Chapter 1
Hermione had read the blogs, prowled the relevant subreddits, followed the niche Instagrams, and despite the jokes and warnings, she couldn’t help it... She felt pride at the heavy weight of two cellphones in her hand, a confidence set in her shoulders at the knowledge that her badge was now black instead of the hideous orange that’d pegged her as a House of Representatives intern for everyone to see. She was finally a full-time staffer.
At the end of the day, she shrugged off the fact that she’d now become a joke to some. She was making $32,000 to work 80 hour weeks and be berated by old men and women who had nothing better to do than call every elected Democratic politician on Capitol Hill… if she wanted to feel important for being a Staff Assistant, she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her.
Despite her inner-pride, she adhered to all of the rigid, sacred advice that she’d received from Percy Weasley, her university-appointed mentor while interning. Percy was the Legislative Director for Congressman Cornelius Fudge from Arkansas, a member who couldn’t be picked out of a prison yard lineup by most Americans, but the twittersphere knew due to viral videos of his idiotic comments on climate change and vaccines in committee hearings. She was careful never to mention those in Percy’s presence.
She’d been a bit hesitant after finding out Percy was a Republican on a quick glance at his Linkedin, but she’d quickly realized how naive she was for her snap judgement. Finding a source who was both trustworthy and honest on the Hill was rare, and Percy proved to be both. The redhead shared her enthusiasm for public service, and had made sure she was fully set up to succeed as an intern.
Much to her surprise and Percy’s on-the-nose prediction, she’d realized a week into her summer internship that no one else was anywhere near as committed to being hired post-grad as she was.
Her internship was for her hometown Congressman, James Potter, and of the five DC interns the office had that summer, she was the only one who was enthusiastic about the work they were doing. She remembered complaining to Percy in a hushed voice during one of their bi-weekly Longworth Dunkin Donuts meetup, eyes constantly darting around to ensure her staff or interns weren’t there listening in. With only three coffee shops in the entirety of the House complex, it was exceedingly difficult to find privacy for a meeting.
Percy had smirked at her, before blatantly telling her ‘I told you so’ in a way that made it clear he had 587 siblings.
The knowledge that no one else was clear competition for a job post-grad had her working harder than ever, and by the time she’d finished up her internship that August, Rep. Potter’s Chief of Staff, Remus Lupin, called her in for a meeting via email with no details.
‘Come to my office at 3:30pm for a short meeting.’
What was she supposed to make of that? Her stomach had dropped when she’d received the curt email, looking around to ensure no one else was curious regarding the sharp gasp she’d inhaled. By that point, three months into her time in the office, she was less nervous about the shortness of the email and more about what would come of it. Time was money, and that meant most personal communications she received from her colleagues were to the point and without punctuation.
Remus, a man whose intelligence and kindness allowed for him to become one of the most respected chiefs of staff on the Hill, had given Hermione a smile as soon as she’d walked into his office. A perk of Rep. Potter having served in Congress for 9 terms was a spacious office. She’d been in other offices while collecting signatures and truly could not imagine working in a space without a kitchen or a chief of staff having a private office. But, unfortunately, that was the reality of working in the House.
She shut the door to Remus’ office, quickly noting that the door that led into Rep. Potter’s office was open, which was odd to her. She knew their boss was in the office, and his door was always shut when he was there to give him a semblance of privacy that the small office could never fully grant.
“Sorry to be so secretive, Hermione. Just didn’t want to perk any ears,” Remus smiled, guiding her through the open door into Rep. Potter’s office. She’d been in the spacious office before, a bit awed by the large black leather chair that sat behind the man’s dark wood desk that was always covered in papers.
“Hermione! How are you?” Rep. Potter asked, his round glasses perched on the edge of his nose. The man was thirsted after by progressive Twitter for a clear reason; he was handsome, and he was a fierce advocate for the least, the lonely, and the left behind. Hermione felt blessed to have even been interviewed for his office, knowing the work that he continued to do in Congress on behalf of the State of Washington and the entire country.
“I’m well, sir. How is your day going?” Hermione asked politely, moving to sit on the couch that was to the left of his desk while Remus took the leather chair directly in front of it. The selection offered by the Architect of the Capitol’s furniture store was wanting, but James had transformed his office into something uniquely his over the four terms he’d had this office for. The walls were painted Action Green and College Navy, the Seattle Seahawks’ colors, something that Hermione had now become accustomed to smiling enthusiastically about every time a new group of tourists or others from the district came into the office. She had no idea how her boss and his longtime staffers kept up excitement for things they’d discussed countless times
“I’m just great, Hermione. I’ll be even better if you say yes. Did she say yes, Rem?”
Hermione’s heart skipped a beat; were they… surely, it was too early. She stopped her train of thought before it could hit full speed.
“I haven’t yet, no,” the mild-mannered man replied. “Hermione, we’ve been truly thrilled with your work here for us this summer. We’ve seen a lot of interns come through the office, but only a few that truly stick out as Team Potter material. From your work with Lee clearing out the letter backlog to the reviews you’ve gotten from constituents after tours, we truly couldn’t think of someone better to hire. If you’re willing, of course.”
“I’m…” Hermione swallowed, shaking her head before smiling. “Thank you so much, Congressman… Remus. I would love to join the team, but I’ll need to finish up my schooling. Are you certain there will still be an open position come January?”
The problem, Hermione found out, with securing a job on the Hill was timing. There were only so many staffers in each Member’s DC office, with employees being split between their Congressional office at the Capitol and back home in district offices. In order for her to be hired, someone would have to leave.
That was something Percy warned her against; becoming more inured to her office than working on the Hill itself. The chance of there being a job in Rep. Potter’s office open when she graduated in December was small; she’d need to be able to secure a good recommendation from her office, of course, but she’d likely have to find work elsewhere in the new year.
“Divya is heading to law school in the spring semester; she took it upon herself to let us know early so that we could offer you the position before you leave,” Remus smiled.
“Oh, I’m so honored!” Hermione smiled brightly. “Yes, absolutely… I can be here as soon as I graduate. Thank you so much! I promise you won’t regret this.”
“No, I don’t think we will. You might once you’re on the team full time,” Rep. Potter laughed. “You’ll just need to keep an eye on my Harry for one more semester, hm?”
Hermione let out a laugh. “Of course, sir. He does well when he’s engaged in the course material… grad school will be good for him.”
“I sure hope so, with how much it’s going to cost!” Rep. Potter replied. “All jokes aside, it’ll be nice to have him out here in DC, considering it’s where I spend most of my time these days.”
A knock on the door sounded, and Penelope Clearwater, his DC scheduler, popped her head in.
“James, Mayor Kielwina is on the line. I will patch her through.”
“Oof, forgot about that,” the man muttered as though having Seattle’s mayor on the line was an everyday occurrence. Which, for him, it likely was.
Remus looked over in time to see Penelope rolling her eyes. She’d been with the man long enough to know he forgot all of his meetings unless she reminded him.
Hermione followed Remus’ lead and stood up.
“Pleasure, Hermione! We’ll celebrate you all tomorrow with some pizza, okay? I wish I had more time to spend with you all…”
“Of course, sir,” Hermione smiled. “Thank you again.”
Remus shut the door to the man’s office, and Hermione let out a breath. It was always a bit unnerving to be around her office’s principal. Percy promised that it’d get easier when she was fulltime and not only interacting with him as he walked into the office, popped his head in and promised that he’d spend time getting to know the interns soon. Sure enough, three months later, they had only spent time with the man when taking photos in front of the Capitol last week.
For Hermione, though, that was enough for now. She’d posted her photo on Instagram and Facebook immediately, wanting to let everyone know how her summer had gone. She was proud, okay?
There were those who assumed her friendship with Harry had been the impetus for her receiving her internship, but she knew that wasn’t true. The boy barely talked to his father, spending most of his time drinking at his frat house. Hermione had no idea how their friendship had formed outside of a bit of pity on her end and a lot of desperation to pass constitutional law on his.
“This is unfortunately a bit informal until it’s formal, Hermione. Just know you have a job once you leave school and the details will be squared away closer to January. Thankfully, it’s not an election year so it’ll be a bit easier to get you settled in,” Remus smiled.
“Of course, sir. Thank you again… I can’t begin to explain how much this means to me.”
“I’ve been where you are, Hermione. I know how you feel, and I’m here to help get you settled.
“Thank you,” Hermione smiled.
xxxx
“Shit!” Tonks, James’ brilliant, yet mostly unorganized Communications Director called out.
“What now?” Penelope called from her desk.
Hermione tried not to look over at them, even though they clearly knew everyone could hear their conversation. Their bullpen was far more spacious than that of other offices, but it still placed the two interns lucky enough to be working on computers at one table with barely any room to breathe.
The full time staffers had connected cubicles, four on the left side of the office and three on the right. Divya, the Staff Assistant, sat at the front desk in the main office, while Remus had his own office that had a door connecting it to Rep. Potters. Everyone knew everything that was going on in the back office, and that left Hermione both perturbed and feeling like she knew exactly what she’d be getting into once she was on staff.
“I need an intern to go take photos at the Capitol steps for the health care presser,” Tonks groaned. “I have to head to Longworth for my weekly E&C comms meeting. ‘Mione, can you go? Pretty please?”
Hermione turned to look at the woman whose head was peeking out of her cubicle, a desperate smile on her pretty face.
“Oh, of course, as long as it’s okay with Divya,” Hermione replied. She was bursting to get up and walk around, having eaten an obscenely large slice of pizza.
We, the Pizza was a Capitol Hill favorite, but a slice of their pizza was large enough to make her sick. She enjoyed the fact that they’d had an office lunch, and they were able to truly see Rep. Potter in his element. He was an entertainer at heart, and he flourished under the light questioning of his outgoing interns. Hermione noticed the way the full time staff zoned out, clearly having heard him answer the very generic questions asked by Hermione’s fellow interns.
“Sure!” Divya called from up front. See? Everyone could hear everything, they only pretended not to.
“Here’s the camera, you know what to do,” Tonks said, thrusting the Canon T7i into Hermione’s hands. She did know what to do; Tonks had shown her the ropes of taking photos, and she quite enjoyed the diversion from her normal day-to-day tasks. She didn’t want to be a press staffer, no way in hell, but press events gave her a chance to see large swaths of Members and hear them speak. It was like the nerd equivalent of attending a red carpet event; anyone who was anyone in the Democratic House majority attended pressers that took place on the Hill steps.
“Now?” Hermione asked, eyes wide.
“Starts in 10,” Tonks replied with a sheepish look. “It’s pouring, I suggest going through the tunnels and out through the carriage steps.”
“Of course,” Hermione agreed, refusing to look cowed. She grabbed her blazer and one of the many umbrellas that floated around the office for common use. Knowing she’d regret it if she didn’t, she slipped out of her in-office flats and put on the pair of black heels that she wore whenever she stepped out of the office, even if it was just the bathroom.
After she saw Secretary of Education Sprout being escorted by a Secret Service agent through the hallways of Rayburn on a quick trip to the bathroom, she never made that mistake again. You never knew who you’d see, and even if it meant blisters… her heels were going on. Better to look the part and feel the pain than look like a total frump. It was a bit antithetical to her normal belief that intelligence was everything, but she was doing her best to adapt to Hill culture.
Navigating the Capitol complex seemed like an impossible feat at first, but after spending her first weekend with her intern badge walking through the complex and looking like she belonged there, she had the hang of things. Flag office? No problem. HC-5? No problem.
Hermione quickly became her office’s go-to intern when tasks like letters and legislation briefings needed to be completed in the office and when something needed to be brought elsewhere in the actual Capitol complex.
The House offices were easy to navigate. Rayburn, the one they worked in, was the toughest of the bunch with hallways that looked exactly the same no matter how long you’d been a staffer. Cannon and Longworth were much easier, and it took a simple fool to navigate those.
But the actual Capitol? There was a reason that there were no publicly available maps of it; safety and security in the face of threats. But on the last day of her internship, Hermione stood confident that she’d be able to either successfully hide or escape if there was, God forbid, an emergency while she was in the Capitol. It was with great pride that she could navigate the building, from Senate to House and Old Supreme Court Chambers to the Chaplain’s office. So yeah, it made sense that Tonks was asking her to bolt from Rayburn to the subway to the Capitol to the carriage doors that’d take her outside to take photos of their boss.
One of the trains, thank heavens, was pulling up as Hermione had made it past the shoeshine station, waving to Rafael who was cleaning the heels of Rep. Bones from Florida.
She’d made it her duty to befriend anyone and everyone who worked in the Capitol complex; that wasn’t a piece of advice from Percy, but it was an instinct that’d done her well.
Whether it was Darnell the Capitol Police officer keeping the Independence Ave door open for her as she ran down the hallway right before it was scheduled to shut at 7pm or Lucinda at the hot sandwich and fried food station in Longworth caf giving her extra onion rings… she had worked hard to build meaningful relationships. It wasn’t something that came easy to her, but she was proud of the ties she’d built.
Hermione drummed her legs impatiently as she sat down on the open-topped train’s leather seats, hoping that the operator, who she didn’t know and couldn’t even think about chatting with at this juncture, would leave soon. She didn’t see any Members of Congress walking down either escalator bank towards the train, she figured they would. And thankfully, they started moving.
She was careful not to bang the camera against the train as she hopped out with a large smile and a thank you, receiving a lazy wave in return.
For someone relatively unfit, she’d gotten to a point where she could speed walk up and down the Capitol and Metro escalators without breaking a sweat, something that she always appreciated when friendly people made conversation with her at elevator banks. Nothing worse than having to give a lost tourist very explicit instructions while barely able to breathe.
No one was at the elevator, though, and she moved to hop in. The door was almost shut when a large hand slid into the middle of the closing shafts, a daring move that only senior staff and Members attempted.
“Don’t you see the sign? Members only,” a sharp voice called out.
Hermione’s heart sank, looking down submissively as four men with Member pins fastened to their suit jackets stared at her pointedly.
“No respect at all for the position anymore,” a second southern voice called out.
Hermione moved out of the elevator immediately, trying to stem her burgeoning tears at the chastisement. She’d always hated being yelled at or corrected and worked as hard as she could to ensure it didn’t happen. But today? To be yelled at publicly by Members of Congress? Nothing could’ve felt worse.
Not to mention the fact that the sign clearly stated “Members of Congress only when votes are called.” There were no votes until 4:30pm, which wasn’t for hours. Hermione knew that, otherwise she wouldn’t have hopped onto the elevator. For someone who always followed the rules, she tried to let her desire to respect her elders overrule her desire to ask them if they had read the sign.
“Not even an apology,” the first voice murmured as the men stepped into the elevator.
“Come in, miss,” a new voice called. “Clearly my colleagues can’t read, I apologize on their behalf.”
Hermione looked up through slightly watery eyes to see Congressman Draco Malfoy waving her into the elevator while his three colleagues looked on with confused expressions, as if it was their right to yell at a 20-year-old girl who was likely the same age of their own children.
She tried to hide her excitement at meeting Rep. Malfoy, even under these circumstances. The man was a bit of a legend, regardless of his political party. Republican or not, Draco Malfoy was certainly the most attractive man in the entire government, whatever President Shacklebolt’s fans had to say about it.
He was talked about as the future of the Republican Party; he crossed the aisle to work with Democrats and was candidly honest on his social media platforms that he often posted on himself, in a move that was far different from the typical conservative. He was a man that you hated, adored and envied in the same breath if you were his colleague in Congress. And he was standing up for her, not that it shocked Hermione after all she’d heard from gushing GOP interns at happy hours over the past few months.
Rep. Malfoy was known for his kindness as much as his congressional prowess, a stark contrast to the typical political figure that his father, Senator Lucius Malfoy also from North Carolina, cut. They were a political dynasty, and she as well as anyone knew that a bit of awe and fear were inspired by the Malfoy men.
“I’m okay, sir, you go ahead.”
“No ma’am, please. I insist,” the man repeated. Hermione felt herself moving in automatically at the authority in his tone. She’d have to unpack that later. “There are no votes for hours, the sign wasn’t to be followed. What floor do you need?”
“One, please,” Hermione said quietly, standing in the corner of the elevator and trying to take up as little space as possible.
The sound of the man pushing buttons filled the uncomfortably awkward space.
“I’m sorry again, miss. Hopefully you don’t encounter us again,” the blond smiled.
“It’s my last day,” Hermione smiled weakly as she fixed the camera around her neck, readying herself to open the umbrella and bolt out of the Capitol.
Congressman Malfoy groaned, “Look at that, y’all ruined her last day.”
“Read the sign next time,” the original angry man said, shrugging. Hermione looked up enough to see that it was Congressman Marcus Flint, the sole representative for the State of Montana. Figured. She was disturbed that a man who clearly couldn’t read or comprehend words was voted into Congress to represent an entire state. Well, that was democracy in action.
Hermione darted off after that, shaking her head to try and get her head straight. She had photos to take, and hopefully would never experience the embarrassment of being chastised by random Members of Congress again.
xxxx
“I’m sorry,” Zacharias told her, shrugging his shoulders as though he was anything but. “They said that only the member signs… I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“You’ve called back?” Hermione asked, sounding far more patient than she felt.
“Twice. They said he’s in meetings, he’ll be free around four,” the intern replied.
Hermione didn’t know if she’d ever get over the weirdness of lording over interns who were the same age as her, but she felt less bad when they were screwing everything up.
Divya had warned her in the extensive exit memo she’d worked up that spring and fall interns would always be worse than summer ones due to the smaller applicant pool.
Zacharias Smith was Rep. Potter’s only full time DC intern this spring, and he was awful.
Hermione spent as much of her time watching over him as she did learning her own job, and the fact that he couldn’t even get a bleeding signature on their boss’ new bill was enough to have her ripping her hair out. Had it really only been a month since she’d begun? How many gray hairs had she grown?
“Hermione? Have you taken the signed bill over to the Floor yet?” asked Frank, Rep. Potter’s Legislative Director.
The man, like Remus, had been with the Congressman since his fledgling political ambitions had been rooted as a member of the Seattle City Council many moons ago. Frank had no ulterior motives; his wife, Alice, was a lobbyist for the cruise industry and made more than enough money for him to be able to do what he loved. Which, clearly, was working in a congressional office on health and environmental legislation.
“No,” Hermione smiled, steeling herself as she pushed back from her desk. “I’m going to get Rep. Malfoy’s signature now and then will walk it over.”
The man returned to his desk at that, clearly having received the answer he wanted.
“But…” Zacharias said dumbly as Hermione none too gently took the paper from his hands.
Hermione stepped into her heels, still far shorter than the stocky, athletic intern as she whipped out of the office.
Thankfully, Rep. Malfoy was on the third floor of Rayburn while they were on the first, making it easy to catch an elevator to the man’s office.
One of the first lessons that Percy had taught her was that it didn’t matter who you annoyed as long as it wasn’t your own principal or senior staff.
She’d taken that lesson to heart after receiving a call from a man who’d claimed to be a friend of the Potters the first week of her internship and immediately patched it through to Remus.
Remus, kind as he was, told her to take a message before calling her back to his office. He said that she would receive many calls from people claiming to be friends of the Potters. But anyone who was truly their friend would know how to contact them in a way that wasn’t their congressional office. It made sense, of course.
So from then on, Hermione didn’t feel bad taking the name, organization and reason for the call from every single person who called in, outside of those who were calling from inside the building. A nifty feature, that was; all calls that were coming from other House offices would have the Member’s name pop up in caller ID, making it easier for her to patch calls through to her colleagues.
So now? She didn’t care if she pissed off Draco Malfoy’s staff, not when her boss was supposed to speak on the House Floor following votes for his newly introduced legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
His bipartisan legislation, too; a bill that was being led with Draco Malfoy, which was a feat in itself. Bipartisan health legislation? It was almost unheard of and sure to make a splash in the media.
She knew that Tonks would have a fit if the bill wasn’t actually introduced by the time the two members spoke on the floor later that night and held a small press conference with interested members of the national press tomorrow morning. So, she was justified in barging into 2373 Rayburn, politely of course, and telling the woman at the front desk that she needed to have the Congressman sign the piece of paper in her hands immediately.
“Hi there,” Hermione smiled, resisting the urge to run a hand down her royal blue Calvin Klein dress that looked like every other three-fingers thick sleeve Calvin Klein dress she had in her closet. They were all from TJ Maxx and Marshall’s for the low price of 19.99, and looked perfect with the many blazers she’d picked up at the same stores for cheap. Sure, she wished she could indulge in different fashions and elevate her business professional look, but for now, Calvin Klein dresses would have to cut it.
“How may I help you?” the crisp looking woman at the front desk asked in a sugary sweet southern accent. Hermione put her at a year or two older than her, not that her gel-coated curls helped her youthful look at all.
“I am from Congressman Potter’s office and need a signature for a bill our bosses are introducing tonight,” Hermione said kindly, knowing the woman had already heard the speech, likely less primly, from Zacharias.
“Oh,” the woman nodded, a smug smile of a scheduler on her face. Why did Rep. Malfoy have his scheduler at the front desk instead of his staff assistant? “Your colleague was already in here. Unfortunately, the Congressman cannot sign right now.”
“You don’t have a designated staff member to sign in his stead?”
Hermione had been shocked, and slightly dismayed, to find out that Members of Congress barely ever wrote or signed their own documents. Whenever a bill or sign-on letter came into the office, Frank would sign in what was an uncanny replica of their boss’ signature. Asking somewhat nervously during one of their coffees, Percy had laughed and informed her that every office had someone sign for the boss. He was in charge of his boss, Rep. Cornelius Fudge’s signature, something he was proud of.
“No, only the Congressman signs. He’ll be available tomorrow, but he’s unfortunately stuck in meetings for the rest of the day,” the girl replied, sounding anything but sorry. Hermione had only been working full time for a month and already realized how paperthin apologies were here.
“I absolutely understand that he’s busy, but the congressmen are introducing the bill tonight, speaking on the House Floor and holding a press conference in the morning. Our LD, Frank Longbottom spoke with your health LA about it? Theodore Nott? If he’s available, I can speak with him,” Hermione said, hoping she didn’t sound as frayed as her patience felt.
“Theo is unavailable as well,” the girl replied, as though Hermione couldn’t hear the rumbling noise of a busy back office. Rep. Malfoy was only serving his fourth term in Congress; Hermione knew how small the office would be without even seeing it.
“Well, I can wait here for Congressman Malfoy’s signature then.” Hermione replied breezily, moving to sit down in a chair.
“Ma’am, you can’t stay here. The congressman won’t be available to sign, and we need to keep the front office open for guests.”
“What is it, Marietta?” the Congressman asked, walking out from the back bullpen with a stack of papers in his arms.
“Oh,” the woman blushed, looking flustered at her boss walking out. Hermione knew from experience that James would hide in the back office until guests left; it was easier than entertaining them in conversation. “She… is from another office and needs you to sign something, I told her you have meetings and she’ll come back tomorrow when it’s convenient, sir.”
The congressman, in all his handsome, blond glory, turned to look at Hermione. He sized her up, cocking his head for only a moment as though he was trying to place her before speaking. Hermione couldn’t help but wonder if he gave up or remembers the awful gaffe that closed her otherwise brilliant Hill internship up.
“No worries, can’t keep a lady waiting,” the man smirked. “Come with me, we’ll sign in my office.”
Hermione followed after him, fighting the urge to turn and give the bitchy scheduler a smug smirk. She couldn’t, though, not when the southern man held the door to what was clearly his office open for her and then surprisingly shut it.
The move made her uncomfortable; this was the beginning of what her Office of Congressional Workplace Rights and Responsibilities training warned was likely a scene that would end up with an ethics investigation for the Member of Congress. But honestly, that train of thought was a bridge too far.
She was just… Hermione. And this was Draco Malfoy, a man who was known to be unmarried, but far too high above the station of coming onto a lowly staff assistant when his entire staff was right outside. She was a Democrat, too. It’d never happen, no matter how fun it was to fantasize about.
“Oh! Is that the new Jonathan Haidt book?” Hermione asked despite herself, blushing as it became clear she was looking at everything laid out in neat piles on his desk. Far, far neater than Rep. Potter’s desk, she noted.
“It is,” the man replied easily, sitting down at his desk and grabbing the blue felt tip pen they all seemed to favor. “Have you read it yet?”
“It’s not out to the lowly masses yet,” Hermione laughed. “The Righteous Mind was brilliant… I was so excited when I saw he was writing something new.”
“It’s your lucky day, miss. I just finished, all yours,” the man replied, pushing the book over a stack of papers towards her.
“Oh, I couldn’t, sir,” she replied, shaking her head.
“You know you want it,” he smirked. Hermione hid a shudder. They were in a room together, and his words could so easily be construed another way. Danger. Zone.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate your kindness,” Hermione replied easily, not arguing further. She’d simply ‘forget’ the book when she left. She placed the sheet of paper she needed signed on the desk, grateful for the high-cut of her dress that didn’t allow for anything untoward to be shown.
The last thing she needed was anything coming out of this meeting that wasn’t professionalism, not when her boss entrusted her with getting this bill to the finish line.
“Ah, with Rep. Potter?” he asked as he read over the sheet. There was little if any text; just the bill name and two lines for signature, one that’d already been completed by Frank for their boss.
“Yessir.”
“A Democrat,” the man said as he signed, as though he were rolling over the thought in his head. “Not sure I pegged you for one.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir,” Hermione replied despite herself. The man seemed like he wanted to bait her, and she’ll be damned if she wasn’t trapped, hook, line, and sinker.
“I remember you,” the blond said, low voice caressing the syllables. It didn’t escape Hermione’s notice that he kept the paper close to him, ensuring that the conversation wasn’t over. “In the elevator last summer.”
Hermione blushed, looking down. There was no reply there.
“Flint’s a real… piece of work. Nothing to call him that’s polite in front of a lady such as yourself, but just know I let him have it.”
“Thank you sir,” Hermione replied, looking up and smiling at the man softly. Who was he and why was this happening? She’d never been in a room alone with her boss, so why was she here, alone with Draco Malfoy?
“Never let me see you cryin’ over him again, you hear? Or any other of my colleagues… you come find me if someone gives you a hard time.”
“Thank you,” Hermione repeated, unsure of what the right answer was. How was she supposed to continue the conversation when he was only giving her these earnest, part-sexy, part-fatherly replies?
“I see you’ve made your way to a black badge. Congratulations on becoming full-time.”
“Thank you, I came back recently after graduating,” Hermione smiled, sharing more information than she’d meant to. When the man was so kind and genuine, it was hard not to continue the conversation. This was how he had flipped a seat in the heavily blue City of Charlotte, though, wasn’t it?
“Cheers to that,” he smiled. “James treating you well?”
“He is,” she confirmed. “Congressman Potter is my hometown member, and I’m grateful to learn from him and his team.”
“And look at this, you even get a little bipartisan interaction on one of your first days… glad to be a part of your comprehensive workplace experience.”
Hermione let out a giggle. “Thank you for signing…”
“Will you be at tomorrow’s press conference? On the triangle, right?”
“Yessir, it’s on the House Triangle, providing the weather holds up. I’ll be there taking photos.”
“Ah, into press, are we?”
“No,” Hermione said with a vehement headshake. “Just helping out.”
“You’re a good girl,” the man replied, voice hanging heavy between the pair. Hermione looked up under her eyelashes, noticing the moment he’d realized he crossed the line. “Here’s the sheet, you know how to get this to the Floor?”
“Yessir,” Hermione replied, reaching across the desk to grab it from him, more conscious than ever of what she was wearing. Was the congressman looking at her in the way she thought he was?
“Pretty cross,” he replied, looking up from where her silver cross hung innocently against her chest. “What’s your name?”
“Hermione… Hermione Granger.”
“Hermione,” Draco repeated, like he was weighing her name in his mouth.
She nodded, turning around and willing herself not to trip and not to shake her hips in any way that could have him thinking she was willing herself on him. The only thought in her head as she walked purposefully towards the House Floor was that he was definitely looking at her in the way she thought he was. Unfortunately, this wasn’t something Percy could help with; she’d have to sit with this tiny predicament all by herself.
By the time she’d returned to her office, curls puffing around her head in a way her expensive shampoo and conditioner promised they wouldn’t, a book and small note sat on her desk.
“Some intern dropped that off for you,” Zacharias noted as she walked in, having the decency to blush slightly when he saw she no longer had the sign-on sheet in her hands.
Hermione took a sip of water through her metal straw before looking down at the note.
We’ll discuss once you’ve finished. Enjoy, Hermione.
-DM