(2012) This chapter has been edited. Lesson learned from this chapter? It is not necessary to tell readers she is dreaming by writing ****DREAM**** in the middle of the page.
A/N I feel really bad about not updating very efficiently for this story, so I'm going to try to make it up in the material.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Wandering the house eventually led her to the extensive library, where she ran her hands over the books and breathed in the rich scent of the mahogany wood. Harry and Ron stayed out on the pitch all day and she tried not to think about the approaching party she was attending. Her worries were three-fold—she would have to see Todd, it was a party and therefore exactly her social scene, and the water.
"What's for dinner?" Ron came stampeding into the kitchen, followed by Harry, and collapsed into a chair.
Distracted, she looked up from the book she was reading. "Oh, I suppose because I'm a girl you expect me to cook for you while we're here."
"Actually, it has more to do with the fact that you can cook, and I'm rubbish at it." Ron informed her with a shrug. "That's why Mum always makes me set the table."
She closed her book with a quick snap. "Well I am not becoming your chef. You should take this opportunity to find out how much work the House Elves really do. It will give you a much finer appreciation for the things you have."
Harry ran his hand through his hair. "I can cook."
"No, I can do it. Today at least." She took up, striding to the fridge and in the process missing the look of confusion Harry and Ron exchanged. She looked up from ripping the plastic off the chicken breast wrapper. "You should probably shower. You're all muddy."
How Harry and Ron had ever become friends was no mystery to anyone. They were like two peas in a pod, a favorite expression of her mother's. They were interested in relatively the same things, they were both brave, loyal friends and very overprotective. Their main division was how they'd both grown up.
Draco Malfoy strode through the door and groaned aloud when he saw her standing by the sink, staring at the chicken in her hands. "I was actually hoping I could avoid seeing you the whole summer. My dreams are crushed."
She glared at him, "You can hardly blame me for your lackluster dreams, Malfoy. Or your inability to achieve them. Actually," she cocked her head to the side. "I forgot you've already decided to blame all muggleborns for it, so I guess in your warped mind you can."
Harry came back through the door, pushing his wet hair from his face, and Draco made a hasty exit when he realized he was now outnumbered. Harry watched him go with his jaw tight and then grinned at Hermione, idly commenting on Draco's resemblance to small rodents.
"What can I do to help?" He asked as he joined her.
"Er, I suppose peel the potatoes."
"Yeah, then what?"
"Er, I guess put them in water." She said slowly. He didn't move and watched her expectantly. "Is that enough for you?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm just more accustomed to long lists of stuff to do. Well I'll get started then." He flashed his lopsided smile at her.
Another reminder of the kind of childhood Harry had had. Anger bubbled inside her when she thought about the way the Dursleys had treated him, and she didn't even know the full story.
It ended up taking Ron a full half hour more then Harry to finally get downstairs. Coincidentally the same time as the chicken was done.
"Smells good." He plopped down on a chair.
"Ron, you are not eating anything until you set the table." She snatched the dishes from Harry and pushed them into Ron's hands. He opened his mouth to speak, but took in her expression and wisely didn't.
"So you're actually going to go to that party, tomorrow?" Harry asked her, the expression on his face telling her what his words didn't.
"I've given it some more thought, and I think it will be fine." She shrugged, "I did go to school with some of these people for awhile."
"Six years ago," Ron pointed out. "Six years ago I was just a boy with red hair."
"As opposed to now?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "You're…a man with red hair?"
"Among other things." Ron said and smiled in response to his friends' snickers. "Can't you only leave for four hours?"
"I owled Sheila and James about it. They were thrilled." Hermione rolled her eyes, "I think they're hoping I'm going to turn out to be some kind of party girl and this is only the beginning."
"How close are you and Andrea, anyway?" Ron squinted his eyes, as if it helped him visualize her friend. "Isn't it going to be boring there, alone?"
Hermione sighed, "I won't be alone. Andrea is the only muggle friend I've kept in contact with, and she's effortlessly social. You two would attract too much attention, even if you could come."
Harry looked puzzled, "I thought this was a muggle party."
"It is. I mean because there will be girls there." Hermione said and Harry looked confused for another moment, before flushing.
"Come off it Harry," she scoffed, "I've mentioned this to you before. Even people who don't know about your past or Quidditch or anything probably still get broodish vibes from you, which apparently is the new thing in boys. You should hear what the girls say about you at Hogwarts. Or what's written in the loo."
Harry's expressed flickered between pleased and embarrassed. "It's all the hype, it's not actually me. Besides, what about you and that spiky haired guy?"
"What? You mean Mike?" She said as Ron watched them both from under the fringe of his bangs.
"Oh, really? I didn't know it was common for friends to kiss each other. Or is that also a 'new thing' these days?" He grinned at her evident embarrassment.
"I've kissed both of you on the cheek!" She protested, but when his smile didn't move continued. "How about you and Ginny?"
Ron's interest was immediately sparked and he turned to face Harry. "Have you been making eyes at my sister?"
"No, Ron." Harry responded, frowning at Hermione and she instantly regretted mentioning it.
"Good, because not even you can make eyes at my sister." He went back to eating as though he'd just settled everything.
"Ron, Ginny is basically an adult. She can make her own decisions." Hermione said, eyes wide with exasperation.
"Her other boyfriend decisions have been pretty bad, so I'm not so sure. Besides, why would Harry even want to look at Ginny? He may as well be looking at me, we've got the same hair and freckles and all." He went on eating and missed the complete look of horror that flashed over Harry's face.
Hermione, however, did not and burst into laughter. Ron watched her suspiciously and Harry carefully took a drink of water, shrugging when his friend shot him a questioning look. It was that scene that Pansy walked into, halting in the door when she noticed the trio sitting at the table.
Hermione looked up in surprise, watching Pansy step back as if to leave and sucked in a breath. If they were going to be living in the same house for the entire summer, it wouldn't do to constantly be at odds, although that was obviously what the WWNC wanted.
"Sit down," Hermione said and gestured at the table. "We're almost done anyway, so, erm…yes."
Pansy eyes flickered between the three and then she strode into the room and moved to the refrigerator. "I'm not going to let you keep me from entering rooms, if that's what you think."
Ron rolled his eyes and glowered while Harry slumped against his chair. "Obviously not, since she just invited you in."
"Well, I would be ever-so-grateful, but I'm fairly certain that, as it's my house too, I don't need an invitation to enter the kitchen." The blond shut the doors and looked over his shoulder.
"I'm finished!" Hermione cut into the borderline confrontation and stood up, carrying her dishes to the sink. The two boys followed suit and, when the dishes were clean, they left together. It was increasingly evident that the pair weren't going to try and build any bridges with the other housemates. While the prospect wasn't one that pleased her, she felt a sort of obligation to be the one that was willing to wave a white flag.
She decided to go back to her room, where solitude beckoned, and bid the boys a goodnight. The hallways felt narrow and unfamiliar compared to the corridors of Hogwarts and she wrapped her arms around herself. Until she'd gone to Hogwarts she hadn't imagined that she would miss a building that wasn't her parents' home, but now even thinking about the ancient atmosphere, jostling crowds of hurrying students, secret passageways and ghosts sent a surge of longing through her.
So distracted was she that she walked straight into something—or what she realized a moment later could better be known as someone. "Malfoy!"
"Watch where you're walking, Granger." He sneered down his nose at her, which was entirely ridiculous because he wasn't that much taller than she was.
"Oh please, Malfoy." Despite her obligatory feelings of a need for some sort of niceties she still had to struggle against the desire to snap back at him. "Running into me didn't ruin your hair at all."
"You know, Granger," he took a step back as he slipped his hands into his pockets, a sneer working its way over his lips. "If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about my hair."
"Have you never met anyone who cares as much about their hair as you?" She asked him, "Because I'm assuming not. So it shouldn't be quite a stretch for you to recognize that my hair is really not high on my priorities—"
"I think that's evident for all." He reached out and flicked at her hair, wrinkling his nose with distaste. "I'm going to leave now, before all the static electricity that hovers around your mane of a head stops the functionality of my brain."
"Careful, Malfoy. You might've just gotten cooties," she snapped, stepping back.
"I hate to break it to you, but those aren't actually real."
She watched him stride down the hall and clenched her fists, calling "I know that!" He didn't answer her and she let out a huff, storming back to her room.
Later that evening she and Harry decided to educate Ron on DVDs, something he responded to with both intrigue and skepticism. As they were getting settled on the couch Harry flicked on the screen and, to the surprise of all, the screen was filled with two of the Slytherins they were currently living with. Draco and Blaise were sitting in a bedroom—one that was much bigger and grander than any Hermione had seen and laughing. Harry clicked it back off. It felt like an intrusion, not to mention hypocritical, to watch the show when it focused on their other housemates.
"Right, well I suppose we get the channel of our show." She sighed and put the DVD in. The three settled in and she briefly explained the concept of movies because, although she wouldn't be surprised if Arthur had given it a go at some point he may have missed a few crucial points.
The movie started and Ron seemed to enjoy it, if his occasional exclamations were anything to go by ("Hey, that's the guy from the bar!" "Holy Merlin she stuck a pen in his throat!"). Something about Rachel McAdams movies after nine o'clock always seemed to put her into a lull and, when it was over, she wandered to her room and collapsed on her bed, where dreams overtook her consciousness.
"Oh, hey 'Mione." Andrea smiled at her. "How're you?"
"Oh I'm good. You look nice, a bit pregnant though." She frowned in confusion.
"Hmm? Oh yeah," Andrea waved her hand dismissively. "It's just one of those days, you know. So when I swim I float."
"Then don't swim."
"I know," Andrea sighed. "But my pool party…"
Pool party.
Hermione woke with a start and blearily pulled herself from her bed. In the weeks after exams, eight o'clock was a ridiculous hour to be awake and she wandered around her room searching for the longest pair of shorts she could find.
When she finally arrived at Andrea's house it was a couple minutes after nine. Her friend opened the door in pajama shorts and a tank top, her glossy hair falling over her slender shoulder. "Hermy!"
Hermione accepted the hug with a laugh. "Here I was, hoping that nickname may have gone out of fashion."
Andrea rolled her icy blue eyes, "Never. Come on in."
Hermione perched on the corner of Andrea's bed while her friend rummaged around her closet and pulled on some clothes. She always felt at least a little awkward during the initial moments of their meetings, but Andrea usually smoothed it over with her social graces. "So how was your school year?"
"Alright. It's school. Can't believe I'm graduating next year," she replied as she dragged a shirt over her head.
"Where are you going?" She asked and smiled as she saw a picture of her and Andrea at Andrea's 5th birthday. She still wasn't sure why Andrea put so much effort into their relationship, especially considering the fact that they literally never spoke during the school year.
"I'll probably just apply, like, everywhere," her voice was muffled, "but I don't really know. What about you?"
Hermione cleared her throat, "I don't know, haven't really thought about it."
"You haven't?" Andrea's surprised voice filled the room. "Even Becky has thought about it. Becky doesn't think about anything."
"Well, I don't know. I've been pretty busy." She couldn't very well say she wasn't going anywhere, it would be too suspicious. In fact, she wasn't really sure how she would explain what she was doing after school to a muggle. "So how are you and Todd?"
"Me and Todd? Oh, we broke up."
"Oh. I wish I could honestly say I'm sorry to hear that."
"Eh, he's kind of an idiot." Andrea shrugged, surveying her outfit in the mirror.
"True." She admitted with a laugh.
"Okay, so I basically invited you over so that you can help me set up." Andrea told her, tossing her hair over her shoulder and stampeding down the stairs.
"Er, great." Hermione followed her and they set about getting ready.
By the afternoon they'd cleaned the house, bought food and drinks, set up refreshment tables, skimmed the table, scrubbed the barbeque, set out coolers and set up the sound system. They were in the process of dancing—in Hermione's case sliding back and forth from foot to foot with the occasional head toss while Andrea shook her entire body in isolated fragments—as they cut vegetables in the kitchen when people started arriving.
As people began to filter in Hermione thanked Merlin once again that the cameras weren't filming her. Not only did she not want people to see her dancing around a kitchen in shorts while brandishing a sharp knife, but she certainly did not want them to see her acting socially awkward around the grown up version of her muggle classmates.
Andrea slinked off to mingle with her friends and Hermione ducked her head and started eating carrots. She was just debating whether or not finding her friend was worth it when she felt a hand slide onto her bum and started, whipping around.
"Hey, baby." The tall boy who was smirking at her ran a hand down her arm, following the movement with his eyes. "Haven't seen you around here."
"Todd!" Andrea's voice interrupted what was sure to be the cherry on top of an excellent first impression and Hermione's mouth fell open when he responded to the name.
"What? Can't a guy notice a-oh my god." He took in her face and his jaw dropped. "Hermione?"
"Yes." She said, shifting her weight onto one foot and crossing her arms.
"You look…different." He was spluttering, staring at her as if he'd just found out she was going to a magical boarding school.
"Well I think that's enough of a reunion don't you? Let's go, Hermy." Andrea tugged her arm and led her to where a table of people were sitting and chatting.
"Hey guys!" Andrea said, dropping into a seat and dragging Hermione into the one beside her. "Hermione this is Joel, Madison, Brittany, Hannah, Josh and Brett. Guys, this is Hermione!"
"Hermione Granger?" Joel was staring at her face as if trying to remember how he knew her and she nodded, smiling. "Whoa, I haven't seen you since you left for school!"
"It's been awhile," she found herself nodding. Every single word that came out of her mouth had to be pre-considered and she was forced to realize with a jolt that maintaining muggle relationships was ridiculously difficult.
The group chatted aimlessly about nothing in particular and Hermione found herself tuning them out unconsciously. While she had absolutely no intention of behaving like she was above them in any way, but all the movies they were talking about, or bands or people had literally no relevance in her life. She turned back to the table and realized they were all looking for it.
"You up for it?" Joel asked and she got the impression it wasn't for the first time.
"Erm, yeah." She said quickly. Josh and Brett, who she hadn't realized had even left, were dragging a cooler of beers back to the table and started distributing them.
Josh set one in front of her and she resisted a grimace. "I don't drink." Not entirely true, but true enough in the situation.
They stared at her for a second and the brunette Hermione was pretty sure was Brittany sneered at her. "Alright," Andrea said quickly, "There should be some soda in there."
"So you all know how to play, right?" Brittany asked in a high voice, her eyes flickering from face to face at the table.
"Play what?" Hermione asked, unable to stop herself.
"Haven't you been listening?" Andrea giggled, "I Never."
"Oh." She hated the game. It was either for people who were excited by the prospect of airing their dirty laundry or those that were too afraid to ask questions directly but wanted answers.
The questions began quite tamely, with things like never been caught sneaking out, never cheated on a test, or person, laughed at a funeral or fell out of a tree. Hermione resisted the urge to sigh and slid a smile on her face when she noticed Brittany watching her with narrowed eyes.
"I never set something on fire." Andrea laughed. Hermione raised her can to her lips, only realizing after a second that she was the only one drinking. At Hogwarts it was likely that most people would have taken a sip, and she was once again struck by how different her life was from theirs.
"Wow, you must be clumsy!" Madison giggled, and Andrea rolled her eyes at Hermione, watching her expectantly.
"I, erm, have never done drugs." She was surprised to witness every single person at the table drinking, wincing as Brittany seemed to take it as a personal insult.
"I never gave someone a lap dance." Madison giggled, looking pointedly at Hannah.
"It was a dare!" The red head exclaimed, flushing at the laughter.
"I never kissed someone of the same gender on the lips." Brittany smirked evilly and Hermione couldn't help but feel that her intentions were more malicious than not. Josh, Hannah and Andrea drank, the former flushing a deep red.
"Ooooh!" Joel and Brett slammed the table with the palms of their hands.
"It was a dare!" Josh snapped, slumping down in his seat while Andrea simply shrugged.
"I never went streaking." Joel said, waggling his eyebrows around at them all. Josh and Hannah both drank and Hermione guessed they were both a bit wild, a suspicion that seemed confirmed a minute later when the game was interrupted so half the boys and Hannah could have a competition to see who could chug their beers the fastest.
The table quieted down a few minutes after and more beers were opened against the edge of the glass surface. Andrea took it upon herself to get the game going again and declared that she'd never kissed a stranger. Giggling, Brittany and Madison both drank beer and then lost interest immediately after when Brett mentioned sky-diving.
"I never," Josh grimaced, "danced in the rain."
Most of the girls drank, which Brett seemed to find moderately hysterical. "Seriously! I thought that romantic shit was just in movies!"
"I never…didn't finish reading a book." Hermione said, a question that, unlike the others, received no cheerful high fives or shouts of laughter.
"I never walked in on a shagging couple." Madison challenged said not five seconds after Hermione had spoken and then erupted in giggles when Brett drank. He successfully fended off questions and pointed to Brittany, who carried the game on.
"I never…was walked in on while shagging." Joel snickered as he drank and then the group once again dissolved into laughter and catcalls as they put two and two together.
"What? Who were you shagging?" Hannah asked, leaning back on her seat with one leg hooked over the arm.
"I don't really remember her name," Joel said and shrugged.
"I bet she remembers yours." Brett said which caused more bouts of laughter.
"Alright, haha. I never wanted to kill someone. Although, Brett you're really pushing your luck right now!" Joel sniggered, however, and all was obviously forgiven.
Before she could hesitate her hand had twitched, drawing the attention of everyone else. Reluctantly she lifted it to her lips, assuming they would think she was incredibly creepy if she didn't, given that her hand movement basically signified that she had. Their carefree faces were frozen in shock and as the cool liquid soothed her throat she came up with something.
"Well I didn't really want to kill them obviously, it's a figure of speech."
"Oh, right."
"I, erm, never broke a bone." Andrea said after casting a furtive glance at her brunette friend.
"I never told a life changing lie." Brett said, and Hermione drank once more.
"I never had a one night stand." Josh said. Brett and Joel clinked their glasses together and downed their drinks while Brittany and Hannah blushed and sipped.
"I never slept with a teacher." It was out before she could bring it back in and she regretted it instantly. Madison grimaced and drank. The boys all went 'ooh!' again and high fived.
"When?" Joel asked.
"Like I'd tell you." Madison hissed.
"Woah spaz." Brett chuckled.
"I never have not had a boyfriend." Madison said icily and glared at Hermione.
"Liar." Josh muttered. Madison displayed her smug smile when Hermione drank, because she didn't think it was fair to classify Viktor as her boyfriend, per se.
"I don't want to settle," She said with a shrug and watched Madison's smile disappear. She saw shock register on the girl's face and realized she'd made an enemy.
"Cat fight." Brett said cheerily.
"Cat fights are so hot." Joel said.
"Yah man!" They high fived.
"Well I never, erm," Brittany stuttered as Madison whispered in her ear, "got rejected."
"I never flirted with a teacher." Joel laughed as Madison scowled at him and took a sip of her drink.
"I never got insulted after I was rejected." Joel drank with a grin.
"It was so hot." He high fived Josh.
"I never pretended to be gay so I could go into a gay bar." Brett grinned. Josh drank and Joel sniggered.
"I never made out with someone of the same sex." Josh, Andrea and Hannah both drank. Before Joel could say anything (Hermione suspected it would be along the lines of 'that would be so hot!') Andrea held up her hand and shook her head.
"I never told someone I was gay so I didn't have to date them." Hannah said.
"I never cried over someone who wasn't worth it." Hermione said, and was startled by the number of people who admitted to it.
"I never did any acid." Madison was glaring so ferociously at Hermione no one noticed Andrea take a tentative sip until she choked a bit.
"You…did acid? When?" Joel frowned.
Andrea looked downcast. "Twice. After my mom died. I didn't know what to do."
"It's okay." Joel patted her back awkwardly, looking around the table as if for help.
"Let's not play this anymore, its boring." Brittany said in a whiny voice, "Let's play truth or dare. If you lie, or chicken out, it's to the pool for you."
Hermione frowned. Brittany and Madison were only interested in digging up dirt on the other people, and had successfully managed to do so on everyone but her.
"Can't you see that-"
"I'll play." Andrea agreed half-heartedly.
"Joel, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to strip down to your boxers and jump on the pool." Madison flashed him a smile, "We'll start easy."
He did as was told and ignored the wolf-whistles sent his way. When he returned he shook his hair out on the shrieking girls.
"Brittany, truth or dare." He asked.
"Truth."
"Do you fancy someone?"
"Yes." She replied.
"Who?"
"Well it's my turn isn't it?" She said cheekily, "Hermione truth or dare?"
"Truth." She didn't want to imagine what the girls would try to make her do.
"Why did you flinch away when Joel jumped in the pool?" So Brittany was more observant then she'd thought.
"I didn't want to get wet." She lied, a bit too quickly.
"Liar." Madison said evilly. "Todd!"
Before she knew what was happening she was lifted over Todd's shoulder and he was moving. "To the pool!" A guy yelled.
Pool? Panic filled her and a scream rose in her throat, though it was unable to surface. The teenagers gathered around all stopped to watch with feral grins and Madison stood up, smirking. Nothing seemed to fascinate people as much as someone being tossed against their will into large bodies of water.
They neared the chlorinated water and she regained control of herself, beating Todd's back with her fists. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have any effect on him. The next thing she knew she was airborne and falling toward the water.
A high-pitched curdling scream erupted from her mouth that no one could mistake as anything but terror. She crashed into the water and felt like her heart would implode. Her legs and arms thrashed, trying to get to the surface but never really moving.
"Avada Kedavra!" A Death Eater shot a spell and a jet of green light shot towards her.
"No!" She heard shouts in the background and then the sensation of being pushed forward. A Death Eater near her was hit by a purple stream and went crashing into her.
The force of the hit sent them both careening into the shimmering green water. It took her nearly a second to realize that there were bodies in the water before they were being mobbed. To her horror they circled the fallen Death Eater and latched onto him. His eyes widened and he clawed at them and as they pulled him downwards his mouth opened to scream. In seconds he was gone.
Slimy hands grabbed her and bile rose in her throat. She couldn't close her eyes but didn't want to see anymore. She didn't want to see the green water, or the slowly disappearing surface of the water as she descended, but most of all she didn't want to see the translucent bodies of the dead. She opened her mouth to scream and choked as water entered it.
This was the end.
A/N Hermione's dream has no relevance to the story, but I had a similar dream awhile ago so I put it in there to connect with the story and pool party and all.
I hope this enlightened you a bit about the water fear.
I'm eager to get this up so there isn't much else to say right now… anyway thanks for reading!
Please review!