A/N: Yay, wifi! I forgot how beautiful the East Coast is in the summer. For those of you who live here year round, I envy you 'cause this place is gorgeous! Anyway, I hope you guys are doing well. Please keep the reviews coming, guys. They tend to make an author's day when we get reviews from you because, after all, you are part of the reason that we write these stories in the first place so if you could take a few minutes to just share your thoughts, it would mean a lot. Even a 'nice chapter' comment would suffice. Thanks guys.
Tallyho!
Chapter 4:
"Granger?" Draco asked, looking just as confused as she was.
"Uh- I- you- what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, finally finding the words to form a coherent sentence.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied.
She swallowed. "I asked you first," she said, her confidence starting to come back now that the shock was starting to wear off.
He straightened his posture and stared at her curiously. Finally, he spoke. "Personal reasons. Your turn."
Huh. Hermione thought. Fine. He won't give me a real answer I won't give him one. "Personal reasons," she replied.
He pursed his lips and nodded, seeming to be satisfied with her answer. He bent down to pick up her book only to be greeted by a pointy wet nose. He was taken aback for a moment before a small smile crept on his lips as he looked at the dog. "I never pegged you for a dog person, Granger," he said, as he scratched Benji's head before standing up and handing Hermione her book.
"Uh, yeah, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing," she explained, taking the book from his grasp. "Thanks," she muttered.
Draco nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you around, Granger." he said, petting Benji's head once more before walking away.
"I guess so," she said, still very confused. She quickly finished the rest of her shopping then returned back to her flat to contemplate what had just happened.
The Malfoys had defected at the last minute during the war and have since worked hard to clean up their reputation. Narcissa had started a charity that helped with the cleanup process of the aftermath of the war while Lucius had donated millions into the repair of Hogwarts. Their efforts worked and the Malfoys were back at the height of society with a much better reputation than before. They had even claimed to renounce their pureblood beliefs; Narcissa had made an effort to get to know some muggle-borns during the cleanup, Hermione included. At first, Hermione believed it to be a publicity stunt but as she talked more and more with the Malfoy matriarch, she, begrudgingly, admitted that Narcissa wasn't nearly as terrible as her husband or son. If anything, she was quite amicable. As for Lucius, he just claimed that his word was enough proof and no one bothered to argue, either because they didn't care or they were still scared of him. No one was sure which option it really was.
Draco, however, seemed to disappear off the face of the earth: media wise anyway. He returned to Hogwarts to make up his final year, keeping his head down the entire time but making a point to be civil to everyone, Hermione included, while he was there. The two had actually managed to make peace with one another during their last year and called an alliance. He apologized for all he had done, she forgave him, and they continued their last year at school peacefully. They had formed a quiet sort of friendship, never talking about anything too serious but had managed to grow fond of one another.
After graduation, however, he had quietly faded into the background and they stopped talking. The only times Hermione had seen his name mentioned in the paper was when he had taken over his father's business and when he had married Astoria Greengrass. Which was another thing: if Draco was here, did that mean Astoria was too? Not that Hermione had a problem with her but she wasn't sure she'd be able to find the peace she wanted knowing there were two Malfoys wandering around the town. If that was the case, then this trip just got a whole lot more complicated. She kept her fingers crossed that seeing Malfoy this one time was just pure coincidence and that the rest of her trip would remain complication free.
It seemed Hermione's luck was not with her on this trip.
She consistently ran into Draco everywhere from museums to restaurants to the farmer's market where they collided that first day. And a majority of the time Benji was with her and he seemed to love the former Slytherin, much to Hermione's surprise and slight annoyance. Benji was a very friendly dog and loved everyone but she couldn't help but huff in frustration as he seemed to adore Draco. To her intrigue, the blonde seemed to really like Benji in return. Whenever Benji was with her, a small smile crept on Draco's lips and his eyes seemed to hold a sad type of happiness compared to the solemn look they held when she ran into him and Benji wasn't with her, something Hermione was surprised to find she even noticed.
What was even more confusing to Hermione, was that every time she and Draco ran into each other, he was alone. Astoria was nowhere to be found. Hermione had concluded that perhaps Draco had come to Colmar alone… she just couldn't figure out why.
One day, she was sitting out on the patio of a small cafe, drinking coffee and reading a book with Benji tied to the table lying at her feet, when a figure appeared in the chair across from her. She looked up from her book to find that Draco had sat down across from her with a small smirk resting on his lips. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "Would you leave if I said no?"
He chuckled. "Probably not."
She shrugged and went back to her book. "Suit yourself. Can't say I'd be much entertainment though."
"Who said I was here for you?" he replied scratching Benji's ears who had rested his head in the blonde's lap. Hermione rolled her eyes as her dog embraced the attention he was getting.
"Jealous, Granger?' Draco taunted, smirking.
She looked at him incredulously and chuckled. "No. I'm just trying to figure out what it is about you that he likes so much."
"Perhaps it's my charming personality," he suggested.
Hermione did her best not to snort. "Right; I'm sure that's what it is," she said before going back to her book but she didn't read it. Instead, she kept sneaking looks to Draco and noticed how his eyes held sadness again. He was focused on Benji and continued to scratch his head but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Hermione took this moment to really look at him: he looked skinnier and his hair wasn't it's usual slicked back style; it fell loose just above his eyes. When he wasn't smirking, he had a small frown that seemed to be etched into his face and his eyes seemed to be swirling with emotions but sadness and loneliness most of all.
She pondered why that was but was pulled out of her thoughts when he spoke to her again. "So how does your cat feel about your dog?" Draco asked. "I can't imagine they get along very well."
Hermione felt her heart tighten and she put her book down. She had moved on from Crookshanks' death but it still hurt knowing that her orange companion was gone. She bit her lip before answering him. "Crookshanks passed away last year," she said quietly.
Draco's eyes softened. "Oh. I- I'm sorry to hear that."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
He scoffed. "Come on, Granger. I may be a self-righteous prick but I still have a heart."
"Could've fooled me," she muttered quietly. When she saw the hurt flash in his eyes, however, she knew he heard her. She groaned internally. She didn't know why but seeing him get hurt over something she said made her feel bad; despite all the things he said to her in the past that hurt her, she didn't want to inflict that same pain on him because then, she would be no better than him. Plus, she couldn't just ignore their alliance they had created their last year in school. She sighed. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for; it's just still a bit of a rough topic for me."
He nodded in understanding. He muttered something that she swore sounded like "I probably deserved it anyway." She furrowed her brows but shook her head. She was probably just imagining that he had said that. She pursed her lips as she looked at the blonde across from her. He seemed different from the last time she saw him but at the same time he seemed to not have changed at all. It was intriguing. It still didn't explain why he seemed to be here alone though...
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, before she could stop herself.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean here in Colmar; by yourself no less. Every time I've seen you you've been alone. Shouldn't your wife be here with you?"
He visibly tensed at the mention of Astoria, something Hermione did not miss. "I could ask you the same thing, Granger. Where's your precious Weasley?"
She bit the inside of her cheek. He completely avoided the question and instead retorted with a remark about where Ron was. Clearly, he was hiding something… but what? "Ron's busy with work," she replied. "I'm here for some personal time and to take Benji on a vacation. Your turn." Technically, she didn't lie: Ron was busy with work as the Cannons were at the top of their game this season and this vacation was for her to spend some time by herself and with Benji but Ron and her were no longer together and there was no way in hell she was going to tell him that. Nonetheless, Draco seemed unconvinced. Granted, she was still suspicious of his reasons as well so she didn't blame him.
He swallowed before answering. "Astoria's got some business things she's taking care of. Like you, I'm here for some personal time."
She narrowed her eyes. No; she did not believe a word he said for one second. He raised an eyebrow as if he was challenging her to question him but she refused to take his bait. He wasn't the only one hiding something after all…
"You still didn't answer my question," she said, trying to ease the awkward tension that had grown between them.
His brows furrowed. "What question?"
"What are you doing in Colmar?"
He rolled his eyes. "I told you already, Granger-"
"No, I mean, of all the places you could go, you chose Colmar. Why?"
He paused as he realized what she was asking and his mouth formed into an O. "My parents have a summer home here," he replied. Of course they do, Hermione thought. "And I'm usually not bothered by anyone here. Except you."
"Need I remind you, Malfoy, you came and sat down here by yourself. I didn't ask you-"
"I know, I know, but that's not what I meant. What I meant is that I've been here for months and I haven't run into anyone I know until now, and of all people, it's you. Why is that? Why come to Colmar when you could have chosen anywhere else in the world?"
Hermione thought about it as the waiter came and topped off her coffee and gave Draco a fresh cup. When he walked away, she met Draco's stare. It wasn't the scrutinizing and hateful stare she grew used to in their school days; instead, it was a curious stare, as if he were studying her. She could feel herself getting lost in his eyes but was jolted back to reality by Benji's wet nose touching her exposed leg. She jumped at the action and patted Benji's head as he adjusted himself at her feet again. She pursed her lips before responding. "I was looking for vacation spots and stumbled upon Colmar. After doing some research, it seemed like the perfect place."
Draco nodded and leaned forward. "So what do you think so far? Of the city, I mean."
She looked out and smiled at the gondolas passing by in the canal. "I think it's beautiful. I haven't had a lot of time to really explore the city though as I've only been here a week."
Draco smirked. "How long are you here for?"
"A month," she replied.
"Well that doesn't leave us much time, does it?"
She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Leave us time for what?"
"Exploring the city. Consider me your official tour guide of Colmar."
Hermione resisted the urge to drop her jaw. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," he replied. "Like I said, my parents own a summer home here so I've been here long enough to know the city relatively well. I can give you the grand tour and the history… if you'd like."
Hermione studied him for a moment. "Why? I mean, why would you want to give me a tour of the city?"
He pursed his lips as he thought about his answer. He seemed hesitant about answering at first but then shrugged as if to say screw it. "I'm making up for lost time with an old friend."
Hermione bit her lip as she contemplated his answer. Normally, she would have turned him down and told him to piss off but he had piqued her interest. He had called her an old friend which made her want to smile and to trust him. She also wanted to know why he held so much sadness in his eyes. And, in all honesty, she missed the sort-of friend she had made in her last year of school. She shrugged. "Alright. Why not?"
