Two weeks into the summer holidays, a heatwave set in - an unusual occurrence considering this was Scotland and they usually wore long sleeves as soon as the sun started to set. But now, it was hot enough to go swimming outside. Not in the Black Lake, though, for the two remaining professors wouldn't want to have to explain to the Headmistress why the Giant Squid was regurgitating students. Instead, the talented Charms Professor she was, Hermione had constructed a large pool on the big meadow in front of the castle, complete with parasols and sun loungers.
After all the intense teaching, Draco was as happy as the students when he led the group of teenage boys outside. Off in the distance, he could hear Hermione's repeated insistence that they all keep their head above water and asing if had applied enough sunscreen potion. He, himself, was dressed in casual swimming trunks in emerald green - just to annoy Hermione who had recently ranted about how far his obsessiveness with Slytherin's house colour went after spotting the twenty green scarfs in his wardrobe.
The girls apparently were already enjoying the water, for he heard a boy behind him gasping, "Wow. Just wow. I didn't know a simple purple one-piece could be so sexy."
Chuckling, Draco asked, "So, which girl caught your attention, Forbes?"
"I wouldn't get so far an consider Professor Granger as a girl, Sir!"
Draco turned his head so fast it cracked his neck to look in the direction of the hoard of females - and was suddenly very thankful for his proper manners, because they allowed him to keep a straight face on seeing Hermione Granger in a bathing suit. No, this witch definitely wasn't a girl; she was a woman with supple curves in all the right places, her chaotic curls cascading down her back like a waterfall he very much wanted to disappear behind.
"Sweet Salazar!" Fabian Patterson spluttered, inadvertently speaking Draco's mind. "When I finish the year, I'm laying my claim on her! She can't be older than what? Twenty-five?"
"Thirty in September," Draco corrected through gritted teeth. "You would know that had you paid any attention in History of Magic! And right now, it's 'if', not 'when' you finish." Ignoring the flabbergasted expression on the teenager's face, he strode forward, trying to come over casually.
"Granger! You've done a really fine job with this pool," he addressed her.
Turning her head upon hearing her name, Hermione smiled brightly at him. "Why, thank you. I think we could all benefit from a little cooling."
"That I can't deny." Yes, the temperature had risen a few degrees. In his blood.
He also couldn't deny that he was slightly distracted by the drops of water glistening in the sun, rolling down her clavicle and further down -
"Draco! Did you listen to me?" Hermione's voice demanded. Thank Merlin for sunglasses. With them perched on his patrician nose, she couldn't see where his eyes had strayed to.
"No," he answered honestly, but then struggled to justify. "I… saw Masters cannonballing into the pool. Excuse me while I go reprimand him."
Once he had turned away from his colleague, he could breathe more easily. To see her so... undressed was a hard test for his newly acknowledged 'physical infatuation' as he had decided to call it. While he obviously knew she was a woman, it took some time to see her attributes so openly displayed, with only a thin layer of purple fabric between the warm summer air and her -
"Masters!" he yelled after the pupil, not wanting to finish that thought. "Try not to be so careless! We don't want anyone to risk a concussion, and who knows what that'd do to your already limited brains!"
"You really created a nice place to relax," Draco complimented her later that day when he sat down on the sunbed next to Granger's. Thankfully, she had donned some kind of tunic made of a light, but non-transparent material, so he wasn't nearly as distracted as he had been earlier.
"You're full of exceptionally kind words for me today." She smiled at him. "What's the occasion?"
"Even a cold Slytherin like me can be in a good mood from time to time. And since it's Friday, I invited some friends along."
"Friends?" She glanced at him from over a well-read copy of some book called The Lord of the Rings.
"Yes. Theo, his fiance Daphne, her sister Astoria, and Blaise," he explained. He had decided to invite them after he had received another call from Blaise, insisting on a time for them to hang. Since Draco couldn't simply leave for a night out, this had been the most logical solution. While Hogwarts wasn't exactly preferable over a posh restaurant or bar that they would have normally chosen, the young professor craved some adult company. And it didn't hurt that Blaise had mentioned that Astoria had specifically asked about him.
"The Greengrass sisters," said Hermione, as if trying to remember them for herself. "Astoria is a few years younger than us, right?"
"Mhm." He leaned back on the sunbed, stretching and folding his arms behind his head, hoping for a nap in the sun.
"So they're all coming to Hogwarts?" The rustling of pages being turned had stopped.
"Yes. I thought it would be more practical to invite them here."
"Sure. Well, at least one of us has a bit of a social life then."
The sound of a book being forcefully closed and the undertone in her voice made Draco think there was something he was missing, prompting him to turn his head towards Hermione. "Who says you can't join us?" he suggested. "Blaise is actually well-read, I think you could find some common ground with him."
Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say because the smiling, gorgeous woman next to him had adapted a frown that made him want to dress in warm clothes again. But what did he do wrong? He just wanted to assure her that she would be welcome in his circle of friends if she so desired.
"Don't feel obligated to drag me along, Malfoy. I'm certain Blaise can find someone else to talk to," she snapped and rose from the sunbed.
He almost missed her parting words because her perfect, round ass was on his eye-level.
"Excuse me, but I have some students to supervise," she snapped, stomping off towards the pool.
Draco stayed behind, confused. As much as he appreciated her extraordinary intellect and her sharp humour, sometimes, Hermione Granger was just an ordinary witch: a complete and utter mystery.
Hermione's unreasonably sour mood hadn't brightened the next morning when she stopped next to the student's table to hand out some marked essays. She could admit to herself that it hadn't sat well with her that Draco had invited his friends.
"Is that lady Professor Malfoy's girlfriend?" one of the younger girls asked innocently, not addressing anyone in particular.
That made Hermione turn towards the Head table. And indeed, there sat the Prince of Slytherin with his posse. She easily recognized Theo, Blaise, and Daphne, as they hadn't changed much since leaving Hogwarts - though, she had never exchanged many words with them. Then Hermione's eyes narrowed on the witch next to Draco, his supposed 'girlfriend'. With her slender figure, curves in all the right places, her perfectly braided auburn hair, Astoria Greengrass was a beautiful woman. And, judging by the way she smiled at him, she was very aware of her impact on men. Hermione couldn't hear what Astoria said to Draco, but she could definitely see his resulting smile.
Before Hermione could shrug off her thoughts and answer with a less than pedagogical, "How and why the fuck would I know that?" Justine Millers expertly explained, "Maybe. But maybe he's just keeping her around to… you know…"
The younger girl's eyes widened comically. "For s-"
Justine clamped a hand over the other girl's mouth and threw an apologetic glance at Hermione, suddenly aware of the professor's presence.
Fiona Wood, whose back was turned to Hermione, chattered on, "Exactly. I mean, look at him. He could have any witch!" The girl made an exaggerated hand gesture towards Draco's face and body, causing the other girls to giggle.
Inwardly and irrationally, Hermione's heart plummeted. Yes, Draco could have any witch he wanted.
Just not while he was here in Hogwarts.
Stuck in the castle, Draco's only available witch was her. Her logic kicking in, Hermione felt a wave of… disappointment. Simple as it was, Draco's limited access to witches explained his flirty mood with her. That, however, apparently hadn't stopped him from inviting Astoria Greengrass.
Just then, Hermione could see her placing her manicured hand on Draco's arm, fiddling with his shirt. Anger and… jealousy? bubbled up inside her stomach, much to her own embarrassment. Spending so much time with teenagers brought back the long-forgotten teenage insecurities, or so it seemed.
But that would have to stop now. She wouldn't let her silly beyond-friendship affection towards Draco Malfoy ruin her summer. Besides, two could play that game. She turned on her heels with a huff.
"Where are you going, Professor Granger?" Justine asked. "Is it time to start the first study lesson already?"
A bit proud of Justine's eagerness for learning, Hermione answered, "No, don't worry. I just remembered I have an important owl to send."
On the way to the owlery, her thoughts grew more determined and her mood lifted. It was time for her to invite some of her own friends and… resources of Charlieness.
When Draco closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on the noises around him, it was almost like when he was a pupil himself. Blaise droned on about how everything obviously had an Italian origin, the croissant, the milk, even the idea to have breakfast in the first place. Theo yawned very loudly in attempt to overpower Blaise's voice, and Daphne was caught between laughing and chastising the boys for their immature behaviour.
But, Draco was far too aware that those times were long gone. And his path between that past and today's present had been paved with blood, and pain, and a hard-earned chance to redeem himself. Sometimes, he forgot that his friends, even though a part of the elite purebloods like the Notts or the ridiculously wealthy like the Zabinis, had never been as close to the midst of the chaos of war as he had been. Yes, they too had their share of problems to adapt afterwards, but none of them had seen the horrors he had seen, had been drilled to kill.
Had never seen their schoolmates being tortured in their homes, screaming under the Cruciatus curse.
Collecting himself again with a forceful release of breath, Draco looked at the witch next to him.
"Are you okay, Draco?" Astoria asked him with a sweet smile.
"Yes. Just… memories." He forced himself to smile back. Even if he explained, she probably wouldn't get him. Granger normally noticed those brief episodes, comforting him with a squeeze of her hand on his and pouring him a strong tea instead of the usual coffee. She understood this mood of his with just a simple glance into his eyes.
"So, will we meet again at the tea party your mother hosts in a fortnight?" Astoria asked, not bothering to pry any further. "Maybe there, you won't be so occupied by your surprising sense of duty." To emphasize her underlying intentions, Astoria softly fiddled with the fabric of his sleeve.
Sighing inwardly, Draco knew now was the moment he had dreaded since yesterday.
Because, while the group had had a wonderful evening together, he still couldn't relax entirely. And even with Astoria making it unmistakably clear what she wanted, he had blocked her advances and merely gave her a chaste goodnight kiss on the cheek. She, as it now turned out, had attributed that to his work ethic. She was a nice woman alright, but… she was two-dimensional. Too much of the pureblood witch with a rebellious streak of pre-nuptial sex. And when he told her about his students and about their struggles, she had merely agreed with him, mindlessly nodding along. That hadn't been a conversation; that had been a monologue.
After that, he had politely listened to her ideas of a charity for widowed Quidditch players (which he didn't consider a bad idea) and which events and garden parties she planned to attend that summer.
And, apparently, she wanted to include him in her plans.
"Draco?" she asked again. "You are coming to your mother's party, aren't you? It would be lovely to spend some more time with you."
Before he could answer, his eyes were drawn to a movement by the students' table. A witch with too much brunette hair and an intelligence and humour that matched his own. For a very short moment, he could see Hermione's eyes before she left the Great Hall, even though she wasn't looking at him.
And he saw a fire in them. And this, in turn, led to a realization.
He didn't want a witch like Astoria, not even for a round of fun.
He wanted this fire. This wit.
But even though his thoughts made him light-headed and a bit perturbed, he still was a Malfoy. And, as such, he could pull himself together and answer Astoria, almost feeling sorry for the way her smile faltered at his words, "Yes, I probably have to attend. Though, I'm afraid, I won't be able to spend as much time with you as you wish for, Astoria. I'm so sorry."
A/N: Thank you for your reviews, follows, and favourites. They make me feel so much better about this story and writing fanfiction in general. To the Guest who left an awesome, encouraging review: thanks so much!
To niffizzle, who beta'ed the story, thank you for your patience - I know I can be a bit much at times.