This story was written as a Secret Santa gift fic to my amazing Gryffindor Head of House, CK, who led us to win the third-year House's competition. She is an amazing writer! Go check out her profile on FFN at Theoretical-Optimist.
Things Change
Hermione let out an annoyed sigh as she heard her office door click open but she refused to look up. She already knew who it would be; he had been bothering her all day.
"Granger," Malfoy snarled trying to get her attention, "you do know that no one else is still at work, right? Every other department has gone home early for the holidays. Are you trying to torture us?"
Hermione shrugged, ignoring his pacing, "They obviously don't have as much work as we do." She shuffled the papers around on her desk but felt his eyes on her.
"Granger," he said, "Look at this!" He gestured to the tiny window in her office that allowed her to see her employees. "No one is working, except you! The holidays are supposed to be a time of giving!"
She quickly glanced up out the window and could see all of her employees sitting around and talking to one another. They were laughing and gossiping and it was painfully obvious to Hermione that none of them were even pretending to work. She let out a frustrated groan and glanced up at Draco's triumphant smirk.
She narrowed her eyes, "Fine, you can send everyone home but you have to stay and help me finish up this work." She gestured to the piles of paperwork on her desk.
Draco's cheeks turned red, and he sputtered before slamming his mouth shut and just nodded his head slightly. He walked out the door, and she could see him relaying the news to her employees. She saw them clap and cheer for Draco and begin to quickly gather their things. Each employee gave Draco a sympathetic look before running out of the department and home to their families.
Hermione scowled at the scene in front of her, even now, years after Hogwarts, Malfoy was still the 'cool' kid. Everyone in her department liked him and she was still a bossy know-it-all. Sure, it had helped her land her current job as head of the department, and sure, her team praised her for her smarts and accomplishments, but that doesn't mean she was well-liked by her employees. They always greeted her and were polite to her but they flocked to Malfoy, they begged to eat lunch with him and fought over who delivered his mail. It was ridiculous.
She could feel tears begin to prickle at the back of her eyes and quickly turned away to compose herself before Malfoy caught her in a moment of weakness.
She began to shuffle through the papers some more, trying to find something, anything that would distract her enough to force herself to stop throwing herself a pity party.
She heard the door open once more and refused to look up at his gloating smile. Malfoy didn't say anything though. He walked over to her desk and picked up some papers from the pile before sitting down across from her. He stretched out and placed his feet on the corner of her desk with a loud thud.
Hermione glared at him and his fashionable leather shoes but he ignored her. She bit the inside of her cheek and decided it wasn't worth saying anything. He was helping her and if they started to argue now then they wouldn't get any work done.
Hermione turned back to the documents on her desk, but again she could only think about how similar their relationship was now. They were volatile together; true, they were much more civilized now than they had been at Hogwarts, but they could still get into heated rows that caused the whole department to run for cover. The difference now was that they were working together not against each other.
Hermione stared at Malfoy across her desk. He looked the same, the same sharp jawline, the same grey eyes, and he held himself in the same poised, aristocratic manner. She remembered when Kingsley had told her that Malfoy was going to be joining her team, not just joining it, but running it with her. Kingsley had said the department had "needed something different." She had been speechless when Malfoy had walked in and was furious for days but now, she was strong enough to admit it had been good for her and her team, not that she would ever admit that to him.
Malfoy began to spin a quill between his thumb and forefinger and the movement snapped Hermione out of her own head.
"Can you please stop that?" She hissed at him.
"Can we go home?" He countered.
Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored his question, turning back to her work. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy smirk and begin to violently twirl the quill between his fingers again, it looked like it was going to go flying across the room at any minute.
Malfoy's eyes were still trained on the papers in his other hand, but he started humming lowly. He gradually began to get louder and eventually began to start singing the words.
"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch! You really are a heel! You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch!"
"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed, annoyed with his childish behavior today.
"I'm just singing a song that reflects the mood right now."
Hermione huffed and shot him a glare. "What do you know about The Grinch anyway, it's muggle, ya know!?"
"Oh, I know," Draco answered without missing a beat. "A fascinating concept though, isn't it? A very mean person trying to ruin and steal Christmas. Reminds me of someone…" Draco said thoughtfully, tapping his finger to his temple, "hmmm…." He exclaimed before letting his finger fall from his head to point at her. "You!"
Hermione cried out in irritation. "Fine, you aren't helping anyway, just leave!"
Malfoy quickly returned the papers to her desk and triumphantly walked towards the door before hesitating and turning back to her. "Granger, let's go home. You shouldn't be stuck here working. Holidays are for friends and family and we both know that you have the most annoying bunch of them all."
Hermione scowled at him, but her cheeks reddened. "I'll be fine, Malfoy. Go home enjoy your holidays."
"Wait," Draco said examining her through narrowed eyes. "Do you not have anywhere to go for the Holidays? What about The Weasle's house? I thought you always spent the holidays there?"
Hermione chewed her lip, warring with herself on telling Malfoy the truth, she finally sighed and set down her papers, she had never been that great at lying. "Not that it is any of your business, but since Ron and I broke up, I thought it best that I not come this year. I didn't want anyone to feel awkward about the situation, so I just opted not to go. Hopefully, next year things will be better between us and I can start going again."
Draco blanched at her, "What about your parents?"
Hermione's lip quivered for a moment but her voice was strong and even when she answered. "I wiped my parent's memory during the war and haven't been able to reverse it. So, I don't really have any parents, or at least not any that remember who I am." She cast her eyes towards the floor for a moment but when she looked back up at him she had a smile plastered on her face. "It's fine really. Have fun!" She said dismissing him and turning back to her work.
Malfoy just stared at her before storming over to her. "Dammit, Granger! You are joining me for Christmas!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her out from behind her desk. He quickly grabbed her coat by the door and threw it at her before continuing to push her through the department. He ignored her protests until she stomped on his foot and forced him to let go of her.
"I don't want to spend Christmas with you at the Manor!" She shouted at him. "I would rather be in that office all day and night then be there!"
Draco just smirked at her. "That's not where we're going."
Hermione wrinkled her eyebrows at him, "Where are we going then?"
"I guess you will have to wait to find out." He grabbed at her hands again and began pulling her through the Ministry of Magic and out the door. He apparated with a loud pop and when they landed Hermione tugged her hand forcibly out of his.
"Common courtesy states that you are supposed to warn someone before you apparate!"
"Well as you like to point out, I am no gentleman!" He walked through the wooden doors in front of him leaving Hermione to figure out if she wanted to come in.
She bit her lip debating with herself on if she should leave or not and forget the ridiculous notion of spending the holidays with Malfoy. Just as she was turning to leave her stomach grumbled. She almost cursed at her own body. She looked at the wooden doors in front of her and to the street behind her. It looked like a normal pub, and she had her wand. She took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy doors.
"Granger, over here," Draco called. He was sitting at a table with two other men that Hermione vaguely recognized.
She sighed one more time before giving into her bad luck for the night.
Draco quickly introduced the two other men at the table as Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, both names and faces that Hermione recognized from her Hogwarts days, Slytherins, but neither as bad as Malfoy was, so she took a seat.
They were polite and asked her the usual pleasantries before teasing her about how it was working with Draco.
"It must be awful!" Blaise joked and poked at Draco.
Hermione nodded her head in affirmation to which Blaise and Theodore bust out laughing.
"We need to know everything about it!" Blaise laughed. "No one ever thought he would get a job, with the Malfoy fortune and all."
Draco just scowled, "I happen to like my job. We can't all get by with our mother's looks and wealthy husbands."
Everyone at the table erupted in laughter and Hermione couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed about the whole situation. The scene reminded her of Ron, Ginny, and Harry and she felt a small twinge of longing for them.
"Uhoh," Blaise observed, "Someone is missing something or someone, quick, we need a round of Firewhiskey STAT, bartender!"
The older bartender nodded and their drinks quickly appeared before them on the table.
"Oh, I don't think…" Hermione started but Theodore cut her off.
"Just chug it, it'll go down easier!" He winked at her and began to chug his own beer.
Hermione watched as they all chugged their Firewhisky and continue to make jabs at each other before she took a cautious sip, it was only one drink after all.
"Who knew you could let loose so much!" Malfoy commented as Hermione slammed back her fifth drink and challenged Blaise to a game of darts.
Hermione didn't normally act like this but she had to admit she was enjoying herself. She cried out in triumph as she beat Blaise at darts again and jumped up and down, throwing her arms around Malfoy in triumph and giggling as he spun her around.
She stilled against his chest and breathed him in. Alarm bells were going off in her head but she was too drunk to listen to them. She cocked her head to the side to listen to the sound of his heart. For a while, she had speculated that he didn't have one, but there it was, strong, loud, and beating fast. She could get lost in its rhythm.
"Oh!" She cried out as she began to take notice of the room again. "I love this song!"
"Well, then you must dance," Blaise encouraged and gave Draco a little shove. "Give the lady what she wants!"
Draco scowled at Blaise but gently began to sway Hermione in his arms to the melody and twirl her around the bar.
When the song finally ended Theodore tore Hermione's arms from around Draco's neck and insisted that it was his turn. An upbeat song began to play, and he twirled Hermione around the room at a lively pace. Hermione was giggling and smiling at Theo. They danced all night, laughing and drinking. From an outsider's perspective, they all looked like a close group of friends who enjoyed one another's company, not the enemies they once were.
The bartender shot them a look as they chugged their last drink and sauntered out of the bar, each linked together by their elbows and singing a rowdy drinking song at the top of their lungs. They stepped outside and laughed hysterically at their own antics.
When they could finally breathe again Blaise turned to her and enveloped her in a big hug. "Angelo," he said in his native tongue, "I hope we see you again, very soon!" he kissed her on both cheeks, winked at Draco, and apparated with a loud pop.
Theodore did the same, and she swatted at his arm. "I doubt, you will be wanting to see me again when you are sober."
"On the contrary, we will want to see much more of you when we are sober." He replied suggestively.
"Okay, okay!" Draco said shoving between Hermione and Theodore. "I think it's time for you to go home."
Theo clapped Draco's arm and apparated away just like Blaise.
Draco turned to Hermione and she stared at him with a glazed expression and wide eyes.
"I think it's time to get you home too," Draco said and grabbed her arm gently.
"I'll be fine," Hermione hiccupped. She turned to face Draco and lost her balance, her arms outstretched and flailing behind her as she fell to the ground with a loud thud. She looked up at Draco and started laughing so hysterically that tears began to stream down her face.
"I think you've had more than enough to drink." Draco sighed before bending down to pick her up. "Time to get you home. You'll have to tell me where it is, Granger."
Hermione flopped his head against his shoulder looking from one end of the street to the other. "That way!" She pointed, "No, that way!" before bursting out into another fit of giggles.
Draco glanced down the street, just as lost as Hermione, before sighing. "I guess you can stay at my place until you've slept some of this booze off."
He held her face to his chest as he apparated them. They landed on a cobblestone street in London and Hermione's eyes widened at the immaculate buildings in front of her.
"You live here?" She asked in awe.
"Yes," Draco said glancing down at her.
He quickly made his way up the steps to the large, richly adorned building where a doorman held open the door for him. The doorman frowned at Draco and the loud women in his arms but didn't say anything.
"She had a little too much to drink," Draco tried to explain before quickly hurrying away because Hermione started screaming facts about the artwork the lobby adorned.
He made his way to his flat and kicked off his shoes. His arms were shaking from carrying Hermione so far and rushed to the spare bedroom to throw her on the bed.
He threw open the door and gently leaned down to place her on the bed. Hermione hooked her arms around his neck, refusing to let go. Hermione stared up into his eyes and slowly moved her face towards his. She gently brushed her lips against his.
He quickly pulled away from her, lighting shot through his body, his lips tingled, and he had to force himself to not touch them as he stared at Hermione.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Draco mumbled.
Hermione's face fell, "oh you don't want to. That's okay, I understand."
She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them, Draco could see the puddle of tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
"No," Draco's quiet voice said. "I want to, Hermione, Slytherins' snakes do I want to, but your drunk…." He trailed off.
Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. "So? Please don't leave tonight?"
Her small voice and bright eyes were his undoing. He crashed into her, like a hurricane. A flurry of hands and kisses engulfed her. Clothes were thrown across the room and for once, Hermione didn't think, she just felt.
Hermione woke up the next morning with an arm strewn across her belly. She blushed as the events from the night before came back to her. She was just deciding to sneak away when Draco woke up.
He snuggled closer into her side and kissed her cheek. "This is not exactly what I had in mind when I said that you should spend Christmas with me, but I like this way much better." He smirked at her before beginning to run his hand along her body.
Hermione trembled as he kissed her again.
In the aftermath, she laid there staring at the ceiling, and she couldn't help but think how much things had changed between her and Draco. She smiled to herself before drifting off to sleep.