This story is written for the Movie Fest of the Strictly Dramione Facebook page. If you are a fan of Dramione, the Strictly Dramione page is the place to be! Go check it out.
I want to thank my lovely Beta and cheerleader Filisgare. She inspired me, motivated me, and kept me writing. Many, many thanks.
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, all things Tangled to Disney.
xXxHermionexXx
Hermione couldn't help but stare as Draco stripped down to his boxers. A strange feeling took hold of her; a feeling she could only describe as a simmering fire in her lower belly. She wanted to touch him, to run her hands over his chest. Did all men look so gorgeous as Draco?
She took a moment to run through her memories of the last couple of days, mentally taking a look at all the men she had seen. No, they all look rather plain. Draco is by far the best looking of them all. Feeling a blush creeping in, she turned to stare at the ocean. Where is the Wonder? Is it hidden by a ward, only a couple of meters in front of me?
When Draco told her they were going for the bottom of the ocean, her mind scattered in a panic. He was crazy! Now, she was holding his hand as if it were a lifeline. She realised she was probably cutting off all circulation to his fingers, but didn't care.
There was no doubt in her mind that he would keep her safe, of course she trusted him, what a silly question to ask, but that didn't mean she wasn't apprehensive about the entire thing. Up until a few days ago, she had never seen the ocean, and now she was about to go swim in it – no, dive in it.
Draco started wading into the water, tugging her hand, but she stood frozen at the edge of the water, the waves only barely missing her feet. He walked back to her and, with a finger under her chin, lifted her face to look her in the eye. She loved his grey eyes. They always seemed to swirl and change colour, like clouds in the wind, sometimes a friendly light grey, sometimes dark as a summer's storm.
"The warming charm will hold in the water as well, it won't be cold," he said softly. "It's not as difficult as you think, you will be fine, I promise. I'll keep you safe, no matter what happens, come on."
He took hold of both her hands and started walking backwards, guiding her into the water, not breaking their eye-contact. The water wasn't cold at all. Initially, it felt much the same as when she stepped into the water in Barcelona. Soon, however, she could feel the waves lifting her slightly upwards.
Surprised, she looked down. She expected to sink like a rock, not be moved by the waves. It was an odd feeling. Slightly bewildered, she looked back up to Draco, only to see him smiling broadly at her.
"See? Not so bad, Princess?" he said. "Let me protect our eyes against the salt first, then we'll go deeper."
Letting go of one of her hands, he cast another charm before pulling her deeper into the ocean. When they were neck-deep, he looked back at her.
"When the next wave comes, we dive under it, ok?" he said. "Don't be scared, I won't let go of you. And don't be afraid to open your eyes once under water."
Hermione bit her lip. "Are you sure this bubble charm will hold?"
"Yes, princess, it will hold," he answered, his face softening in that special way she liked. "It's designed especially for swimming under water. Here comes the next wave, are you ready?"
She had barely enough time to nod before Draco forcefully pulled her under the water with him. He started kicking his feet and angled his body slightly downward. A small light appeared at the tip of his wand in front of him. Trying to mimic him, Hermione also started kicking her legs. Looking over his shoulder, Draco smiled and nodded at her.
Suddenly, they seemed to be propelled forward, swimming a lot faster than before. Hermione remembered Draco saying something about spells that would help them along; she guessed this was what he was talking about. For a long time, they simply swam. The water was becoming increasingly dark, until not much more was visible than the tiny dot of light from Draco's wand.
The charms released them just as sudden as they had grabbed hold of them earlier. Draco stopped swimming and pulled her next to him. Hermione still couldn't see anything significant. She looked at him questioningly, only to have him grin back, take a firm hold of her, and pull her with him for another few meters.
Hermione gasped at the sight before her once they pushed through the wards. Beneath her was one of the most exquisite cities she had ever seen. Slender towers rose up in the air, interconnected by narrow, arching bridges. High windows and elegant balconies made them look almost delicate.
The towers were surrounded by houses so frail looking, Hermione had difficulty believing they didn't collapse. The roofs of the buildings were pointed, making her wonder if they were vaulted like the Sagrada Familia was. A network of streets and alleys connected all of it together. At first, there seemed to be no logic to the layout of the streets, but the longer Hermione looked at it, the more she felt like there was some order about it, she just couldn't figure out what.
Lanterns were hung in the streets and in some of the buildings, giving the entire city an ethereal look. Hermione vaguely wondered how they managed to have lanterns burning so deep under water, but the magnificence of the sight before her overpowered her mind.
Swimming closer, she could see fish, both solitary and in shoals, swimming in between and through the structures. Starfish, clamps and corals were growing everywhere. Hermione knew it shouldn't be possible, they were far too deep below the surface for any of these species to survive here. It confounded her to no end.
She spooked as Draco touched her arm. He laughed soundlessly as she smiled at him apologetically. He was still holding her hand and she had mindlessly been dragging him along, completely forgetting about his company as she stared at the underwater city.
With a sharp move of his head, he signed her to follow along. He swam to a floating piece of wood. Pulling her alongside him to look at it, Draco tapped it lightly with his wand. Slowly, letters started to appear. Another gasp escaped Hermione as she could finally read the words.
"Welcome to the sunken city of Atlantis."
Hermione looked from the board, to the city, to Draco, and back to the board. She couldn't believe what was written there. Atlantis? This is the famous city of Atlantis? Part of her wondered why she was surprised. After all the things she'd seen, certainly it shouldn't be such a big surprise that Atlantis truly did exist?
Draco pulled on her hand and started swimming towards the city. She willingly followed. Swimming through the streets of the underwater city felt utterly surreal. Hermione tried to picture how those ancient people used to live there. Scattered throughout the buildings were discarded pots and pans, furniture of an elegant and intricate design, and remnants of paintings on the walls. She was bursting with questions, however, they would have to wait until they were back at the surface.
After some time, having swum in and out of buildings and around towers, Hermione's legs were starting to hurt. Letting go of Draco's hand, she drifted in place, rubbing her hands over her thighs in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension.
Draco turned and gave her a funny look. He questioningly pointing a finger towards the surface. With regret, Hermione nodded her assent. Not long after, the magical current was hurtling them back towards the island.
After having been underwater for so long, the shock of breaking through the surface was slightly disorienting. They let the waves carry them towards the shore until they could easily stand on their feet. Hermione watched as Draco rose from the water, the droplets running down his chest as he dragged a hand through his hair. A playful feeling came over her.
"Draco?" she asked, once more letting go of his hand.
"Yes?"
As soon as he turned towards her, she slammed her hands into the water, splashing him. For a moment, he stared at her in shock. Hermione giggled at his expression. He narrowed his eyes and retaliated in kind.
They started splashing each other like kids in a swimming pool, their laughter filling the air. Somewhere during their mock fight, Draco let go of the bubblehead charm, causing them both to occasionally swallow salt water. Eventually, Draco simply dashed forward. Hermione tried to run away, but the water seemed to slow her down more than him. He pinned her hands behind her back, pulling her flush against him.
"You little minx," he said, breathing heavily.
Hermione could feel the heat of his body seeping into hers. She was trapped against him, but instead of being afraid, she felt secure and safe. Looking up, she could see his eyes were once more the color of a raging storm, dark and exciting. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. His lips were chiselled and pink against his pale complexion. She bit her lip, not understanding what was coming over her.
Standing as close to him as she was, she could feel his breath speeding up. She tore her eyes away from his mouth to look back at his eyes. The look he gave her caused her to moan softly. She didn't know looks could do that to a person.
A shudder ran through Draco. He bend his head lower, tilting her face up with a finger under her chin. Hermione stared at him, unable to move, but for an entirely different reason than before. When Draco exhaled and kissed the top of her head, she somehow felt bereft.
"Come on, princess. Let's get out of the water and into some warm, dry clothes. You must have a million questions to ask me."
Dazed, she followed him to the beach. With a wave of his wand, he turned her bathing suit back into her dress. With another wave, he both dried her clothes and herself.
"I think we better wait with taking care of your hair until we're back at the hotel," he said, giving her braided bun a critical look.
Hermione nodded. She unashamedly looked at him as he pointed his wand at himself, dried all the water from his body, and started redressing.
"Could you stop staring at me?"
Is he angry? "Why?" she asked, biting her lip.
"It's unnerving."
"Oh," she looked around. "But you're the only thing worth looking at around here."
He stopped buttoning his shirt to give her a surprised look. She marvelled at how easily his face melted into a smirk.
"I know."
This confused Hermione. If he knows, why can't I look? And why can't I tear my eyes of him in the first place? She shook her head, trying to make sense of it all.
"Are you coming?"
Looking up, she noticed he was already walking back to the hotel. She skipped after him, feeling a bit wobbly on her legs. Inside, they once more settled on the loveseat.
Draco gave her a solemn look. "Shoot," he said.
Hermione grinned. "Atlantis? Really? The city of legends? That Atlantis?"
He laughed. "You still can't believe it?"
"It's just- It's just so surreal!"
"You've said a variation of that with each Wonder we've visited. That's why we call it a Wonder."
She stuck out her tongue, causing Draco to laugh even harder.
"Who lived there? How did they build those buildings? Why did it sink? How did it sink? When did it-"
"Whoa, princess, one at the time!" He lifted his hands in a defensive gesture. "Let me see. There is very little known about the people who lived there or the magic that they used. The lanterns you saw," Hermione nodded, "we don't know how they work. They are just as ancient as the city itself and, for as far as we know, never go out."
He ordered drinks for the both of them from a passing waiter.
"There are a few ancient texts that mention the Atlantis people, but they are written in a barely known language and a lot gets lost in translation. What we do know is that they were a very closed off community with very advanced magic and a complex society. We assume that magic is interweaved with the buildings, strengthening the stones themselves, fusing them together, but we don't know for certain. Unknown magic can be very dangerous to toy with. There's some debate about whether or not we should investigate further."
Hermione accepted her glass of water from the waiter and took a sip, happy to get the salt out of her mouth. She watched Draco's profile as he stared into the fire, relating her all he knew about the Wonder. His knowledge is impressive.
"Nobody knows why and how the city sank. Some say it was caused by an earthquake, or a shifting of the tectonic plates, some say it was magic. Those that believe there to be a magical cause, are divided into those thinking it was a magical accident, those believing it was a result of the last Atlantian dying and those who think the Atlantians decided to hide their city and spread across the world. Some people even believe the Atlantians were the first magical people. They spread across the continents and their offspring form the magical communities we know today."
He gave her a sideway glance and she smiled at him. "How was the city rediscovered?"
"When mention of the city was discovered in ancient, reliable texts, people started looking. This general area is called the 'Bermuda Triangle' by the Muggles. Some researchers theorised that the residual magic from the city is causing all the Muggle accidents that happen here. Muggle technology and magic don't mix. Plus, the magic disrupts the natural currents of the water, influencing the weather. It took them a while, but they found it."
They sipped their drinks while staring into the fire. Occasionally, Hermione would ask another question and Draco would answer with what he knew. After lunch, Hermione went up to their room to brush her hair, Draco following soon after to braid it. Not having much to do, they took a walk around the island before once more settling down on the couch to read. Their day was only interrupted by the arrival of the portkey to their last Wonder.
"It seems we will be leaving early tomorrow morning," Draco noted.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, knowing he would never tell but feeling like teasing him. Predictably, he rolled his eyes at her. She nudged him with her foot. "I could only try."
xXxXxXx
When they woke up the next morning, wind was howling around the hotel and rain was battering against the window panes. Hermione opened her eyes to see Draco staring out of the window. He turned to smile at her as she mumbled an incoherent 'good morning'.
"It's a good think we already visited the Wonder," he said. "It seems like this storm will last a couple of days. You should get up if you want breakfast before we leave."
"Hmm, must I?" she protested, burrowing herself further into the pillows. "I like it here."
Draco laughed. "You can always skip breakfast."
Hermione opened an eye to glare at him. Skip breakfast? Skip food? Is he crazy?
"Guessed not," he continued. "I can promise you, our next destination will be warm and sunny.
"All right." Hermione crawled out of bed, tugging at her nightshirt which had ridden up her legs during the night. From the corner of her eye, she could see Draco hurriedly returning his gaze outside. He turned his back to her in the process. Does he think I'm ugly? Why does that bother me so much?
After breakfast, they went back to their room, Draco having gotten permission to portkey from there given the horrible weather. Draco unexpectedly wrapped an arm around her waist as they held the stone between their hands. Hermione leaned into him, delighted by his proximity.
Draco counted down the seconds. "Three, two one-"
The first thing that hit her upon arrival was the stifling heat. Warm and sunny he calls this! Warm and sunny! I feel like I've arrived in an oven! She did, however, understand why he had insisted she'd not wear a jacket.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, she opened her eyes, promptly losing the carefully inhaled air. In front of her, a flat plane gave way to mountains and mountains of white-golden sand. The heat made the air shimmer, messing with her vision. The sand seemed to spread on endlessly. The entire scene seemed still as a painting. A hot breeze stirred the sand, breaking the spell Hermione was under.
"What is this place?" she asked breathlessly.
"The desert, princess. This is a desert. And this," he gently turned her around, "is the lost library of Alexandria."
Hermione gaped. Beneath them, a city sprawled across the vast, rocky plane. It's vastness, however, was completely lost in comparison to the immense tower at the center of it. Gawking, she let her gaze wander from the bottom, all the way to the top.
The structure was made from the same stone that she could see all around her. It would have blended in perfectly with its surroundings, were it not for its immense size. Windows and built-in terraces were spread hap-hazard along the structure, some of them having plants hanging out of them.
"That's- That's a library?" she stuttered.
"Yes."
"Filled with books?"
"And scrolls."
She turned towards him, not believing his words. "Really?"
He grinned at her disbelief, making the corners of his eyes crinkle slightly. "Yes, princess, really. We will visit it tomorrow."
"We're going to visit it?" She couldn't prevent the squeal that accompanied her words.
Draco laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Yes, princess, we're going to visit it. Now, I'm going to cast a spell on your eyes so they don't get burned from the glare. Your vision will darken somewhat."
She stood still as he pointed his wand at her. The spell made her feel like she suddenly stepped into a shadow. She blinked to get used to it. Turning back to look at the city, she could discern a lot more detail.
Draco dug up a scarf and wrapped it around her head, before wrapping one around his own. "So we don't cook our brains," he stated, firmly securing it with another charm. "Let's go." She intertwined their fingers as he took hold of her hand. Draco looked down at them before smiling at her. "We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us. Let me know when you get too hot, I'll cast a cooling charm."
Their trek toward the city was a torturous affair. "I think I'm starting to dislike this desert," Hermione grumbled. "Why don't you Apparate us?"
"There are several wards around the city, preventing Apparating in or towards it. Once in the city itself, we can Apparate at will."
"That doesn't do us much good now, does it?"
He gave her a sideway glance, before lifting his wand and casting another cooling charm. "Better?"
She sighed with relief. "Yes."
"You become grumbly when you're too hot, princess."
How can he stay so composed? Hermione wondered, feeling jealous. "Why are you so calm?"
He shrugged. "I've got some experience with brutal weather. Try playing Quidditch in a thunderstorm."
"Quidditch?"
"I haven't told you about Quidditch yet?" he asked, surprised.
"Uhm, no?"
"I can't believe myself!" he said. "All this time we spent together, and I haven't told you about the most glorious sport ever to be invented."
Hermione listened as he launched into an explanation of the sport and its history. She found it difficult to image and soon lost interest in ever seeing the brutal sport, but she nodded and hummed along, happy about the distraction. It made their walk seem less vexing, and soon they were standing in front of an imposing pair of wooden gates.
They were at least 7 meters high. Although they were withered, intricate, geometrical carvings were clearly visible on its surface. Metal studs accentuated the knots within the pattern. The dark wood of the gate contrasted with the lighter sandstone that formed the wall, and Hermione wondered what tree it came from.
Draco pulled out his wand. "This is an all-wizard city, so you might see some odd things," he told her. "We can roam the city as much as you like, just don't leave on your own, all right princess?"
Hermione nodded. "Ok. But how do we get in?" She didn't see a handle or a knocker or even a barred window in the gate. How are they supposed to know we're here?
She watched as his trademark smirk spread across his face. He turned back to the gates and, with a nonchalant gesture, tapped the wood with the tip of his wand. Immediately, the gates started to open. Hermione watched in awe, bewildered by the complete lack of noise to accompany the great doors swinging open.
Draco tugged on her hand. "They won't be open for long. They're tied to the wards, so they only respond to wizards and witches. It also makes them vulnerable for attack, so they close very quickly."
His words were accompanied with a soft thud of the wooden gates closing behind them. Looking over her shoulder, Hermione could see two sentries holding watch. They looked fierce, wearing brown-coloured robes that had a distinct armour-feel to them, without actually resembling it. Their eyes were encircled with charcoal, their heads covered with a turban.
"They're wearing swords!" Hermione gushed in surprise.
Draco turned when she suddenly stopped walking. "Yes. They are trained in both magical and muggle defence. You really don't want to mess with them. Before you know it, you'll be laying on the ground, hurting all over, wondering what happened."
"Are you- Are you talking from experience?"
He scrunched up his nose. "Sadly enough, yes. I was a foolish teenager at the time, but it's not an experience I'm likely to ever forget."
She grinned and playfully shoved him towards the sentries. "Do it again! Show me!" she teased him. Loud laughter escaped her as he gave her a horrified look.
"Sweet Merlin, no! Never again." He grabbed her arm and dragged her along. "Come on, let's go, before you get any more of those brilliant ideas."
Still giggling, Hermione let him pull her into the city. Soon, curiosity took over and she was staring at the sights around her.
The buildings were square and low, growing taller the closer they were situated to the tower. The windows were small and few. There wasn't any glass in them, but wooden shutters were attached to all of them. Draco was guiding her along a wide street, but most of the streets she saw on either side were narrow and shadowed. Laundry was hung from cables spanning between the houses, sometimes blocking a street.
The people she saw were as diverse as the colour pallet of the city was bland. They were mostly all dressed the same: loose pants, sturdy shoes and long-sleeved tunics. The women sometimes wore skirts or dresses, the clothes often clenched at the waist. Everybody's head was covered, either with a turban or a wrapped scarf.
However, despite the monotone style, the clothing diverged immensely in colour and pattern, bringing life into the city. From their faces, Hermione could tell the people were from all corners of the world. She marvelled at how all these different cultures could coexist.
"We're standing out," she finally whispered to Draco, noticing the inhabitants staring at them.
"I know. We're heading to a clothing store, almost there," he answered.
Not long after, they re-emerged on the streets wearing local clothing. She allowed Draco to pick hers, and she was feeling pretty in her light-blue tunic, dark-blue pants and white head-scarf. Draco wore an entirely charcoal outfit in a fabric that had a light shimmer to it. She thought he looked absolutely dashing.
