To Be or Not To Be
By cenagurl
A/n: Here's chapter 2 for you guys… enjoy!
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Chapter 2: A Little Quality Time
Draco Black Malfoy cursed himself for feeling a wave of queasy nervousness at the pit of his stomach as he waited for Hermione the next day outside the bookshop. Crabbe and Goyle told him the muggle world was a dangerous place; snake-like vehicles moving about carrying disgruntled-looking people, devices which show things that scare the living hell out of you, and one time, Blaise shared to him that he passed by a place full of weird contraptions that the muggles rode in, making them scream and throw up. He called that place hell.
He hoped Hermione wouldn't let him come across such things.
His thoughts were obstructed when he spotted a familiar bushy head in the crowd, and he felt his tension heighten.
"Sorry I'm late," Hermione said when she reached him, locks of curly brown hair floating around her face with each playful breeze. She wore a pale blue cashmere sweater and a short pleated skirt that covered only half her thighs. She also wore some legwarmers and a scarf around her neck that accentuated her outfit.
Draco had to admit she looked presentable enough. Okay, so she looked a wee bit pretty today, for a mudblood.
"It's alright," he found himself saying. "Are we leaving now?" he felt his stomach churn at the idea.
"Not if you're looking green like that," Hermione answered, peering at him worriedly. "Do you want to go to the bathroom?"
Draco shook his head, and Hermione reluctantly led him to the secret wall that separated Diagon Alley from the muggle world. Draco felt ready to pee on his pants as they exited Tom's bar; the main reason was because he was led to a busy-looking street with those weird vehicles honking and blaring angrily.
"You're looking very… ill," Hermione observed as she steered the stiff-looking blonde towards the other side of the road. "Are you really alright?"
Draco gave a weak nod, but expanded no further. When they reached the other side of the street, Hermione brought out a piece of parchment from her pocket, which she handed to the still green Draco.
Draco peered at the paper anxiously, and saw that a brief history on Zorro's life was written in it, along with the list for the materials needed for his costume.
"Wow, Granger, you sure did your homework," Draco said in awe, giving Hermione an appraising look. Hermione felt her heart accelerate with the look he gave her, but then again, it was not everyday that she received praises from her ex-nemesis.
"Finding Zorro's costume isn't too difficult at all," Hermione said. "In fact, all the things needed for his costume can be found at the boutiques around here," as she said that, she pulled out another piece of paper from her pocket, which contained a rather wrinkled picture of Zorro.
"Hell, the guy looks like a bandit or something," Draco commented. "I thought he was a hero," he added with a puzzled look.
"He is a hero," Hermione said briskly, shooting a slanted look at a couple of teenagers passing by them who were smiling flirtatiously at her companion. She was surprised to see Draco actually smiling back, so she gave him a pinch on the arm.
"Ouch! What did you do that for, Granger?" he asked, rubbing the place she had pinched.
"They are muggles, if I must remind you, Malfoy."
He shot her a challenging look. "So? They don't seem so bad,"
Hermione rolled her eyes, ignoring the stab of jealousy that seemed to creep out of nowhere. Those women only smiled at him and he accepted them easily, not caring about their bloodlines, whereas she had to save his mother to gain his respect?
No, that wasn't fair.
"Watch where you're going, lassie!"
Hermione was so preoccupied wit her thoughts that she didn't realize that she had crossed the street on a go signal. Cars around her were honking angrily, and Draco clutched her arm like a frightened child.
"Sorry, sorry," she said embarrassedly as she hurried to get on the other side, Draco in tow. She felt him shaking against her as they slowed their pace once more.
"Are you alright?" she queried, looking into his ashen face. "Yes," he said slowly.
"We're almost at Bobson's now," Hermione announced as they rounded up a corner. "We'll be heading a little over the south to get the first thing you need for Zorro's costume,"
"And what is that?"
"His trademark mask."
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Approximately five and a quarter hours after they had started their shopping adventure, Hermione led an exhausted-looking Draco to a teahouse across the store where they just bought the perfect boots to go with the Zorro costume.
As Hermione ordered a couple of tea and some cakes, Draco leaned back on his seat, running a hand through his miraculously disheveled blonde hair. His eyes were closed, and his face was scrunched up in a grimace.
"Are you alright?" she asked for about the fiftieth time that day, and he shook his head. "My head's aching like hell, and my feet are sore from all the bloody walking and my back feels like it's going to snap in---"
"I quite understand what you're feeling," Hermione cut off. "I feel just as exhausted as you are, and I'm not complaining,"
Draco's eyes snapped open, and he leaned towards her and gave her hands that were propped on the table a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sorry, Granger, It's my fault you're also feeling lousy," he apologized, and Hermione burst out laughing. "What?" he asked, annoyed.
"What you just said, it seemed a little--- far-off, in my opinion. It isn't something I ever dreamed you'd say to me. I mean, a high and mighty Malfoy like you, apologizing for giving me a hard time? It's quite a wonder that I still don't see pigs soaring up the sky," she told him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Draco felt heat rise in his face. "Fine," he said heatedly. "If you prefer I act as bastardly as I did back at school---"
"No, I'm not saying I did not like what you just did," Hermione clarified, amused to see that she had somehow flustered the stone-cold boy who used to show little emotion. "In fact, it's quite an improvement. I just never thought you would change from the snotty brat that you were seven years ago,"
"Who says I'm no longer a snotty brat?" he countered. "Well at least you've begun acting more civilly this time," Hermione answered cheerfully.
"I've matured," Draco said, and Hermione cocked a brow. "Really? Then why all the whining and complaining?" she kidded, and Draco scowled.
"My delicate body's not used to all those roughhousing, you know," he shot back in a teasing voice. "Unlike you who's as strong as a horse, moving about like there's no tomorrow,"
"Excuse me, but I was just trying to fit buying all your things in the few hours we have today," Hermione said.
"Can't we finish our shopping tomorrow? I'm pooped," Draco said, a look of relief on his face when their orders arrived. "I'm so damned hungry,"
"I'm going to the amusement park with Harry and Ginny's kids tomorrow," Hermione said as she took a bite from her bagel. "That's why we have to finish this today,"
"You're going to baby-sit for Potter?" he asked incredulously, pausing midway into taking a sip from his tea.
"If you wish to call it as such. I prefer to call it quality-time," Hermione replied.
"Then what about the day after that?"
"I have an appointment with my orthodontist," she said, and he looked at her quizzically. "What in Merlin is that?" he asked, and Hermione was more than glad to explain to him the basics about having the perfect teeth.
"Okay. The day after your visit to the dentist?" Draco asked hopefully. "I have to report to the ministry the latest on the hag assassinations in Romania," Hermione answered, and Draco's face crumpled.
"I'm going to be really busy in the next days, so we really should finish the shopping today," Hermione told him in a sensible tone.
Suddenly, Draco's face brightened up. "Okay, how about this--- I'll go with you and Potter's kids tomorrow in whatever place you're taking them, then we'll shop afterwards," Draco said. "After all, the only things we haven't bought yet are the sword and the--- the---" his face scrunched up in distaste, and Hermione laughed.
"The black tights," she said for him, and his scowl grew bigger. "Okay, you can come with me and the kids, but you have to promise you'll be nice to them," she gave him a warning look.
"I'll try," he answered slowly; he was not too fond of kids after all. And it was Potter's kids they're talking about. "They can be quite playful and a tad too excited sometimes, so I'm warning you--- they're not too easy to handle," Hermione informed him, and he said in his lazy drawl, "A Malfoy can handle anything,"
"If you say so," Hermione said skeptically. "Anyway, I'll meet you tomorrow at Godric's Hollow--- that's where Harry and Ginny live--- nine sharp, okay?"
Draco nodded, not knowing that he had just sealed a ticket to the place Blaise called hell.
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A/n: Please, please, please review… -.-