CHAPTER 4~ Arrival
Hermione dismounted the broom as they landed softly on the floor in Draco's room. "Stay here while I go talk to Julie," Draco demanded easily. She nodded as he closed the door with a soft click.
Draco walked swiftly down the familiar corridors of his manor. When he reached the nurses station that had been set up, Julie was there sorting through miscellaneous papers. She looked up when she saw a shadow looming over her. "Fancy seeing you here, Draco. If you're looking for Hermione, I haven't seen her since Weasley died earlier today," she said.
"I'm not looking for Hermione. I know where she is," he dismissed her statement with the wave of his hand. I actually wanted to speak with you concerning Hermione."
"Is that so? Well she's been slacking off since we arrived here, and she just took off today-"
"Not about that," Draco interrupted. "I know that she's been working her ass off for you for years. I also know that she has never taken vacation time or even a day off, and she deserves that more than anyone here. I'm here to make sure she gets that vacation. I am taking her to Hawaii tomorrow for two weeks. And I demand that she not be demoted." He ran a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes.
Julie stared at him for a while trying to figure out if he was being serious, but she could not find a hint of humor on his face or in his voice. "Oh come on, Draco! What happened to the days when you wished her dead? You have hated her your entire life."
"Firstly, I never wished death upon her. Second, I have never truly hated her. I've loved her since we were in our third year, and only now am I doing something about it. We're leaving tomorrow. Certain rooms will be locked while I am away, and if someone tries to open those doors, they will be met with a painful punishment. I bid you goodnight, and Hermione and I will see you in two weeks. Hopefully you along with the rest of the nurses will be in one piece." He smirked and turned around to leave.
"Have a good time," he heard her faintly, but pretended not to hear as he headed back to his room.
Hermione was sitting cross-legged on one side of the bed staring at the door intently. When he strided in, she smiled at the happy expression on his face. "We're good to go!" he exclaimed as he jumped onto the bed next to her.
"She didn't give you any of her normal bullshit? That's unusual."
"I actually think she was jealous. That's how it appeared at least."
"If you weren't so blind, you would have noticed that they are all jealous. I hear them talking down there. Most of them have already made it clear that they would give almost anything to be in my shoes. I seriously don't know why they would do that. My life isn't so great. I mean, I know what they want, but really, everything else in my life sucks."
Draco propped himself up on one arm and let the fingers of his other hand dance across her leg. "It can't be so bad. I'm sure you have plenty going for you."
"Not exactly. My parents passed away a few years back, so I've basically been supporting myself. Now Ron's dead, Ginny hates me, and the rest of the Weasleys are in the war so I can't write to them because I have no idea what to tell them."
"But you're beautiful, and you're smart, and you're very sweet-"
"No I'm not," she snorted.
"Yes you are. What happened to all that self-assurance that used to surround you like a blanket? You believed that you were better than everybody else."
She rolled her eyes and pushed some strands of hair away from her face. "I stopped believing that when the war started."
"It's true though. Believe in yourself again. It will help you."
"I'll try."
"Good. Now why don't you start packing? We've got a fun two weeks ahead of us."
"Just where are you planning on taking me?" she asked as Draco got off the bed and walked into his large closet.
"I was thinking about Hawaii. I've heard some wonderful things about it and I've always wanted to go there, and I thought it would be a good location since it is so far from England."
"That's perfect! I've always wanted to go there!"
"Great! We'll apparate at eleven tomorrow morning."
They packed all the clothes they would need, which consisted of mainly shorts, t-shirts, and bathing suits. Once Hermione finished packing, she went into the bathroom and took a shower.
While Hermione was in the shower, Draco changed into his pajamas and began to read. He looked up when she sat down next to him.
"Hey," he said as he threw his book onto a chair.
"You don't have to stop reading just because I'm here," she mumbled.
"I was gunna stop soon anyway."
"No you weren't."
"I know, but I'd rather talk to you anyway. You're much more interesting."
"Uh-sure, believe what you want."
"I'll do that." He smirked.
"Okay, fine."
Draco laughed a little and put his arm around her. "Are you gunna relax a little over the next two weeks?" he asked.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Everything. I'm not so sure about this yet. I wanna have a good time, but what about the war and Harry and everything else?"
"We've been over this. I'm bringing you to Hawaii so you can relax and not worry about the war and what's happening over here. You have to learn how to loosen up. If you don't have a good time in Hawaii, I'll shoot myself," he promised.
At first she looked horrified that he would even say something like that, but she then laughed. "I better make sure to have a good time then. I wouldn't want you to shoot yourself over me."
"Well that's nice to know. On that note, why don't we get some sleep?"
"Sounds good to me."
Hermione rolled onto her side, and Draco encircled her body with his arms. "Goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Draco," she whispered as she snuggled closer to him.
~
Draco awoke first the next morning with Hermione sleeping soundly in his arms. He smiled and placed a small kiss on her cheek before getting up to shower. Once inside the bathroom, he slid off his pajamas and stepped into the warm water. The water flowed down his hair and face and slid gently down his toned chest and back. He cleaned himself thoroughly and stepped out to dry himself.
He put on black swimming trunks and a navy blue button up Hawaiian shirt. After running a hand through his hair, he placed black sunglasses atop his head and decided to wake Hermione.
He smiled at her sleeping form. Her hair was in her eyes and there was a small smile playing upon her lips. With the sunlight that seeping through the thin slits in the shades, she looked like an angel.
Draco crept silently toward the bed and knelt down beside it. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and whispered, "Good morning, sunshine." She didn't even stir, so he tried again. When he failed the second time, he stood and retrieved a large glass of cold water from the bathroom. He threw the water on her head and she let out a loud screech as she sat bolt upright.
"Oh fuck! That's cold!" Draco started laughing hysterically, almost to the point where he couldn't breathe. "Why can't you just wake me up like a normal person? That was just mean."
As he caught his breath, he said, "I tried to wake you up like a normal person, but you just laid there, and that was the next thing that came to mind." There was still a smile planted across his face.
She just rolled her eyes at him and kicked off the sheets. Grabbing the clothes she had left out the night before, she went into the bathroom to change. Hermione brushed her teeth after changing and went back to meet Draco. She was wearing a white t-shirt with long orange shorts and her bathing suit underneath.
Draco wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was actually happy that Hermione was modest. He didn't like girls who dressed like sluts all the time. "We have an hour before we leave. Do you want me to have the house elves bring up some breakfast?" Draco asked.
"Sure."
"Alright, I'll be right back." He left the room and headed down to the kitchens. He used the alternate route so he wouldn't have to talk to any of the nurses. In all honesty, they pissed him off greatly. They were always hitting on him, and he couldn't stand it.
Once he reached the kitchens, he was greeted warmly by the house elves. "What can we do for Master Draco?" Sharley, one of his favorites, asked.
"I have a beautiful woman in my room who is very hungry. Do you think you could bring breakfast up for us both?"
"Ooh, does Master Draco have a new girlfriend?" she teased.
"I'm hoping. I think she likes me."
"What is you wanting to eat?"
"Anything that tastes good."
"We is doing that for you, sir."
"Thank you, Sharley. Oh, I'm going on vacation for two weeks, but there will be nurses here. I'm sure you've seen them. I want my room and study locked until I get back, and I don't want them snooping all over. Can you do that for me?"
"I will do that, sir. When is you leaving?"
"In fifty minutes," he answered.
"I is having your food to you in ten."
"I'll see you then."
"Bye, Master Draco."
"Goodbye, Sharley."
Unlike Lucius, Draco loved his house elves. He loved the ones at the old manor too, but he wouldn't ever let Lucius know.
Being that he was in a hurry, he forgot to once again take the alternate route to his room, and silently cursed himself after.
"Draco!" he heard a voice call. He pretended not to hear the annoying sound and continued walking although he picked up his pace a little. "Draco!" the voice called again, and he was pulled to face her.
"Good morning, Cindy," he muttered. "I don't have time to talk right now."
"Oh yeah, I heard that Granger was dragging you on vacation or something. That must suck."
"Actually, it's me that's dragging her along. Now, if you'd kindly let me go, I have places to be," he said roughly and pulled his arm out of her grip.
"You've changed," she noted in her annoying, high-pitched voice.
"Yes I have, and I'm glad that I did."
She gave him an icy glare and ran her petite fingers through her long, thin blonde hair. "I liked you, Draco, since the first day we met. I always thought there could be something between us."
"Well you were wrong. I never saw anything more than a friendship," he said coldly. He stalked off back to his room.
Hermione was staring out the window at the massive grey sky. It reminded her strongly of Draco's eyes. She loved his eyes; they were emotionless to all except her, and she liked that. She liked the fact that he was able to open up to her.
"Hey," she mumbled shyly as he walked in.
"Hey," he responded as he sat in the chair next to her. "Food will be here in four minutes."
"Okay. What are they bringing us?"
"I don't know exactly. Whatever they bring will be good, though. I've got some very skilled chefs down there."
"Well that's a good thing. What would you do without house elves? I would love to see the day."
"For you information, I can cook just fine. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but when they came looking for jobs, I couldn't turn them down."
"Aw, that's sweet. You do care about someone besides yourself."
"I care about you." He stood and leaned against the frame of the window.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around the torso of his body.
"I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"My mother. I cared for her, but Lucius would walk all over her, and she wouldn't stop him. She didn't care enough about me to stop him from disowning me. Since then I stopped caring. I was going to kill myself the day you showed up here. I had no one, and then you walked back into my life. It's been only two days, but I feel complete and happy again, and I don't know how you feel, but I know that if something not so great were to occur, I think I would probably kill myself."
"What do you mean 'not so great'?"
"I'm not exactly sure myself." He sighed and turned to face her. "Hermione, I-"
There was a soft knock at the door and Draco broke away from her to answer it. "I is bringing your food, Master Draco," Sharley stated with a smile across her face.
"Thank you, Sharley." He relieved her of the tray and placed a sickle in the palm of her hand.
"Master Draco, I is telling you before, I is not wanting pay. You is needing the money."
"I have plenty of money, Sharley. Why can't you take it?"
"I is not wanting the other house elves to be jealous. I is not wanting paying," she squealed as she handed the coin back to him.
Draco took the silver coin back reluctantly. "Give the others my thanks then, will you?"
"Of course." She bowed deeply and disappeared with a small pop.
Draco placed the tray of food on a small table in the corner of the room. He pulled a chair out for Hermione and sat down across from her.
"Smells delicious," Hermione commented as she took her seat.
"Always does," he responded with his famous smirk.
"So what were you gunna say before?" she asked as she took a small bite of her eggs.
"Oh-um-I don't remember," he lied quickly. Of course he remembered what he was going to tell her, but now that he had time to dwell on it, he realized that it probably wasn't the right time to tell her that sort of thing. She still hadn't shown much affection toward him, and he didn't know if she would get scared and turn away.
"Oh, okay." She glanced up at him and noticed that he hadn't even tried his food, just pushed it around a bit with his fork. "Aren't you gunna eat? The food really is great."
"Yeah, I'm getting to it." He brought his fork slowly to his lips, and bit off a large portion of the sausage that was on the end of it.
They didn't speak for the remainder of breakfast. They each wanted to tell the other how they felt, but neither could bring themselves to do it.
When they had finished eating, Draco cleaned everything with a sweep of his wand. "We have twenty minutes before we depart. Are you sure you have everything?" Draco asked. She nodded and stared out the large window.
Draco's eyes roamed over her body. She had a slim and probably beautiful figure that was hidden beneath her baggy clothes. His head was swimming with thoughts of her and what would happen in the next two weeks. Nothing seemed logical anymore. He wanted to tell her exactly what he felt for her, but every time he opened his mouth, no sound came out. It wasn't like Draco to be at a loss for words, he had always known exactly what to say, but it seemed as if he had lost all his courage.
Twenty minutes later, Draco apparated himself and Hermione to a nice hotel room in Hawaii. It was on the top floor and over-looked the giant blue ocean. The room was huge. There was a large bed, a TV, three chairs, two couches, and a loveseat.
Hermione was in awe, and the only word that escaped her lips was, "Wow!"
Draco smiled at her reaction. She was looking from the ocean to the room to Draco. "Does this meet your approval?" he asked "Can you live here for the next two weeks?"
Nodding her head fervently, she said, "Yes! This is absolutely wonderful! How much did it cost?"
"It wasn't too bad." He shrugged as if to say if was nothing.
"I still say you didn't have to do this for me. I could've managed without this."
"No you wouldn't have. You have been stressed beyond belief, and it looked like you were about to explode. Plus, I have been wanting to get away for a while, and I didn't really feel like going anywhere alone." He jumped on the bed and put his hands under his head.
"Get your lazy ass up!" Hermione demanded. "We just got here, and I am not waiting around here so you can sleep." She crossed her arms defiantly across her chest and waited for him to get up.
"Alright, I'm coming. I just wanted to make sure it was comfortable enough for you to sleep on."
"Sure you were." She grabbed his arm, pulled him to his feet and toward the door. "Draco, we still gotta check in to get our keys, don't we?"
"No, I've got them." He pulled two keys out of his pocket.
"How'd you get those?"
"I'm a wizard. That is all you need to know."
Hermione looked at him questioningly, but said nothing. They rode the elevator down the forty stories, and walked out onto the beach. After setting up their towels, Hermione decided she wanted to tan while Draco went swimming. She took off her shirt and shorts and covered her body in sun tan lotion.
After about an hour, Hermione stood and walked toward the water. Before she was even half way there, a tall man with black hair and blue eyes stepped in front of her. "Hey, babe, wanna come up to my room later?" he asked.
"Uh, no," she answered and tried to walk around him, but he pulled her back.
"Why not? It doesn't look like you have anywhere else to be. I can make all your dreams come true."
"No you can't," she snapped. "Not even my boyfriend is able to do that."
"And where is he? If he was good for you, he'd be over here right now."
"He's swimming, and the ocean is still about a hundred fifty meters away from here, and you're standing in front of me so he wouldn't be able to see me, which might be a problem."
"That don't matter. He should still be checking up on you."
"Hermione, is this guy bothering you?" Draco asked as he snaked his arm around her waist.
"Yes, he won't leave me the fuck alone," she responded and shot a glare at the other man.
"This pretty boy is your boyfriend?" the man snorted. "I feel bad for you."
This pissed Draco off more than it should have, and he punched the man in the jaw. "Don't you ever call me a pretty boy again. I can guarantee you that I can put you out of your misery with the blink of an eye. And if you ever think about coming near my girl again, you will suffer," Draco snarled. Holding his jaw, the man glared at them and stalked off. "Did he do anything to you?" Draco asked concernedly while looking at her gently.
"Just pissed me off. I can't stand that shit. Some guys are such assholes, and I don't even wanna go swimming now."
"Oh come on, don't let that guy ruin your day."
"Can we come back later when there are fewer people here? I feel uncomfortable around them all."
"Alright. We'll go up to our room for now, and come back when it's less crowded."
Hermione hugged him gently and felt the cool water from his body drip onto hers. She shivered at the sudden cold that engulfed her, but chose to ignore it as Draco took her hand and led her back to their towels. Draco dried himself and put his shirt back on while Hermione put on her shirt and shorts.
They walked slowly back to the hotel and up to their room. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and stared out the window at the ocean. She was thinking about where Harry was and how he was doing. The guy on the beach made her believe that leaving England was the worst decision she could have made.
"Hermione?" Draco's voice broke her trance. "What's wrong?"
"Everything," she answered quietly.
"What's that supposed to mean? I don't understand."
"We should go back, Draco. We shouldn't be here. I made the wrong decision in letting you bring me here."
Hermione dismounted the broom as they landed softly on the floor in Draco's room. "Stay here while I go talk to Julie," Draco demanded easily. She nodded as he closed the door with a soft click.
Draco walked swiftly down the familiar corridors of his manor. When he reached the nurses station that had been set up, Julie was there sorting through miscellaneous papers. She looked up when she saw a shadow looming over her. "Fancy seeing you here, Draco. If you're looking for Hermione, I haven't seen her since Weasley died earlier today," she said.
"I'm not looking for Hermione. I know where she is," he dismissed her statement with the wave of his hand. I actually wanted to speak with you concerning Hermione."
"Is that so? Well she's been slacking off since we arrived here, and she just took off today-"
"Not about that," Draco interrupted. "I know that she's been working her ass off for you for years. I also know that she has never taken vacation time or even a day off, and she deserves that more than anyone here. I'm here to make sure she gets that vacation. I am taking her to Hawaii tomorrow for two weeks. And I demand that she not be demoted." He ran a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes.
Julie stared at him for a while trying to figure out if he was being serious, but she could not find a hint of humor on his face or in his voice. "Oh come on, Draco! What happened to the days when you wished her dead? You have hated her your entire life."
"Firstly, I never wished death upon her. Second, I have never truly hated her. I've loved her since we were in our third year, and only now am I doing something about it. We're leaving tomorrow. Certain rooms will be locked while I am away, and if someone tries to open those doors, they will be met with a painful punishment. I bid you goodnight, and Hermione and I will see you in two weeks. Hopefully you along with the rest of the nurses will be in one piece." He smirked and turned around to leave.
"Have a good time," he heard her faintly, but pretended not to hear as he headed back to his room.
Hermione was sitting cross-legged on one side of the bed staring at the door intently. When he strided in, she smiled at the happy expression on his face. "We're good to go!" he exclaimed as he jumped onto the bed next to her.
"She didn't give you any of her normal bullshit? That's unusual."
"I actually think she was jealous. That's how it appeared at least."
"If you weren't so blind, you would have noticed that they are all jealous. I hear them talking down there. Most of them have already made it clear that they would give almost anything to be in my shoes. I seriously don't know why they would do that. My life isn't so great. I mean, I know what they want, but really, everything else in my life sucks."
Draco propped himself up on one arm and let the fingers of his other hand dance across her leg. "It can't be so bad. I'm sure you have plenty going for you."
"Not exactly. My parents passed away a few years back, so I've basically been supporting myself. Now Ron's dead, Ginny hates me, and the rest of the Weasleys are in the war so I can't write to them because I have no idea what to tell them."
"But you're beautiful, and you're smart, and you're very sweet-"
"No I'm not," she snorted.
"Yes you are. What happened to all that self-assurance that used to surround you like a blanket? You believed that you were better than everybody else."
She rolled her eyes and pushed some strands of hair away from her face. "I stopped believing that when the war started."
"It's true though. Believe in yourself again. It will help you."
"I'll try."
"Good. Now why don't you start packing? We've got a fun two weeks ahead of us."
"Just where are you planning on taking me?" she asked as Draco got off the bed and walked into his large closet.
"I was thinking about Hawaii. I've heard some wonderful things about it and I've always wanted to go there, and I thought it would be a good location since it is so far from England."
"That's perfect! I've always wanted to go there!"
"Great! We'll apparate at eleven tomorrow morning."
They packed all the clothes they would need, which consisted of mainly shorts, t-shirts, and bathing suits. Once Hermione finished packing, she went into the bathroom and took a shower.
While Hermione was in the shower, Draco changed into his pajamas and began to read. He looked up when she sat down next to him.
"Hey," he said as he threw his book onto a chair.
"You don't have to stop reading just because I'm here," she mumbled.
"I was gunna stop soon anyway."
"No you weren't."
"I know, but I'd rather talk to you anyway. You're much more interesting."
"Uh-sure, believe what you want."
"I'll do that." He smirked.
"Okay, fine."
Draco laughed a little and put his arm around her. "Are you gunna relax a little over the next two weeks?" he asked.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Everything. I'm not so sure about this yet. I wanna have a good time, but what about the war and Harry and everything else?"
"We've been over this. I'm bringing you to Hawaii so you can relax and not worry about the war and what's happening over here. You have to learn how to loosen up. If you don't have a good time in Hawaii, I'll shoot myself," he promised.
At first she looked horrified that he would even say something like that, but she then laughed. "I better make sure to have a good time then. I wouldn't want you to shoot yourself over me."
"Well that's nice to know. On that note, why don't we get some sleep?"
"Sounds good to me."
Hermione rolled onto her side, and Draco encircled her body with his arms. "Goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Draco," she whispered as she snuggled closer to him.
~
Draco awoke first the next morning with Hermione sleeping soundly in his arms. He smiled and placed a small kiss on her cheek before getting up to shower. Once inside the bathroom, he slid off his pajamas and stepped into the warm water. The water flowed down his hair and face and slid gently down his toned chest and back. He cleaned himself thoroughly and stepped out to dry himself.
He put on black swimming trunks and a navy blue button up Hawaiian shirt. After running a hand through his hair, he placed black sunglasses atop his head and decided to wake Hermione.
He smiled at her sleeping form. Her hair was in her eyes and there was a small smile playing upon her lips. With the sunlight that seeping through the thin slits in the shades, she looked like an angel.
Draco crept silently toward the bed and knelt down beside it. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and whispered, "Good morning, sunshine." She didn't even stir, so he tried again. When he failed the second time, he stood and retrieved a large glass of cold water from the bathroom. He threw the water on her head and she let out a loud screech as she sat bolt upright.
"Oh fuck! That's cold!" Draco started laughing hysterically, almost to the point where he couldn't breathe. "Why can't you just wake me up like a normal person? That was just mean."
As he caught his breath, he said, "I tried to wake you up like a normal person, but you just laid there, and that was the next thing that came to mind." There was still a smile planted across his face.
She just rolled her eyes at him and kicked off the sheets. Grabbing the clothes she had left out the night before, she went into the bathroom to change. Hermione brushed her teeth after changing and went back to meet Draco. She was wearing a white t-shirt with long orange shorts and her bathing suit underneath.
Draco wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was actually happy that Hermione was modest. He didn't like girls who dressed like sluts all the time. "We have an hour before we leave. Do you want me to have the house elves bring up some breakfast?" Draco asked.
"Sure."
"Alright, I'll be right back." He left the room and headed down to the kitchens. He used the alternate route so he wouldn't have to talk to any of the nurses. In all honesty, they pissed him off greatly. They were always hitting on him, and he couldn't stand it.
Once he reached the kitchens, he was greeted warmly by the house elves. "What can we do for Master Draco?" Sharley, one of his favorites, asked.
"I have a beautiful woman in my room who is very hungry. Do you think you could bring breakfast up for us both?"
"Ooh, does Master Draco have a new girlfriend?" she teased.
"I'm hoping. I think she likes me."
"What is you wanting to eat?"
"Anything that tastes good."
"We is doing that for you, sir."
"Thank you, Sharley. Oh, I'm going on vacation for two weeks, but there will be nurses here. I'm sure you've seen them. I want my room and study locked until I get back, and I don't want them snooping all over. Can you do that for me?"
"I will do that, sir. When is you leaving?"
"In fifty minutes," he answered.
"I is having your food to you in ten."
"I'll see you then."
"Bye, Master Draco."
"Goodbye, Sharley."
Unlike Lucius, Draco loved his house elves. He loved the ones at the old manor too, but he wouldn't ever let Lucius know.
Being that he was in a hurry, he forgot to once again take the alternate route to his room, and silently cursed himself after.
"Draco!" he heard a voice call. He pretended not to hear the annoying sound and continued walking although he picked up his pace a little. "Draco!" the voice called again, and he was pulled to face her.
"Good morning, Cindy," he muttered. "I don't have time to talk right now."
"Oh yeah, I heard that Granger was dragging you on vacation or something. That must suck."
"Actually, it's me that's dragging her along. Now, if you'd kindly let me go, I have places to be," he said roughly and pulled his arm out of her grip.
"You've changed," she noted in her annoying, high-pitched voice.
"Yes I have, and I'm glad that I did."
She gave him an icy glare and ran her petite fingers through her long, thin blonde hair. "I liked you, Draco, since the first day we met. I always thought there could be something between us."
"Well you were wrong. I never saw anything more than a friendship," he said coldly. He stalked off back to his room.
Hermione was staring out the window at the massive grey sky. It reminded her strongly of Draco's eyes. She loved his eyes; they were emotionless to all except her, and she liked that. She liked the fact that he was able to open up to her.
"Hey," she mumbled shyly as he walked in.
"Hey," he responded as he sat in the chair next to her. "Food will be here in four minutes."
"Okay. What are they bringing us?"
"I don't know exactly. Whatever they bring will be good, though. I've got some very skilled chefs down there."
"Well that's a good thing. What would you do without house elves? I would love to see the day."
"For you information, I can cook just fine. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but when they came looking for jobs, I couldn't turn them down."
"Aw, that's sweet. You do care about someone besides yourself."
"I care about you." He stood and leaned against the frame of the window.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around the torso of his body.
"I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"My mother. I cared for her, but Lucius would walk all over her, and she wouldn't stop him. She didn't care enough about me to stop him from disowning me. Since then I stopped caring. I was going to kill myself the day you showed up here. I had no one, and then you walked back into my life. It's been only two days, but I feel complete and happy again, and I don't know how you feel, but I know that if something not so great were to occur, I think I would probably kill myself."
"What do you mean 'not so great'?"
"I'm not exactly sure myself." He sighed and turned to face her. "Hermione, I-"
There was a soft knock at the door and Draco broke away from her to answer it. "I is bringing your food, Master Draco," Sharley stated with a smile across her face.
"Thank you, Sharley." He relieved her of the tray and placed a sickle in the palm of her hand.
"Master Draco, I is telling you before, I is not wanting pay. You is needing the money."
"I have plenty of money, Sharley. Why can't you take it?"
"I is not wanting the other house elves to be jealous. I is not wanting paying," she squealed as she handed the coin back to him.
Draco took the silver coin back reluctantly. "Give the others my thanks then, will you?"
"Of course." She bowed deeply and disappeared with a small pop.
Draco placed the tray of food on a small table in the corner of the room. He pulled a chair out for Hermione and sat down across from her.
"Smells delicious," Hermione commented as she took her seat.
"Always does," he responded with his famous smirk.
"So what were you gunna say before?" she asked as she took a small bite of her eggs.
"Oh-um-I don't remember," he lied quickly. Of course he remembered what he was going to tell her, but now that he had time to dwell on it, he realized that it probably wasn't the right time to tell her that sort of thing. She still hadn't shown much affection toward him, and he didn't know if she would get scared and turn away.
"Oh, okay." She glanced up at him and noticed that he hadn't even tried his food, just pushed it around a bit with his fork. "Aren't you gunna eat? The food really is great."
"Yeah, I'm getting to it." He brought his fork slowly to his lips, and bit off a large portion of the sausage that was on the end of it.
They didn't speak for the remainder of breakfast. They each wanted to tell the other how they felt, but neither could bring themselves to do it.
When they had finished eating, Draco cleaned everything with a sweep of his wand. "We have twenty minutes before we depart. Are you sure you have everything?" Draco asked. She nodded and stared out the large window.
Draco's eyes roamed over her body. She had a slim and probably beautiful figure that was hidden beneath her baggy clothes. His head was swimming with thoughts of her and what would happen in the next two weeks. Nothing seemed logical anymore. He wanted to tell her exactly what he felt for her, but every time he opened his mouth, no sound came out. It wasn't like Draco to be at a loss for words, he had always known exactly what to say, but it seemed as if he had lost all his courage.
Twenty minutes later, Draco apparated himself and Hermione to a nice hotel room in Hawaii. It was on the top floor and over-looked the giant blue ocean. The room was huge. There was a large bed, a TV, three chairs, two couches, and a loveseat.
Hermione was in awe, and the only word that escaped her lips was, "Wow!"
Draco smiled at her reaction. She was looking from the ocean to the room to Draco. "Does this meet your approval?" he asked "Can you live here for the next two weeks?"
Nodding her head fervently, she said, "Yes! This is absolutely wonderful! How much did it cost?"
"It wasn't too bad." He shrugged as if to say if was nothing.
"I still say you didn't have to do this for me. I could've managed without this."
"No you wouldn't have. You have been stressed beyond belief, and it looked like you were about to explode. Plus, I have been wanting to get away for a while, and I didn't really feel like going anywhere alone." He jumped on the bed and put his hands under his head.
"Get your lazy ass up!" Hermione demanded. "We just got here, and I am not waiting around here so you can sleep." She crossed her arms defiantly across her chest and waited for him to get up.
"Alright, I'm coming. I just wanted to make sure it was comfortable enough for you to sleep on."
"Sure you were." She grabbed his arm, pulled him to his feet and toward the door. "Draco, we still gotta check in to get our keys, don't we?"
"No, I've got them." He pulled two keys out of his pocket.
"How'd you get those?"
"I'm a wizard. That is all you need to know."
Hermione looked at him questioningly, but said nothing. They rode the elevator down the forty stories, and walked out onto the beach. After setting up their towels, Hermione decided she wanted to tan while Draco went swimming. She took off her shirt and shorts and covered her body in sun tan lotion.
After about an hour, Hermione stood and walked toward the water. Before she was even half way there, a tall man with black hair and blue eyes stepped in front of her. "Hey, babe, wanna come up to my room later?" he asked.
"Uh, no," she answered and tried to walk around him, but he pulled her back.
"Why not? It doesn't look like you have anywhere else to be. I can make all your dreams come true."
"No you can't," she snapped. "Not even my boyfriend is able to do that."
"And where is he? If he was good for you, he'd be over here right now."
"He's swimming, and the ocean is still about a hundred fifty meters away from here, and you're standing in front of me so he wouldn't be able to see me, which might be a problem."
"That don't matter. He should still be checking up on you."
"Hermione, is this guy bothering you?" Draco asked as he snaked his arm around her waist.
"Yes, he won't leave me the fuck alone," she responded and shot a glare at the other man.
"This pretty boy is your boyfriend?" the man snorted. "I feel bad for you."
This pissed Draco off more than it should have, and he punched the man in the jaw. "Don't you ever call me a pretty boy again. I can guarantee you that I can put you out of your misery with the blink of an eye. And if you ever think about coming near my girl again, you will suffer," Draco snarled. Holding his jaw, the man glared at them and stalked off. "Did he do anything to you?" Draco asked concernedly while looking at her gently.
"Just pissed me off. I can't stand that shit. Some guys are such assholes, and I don't even wanna go swimming now."
"Oh come on, don't let that guy ruin your day."
"Can we come back later when there are fewer people here? I feel uncomfortable around them all."
"Alright. We'll go up to our room for now, and come back when it's less crowded."
Hermione hugged him gently and felt the cool water from his body drip onto hers. She shivered at the sudden cold that engulfed her, but chose to ignore it as Draco took her hand and led her back to their towels. Draco dried himself and put his shirt back on while Hermione put on her shirt and shorts.
They walked slowly back to the hotel and up to their room. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and stared out the window at the ocean. She was thinking about where Harry was and how he was doing. The guy on the beach made her believe that leaving England was the worst decision she could have made.
"Hermione?" Draco's voice broke her trance. "What's wrong?"
"Everything," she answered quietly.
"What's that supposed to mean? I don't understand."
"We should go back, Draco. We shouldn't be here. I made the wrong decision in letting you bring me here."