Capítulo 3: Shock
Hermione gaped in astonishment. She hadn't expected to get a letter, so soon, and especially from Malfoy industries. She knew that Malfoy would probably have high expectations of his P.A., that plenty of people would have applied, and then he would look over the résumés his secretary had approved of. Grabbing a quill, she summoned a piece of parchment and wrote,
Not even five minutes later - efficient, Hermione though - the same owl flew straight back into her window.
Poor thing, you must be exhausted." Hermione cooed at it. She handed it a treat, relieved it of its letter and opened the parchment. The letter was short and to the point, unlike the others.
Hermione groaned. Half an hour would be 7:00- what the hell was Malfoy doing at work that late? However, she wasn't going to pass the opportunity to get a new job, so she scribbled a reply.
The refreshed owl hooted, almost gratefully, and soared off into the night. Hermione sighed, and poured herself a cup of coffee. She'd need it before seeing him.
***
Twelve minutes later, Hermione, dressed in a tight-fitting navy pencil skirt and a loose, off-the-shoulder grey blouse that she had paired with black heels, checked her black handbag for what seemed like the millionth time.
She stepped out of her apartment, drawing her lilac coat closer to her in an unsuccessful attempt to keep out the cold and shivers, and Apparated away.
***
A second later, she emerged with a small in the lobby of the overly large building that was the headquarters of Malfoy Enterprises. Finding it heated, she shrugged off her jacket and placed it inside her bag (Undetectable Extension Charm).
"Hello. You must be Miss Granger?"
Hermione spun towards the voice. There, a petite woman with pixie-cut hair in black slacks, and white blouse and black blazer was making her way towards Hermione. The of her high-heeled shoes should have warned Hermione she was coming, but somehow she had tuned them out.
"Yes, that's me." Hermione smiled warmly.
The woman smiled, and extended her hand.
"I'm Alexis Jean, secretary to Mr. Malfoy. He's just finishing up some paperwork then he'll be right with you. I can take you to his office if you like?"
It was more of a statement than a question, but Hermione answered anyways.
"Sure." Alexis led her towards an elevator, and gestured for her to step inside. Hermione was doubtful, but she stepped in and saw that there was only one button- for the thirty-third floor. Alexis followed, and saw her confusion. She smiled.
"It's... magically programmed, you could say, to go only to the floor you are thinking of. This way, there's less of a chance of someone being harmed since there's no access to certain floors- including Mr. Malfoy's." She pressed the button with the tip of her wand and Hermione had the sensation of floating, for just a millisecond. Then, there was a quiet as a light lit up, indicating they had arrived. Hermione quietly swallowed a small portion of a Calming Drought before the elevator doors opened, revealing one person she had almost hoped to never see again.
***
Draco Malfoy paced in his office, having finished the paperwork what seemed like ages ago, and was now waiting for Hermione.
He heard the elevator Suddenly, his throat went dry and his breathing shallowed. He hadn't seen her in years...
He gulped, in an attempt to swallow the nervosity, but failed.
He heard the elevator and he straightened his tie before exiting his office to greet her.
***
She took a deep breath- she hadn't done an interview in years, and while the Calming Drought was to quell all signs of nervousness, it wasn't always foolproof. In this case, her nervosity about the interview slipped through the cracks. She pushed it down.
"Good evening, Malfoy."
***
Draco swallowed nervously, taking her in. She had grown out her gorgeous, luscious hair and it now reached her underbust. The skirt she wore hugged her curves perfectly, and the shirt was about work appropriate but somehow so classy, almost falling off her shoulders but still hugging them, showing her collarbone. And her voice- when she spoke, it was sweet music to his ears, he hadn't heard it in years. He had to consciously remember to speak, something that came naturally.
"Good evening, Granger."
He couldn't do it. He couldn't say her first name.
***
Hermione sat in Malfoy's office, enduring an awkward silence as she sunk into the plush, emerald green armchair.
Hermione chuckled to herself. Malfoy sat opposite her, as they waited for Alexis to bring tea. After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open on silent hinges and Alexis came in with a silver tray laden with tea and sugar and biscuits. She smiled to herself. She ought to get keep some biscuits for-
Ron. Somehow, even their horrendous breakup, the thought came naturally. Her eyes darkened, and she stiffened her resolve.
***
Draco watched in amusement as her eyes widened slightly, but the amusement ebbed away as he watched her eyes darken and her back straighten, almost subconsciously. He wondered what was bothering her, but decided to not let his curiosity get the best of him.
"So, Miss Granger. How are you doing today?"
She didn't respond immediately, putting on a fake smile. "Doing great. What about yourself?"
"Excellent. Now, Alexis, thank you for the tea..."
***
Draco checked his list of questions, hidden behind his mahogany desk.
"What prompted you to apply for this job? I thought you were working for the Ministry?"
Hermione's eyes became downcast as he asked. She hadn't really been planning on telling anyone, least of all but he had been nothing but polite to her the entire interview. While it had shocked her initially, she adapted easily and was surprised to see how well she was able to hold a civil and intelligent conversation with him, something Ron had been incapable of in all their years of dating. Not the civil part, but the intelligent part.
She sighed. She didn't really want to talk about it, it was probably a good idea to tell at least a slightly watered- down version of how things had happened.
"So, as you probably know, Ronald and I were dating,' Malfoy nodded,' and I decided to get him a muggle computer because I technology and - I don't know, I thought he might like it. He didn't really use it, but sometimes I'd catch him watching something on it late at night. I think anything of it, but bloody hell would I regret it." Malfoy's eyebrows went up at the sound of Hermione swearing.
"All of a sudden, he started to use it And I thought that was great, because he was finally using it. But then I kind of got suspicious. What had gotten him to use the damned thing? So one day while he was at work, I opened it and saw-' Hermione's voice began to catch on the sobs in her throat' that he- he was cheating on me. He had been lying to me for about working overtime and I'd naively believed him. I was so upset and broken. I wasn't sure if I could take it, seeing that everyday, so I handed in my resignation to Harry and left."
Hermione broke down into sobs, tears hitting the emerald green velvet that lined the chair. Draco, almost intuitively, crept towards her and embraced her. She leaned into it, and they stayed that way, Draco comforting Hermione, long into the night.
***
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