A/N - Since it's a holiday weekend for us Americans, because I have two shortish chapters in a row and because I'm so thankful for all my readers (!), I'm giving you *two* chapters this weekend! Chapter 10 will drop tomorrow at the usual time. xoxo ~ SM
Despite his words to Theo, Draco still found himself in the café most days. And Hermione had started visiting the bookshop too, eager to read everything she could as her language skills improved. He enjoyed picking out books and setting them aside for her a little more than he liked to admit. He also found himself reading along with her—ostensibly because he was trying to improve his knowledge of muggle literature, but also so they could have discussions. And Theo was right, she was more than the pedantic know-it-all he'd thought she was in school—she was quick, and thoughtful too.
Theo also seemed to be gradually increasing his press and more often than not, Draco saw him at the café, leaning in that way of his, trying to make her laugh, trying to make her blush. From what Draco could gather, she was willing to be amused, but in no danger of losing her head, let alone her heart.
This knowledge pleased him.
Although he still maintained that he wanted nothing more than this sort of half-friendship with her, he also didn't really want to see her as one of Theo's string of victims, none of whom had been totally cut loose as far as Draco could tell. He wondered how Theo did it. He'd be lucky if he got out of this Italian adventure with both balls.
Draco was still shaking his head over Theo as he opened the door to the café on a hot afternoon and walked in on a burst of noisy laughter. Of course, it was Thursday—time for a group of the town's elderly gentlemen to gather to play cards, smoke and drink grappa for several hours.
Hermione was just placing a tray with a frosted bottle and a dozen tiny glasses down on their table as Draco pulled the door shut behind him. An exclamation of general approbation arose and the men sent her playful compliments and sallies. She answered them in her surprisingly idiomatic Italian, which had improved so quickly that it amazed Draco. As she turned away from the table, she sent a particularly ribald riposte over her shoulder, and her smile was so alluring that it stopped him in his tracks. It also didn't hurt that she was wearing the red dress, a fact which several of the gentlemen were remarking on, albeit respectfully.
As she moved back toward the counter, she looked up and saw him, and her laughing expression softened into something warmer. She tilted her head and looked him up and down as Draco tried to collect himself.
"Riding again today?" she asked, nodding at the helmet in his hand.
"Yes. But I went toward the sea this time."
A slight frown appeared between her eyes and he knew she was worried about him going outside the wards again. And he probably did need to be more careful, but he couldn't resist the pull of the longer, wider roads. He shrugged and grinned at her and she shook her head, going behind the counter and turning her back to him. Her back in the red dress was very appealing and he looked his fill as she bent down and fetched a chilled carafe of water, then poured out a tall glass.
She turned and handed it to him. "You must be thirsty."
Suddenly, Draco realised he was absolutely parched. He took the glass from her and gulped, eyes closed, and the water was so perfectly cool and quenching that he finished the whole thing. He placed the glass on the bar and reached up to wipe his mouth. When he looked up, she was watching him, her lips slightly parted.
"I needed that, thanks," he gasped.
She turned away again quickly. "Do you want another?"
"No, that's fine. Just a quick coffee to set me up for the closing shift."
"Oh you're working tonight?"
"Yes, Agata has a dinner engagement so she asked me to. It's not my usual night."
"I know."
She knew his schedule? He pondered this as she placed the small cup of dark liquid in front of him. He picked it up and sipped. She turned again and started clattering parts of the espresso machine.
"How are you finding Infinite Jest?" She raised her voice over the din.
They were both reading the two copies of the latest English language book to arrive at the shop. She had put hers on hold as soon as she'd learned it was coming and Draco had picked his up to skim through and gotten pulled in.
"Chaotic. Strange. But compelling. Even though between the language and the muggle setting, I don't understand half of it." He shook his head once. "You?"
"It's like nothing I've ever read before," she frowned. "I want to hate it, but I think I actually love it. It's so cluttered, and yes, very strange."
"Cluttered. That's a good way to put it." He took a breath to elaborate, but just then a loud huzzah went up from the Signores in the corner, who were all focused on something at the door. Draco turned to see Lavender, posing in an enormous hat and extremely short, low-cut, white dress with what looked like red cherries printed on it. The older gentlemen called out to her and she went to the table and dropped a kiss on each weathered cheek, flashing ample eyefuls of thigh and tanned bosom as she did so. Everyone enjoyed the performance mightily.
Draco turned to Hermione and lifted a brow. She laughed. "She's harmless."
"Oh I imagine she's actually high-risk for some of these old gents." A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth as Lavender approached.
Hermione broke into a peal of laughter and swatted him playfully on the shoulder.
"What?" Lavender asked. "What's so funny? Hullo, Draco." She flipped her large red sunglasses down and gave him a flirtatious smile.
"Just you, and that little performance," Hermione said with mock severity as Draco murmured a greeting.
"Oh they love me," Lavender waved an airy hand toward the table.
"Clearly." Hermione gave her a look. "But you'll give them all heart attacks in that get up."
Lavender rolled her eyes. "Fix me a crema, will you?"
"Of course."
"And how much longer do you have? I want to get out of this heat and into the water!"
Hermione glanced up at the clock. "Mmm, ten or fifteen minutes? Can you last? I've got all my things here, so we can just go." She looked at Draco. "We're headed to The Pools."
"Yeah, do you want to come? I've heard you're quite the diver." Lavender had picked up a straw and was chewing on it as she looked up at him, her eyes wide. Draco sensed Hermione tense and wondered what she'd told Lavender about that day he had run off. The memory of her stretching on the shore flashed vividly in his mind and he swallowed.
"Ah, I can't. Have the uh, closing shift tonight," he said.
"Pity." Lavender let her eyes run down his body.
Draco let his eyes slide very obviously over hers, lingering on her low cut bodice. "Isn't it just?"
Hermione tried unsuccessfully to hide a cackle of laughter in a cough and Lavender made a face at him. "Next time, then," she said. "Arrange it with Theo and we'll all go together."
"Oh yes, let's do that." Hermione added her entreaty with a soft smile.
"Will do." His gaze lingered on Hermione as he placed his espresso cup down. He'd just have to steel himself for several hours of exquisite torture. "Have fun." He gave both girls a swift wave and turned to leave.
"So how often does Draco come into the café?" Lavender said as she smoothed coconut tanning oil on her legs.
Hermione watched her in fascination. "You know between that and the lemon juice in your hair, you smell like something good to eat."
"Want some spray?" Lavender gestured to the bottle laying on her towel. "Your hair has really lightened already, but the lemon is supposed to put lovely blonde streaks in it."
"Sure," Hermione picked up the bottle and started spritzing.
"And you didn't answer my question." Lavender rolled on her back and lowered her sunglasses over her eyes.
"Hmm?" Hermione was working the liquid through to the tips of her damp hair. She'd had a swim almost the moment they got there and was now ready to drowse in the sun.
"Draco. In the café. Today." Lavender's voice was slow and relaxed. "How often is he coming in?"
"Not as often as Theo." Hermione flopped onto her stomach and rested her chin on her fist.
Lavender snorted. "Do we have too many handsome boys on our hands? I saw Mauritzio in there when I walked by yesterday."
"I don't have anyone on my hands. Least of all Draco."
"Oh please," Lavender tossed her hair. "Mauritzio is gagging for it. Theo would leap in a minute if you gave him the signal, and Draco…"
"What?" Hermione propped up eagerly and squinted at Lavender, who paused for a bit.
"He's a bit harder to read. But sometimes the way he looks at you... Like today, just before he left."
"But you don't think he could possibly—?"
"Oh I think he could very well possibly. He just holds his cards closer to his vest." Lavender slid her glasses down and looked at Hermione, her eyebrow arched. "But which one do you like? I mean, I can tell you're not interested in Mauritzio. Not seriously. But sometimes I sense a vibe with you and Theo. And sometimes I sense it with you and Draco."
Hermione groaned. "I don't know."
"Oh, so there is something there," Lavender leaned on her elbow and took her glasses off.
"With which one?"
"I don't know! Either! Both! You tell me."
"Theo is … charming," Hermione started, "and fun. I find him very attractive."
"Oh he is," Lavender nodded rapidly. "This Italian life agrees with him. I mean he was always— But now?"
"Why don't you go after him?" Hermione asked, suddenly struck. Their personalities were so alike.
"Other than that he's into you?" Lavender chuckled, then muttered, "Story of my life," in a side voice.
Hermione swatted at her with her hat. "Oh, please!"
"Well, I mean other than that, and the fact that I'm very much enjoying the local offerings, he and I dated already and it didn't work out."
"What!? When!?" Hermione sat up in surprise.
"Fifth year."
"Why didn't you tell me!?"
"It was very brief," Lavender rolled her eyes.
"Bloody hell!" Hermione's shock was extreme. "And how did I not know this already?"
"Uhh, I think we've established that you were fairly clueless about the romantic currents at Hogwarts. Occupational hazard of living in the library and having two boys for best friends." Lavender said.
"True. But why was it so brief? You two seem like you would be good together."
"Eh," Lavender waved a hand, "We're too alike. Before Ron, I had a hard time with commitment, you know. And Theo… has the same problem."
"Clearly." Hermione rolled her eyes and lay back down, staring up at the endless blue above, which incidentally reminded her of Theo's eyes.
"Which is why you're cautious with him," Lavender said. "Even if Draco weren't here to muddle you up."
"What? He's not muddling me."
Lavender picked up her book, a battered copy of Bridget Jones's Diary, and bopped Hermione with it. "Liar."
Hermione was silent.
"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it," Lavender said after a moment. "But I'm here if you ever do." She lifted her book and cracked the spine.
"It's just," Hermione ventured in a small voice. "He's Draco Malfoy." She looked at Lavender and shook her head.
"What? Rich, gorgeous, intelligent, sophisticated?"
"Uhh, bigoted, muggle-hating, pureblood snob who until very recently was working for Voldemort?"
Lavender winced at Hermione's use of the name. "Shhh!" She glanced around involuntarily.
"Oh poo!" Hermione said. "That's such rubbish, you know…" She gathered herself to deliver a lecture on the efficacy of naming things to reduce the power they exercised, but Lavender sat up again and cut in before she could speak.
"Fine, ok. But back to the topic at hand. Didn't we both receive the same briefing about Draco? He was forced into it and they threatened his family, etcetera, etcetera?" She twirled her hand in the air.
"Yes," Hermione said softly. She'd been thinking a lot about this, actually—what she would have done in Malfoy's position.
"And he seems different to me. More open-minded. He's reading all those books with you. And you said he asked you about dancing and music. The motorcycle. He seems to be really enjoying himself here living as a muggle: embracing it. Even if he hasn't said anything, I think his actions speak for him. Do you see that too?" Lavender tilted her head.
"Hedidsaysomething." Hermione said it so quietly that Lavender leaned forward and blinked.
"Pardon?"
"He did say something." Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled noisily. "He apologised."
"WHAT!?" Lavender whipped off her sunglasses and widened her eyes to saucers.
"I mean, it wasn't explicit or flowery. But he apologised."
"Draco Malfoy." Lavender's mouth was gaping. "Apologised."
"Yeah we were talking about school and I said something silly about first year and he got very quiet and serious and then he just told me he was sorry. For all of it."
Lavender stared at Hermione for several moments before dropping her head dramatically down on her towel and blowing out a loud breath. "Ohhhh kayyyy..."
"What?"
"This changes things." Lavender laughed and shook her head.
"What do you mean? Changes things how?"
"Well to be honest, I thought Draco was perhaps drawn to you, but committed to keeping a certain distance."
"And?"
"Well, now I think he may be further gone than I suspected."
"No." Hermione was arrested, staring at Lavender's face.
"What would you do if he were?" Lavender said, her brows going up.
"I— I don't know." Hermione said, distracted. What would she do if Draco… She breathed in sharply as heat flashed over her body. What wouldn't she do?
"Shit," she said under her breath.
Lavender started chuckling, "Harry and Ron are going to fucking lose it."
"That's not funny! And why are you talking about it like it's a foregone conclusion!? There's still… Theo!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Oh right, sure. Theo." Lavender's lip twitched up at the corner.
"I haven't decided anything. No one has said anything!" Hermione said a little desperately. "Nothing has to happen!"
"And why the fuck not?" Lavender sat up fully and fixed Hermione with a serious look. "Why shouldn't you be able to explore something with someone you're attracted to, whom you share interests with, who excites you? Harry and Ron don't own you. This conflict shouldn't dictate everything you do. You're seventeen for fuck's sake. Do something reckless and bold. Prioritise yourself!"
Surprisingly, Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes. She touched Lavender's hand. "Thank you."
Lavender's eyes were suddenly a bit shiny too. "I mean it," she said. "It's about time someone put you first. You deserve it." Her mouth turned up in slow grin. "You also deserve a gorgeous boy with a motorcycle and a brain and frankly one of the nicest arses I've ever—"
Hermione put her hand out in surprise, giggles erupting from her mouth. "Stop! Oh my god!"
Lavender just laughed. "It's true."
"But it's also true what I said about Theo," Hermione said. "I'm not one hundred percent sure of what's going on with either of them."
"Well, that's fine." Lavender settled back on her towel. "Let it play out. Let it unfold naturally until things become more clear."
Hermione nodded and stared at her unseeingly.
"Although," Lavender picked up her book again and smiled wickedly. "I'll eat that straw hat of yours if you don't snog Malfoy on the back of that motorcycle before this summer is over."
"Lavender!"
"I mean, snog Theo too, with my blessing. He's very good at it. But Draco on the bike in the leather jacket thing he was wearing today? That's just too much to pass up."
Hermione put her hands over her face and laughed as she lay back on her towel. "You are incorrigible."
"I'm good for you."
Hermione snorted and shook her head, "You know, I never would have believed it, but I do think you are."
Lavender just smiled up at the blue sky.