Chapter 17
July 6th, 1994
They were almost at the Manor, and Hermione had spent the majority of the way there wondering the same thing: "You do realise, that it would be both easier and faster to just floo there. Right?"
Richard Granger chuckled lightly beside her, "I'm perfectly aware, but thank you for the apt consideration."
"Then why drive me all this way, daddy?"
"Because, 1) I hate using the floo, 2) it gives me a reason to meet whoever you're spending time with, and 3), it means spending time with you - which I don't hate."
Hermione laughed out loud as the manor came into view, "That's fortunate. It would really suck being forced to be around your children, while hating it at the same time."
"Yeah, I bet it would." He answered with a chuckle as he parked the car. At the end of the driveway, Theo, Draco and his father were waiting for her, though Draco was already moving so as to open her door.
He did it softly as her dad left the car to extract her bag from the backseat. Hermione turned at the opening and carefully took Draco's hand so as to (unnecessarily) steady herself as she stepped out.
Who was she kidding? She could damn well extract herself from her own car - but when a sweet boy was so inclined to hold out his hand for her to take, who was she to decline?
"Hermione - it's good to see you." He had yet to let go of her hand, and she had yet to want to let go of his.
His smile was almost blinding her. More than anything, she wanted to hug him... Could she? It seemed almost ludicrous. The feel of his hand alone, was sending small bursts of what felt like electricity through her entire body, and she struggled to not shiver from them.
"You too." She smiled and let go of his hand as her father turned towards her, giving her, her bag.
Her fingers tingle slightly, and she clenched her hand as she reached out and hugged her father farewell. "I'll see you soon sweetheart. We're only a call away if you need us."
"Bye daddy, see you soon!" She said brightly and hugged him tighter for a moment before stepping back and waving her goodbye.
When her father had turned the car around and went what she thought was an appropriate way down the driveway, she turned around to greet the remaining two people in their company. Only, she hadn't anticipated that Theo had moved. He was standing a good metre and a half away from her, one arm raised in invitation. "Come on, Sweetpea, you know you want it."
She grinned at him, and only just stopped herself from throwing herself into the hug. "You're an idiot." She chuckled, before letting go and walking towards Draco's father.
"Hello Mr. Malfoy, thanks for having me again."
Mr. Malfoy raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her, "Please don't call me that - it makes me feel like I'm at least sixty." He grimaced, though she could see the humour in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy." She snickered.
"Shush, girl - otherwise I'll have to defer to you as the boys' bad influence." He eyed Draco and Theo who were already halfway up the stairs, "Let's get out of this blazing heat before we melt."
…
"Ohhh, I've missed this bed." She gushed as she threw herself backwards onto the bed in her room. She still found it strange that she had her own bloody room in a house she only visited during the summers, but she certainly wasn't complaining.
"Being filthy rich has its advantages - apparently good beds are one of them." Theo laughed from the couch. "My bed back home sure as hell isn't worth it."
Hermione sat up on the bed and eyed him incredulously, "Aren't the Nott vault almost the same size as the Malfoys?"
Draco chose that moment to enter the conversation after having been mostly passive since she arrived half an hour previously; "They are. But his father is too much of a prick to know when a new mattress is proper, while throwing money at stupid investments and cheap hookers is improper." a plate of sandwiches and some drinks had been put on the table by the boys, and Draco was slowly nibbling on one of the sandwiches.
"He's a right asshole." Theo added from where he was sprawling more and more on the couch. She found herself wondering when he would fall off, and if he would even do anything about it if he did.
"Psychopath, asshole… Raging lunatic and a fucking madman - wasn't it?" She echoed their earlier conversation while inspecting her painted fingernails in mock indifference.
She just hadn't anticipated Draco choking on his damn sandwich in response.
He was coughing loudly and Theo laughed so hard he literally fell off the couch, landing in a heap on the floor. With an obvious, loud sigh, she stood from the bed and went to Draco whom she clapped hard between the shoulderblades a couple of times. When his coughing eased, she grabbed a sandwich and sat down in a chair opposite them.
When Theo finally decided to come up for air, she glowered at him. "You never told him - did you?"
"Tell me what?"
Theo chuckled as he sat up again and heaved a relaxed sigh before answering her, "And miss that reaction? Never!" He turned towards Draco and whispered, "That girl has a foul vocabulary, I'm telling you!"
She snorted at the audacity.
"Oh, you are, are you?" Draco answered, looking at Theo like he had just told him that they could afford to go buy another sundae.
"Aaaaanyway - I'm getting changed. Meet you in the pool!" He called back as he took a sandwich and left the room.
"Idiot." Draco muttered as he scowled at the door.
"Much." She agreed.
They sat in silence for some time while they ate their lunch. Now knowing how she felt about it, the silence felt… Pressing. Like there was all this anxiety and unasked questions in the air. He said nothing. He did nothing. Yet, she hadn't either. Could he feel it like she could?
Could he taste in the air with each bite of his food?
did he even feel the same as she did?
Probably not - she guesses. Why should he? It wasn't like they had done or said anything that could initiate anything.
It was all because of those damned, stupid dreams about those stupid… She looked at him as she took a bite and found his eyes already on her. Eyes... Those gorgeous, grey eyes.
Her mind was instantly thrown right back into the dream she had a couple of months ago. She couldn't remember everything in detail anymore, but she knew what it felt like. What it smelled like. How it felt to be engulfed in his warm arms.
It feels like home. Her mind echoed.
How could she ever not fall for them?
"So, I'm going to change." He said as a matter of ending the conversation they hadn't had. How had it become so awkward?
She felt awkward as she answered him that she would meet them down there.
When the door clicked shut behind him, she tilted her head backwards over the back of the chair and groaned. This was going to be a long week if it continued that way.
…
July 8th, 1994
Fortunately, the atmosphere warmed up considerably over the next following days. The three of them spent all of their time together, and when Theo was summoned home, it was just the two of them. Right now was one of those moments.
Hermione was sitting in a chair in the comfortable shadow of the manor, protecting her from the summer heat. She had a book, a glass of water and some biscuits. In other words, she was perfectly content staying exactly where she was.
Draco seemed to be as well, as he flew back and forth, turning up-side-down, doing hard dives and low saves - all accomplished with a Quaffle and a charmed Bludger.
As of right now, she had long since acknowledged that she wouldn't be reading right now. She was all but transfixed as she watched him in rapt attention. Sure, she couldn't help but look away when he did the hard dives, but other than those moments he held her firm attention.
She knew that it would sound like a damn cliché, but watching him do what he loved? It was like magic. And she was loving every second.
Is this what it will feel like when Viktor plays? She thought to herself. Considering that they had made it to the World Cup so early in the season, and that he had even made it to the national team in the first place, was definitely a feat. Also, both Viktor and Draco played seekers, though she could see that the blond would also be fairly sufficient as a chaser. But she also knew that even though they played the same position, they were two different types of people with two very different ways of playing.
Maybe it would be fun watching him play? Of course, they had to make it to the finals in the first place. She didn't know if you believed in them doing it, but if the team were as good as the tabloids (and her friends) said, then maybe they had a fair shot?
Draco took that moment to stop and wave excitedly at her. Knowing she had been caught gawking, she waved back. No use in hiding it now.
The smile he gave her, was enough to make her stomach to somersaults.
…
July 9th
Hermione sat in one of the armchairs in her room and stared at the blank bookcase. How was it that she had a bookcase, but didn't have any books to put in it?
Preposterous.
She had loads of books back home - too many to fill her bookcase. Many were in fact left in her trunk to bring back to Hogwarts, even though there would be no room for them there either. They simply ended up living their best life in her school trunk.
Maybe she could bring some of them here?
But then how would she get them when she needed them?
Why would she even have to move some of her books here in the first place, when she knew that the Malfoy library had plenty of books?
What if Narcissa and Lucius became upset with her? She would practically be moving in! No, that wouldn't do. She would simply find something else to fill the bookcase with. She glowered at the empty space, huffed irritably, and left the room.
She would find a solution.
…
A couple of hours later she sat in the aforementioned library. She had a large tome on top of her crossed legs, but she wasn't reading in it.
"Nene?" Her head whipped to the sound in a frown. "Don't look at me like that, I've been calling your name for the last 5 minutes without you responding - I had to do something short of throwing a book at you."
Her frown deepened as she looked at Draco in confusion. No one had been calling her name beyond her family. At least, not that she had heard. "Why are you calling me that?"
"I had to get your attention, and it normally works pretty good for William. Do you… mind? Me calling you that?" He was looking at her oddly, and she had a hard time reading his face. why did he look so scared all of a sudden - it was like a deer caught in the headlights.
She bit her lip and frowned as she thought about it - her head pulling slightly to the side involuntarily. "I don't think I do. It's just strange hearing it from anyone but Wills. Sure, you can use it!" She smiled at him, and watched as the worry disappeared from his face.
"Thanks! So, are you going to tell me why you've been staring at a hole in the library for the last hour?"
She hadn't realised it had been that bad, or that long. Slowly, she told him about the issue with her empty bookcase and some of the thoughts that had followed.
"I can't see why not. It's your room - you can do what you like with it."
"But it's not really my room. I've only ever used it a couple of times, and-"
"What do you mean 'it's not your room'? Of course, it's your room! You can do with it as you like, you can come and go as you like. You may not have spent much time here, but I'm pretty sure my mum already considers you a part of the family. That room is yours. You might as well move in while you're at it. I'd get to see you every day!" She wondered if he realized that he was ranting, but the butterflies were flapping their wings so violently inside her stomach that she feared they would escape if you opened her mouth to answer him.
She was a part of their family.
'I'd get to see you every day!' echoed through her mind a thousand times, before she finally found her inner Gryffindor and stood from her chair with the book tightly gripped before her.
Could it be? Was he feeling the same as her?
She didn't know what she was going to do, but as of right now, she was doing it.
It was as if all the world disappeared as she softly padded on bare feet towards him, while his grey eyes followed every move she made. Every shallow breath she took.
She sat down on the couch beside him, face turned towards her with his eyes opened wide and pupils dilated until nearly all the grey was gone - it was all black.
His right arm hadn't moved from where it was resting on the back of the couch.
Carefully, she leaned in.
She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't grown so much in the time that they hadn't spoken. But nevertheless, she carefully leaned into him and instantly found a soft spot between his shoulder and collarbone. It was like it was made for her. This was home. She put the book in her lap and snaked her arm around him until it rested between his waist and the couch. "Thank you." She whispered.
A heartbeat.
Two heartbeats.
Three heartbeats.
Four-
His arm slowly moved from the back of the couch, and rested against her shoulder where he seemed to pull her closer to him.
His head fell to rest on top of hers.
She heard him inhale, and suddenly she feared that the stiff posture, the watching her so carefully, the dilated and wide eyes - that they were all because he didn't want her to come closer, but didn't know how to tell her no. Damnit, she had been too brave. She shouldn't have. She would ruin it all?
She was just about to move out of their sideways embrace, when he muttered a breathy, "Anytime, Nene."
Letting a breath go, that you didn't know you had been holding, was apparently among the best things in the world - following very closely behind being in Draco's arms…
…
July 11th, 1994
"No, I'm serious! I saw a niffler, and you two are coming along to find the treasure!" Theo whined loudly, "Come ooon!"
Hermione raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her friend. She knew all about the 'follow the niffler and find the treasure'-thing, she wasn't that daft. But really?
Anyway, who was she to say no to an adventure?
She shrugged and stood from the blanket she had been occupying on the grass, "Sure, let's go."
The two boys in attendance both looked at her oddly. The sand-blond one like she had just told him she would help him sneak snacks from the house elves at Hogwarts, every day for the rest of their schooling. The platinum-blond on the other hand, looked at her like she had just spewed acid while growing an extra arm while falling for the older trick in the books of mischief.
"What? I'm never backing out of an adventure." She shrugged matter of factly and started walking in the direction of the forest, of which Theo had been pointing menacingly.
The others followed with very different degrees of enthusiasm, varying from dragging feet to a spring in Theo's step.
…
They had not been able to find the niffler, and Theo had spent most of the first hour dragging her and Draco around the most unwalkable paths of the forest. They had been crawling over tree-trunks, (almost) dragging themselves through dried out puddles and along places that used to be a shallow lake. That was before the drought that was the current state of England.
Luckily the trees had sheltered them from the sun and heat, meaning that they hadn't realised when the clouds had started rolling in.
Just as Draco managed to persuade Theo to turn back, small drips started falling.
"Eeew, why are the trees dripping resin? That's gross." Draco moaned as he tried to remove it by dragging his hand against his shorts.
Hermione didn't answer him at first, she just stopped and looked up - her hand fanning out to catch any of the drips. Several hit her hand.
"That's not-" She stopped herself as she realised, "It's raining!" She looked first to Theo and then Draco at the realisation, hoping that anyone of them would share her happiness at FINALLY seeing or feeling rain again after a long, dry couple of weeks.
She watched Draco as he tipped his head upwards, eyes closed and a serene look on his face. It was like the rain drops slowly washed away everything bad that could have ever hurt him. The rain slowly started picking up, and she watched as his hair began to slick against his forehead and neck. His shirt clung to his upper body.
"Mate, quit drinking the rain! Let's get home before it picks up!" Theo pushed him in the direction of the house as the three friends started picking up speed to get home quickly.
Luckily, they didn't have to go the exact route home as they had taken in their hunt for the niffler and its treasure.
The rain escalated into a torrential downpour, making large puddles everywhere. There was no way to sidestep any of them, and soon they were drenched in both mud and rain.
They quickly arrived at the edge of the forest and continued as fast as they could, across the grassfields, through the gardens, and further through the open doors and into the house.
Draco, Theo and Hermione stood just inside the doors, gasping for breaths, sopping wet and dripping onto the floor. She meant to step out of the puddle she had made, but instead slipped in it - sending her directly to the floor where she landed on her bottom.
The boys took one look at her, and burst into deep belly laughs. Soon enough, she was following them right along.
"GRANGER?!"