AN: I started writing this chapter before I knew I got any reviews because my Internet isn't working (Tuesday, June 8, 11:32 AM Georgia time) so yeah, here I go!
(oh, and sorry i didn't finish till NOW monday june 13!)
Disclaimer: I prefer reviewing to suing (It's not mine! Just the plot!)
Hermione quickly found her spot on the long table, her name in big golden letters hovering above a chair. She sat down in the cushioned chair, smiling as she felt like a queen in her throne. She looked to her left, where Draco Malfoy was supposed to be seated, and to her right, where Katherine McClure was to be seated as well. Suddenly, the witch with her falsely died red hair apparated in the middle of the room.
"Now everyone! I want you all to be seated! Horseback riding will take place in exactly one hour, so we don't have time to mingle before and after. To your seats! You only have main course to eat, and so pick up your menu, point at what you want and wave it twice, and it will appear on your plate. Thank you, I shall return later!" She said, and popped out of the room.
"Ah, so you've decided to keep me?" Draco's drawl came from her left. Hermione smirked.
"Only because I didn't want to ruin this for me and be with Harry the whole time when he's my best friend, not a potential love." Hermione replied.
"Sure..." Draco said teasingly as he picked up his menu and waved his wand to retrieve him a pasta dish. "No sense in waiting, I'd best eat this fast so I can make sure I look alright for my horseback riding partner," He whispered in Hermione's ear, sending shivers down her spine. Hermione almost closed her eyes in the ticklish pleasure, but quickly slapped out of it.
"Oh please, Draco, just eat already," Hermione said, shooing his face away from hers. He shrugged, then started cutting his pasta dish. Hermione scanned the Italian menu to discover everything was in Italian. Baffled, she searched everywhere for an "English" section. She heard giggles to her right, and quickly turned to find Katherine laughing at Hermione.
"Honestly, Hermione, aren't you trilingual?" She asked, pulling her own menu out.
"Yes, I am! I speak English, French, and Mermish!" She announced proudly. Katherine only shook her head as she began to translate the Italian on the menu.
"I'm getting Fettuccini Alfredo, which is what I would recommend." Katherine said, waving her wand so a plate of pasta and chicken covered in some sort of white sauce appeared. Hermione sighed and did the same, having the delicious smelling dish appear in front of her. Quickly taking a bite, she realized this dish was superb, and quickly, but politely, cut it into small, delicate pieces and ate. She too had to have time to look good for the horseback riding. Hermione then ordered a Muggle beverage, "Root Beer", and sipped at its contents politely. About to take another bite, Hermione heard a gasp from beside her, and looked up to find Haley, a glass full and tall with grape wine, "tripping" over something, sending all it's contents on Hermione. But something odd happened. Due to the spell Hermione had put on her gown earlier, it caused all liquids to bounce off and land in the general direction of where it came from. So, the wine bounced gently off of Hermione's stomach and bosom, tickling her slightly, and went straight back into Haley's face and dress. Haley screamed in defeat and embarrassment as she stalked out of the room into the bathroom, Hermione and her dining guests laughing loudly.
"That was a good choice in spell, Hermione," Draco said through a chuckle. Hermione smiled a genuine smile, and quickly caught herself and looked at Katherine, who was baffled at what just occurred, but laughing pleasantly along with her date, Chris, who was a famous Quidditch goalie, and on the same team as the stunning Logan.
"Yes, I guess I'd have to agree with you on that one. I taught that to Ron's wife, Sandra, on their wedding day. It prooved useful when Ron accidentally knocked over orange pumpkin juice all over her gown!" Hermione laughed pleasantly, recalling the memory with happiness. "Poor Ron got a faceful of juice, making his face so red it hurt to look at it!"
"Surely it wasn't that red," Draco tried to comprimise, but Hermione waved it off and kindled her laughter, turning to Katherine.
"Thank you for warning me about that spill, Katherine. Otherwise I would have been in tears and running out of here, skipping horseback riding!" Hermione said, offering a hand of friendship towards the girl.
"No problem," Katherine said, accepting it and smiling.
Hermione then returned to her food, chewing polietly and talking only briefly with Katherine and Draco. She was well pleased that the rest of the evening was uneventful.
As soon as Hermione was finished with her meal, she polietly excused herself
"Here you are, Hermione. I checked out your outfit, if you don't mind my nosiness, and it is fabulously cute! Good choice! I'm sure all the guys will be looking at you!" She said, shoving the bag in Hermione's hands and sending her to a dressing room.
Hermione gently opened the bag and laid it's contents on the chair supplied and found a note from Ginny.
Hermione-
I'm quite sure you'll scrunch your nose at this outfit, but really, it's for you! It's a guarantee "Look at me because I'm hot" outfit! The heels are already spelled not to break, and they automatically keep you balanced. The jeans, oh, they are perfect! They should, no matter what, come right above your black heels, only revealing the pointed toe and hardly any heel without a crease in the jeans. The rest is self explanatory.
Don't forget to wave your wand once and say "Ginny's Way". Your hair and makeup will change accordingly, but only this once (I took the authority to program your wand for that one time use thing). Make sure you keep an eye on Harry for me, ok? I'm really worried because I know there are tons of prettier girl's there. Don't forget to have fun!
Ginny
Hermione smiled as she looked at her outfit and quickly changed. Ginny was right when she didn't show me this before hand, Hermione thought to herself, walking in front of the floor length mirror.
The navy blue jeans did exactly what Ginny said, covering the tops of her heels, which were three inches high and the thickness of a pencil, and were the kind that have the slogan 'how low can you go?'. Hermione sighed as she allowed her eyes to travel upward. Her pink spaghetti-strap top went to below her well-toned stomach, but still allowed for an inch and ½ or so of viewable skin. Covering the spaghetti strap top was a sheer long sleeved, button up blouse, in which the fabric followed the flow of the feminine body. It was made of such sheer cotton that Hermione could actually see through it, even though it had different amount of white thickness due to the small stripes.
"Ginny, what did I let myself get into entrusting you to my wardrobe?" Hermione sighed out loud, pulling out her wand and waving it like Ginny had instructed. Her hair suddenly didn't have any braids, just a calm, curly look that made her look totally natural. The makeup around her eyes was light, only using a light brown and a dark brown to emphasize depth, the eyeliner remaining the same. Her lips had a touch of playful light pink gloss, barely seen, but recognizable. Hermione smiled with satisfaction, knowing that she looked cute. She quickly buttoned one button where her diaphragm was, allowing the white over shirt to show off her womanly curves as it met the top of her jeans, the cuffs of the shirt wide and extending to her knuckles. She sighed and stuffed her gown and other heels into the bag, and walked out to be met by the other nine girls. Molly quickly strode to her and laced her arm in Hermione's as she waited excitedly for the next announcement of where they were going. Hermione smiled at her friend's attire. It was much more simple and not as flattering. Molly sported dark khaki corderoy pants, with a snug navy blue shirt that grasped at her assets. Only a tiny bit of skin was seen where the shirt and pants met, but only when she raised her arms. On her feet were a simple pair of the American "cowgirl boots" in a navy color (despite how they may sound, they were a wonderful addition to her outfit). On her arm that wasn't laced with Hermione's was a dark blue sweater, exactly the shade of her shirt and shoes.
"Shoot," Hermione said, barely audible. Molly looked at her with a questioning look as the redheaded woman came into view. "I didn't bring a jacket," Hermione explained, feeling embarrassed and unprepared.
"Oh don't worry, I'm sure Draco will have one," Molly giggled. Hermione rolled her eyes and dragged her attention to the redheaded woman.
"We will only be going to a nearby stable to take a path through a little wooded area to the beach, where you will be free to ride and return as you like. Don't worry, the ride there will be the time for instruction, so you will be prepared to walk, trot, canter, or even gallop!" The woman said excitedly, clapping her hands together for emphasis. All the girls quickly shared whispers of excitement and fears to their neighbors, but quickly became quiet as the woman announced the name of the stable.
"That's it, ladies. See you there!" She said with a pop. Hermione smiled at Molly and winked, disappearing with a small pop.
............................................................................................................
Hermione smiled and found Molly, who had only appeared right next to her side just a few seconds after Hermione arrived.
"Everyone arrived safely? All right, yes. Ok, here we go! Meet your partners and from there you'll be given a horse and instruction and help if you need it. Now go, shoo!" The woman said as all the girls went to find their guys on the opposite side of the stable. Hermione found Draco quickly, but noticed he hadn't spotted her yet. He was leaning against an open, empty stall, staring in front of him like nothing else mattered in the world. He wore what looked like comfortable jeans, blue, but they looked well worn (it was the style for the Muggles that year). He wore a light blue polo shirt with a winged horse on his right upper chest (it was the symbol for Laura and Raul, the top manufacturers of that style of shirts in the wizarding world), and over the polo shirt, a leather jacket. His hair remained sleeked back, that same comma of hair invading his left eye, giving him a mysterious look. Hermione took a deep breath and walked briskly too him, her heels clicking dully on the hay infested ground, quickly drawing Draco's attention, but worse: his infectious smile. Hermione blushed slightly and returned the smile, walking gracefully up to his side.
Hermione! What are you doing? She scolded herself slightly, trying to think of why she had blushed at his true, friendly, and quite dashing... Here you go again...she said as she mentally shook off the feeling and approached Draco.
"Are you excited for this horseback riding?" Draco asked dully, but his eyes betrayed him with an excited spark.
"Actually, I've never ridden a horse, and up until now, I would have liked to have kept it that way..." Hermione said, fiddling with her hands.
Stop that! She scolded herself, That's a sign you're nervous, and you're not!
"Oh, my father thought it'd be best for me to be educated in all proper ways, including that of horseback riding. Why, I'll never know. But it was a literal pain in the butt..." Draco said, a smile to match the laughing spark in his eyes. Hermione laughed at his joke as he offered an arm, which she took, and walked together to where they would get their horses.
Hermione gulped. She never thought that she'd have to face her one of her two worst fears (horseback riding and broom riding). She blinked away fright as her and Draco found the line of twenty-five horses (the extra five were for guides to ride on).
"All right, you young lovebirds," One of the women said that was standing by a strong chestnut mare. Hermione was about to object to the nickname she gave herself and Draco, but the woman continued. "My name is Alanna, and I'll be the main guide for tonight. Can I have your experiences and names?" She asked professionally, an odd glint to her eyes.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco said, offering a hand to shake, "and I've ridden plenty of times before, and in fact own six horses of my own," Draco said in a professional tone. Hermione watched the way his lips annunciated each word to perfection, feeling the light breeze that bustled by on the open road and seeing it toss Draco's comma of hair.
"Uh, dear?" Alanna said.
"Oh, my experience? Oh, hm, none. I'm really scared of horses, actually. Those and brooms..."Hermione said, blushing furiously as she had been caught in the act of staring, but confidently looked into the woman's eyes, still noticing the odd sparkle.
"Dear, and your name?" She asked patiently.
"Oh yes, Hermione Granger, sorry," Hermione said, sticking her hand out for a friendly handshake. Alanna laughed and took it, looking into Hermione's eyes. That's it.
"Uh, ma'am, er, Alanna, I don't mean to be rude, but...are your eyes...purple?" Hermione asked, squinting her eyes and leaning forward to get a better look. Alanna laughed, running a hand through long coppery curls.
"Yes, they are! Quite and odd color, don't you think? My late twin brother, Thom, had the same colored eyes as me too! Amazing, isn't it? My husband, that man back there," Alanna said, pointing to a tall man dressed in the typical 'cowboy' attire, glanced over and waved. His nose had appeared to have been broken several times, and he must've been stubborn and not allowed the mediwitches and –wizards see to it. "his name's George, seems to think it's my purple eyes that put a spell on him! Heh, I don't believe him for a second. It's just I'm so unbelievably charming, when I'm not mad. Why, would you look at me! I love to talk, talk, talk as long as someone is willing to listen. Let's set you two up behind Dave, one of our guides. Hermione, you'll be riding BB. She's a headstrong little girl, but she'll mind her manners if I have anything to say to her. Draco, you'll be riding Sugar. And mind you, don't let his name trick you. He's a hardy stallion, and we barely were able to train him. Just guide him with a firm hand and he'll follow you." Alanna said, leading them to two horses. Hermione looked at hers in fright, although was instantly calmed by the gentle gaze of BB's midnight blue eyes.
"That's a hint that they're not the normal Muggle horses," Draco informed her.
Hermione stood beside BB briefly, a cold wind manuevering slowing to Hermione, who instantly got goosebumps as the wind tossed and flirted with her hair momentarily. Hermione stiffled her shivers just as Draco looked over, a delicate brow arched.
"Hermione, did you forget a jacket?" Draco asked, proceding to remove his leather one.
"Honestly, Draco, what kind of person do you think I am? Of course I didn't forget a jacket...Ginny did." Hermione said confidently, until she murmured the last detail. Draco chuckled softly, handing over his jacket. "Draco, really I cou--"
"Nonsense. I don't chill easily, and you really could use it, trust me," Draco said as Hermione reluctantly pulled it on.
"Thanks Draco," Hermione said in a small voice. He once again chuckled until Alanna abruptly cleared her throat, causing them to look at her with odd looks. Alanna shook her head and made a stool appeared.
"Alright, just swing your leg up and over, and you'll be fine!" Alanna said, quickly demonstrating, and sliding off to allow Hermione to try. Hermione gulped, and steadily took her first step onto the stepping stool, balancing her weight as she took the second step. "Right now," Alanna continued, "stick your right foot in that stirrup there, and swing your left foot around, there you go!" Alanna said as Hermione found herself suddenly in a hard saddle. "Now, don't forget to put on your spell helmet," Alanna reminded her, winking. "Draco, I entrust that you know how to mount?" Alanna said, and without waiting for a reply, moved down to help Haley and Ben into the horses just one horse's distance in front of them.
Once everyone was mounted up and comfortable (well, as comfortable as you can get sitting in a saddle), the whole group of 25 people, got on the move. Alanna was the leader, her husband George, the caboose on a huge Clydesdale horse named Monster.
"I told him not to bring him out," Alanna explained as she rode by earlier to check and make sure everyone was ready to go, "but he just had to show off. He said, 'as a big man, I need a big horse!' He's only a smidget bigger than me, but he needs to use Monster!" Hermione laughed as Alanna continued down the line. George was nothing close to a "smidget" bigger than Alanna. Alanna was a short and stocky woman, but by all means, not fat looking, just well built. At maybe 5'4" (if she stretched a bit), she was almost a foot shorter than her husband, who was twice her weight, but not in a fatty build, but more in a muscular thickness, most likely from the handlings of horses, no doubt about it.
"Let's go!" Hermione heard Alanna shout as she galloped to the front of the line. Hermione noted her perfect poise, as if she'd been born in a saddle.
Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her own spot, the hard leather causing her inner thighs to numb. "This is going to be a wonderful learning experience..." Hermione muttered gloomily as another cool breeze picked it's way through the long line of horses, causing Hermione to be extremely thankful for the leather coat keeping her skin warm. Then, quite suddenly, BB lurched forward, moving quickly to keep up with Dave's horse. Hermione silently cursed and grasped the reins in white-knuckled hands.
VBC
PS. My own personal goal is to have 100 reviews by chapter (I'd prefer chapter 7, but then that'd mean i'd have to get like 30 this chapter, and this chapter is bad, SO yea!)! So work magic people!
OH! I don't cuss or nothing, so when I say "Hermione cursed silently" I mean she said a curse, or a hex, or whatever you want to call it! Just FYI! Yea, ok.
I really TRULY hope to have another chapter by this weekend, but I can't promise anything, ok? And a week from thursday I'll be at two camps (EFY and Trek for those of you who know what I'm talking about doubt there are any of you) and so I won't be back for like a week and 1/2, so the next chapter shall be brilliant! Ok enough of my rambling!
Oh wait, another disclaimer. The characters Alanna and George come from another series of books by Tamora Pierce, so they're not my idea at all. I just changed them a lot considering they're from the time of Dragons and castles and stuff like that (fabulous series of books, if you're interested!)
OH YEA! THANKS!
I'm too lazy at the moment, so I'm only going to have one to a very clever person who figured out what the name of the resturaunt meant in Italian (not that I don't love you ALL, I just want to post this in a HURRY!)
Jenie- Yes! The restraunt means Food of Love! lol, actually, I went to altavista.com and got "Love Food" translated into Italian! Thanks for reviewing!
Guys I do feel really bad about not commenting on EVERYONE, but hey, I'm not perfect, ok? lol, "sorry, i can't be, perfect" simple plan! lol, ok i'm done rambling now!