Disclaimer: I am using the property of J.K Rowling. All hail her.
A/N: Hmmm.should I pair Harry with Ginny or Claire? For now, here is a LONG chapter. . . I couldn't break it up in to two!
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Hermione had always liked the smell of parchment, its texture and the heaviness of it. How it would spring back up into a roll.how her ink would glisten on it when she wrote on it.the scratching noises it made with her quill.but she never wanted to drown in a sea of parchment either. When she walked into her have - not - been - entered - for - two -years office, it seemed it had been attacked by parchment. Obviously, some dim witted people, her secretary for one, must've thought that somehow she could magically do paper work in London from Guangdong province.
"Oy! Annie! ANNIE!!!"
"Yes?" came her secretary's annoyed voice.
"Can you come in here for a minute?"
"What?" Annie walked in and inspected her office indifferently. "It looks like hell in here."
"What did you do? What is all this stuff?" Hermione raved waving her arms around.
"It's the usual documents Miss Granger. You know, other people's reports.situation charts and you know." Annie shrugged in a maddening way. Hermione glared at her.
"Well, I want this office cleaned you hear?"
Annie jerked back in annoyance. "What? I am not your personalised cleaner!"
"This mess is your entire fault. I want it cleaned NOW."
For a moment, it looked like Annie was going to say 'Make me'.
"Or I will have you fired for this." Hermione threatened for good measure.
"Yes Ma'am." Annie sighed and bent over to pick up the sheaves of parchment. Hermione took a deep breath and released it slowly, bit by bit. Annie looked up from her task.
"You pregnant Miss Granger?"
"Get on with it Annie." Hermione checked her wrist watch. It was still only 9.30. She might as well help Annie with the cleaning.
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"Annie, where the hell did all this come from?"
Hermione and Annie had managed to sort the parchment in to two piles. One was going in the trash. The other comparably smaller than the other, was a pile of paper work that needed to be filed. Great, more work to be done.
"You never gave me any instruction on how to deal with these papers. It's not MY fault." Annie pouted. Hermione frowned, "Annie, you are supposed to read them and file them away or something, not just throw it into my office."
Annie looked away and rolled her eyes, Hermione sighed. It seemed that her young employee was going to have to go through some tough training.
"Annie, I want all this filed, you understand?"
"Miss, Granger, it's lunch-"
Hermione held her had up, "No, Annie, you behaviour over my absence is appalling, and now you have to make up for it." Hermione checked her wrist watch again. It was 12.30. "It looks like I am going to have lunch by myself." she muttered. But she had spoken too soon. Someone was knocking on her office door. Doing her messy hair up back in her bun, she looked over her shoulder to see Ron walking into her office. Her annoyed face broke into a smile. "Hi Ron!"
"Hey, I was wondering if you could have lunch with me."
Hermione smiled and gave a guarded look to Annie.she hope her secretary won't take revenge because of her work load.
"I'm going to have to check my schedule. . . . you see I met this appointment with. . . John. . . Annie, could you please-"
"You're free." Annie replied with lightening speed. She smiled wickedly at a frowning Hermione. "And who is this 'James? I don't have anything planned for you this week.or this month with anyone of that name as a matter of fact . . . apart form the lunch date you scheduled with your mother. Does that count?"
Hermione shot a look of pure venom at Annie. Just when she wanted to impress Ron with her unavailability. Annie grinned at her and gave a wink to Ron. That was it. More work for Annie. "Right then. I'm going out for lunch.Annie? File all those and take my old files out and sort them by date and alphabetical order please."
Annie opened her mouth to protest but Hermione was already out the door dragging Ron behind her who gave Annie a weak smile of encouragement.
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"Why did you ask me out to lunch if you were just going to start another argument with me?" Hermione didn't care if she was shouting with her mouth full. In fact, she wished some of her spaghetti particles would hit Ron's infuriating face.
"Well did I KNOW you were going to be this childish? And don't talk with your mouth full! You are being so immature!" Ron shouted back equally loudly, holding up a napkin to block the flying death of spaghetti.
Hermione took a sharp intake of breath and released with a flurry of words. "Yes Ron, I got engaged. Once. But I broke it off! Ok? I broke it OFF. Happy now that my life is ruined?"
"If it was going to ruin your life then why did you break it off?
It was only a few times when Hermione Granger was rendered speechless and more often than not, it was the result of one Mr. Weasley's unusual display of perceptibility and astuteness. Well, call the newspapers, because Hermione was speechless. Instead of replying her face congealed with blood as she went back to the previous night's behaviour - stab the life out of whatever was in front of her - in this case carbonara spaghetti.
Ron dropped his fork with a 'clang' and reached over to take Hermione's hand, who snatched it back with the reflexes of an Auror. Sighing deeply, Ron decided to show some of his rarely displayed sentimentality.
"Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to say that."
"Well you did." She snapped, her scorn coming back to her in full force.
"I just missed you a lot."
Hermione didn't reply and 'hmphed' arrogantly.
"I was always waiting for you to come back, you know."
"Wait for me? Ha. Ron, you are living with someone now - where's the waiting?"
"For the fortieth god forsaken time - she is just my FRIEND."
"Yeah right."
"Yes I am right."
"Whatever."
"So, what was he like?" Ron asked cheerily, taking his fork back up. Hermione glared. "I'm just making conversation." He said sheepishly.
"He was perfect. He was everything I've ever wanted - he was handsome, he was smart, he wasn't reckless and he always knew what to say. He knew what I wanted. I wanted him."
Ron was rather hurt, but didn't show it, "Well if Mr. Perfect was so perfect, then why did you break it off?"
"I wasn't perfect enough for him." Hermione sighed.
"Well, isn't he a bastard? Tell you what Hermione; forget about him."
Hermione managed a faint smile.
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Walking back to her office, swinging her purse desolately, Hermione leaned against a wall and sighed. What she had said to Ron back during lunch time had been a total lie. All of it. And she really hated herself for it. Why could she not have told him, that the reason why she REALLY left her 'perfect' fiancé John was because he wasn't Ron? Well there also was the incident where he stole all her money from her and left her after she'd broken up with him. . . but that was trivial. John wasn't Ron. 'Hey that rhymes!' she though giddily. Perhaps the few glasses of wine she'd had after Ron rushed of to a meeting was taking a toll on her. Hermione pushed herself away from the wall. He wasn't everything she'd ever wanted. He never argued wit her. He never made her laugh. Sighing again, Hermione kept on walking. After a few more minutes of desolate walking and purse swinging, she found herself in a completely foreign alleyway. Now she was lost. "Great" she muttered. She couldn't even apparate lest there were muggles around. Looking about her, she spotted a man walking towards her quickly. She gave him a large smile. "Excuse me Sir? I was wondering whether you could tell me where the - " Hermione never finished the sentence. Pointing a gun at her, the man stuck out his hand.
"Give me your handbag."
Oh dear. Hermione clutched her handbag to her chest,
"No sir, you don't want to open this. . ." You see, my wand is in there. Hermione thought to herself.
"Just give me the bag or I'll shoot you!"
Sighing, Hermione handed the man her bag. The man rummaged through it, tossing aside her lip gloss. Her favourite lip gloss from Channel. She groaned, "Not that. . ." Delving further in, the man extracted her wand. He frowned.
"What the hell is this?"
Hermione rubbed her temples. Today was not her day.
"Is this some sort of sex toy?" the man asked with a confused look.
Hermione jerked back in disgust. "No!"
The man tossed it as well. Finally, getting frustrated, he emptied the entire contents of Hermione's bag on to the side walk.
"What the hell is this?" he picked up some scrolls and her portable quills. "What are you from the middle ages lady?" Hermione almost had the urge to laugh. "Where are your cell phone and your wallet? Where is your ATM card? Who the hell are you? Are you one of the Amish?"
There Hermione let out a loud laugh. She abruptly stopped when the man cocked his gun.
"Erm. . . no. . . you see, I don't carry money with me because I can go to Gringotts. It's not far from the ministry building. And the long stick there is my wand." Hermione said uncertainly.
Perhaps the man was a squib.
"You're crazy lady." The man said loudly. Looking her up and down, he finally pointed to her shoes.
"Give me your shoes."
"What?" Now thieves were after fashion? "Sir, please. . . this is the only pair of Gucci's I have left with me. You see, my ex - fiancé stole all my other ones. Can't you just settle for my purse? They are from last season and I have another one at home. . ." Hermione pleaded with the man.
Perhaps it would work. He seemed irrational. Her plan backfired.
"Give me your shoes, and I'll take the bag with me." The man picked up her last season Fendi purse and snatched her favourite pair of sandals from her reluctant grasp. Then he did the worst thing.
"Lady, next time - find a better sex toy, this really sucks." With that the man picked up her wand and snapped it in two.
"NO!" Hermione threw the longer half of her broken wand at the man's retreating back. "You BASTARD! I'll HEX YOU FOR THIS! I'LL CURSE YOU! I SWEAR, I WILL USE THE AVEDA KEDAVRA CURSE ON YOU!!" she screamed irrationally.
The man ran away from her, laughing loudly.
A/N: Hmmm.should I pair Harry with Ginny or Claire? For now, here is a LONG chapter. . . I couldn't break it up in to two!
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Hermione had always liked the smell of parchment, its texture and the heaviness of it. How it would spring back up into a roll.how her ink would glisten on it when she wrote on it.the scratching noises it made with her quill.but she never wanted to drown in a sea of parchment either. When she walked into her have - not - been - entered - for - two -years office, it seemed it had been attacked by parchment. Obviously, some dim witted people, her secretary for one, must've thought that somehow she could magically do paper work in London from Guangdong province.
"Oy! Annie! ANNIE!!!"
"Yes?" came her secretary's annoyed voice.
"Can you come in here for a minute?"
"What?" Annie walked in and inspected her office indifferently. "It looks like hell in here."
"What did you do? What is all this stuff?" Hermione raved waving her arms around.
"It's the usual documents Miss Granger. You know, other people's reports.situation charts and you know." Annie shrugged in a maddening way. Hermione glared at her.
"Well, I want this office cleaned you hear?"
Annie jerked back in annoyance. "What? I am not your personalised cleaner!"
"This mess is your entire fault. I want it cleaned NOW."
For a moment, it looked like Annie was going to say 'Make me'.
"Or I will have you fired for this." Hermione threatened for good measure.
"Yes Ma'am." Annie sighed and bent over to pick up the sheaves of parchment. Hermione took a deep breath and released it slowly, bit by bit. Annie looked up from her task.
"You pregnant Miss Granger?"
"Get on with it Annie." Hermione checked her wrist watch. It was still only 9.30. She might as well help Annie with the cleaning.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Annie, where the hell did all this come from?"
Hermione and Annie had managed to sort the parchment in to two piles. One was going in the trash. The other comparably smaller than the other, was a pile of paper work that needed to be filed. Great, more work to be done.
"You never gave me any instruction on how to deal with these papers. It's not MY fault." Annie pouted. Hermione frowned, "Annie, you are supposed to read them and file them away or something, not just throw it into my office."
Annie looked away and rolled her eyes, Hermione sighed. It seemed that her young employee was going to have to go through some tough training.
"Annie, I want all this filed, you understand?"
"Miss, Granger, it's lunch-"
Hermione held her had up, "No, Annie, you behaviour over my absence is appalling, and now you have to make up for it." Hermione checked her wrist watch again. It was 12.30. "It looks like I am going to have lunch by myself." she muttered. But she had spoken too soon. Someone was knocking on her office door. Doing her messy hair up back in her bun, she looked over her shoulder to see Ron walking into her office. Her annoyed face broke into a smile. "Hi Ron!"
"Hey, I was wondering if you could have lunch with me."
Hermione smiled and gave a guarded look to Annie.she hope her secretary won't take revenge because of her work load.
"I'm going to have to check my schedule. . . . you see I met this appointment with. . . John. . . Annie, could you please-"
"You're free." Annie replied with lightening speed. She smiled wickedly at a frowning Hermione. "And who is this 'James? I don't have anything planned for you this week.or this month with anyone of that name as a matter of fact . . . apart form the lunch date you scheduled with your mother. Does that count?"
Hermione shot a look of pure venom at Annie. Just when she wanted to impress Ron with her unavailability. Annie grinned at her and gave a wink to Ron. That was it. More work for Annie. "Right then. I'm going out for lunch.Annie? File all those and take my old files out and sort them by date and alphabetical order please."
Annie opened her mouth to protest but Hermione was already out the door dragging Ron behind her who gave Annie a weak smile of encouragement.
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"Why did you ask me out to lunch if you were just going to start another argument with me?" Hermione didn't care if she was shouting with her mouth full. In fact, she wished some of her spaghetti particles would hit Ron's infuriating face.
"Well did I KNOW you were going to be this childish? And don't talk with your mouth full! You are being so immature!" Ron shouted back equally loudly, holding up a napkin to block the flying death of spaghetti.
Hermione took a sharp intake of breath and released with a flurry of words. "Yes Ron, I got engaged. Once. But I broke it off! Ok? I broke it OFF. Happy now that my life is ruined?"
"If it was going to ruin your life then why did you break it off?
It was only a few times when Hermione Granger was rendered speechless and more often than not, it was the result of one Mr. Weasley's unusual display of perceptibility and astuteness. Well, call the newspapers, because Hermione was speechless. Instead of replying her face congealed with blood as she went back to the previous night's behaviour - stab the life out of whatever was in front of her - in this case carbonara spaghetti.
Ron dropped his fork with a 'clang' and reached over to take Hermione's hand, who snatched it back with the reflexes of an Auror. Sighing deeply, Ron decided to show some of his rarely displayed sentimentality.
"Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to say that."
"Well you did." She snapped, her scorn coming back to her in full force.
"I just missed you a lot."
Hermione didn't reply and 'hmphed' arrogantly.
"I was always waiting for you to come back, you know."
"Wait for me? Ha. Ron, you are living with someone now - where's the waiting?"
"For the fortieth god forsaken time - she is just my FRIEND."
"Yeah right."
"Yes I am right."
"Whatever."
"So, what was he like?" Ron asked cheerily, taking his fork back up. Hermione glared. "I'm just making conversation." He said sheepishly.
"He was perfect. He was everything I've ever wanted - he was handsome, he was smart, he wasn't reckless and he always knew what to say. He knew what I wanted. I wanted him."
Ron was rather hurt, but didn't show it, "Well if Mr. Perfect was so perfect, then why did you break it off?"
"I wasn't perfect enough for him." Hermione sighed.
"Well, isn't he a bastard? Tell you what Hermione; forget about him."
Hermione managed a faint smile.
----------------------------------------------------
Walking back to her office, swinging her purse desolately, Hermione leaned against a wall and sighed. What she had said to Ron back during lunch time had been a total lie. All of it. And she really hated herself for it. Why could she not have told him, that the reason why she REALLY left her 'perfect' fiancé John was because he wasn't Ron? Well there also was the incident where he stole all her money from her and left her after she'd broken up with him. . . but that was trivial. John wasn't Ron. 'Hey that rhymes!' she though giddily. Perhaps the few glasses of wine she'd had after Ron rushed of to a meeting was taking a toll on her. Hermione pushed herself away from the wall. He wasn't everything she'd ever wanted. He never argued wit her. He never made her laugh. Sighing again, Hermione kept on walking. After a few more minutes of desolate walking and purse swinging, she found herself in a completely foreign alleyway. Now she was lost. "Great" she muttered. She couldn't even apparate lest there were muggles around. Looking about her, she spotted a man walking towards her quickly. She gave him a large smile. "Excuse me Sir? I was wondering whether you could tell me where the - " Hermione never finished the sentence. Pointing a gun at her, the man stuck out his hand.
"Give me your handbag."
Oh dear. Hermione clutched her handbag to her chest,
"No sir, you don't want to open this. . ." You see, my wand is in there. Hermione thought to herself.
"Just give me the bag or I'll shoot you!"
Sighing, Hermione handed the man her bag. The man rummaged through it, tossing aside her lip gloss. Her favourite lip gloss from Channel. She groaned, "Not that. . ." Delving further in, the man extracted her wand. He frowned.
"What the hell is this?"
Hermione rubbed her temples. Today was not her day.
"Is this some sort of sex toy?" the man asked with a confused look.
Hermione jerked back in disgust. "No!"
The man tossed it as well. Finally, getting frustrated, he emptied the entire contents of Hermione's bag on to the side walk.
"What the hell is this?" he picked up some scrolls and her portable quills. "What are you from the middle ages lady?" Hermione almost had the urge to laugh. "Where are your cell phone and your wallet? Where is your ATM card? Who the hell are you? Are you one of the Amish?"
There Hermione let out a loud laugh. She abruptly stopped when the man cocked his gun.
"Erm. . . no. . . you see, I don't carry money with me because I can go to Gringotts. It's not far from the ministry building. And the long stick there is my wand." Hermione said uncertainly.
Perhaps the man was a squib.
"You're crazy lady." The man said loudly. Looking her up and down, he finally pointed to her shoes.
"Give me your shoes."
"What?" Now thieves were after fashion? "Sir, please. . . this is the only pair of Gucci's I have left with me. You see, my ex - fiancé stole all my other ones. Can't you just settle for my purse? They are from last season and I have another one at home. . ." Hermione pleaded with the man.
Perhaps it would work. He seemed irrational. Her plan backfired.
"Give me your shoes, and I'll take the bag with me." The man picked up her last season Fendi purse and snatched her favourite pair of sandals from her reluctant grasp. Then he did the worst thing.
"Lady, next time - find a better sex toy, this really sucks." With that the man picked up her wand and snapped it in two.
"NO!" Hermione threw the longer half of her broken wand at the man's retreating back. "You BASTARD! I'll HEX YOU FOR THIS! I'LL CURSE YOU! I SWEAR, I WILL USE THE AVEDA KEDAVRA CURSE ON YOU!!" she screamed irrationally.
The man ran away from her, laughing loudly.