I'm sorry for the delayed update. I was sick last week, and couldn't find the motivation to write this week. All spells in this chapter were found on the HP Lexicon. Also there is an 'easter egg' in this chapter from my favorite Marvel superhero. (All rights belong to rightful owners.) It just seemed fitting after seeing Endgame last week. (NO spoilers will be found here if you haven't seen it.

Grammarly was my beta. All mistakes are my own.

Hermione recognised that Draco was still focused on avoiding her, but she did her best to push it from her mind. Not that he made it easy for her. They still worked side by side, not to mention that they worked better with each other than with either Hannah or Michael. She sighed heavily, blowing her bangs out of her face as Draco sat across from her.

Hannah had joined them, no doubt attempting to be a mediator between the two of them. As it stood, the campers thought they were staring down the end of a row that would rival anything Hogwarts had seen in the last century.

Hermione tried not to let her temper get the best of her; really, she did. But Malfoy with his stupid fucking face that made her heart beat out of rhythm wasn't helping anything. She tapped her muggle pen against the piece of parchment, not lifting her eyes as he sat silently across from her. "Are you going to offer anything, or are you just going to sit there?"

He glared at her, at the first words that had left her since they'd sat down ten minutes ago. He arched a pale brow, his slender fingers tapping against the rough texture of the table. "Not if you're going to act like that, no."

She gripped her pen so tightly that Hannah plucked it from her hand before she could break it in two. "So," Hannah interrupted, her voice a false, high pitched type of cheerfulness. "We do need another activity for today. The kids are getting a little restless, and as much as they enjoy going to dips in the Great Lake…"

"Why don't we just ask them what they want to do?" Draco asked. His foot mistakenly brushed Hermione's beneath the table and he pulled away from her as if he'd been burned.

Sighing again, Hermione said, "When we asked them, they wanted to duel. I thought I'd mention it anyway, but since you brought it up. What do you think?"

His eyes lit up. "Duelling? Sounds bloody terrific honestly. Except some of the kids are younger than the others and—"

Hermione cut him off, already done with the conversation. She scribbled something across the piece of parchment and nodded. "Sounds great then. I'll let Michael know right now. I don't think the ages will be much of a problem. We'll be there to watch them, and keep them from getting hurt too badly."

She rose from the table, sticking the ballpoint pen in her back pocket. Hannah stared at her, her mouth opening to say something, but Hermione spun on her foot before her fellow counsellor even had the chance. Hermione thought she overhead, "Don't worry. She's just a little upset."

While those outside of their small group didn't know exactly what was going on between the Gryffindor and Slytherin counsellors, it was more than obvious that something had happened. Olivia shot a panicked glance to Oliver as Hermione stormed away from Hannah and Draco.

"She's not making this easy for us, is she?" Henry grumbled. He sat in the dirt with his legs crossed as he scratched the back of his head. "I know Isobel thinks we should lock them up and let them sort it out, but I'm not sure it will work."

Olivia was of the same opinion, but they were quickly running out of options. In the last four days, they had bloody well tried everything the could think of. If the campfire needed more wood, Olivia manipulated Draco's wicked jealousy to fit her own needs. Yet saying how Michael should gather wood with Hermione had never worked.

Hermione would much rather go alone, she said, and that she would take the time to clear her head instead.

They'd tried pushing them toward one another for simple tasks, patrolling the camp at night, which was something all of the counsellors did now. Because another idea, this one belonging to Adelaide, was to break curfew and set off the wards. No one jumped out of bed faster than Draco and Hermione, but in the end, it hadn't really worked out all that well.

Adelaide was stuck with the equivalent of detention with Filch, scrubbing the floor of the kitchen by hand, and Hermione wouldn't look at Draco.

"They're both just so goddamned stubborn," Lisa hissed. "That cabin is looking better and better." Her arms rested at her sides, her hands curled into tight fists. "I'd like to just knock the sense back into them."

Padma agreed quietly. "He won't talk to me, not in private at least. Draco knows that I'm right, but he's too caught in his own thoughts to realise he doesn't have to keep her at arm's length."

Casting a long look at the children who were too nosey for their own good, Lisa pulled Padma farther away. "It's bizarre to think of where they started at the beginning of this summer to where they're at now."

She nodded, fingering the charm on the long chain around her neck. "Hermione and Draco? I would have never thought…. I would have never believed that I would even call him by his first name."

"I overheard what they're doing for today's camp activity," Lisa said nonchalantly. "We might be able to work it in our favour, but it's more likely that they'll beat the shite out of each other."

Padma snorted, covering her mouth. "Either way, we'll be entertained. What is it?"

"Duelling."

Her dark eyes widened as she grinned. "Hermione is going to hex him to kingdom come, and I can't wait."

Hermione's wand was in her back pocket, halfway tucked inside, and she was well aware of how badly she'd have liked to hex Draco. It wouldn't be mature, so she didn't. She leaned back on the balls of her feet, her shoulder brushing Lisa's as she stood to her right. "Who wants to go first?"

Leanne sat on the sidelines, wearing a bored expression as she ate an apple. If it had been weeks previously, Hermione would have expected her to challenge Draco to a duel. She doubted the two of them would ever truly like the other, but the level of animosity had dropped to zero.

Henry raised his hand. "Miss Granger,"

"Just Hermione is fine, Henry." She sighed, knowing he was up to something. It was the only time he called her Miss Granger. "Would you like to go first?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I just have a suggestion. I think all of us would like to see a real duel first between more experienced witches and wizards."

Hermione only looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Did you have anyone particular in mind?" She didn't notice Lisa stiffen at her side.

A grin spread across Henry's face. "What about you and Draco?"

Not thinking of why it was a bad idea, because it truly was, Hermione agreed easily. "Sure. Draco, you mind?"

His stare hardened as his eyes met hers and he drew his wand. "As long as you don't. I wouldn't want your pride to take too much of a blow."

The retort rolled off her tongue before she could stop herself. "I think you've already wounded my pride enough, thank you."

His nostrils flared at the comment. He watched her carefully as she walked to the middle of the clearing before standing inches away from him. "Really, Granger?"

"Honestly, Malfoy?" She scoffed. "I've been waiting to knock that smug smirk off your face again since third year. You remember where the line on the ground is, don't you?"

"Considering I made it myself," he hissed, "yes."

"Perfect." Hermione twirled her wand between her fingers, watching as his gaze dropped to her hand. She might have shrivelled below him with the way he was glaring at her, something fierce on the tip of his tongue, if she weren't so determined to win the duel.

Padma counted them down, signalling for them to begin the walk back to either land in the grass.

He didn't see the first spell before it hit him.

He was well acquainted with the sensation of a full body bind sweeping over his body. Spending nights and school breaks in the presence of Snake Face would do that to you. Still, Draco barely heard her cry of "Petrificus Totales!" His body fell backward, his feet sliding through the dirt as he couldn't dig his heels into the earth to prevent himself from falling.

His eyes widened as she gritted her teeth, ripping her wand through frenzied movements of the next spell.

Clearly, Granger wasn't interested in holding back. Not for his pride, not so as not to embarass him in front of children.

"Confringo!" It was a heavy weight against his sternum as the brunt of the spell made impact, launching him back several metres. The back of his skull slammed into the ground, and he was acutely aware of a cluster of small rocks digging into his scalp.

If he could have said anything—if he could have done anything beyond letting his mouth hang open like a fish, he probably would have called her a bitch. Merlin knew he wanted to as he drew a sharp breath.

His wandless, non-verbal wasn't perfect, but it was just enough to get him out of the full body bind. He rolled across the ground, jumping to his feet so his back wasn't exposed for long. Several pairs of eyes were on them, and he caught the sight of Padma's shite eating grin over Granger's shoulder.

Watching Granger pivot toward him, preparing to cast another spell—from the looks of it, this one was another offensive spell—Draco realised he ought to just protect himself. She was coming after him with a vengeance, no doubt having not forgiven him for their quarrel days earlier.

He cast a Protego moments before the stunner broke through it, shattering the shield. The shield only softened the blow, but no by much. Draco dropped to one knee, his long fingers splayed over his heart as he glared at her. Strands of hair fell into his eyes.

Draco bit the inside of his cheek, watching her sidestep as she carefully watched him. Granger waited for him to go on the offensive, to hurl spells at her like he meant it.

For a brief moment, he considered it.

"I'm not going to fight you like you want," he commented, casting another shield charm. That one actually did the job, deflecting the stunner.

Her chest rose and fell with each heavy breath. "Scared, Malfoy?" Granger mocked.

His fingers tightened around his wand. "Hardly."

There was a not so quiet, "Are they going to kill each other?" Henry watched them, his eyes wide as he pulled up clumps of grass. "Miss Hermione, don't hurt—"

"Relashio!" Draco called out, watching as the vine wand slipped from her grip. Granger's eyes shot open while she fumbled for her wand. "Rictusempra," quickly followed.

She clutched her sides, laughing uncontrollably as she still reached for her wand. She choked out, "Are you bloody serious?"

He nodded, eying her closely for when she inevitably climbed to her feet and cursed him again. A flock of birds squawked over his head, and he really hoped she wouldn't find the strength to cast Oppungo. "I told you—"

"And it's obvious that you're not giving it all you've got!" Hermione snapped as she cast, "Levicorpus!"

Yanked into the air, dangled by his fucking ankle, his patience was slipping rapidly. "You fucking—"

"I can take it, you know, whatever you can cast at me. I'll just return it ten-fold." Her eyes were dark, the familiar shade of firewhisky that he was so fond of blotted out by anger.

It was an effort to end the duel before she could do anything worse, but he didn't expect it to work.

Therefore, he wasn't terribly surprised when it went tits up.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco dragged his wand through the series of movements, his jaw clenched as her wand was yanked from her grip.

It was halfway across the makeshift duelling ring between them when Hermione called it back to her. "Accio wand!" And it worked, given the way his concentration broke as she planted her feet, shoulders width apart.

Oh, fuck.

Being a Death Eater, whether by choice or force, one learned several spells that weren't considered appropriate in Hogwarts. Still, Draco didn't recall that incantation that left her lips, but he recognised the wand work within an instant. The spell burst from her wand, jetting across the expanse between them.

He dropped to one knee, glancing up as it went right over his head.

Granger yelled a warning just before it collided with Corner. Conjunctivitis Curse. "Impedimenta! Langlock!"

Draco rose to his feet in a swift motion, bringing his wand down in a sweeping arc. A stunner left his wand, sending her back several steps as she stared at him.

Unable to cast a spell, even one to free herself from the Langlock so she could chant an incantation, Draco neared her.

His cheeks were flushed, as were hers. "Yield?" He panted.

She arched an eyebrow, and he couldn't have seen it quickly enough. Her tongue was no longer stuck to the roof of her mouth.

How had she—

Hermione caught her breath as he found himself at the end of her wand. The tip of it was sharp against his throat, pressing harshly against the space just below his collarbone. "Yield?" She whispered, levelling him with a stare. "I can do this all day."

He expelled a sharp breath, dropping to the ground. The sky was bright overhead as he laid on his back, staring at her. "Not necessary."

"Did you see them?" Olivia hissed.

Her comrades nodded in quick succession. In another match not far from them, Lisa and Leanne were facing off against one another. Though they weren't as interested in that duel as they'd been in the first one of the day.

It was intense, hard to miss really. Isobel smirked as she raised her notebook. What now?

Olivia tapped her fingers against her chin. "At least we know the physical attraction didn't go away."

"I'll say," Henry snorted. "At the end, I thought he was going to snog her. And I've already seen that once. I don't want to see it ever again. He's like...my brother."

The girls laughed, though Isobel's was noiseless. "I don't think we'll have to lock them in the cabin anymore. Just a little push now is all we need." Olivia said. She plucked wildflowers from the ground below them. "They've been stealing looks at each other all day."

"If they don't get their shite together, I'm going to go mental," Henry muttered.

There was a chorus of agreements.

Hermione flicked through her book, a muggle tome, as she sat at the tables after dinner. She wasn't quite ready to return to her own room for the night, still worried each night. She hadn't yet escaped the fear of another attack, even though Aurors had swept through, redoing the wards.

A twig snapped in two behind her before someone much smaller than her took the seat beside her. "Miss Granger?"

She nearly hung her head. What could Henry possibly want now? Glancing over, she saw him picking at the dirt beneath his nails. "Oh, please, Henry, haven't we done this back and forth enough now? You can call me Hermione." She rose from her seat to tend to the campfire in the centre of the tables, moving the brush around.

"Miss Hermione," he ammended and ignored her sharp, irritated intake of breath. "Would you please, for the love of Merlin and Morgana, go talk to Draco?"

She blinked, her head snapping up. "I beg your pardon?"

Henry barreled on, not abashed in the least. "He's been foul ever since you snogged him by the lake, and then went flying with that Ravenclaw. He's going to curse us into toadstools if you don't resolve this tension."

Her mouth was dry as she stared at him. "What?" Hermione managed, her voice strangled and clipped. "I'm not sure—"

"Please—"

"He's so jealous he can barely see straight and—"

We are not above locking you in a cabin until you sort out the unresolved sexual tension.

Hermione stared as three more children appeared from various hiding spots. Her gaze lingered on Isobel. "Unresolved sexual tension? Where did you even learn that?"

The girl wiped her charmed notebook clear, scribbling across it with the end of her wand. Lisa and Padma.

"You've got to be shitting me." Hermione gaped at them, laughing to herself. "Alright, I'll talk to him. You lot should be in bed, right now."

"You promise you'll talk to him?" Adelaide pointed at her.

Hermione heaved a sigh. "Straight away." Just as soon as she collected herself and her nerves. The small group of campers made their way to their designated cabins, but Isobel stopped to give one last look to Hermione.

She raised the sign in her hands. Good luck, Hermione.

As the door shut behind Isobel with a barely audible click, Hermione stared at the stars overhead, willing them to give her advice.

She cast Alohomora, letting herself into his room without warning him that she was on the other sdie. Draco looked to her, shocked, as he laid in his bed, tossing a snitch in the air. "I'd like to talk to you."

He arched a pale brow. "I'd assume so. There's no other reason for you to barge in this late, is there? Let me guess, it's about activities? Well, the last time I helped you, you ended up beating the shite out of me. So forgive me if I'm not as willing to help—"

"No," she swallowed. "I meant that I'd like to talk about us. I've given you the cold shoulder, no more than you have, this week and I can't stand for it to go on any longer. It's driving me spare every time I look at you." And there it was, a partial confession that was not easily taken back. "So," she held her hands up in surrender. "Here I am."

He caught the snitch, tightly gripping it in his hand. "I'm not ignoring you."

"You are."

"I'm truly not. It's not my fault if you're reading into it too much, and making my actions about you—"

"I'll put a Draco Malfoy sized hole in the bedroom wall if you finish that sentence." Hermione said smoothly. She took a step toward him. "You know, I may not know everything about you, and I may not know you as well as I like to think I do, but I know you're lying to yourself right now."

He swung his legs over the bed. "Lying to myself?" Draco laughed, and the sound grated on her ears. "Listen, there's nothing to discuss. It's simply put: we were growing close, and before you get your knickers in a twist, we're still friends."

Hermione noticed the difficulty he had swallowing as he said it. "Bullshite."

His eyes widened a fraction. "Come again?"

She shook her head, laughing quietly to herself as she was unsurprised at the turn of events. Of course he wouldn't admit anything, and she was a fool if she expected him to. "You can say there's nothing to talk about, but it will still be a lie. You've been jealous of Michael since I got on a broom with him, and you've been angry with me since I kissed you, and you're too bloody proud to admit it!"

Draco's hands curled into fists, the snitch likely cutting into his palm. "I'm not fucking jealous of Corner."

He towered over her as she spat, "And I thought it was only Ron who had the emotional range of a teaspoon!"

"I'm not jealous," Draco repeated through gritted teeth.

In hindsight, it was a silly move to use his jealousy against him, immature, and she knew it. Only she wasn't perfect. "Fine," Hermione breathed, turning away from him and toward the door. She moved to make a quick exit, her hand already on the doorknob. "Since we're not able to get along anymore—it's okay—I'll ask Michael to work with me on camp activities."

There were three footsteps, each heavy against the floor before Draco caught her by her shoulders and turned her around. A gasp fell from her mouth as he backed her to the door, and his mouth came down on her own.

His fingers sunk into her hair, tugging slightly at the wild curls that wrapped around the digits. "A little jealous," Draco murmured.

Hermione's shoulders fell as she relaxed against the door. Running her palms up his chest, her breath hitching as his hands eventually found her hips, she nodded the best she could. "I'll never let you live it down."

"I might be able to make you forget." His lips skimmed her cheek before he knelt down, kissing down her throat. "Just by snogging."

She swallowed, anticipation knotting in her stomach at just the prospect of kissing him for as long as she liked. "I'm still cross with you."

"You can duel me again over it." He muttered.

"We're still going to discuss this." Hermione said, her voice dying in her throat as he pulled her away from the door. "After," she clarified.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "After what?"

Well, not that. Though she saved herself from the embarrassment of saying it out loud. Hermione pulled him to her by latching onto his shirt, and stretching up to kiss him again.

I'm really just dying to hear what you thought. Only a couple of chapters left to go now.