AN: just the disclamer.I don't own any of the characters. I'm just playing. honest!
A curiously large ginger cat curled up in the window of the apartment. It's owner rolled over onto her side, blissfully unaware of the world for a few moments until the shrill buzz of her alarm clock woke her with a start.
"Crookshanks, do you want some breakfast my darling kitty?" Crookshanks meowed his agreement, and followed Hermione into the kitchen. She put a bowl of cat food for him on the floor and rubbed his ears
"I know America doesn't exactly suit us, but we'll manage, won't we? The boys said that they would visit as often as they could." She sank to the floor beside her cat in her empty house. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was miserable. The only good thing about America was her job. She couldn't get used to driving (although her boss bought her a car) she didn't really like living by herself, and her friends were all back in England. Hermione sighed and stood up. "Guess I better shower, huh, Crookshanks? Can't have all those blokes at the office knowing that I sit in my house pining away for London, can I?" She stepped towards the shower.
Thirty minutes and a few well placed drying and smoothing charms later, Hermione looked as fabulous as a twenty two year old should look. She looked in herself in the mirror, and as she stared at her gray skirted figure, it said to her "Goodness dearie, are you going to work or on a date? You look wonderful!" Hermione grinned at her self and with a loud pop, she was gone.
"Good lord, Granger, what are you trying to do? None of my boys will be able to research anything but the hem of that gorgeous skirt." the administrator of St. Mungo's, her boss grinned devilishly at her.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco, I had to get out of the house for a weekend, and a girl at the office told me I needed to go shopping. If this is unacceptable, I will go home, change, and come back." Draco kept his bemused expression. As he sat down in a chair opposite Hermione behind her desk.
"Remind me to give that girl a raise." He told her curtly. Hermione laughed.
" You remind me, how did we get in this position?" Draco rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, if I remember correctly, I bought this hospital after the war, and I knew I had to have the smartest witch in England to head my research and development team." Hermione shook her head, amused, and bent back over her parchment, where she was writing a report. Draco put his feet up on her desk and sat for a moment, watching her. Suddenly two tawny owls flew in the window, one stopping near Hermione and that other near Draco. Hermione unrolled hers first.
"Goodness! A ministry gala. Have you got the same invitation, Draco"
"No" He said shortly. "I'm obliged to attend. The five year reunion of Voldemort's downfall is something I have to grace with my presence. This is the year that I get my Order of Merlin, first class. You know Potter's getting his too, don't you?" Hermione looked puzzled.
"No…he has been awfully busy lately, we haven't talked much. Ron's popped over a time or two in the last month, but Harry has had quidditch, and he has that post at the ministry. he's busy." Draco raised an eyebrow
"So you said. I should think that tosser would spend more time on his gorgeous best friend that has saved his life countless times than playing quidditch and snogging his latest trollop." Draco's tone had turned icy with these last few words. Hermione looked over her parchment nonchalantly and waved him out of the room with one hand, ending the discussion. Only when the door shut behind him did he hear Hermione's desperate sobbing into her hands. Draco let a very angry look mar his handsome countenance. "that git hasn't even bothered to tell her he's seeing Parvati! I'm going to have some choice words for him at this gala thing." Draco stalked back to his office and slammed the door in his secretary's face.
Hermione sipped her tea by the fire and sighed. She'd had a mostly good day at work. The team had successfully cured leprosy with a little doozy of a potion they have been working on for eight months. Suddenly, a person appeared in her fireplace spreading ash all over the floor.
"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Hermione squealed delightedly and rushed to hug the young witch. Ginny squeezed her tightly and then let go.
"Hermione! You must have dropped a dress size you skinny thing! I knew you would as soon as you moved away from my mum, so I knew you'd need new dress robes for the ministry gala. Now I won't take no for an answer, you don't even need to buy them, just let me create. You are my canvas -you delightful creature, you." Ginny whipped out a self measuring tapes that wrapped itself around Hermione instantly. Hermione smiled and grabbed Ginny's hand "I'm so glad you came to see me. It's been two weeks since I've seen anyone from school besides Draco. He's a doll, don't get me wrong, he's the only guy that could convince me to move a continent away from all my friends just to work, but I miss you guys. A lot." Ginny was busy pulling sheer sparkly material out of a tiny bag, it rather reminded Hermione of a muggle clown trick.
"I know love, Ron wanted to come, but Mum put her foot down. He's been on the go for weeks now. I don't see how he gets round so quick. I'm sure you'll see him before the gala, though." She eyed Hermione beadily. "I think that you need -pink." Hermione looked aghast at Ginny.
"Pink? I don't wear pink that's not really my colour, Gin." Ginny rolled her eyes and opened a little case on the side of her bag that was full of beads.
"I know you always wear some variation of blue. I didn't start my own line of robes for nothing you know. I happen to have a keen eye for fashion. Don't worry." She pushed Hermione gently into a chair and transfigured the coat rack in the corner into a dress dummy.
" I promise you won't look like Celestina Warbeck when I'm done." She said through a mouth full of straight pins, referring to a witch who sang on the Wizarding Wireless Network that always wore tight hot pink robes in public. Hermione laughed at the thought of it. "I don't think I'm slutty enough to pull off hot pink. I've had my nose in a book too long, I expect." Ginny nodded absently, pinning and making the dummy revolve slowly with her wand.
"You are going to be the absolute opposite of slut. You'll be sheer elegance." She said with a short nod. Hermione got up and stood next to her, looking the shiny material up and down.
"Won't that be nice." She murmured quietly.