A lengthy chapter today! Enjoy! I will update sooner after this (:
But I could never belong to you,
For all the troubles of an onward path
The confusion lacks a tragic punch,
When we take the desired turns
All we have is all we can find,
No-one else can make this mine
Hermione yawned lazily. Her arms stretched above her head and her hands curled into fists. She opened her eyes. Something huge and yellow fell in the corner of her eye.
Sitting up, Hermione got a better look of the thing as she blinked sleep from her eyes. It was a huge bear. She put a hand on its large yellow belly as if to check its existence.
"Do you remember Hugo?"
Hermione whipped her head around to see Draco standing in the doorway. He was leaning in the door frame. "Excuse me?" She finally found her voice.
"Hugo. You named that Hugo." Draco walked in and sank into the chair in their bedroom. "You went on this long rant about how you wanted to name your son Hugo one day, but you thought it might be a little too goofy for a human, so you'd give the name to that."
"Did I really?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows knitted. Malfoy could be lying.
"Riddle me this: how much do you remember from last night?" Draco looked at her with a weird expression.
"We went to the carnival," Hermione took a breath. "Music Express, Haunted House, games."
"I guess you forgot about the game I won that in." Draco pointed to the bear. "You kept trying but you couldn't win. I think that wine hindered your athletic ability. At least, that's what you told me."
"Oh bullocks," Hermione sank into her bed and pulled the sheet over her head. Then she pulled it off. "What game?"
"It's called Stun-a-Gnome. You kept telling me you were a pro after you went on about how inhumane the game was. The idea of the game is little gnomes poke out from this fake lawn and you have to Stupefy as many as you can."
"Well, how did I do?"
"You hit ten."
Hermione smiled. "That sounds pretty good."
"Out of one hundred. I hit ninety." Draco said smugly, a smirk on his face.
Hermione set her lips in a line. "I see. So if you won this, why didn't you keep it?"
"You took it from me on the way home. Well, you kind of fell asleep on it." Draco looked at her oddly. "On the way home in the truck you just sort of took it from me and used it as a pillow. I honestly don't want it back. I think you drooled on it."
"Ah, lovely." Hermione looked at the bear again.
The kitchen was sunny and warm when Draco and Hermione entered.
"Good morning you two," Mr. Lafayette greeted them from the stove.
"It's been a while," Hermione said to him and sat down.
"Summer is the busiest time for me. The best grapes are harvested at late August to September, and there's still a lot of work to be done this time of year." He told them, and then added "Harlow, the Montclair girls called for you."
"Oh that's wonderful!" Harlow beamed and jumped out of her chair. "Draco I am so excited for you to meet the Montclair twins."
"Now that you mention it, one of them would be a great match for Draco, eh?" Matt said to his sister.
"The Montclair girls are Gwendolyn and Gia. They are gorgeous, pureblood, rather stuck-up, and blonde." Harlow told Draco excitedly.
"Sounds like a good match or distant cousins," Hermione snorted.
"I wanted to meet them for a Saturday breakfast," Harlow said after a playful look at Hermione. "Besides, you need a date for Matt's wedding."
"You're really stuck on this match-making thing aren't you?" Draco finally spoke. Harlow only smiled.
She was right, Draco thought to himself as he and Matt, Harlow, and Hermione entered the small diner to meet Gwendolyn and Gia. The two identical blonde girls sitting a booth were gorgeous.
"Good morning guys," Harlow said as she slid into the booth next to Gwendolyn and Gia. The three swapped air kisses. "I'd like you to meet Draco and Hermione. They're from London, the Hogwarts School, visiting here for the summer."
Both girls eyed Draco up and down. They flashed matching flirty grins and winks.
"I'm Gwendolyn," the girl with long blonde hair and green eyes said.
"And I'm Gia," the sister with blue eyes introduced herself.
"Draco Malfoy," he replied, giving the girls a small smile.
"I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione felt the need to say. Gwendolyn and Gia gave her polite smiles.
There was a pause before the waitress arrived. She had a magic quill, like the one Hermione saw Rita Skeeter use before. The quill took down their orders and the pad of paper flew to the kitchen. Shortly after their food arrived. Gwendolyn and Gia ordered fruit tarts, Harlow got a stack of blueberry pancakes, Matt asked for chocolate chip pancakes, Hermione ordered toast with Nutella, and then Draco got two English muffins.
"English muffins?" Gia said when Draco ordered. "Oh, I get it." Draco wasn't sure if he 'got' it.
"I didn't see you two at the carnival." Harlow said to the twins before she sliced a pancake.
Gwendolyn sighed. "Alice roped us into helping her prepare for her party. Will you attend?"
"Besides Matt's being engaged, the three of us will be there," Harlow said gesturing to herself and the Hogwarts duo.
"I heard she got a Pair Dare from her Beauxbatons friend," Gia said with wide eyes, but then gave a wicked smile.
"I think I've heard of that," Draco looked up from buttering his breakfast.
"I heard some Beauxbatons students talking about it during my fourth year," Hermione sounded repulsed.
"It's probably the best Wizarding party game invented so far," Gia defended.
"You'll definitely get a chance to play it before leaving California." Matt said, seeming to try to reassure her.
"When is Alice's party?" Draco asked.
"I think it's this Friday," Gwendolyn responded.
"It's right before the fourth of July party," Gia added. "You are hosting one this year aren't you?"
"Every year!" Harlow grinned.
"What, is that some sort of winemaker's holiday or something?" Draco quirked an eyebrow.
"No, Draco," Hermione shot him a look as she spoke. "The fourth of July is the anniversary of American independence from Great Britain. I read about it in The United States of America: a History."
"Oh my gosh!" Gwen squealed, clapping. "This will be your first fourth of July party!"
"We always have the best party," Matt said confidently. "Dad always breaks out nice old wine for the occasion.
"Are they coming with us to the lesson?" Gwendolyn asked Harlow before sipping her glass of apple juice.
"They, uh," Harlow began, with a glance at the two Hogwarts students, "don't know about it. Matt and I are planning on attending with them."
"Attending what exactly?" Hermione demanded, clutching her fork.
"A dance lesson," Matt said, cutting across his sister, who was about to say something. "Harlow why didn't you tell them?"
"I figured they would say no." A guilty looking Harlow glanced at Draco.
"Are you bloody serious?" Malfoy said, his eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. "Why are we going to a dance lesson?"
"For the Winemakers' Invitational. Surely you've heard of it?" Gia asked Draco.
"Harlow has told us about it." Hermione said.
"Dad arranges for us to take lessons every year, so we won't make a fool out of ourselves. You think after about twelve years of it we'd be pros right?" Matt joked. "I'm fairly good at it, but Harlow's the best."
"The worst part is when Beaujolais appears at the same studio as us," Harlow growled.
"Welcome, welcome again!" The dance instructor greeted the group. Felicity and her younger brother Wyatt had joined the five after breakfast. The teacher was a short squirrely man with no hair and a salt-and-pepper goatee. He was wearing a black tux jacket and pants with a plum colored dress shirt underneath and a white silk tie.
"Eets good to see you again my dears!" The man hugged and air kissed Harlow and Matt, even though the latter protested slightly.
"My name ees Meesta Tanca. And today you will dance!" He clapped his hands, and after a quick look around he grinned. "How perfect, there are eight of you!"
As if on cue, the doors swung open and a boy walked in. "Tanca, what a pleasure it is to see you!" Rory strode across the dance studio and hugged the squealing instructor. Hermione saw Harlow bristle beside her.
"This ees no goot! Please, line up in height order."
The eight of them walked around awkwardly and arranged themselves with the tallest first: Matt, Draco, Felicity, Rory, Harlow, Hermione, Wyatt, Gwen, and then Gia.
"Well you'll have to dance wiff me, ya?" Tanca nodded at Gia. She responded with an audible huff and crossed her arms, then walked across the room to sit down on the floor. She whipped out her cell phone.
"Well anyways, please stand wiff a member of the opposite gender—so that would be Matt and Felicity, Draco and Harlow, Rory and Hermione, and Wyatt and Gwen." Tanca grinned at the group of new dancers. "Harlow, Matt, and Rory, try not to show off!"
Matt and Felicity smiled at each other and she placed a kiss on his cheek. Harlow gave Draco a smirk and sidled up next to him. Rory bowed to Hermione and looped his arm in hers, and Wyatt and Gwen exchanged nervous smiles.
"Now please! Take a spot on the floor, spread out, there ees plenty of room. Stand opposite your partner wiff your feet shoulder width apart."
The group did as they were told. Hermione saw Gwen slide a glance at Draco. She turned to Rory to find his green eyes fixed intently on hers.
"You ever dance before, Hermione?" He asked her.
"I've never taken lessons," Hermione replied, and she straightened up a little.
"Gentlemen, please place your right hand below the lady's shoulder blade." Tanca instructed, walking around the room with slow, watchful paces.
Draco stepped closer to Harlow and placed a hand on her back. He was impressed when she didn't jump, but rather, she made the next move before Tanca announced it.
"Ladies, put your left hand on your partner's shoulder!"
Hermione felt herself get closer to Rory as she closed the space between and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Claps hands at eye level!"
Harlow slipped her hand into Draco's before he moved. Tanca passed them and nodded approvingly, but stopped to raise Gwen and Wyatt's clasped hands.
"This ees a dance of passion, like the tango! Your torsos should be touching! Let me feel the smoldering emotions as you dance!" Tanca shouted as he skipped around the room, ecstatic.
"Gentlemen, take a slow step forward wiff your left foot. Ladies, mirror the movement with a slow step backwards wiff your right foot. Then return to your feet touching."
Rory guided Hermione backwards. She looked down sheepishly at her feet and felt herself step with the beat. Hermione looked back up to see Rory grinning at her.
"Gentlemen, take a slow step backward wiff your right foot. Ladies, mirror him again and step forward wiff your left. Afterwards place your feet together."
Draco glanced quickly at his feet and took a step backwards from Harlow. He looked up when he heard Felicity's loud laughter, Matt's grin pressed against her shoulder.
"Now that ees passion!" Tanca cried happily. "You have just completed the Slow part! Clap wiff me!"
Tanca applauded his class loudly as the eight students clapped modestly. Gia disappeared.
"Now for the Quick part. Back to your positions, please. Ladies and gentlemen, your feet should be touching. Gents, take a step to the side wiff your left foot. Ladies, your right foot.
Hermione and Rory stepped together. "You're getting the hang of this," he grinned at her. "But I'm the best dancer here."
"I'm a quick learner," Hermione replied.
"Feet together. Gentlemen take another step wiff your left foot slightly diagonal, so that you press your lady backwards. Ladies, step wiff your right to the back. After, you should be facing a new direction."
Draco stepped with his left foot and sort of swung with Harlow, creating an arc.
"You're doing it right." Harlow whispered, giving Draco a smile.
"You have just learned the Quick part! The tempo of this dance goes Slow Slow, Quick-Quick, Slow. Now give eet a try." Tanca said, with some gingerness on his last suggestion.
The four groups danced the best they could. Tanca watched Harlow and Draco, for it seemed though she was not the leader in the pair, Harlow was helping Draco. Wyatt and Gwen were dancing quite well together. Matt was guiding Felicity around in a small circle, and as Tanca watched, he knew that as Felicity rested her head on Matt's shoulder, she was imagining herself dancing at the wedding.
"Do you know what they say about dancers, Draco?" Harlow asked him.
Draco looked up to meet her eyes for a moment, the universal sign of comprehension. He was too busy silently chanting Slow, Slow, Quick-Quick, Slow, to answer her.
"If you're a good dancer, you're good in bed." Harlow told him.
With this Draco's head shot up to look at Harlow. But her eyes weren't trained on his, they were looking at something past his shoulder.