Hermione sat on the balcony of her hotel room, enjoying the peace and quiet as she ate a light lunch. Despite her protestations, Hermione had been persuaded to attend the reunion. Harry had brought the subject up a few days after she'd received the invitation, and he'd refused to let the matter drop until she'd agreed to attend. And just to be sure she didn't change her mind at the last minute, he and Ginny had been at her place bright and early and they'd all travelled to the hotel together.
Hermione had to admit the morning hadn't been as bad as she'd feared. She'd explored the hotel with Harry and Ginny, and while they'd seen plenty of their former classmates, none of them had mentioned the fact Hermione was all alone. However, just before lunch they'd ran into Ernie and he'd mentioned the arrangements for the evening meal, and Hermione wasn't at all sure she liked the idea of sitting with just the former Gryffindors. Unless they'd changed a lot, Ernie's wife, Parvati, and her best friend, Lavender Brown were awful gossips, and due to the fact Hermione had never gotten along with Lavender, she was fully expecting them to make some sort of snide remarks over dinner. Especially as Ron and Anna would be at the table, while she was be all alone.
In an attempt to prepare for the evening, Hermione had decided to eat lunch in her room, and she'd already told Harry and Ginny that she would entertain herself this afternoon. Hermione had already decided that she would have a relaxing spa treatment, and as she ate dinner, she looked over the brochure that detailed what was on offer. Hermione had checked before lunch that she didn't need to book a treatment beforehand, so all she had to do was decide what she wanted and go down to the spa facilities and enjoy herself.
By the time she'd finished eating, Hermione had decided she would have a Deep tissue Thai Massage. She was hoping a nice relaxing massage, followed by a stroll in the grounds would help her relax before dinner. Hopefully by then she'd be so relaxed that she would be able to let any negative comments wash over her.
Heading down to the treatment rooms, Hermione was pleased to find that the place wasn't too crowded with former Hogwarts students. There were a few of her former school mates sorting out treatments, but it certainly wasn't overrun. It meant that Hermione didn't have to wait very long before she was escorted into a room for her massage.
By the time Hermione's massage was over, nearly an hour later, she felt more relaxed than she'd been for years. Ginny had often tried to get her to accompany her on spa weekends, but Hermione had always been too busy to spare the time. However, she might now reconsider and next time Ginny asked her to join her at the spa, she might very well say yes.
Before leaving the spa, Hermione took the opportunity to buy a few of the products the hotel was selling. Hermione rarely indulged in such things, but since she was feeling so relaxed and upbeat, she decided to make the most of her opportunity. With her bag full of bits and pieces from the spa, Hermione headed back to her room, where she deposited her purchases. After a quick change of clothes, she transferred everything she would need into a smaller bag, before heading down to explore the lovely looking grounds.
The grounds were every bit as exquisite as they looked from the hotel, and Hermione was more than happy to stroll around the grounds at a sedate pace. She walked around the tennis courts, the rose gardens and even a picnic area beside a lake, before heading into the tranquillity garden. The tranquillity garden lived up to its name, and just walking among the flowers made Hermione feel at peace. As she walked, she idly thought that she should take more time for herself, and go away more often on a weekend. After all, if she wanted a life outside of work, she would have to actually spend time doing things that had nothing to do with her job or the Ministry.
Wondering if she should maybe suggest a return trip to the spa to Ginny, Hermione turned the corner and spotted a white gazebo, covered with pale pink honeysuckle. Deciding it would be a nice place to stop and rest for a bit, Hermione walked around the path to the front of the gazebo. However, just as she was about to climb the couple of steps which led into the cool shaded seating area, she spotted that someone was already in the gazebo. But not just anyone, it was Draco Malfoy, and sitting beside him on the floor was a nearly full bottle of firewhisky and an empty glass.
Hermione hesitated, unsure if she should just walk away or at least say hello. Granted, she and Draco had never been friends in school, but things hadn't quite turned out as bad between them as Hermione had once feared. When Hermione first started school, Draco was a stuck up little brat, who seemed to look down on her because she was a muggleborn. Ron had explained how Draco's father had been a supporter of the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, and that in his opinion Malfoys were bad news and couldn't be trusted.
For a couple of years it had seemed that Ron was right, and Draco was nothing more than a spiteful bully. However the end of fourth year saw Voldemort attempt and fail to return to full strength. In fact, things went so wrong for the dark wizard that all he managed to do was kill himself properly, ensuring that the wizarding world would never have to face the second war so many people had been convinced was coming. The fall of Voldemort prompted several of his former supporters to admit to changing their views, and the Malfoys were among those who discarded the old ways. Of course there was still some debate over whether wizards like Lucius Malfoy genuinely thought of muggleborns as equals, but it became clear to Hermione that Draco didn't have a problem with her blood.
In fact over the last few years at Hogwarts, Hermione had enjoyed a cordial relationship with the blond Slytherin. He was the only other person who spent almost as much time in the library as her, and rather than ignoring her as he had done for the first couple of years, he would speak and acknowledge her. Granted, they'd never really talked and they weren't friends, but he wasn't the enemy he might have been if circumstances had been different.
"Granger," Draco called, spotting Hermione before she had a chance to decide what to do. "Fancy seeing you here."
"It is a reunion Malfoy," Hermione replied, taking in the blond's appearance and deciding the years had been kind to him. He'd always been a good looking boy, but now he was a truly handsome man. "In case you missed it, we went to school together."
"I didn't miss it," Draco replied with a slight smirk. "But why are you wandering around the grounds all alone?"
"Because I am all alone," Hermione responded with a shrug, hoping that she came off unbothered by her single status.
"Finally," Draco declared with a grin, causing Hermione to think how hot he looked when he let go of his normal stoic exterior and truly smiled. "Another singleton. Join me Granger."
"Are you drunk?" Hermione asked warily as she climbed the steps and entered the gazebo.
"I wish," Draco snorted. "I've had one glass, and that was over an hour ago. If I carry on drinking alone, I might not stop until the bottle is empty."
"And why are you turning to drink on this lovely Saturday afternoon?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to the blonde.
"Regrets," Draco answered, reaching down for the bottle. Pouring some of the amber liquid into the crystal tumbler, he handed it over to Hermione. "I've just got the one glass so we'll have to share."
"Sharing with a muggleborn, that'll be a first for you," Hermione chuckled as she took a drink of the strong liquid.
"I don't have a problem with muggleborns," Draco replied as he took the glass off Hermione and had a drink of the liquor himself.
"It wasn't always that way," Hermione said softly. "When we were younger you hated me."
"Not because you were a muggleborn," Draco said.
"So you don't deny you hated me?" Hermione laughed.
"Sorry, I can't deny that," Draco replied with an apologetic shrug. "For the first couple of years at Hogwarts I hated you with a burning passion."
"Why? What had I ever done to you?" Hermione asked.
Even though it had been ten years since she left school, and seventeen years since she started, it still hurt to think of how hard it had been joining a wizarding school. She'd been all alone in a strange world, and she hadn't exactly been made to feel welcome straight away. Not that it was just Draco, as even Ron had been off with her when they first met. In fact it had taken her over a month to make friends, which had happened on Halloween, the night Harry and Ron had rescued her from a mountain troll.
"You were better than me," Draco answered simply but honestly. "This may surprise you, but I grew up slightly spoiled."
"I never would have guessed," Hermione gasped in fake shock as she took the glass of firewhisky back off Draco and had another drink.
Draco grinned at Hermione, surprised by how easy it was to talk to her, before he continued. "Anyway, I grew up thinking I was something special. I had a better grasp of magic then any of my other friends, so I went off to Hogwarts thinking I would be top of the class."
"And then I came along and ruined it," Hermione said with a rueful smile.
"Then you came along," Draco agreed with a nod. "Suddenly, I wasn't the best. I was being beating by a girl, and not just any girl, a girl who'd only recently discovered she was a witch. I didn't know how to deal with you been better than me, so I chose to hate you instead."
"What changed?"
"I did. I grew up and realised that you being a brilliant witch didn't affect me being a good wizard. Just because you were better than me, didn't mean that I was no good. What I could achieve had nothing to do with what you achieved. I could still be the best wizard I could be, even if you did still beat me in every class."
"You ran me close in quite a few classes," Hermione admitted with a small smile. She knew a lot of people thought she was top of their year by a large margin, but Hermione had always known that Draco, and a few other students, were right behind her and she'd had to work extremely hard to keep her number one position.
"Maybe I would have been closer if I hadn't spent my first few years hating you," Draco said with a deprecating smile. "Maybe if I'd buckled down early on, I could have matched you in later years."
"I guess we'll never know," Hermione replied. "But at least you moved past your hatred and focused on yourself. You've achieved a hell of a lot since leaving school, Malfoy."
"Been keeping an eye on me, have you?" Draco teased, grinning widely when Hermione blushed in response.
"I just read the papers," Hermione replied, aware that Draco was still grinning wickedly at her. "And last year I stayed in your hotel in Rome while I was away on business. It was the most gorgeous hotel I've ever stayed in. If they're all like that, I can see why they're so popular."
"We try to make our hotels the best they can be," Draco said modestly. "And it's not like I'm the only one who's achieved anything since leaving Hogwarts. You're head of one of the largest departments in the Ministry, and tipped to be Minister for Magic one day. That's not bad going."
"Have you been keeping an eye on me?" Hermione questioned, borrowing Draco's question from a few seconds ago.
"I just read the papers," Draco mimicked her answer with a grin. "But seriously, it's hard to miss progress like yours. You're the golden girl of the wizarding world."
"I wouldn't go that far," Hermione replied as she blushed even harder at Draco's compliment. "My life is hardly golden."
"What's tainting it?" Draco asked, even though he had a fair idea just what was stopping Hermione's life from being perfect.
"Most likely the same thing that has you sitting out here nursing firewhisky," Hermione replied.
"Love," Draco scoffed. "Or rather a lack of it."
"Yeah, it's hard being alone," Hermione said quietly. "Especially at events like these where everyone seems to be paired up, including my ex."
"I know all about that one," Draco said sympathetically as he refilled their glass of firewhisky.
"I guess you do," Hermione replied, recalling the stories she'd read about Draco's girlfriend running off and marrying one of his best friends.
"And now I have to sit through a bloody dinner on the same table as them," Draco continued. "I had hoped I could avoid them over the course of the weekend."
"Same here," Hermione said. "I still see Ron fairly often, but we've never sat down and had dinner together since we split. I can't say it's something I'm looking forward to."
"Then why don't we do something about it," Draco suggested, an idea popping into his head. "I was talking to one of the staff just before you came along, and he mentioned that we're not far from a wizarding village, with a very nice pub. What do you say we rebel and skip dinner? We can go down to the pub, and eat there, where there are no exes."
"Are you asking me on a date, Malfoy?" Hermione asked with a teasing smile.
"Only if you're saying yes," Draco retorted, a mischievous glint in her grey eyes. "So what do you say, Granger, are you up for being led astray by a Slytherin?"
"You know what, I think I am," Hermione replied impulsively. The idea of dinner with Draco appealed far more than sitting eating dinner opposite Ron and his girlfriend. "Let's do it. Let's be bad."
In a whirl of conspiring laugher, the pair arranged to meet in the reception half an hour before dinner was due to start. With any luck they'd be out of the hotel and down at the village before anyone even realised they were missing. Besides, it wasn't like they were skipping out on the whole reunion. They were just missing one meal, they would be back for the large party the following evening. But for tonight, they were going to have fun, and that meant leaving the reunion and their respective exes behind.