They walked quietly for awhile down through the main streets of London just enjoying each others company before Hermione finally said, "You know money isn't everything Draco. It can't buy you happiness no matter how much you have."
"I know." Draco replied looking very somber from her statement. "But its something I've always had more than enough of. Honestly I think my parents give it to me with the thought that it'll keep me out of their way. My father has his...work and my mother has her...friends so having a son who is constantly around only gets in the way of their...Buisness. The world cup was the first time I'd seen my father all summer and even then the conversation only consisted of the who would win the world cup or that my marks in school could be better."
Hermione looked shocked and felt a burning of guilt inside for her assumption. "I'm sorry Draco. I...I didn't know what it was like for you." She felt her face burn with the guilt she felt from assuming that he had the perfect life. Hermione could not complain about her own life. She had never gone hungry, never not had a roof over her head or clothes on her back and she knew that her parents loved her and wanted to know what was occuring in her life on a regular basis. She recieved letters from them at least once every week if not multiple times a week.
"Its fine. You didn't know and its not like its going to change anytime soon. I have my life and they have theirs. I stay out of trouble," Draco looked over at Hermione before continuing,"Or at least I don't get caught anyways."
"Draco! You would never do anything that would require catching would you?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow and the slightest hint of a smile.
"Me? Never!" He replied with a laugh as they approached an intersection.
"Wait!" Hermione cried and pulled Draco back by the arm before he walked into the busy traffic.
"What?" He asked impaitiently looking at her questioningly.
"You can't walk out in the street while the cars are driving by. They'll run you over. See that sign over there?" Hermione asked pointing to the the crosswalk lamp lit up orange with Don't Walk flashing brightly. "You have to wait until the sign turns white before you can walk. The traffic stops when the big light there turns red." She said pointing at the traffic light dangling overhead.
"You muggles over complicate things. Why don't these...cars? Just stop when they see someone walking?" He asked questioningly.
"They usually do but they are also very large and very heavy which means they can't stop instantly." Hermione explained as the crosswalk sign flashed to walk and she began to make her way across the street.
Draco shook his head before following after her. "Over complicate everything."
They continued walking down the street until they finally reached the parking lot of the mall. Draco whistled softly before saying, "Thats a mall? You could fit all of Hogwarts in there!"
Hermione laughed before replying, "Not quite. Its actually not as big as it looks once you get inside. Come on, I can't wait to show you what muggles can really do!" She quickly took his hand and the electric current hit her like a spark from a live wire again. Looking at Draco she quickly looked away and pulled him toward the entrance of the mall. She smiled inwardly as they crossed through the spinning glass doors and saw Draco's eyes widen with amazement as he looked all around at the the stores and resturants and then as his eyes drifted upward and spotted the upper floors. Music played from somewhere overhead as hundreds of muggles walked in and out of stores, some carrying bags while others pushed infants in strange contraptions on wheels that Draco had never seen. The infants appeared trapped in the wheeled boxes as a group of muggles passed by Hermione and Draco with little concern that they were standing there, walking out the rotating door. Draco looked at the brightly lit signs outside the openings to the stores as christmas lights shone brightly from every crevise. A large Christmas Tree stood in the center of the building, reaching up to the second story where on a glass balcony, more muggles walked back and forth, children stopping and pointing at the brightly lit tree in awe with wide eyes. Muggle teenagers laughed as they held hands on benches, holding hands as they talked to each other, not noticing anyone else around them while elderly men and women walked with slow precision. Some held food in their hands, others holding drinks, no one appearing to notice one another as they continued on their shopping spree's for the after christmas sales.
"This is...incredible. Muggles made this? With no magic?" He looked at her in disbelief.
"Not as dimwitted as you think we are, are we?" Hermione said with a grin and she led him by the hand deeper into the mall. They walked in and out of shops with Draco constantly asking what this was or what that did to Hermione who would give him a general description before he'd place it back on a shelf and move on to the next most interesting thing he spotted. After constant questions and walking Hermione was famished. "Would you like to get something to eat?" She asked.
"Yes. Should we go back to the Leaky Cauldron?" Draco asked as he picked up a book for motorcycle repair from the shelf of the bookstore they were in. Flipping through the pages he eyed the metal monsters with awe before closing it and putting it back on the shelf.
"Absolutely not! Now that I've got you here I'm going to make the most of it. Come on lets go to the food court!" Hermione said with glee as she pulled him out of the bookstore and toward the escalators.
"What is this? It looks just like the moving staircases at Hogwarts!" Draco exclaimed when he spotted the escalators steps moving upward.
"Its called an escalator. It make it where you don't actually have to climb the stairs to get to the upper levels. Its easy just step on the bottom step as it comes out of the floor. Here watch me." Hermione said as she stepped on the first step coming out of the floor and started to ride it upward.
"Wait!" Draco called out looking down at the floor unsuredly before jumping past the bottom step and onto the second. Wobling for a second he grabbed the handrail to balance himself and then looked at Hermione with a smile before climbing up beside her.
"See that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Hermione asked with a grin as they approached the top and watched as Draco eyed the steps disappearing into the floor again before jumping over the last step to land on the floor oppisite of the escalator. Hermione laughed before leading him over to the food court where the barkers were out with their sample trays trying to get passerbys to taste the wares. Hermione and Draco walked the full circle around the food court tasting each of the different cuisines offered before finally settling on a Japanese style resturant. After ordering their food and finding an empty table Draco watched as Hermione picked up her chopsticks with practiced easy and began to eat.
"Why are you using stick to eat?" He asked confused.
"Its how the people who this style of food eat it. When your in Rome do as the Romans do." She replied smiling as she watched Draco pick up his chopsticks and try to imitate her use of them. After a few false attempts he finally found a mediocre form of success and began to eat as well.
"What do you want to go look at next?" Draco asked after they had finished their meal.
"Well I don't know. Theres a few more stores on the bottom level I'd like to look at but I'm not sure you'll want to join me." Hermione said hesitantly.
"You want to leave me alone in here? Forget it! I go where you go." Draco said as he watched a nearby patron dumb their trash into a trash can. He stood up and did the same before turning around to ask Hermione,"They don't have house elfs to clean up?"
"No. They have cleaning staff who wipe down the tables and such but its usually expected for you to clean up your own mess when your done eating here." Hermione said laughing at the look of disgust on Draco's at the thought of having to clean up after himself. "Come on it's not so bad. It only took you a few seconds to do it and now were ready to go." Hermione said as she pulled Draco back through the throngs of people and down the escalators. They approached Hermiones first stop which was a ladies undergarment store. "You don't have to come with me in here. If you...if you don't want to that is." Hermione said blushing with slight embarrassment as Draco eyed the plastic models in the glass windows and then the throngs of people walking by which seemed to have increased ten fold since they'd arrived.
"I'd better just in case." Draco replied with a flush to his cheeks as they walked into the store.
Hermione smiled inwardly at the thought of how ridiculous it would sound if she told Pavarti or Lavender that she had been knickers shopping with Draco Malfoy. She walked around the store eyeing the different selections they had before eyeing a matching set that she liked. "Ugh! Of course they only have it in green!" Hermione complained.
Draco looked up from his shoes for the first time since entering the store and eyed the brazier and knicker set that Hermione was looking at. "Get it. I like the color its in. If nothing else you'll be an honorary slytherin underneath won't you?" Draco replied with a smirk.
Hermione sighed before grabbing it off the shelf. She wasn't so shallow as not to buy what she wanted just because they didn't have the color she wanted it in. As they approached the counter Draco pulled out the wad of bills he had put in his pocket and handed it to Hermione.
She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly before saying, "I don't need you to buy me things Draco."
"I'm sure you don't. But who would believe that I bought them anyways. Save your money Hermione. I have enough, just hurry up." Draco said quickly looking back down at his shoes.
"Draco Malfoy are you embarrassed to be in a women's clothing store?" Hermione said with a giggle as she took the money and handed it to the cashier.
"I'm not embarrassed! I don't get embarrassed." He said making it a point to raise his eyes from the floor and keep them up the entire way out of the store. "Do all muggle men go shopping with their women in those stores?" He asked as they stepped out onto the main walkway in the mall again.
"Not all of them. Some do. The braver ones anyways." She replied trying to compliment him.
Draco pulled himself up a little straighter at her comment before looking at his watch and saying, "We don't have much time left before we need to get back to the Leaky Cauldron."
Hermione quickly looked down at her own watch and was amazed at how long they had spent in the mall. It was already 7:15 and they had to be back at the Leaky Cauldron by 8. "We've got time for one more store. Promise not to tell anyone?" Hermione asked eyeing Draco.
"Who would believe me anyways? Where are we going?" He asked suspiciously.
"To my only vice for the finer things in life and you will not buy anything. Understood?" Hermione said with a force Draco was surprised she had.
"I'll buy what I please and neither your nor anyone else in the world will tell me otherwise. Now show me the one vice that Hermione Granger has in this world for the finer things." Draco retorted with a smirk.
"Fine. Come on." Hermione said leading them back through the mall toward the entrance only to stop at a fine jewelry store. She walked inside with Draco following closely behind her as she eyed the glass cases filled with jewelry of all makes and types. Gold, silver, and platinum shined in all different forms from rings to necklaces to bracelets and earrings. Hermione sighed in awe as she looked over the different cases eyeing the jewelry with want. It wasn't until she looked down at her watch that she saw that Draco was no longer behind her. She looked around the store and spotted him handing money to a store clerk and then the clerk handing him back a small felted box. He quickly placed it in his pocket and then turned around to spot Hermione staring at him. "We should get going, don't you think?" She said.
"Of course." Draco replied following her out of the store and through the spinning glass doors back outside. They quickly walked back through the many streets until they stood in front of the Leaky Cauldron where Stan Shunpike was already standing outside the Knight Bus waiting for them. He bowed to them as they got on board which looked like something he wasn't used to doing. Draco placed another handful of galleons in his palm and they made their way back to the rear of the bus.
"Hogsmeade Ern and step on it, eh?" Stan said to the old man driving.
The trip back to Hogsmeade was spent with Hermione looking over her purchases and Draco reading the Daily Prophet before he folded it up and placed it beside him. He eyed Hermione as she looked through her bags and watched as she looked to make sure Stan was dutifully looking elsewhere before pulling out her purchases from the undergarment store. She let the silk green glide under her fingertips before quickly placing it back in the bag and sitting back in her chair.
"What did you buy from the jewelry store?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing. Just something I saw that I liked." Draco said evasively.
Hermione decided not to push the subject assuming it was something for himself or his mother. She watched out the window as the bus slowed down with noticeable force when they approached the entrance to Hogsmeade putting them almost on top of the walkway to Hogwarts. "Thank you." She said to Stan as they stepped down off the bus and Draco flipped the conductor another galleon.
"Anytime young masters." He said smiling as he rolled the galleon back and forth across the tops of his fingers.
They slowly made their way up to the castle and stopped on the front steps. Neither one of them really knowing what to say.
Hermione cleared her throat before saying, "Well thanks for today."
Draco nodded thoughtfully before replying, "It was...interesting to say the least but it was also...my...my pleasure."
Before she could think better of it Hermione quickly leaned over and kissed Draco on the cheek before turning to run up the steps and into the castle leaving Draco standing on the landing by himself. Suddenly loneliness washed over him as he felt the words escaping his lips and he placed his hand on his cheek, "Good night."