Revised! 1/15/07

This is the sequel to When Your World Falls Apart by willowfairy. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so. Not only is it amazing writing, but this probably won't make much sense.

I apologize in advance for my updating. I'm going to be up-front now. I am horrible at updating, mostly because I'm lazy and I don't write as often as I should. So, as a promise to readers, I will try my very hardest to update at least once every 3 months. I know it's not the best, but I don't want to promise something that's not going to happen. And I also apologize for the crappy breaks in the story- I still haven't figured out how to do that.

On to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; that right belongs to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own the plot and the ideas contained in this story, along with willowfairy.

A New Beginning

Chapter 1

"Don't leave, please." Her eyes were locked on mine. She looked so scared.

"I won't leave."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Draco Malfoy jerked himself out of the dream state he was in, gasping for breath. It was the third time this week that he'd had that dream. Grumbling, he pushed aside the momory. It had been five years since he had been at Hogwarts with her, and he had moved on. Fond memories of a loving girl had no place in a Death Eater's mind.

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"Miss Granger? Miss Granger, wake up!"

Hermione jumped in her chair. Once again, she had fallen asleep in the office overnight. She looked up at the person who had woken her up, her secretary Percy. When he had first been hired, she laughed at the close resemblance he had to another Percy- Percy Weasley. Young and eager to help, he had been perfect for Hermione's usage.

"Percy, can you please get me a coffee? Black, please," she added as he turned to leave the office. She turned her attention to the paper on her desk, attempting to focus her vision. After spending the remainder of her school year in France, her mind turned to careers. She got a job as a simple desk clerk in the British Magical Embassy and worked her way up for the past five years to her position in the Office of Defense, which worked with the French Ministry to combat Dark Wizardry. Ever since Cornelius Fudge had admitted the return of Voldemort, her office had been overwhelmed with information and overworked to the point of exhaustion. When Hermione first started working there, she had been glad for all the work. It helped take her mind off of things. Now, she and everyone else in the office were simply tired.

She squinted even further at the page, trying to make out the blurry words. It was a lost cause.

"Your coffee, Miss Granger." Percy came back with coffee in his hand, extending it to Hermione.

"Thanks," she responded, taking the coffee out of his hand. "I tell you, all of this overworking is really getting to me. It's getting to the point where I can't even read what's in front of me. Want to give this a try?" She passed the paper to Percy.

His eyes skimmed over the paper, taking in all the information that was lost to Hermione. "It says that there was an attack by giants in a muggle seaside town," Percy explained. "They're asking you to produce an explanation to give to the muggles."

"Well?" Hermione prompted.

Percy gave her a confused look. "Well, what?"

"Well, how would you explain this?" she asked.

Percy looked taken aback, shocked that his opinion was asked on an important issue. "Er, soil erosion?"

Hermione gave him a grateful look. "Thanks Percy, you're a genius. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Thank you very much, Miss Granger," he said. "I'm just trying to help out whenever I'm needed."

Hermione smiled. "If you keep up the way you're going now, you're definitely going places. The Minister is always looking for good people like you."

Finally, after years of Cornelius Fudge's failings, he was replaced as Minister of Magic. Fudge had always been shown to be an incompetent fool, so it certainly came as no surprise to Hermione when Rufus Scrimgeour replaced him as Minister. After being head of the Auror Department, he certainly showed leadership qualities. Hermione just hoped that it would be enough to win the war.

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"Draco!" a voice called out. Draco turned around to see Theodore Nott running toward him. "Hey Draco! Your father wants you back in the room. He wants to see you for something."

Draco looked at Theodore with a confused face. He had never been asked to stay behind; that was usually reserved for the Dark Lord's oldest and most trusted supporters. "Are you sure?" he asked Theodore after a long pause.

"Yes, I'm positive," Theodore said. "I don't know what they want, but good luck." Draco shrugged. He waved goodbye to Theodore and continued down the hall, back to the room. Outside the door, he paused before knocking. He had no idea what was going to happen after he entered the room. Finally, he gathered up the courage to knock. The door swung open to reveal Wormtail, the Dark Lord's main servant. Draco stepped in wordlessly, following Wormtail into the next room.

"Wormtail, leave," a silky voice announced as he opened the door. As soon as the door closed, Lucius Malfoy turned to his son with a smile on his face. "Draco, I think you'll be pleased to know that the Dark Lord has selected you for a special task." At Draco's surprised yet pleased look, Lucius continued. "The Dark Lord wants you to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic."

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