Chapter 4

Hermione gasped, her eyes glued to the person standing opposite her. It was The Slytherin Prince, smirk firmly in place and eyes narrowed at the poor girl.

"Well, well, well…I didn't know you lived here." He said, leaning against the elevator wall. Hermione just stared at him, still trying to adjust to the fact that Malfoy lived in the same building as her.

"I…I yeah, I live here now. What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, forgetting she was also talking to her boss.

"Now Granger, is that any way to talk to your boss? Didn't think so. Well, are you getting on or what?" He asked, looking at her pointedly. She nodded numbly and stepped onto the elevator.

"To answer your question I live here too. I'm in the penthouse." He answered her previous question, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, ok. I just assumed you'd live in a mansion somewhere out of the city. I didn't think you'd like to live in such close proximity to muggles." She responded, with a slight iciness to her tone.

"Well Granger, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups so never assume anything about me. I'm not the same person I used to be. I actually like living here, it's close to work and there are tons of gorgeous girls wandering around that I just couldn't help myself." He chuckled at her disgusted expression.

"Well, you haven't changed much…" She muttered. The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. They both stepped out and headed towards the front doors. Before she had a chance to, Malfoy grabbed the door for her.

"Well…thanks." She gave him a weird yet surprised look and then quickly disappeared into the rain, her black umbrella getting lost in the crowd. Malfoy just stood there, thoughts about the Gryffindor racing through his mind. He smirked and then went in the opposite direction.

Hermione couldn't believe it. Not only was he her boss but he lived in the same damned building as her! This is ridiculous! It's as if he's following me everywhere! She cursed herself for choosing that building out of all the other great ones. I can't believe this…what the hell is going on?

She arrived at the small bakery and picked out a few croissants, bagels and Danishes. She headed back out towards her building, hoping she wouldn't run into him again. When she arrived at her apartment, with no sight of Malfoy, she could finally breathe.

"Ron, I'm back. Are you up yet?" She hollered.

"'Course, Mione. What did you bring?" He came up to her with just a towel on, hair still dripping wet. She grinned and pulled him in for a kiss, dropping the bag of goodies on the couch. "Ok, what else did you bring?" He grinned at her and then picked up the bag, grabbing a Danish and heading towards the kitchen.

"You want some coffee?" He asked her, taking a rather large bite out of the pastry.

"Yes please. I've got the worst headache." She sat down on the couch and took a croissant, thinking back to Malfoy. Why she was thinking about him, she had no idea.

"Ugh…is that coffee done yet?" She whined, curling under a blanket and turning on the TV.

"Here you go, love." He placed a mug in front of her, the aroma filling the entire room.

"Mmm, thank you. This is just what I need." She took a few sips and set it down, staring at the television. The next few days were supposed to be cloudy and rainy according to the weather girl. She had a big fake smile plastered on her face, along with big fake breasts popping out of a white blouse. Hermione scoffed, thinking back to Malfoy's little Barbie doll. She found herself feeling jealous but of what? Maybe I don't want to admit it to myself but…I think I have feeling for Malfoy. The thought sounded absurd in her mind yet it made sense. She recalled the incident in the elevator. Once again she had felt that odd tension between them and now she knew what it was. It wasn't dislike or anything of the sort, it was pure sexual tension. She didn't know whether he felt it as well but she knew she did and it was wrong. She's with Ron now and they love each other. Ron came back into the living room, fully dressed.

"Well I better get going. Mum asked me to help her out at home today. Some relatives of ours are coming over for the week so I need to clear out my old room for them. I'll owl you later." He kissed her and with a loud pop, he had disappeared. She stared at the spot where he was standing, thinking back on the time they had spent together. It had been wonderful and exciting but her feelings were misplaced now. In fact, they were all over the place. She knew she still loved him but she had all these feelings now for Malfoy that weren't going away any time soon.

"What am I going to do?" She buried her head in her hands, tears forming in her eyes, ready to spill over.

Hermione woke up, wondering where she was for a moment. Then she realized she had fallen asleep on the couch. Everything was dark and the rain was still falling outside, but with more vigor now. She could hear the rumbling of thunder and then bright flashes of lightning would streak across the sky, filling her living room in a strange electric light. She got up and turned the lights on, causing her to squint. She had lost track of time and when she looked at the clock she realized it was already 8 o'clock.

"Wow, I must've been out for quite a while…" She muttered and turned the TV back on. Some sitcom was on but she didn't pay attention to it. Her mind was back on the same topic she had just cried over. She didn't know what to do. Well it's obvious, isn't it? You should stay with Ron. You love him and Malfoy shouldn't come between you two. Her reasonable side chimed in and it made perfect sense. However, you feel this incredible attraction to Malfoy. He's like the forbidden fruit and that's always the sweetest. And there was her reckless side. She was torn between the two even though she shouldn't be. It was slowly driving her mad! She got up and grabbed her coat. She needed to clear her mind. She stepped out into the rain and started walking around not really knowing where she was headed. She walked past a small café that was still open. It had an inviting feel to it and looked like it would maybe relax her a little. She stepped in and left her umbrella by the door, taking a seat in one of the many over-stuffed chairs. A waitress walked over and asked her what she wanted.

"I'd like a vanilla late and a lemon-cranberry scone, thank you." She smiled at the waitress and made herself comfortable. She looked around the café and realized that there was nothing but couples. She sighed and resumed her people watching. Something caught her eye, something that that made her want to scream. I can't believe it…she thought to herself in disbelief. A familiar blonde was sitting at the far end of the room reading a muggle newspaper. She couldn't very well leave since she had already placed her order but she didn't feel like staying here either. She slid down in her chair, hoping that he wouldn't see her but at that moment he looked up from his newspaper, his eyes freezing on her, that look of finally recognizing her forming on his face. He smirked and then got up, slowly making his way over to her. Oh no, he's coming over! What the hell do I do? There was nothing she could do since he was already sitting across from her.

"So, what brings you here Granger?" He asked, taking a large sip of his coffee.

"I just needed a walk and saw this place. It looked nice." She muttered, feeling her face turning red. Why was he doing this to her?

"So I saw Weasley today. I take it he came to see you?" There was an odd tone to his voice but she couldn't quite place it.

"Yes, we're going out. I've never been happier." She said, forcing out a smile. He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, like you could be happy with that idiot." He muttered, his eyes clouding over slightly.

"Hey, don't call him that. He's my boyfriend and I'd appreciate it if my boss didn't put him down." She said through gritted teeth. She leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, getting slightly impatient with her waitress.

"Sorry Granger…but please, how could he make you happy? What can he even offer? And don't give me any of that love bullshit." He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"That's exactly it Malfoy. He loves me more than anything in the world and he would do anything for me. I don't need material things to know how much I'm appreciated…I'll leave that to you since that seem the only thing you care about. Oh and tits, how could I've forgotten." She smiled, loving the pissed off look that was slowly washing over his face.

"What the fuck do you know?" He spat back at her, leaning across the little table and making her shrink back into her chair.

"Well you said it yourself…you're only here for the girls and everyone knows how materialistic you are. You're a selfish little brat and always have been. That's how everyone perceives you." This must've struck a nerve because at that moment he stood up, grabbed his coat and stalked out of the café with all eyes turning from him to Hermione. She shook her head knowing that she shouldn't have angered him. This could pose a problem at work that's highly unnecessary.

After she had finished her coffee and scone she headed home. She stepped into the lavish lobby and waited for the elevator. A familiar 'ping' sounded as the elevator doors opened. An overly made up girl stepped up in a much too short skirt. Hermione could only assume where she was coming from and it made her sick to her stomach. She sighed and pressed for the 3rd floor.

She unlocked the door and plopped down on the couch. She felt drained but sleep would not come to her tonight. Instead she found herself awake until dawn, reading one of her many books to pass the time. However, the words didn't really seem to mean much to her. Her mind couldn't get away from Malfoy, it was all she wanted. She felt restless and confused. What would she do about Ron? The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him in any way. Well, either way, someone was bound to get hurt and she had a safe bet that it would be her…