Just so we are clear, for the sake of this story Lupin, Tonks and Sirius are still alive and I haven't yet decided on Snape, but i'll let you know.

Hope you like the chapter and please please review. it makes me faster with my updates and inspires me to review. :)

Oh and because i have forgotten in all the other chapters this is the disclaimer for the story.

I do NOT own anything from the books, though i wish i do. :)

"So Granger?" he taps the desk in that familiar rhythm again and I look to the floor. I focus on the edge of my shoes and tap the heels on the wooden slats so I make a noise of my own before I can be swallowed up into myself. "Whenever you are ready."

I begin, I talk and talk. Idea after idea. Shake of head after shake of head refusing my thoughts and throwing poorly concealed – who am I kidding, they were blatantly obvious and I wouldn't expect anything else from Malfoy... even if he is new and improved – insults.

I gulp down a large amount of bile that is threatening to jump out of my throat and throttle him for me, and turn my eyes to the door, willing the time to pass so that I can die of humiliation alone. "Granger, I have to admit that I thought you weren't so vocal because people were pushing your ideas down, but this meeting has just told me everything I need to know... you have no ideas that are worthy of pursuing." I go to stand but he bats his hand through the air making me settle once more into the uncomfortable, tense atmosphere caused by the Malfoy heir. "I always thought that you were the cleverest girl that I had ever met, but maybe that just doesn't extend past school work, this fact disappoints me Granger."

"I knew already that my ideas weren't going to appeal to you, just like they didn't appeal to your predecessor. And this fact doesn't bother me, do you know why?" I'm getting worked up and I have to control my temper, gone is the frail girl from five minutes ago. The look in his eyes and my strangling grip on my wand has given me a new sense of power. A sense of power that I should never have lost in the first place. "Because I can't conform to the stupid products that the companies like this make. You have so much money. Money that someone like me would kill for, but not to gain off other people like you do. You have all these funds and resources and all you can think about is 'what type of mascara will sell the best' and 'how can we convince people to buy this blusher... oh yes, we'll price it times a hundred and then call it designer'. You could help so many people and magical creatures but all you people think about is yourselves and that is why you don't have a chance to fire me... because I quit!"

I hold my head high and stride to my office with a straight back. My brain hurts. The last few days have been such an emotional rollercoaster of uncertainty that I can hardly think about it without breaking into tears and that fact just makes me hate myself more.

I ignore his calls as I wave my wand and make everything stuff into my small beaded bag that I bought to work for just this reason, though I never imagined that it would be my choice to leave.

I grab my back and then stride past all the employees on the floor, nodding to Zabini as I pass him in the corridor and then making my way into the stairwell that will help me avoid the lifts to the floo entry.

Clamber through the green flames that dance around my ankles before rising and claiming my body in a swirl of emerald before whisking me away to my own home.

Parsley greets me, wrapping himself around my calves and escorting me from the fireplace and into the kitchen which is where I decide I am due a long, heavy drink.

I pour a large glass of white wine and take the bottle with me into the living room. I plan to forgo dinner, preferring instead to indulge in copious amounts of alcohol to sooth my frazzled nerves, but then there is a rumbling. My stomach is not content with this idea and so, I make my way back to the kitchen on weary feet. I don't find anything that will satisfy my appetite; therefore I decide that it is time to call in reinforcements. "Ginny, I need you." I say into the phone, putting on my best teary voice and sniffling slightly to make sure she rushes over. "Bring pizza and ice cream." I say and then snap the phone shut before she can say anything else. Better to leave her mad than to risk going without food. My belly just couldn't handle the thought.

"You used me to get food!" Ginny bursts through the flames, the flicks of green smoke jumping from her body and making her look like a cross between a runway model and a dragon. Now all she needs to perfect is her fire breathing.

"I really do need you, Gin." I say, but I grab the box from her hands which sort of ruins the effect.

She huffs but goes to store the pink ice cream box in the freezer anyway and I flick onto a movie that has just started as I wait for her. "What is this pressing matter, then?" her tone sounds angry, but this is just a Ginny thing and I am not fazed.

"I quit my job this afternoon." I tell her as I munch my way through my second slice of pizza hopping that the delicious substance will improve my foul mood.

"Because of the whole 'I'll fire you' thing?" She asks as she reaches into the box pulling out a slice and dragging most of the cheese from another slice after it.

"Yep," reaching for the bottle of wine I pour us both generous glasses and then hand one to her, "I had this huge rant at him though before I left, I basically told him that he was a selfish bastard."

She laughs and I join in, not really seeing the funny side in this at all but deciding anyway that it would be better for me not to brood on the whole situation. I have a way of making everything much worse than it is. "I hope not in such words." She's still giggling as she reaches back into the box. I hold my glass to my lips.

"I don't think so." I say and we both start laughing again before my laughter turns into tears.

I personally blame the alcohol.

By the time I have eaten my way through half my house, it is six o'clock in the afternoon. "Oh, I told mum that you were coming to dinner tonight by the way." Ginny mentions, shutting her eyes and resting her head back onto the couch cushions. Her red hair sort of blends into the colour of the pillow and I have a hard time following it through my drunken haze.

"You let me drink all of this knowing that I had to be ready to go to you mothers tonight?" I hiss, "Some friend you are!"

"I have a sobering tonic in my bag, maybe you should take it." Her eyes are still shut and I have half a mind to punch her in the face – again I blame the alcohol as it makes you do stupid things – but I feel along the floor with my hand instead and find the small crystal vile. I swallow it all down, it burns on the way but I feel so much better when it has worked its way into my system.

"Ron," I smile as I make my way into the living room of the burrow. These sorts of meetings were not unusual. Ever since her kids had moved away, the last of which being Ginny when she got a job and moved into a flat of her own, Mrs. Weasley had been craving the feeling of having everyone she loves around her and so the meetings became commonplace.

I quite enjoy the dinners. It gives us all a chance to catch up and find out what has been going on in each other's lives. Tonight only one person is missing. Sirius Black, the most outspoken and noticeable member of our group, is obviously absent, reaffirmed through the shouts coming from the little boy at the end of the table. Teddy Lupin. Five years old and clinging to his mother with all his might. Tonks tries to calm him, but it seems like the lack of the marauder has somehow hurt his feelings.

Lupin walks over and shoves a glass of milk with a blue straw into Tonks' outstretched hand, and she in turn pushes it into the mouth of the little boy, effectively shutting him up for all of two minutes before he grabs it and throws it away from his body. "I don't want it!" His little scream causes all attention in the room to turn to him. Well, that and the crash of the glass housing his bedtime milk as it tumbles to the floor.

"What's up, little man?" I turn away from Ron and walk towards the child in Tonks arms.

"Aunty Mione." He sniffles. I don't remember how the title of Aunty came about, but I guess I was just there so much in the first few years of his life that it just stuck and he has never grown out of it. "Where's Siri?"

I pull him from Tonks' arms and she flexes them slightly, stretching out her sore muscles. "I don't know, little man." I say and he blinks his mud pie eyes trying to push the tears away.

"He promised me that he would read me a bedtime story and he's not here."

"I'm sure he'll turn up." I smile, but it seems to be lost on the boy who can't stop feeling neglected. The tears start again and I hold him tightly trying to sooth him. "How about I read to you?"

He shakes his head at me, "But you always read me boring books, Aunty Mione." It takes a lot to make me hold back the hurt look.

"They are not boring sweetie," I tell him softly, "They are called non – fiction and they are about real life." Harry laughs and I turn to look at him, my eyes hardening. He's sitting in the corner next to his wife of six months Sofia. Harry's the same as he always was. Shaggy black hair that falls into his eyes, lightning shaped scar on his forehead which is covered by his dipping fringe and a strong, thick build. Sofia seems to be the love of his life and after witnessing them together I realise that Ginny and Harry breaking up was definitely a good thing.

Their relationship became pretty destructive to the end and a day didn't pass when they weren't biting the others head off for some reason or other. They are still friends. I guess they have to be with Harry being Ron's best friend and all. "They are not boring." I hiss at him, my defensive tone seems to make everyone laugh and I blush before continuing. "They are educational."

"I agree, Granger." I look up; Sirius Black stands in the corner of the room watching us all, not caring in the slightest that he is late and had tormented his best friend's son. Gone are the days of the food deprived, Azkaban escapee because Sirius Black has filled out impeccably. And I say this as a completely indifferent, third party observer when I say that Sirius Black is hot. Before everyone starts to panic, I don't have a silly little crush on him. I just recognise that he is not ugly.

"I guess you are saved from your educational story time for tonight." I sigh and I let the jumpy boy off my lap.

"Don't worry Hermione; I'll let you read educational books to Harry Junior when he arrives." Harry smiles at me – though I can tell it's a 'laughing at you' smile – and he holds onto Sofia's stomach with his right hand. Sofia's three and a half months pregnant. She has a barely there bump, but at least she has one. I'm twenty three and haven't had a long term relationship since Ron in our last year at Hogwarts. I'm further from having a baby right now than from walking on the moon.

"You don't deserve educational books Harry Potter." I say and I flounce from the room into the kitchen.

Lupin is sitting there holding a mug of coffee and flipping through a file."Are you alright, Hermione?" He asks as his eyes flickup. He looks exactly like he did five years ago. It seems that having a boisterous son has done nothing to age him. He smiles, his eyes crinkling slightly as he folds the file and pushes it away from himself. "I could use a break anyway."

I sit down at one of the mismatches chairs and pour myself a mug of black coffee from the pot on the table. I take a gulp, the bitter taste tingling my taste buds and just this small thing makes me smile. "I quit my job today." I say and he doesn't respond, instead he just lets me carry on at my own pace.

"Draco Malfoy took over the company and he gave me an ultimatum, some up with a good idea or be fired. I quit before he could fire me." He looks at me, his gaze disapproving and I rush to defend myself. "I tried my best. I tried to conform and gave him all the ideas I thought he'd want, but he didn't like them. So I blew up. I told him that he should think less about superficial things and more about helping people."

He sighs and places his hand atop of my own, I look up into his eyes and I feel the depressed wave building again. My life officially sucks. "Did you give him Hermione Granger's ideas or the ideas you though Draco Malfoy would want?"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" I shoot back and I sigh, taking a deep gulp of my coffee.

He looks back down to the file, pulling the pages open and running a hand through his mousey hair. "Maybe you should go back and show him the real Hermione Granger."

I shake my head and almost laugh, "No chance in hell of that happening, if I have something it is pride and I'm not losing that to appease Draco Sodding Malfoy."

"Pride can get you in some sticky situations, Granger." Sirius walks into the room and steals the cup of coffee from my hands, I begin to protest but he has already downed the whole thing and stuck it back in front of me before I can even open my mouth fully. He flicks the back of my head with the spoon he stole from my mug and then walks out of the door.

"Honestly, there is no way I am going to go and grovel to Draco Malfoy." I stand up and walk to the door. "Hell would have to freeze over first."

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