A.N.: Sorry it's been so long! My holidays were wonderful (I hope yours were too :D), and therefore left little time for writing. I've just finished this chapter and wanted to get it out now and start the year off right, so hopefully you won't mind that it hasn't seen a beta. I'll repost it once I have, but for now you'll just have to grin and bear it. Thanks for reading! Please review!
.:*Atlantis*:.
Previous Chapter
"Poor Ginny. I think she might have known it was over a long time ago, but it's hard to admit the fact that what you want isn't what everyone expects from you."
"Yes… I know all about that," he said quietly, looking out of the window at a lightening sky contrasted against the jagged horizon made by skyscrapers. "You should probably get in there in go to sleep yourself before you begin to sober. It's never pleasant when you're still conscious as a hangover kicks in." He sat at the desk once more, but did not look back up at her.
"You're right, I suppose. Thank you for your help, Malfoy." She slipped off the desk and quickly walked into the bedroom/closet/storage, closing the door behind her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Recent events would have to be replayed, analyzed and dissected, but that wait until after she slept. If she thought about it now then she wouldn't be able to go to sleep at all, not to mention the fact that she was feeling more and more exhausted by the second.
She somehow managed to drag her feet over to the bed, and slipped into the covers next to Ginny. Within a minute of her curls touching the pillow, she was asleep in New York, in an office building within Vertik Alley, drunk, next to a distraught Ginny, and with Draco Malfoy watching over them.
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Chapter 8
Hangovers and Headaches
October 2nd, 2001
Tuesday
11:37 A.M.
It was the smell of coffee that awoke Hermione to a world that seemed to rotate on it's axis without any regard for the laws of physics. She slammed her eyes shut again and whimpered into her pillow as pain hit her head like a sledgehammer. No, that wasn't right. Not her pillow, his pillow. The thought caused her eyes to fly open once more as she sat bolt upright in the bed, gasping. The previous nights events suddenly came rushing back and she clutched her head in her hands, groaning.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she became aware of the smell that had woken her. Looking around for the source, her eyes widened as she spotted a silver tray resting atop a nearby filing cabinet. It was laden with a silver carafe, two matching coffee cups, cream and sugar. Next to her, Ginny began to stir and opened one eye blearily to look at Hermione.
"I smell coffee" Ginny mumbled through a yawn.
"I had just spied it myself, dear." Hermione informed her. After managing to extract herself from the bedcovers, she made her way through the scattered boxes to the filing cabinet in order to explore the tray's contents more in depth. The movement caused her head to began pounding with renewed vigor, and she grumbled aloud. "Good grief! My head feels like it's about to split in two!"
"Honestly woman! Sometimes I think you forget you're a witch." Ginny reprimanded her as she walked up to where she stood, pulled her wand out of her hair and handed it to her. The smirk she gave her as she began to pour herself coffee was good enough to make any Slytherin jealous. "Magic can cure headaches, you know."
"Don't you smart mouth me, missy. I did just wake up thirty seconds ago," Hermione responded defensively, though she was silently rejoicing that Ginny seemed to have woken in better spirits. "You can't seriously expect my neurons to be working properly yet. Especially not with this fucking hangover." She growled the last part as her throbbing brain have a particularly painful twinge. Deciding that the faster the pain was gone, the better, she quickly waved her wand and muttered an incantation "Cura Capitis." The pain vanished immediately, and she breathed deeply in relief. As she poured herself a cup of coffee and went to replace the carafe upon the tray, she saw that a neatly folded piece of parchment had been tucked in underneath it. She carefully unfolded the note and let her eyes scan it quickly.
Ladies,
Here is some coffee to help you feel a bit better this morning. I have a few business matters to attend to, but I shall be back by lunchtime in order to discuss with you the position I've secured for Ms. Weasley.
-D.M.
Hermione handed the note over to Ginny for her to read, as she added cream and sugar to her coffee. She took a sip of the heavenly brew and looked up to see a shocked-looking Ginny.
"He's managed to find a job for me already?"
"That's what it says… but we'll have to see if it's a decent one." She was taking another sip of her coffee, when a thought suddenly made her sputter into her cup. "What time is it?" she asked, looking around the room wildly before mumbling "Tempus" with a wave of her wand.
"Gads! He'll be here in fifteen minutes, and we look like we just woke up, Ginny!"
"Maybe, because we just did," Ginny chuckled. "Come over here, I'll fix you up in no time, darling." With a few swishes and flicks of her wand, she had transfigured Hermione's tank-top into a flowy, silk lavender and lime green top, her shorts into a black skirt, and her slippers into a pair of black sandals with a small heel. A few more flicks, and her hair smoothed enough to transform the frizziness into waves. "Perfect!" she proclaimed, as she conjured a full-length mirror and began to transfigure her clothes as well.
"I don't know Gin, I'm not big on skirts." Hermione explained as she tugged at the hem of said skirt.
"It looks good on you, I promise. You really should show off your legs a bit more, you know." Ginny said as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had dressed herself in a brownish-gold, curve-hugging, strapless dress. To top it off, she had transfigured her sneakers into a nude-colored pair of pumps.
"Well, now that I look at your outfit, I feel a bit better," she laughed as Ginny punched her arm playfully.
"Honestly, you make it sound as if I was dressed scandalously." Ginny said, her voice full of hurt as she sat on the edge of the bed and sipped at her coffee.
"Don't even try to pull that one on me," Hermione warned her as she helped herself to a second cup of coffee and plopped herself down next to Ginny. Just then they heard the sound of the office's main door slamming open, and the voice of a very irate Draco filled the airwaves.
"Does it look like a give a flying fuck at the moment? Just send him a bloody owl! Tell him I need him here as soon as humanly possible."
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy," came the response from his secretary, Crissy, followed by the soft click of the door as she (presumably) retreated back down to the desk in the lobby. The door that lead from the back room into the main office was thrown open as Draco swooped into the room, strode over to the bed and threw a copy of that morning's The Rotten Apple on Hermione's lap.
"I'm sorry Weasley," he fumed, looking towards Ginny, "but your brother is the most inconsiderate asshole I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."
"And a good morning to you as well, kind sir." Hermione interjected before her friend had a chance to react to the insult. She looked down at the tabloid in her lap in order to conceal the smile tugging at her lips, and was shocked to see a picture of herself staring back from the front cover. Beneath the picture the headline screamed "HERMIONE GRANGER: GOLDEN GIRL NO MORE?"
"It most certainly has not been a good morning. I was at the American Ministry, which is where I found that rag for sale," he pointed towards Hermione's lap, "and, naturally everyone there assumed it was true." He sighed as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Which of course made things very awkward, as most people didn't even bother to conceal their stares and whispers."
"What in the hell has my dumb-ass brother done this time?" Ginny asked rhetorically as she snatched the tabloid out of Hermione's hands, only to have it promptly snatched back.
"Excuse me, but if the article is about me, then I get to read it first." Hermione informed her as she leafed through the pages until she found said article. Ginny scooted closer on the bed in order to look over her shoulder as she read.
Britain's Golden Girl Shows Her Dark Side
By Amber Grayscale
As was reported this last Thursday by the media worldwide, Hermione Granger has left her home in England for a plush penthouse suite in the Bahamas. The reason behind it: to pursue a singing career at Aura, the new wizarding nightclub located inside the Atlantis resort, and set to open it's doors next weekend. At least, that was the reason given to the media by her manager, Draco Malfoy, (see insert at left) though as new information comes to light, one can't help but wonder whether it was all just an elaborate cover story.
"Everything seemed fine, and then one day, she just suddenly up and left." Ron Weasley, her childhood friend and, until recently, her boyfriend, told The Rotten Apple in an exclusive interview. "Nothing about this nightclub was ever mentioned to anyone, at least not that I know of."
According other sources, it is very uncharacteristic of Hermione not to tell anyone about such a life-altering event, and though some assume she might be acting out because of the loss of her parents, her ex suspects differently.
"I expect it has something to do with that Malfoy bloke. I went to go find her, to talk to her, and I found her sitting in a restaurant with him, laughing at something he said. I mean, they used to hate each other's guts in school for crissakes! How can you hate someone, not see them for years, and then, out of the blue, you're friends?"
It certainly seems as though something doesn't quite add up. Though I loath to do so, I feel obligated to point out that all signs point towards one thing: Hermione has given up her friends, job (Muggle Liaison Office, British MoM), and boyfriend, to run off with another man. We hope that her enthusiasm and level of commitment are reciprocated by Draco, who in the past was notorious for his womanizing ways.
"AARRGGHH! I'm going to KILL that fucking bastard!" Hermione exclaimed as she stood from the bed and threw the magazine at the far wall, unable to keep reading the offensive material. She relished the sound it made as it smacked against it and slid to the floor. "We broke up a dammed year ago! How in the fuck is that recently?" She continued to seethe as she began to pace back and forth in agitation.
"I see what you mean, mate. She does seem like a violent woman when she's angry."
The voice startled all three of them, and Hermione spun around to find Blaise leaning casually against the doorframe, smirking at he scene before him. Her mind was still recovering from the sudden interruption of it's train of thought, and as a result she was left standing in the middle of the room, staring at the newcomer.
"Well at least she's learned to control herself over the years and takes it out on the walls now, instead of on my nose." Draco sniggered. Comprehension dawned on Hermione and she smirked at the comment.
"I take it out on whoever was at fault. The wall has simply become the default option when the culprit happens to be conveniently absent."
"I see… and who might the absentee culprit be this time?" Blaise asked with humor in his voice. Hermione opened her mouth to inform him of Ron's stupidity when Ginny's voice cut her off.
"It was my brother, the brainless wonder." She shook her head and sighed in resignation. "I swear to Godric, there are times when I'm ashamed that he's a Weasley." Blaise turned to look at her, and his eyes widened in surprise and recognition.
"My, my, Weasley. You've certainly grown up since Hogwarts, haven't you?" He said cheekily, as his eyes swooped her up and down openly. Ginny blushed so thoroughly at his words, that her face became the same shade as her hair.
"Keep it in your pants, Blaise. I asked you to come over so that you could help me fix this little problem, not so you could flirt with my client's stylist." Draco drawled lazily as he examined his fingernails. Ginny head swiveled so fast it seemed in danger of coming off her shoulders.
"Stylist? Really?" She squealed in delight as she turned to look at Hermione with a grin. "That's absolutely perfect, isn't it 'Mione?"
"Gin, for the last time, I absolutely refuse to let you call me that. It sounds ridiculous, and I will have none of it."
"Yeah, yeah… aren't you excited? I'm going to be your stylist!" she giggled.
"Of course I'm excited, honey." Hermione chuckled. "I couldn't have thought of a better job for you myself. Good job, Malfoy," she added as she smiled in his direction.
"Alright, so for a recap, because I'm beginning to get a migraine," he said in an exasperated voice, "I'm wonderful, Granger's got violent tendencies, Weasley's job is amazing, the other Weasley is the world's greatest idiot, and Blaise is the horny mess that will help us fix the media's atrocious mistake. Now that we got that all settled, can we get down to business?"
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