"To think, I was about to give you an advanced pay," barked Ferb, a normally cheerful wizard.
"Really?" Hermione chirped up too eagerly at the sign of more cash flow.
"No, I hired a girl for Christ's sake, a boy pfft," Ferb scoffed.
"Any young wizard could do your job living among all of these muggles and ride a scooter decently enough without putting in such poor conditions. You know I'm not good with repairing spells, especially not on that wrecked scooter."
"I could fix it Ferb, don't worry and I'll get you the money you missed."
"No don't bother fixing it, but you can pay me for the damages and pay your debt you got in a few days working here. And by the way you're Fired." Ferb absolutely fumed, he wanted to keep Hermione, but she was getting too much.
"Ferb, you can't... I need this job." Hermione begged in disbelief that her jovial boss would dismiss her after a few accidents.
"Leave now and leave your vest and helmet."
Hermione took in a deep breath, huffed, and tossed the items at her boss. She stormed out of the Pizza Parlor in Finale.
Hermione returns home from her milk rounds early in the morning. Her sister just finished making breakfast.
"It's all you and your boyfriend's fault, I lost my job. And tell that monkey baboon face to fix the scooter at least." Hermione complained in spite of herself.
"It's not my fault I'm such a busybody."
"You shouldn't be talking, you can barely hold up one job and your grades aren't as good as mine were."
"So what if I'm not perfect like you, I can slip a few times."
Ring. Their phone rang. Hermione quickly snatched it from it's docking place before her sister could reach it.
"Hello Sir," Hermione answered cordially.
"Who is it?" Helena pestered.
"How can you raise the rent so suddenly?" Hermione accused flabbergasted.
"Is it the landlord?" Helena continued trailing Hermione.
"Yeah." she replied to her in hopes of getting her off her back.
Soon her face fell at the news, "I know how much you have helped us in our time of need. I understand."
"Bye Mr. Blooms."
"What? Did he raise the rent again?" Helena suspected as much.
"Yes."
"Could things get any worse?"
"You still don't have a job." Helena replied knowingly.
"Thanks Helena." Hermione glared at her sister.
"If you're so mad why don't you call that rich guy Draco, he gave you his card to floo him didn't he?" Helena reminded her once again her to chase after the rich single powerful wizard heir to a large family fortune.
"I don't know Helena, it doesn't feel right"
"What doesn't feel right?" their mother, Elaine walked in carrying their muggle mail and her day's work she receives from a local doctor's clinic to do. One of the local muggle medical clinics kindly offered Mrs. Granger paper work to help them out with, paying her by the amount of documents she finishes.
"Ask a rich handsome wizard for money, Hermes deserves for retrieving a bag from a thief for his girlfriend." Helena absolutely gushed. "I wish I could've met the Draco Malfoy, some of my friends older sister's have gone out with him and they say that he's an absolutely amazing lover."
"Helena, we haven't even had breakfast yet. Can you hold the gossip and the boy adoration for later?" Elaine scolded her younger daughter for being so air headed sometimes.
"Although, Hermione we are in over our heads, what with the debt your damned father left, the bills and rent, we could use any extra cash we can get. That is if you feel you deserve some prize from him." Mrs. Granger continued to prod.
"uh... Let's eat." Hermione ushered. She quickly devoured her porridge and got up.
"Well I gotta go out and find another job, since the rent just went up again. Bye mom, Helena." In a gusto Hermione grabbed her coat and flew out the door before she could be asked about Draco again, she can't seem to get him off her mind lately and did not get to hear her mother's outburst.
"The rent went up AGAIN?!??" which brought Helena into fits of laughter at her mother's reaction.
Harry came back from checking out some chaotic wizards that came in that morning, who might have had a connection to one of his cases. After seeing the now new occupants of Azkaban, which was one of Harry's accomplishments in stabilizing the wizarding prison and their relationship with the dementor's, he made his way back to his office. One of his few Advisors after Harry made many promising reforms and rapidly moved up the ranks; he requested he oversee another training session for the novice aurors. Harry grudgingly obliged rather than fill out more paper work.
"Hey Harry, heard you were going to check out the new chickees, mind if I join you?" Draco asked anything to get away from work.
"Draco shouldn't you being joining them, seeing as how you don't do much work around here?"
"I know, that 's why I quit already. I just came by to see one of my best buds."
"Buds?"
"We always have so much fun at the Leaky Cauldron for drinks with Crabbe and Goyle." Draco beamed. He was still keeping the fact that Pansy returned from him and wanted to check up on him.
Draco and Harry's grew to more friendly after Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabee, who they used for muscle around the ministry and kept under control, insisted that their favorite boss, Harry go out for drinks with them and Draco. Crabbe and Goyle mostly drank up seemingly unhealthy amounts of alcohol and making jokes about Harry, but they weren't cruel, which made Harry's day to watch a bunch of light hearted blokes. While they slowly passed out, Draco and Harry held normal conversations.
Some time after both made it to the training room, an assistant came in. "Harry someone at the Atrium to see you,"
"Alright, Draco watch over them."
"Yeah, sure mate."
Harry left the exam room with Draco in it and carried out his can of energy drink with him down the lifts and across the empty lobby.
Harry wasn't expecting any visitors. Who would want to visit him in the middle of the day? Least of all, he did not expect who was standing by the Fountain of Magical Brethren, her back to him and her all too familiar satin onyx tresses sped up his heartbeat.
Pansy heard his footsteps and turned around, "Hey Harry," she greeted hopefully.
Pansy? Harry thought in bewilderment, but kept his reaction in check.
"How've you been Harry?"
Harry ignored her and looked away from her, focusing on the fireplaces, gripping on to the can for dear life.
"I just came back from Paris, a few days ago."
"I almost forgot how the England Ministry looked like. I didn't know it got so hot like this." Pansy went on without any response from Harry.
"I'm sorry."
Silence
"I missed you." she turned to him, searching for his eyes.
"Say something Harry, please, anything will do," Pansy begged filling with desperation.
"Get out of my sight," he finally hissed, seeing her right there made his skin boil and his nerves curl up, while he allowed himself to run his hand through his wild hair just once.
"It was quite sudden when you left."
"And it's also sudden when you return." Harry continued with as much smoothness as he could muster through the rage building within.
"The bloody nerve you have Pansy of coming here to see me," a clear menace and edge to his voice as he told her off, finally he faced her slightly. Pansy did not expect this from him, but stood there taking it, she knew she had it coming. Harry quickly turned again towards the fireplaces and threw his can at the wall with all his might.
Bang the immediate contact between the can and the wall caused a ringing echo throughout the nearly empty lobby, Pansy flinched. After his release of his sudden outburst, he stormed towards the lift without another glance back to see Pansy's face gawk at him leave.
Pansy could not believe it; did she deserve such a harsh treatment? Deep inside, she knew she had indeed been inevitably guaranteed such a reaction from the one man she truly yearned for.
She rapidly made use of the fireplace to floo to her flat before letting realization and the effects of Harry's words penetrate her cool exterior.
Harry stormed back into the observation room, his head low, brows furrowed, his skin still burned, and he lashed out on the door on his way in. Swiftly, Harry made his way to his seat and plopped down on to it, which garnered the attention of all in the buzzing space.
"Bloody Hell Harry, you made quite the entrance," Draco joked to ease Harry's mood as Harry evidently sulked in his seat.
"What did the person get your knickers in a bunch?" Draco sneered, which could have been easily said about Harry at that moment, because that was the effect Pansy had on Harry. Especially after the way she exited out of his life unexpectedly, his whole body, being and nerves reacted to her presence in a haywire, mixed with emotions and attachments from their time together and all the complex turmoil he still harbored over the midnight haired, statuesque goddess.
"Sod off Malfoy," Harry sneered.
"I think it's time we go for drinks. I think you need it mate."
"Let's leave this hell hole and I'll get Crabbe and Goyle, then we can forget about everything like always," Draco offered in comfort.
"Thank You! Thank You!" Hermione sang like a mantra to the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, Hannah Longbottom nee Abbott, who gave her a part-time job to replace one of her serving girls fell ill.
"That's enough Hermione, just do your job. Plus, I understand your situation. Neville really worries about you...I mean we all do. We all expected you to achieve great things, Hermione," Hannah had not grown that close to Hermione yet after Neville married her, a few months ago.
"I'm sorry. I'll always think of you when you need a job, Hermione."
"Thanks Hannah."
"Hey Hermione," Neville greeted, as he came in from his and Hannah's room above the pub.
Hermione catapulted at the sight of him,"Neville!" Hermione yelped, she did not see her friends enough, "It's been too long, both of you look so happy."
"You saw us at our wedding, Hermes," Neville reminded, "If you needed money, we could have just leant you some. I hear from Harry that your still struggling, having to help your family still." Neville also worked with Harry, Ron, and Draco as an auror, while still pursuing his Herbology extended studies.
"Your just like Harry, I wouldn't take his and I'm not taking yours. No, taking your money just doesn't feel right Neville. And I heard that the pub isn't doing well either."
"Oh we'll manage Hermione, Neville's job at the ministry also helps" Hannah offered with a smile.
While the three reunited in the kitchen, Crabbe and Goyle were already tipsy and Harry and Draco spoke amongst themselves; since Draco carefully sipped at his Fire whisky bottle.
"So what are you gonna do if you don't wanna be an auror anymore, Draco? Are you gonna go into your family business?"
"Hell no that's the reason I left the ministry, it reminded me all too much of my family's business. Luckily my mum is funding my next project."
"Another Project Malfoy?"
"Yeah and it's gonna be sweet," Draco beamed at the thought.
Pause.
"I met up with Parkinson the other day, Harry."
"She gave up finishing her intern in Paris to come back to you, you know?"
"Yeah? I don't wanna talk about it." Harry replied merrily from the alcohol intoxication and his effort to forget about that afternoon.
"You still love her don't you?" Harry asks knowing all too well his long interest in her that never let up even while he was with her.
"That has nothing to do with this; After all, Pansy's already told me that we could never get back together. She just doesn't have feelings for me like that anymore, the way she obviously does for you." Draco sighed.
Hermione finally comes out from the back having difficulty dressing in her serving girls outfit, smoothes herself out and looks around for what needs attention.
Glancing over the pub, she notices a hefty man keeled over on a table, evidently unable to move let along go up a flight of stairs to the rooms above, which conveniently houses completely knocked out blokes and sometimes witches and charging them the next day for their night's stay, all in a day's work.
"Just take him to one of the vacant rooms Hermione," the other waitress offered, avoiding lugging another drunk bloke up to the inn again.
Hermione inspected him for a moment before maneuvering herself to carry the huge burly man. Hermione only swayed a bit before fully gaining her balance to bring the oaf to an empty room upstairs. After doing odd ended jobs, some of which involved lifting heavy objects, the unconscious man was no problem.
Harry and Draco saw all of this occur before them as Hermione hustled. They were simply amazed by her strength for such a small person. Draco watched Hermione carry the man, completely mesmerized by a women being able to lug such a heavy man.
"How do they have women like that?"
Harry shook off the image of Hermione, he admired before turning to Draco.
"Let's get Crabbe and Goyle home before we have to pay for the rooms here for them." Harry proposed aware of how the pub makes a little extra.
"Yeah no problem, I'll apparate them back to my guest rooms, I've done it plenty of times."
Draco stood and grabbed a hold of both heavyset security persons of the Ministry and began walking out of the pub.
"Hey Hermes great job back there. So are you gonna work at the Leaky Cauldron now?"
"No, it's just temporary," Hermione, answered.
"I still need to find a more stable job."
"Hey if you know a rich friend, you could just ask for their help a bit, you know?"
"No, come on Harry." Hermione squealed as she playfully hit him.
"Alright Hermes, you can always ask for help when you need it. Later Hermes." Harry gave her a quick hug and exited.
Everyone kept telling her to ask for help and she can't help but think of how much receiving so much assistance would puncture her pride. Also, she kept thinking of Draco and how he could easily found her a job in the large Malfoy business and he did owe her after all for the unpaid pizza, the mugger and losing her job. Hermione thought about all of this, her dignity and pride, and her family's situation while walking home to have some time to think to herself and stretch her aching legs rather than arriving immediately home by apparating. Although Hermione often caught herself thinking of Draco, his strikingly charming face, his tone abs, and his more sought after parts that she caught a glimpse of, which she blushed every time thinking of and scold herself internally for thinking of him after a few bump ups.
On the next morning, after tossing and turning over her pride and need for money, Hermione felt confident in her resolution to go ask Malfoy for some compensation at the least if not a job, considering the influence of the Malfoy family over the magical world. She still remembered where he lived, the lavish apartment suites of London was not a place she got to enter often.
When she arrived at the front door of the apartment, one of the few near the top with a door on the outside rather than inside, it felt slightly amiss.
A light morning breeze brushed by her, the sun finally fully rose on the small garden Draco had set up outside the outdoor level of his apartment suite, as she began to lightly rap on his door. However, the door just swung open to her and a house elf came to greet her.
"Hello missus, the master is not in this mornin, would you like me to take a message for him when he returns." the sweet little elf welcomed.
"uh. Why hello there. Would you tell me your name dear elf," Hermione said kindly in empathy for the poor elf serving a master like Malfoy.
"My name is Boo Missus," chirped the shaken and frightened elf, who barely made eye contact with Hermione.
"Would you tell me where your master is Boo?"
Yes, Master has stayed at the Hilton Hotel."
"Thank You."
Hermione leaves for the Hotel, sure to get what she deserves out of Draco.
Hermione came bursting into his hotel suite and find him in a barely dressed state of a loose rob about him, yet again, her launch landed her right on top of Draco's bare chest revealed through the flapping robe. Draco's face twisted in rage and shock as he registered a petite shaped boy in baggy clothes just pinned him. Hermione merely smiled to herself for capturing his attention and he has no choice but to listen to her.
"What the bloody hell Pizza boy! What are you doing here? Have your parents taught you no manners on entering a room?"
"I'm sorry." Hermione said as sarcastically as she could. "I know I originally didn't ask for compensation, but I really need it now that you mention it, I'm no longer a pizza boy. And two, How dare you insult my parents, they raised me perfectly well unlike your parents. They raised a big-headed, useless playboy." Hermione huffed.
"Your face kind of looks like a girls for a tiny bloke like you and what do you know about me you little dirty mudblood, seeing as how you act, you're clearly raised by non-magical folks." Draco retorted back seething with anger from his position beneath as he struggled to at least hold himself up and look at her at eye level. While Hermione held back tears from being called a mudblood once again.
"You never changed ferret. How immature, still calling people mudblood. And you're not even sure who I am."
"Have I called you mudblood before pizza boy?"
"Of course you did and you never grew up." after what Hermione told him, Draco felt puzzled about the little figure pinning him down, who has he called a mudblood that looked like him?
At the next moment, Draco's date from last night came into the room from the restroom, dressed in just her towel, exclaims, "Draco are you GAY?" at the sight of a boyish figure lying on top of Draco, who contorted his face in fury and used his full strength to push the slender person off of him. Taken a back, Draco easily pushed her out of the open door and out of the room.
Hermione resumed pestering Draco for an apology and a reward as he made his way out of the hotel. She kept following him, and asking him to pay back and apologize until, she sensed him about to apparate that she rapidly snatched apart of Draco. Despite the added weight, they arrived at Draco's desired location; since, Draco so desperately wanted to get away from her. They arrived at a new modern café called Maxi at the high end of Diagon Alley that Hermione never entered before, which made her stare around the exclusive area of wizarding London shopping. Inside were an array of modern yet abstract shaped chairs, tables and couches in a silver and blue theme.
"Could you leave me along for just a little bit so I could go on these bloody blind dates in peace?"
"Why? Last night wasn't enough Malfoy?"
"No, these are girls that mother would approve."
"I see you little playboy, I'll stick around to see how it goes, then you can apologize to me the right way and pay up."
"Fine just stay out of the way little rascal." Draco grumbled.
"Woo." Hermione yelped as she plopped herself onto one of the blue couches with a head higher at one end than the other.
She watched as Draco sat himself in the more private booths, clearly disgruntled on having to meet these women. Suddenly an idea came to Hermione to cheer Draco up; she jumped up from the couch on her way out as she saw a bland yet petite looking woman in a bun and neat grey suit seat herself across from Draco.
Walking by them, Hermione sweetly waved to and her eyes glinted with coy. Draco thought that the boy must really be gay staring at him so insinuatingly.
Outside Hermione conjured up a white board and waved her wand over it for huge bold words to appear over it.
Hermione filled with a childish delight and her eyes shifted in watch out for onlookers as she followed Draco away from the main area of the restaurant. She watched Draco enter the restroom before entering herself. When Hermione entered the mens restroom, she blushed a bright pink color once again as Draco was busy using one of the urinals. Hermione tried to quickly look away and waited for him in there as if she belonged, although she felt more uncomfortable by the moment.
Nevertheless, Hermione asked Draco once again, "Apologize to me you jerk and give me the money I owe my old boss!"
After Draco finished washing his hands, he looked over her some more with a calculating look full of intrigue and interest in the person before him, he asks her,
"Do you wanna be my boyfriend?"
a/n review please
