What I Deserve

The Interview

Loved. 

I loved him. 

Not love. 

Witha a final shove, I pushed him off. Finally, he seemed defeated. 

"I don't love you, Ron," I declared. "Not after what you've put me through. And if you don't leave, I might just come to hate you." 

He stared the floor, a second too long, before stumbling out the door. 

*****

The last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster. I haven't been eating properly. Only getting up for work. Drinking every night, and even sleeping on the couch. Sleeping alone on the bed reminded me too much that I was alone. 

Ron drunk dialed me twice, was in the news for being with other women, and hadn't returned to the Weasleys. The whole world knew we were no longer together, which also meant I got asked on dates by a couple people. All to which I said no. 

Gentle tapping made me jump from my desk. "Yes, come in."

Tessa, the office attendance, came in with a smile plastered on her face. "Is it still innappropriate to date coworkers? Because if the answer is yes,  I beg you to dismiss him." She handed me the papers, but I set it beside me, staring at the ones in front of me.

"I'm sorry, Tessa," I smiled. "I'm in desperate need of an assistant."

"Oh, come on," she shrugged. "At least let me flirt with him." 

I looked up at her and laughed before returning to the paperwork. "You can tell him to come in." 

She walked out the office with a slight stomp in her step. "Ms. Granger will see you now." 

"Thank you, darling," a voice said. stopping my work. I finally looked at the papers Tessa handed me, scanning for a name. 

Where is it? 

What idiot doesn't put their name in bold letters at the top of a resume? 

"Love the bookcase, Granger." 

I finally spotted the name at the bottom of the paper. A name that I've managed to avoid for the past six years of my life. 

I looked up at the devil himself, dressed in a tailored grey suit, blonde hair perched perfectly on his ridiculously small-brained head, and a smirk, his trademark.

"Malfoy." What great luck I have, I thought.

"Surprised, Granger?" 

I sighed, placing the creased papers back down. "You can say that. Please, sit."

He sat in front of me, close enough for me to smell him. This scent was so familiar. Minty? Woodsy? Perhaps a blend of both. Where have I smelled this before? 

"I'm confused too," he said. "The person I talked with on the phone sounded hot, but you're nowhere that at all." 

I did my best to stay calm, but the look I gave him made him chuckle. "Is that how you talk to all your interviewers?"

"Don't get me wrong, Granger," he replied, leaning back in his chair, crossing his legs, "you don't look bad at all. You look exactly like how I imagined you would."

I gripped my pen, reminding myself that I have the power here. "Let's get on with this, shall we?"

He laughed. "It's nice to see you've gotten over your anger issues." 

Anger issues? I'm the one with anger issues? 

"Excuse me?" I asked. 

He smirked and pointed at my hands, now fisted. I released them and set them in my lap.

"I mean, I guess I deserved that punch, but you, you and your chipmunk teeth really asked for it."

"I did NOT have chipmunk teeth!" 

"There she is!" Draco loudly said, clapping.

I slowly calmed down. I CANNOT let him win this one. 

"Why do you want this job?" I asked. "Sure, you didn't know it was me on the phone, but why haven't you walked out?"

"I need a job," he shortly answered. 

"Right," I said. "But why this one? I'm sure millions of offices would be happy to have you." I stood up and held a hand out towards the door. 

He remained in his chair. "Not many people are excited to hire someone with the name Malfoy attached to it. Yes, it sells out the Daily Prophet. Yes, I am rich, but no, no one is crazy to hire the son of a man deranged enough to follow Voldemort himself and land himself in jail." 

The air changed. It was heavy now, and the office seemed darker somehow. 

"In all seriousness, Granger," he said, "I need this job." 

I sat in my chair. "Okay. Speak."

"What?"

"Convince me." 

His eyebrows furrowed before smirking. "I've never worked in an office before. I've actually never worked before at all, unless you consider modeling office work." He smiled at his own joke. "My mother, who you know, has been urging me to get a job. Any job will do, as long as I show her I am not spending the family money recklessly." 

"How convincing," I said. 

"Please, Granger," he pleaded. This was different. When has Draco Malfoy ever pleaded for anything? "I promise I will do my best, and I'm sure that before you know it, I'll be out of your hairs."

I sighed. No one else had called for an interview, and I was in desperate need of an assistant. "Fine! I'll give you the job."

Draco almost smiled, a genuine one, but being he is Malfoy, no smile showed. He stood up, and as he turned around to walk out, I could sense the smirk on his face. What did I just do?

"Show up at 7:30 and don't be late!"