AN: Pulled the trigger on this chapter a little too early. Hence the reload. To those that did catch these changes/additions – please excuse.

3. A Meeting by Proxy

One more enhancement was needed this morning to straighten Hermione's naturally bushy hair. Finally, when she administered the last magical treatment, it fell straight and limp as if picked up by hand and dropped. With a few strokes of the brush it settled into a nifty pageboy. Thinking a tough day was ahead, she decided to dress nicely. Never mind that the work robes would hide her nicest frock, it was the thought that mattered. If she dressed nice then it would inspire confidence and bring a little sunshine into her day all the same. She carefully extracted the frock from her modest wardrobe and carefully laid it on the bed. Alongside the frock she stretched out matching hosiery. She pulled a pair of lace pants and bra from the dresser and wriggled into them. The bra had been a devilishly cute one, but she had to admit it was now a size too small and overdue for the dustbin. She'd been cramming the twins into it for too long and promised herself she'd replace it on her next shopping trip. Squeezing into the hosiery and pulling on the frock, she slipped on the heels and quickly checked everything in the mirror. Satisfied all was in order, she returned to the kitchen to finish off a cup of coffee.

Winky was coming in a little later today, so she wouldn't bother to straighten things up before leaving. She left Winky a note about a few thing to look for and gathered together her things to leave. With her handbag in hand and robes draped over her left arm, she readied herself for apparition. Before her first cup of coffee was cold, she was off to the Ministry for a full day. Such was the life of a young working girl in the Ministry.

‡‡‡‡‡

Draco Malfoy hated to be kept waiting and especially hated delays enforced by those he perceived as incompetent. Right now he was experiencing one of those kinds of delays and his normally pale complexion was turning slightly red. There had not been a specific time given for his appointment, but it didn't matter to Draco whether he was pushed for time or not. When he embarked on a destination he always went there straight away, and right now this person, of whom he considered a cretin, was wasting precious time.

The little wizard that served as security officer on this day was struggling clumsily with the wand scanning device while trying to authenticate Draco's wand.

"I'm sorry sir, but it just doesn't seem to be scanning properly," he said apologetically.

Draco exhaled a deep breath in exasperation, "I can't imagine what the problem is – it's my wand and I'm Draco Malfoy!"

"I'm sure you're right sir, but I'll have to keep it until you're ready to leave," he said while shaking his head.

"Whatever..." Draco said and threw his arms in the air with exasperation and walked quickly toward the lifts.

Quickly double-checking the note he'd received from the administration office he noticed there was not an hour for his arrival, only the date. The lift was quickly filling with employees and Draco barked his intended destination to the attendant.

"Department of Magical Law enforcement!"

The lift attendant paid little attention to Draco's request, and one by one, he opened the scissor bar doors and announced the level for each occupant to exit, except Draco. When the last employee had exited the lift, the attendant closed the doors and finally nodded at Draco, but then he ran the lift down to the Atrium entry where they first started.

"What!?" Draco said with hands out and palms up.

"Sorry sir, but this lift doesn't stop at the Department of Magical Law enforcement – you'll have to use that one across the hall," he said, pointing to the correct lift.

"Well that's great – now you tell me," he said storming off the lift. Going through the same procedure on the correct lift, he finally jolted and jostled then slammed to a stop.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement sir," the new lift attendant announced.

"Thanks loads," came a sarcastic reply and Draco stepped off the lift, immediately looking around in the small lobby for a concierge or an employee that might offer assistance. There was no one available and his mood of irritability had just been ratcheted up a notch. He took a deep breath and made a lackluster effort to calm himself. Casually walking down the long corridors of grey tiles he peered into each office door looking for anyone that might be able to give him direction. Office lights were lit but no one seemed at home. Where could they all be? There was a door at the end of a long hall and a sign over the door that said 'Dueling Pistes'. With curiosity peaking he couldn't help but crack open the door to peer inside. There was a long dueling piste marked on the floor on the far side of the room and a faded eight-pointed star pattern in the far left corner. Without a wand, it looked like a place to stay well away from.

This was baffling. Draco carefully re-read the note again to confirm his appointment. Yep, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he had passed under the sign on his way in. This had to be the right place. There has to be someone here – maybe this is a test. With that thought in mind he continued spelunking the cavernous halls. Up one hall and down another he mentally plotted the department layout. There was another office with a light on at the end of a short hallway. The irrational feeling he was running out of time was growing more acute as he neared the doorway. He poked in his head in and there was a head bowed down in study behind a small desk. The head shot up when he stepped in the doorway and after a few moments he recognized face – it couldn't be.

"Granger... Where the devil am I supposed to be?" he asked and Hermione pulled casually away from whatever it was she was reading.

"Oh Draco – yes come in. Please sit down."

"I have an appointment... somewhere in this bloody department but there's no one here," he said and tentatively took a seat in the uncomfortable chair by her desk.

"Most of the employees are at a town hall meeting Kingsley called this morning," she explained.

Hermione went back thumbing through the pages of the report as if taking mental notes. Draco was growing increasing uncomfortable by the moment and was looking around the office as if trying to find a way to escape.

"Can you help me or not – I'm to report somewhere," Draco pleaded, throwing his hands up.

"Relax Draco – you're where you're supposed to be," she said laying the report gently on the desk.

"You... I'm to report to you?" he said, and his heart skipped a beat. He saw Granger nod a curt little nod and smile, and he knew in that moment that his arse was hers. All he could think about was the grief he gave her in school. He liked to think of it as teasing, but she'd more likely remember it as torment. From a new perspective, many years removed, he realized he had said and done things as a child he never truly meant. Nevertheless, he had done some nasty things. It had all been a normal part of being a demented leader of a gang of Slytherin youth. The old saying of 'what comes around goes around' came to mind and he was thinking it was clearly her turn to take the piss out of him.

"Well then – would it be too late to take the Azkaban sentence instead," he said with a grim face.

"If that's what you want to do," she said in a rhythmical tone.

At that moment he lifted his head, forgetting about the mess he was in. Grey eyes cut straight to hers with defiance. They both took a moment to evaluate the other as a brief silence fell over the office. The physical changes to Granger since the Hogwarts days were intriguing, and he couldn't help but go through them with a mental checklist. The Granger he had known and tormented was a flat-chested, bushy-haired, and bucktoothed little bookworm. Just how she had changed the wild bushy hair, he couldn't imagine. But now her chestnut tresses were straightened and lying just short of her shoulders in a rather neat pageboy. The big front teeth had been reduced in size and the short upper lip allowed the perfectly normal pearly whites to be seen instead. Her eyebrows were thinned and the hazel eyes now looked cauldron sized. It was hard to evaluate her figure exactly, under the full black robes, but she was certainly not flat chested. No, not by a long shot. It looked as if the bookworm had grown into the moth. He cursed himself under his breath for letting his mind wander in such a way. She had turned herself into a pretty girl, but she was no doubt, still a ball-buster, and he had best keep his mind on business.

"So what manner of thraldom do you have in mind for me then?" he spit out the question.

"It's public service – and you agreed to it," she calmly responded. "An another thing... I won't be your regular case officer. Cynthia Sickles is your case officer, but unfortunately she's caught a bug of some kind. I'm just filling in."

"Oh. I see," he quickly responded dryly.

Then, maybe the weirdest thing yet, he felt a sharp tinge of regret before putting the thought quickly away.

"Well, at least that's a relief," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said and chuckled.

‡‡‡‡‡

She had leaned back and coolly received his hard stare, amber eyes meeting grey. Still the same arrogant bastard, she thought. The snowy white hair and pale features were the same. Still spending too much time pent up in the Wiltshire mansion. The baby fat, if he ever had any, was long gone and his features were chiseled and harder now. The tailored black jacket and trousers with expensive black oxfords were typical Malfoy. And there was something different now in the way Draco carried himself. The permanently guilty demeanor and darting eyes and were long gone. They'd been replaced with a fixed and steady gaze and look of self assuredness. His countenance now was not so cavalier and cocky. Perhaps there was also a little beat-down humility since school days. It was hard to tell. He carefully studied the room and objects around it as if looking for something. She almost hated the fact that Cynthia would come back to take the case over. It might be quite a bit of fun taking the formal stuffing out of Mr. Malfoy, but she put the thought away. This was Cynthia's case and she didn't want to mess things up before Cynthia got back. So for the time being, with regret, she would try and be professional if he allowed it.

"So what are my options?" he asked gloomily.

"Several. St. Mungo's needs some help – the Knight Bus needs a conductor and there's a cleanup project due to be started in Knockturn Ally. Any of those sound appealing?" she asked while spinning a quill in her fingers.

"No of course not," he replied, matter of factly.

"Well, you have a bit of a choice," she said. The temptation to draw him out further was irresistible.

"So what would be a good job for you Draco?"

"Some form of manual labor you mean?"

"Alright... yes some form of it."

"Oh I don't know. Don't think about those things too much," he said scratching his ear as if to prod a thought to jump out. "Maybe a waiter at the Savoy."

"Sorry. Doesn't ring a bell," she said dryly.

"You do know the Savoy Granger. Your family eats there, I'm sure," he added with a wry smile.

Hermione bit her lip and vaguely remembered. The Savoy was an upscale and ridiculously expensive restaurant. Certainly not the kind of place Ron could afford and her family had never frequented the establishment. The attempt to draw him out had backfired.

"Oh... that Savoy – I get it. Okay, let's focus here. The jobs I mentioned... do any of those sound like something you could do?"

"If I say no, could you find something else?" he said, still playing games.

"Not right now. You'll have to pick one of the three, but something else might come along later," she explained.

"The St. Mungo's job, what does it consist of, do you know?" he asked.

"Probably emptying bedpans, but I could be wrong," she lied and almost burst out laughing.

Draco pulled a face and then looked away.

"Okay, what about the Knight Bus? What's that all about?"

"You've never heard of the Knight Bus?"

"Never needed to take a bus," he retorted.

"Well, simple really. It's a bus for the magical community. It's serves as a means for practical transportation and as a means of rescue for stranded witches and wizards. We lost the last conductor during the war, so we keep the position open for public service jobs now. Yeah, you might be a good fit for that job," she said with a wry smile.

"I can see you're enjoying this Granger," He replied with a nasty look.

"Just trying to explain the job Draco."

"A conductor you said – that's means the job would require one of those ridiculous conductor uniforms?" he said, shaking his head.

"Yes, I'm sure it would – sorry," she lied again.

"So what's this cleanup project in Knockturn alley you mentioned?"

"I'm not really sure about this one. Cynthia would know more I'm sure," she said.

"A lot of good that'll do me – huh?"

"Well, it's probably cleaning the street gutters from all the chamber pot filth. Does that sound appealing?"

Draco looked away and had a drawn look about him, obviously pissed at the last comment.

"Well, from what little I have to go on here, I'd say the Knight Bus would be the safest bet," he added finally.

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"So what do I do next?"

"Meet Ernie, the driver, tomorrow night at five o'clock in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Just raise your wand to hail the bus. He'll make arrangement for your uniform or kit or whatever it is you wear," she said, straining to force a friendly smile.

"Well, sounds marvelous doesn't it?" he said venomously.

"Yes, super – now be back here in two weeks and I'll show you to Cynthia, who'll be your regular case officer," Hermione said and slapped her palms on the desk to end the meeting. "Oh, if you have any trouble connecting with Ernie, report back here immediately. Remember, if you fail to show up for this assignment at any time, it's mandatory Azkaban!"

"Gee, thanks for reminding me,"

‡‡‡‡‡

Hermione fumbled for the key to the front door to her flat. She was digging through a plethora of junk in her handbag while balancing a small bag of groceries across her knee. All the fishing produced nothing, but she knew the key was in there somewhere. When it didn't turn up, she looked around for anyone that might be watching. There were none.

"Alohomora," she softly conjured the spell and the door latch clicked open.

Winky was in the back finishing up some cleaning as Hermione sat the grocery items in the kitchen.

"Good evening Miss," she said and then eyed the groceries. "Can I fix you something before I leaves Miss Hermione?"

"Oh no Winky that'll be fine. Everything looks wonderful!" she said as she looked around at the furnishings and floors that were cleaned and polished to a shine.

"Well thank you Miss, but you must let me fix you something. You looks tired, you does."

"It has been a long day – I'll tell you what. You can fix something if you'll stay and have something with me," Hermione said.

"You shouldn't worry your pretty head about ol Winky, but if you insists I'll be glad to."

"I insist Winky. I'll change clothes and be back in a minute."

"Yes Mam."

Closing the bedroom door, she quickly peeled out of the work clothes. The frock and heels came off first, followed by the underclothes, and the cute undersize bra that was overdue for the dustbin. A quick vanity check in the mirror confirmed nothing was too worse for the wear. Little pink indentations were visible where the bra had cut into the skin, and the hair that had been magically enhanced into the straight pageboy was beginning to resume it's natural curl. She massaged out the tender pink indentations the bra had left under her breasts and then squeezed into a faded and comfy pair of jeans. She threw a Tee shirt over her head and wriggled into it. Well-worn and comfortable ballet flats completed the casual ensemble. After another spot-check in front of the mirror, she made her way back into the kitchen.

"Whatever you've started – it already smells good."

"Onion soup, fresh bread, and some warmed-up pork pie from the icebox. Is that suitable Miss?"

"Sounds fine," Hermione said and went thumbing through the evening edition of the Daily Prophet.

"Dids you have a good day today Miss?", Winky asked and poured Hermione a small cup of tea.

"A full day Winky. How did the cleaning go today... good?"

"Yes mam... very good. There was a stain on the floor, but it came out with a little scrubbing."

"Sorry you had to go to the trouble – here, have a seat and get something to eat," she said and motioned to a chair.

"Thank you. You are most kind miss," Winky replied and struggled with short legs to pull herself into the chair. "Did you see Mr. Draco today miss?"

Hermione raised a brow at the question.

"Well yes I did. How did you know Draco was coming in today?"

"Oh – er – well, you know the house-elves, they talk a lot about the Malfoys. I've never really known why?" she explained with a puzzled look.

"Do they really? So what about Winky?"

"Oh – I don't really know miss. Jest gossip really. I guess house-elves, they're just curious about how rich folks lives," she said nibbling on a slice of fresh baked bread.

"I guess you're right Winky. I guess most of us would be curious how the rich folks live," she said and chuckled to herself.