“Hermione...Granger?”
“Yes, sir?”
“You’re here for the job interview, correct?” Well, what else was I here for?
“Indeed Mr. Riddle.”
The stern eyes closely examined the meek woman sitting in front of him before taking a look at her resume. Hermione smiled gingerly. His eyes returned to the packet and began reading her resume. Now, turning a page, he began thoroughly skimming through the plethora of paragraphs that listed qualifications and skills, as well as letters of recommendations from former employers on her job application. She shifted slightly in the black leather chair in which she sat in. Her movement generated a small squeak.
After moving to London, she promised her roommate Ashley she’d get a job within a week. Ashley reassured her not to rush herself after moving in, telling Hermione to settle down first. But, she grasped any job opportunity she could find but was either turned down during an interview or rejected a week later due to her over-qualifications and lack of experience. Nonetheless, Hermione persisted in her search for a job and barely got her hands on this job interview to become a bank teller.
Hermione couldn’t help but stare at the handsome man seated in the wide desk in front of her. His well-groomed appearance caught her attention; short, bistre hair parted on the right side and with his head lowered slightly as he studied her resume, the sharpness of his jawline was more defined. Her eyes drifted to his business suit and how it accentuated his broad shoulders.
“Ms. Granger?” The firmness in his voice pulled her out of her daze.
“Yes, Mr. Riddle?” She panicked. Did he notice?
“Is something wrong?” He asked, looking up. His onyx eyes pierced through her. She gulped.
Hermione shook her head, immediately a nervous smile formed by instinct. “No, nothing’s wrong, why?”
“You’ve been gawking at me for the past few minutes,” He cleared his throat. “It’s impolite. You’re currently in a professional setting, please keep that in mind.” His thick eyebrows knitted together in disapproval. Hermione bit her bottom lip in an attempt to prevent herself from shooting a catty remark back but that would only sabotage the interview instantly.
“I apologize, Mr. Riddle,” she forced out from her lips. Oh god, that should be the least of your problems. She stayed silent and reminded herself that she was at the end of her tether with job hunting. It wouldn’t be worth it.
For a second, he raised an eyebrow, then resumed evaluating her application. The silence grew heavier between them after the brief exchange. Hermione looked down at her hands and began to fidget at the sleeves of her business jacket to kill a few minutes, anxiously waiting for the awaited response. She listened to the sounds around her, the ticking of the clock, the noise of traffic humming through the closed window, and the hushed activity of employees outside of the office. Feeling a strand of hair that fell from her neat bun and landed on her cheek. Hermione quickly tucked it back behind her ear.
Tom looked up from her application. His neutral facial expression increased her heart beat, almost hammering in her ribcage. She felt her pulse up to her ears. Hermione couldn’t decipher if he’d consider her to be a potential employee or automatically reject her, right after ‘gawking’ at him.
“Well..Ms. Granger, I’m quite impressed with your qualifications. However, you do not have any experience in finance unfortunately. Which I’m conflicted over,” he hummed, his eyes lowered again, his index finger slowly traced the shape of the staple on her job application. Hermione cautiously watched his slender finger, her eyes following his movement. She crossed her legs at the sight.
His eyes darted up, his keen gaze meeting Hermione’s.
“You have the skills that are needed for this job…just not the experience.” Okay, you’ve mentioned that twice already? I’d rather get it straight now rather than waiting for it a week later.
“But I may be willing to hire you based on your past employers’ recommendation letters.” Hermione held her breath at his prospect but at the same time suspected it was some sort of strategic way to let down interviewees easily.
“I’ll let you know within a week or approximately five to eight business days,” Hermione almost collapsed in the leather seat she sat in for what almost felt like an eternity. Tom leaned over to the side of his desk to retrieve a business card. “If I do not respond within that time period, please send me an email or leave me a message.” Tom gave the business card to Hermione. She bitterly clutched the card with her fingertips, her nails left an imprint on the bottom right corner.
She read the information on the tiny card.
London Financial Banking
BANK MANAGER
TOM M. RIDDLE
020 3478 2343
88 New Street
London
E83 1KL
“I’ll keep you in mind Ms. Granger.”