The boating lake at Woodside Manor was a picturesque lake of a decent size which housed both fish and birds. The banks of the lake were dotted with jetty's and picnic tables and the entire area was enclosed, with access only allowed to those who had booked to use the facilities. Harry and Ron had wandered past the area the previous day on their explorations of the grounds, but upon close inspection they were shocked by how large the lake area was.
"I think this beats the Black Lake at Hogwarts," Ron remarked as they approached the entrance booth.
"Good morning," the friendly witch manning the booth greeted them as they reached her.
"Morning," Harry replied with a smile. "We've got a booking in the name of Potter."
"Ah yes," the witch said, checking her log. "Party of four. You've been allocated to jetty five. Your picnic is waiting for you on the corresponding picnic table, which has security charms around it, meaning it's safe for you to leave your belongings. And here are the keys to the two boats at your disposal."
"There's no time limit is there?" Ginny checked.
"No, you can stay down at the lake as long as you wish, and take the boats out as many times as you desire," the witch replied. "Will you require oars, or are you happy to use the pre-programmed routes the keys unlock."
"Pre-programmed is fine," Ron said hastily, more than happy now he knew no actual rowing would be involved in taking a boat out onto the lake.
"Have a nice day," the witch said with a smile as the gate beside the booth opened up to allow them access to the lake.
After being pointed in the right direction, the foursome set off along the banks of the lake. Each picnic table sat a decent distance apart, so privacy wouldn't be a worry, and each section was clearly marked with a number, meaning there could be no mix-ups over who had the right to be using the facilities.
"It looks like someone is using the next table along," Lavender remarked when they reached jetty five and spotted a picnic basket, a couple of jackets and a bag sitting at the table further along the lakeside.
"Typical," Ron snorted. "Look at all these tables and jetty's that can be used, and they dump us next to someone else. And it's not like the place is jam-packed is it? I can only see another couple of boats out there."
"Other people just might not have arrived yet," Ginny pointed out. As it was, they were later getting down to the boating lake then they'd intended as both she and Harry, and Ron and Lavender had indulged in breakfast in their rooms, making them later to get going.
While Lavender and Ginny turned their attention to the waiting picnic, and what goodies lay inside it for later, Ron wandered down to the jetty to work out how the keys for the boats worked. While he was figuring that out, Harry stood beside him on the jetty, watching the other boats on the lake. As another boat suddenly appeared from around the small island that stood in the centre of the lake, Harry spotted a flash of familiar platinum blond hair, which could only belong to a Malfoy. Even at a decent distance it was easy to see it wasn't Lucius in the boat, meaning it was Draco. Just as Harry was going to warn Ron about what he'd seen, he spotted the other person in the boat, instantly recognising Hermione.
"Look over there," he said to Ron who had declared himself happy with how the boats worked. "It's Hermione."
"And her brother," Ron sneered, easily spotting her partner in the boat. "I don't mind having a drink with Hermione, and hearing what she has to say for herself, but I draw the line at being nice to Malfoy. Even if he is her family, it doesn't mean he's not an arsehole."
"I do think if Hermione is going to be part of our lives again, we need to get used to who her family is," Harry cautioned. He still wasn't sure how he felt about things in regard to Hermione, but he did think Ron was maybe being a little bit overly dramatic.
"The big word there is if," Ron snorted, turning his back on the lake and wandering back to where their wives were removing their jackets and setting their bags down on the picnic table.
Harry was still gazing out at the lake, and in particularly Hermione and Malfoy, when Ginny appeared at his side, announcing it was time for them to get out onto the water. Even though he was keen to speak to Hermione, he knew he couldn't just wait by the lake for them to finish as they could have just gone out on the lake. But he did intend to keep an eye on them, and see where they ended up when they emerged onto whichever jetty they had been given.
"How long are we going out for?" Ron asked, looking at the keys in his hands. "Each key has a different time on, and from what I can see, you insert a key into the lock at the back of the boat and they take you on a pre-set course."
"Let's start with half an hour," Ginny suggested. "We can always go out again if we want."
Ginny and Harry settled themselves in one of the boats tied to the jetty, while Ron and Lavender took the other boat. Once they had untied the boats, Harry and Ron inserted the keys marked thirty minutes into the keyhole at the back of the boat and their launches slowly pulled away from the jetty.
"See you in half an hour," Lavender called with a wave as the boat she and Ron were in turned in the opposite direction to Harry and Ginny's.
"Now this is what I call boating," Ron remarked loudly as he settled back to enjoy the ride without having to lift a finger to power the boat.
Harry also settled back to enjoy the ride, but all the time he kept one eye on Hermione's boat. Even though they never got very close to her boat, it looked to Harry as though they were also on cruise control as neither Hermione nor Malfoy seemed to have any oars. Not that he was surprised as he didn't think Malfoy would be the sort to do any actual physical rowing.
About halfway through their journey, he noticed Hermione's boat heading towards the shore. In fact, it seemed to be heading in the very direction they had set out from, and he remarked as much to Ginny.
"You're right," his wife mused. "In fact, I think they're heading to the jetty next to ours. I bet they're the ones at the next table. I guess that means you'll get a chance to speak to her, so you can stop watching her and focus on me."
Harry promised to do just that, but he couldn't resist watching Hermione as her boat docked. Malfoy was the first one out of the boat, and as he helped Hermione from the boat, Harry couldn't help but think that they looked more like lovers than siblings from this distance. From so far away, there looked to be an intimate air about them, but he was sure it was just the distance distorting things. Pretty sure that Ginny was right, and they were settling at the table next to theirs, he refocused his attention on his wife, who was cooing over a beautiful swan and a trio of little cygnets swimming past them.
With his focus on Ginny and their beautiful surroundings, Harry thoroughly enjoyed the ride and before he knew it, they were heading back towards the jetty. Ron and Lavender's boat was also returning and he was guessing from the scowl on Ron's face he'd also seen who their neighbours were beside the lake.
As the boats drew up to the jetty, Harry looped the rope around one of the posts and removed the keys from the boat. He then alighted from the boat, and helped Ginny out onto the jetty, while at the other side, Ron was doing the same thing with Lavender.
Once everyone was out of the boats and they were secure, the two couples turned to head to their picnic table. However, they hadn't made it halfway to their table before Lavender let out a loud cry and clasped her hands to her mouth. She'd also stopped in her tracks, and when the others looked around to see what had grabbed her attention, they all stopped in shock as well.
Hermione and Malfoy were indeed sitting at the table along from theirs, but it was their behaviour rather than their presence that was so shocking. They were both sitting on the same side of the table, and were sitting so close they were virtually in each other's laps. However, more shocking was the erotic way Malfoy was feeding Hermione strawberries. As they watched him set up another strawberry they got the shock of their lives when at the last moment he moved the strawberry to one side and replaced it with his lips. Not that Hermione seemed too bothered as she happily obliged in snogging her brother.
"Bloody hell," Ron cried in disgust. "That is the sickest thing I've ever seen."
Ron's outburst drew the attention of the kissing couple, and they parted just far enough to turn their heads. Harry expected to see horror in their expression at being caught out, but Malfoy just looked annoyed while Hermione actually seemed pleased to see them. In fact as she got to her feet, she was beaming happily.
"What a lovely coincidence," she said warmly. "I take it you're the ones at the next table."
"Yeah," Harry mumbled, rather shocked that neither Hermione nor Malfoy seemed flustered at being caught in such a compromising situation.
"Well this is the perfect time for us to have our catch up," Hermione continued, her tone losing some of her warmth as it seemed to occur to her that everyone was still just standing looking at her, and quite frankly they look rather perturbed.
"Seriously?" Ron scoffed. "Are you just going to pretend nothing happened?"
"I thought that was what we were going to talk about," Hermione said with a frown. "We were going to get everything out in the open. Discuss all our past issues."
"The biggest issue is happening right now," Ron spat. "Or do you expect us to just ignore it? Are you really that sick that you think we would be okay with it?"
"I assume that reference is to me, Weasley," Draco remarked as he elegantly got to his feet and moved so that he was standing slightly ahead of Hermione, almost as if he was worried someone was going to attack her.
"Yeah, I was referring to you, you sick son-of-a-bitch," Ron sneered.
"I know we had our issues in the past, Weasley, but surely we're grown up enough to put it all behind us," Draco said, not showing how shocked he was by the venom spewing from Ron's mouth. He'd always known Hermione's friends might not like or approve of him, but he hadn't expected this level of disgust as it was so much more than had ever been apparent back in school.
"I couldn't give a toss about the past," Ron spat, taking a few steps closer to the blond wizard. "I care about now, and that sick show we've just witnessed. To be honest, I'm not surprised you're twisted enough to indulge in such things, but it's seems you've also corrupted Hermione. Or is it being a Malfoy that corrupted you?" he asked Hermione. "Is that what changed you? Is that when you became a twisted, lying whore?"
"You take that back, you dirty little rodent," Draco hissed, advancing on Ron and grabbing him by the shirt. "Apologise now, before I make you regret it."
"If anyone's dirty, it's you," Ron yelled, grappling with Draco. "You perverted little sister snogger."
"What?" Hermione questioned, convinced she'd heard Ron wrong.
However, before any explanations could be forthcoming, Ron and Draco, who were still grappling with one another, lost their footing, and went rolling down the slight incline, straight into the lake. The splash of them entering the water, drew everyone out of their stunned stance and everyone went rushing to the lakeside, where the two wizards had separated themselves.
"Crazy bastard," Draco spat at Ron as he turned and began to swim towards jetty six.
Assuming the others would help Ron, Hermione rushed towards the jetty to help Draco. However, as he hauled himself onto the jetty, his pale blue shirt soaked through and sticking to his toned torso, she was momentarily distracted by how sexy he looked. Emerging from the lake, dripping wet, clothes clinging to his body, Draco had never looked more appealing to her and if things weren't kicking off, and they had been in private, Hermione might have jumped him there and then. But it would certainly be an image she kept safe for future reflection.
"Are you okay?" she checked.
"Never better," he muttered, marching over to their picnic table and digging in Hermione's bag for his wand so he could dry himself off.
"Did you hear what he said right before you went into the water?" Hermione asked as her husband used magic to dry his clothes and return himself to some semblance of normality.
"I'm not sure I can remember all the insults, they were coming thick and fast," Draco replied.
"He called you a sister snogger," Hermione informed her husband.
"Sister?" Draco queried with a frown. "I don't have a sister."
"Exactly," Hermione said. "And Ron knows that. So what is he going on about?"
"Good luck getting him to make any sense," Draco snorted. "I think he's finally lost the plot."
Agreeing that Ron was seeming a little bit unstable, Hermione glanced over to where Ron was also being dried off using magic. Tentatively she approached the people she'd once called friends and checked that Ron was okay following his unexpected dip in the lake.
"As if you care," Ron sneered. "Why don't you run back to your brother and warm him up."
"Brother?" Turning her head back towards Draco, Hermione frowned, trying to understand what was happening.
"We know, Hermione," Harry said gently.
"Know what?" Hermione asked in exasperation.
"That you're a sodding Malfoy," Ron exploded.
"And?" Hermione asked, still puzzled. "What does that have to do with my brother?"
"Because we've just discovered the pair of you snogging," Lavender remarked with disgust.
"Draco?" Hermione gasped, not sure what was going on, but knowing that there had been a serious case of cross wires somewhere along the line. "You think Draco is my brother?"
"We know he is," Ron spat. "And don't try and deny it, we know everything."
"Clearly you do not," Hermione returned snappishly. "Draco is not my brother, he is my husband."
"No, he's not," Ron argued. "Tell her, Harry."
"Emm, no offence Ron, but if Hermione says he's her husband, I think we've gone wrong somewhere along the line," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"We have not gone wrong," Ron cried. "We both heard them with our own ears. Lucius clearly called her his daughter."
"Ah Lucius," Hermione muttered, starting to understand where the confusion had stemmed from.
"We were sitting on the patio at lunchtime, and we heard your lunch conversation," Harry admitted. "And Ron's right, we did hear Lucius introduce you as his daughter."
"He did," Hermione confirmed. "He just never uses the in-law bit. To him and Narcissa, I am their daughter. But I am their daughter by marriage, not blood."
"No, no, this doesn't make sense," Ron said, shaking his head. "You being a Malfoy explains everything. It's why you pulled away from us in school and it's why you ran off and never returned. And wait a minute, earlier on you never denied having a brother."
"I do have a brother," Hermione admitted.
"See, we were right all along," Ron interrupted, not waiting for Hermione to finish. "And quite frankly, you've lied to us for too long, Hermione. We're no longer interested in your sick lies and tall stories. Piss off back to your brother over there and continue whatever incestuous activities you've got planned for the afternoon. Because we do not want to know." Turning on his heel, he stalked over to the picnic table and picked up his jacket. "Come on, let's go," he said to the others.
"No," Harry said. "I want to see what Hermione has to say."
"Suit yourself," Ron snorted as he stormed off, not waiting to see if anyone followed him.
Lavender had been the only one to move when Ron had stormed over to his jacket, and she was clearly hesitant as to what to do. After looking between her departing husband and everyone else, she hastily chased after Ron, but she kept looking backwards, clearly disappointed to be leaving such drama behind. However, what she didn't realise was that the drama had left with Ron, and the rest of the afternoon would be an entirely civil affair as Hermione finally got to tell her story.