CHAPTER TWO

Eventually the car cooled down and the rest of the trip was so comfortable Hermoine nearly fell asleep but was jeered out of her drifting by being jerked forward and thumping her head on the cushioned seat in front of her.

"Sorry 'bout that, miss. Crazy driven' 'round this time 'o the yeer."

She sat up and couldn't believe how many vacationers had taken Wizard Taxies and flying coaches. Everyone knew that Holly Horris's Ski and Beach resort was popular but she didn't know how popular until now. The ad read: "Tired of being in the hot climate and wishing for a little snow? Tired of freezing your robes off and wish for some beaming, hot sunshine? Get the best of both worlds at Holly Horris's Ski and Beach Resort! We have the finest guarding spells on Holly Horris's so there's no worry about Muggle interferences! Come in and have more then one vacation in only one place!" To any regular pair of eyes, Holly Horris's was just a semi-large deserted island with a few palm trees and some sand crabs. Hermoine scowled but as she knew in the wizarding world, nothing is as it seemed. She stepped out of the taxi and had the cabbie help her lug her trunks onto the dolly he had provided.

"Thank you." She handed him his fare. He tipped his hat at her as she followed the crowd of oncoming witches and wizards. She was looking around everywhere wondering how a huge resort such as this could be on such an inadequate island but before she could figure it out she ran into the tall wizard in front of her. They both became entangled with each other and their luggage

"Oh my gosh! Oh! I'm so sorry," Hermoine apologized. She gathered herself up and brushed the bushy hair from her face, revealing the man she tumbled into. Her heart hammered in her chest, threatening to burst out.

He scowled. "Granger."

She sighed. "Well, Malfoy, it's great to know my vacation is already ruined." She pulled the dolly and tried to pull her trunks back onto it with no avail. Draco had already pulled his few bags together and was laughing at her struggling attempts to gather her things.

"Oh, Granger you look pathetic. Without Potter and Weasley to tend to your every whim, you're like a little lost puppy. I thought you were going to be here next week? I heard your little sugar-daddy potter paid for you and his boyfriend Weasel for a little three-some rendezvous. Oh, Granger," he laughed even harder, "your face is so red! Did I hit a weak spot?"

Trying to regain her posture and giving up on even getting her bags on the dolly, she snarled, "I am here on my own accord, Malfoy, and alone I'll have you know! I paid my own way! I don't need my parents' money to get me places!"

"Yes, after Lucius died I did receive a very considerable sum, on top of the large back account we already had. Perhaps that's why I quit Hogwarts after my 6th year." He seemed to have a moment of regret and lifted all three of Hermoine's bags onto the dolly. She stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. With all the problems Harry, Ron, and she had, having Malfoy out of the way for that last year was a breather but no one ever really questioned why he left. Seeing him now though, since a year and a half had passed since she'd seen him, he had changed a lot. His hair had grown out and was now a long silver mane down to his shoulder blades. He had a rattlesnake fang through his left earlobe and was nearly 6'3". His chest had built so much muscle and so had his arms and legs. Only his piercing blue eyes with the shards of ice cut into them had stayed the same.

'Wait, since when did I notice his piercing blue eyes before?' thought Hermoine. She shook the desire to be nice to him, based on his matured appearance.

"You left because you're a filthy Death Eater just like your father and everyone knew it after Lucius was killed by Aurors! When Voldemort fell out of power again in our 6th year so did you and all of you fools hid yourselves like the cowards you are! Thanks for nothing!" she spat, referring to the luggage that he helped her with. She quickly hurried off back into the traveling groups of people before Draco knocked her head off. His tanned face had gone completely white and his breathing intensified.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered to herself. "I can't believe he's still such a jerk!" Hermoine would have thought on it a lot longer but when she noticed that the group of wizards who chatting about the life-span of a wickle blossom in conditions such as these, handed a concession boy their ticket and the boy waved his wand and the sea rose up and an escalator made of sand took the babbling wizards into the bottom of the sea. 'As long as I don't run into Malfoy for the rest of the week, I think this will be the greatest vacation.' She thought to herself as she handed the pimply concession boy her ticket.