Summary: Hermione Granger had it all the summer of her 6th year, or so she thought. When a secret admirer turns out to be a dangerous stalker, Hermione realizes that she needs more than just her wand. Who will be assigned to help her? And will it be strictly a business relationship? Roses are beautiful, until you find the thorns.

DISCLAMIER: The ideas in this story are all my own; any overlapping ideas with any other story on fanfiction.net are purely unintentional. Some characters are my own, and all the original ones belong to JK Rowling/Warner Bros.

Chapter 1: The First Task of Admiration

Date: June 23, 2004, only four weeks after the last day of her 6th school year at Hogwarts.

Time: 1:00 PM

Subject: Hermione Granger

Event: The Magical Showplace

Place: The Show Room, Rosewood Hall, London, England

Blinding, bright flashes went off in her face as she walked down the sleek runway. Her smile never wavered, and her pearly white teeth contrasted against her tan, flawless complexion. Her look was lacquered, and she presented herself well.

She could feel her pulchritudinous dress sway against her legs as she glided towards the end of the runway; the sheer fabric caressing her like a lover's touch.

Hermione's greatest beauty was not her appearance, though; it was her blindness of her distinctive characteristics.

Now at the end of the runway, Hermione waved her polished wand and spoke, "mirabile visu", with the boldness of a lion, and delicacy of a butterfly. A pinkish red vapor spewed from her wand in a stream, and kept floating until it was 5 feet above her wand. It crackled, then popped, as an ornate, heart shaped cloud silhouetted her figure.

There was oh-ing and ah-ing from the crowd as a polite applause filtered through the show room. Hermione could even distinguish a few whistles.

Hermione beamed. This was only her first year of charm modeling, and she was already a huge success. Who would have thought that Hermione Granger would be presenting this year's newest charms at the Magical Showplace, the biggest and grandest charm modeling event of the year.

She spun around expertly and began the fluttery walk back down the runway and past the other, jealous, but equally beautiful, models.

xoxo

Hermione made her way back to her dressing room with what seemed like a million, "amazing!", "that was an incredible performance!", or "if you ever need another agent, here's my number,". Hermione's agent met her at her door.

"Hermione, Darling!" Amelie, her flamboyant agent cooed, "You were magnificent!" she tried to embrace Hermione in a hug, who in return gave her a quick peck on the cheek and pushed her away.

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled, then, more coherently, "I wouldn't have been able to do it without the countless hours you spent helping me master that charm."

It was true; Amelie has strained practicing the charm over and over for at least 3 hours a day, for a month before the show case.

Amelie missed Hermione's sarcasm. "Oh, Honey, it was both of our successes! Now, it seems to me that lucky you have an admirer."

"What? A secret admirer?" Hermione asked, curiously. She didn't have a boyfriend, and she certainly didn't think she had a secret admirer.

"I never said secret. Is it your boyfriend?" Amelie said, sounding a tad nonchalant.

"I'm single," Hermione said, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, I see."

"How did you know I have flowers," Hermione asked, taking her room key from Amelie's outstretched hand.

"I was grabbing my purse from your dressing room and I found a bouquet of flowers on your vanity. Quite lovely, if I may say so myself."

Hermione opened the door, after fumbling with the key and was welcomed with the scent of roses of every color. Hermione, stepped back, overwhelmed with the dozens of roses occupying her room. Every inch of the room seemed to be covered in roses and rose petals.

"Oh my," Amelie blanched, "these weren't all here when I came in."

Hermione, ignoring Amelie's comment, walked cautiously into the room and made a straight dash for her purse. Looking inside, she found all of her credit cards intact.

As she was putting her wallet back in her purse, Amelie cried out, "There's a card, Hermione, dear. Read what it says!"

Hermione zipped up her purse and walked over to Amelie, who was holding a small white card in her hand, "Here you go, dear."

Hermione slowly opened the card, and glanced at it before reading it outloud. Written in small, neat cursive was:

"The red rose whispers in passion,

And the white rose breathes of love;

O, the red rose is a falcon,

And the white rose is a dove."

Hermione paused before she continued, allowing the poem to sink in, "My Dearest Dove, Your beauty reverberates through the halls of Hogwarts; never allow otherwise. I will wait for you until I feel the time is right to reveal myself. Until then, let each rose remind you of every time I have thought, and will continue to think, about you. Love, Your Falcon."

Hermione blanched and dropped the card, watching it flutter to the ground.

Amelie's voice broke the stilled silence, "What should we do?"

Hermione replied in a quavering voice, "Nothing," after pausing for a few eternal seconds, she finished, "yet."

xoxo

A/N: Ta-da! What do you think?!? Please review and I will love you forever! No flames please, those always burn.

-Pink

Poem by: John Boyle O'Reilly