A/N: For the New Beginnings challenge on the slytherdornet tumblr. The four core elements, used to describe Hermione and Draco's relationship. Short, minimalist, and gentle.

I do not own Harry Potter.

Fire

It was five years after the war. Hermione Granger found herself surprised that, after years of constant vigilance, overworking her brain, and racing alongside the famous Harry Potter, her notorious fire had finally begun to die down. She claimed a successful position in the Ministry that she knew she had earned, she coaxed Harry and Ginny towards marriage until he finally proposed, she and Ron mutually broke up to find more suitable partners.

After so many years of being different—being special—she finally realized that underneath all the situations and catastrophes that led her to the fame she lived with, she was just an ordinary witch. It had been a long time since she last felt engulfed in the flames that carried her through the war. She reminded herself daily that this was a good thing, that she had given up the privilege of a normal seven years at Hogwarts in order to obtain this normalcy.

It was a hard sell.

In truth, Hermione was kind of bored. Her prestigious position in International Magical Cooperation, while enough to keep her occupied, was a desk job with an obscene amount of paperwork. As no one felt very inclined to deny her things, because her glare would wither even the most virile of men, she could get away with passing nearly anything without any repercussions, even if it were the stupidest thing she could think of.

Her love life was at a stand still. She'd gone on a few dates with random wizards Ginny had set her up with that had ended in one night stands, nothing fulfilling and nothing that led to the emotional connection she so craved. Frankly, if she met another man who spent two hours gushing about how blessed he felt to be in the presence of a war heroine, she was going to marry Crookshanks.

She wanted nothing more than a restart. Sometimes she wished she could do-over Hogwarts. Of course, she knew how blessed and loved she was across the Wizarding World. But sometimes, she wished she didn't have to give up so much of herself in order to do what she had. Sometimes, she felt as though she couldn't let go from it and couldn't move past the 17-year-old vigilante she had been. But she couldn't decide if she wanted that brand of excitement, of fire, back, or if she just wanted a normal life, with normal friends, and normal, average talent…and those questions were what made her feel so unsatisfied.

Seeing Draco Malfoy for the first time since the Final Battle was jarring. He simply appeared in the office one day, while she was sorting documents, as though he hadn't been gone for five years, as though he was just some ordinary man with an ordinary place in her world. He was talking to her boss, reserved, respectful, almost demure. It was a stark change from the last glimpse she had seen of him—the fearful boy huddled with his parents, unable to belong anywhere. The tabloids hadn't kept up with his family from what she could tell, noting only that Harry had given testimony to prove that they did not deserve to rot in Azkaban. The last she had heard, the elder Malfoy had Narcissa by his side as they built their name back up from the ground.

It was with this in mind that she steeled herself to the fact that Malfoy and her boss were walking towards her office. She begged herself to remember that she had matured, that any hatred she'd had was no longer relevant because she was no longer the over-emotional, vulnerable girl that was so wounded by his constant bullying. There was nothing that could come out of his mouth at this point in her life that could shock her, because the hard walls that she had built up around herself were certified pain-proof.

She heard a knock. "Come in," she said, feeling a strange sense of build up for something that was supposed to be inconsequential.

Alicia Spinnet walked in, leaving Malfoy outside. "Hermione. I have a new trainee for you this morning. Draco Malfoy. His application was accepted last week and he's to have a two week training and trial period to see if he is compatible with the office."

"Ah. And I am to be training him?" Hermione asked, as though the answer was not completely obvious. She maintained forced eye contact with Alicia, fastidiously ignoring the blond wizard that was floating near her doorway.

"Yes. You will see him through the next two weeks, give him a basic understanding of what our department does, how a standard day passes, and what his duties would be as your employee," Alicia responded.

"My employee, Alicia?"

"As the most recent employee, though I don't know how four years can still be considered recent, all the drudge work that falls to you can now be reallocated to him, if you so desire. With Graves having left us two months ago, I know your workload has increased exponentially," Alicia responded, in her no-nonsense way.

Hermione sighed. "Very well then. Leave him to me, and I'll see how it goes."

Alicia laughed. "I know you have a history. Don't kill him, Hermione."

Hermione sighed again, even more deeply. "I'll try."

With that, Alicia left the room and allowed Malfoy to come in, while Hermione stared down the piece of paper in front of her to prolong the coming of the inevitable.

There was an elegant clearing of the throat, and then, "Hello, Miss Granger." It wasn't a drawl, it didn't sound condescending, it didn't even sound mean. It knocked the wind out of Hermione's proverbial sails.

She looked up, to meet his eyes. It began the same way she suspected the world did: with an explosion. The feeling was new, and foreign, but familiar at the same time, and completely exhilarating; the singular moment she caught his gaze lit a brand new flame, engulfing her. His softly smirking lips stoked the fire and his icy grey eyes left a burn within her, she was completely captivated. She felt fire again, for the first time in ages. It was positively breathtaking.