Dream

Ch. 5

She knew he was staring at her behind, and she was becoming pissed.
It wasn’t fair. She was so close to completing the potion, and she could do it herself. If she couldn’t, it could have some disastrous results that she would not like to deal with, but she was a professional.
The employee changing area was completely devoid of people, which didn’t do much to quell the odd feelings in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t had been that close to a man in several years, and he was beginning to make her nervous. While changing back into her stained robes, she said, “Extra robes are kept in the locker on the end, 557. The lock is broke, so I wouldn’t leave anything valuable in there. You can leave valuables in my locker.”

He opened the locker and dug around for a clean robe that didn’t look as if it had just barely survived a week in a bog. A neon blue robe with ugly purple splotches on the front was the cleanest one he could find, and the only one that would fit, for that matter.
He carefully slipped it on over his shirt and trousers, and waited to her to change. From his vantage point, he could see her removing her sweater to the t-shirt underneath before she put on her robe. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw.
When she slipped the sweater up and over her head, he caught a glimpse of a tanned midriff that could make a man weep in appreciation. As she brought her arms down, he watched as her shirt tightened over her breasts. They were perfect. Not as small as he pictured them to be, but larger and fuller than they looked.
The entire moment was perfection to Draco. But, like all things, it didn’t last long.
“Are you ready?” said something in a green and blue stained white robe that slightly resembled the beauty that he saw just a moment before.
“As I’ll ever be.”

Draco could see that despite the physical differences, Hermione was exactly the same as when she was in school. She discussed for over an hour the effects of the engorgement potion and the potential hazards that could occur if not treated with an appropriate antidote within a certain amount of time.
Her face showed the same expressions that he was used to seeing in school. When she talked about something she loved, the joy shone on her face, but when he started to ask her about her life after school, the joy took on a different kind of light.

“What? All I’ve asked you is ‘What have you been doing with yourself since you left school?’ Not some crime, is it?”
“No, it’s just none of your business,” she said as kindly as she could, but not quiet making it. She felt as if she was back at school. But this time, it was different. He wasn’t as rude as he had been back at school. Maybe he had changed. She tried to amend her earlier statement.
“Well, if you must know, as soon as I finished school, I was offered this job, and I took it. “
“Going to be a career woman, huh, Granger?”
“I do have a first name, Draco, and I do wish you would use it. No, I don’t plan on being a career woman. As soon as I can find a person that I am willing to spend the rest of my life with and who loves me despite my shortcomings, I might give up the work.”
And that person will be me, thought Draco. It couldn’t be anyone else.

They continued on with details about the potion, until it was well past the time that they would normally have left.
“Oh, my,” said Hermione. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I hope I haven’t kept you from anything important.”
“No, just dinner at my flat. My maid has the night off, so it will probably be a cold can of soup, a burned piece of toast and some stale biscuits to go along with my tea. These plans can change. Care to join me?”
“Why join you when I will get the same thing when I go to my flat. Ginny Weasley, my roommate, unfortunately did not inherit her mother’s cooking skills. Her mother can make the best cheese soufflé and deviled ham salad. Oh, and her apple pie is marvelous. Maybe next time.”
“I’ll count on it.” He drawled as he gave her a lazy smile that was designed to drive her mad.

Stupid thing to say, Hermione…stupid, stupid, stupid. It was stupid. And the look that must have been on her face as she recited the high points of someone else’s cooking. Why did she always have to babble when she was nervous.
She would be reliving that moment all night. All lonely night.
And, given the look on his face, he would relive the moment all night as well. At least he will be just as alone as she would be.

Ginny would be out again with Neville Longbottom. They have been dating since his 5th year and her 4th. It seemed like it was getting pretty serious. She had to go and visit his grandmother for a few weeks ago. However, with Neville’s memory, one could never know.
She, however, would be spending yet another night at home alone. She hadn’t had a date since attending the University…and it was awful. She never thought that a date could be as pointless as the pitiful ones she had while at Hogwarts.