KNOCK KNOCK
"I'm coming! I'm coming! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE! I'M COMING!" Hermione screamed frantically as she crawled, scrambled, and ran for the door. She flung it open with a large grin which soon turned upside down.
"Oh. It's just you." She said, frowning at Draco Malfoy who stood there.
"Why a sad face?"
"Oh, nothing. I thought… oh never mind." She said.
"You thought…"
"I thought… it was the pizza guy."
"Oh, now did you?"
"Yeah, I did. Yeah, actually I did."
"Oh. Medium pepperoni with cheese crusts?" Draco asked, shuffling around packages and papers in his suitcase.
"Y-yeah? Wait… is that..."
Hermione had no time to speak for the aroma of freshly cooked pepperoni pizza filled the house when Draco handed her a brown cardboard box.
Her eyes became two large buttons as she grabbed her box greedily.
"How… what the hell?"
"I'm your pizza guy. They hired me in a second."
"You work at… you work at a… you work?"
Draco smirked. "Yes, I believe I do."
"You have a muggle job?"
"Yes, I believe I do. After all, this IS a muggle town."
"You work… as the pizza guy… in a muggle pizza place."
"Must you rub that in so hard?"
"What about… your real job?"
"Real job? Oh, you mean that whole secretary thing?"
"Y-yeah. Hey, pizza guy, do I need to pay you tip?"
"Yes."
"All right. Let me get my purse. While I do, tell me what you did with your real job." Hermione emptied out her purse and snatched her coin pouch from the bottom of the pile. "How much?"
"How about half my rent? I quit. Resigned first thing this morning."
There was a horrendous clatter of coins on a hardwood floor.
"WHAT?"
"I quit. Q, U, I, T. Quit."
"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHY?"
"Do I have to say?"
"Yes. I'm paying you tip, pizza guy."
"I'd rather not say. You should ask Penelope."
"Why don't you just tell me?"
Draco put on his pizza hat. "I don't have much time, miss. Can I have my tip?"
"No."
He grabbed his suitcase and tilted his hat. "As you wish." Draco opened the door and stepped out into the sunny Saturday morning.
"DRACO!"
"Yes'm?"
"Where the BLOODY HELL ARE YOU GOING?"
" 'Tis only my job, miss."
"You can't be serious. YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS."
"I am."
"Is it me? Is that why you quit?" Hermione asked, flushed in the face but her brain blown out by this sudden announcement.
"Maybe. Really, Hermione, I have 2 other houses to get to."
"Good. Have some pizza. Sit."
"I really… really… need to get going." Draco said, helplessly.
Hermione marched over to the door, slammed it shut and locked it.
Draco stared at the locked door.
"Uh… you know…"
"Yeah. I know. You're not leaving the house until I get a full explanation."
"You know I could just unlock it."
Hermione stared at the door, and then at Draco, the door, and then back at the blond man.
And then, she grabbed his suitcase and threw it aside, flinging her arms around him.
"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?" she cried.
Draco remained silent and held her in his arms until Hermione quit her blabbering, ranting, and sobbing. He waited until she let go of him, looking deep into his eyes for an answer.
"That… is why." Draco said, making his way into his room.
"And thanks, Hermione. I'll have to go find another job now."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"WHY DID HE LEAVE ME?"
"Calm down, babe. Here, have some butter beer." Penelope offered when Hermione came storming into her office.
"HOW could you LET HIM DO THIS? Why? How? What? Where? Who? WHY?" Hermione chugged her bottle down like an alcoholic's first drink in 10 years.
"Those things, I am obligated to keep confidential."
"HE TOLD ME to ask you. That's giving permission."
"Do you have it in paper?"
"No."
"I'm sorry, hun. I can't…"
"Yes you can! Penny, I NEED HIM!"
"You do? How? You can always find another secretary."
"Not one like him! He comes in 2 hours before me. He makes me the best coffee in the world. He buys me lunch sometimes. He protects me all the time. It takes less than a second to call him in."
"You like him."
"As a secretary."
"You like him."
"Only as a secretary."
"You like him."
"No I don't. He's just. A really… really… good… secretary."
"You like him. Why shouldn't you?"
"Because he's a brat."
"No."
"Because he's evil."
"No."
"Because… he's the sweetest thing in the planet to me?"
"You love him?" Penny asked.
"No. Love. Oh shite, Penny. I haven't felt love in ages now. I'm getting too old for this."
"Love? Oh… Oh… for a 26 year old, you're sure naïve."
"Holy poo, am I really 26?"
"That's what I always thought."
"Penny… is he allowed to just quit like that without my consent?"
"Nope. But legal papers say you want him gone."
"No they don't. Penny, don't do this to me. You know they don't. What legal papers?"
"The ones you signed the day that he was hired. The ones that I refused to sign but you told me to keep for later purposes."
"Those? They don't count. Oh no they don't. I don't agree now. You know that. Penny, how could you do this to me?"
"Well, Hermione, I'm sorry, it's just that I had no idea that you wanted to keep him that much and the way Draco said it, it seemed as though that you WANTED him out."
Hermione gasped. "Oh no he didn't! What did he say? Penny… what… did… he… say?"
Penelope sighed. "Do you promise you won't say a single word or shed a single rage?"
"Nome"
"He said that you refused him that you hate his guts to death and that you'll never accept him and that he was hopeless in impressing you."
"Refuse him? Hate him? Never accepting him? Hopeless? Penny… I don't want to lose him."
Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yeah. Oh. That's right. He was such a great… uh… secretary…"
"You know, he still IS your roommate."
"I know. I know. I guess I'd better head back home now. He got a bit angry with me."
"Don't elaborate. See you next time, 'Mione."
"Uh huh."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hermione sat alone in her dark corner, drowning herself of some weak alcohol. It seemed to be her only remedy. The only remedy that worked.
Hermione eyed her third bottle. It seemed to be empty but she wanted to make sure.
"Empty."
Throwing it aside, Hermione grabbed her fourth bottle and began to uncap it when a mysterious hand came from nowhere and snatched it from her.
"NO! ANYTHING BUT MY RUM!"
"Granger, you've had three bottles of this. Enough is enough."
"Draco? Draco? Draco darling, is that you?"
"No. It's your conscious." Draco said, sitting down next to her, half grinning, and half frowning.
"Oh my goodness! You're my conscious? Why are you blond? Am I supposed to be blond? Should I go get my hair done?"
"Uh. No. Hello my material self. Why are you getting drunk?"
"I'm not drunk. I'm just tipsy."
"Why are you tipsy?"
Hermione sighed very heavily. "I lost my secretary today."
"Oh, now did you?"
"Yeah. He was one HELLUVA worker too."
"Is that the only reason why you're sad he's gone?"
Hermione sighed again. "I don't know. Maybe. He was pretty nice. However he made them or wherever he bought them from, his bagel were always really warm and soft and sweet and… I think… conscious… that I miss his bagels."
"His bagels?"
"His bagels. They were really good."
"He's still your roommate, isn't he? He can always make you bagels."
"He's mad at me."
"Why?"
"I made him lose his job. It wasn't fit for him anyway. He can do much better than having a measley muggle job. Especially being a pizza boy. Pah. Where did he get THAT idea?"
"A man needs to earn his money for living, you know." Draco said shrewdly.
"I know. He could do better though. He's a really good guy once you meet him. I mean when you first see him, you know he has the looks and all, and then you know him and you hate him. And then you know him some more and somehow, he grows on you. I don't know why he quit in the first place. Was I not paying enough?"
"Maybe it was because he had a growing attraction toward you and he didn't want to make it grow larger?"
"Maybe. But why does he have to quit the job, then?"
"Because the job might make him more vulnerable because he'd have to see you every day."
"Oh. Oh, shoot, you're right. Pah. Why would he like me in the first place. I'm nothing. He deserves better."
"How?" Draco asked.
"I don't know. I'm not like the girls he's usually around. I'm not gorgeous barbies come to life."
"Maybe that's why he likes you."
"Really, conscious. Are you gay? What guy will ditch the hottie for the uh… unhottie?"
"Hermione Granger, you are beautiful."
"I am?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"For sure?"
"Yes."
"You lie."
"No. I don't."
"Well even though you may be blind and you think I'm pretty and all, you know that I have a lot more problems. I have practically zero money, I have such a short temper… OH! Oh, Conscious, I get it now."
"Mm hmm?"
"I've been really mean to him. I know it. But he doesn't know that… can you keep a secret?"
"Yes. Of course."
"I think I like him. MORE than just as a secretary too. Or ex-secretary."
"He likes you too. Why can't you just face him now? It'll all work out."
"He hates me."
"No he doesn't." Draco said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes again at this argument.
"Conscious, I can't do this."
"Do what?"
"Like him."
Silence. "Why?"
"Because."
"Because…"
Silence.
"Hermione?"
Draco shook her gently only to awake her inner snore of the night.
"Good night."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Rise and shine! Miss Granger, you have to go to the ministry today!"
"mmMMFffmm"
"Come on. I made you your favorite blueberry bagels."
"Bagels? Darling, Draco, you made me bagels? I thought you were mad at me!"
"Me? Naw. I'm over it now. I wasn't meant for that job anyway."
"Aw… Draco… you're a true man."
"Why thank you."
Hermione got up happily, merely forgetting her minor headache, and got ready for work in a happy mood.
"Ain't this a first?" Hermione thought as she began to comb her unruly bangs.
"Hermione, I made you some hangover potion." Draco called from the kitchen.
There was a soft clatter of a brush and Hermione's head popped out of the room.
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"You…" Hermione never finished for she quickly gulped down her potion and felt a soothing ease in her head. "You… and I… we were meant to be."
Hermione grinned, patted his cheeks and skipped back into her bedroom.
"I know. I know." Muttered Draco.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Morning, Miss Granger."
"Howdy! Lovely day."
"Um… yes." The reception desk lady, Gertrude, smiled nervously, looking out into the stormy gray sky outside.
"Good morning, Miss Granger!"
"Hello. How are you?" She asked her fellow ministry-worker.
"Perfect. You look marvelous."
"Why so do you, Bill."
That morning, Hermione's arrival to her office was delayed by nearly an hour due to her merry conversations and teas with her "lovely" co-workers.
"Morning, Miss Granger." Hermione's secretary greeted as Hermione reached the door.
"G-" Hermione screeched to a halt.
She saw the name on the desk. Diana Sawyer. Tides of good spirits turned violently.
"Are you…"
"Yes'm. I'm your new secretary. I was wonde…"
Hermione frowned irritably. "I do the wondering, dear. You do what I wonder. I would like to be greeted with strong black coffee at the door, please. Make sure not to make that same mistake again."
Hermione took in the poor girl. She had wispy gray-brown hair that curled in perfect bounces around her shoulders. She had a petite but curvy build. At the moment, she looked as if she was ready to fall over and pass out.
Knocking the door almost completely off its hinges, Hermione ran into the room. She waited… waited… waited for Draco's voice to call out through the walls, "How'd you find your way in, princess?" or his head to peak in, smile and wish her another "Good morning."
It never came and it drove her up the wall.
For some reason, Hermione felt no use for this secretary now. She haven't even seen her at work and after the morning incident, she didn't feel like giving a chance.
She needed Draco.
Hermione ran back outside into the apparition zone and when she arrived at her house again, she frantically ran around, calling out for him. She tripped over a hat lying on the floor and she groaned and screamed.
"DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACO!"
There was a lour THUMP and footsteps thundering down the hall.
"Hermione? Granger? What is it? Did something happen?"
"No."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Is there a problem at the ministry?"
"No."
"Is Penelope calling for me?"
"No."
"Did you find my hat?"
"Yes." Hermione said, throwing the hat into his face. "Don't leave your stuff lying around."
"Sorry'm. Why'd you come back? You've been gone… one hour."
"Draco. Come back. Please? I'll fire the new girl. Come back. I can't focus." Hermione babbled.
"Calm down. Granger, calm down."
"I CAN'T! I was in such a good mood, thanks to your bagels, and then I saw HER and everything's just not right."
"Who's her? Your new…"
"YES. Please! Come back. I miss you."
Draco stared intensely at the ground. "No you don't."
"You can't say that. It's MY feelings. Draco. I think that I'm starting to like you. I can't stand for you to not be there. It's just… too weird."
"Hermione. It's too late. I've moved on."
"No you haven't. You couldn't possibly have moved on. You were hitting the wall, all angry with me just 2 days ago. Draco, please. Come back. I can't get anything done."
"I'm sorry."
"No, I'M sorry. I need you."
"You said that you can't. You told me that you can't do this. So I spent last night forgetting… forgetting… forgetting everything. It hurt, but I'm here now, alive and better. But now you come to me… I can't do this," said Draco.
"Yes you can. I know you can. I don't. I don't remember saying any of that. Draco, would you like to be my secretary?"
"You were drunk last night."
"Tipsy."
"Tipsy last night. You were VERY tipsy last night. You remember that? You remember being tipsy."
"Why else would you give me a hangover potion?"
"Well, you said some stuff last night… to your… uh… conscious."
"YOU were my conscious?"
Draco nodded. "I'm afraid I was. You said that you couldn't do THIS because… of some reason you fell asleep on. So I took that and I got over you last night."
"Draco… I was drunk. You expect me to say the right things?"
"You were tipsy. People speak the truth when they are tipsy, not the right things." he corrected.
"So you are over me now. It took you five hours to get over me. What was this that you were feeling in the first place, Draco?"
"Like?"
"You were in like with me and you got over it in five hours. Strange…"
"I'm a Malfoy."
Hermione wiped a tear from her eye and took one last look into his gray steel eyes.
"You sure are."
She said, tearing away and running out into the rain.
Rain…
It started as small sprinkles of water droplets dampening her rather loose clothing. And then, the sky became darker and the rain came down harder.
She didn't care. She felt nothing. She was numb.
Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy.
The thing with Draco was that he always said the wrong things at the most important moments of his life.
Hermione knew that, but it didn't matter.
Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy.
She halfheartedly hoped that Draco would come running out with an umbrella, wrap her into his warm welcoming un-Malfoy-ish arms and hold her for eternity.
He never came.
He never came back to her.
Not for many rainy, sunny, snowy, happy, sad, angry, stressed, or heart-drenching days.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ahhhh.
Did you know that I was going to end with this chapter? Of course, not with this ending. It was going to be a happy ending.
And then, I realized the ending would be coming too abruptly so I cut it in half. The next chapter will be the end, unless you wish for an epilogue where they get married have had babies and all that boring stuff.
Well.
I must say one thing:
I AM REALLY SORRY.
I have not forgotten this story. Of course not. I know my writing's been going downhill… It's just the blunt truth, guys. I need SOMETHING to bring me back to life. I honestly think that some chapters in the beginning are better than this. I need something to make me improve. I think I'm losing my touch! Oh no!
Well, please review guys, even though I know I don't deserve any.
It would cheer me up much. : )
And P.S,
The next chapter will be about an year or two after. It's going to be one of those. "2 years later" things.
Ta!