Hello again children ;P
Sorry this chapter is late also.. if you read the A/N: from chapter you'll know why.. heh heh
anyway , carry on ;]
2. Walk in the Park
DRACO GROANED INTERNALLY as his mind began to wonder about what he'd see when he pried all of Granger's fingers from her towel and let it drop to the floor. "Guess not," he said quietly, putting a stop to his fingers actions. Quickly and without thinking, he kissed her full on the lips, rough but short. He was just as surprised at his actions as Hermione was. He felt completely possessed. But it felt good. And both of them – despite their so called 'enemy' relationship they'd had since first year – saw the fireworks.
"Umm..." Draco hesitated, failing to find the words to explain himself, and lowered Hermione to the ground cautiously. "Sorry," he mumbled before standing upright again. He felt his face warm as he flushed red, Hermione's cheeks mimicking his own.
Hermione was completely at loss for words after Draco willingly kissed her. Square on the lips, she thought unbelievably, He wanted to do that... And I didn't want it to stop. Hermione blushed a deep crimson red and diverted her eyes immediately.
"Me too," She murmured back, following Draco's move and standing up under the still running tap. She felt as though every inch of skin that was visible to Draco was red – and not because of the steam and heated water. This is the most embarrassing day of my life; she cursed herself in her head.
Draco had not taken his eyes off Hermione's luscious brown eyes, no matter how hard she tried to keep hers away from his silvery ones. That kiss meant so much more than just Draco being a perverted git, Hermione concluded. We both felt the stereotypical, clichéd sparks.
Not wanting to humiliate herself further, Hermione rushed back to her door, unintentionally slamming it behind her. "What just happened?" she asked herself in a shaky voice.
"I don't know..." Draco said out loud as if he heard Hermione's question. He stripped off on the way back to his room to get a clean set of dry clothing and waved his wand for the water to shut off in the shower before it flooded the whole bathroom. He sat on the edge of his bed, stalling his plans of changing. He spent the remainder of the free periods in his room, trying to get his head around what he just did to his sworn enemies best friend and why.
As Draco cleaned up for lunch a half hour before everyone was due in the Great Hall, he thought about his and Hermione's second meeting. He rarely ever thought about it, it was hard to remember the happier times between the two of them.
It was a warm and sunny day and the small Malfoy family of three were strolling through The Victoria Tower Gardens in Muggle London. It was a family outing for Narcissa's birthday and she chose to do as the Muggles did and spend the day with the two most important people in her life.
Draco was on the verge of turning 11 and wasn't looking forward to this outing. He stayed behind his parents as they walked and talked. As he looked around with his hands buried deep in his pockets, he noticed a girl and her parents sitting around a picnic table a short distance away.
"Hermione…" he breathed as his eyes widened and steps slowed. The girl seemed to have gotten even prettier than the last time he seen her months ago. Her bushy hair was now wavy and framed her face nicely, she was wearing black-rimmed glasses but they made her look smarter and more poised. She was wearing an emerald green tank top and blue denim shorts with sandals, and just looking at her made Draco smile.
"Hey mum, I see a friend." He called to Narcissa as he ran to catch up with her. "May I go and say Hello?" He looked up at his mum with eager eyes. She nodded briefly and he took off to see Hermione.
"Hermione! Hermione Granger!" He called to her as he slowed his run to a walk the closer he got. Hermione looked over to the voice calling her name as did her parents.
"Who's that?" Mr Granger asked frowning slightly, worried about his 10 year old daughters early interaction with boys. Mrs Granger placed a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder as Hermione's face lit up and rose to her feet.
"Go say Hello, munchkin," she said, ushering her daughter onwards. Draco saw Hermione's face light up and a warm feeling in his stomach erupted. "Hey Hermione!" he said again. "It's good to see you again,"
Hermione ran from her seat and embraced Draco in a tight embrace. "It's good to see you too, Draco!" She said as she let go. She stepped back again and smiled warmly at Draco, getting butterflies as he returned the grin.
"I thought I'd never see you again." she admitted shyly, putting her hands into her back pockets and shuffling her feet. Draco's face fell at this comment. He didn't think he'd see her again either.
Draco never stopped thinking of Hermione since they first met. He was destined to attend Hogwarts, that much he knew. He would make friends there, but Hermione was the first real friend ever. Sure he was family friends with the Goyle dude and the Crabbe's. Heck that Parkinson girl thought they were betrothed already. But Hermione, she was different. He felt something different when he thought about her, when he was with her – like she belonged in his world.
"Well, I'm here now," he said giving her his best cheesy smile. "See me now." Hermione laughed and took his arm, dragging him along to her family.
"C'mon, let me introduce you to my parents." She said pulling him along. "And you can have something to eat if you like." Draco hesitated slightly. She was a Muggle; once he left for Hogwarts next month she was never to see him again.
"Just let me ask my parents first." he said backing up slightly. "It won't take long." he added seeing her face loose enthusiasm. He turned around and ran back to his waiting parents.
"Mum," He started nervously. "I know it's your birthday so my other gift to you is some alone time with dad." He improvised. He'd say anything to be able to spend some time with Hermione.
"Oh? Is it really?" Lucius sneered suspiciously. Draco nodded.
"And where will you go, Draco? We're in Muggle London." Narcissa added. Draco swallowed hard under his parents prying eyes. He glanced quickly at a waiting Hermione.
"I'll hang out with my friend over there while you two do as you please. Give me a time and I'll meet you back where we apparated in." he said.
Narcissa eyed her son carefully then glanced at the girl waiting for him. "A girl?" She asked, surprised that Draco was already associating with people outside of their family friends let alone girls. She smiled a small smile for Draco and sighed.
"Alright, go have fun," She said. Lucius looked shocked.
"Narcissa, you're going to let him associate with a... a Muggle?" He asked her, astounded. He had strong beliefs about Muggles. They were to be dirt on the bottom of his shoe, not worth of his presence. Yet, her he was and his son was asking to go and 'hang out' with one.
Draco glared at his father. He had this feeling Hermione was different. There was no way she was a Muggle. "She's different, father. I don't think she is a Muggle." He defended. He glanced over at his waiting friend with a worried expression. She mirrored his facial expression and bit her lip in anticipation.
"Please," Draco said again for what he hoped would be the last time. Narcissa looked at her son's pleading eyes and nodded. Draco sighed a breath of relief and smile.
"Thank you," He said before turning to run back to Hermione. Lucius' hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Don't disappoint me. You've done enough." He said calmly but threatening. Draco just glared up at him as he shook off his father's hand.
"She's different." He stated again, determined to make his parents think different.
Draco ran back to Hermione smiling. She saw his smile and her face instantly lifted to a cheesy grin and she put an arm around his shoulders.
"For a minute I thought your folks wouldn't let you come." She said looking at him from the corner of her eye. Draco looked at her curiously. She seemed genuinely upset at the idea of not being able to be with him. He smiled gently and thought that this was what it was gonna be like to have someone so special to him that he never wanted to lose them – even if this was only the second time they'd met.
Draco sat and ate sandwiches with the Granger family and told them as much as he could about his life without spilling the fact that he was really a wizard who could do magical things and was about to go off to a school for kids just like him. It was hard, but he managed.
"Mum, we're gonna go for a walk," Hermione said as she go up and dragged Draco with her. Draco looked from Hermione to her parents and gave Mr and Mrs Granger a small smile.
"Don't be long, okay? And don't go too far!" Mrs Granger called as they started walking down the path. Hermione looked at Draco and smiled.
"So when do i get to meet your parents?" She asked cheekily, poking him in the arm. Draco laughed and poked her back.
"I don't know Hermione." He said honestly. "My parents aren't the most inviting people in the world." Draco's face fell slightly and he kept his eyes on the ground in front of him. Hermione frowned in confusion. Draco glanced at her and sighed. He didn't want to give away his real identity, but he didn't want to lie to Hermione either. He didn't like keeping this secret from her.
While Hermione was still pondering over what Draco had said, Draco tried to change the subject and get to happier conversation topics. He smiled at Hermione as he got an idea.
"Race you to that pond over here?" He said pointing to the pond a fair distance away. Hermione laughed.
"You're on!" She said pushing him sideways and taking off. Draco's mouth hung open for a moment before he took off after her.
"That's cheating!" He yelled after her, laughing the whole way. He soon caught up with Hermione when they were about half way there and poked his tongue out at her when she looked at him, awestruck at how quickly he had caught up with her. Draco then zoomed past her and sprinted all the way to the pond with his head down and arms pumping. He could hear Hermione's musical laugh as she ran up behind him and collapsed on the grass just a short way from him. Draco laughed too, planting himself down on the ground next to her.
Draco felt comfortable around Hermione, and he felt like she was comfortable around him too. He knew there was something about her that made him feel this way about him, but he was 10. 'What do i know about these things?' he asked himself silently. Draco sighed and looked up at the sky, laying down with his hands behind his head. Hermione noticed something about his sigh that wasn't quite happy.
"Is everything okay, Draco?" She asked genuinely concerned. Hermione didn't want Draco to be upset. He was her friend, and a good one at that. Draco looked at her. He didn't want any secrets between them. 'Here i go,' he thought as he sat up and looked at her.
"Hermione," he started slowly. "There's something different about you. I feel like you're not the same as all the other mug- i mean, people I've met." Draco looked into Hermione's widened eyes. She bit her lip as if she had something she wished she could say but couldn't. She did.
Draco took a deep breath and continued to talk. "I wanna show you something," He said getting up and offering her his hand to help her up. This was it. He was going to prove to her that he was different too.
Hermione gave him a quizzical look but took his hand all the same. She followed him over to the edge of the pond and crouched down low just as he had. She panicked for a moment.
'You're not going to push me in are you?" She asked, a hint of hysteria in her voice. Draco just shook his head and glanced at her.
"I'm different too," he said. She looked at him confused again.
"What do you mean?" She asked. He pointed to the water and she looked. "It's just the water," She said looking at Draco and back to the water. "There's nothing there. I can't see anything."
Draco took a really deep breath and stuck his hand out over the water. Hermione watched him carefully, studying everything he was doing with a hint of confusion. Draco looked at the water with deep concentration, praying that this would work so Hermione could finally know the truth.
"Keep watching the water," He said to Hermione softly. She listened and watched the water carefully. Slowly it began to ripple slowly, like continuous little pebbles were being dropped from above it. Hermione's eyes widened and she looked from Draco to his hand and to the water.
"Draco..." She said slowly and quietly. "Are you doing that?" Draco nodded and looked at Hermione, worried of what she might say.
Hermione watched as the ripples got smaller and bigger from the middle to the outside. She broke into a grin and tackled him into a big hug, laughing as she did so.
"What the - ! Hermione!" Draco yelled laughing along with her as he struggled to get her off (He'd never ever been hugged like that before – it made him blush).
Hermione giggled as she got off him and sat next to him. "You're a wizard." She stated happily with a grin. Draco raised an eyebrow at her, wondering how she knew.
Hermione looked to the ground like she was looking for something. She picked up a green leaf about as long as the inside of her palm. She rested it in her palm and stared at it, concentrating just as Draco had. Draco watched what she did, just like she watched him. 'No way...' He thought silently in disbelief.
Slowly the leaf began to levitate in Hermione's hand and began to twirl in circles. Hermione smiled as she watched the leaf ad Draco mimicked her. "I knew you were like me," He whispered to her, looking up into her soft brown eyes, feeling butterflies in his stomach.