So this is my first fic in this genre so I am very excited to write it. I have been stewing over this one for awhile, so it feels good to finally get it to the page- or the digital one anyway.
I am obsessed with couples that are on opposite ends falling in love. Its why I love writing stories about Kagome and Sesshomaru, so this next couple seemed like an obvious choice.
Please review.
Hermione pushed back her hair that was falling out of her French braid. To say it had been a long evening would be an understatement. She had watched Harry battle for his life yet again. And she watched Ginny battle her emotions- between being pissed and concerned. Harry was an auror, and his dangerous career sometimes put his life on the line. Like today.
Ginny slouched in the chair in the waiting room of St. Mungo's next to Hermione, "If he survives, I am going to murder him." She grumbled.
"I'll hold him down." Hermione retorted, making Ginny reluctantly laugh. Hermione sighed, "He is going to be promoted though, so at least he won't be putting his life in danger anymore."
"If only he could have taken the promotion the first time it was offered to him." Ginny said with a scowl.
"He didn't take it because the only reason they offered it to him was because he defeated Voldemort. He didn't feel like he earned it."
"I should being marrying someone less honorable."
Hermione laughed but stopped when one of the nurses walked around the corner, both women looked at her expectantly.
"He is out of the woods, but I wouldn't let out a breath until at least 24 hours." She said, looking exhausted.
At that news, Hermione relaxed. If the healers made it this far, she had every confidence that Harry would do the rest. Hermione stood up, "Ginny, I am going home to freshen up, get some rest and bring food, do you want anything?"
"Please." Ginny said, walking toward Harry's room.
Hermione was grateful for the few hours of rest, she felt refreshed. Using her wand, she made a quick casserole for breakfast that she knew Ginny loved. Piling her wet hair on top of her head, she apparated back to the hospital.
When she walked to the room, Harry was still unconscious and Ginny wasn't in the room. A nurse walked in, "Did Ginny say where she went?" Hermione asked.
"Ms. Weasley left to go clean up a bit after we insisted."
"That was kind of you." Hermione said, putting down her casserole on a side table, she had fully expected to have to bully Ginny into taking a shower, "How is Harry?"
"He was awake a few hours ago to check everything, but we put him back to sleep. He should be awakening within the hour. His vitals are stable, he will make a full recovery—which is what I told Ms. Weasley to convince her to leave."
"She is probably getting a hatchet to kill him for getting hurt." Hermione said with a chuckle, "Thank you for making her leave."
"Ms. Weasley was furious with us for not telling her when Mr. Potter was awake earlier. Do you think she will retaliate?" The nurse asked nervously.
"Ginny will forget about it as soon as Harry wakes up, not that she won't send you a few glares. She knows that it is for the best that she was not approached, and she will reconcile eventually."
"Thank you, Ms. Granger." Hermione nodded as the healer walked out, walking over and serving herself breakfast. As soon as she did, she pulled open Harry's charts to see what they had done. Admittedly, some of the medical jargon went over her head, but she was sure she could understand some of it.
As her eyes went down the page, she saw something that made her eyes widen.
"I didn't think it would take you long to notice." Harry's scratchy voice made her look up, her face softened as she looked at her friend.
"Ginny has threatened to murder you, so you better take this promotion otherwise I will help her." Hermione said.
Harry chuckled despite his fatigue, "I don't want to wake up here again for a long time."
Hermione held up his chart, "I was surprised."
"I heard he had done well in training and was recently given a permanent position here."
"He has come a long way if he is willing to heal you." Hermione said with a raised eyebrow, "Did impressive work too, I heard the healers gossiping."
"Malfoy has been halfway decent to me since the trial."
"I bet so since you saved his arse."
Harry smirked, "Yes, I did"
She giggled, smacking his legs. He winced, "Merlin! I'm sorry Harry!"
"Just teasing." He said with a grin.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Don't make me grab my wand."
He laughed, "Ill placed joke."
"Perfect, you're awake! Now you can see my face as I kill you." Ginny said with too big of a grin.
"I think I might give the two of you some time alone." Hermione mumbled.
"Don't leave me!" Harry begged, but Hermione was already walking out of the room.
.
Hermione was walking down the hall aimlessly, occasionally going by Harry's room just to hear Ginny screaming. She bought a cup of coffee from the café, it tasted horrible but she was drinking it for the caffeine anyway.
"I do not understand, has my service been less then exemplary?" She recognized the dark voice anywhere—especially since Harry had her spying on him half of her Hogwarts career.
"Of course not, Mr. Malfoy, but you understand our position."
"I am already being paid 10% less then every other healer in my position and you want to deduct my pay by another 3?" He asked.
"You are who you are, Mr. Malfoy, be happy you are employed at all."
"I am not a Death Eater any more, Patrice."
"Good day Mr. Malfoy." The woman said before leaving the office, sounding too much like Umbridge for Hermione's liking. Hermione managed to slip into a room as the woman walked by so she wasn't seen. It wasn't too far after that she heard a loud shatter. Clearly Malfoy had thrown something in anger.
"It is a shame." A voice said, making Hermione turn. An elderly man was sitting in the bed upright, clearly on hospice.
"What is?" Hermione asked.
"Malfoy is a good healer, but he doesn't get the credit." The old man told her, his eyes looking through her instead of at her. His voice was hoarse with age and his words mumbled into the next ones, "Good man, always brings me chocolates even though I'm not allowed to have them. I'll only live another month—doesn't bloody matter now if the chocolates kill me." The man grinned and Hermione crossed her arms awkwardly, "But if the nurses catch him they hardly chastise him." The man laughed, "Half think he is terrifying, the other half want to fuck him." Hermione nearly winced at the crass language and she grinned awkwardly wanting to leave.
Looking out to see the coast was clear, she awkwardly nodded to the man before bursting out of room and promptly running into a body before falling onto the ground and spilling the rest of her coffee.
"Merlin! I am so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and—oh." She couldn't help herself as she turned around to see Draco Malfoy. His face held barley-concealed anger, but she knew it was not meant for her. She pulled herself onto her feet.
"Granger." He greeted, though it wasn't said with the sneered tone she was used to.
"Malfoy, I am sorry."
"Potter's room is on the third floor."
"I know, he and Ginny were arguing so I was walking around." She blushed, "Though hopefully they are done now, sorry again." A whirl of her wand had the coffee cleaned and she chucked it into a near by trashcan. He nodded stiffly before walking down the hall, "Malfoy?"
He turned to her and she nearly lost the nerve to say what she wanted.
"I read the charts, I saw that you were Harry's healer. Thank you."
"I was doing my job."
"I know, thanks for doing it well."
"I wouldn't do anything else Granger, are you implying that I wouldn't?" He asked, his grey eyes flashing.
"No" She held up her hands, "I am just honestly saying thank you. He is not an easy patient and—and considering who he is—it was brave of you to heal him. I am sure no one wanted to be the one that couldn't heal Harry Potter." He was quiet, but Hermione could tell by his face that she was right.
"Get back to your friends Granger."
She nodded before scurrying off, she knew she had been rambling but she hadn't seen him since graduation from Hogwarts.
.
Listening outside of Harry's door, the yelling had stopped so she wasn't afraid to walk inside. Ginny looked like she had been crying, but she was curled up into Harry's side.
"You two okay?" Hermione asked Harry nodded, but the question made Ginny tear up again. Hermione knew it wasn't easy to make the youngest Weasley cry, so she squeezed Ginny's leg as she sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"Thank you for bringing breakfast Hermione." Harry said as he took a bite with his left hand as his right was wrapped around Ginny.
"Anything is better than the food here." Hermione said as she bit her lip. Ginny and Harry started talking, but she began thinking about the conversation she had overheard.
She couldn't believe it. How dare St. Mungo's, a reputable hospital, cut Malfoy's pay just because he was a former Death Eater. He had served time in Azkaban after finishing his final year at Hogwarts and paid his debt to society. She'd be the first in line to say he was a foul git, but he didn't deserve this.
And if St. Mungo's was doing this, who was to say other organizations weren't? And how far did this go? Was anyone remotely associated with Death Eaters being marginalized? Dammit, she didn't put her life on the line for this.
"You have that look." Harry said, pulling her from her thoughts.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"The last time you had that look you started S.P.E.W." He said with a grin.
"I overheard a conversation." She said, biting her lip as she stood up briefly to tuck one of her feet underneath of her.
"Eavesdropping? I have taught you a few things." Harry said with a grin.
Hermione glared at him before continuing, "I heard one of the board members of St. Mungo's cutting Malfoy's pay." She frowned, "I think they purposefully assigned him to you so that if he failed they would have an excuse to fire him." Harry and Ginny were both quiet, so Hermione added, "We didn't risk our lives for another group to be marginalized."
"I agree Mione." Harry said quietly, hugging Ginny tighter. Her left hand was on his leg, the diamond engagement ring glittering.
"You were saying you wanted a new project at work." Ginny said, eating another bite. Hermione was an up and coming lawyer in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Her original work with S.P.E.W. had inspired her tow work within the department.
"I think it's a good thing for you Mione. Your voice will carry a lot of weight because we were the ones fighting Death Eaters."
"And you're a muggle born. I wouldn't be surprised if former Death Eaters hate you for it, but hopefully you can get some reformers to support you." Ginny said.
Hermione nodded, still quiet as she was thinking of the hundred things she would have to do. Harry grinned at her knowingly.
"Don't look at me like that." Hermione said with a frown.
"Just come out of your office in time for the wedding." Ginny said with a grin.
"I can't believe it's in three months. It feels like yesterday Harry and I were looking for rings."
"Speaking of looking for rings, when is Ron going to propose?" Ginny asked.
"We talked about it, we don't want to take away from you guys, so I think we will wait until a few months after the wedding." Hermione said.
"Only if you want to Mione, honestly, Harry and I don't mind it. We are too much in the spot light as it is." Ginny said.
"No, I don't really want to get engaged until after anyway. And we still don't know when we want to get married. Between his schedule with George, there just doesn't seem to be an end in sight where our schedules coincide."
"He won't work with George forever." Ginny said.
"Yeah, that's why I am willing to wait until he is done." Hermione said, stretching out her legs.
"You're more patient than me." Ginny said, grinning at her fiancé.
"Hm." Harry hummed before kissing her forehead, "You aren't the only one that is impatient."
Hermione yawned, "Well, I better be getting into work—Harry, I am glad you are feeling better."
"We need to get dresses for the ball—want to go look next week?" Ginny asked. The seven-year anniversary of the end of the War Against Voldemort was approaching, and the Ministry put on a huge ball every year. Of course, Harry, Ron and Hermione were prominent fixtures of the event every year.
"Yeah, next Wednesday? The ball is in six weeks, I want time to have it tailored in case it needs it." Hermione said. Ginny nodded her agreement.
"I'll owl you." Ginny said.
Hermione sat down in her office and looked at all the paper work on her desk. As soon as she left the hospital, she started pulling out any book she could find about laws protecting pure bloods. There were an unsurprising amount of them, many of them could help protect pure bloods whose pay was being marginalized. She quickly thought that using these laws might only make them more hated instead of accepted.
"Ms. Granger?" Her boss walked into the office, he was an extremely attractive wizard a bit older than herself. He moved from the Switzerland ministry a few years after she had started. His blonde hair was cropped short but he kept a little bit of scruff on his face. She was completely dedicated to Ron, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate a male. Neil was a great boss; he was just as dedicated as she was to equality between creatures.
"Did you get my note?" She asked when she looked up from her work.
"Yes, you had an idea for a new project." He said, sitting down across from her.
Hermione quickly pitched her idea, and he was nodding halfway into it. She wasn't worried he wouldn't support her.
"Sounds fantastic, we will need to make a formal statement. But we are going to have to find a person who has a viable case—maybe someone only connected to death eaters first. I know this Draco Malfoy was highly connected—maybe get to him later. He is too high profile. We need someone obscure—someone the public will feel sorry for. I'll send out my feelers, you need to as well." Hermione agreed with his assessment.
.
She worked late into the night before finally flooing home a little after midnight.
"You're home." Ron greeted, kissing her cheek.
"Sorry, working on a new project. Have you seen Harry?"
"Saw him after dinner, he was released to go home. Ginny is ecstatic."
"How was your day?"
"Great, George and I are launching our new set of Puking Candies on schedule, so that means I will be sent to Egypt like planned next week."
"But you will be back for the ball?" Hermione asked only to confirm.
"Yeah, I told George that Minister Kingsley would hang me otherwise. So I'll come back the week before."
"That's good."
"Was Neil working late?" Ron asked causally, but Hermione knew it wasn't casual at all. Her entire body tensed.
"Ron, I don't want to talk about this. You know the couch is uncomfortable."
"I was just asking."
"You weren't just asking." Hermione snapped, then took a calming breath, "I don't want to talk about this Ronald. I don't understand. He has never even made a flirtatious comment."
"I don't trust him."
"You don't have to!" She about yelled, "You have to trust me!" She shook her head, "Goodnight Ronald." She growled before walking back into their room without another comment. Her anger was brimming at the surface and she found her right hand twitching toward her wand. It was best if she walked away from the anger instead of letting it boil.
.
It was a few hours later she felt the bed dip and Ron sneak into bed. She tried to resist the urge to throw his arm off of her in anger as he snuggled up next to her. She grit her teeth while pretending to be asleep. She closed her eyes tighter and willed herself to fall asleep.
Yay! Chapter one! It's setting the scene, so nothing overly dramatic yet. Also, for Ron lovers, you have been warned. There will be mild bashing. Obviously since they won't end up together, he can't be an exemplary human being to Hermione. But it won't last, and it certainly isn't the focal point of my story.
Please review!