Hermione walked briskly to her office.

She neither noticed the stares that she was receiving from the people she passed nor the appreciative looks many males had as they watched her go past. She was fully concentrated on the Daily Prophet article in her hand. Splat on the front page of the cover was her and Malfoy!

Mystery Girl Still Unknown

There have been many speculations on who the latest squeeze of the scrumptious Draco Malfoy is. Many have suggested Taylor Ewin, The newest pop sensation. Though Taylor and her rep deny these allegations though Ewin did quote she wouldn't mind at all being the lucky girl in the picture. But don't we all?

Though a reliable source has told us that she is not just a rebound of Sadie Rayne...

"My god, this is ridiculous. This is the headline news? What rubbish." Hermione muttered as she walked into her department.

"I'm sorry are you lost?"

Hermione looked up. It was one of her co-workers. Ken Hamilton. All the females, especially the secretaries were always gossiping about him. And trying to vie for him too. It was a bit sad really even her assistant did so.

But he did have soft brown hair and blazing blue eyes. His grin was a lady killer and she would bet he could charm anyone out of their, well knickers. She'd met him often for the harder cases. He was pleasant, very nice and polite not to mention easy on the eyes. She could see why the women all fell for him. But there were speculations whether he was straight. He'd never heed any attention on any of the women there.

"No Hamilton, I'm perfectly fine." Hermione said giving a soft smile before she began to walk around him.

Hermione was stopped when he lightly touched her elbow while she was passing. Hermione looked up at him questioningly.

Seconds went by as he just stared at her.

"Oh my goodness, Hermione Granger?"

She didn't look that different did she? Hermione asked herself when Ken had apologized for being rude though she didn't think he had been.

Well maybe she did look slilghtly different. Hermione thought as she touched her hair. Her hair was soft and sleek with slight curls now and she had it in a butterfly clippie instead of her normal severe bun. And her outfit...

Hermione grimaced. It was one that Malfoy had picked out himself and that said enough on it's own. It was a purple blouse with a pretty low cut neckline though she was wearing a grey undershirt. It still fit rather snug and hugged every curve. She also had on a grey tulip skirt that complimented the shirt and was just as snug and fitting as the shirt. She also wore a pair of satin heels the same deep purple color as her shirt.

Who the bloody hell was she kidding, she looked like the stereotypical image of a desperate secretary.

Hermione was planning wonderful ways of hexing Malfoy painfully when a large array of flowers caught her eye.

The whole array was full of purple flowers.

Tulips, Carnations, lilies, poppies, you named it, it was there and was dyed purple. The whole array was at least the size of a kitchen sink.

Hermione blinked. Rubbed her eyes and blinked again.

"Oh my god, it's for you." Her assistant gushed when she saw her from the corner of her eye.

"He didn't." Hermione muttered.

"Who's he... Ohmigod, Hermione you look gorgeous!" Her assistant said her jaw agape.

Hermione flushed. "I felt like a change."

"Well you look, ah-mazing. Really."

"Thanks Anna." Hermione said smiling softly.

Anna then peered at her. "Wait a second... You're...you're Mystery Woman!"

"Shhhhhhh." Hermione nearly jumped to where her assistant was and put a finger over her lips.

"Oh, it's a secret. Don't worry, I got it." Then she did a motion of zipping her lips. "Since you're here, can I open the card? Is it from... him?"

"Anna." Hermione warned.

"Oh phooey."

Hermione levitated the arrangement to her office and set it on one of the window sills. It was a very extravagant arrangement. The most extravagant she'd ever seen. But even she had to admit it was beautiful. Looking at it, she couldn't recall Ron buying her flowers before... and definitely not like the array in front of her.

Hermione opened the card gingerly, almost as if she didn't want to know the content of the letter.

Granger,

I still can't believe that you and Blaise are going to the gala together.

That really puts a damper on my plans. That does not make me happy in the slightest.

But I am willing to forgive you. Have lunch with me today. Then I may forgive you or not.

Draco Malfoy

Hermione called for one of the Ministry owls to come to her window so that she could send her own letter. She watched as it went until it was a mere speck in the sky.

!

Draco was actually in the middle of a business transaction when an owl came swooping into his office. He stared at the ugly grey owl unsure of what to make of it.

"I'm sorry, if you would just excuse me for a second." He said.

He took the envelope from the owl seeing that on the front in nice cursive font was

Hermione Granger

Head of Magic Perversion

Malfoy

Wow, what a way to sound like a spoiled brat.

But I accept.

Hermione

P.S.

The flowers are unnecessary but they are gorgeous.

He couldn't help but laugh.

Only Granger would have the guts to be so blunt to him.

!

Hermione sent Harry's chocolate to the Auror department knowing that it would get to him. She just wasn't quite ready to reveal herself to him. It wasn't that she was embarrassed. It was more of she knew that Harry may not approve and at the moment that was the last thing she needed. She needed all her friends right now and most of all Harry.

Hermione rubbed her temple.

Ginny had called her last night and made her tell everything but she hadn't or more like couldn't. Her and Malfoy had promised each other they wouldn't tell anyone and that included Ginny. So instead she had told Ginny that Malfoy had barged into her office and her life again out of the blue. Which was true. She had also said that Malfoy had helped her heal from Ron's deception and heartbreak. Which was also true. But she had said that it was time for a change. Which was true but that wasn't why she looked like what she did now. It wasn't as if she was going to tell Ginny that Malfoy had decided to give her a makeover with the help of a gorgeous Scandinavian hair dresser. So Ginny knew it was her who was the mystery woman. 

The secret wasn't going to be staying so very long. Anna knew, Ginny did, so Harry would. And if they knew, then the whole Weasley clan knew so... oh god she was getting a headache.

Not knowing what else to do Hermione began to dig into her paperwork the one nonstressor in her life at the moment. It wasn't long until she was buried into it and enjoying herself.

Hermione groaned. Here she was twenty-two and she still considered paperwork fun. No wonder Ron had left her. There was something seriously wrong with her.

!

Draco looked at the clock in his office. It said five minutes till eleven.

He sighed as he put the paper down. The transaction would be completed tomorrow so he needed to make sure he read the contract thoroughly but he was impatient. He didn't honestly care much for this deal but... it would make a lot of money and he had sacrificed his relationship with Sadie for it. Not that there had been much of a relationship in the first place but still he didn't want all that time to be wasted.

Maybe an hour with Granger would get him rejuvenated.

Ugh he did not just think that did he? Oh Merlin he was already becoming attached to Granger again in a span of days. That was not a good sign.

But they were just friends and she understood him like no other. She wasn't afraid to call him things. Like spoiled brat as was in her latest letter. He remembered bemused. She made him laugh and be himself without a thought. This was definitely not good at all. But there was no chance in hell that he was going to stop anytime soon.

There was a chime from the clock, signaling an hour had gone by. It was now eleven.

Draco swept his robe from the back of his chair and told his secretary that he was off for lunch.

!

There was a knock at her door.

Hermione called out yes not even bothering to look up from her papers.

"I see you put the flowers in a good place." Draco said as he entered and closed the door behind him.

Hermione looked up. "They're beautiful, I couldn't put them somewhere to be hidden."

"I knew you'd like them." Draco said giving a somethat smug grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"You ready for lunch? I made reservations."

"I don't really have a choice do I?"

"Nope."

Hermione shook her head and got out of her chair. "Let me tell Anna first then we can head off."

When Hermione opened the door, there was the sound of scrambling and as the door opened, three bodies fell on the floor as they had been leaning on said door.

The people on the floor were Anna, Blaise, and Harry. Blaise happened to be at the very bottom with a squished extended ear underneath him.

"Anna Ross, Blaise Zabini, Harry James Potter, you have better not have been eavesdropping on us!" Hermione all but yelled.

All three flinched while Draco looked quite bemused as his mate and his pain were chastised by his "pretend" girlfriend.

!

"I'm so sorry for that Draco." Hermione said as they walked down the halls of the Ministry.

"You don't need to apologize. Heck we're lucky, I think that Potter wouldn't have let me take you to lunch if we hadn't caught him snooping."

Hermione gave a little laugh. "You're probably right on that one."

Just as Hermione finished her sentence, there was a brilliant flash of light followed by yelling.

"Mr. Malfoy, who is your lady friend?"

"What's your name pretty lady?"

"Draco Malfoy, over here."

As well other similar questions were being yelled at them while flashes of bulbs went off constantly.

Draco took his arm and wrapped it around Hermione trying to shield her from the press.

It only seemed to make them to go crazier though.

"Please move. We have a luncheon we must make." Draco said coldly to a reporter.

Lucky for him the reporter was new and was very afraid of Draco. He moved easily.

"This is nuts." Draco muttered then ushered them quickly to one of the floo stations, the press at their heels.

"Hold on tight." Draco murmured.

Hermione did and wrapped her arms around his waist.

They got to lunch just in time.  Neither worried about the paparazzi. They were dining at the Midnight Sonia and one of it's selling points was privacy which meant that they specialized in keeping the press out and giving you your own privacy.

Tables were spread far apart. A netting was even put over the tables that obscured the vision not to mention that the areas were sound proof.

"This place is amazing." Hermione said.

"Yeah. It's quite an achievement of theirs to make it so... private. Like as if you're the only one in the room."

"I came here before for Harry's 21st birthday."

"I bet, any other place would've been infested with paparazzi."

Hermione nodded.

"Seriously we need to start calling eachohter by our first names." Draco said as he leaned comfortably against his chair.

"Well okay, so Draco how's your day been?"

!

"Miss Rayne what would you like?"

Sadie sighed. "I don't know. Ron, what are you getting."

"Lamb chops."

Sadie made a face. "I don't see how you can eat that, it's so..."

Ron resisted the urge to groan. Sadie was a veggiemen or something of the sort and ragged on him over and over about eating. The only time she didn't was when he ate crackers and cheese but a man couldn't just eat that. Hermione had never a problem, hell she'd even let him eat off her plate...

"What's your special?" Sadie asked the waiter.

"Well today the special at Midnight Sonia is a..."

!

"Wait hand the contract to me." Hermione said.

Draco looked at her funny. "Why?"

"Just let me look at it." Hermione growled.

Draco raised his hands in mock surrender. "Yes m'am."

Hermione read it though. She stopped at one part and frowned. "Draco do you read Latin?"

"Not very well, I just know family crests and such why?"

"Because on here it says that if company files for bankruptcy, the CFO and CEO are guaranteed 10% of the main company's share holdings each."

"What!" Draco nearly jumped out of his seat.

Draco leaned over Hermione's shoulder and put a translation spell on the paper. The Latin words translated right into English. It didn't say exactly what Hermione did but she had gotten the main gist. Draco clenched his jaw.

"Your foods are-" The waiter came in with the plates.

"Hermione do you mind if we take it to go and head back to my office? I need to get this straightened out."

Hermione nodded.

"Can we have those to go?"

"Si, si." The waiter responded quickly before the two plates became a container with the signia of the restaurant on it.

"Put it on my tab if you don't mind."

"Not at all Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione sighed as she once again was unable to pay. However she wasn't going to make a fuss as Draco seemed rather preoccupied with the contract and needed to focus all of his attention on it.

!

He was ignoring whatever Sadie was talking about, which was most likely this famous person or that. Rather he was staring out of the nets and even though the view was a bit obscured, he could still tell some features so when he saw what looked like a man and a woman walking together out of one of the tables, he noticed what seemed to be pale blond hair. The first thought that came to him was Malfoy.

Usually he wouldn't have cared but after last night with Ginny calling Hermione and Malfoy picking up...

He stood up and pushed the net to the side wanting to see for himself if it was Hermione. He just missed them, as when he looked out they had flooed away.