Hermione glanced down at her watch for what seemed like the twentieth time in the past five minutes. Harry and Ron were late, yet again. She sighed and turned back to the window display at the Magical Menagerie. She needed to stock up on owl treats and pick up a few cat toys for Crookshanks before returning to Hogwarts. Checking her watch once again, she walked towards the entrance to the shop.
"Oi, Hermione! Wait up!" a boy's voice called out.
The brunette turned and spotted her two friends waving at her from across the street at Quality Quidditch Supplies. She grinned and waved back, then darted through the crowds towards Harry and Ron. Hermione reached Ron first and threw her arms around him. He flushed slightly and patted her back as she hugged him tightly. Today was the first time she had seen the two boys since June.
"How've you been, 'Mione?" The redhead asked, holding her at arm's length. Hermione's eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. Ron had grown even taller over the summer, and his hair had darkened to a flattering auburn color.
"I've been lovely, Ron. And you?" she responded.
"Great! Mum and Dad are inside buying me a new broomstick," Ron said excitedly. "Dad got a raise!"
Hermione grinned at him. "What wonderful news! Give him my congratulations, will you?"
"Of course."
Harry watched the exchange, mildly amused. His two best friends were, once again, ignoring his presence. Not that it was all that unexpected – he tried to blend into the background as much as possible. He also knew that Ron and Hermione had become quite taken with each other in the past year. Yet he had noticed over the summer that Ron's crush had diminished slightly, and it seemed as long Hermione was no longer as enchanted with the redhead as she had been in June. He smiled to himself, shaking his head.
Harry decided that it was about time he spoke up.
"Did you forget about me? Your other best friend? The third Musketeer?"
Hermione whirled around, her hand to her mouth and her eyes open wide. "Oh, my gosh, Harry, I'm so sorry…" She trailed off, dropping her hand and gaping at him for a moment.
Harry chuckled to himself at her surprised reaction. His appearance must be quite startling to her – even Ron had given a start when Harry had first arrived at the Burrow two weeks ago. The raven-haired boy now stood at 6'3", four inches taller than Ron. Hard work with a landscaping crew over the summer had succeeded in toning his arm, leg, and stomach muscles. In addition, his hair had finally decided to behave itself at last – the previously messy mop now hung straight and fell over his forehead into his eyes, giving him a more mysterious, mature look. No wonder Hermione was staring at him so openly.
Hermione gazed at Harry for several moments, then shook her head. 'What am I doing, staring at Harry like that? He's my best friend!' she chastised herself. Regaining her composure, Hermione glanced back up into her friend's face to find him grinning at her. She smiled back shyly and held out her hand. Harry's gaze dropped down to her outstretched hand and shook his head, amused.
"What, no hug for me? I'm rather disappointed, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, giving her a sad look.
The brunette blushed becomingly and moved towards him. Harry grinned mischievously and swept her up into his arms. He twirled her around and she laughed with delight. Harry set her down and gazed down into her chocolate-colored eyes. They were shining with happiness and a bit of something else he couldn't identify. Hermione looked down at their still-intertwined hands and flushed pink again.
Harry smiled at her obvious embarrassment. His friend had also changed quite a bit during the summer months. While she still remained petite at 5'4", Hermione had finally attained a womanly figure. Her hair had lightened to a strawberry-blonde color, and hung almost to her waist. It had finally lost its frizziness and was now smooth and straight. The blonde highlights glistened in the sunlight and her brown eyes sparkled with happiness. She was rather beautiful.
"Well, well, well. Looks like Potter has finally landed himself a girlfriend – the Mudblood know-it-all," a familiar voice drawled.
The trio whirled around to face a smirking Draco Malfoy. Hermione gasped audibly as she took in the sight of the platinum-haired boy. 'Why is it that every guy I know became ridiculously handsome over the summer?' she groaned to herself. 'Wait, did I just call Draco Malfoy handsome?'
"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron growled, drawing his wand. Harry followed suit and both boys advanced towards Malfoy menacingly. The blonde merely stood there, grinning wickedly at the two boys. His gaze flicked to Hermione, and his usually emotionless eyes widened with something akin to amazement for a moment. As quickly as the emotion had come, it fled and his eyes narrowed as he turned back to Harry and Ron. Hermione gulped and moved towards the three boys, stepping between them.
"Please, don't fight. Not today! Not with everyone around to see you!" she pleaded.
Harry and Malfoy both glanced at her, but Ron kept his eyes trained on the blonde boy. Harry looked slightly guilty and moved to put his wand away. Malfoy continued to gaze at Hermione, slightly in awe.
'Damn! The Mudblood actually looks hot for once!' Malfoy thought to himself, still staring into her brown eyes. Hermione looked away from him and turned her attention to Ron. She walked towards him with an imploring look on her face. She took a step forward and tripped over a loose brick. Hermione threw out her hands to catch herself.
A pair of strong hands grasped her about the waist and pulled her back up. She closed her eyes and fell back into her rescuer's arms.
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione murmured, turning to look up at him. She froze, staring up at a pair of silvery grey eyes instead of Harry's sparkling emerald orbs. The girl jumped and nearly fell again. Malfoy retained a strong grip on her waist, and she struggled against him.
"Let her go now, Malfoy." Hermione turned to look at Harry. His eyes were blazing with anger. She turned back to Malfoy. He smirked down at her, and released her from his grasp. He maintained a grip on her hand, however, and Hermione struggled to get away. Malfoy lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. Then he let go of her hand and she darted away from him. Harry embraced her to him and glared at Malfoy.
"See you on September 1st, kids," Malfoy drawled, walking away.