Draco walked to the Department of Magical Perversion. He ignored the buzzing from the reporters and the bulbs. However he found himself face to face with one of the most annoying reporters he'd ever had the displeasure to meet even when they were once upon a time allies. Rita Skeeter. Dear Merlin the woman really was annoying.

"Mr. Malfoy, have you heard about the rumors that your... girlfriend," She drawled out the last word like as if it tasted acrid.

"Please move." Draco said not taking her bait.

"Have you seen the pictures in the Daily Phophet of her with several professional quidditch players?" Skeeter continued on. "It was said that she was at the Puddlemere Stadium just two days ago talking to Oliver Wood, who was just voted one of the top five Players of the year. And she was also seen talking to-"

"I was there too." Draco crossed his arms over his chest as he stared Skeeter down.

Rita had a momentarily look of shock but quickly recovered. "You were? Don't you agree that they were looking rather chummy? Standing so close and -"

"No, I was sitting in the bleachers with his wife of three years, Cora Newin, the nurse that treated him after he was severely injured. You know the same nurse that you wrote falsely about being a gold digger that only wanted Wood for his money and nothing more; who you also insinuated that would spread her legs for any professional player?" Draco spat back.

"I did no such-"

Draco glared at her then turned around to face another reporter, one that normally was a pain in his backside, Lawrence .

"You can quote me on this."

Lawrence quickly took out his wand and poised it to record.

"I trust Hermione with every inch of me. She's my world now and if the Prophet or any other printing supplier dares to defame her, I will buy them out, I have the money and they will be out of a job faster than they can say Merlin." With that Draco turned back around and walked past a fuming Rita Skeeter.

"Roger Davies was seen with a Miss Hermione Granger at the Leaky Tavern last night at around 10 o'clock." Skeeter said smugly.

Draco turned around and faced Skeeter. "See Skeeter, I would be worried if it were not for the fact that Davie's boyfriend likes makeup more than Hermione." With that Draco went into the Department where the reporters had been indefinitely banned from entering. If they did dare, a spell would send then flying five feet back on their bums, then would develop boils that lasted a week. Hermione had casted the spell the first year she had started working there. That year was a rather slow news year so the reporters all hounded the war heros and heroines. Two of which that worked at the Department, both getting rather high positions despite the fact that they were just fresh from Hogwarts. Hermione and Blaise. Blaise added the boils part to the spell saying that it was a good reminder and Hermione felt rather vindictive that day after the press kept firing questions at her about catching her and Harry in a lip lock. ( It had been mistletoe at the Christmas party)

!

Draco opened the door to the office then cried out in horror when he saw his best friend making out with Lovegood.

"Draco!" Blaise yelled as he and Luna parted. "Don't you know how to knock!"

"You never knock!"

Blaise frowned as he realized Draco was actually right. "Yeah well we have a new rule, we both knock from now on."

"It doesn't matter now, I have the image permanently ingrained in my cerebrum."

"I've seen you and Hermione make out and I consider Hermione as my sister." Blaise defended.

"I did not have my hand up her shirt!"

Blaise turned a bright shade of red.

"Draco, I think Hermione's dress was too tight for you to put your hand under anyway." Luna said rather calmly, amused even, as she referred to the infamous kiss at the Gala. She daintily transferred herself from Blaise's lap to her original seat beside his. She didn't even bother straightening her appearance.

Draco had nothing to say in response.

Blaise looked down at his girlfriend. It sometimes frightened him how unaffected she was by things that made normal people fluster even if just a little bit.

"So Draco what do you need?" Blaise just sighed, looking over at his mate still standing in the doorway.

"I can't just come to say hi?"

"No, you owl that, you come personally when you need something so that I can't refuse."

Draco ran his hand through his hair; he and Blaise really have been friends too long. "I need you to go to lunch with me."

Blaise looked at his friend oddly. "I think you're in the wrong office, go down straight to the corner office and open it, if you see bouquets in every corner you're at the right office."

"I know where Hermione's office is." He scowled at his friend.

"I would hope so. But if you didn't, you could just follow the scent of fauna..."

"I send her flowers only once a week now." Draco defended.

"Yeah flowers that never seems to die. If you continue at this point, her office might as well be the botanical gardens." Blaise snorted because he'd been to Hermione's office before to drop off papers and barely found a free spot to place them down.

"I think its sweet Blaise, shows the difference between Draco and Ron."

"Thanks Luna." Draco said. Luna nodded back. "But that's enough about my sending flowers."

"Yes Draco, I'll go. It's got to be important for you to still be here."

"Good, meet me in ten, I'm stopping by Hermione's first."

"Of course, flowerboy." Blaise waved his hand nonchalantly, almost mockingly.

Draco glared at him before leaving.

!

Hermione closed her eyes as she laid her head back. She had a minor migraine from not only the press what wouldn't leave her alone since Ron's stupid ad but also, Ron himself would not stop trying to contact her. The bastard had even used Teddy to get her to see him. The idiot had used Teddy to get to her office and would've made it if Blaise hadn't seen him.

Not wanting to think about Ron anymore, she waved her wand and music began to waft through her office.

Hermione couldn't help but sing along quietly.

Then she continued to sing along, a little bit louder at a time before she started to sing at the top of her lungs.

Draco gave Anna a small wave but the young girl was busy with her schedule. He opened the door a slight crack when he heard some off key singing waft around the room.

Hermione finished the song dramatically as she swerved in her chair. Just as she finished, she heard a chuckle by her door. She almost fell out of her chair until she realized it was Draco.

"Oh my god, how much did you hear?" Hermione asked, her face becoming partially red from embarrassment.

"Enough." Draco said laughingly before closing the door on Anna who had since finished with her schedule and was now was listening in on them.

"Damn." Anna said when the door closed so that she could no longer hear or see anything else.

!

It was ten mintues later that Blaise got annoyed with waiting in his office that he ventured to Hermione's. When he got in he saw that Anna was at the door to the office and she had her ear on the door.

"Anna?"

"I can't hear a darn thing. Hermione silenced the room." Anna all but sulked.

"How long has ne been there?" Blaise asked.

"The whole time."

"You think they're..."

"Oh yeah."

Blaise gave a smirk. Oh payback was so much fun. Then he proceeded to the door and swung it open.

Hermione and Draco jumped apart. Hermione giving a slight squeak as Draco practically had whiplash from turning his head to the door so sharply.

"Buono Sera mio lovebirds." Blaise said a little too gleefully.

"Blaise." Draco growled.

"An eye for an eye mate. Plus I'm hungry." Blaise shrugged with a wicked grin.

When the two of the guys left, Hermione heard a squeal come from Anna. "Oh my gosh, you and Draco are so perfect together!"

Hermione groaned. "Anna!"

!

"So where are we going?"

"I don't know, some kind of café."

Blaise looked at Draco skeptically. "Please don't make me regret blowing off lunch with Luna for you to get us lost."

"I know where I'm going!"

"Sure sure."

"It's there." Draco said ten minutes later as he pointed across the street to a quaint muggle café.

"It's a muggle café."

"I know, way to state the obvious mate."

"There was a question in there."

"No it was just a statement."

"No, you and I both know I was asking... what the hell!" Blaise said when he looked through the glass doors and found a familiar red head.

"Come on," Draco dragged him in with him.

Ron looked around the cafe as it brought back memories. This was his and Hermione's favorite café. They came all the time, it was nestled between the ministry for her and the stadium for him.

There was a bell that signaled a new costumer was coming in.

Ron looked up and saw Malfoy and Zabini coming in, both looking out of place in their business robes.

"This is just nuts." Blaise said as he and Draco sat down across from Ron.

"You wanted to meet." Ron said coolly. "And was it necessary to bring backup. If I knew..."

"Potter's still too annoyed with you using Teddy to get into Hermione's office to even answer any of your owls." Draco retorted. "And Blaise isn't back up. He's your body guard. He's here to keep me from slugging you one."

Blaise looked up at Draco in surprise. This was news to him. But it made sense. Damn Hermione really did a fine job on Draco. She had him whipped and neither probably even knew it.

"I'm here to talk about your challenge." Draco continued.

"So you accept."

"Not yet." Draco sighed. "I'm here to talk man to man first."

Ron gave him a stony look.

"I'm here to tell you that you treated Hermione like crap. And that you don't deserve her. And before you say anything, I'm aware she's probably too good for me too." Draco said before Ron could angrily say anything. "She's probably too good for either one of us but now is my chance. Years ago, I conceded to you because I truly believed that maybe you did deserve her and that you could make her happy. I loved her enough to let her go and be happy... with you. But you hurt her instead and made her feel ugly in her own skin. I will never forgive you for that. I've repaired some of the neglect you inflicted on her. So now I will tell you this. Be a man and let her go, let her be happy with me. She deserves to be happy and I will do everything to become a man worthy of her." Draco looked straight into Ron's eyes. "Let her go Weasley, if you truly love her, please let her go. You may not know this but you're hurting her all over again. And if we play the game, your relationship with her may be irreparable. She'll only see herself as a prize in your eyes."

Ron's jaw clenched as he listened to Draco's speech. Malfoy sounded so self righteous it made him pissed off.

"You called her mudblood for years and tortured her for years at Hogwarts. Now you say that you're in love with her! You don't expect me to honestly believe that do you." Ron yelled as he stood up from his chair.

Draco stood up. "No I don't give a damn if you believe it or not." He almost lunged at him but Blasie stopped him by grabbing his raised arm.

"You're a spoiled rich pureblood that thinks he can have anything. Well guess what ferret, you are not taking Hermione from me, you understand. She's been in love with me and we have history that you can never compare to."

"I may not you ass but I gave her up to you just for you to bloody treat her like dirt."

"I have never!"

"You may not remember it but it still there. Your cruelty to Hermione is still there. Just because you don't remember doesn't mean it never happened. It's just hidden for now but I guarantee you this, I'm never letting you hurt her ever again."

"Well then you better be prepared because I will kick your pale pureblood ass. She's mine and will always be mine." Ron snarled before walking out of the café angrily.

Draco clenched and unclenched his fists. Wealsey really pissed him off.

"So what's the food like here?" Blaise asked the waitress when she came around.