Hermione went through all of her patients' charts again. She saved Draco's for last, ecstatic that he was being discharged tomorrow. That was when she found the note. It was attached to his file. Reading it, she thought for a moment. No, I won't go with him. She didn't need to subject herself to more of his presence if she didn't have to. Besides, she was pretty sure Ron wouldn't be too happy if he found out that she went to lunch with Malfoy on the night of their first official date since their second attempt at dating. Just as she was about to close up for her night and head home for a celebratory drink, a tawny owl tapped on her office window.
She got up and opened it for the beautiful creature. It flew in and dropped the letter from its mouth. She gave it a small treat, and it nipped her hand in thanks before flying off. She turned it over and recognized Professor McGonagall's familiar handwriting immediately. Wondering why her old professor would write her, she pulled away at the Hogwarts crest seal and opened the parchment.
Miss Granger,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am sorry to inform you of the passing of our very own Madame Pomfrey. She was seventy-nine. If you wish to attend, her funeral will be at Hogwarts this coming Saturday, March 12, at 9:00 in the morning.
I write in the hopes of asking your assistance. We need a new Hospital Wing Healer to fill Poppy's position. I would like to offer you the opportunity to take over her post here at Hogwarts. You are the only person I see fit, Hermione.
A salary and other benefits can be negotiated if you so wish. I will need a reply no later than tomorrow night if you would like to discuss the matter further.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hermione stopped for a moment. Madame Pomfrey had died? How? When? Madame Pomfrey had been like a second mother to her, helping her when she got her first period and saving her when she had been petrified. Hermione looked up to her as an example Healer, and now she was being offered her old job? She decided to sleep on it.
On the one hand, it meant being at Hogwarts all the time, her home, and still doing what she loved. She could also talk to McGonagall and see if she could get a possible assistant Healer program going to help educate students in the school more in the subject of healing. Before St. Mungo's training program, Hermione only knew what she learned in Potions and Charms, which, compared to now, was very remedial. It also gave her library access!
On the other hand, it meant not being able to see Harry and Ron as often. She also couldn't date like she had planned to, and she would have to leave her position at St. Mungo's. It meant work and home were the same place, as anything could happen at any time at Hogwarts, and she'd be living there.
She liked the idea; her pros list was much longer anyway. Still, she decided not to reply until tomorrow. She should take some time to think about it a little more before she just jumped into a big decision such as changing jobs and moving back to Hogwarts. Inside her mind, a little elated voice at the back of her head was cheering victory though, as it knew that it would win out in the end.
Hermione changed back into her day clothes and apparated back to her flat. She definitely needed a celebratory drink now: she was being offered a job at Hogwarts and Draco bloody-sodding-git Malfoy was being discharged tomorrow. Hermione pulled out her Firewhiskey and drank a few shots before flipping on some music and happy-dancing around the room for a good few minutes. She then collapsed on her bed in a fit of giggles before falling asleep, happily dreaming of Hogwarts.
The next day rolled around, and Hermione made sure to take the Sober-Up potion sitting on her nightstand before eating a nice breakfast and dressing up well for work. She couldn't wait for this day to be over. She was going to accept the job McGonagall had offered her and apparate over there tonight to talk to her about it further. She couldn't help but think she was forgetting something, but she pushed it aside. Draco was being discharged today, and she was going to be going back to Hogwarts. Nothing could ruin this day.
Cheerily, she checked on each of her patients before walking into Draco's room, where she couldn't help but feel her attitude improve even more as this would be the last time she would see his face for as long as she could hope.
"Wow, chipper today, aren't we, Granger?" Draco smirked at her as she practically bounced in the room, her face glowing like it was lit from behind. "Is it because of our lunch date?" Draco continued arrogantly.
Stopping immediately, Hermione glared at him levelly. "No," she said flatly. "As a matter of fact, I won't have to see you again after I tell you you can leave, and even if you do come back to the emergency ward here, I will not be here," she continued, her voice growing happier with every word.
"Oh, really? And where will you be?" Draco asked curiously.
"Hogwarts," Hermione replied unthinkingly. "I'm going to take over Madame Pomfrey's old position as Healer for the Hospital Wing."
"Really. What happened to the old bat?" Draco asked, staring up at the ceiling.
"Well, now that you mentioned it, she died," Hermione said, her voice growing sad. "Her funeral is this Saturday at Hogwarts," Hermione continued.
"Well, good for you Granger. Maybe you can do something with your life other than drink yourself to sleep after going home from work," Draco snapped.
"I do not drink myself to sleep!" she denied stubbornly.
"Your Sober-Up potion is sticking out of your pocket, Granger," he pointed out.
Hermione blushed and shoved it deeper into her pocket. "Well, it doesn't matter your opinion of me; I won't see you after today anyway," she added. "Oh, and you can go now. Make sure you sign your paperwork and pick up your potions at the front desk downstairs," Hermione continued before turning on her heel to go to the door.
"Granger, wait," Draco called out to her.
"Yes?" she asked grudgingly. Why was he still here? It was her lunch break after all now.
"I'd like to take you out to lunch, not only to make it up to you, but to celebrate your new job. I'll never be in your life again after today if you let me," he suggested. He just wanted to show her he wasn't the person she thought he was. And he fully didn't intend on keeping that little promise he had just made if Lunch went well enough.
Hermione stood there for a moment, thinking. "On two conditions: you pay for everything, and I can leave whenever I want," she demanded. Draco quickly agreed. "Let me—just—go change?" Hermione said in a shocked voice. Draco followed her and waited outside as she changed back into her purple V-neck sweater and camisole instead of her healer's robes.
She emerged and Draco had to avert his eyes. She was perfectly chaste-looking, but the way she looked in the purple just accentuated everything about her that he didn't want to think about. Vile, disgusting, mudblood filth, Lucius' voice hissed in his mind. He quickly blocked it and built the ice wall back up around that small part of his father that he had not yet managed to obliterate. He held out his right arm for her, and she looked at it funnily for a moment, dumbfounded. "I have to go to the Manor for a few moments; I need something to wear other than this," he said, gesturing to the old robe and cloak that didn't fit properly. Hermione stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Why didn't you do that while I was changing?" she asked. He simply brushed off her comment and kept his arm where it was. She took it, and they quickly Apparated to Malfoy Manor. When they arrived, Draco left her for a moment in the parlor while he changed. She looked around the place. A lot had changed since she was last here during the war. She had never seen this part of the house, but it still had a different air about it. Instead of being centered on Dark magic, it was more open. Many of the old style Malfoy heirlooms that lined the walls had been charmed clean physically and in a magical sense. It gave the room a lighter, more brilliant rather than what she guessed was a pressing and dark feel.
Draco walked back in to discover Hermione examining one of the few dark objects left in the parlor that he still had to alter. "I've seen this before," she said to herself.
"If you've ever been in Borgin and Burke's, you have, I'm sure," Draco replied, making Hermione jump out of her skin.
"Malfoy!" she scolded, hand on her chest.
"What did you expect? I was gone for almost ten minutes!" Draco shot back.
"I most certainly didn't expect you to speak up on me!" Hermione retorted, folding her arms over her chest.
"Oh, shove it, Granger. Let's go eat; I'm starved," Draco said, brushing her off. He didn't want to fight with her again, especially when she was clearly going to blame him. "We're apparating to Diagon Alley. Meet me outside Flourish and Blotts," Draco said when Hermione looked at him quizzically for not holding out his arm.
She nodded, saying nothing, but thinking this may be her chance to escape. "Alright," she agreed, thinking of the possibility of just going straight home instead. She had made her conditions clear after all, and she could leave now if she wanted to.
Hermione, thinking quickly before she could change her mind, pulled out her wand and apparated, imagining her flat door instead. She landed right in front of it. Fortunately, she had thought to put a Look-at-me-Not charm on it when she first moved in, so most people looked away whenever their eyes strayed to the door. She arrived there, smiling deviously. "Outsmart that little ferret; that's what he gets," she mumbled to herself, opening her door. She went to shut it, but a pale hand shot out, preventing her from doing so and nearly giving her a heart attack. She slammed the door shut almost on the person's hand and hoped to whatever God was listening that it was just a nosy neighbor.
Draco watched her as she pulled out her wand and apparated. He cast a quick and silent Legilimens at her, hoping she would not notice the intrusion. Fortunately she didn't. After he got a good look at her destination, he Apparated and stuck his hand out just in time to keep her from shutting the door. He heard her inhale sharply and felt her yank the door shut. He pulled his hand away just in time. The lock slid home, but he simply cast an Alohamora and kept his wand up for her first shot. He knew it would be coming quickly.
Hermione locked the deadbolt and kept her wand close. It clicked back the other direction a few seconds later, and she whipped her wand out, knowing the person had to be a wizard. She had the word Impedimenta halfway out before the flash of blond hair came in and cast an even faster Protego.
Draco stood behind his blue shield, wand at the ready. Hermione's face went quickly through shock, anger, and then straight barely-contained fury. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. "Get. Out." she commanded in a very calm, even tone. It sounded lethal.
"Oh, and why should I? I arrive in Diagon Alley only to discover you're not there, so I apparated here!" he accused.
"Yeah? And how did you know to come here?" She shot back cleverly. Draco didn't respond. "THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT BLOODY GIT!" she screamed, her voice shooting through several octaves. "You dirty." Smack. "Rotten." Smack. "Lying." Smack. "Invading." Smack. "Bloody." Smack. "Sodding." Smack. "FERRET!" Smack. Hermione took a good smack at him each time, hitting his face, his chest, his arms, and even trying to get a good shot at his family jewels. "Out! NOW!" Hermione screamed.
Draco merely smirked at her, although he still eyed the wand tip he was facing carefully, knowing she could do anything with that at any given time. "Why should I? You left me!" He accused again.
"Oh, for goodness' sake Malfoy! You and I aren't dating," she said, shuddering with revulsion on the word dating, "and you bloody hexed me to find out where I live like the stalker you are!" Hermione shot back. She breathed heavily before muttering, "Incarcerous!" Immediately, Draco was bound with ropes and fell to the ground, his wand clattering down next to him. Hermione pulled out her emergencies-only Galleon from the D.A. from so long ago and hoped that Harry's just so happened to be on him. She turned it over in her hands and felt it heat up, alerting Harry and Ron to come to her place immediately.
Harry arrived first. "Hermione what's—" he started, but cut himself off upon seeing the body-bound Draco on the ground. "Malfoy?" he asked, shocked at first. His shock quickly turned to rage. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He bellowed, his wand in Draco's cheek.
"I was taking Granger to lunch," Draco said calmly.
Ron walked in just when Harry started to ask him something else. Instead of saying anything, he simply nailed Draco with a punch straight in his pretty-boy face. "Ronald! I just released him from St. Mungo's today! Don't make me have to take him back! It's torture!" she complained.
"I'm sorry, 'Mione," Ron said, still twitching with anticipation of punching Draco again. Ron never questioned her judgment anymore.
"Now, Ferret, if you are not gone within five seconds of me releasing you, I will let them have at you," Hermione said threateningly. "Do you understand?" Hermione asked, staring down at him.
"Yes," he answered shortly. She said the counter-curse, and he scrambled to his feet, grabbed his wand, and opened the door.
"5-4-3-," Hermione counted.
"I will take you to lunch Granger; one day you will agree to go with me," he said confidently.
"2-," she continued.
"Pothead, Weasel," he said shortly.
"1-," she went on, holding out the word. "Harry, Ron, go for-," she started to say, but Draco was gone in a flash. The door was shut, and they all listened intently for the pop!, which came not a second later.
They all stared at the door for a moment longer before Harry decided to break the silence.
"Hermione, what in Merlin's name happened?" Harry asked. "How did Malfoy find out where you live?" He demanded, fury building again.
"Yeah, 'Mione, why did that arse Malfoy say he was taking you to lunch?" Ron demanded, arms crossed over his chest menacingly.
"He was a patient under me for the last two weeks. He had been severely injured after going to meet a witness for his Wizengamot case, and I was assigned his Healer. I got him back to health, entertaining the idea that I just might throttle him myself a few different times, mind you. He also opened up to me a bit about his past when we got into an argument the other day, and me, being the genius I am, agreed to let him take me out to lunch because I thought he was different, but only on the conditions that he pay for everything and I could leave whenever I pleased no matter what he said. We were getting ready to go when he snuck up on me in his parlor, and it scared me so much that instead of apparating to Diagon Alley with him, I apparated here. Being the bloody git of a ferret he is, he must've used Legilimency on me to see where I was really going when I apparated, and he scared the bloody shit out of me when he showed up on my doorstep," Hermione said quickly.
Ron's face seemed to turn redder with each word. "Does he know we're dating?" Ron asked in a deadly calm voice.
"No," Hermione answered shortly.
"I'll kill that bloody ferret," Ron said, the wheels already turning in his head.
"No you won't, Ron. If he gets sent back to St. Mungo's he'll be assigned to me, and I don't want to deal with another two straight weeks of healing him," Hermione said, reprimanding Ron for thinking of subjecting her to that again.
Draco arrived home and cast a quick and painful, "Episkey!" on his nose, which righted itself. He pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey and downed a good third of it before taking a wet clothe and mopping up the blood seeping down his face from his nose. He plopped down in the leather chair in his study and pulled out his prescription from his jacket pocket. He would have to go to the apothecary to pick up his potions. One said on the warnings, "Do not consume with alcohol." He smirked. That was when he noticed the letter laying on his desk.
Mister Malfoy,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am sorry to inform you of the passing of our very own Professor Horace Slughorn. He was seventy-seven. If you wish to attend, his funeral will be at Hogwarts this coming Sunday, March 13, at 9:00 in the morning.
I write in the hopes of asking your assistance. We need a new Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House to fill Horace's position. I would like to offer you the opportunity to take over his post here at Hogwarts. You were top in your year in potions.
A salary and other benefits can be negotiated if you so wish. I will need a reply no later than tomorrow night if you would like to discuss the matter further.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Draco cursed under his breath and took another gulp of Firewhiskey. Well, at least he wouldn't be dealing with rogue witnesses who could destroy his reputation with Granger. Maybe he'd never even have to see Granger again. He smiled grimly at the thought. What in the bloody hell was he thinking, hoping to show her he'd changed? Why would she care anyway? This was Granger, know-it-all book-worm and Healer who bested him in everything. Why would she give a bloody second of her time to think about him? He drained the bottle, pulled out another one, drained that, and fell asleep heavily in his drunken stupor on his black silk bed, not even bothering to try to answer those questions. He knew the answer already.
There was something different about her. He couldn't tell what yet, but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that today was not going to be his last confrontation with the brilliant witch.
AN: Okay, so here it is! I know I didn't get ten reviews, but I hope to update every Friday. Hopefully with adding chapters, I will be able to get more reviews! They make my day, even if it just a simple :) or better yet ^_^! So review! Special thanks to addicted . draco . lover for my first review and to voldyismyfather! Much appreciated and glad to know you both love it so much! Hope this chapter didn't disappoint! :) So, as I often see done...a quick map to the review button! :)
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