This fanfic is set 5 years after Hogwarts. Everything in the books happened for this story, except the prologue. I do not own anything of the Harry Potter realm. Any new characters introduced are my own however, please don't steal them!

Chapter 1 – On The Subject Of Quitting

Hermione Granger didn't like her job. Not one bit. She didn't feel challenged working as Junior Head of the Magical Creatures Department at the Ministry of Magic. She had been working here since Graduating from Hogwarts 5 years ago and it was beginning to drive her bonkers. It was always the same thing day in and day out; file papers, investigate claims, write reports, and take appropriate actions on cases. She had tried to be creative in her profession and challenge herself but it just wasn't working very well.

This is why she was now standing outside the Head of Departments office with her hand raised to knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, she rapped on the door twice.

"Come in." Came a voice from inside. She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Hermione, what can I do for you?" Asked Andromeda Tonks, her boss.

"Andy, I need to talk to you." Hermione crossed the office and sat in the chair. Andromeda and Hermione had become close friends since the war. Even though Andy was 24 years older than her, Hermione found the woman easy to talk to.

"What's up, 'Mione?" Andy asked with a frown.

"I want to quit." Hermione said quickly. Andy's face fell and she hurried on. "It's not that I don't enjoy working here, I do! I just need something that's a little more… challenging. Something that requires more than just copying down facts and filling papers." Andy nodded slowly.

"I knew this would happen eventually." Andy finally said. "You're a brilliant girl, Hermione. You were always way overqualified for this job, we both know that. We knew that when you took the job. So, I'll tell you what? You finish out the week, and promise to keep in touch, and I'll help you find another job. I have one in mind actually. It requires being creative and planning things, with minimal paper filing." Hermione smiled.

"It sounds perfect." She said truthfully.

"I'm not sure you will like your boss though. You went to school with him and… well, you didn't get along much. It's my nephew, Draco." Hermione frowned.

"I haven't seen him in 5 years." Hermione said, more to herself than Andy.

"I know you haven't. But he's changed, I promise. The whole Malfoy family has." Andy said quickly.

"What exactly is the job?"

"It's at his company Malfoy Incorporated. You would plan galas and dinners, set up business partnerships with other companies, come up with new ideas to market their products, things like that. They're trying to incorporate more muggle inventions into wizarding culture and doing quite well actually." Andy explained. "The official title would be Public Relations President. You would have your own staff and secretary that you can either hire yourself or pull from the old PR staff." Hermione nodded.

"Who do I talk to, to apply?" She asked.

"Draco." Andy replied. Hermione suppressed a groan, she was afraid of that.

"My name is Hermione Granger, I need to see Mr. Malfoy." Hermione told the blonde secretary.

"He is in a conference call at the moment." She said without looking up. "Have a seat and I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you." Hermione turned and went to sit in one of the comfortable looking chairs.

"Virginia! Where the hell is my coffee?" came a very familiar voice from behind the double doors. The secretary got up immediately and ran around the corner, coming back with a cup of steaming coffee and slipping through the doors. "Well, send her in! Do I have to tell you what to do every second?" The secretary slipped out again.

"If you're applying for a job here, I would seriously reconsider it." The woman said. "Mr. Malfoy is the worst employer I've ever had."

"If you dislike it here so much, I can easily fire your arse." Draco Malfoy said, stepping out of his office. He turned towards Hermione and lifted a brow. "Why are you here, Granger?"

"I'm actually applying for the PR job." Hermione said, standing up. Malfoy looked surprised and then gestured her into his office. She followed him into the room and looked around. It was finely decorated, of course, in mostly dark wood. Although, due to lack of personal items, it seemed a bit cold. Draco sat down behind the desk, crossed his arms, and watched her look around. Hermione sat down in front of the desk, still glancing around.

"Are you here to look around or apply for my PR job?" He finally asked, frustrated. Hermione blushed and pulled out several pieces of parchment and handed them to him. He glanced through them.

"I filled out a job history and schooling as well as an application with my-"

"Yes, I can see that." Malfoy interrupted her. "And you're more than qualified for the job. When can you start?" Hermione looked up in shock.

"Umm, Monday. I can start Monday." She said quickly. He quirked an eyebrow.

"Why not sooner?" He asked.

"I'm currently working at the Ministry until the end of the week. You can ask your Aunt Andy to let me off sooner but she insisted I stay until Friday." Draco nodded.

"How about this." He said suddenly. "You can officially start work on Monday, but I have a project for you to start on now." He paused and glanced at her. "I need a dinner planned. I'm meeting with a muggle company called Dell. It needs to be at a muggle establishment close to here. I also need you there. Since you're the Public Relations manager you will probably be dealing with them the most. I need you to set up the dinner, okay everything with them, and then tell me the details." Hermione nodded, making a mental list.

"When do you need it done by?" She asked.

"Within 2 weeks. The sooner the better, however. I'll see you again on Monday. Just come straight in here and I'll show you where your office is."

"Thank you." Hermione told him, standing up and turning to leave.

"And Granger?" She turned around to see him actually smiling. Not smirking, smiling. "It's good to see you again. On better terms."

Draco Malfoy was in a great mood. He had been looking for a new PR for months with absolutely no success. He had tons of applicants but none had the right qualifications for it. He needed someone brainy, someone that could show up on time and do a good job, someone that would strive for perfection. He needed Hermione Granger. He didn't even need to look at her papers to know that she was perfect for the job. She had always been a know-it-all, a perfectionist. He had teased her for it before but now he was thrilled at her qualities. She would make an excellent PR president.

His secretary on the other hand, needed replacing. Virginia complained entirely too much.

'Time for a replacement.' He thought. He left his office and went out to Virginia's desk.

"I need to speak to you in my office please." He said. Virginia stood up and followed him into his office.

"If this is about my comment earlier, I apologize." She said.

"No. This is about your overall performance." He said, sitting down behind his desk. He gestured for her to sit down. "You're late 90% of the time and complain constantly. You're penmanship needs a lot of work and you're filing is downright horrid. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you." Virginia looked down and started playing with the hem of her skirt.

"I really need this job Mr. Malfoy. I have a 6 month old daughter at home." She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I'll try harder. I'm late a lot because I have to take her to my mothers in the morning." Draco sighed. He was a sucker for children, a fact that he would never admit to anyone. He couldn't fire this girl and feel good about it.

"I'll give you two weeks. If I don't see an improvement by then I'm going to have to let you go." He paused and looked out his window. "I know I'm not the best boss ever." He looked back at her. "But now that I have a good PR it should calm down around here." She nodded. "Would it help if I changed your hours a bit? Instead of coming in at 8 you could come in at 10. That'll give you more time with your daughter in the mornings." Virginia smiled.

"That would be fantastic." She said.

"Ok. You can go." She stood up to leave and he had an idea. "And Virginia? You should speak to Hermione Granger. She can help you with your filing and penmanship." She nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." She said pulling his doors closed.

Draco leaned back in his chair, hands folded behind his head and started thinking.

Hermione Granger had changed quite a bit. The bushy hair that he used to give her hell about now fell in soft rings down her back. The buck teeth had been gone since third year so why hadn't he noticed what a nice smile she had? She had been dressed much in the way he expected. A boring grey skirt and a white button up shirt with a dark purple jumper. What surprised him was that the boring grey skirt had showed off enough leg to make him notice something else. She had amazing legs.

Draco shook his head quickly. Why was he thinking about Granger in such a way? Sure, she would make a great PR manager but her attitude was probably much the same as it was in Hogwarts. Which was probably good and bad, really. It would make her a great employee but it would probably drive him bonkers.

Knock, knock

"Yes Virginia?" Draco called. The secretary stepped in.

"Mary is here, sir." Virginia said. Draco stood up quickly and strode out of the office wondering why Alison's personal nurse would be here.

"Mary, what is it? Where's Alison?" He asked.

"She's at St. Mungo's in bad shape. The Healer's say there's not much they can do for her but they have a good chance of saving the baby." The older woman had tears pouring down her face for her friend. Draco froze.

"Why wasn't I informed that she was in the hospital?" He asked.

"She just got there." Mary replied. Draco nodded.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off Virginia." Draco strode out of the building and apparated to St. Mungo's.

Hermione woke Saturday morning bright and early. She was done at the Ministry. On Monday morning she would be an employee at Malfoy Incorporated. She needed to go shopping for a new wardrobe today. She sat down at her kitchen table with her breakfast and the Daily Prophet. She took a drink of her coffee and promptly spit it back out.

"What the…" She read the headline and studied the picture on the third page.

Youngest Malfoy to be single father

Alison Parker, from the well known Parker family, died at 9pm last night giving birth to her daughter. Father, Draco Xavier Malfoy, seems unconcerned with his former girlfriends death, as seen in the photo below.

Hermione glanced at the photo and then skimmed down to the bottom to see that there would be a formal investigation in to whether he would be able to raise the baby properly. She set the paper down in mild shock. Malfoy had a daughter?

Draco sat in his living room, rocking his daughter back and forth while she slept. Thank Merlin the girl looked like him. He wasn't sure he could stand it if Kendra looked like her mother. Alison Parker. He didn't care about her in the slightest, the woman had tricked him into getting her pregnant. He had cast all the proper protection spells and the little bitch had cast the counter spell to every one without him noticing. Two months later, he had gotten an owl from her telling him that she was pregnant.

He could and would raise his daughter by himself. It was what he had planned from the beginning. There was one big problem with that however. He didn't know much about babies.

Hermione arrived at Malfoy Incorporated at 7:45am on Monday morning dressed in a black skirt and a new light blue jumper. Virginia wasn't at her desk so she continued on to Malfoy's office. She lifted her hand to knock when she heard crying inside.

"Come on, Kendra. It's okay." Came Draco's voice. Hermione knocked on the door and he called for her to come in. "Granger? Why are you here?" He asked.

"It's Monday. You said I started today." Hermione told him. He nodded and turned to reach under his desk. "Where's the baby?" Hermione asked. Draco looked up.

"She's right here. She won't quit crying and I've no idea what to do." He told her. Hermione sighed and went around to the other side of the desk.

"May I?" She asked. Draco nodded. He watched in fascination as she picked up his daughter and held her gently, rocking her back and forth in her arms. "Do you have a bottle?" He reached over and pulled a bottle out of the black bag on his desk and handed it to her. She put the bottle up to Kendra's mouth and smiled when she started sucking on the bottle.

"How did you do that? I just tried that!" He said.

"Did you pick her up and try it?" She asked.

"No, but-"

"Babies tend to like being held when fed." She interrupted him. He stared at her for a moment.

"How do you know all this stuff?" He asked. "Books?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I babysit Teddy and James all the time." She replied quickly. "Do you have a burp rag?"

"Teddy and James? Who are they?" He asked, fishing around in the bag and handing her a white cloth with ducks on it.

"Teddy Lupin and James Potter. Their Harry and Ginny's children."

"Oh. Right." He watched her in silence while she fed his daughter and burped her, then placed her gently back in her basinet. She stood back up and smiled.

"So, where's my office?" She asked. He handed her a map of the building.

"You'll have to find it yourself. I don't want her waking up again. Room 512." She laughed and left his office.

Hermione placed her last picture on her new desk and she heard crying from down the hall.

"I need help!" Draco exclaimed, appearing in her door. He had a nappy and wipes in his left hand. She laughed.

"How did you manage to last 2 days and not learn to change a nappy?" She asked.

"My mum did it." He mumbled.

"Why doesn't your mum watch her?" She took Kendra from Draco's arm and sat down on the floor, laying Kendra in front of her. She raised her hand for the nappy and wipes.

"She doesn't want to." He replied, handing her the items. He watched carefully as Hermione changed her nappy and pulled her clothes back on. "She says she put in her time raising me and now it's her job to watch her when it's convenient." He huffed.

"So you're just going to bring her to work with you every day?" She asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know yet."

"I have an idea of where you could bring her. But you won't like either option." He stared at her as she stood up, still holding Kendra.

"What are the options?" He asked, suspiciously.

"You take Kendra to Ginny. She's a stay at home mum and would love Kendra. Or Molly, she gets lonely during the day because no one's there."

"No." He said immediately. She shrugged.

"Fine. Bring your daughter to work with you every day." She went and sat behind her desk.

"Or," He said slowly. "I could pay you double what I'm paying you now and you can be my nanny!" She laughed.

"I don't think so." He frowned.

"Why not? You love kids!"

"Yes but I'm not really the stay at home and take care of kids type."

"You could stay here and watch her? I'll fire Virginia and you can be my secretary/nanny."

"You can't fire Virginia." She replied. He huffed and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

"The truth is, they're doing an investigation on whether or not I'm fit to be a parent. And I don't know the first thing about babies."

"Why don't you give her to someone in Alison's family?" Hermione inquired.

"Her dad is in jail for being a Death Eater and her mum died in the war. She doesn't have any family." She nodded but stayed quiet.

"What am I supposed to be doing for this job?" She asked suddenly. He shrugged.

"Plan events, set up and lead meetings with companies that we do business with, come up with new marketing ideas. Things like that."

"But I can do all that from home. Except for leading the meetings." He nodded, hoping she would say she'd be his nanny. "But I still need something to do during the day. I get terribly bored when I have nothing to do."

"You could work the same as you do here while she's sleeping." He suggested. She frowned.

"I'll think about it."

Draco laid in bed that night, staring at the ceiling and thinking. Hermione and Kendra looked perfect together. He could tell that Hermione really loved kids. So, why hadn't she had any yet? Did she have a boyfriend?

"Aaahhhhh" Draco sighed and threw the covers back, going to see what Kendra wanted.

Half an hour later, he apparated to Hermione's flat.

Knock, knock, knock! He heard footsteps a moment later and the door swung open.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here at…" She glanced at her watch and groaned. "At 2 in the morning." He pushed his way inside.

"She won't stop crying!" He exclaimed. She sighed and sat on the couch.

"Did you try feeding her?"

"Yes."

"While holding her?"

"Yes!"

"What about-"

"I tried feeding her, changing her diaper, rocking her, singing to her-"

"You sing?"

"Yes." Hermione took Kendra out of his arms and the baby stopped crying. "Bloody hell!" Draco yelled. Hermione smiled at the baby.

"You were just holding her wrong." She told him. She handed Kendra back and adjusted her in his arms.

"You're amazing!" He told her.

Author's Note: Let me know what you think of this story so far. I'm not sure if I want to finish it or how I will finish it. Just something that came to me.