Draco sat in his chair, lazily playing with the pen on his desk. He sat it on its end, letting it drill into the wood. He was bored. Working at the Ministry had its perks, but with few things going wrong in the wizarding world, and with the economy, he had very little to do. He was the Head of his department, in charge of appraising and allowing businesses and secret locations to be 'wizardized,' or made into wizarding establishments. He had the job of making sure that the businesses were kept secret from muggles, along with removing them from muggle maps entirely. It was a new department, only created after the war ended, when so many wizarding establishments had been exposed to the muggle world because they'd been deserted. The department had only sorted out getting the old establishments off of the muggle grid about two years ago, it was then that Draco had gotten his promotion as he'd been the one to do most of the work. He was proud for actually making something out of himself, not just retreating into hiding or going into the muggle world like some others had done since they were shunned by some in the wizard world.
It'd been eight years since he'd walked out of Hogwarts. Eight long years. He rarely saw anyone from school, with the exception of passing Harry on the way to his office in the mornings. They would nod courteously to each other, but never engaged in actual conversation. Blaise worked with him, but he was always in the field or meeting new clients. Draco missed his friends, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he never really had any.
The sudden motion of his door opening made him loose his concentration, his pen dropping flat to the desk. He took a deep breath, pursing his lips, "Damn woman! How many times have I told you to knock?" he yelled at his secretary.
"Sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but it was urgent. I just got her to leave. She said to give you this. It's about the forest area outside of town that Mr. Blaine just acquired a buyer for" his secretary said quickly, dropping the note on his desk and running out of his office. Draco watched her leave, then turned his attention to the note on his desk. He recognized the neat handwriting at once. It was Granger's. It read:
Malfoy, I would like to meet with you to talk about the most recent purchase from your department. As the Head of the Department of Security for Magical Creatures, it has come to my attention that this purchase violates Section 132-B of the Magical Lands Bill. Please get back to me with a time and date that you can meet to discuss this issue, this is very important! -Hermione Granger
'That's very professional' he thought to himself. He ran a hand through his hair, "Mallory!" he yelled to his secretary. She rushed in the room, "Yes, sir?"
"What did she say when she came? Was she angry?" he asked, holding the note up.
"Oh yes, very angry. She said something about needing to see you, of course she called you a few names, I'd rather not say" she started explaining.
Draco smirked, "No, please, do tell" he said.
"Well, she asked to speak with the fucking arrogant coward. When I told her you were busy, she slammed her fist in my desk, telling me that she knew that that foul-smelling, loathing, twat was not busy and she demanded to see you immediately. I told her no, and to leave. She tried to go to your door, I blocked, and told her to leave you a note, because you were busy. She finally gave up, writing the note and leaving it" Mallory explained.
"And she didn't say anything else?" Draco asked, still smirking.
"No, sir" she said. Draco scribbled something on a piece of parchment. Folding it, he handed it to her, "Can you take this to Miss Granger in the…." he paused, looking back down at her note for the department name, "Department of Security for Magical Creatures" he said, handing her the note.
Mallory looked at him curiously, "I didn't know we had such a department" she said quietly.
"Neither did I, probably Granger's idea. I assume it's on the fourth floor" he said as she took the note from his hand and walked out of his office. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He chuckled to himself, remembering what Mallory said Grainger'd called him. 'Good to see nothing's changed' he thought to himself.
Mallory walked to the lift, taking the elevator up to the fourth floor. She walked down the hall cautiously until she found a small corner office at the end of the hall with the letters 'D.S.M.C" on the door along with the words, "Headquarters for S.P.E.W." underneath it. Mallory looked at the door, confused, then knocked. The girl opened the door a moment later, furious, "What?" she yelled at her.
Mallory stepped back, "Um…Mr. Malfoy said for me to bring you this" she told her, extending the note out. Hermione flared her nostrils, snatching the note from her, "Well, I see he wasn't too busy, was he?" she asked Mallory. Mallory just stood there. Hermione's face became more furious as she read his note:
Miss Granger, I am delighted to hear that you would like to go out to lunch with me, however you should know by now, I don't date Mudbloods. As to this so-called violation, I haven't a clue what you are on about. I think you must have hit your head a few too many times on your many journeys with Potter. If you can find this violation in print, and I mean original print, bring it to me. I'd love to see it. Oh, and by the way, I would have thought by now your insults would have improved. Guess not - Draco Malfoy
Hermione balled the paper up in her fist, fuming. She turned around quickly to her desk, throwing some of the random papers on the floor until she found the book she was looking for. Opening it, she flipped through the pages quickly, looking for the violation she'd told him about. Upon finding it, she stormed out of her office, almost knocking Mallory down in the process. Mallory ran to catch up with her. Hermione took the lift down, almost breaking the gate open when it reached his floor.
"Um…Miss Granger! I can't let you-" Mallory yelled after her.
"Shut it, bitch!" Hermione said, holding her hand up and continuing to walk quickly. She didn't stop when she reached his office, opening the door like a bullet. Malfoy had heard her coming, propping his feet on the desk, opening the Daily Prophet lazily. She stormed into the room, "You evil little coward! How dare yo-" she started to say, then noticed his laid back demeanor. His blonde hair fell over his eyes as he read the words on the paper, going back and forth effortlessly. His perfect jaw structure, relaxed, unlike the many times she'd seen it before. She never would admit how sexually attracted she'd been to him her last years at Hogwarts, he'd grown into such a beast. Without looking up from the paper, he said, "Hello Granger, I thought you might pay me a visit"
She broke out of her stare, fuming with anger, "Malfoy. You will look at this. It clearly states that your purchasing and clearing of the forest land outside of town is a clear violation of Section 132-B of-" she started saying again. He put his paper down on the desk, looking at her through his crystal blue eyes. She blinked a few times, trying not to loose herself in them as he put his feet on the floor and looked at her. He pursed his lips, "I know what that stupid thing says, woman" he spat at her.
"So why the fuck did you make me drag this damn book down here? And why are you going through with the purchase? It's illegal!" she yelled at him.
"Only you would pay attention to petty things like that, Granger. You can take this downstairs if you want, you're only going to be disappointed in the outcome" he said, standing.
"What? It's illegal! How would it pass? It's right here! On paper!" she said pointing to the words in the book as she sat it on his desk.
"Regardless of what you make believe, Granger, things in the Wiznegmot haven't changed. It's politics, whomever is the largest contributor gets what he wants. Greenpeace isn't exactly the largest contributor if you haven't noticed" he said smugly.
"You smug piece of shit. You would pay them off, just to make sure that I didn't win?" she asked, sizing him up.
"You catch on quick. Always the smart one" he said.
"Gods, you haven't changed a bit! Still the smug, arrogant, cowardly ass you always were! Tell me, Malfoy, how is your father now-a-days? Enjoying his time in Azkaban? And your poor mother…crying herself to sleep every night?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Shut up, filthy mud blood" he said through his clenched teeth, stepping towards her.
"Calling me a mud blood doesn't exactly hurt anymore. You kind of get used to it once someone calls you one for seven years" she said, rolling her eyes.
Draco huffed, rubbing his neck, "Well, what do you want?" he asked quietly.
"I want you to tell Blaise that the deal on this piece of land is off. That it's a violation, illegal, you can't use it. Do you know how many creatures could loose their homes if you cleared that land? Are you going to relocate them? No you aren't, because you're a heartless shit, a worthless excuse for a human being" she yelled at him.
He strode across the room, body centimeters from hers,. He could feel her tense as he stood so close to her, heat radiating off of her body. "I am not….worthless" he whispered angrily, face inches from hers. She swallowed, looking at his angry, intense blue eyes, the smell of him whirling around her. She could barely breathe being this close to him. Her loathing turned to angst as he stared into her eyes. He breathed in the scent of her hair as he stood tall over her, strawberries, just as it'd always been. He'd never admit how much of a thing he'd had for her, she would always be the one that he never had, and the one he wanted more than anyone. Quickly he turned, walking away from her, running a hand through his hair. His body had improved, long, lean, and toned. It was filled out more, he was a man now, not a boy. His hair slightly longer, falling in his face at all times. She stood, frozen, to that spot.
"I can't promise that without something in return" he said, turning back towards her.
She looked him up and down, a disgusted look on her face, "What do you want?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
He thought about it a minute, "You find me somewhere else that I can purchase, somewhere just as remote, and as large as that piece of land you're defending" he said straightening up.
"Fine" she said, picking up her book and closing it.
"Oh, and Granger, I need it by Monday" he said, smirking.
"What? That's less than a week!" she screeched.
"Yes. I know. I'm supposed to have that land and present it to the buyer by Monday, so you have until then to find me a new place so that I can present it to him" he concluded, leaning back on his desk, crossing his arms smugly.
"You've got to be bloody joking, Malfoy! How do you expect me to do that in less than a week? I have duties you know!" she yelled at him.
"Fine, I'll just continue with my deal then. I'll tell Blaise to push it up, shall I?" he asked, cornering her into taking the deal.
"No! I'll do it!" she said quickly.
"Good" he replied smugly, smirking at her. She pursed her lips, sighing, then stormed out of his office. She couldn't believe what she'd just agreed to, how was she even to go about finding something like this? She walked slowly to her office, slumping in her chair when she finally reached it. Sitting in her chair, she spun around, hoping it would make her dizzy enough to put her to sleep or wake her up from this bad dream. As she closed her eyes, all she could think about was him, those blue eyes piercing hers, how the vein on his neck stuck out when he was irritated, his hair falling softly on his forehead. She was so lost in her thoughts that when her door opened, she fell out of her chair. The person at the door smirked. She looked around the desk to see who it was. It was Draco.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, a little fainter and higher pitched than she'd intended.
"I was merely coming to extend a dinner invitation to you" he said, leaning on her doorframe.
His words caught her off-guard, she froze as she started to stand, staring at him, "Excuse me?" she asked.
"Dinner, tonight, to discuss places of interest, strictly business" he explained.
She stood slowly, looking at his sincere face, "No thanks, I'll take my chances" she said, glaring at him.
He smirked, "Whatever you say, Granger, your loss. You know you haven't the faintest at what you're doing" he said, turning to walk away from the door.
"Again, Malfoy, I'll take my chances" she said, straightening up a few papers on her desk.
Draco took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, "Have it your way then" he said quietly, walking back down the hallway and stepping into the lift. He didn't know why he'd asked her to dinner, partly because he knew she wouldn't be able to do this on her own and also because he thought it may be his last chance at her. As he reached his floor, Mallory came running at the lift, he looked at her questionably, "Going somewhere, Mallory?" he asked her.
"Yes, sir. Home. It's past seven" she said as the lift closed, leaving Draco standing there in the hall by himself. He walked back to his office, gathering his things, shoving them in his briefcase. He, again, walked down the hall, into the lift, and to the main floor. As he stepped off, he saw Harry stepping off of the lift across from him. Draco nodded towards him, Harry doing the same. He continued walking to the floo system where he took one of the green fires, apparated, and ended up in his London flat just outside of King's Cross station. Throwing his bag on the counter, he fell into the couch, immediately falling asleep.
Wednesday
Draco woke few times during the night, never making it all the way to his bedroom. He had no reason to be tired, but even so, he'd acquired the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep at any moment of the day. He guessed it was from his years at Hogwarts, never sleeping, it was just catching up to him. When he awoke the next morning, he went through his normal routine of showering, eating a bowl of cereal, getting dressed in his all black suit, and heading out the door. He walked a small ways from his apartment that morning before apparating to the loo where he was to flush himself down to the ministry. He was disgusted by the way they had to flush themselves in, but he did it anyway. Shaking off the feeling of being flushed down a toilet, he walked out of the green flames, grabbing a copy of the Daily Prophet before heading to the lift. It was unusually packed that morning, memos looming above his head. He swatted one that was very close to his arm before stepping out of the lift and into the hallway. Mallory met him with a stack of notes.
"Mr. Malfoy, you have an 8:30 meeting with Blaise on the forestry land, then an 10:30am meeting with Mr. Weasley, he needs to renew and upgrade his building permit, sir. He is also wanting to talk about buying land in Hogsmeade, he seems to think there's a shop open now" she told him.
"Right, anything else?" he asked her, taking the notes.
"Well, you have a 3pm meeting with the buyer for the forestry land" she said as they reached the door to his office.
"Cancel it" he said before opening his door.
"Sorry, sir?" she asked, confused.
"I said cancel it. Or rather reschedule for Monday, make up some excuse about me being out of town or something. And Mallory, get me a coffee, black" he told her, turning the handle on his door, opening it widely.
"A coffee, sir?" she asked.
"Yeah, I thought you were half-blood, Mallory. You know, a coffee, like an espresso? Just run down to the café on the corner and ask for a venti coffee with a double-shot of espresso" he told her before closing the door behind him.
He slumped down in his desk, running a hand through his still damp blonde hair. The door swung open, revealing Blaise. He strode in smugly, in his sleek black suit, his arrogance rivaling that of Draco's. Draco looked up as Blaise walked towards his desk.
"Blaise, how are you, mate?" Draco asked, smiling at his old friend.
"Doing just great, just great" he said as he sat gracefully in the dark green leather armchair across from Draco's desk.
"And the family? Draco asked.
"It's amazing, mate, it really is. I never thought I would like being a family man, but I do. Damien turns three next Wednesday., and Pansy just found out we're expecting another" Blaise told him.
"Oh, congratulations, mate! I'm happy for you!" Draco said standing, going around to give him a hug. Blaise happily accepted. "Thanks! We're really excited" he told him.
"That's great, mate! I can't believe it! Wow" Draco said, taking his seat again, "So I guess you'll be needing as many deals as possible then, won't you?" he asked, laughing.
"You're damn right about that one!" Blaise said laughing as well.
"Right, about this latest one, we've hit a snag" Draco told him.
"What? What kind of snag?" he asked.
"Something to do with it being protected land or some shit like that, I don't know. I'm taking care of it" Draco said, waving it off.
"What about the buyer? He's serious! What are you going to tell him? He's willing to pay double for a piece of land this secluded and of this size!" Blaise said, a little louder.
"I know, I know. I'm taking care of it, I told you" Draco said, trying to calm him.
"You better take care of it, Draco" Blaise said standing
"Have I ever let you down?" Draco asked. Blaise looked at him, raising his eyebrows, "Nevermind, don't answer that question. I'm taking care of it. You just worry about keeping Pansy's knickers out of a twist. I remember how she was the last time she was pregnant" Draco said, leading him out of the office.
"Right, right. Let me know if anything changes" Blaise said.
"Will do" Draco said as Blaise walked out of the door, closing it behind him. Draco took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling, hands on his hips. "Mallory!" he yelled.
"Yes!" she said running through the door, nearly spilling the large coffee on him. Draco stepped back to avoid the splashing drink.
"Watch where you're going! Damn woman! You think this suit costs as little as a knut? No!" he yelled at her, snatching the coffee from her hand.
"Sorry, sir" she said quietly, "Did you need anything?" she asked.
"Yes, my coffee, thank you. You can go, now" he told her. She left, closing the door behind her. Draco sat the coffee on his desk, unbuttoned his jacket, hanging it on the back of his door. He undid the buttons on his shirt sleeves, rolling up the cuffs to his elbows. He sat behind his desk, bored, it was going to be a long day.
Hermione went to the ministry that morning, late. She'd stopped by the local café to get a coffee and was nearly run into the pavement by Malfoy's secretary who had no clue what she was doing. The girl looked at Hermione apologetically as she ran up to the counter, getting in line. Hermione shook it off, walking calmly to her place in line, which was right behind her. When the barista asked Mallory what she wanted, she froze, "Umm…a venta coff…eee…something about espresso…" Mallory looked to Hermione for help. She rolled her eyes, half understanding what Mallory was trying to tell the barista and took it upon her to help the poor girl. "She wants a venti coffee with espresso" Hermione told the barista. The barista turned to Mallory, asking, "Single or double."
"Double" Mallory replied. She turned to Hermione, "Thank you" she said quietly.
"You're welcome. First time ordering coffee?" she asked her.
"Yes. I have no idea what it is. Mr. Malfoy asked me to get it" Mallory told her.
"Malfoy, drinking coffee? I should have told them to spit in it. Tell him to get his own damn coffee next time" Hermione told her as the barista asked what she wanted to drink. "I'll have a venti cappuccino, double espresso," she told her.
"You drink this stuff everyday?" Mallory asked.
"I do, except usually I'm here about an hour before the rush" Hermione said.
"Right" Mallory said quietly. The barista handed her her coffee, "I'll see you later, then?" she asked.
"I hope not, but maybe" Hermione told her, dreading the day in front of her. As she took the lift to her office, she thought about how she was going to even begin to find land to be bought for wizard businesses. Her office was a wreck, she had papers strewn all over the place, none were in order, it was far from the organized life she'd had at Hogwarts. Her office had never looked this bad, in the six years she'd been in it. She'd been so frazzled by this land purchase the past week though, she just couldn't bring herself to concentrate on cleaning it. Her life was frazzled, her and Ron had broken up over three months ago, she hadn't seen him since. She sat her bag on her desk, sipping her coffee. Breathing deeply she looked at the ceiling, wishing the week would be over soon.
"Whoa, did a tornado come through here?" someone said at her door.
She turned quickly, finding Harry standing there. "Oh Harry! I know, it's a mess!" she said, exhaustedly.
"Damn right it's a mess. What's with you, are you ok? I've never seen your office in so much of a mess" he said, stepping into the room.
"I know, I know! I'm just under so much pressure! My mind is completely frazzled! I can't get anything done!" she told him.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. Anything I can do to help?" he asked.
"No, thanks Harry. So what are you doing up here?" she asked him.
"Nothing, on my way down to the office, thought I'd stop and say hello. I heard you got in a spat with Malfoy yesterday, wanted to make sure you were ok" he said.
"Oh, right. I'm fine, it's just business, otherwise I wouldn't be anywhere near him" she said taking some papers out of her bag.
"I know, Kingsley said he heard shouting when he was taking the lift up, wanted me to make sure you were ok, and that Malfoy wasn't causing any trouble" Harry explained.
"No more than usual. Don't worry, Harry, it's nothing I can't handle. And we've worked out a deal so hopefully there won't be anymore shouting matches. Tell the minister I'm sorry about the commotion. It won't happen again" she said apologetically.
"Right, right. Well, if you need anything, I'm here, Hermione" he said.
"I know, Harry. Thanks" she said as he turned to walk out the door. Hermione sighed, sipping her coffee again. She walked around to her chair, sat, then took out the map of London she'd brought from her apartment to scour for empty lots. She poured over the map for the next three hours, until finally becoming so frustrated that she almost threw it across the room. She fought with herself over and over about going to ask for help from Malfoy. She didn't want to concede, she didn't want to ask for help, hurting her pride, but she finally realized that unless she did ask for help, there was no way she would succeed in finding this land in six days. She stood, walking out of her office, closing the door behind her, not looking up at anyone as she walked down the hall to the lift. When she reached the floor below hers, she walked quickly to the end, keeping her head down. It was then that she heard the sound of booming laughter, a laugh she recognized all too well.
"Malfoy, I didn't know you had a sense of humor!" George said, walking out of Draco's office.
"You'd be surprised, Weasley" Draco said, lightly laughing.
"Well, it's good to know you've lightened up a bit since Hogwarts. So you'll find out what you can on the old tea place in Hogsmeade?" George asked.
"I will" Draco said nodding.
George extended his hand to him, "Pleasure doing business with you then" he said.
Draco took his hand, shaking it firmly, "And you also" he said.
George turned to walk down the hallway, Hermione tried to make herself unnoticed by scooting up against the wall, he saw her.
"Hermione? I was just about to go down and see you. What are you doing up here?" George asked.
"I have a meeting with Malfoy" she said shortly.
"Oh, right. Well, I'll catch you later then" George said, walking down the hall.
Draco looked at Hermione, confused, "Need something, Granger?" he asked, shaking the hair out of his eyes, his hands in his pockets.
She glared at him, walking past him and into his office. Draco looked at Mallory, raising his eyebrows before shutting the door behind him. She was pacing when he turned around to face her.
"What is it, Granger? Task too hard for you already?" he said smirking.
"I have no idea what I'm doing!" she said, frustrated.
"I knew you wouldn't. It's why I asked if you wanted help yesterday" he told her, walking closely around her, then leaning back on his desk.
"Well…yesterday I thought I could handle it!" she said as she stopped pacing, turning towards him. She looked him up and down, his stomach crunched as he leaned against the desk, his shoulders pushed forward, the vein in his forearm pulsing. She swallowed, shaking thoughts out of her head.
"And today?"
"And today…well, I've been looking at a damn map for hours, I don't know what I'm looking at!" she said throwing her hands in the air.
Draco grabbed her wrists, pulling them down from the air, "Stop throwing your arms around, you're going to hit something" he said.
She felt her arms light on fire as he touched them, they were smooth, his fingers long, wrapping around her forearms so delicately, yet strong. "And what if I do break something? What are you going to do? Hurt me?" she said sarcastically.
"No, I'm not going to hurt you, Granger. I'm not 17, and I'm also not going to hit a woman" he said, his face lightly showing an expression of hurt.
"Right" she said looking down, embarrassed, "so are you going to help me or not?" she practically begged. He let go of her arms, folding his own across his chest. "And what if I refuse?" he said raising an eyebrow.
"If you refuse then you won't have any land to sell your buyer on Monday" she said.
"And if you don't do it, your precious creatures won't have a home come Monday" he told her. She pursed her lips, "I'm doing what you want me to do, Malfoy, I just don't know what I'm doing" she said.
"Well, considering that the job needs to be done right, I suppose…I'll help you" he said. He straightened up, standing, then grabbed his jacket from the back of the door. He brushed past her as he turned the doorknob. Looking at Mallory, "You canceled my appointment for this afternoon?" he asked her.
"I did, sir" she said.
"Good. I'm going out the rest of the day. If anyone needs me, leave a note" he said as he put on his jacket.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked."You mean where are we going" he said with a smirk.
"We? I'm not going anywhere with you" she said, crossing her arms.
"If you want to learn how to do this you are. Come on. You can't search for empty lots in an office" he told her. She sighed heavily before following him out of the office.
"I need to stop by my office. Get my things" she told him as they entered the lift. "Ok" he said.
They went up, going to her office to retrieve her bag. She opened the door, not really wanting him to see her messy office.
"Well, well, well, Granger. Not very tidy, are we?" he asked, leaning against her doorframe.
"Oh shut up. It was like this yesterday when you came by" she said, grabbing some of the papers and shoving them in her bag. He watched her scurry around the room, her figure clumsily straightening up various things, her hair flowing behind her.
"No, it wasn't nearly this bad. This is terrible. When's the last time you cleaned?" he asked, looking around the room.
"Three months ago" she said quietly, taking a pause in her packing.
He looked at her sad face, "You ok?" he asked, walking closer to her.
"I'm fine. Just damn peachy. Can we go now?" she said blinking fast, turning around quickly. She didn't realize how close he'd come to her. She could smell cologne as she took another deep breath, looking up at him. Tension and heat growing between them. "Sure, let's go" he said, staring at her. As he turned to leave, Hermione stood rooted to the spot. Draco turned around when he didn't hear her close the door, "Granger, you coming?" he asked again. She snapped out of her daze, walking out of the room and closing the door. They walked beside each other to the lift, getting several glances in the hall. As the lift went up and opened on the ground floor, more people stared at them as they walked by. Draco held his head high, ignoring everyone around him as he usually did. Hermione looking at the floor, trying to not be noticed. She was failing.
"Don't look so embarrassed, Granger. I'm not that awful looking" he said quietly to her as they walked by the large fountain. She glared at him, "It's not about how good looking you are Malfoy, everyone knows how much we loathe each other" she told him.
"People can change" he said.
She snorted, "Yes, normal people, not you, Malfoy, you're incapable of change" she said.
"Right, I keep forgetting how high your opinion is of me" he said softly, running a hand through his hair as they reached the last fireplace. "Prove me wrong then" she challenged him, standing with her arms folded across her chest in front of the fire.
"I don't have to prove anything. You'll realize it one day" he added, barely audible. Looking up in her face, he held out his hand, stepping closer to the fire. Cautiously, she reached out for it.
"Hang on, Granger" he said with a wink as she grasped his hand. He apparated as soon as they stepped into the fireplace. Feeling a jolt in her stomach, she gasped as they appeared on a busy London street. Draco started walking as soon as they appeared, not letting go of her hand.
"Where are we going?" she asked. He stopped in front of a small, bustling café on the corner, opening the door for her, "Lunch" he replied with a smile.
She huffed, rolling her eyes, but walking into the café anyway. She walked up to the counter, looking at the menu. The woman behind the bar asked her what she wanted, Hermione ordered, then took out her muggle money to pay.
"Put up your money, Granger, lunch's on me" Draco said quickly as he told her to add it to his order, giving the girl muggle money before Hermione could even get her wallet open. She looked at him as if he'd grown an extra head. Draco ordered his food, then turned towards her, rolling his eyes as he leaned against the glass case holding cakes.
"What? It's just lunch" he told her.
She searched his icy blue eyes, absolutely fuming with herself. Then huffed again, turning her back on him. "Oh come on, Granger, you can't be seriously mad about this" he said as they were handed their food.
She walked to a table in the front of the café, "No, I just can't believe you conned me into this" she told him as she sat down.
"I didn't con you into anything. You came willingly" he said smirking.
She unscrewed the top off of her bottled water, "No, you told me we were going to look for places of interest" she said.
"Right, and we are. I was just hungry" he told her as he took a bite of his sandwich, his hair falling lazily over his eyes. She pursed her lips, shaking her head. She took a bite of her sandwich, not believing where she was and who she was with.
"You know, you should lighten up. Breathe a little. I'm not going to curse you" he told her.
"Sorry, old habits die hard" she said glaring at him.
"Right. Speaking of old habits, how's Weasley?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich and smirking at her.
"I wouldn't know" she said simply.
"Oh really?" he said, intrigued.
"Really" she told him, pursing her lips.
"That's interesting" he said, leaning back in his chair.
"What? What's so interesting about it?" she asked.
"You're not with Weasley anymore, you're all bent out of shape all the time, your office hasn't been tidied in forever, and you're a complete mess. I'd say you're in trouble, Granger" he concluded.
"Trouble? I'm perfectly fine. And who are you to tell me how I am?" she said glaring at him.
"You're in denial" he told her.
"I have nothing to be in denial about" she said, finishing up her sandwich.
"Sure you do" he said as they stood up to throw their trash away. Draco picked her trash up before she could, taking it to the bin for her. She blinked a few times, then followed him out of the café door.
"Like what? What am I in denial about?" she asked, walking fast to catch up with him.
"The fact that your and Weasley's break up is why everything around you is falling apart" he said, putting his hands in his pockets as they walked up the street.
"Everything around me is not falling apart, you arrogant prat!" she snapped at him.
"Whatever you say" he said, smirking, letting his hair fall in his face.
"What do you care, anyway?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
He thought about it a minute, "Well, I don't need you too distracted if you're going to do this deal. I need you focused" he lied. Glancing over at her, he saw her jaw clench, a look of sadness in her eyes.
"Always the demanding one" she said, shaking her head.
They turned the corner, walking down the street in silence. Hermione was becoming frustrated, she didn't know what she was looking for, or what they were doing.
"What am I supposed to be looking for?" she asked.
"This" he said as they turned the corner again. They were standing in front of an abandoned brick warehouse, trees lined the front lawn, hiding the building from view. Draco walked closer to it, stepping on to the grass. He looked up into the trees as he wandered towards the building. There was little sunlight coming through the canopy, just enough to light up the ground. He turned back towards the sidewalk, looking at Hermione still standing there.
"Well, come on then. Or are you just going to stand there?" he asked her. She moved off of the sidewalk, walking towards him. He turned back towards the building, walking closer to it. As he reached the door, he opened it, it creaked slightly, dust falling from the top of the large door.
"Lumos" he whispered, taking out his wand. Hermione came in behind him, muttering the same charm.
"Well, it's definitely deserted" Draco said.
"Yes, I think so" Hermione told him, looking around at the blank, empty room.
Draco took out a small piece of parchment, jotting down the address of the building. Hermione looked at him curiously as he wrote on the piece of paper, "Did you know this was here?" she asked.
He looked up at her through his hair, "No, I didn't. Why?" he asked.
"Well, you came across it so easily, I thought maybe you knew it was here. Why did you need me if it's this easy to find a place, anyway?" she asked, her arms crossed.
"You're here for luck" he said with a wink. She shifted in her stance, uncomfortable in the low light as he walked towards her.
"Am I making you uncomfortable, Granger?" he asked, walking slowly.
"No, not in the least" she said, avoiding eye contact.
"I think you're in denial about one more thing" he told her, looking down on her figure.
"You don't know a thing, Malfoy" she said, looking up at him finally.
Draco reached up, grazing her cheek with the back of his fingers. He smirked as she shuddered against his hand. Touching her chin lightly, he shook his head, "I know more than you think" he whispered, walking past her and out of the warehouse door. She stood there, again, rooted to the spot. He turned around, tired of having to call her like a dog, "Granger, are you coming?" he asked.
"Yes" she said turning, walking out. He closed the door behind her.
"You know, you keep staring off into space like that, you're going to get lost one of these days" he said as he turned to join her, walking back towards the sidewalk.
"Sometimes I wish I would" she said quietly. Draco sighed, looking at her solemn face. As much as he knew he was supposed to hate her, to loather her existence, he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't lie to himself anymore, like he'd done all those years ago.
"I need to be getting back to the ministry" Hermione said suddenly.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well…I don't know. I need to do a few things before going home" she said. Draco sighed, grabbing her hand again, apparating back to the Ministry. As they walked through the fire, people stared at the two of them. When they reached the fountain, Hermione finally realized what everyone was gawking at, they were still holding hands. She dropped his hand as if it'd just lit on fire. He also realized then that he hadn't dropped her hand. Looking at he floor, he ran a hand through his hair, muttering "Sorry" to her as they got into the lift. Hermione quickly got off of the lift on her floor, walking fast down the hall to her office. She hadn't expected Draco to follow, so it didn't surprise her when he continued down to the floor below.
Hermione opened the door to her office, closing it quickly behind her. She glanced at the clock on the wall, nearly 5 o'clock! She threw her bag on the desk, not even wanting to unpack it. Only two hours left in her day, there was no need. As she sat down behind her desk, leaning back in it, planning on a quick nap, the door swung wide open. Harry stood there, a quart of half eaten Chinese food in one hand, chopsticks in his mouth, looking bewildered. He let go of the door handle, setting the chopsticks in his food before turning his attention to Hermione.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat.
"Hermione! Where've you been? And what's this is hear about you walking through the main floor holding hands with Malfoy?" he drilled her.
"Keep your voice down! Come in here, close the door behind you" she said to him, motioning for him to close the door. He obliged, taking the armchair in front of her desk.
"What's this all about?" he asked her again.
"I had to go with him to look for that new land purchase I was telling you about earlier" she explained lightly.
"What land purchase? You just said it was business, not what kind of business, what are you on about, Hermione?" he asked quickly.
"Harry, calm down. It is business. Look, one of the land purchases he made violates this bill that pertains to my office, so I challenged him on it, and the deal was that he'd give up that land if I found him a new piece of land. I didn't know what the bloody hell I was doing this morning, so I had to ask him for help. That's where I've been" she explained.
Harry sat the Chinese food on her desk, "Right, sorry, here, have the rest of this. You have to be hungry after a day of land shopping with Malfoy. I imagine he wouldn't dare buy you lunch" Harry said, exaggerating.
Hermione rubbed her neck, glancing up at Harry. His eyes went wide, "He bought you lunch? Hermione! What's going on?" Harry asked, standing.
"Oh, will you sit down! It's nothing like that. He said he was hungry, I tried to refuse him, but he'd already given the lady money" she told him.
"And what about you two holding hands when you came back not five minutes ago?" he asked.
"He held my hand to apparate back to the Ministry. When we got here, we both just forgot about it and continued walking. I noticed when I saw all the people staring at us" she said, embarrassed.
"How do you not notice when you're holding Malfoy's hand?" he asked slowly.
"I don't know, Harry! It just happened! It's no big deal! Atleast we weren't having a shouting match in the hall!" she said, frustrated.
Harry paced around the room for a minute or two, then sat back down in his chair, looking at her embarrassed face. "It's ok, you know. Maybe a little awkward, well a lot awkward, but it's ok, that is, if you like him. We're all adults now" Harry told her.
"I don't like him! I never will! How can you say that?" she asked, the pit of her stomach in a knot.
"I didn't know if you were trying to hide it or anything" he said.
"Harry, you know you'd be the first one I'd tell" she said smiling.
"Of course I do" he told her.
"Good" she said.
"So what are you doing tonight? Anything?" he asked.
"No, I never do anything any more…a bit boring, my life" she told him, smiling sadly.
"Ginny wanted to extend an invitation to dinner. Apparently George bought some new building today in Hogsmeade, he wants to celebrate and Ginny's going to cook" harry told her.
Hermione smiled, "Oh, I heard him talking to Malfoy about that in the hall. He sounded pretty excited over it!" she said.
"Yeah, yeah, she says he is. He told me he might stop by and see me this morning but I guess he got sidetracked" Harry said.
"Right. Is Ron going to be there?" she asked, her face turning from happy to solemn in an instant.
Harry sighed, "Yeah, yeah he is"
"Tell Ginny I'm sorry. I just don't know if I can see him right now. Especially this week. Having to work with Malfoy everyday is enough stress" she said, smiling weakly.
"Right, I'll tell her. She won't be happy about it though"
"Yes, I know. Wouldn't be surprised if she didn't apparate into my apartment when you tell her" Hermione said snickering.
"I would be too. Well, I should be going back downstairs. Don't want Dean taking over any of my work, you know" Harry said with a wink.
"Right, right. See you, Harry" she said as he stood.
"See you. If you change your mind about tonight, I'm sure Ginny will have cooked enough food" he said, opening the door.
"I'm sure she would have. Oh, Harry!" she yelled at him as he walked out the door.
"Yeah?" he asked, sticking his head back in.
"Do you think people can…change?" she asked, embarrassed.
He thought a minute, "Yeah, I do. He'd already started changing in our last year, otherwise I would have let him die in that damn fire with his friend" Harry told her.
"No, I mean, like really change" she asked again.
"Yes. Everyone is capable of changing, they just have to have the motivation to make the change" he said solemnly.
"Thanks, Harry" she said. He nodded, smiling slightly, then left her office, leaving Hermione to her thoughts.