A/N: Hoorah! Another chapter completed. Some of you are still confused, and I'm not sure where because you didn't say…so please be specific.
Anyway, I GREATLY appreciate the reviews, thank you so much to all of you who took the time to leave a review. I'm really disappointed that I didn't get the 35 reviews I asked for (I didn't even make 30, I'm at 28 right now), and I was just going to make you all wait until I got them, but I'm going to the beach this weekend so I figured I would be nice.
Now, for next time I want to get at least ten really good reviews – not flames, but those of you who notice something that needs work please feel free to leave constructive criticism. Be sure to point out what you really enjoy about this piece too, please, because I'd like to keep doing it. And I really WON'T post chapter six until I get those, and it is already finished so be sure to get on top of things and I make sure I have ten awesome reviews when I get back on Sunday.
If you submitted a review to chapter four, I reviewed one of your stories (probably the most recent one) and left what I consider to be a fairly solid review in most cases. It's only fair, right?
And now, on with the show:
Chapter Five
"What is that?" Ron practically shrieked as he grabbed the newspaper from Harry's hands. But a better view of the scene yielded no comfort, and he began to sputter nonsensically.
"Calm down," Harry said, grabbing the newspaper back. "Here," he passed Ron the ten-page typed letter from Hermione.
"I'll give muggles one thing, this is much easier to read than quill and ink," Ron admitted, still in awe over the idea of a machine you could type things into. Harry's explanation had painted an incredibly bizarre picture in his mind. "Still seems a bit odd, doesn't it?" Ron asked after he read the letter.
"Definitely," Harry agreed. "But as long as things are alright," he decided. Ron shrugged.
"I don't think I'd ever become friends with Malfoy. Not even if our parents became best friends," Ron decided. He picked up the newspaper article. "That's quite a nice car Hermione has," he said enviously, looking at the picture.
"And not cheap either," Harry informed him. "It probably cost about 19,099 galleons, ten sickles, and one knut," he estimated. Ron's jaw dropped.
"I will probably never have that kind of money in my entire life," he mourned, eyeing the picture sadly. Harry shrugged
"There's more important things in life than money," he reminded Ron.
"Like Quidditch practice?" Ginny suggested, coming over to the two of them in her practice gear. Harry and Ron looked at her, then looked up at the clock and jumped to their feet.
"We'll be right out," Harry called back to her as he raced up the stairs to the boy's dormitories.
Hermione took a deep breath and led into the final pas-de-bourrée sequence. She finished with a clean double pirouette and spun down into the ending pose, which she held until the music ended and Coach Kerry's voice broke the silence.
"Alright, get up. One more time and we're through for the week. I want to see more energy, really focus on getting those high kicks synchronized. After our cool down, Blaise will distribute uniforms and your instructions for next week," Kerry told them, as they walked to their starting formation. She hit the play button and the music swelled to the fast techno beat.
This was the last day of dance camp, a week-long ordeal that had left Hermione exhausted, bruised, and even a little bloody from time to time. She was beyond relieved that it was over. Draco had been right, the fact that the coach thought she was worthy of the spot meant nothing to the other girls on the squad. She found herself having to prove her worth every step of the way. Blaise would barely even look at her.
"Much better!" Kerry called. "Alright, Blaise is going to do her thing, and then you all can get out of here. Remember, school starts Tuesday, and practices will be after school every day at four, even on game days – unless we're traveling," she reminded them. Meanwhile, Blaise was passing around fliers, and calling out names for girls to come and collect the three different uniforms the girls would wear.
Hermione got the last flier and looked it over. There were instructions as to which uniform to wear on what days, practice times, and the list of fall performance dates. At the bottom of the page was an invitation to Blaise's house on Sunday for a team party. She groaned inwardly and hoped her mother would have something else planned for her that day.
"Did everyone get their uniforms?" Kerry shouted. Hermione looked up and realized her name had not been called.
"I didn't," she said, making her way up to where Blaise was sitting.
"Oh, Hermione," Blaise mused, rifling through her sheet of names. "You're at the bottom, I must have missed you. Here, size four," she said, passing her a set of hangers and a duffel bag.
"But, I'm a size six," Hermione corrected. Blaise narrowed her eyes.
"Well, you're going to be a size four now, aren't you?" she asked. Hermione's jaw dropped.
"They tend to run large," Kerry explained. "Try them on and if they don't fit we can order you a bigger set, but it'll take a month or two to get them."
"I'm sure they're fine," Hermione forced a smile. "Thanks, Blaise," she said before turning away. "See you Sunday!"
"Yeah, see you," Blaise repeated.
Hermione took her uniforms and grabbed her water bottle and car keys. She headed outside and found Draco waiting for her on the curb.
"You got out early," she informed him. He nodded.
"They're fertilizing the field," he explained.
"Again?" Hermione asked, incredulous.
"Yeah, the coach wants it to look just right for our first game. Are you hungry?" Draco asked her. She shrugged.
"I could eat," she decided.
"I told some of the boys I'd meet them at that new pizza place. Do you wanna come?" he asked. Hermione started to protest, and he glared at her. "I think you're coming with me," he informed her. "We'll just jet by your house and take a quick shower and then pick up Pansy and be off," he said. Hermione sighed and got into her car. Draco slid into the seat next to her and pushed the button to open the sunroof.
After a quick shower, Hermione stood in her closet trying to decide what to wear. She had already put on a pair of jeans and a bra and dried her hair, but she could not pick out a shirt. Finally, she settled on a low-cut, short-sleeved, hunter green top with a little bit of detail at the bottom corner.
Draco was waiting in the foyer when she came down the stairs. He was already showered and dressed.
"Took you long enough," he complained. Hermione sighed, and headed for the kitchen.
"Mom, Draco and I are going out with some friends for pizza," she said, breezing through the kitchen.
"Okay," her mother replied, looking up from a catalog, and sounding somewhat surprised. "Stay out late," she called after the two of them.
Hermione drove to Pansy's house quickly, "remembering" the way faster than she had expected to. Draco hopped over his door and headed up the path to the front door. He got there just as it opened to reveal Pansy and Blaise both coming out the door.
"Draco, who's driving the car?" Pansy asked, sounding really stressed.
"Hermione is coming along," he informed the two girls.
"What?" Blaise shrieked, loud enough for Hermione to hear. She lowered her voice. "Why is she coming?" she hissed at Draco.
"Because, she wants to branch out a little. Make some new friends," he explained. "She doesn't have any friends here," he reminded them. Both girls rolled their eyes.
"Why couldn't she join the chess club or something?" Pansy asked.
"Can it, both of you," Draco snapped, spinning around to face them. "You're both upstanding purebloods, start acting like it. If I can get over myself then you two sure as hell can. We're in an adverse situation here, whether you like it or not. This project is very important, especially to Sammie, and that should matter to you, Blaise. It's the least we can do to make it a success," he reminded them, not so gently, turning back around.
"Well, the success of this project is of greater benefit to you than it is to either of us," Blaise muttered under her breath, as she approached the car.
"What do you mean by that?" Draco asked through his teeth.
"Blaise means you have a real good shot at making head boy, so you need a better mark," Pansy interjected, giving Blaise a look.
"Hi, Hermione," Blaise said, trying to change the subject.
"Hey," Hermione said softly. "Hi Pansy," she added.
"Hey, Hermione, cute shirt," Pansy said. Hermione smiled and thanked her as she turned the car back on.
By the time they got to the pizza place, it was packed from wall to wall with students from their high school. Hermione's stomach was growling, and she wanted to cry when she saw the line extending out the front doors and around the building.
Draco led the group right inside, past the hostess, to a booth in the center of the restaurant where some guys Hermione recognized as being on the football team were already sitting. Blaise slid in first, right next to a tall, tan blond, and Pansy slid in next to her. Draco followed, leaving Hermione to slide in on the end of the other side.
"Hermione, I don't think you've met Josh yet. He just moved here from California. Awesome linebacker," Draco motioned to the guy sitting right next to Hermione. He had sandy blond hair, clear blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles across his nose. Josh flashed a brilliant white smile at Hermione that rivaled Draco's in megawatts, but won for sincerity hands down.
"Nice to meet you, Hermione," Josh stuck out his hand. Hermione shook it firmly, and smiled at him.
"You too," she replied. "Where in California are you from?" she asked.
"Huntington Beach," he said tentatively, checking for recognition.
"So you surf," Hermione said, figuring it was a safe guess. He grinned again.
"Definitely," he nodded. "Here," he slid his menu to her, as the waitress had neglected to bring enough for everyone. Hermione skimmed it quickly.
The meal progressed without incident, much to Hermione's relief. Before she knew it, everyone was debating over whether or not to order dessert. She stood up and stretched her legs.
"I'm going to the ladies room, order me a slice of cheesecake if she comes before I get back," Hermione instructed Josh, referring to their waitress. Pansy gave Draco a slight shove, forcing him to stand up.
"Come on, Blaise," she said, standing up as well. Blaise slid out of the booth, and Draco sat back down.
"Such girls," Draco said as he rolled his eyes. The guys all laughed and made a variety of comments about how girls always travel in packs. Hermione led the way to the restroom and was surprised to find it completely empty despite the crowded restaurant.
"What the hell are you up to?" Blaise demanded, cornering Hermione as soon as they were safely inside the ladies room.
"I'm not interested in Josh," Hermione held her hands up, as if to show she had no weapons.
"That's not what we're talking about," Pansy corrected her. "What are you doing here tonight?"
"Draco invited me," Hermione responded, realizing what they were after.
"What about the Dance Team?" Blaise demanded.
"I need a sport to round out my extracurriculars. It'll look good on my college applications," Hermione explained. Blaise rolled her eyes.
"So you joined Dance?" she asked.
"Well, you were there for my tryout, I'm obviously not hurting the team," Hermione defended herself. "Look, back off you two. I'm really flattered that you're threatened by me, but I'm not trying to steal your thunder," she said, trying to reason with them. Blaise's jaw dropped open, and Hermione turned and entered a stall.
"Wow," Blaise mouthed inaudibly. Pansy nodded in agreement, and took a powder compact out of her purse. Hermione emerged from the stall and headed straight to the sink to wash her hands.
"So, Hermione," Pansy began. "You're not interested in Josh?"
"Not really," she replied honestly. "He's a nice guy though."
"Aren't they all?" Blaise sighed, touching up her eyeliner. "Well, he seems really interested in you," she commented. Hermione sighed.
"Maybe I'll get to know him a little better and think differently," she offered. "But right now, I'm not interested."
"Are you coming to the party on Sunday?" Pansy asked her suddenly. Hermione shrugged.
"I have to check my schedule," she said. "But if I have nothing else going on. My mom is happier than I am about me making the dance team so I'm sure she'll rearrange everything so I can go anyway."
"Well, it's just going to be kind of casual, so, whatever," Blaise said, shrugging her shoulders. She snapped her purse closed and turned away from the mirror. "Ready?" she asked the other girls.
They returned to the table and ate their dessert. Hermione reached for her purse to put in her share of money, but Josh stopped her.
"No way, I got it," he offered. She shook her head.
"It's alright," she insisted, digging for her wallet. He took her purse away from her and set it on the other side of him
"I insist," he told her, putting a twenty into the pile. She smiled at him, but really wanted to roll her eyes.
"Why don't we all go back to my house and watch a movie?" Blaise suggested. Everyone seemed to agree, so they headed out to their cars. Hermione had not realized how tired she was until she started driving. Then she wished she had made Draco drive his own car so she could just go home.
But instead she led the procession of cars to Blaise's house, which was down the street from Draco's. The houses in this neighborhood were a little bit bigger than Hermione's, which she found hard to believe, and every bit as ostentatious.
She pulled into the driveway, and Draco let Pansy and Blaise out. He got back into the car with Hermione and shut the door.
"We're not staying?" Hermione asked. Draco shook his head.
"Nah. I'm not in the mood to slosh my way out to the golf course tomorrow morning," Draco informed her.
"Golf, tomorrow?" Hermione asked, horrorstruck, as she started to pull out of the driveway. Draco grinned.
"For the menfolk, yes," he replied. "You and your mother will go…shop or something else women do."
"Oh, thank god," Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
"You can say that again. The last time they let you on a golf course you got the golf cart stuck in sand trap and almost killed Lady DeWitt with your backswing," he reminded her. She burst out laughing.
"Do you ever wish some of these things had actually happened?" Hermione asked him suddenly. Draco looked at her quizzically.
"No, not really," he answered truthfully. They were silent for a few moments. "Why, do you?" he asked.
"Sometimes," she admitted.
"Look out!" Draco yelled suddenly. Hermione slammed on her brakes, just in time to avoid hitting Hedwig, who now perched regally on the driver's side mirror. Hitting the window button, Hermione reached out and untied the letter from around Hedwig's ankle.
"That bird will be the death of me," Hermione sighed, putting the letter in her lap and releasing the brake.
Sunday morning, Hermione awoke with a start. Her mother had left early on Saturday to spend a few days with Hermione's father in the Caribbean, so Hermione had been using the time to work on her homework assignments for Hogwarts. She had finished three Transfiguration essays, one Potions assignment, and two History of Magic essays.
All of Hermione's Hogwarts supplies were kept in a special box under her bed. The box had special charms on it to keep it from being seen by anyone other than Hermione, and to make it so that it could hold all of her things but remain the size of a shoe box in dimension and weight.
Hermione got out of her bed and opened the door to her bedroom. All of the servants had the day off so she was alone in the house, at least in theory. A nervous sensation crept into Hermione's stomach and she walked slowly down the hall to the stairs. Though she had no idea what her father actually did, she knew it was something important and high-profile so the odds of someone trying to break into their house were fairly high.
She went straight for the kitchen upon reaching the first floor. The security system's control panel was on the wall by one of the refrigerators, and if she could just get there she would know right away if the house was secure. But the panel reflected absolutely nothing unusual. Hermione sighed, wishing she had a sneakoscope. She was pretty sure magic was one of the things the security system could not detect.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione resolved to push it from her mind. If someone was in the house from the Wizarding world, odds were that they had come to help her, not hurt her. She turned and headed for the fridge on her right to see what was available for breakfast.
Before she could open the door, the phone rang, startling her enough to make her scream. Once she realized what it was, she felt like an idiot and quickly picked it up.
"Hello?" she asked, slightly out of breath from her scare.
"Hermione!" Draco's voice drawled. Hermione rolled her eyes just hearing him. "I'm looking at my PDA and it says we were supposed to meet at the club for breakfast. Was I supposed to pick you up? Because I didn't write that down," he informed her. She searched her memory. When had she agreed to breakfast with Draco? She had not even seen Draco since she dropped him off Friday night.
"PDA?" she asked, still trying to remember if she had made these plans. She could almost hear Draco rolling his eyes.
"I'll come pick you up then," he said, hanging up the phone. Hermione set the phone back on the receiver and ran upstairs. The country club was only ten minutes away if Draco hit all the stop lights and she was in her pajamas. One thing she did know was that Sunday morning brunch at the country club was a pretty dressy affair.
She quickly threw on a knee-length skirt and some wedges, tying her hair up in a messy bun. A strappy tank top and some lip gloss later she was frantically thumbing through her date book, trying to find where she had written that she would be having breakfast with Draco.
"Ready?" he asked, opening her door. Hermione shrieked and dropped the book on her unmade bed.
"Don't do that!" She implored, grabbing her purse and a sweater.
"Sorry," Draco held his hands up. "You look nice," he offered. Hermione shrugged, and led him down the stairs.
"I'm sorry I didn't meet you there, I honestly don't remember agreeing to this, and it's definitely not in my date book. I must have been having a bad day," she apologized.
"Don't worry about it," he said, opening the passenger-side door for her. She got in and he closed it before jogging around to the other side of the car. Hermione leaned over and unlocked his door. "Thanks," he said getting in. "I just hope we make it back while they're still making waffles. I know how much you just lo-ove a fresh hot waffle," he teased her.
Hermione awoke Tuesday morning before her alarm went off, before even the sun had risen. She looked at the clock and sighed heavily. Her first day of muggle school since fourth grade. Hermione rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, feeling a little bit excited but mostly just nervous.
Her bedroom door opened a crack, and someone slipped in. Before she knew what was happening, someone was crawling into her bed with her. She sat up quickly and reached for the light.
"Don't!" Draco's voice came. It sounded raw and strangled, not at all like it usually did.
"Draco?" Hermione asked. She tried to see his face in the dark, but her habit of sleeping in the pitch black was working against her.
"Yeah," he sighed. She could feel his body heat radiating towards her, and she realized that she was cold, so she lay back down.
"What's going on?" she asked, suddenly hearing raised voices from down stairs.
"My father," he began. Hermione heard him take a deep shuddering breath. "My father left us this morning," he managed to get out. He turned on his side to face Hermione. "I don't think he's going to come back this time," he admitted, biting his lip.
Hermione could tell he had been crying, and was probably on the verge of tears now. She knew that downstairs Narcissa was probably in hysterics and that Victoria was doing everything in her power to try to calm her down. But the words that haunted her were the last two Draco said. This time. Hermione closed her eyes and discovered that Draco's father had a habit of walking on Narcissa every time she did something he did not particularly like.
"He always has before," Hermione reminded him. "Why do you think this time is any different?" she asked. But Draco did not answer. She could feel him crying next to her, and her heart broke. "Come here," she said, reaching out for him. She pulled him towards her so that his head was resting on her chest.
His warm tears soaked straight through Hermione's shirt, but he was emanating so much heat that she barely noticed. It was one of Hermione's favorite things about guys that they radiated heat like little power plants. This simple fact made being in their arms a little like paradise.
The next thing Hermione knew, her alarm was going off. She reached over and hit the snooze button, and then looked down at Draco sleeping peacefully in her arms. It seemed almost cruel to wake him up. She closed her eyes, trying to decide what to do.
While her eyes were closed, the door to her bedroom opened slowly. Victoria and Narcissa tiptoed into the room, each carrying a tray that almost buckled under the weight of the food piled on top.
"Where's the camera when you need it?" Narcissa whispered. The mothers stifled laughs. Hermione opened her eyes, and her jaw dropped once she saw the breakfast her mother had for her. The mothers motioned for her to be quiet, and they all focused their attention on Draco, who was beginning to stir. Something told Hermione that the scent of food was the waking factor.
Draco opened his eyes, which registered immediately on his mother with his breakfast. A smile crossed his face briefly until he realized where he was. They all laughed as he sat up and scooted over to his side of the bed.
"That was weird," he remarked, looking at everyone. Breakfast was delivered and Draco dug in.
"Don't get crumbs in my bed!" Hermione admonished. Draco rolled his eyes and pretended to dump his orange juice on her.
"We thought we ought to give you a treat for your first day of senior year," Victoria spoke up.
"It's a good one," Draco commended. "I could get used to this," he added pointedly.
"Well, don't get any big ideas," his mother said, rolling her eyes. "Your clothes are downstairs," she informed him. He nodded.
Hermione poured the warm syrup over her waffle, and then spread some butter in it, making a marble pattern.
"After practice, Hermione, take Draco to his house so he can collect some things. He'll be staying with us for a few days," Victoria said. Hermione nodded slowly, looking at Draco, who had dropped his fork and started gaping open-mouthed at his mother.
"For heaven's sake, Draco, shut your mouth," Narcissa snapped. "It's not the end of the world. I'll be back to see your game on Friday," she informed him. He picked up his fork and started eating again, deliberately ignoring her.
Hermione finished her waffle and picked up her tray to carry it downstairs. Her mother stopped her before she got to the door.
"Just leave it, Susie will be up," her mother said. "Go get ready," she prompted. Hermione set the tray down on her dresser and headed for the bathroom.
When she made it downstairs an hour later, Hermione was dressed in her black dance team uniform – a very short pleated skirt that barely covered her, and a vest that read "Cougars" across it in burgundy bubble letters. With that she wore white sneakers and ankle socks; her hair was pulled half up and curled at the ends, tied with burgundy and gold ribbons. She had a white sweater draped over her arm, in case it got chilly inside the school, and she carried her duffel bag.
Draco was waiting in the kitchen with the mothers, wearing his burgundy football jersey and jeans. When he saw Hermione come into the room, he stood up, the look on his face clearly stating how impressed he was.
"Thank you," Hermione said to him. The mothers turned to look at him, and he dropped the look.
"Uh, you ready?" he asked. She nodded. "You're not seriously taking a backpack on the first day, are you?" he asked.
"I thought I would," she replied. "In case we get textbooks?"
"Just put them in your locker, and at the end of the day they can go in your duffel," he suggested. Hermione shrugged and pulled a thick notebook out of her bag. She put some pens in her purse and set the bag on the table.
"Pictures!" Mrs. Granger said, jumping up. Hermione rolled her eyes, but followed everyone outside to have her picture taken. After about a roll of film, Hermione looked at her watch and decided it was time to leave.
"I'll see you later, Mom," Hermione said, picking up her stuff. Her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.
"Have fun!" Her mother cooed, waving goodbye. Hermione sighed and put her belongings in the backseat of the car. Draco got in the passenger's side and put the top down. Mrs. Granger snapped about a hundred more photos as Hermione pulled out of the driveway.
Hermione found her parking space with no difficulty once she arrived at the school. She and Draco collected their bags and headed for the front doors. Once they got there, they were greeted by a barrage of reporters, snapping pictures and asking questions. Draco put one of his arms on Hermione's lower back and held his other one up as though he were blocking on the field, and pushed a path through for him and Hermione.
"They got worse this year," he commented once they were safely inside the building. Hermione had conveniently forgotten to remember first days of school and was now reminded that the press covered all major school functions because of the number of high-profile parents. Fortunately, the principal, Dr. Osgul, like Dumbledore, refused to let the press inside the school unless it was a major event.
"Good Morning!" Dr. Osgul boomed, as Hermione and Draco got closer.
"Hey, Dr. O," Draco held up his hand in greeting. Hermione waved, and tried to stay close to Draco, who let go of her. The school was a lot different with students inside it. Draco snaked his way through the crowds confidently, although most people got out of his way when they saw him approaching. Most people did not seem to recognize Hermione, so she did not receive any odd looks until they got into the senior hallway.
"Oh, my god," a voice called out. "I thought that was a misprint," she continued. Hermione looked around to see who was talking. A girl in a pink plaid skirt, ripped fishnets, and emo glasses waved to her. "Over here! Hey, remember me?" the girl said. Draco turned to Hermione.
"You gonna be okay?" He asked. Hermione nodded, and he grinned. "Be strong," he warned her, before giving her a quick squeeze.
"Oh no, that did not just happen before my eyes," the girl practically shrieked. Hermione crossed the crowded hallway to greet her friend.
"Violet, calm down," Hermione pleaded, suddenly remembering the girl's name.
"You just hugged Draco Malfoy, the biggest prick in the school. I will not calm down!" Violet screamed. "Not until you tell me what's going on. I haven't heard from you all summer, you've been ignoring my emails, you haven't been on instant messenger, and I know I've left at least thirty messages on your cell. Then I read in the paper that you're on the dance team? Come on, Hermione!"
"Hermione!" a familiar voice called. Hermione looked up to see Josh jogging towards her.
"Josh! Hey," Hermione exclaimed.
"You look great in that uniform," he commented. Hermione laughed.
"Have you met Violet?" she asked. "Josh this is Violet, Violet, Josh. He just moved here from Huntington Beach, California," Hermione added.
"Nice to meet you," Josh said holding out his hand. Violet shook it tentatively.
"You too," she said. "Um, nice jersey."
"Thanks, it's a lot nicer than the ones at my old school," He told the girls. "So, Hermione, I had a great time Friday night, I hope we'll get to hang out again sometime," he said.
"Yeah, sure," Hermione said, smiling at him. She felt like screaming at him to go away.
"Well, I gotta run meet the rest of the team. Good to see you again, and nice to meet you Violet!" he called, walking away.
"You look great in that uniform?" Violet asked. "Gag me, Hermione. Will you please explain?" she begged.
"Okay, so I came to see my counselor and he told me I needed to join a sports team so my extracurriculars would be well-rounded. And you know I dance, so it kind of seemed natural," Hermione shrugged. "Plus, you know my family is really close with Draco's. We had a really long talk and I told him he had to stop being a jerk to me."
"You could have joined tennis or something less, patronizing to women. I mean, really," Violet sighed. "Just don't forget who your real friends are," she shrugged. "I actually think the uniform looks a little snug in some places," she added. Hermione nodded.
"It's a size too small, but the coach said they ran big," she explained, choosing to leave out the details of the story. Violet rolled her eyes. "How was your summer?" she asked.
"Awesome. Senator Johansen was a lot of fun to work for. I get to come back next summer, and bring a friend, if you're interested," she hinted.
"We'll see," Hermione responded. She opened her notebook to look at her schedule. "What are your classes?" she asked.
"If you'd checked your email, you would know," Violet scolded gently, pulling out her Xeroxed copy.
"Hermione!" Blaise's extremely excited voice stood out in the crowded hallway. Hermione looked up from her friend's schedule to see Blaise and Pansy heading straight for her. A familiar nervous sensation started in her stomach. Violet would not like this.
"Hey girls," Hermione greeted them. Blaise thrust a picture envelope into her hands.
"Pictures from Sunday. They're so good," she cooed. Pansy nodded enthusiastically, and Hermione noted that she was wearing a cheerleading uniform. Hermione flipped through the pictures, letting Violet see.
"You guys know Violet, right?" Hermione said, not looking up to see the glare being exchanged between the three of them.
"We've met," Blaise stated matter-of-factly. Hermione handed the pictures back to her.
"They're great, I'll have to get some copies," Hermione said, trying to end the conversation.
"We have first period together!" Pansy exclaimed, and even Blaise looked shocked at how phony her enthusiasm sounded.
"Great," Violet said flatly. "I can't wait."
The first day of school flew by, and soon Hermione was in the girl's locker room changing for practice. Draco had been right, she had not needed to bring an entire backpack; most of her teachers were waiting to assign textbooks, with the exception of her Anatomy and Calculus teachers. She and Violet had practically the same schedule, aside from Leadership. Instead, Violet was in yearbook, a class Hermione had somehow overlooked.
The school was on block scheduling, which meant that they alternated classes every other day. Red days were for odd numbered classes – periods 1, 3, and 5, and Black days were for even numbered classes – periods 2, 4, and 6. 7th period was everyday, and for Hermione it was AP Portfolio class. She and Violet had spent the entire period talking about their plans for senior year.
Once Hermione was dressed, she left the locker room and headed for the gym foyer. Most of the football team had congregated there, along with the cheerleading squad and dance team members.
"How was your first day?" Draco asked. Hermione shrugged.
"Not too bad, the classes seem really easy," she told him.
"You didn't let Violet beat you up, did you?" He asked. She shook her head.
"No, and once everyone saw Violet was okay with it, they backed off too," she said, talking about her portfolio class, which consisted mostly of kids she and Violet hung out with in previous years.
"Good," he replied, seeming to genuinely care. "I'll meet you here after practice," he told her before following the rest of the team into the locker room.
Hermione waited for Draco in the lobby after practice had ended and she had changed out of her practice clothes. Outside, the sky had clouded over after the late-afternoon downpour Hermione had thankfully missed while she was practicing. After about thirty minutes, when there was no sign of Draco, Hermione decided to walk out to her car with her stuff.
In the parking lot she had a clearer view of the Stadium, and she could make out the tired-looking silhouettes of the football team making their way down the path. Hermione put her stuff in the backseat and hurried to meet Draco.
"Oh, gross," Hermione remarked, catching a whiff of mud and BO as the team started filing past her. They were all covered from head to toe in dark mud that smelled vaguely of sewage.
"Hermione!" Draco called, catching sight of her. "How about a hug?" he offered, heading towards her, his muddy mouthguard swinging haphazardly from the face guard on his helmet as he removed it.
"No, I'm quite alright," she replied. "I'll take that as an I.O.U."
"I insist," Draco said, reaching for her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, jumping backwards. She tangled up her feet in the process and started to fall. Quickly, she reached out for Draco's arm to steady herself and wound up falling forward instead of backwards. Draco was caught off guard as all of her one hundred and twenty pounds came barreling into him and they both went sprawling in the mud.
Hermione and Draco were silent for a moment and then they both burst out laughing. Draco pressed his hand against Hermione's cheek playfully, leaving a big muddy handprint.
At that moment, a camera flash went off, followed by several hundred others. Draco and Hermione looked up to see where the flashes were coming from and began trying to get up. Unfortunately, the mud was incredibly thick and slippery so they were having no luck.
"What is going on here?" a voice boomed. Hermione recognized it almost instantly as the head football coach, Coach Kaysen. "Boys, don't just stand there, Press Block! Ready and," with that Coach K gave a sharp tweet on his whistle. The rest of the football team fell into a line between Hermione and the cameras. The coach helped her to her feet and then hoisted Draco up as well.
As Hermione and Draco made their way into the school building, the line moved with them, acting as a human shield from the media.
"My god, they're ferocious," Draco said after they were safely inside.
"It's a slow news time," Coach K informed him. "They have nothing better to do than cover a bunch of high school kids falling in some mud. I don't care whose son you are, mud is still mud, and no one cares."
"Why don't you go tell them that?" Hermione asked. She sighed. "I am not getting in my car like this," she said looking down at her mud-caked body.
"We'll fix you up, don't worry," the coach replied.
Twenty minutes later, Hermione and Draco were pulling out of the parking lot, seated on a set of freshly laundered white towels. Coach K had sent the towel boy out to her car to cover the interior for her. The sky above thundered ominously as she turned left at the stop sign.
By the time they reached Draco's house, it was pouring down rain. Hermione pulled up in the driveway and put the car in park.
"You can just go on, I'll meet you back at your house," Draco said. Hermione unbuckled her belt.
"I think I'd better stay and help," she said, opening her door. Draco sighed and got out of the car.
"I'm a big boy, I think I can handle it," he informed her, but Hermione was already up the walk. She was shivering by the door when he got there, still digging through his bag to find the key. "I don't think I have my key," he remarked, looking in his pockets again.
"What about the garage doors?" She asked. He shook his head.
"I never learned the code, I always had a remote," he shrugged. Hermione sighed. By now she was no longer muddy, thanks to the rain, just cold and wet.
"Are you sure you don't have your key?" she asked. He fumbled through his duffel again, but came up short. Then a light bulb seemed to flicker on in his head, and he reached out for the doorknob. Turning it, he revealed that it had not been locked in the first place.
"I can't believe you didn't try that first," He sneered at her. She ignored his comment and went on inside.
"Draco, your mother left this for you," Nessie, the Malfoy's housekeeper, handed him an ATM envelope. He pocketed it immediately.
"Thanks," he said, heading to the stairs.
"I left your clean clothes on your bed so it would be easier to pack," she called after him. He nodded and ran up the stairs after Hermione, who seemed to have no trouble remembering where his bedroom was.
"Cozy," she remarked, looking at the four-poster canopy bed, similar to the ones at Hogwarts.
"I'm not a big fan of the navy blue," Draco said wrinkling his nose. He shrugged and started filling the suitcase Nessie had left out for him. Hermione shivered, much colder inside the air-conditioned house than she had been standing in the rain outside. "Why don't you get out of those wet clothes?" Draco asked her.
"I don't have anything else to put on, I left my practice clothes in my gym locker," Hermione informed him. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I was offering you something of mine to change into," he informed her, since she had not realized that was what he meant. Hermione shuddered again, and decided she had better take him up on his offer. Draco pulled a pair of mesh gym shorts with the Kensington football logo on them and an old t-shirt out of a drawer.
Hermione took the fresh clothes into Draco's bathroom and changed quickly. She dried her hair with a towel, and started looking under the sink for a hairbrush. Surprisingly enough, she also found a hair dryer shoved way in the back of the cabinet. She pulled it out and unwound the cord. From the looks of it, it had never been used.
After drying her hair, she emerged from the bathroom feeling much better. She took a seat on Draco's bed and watched him pick out his clothes. He was very meticulous about the way he packed his bag and packed everything by outfit. He nestled his laptop snugly on top of his clothes after wrapping it in a sweatshirt.
He reached under his bed and pulled out his Hogwarts box and handed it to Hermione. She ran her fingers over the smooth inlaid mahogany woodcut of the Slytherin logo. His box was much heavier than hers, and she wanted very badly to see what was inside it.
Draco zipped the suitcase closed and pulled it to the floor. He selected an outfit to change into from his remaining clean clothes.
"Do you mind if I take a shower?" he asked. She shook her head no. "Why don't you take that down to the car, and tell Nessie to send someone for my suitcase?" he asked.
"Because, I'm not your personal servant," she replied. He looked as though he wanted to say something nasty to that, but refrained and headed for the bathroom.
Hermione set the box aside, trying as hard as she could to resist the temptation to open it. She supposed Draco had just brought a few other magical items along and he didn't have anywhere else to put them. Telling herself to be satisfied with that explanation, she scooted across the bed so she could lie down.
The thick down comforter seemed to warm up around her almost as soon as she made contact with it. Amused, she noted that Draco seemed to have the same taste in pillow thickness as she did. Everything around her was covered in silk, which felt soft and soothing against her skin. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, but Hermione forced them open. A startling realization came to her almost at that exact moment: This had been the first day since she had left Hogwarts that she did not wish she could go back.
This revelation unsettled her somewhat, but she reassured herself that she was just becoming accustomed to her new lifestyle. After all, her "memory" had grown so sharp over the past two weeks that there was barely any lapse time between the introduction of a new thing and her recognition of it.
Of course, her truce with Draco was making this much easier for her. Especially now that his mother was going back into Rehab for what must have been the twelfth time, and Draco would be staying with her for the time being. Blaise and Pansy were incredibly phony with her, but they were at least civil and not the royal bitches that they normally were.
Still it all felt incredibly foreign to her. She had never seen this side of Draco before and, as much as she liked it, she kept feeling like he would turn around any second and start calling her- oh what was it he always used to call her? Hermione wracked her brain, struggling to find the word.
"Mudblood," she said aloud, when it came to her several seconds later. She shook her head, wondering how on Earth she could have forgotten that word. An enormous yawn interrupted her thoughts, and she closed her eyes briefly.
"You are completely incompetent!" Lucius Malfoy roared at his niece. Samantha Meurteuil slammed the rolls of parchment in her hands down on her desk and stood up to look her Uncle in the eye.
"Don't you dare speak to me in that manner," she snapped back at him. "I am not incompetent. I know exactly what I'm doing," she informed him
"This is moving far too fast," He replied. "Someone is going to get hurt, Samantha," he spoke through his teeth, unable to hide his anger.
"Take that up with the Ministry, I'm not the one administering the spell," she retorted.
"I'm still in shock that you chose to trust them with this project," he replied. "I know several wizards who would have been far more capable—"
"Need I remind you that the spell is highly illegal without Ministry permission? They were most certainly not going to place responsibility in the hands of former known Death Eaters," she said, enunciating the last two words.
"The Ministry still recognizes that they are strong, competent Wizards, besides any speculation regarding their role in the Dark Arts," he hissed.
"You're just upset that you can't take over this for me," Samantha judged. "You're absolutely furious that you can't interfere here," a hint of cheekiness appeared in her voice as she said the last words. Without thinking twice, Lucius smacked her clean across the face.
"Don't you ever speak to me that way again. Do not forget, Samantha, that I can have you killed," he said before spinning on his heel and leaving her office.
Hermione opened her eyes to see Draco standing over the bed wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. She rolled over to face away from him, grumpy that her nap had been interrupted. He chuckled to himself and got dressed.
"Are you ready?" he asked, once he was completely clothed. Hermione mumbled something, and he walked closer to the bed. "What was that?" he asked.
"Can I just have five more minutes?" she asked, sleepily. Draco laughed, and it was a strange sound to Hermione. She always heard Draco laughing an incredibly phony laugh with no emotion behind it. Suddenly she felt strong fingers descend on either side of her stomach, tickling her, and she doubled over, trying to get away.
She struggled to turn over, and then grabbed a hold of his hands. Using all her force, she managed to pry his hands off of her. Draco responded by grabbing hold of both her hands in just one of his hands and tickling her with his free hand. Fighting as hard as she could, she sat upright, and got hold of both his wrists. They both stared at each other, completely out of breath. Hermione could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to slow her breathing.
While she was focused on her breathing, Draco leaned forward and kissed her. She was shocked, and pulled back a little at first, but then she gave in and kissed him back. Her heart began to beat faster as her pulse raced. For some reason she could not pull away from him, no matter how many voices in her head were screaming at her to stop. She knew it was wrong, but at the same time it felt so good she could not bear to let it end.
This was nothing like kissing Ron, or any other boy she had ever kissed before for that matter. Somehow Draco had managed to completely sweep her off her feet in just one kiss. Before she really knew what she was doing, she was lying back on the pillow, her arms wrapped around Draco. He moved his hand to hold her face, and it seemed every place he touched her ignited almost immediately.
Hermione moaned softly, startling herself and Draco who suddenly seemed to realize what he was doing. He pulled away from her and stood up.
"We should get out of here," he said, reaching for his box. Hermione got to her feet, and managed to follow him down the stairs even though her head was still spinning.
They went straight to her house, and as she turned the car off in the garage, Draco pulled up behind her in his own car. Before she could go in the house, he stopped her.
"Please don't tell anyone about that," he asked her. Hermione opened her mouth to say something but he went on. "It's best if we both just pretend it never happened."