Chapter Nine: Bold Beer

Hermione woke up the next morning and looked at her watch. It was nine in the morning and from the silence, she assumed that no one was awake yet. She got up out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a black tank top and put her hair in a ponytail. She walked out of the room and into the bathroom and put the toothpaste on her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth. The house was so quiet, she felt like if she tried, she could hear the toothpaste hit the bristles.

"Early riser too?"

Hermione turned around and saw Drae putting the toothpaste on his toothbrush. He was wearing only a pair of black pajama pants.

'He looks s good in that color,' Hermione thought, trying not to stare.

"Hm, I guess not if it's taking you this long to think of something to say," Drae joked with his mouth full of toothpaste foam.

Hermione blushed, not realizing how long she had been silent. She finished brushing her teeth and tried to think of something to say.

"So did you have a nice sleep?"

"Quite well, and you?"

"Oh, um, fine." Hermione stood in the bathroom, not knowing what to do. How could she have asked him how he slept? "Well I think I'm going to go down to see if my aunt and uncle are awake," she finally said. She left the bathroom, not knowing what else to say.

Drae watched with a smile as he watched her retreat out of the bathroom. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, letting out a chuckle. She was so cute.

"What's so funny?" Harry yawned, snapping Drae out of his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," Drae said. "I'll see you downstairs."

Harry slowly nodded his head, half asleep.

Drae walked quickly down the stairs to the kitchen where he saw Deidra and Jalen sitting at the table with their coffees and breakfasts.

"Hello Drae," Deidra said.

"Good morning Dee," Drae replied. He poured himself a cup of coffee and looked around the room for Amara.

"She's outside," Jalen said, not even looking up.

Drae blushed a bit, but walked out the door to the back porch. Hermione was sitting on a swinging chair a few feet away with a cup of tea. She looked up at him and smiled, moving over to make room for him, which he happily accepted.

Hermione sighed quietly and took a sip of her tea. She loved the morning, even if it wasn't early. Sometimes at home she would wake up at five in the morning just to watch the sunrise.

Drae looked at Hermione, she was so beautiful. There were a few strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail and to the side of her face. He looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds, making it look and feel like it was earlier than it really was.

"It's so different here than home," Hermione finally said.

"Yeah."

"There's just something that makes it all feel so different, not just looks."

"Like it's all something new," Drae added. Though he had been spending the summers with Lynn for years, it still had the same feeling.

Hermione put her cup onto the patio and stood up to walk to the swing set. Drae watched her as she swung around, holding the bar. She threw her head back and let the light breeze help to sway her hair from side to side.

Drae walked over to her and put his hand above hers. She looked up at him and their eyes let. Hermione felt the world stop as Drae looked down at her, unsure of what he was thinking.

Hermione inhaled his scent deeply, also catching the mist and nature around her.

"Mmm, I love this weather," she said with her eyes closed, still looking up at him.

He smiled at her innocence. She was so beautiful. "I love this."

"AMARA! Drae!" Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the door. Harry was standing, fully dressed, looking out at them. "STOP YOUR SNOGGING AND GET IN HERE SO WE CANHEAD OUT!"

Hermione let out a sighing chuckle, shaking her head as she looked down at the grass. "Well I guess we'd better get in before he has R-Chase comes out and, well, before he comes out."

Drae chuckled along with her and turned to let her pass. Instead of waiting until she passed to walk with her, he put his arm around her and let her move into the perfect molding she seemed to fit right into.

"So since the weather sucks and it's going to rain soon, which by the way I love, we are going out to lunch and then wherever we feel like going," Emelyn announced to Hermione, Harry, Ron and Drae.

The five spent the rest of the day goofing off at the park, where it did not rain and went out to dinner before heading back to Emelyn's house. They were up until two in the morning ordering more food and watching more movies.

The next day everyone awoke in a tangle, having all slept on the rug in front of the TV, early in the afternoon. Hermione looked around and realized that Emelyn's party was tonight.

"Good morning bed head," Ron said, looking over at her.

Hermione giggled. "You're one to talk."

Hermione had to admit it, had she only seen pictures of Ron from the end of the school year and now, she would never realize the two as the same boy; even without the make-up. The same with Harry save his scar.

"Well at least I don't have a chop stick in my hair," Ron replied. Hermione blushed and rushed her hands up to feel around for it, only to hear Ron's laughter telling her that he was only kidding.

She took a chop stick from beside her and tossed it at his head, narrowly missing.

Everyone took showers that morning and spent the few hours after, before people began arriving, eating and setting up the basement and back porch.

"Emelyn, you're parents don't really allow you and your friends to drink alcohol, do they?" Hermione asked as she and Emelyn brought the plastic cups outside for beer pong.

"Of course not," Emelyn told Hermione. "Well, they buy several cases of non-alcoholic beer, but throw in maybe a few cans with half the alcohol, but no one really knows this so they don't pay attention and think that they're getting drunk off their asses." Hermione laughed a little with Emelyn, who was laughing at her friends. So she didn't have to worry as much about tonight. Well that was a relief. "But my friends always manage to sneak in a few cases, and I just mix in the cans that my parents bought so they don't suspect anything."

Hermione gulped. She knew her cousin was a bad influence, but lying, drinking, this was all too much. Next she would be telling her that there was going to be a room designated for…couples.

"Okay Em, we're out."

Hermione and Emelyn waved good-bye to her parents, who were going out with some friends to a gallery in Manhattan and then to dinner.

People began to arrive an hour later. Hermione watched as most of the beer her aunt and uncle left had been pushed aside and teenagers filled the large house, playing games, music and doing god knows what else. Harry and Ron were involved with two girls who had come together and were off to the side with their cups of alcoholic beer.

"Not much of your scene?"

Hermione turned around and saw the girl from the beach. Abigaile something.

"Hello Abigaile," Hermione greeted the girl. She was wearing a short skirt with a tight shirt that showed off her figure spectacularly.

"So what's up with you and Drae?" she asked bluntly, motioning towards the handsome blonde walking into the kitchen with her beer can.

"Oh," Hermione blushed, "what do you mean?"

"I mean I know what he does during the summer, believe me. I'm just looking out for you."

Hermione looked questioningly at Abigaile. If she was implying what Hermione thought she was then, well, Hermione did not know what she would do.

"We are friends, Abigaile. Nothing more," she told the girl in a dignified voice. "Thank you for your concern, though, no offence, it does not concern you. Especially in that outfit and after everyone told me that you have your eye on him." Abigaile looked horrified. "Now if you will excuse me, I would like to give that shot-checkers game a go."

Hermione walked past Abigaile, who was stunned, and headed, rather than to the basement, outside to the empty swing set.

"So I saw you with Abigaile."

Hermione looked up at Emelyn. She was holding a cup and Hermione didn't care what was in it. She grabbed it and took a long sip to calm her nerves.

"I haven't done anything like that since I slapped one of my classmates a few years ago," she said.

"Well why don't you just hex her or something?"

Kimberly went to the bathroom, leaving Harry to go check out the rest of the house for a few minutes. He decided to go to the kitchen to see if he could grab something to eat.

"Hello Potter."