Coleslaw

A fluff story between two people who both seemed to have changed dramatically in personality!

My first Harry Potter fan fiction. It's a Hermione/Draco fluff story =O I may as well put an author's note in right here. This is just a fan fiction, so it's going to be a sort of drabble. Short chapters, quick-to-the-point story, and I'm not taking this serious =F. But other than that, I hope I have fun writing this! If you have any suggestions for the story, that you think would make it better, feel free to tell me:)

Constructive Criticism welcome.

Enjoy!

Everyone stared at me as I leaned against the doorframe to the building clutching my chest trying to catch my breath with every painful inhale. With a final inhale I looked up, placing the most charming smile I could possible put on my face to hide my grimace and began walking to my work desk while saying good morning to my other workers.

I made it to work.

Just on time.

I sighed again, relief flooding through me. I wasn't late to work, though I had missed the bus that took me every day. I was just barely on time. I just barely made it.

"You're early again, Hermione."

I looked up and scowled at my work assistant as she stared at me with what looked like awe.

"There's still so much we need to prepare for." I said indignantly, "Unlike you, I don't saunter in five minutes before it's time to start work."

She smiled casually, and placed her hands up toward her hair, which was in a ponytail and tightened it slightly, "Sorry to leave you hanging and come in last minute." She said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and sat down at the desk and began filing the papers that has been dropped off just that morning. Everything had to be alphabetized and organized perfectly. Awareness and consideration took a large part in my job, and I couldn't afford to mess up the whole workday routine. I, being head of the office company, was in charge of keeping everything in order, and keeping everything where they ought to be.

After several minutes working tediously in silence (in which I would have much rather preferred)my assistant looked up from her laptop and opened her mouth.

"So, did you find anyone new?"

I groaned and felt like slamming my hands on the desk. The dreaded question again. No matter how many times she was going to ask it, I am not sure, but I am sure of this. The answer was never going to change.

"What do you think?" I said raising my head looking at her, making sure she could see the look of annoyance, plain and clear upon my face, "I've answered you before, and it's been the same since the last five hundred times you've asked me."

She looked at me and had a quizzical look on her face.

"But surely, I mean I understand," She added hastily, apparently from the look I was giving her, "I understand what he had said, but...are you sure?"

"Am I sure what?" I snapped impatiently.

"Well..." She said uncomfortably, looking as if she was going to a place she should not linger and twisted her ponytail nervously around her finger, "That he meant...it like that..." she finished the sentence with a feeble shrug.

I felt like I had stopped breathing for a few seconds, and in which I probably had, but then straightened up in my chair and picked up a pen and began examining it as if I was solely interested in finding every little detailed engraved on it.

"Whether he meant it 'that way' or not," I began crossing my arms, "I made him a promise. He was...special to me unlike anyone else, and...I don't want to..."

I realized to my surprise that my voice had suddenly gotten quieter as I trailed off. I found myself examining my shoes. After a few seconds of silence, I blushed in embarrassment and looked up to see her staring at me with a look of concern on her face. That only made me feel even more discomforted. I've always hated that.

"And you shouldn't be asking things like that about my personal life, Valerie." I stated matter-of-factly, with a tone that noted we were finished with the conversation. I felt the harshness in my voice and instantly tried to apologize, but realized it too late as she had already bowed her head looking obviously flustered.

"Er...let's keep sorting..." She said quietly to break the awkward silence. I let my crossed arms fall to my sides and nodded.

"Yes." I said as kindly as possible, hoping that maybe she would catch on that I was trying to show that I was sorry. She nodded and we continued working in silence for the next few hours.

My cell phone beeped and I looked at the time on the front. It was lunchtime. Usually I have always looked forward to this time, even though most days the hours dragged by relentlessly, today seemed especially slow. I stood up stretching and saw Valerie look up,

"Okay, lunch break," I said as casually as possible so she could pick up that I wasn't angry at her. I checked the time on my cell phone again and pulled my bag onto my shoulder, "Be back within the hour."

She smiled at me slightly and walked out the door while pulling out car keys from within her purse. When the hour was over, no doubt she was going to come back with a cappuccino in one hand.

I stayed around for a few minutes to stack more papers onto an already organized pile. Finally I too walked out the doors into the sun. I instantly felt myself relax as the heat of the sunlight rested on me. Maybe I would go to that cute Cafe that was down the street by the tennis courts. They, as I remembered, had some of the best sandwiches you could find around the city.

As I continued walking, I felt myself becoming slightly drowsy. I placed my hand in front of my eyes to shield out the sunlight.

"Do you... promise me?"

The voice choked out, barely a whisper. Blue eyes looked into hazel as her eyes filled with tears taking his hands into her, she shakily replied,

"Y-yes...for you..."

A smile played across his lips as the life within him faded aw--

"LOOK OUT!"

Something the size of a cannonball (or what felt like it) Suddenly smashed into my forehead. I felt myself crumble slightly, losing my balance due to the impact, and I fell to the ground and found myself on my back staring up at the sky.

"Oh my god, I think you killed her!"

The note of sarcasm within the man's voice, obviously, gave away the fact that whoever had hit me hadn't really killed me. And yet, the blow to my head didn't really make me feel all that well.

"No I didn't." The other boy snapped back though he sounded like he was slightly anxious . Something about that voice...he sounded so handsome...

I could have sworn I had heard that voice somewhere before. It sounded oddly familiar. "I can't believe it. You hit a girl with a tennis ball." The other voice said, snorting slightly, "That's seriously lame. If it were me--"

"I don't care if it was you." The voice said, hinting that he didn't want to be made fun of anymore.

I got hit by a tennis ball?

"Hey," The voice said and I could tell that he had kneeled down to my level looking in my face, his voice soft with concern, "I'm sorry, you're not hurt are you?"

I turned my face in his direction and was nearly blinded by the sunlight, that cast a shadow over his face. I couldn't see who he was.

"I think you did kill her. She's not breathing is she?"

"Shut up, you're not helping!" He turned back looking at me, "Can you get up?"

I suddenly realized just how ridiculous I must look lying on the ground. I flushed, nodded, and pushed myself up onto my elbows, my head hurt...

"Here," He yielded to me and held out his hand. I looked up at him (though I still couldn't see his face) and took his hand gratefully.

"Thank you." I said to him and smiled slightly trying to hide my embarrassment. I had never been through anything more mortifying. I looked down at my pants and brushed at them absently so I wouldn't have to make eye contact.

"I can't believe it, you know he usually doesn't play like that. He's usually worse-"

His friend laughed and he shot him a warning look. Finally when he quieted down, the boy who had helped me up cleared his throat.

"Listen, I, uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "I know that was a really stupid thing I did, and I'm really, really sorry. Could I make it up to you, maybe, if you gave me your number, and we'd go out to get something to eat together? You know, as an apology?"

I stopped looking at my pants for any monocle dust particle I may have missed. Was this boy asking me out? And I haven't even known him for even a whole minute yet! (54.5 seconds!)

I pulled myself together. It wasn't like he was asking me out. I scoffed at my own abruptness of assumption. He was just asking if he wanted me to go out to eat with him sometime.

"I'd like that," I said, though it was only because it would be plain rude to turn down somebody trying to apologize to you. And it was quite a noble thing. I mean, it's not every day a boy hits you with a tennis ball then asks you to eat with him as an apology. I reached into my bag and pulled out a pen and some paper, that I hastily ripped off of the corner of some notebook paper, and scrawled down my cell phone number.

"Here," I said finally looking up and holding out the piece of paper to him. My breath caught in my throat.

"Thanks." He said smiling at me as he reached out his arm to take the paper from me.

The one who had hit me with a tennis ball. Who was standing before me in a Muggle city, and obviously didn't know who I was.

Draco Malfoy.

Draco. Malfoy.

Ahhh. First chapter down ^^ Thank you to whoever read.

Yes, Malfoy sucks at Tennis -gasps- I've always wanted to write something about that =x

Hermione's personality is still one that I need to sort out. Basically she's more of a workaholic than ever D;

Told you I wasn't taking this seriously =D

Read and Review please ^^