Pastel Skies

Chapter 2

Holy cow! That was fast! There was a reply from MTI with her morning owl, along with the Daily Prophet and a

small package from the French perfumer, she ordered her signature scents through. Tossing the paper unceremoniously aside, she undid the parchment, her heart skipping a beat. 'What' s wrong with me??', she chided herself.

"Hermione, what a surprise!" it said. "Your project sounds like it could be right up my alley. I'll be up in Edinburgh this week anyway, why don't we just meet up, say, Wednesday? I'll come up to Hogwarts. We can chat then. Two o'clock good for you?" She was taken aback by his eagerness and looked up nervously to see if anyone had noticed her blushing. "Send me a quick owl to confirm. Looking forward to it! Draco".

Well... that was, again, unexpected. After all these years she had expected reluctance, snootiness, a return to his old habits. Curious...

She smiled to herself. Tomorrow it is then, she thought. Yet, a tiny feeling of apprehension was growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Everything okay, Hermione?" Cho asked, who was seated next to her. Cho was one of her closest friends and colleagues at Hogwarts.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. An unexpected visitor coming to see me tomorrow."

"Really? Who is it?" Cho asked curiously. Cho wasn't nosy and Hermione trusted her. She had proven her friendship over and over again, especially during Hermione's divorce. That's when they'd grown so close. And that's why she didn't mind sharing the news with her.

"Draco." Hermione said under her breath.

"Draco? Malfoy??" She whispered aghast.

Hermione nodded.

Cho clutched a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "When? Why? I mean, WHY??"

"My project... the headmaster thought it a good idea to involve him. So, I asked for a meet. IMMEDIATE reply." Hermione took a sip of her tea. "I'm scared, I think."

"Well, okay then. DO let me know how it went. When's he supposed to be here?" Cho enquired.

"Tomorrow, 2 o'clock. Wanna come say Hi?"

"Uhm..." stammered Cho. "Want me to?"

"Sure! Of course!" Hermione beamed. "Well, I'll best get this meeting confirmed. See you later, Love" Hermione said, getting up and kissing her friend on the cheek.

"Bye, Dear. Later!"

--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--

Hermione woke with a jolt from a sting in her left forearm. It was barely breaking dawn. Her scar hadn't stung in years. Not since it had healed off in 1998; it had faded to almost nothing, only very faintly visible. And really only if one knew it was there. She touched the tender spot, felt the tingle dissipate slowly. She turned over, pulled her covers up and lay there watching the sun rise.

What was this? Was she stressing? Over what? She should consult Harry. How does one deal with scars? Both Harry and Ginny were early risers, so they wouldn't mind an early call.

Letting out a guttural groan, she finally threw back her thick duvet an hour later and swung her legs out of bed.

Her flat at Hogwarts was one of the nicer ones. Her bedroom featured double French doors, leading onto a rooftop patio, which she had decorated with large potted plants and rose trees. She stepped out into the chilly morning air, taking a deep, calming breath. She stretched through a slow Sun Salutation routine and worked out the kinks in her neck and shoulders. She was stressing! No other explanation for the tense muscles she felt.