Hermione laughed. It had been a long hot summer and she could honestly say that she had enjoyed every second of it. Normally she would trap herself away in her room and read until it was time she got on the train back to Hogwarts. Not this summer. This summer she had decided to make a change. Working hard all year at Hogwarts and doing nothing to relax all summer was starting to really wear her down. As this was the last summer before her last year she wanted to have fun. Basically that's what she had had. Although her parents weren't too happy about it she went and stayed with her aunt that lives in Greece. Not asking to stay completely rent free she helped out with the running of the 3 villas that her uncle owned. This may have taken up most of her days but left her free to enjoy the warm nights sat on the docks with her toes in the water watching the sun go down, this really had been the best summer. She flew back to England tomorrow, where she would spend the weekend with her parents then on too Hogwarts bright and early Monday morning.
Sighing, she swayed her feet in the cool water and watched it swirl around. Although she was looking forward to going back to the school of witch craft and wizardry, she was going to miss it here. The simple work and friendly faces, the constant new flow of people brought in by the tide. There were the friendly locals that helped her when she got stuck with the language barriers, the new guests that came every week that only ever spoke nice words and tipped well and the people that brought the yachts to dock. She looked around the moorings for any new boats that had arrived since she had been down the night before. Only one and it bobbed slowly away in the corner. It was significantly bigger than most of the surrounding boats and clearly had cost a pretty penny. She smiled; the area did attract people with money. As she watched the way the setting sun's rays played on the water around the boat, a door slammed and a blond haired man appeared on deck. He wore a simple pair of blue baggy shorts and a white polo shirt. He was a very attractive stranger even if she could only see him from the back. He looked relaxed as if he too was enjoying the cooler evening air compared to the blistering heat of midday. With her fair skin Hermione often worked away in the villas during the heat of the day. She liked it best then as most people would go for a nap and she could work away in peace. Laugher erupted from one of the many bars along the water edge, Hermione turned to have a look. A group of young people poured out of the bar laughing and joking. Pushing each other towards the water but catching each other before they actually fell in. Hermione smiled again. It was like people's worries floated away on the air in this place. What was there to worry about when the buildings and surroundings were so beautiful, when the sky and the water were so clear? It was pure paradise. Smiling, happy and content she turned back around to look at the new boat again. The man was looking across at the laughing group. Although he too had a smile on his face and still looked completely calm, Hermione froze. As if in slow motion she watched his head slowly turn away from the group and down the dock to where she was sat. She had the best view to see his face change from content to surprise and then slide straight into anger. The man on the boat was no attractive stranger but Draco Malfoy. In no other terms he was her enemy. Not even a beautiful place such as this would take away the hate he had for her and her for him. That moment in time seemed to stop, for what felt like forever they just stared at each other with hatred in their eyes.
Draco could not believe his luck. Was there no place on earth that he could get away from these god awful mudbloods? She sat on the dock like it was her right to be sitting there. To make it all worse she wore barely anything. A simple plain white bikini top and a blue long flowing skirt that she had pulled up to her thighs. Her well shaped, tanned legs hung over the dock as her feet sat in the water. Damn him for noticing that they were tanned and shapely, damn him for noticing that the sun had lightened her hair, damn him for noticing how good she looked in a bikini and damn him for noticing how enticing she looked just sat on the dock. How dare she be here and ruin his last day of freedom before he is sucked back in to the world where he is Draco Malfoy. Was there really no place on earth that he could just get away from them? He had been so calm and relaxed. All summer he had worked really hard at being that and finally he had accomplished it and she had to turn up on his dock! Looking stunning no less!
"What in Merlin's name are you doing here mudblood?" he barked.
She jumped to her feet, the shock at seeing him clearly wearing off; her skirt fell around her ankles and swayed slightly in the wind. She wore no shoes, not that mattered as neither did he but it drew his attention. Of course that only annoyed him more. How dare she be on his dock and wearing no shoes!
"I was here before you were so why don't you just piss off somewhere else. I'm sure there are other people you can bully." She snapped back before bending to grab her sandals.
Draco sucked in some air at the sight of her chest nearly breaking free of its confines as she bent. Now when had the mudblood grown to be such a fine thing? More to the point why did that make him draw in breathe. He was Draco Malfoy, he could get any fine thing he wanted, and he didn't need to sink to the level of mudbloods.
"Haven't you learnt by now that I can go anywhere I like? It is you and other filth like you that should be caged. How dare you come to somewhere so perfect and infect it with your face." He retorted
No matter how much she may have changed over the summer, comments like that were never easy to hear, especially after having a summer free of them. That was why, she told herself, this one hurt so very much. She looked away from him and up to the little village on the water's edge. It no longer looked beautiful and serene; instead it looked to small and dark. There was no place to hide till she flew home tomorrow. At the top of the dock her aunt appeared and waved her over. They were meant to be having a last meal together before she left them. Of course that was now the last thing she wanted to do.
"Hermione, everybody is ready." Her aunt called to her.
She turned back to Malfoy who was staring at her aunt with even more hatred if that was possible.
"Stay away from me Malfoy and I will stay away from you. I will only be...infecting...here for one more night." The last thing Hermione wanted was for him to ruin her last night with her family and friends from the island.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do. Who do you think you are to order me around?" he looked up the dock and her aunt one more time, making Hermione even more nervous. "I was planning on eating on board tonight but now I feel like a meal on land will make a change."
What he had planned she didn't know but what she did know was that she definitely did not like his tone.
"Come near me or anybody else and I will curse you so bad you won't know what hit you. Now is that really how you want to end your summer, scum?" Hermione said.
"Hermione" her aunt called again.
"A threat." His voice was full of anger. "You threaten me. I would kill you before you even lifted your wand. Not that you even have it with you now."
She hated to see the smirk on his face but he was right. She didn't have her wand on her. For the first two weeks she had carried it around with her but when it became clear there was no threat she hadn't bothered anymore. Of course now she felt totally naked without it. And thinking about naked just made her think about how she was dressed. Could her last day really have ended any worse?
"Hermione, food." Her aunt called more instant than before.
"Run along mudblood, the muggle is shouting on you. I will do as I please." With that he turned and went below board.
Her heart still racing and temper high Hermione stood there for a moment to catch her breath before running up to her aunt.
"Sorry auntie." She mumbled.
"That's okay dear. You were talking to that attractive young man; I will let you off with it this time." She said smiling and linking arms with her niece. Totally oblivious to the trouble that attractive young man was.