Fall

1999

The first day he had seen her, he did a double-take. She wasn't breath taking, he didn't fall in love with her at first sight. But she had changed so much, he couldn't help but stare.

"You cut your hair." he had noted in passing.

Hermione had stopped abruptly, almost crashing into him. She knew he started working here, but had yet to see him. He looked healthy now; his pale skin seemed to glow. She swore those cheek bones could cut through glass.

She brought a hand up to her hair, now styled into a pixie cut and grinned sheepishly.

"I thought it was time for a change." she replied honestly, unsure of where he was going with this.

He merely nodded and stared off into the sea of people surrounding them. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other until he turned his attention back to her.

"It looks nice." was all he said before dispersing into the crowd.

October came quickly, with harsh winds and brutal colds. He hadn't spoken to her much since last month in the corridor. They offered civil nods in passing, but that had been the extent of their relationship. He managed to keep himself busy with work, regaining his trust with the Ministry and out of trouble.

Of course there were Death Eaters still in hiding, and at his lower points, it was hard to resist their offers. They had no idea he worked for the Ministry now, and he was planning on keeping it that way. He couldn't really explain why, it was a bad idea of course, but a part of him wasn't ready to let go of that option. For whatever fucked up reason.

Draco found himself sitting alone, in the dining hall when Hermione approached him. He glanced up from his pudding and tea to see her beaming at him.

"What're you smiling about, Granger?" he asked with a bored expression.

"We caught a pair of Death Eaters this morning." she gloated.

He felt his muscles ice over as his heart began to pound in his ears. He fought to keep his lips in a straight line and his expression uninterested. She couldn't know. He had no idea why he didn't want her to know, it's not as if he cared about her. They weren't even friends.

"Do you want a trophy or something?" he asked with a roll of his eyes.

Hermione pursed her lips and folded her arms over her chest. He couldn't help but notice that her eyes were glinting with excitement and a blush had invaded her cheeks.

"Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because Kingsely wants us to work together. He knows that you used to...be involved with them, and he figured you'd be a huge help in catching the rest of them." she ranted.

If he was nervous before, it was nothing to the anxiety that was currently coursing through his veins. He pushed away his food and cleared his throat, drinking in her news. He would love the opportunity to put the rest of them behind bars; to show them he wasn't useless or spineless. But that would mean never receiving an offer from them again. He wouldn't have a back up plan.

"Tell Kinglsey I'm sorry, I can't. There's just too much work to do in my department, I'm already swamped. He'll have to find someone else." he responded finally, feeling the guilt well up inside him.

Hermione's face fell in disappointment. The fire in her eyes was now just dying embers, the blush in her cheeks was gone. She sighed heavily before rising.

"Well, if things ease up, let me know." her tone flat as she stared down at him.

He nodded, assuring her that he would before he watched her walk away.

"I can't believe we have to work late on Halloween." Draco growled as he and Blaise made their way through an empty corridor.

There weren't many workers here tonight, which enraged him even more. Their footsteps echoed across the tiled halls while paintings snoozed on.

"Mate you don't celebrate Halloween. You haven't for years." Blaise commented calmly.

"It doesn't mean I want to work." he bit back, gripping the files in his hand as tight as he could.

The pair turned the corner when Draco ran into a petite form. The files spilled from his hands, scattering across the empty hall.

"Shit." she muttered as she regained her balance.

"Nice one, Granger." Blaise mumbled as he helped Draco pick up the files.

Hermione scowled at him as she helped them gather the rest of the fallen papers. Draco felt the warmth of her body next to his. He felt his breath hitch, causing him to scowl in confusion.

"Sorry," she offered. "Probably should watch where I'm going."

They rose to full height before she handed him the remaining files. He thought he caught sight of tear stains on her cheeks, but didn't mention it.

"Don't worry about it." he said with a wave of his free hand. "Granger, are you-"

"I'll see you around, yeah?" she interrupted with a tight smile.

Draco nodded as she disappeared, nearly running into Blaise on her way. Blaise shook his head, a smirk on his lips. He then turned his attention to his blonde companion.

"What was that mate?" Blaise asked with an amused expression.

The former Slytherin scowled at his best friend.

"It was nothing, Blaise. Now shut it."

Draco was particularly eager to find Granger the next morning, and apparently luck was on his side. Though he and Blaise stayed late the night before, Draco was back in at five in the morning. He found her in the dining hall, nursing a mug of tea and nibbling on toast. She looked tired, with circles under her eyes and her usually tinted skin stripped of its healthy glow.

"Morning, Granger." he offered as he sat down across from her.

Hermione glanced up at him with a lethal look etched on her features. Draco frowned at the witch, trying not to look alarmed.

"Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" he joked.

But this was apparently the wrong thing to say, because a moment later she burst into tears.

"Shit Granger, what is the matter with you?" Draco asked, unsure of how to handle this situation.

Hermione quickly wiped away her falling tears with a sniffle. She cleared her throat and furrowed her brows in concentration. He watched her tongue flick across her lips, catching some of her salty tears. He imagined himself brushing away her remaining tears but quickly brushed away the ridiculous thought.

"Ron and I split up. And I suppose it's been harder on me than I thought." she confided quietly, only glancing at him briefly.

She didn't expect him to understand. She had never known him to hold a steady relationship, and she knew he never liked Ron. She expected him to laugh and tell her he would be happy if he had finally gotten rid of him. But she missed Ron, she loved Ron. And it wasn't his fault, but it wasn't her fault either. They sort of just...drifted apart and the once intense feelings they held for each out fizzled out. Regardless, this hurt like hell.

"Well, if I know anything about you, I know that your stubborn, clever self will move on eventually. Chin up, Granger." it was all he could muster to say before he felt the need to disappear.

She hadn't even noticed him leave as she struggled to comprehend his words.

He wasn't sure what caused him to do it, to let his feet carry him to her office one particularly blustery afternoon. But here he was, standing just outside her office, attempting to muster the courage just to knock on her door. His knuckles were centimeters away from the door when it burst open, to reveal a frazzled looking Hermione.

"Oh! Draco, erm, what are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

There was that damn blush again; the same blush that had been stuck into his brain for weeks now. The same blush that had kept him awake at night and caused him to think of this preposterous idea.

She shuffled her papers into a neat stack while Draco cleared his throat, glancing around at anywhere that wasn't her.

"I was just...I'm heading out for a drink and I was wondering if you wanted to join me." the words fumbled out of his mouth, and this time, it was his cheeks that bore a blush.

Her eyes widened in shock at his invitation. Did she hear him right? Had Draco just asked her out for a drink? And if she had heard him right, should she? Her and Ron hadn't been broken up for that long, only a week or two. Then again, why was she assuming this was a date?

She stared at him for a moment, drinking in his milky skin and bright silver eyes. She noticed the slight bouncing in his knee with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Hermione smirked and shook her head.

"Sure, why not?"

Ever since their drink after work, Draco had been spending more time with Hermione. And secretly enjoying every second of it. Her laugh was infectious, imprinting more smiles on his lips in the past week than had ever graced his lips. She bright, far brighter than she remembered. To his own surprise, he had even talked her through her break up with Ron. They met for breakfast every morning and she had sat with him at lunch three times this week.

When Hermione stormed into his office, with a look of pure hatred and rage written on her normally kind features, Draco couldn't help but look alarmed. She slapped a file down on his desk, her breath hot on his face.

"Granger, what the hell-"

"Do you know what this is, Malfoy?" she spat, her eyes like daggers.

His eyes glanced down at the unopened file, daunting him. He had a hunch, and he hoped to Merlin he was wrong.

"We captured two more Death Eaters last night. And one of them had some interesting things to say about you. We didn't even need Veritaserum. He couldn't wait to spill your dirty secret." her words felt like venom piercing his heart.

She wasn't supposed to know. He was planning on cutting this off. He was going to tell them he wasn't interested.

"Granger, I was-"

"Save it. I can't trust anything that comes out of your mouth anymore." she screeched, her eyes wild with rage.

All he could do was stammer as she stormed out of his office.

A/N: Hello there. I came up with this idea today and knew I had to get it written out before I lost interest and motivation. This is going to be a four part one shot, so it's not going to be a super long fic. Please read and review! The other parts will be uploaded later today.