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I would like to begin by thanking the following people:

Thebluemarshmallow*:D Smile*Rose of the Black Dragon*Tenshi-Hotaru*Spaced OutSpaceCadet*TomFelton'sDancer*Strawberry22*Aurora*Alka*Vallierie*Rei*fairymargarita*BT*key*Shadow-zephyr*Anyone who  reviewed anonymously or just read my story

Thank you for all the encouraging and fantastic reviews.  I know the situation may seem a little OC, but I'm trying to stay as true to the characters as possible.  Also, for those who have read EMPRESS RECORDS and WHEN DRACO MET HERMIONE I am terribly sorry for being a brat and not finishing those stories.  But the semester is over and I still have a week of break left, so I will be continuing this story, as well as making a concerted effort to update the others as well.  Thank you for your patience and your reviews.  Now here is chapter 6;-)

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Hermione was exhausted from apparating to and from Manchester.  She walked gloomily into the building and decided that she needed some time to clear her head…so she walked up the stair….all the way to the twelfth floor. 

She was breathless and flushed as she entered the top floor.  She looked around. Various designers were sitting at drafting tables, a few models were working on headshots, and to her delight and satisfaction, and her old office was once again filled with her possessions and designs.  She waved hello to her assistant and shut the door behind her. Walking towards her desk she noticed that a single white rose lay across a few of the drawings she was working on before lunch.  There was also a note attached.

Picking up the parchment, Hermione scanned the note.

My deepest apologies for overstepping my boundaries here at work.

I can assure you that this will never happen again.  Please accept this

Token of my apology and friendship. I hope all is in order in your office.

Should you be in better spirits while reading this, I would like to speak

To you briefly this afternoon.

Regards,

D. Malfoy

So formal, yet Hermione felt a bit of a tug at her heart.  Draco Malfoy, notorious for making her seven years at Hogwart's a living hell was apologizing to her.  And he gave her flower!

'I can't do this!' thought Hermione.  'What do I do?  Ring him on his mobile? Use the projector?  Yes…the projector…I'll still sort of be face-to-face, but without the awkwardness of actually being near him.'

Hermione sighed and pressed a button her on desk.  Instantly, a cloudy screen appeared in front of her.

"Draco Malfoy," she said with a bit of trepidation in her voice.

A few seconds passed until Draco's face appeared on the screen.

"Granger, I trust that you received my note.  Is your office back to your liking ?"

Hermione cleared her throat, "Ahem, well, er-yes, yes it is." 'Christ Hermione, since when was it so bloody hard for you to speak?  Get it together!'

"Well, it is, and I was contacting you in regards to the note.  Oh, and thank you for the flower, it was a nice gesture."

Draco smiled.  'Funny,' thought Hermione. 'He looks almost human when he smiles.'

"Well, you're welcome.  I wanted to speak to you in regards to the Maschina account."

Hermione flipped through some files, then proceeded to nod.  "Yes, I remember the account.  What about it?"

"Well," said Draco, "Mr. Maschina called me an hour back in regards to a new night-club he's opening in Monte Carlo.  He requested that you decorate the interior, as well as design all the uniforms for the staff."

Hermione was taken aback.  Mr. Machina was a wealthy day-trader in the muggle world, but had been raised as a wizard.  He had many investments in entertainment venues around the world, as well as a few casinos, and real estate properties that always brought in more than what the Maschina family needed.  The fact the he had requested her, a witch, to work on a muggle club.  This was going to be a huge account for VERSACELF.  Mr. Maschina had used the company to design a few random rooms in his flat in London, but this was not flat.

"Oh, Draco, this is fantastic!  But I'll need to think about this.  It's a huge account, and I have the Patil-Finnigan wedding, as well as the Needs account, not to mention that class I'll be teaching at Hogwart's on Fridays for students interested in the arts, and there's that-"

"Hermione," interrupted Draco, "Of course you may have time to think about this.  But I don't know how much time.  Mr. Maschina is an impatient man and he would like an answer by this evening."

"This evening?" Hermione shook her head, "I don't know, I mean, I can tell you right now that I would love to do it, no, I would really really really  like this account.  But I don't want to give up the Patil wedding, I can do without Mrs. Needs, I can pass that off to one of our Senior Design  teams, and as for that class on Friday afternoons, it's only an hour and a half and it's doesn't need to be as structured as the –"

"Hermione, look, why don't you meet me for dinner this evening at Cirque and we can discuss it in a more comfortable atmosphere."

'Dinner?'  Hermione was silent, contemplating the consequences of dining with Malfoy.

"I suppose it's just a business dinner.  And I do love Cirque.  I'll have Trilly call in reservations for say, six-thirty this evening?"

"No need, Anna went ahead and made them earlier."

This made Hermione just a bit angry.  "I don't appreciate you assuming that I was going to dine with you Malfoy."

"I didn't.  I just took the chance and it paid off.  So I'll drop by your office at six and we can apparate  together."

"Very well," said Hermione apprehensively, "I'll expect you then.  I do have some work to get back to, so if you'll excuse me—"

"Go ahead, " Draco's image grinned at Hermione, causing her head to become foggy for a moment, "I'll be there."

Hermione hung up and sat back into her chair, sketchbook in hand.  She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

Three floors below, Draco didn't know either, but he knew that this was the beginning of his re-birth into society.