"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!" a shrill voice blared.
The early morning sun had just barely risen when Draco's alarm went off.
"Bloody thing, shut up!" Draco moaned.
At Draco's words, the curtains barring the two large windows in Draco's room parted. Damned self-opening curtains, Draco cursed in his mind. He rolled over in bed and shielded his eyes from the light.
"TIME TO GET UP! TIME TO GET UP! TIME TO GET UP!" a chickadee tweeted from a brown wooden clock.
The cacophony of sounds finally got to Draco.
"Oh for the sake of Merlin – I'M AWAKE!" he shouted in exasperation.
All at once, the voices fell; the curtains adjusted to a reasonable parting. Draco lolled out of bed, placing his thin, pale feet on a cold stone floor. The crisp September wind that drafted through cracks in the window sent shivers up his spine. Draco's feet pitter-pattered with a slapping sound as he made his way to his wardrobe. He blinked a few times, clearing the sleepies from his eyes and grasped the silver handles. With a little bit of force, the wardrobe doors opened. A splendid array of garments reveled themselves before Draco's eyes. He fumbled around the different dress shirts and pants, unable to decide what to wear. After a couple minute's contemplation, Draco chose a deep violet ensemble, all neatly ironed. The dress clothes slipped on with ease, along with a pair of shiny black dress shoes. Draco walked over to the mirror which stood adjacent to the wardrobe. Looking at his reflection, Draco adjusted his collar and belt.
"Oh – almost forgot," Draco remembered a vital piece of his ensemble.
Draco turned back towards the wardrobe and withdrew a matching tie. Back at the mirror, he tried to complete the final touch.
"Can't ever get these things—"Draco mumbled and reached for his wand.
With a simple word, the tie was perfectly in place. Draco glanced at his reflection. Content with what he saw, Draco strode towards the bedroom door, his shoes creating that professional clack on the stone floor.
The place was entirely quiet save the sounds that Draco made. As he walked into the kitchen, two pieces of toast shot out of a toaster. Draco raised his wand and a knife instantly began to butter the toast. With another wave, a glass of orange juice was poured and freshly scrambled eggs slid onto a silver plate. Draco took his fork and dub into the scrambled eggs.
"Mmm . . . perfect," he exclaimed, a look of pleasure on his face.
Draco finished the eggs and toast after a matter of minutes. Feeling a bit full, Draco remained seated and gazed out the window. The faint sound of beeping muggle cars could be heard, along with the occasional shouting. The ding ding of bicycle bells, the alarm of a muggle car, the rumbling of the underground completed the symphony. Draco exhaled and pushed his chair out from the table. He straightened himself up and levitated the dishes over to the sink. After a quick glance at the clock, Draco decided it was time to leave. A flight of stairs and a quick walk later, Draco was standing on the platform for the tube. 'CIRCLE LINE – 5 MINUTES' the sign read. Draco sighed in relief; he hadn't missed the specified time.
Meet me at Paddington Station
7:35 A.M.
Right after the central line gets in
Don't be late.
This is what the letter Draco had received informed him to do. It had no sender listed, but Draco had realized it was important; a seal had been placed on the letter. The Ministry of Magic, the place of Draco's work never allowed its seal to be posted on a personal letter. Then is this personal or business? Draco had thought upon receiving the letter. Due to his doubts, Draco had decided he would dress to the nine. Little did he know, this would all pay off rather well.
Draco's curious, battering thoughts had caused the time to pass rather quickly. The clock across from Draco read 7:35 exactly. At that moment, the Circle Line train pulled up into the station. A rush of people – mostly muggles – hopped off the rain. Draco scanned the crowd anxiously for a number of Ministry workers who could have possibly sent the letter when a familiar face appeared. A beautiful, slim, curly-haired girl appeared in the mass of muggles. Her brown eyes caught sight of Draco and she flashed him a smile. She ran up to Draco, stopping awkwardly, but then hugged him.
"After all this time," Draco said.
"Oh, don't exaggerate, Draco. It's only been a year and a half," Hermione Granger retorted.
The two former-Hogwarts students smiled at each other.
"So, how have—"
"No time for catching up right now. We've got some very important business to attend to," Hermione promptly cut Draco off.
She took Draco's arm and led him towards an elevator that was out of order. Hermione tapped her wand three times on the contraption; the doors slid apart. Hermione and Draco both knew the routine. The pair stepped into the elevator, gripping onto the railing that traced its walls.
"Hold on tight," Draco chided.
The elevator zipped out of sight.