The Babysitter (Dramione Fanfiction)

The First Week

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're worried for me, Granger."

Hermione flinched and hastily hid behind the nearest pillar she could find. She heard Draco release a huge sigh, followed by the unmistakable screeching of the chair, and his footsteps. Before she could completely dash out of the Muggle restaurant, Draco already found where she was hiding.

"O-oh, hi, Draco, what a coincidence, right? I didn't know you were also in this restaurant today."

"Cut the crap, Granger," Draco said with an amused smirk. "I saw you skulking around even before I got here. Now I know there's a reason why you weren't sorted in Slytherin."

"Besides the fact that I'm Muggle-born and your Founder hated people like me?" she asked with an innocent smile.

Draco sighed, but she was able to catch how his lips quirked up a bit in an almost smile. "What are you doing here, Granger?" he then asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"It's lunch time," Hermione reasoned out. "Isn't it perfectly normal for me to spend my lunch break in this... this..." She gestured at the restaurant she surely hadn't been in before and spied the closest meal from her. "- this... sandwich place."

He was smirking down at her, still looking completely amused. "Yes, and you and I both know that you don't like sandwiches," he pointed out.

Hermione made a face, also quite surprised that Draco remembered this particular quirk of hers, before saying, "Fine, all right, I was following you."

"Because?"

She heaved a huge sigh and frowned. "Because nothing," she said. "I saw you come here and followed without thinking."

Draco merely lifted an eyebrow and Hermione knew she had no other choice but to concede and tell the truth.

"Ugh, fine, I was worried," she said, refusing to looking into Draco's eyes. Her cheeks reddened a little in embarrassment, not quite sure why she felt self-conscious with her confession. "I heard from some people that McLaggen was giving you a hard time and well, since I have some free time of my own, I decided to check up on you today. But then, I saw you eating happily on that table and debated whether to approach you or not. I also wondered if I should buy some sandwich or not, because gods, I hate eating them and – why are you smirking?"

If it were possible, his smirk widened, and Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"You knew I was following you so you chose this restaurant just to rile me up," she hissed in accusation.

"Probably," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"You sneaky bastard," Hermione growled, her cheeks reddening more in annoyance.

A full blown grin appeared on his face, catching her quite off guard. "There's a salad place across from here," he said, then walked out of the restaurant, leaving a dumbfounded Hermione behind. She was only shaken away from her reverie when Draco had completely walked out the door, and she immediately followed suit.

"I hate you," she lamely said, prompting him to chuckle in response. Hermione felt a little bummed out she was caught spying on him. In addition, she was actually quite hungry and her Auror work for today had been stressful and tiring. All in all, it wasn't a good time to prank Hermione Granger.

Such thoughts were momentarily forgotten when they finally entered the restaurant and Hermione's hunger consumed her. She immediately ordered a Caesar salad, paid for her meal, and searched for Draco amongst the crowd. She spied him at one of the secluded corners and approached, annoyed that he still had that stupid smirk on his face.