Chapter 2
"You're bringing your boyfriend?" Clara yelled incredulously.
"He is NOT my boyfriend." Hermione defended herself. "And he's not coming."
"Yes I am. You invited me remember, so I am coming like it or not." Draco interfered.
"Calm down everyone." Hermione's father said and stepped between them in the tight entrance to the house. "I am sure this can all be worked out."
Hermione was huffing with annoyance.
"We don't really have time to argue now. Can we complete this conversation in the car?"
"Yeah Granger, get in the car." Draco said.
"Do you even know what a car is?" She snapped back.
They were all motioned towards the reliable station wagon her parents had depended on since she was small.
"Travelling light, I see." Mr. Granger said when he noted that Draco didn't have a backpack to put in the boot.
"I would have brought someone too if I knew that was the way we were going." Clara whined. "Now I get stuck being the third wheel, just fantastic."
"No, he's the third wheel and he's not staying." Hermione said.
"Don't worry Granger, I won't get between you and your girlfriend. Didn't know you cut that way, but it explains a lot." Draco said.
"Just fuck off Malfoy." Hermione snapped.
"Hermione! Language please." Her mum pleaded.
"Right, off we are." Mr. Granger said through gritted teeth. "Traffic will be murder if we don't get off before rush hour."
It was a tense but quiet ride to Heathrow.
"Do you even have a ticket?" Hermione questioned sharply.
"No, but I understand you can buy them. It is normally common practice as I understand." Draco replied.
"If there is any space left." Hermione said with hope as she rubbed her aching head.
"We will ask at the sales counter." Her father said matter of factly.
"I'm sorry." Hermione's mother said. "I am Alice Granger and this is David." She said pointing to her husband. "We are Hermione's parents."
"Draco Malfoy." He said with a nod from the back seat.
Hermione's mum cast her a glance before turning forward, "Its lovely to meet you."
The airport was a maelstrom of activity, with Mr. Granger trying to organise the orderly navigation through the departure area.
Hermione and Clara went to check in while Mr. Granger took Draco to the sales desk.
"There was plenty of space as it turned out." Hermione's father said as they all rejoined. "If you are amenable to travel business class."
"It cost £950." Draco said to Hermione. "I thought this was supposed to be cheap travel."
"Obviously not for the likes of you." Hermione said. "Maybe you should have taken that as a hint and gone home."
"You know I can't do that." He hissed under his breath.
Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped away from the source of all her annoyance.
"Are you sure about this?" Hermione's mum asked her. "Isn't that the boy that was so awful to you in school?"
"It sure is." Hermione said with a fake smile. "Don't worry, he won't last the week."
"You don't have to go, if you don't want to."
"Don't worry mum, I'll be fine. Seriously, he won't last the week after he sees the hostel in Havana."
After her parents gave her and Clara huge bear hugs and an awkward handshake with Draco, they said goodbye. Hermione could tell that her mum was holding back the tears, so she decided it was time to go before it got out of hand.
"Why are we standing in this queue?" Draco asked annoyed.
"Its passport control, you idiot." She snapped.
"Don't call me an idiot, mudblood."
Hermione bristled at the term.
"You do have a passport, don't you?" She challenged. "You can't travel without one."
Draco grabbed her passport and looked it over before pulling out his wallet and transforming it into a passport, complete with picture and details. Hermione couldn't help but be impressed because it was a very difficult and detailed piece of transfiguration, maybe even beyond her capabilities on the first attempt, not that she would ever admit that.
Hermione watched as Draco's passport went through passport control without any issues. Clara immediately hit the duty free shops, leaving Hermione and Draco to deal with each other.
"I need a coffee." He said and headed towards one of the coffee bars, dragging her with her. "I am not letting you out of my sight so you can dump me here."
He ordered a coffee from the girl behind the counters.
"You won't be sitting with us on the plane." Hermione said.
"Yes, I realise that, I am travelling in a better class than you." He responded. "As it should be."
"You're an utter turd." She said.
"Such language, what would your mother say?" He said feigning shock.
After a further half hour of Draco silently following her through the shops, they found Clara and made their way to the departure gate.
Draco stayed with Hermione even though the airline staff were calling for all business class travellers to board. She wasn't sure whether that was because he was uncertain about what to do or if he wanted to make sure she didn't run away while he got on the plane. Because the thought had occurred to her.
In the end, they parted when the stewardess pointed him in another direction. Hermione felt the relief of his absence as if a dark cloud had let up.
God, I hate him, she thought. He is going to ruin a trip of a life time, she continued. But it will be ok, he won't be able to last. One week and then he can say he travelled around with a muggle and a mudblood to the Wizengamot before they send his father to get his soul sucked out. By the time they reach Copacabana Beach, he will be a distant and unpleasant memory.
At least she didn't have to sit by him for the next ten hours, she thought blissfully. Clara settled down to sleep as soon as they were in the air. Hermione had her book on advanced Runes, but decided to distract her mind for a minute by flipping through Clara's Cosmo magazine first.
"Am I supposed to sit here to ten hours?" She heard a voice that sent creepies up her spine.
"Yes, Draco. Now got back to your seat, sit down and shut up."
"This is utterly barbaric."
"Yes well, you decided to tag along for it, so now you need to suffer through it." She said without being able to completely hide her joy at his discomfort.
He snorted and looked around like everything smelled bad to him.
"You agreed to travel like a muggle," She continued, "so now just put up and shut up."
He ripped the Cosmo mag out of her hands and surveyed the cover.
"How to have better orgasms." He asked with a pointed look. "What's the matter Granger, the Weasel not doing it for you?"
"Fuck off Malfoy." She hissed desperately trying to keep the blush from travelling up her neck.
He snorted again and smirked, "Touched a nerve have I? At least I'm not the one who needs help getting off."
Hermione crunched up her hands until her knuckles were turning white from the strain.
"Well they're not exactly lining up around the corner for you are they?" She snapped back. "In fact, I would call it utterly desperate that you have to follow me around to find something to do with yourself these days."
"Watch your mouth Granger." He said before he huffed and strode off, knocking a woman into her seat as he passed.
You are a total effin cock, she thought after him. It was true that his stock had sunk somewhat, but they weren't exactly lining up for her either, with the exception of the salacious older wizards who kept on pinching her backside at the functions she was forced to attend.
To her utter bliss, she didn't hear from Draco again during the flight, but he was waiting for them right outside the door the plane once they'd landed in Havana.
"Its fucking hot here." He said.
"Don't like it, go home." She replied.
Once through, they changed some money and exited the airport. Hermione and Clara were looking for the bus that would take them into the town.
"Why don't we take a car like everyone else." Draco whined.
"Because we're backpacking." Hermione snapped back. "Travelling on the cheap remember."
"It hasn't been all that cheap so far. It cost me £950 pounds to get here and I only brought £1,000 with me."
Hermione stared at him for a while, "How are you going to survive on £50?"
"You said it would be cheap." He yelled. "I will just have to go to a wizard bank and transfer some galleons. Money is not an issue."
"It is when there's no wizarding bank. This is Cuba, you idiot. There are no wizards here, they all left with during the revolution."
"I said don't call me an idiot you frigid mudblood."
Hermione just gritted her teeth and boarded the bus to the city.
Draco's mood got even worse when they had to take another bus in the city which was crowded and smelled like old sweat and mothballs.
Things didn't improve when they got to the hostel, which was a less than delightful concrete structure painted with bad murals in an attempt to cheer it up.
"Even Azkaban was nicer than this dump." Draco said.
Clara was much more interested in the boys than the decor and she wasn't complaining.
When Draco saw their room, he just stared at Hermione. It was a six bed room with three double bunker beds lining each wall.
"I am not sleeping with muggles." He hissed in her ear.
"I'm afraid you are." She said trying to suppress her giggle. "What's the matter, too much for you. Ahww. What a shame, I guess you should go home."
"And I don't sleep with girls unless I'm fucking them."
"Oh gee, what are you going to do then?" She asked with a fake overly concerned look.
"Fuck you Granger." He said and threw his meagre belongings on one of the lower bunks.
"A complete impossibility. So don't even think about it." She said with a sharp tilt of her head to accentuate her point. Clara had taken the upper bunk on the other wall, which only left the upper bunk above Draco free.
The other beds had things on them and they soon found out who their room mates were when three Australian boys walked in the room to Clara's complete delight. They were buff and tanned, with sun bleached hair and bright teeth for miles. And they called Draco 'mate', which made Hermione giggle as he shot her a look that would freeze many where they stood.