Author's Note: I wanted to thank those who have offered suggestions and critiques along the way. I will going through in a few chapters or perhaps once this fic is done and making revisions. As always I am deeply appreciative of the wonderful feedback along the way.

Draco arrived at Hermione's door step at exactly 7:00 pm. She had not seen him outside of his regular attire of black suit and ties and was caught by surprise when she opened the door to see him in a pair of dark jeans and white dress shirt. He casually wore his black blazer unbuttoned. His confident presence that had irked her as a Hogwarts student now seemed more befitting of the wizard.

"What's with the stare, Granger? I know you find me attractive but—" He began and she rolled her eyes, opening the door so he could walk in. When she had met with her friends earlier that day Hermione had felt a little sheepish for not telling Harry and Ginny she had invited Draco Malfoy over.

She assured herself it was strictly for business. Even so, how would she have broached the subject with her fellow Gryffindor alumna?

The truth was he had offered to help her research Compton Enterprises and she was willing to admit she needed the assistance. The night before when he had entered her home it had been under the urgent pretense to help with Sanguini but now he stood in her living room as an invited guest.

"Make yourself at home, I was just finishing up some tea," Hermione said as she disappeared behind the corridor to her kitchen. Draco abided and removed his blazer but as he went to hang it on the coat rack by the front door he couldn't help but notice a bowl on the entry way table. It was full of ashes and he was puzzled. Did Granger smoke?

But before he could ponder the thought too much, Hermione returned with two cups of tea. Tracing his gaze, she said. "It's howlers. I get them daily now on account of the attacks and who my clients are."

Hermione seemed unbothered by this. She handed Draco his cup as she sat down in an old leather armchair, adding, "Being in the news lately on behalf of the foundation hasn't helped matters."

"Well you certainly know how to make an impression," Draco said with a grin.

Hermione laughed and it was the first time she actually able to do so when it came to the hate mail.

"Yes, well. Thank you for coming over to help," she said in between sips. "I just can't shake the feeling that something is off with this company…"

"I took the liberty of doing my own research actually," Draco said. "And I found something strange. There are four other rehabilitation sites Compton Enterprises as funded over the past two years."

Draco retrieved a small set of newspaper articles from his blazer pocket. "At every town near the site there was a spike in vampire and werewolf attacks as well as disappearances."

"I wouldn't meddle with those people if I were you two," said a voice from the basement stairs. Sanguini appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame. The wounds on his face from the evening before were all but gone.

"Do you know something?" Hermione asked.

Sanguini nodded and slowly moved towards them. While his wounds had faded, his gait was still weak. He took a seat on the edge of the couch. "There are rumors that they are recruiting our folk for their projects."

"You mean for their studies?" Draco asked. It was common knowledge that the company was the forerunner in magical innovation. Vampire participants were highly regarded as the best because they were close to wizards in most regards. Everyone, for the obvious ethical reasons, were going to be volunteers. Draco said as much.

"Not everyone volunteers, boy," Sanguini said flatly. "And I am not referring to the experiments the public knows about."

Hermione saw Draco bristled at being addressed as 'boy' and coupled with Sanguini's tense response, she tried to keep them on track. "Can you elaborate please? What experiments?"

"If you insist on learning more my dear, you need to speak to a vampire by the name of Trocar. I have been told he has some experiences with them. But I do warn you this might not the sort of rabbit hole you want to jump down."

"Where can we find him?" Hermione asked, ignoring the words of caution. She wasn't prone to taking hasty actions but the more puzzle pieces that unfolded about this company the more Hermione felt pulled to investigate. She began to wonder if there were secret experiments being done and if that were true, the list of clients Henry had asked Draco about suddenly seemed like a very dangerous piece of information.

"You don't want to call in reinforcements first?" Draco asked as they arrived in Nocturne Ally, a place that had a nefarious reputation of housing society's undertow. Hermione could hear the tone of concern in his voice.

"We are just going to ask questions," she replied. "If there is any threat we'll leave but finding this vampire Trocar is our best shot at figuring out what's going on."

While walking down the cobblestone streets of Nocturne Ally at night was not Hermione's ideal plan, she knew there was no choice if they wanted to meet the vampire in question. As they drew near to their destination Hermione noticed Draco's demeanor change as he slipped into a mask of cool collect. His presence wasn't menacing but it was distinctly more confident.

There was a bouncer guarding the front door and he scanned them over very keenly. His gaze fixed on Hermione but she didn't waiver from meeting his eyes. With a curt wordless nod to the door he let them in.

To say that all eyes in the small club were on them would have been dramatic, but in Draco's mind, accurate. He clenched his jaw subtly in apprehension and looked for all possible exit points. In a room full of vampires and other magical entities Draco's skills as a legimens were nearly useless.

"Come on," Hermione said as she tried to keep her tone neutral. She tugged his sleeve and they moved towards the bar. Despite Hermione's convictions that vampires were civilized, Draco noted her brown eyes scanning the room cautiously as she sipped her butterbeer.

"What now?" He gingerly drank from his glass of dragon barrel brandy. His assertion that they were the focus of the other club-goers' scrutiny was confirmed by the whispers and gestures towards them he caught through the hazy smoke of the space.

"Sanguini said that this was Trocar's nightly hangout," she said but had to lean in uncomfortably close to Draco so that he could hear her above the clamor of the club. "Let's look around a bit and if we can't find him we can come back some other time."

"Excuse me, little miss," said a voice suddenly from behind them. The pair turned quickly to find themselves in front of a massive hulking man. He towered over even Draco. Despite his menacing size, his tone was non-confrontational. "Are you Hermione Granger?"

"Yes," she answered, tilting her chin upward to meet the man's gaze squarely.

"That vampire over there would like a word with you," the stranger said and pointed to a booth in the corner. She could make out the dim silouhette of a male figure seated at the booth.

Draco's fight-or-flight instincts told him to grab the witch's hand and Apparate to somewhere safer before she could protest but the moment of opportunity quickly evaporated as she looked at him and then walked forward to meet the person who knew her name.

As luck would have it, she recognized the vampire from Sanguini's description. Trocar looked to be eighteen-years-old but knew he was probably closer to two-hundred. His face was that of a man trapped between adolescence and adulthood with a boyish round chin and messy brown hair. His eyes were a deep crimson, a trait that was as recognizably vampiric as the sharp fangs highlighted in his smile.

"Good evening, witch. Please have a seat, won't you? And your friend here too."

"I don't believe we have met," Hermione said cordially.

"Trocar," he replied. "And I know all about you Hermione Granger. The clever war heroine and social justice championess of our people. You are quite a celebrity among our kind."