Two days later, Draco was sitting on a chair in Harry's office, trying to focus on what the raven-haired man in front of him was saying. It was proving to be difficult, though, as his mind kept flying towards other thoughts. Ever since that night, he kept thinking about what he should do, and he was finally determined. One way or another, he had to do something, or he would end up losing his mind. Or so he felt, at least.

"Potter, I can't do this." Draco blurted out suddenly.

"It's just a bloody raid, Malfoy. What do you mean you can't do it?" Harry cried out, rather frustratedly. "Considering how difficult it has been to convince the Head Auror to allow you in, I would have thought you would be grateful."

Draco turned to look at Harry, not seeming to have heard one single word he spoke.

"I can't keep trying to stay away from her when it's clearly not working. It's driving me nuts, Potter." Draco groaned, brushing a hand through his hair.

"And what are you planning to do, Malfoy?" Harry said frowning, suddenly realizing what Draco was talking about.

"I don't know, but I won't deny myself this chance."

"Are you that selfish, Malfoy? You know I won't allow you to hurt her, right?" Harry said in a quiet dangerous voice, clenching his fists over the desk.

"You're not her father, Potter." Draco drawled, not batting an eye at Harrys offensive attitude.

"I'm the closest thing she has to a brother, Malfoy. That counts for something." Harry raised his voice.

"That's not good enough for me, Potter." Draco said, waving a hand impatiently and getting up to leave. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go and get ready. When did you say we're leaving?"

"Two days from now." Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Perfect. I'll see you then." Draco said with a nod before quitting the office.

***

After leaving Harry's office, Draco went straight for the Department of Magical Legislation. He was determined to see Hermione and talk to her if he could. In his haste, he didn't notice someone coming in his direction. The man was reading a file, his eyes glued to the papers, unaware of Draco's hasty approach.

The moment they bumped into each other, the file fell from the man's hands, papers scattered all over the floor, while Draco stumbled on his feet, cursing under his breath.

"I'm sorry." The stranger said quickly, waving his wand and gathering the paperwork back into his hands. "I was walking fast, not looking where I was going and..." he stopped as soon as his eyes fell on Draco.

The man was rather tall, but slender looking. His bright red hair and green eyes caught Draco's attention immediately. That, and the man's strong Scottish accent, made him sure of his next statement.

"You're McKinley, right?" Draco drawled, not even trying to sound polite.

"Yes, indeed I am. Robert McKinley, at your service." The man answered with a wide smile on his face, completely ignoring Draco's rudeness. "And you are?" he inquired.

"Mr. Malfoy!" a voice answered from behind them.

Both men whirled around and saw Hermione approaching them at a fast pace. She was holding a handful of tomes tightly at her chest and was breathing heavily due to the effort.

"Mr. Malfoy" Hermione said again just as she reached them. "What are you doing here?" she breathed out, trying with difficulty to balance the tomes in her arms.

"Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy, the Consultant Auror?" McKinley interrupted, his eyes widening.

"Indeed." Draco drawled.

"Why this is an honor." McKinley said, suddenly sounding excited. "All this time, I wanted to have a chance to meet you."

He stretched out his arm, looking at Draco in a hopeful manner. With a side glance at Hermione, Draco finally took his hand and shook it, releasing it very quickly.

"And you must be Miss Hermione Granger." McKinley said, turning to Hermione with an even bigger smile.

Hermione was visibly startled by the man's recognition, but returned his smile, nonetheless.

"I've heard so much about you." McKinley continued, stretching his arm towards Hermione.

"Thank you." Hermione answered kindly, a small blush rising on her cheeks.

She shook his hand and Draco noticed McKinley kept the touch a bit longer than he thought was necessary. And the way the red head was eyeing Hermione, made him feel very uncomfortable. He suddenly cleared his throat, returning their attention towards himself.

"I wanted to talk to you, if that is possible." Draco said, giving Hermione a rather nervous look.

"Sure. Just give me a few moments to go and return these first. " She answered, hoisting the tomes higher in her arms. She was starting to feel their weight now.

"Allow me to help you with these." McKinley said quickly, motioning towards the tomes. "I believe we're headed in the same direction."

Draco felt the sudden urge to punch the guy in the face but refrained. He realized he was being foolish. They were all colleagues, so pleasantries were only natural. That made him realize something. No one would look strangely at a colleague being friendly and attentive with another colleague, right? With a sudden movement, he reached and grabbed the tomes from her arms.

"I'll go with Miss Granger." Draco said rather too quickly. "I'm headed to the library as well so it's no trouble." He added, trying to sound natural.

Both Hermione and McKinley stared at him for a moment, each with different expressions on their faces. Hermione just blinked at him in surprise, while McKinley was giving him a rather strange look, one that Draco couldn't quite understand.

They all headed for the library, parting with McKinley along the way. Draco waited for Hermione to finish her business there, then they walked together out of the Ministry.

"Is it alright if I walk you home?" Draco said after a few minutes of silence.

"Of course." Hermione said pleasantly. "The weather is nice today and a walk would be lovely." She smiled up at him.

Draco cleared his throat. He still wasn't used to her smile, especially when it was directed at him.

"I also wanted to have the chance to apologize for my behavior the other day." He started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I hope I didn't startle you too much. I really am sorry." He finished in a quiet voice, looking down at his feet.

"It's quite alright." Hermione said with a small giggle in her voice.

Draco's head snapped up, looking at her in relief. He gave her a small smile and they both walked for a while in silence. After a few minutes he felt desperate to say something that might allow him to see more of her. They were approaching the park and in a few moments they would be home. If he wanted to do this, he had to say something now.

"Miss Granger, would you like to have dinner with me tonight? Blaise is on call and I don't want to eat alone." he finally said, holding his breath.

Hermione regarded him for a moment, pondering on something. Eventually, she smiled and nodded, making Draco let out a deep breath.

"Of course. Would my place be alright, though? I was planning on cooking pasta tonight." She said, tipping her head to the side, looking him straight in the eye.

"S-sure." Draco said taken by surprise. He thought perhaps they might go to a restaurant or someplace similar. He never imagined she would invite him in her home.

"Perfect. I'll see you at six then." Hermione beamed at him.

When he reached his flat, Draco fell into an armchair, deep in thought.

What the bloody hell just happened? Why do I feel like she invited me to dinner instead of the other way around? Draco thought dumbfounded.

Hermione, on the other hand, was quite happy with herself. She had been thinking how to best approach him and seeing him near her office that day just made things easier. Without a second thought, she grabbed the chance to spend more time with him. She had a nagging feeling that there was more to him that met the eye, and the way Harry had talked about him made everything seem even more suspicious in her opinion. She had to find out who exactly this Draco Malfoy was. That, and the fact that he was very good looking helped her case in deciding to pursue her curiosity. 

Thank you all for reading this story! The mysterious McKinley has finally appeared ;) Hope you liked him, don't worry he will make further appearances. Looking forward to seeing Hermione and Draco's dinner? Make sure to check out tomorrow's update. Until then, wish you all a wonderful day! <3