*~*Chapter 8: DAMN THE MAN*~*
A subtle "ahem!" shook Hermione from her latest Gilderoy daydream. She got up and saw a man holding a bouquet of exotic plants, as well as some muggle ones.
The man looked at her intently, the he finally got off his broom and walked towards Hermione.
"Are you Hermione Granger?"
Hermione took the huge bouquet and grinned from ear to ear.
"For me?"
"mm hmm." said the florist as he handed her a piece of parchment to sign.
"Oh wow! Thank you!"
The florist took the parchment from Hermione and began to walk towards the door.
"Uh-hmm..later."
"Yeah," said Hermione, who was still looking at the flowers. "Bye. Thank you."
The door slammed behind the florist as Hermione set the flowers down in the corner of the register where she had been working. Ginny came up and immediately snatched up the card that Hermione plucked out from among the many flowers in her arrangement.
"To the number one in her class," read Ginny in a high squeaky voice,"Wardvard 1999. Make me proud, love Daddy. Aww..that sweet."
Hermione flopped down on the ground and frowned. Since she insisted on living in the wizard world, her dad realized that she would not be attending Oxford, or even Harvard in the states. Then he found out Wardvard University, the wizarding world's equivalent to an ivy league education. It was magically linked to Harvard, and all of it's graduates, should they ever choose to live as a muggle, were automatically accredited by the famous muggle institution, which was really founded by wizards and witches who had gone to America in the 18th century. He knew that Hermione was smart enough to go there, so he constantly encouraged her in the best way he knew how...expecting nothing less than perfection from her.
"Merlin, nothing's ever good enough for him, huh?"
Ginny rubbed her shoulders and helped her up. "Aww, no, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. No he didn't-, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that."
"Er, excuse me?" An irritated customer was tapping her wand on the counter top where the red-head was consoling the small brunette on the floor. Hermione got up immediately and brushed off her skirt and produced her most brilliant smile.
"Hi, how are you today?"
*~*
Ron was still roaming around the store, banging his head to the music along with some of the customers. He found another picture of Britta Sparks and Christine Aguigola, and began kissing the picture as the girls in the picture squealed and hid from his roaming tongue. At the moment, Pansy came in like an army of darkness.
Hermione leaned forward, still smiling like her life depended on it. "Hi Pansy."
Pansy walked by and gave Hermione the finger.
Hermione slumped back down to the ground. "She hates me." After the defeat of Voldemort, the Slytherins and Gryffindors had a tough time trying to come to common ground, although the majority of them had a truce that was known throughout the school. Pansy, however, refused to back down and befriend the Gryffindors. She never gave anyone a reason why. She just stopped dressing in skanky clothes and stuck mostly to her neo-nazi dark army gear. She never had anything kind to say, if she said anything at all. Hermione had tried her hardest to befriend the slytherin princess, but to no avail.
Ginny, for the second time that day pulled Hermione up. "She hates me too, but I have enough sense to hate her back.
*~*
Pansy pushed open the door to the back room and came face to face with Harry on the couch.
"Morning Pansy."
Draco saw her come in as well, "Hi Pans."
Snape stepped out of his office as Pansy stepped into the bathroom. He began to pace in front of Harry, occasionally stopping to scratch his head.
"Harry, are you in trouble? Did you need the money? Because if you are in trouble you can talk to me, you know that right? I'm no longer the git that pissed you off in the dungeons. I thought we called a truce?"
Harry, in his contemplative state, looked up at Snape. "We are all in some kind of trouble. Am I the only one who sees it? You know, Pansy's in trouble and Draco's in trouble."
"I am not in trouble!" Draco got up and walked towards the couch.
".and Hermione is in trouble."
Draco looked at Harry with a confused look in his eyes. "'Mione is NOT in trouble. She's going to Warvard!"
".Ron's in trouble."
Snape threw a piece of paper at Harry. "I'm the only who's in trouble here, 'cuz every moment that goes by and I don't call the ministry, I look like a bigger pumpkin-head!"
"Snape," said Harry," I can categorically say that you are not a bigger pumpkin-head."
Snape was fuming now. Here was mister calm as the sea Potter sitting on the bloody arse while he had to grasp at air to figure out his situation. "You screwed me Harry- -you know that right? What do you want me to do?" Snape looked at Harry, who just shrugged. "Call Mitchell Fudge and tell him that I LIED?"
Harry examined his nails, then stretched his arms behind his head. His demeanor was definitely getting on Snape's nerves.
"It seems like a viable option," said Harry as he continued to stretch.
Snape snatched out his wand and had it between Harry's eyes..again. "I swear, if you are fooling with me, I will Avada you."
"Hmm., " said Harry as he contemplated on life after death, without really saying out loud what he was thinking. He had no doubt in his mind that Snape would kill him.
"Draco!" Snape did not move from his position, hovering above Harry with an almost maniacal look about him. " I need another closer."
"Sev! I opened man!"
Severus finally removed his want from Harry's forehead. "Look, I wouldn't ask, but I have no choice."
"I can close!" Harry scooted up, a real look of hope on his face.
Draco shook his head, and walked towards the door. "Yeah, I can close. It's cool. They just raised the price on the house this morning so I need the extra money."
"Well, Damn the man," said Harry as he resumed his position of slouching on the couch.
Snape sat down in a chair with his head in his hands. "Oh Merlin, I am in HELL!"
A subtle "ahem!" shook Hermione from her latest Gilderoy daydream. She got up and saw a man holding a bouquet of exotic plants, as well as some muggle ones.
The man looked at her intently, the he finally got off his broom and walked towards Hermione.
"Are you Hermione Granger?"
Hermione took the huge bouquet and grinned from ear to ear.
"For me?"
"mm hmm." said the florist as he handed her a piece of parchment to sign.
"Oh wow! Thank you!"
The florist took the parchment from Hermione and began to walk towards the door.
"Uh-hmm..later."
"Yeah," said Hermione, who was still looking at the flowers. "Bye. Thank you."
The door slammed behind the florist as Hermione set the flowers down in the corner of the register where she had been working. Ginny came up and immediately snatched up the card that Hermione plucked out from among the many flowers in her arrangement.
"To the number one in her class," read Ginny in a high squeaky voice,"Wardvard 1999. Make me proud, love Daddy. Aww..that sweet."
Hermione flopped down on the ground and frowned. Since she insisted on living in the wizard world, her dad realized that she would not be attending Oxford, or even Harvard in the states. Then he found out Wardvard University, the wizarding world's equivalent to an ivy league education. It was magically linked to Harvard, and all of it's graduates, should they ever choose to live as a muggle, were automatically accredited by the famous muggle institution, which was really founded by wizards and witches who had gone to America in the 18th century. He knew that Hermione was smart enough to go there, so he constantly encouraged her in the best way he knew how...expecting nothing less than perfection from her.
"Merlin, nothing's ever good enough for him, huh?"
Ginny rubbed her shoulders and helped her up. "Aww, no, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. No he didn't-, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that."
"Er, excuse me?" An irritated customer was tapping her wand on the counter top where the red-head was consoling the small brunette on the floor. Hermione got up immediately and brushed off her skirt and produced her most brilliant smile.
"Hi, how are you today?"
*~*
Ron was still roaming around the store, banging his head to the music along with some of the customers. He found another picture of Britta Sparks and Christine Aguigola, and began kissing the picture as the girls in the picture squealed and hid from his roaming tongue. At the moment, Pansy came in like an army of darkness.
Hermione leaned forward, still smiling like her life depended on it. "Hi Pansy."
Pansy walked by and gave Hermione the finger.
Hermione slumped back down to the ground. "She hates me." After the defeat of Voldemort, the Slytherins and Gryffindors had a tough time trying to come to common ground, although the majority of them had a truce that was known throughout the school. Pansy, however, refused to back down and befriend the Gryffindors. She never gave anyone a reason why. She just stopped dressing in skanky clothes and stuck mostly to her neo-nazi dark army gear. She never had anything kind to say, if she said anything at all. Hermione had tried her hardest to befriend the slytherin princess, but to no avail.
Ginny, for the second time that day pulled Hermione up. "She hates me too, but I have enough sense to hate her back.
*~*
Pansy pushed open the door to the back room and came face to face with Harry on the couch.
"Morning Pansy."
Draco saw her come in as well, "Hi Pans."
Snape stepped out of his office as Pansy stepped into the bathroom. He began to pace in front of Harry, occasionally stopping to scratch his head.
"Harry, are you in trouble? Did you need the money? Because if you are in trouble you can talk to me, you know that right? I'm no longer the git that pissed you off in the dungeons. I thought we called a truce?"
Harry, in his contemplative state, looked up at Snape. "We are all in some kind of trouble. Am I the only one who sees it? You know, Pansy's in trouble and Draco's in trouble."
"I am not in trouble!" Draco got up and walked towards the couch.
".and Hermione is in trouble."
Draco looked at Harry with a confused look in his eyes. "'Mione is NOT in trouble. She's going to Warvard!"
".Ron's in trouble."
Snape threw a piece of paper at Harry. "I'm the only who's in trouble here, 'cuz every moment that goes by and I don't call the ministry, I look like a bigger pumpkin-head!"
"Snape," said Harry," I can categorically say that you are not a bigger pumpkin-head."
Snape was fuming now. Here was mister calm as the sea Potter sitting on the bloody arse while he had to grasp at air to figure out his situation. "You screwed me Harry- -you know that right? What do you want me to do?" Snape looked at Harry, who just shrugged. "Call Mitchell Fudge and tell him that I LIED?"
Harry examined his nails, then stretched his arms behind his head. His demeanor was definitely getting on Snape's nerves.
"It seems like a viable option," said Harry as he continued to stretch.
Snape snatched out his wand and had it between Harry's eyes..again. "I swear, if you are fooling with me, I will Avada you."
"Hmm., " said Harry as he contemplated on life after death, without really saying out loud what he was thinking. He had no doubt in his mind that Snape would kill him.
"Draco!" Snape did not move from his position, hovering above Harry with an almost maniacal look about him. " I need another closer."
"Sev! I opened man!"
Severus finally removed his want from Harry's forehead. "Look, I wouldn't ask, but I have no choice."
"I can close!" Harry scooted up, a real look of hope on his face.
Draco shook his head, and walked towards the door. "Yeah, I can close. It's cool. They just raised the price on the house this morning so I need the extra money."
"Well, Damn the man," said Harry as he resumed his position of slouching on the couch.
Snape sat down in a chair with his head in his hands. "Oh Merlin, I am in HELL!"