Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.
Many thanks to DHLane for her help with the beta of this chapter.
As she walked briskly up the footpath, Hermione took a moment to glance at the wristwatch she had begun wearing.
It was already five past eight and while she was not running late for work, there was still so much to be done before the workday started. She rounded the corner and walked down two buildings to the one with terracotta stairs. Mounting them, she pulled out her set of keys to unlock the door to the head office. She slid a large, ornate, wrought iron key into the slot below the handle, unlocking it with a 'click'.
Hermione felt the magical wards come down, sending a strange feeling rushing along her spine as it did every time. Once inside, she closed the door and walked to the end of the hall, ascending the stairs and heading to her new office that was situated at the front of the old Victorian building. From the windows she had a perfect view of the street and the park she had to Apparate to every day for work.
Pushing one of the windows open to let some fresh air in, Hermione set her briefcase down on her large mahogany desk before opening it and beginning to sort through its contents. After neatly arranging her pile of folders in order of which tasks she intended to perform, she sat down in her chair, settling in to examine her office.
She had only moved into the office the week before and it was still tidy and totally lacking in any sort of personality whatsoever. With none of her personal effects to decorate the room, it appeared a little bland and cold. Originally Hermione thought this would be a good way to establish a professional boundary with her clients. Now, however, she was rethinking that decision. It couldn't hurt for the room to appear a little more welcoming.
Her eyes then drifted over to the smaller desk in the front corner of the office then. Her new personal assistant would begin working for her that day – a prospect she found simultaneously exciting and terrifying. She had never been an employer before and she was used to doing all of her own work, so having another there to perform tasks for her felt… different.
She looked down at her wrist again and saw that it was already a quarter to nine, immediately wondering where all of the time had gone.
Her assistant and partners would be arriving soon and she hadn't even begun to look at the letters sitting in her 'in' tray. But then she remembered she had an assistant to deal with all of her correspondence now. Silently, she pulled some fresh parchment;, a quill, and some ink from her desk drawer and began to read over the first letter. It wouldn't hurt her to get started for the day anyway.
At exactly nice o'clock there was a knock at the open door which caused Hermione to look up from her work at the doorway. Her assistant was a short young woman with bright blue eyes, her brown hair styled in a trendy pixie cut. Today she was wearing a trousered suit with a white blouse, a formal work robe draped over her arm. She looked nervous and a little wired. Hermione felt sorry for her automatically – she remembered being exactly the same on her first day as a PA. She put on a welcoming smile and walked over to greet her.
'Claire! How lovely to see you again,' Hermione said, holding out a hand for her to shake.
Claire visibly relaxed and smiled back. 'I hope I'm not running late,' she replied with a nervous giggle. 'I was so nervous last night I could barely sleep. I was worried I would sleep through my alarm this morning.'
Hermione chuckled at that. She was able to relate. Just a few years ago she had been in the same position – a young intern, so eager to please everyone on her first day. She remembered like it had only happened just yesterday. Her sympathies went out to the young woman. She would have to make sure that she was as good a mentor as her own had been.
'I remember my first day as an intern for this firm. I was living in Paris at the time, and my boss asked me to get her a coffee. I spilled the entire cup all over her, and was mortified,' she admitted. 'Fortunately my boss was very nice about it. I've come a long way since that day.'
Claire grinned and Hermione knew that they would mostly likely get along just swimmingly.
'So, what can I do first?' the younger woman asked eagerly.
'Hmmm, well that desk in the front corner is yours. Feel free to bring in personal effects to make it more your own, but know that I expect you to keep it in good order,' Hermione instructed. 'The first thing you can do for me is get me an enormous, strong, black coffee. There is a café two blocks from here called Vagelis. Get yourself something while you are at it.'
Hermione pulled some Muggle money from her trouser pocket than and handed it to Claire, dismissing her with a nod.
'Any sugar?' Claire asked.
'A little honey.'
She nodded and disappeared through the door and down the hall to comply with her first instruction.
Hermione settle back behind her desk and continued with her morning correspondence. When she was finished with that charge, she wrote up a task list for Claire to begin when she returned. Fifteen minutes later the young woman reappeared with their coffee. Pleased at her promptness, Hermione handed over the lost list and a stack of folders to sort through.
'I need you to complete that list before you leave at five o'clock. You will get a forty-five minute break for lunch beginning at one o'clock every day. There is also stationary in your top desk drawer,' she explained. 'Lunch is on me today however. I thought you might need someone to show you where the edible food is in this area.'
'Thanks, Miss Granger,' Claire replied.
'Oh please, call me Hermione,' she interjected quickly. 'I haven't been called Miss Granger since Hogwarts.'
They both went to their respective desks and silence fell over the room, save for the scratch of quill against parchment and the rustle of leaves on the tree outside the window. It wasn't until almost one o'clock that Hermione looked up from her work and wriggled her fingers; cramped from all of the writing she'd done that morning. Putting her quill down, she stretched her arms out before putting her things away in the top drawer of her desk.
'Time for lunch, I think,' she announced, startling Claire who had been head down busy working the entire time.
Grabbing her wand, she took off her work robes and pulled on her long black wool coat. She made sure she had enough Muggle money in her pocket lunch. Claire stood from her desk, smoothing out her own Muggle suit jacket. They left the building together and walked the three blocks to the café district. At the end of the row, Hermione led the way to the small Italian bistro. They were seated in a small booth and Hermione ordered a small salad and the winter mushroom soup, while Claire ordered a bruschetta and the minestrone.
'So, tell me – how long until you finish your studies?' Hermione asked her assistant, curious and trying to get to know her employee better. 'This is your final year I assume?'
'I finish in May,' she answered. 'I hope to be able to continue with the firm after graduation also.'
'From what I've seen just this morning, you already seem very competent,' Hermione reassured her. 'I won't need to hire a new assistant just because you graduate. If a position as a practicing solicitor were to open up, assistants always get first preference for promotion.'
'Is that how you began practicing?'
Hermione nodded. 'It's how most of us start out. I was an assistant for a year before my own boss left the firm and the partners immediately promoted me to practice. I'm now a partner myself having recently been promoted and offered a share in the firm.'
'Because of the Malfoy trial, right?' the younger woman asked.
'Yes, that's correct. I was brought back to London a few months ago to work with Auror Longbottom on the case, and they explained that my success would result in a promotion to partner,' Hermione explained.
The very moment those words had left her lips, she realised she had mentioned Neville's name and immediately regretted it. She had been trying so hard not to think about him since their falling out almost a week before and had managed spectacularly all morning until that point. Now she felt sad again, thinking what a fool she had been to overreact the way she had. She had not heard from Neville since he had sent the note via owl last Sunday. She was so stupid and stubborn, and the words her mother spoke rang in her ears whenever she thought of him. If he cared about her – truly cared, he would have tried to be in contact with her again, surely.
'Are you okay, Hermione?' Claire asked, drawing her back to reality.
'I'm sorry – I was lost in thought,' Hermione said, giving her a half-hearted smile.
Their lunch arrived a moment later and Hermione stared at her soup, swirling her spoon around in it, barely eating. She had lost her appetite. When Claire was finished eating, Hermione paid the bill, waving her off when her young assistant tried to give her money for it. They walked back in silence, and she appreciated the fact that Claire didn't try to force conversation on her.
They arrived at the office and walked upstairs to get back to work. Opening the door, Hermione squinted, looking at her desk to try and figure out what was different about the room. Then she spotted it – a beautiful burnt orange rose sitting on her desk. She gasped softly and walked further into the room towards it. She heard the sound of a throat being cleared behind her and spun around to see Neville leaning against the wall beside the door. His arms were crossed and he had a nervous look on his face.
'Neville,' she said softly.
'Hello,' he replied, not moving towards her.
'What are you doing here?' she asked, glancing briefly at Claire who stood awkwardly in the doorway.
'Do you have a moment to talk?' he asked.
Hermione looked at her assistant again. 'Did you just want to get on with the rest of your task list?' she asked.
Claire smiled and nodded, heading straight to her desk. Hermione gestured for Neville to precede her out the door and they walked downstairs and out of the building, heading to the park nearby. They found a bench and sat beside one another, a small gap between them.
'Hermione, I wanted to talk to you about what happened last weekend,' he said softly. 'I want to apologise. I realise I could have handled the situation better, but I still don't quite understand what the problem was.'
Hermione sighed. 'I'm sorry, too,' she said quietly. 'I – I overreacted. I guess I just didn't expect you to be thinking about having a long-term relationship with me. I am just so used to rushing through things and never staying with anyone for too long.'
'Can we try again?' Neville asked, scooting over so that their legs were touching. 'I really like you, Hermione.'
Hermione smiled and nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder and taking his hand. 'I'd like that,' she agreed.
'This time, let's agree to be honest with one another so we can avoid something like this again,' he suggested.
'Okay,' she replied.
They stood and walked hand-in-hand back to her office. At the door to the building, he leaned in and stole a soft kiss from her lips.
'Can we have dinner together on Friday night?' he asked. 'There is a new restaurant opening in Diagon Alley. I thought we could try being seen together in the Wizarding world a little.'
'That might be a good idea, actually. Less of a shock if someone were to catch us together trying to hide it in Muggle London,' she replied. 'I'll see you Friday?'
'I'll come pick you up at seven,' he said.
They shared a kiss and parted ways, Hermione heading back up to her office. When she walked in, she looked over to see her assistant was busy working. Clearing her throat, she walked over to speak to her. Her lack of professionalism by leaving with Neville in the middle of a workday was something she did not intend to repeat or encourage with her staff.
'I'm sorry about leaving like that,' Hermione said, standing awkwardly before Claire.
The younger woman shook her head and smiled. 'Don't even think on it. Who was that?' she asked curiously, grinning.
'Auror Longbottom,' Hermione replied sheepishly. 'I want to reassure you that I am normally not so unprofessional at work…'
Claire waved her off. 'Hermione – I don't think you are unprofessional at all. You are entitled to have a relationship with whomever you like,' she said. 'Besides, Auror Longbottom is very cute. Does he normally stop by your office with flowers?'
Hermione laughed softly and shook her head, walking back over to her desk. She picked up the rose he had brought her and lifted it to her nose, breathing in the soft aroma.
'We had something of a falling out last week,' she replied, sitting down behind her desk. 'Everything is fine now. Time to get back to work now.'
Claire took the hint and the conversation was dropped. Casting a charm on the rose to preserve it, Hermione put it to the side before pulling her things out of her desk drawer again. She opened the file before her and started to do some reading about her next case. When they parted ways at the end of the workday, Hermione thanked Claire for all of her hard work. She walked the short way to the park and Apparated from behind a tall hedge.
She arrived in her front hall and hung her coat up on the hooks, sagging against the door in exhaustion. She smiled to herself for a moment then, looking down at the rose in her hands. Perhaps she had not been a fool for taking a chance on Neville. Pushing away from the door, she headed to the kitchen to start making dinner.
She placed the rose in a small vase with water, feeling happiness course through her.
To be continued.