~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Six: A Lunch Date ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ah, a moment of peace.  Harry thought to himself.  The file he had hidden was burning a hole in his robes and he'd been waiting to take it out to get a good look at it.  Harry finally got a chance to sit down at his new desk, when the door opened and Ron popped his head inside.

"I'm starving, mate.  Wanna get something to eat?" he asked.

"Sure.  Where do you want to go?" Harry had to wait to look at the folder later.

"There's a muggle sandwich shop down on the corner.  It's quite good actually."

"Sounds great." Harry said as he walked out of his office.

The chaos in the office had finally subsided to a small zoo, but at least it was better than before.  Harry and Ron had nearly reached the doors when a familiar looking red head walked through.

"Ginny?!  What are you doing here?" Ron hissed at Ginny while steering her by her elbow away from the noise.

"What are you talking about?  I was visiting Dad." She said bewildered.

"But people will see you!"

Harry nudged Ron and shook his head ever so slightly.

"Whatever." Ginny rolled her eyes.  "Look, I came here to talk to you too.  Thank you for getting me out of there last night.  And, um, please don't tell mum and dad.  You know how much they worry."

"Don't tell mum and dad?!" his voice raised a little.  Ron stopped, looked around, then stepped closer to Ginny.  "I forbid you to be involved with that group." He said in a low voice.

Ginny scoffed. "You forbid me?  I'm a grown woman, I'm free to make my own choices.  Now, tell me.  Who is this friend of yours?" she asked eyeing Harry.

Ron shook a formulating comeback line from his head and stepped in her line of vision, blocking out most of Harry.

"This is a friend of mine, he just transferred to our department.  He's going to be staying with me for awhile."

"Good, well, you can bring him to dinner sometime." She chirped.  "I'll see you later."

She turned around and promptly bumped into Malfoy.

"Watch it Girl Weasel." he said annoyed.

Ginny continued on muttering, git, asshole and other unmentionable things as she continued down the hall.  Ron hadn't noticed the exchange as he was too busy cussing out Malfoy for calling his sister names.  But Harry had seen Malfoy slip Ginny a piece of paper as they "bumped" into each other.  He was a seeker for good reason.

The three of them rode the lift to the ground floor.  Ron waved goodbye to Ginny as they parted ways outside the ministry.  Harry and Ron were walking toward the sandwich shop and had just turned the corner, when Harry stopped, pulling Ron back against the building.

"Harry.  What are you doing?" Ron asked.

"Shh." Harry said as he peeked around the corner at Ginny who was walking down the street.  "Come on.  Let's go."

"But, what about lunch?" Ron whined.

Harry ignored him and pulled him with him from hiding.  He and Ron jogged slightly to catch up to Ginny, then quickly hid again as she turned a corner.  Harry and Ron jogged after her, pausing again at the corner.  Harry peeked around the corner.  Ginny was walking down the street, when the window of a parked car rolled down.

"Excuse me?  I was wondering if you could give me some directions.  I'm a bit lost.  Can you tell me how to get to Four Seasons Hotel" A woman's voice asked from the car.

Ginny walked up to the window.  "Sure.  You take this street down to…"

Harry wasn't really paying attention to her directions, he was more interested in her actions.  Ginny had placed one hand (the one that contained a slip of paper) on the frame of the open window, while the other hand was pointing directions.  When Ginny took her hand away, the paper was gone. 

"Well thank you very much." Said the woman in the car.

"No problem." Ginny answered and continued on her stroll.

The car, which was a black Mercedes sedan with black tinted windows, started to pull away.  Harry quickly shot out of his and Ron's hiding space and hailed a muggle taxi. 

"Come on! Get in!" he waved Ron into the car.  He was in the beginnings of a very bad mood because he had a feeling his lunch would be ruined.  And he was really craving a sandwich. 

"Do you see that black Mercedes up ahead?" Harry leaned forward pointing to the black car, "I want you to follow it.  Don't lose it." He ordered the driver.

"Do you mind telling me what all this is about?" Ron asked a little irately.

"Malfoy passed Ginny a piece of paper, the same piece of paper Ginny slipped to a woman in that car." Harry explained.

"Ginny wouldn't consort with his kind."  It was more of a plea than a statement.  Ron grabbed his hungry stomach and groaned.

They had been following the car for about ten minutes, when it pulled up in front of the hotel.

"Here.  Stop here." Harry told the driver.  Harry paid the driver as Ron and he hustled over to the hotel.  They hid themselves among the crowd of hotel guests milling around the front.  Harry watched as a valet hurried over to the car, opening the back passenger door.  A black high-heeled shoe stepped out, followed by lengths of tanned, toned leg.  A delicate hand was given to the valet as he helped the woman out of the car.  She was stunning.  She was wearing a black strapless dress that hugged in all the right places and fell to just above her knee.  Her long black hair was straight and cascaded down her back and around her shoulders.  She took off her sunglasses to reveal beautiful blue eyes.  Harry's breathing stopped.

"Well, I'll be damned." He chuckled softly, he had to remember to breath.  She had really grown into a woman, and a beautiful woman at that.  Complete with curves that could kill, sun-kissed skin that longed to be touched, and lips that begged to be kissed.  All done up, she was dressed to kill.  A pang of longing, desire and sadness hit Harry.

"Who is she?" Ron whispered hoarsely.

"She's in disguise.  Subtle, but clever."

"Do you know her?" Ron asked.

Harry turned to look at Ron and smile.

"We both do." He turned back to the woman. "Since our first train ride to Hogwarts."

*****************************************************

Hermione walked up to the host at the restaurant in the hotel.

"Mr. Ashton Montgomery's table, please." She said politely.

"Yes, right this way, miss." 

The host had led her through the restaurant to a table near the window where a handsome man with dark brown hair and eyes sat.  He stood up immediately when he saw her, a smile forming across his face.  The host pulled out Hermione's chair for her to sit, Ashton promptly followed suit. 

"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice." Hermione began.

"Oh, it wasn't a problem." He smiled at her.

Inwardly she cringed.  As handsome as he was, he really was a smarmy git.  But, business was business, and she had to get the job done.  She forced a smile, then took a drink from her glass of water that the waiter had just poured.

"And what would the lady like to order?" the waiter asked.

"I'll have the grilled chicken Caesar salad please.  Water will be just fine to drink."

"And for you sir?"

"I'll have the lamb with mint sauce.  And another glass?" Ashton said holding up a near empty wine goblet. 

"Very well, sir." The waiter acknowledged before leaving their table.

Hermione slid her hand on the table toward his.  Ashton returned the gesture, lingering his hands over hers longer than necessary to receive the passed paper.  Hermione pulled her hand away.

"That's the arrest report from last night.  Two members were caught, they were outside guarding the tunnel."

"They will be released soon.  Don't worry about it.  Are you alright?  That was quite a daring rescue I hear.  Death Eaters, imagine that." He shivered.

"The rescue was incomplete.  Someone finished the job for me." She said with a hint of a harsh tone.

"Oh?  How did that happen?  Where is he now?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that.  Have you not heard from him?"

"No.  Nothing.  He hasn't talked to you either?"

Hermione shook her head.  "No, and I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

"I'm sure he's fine.  It's only been half a day Her- ahem – Abigail.  But now that we have business out of the way, I would like to ask you something."

"What about?" she could hardly wait, she thought sarcastically.

"The Minister's Halloween Ball that you will be attending with me." He grinned slyly.

"I'll think about it." She smirked back.

**************************************************

Harry and Ron were sitting hidden in the bar next to the restaurant.  Ron was happily snacking away on the bar food Harry had ordered to shut him up and keep him put.  Harry watched the couple as they talked, the man's eyes hungrily wandering over Hermione.  Harry wanted to rip his head off. 

"Who is that guy, anyway?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron looked up at the couple.

"Looks like our girl has snagged a big fish.  That guy is Ashton Montgomery.  Comes from a rich and prominent wizarding family.  He's pretty high up on the council.  Guess she doesn't have bad taste after all." He resumed to his food.

Harry looked back at them, pouting slightly.

"She doesn't like him." He stated firmly.

Ron looked up at Harry, who was watching the other wizard like a hawk.  He shook his head, sometimes his friend was too obvious.

"Come on, let's go before you start to pummel him." Ron said as he threw his napkin on his empty plate.  "We'll slip out the way we came in; through the kitchen.  We'll wait for her downstairs."

Harry reluctantly got up, tossing down some money for the food and tip, and followed Ron. 

"Hold on a second, Ron." Harry called out as they passed the plates of food in the kitchen.

He couldn't resist it.  He found the plates for their table.  Harry delicately picked the lamb off from the plate, dropped it on the floor, and pushed it around the dirty floor with his shoe.  He then picked it back up, set it back on the plate and stood back to admire his work. 

"That was real mature, Harry." Ron teased him.

Yeah, it was immature, Harry thought to himself.  But he did feel better.

*******************************************

"Well, thank you again for meeting me for lunch on such short notice." Hermione said as she gathered her things together.

"Is it time for you to leave already?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah.  This stuff is going to wear off soon."

"At least let me walk you out."

They both walked out of the restaurant to the outside of the hotel, where the car was waiting for Hermione.  The valet held the door open for her, but Ashton stopped her.

"Think about what I said about the ball." He then kissed her softly on the cheek.

Hermione hastily turned around and scrambled into the car.  Eeww! She thought to herself, wiping her cheek clean. 

"That's a nice dress you have on, Granger." said a voice next to her.

She gasped.  She had been in such a hurry to be out of Ashton's company, that she stupidly didn't pay attention to who was in her car.  I mean who really does?  This mistake would cost her dearly though, as she had got into a car full of Death Eaters.