The next day

"Excuse me?" came the brunette's shrill response to the professionalism pitch.

Draco looked at her reddening face. Her brown eyes were dark and blazing, oh he's ticked her.

"I do not need to be taught how to dress professionally, like some teenager wearing frayed jorts to work !" She followed.

Frayed jorts? What kinda Muggle thing is that, it sounds like a skin condition.

She could practically be blowing steam out, he had not anticipated it would be this entertaining. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as she kept going. She was now pacing and making wild hand gestures at him, "besides did you ever think in that insipid brain of yours that this is a potential HR issue, telling a female employee that you clearly dislike how to dress?"

She was now pointing to her current clothes and demanding to find out what was wrong with them. Draco supposed he picked a bad day to point this out. She was dressed like a true professional, she had a longsleeve navy blouse on with black trousers that stopped at her waist. He had nothing to complain about really, except for the fact that her trousers accentuated her waist too much and fitted well over her bum. This was bad, very bad because for a couple of seconds Draco's subconscious betrayed him and decided she had a very nice figure.

"Your trousers are too tight, it's a bit uncalled for," he drawled

This sent Granger into overdrive, "are you kidding me? I am the picture of professionalism, Malfoy! Do you really expect me to walk around looking like a nun so I can appease your primitive brain?"

She pressed her fingers into her temples no no and took a deep breath, "I don't know how I'm gonna take this, Malfoy. Every day you've been pestering and picking on me like we're in some schoolyard quarrel."

Draco observed her eyes, he knew that look. He'd seen it often at Hogwarts. She was making some mental pros and cons list before deciding.

Oh no, don't tell me she's quitting.

"Malfoy, I-"

He cut her off and strode towards her until he was only inches away. He stared directly into her eyes, challenging her, "you what, Granger? You're gonna leave? Didn't take you for a quitter but if that's what you really wa-"

"I never said anything about quitting." She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. She was no good at this, putting on a face. You wouldn't know she had just thought of it moments ago. Well, you wouldn't know unless you were around her growing up and studied.

Studied? I'm not some creep.

Correction, casually observed her in a getting to know your school rival way, of course. Not because of any interest, she was about as interesting as dung beetle.

"Alright, then. First lesson of professionalism: learn how to take constructive criticism." He saw her trademark glare through his peripheral vision as he strolled out of her office.

He handled that well, he thought. He even had the foresight to cast a silencing charm on the room knowing the explosive nature of Gryffindors. The blonde sat down on his leather chair summoned an expensive fire whiskey tucked away in an antique cabinet. He poured a small amount of the amber liquid and sipped on it. It was a little treat on his successful day. Hermione Granger hates him, but she didn't quit.

Saturday evening

Hermione had gone through the rest of the week with no incident from Draco. In fact, it was almost like he was ignoring her. She thought she would catch glimpses of his platinum hair every so often but he'd be gone as soon as she looked up. She wasn't sure why she was worrying about it instead of being relieved. Honestly, he's such a pain in the ass. She was kicking herself for not quitting out of spite but if he was gonna behave himself like this, it wouldn't be so bad.

She apparated outside a restaurant in London where she was set to meet some of her friends. She walked in and told the young hostess the reservation name and was directed towards the back of the restaurant. She spotted them before they even got close. The shock of redheads sitting at a table was a dead give away.

"Hey, everyone!" Hermione greeted.

Harry looked up and gave her a hug. The black haired stunner next to him hugged her so tight she felt like a teddy bear. Pansy had grown very beautiful. Her raven hair shone under the overhead light. She was wearing a black sheath dress that hugged her figure and she paired it with black pumps. Her red lipstick was a stark contrast to her pale skin but it suited her. Pansy looked like a movie star spy you would send to seduce your enemies. Harry and Pansy had started dating a few months ago. It hadn't worked out between Ginny and Harry after Ginny decided to pursue Quidditch overseas. It had been a very amicable breakup and everyone remained friends. Ginny was seated next to Ron and Pansy and she had also stood up to give her a hug. Ron got up last and gave her a quick peck on the lips, "Hey, Mione."

Hermione pulled the chair next to him and sat down.

"I ordered us some butterbeer," he chimed happily.

Butterbeer? They were at a fancy Italian place.

"oh, uh thanks, Ron. That's very sweet," she lightly rubber his arm before looking up to see Pansy giving her a look from across the table.

Yes, I know. I know.

She and Pansy had gotten close the past year and it was during a dinner party that she hosted that sparked the relationship with Harry.

To avoid Pansy's knowing look, she asked Ginny how Quidditch was going.

The brunette responded, "It's been great! My team has been performing well. We have a rare bit of a break so I'm just here for a few days then I'm going back to Australia on Monday."

"I'm so glad you're here, it's been ages since I saw you! I bet you don't miss the British weather though"

Ginny laughed, "I think I actually do, the sun is way too intense for me there. Although, I think my skin has finally managed a tan instead of burning."

"Oh, I don't think I could live in Australia. I'd miss Mum's cooking and there's too many spiders," Ron piped in.

"I thought you would have moved in with Hermione by now," Ginny looked puzzled.

Ron blushed and mumbled in between bites of the complimentary bread, "I- we uh considered it but Mum and Dad are a bit lonely. You know everyone's left so I'm all they have. Besides, Mione doesn't mind having her space."

Hermione nodded in agreement and sipped her butterbeer. She had actually suggested that Ron stay with his parents. Molly was incredibly sad about the idea of his last child leaving the nest and it was honestly a relief to Hermione. She didn't think she was ready to share a place with Ron yet. She liked her space too much and just having a quiet retreat when she needed it.

The waiter stopped by and took food orders and after he had left, the topic of conversation changed. They continued on talking about what was new until they had all finished dinner. Unfortunately for Hermione, the topic of ordering expensive dessert wine reminded Pansy of her insufferable blonde colleague. This prompted the line of questioning that she was dreading.

Harry chuckled, "Hermione is having a grand old time working with Malfoy."

"He was absolutely horrid his first few days. He had made it his daily mission to irk me but he must have gotten it out of his system. I haven't heard a peep from him for the better half of the week," Hermione sighed.

Ron was digging in to an already half eaten panna cotta, "I still don't understand why he gets to be a big boss again. After everything he's done and the war, he shouldn't even be allowed to be out and about like a normal person."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ron, we've been over this. Malfoy was pushed into that side of the war as much as we were pushed to the other. He was just a kid like us. Besides, he and his mother helped us in the end."

"it's no excuse, Hermione. Why are you defending him again? You just said he was awful." Ron was getting flustered and his cheeks were heating up.

"Harry, some help here?" She shot her friend a look.

"Yeah, Ron. Hermione's right."

Ron got up suddenly, his chair making a goosebump inducing screech. "Alright, defend the murderer then. You two are off your bloody rockers." He proceeded to walk towards the exit.

Hermione saw the uncomfortable look on Ginny's face and the puzzled looks of the surrounding patrons and sighed. She rubbed her temples and debated going after Ron but decided against it. He just needed to blow off some steam.

The remaining group changed the topic and a few minutes later, decided to call it a night. Ginny insisted on getting the bill since she was hardly ever here to visit, to which Harry insisted that he takes care of it. Harry eventually gave in, being no match to Ginny's stubbornness. Pansy and Hermione walked side to side as they all exited the restaurant.

"We need a girls night, promise you'll come out with me next weekend?" Asked the Slytherin.

Hermione exaggerated a sigh, "I'll have to check with my assistant, oh and of course my git of a boss if he'll allow it-" she stopped and started giggling as Pansy rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'll come out. You know I can't say no to our wine night," Hermione smiled.

Pansy clasped her hands together and started telling her how excited she was. The group then wished Ginny farewell and safe travels before they all apparated to their respective homes.

She had almost forgotten about Ron and felt a pang of guilt when she saw him sitting on her porch steps. When he heard her come, he walked up to her and hugged her tight. He smelled like soap, butterbeer and something homely.

"I'm sorry Mione. I didn't mean to ruin dinner."

Hermione pat his back gently and reassured him nothing was ruined and she understood his anger.

He pulled away from the hug, his voice going up a couple of pitches, "It's just that Malfoy and his whole family are such a sore spot for me. Everything they do just bothers me so much. I can't stand the thought of you working for him."

I can't argue about Malfoy again.

"I get it, Ron. Let's just not talk about him anymore. Do you want to come in for tea?"

Ron seemed to calm down and accepted. He held her hand as they walked in and opened the door for her.

Hermione set to putting the kettle on and Ron crept up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist. He leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Can I stay here tonight?" He asked.

Hermione gave him a small smile and agreed. They sipped their tea and got ready for bed. Hermione had finished first and crawled under the blankets. Moments later, she felt Ron's weight shift the bed and she was pulled into him. He loved to cuddle as they slept. Hermione, not so much. Ron falls asleep quickly and breathed heavily on her. It always took forever for her to fall asleep to the sound and the feeling of his hot breath grazing her face.

It's not that bad.

Relationships aren't perfect. Your partner isn't supposed to be perfect, she thought. She was sure Ron found little things she did irritable and it was delusional to think that people are always content and happy in their relationships. Not everyone was in love all the time.

But are you, at all?

The sneaky thought in her brain caught her off guard. Of course she was. This is Ron, she's loved him for years, he's one of her bestfriends and they had gone through so much together.

She tried to shut off her brain and prevent that line of thought from going further. She had mastered a strategy on how to fall asleep through Ron's breathing. She always just needed to think of a scene that sounded similar and convert Ron's breathing into some type of white noise from nature. She thought of the deep blue waves of the ocean. It was a dark rainy night and the waves crashed onto the shore. The wind whistled slightly and the sky was a stormy grey. That was her last thought before she fell to her slumber.