a/n…Chapter two! Yay.
Disclaimer…I don't own Harry Potter…does this come as a surprise to you?
Hermione and Ron walked down the hallways in the cars, looking in random doors and waving to their friends, they made it all the way to the back of the train where there was an empty compartment.
"Oh, I'd forgotten how long this train was, I'm tired." Hermione laughed, sitting on the seat in the small compartment.
"Hermione…" Ron began, she looked up at him, but he looked away out the window. "I…I don't know how to tell you this…" He paused again as she looked at him intently, although he was still staring out the window. "Ever since I met you, I've…well…" He looked at her, almost gasping for words.
Hermione nodded, knowingly. "Ron…"
"No, please. Let me finish." He stopped her, wanting to go on. She silenced herself and waited for him to speak again. "EversinceImetyouI'vehadacrushonyou, pleasedon'thateme." He said in a blur.
"What did you say?" She giggled, moving in closer incase he whispered it this time.
"Ever since I met you, Hermione, I've had a crush on you. Please don't hate me." He said, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.
Hermione sighed, "Ron, you're one of my best friends, and I really don't want to ruin our friendship. Of course I don't hate you, but I would feel horrible if we dated, and then something happened and I lost you." She said seriously, holding onto his hands. Ron nodded sadly, not saying anything.
The brunette smiled before kissing her friend softly on the cheek, "Now listen, someday you're going to find a wonderful girl, and you'll fall in love, and have a beautiful extravagant wedding. And I'll be there through it all."
"I understand Hermione, I'm sorry I just dropped this on you." He whispered, suddenly interested in his shoes.
"Don't be. Better now than later, right?" She laughed quietly before standing up, "We should go Ron, Harry and Ginny should be waking up soon and we're almost home."
He stood up next to her, and with a slight smile turned toward the door, she thought for a moment then said, "Wait." Ron turned around and she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Startled by the contact, he stood there for a moment before hugging her back, not wanting to let go.
"Lets go," she whispered, releasing him and walking out of the compartment. The redhead stood, startled for a moment and then followed his friend back down the train.
The two walked into the compartment their friends were sitting in at the same time, only to be met by the sight of Harry and Ginny snogging.
"Oy!" Ron said, covering his eyes. Hermione laughed and blushed a little.
Harry looked up at the two of them, wiping off the corner of his mouth. He laughed nervously, looking at Ron for another reaction. Ginny winked at Hermione and the two girls burst into hysterical laughter.
"Erm…sorry mate." Ron said, looking a little sheepish.
"Its alright," Harry replied, pulling Ginny closer to him and smiling at her brother.
"Well then, I need to go and check on some of the other compartments and talk to some people. I'll be back soon." Hermione said, glad to get away from the awkward silence in the room.
She walked down the halls, going into compartments occasionally to check and make sure no one was doing anything mischievous. She found Malfoy in a compartment by himself.
"What do you want, Granger?" He spat.
"Making sure you aren't doing anything asinine." She replied, looking around the room. He was alone, doing absolutely nothing. "What are you doing anyway?"
He sneered, "What does it matter to you?"
"Well, normally when someone is sitting alone in their compartment, not reading, or eating, or sleeping…something is going on."
He shrugged, "Am I not allowed to think anymore?"
She rolled her eyes, "Very well." Taking one last look around the compartment, she left him to return to her friends.
Draco, however, got up to watch her walk back down the aisle of the train, wondering exactly why she hadn't demanded to do a full scale search of his compartment. He shrugged again and went back to staring on the window. He had only his mother to return home to this year, and she had promised him a surprise when he returned home.
"Ruddy Mudblood." He muttered, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes for a short nap.
Ron, Harry, and Ginny were eating some sweets from the trolley that had just gone by when Hermione walked in. She took a seat next to Ron, who avoided eye contact with her and looked at Harry and Ginny, who were sharing a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
They look so, content. She thought, smiling inwardly.
"The train is almost to the station, I can see the platform in the distance." Ron said, looking out the window and squinting at a dark object that was beginning to take the form of a train station.
Hermione nodded as the rest of them began to pack up their things, she sat for a moment, contemplating the weight of exactly what was about to happen.
"This is it." She whispered, feeling tears stinging her eyes.
"Don't think of it that way 'Mione." Harry said, helping her up and putting his arm around her. "Think of it, as a new beginning. Besides, we still have all summer to do something before we have to actually get down to it and start working."
"I guess. Most of my summer will probably be spent on some family vacation though, I won't get to see you at all." She sighed, furrowing her eyebrows
"Then we'll all make a trip to wherever it is you're going to be, and come stay with you for a few weeks." Ron said, smiling.
"Promise?" She sniffled and tried to fight back the tears as the train rolled into the station.
"We promise." Harry replied as he hugged her, Ron put his arms around her as well and Ginny stood to watch as the Golden Trio had their last few moments together before they stepped off the train and into the real world.
A few days later...
"Hermione! Are you almost packed? Dad wants to get a move on before we miss our flight!"
"I'll be down in a minute, Mum!" She replied, taking one last look around her room. She gasped and ran over to her dresser, picking up a picture of Harry, Ron, and herself and placing it into one of the three suitcases sitting on her bed.
"I feel like I'm moving away…not going on a vacation." She sighed as she closed the suitcase, eyeing her empty closet and bare vanity.
"Hermione!" Her father yelled. "Come on! We don't have all day!"
She sighed and levitated the suitcases down the stairs with her wand. If there was one good thing, and possibly the only good thing, about being out of school, it was that she could use magic whenever she wanted to.
"Thank goodness!" Her mother said impatiently as her father loaded the suitcases into the trunk of their minivan. "Do we have everything?"
"I hope so…because we need to leave before we miss our flight." Her father replied, looking at his watch and climbing into the van.
Hermione and her mother climbed in as well and the van began to move away from the house. Hermione stared out the window on the way to the airport, wishing she could be with her friends instead of going to a beach. After all, who needs a beach when you're going to be there by yourself?
Her mother had informed her the day when she got off the train that they would be taking a month long trip to one of the beaches along the coast. Hermione, unlike any other girl her age would have been, was not excited.
"We've got a wonderful condo all planned too, darling." Her mother said, looking at a brochure. "Its right on the beach, and it has two bathrooms, a hot tub, full sized kitchen, two bedrooms…and relaxation written all over it."
They reached the airport and got loaded onto the plane, but Hermione had other things on her mind. She took out a notebook and began writing letters to Harry and Ron, missing them more as each minute passed.
"This is going to be miserable." She sighed.
"Oh, perk up sweetie, maybe you'll meet some cute boy at the condo next to ours." Her mother winked, patting her leg.
"Mum, that could be disastrous." She said, imagining having to actually tell a muggle that she was a witch.
"Why are you so against this anyway?" She said, looking concerned. "It's a family vacation, probably one of the last ones we'll ever take."
"I miss my friends." Hermione stated, staring out the window as the clouds rolled over the wings.
"You'll see them when we get home, you'll still have two months left of summer."
"I suppose."
The plane began descending and Hermione put away her notebook, wishing desperately for the ability to take out her wand and cast a motion sickness curing spell on herself.
The Granger's finally made it out of their airport and to their rental vehicle, after about an hour and a half of fighting in the lines of the airport. Hermione, meanwhile, had grown more upset and more impatient.
"Once you get a glimpse of the ocean, you won't even think about them until we leave." Her dad assured her, loading the suitcases into the vehicle.
"Alright." She said, finally giving in and realizing that no matter how much she hated it, she was going to have to enjoy the vacation anyway. "I just want to get there, get in the hot tub, and relax." She said, imagining herself surrounded by the bubbles.
Hermione first glimpsed the ocean as they were driving along one of the main stretches of road in the small town where they were staying. She had to admit, it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. They drove alongside the beach and she watched as people ran, swam, and walked their dogs in the dying light of dusk. Sunsets, she decided, had to be most beautiful over an ocean.
They reached the condo and pulled into the driveway and Hermione stepped out to feel the overpowering heat and humidity of the atmosphere.
"This is pretty amazing, I have to admit." She said.
"I told you." Her mother replied, smiling and helping her father unload the suitcases.
"Can I have the key? I want to go check out the house." She smiled, holding her hand out to her father.
"Only if you help us with these suitcases." Her father smiled.
Taking the hint, Hermione took out her wand and levitated the suitcases up to the landing where they could most easily be taken into the house. She walked up the old wooden stairs and put the key in the door to unlock it. She found it strange, however, that the door was already unlocked.
"Hmm." She said, opening the door and looking around inside. There was no one to be seen, so she levitated the suitcases into the living room and began to walk through the house.
As she turned a corner to walk down a hallway, she ran into something that was completely unexpected. A person. Not just any person, a person clad only in a towel tied around his waist. That person was no other than…
"Malfoy?" She said, staring incredulously.
"Granger?" He said, looking rather confused.
"What are you doing here?"
"I have half the mind to ask you the same question." He replied.
"This is our beach house, we're staying here for a month on vacation." She said, looking around the room as if she were dreaming.
"No, this is our beach house. My mother and I rented it a few weeks ago."
"Well, I'm sure we can just call the travel agency and figure this out easily." She said, turning around to go back into the living room.
"Mum, Dad, something is wrong." She said, walking into the living room.
"What?" Her father said, looking worried.
Draco strolled into the room, now wearing a pair of jeans and a black button up shirt with the top few buttons undone.
Hermione looked back and pointed toward him, "That is what is wrong."
A/N…well then, this could be interesting eh? I've got to admit, I've missed writing these stories. So review! It'll make me write faster! Let me know what you think so far!
Love and Fluff,
Natalie
