This work is unbeta'd.
The characters and the world all belong to JK Rowling. I just use them for my creative ideas.
A special thanks to WritingFicariously for talking out this idea with me! You da best!
This was written for the DFW Sprintlympics (One)Shot Put 2021!
Prompt: Prompt: "There is no life without sport and no sport without competition." -Randeep Hooda
All's Fair in Childish Rivalries and Ministry Hallways
Her eyes flickered up to the door as she heard the rowdy commotion trickling in. Gritting her teeth, then immediately wincing knowing her parents would have berated her for that action, she pushed away from the desk. She slipped on her robes before pulling the door open to see spells flicking past her, back and forth. Sparks flickered in the air in front of her. Pressing her fingers against her temple, she let out a low, angry growl. The frustration of her reports and the disruption rising up in her creating a volcano ready to erupt.
"Potter - you better watch it," a voice snarked from her left. A familiar voice that held so much confidence and arrogance that she had to swallow the insults coming to her tongue. Silver eyes flickering once to her before his eyes settled on his opponent, a smirk pulling across a devilishly handsome face. Her heart stuttered once before she frowned, shaking the feeling from her mind as she remembered all the paperwork waiting for her inside her office.
"Ha, as if Malfoy. I bested you through school, who's to say that I can't now?" Her best friend, her very idiotic best friend. His familiar mop of hair a mess as usual, and his glasses tilted on his face, broken, again, facing off against the white haired man on the opposing side of the hall.
She stepped forward, her wand flicking both ways in a span of a heartbeat. A snarl on her lips, she kept her voice low as she looked at the two idiots frozen in space, time. Their eyes trained on her, their own worries and anger clear. "Me, that's who can best the BOTH of you." Her fingers went to her temples again as she closed her eyes.
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you both that you are adults, Aurors, and a certain level of decorum is required and you are both acting like adolescent school children." She felt Malfoy's stare narrow but she didn't bother to open her eyes, rubbing her temples slowly. "You're only exasperating my headache and interrupting MY JOB. I'm going to release the two of you and you both are going to go back to your offices and get to work. Your childish rivalry will not interrupt my work again. I will not hear you outside my door again, do you understand?" They couldn't respond. So with a heavy sigh, she flicked her wand once more and they were released.
Harry fell to his knees, surprised at the sudden release, while Malfoy just faltered a few steps before standing to his full height. His eyes glittered dangerously in the hallway lights, but Hermione didn't respond. She opened her door and walked back in, the door slamming behind her in a simple finality.
Just as she was taking her seat, she heard Harry's low voice through the door. "Better no, Malfoy. She's in a foul mood - we don't want to be on the other end of her wand again. Bloody scary that one is."
She could hear the low timber of Malfoy's voice, a slow shiver of goosebumps rising over the back of her neck, but she couldn't hear his response. When the door didn't open, she set her head down on the desk and took three deep, calming breaths trying to settle the unease inside her.
The paperwork was stacked all around her and she felt as if for every document she was able to finish there would be ten more flying in with the owls. Her treats were dangerously low too, so the owls were going to get rather irate once it was all gone. Slowly she rose from her spot, staring at the different items discombobulated around her desk. Several empty mugs, a half empty water jug, and muggle pens were littering her desk. She stopped using a quill long ago due to the nature of the owl's frequent visits and her hands constantly knocking over the ink pot. Muggle pens were a safety measure at this point. It didn't stop the ink from staining her fingertips though, or on the less than rare occasion, her cheek after a quick nap at the desk.
"I'll see the end of this pile one day," she whispered to herself as she picked up another packet of legislation and took out her handy red pen.
It wasn't long before she was neck deep in legislation on the new land being built into a Dragon Rehabilitation center, that she heard the slow creek of her door opening. She didn't look up as she continued on her reading hoping it would chase off whatever pest came poking around. Just as she jotted down a few notes in the sides of the paper, she saw a hand enter her peripheral view and place another mug on her desk. Her eyes flickered to the mug and she saw the steam rising from the dark liquid. The same hand moved around her desk taking the others from her sight. She stared, unseeing, as she tried to process what was happening, still stuck in the land rights written on the paper below her fingertips.
Finally her eyes flickered up to see Draco Malfoy pulling his wand out and sending the mugs out the crack in the door. As soon as he saw the last one leave, he flicked his wand forward again and the door shut with a quiet groan. He turned then to look at her, his eyes trailing over her. A half smile, gentle, appeared on one side as he took her in.
"Drink your tea, love," he reminded gently before moving around the desk toward one of the armchairs in front of her desk.
"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to get back to work," she grumbled but her hands reached out greedily for the dark mug. Once her fingers gripped the handle, she slowly brought it over the desk, careful not to spill, and blew on the top of the mug to cool it. A gentle sip and she felt the heat of the tea drag down her throat and a calm leak out into every nerve of her being. Her eyes flickered over to him where he was smirking at her from over a book.
"You did, love, but since it's after six I've finished my day of working."
She hummed but took another sip. The calm feeling still leaking into the empty spaces as she drank from the magic that was spilling over her.. "You put a calming draught in this, didn't you?" He just smirked in response and turned back to whatever book he was reading. She went back to the legislation.
As she started clearing her work space an hour later, she felt his eyes on her. Turning slightly, she glanced over at him. "What is it?"
"Are you better now?" He stood from his spot in the chair and stretched, his Auror robes long forgotten. His shirt rode up slightly to show a piece of skin. Her eyes followed his movements.
"What do you mean?" She questioned slowly, wrenching her eyes to his face. Her thoughts slowly catching up with his words. A smug smile on his face, he stepped closer and tugged her close. His lips brushed against her forehead.
"You were quite tense earlier when you caught Harry and I in a harmless duel," he remarked as he rubbed calming circles on her lower back.
She rolled her eyes as she pushed away from him. "First off, you shouldn't be DUELING inside the hallways, Draco. Second off, it was in front of my office." She pulled on her robe again. "Third, I still don't understand this ridiculous competition between the two of you. We left Hogwarts, years ago ."
He followed her out the door, right at her heels. "It's harmless fun and it keeps us on our toes, Granger." Her eyes rolled again. "Life's tough enough, and we need some harmless competition to give us a little gateway." He grabbed her hand and stopped her in the middle of the hall. The lights dim since it was after hours. "I promise, despite my best efforts, I actually like your pompous bestie. We work well together. It's all just done in sport, love."
She tilted her head to the side, processing his words. Pulling her lip between her teeth, she pondered for a moment. "You like Harry?"
Draco groaned, dropping her hand and started forward again. "From all that, that's all you take away?"
"Well it's kind of a big deal, I mean you two are competitive to the extreme and there is the whole Quidditch thing, you know?"
"Granger," he warned as they came to the Floo. "Can we stop talking about Harry? Besides, I'll always be better than him." A rare smile spread over him. His eyes intense, dark as he looked down at her.
She crossed her arms before her, allowing a soft scoff to escape. "Why's that, Malfoy?" The smile spread farther, a slight edge to it. "Harry's quite skilled you know, he did defeat -"
He grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. "Because I'll always have something he doesn't," he whispered against the shell of her ear, his voice low, dark and full of promise. "The most powerful witch of our age."
Though her knees stilted, she cleared her throat and pulled back. A grin of her own on her face. "In all fairness, technically, Harry's always had me." The look of astonishment across his face caused her to start to laugh. "I mean he is my very best friend, you know?"
"Witch," he hissed as he tugged her through the Floo. "You'll pay for that."
Heat pooled in her belly as she saw the stark need in his gaze. "Promise?"
A few hours later, in the dead of the night, both spent and tired, she spoke into the darkness. A smug smile of her own spreading over her lips. "You do realize, if I joined this little competition, I'd certainly best the two of you, right?"
She yelped when she felt two arms suddenly band over her, pulling her to his chest. "Go to sleep, Granger." Leaning forward, she kissed his jaw line. The feeling of scruff rubbing against her lips.
"Goodnight, Draco," she whispered. His only answer was a kiss against her forehead as he pulled her tighter against him.