A wave of surprised murmurs ran through the Wizengamot.

Hermione stood up. "Can Ms. Howell call me to the witness stand? I'm representing…"

"I do believe you have no professional qualifications, Ms. Granger, so you are not really Mr. Malfoy's legal representative. I merely wish to ask you some questions," Amanda Howell cut in, an insincere smile on her face.

Kingsley Shacklebolt nodded his assent, with an apologetic look at Hermione. She shrugged and took place in the witness box.

"The article in the Daily Prophet mentioned that Mr. Malfoy has been living with you, is that true?"

"Yes."

"And what is the nature of your relationship with Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione coloured bright red.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What is the nature of your relationship with Mr. Malfoy?" Howell repeated slowly, and Hermione wished she could curse the woman into next week. Then her eyes met Draco's and she realised he needed to hear the answer, more than anyone else in the room.

"I met Mr. Malfoy for the first time since his trial a few weeks ago in London. We passed each other on the streets. Then I saw him again, at a Muggle pub, where he came in with Mr. Zabini. He was very drunk, and I decided to give him a place to sleep off his hangover. I'd wanted to speak to him since his release to get these ridiculous conditions overturned, but I hadn't been able to find him, and I really didn't want to pass up the opportunity. I found out he was living on the streets and offered him my sofa for however long it would take to prepare the appeal. He eventually accepted and moved in. We've become friends. I care for him very much."

She stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone else and trying hard to ignore the incessant whispering that had grown louder after her confession.

"Are you in an intimate relationship with him?"

"I am not." She swallowed nervously, then looked up at him. "But I would like to see where our friendship may lead."

His eyes widened in surprise, and then that damned mask was back up, hiding his emotions. She looked back at the floor, confused.

"And why did you want to get his sentence overturned?"

"I believe the original sentence was too severe. Mr. Malfoy was a minor when he took the Mark and during the war. He has done some dreadful things, but he deserves a second chance, I very much believed that. And without a wand, without completing his education, he could never have that chance."

"Were you friends before this happened?"

"No, we were not."

"Then why would you bother?"

Hermione's eyes snapped to the woman in front of her.

"Several reasons. I owed him a life debt, as you now know, which of and by itself is reason enough. But I also believe that justice is for everyone, not just for the people we like. And while many Death Eaters are, indeed, thoroughly despicable people, I always knew that Draco was different. He was a child, and he served four years in Azkaban for the mistakes he made. That should be enough. Breaking his wand and exiling him from our society, leaving him to die of cold or hunger on the streets of Muggle London, that's just cruel. And it makes us no better than Death Eaters. That is not why I fought in a war."

Howell frowned.

"If that story of what happened during the Battle of Hogwarts is true, Miss Granger, why didn't you present this evidence at his previous trial?"

"It is true," Hermione snapped. "And it may be hard for you to understand, Ms. Howell, but everything that happened in that war, everything that happened during that battle - it was horrific and gruesome and it gave me nightmares every day for years. People like to forget that we were just children when we were forced to face and endure things even adults would run from. I couldn't speak of what happened then. It was so traumatic I couldn't speak of it for years." Hermione took a deep breath and smoothed her robes with trembling hands hands. Then she sent a cold smile at her opponent. "But you wouldn't know what it was like. You weren't there, after all."

Howell pursed her lips and turned back to her seat.

"No further questions."

The Court Scribe conferred quietly with Shacklebolt for a minute, then she addressed the Court again.

"Since Ms. Granger cannot cross-examine herself, she may make a statement to counter the Ministry's examination.

Hermione stood up, turned towards the Wizengamot and let her eyes dance over each face, lingering on those she suspected to be responsible for losing her job.

"As you may know, I am Muggleborn, and Draco and I were never friends when we grew up. He's been living at my flat for a few weeks now, and I can honestly say I have never seen him treat Muggles with anything but respect and civility. He navigates the Muggle world with ease, and never once propagated anything close to the Pureblood ideology he grew up with. He is curious about Muggles and Muggle appliances. You once convicted a boy for crimes he committed as if he were an adult and fully aware of all the consequences of his actions. You treated him as if he freely and willingly made the choice, as if he wasn't acting under duress, as if his failure to comply wouldn't have caused his parents' death. You wanted to regain public trust and show no mercy for Death Eaters, no matter their age and circumstances. But I didn't fight a war only to see more prejudice, more hate. I didn't endure torture only to see the victors become as ruthless as those we vanquished."

And with that, she took her seat next to Draco again. This time, he let her hold his hand.

Hermione Granger and Amanda Howell argued about the changes to Draco's sentence until the latter was blue in the face, and then some. Some of the older members of the Wizengamot were so captivated by the discussion they almost fell off their seats as they nodded off, and still Hermione didn't stop.

Draco was mesmerised by this wonderful, brilliant, feisty woman who was fighting for his rights. He would have given in to the Ministry as soon as they agreed to give him a wand, even if it was a controlled Ministry wand with limited spells, but she doggedly kept on negotiating. Her tactics were as dirty as the Ministry's and eventually Shacklebolt had to step in and take both women aside to formulate a compromise, which the Wizengamot promptly agreed to, browbeaten and hungry as they were. He walked away with permission to carry a wand again, the restitution of his personal vault, access to the Manor to retrieve personal belongings and a select list of heirlooms (only fourteen inches long), and the proud proprietor, once again, of Dragon's Den, the small Derbyshire estate his parents had given him for his eleventh birthday.

The Howell woman approached them after the Wizengamot had shuffled out of the courtroom, shook Draco's hand and then took Hermione aside for a quick chat. Draco scowled at their backs, unhappily reminded of why he'd left Hermione's flat in the first place.

"If you keep staring like that, you'll burn holes in their backs, you know."

"Very funny, Red."

Ginny Weasley - no, Potter - lifted her eyebrows in surprise. Draco felt his cheeks heat up. He hadn't meant to call her by that nickname to her face. He only relaxed when she chuckled.

"Seems like this went a lot better than you expected."

"Granger did a good job." His tone was dismissive, his face passive, and he hoped that the woman would leave him alone. His mind was still reeling from everything that had happened and he didn't feel like talking at all.

"Maybe you should remember you said that when you thank her later," she said, her cordial tone belying the hard glint in her eyes.

He looked up when Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley came to stand next to him.

"Just been out in the corridor, it's a madhouse. I think someone went out to warn the press during recess, it's just impossible to get through. We should take the back exit, we can leave those vultures for the Scribe."

"Wouldn't they disappear if Malfoy made a statement?"

Harry shrugged. "You know I prefer to avoid them if I can. But it's up to you, Malfoy."

Draco looked between Potter and his wife, and then his eyes darted back to Hermione, still deep in conversation with Amanda Howell.

"I'd rather not face the press."

"Let's go to my office, then. Hermione will find us there," Potter said, when Draco's eyes fixed on Hermione's back again.

They made their way through a side door, up several flights of stairs and then through the Auror department, where everyone stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of their unusual procession: Harry Potter chatting amiably with Draco Malfoy while Ronald Weasley walked behind them, twirling his wand in his hands and occasionally prodding it into Malfoy's back, followed by a blushing Ginny Potter who had accepted the arm Blaise Zabini had offered her, Arthur Weasley making up the rear. They filed into Harry Potter's office without a single word to anyone.

Draco was pushed into the chair in front of the desk, rather abruptly, and was about to complain, when Ginny Potter turned on him with a pointed glare, wand precariously close to his face.

"Not one word, Malfoy. You're going to listen to what I have to say. I don't care what happened between you and Hermione, but you're going to work things out. She was a complete mess when you left, Malfoy. After everything she did for you, she deserved better than that, you fucking asshole. So if you don't make it up to her, so help me, little Ferret, you won't get to enjoy your new-found freedom for very long. Do I make myself clear?"

Draco swallowed, leaning back from the angry redhead whose wand was now pointing squarely between his eyes.

"I asked if I made myself clear," she repeated slowly, closing in on him.

"Yes. Yes, crystal, couldn't be more clear."

When she stepped back and slid her wand in her pocket, he shook his head and glanced over at Potter, who was smirking at him from behind his desk.

"Merlin, Potter, now I know I should've said condolences."

Potter laughed, while Red nestled herself on his lap with a questioning frown, and gave her a kiss on her nose.

"Nothing to worry about, love," he muttered.

Blaise clasped a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"I'm really glad you came, mate. Owl me when you get settled, yeah?"

Draco looked at his oldest friend for a long time, and their eyes said everything their voices did not.

"I'll get in touch." Thank you for everything.

Blaise only nodded, and then, with a quick wave to the others in the room, he was gone, leaving Draco alone in a room full of Gryffindors. He felt about as comfortable as a snake in a nest of blast-ended skrewts, especially after Red's little shouting match.

Father Weasley came up to him then, pushing his glasses higher up his nose with a nervous smile.

"I know our families have never gotten along, but hope we can let bygones be bygones, Mr. Malfoy," he said, extending a hand. Draco was taken aback, and hesitated a little too long. Father Weasley's smile turned into a frown and his hand started dropping before he could bring himself to shake it.

"I'm… surprised. But grateful. I would gladly leave that feud in the past, where it belongs."

They shook hands firmly, and then the Elder Weasley went back to talk to his son on the other side of the room. Only then Draco realised he didn't quite remember the man's name.

Draco glanced around the room and then focused his eyes on his hands, avoiding everyone else's gaze. He wanted to leave, walk out of the Ministry and gather his thoughts before facing Hermione, and he shifted to get up, but a pointed glare from Weasley kept him in his seat.

He looked up when Hermione barged in, a big smile on her face and a skip in her step he'd never noticed before. She threw her arms around Weasley, and Draco looked down again, willing away the betrayal he had no right to feel.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"'Mione, need to breathe, please…"

"You found him! You brought him here! Oh Ron, you were brilliant."

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"Of course it does, you idiot."

Draco tuned out of the conversations around him, breathing slowly. He knew it wouldn't be long before she'd turn to him, and this time there wouldn't be anyone to save him from this conversation. He didn't notice everyone leaving and only snapped back to reality when Hermione pinched his arm. She was leaning against Potter's desk, and crossed her arms when she finally got his attention. They stared at each other in silence.

"Well…" Hermione said after a long pause.

Draco shifted in his seat and looked away from her. "Thank you for everything you've done. I really appreciate it. I know I was a right git at the end and you still came through, so thank you." He couldn't look at her while he said it, his cheeks burning and his fingers fiddling with the sleeves of the robe Weasley had forced him into that morning.

"Draco…"

He hated that her voice sounded so insecure, and he hated himself even more for caring.

"Draco, why did you leave?"

His head snapped up again, and his eyes narrowed as his mind went back to the conversation he'd overheard.

"Does it matter?"

She flinched at his harsh tone and her lips twitched into an unhappy frown.

"Ron said he found you in a hotel, how did you pay for it?"

Draco shrugged. "Blaise organised it. He promised not to tell."

"Would you have been here if Ron hadn't found you?"

His silence said enough, and she sighed.

"Why?"

He still didn't respond, and she stamped her foot in frustration.

"Draco, for Merlin's sake, talk to me. You just upped and left, for no reason at all. I was so worried about you! What the hell were you thinking? You wouldn't even have turned up here this morning if it hadn't been for Ron, and then what? Was I mistaken in thinking you wanted to get off the streets and get some sort of magical life back? Was it all just a game for you? You owe me an explanation, so hurry the fuck up and tell me why you disappeared!"

Draco looked at the angry witch in front of him, closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. Then he opened his eyes again, searching for the answer to a question he didn't really want to ask.

"Did you only do this to get a better job?"

She blinked rapidly. That was unexpected.

"No, Draco, of course not. How can you think that?"

"I heard you and Potter. He said your gamble with me would pay off, that you'd get a new job out of it."

Hermione shook her head.

"It's not… That wasn't… Look, do we have to do this here? Can't we go home first?" Her eyes were looking down at him pleadingly, but he couldn't just give in. He got up from his chair and paced around, running his hand through his hair. In for a Knut, in for a Galleon.

"Look, Hermione… I just… I can't come back with you if that is all I am to you, a step up the Ministry ladder. I can't do that to myself. I need to know there's more for us. I need to know you meant what you said back there, that it wasn't all just ploy to get the Wizengamot on your side, I…"

He was cut off in his rant by soft lips that were pressed against his mouth, and the tip of a tongue that teasingly stroked his bottom lip. He stiffened, his mind turning completely blank while those lips moved against his insistently. He was overwhelmed by sensations, her nose bumping into his, her hand on his shoulders and the back of his neck so he couldn't move away. She broke away just when he thought he might have gathered enough courage to respond, and looked up at him, smiling.

"You really are an idiot," she said, shaking her head. "I won't lie to you, Draco. It's true that I was hoping this might help me get a job with the DMLE, but that wasn't my main motivation. You ask me if I did this to get a better job, and I don't think that's the right question. What you should really be asking me, is if I'd have done this if there was no prospect of a career change."

Draco swallowed with difficulty. He could still feel the ghost of her lips on his, the press of her hand on his shoulders and neck.

"So? Would you?"

"Of course I would have. I did this for you, because I want you to have a chance at the life you deserve. And I did mean what I said. I want to see where this relationship goes. Please, come home with me?"

He couldn't refuse.

Draco woke early the next morning, and, for a moment, couldn't quite remember where he was. Then the previous day came back to him, bits and pieces and flashes of fear and happiness. When he moved, his hand bumped into his new wand and he knew it hadn't been a dream. He pushed himself up on one elbow and looked at the witch sprawled out next to him. She almost looked ethereal in the dusky morning light. His beautiful, courageous Hermione. He cast a tempus charm and saw it was nearly seven. Maybe he could try to surprise her with breakfast? It couldn't be that hard, especially now he had his wand back.

When he heard her stirring in the bedroom, he quickly scourgified the evidence of his first major foray into the kitchen. Thank Merlin for magic. Pancakes were more challenging than he'd imagined, but he had managed about five that looked decent enough. He placed everything on a tray and went back to her room.

Hermione woke up to the smell of burned food and soft curses coming from the other room. She stretched languidly and only then noticed that the other side of the bed was empty.

"Draco?"

"I'll be right there."

She saw the door open, and there he was: mussed hair, streaks of pancake batter on his shirt, and a tray with breakfast in his hands.

"Good morning. I wanted to surprise you."

"I didn't know you could cook."

"Neither did I."

She smiled at him, patting the space next to her and placed the tray on her knees as he settled carefully next to her.

"Thanks, Draco, this really is lovely." She licked her lips as she eyed the pancakes and fresh fruit and pumpkin juice he'd prepared for her.

He smirked as he took a strawberry and held it out for her.

"Don't get used to it, Granger. I'm still not your house elf."

AN: And that, dear readers, was that. Very special thanks to riddlesgurl86 for the prompt, which has kept me writing since January, to Ariel Riddle for cheering me on and creating the lovely artwork for this story (please do take a look at the book cover! It's gorgeous!). And thanks to all the reviewers who were there from the start. It's been an amazing journey, this first multi-chapter fic, and I couldn't have done it without your encouragements.

Always happy to hear your thoughts so please review! And I'm off to my next project...