Disclaimer to JK Rowling

Chapter Four: Here's the Puzzle

All my days, I'll go the softlier, sadlier,
For that dream's sake! How forget the thrill
Thro' and thro' me as I thought, 'The gladlier
Lives my friend because I love him still!'

Robert Browning from Fears and Scruples

Narcissa Malfoy had had enough of her children and guest lounging all day by the pool, and forced an outing on the first occasion that all four of them were at breakfast. Lacie normally woke up first to go to her ballet lesson, and Hermione normally had a lie in and did not rise before ten in the morning. Their mother was nearly always in bed by the time Draco woke up, and this was always sometime in between Lacie and Hermione waking up. It made for an interesting dynamic and it frustrated Sandrine to no end, who had to make sure the breakfast she made lasted through the four different breakfast times. The house-elf seemed more excited than anyone else that all four residents were eating breakfast together at the same time for the first time, in mid-August.

Lacie, being Lacie, had protested to the outing. Hermione, being the insufferable bookworm that she was, suggested that they should go to museums and learn things about the region in France where they were staying. Draco had merely rolled his eyes at his exasperated mother.

"Where even in France are we?" he had asked her. Draco had had such a relaxing day the day before, that he was reluctant to change his routine. He had still yet to exercise this morning, and as Flint was becoming a harder Captain to please, Draco had to be at his best to win his spot on the team again. There was no buying his way in this year, Hermione's words the previous year still stung. He would get on the team based on his own skills, and the less he relied on his father's stature the coming year, the better.

"Draguignan," Lacie supplied as she stole the freshly buttered toast out of Draco's hand before he had even had a chance to bite into it. The habit of hers was infuriating and Draco wondered aloud at what age she would stop. Never, she threatened with an evil-looking smile. Their mother called them to order, and buttered a piece of toast for Draco to placate him.

"Like, dragon?" Draco asked as he took a defiant bite, his eyebrow arching slightly, "You bought a villa in a village named after dragons?"

"Before you get on your high horse, Draco," Lacie interrupted before their mother could answer, "This town was named after a dragon that was slayed by Saint Hermentaire, and not you."

Draco turned to Hermione who was cutting delicately into her fried egg and said, "Do not get any ideas."

She looked up at him, snickered to herself before muttering, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Draco did not know what it was, but something had changed between them. They were being civil, that was a given, but after the blazing conversation where the girl had demanded to know where his supposed hatred of her had sprung from, something had changed. He had expected her to remain hostile and unresponsive, as most people would have been after a conversation like that. Instead, she surprised him by chatting and joking with him. She had even promised to show him how to dive by the end of the holidays, not before making a backhanded comment about how he had never been taught.

"I suppose the pureblood curriculum doesn't have space for learning how to dive in between ridiculing Muggleborns and looking snooty," she had said, before returning to a book about Divination. He had laughed in response.

Hermione had also shared her observation that his attempts so far looked like a caught eel being thrown back into the water.

Whatever that had meant.

He watched as she turned her attention towards her breakfast again before finishing the slice of toast his mother had prepared. Draco could not forget Hermione's parting words the month before.

"When we go back to Hogwarts, we will be Granger and Malfoy again, won't we?"

Draco was annoyed with himself for not setting her straight after she had posed the question. If he had been trained as strict as his sister had, he would have learnt to compose himself in difficult situations. Instead he had panicked, embraced her and ran away without properly telling Hermione that yes, once they were back at Hogwarts, they would no longer be in the limbo of being friends or rivals. He would only ever see her as Granger, and if she had any sense, he would always be Malfoy to her.

Does it even matter?

Lacie and Hermione's voices merged in his mind to ask the question. Yes, it mattered. Yet, the Malfoy name was already in disgrace, and there was already irreparable damage done, as he explained to Hermione a few days prior. The engagement between Pansy and he had been dissolved and he was free to do as he wished. He had no real burden or obligation at the moment to restore his family name. For the time being, he could do as he wished – he still hated those arrogant braver than brave Gryffindors, that was for certain and as a Slytherin, the house rivalry would never cease – and no one could say a word otherwise. The days he had spent in France was testament to that, and he dreaded returning to England and to Hogwarts.

Draco smirked as Lacie tried to grab a second piece of toast from his hand but his reflexes were quicker now and he moved his hand out of her reach. She glowered at him before settling for some orange juice.

They did not end up going to a museum or shopping – Lacie's second idea after stamping her feet to try and get her own way – and instead they went to a sad looking set of rocks in the middle of Draguignan, as had been recommended by Mother. However, the woman who suggested that they all leave the villa, had remained at the villa and loudly announced her intentions to redecorate and keep up her correspondence. Draco knew that she was most likely going to spend the time they were out of the house catching up on her sleep, from the restless night before and did not complain. Draco knew why she had forced them out of the house, she probably did not want the three to waste the summer lazing in the sun, and wanted them to at least experience something whilst they were in France. Lacie glowered at her mother, before preparing herself for her ballet lesson.

The three had walked into town after Lacie's lesson and made their way to the faery's stone which was a local attraction that seemed to attract a lot of people for what it was.

Hermione had picked up a free leaflet about it and was avidly reading off it next to him, "This dolmen dates back to the Neolithic era, and according to old legends, it was built by a faery who lives under it."

Draco was thinking about Quidditch plays and how he would outfly Potter to care much about the rock that his mother indirectly had dragged him to, as well as his conclusion on the Shrinking Solution essay that Uncle Sev had set them for the holidays. That seemed more infinitely more interesting than what Hermione had to say about the rock. Lacie was peering at the them, and when she thought that no one was looking, pressed her ears against the rock. Draco did not know if there was too much Black blood in her, but she was starting to worry him as if she would turn mad like most in his Mother's family did.

"…And according to local legend, the dolmen was formed when a faery disguised as a shepherdess…"

It was a stifling hot day, and Draco could not wait until this little adventure was over so that he could throw himself in the cooling pool and swim several laps. Draco huffed. He only hoped that Sandrine had more of her homemade lemonade, the walk and the heat had made him very thirsty. He barely even listened to Hermione as she spoke. He fanned himself to no avail, he was only spreading hot air all over his face.

"…Oh, but he died because he discovered he was only a modest genius in comparison to the faery."

"How sad," Draco commented, only hearing the end of the story. He did not care for the middle. Hermione looked at him curiously as she lowered the leaflet she had been reciting from.

"You don't mean that."

"Of course I do not, we have done our bit of sightseeing, can we go back now?"

"But aren't you even interested in the slightest about the history of -…"

"No," Draco cut across her, "I do not see what educational value that looking at this rock will have."

"Well, I'm doing the Study of Ancient Runes this year and this rock, as you have put it, may be beneficial for Lacie and me."

Draco did not want to burst her bubble by mentioning that he was also studying Ancient Runes, nor did he want to incur the know-it-all side of her where she would bombard him with facts about the rock or recite that story again. He was not studying the subject because he wanted to spend times with rocks – or dolmen, as Hermione had so unhelpfully corrected him – but because he had no idea what he wanted to do in third year and he just picked whatever took his fancy. It was also mostly because his father had suggested it. Of course, his mother had written to Hogwarts to add Muggle Studies to his timetable because 'maybe a better understanding of Muggles may do your compassion some good'. Draco rolled his eyes.

Hermione walked towards his sister and they were both inspecting the dolmen and were nodding appreciatively at whatever they saw. Draco stood stubbornly away from it with his arms crossed. After what seemed like forever, and after a multitude of odd looks from passers-by, the girls stepped away from the structure and chattered about rune that they may or may not have seen.

"That was an interesting excursion," Lacie said and Hermione made sure to give Draco a pointed look. Lacie fanned herself with a pale hand, "It is ever so hot though."

"Shall we get back then?" Draco prompted, turning the way they had come.

"Yes, I hope Sandrine has made some more lemonade."

Draco found himself hoping that same thing for a second time.

The three teenagers did not anticipate how hot the day had become and how thirsty they would be on the journey back to the villa and before long, Draco found himself salivating as the sight of the multi-coloured shops that offered cold drinks. It was impossibly warm, and walking in the heat was doing nothing to help that. He could not wait to throw himself into the swimming pool, that was if he did not burn to death first.

His skin was so red, that he was sure to be picked up by a jeweller and made into a ruby necklace, and the nape of his neck seemed to be burning. His sister was equally as red, and she looked quite irritated. She was also looking longingly every-so-often into the shops. Hermione on the other hand, looked completely at ease. Her skin only looked tanner than usual, and she knew well enough to tie her hair up. Soft curls had fallen out of her bun, and did not seem slicked with sweat and stuck to her face.

Why am I even looking at her?

The heat must be getting to me.

"I think I need some water," Draco said, stopping his sister and Hermione. Hermione looked at him with the slightest expression of concern and touched his arm.

"Are you alright?"

"I just need a drink of water," Draco replied, moving his arm out of her grasp. Her hand fell to her side. Lacie did not need telling twice, and walked to the nearest shop and before speaking in rapid French. When Draco and Hermione arrived next to her, she was offering a few silver Sickles in her hand and the shopkeeper was shaking his head at her. She looked at him with confusion before turning to Draco.

"What is a Franc?" Lacie asked, unable to understand the vendor. The man watched them oddly, his hand resting protectively over the bottles of water.

"It's French Muggle money, I think I have some," Hermione explained, before fumbling in her pockets and withdrawing a small cloth purse. "Mum and Dad gave me a bit of holiday money."

Hermione passed over some odd coins to the man. The vendor nodded and smiled, handed over the bottles and some more odd coins. Granger passed the water over to Draco as she pocketed her purse.

"Merci," Hermione replied in French so Anglicised that Draco resisted the urge to shudder. At least she was trying, he supposed, and he ought to be slightly grateful as she had been the only one to carry Muggle money to be able to pay for their drinks.

"Impressive," Draco said as they walked off with their bottled drinks. Lacie had grabbed one as soon as Hermione had handed over the Muggle money. She had stalked quickly off in the direction of the villa, leaving Draco and Hermione trailing in her wake.

"For a Muggleborn?" Hermione asked inquisitively, taking one of the bottles from Draco and cracking it open and watching him for a response and she gulped from it.

"You said it not me," Draco replied, before opening his bottle. Hermione snickered next to him.

Maybe she is not so bad, after all.

x-x-x-x-x

The next two weeks of the summer holiday passed in almost no time at all, despite Hermione's earlier hesitancy to stay in France after Draco's arrival. It seemed odd to her, that she was dreading slowly packing all of her things, when only a month or so before, she was keen to pack everything and go home. She was having fun, a concept that seemed so odd and alien, especially as she spent most of the time having fun with Draco Malfoy. There was definitely something different about the way that they spoke to each other, something that Lacie had picked up on, often exchanging a secret smile with their mother whenever Hermione teased Draco at breakfast.

Narcissa seemed to join them at breakfast every morning, and Lacie attended her ballet lesson an hour later than usual. Hermione found herself waking earlier than normal, so that all four of them would make it a habit to eat together before going to do their respective tasks. Narcissa spent her day in her room as usual, and whilst Lacie was in her ballet lesson, Hermione spent her time in the study reading over some of the books that Draco had Sandrine fetch from Malfoy Manor. When she found something interesting she would add it in her homework, find herself several inches over the length limit her professors had instructed.

"Uncle Sev hates long essays," Draco had commented as he looked at the length of Hermione's Potions essay one morning. "He prefers them to be concise and to the point, his mood deteriorates quicker with longer essays leading to harsher marking."

"How do you know that? I seem to do just fine with my essays," Hermione retorted.

"Yes, and I have seen your marks, but sometimes mine are better."

Hermione had narrowed her eyes at him, before hissing, "Favouritism."

"Fine, how about I copy your homework, and you copy mine and we will see who scores higher?" Draco had challenged, "If I score higher or equal to you, I will call Uncle Sev out on his favouritism in Potions, but if I am correct about my godfather's marking habits – which I most certainly am – you have to call me Lord Malfoy every time you see me, for a week."

"Really, Draco? A bet?"

"Yes, a bet. You think that Uncle Sev will appreciate your three rolls of parchment, and I have only written a single roll but I will do better than you."

"You're just trying to get my homework because it's better than yours."

Draco pushed over his Potions essay and had gestured Hermione to read it, and Hermione loathed to admit that it was quite good. Hers was better, but it seemed like an interesting compromise. She was determined to prove Draco wrong, too, all the Gryffindors knew that Professor Snape was quick to compliment his own House, and denigrate the lions.

"Fine, but make the Lord Malfoy thing three days, a week is far too excessive."

"I will be having the smartest witch in the year calling me a Lord, even for a day I would be smug," Draco said with a grin as he prepared fresh parchment. He regarded Hermione's raised eyebrow before adding quickly, "You said three days, though."

"That's if you win, Malfoy," Hermione said as she picked up her quill with a small smile. She had not missed the compliment about her, "Personally, I can't wait to see Professor Snape's face when you challenge him."

Draco clearly loved the idea of a bet between them, until he realised that Hermione's handwriting was not only very neat, but was also very small. After he had copied out a single roll of Hermione's homework, it equated to a roll and a half in his own script, and he had two more rolls of Hermione's to go. Hermione, however, had finished copying out Draco's work, and felt uncomfortable handing so little work in as it only reached three-quarters of a roll.

Lacie had joined them before Draco had finished, and seemed captivated by the bet, whilst snickering at the terms. She, however, sided with Draco and remarked how Hermione was going to live down calling Draco a Lord for three days.

"But you know that Professor Snape is going to criticise how little I've written," Hermione said, waving the parchment at Lacie.

"Your writing is so tiny that Uncle Sev would be grateful that he has so little to read," Lacie replied. When Draco had finally completed – he had to take several breaks to wait for his ink to dry as a quill and ink was a fine thing unless you were left-handed – the three traipsed to the back garden where Lacie watched Hermione teach Draco how to dive.

At first, Lacie had howled with laughter as Draco continued to hit the water with a painful slap and when Narcissa heard of what Draco was trying to do, she also watched on with delight beside her daughter. Sometimes he would manage it, but when he didn't do it perfectly, he would pull himself out and try again. Hermione found herself towards the end of the holidays, admiring his determination. Soon, he was interrupting his laps to climb out of the pool to dive into it. Hermione couldn't deny that Draco was a quick study, as it hadn't taken him long to manage it. He was even able to dive with better finesse than Hermione could ever hope for.

Elegance must be a Malfoy family trait, Hermione thought bitterly.

A/N: I know it's a day late. I originally planned to write an Interlude to break up the chapters, as I normally do but: (1) I had to write it from scratch, and I had no time; (2) It probably would have added zero story value; (3) I had no time to do so. Another reason why I'm updating a day late is that I've been busy this entire week and although I have written about eleven or so chapters of this story already, I had to proof-read - get the chapter heading (sifting through 100+ of Browning's poems is fun but no joke, you guys). It's mental, but I love it. I think I may add the Interlude-that-would-have-been at the end of the story, just because I am a ways-way through it and I was enjoying writing it but yeah, send me a time machine man.

And so, the Granger-Malfoy summer came to an end.

If you haven't already give Bright Star/Bound By a little read, if, unlike me, you have time to do it then please do. If you can't be bothered to do all that reading, it's okay but you may not "get" some of the content of the next chapter because (especially the last few chapters of Bound By) link in with Chapter 3 of this story and the next chapter, which will be uploaded Thursday.

Happy reading!

CSxo.