Vonne: Let's get right to it!

Anavell: I know! I didn't mean to make it so short, but I wanted to do this chapter as a different one rather than include it as just a divided section someplace in the last one. Anyway, I'm so glad that you found it funny. One thing that I've always contributed Draco and Hermione with is an ample amount of wit-- they both seem to have plenty of it!

Isabella120: Hello again! I love getting your reviews. :) Anyway, hope you like this chapter, as well.

Sophia: Well, I'm glad you decided to check this out. And I'm even more glad that you ended up liking it after reading more! :) As for Draco being an alcoholic-- I'd always imagined him to have sunk to that level after the battle. He was never the most stable person, you know. HAHA :) Anyway, I'm glad you find him likable, though. Because that's DEFINITELY what I'm trying to go for. I'd always hoped Malfoy could redeem himself. But thanks for the long review! It was wonderful!:)

CherryVanillaCoke16: Definitely going to be plenty of Draco and Hermione interaction from now on. It's inevitable! :) I hope you like this chapter!

Mellowly Candescent: Thank you so much! Your review really made my day. I love that you like the way that this is written. Those kind of comments mean so much to me. I have no spell checker whatsoever and I don't read these after I write them because I get so low on time. So I'm just winging it most of the time, trying my ass off. HAH. So, really, you made my day. As for your question about electronics not working in the Wizarding World, you are completel right. HAH however, since they were planted there by Hermione, I'd only just figured she'd done something to make them work for herself. :)

Doni: Yes, Hermione is definitely giving Draco a bit of his attitude back. ;) I am totally planning on making Ron and Harry find out sooner or later, but I think it's going to be in the second one. Draco and Hermione will start seeing each other sooner or later. And the second is going to focus a lot on that.

Dramione1996: HA, well, at least Ron's a little thick. Harry's just too clever. ;)

Jade2099: EXACTLY! Draco and Hermione arguing may be exactly the right kind of medicne for Draco. They could even get along because of it-- how odd. :)

Shining Bright Eyes: I think I am going to do just that. I don't want this to seem prolonged. Plus, I'd somewhat had plan to make this two stories since about mid-way through, anyway. I'm happy that you're keen on the idea and hope you'll keep following it from there! I love all your reviews!

Chapter Twenty Five:
Swimming Lessons

So maybe the morning after with Hermione didn't exactly go as well as Draco Malfoy had initially planned. But either way, he was done with stuff like that. Besides, in his unstable condition, he really didn't need anymore complications. Still, on his back in the middle of the forest clearing, he only glanced down at the discarded radio before contemplating destroying it for good. Because what good did the silly thing do for him now anyways? Surely he wasn't planning on talking into it again-- not now, and not ever.

And all the while, as he considered the things that he very much did not need in his life, Draco Malfoy had made quite a hefty list. He didn't need unnecessary conflicted, for he had plenty of that; he didn't need to cling on to silly Muggle toys; and he definitely did not need Hermione Jean Granger. Laughing to himself, Draco was even more concerned as to how such a complication was something that had even come into his life. Never, not in a million years, would he have ever considered such a thing possible. But what did he need, then? Because Hermione had made it quite clear that she was under the impression that he'd needed something. But that something was not therapy and it was not liquor.

What he needed was a vacation. What he needed was a swim. Malfoy's eyes wandered over to the large pond that sparkled in front of him. He'd had a couple of long days, truly, and he was far from being prepared to go back to the Manor. Then again, it was only eleven in the morning and, judging just by the past forty-eight hours, the day's future possibilities were endless. He could, as a matter of fact, rise up from the depths of the water and decide that he did want to return home. In the back of his head he could even somewhat picture himself apologizing to his father and mother, could practically picture himself retreating back over to Goyle's house, brining him a bottle of wine that he could somehow manage to leave completely untouched. But, those were thoughts for much later and, as he resided in only the current, Draco's only focus was on the pond. He lifted the black tie from around his shoulders and let it fall down to the floor. Next, he unbuckled his belt and slipped off his trousers. In his button-up and boxers, he stood glaring at the deep water.

It was, as it so seemed, now or never. To jump or not to jump? That was the question. Furthermore, he was running low on time; the ran seemed to be yet another devious threat to the afternoon and as he inched himself towards the surface of the pond, only the cranky black clouds provided him as a witness. So he took the plunge, still a bit woozy from the practically unbearable headache, and lowered his first foot into the water indefinitely. And it was much colder than he'd expected. As the shock of the chilly water hit him, Draco was strong enough to refrain from reeling back. In fact, he only thrust his free leg into the water's contents indefinitely.

The reflection of Draco Malfoy in the mirror of the pond was, at best, a bit horrifying. His face had been almost stained in the color of red wine, and his black eye was now utterly obvious. The grease that tainted his head of blond hair was overwhelming and the bags underneath his eyes were heavy and depressing. So maybe a shower was necessary and a bit over due. Draco held his shaky breath, running a clammy hand through his hair. He felt as if he'd been dipped in grease, but no matter; such an issue was more than easily fixable. In quite a rush, Draco dove down into the pond without another thought.

Underwater Draco could only hear the slight bubbles of rushing water. For a moment he wished he could stay under the water forever, but the lack of air only seemed to force him up. He surfaced the pond with one big breath and then, as he surveyed the deserted clearing of the forest, he pushed himself up to float on his back. The makeup given to him from Pansy had washed away from his visage completely and his shaggy blond hair sprawled out only about four inches from his skull, giving him a temporary halo. On the surface of the water, his appearance was almost lavishly deceiving, for he was not the divinity that his blond halo suggested.

But at a closer look, Draco's bruised face was unmistakable, the sorrow behind his defeated sigh was, if anything, a bit depressing. Still afloat on his back, he stared up at the sky, distant to the world around him. He spread his arms out around him, pushing his hair back into around his skull, only to have it loosely come undone. But still, Draco remained unbothered about such issues. Gone to the world, he only observed the twisting gray clouds, providing to them nothing more than an audience. And, perhaps, he should have been a bit more alert. Because there was something that he should have noticed lurking behind the trees of the emerald forest and, as he lay there lifelessly, he remained nothing but a simple figure, almost completely lost to the outside universe.

The woman behind the trees had been, by all means, following Draco Malfoy for quite some time that morning. She'd been at his heels for a while, though she was by no means out of breath; the slow pace Draco had been walking at was, of course, a bit overly slow. Still, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly tired from the chase, if one would really call it that. At best, she considered as she sunk down to the grassy grounds of the forest, it was something like a snail's long walk.

On the floor she extended her legs, which were now only too sore from her stalking troubles. Breathing out slowly, she pushed back the mess that was her hair using the entire palm of both her hands. Smoothing the strays away, she revealed to the shade her face. She was rather lovely, despite the condoning manner that her visage seemed to always give off. Her complexion was rather on the pale side, though her eyes were lovely enough to captivate anyone. In fact, Hermione Granger was almost exceedingly gorgeous-- despite the fact that she made even the most unshakable men a bit nervous.

Still, she was not happy. Having followed Draco's wandering for somewhere over than an hour now, she was more than happy that he'd called it quits. Though she couldn't help her curiosity to watch him lower himself into the pond water further. He was much more out of his mind that she'd originally thought; that water was murky and disgusting, even the sight of it was a bit unnerving. She was growing more chilled by the mere look at it and, all the while, Draco seemed completely unfazed. He sighed lifelessly; with his hands perched next to his sides, he finally rose them up underneath his skull, relaxing more deeply. Idiot. Complete idiot. Hermione was warning him in her own head of all the disease swimming in that petri dish, but her own habits only discouraged her. She was still a worrier, still too anxiety-ridden for her own good, and this was utter proof of it.

Nonetheless, her scrutiny lasted longer. Malfoy heaved out, much more at peace that even Hermione herself. The majority of his clothes were in a heaped pile only a little away from the edge of the pond water. Hermione was cold even in her heavy coat. She wondered what he was thinking and then took back her personal inquiry-- did it really matter? She could not possibly come to understand his thoughts anyway, nothing could ever help her to. For Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were on two different planes entirely. Of course she'd known that; would always know that. Furthermore, any hope of understanding was much more impossible that she could have initially hoped. To pick and pry at that head of his, a head that she had not known for five years, was almost daunting to even think about. As a second chill ran up her spine, she told herself that it was only due to the weather, but the sane part of her told her she was being even more thick than ever.

The wind rushed by her, moving her stubborn hair back in to place. Why was she here anyways? She didn't have to follow him, didn't have to do anything of the sort. He'd been so infuriating just earlier this morning and, if she were as content as she'd initially thought herself to be, she'd have let their argument stay as it was. She had no intentions on trying to fix it, surely. She had enough self-assurance to let it sit, didn't she? So she was nothing like she'd perceived herself to be... that was alright. That was something she could... live with. "Damn," she cursed quietly to herself, striking herself on the knee. But perhaps she should have stuck to her original plan of keeping quiet; the moment she'd spoken Draco Malfoy's eyes whipped instantly open. The water rushed around him and he seemed to almost drown in his rush. He didn't speak exactly, but cause himself to sink lower in the water, coming back up to the surface with an entirely new meaning to the word 'pallor'.

"Who's there?" he called out, looking exceedingly dumbstruck. His kicking legs were the only things keeping him a float, even if shakily so. The dark bags underneath his fearful eyes were much more prominent. The severe split at the front of his lip was puffy with the oncoming form of prolonged healing. His eyes scanned the forest of trees in front of him for only several moments before he caught sight of her shadow, back pressed up against the trunk of the thick tree so fierce aggression. She swore even more quietly to herself, gripping her fingers tightly around the width of her wand. What was she going to do with it, anyway? Hex him? Chest sinking, she decided that she'd merely keep it in handy if only just to scare him with. "I see you there," he said, lowing a brow. However, she spoke to the shadow with a curious intensity, more wonderingly that angry.

So much for relaxing. Hermione stepped forward only several inches. Was she really about to stress herself out even more than she'd already had? Her submission to this anxiety was, in her own way, her very own fault. However, something invisible seemed to be forcing her back out. She was almost helpless to her desire to step out from the veil of the trees. Though she did so sheepishly with her head pitched towards the front of her feet. Looking back out at him through the cover of her hair, Hermione glanced around before locking with him an embarrassed gaze of her own.

Malfoy did not seem cheerful to see her, not that she'd expected him to have been. His drained face was all telling and the way he looked back at her signified every ounce of his detest. "Are you following me?" he asked her, a bit bitter in his sense of curiosity. Hermione only shrugged-- what could have she told him? Lying was not, all things considered, something she felt that she was truly in the mood for doing. In fact, her only desire was now to get herself out of the clearing altogether; it was starting to rain, and the twisting clouds were more than just a threat. Awkwardly, she flushed, feeling a bit stupid in her actions. "It's starting to rain out," she advised strangely.

Draco stopped only slightly in his kicking. Slowly moving now, he raised an eyebrow, saying coldly, "you followed me to tell me that it's going to rain out?" Malfoy looked up at the sky, breaking his angry gaze for only a moment. It was more than heavily obvious that it was going to rain-- every twirling cloud in the sky seemed to signify such an instance. Surely, all he'd of had to do was look up and such a revelation would have been granted to him instantly.

Hermione deflated. She bit her bottom lip, chewing on it uneasily. "No," she admitted hesitantly.

"So you followed me to make sure I wasn't about to drown myself, then?" Malfoy offered, growing a bit more offended. Hermione blush, a little bit aware of her own foolishness. Now that she'd thought about it, it did somewhat seem that way. Subconsciously she told herself that he was right-- that she'd followed him solely for that reason alone. However, even repeating it over and over in her head, she still wasn't entirely convinced. Nonetheless, Draco was still unamused. He glanced down at the water he'd been treading, looked back at her with a furious expression. "Well," he said, completely red in the face, "you've come just in time." Then, tilting his head to the side, his eyes signaled a tiny spark when he said, "nice knowing you, Granger."

Without hesitation, Draco plummeted himself beneath the mossy water altogether, completely disappearing from Hermione's view. Watching the surface of the pond flutter with the boy's quick vanishing act, Hemione bluntly shifted her weight. Her fingers gripped her slender waist, tossing her head to one side like an impatient mother. How long was he going to truly keep this up anyway? Of course he'd come up for a breath at any upcoming moment. She looked up at the sky as if the clouds could keep track of the time. Shivering in her lack of appropriate clothing, she crossed her hands across her heaving chest. She gave him about ten more seconds; ten more seconds and he'd surface just as flustered and angry as before.

Ten. She tossed her hair back behind her shoulders, positioning her jacket collar up higher around the exposed part of her neck. Nine. An intense amount of chilliness rushed through her shaky exterior. Eight. The shining face of the moon was just beginning to be covered by the skating clouds. Seven. The first bit of thunder made her a bit too jumpy. Six, five, four. Any moment now. Three. Any moment. Two. Any moment.

One. "Oy!" Hermione found that her heart was pounding quickly in her chest. She flickered, bending down slightly, but she couldn't see past the cloudiness of the water below her. Even squinting, she could not see any trace of Draco's sinking figure. "Oy, not funny!" she called, pressing her face almost too close to the surface. "Hey, Malfoy!" But no one came to greet her. As she stood in a squat waiting for Malfoy to leap out of the water, she couldn't deny that perhaps he wasn't joking at all.

A swell of anxiety boiled through her. She'd lost track of time, but surely he'd been down there for much longer than she'd expected. She saw no bubbles, no sign of life at all. Heated, she ran a hand through her head of brown hair, dodging all the knots that the wind was creating within it. "Shit," she swore, for cursing had been quite the habit of her lately, "oh, shit!"

Hermione's hands rushed to pry off the daunting jacket that was wrapped around her shoulders; with such jitters it actually took her quite some time to yank it off. When she managed to do so, she tossed it over her back, not bothering to watch for it's place falling in puddles. Instead she started for her boots, flinging them off of her feet with an entirely new bit of desperation entirely. Then, even only slightly undressed, she gazed down at the water, inhaled heavily, and then dove down into the water without a second thought.

The very moment she plunged into the pond, an intense amount of pins and needles stung her body. Chilliness wasn't even the correct way to describe it; she was sore, aching with each inch she sunk lower into the water. But she couldn't think about the physical pain of it now, not when she had to find Malfoy. But even as she moved her hands around the water in front of her, she came expectedly short. There was nothing she could feel in front of her until finally, she had to resurface again, gasping up at the top with a croaky breath before preparing herself to dive back in again.

Something jerky and prying grabbed her arm. Reacting, she shook back, brushing her holder off with a strong bit of aggression. Finally, when she blinked back on to the surface of the water, she yanked her arm free once and for all, panting hard and heavy. She let out a hoarse scream and then whirled around, ready to sock her captor in the face. However, her eyes caught sight of Malfoy, who jolted back at her sudden advancement, and her hand came down with the surface of the pond, beating it furiously. "What the hell," she merely stated, rather than asked. "What the bloody--"

"Me?" Draco asked, flustered, watching her anxiously. His hands were still on her arm, as if by doing so he was helping her stay afloat. "What do you mean me? You jumped in--"

"You were drowning!" Hermione interjected, her face as bright as ever. The black of her makeup was running down her face like destroyed constellations; her eyes were a wandering pair of stars, lost in their moment of falling.

Draco shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "No, no," he said, a bit jerky on his own. "I was only kidding. It was just a joke."

"Some funny joke!" Hermione gasped, trying to cough the water out of her throat. Her head was fuzzy and the rush of her lightheadedness hit her home. "Who does that?" she asked him, once again flustered, "who does that?"

Malfoy's face twisted. "I didn't think you'd follow me in!"

Hermione looked as if she could explode. Spitting spastically, she hissed, "you're suicidal! Of course I'd follow you in!"

Looking beat, Draco scrunched up his face. Beating his legs to keep him still remaining above the surface of the murky pond water, he looked angrily defeated. All the while, he resided appearing all the more morose when he counteracted with, "that's beyond the point."

"Malfoy," Hermione said only after a long fit of silence, "please take your hand off of my arm."

They sat staring back at one another with intense aggression. For a moment Malfoy thought about leaving his hand there on her forearm just to make a point, however instantly took back his decision to be prudent. Instead, Draco looked down and whisked away his palm as if her skin had caught fire. "Right," he scoffed, "sorry."

"Never mind," Hermione said back hurriedly. "Now, you need to go back home. It's going to pour and--"

"And what?" Malfoy responded. The coldness that returned back into the tone of his voice. So icy was his intention that even Hermione shot him a look of curious disapproval; he'd been so genuine with her before and now something seemed to have instantly snapped. His stone colored eyes narrowed, locking in to hers as if contemplating whether or not to lunge forward and drown her. He didn't make such an action, however. Either way, all he did was remain floating, staring at her mercilessly, directly challenging her. "So now you're under the impression that you can tell me what to do? Don't make me laugh."

Glancing up at the black sky, Hermione swallowed. Her own bit of fury was rising unwillingly in the depth of her panting chest. Her heart beat faster and she too considered ending the life of Draco Malfoy once and for all. "Don't be so thick," she said to him, ignoring her hair, which was now pressed against her wet face. "There's no way you'd stay out here. It's suicide!"

"Well!" Draco yelled, blinking, "then it's just my cup of tea, then!"

Hermione opened her mouth and then shut it again. He did, of course, have her. But what did he expect her to do? Allow him to freeze to death, catch some disease? His wand was someplace under the heap of his clothes at the grassy shore and hers, of course, was someplace there as well. If she'd have to swim out of the pond herself, retrieve her wand and magically lift himself out of the water... she'd do so. However, she wasn't moving to put her plan to action. It was all she could do-- stare back at him, challenge him fiercely. Then, when she'd decided she'd had quite enough of the bitter silence, she said out loud, "you're bluffing."

Malfoy's brow rose a mile on his forehead. A devilishly malicious smile graced his otherwise furious face. "Would you like to make that a bet, Granger?" he asked, his kicking feet slowing by just a slight beat.

Hermione tilted her head to one side, slowed the pace in her legs, too. "Undoubtedly," she answered.

"Alright," Draco said, determined with fury. He lowered both his brow and his grin and then, rested himself back again. Sighing out, he propped his hands behind his head. Hermione, watching his actions with bewildered expressions, remained egg beating to keep herself above the water. Still, she watched him make himself comfortable, once again falling victim to her own silent treatment. But Malfoy wasn't making any sort of sound either, he hadn't even bothered whistling. In fact, he'd pitched his eyes shut and seemed to ignore that she was even floating there next to him in the first place. Futhermore, he seemed content in his solitude, as if she wasn't even there at all.

Huffing, Hermione rolled her eyes back in her head. With her tongue, she picked at her teeth. Then, finally, she breathed, "alright, you win. Happy? You've officially proven yourself-- you're both depressed and exceedingly childish!" Hermione threw up her hands, "so, congratulations!" Malfoy opened only one of his shut eyes, looked at her with harsh delusion as if she'd only just woken him from a sound sleep. "Now, please, can we stop this nonesense and get dried off?"

"You can," Draco said simply, shrugging as he remained on his back, "be my guest. I, on the other hand, am staying right here."

Hermione's chest fell. Red in the face, she hissed, "why do you have to be so damn stubborn?"

"I could ask you the same question." Then, shutting his eyes again, Malfoy said calmly, "why are you still here?"

An even longer bit of silence instantly came after his question. For a moment, even Hermione stayed floating, literlly dumbfounded. She blinked, unsure as to why she hadn't moved herself, either. Surely, she could have pulled herself from the pond whenever she had liked. There was no reason for her to stay, was there? The fact that she'd chosen to keep Draco Malfoy company was, more over, her own decision. "I..." she started, tripping over her own unplanned bit of speech, "I... that's beyond the point."

Nodding, Draco only said, "ah," and Hermione's face flushed.

"You know, you make it very... difficult to do anything," she continued, her fists balling up under water.

Still with his eyes closed, Malfoy asked peacefully, "what, pray tell, am I making it hard for you to do?"

"Have a normal convesation with you, for fuck's sake!" Hermione growled, looking around the forest as if to make sure no one else was listening in on them. "Belive it or not, you were easier to talk to over the stupid radio."

"Well," Draco said, "the feeling's mutual."

At once, Hermione's voice lowered. So timid was she that she had to look back down at the pond water in order to fully continue. Submissively, she responded back in a meek tone, informing the blond boy softly, "well, I am only trying to help." Once again, Malfoy peeked out at her from the corner of his eyes, but she didn't notice the attention. Hermione was too busy staring at herself in the relfection of the pond water. She found that she'd looked an utter mess, but there was little she could do about it now. Still, Draco couldn't help but feel a bit guilty and, despite himself, he understood her misery, too. Going a bit pale, he shut his eyes and relaxed his tense exterior.

"Lie back, Granger," he advised and when he heard no sound of moving water, he once again pried his eyes open. "Go on, you've already dove down completely in it." Hermione looked to her side, she put on a testy glance, but then shifted herself, so that she matched the position that Draco himself had been in. "Perfect," Draco grinned, admittedly glad that she'd obliged. Still while he spoke with a gentle tone of voice, he couldn't deny himself his own characteristic pride that was all too usual. "Now," he continued, watching her out of the side of his vision, "I'm going to ask you do to something that you may find very difficult. But, I believe that you can do it if you try very hard."

Wincing, Hermione prepared herself for the worst. "What?" she asked monotonously.

Draco shrugged, "relax."

A rush of resentment flooded through Hermione Granger's floating body. For a moment she considered herself being poked fun of. In the heat of her anger she willed herself to swim to the edge and leave him there alone but, once again, she failed to accomplish any such goals. Instead, to her surprise, her anger seemed to subside. She lowered her shoulders and breathed out, allowing herself to clear her mind completely. Loud and booming, a crack of thunder whipped above the two of them and Hermione jumped. At her side Draco turned towards her, said more sternly, "just relax." So, sighing, Hermione shut her eyes, unclenched her fists, and melted into the very water that she floated on top of. And it was only strange for a moment. Then, quite quickly after that, she found that she was very much enjoying herself. She was so relaxed, so at peace. The swaying water underneath her was ever so rhythmic in her ears, and she listened to her own breath under the pond's surface.

After a while of shutting her eyes, she opened them, watching the night sky churn restlessly ahead of her. Why it had been taking such a long time to rain was beyond her. However, she felt that even if it were about to pour, it would still be hard for her to tear herself away from this spot. The thunder in the sky was relentless, but it didn't even slightly bother her anymore. Each cry from the sky above was only addition to the melody that oddly relaxed her. She no longer jumped at the sound, but watched it and listened quietly. Why hadn't she thought of trying something like this before? Why had such a moment, a simple swim, put her at so much peace? It was, after all, so plainly simple.

The sky lit up with a flash of lightening, bright yellow making the clouds look almost false above them. And Draco was watching with Hermione, two curious kids a bit too out of their mind in the storm. In the back of her mind, Hermione's sane self was advising her that the water was the most dangerous place to be in such a storm. Still, she couldn't bring herself to do it-- was perhaps enjoying herself far too much. And in her insane delusion she brought her eyes away from the sky and looked to the side back at Malfoy, his figure so prestine and calm there next to her. Even despite the fact that she'd been so furious with him only moments before, he still looked so divine. In the darkness of the night, his pale skin stood out so gracefully, his blond hair floating out brilliantly. With his white shirt stuck to his chest, he looked almost one color-- palely holy.

"I did mean it, you know," Draco said through the silence. He was staring up at the sky when he spoke, but it was obvious that he was speaking to Hermione alone.

Curious, Hermione's face contorted. She was still scrutinizing the sky, as well, but she'd only lost a small fraction of her relaxation. "You meant what?" she asked him.

"What I said over the radio." Draco's eyes did not move a single inch.

However Hermione, who kept up Draco's trend of remaining completely still, said back, "I know. And, I'll admit it-- that's a big step, actally."

Turning, Draco looked back at Hermione, asking hoarsely, "yeah?"

"Definitely," Hermione assured him and she didn't catch the smile on his face as he looked back up at the sky.

Vonne: REVIEW! :)