Chapter 6 of I Work for You:
Summary: Draco hires Hermione to be his wife for a couple of months, so his boss will approve of Draco and his' deal... Will Hermione fall in love with Draco? Or will she decide that she hates him even more?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Harry Potter.
Recap from Chapter 5:
Hermione nodded mesmerized by his eyes.
Draco's head suddenly leaned down as if he was going to kiss her.
Hermione's eyes closed and ...
Chapter 6:
Hermione's eyes closed, and she could feel the soft warm lips of Draco Malfoy on her own lips. She lost herself in the kiss as she tried to comprehend the fact that she was kissing Draco Malfoy.
It was a moment that would last forever, until all of a sudden, somebody uttered an, "Ahem!"
Hermione and Draco sprang apart so quickly, that even Fudge was surprised.
Hermione started blushing as she glanced at the Minister of Magic. "I'm sorry ... We got ... er... carried away," she muttered.
Fudge smiled gently. "It's all right. I know that now and then, a couple wants to have some alone time with each other ... if you know what I mean," he chuckled.
Draco rubbed his nose.
"If you want, you both can skip breakfast, and I'll eat it by myself. I know you'll be wanting some ... quiet time!" smiled Fudge, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione and Draco both shouted, "No!" at the same time.
Fudge looked surprised, but happy all the same. "If you insist."
The three went into the dining room, and sat down.
"Where's Percy?" asked Draco.
"Ah, yes! Mr. Weasley told me yesterday that he met a 'hot chick' and instructed me to tell you he will be spending the day with her."
Draco nodded. "Okay."
Hermione was staring down at her plate of scrambled eggs, and bacon.
She was in no mood for eating ... because all she could think about was that kiss that Draco had given her.
It wasn't as if it was the first kiss she ever got, but it felt so perfect … so right.
"I can't wait to kiss him again!" Hermione thought.
And then, realizing what she said, she blushed.
Draco, who was sitting next to Hermione, was looking at her carefully. She seemed to be deep in thought, and all of a sudden, she blushed.
"She must be thinking of me!" Draco thought gleefully.
He reflected upon the kiss that the two had shared and he too, blushed.
"Her lips were so soft, and she smelled like strawberries," Draco thought to himself.
Fudge, who was sitting across from Draco, smiled.
He knew that the two were thinking about the kiss that they had shared earlier this morning, and Fudge couldn't help but feel guilty that he had intruded upon the two of them.
"There will certainly be peace and quiet today!" he grinned.
Hermione gave a sigh of relief, happy to get out of the dining hall.
She walked into the garden, and sat down on the floor next to a Cherry Blossom tree.
She laid her head back against the tree trunk, and inhaled deeply the scent of the flowers.
Hermione was ... love struck.
She found that more and more, she thought of Draco. More and more, she began comparing everything to him.
Like yesterday:
"This plate is so cute! I bet Draco would love to have it!"
Or the day before that...
"This dress is fabulous! Draco would be so happy if I wore it!"
Argh! She was going to go crazy. It was as if she was boy crazy for the first time, and she didn't know how to deal with it.
Hermione crept inside the manor, and was prepared to go into her room, when she heard a loud voice coming from inside the kitchen.
"Draco, my boy!" yelled Percy.
"What is it?" asked Draco, wearily.
"Almost your birthday, mate!" said Percy, grinning.
Hermione gasped. "Draco's birthday?" she thought.
"Did you tell Hermione?" asked Percy, cheerfully.
Draco was deep in thought. "As a matter of fact, I don't think I did."
"What? You know, if Hermione is all wide eyed at the day of your birthday, Fudge will think something's going on! And your birthday is only two days away!" Hermione grinned.
She walked into the kitchen, and knocked on the door.
"Uh, Draco?" she asked.
Draco's head snapped up and he glanced at Hermione.
"What?" he asked, dully.
"Is it all right if I go into Diagon Alley today?" she asked, timidly.
"I suppose so."
Hermione nodded, and exited the kitchen.
Instead of going to Hogsmeade, she went into Muggle London to go shopping.
"What to buy for Draco..." she thought to herself.
"He has absolutely everything!"
She passed by a shop that was called "Engravings."
Hermione pushed the door open, and went inside.
The manager stuck out his head, and called, "I'll be with you in a minute!"
Hermione nodded, and walked around.
All over the store, were different engravings.
She read one aloud.
"To my sweet honey; I will love you always."
"Hullo!" said a cheerful voice.
Hermione turned around.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Hermione's voice trailed off.
"Neville?" she asked, gasping.
"Hermione?" he asked, grinning.
"Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you for so long!" squealed Hermione.
"I thought you were gone..." Neville said.
"I work in Flourish and Blott's," cried Hermione, grinning.
"Really? I just went there today and I saw a woman named Vanessa!" Hermione all of a sudden remembered Draco.
"Oh, uh. I sort of quit my job."
Neville nodded.
"So why are you here in Muggle London? Working?" asked Hermione.
"I've always had a passion for engravings, and Ginny at the end of seventh year helped me set this store up. I get lots of customers, and I never thought I'd see you here!" Neville exclaimed.
"Yeah, well I've been busy," she muttered.
"I haven't seen you since the end of seventh year. I mean, that's been a long time!"
"Yeah. Harry and Ron really miss you. They seem to have lost contact of you, and…" Neville trailed off.
Hermione decided to change the subject.
"Uh, so can I get an engraving?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah! Sure!" Neville said, remembering his job.
"Do you want it to be on a plank of wood or..."
Hermione nodded, "How about like a door hanger. Something you hang on a door. A sign…"
Neville asked, "What do you want it to say, what colors, and what size?"
Hermione thought for a moment. "Green background, with silver words, not too big, but not too small, and well ... Neville, could you keep a secret?"
Neville nodded, "Of course!"
"Well, I'm..."
Hermione stopped, and took a deep breath.
"Can you just write the words, Draco's room?"
Neville gasped, "Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?" he asked.
"It's a long story."
Neville nodded soberly and started working.
Half an hour later, the gift was done, wrapped, and paid for.
Hermione smiled, "Thanks, Neville."
"How about we go and have a cup of coffee, and you tell me about your life?" asked Neville.
Hermione nodded.
The two walked down the street into a coffee shop, and sat down.
Hermione took a sip of her mocha and began her story.
"Well, after seventh year, I decided that I wanted to work at Flourish and Blotts. So I went, and they hired me. One day, after work, it was raining and I was walking to my apartment..." Hermione told Neville the whole story, while he listened quietly.
After she finished, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.
Neville could not believe it. Hermione and Draco? Even if they weren't really married, and were only pretending, he couldn't believe that the two of them actually lived together. They used to hate each other.
"I've never told anybody, and I lost contact with Harry. But Draco is a good person. He isn't a Deatheater or anything. He's just a regular wizard, and he's an Auror."
"Harry's an Auror too!"
"Yeah, but Fudge let Draco take a few weeks off," Hermione said, mournfully.
"Don't you ever miss your social life?" asked Neville.
"Of course. I think about Harry and Ron everyday. But they're not as understanding as you are! If I tell Ron, he'll probably kill Draco!"
Neville nodded. "I should probably get going," he said.
Hermione nodded, clutching the birthday gift for Draco.
"Thanks for listening to me. Promise never to tell?" asked Hermione.
Neville nodded. The two hugged, and left the coffee shop.
During the time Hermione was gone, Draco was in the kitchen with Percy, talking about Hermione.
"Have you fallen for her yet?" asked Percy.
Draco glanced up, "No!"
Percy started lecturing Draco on his love life.
He was so busy lecturing Draco that the two didn't notice Hermione come in through the door.
Hermione grinned. "Draco will like his gift! I'm sure of it!" she thought to herself gleefully.
"Maybe I am falling in love with him!" she thought gleefully.
She was about to enter the kitchen, when she heard raised voices.
"I do not like her! Percy, I am just her 'husband' because of the deal I have with Fudge. She knows that, and I know that! We will never have anything. She is still a Muggle born! I have to continue with what my parents have taught me, and I have to marry a Pureblood. Besides, Hermione is ... I wouldn't marry her if she were the last woman on Earth. In fact, if it weren't for this deal, I would have kicked her out of my house right away!" Draco shouted.
He heard a gasp from the kitchen door, and he spun his head around.
There was Hermione, holding a wrapped package in her hand.
But Draco wasn't looking at that. He was staring at Hermione's face.
Hermione had tears in her eyes.
"Hermione..." he said, regretting his words at once.
Author's Note: Well, that's Chapter 6! I hope you like it and please remember to review.
I received one more vote for Fudge intruding on Hermione and Draco. Thank you for your votes. I will update as soon as possible!
Love, LiLbLueangeL1223