Chapter 14
Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews. Sorry this chapter took so long. I had such a hard time deciding the end of the pool party. Hopefully, I will be able to put Chapter 15 up soon. It's funny I am often able to come up with ideas for future chapters while I am still working on the next chapter. Anyone else experience this.
Once again, I hope everyone is safe from the COVID Pandemic.
And as always, a disclaimer, that I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.
….
Following his boyfriend's lead, Blaise jumped in after Draco. With Blaise screaming the whole way down until he hit the net with a loud "oof." Greg laughed at Blaise, knowing the raven-haired wizard could be just as much of a daredevil when he wanted to be. Greg wanted to jump, but also remembered Hermione's fear of heights. Greg turned to Hermione who looked over the railing before backing away slightly.
"Do you want to jump?" Greg asked. Concern written across his face at seeing how hesitant Hermione seemed.
"I'd rather take the stairs," she replied as it was a long way down from the third floor. Blaise had Ginny had created an indoor palace which made three floors seem like ten. Hermione felt a bit dizzy, but she could hear Ginny shout, "Come on `Mione."
"You can jump together," Blaise shouted, suggestively. The raven-haired wizard rolled off the net and splashed into the pool, tossing his shirt onto the edge.
Unable to ignore the uneasiness in Hermione's face, Greg placed his arms around her waist, hugging her to him before replying to Blaise, "We'll take the stairs mate." Hermione rested her head against Greg's chest and sighed in relief. Greg soothingly rubbed her back before Draco caught their attention by pointing to the starry ceiling.
"Look," Draco shouted. "Another soaring star." The large white star flew in a golden arch across the charmed ceiling.
"Shooting star," Hermione corrected the blonde. The brunette quickly closed her eyes and found herself wishing that Greg would want her to visit him over the holiday. Opening her eyes, Hermione looked to Greg and saw him watching her with intensity.
"Did you make a wish?" Hermione asked. The brunette's stomach doing little flips under his intense gaze.
"I thought I couldn't tell you," Greg stated, brow furrowed in confusion. Hermione gave a little giggle.
"You can tell me if you made a wish," she explained. "But you can't tell me what you wished for."
"Ah," Greg nodded. "Then yes, I did make a wish."
The pair turned to descend down the staircase, Hermione felt Greg place his hand in hers. Greg had made a wish, but he hadn't closed his eyes. He had kept his eyes fixed on the object of his wish: Hermione, staring at her while wishing with intent. Hermione was Greg's wish in every sense of the word.
She had brought great hope, happiness, and longing into his life: where there had only been confusion and heartbreak, Hermione's presence brought order and restoration. Their first session in the library when Greg had helped Hermione grab the book on the top shelf had changed the direction of his life. Like a wish, a dream, Hermione had become a light that Greg would continue to chase until he found himself permanently anchored to her. The sounds Blaise, Draco, and Ginny splashing and shouting in the pool pulled Greg from his thoughts.
When they arrived pool side, Blaise was dunking Draco under the water as punishment for frightening him. Ginny began splashing Blaise for dropping her abruptly into the pool. Hermione had noticed that Blaise didn't seem to be upset with Draco, despite what she had seen between Draco and Lavender earlier. The brunette wondered if the two had spoken about the incident.
Ready to join in on the fun, Hermione began to remove her dress slowly, placing it on a lounge chair before she walked towards the pool. As she began to walk down the stairs into the pool Hermione looked back towards Greg. Hermione immediately blushed, self-consciously moving one of her arms over her lower belly. Greg's eyes were roaming over her body with undisguised desire. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry at seeing the hunger in Greg's gaze.
Greg's attention completely centered on Hermione as she stripped to her bikini. Greg had taken a sharp breath while watching as the brunette slowly unbuttoned the pink buttons on her dress, before the light material began to slip slowly down her shoulders, revealing beautiful creamy skin and curves clad in a tantalizingly rouge bikini.
"Are you coming in?" Hermione asked, softly.
"Be right there," Greg said, with a bit of a stutter. "I'm just going to grab a drink." Greg walked to the bar, grabbing a cold Bourbon Butterbeer. After taking a long sip, Greg took a deep breath, attempting to slow his racing heartbeat. He knew Hermione was wearing a bikini from when his hand slid beneath her dress while they were snogging. Yet, he never expected her to look so perfect, so beautiful. In a way, he felt like a character in a fairy tale that his mother once read to him when he was a child. It was a story about a beast that fell in love with a beautiful girl. Greg had always been insecure about the scars on his body until Draco had told him that everyone had scars before the blonde showed him the scars from the time he dueled with Harry in the bathroom. Unlike Greg, Draco had always been confident.
Swallowing his insecurities, the Slytherin turned to see Hermione had joined in on the splashing. Ginny whispered something into the Head Girl's ear and Hermione blushed, before shaking her head. The girls began to move closer to the waterfall at the opposite end of the pool. Above the girl's heads, Greg saw Draco signal for a drink. It probably wasn't a good idea to give Draco more liquor, but Greg grabbed a second Bourbon Butterbeer and carried it over to edge of the pool before removing his shirt and hopping into the pool.
"Don't you think you've had enough, Draco?" Blaise asked his boyfriend. As the Head Boy raised the Bourbon Butterbeer to his lips, the raven haired wizard grabbed a spare beach ball floating in the pool and tossed it at him. Greg's hand shot out to deflect the beach ball before it hit the blonde in his pointy face. After all the years of keeping Draco safe from getting beaten up for being a bully, it became second nature for Greg to interject when someone or something was trying hurt Draco. Even if it was just a prank.
Blaise gave Greg a blank stare for bring his boyfriend another drink because he wanted Draco to sober up. With an annoyed huff, Blaise quickly turned towards to waterfall to be with Hermione and Ginny.
"Where have you been?" Draco asked his friend. Draco furrowed his brow watching Blaise, Hermione, and Ginny deep in conversation. Ginny kept squealing and Hermione covered her ears with a giggle. Just like a She-Weasel, Draco thought with a shake of his head.
"Upstairs with Hermione," Greg answered, taking the almost empty glass out of Draco's hand. Draco wiggled his eyebrows and jabbed Greg in the ribs with his elbow. Greg shook his head at Draco's teasing, refusing to give anymore information as the blonde had a big mouth. Both boys decided to swim over to Blaise, Hermione, and Ginny.
As the two boys made their way over to the group, they caught the tail end of Blaise saying, "So it's settled then, December 30th through the January 2nd…."
"What's settled?" Draco asked, wrapping his arms around Blaise's waist. Draco placed a quick kiss on Blaise's neck.
"I told you, Draco," Blaise said. "I invited everyone to stay in my villa in Sicily. You in Greg?" Greg nodded in reply, moving to stand closer to Hermione.
"The one with the infamous vineyard?" Ginny asked, teasingly. The redhead winked at Draco, the blonde's pale face turning red. Blaise mouthed a quick "Yes" to Ginny who giggled. Greg patted Draco's shoulder, pointing towards a beach ball and a few rings on the side of the pool. Earlier Dean had invented a form of Quidditch that could be played in a pool. The two quickly moved to the center of the pool.
Blaise and Ginny had begun talking about all the boutiques they would shop in, the restaurants they would eat in, different sites they could see. Hermione smiled at her two friends, listening intently to their conversation adding a "that sounds nice," or "I'd love to," when necessary. Anything to keep her from gawking at Greg's physique, not wanting to get herself all hot and bothered in front of everyone.
There was no wonder as to why Greg was known as "The Slytherin Brute" or "The Slytherin Muscle." Hermione took in a sharp breath as her eyes traveled down his body. Broad shoulders which led down to strong muscular arms. Hermione found herself wanting to slide her fingertips between the different dips between the muscles in his biceps. The brunette bit her lip when Draco caught Greg's attention and Hermione snuck a peak at Greg's abs which were chiseled and well-defined. A smattering of chest hair across his pecs and stomach. To Hermione, Greg's body was the perfect combination of strength and muscle. His body was strong and powerful, but not massive like some men who looked like steroid crazed body builders. It made Hermione wonder as to why so many girls overlooked Greg. Was it because they thought he was stupid? Or a bully? Maybe it was all the scars on his body. With Greg's shirt off, Hermione had counted three long parallel scars on his back, a few short scars scattered on his left biceps, two on his right shoulder, and one on his left pec over his heart. Hermione fought the urge to touch them, kiss each one of them, like a child who believed a kiss could heal a cut faster.
In a way Hermione was happy other girls hadn't pursued Greg, she felt like he was a treasure, something only she knew about and meant for her alone. Apparently, Hermione had been looking a little too long because Ginny splashed Hermione as Blaise headed to the bar. Grabbing the brunette's arm, Ginny and Hermione quickly moved closer to the waterfall. Standing against the marble, Hermione let the warm water trickle over her heated skin.
"I can't blame you for staring," Ginny whispered, sighing a bit. "Thank Merlin for Quidditch." Hermione gave a little laugh, shoving Ginny slightly, although she had to agree with Ginny.
"Do you think he noticed I was staring?" Hermione whispered back.
"I don't think so," Ginny said, uncertainly. "Where do you think he got all those scars?"
"He said most of them are from fighting," Hermione informed, watching as Draco and Greg had began a game similar to basketball with one of the beachballs.
"I think they're sexy," Ginny confessed. Hermione quickly smacked her friend's arm playfully. "Relax," the red head said, putting her hands up in defense. "I know he's yours."
The game which Draco and Greg had started was quickly coming to an end. Greg looked to see Hermione and Ginny standing by the waterfall, deep in quiet conversation. Hermione had slapped Ginny's arm.
"Ginny," Blaise called from the bar. As the redhead made her way over to Blaise, Greg swam towards the waterfall to take Ginny's place next to Hermione. When Greg reached Hermione, she gave a soft smile. The pair stood in a comfortable silence for a few moments, before Greg declared, "I'd love for you to come over for the Christmas holidays." Hermione smiled for her wish had come true. "As long as my mother and I have moved into the new manor," Greg continued. "A muggleborn has never stepped inside Goyle Manor, it wouldn't be safe for you."
Hermione blushed at the tone of his voice. All the time she had spent with Greg had taught her that: how he held her so tightly on the broom, when her pulled her away when the Draught of Living Death almost hit her, how he caught her when she had fallen earlier. Without thinking, Hermione stepped closer to Greg her hands moving up his arms to wrap around his neck. Greg bent his head to place a soft kiss on her lips. Greg wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against him.
"But I always feel safe with you," Hermione said softly when the need to breathe caused her to pull away from the kiss. Greg smiled before giving her another kiss.
From the bar Ginny and Blaise quickly high-fived. "Mission accomplished," Blaise whispered happily. Draco had started to slump drunkenly against the bar.
"Is it bad that part of me wants to shout, "get a room?"" Ginny asked with a giggle.
"Get a room!" Blaise quickly shouted. Hermione blushed and stepped away from Greg. Greg gave Blaise a scowl. Blaise gave him an innocent and sheepish smile.
…..
Standing in the blue-colored bathroom and staring at her reflection, Hermione felt giddy and excited as she thought over the events of the past few hours. Memories of the night filtered in and out of her mind. Despite confirming the plans that she would be seeing Greg and spending her Christmas holiday with friends, Hermione felt more excited that she had been finally passionately and thoroughly snogged. Merlin, when it came to kissing, Greg was an expert.
Hermione ran a hand through her wet hair and frowned as she recalled her previous experiences. At Slughorn's Christmas party, Cormac McLaggen had kissed her, shoving his tongue down her throat like a leech probing to test her gag reflex. When Hermione had visited Viktor in Bulgaria, he had placed a quick kiss on the cheek. It was surprising, sweet, and made her blush. They had exchanged a few chaste pecks, but Viktor was reluctant to snog with her being underage. Hermione and Ron would kiss sometimes, but it just felt wrong to her. They would both awkwardly snuggle and exchange a few kisses before they realized a relationship would never work.
Clutching a towel under her cloth covered bust, Hermione's damp hair left water droplets dripping down her back, bringing her back to the present. She had promised Greg that she would only be a few minutes. Her trip down memory lane and excitement over kissing Greg kept her from freshening up.
Hermione examined herself. All trace of mermaid waves had disappeared. Hermione noticed her pupils were still a bit dilated; her cheeks were still a bit tinged; her lips, though, were swollen, plump, and moist from Greg's kisses. Hermione ran her fingers over her lips, and down her neck. She saw a hint of a love bite at her pulse point. Hermione took a sharp intake of breath remembering the way his lips felt against her skin, the way his rough hands gently caressed her body.
Making sure the door was locked, Hermione dropped the towel and cast a quick drying spell on her hair and bathing suit before transfiguring the bikini into a simple cotton bra and panties. It would be so much more comfortable this way. Placing her dress on the bathroom counter, Hermione cast a cleansing and refresh spell to get rid of the stain from where she had spilled the wine slushie on herself and Greg. Hermione giggled at how clumsy she had been, a bit thankful that she had overindulged in alcohol as it landed her in Greg's arms.
Pulling the dress over her head, Hermione quickly adjusted the fabric. She wanted to try and sneak back to the Heads Dorms so she could look somewhat rested for their date tomorrow. We have a date! Hermione thought, a large smile breaking out over her entire face. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, all at once, but it felt so right.
Attempting to calm herself, Hermione took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom to see Greg had fallen asleep. Apparently, she had taken too long as the Slytherin lay on his back on top of the covers. Hermione walked over to the door of the bedroom, unsure whether she should take the chance of walking back to the Heads Dorms alone at whatever hour this was. The brunette turned back to look at Greg's sleeping form, his chest rising and falling gently, indicating he was in a deep sleep. Hermione bit her lip as she weighed the pros and cons of lying next to him. The major pro being that a bed is certainly more comfortable than laying on the floor. Although she could charm the floor to feel soft and comfy, Hermione's brow scrunched at the thought.
Oh, come on, Hermione, she thought, shaking her head. You've fallen asleep next to Harry and Ron before. Hermione began fidgeting a bit as she walked closer to Greg's sleeping form. His hands were folded loosely on his stomach, a soft snore escaping his throat. The brunette bit her lower lip to keep from giggling. Greg's snoring was nothing like Ron's loud, nasally snoring that would wake her up from four rooms away. Hermione began taking a few steps closer to the bed.
Hermione placed her right hand on the bed before placing her left knee on the covers, climbing onto the queen sized bed. Hermione lay on her side facing Greg, feeling a bit awkward as she watched his chest and stomach rise and fall in a deep and even manner. Moving a bit closer, Hermione felt the overwhelming urge to snuggle closer to him and place her head on his chest, but not wanting to wake him. Hermione moved her hand a bit closer to his body. A part of her wanted to run her fingernail gently over the scar on his collarbone or trace his lips. Hermione placed her fingers over the small horizontal scar on her throat, wondering if Greg had felt it when he kissed down her neck. She hadn't been able to feel that scar on his upper lip when he'd kissed her, but then again, there were so many sensations happening all at once. Hermione wiggled herself closer to his broad chest but had second thoughts. What if I wake him? Hermione thought, pulling her hand away and turning on her back. How am I supposed to explain? Would he mind?
What if he doesn't like cuddling? She thought with a yawn, eyes becoming unfocused as she listened to Greg's gentle breath and light snoring. Hermione remembered in years previous, Lavender and Parvati complaining about how fast some boys would kick them out of bed once they were done being physical. Hermione turned her head to look once more at Greg's sleeping form. Merlin, he sleeps so soundly, she thought. After so many years of being awoken by Harry and Ron doing something that could get them expelled and after having been on the run with the boys for a year, Hermione never seemed to sleep soundly anymore. The exception being after Theo tried to kiss her and Ginny had spent the night. Yawning again, Hermione began to drift off into a deep sleep.
…Eight hours later…
Today is Sunday, must get my books ready for tomorrow, two weeks until the potions essay is due, must revise, Hermione thought sleepily. Every morning the brunette made a mental checklist before she even opened her eyes. However, this morning was different. My hair is breathing, Hermione noted to herself, running a hand over her eyes. Hermione's brow wrinkling, opening her eyes to realize that Greg's arm was strung about her waist holding her snugly against his body. Her right hand was intertwined with his. She realized her hair, although massive and usually seemed to have a life of its own, was not breathing. It was Greg's hot breath tickling the back on her neck, sending goosebumps down her arms. Well, I guess this answers the question is he a cuddler, she smiled to herself.
So, this is cuddling. Hermione thought, closing her eyes. It felt so nice, so warm, and so secure. Her soft back was pressed against his hard chest, his forearm was grazing her breasts, the soft, mesh like material of his swim trunks pressing into the back of her cloth covered thighs, she could feel the course hair on his legs against the smooth, bare skin of her legs which made her feel excited and nervous at the same time. Hermione began rubbing her bare feet together, the only part of her body that seemed cold. Why couldn't I have gotten under the covers before I slept? She thought, before closing her eyes again, trying to ignore how cold her feet felt compared to the rest of her. She wiggled her feet into the comforter, her hips shifting back and forth as she did so.
Hermione was ready to drift back to sleep for another hour or two when she suddenly felt something large and hard poking her bottom, her doe eyes widened to the largest that they have ever been. The Head Girl didn't realize that all her wiggling had stirred something in the nether regions of the sleeping Slytherin. Hermione froze. Last night was the first time she had felt a man's erection and they had been kissing. What was she supposed to do now? Hermione thought about wiggling away but didn't have much time to dwell on it as she felt Greg begin to move.
The witch quickly closed her eyes and went into what she called "false slumber," quickly relaxing her body while breathing deeply and evenly. Hermione had learned how to look like she was sleeping without really sleeping when she was on the run with Harry and Ron. She remembered pretending to sleep to have some space from Ron and Harry. However, when they believed her to be asleep, Ron and Harry would begin what she called "guy talk" which was not the most relaxing material to listen to.
Hermione felt Greg slowly untangle his hand from hers and remove his arm from her waist. She heard him yawn and felt as the bed shifted, but she knew she was alone when she heard the door to the bathroom shut behind her.
Turning on her belly to reach her purse, Hermione knew there was a peppermint in there somewhere or a stick of gum. She didn't want to have bad breath if they were to kiss again and she desperately wanted Greg to kiss again. Where was her wand when she needed it? Lost inside her deceptively small beaded purse. "Aha," she whispered her hand closing around the little paper wrapped peppermint. Hearing the toilet flush, she quickly popped it in her mouth and put her head down. The brunette began sucking forcefully on the mint to make it disappear before Greg came back.
Hermione was uncertain as to whether she should continue to pretend to be asleep or to seem somewhat awake. Exhaling slowly, Hermione turned flat on her back waiting for Greg to return. In a way, Hermione felt like she had when Greg had given her a flying lesson, wanting to jump off the broom and runaway, but willing to go around the pitch just once more to feel Greg's arms around her. A small part of her wonder that if she pretended to sleep, he'd come back to bed and hold her for a little longer. Before she had the chance to pretend to be asleep, the door to the bathroom open.
….
Far away from Hogwarts in Essex, Evelyn Goyle stared out the back window of her new manor at the wintry forest. The manor was smaller than Goyle Manor but was much more manageable and homier. Most importantly, this manor was not haunted with terrible memories. Wizards from the Magical Moving Company had been in and out yesterday helping Evelyn levitate and place furniture around the house. Now she was simply adding the finishing touches and decorations.
Evelyn was warming her hands around her cup of tea and anxiously waiting for Hermione's reply. The older woman hoped she had not come on too strong, but she wanted her only son to be settled and not worrying about his mother for the rest of his life.
Evelyn remembered when Greg spent his days pining over Millicent Bullstrode. Millicent was a nice enough girl, but there was something about her Evelyn didn't trust. After a lifetime of harboring secrets, the older woman could tell Millicent was carried within her something hollow which would never be filled. It was the curse of abuse, the curse of loneliness. Evelyn had felt it, after years of life with her husband, years of not being able to talk to anyone about what she suffered. She had found the letter that Millicent had written to her son just before her death, it contained a false promise, though Evelyn would never tell Greg that. As any loving parent, Evelyn wanted her child to be with someone who actually wanted to be with them.
The Goyle matriarch was concerned when she learned of her son's little flings with Pansy and Daphne. When Blaise had written saying that Gregory had been spending more time with a girl, the older woman became nervous that it was one of them. In truth, Evelyn had no objections to a "pureblood princess" for a daughter-in-law. However, most of those girls were only interested in how many galleons a wizard had in his vault. Evelyn would rather have a sweet, muggleborn for a daughter-in-law who genuinely loved her son. The older woman smiled as she imagined the life Hermione and Greg could build together. Maybe she would write Blaise back inquiring if there was more to their relationship than just tutoring.
Blaise, Evelyn thought with a smile. Her little spy whom she now considered a second son. Blaise wrote Evelyn almost as frequently as Greg did. In a way, Evelyn felt bad for Blaise because Renata was a wonderful woman and a dear friend, but she was never the maternal type. The Italian witch had provided Blaise with gifts and galleons yet left him to be raised by servants and nannies. Evelyn was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the familiar voice of Renata, herself. Looking to the hallway, Renata stood bundled up in a fur coat, her hair was the same shade of black as Blaise's but was straight and fell just above her shoulders. Evelyn held her arms out to welcome her friend.
"Ciao, Ciao," Renata said, cheerfully as she hugged Evelyn "Oh, it looks so wonderful!" Renata took in the changes made to the manor with a nod of approval. Renata was happy to give the manor to the Goyle's. Up until now, the manor had been collecting dust. It was a wedding present from husband number five. Renata hated the manor because she hated England. The Italian woman preferring wine and sunshine over tea and gloomy, rainy days in the UK.
"Renata," Evelyn said, giving her friend a hug. "I can't thank you enough. This manor is simply perfect." Renata waved Evelyn's gratitude off, hugging her friend again. Renata had been no stranger to domestic violence. Vladimir, husband number three could be a bit violent when he was drunk, but Renata had the ability to leave Vladimir whereas Evelyn could not her Goyle Senior.
…..
Meanwhile, back in the Heads Dorms, Ginny was laying on the sofa of the common room. The red headed had confiscated a set of the Hermione's pajamas to sleep in. One forearm resting over her eyes, the other draping off the sofa, her fingers grazing the floor. Draco sat in the armchair, his head resting against the back cushion. Blaise stood at the stove making coffee and French toast for the three of them.
"I can't believe Hermione didn't come home last night," Draco said. The pale Slytherin jumping as he heard the clanking of dishes from the kitchenette.
"Oh, relax, dad," Ginny said, in a sarcastic tone. The Gryffindor heard Blaise chuckle in the background at her joke. "You are a little too protective of Hermione. Do you realize that?"
"I am trying to parent or protect Hermione," Draco defended, his pale cheeks reddening. "I just don't want to face the wrath of McGonagall should something happen to the Head Girl."
"Sure," Blaise said, loudly as he walked over to the pair. He set a tray containing a coffee pot and three mugs down on the coffee table. "That's why." He added in a sarcastic tone.
"Since when did you grow a heart?" Ginny asked Draco, sitting up so that there was room for Blaise to sit next to her. Draco drank his coffee ignoring the question.
"So, think they did it?" Blaise asked, wiggling his eyebrows. The tired yet curious Slytherin raised his coffee mug to his lips. "I mean we all saw the heat between them yesterday."
"Absolutely not!" Draco said at the exact same time that Ginny answered, "Not likely."
"So certain, Draco," Blaise said, winking at his boyfriend. "Is it time for you to give Hermione the sex talk?" In truth, Blaise was still a bit sore about the flirting between his boyfriend and Lavender. However, he decided that he would work up the courage to ask about what he had seen between the two later on. Draco would not be receptive to Blaise's probing while he was tired, hungry, and slightly hungover.
Draco smirked at Blaise, not realizing he had upset his boyfriend last night. Draco had to admit he didn't really mind the jokes as Hermione had become quite dear to him. She had accepted Draco's sexuality and been very accommodating to Blaise being in the Head Dorms. Hermione had been so kind to Draco, even after all the years that he cruelly tormented her and her friends.
If Draco was honest with himself, there was a part of himself felt indebted to her. After all, it was not that long ago that he had stood above her watching her be tortured by his insane aunt. He had done nothing to stop it no matter how many times she gave him a hard yet pleading glare. Then that hard glare had turned to one of sad, begging until she had finally passed out. Since becoming Heads and forming a tentative friendship, they had not mentioned that night. Luckily, she did not seem to harbor any resentment or anger towards him. Draco suspected that perhaps Hermione forgave too easily, but there weren't many people like her.
"I highly doubt Hermione would give in so easily," Ginny commented grabbing a piece of buttered toast off of the tray. "But then again, Greg is pretty tasty."
"Oooooh!" Blaise and Draco shrieked together, making Ginny blush. Blaise did a little shimmy with his shoulders.
"Oh, come on," Ginny laughed at their antics. "I've seen you both ogle him at different times."
"Yes, well," Blaise said, biting into a piece of toast covered with jam. "We've seen you stare just a little too long at Greg's arse."
The laughter stopped when Hermione entered the Common Room. The three stared at Hermione, each with a soft smile. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Is something burning?" Hermione asked, sniffing.
"Oh, damnit," Blaise yelled, jumping. "The French toast."
"So?" Ginny asked. "What happened last night after swimming?"
"Nothing," Hermione said. "I mean we ate and talked. We kissed."
"What?" All three squealed. Hermione was going to cover her ears, but she extended her hand and wandlessly levitated the French toast before it hit the floor.
"Granger! You can do wandless magic?" Draco asked in astonishment.
"Nobody cares about that right now," Ginny said, extending her arms to Hermione, wanting to give her best friend a hug.
"Besides, how can you be surprised, love?" Blaise said, rubbing Draco's shoulder lightly. Blaise passed by his boyfriend to join Hermione and Ginny. "She is brilliant and beautiful." Blaise ran a hand over Hermione messy mermaid waves before wrapping his arms around the two. Ginny looked over her shoulder to extend a hand to Draco, wanting the blonde to join in on the group hug. Draco rolled his eyes before standing and wrapping his arms around the three.
"But I need help," Hermione said, pulling back from the group. Ginny and Blaise waited with anticipation as Draco went back to the kitchenette. "He asked me out…" Ginny and Blaise screamed in happiness as Draco stuffed his mouth with the tasty breakfast.
"Where?" Blaise asked, as Ginny asked "When?"
"Tonight. Anywhere I want to go in Hogsmeade," Hermione answered. "But I don't know where to go or what to wear!"
"Good thing you've got me," Blaise said as Ginny nodded in agreement.
"Can we eat now?" Draco interjected.
The three joined the blonde and ate while talking about the craziness of last night. Dishing about the students that couldn't handle their liquor, speculating about who hooked up, who got lucky. Blaise and Ginny continued to gossip over coffee as Draco added more food to his plate. Surprisingly, the Head Boy had an appetite that rivaled that of Ron Weasley.
Hermione smiled as she remembered this morning. Both had slipped on the school robes provided and made their way down to exit the Room of Requirement. Greg had offered to walk her back to the Heads Dorms. They had held hands the entire walk, stopping quickly to look out one of the large windows. Hermione remembered their conversation:
"Oh, it snowed," Hermione said, looking out the window. It had snowed quite mildly overnight. The treetops of the Forbidden Forest were covered with a light dusting of snow while the fields and Black Lake were covered in a medium layering of snow.
"Guess Ginny is going to have to wait until spring to see Slytherin beat Gryffindor," Greg said, playfully.
"You mean to see Gryffindor beat Slytherin?" Hermione said, pushing his shoulder playfully. "She's probably mad as hell right now," Hermione continued, walking forward. Hermione put her hand in Greg's as they walked, their fingers intertwining.
"Is six a good time to meet at the front door tonight?" Greg asked, wanting to confirm the details of their date. "Or do you want me to come to the Heads Dorms and walk down together?"
Not wanting to have the prying eyes of Draco and Blaise Hermione answered, "I'll meet you at the front door." When they reached the portrait to the Head Dorms, they had shared a kiss.
"So, Hermione?" Blaise's voice, pulling her back to the present.
"Yes?" Hermione asked. Both Ginny and Blaise were smiling.
"How about a spa day?" Ginny said, upstairs. "Facials, manicures, pedicures?"
"Sounds wonderful," Hermione agreed. "But how about a quick nap first?"
Everyone nodded in agreement at Hermione's suggestion. Leaving the dirty dishes for later, Hermione went up to her room to get some rest.
….