1

Ginny skipped happily through the woods, twirling every now and then, letting her hands caress a tree's bark as she swung past. The sunlight coming through the trees left little spots of light that danced over her skin and flowing dress as she moved beneath it. Laughing, she collapsed against a tree.

The funny little blue bird flew towards her. She shot a spell off at it, but a bubble around the bird sprung up and absorbed it.

She giggled softly. "See? You stop it every time. Why are you always so worried?"

The bird sighed. "What if sometime I don't? Then you'll be all alone out here."

The redhead laughed again. "Nonsense! I'll always have you to talk to." The bird made such little sense sometimes.

"Never mind. How was your day today?"

Smiling, she stretched a finger out and the bird rubbed his head against it, his soft feathers tickling pleasantly. "Oh, very enjoyable! I found a wild rose today! And a monkey came by, but I shooed it away before it took my magic stick."

The bird sounded panicked. "A monkey? What kind of a monkey?"

"It was a very odd monkey, Mr. Bird! Mostly its fur was gray, but you'll never guess what color the fur on its head was!"

"What?"

"Bright blue!" she replied brightly. "Even brighter than you!"

.               .               .

Teddy's friends crowded around his bed as he told his story for likely the third time now.

"Crazy, I tell you! The lady was just out there, swinging through the trees like a wild woman! I crept closer, but before I could get a good look, she was firing curses off faster than I could blink! Non-verbal, too! If hadn't run when I had, I don't think—"

Madam Pomfrey strode up with a stern glare for each of his audience. "Mr. Lupin needs his rest if he expects that leg to heal. So all of you, shoo!"

Grumbling, his friends exited with wishes for a speedy recovery.

Once the Hospital Wing emptied, a tall figure entered, in nearly all black robes. The constant frown made his uncle look more like Old Snape every day. A small smile twisted up one corner of it when Draco's gaze fell on his nephew. "I heard you had a little mishap."

Teddy grimaced. "Yeah. How come you always know so much?"

"I am on the Board of Directors, you know," was the dry response. "Your grandmother informed me that something attacked you in the Forbidden Forest today." Draco's frown turned it into a question.

Teddy nodded. "It was horrible! This crazy lady—"

"Teddy, I need you to keep this quiet. The Board has this under control, but there is no need to tell students and teachers who don't already know. Alright?"

The boy frowned. "What's important enough to keep it so quiet?"

His uncle looked up, appearing far more worn out than any 30-year-old should. "I can't tell you that. But can you keep this quiet for me?"

"Of course, Uncle Draco."

He smiled fondly. "Knew there was some Slytherin in you after all."

"Hey! That's not a compliment!"

.               .               .

The bird was bigger today. It perched on her head, running its beak through her hair.

"It always amazes me how you still manage to take care of yourself so well," the bird remarked.

Ginny laughed. "Silly bird. You think I can make the magic stick fight off monkeys and dinosaurs, but can't tell it to get mud off and make my hair pretty? You do think my hair is pretty, don't you, Bird?"

"Mmm, always. What spells, er—" It squawked, then started over. "What can you make the magic stick do?"

"Oh, lots of things. Sometimes it feels like there's words I should be saying to the magic stick, but then the feeling goes away. I don't remember the words anymore, so I just let the stick decide. Mostly, I don't even know what the stick's doing, but the colors are very pretty." She plucked a piece of grass, twirling it around her finger. "You said you have a magic stick too. Do you know any of the words?"

"Try this one," the bird murmured. "Lumos."

"Lumos! Ooh, amazing!"

.               .               .

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy! What progress have you achieved with the phoenix feathers you imported last week?"

"Is there any truth to the rumor that Voldemort had an heir?"

"What was your trip to Hogwarts for yesterday?"

Looking out her window, Hermione observed the all-too-common scene. She almost felt sorry for the man, shoving past hordes of reporters as he walked the driveway up to his own business. Instead, she gathered her papers together, ready to brief him the moment he stepped inside.

The door closed behind her boss and Hermione sprang into action. "We've kicked them off the premises three times today, but they're very persistent. Would you like me to call security?"

He waved it away. "They can't hurt anything now. Call if they're still not gone by tomorrow."

"Very well."

His gray eyes met her brown ones, and even after four years Hermione could still see the hope he so desperately tried to hide, to protect from the world that kept ripping it up and flinging it back at him. But each time, he would patiently mend it, waiting to start afresh. 17 times they'd started over, now. "Any luck?" But the hope was still there, if not so vibrant as it had been four years ago.

"The phoenix feathers have proved… interesting when ground with ashwinder skin. But the moment it sets to simmer, anything added causes it to explode. We're working on that right now, but it's a few days off at least. Meanwhile, newt has shown a slight increase…" She droned on, delivering the minutia that he always devoured so eagerly.

Four years ago, it had shocked the Wizarding World when Draco Malfoy offered Hermione Weasley – working a back-office job in a backwater Ministry department – a ridiculously large sum of money to head Research and Development of Malfoy Inc. Curiosity got the best of her, and against her friends' and family's wishes, she accepted.

She did not go unrewarded. Malfoy Inc, known mainly for its high-quality cauldrons and other magical supplies, was opening a new branch of work—medicinal potions.

Soon enough, she figured out the mystery to why he'd wanted her specifically so badly. He was hurting. And with the Weasley's near-adoption of him, he was practically her brother-in-law. She was one of the few he trusted intellectually and to not take advantage of his pain.

In four short years, they'd made leaps and bounds in many areas of medicine. All, she secretly suspected, but the one Draco had always been looking for.