Starting Over

Introduction

The numbing winter air stung his cheeks as he made his way up the cobblestone alley. As the sun began to set over the December sky, the soft lights that illuminated the store front windows slowly extinguished as the inhabitants closed up for the evening.  He silently cursed himself for waiting until last minute on running this particular errand as he would need the items for his work the following morning. As he rounded the corner, he let a breath of relief slip past his lips, as the soft glow of Flourish and Botts still lit the pathway. He quickened his pace as he knew they would be closing soon enough.

The bells that rested on top of the door clambered together as he entered the establishment. He felt the sting in his cheeks begin to recede as the warmth from the shop enveloped him. The young witch stood behind the counter making notes on a piece of parchment, as she looked up at the man standing before her, it seemed as if her eyes darkened a few shades.

"Is there something you need?" she asked in an irritated manner.

She knew precisely who was, and it was evident that she was not happy with him stepping foot over the threshold. He reached into his pocket, retrieving the small list of texts he had come searching for. "There are a few texts I am in search of." he said setting it down in front of her.

She did not look away from him before responding. "Can't help you, we don't have these." she placed two fingers in the small scroll, pushing it back in his direction.

Despite his current status in the wizarding world, this sort of treatment was not something he was  immune to. After having his name cleared, there was still many witch's and wizards who held a great deal of contempt for the man. He mirrored the girls previous gesture by sliding the list back towards her. "Then I would like to order them...please." he said, the last word passing through gritted teeth.

Holding her ground, she narrowed her eyes on him "I can't help you. You'll have to find them somewhere else."

While his anger began to rise, he was all too familiar with this sort of reaction. Choosing to bite his tounge, he was about to retrieve the list and make his leave when the sound of another woman clearing her throat came from one of the side aisles.

"Christine, is there a reason as to why you can't seem to help this gentleman?" the woman said as she sauntered her way around the counter, leaning her side against a darkened doorway with her arms crossed.

The young witch's eyes went wide. "Ms. Granger, I thought you had left for the evening. We don't have what he is looking for, I was just telling him he may have more luck elsewhere."

Hermione raised her eyebrow and took a strep forward keeping her eyes on the girl as she outstretched her hand, picking up the scroll. She skimmed over the list, furrowing her brows as she went over it. "Well that's odd. You seem to have made a mistake. With the exception of the last item here, we happen to have all of these." she said, looking back up at her. "You wouldn't happen to be refusing Mr. Malfoy here of our services now would you Christine?" she gave what appeared to be a concerned look. "I am sure you are well aware of who he is, and I would hope you wouldn't presume to suggest that one of the most wealthy wizards in London should not conduct business with us."

A reddish hue fell upon the girls cheeks. She looked from her boss, back over to the man, and then back over to her boss. "Hermione, he's a death eater." she said in a small timid voice.

Hermione smiled politely at her current patron before continuing. "Former, death eater my dear. As you know, it is just as illegal for us to refuse him service as it is to refuse a muggle-born service, or must I remind you of the current laws?" she absconded the girl in the most calmest of tones yet the underlying irritation was clearly evident. Christine did not utter a word as she was silently reprimanded for her actions. "You may leave Christine. Do not bother coming in for your shift tomorrow. I find myself no longer in need of your services." she said as she averted her gaze to the list again.

Christine's mouth fell slightly agape. She went to speak but when no words came out, she picked up her coat and bag, moving past her now former employer. As she reached for the door handle she turned and was about to say something to the man but was halted by Hermione, who spoke without looking away from her current task. "If you intend on finding another job anywhere in Diagon Alley, or London for that matter, Christine. I suggest you walk out that door without another word." A look of pure rage spread across her face. She made her way out, slamming the door behind her.

An odd silence fell amongst the former classmates as Hermione silently mapped out the location of the listed texts in her head. Draco took a moment to observe the womans appearance. She wore a long sleeved burgundy cotton top that had a plunging neckline, the fabric accentuating her ample chest. It was coupled with a pair of black dress slacks that hugged the small curve of her hips. Her hair was swept into a low bun, a few curls lay loose in the front, framing her face. He had not spoken to this witch in a few years, as the many times he frequented the store she was either busy or not there. Up until this moment he had not been up close enough to truly take into consideration her changed appearance and could not help but notice that time had been kind to her.

When the silence began to feel awkward, Draco cleared his throat to speak. "I can defend myself Granger, I don't need you to swoop in and save me from some young girl with a chip on her shoulder." he said as he pushed his hands in the pockets of he charcoal grey peacoat.

Hermione pulled her eyes away from the list, a cunning smirk that could be held to the same degree of one of his own, curled the corner of her lips. "Ego bruised a bit Malfoy?" his eyes went wide with surprise at her comment. Hermione chuckled to herself. "I am fully aware of you abilities to defend yourself to a girl barely out of Hogwarts. Merlin knows how well you could get under my skin at that age. I merely have a business to run. Considering how you, as well as most of your friends share a similar taste in the more expensive literature, I can't exactly have my staff chasing you all out of here now can I?" she smiled.

"No, I suppose not." he said blankly. "However, we both know you wouldn't loose any business. You're the only book store around that carries this vast of a selection." he gestured out to multiple aisles and book lined walls.

"Yes well, I don't take kindly to people who think themselves higher then the law." she said matter of factly "I'll be back in a moment, let me go grab these for you." she said as she disappeared within the depths of the store. She returned a few minutes later, setting the requested items down. "This should be everything, aside for the one. I'll get that ordered for you. It's fairly difficult to get a hold of, but I should still be able to track one down. About a week or two until I can probably get one in. Pick up? Or I can have it delivered to your office." she said as she finished placing the other books in a bag for him.

Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out his money to pay for his purchase. "If you could owl me when it arrives, I'll let you know, depends on my schedule." he said, picking up the bag. "You know, you didn't need to fire the poor girl, you're probably the only shop owner that follows that law."

Hermione stepped out from her post, walking over the door and holding it open for the man. He stepped over the threshold and turned back to her. "The only reason that law was passed was to keep people like me quiet."

She rested her head against the door and spoke softly. "I can assure you that wasn't the case Malfoy."

He cocked his eyebrow, genuinely intrigued. "And how would you know?" he asked.

She looked straight into his storm cloud eyes and flashed him a quick yet faint smile. "Because I wrote it." she stated. A look of disbelief swept across his face but before he could question her, she smiled "Good night Malfoy." she said and shut the door locking it behind her.

Draco turned, beginning his way back to his flat. He was unsure what to make of the encounter that had just transpired. He no longer harbored the same prejudice thinking he had in his youth but despite her having testified in his defense nearly six years prior, he had been certain she still hated him for the way he treated her in school. She had been fairly cordial towards him, even making a joke at his expense, yet there was nothing malicious about it. He could not understand why, but he found a small part of him wanting to become reacquainted with her.

-x-

So what do you think? Not a very long chapter which is why I have it as the introduction. None the less, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it

Please Review! Thanks for reading!