Chapter One: The Invitation

June 3rd, 2005

The clear weather and blue sky was a rare sight for muggle London and thus drew a lot of people out of their homes to take advantage of the nice weather and to enjoy the sun. Though the streets carried more people than usual, there was still a serene, picturesque quality to the atmosphere.

Clad in a white, summer sundress, Hermione was sitting at the alfresco area of a well-received muggle café. On the table were some English tea and some macarons to satisfy her sweet tooth and to calm her nerves.

This was her favorite spot to enjoy some tea and sweets along with a good read during her days off. In hindsight, she regretted setting up the meeting at her favorite café and mentally kicked herself for it. If this meeting goes south, and there's a high chance that it would, there will forever be a bad memory associated with this café that would make it her favorite no more.

She glanced at her watch. 2:02. He was late.

Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hello," a voice said from behind. "Miss me?"

Hermione scowled inwardly, cursing the gods as to why she, of all people, had to deal with this insufferable man in the form of Draco Malfoy. What did she do in her past life to deserve this?

Hermione turned to face the man and she pulled her features into a frown. While she had been mentally prepared to meet him, as she was the one that owled him the invitation in the first place, the sight of him tore down all her mental defenses in one go. She had not expected him to be even more good looking than their last encounter, which was almost 6 years ago during their graduation ceremony from Hogwarts. Exactly one week before their graduation, they were still a couple, dating in secret.

Of course, she had seen him on both the muggle and wizarding newspaper since, as he was a successful and philanthropic businessman, but to see him in the flesh was a whole different experience. It brought back memories…

It wouldn't do to ogle at him, nor would she give him that satisfaction, so she snapped out of her reverie and retorted, "Not at all. If I had missed you, don't you reckon that I would have contacted you a lot sooner than 7 years after our breakup?"

Draco smirked and pulled a seat out and sat opposite of her.

"This is merely business," she continued, "and I would greatly appreciate it if you would cooperate so that we can get through this as quickly as possible.

Draco chuckled, sat back in his chair and propped his ankle on top of his knee. He observed her from the opposite side of the table.

Hermione had certainly made a lot of changes to her looks including a wardrobe upgrade from the looks of it. Likely the Weaselette taught her a thing or two in fashion in addition to the fact that she had more time to take care of herself since she was no longer tasked with helping Potthead to save the wizarding world from a noseless psychopath.

Her once frenzied mess of chocolate curls were now tamed and they cascaded in soft waves down her back, with a few tendrils framing her face. She was still slim, but her nicely fitted sundress showed that she had fuller curves in all the right places.

Grey eyes made eye contact with the fiery brown sitting before him. She definitely saw him giving her a once over. He smiled.

"You still talk a lot," he mused out loud. When the brunette gave him a cold stare, he sighed, "alright, let's put pleasantries aside and get on with it."

Hermione straightened her posture and reached inside her purse to pull out an opened envelope addressed to 'Miss Hermione Granger'. The penmanship had all the telltale signs that it was from Professor McGonagall, who still served as Headmistress of Hogwarts.

She pushed the letter closer to Draco. "I'm sure you received one as well, but seeing that you did not contact me and it been two weeks since the receipt of my letter, I figured that maybe your dumb blonde secretary tossed it away for you."

Draco smirked at her comment as he reached for the envelope. So she had been paying attention to him after all, he thought.

It was true that he kept a blonde secretary around him- Amy was her name, and it was also true that she wasn't the brightest light bulb of the bunch, but she was mighty useful as she was easy on the eyes. Not for his eyes, mind you, but for the eyes of his acquisition partners and competition. Draco found that deals were always easier to close and often times well in his favor when the other party was distracted by the ample bosom that Amy carried. Not to mention, he had a rich bachelor playboy reputation to uphold.

Why on earth would he choose an ugly secretary anyway? Many girls were eyeing the highly coveted secretarial position for the CEO of Malfoy Enterprises, a large conglomerate that was highly established and esteemed in both the muggle and wizarding world.

Draco turned his attention back to the letter. The Hogwarts seal was broken already and he pulled out the small piece of parchment and unfolded it.

Dear Miss Granger:

I am writing to you today to remind you that the 7 year anniversary for your class is quickly approaching. I am sure that you are well aware that your Head Girl duties included the planning and execution of the 7 year reunion to be held on August 15th at the Great Hall here at Hogwarts.

Of course, you are expected to coordinate with the Head Boy for this event and I expect the both of you to uphold the tradition for the Head Boy and Girl to initiate the first dance.

I am looking forward to the event to see your class once again.

With Warm Regards,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

A/N: Hello! Trying my hand at a Harry Potter Fanfiction story. It's been years since I've last written anything mildly creative so not sure if it is to your liking. Constructive comments/criticisms are welcomed and your subscription/review will be the greatest encouragement. This story will alternate every chapter between the "present" (year 2005) and "past" (year 1998/1999). Just in case you're wondering.