First round submission for the QLFC! This season I'm the Keeper for the Kestrels and I'm super excited to be trying something new! I'll get the full two weeks to write my prompt instead of having to race through it like the energizer bunny. As always, reviews are welcomed.

Prompt: Write about someone making the best out of a bad situation.

Disclaimer: As always I don't own a darn thing….not even this idea because I got help from my team mates haha

To say that, after the war, Draco Malfoy had turned completely around and accepted all things Muggle would be a huge lie.

However, while he no longer hated Hermione Granger, he couldn't help but hate her just a little bit at the moment.

They'd been working together for about three months in the Magical Law Enforcement division of the Ministry. Their partnership had started off rocky, with her not wanting to work with him for obvious reasons, and him wanting a more low key partner that wasn't still being splashed across the front page of the Prophet daily.

But they'd been stuck together, and while it wasn't always the most amicable, they'd managed to tolerate each other thus far.

Until today.

Until they were sent out on assignment to question a pair of Muggles who had seen a crime committed by a wizard who had used an Unforgivable.

Those Muggles happened to work in a building that had tight security. Not only did they have to be pat down, but they had to leave thier wands at the office. Hermione had explained to him that their wands interferred with Muggle technology the same way you couldn't use electronics at Hogwarts. If the Muggles were going to need to be Obliviated, a special squad would have had to be brought in for it anyways. Their job had just been to question them, to see if they actually believed what they had seen.

So, there they were, in a Muggle building without their wands and too many steps to climb. At least the building had a lift right?

Wrong.

The lift was stuck. The lift was stuck, they were stuck in the lift, and Hermione Granger had an extreme case of claustrophobia.

"Granger, I need you to calm down."

"I don't need you telling me what to do right now, Malfoy!" She'd been pacing back and forth and taking deep breaths for the past ten minutes. They'd been stuck for about twenty so far.

"Working yourself up over it isn't going to help, we don't have our wands, there is literally nothing we can do right now," he looked up at her from where he was sitting cross legged.

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to leave my wand at the office, why on earth would you listen to me about that?!"

Draco gave a small laugh, "YOU'RE the Muggle! You know far more about the Muggle world than I do, of course I was going to listen to you."

She stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes down at him, "since when do you just listen to me?"

Running a hand through his hair, he used the other hand to pat the spot on the floor next to him. "Sit down, Granger."

She closed her eyes and breathed a deep sigh before leaning against the wall and sliding down to sit next to him. Hugging her legs to her chest, she started rocking back and forth causing her breathing to become shallow. That was the only sound Draco had to listen to for a few minutes before she spoke again. "I mean it, why are you being nice to me?"

Draco looked at her from the corner of his eyes and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Since you haven't figured it out by now, I'm actually a decent person."

She gave an un-lady like snort that caused him to turn and look at her fully with a raised eyebrow. "I mean it, Granger. I haven't done anything to make you think otherwise, not since we started working together."

Pursing her lips, she looked away from him, "I'm surprised you even agreed to be partnered with me. I figured you would have bought your way out of it."

A few minutes passed between them before he replied softly, "I guess I deserve that."

A crackle over the speaker, and a male voice interrupted the silence, "we've almost got the issue worked out, so sorry about the trouble. We will get you guys out of there in no time."

Hermione let out another deep sigh and started rubbing at her temples, "I'm never going anywhere without my wand again."

Draco let out a short laugh, "you want to know why I agreed to be partnered with you, Granger?" He waited for her to look at him and acknowledge his question with a nod before continuing.

"I have always admired you, honestly. From day one you bested me in every class, except flying." He turned his body fully towards her when she smirked and rolled her eyes. "No matter how hard I tried, you were always better. A Muggle born girl, everything I was taught was supposed to be beneath me, not worthy of my time or attention. But you were, and I'm sorry that it was negative. I'm sorry for calling you names, and making you feel anything other than worthy of the magical blood running through your veins. At first I was just in disbelief that a Muggle could best me at anything, but as we got older I realized it was just who you were. You were just this extremely gifted Muggle-born and it came as easy to you as flying does to me. It's why I left you alone during sixth year, and why I didn't give you guys up at the Manor. I couldn't believe it when you and Potter stood up and testified on my behalf after the war, I thought to myself 'I'm not the worthy one'. But then I got a chance to make it all up, I was told you were going to be my partner when I joined the MLE and it was like getting a second chance. To prove that I could be good too, that I could be worthy."

Hermione shook her head, "who are you? What have you done with Draco Malfoy?"

Rolling his eyes he shrugged, "I imagine if you had your wand it would be pointed at me right now. But then again if you had your wand we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Thirty minutes stuck in the lift and we're going back to the office as what? Friends? The boys are going to have a fit when they hear about this." Hermione laughed.

"I can just imagine the look on Weasley's face now," Draco said, smiling at her. "I'm not asking for you to just forgive me and become friends though, Hermione."

Her head snapped up at the sound of him saying her name for the first time. She was about to say something but then was cut off as the lift jolted and started moving again. They both stood, waiting in silence as they climbed towards their floor.

Once they arrived, Hermione took a huge breath as she stepped out into the hallway. "I will definitely be taking the stairs back down."

Draco laughed and headed towards the office where they were supposed to have had their meeting half an hour ago. "Let's go get this over with, Granger."

Falling into step with him, she asked, "so if we'd never had gotten stuck would you have ever come clean about how you really felt?"

"Slytherins aren't really known for showing their feelings, maybe I was just lying to get you to calm down."

"You're a bad liar, Malfoy. If you keep it up people might start thinking you're being Imperio'd to be this cordial."

"Only to you, Granger. If you think I'll start being nice to Potter and Weasel, you're not as smart as I gave you credit for," he said.

"Maybe I should stick you in a small space with Ronald, see if you guys can't work out your differences." Hermione smirked at him.

Draco stopped and looked at her in mock terror, "you don't have enough Slytherin in you to try something like that."

When she didn't reply, he frowned for real. Laughing, she kept walking down the hallway with Draco staring after her. "Granger! That isn't funny!"

"C'mon, Malfoy. If were going to be friends you're going to have to get used to my sense of humor."

"Who said anything about being friends, Granger? I was just being nice, don't go telling the world now." He grumbled, catching up with her.

"Oh I plan on telling everyone, Malfoy."

"No one is going to believe you."

"Everyone will believe me, I'm Hermione Granger."

Draco deadpanned.

"Remind me to never get stuck in a Muggle lift with you again."