Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I don't make money from this story. I also feel obligated to state that don't own Les Miserables, as that was the inspiration for the title/ chapter title of the fic.

September 12, 2000 London, England - Knockturn Alley

Hermione Granger held her head high as she hurried down the grimy, dimly-lit street. She'd been running behind all day, and the tiff she'd had with Ron that morning wasn't helping her mood. She was nearly knocked over once by a tall man, who paled when he rounded on her and was met with a glare. If looks could kill, he'd have been six feet under before he could say Avada Kedavra.

Never before did Hermione think she'd actually resort to going to Knockturn Alley to find what she needed at work. Price wasn't an issue; the Ministry would foot the bill for whatever she needed for her research. They needed her project completed as soon as possible and she knew it. She and her partner were feeling the pressure. She'd been losing sleep, skipping meals, even spending a few nights in the Department of Mysteries looking for a lead, something, anything that could give her a lead. Which is exactly why she was headed to Borgin & Burkes.

She'd been trying to avoid the place, and her partner, while better acquainted with the area, had preferred to avoid it as well, if all possible. He'd chosen not to join her, and had requested she not go at all, but Hermione couldn't help a feeling in her gut telling her she needed to make this trip. She was careful, though. She had to go to the apothecary to gather ingredients for a Dreamless Sleep potion, as her stock was dwindling fast. The apothecary in Diagon Alley had had most of what she needed, but they had been out of a couple of her required ingredients, likely due to returning Hogwarts students depleting the stock. So she ducked into the dark apothecary, ignoring the scowling attendant at the counter.

Hermione had actually been to this apothecary before on a few occasions, as it was cheaper than the one in Hogsmeade. She quickly scanned the shelves, picking up what she needed and a few other odds and ends she knew she was nearly out of before heading to the counter. She didn't talk to the cashier as he bagged up her ingredients carefully, not that he looked very friendly anyhow. She pulled out five galleons, more than enough to cover what she owed. As she place the money on the counter, the man looked at her as if she was the thickest person on the planet. He tapped a little sign taped onto the front of the cash register.

"Exact change only?All I've got is galleons! I don't have time for this nonsense. Keep the bloody change." She snapped, her face turning red. She'd had nothing but trouble all day and if this man thought he was going to make it worse with some stupid store policy, he had another thing coming. She was surprised when the man merely shrugged, apathetic, and handed her the bag. She huffed, turning on her heels and walking out.

She'd calmed down slightly by the time she reached Borgin & Burkes. She felt sick to her stomach with anxiety. If there was anything that could help her, it would be here. She took a breath before opening the door and entering the dark little shop. To her dismay, Mr. Borgin was already occupied with another customer. Hermione didn't see who it was, as there were several display cases blocking her view, but she could hear the low conversation. She busied herself with looking through the display cases near the door for anything that would be of use, when she heard a phrase from a voice that she knew too well.

"It's a prototype, none like it left in existence. And all of the working ones aren't exactly accessible, now, are they?" She heard the man say. She worked her way towards the counter, still searching for the thing she now felt certain she would find if she were to look up at the pair at the counter.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but I have told you, after the er, incident with the vanishing cabinet, Mr. Burke and I no longer wish to engage in dealings with the Malfoy family. Now if you'll excuse me," Mr. Borgin said, looking past Draco Malfoy to acknowledge Hermione, "I have a customer to attend to." Malfoy placed the object in his hand back into a small box, after wrapping it in a cloth carefully. He turned, facing Hermione for the first time. She gasped.

His hair had grown out a bit, looking rather shaggy and unkempt. He clearly hadn't shaved in a few days, as his face was scruffy. His eyes were dull, dark bags shadowed beneath them. Even his attire was a statement to his ill-kept lifestyle. He wore slacks and a white button up, but they were both wrinkled, and he work the shirt untucked. There was a large yellowed stain in the front of his shirt, but he didn't seem to care. He caught her eye, a frown creasing his brows immediately. His eyes lit up a bit as he was clearly trying to figure out what she was doing there.

The pair stared at each other for several moments before Mr. Borgin cleared his throat, snapping the two of them back to the real world.
"Granger." He said in greeting, nodding to her.

"Malfoy." She said, returning the gesture. His eyes darkened, and he quickly brushed past her, then out the door. She shook her head to clear it before moving up to the counter.

"Hello, I was wondering if you perhaps have anything related to a time-turner or an hour reversal device?" Hermione asked pleasantly. Mr. Borgin grunted.

"Perhaps I should have taken the young Malfoy up on his offer after all if I could have turned a profit this quickly." Hermione's brows tugged together.

"You mean- so I did hear him correctly. He has a prototype for a time-turner?" Hermione asked, a little shocked.

"S'what he claims, yeah. Looks genuine, too. An' I can't say I have anything particularly like that, neither." the man told her.

"Could you- I don't know- owl Malfoy? Tell him you have a potential buyer, that'd you'd be interested in taking the prototype off his hands? I'd be willing to pay double what you give him for it." Hermione asked hopefully.

"Nice as that sounds, little lady, what I said to Malfoy still stands. Caractacus and I may not be in the business of moral fibre, but when we decide something, it holds firm. If you're that interested in what that shadow of a man has to offer, I'd suggest you run along after him." Mr. Borgin said, sounding final.

"Yes, well, thank you for your time." Hermione said before turning and walking quickly out of the shop. She walked swiftly down the street towards Diagon Alley, hoping to catch a glimpse of blonde hair in the dark alley. She wasn't surprised when she found she'd lost him. With the way her day was going, she pretty much expected it. She sighed, then slowed her pace and made her way to the nearest apparition point. She might as well get back to work and let Theo know what she'd found out.

Later, Department of Mysteries Time Room

Hermione opened the door to the small office she shared with Theodore Nott with a bit of wandless magic, as her hands were full with take away. As she expected, Theo was still sitting behind his desk, his dark head bent over a thick book, and quill in hand. He barely even looked up when he heard the door open. Hermione smiled at her partner.

"Theo, have you been sitting like that all day?" She asked with a chuckle. He finally raised his head, sitting his quill down. He shook his head to get a few of his dark locks out of his eyes, shooting her a grin.

"And so what if I have?" He asked in his deep bass. It always threw Hermione off just a little that a voice that deep could come from someone so quiet. Theo rarely spoke without thinking extensively on what he had to say. Hermione shrugged, setting the food down on her relatively clean desk. She knew it was only clean because she didn't like to leave papers strewn about when she was out.

"Not like I haven't done the exact same, I suppose." She said, pulling out the containers of food and handing him one of the boxes.

"Chow mein for you, sweet and sour pork for me." She said, then held up a little wax paper bag. "And four spring rolls to split."

"Hermione, I seriously don't understand how you know my takeaway order. All you're missing is the-" Hermione pulled out a bottle from the second bag she had and placed it on his desk.

"Ginger beer." Theo smiled at her, shaking his head.

"This is either a testament to how often in one and half year's time that we've eaten together in this office, or a testament to your insane attention to detail and memory recall." He said, opening his box of noodle.

"Both?" Hermione shrugged, sinking into her chair. She threw a pair of chopsticks at the man across from her before clicking on the light on her desk and digging into her own food.

"You're right, probably both." Theo said with a chuckle. They tucked in, both eating in silence for a few moments.

"So it's been a bad day, huh?" Theo asked, watching Hermione carefully.

"Why'd you say that?" She said, wondering how he'd guessed. Hermione was normally pretty detached when she came into work. Even if she was having a bad day, the second she entered the office, she felt more relaxed, as though all the outside pressure of the world fell away. Recently, the pressure from inside her office had been replacing it, anyhow.

"You starve yourself when you're stressed, so it's not that. You've been showing up with your make up smeared as though you've been crying for the past two days, and then you bring back takeaway after going to find intel on our biggest project. Kinda speaks for itself, wouldn't you say?" Hermione allowed herself a low chuckle.

"'And you say I have an insane attention to detail and memory recall." She murmured. "Yeah. there's some- things- going on at home. Nothing big, just a row or two." she said, not meeting his eye.

"Has he raised a hand to you?" Theo said, his voice suddenly tense and demanding. Hermione met his blue eyes across the room.

"N-no. Not intentionally. He accidently pushed me, but it was my fault for being too close to him when he stormed off." Hermione said quietly. She saw Theo's jaw clench, but she knew he wouldn't contest that. It wasn't intentional, that was what mattered in the moment. He nodded curtly.

"If he hurts you, Hermione, just know I'm only an owl away." Theo said, his voice softening a bit. She nodded, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fill her eyes.

"Thanks, Theo. I'm not sure Harry knows how bad things between Ron and I have gotten, or even whose side he'd pick." She distracted herself by picking up a piece of pork and stuffing it into her mouth.

"Like I said, I'm an owl away. If you need it, I have a spare room with your name on it." He said sincerely. "Can't have my partner sleeping in the office. Just wouldn't be fitting." he smiled. She actually laughed at that.

"Yeah, because we've never done that before." She said, not realizing how it sounded until he raised his eyebrows at her. She blushed bright red. "You know what I mean." she said quickly

"Oh, I know what you mean, Hermione, but what you mean and what you said are two very different things." he chuckled.

"Pervert." she said, feeling a heat in her cheeks that rivalled a sunburn.

"And proud of it." Theo retorted, taking a bite of spring roll. Hermione had to distract him or her face would be red the rest of the evening.

"So I stumbled upon someone when I was in Borgin & Burkes." Hermione said, watching Theo's face change from amused to curious in the span of a few seconds.

"That so? And who might this mystery person be?" he asked.

"I believe you know him rather well, Theo. It was Draco Malfoy." She said carefully, watching his face.

"Draco? You're sure?" he asked, his face a clear indicator of his surprise and what Hermione thought looked like concern.

"Of course I'm sure, Borgin even called him by name. Why?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"He's been underground since the trials, Hermione. Almost literally. The Ministry claimed the manor, took nearly his entire vault at Gringotts for reparations. He and his mum had moved to some little rundown cottage in Cornwall, last I heard." Hermione paled. So that explained his physical appearance. And his apparent need for money.

"That makes sense." Hermione started. "He was trying to sell something to Borgin. I didn't get a look at it, but Borgin did. Malfoy described it as a prototype for what I presume was a time-turner, he alluded to the rest being rendered useless, and Borgin confirmed that was indeed what it looked like. Theo pondered on that a moment.

"Yes, it is possible. His father kept a collection of dark artefacts that he quite adored. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Draco and Narcissa were able to gather up a few of them before the Ministry could seize them. Do you think this could be what our research is missing?" he asked, before taking a sip of his ginger beer.

"I think it could at least provide us with a bit of progress to get Robins off of our back." Hermione said, with a shrug. "It's a lead. Might not be a very good one, but it's more than we've had in about two months. If we don't produce more than very well-defined research notes for these improved time-turners soon, we could lose our jobs." Theo nodded.

"I'll owl him tonight, see if he can come in this week. We'll pick his brain, see if he knows anything about the device, and we can even try and buy it off him. I'd like to catch up with him a bit too. I'm not sure how you feel about meeting with him, though." Theo said, his blue eyes flashing to her brown for a moment. Hermione hadn't given it much thought. Would she want to be present? Would she want to sit across from the man who had mercilessly teased her throughout school, the man who bullied her because of her blood? The man who looked like hell in that shop. The man who she'd seen fall apart at the seams the last two years she'd known him. She decided then that she had to know what had happened to him.

"I want to be there. He was civil when he saw me in Borgin's. I don't know what's happened to him since the trials, but I want to know. Besides, if I get along so well with you, I see no reason I shouldn't get along at least civilly with Malfoy." Hermione said, carefully. Theo watched her with his knowing eyes. Finally, he nodded his approval.

"I'll set it up. I'll let you know when, if, I get a reply." he said, taking another bite of noodles. Hermione sighed. The hardest part of the day was done and there was a light at the end of the tunnel. She debated packing up and going home, but then she remembered who was in her little flat, waiting on her.

"Not leaving anytime soon, eh?" Theo asked, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "That's all right. I'll show you the schematics I dug out of the archives earlier. They were a different design than we've seen to date."

Hermione smiled at the man. He understood her need to work to forget, but he also seemed to know better than to leave her there alone. And for that, she was grateful.