Chapter 5
Hermione was looking forward to and dreading her upcoming vacation. Her mind kept on swinging between, it's a vacation and everyone is grown up, to its going to be a complete disaster. But this was Blaise's life and friends and if they wanted to be together, she would have to accept this part of his lifestyle.
Blaise left for Italy and she had to stay behind for the Wizengamot meeting, which rambled on in a boring and predictable way. While it seemed like it would never end, it finally did.
Hermione returned to her office and there was a beautifully wrapped box on her desk. Inside was something that looked like a key chain, a little spinning globe with the outline of the continents on it. The accompanying note said that it activated in twenty minutes. She dropped her books, notes and other supporting material and closed the box again. She had twenty minutes to get home and get her stuff. If she didn't make it, she would be going to Italy in her working robes, sensible shoes and nothing else.
She pushed her way through the foyer which was unusually busy although not a surprise.
"Hermione." She heard Harry call after her.
She turned and watched as Harry walked over, obviously not in a hurry.
"I have to go Harry, I'm catching a portkey in a few minutes."
"Oh." Harry said. "I just wanted to … nevermind, it can wait, go."
Hermione turned.
"Let me know when you arrive." Harry said. "I still don't trust them."
"Harry!" Hermione said. "It will be fine. I promise."
She stepped into the floo and buzzed home.
She made it with five minutes to spare. Good thing most of her packing was already done, she just had to gather together some toiletries. Her mind was buzzing with excitement and trying to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She quickly changed and got into more of a festive sleeveless light green dress.
She heard the little noise that said the portkey was activating and quickly grabbed her bag. The jerk in her stomach followed by lights, speed and nausea.
She came out in brilliant sunlight. She forgot her sunglasses. Well there had to be something.
"There you are." Blaise said and came up and kissed her on her temple. He was wearing white and he looked good enough to eat. Maybe they could go spend some time together now. She was ready for this green dress to come off, even if its only been on for a minute.
She looked around and had arrived in some kind of patio/garden area. There was a welcoming blue pool with what looked like the Zabini motto at the bottom. A flash of irrational concern worked through her mind that it was not a good idea to be with someone who has a motto.
Tables, sunbeds and chairs surrounded the pool, with a large table further down. All surrounded by a lush garden. She turned around and was confronted by an absolutely awe inspiring view of the Mediterranean, broken by a few tall tree trunks. The dark blue water glittered as a warm breeze caressed her arms and legs. Damn forgetting those sunglasses.
She had another desire to retreat back to a bedroom for a nice long siesta involving absolutely no sleeping. She felt a sense of happiness warm through her. While she was having trouble keeping her hormones in check, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have to for long. Two weeks of nothing but enjoying themselves.
"Lets put your bag away." Blaise said.
Hermione smiled. Time alone. What could be better?
They started kissing as soon as the door to the bedroom shut. Hermione barely noticed the white walls and the antique bed on the dark parquette floor. The large open door looked out over the ocean.
"That's gorgeous." She murmured, talking about the ocean view.
"Speaking off." He said and unzipped her dress. It fell to the floor and he carried her to the bed.
They spend twenty minutes getting thoroughly reacquainted.
"This whole siesta thing is an eminently civilised idea." Blaise said and he traced his fingers along her ribcage.
They started hearing noises outside.
"I guess people are reappearing." He said. Hermione hadn't even thought of other people yet. She certainly hadn't seen anyone else and she'd forgotten that they were there too.
He helped her zip up her dress. He looked so incredibly good in his white pants and Hermione almost swoon when he swung the white shirt around his shoulders.
"Let's go." He said and held the door open for her. His shirt wasn't buttoned up and his incredible stomach peeped through. She just couldn't get to grips that this incredibly hot guy was hers.
She smiled at him as they walked out of the house onto the patio. She smile faltered a bit as she saw the Slytherin crew scattered around the garden and pool.
Hermione saw Pansy lying in a sun bed with an incredibly large fushia sun hat. She had on a matching bathing suit and high heels. Obviously expensive. Her skin was perfectly tanned and every bit that could be manicured had been so to within an inch of its life.
"Do you want a drink?" Blaise asked as a man approached. "This is Guiseppe, he knows his way around a cocktail. You can test him if you like, but there isn't a cocktail on the planet he does not know."
"Just a gin and tonic, please." Hermione said.
"How very British." Pansy said.
"Can't beat a classic." Hermione said feeling a little self conscious, but she shook it off.
"But constantly sticking to the tried and true lack a certain creativity, don't you think?" The crisp, bored tones of Draco Malfoy said from the pool.
Hermione hadn't seen him there, standing in the pool, skin so pale it hurt her eyes. Double damn forgetting those sunglasses.
"Conservatism is distasteful, I agree, but sometimes a drink is just a drink."
"Touche." Malfoy said and slowly stepped out of the pool towards her. He was dripping wet and Hermione fought an instinct to step back. He was standing in front of her in practically nothing more than his birthday suit except for the little grey pants that were a cross between a speedo and shorts. She had never seen him out of his suit before and he was slim, but fit. It was incredible, she mused that he still looked so well considering the lifestyle he led.
He bent over and grabbed a towel off the sun bed next to Pansy's.
"Now children, play nicely." Pansy said and put her magazine down.
Malfoy proceeded to wipe water off his arms. It clung to his skin like little jewels catching the sun and it brought out the darker blonde in his slicked back hair. He turned his slim but muscled back to her and Hermione had an urge to be somewhere else.
"Do you want to go down to the jetty?" Blaise asked.
"Yes." Hermione said, pleased for a way out.
They walked down the stepped path towards the shore. There wasn't a sandy beach, just a large jetty coming out of the rocky shore. The water was crystal clear and she could see the bottom. It looked so welcoming. A ladder led into the water of the end of the jetty.
"This place is absolutely gorgeous." Hermione said.
"Its alright." Blaise said.
"Just alright?" Hermione said with a laugh. Blaise smiled and walked along the jetty.
"I spent most of my summers here." He said. "All in all, I suppose it's a nice place to grow up. Its been in my family for generations."
"I wonder how you spend any time in England at all?" She said. "If I had a place like this, I don't think you'd see me all that often."
"It does get boring after a while, especially if you're on your own." Blaise said with a shrug. "I guess when it comes down to it, it's the people you surround yourself with that counts more than anything."
Hermione felt her smile slide a little bit, but recovered in a microsecond. Thinking of the people he surrounded himself with only highlighted how different they really were.
She sat down at the end of the jetty and let her feet dip into the warm water.
"So now what?" She said as he sat back and leaned on the handles of the ladder into the water.
"We just hang out." He said. "Do you want to go for a swim?"
"Definitely." She said. "The water is amazing. Just a little too cosy to walk all the way back to the room to change."
He gave her a smug look that melted her insides. "You could just slip the dress off and slip in. No one will know."
Tempting as it was, she was absolutely sure that someone would come down, knowing her luck. The jetty wasn't immediately seen from the garden, but if someone walked over to the edge, they could look down on it. If it was dark she would be pulling that dress off right now. As it was, she didn't want to go skinny dipping in front of Pansy or Marcus, or worse, Malfoy.
She laid back on the wooden jetty to put her head in Blaise's lap and let the sun warm her skin. "Maybe after dinner." She said.
"I like the sound of that." He said.