Rain was pouring endlessly inside the moonlit bedroom. The wind was howling loudly, swinging and finally slamming the open window. Hermione's eyes shot open. She gave a quick glance at the clock on her nightstand, 3:37 a.m. She groaned as she left the warm space below the duvet. She knew she could have used her wand, a simple spell would have done the trick. But her mind was in a daze, and her Muggle instincts still took over, even after years and years of living as a witch. She reached for the window, struggling to close it, and stopped to observe the storm progressing in front of her. She loved the feeling of power and energy that it instilled, and she witnessed in awe the uncontrollable strength of nature. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud snore coming from the bed; she smiled as she looked over her shoulder to see the man sleeping next to her on the right side of the bed. His messy red hair was the only thing emerging from below the duvet, but Hermione could tell that he was fidgeting, probably noticing in his sleep that she was gone. A shiver running down her spine prompted her to return to Ron's side. When she did, she tangled her legs around his, feeling his body finally relax as her skin became close to his again. Hermione realized that neither of them had slept without the other for a long time, and she began to think about when they moved in together three years ago.
They started dating soon after the War ended. Five years later, they decided that it would be nice to live in the same house to have more privacy, since Ron still lived with his family at the Burrow. She bought the house with the money she saved from her job at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was nothing too fancy but it was big enough for the two of them. She especially liked the location - Muggle central London - and it was close to the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, so that she did not have to worry about ever being late to work. Hermione looked at the time again: 3:55.
"Shit" she thought, she really needed to go back to sleep if she wanted to wake up at seven, and so she wrapped her arm around Ron's hips, and closed her eyes.
Ron reacted to the sound of the alarm clock going off with a sigh. "Do you really need to wake up this early on a Saturday morning?" he complained, his voice still hoarse.
"Ron, you know I have to be at the Ministry in less than two hours to discuss the new team that will take care of the organization of the Triwizard Tournament! You should be happy for me, and for you, since you will be getting VIW tickets to attend the ceremonies from your amazing girlfriend!" replied Hermione while looking in her closet, trying to find the skirt she wanted to wear.
"Really? Well then, I better go talk to her about it!" smirked the Weasley.
"Ronald!" Hermione threw her slipper at him, but he had already left the room.
It was 9 a.m. sharp and Hermione Granger was already seated at the long, rectangular, dark-wooden table in one of the conference rooms on the second level of the Ministry of Magic. She was anxiously tapping her quill on the piece of parchment in front of her, looking around, and waiting for the others to come. All the members of the Department of Magical Games and Sports were to meet selected employees from various departments to coordinate their activities before the Tournament started. Hermione was there as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and it was her first official meeting with other important people from the Ministry, which made her feel an enormous amount of pressure.
Two minutes later, she heard the door in front of her opening with a screech. She looked up and she was relieved when she saw who was walking towards her.
"Harry Potter. You are late." But she couldn't even pretend to be upset at her best friend for too long, so she raised her arms, waiting for him to hug her.
"Good morning to you, too, Hermione." He beamed at her, happy to see that his friend hadn't changed the slightest. "It's been too long."
"Indeed, but you are the busy one, Mr. Head of the Auror Office!" Hermione looked proudly at her friend.
Of course, the whole "I-defeated-Voldemort" thing helped with his career as an Auror, but she knew that it wasn't just luck or recognition from the magical community that made him the youngest Head of the Auror Office in history. Harry was good at his job, and she was glad she would be working with him; at least she knew one person was competent enough for the task. Hermione and Harry sat next to each other at the table as they began to catch up.
"And how's Ginny doing?" asked Hermione.
"Very well, she should be coming down from the seventh level any time soon. She was very excited to see you today." And right on cue, the door opened again, revealing Ginny's cheerful face, adorned by her long red hair.
The three friends talked as the room began filling with more people, most of whom Hermione had never seen before, but when a tall figure entered the room everyone got quiet.
Blaise Zabini quietly cleared his throat, and took a seat at the head of the table. Hermione never understood how he was promoted as head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He was a good Quidditch player, sure, but he never seemed to have the right… verve for that position. However, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, she did not know him that well; she was only familiar with the teenage version of him, and she certainly hoped he had changed in the past eight years. Everyone's eyes were on Blaise, waiting for him to start the meeting.
"Yes, good morning to all of you. I am afraid we must wait for the Minister of Magic to arrive, so that he can give us a few warnings and general recommendations." He scanned the whole room, looking unimpressed.
A few seconds later, someone knocked at the door, and entered the room. A young man approached Blaise, handing him a small piece of folded parchment. Blaise took it from the man's hand and read it. When he was done, a curious expression appeared on his face, one that Hermione couldn't quite decipher.
"It seems like there's been a small change of plans," he announced to the people in the room.
"Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt is too busy at the moment to begin the meeting, therefore we will be joined by his Senior Undersecretary, who will be here in his stead for the entire meeting." The room began to buzz, but the multitude of voices were halted when the door opened abruptly, once again.
The first thing that struck Hermione was the man's hair: blond, almost white, a bit longer than she remembered, but worn slicked back as always. She was trying to catch more details, as Draco Malfoy strode nonchalantly across the room to shake Blaise's hand, but all she could see was the frame of his body. He was tall and slender, he had always been, but his shoulders were now broader and more muscular. The black suit he was wearing was undoubtedly custom-tailored, and it made him look very serious and professional.
"As if," Hermione thought; no suit could hide the fact that underneath that fancy fabric, he remained an asshole.
Draco sat at the other head of the table, and he slightly bowed his head, as to give his permission to start the meeting.
Harry nudged Hermione with his elbow and whispered in her ear, "This will be fun."
The meeting was going smoothly, and Hermione had to admit that the team was well assembled. The witch, as the rest of the people present, were to travel to Hogwarts to attend the announcement and make sure that everything would be executed according to plan.
"The school term starts in a week, and Headmistress McGonagall will make the announcement on September 2nd. I've arranged for all of you to travel on the Hogwarts Express, which will leave King's Cross Station at 11 a.m. on September 1st, so you have some time to settle in and get ready." Hermione was convinced that forcing his colleagues to share a train with teenagers amused Blaise, as he tried to fight back a mischievous grin.
While Blaise was going over the routine, and answering questions from various members of the team, Hermione's eyes fell on Malfoy's face. His features were no longer boyish, and the sharpness of his nose and jaw went perfectly with his piercing grey eyes. He looked bored, or better, he seemed more interested in his own thoughts, rather than the conversation happening around him. Hermione had to admit that she was jealous of his prestigious position as Senior Undersecretary, and for a second she wondered if they chose him over her because of his social status.
"Shacklebolt would never…" she thought while chewing her bottom lip.
Her gaze on Draco became more intense, but she wasn't focused on anything in particular, so she did not notice that the Slytherin alumnus was looking at her with curiosity. When she finally detected his eyes on her, she startled, and her quill darted from her hand onto the marble floor. Everyone looked at her, as she kneeled on the floor to grab her quill, and she could have sworn that the man coughing to hide his laugh, unsuccessfully, was Draco Malfoy.
Two hours later the meeting was over, and when Blaise dismissed the team, everybody ran to the door, ready to enjoy the rest of their Saturday morning. Still sitting on their chairs were Hermione, Harry, and Ginny who preferred to wait for the crowd to disperse.
"Hey, Hermione, why don't you join us for lunch?" asked Harry.
"Oh, I would love to, but I promised Ron I would have lunch with him!"
"Then you should both come!" Hermione couldn't say no to her friend's offer, so they agreed that they would meet in a couple of hours to give her the chance to go home and change into more comfortable clothes.
Before leaving the Ministry, Hermione went by her office to drop off a few papers and notes she wrote during the meeting, and to pick up a couple of book she left there. As she was walking towards the second level entrance door, she regretted her decision to pick up so many books at once. She was juggling the heavy volumes with both her hands, and when she finally reached the door, she realized that she was unable to open it.
"So much for being the brightest witch of my age…" snorted the Gryffindor, who hesitantly reached the door handle with her two free fingers.
However, someone had been faster than her, and Hermione saw long fingers grasping the handle, opening the door for her. She exited the room, and turned around to thank her rescuer, but Draco was already gone.
Back home, Ron asked her how the meeting went. "Was anybody we know there?"
"Except for Harry, and Ginny, I only saw Blaise." She was not sure why she hadn't mentioned Draco, but it was too late to do it now, without raising any more questions.
"Oh, I've heard from Ginny that he is a real prick." Hermione nodded in response.
"Are you ready to go to lunch?"