The thin watch on Hermione's wrist read 1:55 and even though she was early she had expected him to also be a bit ahead of schedule seeing as both of them could hardly wait. She waited a few more minutes, occasionally glancing up at the door or across the pub to the other side of the bar where Hannah was serving drinks and Colin was sitting with a glass of butterbeer. They looked just as nervous as she felt.

Two o'clock finally rolled around and there was still no sign of him. No one had even entered the pub in the last 15 minutes. Finally, at 2:03, the bell at the door gave a shrill jingle and in walked a man. Followed by another man unfortunately. Not only that, but it was Harry and none other than Draco Malfoy. Malfoy's eyes had met hers immediately and for some reason she didn't bother to look away. The bell should have been ringing to alert her to the arrival of her stranger, not her best friend and his newly acquired companion. "Why hello, Hermione!" Harry said, she looked at her best friend, completely unhappy to see him, and watched as he sat down next to her. "Do you mind?" He asked, most likely assuming that she wouldn't.

"Um well, I'm expecting someone actually so if you could make it quick." She glanced at the door, hoping her stranger was just having a bit of trouble finding the place and that he would walk in any second now and she would have an excuse to get up and leave these two to themselves. She tuned Harry out for the most part, who was trying in vain to engage her in conversation, but she wasn't pulled back in until Draco spoke.

"I see you're reading Hamlet. I loved that play, my favorite Shakespeare actually." He looked as if he was trying very hard to get her to like him, and at this particular moment in time, she was not having it. Another moment, maybe, but certainly not now.

"Yes, um, it's my favorite as well." He nodded in reply. She waited for a few more minutes in silence and glanced down at her watch one last time. 2:15. He was obviously not coming. "Sorry, it doesn't look like my friend is going to make it so I'm just going to leave." She grabbed her coat and book as quickly as she could and practically ran to the door. A few seconds later, Malfoy had followed her outside.

"Hermione!" He called. She was shocked, he had never in their acquaintance ever called her Hermione. Always Granger, and occasionally, mudblood.

"Did you just call me Hermione?" Was all she could manage.

Hermione turned away and began walking away up the road as fast as she could. She heard Malfoy turn and return to the pub just as someone else was exiting in a loud clatter of feet. Two someones, actually.

Hannah and Colin didn't take long to catch up to her and she was not at all surprised that they had followed. "Hermione! Hermione, are you okay?" Hannah asked, a bit out of breath but obviously concerned.

Hermione was biting back tears at this point, and both of her friends could tell. "I… I can't believe he didn't show up." She said with strain.

"I swear I'm going to kill this guy even though I have no idea who he is." Colin said with a disconcerting amount of anger in his voice. "I can't believe he would do that to you after months of charming letters, what a wanker."

"Colin, I appreciate your concern but maybe anger isn't the best way to deal with this." Hermione said, trying to keep her wits about her. The tears were flowing freely now and she bit her lip in annoyance. She didn't want to cry over him, a man she had never met and probably never would meet considering how the day had gone. "I think I need to go home and cry a bit. Can you guys come with me?" She asked. They both seemed surprised that she wanted them there, but in all honesty they had become two of her closest friends. Harry was very busy at the Ministry so she didn't see him as much and Ron, well, they were still friends but they hadn't spoken since the break up and it hadn't even been a week so that was still a fresh wound. She had worked with these two everyday for more than a year and she loved them dearly.

Hermione, Hannah, and Colin made their way to the apparition point in silence. Hermione grabbed their hands and they were gone. They landed the usual two blocks away from her flat and made that walk in silence as well. They finally arrived and Hermione immediately made her way to the bathroom and locked herself inside. She looked at her face in the mirror. Tear stained and patchy-red. She pulled off her coat and set it on the counter. She turned on the water and waited for it to get warm. She pulled out a washcloth and ran it under the stream before bringing it to her face and washing away the dejection that had made itself at home over the past few minutes. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time and gave a great sigh before unlocking the door and stepping out into the hall.

Hannah was at the stove putting a kettle on and Colin was getting out some cups. They both turned around when she walked out. She placed her coat over the back of a chair at the table and sat down. They both joined her.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Hannah asked softly.

Hermione sighed, refusing to meet her eyes. "I didn't think he would be late. I was surprised when it was 2:00 and he hadn't shown up yet. Then Harry and Malfoy walked in and I was flooded in disappointment, and then they sat down and I started panicking. What if he had walked in and seen me at a table with them? Would he have just left?" She sat back in her chair. "You don't think he looked through the window to try to see if I was there and saw me with them and left, do you?" She sounded more worried than she had intended.

"Of course not, that's ridiculous he would have come in anyways." Colin said.

Hannah looked at him in annoyance.

"So you just think he didn't show up at all?" Hermione asked.

"Oh gosh Hermione that's not what I meant." Colin in a bit of a cold sweat.

"No no, it's alright." Hermione waved it off as no big deal. "What am I going to do? Should I write him and ask why he didn't show up?"

Hannah pondered this for a moment. "That might be a good idea. Maybe you don't know the whole story, there could have been a family emergency or something. Or he got lost, maybe he'd never been to The Three Broomsticks before, it's entirely possible."

"That's a good idea, Hermione. You never know what the problem could have been and I'm sure he feels awful about it. He seemed just as excited to meet you as you were him when you told us. I'd hate to see you give up on this, he seems like he's perfect for you."

Hermione cracked a shy smile at this. He was perfect. He was witty, intelligent, kind, he valued hard work, he listened to her suggestions, he made her laugh. He was absolutely perfect. "Okay, I'll write to him tonight. Or maybe tomorrow. I don't know if I feel up to it or not."

"Good idea, just write when you feel ready." Hannah said reassuringly. The kettle whistled then and Hannah got up to pour them their tea.

"So what was all that with Draco Malfoy outside?" Colin asked.

"Colin!" Hannah exclaimed from the kitchen, "Don't badger her!"

"That's funny coming from a Hufflepuff." Hannah glared at him, "Sorry, couldn't resist. But I am curious I'm not gonna lie, especially after that run in at the shop yesterday."

"What run in at the shop?" Hannah asked as she sat back down with their tea.

Hermione sighed as she grabbed her cup. "Malfoy came into the shop yesterday looking to sell some old books, he wants to destroy the Manor and sell what he can salvage so I agreed to purchase them in increments." Hermione said. "I hadn't seen him since the Battle of Hogwarts so it was a bit awkward and confrontational I suppose. Anyways, he followed me out of the pub and asked me for a job."

"He asked you for a job? Is he insane?" Colin was startled and Hermione wasn't sure if she was willing to tell him the rest. "Did he forget that he doesn't like you?"

"He said he wants to make amends. You did notice he was there with Harry, he apologized to him when he started working at the Ministry and they've become surprisingly good friends. I think it's worth a shot, I don't like holding grudges so I hired him."

"You what?" Colin said, too astonished to sound angry.

"I hired him, Colin. He's a good worker, that I know, I saw it at Hogwarts. He loves to read and learn and it's important for employees to like what they're selling. Plus, we'll get those books he's selling for free and he offered to take the lowest pay possible."

"Why would anyone do that?" Colin asked.

"He's a Malfoy, he technically doesn't have to work for the rest of his life but he likes to keep himself occupied. I think it's a good deal, so I hired him."

"Does this mean I have to become friends with him?" He asked.

"Not necessarily friends but I would appreciate it if you would be civil. I'd like to try and make amends with him if possible and it would probably be healthy for you to do so as well. Plus, you don't have as much of a history with him as I do so I'm not sure what all you're complaining about."

Colin paused for a moment, "Only Hermione Granger could act like that after being stood up." He said to Hannah, his voice full of admiration.

"Very true." She replied.

"Hannah's who's watching the pub?"

"Oh, don't worry, Rosmerta's niece Esmeralda has been working there ever since she graduated Hogwarts, so she knows the ropes. I asked her to watch it while I was gone. Personal emergency."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. Both of you, I appreciate both of you." She smiled at her two lovely friends. "You should probably get back soon though, I wouldn't want to keep you long."

"Are you sure? I can stay as long as you need me." She said.

"Yeah me too." Colin added.

"Don't worry guys, I'll be fine. I think I just need a bit of time to cool down and think about it on my own. Thanks for being here though."

They both nodded and smiled. They stayed until they finished their tea and then retrieved their coats. Hermione said goodbye and closed the door behind them. She made her way to her bedroom and changed into pajamas. She looked at her periwinkle jumper sadly as she placed it back in her closet.

She made her way into the living room and started flipping through records. She selected a Chet Baker album that her father had gifted her. She had always been surprised that he had given her such a melancholy album but when she asked he simply replied with "Sometimes you need sad music, it usually makes you feel better about yourself." She gently set the needle on the black disc and sat on the couch. She spent the next half hour crying her eyes out.

Once she'd gotten herself together she decided she didn't want to put off writing him any longer. She got up and moved to her desk. She pulled out a quill and parchment and ravenously poured her emotions onto the page, along with a few tears.

Dear Stranger,

Today I arrived at The Three Broomsticks at a quarter to 2. I found a nice table on the left side of the pub, right against the wall, and made myself comfortable. I set my copy of Hamlet on the table and I pulled off my coat to make sure my periwinkle jumper was visible. I waited until my watch read 2:00 on the dot. You didn't show up. I assumed you might just be a few minutes late, so I waited. A few minutes later, one my best friend showed up with one of his friends. They sat down and made frivolous chatter for a few minutes before I realized that you weren't coming and that I might as well leave. I grabbed my coat, I got up, and I made my way out of the pub as promptly as possible. Thankfully, my two best friends (who had insisted on tagging along and staying in the background) came and consoled me and followed me home for a cup of tea. It was a nice distraction.

But now I'm dwelling on it. I'm sitting on my couch being sad and listening to a particularly depressing jazz album. I'm feeling sorry for myself, which I never do. I spent half an hour crying. I wouldn't go as far to say you broke my heart, but you've most certainly bruised it. And for that I feel utterly foolish. That for one I let my heart be so easily ensnared in the charms of a man who I do not know, and two that I let myself believe that it was all going to end up alright. I don't believe I've ever let myself fall so recklessly for anyone before, but now I have and it's more painful than any other romantic mishap that has ever befallen my hopeless love life.

A Stranger

She did not sign it "Your Stranger". She did not want him to think she was still his. She had never been his. She had promised him her heart over stacks of parchment, at least 6 bottles of ink, and so many words that were so dear to her.

She looked up from her tear-stained letter. Henry was sitting on her window sill, vigilant as ever. "Hello, Henry. I didn't think I'd be seeing you again. At least not so soon." She said as she opened up the window and handed him the letter. He flew off into the dwindling afternoon and she watched with fresh tears on her cheeks.

Draco received the letter as the dusk of the early evening was beginning to settle and he couldn't say he was very excited. He was pleased when he opened the letter and saw the usual:

Dear Stranger…

He was, however, not pleased when he had finished reading the letter. He had broken her heart, whether she said so or not, he knew he had. He could tell. There was obvious pain in every sentence and the parchment itself was stained with tears. She had signed off with simply "A Stranger", which had been what they had used for the first few letters. She had suggested the change. She thought it was too impersonal a term to call the person you were sharing your innermost feelings with. He had agreed.

Draco now deeply regretted not just walking into the pub and sitting across from her in her periwinkle jumper and telling her the truth. He had wanted to. Once he had sat down with Harry, he had wanted to. He thought maybe he could convey it to her secretly, which was why he had mentioned Hamlet being his favorite. He thought she had caught on for a moment but she hadn't. Probably just confused that he had been reading Muggle literature.

He couldn't believe he had done that to her. The girl he had fallen in love with over so many wonderful letters and meaningful conversations. He had hoped for nothing more than for this day to go smoothly. He felt a bit empty, he had been anticipating this all week and now the girl he thought he loved was someone he was sure he could never even tolerate, and now she was heartbroken and he was responsible.

He spent the next twenty minutes of thinking up a way to apologize, some sort of way to explain to her why he had not been there and how awfully sorry he was. He sat down at his desk and pulled out his parchment and quill.

Dear Stranger,

I can't explain why I wasn't there today. All I can tell you is that I feel absolutely dreadful about this. I know I've hurt you and the damage I've caused is irreversible. I've run over in my head how awful it must have been, sitting there and waiting and coming up empty handed. I know you said I haven't completely broken your heart, but I feel like I have. I've done a lot of horrid things in my life and I'm ashamed of all the hurt I've caused other people, and this is certainly one of the worst things I've done. I've hurt someone who I care about deeply and I'll probably never be able to make it up to them.

I know you don't feel very forgiving, but please if you could give me one more chance to prove that I'm not the enormous twat you think I am. If you want to cut off our correspondence, that's completely fine and I understand, but I want you to know that I didn't stand you up today because I don't care. I care more about this than I have about almost anything else. I'm so incredibly sorry that I've hurt you. Please accept my apology, even though it is most certainly not deserved or expected.

Your Stranger

He was still hers. He didn't want to be anything other than hers. He felt sick to his stomach with guilt and sadness. He handed the letter off to Henry and climbed into bed, even though the clock read only six. He didn't want dinner. He didn't feel like doing anything. When he had gotten home he had sent his letter of resignation to the Ministry, they had plenty of interns who could fill his position if or until they found someone more qualified. He wanted to start on his plan to win back Hermione's heart as soon as possible.

Draco had woken up at six the next morning and he got up and ready. He pulled on one of his older grey jumpers. This one was speckled in texture and he thought it quite flattering. He wore his black jeans and pulled his olive coat on over it all. He wasn't sure what all he had to bring to his first day of work but it was a bookshop after all so he thought he was fine to just bring his wand and an attitude that wouldn't piss off Hermione.

All the shops in Diagon Alley opened at seven for convenience so he apparated away at 6:45 to make sure he was there early enough. He arrived at the apparition point soon after and the chill outside was much harsher than he thought. He made his way toward Flourish and Blotts. He wasn't sure if there was an entrance for employees but even so he wouldn't have a way to get in. He simply walked up to the front door and hoped that Hermione, punctual and usually early as she was would already be there. Of course she was. He knocked on the window and she made her way to the door to let him in.

"Morning Hermione." He said as he stepped past her into the shop. It was very peaceful without customers in it.

"Morning Draco. I see we've jumped right into using first names."

"I thought it would be more appropriate and altogether less childish." He said with a bit of sarcasm.

"I agree." She said shortly. He could tell this would be a very antagonistic partnership.

"So what should I know before the work day begins." He asked as he peeled off his coat. She took it from him and he followed her as she walked to the back of the store.

"Well, first off, employees come in through the back. I'll give you a key before you leave today. There's a little alleyway two shops down where you can access the backdoors of all the shops. Other than that, it's a bookshop so generally the customers are very laid back and you won't have to be serving them as you would in say a restaurant, but you should know where things are to start off. I'll start you off on stock so you can just put new books from the back on shelves, they're in alphabetical order by genre, and pick up books that are left about by customers. I'll probably also have you do some more menial tasks if you don't mind-" "Not at all." He replied. "Good, um, the backroom will have to be a bit cleaned up, Colin and I just haven't had the chance. I've been rather invested in the sales book and dealing with providers, I also deal with the cash register. Colin is all customer service so you probably won't have to deal with customers that often. He knows where everything is and he can think on his feet while also being kind and accommodating, he's a good role model so mimick him as best you can." Draco nodded along to everything she said. "Anyways, a tour of the shop so you know where it all is." She said as she started walking towards the closest set of shelves.

"Here you have wizarding fiction. The next row is history. Then sports, that includes a section of "How to Fly a Broomstick" manuals in various levels. This is the section on creatures and their care." She patted the sides of shelves as she passed them. "Then all the subjects: potions, transfiguration, charms, defense against the dark arts, divination which is a fairly small section here, arithmancy, astronomy, herbology, ancient runes, muggle studies including a small section of classic muggle literature, a section on alchemy that is rather sad and no one seems to wander to, plus some smaller sections over here on ghoul studies, magical theory, and studies of ancient magic. The top floor is just large quantities of books required for Hogwarts so it's easy for students to track them down."

"Impressive." Was all Draco could manage. That was a lot to keep track of. Worth it, though.