Chapter 1

Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she made her way across the atrium to the lifts in the center of the building. Once inside the lift, she pressed the button for the 32nd floor and took in a deep breath. She pulled down on her black pencil skirt and shifted her clutch back and forth between arms. Time seemed to stand still as she impatiently waited to reach her destination. As the lift slowed she felt an uncomfortable churn in her stomach but she ignored the sensation and quickly stepped out into the lobby. A young woman with dark rimmed glasses looked up and smiled as Hermione approached the reception desk.

"He is waiting for you in his office." The young woman informed her. Hermione paused for a brief moment before smiling her thanks and heading down the long hallway to her left. Her footsteps were steady as she made her way toward the door at the end of the hall and she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. Walking through that door would change her life forever and yet she wasn't able to determine if fear or sheer determination had dominated her feelings for the past week. It had taken seventeen days worth of consideration along with multiple meetings to iron out the agreement. She tried to think of everything, question every possible scenario so that she could fully understand the extent of the commitment she was making.

She knocked briskly before pushing open the door to reveal a large, bright modern space. Sunlight poured in through floor to ceiling windows lining the outer walls of his corner office.

"Granger", he acknowledged curtly as she entered his office. She turned briefly to close the door before facing him.

"Malfoy." She returned with a slight nod. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

He studied her for a moment trying to discern the reason for her visit. They had agreed to correspond with as few details as possible, in case an owl was intercepted, which left him wondering if she was here on another information seeking mission or if she had made a decision. She seemed more uneasy then the previous times she had been in his company and he noticed that her usual impatience was absent. In their past few meetings she would jump right into the questions that had been plaguing her, but this time she was reserved.

Once she was perched in the chair across from him, he spoke. "I'm going to guess that you are not here seeking information." It was not a question but a statement of his belief.

"You are right. That should make you happy since I have assaulted you with a plethora of questions and scenarios over the past couple weeks." She smiled a soft smile.

He gave a tight smile at her poor attempt to infuse humor into the tense atmosphere that had settled between them. "The only thing that will make me happy is for you to agree to my proposal." He answered truthfully.

"Right." She was silent for a moment while she studied his handsome features. He appeared calm on the outside just as he had each time they met and she wondered momentarily if he was always this formal and controlled. Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest and she took another deep breath, to calm her nerves.

"Yes. My answer is yes."

He stared at her for a few seconds before he slowly and carefully asked, "Are you sure? There is no turning back, no backing out." At her incredulous look, he added, "I know that you are not entering into this lightly but, I just want to be sure."

"Thank you for checking, but I'm sure." She responded adamantly. "I have been weighing this…proposal for the past two weeks and although I may not be entirely comfortable with particular aspects of our arrangement, I cannot pass up the opportunity you have provided me." She concluded.

He nodded his head in understanding. "Good. So then there should be no reason to postpone taking the vow." He determined.

"Right." She replied, her voice portraying a certainty that she didn't quite feel. She knew what they were agreeing to on paper and in theory. She had tried to think of another way that didn't involve taking a sacred vow, leaving her no option of escape if she changed her mind, but there was nothing. The brown eyed witch tried to imagine her life in six months from now, a year, two years… it was so difficult. She didn't know him well enough but she was also desperate and that had helped her reach her decision. She was too busy thinking through the logistics of their agreement to deal with her feelings about it. She knew her emotions would catch up with her at some point but she didn't want them to influence such an important decision about her future.

"Would you like to review the specifics?" He asked her in a flat tone that gave her no indication as to his feelings.

"No, Draco, that won't be necessary. I know what I'm agreeing to. I suppose there will still be plenty of little things that we will have to figure out together." she sent him a knowing look.

"Yes,…I suppose that is true." He looked lost in thought for just a moment before he stood and came around the desk to sit in the empty chair next to her. She had never seen him look nervous and today was no different. Although he seemed more rigid then normal his strong confidence was evident, overshadowing any other emotion that might be fighting its way to the surface.

"Do you know the incantation?" he asked.

"Yes, of course."

He waved his wand and the large blinds slid silently across the windows closing them off from the outside world. "Insulato", he said softly ensuring that they would not be overheard. She noticed that the lamp on his desk now provided the only light in the room and she looked around as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit office.

"Ready?"

"Ready." She assented.

The details of their arrangement were spoken aloud as their unbreakable agreement bound them to one another. Once the vow was sealed Hermione bit her lip as the last wisps of magic dissipated signaling the start of a new life. Draco gave her a smile she had never seen before, it was small but appeared genuine and she found the emotion curious on him. With a wave of his wand, the blinds silently slid open and the sunlight of the cool spring day flooded the office once more. He stood and offered his hand to help her up. She took it willingly but gave him a quizzical look. He pulled her up and then bent his head and placed a light kiss on the back of her hand.

"Thank you." He told her earnestly.

She was shocked by the contact and only nodded in response as she studied him. "I need to get back to work." She decided out loud, grabbing her clutch. He opened his office door for her and then continued with her down the hall to the lift. They walked in silence and Hermione idly wondered what would come next. She had already decided that she would let Draco take the lead since he seemed so confident in their abilities to pull this off. She would go along with whatever he requested of her, which made her anxious, but she was determined to show her commitment by openly trusting his decisions. He had been very forward with her in his intentions and had shown his commitment. She, on the other hand, had done nothing but question every detail of their arrangement, giving him reason to doubt her.

"Have dinner with me Saturday?" he asked as they waited for the lift to arrive, "I will pick you up at seven."

"That sounds fine." She responded and looked up giving him a forced smile.

She walked into the lift and flexed her hand in a small wave goodbye as the doors closed removing her from sight. Draco stood staring at the lift doors as he ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep calming breath before he turned around to face the rest of his day.

It was the day after she had taken the vow and she had been surprisingly successful in forcing down the realities of what occurred just the previous afternoon. Although a bit of anxiety had settled in her gut she had decided that she was going to take this a day at a time and that she would deal with the changes as they occurred. She stayed up late into the night reading until she was exhausted, too tired to think about what she had done. The morning arrived and with it regret. She hurried through her routine trying her best not to let the doubt consume her; she just needed to burry herself in work so she could escape the realities of her situation. On her way into her office she focused on the end result and that elated feeling that swelled inside of her at the thought. She knew she could do this, would do this. It was for them, not her, and she would survive, maybe even come out a better person in the end.

There was a knock on her door before Rachel, her secretary, poked her head in Hermione's office. "Draco Malfoy is here to see you." She announced with a smile.

"Oh…well…send him in." she responded, clearly surprised. Rachel left the door ajar and a few moments later Draco knocked as he pushed the door open.

"Malfoy?" she questioned as he came into view.

"Hello, Granger." He replied before he stopped to look around her cozy office.

"What…" she began before he cut her off.

"Are you free for lunch today?" He asked. "I had a meeting with Magical Law Enforcement this morning." He added as an explanation for his being at the Ministry.

"Oh…" she glanced at the calendar on her desk before answering him. "Yes, I'm free. Where did you want go?"

"Are you ok with eating upstairs? I don't have a lot of time but there is something I wanted to discuss with you."

She gave him a quizzical look but then smiled. "Everything alight?" she questioned as she came around her desk to join him.

"Perfect." he responded with a grin as he let her exit the office first and walked beside her down the hall that led to the lifts.

They were seated at one of the tables that lined the perimeter of the Ministry's café area. The pair had forged an understanding during the years following the war, which only helped to make their interactions more comfortable during the times they saw one another at various social functions. The conversation flowed smoothly throughout their lunch and she sensed that Malfoy was in a good mood, but it did little to quell her apprehension about their situation. She kept waiting for him to bring up his reason for wanting to see her today but he had not broached the topic. Her curiosity was eating at her and half a dozen possible reasons for their impromptu lunch ran though her head before she remembered their vow. She sighed realizing that there might not be any real reason for his sudden appearance in her office but the thought did not diminish her need for an explanation.

"So you wanted to see me? I suppose I need to get used to that?" She inquired with a hint of teasing to her words.

He gave her a small frown before his face became serious. "I'm committed, Granger, I told you that." He replied curtly as he leaned across the table slightly.

She was taken aback by the intensity of his tone. She knew he was committed to this but to hear him profess it made her nervous. Could she really do this, and with him? She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, it didn't matter now, she had taken a vow. She suddenly felt warm with embarrassment. Did he think that she wasn't taking this serious, that she wasn't committed? "I was only teasing you, Malfoy. I would never question your commitment and I hope you never have to question mine." She answered with an edge to her words.

A smirk broke out across his face in satisfaction at her words. He took a minute to look her over, enjoying the blush that lightly tinted her cheeks. She was undeniably beautiful, a fact that was not lost on him. This wasn't the first time he had noticed; he had been in her company far too many times over the past five years not to notice. She had changed since their days at Hogwarts; her hair tamed, her clothing more fitted and there was a maturity to her looks now.

He took his napkin from his lap, folded it in half and placed it on the table. "I donated a substantial amount of money to your research project today. I didn't do it personally; the funds came from my company so it won't look suspicious. We were very specific regarding the use of the funds, as we had discussed. I hope this will be satisfactory?"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock as his words hit her. She could feel the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks and she furiously wiped at her eyes before she pulled herself together and looked at Draco. "Thank you." She whispered.

He acknowledged her thanks with a nod and immediately looked away from her to check the watch on his wrist. He felt uncomfortable being faced with such a vulnerable witch; this was a side of her he never anticipated seeing. "I need to get back to my office. Can I walk you to the lift?" He asked as he stood and straightened his suit coat.

"Sure." She replied as she collected her thoughts and stood up.

They walked side by side out into the lobby at the Ministry. "I don't think any of this has really sunk in yet, I still feel a bit numb."

He didn't respond but instead slowed as they neared the lifts. He wasn't sure how to say good bye to her and mentally scolded himself for not considering this. Just then the lift opened and he realized he was out of time.

"I will see you Saturday." He told her.

"Thank you for lunch and...your help." She replied and offered a small smile before she turned and got on the lift. She watched his graceful strides take him back though the lobby as the door to the lift closed in front of her.

"Oi, Malfoy!" He heard someone call out to him as he headed for the street exit and he turned to see Harry approaching.

"Potter." He greeted with a nod.

"Glad I ran into you, saves me having to send an owl." He grinned. "Interested in a pick-up game on Sunday morning?" he questioned his former colleague.

"You know I can't pass up an opportunity to beat you at Quidditch." He replied with a smirk. "The normal place?"

"Yep, and Molly insists everyone stay for lunch… one of these days you have to stay, Malfoy." He added.

Draco nodded. "I might just do that." He offered, much to Harry's surprise. "Sunday, then." He confirmed and turned, walking to the exit.

"Sunday." He heard Harry cheerfully agree.