Timeless Bonds

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/59648005.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Relationship: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Characters: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley,
Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson
Additional Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Alternate Universe -
Canon Divergence, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Post-
Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Hermione
Granger/Draco Malfoy In Love, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Fluff,
Auror Draco Malfoy, Ministry of Magic Employee Hermione Granger,
Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Collections: Fuel for the Obsession, Misc Short Fics and Oneshots, Dramione I Have
Read And Loved
Stats: Published: 2024-10-11 Words: 8,841 Chapters: 1/1
 Timeless Bonds
by flipflop_0113

Summary

Hermione Granger had everything: perfect job, perfect friends, and a perfect life.

So when Draco Malfoy is unexpectedly re-introduced to her and he seamlessly incorporates

himself in her life, Hermione finds herself falling for him.

OR

In which Hermione Granger falls in love with Draco Malfoy without knowing she's falling in
love.

**This is a one shot**

Notes

This story is inspired by all the fanfics I have read over the years (looking at you specifically
batmoobil).

Hope you guys have as much fun reading this as much as I had fun writing it!
January 2008

Hermione Granger was elusive.

It had taken her six months to get tired of of the glitz and glamor being a war heroine came
with. It was all too much, the cameras, the questions, the intrusiveness of it all. Hermione had
just wanted to move on with her life, not get stuck on what she had accomplished in the past
and that was what she did.

She had cut herself out of the Wizarding world for six year after finishing her NEWTS, and
spent all her free time working herself until there was no time for higher up ministry officials
to ask why she wasn't gunning for a position on the Wizengamot.

Of course, this meant that there was little time for her existing friends in her life, and her
meetings with her friends were far and few. There was the monthly meeting with Harry, Ron
and Ginny. There was another monthly meeting where she would take her three godchildren,
James, Albus, and Lily, out for a day. And there was a monthly meeting where she would
meet all her old classmates.

Her schedule was too packed to accommodate more than that, and she already saw Harry and
Ron quite a bit at work, and so she was glad for the little time she had to spend with her other
friends.

Which is why, when Harry Potter invited a new member to their small monthly dinner
parties, she had been a surprised.

Her surprise turned to curiosity when she saw white blonde hair atop a figure that was too tall
and muscular for his own good.

"'Mione, you remember Draco right? He works at the DMLE," Harry introduced rather
awkwardly.

Hermione lifted an eyebrow at Harry, who twitched rather uneasily under her scrutiny, before
looking at Draco Malfoy.

It had been ten years since she saw the man. Of course, she knew he worked at the DMLE,
but never bumped into him in all his time there.

The man who stood in front of her was tall, muscular, and horribly closed off with not a
single expression to be noted on his face. He was occluding, she noticed, looking at the hazy
sheen in grey eyes. That, or he was high on drugs.

She supposed this was better than the lanky, terrified, and dreadfully nasty teenage boy he
had been. Not that she would hold his past actions against him.

After all, she had testified on his behalf and ensured that he didn't get thrown into Azkhaban.
Besides, at seventeen, she had hardly been a model of good behaviour.
"Malfoy, how have you been," she asked, storing away how his left pinky finger twitched a
little. There was no other response to be noted judging from his blank face and emotionless
grey eyes.

He was occluding quite a bit, Hermione thought. Which was ridiculous, because no one in the
room was a legimens.

"Fine. It's been a while," Draco said, his voice coming out lower than she had remembered it
to be.

She was saved from making dreadful small-talk by one Ginny Potter, who swooped in and
stole Hermione away to help her make cocktails for the dinner party.

Hermione didn't see Draco again until the end of the party, where she spotted Harry and Ron
laughing about a case Ron had just closed that involved an exploding toilet and a whole lot of
fecal matter.

Draco showed the first expression of the day: disgust.

"Draco, don't suppose you remember how you got that crap out of Ron's hair do you? James
is getting to the age where playing with his poop is all the rage," Harry said.

Draco sighed, shooting a nasty glare and Ron who sniggered.

"I just scourgified him, Potter."

"Oh, but for the smell I remember you casting another spell. I also remember you squealing
like a little girl-," Ron said, causing Draco to shoot him a disgusted look and push his
shoulder away.

This surprised Hermione. She didn't know that the three men were so close that they teased
one another.

"Weird, right? Harry brought Draco over to dinner six months ago. Apparently their work
relationship is now a private as well," Ginny said, sipping on her fifth cocktail of the day.

It was a blessing that Hermione didn't make her drinks too strong. A drunk Ginny was an
emotional Ginny.

"I suppose it's normal for people who spend most of their time together to become friends,"
Hermione said.

It was a lie. In the past three years she had worked at the Ministry, she hadn't managed to
make a single friend.

Not that she was too bothered by it. Hermione was content with her life and her work.

"I suppose," Ginny said, eyeing Draco as though she was performing legimency on him. The
blonde man in question turned his head to look at the two women, eyes landing on Ginny and
then Hermione with question.
Hermione sipped her wine, observing how he didn't display any nervousness from being
stared at. Instead, he lifted a brow at the women. Of course, he was occluding so if he was
nervous, she would have been none the wiser.

A loud beep stopped the chatter in the room. A second beep had Hermione sighing and
setting down her cup. She pulled out her phone from her pocket, looking at the alarm clock
and trying to recollect why she had set it.

Harry whined from across the room, "Come on, Hermione! The nights still young!"

Flip Time Turner, read a reminder on her phone.

Hermione sighed leaned over to grasp Ginny in a small hug.

"See you in a month," she said to her friend. Ginny rubbed Hermione's back and shot her a
nasty glare.

"You're such an ass, Hermione."

Hermione disapparated from the Potter's living room without a response when a third beep
cut into the air.

February 2008

Hermione was bleeding. She wasn't sure how it had happened, or when it had happened, but
she was sure that her left arm was cracked open right in the middle of her forearm, and that
she could see her two bones.

She wasn't squeamish, but the loss of blood made her feel a little light headed, especially
when it was spilling out of her in gallons. She struggled to catch her breath and she noted that
she had probably broken a rib or something. The lack of clear vision in her left eye alerted
her to the fact that blood was coming out of her forehead.

Around her, Ministry officials screamed in panic. Nicholas, the man she was working with,
was unconscious, although Hermione couldn't spot any cause of damage on him.

He probably passed out when he saw her bone two minutes ago. Which was ridiculous. She
was in this disastrous state because she had jumped in front of him to protect him against the
rogue time tuner.

Briefly, Hermione wondered if she should apparate the Mungo's. Of course, that would
require her to get to the Floo point all the way downstairs. The Ministry workers all around
her were trying to calm down the exploded Time Turner that had been the cause of
Hermione's injuries, and no one paid too much mind to her as she slowly made her way to the
elevator.
Lucky for her, the elevator was fairly empty, save for an elderly looking woman who
screamed and gagged when she saw Hermione.

She didn't have time to apologize before the elevator doors opened to the floor for the
Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Hermione felt her vision slowly tunnel as she
made her way across the floor.

It was so unfortunate that the Head Auror office was all the way across the floor.

It was lunch time, so she had gone fairly unnoticed, save for the secretary, Miss Maria
Morrison, who gasped and slipped out of her chair when she saw Hermione.

"Hermione! What in Merlin's name!"

"Maria, how are you," Hermione muttered as she pushed open the door to the Head Auror's
office.

She knew Harry didn't usually take lunch breaks, but what she didn't account for was him
being in a meeting.

Not that it mattered, Harry took one look at her and burst into action.

"What the fuck, Hermione," he all but screamed. A flash of blonde at the corner of her vision
drew her attention to Draco Malfoy who scrambled up from his chair, eyes taking in her
bloody figure.

"How are you, Mafloy," Hermione asked, smiling. Or she thought she smiled. The world
turned black for a whole second and when she opened eyes eyes again, Draco's pale face
turned even paler.

"Granger, is that your bones," he asked, also rushing to her side, wand out.

Yes, she supposed an Auror would know quick healing spells.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't get to see the spells in action before Harry reached her side.

Her body chose that exact moment to slip sideways and she felt her vision blackout.

March 2008

Hermione wasn't a big partier, and she hated being the centre of attention, but she supposed
that everyone in the world had to do things they were not comfortable with.

And so she had abandoned her regular attire of jeans and sweaters for a silk cocktail dress
and a set of strappy heels that made her look at tall as a regular woman. She spent an absurd
amount of time taming her fizzy hair into loose, bouncy curls, and had even put a little make
up onto her face.

By the end of the three hours it took her to get ready, she felt exhausted, but happy
nonetheless. She didn't engage with her feminine side all too much, but when she did she was
proud of it.

When she arrived at the Ministry convention centre, she was immediately swarmed by people
congratulating and thanking her.

She supposed curing a wealthy member of the Wizengamot of his lycantrophy was worth
enduring all of the thanks.

It was not that Hermione was snooty. No, she merely didn't enjoy being thrown from person
to person all who were trying to thank her for creating the first ever cure for lycantrophy.
Instead, if everyone stood in a line and thanked her systematically and like she was a human
being and not a rubber ball, it would be better.

But alas, there was only so much she could control.

It took her an hour to extradite herself from the crowd, and another half hour convincing
Mister Templeton that she did not need to make a speech and she was plenty thankful for the
festivities already.

Her cure, while impressive, was not the best it could be. Her potion only cured lycantrophy if
administered one hour after infection. She would need to spend longer to figure out how
exactly to prolong its lifespan.

She was wondering when it would be an appropriate time for the person of honour to leave
the celebrations when she was interrupted.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione turned her head away from the bar she was sitting at, her eyes landing on a small,
dainty woman she easily named Narcissa Malfoy. Draco's large body beside his mother was
only confirmation.

Narcissa was the same as she remembered, dark haired, thin, and perfectly put together in her
expensive evening robes. Draco wore his usual black robes, albeit it was probably much more
expensive. He wore silver chains around his robes, his fingers adorned with rings, and his
blonde hair styled into a neat style that had a few strands falling onto his face.

Hermione wondered how long it took him to style his hair. It took her two hours today, but
Draco clearly styled his hair everyday and so must be much more proficient at it.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your accomplishment before the night ended. Truly, you
have made a groundbreaking discovery," Narcissa said.

Hermione smiled and nodded her head in what she hoped was a demure gesture. She could
never know. She knew some people thought she came off snotty when she did it, and hoped
Narcissa didn't take it the wrong way.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. I couldn't have done it without the help of generous patrons like
you."

The Malfoy's were long known to donate to Mungo's, who directly funded Hermione's
research.

"Oh, do not even mention it. It was your brilliance that found the cure."

Hermione only smiled, not knowing what else to say. Their conversation was awkward in a
way that none of the others tonight had been.

Hermione wondered if Narcissa could also feel the palatable weirdness of it all. After all, the
last time she saw the woman was ten years ago in a court room, testifying that Narcissa and
Draco did not deserve to be sent to Azkhaban. She did not extend that kindness to Lucious
Malfoy, and she wouldn't blame the woman if she was still resentful for it.

Hermione had only testified for Narcissa because Harry had requested Hermione of it. Not
because she really forgave the woman for what had transpired during the war.

But Hermione pushed the thought away from her head, ignoring the tingling on her forearm
where a slur was was carved into her. What was in the past was in the past.

If Narcissa noticed the discomfort, her polite expression didn't betray anything.

Hermione was just about the bid excuses when Draco asked, "How are you feeling after the
incident last month?"

Hermione blinked to clear away her thoughts.

"Quite well, thank you for asking."

It was true. Mungo's had bandaged her up and discharged her in two days. Of course, those
two days were filled with Harry and Ron whinging to her about how stupid she was and how
she should retire to a desk job.

Which was ridiculous. Imagine her at a desk job.

"I didn't know the Department of Mysteries was invested in curing lycantrophy," he asked,
eyebrow lifting in curiosity.

Hermione wondered if he died his eyebrows a darker shade of blonde. It was a little darker
than his hair and eyelashes, and made his face look even more striking.

"The department is not. I volunteer at St. Mungo's during my spare time."

Narcissa blinked, eyes volleying between her son and Hermione.

"I'm sorry," Narcissa said, eyebrows scrunching in confusion, "do you mean you found a cure
for lycantrophy in your spare time?"

Hermione shrugged a shoulder, watching how Draco's occlusion slipped a little to show
surprised grey eyes. He was quick, however, to recover, and the expressionless face returned.

"Among other things. I grow bored if I find idle time."

"Bored," Narcissa said. Hermione was saved from saying anything as Harry Potter swept in
to give her a side-hug.

"If it isn't the lady of the hour," he exclaimed, greeting both Narcissa and Draco, the former
who could only manage a small nod in her shock, before he pressed a kiss onto Hermione's
forehead.

"Oi, stop molesting my best friend in public," Ron said, pushing Harry away from Hermione
before throwing his arms around her.

"Congrats, 'Mione. I don't know how you've done it, but you have," he said, smiling brightly
with his blue eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Hey! You can't throw around accusations around like that! Especially not in public" Harry
protested, looking over to Narcissa who was looking quite pale, and Draco who was
occluding so hard Hermione wondered if he was going to pass out.

On the front page of the Daily Prophet the next morning, a picture of Harry, Hermione, and
Ron was featured, the three of them smiling brightly and whispering something at each other
as they drank whiskey.

Golden Trio reunited at Ministry Celebrations , the title read.

Hermione didn't mind that her accomplishment for the cure of lycantrophy was only
mentioned once during the entire article.

April 2008

When Draco Malfoy had been invited to the Potter's residence for the fourth time that year
for their monthly meeting, she had finally accepted that Harry had officially invited him into
their inner circle.

Why, she would never know.

What she didn't expect was Harry to invite Draco to their monthly trivia nights where all the
members of their friend group would arrive.
She had been in the middle of listening to Luna's story about wandering Nargles when
Draco's pale blonde hair emerged at her side, startling her so hard that she spilled her beer on
herself.

"Careful, Hermione," Neville yelped, quickly grabbing napkins for her. Embarrassed, she
dabbed at her breasts and lap before remembering she was a witch and quickly cleaning
herself with a charm.

"Hey, hope ya'll don't mind. I brought a guest," Harry said, setting down his briefcase under
the table and slipping into the chair across from her.

Seamus whined. "Come on, not the giant git."

Dean punched his friends shoulder. "What did I tell you about manners?"

Hermione tuned out the rest of that conversation when Draco slipped into the empty chair
beside her.

"If it's an inconvenience, I can leave."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry who only shrugged. An awkward silence filled the air.

"It's no problem. The more the merrier," Susan Bones finally said.

The chatter around the table started up again. More beer was brought in and the large group
broke off into smaller ones.

Neville, Hermione, and Padma spoke about the latest advances in Herbology. Harry, Dean,
Seamus, Ron, Ginny, and Draco spoke about Quidditch. And Luna, Susan, Katie and Cho
spoke about Katie's upcoming wedding.

Between conversations, Hermione found herself wondering how such a large group even
formed. She couldn't remember when the last time they had brought in a new member for
their monthly drinks, and yet here Draco was, proving to her that there was always room for
growth, even in existing habits.

The blonde caught her eyes and turned his head to look at her.

"What is it," he asked. Hermione sipped on her beer and leaned in closer to him. He
instinctively leaned back, dangerously close to slipping out of his chair.

"Why is it that you always occlude? I hear it can give you horrible headache when you don't
take a break."

Mafloy blinked and cleared his throat for a second before answering. The flush on his neck,
most of it hidden under the collar of his ridiculously expensive jumper, was the only display
of discomfort.

"I don't know. It's become a habit when I'm in unfamiliar settings."
"But you occlude in Harry's house too."

Draco tugged harder at his collar and the answer to her question popped into her head.

"Oh," she said, quickly turning her head back to the lecture Luna was giving everyone on the
Lochness monster.

"A horribly misunderstood creature," Luna was trying to convince them.

Hermione wondered if she should take out her time turned and go back in time so she didn't
come to the realization that Draco Malfoy occluded himself into hell because of her.

May 2008

Hermione sometimes wondered if she was a coward for stepping out of the lime light.

When the Wizarding world needed her the most, when it was restructuring and rebuilding
itself, Hermione had called it quits.

She finished her eight year at Hogwarts, got her NEWTS, and went off to study at university.
When she graduated six years later, with degrees in Alchemy, Transfiguration, a master in
Neuroscience, and a PHd in Biochemistry, the world had expected her to jump into their
Ministry system and gun to become the next Minister in Magic.

Instead, she found herself joining the Department of Mysteries, where she had spend her last
three years doing, well so much that she sometimes couldn't keep track of it all.

She was happy in her research and in her work. And in her spare time, she would help Harry
and Ron on cases they couldn't solve, or work with Mathew on the Gringott's curse breaker
team with runes, or volunteer in the research department at St. Mungo's.

She was happy, but on days like today, she wonders if she should have chosen a different
path.

Harry, Ron, and the Weasley family were up at Hogwart's alongside the majority of the
Wizarding world. The tenth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts was a grand event, one that
Hermione should have attended.

Instead, she found herself sitting in the corner of a Muggle cafe, wondering what was wrong
with her. The book on Alzhiemer's disease and Magical Cures was spread open in front of
her, completely abandoned as Hermione idly sipped her tea and looked out the window at the
rain.

She should have been at the memorial. The fact that she wasn't made her a giant,
inconsiderate asshole who didn't respect all of those who gave their lives for the war.
But the thought of returning to the war, if even for the day, made Hermione's stomach roll.

This morning, she had woken with the intention of visiting Hogwarts, if only briefly. Minerva
had personally given Hermione an invitation.

But right after she wore her black dress she found herself throwing up in the bathroom,
retching until she couldn't breath. After that, well she had apparated to a town she hardly
could remember the name of and wandered into a cafe that she now sat at.

She had sent her apologies to everyone: Harry, Ron, Ginny, Molly, George, Minerva, and
Hagrid.

Their responses were fast, promising that no one thought less of her for not attending the
memorial.

But Hermione thought less of herself for it, and that was all that mattered to her.

"Hermione Granger?"

Hermione turns her head towards the voice, her eyes landing on a tall lanky looking man with
green eyes and dark hair. At his side in a tall woman, her black hair in a short bob, and her
beetle like eyes narrowing on Hermione.

"Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson, from Hogwarts," the man says awkwardly. Recognition
clicks in Hermione's head and she quickly clears her mind.

"Yes, of course. Hello, how are you," she asks. Theodore smiles awkwardly and Pansy clears
her throat and looks everywhere but Hermione.

"Well, and you?"

"Alright."

When an awkward pause sits in the air, Hermione waves at the empty chairs in front of her.

"Please, feel free to sit."

Theodore and Pansy exchange a glance before awkwardly settling in the seat across from her.

"What are you doing so far from, well everything," Theodore asks.

Hermione has half the mind to ask the same thing to the two Pureblooded wizards sitting in a
Muggle cafe across from her. But times have changed and she didn't want to be the one to
jump to old assumptions.

"I wasn't able to attend the memorial today," she says. She will have no reason as to why if
they ask, and is greatful when they don't.

"I live over the hill from the town. Pansy and I were just taking a walk, reminiscing about...
er, well, the way everything was so shitty back then."
Hermione lifted an eyebrow and sipped at her tea.

Yes, she supposed that the people who were on the wrong side of the war would also not
attend the memorial. Although, she doesn't remember either Pansy nor Theodore taking the
mark.

"Today is the day to reminisce, I suppose," she says carefully. Pansy's nose is turned up into
the air and she looks out the window at the rain.

Theodore fidgets in his seat before he sighs and quite literally melts in front of her.

Hermione watches as he arranges his long limbs in a languid manner that she only knew Ron
to be capable of.

Briefly, she wonders if all Pureblood's were tall. All the ones she knew, including the two
sitting in front of her, certainly were. It was a hit to her ego to know that she wasn't.

"I suppose I've never apologized for what I, or my father rather, has done in the war, and even
before that in school," Theodore says after the waitress brings Theodore and Pansy their
drinks.

Pansy sniffs at her tea like its rat poison. Hermione is too startled to comment on it.

"Er, no I suppose you haven't."

The comment makes Pansy scowl into her tea. Hermione wonders what in the world is
happening.

"Well, here is my formal apology. You do not need to accept it," he says.

Hermione sips at her tea. She had received countless apologies before, but none so recent.

But she supposes it is fitting that an apology be made on memorial day. On the tenth year of
the Battle of Hogwarts. On the day that marks a new beginning,

It was a new era, and apologies were a thing of the past.

"You do not need to apologize. We were children fighting a war the adults around us thrust us
into."

And that was that.

Pansy looked up in surprise, her sleek bob swishing in a mesmerizing manner. Hermione's
own frizzy hair was pulled back into a bun to make her look more presentable, and less like a
rabid dog

"I suppose goody-two-shoes Granger would say some bullshit like that," Pansy sneers,
although there was no venom in her words and only the beginnings of something that
sounded a lot like hope.
Hermione smiles. "Yes, I suppose she would."

June 2008

Hermione stood in front of the Ministry Floo's, wondering if it would be worth it to go home
for only three hours or if she should spend the night in her office, when someone clears their
throat behind her.

Startled and sleep deprived, Hermione starts and turns to face Draco Mafloy.

She thinks he looks like a ghost in the dark. His pale features stark against his black robes.

"What are you doing here so late," he asks as a greeting. Hermione shrugs.

"I could ask you the same."

The two of them look at each other for a second before Hermione shrug her bag of her right
shoulder and onto her left one.

"I heard you spoke with Theo and Pansy," Draco says, surprising her. Hermione shrugs her
shoulders.

"We bumped into one another. Are you three still close?"

"Yes. They couldn't stop gushing about you."

Hermione's lips tip up into a smile.

"I am like that. The light of everyones life."

Draco huffs a tired laugh and rolls his eyes. Later, Hermione will realize he hadn't occulded
once during the conversation.

"In your dreams, Granger," Draco says. At the reminder of dreams, drowsiness settles back
heavily into her head.

"I suppose I will be spending the night here then. Good night," she says, moving to head back
to her office.

Malfloy hesitates for a moment before following her.

"I don't suppose you have a spare chair I can borrow? I don't really have an office room in the
department. The only room belongs to Potter."

And that was how Hermione and Draco end up spending the night in her small, cramped
office room, both of their bodies leaning against the cluttered desks, but both of them too
tired to do anything about it.
July 2008

Hermione doesn't remember the last time she ate. Truthfully, she doesn't remember a lot
because of the hunger.

She remembers finicking with a time turner, one that was supposedly broken, so that she
could test her theory of interdimensional travel.

And then, without notice, she felt the world spin around her, her feet kicking off the floor,
and then she finds herself trapped somewhere.

She floats around for who knows how long in eternal darkness. Every so often she sees a
flash of light, but when she tries to swim towards it, it quickly disappears, appearing at
another location.

Hermione wonders if this is how she will die. Starved to death in limbo.

Surprisingly, the thought is not as horrible as she thought it would be. In her twenty seven
years, she had accomplished quite a lot, and limbo is better than returning to the ministry and
filing paperwork for whatever mess she had gotten into.

She floats like that for who knows how long. Her stomach had long stopped raging with
hunger, and she drifts in and out of consciousnessness.

On the verge of another nap, or death, she starts to close her eyes when suddenly the world
spins around her, her hair smacks her across the face and she gasps in pain.

And then, with a pop, she is back in her office room.

Across from her sits her ministry assigned Auror, Malcom Knight, who looks at Hermione
with a look of horror on his face. In his hands is the broken time turner piece that she had
been holding before she slipped into limbo.

Despite her exhaustion and hunger, she transfigured her notepad into a mirror and looks at
herself.

"How long have I been gone," she asks.

When he doesn't respond, Hermione gives him a hard look. "Malcom."

"Five minutes," the man stumbles out. Hermione looks into the mirror, noting her gaunt
looking face, with her hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and limp hair.

She looks like she has been gone for a week, maybe two.

"Call Harry Potter," she says before pulling out her phone and quickly noting her
observations and what she can remember into her voice notes.
It is only when Harry enters the room behind Malcom, green eyes wild as he takes note of
her, that she puts down her phone. She spots a head of pale blonde hair behind her, and the
Draco Malfoy enters the office.

All three Auror's look at Hermione like she was just pulled back from the dead. Which she
suppose is what she looks like.

"What the fuck, Granger. How come you're looking like a corpse," Draco says, the first one
to rush to her side. Harry is quick to follow, his hands grasping her shoulder and then slipping
around her waist to lift her weak body up.

"Please take me to Mungo's," Hermione manages to say to the men.

And then she slips into darkness.

August 2008

Hermione loves Harry's children. They are, after all, her godchildren, and so it is hard not to
love them.

But she doesn't love that she was forced into babysitting them after the Department of
Ministries gave her a one month suspension for the trip she had been on.

Well, it wasn't a suspension. It was for her to recuperate her health.

Sitting in a field and watching James and Lily Potter scream at each other while Albus
doodles into a book, she thinks that she has recuperated well enough.

"This is your own fault. Malcom is the fourth Auror to resign just this year," Harry had
screamed at her.

"I don't need an Auror! For Gods sake, I can take care of myself!"

"If you didn't have an Auror, you could have been stuck in limbo for eternity, or until you
died," Ron snarls.

It was never fair when the two of them ganged up against her, and she isn't surprised when
she loses the argument.

Of course, the month off gave her time to draft a manuscript about the whole event.

A Case Study into the Enternity of Time, she called it.

A Case Study into a Mad Woman, Harry called it.

A Case Study into Nutters and Swots, Ron called it.

During her recuperation, Hermione had been moved out of her cottage and into Grimmauld
place. Ginny had snarled and seemed ready to drag Hermione by her hair to the town house
when she declined and Hermione had been too weak to fight the ex-Quidditch player.

And so, that was how she found herself living with the Potter's.

It was a welcome break for the first week, but after almost four weeks living in the madhouse
with screaming children, loud cries, and the Potter couple being happy to let their kids sort
out their own mess rather than intervene, Hermione was ready to leave.

Of course, what she didn't expect was to see Draco Malfoy so often.

Every few nights, Draco would pop into the town house with Harry, discussing a case with
Ron and Harry, or just chatting about Quidditch.

Occasionally, he brought Theodore Nott with him, a sight that had startled Hermione into
waking up Lily who loved napping on her the first time she saw it.

Now, sitting in the park, Hermione wondered how long Harry had been in good terms with
the Slytherin alumni, when a voice cleared beside her.

"On Potter duty again," Draco asks, eyeing Lily and James who were ready to rip each others
hairs out.

Ginny had long advised her to just let her children fight it out.

"I am always on Potter duty," she said, trying not to sound too grumpy about it. Beside her
Albus giggled.

"Look, Aunty Hermione. I drew a dinosaur," he said proudly. Hermione smiled and patted the
boys head.

"Yes, quite an accurate rendition we have here. I think I will get it framed."

Albus's big green eyes grew wider and he smiled so hard Hermione wondered if his face
would break.

"Framed? No, I need to make it better!"

The boy went back to doodling and Hermione turned towards Draco with a smile on her face.

"I don't suppose you'll be taking over for me now, will you," she asked. Draco shook his head
and settled onto the picnic blanket beside her.

"Nah, my turn is only Friday nights. And only when Weasley is unable to."

Friday nights were Ginny and Harry date nights. And sometimes Ron also went out with
whatever girl he was dating or shagging.
She had never stopped to wonder what happened to the children on these nights. She had
always assumed they went to the Burrow, but here she was being proven wrong again.

"I don't suppose you could take over for me today the? As a favor for a friend," she asked,
leaning back onto her elbows and looking up at him.

Lily, a boisterous toddler, screamed in indignation in the background.

"I didn't realize we were friends," he said turning to look at her.

She noted that he wasn't wearing his robes, but rather regular clothing. Or at least what she
thought was regular clothing.

His trousers and jumper probably cost as much as her whole house.

His fringe fell onto his forehead and into his eyes, which she noticed, was not occluded.

"Friend of a friend. Semantics."

Draco's lips twitched into a small smile before he shook his head.

"I don't know how I've managed to avoid your presence for so long. If you were so close with
Harry, for almost five years, I feel like I should have known earlier," she said.

"I only began to tolerate Potter two years ago."

"Two whole years before were were re-aquatinted! I feel left in the dark!"

Draco huffed a laugh.

"You do have a point. I'm surprised I didn't see you earlier from the sheer number of times
you're found in Potter or Weasley's offices," He says, tilting his pale face up to the sun.

It was surprising, she thought. And a little silly that she was this oblivious to his presence.

"It's almost like Harry was hiding you away from me," she mutters. Draco chuckles and
Albus jumps up onto his feet, thrusting a picture into Hermione's face.

She spends the rest of the day finding a place to mount the picture frame, her mind on a
blonde man who spends the day playing with a Lily and James Potter.

September 2008

Hermione doesn't really celebrate her birthday. She doesn't like the fuss and is happier with a
small, intimate party, but every year she finds herself surrounded by people she hardly
remembers congratulating her on surviving another year.
She supposed that the congratulations are warranted. After all, ten years ago she was
convinced she would die sacrificing herself for the greater good.

Sipping on her champagne and feeling just a little tipsy, she dips her toes into the water of the
lake behind the Burrow.

The festivities rage on behind her, but Hermione is tired from a night of chatting and
celebrating.

When a figure drops himself at her right, she doesn't even blink in surprise.

"Why am I not surprised to find the birthday girl out by herself," Draco Malfoy asks.
Hermione snorts into her champagne.

"You sound like a stalker. Got me all figured out, Malfoy," she asks.

Draco's pale face shines in the moonlight, and all the alcohol in her system makes her head
go fuzzy when he chuckles at her.

"You should be worried. You have a trained Auror stalking your moves now."

"If you're friends with Harry and Ron, I suppose you should be more worried about yourself.
You have two trained Auror's stalking your every move."

It was true. Harry and Ron were horribly paranoid about everything and kept tabs on
everyone.

Draco sighs, lying down on the grass beside her.

"Careful, you'll get your fancy robes all dirty," Hermione tell him. Draco turns his head to
her, eyebrow raising.

"I didn't realize you were invested in my robes, Granger."

"It's hard not to be when they're so fancy."

"I'm a man who likes beautiful things."

"I'm not judging you. I'm just telling you to be careful."

She sipped on her flute, head tilted up to meet the soft breeze fluttering around her. Draco
slowly pulls himself up.

"I suppose I haven't given you your give yet," he said, digging through his robe pocket.

Hermione turns to him in surprise.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, I wanted to."

She didn't even know he would be attending her birthday party until he showed up at the
Burrow three hours ago. Now, watching his thrust a small box towards her with the
beginnings of a flush under his collar, Hermione is glad he came.

She takes the small, wrapped box, carefully unwrapping it.

"I swear, Mafloy, if you give me something expensive I will return it."

Draco snorts.

"Just open it. You may be sorely disappointed."

When Hermione see's the simple gold chain in the box, she smiles, her hand going to the old
silver chain carrying the time turner around her neck.

She didn't even realize he noticed the time turner until then. Most people didn't and she
charmed it to make sure that it looked like a simple pendent, and not something she tinkered
with as part of her job.

Of course, looking at Draco's smug face, she knew that he knew she didn't carry a simple
pendent with her.

"I don't suppose I should obliviate you now, should I? You know, me being an Unspeakable
and all."

She said this with a straight face, but Draco still rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Granger. To me, the time turner looks like a locket."

"Do you not have the gall to pretend that it's not a time turner?"

"Why should I pretend when I know what it is?"

Hermione huffed a sigh, biting back her smile as she exchanged the silver chain for the gold
one and clipping it back onto her neck.

"Thank you, Draco. The present was very thoughtful."

Draco's eyebrows flew to his hair line and she saw the beginnings of occlusion drift in and
out of his eyes.

"What is it," she asked, feeling panic settle in. She whipped her wand out of the bun she was
keeping her hair in and pointed it at whatever was behind her.

When she couldn't see anything, even with a Homenum Revelio, she turned back, her eyes
latching on the flush on his throat and the small smile on his face.

"What is it," she asked again, feeling a little confused and stupid.

Draco cleared his throat once then twice and then tugged at his collar.
"Nothing. Just something you said."

Later, she would flush with the realization that she had called him Draco, and not Malfoy, for
the first time.

And more importantly that he was flustered over her words.

October 2008

Time was weird. It was the only constant in the universe, the only thing people really knew
existed, but it wasn't what everyone thought it was.

As Hermione found herself being sucked forward and backwards through time, she pondered
what exactly she had done.

She was trying out a new charm on her time turner. One that would allow the wearer to go
forward in time, exactly two minutes, but instead of being a visitor, they would jump into the
body of the present time-line them.

Unfortunately, her calculations were off so instead of appearing in Hermione the futures
body, she found herself being snapped into the future version of her and the past version of
her.

Luckily for her, her time frame was very small, only two minutes, so she wasn't changing the
universes fate or anything, but it was still a very unpleasant sensation.

It took her new assigned Auror, Mohammed Paul, half an hour to break to curse using the
technique she had taught him. When she felt herself being snapped back into her body, for
good this time, the first thing Hermione did was vomit into the bin she kept near her desk.

Mohammed informed her that she had been gone for only half an hour, and not the multiple
hours she had assumed, she made a quick note of the experience in her voice notes and then
dismissed Mohammed for the day.

The Auror seemed pretty shaken from whatever Hermione had made him witness, and was
glad to leave her, muttering something that sounded like 'mad woman' as he left.

Hermione's head spun from the experience and she dug through her desk drawers for a quick
pain relief potion and anti-nausea potion, before heading down to Harry's office.

It was the end of the day, and she wanted to see if she could catch either Ron or Harry before
they headed out. She had a volunteer event with the Department of Magical Creatures that
she needed to help with, and she needed to speak to them about security for the event.

The DMLE office was still full when she entered and Maria smiled at her kindly, informing
her that Harry was still working, but stepped out for some air just ten minutes ago.
Hermione often wondered how her friend dealt the stress of being the head of a rather small
and underfunded department that was spread thin after the war. It was surely worse than her
job.

When she entered Harry's office, she spotted Ron already in it, staring at some documents in
the small couched area.

"Hey 'Mione," Ron greeted. Hermione sighed and plopped into the seat beside Ron.

"Hey Ron."

Ron looked at Hermione for one long second before abandoning whatever he was working on
and leaning back onto the sofa.

"Long day?"

"I was stuck jumping forward and back through time for half-an-hour."

Ron winced, his hand reaching out to rub the shoulder closest to him. Hermione sighed in
relief and adjusted herself so that he could massage both of her shoulders.

"I don't suppose that you'll be telling Kingsley any of this," he asked.

"Nor Harry. Can you imagine the paper work?"

Ron and Hermione had an understanding that went all the way back to their first year of
Hogwarts. They didn't need to tell Harry anything that wouldn't directly impact him. Over the
years, it had turned into, don't tell Harry anything that would cause him to file more paper
work than he already had.

Hermione being stuck in a time loop with one of Harry's Auror's monitoring her would surely
give Harry a headaches worth of paperwork.

When Ron massaged a particularly large lump in her back, Hermione let out a small moan,
sighing and reclining into Ron's chest.

"I need to have sex," she told him. Ron laughed, his chest vibrating under her.

"Are you propositioning me?"

"God no. Besides, aren't you with that model? The Scandinavian one?"

"How'd you know about that? Even Harry doesn't know."

"Susan told me that it was in the Witches Weekly."

"Fucking paps."

Hermione hummed her agreement just as Harry entered his office room, Draco in tow behind
him.
Harry only looked at Ron and Hermione with mild irritation and a lot of fondness in his eyes
while Draco froze at the door, hand still on the door handle.

"Are you guys back together? If you are, refrain from having sex in my office room."

Ron and Hermione's on and off relationship had ended years ago. They were great friends,
but the two of them had two different ideas on what a life together would look like.

"Fuck off, mate," Ron said. Hermione pushed herself up, scooting towards the other end of
the sofa.

"Why you standing there, Malfoy. Come in, I've only had sex in this room once before,"
Hermione said, sending him a teasing look.

Draco was occluding again, so Hermione couldn't figure out his thoughts, but Harry's "fuck"
drew her attention away from the blonde man and his odd actions.

"What do you mean, in my office? What the hell," Harry asked. Hermione winked at Harry
and stretched her arms above her head.

"It was with Hugo, wasn't it. I saw you two during the last Christmas party," Ron asked,
cheeky smile on his face.

"I'm firing Hugo right now. And Hermione, get out of my room. Never come back"

Hermione laughed and Draco finally closed the door, the occlusion slipping off his face and
the look of disgust very evident on it instead.

November 2008

Hermione was stalling. She knew she was, but for whatever reason she couldn't bring herself
to answer Ron.

Ginny, Ron, Harry, Draco, and she were sitting at the Potter's dining table, their plates empty
and their wine glasses full.

Ron's question hung heavy in the air, although no one else seemed to notice.

"Charlie wants to go out with you. Are you down? We can double date it, me with Adeline."

Adeline was Ron's Scandinavian girlfriend.

Hermione would have regularly answered immediately. She liked Charlie, really, but she
didn't want to go out with Ron's brother.

It was a principle of hers to not date an ex-boyfriends brother.

But then Draco had choked on her wine and coughed till he was as red as a beet root, and
Hermione paused.

She didn't know why she did. She didn't even know what she was thinking.

All she could remember was Draco giving her that golden chain for her birthday. Him
freezing when he caught her and Ron in a compromising position. Him playing with Harry's
kids.

Him waking up with red eyes and messy hair, a paper crease on his cheek as he oriented
himself to Hermione's office room. Hermione had felt her heart skip for the first time in years
when she saw him, not that she remembered until this very moment.

"'Mione? I need to tell him something," Ron prodded.

Hermione snapped out of her reveree quickly.

"No, I don't date the brothers of my ex-boyfriends," she told him.

But she was a moment too late, that she had responded, and she knew it from the way Ginny
Potter was looking at her.

Hermione chugged the rest of her wine and pretended she didn't come to a life changing
conclusion that night.

December 2008

Hermione didn't remember the last time she had been on a date. She remembered that the last
time she had sex was with Edward Miller, a Muggle bookstore owner, two years ago and it
had been alright, but she didn't go out with the man.

And so when Ginny had procured Hermione a date for their New Years party, saying that no
one should be alone for New Years, Hermione had been shocked.

When she found out her date was Justin Finch-Fletchley, she had been even more shocked.

But of course, there was nothing to do. Once Ginny had set her mind to something, it would
happen, and Hermione was stretched too thin between her many occupations to do anything
about it.

And that was how she found herself at a Christmas party, surrounded by all her friends, with
Justin gripping her hips.

It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, Hermione thought. Not at all. And Justin was kind and
would probably accept her proposition to have sex later on.
But for whatever reason, it felt wrong to have Justin there on her side.

And it definitely wasn't because of the blonde haired man on the other side of the room.

Draco had come with Theodore as his date. She had greeted both of them, and Theo had been
kind to her. It was fun to talk with him, she thought, and she was having a riveting
conversation abut Darwinian theory and Magic with Draco when Justin had come to her side
and Draco had been all too eager to suddenly greet Neville.

He hadn't returned since.

When Hermione's head spun too much from all the wine she had drunk, and the music had
become too loud, and she couldn't stop looking at the back of the head of a certain blonde,
she decided enough was enough.

She whispered an excuse to Justin, who only shrugged, before she slipped out of the banquet
hall they had rented for the party.

It was cold, and she wrapped the shawl she wore tighter around herself, but the chill was
preferable to pretending... well pretending like she didn't know what she was feeling.

When the door behind her opened ten minutes later, revealing the very man she wished she
didn't want to see, she felt her annoyance pick up.

"They're counting down soon, if you want to come in," Draco told her. Hermione hugged
herself tighter.

"It's fine. I think I would prefer to be outside."

Draco didn't say anything and only stepped to her side where the two of them shivered at the
winter breeze. When he caught her shivering, he shrugged off his suit jacket, despite her
protests, and placed it over his shoulders.

"I don't think your date would like it if you don't return," he said. Hermione closed her eyes
tightly before turning her head to look at him.

He was looking far away into the night, and she had to crane her neck to look at him. He was
beautiful, and Hermione had a fond spot for beautiful things.

"I don't think he minds. Ginny forced him into it."

Draco turned his head to look at her, surprise showing into his eyes. Hermione huffed a
laugh.

"It was a blind date. Neither of us knew that it was until today," she explained, although she
didn't know why. Draco's eyebrows flew to his hairline.

Hermione didn't know the man could be so expressive. A few month ago, she would be
jumping with joy if his occlusion slipped, and here he was, now giving her full facial
expression.
It really warmed her heart how low her standards dropped, she thought before sighing.

No, she supposed they hadn't dropped. After all, no one else had ever bothered to read the
Comte de Monte Cristo just because she had recommended the book in passing. No one else
debated the existence of alternate dimensions, and the possibility of turning time to visit
them, with her.

From inside the room, Hermione heard the party begin to count down to midnight. She
supposed now was a good time as ever to admit that she was horribly gone for the man
standing in front of her.

10

"What are you doing here, Draco?"

"I came to find you. I saw you coming out and wanted to check if you froze to death."

"You didn't need to. No one else in the party came out, and half of them are Auror's or Auror
affiliated."

"I just... wanted to check in on you."

"Why?"

"I don't suppose that the brightest witch of her age could answer that question for herself?"

"I think she could, but she would still like to hear the answer."

"Did you that you're awfully bossy, Granger?"

"I do. It's one of my most endearing qualities."

"I think I should be saying that."

Hermione didn't know who moved first, if it was her or him or both of them, but suddenly
they weren't standing apart.

Draco's arms, large muscular things, wrapped themselves around her pulling her close to him.
His right hand went to under her head, tilting her chin up and twisting his long fingers into
his hair.

Hermione's hand moved from his chest to the back of his neck, her fingers slipping into his
much to soft blonde hair.

Their kiss was hot and passionate and made Hermione's legs shake when they broke apart.

"Happy New Year, Hermione," he whispered into her mouth.

Hermione laughed, pressing her lips against his briefly.

"Happy New Year, Draco."

fin
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