Sorry it's taken me so long to update guys! All this holiday stuff messed up my schedule. I don't know when my next update will be because I'm going out of town for the weekend (leaving Thursday) and I won't be back until Sunday night or Monday afternoon. My cousin is getting married and my aunt has volunteered me to sing at the reception…I'm sooo nervous! But anyway, I probably won't update again until next week because I'll be busy all weekend. And most likely I won't have any access to a computer! But that gives me plenty of time to write, which I'll be doing on the plane. So I'll talk to you all then! And thanks sooo much for reviewing! It helps a ton. I know I make some mistakes when I type these up, but I try to get everything. So I'm working on that. Thanks guys! You are the best!
The next hour of swimming in the natural pool went by rather quickly. Harry and Hermione seemed to feel reasonably awkward toward one another after the events of the last little while. Their mannerisms seemed cool and relaxed, but deep down there was that tension that had been building up for so long. It was around two in the afternoon now, and time to change activities.
Ron turned to Josie as they walked stiffly out of the water and into the soothing warmer air. "Josie, do you know the Malfoys?" he asked curiously.
Josie slowed a bit and reached for her towel. Squinting her eyes skeptically, she answered, "I've heard of them." Her answer was rather nonchalant and relaxed. Almost as if she too didn't have a high opinion of them. "Why do you ask, Ron?"
"It's just that-well, it's hard to explain. You'll probably think I'm a real nutter now."
"Just tell me," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.
Ron stared at her for a few moments. "You just remind me of a Malfoy I went to school with. His name's Draco and he happens to be on this trip with us. But besides that, you've got the hair and the eyes of a Malfoy."
"Is it just that I look like a Malfoy? Do I have any of the other mannerisms?" Josie was running her towel along her skin, drying herself off. She moved it to her hair before Ron thought of answering.
"N-no. Not really. The Malfoy I know is really cold-hearted and picked on us all the time. His whole family is frightening alike in that aspect. But I haven't seen any of that from you."
Josie listened closely and walked off, keeping her ears open. "Yes," she said coolly. She and Ron sat on a bench to put their shoes back on.
"So Ron, you think I'm a Malfoy?"
Ron's face went scarlet in the cheeks but he shook his head frantically.
Josie flicked back her wet silvery-blonde hair and pulled her legs up onto the bench. "Well Ron, I'm not a Malfoy."
Ron mentally felt the weight lift off his shoulders. "Well then, can I ask you your name? I mean your whole name-I only know your first."
Josie stood up and stretched a bit. "It's Black. My full name is Josie Narina Black." She finished with an amiable smile, and walked off to go talk to Hermione.
Ron followed her footsteps with his soft eyes and sighed into the bench. Good news was she wasn't a Malfoy.
"So Hermione, tell me. What's up with you and Harry?" Josie asked. Harry's head snapped up as he dried his shorts using a drying spell. Because of this, Josie pulled Hermione behind some trees.
Her face was read, and she was nearly at a loss for words, but she managed to say something. "I don't know exactly what's going on Josie. But I do know that this vacation is going to be rather hard for me to forget, if that's what I choose to do, that is." Hermione responded rationally.
A corner of Josie's mouth turned up as it turned to a smile. "I don't know either of you two very well, and I'm just getting to know Ron, but I could see something between you. Ever since dinner last night."
"Josie look, I've known Harry for a while, and I don't know what's going to come of this. Honestly I don't."
Josie smiled and slowly walked away to go clear Ron's conscience.
Hermione walked out from behind the trees with an embarrassed grin on her face when she looked at Harry. He stared right back at her, smiling at the look on her face.
A few minutes went by and they walked down the path to find something else to do; Ron and Josie right in front of them, chattering about everything under the hot Hawaii sun.
Harry eyed the bushes next to them as they walked by, then looked at Hermione. She had dried her hair and put her sun dress back on the way it used to be. He reached out and gripped her arm, pulling her to a stop with him.
"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione asked with a very surprised tone. A smile broke out on her face when she saw Harry pull a flower from one of the bushes next to them.
He blew on it lightly to make sure there was no dirt on it. His hand left her arm and he used both his hands to fasten the flower behind her ear. She looked up at him as he did his thing, seeing the great amount of concentration and sincerity in his actions. Before he was done, he glanced at her and smiled gently.
His hands came down and Hermione smiled, wondering what she looked like with the bright red and yellow flower accentuating her curled brown hair.
"Thanks, Harry," she said so softly she was almost speechless. Harry smiled a mellow smile and turned her around to walk with him with a gentle trailing of fingers across her bare back. His arm slinked around her shoulder and they began walking again to catch up with Ron and Josie.
Hermione was in a daze with everything that had happened so far this day. Amazingly, she realized they were only on day two. Twelve more to go if things went as planned. Automatically, she wrapped her arms around Harry's waist and rested her head on his chest as they walked, a smile breaking out on her lips at the look on Ron's face.
The buses finally came back into view as Ron, Josie, Hermione and Harry walked down the long tiresome path they had treaded down earlier.
Ron looked at Josie and noticed she seemed a little withdrawn. "Jos, are you cold at all?" he asked when he touched her shoulder.
She glanced up at him and stared for a moment. "Not really. Why would you think that?"
"Your skin feels really cold and-sticky. You're not coming down with something are you?"
"No Ron. I'm fine. It's probably just that we went swimming in the cold water." She said in a bored tone.
"But-you used a drying spell!"
Josie rolled her eyes at him and smiled before walking off to follow Harry and Hermione into the bus. All four of them sat down and looked around at various people on the bus. One particular person sitting at the other end immediately locked eyes with Harry and it was now a duel of the senses.
Draco Malfoy sat sideways in his window seat with a girl leaning back into his chest. Her hair was blonde, but not quite as light as Draco's. He wasn't very pleased to see the ever famous trio taking up his breathing space.
Josie glanced at Draco and tapped Harry's knee with her foot. "Don't let him get to you, Harry." She said.
Harry's stare was shaken and he looked at her with another unwavering stare. "You sound as if you know him."
Josie shrugged, but Harry's comment got Ron's and Hermione's attention. She glared at Draco threateningly. "I've heard of him." her eyes shifted to Hermione's. "I mean, he looks the bully type."
"He was up until our seventh year. But for some reason, He and Harry couldn't seem to resolve their differences. It's all very reasonable, really. I don't expect Harry to become best friends with that prat."
Ron nodded at Hermione's comment.
Harry tried to avoid looking at the other end of the bus and gave Hermione a gently smile as he leaned forward on his knees.
When the conversation died down and the bus left its parked position, Josie shot another threatening glare at Draco. After a few moments she let go of the piercing glare she was giving him and leaned into her window, watching the trees and pathway flash by quickly as the bus bumped along.
***Flashback***
Josie stood outside in a garden during a large party, watching the stars slowly appear in the dark, endless sky. Her satiny, glamorous, yet party dress's hem swished in the light breeze passing below her knees. She sipped on her goblet of champagne, trying to drown out the voices coming from inside, with her own thoughts. As she closed her eyes, she began to succeed to shut out the noise and the bright light of the full moon, but someone interrupted her. She snapped open her eyelids to see a tall man staring down at her. She sensed he was in an off mood, and clearly that wasn't a good thing.
His medium-brown hair ruffled in the whispering of the night breeze and his eyes were pleading. "Josie, why aren't you inside with your family?" he asked.
"My family makes me bonkers, that's why. I swear I'm going to end up hitting someone," she added with a nudge of her head in the direction of a group of people on the other end of the garden.
"Oh, I see. You young kids sure have a lot on your plates as far as emotions go." the man with brown hair said.
Josie sensed a bit of impatience in his voice but ignored it. "I'm not a kid but I just want this party to be over. It's just some stupid excuse for my crazy family to get together. Why are you here anyway? Have they seen you?"
The man sighed and rubbed his eyes at the bright moonlight. "Not yet. But if they do, I'm in a lot of trouble. Look, I just wanted to check in to make sure no one was onto us." He turned away, holding his forehead as if he had a headache.
"Your secret's safe with me. Are you alright?" Josie put her glass down on the stone bench next to her.
"Just a headache. Look, I better get going." He disappeared with a soft pop.
BUMP!
Josie snapped out of her day dreaming as her forehead smacked into the bus window she was looking out of. The bus had hit a big hole in the ground, sending most of the people on it into the ceiling. Josie wasn't the only one with a headache now.
Harry was on his back in the aisle with Hermione trying to help him up.
Everyone piled off the bus a few minutes later. The driver had brought them to one of the largest and most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea.
"A volcano! Are they mad? Are they trying to kill us or something?" Ron complained.
Hermione smacked him upside the head and followed everyone up the hill. Draco Malfoy wasn't too far ahead and had his arm wrapped around his apparent blonde girlfriend.
Harry laced his fingers with Hermione hesitantly, not sure if this was a good thing or not. Judging by the gentle surprised smile on her face, everything was just fine.