Quarrels & Loves

After Work Tales

Summary: Hermione just wants to get a drink after work undisturbed, but apparently that's too much to ask of some people. She's not necessarily sure if Draco being nearby is a good or a bad thing yet either, but she's bound to find out soon if the way he's staring at her is anything to judge by.

Hermione did not go out much after work, but every now and then she tended to indulge in a butterbeer at the Leaky. After particularly rough days, she'd down a firewhiskey or two before flooing home, but those days were rare. Most of the time when she went, it was to relax just a bit before returning home for the evening. After all, she didn't keep any alcohol in her flat and the Leaky was one of the easiest places to get it.

Today hadn't been rough, but it was one of those nights Hermione felt like treating herself, so after locking her office door, she left through the Ministry front doors to grab a butterbeer on her way home. No one looked up when she stepped into the bar, but Hermione still stayed to the corner of the room as she crossed the floor and seated herself at the bar.

"One butterbeer, please," she told the bartender. He nodded and grabbed a cup for her, handing over a full serving of butterbeer less than a minute later.

With her butterbeer in one hand, Hermione pulled out a file from work to review as she sipped. It was a case that had been bothering her for several days and she hoped the different atmosphere would lend some clues as to how to go about it. She was so engrossed in looking for new details that she didn't notice someone take the seat right beside her until she was elbowed in the shoulder.

"There you are!" the man said exuberantly when Hermione looked up at him. "Finally got your nose out of those papers. Say, can I buy you a drink?"

Hermione glanced at her still-full cup of butterbeer then back at him quizzically.

"No, thanks," she replied, adjusting her hold on her cup as if that would further show him she was not lacking alcohol. He didn't seem to get the message, however.

"Come on, just a butterbeer or two," he said, leaning against her and grinning widely. Hermione's nose scrunched up at the strong scent of alcohol on his breath. Clearly, his current firewhiskey was not his first.

"I already have one," she told him. Without looking away, she took a sip of her butterbeer to prove her point. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not interested."

The man frowned, but Hermione returned to her papers before he could argue. Unfortunately for her, he was not so easily swayed and as soon as she'd looked back down at her papers, he knocked over her butterbeer.

"Oh no! Oh my, Merlin," he said, hastily righting her cup. He gave her a fake smile and Hermione focused her attention on her scourgify so she didn't hex his face. "Let me get you a new one," the man said.

He waved down the bartender and instead of arguing, Hermione made sure her work papers were clean and not sticky. The man took her cup of butterbeer from the bartender and turned to hand it to her happily. Hermione sighed and her eyes flickered over the man's shoulder as a familiar blond head walked into the Leaky. Draco Malfoy's eyes locked on hers a second later but before he could smile at her, Hermione was being distracted by the man at her side who refused to leave. She was almost positive Draco could see the irritation on her face as she turned away, but she didn't particularly care at the moment.

"How about you put those papers away now, yeah?" the man said, nudging the butterbeer toward her. Hermione didn't touch it. "I bought you a drink and it's not very nice to ignore someone after they do something nice like that."

"I didn't ask you to buy me a drink," Hermione reminded him tightly. "In fact, I told you not to several times and I will not be drinking the one you bought me."

The man frowned at her as Hermione gathered her papers and neatly placed them in her purse. He looked pleased that she'd put her papers away, but the look of happiness was quickly replaced by irritation when he noticed she was leaving.

"Hey now, you can't leave," he said, grabbing her arm.

Hermione dropped her wand as she was jerked back around to face him. Scowling at him, she tried to pull her arm free but he didn't budge.

"I'm being nice to you so you're going to sit back down and be nice back."

"I will not," Hermione told him sharply. She yanked her arm away but he was quick to grab her again, his hold on her even tighter this time.

Just when Hermione was about to try her hand at wandless magic, another hand wrapped around her wrist where the man was holding her and Draco stepped in between her and the man at the bar. She couldn't see his face, but it must have been murderous because the other man released her immediately.

"Get out," Draco snarled at the man. He kept his hold on Hermione's arm, but his touch was cool and gentle compared to the other man's.

"You can't tell—"

"Get out!" Draco roared.

A few patrons nearby glanced at them but quickly looked away when Draco looked at them. The man scrambled away from the bar, stumbling out of the Leaky and letting the door slam behind him. As soon as he was gone, Draco turned around to face her and let go of her arm.

"Thanks," she said. She accio'd her wand from the floor and stuffed it in her purse.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head.

"All he did was buy me a drink and try to threaten me," she answered. Draco grunted and glanced at the butterbeer still sitting on the bar. "I'm not going to drink it," she told him with a small smile. "If you want it, it's all yours."

"No thanks, Granger," Draco snorted. He looked back at her and grinned. "I don't suppose you'd let me buy you a new one, would you?"

"I won't tell you how to spend your galleons," she replied. Draco rolled his eyes and they sat back down at the bar.

Draco sent the old cup of butterbeer across the bar and ordered her a new glass as well as a firewhiskey for himself. After their drinks came, Hermione turned on her stool to ask him how he was enjoying the switch from Rune Translation into Auror.

"Well, the company isn't half as good," Draco smirked. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Weasel is as petulant as ever and I'm really not sure why you stayed with him as long as you did."

"I asked about work, not my friends," she teased. Even though Draco was now on decent terms with both Ron and Harry, the three of them couldn't seem to let go of old habits when it came to teasing the others. Hermione had learned to live with it during the five years she'd worked with Draco and the two she'd been dating Ron.

"I rather enjoy it, actually," Draco admitted, just like Hermione expected. She grinned and he scowled at her. "You don't always have to be right, you know?"

Hermione just laughed, listening to Draco tell her all about the first case he'd finished that week and how even though Harry wasn't half as good at listening to him as her, he supposed they were friendly enough. By the time Hermione was leaving the bar for the evening, she was pleasantly tipsy and smiling widely at how the night had turned out. At least one thing hadn't changed when Draco switched offices.