New Impressions
Hermione considered herself caught up on wizarding news. She knew who was running for minister, who had recently gotten married, and newly published books. She knew which new laws on magical creatures were being passed and even voted in the muggle world when it was election time. She preferred to be informed on as much as she could.
However, she did NOT keep up on Pureblood Prince Draco Malfoy, that’s for sure. The last she had heard, he was serving his sentence in Azkaban alongside his father who would be spending far more time there. Hermione did NOT expect Malfoy to be involved in Quidditch, let alone a new(ish) team. She thought he would be living his privileged life with the thousands of galleons he had in his vaults. The more she thought about it, quidditch did make sense. Malfoy was a talented seeker at Hogwarts and had a knack for wanting to be popular. What better than an upcoming team that had completely rebranded? No doubt he had gotten one of his fabulously wealthy pureblood friends to fund the team so his image would be improved.
“-As I was saying,” Lance’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Miss. Granger will be our new personal trainer. She will oversee your warmups, healing, and any other injury-related activities on this team. Miss. Granger, would you like to say a few words?”
Hermione glanced at him before forcing a smile on her face. She had to remain professional, no matter what history she had with anyone here. She ignored Malfoy’s stare as she began speaking.
“Thank you, Lance. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I won’t go over my credentials, I don’t want to bore you.” A few team members chuckled which soothed her anxieties around public speaking.
“I’m very excited to work with all of you. I’m trained in both Muggle and Wizard techniques, so I will be using both this season. Although we may not agree on all treatments, my goal is to make sure that you are all healthy the entire season.”
Hermione noted the collective head nods and neutral expressions sent her way. Hopefully, they would be nicer in person.
“Thank you, Miss. Granger. If any of you need to reach her, please do so before or after practice on the pitch or in her office. Now, suit up and head to the pitch, practice starts in five.”
The spell of silence was broken and players moved to grab their brooms. Hermione watched out of the corner of her eye as Malfoy took one last glance at her before moving to get ready himself.
“That was great, Miss. Granger. I’ll see you on the pitch and we can do some proper player introductions,” Lance explained before heading towards the pitch entrance. Hermione grabbed her quick-quills and notebook before she put her bag in her office and followed, trying not to get in the way.
A burly man with dark black hair and thick eyebrows moved alongside her to the entrance.
“Ms. Granger, I’m Michael,” he stuck out his fist. Hermione bumped it with a smile.
“Pleasure. What position do you play?”
“Beater,” he held the door open for her as they ascended the stairs. “I also play Keeper when they need someone.” His voice was soft, his entire demeanor that of a Teddy Bear.
“Do you have any concerns I should know about?” She asked as they entered the field. It was cool out, the sky blue and the wind gently blowing. It was a beautiful day to play.
Michael shrugged as they walked to the sidelines. “I’ve got some tension in my shoulders.”
“Noted. I can start you with weekly massages after practice, to see if that relieves anything,” Hermione offered. Getting started early was best.
A whistle blew and Michael smiled. “That would be great,” he said before running towards midfield. Hermione quickly jotted down Michael’s conversation before joining Coach Lance on the side.
“Jackson!” he yelled. A wiry man with bright orange hair turned towards him. He reminded Hermione of Ron in their younger years, minus the freckles. She hoped he wasn’t injury prone due to his size.
“Start off with the regular warmups before going into position-focused warmups and play review!” Coach Lance yelled. Jackson nodded before turning towards the gathered team.
“That’s Jackson Wallace. Team captain and chaser.”
Hermione listened carefully as he pointed out the rest of the team members throughout practice.
Michael Daniels: Beater and Keeper
John Matthews: Chaser
Donald Richards: Chaser
Anthony Joseph: Keeper, Chaser
Milo Thatch: Seeker, Chaser
The list went on and on.
“And lastly, Draco Malfoy, chaser.”
Hermione watched as Malfoy flew. He was focused, his moves calculated. He seemed in his element up in the sky.
Before she knew it, practice was over and the players were back on the ground. They nodded to her as they passed, talking with each other as they headed back to the locker rooms. Hermione noticed that Malfoy hung back. Perhaps she should get the hard part out of the way. She walked across the field towards him.
A figure stepped in front of her path.
“Miss. Granger?”
It was Jackson, the head captain from earlier.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” Hermione shook his extended hand. Pink flushed across his face and he rubbed the back of his neck.
“I just wanted to introduce myself personally. I’m really glad you decided to work with us, your reputation is amazing,” he spoke rapidly. The color on his cheeks deepended.
“Why thank you, Jackson. I can’t wait to get to know the team,” she eyed Malfoy still standing off to the side. He seemed to be attending to his shoelaces.
Jackson smiled widely. “Well, I’ll see you later!” He rushed off the pitch. Now it was just them.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione closed the distance between her and Malfoy, stopping in front of him. Finishing his shoelace, he stood up tall, looming above her.
His voice was low and sent shivers down her spine. “Hello, Granger.”
Hermione swallowed before composing herself. She was an adult, a professional, and here for a job. She could do this.
“Hello, Malfoy,” she responded, crossing her arms and taking him in.
She was right when she thought he had filled out. He was nearly two heads above her, his shoulders much broader than she had remembered. As wide as he was, it tapered at his waist which was slim. It seems he had left behind his signature slicked back look from school as his hair was longer and fell over his forehead in a casual style. His eyes were still dark and they bore into her as he took her in. Hermione realized it had been over five years since they had last spoken.
“Never thought I’d see you again,” he admitted, smirking at her. It was the classic Draco Malfoy smirk with less venom.
“I could say the same.” Hermione spoke, her voice slightly wavering. She was half expecting someone to pop out of the bushes and tell her she was being pranked.
“And yet, here we are,” Malfoy’s smirk deepened. His eyes scanned her from head to toe and she felt suddenly under a microscope. She knew she didn’t look as she did at seventeen. She had filled out (in some areas more than others) and her hair had grown. Thank Merlin she had found the proper tools and products to maintain her curls which she styled naturally. She wasn’t as malnourished (for good reason) as she had been and she had a career and an education that made her more than qualified to be standing next to him.
Goddamnit, Hermione Granger had made a name for herself and she wasn’t going to be criticized by Draco Malfoy of all people.
“We will have to remain civil if we are to work with each other,” Hermione noted.
A single brow rose on his forehead. “I take it Lance does not know our tragic history at dear Hogwarts?”
“No, and I would like to keep it that way,” Hermione said determinedly. She was very excited to start this job and she would be damned before she let juvenile history get in the way of doing what she did best.
“I agree. In order to do that, I must apologize.”
This time both brows on Hermione’s forehead rose into her hairline. Say what?
“The way I treated you in the past was unacceptable. Not only were my views horrible, they were outdated and the things I said to you shall not be repeated. I know I made things very hard for you, and you have my deepest apologies.”
Draco Malfoy bowed his head, his eyes turned downwards. Hermione blinked once. Twice. He had apologized. For everything. He was sorry. Regretful.
“I accept your apology.”
In all truth, she had. Hermione had forgiven him long ago. They had their differences but they had both been children. Malfoy had followed what he knew. He was uneducated and unaware of how the world worked. He had also been forced to do things no child should have been forced to do. Hermione let go of many grudges after the war, including the one she had towards him.
Malfoy lifted his head and smiled. It looked genuine. “Thank you.”
“I think we should start over,” Hermione stuck out her hand. “Hello, my name is Hermione Granger, and I’m the new Falcon physical trainer this season.”
His smile widened and he shook her hand firmly. “Draco Malfoy. It truly is a pleasure to meet you.”
Hermione tried to ignore the sparks she felt when their hands touched. The glint in his eyes was most likely a sliver of her imagination. After all, she was here to do a job. Nothing would come out of this.