Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Empire	By : waymay & Alcoholic_Rootbeer Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 12288 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters written in this story; everything belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. I don't make any profit from these stories!

Chapter List
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A/N - It's here! It's here! I know I take forever on chapters, but I get so busy with life and just distracted in general! But! Thank you everyone (again!) for the awesome reviews. A lot of you guys loved "Malfoy-the-Magnificent" comment, and I just wanted to let you know that it was all Mr. Benzedrine's idea. She's so clever, and I couldn't have done this without her! Thanks so much for giving me ideas and helping me with the whole proofing shindig. Ya'll should also read her fics, 'cause it's awesome sauce!

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzz-
"Oh, gosh, Malfoy, we've been here for four hours already!" Hermione tapped on her wand as it revealed the time. "I really need to go home and get ready for tomorrow." She, quickly, stacked the papers strewn about the table.
Surprisingly, time passed quickly for the two of them. Though she was excited to assist Malfoy in rebuilding his business, she, at first, wasn't sure how much she was going to enjoy actually being around the man. But, it wasn't all too bad. While they were deep in their conversation, the two of them bickered back and forth, throwing quips and comments at each other, as if they were still in school. It didn't take long for all the nervousness to wash away.
"Here," Hermione pulled a blank parchment from the stack and quickly scribbled some texts before handing it to the blonde. "Your homework."
He glanced down, looking at her assignment, "Homework, huh? And here, I thought I was done with school." Malfoy chuckled a bit while his steely grey orbs meeting her brown ones as he gingerly accepted the paper.
Hermione understood his doubts, noticing the apprehension in his voice as he spoke. He still felt uneasiness towards the candid conversation, even though she meant well for him. After everything he'd gone through, she knew it would take him some time before he could build a solid foundation of trust with her.
"Well," He cleared his throat, "I best be heading home, then." Malfoy stood up, scratching the back of his head. "Uh..." He cleared his throat once more, looking away, unsure how to approach the next situation.
"Good night, Malfoy," Hermione smiled, reaching her hand out towards. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, and I'll see you in a few days?"
Malfoy stared at her hand and, quickly, gasped her hand in a crisp, firm shake. While Hermione and Malfoy weren't friends, if one would even use such a word between the two, Malfoy wasn't ever one to be seen as less than proper. He squared his shoulders and straightened himself while nodding to the witch, "Yes. It, definitely, was a surprise to see you, Granger. Have a good evening."
She watched him Disapparate as he stepped out of the inn and returned to organizing her stack. Over the course of several hours, the two of them managed to talk about his business ventures to finances to patents. Hermione had an inkling about his business plans, whether he was the one actually running them or not, and she was right -Malfoy had no earthly idea what he was doing. She shook her head as she recounted their conversation.
"Miss Granger," a voice piped up from behind. Hermione jumped and quickly grabbed her wand before turning around, "Oh! S-sorry, I-"
"Madam Rosmerta!" The younger witch sighed, lowering her wand, "Sorry! I- I wasn't expecting you so early." Hermione walked over the the older woman, giving her an apologetic hug.
"I startled you," The witch laughed quietly. "How was your meeting?"
"It... went well," She smiled as she picked up her belongings on the table, "Surprisingly." Hermione made her way back over to the woman. "Thank you, again, so much for being so agreeable with... this." She gestured at the inn. "I know it can get pretty busy for you here, and it means a lot. Truly!"
Madam Rosmerta shook her head and smiled. "If it wasn't for you and Harry Potter, I wouldn't be here today." She cupped the young witch's hand in her own. "I should be the one thanking you, standing up for me during the trial."
The older witch, for the past several years, was most known being under the influence of the Imperius Curse during the War by Draco Malfoy. It was she who passed on the cursed opal necklace to Katie Bell and poisoned the mead during Christmastime with the intentions of killing Professor Dumbledore. She was pardoned during the trial due to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's testimony.
However, because it was Draco Malfoy who cast the Curse onto her, she was quite weary of opening Three Broomsticks to him. It took a great deal of convincing on Hermione's end.
"Hermione, my dear," Madam Rosmerta patted her hand. "You know I, absolutely, adore you and the boys- but please, be careful with Draco Malfoy." Her voice was low, as if someone could listen in on their conversation. "They... they're... different from everyone else. The Malfoys. They get what they want through any means. Please don't get yourself tangled up in their mess."
Hermione smiled, nodding, completely understanding her weariness. "Thank you for your concern. Truly. But Mal- Draco, he's... he's changed. He's not the same person you know him as anymore. He's free from his parents' control. He's a good man. He's just... trying to find himself."
The older woman sighed, her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "You're a smart witch, my dear. Please, just be careful."
"I will -thank you." Hermione gave the woman another hug before bidding farewell to the woman and Disapperated home.
Draco was mentally exhausted. It'd been so long since anyone picked his brain the way Hermione did. He plopped down onto his, less than comfy, bed and stared at the wrinkled paper in his hand.
Homework, huh?
Granger wanted him to figure out, exactly, what it was he wanted to do with his businesses. According to the witch, he was spreading himself too thin by creating different businesses with different focal points. Her main suggestion was to have the stores, temporarily, close down and they would, then, brainstorm on restructuring the business model. Granger also threw out words like branding and traffic marketing. Whatever those meant. But, most importantly, she wanted him to think about what he was passionate in and build from there.
The word stumped him. He ruffled his hair, pulling it back, as he continued to stare at the paper. Passon? Having passion, for, well- anything in this world left him many moons ago.
There just wasn't time for passion, anymore.
Draco sighed, "My brain hurts." He set the piece of paper aside and stood up, making his way towards the kitchen.
Though he'd been living at the Leaky Cauldron for some time, he couldn't get over just how small the space was. He looked around, the kitchen barely passed for it. It had a sink, a stove, some cabinets, and a refrigerator. He tsked and made his way over towards one of the cabinets and pulled out a fresh bottle of firewhiskey.
"This should do it."
"Ronald Bilius Weasley! Wake up! Right now!" Hermione pounded on the closed door to Ron's room. It was, precisely, 6:42 AM, and they were about to be late. Today, she could finally turn in the damned patent forms. It took her three whole months to get in touch with the Ministry's Office of Patents and Trademarks. Three whole months! What else could they have their hands full with? She was Hermione Granger, for God's sake. And Ron was about to ruin everything by being late!
"I'm up!" He shouted from the other side. A few seconds later, Ron swung the door open. "Merlin, what's got you all wound up these past few days?"
The witch glowered. "You! Y...YOU!" She pointed up and down at his pajamas. "GET DRESSED!" She shoved the redhead back into his room and slammed the door shut once more. "I will not have this office visitation ruined because of you!" Her already bushy hair seemed to become even more unruly in her state of anger, almost as if it was growing along side with her foul temper.
A few days had gone by since Hermione first met with Malfoy. The two of them hadn't exchanged a single owl since. She was nervous the first night, afraid he wouldn't be interested in continuing with her business proposition, but then, who else would he go to? No one, really, came to mind. Plus, with all the tabloids and papers gossiping about his newest failures, the potential partners pool was certainly dwindling.
She felt a little guilty cheering at the thought of Malfoy having no one else to turn to, but honestly, the chances of sealing the deal with him was greater. It was, definitely, a dog-eat-dog world.
"Thank you, again, for your time Mr. Cattermole. We -Ron and I, we really appreciate it. And, and I'm really sorry we're late." Hermione grasped the Ministry official's hand, shaking it vigorously, "I, we understand how important your job is, and I promise this won't happen again." The witch turned and glared at her partner, tilting her head over towards the official several times. Her eyes widened ever so slightly at his slow response.
"Oh! Oh-erm," Ron stuttered, "Yes! We are so sorry we're late." He grabbed both Hermione and the man's hand. "This isn't weird." He released his grasp and scratched the back of his head and muttered a 'thank you' under his breath.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Never rely on Ronald Weasley for anything important. She never learned her lesson.
"Here are the papers." She pulled out a folder from the satchel. "Everything has been documented, signed, and notarized by the Gingotts goblins."
"Hrm..." The older man accepted the papers, taking a seat behind his overly sized desk. "Yes, everything does seem to be in order here."
"Of course!" Ron puffed his chest out, proud. "Leave it to Hermione Granger. Amazing as always." He wrapped an arm around the witch, but she quickly smacked the hand away.
Cattermole raised an eyebrow at the two before he slipped on his spectacles and further inspected the documents. "Certainly not punctual." Hermione shot Ron a jabbing glare. It was his fault after all. "But, I will have the patents approved in a week's time. I will owl you the certificates, so there's no need for you schedule another appointment."
Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you so much!" She was elated knowing she didn't have to rewrite the patent forms -they were a pain in the ass to fill out. And also, she was happy knowing she didn't have to awkwardly walk into the Burrow early in the morning to wake up Ron again- at least, not for some time. It was always awkward running into Molly (and sometimes, Arthur); the woman tried so hard to try and mend Ron and Hermione's relationship.
In fact, their romance didn't last long. It was only six months after the War when they decided to, mutually, end things. While she still loved Rons, what she felt was something completely different from being in love with him (much to Molly's dismay -she really wanted Hermione as an in-law.). She loved him as she did Harry. It was a little awkward, since they severed their relationship while on their tour around the world, but in the end, these things always end up fixing themselves.
"I'm so happy knowing everything's worked out!" Hermione exclaimed gleefully as they walked out the office and towards the lobby. She stretched her arms high above her head and let out a satisfied sigh. "All the hard work these past several days paid off!"
Ron smiled in return. "Yea, sorry 'bout all the extra work, 'Mione. I know you worked hard, and I shouldn't have added extra stress."
She smiled at his response as he finally realized his mistake. "It's quite alright. It wouldn't be like you to not mess anything up," Hermione laughed, not realizing where she was going and bumped into someone. "Oof!" She grabbed her nose as it smooshed into the stranger's collarbone. "Sorry, sorry, I wasn't payin-Oh! Malfoy."
Hermione looked up at the blonde who stared down at her, and took a few steps back. No. Not a stranger. Definitely not a stranger.
"Granger." He acknowledged her presence with a firm nod of his head. "Merlin, do you always smell like parchment?" Hermione wasn't sure if that was supposed to be an insult -she rather enjoyed the smell of parchment...
"Watch where you're going, Malfoy." Ron sneered, stepping between the two in a protecting gesture.
"Still fighting her battles, I see." Draco raised an eyebrow, looking at the redhead with an obvious bored expression.
"I don't hear an apology."
"Ron-"
"As I recall, she was the one who ran into me," Draco feigned a yawn. "You're wasting my time, Weasel. Please, do move out of the way." He tried to shoo him off with a wave of his manicured hand.
Ron, not to back down easily, scoffed in a heated flurry, "What business do you have at the Ministry? It certainly isn't to celebrate your successful business." He folded his arms across his chest, and puffed out his chest once more, "Oh, wait. Are you closing down another store? Is that it? It's the only reason why you'd be seen out in the daytime, given all the wizards still wish you were in the cell with your family."
The look on Draco's face was one of being slapped clear across the face. He opened his mouth, ready to respond, but Hermione quickly interjected.
"Ron!" She smacked his arm, sending him a deathly glare. "That's enough from you. I bumped into him. There's no reason you need to bring his parents into this."
"He was being rude!" The redhead gestured towards the blonde.
"And what did you think you were being? A shining beacon of humility?"
"I don't have time for this." Draco glanced down at his watch and moved past the arguing duo, continuing on with his day.
"Let's go, 'Mione," Ron pulled on her arm as he tried to direct the both of them towards the Floo.
"A-actually, Ron," Hermione planted her feet, looking behind her. She quickly conjured away the satchel that rested across her chest. "I think I left my bag in Mr. Cattermole's office." When the redhead turned around, she looked down, looking confused.
"I coulda sworn you had it with you when you walked out."
"Silly me," Hermione sighed, smacking her forehead, "I must have been too excited and just left it there!"
"I can get it."
"No, no! I'll do it. You need to open up the shoppe with George, and I don't think you left a very good impression on Mr. Cattermole, anyway."
He scratched his head. "I s'pose. Doesn't it seem like everyone's got a wand stuck up their arse these days? Ah- well, I'll see you in a little bit, a'right?"
She waved to her friend, watching and making sure he left before she turned around and searched for Malfoy.
He didn't get too far before Hermione found him. Actually, looking for him was easy. He was tall and as blonde as could be. "Malfoy!" She called out to him, though he made no attempt to stop walking. Hermione, quickly, appeared at his side, almost out of breath -long legs meant long strides. "Malfoy."
"Oh, Granger," He drawled, "Where's your boyfriend?"
"Not my boyfriend," she snapped. She didn't like it when people assumed them still together. Not that Ron wasn't an alright bloke. But, as per example from his confrontation moments ago, he was hot headed and most certainly not someone Hermione wanted to represent her significant other. She couldn't believe, even now, how irate Ron had gotten at simply seeing Malfoy again. Some grudges, it seemed, carried on clean into adulthood.
"Right, how could I forget? It was only all over the news."
Hermione stared at him as he continued to make his way towards his destination, "Is it true? Another one of your businesses is closing?"
He stopped and looked down at the witch. He remained silent, but his eyes darkened at the comment. It was all the answer she needed.
"That's absurd," Her brows furrowed at the thought. It'd only been a few days since The Ancient Quill closed, and now another one? It's unfathomable. Even if a business is going under, it doesn't crash and burn one after another, especially when they're separate entities. "Those -are those the business documents?" She pointed at the manilla folder in his hand, "Let me see them."
Malfoy continued to stare at the witch. It was almost as if an internal debate was going on in his head. Should he trust her? Or should he just ignore her and go on his merry way? He sighed and handed it to her.
Hermione quickly flipped through the pages; her eyes quickly analyzing every word on each sheet. Her brows furrowed and she chewed on her bottom lip. A quick minute passed by before she drew her attention towards the blonde once more, "Okay. Give me two days. Let me figure this mess out. Something smells fishy."
"More like dusty old books, if you ask me," He quipped, "Why do you need two days?"
"I think the numbers are wrong here, they don't add up. I need to do some calculation and figure out what's going on. Were you going to the Department of Licensing Inquiry?" She glanced in the direction Malfoy headed towards. "Reschedule with them. I know Alice Creevey; I can get her to book you for another day."
"Okay..." Malfoy blinked, unsure how to proceed. "So what do I do until then?"
"Have you worked on your homework?"
"Always the homework with you, huh?" He chuckled quietly. "What's changed over these few years?"
"Well," She started, "I helped run a successful business." She began listing a few number of other things. "Oh! You were being sarcastic..." Hermione's voice grew quieter as she realized his earlier statement, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks. She earned a faint smile from the blonde. "Well, have you looked into anything?"
"I haven't," he shrugged. "I don't really know where to start, to be honest."
"Enjoy your free time for once." Granger smiled at Draco. "You've been working hard, and Merlin knows you've been having a hard time. Go do something fun! Get your mind off things."
"I don't do fun. Not anymore, at least," He murmured, looking away from the witch. It was hard to watch someone be as chipper as her and realize he could never achieve that kind of easiness."I haven't enjoyed anything since the War."
"Did you say something?" She piped as she tilted her head to the side. "You started muttering."
"Nothing, Granger." Draco cleared his throat. "I'll look around." He wasn't sure why he was taking her suggestion to heart, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do.
"I'll get in touch with you as soon as I confirm these numbers."
"Sure. Do what you need to do." He slipped his hands into his slacks, clenching his jaw. It wasn't like him to take help from someone like her, but god, was he getting desperate these days. "Um, thank you." With his last comment, he quickly turned away from the brunette and hightailed out of the Ministry.
It was nearly two in the afternoon when Draco found himself sitting at a local coffee shoppe in Diagon Alley. He shuddered, blundling his coat closer around him as the late fall breeze passed through. He'd spent the last several hours wandering around the area, visiting different odds and end shoppes. The thoughts of his business failing plagued his mind as he watched the stores enter and leave with happy customers.
He wanted that for his business, but how?
Draco sighed. As much as he wanted to relax (as per Granger's demands), he couldn't. He felt so wound up and tense, almost as if he was in a straightjacket with nowhere to go and nothing to do.
What do I enjoy? What's fun around here?
The barista from the shoppe came out, placing a cuppa onto the table. He thanked her, but the woman merely nodded, avoiding eye contact, and quickly scurried back into the store. Another sigh escaped his lips as he watched his breath get carried away in the wind. It was always that way, regardless of where he went. He thought he'd be used to it by now, but… nope. It still stung.
His ears perked as, suddenly, a child screamed. His head turned in the direction of the sound, and he saw a father and a son walking out of Quality Quidditch Supply. The child jumped for joy, screaming at the top of his lungs at the newly purchased broom. The father laughed while attempting to calm the boy down and reminded him to treat the broom with care.
Draco pursed his lips. He remembered when he used to enjoy Quidditch, playing for the Slytherins back at Hogwarts and even with Crabbe and Goyle during the holidays. Merlin, were those two terrible at the sport. He quietly laughed as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Ow, hot!" He gasped, setting down the coffee and sticking his tongue out as if the cool breeze would lessen the burning.
Hermione sat behind her desk at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The door closed and locked. She made it clear to both Weasley brothers she was to remain undisturbed for the next few hours of the work day. Ron had shrugged at George, confused as to why her peppy mood suddenly turned sour.
The room daunted with silence, devoid of all sounds save for the scribbling of her quill.
Her brows furrowed. If she creased them anymore, they'd probably end up stuck that way. She pulled out a calculator, something she snuck from home in the muggle world, and punched in numbers with one hand while she took down notes in the other.
"The numbers... they're all wrong," she muttered. "Does he even look at his balance statements? But this doesn't make sense. Just one look, and it's obvious that something isn't right." Hermione leaned back in her seat, pausing for a moment. Her eyes scanned between the documents Malfoy handed her and her own notes, trying to make sense of what was going on.
"Malfoy's getting conned out of millions of galleons."
Draco sat upon a newly purchased broomstick, the Nimbus 2K3, hovering high above Leaky Cauldron.
He forgot the last time he perched atop a broomstick. Was it while he was still in Hogwarts, playing for his house? Or maybe it was during the War...He shook his head in an attempt to free his mind from going back into his dark past.
The sun had set hours ago, and businesses were closing. The lights flickered and faded, and the city darkened. But from the sky, the scenery was still beautiful. He could hear the laughs and indiscernible conversations echoing from those leaving the inn. Small balls of light bouncing ever so slightly as witches and wizards cast a lumos spell from their wands. Though the town fell into slumber, the citizens were still, very much, awake.
A storm rumbled overhead, and Draco looked up, seeing lightning bouncing off the clouds from above. In almost an instant, rain began pouring down, drenching himself from head to toe.
"Damn it," he cursed, pulling his robe closer around his body as the cold water pelted his skin. It was just his luck.
Draco shifted his weight and wrapped one ankle over the other, pinching his thighs tightly around the broom. He leaned forward, prepping himself to descend towards Leaky Cauldron as the rain beat against his face. It would be just his luck that a storm would come out of nowhere the one day of the year he decided to take up Quidditch again. He grasped his Nimbus, muscle memory strong as he dipped forward, picking up speed. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, too close for comfort, and Draco's hand jumped in reflex. "Fuck!" Without warning, Draco Malfoy slipped off his broom and plummeted down, down, down towards the ground below.
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