It was 7.30 in the morning and Draco was just back at Malfoy Manor having finished his morning run. Solbey greeted him as he entered the house, 'would master care for some breakfast?' Draco smiled and removed his headphones (another piece of muggle technology that Neil had give to him before he left saying 'mate, a iPod is the way forward. I can't believe you wizard-types don't use them, this is only the very first one but I have a friend who says they're going to take off big time.'), and answered the elf. That would be great, thank you Solbey. I'd love a bacon and egg sandwich if you have a moment?' Solbey smiled widely and nodded before disappearing.

Draco stretched his legs out once more before he made his way to his room for a shower and fresh clothes before his first day. He was whistling Bohemian Like You, a song that had been released the previous year and had been on the iPod Neil had gave him when he made his way back to the dining room. His food was sat waiting for him, as was his mother. Draco stopped whistling and managed a tight smile.

'Good morning, mother.' He said before dropping into his seat and making himself a cup of tea from the arrangement on the table. He motioned to his mother in case she would like a cup but she replied by raising her full cup for him to see.

'I trust that you slept well?' she started. Draco nodded taking a cautious sip of his hot tea. 'Would you tell me where you have been? You disappeared so suddenly and I just... I'd like to know what you've been up to.' Draco winced but it was much easier to tell his mother this than his father.

'Most recently I've been in Venezuela. There were rainstorms throughout December of 1999, almost two years ago now, which caused mudslides and killed thousands. I've been working alongside witches, wizards and the odd muggle who were resucing magical creatures and nursing them back to health. It's been exhilarating and awful at the same time. The post at the hospital, it's for research into health and wellbeing of magical creatures. There hasn't been a lot of money in the area, ever, and it's more important than ever after the War that the wizarding community pulls...'

'You were off who knows where looking after half-breeds?' His mothers voice was quiet, shocked. Draco nodded, taking another sip of his tea. Reluctant to start eating until this conversation was over he left his sandwich for now. 'Why.' Draco let her question hang in the air, a moment that was obviously too long in his mother's opinion. 'Why would you help Draco? Why would you leave us to go and work with those people. We raised you to better the wizarding world, not to muck around in the dirt with the skum of our world!' His mother's voice had become stronger throughout her speech and Draco hoped he could make his mother understand.

'I needed to get away, to figure out who I was after the war and I met someone - a friend - who was already volunteering with these people. I went along with him for the ride, not really knowing what to expect. It wasn't what I thought I would be doing mother...'

'You left us, your family, left me without a word and went to work who knows where looking after half-breeds. Draco, you are a pure-bred wizard, one of the 28 houses and this is how you try to ruin your name?' His mother was seething. 'When I thought for sure that you were with other like us I wasn't worry about where your loyalties lay, but now, learning this... I'm shocked, Draco, truly shocked. We didn't give you everything to have you working with those creatures. "I am happy that you are home, Draco, but I don't know that I can speak with you right now.' Without another word, she swept from the room.

You're a failure already Draco, you can't even stand up to your own mother. Is this how it's going to be again, pathetic. The voice that lived in his head rent free reared up, trying to get him to quit on his plan. He desperately wanted his parents to look at him with love and respect, not be disgusted at his ideas and where he had been. Surely they couldn't still believe the old ways with how the wizarding world was changing? He put his head in his hands momentarily and then opened his eyes to stare at his breakfast. His stomach was in knots and he knew that he couldn't eat anything right now. 'Solbey,' he called out.

The house-elf appeared next to him a few seconds later.

'Would you mind bundling up my breakfast, please? I will take it with me.'

'Of course, young master.' Solbey bowed, 'I shall place it in the entry hall for your collection on leaving. Draco nodded his thanks.

For the next few minutes Draco drank his tea and repeated the affirmations that Neil had taught him. 'I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.' he repeated to himself ten times before the little voice in his head shut up again. Draco had been surprised by the change a positive affirmation could make to his life and it being a muggle invention hadn't been particularly keen to try it to begin with. He also hadn't been particularly keen on making friends with Neil but here they were five years later, closer than Draco had ever been with his school friends.

After collecting his bag and breakfast, Draco apparated neat to one of the entrances to St Mungo's, ready to start his day and put all the negativity from the past 24hrs out of his mind for the time being. Or tried to at least as he quickly ducked out of sight as he watched, unbelieving as Harry bloody Potter and Ron Weasley appeared near to the same entrance he wanted.

'Have you seen Herminone lately, Ron?' He could hear them speaking as well. This was not what he had wanted for his first day. He was still embarressed at the way that Potter had so casually saved his life when he had done nothing to warrant it and had been a significant cause in the losses that Potter and co had felt the day of the battle.

'No, I owl'd her last week and she replied that she was focused on a S.P.E.W. issue and wouldn't be around for a week or two. I was hoping she'd be out of work-mode by now but,' Weasley shrugged. Draco frowned, he had thought that Weasley and Granger had been dating when he left the country but perhaps that wasn't the case?

'Hmmm...' Potter answered. 'We'll have to drag her out this weekend, there's nothing scheduled for us at the moment and well, it would be nice to have some time with the four of us before the wedding madness.'

Weasley laughed, 'you haven't even proposed yet, mate! Are you so confident that sister of mine will say yes?' He clapped Harry on the back as they wandered toward the entrance and it was he who spotted Malfoy first. Crap, Draco thought and hoped he wouldn't say anything. Weasley nudged Potter who looked in his direction too. Draco nodded at them both, hoping they'd just pass by which they did, although in an awkward silence. Once they had disappeared into the hospital, Draco followed them in hoping he'd left enough time between them that he wouldn't bump into them again. He didn't and he breathed a sigh of relief as he headed down to the hospital's research labs.

'Ah, Mr Malfoy,' his new boss greeted him, 'I'm glad you could make it. Give me five minutes and I'll be with you to show you around. Molly,' Mr Shepard glanced behind him for his assistant, 'ah, yes there you are. Molly, would you be so kind as to show Mr Malfoy where to put his things and perhaps show him to the staff room so that he can make a cup of tea before he starts? Thank you.'

If Mr Shepard's greeting had been kind enough, if a little distant and distracted, Molly appeared to be terrified of him. Draco supposed that was to be expected given his reputation from the war and the fact that he had been abroad since. It was still disheartening and his inner critic was piping up again, 'you aren't good enough to be here, you should be ostracised'. He tried to shake that voice off and instead smiled at Molly waiting for her to show him the way. Molly recollected herself and started walking briskly to the staff room where she showed him the pegs for coats, without saying a word, and then left him next to the kettle after pointing to the cups. It seemed he was going to have to work on his smile.

Another new colleague came to the door of the staff room and Draco smiled again, this one turned tail and left as well. It was obvious that his new colleagues weren't keen to have him here at all. He set about making himself a cup of coffee to keep his hands busy listening to the hustle and bustle of the lab. It was strange being in such a sterile environment after working in places like Romania helping Charlie Weasley of all people and researching dragon medicine in all weathers. Providing aid to those creatures that needed it had fufilled a part of him that he didn't even know existed and the actual people he worked with didn't care about his past as long as he cared about the creatures.

A loud bang broke his thoughts, 'You mean to tell me that you haven't assigned this role to anyone as of yet?' The voice he was listening to was familiar but his brain couldn't quite associate with whom he associated it. There was a short pause as an answer was given .'Yes, I understand quite perfectly, Doctor, an assistant for the position. You wish to fill the position with an assistant, not a qualified professional, someone with absolutely no idea of the role or the requirements. S.P.E.W and other initiatives are not something to be ignored...' the lecture carried on out in the corridoor but Draco had frozen, mind racing. That was Hermione Granger, the one and only who Potter and Weasley had been talking about not half an hour ago. The one he'd witnessed being totured all those years ago by his aunt, Bellatrix, he still dreamt of her screams of a girl who'd been a classmate if not a friend. Draco gripped his coffee tighter, telling himself to breathe.

'Whatever your reasoning, I will see the candidate now. I will be following this up direct...' Granger's voice trailed off as she met Draco's eyes across the room. 'You hired Draco Malfoy for the position?'

Finally a voice replied, 'he was the most qualified for the position, perhaps we should take this discussion into my office.' Draco's new boss chimed in quietly, wanting to herd the commotion away from the rest of the staff.

'Lead the way,' Granger told him and turned after him swiftly. Draco followed, not sure if he was actually going to be included in the discussion or if he was just going to be the subject. It was surreal seeing Granger again after all these years. She had grown up into a beautiful woman with her hair now sleek curls rather than the bushy mess it had been at school. She was dressed professionally with a pencil skirt, heels and a pale green shirt which set off her complexion. The Granger that he had known had worn hoddies and jeans if she wasn't in her school robes. In a daze he followed the pair into the office and sat when his new boss waved a chair in his direction.

'Explain.' Granger stated and remained standing. Shephard took his spectacles off and polished them before putting them back on his nose and clearing his throat. 'I was told to produce someone of quality for this position and not given many resources to do so, a hard task as you can imagine. Mr Malfoy here was in the right place at the right time. He has spent most of the last five years caring for magical creatures all over the world, has the interest and knowledge in Alchemy that the post most needs and accepted the position. He might not have the qualifications that most in these positions do, but I am hoping with your help that you will be able to provide the resources so that we can make the role a full time research position rather than an assistant reasearch position.'

'You are the head of research here at St Mungo's. You set your own resources within your budget and you have not seen fit to allocate the full extra amount that was granted for this extension of your laboratory instead deeming fit to spend the grant on ongoing projects without consulation with those who provided the extra funds. I am most disappointed Shepherd.' Granger tamped her foot, obviously thinking things through. Draco still gripped his coffee, waiting to see if the attention would shift to him. It did. 'Tell me about your work over the past five years, who are your references?'

Draco cleared his throat and with his heart pounding tried to explain. 'I've been at all sorts of locations around the world in the last five years. I spent nine months with Charlie Weasley with whom I helped care for some of the dragons he has been looking after. I developed an interest in Alchemy during the last few years at... Hogwarts' He glanced up at Hermione but her face was impassive. 'And one particular interest in healing potions and diseases. Myself and a friend spent a lot of time in Venezuela, Mariana Kingston was in charge of the camp over there, rescuing creatures from the mudslides and devestation that went on, making sure that no more muggles came across them and nursing them back to health. It was there that I realised that in order to be able to make more of a difference, the potions that I'd been perfecting over there needed to be mainstreamed and brought into use world-wide for the welfare of all creatures.

Herminone was staring at him with an odd expression. Draco couldn't quite interpret it and he gave a shrug, blushing under her scrutiny and looking back at his own hands, resting in his lap. Finally, she spoke; 'Mariana is a good friend of mine, I will speak with her and be in touch with you both. For now, ensure that Mr Malfoy has the correct resources allocated to him and, Mr Malfoy, I expect to see your CV on my desk by the end of the day and a report within the next two weeks detailing the potions that you have been experimenting with.

With that, she left the room leaving both men behind to gape after her. Draco was stunned, after all that he'd done to her and appearing out of the blue he had expected more of an inquisition but then, he thought bitterly, why would she question him when she could question others? He wouldn't have trusted him either.