Disclaimer: I'll will say this only once. This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
With many thanks to my beta readers An and Amber. Hopefully I used you're comments and suggestions wise fully. If there are still mistakes in it's my fault.
So dear reader if you find faults and or mistakes please let me know !
I'm here to learn.
Chapter 1 Surprise.
Wednesday, 23rd of March, Manhattan.
24 days now she walked around in a skyscraper of a large corporation that sells computers and other technical gadgets. The whole building was property of Hiyrotech and they used the first 14 floors. Everything above that is occupied by various technical businesses, small practices of psychologists, dentists and so on. Two floors had been transformed into a small shopping mall, with a hairdresser, a restaurant, supermarket etc. There is even a small computer store of Hiyrotech, where you could acquire a very payable computer if you are an employee.
Grace pressed the button on the handle of her mailcar and with a soft buzz the heavy wagon started to move. Her father named her Grace because he was a big fan of Grace Kelly. He tried to turn her into a blond fashion doll, and good manners were an absolute must. Consequently despite the fact that she only worked in the mailroom she always looked at her best. Fortunately she wore over her neat clothes a sturdy knee length gray blue dustcoat with in the view on her left reverse her identity card of Hiyrotech.
"Grace?" Grace turns looking at the director manager of Hiyrotech.
"Yes sir?" She didn't say his name, but she knew who John Meisters was.
"Did you see my secretary? I have an emergency consignment that needs to be in Tokyo by 10:00 am. tomorrow. I need to know if she did that already."
"One moment please. I'll ask." With a sigh Grace pulled out her mobile phone and called the head of the mail room.
"Henry, do you know something about a consignment for mister Meisters to Tokyo?" She stands and listens to the story at the other side, meanwhile taking a peek at John Meisters.
"Ok, thanks I'll tell him." John Meisters looked expectantly at Grace.
"Mister Meisters. Your secretary has made the consignment in order, and the courier is on the way" Without a word John Meisters turned around and walked away. Grace looks at the back of the three-piece suit and says.
"You're welcome mister Meisters" A small hesitation in its step betrays that he heard her comment, but decided not to react.
A co-worker sitting in his office within hearing range listened to what just happened. He tried to make eye contact with Grace but she ignored him by looking in her mail hamper to find his mail to be delivered on his desk. When she steps into his office she can't avoid his eyes any longer. With a large grin Bernhard looked at her and clicks with his tongue.
"Apparently you're not afraid to lose your job Grace." While she drops of his mail looking for his outgoing mail she reacts well considered. She shrugs her shoulders.
"The better the job, the bigger the fear. There's not a single reason to be impolite, no matter what status you have."
Bernhard looked at her shoes and asked himself how she can afford such expensive shoes doing the work that she does. And then not being fearful of losing your job? He finds that odd. Was this really a case of business espionage? But he liked her. She was very pleasant and extremely polite. Actually a little bit too polite in his eyes.
The small exchange of words between Grace and John betrayed that she was better educated then she showed.
Bernhard was a member of John's management team. Not a small position within this organization. But he learned early in live not to look at people as inferior or superior. He was just as comfortable talking to a director manager as to someone that brings him his mail.
A number of photographs of his wife and two children were standing on his desk. He'd just turned 30. He was quit young for a man in his position. John was only 5 years older but behaved himself as a 50 year old. Bernhard didn't like him. Naturally he couldn't show this as clearly as Grace just did. What a nerve!
Grace pressed the button on the handle of her mailcar and as she moved further on she sees someone walking from her right to her left through her course. Nothing particularly strange but this person wore an ankles long cloak with a hood over her or his head.
The hairs in her neck stood up and al of a sudden she feels threatened. She knew directly that this figure has no business being in this building. She drove her mailcar just in front of the door this person disappeared in. She looked inside. Nothing! Empty!.
She grabbed some mail to have an excuse to enter this office. She looked around and something move's in the corner by a cupboard. Looking straight at it she sees nothing particularly. Alarm bells rang in her head and with a swift thought she closes the door with her will. Leaning on the edge of the desk, again looking at the cupboard. Nothing!
"I wonder who can hold his breath the longest." She spoke these words quite softly. Again nothing!
Grace concentrates harder and a figure becomes slowly in focus. Still hazed. The longer she looks the clearer he becomes. It's a man, that was clear. She directs her look on his face and the man realizes that she could see him now. Swiftly he pulls out his wand, but before he can use it Grace holds it in her hand, without saying anything or using a wand herself. Grace visualizes a large invisible bubble around the figure to prevent that he physically attacks her.
She was right and he moved and bounces against the invisible barrier. He tried to disappear but also fails at this attempt thanks to the same barrier. Panic appeared in the eyes of the young wizard.
Calmly she watched his attempts to escape. Brown hair and eyes. A little bit larger then herself. With al the emotions sheering through his body, his eyes appear almost black now. She sees fear and a feeling of compassion shoots through her.
That moment someone knocks at the door.
"Hey, who closed this door?" Grace doesn't react. She lays her index finger on her lips to sign at the young man in the corner to hold his tongue.
"Damn it! Do I have to call the genitor to open this door or what?"
After a short silence they hear him walking away.
Grace looks in the eyes of the man in front of her and peers a swift moment deeply in to his soul. He is good she concludes. But what is he doing here? She looks at the door again. Time's pressing.
She lifts the bubble and gives him back his wand.
"Get the hell out of here!" With a surprised look he disappears.
Grace listens and feels past the door with her thoughts. The coast was clear. She opens it and continues with her work.
With a sigh Henry puts down his mobile on the desk. That moment Grace enters the mailroom. The mail room is a large space with a machine to stamp the mail, a sorting space, and some pack/unpack tables.
Henry looks at Grace and she pulls up an eyebrow.
"That was John Meisters, he submitted a complaint about you Grace!" Grace takes the outgoing mail from the cart and shrugs her shoulders.
"I'm not surprised." She turned around and begins to sort the mail on kind and weight.
"Grace! What the hell did you say to him?" He looks at her accusingly. Grace turns and says.
"You'r welcome mister Meisters." With a defiant look she leans back at the table behind her.
"That was all?" Grace nods yes.
"Come on Grace. That can't be all?" Her attitude makes him a bit desperate.
"It's about what was NOT said. When I told him that his secretary already took care of things he turned and left." It took Henry a view seconds, then his eyes got big.
"And then you said 'you're welcome mister Meisters'?. Grace starts sorting the mail again.
"Yep." Sounds her short answer directed at the wall in front of her.
"Grace how could you! You now you can't take liberties with those kind of people. If you do such a thing again I'll have to let you go. I don't want to but I will! You'r a hard worker that hardly ever makes mistakes. Everybody loves you Grace. Dumb, dumb, stupidly!" Looking at her back he can see that he hit a nerve. Her normal so cool and calm demeanor gets a tense attitude. Suddenly his hair stood on end. It feels like the air is filed with electricity.
Grace slowly turns around, her ice cold blue eyes seem to spark of rage. Henry gets an ominous feeling and shuffles backwards in the direction of the door.
At that same moment Jonas enters whistling with a card and a number of boxes on it. He can barley see over the pile of boxes and has to stand on his tows to have a good view. His eyes are scanning the room and they find Grace. He was infatuated with her from the first moment he saw her.
The tension between Henry and Grace degrades and Jonas winks at her. Grace reacts to his jolly mood with a smile. Henry shrugs his shoulders and leaves for his office.
"Hey Grace, took your time did you?" Jonas takes the boxes of the cart and put them on a unpack table.
Normally you'r much faster then this.Lot's of mail this time?" She takes another hand full of mail to sort and nods yes.
"And I've wasted time with pointless chatter with our director manager…" Jonas starts laughing and thinks she makes a joke.