The Checkout Chick

Chapter Three

Hermione woke up in her bed at her parent's house. The sun shone through the window. Her first thought was, 'No work today!' This immediately put her in a good mood. No work meant no Malfoy. Although she did miss out on seeing Dan but she would see him again soon. They usually had the same shift times anyway.

"Sweet heart! Ginny's here to see you!" her mother called. Hermione raced downstairs, ignoring the fact that she was still in her pyjamas. After all Ginny had seen her in her pj's before.

"Ginny!" Hermione cried with glee, giving her friend a big hug. Ginny smiled, "Just work up did you?"

Hermione shrugged, "Well it is holdays." Ginny nodded. Yes that was a pretty good excuse.

"So how's work? I still can't believe you got a job! Can you imagine Harry or Ron getting one?" Ginny laughed, as did Hermione, "It's not even imaginable."

Hermione nodded, "Yeah but I can picture them as aurors." Ginny sighed, "Yes, or they could become international quidditch stars. Now that would be cool."

Hermione smiled at that thought. For Harry it would be a dream come true. But as much as she hated to think it, she did not feel Ron would make a very good quidditch star. He was good, but he was not that good.

"So why are you here so early? I thought you said we were going to a night club." Hermione asked, a little confused. Perhaps she had heard Ginny wrong.

Ginny nodded, "We are going to a night club." Hermione raised an eyebrow and frowned, "Ginny, you go to night club's at night. That's the whole point of the name... 'night' club. Get it?"

It was Ginny's turn to give her friend a funny look, "I'm not stupid you know 'Mione." she rolled her eyes, "We're going to Diagon Alley to get our school things. Might as well get it over and done with right? Besides it gives me an excuse to get something for tonight. Mum still thinks I'm just sleeping over your house. Honestly Dad insisted that he come with me just to spend a night at a muggle's house but Mum managed to talk him out of it thank merlin."

Hermione laughed. She could definately picture Mr.Weasley doing that. "Well let's go then. Erm...but how are we going?"

Ginny took a small sealed container out of her pocket, "Floo Powder. Have a fireplace?"

Hermione nodded with a smile, "Come on. Well hang on I'll juts get changed then we'll go." It took only a few minutes to change into her clothes and they were in Diagon Alley before they knew it.

Hermione sighed as she looked at the crowded cobbled street. "I have spent way too much time here this holidays."

Ginny laughed, "You're too right. Well come on then, lets get this school stuff out of the way so we can have fun shopping!"

Hermione nodded. They went to the usual shops to get their school stuff. Hermione refused to get any new robes for school even though her current ones were short. It was her last year and she did not want to waste any money.

"You know I'm thinking we should have gone school shopping after we went clothes shopping." Ginny commented as they carted full bags of book and other items around.

Hermione sighed, "Here, let's just get them out of here. I'll send them back to my house. Disperta school bags to the Granger's house!" The bags disappeared and Ginny grinned broadly, "You're just too smart."

Hermione laughed and together they went to a shop named, 'Mystique'. Hermione had never been there but Ginny swore that it was a really good store.

Upon entering Hermione was taken aback. The walls were painted black with silver stars stuck onto them. She looked up to the roof finding a night sky filled with planets, stars and the moon. She guessed it had same enchantment as the roof of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The clothes were on racks and all seemed to glitter.

"Oh Hermione look at this! It's beautiful!" Ginny squeeled, holding up a pretty dark blue halter top with glitter round the bottom half. Hermione nodded, taking it into her hands to examine it closer. The material felt so light she barely realised it was there.

"It would look fantastic on you 'Mione. Why don't you get it? You could wear it tonight. I'll get this." Ginny said, holding up another piece of clothing in her hand. It was a mini red dress thing that fell to her knees in waves. It was one of those outfits that you wore jeans under. Hermione knew it would suit Ginny.

"Okay." Hermione answered and together they went to pay for their things. The witch serving them gave them a warm smile. The tops turned out to be a real bargain. Hermione's was only five galleons and Ginny's was six.

"Father, this is a girl's store." a menancing voice spoke through the calm tranquil music that filled the room. Hermione spun around to find Lucius and Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway. Draco was looking up at the roof. He had not noticed her prescence.

"Nonsense Draco. Look over there. Suits, girls do not wear suits. Besides, this store is one of the only ones in this wretched street that has label clothing. You want to look your finest don't you?" Lucius asked with a smirk.

His father moved towards the suits before noticing the other people in the store, which was only Ginny, Hermione and the sales woman. He stopped in his tracks. He remembered the girl holding the blue halter top from somewhere.

Draco who had been sneering at his father, noticed that his attention had been taken by something. He followed his father's line of sight and spotted Hermione.

His heart jumped into his throat as it did each time he saw her since the moment she had bumped into him in that Grocery Store. The light was dim in the room which made Hermione's hair shine more than it had ever done. Her eyes sparkled as much as her top did.

"Mudblood?" Lucius muttered under his breath finally remembering where he had seen her before. "I know you. You are the muggle friend of dear Potter. What would the magical world do without him?" Lucius sneered, obviously enjoying himself.

Hermione gave Lucius a deathly glare, "A question I ask myself every day." she answered in the same tone he had used with her. Draco remained the silent admirer. He did not know what to say. Yet again any insults he could have used against her had been wiped from his mind.

"You have a sharp tongue mudblood. I suggest you tame it before someone cuts it out." Lucius spat forcefully, his hand clutched tightly at his wand. Hermione also held her wand. If he tried anything she'd curse him.

Draco watched his father's malicious face. He noted how ugly Lucius Malfoy looked when he was angry. He looked back to Hermione. She was quite the opposite. Her anger created a cute blush in her cheeks which made her look ever more tempting. Suddenly he felt the need to talk to her. Even if he said something stupid and out of character. He could not understand his sudden change in feelings.

"Could we leave father?" Draco asked, "I can't shop in a place mudblood's shop. It just is not right." Draco commented to his father. Lucius would surely agree to this. He did not really mean what he asked. He just felt the need to get away from Granger before he did anything he would regret. They had been enemies for so long that even if his heart wanted to change their relationship it would not be possible.

Lucius smirked, "Quite right Draco. The very air in this room is contaminated by her." Hermione looked to Draco who could not help but give her an apologetic glance. He felt awful, so terribly awful. The sad look on her face wanted him to take evrything he had said against her in the past six years back.

'What on earth are you thinking?' Draco thought, infuriated with himself, 'Apologise? To a mudblood? This is getting out of hand. I have to keep away from her. Whta on earth happened to my plan? I think it's working against me! Damn it!'

Lucius turned sharply and walked out, Draco locked eyes with Hermione one last time before walking out also. As he left the shop, his heart began to beat normally once again. 'It was just the scent in that shop. Made your mind go funny.' he thought, 'Yeah that was it. The fumes.'

Hermione let out a breath she had been holding. Draco Malfoy in dim light was almost like seeing an angel. She had ben angry at Lucius but this anger did not surpass the crazy passion she had felt toward Draco. It had been like a passing cold. It was there one minute and gone the next. But no matter how much Hermione wanted to deny it, she could not. It had been there and that was a fact.

'If only I knew why.' Hermione thought sadly. She did not want to have a crush on someone as snobby and conceited as Draco Malfoy. She wanted to have a crush on someone like Dan. Yes, Dan was a cute, kind guy.

Ginny let out a small laugh. Hermione gave a her a confused look.. "What are you laughing at?" she asked.

Ginny shrugged, "You should have seen the sparks flying from your eyes and Draco Malfoy's! I was scared you were going to zap the place down. Honestly..."

Hermione gave her friend a disgusted look, "Sparks? Ginny are you sure you're not sick?" she placed a hand on Ginny's forehead, pretending to measure her temperature.

Ginny's slapped Hermione's hand away from her, laughing hard, "I can't believe it! You and Malfoy! Wait until Ron and Harry hear abou this!"

Hermione's jaw dropped, "No Gin, don't tell them anything. They'd kill me." Ginny's eyes went wide with shock, "So there IS something going on between you?"

Hermione felt like kicking herself. She had walked right into that one, "No I'm not. Just don't say anything like that to them 'cause you know what they'd do."

Ginny nodded but she could not help the feeling that she was being lied to. She knew what she saw and it was definately not nothing. It was there. It had been there. Sparks, sparks and more sparks. They paid for their things and left.

Later That Night

Hermione had been dancing for two hours straight. She loved dancing but her feet were getting very sore. "I have to sit down!" she yelled at the boy who she had been dancing with.

He nodded and went off to dance with Ginny whom many of the boys had taken to. She was simply a drop dead gorgeous red head and Hermione was slightly jealous of her friend's good looks. If only she was as pretty as Ginny...

"Is this seat taken?" a boy with ash brown hair asked, taking the seat beside her without waiting for an answer.

Hermione looked to him and gasped. "Dan! I never in a million years thought I'd see you here! Ha!" She gave him a hug which he returned happily.

He winked at her as he had done so many times before. Hermione felt her insides melt, his smile was so cute! She was disappointed by the fact that Draco Malfoy could make her heart do backflips and yet all Dan's smile could do was give her arms goosebumps.

"Wanna dance?" he asked her with his cute smile plastered on his face. Hermione shook her head, "My feet are hurting. Dancing too much tonight. How about we just sit here for a bit?" Dan shrugged, "Fine with me."

They sat there, silently for a minute before Dan started up conversation, "Have you ever been out with anyone?" She was surprised by the question. Dan was hardly ever straight forward.

"Um...well sort of once but it wasn't really well...it wasn't like a real date or anything." Hermione said, talking about Viktor Krum.

Dan nodded, "Okay." he seemed pleased about something. Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, "Just asking..." Hermione nodded, but he had more, "Would like to go out with me sometime?"

Hermione could hardly believe her ears. Dan was asking her out! Cute Dan, was asking HER, Hermione Granger, out on a date. It was too good to be true. "Oh I'd love to."

Dan grinned happily, "Great! So do you feel like dancing now?" Hermione laughed and nodded, her energy store had shot up when he had asked her out. She felt as though she could dance for the whole night.

They danced to some of the Werid Sister songs, one of them was slow one. Hermione enjoyed this the most as it gave her a chance to be closer to Dan.

'I am so lucky!' Hermione thought to herself, 'But why don't I feel that way?' she asked herself. Yes she was happy. She was extremely happy but she was not head over heels. In fact she didn't feel anything that people were supposed to feel when they loved someone.

At that moment something Ginny had said earlier came to mind, "You should have seen the sparks flying from your eyes and Draco Malfoy's!" Her voice faded. Hermione was scared. Sparks. Sparks was a symptom of love. Was she in love with Draco Malfoy? Her head was disgusted in herself but her heart was agreeing.

But being a girl who always listened to her mind instead of her heart, she ignored hearts desire. She forgot all thoughts of Draco Malfoy and instead concentrated on Dan's arms wrapped around her waist as they slow danced to a Wierd Sister song called, 'Denial'.

A/N – Yes, yes you all hate me now. Well if Hermione and Draco suddenly got together it wouldn't be a store now would it. But of course, there are love stories where they don't get together. Maybe this is one of them? Guess you'll just have to wait and see. Next chapter is a funny one and I'm guessing you'll like it. LoveDraco4Hermione xox

Hint: Next chapter is in the Grocery Store. Draco goes to Hermione's register with a whole trolley full of meat...