A/N: Well, hello! Instead of having my author's note at the bottom, I'm having it on the top this time. Anyhow, I just wanted to say, if you guys think that Hermione or Draco are quite OoC, they are, but only because that's how I imagine they'd act six years later. I mean, years do change a person, right? Now, on with the story!
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Lavender sighed. "I told you, Hermione, you and Theo could've worked out."
"No," she replied for the millionth time, "Theo and I never would've worked out."
"Don't lie. It's not becoming on you."
"Lavender! Please! Really! Stop butting into my love life!"
"Well you ask for it. Seems you can't even butt into it yourself."
Hermione glared at her and finished her coffee. "Don't you have any work to do?"
"What do you think I hired a secretary for?" she asked, checking her nails.
"How did she get a job here, really?" Hermione mumbled under her breath. She checked her clock and stood. "I'm going to get more coffee," she said loudly, and Lavender nodded, not looking up.
"You do that, dear. Don't mind me."
Hermione shook her head and took her empty coffee cup with her.
She walked down the corridor, smiling at few employees and ignoring others (mainly the ones that had heard her shout at Draco only two days before). She passed Padma and Malfoy's office, and she peeked in. Thankfully, Malfoy wasn't in there, so she gave her friend a visit.
"Hello Padma!" she said with a smile.
"Hi Hermione. How are you?"
"Good, except Lavender is bugging my socks off."
"That is what she's known for. More love advice?"
"Definitely. She keeps telling me that me and Theo would've worked out. Don't agree!"
Padma chuckled just as Malfoy came in. "Hello Granger," he said with a smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Hello Malfoy."
"How are you?"
"Fine."
"After our little kiss? Would you like another?"
"Merlin no! Stay away from me!" She rushed out of the office with Malfoy hot on her tail. Inside, Padma just laughed.
"You don't mean that, Granger. You just need time to think it over."
"Why do you want to keep kissing me?!" she hissed quietly so no one could overhear.
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, smirking again, and tapped her nose in what she took as condescending.
"It's obvious that you've gone bonkers!" she yelled, smacking his hand away, and stormed back to her office, forgetting all about her coffee.
Lavender looked shocked to see her so angry. "Did they run out of coffee or something?" she asked tentatively.
"No! It's bloody Draco Malfoy! He bothers me to no end!"
"He's trying to make Theo jealous, obviously," she replied. "I mean, they're best mates going after the same girl. There's bound to be competition."
Hermione groaned. "Why me? I hate my life!"
Hermione walked out of her office, feeling restless, and wanted to cry and rip Malfoy into shreds. Fueled by anger, she stormed into his office, startling Padma. "Where is he?" she asked angrily.
"I don't know…what happened?" Padma asked, but Hermione was gone.
She went scouring through the corridors, and found him getting coffee, conveniently alone. "Malfoy," she hissed into his ear as she poked his arm sharply, "you kiss me again and I swear I'll be hexing your bits off."
Draco turned his head to her, smirking. "Ooh, touchy. Little Granger doesn't like being kissed?"
"Not by you."
"By Theo then?"
"No! Shut up! Why can't you just let me alone?"
"It's difficult not to. I must admit, you're a great kisser, and an awful lot of fun to tease. It's also easier to kiss you after shagging you oh…three, four weeks ago?"
Hermione clenched her fists. "Shut up about that Malfoy! I swear, the whole Ministry knows about it now!"
"Not by my doing, I swear." He sipped his coffee.
Hermione pushed him away from the others and glared at him menacingly. "Don't cross me with your lips again, Malfoy," she hissed, and Draco smirked before leaning down and kissing her quickly on the cheek.
"Oh, there's one," he said, smirking madly as she swiped at the place his head had been. He kissed her other cheek, and again she swiped too late at the empty air. "There's two."
"Stop it!" Hermione whispered harshly, pushing him away. "People are beginning to stare!"
Draco smirked. "Don't expect me to leave you alone for long," he replied, winking, and left. Hermione stamped her foot angrily and tried not to scream.
"Yes, he's being a right prat! Kissing me all he wants, as if we're in a relationship! Lavender said he's just trying to make you jealous, but it's stupid!"
Theo shook his head. "Sometimes Draco just acts like a child. If you're fun to rile up, he'll do it to no end."
"I'd thought he'd be more mature!"
"It depends on who he's dealing with."
"Why me?"
"Who knows. Maybe 'cause you shagged him?"
"Not you too, Theo!"
"What?"
"I did not just shag him, I was drunk! We were both drunk! That's a big detail that everyone keeps leaving out!"
"The important thing is, you shagged him."
"Just talk to him for me, will you? Please?"
Theo rolled his eyes and sighed. "I don't understand why you can't just work it out with him yourself, but fine."
Hermione pecked his cheek. "Thank you, Theo! Please get him off my back!"
Theo just shook his head. "Children."
Hermione escaped back to her office. Inside, Lavender was still waiting for her, and Hermione apologised before telling her friend what had happened.
"I was right. He was trying to make Theo jealous," Lav said lazily, and Hermione closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
"Why does he have to do this to me?" Lavender opened her mouth, and Hermione glared at her. "And don't say because we shagged." She closed it.
Hermione groaned and closed her eyes. "It's not a big deal! It was a big mistake, apparently, and we were both drunk! It's not like all the blokes you sleep with come crawling back to you!"
"Malfoy is certainly not crawling. He's still walking. And yes, many of the poor wizards did come crawling back to me."
"Oh, don't mention Terry."
"Yes, Terry too. I actually felt a little bad breaking his poor heart."
"Merlin, Lav, you're awful!"
She shrugged. "Well, he should've known better than that!"
Hermione sighed.
"But enough about me; what to do about you and Malfoy…"
"I really can't believe I'm saying this, but…give me some advice, Lavender, please."
Lavender laughed. "Oh boy, to hear that from Hermione Granger's mouth is priceless! Let's have it again!"
Hermione glared, and Lavender sighed. "Fine, fine."
After work, Hermione worked a little overtime, ending an hour later, and it was getting darker and colder outside as she pulled on her cloak and locked up her office.
Outside, sitting in the cold, was Draco Malfoy. It was empty, all except for him, and Hermione really didn't feel like talking to him, although, to her dismay, he spotted her and came walking over.
"Granger," he said snappily. "Your boyfriend came talking to me today. You can't even talk to me yourself, but you have to get your boyfriend to come and talk to me? And my own best mate."
"First of all, Malfoy, he is not my boyfriend, and second of all, he stuck up for me and talked to you to get you off my back! You know that I can report you for sexual harassment?"
"Oh, was that illegal here? I didn't realise," Draco replied, and Hermione sneered at him and began walking away.
"Shut up!"
Much to her annoyance, he began following her.
"Not only did he stand up to me, but he made it quite clear that you were not to be trifled with. Why, I ask? Because she's mine, says he. And he's not your boyfriend?"
"No! He's not! Why do have to assume so after one date?"
"Well, one has to assume such things when the bloke claims the girl as his."
"I'm nobody's! I'm my own person, and I don't belong to anyone! So just stop assuming whatever you're assuming because it's not true!"
"I'd like to hear that from Theo's mouth."
"Why were you waiting for me anyway? To tell me what a jerk I was for making Theo stand up for me?"
"Oh, so now you admit that you're a jerk."
"As much as you're one."
"Fair enough."
Hermione scowled at him. "Go home, Malfoy! Why are you walking with me anyway?"
"We're heading in the same direction, Granger. To the Apparition point."
"Well bully for me, I'm heading to my flat. It's not far from here, so you go to the Apparition point and I'll walk. Goodbye."
She began walking again, but Draco continued walking beside her. "It isn't gentlemanly to not walk a lady to her door."
"This lady is perfectly fine with you just leaving her alone."
"Ah, but if you should read the book of etiquette, it also tells you not to leave a respectable lady walking the streets alone during the night."
"This is the 21st century, Draco Malfoy, must I remind you? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Oh, I don't doubt that most of the time. But it's only etiquette."
"Most of the time? Do you have this book on you?"
"No. It's a tradition for it to be engrained in Purebloods from birth, although it seems Weasley missed out on that."
Hermione stopped and poked him hard in the chest. "Don't you dare say anything mean about the Weasleys! I thought we'd be passed such childishness!"
"Hmm."
Hermione slapped his arm and continued walking angrily away. "It should say in that book of yours that one has to keep up good conversation with a lady that makes both parties happy, not upset!"
"I'm not upset."
"Get your head out of your arse, you egotistical wanker! I was talking about myself! I know you're not upset!"
"We almost at your place?"
"Yes, thank Merlin! Now leave me alone! I don't want you to know where I live. Leave before I hex you!"
They stopped in front of a building, and Hermione whipped out her wand. Draco chuckled and took a step back.
"Fine, Granger. Go on ahead, I won't follow you up to your flat. Goodnight, my dear."
Hermione huffed and turned on her heel and disappeared into her building.
Outside, Draco chuckled in the frosty air. "Progress," he uttered, and Disapparated.
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REVIEW!!! -LoVeDoNtHaTe
