And Then He Was Gone

Got to Love Mondays

"You can always find happiness at work on Mondays. Don't you just want to slap those people?"

~Fortune cookie day-by-day calendar

"People change over time, but, unfortunately, some feelings don't."

~Ashley LeeAnn Fredrick

"Victory, can I see you for a minute?" Harry Potter called before the woman even had a chance to enter her office.

"What's up, Padfoot?" she asked, glad to be back to the busy workplace.

"We'll be having a new member today," he said, not meeting her gaze and shuffling the papers on his desk. "I'd like you to show him around. After all, you'll be working with him."

"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "I work alone; I will not share my post. I've worked too hard to get here, Padfoot," she practically growled.

"Well, he has as much experience as you. You'll just have to learn to get along with him I guess. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go meet him," he said, looking up at her and heading for the door. "We'll meet you in your office in ten minutes, be ready. And please, pick it up," he said, winking at her.

Furious she stormed into her office. Or...what she thought was her office. Was she at the right door? Pansy went back outside and noticed she was certainly in the right location.

"Like the redecorating?" Remus Lupin asked from behind her.

"No," she sulked. "I will not share my office." Her room had been expanded into two quarters and an empty desk had been inserted in the opposite corner of hers.

"Well, unfortunately, Victory, that's not up to you," he said, frowning a bit. "I suggest you get in there and clean up a bit before he comes."

"What, suddenly now we're impressing people?"

"Just do it," he said and went back into his office.

Pansy had just finished stuffing her unfinished documents in her desk drawer when the door swung open. Great, she sighed mentally, here comes the hot-shot trying to take my position. Not on my watch, bud. Pansy spun around and found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"Parkinson," he said. "Nice to see you're still as stunning as always."

"Malfoy?" she gasped, having trouble breathing. She looked around his head to find Harry looking smug. "Potter, is this your idea of a joke?"

"No joke," Harry said, putting his hands up in surrender. "He sent in his résumé, the rest wasn't up to me. I'll just let you two talk," he said backing out of the room.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Pansy said, sitting in the chair behind her desk and fumbling with some papers.

"Can't you look at me, Pansy?" he asked, noticing that she was ignoring him.

"No," she said and tried to fill out the blurry document before her. She couldn't concentrate, not with him this close to her after five years. Two slender hands placed themselves palm down on her papers and she looked up, meeting his cold grey eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I know you too well for that, Malfoy," she said harshly. "You're never sorry. You didn't want to come back, I'm fine with that."

"Parkinson...."

"What?" she asked looking back up at him. "What do you want?"

"A hello, great to see you, Draco, would be nice," he said.

"Hello, asshole, I'm so overjoyed you came back. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have paperwork to attend to."

"Pansy, damnit, don't do this," he said, slamming his fist in front of her on the desk startling her a little bit.

"Do what? You're the one that walked out, Malfoy. Damnit, you were my only friend, the only person I could trust, and you left. Don't be mad at me for hating you, I have every right to."

"I left because...."

"Because why?" she said, cutting him off. "Because me and Potter did it the night after you passed out on my floor? Damn great excuse, Draco. Is that how you get all those girls? Get drunk enough to not be able to see their faces clearly and then win them over by stringing all those sweet words together? Listen, you were my friend, Malfoy, we weren't in a relationship. There is no reason you should be pissed about what happened that night."

"I can't compete with Potter," he growled.

"No one asked you to," she said. "Damnit Malfoy, did it ever occur to you that maybe it broke my heart knowing the only time you would say those words to me was when you were drunk?"

"I meant it, I did," he said, furious at her nerve to contradict him.

"Welcome to BC, Mr. Malfoy," she said, coldly stamping closed on one of the folders and getting up to deliver it to Remus.

"Parkinson..." he said, going after her. She turned on her heel furiously and brought the closed stamp up to his forehead leaving the red words there.

"That's what I think about you, Malfoy," she said, stomping out the door and shutting it furiously behind her. Draco made his way to his desk, but stopped in front of the mirror noticing the big red word, closed, on his forehead. Give it up, Malfoy, he thought bitterly looking at his reflection. You shouldn't have come back here.

"So, how'd it go?" Harry asked when the blonde man walked into his office.

"Look at my forehead, Potter, and tell me how you think it went," he said, pointing a finger at his head.

Harry looked up and tried not to laugh. The big red capitalized letters Closed were stamped across the pale sweaty forehead. "Not well I take it," he said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Shove it, Potter," he said. "Here's my resignation."

"But you just started!" Harry said as Malfoy handed him a folder of papers.

"Yea, well, the dental wasn't good," he said and turned slamming the door behind him.