Disclaimer: Characters not mine!
Draco's hands snaked their way around Hermione's petite waist. His masculine arms pulled her femininity toward him and the two meshed. His eyes continued to stay locked with hers and Draco tilted his head to one side while lifting her chin up with one hand.
Moments later, Hermione felt herself being pulled into an abyss of new emotions and feelings. His lips became tantalizingly close to hers and Hermione's eye lids dropped shut automatically. She could feel the presence of his lush lips moving closer and they finally reached her own.
His lips brushed softly against hers at first and as his feelings spoke through the kiss to her, she pulled away.
"Draco, we can't do this...I'm engaged."
"I know....I'm sorry. No, what I am saying? I'm not sorry for kissing you. I'm sorry that we didn't realize sooner."
"Realize what?"
"What we have together."
"Draco, I have to go."
"Don't you feel it as well?"
"I have to go now."
Hermione turned to leave and Draco grasped her wrist tightly, whipping her back around to see her face. He saw all the confusion playing across her face and released her wrist to let her leave.
Hermione looked back at him gratefully and grabbed her purse off the bar stool. She slung it over her shoulder and said weakly, "Thank you for the drink and the thing at the bar."
"No problem. It was my pleasure. Believe me."
Hermione then made her way to his front door and let herself out, closing the door behind her. Hermione's thoughts entangled themselves with each other as she walked the streets alone to her apartment. Her emotions were split between her fiancée, Ron, and her long-time enemy, Draco.
"How had she gotten into this mess?" she thought to herself.
As she reached her apartment door, she had her key all out and ready to unlock it. When she got inside, she put her things down and walked over to her phone. The answering machine light was blinking so she pressed the play button to hear the recording. It said:
"Hey honey, it's me. I'm really sorry about before. We'll talk more when I get home. I promise I'm not lying to you. I need to get back to work now, but I wanted to tell you that I love you."
Hermione hit the stop button on the base of the phone in disgust and sighed. She longed for all her stress and complications to leave her mind.
Hermione felt like relaxing so she went into her room to change into something more comfortable. She put a pair of cotton plaid shorts and a blue tank top on. Her slippers sat on the floor by her bed and she slipped them on as well.
Hermione then walked into her television room and laid down on the couch to watch something on TV. She flipped slowly through the channels, not bothering to pay attention to the screen because of the roaming thoughts in her mindless head.
Meanwhile, Draco lie face up on his bed at his house, imagining Hermione without clothes on. He yearned to get to know her better. He needed to get to know her better to live. When she was around him, nothing else seemed to matter. She made all his stress, hurts, and thoughts disappear.
His thoughts then took him on a trip to memory lane. It took him to their years spent at Hogwarts and how he had always treated her, not because of the fact that she wasn't 'pureblood', but because of her appearance at the current time and how her attitude disgusted him. Draco's father had always opposed 'Mudbloods' as they were referred to in the wizarding world. Lucius worked in the Dark Arts for Lord Voldemort. He was supposed to have enormous amounts of power, yet was easily overcome by the famous Harry Potter, whom Draco had always despised until that year, when he had assisted him in the defeat. Since then, rivalries between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins ceased to exist.
Despite this however, Draco never had the motivation in getting to know Hermione. Back at Hogwarts, she was the top ranking student, formally known to him as a know-it-all Mudblood. Her efforts to always be the best out-drove his and she had beaten him for valedictorian that year. When graduation day came around, he found himself happy to be moving on to bigger and better things, ridding himself of his reputation and being able to begin anew. But as time wore on, life became more difficult and complex, not in the sense of trying to survive because when Lucius had died after his mother, Narcissa, he had inherited great amounts of money that would support him and his future wife for the rest of their lives without ever holding a job.
This sudden meeting of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, who had been each other's worst enemies, had been the surprise of a life time. More shocking, they actually got along, were able to hold mature conversations, and both, afraid to admit it, loved every moment of it being together. His final thoughts of the past were guilt of his behavior towards the angel he had met the present day.
Draco's mind snapped him back to the present time.
"I need to see her. I just have to!"
Draco sprang up off of the bed and glanced in the mirror to check his appearance. With a slight *POP*, Draco had apparated himself to her apartment. Hermione's lack of knowledge of this let her remain calm. Draco stood silently in the shadows of her apartment waiting for the right time to appear. Draco watched her intently click through the same channels over and over again. In a short few minutes, Hermione's head began to lull to one side and her eyelids soon dropped closed.
Draco saw this as the perfect opportunity to make his move. Without a sound, not even a creak from the old floor, he walked steadily toward her. When he approached her, he slowly bent down over her and her mind screamed, "open your eyes!" at her, but they, on their own, ignored her. Within seconds, Draco's lips were on hers. Hermione did not resist him at first, nor did she kiss him back until she realized who it was.
Draco began to prod at her lips to slide his tongue into her mouth, but this she resisted. She pushed him away.
"Draco! What do you think you're doing?"
"Kissing you."
"No, you were kissing my butt! I'm well aware of that thank you!"
"I wouldn't mind doing that though" he teased.
"I'm not kidding Draco." Draco immediately stopped smiling. "I told you. I love Ron and I'm engaged to him."
"Three hours ago, you didn't know whether to trust him. Heck, you thought he was doing something illegal!"
"Well, that doesn't mean I don't love him."
"Hermione, love is based on trust. If there's no trust, there's no love."
"Look, I love him, and I trust him...mostly."
"There's not a 'mostly' in trust Hermione. It's either one or the other. There's no way of getting around it!!"
"Draco, I love him!"
"No you don't. I can see it in your eyes!"
"Then you can't see shit Draco!"
"Say that again."
"Say what?"
"My name."
"Draco. Why do you want me to do that?"
"Because I love when you do."
"We're getting off the topic here. What makes you think you can just sweep me off my feet and ruin what I have with Ron?
"I swept you off your feet?"
"No!"
"You just said I did!"
"No I didn't!"
"Yes you did!"
"I said what makes you think you can just mess things up with Ron and I! I love him God damn it!"
"Hermione, didn't you feel something when I was holding you close to me and dancing with you?"
Hermione knew exactly how she felt, but didn't dare to tell him. "I felt nothing!"
"Liar!"
"Draco, just go! Leave!"
"I can't do that!"
"If you don't, I'll call the cops!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me!"
Hermione stormed over to the phone and picked it up. She hesitated and put it back down on the receiver.
"Ha! See! You won't!"
"Only because I don't want to deal with all the commotion."
"That's not the truth and you know it! All the signs are here Hermione!"
"What signs?"
"Of love Hermione, of love."
"There is no love here!"
"There is, your just don't see it yet. You're blinded by false hope."
Hermione had nothing to say to that. She remained speechless for a moment and pretended to be thinking.
"How did you get here anyway?"
"I apparated myself here."
"Well, don't do it again because it scared the shit out of me!"
"I think I can manage that."
Draco smiled at Hermione and she smiled right back at him. Their eyes locked for a moment and Hermione broke it.
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"Will you please leave?"
Draco saw the fear and confusion once again in her eyes and nodded.
"I will, but don't think I won't be back."
"I don't have an objection to seeing you. Just don't "pop in" like you did tonight...literally."
Draco laughed lightly and nodded. Draco walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist and she buried her face in his chest.
"I'll be back soon."
Hermione was left standing as she was during his embrace when he apparated out of her apartment. She fell slightly forward not expecting him to leave like he did, but regained her balance shortly after.
That night, as Hermione lie in her bed, awaiting unconsciousness to draw her into sleep, everything about Draco possessed her mind. She lie awake until exhaustion overcame her and she slipped into a deep and dreamful sleep.
As Draco arrived home, he crawled into his bed. Hermione possessed his every thought. No matter what he tried to do to erase it, it laid imprinted in the contours of his brain. Soon after, exhaustion dragged him into dreamland and he slept peacefully.
The next morning, her alarm clock never rang. Her exhaustion and perplexing thoughts last night had caused her to forget about it. It was not until the sun rose that she woke up. As the sun beat in on her pale white skin, her eyes fluttered open. The first place they darted to was the alarm clock that read 9:13.
Hermione blinked a couple times and rubbed her eyes to see if she was imagining numbers, but it still read 9:13.
"How did I manage to do this?!"
Hermione jumped quickly out of her bed and threw some capris and a t-shirt on. She threw her hair up in a bun on the top of her head and apparated herself to work with a small *POP*.
She appeared out of thin air in a near alley way and walked briskly to her office building. After climbing 8 flights of stairs, she rushed to her desk and took her seat.
Moments later, her manager walked past and noticed that she had arrived.
"Running a little late this morning I see."
"Yes ma'am" replied Hermione.
"What's your reason?"
Hermione frantically searched her head for a reason. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't tell the manager she had overslept.
"I-I had to do a favor for a friend, it was an emergency" she said quickly.
"Well, because it was your first offense throughout the entire time you've been with us, I'll let you off with just a warning. Don't let it happen again."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am."
Her employer nodded and continued walking to the copying room right down the hall.
"Phew! That was close!" she said quietly to herself.
Hermione unpacked the work that needed to be completed that day. The load had been even bigger than the pile she had to do yesterday.
She groaned and unwillingly began to sort through each case. One by one, the pile got smaller and she was about halfway through when twelve o'clock rolled around.
She glanced up at the clock and put her quill down to go get some lunch. As she stood to walk to the lunch room where her colleagues usually ate, she bumped into a man as he stood directly behind her. The man stood completely stagnant as she hit him and the force caused her to bounce back off of him. As she lost her balance backwards, he reacted quickly and caught her around her waist.
"Good morning Hermione."
"Good morning to you too, Draco. Don't scare me like that!"
"I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Don't worry about it. I just nearly fell on my ass on the floor."
Draco laughed lightly.
"I was curious as to whether you were interested in having lunch with me."
"I think we could arrange that."
"Good. It's what I was hoping you'd say."
"How about, you wait outside for me while I go try to get the rest of the day off."
"Even better."
"I'll meet you outside in ten minutes, I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"Good, because I had no intention of breaking it."
Hermione turned to talk to her employer as Draco headed to turn out of her office. He waited patiently for her outside the building on a nearby bench.
Hermione knocked on the door of her manager and stepped in.
"I need a favor."
"Yes? I'm listening" she said while writing something down.
"Well...would it be possible for me to get the rest of the day off?"
"It all depends on your reason."
"Well, my friend, the friend I helped this morning, is dealing with a lot on her table and she really needs my help. If you would be so kind as to..."
"As long as you put in some over time tomorrow, I don't see why not."
Hermione flipped the choice over in her head, between Draco today and overtime tomorrow.
"Thank you! I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning! Thank you!"
Hermione ran out of the office and found Draco waiting on a bench outside the building.
"All set for the rest of the day."
Draco extended his hand to hers and she grasped it. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it lightly.
"Where would you like to go?"
"Well, what would you say to game of Muggle mini golf before lunch?"
"Mini golf? I'm not familiar with the game."
"Well, that's alright. I'll teach it to you."
"I look forward to it."
Hermione smiled at him and he drew her closer as he put his arm around her waist.
When they got to the golf course, she took his hand and led him in. They took two golf balls, two clubs, and walked to the first hole.
"Alright, here's how this works. The point of the game is to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes as possible."
Draco nodded.
"You can go first" said Hermione.
"Don't laugh if I'm not very good."
"Don't worry, I will."
Draco stepped up to the flat tee and placed his ball on one of the holes. He then gripped his club and hit the ball lightly. It completely missed the hole and bounced across the green several times.
Hermione giggled and stepped up to the tee as Draco moved aside. Her ball stopped a mere two inches from the hole.
"Okay, because my ball is the closest I get to hit mine in the hole first."
"How do I know that you're not making these rules up?"
"Don't you trust me?"
"With my life."
"Then, I'm not making them up. I promise."
Hermione took one stroke to hit her ball in the hole and Draco took another three to hit his in.
As they approached the next hole, the green was a steep hill with the hole on the other side.
"Okay, you're going to have to hit this one a little harder. Would you like me to help you?"
Draco nodded excitedly. She had finally begun to loosen up to him.
Draco placed his ball on the tee and Hermione stepped behind him. She snaked her hands around his waist and grabbed hold of the club that was already in his hands.
Hermione lined the ball and the hole up and Draco swung at the ball with Hermione's help. Draco hit it too hard however and it bounced off the green into the grass.
"That's one penalty stroke!"
Hermione laughed at him and he smiled back at her. He loved hearing her laugh and would do anything to make her do so, including making a fool of himself.
Hermione stepped up to the tee and hit a hole-in-one. She jumped up and down excitedly!
"Shove that up your ass!"
"My pleasure!"
"Draco! You're such a sick-o!"
"I know." He laughed lightly and they went to fetch his ball from the grass.
"Now, just give it a small tap this time."
Draco nodded and sunk the ball in the hole.
"You're a good teacher."
"You think?"
"I not only think, I know. I'm dying to know what else you can teach me."
Hermione smiled modestly. "You'll find out...in time."
"I hate time."
"I do as well, but, it's a part of life."
"On the other hand, I do love life, so I'll just have to deal with it."
"Good attitude."
Hermione smiled at him, walked over to him, and kissed him on the cheek.
As they ended the game, Draco ended up beating her by two points, caused only by the four holes-in-ones he got.
"You only won because I let you win."
"No, I won because you're such a good teacher and I'm a fast learner."
Hermione giggled and she paid for the game. Draco insisted on paying, but she wouldn't allow it.
"Where shall we eat?"
"Well, I was thinking...what about the little restaurant on the beach?"
"That sounds good to me."
Draco laced his fingers between hers and they walked together to the beach. Passers by noticed so and admired the youthful couple.
Draco's hands snaked their way around Hermione's petite waist. His masculine arms pulled her femininity toward him and the two meshed. His eyes continued to stay locked with hers and Draco tilted his head to one side while lifting her chin up with one hand.
Moments later, Hermione felt herself being pulled into an abyss of new emotions and feelings. His lips became tantalizingly close to hers and Hermione's eye lids dropped shut automatically. She could feel the presence of his lush lips moving closer and they finally reached her own.
His lips brushed softly against hers at first and as his feelings spoke through the kiss to her, she pulled away.
"Draco, we can't do this...I'm engaged."
"I know....I'm sorry. No, what I am saying? I'm not sorry for kissing you. I'm sorry that we didn't realize sooner."
"Realize what?"
"What we have together."
"Draco, I have to go."
"Don't you feel it as well?"
"I have to go now."
Hermione turned to leave and Draco grasped her wrist tightly, whipping her back around to see her face. He saw all the confusion playing across her face and released her wrist to let her leave.
Hermione looked back at him gratefully and grabbed her purse off the bar stool. She slung it over her shoulder and said weakly, "Thank you for the drink and the thing at the bar."
"No problem. It was my pleasure. Believe me."
Hermione then made her way to his front door and let herself out, closing the door behind her. Hermione's thoughts entangled themselves with each other as she walked the streets alone to her apartment. Her emotions were split between her fiancée, Ron, and her long-time enemy, Draco.
"How had she gotten into this mess?" she thought to herself.
As she reached her apartment door, she had her key all out and ready to unlock it. When she got inside, she put her things down and walked over to her phone. The answering machine light was blinking so she pressed the play button to hear the recording. It said:
"Hey honey, it's me. I'm really sorry about before. We'll talk more when I get home. I promise I'm not lying to you. I need to get back to work now, but I wanted to tell you that I love you."
Hermione hit the stop button on the base of the phone in disgust and sighed. She longed for all her stress and complications to leave her mind.
Hermione felt like relaxing so she went into her room to change into something more comfortable. She put a pair of cotton plaid shorts and a blue tank top on. Her slippers sat on the floor by her bed and she slipped them on as well.
Hermione then walked into her television room and laid down on the couch to watch something on TV. She flipped slowly through the channels, not bothering to pay attention to the screen because of the roaming thoughts in her mindless head.
Meanwhile, Draco lie face up on his bed at his house, imagining Hermione without clothes on. He yearned to get to know her better. He needed to get to know her better to live. When she was around him, nothing else seemed to matter. She made all his stress, hurts, and thoughts disappear.
His thoughts then took him on a trip to memory lane. It took him to their years spent at Hogwarts and how he had always treated her, not because of the fact that she wasn't 'pureblood', but because of her appearance at the current time and how her attitude disgusted him. Draco's father had always opposed 'Mudbloods' as they were referred to in the wizarding world. Lucius worked in the Dark Arts for Lord Voldemort. He was supposed to have enormous amounts of power, yet was easily overcome by the famous Harry Potter, whom Draco had always despised until that year, when he had assisted him in the defeat. Since then, rivalries between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins ceased to exist.
Despite this however, Draco never had the motivation in getting to know Hermione. Back at Hogwarts, she was the top ranking student, formally known to him as a know-it-all Mudblood. Her efforts to always be the best out-drove his and she had beaten him for valedictorian that year. When graduation day came around, he found himself happy to be moving on to bigger and better things, ridding himself of his reputation and being able to begin anew. But as time wore on, life became more difficult and complex, not in the sense of trying to survive because when Lucius had died after his mother, Narcissa, he had inherited great amounts of money that would support him and his future wife for the rest of their lives without ever holding a job.
This sudden meeting of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, who had been each other's worst enemies, had been the surprise of a life time. More shocking, they actually got along, were able to hold mature conversations, and both, afraid to admit it, loved every moment of it being together. His final thoughts of the past were guilt of his behavior towards the angel he had met the present day.
Draco's mind snapped him back to the present time.
"I need to see her. I just have to!"
Draco sprang up off of the bed and glanced in the mirror to check his appearance. With a slight *POP*, Draco had apparated himself to her apartment. Hermione's lack of knowledge of this let her remain calm. Draco stood silently in the shadows of her apartment waiting for the right time to appear. Draco watched her intently click through the same channels over and over again. In a short few minutes, Hermione's head began to lull to one side and her eyelids soon dropped closed.
Draco saw this as the perfect opportunity to make his move. Without a sound, not even a creak from the old floor, he walked steadily toward her. When he approached her, he slowly bent down over her and her mind screamed, "open your eyes!" at her, but they, on their own, ignored her. Within seconds, Draco's lips were on hers. Hermione did not resist him at first, nor did she kiss him back until she realized who it was.
Draco began to prod at her lips to slide his tongue into her mouth, but this she resisted. She pushed him away.
"Draco! What do you think you're doing?"
"Kissing you."
"No, you were kissing my butt! I'm well aware of that thank you!"
"I wouldn't mind doing that though" he teased.
"I'm not kidding Draco." Draco immediately stopped smiling. "I told you. I love Ron and I'm engaged to him."
"Three hours ago, you didn't know whether to trust him. Heck, you thought he was doing something illegal!"
"Well, that doesn't mean I don't love him."
"Hermione, love is based on trust. If there's no trust, there's no love."
"Look, I love him, and I trust him...mostly."
"There's not a 'mostly' in trust Hermione. It's either one or the other. There's no way of getting around it!!"
"Draco, I love him!"
"No you don't. I can see it in your eyes!"
"Then you can't see shit Draco!"
"Say that again."
"Say what?"
"My name."
"Draco. Why do you want me to do that?"
"Because I love when you do."
"We're getting off the topic here. What makes you think you can just sweep me off my feet and ruin what I have with Ron?
"I swept you off your feet?"
"No!"
"You just said I did!"
"No I didn't!"
"Yes you did!"
"I said what makes you think you can just mess things up with Ron and I! I love him God damn it!"
"Hermione, didn't you feel something when I was holding you close to me and dancing with you?"
Hermione knew exactly how she felt, but didn't dare to tell him. "I felt nothing!"
"Liar!"
"Draco, just go! Leave!"
"I can't do that!"
"If you don't, I'll call the cops!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me!"
Hermione stormed over to the phone and picked it up. She hesitated and put it back down on the receiver.
"Ha! See! You won't!"
"Only because I don't want to deal with all the commotion."
"That's not the truth and you know it! All the signs are here Hermione!"
"What signs?"
"Of love Hermione, of love."
"There is no love here!"
"There is, your just don't see it yet. You're blinded by false hope."
Hermione had nothing to say to that. She remained speechless for a moment and pretended to be thinking.
"How did you get here anyway?"
"I apparated myself here."
"Well, don't do it again because it scared the shit out of me!"
"I think I can manage that."
Draco smiled at Hermione and she smiled right back at him. Their eyes locked for a moment and Hermione broke it.
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"Will you please leave?"
Draco saw the fear and confusion once again in her eyes and nodded.
"I will, but don't think I won't be back."
"I don't have an objection to seeing you. Just don't "pop in" like you did tonight...literally."
Draco laughed lightly and nodded. Draco walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist and she buried her face in his chest.
"I'll be back soon."
Hermione was left standing as she was during his embrace when he apparated out of her apartment. She fell slightly forward not expecting him to leave like he did, but regained her balance shortly after.
That night, as Hermione lie in her bed, awaiting unconsciousness to draw her into sleep, everything about Draco possessed her mind. She lie awake until exhaustion overcame her and she slipped into a deep and dreamful sleep.
As Draco arrived home, he crawled into his bed. Hermione possessed his every thought. No matter what he tried to do to erase it, it laid imprinted in the contours of his brain. Soon after, exhaustion dragged him into dreamland and he slept peacefully.
The next morning, her alarm clock never rang. Her exhaustion and perplexing thoughts last night had caused her to forget about it. It was not until the sun rose that she woke up. As the sun beat in on her pale white skin, her eyes fluttered open. The first place they darted to was the alarm clock that read 9:13.
Hermione blinked a couple times and rubbed her eyes to see if she was imagining numbers, but it still read 9:13.
"How did I manage to do this?!"
Hermione jumped quickly out of her bed and threw some capris and a t-shirt on. She threw her hair up in a bun on the top of her head and apparated herself to work with a small *POP*.
She appeared out of thin air in a near alley way and walked briskly to her office building. After climbing 8 flights of stairs, she rushed to her desk and took her seat.
Moments later, her manager walked past and noticed that she had arrived.
"Running a little late this morning I see."
"Yes ma'am" replied Hermione.
"What's your reason?"
Hermione frantically searched her head for a reason. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't tell the manager she had overslept.
"I-I had to do a favor for a friend, it was an emergency" she said quickly.
"Well, because it was your first offense throughout the entire time you've been with us, I'll let you off with just a warning. Don't let it happen again."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am."
Her employer nodded and continued walking to the copying room right down the hall.
"Phew! That was close!" she said quietly to herself.
Hermione unpacked the work that needed to be completed that day. The load had been even bigger than the pile she had to do yesterday.
She groaned and unwillingly began to sort through each case. One by one, the pile got smaller and she was about halfway through when twelve o'clock rolled around.
She glanced up at the clock and put her quill down to go get some lunch. As she stood to walk to the lunch room where her colleagues usually ate, she bumped into a man as he stood directly behind her. The man stood completely stagnant as she hit him and the force caused her to bounce back off of him. As she lost her balance backwards, he reacted quickly and caught her around her waist.
"Good morning Hermione."
"Good morning to you too, Draco. Don't scare me like that!"
"I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Don't worry about it. I just nearly fell on my ass on the floor."
Draco laughed lightly.
"I was curious as to whether you were interested in having lunch with me."
"I think we could arrange that."
"Good. It's what I was hoping you'd say."
"How about, you wait outside for me while I go try to get the rest of the day off."
"Even better."
"I'll meet you outside in ten minutes, I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"Good, because I had no intention of breaking it."
Hermione turned to talk to her employer as Draco headed to turn out of her office. He waited patiently for her outside the building on a nearby bench.
Hermione knocked on the door of her manager and stepped in.
"I need a favor."
"Yes? I'm listening" she said while writing something down.
"Well...would it be possible for me to get the rest of the day off?"
"It all depends on your reason."
"Well, my friend, the friend I helped this morning, is dealing with a lot on her table and she really needs my help. If you would be so kind as to..."
"As long as you put in some over time tomorrow, I don't see why not."
Hermione flipped the choice over in her head, between Draco today and overtime tomorrow.
"Thank you! I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning! Thank you!"
Hermione ran out of the office and found Draco waiting on a bench outside the building.
"All set for the rest of the day."
Draco extended his hand to hers and she grasped it. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it lightly.
"Where would you like to go?"
"Well, what would you say to game of Muggle mini golf before lunch?"
"Mini golf? I'm not familiar with the game."
"Well, that's alright. I'll teach it to you."
"I look forward to it."
Hermione smiled at him and he drew her closer as he put his arm around her waist.
When they got to the golf course, she took his hand and led him in. They took two golf balls, two clubs, and walked to the first hole.
"Alright, here's how this works. The point of the game is to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes as possible."
Draco nodded.
"You can go first" said Hermione.
"Don't laugh if I'm not very good."
"Don't worry, I will."
Draco stepped up to the flat tee and placed his ball on one of the holes. He then gripped his club and hit the ball lightly. It completely missed the hole and bounced across the green several times.
Hermione giggled and stepped up to the tee as Draco moved aside. Her ball stopped a mere two inches from the hole.
"Okay, because my ball is the closest I get to hit mine in the hole first."
"How do I know that you're not making these rules up?"
"Don't you trust me?"
"With my life."
"Then, I'm not making them up. I promise."
Hermione took one stroke to hit her ball in the hole and Draco took another three to hit his in.
As they approached the next hole, the green was a steep hill with the hole on the other side.
"Okay, you're going to have to hit this one a little harder. Would you like me to help you?"
Draco nodded excitedly. She had finally begun to loosen up to him.
Draco placed his ball on the tee and Hermione stepped behind him. She snaked her hands around his waist and grabbed hold of the club that was already in his hands.
Hermione lined the ball and the hole up and Draco swung at the ball with Hermione's help. Draco hit it too hard however and it bounced off the green into the grass.
"That's one penalty stroke!"
Hermione laughed at him and he smiled back at her. He loved hearing her laugh and would do anything to make her do so, including making a fool of himself.
Hermione stepped up to the tee and hit a hole-in-one. She jumped up and down excitedly!
"Shove that up your ass!"
"My pleasure!"
"Draco! You're such a sick-o!"
"I know." He laughed lightly and they went to fetch his ball from the grass.
"Now, just give it a small tap this time."
Draco nodded and sunk the ball in the hole.
"You're a good teacher."
"You think?"
"I not only think, I know. I'm dying to know what else you can teach me."
Hermione smiled modestly. "You'll find out...in time."
"I hate time."
"I do as well, but, it's a part of life."
"On the other hand, I do love life, so I'll just have to deal with it."
"Good attitude."
Hermione smiled at him, walked over to him, and kissed him on the cheek.
As they ended the game, Draco ended up beating her by two points, caused only by the four holes-in-ones he got.
"You only won because I let you win."
"No, I won because you're such a good teacher and I'm a fast learner."
Hermione giggled and she paid for the game. Draco insisted on paying, but she wouldn't allow it.
"Where shall we eat?"
"Well, I was thinking...what about the little restaurant on the beach?"
"That sounds good to me."
Draco laced his fingers between hers and they walked together to the beach. Passers by noticed so and admired the youthful couple.
