Life After Hogwarts
Arime Setta
Chapter Fifteen: Wet n' Wild
A/N: Sorry it took so long! I've been fighting writers block and my wisdom teeth. This chapter clearly has some medicated influence.
After nearly an hour of sunbathing Draco finally returned from his classes. I knew my slice of paradise was doomed from the start but it ended in an unexpected manner. Draco waved his wand with a swift flick and suddenly the entire ice bucket was in the air. Two guess where it's contents landed. I screamed and started throwing pieces at him, which of course he deftly deflected. Damn Quidditch.
"Evening Hermy. How was your day?" I continued to send ice cubes at him in hopes of removing that petulant smirk from his pristine face. I summoned a towel from beneath him but yet again I was defeated. He managed to keep the towel beneath him without being usurped.
"Do you need this? Really? Well, it is to wet to be useful in your condition." There it went: straight into the pool. I sent him a glare worthy of Professor Snape and simply stood up and left. I swished my wand and was instantly dry so I headed straight to my room to get ready for the evening.
It wasn't until I reached my room that I realized I had no idea what our plans were for dinner. I was about to shout out to Draco but as usual I found him leaning against my door already. He was ogling my body when I turned and I just smirked in reply.
"Enjoying the view? Stop checking me out for a minute and tell me what we have planned tonight." After spending so much time with Draco I had become used to him and his flirtatious ways. I may be an introvert bookworm but I am perfectly comfortable with my body (or at least I want him to believe I am).
"There is no need for me to stop; I can multitask. Besides while the show may only be mediocre the view is quite nice." I just rolled my eyes and grabbed a towel off of my chair next to my bed. "I'm sure you'll loose that pink undertone eventually." I finally gave into my childish urges and stuck out my tongue with a wet raspberry. Draco's arrogant face broke into full out laughter and I quickly joined in. We had been acting for so long it felt good to be childish. After a few minutes of rolling around and making funny noises we finally calmed down. We both sprawled out in the middle of my room.
"Wow, it feels good to be silly. I feel like I've been an adult all of my life." I gave Draco a small but sad smile and understood the hidden meaning under his words. We had all been forced to grow up too early and were now trying our best to recover our lost childhoods. In all reality we were yet again being forced into adulthood, though this time it was truly because we were becoming adults. Draco's family situation didn't exactly allow room for being young and my own discovery of this new world forced me to also understand how different I was (and am). These lifestyles, though very different, create a sense of awareness that children should never have. I then realized it had been ages since the last time I broke down to tears: whether from sadness or happiness…
We both just stay there relaxing after our fit of giggles. I didn't want to let go of the moment just yet but I knew what was coming.
"Tonight we are invited to attend a dinner with Travis McRae, his fiancé Kayla Dowdy, her best friend Marella Smithers and her fiancé Thomas something-or-another. Dinner will be at a restaurant in town rather than here or at their dinning room. All four are members of the Caesarion Society- that's what they call their Slytherin-like House. I think this dinner will determine if we are invited to their weekly dinner at their house. Every Saturday the entire society gets together for a large dinner in their common dinning room. Travis is the Head Boy for the Caesarion Society so he has quite a bit of power. His children with Kayla will be the first Lords and Ladies though so we, upon marriage, are much higher in society than he is. Nonetheless we need to impress him. Are you up for the challenge?" His eyes twinkled with mischief. I laughed at his ridiculous prodding at my Gryffindor nature and just nodded.
"Draco, do not embarrass me tonight. Kayla is set to be your whore and I will not sit back and let it happen. From what I understand Travis is not a force to mess with and is quite dangerous when threatened. Besides, I will kill you if he doesn't." I just laughed at his shocked reaction and walked into my bathroom to make something of my rat's nest.
Pushing all of my bravado to the side I was a nervous wreck. It didn't matter that this was an informal dinner and that it was only a preliminary trial. My mind whizzed and whirled with the possibilities. It took me over an hour to get ready but luckily my nervous work paid off.
"You look spectacular. We are meeting them at the entrance of the school and taking a taxi in town." My face must have betrayed my feelings and Draco grabbed my hand with a light squeeze. "Relax, this should actually be some fun. For all of their pureblood sputtering this little group has a soft spot for muggle restaurants and muggle nightclubs."
"Should I change then?" I looked down and for the first time felt that I was inappropriately dressed in elegant robes.
"No, this is perfect. Once we get there we can transfigure our robes to some muggle style similar to what they are wearing. We can't appear to know everything about muggles. We should even be shocked at the idea of 'going muggle' for the night." We looked at each other for a moment and I giggled slightly then we left. It was approaching nightfall and the campus was slowly lighting up around us. The walk was pleasant and the air was alive with excitement. Today was the last day of class and spring break had finally begun for the students at Farvington. I was interested to learn that many teachers did not bother with spring exams so the students weren't stressed from cramming last minute. It allowed for students to enjoy their two weeklong break with out worrying about their scores. I was beginning to see myself at Farvington next year…
I looked around and saw candles floating along the many pathways that crisscrossed the campus. It took me a moment to realize I was even in a wizard's world. Muggle campus or magical campus- college is college. I thought about it as we walked and came to the conclusion that we aren't really as different as they want us to believe.
"Draco, what do witches and wizards do for fun? I've never thought about it much. Its not like I would go dancing if I was a muggle let alone as a witch."
"Well, there are many discothèques for our age group. Lots of university students travel on the weekend or party with muggles. They are always in groups and pretty much stick to each other but they don't mind muggle clubs or bars. Many of the girls go to spas and all of that and many guys go to brothels or whatever."
My mouth dropped open and I stopped walking. Brothels? Prostitution is legal in the wizard world? How did I manage to get this far without finding that out?
"What?" Draco looked at me confused and waited for me to respond.
"You are willing to pay to get your fetishes fulfilled? You're serious about the brothels?"
"Well, yeah. I personally am not a frequent customer but they are there should it be necessary." Luckily, for the both of us, we had reached hearing distance of the little pureblood foursome. I just fixed a smile on my face and scooted a little closer to Draco. He intertwined his fingers among mine and squeezed lightly. I squeezed back and didn't realize how comforting his hand in mind was. I was slowly getting used to it.
"Draco, glad to see you made it. This is Thomas Adams and his fiancé, whom I am sure you remember, Marella Smithers. Also, I'm sure you remember my fiancé Kayla Dowdy." Draco shook hands with the boys and kissed the back of the girl's hands. I stood back and waited to be introduced.
"Travis, this is Harmony Rogers, my fiancé. (I nodded my head in acknowledgement and waited for them to bow) She is Albus Dumbledore's nearest relative. (They then bowed slightly) She is, obviously, considering Farvington as well." I now stood directly next to Draco so show my equality by blood and support by engagement. My head was already starting to hurt from the pressure of getting this right.
I took a moment to look over the group. They were wearing expensive muggle style clothing. I recognized brands such as Gucci, Dior, and Channel. Clearly they actually took the time to buy muggle clothing rather than transfiguring them every time they go out. Kayla was dressed head to toe in matching Gucci accessories and Marella was a walking poster for Dior. The most expensive thing I owned was a Dooney and Burke wallet (which had been a gift from a very rich relative) and a pair of Nine West heals (definitely purchased with my entire Christmas take and on sale).
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rogers. I do think a transfiguration of robes is in order." Kayla smiled sweetly to me. I could sense the competition building.
"Harmony, please. I was unaware of our destination when I dressed. Do pardon me." I turned and waved me wand to change my clothing. I was very good at clothing transfigurations so I didn't need to worry about ending up in my undies. When I turned again I was wearing a pair of well fitting black slacks, a brown satin halter-top and a gold belt with matching gold heals. I fit in perfectly and was wearing quite a bit more fabric than the other two girls. Draco changed as well into a tan button up, brown slacks, a jacket and leather shoes. Both of us look like we were wearing pricey brand named clothing even though there wasn't a logo to be seen.
"Oh, Harmony. Wonderful choice of pants. I see that you have some exposure to muggle culture. Oh, and do call me Kayla." I just smiled back as sweetly and then opened my Louis Vuitton purse to hide my wand. It's interesting that she liked my plain black pants the most… Girls are such bitches.
"Yes, well unfortunately a friend of mine was engaged to the prince of Greece and he had a thing for muggle clubbing. Eventually it drove them apart but it wasn't until we had partied quite a bit in muggle Greece." All of my lessons on European ancestry were beginning to pay off. Part of our routine was to read the daily tabloids on the elite of wizarding Europe. Wizard Greece had a prince known for dating, partying and general debauchery. Creating a fiancé for him is not a far stretch.
"Well, the cars are here. I do hope you can drive Draco. Feel free just to follow us. It is quite easy to get into town." Travis threw Draco some car keys as three BMWs pulled up without drivers. Panicked filled both Draco before I quickly stepped in.
"Draco, baby, let me drive. You drove last time. You know how much I love to go fast and drive hard." I purred this just loud enough for everyone else to hear but still seem seductive and personal. Draco recovered and gave me a questioning look before replying.
"Baby, let the boys play."
"Please baby, you know I'll make it up to you later." Ugh, seduction is not my strong point. Hell, sexuality is something I practically lack.
"I suppose I could but only because you asked so nicely." I squealed and threw my arms around him while I grabbed the keys. I kissed him sensually and skip/hopped towards the cars where the other couple were already stationed and waiting.
This was turning into the weirdest night possible. I silently prayed that my driving skills hadn't disappeared over the school year and then I prayed out loud that I didn't stall. Draco sat next to me clutching tightly to the hand rest and the door handle. I put on my seatbelt on and turned the car on. It wasn't just any car; it was a piece of art. Here's another big secret. I love cars. I love beautiful, fast cars even more. I've never been a fan of brooms but I've always loved driving fast with the windows down (and permitting the top down).
"Hermy, please tell me you know what you're doing. I've never been in a car." I smiled with a slight smirk and shifted into gear. The car purred and I waited for the other two cars to head out. I knew it was going to be an interesting ride as soon as Travis sped away, clearly trying to intimidate me. Gladly, I quickly followed on Thomas' heals without missing a gear.
"Draco, don't forget your seatbelt." He looked at me and realized I was pulling on my seatbelt in explanation.
"What is it for?" He clumsily pulled at his belt but of course was prevented from getting enough slack since the belt tightened as I shifted gears and turned a corner rather quickly.
"It's to prevent you from going through the windshield if we crash."
"If we crash? Are you serious? I can't die yet, I am still too young with too much potential." We were rapidly gaining speed as I followed the boys through long stretches of highway. I didn't even want to look down at my speedometer.
"Don't worry. The car is magically protected from the worse possibilities. Mind you, we may still get hurt in a crash but we won't die, burn, go through the windows or be impaled." Draco's face flushed red and started to hyperventilate.
"Are you sure? How do you know this isn't a regular car?"
"Calm down, Draco. We're going to be fine. Add your own wards if you insist. Can't you feel the magic protecting us?" I could gently sense the magic wards pulsing around the card as they thickened around areas more susceptible if we were to crash. As I turned corners the magic splashed to the end of the car opposite of the turn.
"Tonight is starting to look like a cheesy muggle racer movie. Haven't they realized I can hold my own yet? Ugh, egos are such a waste of time. I really didn't think we would be so muggle tonight."
"It is the exact opposite of what I expected. I figured we would be battle pureblood nonsense between courses not muggle brand names and cars. If it weren't for you muggle background we would look foolish." Talking was calming Draco down and he was beginning to breath normally again.
"Don't forget my story. I've been exposed to everything muggle since my friend was engaged to that prince. You need a reason for knowing anything muggle."
"Bloody brilliant story by the way. I'm going to continue being a Malfoy and just let all things muggle be beneath me and unworthy of my awareness. If we stumble upon something I do know I'll pretend you exposed me to it."
"Sounds like a good idea. Looks like we're finally here." I smoothly pulled into valet parking and stepped out elegantly without ruffling my hair or clothing. Draco made an equally sexy departure from the sleek black. I tossed the carboy the keys and took my place on Draco's arm.
Disclaimer/Author note: The car scene stuck with me from two different HG/SS stories that I can't remember. I really liked both stories and also love to drive fast. Since Hermione is somewhat a reflection of me and a mixture of how I think she could be her affinity for fast cars has multiple influence. Love to those authors that I borrowed the idea from. Please tell me if anyone knows the specific story or author so I can give proper thanks.
Also, I do not own any of the brand names that I mentioned (nor do I own anything by those brand names with the exception of what Hermione owns) and am not making any money off of name dropping. I, also, do not own the Potter Universe.