Hermione slowly sat up and leaned against the bed frame, adjusting her eyes to the morning rays that poured through the balcony. It felt like another beautiful day and she didn’t feel like wasting her time on her bed “ lazying around. At this thought, she sidled towards the edge of the bed and slipped her feet into a pair of fluffy, warm bedroom slippers that she always kept beside her bed.
Suddenly, she paused. Looking down at her left wrist, she saw the beautiful beaded jewellery that Draco had given her - the bracelet that he had personally bought for her. Hermione smoothly took the bracelet off and brought it up to her face, affectionately touching and staring at the animal-like figures which were embedded onto the beads. Hermione truly felt touched. The thought that Draco had given it to her made the bracelet seem all the more special, and just looking at it made her heart flutter. Oh, it was so pretty!
Hermione fondly slid the bracelet back on, got off her bed and shuffled to the bathroom, a small smile resting on her lips all the while.
Knock. Knock.
Draco slowly laid the newspaper he was reading on his lap, and peered into his bedroom, not really sure whether he had heard someone knock on the door. Sitting outside on the hammock and reading the Daily Prophet was a habit he had started since coming on the cruise. He loved the salty air and the sound of the waves as they crashed against the ship “ it made the reading somewhat peaceful… in a weird sort of way.
Knock. Knock.
This time Draco was sure he had heard it. Sighing, he folded up the paper and grudgingly got off the hammock. He went back inside his room, walked over to the door and opened it.
There stood Hermione, smiling brightly unlike the last time, when she had looked as if she would faint from anxiety. Her cheerful expression, however, turned into pure embarrassment as she continued to look upon him. Draco looked at her in confusion, wondering what on earth was making her feel so uncomfortable. He became even more baffled as he saw a blush creep onto her cheeks.
Hermione averted her eyes from Draco’s naked chest and inwardly cursed herself as she felt her cheeks grow hot. Oh, what was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if he were completely naked! He was standing there, a puzzled look on his face, with merely a pair of knee-length shorts on. She had seen him like this back in the pool, so what was so embarrassing about it now?
“Well, are you going to stand there all day, or tell me why you’re here?” Draco said, his calm tone snapping to Hermione’s senses.
Well, if he isn’t self-conscious about baring his chest, then why should I feel embarrassed?! Hermione scolded herself. After all, she had seen many boys running around like this. At the pool, at the beach… so many places! Oh, but the situation was totally different this time. This time it wasn’t at the pool or the beach. This time it was “
“Oh well, when you’re ready to talk, let me know,” Draco said exasperatedly. He rolled his eyes and closed the door, chuckling to himself as he caught a glimpse of Hermione’s expression of indignation and surprise; her mouth open and ready to protest.
Hermione’s eyes grew wide as he closed the door on her. She stared at the wooden thing momentarily before she pounded on it; ignoring the stares that the people were giving her as they passed by. The nerve of him! How dare he just close the door on her!
“Draco Malfoy,” she said, practically yelling, “you open this door this instant!” She furiously knocked on the door and said, “I’m telling you! Open this door right now before I -”
Hermione gasped in surprise as the door suddenly swung open. She looked at Draco, once again out of words, as he grabbed hold of one of her wrists and pulled her inside his room.
“Merlin, woman,” Draco said, closing the door behind her, “do you want to wake up the entire ship?”
Hermione wriggled her wrist free and angrily looked up at him; her face flushed and her hair almost standing on end. She drew herself up and burst out, “Who do you think you are!? How dare you close the door on me! Okay fine, maybe you got a little annoyed because I wasn’t talking - which I have a very good reason for by the way - but it doesn’t mean you close the door on my face. Do you know how rude that is? Don’t you know how to treat a lady?”
Draco had known what was coming. He knew it the minute she saw her expression and the way she drew herself up, trying to make herself seem ominous. So, when she had finished her rant, he smiled aloofly and said, “Are you done?”
Irritated by his calm demeanor, Hermione snapped, “No, I am not done you no-good, impertinent, insolent, annoying -”
Draco threw his head back and laughed. “Yes, we all know what I am,” he said through bouts of laughter. He shook his head, a small grin plastered across his face, and stepped a little closer towards her, suddenly becoming a little more solemn. “But you forgot to mention smart, charming, witty, and of course handsome…”
“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” Hermione retorted, though smiling a little.
“Flatter? Who’s talking about flattery?” Draco asked innocently, putting on a good show of not understanding what she was talking about. “I was telling you the facts. I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out yourself Miss I-know-it-all,” Draco joked.
“Oh please... I’m sure no one can look past your arrogance and through that big head of yours.”
“Oh that hurt,” Draco said in an injured voice, “But you’re wrong.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really,” Draco said seriously, making Hermione stifle a laugh.
“And how so?”
Draco cocked his head to one side and sighed, “How to put this lightly?”
He was putting on such an act that Hermione couldn’t help but smile. She was getting more and more attached to him that it almost frightened her. What was happening? No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t help admit the fact that she was attracted to him. Something about him made her feel scared and excited at the same time. She would feel her stomach do flip-flops whenever he came near her, and her heart would madly beat against her chest if he so much as touched her briefly, but what did all of this mean!? She couldn’t possibly… like him, could she?
“Jessie is a living proof of how wrong you are!” Draco said confidently. He towered over her and smirked. “She practically worships me, that girl. The first thing she noticed was my bloody good looks and she literally fell for my charm.” He folded his arms across his smooth chest and shook his head. “Imagine that. Great Hermione Granger proved wrong by her dear old worst enemy.” Draco nearly laughed out loud.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “Save the dramatics, Draco. Jessie is a girl who would go for any guy, including an egoistic jerk who thinks he’s ‘king of the world’,” she said haughtily, pushing Draco aside so that she wasn’t trapped between him and the door. However, her fingers instantly recoiled the moment they touched him. The fact that she had actually touched his smooth bare chest made her cheeks feel as if they were on fire. How it had felt! Smooth, warm, hard… Oh, this was wrong! She shouldn’t be thinking of such things.
“And for god’s sake, Draco,” she added, not trusting herself to look at him, “put on a shirt before you…um…before you -”
“Before I poke your eye out?” Draco asked, smirking as she flopped herself onto a couch. He had seen her fingers shrink back the moment they had come in contact with his skin. He had also noticed the way her cheeks became red when it had happened. Draco himself felt a shiver run through his spine at the touch. If their slight contact resulted as such, then what would happen if they made full contact? What if they kissed?
“Not my eye!” Hermione said defensively, sighing in relief as she watched him shrug on a white shirt.
“Alright, alright,” Draco laughed, buttoning up his shirt. “Happy now?”
“Very,” she smiled, nodding in approval.
“Well, as long as you’re happy,” Draco said somewhat sarcastically. He sat himself on a chair opposite to Hermione and looked at her questioningly. “So tell me,” he said, casually ruffling his hair, “why do I have the honor of your company so early during the day?”
“Oh well, I thought we’d go for breakfast… together,” she added, anxiously biting on her lower lip. When she saw his eyebrow shoot up, she blushed in embarrassment and quickly said, “I mean as friends! I mean… we are friends now, aren’t we?”
Draco smiled inwardly. Never in his life had he thought that he would become friends with Hermione Granger. If someone had told him this a few years ago, he would have personally taken him or her to St. Mungo’s for a mental check up. But here he was, sitting in the same room as her and considering her question. They had gone through so much together already that it was impossible to ignore what had happened. He had saved her, protected her, carried her to her room, made her lie on his chest so that she would feel more comfortable and even bought her a bracelet! She, in return, had rescued him from Jessie, helped him out on occasions, kissed (though not intentionally) and even hugged him!
Draco looked at her and gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah… we are friends.”
Hermione sighed in relief. She was momentarily scared that he would say no after all they had been through; it would have been disappointing if he didn’t really care for her. Hermione beamed at him and stood up abruptly. “Well then, let’s go! I’m starving.”
Draco laughed, “You’re always hungry.”
Hermione went over to him and playfully smacked his arm. “Not funny,” Hermione said, though smiling a little. “Come on! Let’s go.”
He shook his head and said, “I don’t want to. I want to sit here and have breakfast. I’m fed up of having it at the Breakfast Lounge.”
“Oh, but there are so many other restaurants where we can have breakfast! We can go to some new place.”
“No thanks. I’d much prefer ordering in,” he said calmly. “It’s a nice change once in a while.”
Hermione’s shoulders fell in disappointment. “Oh,” she muttered. She looked at him, trying her best not to seem unhappy, and said, “It’s okay. I understand. Not a problem.” She smiled and made a move towards the door when she felt his hand gently take hold of hers. She turned and looked at him curiously.
“Now, where do you think you’re going,” he smirked, a playful gleam in his eye. “I didn’t say you can’t join me and anyway, you promised to teach me how to use the telephone.”
“So, all I have to do is press on the numbers, wait for someone to speak, and order my food?” Draco asked, looking at the Muggle contraption with interest.
“Yeah… pretty easy, right?” Hermione said amusingly, watching silently as he inspected the telephone from every angle. She sighed and shook her head in disbelief.
“What?” he said, placing the gadget on his lap.
“You’re really unpredictable, you know that?”
“Why, thank you. I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“No, really,” Hermione emphasized, “you are! I mean you were the last person I thought I’d teach to use a telephone.” She laughed, “Imagine if I tell Harry and Ron? Oh, they won’t believe me.”
“Too right, so no point in wasting your breath in telling them in the first place,” Draco warned. “You tell Potter and Weasley, and I’ll tell them how you threw yourself at me at the bird park.”
Hermione blushed and replied indignantly, “I did not throw myself at you! And anyway, you didn’t seem to mind. You hugged me back, remember?”
“Getting off topic, here,” Draco said quickly, trying to change the subject. “Now tell me if I’m doing this right.” Hermione, who had started to get uncomfortable about the topic herself, gladly dropped the subject and made sure he wasn’t doing anything stupid.
Violet pushed a wet strand of hair away from her forehead and smiled at herself in the mirror. Making sure that the towel was safely wrapped around her, she stepped out of the bathroom and went over to her clothes which were neatly laid out onto her bed. Yesterday had been an exhilarating experience for her. Going on a cruise with friends and spending an entire holiday with them just felt good. She was glad she had made an effort to come. Her friends had been somewhat reluctant at first, but she could tell that Roger, Alex and Jake were having the time of their lives.
“Violet,” came Roger’s sing-song voice, “you in there?”
Violet quickly pulled the t-shirt over head and zipped up her shorts. “I’m coming!” Tying her hair up in a messy bun, she went over to the door and opened it for her friend to come in.
“Hey, Vy,” Roger said cheerfully, calling her by her nickname. “Had a good sleep?” Him and Alex walked into her room and shut the door behind them, following behind Violet.
“Yup… I slept like a horse,” she laughed, plunking herself onto one of the couches. “Where’s Jake?”
“Oh, he’s still fast asleep,” Roger said, looking quite amused.
“That’s right,” Alex added, “You should have heard him snore. Unbelievable.”
“And mind you, we were outside his room when we heard him,” Roger laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
Violet grinned, knowing very well how Jake’s nighttime sounds could be. Roger, Jake and Alex were her everything; she couldn’t have asked for a better set of friends than them. She considered them as part of her family, and they thought of her as their little sister. Their relationship was strong; they had been inseparable ever since they were eleven years old. She looked at the two boys before her; her heart swelling with love for the both of them. If it weren’t the three boys, her school life would have been boring “ her present life would feel as if something were missing.
“Where’s the newspaper?” Alex asked, scanning the room to see if Violet had thrown it somewhere.
“Hasn’t come yet, but it’ll be here soon “ oh speak of the devil! Here it comes now.”
Violet jumped up from the couch, grabbed a small brown coin which was lying on her dressing table, and hurried over to the balcony, sliding the doors open. The fresh salty air caressed her face and the cool wind blew threw her hair, invigorating her senses. Smiling, she watched patiently as a small, tawny brown owl flew towards her, a folded newspaper in its clutches. The owl’s wings were spread wide, effortlessly riding with the wind. The small creature glided across the blue surface of the ocean and smoothly landed on top of Violet’s hammock, hooting softly; beadily looking at Violet as if it didn’t trust her. Slowly, it uncurled its claws, so that Violet could take the folded paper, and extended its leg; silently telling her, ‘It’s pay up time!’
Chuckling, Violet picked up the newspaper, held the small coin in front of the owl and said, “Here’s your Knut. And don’t look at me like that! It’s not like I wasn't going to pay you!” The owl hooted appreciatively and took the coin in between its yellow beak. With a great flap of its wings, it flew up and into the air, soaring into the morning sky.
Violet went back into her room and tossed the paper at Roger, who swiftly caught it with one hand. “I was looking at that owl fly and realized just how much I miss Quidditch,” Violet sighed longingly. “Just imagine flying over the ocean…oh, what fun!”
“Don’t go getting all these wild ideas, Vy,” Alex said, smiling at her.
“So what’s wrong with a little imagination? It’s not like I brought my broom along with me.” Violet looked over at Roger and asked, “Anything interesting in the newspaper?”
“Nope. Nothing at all,” Roger replied, flipping the pages. “Everything seems back to normal since Harry Potter and his two friends defeated You-Know-Who.”
“Thank Merlin for that boy,” Violet said solemnly. “Imagine what he’s gone through.”
“And his friends,” Alex piped in, “they helped him all the way.”
“What were their names again?” Violet asked.
“Don’t remember… the article came out months ago,” Roger replied, scratching his head thoughtfully. “I think their last name were Graner and Wealey.”
“He must be very lucky to have friends like them,” Violet said somewhat enviously. “Merlin, bless all three of them.”
Once Draco and Hermione had finished their breakfast while watching television, they decided to go out and meet up with their friends. Although he didn’t show it, Draco was thoroughly impressed with the Muggle device which Hermione called ‘television.’ It was something much more interesting than the telephone and he had enjoyed pressing random buttons much to Hermione’s annoyance.
“Just stick to one channel, Draco!” Hermione had said in disbelief, trying to take the remote control away from him. “You’re supposed to watch one channel! Not just flip through them!”
“That’s no fun,” Draco replied coolly. “I want to watch them all at once.”
“You can’t watch them all at once. You choose what you want to see and stick to it!” But Draco had ignored her and pretended that he couldn’t hear a word she was saying. He had continued to press the buttons just to irritate her; secretly enjoying how she got all worked-up.
Hermione and Draco walked along the corridor, heading towards Violet’s room. They had checked Jake’s room, but he was sleeping, and Alex and Roger didn’t seem to be in their rooms, so they had decided to check up on Violet; Hermione silently hoping that Jessie wasn’t there with her.
“We’ve got only few days left on the cruise,” Draco said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had somehow formed.
“Three days to be exact,” Hermione reminded him. She gave him a sideways glance, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “So, what’s going to happen afterwards?”
“What do you mean?” He cocked up an eyebrow and turned his head to look at her.
“I mean what are we going to do?”
“We?”
“Are we going to go back the way we were? When we go back… are we going to pretend that nothing has happened between us?”
Draco furrowed his eyebrows together. He hadn’t really thought about it. Could he “ or more specifically, would he “ ignore what had happened? Their relationship was new and for some reason, frightening. He didn’t know why, but he was afraid of what might happen if he kept her in his life any longer.
“I haven’t really thought -”
But a clear voice cut him off mid-way. Somewhere around the corner, a boy was laughing and saying, “No way! Jessie would never do that! You come up with some really crazy theories sometimes, Violet.”
“Alex! I’m not joking! I’ve got feeling she used the Amorodor on Draco. That’s why she was so upset when she lost her perfume “ it was the love perfume!” Violet, Roger and Alex turned around the corner and nearly bumped into Draco and Hermione, who were standing rooted to the spot, gazing at them; completely dumbstruck.
Draco and Hermione’s jaws fell open in shock as they overheard their conversation. They knew about the love perfume - they knew what it was called! They’re knowledge about Amorodor could only mean one thing: Violet and the boys weren’t muggles at all.
A/N:
Hey you guys!! I am SO sorry this chapter took such a long time to get up! It was in queue, but it just disappeared! I was so upset! And if it were rejected, I didn't get a rejection letter! *sighs* Anyway...I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It would be great if you would leave a review on your way out! *smiles*