"Hermione, you've been reassigned."
Hermione Granger, age 23, looked up blankly from her cubicle. Hogwarts' best student was working in the Ministry of Magic in a lowly not-even- secretarial job.
"You are now in cubicle number.1042. Pack up and have fun," the weathered- looking man said to her. He moved on to his next assignment.
'Still a cubicle,' thought Hermione, 'what excitement.'
She picked up her lone manilla folder on her desk, her tote bag and proceeded to move.
To the outside observer, Hermione would look like any other member of the workforce. She wore a smart pinstriped blazer, matching A-line skirt, sheer stockings, and a form-fitting white blouse underneath. Black stiletto pumps completed the outfit, along with her perfectly pink manicured nails. Her makeup was disturbingly understated, nothing flashy at all, and very understated. She looked, well, professional.
Hermione's professional heels clacked against the marble floor as she searched for her cubicle. At last, she found it. Top floor.who would've guessed. Evidently she had been promoted.
She dropped her folder on her new desk and pushed her bag to the side of her cubicle. Just as she was eyeing her newly sharpened quills and fresh inkpot with pleasure, her next door neighbor poked her head in.
"Are you Hermione Granger?" she asked in a friendly tone.
"Yes, and you might be.?"
"Emily Scotting," said her neighbor, extending a hand out.
Hermione shook her hand warmly. "Pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure's all mine. Do you know anything about your new job?"
"Actually, I don't. Mind briefing me?"
"Well, you're the secretary for the new Minister of Magic. Out with the old, in with the new!" Emily said in an almost frightening cheery voice. "Which reminds me, he wanted to see you."
"I guess I'd better go, then. Do you know which is his office?"
"Big emerald doors right next to you."
Hermione looked left and jumped back a smidge. She hadn't even seen the huge doors that now looked so foreboding to her. "See you in a bit." Hermione said hesitantly.
"Oh, he's really nice, don't worry. And cute," she finished with a giggle.
Hermione gave a lopsided smile and took a deep breath before knocking. The doors opened majestically as soon as she knocked. Timidly, she began to walk in and the doors closed just as mysteriously behind her. After a few steps she realized that there was a heavy green curtain. Cautiously, she pulled the curtain back and walked through.
Hermione cleared her throat and asked, "Hello?"
"Hello," came the response. The owner of the voice sat at the desk at the end of the room. He lifted his head and looked at her. He smiled and motioned to one of the two chairs in front of the desk. "Have a seat."
"Er, thank you." She walked up to the chair and sat down, smoothing her skirt as she went down.
"Hermione, am I correct?" he extended his hand.
Hermione extended hers as well. "Yes, very nice to meet you." she glanced quickly as the gold name plaque on the desk. Draco M. Malfoy, Minister of Magic. "DRACO?"
Now she understood why he looked so familiar and why he had that familiar smirk and.it was all clicking into place.
"Who did you think I was?" he asked with a grin as he shook her hand.
She snatched her hand away and looked at him with shock. "How are.how.Minister of Magic?"
"Ye-es.is there something wrong?" He was acting way too calm for the current situation.
She stood up haughtily. "I think there's been a mistake in my re- assignment. I'll go straighten this out right away." Hermione turned on her heel and began to walk.
"No, I requested you."
She stopped cold in her tracks. "You what?"
"I requested you." Draco stood up as well and walked towards her as well. He walked up behind her traced her arm with a finger lightly. "I've missed you so much, Hermione." he whispered huskily in her ear.
Buried memories all began flooding back to her; the graduation ball, the prefects' bathroom late at night, the astronomy tower, the final train ride home. She shook her head furiously in an effort to clear her mind of those images.
"You never attempted to contact me otherwise." Hermione stiffened as he touched her.
"Don't be so sure. You seem to have more protection spells on your house than this building does."
Hermione couldn't help but leak out a smile. Harry had gone a little paranoid with the protection spells. "You never know what kind of weirdos lurk out there," he had said.
"One can never be too safe." "It almost seemed like you were avoiding me," he said in a hurt tone.
"No.it wasn't that.I-" Hermione couldn't find the words. She walked out.
Emily was busily scratching out a memorandum when Hermione plopped into her chair.
"How'd it go? And isn't he simply the hottest man to walk this building?" she gurgled.
"Er, yea, sure. Listen, I'm going to have to leave early today, could you cover for me?" Hermione asked, grabbing her bag.
"Of course. Going home?"
"Yeah, I don't feel all too well."
"Alright, get some rest."
Hermione smiled weakly. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."
Once she was back at home in her vine-covered brownstone, a few blocks away from the Ministry building, Hermione had changed into a pair of old jeans, fluffy slippers, and a white tee-shirt.
After dinner, she was relaxing with a cup of tea on her couch, contentedly watching television and stroking Crookshanks when there was a knock on the door.
She put her tea on the coffee table in front of her and shuffled to the door. Crookshanks bolted to her customary position atop the bookcase whenever a visitor came.
Hermione opened the door to reveal Draco, wrapped up in a black trench and bearing a bouquet of yellow roses.
"Draco.what are you doing here? And how did you even find me here?" Hermione asked slowly.
"Thought I'd drop by for a chat. And company records. Very useful things." He smirked. "So.am I allowed in?"
Hermione came to her senses again. "Oh! Er, of course. Can I get you some tea?"
Draco hung his coat up and handed the flowers to Hermione. "That'd be great," he said gratefully.
"Why don't you come into the kitchen," Hermione said, leading the way.
The kitchen was a friendly little nook to be in, as Draco soon realized. It was decorated with little knick-knacks and warm touches of home. Hermione put the roses in a vase and placed it on the breakfast table while she poured the tea into a cup. As he sipped it graciously, conversation began to flow.
"So, where have you been all these years?" Hermione asked slowly.
"Doing this and that. You heard about my father I'm sure-"
"Yeah.I'm very sorry." Hermione had heard of Lucius Malfoy's murder by Voldemort. Although she never liked him, she had felt horrible for Draco.
"Don't be. It's in the past. Anyway, after my father's death I started to work for the Ministry of Magic, and I guess I just advanced so quickly that they kept promoting me until this."
"Must be nice," said Hermione wistfully.
"How about you?"
"I was training to become an Auror and then I was pretty badly wounded in battle once. I wasn't able to return so now I'm working in the Ministry."
"What happened?"
"We were on a raid. I probably wasn't thinking or something, but I had positioned myself incorrectly and I got hit directly in the heart with a colerus coeura. A very well done one, too, even thought I don't like to admit it. I still have little spells every now and then, I'm never going to be completely better."
"Wow.I had no idea." He took another sip. "Listen, about the secretary thing, I only requested you because I wanted to be near you. It wasn't anything-"
"No, don't worry about it. I don't mind working underneath you, so, just."
He cautiously placed a hand over hers. She looked up at him and smiled. She gently squeezed his hand.
"So, everything's OK between us?"
"Yeah. It's OK."
Hermione woke up with a stretch and found Crookshanks lying contentedly next to her on a cushion. 'Lucky cat,' she thought as she got out of bed. The wood floor was cold against her feet and she jumped from rug to dirty clothing to any other fabric surface to avoid touching her toes on the icy ground (a/n: doesn't anyone else do that besides me?). She quickly showered and applied several glamours in the bathroom. By this time she was feeling somewhat conscious so she opened her closet and took out a rose- colored lacy camisole, a cream blazer, and a matching cream skirt. Hermione also managed to dig out a pair of cream slingbacks. She nervously surveyed herself in the mirror and plucked at a wayward strand of hair.
"Well aren't you looking pretty today," commented the mirror good- naturedly.
"Do I look like I'm trying to hard?" Hermione asked nervously.
The mirror shimmered. "Of course not, dearie. Don't forget to put on some hose!"
"Thanks," replied Hermione as she took out a pair of pantyhose and proceeded to slide them on.
"Perfect, out you go!"
Hermione gave the mirror a smile and rushed out with her purse.
"Two café lattes, please," said Draco. The girl nodded and went back to get his order. He was looking clean-cut and slick as usual, and attracting just as many stares. Draco looked over and caught a girl staring at him. He turned back and grinned inwardly.
"Here you are, sir."
"Thank you," Draco paid and left the coffee shop. The two coffees in hand, he headed up to his office humming a tune he had heard somewhere. The radio, they called it.
"G'morning, Minister." "Good day, sir." "Top o' the mornin' to you, sir!" "Morning, Mr. Malfoy." "Hello, Minister."
Draco nodded hello to his fellow workers. Life was pretty sweet at the top.
If Hermione didn't hurry she was going to be late. She clutched her purse tighter and walked a little faster. She didn't want to break into a run just yet. That was if she was REALLY late.
She finally made it to her desk and gratefully plopped down. A ready stack of papers lay waiting for her; they seemed to be grinning cheekily at her.
"Morning!" said Emily.
"Good morning," Hermione replied. "How'd you get by yesterday?"
"Oh, just fine, don't worry about it. Feeling any better today?"
Hermione smiled. "Loads better. Got some sleep, got some tea, I feel great." She began shuffling through her parchment. "Oh, and if you need a favor or anything, don't hesitate."
Emily winked. "I just might hold you to that. You'll know what I mean when you see the cute new janitor."
Hermione and Emily laughed.
"Laughter in the morning is a sign of good things to come."
Both girls swirled around in their chairs to face a smiling Draco Malfoy.
"Minister!" squeaked Emily. She blushed furiously.
"Good morning, ladies."
"I was just getting back to work," Emily said quickly as she swung back to her desk.
Draco chuckled and placed one of the cups of coffee on Hermione's desk.
"Thank you," said Hermione appreciatively. "I didn't have breakfast, so this is quite nice."
"You never ate breakfast before, I figured you hadn't started to," replied Draco, as he took a sip.
"True." Hermione got a big whiff of the enticing coffee and gulped it down. "Much better."
"And, if you're not doing anything later for lunch, maybe you'd care to join me on the veranda?" Draco asked slowly.
Hermione surveyed the workload on her desk. Draco caught this and quickly added, "None of that is really important. Just filling out forms. I'll get someone else to do it, if it's a problem."
"Alright, sure. Just let me know when you're going to lunch."
"Great, I'll come by later then."
"'K. See you later."
"Bye."
Hermione turned back to her desk with a delicious smile on her face.
Lunch came by none too quickly and Draco came by her desk promptly at noon.
"Ready?"
Hermione looked up, quill in mouth, sheets of parchment in both hands. She nodded and dropped the quill on her desk. "Give me a sec to tidy up." Hermione collected the parchment and tried to make some sort of an organized pile. Once that was done, she grabbed her purse and walked out with Draco.
On top of the Ministry of Magic building were a couple of restaurants, some fast-food, some family restaurants, a couple bars, and some very fine dining. Draco took Hermione to the Italian restaurant called Andante. They were seated outside on the rooftop patio, which boasted a magnificent view of the magical city, bustling with activity.
"Anything in particular you want?" Draco asked as he eyed the menu leisurely.
"Hmm," Hermione studied the dishes seriously, "the spaghetti el pomodoro sounds fantastic. Or the breaded chicken."
"Alright. Spaghetti el pomodoro and the chicken, please," Draco said to the waiter. "And two glasses of white wine."
"What about you? What are you eating?"
"We can split them both, I have no preference."
Hermione nodded. She gazed out onto the city.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? I haven't been to this restaurant in a while, I missed the view."
"It's gorgeous," replied Hermione. "And to think there's all this hidden from the muggles. I hope they don't realize on how much they're missing out."
"Oh, I'm sure they don't. Breadstick?"
Hermione laughed. "Sure."
"So are you still friends with Potter and Weasley?"
"We keep in touch, but I'm afraid our schedules just keep us apart. You know how busy Aurors are, and with Harry's new promotion to Deputy Auror, it's horrible for his social life, not to mention Cho."
"So he finally married the girl, huh?" Draco nibbled on his breadstick thoughtfully.
"Yes, they make a rather cute couple. And their daughter is just the most adorable little thing. And then there's Ron and his modeling. Who would've thought that buff redheads were the new 'in' thing? I can't pass a bus stop now without seeing Ron in his knickers."
Draco laughed heartily. "Excuse me while I go scratch out my mind's eye now."
Hermione laughed. "I know, disturbing to you, but hey, the rest of the world seems to love it. Not exactly Lavender, but whatever. She needs to get over her insane jealousy someday." She sipped her wine. "How about Pansy? Whatever happened to her?"
"Ah, Pansy's in France right now. Last time we spoke, which was last month I think, she was working on a new film. You'd be surprised, she's changed quite a bit."
"She acts?"
"Since about five years ago. She's mainly been doing a lot of stage work, and independent films. Says that big-budget productions are so commercialized and mass-produced.or something to that extent."
"I see. Will I ever see her in the theaters?"
"Well I think she gave the aforementioned notion up, because the project she's working on now is set to be quite a blockbuster. You can expect to see her name in the marquees in a couple of months."
Hermione smiled. How things had changed since their Hogwarts days.
"You're thinking about Hogwarts, aren't you?" guessed Draco between sips of wine.
"Still as good as ever," smirked Hermione. She had always been amazed at his ability to read her mind.
"I'm glad I'm out of there. It was good to begin anew, with a fresh start. I had to wear that stupid Slytherin identity on my sleeve all the time and it was so confining. Not to mention the pressure my parents put on me. Academics from my mother and power from my father. What a bad combination for a kid."
"You turned out alright, though," replied Hermione.
Draco laughed. "I'm glad you think I turned out alright."
"Oh you know what I meant," said Hermione, hitting him lightly.
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. I could never really understand all the intelligensia jargon you used all the time." He grinned.
She made to hit him again but this time he caught her hand. She looked up, surprised. His face was serious and he leaned forward slowly, almost cautiously, until their noses were touching.
"You still give me that feeling, Hermione," Draco breathed before he touched his lips to hers. She hesitantly opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, which he eagerly did. They were just in the middle of a very satisfying kiss when they heard a voice.
"Hermione!"
Hermione's head whipped around to see who called her name. Draco cursed the person silently.
Viktor Krum strode towards them with a huge grin on his face. "Hermione! What a wonderful surprise to see you!"
Hermione smiled nervously. "And it's wonderful to see you, too, Vik. I see you've brushed up on your English."
"Yes, traveling has forced me to. I find it rather useful, actually." He sat down.
Draco rolled his eyes and tapped his finger against the table impatiently.
"So what brings you here, Viktor?" asked Hermione politely.
Viktor brushed his hair back away from his eyes. "I had a press conference here today, and I figured I might as well get a bite to eat before heading back to my hotel."
"How nice."
"Yes, rather dull, I'll admit, but it does help me find ladies."
Hermione nearly choked on her wine. "R-really. I'm so glad to hear that."
Viktor looked at Draco as if for the first time. Draco stared back rather snobbishly. "Is he with you?" he asked Hermione.
"Uh, yea, he is."
"Looks like a priss."
Draco looked about ready to get out of his chair and punch Viktor in the nose.
Hermione sensed this and quickly told Viktor, "He's my boss, quite powerful, actually. How bout I give you a call some other time, and we'll meet up then ok?"
Viktor nodded and got up. "Wonderful to see you again, Herm." He leant down and kissed her hand.
"I'll see you around," Hermione said. Viktor walked away to a table of smiley blonds.
"What was that." Draco made a face.
"My ex," Hermione replied shortly. "Nothing to get worked up over."
"I'm not worked up."
"You are too."
"Are not."
"Are too."
"Are NOT!"
Several heads turned to look at the childish display that the two were putting on. Hermione blushed and Draco coughed loudly.
"Er, like I was saying about the trade proposal-" Draco began to say.
"You are such an idiot sometimes," Hermione laughed.
Draco looked shocked. "I'm the idiot here?"
"Yes, you."
The waitress came and presented them with their food. The chicken was presented to Draco extravagantly and the likewise with the spaghetti to Hermione.
"Ooh, that looks good," Hermione said as she jabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
"Hey, then I get some of that spaghetti," said Draco.
"Help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do."
Draco cleared his throat. "I propose a toast."
Hermione raised her glass. "To what?"
"To the re-discovery of a very wonderful friend.and a tigress in bed."
Hermione lightly smacked Draco on the arm but clinked her glass with his nonetheless.
"To friends and lovers."
It was a good thing there was the long white tablecloth in place, for the public would've gotten a very raunchy display of affection going on underneath the table.
Back at Hermione's home…
"My mind is just all over the place these days. I'm so sorry for dragging you all the way here." Hermione rummaged desperately through stacks of parchment scattered all over. Books were heaped everywhere and anywhere there was a spare bit of floor. Quills with their tips nastily chewed to pieces made a lovely arrangement in a large mug on her desk. A gathering of tiny jeweled photo frames held still photographs (imagine the like!) of her loved times and past travels. Draco surveyed the entire place with a quick but astute eye. It looked so different from the first time he'd been there, just a few days earlier.
"I know it's here somewhere...I could've sworn I'd brought it out with me today!" Hermione huffed angrily.
"No rush. I'll just make myself comfortable on this...we-e-ll what do we have here?" Draco lifted a study looking envelope with a the distinct mark of a coffee cup on it. "Oh look, it's addressed to the Ministry of Magic, care of Mr. Draco Malfoy. Isn't that just interesting."
Hermione sheepishly grabbed the envelope from his grasp. "I knew it was here somewhere." She dusted it off quickly and ripped it open. "I meant to get through this, honestly…I just got a bit sidetracked."
Draco nodded. "Right."
She looked at him witheringly. "I'm no procrastinator."
"I get right down to business, too," he winked.
Hermione smacked him lightly on the arm. "Cheeky bastard." She grinned. "C'mere, I want to show you something."
She darted out of the living room and up the stairs with surprisingly speed, and Draco put a little bounce in his step to catch up. Hermione opened a door to a room filled with red, late-afternoon sun streaming through its windows.
"You're going to think I'm some sort of freakish stalker after you see this," she began to explain as she drew the curtains, darkening the room.
"Well I somehow found you in hiding and managed to hire you so…" Draco gently closed the door behind him and walked towards her.
Hermione had pulled out a thick textbook from Hogwarts and sat at the foot of her bed on the floor. "A textbook," remarked Draco. "How very typical of you."
"Oh hush." She opened the book up to somewhere in the middle. "Remember the last day of school?"
"Of course," replied Draco, "although only about half of our classmates survived to see it." He grimaced at the thought, and then continued, "It was a bright day. Lots of sun, hardly any clouds. Warm, too, correct?" He went on without waiting for an answer. "We had managed to catch the sunrise that morning, as early as it was. You looked beautiful in your blue dress. The covosa flowers were late in blooming that year, I saw the first ones open that day. I know how much you love them, so I picked a bunch for you. They matched your dress."
Draco paused for a moment. "It was the last time I ever brought you flowers," he said after a while.
Hermione smiled. "Yes. The flowers were very beautiful. They still are." She unwrapped the tissue paper that had been gently pressed within the textbook to reveal three delicate, powder blue petals, still as fresh as they day they were received.
"Ah, yes. Hard to come by, those covosas." Draco leaning into Hermione by this time. He was not interested in flowers at the moment.
Hermione, too, had forgotten about the petals as Draco's nose gently touched with hers. "Very…rare…indeed…" she said softly. She closed her eyes and let the book and its contents fall from her hands and onto the floor.
Draco kissed her gently. Her lips were soft and warm, just as he had always remembered them to be. The flower petals, the warmth of her body, and fragrance she always wore…it all brought him back to a time more carefree and less heavy with responsibility.
Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and deepened the kiss. Slowly, deliberately, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he lay her down every so gently.
She looked up at him lovingly with half-lidded eyes. "Draco," she whispered. He shook his head slightly and said quietly, "No. Don't speak." So Hermione didn't. Instead, she pulled him down to the bed with his tie.
Their gentle kisses soon developed into hard, passionate ones, lust overtaking all sense of common decency. Hermione pulled at Draco's tie and his shirt buttons, while Draco hastily pulled off her camisole to reveal a lacy bra underneath. "Damn muggle contraptions," he muttered under his breath.
Hermione giggled as she began to undo his belt. "It's a bra," she said simply. "I'd be happy to take it off for you…if you can't handle it."
"Is that a challenge?" Draco cocked an eyebrow sexily.
"It mostly certainly is." Hermione began impatiently pulling off his trousers.
"I'll have you out of it one way or another, Miss Granger." He attacked her neck with his lips and roughly pulled off her skirt. No underwear. Draco smirked.
"Well aren't you just full of surprises." He ran a large hand up and down her legs slowly.
"Mister, you have no idea."
They wrestled with each other, half-clad and already beginning to sweat. Their fingers entwined in each others' hair, their scents mingling, they kissed passionately for all the times that they weren't able to before. Their tongues explored each inch of each other's mouths and rediscovered what they had so long yearned for.
Draco's hand moved from Hermione's cheek down to her neck, then past her collarbones, and rested lightly on top of her left breast, just beneath her heart. Her pulse quickened and her kiss did too. Slowly, he began to feel around; he cupped them and ran his fingers in circular motions all over. She began to squirm. Then, taking the other hand, he repeated the motions on her right breast. Draco ran his thumbs slowly over her already erect pink nipples, and then dragged his forefingers in circles around them. His pace quickened as did the urgency in her actions. He began to feel around for the opening device but could not find any.
"Blasted thing," he said beneath his breath. His fingers searched everywhere for a way to remove it but there was clearly none to be found.
"I give up, but I won't have to remove it yourself," he told Hermione. In one swift and decisive motion, he ripped the delicate garment off and flung it across the room.
"I liked that!" Hermione mock-protested.
"I'll be sure to buy you plenty more…which you can wear for me, of course," he replied as he kissed her hungrily. His hands were now gently kneading Hermione's soft, supple breasts. He played with her nipples and cupped each breast, loving the way its weight felt in his hands. His mouth soon found her breasts, as well, as he lovingly took each nipple in his mouth and began licking them, producing the most incredible sensations. Hermione softly moaned each time his tongue flicked past her nipple. He sped up, then slowed down, then sped up again, until Hermione felt that she couldn't take it anymore. After much hesitation, she stopped him and flipped him over onto his back.
"What are you doing, woman!" Draco began to get up and push Hermione back down but she would have none of it.
"I don't think so," she said coyly as she pinned his arms down. Draco loved the view from the bottom. Her breasts hung just above his torso, and her body glistened in the dim light that shone through the bottom of the curtains on the window. She trailed butterfly kisses down his torso until she reached his manhood, stiff from the beautiful woman he was with. She gently held his hips and licked the tip. He shuddered and his hands found their way to her shoulders. She licked it again, and again, the same reaction arose from Draco. She slowly took the head into her mouth and tasted it. She went further and further, making sure he felt nothing but sheer, unadulterated pleasure. She licked and sucked until she could feel his manhood pulsing.
Aware of his throbbing, Draco pushed Hermione off of him. It was like a mind game, the entire time. "No," he said hoarsely. "I don't want to…you know. In your mouth."
"I have a solution," she whispered. He knew exactly what to do.
She laid down and parted her legs slightly. Draco positioned himself between them and looked deep into her eyes, mere inches away from his own.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
"I want you to stop me if it—"
"—I know."
"Okay." He positioned himself at her entrance. He was still slick from her mouth, and he pushed in easily until he hit a thin barrier.
"Ah-ah-ah…" Hermione squeezed shut her eyes.
"Should I stop?" Draco held himself back. God, how badly he wanted to just plunge into her.
"No. Keep going."
He pulled out a bit, then pushed a bit farther. And then a bit more. And then a bit more, until suddenly he slid all the way in. Hermione gasped. Draco panted and kissed her. She kissed him back fiercely, with all the fire she had within her. Her fingers dug into his back. Slowly, Draco began to move again. He began thrusting gently, and then when Hermione got accustomed to his size, she began bucking her hips in time to meet his. He was pumping wildly now, sweat dripping down his body. He had wanted this for so long – all of this, Hermione and all she had. He thrust for all the pain the years apart had caused him, for all the pain that he had caused her, for all the good times, and the bad. He slid deeply in one last time and let out a loud groan as he emptied himself in her. She screamed in pleasure as she received his hot, sticky seed. He pulled out of her slowly, and there was so much that it wasn't all about to be contained within Hermione. He lay atop her and she welcomed the weight. They kissed softly.
"God, I love you so much, Hermione."
"I love you, too."