Chimera

Chapter 17

The smell of Draco's cologne washed over Hermione. She felt his breath on the top of her head as he leaned on the back of her chair, peering at her noticeboard. He often got bored after a few hours of sitting still and his favourite pastime was bothering her.

"A five year plan, Granger, really?" He pointed at a list she had written in meticulous handwriting. She heard the eye-roll in his voice.

"More like a ten-to-twenty year plan, but yes," Hermione shrugged, continuing working.

"What about a partner and kids, do they factor in anywhere?"

Draco rocked her chair from side to side, making her feel slightly seasick.

"Maybe. It'd be nice, I guess," she said. "But I don't want children for a long time yet. I'd rather focus on my career first."

"Oh yes, because you'll have sooo much free time as Minister for Magic..." Draco said, tapping the final point on her plan.

"I'll figure it out, I've got years before I have to worry about all that. What about you? You and Miss Greengrass have wedding bells in your future?"

"Mum certainly thinks so," Draco groaned. "I've only been on two dates with her so far!"

"Ooh, 'so far'," Hermione teased.

"Oh sod off, Granger!"

Draco nudged Hermione's chair forwards and the edge of the desk dug into her stomach. Her hand jerked across the parchment, splashing it with ink. She forcefully pushed backwards but Draco dodged out of the way. She rolled across the office and crashed into the far wall.

"Is everything ok in here?" Mr Singh asked, peeking into the room.

"Sorry!" Hermione exclaimed, frantically scooting back to her desk. "Minor chair malfunction."

Mr Singh nodded and returned to his office. Draco clutched his side as he shook with silent laughter.

"Oh, I needed that," Draco gasped, wiping tears from his eyes. "Thank you for providing quality entertainment!"

"Bugger off and get some work done," Hermione grinned, the burning in her cheeks subsiding.

"Says the witch rolling around the office..." Draco said.

Hermione balled up the ink-splotched parchment and threw it at him. Draco snatched it out of the air.

"You really need to stop trying to test my Seeker reflexes," he admonished, picking up another two balls of paper from his desk.

Hermione hid a grin as Draco began juggling. He slowly began to throw each ball higher into the air. His robes swished dramatically as he spun around, deftly catching them as he turned to face Hermione again. He smirked at her stunned expression. With a smart flick of the wrist, he threw each ball into the bin.

"You never fail to surprise me," Hermione admitted. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I had a lot of time on my hands as a child," Draco shrugged.

Draco settled at his desk and started to work. Hermione pretended to read a report, watching him through her long, dark lashes. She couldn't shake the mental image of Draco as a little boy, bored and lonely in the dreary manor, teaching himself to juggle.

Hermione thought back to her own childhood. Her parents were warm and loving, but they worked long hours. Various babysitters never quite knew what to do with such a precocious child, and the other children made fun of her. Hermione hid out in fictional worlds, with literary heroes as her only friends.

All that changed at Hogwarts, of course, but Hermione was starting to realise that Draco hadn't been so lucky. He never mentioned anyone from their school days and his social life appeared even quieter than hers.

A strange feeling stirred in her chest towards him. After a moment, she realised it was sympathy.