The Checkout Chick
Chapter One
Hermione hurried down the cobbled path of Diagon Alley as fast as she could without running. Her long mousy brown hair had been straightened with a simple spell. She was wearing a white three quarter sleeved shirt and black trousers. She also wore a red tie lossely around her neck with a name badge pinned on it. This uniform was standard dress code for the female staff of Diagon Alley Grocery Store.
Hermione had applied for a summer job there in the hope of earning some money to put towards further education at the newly opened Hogwarts University for Witches and Wizards. It was expensive and although her parents had offered to pay for it she knew it would be difficult to pay it off. Therefore the new opening for a checkout operator in the Grocery store had become very handy.
She briskly walked through the shop and into the staff room located at the back. She saw her manager sitting down at the lunch table reading the Daily Prophet. Her manager was Madame Gilberta. Madame Gilberta was a cranky old woman who had the patience of a two year old and the looks of a mountain troll. It did not help that she was good friends with Professor Snape.
"You're late." the old woman with grey locks snapped as she turned her neck to see Hermione enter the room.
Hermione nodded, wearing an apologetic look upon her face, "Yes I know I'm so sorry. My mother.." But what her mother did Madame Gilberta did not want to know.
"Once more Miss Granger and you shall find yourself without a job. Get to work!" she cried, her large dark brown eyes glared her up and down before returning to the newspaper.
Hermione sighed and quickly wrote her name and the time she had arrived onto the signing in sheet pinned on a notice board. She then walked out of the lunch room and headed for the front of the store to the checkouts.
"Excuse me, where would I find the chocolate frogs?" asked a young boy with red hair. He reminded Hermione of Ron. She grinned at the boy and said kindly, "I'll show you."
She walked ahead to the isle with the confectionary. They had more chocloates and lollies than Honeydukes. The variety amazed Hermione everytime she walked through it.
She looked around for a minute and finally found what she was looking for. "Aha! Here they are! There you go." Hermione smiled at the boy, pointing at the large stack of chocolate frogs. The boy grinned at her and thanked her.
"You're welcome." Hermione smiled. She needed to get to the register before Madame Gilberta found her. Without looking where she was going she turned and knocked into someone who had been looking at the Bertie Bott section.
They both fell to the ground. Everbody in the isle turned to stare at them. Hermione's face went bright red with embarassment. The confusion of her fall sent her head spinning. "Ouch." she muttered before she picked herself off the ground and turning to help the person she had caused to fall also.
"Watch where you're going!" a familiar voice snapped.
Hermione's heart jumped into her throat. She knew that voice. She knew it. 'Oh please, not here, not here!' she cried internally. She knew when she had taken the job that she would run into a few people that she knew from school, but had not expected to literally 'run into them'.
There on the ground, getting to his feet was none other than Draco Malfoy. His blonde hair hung lossely on his head, but due to his fall a few strands stuck up oddly in the back. He wore pitch black robes rimmed green on his sleeves and his neckline. He even had a tiny silver snake which hung from his left earlobe. This snake was duplicated but in a larger size as a pendant on a silver chain which hung around his neck. Although the whole 'Slytherin theme' was slightly over done Hermione admitted that it did suit him.
He gazed up at her with large ocean blue eyes with shock then disgust. Hermione smirked, "So sorry." He got up. Hermione took a step back. He stood taller than her. Ron and Harry were taller than her too but somehow when he stood in front of her she felt as though she was being looked down on.
He gave her a loathing look before looking down to her name tag, "Work here do you mudblood?" he hissed.
Hermione shrugged, "Yeah you know, holiday job." she just knew he was going to take insult her. Something about being poor or being a slave. His mouth twitched. Hermione glared at him, "You know you want to say it. Well go on do it. I'm a poor little mudblood who has to work to get money. Go on! I don't care. I just know that the money I earn is not dirty."
Malfoy gave her a dirty look, "Dirty? You're saying my money is dirty? How dare you, you little..." But what exactly she was she never found out.
"Miss Granger!" a voice that sounded oddly like Madame Gilberta's resounded behind her. Cringing, Hermione began to speak as she turned, "I was just helping a customer, I didn't..." but she stopped mid-sentence as she reaslised who was really addressing her.
"Dan! You scared me!" Hermione laughed, jumping on him to give him a hug and a slap on the shoulder. Dan was a handsome young man of seventeen, the same age as Hermione...and Malfoy for that matter. He had curly brown hair which did not need to be fixed to look perfect. He also had hazel eyes and the cutest smile in Hermione's opinion. He wore a short sleeved white shirt and black pants. He also wore a red tie except his was pulled up as was required. He too was a service cashier.
Draco's heart sunk when he saw how Granger regarded the man she called, Dan. He did not know why his heart tugged at him. After all why should he care if she had a thing for this guy. 'Goodluck to her as far as I'm concerned.' Draco thought, thinking nothing more.
"Sorry, I couldn't pass up the chance. Although if you don't hurry up Madame I-have-more-than-one-stick-up-my-arse will catch ya." he let her go giving her a wink before looking past her to Draco.
"So who's your friend?" Dan asked, glancing at Draco as if he was measuring up what sort of character he was.
Hermione turned, the smile slipped off her face. She gave Malfoy a sad almost disappointing look as their eyes met. 'She feels sorry for me.' Malfoy's mind stated to him. This thought struck him as odd. 'Sorry? Why on earth would she feel sorry for me? Or maybe she's sorry that she hit me? Or sorry that she had to even see me?' He could not figure out which one it was so just gave her a blank expression.
"His name is Draco Malfoy and he is no friend of mine." she said in a matter-of-fact way as she turned back to Dan, "Come on we have to get back to work. The others will be working flat out." Dan nodded. He watched Hermione walk to the front of the store.
Dan looked back to Draco, "Well nice not meeting you Draco." Dan nodded to Malfoy who nodded back. 'Doesn't seem like a bad character. No wonder Granger likes him.' Malfoy thought sadly. Nice. Dan was nice. Did he want to be nice too? But why would he want to do that? Being mean was so much easier and definately more fun.
Dan left Malfoy and followed Hermione to the registers. Left alone once again Draco felt both annoyed and disappointed in himself. He had not called Granger enough names. 'Where'd my instant insults go?' he thought angrily before leaving the store with nothing. He had no intention of being served by Granger or Dan for that matter. In fact what he needed most was to leave.
Making a mental note, not to go back to that grocery store again, he left quickly. He chanced a look over the registers, as he left, finding Granger instantly. He did not know why but she stood out from the rest of the girls on the registers. From that quick glance he learnt so much more of his arch enemies best friend.
She had changed. Not mentally. 'Well actually she probably has another few books memorised in that overly smart barin of her's.' he corrected himself. But she had definately changed physically. She had always been thin. She still was, there was just something...he did not know what...but it was there and it was attracting. Her hair had been straightened but he had noticed that change from their previous year at Hogwarts.
'I'll figure it out. It's not that I'm attracted to her, I'm just attracted to the fact that I can use her new change against her. Yeah that's right, that mudblood will pay. She hit me onto the ground for merlin's sake!" Draco thought angrily as he stormed down Diagon Alley in search of his father.
Father...how he hated his father. Lucius Malfoy the biggest bully in the playground. Yes, that was him. Voldemort's right handed man. The man many feared. He was rich which in turn made Draco rich. But had the mudblood been right? Did they really have dirty money?
'She's just trying to get to you. There's no such thing as dirty money. You either have it or you don't. In her case she doesn't and for that she is jealous.' Draco thought logically. He would not and nor would he ever believe something a dirty little mudblood said. He felt ashamed already for even contemplating it.
"I have to go back to that store. I have to find out everything she hates. This last year of Hogwarts will be hell for her." Draco muttered to himself, a crazy grin spreading on his face. Yes, his plan was perfect. The only problem was he did not know when her shifts were.
'But hang on...she's desperate for money. She'd be working there every night. Every night it is then. Starting from tomorrow...Granger will regret she ever took that stupid job.' he thought. He could not help but let out a small laugh aloud. He could not wait to put his plan into action. It was just too perfect.
A/N – How was that for a start? For those wondering I will still be completing 'Ship Of Dreams'. I just needed a little break and this idea for a story came to me one night while I was working. (Yes at a supermarkert while at the registers) This story is just my little way of sharing some of the things I have come across or had to deal with while working in a grocery store. Besides that as some of you may know I have a passion for Draco/Hermione romances and therefore this just had to be one! Well hope you all liked it! Love Sara4Harry xox)