"MUM!"

Hermione set her quill down and looked up.

"HERMIONE! MUM!"

She rose from her chair, grabbed her wand and hurried to open her door. Scorpius was running down the ministry corridor to her office. She ran to meet him. "What's wrong? What happened?" she called as she took in his blood soaked auror's robes.

Scorpius grabbed her hand and raced her to the flues. He tossed in the flue powder, called "St. Mungo's," pushed her in, and a moment later, he stumbled out of the St. Mungo's flue right behind her.

He grabbed her hand again and ran to the stairwell, not bothering to wait for the lift. They were winded as they flew onto the third floor, but ran the corridor until they encountered Harry. "Hermione! In here!" Harry now grabbed her hand and turned the corner to see a Healer in blood soaked robes exit a room.

"Mr. Potter, we tried. There was nothing we could …"

Harry and Hermione pushed past him into the operating room. Empty potion bottles littered the room and blood pooled on the floor and soaked the cloth over the body, leaving only a tuft of red hair visible at the end.

"RON!" Hermione slipped on the blood as she raced to Ron's body, tears streaming down her face. "NO! RON!"

Harry and the other aurors had killed or captured the remaining dark wizards that day while Scorpius had Apparated his mentor to St. Mungo's after having been hit multiple times by a new dark severing spell. Ron had been given a hero's funeral, attended by over half the wizarding population as the Ministry had called for a national day of mourning. Hermione had not left her cottage since.

The Potters, Weasleys, Rose and Scorpius had been over every day since, trying to encourage Hermione to eat something or take a walk or read a new book. Hermione always told them she would and that she was okay, but nothing ever changed. A few weeks later, Draco Malfoy overheard Rose tell her concerns to Astoria after one of their Sunday dinners - how nothing could rouse Hermione from her depression.

Monday morning, Draco strode into his office. "Clear my calendar today. I need an appointment with Richard Fairfax of Blazing Feathers Publishing no later than 10 this morning. Procure me a wifi hotspot and a top of the line tablet computer with an account in this name by noon," he directed his secretary, throwing a slip of paper onto his desk. Draco strode into his office and pulled out a book.

Just after noon, he Apparated to the Weasley's cottage. He noted his presence registered as he crossed the wards and knocked on the door. "Weasley, I know you're in there. Open the door. I'm here on business."

A minute later, Hermione cracked the door. "Malfoy," she said wearily, "I'm not in the mood."

Draco pushed the door open and walked right in. He noted her dull and careless appearance and decided Rose hadn't been exaggerating. "Take some time to freshen up. I need to discuss some business with you and it cannot be postponed. Go on. Take a shower or something." He pushed her to her bedroom and closed the door. He smirked as he heard the shower start.

Draco prepared a pot of tea and set out fruit, scones and tea sandwiches on two plates. He set the service on the tea table just as Hermione emerged. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked wearily.

"What do I need, is a more appropriate question," he replied, handing her a plate of food. "Eat something. I'm not about to discuss business over tea by myself. Try the scone," he said as he handed her one on which he had spread some clotted cream. "I picked them up at the new bakery on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. They are supposed to be the best in all of London."

Hermione looked at him as if he had grown a second head. What was Malfoy doing at a muggle bakery in Muggle London? She took a bite of the scone, which crumbled in her mouth. Malfoy kept handing her food and discussing the Muggle shops from which he had procured them until Hermione had eaten the scone, a sandwich and a small mound of fruit, at which point she asked him how he was able to pay for everything, as they didn't take Galleons.

"A credit card. Muggles have these cards which tally all your purchases and then you pay a bill at the end of the month. And they're taken everywhere! I don't even need to carry pounds." Now she knew that Malfoy had grown two heads.

"Anyway, Hermione," he said as he handed her a cup of steaming tea, "moving on to business, Malfoy Industries prides itself on producing only the highest quality products because mediocrity is for lesser companies. This morning I was informed that we had won the contract for a new edition of Hogwarts: A History. This edition is to be completely overhauled with all the latest developments and new educational opportunities Hogwarts offers. Additionally, I was informed that we have only six months to send the revised edition to the printer as it needs to hit the shelves by July, in time for the new students to purchase the book.

"There is exactly one person who knows everything about the prior editions and who has the experience and knowledge to create a comprehensive and exceptional volume, and that is you. As I refuse to let this become a black mark on Malfoy Industries, I am here personally to ask that you accept my request to author this latest edition."

Draco looked around the room. "Ah, excellent." He pulled out the hotspot and tablet computer and set them on the table. "Glad to see that you have muggle electricity as it is necessary for this device to work. You see, this is something called a 'computer,' and it has something inside called a 'battery' that stores something called 'electricity,' which allows the computer to operate."

"Yes, Malfoy. I grew up muggle so I know what a computer is and how one operates. What I don't understand is how you have come to have one."

"Ah, well it turns out that this computer allows you to make something called a 'file'," at the mention of which Hermione rolled her eyes, "which can be sent to many people and therefore you only need to dictate your message once. Much better than a Quotes Quill, as that can only write one document at a time."

Hermione looked around the room searching for something to tell her that this conversation was actually happening, and not just in her imagination.

Draco turned on the computer. "This is your email account. Um, do know what email is?" Hermione nodded. "Good. My secretary has sent over a file containing the first two chapters. He will continue until all the chapters are typed into files so you will have the previous edition from which to work. If we can get your final draft five months from now, we will proof it and send it out for printing. In the meantime, email me if you need anything. I have an office for you on the executive level of MI's building, but don't feel like you need to use it. There's a private Apparation point, so no one need see you coming or going if you don't want them to.

"Now, I need to take my leave as I have other business which needs my attention. However, I will send you lunch on the days you don't come into the office." He stood up and offered her his hand. "Thank you, Hermione. I knew I could count on you for this."

He exited the cottage and left Hermione wondering what had just happened. Did she agree to author the revision to her favorite book? The whole encounter was quite surreal. She looked at the computer on her table. Well, she supposed that she must have. She picked it up and opened the file.

That night when Ginny came to bring her dinner and sit for company, she found Hermione surrounded by stacks of parchment with various notes and maps and pictures of Hogwarts. "Here," Hermione thrust a map into her hands. "Do you remember this staircase swinging counter clockwise? I'm pretty sure it did. I'm just going to have to owl Neville and arrange for a visit to make sure."

"Hermione, what's all this?" Ginny grinned, taken aback by her friend's sudden enthusiasm.

"I'm authoring the new edition of Hogwarts: A History and I only have 5 months to get everything done. Now, I have a pretty good idea about the greenhouses, but I want to say that I recall Neville saying something about a new one they plan to build this summer."

Ginny laughed at her friend's suddenly energetic appearance. She'd have to thank whoever had gotten Hermione to live again.