Chapter Seven

Hermione and Draco worked in close proximity for the next few months, there were a few cases of minor breakthroughs such as Hermione developing a small feather to maintain magic for a few minutes before burning up into ash.

A small touch on her hand was the first that she noticed.

Sometimes it was small touches to her back or elbow to go around the whiteboards and herself.

Other times it was the sheer intimate situations they found themselves in; reading the same sheet of paper, leaning over to reach a book or even trading pastries from a new café.

Hermione found herself becoming more and more comfortable, she noticed the smallest things about Draco's moods. There were things she had always noticed, such as the hand raking through his hair, but then there were little quirks that she squirrelled away for future use. Such as the short intake of breath when the blonde had found a newer lead to chase, or the eyebrow cock when he was issued with a challenge.

There was one she certainly wasn't familiar with until that afternoon.

"Baby!"

It was a Pansy Parkinson look alike, however seemingly more dog-like. The voice came from the entranceway of office and Hermione and Draco had taken over.

"Uhh, Miss Maple, how kind of you to stop by my highly classified research area."

Hermione looked over to find her colleague, well, friend, with his back ruler-straight with a big toothy smile.

It made her uncomfortable watching the scene un-fold as it was clear that toothy smiles were not Draco Malfoy's forte, it seemed forced and superficial.

Similar to how he smiled in the Inquisition Squad.

"Baby! I couldn't stay away! I know we had dinner last night, but I was wondering if you wanted to grab a late lunch or maybe an early drink?" the lady had noted Hermione's existence, however flipped her glossy black hair and rushed in to embrace her male counterpart. A strange pang hit Hermione low in her abdomen. The intruder and flung herself, knocking her handbag across a few piles of parchment and books on Hermione's desk, across into Draco's lean body.

"Yes, darling, of course. Now I know mother would just die if you didn't drop by to say hi to her on your way out. I will aim to pick you up at five?" Hermione could pick the forced tone, matching with that same toothy grin and the coldness in his eyes.

"Of course Drakey! I'll dress in those underthings you bought me!" the sexual implication was too much for Hermione because she sat back into her chair and placed her pen down.

"Miss Maple is it? Fantastic, please show me your credentials that allow you on this floor."

"Oh but this isn't for work, whoever you are, I'm just here to see my boyfriend. Obviously the idea may be lost on you by the way you're hiding at your desk like some virgin."

Hermione blood boiled, not for the fact that she just give off a vibe that she's a nun, but for the fact that the bimbo standing before her didn't know who she was talking to.

"Daisy, please-" Draco began.

"Daisy Maple? Good lord, your parents must tire of you quicker than I have! Look I'll cut things short, you're aware of Blaise Zabini right?" Hermione drawled as she waved her wand to align the books and parchment Daisy had knocked off earlier.

"Yes of course I am you idiot, he's my boss, well technically I'm not on this floor I work in his fashion section on level ten..."

"Excellent, please tell him that Hermione Granger has sent her regards for his department employee review and that Miss Granger must have simply overlooked the fashion department overview if she had missed such a stellar person as yourself. Would you please kindly do that for me? It's a special message that only high level employees like yourself should deliver to your boss, and I must be a lowly employee as you don't seem to recognise me."

Draco's toothy grin fell from his face as his brow furrowed at her words.

"Oh don't worry Miss, I never mess up a message if it's to do with THE Hermione Granger. I still can't believe she told you to pass on the message to my manager!"

Once the girl had left Hermione slipped out a snort and delved further back into her work. Draco was still standing there with an odd expression smeared across his face.

"Granger-?"

Looking up and pausing her pen scratching; "How may I help you Mister Malfoy?" She smiled sweetly in his direction, making the man shift his weighty carefully.

"Why didn't you rip her to shreds?"

"Because it wasn't worth it. Ten, nine, eight, seven-"

"What the hell are you counting down for?"

"Oh no reason: three, two-"

A large bang erupted outside of their office.

"One." Hermione smirked and stood up to straighten her work suit.

"HERMIONE I AM SO SORRY!"

It was Blaise Zabini that had almost barreled through the door, followed by a now much more reserve Daisy Maple.

"Ah Blaise, how are you? Did you get my message? I wasn't sure if the poor girl could find her lunch let alone be a messenger."

"Yes, I did get your message that you gave, why did Miss Maple say it was from Draco's receptionist? There are no receptionists in R&D. Only when I asked her to describe you that it clicked."

"How about if we ask Miss Maple exactly what she was thinking when she was talking to me?" Hermione turned to the girl that looked like she wished to be swallowed by the ground itself. "Daisy, is it? Please tell me on your thoughts on your first conversation with the... what is my title again Draco?"

Draco grit his teeth, a smattering of pink tinged his cheeks in embarrassment. "Executive Manager of Innovation, Employment and Strategic Direction"

"Excellent, that's right, I should really bring those business cards Ursula keeps ordering for me." Hermione noted that all colour had drained from Daisy's face. "So Miss Maple, you heard what I'm employed as is that correct?"

Daisy nodded nervously.

"And Mister Malfoy, is there any part in your office or in my role description your mother personally gave me at the Ministry that says receptionist?"

"No Hermione, at no point in time I don't think anyone would think to hire Hermione Granger as a lowly receptionist." Draco looked tired now, exhausted by her car and mouse game she had set up.

Pity that she wasn't done just yet, Hermione wasn't going to let that woman insult her again.

"Excellent, so now we have clarified my role and responsibilities, now all we need is the why. Why Miss Maple, would you openly insult a woman who you don't know a single smidge about?" She realised her voice had gotten quiet, a deliberate action which Harry and Ron always feared.

"I'm sure Daisy didn't mean anything-"

"Nonsense, now what were the exact words used? I think the word virgin was used? Oh an I believe the word idiot was used."

Colour drained from Blaise' sand Daisy's faces, whereas Draco's has turn turned a violent Weasley red.

"I didn't know." Daisy dully replied, staring at her stilettos.

"Even if I were one, doesn't give you the right Miss Maple. Blaise, I would like your whole departments current performance reviews with Ursula in a fortnight please. Miss Maple, please go back to your designated floor, your boss may want to have a word with you." And with that Hermione featured the two foreign employees to leave her and Draco's office.

Blaise nodded and dragged Daisy out quickly. The door snapped quickly behind them and silence engulfed the room.

"Did you have to embarrass her like that?"

"Well did you have to pick such a vapid waste of space?"

"Quite hypocritical considering you went full bellend on Daisy when she insulted you!"

"At least mine is truthful!"

"Who says? You're certainly not the Queen of England!"

"I'm the brightest witch of our age!"

"Says crappy reporters who had nothing better about apart from Potter's stupid sap story and made up bollocks about You-know-who not back yet!"

"His name was Tom Riddle and his try-hard name was Voldemort!"

Malfoy's sharp intake of breath created a lull in their argument, allowing both to consider their thoughts.

Hermione knew his words had merits and by the discolouration of her partners face, she believed he felt the same.

"Sorry Draco."

A grunt was his response.

"You do have a poor taste in women though."

"No worse than your taste in men."

Hermione looked up to find him smirking at her.

"Why do you pick such useless females Draco?" her question was intentionally disarming but, similar to school, she craved the knowledge, she had yet to figure him out entirely.

"I pick them to switch off, don't you ever just not want to think?"