Happy Friday! Pretty much everyone who reviewed guessed that the quote came from Little Women. Have a lot of people read the book/seen the movie, or am I just really predictable?

Chapter 10

Pansy perused the travel section, waiting for Hermione to pay attention to her. She watched her converse with customers, making suggestions and ringing up their purchases. It wasn't until Hermione left the front counter that Pansy realized she wasn't alone. Draco was by her side, taking over checkout.

"Sorry," Hermione said, joining her friend. "It's been a busy morning."

"Draco's working here now?" Pansy asked.

Hermione nodded. "He's officially been cut off," she shared. "He needed a job, I need help here, so I hired him."

Pansy nodded as she observed his interaction with the customers. Draco smiled and seemed pleasant, glad to help whoever needed it. "Are things going well between the two of you?" she asked. "The papers won't stop talking about how he's called off his wedding to be with you. How's he doing with all this?"

Hermione smiled as she looked at him. "He's happy," she replied. "He's referring to himself as an orphan, but he's happy. I think he just feels free, which I'm sure is a feeling that won't last long when he has to start paying bills on a cashier's salary. But I'm not ready to burst that bubble just yet."

Giggling, Pansy returned her attention to the shelf. Selecting a book on Italy, she thumbed through it. "It's nice that the two of you can work and live together," she decided. "Someday, I hope I have someone like that. Everyone should get to experience the kind of love the two of you have."

"You will," Hermione promised with a reassuring smile. "So, what brought you around today? Hoping to see Draco do some manual labor? I have a shipment in back that needs to be shelved."

Laughing, Pansy shook her head. "Planning a trip, actually. Greg and I are going away," she shared. Hermione's eyebrows rose, hoping that a new relationship was brewing. "It's not like that. We're friends, more like brother and sister really. With the anniversary of the final battle coming up, we both decided that we want to be anywhere but here. Do you think he'd like Italy?"

"I think he would," Hermione replied. "The culture, the sights, the food. You two would have a nice time there. Take whatever books you want. It's on me. All I ask is for a postcard."

She tucked the book in her hand under her arm and wrapped the other around Hermione. "I don't know what that is, but I'll figure it out and get you one," she promised. "Or you could come with us. You've befriended Greg, and this will give you more of an opportunity to spend time with him."

Hermione smiled. "Are you inviting Draco as well?" she wondered.

Rolling her eyes, Pansy nodded. "We both know you don't go anywhere without the other," she replied. "I figured with the amount of media attention the two of you have drawn, you could do with a little time away as well."

Sighing wistfully, Hermione shook her head. She couldn't leave her shop, and it was important to Draco that he take his responsibilities seriously. "Maybe next time," she suggested. Pansy nodded knowingly and continued to browse. "May I ask you something? Why aren't you mad at me for what happened with Theo?"

Pansy pulled another travel guide from the shelf and read the back cover. "Why would I be mad that your ten minute relationship ended?" she wondered. "We both knew it wouldn't last. It was only a matter of time before you and Draco got together. It wasn't fair to Theo that you dated him and slept with Draco, but we knew it was inevitable that you would wind up with him. Personally, I think Theo was fooling himself to believe he even had a chance with you."

Taken aback by her honesty, Hermione could only stare at her friend. Pansy turned to her with a questioning look in her dark eyes. "I wasn't lying to him when I said I had feelings for him," Hermione mumbled, suddenly feeling guilty for the way her brief relationship ended.

Pansy softened. "I know you weren't," she said kindly. "Theo's difficult to hate, and he has a knack for making women fall for him. I know your feelings for him were real, they just weren't strong enough to combat the ones you had for Draco. The only person who has any right to be mad is Theo. It's not my place to be angry or anything less than supportive of you. We're friends, Granger, and we look out for one another."

Smiling, Hermione wrapped her arms around the girl she had once hated. "Thank you," she whispered.

Laughing as she pulled away, Pansy continued to peruse the books. "Just don't fall in love with me next," she joked.

Hermione grinned, walking backwards away from her friend. "Too late, Parkinson," she declared. "I can't live without you."

She returned to the counter and her boyfriend. "What was that about?" he asked, making change for the last customer in line.

"We were invited to Italy, but I declined," Hermione replied, stickering a pile of books. "I didn't think you'd want to vacation with Pansy and Greg."

He turned to watch her on the second floor of the shop. "Think there's something going on there?" he wondered. Hermione shrugged, undeterred from her task. "That would be odd, don't you think? I can't see Goyle with...well, anyone. Besides, I think Pansy needs someone with more personality. Goyle's-"

"Stop," she told him, her mouth set in a thin, straight line when she shut it. His eyes widened minutely before he whispered an apology. "Greg's a nice guy. I wish you'd stop picking on him."

Taking the price tags from her hand, he set them aside so he could have her full attention. "I'm sorry," he said again, his arms winding around her waist. "I promise I'll make an effort to be kinder to him."

"He deserves it," she replied, arms crossed over her chest. Draco nodded in agreement. "And if they decide to be together, we'll respect their decision and be happy for them. They're our friends, and they were supportive of our relationship. It's only fair we show them the same respect."

Rolling his eyes, he tried to hide a smile as she lectured him. "Yes, ma'am," he mumbled before giving her a tender kiss. "Some habits are a bit hard to break, but I'll do my best to break this one. You're right. He deserves to have better friends."

"Stop sucking up, and please stop sucking face," Pansy chastised, standing on the other side of the checkout counter. She placed four books on the counter. "Is it alright to take these?"

Hermione nodded and handed a bag to her friend. "We're giving away books now?" Draco inquired.

"Half of the books in your room are books you took from the shop," Hermione remarked. "I don't recall charging you for them. Besides, bring them back when you no longer need them, Pansy. I can always sell them used. A lot of people like used travel books, especially if you put a few notes in the margins."

Nodding, Pansy hugged her and left the shop. "That's nice," Draco commented. "Sometimes it feels like school never happened at all."

Hermione resumed her previous task of placing prices on the newest books. "Explains that double negative you used the other day," she mused.

Laughing, he leaned against the counter and eyed her. "I meant the way we've managed to put childhood animosity behind us and become friends," he said.

She glanced his way briefly before returning to her work with a frown. "Yeah, if only my friends were so evolved," she muttered.