Bee Mine

A/N: The characters are not mine. This fic is also not mine. It belongs to the most talented writer: Julie Garwood. I took most of this from the first chapter of her historical romance: The Secret. If you haven't read it I advise you to do so as soon as possible.

Happy Reading

They became friends before they were old enough to understand they were supposed to hate each other.

The two little children, a boy with sun-kissed hair and stormy eyes and a girl with short but rich caramel curls and chocolate eyes, met at the annual summer festival held on the border of England and Scotland.

It was Draco Malfoy's first real experience attending such extravaganza. It was his first real outing away from his isolated home in the wizarding world and he was so overwhelmed by the sheer adventure of it all, he could barely keep his eyes closed during his mandatory afternoon naps. There was so much to see and to do and for a curious four-year old, a good deal of mischief to get into, too.

Hermione Jane Granger had already gotten herself into mischief. Her papa had already given her a good swat on her backside to make her sorry she'd misbehaved, and then carried her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes all the way across the wide field. He made her sit on a smooth toped rock, far away from the singing and dancing, and ordered her to stay put until he was good and ready to comeback and fetch her. She would use the quite time alone, he commanded, to contemplate her sins. Her father made sure to stress 'no hocus-pocus' under any circumstances, to her and then went back to assist the chaos she caused.

After seeing his four-year old daughter poke her little index finger and squint her eyes only five minutes before, he knew that she was causing trouble. At the same time the thought ran through his mind, he heard a shriek come out of the same obese woman that tried to pinch Hermione's cheeks in the beginning of the day. He turned to the sound of the screeching woman just as her chair stopped spinning, with her on it, and the splinters gave away causing her to fall on the ground with a loud thud.

Since Hermione didn't have a faintest idea what the word "contemplate" meant, she decided she didn't have to obey that order. It was just as well, for her mind was already completely full, worrying about the fat, stinging bee buzzing circles around her head.

Draco had seen the father punish his daughter. He felt sorry for the bushy-haired girl. He saw many other girls being punished by their parents and every last one of them would cry afterward. This little girl, however, hadn't even grimaced when her father smacked her behind.

Draco decided to talk to the girl. He waited until the father quit wagging his finger at his daughter and had strutted back across the field, then picked up his feet and ran the long way around to sneak up on the girl from behind.

"My father would never smack me," Draco boasted by way of introduction.
Hermione didn't turn her head to see who was speaking to her. She didn't dare take her gaze away from the bee now lingering on the rock next to her left knee.

Draco wasn't daunted by the silence. "My father is too busy to give me a whipping for any mischief that I do," he boasted. "That's why I can get away with everything."

"Then how could you know if he wouldn't smack you if he weren't too busy?" Hermione asked quietly, still watching the insect.

Draco lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I just know he wouldn't," he answered. "You talk funny, like you've got something in your throat. Do you?"

"No," Hermione answered. "And you talk funny too!"

"Why won't you look at me?"

"I can't."

"Why can't you?" Draco asked. He rose on his tip-toes to try to look over the girls shoulder as she set on a high stone.

"I have to watch a bee," Hermione answered. "It wants to sting me. I have to be ready to swat it away.

Draco leaned closer. He finally spotted the bee flittering around the girl's foot. "Why don't you swat it away now?" He asked in a whisper.

"I am afraid to," Hermione answered. "I might miss. Then it would get me for certain."

Draco frowned over the dilemma a long minute. "Do you want me to swat it for you?"

"Would you want to?"

"Maybe I would," he answered. "What's your name?" he asked then, stalling for time while he gathered his courage to after the bee.

"Hermione Jane. What's yours?"

"Draco. How come you have two full names? I've never heard of anyone having more than one."

"Everyone always asks me that," Hermione said. She let out a dramatic sigh. "Hermione was my grandmother's name and Jane was my mama's name. She died birthing me. That's why I am never going to give birthing." Draco carefully walked around the rock and the girl and was standing in front of her now.

"How you give birthing?" Draco asked.

"Don't you know anything, boy?"

"I know some things."

"Well, I know just about everything." Hermione boasted. "I even know how babies get into mamas' stomachs. Want to hear?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Once they get married, the papa spits into his goblet of wine and then makes mama take a big drink. As soon as she swallows, she's got a baby in her stomach."

Draco grimaced over that thrillingly disgusting information. He was going to beg his new friend to tell him more when Hermione suddenly let out a loud whimper. Draco leaned in closer. Then he let out a whimper too. The bee had just settled on the tip of his friend's shoe. The longer Draco stared at it, the bigger it seemed to grow. The talk about the birthing was immediately put aside.

"Are you going to swat it away?" Hermione asked.

"I'm getting ready to."

"Are you afraid?"

"No," Draco lied. "I am not afraid of anything. I didn't think you were either."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because you didn't cry when your papa smacked you," Draco explained.

"That's because he didn't smack me hard," Hermione explained. "Papa never does. It pains him more than me." She took another deep breath. "Well, I'm closing my eyes real tight now if you want to swat the bee."

Because Draco was so determine to impress his new friend, he didn't think of the consequences any longer. He reached out to slap the bee, but as soon as he felt the flutter of its wings against the palm of his hand, it tickled him so, he instinctively closed his fingers.

Then he started wailing. Hermione bounded of the rock to help the only way she knew how. She started wailing, too.

Draco ran around and around the rock, screaming so vigorously he could barely catch his breath. His friend chased after him, screaming just as fiercely, though in sympathy and fear rather than in pain.

Hermione's papa came running across the field. He caught hold of his daughter first and when she stammered out the problem, he chased down Draco.
In matter of minutes the two little children had been properly soothed. The stinger had been removed from the palm of Draco's hand and cool wet mud was applied. His friend's papa gently wiped away his tears with a handkerchief he removed from his shorts. He set on the punishing rock now, with his daughter cuddled up on one side of his lap and Draco cuddled up on the other.

Draco had never had anyone make a fuss over him before. Draco turned quite shy because of all the attention he was getting. He didn't turn away from the comfort, though, and in fact edged a bit closer to get even more.

"You two are a sorry pair," the papa announced when they quit their hiccupping and could hear him. "Screaming louder than the trumpets sounding the caber toss and running around like a hen and a cock with your heads cut off."

Draco didn't know if the father was angry or not. His voice had been gruff, but he wasn't frowning. Hermione giggled. Draco decided that her friend's papa had been jesting after all.

"It was paining him considerably, Papa," Hermione announced.

"I'm certain it did pain him," he agreed. He turned his gaze to Draco and caught him staring up at him. "You're a very brave little boy to help my daughter," he praised. "But if there be a next time, please try not to catch the bee. All right?"

Draco solemnly nodded.

He patted his arm. "You're a handsome little fellow," he remarked. "What's your name, child?"

"His name is Draco, Papa and he is my friend. Can he have his supper with us?"

"Well now, that depends on his parents," her father replied.

"His papa is very busy," Hermione announced. "Isn't that pitiful, Papa?"

"It sure is," he agreed. "I would have loved to meet the father of such a brave boy." He looked into Draco's eyes and said to his daughter, "He's got every shade of gray in his eyes. What an unusual combination. They're the most amazing I'd ever seen."

"Don't I have the prettiest eyes you've ever seen, too, Papa?"

"Yes, you so, Hermione. You've got the prettiest brown eyes I've ever seen." He turned back to Draco and asked. "So if your father is busy, who is here with you?"

"Oh, my God-father," Draco answered with a shrug.

"Well, why don't we find him and ask him whether it would be okay for you to join us for supper." He smiled as Draco nodded agreement.

He placed the children back on their feet. Holding one of their tiny, pale hands in each of his, they went to search for the missing God-father. After five minutes the search was over. The God-father announced his presence when he called for Draco.

When the trio turned, Hermione's father was the only one who noticed a sneer on the other man's face. He swore he heard Draco's God-father murmur 'muggles' before facing them a few feet away.

"Draco, what have you done this time?" The man asked. He had long, straight, hair, beady eyes and a massive robe. He was head to toe covered in raven.

"He saved me from a bee." Hermione answered for the boy. Feeling uncomfortable from the intense stare her new friend's God-father was giving her, Hermione tried to hide behind he father's hairy leg.

"Hmm, and you are?"

"Oh, sorry about that, mate," Her father extended his hand. "The name is Dr. Ian Granger," he answered with a smooth tone. "And this little vixen is my daughter, Hermione Jane."

"Pleasure," the other man stated emotionless. He didn't even extend his hand. "The name is Snape. Professor Severus Snape." Snape looked down at his God-son, "Draco, how many time did I tell you before we left the manor not to associate your self with these muggles?"

"Sorry, uncle," Draco mumbled as he dragged his feet back to his God-father. "The only reason I went to Hermione was because she is like us."

Hermione wished she could hear the conversation…and so did her father who was still fuming at the lack of respect the professor had shown.

"What do you mean like us?" Snape arched his eyebrow.

"I saw her point her finger and wiggle her nose, just like mama does sometimes before something happens," Draco answered.

"And what exactly did she make happen?"

Draco explained exactly what happened before Hermione was ordered to sit on the punishing rock. "So, may I have supper with my new friend and her father?"

"You know that you can't." Snape chided. "Think of what your father would do if you would associate your self with a mudblood." He watched the way Draco rolled his lower lip and sighed. "You may say good-bye to Ms. Granger for now."

"For now?" Draco leaped happily to the possibility of talking to her later. "Does that me I'll be seeing more of her?"

"I guarantee you will," Snape promised as he pushed Draco toward the Grangers.

"Are you going to join us, young man?" Ian asked.

Draco shook his head. "I came to say good-bye because I am leaving now."

"Well then, it was nice meeting you Draco," Ian shook his hand. "Anyone who shows such bravery to save my daughter is always welcome into our small family."

"Thank you, sir." Draco nodded in respect.

"I'll leave you two alone for your good-byes." Ian Granger went back to his tent.

"I wish I didn't have to go," Draco began as he took hold of both of Hermione's hands.

"Not as much as I," she whispered softly. "Will I ever see you again?"

"If my God-father is correct, than yes," Draco confirmed. "We will see each other again."

"How will we know each other if years?" Hermione asked. "We might change."

"Well, I will always have the bee's sting to remember you," he showed her his abused arm.

"I wish I had something to remember you by," she moped. With out a warning, she felt her lips press from the pressure of his lips.

Draco stepped back, blushing profusely. "Bee mine." He stated.

Hermione cocked her head in confusion. Draco bent down and picked up two medium sized pebbles. He held each pebble in each of his fists and whispered something to them. A small light sneaked out from his fingers and when he reopened his fists, he held two replicas of the bee they had encountered earlier.

Hermione took one and said, "I'll make my dad get me a necklace for it and never take it off," she vowed.

"And I'll do the same," Draco vowed. He then turned back and ran to catch up with his God-father.

It was almost a decay later that they found one another. He was a pureblood. She was a mudblood. But they knew nothing of each other.

The End