The Strawberry Chocolate Code

Chapter 1

Hermione inserted the key into the lock, twisted it, and entered the ice cream parlour, the door chiming to signal her arrival. Turning on the lights, she blew a stray strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail out of her face. She slid her bag off her shoulder and hung it on a hook in the back room and grabbed an apron from one of the other hooks. Sliding it on and tying it around her back, she reentered the main room of the parlour and checked her watch. 10:45. Fifteen more minutes until the shop reopens after closing for the winter and Hermione begins her first day of working at Miss. Bean's Ice Cream Parlour.

Hermione leaned against the counter and closed her eyes. She hadn't slept well last night, staying up into the early morning hours trying to work out her new schedule to include her new job. The sound of the chime above the door going off had Hermione checking her watch again. How long had she been resting her eyes? 10:48.

"I'm sorry, but we don't open for another twelve minutes. If you'd like-." Hermione trailed off at the sight of the person standing a few feet away from her. Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy?" She questioned. "What are you doing here?" Hermione hadn't seen Draco in four years. Once the war ended, she moved to Muggle London to continue her studies while still living near her parents, only Apparating to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade occasionally if she needed something or to visit Harry and the Wealseys. Although she never planned on seeing Draco again, she still forgave him for what he had done and how he treated her, deciding that she would be better off in the long run if she just let things go.

"I suppose I could ask you the same thing, but judging by the blue apron you're wearing, I'm guessing that you're the other new employee." Draco scowled, walking past Hermione and into the back room. Hermione followed, a shocked expression stuck on her face.

"What?" She demanded as Draco removed his jacket, hung it up next to Hermione's bag, and grabbed an apron. He slid the apron over his black t-shirt and tied it before replying.

"When Miss. Bean hired me a few days ago, she mentioned that she had already hired another person that would be working with me. I guess she meant you." He stated simply, brushing past her. "For someone who's the Brightest Witch of Her Age," he continued, knowing she would follow, "you are very dimwitted."

"I wasn't informed of any coworkers." Hermione grumbled.

"Well here I am." Draco gestured to himself before taking a seat at one of the tables.

"What are you doing here, though?" Hermione asked.

"Granger, I already told you-."

"No I mean what are you doing here in Muggle London? I honestly expected you to stay within the wizard community forever."

"It's time to open shop." Draco said instead of answering Hermione's question. He got up and flipped the Closed sign to Open.

"Don't think I'm letting you off easy, Malfoy. I'll get answers one way or another." Hermione glared at his back.
"Now, are you going to make the ice cream or should I?"

"You can make the ice cream." He waved her off in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll man the cash register."

"Alright." Hermione nodded as the door chimed for the third time this morning. A man entered the parlour, a little girl clinging tightly to his arm. They approached the counter, the man leaning down to help the little girl read the menu.

"Granger," Draco whispered to the woman standing next to him. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't breathe down my neck while I'm doing my job. Please and thank you."

"Sorry," she whispered back, heading into the kitchen. Hermione was surprised and a bit confused at how civil Draco was acting towards her. He wasn't calling her names and only insulted her once, but that was after he complimented her. He even said please and thank you, something she had never heard him say before. Maybe he had changed in the last four years and realized it was stupid to hate her just because she was Muggle born and friends with Harry Potter. She hoped that that was the case. It would make working with him a whole lot easier on her part.

The man and his daughter, Draco presumes, order and Draco repeats it to Hermione before taking the man's money and configuring up change. The three of them wait one, two, three minutes for Hermione to make their ice cream before she peaks her head in the doorway.

"Malfoy can you come here for a moment?" Draco inwardly groans, walking towards the place where Hermione's head disappeared.

"Granger, what is taking-." Draco steps into the kitchen halting at the mess that wasn't their before. "What happened?"

Hermione blows a stand of hair out of her face before speaking. "Well I was trying to scoop the ice cream, but it wasn't coming out in the perfect round scoops like they're supposed to and I kept smashing the cones because I was getting frustrated and this is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be and Merlin, if I can't do something as simple as scooping ice cream how am I ever going to be able to function normally?" Draco waited for her to take a much needed breath before interrupting.

"How about I make the ice cream and you can work up front, okay? Just stop freaking out. You're making be uncomfortable." He takes the cone she didn't realize she was crushing from her hand, her sticky fingers brushing his cold ones and sets it down on the counter. He makes her move out of the way and she watches as he makes the customer's order with ease, scooping the ice cream out of their containers and into the cones before leaving to give it to them.

"Sorry about that," she heard him say. "My coworker is new to this job and hasn't gotten the whole scooping thing down yet." Hermione huffed and went to wash the ice cream off of her hands. Draco reappears a minute later.

"Don't think that you won't be cleaning this mess up, Granger." He gestures to the crushed cones and melting ice cream covering the counter and dripping onto the floor. "I can cover up front for you until you're finished if you'd like."

"That'd be great actually. Thanks, Malfoy." Why was he being so nice? Hermione wanted to believe that he had changed, but her conscience was making her think otherwise. What if he was planning something? Like pretending to be nice to her until she begins to trust him and then somehow ruining her life forever. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the direction Draco had went. If he was up to something, she would find out.

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Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you for reading my story. I know that this first chapter was a little short, but I just wanted to get a few ideas out there first and hopefully get some feedback from it. Let me know what you think!

-J