9
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I would not have to do a renewal application for student loans.
Previously:
She pushed off him and smacked him with indignance. He smirked well naturedly. "It's only natural for our kind of course; we're attracted to the magic." He looked down into her eyes and read the worry in them, "If she wasn't able to make the turn she wouldn't have called you kitten."
She sighed in affirmation and nodded her head, "Everett can you be packed to head to England before noon tomorrow?"
"I was packed before I came to the study, the only question is can you be packed by then?"He asked with smile on his face.
A great "thwack" resounded in the room as Everett unsuccessfully dodged Evie's hand.
Chapter One: A Sequence of Confusing Events
Hermione Granger sighed in relief as she gingerly lowered herself into the lushly cushioned chair behind her desk. Her hands lifting up to pinch the bridge of her nose like she was possibly suffering from a stress headache. She squeezed the pressure-point with a high amount of force before shaking her head and examining the room she was in.
The room was quite interesting; it looked a cross between a receiving room and a family office. It was painted in warm orange and yellows, with gold and mossy green accents. The room was furnished with softly stained wood furniture, including everything from the desk to the numerous, filled, built-in bookshelves. Lovely, complimentary art pieces could be viewed throughout the room, yet where placed in a way to be enjoyable by guest and obviously the fancy of the office owner. Some of these pieces were rather stationary, why others moved of their own accord. Several diplomas and accolades where modestly placed in the room as well. In-front of the desk directly was an inviting settee and flanked by matching upholstered high-backed chairs. Several other different chairs, yet complementary, intertwined them forming a semi-circle before the desk. It was a pleasing effect surprisingly.
A decorative service cart held various offerings, one would assume, for potential guest beside one of the closest chairs to the desk. Its fair ranging from tangy, ginger biscuits to posh, lox tea sandwiches, and an array of beverages that if all were consumed would, quite possibly, drown a fish. Visitors were treated well it would seem or the office owner deserved to be roughly the size and weight of a full grown elephant. Directly behind the cart, set in the wall, was what appeared to be a small built in curio cabinet, but upon closer inspection revealed an in-plain-sight liquor cache. It was this that the young woman's gaze was now so pointedly fixated on, a look on her face torn between self-disapproval and simple want.
Want apparently won as she moved to the cabinet and began to fix a glass of some honey colored spirit. "I'm going to turn myself into a lush, if I," she downed a swig, "… if I keep taking a belt every time I have a day of It." she uttered with partial disgust too herself, but was already downing another swallow.
"Who was it that said drinking should never be used as a coping mechanism?" an amused looking redhead asked, trying to keep the comedy out of her voice, as she watched the brunette drinking her day.
"Oh, shut it will you Ginny." Hermione exasperated. "You'd be on seconds or thirds if it was your day."
"Well darling girl, a lady should never drink alone, share the wealth and tell Ginny all about It." she said as she pushed off the door frame and gracelessly plopped onto the settee; limbs akimbo.
Hermione scowled at Ginny as she glugged down another generous sip, and then proceeded to pour a fresh glass for herself and one for the ginger haired interloper/friend. "Here, you nosy little prat." she said warmly, and threw herself down next to her.
"Thanks, love now spill it." The redhead demanded.
"Hold on, give me a sec, let me cast a silencing charm. I don't want eavesdroppers for this conversation." Hermione said before uttering, "Muffliatto," with a sharp wand flick. "I'll never hear the end of it."
"You must have had quite the day girlie-girl." Ginny stated.
"For the love of Merlin's fat Mummy, you have nooooo Idea. I do not even know what to make of it." The woman stated with a look of strained bewilderment.
"Did you honestly just say I quote, 'Merlin's fat Mummy' Mione?" Ginny asked snorting into her drink.
Hermione glared in response, saying rather haughtily, "Do you or do you not want to hear about my day?"
"Sorry, Mione, please continue." Ginny said with a completely unrepentant look on her face, and a 'go-on' hand gesture.
"I'll give you the sequence of events," Hermione said, "starting with my lovely wake-up call…"
5:28 AM: Ministry Wake-up Call
Hermione Granger is in many ways a very much regimented person. She has a strict morning schedule that she follows:
5:00-5:10 AM—morning necessaries
5:10-5:25 AM—morning Yoga/meditation
5:25-5:35 AM—shower
ETC…
Hermione Granger's morning ritual kept her form noticing something rather important on her kitchen table that came quite late the night before, in her defense. In her carefully crafted morning she did not go downstairs until around six am, so therefore to her embarrassment and a former classmate's gain, she missed an important letter from the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The letter stating that a ministry colleague would be arriving around 5:30 that morning; to have an emergency meeting on issues with a dueling competition commencing the next week. If Hermione had noticed the letter she wouldn't have stuck to her normal routine. So, needless to say at 5:28 Miss Granger had quite the surprise.
"Ugghhh, I left my new soap in the bag downstairs." She uttered rather crossly and cursed to herself as she rushed out of the shower.
Hermione may have held the moniker of brightest witch of her age, but having spent her formative years in the muggle world still at times forgot the benefits of magic. Benefits being that when you forget your favorite scented body-wash downstairs you can summon it. A nice accio charm keeping you from making a naked trip around your house.
So, at precisely 5:28, a very naked Hermione found herself facing a very appreciative Cormac Mclaggin—representative for the Department of Magical Games and Sports—in her kitchen.
"Sweet Merlin Granger! I always knew you were quite the tempting, little minx in school, but bloody hell!" he exclaimed when he saw her enter into the room. He leered at her excitedly before adding, "I would have come earlier if I had known you wanted a go at morning sex."
"AAAAAAaaaggggghhhhhhh!" she screeched grabbing the closest thing to cover herself as she jumped back into the stairwell. "Oh my sweet Merlin, what the hell are you doing in my house Mclaggin! I'll have you thrown and chained in Azkaban like the perverted troll you are.
"Kinky Granger makes you even yummier." Said Mclaggin as he stepped closer to the stairwell, one would assume to catch another eyeful.
"Take one more step Mclaggin and a flobber worm will have a better social life than you." Hermione threatened as she noticed that Mclaggin's back was directly in-front of her kitchen fireplace. Hermione kept an extra jar of floo powder hidden in a sugar bowl on the counter. Rushing forward like a bolt of lightning she grabbed the bowl of floo powder, smashed the jar into the grate with the precision of a professional keeper. She then rammed a thoroughly confused Mclaggin in the stomach. He fell into the grate butt first as Hermione yelled, "Anywhere the hell away from here."
As Cormac disappeared in a whirl of green flames Hermione collapsed into a kitchen chair noticing for the first time a rather official looking envelope.
"Good Grief!"
Present
Ginny had a look on her face split between horror and humor before she busted out laughing in great peals.
"It's not funny Gin, I didn't even see the letter until I'd floo'd his arse out. " Hermione said with mortification.
"The hell it's not funny, I ran into Hannah Abbott and she was telling me how they had to send out the Magical Reversal Squad because Mclaggin, the smarmy oaf, got himself stuck in a chimney. It completely made my day. I'd bet my broomstick he has troll in his bloodline somewhere." Ginny finished still chuckling. "… and Merlin knows you shouldn't feel bad he is the biggest pervert in the Ministry, he got less than what he deserved." Even Hermione gave a few unwilling giggles.
"What was the meeting about anyways?" asked Ginny curiously.
"The Tollsons, the family who the dueling competition is in honor of are coming to England; they specifically wanted me handling the rest of the arrangements. Something about being less than pleased with some of the other departments," Hermione responded promptly. "They also sent a pre-thank you gift of quills and ink to all involved with the competition. I thought it was a nice gesture."
"I imagine if that is all that happened today we wouldn't be drinking right now?" Ginny questioned.
"Yes, well I did manage to make quite the fool of myself…"
9:56 AM: Coworker Takedown
Hermione rushed out of the lifts and down the stairwell not noticing the entirely drenched bottom steps. An ever rain charm had recently been removed from the common area at the bottom of the stairs. In her haste to explain the Mclaggin situation to the Minister she hit the charmed water and went sailing through the air. She returned with a hard thud, landing on something warm, squishy, and definitely human, now groaning in pain.
"Uhgnmm," an unintelligible moan came from the person underneath her. Hermione looked down in shock to find herself lying on top of a very recognizable Slytherin from school. He was moaning because her knee had very forcefully crushed his baby-making-parts. His face was red, his eyes were huge, and his hands were cupping his wounded manhood as he tried to writhe on the ground.
Hermione was in shock, she had just castrated Draco Malfoy. She was still lying crashed upon him to in shock and embarrassed to move. Finally someone reached behind and lifted her off of him. Hermione turned and found herself in the arms of one Theodore Knott, another noteworthy Slytherin from school. He had an amused look on his face.
"Hello Granger, this is the first time in a few years I've seen Draco in that position without at least dating the woman first. Thank you for the entertainment which just made missing breakfast worth it." He said with laughter. "Although I know how you lioness's all have your reserves of courage, I'd scurry along to wherever you were heading before he can move."
Hermione nodded and late as she was yelled a hasty, sincere apology, and hustled.
Present
Ginny slid onto the floor from the force of her laughter when Hermione finished her tale. "My Merlin, that's wonderful. Now we don't have to worry about little ferrets populating the world. All hail Hermione Granger a savior of the wizarding world." Ginny spoke through her laughter. "And Knott pulled you off of him; he always was one of the humane Slytherins."
As Ginny mentioned Knott Hermione let out something that was a cross between a squeak and a moan and laid her head in her arms. Ginny gave her a confused look and demanded, "Explain."
2:41 PM: Butterscotch Pudding
Hermione had just finished a hasty lunch at her desk when a shadow fell over her desk and a warm male voice called out "Knock, knock Miss Granger."
When Hermione looked up one Theodore Knott stood casually in her doorway and one Hermione Grange couldn't think of an earthly reason he would be there. "Mr. Knott," she responded "how might I help you?"
"Theo please, I would prefer it if you would call me Theo, everyone does." He stated "I also hope that I might call you Hermione, we're old school acquaintances after all?"
Hermione blinked a few times before answering "certainly."
Theo stared speaking before she could begin again. "I heard that if I needed any assistance with anything associated with this year's Ministry Gala, then you are the witch too see?"
"Yes, I can personally assist you with anything concerning the Gala."
Theo gave a very suspicious smile, "Fabulous, Hermione. Do you know you remind me of butterscotch pudding?" He asked.
She looked at him like he had taken leave of his senses. "No."
"Well you do, your hair is nice and caramel colored. You have a warm and creamy personality—just the right amount of sweet and spice—a very nice balance. Essentially you are the human essence of butterscotch pudding."
Hermione couldn't have looked at him anymore oddly than if he had decided to strip naked and sing opera. He gave her another rather suspicious smile.
"Yes, butterscotch pudding is my favorite desert, which is why you're my date to the Gala. I'll pick you up at seven-thirty." With that said Theo turned on his heel and strode out the door, leaving a very bewildered Granger.
Present
"Ginny, just let me tell you about the rest of my day, then we can discuss everything." Hermione uttered dejectedly. " and please refresh the drinks."
Ginny looked like Christmas had come early "there's more is there?" Ginny stated looking amused but almost disbelieving. "Butterscotch pudding should be the pudding on top of the cake of your day."
"Not much." She said before taking a very un-lady like swig of her new drink and scowling at Ginny.
4:50 PM: Malfoy Making Haste
Hermione was not looking forward to her last appointment of the day—Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy Senior may have been knocked down and disgraced a few rungs down the wizarding ladder, but he still carried enough influence that Hermione had to dash and scramble all her other appointments to meet with Malfoy at his convenience. So a special appointment time was carved out of both persons' schedule to meet. Already on her list of un-liked human beings this did not endear the man to her. She grabbed one of her beautiful, gifted quills, and parchment and waited at the door for the senior Malfoy, when she heard his cold voice coming down the hall.
"Miss Granger," Lucius drawled, "I'd like to sit be…" he stopped mid-speech when he glanced at Hermione's arms and stared at them for a second mouth hanging open slightly.
"Mr. Malfoy are you al…"
"I'm afraid something urgent has just come to my attention and I must leave post haste. We will reschedule of course." Lucius Malfoy turned around and indeed made haste out of the ministry, leaving an utterly annoyed and confused young woman.
Hermione glanced down in her arms but all she saw was her feather quill and parchment.
Present
A confused Hermione looked at the redhead for clarity. "Alright so let's recap your day. First you flash Mclaggin."
Hermione groaned, "Don't remind me please."
Ginny continued ignoring her, "you then knee ferret, become Knott's favorite desert, and who the heck knows with Father Ferret. Does that about cover it?" Ginny asked.
"Mmhhh, I think so. I am so confused, I don't know what the hell to make of today." She stated "Dinner and girl talk at the house?" she queried the redhead.
"Sounds good, if we don't eat soon we will have hangovers that could battle a banshee in the morning." She replied.
Malfoy Manor
"Father!" Draco gushed surprised to see the man striding into his private study. It was a standing rule that no one ever entered the private study of another Malfoy; Lucius steamrolled over to his son's desk, a large pile of books magically hovering and protected behind him before clearing his throat forcefully.
"What would you do to end the marriage contract with Astoria Greengrass?" He asked his son with typical directness.
"Anything."
"Really?" Lucius asked back. "When you finishing studying these I'll ask you that question again."
A/N:
I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter, please read and review.
thanks-a-million
inkImpressions