Disclaimer: I own no one but the Silversons and I borrowed this idea from another author.
"Hey, Parker, did you know that if you can tie a cherry stem into a knot in your mouth, it means you're a good kisser?"
"No way!" Parker said.
Lavender nodded. "I bet you can't do it."
"Can too!"
"Prove it!" Parvati Patil said.
Parker rolled her eyes, placed a cherry stem in her mouth, tied it into a knot, and spat it into her palm, looking triumphant.
"Wow. We can't do that."
Parker sighed.
"Go show Ron," Hermione said, trying to tie your own cherry stem.
"Okay. Be right back."
* * *
Parker held a cherry stem up. Maybe what happened at lunch was just a fluke. Maybe she should see if she could tie the stem in a knot again, just to make sure it was an accident.
"What are you doing?"
Parker jumped, almost choking on the stem, which she quickly spat out. She looked up, only to find....
"Malfoy!" The one person she didn't want to see.
Malfoy looked at her with his usual arrogance.
"What do you think you're doing?" Parker fumed. "I almost choked!"
"On a cherry stem?" Malfoy looked skeptical. "Why would you have a cherry stem in your mouth? Are you so stupid that you forgot they aren't edible?"
Anger flared. "I was trying to tie the knot in my mouth!"
"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Malfoy said. "You really are a twit."
"Hmph! I bet you can't do it."
"What?! Why would I want to do something so stupid?!"
Parker smirked at him.
"I knew it. You can't do it. can you?" She was goading him, and he knew it, but he took the bait nonetheless.
"Oh yeah?!" Malfoy snatched one of her cherries, popped the stem in his mouth, and soon spat it out, complete with knot. "Now, what's the point of doing this?"
Oops.
"Umm..." Parker blushed. There was no way she was going to tell him that! "I...er...well, that is..." What to do, what to do... "Not telling!" She leapt up and ran off towards the greenhouses, silver-blonde hair flying. Malfoy stared after her in surprise.
"Hey!" Now, of course, he had to find out! A second later, he was up and running in pursuit.
Parker led a merry chase, dodging students by the lake, and spaces between the sparse plants, swinging around saplings and doubling back, and soon her laughter rang throughout the grounds. She knew Malfoy could use a wand at any time, but for some reason he didn't. Parker never knew that he could be.... well....fun.
Suddenly, Parker fell to the ground, behind the greenhouses and out of sight, tackled from behind. Malfoy rolled her on her back and straddled her, pinning her wrists to the ground near her head.
"Got you," he said triumphantly. "Now tell me."
Parker shook her head, laughing too hard to talk.
"Come on, tell me!"
Her laughter subsided, embarrassment taking over.
"No," she said firmly.
"I'll tickle!" he threatened. Parker didn't even have time to wonder how he knew she was ticklish.
"I hex you!"
"Not when I'm sitting like this you won't!"
Parker tilted her chin defiantly. Malfoy rolled his eyes, released his grip on one hand, and made good on his threat. Parker squealed, trying to squirm away. Obviously, he was just stubborn enough to keep
her pinned there until she did tell him...
"All right, alright, you win!" she said, trying to catch his hand. "Just stop tickling me!"
He obligingly stopped, letting Parker catch her breath. After a few moments, she looked away blushing.
"It's...um...kind of stupid..."
"You're kind of stupid!" Malfoy said. "Now tell me!"
"It's, well..." Parker's voice dropped, though Malfoy could hear her just fine.
"It's supposed to show WHAT?!" He saw her shut her eyes, her face burning. Malfoy stared at her a moment before it hit him. "That....really IS stupid."
A low chuckle made Parker's eyes pop open. Malfoy was laughing! He was actually laughing! Parker was stunned....she'd never heard a real laugh from him before. But she was even more surprised when he bent over in his laughter, his head coming down on her shoulder.
"So ridiculous....a cherry stem....!" Malfoy continued to laugh, unable to finish what he was saying.
Parker thought she'd been blushing before, but now....! With Draco Malfoy basically lying on top of her like this, shaking with laughter....she could actually feel the color in her face rising, pulsing with her heartbeat. On top of her, Malfoy's laughter slowly subsided, though he didn't get up as she expected him to.
Instead, he laid there as if reluctant to move. Parker tentatively lifted her free hand, gently placing it on his upper arm. Malfoy lifted himself a bit, looking at her in surprise.
Suddenly, Malfoy's blonde head dipped, his lips finding hers in a gentle kiss. Parker's eyes widened at the bold move, but after a long, startled moment she responded, deepening the kiss, her hand moving to tangle in his short hair. After a long moment, the kiss ended, though neither tried to move away.
"That..." he breathed, "...is how you find out if you're a good kisser."
Parker stared up at him, speechless.
And breathless.
Malfoy slowly got up, carefully observing his movements so as not to hurt her. He extended his hand to her, looking...could it be?...kind. His eyes held a kind of warmth that Parker was sure was meant for her and her only.
Hesitantly, Parker took his hand, and Malfoy pulled her up. Parker brushed off the front of her black robes and straightened her hair.
"I...uh...have to find Ron," she stammered, jerking her thumb towards the castle, where she knew her friends would be waiting.
Parker did the smallest of double takes; the warmth had left his eyes at the mention of Ron's name, only to be replaced with a look so icy that even Parker shivered.
"We should leave at different times," Malfoy muttered. He gestured towards the castle. "Ladies first, Parker."
Parker nodded and strode quickly away from the greenhouses. She didn't look to see if Malfoy was following her; she didn't care. She needed to tell someone.
She needed to tell Ron.
She found him by the lake, in the shade of the oak tree, out of sight. Uninvited, Parker sat down, cross-legged, next to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ron was quicker.
"Y'know what I just heard?" he asked. "I heard that if you can tie a cherry stem into a knot in your mouth, it means you're a good kisser. Can you do it?"
Parker nodded impatiently. "Yeah, but-"
"Me too, see?" Ron held out his hand, where, curled inside, lay a knotted cherry stem. "Want to see if it's true?"
"Ron, wait," Parker said. "I need to tell you something." She took a deep breath. "I just kissed Draco Malfoy."
But, to her surprise, Ron didn't get angry. Actually, he looked rather calm. Amused, but calm.
"You did, did you?" he mused. "Was he any good?"
Parker's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, actually, he was...."
Ron tilted her chin up. "Let's see if I'm better," he said. He dipped his fiery red head towards her silver-blonde one, his lips finding hers quickly. Parker felt much more relaxed with Ron kissing her, and quickly responded, deepening the kiss, stretching it to its fullest extent....
"You were better than Malfoy," Parker murmured. Ron gave a wicked grin and kissed her again.
This time, though, she was ready.
***
"Tasty Chocolate Frogs," Parker said in a half-hearted voice, fantasizing greatly over hot food, sweets, hot chocolate, hot anything. It had been raining for hours now, and, to make things worse, it was starting to get dark out. The spirits of the group were beginning to match the weather. Even Hermione was becoming agitated.
Harry, Ron, Parker, Hermione, and Draco Malfoy had all agreed to go into the Forbidden Forest and watch for anything strange all night. If they did, Professor McGonagall would give one hundred points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin, and hold a special banquet just for the seventh years.
"Stop with the food, Parker, you're making me hungry!" Hermione complained.
"Hot, fresh steak," Parker continued, visions of smoked ham and beef dancing before her eyes.
"You mean cold and musty," Ron griped.
"Steak isn't cold and musty--"
"But the weather is!"
The entire group let out a collective sigh. Ron did not need to remind them that the weather was just nasty; they were all tired and Malfoy was covered in mud.
They trudged along, not looking happy, and they couldn't use their wands or McGonagall wouldn't give their Houses the points.
Malfoy noticed Parker was beginning to shiver almost violently in her black Hogwarts uniform. Because heavy gray clouds covered the sky and the trees blocked their view, he wasn't quite sure of the time, but it was probably getting late.
"I think we should stop at the next shelter we find," Malfoy suggested, a demanding tone making itself heard. Parker shot him a grateful look, but remained silent.
"Are you kidding? It's the Forbidden Forest," Ron objected vehemently, "where are we going to find a shelter? ....Hermione?"
Hermione had stopped, and was staring at the side of the path longingly.
"What is it?" Harry said, turning to look as well.
"It's a hot spring," Malfoy said simply. Sure enough, there was an exquisite, steaming pool there, just large enough for several people to fit in at once, with rocks along the edges for sitting. The rain falling on the surface caused only the occasional ripple in the pool. A small stream had been carefully channeled nearby to form a tiny waterfall, just large enough for a person to rinse off beneath it. The spring was a delightfully harmonious combination of the wonders of nature and the ingenuity of mankind, and beckoned to them all.
"What I wouldn't give for a soak in a hotspring," Ron echoed quietly, staring at the spring.
"In the rain? You'd get even wetter!"
"But I'd be warm!"
Malfoy and Parker had now stopped as well, and while Parker, too, stared hungrily at the small steaming pool, Malfoy kept his eyes ahead.
"I think I see a small hut," he told the group, and pointed to the dark brown shape visible on the horizon. They all turned their attention from the hotspring to the more important need of shelter.
"It looks like it was built right here to take advantage of the hotspring," Hermione observed. The group trudged towards the shape, and it was indeed a tiny hut, abandoned but water tight. They wasted no time in getting inside and starting a fire with Hermione's lighter and some handy firewood from a small lean-to on the outside of the hut.
The hut was small, so they were pressed for space inside. After a few moments, an odd odor began to drift past everyone's noses.
Sniffing, Harry began, "It smells like...like a..."
"...wet dog," Hermione finished. They all turned to look at Malfoy.
"What?" Malfoy said defensively. "Just because I'm covered in mud doesn't mean--"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione backed away, though, and were holding their noses and coughing.
"I think Malfoy needs a soak in the hotspring more than any of us," Ron said with a snicker.
"Fine then. I'll go take a bath," Malfoy said angrily, and left, back into the rain, leaving muddy footprints across the floor. Once he was gone, the odor dissipated entirely.
Wordlessly, Malfoy approached the spring, stripping his soaked clothing as he did, and then sank into the warmth. No one had followed him, leaving Malfoy alone with his thoughts.
Fuming, Malfoy sank down to his chin in the spring, closing his eyes, letting the misting rain fall
on his face.
*
Parker kept glancing toward the door of the hut, a confused expression on her face. Hermione and Harry sat in silence, grateful to simply be in front of a warm fire and away from the smelly wizard. Ron had gone to sleep almost immediately, curled like a cat before the fire.
But Parker's agitation grew, until finally she stood up, conjured up four items with her wand, and said softly, "I'm going after him." Harry and Hermione both blinked and stared after her as she marched resolutely back into the rain.
"Well," Harry said, shrugging slightly.
Hermione realized that this left her alone with Harry and Ron.
*
Parker trekked through the drizzling rain back to the hotspring, toiletries in hand. She felt guilty for letting Ron, Harry, and Hermione kick Malfoy out, and she wanted to apologize to Malfoy...and offer him soap, if nothing else.
She found him up to his chin in the water, staring at the rocks, his expression angry but thoughtful. Malfoy sensed, rather than felt, her approach, and whipped his head around to look at her.
"What do you want?" he asked grumpily.
"I came to ask if you wanted me to scrub your back," Parker said, holding up the things in her hands. Soap. Shampoo. Conditioner. A hairbrush.
Unexpectedly touched, Malfoy growled a little, but moved to the small edge of the pool so that Parker would have access to his back. He tucked his Hogwarts sweater around his waist for modesty. Not caring about getting mud on her robes, she sat behind him, cross-legged, and started to scrub dirt from Malfoy's smooth back.
The dirt gone, Parker saw that there were a few scars on Malfoy's back--probably from her beating him up all the time. She touched one of the marks sadly, before reaching down to scoop a handful of hot water to pour down his back.
"I'm sorry my friends were so mean," she said, lathering up the soap in her hands.
"Like I care what those losers think."
"You do care, Draco, or else you wouldn't've been so angry," Parker replied, smiling to herself. Malfoy was stunned; Parker never said his first name.
Parker ran her slippery hands down Malfoy's back, scraping lightly with her nails. Malfoy's shoulder twitched at the sensation. She scrubbed in silence for a few moments.
"That soap....that's what you use, isn't, Parker?" Malfoy said finally, changing the subject. Parker rinsed off the soap suds and began scrubbing with a fresh lather.
"Yeah, it's Garden Mint scented. Hopefully it's not too flowery for you."
"No. It smells like you, though."
Parker smiled and rinsed again, then picked up her shampoo and conditioner.
The rain had dampened Malfoy's hair so much that she didn't even need to wet it to work up a lather with the shampoo. She didn't want to admit to anyone that she was beginning to like Malfoy, especially not to Ron. Parker scratched his scalp, causing Malfoy to shiver slightly, and carefully cleaned around his ears, which twitched every time she touched them.
"Sorry," she said quietly. Malfoy aid nothing. He didn't want to let her know just how much her tender ministrations were affecting him. Or exactly in what manner they were affecting him.
"Rinse," Parker said once she finished lathering again, and Malfoy ducked under the merry little waterfall, rinsing the soap from his hair. The waterfall was cold, and when he had been rinsed last time, before Parker had come, he was more than happy to get back in the hotspring.
Parker sat, cross-legged on the edge again, and began brushing tangles from Malfoy's short white-
blonde hair. Malfoy bit back a moan and closed his eyes, leaning into the hairbrush strokes. The soft nub ends of the brush prickled his scalp, and he felt cleaner than he had in ages. He touched his hair, which slid and slipped underneath his fingers. This was the way Parker's hair had felt last week when he had kissed her (he chuckled over the cherry stem memory), and now he knew her secret was that shampoo.
She caught his ear by accident, and it twitched in response. Parker couldn't resist and stroked the soft curve on the top of his ear, which made it twitch again. She giggled softly. Malfoy felt himself grinning, despite it all. Normally, he hated it when people touched his ears, arms, or any part of him in general, but he didn't mind Parker's gentle touch at all.
"Lean back," Parker commanded, and Malfoy leaned into her lap, noting how cold her soaked robes felt against his neck. She attacked the front part of his hair this time, smoothing then fluffing it. Because of the rain, his hair didn't fluff very well, so she gave up, and set the brush down, content to have his head in her lap.
"Parker?" Malfoy said lazily after a while, eyes still closed.
"Yeah, Draco?"
"You're cold."
"No, I'm not," she lied. She wasn't shivering as violently as before, but she wasn't going to admit to Malfoy that she was, indeed, very chilled from being out in the rain with him.
"Come in the spring with me."
Parker jumped involuntarily, and tried to control her sudden temper. She didn't need Ron out here, bellowing like a wounded animal. "Wh-what are you saying, Malfoy?"
There it was. He'd done it now.
"I'm not trying to be perverted or anything. There's plenty of room for both of us in here. And besides, we couldn't do anything even if we wanted to; they'd hear us." Malfoy's tone was calm, nonchalant, as if he asked girls to slip into the bath with him every day.
"I won't," Parker declared, and started to dump him off her lap. He reached up with one hand and grabbed her ankle, stopping her.
"And just where are you going then?"
"I'm going for a walk," she announced archly, and grabbed his wrist to pull him off her ankle.
"Fine then. Run away," he said, and released her, lifting his head off her lap. The moment was lost.
Feeling sad, but full of injured modesty nonetheless, Parker gathered her toiletries, and started walking back towards the hut. She'd rather be cold and hang around her friends than hang around a stupid racist who thought she'd strip and jump in the spring for him.
But, halfway back, Parker stopped. She gazed longingly at the warm, dry hut and gazed longingly at the warm, steamy hotspring. She decided to go back to the hut.
Half an hour later, Malfoy walked in, dressed in his muddy robes and carrying a wet sweater. He glanced at Parker, then, seeing that she was staring back, quickly turned away.
Parker sighed and conjured up a dressing gown.
"Here."
Malfoy looked up.
Parker stood over him, holding a black dressing gown.
"Sorry. It has the Gryffindor lion on it," Parker said apologetically.
Malfoy said nothing.
"If you put this on, I'll wash your robes," Parker said kindly. Malfoy sighed.
"Alright. Give me a minute."
Malfoy disappeared into the tiny room that joined the main room. He came out holding his muddy robes.
"I'll come with you," Hermione said. "We can take a dip in the spring."
And she followed Parker outside into the rain.
By the spring, Parker conjured two bathing suits for her and Hermione, and three for the boys, in case they wanted to come in too.
Parker sat by the cold waterfall, scrubbing Malfoy's robes in the tiny, cold-water pool that lay beside it. Hermione swam up to her.
"What's wrong, Parker?" she asked, resting her head on her arms and her arms on a flat rock. She looked questionally as Parker scrubbed furiously at the mud on Malfoy's robes. "What're you doing?"
"Scrubbing--Malfoy's--robes--" Parker grunted.
"Why?"
Parker shrugged, held up the robes to examine them, and began scrubbing again. "Because--he-- asked--me--too," she grunted. Then, satisfied, she laid the black robes out to dry on a flat, wide rock.
"Since when do you do anything Malfoy says?" Hermione looked puzzled.
Again, Parker shrugged.
"I don't know," she said, exasperated. Parker flopped down on a rock. "I just feel like I owe him a favor or something."
Hermione's eyebrows arched. "Why?"
Parker looked at her.
"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
"Yes, why?"
Parker sighed. "I think I fancy Malfoy." Parker heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath.
"And Ron, too," Parker added.
"How are you going to choose?"
Hermione and Parker whirled around to see Harry, in a bathing suit, slip into the spring.
"Ron and Malfoy are both in the hut," he said, seeing their glares.
"That's as bad as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye," Parker muttered. She ducked under the water and climbed on a flat rock.
"I think I'll go tell them to join us," she said, disappearing into the forest. A moment later, she reappeared, Malfoy and a sleepy-looking Ron in tow.
The girls turned their backs while the newcomers changed and slipped into the spring.
"Y'know," Ron said thoughtfully, "we aren't going to get the hundred points. We were using magic."
Malfoy shrugged. "So what?" he said. "At least we're not starving and cold and bathing in shifts."
So they splashed around for a while. Parker splashed Malfoy, who splashed her back. Ron came to her rescue and accidentally splashed Harry, who fell backwards and drenched Hermione.
They were having so much fun that they didn't notice the rain had stopped.
Finally, Parker hoisted herself out of the spring and leaned back against a ledge, letting her wrinkled feet dangle in the water. Soon, she was fast asleep.
Ron noticed first.
"I'll take her back," he volunteered. He carefully picked her up and carried her to the hut. It was then that he noticed she was shivering.
Ron looked around the hut, but her robes were back at the spring. Sighing, Ron ran outside, and ran back in carrying Parker's robes. He dressed her in them and placed her closer to the fire.
The heat made Ron sleepy. Before he knew it, he had lain down next to Parker and was asleep in moments.
*
The next morning, Parker woke up first. She carefully checked to make sure everyone was asleep, then crept out of the hut, clutching the pendant that always hung around her neck.
"Flickerfoot!" she called softly. "Flickerfoot, come here!"
Parker waited a moment. Then, a streak of silver appeared, and a unicorn emerged from the cover of the trees. She galloped toward Parker, who embraced her warmly and rubbed her nose fondly.
"Thanks, Flickerfoot," she said, kissing the unicorn's nose. The unicorn wickered, nodded her head, and ran off into the woods.
"Parker?"
Parker turned to see a bleary-eyed Ron round the corner of the hut. She smiled.
"Coming."
Finally, Harry, Ron, Parker, Hermione, and Malfoy trudged out of the forest, only to be greeted by their parents.
Mrs. Weasley enveloped Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a single hug. Mrs. Silverson was running towards them, beside Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.
Malfoy went to greet his parents, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around; Parker had stopped him.
"I'm sorry, Draco," she said softly. She gave him a quick kiss, then raced to her mother.
"Mum! When did you get here?" she asked as Mrs. Silverson almost strangled her in a bear hug that would've made Hagrid proud.
"Mum! You're strangling Harry!" Ron laughed. "Aunt Irene, you're strangling me!"
"Aunt Molly, what brings you here?" Parker asked. Meanwhile, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy had reached Malfoy.
"I can't believe Dumbledore made you do that!" Mrs. Malfoy cried, throwing her arms around her son. "Was it dreadful, darling?"
Malfoy looked over at Parker and her friends, so happy and carefree, and shook his head.
"Actually, Mum, it wasn't that bad," he said. No, he decided, it wasn't. Thanks to Parker.
*
Review please and tell me if you want want more fluffy chappies. Thanks!
~Marauder Pawsly