Cruisin' Through Love [PG] for czarmar (3/3)
Title: Cruisin’ Through Love
Author: widthsandcurves
Rating: PG
Recipient: czarmar
Disclaimer: JK Rowling's characters do not belong to me.
Warnings: This fic is a victim of scope creep.
Author Notes: To czarmar, let me just say that your prompt was a huge challenge for me, for reasons that I will not go into. The premise may seem a bit out of the blue and I apologize for that. It was conceived in a sleep-deprived mind that was hallucinating about skipping exams and going straight to summer. It may not be what you were expecting, and it needs some polishing, but I hope that you find something to like about it. Thank you to my beta Shelly for all your help during this hectic time.
Summary: Sometimes love is smooth sailing. Most times, it’s stormy waters. Not to worry, when you've got Rose and Scorpius at the helm of the ship.
Day 4: Capri, Italy
When the cruise ship docked at Sorrento, Italy, they decided to take a ferry to the island of Carpi. The ferry took them around the island, past the high limestone cliffs, and into the small harbour at Marina Piccola.
It was a sweltering day and there was a beach by the harbour where a number of people were swimming. Draco gestured to the swimmers and winked at Hermione, “So Granger, shall I be seeing you in a swimsuit anytime soon?”
She rolled her eyes. He seemed to be in an unusually jovial mood and had been acting flirtatious all day. She wondered if it was an effect of the heat.
After everyone had disembarked the ferry, the four of them set off on the hike that Hermione had planned. They walked uphill on the Via Krupp, a footpath built along the side of the cliffs, which would take them to the Augustus Gardens. The lane was narrow with hairpin bends. Hermione wasn't surprised at how the walking arrangements had turned out, with Rose and Scorpius walking side by side, followed closely by her and Draco.
“Mum we’re going to walk ahead!” Rose called out, already in the midst of quickening her pace.
The trail was designed in such a way that Scorpius and Rose would still be within easy sight and Hermione acquiesced. “That’s fine. Just be careful Rose.”
Rose paused for second pivoting to face her mother. "What about Scorpius?”
“He isn't half as rambunctious as you are and I'm sure he doesn't need to be told how to behave.” She gave the boy an expectant look.
Scorpius nodded curtly to both adults before darting after Rose.
The sun was high in the sky and by the time they'd made it halfway through their trek, Hermione was feeling hot and fatigued from the oppressive sun. Stopping to gain her breath, Hermione wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead and took a swig from her water bottle. She looked quizzically at Malfoy as he continued to trudge along the path effortlessly. He hardly looked tired.
Hermione rushed to catch up to him. “How are you walking so fast? And you’re not even breaking a sweat!”
He pointed to his feet, "I've got a cushioning charm on my shoes and I'm using a cooling charm.” He smirked at her condescendingly, "are you a witch, or aren't you?"
She sulked in indignation.
---
“Granger, I know I have nice legs, but there's no need to ogle.” Malfoy drawled, the tone in his voice was playful. Hermione drew her gaze back to Malfoy’s face. “You really need to learn how to be more discrete with your staring.”
"I wasn't staring at your legs. I was staring at your feet," she explained. Malfoy didn’t seem to understand what her point was. She continued, “I just noticed it now, but you’re wearing socks with sandals.”
Malfoy raised his head haughtily and sniffed, “I was told that this was appropriate footwear for today's excursion.”
"Oh, and who was your source?"
"Blaise Zabini. He's quite the Muggle enthusiast."
Hermione bit back her laughter, "Well apparently Blaise neglected to inform you that wearing socks with sandals, is a fashion faux-pas in the Muggle world.”
“As if you would know anything about fashion,” he scowled, "you're the one wearing shrunken trousers."
"These aren't shrunken trousers! For your information, these are capri trousers, and they happen to be very fashionable."
---
“Scorpius and I watched a moving last night on the telly,” he informed her.
“You mean a movie?”
“Yes, one of those,” he waved his hand dismissively. “It was called 127 Hours. Quite good, except for the whole cutting off the arm bit. It was too bad he couldn't Apparate out of that cliff," he said thoughtful. "Anyways, this hiking stuff is kind of exhilarating. Now I understand what compelled him to go walking through all those rocks."
“Draco," she checked his face wondering if he was serious, "we’re hiking on a paved footpath.”
---
Finally, they had made it up to the Augustus gardens. Hermione stood near the cliff look-out, admiring the view. It was a well appointed observation spot overlooking the island, with a perfect view of the Faraglioni rock formation. She looked below at the sheer drop to the sea. The lulling sound of the waves crashing against the cliff put her in a reflective mood. She thought about how strange the past few days had been. Although this trip wasn’t turning out exactly how she had envisioned, she found herself enjoying it all the same. In spite of (or because of?) Draco's company. This trip was supposed to be a chance to relax. And though Malfoy certainly made it far from relaxing, she felt a certain lightness about her.
"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked as he approached her.
"You, actually."
Draco gave her a mock horrified expression. "Granger, I know I infuriate you and make you pull want out your ugly hair, but that's no reason to jump-"
She couldn't help but crack a smile. "I'm not planning to jump, you dolt."
"Well then, what about me?" Draco's eyes gleamed predatorily.
---
After descending the cliff, they had decided to visit the famed Blue Grotto. They opted to go by boat rather than the long walk. After some asking around they managed to rent a rowboat from a kind old man named Giovanni and soon after settling themselves in, they pushed off from the dock.
“Malfoy, are you sure you can operate this boat?”
“Sure I can. How hard can it be? Now, these wooden things go in the water, correct?” he asked, holding the oars aloft.
Hermione’s eyes widened into saucers. “Malfoy!”
Draco snickered. “I’m kidding Granger. Relax, I know a charm to make the boat move without paddles. It’s the same one they use for the Hogwarts boats that first years take to the castle.”
“But there’s Muggles around. We can’t just have a boat that moves on its own.”
Draco sighed in exasperation. “Oh alright, I’ll pretend to row. Happy?”
A few minutes later, Draco began to whine. “My arms are hurting...”
“You’re not even rowing. You’re just holding up the oars.”
“Here father, move over, I’ll take them.”
Hermione’s jaw dropped as Draco moved to the side of the seat. The man was an utter cur. “No Scorpius, give them to me,” she interjected. She carefully transferred herself from across Draco and onto the seat next to him. She grasped the oars and held them upright through the water.
Not long after, her arms began to sag. The oars were pretty heavy. She glanced to her left to see Malfoy chuckling at her discomfort.
“It's not so easy, is it? Hmm?" He arched one brow, "But it looks like you’ve got it all covered. Do let me know when your arms get fatigued. I’ll be glad to offer my assistance.”
Two seconds later, Hermione was laughing at Malfoy's drenched form after she had lifted the oars over top of him.
When they finally made it to the Blue Grotto, there was no one around. The boatmen had left for the day, and with them, all the tourists. The entrance was a tiny opening, which they managed to squeeze through.
Rose who was facing the cavern's opening gasped in awe. "Mum, look, it's beautiful," she gushed.
Turning around, Hermione's breath caught at the sight of the vibrant blue water, illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the cave's opening. There was silence as they all admired the view.
Hermione turned to her daughter, "Did you know that the locals used to avoid this place because it was said to be inhabited by witches and monsters?"
"Was it really?" asked Rose curiously.
"Well, technically no witches actually lived here. However, this is the place where the witches and wizards of the island occasionally held meetings with the merpeople of the area."
"I want to see merpeople," Rose exclaimed excitedly.
All of a sudden, Rose jumped into the water.
"Rose!" Hermione screeched. "Get out of there. It's dangerous."
"Mum, calm down, it's so refreshing. The water's warm. Scorpius, are you coming?"
Ever the obedient boy, he turned to his father to ask permission before joining Rose in the water.
"Mum, get in here." Rose gave her mother an exaggerated pout.
Hermione hesitated.
"Yes, Granger. Don't be such a stick in the mud."
"I don't see you jumping in."
"Ok, I will."
"Fine. Let's go."
They braced themselves against the side of the boat and pushed off simultaneously.
Hermione smiled after taking the plunge. It was warm, and refreshing after spending the day hiking under the sun. She emerged for breath and screamed out loud when she opened her eyes and came face to face with Draco Malfoy head encased in a bubble. "What are you doing?! Get rid of the bubble-head!"
"I don't want my hair to get wet," he whined. "The sea water will dry it out.”
"Sometimes the locals come in here to swim. They'll see you."
Draco refused to listen, and in frustration Hermione sent an Aguamenti charm at him. What ensued was a very intense water fight between the four. Thankfully, no locals came out to swim that day.
Day 5: At Sea
Hermione liked to think that she was the kind of person who could look past a person's history and recognize when they've changed. She wasn't the type to hold a grudge. However, in this particular instance, she was having a hard time reconciling Draco, Scorpius's father, with Malfoy, bane of her Hogwarts existence. The Draco Malfoy of late was still as infuriating as ever, but the viciousness and animosity that had plagued their Hogwarts years was all but nonexistent. It was strange what years of experience and maturity could to a person.
These thoughts were brought about as she was writing an e-mail to Harry (who was unusually tech-savvy). She had finished writing about the perfunctory details of the trip. The ship is gigantic, the rooms are nice, food is tasty, service is good, yes… there are a lot of elderly people, etc. However she wasn't quite sure what to write to regarding Malfoy. Florence is a charming city, Capri is breathtaking... Oh, and by the way, Malfoy's here with his son and we've been sightseeing together. Incidentally, he is still a bit of an arse, but he's starting to grow on me. That would go over well, she thought sarcastically. She could just imagine it now. Harry spewing coffee out of his mouth in shock after reading his Sunday morning e-mail. In all likelihood, he'd call Ginny into the room to verify that he wasn't dreaming, which would then be followed by a harrowed Floo call to Ron. She laughed at the mental image.
It was late in the morning and Rose was off rock climbing with Scorpius. Hermione had decided to take advantage of the ship's onboard wi-fi to complete her correspondence. She had already written a lengthy e-mail to her parents, which also included a letter for Hugo. She was deciding what to write Ron when she heard a knock on the door. It was Malfoy, much to her consternation. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
He brusquely brushed past her, scrutinizing the room, and sniffed disdainfully, "A bit on the small side, isn't it?"
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Rose and I make do." She remained standing by the door. "Why are you here?" she asked tersely.
"I'm bored."
"And now you've decided to actively seek my company?" she arched one brow delicately.
"Don't get too high on yourself, Granger. We wouldn't want that head of yours to get any bigger."
"Yes," she replied sarcastically, "because we both know I'm the one with the ego."
"Exactly," he smirked.
"Did you come all this way to annoy me?"
"No," he sat himself in an armchair, "I came all this way to impose my presence on you, with the hopes that your annoyance would provide a satisfactory source of amusement." He gave her an impudent grin.
Sensing that he wasn't about to leave anytime soon, she flopped herself back onto the chair in front of her laptop.
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.
"I'm writing a letter to Harry."
His brows scrunched, "You have an owl? I thought animals weren't allowed on board."
"No, I don't have an owl," she informed him, "I'm sending a letter via e-mail."
He stared at her blankly. "E-mail?"
"It's a form of Muggle communication," she began to explain, "it uses something called the internet to send an electronic mail message."
"Internet," he repeated. "Does that have anything to do with the world wide web?" he asked inquisitively.
Hermione shot him an incredulous look.
"Blaise told me about it," he smiled proudly. "Now, tell me more about this 'internet'."
She raised an eyebrow, skeptical, "You really want to know?"
He grinned widely, "Let's call this the beginning of my Muggle enlightenment."
---
Later that day, Hermione and Rose sat lounging by the pool, with books in hand. Hermione was still reeling from the bizarre morning she'd had.
"Mum, don't our cruise tickets come with a reservation to one of the specialty restaurants. Prego, I think it’s called? Could we eat there later tonight?”
“I suppose we could...”
“Can we invite Scorpius and Mr. Malfoy?”
“Err, yes, if you like.”
---
As Hermione slipped on her earrings, she examined her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Merlin, this was strange. She had rarely socialized in the past year and hadn't had any reason to dress up in ages. Thankfully she'd brought with her a suitable dress to wear. It was a recent purchase. Prior to going on their trip, Rose had insisted on new dresses at Madam Malkin’s. She had readily consented, primarily because the duo rarely indulged in clothes shopping, much preferring to shop at Flourish and Blotts. Rose was particularly adamant about this emerald green silk dress, which Hermione suspected was Rose’s Slytherin tendencies showing through.
"Rose, are you ready?" she called out as she emerged from the bathroom.
Rose sat up from her perch on the bed and promptly began to fawn over her mother. "Wow mum, you look gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. And what a lovely colour."
Hermione's smile turned into a frown when she realized her daughter was clad only in pyjamas.
"Sweetheart, why aren't you dressed?"
Rose brought her hands to her forehead with a dramatic flourish. "I'm not feeling well, mum. I have a really bad headache,” she rubbed her temples for emphasis.
“Oh darling, are you alright?" Hermione asked, concerned. She walked towards the bathroom, "I'll go get you a headache potion.”
“It’s okay mum. I’ve already taken some. I'll be fine," Rose assured her. "You should head down to the restaurant, it’s almost 7.”
Hermione looked at her daughter quizzically, “Rose, you know I’m not going to dinner without you." She smoothed a hand over her daughter's curls, "Not to worry, I'll go and inform Scorpius and his father that we won’t be able to join them.”
“No!" Rose cried out, and then in a calmer tone, "I mean, no, you should still go. Scorpius is really excited about visiting Dubrovnik tomorrow. He was looking forward to talking to you about it. I told him that you visited there for one of your Ministry cases. He has a lot of interest in history and wants to know more about the Dalmatian Wizarding Wars. Please mum, I don’t want to disappoint him.”
"I’m sure Scorpius will understand, dear," Hermione patted her daughter on the shoulder. "We will have other chances to talk. Especially if you two stop running off all the time."
"But mum," Rose whined, "I want you to get to know Scorpius better. He's a real good friend. Please mum, go for me.” said Rose, as she gently pushed her mother out the door.
“I suppose I could go down for a bit. But let me call for your dinner.”
Rose placed her hands on her hips, “Mum, I’m almost fourteen," she huffed. "I’m perfectly capable of ordering room service. Now," she took her mother by the shoulders and steered her towards the door, "go, you’re going to be late.”
Hermione knew there was no arguing with a determined Rose. The girl was more stubborn than her father and mother combined. She gave Rose a kiss goodbye and was on her way. Hopefully she could make her apologies, leave dinner early, and return to Rose directly.
--
Scorpius's loud and insistent knocking startled Rose as she was reading a book. She opened the door and let him in.
"How did it go?” he asked as he settled himself in an armchair.
“Well, mum left about twenty minutes ago and she hasn't come back yet, so I suppose... so far, so good?”
Scorpius grimaced in pain as he felt his stomach churn.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I have a stomach ache," he clutched his midsection, "and I can't stop vomiting." Another round of puke tried to force its way up his throat, "urgh,” he groaned in discomfort.
Rose rushed to get a trash bin and placed it beside him, “Throw up in here if you need to.” She watched in revulsion as he emptied the contents of his stomach. “You Malfoy men have such weak constitutions. Is it sea sickness?"
"No," he moaned, "Puking Pastille."
"Say that again?"
“I ate a Puking Pastille.”
“Whatever for?” Rose spluttered out.
Scorpius looked sheepish, "I didn't think father would have believed me if I just told him I was sick. You know how lousy I am at faking.”
"Well then, eat the antidote," she suggested.
"I did."
“It didn't work?" She was flummoxed. "What flavour was it?”
“Ralphing Raspberry”
“What?! Where'd you get that from? It’s not on the shelves yet. Uncle George said it was still in testing.”
“James Potter gave it to me. Said it was an exclusive preview of the new flavour.”
Rose couldn't help but chuckle, "Scorpius, you idiot."
He glowered, "Thanks for the sympathy Rose."
"Why would you trust James enough to even take anything from him?" She shook her head disapprovingly, "after all the pranks he’s pulled on you? You know you’re going to be puking for another hour, at least."
Rose was sitting on the bed reading out loud (to help Scorpius take his mind off of his predicament) when there was a knock on the door.
Scorpius looked up, "Who's that? Is your mum back already?"
She got up to answer the door, "Nope. It's room service," she grinned. She was famished.
Minutes later, Rose had set out her mini-feast on the side table, comprised of butter chicken, naan, and cilantro chutney. She offered to share with Scorpius but he declined for obvious reasons.
After swallowing a mouthful of naan and butter chicken, she noticed Scorpius staring enviously at her. With every bite she took, he looked more and more forlorn. She couldn’t help herself. “Mmm,” she swallowed another bite, “Scorpius, you have to try this. It tastes amaaazing.
He shot her a glare that his father would’ve been proud of, “You are a cruel, cruel girl, Rose Weasley.”
---
Hermione stood outside the entrance of the restaurant straightening her clothes and patting down her hair. She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and walked through the door.
She approached the maitre d’ citing a reservation under Granger. She was informed that the table was just being prepared and was directed to wait at the bar and lounge area. It seemed that Draco and Scorpius hadn’t arrived yet.
She walked towards the bar, her mind preoccupied, contemplating the events of the day. During her morning interaction with Draco, she had ended up teaching him the basics of computers and Muggle telecommunications. He divulged that he was part of a wizarding investor group, headed by Blaise Zabini, that was interested in integrating Muggle telecom into the wizarding world. After the perplexing encounter, she had spent the afternoon with Rose. They had a leisurely lunch, followed by an afternoon reading by the poolside. She was amazed when she had learned that the ship housed a library on board. She and Rose had borrowed several books to read. Even though a cruise was not her ideal mode of travel, she had to admit, it was a perfect setting for relaxation.
Lost in her musings, she didn’t notice that Malfoy stood in front of her until he let out a cough. She looked up and noticed two things immediately. The first was that Malfoy looked dashing in his linen jacket and trousers. The second and more pressing detail was that Scorpius was not beside him.
“Where's Scorpius?"
She hoped he had gone to the loo and was set to arrive any minute. Morning chats were all well and good, but she had no intention of having dinner alone with Malfoy.
“He’s feeling ill,” he blinked, “Where’s Rose?”
“She has a headache.”
The stared at each other awkwardly for a moment until the maitre d’ addressed them, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" he asked inquiringly.
Their heads snapped to attention, Hermione's eyes wide while Draco's were nearly bursting out of their sockets. She watched amusedly as he began to stammer, "Oh, actually we... uh, we're not- well she is, but I..."
The hilarity of the situation combined with Malfoy’s comical expression caused her to burst into unrestrained laughter.
Hermione laughed and laughed. She had never seen him so tongue-tied before, or his pale face so alarmingly red.
He turned to her, eyes narrowed into a glare and turned to address the maitre d'. "Yes that's us," he replied spitefully.
Her laughter died in her throat and she stared at him in shock. The maitre d’ motioned for them to follow but she stayed rooted to the spot. Draco placed his hand on the small of her back and she stiffened. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Now now Mrs. Granger, don't make a scene," while gesturing to the crowded restaurant.
Reluctantly, Hermione stepped forward and followed the maitre d’ to their table. "What are you doing?" she whispered, her head half turned towards him. “And get your hand off of me,” she hissed. He gave no indication that he heard her and she fumed inwardly. She despised being ignored. Her mind searched frantically for ways to extricate herself from this situation but the feeling of Draco’s warm breath on the back of her neck had left her dazed.
Shortly after being seated, they were greeted by their sommelier. “Good evening, Monsieur et Madame Granger. My name is Jean. Can I interest you in a selection of our wines?” He stated, while proffering a list of wines.
“We’ll take a bottle of the Albariño.” Draco figured he would need a drink or two if he was going to sit through dinner with Granger.
“Ah excellent choice. It has good legs." Jean winked at Hermione, "It will give the lovely lady a rosy glow.”
Hermione face flushed at his comments. Draco scowled. The man has some nerve, flirting with a married woman in front of her husband.
“Yeah okay, thanks Jim,” he said brushing off the waiter with a dismissive hand.
When Jean was out of earshot, Hermione rounded on Draco. “That was rude," she scolded. "And his name is Jean.”
“Jenny, Jim, whatever," he waved his hand flippantly, "I didn't realize you were this naive. Clearly Jimmy here is expecting a big tip. All the flattery is part and parcel of his job.”
Hermione seethed. The man in front of her was absolutely infuriating. She picked up the menu and held it close to her face. If she saw that smirk on Draco’s face again, she was going to strangle him. She scanned the menu with a summary glance, too preoccupied thinking up excuses to leave early. Lost in her thoughts, she took no notice when the waiter appeared to take their order.
Hermione finally looked up from the menu just in time to hear Malfoy finishing his order.
“For the main entrée, I will have the Veal Scaloppine al Limon and my wife will have the Linguine Con Aragosta E Zucchini.”
Hermione balked at his presumption. “I’ll have you know that I am perfectly capable of ordering for myself.”
“I certainly don’t have time to wait for you to make up your mind. I'm quite hungry, and I’m sure you must be as well. It looked like you were planning to eat the menu,” he snickered.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and shook her head, berating herself, "I shouldn’t have even come here."
“You were going to stand me up? Deprive me of your company?" Malfoy clutched a hand over his heart in mocking, "Ouch, Granger.”
---
They were silent as they waited for their food to arrive. Hermione tried her best to ignore Malfoy, focusing her gaze around the restaurant and the decor. Draco continued to stare at Hermione, intending to unnerve her. To his horror, he found himself thinking that Hermione looked quite attractive today. He shook his head, perhaps he’d had a bit too much to drink. But to be honest, green really did suit her quite nicely, and that dress was rather... sexy. Hermione shifted in discomfort and he swallowed at the sight of her cleavage. Realizing where Draco’s gaze was focused, Hermione felt her cheeks her grow hot. The blush spread down to her chest.
While Draco was battling his unexpected attraction to Hermione Granger, she, was battling her inner thoughts. I’m nervous. Why am I nervous? He's just Malfoy. Look up and talk to him. Oh god. He’s staring at my chest. Where is a menu to hide behind when I need one?
Eventually, the silence was broken by Draco. He raised his glass, “Why don’t we make a toast? To...”
“To our children,” she offered, then realizing the implications, squeaked out, “yours and mine, separately and erm... not ours, together.”
Hermione mentally smacked herself in the head. What is it about Malfoy that makes me do and say ridiculous things?
---
Thankfully, the rest of the night's dinner conversation wasn't nearly as awkward. They managed to behave like mature, civil adults. They talked about their respective jobs, their friends, and of course, their children. After finishing their meal, they decided not to linger. Both were concerned about their children. They stood up, and walked towards the restaurant exit. When Draco placed his hand on Hermione’s back, instead of recoiling as before she just gave him a quizzical look.
“Got to keep up appearances Mrs. Granger,” he explained.
It was a warm, summer night and a gently breeze flowed through the partially open-air deck. They stood outside the restaurant uncomfortably.
“That was nice Malfoy.” She shuffled her feet, feeling all the awkwardness of a first date. Except this wasn’t a date. Not even remotely close, was it? Hermione shook her head. No, this was just a meeting between friends. Were they even friends? “So err... I suppose I'll see you... “
"Just one second. There's something we need to discuss." At her quizzical look, he elaborated, "It's to do with Scorpius and Rose."
Hermione looked at him in question.
He gestured for her to lead the way as they walked to their rooms. "I have a suspicion regarding those two. I think my son and your daughter are up to something."
"What?"
"Don't you find it strange that they're always running off somewhere, eager to be alone?"
"I don't know. Maybe they just want to spend with each other. Isn't that what kids their age do? Run off at every opportunity and shun their parents' company."
"What about this whole dinner thing? Do you think it's merely coincidence that they're both sick? At the same time?"
Hermione bristled, "What are you insinuating about my daughter, Malfoy?"
"I don't know. I just think something is going on. A Slytherin knows these things."
They finally arrived in front of Hermione's room, and they lingered at the door for a bit.
Draco smirked, "Sorry Granger, I don’t kiss on the first date.”
“Prat," she hit his arm, "as if I would want to kiss you. And this is not a date-"
Thunk. - "Scorpius, give it here!" - "No! This is too much!" - Plunk.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes."
They quickly pressed their ears against the door, trying to discern the muffled sounds that passed through. It sounded like Scorpius and Rose were arguing.
Hermione moved away from the door. "I don't feel comfortable spying on our kids,” she whispered.
"Well, that's too bad for you. However, I have no qualms doing so." He pressed his ear closer.
She debated with herself for a moment before quickly reclaiming her position at the door. "Oh, move over Malfoy."
---
"Rose, I don't think this is working out."
"What do you mean 'not working out'?"
"I mean this. I don't think it's a good idea."
"But-"
"I give up."
"You're giving up? Just like that?"
( 'Oh my god..' - 'shh' - 'are they dating?' - 'sounds like they just broke up' - 'but Rose is too young to date!' - 'Granger. Shut. Up. I'm trying to hear.' )
"Ok fine. Maybe this is taking it a little bit too far."
"A bit? You're holding a love potion in your hand. Why would you even con-"
“I got the idea from my dad.”
“What?! Your dad knows about this?”
“Nooo... what I meant was that I got the inspiration from him. He once ate a box of chocolates which were spiked with love potion.”
"And now you're going to give these biscuits-"
"Scorpius, relax."
"-spiked with love potion-"
"It's not a real love potion!"
"-to our parents?!"
( 'love potion? why would they give us love potion?' - 'see Granger, I told you they were up to something' )
"It's bad enough that we're trying to set them up, but using a love potion on them? I don't like it."
"It'll be perfectly fine. It's just a cheap love potion from my uncle's joke shop. The most it'll do is make them feel a temporary attraction to each other."
"And how is that supposed to help? If it's temporary?"
"It's just to give them a little nudge in the right direction. That's all."
---
"I don't believe this," Hermione stated, visibly upset. "Why would they do this?" She began to pace back and forth, "What possible reason could they have to set us up?-I mean, this is us-you and me.
"First of all, calm down. They'll hear us. As for your question," he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know what goes on in the minds of thirteen year-olds."
"They planned this," she muttered.
"Clearly."
"That's why they've been leaving us alone all the time."
"Obviously."
"They have no right to meddle in our lives."
"Agreed."
"What should we do?"
"Well if you ask me, I say they should be taught a lesson."
"Malfoy, we're not children." She looked at him seriously, "I'd rather handle this situation like adults and confront them directly. I'm going in to talk to them.”
Hermione stepped towards the door but was stopped by Draco's hand on her arm.
"You're right. We're not children. We're adults. Which is why Scorpius and Rose need to be taught that it's unacceptable for them to interfere in our adult lives."
"And how do you propose we teach them?" She queried skeptically.
"Take it from a Slytherin. We don't learn lessons from being scolded. We learn them from being thoroughly humiliated."
Hermione snorted, "You learn from being humiliated? That's ridiculous."
"I'm not suggesting we humiliate them. Just embarrass them a bit. Make them feel foolish for trying to play matchmaker."
She raised her arms in defeat, "Alright then, what's your brilliant plan?"
He grinned sheepishly, "Err... don't actually have a plan yet. I'll let you know when I think of something but until then, don't let on that we know of their devious scheming."
Day 6: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Draco and Hermione stood atop Mount Srd waiting for Rose and Scorpius's cable car to arrive. The view of Dubrovnik was spectacular but Hermione found it hard to pay it any mind as she paced nervously. Moments earlier, as they had all been waiting at the base of the mountain, her sneaky daughter had offered her and Draco a tin of biscuits that she'd brought for the trip as a snack. Hermione had balked when Draco had accepted the proffered tin of biscuits-a glint in his eye-and then whisked her into a cable car, allowing Rose and Scorpius to take the next one up the mountain. During their cable car ride, he proceeded to inform her of his "brilliant" plan and had somehow gotten her to agree.
"I can't believe we're going to do this."
“Come on, Granger. Live a little. It'll be fun."
"I don't really think that pretending to like you is my idea of fun, Malfoy!"
"Well then, don't pretend," he replied with a cheeky smirk. Draco wrapped her hand in his. "Here they come. Just follow my lead," he whispered under his breath.
Hermione watched as Rose and Scorpius disembarked the cable car and approached them, their jaws dropping at the sight of their parents hand in hand.
With a dramatic flourish, Draco raised Hermione’s hand to his mouth and placed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “Scorpius. Rose. We have an announcement to make.”
Hermione smiled nervously. "We are..." She turned to Draco and was met with his piercing eyes, gazing at her in adoration. Her stomach did a tumble. He was good. That loving look almost seemed genuine. She tried to continue but fumbled with her words when Draco's hand tightened its grip.
Draco continued for her, "We're in love" he stated dramatically, smiling at the children's dumbfounded looks.
He gazed affectionately at her. "Hermione, I love your bush brown hair," he pulled on a lock of her curls, "and your eyes are like pools of chocolate fondue, your freckles like cocoa powder."
Hermione bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing. He was really piling on the cheesiness. She decided to follow suit, "Oh Drakie!" She latched onto his neck and stroked her hands in his hair (taking advantage of the chance to see if his hair felt as silky as it looked). "You are stunningly handsome with your pretty straw-coloured hair, and your pale skin that just glitters in the sun."
He seemed surprised by her closeness and his eyes twinkled in mirth. He bent down on one knee, giving her an impish grin, "Marry me Hermie?"
"Of course I will Drakie."
Draco stood up and gathered Hermione in his arms.
"Rosie! Scorpie! Did you hear that? We're getting married," exclaimed Hermione, grinning at the repulsed looks on their faces upon hearing their nicknames.
"We must wed immediately. I just can't wait to get my little Hermie alone and oomph-" Hermione's eyes widened upon realizing what she was doing. She had kissed Malfoy on impulse in order to stop him from saying something inappropriate. She tried pulling away but he just pulled her closer. He was quite a good kisser and she couldn't help melting into his arms.
Throughout the entire act, Rose and Scorpius had been silent, staring on in abject horror.
"Merlin, what did we do?" Scorpius lamented, “I told you not to give them the biscuits.”
"But-, but- I don't get it! They're not supposed to act like this!"
"Maybe the potion's defective? Maybe Potter did something to them?"
"How long do you think it'll last?"
"How should I know?!"
"Oh gosh, they're still kissing. Stop them!"
"How? What do I do?"
"I don't know! Just get them to stop!"
Rose and Scorpius were in near hysterics, panicked looks on their faces. Rose grabbed a hold of her mother's shirt while Scorpius was trying to pry his father's arms away from Hermione.
The entire scene was completely absurd. Draco and Hermione broke away from each other and promptly burst into laughter.
Rose and Scorpius stopped and stared.
"Have they gone mad?" asked a bewildered Scorpius.
When Draco and Hermione had sufficiently calmed down, Draco stated, "Yes son, we are most certainly mad." He couldn't help but get one last quip in, "Mad for each other."
Rose furrowed her brows, and looked to her mother, "Mum, what's going on?"
Hermione took pity on her perplexed daughter, "Rose... we were joking."
"You two were... acting just now?'
Hermione nodded her head.
"Merlin's beard, I thought..." Rose stopped, “...you two know?” Her eyes goggled.
"If," Hermione crossed her arms, "you are talking about your little matchmaking scheme, then yes, we know."
"But- how?" asked Scorpius.
Draco looked between the two children. “I commend you two on your ambitious plan," he patronized, "but you forget that I'm a Slytherin and am very sensitive to ambitious plots."
"And," Hermione interjected, "we are older and wiser than you. Plus, you two weren't exactly subtle in your machinations."
“Listen, we're really sorry,” Scorpius stammered and quickly glanced towards his father, "It-, it was all my idea."
Rose, in a meeker tone than usual, stated, “Mr. Malfoy, don’t be angry with Scorpius. And please ignore his attempt at gallantry. It was all my idea.” She turned to Hermione, peering up at her mother through the fringe of her curls, “Mum, I’m sorry. Are you very angry?”
Hermione heaved a sigh, “No, I’m not angry. I’m just trying to understand why you decided to do this."
“I just wanted you to be happy again," she tried to explain, "like dad is with Cora.”
“Oh, Rose. I am happy. Amazingly happy. I'm blessed with beautiful, intelligent, children. What more could I ask for?” Hermione felt herself get teary-eyed.
"But why are you always working?" Rose asked.
"I like working." She glared at Draco when he gave out a loud snort. "I enjoy my job," she continued, "but I never ever let it get in the way of my relationship with you and Hugo, because I enjoy my time with my children much more." Hermione opened her arms and Rose stepped into her embrace. She looked up at Draco and Scorpius who were off to the side and laughed when Draco awkwardly patted Scorpius on the back in a show of affection.
When Hermione and Rose disentangled, she bade Rose and Scorpius to come before her and donned her most stern look. “Let me get one thing clear to the both of you. Draco and I are adults, and we are quite capable of making our own decisions without any intervention on our behalf." She continued her lecture, "Now, promise me, no more meddling and no more scheming. Am I understood?”
Both children nodded their heads in acquiescence.
Hermione decided to lighten the mood and feeling rather mischievous, she retrieved Rose's tin of biscuits from her bag. “Now how about a snack before we explore the mountaintop." She offered them the tin, "Why don’t you children have some biscuits?”
Rose and Scorpius gave each other a horrified look and hurriedly began to stammer.
“Uh, no thanks mum. Actually I think those biscuits are bad. They might be from last year. You should throw them out immediately.”
“Yeah, Ms. Granger, we’re really full. Oh my, what an excellent view. We’re going to take a look.” They scurried away in an instant.
Left alone, Hermione and Draco faced each other, grinning. Not long afterwards they broke into howls of laughter.
“Did you see the looks on their faces?” He laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. "That was fun, wasn't it?"
“Yes, I thought your son was going to faint. And what was with the whole chocolate spiel?”
He shrugged, "I love chocolate."
When their laughter died down, Draco clasped Hermione's hand brought it to his chest. Her eyes widened when he started stroking his thumb across the back of her hand. His eyes turned solemn. “So Granger, should we set a date for the wedding?”
“Ha ha, very funny, Malfoy.” She released his hand and shoved against his shoulders.
Malfoy crossed his arms, “You compromised me with your kiss. I demand you do your duty and marry me.”
Hermione rolled her eyes at his dramatics. “If you must know, I did that to shut you up. You were about to say something inappropriate in front of Rose and Scorpius.”
Ignoring her, he continued on his rant. “I must admit, I was quite surprised by your," he glanced quickly at her and smirked, "forward displays of affection. I didn’t know I had that effect on you. But of course nobody can resist my charms.”
Hermione tried to push him again but he caught her arms and pulled her closer. Leaning in to her, he whispered, “Did you know, you turn the most attractive shade of red when you’re angry?”
He was so close that she felt his breath fanning across her cheek. He lightly traced her shoulder with the back of his fingers and an involuntary shudder rolled through her spine, knocking her mind out of focus. She couldn’t help but react to his words, even knowing that it was just a statement calculated to get a reaction out of her. She snapped out her daze. "Perhaps you haven’t noticed but our little charade is over. Now would you please stop with all this pretending?”
“What if I’m not pretending?” he countered, circling her waist in his arms.
Her eyes snapped up to his face and held his gaze, searching his eyes for any sign of insincerity.
Draco burst into peals of laughter.
Hermione mentally cursed herself. For a split second, she had almost believed he was serious. “You insufferable, arrogant arse. I can’t believe I kissed you,” she hit him squarely on the chest, “and you kissed me back!” she said accusingly.
“Very astute, Granger.”
Hermione tried to pull away from his grip on her but he wouldn’t release her. She pressed her face to his chest and groaned. “I can’t believe that I was actually starting to like you.”
“What did you say Granger?” He pulled back and now it was his turn to search her eyes.
“I said that I was starting to like you.” Her face flushed in embarrassment, “Was, being the operative word.”
“You mean to say, you don’t like me anymore?” Draco gave her a petulant pout. “Well, it seems we’re at cross purposes because I quite like you,” he grinned.
“You like me.” Hermione repeated, knitting her brows. She felt like a teenager all over again, agonizing over her first crush. Did he or did he not like her? And why did she care so much? “Malfoy, is this another joke? Because if it is, I swear I will push you right off this mountain.”
Draco shook his head, his expression earnest.
She bit her lip in contemplation. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she queried.
“You’re just going to have to trust me,” he said, a smug expression on his face.
She couldn’t help it, she laughed.
Draco’s smug grin morphed into a scowl. After a moment his expression turned hopeful, “Or I could convince you?” he asked.
“How?” she whispered, tilting her head up slightly.
He leaned in to her, “maybe if I did this?” He closed the gap between their lips, for a tentative kiss.
When his lips touched hers, Hermione closed her eyes and grasped his neck to pull him closer, running her fingers through his hair once more. However, she was a rational being and before she got lost in the kiss, there was still some rationalising that needed to be done. Hermione pulled away abruptly and dodged Draco as he tried to pull her back. “Why do you like me?” she questioned.
“Oh god, Granger,“ he groaned, "Don't tell me you're one of those women that need to hear 'I love you' twenty times a day." He pulled on a lock of her hair, “Insecurity is not an attractive look on you, Hermione”
She smacked him lightly on the chest. “Please satisfy my curiosity, just this once. I’m having a hard time making any sense of this. A few days ago we were at each other throats and now we seem to be... very friendly."
Draco sighed, thoughtful, "I like you because you’re cute."
“Don’t go singing my praises all at once,” Hermione’s lips quirked.
“I like you because you’re kind and caring and clever. You bite your lip when you're nervous, and when you’re worried about Rose you twist your shirt hem until it wrinkles. I like how you sometimes forget you’re a witch and don’t remember basic cooling charms. I like how you pretend to be an outdoorsy type when we both know you’d rather be indoors curled up with a good book. I like that despite your tendency to overplan and overanalyze, you still have a little impulsive streak in you." He tweaked her nose, "Your bossy demeanour is a huge turn-on, and I love that your blush reaches all the way down to your chest.” His gaze lowered deliberately. “Has your curiosity been sated?” he asked, arching one brow.
Hermione’s face was flushed, having gone through numerous stages of redness during his little speech. Who knew the man could be good for her ego? He moved in to kiss her but she held him at bay, feeling that he deserved a bit of teasing. Her expression turned serious, while her fingers splayed on his chest, smoothing the wrinkles on his shirt. “Now that I know why you like me, perhaps we should move on to more serious topics.” She brought her hands to rest on his shoulders. “Shall we discuss our upcoming nuptials? I was thinking sometime around August, you know, before the children go back to school. That would be ideal. But that only gives us about a month of planning.” She smiled up at him innocently, “What do you think?”
Draco’s mouth was agape, trying to suppress a painfully horrified expression. He struggled to formulate words, "I- , you- , we- , whaaaa-?" He had turned as articulate as a cave man.
Hermione sputtered with laughter, liking the way she made him tongue-tied, “How do you like being teased?”
His mouth formed into an ‘O’ of surprise, which subsequently spread into a wolfish grin. “I find I like it very well.” He pulled her closer and moved in for a kiss but she held him back once again, “Wait, don’t you want to know my reasons for liking you?”
He pretended to deliberate for a moment, then said, “Not particularly, no.” He dipped his head lower, determined to get a kiss.
Hermione brought her hand gently to his cheek, allowing his mouth to just barely graze hers. “You want to know something?” She stared up at Draco and met his piercing gaze. ”I think I’ve spent more time alone with you these past few days than I have in all our years of knowing each other.”
“That’s nice, Granger,” he drawled, cupping her cheeks, “Now, how about some real alone time.” Draco waggled his eyebrows, as he finally closed the distance between them.
The End. Fin. Fine. Kraju.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
ferretbush_post is the account the mods use to post the gifts. It has not created any of the gifts.
Author: widthsandcurves
Rating: PG
Recipient: czarmar
Disclaimer: JK Rowling's characters do not belong to me.
Warnings: This fic is a victim of scope creep.
Author Notes: To czarmar, let me just say that your prompt was a huge challenge for me, for reasons that I will not go into. The premise may seem a bit out of the blue and I apologize for that. It was conceived in a sleep-deprived mind that was hallucinating about skipping exams and going straight to summer. It may not be what you were expecting, and it needs some polishing, but I hope that you find something to like about it. Thank you to my beta Shelly for all your help during this hectic time.
Summary: Sometimes love is smooth sailing. Most times, it’s stormy waters. Not to worry, when you've got Rose and Scorpius at the helm of the ship.
Day 4: Capri, Italy
When the cruise ship docked at Sorrento, Italy, they decided to take a ferry to the island of Carpi. The ferry took them around the island, past the high limestone cliffs, and into the small harbour at Marina Piccola.
It was a sweltering day and there was a beach by the harbour where a number of people were swimming. Draco gestured to the swimmers and winked at Hermione, “So Granger, shall I be seeing you in a swimsuit anytime soon?”
She rolled her eyes. He seemed to be in an unusually jovial mood and had been acting flirtatious all day. She wondered if it was an effect of the heat.
After everyone had disembarked the ferry, the four of them set off on the hike that Hermione had planned. They walked uphill on the Via Krupp, a footpath built along the side of the cliffs, which would take them to the Augustus Gardens. The lane was narrow with hairpin bends. Hermione wasn't surprised at how the walking arrangements had turned out, with Rose and Scorpius walking side by side, followed closely by her and Draco.
“Mum we’re going to walk ahead!” Rose called out, already in the midst of quickening her pace.
The trail was designed in such a way that Scorpius and Rose would still be within easy sight and Hermione acquiesced. “That’s fine. Just be careful Rose.”
Rose paused for second pivoting to face her mother. "What about Scorpius?”
“He isn't half as rambunctious as you are and I'm sure he doesn't need to be told how to behave.” She gave the boy an expectant look.
Scorpius nodded curtly to both adults before darting after Rose.
The sun was high in the sky and by the time they'd made it halfway through their trek, Hermione was feeling hot and fatigued from the oppressive sun. Stopping to gain her breath, Hermione wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead and took a swig from her water bottle. She looked quizzically at Malfoy as he continued to trudge along the path effortlessly. He hardly looked tired.
Hermione rushed to catch up to him. “How are you walking so fast? And you’re not even breaking a sweat!”
He pointed to his feet, "I've got a cushioning charm on my shoes and I'm using a cooling charm.” He smirked at her condescendingly, "are you a witch, or aren't you?"
She sulked in indignation.
---
“Granger, I know I have nice legs, but there's no need to ogle.” Malfoy drawled, the tone in his voice was playful. Hermione drew her gaze back to Malfoy’s face. “You really need to learn how to be more discrete with your staring.”
"I wasn't staring at your legs. I was staring at your feet," she explained. Malfoy didn’t seem to understand what her point was. She continued, “I just noticed it now, but you’re wearing socks with sandals.”
Malfoy raised his head haughtily and sniffed, “I was told that this was appropriate footwear for today's excursion.”
"Oh, and who was your source?"
"Blaise Zabini. He's quite the Muggle enthusiast."
Hermione bit back her laughter, "Well apparently Blaise neglected to inform you that wearing socks with sandals, is a fashion faux-pas in the Muggle world.”
“As if you would know anything about fashion,” he scowled, "you're the one wearing shrunken trousers."
"These aren't shrunken trousers! For your information, these are capri trousers, and they happen to be very fashionable."
---
“Scorpius and I watched a moving last night on the telly,” he informed her.
“You mean a movie?”
“Yes, one of those,” he waved his hand dismissively. “It was called 127 Hours. Quite good, except for the whole cutting off the arm bit. It was too bad he couldn't Apparate out of that cliff," he said thoughtful. "Anyways, this hiking stuff is kind of exhilarating. Now I understand what compelled him to go walking through all those rocks."
“Draco," she checked his face wondering if he was serious, "we’re hiking on a paved footpath.”
---
Finally, they had made it up to the Augustus gardens. Hermione stood near the cliff look-out, admiring the view. It was a well appointed observation spot overlooking the island, with a perfect view of the Faraglioni rock formation. She looked below at the sheer drop to the sea. The lulling sound of the waves crashing against the cliff put her in a reflective mood. She thought about how strange the past few days had been. Although this trip wasn’t turning out exactly how she had envisioned, she found herself enjoying it all the same. In spite of (or because of?) Draco's company. This trip was supposed to be a chance to relax. And though Malfoy certainly made it far from relaxing, she felt a certain lightness about her.
"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked as he approached her.
"You, actually."
Draco gave her a mock horrified expression. "Granger, I know I infuriate you and make you pull want out your ugly hair, but that's no reason to jump-"
She couldn't help but crack a smile. "I'm not planning to jump, you dolt."
"Well then, what about me?" Draco's eyes gleamed predatorily.
---
After descending the cliff, they had decided to visit the famed Blue Grotto. They opted to go by boat rather than the long walk. After some asking around they managed to rent a rowboat from a kind old man named Giovanni and soon after settling themselves in, they pushed off from the dock.
“Malfoy, are you sure you can operate this boat?”
“Sure I can. How hard can it be? Now, these wooden things go in the water, correct?” he asked, holding the oars aloft.
Hermione’s eyes widened into saucers. “Malfoy!”
Draco snickered. “I’m kidding Granger. Relax, I know a charm to make the boat move without paddles. It’s the same one they use for the Hogwarts boats that first years take to the castle.”
“But there’s Muggles around. We can’t just have a boat that moves on its own.”
Draco sighed in exasperation. “Oh alright, I’ll pretend to row. Happy?”
A few minutes later, Draco began to whine. “My arms are hurting...”
“You’re not even rowing. You’re just holding up the oars.”
“Here father, move over, I’ll take them.”
Hermione’s jaw dropped as Draco moved to the side of the seat. The man was an utter cur. “No Scorpius, give them to me,” she interjected. She carefully transferred herself from across Draco and onto the seat next to him. She grasped the oars and held them upright through the water.
Not long after, her arms began to sag. The oars were pretty heavy. She glanced to her left to see Malfoy chuckling at her discomfort.
“It's not so easy, is it? Hmm?" He arched one brow, "But it looks like you’ve got it all covered. Do let me know when your arms get fatigued. I’ll be glad to offer my assistance.”
Two seconds later, Hermione was laughing at Malfoy's drenched form after she had lifted the oars over top of him.
When they finally made it to the Blue Grotto, there was no one around. The boatmen had left for the day, and with them, all the tourists. The entrance was a tiny opening, which they managed to squeeze through.
Rose who was facing the cavern's opening gasped in awe. "Mum, look, it's beautiful," she gushed.
Turning around, Hermione's breath caught at the sight of the vibrant blue water, illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the cave's opening. There was silence as they all admired the view.
Hermione turned to her daughter, "Did you know that the locals used to avoid this place because it was said to be inhabited by witches and monsters?"
"Was it really?" asked Rose curiously.
"Well, technically no witches actually lived here. However, this is the place where the witches and wizards of the island occasionally held meetings with the merpeople of the area."
"I want to see merpeople," Rose exclaimed excitedly.
All of a sudden, Rose jumped into the water.
"Rose!" Hermione screeched. "Get out of there. It's dangerous."
"Mum, calm down, it's so refreshing. The water's warm. Scorpius, are you coming?"
Ever the obedient boy, he turned to his father to ask permission before joining Rose in the water.
"Mum, get in here." Rose gave her mother an exaggerated pout.
Hermione hesitated.
"Yes, Granger. Don't be such a stick in the mud."
"I don't see you jumping in."
"Ok, I will."
"Fine. Let's go."
They braced themselves against the side of the boat and pushed off simultaneously.
Hermione smiled after taking the plunge. It was warm, and refreshing after spending the day hiking under the sun. She emerged for breath and screamed out loud when she opened her eyes and came face to face with Draco Malfoy head encased in a bubble. "What are you doing?! Get rid of the bubble-head!"
"I don't want my hair to get wet," he whined. "The sea water will dry it out.”
"Sometimes the locals come in here to swim. They'll see you."
Draco refused to listen, and in frustration Hermione sent an Aguamenti charm at him. What ensued was a very intense water fight between the four. Thankfully, no locals came out to swim that day.
Day 5: At Sea
Hermione liked to think that she was the kind of person who could look past a person's history and recognize when they've changed. She wasn't the type to hold a grudge. However, in this particular instance, she was having a hard time reconciling Draco, Scorpius's father, with Malfoy, bane of her Hogwarts existence. The Draco Malfoy of late was still as infuriating as ever, but the viciousness and animosity that had plagued their Hogwarts years was all but nonexistent. It was strange what years of experience and maturity could to a person.
These thoughts were brought about as she was writing an e-mail to Harry (who was unusually tech-savvy). She had finished writing about the perfunctory details of the trip. The ship is gigantic, the rooms are nice, food is tasty, service is good, yes… there are a lot of elderly people, etc. However she wasn't quite sure what to write to regarding Malfoy. Florence is a charming city, Capri is breathtaking... Oh, and by the way, Malfoy's here with his son and we've been sightseeing together. Incidentally, he is still a bit of an arse, but he's starting to grow on me. That would go over well, she thought sarcastically. She could just imagine it now. Harry spewing coffee out of his mouth in shock after reading his Sunday morning e-mail. In all likelihood, he'd call Ginny into the room to verify that he wasn't dreaming, which would then be followed by a harrowed Floo call to Ron. She laughed at the mental image.
It was late in the morning and Rose was off rock climbing with Scorpius. Hermione had decided to take advantage of the ship's onboard wi-fi to complete her correspondence. She had already written a lengthy e-mail to her parents, which also included a letter for Hugo. She was deciding what to write Ron when she heard a knock on the door. It was Malfoy, much to her consternation. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
He brusquely brushed past her, scrutinizing the room, and sniffed disdainfully, "A bit on the small side, isn't it?"
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Rose and I make do." She remained standing by the door. "Why are you here?" she asked tersely.
"I'm bored."
"And now you've decided to actively seek my company?" she arched one brow delicately.
"Don't get too high on yourself, Granger. We wouldn't want that head of yours to get any bigger."
"Yes," she replied sarcastically, "because we both know I'm the one with the ego."
"Exactly," he smirked.
"Did you come all this way to annoy me?"
"No," he sat himself in an armchair, "I came all this way to impose my presence on you, with the hopes that your annoyance would provide a satisfactory source of amusement." He gave her an impudent grin.
Sensing that he wasn't about to leave anytime soon, she flopped herself back onto the chair in front of her laptop.
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.
"I'm writing a letter to Harry."
His brows scrunched, "You have an owl? I thought animals weren't allowed on board."
"No, I don't have an owl," she informed him, "I'm sending a letter via e-mail."
He stared at her blankly. "E-mail?"
"It's a form of Muggle communication," she began to explain, "it uses something called the internet to send an electronic mail message."
"Internet," he repeated. "Does that have anything to do with the world wide web?" he asked inquisitively.
Hermione shot him an incredulous look.
"Blaise told me about it," he smiled proudly. "Now, tell me more about this 'internet'."
She raised an eyebrow, skeptical, "You really want to know?"
He grinned widely, "Let's call this the beginning of my Muggle enlightenment."
---
Later that day, Hermione and Rose sat lounging by the pool, with books in hand. Hermione was still reeling from the bizarre morning she'd had.
"Mum, don't our cruise tickets come with a reservation to one of the specialty restaurants. Prego, I think it’s called? Could we eat there later tonight?”
“I suppose we could...”
“Can we invite Scorpius and Mr. Malfoy?”
“Err, yes, if you like.”
---
As Hermione slipped on her earrings, she examined her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Merlin, this was strange. She had rarely socialized in the past year and hadn't had any reason to dress up in ages. Thankfully she'd brought with her a suitable dress to wear. It was a recent purchase. Prior to going on their trip, Rose had insisted on new dresses at Madam Malkin’s. She had readily consented, primarily because the duo rarely indulged in clothes shopping, much preferring to shop at Flourish and Blotts. Rose was particularly adamant about this emerald green silk dress, which Hermione suspected was Rose’s Slytherin tendencies showing through.
"Rose, are you ready?" she called out as she emerged from the bathroom.
Rose sat up from her perch on the bed and promptly began to fawn over her mother. "Wow mum, you look gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. And what a lovely colour."
Hermione's smile turned into a frown when she realized her daughter was clad only in pyjamas.
"Sweetheart, why aren't you dressed?"
Rose brought her hands to her forehead with a dramatic flourish. "I'm not feeling well, mum. I have a really bad headache,” she rubbed her temples for emphasis.
“Oh darling, are you alright?" Hermione asked, concerned. She walked towards the bathroom, "I'll go get you a headache potion.”
“It’s okay mum. I’ve already taken some. I'll be fine," Rose assured her. "You should head down to the restaurant, it’s almost 7.”
Hermione looked at her daughter quizzically, “Rose, you know I’m not going to dinner without you." She smoothed a hand over her daughter's curls, "Not to worry, I'll go and inform Scorpius and his father that we won’t be able to join them.”
“No!" Rose cried out, and then in a calmer tone, "I mean, no, you should still go. Scorpius is really excited about visiting Dubrovnik tomorrow. He was looking forward to talking to you about it. I told him that you visited there for one of your Ministry cases. He has a lot of interest in history and wants to know more about the Dalmatian Wizarding Wars. Please mum, I don’t want to disappoint him.”
"I’m sure Scorpius will understand, dear," Hermione patted her daughter on the shoulder. "We will have other chances to talk. Especially if you two stop running off all the time."
"But mum," Rose whined, "I want you to get to know Scorpius better. He's a real good friend. Please mum, go for me.” said Rose, as she gently pushed her mother out the door.
“I suppose I could go down for a bit. But let me call for your dinner.”
Rose placed her hands on her hips, “Mum, I’m almost fourteen," she huffed. "I’m perfectly capable of ordering room service. Now," she took her mother by the shoulders and steered her towards the door, "go, you’re going to be late.”
Hermione knew there was no arguing with a determined Rose. The girl was more stubborn than her father and mother combined. She gave Rose a kiss goodbye and was on her way. Hopefully she could make her apologies, leave dinner early, and return to Rose directly.
--
Scorpius's loud and insistent knocking startled Rose as she was reading a book. She opened the door and let him in.
"How did it go?” he asked as he settled himself in an armchair.
“Well, mum left about twenty minutes ago and she hasn't come back yet, so I suppose... so far, so good?”
Scorpius grimaced in pain as he felt his stomach churn.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I have a stomach ache," he clutched his midsection, "and I can't stop vomiting." Another round of puke tried to force its way up his throat, "urgh,” he groaned in discomfort.
Rose rushed to get a trash bin and placed it beside him, “Throw up in here if you need to.” She watched in revulsion as he emptied the contents of his stomach. “You Malfoy men have such weak constitutions. Is it sea sickness?"
"No," he moaned, "Puking Pastille."
"Say that again?"
“I ate a Puking Pastille.”
“Whatever for?” Rose spluttered out.
Scorpius looked sheepish, "I didn't think father would have believed me if I just told him I was sick. You know how lousy I am at faking.”
"Well then, eat the antidote," she suggested.
"I did."
“It didn't work?" She was flummoxed. "What flavour was it?”
“Ralphing Raspberry”
“What?! Where'd you get that from? It’s not on the shelves yet. Uncle George said it was still in testing.”
“James Potter gave it to me. Said it was an exclusive preview of the new flavour.”
Rose couldn't help but chuckle, "Scorpius, you idiot."
He glowered, "Thanks for the sympathy Rose."
"Why would you trust James enough to even take anything from him?" She shook her head disapprovingly, "after all the pranks he’s pulled on you? You know you’re going to be puking for another hour, at least."
Rose was sitting on the bed reading out loud (to help Scorpius take his mind off of his predicament) when there was a knock on the door.
Scorpius looked up, "Who's that? Is your mum back already?"
She got up to answer the door, "Nope. It's room service," she grinned. She was famished.
Minutes later, Rose had set out her mini-feast on the side table, comprised of butter chicken, naan, and cilantro chutney. She offered to share with Scorpius but he declined for obvious reasons.
After swallowing a mouthful of naan and butter chicken, she noticed Scorpius staring enviously at her. With every bite she took, he looked more and more forlorn. She couldn’t help herself. “Mmm,” she swallowed another bite, “Scorpius, you have to try this. It tastes amaaazing.
He shot her a glare that his father would’ve been proud of, “You are a cruel, cruel girl, Rose Weasley.”
---
Hermione stood outside the entrance of the restaurant straightening her clothes and patting down her hair. She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and walked through the door.
She approached the maitre d’ citing a reservation under Granger. She was informed that the table was just being prepared and was directed to wait at the bar and lounge area. It seemed that Draco and Scorpius hadn’t arrived yet.
She walked towards the bar, her mind preoccupied, contemplating the events of the day. During her morning interaction with Draco, she had ended up teaching him the basics of computers and Muggle telecommunications. He divulged that he was part of a wizarding investor group, headed by Blaise Zabini, that was interested in integrating Muggle telecom into the wizarding world. After the perplexing encounter, she had spent the afternoon with Rose. They had a leisurely lunch, followed by an afternoon reading by the poolside. She was amazed when she had learned that the ship housed a library on board. She and Rose had borrowed several books to read. Even though a cruise was not her ideal mode of travel, she had to admit, it was a perfect setting for relaxation.
Lost in her musings, she didn’t notice that Malfoy stood in front of her until he let out a cough. She looked up and noticed two things immediately. The first was that Malfoy looked dashing in his linen jacket and trousers. The second and more pressing detail was that Scorpius was not beside him.
“Where's Scorpius?"
She hoped he had gone to the loo and was set to arrive any minute. Morning chats were all well and good, but she had no intention of having dinner alone with Malfoy.
“He’s feeling ill,” he blinked, “Where’s Rose?”
“She has a headache.”
The stared at each other awkwardly for a moment until the maitre d’ addressed them, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" he asked inquiringly.
Their heads snapped to attention, Hermione's eyes wide while Draco's were nearly bursting out of their sockets. She watched amusedly as he began to stammer, "Oh, actually we... uh, we're not- well she is, but I..."
The hilarity of the situation combined with Malfoy’s comical expression caused her to burst into unrestrained laughter.
Hermione laughed and laughed. She had never seen him so tongue-tied before, or his pale face so alarmingly red.
He turned to her, eyes narrowed into a glare and turned to address the maitre d'. "Yes that's us," he replied spitefully.
Her laughter died in her throat and she stared at him in shock. The maitre d’ motioned for them to follow but she stayed rooted to the spot. Draco placed his hand on the small of her back and she stiffened. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Now now Mrs. Granger, don't make a scene," while gesturing to the crowded restaurant.
Reluctantly, Hermione stepped forward and followed the maitre d’ to their table. "What are you doing?" she whispered, her head half turned towards him. “And get your hand off of me,” she hissed. He gave no indication that he heard her and she fumed inwardly. She despised being ignored. Her mind searched frantically for ways to extricate herself from this situation but the feeling of Draco’s warm breath on the back of her neck had left her dazed.
Shortly after being seated, they were greeted by their sommelier. “Good evening, Monsieur et Madame Granger. My name is Jean. Can I interest you in a selection of our wines?” He stated, while proffering a list of wines.
“We’ll take a bottle of the Albariño.” Draco figured he would need a drink or two if he was going to sit through dinner with Granger.
“Ah excellent choice. It has good legs." Jean winked at Hermione, "It will give the lovely lady a rosy glow.”
Hermione face flushed at his comments. Draco scowled. The man has some nerve, flirting with a married woman in front of her husband.
“Yeah okay, thanks Jim,” he said brushing off the waiter with a dismissive hand.
When Jean was out of earshot, Hermione rounded on Draco. “That was rude," she scolded. "And his name is Jean.”
“Jenny, Jim, whatever," he waved his hand flippantly, "I didn't realize you were this naive. Clearly Jimmy here is expecting a big tip. All the flattery is part and parcel of his job.”
Hermione seethed. The man in front of her was absolutely infuriating. She picked up the menu and held it close to her face. If she saw that smirk on Draco’s face again, she was going to strangle him. She scanned the menu with a summary glance, too preoccupied thinking up excuses to leave early. Lost in her thoughts, she took no notice when the waiter appeared to take their order.
Hermione finally looked up from the menu just in time to hear Malfoy finishing his order.
“For the main entrée, I will have the Veal Scaloppine al Limon and my wife will have the Linguine Con Aragosta E Zucchini.”
Hermione balked at his presumption. “I’ll have you know that I am perfectly capable of ordering for myself.”
“I certainly don’t have time to wait for you to make up your mind. I'm quite hungry, and I’m sure you must be as well. It looked like you were planning to eat the menu,” he snickered.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and shook her head, berating herself, "I shouldn’t have even come here."
“You were going to stand me up? Deprive me of your company?" Malfoy clutched a hand over his heart in mocking, "Ouch, Granger.”
---
They were silent as they waited for their food to arrive. Hermione tried her best to ignore Malfoy, focusing her gaze around the restaurant and the decor. Draco continued to stare at Hermione, intending to unnerve her. To his horror, he found himself thinking that Hermione looked quite attractive today. He shook his head, perhaps he’d had a bit too much to drink. But to be honest, green really did suit her quite nicely, and that dress was rather... sexy. Hermione shifted in discomfort and he swallowed at the sight of her cleavage. Realizing where Draco’s gaze was focused, Hermione felt her cheeks her grow hot. The blush spread down to her chest.
While Draco was battling his unexpected attraction to Hermione Granger, she, was battling her inner thoughts. I’m nervous. Why am I nervous? He's just Malfoy. Look up and talk to him. Oh god. He’s staring at my chest. Where is a menu to hide behind when I need one?
Eventually, the silence was broken by Draco. He raised his glass, “Why don’t we make a toast? To...”
“To our children,” she offered, then realizing the implications, squeaked out, “yours and mine, separately and erm... not ours, together.”
Hermione mentally smacked herself in the head. What is it about Malfoy that makes me do and say ridiculous things?
---
Thankfully, the rest of the night's dinner conversation wasn't nearly as awkward. They managed to behave like mature, civil adults. They talked about their respective jobs, their friends, and of course, their children. After finishing their meal, they decided not to linger. Both were concerned about their children. They stood up, and walked towards the restaurant exit. When Draco placed his hand on Hermione’s back, instead of recoiling as before she just gave him a quizzical look.
“Got to keep up appearances Mrs. Granger,” he explained.
It was a warm, summer night and a gently breeze flowed through the partially open-air deck. They stood outside the restaurant uncomfortably.
“That was nice Malfoy.” She shuffled her feet, feeling all the awkwardness of a first date. Except this wasn’t a date. Not even remotely close, was it? Hermione shook her head. No, this was just a meeting between friends. Were they even friends? “So err... I suppose I'll see you... “
"Just one second. There's something we need to discuss." At her quizzical look, he elaborated, "It's to do with Scorpius and Rose."
Hermione looked at him in question.
He gestured for her to lead the way as they walked to their rooms. "I have a suspicion regarding those two. I think my son and your daughter are up to something."
"What?"
"Don't you find it strange that they're always running off somewhere, eager to be alone?"
"I don't know. Maybe they just want to spend with each other. Isn't that what kids their age do? Run off at every opportunity and shun their parents' company."
"What about this whole dinner thing? Do you think it's merely coincidence that they're both sick? At the same time?"
Hermione bristled, "What are you insinuating about my daughter, Malfoy?"
"I don't know. I just think something is going on. A Slytherin knows these things."
They finally arrived in front of Hermione's room, and they lingered at the door for a bit.
Draco smirked, "Sorry Granger, I don’t kiss on the first date.”
“Prat," she hit his arm, "as if I would want to kiss you. And this is not a date-"
Thunk. - "Scorpius, give it here!" - "No! This is too much!" - Plunk.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes."
They quickly pressed their ears against the door, trying to discern the muffled sounds that passed through. It sounded like Scorpius and Rose were arguing.
Hermione moved away from the door. "I don't feel comfortable spying on our kids,” she whispered.
"Well, that's too bad for you. However, I have no qualms doing so." He pressed his ear closer.
She debated with herself for a moment before quickly reclaiming her position at the door. "Oh, move over Malfoy."
---
"Rose, I don't think this is working out."
"What do you mean 'not working out'?"
"I mean this. I don't think it's a good idea."
"But-"
"I give up."
"You're giving up? Just like that?"
( 'Oh my god..' - 'shh' - 'are they dating?' - 'sounds like they just broke up' - 'but Rose is too young to date!' - 'Granger. Shut. Up. I'm trying to hear.' )
"Ok fine. Maybe this is taking it a little bit too far."
"A bit? You're holding a love potion in your hand. Why would you even con-"
“I got the idea from my dad.”
“What?! Your dad knows about this?”
“Nooo... what I meant was that I got the inspiration from him. He once ate a box of chocolates which were spiked with love potion.”
"And now you're going to give these biscuits-"
"Scorpius, relax."
"-spiked with love potion-"
"It's not a real love potion!"
"-to our parents?!"
( 'love potion? why would they give us love potion?' - 'see Granger, I told you they were up to something' )
"It's bad enough that we're trying to set them up, but using a love potion on them? I don't like it."
"It'll be perfectly fine. It's just a cheap love potion from my uncle's joke shop. The most it'll do is make them feel a temporary attraction to each other."
"And how is that supposed to help? If it's temporary?"
"It's just to give them a little nudge in the right direction. That's all."
---
"I don't believe this," Hermione stated, visibly upset. "Why would they do this?" She began to pace back and forth, "What possible reason could they have to set us up?-I mean, this is us-you and me.
"First of all, calm down. They'll hear us. As for your question," he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know what goes on in the minds of thirteen year-olds."
"They planned this," she muttered.
"Clearly."
"That's why they've been leaving us alone all the time."
"Obviously."
"They have no right to meddle in our lives."
"Agreed."
"What should we do?"
"Well if you ask me, I say they should be taught a lesson."
"Malfoy, we're not children." She looked at him seriously, "I'd rather handle this situation like adults and confront them directly. I'm going in to talk to them.”
Hermione stepped towards the door but was stopped by Draco's hand on her arm.
"You're right. We're not children. We're adults. Which is why Scorpius and Rose need to be taught that it's unacceptable for them to interfere in our adult lives."
"And how do you propose we teach them?" She queried skeptically.
"Take it from a Slytherin. We don't learn lessons from being scolded. We learn them from being thoroughly humiliated."
Hermione snorted, "You learn from being humiliated? That's ridiculous."
"I'm not suggesting we humiliate them. Just embarrass them a bit. Make them feel foolish for trying to play matchmaker."
She raised her arms in defeat, "Alright then, what's your brilliant plan?"
He grinned sheepishly, "Err... don't actually have a plan yet. I'll let you know when I think of something but until then, don't let on that we know of their devious scheming."
Day 6: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Draco and Hermione stood atop Mount Srd waiting for Rose and Scorpius's cable car to arrive. The view of Dubrovnik was spectacular but Hermione found it hard to pay it any mind as she paced nervously. Moments earlier, as they had all been waiting at the base of the mountain, her sneaky daughter had offered her and Draco a tin of biscuits that she'd brought for the trip as a snack. Hermione had balked when Draco had accepted the proffered tin of biscuits-a glint in his eye-and then whisked her into a cable car, allowing Rose and Scorpius to take the next one up the mountain. During their cable car ride, he proceeded to inform her of his "brilliant" plan and had somehow gotten her to agree.
"I can't believe we're going to do this."
“Come on, Granger. Live a little. It'll be fun."
"I don't really think that pretending to like you is my idea of fun, Malfoy!"
"Well then, don't pretend," he replied with a cheeky smirk. Draco wrapped her hand in his. "Here they come. Just follow my lead," he whispered under his breath.
Hermione watched as Rose and Scorpius disembarked the cable car and approached them, their jaws dropping at the sight of their parents hand in hand.
With a dramatic flourish, Draco raised Hermione’s hand to his mouth and placed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “Scorpius. Rose. We have an announcement to make.”
Hermione smiled nervously. "We are..." She turned to Draco and was met with his piercing eyes, gazing at her in adoration. Her stomach did a tumble. He was good. That loving look almost seemed genuine. She tried to continue but fumbled with her words when Draco's hand tightened its grip.
Draco continued for her, "We're in love" he stated dramatically, smiling at the children's dumbfounded looks.
He gazed affectionately at her. "Hermione, I love your bush brown hair," he pulled on a lock of her curls, "and your eyes are like pools of chocolate fondue, your freckles like cocoa powder."
Hermione bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing. He was really piling on the cheesiness. She decided to follow suit, "Oh Drakie!" She latched onto his neck and stroked her hands in his hair (taking advantage of the chance to see if his hair felt as silky as it looked). "You are stunningly handsome with your pretty straw-coloured hair, and your pale skin that just glitters in the sun."
He seemed surprised by her closeness and his eyes twinkled in mirth. He bent down on one knee, giving her an impish grin, "Marry me Hermie?"
"Of course I will Drakie."
Draco stood up and gathered Hermione in his arms.
"Rosie! Scorpie! Did you hear that? We're getting married," exclaimed Hermione, grinning at the repulsed looks on their faces upon hearing their nicknames.
"We must wed immediately. I just can't wait to get my little Hermie alone and oomph-" Hermione's eyes widened upon realizing what she was doing. She had kissed Malfoy on impulse in order to stop him from saying something inappropriate. She tried pulling away but he just pulled her closer. He was quite a good kisser and she couldn't help melting into his arms.
Throughout the entire act, Rose and Scorpius had been silent, staring on in abject horror.
"Merlin, what did we do?" Scorpius lamented, “I told you not to give them the biscuits.”
"But-, but- I don't get it! They're not supposed to act like this!"
"Maybe the potion's defective? Maybe Potter did something to them?"
"How long do you think it'll last?"
"How should I know?!"
"Oh gosh, they're still kissing. Stop them!"
"How? What do I do?"
"I don't know! Just get them to stop!"
Rose and Scorpius were in near hysterics, panicked looks on their faces. Rose grabbed a hold of her mother's shirt while Scorpius was trying to pry his father's arms away from Hermione.
The entire scene was completely absurd. Draco and Hermione broke away from each other and promptly burst into laughter.
Rose and Scorpius stopped and stared.
"Have they gone mad?" asked a bewildered Scorpius.
When Draco and Hermione had sufficiently calmed down, Draco stated, "Yes son, we are most certainly mad." He couldn't help but get one last quip in, "Mad for each other."
Rose furrowed her brows, and looked to her mother, "Mum, what's going on?"
Hermione took pity on her perplexed daughter, "Rose... we were joking."
"You two were... acting just now?'
Hermione nodded her head.
"Merlin's beard, I thought..." Rose stopped, “...you two know?” Her eyes goggled.
"If," Hermione crossed her arms, "you are talking about your little matchmaking scheme, then yes, we know."
"But- how?" asked Scorpius.
Draco looked between the two children. “I commend you two on your ambitious plan," he patronized, "but you forget that I'm a Slytherin and am very sensitive to ambitious plots."
"And," Hermione interjected, "we are older and wiser than you. Plus, you two weren't exactly subtle in your machinations."
“Listen, we're really sorry,” Scorpius stammered and quickly glanced towards his father, "It-, it was all my idea."
Rose, in a meeker tone than usual, stated, “Mr. Malfoy, don’t be angry with Scorpius. And please ignore his attempt at gallantry. It was all my idea.” She turned to Hermione, peering up at her mother through the fringe of her curls, “Mum, I’m sorry. Are you very angry?”
Hermione heaved a sigh, “No, I’m not angry. I’m just trying to understand why you decided to do this."
“I just wanted you to be happy again," she tried to explain, "like dad is with Cora.”
“Oh, Rose. I am happy. Amazingly happy. I'm blessed with beautiful, intelligent, children. What more could I ask for?” Hermione felt herself get teary-eyed.
"But why are you always working?" Rose asked.
"I like working." She glared at Draco when he gave out a loud snort. "I enjoy my job," she continued, "but I never ever let it get in the way of my relationship with you and Hugo, because I enjoy my time with my children much more." Hermione opened her arms and Rose stepped into her embrace. She looked up at Draco and Scorpius who were off to the side and laughed when Draco awkwardly patted Scorpius on the back in a show of affection.
When Hermione and Rose disentangled, she bade Rose and Scorpius to come before her and donned her most stern look. “Let me get one thing clear to the both of you. Draco and I are adults, and we are quite capable of making our own decisions without any intervention on our behalf." She continued her lecture, "Now, promise me, no more meddling and no more scheming. Am I understood?”
Both children nodded their heads in acquiescence.
Hermione decided to lighten the mood and feeling rather mischievous, she retrieved Rose's tin of biscuits from her bag. “Now how about a snack before we explore the mountaintop." She offered them the tin, "Why don’t you children have some biscuits?”
Rose and Scorpius gave each other a horrified look and hurriedly began to stammer.
“Uh, no thanks mum. Actually I think those biscuits are bad. They might be from last year. You should throw them out immediately.”
“Yeah, Ms. Granger, we’re really full. Oh my, what an excellent view. We’re going to take a look.” They scurried away in an instant.
Left alone, Hermione and Draco faced each other, grinning. Not long afterwards they broke into howls of laughter.
“Did you see the looks on their faces?” He laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. "That was fun, wasn't it?"
“Yes, I thought your son was going to faint. And what was with the whole chocolate spiel?”
He shrugged, "I love chocolate."
When their laughter died down, Draco clasped Hermione's hand brought it to his chest. Her eyes widened when he started stroking his thumb across the back of her hand. His eyes turned solemn. “So Granger, should we set a date for the wedding?”
“Ha ha, very funny, Malfoy.” She released his hand and shoved against his shoulders.
Malfoy crossed his arms, “You compromised me with your kiss. I demand you do your duty and marry me.”
Hermione rolled her eyes at his dramatics. “If you must know, I did that to shut you up. You were about to say something inappropriate in front of Rose and Scorpius.”
Ignoring her, he continued on his rant. “I must admit, I was quite surprised by your," he glanced quickly at her and smirked, "forward displays of affection. I didn’t know I had that effect on you. But of course nobody can resist my charms.”
Hermione tried to push him again but he caught her arms and pulled her closer. Leaning in to her, he whispered, “Did you know, you turn the most attractive shade of red when you’re angry?”
He was so close that she felt his breath fanning across her cheek. He lightly traced her shoulder with the back of his fingers and an involuntary shudder rolled through her spine, knocking her mind out of focus. She couldn’t help but react to his words, even knowing that it was just a statement calculated to get a reaction out of her. She snapped out her daze. "Perhaps you haven’t noticed but our little charade is over. Now would you please stop with all this pretending?”
“What if I’m not pretending?” he countered, circling her waist in his arms.
Her eyes snapped up to his face and held his gaze, searching his eyes for any sign of insincerity.
Draco burst into peals of laughter.
Hermione mentally cursed herself. For a split second, she had almost believed he was serious. “You insufferable, arrogant arse. I can’t believe I kissed you,” she hit him squarely on the chest, “and you kissed me back!” she said accusingly.
“Very astute, Granger.”
Hermione tried to pull away from his grip on her but he wouldn’t release her. She pressed her face to his chest and groaned. “I can’t believe that I was actually starting to like you.”
“What did you say Granger?” He pulled back and now it was his turn to search her eyes.
“I said that I was starting to like you.” Her face flushed in embarrassment, “Was, being the operative word.”
“You mean to say, you don’t like me anymore?” Draco gave her a petulant pout. “Well, it seems we’re at cross purposes because I quite like you,” he grinned.
“You like me.” Hermione repeated, knitting her brows. She felt like a teenager all over again, agonizing over her first crush. Did he or did he not like her? And why did she care so much? “Malfoy, is this another joke? Because if it is, I swear I will push you right off this mountain.”
Draco shook his head, his expression earnest.
She bit her lip in contemplation. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she queried.
“You’re just going to have to trust me,” he said, a smug expression on his face.
She couldn’t help it, she laughed.
Draco’s smug grin morphed into a scowl. After a moment his expression turned hopeful, “Or I could convince you?” he asked.
“How?” she whispered, tilting her head up slightly.
He leaned in to her, “maybe if I did this?” He closed the gap between their lips, for a tentative kiss.
When his lips touched hers, Hermione closed her eyes and grasped his neck to pull him closer, running her fingers through his hair once more. However, she was a rational being and before she got lost in the kiss, there was still some rationalising that needed to be done. Hermione pulled away abruptly and dodged Draco as he tried to pull her back. “Why do you like me?” she questioned.
“Oh god, Granger,“ he groaned, "Don't tell me you're one of those women that need to hear 'I love you' twenty times a day." He pulled on a lock of her hair, “Insecurity is not an attractive look on you, Hermione”
She smacked him lightly on the chest. “Please satisfy my curiosity, just this once. I’m having a hard time making any sense of this. A few days ago we were at each other throats and now we seem to be... very friendly."
Draco sighed, thoughtful, "I like you because you’re cute."
“Don’t go singing my praises all at once,” Hermione’s lips quirked.
“I like you because you’re kind and caring and clever. You bite your lip when you're nervous, and when you’re worried about Rose you twist your shirt hem until it wrinkles. I like how you sometimes forget you’re a witch and don’t remember basic cooling charms. I like how you pretend to be an outdoorsy type when we both know you’d rather be indoors curled up with a good book. I like that despite your tendency to overplan and overanalyze, you still have a little impulsive streak in you." He tweaked her nose, "Your bossy demeanour is a huge turn-on, and I love that your blush reaches all the way down to your chest.” His gaze lowered deliberately. “Has your curiosity been sated?” he asked, arching one brow.
Hermione’s face was flushed, having gone through numerous stages of redness during his little speech. Who knew the man could be good for her ego? He moved in to kiss her but she held him at bay, feeling that he deserved a bit of teasing. Her expression turned serious, while her fingers splayed on his chest, smoothing the wrinkles on his shirt. “Now that I know why you like me, perhaps we should move on to more serious topics.” She brought her hands to rest on his shoulders. “Shall we discuss our upcoming nuptials? I was thinking sometime around August, you know, before the children go back to school. That would be ideal. But that only gives us about a month of planning.” She smiled up at him innocently, “What do you think?”
Draco’s mouth was agape, trying to suppress a painfully horrified expression. He struggled to formulate words, "I- , you- , we- , whaaaa-?" He had turned as articulate as a cave man.
Hermione sputtered with laughter, liking the way she made him tongue-tied, “How do you like being teased?”
His mouth formed into an ‘O’ of surprise, which subsequently spread into a wolfish grin. “I find I like it very well.” He pulled her closer and moved in for a kiss but she held him back once again, “Wait, don’t you want to know my reasons for liking you?”
He pretended to deliberate for a moment, then said, “Not particularly, no.” He dipped his head lower, determined to get a kiss.
Hermione brought her hand gently to his cheek, allowing his mouth to just barely graze hers. “You want to know something?” She stared up at Draco and met his piercing gaze. ”I think I’ve spent more time alone with you these past few days than I have in all our years of knowing each other.”
“That’s nice, Granger,” he drawled, cupping her cheeks, “Now, how about some real alone time.” Draco waggled his eyebrows, as he finally closed the distance between them.
The End. Fin. Fine. Kraju.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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