Granger's Café

Pairing: Draco/Harry.

Disclaimer: Hermione decides that the drama in the wizarding world is growing too much. She decides to open up a café in the muggle world, so as to enjoy simplicity during the day. Little does she know that one of the applicants for a job there, will cause a whole new circle of drama for her. And how exactly will her little café benefit Harry and Draco's lives, and how will it banish the drama from both worlds they live in? You know what they say, about Granger's café; her food is like magic, that's what they say, because it keeps all your problems and troubles at bay.

Chapter eleven: Waitress Interviews

Draco woke up to a very subtle tapping against the wall of his bedroom. He groaned, turned over and smashed the pillow heavily over his ears. The tapping continued, slightly louder this time. He rubbed at his eyes and strained his eyes and realised that it was not a tapping noise but a ticking noise. His alarm clock. Sighing he rolled over and jammed his hand down on the snooze button and growled. He climbed out of bed, changed and went downstairs, prepared to get the kitchen ready for Hermione and the others for the morning rush. He checked the watch hanging on the kitchen wall and smiled. 5.30am, another half an hour and he would be ready for the before-work-rush. He hoped Hermione would let him keep the tips, if he made any at all.

Harry rubbed at his eyes due to the shuffling noise he had been hearing coming from the room next apartment. He smiled softly and ducked his head back underneath his pillow. He sensed a heavy calm in the air, almost as if something exciting was about to happen, however his sense told him that it would only be the Monday morning, before-breakfast rush. Nothing for him to worry himself over.

The burst through the door in a cluster of panting breath, rosy cheeks, and chilled red noses. They were rubbing their hands as they waited for the person ahead of them to order their coffee and bagel and be served, before allowing the front of the queue open and waiting. Draco was in his element serving steaming cups of coffee in take-away cups, and serving toasted bagels in small take-away paper bags. He loved it. He was down to his last few customers when a flash of red caught his eye. He looked up and saw none other than Ginny Weasley-Potter standing dominantly in the doorway, hands on her hips, wind causing her red hair to fly out in front of her. His insides turned to emotionless stone as she neared the counter. He ground his teeth together, "Good Morning what can I get for you?"

Her face did not move from the sour expression she had adopted. "Cut the crap Malfoy and tell me where the fuck my husband is!" she snarled.

Draco was taken aback but kept his scowl in place. How the fuck should he know where Potter was? He folded his arms and glared down his nose as the harlot in front of him. "Either buy something or piss off"

She leered up at him. "I'll give you fifty galleons for information"

Draco smirked, "give me one hundred and I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know"

Gritting her teeth Ginny slipped her hand into her fendy-purse and drew out a flashy orange fifty-pound note. She slammed it down on the counter, seething. "Now tell me what I want to know"

Draco slipped the fifty quid out from under her hand and held it up to the light. It was real enough. He smirked. She must be desperate to find him. Pocketing the crisp note into his back pocket, he leant against the counter and all but breathed into the red-heads face, "I have no idea"

She blinked those sickly brown eyes dolled with plastic-barbie make-up. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged casually, "I have no idea where your husband is, now if you don't mind I have other people to serve" Ginny was about to protest when a large man with foul breath nudged her aside and ordered himself a hot, black coffee, with three sugars. Scowling Ginny straightened her coat viciously about her, tipped her nose up to the air and stormed out of the busy café. She was about to walk past the large window but stopped short as she saw the sign on the door closing behind her. A notice reading "WAITRESSES WANTED!" caught her attention. A slow smirk crawled onto her plastic red lips. This would be perfect.

Harry watched from the front window as Ginny stormed out of the front door. He shivered as he let the curtains of his bedroom window fall back into place. How the hell had she managed to find him? He ran a hand down his face. This was not going to be a good day. Sighing he turned back to his bed, debating as to whether go back within the sheets or not. He decided against it. Not much point now that he was more or less wide awake. He went about his everyday routines of freshening up, brushing his teeth and attempted to comb his hair to no avail. He ventured downstairs just as the last of the customers was leaving. "Morning" he tried, tiredly as he stretched his arms.

Draco jumped at the sudden voice before turning around to face Harry. His eyes flashed with iron coldness that made Harry's bones shiver. "Hmph" the blonde breathed dryly, "your who-wife was here"

"I know, I saw her leave from my bedroom window"

"Ah, so you are the new member of our team? Just my luck" the blonde turned back to the cashier, ringing up the last of his sales. A thick silence washed over them. "Do you enjoy watching me work?" Draco snapped as he ducked under the counter to retrieve a bottle of 'Cillit Bang' and a cleaning cloth.

Harry pondered the rhetorical question carefully. Yes he did enjoy watching the blonde go about muggle life with more than his fair amount of ease. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do"

Draco snorted, "whatever just don't go queer on me, got it?"

"Sure thing" Harry leant back against the wall and watched the blonde manouvre himself from table to table, wiping the surfaces and making them gleam brightly. If he was not mistaken he could see a glimmer of a smile on the blonde's pale lips. Feeling like he should do something other than stand around and possibly getting in Draco's way, Harry walked over to the door and drew up the blind on the door window, as well as the ones along the front and back of the shop shielding the room from the early morning sunshine. As soon as the blinds were up Harry glanced back at the door and frowned. Why was there a 'help wanted' sign in the front of the window?

He turned back to face Draco and almost forgot his train of thought as the blondes' hair glistened like spun gold in the morning sun. "Er ... Draco? Why do we need more waitresses in here? I figured Hermione had enough staff as it is"

Draco shrugged, not drawing his attention away from the floor he was now sweeping. "It is getting colder around here. The colder it gets the more people will want to stop in somewhere warm while shopping. She just wants to be cautious about how much staff she has on hand, and to be honest I don't blame her. Christmas is not that far away either"

Harry nodded. "I admit I am a little afraid of the people who will be applying for a job. Some of those money-grabbing teenagers really bug me"

"Join the club, Potter" Draco swept his hair out of his eyes, folded his arms ontop of the broom handle and stared right up into Harry's dazzling green eyes with his burnign silver ones. "But Hermione said that we will try them out for a week or two and if there are any problems we get rid of them. Simple as"

"That's a bit harsh isn't it?"

Draco laughed. Not a sneer, not a snort or a scoff, a proper, genuine laugh. Harry froze in disbelief and turned to face the blonde. Yes, he was the one who was laughing. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. "Why the hell would it be harsh, Potter? It's just business. You cannot control it. It is a continuous cycle."

Harry smiled, without really knowing why. "So what should we do now?"

Draco licked his lips. "Turn the sign to 'closed' then come up to mine. Since we are being civil I shall offer you either tea, hot milk, or coffee. Your choice" and within the blinkof an eyes, he was gone. Harry frowned and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. Shrugging he returned to the door, pulled the blinds back down, feeling as though it was a wasted effort in the first place, and flipped the sign so that the 'closed' side was facing towards the street. Then he turned and went upstairs.

Harry found Draco's apartment all in order once again as he stepped inside the hallway and shut the door behind him. "Draco?"

"Kitchen"

Harry followed the voice into the warm kitchen and helped himself to a seat at the table. Draco took a peek over his shoulder and just as quickly returned his head to the boiling kettle on the stove. A small smile playing on his lips. "I'm sor-"

A slender finger fell upon Harry's lips, silencing his forthcoming apology. He had barely seen Draco spin around. It must be seeker reflexes. In this particular case, Draco was seeking another silenced apology from the 'savior'. "No more apologises Potter" his tone was soft and kind, like warm milk and honey, it flooded Harry with warmth. Harry smiled and let his lips relax beneath the finger. Draco removed his finger and straightened upright, a blushing smile appearing on his lips before he turned back to the stove. He coughed lightly to clear his throat, "er ... tea, coffee or milk?"

"Milk"

As soon as the hot milk was placed in front of him, Harry smiled down into the pearly depths of the glass. The milk was not too far off Draco's own skin colour ... so soft ... so silky ... delicious to taste ...

"Potter?"

"Er ... yes?" Harry flushed as he snapped out of the trance.

"Why the hell are you staring into the milk glass like Trelawney does to a crystal ball?"

Harry smiled at the frown on the blondes face, "maybe I was trying to see into my pearly-white future"

Draco snorted. "Yeah sure you were. Now hurrry up and drink, Hermione wants us to be washed and changed AGAIN for the interviewing"

Harry nodded and gulped down his milk. It did taste delicious! He secretly wondered if Draco's skin tasted similar. He stood to take his leave and was impressed when Draco stood and showed him to the door. He was about to leave to go to his own apartment when he turned around and said, "by the way, Draco, aren't your sheets pearly white, too?" and with that he left, leaving a blushing-red Draco to slam the door shut behind him.

~0000~

It was a trained set-up anyone could tell that as soon as they walked into Hermione's office for the interviews. Hermione sat at her desk in a neat-trim black pencil-skirt suit, her brunettes curls piles high up on her head in a business like ponytail. Draco and Harry were perched on two seats in the corner, like shadows looming in the darkness. Both men were wearing smart black dress-pants and white shirts and ties. Hermione had asked them to dress like this so as to intimidate the interviewees. And so far it was working. One girl had even burst out into tears and ran out of the room sobbing. When this occurred Harry frowned as Draco leant back to whisper in his ear, "business is ama-a-a-azing!"

Hermione rubbed her temples. She was getting frustrated as none of the applicants could even tell the difference between sugar and salt. "Okay the next one is ... mid-thirties, looking for something to occupy her day and support her two sons. Strange ... she forgot to sign her name. Oh well I'm sure she is outside, waiting" she licked her lips and shouted out "NEXT!" in the direction of her office door. The door swung open to reveal ...

"GINNY?"

The red-head smirked as she swung her fiery orange hair behind her head and flashed a sticky pink smile at Hermione and Harry. "At least you can remember my name, Harry, and yet you forget our two children?" she pouted flatterlessly.

"We have three children, Ginerva" Harry ground out. Draco frowned at Harry, he felt a painful hot throb in his chest. Potter's magical energy would blow any minute, and he was already on a short-fuse.

"Shall I make us some tea?" Draco offered tonelessly.

Hermione smiled gratefully up at him, "tea would be lovely thank you, Draco"

He nodded and stood from the chair. The sudden action caught Harry's attention. He frowned like a lost puppy at Draco leaving him in this situation. At the door the blonde turned back and said, "come on Potter, I cannot carry all those cups and teapot in here alone!" Harry jumped to attention and quickly marched out of the office.

Once the door closed Hermione's expression darkened, "what are you trying to pull, Ginny? We have no places for you here. You would disrupt the entire stability of my business"

"Honestly, Hermione, I am only here for Harry. Once I have him back I shall be on my way"

Hermione looked across at the tarted-up girl before her. She had changed since they had gone to school together, that much was for sure. Her tone was mocking and Hermione did not appreciate it one bit. She shook her head. "Harry is under my employment now and WILL NOT be released from his contract until I say so"

Ginny's muddy eyes narrowed beneath the layers of eyeshadow and mascara she wore. She pursed her lips into such a thin line, McGonagal would have envied her. "If that's the way you want it, Hermione, I will just take him back by force"

Hermione sighed. "Force does nothing but create problems Ginny"

The redhead scoffed, "for you, maybe, but for me it merely gets me what I want, and what I want is the rest of his damned money. What is so wrong with that? I crapped out three kids to satisfy his uncontrollable need for a family, what more does he want? I deserve compensation for carrying each one of those brats for nine months at a time" the entire time she had said this rant, she had been playing on a bubble-gum pink iPhone, much to Hermione's annoyance.

"The love and joy of being a mother and family is compensation enough" the brunette stated coldly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I don't really care about your take on life, Hermione. As far as the law is concerned I am still Mrs. Harry James Potter, and I am entitled to everything that man has"

Hermione tightened her legs together beneath the table. She could not ball her hands into fists as they were on top of her desk, and to show Ginny clenched fists was like showing a red flag to a bull. It would only give the younger woman more ammonition to fire insults at Harry behind his back. "I think you should leave Ginny"

"You cannot deny me a job"

"Yes I can. It is my business and I shall run it how I want"

"That's a shame" Ginny mocked examining her long, pink nails. "If only I could turn to my solicitor and tell him that aseperated mother of two was refused a job because of a technicality" her woeful tone turned deadly, and serious, "Oh yeah that's right. I can"

Back in the kitchen Draco was sitting up on the counter and rubbing away at Harry's shoulders having persuaded the brunette to let him give him a massage to unwind the tight knots caused by Ginny's arrival. "Don't worry about it, Potter, Hermione won't let her have the job, you and I can agree on that" Harry snorted dryly, "I mean Hermione desperately needs some part-time workers but she is not that to higher your soon-to-be-ex wife a.k.a. the Gryffindor whore"

Harry tilted his head to one side so as to see Draco, "was she really called the Gryffindor whore?"

Draco looked blankly serious, "of course. Amongst the Slytherins anyway. We had a bet to see which girl you would marry. Unlucky for me, Pansy won most people's money by stating it was obvious you would marry her"

"What were the other stakes?"

"Chang, for one" Harry scoffed, "but then there were others who thought you are Luna would be good together. I guess we all wanted more variation within the bet"

"So who did you pick me to go with?" Harry asked, suddenyl curious.

"Me?"

"Do you see anyone else here?" Harry smiled as he turned to face the blonde, still perched on the counter.

"I guess I figured you would be on your own for a while and fall for some pretty muggle girl. I don't know why, but you're the Saviour, anything would have been possible for you"

Silence reigned between them until they heard Hermione's door open. They expected to watch Ginny storm past the kitchen door in a temper, like they had seen that morning. However instead they saw her lean into the doorframe, a smug look on her face. "I can't believe we get to work alongside each other!" she blew a sticky kiss at Harry and flounced off.

Within seconds a seemingly mortified Hermione entered the kitchen and poured herself a cup of cooling tea. At the mens' infuriated, questioning expressions, she looked downcast and whispered, "I had to"