Healing the Heart (Dramione)

02|| Bruised Shins

Those four years had gone by so fast and here they sat, eating dinner together as coworkers and friends.  It was an odd feeling, one Hermione wasn't sure she'd ever get used to. Seven years of prejudice and hatred were difficult to overlook but Draco had done an amazing job of being cordial and, dare she say, friendly to her while they worked together. After many cups of tea and conversations about their childhoods, the two had become rather good friends. They found companionship through their mutual love of reading and learned that they could have intelligent conversations and debates about politics and current affairs without yelling at each other. He shared her love of history books and she shared his love for classical music. Had things been slightly different, Hermione was positive that they could have been very good friends in school.

Draco watched as Hermione picked at her food that evening. She was clearly thinking about something, probably work. He decided to study her for a moment while she thought. Her hair had gotten less bushy and more wavy and she had learned how to tame it since school; any baby fat she had had, had turned to muscle. She had changed a lot since Hogwarts; not physically but emotionally and mentally. She hadn't grown in height but the way she held herself changed. She was more confident. More sure of herself. She had always been confident in her studies but now she was confident in her life. "Say, where's Weasley? Don't you two usually have dinner after work?" He inquired.

Hermione blinked, lost in thought till he broke her out of her daze. Her eyes flitted to his before they dropped to the cup of tea between her hands. "Ron's in Belgium for the night. They found a few dark wizards there and can't transport them till morning. Something about a storm and being locked in a store with too many muggles as witnesses." When her eyes lifted to his they held a small amount of sadness. "He should be back tomorrow night. We're going to dinner then."

Draco leaned back in his seat and stretched his long legs out. "Belgium? That's a little far. Who's leading the team and decided it'd be a good idea to put him on it? Isn't he a little too incompetent to travel outside of England?" A sharp kick to the shin caused Draco to bite back a curse. "Ouch!"

"Ron's the one leading the mission, his first one. He's actually stepped up in the past few months." Pride had snuck into her voice. "I think he's finally started taking his job more seriously and it's paid off."

"Leading the mission, eh?" He rubbed his now bruised leg.

"Well, he's calling the shots, under the supervision of a senior Auror. It's a simple extraction, one they've done a hundred times, hindered only by the storm and large amounts of Muggles preventing them from returning immediately. But he is leading the mission." Taking his job more seriously had put a strain on their relationship. Hermione knew it was selfish of her, wanting him to adjust his schedule so they could spend time together, especially since she had trouble doing the same.

"Better watch out, he might start asking for help with his paperwork. Didn't you do most of his schoolwork back at Hogwarts?" Draco quickly pulled his legs back to avoid a second kick to the shins.

She hissed in pain as her toe made contact with the booth. "I don't actually see him enough for that to become a thing. He's always at work, or I'm always at work." She snapped through gritted teeth.

Draco grinned in satisfaction. "Well," He rose from his seat and waited for her to do the same. "you still better watch out."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." She followed him out of the cafe and the two began walking down the street in a comfortable silence. The thing she liked most about working with Draco was the silence. They could sit in the same room, do paperwork together, or walk around without the need to talk. Many of her friends and colleagues felt the need to provide conversation, Draco didn't, resulting in the two of them spending hours listening to the peaceful sound of nothing.

She reluctantly broke the silence when the evening grew darker. "I should go home." She smiled up at him. "Would you mind taking notes for me during our meeting next Thursday morning?"

"Oh," He narrowed his eyes at her. "now you want me to do your paperwork? I should have known. Is that why you asked me out to dinner tonight?"

A faint smile touched her lips. "You asked me, you idiot. I'm just going to be into work late next Thursday. The Director knows, he's fine with it. But I want to know what's talked about in the meeting."

He nodded. "Sure, sure. Alright, but you owe me."

"I put up with you. That's payment enough."

He chuckled softly in agreement. "See ya tomorrow." He watched as she gave a wave and disapperated from the street. Draco inhaled the night air and decided to walk home tonight.

~~~

Thanks for reading my story! Please keep an eye out, I'm almost finished with Chapter Three so I'll post that when I'm done with it.

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She was still wearing her work scrubs, a jacket had been thrown around her shoulders. Her eyes were puffy, like she'd been crying. "Did you just get off of work?"

The smile she gave didn't reach her eyes. "About an hour ago" Her voice was slightly brittle, as though she was attempting to hold back tears. "Would you fancy a drink?"