Hermione chanced another glance at the clock above the door; there was only five minutes left until she could take her lunch break. In normal circumstances, she would eat the apple and cheese sandwich she had packed, but today was different. In normal circumstances, she was not imagining her co-worker planting a line of sweet kisses down her throat; in normal circumstances, she was not having fantasies about a man, especially not one that was not her husband.

Anxiously, Hermione scribbled down the last few facts of her report, signed her name at the bottom, slid it into an envelope, and put it in her basket of 'completes'. She squeezed the last few drops of ink out of her quill and put it in her drawer, making sure the feathers weren't bent in the process. There was a light chime signifying that the lunch break had began, and Hermione had to remind herself that running as fast as she could out of there would only draw unwanted attention. So, leisurely, she stood and grabbed her cloak from the hook behind her, slid her arms into the sleeves, and meandered to the open doorway.

Now, where to? There was a lovely cafe down a block, or she could go to the pub, but she wasn't exactly in the mood for men ogling her today... maybe she would just eat her lunch in the park on a bench.

OO

The strong scent of soil surrounded her, and Hermione let her mind drift. She took a bite of her crunchy apple and closed her eyes, and envisioned herself walking down a lovely lane way. There were oaks and maples reaching high above, and tiny blue and yellow flowers covering the ground. Some sort of bird was twittering nearby, and the song as quite soothing. Her footsteps made light crunching sounds over the drying brown leaves, and she smiled.

She took another bite of her apple and the world around suddenly changed slightly. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but something was just a tiny bit different. She continued her imaginary walk, enjoying looking around at the world she was creating. A deer suddenly bolted across the path not even five feet in front of Hermione, and she gasped. She followed it with her eyes to the place it entered the trees again, and had to blink several times to be sure of what she was seeing. That damned Draco Malfoy had invaded her little fairy tale. There he was, leaning against a mossy oak, his shining blonde hair falling around his face, toned muscles visible through the tight t-shirt, eyes glittering like diamonds.

Hermione shook herself out of her vision and looked around. There was a man throwing crumbs to the pigeons across the grass, a pair of toddlers giggling in a sand pit, and an elderly lady reading a newspaper a few benches over. Draco Malfoy, thank Merlin, was nowhere to be seen. Hermione sighed and stood, picking up her coat and bag from the bench, slung them over her arm, and decided to go for a walk.

OO OO OO

Draco stood from his desk and walked out of the office. There was no way he was staying in here for his lunch break. He waited the sufficient amount of time after Granger had left, and now he was leaving the stifling room. He didn't bother to grab his coat, just his wallet from the pocket, and slid it into his slacks.

After apparating to a cafe and purchasing a coffee and a BLT, Draco took a stroll to the nearest park, hoping to have a nice, peaceful lunch. However, upon reaching his destination and looking around at the other patrons, he realized the fates had other plans for him. There was Granger, sitting on a bench, her coat beside her, munching away happily on a red apple. She looked so innocent there, her shoulders slumping, her head lolling back, her eyes closed in... he imagined she was daydreaming.

'If only I were that apple...' What? Draco shook the errant thought out of his head and turned away. He needed to get far, far away from Hermione Granger... Weasley. They had a civil, somewhat friendly relationship going, and he couldn't jeopardize that, their careers, and he would certainly never jeopardize her marriage. What they had shared was over. And no matter how much he might miss her companionship, he wasn't going to hurt her any more than he already had.