Chapter Text
It all started with a letter she ignored. Or rather, it all started with the many letters she ignored. Hermione sighed, staring at yet another thick green envelope. The letter had arrived in her office promptly at 9 am, when she was supposed to be starting her work day. However, she had already been working for a couple of hours when the owl gently dropped the letter into her basket of paperwork. The pile of papers seemed to be getting taller everyday despite her efforts. Even after the war was over she still felt the need to prove herself. Never learning how to speak up for herself, she quickly found herself drowning in projects and paperwork.
Her time working for the ministry wasn’t exactly bad. Hogwarts had offered an eighth year for those who had been unable to finish seventh year due to the war. After finishing that last year at Hogwarts she had immediately been offered a job at the ministry. Hermione was more than happy to accept the offer, finally feeling as if her life was back on track. She had imagined working for the ministry for years. However, life rarely follows in the paths you imagine. Hermione knew this intimately; she never imagined being a witch, never imagined a magical school, never imagined facing Voldemort, never imagined being famous for her efforts in a war. In hindsight it was foolish to hope that a job at the ministry would be what she imagined.
She was growing exhausted from her work and had realized quickly that there wasn’t room for her to move up the ranks. She had been given a desk job and her team was given the opportunity to brag about having “the brightest witch of her age.” It probably seemed like a fair trade to the ministry. Even knowing she was wanted for her name, not her merits, she had assumed she would be able to make a change. Everyone knew she had big dreams and goals. Every project and idea she had proposed was brushed off or added to a long list of projects that would never see the light of day. Instead she was left working on projects she had very little investment in.
Her team had quickly realized she never turned down work and would put her all into everything she did. It hadn’t taken long before they were taking advantage of not only her brains, but her ambition and time. If she had bothered to look she would have noticed that her workload was almost double that of her coworkers. Hermione needed a way to relax, an outlet for her restless energy.
She sighed and eyed the letter again. Without opening it she knew what was inside. A small part of her hoped that if she never opened it would go away. The logical part of her brain, the part that almost always won out, knew that the letter would sit there and annoy her until she got rid of it. The letters had been coming with higher frequency. The first one came three months after she started her job at the ministry. She thought her reply had been accepted until another envelope appeared exactly three months later. Now, every quarter, according to a standard business, she received a letter asking her to consider a position at Malfoy Industries.
After three years at the ministry it seemed they had gotten more insistent. If her calendar was correct this letter was a month early. If her glare towards the unopened envelope meant anything this advancement was unwanted. Slowly, but surely the insistent Malfoys were getting beneath her skin. She was itching for a new job, even though she wouldn’t admit it. On principle she refused to work for Malfoy Industries.
This was not a grudge against the family. Slowly her relationship with the Malfoy family grew and almost all resentment was left behind. They had apologized for their part in the war and Hermione was quick to accept Draco’s apology. She couldn’t hold the pressure of the parents and their desire against a child. She firmly believed that both sides of the war had used child soldiers and that no child could make rational decisions of consequence in times of war. Forgiving Draco was not easy, her logical brain knew that he was a child following his parents rules, but her experiences with him were not easy to put behind.
Over time she came to understand him more. His apologies were heartfelt and he wanted to make amends. When he came to her for advice on where to learn more about the muggle world she reluctantly became his tutor on all things muggle. It hadn’t been intentional. One conversation in which she recommended some books slowly became a tour of a muggle library and then an outing to a muggle restaurant. One day she found herself realizing that she had spent weeks with Draco without even thinking about his past.
Forgiving Lucius was another matter altogether. She had no intention of extending to him the grace she gave Draco. Draco, for his part, never tried to sway her stance or defend his father. Only after months of talking to Draco and teaching him about muggles and muggleborns did she hear Draco discuss his family life. After the war Narcissa left the country, leaving behind both the Malfoy family and the Black family name. Despite her part in pushing Draco into a war he still loved her. His early childhood was wonderful and he tried not to taint those memories with what came after.
On her birthday that first year after Hogwarts, two years after Narcissa had left, Draco was in a mood. It took all week for Hermione to understand why. Drunk, he broke down and began to tell her about his mother and his homelife. Over the following weeks Hermione came to learn the whole story of the Malfoy family. Narcissa was the one to pull Lucius into the Deatheaters. Lucius’s father was one of Voldemort’s followers, but Lucius had not signed on. Only after Narcissa followed her sister into the lifestyle did Lucius tag along behind his wife.
Narcissa had signed her family’s life away to a madman and Lucius found himself indebted to Voldemort against his will. The end of the first war was a relief to Lucius and he swore to protect his family from his legacy. However, when Voldemort returned he found his magical binding was still intact. Hearing this was a shock to Hermione. Draco had never attempted to excuse his parents' behavior. In fact Draco outwardly supported the punishments that Lucius endured.
He had escaped a prison sentence in return for helping the aurors and ministry take down the rest of the Deatheaters. Not only did he provide names, but also information on where their money was coming from and where their dark artifacts were stored. His information was invaluable and the ministry found themselves returning to him for political and financial information. He never once turned them away. Begrudgingly Hermione found a spark of respect forming within her for the elder Malfoy.
It also couldn’t be denied that his business and political skills were unparalleled. Since Voldemort’s defeat he has reached out into the muggle world and had formed new branches of Malfoy Industries. Slowly the wizarding world watched as the first muggleborns dared to enter his employment. Once the first few began working for Lucius and the benefits became clear it was like the floodgates had opened. No company could compare with the pay and benefits the Malfoys offered. Not to mention the control he handed over to the muggleborn witches and wizards. Apparently he realized that they knew the muggle world best and was willing to follow their lead. He even had wizards consulting with squibs and muggles.
Of course the muggles didn’t know that the firm they were working with was magical. Lucius knew expertise when he saw it. Lucius was proud, but he wasn’t too proud to admit that he needed experts. The Malfoy name had not become what it was by trying to do everything. He had always had his hands in the pockets of experts. This was just the first time he was outreaching to the muggle world.
It gave him an advantage. For over three years the Malfoys had worked to integrate muggle and magical products and companies. The first products to be released were small things that were easily understood or easily imbued with magic. He released a line of muggle style clothing, realizing that if he wanted to work with them and send his employees to the muggle world he would need them to look the part. Then he partnered with a publishing company to begin publishing muggle books. He started with childrens stories, picking out muggle picture books and turning them into moving images on the pages. In the long run he planned on printing guides to the muggle world and translating muggle science to the magical world.
After two years of small projects the first major breakthrough Malfoy Industries introduced was a groundbreaking combination of muggle medicine and wizarding potions. Malfoy Industries was the first company to introduce vaccines to a number of magical maladies. Other potion masters and apothecaries were caught blindsided and were racing to catch up. The second breakthrough came only weeks after the first when Malfoy Industries announced they were working on a way to make muggle electricity and muggle technology compatible with magic.
Hermione knew that the letter on her desk was once again offering her a position within Lucius’s company. She could admit that the opportunity was great. Other witches were dying for even an interview. The problem was that she had not applied for the job and refused to take the job. At first she thought it was being offered out of pity or maybe a debt Lucius thought he owed her. Draco denied both claims, but she still felt that the offers weren’t genuine. Then she thought that Lucius wanted to use her name to help himself get back in the public’s good graces. However, after almost four years he was already being praised in The Prophet for his work. She couldn’t think of a reason that they wanted her now except maybe stubbornness. Nobody said no to the Malfoys and they couldn’t handle her rejection. Hermione was just as stubborn. She refused to be swayed. She had rejected the first offer and was not turning back on her word now.
At least that’s what she told herself as she stared at the envelope. It felt like it was taunting her. And that’s how Draco found her when he entered her office unannounced.