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Part 3

Making peace with Ron lifted a burden off her shoulders and the rest of the work week went by quickly, their daily lunch back in session. She didn't hear anything from Harry until Friday evening when Prue once again showed up at her window. The letter, written by Harry alone this time, asked her to join them tomorrow in Hyde Park for a picnic. As she stared at the letter she had to chuckle, admitting to herself that this one she didn't want to miss. Astoria wanted to have a picnic in a Muggle park? And Malfoy had to be there? Her shoulders shook with mirth.

I'm there.

She chuckled again as she sent Prue to return to Harry with her affirmative answer. Deep in thought she headed for her closet, certain that she had some things she could bring along for the picnic.

The next day dawned and she packed a bag with some food and assorted accessories needed for a proper picnic. She had gotten a reply back from Harry later the previous evening about meeting by Lancaster Gate and decided to travel by Underground. Apparition was too risky in a central Muggle area and the closest station wasn't far away from her flat. She walked along in the pleasant August weather, wearing only a yellow sundress and sandals; her hair was swept back in a loose ponytail.

The mode of transportation was quick but hot and stuffy. She took the train down to Tottenham Court Road and changed to the Central Line before finally getting off at Lancaster Gate. As she moved upwards, the stuffy air was getting uncomfortable and she hurried up to ground level, looking forward to the fresh air. Once outside, she took a deep breath and relished the slight breeze. She spotted Harry and the other two right by the fence on the other side of the road and she hurried across, reaching them with a bright smile.

"I'm ready for the picnic," she announced, holding up her bag and pushed the sunglasses further up on her head.

Astoria was carrying the ever picturesque picnic basket while Harry had a blanket thrown over his shoulder. Malfoy looked unimpressed as ever, his hands buried in the jeans someone had forced on him for the occasion. He looked surprisingly normal in the jeans with the accompanying black t-shirt and she inclined her head slightly as she watched him. When he turned his head and met her gaze she looked away instantly. For some reason, keeping eye-contact with him for any longer period made her antsy.

She walked along the side of the fence, knowing there was a gate nearby. She turned to make sure they were following her. Once again she was struck by how much she loved the touch of green in the heart of London. It was so out of place, yet so very natural.

"We should go to Kensington Gardens," she called over her shoulder, her enthusiasm apparent in her voice.

"I can't be bothered to carry the things that far in," Harry replied just as they passed through the gates. "Let's just find a spot right inside."

She supposed he had a point. Her bag was getting rather heavy in the August heat and the best was probably to just find a lovely, shaded spot that wasn't too crowded. Following the road only a few minutes, she found the perfect spot in the shade of two large trees, the blue waters of the Serpentine visible not too far away.

"Here we are," she proclaimed, dropping her bag to the ground.

Astoria walked up to where she was standing, a slight breeze causing her hair to flutter in front of her eyes. She brushed it away irritably with her free hand.

"This looks like a decent spot," she agreed, lowering the basket carefully. "Put the blanket down, will you, Harry?"

Harry grinned and did a silly gesture, making Astoria roll her eyes and Hermione smile briefly at his antics. Placing the blanket on the ground, Astoria sat down on her knees, beginning to empty the contents of the basket.

Hermione sat down at the edge of the blanket, finding it pleasantly cushioned by a charm. She pulled the sunglasses down over her eyes, eyeing Malfoy as he remained standing, hands still in his pockets. She couldn't help but wonder why he bothered to keep this up. He always showed an obvious distaste at being present and she couldn't quite figure out why he wanted to help the girl he had a thing for with her secret relationship to another man. She knew she would never have helped Ron with anything of the sort.

"Are you going to stand there until we leave?" she asked, allowing a crooked smile onto her lips.

He looked up from whatever he was eyeing on the ground and made a face.

"I don't know whose ridiculous idea this was, but I'm not sitting on the ground," he proclaimed, his gaze flittering away from her again

Hermione shared a look with Harry, half-amused, half-exasperated.

"This ridiculous idea was mine, Draco," Astoria said, her voice strained. "Sit down."

Hermione chuckled for a second, but it died on her lips when she saw the look in Malfoy's eyes. She swallowed heavily, finding the look much too familiar. He remained standing, though, looking more uncomfortable now than anything else.

"It's cushioned," she told him, her voice softer than she would have liked. "It's rather comfortable actually."

At first he seemed to show no sign of moving, but when she looked away to see what Astoria and Harry had brought she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. Disguised by her sunglasses, she kept her head turned towards Astoria, but her eyes moved to Malfoy. He was sitting stiffly upon one end of the blanket, his palms resting against it and he leaned onto them in an attempt to find a comfortable position.

She almost thought he looked different than he had the first day. The day at the café he had only seemed uninterested, full of attitude and generally unpleasant. At the pub she had seen the first sign of weakness in the way he looked at Astoria but he had still seemed confident and haughty. Now there was something completely different about him. Sure, he was out of his element, but it was more than that. His eyes couldn't hide the emotions welling in them when he looked over at Harry and Astoria and she wondered if the arrangement was getting to him.

She hated that she was feeling pity for the man. He didn't deserve pity and he probably didn't want it either, but she couldn't get past the fact that she knew how he felt. She knew it so well. She reached into her bag and brought out a bottle of pop, holding it out to him. He looked up, an incredulous look in his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, frowning.

"Offering you a drink," she said as if it was the most natural thing in the universe. "It's Muggle. Pop with flavours of citrus."

"No one told me the deal implied I had to actually interact with you," he commented, but took the bottle from her hand.

She just shrugged, opening a bottle herself and took a good sip. It was still moderately cold, which was a feat in itself. He watched her drink from the bottle as if to verify it wasn't some elaborate joke and slowly unscrewed the lid. Carefully, he took a sip and she watched, a smile playing on her lips. His eyes popped a bit in surprise as he swallowed and then grimaced in discomfort.

"Wow, that's sickening," he commented in disgust, looking at the bubbles moving towards the top of the liquid in the bottle.

Despite the comment of disapproval he angled the bottle to his lips again as he eyed Harry and Astoria placing out the food they brought. Hermione tried to find a flat spot to balance her bottle, fumbling a bit before it stood safely. She reached out and took a biscuit from the plate Harry had just placed on the cushioned blanket and he looked up, smiling briefly.

"I heard from Kingsley that you're making progress on the Elfish welfare law," he said then, leaning back to survey their meal.

She nodded and swallowed quickly.

"We've made real progress in gathering support for our claim that such a law is needed," she said, allowing a proud smile onto her lips. "I'm really stunned at some of the people who have uttered support and we're in the process of setting down a committee to work on the wording and implications of the law."

"I think more and more people will open their eyes to the positive effects of instating a law like that." Harry squinted against the sun. "There's been quite a buzz about it around the Ministry lately."

Hermione gave a tiny smile and leaned slightly forwards.

"If you can keep a secret, we've actually signed on the first member of the committee," she revealed. "Gideon Oakby has signed on, which is marvellous. Not only is his father Idris Oakby, who founded the Society for the Support of Squibs, but Gideon also has long experience from the Wizengamot and the procedures of law in the wizarding community."

Harry gave a low whistle.

"Hermione, that's impressive," he noted. "Once word gets out, I doubt you'll have much problem recruiting the rest of your committee members."

"That's what we're hoping." Hermione nodded and brushed crumbs off the front of her sundress. "Merlin knows we spent months convincing Gideon this is a cause worth supporting."

"I think what you're doing is really important," Astoria said, giving Malfoy a challenging look.

Hermione smiled genuinely, although she couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't pegged Astoria as a supporter for elfish rights but it was just another reason to not put weight on stereotypes. Admittedly, the lines had blurred considerably since the war, but sometimes people kept clinging onto the differences—herself included. Glancing sideways at Malfoy, she found his expression arranged in mask of neutrality. He remained quiet and uttered few words as they ate over light conversation.

It was subtle changes but she eventually noticed that Harry and Astoria turned the attention more and more towards each other. It grew apparent that the two more than anything wanted to be alone and Hermione withdrew from the conversation. Instead, she stretched languidly in the heat from the sun and took the opportunity to study Malfoy from behind her darkened glasses. Now that she had realised his feelings for Astoria, she noticed the quick looks he sent her and the almost unnoticeable grimace he made whenever she pecked Harry's cheek. She could also notice the cracks in his confident and indifferent mask and there was no denying that it intrigued her.

Turning to look at Harry and Astoria she decided it was definitely time to leave them alone for a bit or they'd start snogging each other right in front of them. She got to her feet a bit clumsily and reached into her bag.

"Want to play?" she asked Malfoy, holding the Frisbee up for him to see.

A pale eyebrow rose on his forehead incredulously.

"Look, Granger, I don't know what you –"

He stopped once he glanced over to Harry and Astoria, finding them huddled together, whispering to each other. His expression darkened and he gave a heavy sigh of defeat before he evidently decided Hermione and her Frisbee might be the lesser of two evils. She turned on her heel without waiting for him and moved towards a more open area closer to the road they'd come from. As she found a good spot she made sure the amorous couple was out of sight.

Malfoy took his good time following her and she rolled her eyes as she watched him shuffle towards her at a painfully slow tempo. She sighed at the miserable image he presented and had to wonder if she was that obvious about Ron. If she was, she had no idea how no one noticed.

He stopped in front of her and eyed her with indifference.

"This is a Frisbee," she told him, holding out the disc for him to see. "I throw it to you and you catch it. Then you throw it back. It's very simple."

He didn't answer and she sighed in annoyance at his reluctance to play along.

"Do you think you can do that?" she asked challengingly.

"Granger, I think I can catch a stupid plate," he said irritably and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine," she grumbled, pushing the sunglasses up on her head.

She bent her knees slightly and flicked the Frisbee towards Malfoy. It soared beautifully through the air, like Frisbees do, and hit him straight in the forehead. He stood rooted to the ground, shock edged on his features before he raised his hand to his forehead and rubbed it experimentally. Hermione gaped for a second as it hit him straight in the head before she hunched over and cried out with laughter. He looked utterly gobsmacked and the visual was too ridiculous not to laugh at.

He glared at her angrily as she laughed and clutched her stomach with one hand. With an angry sneer, he picked up the Frisbee to throw it at her. It wobbled in the air and fell to the ground before it came half-way and she laughed harder. His cheeks coloured and he pulled his lips into a vicious sneer before he turned to leave.

She stopped laughing, her eyes growing large. Straightening up, she launched forwards and grabbed his elbow.

"Malfoy, come on," she pleaded. "Don't take yourself so bloody seriously."

"I don't want to play some ridiculous Muggle game," he muttered, trying to shake her off.

"I'll show you how to do it," she suggested. "You just need to learn the technique."

"Granger," he said in warning, "get your filthy hands off me!"

She frowned and her jaw clenched angrily.

"The alternative is going back to Harry and Astoria to watch them snog. Is that what you want?"

He stopped trying to shake her off and his lips pursed into a thin line. She realised he knew which would be the better alternative, so she let him go and turned to pick of the Frisbee. When she straightened up, he stood behind her, his hands deep in the pockets of his Muggle jeans. She moved to stand beside him and held the Frisbee in her hand, showing him the movement of her hand.

"You need to flick your wrist. Don't throw the Frisbee; it should glide through the air and throwing it will just make it fall," she explained. "It's kind of like a flick of your wand."

She demonstrated and the Frisbee soared through the air. Malfoy showed no sign of moving to pick it up, so she sighed and moved over to fetch it. She held it out to him and didn't relent until he'd taken it in his hand.

"You try," she urged, trying not to show her frustration with his lack of enthusiasm.

He gave a half-hearted try and it was decidedly better than before. This time he moved forwards and picked it up before he returned to her side. When he was about to try again, she reached quickly forwards and gripped his wrist. He twitched under her touch, but she pointedly ignored it. She guided the motion of his hand with hers, telling him when he should let go for the best result. It was an immediate improvement and she beamed when it flew much longer than on his previous attempt.

"See, it's actually really simple!"

She didn't wait for an answer since she didn't exactly expect one. Instead, she moved further away from him and picked up the Frisbee on the way. She got into position, getting ready to throw it to him.

"Oh, and the secret is to actually catch it," she noted, smiling in amusement.

"Ha ha, Granger. You're hilarious," he stated dryly, but held his arms ready to catch it this time.

He caught it between his hands this time, avoiding a hit to the head. The action earned him an applause from Hermione that was cut short by the Frisbee zooming against her and she had to jump to catch it.

"I get it. I get it," she said, throwing her hands up. "I'll stop mocking."

They continued playing in near silence. They worked up a rhythm and it kept them occupied for a while. They didn't argue, but they didn't keep up any pretence of conversation either. The warm sun was scorching, though, and Hermione found herself growing tired. After having stretched to reach one throw from Malfoy, she lowered her hands and began walking towards him instead.

"It's much too hot to keep this up," she said as she neared him. "I could use another drink."

He nodded in agreement and followed her in silence back towards the spot where they had left Harry and Astoria. When they came into sight, she sighed heavily and stopped in her tracks. Harry was currently pushing Astoria back towards the trunk of a tree while snogging her breathless.

"I don't think we should go back yet," she told Malfoy who was two steps behind her.

"I'm not playing any more Frisbee, so I'm going back no matter what they're talking about." He was clearly annoyed and his mood wasn't lifted when he looked up and found the snogging couple. "Oh, for the love of..."

She gave an apologetic grimace and turned again, still carrying the Frisbee in her hand.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not about to interrupt them."

Hermione couldn't help but wonder why she and Malfoy were even there as they walked back where they came from, looking for a spot in the shade to relax. It was a Muggle park after all, so Harry and Astoria shouldn't have been disturbed by anyone that shouldn't see them alone together. Hermione found a spot under a row of trees where the ground inclined slightly downwards and she lay down, stretching out on the sloping ground. Reaching behind her head, she released her hair from its pony tail at the back of her head as lying on it was less than comfortable. She rested her hands behind her head and stretched languidly in the warmth. The temperature was much more comfortable in the shade, though a drink would have been even better.

Her eyes were closed, but she both heard and felt him lay down not too far from her. He wasn't lying as close as any of her other friends would have, but he was close enough for anyone to assume they were there together. The thought was a bit surreal. To anyone passing they must have looked like reasonably good friends, lying together in the shade relaxing with a Frisbee resting between them.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her eyes still closed. "It's certainly not for your own enjoyment."

She had finally voiced the thought that had bothered her all day. He remained quiet, though she hadn't expected otherwise. She opened her eyes quickly to glance at him. He too had his eyes shut and his face seemed entirely neutral, as if he was asleep. She closed her eyes again before he could notice her looking at him.

"Why do you think I'm doing it?" he finally answered.

She shrugged, even if he couldn't see it.

"You're doing it because you like her," Hermione said quietly. "But that's what I don't understand. When you like her so much, how can you help her be with Harry? You never struck me as particularly selfless."

She couldn't stop her rambling before she realised just what she had said. Pursing her lips, she cursed herself for always taking things much too far.

"Thanks for the in-depth evaluation of my character, Granger," he noted dryly and then paused a bit. "I'm doing it for myself, not anyone else. What would my chances be if I cursed her out because of her new relationship? This way, I'm still there when it falls apart."

Oh, Merlin. How on earth could she tell Malfoy he was delusional? It was pretty clear to her that it wasn't going to fall apart anytime soon and quite frankly, he was just helping them along.

"From my point of view, your strategy doesn't seem to be working," she finally replied, unsure of what else to say.

"Oh yeah? It's better than doing nothing. That's not working too well for you, is it?"

Her eyes shot open. He did not just imply...

"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"Sitting around doing nothing isn't getting Weasley back to you," he continued.

She darted up from the ground, wheeling around to stare at him wildly. Her mouth opened to speak, but no sound passed her lips. She was too shocked to create a single sound and her mind worked furiously to figure out how he could possibly know.

"You're not the only one who notices things," he declared lazily.

Her cheeks burned and she bent down to pick up the discarded Frisbee.

"You don't know anything about me, Malfoy," she informed him, her voice not betraying how frazzled she was.

Her heart raced in her chest when she turned and walked swiftly back towards Harry and Astoria. No one else had noticed how far she was from getting over Ron and she had gotten so used to being alone in her misery. Now he of all people knew that she was still pining like some little school girl. She tried to think back to the conversations she had held with Harry about Ron while Malfoy was around. From what she could remember, they had been brief and pretty neutral, but somehow he had managed to figure out what Harry and Ron had overlooked for months.

She reached the site of the picnic and plopped down on the blanket, not caring that she was interrupting the amorous couple. With a nauseating pop the two separated from their embrace and they both looked in her direction. Astoria blushed heavily, and ran two fingers over her swollen lips as if to wipe away the evidence of Harry's kisses.

"Where have you been?" she asked, fumbling a bit over the words as she sat up.

"Playing Frisbee," Hermione muttered, throwing the disc back into her bag.

She grabbed the remainder of her pop and took a large sip, even if it was now warmer than it was cold and refreshing.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, frowning. "He didn't do anything, did he?"

"No, everything's fine," she assured him, although probably not convincingly in the least.

Malfoy sat down on the blanket again then and she ignored him pointedly as she drank what was left in the bottle.

A/N:

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