A/N ~ My entry for IfweDieYoung's 'What Happened To Us?' challenge, pairing Draco/Hermione and place the Daily Prophet's office. I hope you enjoy, since this is my first challenge!
Hermione Granger pulled her hair away from her face as she entered the office of the Daily Prophet. It was Wednesday, the day Hermione brought Ginny lunch after her meetings. Carrying some shopping bags, she asked the haughty secretary where Ginny Weasley would be. Nodding her thanks, and knowing Ginny would not be happy after her meeting, Hermione walked down the corridor to Ginny's office. Finding it empty, and assuming she must still have been in a meeting, Hermione set her bags down and placed Ginny's lunch on the closest desk, before sitting down in the nearest armchair. Looking round at the office that she sat in every week, Hermione saw that Ginny had added some more photos of her family, interspersed with the framed pages of the newspaper, the ones printed with Ginny's articles. Hermione glanced at Ginny's desk and spotted a book, reminding her of something. Rooting around in her bag, Hermione extracted her own book - because Hermione Granger was never without a book. Well… this one technically was for Ginny to borrow. For herself, she pulled a magazine from another bag. It was a magazine Ginny had gotten Hermione reading, one all about celebrities, fashion and make-up. Glancing at the cover, Hermione groaned. Draco Malfoy. Did he have to be on everything? Seeing him brought back memories. As she looked at the cover, Malfoy's arrogant face twisted into a smirk and winked at her. Hermione skipped past the interview with him. He'll be in theProphetnext!
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Hermione finished the last page of her magazine just as she heard voices coming down the hall towards the office. The door opened and a red-head came in, still talking over her shoulder.
"Hi Gin!" Ginny looked round at her.
"Oh, Hermione! Did you bring my lunch? I'm starving" Ginny walked further into the office, accompanied by someone Hermione didn't want to see.
"Yes, it's on your desk", Hermione looked at the man who had followed Ginny. The man that had white-blonde hair, a still rather pointy face and grey eyes. The man she had once loved.
"Malfoy"
"Granger" he drawled, "I haven't seen you for a while"
"Sadly, Malfoy, I've been seeing far too much of you" Hermione replied, holding up the magazine, "Why are you here anyway?"
Draco smirked.
"Ginny was interviewing me"
"They're not putting you in the Prophet?"
"Yes, they are actually"
"Brilliant" Hermione said sarcastically, "But why are you still here?"
"We haven't finished"
Oh good, I get to spend my lunch with my best friend and Draco bloody Malfoy! Which would have been bad enough, even if Malfoy wasn't my ex!
There was a silence, during which Ginny could feel the unfriendly air stretching between Hermione and Draco.
"Umm… I'm just going to get some parchment and quills and stuff, someone seems to have run off with mine!" said Ginny, half-running out of the door and away from the hostile air before anyone could protest.
Well this is even better!
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Ginny had taken her lunch with her, so it seemed she wouldn't be coming back for a while. Hermione noticed this in the silence that had lain between her and Draco since Ginny had run off.
"I buy her lunch and she runs off and leaves me with this arse" Hermione muttered to herself.
"Oh, it's nice to know that's what you think of me now!" Hermione just looked at him.
"Yes well, I knew what you thought of me a long time ago!"
"What?" Draco asked, confused.
"Doesn't matter"
"No, tell me"
"Seriously, it doesn't matter, Malfoy"
"Seriously, tell me, Granger"
"No"
"Yes"
"NO"
"YES"
"Draco…"
"Hermione…"
"Oh, fine… Merlin, you're annoying!"
"Oh fi- yes! Tell me then!" Draco deliberately didn't hear her last sentence.
"Do the name Blaise Zabini and the word Mudblood mean anything to you?"
"Yes…"
"What you said last year?"
"I said a lot of things last year"
"That concerned me"
"Again, I said a lot of things last year"
Hermione looked at him.
"Okay, okay, I'll be good" Draco said. Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"What?"
"Nothing… Anyway, put the clues together"
"Something I said to Blaise, concerning Mudbloods and you?"
"Yep"
"You heard that?"
"Yep"
"That's why you dumped me?"
"Yep"
"Can you say anything other than yep?"
"Yep"
"Are you going to?"
"Yep"
"Soon?"
"Yep" Draco glared at her.
"Fine, what do you want me to say?"
"I don't know. Anything but yep"
"…"
"So you're just going to say nothing?" Hermione shrugged.
"My mother always told me, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"
"Hmmph"
"…"
"Tell me what you heard me say to Blaise"
"What? I thought you knew?"
"Well, I've said a lot of things to Blaise, I can't remember which one you mean"
"Fine, you said, 'Of course not, why would I have anything to do with that filthy Mudblood!'"
"I was lying to keep it a secret!"
"I know"
"You'd heard me do it before!"
"Yes, but you'd never called me a Mudblood before! It hurt!"
"Oh…"
"Yes, 'oh…'"
"Sorry?" Hermione shook her head.
"Bye Draco."
"You're going?"
"Yep" Draco's eyes narrowed.
"Fine, I'm going, tell Ginny I said bye" Hermione said, standing up and gathering her bags.
"I'll owl you sometime"
"No, you won't"
"Go out sometime?"
"No" Hermione said, walking out of the door, "I really hope I won't see you next time I'm here"
"Same to you" Draco said cheerfully.
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Hermione practically slammed the door in his horrid, sluggish, perfect face. Her eyes started to sting and she felt the hot tears leak from her eyes. No! no more tears over that boy! He destroyed me once I won't let it happen again, it can't happen again, because if it does, I'm not so sure I'll be able to put myself together again.
Hermione ran past Ginny who called after her and tried unsuccessfully to grab her arm or wrist. Hermione just wanted to get out, she felt as if the walls were closing in on her, as if she was choking.
She broke free of the double doors of the entrance of the place her best friend worked and where at this moment in time the boy who crushed her and her heart into a million pieces currently sat, acting superior and getting the royal treatment. Carrying myself on unsteady legs I walked further until I was in a secluded area, in which I could disapparate in - the dark alley soon turned into my beloved home.
Hermione looked at all her furniture, hand picked by herself, none of it looking the same, but somehow fitting in like they belonged together. She slowly walked over to her couch and relished in the soft feeling and the comfort it gave her body. Hermione could no longer hold it in, she cried. She cried until her eyes felt as if they'd been scratched, until she had no more tears to cry.
Stupid boy!
Stupid heart!
Stupid boy who stole my stupid heart once upon a time, who broke that heart with one stupid word, who I still let effect me, break me, hurt me, over and over.
A/N~ hope you enjoyed :D