The Accidental Malfoy

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Disclaimer: I do not own this, nor am I profiting off the display of this story in any way.

Hermione was cursing her inability to call in sick when she wasn't actually ill. The amazed looks and whispers that were following her around the Ministry so far were taking a toll. She was currently avoiding going to the canteen for lunch. She couldn't imagine anything worse than having to sit in that room and deal with all the speculation and gossip flying around about her.

She'd been pretty upset by some of the nasty, hissed comments that had already come her way, one even from a colleague in her department who she'd gotten along with reasonably well. It appeared that she was featured as the scarlet woman, the home-breaker. She sighed. The other woman was always vilified. And she hadn't even had an affair.

She turned her chair to stare out of her enchanted window. She wished that the weather department had taken note of her mood and arranged for storms to be shown outside. Instead, the sun was shining brightly through her window with a picture-perfect blue sky.

There was a knock on her door. She spun her chair back and looked warily at the door before calling out a calm "Come in."

A head of messy black hair appeared and she relaxed. "Harry!"

"Expecting someone else?"

"With the day I'm currently having, I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone with the nerve to pretend to have a work-related query and then start questioning me about that story."

"Yeah, I thought that might be the case when I didn't see you in the canteen. So I come bearing food," he said, waving a paper bag at her.

She hadn't thought she could stomach any food, but the smell of a jacket potato wafted over to her and she realised she was really hungry.

"Thanks," she said gratefully as he came into her office and placed it in front of her.

He produced an identical bag and sat down in the chair opposite hers. "I also thought you might need some company."

She smiled at him. This is what she loved about Harry: the unerring sympathy he had for anyone having a bad time of it.

"How bad is it down there?" she asked.

"No one has quite had the guts to ask me anything, but the silence that fell as I walked into the canteen was telling."

She groaned. This was ten times worse than her fourth year at Hogwarts. At least the school could only hold so many people. The Ministry was larger and, if possible, even more prone to gossip than a bunch of school kids.

"Great," she muttered before tucking into the potato piled high with cheese and melting butter.

Harry chuckled at the moan of pure bliss she released after her first bite. His potato was half the size and had a much more modest mound of cheese and included baked beans. "Ginny wasn't lying about your potato fetish."

"I can't help it. I just crave potato, and not anything healthy like boiled potatoes, but either chips or jacket potatoes with the unhealthiest fillings. Or crisps I can eat my way through an entire multi-pack of Walkers Salt and Vinegar crisps."

"You don't like salt and vinegar crisps."

"I know!"

"I'm just grateful it's not something truly disgusting. Ginny liked the taste of metal for a while, and I would find her sucking on my keys."

Hermione giggled at that.

"There it is. I knew there was a laugh deep down in you somewhere," he remarked.