A/N: I AM SO SORRY IT HAS BEEN SO LONG! I hit a slight writers block, and I wasn't sure where to end this chapter and start the next. So this chapter is a little shorter, but the next chapter will be longer, and I believe I am over the block! So enjoy!

Chapter 15: "He is always so smug, and insufferable!"

Hermione Granger carried a cell phone. The smartest witch during her years at Hogwarts carried a cell. Wizards looked at her strangely when she used it. Her excuse? Working so closely with the Prime Minister required such a device. But as much as it was for work purposes, it was also so that she could easily get in contact with her parents.

Today, Hermione was supposed to pick Shyla up from the Hogwarts Express for the winter holidays. Then the Minister of Magic requested her presence for an interview with the Daily Prophet for a series on they were conducting on the departments at the ministry. If Hermione had declined, the opportunity would have gone to her work place rival, an American wizard, Nate Harris. He was young, and nice enough, but he gave Hermione the impression that he was after her job.

Hermione sighed, glancing at a clock. The train would have just arrived, and the plan was for Shyla to picked up by her grandparents, and spend the afternoon with them. She sipped her coffee, while waiting for her turn interviewing with the journalist from the Daily Prophet.

"Miss Granger?" a young girl carrying a clipboard called out, "We'll be ready for you in two minutes. You may bring your coffee."

Hermione smiled at the girl, "Oh good, sometimes I feel like I should just hook an IV up to my arm." She laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension of the room.

The girl scrunched her forehead and let out an uncomfortable laugh, "Excuse me, miss?"

Hermione shook her head, "Sorry, never mind. Just give me a moment." She glanced down at her papers, checking her notes as she felt a light vibration coming from the pocket of her suit jacket. She pulled out the small black phone and checked the caller ID. It was her mother. Hermione shrugged it off, assuming that she was just calling to inform her that they had picked Shyla up.

She flattened the hem of her knee length, pleated skirt. The girl showed her into a small office. Two couches faced opposite of each other, with a coffee table in between.

On one of the black leather couches sat a thin, balding man. He wore a yellow plaid suit, and shiny orange shoes. He stood and smiled crookedly at her, "Hermione Granger, I presume? I am Theodore Magnus." His voice hit a pitch in Hermione's ears that in a raspy, torturous way, reminded her of nails being scraped down a chalkboard.

Hermione smiled at him softly, memorizing his entire being so she could describe every detail later to Shyla. "Good afternoon, Mister Magnus, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Please, call me Ted," the man corrected, waving his hand at her.

She was pleased to see that instead of a quill writing for him, per the style of Rita Skeeter, he took his own notes. Despite his appearance, Hermione found him pleasant enough to speak with. He was kind and funny. Several minutes into the interview process, Hermione felt her phone vibrate again. She casually readjusted her legs, and took a sip of her coffee, in attempt to ignore the call. Two minutes later, it occurred again. Hermione's stomach sunk in worry. Her mother would not have been this persistent unless something was very wrong.

After the fifth call, Hermione raised her hand to pause, "I'm so sorry, my parents are picking my daughter up from the Hogwarts Express today, and my mother is desperately trying to reach me." She pulled out the cell phone, verifying the missed calls. "It's a muggle device, but she has called me five times now. I really need to take this. Forgive me." She did not wait for Ted to respond and raced out of the office, leaving her coffee behind. In the hallway she quickly dialed her mother.

"Mum?" Hermione asked, her voice faltering, "is everything okay?"

"Hermione, we went to pick up Shyla. Just like we would greet you. Between platforms nine and ten," Martha panicked. "She hasn't shown up. Other students have. Plenty of families have left with their children." Martha began to sob over the phone.

She heard a shuffle of the phone, before John's voice came on, "Hermione, we've been here for half an hour, should we continue to wait?"

Hermione nodded to herself, catching her breath, "Yes, please. Dad? Tell Mum that everything will be alright. I'll contact the parents of her friends, and I will call you back in fifteen minutes."

Hermione hung up the phone and raced to her office. The elevator system felt sluggish today, as she tapped her leg nervously. She bit her lower lip before twisting a curl around her finger. "Come on, come on, come on!" Hermione urged.

When she finally reached her floor, Hermione turned a corner before thrusting the door open. "Sienna!" She called to her secretary, "have any owls come? It's extremely important."

"Miss Granger!" Sienna sputtered out of shock, "Yes! There is a letter on your desk." As Hermione ran into her office Sienna called after her, "is everything alright?"

Hermione ignored the question and yanked the letter off of her particularly clean desk.

Hermione,

If my suspicions were correct, your daughter did not get your permission to come home with us. Alas, she is here with Evangeline. She is more than welcome to stay for dinner. Please, as I am sure you are doing so: do not panic. Shyla is fine. Oh, you are also welcome for dinner. We're having lasagna. At 6pm. Don't be late.

-Draco

P.S. I know you are going to be furious right now. Please wait until at least 5pm to arrive. An angry Hermione is a scary Hermione.

Hermione scowled and threw the note back on her desk. She could here his pompous attitude even in his writing. She could see him sitting at his desk, smirking. It made her want to scream. Noticing Sienna standing in her doorway, she scoffed, "He is completely infuriating!"

"Who is?" Sienna asked, entering further.

"Draco Malfoy!" Hermione nearly shouted. "He is always so smug, and insufferable!" She began to pace back in forth as her temper rose. "Not to mention detestable and unbearable!"

"Miss Granger," Sienna interrupted, "I mean no disrespect, but you're doing it again."

Hermione stopped, and stared at the girl, "Doing what?"

Sienna's attempt at concealing a smile was mediocre at best, "When you get upset you become a walking thesaurus."

"I do not!" Hermione protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Insufferable, detestable, unbearable," She quoted. "They all mean the same thing."

"And they all define Draco Malfoy!" Hermione huffed.

Sienna's effort gave way, and she smiled, brushing her long black hair out of her face, "Is there anything I can do?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Thank you, Sienna, but no. Shyla is friends with his daughter, and she got off the train with the Malfoys. My parents were supposed to pick her up, but when they waited for her and she never showed, they panicked. I ruined my interview with the man from the Daily Prophet." She slumped into the chair across from Sienna's desk, and groaned into her hands.

"What are you going to do now?" Sienna asked with interest.

Hermione nearly laughed, "I have to go to the Malfoy Manor to retrieve my daughter. Oh, and Malfoy is demanding I have dinner with him."

"He likes you." Sienna chuckled. Imitating some one in love, she raised her hands to her right side, just under her chin, and sighed romantically.

"That is absolutely absurd!" Hermione cried, shaking her head. "He is incredibly rude, and really only cares about himself." Noticing the look in the girl's eyes, Hermione knew she was just making excuses and reasons to hate the man. Standing, she scowled and resisted the urge to stamp her foot. "Besides, I have to go call my parents! They were so worried." She rushed out of the office before Sienna could continue teasing her. Hermione adored her secretary, but found her unreasonable on occasion.

She tapped the recall button on her mobile phone.

"Hermione, have you found her?" Martha Granger nearly sobbed into the phone.

"Yes, Mum. It's okay. There was a- a form of miss-communication. She is at a friend's house, and I will go pick her up this evening." Hermione responded, trying to keep her voice steady.

"John! Shyla's okay, she is with a friend!" Martha shouted on the other end.

Hermione sighed quietly, "I'm so sorry you had to worry like this. Shyla and I will be by for dinner next week. Give my love to Dad, and I'll talk to you later. Bye, Mum." She quickly hung up the phone and walked to the nearest fireplace. It was two hours before she could go to the Malfoy Manor. A place that she had only imagined on the rare occasion.

A/N: I am back in school, so that will keep me fairly busy, but I will try to update every other week at the absolute latest! Three day weekend is almost here, so I will write as much as I can! I am SO excited for the next chapter! I have rewritten it like 5 different times, each with just little things changed, here and there. But I really like what I have so far, and I am hoping to get it out next week. (Probably Thursday or Friday) ANYWAYS... Thank you so much for all of your kind reviews! I read every single one, and I wish I had the time to be able to send everyone a reply, but alas. Just know that I read and appreciate all of them!

~PurplePygmypuff