Cadence
Title: Cadence Chapter 7
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 568
Monday came and past. Tuesday flew by in a whirlwind of work, and Malfoy had left by the time Hermione unchained her mind from her desk. Wednesday was a bit slower, but Draco looked so cute, and he was amazingly polite - bringing her favorite lunch when she opted out of taking a lunch break. And Thursday they had so many meetings that just keeping track of the notes taken was more than enough to do during the day. But then came Friday, and Draco spent more time lounging around her area.
“I am two paragraphs from finishing the next draft to send back to the Russians. Don’t distract me,” the witch ordered, as he popped his head in yet again.
“Certainly,” Draco replied, sitting across from her but not speaking another word. His mere presence distracted her, and Hermione Granger could not help but take subtle peeks at him. His eyes scanned over the book spines, reading each title, head tilted to do so better. After that, they analyzed her photographs, a mix of magical and muggle ones. He stared the longest at a still picture of her parents, as if confused by the stillness. The last two paragraphs took much longer than she expected to finish, but finally she closed her bottle of ink and looked up.
“You can take it now, if you want,” she broke the silence, her hands stacking it with the others rolls of parchment to be sent off to Russia.
“I will, in just a minute,” the wizard replied, looking at her, “What do you say we celebrate finally finishing the draft? It’s early enough I could take you to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.” His face lifted from apathetic to smiling. He looked so energetic and excited to relax and hang out with her - no, she corrected, sex. Malfoy, like most men, was simply looking forward to the prospect of sex.
“I can’t,” Hermione replied, “Luna just got in this morning. And I haven’t seen her in weeks. We’re having dinner.”
He seemed nonplussed, “Next Friday?”
“Mrs. Weasley invited us all over for dinner,” Hermione countered. Purposefully, she had promised up her weekend time to various friends and acquaintances for the next few weeks.
Draco shrugged, “Of course.” The air felt a bit chiller. He gave her a proper bow and left her office.
Title: Cadence Chapter 8
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Arthur Weasley, Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13, some language
Word Count: 676
Dinner with the Weasleys had been excellent, from the cooking to conversation. Ron stopped being awkward, at least for the night, and Hermione nodded off on Ginny’s bed with a smile on her face.
Bright lights shown through her window, waking her up, though the woman refused to get out of the bed, as comfy as it felt at the moment. Puling the comfortable over her head, the witch determinedly focused on falling asleep. Speedy swearing and what sounded like “What the fuck are you doing?” drifted up, but most was quiet, though the darkness did not return when the headlights turned off. Hermione growled at that - light, coming from the opposite direction. The witch rolled over. Various Weasleys woke from the noise. A song began to play - one Hermione recognized, its name on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes widened, and her body bolted upright, her feet rushing for the floor to confirm her suspicions.
Draco Malfoy stood - staggered was more accurate - across the lawn holding up a muggle boom box, which blasted ‘Cadence to Arms’ by Dropkick Murphys. Draco Malfoy held a muggle object. Malfoy was using said muggle object. Granger rubbed her eyes to make sure the seen was real. Yep, his clothes were the same as earlier that day - new deep green robes, a gift from his mother. But his hair was mussed up - seriously drunkenly mussed up, a state she had never seen before. His wand was nowhere in sight. And he was most definitely blasting muggle music on the Weasleys’ lawn. But in all, Hermione found it cute - charming even. All of it was for her. She was worth fumbling with muggle equipment. Draco valued her. Hermione smiled.
A few people stomped down the stairs on the other side of the door. Weasleys were running outside, and Ron was most likely among them. He still hated Malfoy (that had been a sore point in their relationship as she kept demanding he was a decent wizard). Thankfully, Arthur Weasley appeared first on the lawn, wearing his pajamas. “Is that a musical technology?” he asked, “it’s fascinating - ”
“What the bloody hell are you doing here, ferret face?!” Ron roared, interrupting his father. Hermione grimaced - bracing for the painful, loud, and likely bloody fight that had to be coming. But Malfoy paid no heed, looking up at the house. Behind him, a skeptical impeccably dressed man stood aloofly almost fading as a shade of the night. Ron loomed over Draco, who only just seemed to notice him. She cringed as her ex pushed him out of the Burrow’s lawn, especially as he kept following and violently pushing a Malfoy that could barely walk. The man she had hardly noticed caught Draco at one point, directing a reluctant blonde to get in the car.
Ron tried to follow even to the car’s side, but the black man turned around, annoyed to have to deal with the nuisance. “Quit hiding, ferret face!” Ron shouted over the man’s shoulder as Malfoy’s eyes searched from window to window for her. The song ended, and one finger pressed the right button to make it start again, which impressed the muggle-born even more because he was drunk.
Her attention returned to the other two when Ron tried to shove Zabini aside; the elitist Slytherin smoothly removed Ron’s offending hands. Ron made an attempt at a shove again, but his arms were brusquely forced aside. “If you bothered to pause and think for a moment, Weasley,” Blaise fixed his suit, “you’d realize that not bothering me will get Draco out of your face faster.”
Ron glowered, “Fuck off.” But he did turn away and slam the front door when reentering the Burrow. Hermione watched Blaise force the portable music system away from Draco, who then leaned against his car just to remain standing. Zabini helped him into the car and drove away. Arthur stood quite clueless on the lawn.
The whole night was surreal and left her clueless.
Title: Cadence Chapter 9
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 389
Hermione groaned as she returned to her office after lunch. She had peacefully escaped all the issues in her life - both with Ron and Draco and work - only to come back to a snooty owl perched in her room pointedly glaring at a package on her desk. And it was just the same size as the reams of paper the Russians sent back, apparently with utter ease seeing as it had only been two weeks. The witch had not even come close to finishing the research for the developing conflicts.
Yet as the day was Friday, the witch could not afford to procrastinate despite how relaxing lunch with Luna had been. With a flick of her wand, the paper unwrapped itself with care not to send the papers flying into a disorganized mess. But the measure had been unnecessary, for the object was bound, with worn print on the cover, which made it difficult to read. Curious, the Gryffindor approached her desk, and her spine tingled when her hand touched the cover. The air felt older in the book’s presence. Her fingers ran over the numbers, from before Russia switched calendars - before the influx of Western traditions. She read the title and smiled, recognizing the symbols in the foreign alphabet to mean something about law. They had been arguing for drafts about old Russian law, which the Russians cited supporting their opinions. The British had not been able to counter anything they claimed. She could check their claims against fact!
Holding the precious object in her hands, she opened the cover, where a small note lay but fell out of, onto her desk. Respectfully, Hermione laid the book down to read the note:
Hermione,
It took forever to find this, but I think you shall find it useful.
-D.M.
Draco. She spun around to see the owl, but it had flown off, its charge completed. That was kind of him, but he had searched for a long time, which meant he was just being a gentleman - following through on a gift even though she had so coldly turned him down. And ignored the music. The entire week, she acted as if the event had not happened, and Draco had been his regular gentlemanly self.
There was nothing to think of a book.
-Silyara, Slytherin
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 568
Monday came and past. Tuesday flew by in a whirlwind of work, and Malfoy had left by the time Hermione unchained her mind from her desk. Wednesday was a bit slower, but Draco looked so cute, and he was amazingly polite - bringing her favorite lunch when she opted out of taking a lunch break. And Thursday they had so many meetings that just keeping track of the notes taken was more than enough to do during the day. But then came Friday, and Draco spent more time lounging around her area.
“I am two paragraphs from finishing the next draft to send back to the Russians. Don’t distract me,” the witch ordered, as he popped his head in yet again.
“Certainly,” Draco replied, sitting across from her but not speaking another word. His mere presence distracted her, and Hermione Granger could not help but take subtle peeks at him. His eyes scanned over the book spines, reading each title, head tilted to do so better. After that, they analyzed her photographs, a mix of magical and muggle ones. He stared the longest at a still picture of her parents, as if confused by the stillness. The last two paragraphs took much longer than she expected to finish, but finally she closed her bottle of ink and looked up.
“You can take it now, if you want,” she broke the silence, her hands stacking it with the others rolls of parchment to be sent off to Russia.
“I will, in just a minute,” the wizard replied, looking at her, “What do you say we celebrate finally finishing the draft? It’s early enough I could take you to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.” His face lifted from apathetic to smiling. He looked so energetic and excited to relax and hang out with her - no, she corrected, sex. Malfoy, like most men, was simply looking forward to the prospect of sex.
“I can’t,” Hermione replied, “Luna just got in this morning. And I haven’t seen her in weeks. We’re having dinner.”
He seemed nonplussed, “Next Friday?”
“Mrs. Weasley invited us all over for dinner,” Hermione countered. Purposefully, she had promised up her weekend time to various friends and acquaintances for the next few weeks.
Draco shrugged, “Of course.” The air felt a bit chiller. He gave her a proper bow and left her office.
Title: Cadence Chapter 8
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Arthur Weasley, Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13, some language
Word Count: 676
Dinner with the Weasleys had been excellent, from the cooking to conversation. Ron stopped being awkward, at least for the night, and Hermione nodded off on Ginny’s bed with a smile on her face.
Bright lights shown through her window, waking her up, though the woman refused to get out of the bed, as comfy as it felt at the moment. Puling the comfortable over her head, the witch determinedly focused on falling asleep. Speedy swearing and what sounded like “What the fuck are you doing?” drifted up, but most was quiet, though the darkness did not return when the headlights turned off. Hermione growled at that - light, coming from the opposite direction. The witch rolled over. Various Weasleys woke from the noise. A song began to play - one Hermione recognized, its name on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes widened, and her body bolted upright, her feet rushing for the floor to confirm her suspicions.
Draco Malfoy stood - staggered was more accurate - across the lawn holding up a muggle boom box, which blasted ‘Cadence to Arms’ by Dropkick Murphys. Draco Malfoy held a muggle object. Malfoy was using said muggle object. Granger rubbed her eyes to make sure the seen was real. Yep, his clothes were the same as earlier that day - new deep green robes, a gift from his mother. But his hair was mussed up - seriously drunkenly mussed up, a state she had never seen before. His wand was nowhere in sight. And he was most definitely blasting muggle music on the Weasleys’ lawn. But in all, Hermione found it cute - charming even. All of it was for her. She was worth fumbling with muggle equipment. Draco valued her. Hermione smiled.
A few people stomped down the stairs on the other side of the door. Weasleys were running outside, and Ron was most likely among them. He still hated Malfoy (that had been a sore point in their relationship as she kept demanding he was a decent wizard). Thankfully, Arthur Weasley appeared first on the lawn, wearing his pajamas. “Is that a musical technology?” he asked, “it’s fascinating - ”
“What the bloody hell are you doing here, ferret face?!” Ron roared, interrupting his father. Hermione grimaced - bracing for the painful, loud, and likely bloody fight that had to be coming. But Malfoy paid no heed, looking up at the house. Behind him, a skeptical impeccably dressed man stood aloofly almost fading as a shade of the night. Ron loomed over Draco, who only just seemed to notice him. She cringed as her ex pushed him out of the Burrow’s lawn, especially as he kept following and violently pushing a Malfoy that could barely walk. The man she had hardly noticed caught Draco at one point, directing a reluctant blonde to get in the car.
Ron tried to follow even to the car’s side, but the black man turned around, annoyed to have to deal with the nuisance. “Quit hiding, ferret face!” Ron shouted over the man’s shoulder as Malfoy’s eyes searched from window to window for her. The song ended, and one finger pressed the right button to make it start again, which impressed the muggle-born even more because he was drunk.
Her attention returned to the other two when Ron tried to shove Zabini aside; the elitist Slytherin smoothly removed Ron’s offending hands. Ron made an attempt at a shove again, but his arms were brusquely forced aside. “If you bothered to pause and think for a moment, Weasley,” Blaise fixed his suit, “you’d realize that not bothering me will get Draco out of your face faster.”
Ron glowered, “Fuck off.” But he did turn away and slam the front door when reentering the Burrow. Hermione watched Blaise force the portable music system away from Draco, who then leaned against his car just to remain standing. Zabini helped him into the car and drove away. Arthur stood quite clueless on the lawn.
The whole night was surreal and left her clueless.
Title: Cadence Chapter 9
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 389
Hermione groaned as she returned to her office after lunch. She had peacefully escaped all the issues in her life - both with Ron and Draco and work - only to come back to a snooty owl perched in her room pointedly glaring at a package on her desk. And it was just the same size as the reams of paper the Russians sent back, apparently with utter ease seeing as it had only been two weeks. The witch had not even come close to finishing the research for the developing conflicts.
Yet as the day was Friday, the witch could not afford to procrastinate despite how relaxing lunch with Luna had been. With a flick of her wand, the paper unwrapped itself with care not to send the papers flying into a disorganized mess. But the measure had been unnecessary, for the object was bound, with worn print on the cover, which made it difficult to read. Curious, the Gryffindor approached her desk, and her spine tingled when her hand touched the cover. The air felt older in the book’s presence. Her fingers ran over the numbers, from before Russia switched calendars - before the influx of Western traditions. She read the title and smiled, recognizing the symbols in the foreign alphabet to mean something about law. They had been arguing for drafts about old Russian law, which the Russians cited supporting their opinions. The British had not been able to counter anything they claimed. She could check their claims against fact!
Holding the precious object in her hands, she opened the cover, where a small note lay but fell out of, onto her desk. Respectfully, Hermione laid the book down to read the note:
Hermione,
It took forever to find this, but I think you shall find it useful.
-D.M.
Draco. She spun around to see the owl, but it had flown off, its charge completed. That was kind of him, but he had searched for a long time, which meant he was just being a gentleman - following through on a gift even though she had so coldly turned him down. And ignored the music. The entire week, she acted as if the event had not happened, and Draco had been his regular gentlemanly self.
There was nothing to think of a book.
-Silyara, Slytherin