Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter- Queen Rowling does. If I owned it, I would've found a way to bring these two together myself.
Chapter One:
1st June 2004
A resigned sigh escaped Jane Avery's lips as she tied her blonde hair up and straightened her red shirt. She hated the fact that her father made her take a summer job at one of the branches of their chain of supermarkets, but he insisted it will "build character". She scoffed at the idea as she recalled their conversation and stood behind the meat counter, a scowl on her face. It was obvious that she did not want to be there and that she would rather be strutting around London with her friends on a summer day like this. This was her first summer as a university graduate, and she wanted to enjoy it pub-crawling. Unfortunately for her, Father Dear absolutely refused to change his mind. Jane continued to scowl at the raw cuts in front of her until she was forced to put on a smile as a customer passed by her counter.
The young woman stopped with her trolley as she caught Jane's attention. She smiled pleasantly at the blonde, knowing full well that the girl was not happy with her situation. Somehow, the young woman's kind brown eyes lifted Jane's spirit marginally, as if she can sympathise.
"Hello," her eyes flitted to Jane's badge as she said this, "Jane, can I please get half a kilogram of the tenderloin? Thank you,"
Jane begrudgingly selected what the woman asked for and brought it over to the weighing scale. The woman tucked a lock of her curly brown hair behind her ear as she continued to survey the variety of meats in front of her, deep in thought. Behind her, a man around her age with startlingly platinum-blonde hair pushed his trolley, eyes focused on the rows of beef. Neither of the two noticed that they were about to run into each other, but Jane saw it with glee in her eyes. Finally, some excitement around here!
She decided to take her sweet time in wrapping the woman's purchase as she paid attention to the events unfolding before her. With a hidden smile, she witnessed the man's trolley bump the woman's bottom. The woman gasped and whipped around with wide eyes, ready to reprimand whoever pushed the trolley, while the man, after his initial shock, opened his mouth for a quick apology. Instead of an apology, however, a rush of air escaped the man's lips after realising who owned the arse his trolley accidentally collided with.
"Granger?" he asked in disbelief. Jane blinked at the scene, marvelling at the fact that the two knew each other and somehow got reacquainted in the meat section at Tesco, of all places.
"Malfoy?" the woman snapped out of her shock after hearing her name. "What are you doing here?"
"Grocery shopping, what else?" the man, whose name is Malfoy, as Jane has just learnt, shrugged.
"Don't you have servants to do that for you?" Granger huffed. At this, Jane's eyebrows shot up and she examined the blonde man's appearance from head to toe. Having grown up around high society, she knew that if one can afford it, riches were displayed in a person's choice of clothing. The man's powder blue shirt had no wrinkles, his cufflinks were adorned by silver snakes with emerald eyes, and his slate grey trousers fit him perfectly. She didn't recognise the type of leather on his shoes, but they would cost a pretty penny, judging by the craftsmanship. Jane would bet her entire trust fund that his ensemble was tailor-made, and the shoes made especially for him.
"I moved out of the family home," he said. "It reminded me of a horrible past I don't want to recall."
A silent agreement seemed to pass between the two, and Jane decided that this would be a good time to interrupt.
"Here you go, ma'am," she handed the packaged meat to Granger with a smile. She accepted it with a thank you and placed it in her trolley.
Jane watched with amusement as Malfoy's eyes followed Granger as she moved, unable to take his eyes off her. His eyes travelled to the items in Granger's trolley and a smirk slowly formed on his handsome face. Jane was thankful that it's always a slow night on Tuesdays, since no customers needed assistance. She found a particularly interesting stain on the counter top and scrubbed it, which kept her at an audible distance from Granger and Malfoy.
"Hey, Granger, are you buying for one? What happened to Weaselbee?" Malfoy mocked. At this, Granger turned towards him, arms crossed in front of her chest in a defensive stance. She narrowed her eyes at him, and Jane was sure that if they weren't in a public place, Granger would've punched Malfoy in the face.
"Please, like you don't know," instead of arguing with him, she started to push her trolley. His eyes were alarmed for a moment before he laid a hand on Granger's left forearm. Although it looked gentle to Jane, Granger seemed to briefly cringe and her eyes snapped to Malfoy's hand. He didn't even flinch.
"Okay, so I do know. He was a complete git and he shouldn't have done that," he paused. "Which is why I'm inviting you for dinner at my place on the 5th, so you won't be eating for one at least once this week," As soon as the words left his mouth, he pursed his lips with uncertainty, wondering if he was sane.
At his invitation, she stared at him incredulously, with eyebrows furrowed and mouth agape, utter confusion written on her face. Jane snickered. Whatever the outcome of this, it was bound to be amusing.
"Malfoy, did you just invite me for dinner on your birthday?" Granger muttered disbelievingly. He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck as his cheeks tinged pink.
"Yes?" he seemed unsure of himself. Granger's confusion and surprise melted away at this and she chuckled.
"Really, Malfoy, are you inviting Hermione Granger to your birthday dinner?" she shook her head, a slight smile on her face.
"Well, it's not like I've got anything better planned. It's either dinner with you or dinner on my own. If it's any consolation, I'm cooking, and it's at my flat just down the block. Don't bother bringing a gift," He flashed a smile that Jane could've sworn can make any girl swoon.
"What about your parents?" she asked.
"They're in France at the moment. It was their thirtieth wedding anniversary last week, and it's been awhile since they were able to get away from Britain," he said.
"Alright, fine," she gave him a curt nod and turned away again, but he stopped her.
"Wait, shouldn't we exchange mobile numbers?" he mumbled hurriedly. Hermione raised an eyebrow and took out her phone, unlocked it, and gave it to Malfoy. He then called his phone from her phone, and with a triumphant smile, he returned her phone.
"It was good to see you, Granger," he smiled, heading back towards his trolley.
"I'll decide over dinner if it was good seeing you, Malfoy," she laughed as she walked away with her trolley. "Don't poison me or Harry will kill you!" she called out one last time before disappearing behind an aisle. Jane guessed that Harry was Hermione's brother or best friend, but understood that Malfoy knew who Granger was talking about.
"I wouldn't dream of it," He smiled, as if he had a secret he alone knew, and looked at Jane, who was staring at the aisle where Hermione was last seen. "She's something else, isn't she?" he said to Jane.
"Seems like it, sir. Were you high school sweethearts?" she blurted out before she could pause to think.
"Oh, no, we weren't," he grabbed a pre-packed cut of ribs and put it in his trolley. "I'd say we were childhood…rivals. We went to the same boarding school," he smiled wistfully at nothing in particular at this.
"It's great that you decided to do your grocery shopping today, then," Jane commented. Malfoy nodded with the wistful smile still on his face. He began to push his trolley, but looked back at Jane.
"By the way, thanks for taking your time getting Granger's order ready," He winked, and laughed as he walked away.
The blonde girl's eyes widened at the man's retreating back as her cheeks turned pink. She hid her face behind her hands before dissolving into a fit of laughter. Once she gained her composure and served another customer, she had one thought in mind- I'm so glad that Dad insisted I get the night shift on Tuesdays! She also hoped that maybe, just maybe, she'll see the two again next week.
8th June 2004
As soon as Jane saw Hermione approaching the meat counter, she smiled brightly. Her green eyes lit up while they exchanged pleasantries and small talk as she wrapped the older woman's choices.
"I do apologise for what you may have witnessed last week," Hermione said. "I haven't seen him in so long, and I never expected to get reacquainted with him at a Tesco."
"It was no problem at all, Miss Granger," Jane reassured her. "Night shift on Tuesdays are usually quiet."
"I'm glad to have been the source of entertainment last week, along with Draco," she laughed. "And please, call me Hermione."
"If you don't mind me asking, then, Hermione," Jane leaned forward surreptitiously. "How did the dinner go?"
"He messaged me his address during the week. It was slightly awkward for a few minutes, but with the help of wine, we both relaxed after awhile. The dinner he served was wonderful, but I do have reservations on whether he really made it himself or not. We had a long talk about our past and our present," she paused. "We haven't approached the topic of the future yet, but I do hope this friendship continues to grow through time."
"Sure," Jane scoffed. "Friendship."
"I'll have you know that I just got out of a seven-year relationship with a cheating bastard. I'm trying to adjust to a single life, and no romantic advances are welcomed, thank you," Hermione set her mouth in a grim line. Jane could see the pain in Hermione's eyes at the mention of The Cheating Ex, but also the brunette's solid determination and courage.
"Even if he's as sinfully attractive as Malfoy?"
"Even then," Hermione nodded curtly. She saw that the younger woman was about to point out something in her comment. "Yes, I know he is pleasing to the eye, anyone can see that."
"You had dinner with him at his house, and nothing happened?"
"I assure you, it was just a friendly dinner with good food and good company," Hermione said. "No music, no candles, and no dimmed lights were involved."
"Wine was involved," Jane teased.
"It was paired with the meal. Neither of us were roaring drunk by the end of the night. It's socially acceptable for two adults to enjoy a drink or two for dinner."
"Two single adults with a shared history," she couldn't help adding.
"Regardless, I had a great time. I'm looking forward to knowing him better," Hermione accepted her package from Jane.
"He was here earlier," she said. "He said he had to work over time, but he wanted me to tell you that you're, and I quote, a breath of fresh air compared to other girls in his acquaintance, end quote."
"I better be, if he's talking about the girls I know," Hermione rolled her eyes good humouredly. I'll see you around, Jane," she departed with a pretty smile.
At that moment, the blonde girl made a decision- if Cupid doesn't get a move on with these two, she'll have to take matters into her own hands. When she saw Malfoy shopping in the late afternoon, she asked how the dinner went. From what little he told her, she guessed that he didn't date girls like Granger. He mentioned that he was "glad to make amends with previous mistakes", whatever that meant. Despite his aristocratic good looks and sharp wit, Jane could see that he would need a firm kick on the arse to see what's right in front of him.
A/n: I am now a high school graduate! I can now finally read all those M-rated fics I never read before...right? I hope you enjoyed this first chapter- if you did (or didn't, whatever floats your boat), leave a review and follow or favourite. Maybe both? ;) You'd be glad to know that I have almost five chapters written up for this, and I will be posting one chapter a week (hopefully, Batta (my beta-reader and best friend) will nag me to do so) in order to add Dramione goodness into your lives. x, Jellie