DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I also don't own Full House or any of its characters. Heck, I don't own anything except for the clothes I'm wearing, so I'm begging you, please don't sue me.
A/N: So very sorry for taking sooo darn long. But you have TriDecaLogSin (hope I got your name right) to thank for this. I got guilty ofter she pm-ed me. Enough of the apology, here's the chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 8: Honeymoons and Bicycles
Hermione had never been on a yacht.
Now that she was on one, she had to admit that it was a rather relaxing place to be in.
She and Draco were on their "honeymoon" in the Bahamas, basking in the warm glow of the sun, the warm glow that they seldom felt in cold Mother England. At first, Hermione was actually hesitant to take this trip with Draco, considering that he left her alone on their wedding night. Not that she expected anything to happen, of course. Draco should just have been more considerate. But then again, you can't expect that from a Malfoy.
When Draco had asked her the next day on where she would want to spend their one week honeymoon, Hermione literally fell off her chair. She asked (yelled, technically) Draco about what the honeymoon was for. Them being married was enough, right?
Unfortunately, Draco didn't think so. He said they had to keep up appearances. And besides, he said, the company already gave him free time. He told her he wasn't going to spend it inside a boring house.
So the very next day, they packed their stuff and headed to the Floo Network. In exactly three minutes, they were in the sunny islands, aboard a huge yacht, with birds singing overhead and the smooth waves of the sea rocking them gently.
Hermione sat on the side of the balcony of the yacht, her feet dangling freely. Draco was sitting on her right, looking up at the sky with half-closed eyes. He wore a Hawaiian-styled polo, and stylish sunglasses. The cloth of the polo ruffled as the wind blew. Hermione noticed that his hair was not slicked with gel. It hung freely around his face, gleaming in the sunlight.
He looks handsome when he's not scowling, Hermione thought, smiling slightly.
Draco moved his head to look in Hermione's direction. He spotted her looking at his hair.
"What is it this time, Granger?"
Hermione frowned. "What? I'm not doing anything,"
"You're staring at me."
"So?"
"Well do something else!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. I take it back. He's as ugly as a troll,
She returned to looking at the horizon, marveling at the beauty of nature in its serene splendor. She closed her eyes and inhaled the salty smell of the sea. Hermione thought that if there was really a paradise, it would look exactly like what she was seeing.
"Hey, Granger!" Hermione heard Draco say. She sighed.
"What?" she replied, not turning around. She was annoyed that Draco still called her by her last name even though she was already his wife.
"Get out of the way,"
"What?"
"Get out of the way." repeated Draco.
"I'm not in your way," argued Hermione, with her back still facing Draco.
"You are. You just don't see it because you're not looking," Draco pointed out.
This made Hermione turn around. She found herself staring up at Draco who was standing right behind her. She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm at the balcony, Draco."
"Yes, and now I want to be in the balcony, so shoo," said Draco, motioning for Hermione to go away.
Hermione stood up at this.
"Hey!"
"Hey what? I own this yacht,"
"Get your own corner," snapped Hermione.
"I will have one, once you get out of the way," retorted Draco.
"No," Hermione replied stubbornly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Draco sighed. "Fine then. Let's just do something else." To Hermione's utter surpise, he started to unbutton his shirt. Hermione's eyes widened as his toned flesh started to be exposed.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Getting undressed." he said simply.
Hermione thought she was going to have a heart attack. She stepped back cautiously. "Y-you can't do that!"
Draco looked straight at Hermione, a playful smirk on his lips. "Oh come on, Hermione. It's not like we're not married." He advanced towards her slowly.
Hermione stepped back again. "Stop joking, Malfoy. Stop this right now!"
Draco was still smirking. "Stop what?" As he said so, he flicked open the last button, making his chest and stomach very visible to Hermione.
She couldn't breathe as she gazed on his flawless skin and toned abs. Draco grinned.
"Like what you see, sweetheart?" He took another step forward.
At this point, Hermione was incapable of complete sentences.
"Malfoy--- stop--- can't--- God!"
She kept on going backwards, until her back hit the cold steel bars on the side of the yacht. She was trapped.
Draco kept advancing on her, slowly but surely. Hermione could only look at his eyes and tried to stare him down. But that wasn't working too well. Those gray orbs made her legs feel like jelly.
Their noses were only centimetres apart. Hermione stopped breathing.
Draco gazed at her with a smoldering look.
"Boo!" he whispered.
That was enough to make Hermione freak. With an "eep", she leaned backwards with such force that she toppled over the bars and splashed down into the peaceful blue waters.
This made Draco laugh. Hard.
He laughed loudly, clutching his stomach as Hermione flailed her arms around helplessly in the water. He continued to cackle as little be little, Hermione was submerged in the sea, only the tips of her fingers visible above the water. Until bubbles were the only thing that was proof that Hermione was underneath.
But after a few minutes, even the bubbles disappeared.
Draco tired to calm himself, as he looked down on the water.
"Hey, Granger!" he yelled. "You can come out now!"
There was no response.
"Oh come on, you think you could play this trick on me?" Draco continued, "Get out of the water Granger before you get a cold,"
Small waves disturbed the surface. But there was no sign of Hermione. Draco started to get nervous.
"Granger, this is not funny anymore. I said come up, now!"
It was all in vain, though. He couldn't spot Hermione.
"Shit."
Without thinking twice, he completely took off his shirt and dived into the cool waters. Draco blinked a couple of times to see properly. A couple of fishes swam past his face. He turned his head to the left and to the right but he couldn't see Hermione. He dived deeper, trying to make out the girl's silhouette. His heart thudded inside his chest. He swam this way and that but Hermione was not to be seen. Draco thought that he had only a little time left before he ran out of breath. So he continued swimming faster, desperate to spot any sign of Hermione.
Just before he released his last breath, in the corner of his eye he spotted Hermione's brown hair, waving eerily like a seaweed. He forced himself to get to her as fast as his arms would take him. Sure enough it was Hermione, and she seemed to be unconscious. Draco grabbed her under the arms and started to swim upward. Draco's vision began to get blurry. He needed oxygen. He padded his feet as fast as he could, though he was tired. He was nearing the surface, seeing the light grow brighter. With one last push, Draco's head emerged. He pulled Hermione up with him, her head lolling to one side. He snaked one arm around her waist. With one arm, he swam to the yacht. One of the crew looking out into the sea spotted them and also dived into the water to help. Both of them struggled to bring Hermione back on the deck. After doing so, the man also pulled Draco back on the boat.
Draco quickly bent down on the unconscious Hermione, patting her cheek gently.
"Hermione, wake up," he told her. But her eyes remained closed. Her curly hair stuck to her face. "Hermione, wake up!"
The man who helped him also bent down beside Draco. He held his hand over Hermione's mouth.
"She's not breathing, sir. I think you should give her mouth-to-mouth."
"What to what?"
"Mouth to mouth?"
"My wife is unconscious, not horny," stated Draco.
The man looked skeptically at him. "Sir, I meant you should give her mouth to mouth resuscitation. To make her breathe again,"
Draco raised an eyebrow.
Since it was evident to the man that Draco currently had temporary amnesia, he pushed him aside impatiently and said, "I'll handle it,"
He lowered his face to Hermione's, cupped her face and put his mouth on hers.
The next moment, he found himself thrown aside by such a force that his back hit the metal bars on the side of the yacht with an unpleasant crunching sound. Draco was looking at him murderously.
"Do not touch her," he said with quiet rage.
"But sir---"
To the man's astonishment, Draco pulled out a thin piece of wood out of his pocket and pointed it at him.
"Obliviate!"
The moment the man's eyes held that glassy look, Draco quickly turned his attention to the still unconscious Hermione. By this time, he was nearing panic. He tried to remember the reviving spell he had learned during Warlock's Camp.
"Think! Think!" he said to himself.
As he watched, Hermione became more pallid.
Draco didn't know what to do if she died on that spot. What was he supposed to tell his parents and his grandmother? That he pushed his wife into the sea and let her drown? Lucius wouldn't exactly be mourning but he could just imagine how stupid he would look if his plans to rebel against Lucius would be botched by Hermione's untimely demise on their honeymoon. Not to mention that his reputation would be at an all-time low.
The pressure he was bringing upon himself helped him, though, because at the last minute, when Hermione's lips were about to turn blue, he remembered the spell.
"Revivisco!"
Hermione's eyes fluttered open at once. After a sharp intake of breath, she started coughing severely. Draco was too relieved to see the color return to her cheeks to do anything about it, though. He didn't want Hermione to see the smile creeping on his lips so he turned away and looked at the crew man who was still staring blankly at them. Once again, he pointed his wand at him.
"You remember nothing of this. You will go back to where you were before all this. If anybody asks you what happened, tell them you just went swimming with us, got it?" The man stared unmoving. With a flick of the wand, the man blinked back to life, stood up and dragged himself back to the other side of the yacht, still disoriented.
"W-what happened?"
Draco looked back at Hermione to see that she was sitting upright, clutching her chest. Her voice was a bit raspy from too much coughing.
"Oh it was nothing," answered Draco nonchalantly.
Hermione stared at him for a few seconds before a realization dawned on her.
"You tried to kill me, didn't you?" She asked unbelievingly.
Draco huffed indignantly. "I did not!"
"And what did you push me off the boat for?"
"I didn't push you off the boat," said Draco at the red-faced Hermione. "You toppled over by yourself,"
"I did not!" argued Hermione. "You took your shirt off and--- and---"
"And you were so astonished at how handsome I am that you lost your balance and fell into the deep blue sea?"
Hermione's face suffused with rage. "If I just had something in my hands right now, I would've thrown it at you,"
"You could take off those clothes you're wearing, make them into a ball and hurl it my way," suggested Draco innocently.
Hermione lips pursed in fury. She rapidly got on her feet, took one last disgusted look at Draco and stomped back to the cabin, muttering about how men had some nerve to push people into the sea, leave them to drown and not even look apologetic about it.
Draco smirked at her retreating back. Hermione couldn't possibly blame Draco for taunting her. It wasn't his fault she looked adorable when pissed off.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"God, I'm tired," Hermione muttered that night, as she got out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. Her head ached and when she swallowed, there was a twinge of pain in her right ear. She definitely was going to get a cold.
And it was definitely Draco's fault.
After her near-death experience that morning, Draco made sure to steer clear of her. He stalked off to God knows where after they went back to the hotel for lunch. Hermione hadn't seen him since.
Well that's just fine. I don't need him anyway, Hermione thought.
It was a cold, breezy night. The wind blew fiercely from the open balcony and into the living area, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She hastily put on her blue sweatshirt which was left lying on one of the armchairs. She rubbed the side of her arms to keep her warm. The vision of the huge bed with the thick covers came into her mind. Smiling, she headed off to the bedroom.
She could already imagine herself curling up under the warm covers, with the night air whispering gently in her ear. Outside, only crickets would be heard and their croaky chirps would lull her to sleep.
She reached the bedroom door with a smile on her face.
At last, I'm going to get some well-deserved---
"Malfoy?"
Hermione blinked but what was in front of her did not change.
Draco was sprawled comfortably on the bed, wearing a yellow sando and pajama bottoms. He had his eyes closed but when he heard Hermione, he opened one to look at her.
"Oh. You." Draco said, before closing his eyes again as if nothing happened.
Hermione marched forward, a hand on her hip. "Yes, me," she said. "Why are you lying on the bed?"
"Uh, because I want to sleep?"
"Well you can't sleep there!"
Draco sighed, sat up and stared at her bleary-eyed. "Why not?"
"Because I'm sleeping there!"
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"No you're not."
Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation. "Stop it! I'm tired, all right? Don't fight me on this one and just get off of the bed!"
"Do I look like I have the energy to do that?" Draco said.
"Well, what do you want me to do, drag you off, push you off, or make you disappear?" Hermione retorted sarcastically.
"You know, you're right," said Draco, lying back down. "You're tired, I'm tired, we shouldn't fight. I mean why fight? This is a big bed, you can come and sleep beside me." He patted the empty space beside him. "Go on."
Hermione felt her cheeks redden. "I'm not going to sleep with you!"
Draco smirked sleepily. "You're not going to sleep with me, Granger. You're going to sleep beside me."
Hermione's face turned redder at this. "But if you don't want to, I'm not forcing you. There's a pretty cozy couch with a pretty warm blanket outside. You can sleep there."
"You're asking me to sleep on the couch?" Hermione said indignantly.
"Oh no, of course not," said Draco coolly. He batted his eyelashes at Hermione. "I'm just giving you an option."
"I don't believe this!" growled Hermione. She turned her back on Draco's grinning face and went out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She marched towards the couch and sat heavily on it, fuming.
He was doing it again, pushing her around and manipulating her. Draco did not have the right to hog the bed and he does not have the right to tell her what to do.
But then again, she wasn't going to sleep on the same bed with him, either.
For the lack of something better to do, Hermione roughly grabbed the blanket beside her and covered herself with it, curling up on the small sofa. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but her raging spirit wouldn't let her.
You always let him get his way, it's time to fight back! A voice in head told her.
But if it requires getting that close to him, I don't want to, said another voice.
But you're not going to lose anything if you sleep beside him!
How about my dignity?
You're losing your dignity by lying in this uncomfortable couch and letting him sleep in that huge bed!
Hermione's eyes snapped open.
The voice in her head was right. Giving in to Draco's demands wasn't exactly boosting her self-esteem. And if she lets him do it every time, it's going to get worse and worse.
It was time to show him who wears the pants in this so-called marriage.
A second later, she was up and was on her way back to the bedroom.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Draco yawned and rolled over the snug bed lazily.
He didn't imagine Hermione was going to give up that easily. Of course, he knew her enough to know she was too proud to let herself sleep beside the enemy. He grinned.
Well, it was a bit too cruel to let her sleep on the couch on their honeymoon. But it's okay. Hermione's used to roughing it up at home. He couldn't see the difference.
Besides, he had to show her who wears the pants in this so-called marriage.
He stretched once more and prepared himself for a good night's sleep.
BANG!
"Whatthe---!" Draco sat up with a jerk, shocked by the loud sound. His eyes widened as he saw Hermione in the doorway, looking determined.
"Did you just kick the door?" Draco asked.
Hermione merely grinned at him. Then she pulled off her sweatshirt, revealing a spaghetti-strapped red blouse clinging tightly to her curves.
Holy Mother of Merlin, thought Draco, mouth slightly open.
Hermione's hair was messed up and still slightly wet and her eyes burned with anger. Draco thought he had never seen anything sexier.
"I changed my mind, honey," said Hermione. "I think I'm going to sleep beside you tonight."
She walked slowly toward the bed, her hips swaying seductively, her gaze not leaving Draco. Draco tried not to watch the pendulum-like movement of those shapely hips but he was caught. If his mind wasn't so muddled at that very moment, he could've sworn she was doing it on purpose.
"W-wha---" he stammered.
Hermione smiled at him. "Speechless?"
As she reached the foot of the bed, she kicked off her slippers and started to crawl up on the bed. Draco couldn't help his eyes from straying to the beautiful view he was given. The pinkish flesh of Hermione's chest made him dizzy. At that moment, he found out that Hermione was a blessed woman.
She crawled up to him ever so slowly, torturing the awed Draco, until they were face to face. Hermione grinned once again before lying down, her hair splaying over the pillows. She stretched out her arms and moaned in a way that Draco thought should be illegal. She turned her head to look at him.
"Aren't you going to lie down yet?" she asked, smiling.
As if he was burned, Draco jumped off of the bed, hitting the lamp on his bedside and losing his balance. He landed squarely on his butt.
Hermione smiled wider.
Embarrassed, he quickly stood up and straightened up consciously.
"What's the matter, Draco, not feeling too sleepy?" purred Hermione.
Draco tried not to blush. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, come on then," Hermione imitated his action earlier and patted the empty space on the bed beside her. Draco stood dead still. "Don't you want to?" Hermione giggled. "That's okay, I'm not forcing you; there's a pretty cozy couch with a pretty warm blanket outside." She gave him her sweetest smile.
"I'm not sleeping outside," snapped Draco.
"Then what are you doing standing there, all sweaty and nervous?"
Damn you, woman! thought Draco angrily.
Was he going to let her maneuver her way into that comfortable bed? What was happening to him anyway? Blood was rushing to his face and he felt so wide awake. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead as he stared at Hermione, her arms and legs stretched out on the covers. For a moment, he thought that the sight of Hermione on the bed turned him on. But that was impossible, of course. She could never turn him on even if she was naked, writhing in pleasure as he---
Draco shook the ridiculous thoughts out of his head.
Not knowing what to do, he took off the sando he was wearing.
Hermione couldn't hide her surprise from Draco's unexpected move and her eyes widened.
He noticed this and grinned inwardly. So she was putting on a show, wasn't she? She was using his game to beat him out of the bedroom. Well, he wasn't about to let her.
"I just wanted to take off my shirt," he said simply, his confidence returning.
Then, he slowly sat back on the bed, making sure his face hovered over Hermione's. It was her turn to get all sweaty and nervous. Draco smirked as she wriggled away and faced the other side. He lay back down.
"Aahh! This is comfortable!" said Draco, facing Hermione and purposefully putting an arm around her waist. He felt Hermione wince. He scooted closer.
Apparently, Hermione wasn't giving up, too. All of a sudden, she was facing him again, with her leg curled on his waist. Draco narrowed his eyes. He freed one leg and put it on top of Hermione's.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, too, and then put an arm on Draco's shoulders. Draco answered back by pulling her closer. They were now nose to nose, having a fierce staring contest.
Draco could clearly see the dash of freckles on Hermione's nose, and the little specks of green in her eyes. He could also see just how smooth and pink her lips were. There was a small red line on her lower lip, which, Draco deduced, was probably from being bitten too much. His eyes traveled to her creaseless forehead and shaped eyebrows, then back to her eyes, which stared back at him fiercely. Those eyes which always dared him to... to...
In that instant, Draco felt this wild, uncontrollable desire to kiss Hermione. For some strange reason, she seemed to have read his mind. Hermione suddenly blushed and then frantically tried to untangle herself from Draco.
Draco tried the same thing, desperate to resist the temptation of kissing her. In a blur of legs and arms, they managed to extricate themselves from each other. They ended up sitting up right, facing each other, slightly panting from the effort.
Draco looked at Hermione again. "Just sleep outside, Granger."
Hermione glared at him. "No."
"Yes."
"NO! Why don't you sleep outside?"
"Why would I? I was here first!"
Hermione punched Draco in the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For being a jerk!" She said angrily, before punching him again.
"Ow! Stop it!"
"I will not!" Punch.
"Hey!"
Hermione continued to punch, as Draco tried to defend himself.
"You are a lazy, cruel, no-good jerk!"
"Ow! Ow! I said stop it, Granger!"
Hermione didn't heed Draco. So Draco batted way Hermione's arms and grabbing her by the shoulders, pulled her to him. Now this stopped Hermione.
"Outside," repeated Draco.
"No," reiterated Hermione, looking at him with such defiance, he almost admired her for it.
He cupped the side of Hermione's face with his left hand and leaned closer. She felt her tensing against him.
"Last chance, Granger,"
Her eyes by now held a little bit of apprehension but her pride didn't let her admit it.
"No," she repeated.
So Draco did what he ought to and planted his lips on Hermione's in a deep kiss that took her by surprise. Draco kissed her gently at first, nibbling on her upper lip. He was surprised to find that Hermione wasn't pushing him away. She wasn't kissing him back, too, but that was expected.
And because Hermione didn't slap him yet, he kept on kissing her, the kiss becoming deeper and more urgent. He caressed her lower lip with his tongue, making her open her mouth slightly. Then he went temporarily insane and with an irrational surge of passion, he bit her lip with a little more force than he should've. This brought Hermione back to her senses, and roughly pushed him away, eyes wide and lips bruised.
Draco tried to explain but Hermione's slap beat her to it.
"Ow!" exclaimed Draco, clutching his stinging cheek. "That hurt, Granger!"
But Hermione didn't say anything. Hate filled her gaze and without another word, she got off the bed and out into the room.
Draco sighed and shook his head as she left.
So much for a good night's sleep.
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The next morning, Hermione was up early. Probably because she didn't sleep at all. She was much too disturbed by last night's events to actually hope for a relaxed slumber. Thoughts of Draco kissing her invaded her thoughts and kept her awake all night. She wasn't surprised to find dark circles under her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror that morning.
Draco hadn't come out yet and was probably still sleeping. Hermione wished he would never come out of the bedroom. She was furious at him. Furious for taking advantage of her, for being such a cocky bastard and for being a great kisser. She was furious with herself, too. She wasn't supposed to let him kiss her. She was supposed to push him away and punch him in the nose the moment he dared touch her.
But she didn't. Hermione felt like her strength of character had been insulted. It was one thing to let Draco kiss her like that. It was another to actually like it.
She whimpered in frustration as she settled herself on the breakfast nook.
Breakfast had arrived early, brought in by two chambermaids. And even though her stomach was grumbling, Hermione couldn't force herself to eat a bite. The sweet smell of fruits and the crispy smell of bacon did nothing to her appetite. She stared at the feast in front of her with disinterest.
The sound of a creaking door broke her stupor. Hermione stiffened, not wanting to turn around and meet his eyes.
"There's breakfast already," said Draco. He walked towards the table and took a seat across from Hermione. "How come you didn't tell me?"
His hair was still dripping wet. He had a towel draped around his neck and he wasn't wearing a shirt. Hermione wanted to ask him when he entered the bathroom because she didn't notice, but then she remembered that she was angry at him so she kept quiet.
The git probably apparated to the bathroom, she thought irritably.
Draco stretched his arms upward before grabbing a fork and digging in. His glistening chest distracted Hermione for a second but she was quick to hide it.
Show off, thought Hermione, grimacing.
"Why aren't you eating?" Draco asked Hermione, not looking at her.
Hermione pursed her lips and said nothing. Draco had some nerve to talk to her and act like nothing happened. But it's not like Hermione expected him to apologize. He wasn't sorry when she almost drowned yesterday, why would he be sorry for kissing her?
Hermione bowed her head, not wanting to watch Draco gobble up his food. He noticed this, however, and was quick to voice it out.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
Hermione didn't answer him again.
"Hey, Granger, what's wrong with you?"
But Hermione pretended she didn't hear anything. Instead, she picked up the rolled-up newspaper on the table, and hid her face behind it.
"Hey, Granger!" Draco grabbed the newspaper out of her hands and threw it aside, forcing her to turn her attention to him. "What's with the silent treatment?"
Hermione scoffed, not being able to control herself any longer. "You're completely clueless, aren't you, Malfoy?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then I'm not going to tell you,"
With that, Hermione scraped her chair back and left the table. Draco threw down his fork with a loud clink.
"You don't turn your back on me when I'm talking to you, Granger," he told her angrily.
But Hermione didn't turn around. Instead, she picked up her jacket from the coat hanger and walked out of the room.
Hermione actually had no idea as to where she was planning to go but since all she was thinking of was to get away from Draco and avoid another full-blown fight, she really didn't care. The Bahamas was a magnificent place and she wasn't going to spend her time cooped up in the hotel room with a person who obviously hated her. She was eager to visit the motley of shops and parks and see all the sights the Bahamas was famous for.
Deciding that she did not want to walk around all day, she went towards the Hotel bicycle rentals and got herself a cute yellow bike. Slightly smiling with the prospect of not seeing Draco for the rest of the day, she pedaled away from the hotel. Apparently, she did not pedal fast enough, for only a few feet away, she heard a voice call her name.
"Hermione!"
Hermione, however reluctantly, stopped, but did not look back.
"Hermione!" Draco called out again. Hermione fought the urge to swivel towards him and run him over.
What would he want with me now? she asked herself irritably.
"What?"
Draco jogged towards Hermione, still shirtless and with the towel on his neck. Some of the girls who passed by giggled flirtatiously. Hermione pretended she didn't notice.
"Where do you think you're going, Granger?" Draco asked, undaunted by Hermione's passivity. "That's no way to treat your husband, leaving like that in the middle of breakfast,"
Hermione noticed a hint of sarcasm in his voice. She gritted her teeth. "I was trying to get away from you, Malfoy. Unfortunately, I haven't done it well enough."
"Dear, dear, not so nice today, are we? I bet you woke up on the wrong side of the bed-- or should I say couch," teased Draco, inwardly amazed at his wittiness.
Hermione, still not looking directly at the blonde Slytherin, rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to be funny. You're giving me a headache,"
"Well I suppose a nice little walk around town will help the grumpiness go away. What do you think? Let's have some quality husband and wife time together."
Despite herself, Hermione turned her head to look unbelievingly at the grinning Draco.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Granger, let's have a bit of a walk, you and I. What do you say?"
"I say you're off your rocker. I also say you should put a shirt on because you're causing accidents," Hermione motioned to some passing teenage girls who rammed straight into a tree because they were busy looking at Draco.
Draco sighed. "I know. Being handsome is a tough job, but someone has to do it." Hermione wanted to gag, of course but thought it was highly indecent. She contented herself with staring coldly at Draco.
"Malfoy, please, stop playing games with me. All I want is to get out and have fun."
"And you can't do that with me?"
Hermione snorted. "Is that even a question? Of course I can't do that with you! You're the bane of my existence!"
Draco pretended to be touched. "Aw, Granger. I love you, too," he replied, sneering. "Listen, just give me this morning. Let's pretend we don't hate each other for one day. Just one day. We'll go out, see what's there to see, then go and bug each other again the next day. Come on, what say you?"
Hermione gave him a calculating look. "What's in it for me?"
"An entire day with your gorgeous, thoughtful and loving husband in the Bahamas Paradise," declared Draco. Hermione blinked at him. "A raise, two plates of spaghetti with garlic bread, and I'm gonna let your cat chew on a pair of leather shoes my grandmother gave me for Christmas,"
"Deal." grinned Hermione.
Draco smirked. "So let's go?"
"Yeah, just go and get your bike and we'll be off,"
Draco's brow furrowed. "Bike?"
"Yeah, bike."
"What's that?"
Hermione snorted. "What do you mean what's that?"
"What's a bike?" asked Draco.
"Are you kidding me? And don't give me that I'm-innocent-and-I'm-not-pulling-your-leg-promise look, because it's sure as hell not working."
Draco stared blankly at her. Hermione put her hands up in surrender.
"O-kay! Let me get this straight. You don't know what a bike is?"
"Nope."
"Never seen one before?"
"Well how am I supposed to know that if I don't even know what it is? Honestly, Granger, ask some smart questions."
Hermione smiled wryly at Draco. "Okay then, Malfoy, this here," she said, pointing at the bicycle she was riding, "is a bike. Bicycle. Bi meaning two, cycle meaning circle, pertaining to the two wheels of the bike. It was invented by---"
"I get the point," interrupted Draco. "I don't need to know the history of the bloody thing, Granger. And yes, I've seen those, now that I remember. I just didn't know what they were called. So now I know, you can have the information overload for yourself."
"So you know what this is for?"
"Well, I've seen Muggles use it. I bet it's easy to learn how to ride it. I mean, you're able to, so..."
"Ha, ha. Thank you for the compliment, Malfoy. So if you're so great, get one for yourself and hurry up. It's almost lunch."
Hermione followed Draco to the bicycle rentals and waited for him to pick one, which, Draco being Draco, took forever. He kept asking peculiar questions, like "Is my seat leather?", "Doesn't this have a seatbelt?" "Is this bicycle insured?" and "Can I have my honk customized?", that the rental guy couldn't take him anymore and begged Hermione, for the love of God, to take Draco away in the next five minutes and he's going to give the rental free. The couple walked away, with Hermione pulling on Draco's arm, while the blonde Slytherin was busy complaining why the color of his bicycle was red.
"I mean for God's sake, red is such a pansy color. Why couldn't I have the snazzy silver one? Or the black one with the orange headlights?"
"Because you said the snazzy silver one was stainless and not platinum, and that orange headlights clashed with the color of your hair," Hermione reminded him impatiently.
Draco smirked. "Oh yeah. Right."
"So are we ready to go?"
"Ready. I'm sure this is going to be as easy as breathing."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"No no no, keep it steady, keep it steady!" yelled Hermione as Draco wobbled dangerously on the bicycle, trying to stay on it for more than five seconds.
"I'm trying, Granger but it's not working!" Draco yelled back. Hermione sighed and shook her head tiredly.
Draco, apparently, did not have a sense of balance, Hermione thought. His arms would suddenly jerk from this way to that as soon as she let go of the support she lent by holding the rear end of the bike. Not long after that, Draco would start to panic. At first, the look on Draco's face amused Hermione and kept her from getting hysterical. But after so long, even Draco's less than manly wailing did very little for her patience.
Draco stopped his pathetic attempt at pedaling and threw up his arms in frustration. "There must be something wrong with this bike, Granger. Let's get another one,"
Hermione closed her eyes and prayed for more patience.
"We've already been through this, Draco," she replied as calmly as she could. "That is the twenty-fourth bicycle you've bought this month. If you buy another one, you'll get into the Guinness Book of World Records,"
"The what?"
"Nothing," sighed Hermione.
It was two months after their so-called honeymoon and Draco was being as difficult as usual. It wasn't enough that they spent a good part of their stay in the Bahamas bickering, Draco also found it entertaining to pester Hermione until he learned how to ride the bicycle, which, in Hermione's opinion, was becoming less of a possibility every passing day. Hermione would've felt sorry for the former Slytherin but the barrage of insults he directed at her was making that quite difficult.
That day, much to Hermione's dismay, was no different. The "newlyweds" were currently in the backyard, with Hermione still very much hoping that a sense of balance was something you acquire. Because it was evident that Draco was not born with it.
Hermione rubbed her eyes in frustration. "Look, there is nothing wrong with the bicycle-"
"Well, how do you know? Are you a bicycle expert now?"
"No, but at least I know how to ride one,"
Draco grit his teeth. "Not funny, Granger."
Actually, it is, Hermione thought, fighting the urge to grin. "Yeah well, I find it hard to laugh, too, since I'm exhausted in trying to teach you!"
"Oh there you go again, blaming your student. Hasn't it ever occurred to you that you're probably a bad teacher? I bet I've learned to ride this sodding thing ages ago if someone more knowledgeable was teaching me!" Draco shouted back, flipping back his bangs in indignation.
"Knowledgeable? What is there to be knowledgeable about?" yelled Hermione. "All you have to do is hold on and pedal!"
"Obviously there must be something more to it since I've been doing that and nothing seems to be happening!"
"Maybe because you're just incompetent at it! Like so many other things!"
Draco looked genuinely offended. "Incompetent?"
Hermione cringed a bit at the look he was giving her. "Well, maybe… just… little,"
"Of all the things that I am not," Draco hissed, "it is incompetent,"
And with a look of pure determination, Draco gripped the handlebars so tightly his knuckles turned white, crouched forward and without even waiting for Hermione to support the rear end of the bike pushed forward with his left foot and started pedaling.
Hermione almost had a heart attack.
He was doing it. Draco was effectively riding the bicycle! Aside from the small wobbles and the fact that Draco looked like he was going to throw up, he was doing it. He even did a complete circle around Hermione, probably to prove to her that he was in no way incompetent.
After a few more seconds he skidded to a halt in front of her.
"Oh Merlin! You did it!" Hermione cheered, giving Draco a pat on the back.
Draco was sweating but he managed a smirk. "Told you I would."
"I can't believe it! And all I had to do was piss you off! If I knew that was the trick, I would've done it long ago!" Hermione beamed.
Draco glared at her. "You really can't accept the fact that I'm magnificent, can't you?" He straightened up and wiped the sweat from his brow. "And besides, it wasn't that hard, really,"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It took me two months to teach you this,"
"Well I bet it was way much faster than the time it took other Muggles,"
"Draco, I learned how to ride a bike in two days. When I was six,"
"I said other Muggles, Granger," retorted Draco, "you're not like other muggles, you're a freak of nature,"
"Your welcome, Malfoy," Hermione scathingly replied.
Draco grinned. "I feel great. Want some ice cream?"
Hermione was just about to say yes when she noticed someone standing by the back door. Draco followed Hermione's distracted gaze and turned around.
"Pansy?"
Pansy Parkinson waved at them. "Hello. I came by to visit you. The door was open so I let myself in. You don't mind, do you?" She looked glorious in a flowing white dress, smiling openly at Draco, as if she didn't even notice Hermione standing right beside him.
Draco smiled. "Of course not,"
Hermione felt something heavy sink down her stomach. Try as she might, she had instinctively reacted to the way Draco was talking to Pansy. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek in irritation. Pansy had no business barging into their house like that, inviting herself in without even thinking twice. She wanted to say "I mind" but hesitated.
Draco walked toward Pansy, bicycle in tow.
"Oh Draco, I didn't know you could ride a bicycle," Pansy commented.
Draco smirked. "Yeah well, I'm amazing, what can I say?"
Pansy laughed appreciatively. Hermione fought the urge to strangle them both.
"So, are you busy? I was thinking of having lunch. How about it?"
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Draco cut her off.
"No, we're done here. I'll be back in a moment,"
"B-b-but---" stammered Hermione. What about my ice cream?
Draco spared her a glance. "Don't wait up."
And just when Hermione felt their relationship was getting better, with just three words, Draco managed to kick it back down to square one.
TBC.
A/N: and just when you thought I wasn't going to update. Hehe. What can I tell you, I'm unpredictable!
I hope you like this chapter. The ending was a bit rushed because I had to cook lunch. Anyway, I'm going to take the opportunity to thank everyone of you who waited for this, who put me on their author alert list, those who have this story on their favorites... a hundred kisses from Draco for you! A humongous thank you. God knows how much I love you. So now, do your part and review. I'll be waiting:)