Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The rest of the weekend at the Merlin Resort progressed somewhat more pleasantly. After he found Hermione by the fountain, they had returned to the bungalow to decide what they wanted to do. Hermione had decided not to be pushy and pointed out a few of the activities she thought he might enjoy. She was disappointed that he did not choose something romantic like the sunset sail, but she hoped that they could at least share a romantic dinner, something that had not happened the previous evening. Fishing had most definitely not made her list of things to do, but she was willing to go along to spend time with Ron, though honestly it would not have made much difference if she had stayed behind. If she got too close to him, she was told she was crowding him. If she tried to engage him in conversation, she was told she was scaring the fish away. While he might have found the activity enjoyable, she most certainly did not.

After a light lunch, Ron decided he wanted to try sailboarding. At least for this activity she could relax on the beach and read her book. She would glance up at him from time to time, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. Perhaps this would put him in a better mood for dinner.

When he tired of sailboarding they returned to the bungalow where he announced he was exhausted and needed a nap before dinner. Hermione managed not to heave a sigh or roll her eyes at him, but rather than stay cooped up in the bungalow, she decided to go for a walk around the resort. As she walked through the gardens, she found herself wishing that Ron was with her, that they could talk about anything and nothing at all like she had with Lucius. It felt as though while Ron was physically at the resort with her, he was not mentally with her. They were essentially different, with very disparate ideas and preferences. As she pondered her loneliness, she realized it had been that way for a long time. She had just never noticed because they would both get engrossed in their work. Spending the previous week with Lucius, she had realized there was an intimacy missing from her marriage. She thought that maybe over dinner tonight would be the perfect time to try to regain that intimacy.

For dinner that evening he let her choose the restaurant as long as they served a great steak. She knew just the place to take him and even suggested a wine for him to try with his meal.

"Is that something you learned here?" he asked curiously.

Hermione couldn't contain her excitement. "I did. I was able to have a wine tasting lesson with the sommelier. It was very informative."

"Of course it was," Ron said quietly.

Hermione heard his comment and tried to smile as pleasantly as possible. He just couldn't understand how she could find something educational entertaining. She had hoped that wine might provide the spark to start a good conversation, but apparently she was mistaken.

After an uncomfortable silence, Ron asked, "So what kind of stuff did you do while here on your own?"

Hermione launched into an excited, and edited, recount of what she had been doing at the resort. She had hoped it would spur a conversation with him, but he gave little more than single word responses. But perhaps he would use this conversation to make his decision as to what activity they would do tomorrow morning before returning to London.

Throughout the rest of dinner, they managed to piece together a stilted conversation. The only saving grace of the evening was that Ron did not bring up her desire to change her career or the question of when they would start a family. Nevertheless, Hermione could not help comparing the evening to the ones she had shared with Lucius. She had just never realized how far apart she and Ron had grown, and he seemed to be resisting efforts to come closer together.

Before returning to the bungalow, they shared a moonlit walk on the beach, neither one of them saying much, just soaking in the beauty of the night and the gentle crash of the waves on the beach. Hermione thought it was quite a romantic end to the evening as they retired to the privacy of their bungalow.

The morning before they returned to London, the tension between the two of them was a little less than it had been previously, though she thought that some of that could be attributed to her decision to quit her Ministry job. She wasn't entirely looking forward to returning to her job because she would have to decide when her last day of work there was going to be. And she was going to be faced with Harry having the same sort of reaction that Ron had. And probably the rest of the Weasley family.

Her mind was made up, though, and the only thing that would change it was if someone could provide her with proof that Lucius was rising up to be the next all-powerful Dark wizard – something she had gotten no indication of over the last week. She found her mind drifting to memories of pleasant conversations and long walks on the beach, and she forced herself to focus on the present.

As Hermione and Ron left the resort, she was definitely feeling a little down. After all, she had just spent an amazing week there rediscovering the ability to relax, and now she was returning back to the drudgery of real life. She could definitely see why this was a favorite place for Lucius to vacation. She would have to find a way to return for another visit.

Even though it did not feel as late as it was when they returned home, Hermione knew that it would hit her tomorrow if she did not try to get a good night's rest. Ron did not seem to care when she said she wanted to go to bed early and did not join her – which somewhat surprised her.

Having gotten used to Bahamas time, she needed a few mind-clearing exercises before she could fall asleep.

The next morning, she was greeted with the anticipated pile of paperwork. She spent most of the morning prioritizing the pieces of parchment based on who sent them and what they were for. Knowing that she had her interview at two, she decided to work through lunch so that it would not seem like she was slacking, though she did find her mind drifting to how much longer she would have to be working here. She knew that would be one of the questions asked at the interview, and while the job was all but assured, she did not feel comfortable submitting her resignation until it was official. If something happened and for some reason she did not get the job, she knew that Ron would not be supportive of her looking for another position outside of the Ministry.

Finally the time came for her to leave for the interview, and she slipped out of her office, hoping that her absence would not be noticed. The one nice thing about being a witch was that you could travel places almost instantaneously through Apparition or Floo. That meant that she would not have to set aside half an hour for travel to her destination.

She arrived at the Malfoy Industries hiring manager's office about five minutes early, which gave her time to compose her thoughts. She did not know how vigorous an interview this was going to be, but she was prepared.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Weasley. I'm Hiram Grey, Hiring Manager," he said professionally as he offered her his hand.

"Mr. Grey, a pleasure to meet you," she replied cordially.

He led her into his office and offered her the seat on the far side of the desk. He picked up a piece of parchment on his desk and perused it. "You come very highly recommended, and you have done some outstanding work at the Ministry. Why might you be leaving that job?"

"Well, I have found the Ministry job a bit stifling. They have certain expectations about what you should be doing at certain points in your career. Because I am early in my career, I feel that my suggestions are not being weighted as much as they should. I'd like to work someplace where my opinions and ideas are respected." She hoped he found that a good answer.

"Yes, we have heard that before. The Ministry does have very well-defined positions for people. I think that you will find things very different here. I have been informed that you have an interest in Potions, even though that has not been your area of expertise the last five years. Is this something that you would like to pursue?"

Hermione blushed slightly; that had been something she'd mentioned in passing to Lucius, and was surprised that it had been brought up at her interview. "It is. Even though I haven't been working with potions, I do keep up with the latest journals and brew remedies for minor ailments for my family, so I'm not completely out of practice." She hoped that didn't sound overly eager. She did realize that it was not as though she would be heading up the entire Potions Research Department and that she would have to begin as an apprentice, but she did not want to sound like someone who was completely incompetent.

"Your N.E.W.T. scores are quite impressive across the board and there is of course the practical knowledge you exhibited during what would have been your seventh year at Hogwarts." He paused a moment as he looked through the papers on his desk. "Are there any other reasons you would like to work for Malfoy Industries?"

"I think I have a lot to offer the company, and I know that I can learn a great deal working here. It would be a wonderfully challenging opportunity to finally make a difference in the wizarding world."

"Indeed it would." He scribbled a few notes before returning his attention to her. "If you could wait in the outer office for a few minutes, the head of the Potions Research Department will meet with you to conduct the final part of your interview."

He rose and extended his hand, and Hermione did the same. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Grey," she replied politely before returning to the outer office.

After a fifteen minute wait, she was called back into the office where she was introduced to Aristotle Barnes, the head of the Potions Research Department. He spent about half an hour asking her various questions about potions and ingredients, obviously trying to ascertain her knowledge level. She felt quite confident about the answers she provided, even the ones that required analytical thinking and not just regurgitating what could be learned from a textbook. After all, there were many times she had helped Neville recover his potions in class, so she did possess the more intuitive knowledge of potions and ingredients that would be required in a research setting.

When Aristotle finished questioning her, she was dismissed for a few minutes while he and Mr. Grey conferred. Even though Hermione had been assured by Lucius that she would be hired, she was still feeling apprehensive about what the two men would be discussing behind closed doors.

After ten minutes, Mr. Grey summoned her to return to his office. She found that he was once again alone.

Once she was settled in her chair, he said, "You are a very well qualified candidate to work for Malfoy Industries. Of course there will need to be final approval from Mr. Malfoy before you can be hired, but as he is the one who recommended you, I don't think that will be an issue." He straightened the notes he had on her into a neat pile. "Now then, when can you start?"

"Well, the Ministry requires two months' notice..."

He held up his hand. "That may be standard, but we may be able to work something out so that you won't have to wait the full two month period, if that's what you desire," he said while giving her a smile.

She should have expected as much since she had ascertained that Lucius had regained much of the power he had once had in the wizarding world. She considered the offer. She really did not want to work for the Ministry for another two months, not when she had a much better job waiting for her. "Oh, thank you," she replied a tad too eagerly. "Yes, I'd appreciate that, however, it would probably take me two to three weeks to transfer the projects I'm working on to others in my department, so three weeks would be a good time." She thought that sounded fair. And even though Lucius had suggested that she take some time off before starting, she had just taken a week of vacation and really did not need any more time to unwind, especially since she was reasonably sure that Ron would not be able to get time off. Besides, she had already learned that vacationing by yourself was not that much fun, and the idea of taking some sort of tour with a bunch of strangers did not appeal to her.

"I'll send an owl to your residence when I have final approval for your hire, since I presume that sort of message might not be welcome at work. As to your starting date, we'll plan on three weeks, but if that has to change, it can be accommodated. Please send notification to myself and to Mr. Barnes," he said. He then rose to his feet and offered her his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Grey. And thank you for your discretion. I will look forward to your owl," she said, trying to control her emotions. Even though she had presumed the job to be hers, she had still been a bit nervous at the interview.

As she walked out of the building, she had a spring in her step. She was about to be freed from the Ministry. She still was not exactly sure what she would be doing in the Potions Research Department, but it had to be better than what she had been doing at the Ministry, and a lot more rewarding. After all, Lucius seemed to respect her intellect, and she doubted that she would be lingering in a tedious and unfulfilling job.

When she returned to her office, she was surprised to see Ron there. "Ron? What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted a cup of tea or something, you know, take a break. I figured you'd be swamped after a week away."

She was sure that was not the entire truth, but neither of them wanted to mention the real reason he was there in front of her coworkers. "That's very sweet of you, but I just got back from break. They might not appreciate me leaving again." She looked over at Conrad Milkin, hoping for confirmation.

"I think we can live without you for another fifteen minutes," he replied.

She could have cursed him for that, but was forced to be cordial about his offer. "Thanks, Conrad."

Realizing she no longer had an excuse, she left with Ron to the cafeteria. He chose a table in the far corner where Harry was waiting for them, and once they were seated he cast the Muffliato Charm.

"So, you're back from your interview?" Ron prompted.

She sighed. "Yes, I am, and it went very well. I think I'm going to get the job," she replied defensively before he could ask.

"And you're going to take it?" Harry asked pointedly.

"I told Ron I would. It's a good opportunity for me, and I'm not going to pass it up. I don't know when this sort of opportunity might present itself again," she said firmly.

"But Hermione, this is Malfoy we are talking about," protested Harry.

"I had this discussion with Ron. And I presume the two of you have been trying to dig up dirt on him all morning?" She looked between the two of them, and they both looked away from her. "And clearly you didn't find anything, so what's the problem?"

"Hermione, he's too clean," said Ron. "I mean his record is perfect. No one has a record that perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. How do we know he isn't falsifying records?"

"And how do you know he is?" she shot back, fed up with Ron treating her like an idiot incapable of making a decision. "Isn't it possible that his record is so clean because he knew it would be so heavily scrutinized? If someone was watching your every step, wouldn't you be very careful? Or, just maybe, he's exactly as he seems, reformed and an astute business man who is trying to be an upstanding member of society. I assure you both, that I'm not making a mistake. This is what's going to be for the best for me. I thought long and hard about this. After all, I had most of a week by myself to think about this." Ron averted his gaze, but she pressed on, "Why can't either of you trust my judgment? It's never been a problem in the past."

"That's because you always made sense in the past," said Harry. "This just doesn't make sense. He's been one of the biggest bigots in the wizarding world..."

Hermione cut him off by slamming her hands on the table. "Yet he has obviously changed because he has put Muggle-borns in very senior positions. I told Ron this same thing. And if he had not changed, why would he want to hire me?"

"Because of who you are," said Ron. "Face it, we're all war heroes, and there is a lot of prestige in having one of us work for someone. I know that we all got a lot of job offers in the beginning."

"The war has been over for five years, and I think that prestige has really become minimal. After the first year the articles and job offers really stopped," she reminded them, trying her best to maintain her patience and ignore the stares they were getting from the few other people present.

Harry said, "We just want you to be careful and remember who you are working for. We don't want to see you just being used or anything."

"Being used – as if I'm not being used here?" While she appreciated his concern, it was getting to be a little much. "I'm always careful. I've always been the most prepared of the three of us. Does that make you feel any better?"

Ron looked sheepish again, knowing she was right. "A little, but I know that Harry and I would appreciate you deciding to work somewhere else."

"Well, I've decided that is where I want to work. It's going to be the best for me career-wise, and I think it's going to be a lot less stressful. And should you two find something suspicious, I'll rethink my decision, but as of right now I see no reason why I shouldn't work for Malfoy Industries. And honestly, the way you two are behaving is just as prejudicial as he was guilty of behaving before the war."

They were reluctantly forced to agree with her. "Just be careful," Harry said before giving her shoulder a quick squeeze and leaving her and Ron at the table.

She looked into Ron's eyes. "I know what I'm doing. I just need you to trust me." The two of them had always trusted her implicitly in the past, and she could not understand their refusal to do so now.

"I do, Hermione. I told you that already," Ron said.

"Then prove it. If it's Malfoy you don't trust, you should bring it up with him," she suggested, knowing full well that he would not since he had no proof of any wrong doing. "Now, I should be getting back to work," she said as she rose to her feet. "I'll see you later."

As she returned to her office, she resolved to leave work on time. She was not sure when the owl would arrive, and she wanted to be home to receive it in case Ron decided he needed to check any message coming from Malfoy Industries.

The rest of her day seemed quite tedious, and she had to force herself to concentrate. After all, she anticipated submitting her resignation tomorrow. In fact, she was starting to form the letter in her mind – not that it really had to have a lot of details, but she did not want to burn any bridges when she left.

Ron arrived home not long after she did, though she was not surprised. She was surprised, however, when he did not immediately try to talk her out of taking the job with Malfoy Industries. Perhaps she had finally gotten through his thick skull.

That all changed when the owl arrived. Hermione heard the tapping at the window and leapt out of her chair to let the owl in. It landed on the back of a chair and presented her its leg. As soon as she had removed the letter, it took off, not even begging for a treat like most post owls. This did not really surprise her. She had to think that Malfoy held his owls to a rather high standard.

From behind her, Ron asked, "Well, did you get it?"

She jumped, not having noticed that he was standing behind her. Turning so that she was facing him, she opened the letter. "Let me see." Even though she logically knew that the letter was going to tell her that she did get the job, her heart was still racing. She was a bit disappointed to see that it was from Mr. Grey and not from Lucius, even though she knew that a personal letter from him would raise some suspicions.

She grinned at what she read. He once again praised her interview skills and mentioned that they looked forward to having her as part of the Malfoy team.

Looking up at Ron, she said cheerfully "I did get the job and I can start in two weeks." She gave him a hearty celebratory hug that he did not fully reciprocate.

"And what are you going to be doing?" he asked curiously.

She checked the letter again, not having bothered to read that far ahead. "I'm going to be in the Potions department, but I can always put in for a transfer if it's not to my liking."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure that would go right through," replied Ron sarcastically.

She could only assume that he was thinking of the Ministry where you generally were not transferred between departments until you reached upper management. "I imagine it would. It's in the best interest of the company that employees be where they would be most productive. This is the private sector; it's not like working for the Ministry. And that's why I'm taking the job," she replied definitely as she crossed her arms.

When he decided not to brook any further argument, she said, "Why don't we go out and celebrate. I'm not in the mood to cook anymore."

He considered her a few seconds before saying, "Why not? After all, you said this job did come with a raise, right?"

"That's right," she replied simply, not pleased that he was once again focusing on the money.

As they got ready to leave, he asked, "So, how much of a raise?"

She had not actually intended on telling him, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Mostly because the monetary compensation was the least important part of her decision to take this job. It could have come with a pay cut and she still would have taken it. She took hold of his arm and said, "Double," before Side-Along Apparating to their dinner location.

It took him a few moments to get his bearings once they arrived, having just suffered a double shock. "Did you say double?" he sputtered.

"Yes, Ron, I did. I told you I was being overworked and underpaid at the Ministry, that they didn't appreciate my talents. Well, Malfoy Industries clearly does."

"That they do." He looked up to see where she had taken him. "You just got a whopping raise and we're going to eat here? This place is a dump!"

She knew he was exaggerating and that the thought of her new salary was clouding his mind. "Yes. I like this place, and I think it's the perfect place for me to celebrate my new beginning."

"It's your celebration," he acquiesced, though she could tell he wished they were going out someplace fancier.

"Besides, we aren't dressed for a really nice place," she replied as she hooked her arm in his and led him inside for a celebratory dinner.

A/N: As always, many thanks to beaweasley2 for her assistance as my faithful beta.