Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling.

Much love to my beta, sarenia, for her help, enthusiasm, and ideas. This wouldn't be here without her amazing help :)

WE ARE (NOT) JUST FRIENDS

I.

Hermione Granger was a walking cliché, and she was well aware of it.

She owned a charming little café-bookshop, The Winter's Tale (because that's where her name came from), specialized in female authors, and, because she just loved to read, she also had a nice library at her flat, complete with a grumpy fat cat and old carpets.

She was young and single, and would probably die old and single, because her love life was completely nonexistent, a fantasy at best. However, she was happy alone, thank you very much, and she cared more about historical gossip (did you know Oscar Wilde almost married the woman who would later be Bram Stoker's wife?) than keeping up with men's ridiculous expectations and hobbies.

She drank hot chocolate in the mornings and tea in the afternoons. She wore collared shirts, structured skirts and cute Oxford heels to work. She didn't go to parties (she already had enough of those in college), but she loved going to theatres, museums, art galleries, and concerts. She kept a bullet journal in an old notebook, which worked as a planner, list-maker, photo album, and everything in between. She was, in a word, an old soul.

Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, was also a walking cliché, but he would never recognize it, no matter what Theo said.

He was a lawyer, a very good one at that, and he would inherit his grandfather's law firm when his father, current owner and CEO, retired. Tall and blond, he was handsome and he knew it, and wore suits every day of the week because he knew he looked positively edible in those.

He always had things to do, and was connected to his phone 24/7, revising his digital planner –why would you use a paper one when a digital one is just more practical?–, arguing, answering work-related emails, and, occasionally, texting. His love life was, also, completely nonexistent, because he just didn't have time for those things.

Running every morning and some nights to discharge energy, he enjoyed good food and good wine, and kept a structured, unimaginative life. He read, quite a lot, and watched documentaries, quite a lot.

They both had relatively normal, happy lives.

And then, one day, they met.

"Hannah, don't worry, it's perfectly alright. Yes, yes, I will manage perfectly, don't worry and get better soon. Send my love to Neville, too, will you?" Hermione managed to sound nice and chirpy on the phone, but the truth was, Hannah's absence today was only one of the numerous problems she had managed to face in the hour and a half she'd been awake.

Firstly, her cat had managed to trap himself in the curtains and had fought good and hard to get out. The result? Now Hermione didn't have curtains in her bedroom because they were torn to pieces.

Then, she'd broken her favourite mug, stumbled against the door, almost forgot her keys inside her flat, and faced a broken elevator with new heels living on the fourth floor.

And, if that wasn't enough, now Hannah was calling to say she couldn't come to work the same day that Ginny worked only half the morning, leaving her alone to attend both the bookshop and the café attached to it.

"Bloody, perfect day," she grumbled, walking briskly towards her shop. "I should've just stayed in bed."

From the other side of the street, Draco Malfoy wasn't faring much better. He had awoken late, and thus was late to work, had almost died by being run over a bus the second he had stepped out of his flat, and was now arguing heatedly on the phone with his assistant about whether or not he needed to take more clients when there were fifty other lawyers in the building.

"Yes, I will arrive now." He cut off the communication with a frown. "I'm surrounded by idiots," he muttered, angrily.

London was bustling with activity. Just as Hermione skipped a big puddle, her new heels wavering precariously when she stepped on the other side of it, Draco had to dodge an elderly lady on her bike, causing them to collide with each other directly in front of Hermione's little shop.

They both cringed and jumped backwards, but it was too late: Hermione's bag was dripping with Draco's coffee, and he had stumbled against the wall.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, shaking her bag and trying to save her items.

"It was nothing," he said, "but I apologize about your bag. Do you work far from here?"

"I work just there." She pointed with her chin at the bookshop's front door. "Oh, thank goodness everything's right," she muttered, shaking her phone, and finally looking at him. She smiled a bit, trying to put him at ease, but that didn't seem to work. He was frowning, and he looked tired.

"Well, I'll be going," he finally said, awkwardly, looking at his watch. "I'm sorry about your bag, miss, but I have to go. Have a nice day."

Before Hermione could answer, he was already gone, walking fast and avoiding people, empty coffee in hand.

"What a morning," she grumbled, again, before sighing and resigning herself to not having a great day. "Of course it's a Monday."

On Tuesday, Hermione had to wear a backpack to work, because the bag the stranger had ruined was the only one where all her things fit. She felt like a schoolgirl and resolved to buy another bag at the first available opportunity.

"Hermione, you won't believe what my crazy mother has decided now! Whoa, what is that backpack? Didn't you wear that to high school?" Ginny Weasley, as always, was talking a mile a minute.

Hermione, ignoring her, put her things in the staff room, waved at Hannah, and walked to the cashier without answering.

"Hi, Ginny, how are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking" she finally said, pointedly. "The backpack is because, as I told you yesterday, some man poured coffee on my bag and ruined it, and I didn't have anything else. Now, what's the deal with your mother?"

"Oh, yes, my mother. She wants you to date Percy!"

Hermione blinked.

"Ginny, you know I love your brother, but–"

"He's gay and has a boyfriend? Yeah, I know, but my mother is still in denial and insists that Marcus is just a friend." She rolled her eyes. "It got so bad yesterday that Dad asked her to stop being a homophobic cow and accept her son had a boyfriend. Well, not with those words, but you know."

"Wow," Hermione made a face. "Your mother is something else."

"She totally is," Ginny agreed easily. "Oh! There's a packet here, I didn't want to open it without you because it doesn't have a name on it, and the shop is yours."

"Oh, right, thank you. I wasn't expecting anything, but…" she followed Ginny to the counter, where she put the packet on display. It was a big box with no name or tag, and Hermione opened it with caution, Ginny looking over her shoulder.

They both stared, amazed, at the brown and pink Louis Vuitton tote bag that was waiting there.

"What on Earth–?" muttered Hermione, gingerly stroking the bag and taking it out. "It's amazing, but why is it here? Do you think it's a mistake?"

"I've got no idea, but finders keepers and this is yours now," Ginny said. "That way you can get rid of that ridiculous backpack and wear a stylish, luxury bag. Wow. I wish I had admirers like this one."

"It's not from an admirer. It has to be a mistake," Hermione insisted, searching the inside of the bag and its side pockets. "Look! A note! Wow, the paper looks expensive," she added as an afterthought.

"What does it say?" exclaimed Ginny excitedly. They both stuck their noses in the note, almost too excited to read it.

'To the beautiful woman whose bag I ruined by being a clumsy idiot,

I am very sorry about our incident yesterday. As you could clearly see, coffee hadn't made an impression on me yet, and I wasn't watching where I was going.

I hope this new bag makes up for my clumsiness.

My sincerest apologies,

Draco Malfoy'

They looked at each other, wide-eyed, and Ginny let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Hermione Granger, you seductress, you have an admirer!"

Hermione blushed, looking at her new bag. Maybe the week wouldn't be a disaster?

"You did WHAT?" Draco was ready to murder his best friend. In his hand, his phone was showing a text from an unknown number, where a woman thanked him for a bag he had nothing to do with, and showed him a photo of her with the new bag.

Theo didn't look repentant at all. In fact, he looked very much amused. "I sent her a new bag to make up for the one you ruined with your coffee."

"Yes, I did gather that. The question is, why did you send it, and why did you put my name on the damned note?"

"Because it's not the woman's fault you have no manners. As to why I put your name, well, she was pretty and she left enough impression on you to remember where she worked. And it's about time you have some sex, man. This celibacy it's getting ridiculous."

"So you sent her a note with my name, and included my business card AND personal number hoping she would text me?"

"Yes. And it worked, didn't it? Now, answer it."

"No. I'm just going to leave her in read, let her enjoy the free bag, and that's it. I don't want anything more."

"Draco, don't be rude. At least answer her! You can block her later."

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. He just wanted to have a nice, relaxing evening, but of course he wouldn't have that.

Hi? My name is Hermione Granger and I'm the woman whose bag you destroyed. Thank you so much for the new bag, it wasn't necessary but I really appreciate it :)

*photo attached*

That's me with the new bag!

Hello

I'm glad you like your bag, it was the least I could do.

Have a nice evening.

"Are you kidding me?" screamed Theo after reading his texts over his shoulder. "Have you really answered that? You're as dry as the fucking desert, mate, and I'm telling you this as a friend."

"Well, I didn't want to text her in the first place! This is your fault!"

"My fault?! You can't flirt with a woman to save your life! Draco, this is ridiculous. You used to be smoother than this."

Draco rolled his eyes.

My friend is just telling me I'm drier than a desert; I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh.

You just took me by surprise.

"That's better," said Theo approvingly. "But you shouldn't have mentioned me, the point is to make it sound as if this is your idea."

"Too late– oh wow, she's writing back!"

That's okay, I also have a tendency to sound harsher than intended :)

Tell me, how did you know this was the bag I wanted? Because you got it perfect.

Draco turned to Theo, and he had the good grace to blush a little.

"Well, you see. I looked up the website of her bookshop, and there was a page with the staff. There were three women, but you mentioned a girl with curly brown hair and she's the only one. So I clicked on her name and looked up her Pinterest—don't look at me like that, she had a link to it! She had the bag pinned in her wish list," he finished.

Draco thought he looked way too smug, considering what he had done. "So you basically stalked her online before you sent her the bag?"

"Yes? You make it sound so bad, Draco. I was just helping you!"

Draco sighed.

It was pure luck, I had an inkling based on your last bag.

"There, nice and smooth," he said, satisfied.

By his side, Theo nodded, "Maybe there's still hope for you."

Hermione giggled into her hand, feeling absolutely ridiculous. She wasn't a teenager, but she did feel like one –giggling over a boy? Ridiculous.

Only this boy was a man. A very handsome, very gentlemanly man that had her absolutely drooling when she googled him up. At least six feet tall, blond hair, and from the look of it, also very intelligent: he was a prominent lawyer in one of the most important law firms in London.

She had only looked him up out of pure curiosity–and, also, to appease Ginny– and texted him out of a feeling of obligation (her mother had taught her good manners, which she regularly put to use), and she didn't expect any more from him. She definitely didn't expect an answer.

And she absolutely didn't want to flirt with him.

Well, your inkling was absolutely correct. Thanks again, if you ever want a book you know where I work ;)

She blushed and threw her phone on the sofa, walking around the house to get her nerves under check.

Her cat, Crookshanks, looked weirdly at her when her phone rang, alerting her of a new text, and she let out a squeal.

Definitely ;)

Hi!

I'm really excited about this fic: it's got four chapters, it's already finished and beta'd, and I will publish a chapter every week. I planned this as kind of rom-com-y, just because I was in the mood for some good fluff and little depth in regards to the plot. So here it is, I hope you like it as much as I do.

What do you think? Drop me a review and let me know, I had a great time writing this and would love it if you liked reading this, too!

See you soon!

LadyChocolateLover