Well, here's the next installment. I'm trying really hard to keep these guys in character, so PLEASE let me know if they're not. I mean, sooner or later they will be, but for the present, I would like for them to be somewhat realistic. SolarGuardianChick was the only one who picked up a small point that is crucial to the plot and I'm very proud of her for that!

When they were headed into the kitchen, Hermione was looking at the floor as she passed over the threshold. So she didn't see when Malfoy, who was a pace or two ahead of her, stopped short in his tracks, and she ran into his broad back. She looked up sourly and rubbed her head as he glanced back over his shoulder.

"When did you get here?" She heard him say.

She stood on tiptoe and peered over his shoulder curiously, looking to see who he was speaking to. She didn't recognize the man, but he was nearly beautiful. He was about Malfoy's height with curly black hair and bright, piercing blue eyes.

"About ten minutes ago." Oh. He has a lady friend. That's where he's been. He should have told me about that. "Who's that behind you Draco?"

"Oh, this is Hermione Granger." He stepped off to the side so his friend could see her. Oh Merlin, look at that little thing. I wouldn't mind tapping that up. Hermione's eyes widened. "Miss Granger, this is my friend, Calvin. Calvin Zabini, I believed I mentioned him to you in passing."

"Um, Malfoy? I thought you said no one could get on the grounds." She was nervous, twirling a lock of hair about her two fingers. Malfoy looked at her, and the expression on his face and the look he was giving her, for some reason, prompted butterflies to start fluttering madly about in her stomach.

"I thought I mentioned it? Your friends, and just a handful of mine can get on too. Maybe I didn't say that?" Hermione was distinctly aware of Calvin's eyes lingering over her body; from her bare feet with their rosebud-colored nails, to her strong thighs, her tiny waist, her small yet full breasts, then a few extra seconds on her breasts, to her collarbones, and finally up to her face. Merlin, oh Merlin. Merlin. A few seconds later Merlin, just kill me now and I'll die happy. Oh Merlin, Merlin, Merlin. Oh Merlin. It was almost comical, if it hadn't been her that he was thinking about.

"…I'm sorry. What? You said…"

He looked at her curiously. "Never mind. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just—My head got filled up for a second." Calvin still didn't have his eyes on her face. "I hate to be a pest, but could we possibly eat? It's very nice to have met you Calvin, but I haven't eaten since yesterday morning; I think my stomach is going to start digesting itself if I don't feed it in the next three and half minutes." And she's clever too. I mean, she's definitely cute, hot even, but she's not nearly as horrible as Malfoy's whined about since he started school. "I'm not hor—I mean… I'm not…trying to be a bother. I'm really not." Her pulse was pounding; she had almost retorted to what Calvin had been thinking and that wouldn't have been good.

"Hermione," Did he just call her Hermione? Malfoy shook his head and nearly laughed, "You're not being a nuisance, so stop worrying about it." He flicked his wand, and a bowl of something appeared on the island in the middle of the kitchen, along with three small bowls. Hermione stepped over and peered into the serving bowl.

"Er, what is it?"

"Good question." He laughed, a good, brief belly laugh, and Calvin looked at him. He never laughs like that around girls. He must be really comfortable around her. "I haven't thought of a name for it. But it's really good, I promise. It's Muggle cheese and macaroni—"

"Macaroni and cheese," she corrected gently.

"What?"

"It's macaroni and cheese, not cheese and macaroni."

"Oh. How silly of me." He grinned sheepishly and looked away. He's nearly whipped already! I've got to put a stop to this before he loses all respect for himself. But she is really hot so I don't really blame him. "Well, it's macaroni and cheese," his eyes glittered as he chuckled, "with sliced tomatoes, chicken chunks, and black olives. It sounds crazy and Muggle-y, I know, but it's so good."

"There's really no such thing as Muggle food, Draco," Calvin said. "It's just food that we don't usually eat."

"Oh. Well, whatever." He scooped a bowl, and, instead of sitting down with it like Hermione thought he would, he passed it to her and scooped another.

"Well thank you. What chivalry," She joked.

He smiled and passed the next bowl to Calvin. He scooped another for himself and led them out onto the terrace that was adjoined to the kitchen by large French doors. Out there, there were a few chairs arranged into a little sitting area, looking out over the rails to the sea. He stood and waited until Hermione had sat down, then took the seat to her right. Calvin sat across the table, since there were only two seats to a side. He looked a little disappointed and Hermione heard a little damn when Malfoy sat down.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" Malfoy looked incredulous as she picked pieces of chicken out of her bowl and put them down into his.

"I'm not in a chicken mood right now." She giggled.

"And what kind of mood, pray tell, are you in?" Oh Merlin. Just ask her if you want to lay her.

"I couldn't tell you. Just not a chicken one."

He smiled. A genuine smile, which had not once been flashed in her direction whilst they had been together at Hogwarts. It was rather nice. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not offended."

She grinned back at him. "I wasn't worried about it."

"You should have been."

"Do I need to worry about you?"

"Well yes. What if something happened to me? Wouldn't you be devastated?" For Merlin's sake, stop flirting already! It's making me sick…

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." She laughed so he would know that she wasn't being serious.

"But you're not me."

"You're right. That's a very astute observation Mister Malfoy."

"It is." She laughed at him. "Wait. Hold on. Let me think of something to say." She laughed again and polished off the rest of her pasta.

She looked towards Calvin, who had sat forgotten on his side of the table. "So, Mister Zabini, you went to Beauxbatons, did you not?"

"Yes I did." Where is this going? There's nothing interesting to talk about when you start talking about school.

"Oh. Okay. That's all I wanted to ask. Talking about school gets boring fast, so I did my best."

He laughed and looked at her strangely. "That's odd. I was just thinking that."

She smiled mildly and said "Hmm, how about that," rather mysteriously. Hmm.

A gull came and perched on the landing. The albino peacocks that strolled the grounds squawked up at it, but it sat there unperturbed. Hermione looked at it, pondering. If only she could be like that gull, free to come and go as she pleased without the fear of repercussions. As she thought this, the gull suddenly burst into flight, leaving behind a feather in its wake. The spontaneity bothered her; there was nothing about to scare it off, and she felt uneasy. After a moment though, she just chalked it up to anxiety and let it go. She flicked her wand, and the forgotten feather whisked over to where she sat, and she plucked it out of the air. What does she want that dirty old feather for?

She considered the feather, and with another flick of the wand, the feather disappeared to end up in her room. It was a symbol of freedom to her, and she wasn't ready to just get her hands on it and then throw it away. Maybe after this whole situation with Voldemort's followers blew over, she'd be back to her carefree ways. She must have had a faraway expression on her face, because when Malfoy placed his hand over hers to get her attention, she started violently and snatched it back.

"I'm sorry." He looked rather taken aback.

"Oh. No. It's no worries. It just—it startled me, that's all." But she kept her hand in her lap. She collected herself for a second. "Have you thought of anything to say yet?"

"That's what I said, but you weren't listening." He put on a pouty face, his mouth and nose scrunching up unattractively.

"Oh, Merlin. Don't make that face. It doesn't become you." Here we go again. "I'm listening now. Tell me."

"I said, 'After Calvin leaves,' which by the way should be sometime soon after lunch," he said pointedly. Whoa. Testosterone is kicking in. He must be picking up on her pheromones and needs to get me out of her so they can go rut. Hermione snorted, covering her mouth. Her eyes got wide at the sound issuing from her own mouth, and she laughed at herself. "I offered to take you on a tour of the grounds and of the Manor. That is, of course, as long as you're up for it. I know you weren't feeling well earlier today, so it's okay if we put it off for a bit." His gray eyes were staring deep into her soul, and she felt naked. She looked down at herself to make sure she still had the dress on.

"No, Malfoy, it'll be fine. I need to ask you though; would it be okay if we sent for some of my clothes? I can't just wear this dress and that flannel dressing gown all summer long."

"I wouldn't object to it if you did." Signature smirk. Neither would I. But I've got to get out of here.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but I have a—uh, meeting with a lady friend of mine in Nice. I've got to go." He stood, and Malfoy stood as well. Hermione followed suit. "It was nice to meet you Hermione. You're much different that I would have thought." Much hotter, too.

"It was nice meeting you as well, Mister Zabini."

"Please, you're only a few years younger than me. My name is Calvin."

"Well," she laughed, "if you insist."

"I hope I get to see you again."

"Well, I think I'll be here all summer, if you need to find me." She smiled gently at him.

"Alright. Until next time. See you later Draco."

"Later, Cal." He apparated with a small pop and instantly, Hermione felt more relaxed. Her head cleared up, and there were no more incessant thoughts and emotions that weren't hers. "Well, now it's just the two of us."

Hermione laughed uneasily, but Draco caught this. The proximity of their chairs was a huge factor, they were mere inches apart, and he pushed his chair back on the premise of wanting to prop his feet up on the table.

"He seems…nice."

"He's a prick."

"Or that." She laughed at him, her head tipping back, and her white teeth glinting in the summer light. He watched her throat move silkily with the sound. "But you're friends so I didn't want to come right out and say it."

"He didn't say but a score of words. How could you say he's a prick?"

Oh no. Think fast, Hermione. "It just rubbed off I suppose. I pick things up like that."

"So, am I a prick?"

I can't read your mind. I don't know when you're having perverted thoughts and such nonsense. "I couldn't tell you. You're… different."

"Different?"

"Yes." That was all she had to say. She didn't want to give away her secret. This wasn't normal, not even in the wizarding world. Like being a Parseltongue. It just wasn't natural. Not that having magical powers was natural, but still. She didn't want to end up at St. Mungo's.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Shall we?"

"Shall we what?" She was so confused. What was he talking about?

"Take a tour."

"Oh, of course."

He stood up next to her chair, offering her his arm. She looked up into his face, her curls pouring over her back.

She took it.

So. That's that chapter. I wanted to introduce another character to reinforce my point. It wasn't what I had planned before I wrote it, but I think I like the way it developed. Do you?