Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own HP.
A/N Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last 2 chapters. You guys really do rock my socks. I kinda enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you guys kinda enjoy reading it. Sorry for the long wait, it turns out microsoft word hates me.
Unexpected KindnessShe had been working in the basement of the ministry for 4 whole days with people who really did only have 3 brain cells combined and it was already killing her. When she got home, she was so frustrated, upset and depressed she had even stopped replying to Draco's insults and normally, went straight to bed and tried to ignore the horrible feeling in her stomach that told her she had to go back to work the next day.
Draco didn't help matters as he continually insulted her, her job, her friends and her family even when one day she nearly started crying in front of him. She didn't need the hassle after spending a long day at work trying not to burst into tears at random points in the day.
It was her fifth day and she was staring at the clock longingly, willing the time to go faster. She got up, looked at the clock that read 11.59 and told her supervisor she was taking lunch.
'I've had enough.' She said, sitting with Harry in the Auror department. 'I've been down there 4 hours today and that's 4 hours I will NEVER get back. I can't handle another 5 hours, Harry.' She said, her bottom lip quivering slightly.
'You know I would help you if I could but I just don't have the power to do anything. I'm sorry, Hermione.' She pouted slightly and looked towards the hall outside and could just see Draco, talking to someone enthusiastically and then turn and start walking towards where she and Harry were sitting. She sighed, wondering if her life could really get any worse.
'Well if it isn't wonder boy and his little groupie.' Draco said snidely, leaning against the door jam picking at his nails.
'Still calling people names? Do you ever grow up?' Harry said, standing up slowly.
'Actually I did grow up, got myself a job that pays about triple what you're getting paid. Must hurt, I didn't even have to work for my position. And then of course there is Granger here who is working in the basement colour coding files and being paid pennies for it. I would say I feel sorry for her, but I'm really not.' He said, turning to smirk at Hermione who didn't even have the energy to fight back.
'At least Hermione is working her way up and not just being given her job because her daddy is well liked.'
'From what I hear, Granger has been working her way down.' He said, giving Hermione a malicious smirk.
'Harry, ignore him and we can hope he goes away.' Hermione said quietly, not feeling up to getting into a verbal fighting match.
Draco actually looked fairly disappointed at the lack of reaction he was getting from Hermione so he gave a slight shrug and walked away.
'He's such an asshole sometimes. Anyway, lets change the subject, so when am I going to see this new apartment of yours and meet your new roommate who you're refusing to talk about?' He said with a crooked smile and giving Hermione a playful nudge.
'Err, when I'm fully settled ya know. I want to make myself at home before I start inviting people over and stuff.' She said, not looking at Harry and nervously shuffling her feet.
'You're lying.' Harry stated with a glint of annoyance in his eyes. 'What are you hiding?'
'It doesn't matter, I have to go.' Hermione said getting up and interrupting Harry before he got a chance to say something. 'I'll see you later.'
She stood by the lift, depressed at the thought of going back to work and her conscience bruised from lying to Harry and keeping secrets from him. The doors binged open and Draco stood there, alone in the lift.
'Wonderful.' Hermione muttered sarcastically, as she skulked into the lift, the doors closing behind her. 'I just saw you a minute ago, you riding the lift in a way to avoid work, Malfoy?'
'None of your business, Granger.' He said, leaning forward to press the button for Hermione's floor. 'Looking forward to marking up your files and colour coding?' He said meanly, smirking as Hermione looked towards the floor and didn't answer.
They had been standing in silence for a minute before Hermione let out a small sob and Draco looked towards her alarmed, hopeful he was mishearing. Then she let out a bigger sob, followed by another and before Draco knew it, Hermione was leaning against the wall, hands over her eyes and tears sliding down her cheeks.
Uncomfortable would have been an understatement for how Draco felt at the particular moment. In Hogwarts he would have pointed and laughed but age had made him slightly more aware of other peoples emotions. He started pressing on the button for his floor insistently, willing the lift to go faster.
'Sorry.' Hermione sniffed, blowing her nose on a bit of tissue she found in her pocket.
'You really hate work that much? Err…Why don't you go and commit suicide?' He said uncertainly, his nervous tone betraying the cruelty behind the words. Hermione suddenly let out another sob as her body shook slightly, tears falling down her chin.
'I was joking, Granger.' He said, making a mental note to file a report on how slow the lift was. He restarted his pressing of the button on the side of the lift and when the doors binged open at his floor, he was close to crying with relief.
'Err, my floor. Bye.' He said, practically running out of the lift and towards his office leaving a sobbing Hermione alone.
………………………………..
It was over an hour since the lift incident and Draco was staring blankly at his office door, papers left ignored on his desk. His head was spinning and a feeling of pity was lying in the bottom of his stomach as the mental image of Hermione crying re-entered his head.
He gave out a heavy sigh as he got up to head back towards the dreaded lift that would take him down to the basement but got stopped in his tracks by Blaise standing in his way grinning madly.
'Afternoon, you going somewhere?' He said cheerily, noticing Draco's body language.
'Err yeah. I needed to go and get some documents from someone on another floor.' He said. When Blaise gave him a look that clearly said that he wasn't convinced, Draco let out a sigh of defeat. 'I was going to go down and visit Granger, poke some fun at her and generally laugh at her misery. Wanna join me?' He asked Blaise who still didn't seem totally convinced.
'Draco, Hermione has been working in this building for the past 2 years and only now you suddenly feel the need to hunt her down to poke fun at her?'
'Yes.' Draco said matter-of-factly.
'Why do I have a feeling that you're not telling me the whole story? Oh should we just jump to the chase and assume you want to get Hermione into bed.' He said, fixing Draco with a hard stare.
Draco's face contorted into one of complete disgust. 'Granger? In bed? Wonderful, I'm going to be trying to get that mental picture out of my head for the rest of the day.'
'I'm just saying, you seem to want an excuse to go and see her and maybe you…' Blaise trailed off, both eyebrows waggling suggestively.
'Stop it. Don't even think it.' Draco started, putting his hand up to Blaise to stop him from saying anything else. 'Can't a guy just go and insult his miserable, ugly, muggle roommate anymore without people jumping to wrongful conclusions?'
'Ok, whatever you say. I don't think you should go and insult her though. Try offering her a promotion.' Blaise said with a quick wink, turning quickly and walking away before Draco had a chance to respond. Draco shook his head silently before making his way down to Hermione's floor.
When Draco arrived on her floor, he poked his head around the door to her area of work, hoping she wouldn't see him before he saw her. She was slouched in her chair, head resting on one arm and the other arm sticking a yellow label on some document. He had never seen her so depressed before in his life, even when she got less than full marks in Hogwarts she had never looked so beaten down and fed up.
He walked in with the purpose of laughing and saying something highly witty yet insulting to her but what came out his mouth was something different.
'Go home, Granger.' He said simply as she looked toward him startled out of her day dreaming gloom.
'Pardon?' Hermione asked tiredly, her voice quiet and vacant.
'Go home.' Draco said, a little shocked at himself.
Hermione glanced at the clock and shook her head. 'Why? It's only 1.30. Are you firing me?' Hermione asked softly, her eyes already taking on a shiny quality.
'No, I'm not. Now get your ass out of here and go home, understand me?'
'No.' Hermione replied honestly. 'Look, I need the money, Malfoy-'
'Granger, you'll get a full days pay and everything, Ok? Look at you. I actually preferred it when you would insult me back when I insult you. It's rude not to.' Hermione suddenly looked down toward her desk sadly. 'Goodness, you look like you're about to start crying…again. Just go home.' Draco said, running his hand through his blond hair, unsure of why he was doing this.
Hermione bit her lip for a second before looking up at Draco. 'Ok.' Hermione said slowly, still looking very uncertain. She grabbed her robe and threw it over her shoulders and started to head towards the corridor, stopping slowly to mutter 'thank you' before carrying on.
'Your welcome?' He muttered to himself, completely confused by what he had just done. It was as if he actually had a conscience. He shook his head disbelievingly, ashamed of himself knowing that if his father were here, he would probably do something drastic. The war might be over and people's attitudes may have changed, but Malfoys were Malfoys. He hated her.
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A/N Ok, in case you're getting worried, no they're not going to both wake up the next morning and realise their all consuming, eternal, undying love for one another. I will be dragging it out a bit because I really don't want them to just fall in love suddenly with Draco realising Hermione is beautiful or something like that. Sooo not my thing.
REVIEW…go on…did you wanna hump it or bash it? Hehe.
