Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns most of the characters and backstories. If you don't recognize it from the Harry Potter books or anything else Rowling has published, then it belongs to me!
Chapter One
Hermione set her duffel bag down and looked around, a huge grin plastered on her face. Chateau Le Tendue was the stupidest name on the planet for this place. It had been opened by some snobbish rich kids a long time ago in attempt to create an exclusive resort for ballroom dancing. Needless to say that was unsuccessful and with the help of some mysterious benefactors, Robert and Kristy had revamped it into a summer camp, specializing in the performing arts although the sports camp was pretty popular as well. The regulars called it The Haven, which fit it's log cabins and beautiful forests much better. Mione had been coming here every summer since she was five years old, spending the months dancing her little heart out. Dance was an escape for her, a secret life that no one at Hogwarts knew about. For two months out of every year, she was simply Nini. The nickname had been given to her on her very first summer.
The camp was just off the southern coast of Ireland on a tiny private island. It was completely isolated in all its glory, a private little world. Charlie, Hermione's dad, came up behind her, loaded down with suitcases. He took one look at her duffel bag on the ground and sighed. "Awe is that bag too heavy for you? Because I'm more than happy to take it off your hands for you."
She rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm taking a second to enjoy my surroundings. Now leave my bag alone, you don't get to steal any more of them. Isn't five bags enough for you?
"But my dear, its two months! I need to make sure I have everything I need."
"Oh really! You two are ridiculous!" They grinned at each other before turning around to see Melissa, Hermione's mum, being helped off the ferry boat onto the dock. She carried a suitcase and two more bags. Hermione swung her duffel onto her shoulder and grabbed a bag from her mother before heading down the dock towards the main check in building. It was a huge log building with a whole wall of windows that looked out over the water. They entered the main room in the entrance and looked for signs of which table to check into. There were people everywhere. A lot of the regulars showed up early but there were always a large amount of new kids every year who arrived the day before camp began. Normally Hermione prefers coming early, but this year she had spent a week in Italy right after school. She was going to the Burrow once camp was over so the folks wanted some quality family time.
As they got into a line for the G-J booth, a squeal cut over the noise and a tiny redhead came bursting through the crowd. "NINI! It is about time you got here!" Hermione lost her bags as she was attacked in a bear hug. In the wake of the wild girl, four more appeared. Charlie gave a big barking laugh.
"You girls are dangerous! I think I'll be glad when you guys are trapped here for the summer. It's much safer for everyone." One of the girls laughed and tried to throw her arm around his shoulders, standing on her tipy-toes in the process.
"Mr. G, you know you missed me desperately. There's no denying it. Now I'm sure if you asked nicely, Mrs. G would gladly let you stay with us." He just laughed. Hermione had untangled herself and gave the girl a raised eyebrow. "Lexi, what did we talk about last year? My father is hands off."
Lexi just shook her head, her little brown ponytail wiggling on the top of her head. "You are just jealous of our bro-ship. But there's no reason for that. Just because our relationship is different doesn't mean it's any better or worse than the one I have with Mr. G here." She looked up at Charlie, "This one is such high maintenance."
Melissa came around Hermione's other side. "Now don't you even think about stealing him away. I will not be left alone with those boys all summer." She gave each of the girls a hug hello, starting with the little redhead that had pounced on Hermione. "Aubrey, sweetie, we missed you at Christmas break!" These girls were all regulars. They had been together for 15 years. Melissa considered all of them her daughters. This camp was really just an extension of the family.
Once they reached the table at the front of the line, the six girls bouncing around talking, there was a familiar face that looked up from the papers. Christina smiled up with the same big chocolate-y brown eyes that Hermione and her father shared. At 24, she was Hermione's half-sister. Charlie had her with Jessica, his old high school girlfriend. They were only 17 when Jessica got pregnant and had decided they could raise the baby without getting married so young. The relationship didn't last, but they remained really good friends. Although Christina lived full-time with her mom, Hermione always loved the weekends she came to stay with them. With 8 years in between them, she was a great mentor. Christina was the one that got Hermione dancing in the first place. She was a science teacher now in Glasgow, but still taught dance every summer at The Haven.
They got checked in and began moving her towards her temporary home. Amidst the madness, Hermione couldn't help but smile. She just had the feeling this was going to be an extraordinary summer and it was just beginning!
Hermione tugged her duffel bag off the bed and collapsed where it had just been lying. She glanced around the cabin, taking everything in. The upper level kids were split into their own apartment-style cabins. The girls had been in the same one since they were thirteen. They each had their own bed and special spots. Hermione's bed was in the back corner of the bedroom area, directly under the big window. She could sit in bed and lookout down the hill over the water. At night she could fall asleep looking at the bright stars in the sky. She had a set of drawers at the foot of her bed that she set up pictures from home, and her nightstand doubled as a bookshelf. It was all she needed in a little corner.
Her friends were all sprawled in their usual places. Felicity was in the opposite corner of the room, sprawled across her bed with a bag of candy next to her. She was so tall and thin, with blonde hair always in a ponytail, and she was never without some candy. Paisley was on her bed in the bottom of the bunk she shared with her twin. She laid upside down with her head over the edge, her straight black hair brushing against the floor and her feet against the underside of the top bunk. Penelope sat next to her on the floor, feet stretched out in front of her and black hair splayed across her sisters bed. They were both reading magazines, and every so often would switch back and forth. In the corner across from Felicity, Aubrey was curled up in a bean bag chair, doing her stretches; her fiery red curls tumbled on the top of her head. Lexi had climbed on top of the shelves next to her bed and was painting her toenails a rainbow of polish colors.
Aubrey glanced up at Lexi, while stretching her leg up around her head and laughed. "I can't believe you actually did it! Madame Triston is going to flip out when she sees it. Does your hair even fit into a bun anymore?"
Lexi grinned. "I'll be hardcore rocking the sock bun. I just stick it on my ponytail and pin what hair I can over it. My head will be shellacked and bobby pinned until it never moves again."
Felicity looked up, mouth full of candy. "That sounds like high maintenance. Why'd you cut it in the first place?"
"I heroically stepped in to save the day when a two-year-old got a hold of the big kid scissors at Mum's preschool. The hairdresser was overzealous about fixing the cut that she chopped off half my head. Mum flipped shit but I just had the lady give me bangs to match. I kind of like the asymmetrical look."
"The asymmetrical bob is the newest rage in America." Paisley looked at them upside down, and grinned. Penelope rolled her eyes.
"You're so obsessed with America. Good things have come from Scotland, too!"
"HA! Yeah, like what?"
"Me." The deep male voice had them all looking over the half walls separating the bedroom from the rest of the cabin to see a guy leaning against the frames of the front door. He was so tall that he just barely fit without ducking through the door. His arms were crossed, the muscles bulging against his t-shirt, and his black hair hung shaggily in his deep brown eyes. He gave a little half smile that twinkled against his tan skin making Hermione's breath hitch in her throat. The twins simply rolled their eyes. Paisley didn't even look at him, "What do you want, Highland?"
He laughed and moved through the sitting room, hopping up on the half wall by Aubrey. She shifted and kicked his legs away from her head. "Can't a guy stop by to see his lovely sisters?" Penelope put down her magazine and raised an eyebrow at him, while Paisley snorted and went back to her magazine. "I just heard that Nini finally got here, so I thought I'd come see what the troop was up to."
Hermione felt a blush rise on her cheeks and looked away. She'd known Highland for as long as she'd known Paisley and Penelope. He was their big brother, and in a lot of ways, he was hers too. So why was he making her blush?
Highland saw the blush and smiled. "Not sunburned already, are you Nini?" She felt her lips tighten and she glared at him.
"Times have changed, Landi. I don't burn anymore."
Lexi looked over and grinned. "Then why are you so red?" Hermione's pillow was launched at her head, almost knocking her off the shelves she was propped up on. Highland hopped off the wall, grabbed the pillow and tossed it back to Hermione.
"I gotta go check on my cabins, since I am now a real life responsible cabin leader. I'll see you at the welcoming tonight, right?" Paisley scoffed at him.
"We'll all be there, but that doesn't mean we have to see you." Highland shoved the magazine out of her hands and left. "I pity the kids that have you in charge!" She yelled after him. As the screen slammed shut, all eyes turned to Hermione. Felicity chewed on some licorice, thoughtfully.
"When did Highland start flirting with Nini?"
Aubrey shushed her with her flip flop. "Let's focus on the more important question! When did Highland get so hot!?" Paisley and Penelope groaned in disgust while the rest of the cabin erupted into giggles.
There were two parties you never missed at The Haven: the welcome party and the closer. They were the biggest events of the summer and you didn't want to be the only one left out. It was social suicide. So as the sun set, Hermione and her friends left the cabin in their cutest "I put no effort into this look" outfits. The party was on the west side of the island in the beach area – a huge clearing in the trees from the ballet studios all the way down to the water. It was lined with tiki torches and lanterns were strung overhead. There was a small stage with a DJ set up against the building and huge tables were scattered around, piled high with food and drinks and surrounded with chairs for people to sit in. The girls slid around the big groups until they reached the hammock. Some newbies were sitting on it, but little Aubrey put her hands on her hips and gave them a disapproving gaze.
"Because it's the first day, I'll cut you some slack for sitting here. You obviously did not realize that the scrapings in that tree actually meant anything relelvent."
One of the girls stood up confused. She was a good head and a half taller than the redhead. "What are you trying to say, shorty?"
Felicity stepped forward, looking down at the slightly shorter girl. "This is our spot. We brought the hammock, we claimed the spot. When you've been here for fifteen years, you can claim a spot too…" She quirked an eyebrow "… shorty."
The girl instantly backed down. She looked behind her and jerked her head towards the DJ. The others hopped up and followed her off. As the group fell into their spots, a boy came walking over, giving them a slow dramatic clap. His Converse were slip-ons, his t-shirt had the Hulk on it, and his blonde hair just barely stayed out of his bright blue eyes. As he stopped in front of them, he shoved his hands down into the pockets of his cargo shorts, the corners of his mouth turned up in amusement. "I see our resident bullies have set up shop for the summer."
Hermione laughed from her perch on one of the lower branches of the tree holding up the hammock. He swung up onto the branch and plopped down next to her. "Hey Nini, about time you showed up!" She rolled her eyes and gave him a shove.
"Henry, you don't get to call me a bully and then try to be nice. That's not how you get to join our club."
Paisley flipped her ponytail at him from the hammock. "Yeah, you've been persistent for so many years. It's clearly not working, so maybe you should try a new tactic. Or just be satisfied we allow you near enough to soak up our presence."
They caught each other's eye and burst into laughter. Henry almost fell out of the tree as he rocked back and forth, wiping the tears from his eyes. Lexi tossed a pinecone at him. "You are slacking on your job, you butt! Now drop the teasing and tell us the juice."
He calmed down and grinned. "Have I got some gossip for you! So Jaime's not back this summer because he signed some contract and is performing in America. I'm waiting for a letter from him so I'm short on that information." Aubrey sighed but Henry cut her off. "However that is not the juicy part. Since he's gone, we had an open bed in our cabin and they filled it with a newbie. He's a dancer and musician, and ladies, you will fall in love. He is taller than Highland, broad and muscular, and has this mysteriousness about him. I mean everyone's going weak in the knees just looking at him."
They all looked at him with wide eyes. There weren't a lot of newbies among the older kids. It made the pickings for summer romance pretty slim, especially since most of them had grown up together. The few newbs are almost always girls… "Oh and he's straight" …. or gay. This was a thrilling discovery. Lexi sat up with twinkle in her eye. "Dibs!"
Aubrey immediately protested and Felicity threw a pinecone at her. "That's not how it works and you know it! Now when can we meet him? It's important to make a good impression."
Henry just smiled. "Definitely soon. Highland's been showing him around, taking him 'under his wing'. And Highland has been waiting for you guys to show up."
Penelope gave him a very unthrilled look. "What's with Highland's sudden fascination with us?"
There was a silence as every eye turned to Hermione. She turned beet red and began to stutter. Henry laughed and hopped down from the tree. "Oh Nini, the heartbreaker. Come dance with me. Let's make all those newbs jealous!" She jumped into his arms and he carried her into the throng of people on the 'dance floor'.
Eventually the whole group was out dancing. It took Highland most of the night to actually find them amongst all the people. Aubrey squeaked when he came up behind her. The others slowly noticed him, except for Hermione. She was being twirled by Henry. As Highland moved towards her, the girls were all sidetracked by the tall blonde following him. Henry gave Hermione a hard spin that sent her straight past Highland. He caught her around her waist as she collided with the chest of his shadow. As she looked up into the startling icy gray eyes, she stiffened with recognition. He looked down at her shock evident in his eyes. They regarded each other coldly for a second as the rest picked up on the mood. Highland put his hand on Hermione's shoulder, looking between the two. "Do you two know each other?"
"Malfoy." Her nose wrinkled in disgust.
"Granger." A sneer spread across his face. "Maybe next time you should watch where you're going. You almost touched me."
"Someone's a long way from Mummy and Daddy. "
"Did Potty and Weasel get tired of the Know-it-all?"
"What about you? The great Draco Malfoy stuck here without any of his cronies. Being punished for coming in second?"
"Shouldn't you be spending your summer studying? Can't have you falling behind or Dumbledore will realize you don't belong there."
Hermione's fist clenched in anger. They had slowly moved towards each other in their fighting, Malfoy towering over her petite frame, but she didn't cower. "I'm with my people. I'm surprised you'd risk dirtying yourself with the scum of the earth like me."
He gave a little smirk, fire in his eyes. "You're not scum. That's so far above you, you can't even imagine what it would be like, Frizzhead." Her eyes flashed as she reached back and punched him in the nose, not unlike third year. As soon as she had connected, she spun on her heel and left. He started after, but the blood coming from his nose stopped him. He caught Highland's confused gaze and looked away.
"So I guess I don't have to worry about you moving in on Nini, then." Draco looked at him confused before realizing he was referring to Granger. He sneered in disgust and turned to go back to the cabin, but not before muttering an apology to the other girls. Penelope stuck her hands on her hips. "Well that was different…." They all exchanged looks before the girls went to go find Hermione and Highland and Henry followed Draco.
Draco couldn't get Granger out of his head. It had really thrown him to see her here. She looked so different. He closed his eyes and her angry form appeared behind his lids. She was so tiny, a full foot shorter than him at least. They weren't at school so there was no reason for her to be hidden away in robes, but he would have preferred it to that tiny little outfit she had on. The short-shorts showed off her legs, which were surprisingly fit and lean. Her sweater was loose and long, the sleeves pushed up to her elbows and the big open neck caused it to fall off one very tan shoulder. She looked soft and girly with her hair in a long braid. She was a disgusting Mudblood, she wasn't allowed to look cute and girly. He grimaced at his thoughts and his hand went to his nose. It wasn't broken but it sure as hell hurt. If she wasn't…. you know… who she was, he would be impressed by her strength. That girl was a firecracker…. A disgusting firecracker.
She managed to avoid him for the first few days. Most of her classes and workshops were all girls. The first couple weeks were focused on technique so they kept the kids separated for everything but partnering classes. Wednesday was basic partnering, and she just prayed that the gossip was wrong, that he was in any other program and not the advanced level dance program. But walking into the studio, her hopes were dashed. Standing in a corner with Highland and some of the other guys was Malfoy. It was startling to see him without robes on. He was taller than the rest of the group, at least 6'5, taller than she remembered, and that green ribbed tank did nothing to hide his upper body… his incredibly muscular, perfect upper body….As he stretched his arms up, his midriff peaked out between the tank and his loose black sweats, showing the deep V of his hips. With his blonde hair worn loose, shaggily hanging over his ears and into his eyes, he looked…. Well… amazing. Hermione had to tear her eyes away, reminding herself that it was Malfoy, the slimy arrogant prick, and not someone to ogle, as she joined her friends and began to stretch.
Meanwhile, the guys were having a hard time focusing. Draco was the last to notice Grangers entrance. One of his roommates, the redhead Sean, sat on the floor watching all the girls around them. "I swear, the older we get, the hotter they get."
Ryan rolled his eyes, but Highland was looking for a certain girl. Henry caught on real quick. "Nini's sure growing up, isn't she?" Highland and Draco snapped their heads in his direction, the latter with a scowl on his face. 'Nini' was always getting brought up. He hated that nickname for her. It was too cutesy for that annoying girl. Henry rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that look. She just walked in. Somebody got new workout clothes for Christmas." All eyes flipped to the other side of the room, in time to see Granger twist side to side and then down to touch to floor. Dustin let out a small whistle of approval. Draco found he couldn't look away. Who knew she was hiding those curves under the school robes. Three brightly colored sports bras were layered under a loose, open-sided tank, in attempt to hold down her ample chest. The tiny spandex shorts showed off her long, lean, muscular legs. As she stretch, he couldn't take his eyes off her toned, round behind sticking up in the air. This was just wrong.
Dustin noticed Draco's gaze and grinned. "Highland, you know we don't do dibs right?" He looked over, confused, but quickly saw Dustin's train of thought. Draco noticed the sudden silence in the group and turned to see five pairs of eyes looking back. Holding back a blush, he glared at them.
"What?"
Highland grinned. "If I hadn't seen her sock you in the nose the other day, I'd be worried about the competition."
The others laughed as Draco sneered at him. "Granger? Don't make me puke. I have a hard enough time being in the same room."
Just then the teacher walked in, a short stocky man with huge muscles and a ponytail. Everyone hopped to attention as he began to bark orders in a thick Russian accent. "Split up, girls and boys! I'll give you your partners for the rest of the summer. We won't talk about big groups yet. When I call your names, meet together on the floor. Lexi and Dustin…. Penelope and Jake… Cynthia and Henry…" He continued to call names. Highland was paired with Felicity and Aubrey was with Matteo, a regular from Mexico. Hermione began to get nervous as the numbers dwindled. 'Please don't let it be Malfoy. Anyone but Malfoy' – "Nini and Draco." They both froze, staring at each other across the room. Their teacher, Mikhail, continued on, not noticing the lack of movement. "Now, for those new to this class, we will not be throwing choreography at you just yet. It is important to form a bond with your partner, to trust them, because you can't hesitate on the stage. You have to know that they will be there to catch you. So we will begi-"
He stopped, realizing the two students still standing on opposite ends of the room. "Nini, Draco, is there something wrong?" Neither would look at him, choosing spots on the floor much more interesting. "Are you incapable of standing next to each other? I doubt much could happen between you two in a few days that would prevent this partnership!" He looked down his nose at each of them, causing a little blush of embarrassment to rise on Hermione's cheeks."
Draco mumbled something into the floor. Mikhail turned his gaze to the boy. "What was that?"
"Sorry sir. We attend the same boarding school."
Mikhail studied him closely, while he studied the floor. "NINI!" he barked, "stand with your partner!" She squeaked and scurried over to Draco, leaving a good foot or so of distance between them. Neither could keep the look of disgust of their faces. Mikhail crossed his arms and looked at them for a moment. "I suppose you know each other well then. Nini, what is Draco's favorite color?"
She looked up in surprise. "Black, I suppose." Draco scoffed and she turned to glare at him. "Well you wear enough of it. It's either that or green." Draco's eyes narrowed.
"And I suppose yours are red and gold."
Hermione scoffed. "As if!"
Draco sneered down at her. "Aren't all Gryffindorks in love with those colors? I bet your favorite animal's a lion too"
"Psh! We are not all brainwashed idiots! I'm allowed to like other things."
"Oh but Slytherins are required to love green and black? Blacks not even one of our colors!"
"Says the idiot in green and black! I bet they are your favorite colors and you just don't want to look dumb!"
"And why is it you always resort to calling me stupid? I am second in the class. You too dumb to think up a better insult?"
"Hey! Did you forget who's number 1?" she jabbed him in the chest with her pointer finger, which he quickly grabbed.
"I thought I told you. Don't touch me. How many times must I tell you that. I wouldn't want to -" There was a loud screeching noise and everybody covered their ears. Mikhail moved the speakers apart, silencing the noise, and walked back over to Hermione and Draco. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something? Here I was, trying to teach a class!" he turned to the rest of the kids. "Important life lesson number one: You will have to work with someone you hate at least one time in your professional career. It is your job to find a way to get over it and trust them anyway. ALL FEELINGS ARE LEFT AT THE DOOR WHEN YOU WALK INTO A PERFORMANCE SPACE. You can't do this and you will be fired." He rounded on the two staring at the floor. "IS THAT CLEAR?" They quickly nodded. "Now you two get special homework before I allow you to start training. Every day, you will spend 2 consecutive hours together outside of class, learning about each other. You are not allowed back in my class until you learn to trust each other and not fight. Now look me in the eyes, apologize, gather your things and go. I expect handwritten apologies in my hands at dinner, along with 3 interesting facts about the other person. One must be favorite colors, and 'likes to dance' will not be accepted."
Looking him in the eye, they each muttered an apology and quickly gathered their stuff. Draco was fuming while Hermione was on the verge of tears. Draco stormed down to the beach and threw his stuff to the ground. The sound of a second bag hitting the sand made him whirl around. "Can I help you with something, Mudblood?"
Hermione's gaze harden at that word and she started him down, eyes flashing. "In case you didn't hear, we're stuck together for the next 2 hours."
Draco scoffed and turned back around "He never said it had to be right now! Leave me the hell alone!"
"Well excuse me, but I'd rather just get this over with! Our letters are due at dinner and I happen to have other classes."
"Granger, I'm warning you now. I have to cool down. Go the fuck away and we can talk later" He heard her scoff and walk away. Once he was sure he was alone, he sank to the sand and raked his hands through his hair. This was about to be the worst summer of his life, and trust me, that's saying something.