Note: interface doesn't allow the strikeout tag - so I had to use (parenthesis) to indicate where Hermione or Geoffrey had scratched out what they'd written. Sorry!

Dear Hermione,

I hope you are enjoying your summer. Mine has been rather quiet for the most part. I help Mum out in the shop during the day and in the evenings I floo out to Hogwarts for my "lessons." You wouldn't believe the crackpot that old Dumbledore found to instruct me! He's got a peg leg and a creepy glass eye and looks like a dragon took a chunk out of his face. Name of Moody, which I find eminently suitable. The bloke is a veritable bucket of ice water. He doesn't seem too fond of me, but then again he doesn't seem too fond of Dumbledore either so I don't take much notice.

I'll say this for him though, he knows his stuff. I've learned more in the last two weeks than I managed to figure out for myself in two years. Moody's an auror though, so he must have a great deal of practice.

But enough about that. Tell me what you've been doing, and if you finished that book on binding charms yet. I'm sure you have. I wish I could read as fast as you.

(I miss you.) I was thinking about how my 'mum' suggested I invite you to stay with 'us' this summer. You could come, if you wanted to. (I want to see you again.) And then we could study together. I could sleep on the sofa and you could use my room. (I can just imagine how you'd look asleep in my bed. ) If you wanted to come, I mean.

(Love,)
(From,)

Yours,

Geoffrey

Dear Geoffrey,

How lovely to hear from you! I'm glad your lessons are going well. I am actually a little acquainted with your teacher and agree that he is rather unpleasant, but is the best at what he does. Has he said anything odd to you, perhaps, something that seemed strange or not quite right? If he has, let me know. I have a theory, but I don't want to worry you with the details until I'm sure.

Things here are fine. Mum and Dad work all day so I have plenty of time to read. I have finished the charms book, of course, and have some ideas I want to test out. But they will have to wait until the start of term; that prohibition against underage magic is really inconvenient at times like this!

(&&&&&&&& ) I'd like to visit. I could come any time before August 15 as I'm to go to the Weasleys' after that until school starts. I could only stay a few days though, my parents don't want me to be gone too long since they rarely see me as it is. Does July 20-23 work for you?

(&&&&)

Write back soon,

Hermione

Geoffrey tried to read the words that had Hermione had scribbled out, but she'd done a very thorough job.

Dear Hermione,

I'm not sure what you mean by "odd". Half of the words coming out of Moody's mouth are odd. Constant vigilance and tripe like that. I suppose the most peculiar thing he says are these comments he makes on occasion about how he must be crazy for agreeing to instruct me, that he fears bad things will come of it. But really I hadn't paid him much mind until you asked about it, because most of what he says reeks of gloom and doom.

He does say I'm a natural, though. I managed to batter my way into his head this afternoon for the first time. He has some truly frightening memories. I suppose showing me was his revenge for my getting in there at all.

July 20 is fine. Mum is already twittering around getting the flat ready for company. I don't think she's ever really had a houseguest before so she's a bit overly excited about it. So am I. Do you want us to come collect you, or will you find your way here on your own? I know you know the way.

(I can't wait to see you.)

See you soon,

Geoffrey

Dear Geoffrey,

Be careful what you say to Professor Moody. I don't doubt his intentions but he is extremely suspicious by nature. If anyone could figure out (&&&& &&&&&&&&) the secret, he could.

I hope your mum isn't going to very much trouble on my behalf! Please reassure her that she doesn't need to make any special accommodations for me. After the Burrow, her flat is already quite immaculate!

That reminds me, I do want to bring her a small gift to thank her for her hospitality. Does she like chocolate?

Not much else to report from here. I've finished all of the pre-term assignments and so I've been entertaining myself with some pleasure reading and swimming lessons, of all things. You'd think I'd have learned to swim as a child, but I never did. Luckily, I float naturally, so I'm in no danger of drowning, but swimming with proper form is much harder than it looks. I do enjoy getting out though, and visiting with the other students. After being at school all term surrounded by people it feels odd to sit at home alone all day.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my visit. I will make my own way, there's no need to go to any trouble.

Love,

Hermione

The night before Hermione's visit, Geoffrey couldn't sleep a wink. He'd spent the last month thinking of her almost every free moment, wondering what she was doing right then and who she might be with. Anyone who might be spending time with her was worthy of jealousy. But tomorrow, she would be here. Only for four days, but she would be here and Geoffrey would make the most of her visit.

He'd done most of his own homework already, because there was little else to do in the evenings after his mum had gone to bed. He hadn't done all of it though, because he wanted to save something for Hermione to help him with. He loved the way she leaned toward him when they were both looking over his work.

He'd told Moody he'd be taking a break from lessons for a few days. The old man had been annoyed, mumbling about wasting valuable time, but had quickly quieted down when Geoffrey pointed out that he could take it out on him when he returned on the 24th. But Geoffrey refused to waste any of his valuable time with Hermione cooped up in a classroom with the grizzly auror.

Morning eventually came, and Geoffrey helped his mum prepare breakfast to pass the time. She seemed surprised and pleased by his assistance, so Geoffrey made a mental note to help her more often while he was there.

Her punctuality was one of the things he loved about her, realized Geoffrey as the knock came thirty seconds before nine o'clock. She never kept him waiting.

"Hello," he greeted nonchalantly as he opened the door, taking her travel bag from her to keep from throwing his arms around her. "Come on in."

"Thank you," she replied, following him inside.

"I've got breakfast in the other room, if you're hungry. I made pancakes and fried tomatoes." He'd foregone his normal bacon because he knew Hermione didn't like it.

"That sounds lovely, thanks."

They went to the kitchen and sat down. "Is your Mum here?"

"She's downstairs in the shop." Geoffrey stood, agitated. "Would you like some tea? Or coffee? I forgot to ask."

Hermione laughed, "Relax, Geoffrey! Yes, I would love some tea."

Geoffrey forced himself to take a deep breath as he fetched the tea tray. "Sorry, I'm not used to entertaining." Especially not someone so important to me.

"You're doing fine, really. Besides, it's just me, you don't need to go to any trouble," she assured him.

"It's no trouble," insisted Geoffrey, pouring the tea. "Milk?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "No sugar."

Geoffrey sat down again after handing Hermione her tea and fixing his own. "I thought we might help Mum for a little bit this morning, she's got a shipment coming in from France. But after that, we could go somewhere if you liked."

"That would be nice, the weather is supposed to be great today. It's not the least bit cloudy. Is there someplace nice to see around here? I don't know this part of the country well at all."

Geoffrey racked his brain. He'd never really done any sightseeing, though he knew that other people occasionally did. "I really don't know. We never really go anywhere… went anywhere, I mean."

"Let me see, the tourist centre in muggle Snape Village might have some ideas," suggested Hermione. At Geoffrey's blank look she explained, "Most towns have an office that tells visitors about all the area attractions. Snape Village probably has something like that."

"All right," agreed Geoffrey. It seemed as good a method as any of finding a place to go.

Snape Village did indeed have a small tourist centre and the portly lady who operated it seemed thrilled to have visitors. She recommended they visit Thornbury Park, which was well renowned throughout the county as simply the best place for a swim and a stroll. Geoffrey was a little disconcerted by the woman's not-so-subtle comments about young lovebirds, but Hermione since seemed to pay it no mind, he made no issue of it either.

After stopping back at home to retrieve the makings of a picnic and some swim clothes, the two made their way to the park. As they walked down the winding path around the lake, conversing easily about the goings-on of their last few days, Geoffrey felt a sense of peace and comfort like nothing he'd ever experienced. He always loved spending time with Hermione, but today was different. They were alone, in what some might consider a romantic setting, about to have a picnic. Geoffrey could almost convince himself they were having a date.

They settled down under a shady fig tree to have lunch. When they both reached for the basket of rolls at the same time, fingers touching, Hermione chuckled before retracting her hand. Geoffrey's breath caught from the unexpected contact. He wanted to take her hand in his own, bring it to his lips, turning it over to plant a kiss in the palm of her hand before trailing kisses all the way up her arm and gathering her close to him.

But instead, he merely handed Hermione a roll. "Ladies first."

Geoffrey's lascivious thoughts continued sporadically throughout their meal. He watched Hermione's lips circle the banana she was eating and in his mind's eye they were surrounding something very different entirely. When she leaned forward to pour another glass of water, Geoffrey couldn't help but stare down the front of her blouse as it drooped dangerously low over her small but shapely tits.

"Fancy a swim?" He asked when he realized that a dousing in cold water might be a good idea.

Hermione shook her head. "We can't yet. You should never swim right after eating; you might get a stomach cramp and drown. We need to wait at least an hour."

Good lord, thought Geoffrey. I'll never make it.

"I brought a book, we can read while we wait," suggested Hermione.

Geoffrey nodded, so Hermione retrieved the book from her bag. "This is one of my favourite novels. I reread it once every year or so. It's called Ivanhoe."

"What's it about?" asked Geoffrey.

"It takes place in the Middle Ages, during the Crusades. It's about a young knight who is disinherited by his father and forbidden to marry the woman he loves because she's been pledged to another. It's about a lot of other people as well, but you'll have to wait and see. I don't want to spoil the story for you," she grinned. "One of the things I love about this book though is how forward-thinking it was. It was written almost two hundred years ago, but the ideas in it are very modern."

"It sounds interesting," Geoffrey agreed. The woman he loves pledged to another? Sounds familiar.

Hermione began to read. After a few minutes, Geoffrey lay down, flat on his back on the grass as he listened, hands crossed behind his head. The story was engrossing, almost from the first. He grew angry for Isaac of York when he was mocked by his "hosts" simply because he was Jewish; Geoffrey thought all religions were equally silly so differentiating between them was a bit ridiculous. The bullies' insults reminded him of Potter's incessant taunts of "Snivellus" back in his own time. He grew angrier still when no one would lift a finger to help the gravely wounded Ivanhoe, not even his own family, and even a little annoyed at his 'beloved' Rowena, who supposedly loved him but would not oppose her guardian to help him. He liked Rebecca much better, Isaac's generous daughter who insisted they care for his wounds despite the laws forbidding contact between their cultures.

He found himself disappointed when Hermione closed the book. "That's enough for today. My throat's getting a bit dry, and we've waited long enough to have our swim now."

She stood, picking up her tote bag and looked around. "I'm going to change in those woods over there. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Geoffrey watched her walk away, his body reacting almost immediately to the knowledge that she'd be undressing so nearby. He knew she'd be gorgeous naked. Fuck, he needed a wank!

But now was not the time for such things. He shrugged out of his jeans and shirt, and pulled off his shoes and socks. He didn't actually own any swim trunks, so his boxers would have to do. They did little to hide his state of arousal though, so he held his towel in front of his hips while forcing himself to think of Professor McGonagall in her skivvies. Luckily for him, that very frightening thought did the trick.

Unfortunately, his victory was rather short lived; the sight of Hermione coming out of the forest in a simple, one-piece swimsuit quickly undid all his hard work. He'd only imagined some of the curves beneath her Hogwarts uniform, but the skin-tight swimsuit left little to the imagination. The swell of her hips, the pale skin of her thighs, and oh, the soft mounds of her tits peeking out the neckline were a vision he'd never forget. Her figure wasn't perfect by dirty magazine standards, but it tantalized him just the same. Good thing he still held the towel. He thought of his own scrawny, unimpressive physique in comparison. At least he wasn't pallid anymore.

"Shall we?" asked Hermione, dropping her bag on the ground by the picnic basket.

She probably had no idea what she was doing to him. "Sure."

At first he walked a little behind her, but the clear view of her arse jiggling as she walked made his problem even more pronounced, so he sped up to walk directly alongside her. When they reached the edge of the lake, Geoffrey dropped his towel and ran quickly into the water in order to keep Hermione from seeing his erection. The water was frigid, and quickly cooled his ardour. "Fuck!"

Hermione laughed as she tiptoed slowly into the lake, inches at a time. "That's one way to do it! I can't bear to feel the cold all at once though. I'm just a big baby, I guess."

"I don't know," sputtered Geoffrey, "right about now I'm thinking you have the right idea. It's bloody cold!"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it in a few minutes."

"Or freeze to death," he grumbled.

"You will NOT," giggled Hermione, taking another tiny step towards him.

Geoffrey snorted, "That's easy for you to say from all the way up there!"

"I'm coming, just taking my time acclimatising, is all," she insisted. She took another infinitesimal step toward him.

A wicked thought inspired Geoffrey. Without stopping to think about how Hermione might react, he scooped some water into his hands and splashed it right at her midsection. "Looks like you could use some help!"

Hermione gasped in shock, jumping back from the sudden barrage of icy water. "You… you…" she sputtered before bending forward to sent a retaliatory splash flying into Geoffrey's face, and then another.

Geoffrey hadn't closed his mouth quite quickly enough and found himself with a mouthful of fishy water. He, too, began to sputter as he spat it out, sending Hermione into a fit of laughter. Not content to let her win this bout, he scooped several more handfuls at various parts of her anatomy, noting with satisfaction how her nipples hardened from the touch of cold water through the swimsuit.

"This means war!" challenged Hermione as she finally jumped in herself, landing inches from Geoffrey and then, to his surprise, tickling his ribs under the water.

Geoffrey wasn't particularly ticklish, but he had a few sensitive spots. He tried to manoeuvre sideways to protect them, while simultaneously going in for the attack on Hermione's own ribs. Hermione giggled and twisted to avoid his counter-assault, which only egged him on further. As they lunged and parried they laughed harder, until a few moments later they found themselves in a strange tangle of arms, their torsos pressed closely together, their heads mere inches apart. Geoffrey's laughter ceased as he realized how provocative their current position was. She was looking up at him with an expression he couldn't quite interpret, but she looked so damned sexy! Her hair was dishevelled, dampened from the splashing, and her cheeks flushed, her lips lightly parted. Geoffrey didn't think; he just acted.

Geoffrey didn't think he was imagining her arms tightening around him as his lips touched hers, first lightly, and when she didn't pull away, with more fervour. Geoffrey had never kissed a girl before, so although he would wonder later if he had done it right, now he could only think of how good she felt in his arms and against his mouth.

But then, he felt her pull back from him. Startled, he immediately let go. While he was trying frantically to think of a way to explain why he'd done such a crazy thing, Hermione spoke. "It will be dark soon, we should probably pack up our things and head back."

She didn't sound particularly upset, but Geoffrey was suspicious nonetheless at the way she completely avoided the subject of the kiss that had completely knocked him for six. She was acting as if nothing had happened at all, making conversation about her charms studies during their walk home. Neither her words nor her demeanour gave any clue as to what she was thinking about the kiss. If she was thinking about it at all, that is.