Chapter 1

October 1996

Hermione sighed as she made her way into the Arithmancy classroom. She loved Harry and Ron, but at times it was nice to have a class where neither of the boys were in.

It seemed like lately both boys seemed to be a thorn in her side, whether they realized it or not.

In the month since school started, Harry seemed absolutely convinced that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, despite there being a severe lack of evidence. And it seemed like nothing she could say to contradict his theories would help. For one, Malfoy was merely sixteen years old; she highly doubted that Voldemort would see fit to recruit someone as young as he. Malfoy was a bully, yes, and he knew his share of hexes, however he was hardly throwing dark magic around. Just because his father was a Death Eater, hardly made him one, despite what Ron seemed to believe about family ties and following the footsteps of one's father.

But she could hardly admit that to her friends. Harry and Ron were both stubborn, and it was hard to dissuade either of them when an idea was stuck in their head.

It hardly helped that she seemed to be fighting with Ron at every moment. The two of them had rarely got along without arguments, but lately it seemed as if they were bickering all the time, over everything and anything. And it was driving her mad. She supposed that it didn't help that there was a small part of her that had feelings for her friend, but when they fought, she found herself wanting to rip his head off at times.

She could feel herself growing tense at the thought of her friends. So instead, she closed her eyes, clearing her mind before class started.

And when Padma took her seat beside Hermione, she smiled at the girl, trying to pretend she wasn't as stressed out as she currently was.

As class started, she took out her quill and began taking notes as Professor Vector began their lecture, clearing her mind and instead focusing on what she was being taught.

"As this is a NEWTs level course, you will be required to complete an independent study project," Professor Vector began towards the end of the lecture. "For this assignment, you will be paired with someone in this class, whom I believe will allow for a good partnership. You will be required to research a topic of your choosing, in relationship to this course, and submit a four foot long essay on the subject."

She took in a deep breath, as the professor began reading out partners. Deep down, she hoped she would be paired with Padma Patil, or even Ernie MacMillian. As it was an advanced class, she knew that most of the students in the class would be reliable, even if she chose to edit their work before submission.

"Padma Patil and Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Ernie MacMillian," the professor read off her list.

She waited in anticipation, knowing there was a limited about of students left for her to be paired up with.

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy," Professor Vector read out, and she felt her heart drop.

Did it have to be him? She probably could have gotten along with any of the other Slytherins, but Malfoy?

She let out a deep breath, and when the professor instructed them to get together with their partners, she looked over at the pale blonde boy. When he showed no indication of getting up to make his way over to her, she decided to make the first move.

She slid into the spot next to him, waiting for him to say something, and when he didn't she spoke.

"We should start researching topics," she began, "Once we decide what to do, we can figure out the best approach on how to start."

He rolled his eyes at her, and she sucked in, ready for the insult, waiting for him to call her a mudblood, or whatever else he concocted. Yet it never came.

He didn't even make eye contact with her.

Instead, when the professor dismissed the class, he stood up and left, without as much as a word.

And somehow, it felt worse than when he acknowledged her. He had the perfect opportunity to hurl insults at her, or to demean her. He could have glared at her, or even tell her to do the assignment himself. Yet he had settled for pretending she wasn't even there. In the five prior years they had been as school, he wouldn't have passed up an opportunity, so what had changed?

She shook head, choosing not to think much of it. She had enough going on in her life; the last thing she needed was to get involved in whatever was going on with Draco Malfoy.

Draco stifled a yawn as he walked into his shared office with Harry Potter. If anyone had told him years ago that he would be working alongside The Boy Who Lived, willingly, he probably would have hexed him. But this was how his life turned out, years after the war.

He knew how lucky he was that he avoided Azkaban, with a slap on the wrist and under probation; hell, he was still surprised when Granger and Potter had vouched for him, especially after all that had happened between them.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised that his father had been cleared of all charges either; the Malfoy name might have been darkened during the war, yet it wasn't enough to taint the power the name held.

He wasn't proud of who he had been during his adolescent years, especially seeing he had a chance for redemption, and had thrown it away out of fear for his mother. He still stood by wanting to protect her; his mother had been there for him throughout his life, and had cared for him when his father did not. Yet he couldn't help but wonder how his life could have been if he had followed his heart. Instead, he had tried to do what he thought would protect all those he loved. He knew that he probably would still make the same choices, even if it had hurt those around him, at least they were alive and safe.

So after the war had ended, he had gone back to school, despite what others thought of him. He had graduated, and decided he didn't want to follow his father's footsteps. He wanted to fight for what was right, and show he was a changed man.

And so he found himself in the Auror Academy, studying to protect and serve the wizarding community. Five years after the war, and he found himself as a lead auror, partnered with Harry Potter, and with an office to themselves.

"Potter," Draco said with a nod at his partner, despite being on a first name basis with the man for the last few years. The war had caused so much harm to those around them, and when the man offered him a fresh start, Draco had gladly agreed.

Harry raised a brow at him, as he sat in his office chair, feet propped up and reading the Quidditch section of the Daily prophet.

"Potter is it?" Harry asked him curiously, "When did we switch back to last names, and how come no one told me?"

"When you fell behind on paperwork," Draco rolled his eyes, "Quit reading the paper, and do your work, otherwise I'll have to do it for you. You'll never finish it, if you spend all day lounging around like that."

"Sounds like your date with Astoria didn't end well," Harry smirked at him, as he mentioned the date he had just gone on, much to his chagrin.

"Tell me about it," Draco groaned, sitting at his desk, as he thought back to the date he had with his former housemate. To say it had been a disaster was an understatement. Astoria might have been many things, but she was also delusional. Draco honestly wouldn't have been surprised if she was already imagining herself as Mrs Malfoy and the 'perks' associated with the title. "I don't know why I ever agreed to give it a shot."

"To get your mother off your back," Harry reminded him, as Draco thought back to the conversation with his mother about him not getting any younger.

Draco sighed, "I'll end soon. Trust me when I say there definitely will not be a second date happening anytime soon," he promised himself. "Just finish your work, Harry. It's been a long enough day."

Harry grinned, "Fair enough, Malfoy. Tell you what; I finish the paperwork, and you drop it off with Hermione in the morning. She mentioned wanting it earlier so she can finish up her argument for the trial on Friday."

His looked up at the mention of Granger. Usually Harry dropped off paperwork with her, as it gave him an excuse to see his friend, but Draco didn't mind doing it from time to time. The two of them had become something of friends after the end of the war, and his heart twinged slightly at that. But there was no point living in the past anymore. Hermione Granger was happy married, and nothing would change that. The two of them were friends, and he was more than content with that.

Hermione sat at her desk, quill in her hand, and her hair tied up. It had been a long day, what with the workload she had now. She glanced over at the picture of her family on her left side, and smiled softly at the sight of them.

Her daughter grinned back at her brightly, laughing in the frame. She was no more than a few months old in that picture, and she was still amazed everyday just how much her child had grown in a few short years.

She never thought she would have been a young mother when she was in school. She always had assumed that she would build up a career for herself first, and once she had done that, she would focus on building a family. It had been what her parents had done, and it worked out perfectly well for both of them. Yet at twenty two, she had a two year old daughter and a marriage of a little over three years.

She stared down at her gold wedding band, simple as it was, and twisted it instinctively. There had been a time when she was younger that she didn't think her life would have turned out as it did. She had been certain that things could have worked out different, if only certain choices didn't fall into place. If only the war hadn't happened. If only she wasn't her. But that had been then, and this was now; where she was married to a man whom she had known her entire adolescence.

She wouldn't give up her daughter for the world; that much was for sure. Rose was the light of her life, pure and innocent, and living in a world where she would be loved regardless of whom she was, or what her blood status was. The world had changed from what she knew, where she spent the later years at Hogwarts wondering what her blood status meant for her and for her future.

The wizarding world was still far from perfect, with prejudices still underlying the grounds of society. It had been one of the reasons she had gone into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as a prosecutor, as she wanted to ensure that justice was brought despite one's blood status, or their wealth. She didn't want those to suffer if they were innocent, or those to get off simply because they had the family name. In her eyes, the law should be blind to such matters, looking only at the evidence involved in each crime. She knew it was idealistic at best; the system would always have loopholes. But it didn't mean she couldn't try.

"Are you still here?" Lavendar said, peaking into her office, looking unsurprised at the sight of her. "Hermione, you just got promoted today, go home! Celebrate with your family. Your work will be here in the morning, I promise."

Hermione smiled at her former classmate turned work associate. In hindsight, she wasn't all that surprised that Lavendar went into law. In her own words, Lavendar always did enjoy arguing with others, so she had decided to make a career out of it. While the two had been less than friends at school, both had matured significantly to a point where they no longer needed to argue over guys. It definitely helped that Lavendar was seeing Ernie MacMillian, and the two were rather serious, and that both had been able to move on from the past. Despite living with the girl through school, she found that she got along much better with Lavendar now that they had both graduated and moved past everything.

"I suppose you're right," Hermione sighed, standing up as she gathered her things. She knew it was getting late, and the last thing she wanted to do was have another fight about it.

When she arrived home, most of the lights were off, except that of the den and kitchen. She hung up her outer robes, with her muggle clothes underneath.

"Ron?" She called out, "I'm home."

"Took you long enough," she heard her husband grumble out, as she spotted him seated on the couch, with Rose playing in her playpen with a set of quidditch plush toys Ginny and Harry had gotten her for her second birthday. She leaned into it, and picked up her daughter, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Hi baby," she said softly, as Rose giggled.

"Anytime you're ready, dinner isn't going to make itself," Ron said, taking a gulp of the firewhisky he had poured for himself.

"I got a promotion at work today," she said, ignoring him for a moment, knowing that it would probably lead to another argument about her lack of priorities, but she had worked hard for it, and she was proud of herself. And if she didn't tell him, someone else would.

"I'm glad you're moving up in the world," Ron said, "Instead of making sure your family is well fed and cared for."

"You were more than capable of making dinner," she said, repeating the stance she had on the matter. "It wouldn't have killed you to have made something if you were so hungry."

"It's not my job to," he said, as he grew annoyed.

And it was the same argument they always had. Her parents made it work, where both of them took turns staying at home with her during the evenings, and both took turns making dinner. Both her parents were partners at their dental clinic, and both stood by each other's side.

But it was different in her marriage. Ron was used to his family life where his mother had stayed at home caring for all her children, making sure a large hot meal was on the table each night, while his father worked and provided for the family.

And it wasn't the life she wanted for herself. She wanted a career, and she wanted to succeed in life. She didn't want her entire life to be brought down to her ability to be a mother and to be a wife. Yet her husband didn't see it that way, and he refused to understand why she wanted all of that for herself, when he was, in his words, more than capable of providing for the family.

It wasn't that she doubted his ability to do so, or worked for the sake of the money, but Ron was in the same entry level Auror position he had been granted five years ago, while every one of his co-workers had moved up. Harry himself had made lead Auror a while back, and she knew in less than a few years he would be head of the department. And despite what Ron wanted to believe, she knew it was of Harry's skills and work ethic, and not solely his name. His role in the war had just gotten his foot into the door, as it had for Ron. So even if she had wanted to be a housewife, Ron's salary wouldn't exactly be sustainable.

"It's not mine either," she said in a low voice, not wanting to upset Rose.

Despite all their arguments in school, she had always expected that the fighting would cease once they were married. Arguments in a relationship were only normal, but her father always said the key to a good marriage was compromise. Yet Hermione was the only one who ever tried to accommodate the other.

He stood up from his chair, slamming his firewhisky down so hard she was surprised it didn't shatter.

"It's a reasonable expectation that when a husband gets home that a nice hot meal on the table," he growled, as he leaned forward and grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Let go right now, Ronald, or I'll make sure you never have children ever again," her eyes narrowed. "You will not grab me, or harm me. You are a fully grown man, and are more than capable of feeding yourself. I said it once, and I will say it again; I am not your mother. I will not stay at home and play house. Now I'm going to feed myself and get something for Rose, but you're on your own."

And when Ron took a second too long to release her, she pulled her wrist free of his grasp. With that, she turned and headed off to the kitchen to fix up some dinner for her and her child. She was twenty two and unhappy, and Hermione wasn't all that sure how much longer she could pretend she wasn't.

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! It feels so good to be back with a new story, which I've been planning out for quite some time now. As usual, updates will be every Sunday.

And as a warning to those who love Ron, this story will be anti-Ron, as it was what fit the needs of my story. If you wish to read something pro-Ron, I suggest reading one of my more recent works.

I hoped you enjoy this story, and I'll see you next week for the next chapter!