Hermione lost count of how many times she glanced over at the parchment the following morning. She was worried about Draco and couldn't concentrate, yet again! He had a lot to answer for! Mid morning, she was called away from her office with a customer complaint. When she got back there were words on the parchment.

"Hey."

Underneath another line.

"Hermione?"

And another.

"I thought you were always there?"

She grabbed the quill and wrote quickly on the parchment.

"Sorry - I was out of my office."

She put the parchment to one side, not expecting an immediate answer but almost straight away , a reply appeared.

"I thought you were ignoring me!"

"Should I have been waiting desperately for your message?" Hermione bit her lip, glad he couldn't see her face because that was exactly what she had been doing!

"Of course you should!"

Hermione laughed. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Awful."

"What will you do now?"

"I'm not sure - I'll need to sort out putting someone in the office and I'd like to wait until the Aurors prove who it was...I've not made any decisions yet."

"Of course not."

"I need to go now - I'll message you later."

"Okay."

Hermione felt a little better. Draco was obviously upset but this morning but he did sound more like his normal self.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''

As promised, Hermione had another message from Draco in the evening. His message was brief and Hermione responded briefly as well, sensing that he was just trying to get through what was happening to him. She wanted to message him for hours until he felt better but that didn't seem to be how he was dealing with it, so she followed his lead.

The next day, the parchment glowed just as she entered her office, after a meeting with Blake to cancel her advertising deal. She rushed over to it and stared at the blank page.

"Hermione?"

"Hey."

"It's crazy here - I probably won't be in touch for a while. Don't try and contact me - I wouldn't like to think you were waiting for my reply."

Hermione didn't like this but she didn't want to make things worse for him so she agreed without argument. "Okay, but I don't mind waiting for a reply if you're busy."

"No, really. Please don't contact me this way again. I'll be in touch when I get back."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes - I'm okay - I have lots of help here."

Hermione frowned. Was he putting on a brave face? "If it helps to let off steam to me, it's no problem."

"No. I'm fine - it's better that I make sure things get sorted at this end. As I said, I have lots of help."

His message left Hermione feeling cold and upset. His tone wasn't right and she was sure he wasn't being honest about how he was feeling. He'd seemed to want her support at first, but now he was dismissing her.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''

His message was waiting for her when she got into the office the next morning.

"Abigail and I will have to stop here for quite a while. We need to recruit a new manager and we thought we'd take this opportunity to re-organise some other staff. I think it would be best if you re-let the penthouse. I'll send you a cancellation notice."

Hermione gaped at the parchment. Cancellation notice? Really? Again the message had a strange, cold tone. She wrote her reply.

"There's no need - surely you'll be back before your house is finished?"

There wasn't a reply for a long time and Hermione found herself just shuffling paper around her desk, gazing at the parchment. When a message appeared, she snatched it up to look at it.

"Yes but I won't need the penthouse. I'll be making other arrangements."

Hermione felt upset. This was awful! He seemed to be making such snap decisions. She worried just how upset he might be. "Draco - I really don't think you should do this."

"Well, I do. This has made me realise that I need to get on with my life back home. I need to move out of something that was only ever a temporary arrangement. It's time to move on."

Hermione frowned again. Why did she feel that it wasn't just the penthouse he was talking about? She felt sick and hurt. "It's your decision, of course. I'll draw up the cancellation notice for you to sign."

"Thanks - I'll arrange to have my items removed and I hope you rent the penthouse quickly."

"Okay."

That was it - no further messages. Hermione felt like she'd been pushed off the top of a building and had free fallen to the ground, landing with a sickening bump. What had happened to change his attitude so much? Before he'd left they had been getting on so well and the last messages they'd exchanged had been...well, they'd been flirty and affectionate. This was like talking to a different person.

She felt tears in her eyes and then got angry at herself. She would not cry over Draco Malfoy! This was the reason she should never have got close to him in the first place. She took out a sheet of parchment and began drawing up a cancellation notice. If he wanted to leave, she wasn't going to beg him to stay. He had to leave eventually anyway. She wiped the tears away and took a deep breath. He wasn't worth crying over.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''

She spent a miserable night alone at home and then dragged herself unenthusiastically to the hotel the next day. She'd sent the cancellation notice over last night and she told herself that she needed to shake herself and get on with it.

Lunchtime came and went and Hermione didn't bother leaving her desk; she wasn't hungry. She couldn't believe how upset she felt. It wasn't just that he was leaving - he was always going to leave. It was how he'd decided so quickly and how he didn't seem bothered at all about it. She wondered, for the hundredth time, if it was how he was dealing with the death of his friend. He was very good at putting up barriers to protect himself.

The door burst open and Ginny came in. Hermione stared at her friend, who was never expected to knock but who usually did.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, her hands on her hips.

"Sorry?"

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm trying to decide on our advertising..." Hermione looked down at the work on her desk.

Ginny waved her hand. "Not work! I mean you and Draco!"

Hermione looked over at her friend. "What do you mean? Has Blaise said something?"

"Why are you asking him to move out of the Penthouse?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not - he asked to leave."

Ginny sat down in the chair and leant on the desk. "Why would he ask to leave? His house isn't ready yet?"

"Why don't you ask him that?" Hermione snapped.

"What exactly did he say?" Ginny asked.

"He said that the penthouse was a temporary arrangement and that what has happened in New York has made him realise he should move on." Hermione shrugged. "I didn't know if it's just his way of dealing with it...he didn't seem right at all."

Ginny frowned. "That isn't what he told Blaise - why would he tell him something different?"

Hermione sighed. "I don't know and I'm trying not to care."

Ginny's eyes softened for the first time since she'd entered the room. "You're upset, aren't you?"

Hermione nodded - she needed to let it all out to someone. "I just wish he'd not made such a snap decision. He doesn't seem bothered at all about leaving."

"Blaise said that Draco was upset..." Ginny shook her head, then her eyes widened. "Oh!"

"Oh? What do you mean? Oh?"

Ginny bit her lip. "Nothing - I'm sure I'm wrong."

"Ginny!"

"I don't want to jump to conclusions..."

"Abigail." Hermione said the name forcefully.

"Maybe he's depending on her while he's over there and she's persuaded him that he should move out. He wouldn't want to tell Blaise that, so he's probably using you as an excuse."

Hermione processed this and then frowned. "I don't know, Ginny...he seemed so..." She stopped.

"So what?" Ginny prompted her.

"So...affectionate. He said he wished I was there...he said he needed me..."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "He said he needed you?"

"Yes," Hermione's shoulders slumped. "Honestly, I really thought that he was...well that he was trying to tell me he liked me."

Ginny's eyes didn't leave Hermione's face. "See, in person, I think he's more than capable of acting his way through a total lie but by message it's harder. Why would he be like that with you, if he knew two days later he'd be handing in his notice?"

Hermione rubbed her head. "I don't know but it's giving me a headache!"

Ginny grabbed the parchment and pushed it towards Hermione. "Send him a message."

"No - he asked me not to."

Ginny leant further over the desk. "He asked you not to?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He's too busy...he said he'd be in touch when he got back."

"No way!"

"What?"

Ginny looked at the parchment. "How do you do it? Give me the quill."

Hermione shook her head. "No! He was very adamant about it and anyway, I don't see why I should bother. If he wants it to be like this, then I won't be chasing after him."

"Just give me the quill," Ginny instructed, holding out her hand.

"No, Ginny - not this time."

Ginny sighed, dramatically. "He's too busy to message you? He tells Blaise that you've asked him to leave but you insist he gave his notice? He sounds really upset about it to Blaise yet you tell me he didn't seem bothered? Something about this isn't right."

"Well, it doesn't make sense, but then Draco quite often doesn't make sense."

"Tell me honestly - do you think...were you beginning to think he wanted to be more than friends with you?" Ginny asked.

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "I don't know - maybe."

"Then why would he be like this with you? What was he like when he told you about his friend dying?"

"He was clearly very upset but he said he wished I was there and that was when he said he needed me."

Ginny nodded. "Give me the quill, Hermione."

Hermione hesitated. "What are you going to write?"

"I think his bitch of a P.A. has something to do with this and I'm going to find out."

Hermione passed the quill to her friend, still reluctant. "Don't write anything without me saying it's okay first."

Ginny ignored her and began to write on the blank parchment.

"Draco? Are you there, it's Hermione."

Hermione sat forward. "What are you doing? You can't say it's me!"

"Trust me," Ginny answered. After just a few moments a reply appeared.

"I asked you not to message me - sorry, it's not convenient at the moment."

Ginny looked at Hermione who mouthed "I told you!"

Ginny sighed. "You don't have to whisper - he can't hear you!" She began writing again.

"I know - I'm wondering if I've done something to upset you. I want to help you but it's difficult being so far away."

Hermione groaned but it was too late -she saw the words fade. "Now he'll think I'm desperate."

"Wait," Ginny said. More words appeared.

"I just need to deal with this my own way. I don't want to upset you but maybe you should destroy your parchment? I just think it will be easier that way."

Hermione snatched the parchment away. "For Merlin's sake, Ginny!"

Ginny sat back in her seat. "Does that sound like Draco to you?"

Hermione was flustered. "What? What do you mean?"

"Does that sound like something Draco would say?"

Hermione stared at Ginny for a moment and then looked down at the paper. She re-read the message. "Well, no. But I told you - that's what his messages have been like."

"That wasn't you sending those messages a minute ago, was it?" Ginny continued. "But there was no way to tell that. Anyone can pretend to be anyone! There's no way to tell."

Hermione stared at her friend as she finally understood what she was saying. "You mean that isn't Draco? You think its Abigail?"

Ginny nodded. "Yep!"

Hermione sat forward and read the message again. "It really doesn't sound anything like him and it's exactly like something she'd do but how would she get away with it? How is she stopping Draco from sending me a real message?"

"Because she's obviously doing the same to Draco - she's sending him false messages from you. I bet she's told him to not get in touch!" Ginny nodded her head. "I'm sure I'm right!"

Hermione blinked rapidly. "You think the message to Blaise was from the real Draco?"

"Yes - that's why he sounded upset."

Hermione sat back and let out a breath. "Bloody hell, Ginny! I think you might be right. I really hope you're right!"

"I'm sure I'm right - she's intercepting the messages and sending false ones. She obviously doesn't know that Draco has been communicating with Blaise that way as well!"

Hermione felt a small rush of relief, then stopped it. They didn't know for sure. "What do we do now?"

"You're going to send Draco another message but from Blaise's parchment and quill."

Hermione nodded. Maybe, just maybe she could hope a little.

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