Aconite - Dramione/Blinny

Ch. 33

Hermione stared up at the large building she had just apparated in front of, Malfoy & Zabini Industries. Even though she and Draco had been together for a few months now, she had not yet been to his office.

Taking a deep breath, she walked up the stairs and tightened her grip on her bag as nerves raced through her. She didn't even know why she was nervous; she was just going to surprise Draco for lunch.

As she walked through the lobby towards the elevators, she ignored the few stares she received with her head held high. She didn't relax until the elevator doors closed, and even then she still felt somewhat nervous. But she quietly reminded herself that she had checked the floor listings a thousand times and that she knew she was going to the right floor, which for some reason did not make her feel any less nervous.

The elevator then came to a stop faster than she expected and they opened to a nearly empty floor. The first thing she saw was a desk with a very pretty young witch sitting behind it, sorting through papers.

As Hermione approached, the other witch barely even glanced up before asking, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Um...well, no," Hermione said sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, you're just going to have to wait then," The witch said in a very bored tone. "Mister Malfoy and Mister Zabini are both very busy-"

"I'm here to surprise Draco," Hermione interrupted then.

The witch finally looked up at her and her eyes widened after a few silent moments. "Oh my Merlin, you're Hermione Granger!"

Hermione gave her a half-smile before shifting her weight from one foot to the other and asking, "Is Draco busy at the moment? I was hoping to surprise him with lunch."

"No, he shouldn't be very busy!" The witch stood up then and quickly moved around the desk, excitedly reaching out for Hermione's hand. "I'm so sorry! My name is Veronica, I am such a big fan of yours! And of course, you and Mister Malfoy are all over the Prophet! Such a beautiful couple!"

"Well, thank you!" Hermione laughed nervously. "Um...can I see Draco, please?"

"Absolutely!" Veronica let her away towards an office in the back, one that had the shades drawn all around so it was impossible to look into. "Mister Malfoy should be in there!"

"Thank you, Veronica," Hermione said with a smile, causing Veronica to beam excitedly as she walked away.

As Hermione raised her hand to knock on the door, the sound of voices suddenly caught her off guard and she paused with her hand raised in the air.

"...Might not be ready in time for the next cycle," A man said.

"The full moon is next Friday, the tenth." Hermione recognized Draco's voice instantly. "Is it going to be ready then? This is supposed to be a one-time potion and this is the first time the brewing was actually successful."

"I understand, sir," The first man said politely. "But we cannot guarantee that the potion will work even with a successful brew."

"That's fine," Draco said. "I just want to make sure that we're closer to a solution than we were before."

Hermione stared at the door in confusion. A one-time potion?

"Hermione?"

She whirled around to see Blaise staring at her with wide eyes, and she waved nervously. "Oh, hi Blaise!"

"Wha-what are you doing here?" He asked as he quickly walked towards her.

"I just wanted to surprise Draco with lunch since he's been taking me out to lunch nearly every day," She said.