Chapter Three: Swimming Lesson
As soon as Hermione and Ginny were finished catching fireflies, Ginny invited Hermione down to the lake with her and Harry for a swim. "Thanks Ginny, but there's only one problem." She began before she slowly turned her head around and made sure that nobody else was listening in. "I can't swim." She whispered.
"You can't swim!?" Neville hollered in complete and utter disbelief as he walked past them.
"No she can't." Ginny began with a rather irritated look upon her face and a hand upon her hip. "And do you mind saying that a bit louder? I don't think they heard you all the way at Beauxbatons!" She snapped inside a hushed whisper when suddenly Draco walked over to join them only wearing a pair of green swimming trunks and black sandals.
"What's this I hear about you not being able to swim?" He wondered while looking over at Hermione. "I thought Hermione Granger knew everything." He said as she turned her head away from him and blushed.
"I never took swimming lessons." She told him before he started shaking his head back and forth.
"Well now this won't do at all. How are you ever going to be able to save yourself if you fall into the ocean and the mermaids get you?" He questioned her before he slowly offered her his hand. "Here. Let me help you." He told her as he smiled warmly at her and then looked up at the night sky. "Besides, the moon's so big and bright out and it'll be quite a sight to see." He added as Ginny grinned.
"I'm seeing a few things too and it's making the fairies sing." She pointed out and Harry looked around and listened and it turned out that his girlfriend was right as a bunch of fairies were currently flying overhead and singing in angelic tones.
"I didn't bring a bathing suit though." Hermione said as Ginny smiled at her.
"It's alright, you can borrow one of mine. I brought extra." She told her before she grabbed her hand and hurried back to the castle with her and that's when Draco turned to look over at Harry.
"Hey Potter can we talk?" He inquired.
"It's about Hermione isn't it?" He questioned him back.
"Yeah. I've never felt like this about anybody before, but she's already seeing somebody and I'm not sure what to do." He confessed.
"I felt the exact same way when Ginny was seeing other people." Harry began. "If it's meant to be it'll happen and that's all I can tell you." He finished as Draco grinned at him.
"Thanks Potter. You're alright. You know that?" He questioned as Harry grinned back at him and a little while later Hermione and Ginny both returned to the lake. Ginny was wearing a two-pieced cheetah patterned bathing suit while Hermione was wearing a one-pieced red one and had her hair tied back into a ponytail.
"Alright, ready Granger?" Draco questioned and offered his hand once again as Hermione nodded and accepted it this time before they waded into the water together. Hermione shrieked once she realized the water had gotten too deep for her.
"Draco!" she cried out while desperately trying to stay afloat, but Draco quickly grabbed her and pulled her into his chest facing him and then they both locked eyes.
"It's alright Hermione Granger. I got you and there's no way in hell that I'm ever letting you go." He told her.
"Oh just snog each other already." Ginny said with a roll of her eyes as she was already in the water over by Harry.
"What about Ron?" Harry questioned.
"What Ron doesn't know won't hurt him." Ginny replied and obviously Draco and Hermione agreed with her because as she turned her head a rather wide grin had stretched across her face as she had seen that Draco had placed a tender hand to Hermione's cheek and they were now kissing each other passionately. "Besides, they have way more chemistry." She added with a grin as she watched them break apart and they were now floating together side by side through the water.
That's when a sudden realization hit them both at the exact same time. "I shouldn't have done that." Hermione told him.
"I know. Me neither. You're dating Weasley." He agreed.
"I'm sorry Draco." Hermione told him before she climbed out of the water and raced back towards the castle.
"That went well." Draco said sarcastically. "I helped her cheat on her boyfriend. I just thought that that would be my only shot at kissing her, so I jumped on it." He explained.
"It's alright, you're a guy and your hormones got the better of you. And don't worry, Harry and I won't say anything to Ron will we Harry?" She questioned as she turned to look back at him but Harry suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable since he never had to hide anything like this from his best friend before.
"Umm,.. sure." He replied with uncertainty.
"Well, I think I better go to bed now. Tell Hermione goodnight and that I'm sorry for everything." Draco told them before he heaved a sad sigh and got out of the water and headed back towards the castle and Ginny turned to look back over at Harry.
"He's really got it bad." She told him anxiously.
"I know." Harry replied sadly. "But there's literally nothing we can do. She's with Ron and he's just going to have to learn how to accept that." He told her before she rested her head on top of his shoulder.
"I know, but I don't think that I ever will." She told him before heaving a sad sigh as Harry rested his chin on top of her head and then kissed it softly.
Hermione didn't wind up sleeping much at all that night for she was suddenly full of guilt. The next morning at breakfast Ron noticed that she hadn't said more than a few words and her face was rather pale. What was about to happen next would be their biggest surprise of the year.