Day at the Beach: Baking in the Sun
By: Thalia
A/N: I know people, I've been beyond lazy with my writing since the end of Dancing Shoes. But since I got so many people who asked for the sequel in their reviews I've decided to fulfill the request and I present for your viewing enjoyment. The sequel to Dancing Shoes, Day at the Beach! *Throws Confetti* Don't forget to review!
Anti-Litigation Charm: None of these characters belong to me now nor will they ever belong to me in the future. No copyright infringement is intended with this story. And I am happily stating am making absolutely no money off this at all.
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It was a beautiful day in the lap of luxury, the sun shone brightly its rays warming the earth and ocean beneath it. There was a slight breeze in the air rustling through the leaves of the palm trees and carrying the scent of salt water and sunscreen. Hermione inhaled deeply savoring the atmosphere and relaxing in the tropical climate. She turned her head slightly to look at the red head next to her.
"Ginny, you do realize that by laying in the sun doing nothing, your significantly increasing your chance of getting skin cancer, right?"
Said red head exhaled a great shrug and lazily turned her head to look at Hermione through her dark tinted sunglasses. "And you do of course realize that I couldn't care less? I mean anybody who fought against Voldemort isn't sent screaming in terror at the threat of skin cancer are they?"
Hermione seemed to ponder this a moment before replying simply. "No, I suppose they're not." She said stretching restlessly on her brightly colored beach towel. Ginny gave her a scrutinizing look from her brightly painted toenails to the tips of her voluminous curly hair. "Your not enjoying yourself much are you, Mione?" She asked, her voice softening a bit. When Hermione didn't answer Ginny continued, "Your thinking about HIM again aren't you?" She inquired.
Hermione pressed her lips into a thin line in remembrance of her old transfiguration teacher. "It's not that obvious is it?" She asked her friend, mildly irritated at being read so easily. "No, not obvious, just to me. I can read you like a book by now Mione. Besides I knew something was up when you refused to get a drink with that hunky blonde we met at the Tiki Bar last night."
Hermione snickered into her water bottle at the thought of the surfer dude who had hit on her last night. "Actually, that had nothing to do with HIM, I just didn't want to be seen with a guy whose SPF matched his I.Q."
Even Ginny had to laugh at this even she would admit the man was more than just a little bit slow. "I'll give you that, but still there were some other cute ones looking your way. I'm sure not ALL of them were complete morons." She said with a wicked grin. "I'm glad you agreed to come with me, I mean when Harry had to cancel last minute for work I was sure I'd be going all by my lonesome. Then you Miss Single and pretending to love it gave me the most wonderful idea for a lovely Girls Week in a Tropical Paradise and here we are lounging on a beach at an all Wizard Island resort." She said as she grabbed her tropical drink from beside her and took a swig.
During all this Ginny hadn't realized that Hermione wasn't paying attention to a word she had been saying. Hermione was too busy staring open mouthed at a medium sized group making their way across the beach with coolers and large colorful beach umbrellas in tow.
Ginny who finally realized Hermione had been far too quiet and looked over at Hermione, whose eyes were rounder than usual and was staring at something on the beach. Ginny raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Hermione, it isn't polite to stare at people." She said in a way that reminded her of her own mother. Hermione blinked once recovering from her original shock and pointed to what she had been looking at saying, "I think that's more than just a little bit odd that they should be here." She said simply. Ginny looked at what Hermione had pointed at and raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. Not more than twenty feet in front of them was half of the Hogwarts Teaching staff setting up an area for themselves on the beach.
Ginny shrugged as she settled herself back on her towel wanting nothing more than to catch more of the suns warm rays. "Ain't that some shit, oh well, enough room on the beach for everybody I always say." Hermione looked at her over the tops of her sunglasses looking as though she thought Ginny had completely lost her mind. "Did you see whose with them?" Ginny looked confused at why the Hogwarts Teaching Staff was bothering Hermione so much.
Hermione groaned at the fact her friend wasn't catching her tactful hints. "Snape's with them. You know like ex-boyfriend Snape!" She exclaimed rather loudly causing several passerbys to give her strange look, which she of course ignored. Realization finally dawned on Ginny. "Oh, OH my God, I completely forgot. That can't be good can it? Hermione, I'm no seer but, I'm sensing bad vibes in the air." Hermione gave her a desperate look and groaned aloud before falling face down into her towel. "The fates hate me." She said dryly hoping they didn't run into each other anytime soon. She was about as ready to face Severus, as she was to face death and with further examination she figured she'd rather face death, if only to avoid an awkward conversation.
Of course with her luck the complete opposite happened just a few minutes afterwards. Albus Dumbledore had caught sight of Ginny's tell tale red hair and had come over to say hello. "Ladies, lovely to see successful Hogwarts graduates. Which reminds me, congratulations on your recent engagement to Harry Potter." He said his to Ginny, blue eyes twinkling in amusement, as they always seemed to do.
"Would you two ladies care to join us? We have more than enough beverages and sandwiches to go around and I'm sure some of the other professors would love to say hello as well." He said and it was crystal clear to both Ginny and Hermione that Dumbledore wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer. Hermione smiled at him but in her head she was cursing the interfering old man's existence six ways to Sunday. Hermione almost groaned aloud, matchmakers surrounded her and they just didn't seem to quit either. She needed new friends she thought getting up most reluctantly and putting her towel, water, and other accessories in her beach bag.
They walked over to the group of professors who were involved in various activities and didn't seem to notice their approached. Hagrid was contorting in an odd fashion trying to apply Magic Screen to his back in ensure he didn't get sunburn. Minerva McGonagall was sipping a brightly colored beverage through a twisty straw and relaxing lazily trying to get the tan that was impossible to get back in Scotland. Sprout and Sinistra were down by the shoreline alternating taking pictures of each other as though they were posing for the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated. Flitwick was struggling to get the Magical Music Boom Box they'd brought along to play, with little luck on his part. Remus was pretending to be watching the seagulls through his magically enhanced binoculars but, he was actually using them to zoom in on some of the more fairer creatures that inhabited not the air above the beach but, on the towels of the shore itself.
The whole scene still seemed somewhat surreal to Hermione. She had managed to convince herself this was nothing more than a heat induced dream and she would wake up any moment back on her towel with a bad case of sunburn on her back. Though, it didn't seem as if she was going to wake up anytime soon, so she decided she might as well have some fun whether she was dreaming or not.
She sat next to Ginny who was already starting a conversation with Minerva McGonagall about the best sunscreen to use and the best overall tanning techniques. She rolled her eyes and looked behind her, her eyes coming to rest on one Severus Snape. Who was currently situated quite comfortably in his beach chair under the shade of the extra large umbrella the group had brought. He hadn't yet noticed the arrival of Ginny and Hermione and appeared quite absorbed in his Potions Magazine, which he was casually flipping through. Hermione took this time to look him over; after all she hadn't seen the man in four years since she had graduated from Hogwarts.
He didn't look much different since she had last seen him, though his attire was something she had certainly never seen him in, especially at Hogwarts. Indeed he was wearing one of the tightest pair of black swim trunks she had ever seen. (Without being a Speedo! No Speedos here folks that's a line not even I will cross!) Not that she was objecting to the view, mind you. Quite the opposite in fact, she thought looking over his long, lean, though somewhat pale, legs. Her gaze steadily traveled upward over his chest, which was dusted in a light sprinkling of dark hair. And she could see the wiry strength of his muscles though it wasn't overly obvious to anybody who wasn't looking for it. His dark raven black hair was pulled away from his face in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Hermione felt a certainly flush of redness in her cheeks due to the embarrassing thoughts that were crossing her mind. Among them the thought that those black swim trunks of his must be awful hot considering black absorbed the suns heat. And due to this fact Hermione had unknowingly started referring to him as Severus "Hot Pants" Snape, if only in her thoughts.
Hermione continued to study him intently watching with sudden fascination as he grabbed his water bottle and took a long refreshing drink from it. Hermione eyes were glued to the way his lips moved as he swallowed. How the man could possibly make drinking water an art form she didn't know but he had obviously made it not only an art but also, a thing of true wonder.
"Hermione, if your quite finished feasting your eyes upon Lover-boy back there. Perhaps, you'd care to join our conversation." Ginny said a smirk on her face as she startled Hermione out of her inner musings about one Potions Master.
Hermione glared at her she was annoyed not at the way Ginny had teased her but, more with the fact that she had distracted her attentions away from Severus. Her train of thought had been leading to rather promising places after all. But Hermione shrugged her disappointment away and joined into the conversation between Dumbledore, Minerva and Ginny.
"Oh, I think you whole lot of us should meet up later for dinner and drinks at the Tiki Bar. It's a great place Hermione and I found last night, they have great food and the entertainment can't be beat." She said with a grin.
Hermione gave another inward groan at the thought of not only having to see Snape again while on the island but also, having to have dinner with him as well. She was going to have to keep telling herself not to think about the undeniable attraction she had to the tall, dark Potions Master. At least if she knew what was good for she would.