Work Text:
Too hot to handle
The worst heatwave England had seen in decades had descended upon the country, making it unbearably hot. The weather charms in the Ministry couldn't cope with the excessive heat, turning the whole building into a sweltering sauna. Hermione Granger felt like a roasted turkey where she was sat at her desk, fanning herself with a bit of parchment as best she could. It was rather hard to concentrate on her work. Like so many others, she had abandoned her robes for some minimalistic Muggle clothing better suited to the tropical climate. Hers consisted of a knee-long, loose skirt, a singlet and sandals, but she had noticed other witches and wizards in rather bizarre clothing combinations (a wizard in a speedo, a Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat was sitting across from her). Which, of course, wasn't so out of the ordinary for your standard witch or wizard who didn't follow Muggle fashion.
She was longing for the air conditioning in her parents house when something suddenly landed with a soft thud on her desk. Frowning, she noticed that it was an origami in the shape of an otter, bouncing along the wooden surface by itself. Exactly the same as the other ones she'd been receiving lately. With a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and expectation, she picked up the delicately folded animal and gingerly opened it. She wondered what it would say this time.
The other origami otters held sweet little messages, a few sentences that would brighten her day and put a smile on her face. She'd never really been a romantic - she was a more practical witch, but she couldn't help but slowly let this bit of attention worm its way into her chest. She couldn't be sure if she had a secret admirer or if it just someone messing with her, of course. Nevertheless, the messages had all seemed genuine (and the person writing them clearly knew her well enough to know her Patronus was an otter) and her heart skipped a beat as she read the two short sentences: 'You look hot today. See you tonight.'
A laugh forced its way out. Hot, indeed! She was practically melting away. Sweating like a pig.
Who could be sending her these notes? Was it someone sitting in the same room as her? Was the person watching her right now, as she read the message? Carefully, she let her eyes sweep across the room. She didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, though. No one who seemed to be watching her. Everyone was either busy at work, or looking like they were dying from the heat.
'See you tonight', the message had said. Biting her lower lip, Hermione wondered what exactly that could mean. Would she finally be acquainted with whoever was sending her these messages? Did she want to know? Admittedly, she was curious. They had often made her day when she'd been tired or feeling down for whatever reason. But was she up for meeting a potential secret admirer? What if it was someone horrid?
She was pulled out of her thoughts by a tall figure looming over her.
"Working hard or hardly working there, Granger?" Draco Malfoy planted himself on the edge of her desk, and she hastily put the unfolded origami away.
"You should learn to mind your own business, Malfoy."
He tutted back at her.
"How cold, Granger."
"Anything to cool down in this heat," she retorted.
"Touché." He smiled that small, barely there-smile she had seen on him a few times lately. It was strange to have Draco Malfoy's smile directed at herself. He was usually so aloof and unapproachable. For the past few months, however, they'd been thrown together more often at work, and talking with him on these occasions had taught her to view him in a more positive light than she'd been used to. He was actually rather decent and, Merlin forbid, even witty on occasion. She found she didn't mind him interrupting her solitary thoughts.
He looked surprisingly dashing in beige cargo shorts and a blue t-shirt where he was perched with one thigh on her desk and the other leg resting on the ground. The thought took her by surprise, and it was really rather lucky her cheeks were already flushed from the heat. She would have died of embarrassment if he'd caught her blushing.
"Well, I must be off," he announced as he got off her desk. "I only came by to drop off some papers for Roland." He dusted some invisible specks of dust off his t-shirt and headed for the door. Once there, however, he stopped and turned around.
"Oh, and Granger. You should wear that tonight. I'll be seeing you." He flashed her a devilishly handsome smile, teeth flashing, eyes seeming to sparkle, before he dashed off and was gone.
Hermione was left speechless. With cheeks burning like a thousand suns, she peeked inside the drawer where she'd collected all the origami messages. There were too many questions buzzing around inside her head. One thing seemed certain, however. Her secret admirer was Draco Malfoy. She blushed even harder as she imagined him, of all people, writing her these little notes.
The more she thought about it, the more it dawned on her that she'd be going on a date with Malfoy that very evening. Unless she turned him down, but she found that the idea pleased her more than she would have thought.
Picking up a piece of parchment, she resumed fanning herself vigorously. She was beginning to look forward to tonight.