Lunch was a casual buffet, very much like breakfast had been. Shortly after the group arrived in the lunch room, Daphne appeared and joined them for the meal. As they ate they discussed their plans for the afternoon, which consisted of relaxing by the large outdoor pool. As the discussion carried on it also became clear that none of the men were wearing their trunks underneath their clothes. All the women were wearing their bikinis underneath their dresses, but it would appear the men hadn't been that forward thinking.
Once lunch was over the group separated. The women headed off to the pool, while the men all had to head back to their cabins to change. Arriving at the pool, the four witches all peeled off their dresses and settled down on the sun loungers that were dotted around the pool.
"Can you believe we're on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean, both of us with Slytherin boyfriends?" Ginny asked Hermione as they rubbed sunscreen onto their exposed flesh. "Whoever would have thought that back in school?"
"Not me." Hermione said with a laugh.
"I also wasn't sure if I would ever see you again." Ginny admitted quietly. "Once you left, I realised I'd been a bad friend to you. I should have kept in touch."
"We can always remain in touch after this week." Hermione suggested hopefully. "You could even come and visit me in Sydney."
"I'd like that." Ginny smiled. "Although, you could also come and visit us in London. I know Harry would love to see more of you."
"I'm sure we can arrange a visit." Hermione said.
"Excellent." Ginny grinned excitedly, mentally making plans for Hermione's visit. "Everyone will be so happy to see you."
"I'm not sure everyone will be." Hermione muttered, thinking about Ron. Last time she'd seen him things hadn't been great between them and he'd actually said he never wanted to lay eyes on her again.
"Ron regrets the way things ended between you two. He knows you weren't meant to be together, but he's sorry things got so bad you fell out." Ginny told Hermione. "I think he would actually quite like to see you."
"What's his life like now?" Hermione asked.
"Pretty good." Ginny replied with a smile. "He's an Auror, partnered up with Harry. He's also married and his wife has just announced she's pregnant."
"That's great." Hermione replied, genuinely pleased for Ron.
Before Hermione got a chance to ask more about Ron, the men arrived and settled down with the women. Draco settled on the lounger next to Hermione and handed her back the key to their cabin. As Hermione was putting the key back in her bag, she spotted the sunscreen and pulled it out.
"Put some of this on." She said, handing the bottle to Draco. "You don't want to burn."
With his fair complexion, Draco could burn quite easily so he was more than happy to obey Hermione and apply sunscreen to his body. When he was finished he handed the bottle back to Hermione, but instead of putting it away she squeezed a dollop onto her hand and made Draco turn around. Hermione then proceeded to rub the lotion onto the back of his neck and shoulders.
"Do you want me to return the favour?" Draco asked when Hermione told him she was all done.
"Maybe later." Hermione replied with a smile. "I'm fine for now."
"I'll look forward to it." Draco smirked.
Hermione chuckled slightly at Draco's flirting as she returned the sunscreen to her bag and pulled out her sunglasses. Putting her sunglasses on, she settled back on the lounger and joined in the conversation that was flowing around her.
For nearly an hour the four couples sunbathed and chatted happily. Blaise even headed over to the poolside bar and knocked up cocktails for everyone. However their peace was soon shattered by Astoria arriving at the pool. No-one had seen her since her disappearance at breakfast, but she never explained her absence as she settled on an empty sun lounger.
"Do you want a cocktail?" Daphne asked her sister.
"I'm alright." Astoria replied. "I just want to get a tan. I'm thinking I might try for an all over one."
Before Daphne, or anyone else, got a chance to respond, Astoria had unfastened her bikini top and pulled it off. Making sure she had everyone's attention she then proceeded to grab her suntan oil and rub it into her exposed breasts.
"Astoria, cover yourself up." Daphne cried, totally humiliated by her sister's behaviour.
"It's only a bit of flesh." Astoria shrugged. "It's not as if the boys haven't seen breasts before."
"Maybe so, but they don't need to see yours." Daphne told her sister.
"Especially as they're pretty small." Blaise whispered. "I've seen way better breasts than hers. Daphne's are much nicer, and they're certainly bigger."
"Thanks for telling everyone that, Blaise." Daphne hissed at her fiancé.
"I'm sure they can all see that for themselves." Blaise chuckled, gesturing at her bikini clad body. "In fact I would say all you four have bigger breasts than Astoria."
"You can stop looking so hopeful Blaise, we're not sunbathing topless." Daphne said.
"Or naked." Pansy added. "If Astoria's really wanting an all over tan, she has to sunbathe naked."
"I swear, if she removes her bottoms, I'm out of here." Theo muttered, keeping his voice down so that Astoria didn't hear him.
"Are you not enjoying the show, Theo?" Blaise questioned.
"Luckily, I don't think the show's meant for me." Theo responded.
Theo of course was right, Astoria's display wasn't meant for him, it was clearly meant for Draco. Astoria kept shooting the blond flirty looks as she continued to massage her suntan oil into her flesh.
"Does she not have any shame?" Ginny tutted, unimpressed with the younger witch's behaviour. "Surely even she can see Draco's with Hermione, and he's clearly happy."
"Let's try and ignore her." Hermione said, shooting Astoria an angry glare. She thought the younger girl had gotten the message at breakfast, but obviously she was very hard-headed and wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"That gets my vote." Draco said, lying back on his lounger and closing his eyes. "I have no desire to look at Astoria."
"Who does?" Pansy snorted. "Maybe if we all just pretend she's not here, she'll get the message and leave."
"I wouldn't count on it. She's a stubborn little thing." Blaise remarked.
"Do you think I should go and get Daddy?" Daphne asked, biting her lower lip. "He might be able to get her to stop flaunting herself."
"Just leave her Daph." Blaise told his fiancée. "No-one's interested in her tiny little boobs and her too skinny arse. She'll eventually get the message and stop flashing us."
"I hope so." Daphne sighed.
Looking one more time at her sister, who was lying on her back with her eyes closed, Daphne settled back on her own lounger. If Astoria kept behaving like this, she would have to try and do something about it. It just wasn't acceptable to be openly flirting with and throwing yourself at a man with a girlfriend, especially when his girlfriend was right there. Hopefully Blaise was right and Astoria would get the message if she was ignored, but something told her that more direct action would probably be required by the end of the trip.
On a whole the group managed to ignore Astoria, however it was sometimes hard to do when she kept applying fresh lotion every few minutes, complete with little moans as her hands roamed over her body.
"Does anyone fancy a swim?" Blaise asked. He was starting to get bored with just lying around, on a whole he was much more of an action sort of bloke.
While the others shook their heads and declined the offer, Draco jumped straight up. Like Blaise he was a man of action and lying around a pool was starting to get boring. Of course if it was Hermione lying topless, it might not have been as tedious.
"Come on, I'll race you." Blaise called, running for the pool and diving in with a loud splash.
Draco was in the water seconds after Blaise, and the two friends immediately started racing each other. While Draco and Blaise were in the pool, the others carried on talking and none of them noticed Astoria getting up and loosely tying her top. It was only the splash of her diving into the pool that caught their attention.
"She is one desperate witch." Pansy remarked as they watched the blonde witch swim towards Draco. "Why is she so desperate, Daphne? I mean she's quite attractive, so what's her problem with finding a boyfriend?"
"Her problem is her personality." Theo answered, before Daphne got a chance to speak. "Sorry Daphne, but your sister isn't very nice."
"I know." Daphne sighed sadly. "She's a spoilt little princess, who thinks she's entitled to whatever she wants. And unfortunately what she wants is Draco."
"I don't think that's going to happen." Harry remarked, nodding towards the pool where Draco had turned and swam away from her. "Something tells me that even without being with Hermione, he wouldn't be interested in her."
Hermione was only half listening to the conversation, her main focus was on Astoria chasing after Draco. Yet again she caught up with him, but this time her top 'accidentally' came loose. When she tried to rub her naked breasts against Draco, Hermione was happy to see that her friend quickly swam towards the side of the pool and got out of the water.
"I think that's enough sun for one day." He declared. "I'm heading back to the cabin for a rest before dinner."
"Good idea, I'll join you." Hermione said, jumping up and throwing everything in her bag.
Making sure Astoria was watching, Hermione made a show of taking hold of Draco's hand and leaning up to whisper something in his ear. Hermione told him to act as though they were off to spend a few hours in bed, which he duly did by pulling her into a searing kiss and grabbing her bum. Hermione more than happily returned the kiss and she played along by roaming her hands over Draco's wet skin.
"I think we need to be going before I lose control and we give everyone a free show." Draco said loudly enough for Astoria to hear.
"Come on then, let's go." Hermione grinned as Draco took hold of her hand and dragged her towards the door that led back down below deck.
"It looks like your master plan failed, Astoria." They heard Blaise remark as they headed back below deck.
"I can't believe her." Draco complained to Hermione as they made their way back to their cabin. "I really thought this morning had shown her I'm off limits."
"Something tells me Astoria doesn't understand limits." Hermione replied. "She wants you, and nothing will stop her from trying to achieve her goal. I'd bet that if she wanted Blaise, even the fact he's with her sister wouldn't stop her."
"Do you really think she would try and steal her own sister's boyfriend?" Draco asked as they reached the cabin and entered it.
"If she wanted him, then yes, I do." Hermione replied. "However it's not Blaise she wants, it's you."
"Well she isn't getting me." Draco declared.
"I should hope not, she's a vile little creature." Hermione said. "Daphne's really lovely, it's hard to believe they're sisters."
"Tell me about it." Draco chuckled ruefully. "I only agreed to go out with Astoria because I thought she would be like Daphne. If I'd known what she was like I never would have agreed to the date, even as a favour to a friend."
"It's too late to change that now. Now we have to work on keeping her away from you." Hermione sighed. "Since she seems incapable of taking hints, we're just going to have to continue on like today."
"You mean, be all over each other." Draco smirked.
"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Are you up for a few more days of hot and heavy action?"
"With you, of course I am." Draco replied. "That's why I asked you. If I had to get hot and heavy with anyone, I would rather it was with my best friend."
"And it wasn't too awkward for you?" Hermione checked.
"It wasn't awkward at all." Draco replied honestly. Kissing and holding Hermione had felt pretty natural, he just wished it wasn't all an act on her part. "Was it for you?"
"No, it wasn't awkward." Hermione admitted with a small smile. If anything kissing Draco and acting all cosy with him felt completely right.
"Good." Draco smiled. "Because I don't want this to ruin things between us. At the end of the week, I still want to have you as my best friend."
"You will." Hermione reassured Draco. Even though by the end of the week she figured she would be even more in love with the blond, she wasn't going to walk out of his life. Being Draco's best friend was better than not having him in her life, and Hermione wasn't going to let anything jeopardise their friendship, especially not her own feelings.