A Girl Named Hermione Granger: Year Four

Chapter Six: Summer Nights

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, it would be a heck of a lot easier to write my stories.
Important author note at bottom of page (Good note, not bad note)

Hermione stood in the goal, playing with the Velcro on her borrowed goalies gloves, waiting impatiently for the game to end. If she had known that they were going to stick her in net, (the one position she'd promised not to play, because it left far too many opportunities for accidental magic,) she would have skipped the game. The only real upside, in her point of view, was that her team was playing Prucila's; the annoying snobbish blonde girl who thought she was better than everyone else.

Usually, as she had heard through her team mates, Prucila's team always won; generally because everyone wanted to be her friend, and not her enemy; however, Hermione held no illusions about wanting to befriend her, and had made sure to stop every single goal she tried to score. Of course, her team still wasn't going to win the match, because all three of the current forwards were in fact friends of Prucila.

With the game down to its final five minutes, Hermione was out of her mind with boredom, because most of the other players on the field were now too lazy to actually try to do anything, other than pass the ball back and forth. So Hermione was enjoying her short break, as everyone else goofed off, when she spotted something that made her very nearly fall over from shock. "Sonnuva –" She gaped in surprise as she watched the approaching pair, almost disbelieving that she was actually seeing what she thought she was.

She had half expected Draco to show up before the end of her game, but she had not been expecting Pansy to come along with him, wearing a bright pink sundress. She could hear the other girls on her team commenting about the attractive blondes as they got ever closer. She laughed nervously as Draco waved in her direction, with Pansy enthusiastically copying him, grateful that the two were at least dressed somewhat normal.

After what felt like ages, the ref blew his whistle and she ran out of the net to where her Slytherin friends were waiting on the sidelines, being pestered by those of her teammates who had not been on the field. "Hey, I wasn't expecting –" Before she could even finish her sentence, Prucila appeared, and sneered at her, "Ew, don't you know not to talk to people who are better than you?"

The brunette arched her eyebrow at the girl and rolled her eyes, "Excuse you, cila, but these are my friends, and maybe you should follow your own advice." She couldn't help the smirk that claimed her lips as Prucila gave an indignant huff before storming off.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Pansy mimicked her annoying high-pitched voice. "What was that about?" Draco asked, making the brunette snort. "That was the muggle version of Daphne Greengrass." Hermione said as she made her way to her abandoned purse and threw her gloves into the bag of equipment beside the coach.

"So, what's going on?" She asked quietly, looking pointedly at the Slytherin girl, who was looking quite pleased with herself, as Draco shrugged, "My father thought he was being clever." He said, and Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion, "How did he figure that?" "He's caught on to the fact you're alive, and thought he could startle uncle into giving something away by sending Pansy here with me."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Well, I guess it's a good thing Pansy already knew." She could feel the eyes of her teammates watching her, and she hung her head, "You want to get some lunch?" She wanted nothing more than to go home now, but she was pretty hungry. "Our fridge is a little on the empty side, and Ju- does Pansy know about Julie?" It had only just occurred to her that the Slytherin girl probably didn't know her father and her older-adoptive sister were together.

Draco shot a sideways look at his cousin before shaking his head, "Nope." Pansy looked between her cousin and the Gryffindor, "Who's Julie?" "I'll tell you over lunch; we can go to this little diner down the street, and I'll tell you there." The blonde girl scrunched her nose at the idea, "A muggle restaurant? We don't have any muggle money."

Hermione sighed, yet again, and placed her hand on Pansy's shoulder, "I have plenty. And yes, it's muggle. But the food is pretty decent." When the other girl still looked resistant, Hermione shot Draco a pleading look, and he convinced his cousin it wouldn't kill her to go there.

However, by the time they had reached the diner and found a corner table, Hermione was beginning to regret her choice in coming here. She could see a familiar head of black hair behind the counter, which belonged to probably the only boy in the whole town that would speak to her; Prucila's boyfriend. She shook her head and tried to ignore the fact that he was watching her as he refilled napkin holders, and ordered three coffees from the server.

"So," Pansy drawled, "Who is Julie?" Hermione tapped her fingers nervously on the table top, "Well, you know I was adopted by a muggle family, right?" Pansy nodded slowly, "Well, Julie is the oldest daughter of the couple who adopted me; and she is also a witch." Of course, Hermione felt she probably didn't need to mention that her father had thought Julie was a muggle when they'd started dating. "And they spent a lot of time together when I came to live with him; so they've sort of ended up together. But you can't tell anyone else."

Pansy's face was blank as the server brought their coffees to the table, and once the server was gone, she let out a dramatic gasp. "No way; isn't that weird?" Beside her, Draco snorted, stirring sugar into his coffee, "Actually, it was weirder when we all thought she was a muggle too." He drawled, remembering all too well how he'd first felt when he'd found out. He had to admit he was quite happy to find out Julie was a witch. Hermione chuckled, "Yeah, it was much weirder back then."

After about a week and half of sharing a room with Pansy, Hermione was desperate to get time alone outside of the house. She hadn't been able to invite Ginny over, and her father had told her she couldn't go and leave her friends unentertained either. Currently, she was hiding in a tall, sheltered willow tree while warm summer rain fell, soaking the ground that had been dried out by the heat.

It had been difficult to climb in her cleats, but her determination to be alone had been enough to get her high enough up that she would not be spotted from the ground.

As much as she usually enjoyed Draco's visits, she wanted to spend the rest of the summer with just her father and Julie, sending letters back and forth with her friends, and studying. She had packed a few textbooks and rolls of parchment into her purse before leaving the house today, so she could do some of her summer homework, only to realize she'd forgotten ink.

She also hadn't been able to spend any time with her father lately, he was constantly brewing potions for Julie, and when he wasn't doing that, he was gone, visiting Dumbledore and who knows who else. She was certain the only reason he ever left them alone in the house is because he assumed Pansy being around would keep anything inappropriate from happening. And it was; though not for lack of effort on Draco's part. He had cornered her four times this week, twice on the roof, and tried to continue the conversation he had started just before the end of school.

She felt like she was going insane. Sometimes, it was even hard to remember why she'd been resistant to the idea of them trying for another date. She wanted to try again, merlin knows, but she was rather worried about her father's reaction. Because of Julie, she knew he didn't really care for the idea, though Julie loved the idea to bits. She just didn't want to go and put more pressure on their relationship, not when things had been improving.

The night was stifling warm, and despite her best efforts, Hermione just couldn't sleep. She lay on top of her blanket, her hands pressed tight over her ears. The house had been far too quiet, and the sound of the silence was killing her. Her father hadn't been home in over a week, and Julie had gone to stay with Jane and David two weeks ago, after falling ill. She turned to her right and saw Pansy curled up in a mass of cushions and blankets, sleeping like she had no worries at all.

The brunette climbed out of bed quietly and made her way into the hall, navigating her way around the squeaky floor boards, and down the stairs in the little bit of moon light coming in through the windows. The house reminded her of sneaking around the dark halls of the school; it was serene, like she was the last person alive, and so incredibly lonely.

When she reached the landing, she paused at the front door, where she could see a soft white glow through the foggy window in the middle of it. She hesitantly stepped closer and wiped the fog away with the sleeve of her long sleep shirt, and gasped. There was a Patronus standing like a statue, waiting for something, though she had no idea what. She could see enough to decipher that it was a tall, slender, four legged creature, though she couldn't see its front.

It made sense, she supposed, that it was likely cast by her father before he left, to make sure no one entered or left the house when they weren't supposed to. It seemed like something he would be paranoid enough to do, though he had no problem, it seemed, leaving three teenagers to fend for themselves.

Suddenly full of anger, despite the peaceful feelings being emitted by the glowing creature, she turned away from the front door and made her way into the kitchen. She pulled open the freezer and dug around until she found the left over tub of ice cream Julie had brought over before leaving for Wiltshire. She plucked a clean spoon from the sink and sunk down to the floor, so she was hidden by the counters as she pulled the lid off the toffee ice cream.

About an hour later, she heard approaching footsteps and poked her head out of her hiding place just enough to find Draco, wearing nothing but his sleep pants, heading into the kitchen with a frown on his face. "Hermione?" He called out softly, as he stepped onto the cold tiles of the kitchen floor.

She let out a loud sigh and raised her hand over her head so it would show over the top of the counter, "I'm here," she said, resigning herself to losing her peace and quiet. When he stepped around the counter and saw her sitting on the floor he arched an eyebrow at her, before sliding down to the floor beside her. "I was kind of worried when you weren't in bed. But I see you were just pigging out on ice cream." He plucked the now mostly empty tub out of her hands and retrieved the sticky spoon from its depths, "Pleasant." He muttered, not particularly fond of the sticky feeling, though he helped himself to a spoonful anyway.

"How'd you know I wasn't in bed?" She asked tauntingly, hoping to embarrass him, though his relaxed position did not change. "I poked my head in your room. I was going to see if you were awake so we could talk." Hermione groaned inwardly; he was probably the only boy on the planet that wanted to talk about his feelings so badly. Though she was thankful he only tried to bring up this topic when they were alone.

"What is there to talk about?" She asked, hoping with some delusion that it would be about something else – like Quidditch, or something. "Us," He replied firmly, digging out another scoop of the soft ice cream, "You've been avoiding me since before school was out, and you're going to hear me out if I have to glue you to the floor." She resisted the urge to bang her head against the cupboard doors behind her, and snatched the ice cream back.

"Okay, we'll talk. I don't know what you think you can say that's different from everything else, though." She looked up from the tub of ice cream and caught his eyes, but once she saw the frustration swimming in their depths, she wished she hadn't.

"If you're going to hold every single stupid thing I say against me, we're not going to get very much further." His face remained passive, but the tone of his voice was accusing and cold, and it made her shiver in shame. "I don't hold every stupid thing you say against you. Just the hurtful things." "Well I only say hurtful things when you hurt me first." She opened her mouth to call him a liar, but her voice wouldn't work. He was right; of course, the most hurtful barbs they threw at each other usually followed her mentioning her Gryffindor friends, even though she knew it bothered him to hear about them.

"I – You're right. Okay, I'm sorry I cause so many fights." She felt her eyes begin to burn as she apologized, so she turned away before he could see her tears. She hated that he was right; she caused most of the fights and arguments of everyone she knew. She was the reason her father and Julie had been fighting before, she was the reason she and Draco fought, she was the reason Harry and Ron often were mad.

Draco watched, at a loss, as she turned away from him, and her shoulders began to shake. He hadn't intended to make her cry, all he'd done was point out the obvious. "Don't cry, 'mione, I'm sorry I was just –" "No," she spun around to face him feeling awful and ugly, with her face all splotchy and red, and tears in her eyes, "don't be sorry. It's my fault, so you don't have to be sorry. You should find someone else to like." Her voice trailed off weakly, and she brought her knees up to her chest so she could rest her chin on them.

"Now you're making me feel bad – how about we pretend the last year didn't happen?" He cupped her cheek with his hand and made her look back at him, giving her a weak smile. She debated inwardly as her eyes swept over his face before she finally lost herself in the depths of his slate gray eyes, "Okay. Last year never happened." She returned his smile and gave him a hug, feeling rather desperate to be close to him now that they had decided to let go of the bad parts.

She wasn't particularly surprised when he pulled away; he was a boy after all, and they weren't as touchy feely as girls were, she was, however, surprised when he leaned in and kissed her. Her heart leapt into her throat as his warm, soft lips pressed against hers, and it took her several moments to relax and, awkwardly, kiss him back.

Encouraged by her response, he pulled her onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around her, one hand gripping her lower back, and the other burying itself in her thick, curly hair. Her own hands moved of their own accord and trailed up over his shoulders until they were buried in his soft silver locks. Tentatively, he opened his mouth, and grazed her lower lip with his tongue; she pulled back for air, her face as red as a tomato. She bit her lip roughly as his eyes slowly slid open, revealing his confusion.

There was no denying she had enjoyed the kiss, as far as first kisses went, she was sure it was the best; but she was a little afraid. She was kissing her oldest friend on the floor of her father's kitchen, in the middle of the night. And all she wanted to do was keep kissing him; but her father could decide to return home at any time, and she didn't want to ruin their perfect first kiss by being walked in on by her father. "Why'd you pull away?" Draco's voice was raspy, and his face was nearly as red as hers, as he realized the awkward position he had placed them in. Hermione took a deep, calming breath, to try and get her heart to stop jumping around like a jackhammer, and leaned forward to press her forehead against his broad, bare shoulder. "We're on the floor of my father's kitchen. Do you have any idea what he'd do if he just so happened to return at this moment?"

Draco laughed softly, and wrapped his arms around her tighter, "You worry too much; he hasn't been here for a week." She chuckled and nodded, feeling as though all her worries had melted away, "You have to admit, this does look bad. And we really should be in bed."

"Yes, you should." The cold drawl of Severus Snape pierced the still air in the kitchen, and made Hermione jump out of Draco's arms, knocking their heads together in the process. They scrambled to their feet, mortified at having been caught, avoiding the hard gaze of the Potions Master. Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably with the hem of her night shirt, "What were you two doing?" She flinched at the clear suspicion in her father's voice.

"Talking." She whispered, glancing up quickly to see her father's face. "And?" He pushed, knowing that they had obviously been doing more than just talking, although the only thing he had actually heard from them was her saying they ought to have been in bed. Hermione felt like her face was on fire, she was far too embarrassed to actually admit that they had been kissing, and for once in his life, Draco had nothing to say for himself, as he stood awkwardly beside the brunette, squirming under his godfather's gaze.

Severus waited for several minutes, but received no answer, and brought his hand up to rub at his temples, where he could feel a head ache building. "Go to bed, now. If I catch you out of bed again, you're going to be in serious trouble, both of you." They scurried past him, and he didn't move until he heard the doors to both of their rooms close.

He made his way to his study, feeling very drained, and in need of a very strong drink. He had not meant to be gone for so long, but he'd had no choice. And although he didn't know for sure what he'd interrupted, he knew it was one of the few things he had not wanted to have occur between his daughter and his godson.

End Chapter Six!

Okay, so you're all probably frustrated as hell...it's been a couple months or so. But, I have a few points of good news.

Number one: after like three months of doctors visits and blah-blah-blah, I'm finally feeling good again. Still waiting on a scope into my stomach to search out an ulcer, but I haven't been as sick, weak, or tired (or frustrated) lately. Also, even if I do have an ulcer, I can name what's causing it and that always feels pretty good, knowing what's causing things. Don't worry, I won't be dropping dead any time soon (unless some jerk hits me with a car.)

Number two: I'm back into my writing! I've even typed up some fun filler for before the world cup, and I'm taking a stab at writing that too.

Number three: The Dramione has begun! Awe, their first kiss. And there's more to come, though it may go a bit slow for a while yet.

Number four: I don't know if this is 'good' news, but I'm beginning the heavy deviations from the plot line of the Harry Potter books now. I will still have, generally, the big events, but the serious turns pretty heavy onto Harry's inner thoughts and actions from book four on, so it had to be done anyway. Also, I just don't have time to re-read the fourth book, write new chapters, and put together my painting collection. I also haven't really got a whole lot of time to go back and re-read my own stories to keep up with every little detail - but all the big details have been worked out already on seperate documents so that I can keep them straight. I was smart, and thought ahead about that.

So, I'll be cutting this rambling authors note off here, with a sincere thank you to every one who has reviewed my story - the old fans and the new.

I WILL have chapter Seven up in less than a week.