A/N: Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who read/reviewed/followed/favorited! I'm sorry I didn't have time to thank you all individually (I'm crazy busy studying!), but I want to give you all an update! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 5
"...And then Gloria jumped right over the fence!" Scorpius bounces up and down on his knees in his chair, as he entertains the adults seated on either side of him at the kitchen island. Only dregs of savory stew and crumbs of crusty bread sit in their bowls.
"Over the fence? That must have been quite a leap?" Hermione tries to be serious, biting her lip to contain her laughter.
Malfoy grunts from Scorpius' other side, "She knocked down the fence first, so her leap was more of jaunty bound than anything."
Hermione does give in to her amusement this time, giggling into her napkin right along with the peals of laughter coming from Scorpius.
"It was so funny, Hermione! Dad chased after Gloria," he gasped through guffaws, "He goes to grab her…" He's laughing again, "then...then.. He jumps, and…"
"Annnnnd?" She prompts. But Scorpius can't answer, overtaken by his giggles once more.
Malfoy sighs, "I missed." It's mumbled and she almost doesn't hear it.
"What was that, Malfoy?" She puts her hand to her ear and a teasing glint in her eye, "You, the Great Slytherin Seeker, missed… the goat?"
"Yes. Fine." He rolls his eyes, "As I grabbed for her she faked left and I fell into a mud puddle."
Scorpius leans into Hermione, both fully given over to the hilarity. Once calmer, she asks, "And what of Gloria? Did you eventually catch her?"
"When she evaded me, she trotted back to the pen happy as you please." A hint of a smile breaks through his valiant effort to remain unaffected, and Hermione tells herself she'll reflect later on the way it transforms his entire being.
Rising from his seat, Malfoy begins to clear the dishes and sets them to wash. "Scorpius, it's time for you to get cleaned up and get in bed."
"But Daaadd," he whines. "Hermione's still here… and… and I bet I can think of a bunch more funny stories to tell her."
"Scorp." His tone is clear and Scorpius quiets, but Malfoy puts a hand on his shoulder and bends to look him in the eye, "She keeps popping up. Even without an invitation. I'm certain we'll see her again," he glances at her with a smirk, "besides, she can help me with the soap while you get ready for bed."
Scorpius turns to her. "Will you say goodbye before you go?"
She is confused, and replies, "Of course, but…" Scorpius wraps his arms around her legs and she bends to return the hug, the scent of the day is thick in his hair, warm and dusty, undertoned by his sweet-smelling sweat. Then he rushes off and she turns to his father, "What am I meant to help with now? You certainly require a high price to send an owl."
"You've always enjoyed being a busybody. Don't pretend you don't love getting a glimpse into my life."
He's teasing her. She knows he's teasing her, but like a reflex she engages, "Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy. If you think I've spent even a moment contemplating your goings on, you're barmy."
"Admit you're at least curious." His arms are crossed over his chest and his smirk is challenging before he turns toward the back door.
His hand is on the doorknob when she answers, "I'll admit nothing." He huffs a laugh and flings the door open, she scuttles out the door in the wake of his long purposeful strides.
The evening air clings to the moist heat of the afternoon in vain as a breeze cuts across the fields hearkening the cool night. The goats fuss in the barn when Malfoy ducks inside for the milk they gathered earlier.
Levitating the canister, Malfoy steps to the back side of the barn. A wave of his wand later, a door is revealed and he steps inside, Hermione following him before he replaces the wards.
Hermione wanders the perimeter of the room, inspecting the stacks and loaves of soap. The air is filled with the scents of lavender, peppermint, and something sweet… maybe honey? "Open the window while you're doing nothing else, Granger."
She sends a pitiful glare over her shoulder, but pushes up the sash. "Will Scorpius be okay inside by himself?"
"Granger," his look is admonishing, "I wouldn't do anything to put my son in danger. I have wards, and in case you've forgotten, I'm a wizard. I can literally disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye."
"I have not forgotten. Destination, deliberation, and determination. Now what is all this?" She motions to the room around them.
Malfoy begins gathering supplies onto a steel table in the middle of the space, "You see Granger, turns out that being good at potions makes me a dab hand at soap making."
"You made all this soap?"
He smirks, "Sure did. And the soap you undoubtedly purchased from the Collingsworths' shop on market day."
She can only look at him in question. "There's no time to get into that now." He points to the open shelf above her, "bring that bowl over and the bottle of almond oil."
Gathering the two items she joins him at the table. Malfoy adds that, several other oils, and a solid block of beeswax to one bowl and casts a visible charm to monitor the temperature of the contents. "Have your wand, Granger?"
She does have her wand. It's a habit to carry it, but she finds that she's had little use of it here in the country. Taking it out, the magic courses up her arm and into her being, the thrum of it in sync with the beat of her heart.
"Cast a warming charm, but make it a gentle one, we don't want to overheat the oils, just allow them to combine thoroughly with the beeswax" She nods once and casts. The temperature rises slowly and soon the liquid within is clear and golden. "Now, release the charm and we'll let this cool." He pushes the bowl aside, the temperature charm glowing above it. "Ready for the fun part?"
"This isn't the fun part? Have you been holding out on me?"
A smock, pair of gloves, a mask, and goggles are thrust in her face. "Just put these on."
She dons the gear as Malfoy does then stands waiting for instruction. He pulls the other large bowl to the middle of the work space and fills it with frosty goat milk.
"Why is the milk almost frozen?"
"Color me delighted, I'm about to teach The Great Know-It-All something!" He allows a moment of hearty guffaw before he abruptly ceases. "You're about to see chemistry in action Granger. It's like potions, but no magic"
The crinkle in the corner of his eyes tells her that he's smirking, but she can't resist his baiting, "I'm aware of the basic concepts of chemistry, thank you."
"Excellent," He deadpans, "This," he holds up a container of white crystals, "is Sodium Hydroxide, lye. Very caustic, but essential to the process. As the lye dissolves in the milk, it releases heat. So much so that the milk can scorch. You chill it to almost freezing to offset this."
"I didn't know that."
"See," his eyebrows raise behind the goggles, "You don't know everything."
Hermione shrinks into herself a bit, "I never said I did. I just like to learn things."
Malfoy nods and continues, "Very well, cast the Caliditas charm."
The magic embraces her as she waves her wand over the bowl and glowing numbers appear indicating the temperature. "Watch the temperature rise as I add the lye." He pours a portion of the white crystals into the slushy milk and the numbers glowing above the mixture begin to climb, the color changing from cool blue to violet. He stirs and adds a bit more of the lye, the temperature climbing higher. After two more additions, the numbers glow a steady red, and the lye is dissolved into the milk.
"Now we prepare the molds." He hefts a wooden frame onto the table. "Parchment paper." He's pointing across the room and she rushes over to get the roll. As soon as it's in his hand, he lines the inside of the mold.
"When does it become soap exactly?"
"I'm so glad you asked, Granger." She wishes he could see her pursed lips to get the full effect of her glare, but her squinted eyes will have to do for now.
He seems to delight in her ire, but carries on with his task. "Cast a gentle cooling charm on the bowl of oils, we want it around thirty-five degrees Celsius."
She casts on the bowl of oils while he sets a charm to cool the milk and lye mixture. "Ready, Granger?" She nods once and steps back as he slowly pours the milk and lye into the oils. He thrusts a stir stick into her hand. "Give it a stir."
Hermione is so mesmerized by the swirl of the creamy, pale yellow liquid around the stirrer, she startles at the feel of Malfoy's hand stilling hers. "Let it rest a bit." His voice is calm and even, just as the beats of her heart in the moments before his touch.
Stepping back she watches as he gathers jars of dried lavender blossoms and honey. As he's moving items on a shelf, he turns to her and instructs her to stir again for two minutes.
The distraction is timely, because she was starting to think she was affected by the presence and touch of Draco Malfoy. She picks up the stick and drags it through the soap, counting off the seconds to keep her mind occupied. It works. She doesn't feel his heat at her back as he looks over her shoulder, "See how the lines remain as you stir?" His voice is quiet, but she startles before she bobs her head in short nods. "That's called trace."
He stills her hand once more and nudges her to the side offering the jar of lavender petals. Motioning with his head and holding up a jar of honey he begins to pour the honey into the soap, the golden, viscous liquid sinking below the surface as Hermione sprinkles the surface with the gentle purple blooms.
He stirs the soap, the trace of the mixture more evident now, as only the sound of crickets and the faint bustling of the goats floats in through the open windows.
The finished mixture flows into the mold in smooth ribbons, filling the empty space. Malfoy purses his lips and tilts his head, then another jar of lavender is floating toward them. He catches it with practiced ease. Deft fingers sprinkle more blossoms on top of the soap, an effortless art of embellishment.
"Wow," she breathes which seems to bring Malfoy back to the present.
"You really do love learning new things." It's not a question. She knows the look on her face is one of accomplishment and wonder and she nods.
They remove the protective gear in silence. "I'd better be going," Hermione says, tucking a curl behind her ear. He doesn't answer her just watches as she turns, but before she's out the door he calls, "Don't forget to say goodbye to Scorpius."
The door jamb anchors her as she turns back to him, "Of course."
Malfoy busies himself tidying, possibly to fill the awkward silence that now surrounds them. "I don't know why he's so taken with you." His tone flippant, "But I'd prefer to not have him disappointed if you forget."
There's the Malfoy she knows. The one that doesn't teach her things and is eager to be rid of her. Not engaging with him, she walks back to the house and invites herself in through the back door.
When she calls Scorpius' name he comes rushing in from the front room, his pajamas covered in little snitches and a book held in his hands.
"I just wanted to say, 'goodnight'."
A yawn erupts from his mouth and somewhere in there she thinks a 'goodnight' might have snuck through. She ruffles his damp hair and gives him a smile as she ducks out the back door and he returns to his book.
Hermione's at the edge of the house when she hears a soft, "Goodnight, Granger." Malfoy stands in the yard, hands are in his pockets, disheveled hair blowing in the breeze, the first hints of moonlight glinting off the strands.
"Goodnight, Malfoy."
Once home, she showers the day off, diligent to ignore the familiar scent of lavender in her soap. But as she tucks into bed, memories wash over her and visions of two blonds play behind her eyelids.
Thank you once again for reading! And for all the reviews/follows/favorites! I'm blown away!
PS: the method they use to make soap is the abridged version of how you actually make cold process soap! Super fun to research! (I'm a science nerd!)
Alpha/beta love to Mcal for being the gem she is!