A/N: Uh, so I noticed that I last updated 2 months ago. Whoops. Exams can be hectic : / This chappie's all about dramione,so hope you enjoy : )
-ANNOYED-
Hermione shook her head incredulously. 'You have no right to go around bullying the staff at this restaurant, Malfoy,' she snapped, placing a hand on her hip.
'And why not?' Malfoy asked, sounding...amused? Was that amusement in his voice?
Hermione clenched her teeth. 'Why not? Why not? Malfoy! What a stupid question!'
Malfoy looked around them, noticing that a few people were looking their way. He gave them a smile, and turned back to face her, the smile immediately dropping. 'I'd appreciate if you stop creating a scene, Granger,' he said quietly, his grey eyes glinting.
Hermione raised an eyebrow challengingly. 'You'd appreciate it?'
The customers at the desk cleared, and Alex came back to their side. 'Mr Malfoy, sir, I am so sorry about earlier—'
Malfoy looked at him sharply.
Alex nodded. 'Okay, sir, shutting up right now.'
Hermione poked Malfoy in the chest. 'Who do you think you are, ordering Alex around?'
Malfoy looked down at her finger which was still poking him. He lifted his hand, picking hr finger off him as if it were a piece of flint. 'The manager, Granger. I understand you wanted to speak to me?'
Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Sure, Malfoy.' Dismissively she turned towards Alex, who was staring at her as if she had grown an extra head. Ignoring the look, she said, 'Look, if the manager is busy, do you think I could leave him a message?'
She felt a cold breeze rush against her skin – and she turned, to find Malfoy walking away, the sound of his footsteps being absorbed by the plush carpet. 'I guess it was a rumour after all,' he called over his shoulder.
She glared at his back, knowing the effect was lost on him. 'What rumour?' she snapped.
He paused, turning around. Shooting her a devilish grin, he said, 'That you are the smartest witch of our age.'
She made a huge point of turning away from him, focusing her attention on the inscriptions on the reception desk. Apparently, this restaurant was relatively new. She leaned closer, noticing that the golden lettering reflected the year 1998. That was a year ago. If she leaned in a bit more closely, she would be able to see the names of the staff...
Somewhere on her right, she heard the vague click of a door being closed, the sound pulling her out of her attention on the writing. An elderly couple stood next to her, verifying their booking with Alex.
'—and if you follow Abigail,' he was saying, and a woman with long curly red hair, and bold green eyes appeared on his right, smiling at the couple, '-she'll show you where your table is.'
Hermione watched as the couple hobbled behind the mesmerising Abigail, who seemed to be walking extra slowly to accommodate for the couple.
Hermione glanced at the clock that hung on the wall behind Alex. Its Roman numerals were lost behind its shadows created by the candlelight, but she could still see the time. It was late. Very late. As in 2 o-clock in the morning kind of late. 'I had no idea that old people were up this late,' she said quietly to Alex, who was waving his wand over a book that was filled with numbers and crisp parchment.
He didn't pause in his wand movement as he replied, 'You would be surprised,' he murmured, 'by the types of people that pitch up here. At the oddest of times, too.'
His voice had a softness to it that seemed to mesh well with the ambience of the restaurant.
'Out of interest,' Hermione began, 'what time does this place close?'
Alex glanced up. 'Never,' he replied, closing his book, and pushing it aside.
Hermione couldn't believe her luck! This place was perfect. It met all of Isabelle's requirements. Well, besides being a place that seemed to breathe magic, it was set in Muggle London, and it was also always open. She would probably be able to overstep that very minor detail of it being a non-Muggle restaurant. Now if she could just speak to the manager...
'Um, Alex,' she said again.
His enthusiasm for her company had completely evaporated, and Hermione could hardly believe that just a few moments ago, he had been bubbling with eagerness about her job. Right now, he was hardly paying her any attention. In fact, ever since Malfoy had left, Alex seemed to have adopted a tangible serious attitude.
'Yes?' he asked, his quill poised to begin a new series of entries into the book.
'How long do you think he's going to take?'
'How long is who going to take?' he asked, lifting up what looked like a receipt, squinting, and then jotted something else down in the book. He looked at the receipt again, and his eyebrows pulled together. He showed her the slip. 'Tell me something, does that look like a 9 or a 4?' he asked, pointing towards the elegant scrawl of one Mr B Hues.
Hermione leaned in to have a better look. 'It's a 9,' she answered, and he nodded, taking the slip. He waved his wand, and the slip disappeared. As she watched him neatly write down the number 9 into the book, she said, 'The manager. How long do you think he's going to—'
'Hermione', Alex said slowly, deciding to abandon his quill and book.
'Yes?'
'Let me ask you something,' he said.
She nodded slowly, unable to predict where this conversation was going.
'What is the name of this restaurant?'
'Uhh,' Hermione said, looking around. She spotted a huge sign that reminded her vaguely of the 'Welcome Home' sign that her mother had hung from the frame of their front door. She pointed at it, and Alex didn't even turn around. He knew what the sign said. 'Dragon's Head,' she read, briefly marvelling at the way the golden lettering glimmered in the candlelight.
'Right,' Alex said, nodding, a lock of dark brown hair falling into his eyes. He jerked his head slightly, forcing the obstruction away. 'And what does Mr Malfoy's first name mean in Latin?'
He's talking about Draco Malfoy, she realised. The answer was on her tongue and she was about to tell him the answer, when her mouth dropped open slightly.
'Crap,' she said, feeling her heart slowly shorten the time between its beats as she became increasingly aware of her situation. 'Crap,' she said again. She ran a hand through her hair, not noticing how Alex followed the movement.
'Exactly,' he said. 'So, technically speaking, you have already met with the manager,' he said, jerking his head towards his left, the direction in which Malfoy had exited.
'Do you think I could...maybe go there now...' she said, trailing off, knowing that the idea sounded implausible.
Alex leaned his head on his hand. 'Mr Malfoy can be...difficult,' he said.
'Tell me about it,' she said, sighing. 'So, now what?'
He cocked an eyebrow. 'You want my help?'
'You see,' Hermione began, 'Malfoy and I...we have a ...history.' She saw Alex's eyes widen in surprise. 'No!' she exclaimed, realising what he must have thought. 'Not like that.' He nodded, his face arranged in amused disbelief. 'I'm being serious,' Hermione said, suddenly annoyed that Alex didn't believe her. 'We both seem to repel each other. Our history is...dirty.'
Alex shrugged, pulling himself up to his full height, looking over her shoulder. She glanced behind her, noticing that more customers stood at the entrance. 'So use your womanly wiles,' he said, winking at her.
Hermione felt her face flood with heat. She dipped her head down, hoping that he would not notice.
'Trust me,' Alex was saying, 'So long as you do it right...'
Hermione was feeling really embarrassed. Hermione Granger did not flirt. She especially did not flirt to manipulate men. She was thankful for the new crowd of customers that pushed her away from Alex. He grinned at her over their heads, giving her the thumbs up. Hermione looked away, and walked in the general direction that Malfoy had previously headed in. Silently she cursed herself. Draco meant dragon in Latin. How could she have been so stupid?
Malfoy was probably laughing at her right now.
She looked around, unsure of where she was going. She spotted the woman from earlier – Abigail. She was talking to another waiter, her hand resting delicately on the man's shoulder. He leaned in, whispering something in her ear that made Abigail laugh. Hermione, feeling uncomfortable, cleared her throat.
There were no other waiters around for her to ask, so she cleared her throat again. Abigail looked over her shoulder, noticing Hermione. She turned around, a warm smile on her face. 'Can I help you?'
'Yes, I, uh, was wondering where Mal – Mr Malfoy's office is?' It came out as a question.
Abigail's smile seemed to lose some of its warmth. Her eyes raked Hermione up and down, making her feel self-conscious. She folded her hands into each other behind her back, uncomfortable under the girl's gaze.
'Why?' Abigail asked, a trace of suspicion in her voice.
'Abigail,' the man behind her said, a hint of warning in his tone. Hermione looked at him. He was tall, and just as handsome as Alex. He had blond hair that reached his shoulders, and had a light stubble that added to his roguishness. Is everyone who works at this restaurant good-looking? Hermione wondered. If that was the case, she'd feel terribly out of place. And that was only if Malfoy gave her a chance.
Unlikely.
Right now, the boy's mouth was set in a deep frown as he looked at Abigail.
'It's just a question, Josh,' Abigail said, still looking at Hermione. She pushed herself away from Josh, facing Hermione head on. Hermione knew what clothes she had on; knew that they didn't impress her one bit. She just had her slacks and a shirt she had thrown on. The atmosphere in the restaurant didn't make her feel out of place, but now, under the penetrating stare of Abigail, she suddenly did feel out of place.
'I need to speak with him,' Hermione said, attempting to ignore her discomfort.
'About...' Abigail prompted, gesturing with her hands for her to continue. The boy – Josh – let out a frustrated sigh, and walked away, apparently to see to one of his tables.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, starting to get annoyed at Abigail's personal questions.
She lifted her chin. 'I don't think that that's any of your business,' she said in a levelled tone.
Abigail took a light step forward. 'Really? Because I—'
'Abigail,' came a smooth voice. Both Hermione and Abigail looked up, and Hermione didn't know whether to feel relieved or embarrassed or annoyed. Malfoy was leaning against the door of what Hermione assumed was his office.
'Draco,' Abigail acknowledged softly, and Hermione glanced at her, noticing how Abigail's entire body language changed. The waves of animosity that had been rolling off her just a few moments ago came to a standstill. She had a small, playful smile on her face.
Hermione rolled her eyes. So there was something going on between them, she surmised. Abigail had probably seen Hermione as a threat. Hermione mentally scoffed. As if.
'Mr Malfoy,' Malfoy corrected Abigail, his lips pulled into a straight, thin line. 'Or Sir,' he added, his gaze narrowing in disapproval.
Hermione's gaze flickered to Abigail, who stared back at Malfoy unflinchingly. 'Should I curtsey as well?' she asked mockingly.
Malfoy wasn't a far distance away from them, so Hermione could see how he clenched his jaw. 'Table 13 needs seeing to,' he snapped.
Abigail lightly turned on her feet, and Hermione raised her eyebrows as she saw how Abigail's hips swayed lightly...deliberately.
Ah, the skilful art of flirtation. Hermione rolled her eyes. Realising where she was, she steeled herself, looking back at Malfoy. He was looking at her now, his expression contemplative.
Silently, he stepped into his office, and Hermione knew she had to follow. She looked back behind her, seeing that Alex was still busy with customers. Sighing, she followed Malfoy into his office.
He had already taken a seat at his desk, his feet coming up to rest on his table.
She opened her mouth to say something, when he said, 'Close the door, please.' His tone was polite, but she could see the vague traces of amusement back in his eyes.
She bit her lip, forcing the words down. She needed this job. Desperately. She did as he requested, and sat down. He was looking at her in slight confusion.
'Granger, where's your wand?' he asked.
She sucked in a breath. She couldn't exactly tell him that Isabelle had her wand, could she? So she deflected his question. 'Speaking of, you could have used yours to close the door,' she said.
'Ah, the Granger snark,' he remarked, leaning back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. She couldn't help but notice that as he did this, his arm muscles pushed against the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
'It's not snark – it's wit.'
'With you, the two are synonymous,' he replied, shrugging.
She bit back her next reply. I need this I need this I need this...she reminded herself.
Malfoy looked at, his amusement hardly concealed now. He dropped his feet down from his table, and leaned forward. 'You must want something really badly from me for you to back down from retorting,' he murmured, a small smirk gracing his lips.
Hermione leaned away instinctively. Where was the cold Malfoy she had parted from two years ago? Where was the prejudiced Malfoy who could not stand being alone with a person of so-called inferior birth? In his place stood – sat, Hermione mentally corrected – a man who seemed to be...
No, she wouldn't think it.
'I need a job,' she suddenly blurted out. Then she bit her tongue. Damn, she had planned this so much better.
But she knew that she couldn't unsay it, so she just looked up at him.
He sat back in his chair, regarding her coolly. 'Why?'
She clenched and unclenched her hands which were beneath the desk. 'Because.'
'Because...' he said, gesturing for her to continue.
She lifted her shoulders up and then down. 'Just because.'
'Come now, Granger, we're not six-year-olds,' he said, smirking. 'Now tell me.'
'I have my reasons, Malfoy,' she said. When it looked as if he was waiting for her to continue, she added, 'Personal reasons.'
'Here at Dragon's Head, we have a 'No personal issues' policy,' he said, a quiet, evil grin on his face.
'That's funny. That outside there didn't look personal at all,' Hermione remarked, jerking her head behind her, in reference to the Abigail-Malfoy incident.
Malfoy cocked an eyebrow. 'Jealous?'
Hermione gave an indelicate snort.
Malfoy tapped his chin. 'You know, for someone who seems desperate – ' he ignored her angry glare at the word 'desperate', '– to work for me, you sure aren't making it easy for yourself.'
'Look,' she said, trying to maintain the evenness in her tone, 'I am trying –'
Malfoy shook his head. 'I beg to differ.'
Hermione glared at him. 'I need a job, Malfoy.'
'And you think I'm going to grant you one? Just like that? Just because the great and famous Hermione Granger swoops into my office, and demands a job, I should give it to her?' he asked, his questions asked in a quiet, rapid succession.
Hermione narrowed her gaze at him, and leaned forward. 'First of all, Malfoy, I didn't swoop into your office. I followed you, per your request. And secondly, I didn't demand –'
'Okay, first of all,' he said, cutting across her, holding up a finger, 'I didn't request that you follow me. It was expected,' he added with an air of arrogance that angered Hermione. 'And secondly,' he said, holding up another finger, 'yes, you did demand a job, Granger. In fact, you told me, twice, that you needed a job, and then you wouldn't even tell me why. You're not even treating this professionally –'
'-and arguing with a potential employee is professional?' she countered.
'It's acceptable if the person has no potential to be an employee.'
'Are you saying that you're not going to employ me, Malfoy?'
Malfoy smirked. 'I had my mind made up the moment you rejected the fact that I manage this restaurant.'
Hermione's nostrils flared, and she could feel her body's temperature increase from their heated argument. 'At that point, you wouldn't have known my purpose for coming here,' she pointed out.
His smirk didn't even waver. 'I had already decided to decline any request you were going to make.'
Hermione took in a deep breath. 'Are you telling me that I wasted forty minutes of my time—'
'Forty-five, actually,' he corrected.
She closed her eyes. She had blown her last chance of getting an ounce of freedom. She was partly to blame for that. Now what? When she opened her eyes, Malfoy was staring at her, an odd expression she couldn't name on his face.
She pushed herself away from his desk, and stood up. 'Thank you very much for your time, Malfoy,' she said in a formal tone.
'See ya around, Granger,' he said, grinning.
Hermione stared at him, shaking her head incredulously. He was enjoying this. The idiot was damn enjoying this.
She had her hand on the doorknob, when an idea occurred to her. 'Malfoy, do you know if there are any other twenty-four hour restaurants around in Muggle London?' She didn't know why she was asking him to help her when he had so blatantly refused to employ her, but she tried her luck anyway.
'Nope,' he said, still grinning.
Merlin, was he insufferable! 'No, you don't know, or no, there aren't any?' she asked, battling for composure.
'Both.'
She growled. Yes, Hermione Granger growled. She was that angry. 'Are you doing this deliberately?'
'Did you just growl at me, Granger?' he asked, amusement written all over his features.
She turned her back on him, threw open his door, not caring that it banged against the wall. She stalked out of his office, ignoring the surprised looks of the customers she walked passed. She marched passed the reception desk, ignoring Alex's 'Woah, Hermione!'. She walked right up until the point where she had first landed, where the door had taken her to, but the door had disappeared after that. The door wasn't there now. She looked around helplessly, trying not to feel embarrassed.
She felt a warm hand on her arm, and was about to yank her arm away, thinking it was Malfoy, when she looked up to see Alex's smiling face. His smile dropped, and his eyebrows disappeared behind his hair. 'Wow, you look...angry,' he observed. Wisely, he dropped her arm, and took a step back.
She folded her arms. 'How do I leave?' she asked.
'Sorry?' he asked, looking confused.
'How do I leave?' she repeated.
'You just...' he started, and then stopped. 'Where's your wand?'
'I need my wand to leave?' she asked, starting to panic.
He scratched his head. 'Well, didn't you use it to come in?'
Hermione shook her head.
'Huh.'
'What?'
'That's odd.'
'What is?' she asked.
Alex pointed at the ceiling, where she assumed the door appeared from. 'Your wand automatically summons the door when you want to come in or leave. The fact that you came in without your wand...'
'Yes..?'
Alex shrugged, grinning at her. 'Well, you must be some powerful witch, then.'
Hermione smiled. Alex was nice. 'Well, I don't feel so powerful now,' she grumbled.
'Here, I'll help you,' he said. He closed his eyes, and a second later, a swooshing sound came from above them. Hermione looked up, and there was the door, descending.
'Thanks,' Hermione mumbled, feeling silly. People didn't usually help her out magically.
'No problem,' Alex said, patting her on the back. 'So I'll see you around?'
Hermione shook her head. 'I don't think so.'
'Oh,' Alex said, his dimples disappearing.
'But it was nice meeting you,' she said genuinely, about to step through the door.
'Agreed,' Alex said, nodding.
'Hey, Alex?' she asked, turning around. 'You wouldn't by any chance know if there are any other twenty-four hour restaurants around in Muggle London, would you?' she asked, crossing her fingers.
Alex's eyes widened. 'Actually, there is one—'
'Really?' Hermione asked, suddenly smiling. Thank you!
Alex looked at her, smiling in response. 'Yes, The Ocard. It's on Glasgar Street, which is –'
'I know where it is! Thank you so much, Alex,' she said, so relieved she stepped forward to give him a hug. He smelled nice.
She caught Alex off-guard. When she pulled away, he looked so surprised that she felt embarrassed for hugging him. But she didn't care, because she had another chance. 'Okay, bye! And thank you again!' She opened the door, and closed it, not hearing what Alex called out after her.
Malfoy was truly horrible and mean and rude, but this was her second chance. To hell with Malfoy, the idiot.
She stepped out onto the pavement, noticing that the rain hadn't let up, but it wasn't as bas as it was before. Sighing, she made her way to Glasgar Street. There weren't any buses around at this hour, there weren't any nice people to give her a lift either. And she didn't have her wand, so she couldn't Apparate. If she met any...people on the street, she would be okay. She had been trained as an Auror, after all.
She guessed that it would take her ten minutes to get there. She would look like a mess, she knew, what with the rain. So hopefully, she would be able to win the manager over with her wit and intellect.
XXX
Draco shrugged on his jacket. He blinked back a yawn, and grabbed his wand. After neatening up all the things on his table, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
He went to the reception desk, where Alex was writing something in one of the books.
He looked up when he heard Draco. 'Morning, Sir,' Alex said cheerfully.
Draco sighed. The idiot tried too much to please Draco. It was nauseating. 'How do the figures look, Alex?'
'You possibly might be able to open another restaurant,' Alex replied, grinning.
'Good,' Draco replied shortly, not wanting to waste time making idle chitchat.
He walked towards the point where the door would sense the wand. The familiar swooshing sound entered his senses, and he was about to open the door when Alex said, 'Hey, Sir?'
Draco sighed. 'What is it?' he asked impatiently.
'Hermione just left for The Ocard.'
Draco raised his eyebrows. 'Is that so.'
Alex nodded. 'Left five minutes ago.'
'Interesting.' He grabbed the knob and opened it, and the door deposited him on the familiar step outside. He was met immediately by heavy rain that sprayed him in the face. Grimacing, he turned, Disapparating.
-to be continued-