Karma
"So, what would you like to order? It's on me," he said warmly, offering the old, worn out menu card. Hermione stared at the menu. She decided to have a Japanese special, which was Soba and soup. She handed it back to him and he muttered something about ordering a sandwich.
Malfoy was silently standing, keeping a respectful distance. This was the second time he was supposed to be serving her. And his patience had run its course. He had wondered who the male was, distastefully landing at the conclusion that he was the pathetic boyfriend. Oh how life was being so awfully foul to him. He was fed up.
It was embarrassing, serving the Mudblood and her love interest. Utterly disgraceful. He bitterly thought about his non existent social status, given his situation.
There was a girl a few metres away from him. She was on a chair, cleaning the windows, with her back to him. Draco's solution.
"Oi, Dakiane!"
The girl turned around. She was an asian girl, with long black hair, olive skin and was miles shorter than Draco. She was causally dressed in a pair of jeans, a loose white shirt and some old worn out Army boots.
"Yes, Draco?" The girl asked impatiently. This guy had been calling her the whole day today.
Draco gestured towards Hermione and Christoph, in a way that they couldn't see him doing so. He mouthed, "Serve them!"
"Isn't that your job?" Dakiane asked, with a raised eyebrow.
He gave out a frustrated sigh. "I'll pay you."
She had a smug look on her face, as she practically jumped from the chair that she was standing on and marched up to Draco, snatching the pen and the little notebook from him.
"A very good afternoon to you! I'm Dakiane and I'll be serving you today!" She announced to the seated customers. Hermione looked around the place to see Malfoy stalk away. She knew he must've squirmed out of this, by replacing himself with this girl. The sly dog.
"What happened to the blond male?" She asked innocently.
"Gone to heal his wounded pride," Dakiane answered bluntly. Hermione smirked. She knew exactly what the girl was talking about. Christoph clearly looked confused.
"How old are you?" Christoph asked.
"I'm 15, sir. Can I take your order?"
"Right. Um, I'd like a Tuna Sandwich," Christoph said, he shifted his gaze to Hermione, as if asking her what she wanted.
"Yes, I'll have Soba," Hermione said to the girl, giving her a smile.
"Of course, anything else? Maybe to drink? Tea? Coffee? Chai?" The girl prompted, by ticking off all the options on her fingers.
"Ah yes, I'll have a chai," Christoph said, "Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Right. It'll only be fifteen minutes."
Dakiane walked off to the kitchen to submit her order, passing by a sulking Draco sitting on a chair, just outside the kitchen.
"Uncle Shiro is not going to be happy if he finds out that you're paying me to do your work." Dakiane said, sitting next to him after she had given in the order.
"Don't tell him." Was the short reply.
"I'm just saying, if anyone found out apart from the old cook," she paused, "whatcha got against that girl?" It was referring to Hermione. She unwrapped a piece of gum and shoved it in her mouth.
"Don't ask."
"Fine, keep sulking, Mr. Grump,"
Draco was mildly amused at her response. She had been forced to work here by her parents, for her uncle Shiro, who owned the place, against her will. He had been forced to work here, because of his lack of money and food. It was his eighth day of work and he hadn't been fired yet. It was a miracle.
One of his sources of food was this restaurant. The cook named Haru, was a dear old woman that offered him a meal after his shift. He made breakfast with bread and butter in the morning, in his two-room apartment, that was a living room with a bed and a toilet.
For dinner, he'd finish the loaf of bread that he had started in the morning. The way he lived was ridiculously pathetic compared to his previous house.
Even though he knew the staff for only a bit over a week, he knew that they at least made his poverty-stricken life a little easier, and he felt something that he hadn't before. It was gratefulness. He had to deal with the fact that he had hit rock bottom. So for every serving of food he got from Haru, and every favour done by Dakiane, he was grateful. Even her stupid jokes counted.
"Daki! Food's ready!" Haru called.
Dakiane bolted inside the kitchen and collected a tray with two dishes and a chai. She walked over to the table and set the plates down, alongside the chai. He watched her, as she cheerfully interacted with the customers and saw Hermione give her a grateful smile and Christoph thank her before she left.
After the duo finished their meal, Hermione had asked Christoph to carry on back to the Ministry. She had said she needed to talk someone at the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, he looked perplexed, but nevertheless agreed to wait for her at the Ministry.
"Malfoy." Draco heard his name said by a certain Gryffindor.
"Ah Granger, coming to mock me? Maybe pity me?" He asked. His voice was full of venom, as he watched her approach him. His eyes were molten, hard, and he looked like he was about to pounce on her. Dakiane quickly vanished to the kitchen.
She gave him a look of disgust. She was sick of his tone, his arrogance. Even when he was in a needy state, he'd still act like a cocky bastard, with his holier-than-thou attitude.
He only continued to stare at her with a vengeance. Granted, he was angry. Because he was scraping the ground, and she was flying high in the Ministry. She had parents and he was disowned. Now she was looking down at him. What a sickening sight, he thought.
"What do you want Granger?" He asked, taking a paragon of self-control to not blatantly start yelling at her, about his problems in life, such as being broke and how she was the cause of it, and try to act like he couldn't be bothered. He had to maintain an ego, even in his position.
"I'm curious, Malfoy," she started off, pulling up a chair to sit next to him. Malfoy saw this movement and had intentions to stand up and walk away.
"I've hated you, you've hated me more. But see, I wouldn't have cared what you did in your life but the fact that you're doing this, makes me wonder what happened." She was intrigued, and her tone was blatantly honest, almost like a mockery. Being the head of SPEW for Elves, made her stop short when she saw Malfoy serving people. She would always angrily think that Malfoys acted as if they had a right to control people and not serve. To be cruel and not kind. So when she saw him, it was like he was breaking a Malfoy rule by serving someone else. What an unfathomable fact.
Yes, she had to know why he was breaking his family's heart by doing this lowly job. Maybe she'd use it against him, as a return gift for the hell he gave her in the past. She'd rub the fact that she had the last laugh, in his face. She'd make him pay. What goes around, comes around, she'd say.
But how? Was it in her nature? To ridicule people of their positions and to mock them of their lack of material possessions, such as money, respect and love? To kick them when they're at the lowest? Even Malfoy? Try as she would, she'd never accomplish the air of a bully, or the pleasure in someone's pain. That was not her. Even to Malfoy, she annoyingly added.
Her features softened and her voice had a touch of empathy. "Look Malfoy, I'm sorry. Whatever has happened, I don't know... But," she paused and saw his stiff figure, "I hope things go your way,"
"Go my way, eh Granger? Nothing has ever been my way. That was all in your demented and deluded brain." He said bitterly. There was suddenly a fire within him, which was lit by the unadulterated hatred he had for the world.
He was just so angry and frustrated at her, and when he looked at her with fury written on his face, it didn't make her angry, it made her sad. Sad to see how someone could posses so much of resentment in them.
A/N: I need to cut it off here, I'm sorry. It's one in the morning, and I just HAD to post this. It's been too long. Oh and, can you please leave a review if you're reading this? Yeah you! The one who's frowning at me :P . Maybe a, "Hi" or even, "K"? I'll shower you with lots of love.