PreFlight

by GD-7

Prequel to Flight of the Thestrals. It's the start of 6th year and Hermione feels it's high time she got a bit more attention from her best friends. Will she get what she wants? Or perhaps find something even better...

38. Guises

A/N - Warning: a little adult content

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Chapter 38
Guises

Draco broke the surface and took off his facemask, taking a grateful gasp of fresh, clean air. The mask's air had been clean and all... but the smell of the rubber the Muggle part of the mask was constructed with was annoying. After a couple of hours of nothing but that smell, he wanted fresh air! He dropped the mask, letting it bob in the water attached only by the strap around his neck. Blaise broke the surface next to him.

"There's got to be a way to get rid of that smell!" Blaise muttered, yanking off his mask the minute his head was clear of the water.

"Let's get this stuff inside. I want a shower to get this bloody salt off, then a nice long bit of drying out time." Draco muttered wearily.

"Sounds good." Blaise admitted.

They swam around to the other side of the pier, then took the swim fins off of their feet and hung them off their packs for the climb up. Blaise went up the ladder first, though it was shockingly hard to pull himself up. He'd gotten so used to being practically weightless... it made him feel like his body was made of lead now. When he finally reached the top of the ladder, he looked up in surprise as a shadow fell on him.

"Need a hand?" The tall blond boy asked, reaching down to him.

Blaise took the offered hand, and the boy help heave him the last ways up onto the pier. Blaise couldn't help but grin and blush a bit as the boy steadied him. He was gorgeous! Strong but slim swimmer's build, well tanned skin and hair bleached almost as light as Draco's from the sun... and wearing nothing but a blue, skin tight pair of diving trunks with black inner thighs that ended mid-thigh.

"The ocean's demanding." The boy said, "You should really ease into it a bit more. You go spending hours in it your first time out, you're liable to feel the repercussions."

"I'll keep that in mind next time." Blaise replied, having to use all his will to keep his eyes from traveling down.

"We're fine." Draco said a bit gruffly as he reached the top of the ladder, hanging the bright orange buoy on its hook near the ladder. The boy quickly offered his hand again, but Draco didn't take it, climbing the rest of the way up on his own.

"We were just about to go out looking for you two." The boy said.

"Why?" Draco asked, eyeing him warily.

"You were down there like forever! We were starting to think you drowned. Cindy was getting out her cell to call someone when I spotted your buoy moving. What were you using that has that much air in it?" He asked, eyeing their masks and peeking around at their backpacks, obviously trying to devine the location of the oxygen tanks.

"These are rebreathers. They pull oxygen out of the water." Draco said, eyeing the other teens, who were all sitting or standing around on the beach, though their attention was now quite definitely on them.

"Really? Sweet! I've never heard of those!" He said, eyeing the masks with renewed interest.

"They're experimental." Draco replied.

"Could I try one?"

"We need to change the filters after being down that long. Besides, they're still in the first stages of testing, so we're not supposed to let anyone get a good look at them until they hit the market." Draco said evasively.

"Ya, and besides, they have this annoying rubber smell that's so strong I think I'm going to be tasting it for a couple of days!" Blaise added with a grin.

The boy grinned back, "Well, you two wanna hang out or something? Me and the others are itching with curiosity."

"What are you curious about?" Draco said, glancing at Blaise. He was a bit irritated to see the slightly silly little grin on Blaise's lips and the way his eyes were trailing over the boy's body whenever the boy wasn't looking in his direction.

"Well, what you were doing on Spook Ridge for one."

"Spook Ridge?" Draco asked, furrowing his brow.

The boy chuckled, "That's just a little local nickname for that house up there. Some say it's haunted. Never seen anyone there but that crazy little Chinese dude."

"Chinese dude?" Blaise asked blankly.

"Winston's the caretaker. The house belongs to our professor." Draco said, starting down the long pier towards the shore, "And it's not haunted." he grumbled over his shoulder.

"Ok..." The boy said, following after him, "Then why does everyone get a heavy creepy vibe anytime they try to get near it? And what's with the fact that the ocean won't even touch the place? I mean look at those shores!"

Draco sighed. "I've never gotten so much as an uneasy feeling when approaching the place, so obviously not everyone is afraid of it, and as far as the shoreline is concerned, well it's built on an outcropping of bedrock. You don't imagine he's daft enough to live on a house built on sand or something, do you?"

"Well that's some serious bedrock he has there."

"Yes it is." Draco said, getting a bit irritated with the boy. He sighed as he saw the other teens starting over, obviously intent on meeting them. He increased his pace, hoping to slip through before they closed ranks.

"You have to meet the rest of the crew. We're all locals, so we're here any time you wanna visit. We were planning a little bonfire on the beach tonight... wanna join us?"

"Sure!" Blaise said immediately.

"Cool!" The boy said, reaching over and putting his arm across Blaise's shoulders above his backpack. "I think you and I are gonna get along famously. I'm Cody, by the way."

"I'm Blaise and that's Draco." Blaise said, blushing a bit.

"Ok... interesting names." Cody said with a chuckle. "We've just started gathering driftwood for the fire, but we should be lighting it up around dusk."

"We need to get up to the house." Draco said, looking at Blaise pointedly as he tugged on the bottom of his sodden T-shirt. It was a bit irritating the way it clung to him like a second skin, but he hadn't felt like trying to explain the bizarre mark on his shoulder to Blaise.

"Um... ya... we really need to wash off all this salt and get something to eat and all..." Blaise conceded, "But we'll definitely try to make it back down here by dusk!"

Draco tried hard not to grumble. Why was Blaise making promises? He grudgingly came to a stop as the gaggle of teens before him blocked his path. Cody made introductions, but Draco wasn't really paying that much attention. He didn't plan on needing to know their names. As soon as Cody stopped for breath after naming everyone, Draco took the opportunity. "Come on." He said to Blaise, "Winston will be expecting us."

Blaise grudgingly let himself be led away.

Cody hurried after them. "Don't forget to come back now." He said with a smile.

"We'll be back." Blaise reassured him.

"Sweet." Cody said, giving him a brilliant smile, and much to Blaise's surprise, a little slap on the arse. "I'm looking forward to that." He said, giving him a wink and walking off. Blaise just watched him with a silly grin on his face as the boy fetch up a surfboard and headed for the water.

Draco just rolled his eyes and grabbed Blaise's arm, dragging him up the wooden stairs.

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Hermione didn't even have to wake Snape. The minute the boat started to slow, he awoke on his own. She marked her page and got up so he could rise, then set the book on the chair, looking after him and wondering what she should be doing to help. Without a word, he slipped down the hatch, returning in a moment, levitating a large group of traps back out that would barely fit through the hatch. They levitated around to the back of the boat at his direction, settling down to the side a bit. He then disappeared from sight once more. When he reemerged once more, he came all the way out. He was levitating another stack of cages, carrying a couple of diving masks and two pairs of swim fins in his free hand.

"Well, we'd best get to it. This part must be completed before dusk." Snape said as he carefully levitated the cages down.

Hermione went over beside him, looking down. There was a ledge at about the water level, obviously meant for divers to use. He was stacking the cages on this ledge, and it expanded a bit as she watched, compensating for the excessive number of cages.

He set the masks and fins down, then pulled off his T-shirt and handed it to her. "Could you put the extra clothing in the cockpit while I check the masks? The wind can get brisk on occasion and we wouldn't want it blowing away."

She nodded, taking it and hurrying over to the cockpit. There was a little empty yellow plastic egg crate just inside the door that looked well secured. She deposited his shirt in it, assuming that was probably what it was there for. She pulled off the mesh shirt and dropped it in as well. As she finished untying the scarf at her waist she saw his point. A gust of wind nearly snatched it right out of her hand. She put it in the crate and looked around. She opened an old rusted tool chest that was bolted in place in the far corner and found a large wrench. She took it over and set it on top of the clothes just to be sure. She could always clean the clothes, but only if they were still there when she got back! Thinking about it, she hurried out to the deck chair and fetched the book, then took it in and tucked it carefully under her clothes.

When she got back over to where Snape was, he handed her one of the masks. "We aren't going very deep on this particular leg of the trip. There's a reef about ten meters down that is home to the creatures we are after. We will set the traps now, and return to collect them on our way back tomorrow morning. They only come out at night, but they won't budge if they see humans in the area, so we need to vacate the area before they wake at dusk."

Hermione was looking over the side. The water did look a bit odd to the one side of the boat. "Why would there be a reef that close to the surface this far out into the ocean?"

"There used to be an island just there." Snape said, pointing. "It was home to some rather nasty creatures. It was sunk by a group of wizards about a hundred years or so ago for the protection of the mainland. The creatures would occasionally find something that floated and use it as a raft, enabling them to find their way ashore.

"What kind of creatures?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

"I'm not entirely sure. The records were wiped out afterwards, so perhaps they were some kind of conjured creatures they didn't want to risk anyone conjuring more of. All I know is that they were small, had a particular attraction to witches and wizards, and were said to bear virulent diseases."

"But... they all died when the island sank... right?" She asked, eyeing the impassive stretch of water.

"So far as anyone knows, yes. They apparently couldn't fly or swim with enough efficiency to make it very far, so they really didn't have much of a chance without the land. Don't fret. Even if there are any still alive, they certainly wouldn't be anywhere near here. The area has also been checked on countless occasions for traces of disease, and they have yet to find any. I've been collecting various plants and creatures on these reefs since I was about ten, and I've never gotten ill from it."

She just nodded, feeling a bit silly for being worried about something that had been eradicated for a century. She looked down in surprise as he looped some kind of belt around her waist. She watched as he fastened it securely, then pulled her wand from where she had it tucked in the side of her swimsuit and slipped it into a much more secure looking holder on the side of the belt. There was also a sheathed knife on the other hip. From the look of the hilt, it was one of the titanium ones he'd purchased for the trip. She looked over, noting he was wearing a matching belt, though his also had quite a number of other pouches and small devices on it. There were even what looked like three one inch long, quarter inch thick tubes of some kind of phosphorescent liquid embedded in the middle.

"I would give you a better equipped belt, but without training you to use everything these additions would probably be more of a danger to you than a benefit. The holders for your wand and knife will allow you to remove them freely, but will not release unless you want them to, so you needn't worry about them accidentally falling out."

"Well, that's good." Hermione said, checking the play to her wand to make sure it did indeed move freely in case she should need to use it. She had to admit she'd been afraid of dropping her wand underwater. With the effects of water on magic, she wasn't entirely sure a summoning charm would be able to retrieve something from the ocean bottom. She looked over as he lifted his hands. He ran his fingers back through his hair and then pulled it tight, fastening it up with a stretchy band into a small, shockingly neat club at the back of his head. Not a strand escaped it, though the gesture had almost looked careless. The resultant style looked a bit like the one she'd seen Japanese warriors wear in old history texts.

"No laughing. Hair is too bothersome to deal with underwater unless necessary." Snape said without even looking over. "These have a built in Bubblehead charm, so we'll have limitless oxygen." He said, grabbing up his mask and flipping it around for her to look at, "The viewing glass is spelled against fogging up, and I've also spelled them so we can hear each other. Just speak normally. You'll also want to keep moving. As close as we'll be to the surface, it should be warm enough to easily avoid hypothermia, but you'll still get quite chilled if you dally too long."

Hermione nodded again, already shivering a bit from the cool breeze. Then again, it might just have been nerves making her shiver. He tossed the fins down, then climbed down the short ladder to the watery deck. He made sure she got down alright before sitting down and fitting his fins on. She sat down beside him, shivering slightly as she submersed her legs up to the calves in the cool water. A little wavelet washed over the deck from their movement since the deck was almost flush with the water. She felt a bit apprehensive. She'd always found scuba diving fascinating, and had watched many documentaries on the subject and longed to try it, but now that she was actually out there, they just seemed so exposed and defenseless when faced by the sea... and it seemed to radiate this sense of strength and hidden dangers. This boat seemed ludicrously small and fragile when faced with the vast, seething creature that was the ocean.

She pulled on her fins, trying not to think about it. They covered the ends of her feet, only a single strap looping back behind her ankle to hold each on... but the minute she put them on, they seemed to meld to her feet. She couldn't even feel the strap, though she could still see it. It felt as if she'd simply grown fins!

"They're a mite more comfortable than the Muggle versions I'd wager." He said, noting her inquisitive stare. "Sit up straight for a moment."

She complied, then watched curiously as he dipped his finger in a small jar, reaching over and brushing his finger over the sides of her neck, then around, leaving a little streak of the substance down her back. He finished up with a dab where the suit exposed her bellybutton and a streak down each thigh. She looked where he'd touched her, but there didn't seem to be anything but a slight streak of some kind of clear oil that either evaporated or sank in even as she watched. She looked over as he applied some to himself. "What's that?"

"Most of the dangerous ocean predators in this area hunt by scent. The shark for instant. They're nearly blind, but they can smell blood in the water from miles away. That's mostly how they find their prey. This," He said, holding up the small jar, "Just makes us smell very unappetizing to them. That, along with the fact that the vast majority of shark attacks take place in three to six feet of water should actually make this less dangerous than the diving Draco and Blaise are doing... so it's a good thing Draco knows to use the oil before diving as well. Then again, of the vast variety of sharks roaming the oceans, only three types have ever been known to attack humans, so their reputation is a bit exaggerated. Statistically, you're more likely to be killed by a lightening strike than a shark attack. Of course, I would still appreciate if you would avoid cutting yourself, just to be on the safe side." He added with a smirk.

"I'll do my best." She said with a little slightly forced smile. She'd seen too many films of shark attacks not to worry, despite his assurances.

He noted her apprehension and smiled warmly, leaning over and gently turning her face towards him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He said softly before pulling her a bit closer and kissing her.

She quickly shifted closer, deepening the kiss. When she finally let it break, she did feel quite a bit better.

"Come along now." He said, pulling on his mask. He then grabbed a hold of the edge and pushed his hips forward, slipping into the water with barely a splash.

She felt a little tickle of anticipation as she pulled on her mask. She put her hand over the mask to keep it from coming off as she entered the water, as she had seen Muggle divers do, but the mask stayed firmly in place on its own. From the way it sealed seamlessly around her face, not letting a single trickle of water in, even where it was over her hair a bit, she had no doubt it also had magic that wouldn't let it be unintentionally dislodged. That was comforting to know. She swam over a bit, accepting a couple of the cages from him as he handed them to her. They only took two each. She followed him as he led down. There was, indeed, a rather impressive coral reef below them. Not that she doubted it would be there... but the sheer oddity of this being out there, this close to the surface in the middle of nowhere like this was still a bit odd. She glanced past it before she reached the reef. She paused, seeing a large, dark, shadowy mass beyond it. This must be the island. It looked dead and rather creepy... oddly dark, despite being even a bit closer to the surface than the reef. There were odd, skeletal remains of trees here and there that were mostly rotted away, what little was left encrusted with sea life. There also appeared to be a couple of odd mounds that looked as if they may have once been dens... or even some sort of crude buildings. She saw little glimpses of movement in the shadowy depths, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to know what now inhabited the 'island'.

"No time for dawdling, Miss Granger." Snape's amused voice said, sounding as if he was speaking right into her ear.

She looked over, spotting him drifting down near the reef, looking up at her. "Coming." She said, hurrying after him.

He showed her what the dens of the creatures they were after looked like and they set their traps right outside them. Once set and tapped with a wand, they became virtually invisible. The only thing left that she could see was the small, odd bright yellow disk that was attached to each, but the way they set them should keep that part out of sight to the creature until after it emerged.

Once they'd set all four, they resurfaced and he pulled himself up, sitting on the deck though he didn't bother removing the mask. As soon as she followed suit, the boat started forward. After a couple of minutes, it paused again and they slipped back off, taking four more cages.

They continued like that, stop after stop as the boat slowly circled the reef. Hermione was finding it harder and harder to pull herself out of the water. She hadn't thought working underwater would be so taxing. You were weightless in the water after all. Still, swimming down to the reef, around a bit to find suitable dens, then back up... it wasn't easy! She noticed Snape was starting to slow down quite a bit as well, though he never made a single comment on it.

When they came up again after the twelfth dive, they sat on the deck and the boat started moving once more. This time, Snape took his mask off, taking a deep breath and sighing it out as he leaned back against the back of the boat wearily.

Hermione pulled hers off too so she could talk to him. "Only a dozen left." She said, counting the remaining cages.

Snape sighed deeply, then shifted up a bit, eyeing the sun that was getting very low on the horizon. "No time." He said, tossing his mask up over the back rail into the boat, then reaching over and grabbing up a cage. He opened the door, setting the trap, then tapped it to make it invisible. Once that was done, he simply dropped it overboard. He then reached over, grabbing another one. "Let's get them in the water. Perhaps we'll get lucky, but whether these last few catch anything or not doesn't really matter. If we don't vacate the area soon, none of them will work."

Hermione quickly shoved her own mask over the rail into the boat, then grabbed up a cage, following his lead as the boat glided slowly through the water. In short order, they'd dumped the lot. The minute the last one disappeared below the waves, he grabbed onto the ladder and put his arm out to brace her as the boat turned and picked up speed, taking them swiftly from the area.

She grabbed a hold of the ladder as well. She was a bit relieved when the boat slowed a few minutes later. She was able to pull her feet in and pull off the fins without worrying too much about accidentally falling off the boat or losing the fins. Once she had them off, she carefully got up and chucked them over the rail into the boat. Snape had removed his own fins, but he was still sitting there. She crouched down beside him, holding onto the ladder. "We're done for now, aren't we?"

"Yes. The other location is another hour or so away." he said, pulling his legs out of the water and folding them up tailor fashion, leaning back against the boat and gazing out over the ocean.

She picked his fins up from where he'd set them beside him and put them into the boat, then sat down beside him. "You ok?"

"I'll be fine. Looks to be a lovely sunset." He said, nodding his head towards the sun that was just starting to disappear.

She settled down beside him and he slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her a bit closer. She cuddled close. She was chilled from the cold water and would have loved to go find a nice warm blanket to cuddle up in, but she got the distinct feeling that he was remaining there for much more than the view... though she had to admit that was spectacular. The sunset spread out before them, the wispy clouds lighting up in a myriad of breathtaking colors. She looked over at Snape worriedly. He seemed a lot more tired than he should be. It had been tiring, yes... but she was beginning to think it had taken a lot more out of him than it had out of her. He always seemed so very strong and almost unnaturally impervious to everything, even things as basic and inescapable as temperature . She found it a bit disturbing whenever she was reminded that he was just as mortal as everyone else.

He took a deep breath and sighed it out as the sun slipped below the horizon. He gave her a little kiss, then shifted up, pulling himself up and climbing up into the boat. She followed after him, noting that he was moving much slower than usual.

He went into the cockpit and she followed him. He unfastened and opened a cabinet door built into the back and pulled out a large, fluffy towel, slipping it around her shoulders. She hugged it to her gratefully. He pulled out another, smaller towel and pulled the tie out of his hair, then dried it a bit with the towel before letting the towel settle on his shoulders. He reached over, flipping a switch and a light came on in the small cockpit, then reached over, picking up the bag he'd brought aboard.

"I need to go below and finish mixing up the potion we'll need for the next excursion. It needs to be prepared fresh. We'll have to be diving much deeper than the masks were made to go. We wouldn't be able to force the air into our lungs at that pressure even if it was available for us. Don't worry though, the potion will take care of all of those concerns."

"Ok." She said, trying to keep any worry out of her voice. She watched him as he went over, disappearing down into the hatch. She sighed, wondering if it was such a good idea for him to be going out into the ocean again so soon.

She shook off her worry, pulling her book out from under his clothes. She perched herself on top of the old tool box under the light and opened the book. Snape was much better suited to judge his limitations than she was. She just took a deep breath and sighed it out, letting the book draw her mind away from the troubling thoughts that plagued it.

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"But I promised!" Blaise whined petulantly.

"We have to finish preparing these." Draco said, pointing at the long strands of seaweed he was filleting the globular protuberances off of.

"Those would keep for a week even without preserving spells and we both know it. Chuck them back in the water and lets go! It's dusk already!" Blaise insisted.

"Why do you want to go?"

"Why don't you want to go? There's girls down there too!" Blaise said enticingly. "There were at least three that were real lookers and looked more than interested in you. With the whole foreign visitor shtick, you could probably be banging any one of them in no time without even having to try. Hell, you could probably even score a couple of them if you were in the mood."

"Probably, but I'm not in the mood. You only want to go down there because that prat you fancy will be there."

"He's not a prat. He seemed a right likable bloke." Blaise said defensively, "Besides, I don't have a contraceptive ring on me, so I should probably stay away from the girls. Last thing I need is to knock someone up!"

Draco sighed, dropping his knife and yanking his ring off. He grabbed Blaise's hand and shoved it on one of his fingers. "There you go. You can borrow that for the weekend and go bang all the foreign bints you like."

Blaise grinned at the ring, but then his smile slid away and hesitantly took it back off, "Na. I at least have options that don't require one of these. You need it more than I do." He said, offering it back.

Draco rolled his eyes. "No, I don't. Take it. I have no intention of needing it any time soon."

Blaise slowly slipped it back on, eyeing Draco. "Something wrong?" He asked, his tone sobering.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just not like you! I prefer to know the girls I bed, and I have no intention of taking the time to get to know anyone here. This is a working trip, not a pleasure cruise. I'm not going to go banging any loose bird who'll have me just because she's different from the girls I usually shag."

"Well... I certainly don't recall you being all high and mighty the last time we went on an outing. As I recall, there are quite a number of girls who found their way into your pants on that trip. I also happened to know that with at least one of them you didn't even bother to ask her name until the next morning!"

"Actually I just forgot her name. Liquor was involved if you'll recall. Besides, that trip was just a lark, so it was different. Not to mention I hadn't been shagging that long then and I was still in that 'shag anyone you can' phase you get into in the beginning. I got over that." Draco said, shoving the mass of seaweed back into the tank.

"You can get over that?" Blaise asked, obviously taken aback by the idea. "Let's hope that never happens to me!" He said with a little shudder.

Draco just rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go. Have fun. Just stay away from that Chip prat."

"Cody." Blaise corrected.

"Whatever his name is." Draco said dismissively.

"What's your problem with him?"

"There's just something about him." Draco said with a shrug.

"Ya." Blaise sighed, that silly grin coming back to his lips.

Draco glared at him, "I meant I don't trust him."

"You've barely even met the guy and already he's untrustworthy?" Blaise asked incredulously.

"Let's just say I'm well familiar with the dodgy type, and he's one of them."

"I think you're just in a bad mood. You really need to get laid. What say you lay aside your newfound 'sensibilities' for the night, come with me down to the beach and let one of those tasty little crumpets put a smile back on your face? Doesn't that sound better than sitting here playing with seaweed?"

"I'm not shagging anyone!" Draco sighed irritably.

"Ok, ok!" Blaise said, "Just at least come down with me. Hang out by the bonfire, enjoy the sand and the surf and just being young and alive! You're letting the world get you too down. Just unwind for a bit and take it easy! You really need it."

Draco sighed deeply. He knew there'd be no talking Blaise out of going... and he should really probably go to make sure he didn't do or say anything daft. "Fine. I'll go. But just for a bit."

Blaise let out a whoop of excitement, bounding out. By the time Draco washed his hands and came out of the greenhouse, Blaise was already bounding over with their beach towels. Draco kept a slow, steady pace as he made his way towards the beach. Blaise was practically romping around he was so excited, but he stayed with Draco.

As soon as they reached the stairs down, they could see over a dozen teens gathered around on the beach. A couple were putting the final touches on a rather large pile of driftwood in the quickly fading light. It didn't take them long to notice Draco and Blaise approaching, and much to Draco's dismay (and Blaise's delight) Cody started over immediately.

He started in on introductions for the few new people they hadn't met yet, but as before, Draco made a point of ignoring him. A flash of red caught his eye as the fire crackled to life, drawing his eyes over. There was a girl there with dark red hair that seemed to glow in the meager light. It was almost fascinating to watch as the wind blew it. It whipped around, flowing like the flames that lit it.

He quickly pulled his eyes away as he caught Cody watching him. He judged the wind and set his towel out where he shouldn't have to worry about smoke. He settled down, sighing softly to himself as he saw Cody hanging on Blaise, and wondering how long he'd have to put up with this before he could politely bow out.

He looked up as someone walked up next to him. It was one of the boys he'd seen before. He was holding out a beer. Draco accepted it, noting it was still covered in icy water. He looked over as the boy walked on, handing out more beers. There were a couple of coolers, and judging from the one a girl was looking in, they were both full of liquor.

Draco opened his beer and took a deep draught. Well, this should help make the time more bearable at least.

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Hermione looked up as she felt a change in the movement of the boat. It was slowing. She tucked her book away, then went over, watching the water. The lighting was dim, despite the fact that a number of lights had come on once darkness had set in. She assumed those were the standard lights required by Muggle regulations.

After a few moments, the water behind the boat stopped rippling altogether except for the natural flow of the water. They were definitely at a complete stop. She went back to the cockpit, sitting down and waiting for Snape to appear. She was surprised he hadn't come back up from the hatch already actually. Was the potion they needed a complicated one? He hadn't asked for help, and she hadn't gotten the feeling he had any desire for her to go with him when he went.

She waited a further five minutes or so, then could take it no more. She couldn't help the worries that crowded her mind as she went over to the hatch. She pulled it open and looked down. There were stairs that led down... in fact, they led down a lot further than she expected them to in a boat this size. At least there were lights below as well.

She started down the stairs, pausing to close the hatch to keep it from being slammed by the wind, then continued on down. Her jaw dropped slightly when she reached the bottom. There was a hallway stretching out before her. It looked like the hold of a very large yacht! She grinned and chided herself for assuming his boat would be 'normal'. She'd seen what they could do with well worked charms on the insides of tents and the like, so it should have been no surprise that this would be no different.

She started down the hall, opening each door as she reached it and peering in. There was a small kitchen, and even what looked like a sitting room and a small study! The next room turned out to be the potions lab. It wasn't nearly as well stocked as his classroom, but it was rather impressive, all things considered. The walls were all lined with bottles and jars, all held securely in place so even the strongest waves couldn't dislodge them. There was a cauldron and a stone and pestle, both which appeared to be permanently attached to the work table. She spotted two small vials of some kind of dark green fluid in a vial rack (also bolted down) that she assumed were probably the potion he had told her he was making up. Well, if he was done with that, where had he gone off to?

She went further down the hallway. There was a loo with a full sized shower. She was definitely going to have to check that out later! Her skin felt a bit itchy with salt. The last door opened into a bedroom. Her eyes widened as she saw Snape laying on the bed. She hurried over, sitting beside him and quickly looking him over.

His eyes cracked open as he felt her hands on him. A little smile slipped over his lips. "Caught me napping, did you?" He asked softly.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Just tired."

"Tired? That's it?" She asked disbelievingly.

He sighed. "I just need some rest and I'll be right as rain, honestly."

"Theo told me about that medicine. He told me the poison damaged your heart... said it might leave permanent damage... that's what's wrong, isn't it? This is all my fault!" She said wretchedly, stroking his cheek.

"No, Hermione. Never think that. What I did that night was my choice, not yours. That is on me. Besides, that I could have recovered from without too much trouble. That wasn't what did the real damage."

"What then?" She said, obviously suspecting he was just trying to make her feel better.

"Well, to be honest, it was Cornfoot. Cornfoot Sr that is. He cursed me that night when I left."

Her eyes shot wide, "He cursed you? He could have killed you, cursing you in your condition!"

He gave her a little smile. "That was his intention, Hermione. We've hated each other for a very long time now. He saw the opportunity to be done with me and took it."

She dropped her eyes, recalling the memory of Katherin's death. Adrian had been there. He had openly admitted to raping Katherin. She could still remember the pain and rage in Snape's eyes as he cast the Cruciatus on Adrian. That there was still such a strong hatred between the men, even over a decade and a half later, was unsurprising really.

He reached up and lifted her chin. "Some things are just a bit harder to recover from than others. The heart is slow to heal, but it will heal. Promise me you'll never waste another moment feeling guilty over what happened that night or for any repercussions that might follow. I'll live, and I will eventually be completely back to rights."

"You wouldn't be if Draco wasn't there to make that potion for you."

"But he was."

She looked at him, blinking back the tears that brimmed her eyes.

He sighed and reached up, pulling her down and holding her. "I'm fine, Hermione. Truly. I just need to rest."

She nodded, then sloughed off the towel around her shoulders and climbed over him, settling down on the bed beside him and cuddling up to him.

"Um... the boat stopped, by the way." She said reluctantly. She didn't want him to get up and strain himself again so soon, but he might be upset if she didn't tell him and he slept past an important deadline.

He smiled, his eyes drifting shut. "I know. Thank you for telling me though. We'll leave in about two hours. The boat will signal me when it's time."

She smiled in relief, snuggling back down. She slipped her hand over to rest on his chest, then closed her eyes, feeling the soft pulsing of his heartbeat under her fingers.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Professor McGonagall!"

McGonagall turned, seeing Seamus hurrying up to her, though he was walking a bit gingerly. "Something the matter, Mr. Finnegan?" She asked with concern as she noted his pale complexion and the sheen of sweat that covered his skin.

Seamus hobbled to a stop before her, looking about to make sure he wouldn't be overheard, a look of acute embarrassment on his face. "Um... yes..."

"Are you ill?"

"Um... I think... kind of..." He muttered in mortification.

"Well, what's the matter?" She asked, baffled by his reticent tone.

"I feel kind of all cold and shaky, and... um..."

"And what, Mr. Finnegan? Come along, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." She coaxed gently.

"Well... part of me is kind of... um... changing color... and... um... shriveling..." He said, looking absolutely mortified and darting his eyes around the whole time to make sure no one was listening.

"Part of you?" She asked, baffled. His limbs all appeared intact.

Despite his pale, waxen cheeks, he managed a bit of a blush. He gave a little nod, then when she looked nonplussed, he glanced down significantly.

McGonagall furrowed her brow, then suddenly blushed slightly herself as she cottoned on. "Oh. Why aren't you in the Hospital wing?"

"What if she has to look at it to tell what's wrong?" He asked in an embarrassed whisper. "I don't want anyone seeing it like this! Isn't there some cream or something you could give me?"

McGonagall took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Well, if you're really that vain, then by all means go back to your room and hide it. That curse should become permanent if not treated soon, but then you have a lot of relatives, so it's not like your bloodline will die out entirely just because you've let childish embarrassment make you into a eunuch." She said sarcastically.

His eyes shot wide and he turned and hobbled off in the direction of the Hospital wing without another word.

She sighed deeply and shook her head. She glanced over, spotting Dumbledore leaving the Great Hall and hurried over. "That's another one, Albus." She said in exasperation. "That makes nine cases in one day!"

Dumbledore sighed, "We haven't had a rash of cursings like this in years."

"Not to mention such strong curses! Several of them are capable of long term damage if not treated! That suggests a level of maliciousness that I cannot believe one of our students possesses. Do you suppose it is a group of students?"

"But towards what ends would a group perpetrate these acts?" Dumbledore asked with a slight air of frustration.

"You don't suppose... I mean perhaps You Know Who has managed to infiltrate the school after all." McGonagall suggested hesitantly.

"And just whom are you proposing would work as his agents here?"

"Well... I don't know..." She said with frustration. "Then again..." She said, her voice becoming tentatively speculative, "I mean it seems a bit of a coincidence that these acts are occurring while Severus is away, don't you think?"

Dumbledore stopped in his tracks. "I know you are not suggesting he has anything to do with this." He said, his tone warningly neutral.

"No! No, I would never suggest such a thing." McGonagall replied hastily. "I was just suggesting... perhaps without his guidance, some of his students might have..."

"I am shocked and greatly dismayed that you would even suggest such a thing, Minerva." He said softly.

"I just... well let's be honest here, many of them are closely related to Death Eaters..." She said, obviously trying to justify the suggestion.

"One cannot control whom they are related to. The Slytherins may like a bit of sport at the expense of students from other Houses, but those comments and pranks have never been anything like these recent attacks, and I refuse to believe they would have stooped to such levels. Severus may not be here, but I do not believe they require constant supervision to maintain their morality. Severus respects his students, and they respect him. They would never bring shame on him and their House for fleeting amusements. Look elsewhere for your culprits."

"So you're going to dismiss an entire House on principle alone?" She asked, surprised he would so easily dismiss them as potential suspects.

"Why not? You appear to have." He said with a little smile.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, taken aback by the apparent rebuff.

"If you wish to find the person or persons responsible, I strongly suspect you need to be looking a bit closer to home..." He suggested gently.

She just watched him as he walked on, completely floored by the implication.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hermione started awake as a loud beeping started up. Snape sat up quickly, reaching over and tapping a button on the bedside table. A small circle of light appeared on the wooden surface as the alarm fell silent, then a few glowing symbols appeared, hovering over the spot of light. They made no sense to her, but they were apparently very significant to Snape. He immediately got up.

"Is it time to go?" She asked, wondering at his haste. Had they overslept?

"That's the perimeter alarm. The coastal authorities are approaching. They've improved their cloaking spells. They're practically right on top of us."

She scrambled up, worried by the urgency in his manner, "But we have all the right permits and such, don't we?"

"Yes," He said, grabbing up the bag he'd brought. He pulled some papers out of the pocket on the top and handed them to her. "Here they are. Get up on deck before they reach the boat."

"What about you?" She asked, looking down at the papers, utterly baffled.

He sighed, "These people won't be fooled by a bit of cosmetics, Hermione. I will have to use something much more powerful. Get up there and try to buy me a little time if you can, but don't make it obvious. Just don't mention my name or otherwise indicate who I am, and when I get up there, play along."

"What...?"

"I don't have time to explain." He said impatiently.

She grabbed up her towel, pulling it around her shoulders and wishing she'd thought to put on her other clothes. They may be flimsy, but they were something at least. She hurried down the hall, then up the stairs, pushing open the hatch. She blinked in surprise as she immediately saw a bright, flashing blue light. She climbed the rest of the way out, looking over towards the source of the light. There was a boat coming alongside. It was hard to see, apparently completely pitch black in color, only made visible by the lights. There were a number of official looking men aboard it, watching her warily. One played a spotlight onto her.

"Prepare to be boarded." A booming voice called out as ropes shot out, securing the two boats together.

Hermione just nodded, feeling little flutters of fear coursing through her. Would he be able to hide his mark in time? These men didn't look likely to listen to excuses.

She tried not to jump as a thick plank thunked quite loudly into place, then two tall and imposing men in some kind of black uniforms with silver edging clomped across it and onto Snape's boat. There was one with blond hair who was a bit taller, but the slightly shorter one with short cropped black hair had a bearing about him that marked him as the obvious leader. They came over and stopped before her, looking her over in a scrutinizing fashion.

"What's the nature of your excursion?" The dark haired one asked.

"Um... just collecting ingredients. I have permits." She said, holding out the papers.

He took them and started looking them over.

The second man was looking around intently. "Our detection spells showed two persons aboard. Where's the other one?"

"He's... um... below deck." She said, trying hard not to sound nervous.

"Why isn't he up here?" He asked suspiciously.

"We had a long day. He's taking a nap I believe."

The blond looked at his mate, who nodded, then went over, pulling open the hatch and started down the stairs. She waited pensively, praying Snape had had enough time. She could think of no way of delaying them that wouldn't look suspicious. Their manner was so brisk and businesslike she doubted they'd tolerate unnecessary delays.

She couldn't help but look over as the man reemerged. She blinked in shock, trying to keep her face impassive as she saw who the man had by the arm. She could only assume it was Snape. He looked no older than nineteen or twenty and he had a startling black tattoo of the long neck and head of a snake flowing across his chest, originating from over his left shoulder. There was also what appeared to be the end of the snake's body slipping around over his right hip and disappearing under his trunks. When he turned a bit to look at the other boat, she could see the rest of the snake continued across his back. It looked almost eerily real, though she could tell it was no more than an image. He also had other, smaller tattoos scattered about, like a band of some kind of geometric patter encircling one ankle and some kind of strange, dark, vaguely evil looking creature that appeared to be clinging to his right shoulder by little claws. There were also various symbols and runes scattered about at seeming random including a pentagram that encircled his navel.

"You could at least give a bloke time to find his bloody belt before dragging him out in front of an audience." He muttered, running his fingers through his hair to push it back from his face, his other hand holding the front of his trunks. His waist was now a bit narrower, so she could quite imagine the trunks would be around his ankles if he weren't holding them, especially given the fact that a number of the many pockets in them appeared to be full of this and that.

"Why didn't you come up? We know this boat is equipped with sensors, so you had to know we were here." The blond asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Did you really want me up here without a stitch?" Snape asked with a smirk.

The dark haired man appeared to have all but forgotten the papers in his hand. He strode over to Snape, looking at him more closely.

Snape just stared back unflinchingly.

"Squire?" The man asked tentatively.

"I know you?" Snape asked, furrowing his brow.

The man actually cracked a little smile. "I guess not. I've just seen pictures of you about at your aunt's place. We've been seeing each other for a couple of months now. Name's Emory."

"You're going to have to be more specific. I have three aunts. Well, actually five, but I'll assume you're not talking about either of the married ones." Snape replied with a smirk.

"Dalia. I know I haven't really met any of the family yet, but... I mean she hasn't mentioned me at all?" The man replied.

"Aunt Dalia?" Snape asked, breaking into a big smile. "About bloody time she started dating again. As for mentioning you... well I don't really see her much, and besides, I doubt she's announcing it to the family at large. They're a bit of a pushy lot. Trust me, you'll know when she lets it leak out. You'll get dragged into attending every family gathering, have to meet every single family member within flooing distance that they can lay hands on, all that shite. I'll do you a favor and won't mention you to anyone. I imagine Dalia will do that when she's ready. Enjoy the quiet time while you can."

The little smile widened a bit. "Alright then." He glanced over at Hermione, "So... how'd you wind up collecting with some group fresh from Europe?"

"It's my cousin and his students on a school trip. I heard he had some medical problems recently, so I volunteered to do the more strenuous diving. His heart's a mite dodgy right now..." He said with a shrug.

The man crooked a little smile. "No offense... but from what I've heard... I mean that sounds a bit altruistic for you..."

"Oh I'm all about helping out whenever I can. Very altruistic." He said in an overly benevolent tone, then he shifted closer to the man and said in a stage whisper, "I mean come on... wouldn't you volunteer?" He said, tilting his head slightly in Hermione's direction and wriggling his eyebrows a bit.

Hermione caught the gesture and saw the men look over. She blushed brightly, realizing her towel had slipped off her shoulders, exposing quite a bit of her swimsuit. She quickly pulled it back up, obscuring herself as much as possible as some of the other men chuckled.

"Yes... well regulations state anyone who has been to Europe in the last five years has to be checked for that mark those zealots over there are sporting. I don't like profiling, but then again, I certainly don't want any of those murdering bastards over here either, so I can't afford to make any exceptions." Emory said with a slightly apologetic tone.

"Perfectly understandable. I don't want them here either, believe me! Why do you think we moved here in the first place? Have at." Snape said magnanimously, holding his arms out a bit, though releasing his trunks made them hang dangerously low on his narrow hips.

The man pulled out his wand, casting a number of detecting spells and passing his wand over Snape several times before calling it good. He then walked over to Hermione.

"Um... can you do that through the towel?" She asked in a small voice, eyeing all the men watching.

"Sure, hun." He said with a little grin. He repeated the process on her, then tucked his wand away. "Relatively painless, eh?" He said, handing her back the papers. He then turned, motioning to his men. They stood down and turned off the extra lights.

Snape motioned Emory over as the man started back to his boat, then said in a low voice, "Um... you lot going to be stopping by again? Because, I gotta tell you, you're putting a bit of a damper on my chances here, if you know what I mean."

Emory glanced back at Hermione with another little grin, then turned back to Snape. "My boys won't be bothering you again tonight. The day shift comes on at about seven in the morning. They shouldn't hit this area until about nine or so, but there are random running crews as well, and I don't even know where those will be at any given time, so I can't make any guarantees. They don't usually cross our standard routes though, so you probably have an hour or two at least before you have to worry about that."

Snape sighed, then gave him a little smile. "Guess I'll just have to charm a bit faster."

The man chuckled and clapped him on the back, then headed out.

Snape and Hermione watched them as the sleek black boat detached from theirs and turned, slipping silently away. Their lights went out after a moment and the night seemed to swallow them whole. It was a bit disturbing how quickly and completely they disappeared.

Hermione hesitantly shifted her eyes over to Snape. He was just looking at her, watching her reaction. He looked very much like he did in those earlier memories... but at the same time there were subtle differences... but she just couldn't quite put her finger on exactly what was different. "Um... so... what did you..."

He silenced her with a slight shake of the head and a significant glance in the direction the coast guard had disappeared in. She immediately felt stupid for even thinking about asking about his disguise in the open. Surely those men had listening spells.

He moved over until he was less than a pace before her. "Let's go back below deck. There's still about an hour left before we need to start our dive."

"Are you still tired?"

A little smirk slid over his lips that was pure Snape. He reached over and gently took her hand. "Not particularly." He said softly.

She blushed as he turned without another word, leading her back down through the hatch.

As soon as they were in the bedroom, he went over, touching a couple of the buttons built into the bedside table. They stayed lit once depressed, and after a moment, another symbol appeared floating over the panel, and a soft beep-like sound emanated from somewhere above them. As soon as that was done, he sighed and flopped down on his back on the bed. He shifted a bit, fetching his wand from where he'd either dropped or hid it under the blanket, then began waving the wand in an intricate pattern above him. His features began to shift subtly. It was fascinating to watch really. His cheekbones narrowed a touch, nose lengthening a bit, lips changing shape just slightly, eyes becoming just ever so slightly more rounded but narrower. The changes were all so miniscule... and yet now he suddenly looked infinitely more like himself. He still looked around nineteen or so, but he was definitely a nineteen year old Snape. Well, a nineteen year old Snape with lots of tattoos.

He looked over at her and smiled as he dropped his wand onto the bedside table. "That was a close one. Didn't count on one of them knowing Squire. He generally does a good job of avoiding the authorities."

"So 'Squire' is a real person?" She asked, assuming by his candor that any auditory observation was now being blocked. She put the papers over on the table beside his wand so they wouldn't get misplaced.

"My cousin."

"Cousin? I thought... I mean aren't you the last in the Snape bloodline?"

"The Snape line, yes, but my mother's line is still quite prolific. I've had very little contact with most of them over the years, but I needn't worry about running out of relatives on that side any time soon. I have managed to get most of them to leave Europe just in case I should lose favor with the Dark Lord though, just to be safe. Actually, I suspect Squire and I share a bit more blood than the rest though."

She looked over at him, her eyes widening.

He smirked, "Not that much blood." He said with obvious amusement, "She's a handsome woman, but she's my aunt. Pure blood families aren't quite that depraved yet. Well, at least not that I know of. I just meant we never knew for sure who his father was... but my father did have one brother... and I recall him getting rather friendly with Squire's mother at a family get-together..." He chuckled as her jaw dropped a bit, "Oh come now... it's not like they were blood related. I'm the only acknowledged link between the two bloodlines, but it's rather common for bloodlines to cross at several points. Two sisters from one family marrying two brothers from another would not be uncommon at all."

"Oh." Hermione said softly.

"I'd rather expected they would be making it official... but then my uncle died. It was during the last war, before Squire was born... Squire's mother never chose to name the father, and no one has tried to force the issue. I think the rest of the family had pretty much figured it out as well. That side of the family is even a bit better off than the Snape line, and she does pretty well for herself even without that, so it's not like she needs to try to get some kind of financial claim. At any rate, he looks so much like I did as a youth that he is the perfect disguise. Normally, anyway. Don't worry, he knows I use his appearance sometimes. He even managed to get me copies of his I.D.s and writes me on occasion to update me on family news and the current configuration of his body art. He tends to get bored and change it or add to it sometimes. There's only a couple I can count on to stay the same, because those are special ones. This pentagram for example." He said, glancing down at his navel. "He's had it since he was fourteen. The navel is the most magically vulnerable point on a witch or wizard's body, though few realize that. Before birth, our magic could be channeled through the umbilical cord to help guard our mothers in life threatening situations, so it's pretty much an open channel. It mostly shuts down after our birth, but it's still a vestigial conduit that a crafty opponent could take advantage of to drain our powers. This helps protect him from such subtle attacks. Many of his tattoos are protective in nature actually."

"His mum just lets him cover himself in tattoos?" Hermione asked with amusement, tossing the towel aside and crawling onto the bed beside him.

"Who do you think puts them on him?" He asked with amusement. "She's a rather renowned artist in certain circles."

She gave a little snort of laughter at that. "Interesting mum."

"That she is." He said softly with a little smile still on his lips.

"So..." She said, unable to keep her eyes from trailing over him. The tattoos were a bit startling, but other than that, it was just like she was in another of his memories. "How are you doing this? The youthening thing that is?"

"A potion. It's a more refined version of Polyjuice potion. You recall that lock of my own hair I took before I got my mark?"

Her eyes widened a bit. "I never thought of using Polyjuice to transform into a younger version of yourself."

"Very few people consider that possibility. They usually want to be someone else. Until I revert no one will be able to find a Dark Mark on me, because this is me before the mark existed. I rarely use it since the Dark Lord cannot summon me while I'm like this. He doesn't care for that, obviously. He shouldn't be calling me while I'm here though, so it should be alright."

"So... this only lasts an hour?" She asked, her eyes still trailing over him.

"No, actually. That's part of the refinement."

"Oh." She said softly, reaching out and brushing her fingers over the tattoo on his chest. "Um... how long then?"

He gave her a little smirk, then shifted over towards her. She giggled a bit embarrassedly as he pushed her over onto her back and pressed her down to the bed, then moved his face very close to hers, letting his lips brush hers teasingly a couple of times before settling down into a slow, deep kiss. He kept it up for several long, lovely minutes before finally letting up, "Hoping it's permanent, are you?" He whispered mischievously when he let up.

She giggled a bit nervously, "Well, that would certainly fix some social acceptability problems... but... no, not really. This feels really strange to be honest..."

"Really?" He asked, shifting over a bit more and settling down between her legs. "So you don't find me enticing at all like this?"

She shivered a little as she felt the heat of his body through her swimsuit. "I will admit..." She replied softly, "When I saw you when you were younger in those memories... I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if we'd been born at the right times... if we'd gone to school together. I still think it would have been amazing... but if that is what had happened, I would have only known the boy you were... I'm sure that would have been enough then... but now... well I've known you as a man... and the man is who I'm attracted to. Yes, your body is lovely like this..." She said, shifting her leg up. It wasn't that he'd gained too much weight over the years since he looked like this, but his frame had become sturdier and stronger with time. This body still had the softness of youth, not yet fully matured. "But you just... you don't fit me the same way..." She said softly.

He let out a soft snicker. "I see. I'm too young for you now. I fear I've ruined you for normal relationships."

She couldn't help but smile back, reaching up and brushing the hair back behind his ear as it slid down over his face. "I'm afraid so. I mean let's be honest... how are boys supposed to compare?" Her smile slipped a bit. "I just... I prefer you the way you are. The way you really are that is. I don't want you to change just to try to please me. You please me just fine without all this." she said, brushing her fingers over his cheek.

There was a vague upturn to his lips, but his expression was otherwise unreadable as he stared down at her for a long minute before replying. "Yes..." He said softly, "Well, I'm afraid I can't change back at the moment."

"Just how long does this last?" She asked in surprise.

"Up to about twenty six hours, or until dismissed... but after I dismiss it, I won't be able to use it again for at least a day or two, and you heard what he said... we may well be stopped again on this outing, and I require this disguise. It's the only one strong enough to last against the stringent tests they use here. I can change from this to Squire with only very minor glamours that won't be detectable... but only if I start out around the proper age. I'm glad he's finally nineteen actually. I used to have to youthen myself even further."

"Oh..." She said softly. In that case, it really would be daft to change him back just for her ridiculous girlish preferences.

"Of course, this body is infinitely better suited for the tasks we have before us tonight. It's young and strong... very strong heart. Not that that is really that much of an issue with my real body. Don't worry about me in that respect, honestly. I just may get a bit tired now and then if I have very strenuous activities for extended periods of time. Well... everyday kind of exertions should be just fine... I'm just talking about extraordinary circumstances." He said with a little mischievous smirk on his lips.

She grinned back, getting the obvious implications. "So... you aren't going to have a heart attack on me in bed or anything, right?"

He chuckled. "If I recall correctly, it was not I who passed out on several occasions from certain exertions. Besides... don't take this the wrong way, but as young, nimble and almost overly energetic as you are... I could still easily outlast you in bed, even on my worst day."

"Well, that's a relief!" She giggled.

He let out a soft little sigh. "There is a rather serious drawback to my being a teenager though..."

"What's that?"

He shifted up a bit pressed his hips against her. "Raging hormones when faced with attractive teenaged girls... sure you aren't interested?"

She went a bit pink and giggled again. "I... I suppose... I mean I suppose I can put up with this appearance if necessary. After all, I probably shouldn't turn you down... I know how sensitive teenaged boys can be to perceived rejection..."

"Very sensitive..." He murmured, nibbling on her neck playfully.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Draco took a swig from his beer, gazing up at the stars. It was a clear night, and the stars were shining brightly. He glanced over, sighing and shaking his head. The crowd had thinned out a bit, whether from people leaving, going somewhere and passing out, or disappearing behind whatever cover was available for more amorous distractions. Blaise and Cody didn't seem to feel the need for privacy though. They were laying on Blaise's towel, a bit entwined and snogging passionately.

Draco smirked as he saw the tide drift up to a few bare inches from their feet. The way the tide was rolling in, they would be getting a nice cold reception in the next ten minutes or so. He let his eyes drift over to the bonfire. Some of the others had been feeding it, but the pile of reserve wood had run out, and it was dying down, only giving off a low but warm glow. He'd built the sand up behind him to prop him up a bit, but otherwise hadn't really done much but sit there and watch the others. He had to admit he was enjoying the music that was pouring from the large boom box one of them had brought, but even that had mellowed as the night progressed.

He glanced back over as Cody got up. He hoped he was finally leaving, but then gave a little sigh when he saw he was just making another trip to the coolers. He and a couple of the others were digging through the remains of the ice in pursuit of the last couple of beers. The red haired girl was there, talking and giggling, though little more than the vague, soft tones of her voice made it over the crashing waves. Draco pulled his eyes away from her as she glanced in his direction. He'd kept finding himself staring at her all night without even realizing it. He'd let his mind drift, and when he came back around he'd find his eyes fixed on her. He'd been quite embarrassed when she grinned and waved one time, obviously noting the direction of his gaze.

He glanced around, noting the number of empties around him that he knew he was responsible for. They might not be all that strong all things considered, but he was well on his way to inebriation and he knew it. He should probably head back to the house while he could still make it up the long flight of stairs on his own. The thought of having Winston haul him up over his shoulder was just too mortifying to even consider. He would never hear the end of that!

He looked up as a shadow blocked the meager light of the fire. The redhead was standing before him, looking down at him. He couldn't see much more than her nicely curved silhouette, but her hair picked up the light around the edges, looking like a flaming halo.

"Hi." She said, and he could tell from her voice she was smiling once more.

"Um... hi." He muttered, pulling his eyes off her once more. He noted that Cody had returned to Blaise's towel. They were quite close together, drinking and talking softly.

"Want another beer? One of the last ones." She asked, offering him another.

He shook his head, finishing off the lukewarm one in his hand and tossing it aside. "No thanks. I should probably get going."

"So soon?" She asked, coming over and sitting on the side of his towel unasked. "Perhaps you just need some company."

Draco's cheeks actually blushed a bit. It was quite obvious this girl was at least half cut... and most definitely flirting with him. "Um... really, I should be off. I have an early morning tomorrow and loads to do..." He said, not sure why he felt so odd inside at the feel of her so close.

"I love your accent." She said, shifting closer. "Why are you so shy?" She whispered seductively.

"Um... Uh..." He felt like smacking himself. Why couldn't he get any intelligent words out? He'd certainly never had problems talking to girls before. Perhaps he was just further gone than he realized. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes from shifting to her hair where the firelight hit it. The lustrous red seemed to draw his eyes like a magnet.

Any possible words fled as she shifted closer, kissing him. His eyes slid shut as he quickly deepened the kiss. He didn't even know this girl... and yet he found himself snogging her passionately. He groaned into her mouth a few minutes later as her hand slid down, caressing him through his trunks. She broke the kiss, letting out a soft chuckle. "Wow... are all you English boys that big?" She asked mischievously.

"No idea." Draco muttered distractedly, "Blaise is the one who checks that kind of thing. Ask him."

"Maybe later." She whispered, undoing his fastenings and slipping her hand inside.

"What if someone sees?" He muttered.

She chuckled softly, "They're all either gone or too drunk to care. Just lay back and relax."

Draco's cheeks flushed as she freed him from his trunks. He'd never mucked about outside before. He was acutely aware of how exposed he was to prying eyes, but as her lips engulfed him, he was having a hard time caring. He couldn't help but groan and twine his fingers in that incandescent hair as she did a rather admirable job. He'd had better, but she was better than average at least.

He just laid back and let her pleasure him, watching that halo of flaming hair as her head bobbed up and down. He was actually surprised with how quickly she was able to make him peak. He bit back his groan as best he could as the pleasure raged through him. When it finally subsided, he let out a contented sigh and let his fingers slip out of her hair.

She shifted up, wriggling around a bit, then tossed aside her bikini top. He didn't stop her as she pressed up against him, kissing his neck. She pulled his T-shirt up some, but he didn't raise his arms to let her take it off, so she contented herself with just pushing it up as far as she could and pressing against him. He caressed one of her breasts, making her moan softly against him. Her flesh felt pleasantly hot against his skin after the cool breeze off of the water. She undulated up against him, kissing and nipping his neck and fondling him until his interest began to revive. As soon as she had his full attention, she shifted up again, her movements a bit impaired by the liquor as she worked the bottom half of her bikini off. Draco furrowed his brow as he caught sight of her pubic hair in the firelight. There wasn't much of it as it was neatly trimmed for the small bikini... but it was unmistakably a light, golden blond.

She finished with her clothes and giggled as she straddled his hips. She started kissing his neck again, reaching down between them. She paused in her kissing, shifting up a bit and looking down. "What happened?"

"I'm not really in the mood." Draco muttered, his cheeks flushing a bit. What interest he'd been able to muster had inexplicably fled. "Sorry."

"Well, maybe I can get it back." She said with a grin, obviously eager to take up the challenge.

He pulled her hand away, "I'd really rather you didn't."

She sat up, watching him with disappointment as he tucked himself back in and fastened back up. "Did I do something wrong?" She muttered a bit petulantly, locating her sparse bits of clothing and using them to cover herself a bit, folding her arms over her breasts in obvious embarrassment.

"No. I'm sorry. I just... I'm not really looking to have a bit of meaningless sex right now. You're a lovely girl, really. I'm just not interested in taking you for a tumble." Draco said softly, feeling a bit guilty he'd let it go so far before putting an end to it.

She let out a little half tearful, half angry huff, dropping the clothes and quickly trying to work them back on. "That stupid dick! I am so going to kick his ass!" She muttered.

"Who are you talking about?" Draco asked, mystified. She didn't appear to be referring to him.

"Cody. He said you told him you wanted me... and with the way you kept looking at me all night I was stupid enough to believe him!" He could see a couple of tears trickling down her cheeks by this point.

Draco sat up, looking over, but Blaise, Cody and Blaise's towel were gone. He let out a little irritated growl. He was willing to bet he knew exactly where they went.

She noted the direction of his gaze and followed it, coming to the same conclusion in short order. "Oh that bastard! He was just using me!" She said angrily, getting up. She pulled her bikini bottom on as best she could, her footing still rather unsteady. When she was situated, she snatched the beer she'd brought back out of the sand where she'd set it and opened it, taking a deep draft, stumbling slightly from slugging it back so enthusiastically. When she lowered it, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well, I'm through playing the idiotic diversion for the night. If you don't mind, I'm going to walk back down the beach to my house and get some eggs and shaving cream, then I'm going to leave a little present on his precious Caddy. It's the light blue one parked on the side of that nearest back road just up the dune there. Care to join me?"

Draco got up, picking up his towel and lightly shaking it out before folding it over his arm. "Not this time. I think I'd best get back up to the house."

She gave an amused snort, "Ya, that'd probably be a good idea. He had his duffle with him, so I'd count the silver and pat him down real good before I let him out of my sight if I were you. Why do you think he only parties on the beach? No one will let that fuckin klepto in their house! Good luck, England." She said, wandering off, then she turned, "Oh, and if you ever change your mind about that other matter... well I'm right down the beach... little yellow house on stilts."

"I'll remember." Draco said with a nod and a little smile, heading off towards the stairs.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Snape broke the leisurely snogging session with a sigh as a loud chime sounded. "Time's up." he muttered morosely. He gave her another lingering kiss before pulling away. He carefully shifted around, disentangling himself from her and the blankets, then sat up on the side of the bed, tapping a button to turn off the chime that kept sounding every few seconds.

"So soon?" She sighed sadly, shifting over and curling around him a bit.

"Afraid so." He said, stroking his fingers through her hair. He'd freed it from the braid as soon as they'd started mucking about a bit.

Much to her disappointment, they'd only actually had sex once. Of course she could see the logic in it, seeing as they didn't want to completely wear themselves out before they even got into the water. It was hard enough staying awake as it was, what with the time difference rubbish still messing about with their internal clocks. Besides, he'd more than made up for it. They'd spent the rest of the time cuddling and snogging. Despite his odd appearance, it had been pure bliss. When she closed her eyes, she couldn't even hardly tell the difference. Hermione simply couldn't imagine a better way to spend an hour.

He smiled down at her, stroking her hair a bit more, but then sighed and got up. "We really must go." He said regretfully.

She sighed piteously, but got up. "Could you do my hair back up?" She asked, running her fingers through it.

"No. I took it down for a reason. You can't do your hair up this time." Snape said, putting his belt back on, though he wasn't wearing his trunks yet.

"Why not?" She asked in surprise.

"You wouldn't be able to stand it if it were bound, trust me. And don't bother with that suit. It won't work for the deep sea diving at all." He said as she grabbed the suit in question up off the floor.

"What?" She asked, looking over in surprise, "What am I to wear then?"

"I have something, but it's in that cupboard in the cockpit. Just wrap your towel around you for now if you're self conscious."

Hermione picked up her towel uncertainly, wrapping it around her and tucking the end in securely. He wasn't honestly going to make her go up on deck wearing only a towel, was he?

He took his own towel and wrapped it around his waist, though it was barely big enough to knot on the side. "You'll need your belt." He said without even a backward glance as he walked out of the room.

She saw him slip into the little lab, obviously to fetch the potions they would need. She was wondering what exactly the potion would do to them. Was it gillyweed? She wasn't sure how deep she'd feel comfortable going with only that. It only lasted an hour, and even that was questionable since this was salt water. Then again, gillyweed was generally used in its natural form, and Snape had needed to mix something up. She grabbed up her belt and fumbled with it a bit to get it on under the towel. She supposed she would just have to wait and see what they'd do. She was sure he'd probably done this countless times before.

He reemerged from the lab by the time she got there. He handed her one of the vials and she could see the other tucked into his belt. He reached over, pushing aside the towel and unbuckling her belt, sliding a leather pouch on before rebuckling it. She looked over, spotting a matching pouch on his own belt.

"These are like the backpacks, though much more limited in capacity. They should be more than sufficient for our needs tonight though. We can't afford to be overly encumbered. Help me with something, won't you?"

"Sure." She said, following him as he led over, opening a small door beside the stairs. She'd barely even noticed it before. He ducked in and she ducked down as well, looking in. There was a rather large room beyond that appeared to be the cargo hold. There wasn't much in it right now, but this must have been where Winston had stored their supplies. All that remained other than some odd storage containers were several coils of what appeared to be thick nylon rope. Two of the coils appeared to have thinner nylon cords hanging off of them in pairs every foot or so along their length, another was fitted with small, locking silver clips at regular intervals. He handed her a small, but surprisingly heavy box and one of the coils, taking the other two himself.

They carried the ropes up onto the deck. Hermione set her supplies down where he indicated, then stood there, shivering and feeling highly exposed... not to mention that now that the sun was down, the wind was getting quite chilly. She certainly hoped the coast guard didn't choose this moment to pay them another visit! She glanced around through darkness. There was a some moonlight, but not a whole lot. It was nearly another week until the full moon. That thought surprised her a bit. It brought to mind the last full moon... that outing was something she wasn't soon to forget. So very much had happened since then... and yet at the same time it seemed like very little time had passed.

She looked over as she heard a soft splash. Snape was standing near the rail, and she could see a bit of rope tied to a metal fitting bolted to the rail, disappearing over the other side. She'd thought those were just for tying the boat to a dock, but then she realized he didn't need that many just to secure the boat. There was one mounted to the rail about every meter. She watched as he picked up the next coil of rope and moved over to the next fitting. He deftly tied the end to the fixture, then reached down into the small box that was sitting open. He removed a small, egg shaped object with a metal eye protruding from the top, quickly securing it to the end of the rope. He checked to make sure the rope would uncoil properly without tangling, then carefully threw it overboard, 'egg' first. From the speed with which the rope disappeared below the surface, she deduced that the 'egg' was some kind of weight.

She watched as he went over to the cockpit, hoping he was going to fetch the clothing. He got into the cabinet, and when he came back, he had a number of items in his arms. "Need any help?" She asked as he set the pile down.

"Here," He said, handing her what appeared to be two large towels, "Go put these near the diving deck, and lash them in place with this in case there's wind." He said, placing a thin leather strap on top of them. "Once we take the potion, I doubt you'll want to dally about lashing down the towels we already have."

"Ok." Hermione said, taking them over. There was an extra steel eyelet bolted to the inside of the rail right next to the ladder leading down to the diving deck. She wasn't sure if it was intended for the purpose, but she used it to lash down the towels nevertheless. She was glad now that she'd at least perused that booklet on knot tying. She used a good, sturdy knot that should hold them securely, but still be relatively simple to release. She certainly didn't want to be standing around for ten minutes dripping and freezing because she couldn't get the towels free!

When she got back, she could see he was carefully fitting dozens of fine net bags onto a large clip attached to the end of the last coil of rope. He glanced up, seeing her approach. He reached up, handing her two of the bags. "Here. There's no need to be carrying around the whole lot, but we might as well carry the first ones down with us. Once you fill your bags, just take them up, fit them onto clips and get new bags. There are leather tethers at the bottom of that first rope over there as well." He said, nodding towards it, "We'll used those in a bit. The pouches are for the deeper diving we'll do last."

"Ok." Hermione said, nodding and slipping the bags into her pouch. It certainly sounded logical. Why haul around more than necessary? She was glad to feel the slight tingle against her hand when she pulled it back out that told her there was an anti-spilling spell on the pouch. "Um... you mentioned some clothes." She prompted as a gust of wind whipped her towel up a bit where she'd had to open it some to get to the pouch, chilling her quite thoroughly.

"Ah, yes. Here." He said, handing her something.

She furrowed her brow, looking it over. It looked to be a small top, but it was made of some kind of dried seaweed from the look of it. She looked over at him as he heaved the last coil of rope over the side. "Are you serious?"

He sighed. "Don't worry, you merely have to get it wet."

She eyed the 'garment' dubiously, but went over to the edge, dipping it in the water. When she pulled it back out, it was heavy! She felt it, amazed. The dried up, parchment-like seaweed had swollen with water and was now as soft and supple as fine silk, though thicker. She wanted to at least wring it out a bit, but she was afraid it would go back to being brittle and scratchy. She glanced around, then went over into the cockpit, hunching down a bit. She hadn't forgotten how quickly that coast guard boat had disappeared! They could be a hundred meters off, watching them through binoculars or something for all she knew. She reluctantly untucked her towel and pulled the sodden top on over her head. She couldn't hold back the little squeak and shudder as it chilled her. Still, cold and wet though it might be, it fit like a second skin!

"Comfy?" Snape asked in an amused voice as he came in, making sure the cabinet was secure.

"I'm bloody well freezing!" She said, her teeth starting to chatter a bit.

"I can tell." He said with a mischievous little smirk.

She followed his eyes and quickly folded her arms over her breasts, blushing.

"Don't worry, the potion will keep you from feeling cold. We should get in the water."

"So where's the rest of this suit?"

He chuckled softly. "That's all the clothing you get, Miss Granger. Now enough blushing. Out on deck with you."

"But I haven't any bottoms!" She persisted.

"Be glad I gave you that much. Come along, we're on a schedule!" He said, beckoning her. When she got to the door, he stopped her. "Take your potion. Try to get it all down in one go. It's not exactly pleasant tasting, but you'll need it all."

She pulled out the vial that she'd tucked into her belt and eyed it. It looked a bit like cooked spinach that had been blended up a bit. Not exactly appetizing. She watched as he downed his own vial. It kind of slurped down, looking decidedly slimy, and clinging together so well it left no visible residue in the vial. Once it was in his mouth, he quickly swallowed it, grimacing slightly from the flavor.

He dropped the vial into a small bin, then looked over at her, "Bottoms up. I've already taken mine, so I can't afford to wait around while you pluck up the courage."

Hermione took a deep breath, then tossed back her potion. Oh yes, it was disgusting. Taste and texture both made her want to gag, but she forced it down. Snape certainly wouldn't be able to make her a second dose since he'd already taken his.

He took her vial. "Lovely, now get over to the rail. Towards the back, away from the lines if you please."

She blushed brilliantly as he pulled her towel off, tossing it into the orange crate. He didn't seriously expect her to go diving bare-arsed, did he? She was starting to feel odd, so she decided she'd best just stop acting childish and do as she was told, even if it was completely mortifying. Being half naked in the water was better than standing about half naked where she could be seen at the very least! She went out to the rail. Surprisingly, the wind didn't feel as cold as it had before. In fact, she was starting to feel quite comfortable. That was a relief at least. She looked down into the dark water.

"You ready?" Snape asked, coming up behind her.

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess... but I feel rather exposed..."

Snape snorted. "Imagine how I feel!" He muttered.

She glanced over at him and her jaw dropped a bit. He was standing there, wearing nothing but his belt and tattoos. She couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"Yes, yes... very amusing. Let's go, shall we?" He asked. He picked up a bright diving buoy and hurled it out a ways so it would be near the boat, but out of their way. After that, she watched in surprise as he got up on the rail. "More height will help us dive deeper faster." He said, holding his hand down to her. She nervously climbed up beside him. She was glad the rail was so thick here! She still felt rather precariously perched though, especially with the swaying of the ship.

"Alright." He said seriously, looking over at her. "I'm going to have to ask you to trust me."

"I trust you." She replied immediately.

"Very well. What I need you to do right now is dive into this water and swim down as far as you possibly can. When you run out of oxygen, I need you to exhale any air you have left in your lungs, then inhale. I know that's not an easy thing to do, but you're going to have to do it. I promise you, you will not drown."

She gave a little shiver, but it was nerves, not the chill wind this time. It felt almost warm to her now.

"I need you to go first. I won't be able to come back out to get you should you lose your nerve."

Hermione straightened a bit. "I'm not going to lose my nerve!" She said stubbornly, though deep down inside she wasn't entirely sure on that point. She took several deep, calming breaths, then one last deep breath and dove in. The shock of the water wasn't that bad actually. She followed his instructions, swimming down as far and fast as she could. It got harder when her lungs started wanting more air. In moments, they were burning and screaming for oxygen. It took all her will to keep going downwards. Finally she could take no more. Every survival instinct in her was screaming at her to resurface. As she turned to head back up, a dark form darted towards her and she felt arms wrap around her chest, holding her firmly. She struggled against the hold, what little air there was left in her escaping through her nose in an attempt to keep the water out of it.

After another moment, she was feeling dizzy and disoriented, the burning in her lung intolerable. She felt lips on hers and was too dazed by lack of oxygen to realize what he was doing until he managed to get her mouth open. In a sudden surge, water flooded her mouth. She breathed in in alarm, then a violent convulsion of pure instinctive panic went through her as she felt liquid in her lungs.

The panic only took a moment to pass. Once her body realized oxygen was once more being provided, it subsided. She gulped at the water, starving for oxygen. The water felt strange in her lungs... thicker and harder to move around than air... but it was letting her breath, and that's all she cared about at the moment.

"Feeling better?"

She shivered at the sound of those words. It was so strange... it sounded vaguely like Snape, but at the same time peculiar and otherworldly. It was soft and echoey and... almost musical. She opened her eyes. He was there before her, his hair swirling lazily about in the current. She watched in amazement as his shadowy form became clearer. The world around them seemed to brighten until everything was lit up as if it were day.

"It's ok. It's hard to fight survival instincts. Even I still get a bit of a jolt when I first breath in. Don't worry, it's done now. I'll go fetch my staff and we'll get started." He said in that same strangely beautiful voice. He released her and darted up, gliding like a silvery bullet up through the water with a few effortless looking flicks of his tail.

Tail?!?

Hermione's eyes darted down, noting her own long, silvery tail.

She was a MERMAID!!!

She shifted her tail up to see it better. It curved up fluidly, bizarrely free of the usual restraints of leg bones. She contorted it around with fascination. It was, indeed, just as flexible and nimble as a fish's tail. She examined the place where she changed from human to fish. It was smooth and natural looking... the skin merely gradually blended from flesh colored to silvery. The texture changed slightly where it was purely tail, but it didn't really feel like scales, just thicker, more resilient flesh. Her 'hips' didn't flare out quite as much anymore. She took her belt in another notch. It was a bit tight, but better that than it sliding off while she was swimming!

She looked up, seeing the small boat far above. Snape was just removing some kind of long staff from a compartment on the underside of the boat. Once he'd closed the compartment back up, he turned, darting back down towards her. He looked so graceful, as if he were born to the water.

When he reached her, he flipped around, coming to a dead stop with a well coordinated flick of his tail. "Shall we?" He asked with a little smile.

She just nodded.

He took her hand and started downward at a much more sedate pace. Hermione flicked her tail. It felt awkward and her hold on his hand was all that kept her from darting to the right. She wanted to kick her legs, but she had no legs to kick, and the tail didn't even work on the same pivot points. Was she supposed to flip it forward and backward or kind of side to side? The tail didn't just have the simple tail fin like they gave mermaids in the paintings... well, it did have one of those, but there was also another fin running perpendicular to those that she could raise or keep flush to the tail as needed, as well as several more fins along her flanks that she supposed were for maneuvering.

"Just relax. Stop thinking about it so much. Swimming is instinctive. Even walking becomes difficult if you spend the whole time thinking about how each muscle is supposed to move. We do it without thinking. We just will our body to move forward and it does. This works the same way." Snape said. He released her hand, but before she had a chance to worry about being left on her own, she felt his free arm slip around her waist. He pulled her up against him. "Follow my lead." He said as she felt his tail brush hers along their full length.

She grinned and blushed a bit as he started them moving again. She kept her tail up against his and found she wasn't thinking about the mechanics of swimming much at all...

She watched with fascination as the ocean floor came into view below them. They glided down towards it with surprising speed. She'd had no idea they were going so fast! He leveled off and she watched the fascinating ocean bottom slid past below them. There were stretches of smooth sand broken up here and there by jagged rock outcroppings, forests of seaweed and a myriad of creatures ranging from hideous to absolutely breathtaking.

"I'll have you collect the spinners first. Stay over the sand only, and don't venture within three meters of any rock or anything else that might hide predators." Snape said, bringing them to a stop over a nice big stretch of sand. He reached down, running his hand parallel to the sand perhaps three inches above the surface. As it passed over a slight dimple in the sand, something perfectly round and nearly the size of a galleon popped up a bit. Little anemone-like tendrils sprang out all around the edge of the little disk and started beating in perfect coordination, making it start to spin around. Snape snatched it up before it could get going too fast. "There you go. Best to grab them before they get going too fast. Handle them all you like, they're harmless. They're mindless creatures, much as starfish are. They're attracted to magic, so they are perfectly suited for detection potions. The seventh years will be making a potion that, when strayed in a mist, will flow to and mark magical items. Arthur Weasley probably goes through about a pint of it a week."

Hermione looked it over, but there wasn't much to see. The second Snape's hand had touched it, the tendrils had disappeared back into the shell. The shell was hard and coin-like, though the bottom domed out a bit, rather like a Muggle spinning top.

"I'll be back shortly. Remember my warnings."

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening at the sound of her own voice. It was just as melodic and beautiful as Snape's was. She'd never felt she had a particularly attractive voice, so it was a bit jarring.

Snape held up the staff he'd retrieved. It was about two meters long and almost like a paddle on the end, though at only perhaps four inches wide and a good three inches thick, she doubted it would be a very effective paddle. The wood on the end also looked rather worn and gouged up. "Trust me, you don't want my job." He said with a smirk. "I'll stay within hearing, so just stay where you are and call if you need me. Few creatures will attack a merperson unless startled, but this territory can be dangerous."

"Ok." She said, feeling a bit nervous as she watched him swim away. She looked around, but there was nothing ominous looking around except those dark, jagged rocks. A school of tiny, shimmering fish seemed to pause, as if observing the odd intruder in their midst, but then darted past. She sighed. Not exactly thrilling work, but at least she wasn't having to gut anything. At the moment at any rate. Well, she might as well get to work.

She found herself humming as she drifted along the sand, looking for more dimples like she'd seen that one come out of. She just couldn't get over the lovely sound that her own vocal cords were producing. Well, there was no one around to make fun of her... she started singing softly. It was just an old song they taught her in Muggle school, but it sounded wondrous. She paused in surprise as several spinners popped to the surface before she'd even moved her hand over them. She caught them up, still singing. She darted a surprised look over as something brushed past her. She stopped singing and spun around in surprise, seeing a good dozen spinners hovering behind her. As she watched, the spinners seemed to lose interest and slow, drifting back down towards the sand. She hummed experimentally. They started spinning faster once more. She started singing again, a bit louder this time. She looked around as more spinners popped up and started spinning. They started circling, drifting in something like an orbit around her. She reached out, nabbing one. It merely sucked in its tendrils and sat in her hand, the others appeared to be oblivious to the loss of their mate, spinning blithely along. Perhaps this wouldn't be that tedious after all.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Draco looked over as he heard a very soft click. The wane light from the windows showed a shadow emerging from Blaise's room. The shadowy figure carefully closed the door, fishing around for a moment in the bag it was carrying, then a little penlight turned on. The thin beam of light played over the nearby shelves. Draco gave a mental sigh and shook his head as small trinkets started disappearing into the duffle. He got silently up from the chair he'd been sitting in, moving across the dark kitchen out of easy view.

It was about ten minutes before the shadow made its way into the kitchen. It slid a drawer carefully open, peering into it.

Cody let out a gasp of surprise as the lights flicked on. He blinked around, the sudden brightness dazzling his eyes a bit. His cheeks flushed slightly as he spotted Draco sitting cross-legged on the counter near the light switch, watching him, but recovered admirably. He straightened, putting on a grin, "Oh... hi. Didn't see you there."

"No shite." Draco said with a little smirk.

"Um... I have to get going... but I was thirsty, so I thought I'd just stop in here and get a glass of water on my way out." He said, smiling guilelessly.

"I see." Draco said, smiling back. "And is it common practice in America to keep the glasses in drawers?"

"Oh... umm..." Cody said, looking down into the drawer. He quickly closed it, "Well I was just... um..."

"Helping yourself to this and that on your way out. Yes, I saw."

Cody sighed, though a vague smile remained on his lips. "You weren't supposed to be here." He said a bit ruefully.

Draco nodded, "I know. You figured you'd toss a bit of skirt at me to keep me occupied, wait just long enough for Blaise to fall asleep, then clear out the place and be gone before anyone was the wiser, eh?"

"That was the general idea." Cody admitted.

"Well, that might have worked, but she wasn't really my type." Draco said, slipping off the counter and strolling over. "So... tell me... just what are you willing to do to keep me from calling the authorities?" He asked with a little mischievous grin.

"What would it take?"

Draco reached up, brushing the boy's cheek with his fingertips as his thumb stroked slowly across his bottom lip. Cody's grin widened and he opened his mouth, capturing Draco's thumb and giving it a little playful suck. His brow furrowed as a bitter taste registered, then his eyes rolled back and he dropped like a rock.

"That'll do." Draco said, smirking down at the unconscious boy. He walked casually over to the sink, turning on the water and scrubbing his hands with Snape's special neutralizing soap.

"What's going on?" Blaise said from the doorway, wiping sleep from his eyes and staring down at where Cody was sprawled on the floor.

"For someone with your upbringing, you are shockingly gullible, Blaise." Draco said, shutting off the water and grabbing up a towel. "Check his bag."

Blaise stooped down, slipping the straps off Cody's arm and opening up the duffle. He groaned irritably, taking it over to the table and carefully upending it. Dozens of nicknacks spilled out onto the table. He made sure he had them all, then shoved the boy's towel back in the bag and tossed the bag at his unconscious form in disgust. He plunked down in a chair, hugging his night robe around him and looking over at Draco. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. He just said he wanted to go somewhere more private and... I mean I never thought he'd... that bloody bastard!" He muttered wretchedly.

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me. I told you there was something dodgy about him." Draco said, plucking up a small brown bottle and putting it back on a nearby shelf.

"I know... he just... he seemed alright..." Blaise muttered dolefully. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, worry entering his voice as he peered down at the boy once more.

A grin spread across Draco's lips. He reached over, grabbing up a small bell on the counter and giving it a ring.

Winston appeared with a pop, looking highly irritated. "You little punks ever hear of sleeping?" He growled.

"We just had a little problem that we hoped you could help us out with." Draco said, nodding his head towards the unconscious boy.

Winston walked over to Cody, nudging him with his foot until he rolled over on his back. He let out an irritated growl when he saw his face. "This stupid prat's been trying to get on the grounds for years! Who was daft enough to let him in?"

Blaise blushed and dropped his eyes, but held his hand up a bit.

Winston noted the robe and caught a whiff of the beer smell that was still quite evident and put two and two together. "Well, I hope you at least got a good tumble out of it."

Blaise blushed a bit harder, but a grin slipped over his lips.

"Go get dressed." Winston directed briskly, plucking up the duffel.

"What are you going to do?" Blaise asked, a bit of apprehension slipping into his voice.

"Ah... it's not what I'm going to do... it's what we are going to do. Toss on a jacket as well. We're going on a field trip." Winston said, looking down at the unconscious boy with a wicked smirk on his lips.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A/N - I have decided that I will, for the purposes of scene placement, ignore the time difference between Hogwarts and Odessa. For sanity's sake, I will keep scenes in order as if it were the same time of day both places. I thought about it, since I have a Hogwarts morning scene that technically should have fit in here between a couple of the Odessa night scenes, and decided that having morning occur twice, once for Hogwarts, then more night in Odessa, then morning in Odessa, would mess people up too much when they were trying to figure out what day it was. It was even a bit hard for me, and I have the outline, so I didn't want to deal with all the questions when everyone got confused. Realism will just have to bow to simplicity.