Author's note: Hope find you all well. So, this is the first real one on one encounter for our favorite couple. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Please review, always love to hear from the reader's.

I still haven't figured out how to sit across from you and not be madly in love with everything you do.

-William C. Hannan

They had walked three blocks in total silence before either one of them found the courage to speak, and it was him who finally found it.

"So, New York." It was lame and he knew it. But what did you say to someone who you hadn't seen in five years? Someone you didn't think you would ever see again.

"Yeah."

"Why?" this question had been burning at the back of his mind all day. Why now was she here?

"I thought I was making a fresh start. Now I am not so sure."

"You think it's the curse?" He didn't know why he asked. He was sure that was what she was thinking.

"Of course, I think it is the curse. What else would it be?" he could tell by her tone that she was annoyed.

"Fate." They had entered the park from the south and started walking towards the center. She gave him a skeptical look, that spoke volumes

"I don't believe in fate." She said stubbornly.

He snorted at this, he stopped and grabbed her arm to keep her from heading on. "Since when do you Helena Vallens not believe in fate." It had been nearly fifty years since she had heard him address her as such. Hearing it now stirred something within her.

"Hermione Granger isn't as fool hearted as Helena. She is logical." The look she gave him was angry, but he didn't need it, he knew what she was feeling without her having to give it away.

"And yet here you are." He mused and started to walk again, after a second she followed him.

"Why did you come?" She had not been happy with the answer that he had given her back at her front door.

He didn't say anything for a long moment, just continued to walk. October was nearly upon them and the sun had already started to set, this time next month it would be dark at this time, as Americans still observed daylight savings and time would be falling back an hour. Time...was a funny thing.

"It occurred to me today after our run in that I don't know you very well." He said finally.

"I don't think there is a person on this earth who knows me better than you." She mused.

"Perhaps, I have known you by many names. I don't know Hermione Granger though, do I?"

"Maybe it has slipped your mind, but we did attend seven years together at a boarding school in Scotland. I think you know Hermione well enough."

"I would disagree with you; I know the girl who I thought you were until Henry Eason became conscious in this life. Which is to say I know very little because I never bothered to know."

"What does it even matter?" She huffed coming to a stop. "It won't change anything. It won't change the situation that we now find ourselves in. It won't change the fact that yet again you are engaged to be married to someone else. We shouldn't even open this door again; it will only make it harder." That pang of jealousy from this morning was back. It was eating at her, and no matter how she tried it wouldn't go. It was absolutely absurd, she didn't even like the man standing in front her. You don't even know him a small voice said.

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't." he was being aloof, and she didn't like it.

"Be serious."

"I am being serious. Hermione, I think I have done a very good job at doing what it is that you asked of me. You can't think though that now that you are here back with in arms reach that I am going to be able to stay away. There is no war looming in front of us anymore, there is no logical reason for me to stay away."

"Logical reason, I don't know maybe how you are engaged to the freaking Vice President of the American Magical Congress for one." She said seething.

"Keep your voice down." He said hushing her and pulling her to the side and out of the way of the No-Majs wondering about the park. "Has it ever occurred to you that we could be soulmates? That us falling in love was not our fault, and that our inability stay away from each other was because we were destined for one another, created for one another. That maybe just maybe Cassandra Thomas was perhaps just a little too dense to understand that, and she cursed us for something we had no control over."

"I don't believe in soulmates, just like I don't believe in fate."

"Then how is it that I have been able to feel you all day?" He asked stubbornly. "Your every change of mood, the thirst for new knowledge? You aren't sure you like Emily. You think Finn is attractive, you were annoyed with the female Weasley when I arrived at your apartment. How is it possible then for me know all of this?"

"I don't believe you, so maybe you had a few lucky guesses. It's not possible for you feel my emotions." The very idea was scary.

"I have always been able to feel you, in every life we have lived, it's as if there is an invisible chain connecting you to me."

"If that is true then why have I never been able to feel you?"

"I don't know, maybe you won't allow yourself. Maybe you are scared, maybe you don't want to. Maybe you have been trying to distance yourself from me longer than either one of us have realized."

"Of course, I am scared. Every life we have lived I have died a horrible and gruesome death because of my love for you. I am always waiting for it happen, waiting for my time to come yet again. Waiting, I am always waiting."

"Helena." He said softly reaching to take her hand into his, but she pulled away as if his touch had burned her.

"Don't call me Helena. I am not the Naïve girl who fell for a man who was well beyond her class and station life, I am not the girl who was arrogant enough to take what was not hers to take."

"You will always be her."

"If me being here is going to be too much for you. Tell me now and I will leave, I will go back to London."

"You Hermione Granger would run away."

He asked as if the very idea was absurd, which it was of course Hermione Granger didn't run from anything "I don't want that."

"Then tell me you can put this." She pointed between them "you and me, behind you."

"I can." If she wasn't going to budge on the matter than he wouldn't push her away.

"Then I guess I will see around Draco." She didn't allow him to say anything else before she turned and walked back towards her apartment. For a city this big it was starting to feel rather small.

That night she barely slept, unable to get the picture of him standing in the setting suns light, or his words out of her mind. Soulmates, the idea was absolutely absurd. The part of her brain that was Helena though asked her if it really was so unbelievable. Helena would want to believe him she thought bitterly, Helena would do anything for him. Hermione hadn't been lying to him though, when said she wasn't Helena.

In ever life before this one, when Helena awoke from what she could only assume was a deep slumber she had control over whoever it was she had been reincarnated into. This time it was different though, Hermione could feel Helena, she could feel the yearning she felt for Henry, but Hermione wasn't controlled by it like she had been in the past.

She supposed it was why she had been able to make the choice to stay in fight during the war instead of running away with him sixth year. Why she had been able to keep herself from seeking him out after it was all over with. Now though she feared that Helena was taking control again, why else was she here in New York? She had jumped at the opportunity to come when the post became available. Had that been Helena? Had she known taking the post would bring her closer to Henry? Was it the curse? Or were they truly soulmates? Always destined to find one another and never apart.

There were to many questions for her to be able to find any kind of peaceful sleep.

...

Draco had barely made it to dinner with the Chamberlin's on time and the death glare Emily had sent him all night only amplified how annoyed she was with him.

The not so settle hints Mrs. Chamberlin kept dropping all night about their lack of wedding date, only annoyed her further. Emily to her credit just smiled and pretended not her hear her mother, though Draco knew she was in fact bothered by his disinterest in settling on a date.

When he had met Emily, she had fascinated him. He could admit that it was his own vanity that took notice of the beautiful new up and comer that morning. It was why he had stopped and started up a conversation with her. Her hair was longer then, and her eyes the color of the Caribbean ocean. He found himself getting lost in their depths as he tried to find an excuse to keep the conversation going while he mustered up the courage to ask her to have dinner. He had heard the whispers around New York of the ambitious witch who was starting make a name for herself, with her take no prisoners attitude. It was her mind though that had gotten him to stick around. She was brilliant, she had dreams, she was every bit the ambitious prodigy people described her as, a small part of his brain whispered she is a pure blood even if she is American. Emily Chamberlin had made Draco Malfoy forget he was Henry Eason.

When Hermione had made it clear she wouldn't choose the same path, he had been heart broken or should he say Henry had been. He had loved this witch for century's, suddenly Henry's love was no longer enough. It was Henry's broken heart though that had helped Draco push him to the farthest reaches of his mind where Draco could lock him away. The time and distance had made it harder for Draco to feel Hermione, and he was able to disconnect from her. He was able to move forward with his life. He was able to fall in love with someone else.

The one thing he couldn't seem to manage however was committing. Asking her to marry him had been easy, celebrating their engagement had been elating. Setting a date, had proven difficult. He hadn't been able to understand his hesitation, Draco Malfoy wanted to marry Emily Chamberlin, but he couldn't. As if this inner turmoil wasn't enough, Hermione freaking Granger had to show up and complicate everything.

"Do you even want to get married anymore.?" Emily asked now that they were alone in their apartment.

"Of course, I want to get married." Did he though? His subconscious asked him. Yes, he did, he wouldn't have asked if he didn't.

"Why haven't we set a date? You keep pushing it off for one reason or another." He didn't say anything, what could he? She was right it was always him who pushed it off. "Where were you? You were nearly late."

"I had a meeting that ran a bit longer than I thought it would." He cringed inwardly at the lie. She didn't question his response, why would she? He never given a reason not to before. He had always been upfront and honest with her, if it was something, he wasn't comfortable discussing he told her as much.

"Draco, I need you to tell me now if you have changed your mind. I can't keep hanging here in limbo if this isn't what you want."

"We will set a date. I promise." He said soothingly.

"Soon?"

"Yes, soon."

...

"You look like death." Finn said the next morning when he came into Hermione's office to say good morning.

"Bad Indian food." Was her only reply.

"Did you have a chance to look over the file regarding the new task force?"

She had at two am, when sleep continued to evade her. Work had always been a good source of distraction. The proposed task force was simple, Wizarding nations coming together to combat the rise of dark magic. The goal was getting as many countries to participate as possible, creating a untied magical army to fight the dark arts. If or when a breakout occurred the idea was to dispatch said army to eliminate the threat. The idea was the task force would be under the control of the International Confederation of Wizards.

"Yes, and I would be remiss if I didn't tell you I fear we are going to have quite a bit of push back from some of the representatives of the confederation."

"You really think so?" he asked perching himself of the chair in front of her desk.

"I think it is easier for all of us to turn a blind eye to certain situations when they do not directly affect us."

"You speak from experience." It wasn't really a question and Finn had not meant it as such. Wizarding Britain had no allies when Voldemort took power.

"So, I think we need a clear plan of action, a clear outline of what we are going to be asking of them. And we need to get the key players on board. The French, the Germans, the Bulgarians, basically anyone who was affected by Voldemort, no matter how small. Before his downfall it wasn't just Britain he had in his clutch's."

"We have the meeting already set for the French President today, I will get my assistant on scheduling meetings with the rest for hopefully later on this week." Finn started scribbling down some notes he planned to drop off at Anita's desk.

"I will get into contact with my Minister, see if he can help push this along in anyway. He might have some political capital he is willing to spend on this." She offered; it had been Kingsley's idea to create this group after all. He didn't want another community to face what they had faced alone.

"What should we call this project? I know we have been referring to it as the task force, but I feel that is very much an American saying. What would be something everyone can relate to?"

"Auror Army."

"Double A for short." Hermione laughed nodding her head.

All in all, their first meeting had been rather promising, but Hermione knew not to get her hopes up. She had been right when she said the European wizards would have more of incentive to back such a group, but they would surely face opposition from others who weren't as geographically close.

By the end of the day Anita had come through and had schedule meeting with Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Australia, Finland, Spain, and Sweden, for varying times during the rest of the week.

With their first meeting out of the way Hermione turned her attention to some of the proposed exchange programs. First on her list was the Auror program. She pulled out her cellphone and dialed Harry's number. She had been dreading this phone call, seeing as things had been left a little rocky between them when she left. However, it had to be done seeing as he was the head of the Auror department, and had a special way of getting Kingsley to agree to things. She couldn't see a way of not involving him. It took four rings before he answered, and when he did, he sounded tired.

"Hey there stranger". He said, his voice sounded wary.

"Right back at you." She said, trying to sound friendly.

"How are things going?" This of course was a loaded question; she knew he was fishing for information.

"Well its only my second day, but it's not bad." Even though I have been here less than a week and things are already complicated by the appearance of Draco Malfoy. But he didn't need to know that.

"I have a feeling this isn't a social call, seeing as it is just after one there." He was always more perspective than she gave him credit for.

"No, it is not." She bit her lip.

"What is it that I can do for you?" he sounded sincere, and she was suddenly feeling horrible for the way she had left things between them when she left England. He hadn't deserved that, and they had been friends for way to long, for her to have not given him a better explanation than 'because I have to Harry'. He of all people deserved to know the things she had kept hidden all these years.

"Have you talked with Kingsley much about my assignment here?" she asked hoping some background might help.

"In passing, not in much detail."

"We are working on strengthening our ties to the American's"

"Right, what does that have to do with me though?" she could tell he was a little lost.

"Well, your office mainly."

"Ok I am listening."

"I am currently looking at a proposal for an exchange program between our two Auror offices."

"Isn't this something you should really be clearing with the Minister."

"Well I was hoping you would be willing to help me broach the subject with him. You know how he can be sometimes hoarding his best assets." They both laughed at this because it was very much the truth.

"And seeing as I am head of the division." He was catching on.

"Exactly."

"Alright, I will help. But I make no promises. What is that you want me to do."

"Get him to agree to a conference call with three of us and your counterpart here. MACUSA President has already signed off on the proposal. If we can get Kingsley to agree we can get the ball rolling potentially have the program up and running by the end of the month."

"Forever the ambitious one." he teased her.

"So, can I count on you?" she ignored it, crossing her fingers.

"Yes, you can count on me." She could hear his smile on the other end. She really could always count on Harry.

"Great, let me know when he can squeeze it into his schedule, and I will get it done here on my end."

"Will do."

"Thanks Harry. Tell Gunny I will call her tonight. And give everyone my love and tell them all I miss them." They hung up; Hermione sighed with relief as she turned to look out the window. She would make this all work, she had no choice, her being here was for a reason and Draco Malfoy wasn't that reason.