The next day, being Monday, Hermione took her time getting out of bed. She had no need to rush around getting Rose ready, as she would be staying here with Molly while she went to the office.
She dressed in her new clothes, which seemed to fit her perfectly. She hadn't realised when she bought them how figure-hugging they would be, and Hermione definitely had a figure to hug. Motherhood had widened her hips and increased her bust size, turning her previously lanky body into more of a slim hourglass type shape. She gave herself a once over in the mirror before pulling her hair away from her face and charming it into waves instead of a frizzy mess. She applied light mascara, never having been interested in anything beyond that, before she left the room with Rose in tow.
"Hermione dear, you look lovely today" Molly said, taking Rose from her and depositing her into the highchair. "I must say, this highchair is lovely" she added.
"Thank you. I did a little shopping on Saturday to expand my wardrobe. And I can't take credit for the chair, George transfigured one of your stools" she said.
"Oh, so it seems" she said, looking around and noticing that, in fact, one of her stools was missing. "Well, it will come in handy wont it?" she asked.
"It definitely makes things easier. Rose likes to see absolutely everything" Hermione said, kissing her daughter on the forehead before making her way to the back door.
"I expect I'll return home shortly after 4" she said.
"No problem dear. Take your time, if there's anything you need to do" the motherly woman said.
"Thanks Molly" she said, before leaving through the door and making her way down the path to the boundary fence.
Work was the same as it ever was. The lift ran slow as people congregated between the doors to finish hurried conversations. Hermione simply stood there as they did so, rolling her eyes.
Eventually, she arrived at the office ready to avoid small talk about her weekend.
She chatted with the team about their work and encouraged Malfoy to begin a morning meeting ritual. Any discussion of her weekend, she fought off as if she had a beaters bat and it were a bludger.
By lunch time, she made her way to the cafeteria accompanied by Malfoy, who was eager to find out what sorts of food were on offer.
"The sandwiches are ok, the fish and chips are amazing, the lasagne is pretty good to. It all depends what you enjoy" he said.
"Fish and chips, it is" he said to the cafeteria worker, handing over some galleons.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before the inevitable conversation occurred.
"You seem a little off today Granger" he said.
"Do I? I hadn't noticed" she lied.
"Really? You're avoiding small talk at all costs, you tried your damn hardest to get rid of me just now and you're stabbing your chips with your fork like they've done you wrong" he said.
"Maybe I'm imagining they're the 15-year-old version of you?" she asked, smiling sarcastically as he frowned at her serious tone.
"I wouldn't blame you" he said.
"I don't think anyone would, Malfoy, you were an absolute prat" she said.
"Yeah, I was. And I'll spend probably my entire life trying to make up for it and failing miserably" he said.
"No, I don't think you will" she said, thinking hard about their current situation. "I shouldn't have said that. You were different then. You're not the same now and I can see that" she said honestly. In fact, the person who sat across from her now at the table, was nothing like that boy she knew in school. She might even suggest that he was an imposter, perhaps poly-juiced, if it hadn't been for the way he carries himself and the slight attitude he gives off at times. She had called it aristocratic, however, it was just an underlying tone of confidence that comes with being quite good looking.
"I'm glad you can see that Granger. I think that you might have been my biggest obstacle. If you can see that I've changed, I think my mission might be finally complete" he said.
"Well, you have my complete confidence. I absolutely believe you're different" she said.
He smiled at that and went about eating.
"Just for that, I won't ask you about your weekend" he said.
"Thanks" she answered, her tone and facial features now suddenly serious.
"But… if you find yourself needing someone to talk to…" he began, pointing to himself and shrugging his shoulders.
"I'll keep that in mind" she said, finishing her lunch and standing to place her empty plate where it belonged.
Malfoy followed her, depositing his plate and cutlery where she told him to.
"So normally on a Monday I'd encourage the team to come up with some goals for the week" she said as they rode the lift back to the office floor.
"Goals?" he asked.
"Yes, things they'd like to accomplish by Friday" she said.
"That sounds like a plan" he said.
"And create a schedule to meet with them individually. Once a week at least, in the beginning. Then once a fortnight after that. But at least monthly moving forward" she said.
"Wow, bossy today, aren't we?" he asked.
"Malfoy, I have a week left here to help you rebuild this place and get things in order" she said.
"Plenty of time" he said with a smile as they made their way to the group offices.
When they arrived, he waved his wand and, on the wall, appeared a chalk board. Half the board was a table set up with days of the week vs time, and the other half listed everyone's name with stick on icons that listed where people were and when.
"Attention" Draco called above the humming conversations that sounded around the room. "Could we all gather around, I have something to show you all" he said, standing beside the board as the team of workers made their way over. "I'd like to create an opportunity for us to schedule in time for breaks, meetings, outings, check ins with myself and most importantly, self care. Its also important for us to know where everyone is during work hours in case they are needed…" Malfoy spent the next hour negotiating meeting schedules and time out, as well as modifying the boards to do what they all needed them to do.
The team seemed to be opening up to him more, the more he included them in the process, which Hermione was happy about. If he kept going at this rate, her attendance here wouldn't be necessary beyond a couple more days. That in itself made her feel uneasy. It had been just a week and already she had come to love coming to work and doing more with her day. The guilt she felt regarding leaving Rose was easing as she knew she was in capable hands. Molly seemed to appreciate spending time with her, and Rose was not as upset when she left as she used to be.
She made her way back to Malfoy's office and sat on the long lounge, putting her head in her hands. She felt tired, she felt sick, she felt like she wanted to just stay here and not face the reality that was her life.
She heard the door click shut quietly and felt the lounge sink beside her.
"Now will you tell me what's wrong?" he asked.
"Everything's a mess" she said, tears spilling from her betraying eyes.
"That's ok, I'll clean up, look" he said, waving his wand and tidying up a couple of piles here and there.
"No, not that, although, I never had mess when I was running this place" she said, smiling faintly.
"Tell me, I'm here, I'm listening. I won't say anything to anybody, I promise" he said, and she looked into his face and actually believed him.
"My life is a huge mess. Nothing is as it should be, and I feel like I'm a complete failure. My career is nothing, my relationship is a sham, I'm living at my in laws house because I can't stand to even look at Ron. And you… You're mister perfect, strutting around here like you own the place after just a week. You're on the up with work, you and your wife probably speak kindly to each other and have great sex and she most likely worships the ground you walk on. I can't even get Ron to say a simple thank you for dinner" she blurted.
Malfoy let out a long sigh and placed his hand on her knee, causing her to jump. His skin was warm and his touch tender, despite callouses that marked his skin, likely from years of playing quidditch, however, she wondered briefly where exactly they came from.
"Granger, you're not alone in this, trust me. You think I peacock around here because I'm confident? I'm shit scared. I'm frightened that as soon as you leave here, I'll mess the whole thing up. I'm frightened that the team out there will hate me and not trust me. This is my first paid job, ever and I'm in way over my head. I learnt a muggle saying once, that goes something like, 'pretend it till you make it'" he said.
"Fake it till you make it?" she asked, looking up from his hand and to his face.
"Exactly. That's what I've been doing. Faking my way around all this in hopes that someday I'll actually know what the hell I'm doing" he said.
"You seem pretty sure" she said.
"There you have my excellent acting skills" he said. "Also, what you said about my relationship. Also, quite untrue. Highly highly incorrect. My wife is the definition of evil. I think that's why she can't have children. Some people should not be mothers and she is prime example number one. We also stopped sleeping together a long time ago, so sadly, no great sex, as you so eloquently put it. In fact, I'm quite sure she's been having an affair since the very beginning" he said.
"Why did you marry her then?" she asked.
"My mother insisted. And she was nice enough at first. It was straight after the war and I just didn't think that I'd ever find anyone willing. So, I took the first arrangement that came my way" he said.
"That sounds incredibly lonely" she said, not able to fathom the possibly that there was someone out there who had a worse relationship than she did.
"This…" he indicated between the two of them and around the office with his hands, "… is the highlight of my life at the moment" he said. Sparking a desire to suddenly blurt out everything she had been holding in.
"On Saturday, I came home from shopping, having spent hours looking for a perfect spur of the moment surprise present for Ron, and he got angry at me because I wasn't home to make the salad for his mates, who I didn't know he was inviting over" she said.
"Go on" he said conjuring a jug of water and a glass from, Hermione could only guess where.
"I put the baby in her room, went back to the kitchen and threw the salad at him, one ingredient at a time. I smashed a window and screamed at him to make his own fucking salad" she said, the last bit almost an imitation of her tone that night.
"Holy Salazar, Granger, I didn't think you had it in you" he said.
"Oh, trust me. When Ron and I fight, we fight" she said. "I also burnt him with my wand tip on my way out the door with my bags packed and the baby asleep in my arms" she said.
They continued sharing their relationship woes, long into the afternoon and before Hemione know it, the team were all leaving, calling their goodbyes through the door.
"Shit, its 5pm" she said, standing up.
"Sorry, I should have kept better track of the time" he said.
"No, that's ok. Thank you, for today. It's actually really good to talk so openly about so much relationship drama. Who knew we'd do that with each other, right?" she asked, collecting her handbag from the hat/coat stand behind the door.
"And so easily?" he added. "Well I've definitely heard more about Weasleby than I ever thought I would and I certainly hate him more now than I ever did before" he said, standing from the leather lounge and moving towards the door.
"Its not Ron's fault. He's really… just… affected, I guess. Never dealt with his feelings from the war" she said.
"Don't you dare try and stick up for him now" Malfoy said, grinning as he moved closer to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She felt like he was way too close, she could smell his subtle cologne, but she couldn't bear to move. His hands felt safe on her body.
"Uh, ohh… ok" she mumbled.
"You've got this" he said.
"Yes. I do. I am strong and I make the rules" she said, smiling and nodding once.
His hands slid down from her shoulders, down the length of her arms, causing her body to shudder involuntarily with chills.
"We better get you to the floo" he said… "No, wait, apparition" he changed his mind as he removed his hands at her wrists and turned away from her.
"Ha! See, you remember. Why can't Ron?" she asked, shaking her head as they both left the office.
"Because, Granger, Weasley doesn't give a fuck" he said, extinguishing the lights with his wand as they waited for the lift.
"And you do?" she asked, not sure she wanted an answer.
"I…" he began, just as the lift arrived, which was bustling with activity.
They entered the lift and were forced to squeeze side by side. Malfoy held the handle above his head and Hermione leant against the door of the lift. As it shuddered between floors, Hermione felt herself being jostled against Malfoy's body and was shocked to find that she didn't mind.
"Merlin" she said to herself.
"What was that?" he asked, unable to hear her in the chaos and noise of the busy lift.
"Its bumpy today" she said.
"That's peak hour for you" said a voice from behind her. She had no idea who it was, but they continued to talk, the rest of the way to the disapparation point and didn't stop till she bid him farewell halfway through a sentence.
"Catch you tomorrow Granger" Malfoy said, turning on the spot and leaving.
She did the same, finding herself arrive on the outskirts of the Burrow.
AN - Thank you for the reviews... Its mostly the same people, so you know who you are, but you're inspiring me to keep going. I keep getting stuck in my head, remembering things that happened, trying to write them in a way that makes sense to this universe.
I don't want to disappoint, but Hermione and Ron will be back together soon. He is her solid ground. As much as its hard to understand. He's all she's ever known. And they do love each other in their own weird way. The story is now starting to take shape and i hope you can all see where its going. If not, thats ok, its going to get very crazy. The next chapter is a doosy, so if i can get more written in the future chapters, i'll post again tonight.
I'm way way ahead, but posting the way that i am because i don't want to write because i have to, does that make sense? I need to go at my pace but i want to get these out, so stay posted.