Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hermione rubbed her temples. Her work with the goblins was not going well. They were obstinate, much more obstinate than anyone had a right to be. She had tried to understand them, tried to relate to them, treated them as more than equal to her and still she was getting nowhere.

Even though it was the middle of the day, she needed a break. She needed to get out of her office, out of the Ministry and enjoy some real sunlight.

Just walking out of the office made her feel more relaxed. Of course it did not help that not only was she getting stress from her job, but she was also getting stress at home from Ron. He did not bring up their future every day, but two or three times a week he could be counted on to say something – even if it was an offhanded comment about children. And it had not helped when they had learned that Percy and his wife, Audrey, were expecting another child. To Hermione it seemed as though everyone was having children and the world was conspiring against her desire to do something other than become a mother.

Molly had been asking them to come over for dinner for several weeks. Hermione had been finding reasons not to go to the Burrow, but she knew that she was running out of excuses. They would have to go soon, and then she would be assaulted with how wonderful it is to have family and aren't the grandchildren precious and wouldn't you like to have one of your own? The fact that she was trying to make the wizarding world a better place was seemingly inconsequential compared to grandchildren, she scoffed.

There mere thought of that dinner made her head throb even worse, and she forced thoughts of it out of her mind. Nothing was to be gained by dwelling on what other people thought of her. When she reached the main lobby of the Ministry, she decided to take the Floo to Diagon Alley. She preferred Apparition, but with her headache, she did not trust herself to not Splinch.

Once at The Leaky Cauldron, she exited into the alley to enter Diagon Alley proper. She was not in the mood for heavy pub food. Instead she decided she would get some coffee and perhaps a pastry from the new French bakery.

After ordering, she found a secluded table and pulled out a book to read. She figured that half an hour or so would be enough to refresh herself for the rest of the day. Normally she wouldn't have left during the middle of the workday, but she had reached her breaking point. She had spent her day trying to convince those above her that even though she was young, her opinions were still valuable. Apparently all they saw was just another low-level employee still paying her dues. She could not believe how myopic the Ministry was and it frustrated her. All she wanted was for them to seriously consider the ideas she had, not just dismiss them with a curt 'we'll take it into consideration' which translated to 'thanks but no thanks'.

She easily became absorbed in her book and so was surprised to hear someone say, "Excuse me." She looked up and was even more surprised to see Lucius Malfoy.

"I beg your pardon, Mrs. Weasley, but I was wondering if this seat was taken?" he asked cordially, a slight grin on his lips.

She was just about to tell him that while it was not taken she wanted to be alone when a quick glance showed that all of the other tables were taken. She sighed. "No, it's not."

"I do apologize for intruding on your solitude," he said sincerely as he took the empty chair.

She tried to return to her book, but found herself having a difficult time even though he was doing nothing to disturb her. Finally she just put her book away and decided to concentrate on her coffee and pastry.

"Are you well?" he asked, concern clear in his voice.

Looking up to meet his eyes, she snapped, "Why do you want to know?"

"Forgive me for sounding concerned. I just thought that you look a little sallow, tired." He sounded hurt from the harshness in her voice.

She realized she was taking out her frustrations on someone who had done nothing to offend her for years. In fact, she could not recall having interacted with him since his trial. "I'm sorry. I'm just under a lot of stress, that's all."

"Yes, working for the Ministry can be quite stressful, can't it?" he asked before taking a sip of his tea.

She wanted to ask him what he would know of that, but she forced herself to be civil. "Very, but also very rewarding." The response came automatically since she was used to defending her job by now – after all, she had to do it constantly with Ron.

"Have you considered a different career?" he asked offhandedly.

She grew a little suspicious over this question. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"I was merely trying to strike up conversation while enjoying my tea. I beg your pardon if my questions were too intrusive," he said in a chastised voice.

"Is that really it?" she asked suspiciously.

"Are you implying something?" he asked flatly as he set his cup down.

She leaned towards him across the table and lowered her voice. "Look, you've made no secret that you don't like my kind, and that you don't think much of me, but you had to have chosen to sit at my table for a reason." She was convinced he was manipulating her in his very Slytherin way, and she'd be damned if she was going to let him get away with it.

"To address the latter first, I chose this table because there was an open seat. Since you were buried in your book, I had no idea that you were the other occupant. As to the former, I will agree that I have been... disrespectful towards Muggle-borns in the past. The events of the war taught me many things, and one of them was that all persons of magical ability should be included in our world. As to you," he stared into her eyes showing sincerity, "I have come to have a great deal of respect for your skills. It was your actions that caused me to reevaluate my stance towards Muggle-borns, to realize that pureblood familial prejudices are to be questioned."

She continued to eye him warily, trying to decide if he was sincere in his words. After all, his words were the same sentiments expressed in the current popular political circles, and Lucius Malfoy was a consummate politician who excelled at telling people what they wanted to hear. But she had detected no deception in his voice or demeanor. Completely shocked by his apparent honestly, she asked, "Really?"

He picked up his teacup and took another sip. "Indeed. And I cannot blame you for being suspicious given my past behavior. But if you will look into what I have done since the war, who I have hired since then, I think that you will see that my words are sincere." He took one last sip of his tea before setting the cup down. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must be returning to work." He rose and gave her a polite bow. "I hope that you found our conversation quite enlightening. Good day, Mrs. Weasley," he said softly and sincerely.

Hermione found her heart fluttering as he delivered his farewell because of the smile he gave her. It was a smile that made her feel special in a way that Ron's smiles never did. She was still taken aback by the warmth in his eyes. Those were not the same eyes she remembered from before the war. Those had been cold and calculating eyes, eyes that told you to be wary of the person they belonged to. Of course, the war had changed everyone.

He had told her he had changed and that she could see that if she looked into his actions since the war. She had not cared much about what happened to the former Death Eaters. The worst of them had been sent to Azkaban. At that time, she had pitied the Malfoys and come to respect Narcissa for risking everything to help Harry defeat Voldemort. But she had never really felt anything for Lucius. She had believed that he very well might not have had a choice about becoming a Death Eater, though she did not think his circumstances were as dire as Draco's.

Harry and Ron had been upset that Lucius had weaseled out of punishment again, but the Wizengamot had been more open-minded than her friends. While he had been given his freedom, it was on a very strict probation, one that most of the wizarding world had accepted. She had seen the logic in the Wizengamot's sentence and had tried to argue it with Harry and Ron, but had quickly given up because they would not be swayed.

When it came to Draco, it was no secret the two of them had never gotten along at school, but she had never wished him ill will. Instead, she had hoped that he would one day become enlightened about the value of the Muggle-borns, though given the fact he had been in Slytherin, she had not been hopeful.

She knew that she should return to the office, but Lucius had piqued her curiosity. While her work could wait a little while, it wouldn't be like her to disappear for the afternoon. She decided that instead she would leave a little early and stop at the library on the way home.

For the rest of the week, Hermione made stopping at the library on the way home a habit if her work did not keep her too late. From everything she could read about Lucius and Malfoy Industries, it really did seem as though he was reformed. He had not only hired Muggle-borns, but he had placed them in some rather important positions, positions in which he would have to interact with them on a regular basis. Justin Finch-Flechly had recently been promoted to the Head of Marketing for Wizardgate Books and there was a picture of the two of them in the Daily Prophet and Lucius had his arm around Justin's shoulder.

Then she started to dwell on his question to her at bakery. He had asked her if she had considered a different career. To be honest, she had not. She knew that to affect change in the wizarding world, she would have to work for the Ministry. After all, that's where the laws were made. And his suggestion included breaking with Ministry hierarchy.

But after five years of having to deal with the reality of working for the bureaucracy, she started to wonder how much of a difference she was really making. She was still just one of the many faceless employees within her department. Her ideas were rarely respected and were generally dismissed, no matter how reasonable they were. She was beginning to wonder how long it would take before she would rise to a position where someone would listen to her. If the wizarding world was anything, it was very resistant to change – such as most choosing to wear antiquated robes rather than more modern garments.

Deciding she needed some fresh air to clear her mind, she left and strolled down Diagon Alley. If she did leave the Ministry, what would she do? She had done well in school and after the war had been allowed to sit her NEWTs. Taking into account the practical knowledge of magic she had demonstrated during what would have been her seventh year, she had naturally achieved Outstandings in every subject. Of course, being who she was, she was sure that most places would be glad to hire her for the prestige of having one of the War's biggest heroes as an employee regardless of her qualifications.

She entertained the thought of teaching at Hogwarts, helping the next generation of witches and wizards grow into productive members of society. It was a noble profession, but she was not sure she really wanted to do that. It would take years for her efforts to pay off, and Minerva had assembled an excellent staff after the war, so she had no idea what she would teach.

Other than what she had learned about Malfoy Industries over the past few days, she realized that she did not know that much about the major wizarding companies. Oh, she knew the basics such as what they produced, but she had never really put much thought into most of them.

She had been good at Potions, so maybe she could work at St. Mungo's? The work would be rewarding, and then she could pursue any Potion's research she wished. And it would definitely be interesting since you never knew what would be needed on any given day. Just like at Hogwarts, witches and wizards were constantly having magical accidents. But St. Mungo's was another bureaucracy, and she wasn't sure that's what she wanted. She would once again be starting at the bottom and feared that until she had worked her way up, she would get little respect.

Clearly she would have to put some time and effort into deciding what she wanted to do with her life. But at this point, she was reasonably sure that she did not want to continue toiling away at the Ministry in a job that had negligible impact.

Of course, this was not something that she could tell Ron. If she told him she was considering leaving the Ministry and changing jobs, he would use that as reason enough that she should take time off and stay at home and start a family. No, she would only tell him once she had selected her new job.

She lost herself in her thoughts, trying to determine the best way to go about looking for a new job without Ron finding out about it, when she bumped into someone coming out of a shop. "Pardon me," she said and then looked up to see who it was. "You!"

"Good evening to you, Mrs. Weasley. And it is my turn to beg for pardon," replied Lucius Malfoy.

She had gone five years without seeing Lucius and now she had run into him three times in the last few weeks. If she believed in Divination, she might think this was an omen. "No, it's my fault. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going," she replied, slightly embarrassed that she had run into him, literally, yet again.

"We do seem to be making a habit of this," he replied jovially.

She returned his smile, finding it infectious. She was going to comment on it being a habit when it started raining. The drops were fairly light for a moment before they quickly became bigger and more persistent as they landed heavily on her head.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, uselessly flinching away from the water bombarding her. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Malfoy, for running in to you again, but I'm going to leave now and get home." She didn't wait for his reply, and instead she turned for the Leaky Caldron where she could Floo home. She was too preoccupied with her desire to stay as dry as possible to be worried about any rudeness her abrupt departure might have caused, so she was surprised when Malfoy fell in to step beside her.

"I'm fine, really. You don't have to follow me," she said, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.

"No need to be paranoid, my dear. I happen to have business at The Leaky Cauldron," he replied simply. "If you will allow me?" he asked as he pulled out his wand and cast a water repelling charm.

Hermione mentally kicked herself. She had been so distracted with her thoughts and the strangeness of running into Malfoy again, that she had forgotten she could use magic to stay dry. "Thank you," she replied quietly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"My pleasure," he responded cordially, no sign of derision in his voice. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, "How is work at the Ministry?"

"Busy, more of the same," she replied somewhat evasively. It was a perfectly innocent question, but it put her a little on edge.

"Good to see the Ministry is utilizing your talents," he replied simply.

"Oh, yes," she answered quickly, almost too quickly. She did not want to admit to him that while she was working hard, she still did not think she was getting the recognition she was due. She felt she should say something. "So how is business?"

"Expanding. It's been a very good year. But I would hate to bore you with the details."

"Oh, I don't think it would be boring," she replied, trying not to sound too eager. Since she had started researching Malfoy Industries, she had become quite intrigued by everything they did.

He laughed softly. "Well, I fear it would take more time than we have." They were nearly at the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron. "Besides, some of it... Well, there are some aspects of business that need to remain confidential," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

She flushed slightly. Just as she did not get into specifics about her work, she should have expected the same from him. Noticing they had arrived, she said, "Thank you for the water repelling charm, and again, I apologize for running into you."

"It was nothing, my dear. Have a good evening. Perhaps we'll run into each other again," he said with a smile and a small bow of his head before turning away from her to conduct his business. This time, it was her turn to watch him as he disappeared down the hallway where the private dining rooms were.

She found her curiosity was piqued with regards to Malfoy Industries. He had seemed to indicate that he was working on something interesting, something big, something secret. She tried to push it from her mind. She was doing something noble in the Ministry of Magic. If she worked for Malfoy she would only be working to increase his profits – wouldn't she?

While there were several companies within his holdings that produced luxury goods, there were also many that produced goods for use in everyday life. There were also the many research divisions which strived to make advancement in potions, medicine and charms, not to mention all the people who were employed for him. In total Malfoy Industries was the largest employer in wizarding Britain outside the Ministry of Magic. So it wasn't like she would be doing something frivolous with her life. She could still do something to help out the wizarding world, but just not in the way she had initially envisioned.

Would it really be that bad working for one of his companies? They were among the most successful in the wizarding world, which meant that was where the best were working. But what would Ron and Harry say? Would they care? She was not sure of the answers to those questions. If someone had asked her last month about working for Malfoy, she would have replied with an immediate and emphatic no, and would have probably sent that person straight to St Mungo's. Now, she was seriously contemplating leaving the Ministry for somewhere her talents might be better appreciated.

As she waited for the Floo, she could not help a small uncontrollable laugh from escaping. The elderly wizard waiting in front of her gave her a strange look. When she just smiled at him, he shrugged and decided to mind his own business.

For Hermione, the next week was very stressful. She had finally been forced to go to the Burrow for dinner. Unfortunately it had been a family dinner, which meant that everyone was there. Ginny, being the most obviously pregnant, was unsurprisingly the center of attention, though Audrey got her fair share of attention as well as she had recently announced she and Percy were expecting again. As the evening wore on, the conversation naturally turned to the question of when Ron and Hermione were going to start their family.

Amazingly Ron deflected the questions handily without making it seem like Hermione was the one being stubborn. She was actually proud of him for presenting a united front.

They could both see the disappointment in Molly's eyes when they made it clear that they weren't looking to start their family in the immediate future. Hermione was determined to live her life on her terms, not one what everyone else expected from her. It seemed as though Ron was finally accepting that by publicly supporting her.

At least that was what she thought until they got home.

Once the door was closed, Ron asked, "Hermione, what do you have against starting a family? You knew that children were important to me before we got married." He sounded hurt.

She sighed. "Ron, I've told you that I have nothing against children. I just want to wait a few more years."

"Until when? Can you give me a date, a precise year or maybe even the event that is going to happen in your life that will signal you are ready to have children?" he asked sharply.

She went on the defensive. "No, Ron, I can't..."

"Then why do you want to wait?" he snapped, interrupting her. "You can't tell me that you know what your career defining moment will be. If we keep waiting, nothing may happen that is your moment of glory and then it might be too late."

His statement felt like a slap in the face. "Ron, I'm only twenty-three! I know what I'm doing," she snapped back.

"Do you? I've talked to Dad, and he says you are bouncing from project to project seemingly at a whim. You don't have anything long term or a big project that you are doing. And look at what it's doing to you?" He pointed at her.

She crossed her arms defensively. "What do you mean?"

He took her gently by the shoulders and stood her in front of the mirror by the door. "Look at yourself. You're a mess. The stress is really getting to you." He stood behind her, forcing her to really look at her reflection.

Hermione had never really been concerned with personal appearance, mostly because her bushy hair was incredibly unruly. When forced to take a close look at herself, she saw her sunken eyes with the dark circles, the sharpness of her cheekbones, and hair that looked more unruly than usual.

Faced with the ugly reality of what she was doing to herself, she collapsed to Ron's chest, hiding from her reflection, and started crying. "Oh, Ron. I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

Ron wrapped his arms protectively around her. "I'm sorry I had to do that to you, but you haven't been taking care of yourself. I know you haven't been sleeping well, and you haven't been eating well either. I'm worried about you, worried about what your job is doing to you. I think that you are trying to do too much at once."

She leaned into his comforting embrace. He was right. She was trying to do too much at once, but it seemed to be the only way to get noticed. She always volunteered for the most difficult and visible projects hoping one of them would bring her deserved recognition and respect. Perhaps it was time to scale down her work a little. That would give her more time to research other employment options. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly as she finally gained control over the tears.

Ron gently helped her to her feet. "Now, it's getting late, so why don't you go to bed and get some rest?"

She thought that sounded like a wonderful idea even though she knew it was not that late. Ron was just trying to be polite about getting her to take care of herself.

Once in bed, it did not take Hermione long to fall asleep. She was mentally and physically exhausted, and now that she had been forced to admit it, sleep came easily.

When Hermione woke the following morning, Ron was not next to her. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was after nine o'clock, and she panicked. After quickly throwing on some robes, she hurried towards the door and found a note stuck to it. It was from Ron.

Hermione,

Ron

Her panic subsided as she realized that she was not late for work. She had a whole day to herself, and she could hardly believe it. She was the type who never took a day off from work unless she was truly ill. In this case, though, she would not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Noticing the rumble in her stomach, she decided to go find something to eat and then she could spend the day at the library. That wouldn't really be work since she enjoyed books. And if she used her time there to peruse some of the wizarding business journals, well, that would be alright, she reasoned. She would just have to be careful not to lose track of time and be home for dinner.

After breakfast, she tucked her notebook into her bag and headed to the library. Once there she flipped through periodicals, stopping when something caught her eye since she really did not know what she was looking for. She could have easily just looked at job listings in the Daily Prophet, but she would want to know something about where she was going to work so it seemed to make sense to find companies that interested her first.

Around two o'clock her stomach rumbled to let her know that she had not eaten lunch. She had not realized it was so late and slipped out of the library for a quick bite to eat, eager to resume her research. So far she had narrowed the list of companies she would like to work for down to three, including Malfoy Industries.

When she returned to the library, she dove back into her research. She lost complete track of time as she poured through the various documents on each company. She made a list of pros and cons for each, hoping to make her decision easier.

She was disturbed from her analysis when the now familiar voice of Lucius Malfoy said, "Mrs. Weasley, we meet again."

For some reason she was not at all surprised to see him. She looked up at him and replied, "So we do."

He took the seat across from hers and with a look of concern on his face, he asked, "Are you well?"

"What?" she asked, surprised by his question.

"I'm sorry to be so forward. You just look..." he trailed off, clearly unable to find the right words.

She was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking and was surprised that it was so obvious to a casual acquaintance. "Same old stress," she replied nonchalantly.

"Have you perhaps considered taking a vacation? I know that I find it quite refreshing and reinvigorating to spend time in a relaxing setting," he suggested.

Hermione thought about it and realized that it had been more than two years since she and Ron had taken a vacation. It was very difficult for them to be able to find a time that was convenient for them both be away from work. After a few moments consideration, she replied, "You know, that's a good idea."

He smiled warmly. "My pleasure." He glanced down at the documents she had on the table. Arching an eyebrow, he picked one of them up, one that happened to be about his holdings. "Doing a little job research?"

She blushed and snatched the parchment from his hand. "Just a little something to occupy me on my day off," she replied not wanting to draw attention to the fact that she had taken his suggestion.

"You do know that if you have questions about my holdings, I would be the best person to ask, don't you? I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have over tea," he offered politely.

She was not sure what to make of his offer. It was, of course, the truth. Reports could only tell you so much about a company and at some point she would have interview for a job. And since his companies were on the short list of places she was thinking of interviewing, it made sense for her to accept his offer. "So long as you are clear that this is not a job interview," she stated.

He looked surprised. "My dear, have I led you to believe this was anything other than a simple opportunity to enquire after my business?"

"No, but you are the one who suggested that I look for other employment," she replied cautiously.

"That is true, but I was merely noticing the toll your current job seemed to be taking on you. You are a young woman who should not be carrying the weight of world on her shoulders – it really isn't becoming." He paused a moment before continuing. "I will say I am flattered that you are considering my company. Now, shall we take some tea and I'll answer your questions?"

She was still slightly suspicious of him, but she knew it was the best way to learn about his company. After neatly stacking the magazines to be refiled by the librarians, she rose to her feet. "I'm ready."

They spent an hour at the French bakery with her asking him questions and taking notes. When they finished, Hermione felt like she had a much better grasp as to what Malfoy Industries was about. She could not help but think that he was selling his company to her, but he was always so eloquent that it was hard for her to be sure. Once she had all the information she wanted, she thanked him and excused herself so that she could go home and prepare for dinner.

By the time Ron returned from work, she was ready, having put the effort into taming her hair and actually using makeup. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she actually felt pretty, though she knew that the dark circles and sallow skin were still present.

When Ron walked in the door, he stopped when he saw her. "Hermione? You look wonderful!" he said as he smiled broadly.

She beamed at him. "Thank you."

"Give me a few minutes to change," he said as he hurried into the bedroom.

Once he was changed into nice robes, he hooked his arm in hers and asked, "Ready?"

Realizing he was going to Side-Along Apparate her somewhere, she replied, "Ready." After the sickening twisting of her stomach subsided, she opened her eyes and realized they were in front of one of the best wizarding restaurants in London. "Oh, Ron!"

He smiled proudly. "It was the least I could do."

Dinner was pleasant and conversation did not once stray to work or having a family. Over desert she said, "I've been thinking... it's been a long time since we've taken a vacation. I think we should take a break and get away from Britain."

Ron put his fork down and his smile evaporated. "This really isn't a good time, Hermione. The office is busy and all vacations have been cancelled. Maybe if you can wait a couple of months..."

She sighed. "I really think I need to get away for a while. The day off was nice, but while I'm still here, it's too tempting to do something work related. I need something more."

Ron contemplated her for a few moments. "I tell you what, how about I come with you for the weekend, then you can have the week to relax on your own, and I'll try to duck out early on Friday?"

She had hoped for time with Ron, but upon contemplation, she began to think that maybe it was best if she was by herself for a little while to become one with her thoughts. "That might be a good idea. Are you sure though?"

He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. "Of course I am. I can tell that you need to get away. And you've been working so hard lately that it's not like you've really been here anyway."

She blushed a little as she realized that he was right, that she had been far too engrossed with her work. "I'll look for someplace nice – I'm thinking someplace tropical."

He smiled warmly at her. "Whatever makes you happy," he said softly.

That night was a wonderful night for Ron and Hermione. There had been no fighting, no work, nothing to come between them. She was reminded why she had married Ron. She fell asleep in his arms, feeling happier than she had in quite some time.

A/N: As always many thanks to beaweasley2 for all her assistance along with Nicole and Ruth. And many thanks to all those who have enjoyed the story enough to leave reviews. It really provides the motivation to get the final bit of the story polished up.