Chapter 2: Resignation
Hermione sighed, alone in Ginny's apartment- by her own choice- she felt the need to isolate herself. Besides, it didn't help that Ginny's fiery red hair matched Ron's, and so did her personality, to some extent. Not to mention she didn't want to burden her friends between choosing who to side with.
Quill in her hand, she reluctantly penned the letter, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks...
***
Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived-Twice, Head Auror, was sitting at his desk, drinking his second cup of coffee that morning, when a beautiful, cream-coloured owl named Artemis flew towards his open window, a letter firmly attached to her leg. Harry's eyebrows went up in surprise, since he recognized the owl as Hermione's, but he went and rewarded Artemis with a treat reserved for her and Pig before opening the letter.
Harry chuckled. It was like she could read his mind- the thought had already been nestled in the back of his brain for the past thirty minutes or so.
The ink was smudged and smeared here and there and Harry knew without a doubt that his friend had been crying as she wrote this letter. He was saddened by her sudden resignation and abrupt cutoff from everyone else, but in a strange way he understood. The memories that close ones carried could be sharp. Still, a pang of sadness cut through him; last time he had seen her, it had been at work, and he hadn't treated it as anything special.
He had no idea it was the last time he'd see her.
***
Draco Malfoy was exhausted. Trying to find a new P.A. after Jessica was a tough job. His secretary, Alexis, walked in with a stack of parchment.
"Alexis, can you go through them please? Only the ones that have a of living up to my expectations should be in that pile."
"Mister Malfoy, this is the smaller pile. You should have seen the pile that was on my desk this morning."
Draco groaned, but accepted the stack. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the name on the first file.
Hermione sat in Ginny's, the girl having gone off to training with the Harpies but promising to be back soon. She was sort of regretting her decision to apply as a P.A. to Malfoy Enterprises but it was one of the most well- paying jobs currently available. The clock chimed.
10:00.
She had promised herself she'd go look at a minimum of three flats today, and she'd been flipping through magazines all morning. She dressed today in high- waisted black slacks and a dark grey sleeveless turtleneck- a perfect look for autumn. She paired it with the same lilac coat and a pair of black ankle boots. Her cellphone in her pocket, she set off for the first apartment.
***
Draco Malfoy sat in his office, having gone through four stacks of parchment in the past two hours and twenty minutes.
All of his business client's meetings - Malfoy Enterprises was a successful investment and marketing firm- had been postponed until he could find a suitable P.A. He'd been at it for a week, and Granger, unfortunately, was the only person whom he thought could live up to the job. She was, as much as he had held a grudge against her for it during their school years, intelligent. She was efficient, she was a hard worker. She was well- equipped to deal with any situation, considering the things she'd been through. She was very much so the suitable candidate.
He made a decision.
"Alexis, would you please contact Miss Granger and inform her she has an interview at the earliest possible availability for her."
He sat back, hoping he would not regret this decision. It would be good if she could hold the position- he'd harboured a bit of a crush on her since fourth year but dismissed it in sixth year, and had gotten quite close to getting over it when Weasel had asked her out and Hermione had said yes. He nursed the heartbreak for a bit before attempting moving on, but the twinge in his heart, reappearing now, told him perhaps he hadn't exactly accomplished that.
***
Hermione returned home, ready to drop dead after a day of looking through flats. She had visited around twelve and hadn't seen anything she'd liked. There were a couple more she'd take a look at tomorrow but for now she'd be at Ginny's. When she arrived, she saw a note on the fridge.
Hermione shook her head at the fact that her two best friends were 'at it again', but smiled at the kind and worried tone the note took on. She put the note down and decided to hop upstairs for a quick shower, before making a simple pasta dish and settling down in front of the TV to continue her documentary series. She was just about to press play when she heard a at the window.
***
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