All characters belong to JKR
Chapter 36: Notice:
Tuesday:
Hermione walked briskly into the office, a bit before eight. She wasn't concentrating on where she was going, so she ran right into the man she most wanted to avoid. She looked up at him, said neither a greeting nor a salutation, and then she walked around him to walk on into her office. He looked as if he wanted to say something to her, and she took an almost perverse pleasure knowing that he was at a loss for words. He couldn't expect to behave atrociously and then just be forgiven, could he. He hadn't even forgive her yet.
Spitefulness wasn't usually a word that could be applied to Hermione Granger, but she felt very spiteful today. She asked her assistant to get her a copy of the Daily Prophet, adding, "I only need the employment ads." Her assistant looked shocked, but nodded.
She planned to do nothing for two whole weeks. She only gave a two-week notice because it would look better on her resume if she did. Doing things well was usually her creed, and her fondest ambition, but nothing about working here urged her to conduct herself in any way befitting a happy employee. She was disgruntled, somewhat rueful, but angry, and she didn't care who knew it.
At ten, her assistant director told her that Draco Malfoy wanted to have a meeting with their entire staff concerning an internship program. Hermione smiled and said, "Go on without me."
At ten after ten, her assistant director came back to her office and said, "He says if you aren't there in ten minutes, he's firing all of us."
"That dirty bastard," she said aloud.
She joined them in the staffroom.
"Have you an outline to present to me on the internship program yet, Granger?" he asked.
Hermione looked at him annoyed and said, "I haven't had any time to even discuss it with my staff yet, Malfoy. I just told you about it this weekend."
"Usually you're on top of things. I'm disappointed," he said.
"I don't care," she said. She folded her arms in front of her.
"You better care," he said.
Everyone in the room sat back in their chairs.
"Or what will happen? Will you fire me? I've already given you my notice," she said.
Everyone in the room gasped, as this was news to them all.
"Oh, that silly thing? I've decided to ignore it," he told her. "You're probably lying anyway. I'll give you until tomorrow afternoon to brainstorm with your staff, and then you'll present it to me and Adrian at three. Everyone can leave."
Everyone stood up, except for Hermione. She looked at a couple of them, and waved them out the door.
Draco started writing something on a piece of parchment. Hermione cleared her throat. He reached in his pocket, without looking at her, and passed her a throat lozenge. She picked it up, unwrapped it, and then threw it at him. It bounced on his head and then hit the table. He looked up finally.
She had her arms crossed.
"Did you want something?" he asked.
"I'm not lying! I really gave you my notice!"
"Then I'm lying when I say that I don't care, because I do care. Furthermore, I've chosen to ignore it." Apparently, he also planned to ignore her, because he went back to writing on his stupid, piece of parchment.
After a few quiet moments she yelled, "Fire me, then!"
"You wouldn't want your squeaky, clean reputation soiled would you? No, I shall not fire you, nor do I accept your resignation. Now, be a good girl and get to work." His head bent back down, and he continued to write.
She stood up and walked out.
She went to her staff, told them her plans and ideas for the internship program, and then told them all to get to work on it. There, she did her duty.
She went home that night angry and confused. She didn't understand him. If he wasn't going to forgive her, and he wouldn't accept her notice, then why wouldn't he just go ahead and fire her? She was in bed that night thinking about that very thing when her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Granger, what are you doing?" Draco asked.
She sat up in bed and said, "What do you think I'm doing?" She looked at her clock, and it was after eleven. "I'm in bed!"
"Are you alone? In other words, I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" he said with a leer. Although he was on the phone, she was sure he was smirking.
"No, Malfoy, you did not!"
"Good, just checking, I'll see you tomorrow, and by the way, I forgive you," he said. "Goodbye and I love you."
She slammed the phone on the cradle.
Wednesday:
Hermione was having a terrible morning already, and it was only eleven o'clock. She was walking down to the break room earlier, looked behind her as she was walking, (because Draco called her name from the other end of the hall), and she ran into a planter and scraped her knee.
Then, she spilled ink on her, when she was leaning on her assistant's desk. Now she had a blue blob on her skirt.
Then, she asked to see the newest edition of the want ads in the paper, and when her assistant handed her the paper, and she opened it to the right spot, there was only one ad, and it said, "Wanted, forgiveness. If interested, call Draco Malfoy." She balled up the paper and threw it on the floor.
She met with her staff to go over the specks for the internship program, and then she decided to take lunch in her office. She started to unwrap her cheese sandwich, when Draco walked into her office, without knocking.
She growled.
"You have a big ink stain on your skirt, did you know?" he asked, pointing at her skirt, before sitting on the edge of her desk.
"Go away," she said. She took one bite of her sandwich before he took it from her and threw it toward the rubbish bin. It landed on the floor, in pieces.
"Magic could remove that spot, you know," he said. He swung his legs back and forth like a four-year-old boy.
"Magic could remove you, too," she said contritely.
She took one bite of her apple, when he took it out of her hand, took a large bite, and then threw it over his shoulder. It landed in the vicinity of her sandwich.
"Are you here to torment me, or to make me quit before my two weeks are up?" she asked.
He reached for her face, cupped her cheek, moved his thumb back and forth on her face, and said, "I'm not asking for your forgiveness, but I want you to know that I totally forgive you, and I know that soon you'll forgive me, too. I'll see you at three o'clock."
Hermione waited until 3:12 to enter the conference room. Her entire staff was already there, but apparently, he held the meeting for her. She regretted that her staff had to suffer because she was angry at Malfoy, so she made her apologies to everyone, but then looked at Draco and said, "Of course, I'm not sorry to you, Mr. Malfoy, and regarding what you asked me for earlier, the answer is no. I can't forgive you, and I don't want your forgiveness, either." In her head, she added, 'so there.'
Adrian shook his head in disgust.
Several of the other employees gave each other strange looks, but then Hermione began to give the presentation, followed by several other staff members. Adrian spoke up first and said, "Everything seems sound. Let's get this ready for implementation by next month, shall we?"
He concluded the meeting, and then he said, "Hermione, stay for a moment. Malfoy wants to talk to you." He looked at Malfoy on his way out and said, "Don't screw this up. She could be the best thing to happen to this company and to you." He shut the door on the way out.
"You smell nice," Draco said. He stood up to stand beside her on the other end of the table.
"Stop smelling me," she said with a sigh. He sat in the chair beside her, and with his foot, he pushed her chair out from the table, and then he turned her chair to face his chair. She decided that he was a cad, he was rude, and a liar. So there! Nothing he said could change that. She didn't care if he forgave her or not.
He looked nice today, however. His jacket was off, his shirt sleeves rolled up. His tie loose and his hair slightly disheveled. She liked when his hair was messy. He leaned back in his chair, and crossed his foot over his leg. His knee was touching her knee. "How are you, my Granger?"
"Is this why I'm staying behind? So you can ask me about my wellbeing?" she asked back.
"I see you have casual civility down pat," he said sarcastically, "And I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"I didn't ask," she snapped.
"I know," he snapped back. "Do you like your work here at DM Enterprises? That's our name now, did you know? But back on track, do you like your work here?"
She closed her mouth into a tight line. She crossed her arms in front of her.
He leaned forward and with a glint in his grey eyes said, "I can see that you love it, more than life itself."
"Humph!" she expelled.
He looked at her legs and then up her body. His eyes stayed on her breasts a bit too long, before they traveled back up to her face.
"I can see you like me working here, you pervert," she said.
"Thank you for noticing, yes, I have to say that I do."
She stood up and said, "Thank you, now I have work to do on the internship program."
He pushed her back down into her chair.
"That won't fly, Malfoy! You can't touch me! There will be no physical mistreatment!"
"That's indeed in the employment contract, but you didn't sign one, so HA!" He stood up and pulled her up as well. He crashed her into his chest. His nose was next to hers, and her face was forced upward so that she could stare into his eyes. His mouth hovered precariously over hers, and then he moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I forgive you, you forgive me, and you're going to continue to work here until I say you can't. Do you understand me? By the way, I love you."
His hands were still on her shoulders, but they were soft, almost as soft as his lips, which were now on hers. He found her lips soft as well and quite suppliant, which surprised him. He moved careful over her mouth, aware that she might leave him at any second. He finally breached the last barrier, his tongue sunk deeply into her mouth, and he heard a small moan in the back of her throat. He moved instinctively closer, applied more pressure, and angled his head just right, because he wanted this kiss to matter. He wanted this kiss to change her mind.
She knew it was insane to indulge him, but she felt powerless to stop, however, her head finally won over her heart, and though he was an expert kisser, that was for sure, she wasn't going to be misled by him.
He finally lifted his head, but he still had her shoulders. Her hands were on his chest. Her cheeks were flushed, and he had sweat on the back of his neck. He spoke, which brought her from her trance. He said, "I know that you forgive me, or you wouldn't kiss me like that, my Granger. And you have to know that I forgive you, or I wouldn't kiss that, either."
She never remembered being as furious at another human being as she felt at him at that moment. She sunk the heel of her high-heeled shoes into the toe of his shoe, and he screamed. She pushed him back into his chair, and whipped around to the other side of the table.
"No maltreatment, Granger!" he yelled. He sat back in the chair, and held his foot.
"I didn't sign a bloody, employment contract, Malfoy, so sod off!" she shouted back.
Did he really think that she was some weak little female who would be persuaded by his sexual appeal? Did he think that she wouldn't be able to resist his inevitable charms? Did he think she was that desperate?
She pointed her finger toward his chest and said, "My two week notice just turned to a one week notice, Malfoy!" She ran to the door and before she left she said, "And newsflash, I don't forgive you, so you can take your forgiveness to me and stuff it up your arse," and this time, she added aloud, "so there!"
Thursday:
One of her staff members walked in her door and said, "Is something wrong Hermione?"
"I have headache," she said. She really did. A bigger headache than just a man named Draco Malfoy.
"Is what you said in the staff meeting yesterday true? Are all the rumors true?" the young girl asked.
Hermione felt panicked. "What rumors?" Had everyone here at work already heard about her weekend with the boss?
"Did you really give your two week notice already?" she asked her.
"I changed it to a one week, but yes, I did," Hermione said, relieved.
"But, the internship program is the best thing we've worked on in a while, and you're the best boss we've had for a while. I heard that you're leaving because or Mr. Malfoy. Is that true?" she asked.
"Well," Hermione dragged out. So, they had all heard the rumors about the weekend.
"We heard that you hated each other in school, and that he was a bully to you, and he used to call you Mudblood. Is that why you're leaving? Is he still acting horrible to you? He acts that way pretty much to everyone, you know," she told Hermione.
So, they hadn't heard those rumors. They heard old gossip and stories from their school days. "He was less than an endearing person in school, that's true," Hermione said regretfully. "But he's not that way to me now. I'm leaving for my own reasons, okay?"
"We'll miss you," she said.
Draco stood in the open door and said, "We all will." The girl hurried out of the office and Draco closed the door.
Hermione placed both hands over her forehead and said, "I really do have a headache, and his name is Draco Malfoy." She was talking more to herself, than to him.
"Shall I kiss away the pain?" he asked with a smile.
"You would have to kiss yourself, to kiss away my pain," she said spitefully.
"Tsk, tsk," he said, walking around to her desk. He leaned over her and said, "Would you like to join me for dinner tonight? It occurred to me that we haven't gone out since we've been back."
"Are you really this dense, or is it an act?" she asked, staring up at him incredulously.
"This is really me," he answered. "Would you like a potion for your headache?"
"No," she said softly.
"Here," he said, placing his hands on her forehead, and standing behind her chair. "Let me help you." He began to rub her temples with the middle finger of each hand. Then he stroked both hands through her hair, threading his fingers through her brown, soft waves. He kept his fingers in her hair, as his thumbs rub the base of her neck. It felt heavenly. It felt slightly sensual. It felt like trouble. It also felt like she was beginning to forgive him.
She lolled her head to one side, and he bent down and kissed the juncture of her neck, near her shoulder, where her blouse gapped open slightly. He kept one hand on her head, as his mouth continued to suck on this sensitive spot. His left hand moved slowly down her arm. He grasped her hand.
He pulled her to stand suddenly. He held her in the strong bands of his arms. Her arms went under his, around his waist.
"You're so beautiful, even with a headache." He smiled sinfully and said, "I want to make love to you."
She realized she had to break this hold he temporarily had on her. She had to regain her control. She pushed him away, and ran out of her own office. She was confused, slightly unhinged, sexually startled, and hungry. She also still had a headache.
That evening, she stood by the lifts, by herself. She had worked late on the internship program. She was sorry that she wouldn't be able to see it to fruition. She felt a possessive hand travel up her back, to rest on her neck. She watched for the lift doors to open, but didn't push him away. His touch was light, as his fingers caressed her neck.
They both entered the lifts, and turned around at the same time, the whole time his hand still on her neck. He asked, "How's the headache." She turned to look at him. His hand traveled lightly around her neck to her shoulder, where his index finger went to the neckline of her shirt, tracing it back and forth, from one shoulder to the other. A familiar tingling went through her like aftershocks of an earthquake. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and she hated that fact.
Finally, the doors opened. Without exiting she said, "Fine, I accept that you forgive me and even that you love me. But I'm not willing to forgive you, at least not yet, and the fact is that I may never forgive you." She walked out of the lift, leaving him staring at her back. She turned and said, "I've decided that tomorrow is now my last day. Goodbye, Malfoy."
Friday:
She arrive extra early that morning. If this was to be her last day, she had a lot of work to do. She slipped in her office, shut the door before turning on the lights, accidentally dropped her purse, bent to pick it up, and then when she turned on her light, she screamed.
"AAUUUGH! What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
He backed her against the wall without a word. He took her purse from her hand, and threw it back on the floor. He planted his hands on each side of her body, so she couldn't move.
She was almost breathless when she warned, "Malfoy, don't."
"Sh," he hushed. He claimed her mouth with a passion that had not diminished from the last time he kissed her, the day before. It was too early in the morning for her to fight him, he assumed, because she was no longer cautious, or hesitant. She was no longer dispassionate. She offered him no resistance. Her lips opened willingly under his.
His entire body surged to life, as did hers. Her skin quivered with warmth. His hands left the wall to grasp her shoulders. He thanked the stars above that she had on a pretty dress today, which had a low neckline, and a flowing skirt. He placed a thigh between her legs, pressing on her core. His hands moved to her face and he looked up at her and said, "If you continue to deny what we both know is the truth, then not only does that make you a bigger liar than me, but a bigger fool, as well."
His tongue traveled down her neck. He licked and kissed his way down to the expose swell of her breasts. He groaned slightly, as one hand parted her dress, and he cupped a breast over her bra. His other hand was in her hair.
"Malfoy, please," she whispered, licking her lips.
"Please, what, my Granger?" he mumbled against her skin. His mouth was kissing her cleavage. He opened the top of her dress as much as he could and his mouth went to the tip of one breast, to kiss the top of the lace-covered point. He looked up at her and said, "I love your lacy bra, Granger. Very sexy."
His mouth traveled back up her breasts, to her collarbone, to her neck, to her ear. She hung on to him for support. Her hands went to his hair and she pushed his face closer. His mouth came back to hers, his hand traveling downward, to lift the hem of her dress. His hand ran up and down her smooth, bare thigh.
She frowned as he moved his mouth to nuzzle her breasts again. She didn't frown because what he was doing was unpleasant. She frowned because he said, "I knew you would do it in the end," as he was kissing the top of her breasts.
She pushed him away with such force that he tumbled and fell on his backside.
"Is this still a game to you? Have I just presented a new challenge to you with my resignation? Oh my GOD!" She bent to pick up her purse. She tried to open the door, but he was quicker. He stood up quickly, and from behind her, he pushed it shut and turned her to face him.
"Stop being such an idiot!" he shouted. "I meant that I knew you would forgive me in the end!"
His hands were like clamps holding her arms. She sunk her head in his chest and said, "If you have even one ounce of remorse, dignity, and love for me, you'll let me go."
"Granger, you are the most obstinate, difficult woman I've ever encountered," he barked. She continued to bury her face in his chest. "Hermione, look at me please."
She shook her head no.
"Please, look at me."
She consented. Her eyes filled with tears, and he felt as if every, single, negative comment anyone had ever said to him, or about him, was one hundred percent true at that moment. She shouldn't forgive him. He hadn't earned it yet, but he would. He let her go. She picked up her purse again.
She opened the door, and he let her. She turned and said, "I can't even finish out the day. I'm sorry. The thing is, I do forgive you now, but I'll probably never trust you again, and that's my problem, not yours. I guess after all has been said and done, I'm still the same old Hermione Granger after all, and more's the pity, right?"
She ran down the hall. He watched her until she turned the corner. She ran past Adrian. He said, "Where are you going, Hermione? The work day's just begun."
She turned quickly and said, "It's over, Adrian."
Adrian walked toward Draco's office, when he saw that he was standing in the doorway of hers. He approached his friend and said, "You have to fix this, or I will."
"Don't worry; the plan is already in motion. I enlisted the help of someone, and together we've come up with a plan, in case I wasn't able to sway her this week, which I guess I wasn't. We just have to give it time."
Draco started toward his own office. Adrian walked beside him. Draco said, "I know for you, you just don't want to lose a good employee, but for me, if she leaves, I'll lose part of myself, a brand new part, but the best part. I just realized that while Hermione Granger was searching for a new her, she made me discover a new me. Does that make sense?"
Adrian smiled at him and patted his arm. He thought it made perfect sense, and bully for Hermione Granger for finally teaching Draco Malfoy a very important truth.
A/N Coming up, the real last chapter.