Draco had to let Hermione go. He owled her to meet him in the clearing in the forest before the beech tree on the edge of the Black Lake. They had met here so many times during school. But this would be the first time since the Battle of Hogwarts. Standing in the shadow of the war-torn castle was eerie and uncomfortable for Draco. There was a mist rolling off the lake and a chill in the early morning air that did nothing to calm the anxiousness he felt as he dug the toe of his dragonhide boots into the dirt.