The sun woke Hermione up and she quickly jumped out of bed. The clock in front of her told her she had exactly thirty minutes to get ready for work.
Rushing to the shower, Hermione squealed as the first few drops of cold water hit her bare skin. She showered quickly and wrapped her hair in a towel as she got out. Reaching for her toothbrush, she turned around when she heard the bedroom door open, and peeked out the bathroom door just in time to see Harry collapse on their bed.
“Are you okay, Harry?” Hermione asked, quickly throwing on her bathrobe before approaching him.
Harry looked up in surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be working now?”
Hermione looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes to go.
“I’ll be going soon,” she replied, looking back at him as Harry tried to bury himself in their bed sheets.
“Rough night?” she asked, returning to the bathroom to start brushing her teeth.
“What?” Harry asked, his eyes widening.
Hermione peered at him through the bathroom door. “I asked if you had had a rough night.”
Harry rubbed his eyes and collapsed back down. “Yeah… something like that. Yeah.”
Hermione nodded and rinsed her mouth. Moving back into their bedroom, she opened her closet and was about to reach for her usual blouse and skirt, when something caught her eye. It was the black chemise Ginny had given her last Christmas which Hermione had yet to wear. It was racier than Hermione was generally used to, but today seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out.
After putting it on, Hermione stood in front of the mirror and grinned. Not bad.
She turned around to see if Harry was watching her, but he had already burrowed deep into their bed sheets. Smiling to herself, Hermione got into bed beside him and kissed Harry’s cheek. She ran her hand down his shoulder and watched as Harry lifted his head to watch her.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione inched her hand lower, moving from Harry’s shoulder, to his chest and to his stomach. Just as she was about to move another inch lower, Harry caught her hand.
“You’re going to be late, Hermione…” he whispered, laying his face back into the pillow.
Hermione glanced at the clock and sighed. Five minutes to go.
“Can’t you come home a little earlier tonight, Harry? Just this once?” Hermione whispered back. “I’ll make dinner for us.”
Harry looked up at Hermione’s face and gave her a small smile. “I’ll try.”
Hermione grinned back and kissed his forehead.
“Thank you, Harry,” she said, kissing him one more time before the urgency of getting to work on time finally got to her. Rushing up from the bed, Hermione ran into the fireplace.
“The Ministry of Magic!”
“How about this one?” Malfoy asked, holding up a piece of parchment. It was already noon, and Malfoy had spent the whole day quizzing Hermione on different grants, asking if they should be approved or rejected.
“It’s from a Mrs. Parkon,” Malfoy started as Hermione listened. “I wish to ask for one hundred fifty Galleons to give protection to my son Darwin, who is now going into his eighth year of Hogwarts. The reason for this-”
“It’s a fake,” Hermione answered quickly, cutting Malfoy off.
“And why do you say that, Granger?”
Hermione smiled at Malfoy from across his office desk. “There are only seven years of Hogwarts.”
At that, Malfoy smiled back. “You’re actually getting better. You’re not a lost case, after all…well, you do have me for a teacher. That probably helped you a lot.”
Hermione laughed. “Are you done testing me, then? And can you say that I passed out loud just so I can hear you say it?”
Malfoy snickered and stood up. “I’m done testing you for the day, Granger. And, thanks to my excellent coaching, you were able to pass.”
Hermione grinned as Malfoy started arranging his papers. “What else do you want me to do today, Malfoy?” Hermione asked and Malfoy lifted his eyes up to see her bending over his desk.
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have bothered Malfoy a bit, but the chemise Hermione was wearing today didn’t have such a modest neckline. Malfoy’s voice caught in his throat as the faint outline of a curve peeped through. It took more than the usual effort to look away.
“Organize the files in that room over there, Granger.” Malfoy croaked, pointing to the room adjacent to the office they were currently in. “By date.”
Hermione nodded and waited for Malfoy to say something else. When he didn’t, Hermione took it as her cue to get going, and left the room.
“God,” Malfoy mumbled to himself as he sank back into his chair.
What in the world is wrong with me? Malfoy thought, putting his head into his hands. This was all supposed to be fun. I’m supposed to be making Granger miserable and having fun doing it, and she’s supposed to hate me just as much as I hate her. What the fuck happened?
Malfoy groaned at the soft knock on his office door and prayed it wasn’t Hermione. “Come in.”
A pair of legs appeared first, followed by a short black skirt. Malfoy’s eyes wandered up to see the new, young, and incredibly beautiful receptionist Mandy as she walked in and locked the door behind her. She smiled at Malfoy as she faced him, and Malfoy smiled back as he saw her tight white sweater.
Maybe this is just what I need. Malfoy thought as Mandy sauntered up to him and sat down on the desk in front of Malfoy. Her skirt lifted up several more inches, and Malfoy watched as his hand began moving up her left leg.
“You’re not busy, are you?” Mandy asked in a soft voice, moving closer to Malfoy’s hands.
Malfoy smiled. “Well… I am supposed to be finishing these reports today.”
Mandy pouted and got up from the desk to sit on Malfoy.
“Can’t that wait for a few minutes?” she said in a purr as her tongue moved into Malfoy’s ear.
Malfoy felt the stirrings in his pants heating up as Mandy’s hand opened his pant zipper and slipped inside.
“Come on, old man.” Mandy purred, with a smile. “Can’t you keep up with a young body anymore?”
Malfoy laughed at her bluntness, picked her up, and laid her down on his desk. “I’m not the kind of person you would like to challenge, sweetheart.”
Mandy smiled as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling Malfoy on top of her. “Give me your best shot,.”
Mandy got down from the desk an hour later. Her hair was damp with sweat, and her skirt was wrinkled. She was still breathing unevenly as she watched Malfoy rearrange his tie, smirking at her.
“I did warn you.”
Mandy grinned at Malfoy and pushed him against the wall.
“Once more?” she begged, grinding her body into his.
Malfoy snickered. “It’s amazing how many times I’ve heard you say that this afternoon.”
Malfoy slipped his fingers back into her sweater, and Mandy’s moans filled the office. She groaned as his fingers retreated and pouted her lips.
“Please….?”
Malfoy smiled. “I think you’ve had enough for the day, Mandy. You can barely stand as it is.”
Mandy looked at her wobbling legs. “Let’s lie down, then.”
Holding her arm, Malfoy lead her to his office door. “Get back to work. I’m sure you’re starting to be missed.”
Mandy sighed, but arranged her skirt. “Tomorrow, then?”
Malfoy winked at her as he closed the office door. “We’ll see.”
He listened to her high-heeled footsteps as Mandy walked away before collapsing against the closed office door. It was all so wonderful - better than any he had had in a long time. But the reason for why it was so good bothered Malfoy immensely…
While he was running his fingers through Mandy’s hair, Malfoy had imagined brown, bushy curls, instead of Mandy’s own sleek black hair. Her eyes hadn’t been the sharp green they actually were either, but warm, chocolaty brown instead. Worst of all, as Malfoy had been undressing her, it hadn’t been the white sweater he had been taking off but rather a black chemise.
Just as his luck would have it, another knock on the door filled his silent office at that moment. Malfoy quickly moved away from the door and pretended to be studying his bookshelves as Hermione entered.
“Malfoy?” she asked tentatively.
His cool expression was back in place as he turned around at Hermione. “Yes, Granger? What is it?”
Hermione looked down at her feet, and Malfoy bit his lip at how adorable he found her.
“Do you think I could go home early tonight?”
Malfoy smirked. “Do I take it that Potter is finally coming home, then?”
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. “You are really the most interfering boss I have ever worked for, Malfoy. But yes, Harry said he’ll try.”
“He’ll try?” Malfoy repeated. “And, after that, you really think he’s coming home earlier?”
“I do,” Hermione answered unblinkingly.
Malfoy laughed. “Okay, Granger, you can go home early.”
Hermione smiled. “Oh, thank you, Malfoy. I swear, I’ll work extra hard tomorrow. I’ll even-“
“On one condition,” Malfoy interrupted; Hermione’s expression immediately changed to one of suspicion.
“What?”
Malfoy smiled at her as he reached for his cloak. “I’ll come with you. I’ll leave as soon as Potter arrives, I promise.”
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Malfoy stopped her once more.
“Do you really want to change the mind of your kind boss “ the one, I might remind you, just let you of work early for a personal matter?”
Hermione hissed. “Leave when Harry arrives.”
Malfoy smiled. “I promise.”
I shouldn’t have come. The phrase had been running around and around Malfoy’s mind as soon as they had arrived in the apartment that Harry and Hermione shared. The moment they had stepped foot into the kitchen, Hermione had immediately started working, not even bothering to change out of her work clothes.
It was exquisite torture to watch her bend over the table to wave her wand at the beating eggs, revealing that beautiful curve to Malfoy over and over again. He knew he shouldn’t be watching, but now that they were out of the office with nothing else to distract him, Malfoy found it nearly impossible to look away.
“Just go sit somewhere, Malfoy.” Hermione said, looking up. “I’ll be putting this in the oven soon.”
Malfoy nodded and walked towards where Hermione had waved vaguely. He found himself in their living room a moment later, and smiled as he looked around.
Everything is so… so…Granger, Malfoy thought to himself, surveying the immaculately clean room. It wasn’t that large, but it was cozy. There was a fireplace on the wall adjacent to the door, and Malfoy took out his wand and pointed at it. Moments later, a crackling fire lit up the room even more.
“I’m done for now, Malfoy.” Hermione started as she walked into the room, and smiled when she saw the fire. “Another method for seduction, I presume?”
Malfoy snickered. “Don’t get too excited, Granger. But I would rather like to see the look on Potter’s face when he arrives and sees us both in all our glory.”
Hermione rolled her eyes at Malfoy as they both sat down on the sofa in front of the fire.
“Do you think he’ll finally scratch that itch of yours tonight, Granger?”
Malfoy caught Hermione’s arm before she managed to punch his shoulder.
“This is really none of your business, Malfoy,” Hermione replied, twisting her arm away from him.
“I take that as a yes?” Malfoy continued, his smile making the blood rush to Hermione’s cheeks. “Is the itch becoming quite unbearable, then?”
“Malfoy!” Hermione shrieked, her face hot. “You have no right to ask me these kinds of questions!”
Malfoy laughed. “I just want you to know I’m here for you, Granger. In case Potter doesn’t show up.”
“He’ll show, okay?” Hermione retorted. “Don’t worry about that.”
Malfoy simply shrugged his shoulders. “So… how are you planning to entertain me until Potter arrives?”
“If I remember correctly, Malfoy, I didn’t actually invite you here,” Hermione replied, annoyed. “You invited yourself.”
Malfoy smirked. “I know that, Granger. But I’m still your guest. Even more importantly, I’m your boss. You don’t want to disappoint me with your lack of social skills, do you?”
“You are unbelievable!” Hermione shrieked, shaking her head at Malfoy.
Malfoy pretended to think. “You know, when I imagined you saying those words, the scene was quite different. For one, we were both naked.”
Hermione threw her hands up into the air. “I give up. You (and your perverted mind) win.”
Malfoy laughed and looked at his watch. “What time is Potter supposed to come home again, Granger?”
Hermione bit her lip. “He used to come home at six in the evening before he got busy.”
It was already ten past seven, but Malfoy said nothing. They continued talking, and Malfoy found it easier to only glance at Hermione occasionally as she spoke. He was staring at her at first, but he noticed his eyes kept dropping to that infuriating curve of hers.
Her laugh was also annoyingly adorable, and Malfoy found himself telling her stories of his past assistants just to keep her laughing. He stopped only when he caught Hermione looking at the clock on top of the mantelpiece, and turned to find out it was already nine.
Malfoy was about to joke on Potter’s “promptness” when he caught sight of a single tear as it rolled down Hermione’s cheek.
“He’s not coming, is he?”
Her voice completely tore Malfoy’s heart into pieces.
“Come here, Granger.” Malfoy’s eyes opened wide in surprise at the words that had come out of his mouth and was even more surprised to see Hermione lean into him. As soon as her cheek touched his sweater, Hermione started sobbing.
“He probably just got caught up at work and couldn’t make it, Granger,” Malfoy whispered, unable to keep his hand from running up and down her hair. She was so soft, so completely vulnerable. Malfoy had thought it was impossible for him to hate Potter more than he already did, but, at that moment, it seemed that Malfoy’s hatred for him had increased twofold.
Malfoy continued whispering to Hermione and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to make her stop crying.
“Am I re-really that ugly, that he can’t even stand to eat dinner with me?” Hermione finally croaked out.
At that, Malfoy pulled Hermione even closer and put his finger under her chin to force her to look at him. “You are far from ugly, Granger. Believe me.”
And with that, Malfoy kissed her. It was a far cry from the aggressive kisses Malfoy was used to - this was soft, innocent and amazingly sweet. The kiss lasted like that for a long time; nothing but their soft breathing could be heard throughout the whole apartment. It was Hermione who finally pulled away, and she stared breathlessly into Malfoy’s eyes. Malfoy wanted to kiss her again, and he knew from the look in her eyes that she wanted him to kiss her just as badly. But she was cautious, and very hesitant, and Malfoy knew why.
With a sigh, he pulled Hermione away from him and stood up from the couch. “Solve your problems with Potter first, Granger. I would hate to come between the two of you.”
The sarcasm in his voice made Hermione smile, and she wiped the remaining tears from her face. “You’re right, Malfoy, as usual.”
Malfoy grinned. They stepped out of the living room and Hermione handed Malfoy his cloak, which he slowly put on.
“Malfoy, I-“
Malfoy silenced Hermione with another amazingly sweet kiss and gently pushed her against the fireplace. He softly ran his hands down the sides of Hermione’s body; his touch was the lightest whisper Hermione had ever felt.
With a groan, Malfoy pulled away, straightening his cloak.
“You’re far from ugly, Granger,” he repeated, caressing Hermione’s cheek before stepping into the fireplace to go home. “You might even be the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”
Hermione’s eyes widened; before she could say anything, however, Malfoy disappeared in a blink.
A Popped Bubble by youngrowling
Chapter Endnotes: to my beta reader, DracoGurlFurever, once more, i give thee my eternal thanks.