DISCLAIMER:
I DO NOT OWN THE WORLD OF HARRY POTTER/JK ROWLING. I DO NOT MAKE ANY MONEY OFF OF THIS OR ANY OTHER STORY I HAVE WRITTEN. I SIMPLY PLAY WITH THE CHARACTERS.
Hermione could not believe Ginny's nerve. Making fun of her over replying to a personal ad, as if Ginny had never done anything ridiculous in her lifetime! She could think of at least three examples of Ginny's spontaneous idiotic behavior! For instance, the time she ran through Kings Cross blind folded, drunk in the middle of the night looking for Harry. She ended up hugging some strange man and snogging him senseless. Some dare that was, stupid Ron. So why could she not take a chance on one thing?
Hermione continued to ponder as she sat back in her lounge chair starring at the fire. Most days she was grateful for Ginny's company and baby Mia's, but today she wanted nothing but to get away from them. As soon as the appointment was over, she declined Ginny's offer for lunch and rushed home. She no longer wanted to hear Ginny telling her how idiotic she was for sending a response to that personal ad.
Not like it even mattered! Here she was sulking in her lounger, with her pajamas on, wallowing in self-pity! Honestly, if someone were to walk through her front door and see her, they would probably laugh harder than if they knew she had replied to a personal ad. That or they would imagine she was ill. She didn't care, not anymore, she was just ready to go back to work and put this whole mess behind her tomorrow.
It was at that moment Hermione realized there was a tapping sound coming from her window. Not just any kind of tapping but the tapping of an owl. It dawned on her that she had received some mail. She stood and stared at the window. An expression of sheer terror written across her face; she did not recognize the owl. This could only mean one thing; this must be a reply from Platinum Eyes.
A knot formed in her stomach, her feet were incapable of movement, and her mouth permanently dropped open in shock. After what seemed like ages, Hermione shook her head and came to her senses; mainly because the gentle tapping was more insistent now and she was fearful it may break the glass. Upon opening the window, she noticed a regal black owl. It flew into the room with an elegance she had never encountered in any other creature.
The owl landed on the back of her lounger chair awaiting her to take its package. Hermione slowly approached the owl. She grabbed some biscuits out of her owl's tray and took it with her and reached her hand out to take the letter and feed the bird. The letter was wrapped in beautiful silver twine like material. On the outside was written Amber Eyes in beautiful calligraphy. She gently opened the letter and began to read:
My Dearest Amber Eyes,
Thank you for responding with graceful eloquence to my ad. I apologize for such a delay in my response, I have received hundreds of replies, you may believe this, and you may not, but this was the only one worth a response. One would not believe the level of ignorance within the wizarding and witches' population. Yes, I also said wizards.
I enjoy the idea of a temporary pen pal very much, with the hopes that one day we would be able to meet. Perhaps not soon but in the future, we will always know that it is a possibility. I find myself rather lonesome, now that I am privy to an empty house.
So, tell me Amber eyes, are your eyes indeed the color of Amber? Mine are very nearly the color of Platinum; it is so cliché is it not? I have a very entrepreneurial mind, but my creativity into the imaginative realm for something's is very limited.
I look forward to your response madam. I hope my reply brought a little less loneliness to your day.
Platinum Eyes
Hermione stood forever reading and re-reading the response over and over again. He sounded wonderful, that was not her loneliness talking, and he actually sounded nice. Granted it will take a while for her to feel more comfortable talking to him in person, but right now, in this manner, he sounded wonderful. Hermione held the letter close to her chest and twirled around the room, grinning from ear to ear.
Nothing in Hermione's mind could have ruined the moment, until a loud squawk came from the black owl she had forgotten about, causing Hermione to fall in the floor. She began to laugh, nope not even that! He must want a reply! Hermione jumped up and ran to her desk, pulling out parchment and her quill she began her reply to Platinum eyes:
Platinum Eyes,
I was very excited to say the least to see your owl at my window. Seeing as he is still perched on my lounger, I am guessing you instructed him to wait for a reply. I'm going to be honest though, I have never replied to a personal ad prior to your letter. Knowing I was the only one worthy of a response really made my day. I did not think you would even reply. It also took me several days to write that short quip and come up with a "handle"! In my profession it is very much not recommended to use one's creativity or imagination in an artistic manner. I will admit I am in a political position. I know now that you are an entrepreneur, what is your business?
Yes, my eyes are the color of Amber, more hazel though, and in certain lights you can see flecks of chocolate. I have had several people advise me I have an odd assortment of eye color.
Out of curiosity, why exactly is your house empty now? Have you been out of the country on business? I look forward to your response. I must agree the hectic time schedule of my life is very lonesome, even though I interact with many people every day I don't get much personal interaction.
Your letter was like a ray of sunshine,
Amber Eyes
Hermione poured over her response fifty times checking for grammatical errors, spelling errors, and just plain flat out checking for awkwardness. This all felt so disconnecting for her in a way. In another sense however, it was perfect really. She didn't have to fit anyone into her life right now. A short letter during the day was perfect for her tremendous schedule. Especially after taking off work today, tomorrow she would have no time to breathe. If she were lucky, she would be home before midnight.
Yes, this would work out perfectly. With confidence she neatly folded her letter and placed it in the black Owls grasp and sent it on its way. She knew this was the best fit for her life right now, regardless of Ginny's ramblings or her own doubts. Her greatest fear was in fact, who, she was corresponding with, and what if it were a prank? Deciding to let that go Hermione began to prepare herself for bed. She had a busy day tomorrow, and she was sure she would be up late writing multiple letters back and forth all night.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Today was going to prove a challenge for Hermione. She sat up for some time last night waiting for a response from Platinum Eyes. To her dismay, one never came. So, she drug herself out of bed this morning and made her way into the office to be immediately bombarded by staff and other members of the Ministry with trivial things in which she found no interest in today. Her mind could not help but wonder what had happen to the insistent bird waiting in her living quarters while she hastily wrote her reply?
Hermione droned throughout the day; half-heartedly arguing her points in various meetings, her mind never leaving that last reply. She couldn't help but wonder if she had accidently signed her real name and it scared the man off with such haste that he moved from the country. She was shocked at how this was affecting her with such a large magnitude. He only replied once and already she had formed an unrealistic attachment. She must be mental.
Hermione shook off the pain of rejection and with the day nearly completed she went to her meeting with Harry and Kingsley.
"Good Day Gentlemen!" Hermione said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster as she entered the conference room.
"Hermione, nice of you to join us." Kingsley said laced with sarcasm.
Hermione glanced at the two of them and the unexpected visitor. She noted his sarcasm and realized that with all the drama of the day she may have recorded the wrong time for their impromptu meeting.
"Well, I never fail to please sir. Have you already started?"
"Yes Hermione, we started an hour ago. When you failed to show on time." Harry said with a smirk.
"You will just have to catch me up then, I must have inadvertently written the wrong time down. Being off yesterday has really thrown me off course already this week. I won't be getting much sleep I can assure you of that. May I ask why Mr. Malfoy is in this meeting and why was I not notified of his attendance prior to the meeting?"
"As you know we have had some difficulty finding financial backers for the Quidditch World Cup, Mr. Malfoy has so kindly offered financial support and the use of his new security company to assist the Auror's." Harry told Hermione this very, matter of factly, which could only mean that he did not want her to argue. Harry was Head of the Auror Department and in line for Minister of Magic. Hermione was very proud of him truth be told. He earned every promotion he received over the years.
"I see. I am assuming we now no longer need financial support. Is this what the meeting was for? To inform me that Mr. Malfoy was now a part of our planning team?"
"Yes and No, please sit-down Hermione." Kingsley said and with a rather sour look on his face. Hermione could only assume it was from having to deal with a Malfoy.
Mr. Malfoy stood as Hermione was sitting, getting odd sideways glances from Harry and Kingsley. His aristocratic grace was noted by Hermione and she could not help but notice his gentlemanly grace as he sat back down only after she sat down in her chair.
"Thank you, for good manners, Mr. Malfoy." Hermione smiled and nodded in his direction and quickly frowned at the other two knot heads beside him for not doing the same.
"What have I missed?"
The meeting started anew, as they caught Hermione up on the numerical figures. As Harry and Kingsley debated over numbers Hermione couldn't help but to sneak peeks at Lucius. She couldn't help but take in his changing appearance from just the other day in the atrium. His eyes were slowly becoming less hollow and livelier. He was beginning to appear more whole, but still there was a deep loneliness to his eyes. He watched her throughout the entire meeting, and she had to admit it unnerved her a great deal.
She was brought out of her constant musings by Kingsley.
"Now that those figures are settled, Hermione, the second item on the agenda is the newest security threat coming up the coast."
"Security threat?" This is the first she heard of any new threats since Voldemort!
"Yes Hermione, Lucius confirmed my suspicions. As you know he has been recently released from Azkaban. Upon his release he was immediately put on probation. All correspondence, visitors in and out of his home and any meetings are all logged automatically here at the ministry. Two days Lucius received an anonymous letter from the head of the newly formed faction we have been monitoring in Spain for two years now." Harry looked very much put out with having to give Hermione this information.
"I brought the letter straight to Kingsley. I was unaware of the monitor until last night. They knew I had received it; I suppose they didn't expect me to do the right thing. I have no intentions of ever going back down that path again Mr. Potter." Lucius said as he stared daggers through Harry.
"Be that as it may, the point being is that we now have a threat, which over the course of two years has made their way up the coast from Spain recruiting their blood supremacy propaganda and they now have entered Great Britain. This new group Hermione, they are truly horrid, they make Voldemort look like a puppy dog in comparison. The things I have seen and, they are so elusive. They call themselves Los Renegados Del Diablos, which means the Devil's Rejects. We have only caught a hand full in and around the area, but as you can see here, they are heavily recruiting former Death Eaters." Harry handed over the letter to Hermione.
Harry pulled some photographs from his briefcase and laid them out across the table. It consisted of men they have captured, victims, and possible recruits. Most importantly Hermione focused on the victims. She shuffled the pictures around and picked up the photographs. This was a curse she had never seen before, the victims skin looked literally like it had been pulled off in sections. Hermione looked up from the photos at Harry, he looked ten years older than he had the last she saw him at the birth of their new child. Hermione looked to Lucius.
"Has Draco received a similar letter Mr. Malfoy?"
"He has." He reached into his jacket and pulled out Draco's letter and handed it over to Harry and Kingsley.
Kingsley looked the letter over.
"It is the same as Lucius'."
"Are we prepared to handle this for the Quidditch World Cup? Or do we need to cancel the match all together until the threat has been eliminated?"
"I think for now we continue on course. Get the highest security measures possible in place. With Harry's Auror's and Mr. Malfoy's security firm I believe we will be able to handle it for now."
Hermione rubbed the back of her neck. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with in her lifetime. One Dark Lord was enough; she had confidence in Harry and his team. This threat would be eliminated. She just didn't want to be involved. Even though that sounded extremely selfish she honestly did not want to deal with anything other than her life at the moment. She was scared.
She looked up at Harry and Kingsley both were looking through the photographs. Mr. Malfoy on the other hand sat empty handed with a vacant expression on his face. Hermione took the opportunity to study him one more time before she potentially ended any nicety's that had begun to form. She regretted this decision but considering his past the question was like an elephant in the room. She cleared her throat to gather the attention of them all while never breaking her stare at Mr. Malfoy.
"I hate to ask this, but it seems to me that one minor detail has been overlooked. I hate to judge anyone by their past transgressions, but Mr. Malfoy your past transgressions were rather large transgressions. How do we know if we can trust your allegiance?"
If he was put off by her question, he never showed it, his vacant expression barely vanished from his face as if he expected the question at any minute.
"Ms. Grainger I can assure you; I never want to grace another cell at Azkaban with my presence. If that isn't enough assurance, I can simply take an unbreakable vow with Kingsley swearing my allegiance to him and Mr. Potter. I can assure you though that merely being in a room with you without any biting or discriminating remarks not having left my lips should be proof enough."
She simply stared at him taking in his response. She didn't know if it was an insult or a compliment, so she simply looked to Kingsley.
"Well what say you Kingsley? Vow or no Vow?"
"I believe Mr. Malfoy has earned a pass today on the Vow Hermione. However, if at any time I feel there is a threat to your allegiance Mr. Malfoy I can assure you I will not hesitate to act whether it is lawfully or unlawfully."
"I understand." Lucius gave his signature smirk of disdain but took his acceptance, nonetheless.
"Well is there any other matters to discuss gentlemen? I have much to do before I can call it a day."
A unanimous no resounded around the table.
Hermione stood and extended her hand to Mr. Malfoy and to her surprise he took her hand and kissed the top of it with grace. As he leaned back up looking at Hermione, he gave her a small smile and nod to the head. She turned and nodded to Harry and Kingsley and headed back to her office.
How odd of a feeling she felt in her groin when Lucius bloody Malfoy kissed something as simple as her hand. She could barely walk to her office without bumping her shoulders from wall to wall. Was she that desperate for affection? She finally made it to her office and dropped down into her chair. How in the world could she possibly manage anymore work today?
As she drifted her mind off into the world of the Ministry Hermione failed to watch the time. Before she had become aware everyone in the office had left for the day and Hermione was left all alone when she noticed it was nearly midnight. Shocked at herself she stood and gathered her things after finding a good stopping point and headed for her flat.
Upon her arrival her ears were immediately assaulted by the tapping of an owl at her window. She dropped everything at the foot of the fireplace and rushed to let the Black Owl swoop through her living room.
"I'm sorry! I hope you haven't been waiting too long!" She rushed to give the owl a treat and carefully took her beautifully wrapped letter from him. Hermione stroked the outside of the letter and carefully untied the silver twine.
My Dearest Amber Eyes,
I apologize for not responding last night to your letter. I had an unexpected urgent business matter to attend too and I did not receive your letter till I arrived back home this evening. I hope that you can forgive my delay in this reply. I can't assure you that it won't happen again, but I can guarantee that you will always receive a reply.
I unfortunately cannot tell you my business, in doing so I will reveal my identity. However, I can tell you that I own a plethora of businesses. I also deal with the ministry on a regular basis. So, knowing that you are in a political position makes me wonder how often our paths truly cross.
I can assure you that it was a rather large one-sided debate on placing the personal ad that took me six days to write and make it rhyme! I have always relied on friends and family to introduce me to new people and I have never needed an outlet such as a personal ad. With that said we have successfully found our second thing in common. I believe we are off to a great start!
I was out of the country, as a result of, a bad business deal, for lack of a better explanation. However, when we meet, and I say when because I know one day we will, I will explain in further detail if needed at that time.
My turn for questioning, we surround ourselves it seems in business or work. Let's try something that requires a more personal approach. Besides the beauty of your eyes, which I cannot wait to see, tell me more about yourself. I'm leaving this open for a broad description. Give me as many details as you feel comfortable giving. I will give a small start.
Besides my platinum eyes, I have blond hair, I am just over six-foot-tall, and I have a broad athletic build. I have firm traditional beliefs, I am a gentleman first and never crude, my beliefs have drastically changed since my youth and I am quite proud of my transformation. It is hard for people to initially trust me, but once they do, I offer unwavering loyalty.
I hope this is a good start for us; I cannot wait to read your reply. Hoping my letter has brought a little less loneliness to your day.
Platinum Eyes
Hermione felt that was quite the unexpected response, but boy was she glad she received it tonight.
