I present to you, Beach Day! I'm back at uni now, so the chapters will likely come further apart for a little while - but I will continue to write. For now, please enjoy the friends and the light fluff.

0-0-0-0

"I'm actually really looking forward to this," I say, grinning to Draco from the passenger's seat. He smiles back as I turn up the radio, one of my favourite songs coming on (Best Coast, The Only Place). Because Draco is one of those good friends who allows me to plug my phone into his car.

As the sky brightens around us, he slides on his sunglasses and vaguely sings a few of the words, surprising me.

"What?" he demands, affronted at my laughter.

"Nothing, nothing," I say, holding my hands in surrender. "Just, you… singing."

"Yeah? What about it?" He's challenging me, but there's that glint of humour in his eyes that informs me know that this is all a game. "I'm allowed to sing. It's beach day. So, just you try and stop me, because it's not happening."

He turns up the volume even more so that, if I did want to protest, I would have had to shout above the noise. His playful attitude is providing me with much entertainment and filling me with hope about today. I was uncertain when he asked me, the morning after he slept over, if I wanted to come along to the day that he and his friends had arranged – the friends that I like and who seem to like me. Sally and I have even been chatting a little over Facebook, mutually liking each other's posts on social media (not that I'm really one to do things like that).

It's been a couple months since I saw them all last, in that pub in Norwich city centre, drinking into the night. I think I was also worried about today it would be a different kind of day.

And also, as usual, because of Draco. Things are different with him than they were back in May or June or whenever it was. We've spent more time together, obviously, but our friendship has changed. Plus, this time I'm not stressed about work, because work right now is just reading and staring at my laptop in the corner, hoping for inspiration.

Draco turns down the music and glances sideways at me. "Are you alright?"

I nod. "Yeah. Nervous, maybe?"

He frowns. "Why?"

"I don't know," I sigh, shrugging. "Fear of exposure?"

Draco laughs. "What do you mean?"

I mean that I'm worried your friends are going to look at me and just know how I feel. I'm concerned that Frederick is going to give me one glance and he's going to accuse me of feelings things that I am not prepared to admit to. And I am a little frightened that they all hate me.

"You know, the usual," I say instead. "Terrified that my beach-day-games prowess is sub-par."

"Callum is absolutely rubbish at quick cricket so I wouldn't worry."

I smile, comforted by his words, and settle deeper into the passenger seat for the remainder of the short drive. By the time we get to the beach, the others are already there, sweltering under the hot midday sun, despite the weather predictions for a cool September day. Sally pulls me into a tight hug.

"You look amazing," I tell her, all-too-tempted to touch the fluttery material of her dress. "This is so gorgeous."

"Thanks," she says, grinning with blue-lipstick lips. "Got it at a charity shop. It was a fiver."

"You know, you and I need to go shopping one day."

"Persuading Hermione to convert to old-lady clothes?" Draco asks, coming up behind me and resting an arm on my shoulder. I scowl at him playfully. Sally seems totally unbothered by his comment and kisses him on the cheek in greeting. She notes that his hair is getting long, and I feel a pang in my stomach – a pang that disappears as Frederick swoops in and plants a lingering kiss on Sally's lips, leaving her blushing and laughing.

"You have some blue just there," she says, wiping it from him.

They turn to Draco and me. I assume that he understands this, because I can only guess. Draco is smiling at the pair of them. As Sally breaks away from Frederick, she reaches for me instead and says simply, "we need to talk," before hauling me off down the sandy path to the beach. I haven't seen Johnny or Callum yet, but presumably they're around somewhere. Plus, I don't think that Sally is going to stop in her bringing me with her.

"So, what's going on?" I ask her as we make our way down to the beach, the guys chattering loudly behind us. "Is this about you and Frederick?"

"Yeah," she says, smiling happily. "About a fortnight ago he asked me out, and we had this beautiful evening, and I really did mean to tell you."

"I understand that you didn't."

Sally shrugs. "I just thought it might help your situation, perhaps." When I give her a confused look, she continues, "I mean, Frederick was telling me about how you and Draco are spending so much time together, and that you mentioned once that you might be good for each other – and frankly I agree."

"Thanks, I think," I murmur, suddenly feeling very on-the-spot. It's like I'm a woman in an 18th century novel, being set up by someone that I barely know.

"I think that maybe you need to be less afraid of the opportunity of Draco," Sally concludes. Even so, I'm not really sure what she means.

Sally pauses then and turns in the bright sunlight to seek out the others. Callum is bounding down the dunes, shirtless and howling like the proud thespian that he is. I laugh riotously until Draco runs towards me and asks if I want to go into the water – surely he knows that I don't? – and chases me across the sand. Successfully, in his case. I trip on something and tumble to the ground, high on adrenaline and the glory of the day, giggling. He stumbles too, face full of sand, but that playful glint back in his eyes that I haven't seen for a while now. In trying to get up, Draco brushes against me accidentally and I flush hot. He doesn't appear to have noticed but pulls me up by the hand.

"Thanks," I say, blushing despite myself. He grins back at me.

I melt. Dammit.

"That was fun," he comments.

"You made me run on a beach, what's fun about that?" I ask.

Draco shrugs. "You looked like you were enjoying it."

I try to act all nonchalant about it and state that I'm merely happy that the day is so nice and that we have a chance to be on the beach before I return to the crazy working world of teaching. He sees through this, I think but doesn't say any more as his friends approach, talking between themselves, this time accompanied by Johnny and Callum – who looks as though he might have calmed down a little since the dunes.

Callum squeezes in between Draco and me and asks, "How are you enjoying your summer, Hermione?" with a casual hand on my shoulder. Draco raises an eyebrow but falls back a little, though I don't really know why.

"Loving it," I reply easily. "I'm working a lot, but that's kind of my thing."

"I thought the bonus of being a teacher is the long holidays?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No, the bonus is being able to teach. But we are easily diminished by the low pay and the extra work that other people don't really see. Did you bring your camera with you today?" I ask, eager to change the topic.

Callum pats his messenger bag helpfully. "Of course." Then he stops. "Wait, stay right there." He opens his bag, checks the light, and whips out his camera before I can protest that I have never been photogenic in my entire life. But when he shows me the image, lo and behold, I look like some sort of sun-kissed goddess.

"Wow," I breathe, almost laughing. "Almost doesn't look like me."

"Then clearly you do not see how beautiful you are."

I shove his shoulder playfully, blushing again.

We set up on the beach with picnic blankets and a stack of food that I hadn't seen before. Johnny is hauling an ice box while Frederick is carrying food. Sally lays out the picnic blanket with Draco and I just stand there, watching them all. Callum is already stripping off and reaching for a beer, throwing one to Draco, and then to Sally who catches it deftly in one hand.

"Beer, Hermione?" Callum offers. I accept it, not looking at his bare chest.

I slide my sunglasses onto my face and settle down onto the picnic blanket, sighing. The weather is so ridiculously pleasant. I lean back into the sand and settle there, for once not really caring all that much about other people in that moment; what I look like, what they're doing. Just me and my beer and the hot sun.

As the rest of them start to sit down around me, I sit up again too, ready to engage in conversation, but equally prepared to not talk at all and totally rest from the world for a day.

"So, what's been going on with everyone?" Sally asks the group at large.

"Still got my job at Debenhams," Callum says, sipping at his beer.

"I started working at Mills and Reeve – picked up a couple cases. It's not so bad," Johnny announces, raising his bottle and grinning broadly. "Obviously, nothing will ever be as good as Malfoy and co. but this is a good start."

"You know, you could come back," Draco interjects. "I'm the CEO."

Johnny shakes his head. "Nah. Moved on now, mate. But thanks."

"The offer will always be there."

A moment of niceness passes between the two men before Sally is back on the demanding onslaught about what people have been doing in the last few weeks. There isn't all that much to say, though, really, especially not in my case. The only really significant things that have happened are my constant endeavours to write something – unsuccessful endeavours. Instead, I mention my relief at my students passing their exams, and buying a piano to get back into music.

"But you already do so much!" Sally protests, on the verge of laughing in surprise.

"I like to be busy," I argue, smiling into the sunlight. "Plus, you have a whole business to run. My life is minimal compared to you guys. I pick up odd jobs."

She calls me crazy, but then we talk about her business for a while. Apparently, she's expanding beyond Etsy and marketplaces and is getting ready to distribute to wider stores next month. It's ridiculously exciting. The guys get bored though – at least, they pretend to be – and start up some game that is a sort of slightly less aggressive version of manhunt. I watch Draco as he laughs and sprints across the path, dodging Johnny easily as he tries to capture him. I can just feel Sally smiling at me, but I'm too busy feeling caught when he sees me looking at him.

Sally talks about Frederick too. He's sweet, apparently, and she's had the biggest crush on him for the longest time. It's endearing, really.

We laugh as Callum loses the game and the guys throw him into the ocean, laughing.

"How do you feel about Quick Cricket?" Sally asks me, standing up and brushing the sand off her dress.

"I'm impartial," I reply. "Why?"

"Fancy a game?"

It takes seconds to set up. Johnny pulls the set out of his bag, and Draco is rubbing the ball on his shorts, winking at me for god knows whatever reason. Sally strips out of her dress, revealing shorts underneath and an equally pretty bikini. My swimsuit feels practically Edwardian by contrast. Even so, I do the same. It's a hot day, and I shaved, and I'm not about to give up on beach day because I feel comparably self-conscious. That'd be silly.

The wolf-whistles really help my esteem, though I'm absolutely certain they are in jest. Though, I do notice that Draco says nothing as he walks up to his position as bowler. Maybe this is nothing to him? I'm certainly not a model in any scope.

Stop comparing. Stop comparing.

The fact of the matter is that I am here, and she's not.

I use that in my swagger as I step up to bat first, feeling utterly terrified but trying so desperately to ooze that Jedi-genius-Lara-Croft badass vibe. You know, so that I look like I know what I'm doing, even if it is all a pretence.

Draco takes a breath. I do the same.

Maybe he winks, but I don't catch it. I'm too focused. And, by some miracle, I hit the ball square on the bat and knock it behind the boys a hundred feet or so. They run backwards, setting up a field race. Sally and I race between the two posts, high-fiving as we make it to ten runs each. I see the ball being thrown back to Draco and race towards the final post, feeling the panic rising. He's watching the ball and doesn't see me as we collide, me unable to stop in the unstable sand. I barrel into him and we fall over the stumps.

I'm instantly out of breath, winded by the fall. Draco is laughing, clutching me by the waist.

"I'm so sorry," I gasp, struggling to get up. Every time I try to move, I seem to just fall a little further – which is kind of representative of my feelings for him, so that's fun. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," he replies softly. "I mean, that was quite brutal, but the only thing that actually hurt was the bat when it hit my head."

"Oh my god!"

"But," he persists, "I will survive." This makes me smile. "Now, if you will allow me to get up."

The game lasts a little longer until we are all sweating in the hot sunlight and elect to go for a swim to cool off. Callum dives in first, scuba goggles and all, Johnny follows, then Frederick and Sally walk into the waves together, holding hands. It's sweet, but also strange. Maybe I'm just not used to it. But every thought is wiped from my mind when Draco shucks off his shirt and follows his friends into the sea.

I have to be honest. He really caught me out. I didn't notice until it was just all happening and now I'm the only one not in the water, a rabbit in the headlights. It shouldn't bother me, right? I mean. I've seen shirtless guys before. So, what is it about Draco that has me acting like a total newbie?

Johnny decides to engage Callum in a splashing contest, which leads the rest of us to quickly exit the water, embracing the chill of the open air again a lot sooner than expected.

Together, the group of us drink more, eat the food, dabble in swimming and a few more games. I find out that I'm also pretty great at ultimate frisbee, which is actually very surprising given my general avoidance for sports other than a nice zen yoga class every now and again. I can keep up with Johnny, who also happens to be excellent at frisbee. Callum tries to get involved, but eventually sits out, nursing his beer and a headache from the blow he took diving for the plastic disk. When frisbee becomes a little samey, we offer ourselves to get ice-creams for everyone and make the dash to the nearest shop. Draco looks for a moment as if he might offer to come along, but Callum drags him into a conversation.

"How are you liking Mills and Reeve?" I ask Johnny as we set off. "I had a friend who worked there a while back."

"It's okay," he shrugs, kicking a pebble.

"Just okay?"

He nods. "Yeah. Like, it's not ideal, but is it a job. I just… This will sound weird, but I hear about what everyone else does and want to do something a little more impressive."

"What's unimpressive about corporate law? I think that's very impressive."

"Thanks, Hermione." He smiles. "But everyone else has exciting things on the horizon. Freddie is just starting out, but he's surely well on his way to consultant. Callum's photo's are so impressive, and he's always talking about auditions and portfolios. Draco – Draco is running a company. Sally is going to have a monopoly make-up brand soon."

"None of that stops you from pursuing what you want," I tell him.

If only I would listen to my own advice, maybe I wouldn't feel similarly to him.

"I don't really know what I want," he admits.

"Okay," I reply. "So, you want to work in Law?"

"Of course."

"I mean, one big thing you can do is start your own firm. You're still young, but young and hungry is supposedly the big marketable thing for lawyers, right? Or train up and do something as a paralegal. I'm not totally sure how the whole system works, but there is a chance to be one's self in every occupation, no matter how mundane it appears to be."

"It does feel mundane," Johnny says, frowning.

We arrive at the store and pick out what everyone wanted.

"Why, though?" I ask, hoping to prompt something that might cause a reaction within him.

He shrugs. "I guess at somewhere like Mills and Reeve, I'm just another person. I'm not making exceptional bounds in a new world, or anything like that. It's not somewhere I can change the world."

"Not many places are like that."

"True."

I think for a moment. "What about Draco's company? Was that different?"

"I guess," he says, handing the coins over to the cashier and taking three of the ice-creams. I grab the packs of lollies from her and we turn to leave the shop. "I can't go back there, though. His father got rid of me for a reason, and I won't go crawling back to a company that doesn't want me."

I huff.

"What?" he asks.

"Draco's father doesn't run the company," I point out. "Draco didn't kick you out, and he offered you a place again. He wouldn't do that if he didn't mean it. He's not a person that minces his words."

That, we both know.

"Thanks again," Johnny says as we walk back to the group, and he's at least smiling now, which is a huge relief. Maybe now he will actually pursue what he wants – whether that is building up to a sort of partnership in Draco's offices, or kicking it out on his own so he can feel a little bit of the independence that we all want somehow.

It's funny, for once, I'm really not worried about school starting up again in the next couple of days. This has been so relaxing, and so much fun. Kind of cathartic, too.

The sun starts to set low over the horizon and we know that the day is almost over. A beer in my hand and a water in his, Draco and I set off to walk on the dunes. He's wearing his shirt again, unbuttoned though. Every once in a while, the dying sun catches on his chest. I try to pretend that I'm not looking, but I don't know who I fool, if anyone.

"I had a really lovely day," I tell him, nudging his shoulder with mine. He nudges back and smiles. "Thanks for inviting me."

"It's alright," he says. "Sally wanted you here."

"Oh, yeah, sure," I reply, grinning up at him. He laughs back, so easy and so unconcerned. It's equal parts nice and strange to see this side of him again. I like it all the more.

Quite suddenly, he stops and sits down on the top of the dunes, looking out at the sea, lit orange and pink in the sunset. I sit beside him, wishing I had brought my own t-shirt with me. The cool breeze from here is jarring. As I shudder, Draco wraps an arm around my shoulders and allows me to lean into him for warmth. We sit for a few long moments in the quiet, watching the sun sink below the sea.

"We should go," he says, sounding disappointed.

"I guess."

Neither of us moves.

It is only as I start to shudder and my beer is all gone that he finally taps my thigh and gestures that we need to leave. The others have begun to pack away the beach paraphernalia. I feel at a loss for a moment, as though there is something momentous that ought to be said. Instead, nothing escapes my lips; I can think of absolutely nothing to say.

In all our tumbling and games and swimming and drinking, it seems as though we haven't actually spent that much time together or talked about things.

I want to say the perfect thing to end such a good day.

Even as we're driving away, having hugged everyone and wished them love and luck, I have nothing. I pick the music without protest from him, and he comments on the songs, where he has heard them before. I sing quietly in between him talking. He drops me home, at the door to my house, and hugs me before driving off into the night.

Although maybe I wished I had said something of significance to him, above the games and the jokes, I am utterly at peace with the day, and can only look forward to another, should I happen to be invited.

0-0-0-0

Thanks for reading!