a werewolf, he lives with two of the best Curse Breakers in England, one of which is a veela. His mother was an Auror! And all three fought in the War! And if that wasn't enough, Lune bloody Lovegood is his nanny!"

"Hermione." Draco rubbed her arms in a soothing motion.

When did he stand up? When did I stand up? Hermione rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you."

"You've held me while I've calmed down from a nightmare."

"I thought we swore to never mention that again." Hermione grinned.

Draco inclined his head. "We did. Hermione…"

"Tell me, what do you think of the Order seizures?"

"I think they were wrong." Draco carefully stated. "Putting those guilty in Azkaban, yes. Taking from their children, no."

Hermione nodded. "What do you think of the current regime?"

"Better than the last one."

"But that isn't too difficult to achieve." Hermione hummed.

Draco placed a hand on her shoulder. "What are you getting at?"

"What if we could change it?"

Snorting, Draco picked up his glass. "I'm the wrong person to help you there. And as you so delicately pointed out, you're just a mudblood."

Hermione laughed. "And if I wasn't?"

"You could rule the world." Draco raised his glass to her. "I'd follow you now, though."

"I know." Hermione tapped her head with a finger.

"I didn't even feel you."

"It's not supposed to hurt." Hermione sighed. "And I was being discrete."

"Thank you." Draco frowned. He was still getting over the fact that someone had been inside his head and he wasn't writhing in pain.

"But, what if I wasn't?"

Draco look up, startled at the sudden topic change. "I beg your pardon."

Hermione look him right in the eye. "What if I was a Pureblood?"

"You could do whatever you wanted." Draco had no idea where this conversation was going. Granger looked nervous, her fingers were twisting around themselves.

"What if I told you I was adopted." Her voice had gone soft. "What if I told you the Grangers weren't my parents."

"Don't tell me they disowned you?"

"They did." Hermione shook her head. "But don't worry, I erased myself from their minds, again."

"Hermione."

The witch shook her head. "What if I told you I'm the last Selwyn?"

"It would have been all over the Prophet." Draco shook his head.

"Not if I asked the goblins to keep it quiet." Hermione smirked.

Draco gaped at her.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies."

"You're Sacred Twenty-eight." Draco stuttered.

"I am." Hermione paused. "This doesn't change how you feel about me?"

"No." Draco shook his head. "Just makes me realize how much farther out of my reach you are."

"Why?" Hermione cocked her head.

"Apart from all the reasons I gave you in Eighth Year? You're royalty." Draco shook his head.

"I told you that didn't matter to me." Hermione looked at the window. "And I haven't been dating Ron for over three years. There's nothing in your way."

"What is you plan for world domination?" Draco turned his attention away from himself.

Hermione shook her head. "I plan on running for Minister of Magic."

"Really." Draco recognized that look from school, she was up to something.

"I do."

"And what then?"

"That depends doesn't it?" Hermione smirked.

"On what." Draco sighed.

"On whether or not you are involved."

Draco recognized the innuendo for what it was. "Yes, I would love to date you, Hermione Jean Selwyn."

"Hermione Morgana Selwyn." Hermione smirked at the look on Draco's face. "You know, the Selwyns are descends of Morgan le Fey and King Author?"

"Have you been to your manor?"

"No, but I did hear Kingsley complaining that they couldn't even find it." Hermione sneered. "I know exactly where it is."

Draco shook his head. "There will be a library in there."

"Draco, I'll need your help."

"Friday, you and I are going out on a date." Draco allowed himself to smile. "Dress nice and in heels."

Hermione shook her head. "Not this Friday." At his confused face, she continued. "The boys have a book signing."

"All the more reason to go. If you want this to work, there needs to be a picture of us." Draco paused. "On Saturday, I'll bring my friends and you bring yours and we'll meet in your flat."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Can we trust them?"

"Without a doubt."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A/N: Does this answer some of your questions? ;)