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RECAP: Due to a request of a recap to the story as I hadn't updated for so long, Here's a log to rekindle everyone's burning memories:
This story happens five years after Hogwarts, so the characters are all roundabout 23 years old. Hermione now works in the Ministry of Magic's Defence Against the Dark Arts Office with Harry and Ron working to find Lucius Malfoy and other Death Eaters who escaped after the final battle and is gradually gaining back their power to follow in Voldemort's footsteps. Malfoy had disappeared on the last day of school and the job of finding him was given to Hermione by Dumbledore. She meets up with Narcissa and soon after discovers that he works as a waiter in a muggle café she frequently visited. Antonin however visits Draco that evening and they duel, injuring Draco and Hermione is made to stay with him in St Mungo's. She discovers there that Draco was given a spell on the last day by Dumbledore that allows him to only go to places where he is willing to go to, and therefore not being able to be dragged to his father by force of the death eaters. The spell only lasts for a temporary time and needs to be enhanced. Pansy, working for Lucius and Antonin, visits Malfoy in his ward and asks him to meet her sometime. Lucius kidnaps John Grisham, a first year, from Hogwarts, preventing Dumbledore from visiting him and Hermione goes back to her office with Malfoy to help Harry and Ron with the incident. There Draco receives a letter with Hermione's Witch Weekly and because of his worried expression, Hermione asks whether there is anything the matter and he replies that it's only a letter asking him to enter the Most Eligible Bachelor Contest. But is it?
Elven at Heart – Thank you for forgiving me! I've updated sooner this time, so I wish I made up for the time I hadn't...I couldn't upload two chappies last time sorry, coz I hadn't completely finished yet...anyway here it is! Hope you enjoy! xxxxxxx
Starrynight girl – Thank you for your loyalty! Mwah! x
Mollywood – Thank you! You didn't have to wait long I hope, coz here it is!
Snowyangel83 – I've written an intro, at your request! Hope it's good enough! Anyway, romance is coming...soon...and thank you for your constructive criticisms! I'll take them into account as I write! xxx
The Nauti Dolphin – Thank you! Hope you read more and continue to like it! xx
Bleh – Thank you for telling me, I had no idea when I wrote it. Where did you find it out? Is it in one of the books? If it is, I must have missed it...silly me! I'll leave it though, for this story...
Chapter 8: Working Hard for a Malfoy!
"Is something the matter Malfoy?" I asked.
"Why do you keep asking that Hermione?" Ron asked, his eyes frowning in my direction. "Are you WORRIED about him?"
"RON! I have to take care of him! Of course I'm worried, what would Dumbledore say to me if..."
Malfoy suddenly stood up. "I have to go to the bathroom."
"Go out the door, head straight, then turn right." Harry directed.
Draco nodded and strutted out the office. He slid his hands inside his trouser pocket and ran his hands over the piece of parchment secluded within his hands. Hurrying into the bathroom, he threw down the lid of the toilet basin, locked the door, and sat down, pulling out the parchment.
Draco, my son,
It seems I haven't spoken to you for a very, very long time. I hear you're living as a muggle, socializing with thousands of mudbloods. I'm not angry at you, dear son, do not fear. However, I do look forward to meeting you again. You had such talent..
I suspect that by now you've heard about the little incident at Hogwarts. Dumbledore's beginning to fail as headmaster, is he not? Did not I always tell you how hopeless he was? The boy caught, is here with me, safe for the moment, I dare say. Pansy's hoping to meet you sometime soon. Talk to her, without telling Potter and his crew about your little meetings, and the boy will remain unhurt. This is not an order, dear Draco, for it is your decision to make. But consider seriously the fact that this boy's life resides within your choice.
Your father
Draco stared at the letter for a few minutes, before crumpling it slowly in his trembling fist.
I stood up and paced about the office. I needed an excuse to give to myself as to why I was worrying about Malfoy so much. It was getting ridiculously crazy, how seriously I was taking Dumbledore's little job. I was worrying about him as much as a mother would worry about their own son...well, maybe not...because I'm not his mother and that's just gross...maybe just as much as a friend...A FRIEND? Since when did I consider Malfoy my FRIEND? Calm down Hermione. You're a twenty-three year old woman. Think properly...maybe you consider him MORE than a friend...shut up! It's because I'm such a hard worker. I do every job as best as I can. Yes, that's it. Oh no it's not, and you know it. You've liked him for ages haven't you?
"I'm a hard worker. I'm a hard worker! I'M A HARD WORKER!" I screamed loudly. Maybe it was too loud, because at that moment, Draco peered through the door.
"Who the hell are you shouting at Granger?"
"Wha...what?" I asked softly, shock and embarrassment seeking into my voice box and preventing me from shouting as I had intended to.
"You talk to yourself as well as sleep walk?" Malfoy smirked, coming into the office and making himself comfortable on the sofa as his blue grey eyes twinkled maliciously.
"No! My mother always told me that if you believed in something strongly, it would happen. So, er, I decided that, er, to help me solve this case I would er, shout out that I'm a hard worker so that I believe in it and er, work hard." Gosh, I was a spastic. How stupid did that sound? "Well, I didn't actually say that, I meant..."
Malfoy laughed. It was the first time that I had heard him laugh because something was genuinely funny. Not a snigger, not a snort. There was nothing fake about it. It was laughter, as pure as such laughter you and I could produce. He stopped and smiled at me. His eyes crinkling at the corners, his entire face brightening immediately. It was even better than Tom's gorgeous smile because now, I could see his mesmerizing eyes. It was enough to make a million girls faint all at once.
"You made my day Granger. You really did." Draco continued to smile at me and just as I thought I was going to faint literally (my mind had fainted already), there was a knock on the door.
"Yoohoo! Harry! Ron! Can I come in?"
Draco's smile evaporated immediately, to be replaced by a look of slight confusion and my mind began to function again. I ran to the door and opened it. "Ginny!"
"Hermione! You're back!" Ginny exclaimed, rushing into the room and throwing her arms around me. "Did you know how much I worried about you before you sent us that shocking letter of yours? I thought that maybe you'd become captured by Lucius Malfoy or something..."
Ginny stopped suddenly as she caught sight of Malfoy sitting on the sofa. "Oh, hi Malfoy. I hope you're ok. We didn't speak to each other much back at school, but I hope we can be on better terms now."
Malfoy gave her a slight tweak with one corner of his mouth and then picked up the open Quidditch Through the Ages lying flat by his side, and buried his nose in it again, reading the same sentence over and over again as he just replayed what had just happened. He couldn't believe the line he had just said to Granger, nor that he had smiled at her. He knew he had smiled and laughed quite often during the past five years where he made sure nothing and no one would ever bother him, but to show that side to Granger? But the letter had troubled him so much, and her expression when she saw him was absolutely priceless...but Granger?! Well, she is a nice girl really...
"Harry and Ron have just gone to get us some lunch from Hogsmeade." Hermione explained as Ginny made herself comfortable in Harry's squishy chair.
"Good, because now I have some time with my closest female friend without any males interrupting us with their immature thoughts." Ginny replied, smiling.
Malfoy cleared his throat.
Ginny blushed. "Oh! Well..."
The door burst open and Ron and Harry clambered in, each holding a large, brown paper bag. "We're back!"
"Ginny!" Harry threw down his bag on top of the nearest thing that could hold it and scampered up to embrace Ginny in a warm hug.
"Calm down guys," Ron replied, as he took both his and Harry's bag to the small tea table at the far end of the office. "You saw each other yesterday."
I gathered around the bags with Harry, Ron and Ginny, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the nice food that they had brought. Malfoy, who had been hovering behind us for quite a while, nudged me in the arm.
"Granger, I just need to visit my house again because I have to check something. I'll meet you back here."
Still rather dazed at his civility and at the waft of butterbeer brimming up my nose, I nodded and turned back to the site being laid out of the table. However many times it had occurred, I always welcomed a hearty lunch with my best friends.
Draco walked briskly down the corridor of the Ministry of Magic. He pondered whether to remain as he had for the past five years and use muggle transport to his house, but time was running fast and he couldn't catch up with it unless he used a bit of magic.
Crack.
He looked around at his surroundings. At least he hadn't forgotten how to apparate. Pieces of glass were scattered everywhere, not to mention parts of the wall, and in one corner of the floor, a swarm of ants seemed to be crowding around the bit of strawberry conserve which had crashed to the ground during the duel. Before being found out by Granger, he would have taken the energy to clean all this up without magic and using proper technicians to fix the windows and wall, however he gave himself the excuse that time was scarce, and with a quick flick of his wand, everything neatened up. The ants were probably now all outside and wondering where their precious findings had gone.
He had wanted to stay with Granger and co in their office. During his new life he had made new friends, real friends, that cared about him and he had fun with, but never in his entire life did he have anyone that he had known for over ten years to share his school memories with. But he knew he was never going to receive that privilege, and he accepted it. So, he had left to go and rummage for lunch on his own and maybe do what he needed to do as well.
He trotted to the kitchen and raked through the cupboard. He wasn't quite ready yet to go outside and buy something to quench his hunger. He found three pot noodles and took one out while he turned on the kettle. He might just have to stick to this for now...
I sipped on the last few drops left of my butterbeer. "...and he was being such a jerk to me at the hospital and I hated him more than ever and then right now, just before you arrived Ginny, he's like..."
"Wait a moment!" exclaimed Harry, knocking over his plate in his rush to stand up. He searched about the room. "Where's he gone?"
"Oh yeah! No wonder there was enough for Ginny!" Ron agreed. "I'd completely forgotten about him when we arrived because of Ginny and then I knew I had only bought enough butterbeer for the four of us who had been here before and suddenly there was some for Ginny as well!"
"Sit down Harry," I motioned as I poked my fork around on my plate to pick up some left over slices of carrot. "He asked me while we were unpacking our food whether he could go home for just a while to get something. He's probably gone and had his own lunch with the thousand girls who follow him around at his café..."
"But Hermione," Ginny interrupted slowly. "You just told us minutes ago that Dumbledore ordered you not to lose him from your sight!"
My eyes widened as I remembered, and my fork clattered onto my plate. "Oh my goodness! I have to go guys!"
Draco put his foot on the pedal of his waste paper basket and the lid creaked open. Throwing the remainder of his pot noodles into it and splashing his fork into the sink, thinking to wash it later, he glanced at himself in the mirror before going out of the front door.
Draco took his keys out from inside his pocket and turned it in his lock before turning to the door behind him and raising his index finger to press on the doorbell button.
Ding dong!
A few moments later, the door opened a little, and a short, balding man gazed out at him. "Draco! Haven't seen you for quite some time young man! Do come in."
Shifting aside, the man allowed Draco to step into the flat before closing the door behind him.
I arrived with a crack outside Malfoy's flat and ran as fast as I could up the stairs. It reminded me of another time I had to do this and it did not give me good feelings at all.
I stood in front of the door, panting and rang the doorbell. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
This was extreme déjà vu! I took out my wand, closed my eyes and muttered 'Alohomora' as the door opened. This was getting creepier by the second.
Throwing my eyes open, I saw to a relief that everything was tidy and in place. Draco had obviously been here...but he wasn't here now! What was I to do?
A curly haired women shuffled out from the kitchen, and smiled as soon as she saw Draco while dabbing at her eyes with a scrunched up handkerchief. "Sit down Draco."
Draco followed them into the living room and the man pointed to a third armchair as he and his wife sat down.
Draco smiled. "Thank you, Mr and Mrs Grisham."
Author's Notes: Hello once again guys! It's sooo humid where I am...being hot is one thing, but being humid? Definitely not for me. I'm saying 'hello' a lot sooner than I have recently, so hopefully that's good news for you guys. Anyway, look forward to the next chapter...romance is gradually developing, don't any of you worry! Happy Reading! xx