Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and its characters. I bet JK Rowling secretly ships these two, though. She did say that she regrets putting Hermione with Ron. (Oh, the irony in this statement for this chapter, how wonderful!)
Chapter Two:
22nd June 2004
Sitting behind the till was a hundred times better than cleaning up blood and guts at the butcher's area, Jane decided. Dealing with money and people were two things that were up her alley, so she was pleased with the change of responsibility.
"Thank you, come again!" she gave a customer's change. She turned back to face the task at hand, but being a Tuesday night, there really wasn't much to do.
Jane fiddled with the hem of her red shirt, waiting for her next customer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a head of long, curly brown hair. She only knew one person with hair that bushy, and sure enough, Hermione Granger exited the aisle. Basket in hand, she walked towards Jane's counter. She detected the slightly annoyed look in the older woman's eyes and was momentarily confused- until she saw a tall red-haired man following Hermione. Oh, no.
He found no difficulty in keeping up with Hermione's brisk pace, having to take only one step for every two of hers. He spoke rapidly, his hands waved around wildly and the expression on his face reminded Jane of a puppy asking for food at the dinner table. She reached the conclusion that he must be The Cheating Ex.
"But, Hermione, it was a mistake," he said. "I didn't mean to do it, it just…happened."
They stopped at Jane's till, and Hermione lined up her purchases on the conveyor belt. Even Jane scoffed at that, and The Cheating Ex threw her a dirty look.
"Putting your dick in someone's vagina doesn't just 'happen', Ronald," Hermione shook her head. Jane was taken aback by her crude language, but understood her anger. "What makes it worse is that you did it several times, over the course of five years, with the same person. I stayed with you because I believe in forgiveness, and you took advantage of that fact! In the end, I realised that forgiving you for the same mistake time and time again is was pointless. I got hurt repeatedly by your actions, and you did nothing while I crumbled in front of you. How are you even able to live with yourself?"
Her voice was filled with disgust at the last question. He had no reply to that and his mouth bobbed open and close, like a goldfish. The lull made the air heavy with tension, so Jane spoke up.
"Will you be having lunch with Mr. Malfoy often this week?" she asked, taking note of the missing pre-made dinners Hermione usually bought.
Her chocolate-coloured eyes widened slightly, a look of alarm replaced the annoyance previously seen by Jane. She continued to scan the items nonchalantly, but she didn't fail to notice The Cheating Ex's face turn beet red from neck to hairline.
"Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy?" he seethed. He was about to go on a tirade of sorts, when a taller, imposing figure stood at the end of the counter and bagged the scanned items.
"That's my name, Weasel," the blonde deadpanned. "Don't wear it out."
"You're here with him?" he pointed an accusing finger at Draco, who only raised an eyebrow and calmly placed Hermione's filled bag next to his own. "Hermione, have you forgotten who he is? Who his father is? What about all the torment he put us through during our school years? After that, too! He doesn't deserve you. I get it, he might have been there to hold your hand while you mourned the loss of our relationship, but, please, don't run into the enemy's arms."
Jane thought he was being a bit melodramatic about the whole situation. She was in the process of giving change to Hermione when The Cheating Ex ended his rant, and she noticed her usually warm, kind eyes become hard. Wrong move, dude.
"Ronald!" she threw her arms up in the air out of exasperation. "My life is not your business anymore. But if you must know, his flat is down the road from mine, so he helps me carry groceries, and we have lunch together now and then." She shoved the change into her purse, crumpled bills and all.
"It's almost been a decade since the so-called torment," she continued. "Learn to forgive. Draco's a changed man, everyone can see that. His last name doesn't define his place in society, the same way my blood doesn't. We spent years fighting for equality, for the right side, and yet you still hold a petty grudge against a redeemed man. Grow up, and act your age. This is the real world now, and childhood squabbles are a part of the past, so stop using it to characterise a person you have never taken the time to know."
Both Draco and Jane watched as Hermione defended his honour. The blonde girl watched Malfoy closely, gauging his reaction to the events unfolding before their eyes. From the awestruck expression on his face, Jane could've knocked him over with a feather.
"So I'm 'Ronald' now, and the ferret is 'Draco'? You and I have been friends for more than half of our lives, and you're going to throw all of that away for a Malfoy?" he said, his face still a deep crimson shade.
"You threw it all away when you decided to disregard our relationship to shag Astoria," she retorted. She picked up a few of the shopping bags, and Malfoy took the rest. "Thank you, Jane. I'll be back soon."
"Oh, and by the way, Ronald," she stopped in her tracks and spoke over her shoulder. "He's a hundred times the man you are. If you think he doesn't deserve me, what makes you think you deserve me?"
A final nod towards Jane's direction was her sign of departure, and she left the store with Malfoy strolling alongside her, still beaming from her indirect praises. It took all of Jane's willpower to stay in her seat and not whoop for joy over the confrontation she just witnessed. The Cheating Ex, defeated, left the store without as much as a word. Hermione's choice of words was a surprise to Jane, for she never expected such sharpness to come from the woman she has gotten to know over the last few weeks. She was grateful that Malfoy swept in at the perfect moment, even if Hermione did not need protecting, because it proved that the budding friendship between the two could grow into something more.
29th June 2004
Jane re-braided her long blonde hair while waiting for another customer to come along. She regretted not bringing a book or a magazine to entertain herself with during lazy Tuesday nights. A couple holding a shopping basket each caught her eye, and she smiled to herself. This seemed to be a new arrangement between the two. When they arrived at the store over the weekend for last-minute buys, they used separate baskets and paid for their own groceries, but essentially, they would shop side by side. They reached Jane's counter together, exchanged hellos, and continued with their conversation.
"I'm telling you, Draco," Hermione sighed. "He won't come back here."
"He was pretty pissed last week, don't deny it," he turned to Jane for confirmation. "Right, Jane?"
The girl nodded, a smile playing on her lips. He faced Hermione with his eyebrows raised, as if he was saying 'see what I mean?'
"Yes, he was, but Harry spoke to him afterwards and knocked some sense into his thick skull."
"What if he comes charging in here with the rest of his clan?"
"Please, his whole family were on the verge of disowning him when they found out- Molly, especially."
"Really, now?" he helped Hermione add her items on the belt.
"Her greatest desire is to see me become a part of her family," she smiled sadly. "It's not that she hasn't been a mother to me through the years, but it's different if you're carrying the same last name." At this, he nodded solemnly.
"What if he starts to become violent and stalks you?"
"Why," Hermione chuckled. "Will you beat him up?"
"If no one stops me, yeah, I would," he gave her a boyish smirk.
"Jane, will you please admire this friend of mine," Hermione laughed. "He vows to protect me from my ex."
"I'm sure Draco is capable of causing serious bodily harm if he so desires," Jane chirped. Her lips twitched as she tried to hold in her giggle.
"See, even she agrees with me," Draco said with an air of smugness.
"But that doesn't mean you should," continued Jane. "Even if The Cheating Ex, as I call him, is a downright bastard, he still was Hermione's best friend at one point. That ought to count for something, I think."
"She's right, you know," sang Hermione. Draco shook his head and grinned affectionately at Hermione. The woman was oblivious to his disarming smile, because she was busy paying for her groceries.
"Honestly, though, Granger," Draco said with all seriousness. "I don't want that git near you."
Hermione, who sensed the rare show of genuine concern from the blonde man, gave him a reassuring smile and patted his forearm.
"I'm steering clear of him," she said. "Besides, we both know I can take him on any day."
"That much is true," he laughed and gathered their bags. They said their farewells to Jane and left the store. She watched as they walked onto the sidewalk, both of them laughing.
She re-braided her hair for the fifteenth time that night, simply because she had nothing else to do, and sighed. Ah, to fall in love. In all of her twenty-one years, Jane has not fallen in love. Sure, there were boyfriends, but it was never love. Hermione and Draco have a long way to go before one would admit that there is, potentially, more than friendship between them. She was certain that a huge reason why neither would admit to such a thing is because of their bad history. Hopefully, Hermione also believes what she told The Cheating Ex—that "childhood squabbles are a part of the past".
A/n: Thank you for your lovely reviews! It really made my day, so I decided to post another chapter even if it hasn't been a week, like I said before. To that one guest who thought this was my first fic *cough* it isn't; this is like… I don't even keep track of the amount of stuff I've written. I just suck at updating regularly, but Batta has been on my case for many years and I have gotten better, I must admit. To those who added this story to their favourites and/or followed, thank you very much! I hope you liked my latest Dramione offering. x,Jellie
