Chapter 3

Hermione checked the door more often then she probably should. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She was on her first assignment for the Ministry and she was nervous. She had accepted her job only a month before and this was her chance to prove herself. She did not want to mess it up. Hermione had started working with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Ron had snorted and rolled his eyes. He told her he always knew she would end up doing something like this. He had only one word to explain how he knew. S.P.E.W.

Hermione had laughed, but felt a bit upset by the way her friend had reacted. Harry, on the other hand, had hugged her and acted genuinely excited for her. He had told her not to worry about Ron, and asked her what she would be working on within the Department.

As it was, Hermione was ecstatic about her job. She was an ambassador between different species for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It had only taken her a month to get her first assignment and she was over the moon. There were a few co-workers who were not as happy as she, believing that she had been given an assignment so soon simply because of her involvement in the war and her friendship with Harry Potter.

"Hello, you must be Hermione Granger," a soft voice spoke from above her.

Hermione was glad for the interruption, but her heart beat faster when she looked up and realized that her first assignment was standing straight in front of her. She sprang to her feet, holding her and out.

"Hello! You must be Sam Trinkly."

Sam grasped her hand in his and nodded his head.

They both took a seat at the booth and the waitress bustled over asking for their orders. Hermione felt her cheeks heat up when she noticed the man sitting across from her was staring.

"I apologize, Ms. Granger. I did not mean to stare, but it is not every day that I get to sit in the presence of a war hero. Nor a beautiful lady." Sam smiled sweetly at her. Before Hermione could say anything, he continued, "I have to admit, it is the only reason that I agreed to show up to this meeting."

Hermione frowned at the statement.

"And why would that be, Mr. Trinkly?" she asked with real curiosity.

"The Ministry of Magic has not treated my….kind….well in the past. It has been much worse since the war. Though not all of us chose to fight alongside Voldemort, we are all living with the stigma of what a group of use did."

Hermione seemed saddened by this. She frowned and looked down at her hands for a moment. Then she spoke up, "I understand if you do not wish to work together with the Ministry of Magic, however, not all of us believe that all werewolves should be punished because of the choices that a group of you made. Luckily for you, my boss and I are two of those people. I was sent her today to try and talk you into working with the Ministry. I will not, however, try to do that. I believe that it is important that you come to us when you are ready."

Hermione watched the man's face carefully. It was blank for a few seconds before a beautiful smile lit it up. Before Mr. Trinkly could say anything the waitress had started setting food on their table.

After the waitress had left the table, Mr. Trinkly grabbed his fork and looked up at Hermione. "I believe you and I will get along just fine. I will agree to open a line of communication with the Ministry of Magic, but it will be on my terms."

Hermione nodded her head, smiled, and dug into her food. The two had pleasant conversation while eating their meals. They said their goodbyes afterward and Hermione told him to owl her with any problems that he or his fellow werewolves encountered. He agreed and they parted ways on good terms.

Out on the street, Hermione breathed a huge sigh of relief. She had been nervous, and with good reason. The werewolf community had taken a huge hit after the war. If she thought that there was prejudice and hatred towards the wolves before the war, then she didn't even have names for the way that most people felt about the wolves now. Her boss, Daniel, had informed her that it was very important that we form a line of communication between the Ministry and wolves. He was worried about backlash of the prejudices were allowed to continue. He knew that werewolves could be very dangerous, but he also knew that the world could be very dangerous for the werewolves.

She was excited to return back to work in the morning and inform Daniel that she had succeeded in at least touching base and opening a line of communication with the wolf. For now, she was happy to head back to her flat and curl up with a good book. This was the best she had felt in months, and she was going to treat herself.

Later that night, curled up with a good book, a sound startled her from the living room. She stood, grabbed her wand, and headed toward the noise. She turned the corner of to find Harry dusting himself off. She smiled at the sight of him.

"Harry," she murmured.

"Hey, I stopped by to see how your first official assignment went?"

"It was great! I was so worried, but it turned out much better than I was expecting."

Harry smiled and gave her a tight hug. He headed over to the chair he had claimed as his own and plopped down. "I know that it has been a few months, but it still weird that you live by yourself. I mean; you, me, and Ron have practically lived together since we were eleven. At Hogwarts, the Burrow, Number 12…we…I miss having you around," he finished with a crooked smile.

Hermione smiled back, ruffling his hair and going over to sit on her coach. "It does feel a bit weird," she relented. "But, we are grown-ups now, and..well..you know why I need my space. It is too hard to be around all the grieving. I know that it is easier for you to be around others, but it's too hard for me." Harry nodded his head. He understood why she needed to have her solitude. She had been driven crazy when they had all returned to Number 12 after the war had ended. Hermione had been smothered by Mrs. Weasly, and been trying to take care of everyone else. She hadn't been able to grieve herself.

"I know Hermione. That doesn't stop me for missing you though."

"You are welcome here anytime, you know that!" Hermione insisted, giving him her brightest smile.

"Will you be joining us this weekend at the Burrow?"

Hermione pursed her lips as she thought. She had been avoiding the family get-togethers for some time now, and she knew she couldn't continue doing that forever.

"Maybe next weekend, Harry," she said quietly.

Harry nodded his head once more. He more than understood her need for personal space. Everyone grieved in his or her own way. Hermione was dealing with things in the only way that she knew how. The Weaslys were worried about her, but Harry assured them that she just needed time.

They talked for a bit longer before Harry headed home, leaving Hermione to wonder about the future and if she would be ready to meet with the Weasly clan at the next get-together.