Chapter 9 : Recollection Of A Co-Worker's Remedy

{A/N: Here's Another Update...and of course this chapter was adjusted as well...}

A Month Earlier...

Cubical, Department Of Muggle Artifacts, Ministry Of Magical Offices, Wizarding World...

Hermione Jean Granger had been swamped with paperwork given her partner had been late to arrive this morning and she attempted to cover for her. If anyone would have told Hermione Granger that she'd be partnered as an adult with Pansy Parkinson she would have laughed then hexed them if Pansy had not done so first. All the hours of going through files and sorting artifacts had given way to communication for the sake of work and then something of a budding friendship much to either one of their surprise. The bushy haired witch had left Hogwarts after completion of her seventh year at Hogwarts, despite both Ron and Harry receiving honorary degrees. She had been determined not to let Voldemort stand in the way of her initial plans for her education and completed the courses as they were meant to be completed before advancing to Uni.

Once she completed her magical education, she traveled back to the muggle world to advance her education there, feeling as if she had turned her back on her muggle up bringing in the favor of the wizarding world.

Turning her attention back to her desk and the parchment that lined it. Hermione Granger sighed knowing that this would be another evening where she found herself swamped so to speak. Having spent so much of her time pursuing her studies, the brightest witch of her age often found herself alone. Especially, given that almost everyone she knew either married and had families or they were dating.

Unfortunately, Hermione's academic pursuits and heavy work schedule left little to no room for a social life, let alone time to have any sort of relationship with a wizard or muggle blossom into a true courtship for marriage or a family.

Thirty minutes into extra work, and Pansy Parkinson strolled into the office taking her seat at her desk and attempting to get started on her work.

"Where have you been?" whispered Hermione as she pretended to look over the parchment in her hands.

"Sorry." whispered Pansy in reply. "I was kind of tied up last night and it took quite some time to escape."

Hermione of course had not gotten what she meant and simply went back to doing her work.

"Next time call ahead." she whispered looking back up from her parchment stack.

Pansy seemed amused.

"You know Granger, you seem to be wound a bit too tightly these days." she said observing the amber eyed witch on the other side of the stack of parchments. "When was the last time you've had a good dose of a wizard's wand?"

"I have my own wand thank you very much." said Hermione not at all getting what she was hinting at.

Pansy sighed.

"Granger, when was the last time you were laid?" she asked outright.

Hermione's face turned red and she nearly dropped the mini stack of parchments she had collected in her hands.

"Pansy." she said stunned. "I can't believe you would ask me such a vulgar question."

"Just answer the question Granger." said Pansy getting to her feet and leaning over the enormous stack of parchments in a bid to read Hermione's facial expressions.

"I...well... for your information I've never..." began the fumbling witch.

Pansy shook her head.

"No wonder you're always so up tight." she said with a smirk.

"I am not uptight." said Hermione in her own defense. "I've just been really very busy lately."

"I'm sure." replied Pansy not taking her word for it. "If you had some fun now and then you wouldn't be stressed as much when you come into the office."

"And I take it you're some kind of expert when it comes to relieving the stress of a work week?" asked Hermione with an arched brow.

Pansy smirked once more.

"No." she admitted. "But I know someone who is."

This had gotten the amber eyed witch's interest.

"Oh really?" she asked curious. "Do tell."

Pansy sighed recalling her adventures from the previous night.

"Let's just say, he's a professional." she replied.

"A professional?" asked Hermione confused once more by her friends strange choice of words.

"Of course, he can be a sympathetic ear, a masseuse , a friend by all accounts." said the former Slytherin witch with a grin. "He'll know just what to do with that uptight manner of yours and he makes the most incredible freshly brewed tea I have ever tasted."

"I don't fancy going to visit some man I know nothing about." said Hermione turning her attention back to her work.

Pansy shrugged.

"Suite yourself Granger." she said turning back to her own work.

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Afterwards...

Hermione would have been lying if she said that she had not been curious. Pansy was usually in a foul mood when she arrived at work, mostly due to her not at all being a morning person. The amber eyed witch knew that she needed at least two cups of coffee before she even attempted to look at a stack of parchments.

The Slytherin witch smirked quite often when thinking to herself or looking up at the clock.

The idea occurred to her that Pansy might have found a lover but she recalled the witch's devotion to Draco Malfoy when they were children attending Hogwarts and the tragedy that befell the Malfoy family following the war.

Lucius Malfoy had taken ill with a strange sickness no one knew how to cure and had been wasting away at Malfoy Manor. His son Draco and his long suffering wife had been doing their best to care for him but their wealth had been dried up since the conclusion of the war, whatever the despot Voldemort hadn't squandered in his war effort the Ministry of Magic seized when they began stripping rights from former Death Eaters.

Word had been that Draco had recently contracted an illness as well and that both of the Malfoy men had been slowly wasting away at Malfoy Manor in the care of a grief stricken Narcissa Malfoy.

Pansy had been more than a little upset about what happened but didn't seem to let much of it show during the day to day. This particular morning, had been been different for the Slytherin witch.

She had been all smiles and quite relaxed. Hermione wondered if her friend had anything to do with this sudden change of attitude.

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Present...

Room 14, Grand Lodge Hotel, Canyon Hills, Australia, Wizarding World...

Hermione Granger couldn't believe she'd been thinking about what her less than scrupulous co-worker suggested while she'd been in a rush to get ready for work. Ever since she'd been visited by her rather strange neighbor whom had worn a mask over his face, she found it extremely difficult to concentrate on anything other than her previous gander at his important bits from her first arrival.

Attempting to pull herself together, Hermione Granger put all her focus on the up coming task at hand. She reasoned there would be plenty of time to obsess over the mysterious man in the suite beside her after she'd come in from the office.

Recalling that she'd been called in on her off day to straighten out a small mishap in paperwork seemed to lean her mood towards a small measure of irritation. Still, she had a job to do and no matter how mundane it appeared, she'd be ready for it.

Taking one last look at the door that separated her half of the suite from that of the pale naked man she'd been dreaming about hours before the call from the office interrupted her slumber, Hermione took her leave for the time being wondering in the back of her mind if the appealing pale masked man had been awake as well.