Hermione Granger was late, and she was very much sure of it. The sun was already shining its way up to her face, as if shoving its rays to her saying that she needs to get her ass off of bed. And she did. She quickly did.
She ran and did her routine faster than she can imagine. It was only herself to blame. She got caught up on watching a comedic television series called Brooklyn Nine Nine about cops in day-to-day events in New York. It was a damn good show that gave her the laughs she needed in order to destress from work. She finished three seasons within one seating starting from the afternoon till midnight. Hermione was a lawyer and while watching how cops were portrayed in that show, she somehow felt connected and the funny moments got her completely hooked in.
Her tardiness was completely at her fault, but she'd say that it was worth it because she needed that time for herself and she completely got it.
As she bolted out of her apartment and making sure it's locked, she jogged towards the elevator and saw a young man enter. He was about to close the door when she shouted at him to wait and not close the door on her.
Hermione got in and when she did, she was completely out of breath. Sweat was building up around her temples and she quickly wiped it with the back of her wrists. Early in the morning and she's already running a god damn triathlon.
The elevator continued to go down and as she finally caught her breath, she realized that the elevator was empty except for her and the good-looking man beside her. She hasn't seen his face completely, but she can already tell that he's of the office-working class and he constantly gets swooned by female coworkers. She would too, honestly, until she noticed the blinding blonde hair with her peripheral vision. She turned fully to her side and was genuinely surprised to see an old schoolmate of hers, looking devilishly handsome and much taller than she is, Draco Malfoy.
Malfoy gave a small smile, "Good morning to you Granger."
"W-What.. oh yes," Hermione was taken a back. Out of all the places there is within this tiny ball of rock floating in space, she had to meet Malfoy in a freaking elevator? And she was running late, of all times! She was a scattered mess.
After trailing off, Hermione made eye contact with Draco's stormy gray eyes, as if expecting for her to say something else. Say something damn it!
"Good morning to you too," she finally added. He must've already known who she was, but he only greeted her when the thought finally sunk that she also recognizes him.
"Good to know that you haven't completely lost your manners," he bantered slightly.
Oh, so we're still in the same terms of how we left each other in high school? How mature.
"So you're still that same git from six years ago, huh?" She countered, slightly annoyed.
He gave a nonchalant shrug. The elevator gave a small 'ding' and they finally reached the ground floor. Both walking off at the same time, he said, "Not really, just striking up a conversation."
"I believe that a conversation starts with a 'how do you do' or something along the lines, if you haven't noticed," she said, keeping up with his long strides and walking together.
"How do you do, then?" Draco asked gallantly. Hermione wasn't sure if he was mocking her. She decided to ignore him.
They walked past the lobby and Hermione gave a small wave and smiled at Geoff, the guy at the counter. Draco noticed it.
"You've been here for a while?"
He can't take a hint, can he? "Not really, only for a couple of weeks. Something about work," Hermione answered. "And you?"
"Same thing, but only for a couple of days. Just arrived here yesterday," he answered conversationally.
After everything they've been through, all the blood-boiling insults and banters back in the days at school, this type of Draco Malfoy seems so foreign to her. All her life, she has this impression of him being a spoiled brat that only cares about himself and his riches. It seem slightly true, but the Draco Malfoy she's looking at now negates otherwise. They're so… civil to each other. This is definitely something she's not used to, and it gives her the creeps that she actually thought of Malfoy as attractive at a first glance? Yikes. She ought to do better than that.
Hermione's musings were cut short when Draco said, "Looks like we're going in the same direction. Off to the embassy as well?"
"Yeah," she answered. Then, as if receiving an alert, Hermione remembered that she was running late. "Actually, I'm kind of in a rush. It's already 8:14 AM. Given that you're also going in the same direction, I assume that you also work there?"
"The time doesn't really matter does it? And yes, starting today, I'm working on a case assigned to me." He replied, not breaking eye contact.
Hermione was hooked. Those eyes were like the television series she just watched last night: completely fascinating. Although she cannot deny the fact that he was a complete asshole to her back in the day of their schooling. Indeed, he is an asshole, but he's the type of asshole that is nice to look at. Utterly deceiving.
Snap out of it! "I suppose the oh so great Malfoy does not care about punctuality," Hermione scoffed. "Why would you? You already feel too important."
They passed by the public park and Draco can already see the Embassy building neatly situated right after one block. He got to hand it to Theo, he surely picked a place that was near.
"I suppose that's true, but we're only a few minutes late. It's not that much of a big deal," Draco said.
"If you haven't noticed, I was actually being sarcastic. You aren't actually that great."
"Well that's my take on your sarcasm," he replied. "But you still admit that I am still great somehow?" A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You wish," she said, slightly defeated. What are we?! Twelve? Why are we bantering like children?
"I take it that you are a lawyer as well?" Hermione switched the topic into something more appropriate for their age. They need to start acting like adults or else Hermione will start to lose her internal battle and drown into his piercing gaze. He is that attractive. What did this boy take in the past six years they haven't met? He glowed up from a snotty and snobby rich kid into the most handsome contestant in The Bachelor! Goodness.
They were now looming towards the building. Finally, Hermione thought. She couldn't stand another second with him. He got her all muddled up and confused. Around him, she felt somewhere between the lines of anger, annoyance, nostalgia, and longing. Seeing an old colleague such as Draco Malfoy made her miss her best friends, Harry and Ron. Of all the people she could run in to, she runs into her high school arch nemesis that she didn't even want to see in the first place.
"A diplomat, actually." Draco corrected. "So a lawyer, eh, Granger? I always suspect you'd become one with your righteous little self with her nose always up on people's business."
"Excuse me?" Hermione was taken aback.
"Believe me, it was a compliment. It's hard keeping up with people these days, they run so wild. Lawyers sure are tough." He let out a small chuckle.
Before she can reply, they finally reached the building.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways!" Hermione said cheerfully, almost too cheerful. Draco noticed that she wanted to be out of his presence fast, but he paid no mind to it. Of course that would be the natural response.
Just as Hermione thought they would be finally parting ways, both of them went to the same direction again. To top it all off, both of them got inside the same elevator.
"What floor?" Draco asked politely.
Hermione wasn't used to Draco being such a gentleman. I guess time really does change people a lot, even if that kid was a brat and the idea of him changing deemed impossible. But he did.
"19th," was her curt reply.
Hermione waited for Draco to press in his floor number as well, but he didn't. Oh god.
"Same floor, apparently," he said aloud his observation.
Hermione just gave out an awkward smile.
The ride up was completely silent, and Hermione was thankful that there were some people that got in later in the upper part of the building. The elevator started to get busy with its number of people.
Finally, after it seemed like ages, they finally got to their floor number. Hermione went out first and Draco followed short.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye then. See you around Malfoy," Hermione parted.
"See you around Granger," was his short reply.
Draco watched Hermione dart off towards the hallway and advance towards a small office with transparent glass. There was a profuse amount of paperwork on top of the table and he saw Hermione take an evident sigh as she placed her bag on a small desk and started rearranging the papers. He smirked. It was a long day for Granger.
Heading on to his way, he went into the same direction that Hermione went but further back towards the government officer's office. He needed to see what Kingsley assigned for him.
Today's a nice start, I guess, was all he thought as he walked past Granger's office and knocked on a door a couple of distance beside it.