14 Days and 14 Nights

Hey guys! I couldn't wait any longer to post my new story! The beginning of a whole new Harry Potter universe….Harry's Mistress style! I'm pretty pumped about this one and I've gotten about a 30 page head start on it. Hope you guys like it!

~HM

Prologue

“He'll be all right,” murmured Ginny.

As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.

“I know he will.”

Ginny grinned as she walked up and circled her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

Harry leaned down to kiss her. “I love you, too,” he murmured against her lips. “Why don't we go home and I'll…”

He nipped her bottom lip, sending a shiver down her spine. “Show you just how much.”

Ginny groaned as she gripped his hair while he attacked her neck. “Or you can show me here.”

“Okay,” he said simply and dragged her onto the ground, completely ignoring the people that walked passed them while he started tugging at her clothes.

“Yes,” Ginny cried eagerly. “Take me, Harry!”

XXXX

Hermione paused from her packing when she heard Ginny moaning in her sleep. Or rather moaning Harry's name in her sleep. "For Merlin's sake Ginny, get a life," she muttered to herself as she turned back to her packing. “That's the third night in a row where I've had to hear you moan Harry's name.”

She knew all about the dream she was having, Ginny had told her she had been having the same dream for months about how they were all grown up and married and had kids. She was married to Ron with two kids, Rose and Hugo, while Ginny…of course…was married to Harry with three kids of their own. What were there names? Oh right, of course…James, Lily and Albus.

She never could find it in her heart to tell Ginny how incredibly unrealistic the dream was. The whole shagging in the middle of King's Cross…of course that was a way out there, but besides that…Hermione would never, ever, name her son Hugo. Where on earth did she come up with that name?

And her daughter Rose had to be the spitting image of her, she thought with a roll of her eyes. Just because she had been like that and maybe a little obsessed with wanting to learn, didn't mean she'd have a daughter like that.

“She's so cute,” Ginny had gushed to her the other day. “She was exactly like you, Mione…isn't that great? And my kids were just adorable of course…James being so much like Harry…and Albus all scared about his first day like I had been. And then there's Lily…the little angel. It has to be a sign right? I mean having the dream over and over again has to mean something…it just has to!”

Hermione had just given a little shrug and a smile then quickly changed the subject so she wouldn't have to hear it anymore. She loved Ginny to pieces, but whenever she talked about Harry or being with Harry in any way…she tended to be a little on the annoying side.

She was just glad she was finally getting away.

She wasn't exactly running away from the Burrow, she just needed a little time to herself. Why was she even here anyway? It had been almost two months since Harry defeated Voldemort and at least a week since the last funeral she needed to attend. Why was she still here? Some might say because of Ron and it was partly true. She knew he was having a difficult time dealing with Fred's death, but he also had his family.

Harry had no one. No family to support him or comfort him. So she stayed longer than she planned, but now she couldn't take it anymore and started to make plans for a fleeting escape. She wouldn't totally leave without a word…she left a note by Ginny's bed to let everyone know why she left. Granted they would be mad and a little hurt that she snuck off but it couldn't be helped. She didn't want to have to deal with Ron because she knew he would do everything in his power to make her stay or try and go with her. She needed to do this alone.

Her only regret was Harry. She so badly wanted to talk to him before she left but couldn't risk it. She decided to send him an Owl as soon as she was settled in to where she was going. She hoped he wouldn't be angry with her…Harry was the one person she felt comfortable around lately. She would miss him fiercely.

With a heavy sigh, she closed her trunk and latched it before shrinking it to pocket size and slipped it into her pocket. She then took out her cat carrier under the bed and opened it. Crookshanks, who had been watching her closely while she packed, darted inside immediately. The Burrow was never really his favorite place to be, but tolerated it for her and, Hermione figured, for Harry. Crookshanks always did adore Harry.

Hermione headed towards the door, pausing to look back at Ginny, who was currently moaning, "Oh, Harry!" With a roll of her eyes she slowly opened the door and backed out of the room as quietly as possible, not knowing that someone else was backing out of the room across the hall.

Backs touched, bodies tensed and a gasp broke from Hermione as spun around with her wand at the ready. She closed her eyes in relief when she saw Harry standing on the other end. “Harry, what…”

He cut her off by putting a finger over his lips. He was fully dressed and had his traveling cloak draped around him. He studied her as well, noticing her cloak along with Crookshanks in tow. They both summed up the fact that they weren't the only ones sneaking out.

Harry nodded towards the stairs before quietly heading that way. Hermione followed, making sure she skipped the fourth step since it squeaked. Harry had done the same…he also grew up in this house and knew it liked the back of his hand.

Once in the kitchen he didn't stop, but kept going out the back to the gardens. He waited for Hermione to shut the door softly behind her…then gestured for her to keep following him. She walked slightly behind him out of the gardens, looking over her shoulder to make sure all the lights in the Burrow were still out and all was quite. They went over the hill and slipped inside the woods, following the tiny trail that led to the clearing that was the small Quidditch pitch the Weasley's have used throughout the years.

Harry kept going and didn't stop until he was in the middle of the field, before turning around to face Hermione. She looked slightly pale in the moonlight and there were slight bruises under her eyes due to lack of sleep. He was quite sure he was sporting the same look. “Going somewhere, Hermione?” he finally asked softly as he slipped his hands in his pockets.

“Yes,” she said firmly putting down Crookshanks cage. “Looks like I'm not the only one.”

“I left a note…with Ron.”

“I left one, too…with Ginny.” She shrugged. “I figured she'd pass along the message.”

“Yeah,” he said understanding. “So…where are you going?”

“Australia. I need to reverse the spell on my parents and give them back their memories.”

“I didn't know you could do that.”

“You can, but it takes longer…I can't just flick my wand and all's well. They'll start to remember stuff slowly…like a déjà vu sort of thing. I intend to stay with them until their memory is fully restored. And you?”

“What about Ron?” he asked ignoring the question.

“What about him?”

“Well…wouldn't he be upset?” he asked with a hint of irritation in his voice. “He's been awfully lovey-dovey with you lately.” Harry didn't dare add that the sight of them together started to irritate him immensely. “Ron can't seem to be away from your side longer than a second.”

He was right of course, it was one of the reasons she felt the need to escape. But she wouldn't dare admit it. “I'm sure Ronald will understand if I want to spend quality time with my parents. If he doesn't…well that's his problem. You still haven't told me where you're going.”

“It doesn't matter…just away. I'm thinking of traveling…like a Muggle so no one will recognize me.”

“And Ginny?” she asked with one brow raised.

He shifted uncomfortably. “It's not like she'll see much of me anyway…she'll be at Hogwarts most of the year.”

“She told me the other day that she didn't want to go to Hogwarts for her last year so she could be with you.”

Yes, she told him the same thing. The way she was clinging to him, gazing up at him with pure adoration in her eyes…it had terrified him the way she saw him. So perfect, she would seem to say. My boyfriend is perfect…he could do no wrong. She didn't understand how bloody wrong she was. “All the more reason for me to go. She needs to finish school.”

“So you run away? Just like that?”

His eyes narrowed. “You're the one to talk, Hermione. At least have the decency to admit you're doing your fair share of running.”

She lifted her chin. “I am not. I'm going to visit my parents.”

“Bullshit.”

She blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“You're using that as an excuse…a shield to hide the real reason you're fleeing.”

Hermione's cheeks flushed with anger. “That's ridiculous.”

“No, it's not,” he said taking a step towards her. “If it was about that, you wouldn't have snuck out. You would even ask Ron to go…he would of course drop everything to go with you…but you didn't. Instead, you write a letter and sneak out in the middle of the night. So don't bullshit me, Hermione…I know you too well.”

“Fine!” she hissed when she had enough of Harry's extremely accurate accusations. “I felt…trapped. I needed to get out…clear my head without Ron looming over my shoulder all the damn time. I needed to get away from the Weasleys…from the Burrow…so there…you happy now? I'm running away just as you are. So go! Leave!” She leaned down and grabbed the carrier “And have a nice trip.”

“Fine!” he exclaimed also furious as he threw up his hands. “I'll be sure to send you a damn postcard.”

“Ha!” she snapped back as she fought back the tears. “I'll believe it when I see it. Goodbye.”

Harry opened his mouth to stop her but with a loud crack…she was gone.

XXXXXXX

She had been in Australia for barely a week when she got a postcard. She had been lounging by the pool of her parent's house after a long grueling memory session they had every morning. They now knew her as their daughter, and today they remembered a few new memories, but they still had a long way to go.

When the owl had perched on her lounge she rolled her eyes, because she thought it was another letter from Ron. Ever since she'd been here she'd gotten at least five letters from him, begging her to come back home…to come back to him. She tried her best to explain why she needed to do this, but he just didn't seem to listen. However when she saw the postcard firmly clamped in his beak she knew it definitely wasn't from Ron.

The postcard was a picture of the Statue of Liberty with the skyline of New York in the background. She took a moment to admire the picture, running her hands along the glossy surface. She imagined him there…walking the crowded streets filled with Muggles without a care in the world. A huge part of her wished she could share this experience with him. She finally flipped over the card and her heart melted as the threatened tears filled her eyes.

Forgive me. -H.P

XXXX

A thousand miles away, over the big pond, Harry stood on the balcony of his suite in New York. He was exhausted from his day, spending it like any other Muggle tourist. He had been in New York for over a week but there was still so much of the Big Apple he wanted to see.

A few more days, he told himself as he took a pull of his beer. Then he'd go to another city and the great thing was…he didn't know which city that would be. He was free to go anywhere he wanted…when he wanted.

So what if he felt lonely at times. For someone who was used to having people around, it was normal to feel that way now and again. He thought of Ginny and hoped she took his sudden departure well. She would be leaving for Hogwarts in a few weeks. And what of Ron? Poor bloke was probably miserable without Hermione around.

His gut clenched painfully at the thought of her. He could still see the hurt he had put in her eyes when she left. He still didn't know why he was so harsh on her. A part of him was angry…angry because he knew she was planning on sneaking out without so much of a goodbye. The fact that he was planning on doing the same thing made him feel like a hypocrite.

She should have gotten the postcard by now. Would she write back? No…of course not, he thought as he scowled into his half empty beer, before tipping it back to finish it off. It had been stupid to think that she would forgive him just by sending a stupid postcard. Maybe he should go to her? “No,” he said aloud, shaking his head. She deserved to have her alone time with her parents; he wasn't going to bother her.

He was about to turn to head inside when he saw something in the distance flying above the New York City skyline. His heart lifted in anticipation when he realized the owl was heading right for him. He set the empty beer bottle down when it landed on the railing and smiled when he took the postcard with a picture of the Sydney Harbor on the front. He flipped it over and his smile bloomed into a full out grin.

G'day, from Down Under. Only if you forgive me. Keep in touch.

See you when I see you. - H.G

“See you when I see you,” Harry answered back aloud then sighed. “Damned if I'm not going to miss you, Hermione.”

Harry tucked the postcard safely in his back pocket and decided that he would send her a postcard from every place he visited. He wanted her to know where he was and where he'd been. He may not say much on the postcards, but with the picture she'd know exactly where he was. And with that comforting thought….he no longer felt lonely.

-->

Okay, since I get to start over, I decided to tweak the first part since I messed up the whole hot in July in Australia thing. I got a lot of complaints on that and so I thought this time, I'd try to fix it, haha!

One Year Later

Hermione was hot, sweaty and sticky and all she wanted to do was dive headfirst in the pool that was only a few feet away from her. Instead, she was kneeling next to her mum, helping her yank out unwanted weeds in her garden. Turned out that when Hermione was away, her mum had developed quite the green thumb and insisted that Hermione help her as much as possible.

She liked flowers. She thought they were pretty and nice to look at or smell. Didn't mean she liked getting dirty and yanking out weeds. “It's bloody hot out here, Mum. Why is it this hot in July?”

“Just a fluke I guess. Almost done,” she said in a calm voice as she tended to her posies. “You should wear a hat.”

“Oh, like that would help,” she grumbled.

“Honey, careful,” Isabelle Granger warned as she slapped her daughter's hand. “You're ruining my posies.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She sighed and leaned back to roll her aching shoulders. “I told you I'm not very into it.”

“I wonder why that is? Didn't you do well in that plant class you took at Hogwarts?”

Hermione's lips curved. “Herbology. A little different, Mum. And yes I did, but it doesn't mean I enjoyed it.”

“Oh. Well.” She waved it off. “It'll grow on you.” She gave a little chuckle. “Grow on you…get it? Grow? Like the flowers?”

“You're a regular riot,” she said with a roll of her eyes but still couldn't help but laugh.

“I spoke to Melanie the other day,” she said casually after a moment of silence.

“Did you?”

Melanie Tyson was Isabelle's friend and neighbor who lived next door. Melanie and her husband Jack had a son who was her age. Brick Tyson. Ever since she had been living with her parents the Tysons and the Grangers seemed to try to push them together. Brick seemed all for it, but Hermione couldn't seem to convince him, or her parents that she wasn't interested.

“I sure did…she told me Brick asked about you.”

And there it is, she thought with a mental sigh. “Mum…we're not really going to have this conversation again, are we? I'm seeing someone.”

Isabelle snorted. “Someone you haven't seen in a year,” she added.

“Because I've been here…with you and dad. Ronald understands, Mum.”

It was the truth, Ron did understand. At least that was what it seemed like in his letter he Owled a month into her stay at her parents. He had explained that he would stop trying to convince her to come back and that he would give her the time she needed. I'll wait for you. Those were his last words.

“I'm still a little hazy with this Ronald person,” she said with a slight frown as she threw her spade in the dirt and sat back on her heels. “I can't seem to remember you ever talking about him. Now Harry I remember. Crystal clear. I have memories and memories of you going on and on about him.”

“Harry didn't annoy me as much as Ronald did back then,” she said trying to make a light of it. “Ron had gotten better towards the end of our sixth year and we didn't get together till right at the end of the war. It only makes sense you remember Harry more.”

She sighed. “I guess. I still don't see why you won't just go on a date with Brick. I mean he's a nice guy and…oh!”

Hermione and Isabelle both ducked down at the fast blurred movement that flew above their heads. “It's just an owl,” Hermione said when the white snow owl that made her think of Hedwig perched on one of her mum's garden gnomes. “A very beautiful owl.”

Isabelle put a hand on her racing heart. “Took years off my life. I still don't understand how that works…how does he know to find you? Do they have a tracking device or something?”

“Don't think about it,” she advised. “It will only give you a headache.”

“I guess,” she sighed. “Well, who's it from?” she asked as Hermione took the rolled up parchment the owl had sticking out. “Ron?”

Hermione unrolled the parchment and frowned. “No…it…it's from Harry.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? But I thought he only sent you postcards.”

“Yes, he usually does.”

“Well,” she said after giving her daughter a moment to read it then gave her a poke. “Don't leave your mum in suspense…what does it say?”

“It's an invitation…to his house in Mexico.”

“He has a house in Mexico?”

“Apparently…on a island off the coast of Puerto Vallarta.”

“Well…what else does he say?” she asked anxiously. “When does he want you to come? And for how long? Will it just be you and him? Does he say anything about…”

“Mother,” she said tearing her eyes away from Harry's letter. “Chill…take a breath before you pass out.”

She winced. “Sorry. I'm just excited.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled. “No problem. And to answer your questions…he wants me there August first…for two weeks…and no…I won't be the only one there, he says he is inviting other five other people who also made an impact on his life.” She frowned as she looked at the letter again. “This is so weird for him…so out of the blue.”

“Who do you think the others are?”

“Well…Ron and Ginny for sure…as for the other rest I'm not sure. Neville maybe? Or Luna?” She shook her head. “Who knows?”

“The first of August you said? Why…that's just two weeks away…doesn't give you much notice, does he?”

“No,” she agreed. “If I go I'll have to…”

“What do you mean, if?” she asked suddenly. “Of course you're going.”

“But Mum…I'd feel bad leaving you and dad at the moment…”

“Nonsense,” she said waving her off. “I think your dad and I can handle things by ourselves for fourteen days.”

“Well…of course, but…”

“And didn't it ever occur to you that this will give us some time alone? I mean…not to say too much but…it has been awhile since your father and I…well…you know…”

Hermione made loud noises and waved her hands in protest. “Yeah…yeah, okay…lets just drop that.”

“Besides dear…I know you want to go. It's been so long since you've seen him.”

Hermione let out a sigh. “Tell me about it. I almost forgot what Harry looks like it's been so long.”

Isabelle's lips curved. “Actually.” She cleared her throat. “I was referring to Ronald. Your boyfriend.”

Hermione blinked. “Oh,” she said and felt foolish. “I mean…of course I'm excited to see Ron…sure. I miss him an awful lot.”

She patted her daughter's hand. “Of course you do, dear,” she assured her. “Well…you better reply back…so Harry knows you'll be there.

“Right. Of course.”

“Then… you and I are going to go shopping,” she added with a wink. “Get you a whole new wardrobe for the trip.”

“Mum…you don't have to do that.”

“Of course I do…we'll make it a mother daughter outing. Shop, eat and drink.”

Hermione laughed. “How can I say no to that? But first…before I do anything else…I need to jump straight into that pool before I pass out.”

Isabelle grinned then got up off her knees. “Sounds like a plan…let's go.”

Hermione grabbed her mum's hand and with a laugh they ran to the pool fully clothed and jumped into the cool water.

XXXXXX

MONDAY

Harry stood at the edge of the veranda that faced the Pacific Ocean as he waited for the first of his guest to arrive on the five o'clock ferry. The house that he decided to buy after renting it out for a month stood high on the edge of a cliff, the back facing the ocean and the front securely surrounded by jungle life.

Even though he'd always had money—well since he turned eleven—he never was into buying extravagant things. He had always been practical when it came to spending money. However, during the past year he decided to spend his Muggle adventure in style, staying in the nicest hotels and being put up in the most elegant rooms. Then this house came along and it didn't take him long to grow attached to it, so he decided on a whim to purchase the house so he could come back at any time. He loved it here…the view, the peacefulness and solitude.

He would never live here permanently…the magic of it would go away and it wouldn't be as special. This would be where he'd go when he needed a break from the real world. When he got back to the real world, which will be in two weeks. One of the reasons why he sent out the invitations was because he wanted to end his journey with his closest friends.

Well, not all of them were his closest friends. He still wasn't sure why he invited his archenemy all throughout Hogwarts and also wasn't sure why Draco Malfoy accepted. Intrigued? Bored? Accept the invite only to kill him? No, definitely not that. Albus Dumbledore had been right about him on that. Although he was a bully, which wasn't really his fault because his Death Eater father raised him to be a bully—no—he probably raised him to be a Death Eater, but the best he could do was school bully. Draco Malfoy was never a killer.

In the end, the real reason he decided to invite Draco was due to an incident he witnessed on the last day of Hogwarts after the war. A lot of people stayed behind to clean up the school, take care of the wounded and dead. He had been surprised Draco decided to stay behind to help and even more surprised he stood his ground when his father tried to make him leave.

Harry had happened to walk up to a very heated discussion between father and son and had quickly hidden back behind a corner to listen to it unfold…

“Draco…you can't be serious,” Lucius Malfoy scoffed. “You don't belong here.”

“I'm staying,” he said firmly.

“Why? You need to be with us, son…your mother and I…”

“Oh don't give me that bullshit, Father!” he snapped interrupting him. “Don't pull that `we're a family' card on me. Now that Potter defeated your precious Voldemort.”

Smack!

Harry winced at the sound of flesh hitting flesh and peaked around to see Draco's hand on his cheek with Lucius furiously glaring at him.

“You dare speak his name?”

“What are you going to do, Father? Ground me? Or better yet…kill me? I'm done with you. Do you understand me? You're dead to me…don't think I don't know what you have up your sleeves. Your leader may be gone, but nothing about you has changed. You'll go right back to your ways…maybe even lead a new group of Death Eaters…and I don't want to have anything to do with it, do you understand? I almost died tonight, Father…twice…and who should be the one to save me?” He laughed sarcastically. “Harry—bloody freaking—Potter. I owe him and many others to stay and help.”

“You're out of your mind! Who the hell are you and what have you done with my son?”

“It's me Father…in the flesh…and I may be out of my mind but at least I'll leave this war with a little bit of a conscious. I've been enemies with Potter for years and can't stand the annoying prick…and I wish it was someone else who saved me, but it wasn't. And as much as it pains me to say…I'll owe him for the rest of my life. My life may not mean that much to you, Father, but it means a hell out to me. Now…get out of my way…we're done here.”

“Draco…you get back here!”

Draco kept walking, but lifted a hand and flashed his middle finger at the man who gave him life, before disappearing around the corner.

“You're a fool, Draco!” Lucius called back. “A bloody fool!”

Harry had watched him storm off furiously the other way and he had stood there for what seems like ages, simply floored at what he had seen. It was the first time ever he'd had witnessed Draco having any sort of a backbone. He had stood up to his father, which was hard to do considering, and Harry couldn't help but be impressed and even a little proud.

He had seen him off and on through out the days helping out here and there. He pretty much kept to himself and worked by himself when he could. When he was forced to work with a group he kept his mouth shut, his head down and worked harder than probably most of them.

Maybe one of the reasons he did accept his invitation to spend two weeks with other people that he never got along with, was that he still believed he owed him. Maybe this was his one last thing to do for him to fully feel like he paid all his debts. It was definitely something to find out before the two weeks were up.

He had Draco put on the last ferry out to the island, along with no other than Ginny Weasley. She was probably not going to be pleased with him when she found out she'd have to share an hour and half boat ride with Draco, but Harry guessed she could handle him and anything he shot at her. Most of them will be a little upset to see Draco Malfoy in their presence, but there wasn't anything they could do about it.

He had warned everyone in the letter that no one will be able to do magic on his property. He had spent many long hours having his property completely magic free. If anyone waved a wand, not even a puff of smoke would emerge out of it. It had been long, exhausting and tedious work but he thought it would be necessary. He'd lift it after the two weeks were over for his future visits, but for this one it was a must to have. He had no doubt that this weekend would bring some drama out now and again. As long as some fun balanced out the drama he didn't mind.

Ron and Luna were on the six o'clock ferry, but it was Hermione he had put on the first ferry and it was Hermione who he was waiting for as he stood on the veranda. He wanted to see Hermione first and alone for many reasons, but one being so they could talk about how they left things over a year ago. Granted, they did make up and kept their friendship going through countless postcards, but he still wanted to speak with her and apologize to her. Tell her how much he missed her.

Out of everyone, he was the most anxious to see her and that continued to surprise him. One would think that he'd be most excited to see Ginny…the girl he had seriously crushed on for almost two years. He did miss her and was excited to see her, but he was a little nervous on how they were going to end up. She wanted a relationship with him…a future with him. He wasn't quite sure if he was on the same page…at least not yet anyways. Another reason for the two-week extravaganza…he had a lot of things to figure out. If it was Ginny he was meant to be with than that's all fine and good, but he was going to make damn sure of it before he…

“There,” he said suddenly as his heart lurched when he saw the bow of the ferry peak around the bend from the west side of the island. He immediately took off, heading towards the rocky trail that led down to the dock. There was a railing for safety but he didn't use it as he trotted down as quickly as he could without tripping or falling.

When he got to the dock the boat was nearly there and a smile bloomed on his face when he saw her standing at the front of the boat. The wind playfully tugged at her long, wavy brown hair and her chocolate brown eyes were covered with a pair of large Muggle sunglasses. They practically swallowed her face, but she definitely pulled it off. She had on a red and white, stripped tank top, with a pair of white shorts, really short ones…that showed off her legs. Wow…had they always been that long?

The minute she saw him she was waving her arms and jumping up and down. “Harry!”

He laughed. “Careful Hermione, or you'll go overboard!” he yelled back and her laughter rang right back.

Even though they were less than thirty-feet away, it seemed like the boat would never get there. He could see Hermione jumping in anticipation the closer and closer they got. The crew on the ferry docked the boat with ease and one of the members helped her out. As soon as her feet were planted firmly on the dock she took off towards him and with a high pitch shriek, she jumped up into his arms and wrapped herself around him.

He let out a swooshing breath as she threw herself at him, the force stumbling him back a few steps. But he caught her…just like he always did when she greeted him this way. She never wrapped her legs around him before though, that was a new thing. A new thing he didn't mind, he thought as he hugged her tight and closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair. “Hermione,” he finally murmured. “You're here…finally.”

“Mmm, yes, I'm here.” She leaned back and grabbed her face with her hands and gave him a hard kiss on his forehead. “Merlin, I've missed you.”

He grinned. “Yeah? I guess I've kind of missed you, too.”

“Am I the first to arrive?” she asked as he set her back on her feet.

“Yep…not for long though…yes, right up that trail,” he said to one of the crew who had her luggage. “Ron and Luna are about an hour away. Let's go on up, I'll make you a welcoming drink. Something frozen with alcohol sound good?”

“Sounds perfect,” she laughed taking his hand easily in hers and they slowly started their ascent to the top. “I thought I'd never get here…they had to drop off a few people at the private little resort thing on the other side of the island. There's a wedding there tonight.”

“Yes, they have weddings there a lot. That's way on the other side though…we won't hear a peep. I went over there once during my first months stay over here and they have a good setup. You can stay overnight or just for the day. You can swim with the dolphins over there.”

“Oh, really?” she exclaimed. “I've always wanted to do that.”

“Then we will,” he assured her. “We have two weeks.”

“That we do and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.”

When they made it to the top Hermione turned back around and to the ocean and fell in love. “Wow,” she breathed as she walked over to the edge of the veranda where Harry stood moments ago. She saw nothing but blue waters and clear skies…smelled nothing but the salty sea air…felt nothing but the steady breeze and the warm golden sun. “No wonder you bought this place…it's beautiful…peaceful.”

Harry stood next to her, their hands still linked and for the first time in over a year he didn't feel quite so lonely. “As beautiful as this view is, it isn't what sold me.”

Hermione pushed back her hair that blew into her face and looked up at him. “What did?”

He grinned. “I'll show you sometime…before the two weeks are up.”

“I'd like that.” She then turned her back to the view and leaned against the stone ledge. “So…Ron and Luna are arriving on the next ferry…does that mean three more are arriving later?”

“Two,” he corrected. “Neville couldn't make it. But Ginny and…” He pursed his lips as he shook his head. “Actually…you're never going to believe who I invited.”

She tipped down her sunglasses and peered up at him. “Draco Malfoy.”

Harry's jaw dropped. “How on earth did you figure that out?”

She chuckled as she pushed he shades back securely on her nose. “Something I was thinking about during the trip over…you mentioned in the invitation you were inviting people who influenced your life…well…Malfoy sure did that and more.” She gave a little shrug. “After what you told me what you witnessed that day between him and his father…it would be exactly like you to invite him.”

Harry stared in awe. “It's spooky, really…how well you know me.”

She just grinned. “So, I take it Draco accepted your invitation.”

“Sure did.”

“And you put Draco on the same ferry as Ginny?”

Harry winced. “Guilty.”

“Harry Potter,” she said wagging a finger at him. “Shame on you.”

He couldn't help but laugh. “Okay, so she'll probably be a little mad…but she'll get over it…and she can handle Draco Malfoy.”

She grinned. “Probably right.”

He gave her a smile and hooked his arm through hers. “Come on…let's go inside and have a drink.”

-->

Chapter 2

By the time Ron made it to the correct dock, with five minutes to spare, he was physically drained. He hadn't been too happy when he found out he had to travel the last thirty-five miles, muggle style, but he didn't realize how annoying and incredibly frustrating it was to be a muggle. It was a good thing he was born a wizard, because he really didn't think he could hack it. He had to give them credit…taking a cab in a foreign country wasn't an easy task.

Now he stood at the edge of the dock, frowning slightly at the number of people that were on the ferry he was supposedly suppose to ride to get to Harry's house. The muggles were all dressed up in suits and dresses as they were swarming in different groups, laughing together, chatting it up while they waited for departure. Was this the right dock? Did he make a mistake?

“Señor?”

Ron turned to the muggle who came up beside him to his right. “Yes?”

“You need to bored, Señor…we are leaving soon.”

“Yes…but. Is this ferry going to…the Potter Estate?”

“Ah, yes..sí, sí…we drop off the wedding guests on the other side of island…then we go to Potter Estate.”

“Oh.” He let out a sigh of relief. “Okay…good, I'm in the right place.”

The friendly man smiled. “Very good, Señor…you go on board…I will tend to your luggage. And please help yourself to the bar…open bar.”

Ron blinked. “Open bar?”

“Si.” He nodded enthusiastically. “Free.”

“Ohhh,” he said understanding now. “Well…I definitely know that word.”

The man laughed and gave him a friendly pat before easily carting away Ron's things. Ron then walked onto the crowded boat, weaving himself between muggles as he made his way to the back of the boat where it was less crowded.

He saw the blonde almost right away and although her back was to him he knew exactly who at was. She was the only one besides him who was not dressed in wedding attire, but even if she did have a dress gown on, he would have known it was Luna. Her long wavy blonde hair that came down almost to her waist was a dead give away. Plus, he would recognize those long, smooth legs anywhere. He may have a girlfriend, but he appreciated a nice pair of legs just like every hot-blooded male in the world.

Two muggle men were talking to her, trying their best to impress her with stupid, idiotic jokes and…did that guy really just flex his muscles? “Give me a break,” he muttered with a shake of his head as he made his way over to her.

“Fancy meeting you here, Lovegood.”

Luna spun on her heels and even though she wore shades, he saw her brows peek out the top of them, telling him her eyes went wide. A smile bloomed on her face as she shoved her drink in one of the muggle's hand, before leaping into his arms. “Ronald!”

He laughed as he caught her…plucked her off the floor and hugged her tight. Over her shoulder he saw the muggles walk off with a look of remorse on their faces. “Some dudes have all the luck,” one of them muttered to his friend and Ron couldn't help but grin.

“It's so good to see you,” Luna exclaimed as she lingered in the hug as long as possible. It was stupid really, that after all this time she still had a massive crush on him. She had tried so hard during her last year at Hogwarts to get over him and she thought she had succeeded…until now.

“Let's have a look at you.” Ron plopped her back on her feet and gently grabbed her arms to hold her back. “You've changed, Lunakins.”

Luna smiled at the name he had jokingly called her after his mum had called him, Ronnykins in front of Luna during Bill and Fleur's wedding. It had of course been before the attack, and they had been talking just at the edge of the dance floor. She had just about built up enough courage to ask him to dance when his mum had swept in.

“You look so handsome,” she had said as she reached up pinched his cheeks. “Have I told you that yet, my little Ronnykins?”

Luna snorted back a chuckle as Ron's face flushed red with embarrassment. “Only a few hundred times, Mum.”

Mrs. Weasley just beamed and gave his cheek a little pat before strolling away. “Not a word, Luna,” he muttered when he heard her muffled giggle.

“Actually…I think Ronnykins is a rather cute name.”

“Is that so?” he asked with a teasing smile. “Well, if you like it so much…then I'll just start calling you, Lunakins.”

He then reached up and gave her cheek a pinch, causing her to laugh and bat his hands away. “Cut it out…Ronnykins.”

“Whatever you say…Lunakins.”

They had a quick chuckle over it and once again, she had the nerve to ask him to dance. She actually even had said the words: “Would you like to dance, Ronnykins?” However, before he could utter a word the attack had hit and screams and flashing lights erupted around them.

“Get out of here, Luna,” he said urgently then pulled her down to the ground to avoid a flashing light. “Go find your father and get out…I have to go find Hermione and Harry.”

“Be careful,” she said and then they separated and disappeared into the chaos.

That seemed a lifetime ago instead of only a mere two years ago. Now she was standing on a ferry with him in another country, heading towards Harry Potter's house where they'd be during the next two weeks.

“Changed how?” she asked as she pushed her shades up on her head. “Good or bad?”

“Good,” he said and finally let go of her arms and slid his hands in his pockets. “Definitely good.” He turned his body towards the sea resting his hands against the rails. “Those muggle were taking a liking to you.”

Luna copied his position as she put her shades back down. “It was nice…I never got that attention back at Hogwarts before.”

“The boys at Hogwarts all gits.”

“Except you, Ronald,” she teased as she playfully nudged him.

“No, I'm the biggest git of all,” he said with a grin. “Look how long it took me to finally get with Hermione?” He shook his head and looked back out at the ocean, missing the flash of hurt in her eyes. “If I hadn't been such a git, I would have gotten together with her a lot sooner.”

Luna forced a smile. “You must be excited to see her.”

“I am.” Ron beamed as he glanced back at her. “And Harry of course, but…I'm really anxious to see Hermione. I can't believe it's been a year since I last saw either of them.”

“Ginny had told me how they both left in the middle of the night. That must have been hard.”

“Yes,” he admitted and felt a twinge of hurt in his heart. “Especially when I thought the two of them planned and left together.”

“They didn't though,” she said shaking his head. “That's what Ginny told me at least. It was just a coincidence.”

He nodded. “Yeah, they each mentioned the other in their letters…it was obvious they had no idea the other was leaving when they wrote it. It was a relief, but at the same time it still hurt pretty bad. Both of my friends just left me in the lurch. I was dramatic about it at first, but I got over it…and I finally could understand why they would both want to leave.”

Luna nodded in agreement. “I think Harry deserved a nice long solitude after the hell he went through. I know you and Hermione went through quite a bit too…I'm not trying to take that away from you, but…”

“No, I understand,” Ron assured her with a smile. “You couldn't pay me to trade places with him…even the times I had been jealous of him.”

“I can't imagine why you would be.” She turned her back to the sea and leaned on her elbows as she smiled up at him. “You have a lot of great qualities, Ronald.”

“Do I?” he asked as he casually brushed a strand of her hair that blew over her face. “Okay, I'll bite…what are they?”

She looked away shyly as she her cheek now tingled from the gentle touch of his fingers. “Maybe I'll tell you someday…but for now I want another drink.”

“Oh, come on,” he said touching her forearm before she could leave. “I'll tell you yours if you tell me mine? I'll even go first.”

She pushed her sunglasses back up. “You think I have great qualities?” she asked staring up at him with a puzzled look on her face.

“Tons…and one of them is that you always seem so pleasantly surprised when I give you a compliment.” He grinned when her cheeks suddenly turned red with embarrassment. “You always make me laugh…sometimes unintentionally but then that just makes you more brilliant. I love the fact that you know who you are and you never try to be anything but yourself. I admired that back at school…I know you were picked on a lot and you could have easily tried to fit in by acting less…”

“Looney?” she finished with a slight smile.

“Yes,” he said as he brushed her elbow with her thumb. “You're Looney Luna and I wouldn't want it any other way.”

“Thanks, Ronald,” she said shyly. “That means a lot.”

“I've got more…want me to continue?”

“No,” she laughed dreamily. “That'll do. Well…how bout that drink, Ronald?”

Ron blinked as she walked off. “Woah, wait a minute,” he said quickly following her and snagged her hand. “It's your turn, remember?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes…but you never said anything about when I tell you…did you Ronald?”

He narrowed her eyes when she innocently fluttered her lashes up at him. “That was sneaky, Lovegood.”

“Why, thank you,” she said with a brilliant smile.

He just shook his head with a laugh. “Come on,” he said tugging at her hand. “Let's go take advantage of this open bar.”

XXXX

Hermione stretched out her legs as she took a deep breath of warm salty sea air. “I can't believe I'm in Mexico,” she said when Harry joined her back out on the veranda. They were sitting at a circular patio table that was nestled under a wide blue and white-striped umbrella looking out to the ocean. “I can't believe I'm here with you in Mexico.”

Harry smiled as he set a glass of frozen margarita in front of her before sitting down next to her. “It's far from what we're use to, isn't it?”

“And then some.” She took her first testing sip and smacked her lips. “This is good.” She took another greedy taste. “Really, really good.”

“Margarita's are my guilty pleasure while I'm down here,” he said before taking a sip from his own glass. “You look good, Hermione.”

“Really?” she asked with a pleasing smile.

He nodded. “Australia agrees with you.”

She shrugged. “I guess,” she said and then laughed. “I guess spending a year not stressing over Dark Lords or Horcruxes does a body good.”

“Good point,” he said with a slight chuckle. “But seriously…looking good, Granger. I like your tan.”

She grinned as she lifted her legs to examine her skin. “I have spent a lot of time by the pool. Australia is great…I'm glad my parents have decided to stay there.”

“Do they know everything?”

“They know enough,” she said and smiled at him over her glass. “But still have some ways to go. They know the family now, so that's important. It's mostly little stuff.”

“Is it hard work?”

“It isn't easy,” she said with a slight frown. “It drains them out physically and mentally. They usually take a long nap after a session. It's getting better, though. Much better. They'll be okay for a few weeks and they're definitely enjoying the break.”

“I feel like I never really got to know your parents. I should come to Australia sometime and get to know them.”

Hermione's eyes lit up. “Really? Oh, they'd love to meet you. They remember you quite a bit.”

“Well I should hope so,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I've only been your best friend for over what? Eight years now?”

“They don't remember much about Ron,” she admitted as she worriedly bit her lip.

Harry's brows lifted in slight surprise. “They don't?”

She shook her head. “No…I was telling my mum it would make sense they remembered you more because Ron annoyed the hell out of me during most of my years at Hogwarts, so…I mainly talked more about you when I was at home during the summer.”

His lips curved up in amusement. “I see.”

“Don't mention this to Ron,” she said suddenly. “I mean…you know how sensitive he is about…”

“Our relationship?” he finished for her when she trailed off. “I know. Don't worry.” He pretended to lock his lips with an invisible key.

“Thanks,” she said gratefully. “He's gotten better…especially after we were officially together, but…I still see the way he watches us when we're talking by ourselves.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “It was one of the reasons why I decided to leave. I felt, with me out of the picture for awhile, he'd get more confident.”

“I guess it didn't help since we both left,” she said with a sad smile.

“I guess not,” he admitted but then gave her an encouraging smile. “He seemed to have gotten over it…I got a few letters from him over the past year.”

“I got more than a few,” she muttered getting a chuckle out of him. “So what did he write about?”

“I got his first letter abooout…three months after I left?” He pondered over it then nodded. “Yes, that's right…I was in California. He pretty much wrote how he had been upset that we snuck out in the middle of the night, but definitely understood why I had to leave. I wrote him back immediately, telling him I appreciated it and to keep me updated on how things were back at home.”

“What about Ginny? Did she ever write?”

Harry sighed and took a sip of his drink. “Once a month.”

“Hmm.” She set down her drink and studied him. “And you were…annoyed by it?”

“I don't know,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “She was just so…understanding. Almost…too understanding. I pretty much left her without so much of a goodbye and she's all…'Oh, don't worry, Harry…I understand. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.' I know it's stupid.” He lifted a shoulder in a helpless gesture. “But…I almost wished she did get a little mad at me. I wish she'd express something towards me except…”

“Devotion?”

“Yes,” he said urgently as he jabbed a finger at her. “That's exactly it. She's so devoted to me it's…irritating. Did you know we've never really gotten in a fight? Oh, sure we've had our slight disagreements, but we've never had a full on fight. That's weird for a relationship…isn't it?”

“It's certainly not normal,” she admitted, then let out a sigh as she sat up in her chair. “Okay, look…Ginny had waited a lot time for you to notice her, Harry…she did everything she could for you to finally see her in a romantic sense. She always did what she thought you'd want her to do…always said what she thought you wanted her to say. She wanted you to like her…really, really, like her.”

“Well, I certainly don't want her not to have a mind of her own,” he exclaimed as he collapsed back in his chair. “That's not attractive at all.”

“I'm not saying she doesn't have her own mind,” she corrected lightly. “She's a strong woman and I like her a lot…but when it comes to you? She can be a little thick.” When he started to laugh she pointed a warning finger at him. “And don't you dare tell her I said that, Harry.”

“Don't worry,” he chuckled and then sat forward. “Okay, so…I guess I can understand why she did that when I wasn't paying attention to her, but now that we're together…why is she still doing it?”

“Firstly, you two aren't together really…you've been apart for a year and she's definitely going to want to know where you two stand. And second? She doesn't want to lose you…she's afraid to have that full on fight with you because she's worried you'll break things off.”

He let out a frustrating groan. “That's ridiculous! If a guy ended a relationship with someone after one fight no one would stay together!”

“I know, Harry…and so does Ginny,” she added as she reached over to pat his leg. “You just need to first figure out your relationship and once you decide she is the girl you want to be with…you have to talk with her…reassure her that you're in it for the long haul. Just make sure you are truly committed to her before you talk to her, though…it wouldn't be fair to her otherwise.”

Harry nodded and then blew out a tiring sigh. “Why are relationships so damn hard?”

She chuckled as she picked up her drink and toasted it to him. “One of life's mysteries.”

“Here, here,” he said lifting his own drink for a sip. “So what about you and Ron? You haven't seen him in a year…feelings still there?”

She took a moment to think about it as she chewed on her lip nervously. “I don't know,” she stated finally looking up at him. “Is that horrible? I just don't know…I hope so, Harry…I certainly don't want to hurt him.”

“I know you don't,” he said softly as he reached over and covered her hand with his. It was his turn to listen and comfort. “But you also can't stay with him just to avoid hurting him.'”

“No, I know.” She looked out into the ocean and her surroundings. “I guess we'll just have to see how things work out during these next few weeks.”

“It'll be okay,” he assured her. “Whatever happens is meant to happen…I truly believe that. And I'm here for you,” he added with a smile as he squeezed her hand. “If you need someone to talk to. I am your best friend, after all.”

She returned his smile. “You better believe it,” she said and then got up on her feet.

Knowing exactly what she wanted he got up as well and met her hug with open arms. “I've really, really missed you,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms securely around her and squeezed tight.

She placed her lips against his shoulder and took in a deep breath. “I've missed you, too, Harry.” She turned her head to nuzzle her cheek against his chest. “Next time you decide to go off on a sabbatical, you better take me with you…I don't think I could take another year without seeing you.”

A deep chuckle rumbled out of his chest. “Don't worry.” He plopped his chin on the crown of her head. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“Are you ready for this, Harry?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“I think so,” he said with uncertainty in his voice. “How bout you?”

She nodded her head. “Yes,” she muffled against his chest.

“Well, then get ready, Granger,” he said as he leaned back and turned her around to face the ocean where Ron and Luna's ferry was slowly making it's way around the bend. “You're up first.”

Hermione let out a whiney moan. “Bloody hell,” she muttered.

Harry just laughed and rubbed her shoulders. “Don't worry, Hermione…this is Ron we're talking about. Our best friend. Surely the part of you that sees him as your friend is excited to see him.”

“Right,” Hermione said calmly as the butterflies flew away. She thought of the Ronald that had been her friend…her annoying, helpless friend that made her laugh one minute and want to strangle the next. “Yes, that part of her is thrilled.”

“There, you see?” He kneaded her shoulder a few more times. “Let's go down and meet them.”

-->

Chapter 3

“Look, there's Harry!” Luna exclaimed as he pointed to the small figure making his way down the stairs. “And Hermione!”

“What?” Ron said suddenly looking up, squinting against the glare of the sun. “Hermione's already here?”

“She must have taken the first ferry,” Luna said with a bright smile, but it faltered as soon as he saw Ron's face. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he said stiffly. “I'm just surprised…I would think Harry would put Ginny on the first ferry…not Hermione.”

Jealous, she thought as she bit back a sigh. Jealous that Harry got a few moments alone with Hermione. “I know you probably wish that Hermione was on the ferry with you rather than me, but…”

“I didn't say that,” he said quickly turning his focus back on her. “I've had a great time with you, Luna.”

Her cheeks flushed with pleasure as she shyly looked away. “Well…okay…I had a good time, too, Ronald.”

“I just wasn't expecting Hermione to already be here,” he said looking back at the dock to see his two best friends now waving at them. “I'm glad she's here, though,” he said as he lifted his hand in greeting. “She looks great.”

“Yes,” she said forcing a smile. “Fantastic. So does Harry.”

Ron took his eyes off Hermione to focus on Harry and could tell right away his friend had changed. He looked more relaxed, which was nice to see considering what the guy's been through, and he also looked…content. “He looks happy.”

“He does,” she agreed with a smile. “No one deserves happiness more than Harry.”

“How you doing?” Harry murmured softly to Hermione as they both watched the ferry pull up to the dock.

“Good,” she said with a sigh. “It is good to see him.”

“He hasn't changed a bit,” Harry said while Ron exited the boat then turned around to help Luna. He saw Ron smile brilliantly as he trained his eyes on Hermione then took off in jog towards her. Harry noticed she wasn't budging so he gave her a little nudge causing her to stumble forward slightly. “Go.”

Hermione took one more calming breath before giving her best welcome smile as she walked briskly towards him. “Ron.” It was all she managed to get out before Ron scooped her up and twirled her around. She couldn't help but laugh as she hugged her friend back with the same eagerness as he did.

“It's so good to see you, Hermione,” he said as he took a moment to nuzzle her neck and breath in her scent. She was here…she was finally here…in his arms. A place he had wanted her to be for over a year now. And yet…something felt wrong. Something felt off. He quickly shook it off before he could even think more about it…it was just the separation, things would get back to normal in no time.

Harry trotted passed his two best friends to give one of his dearest friends a proper welcome. “Hey, Luna,” he laughed as he reached her and pulled her in for a friendly hug. “I'm glad you could make it.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I was beyond excited when I got your letter.”

He leaned back to grin down at her. “It wouldn't be the same without you.”

Luna beamed. “I believe you mean that, Harry.”

“Well of course I do,” he said swinging an arm around her as they walked towards Ron and Hermione. “You're one of my favorite people.”

Drunk with giddiness, Luna wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. “Thanks, Harry.”

“Blimey, Harry,” Ronald said as he gawked at his surroundings. “This is some place you got.”

“Thanks,” he said with a grin and then rubbed Luna's back before releasing her to give his friend a hug. “Good to see you, mate.”

“You too,” he said and as he returned the hug. “Damned if I haven't missed you, Harry.”

As the guys were bonding, the girls came together in a long friendly embrace. “It's so good to see you, Luna,” Hermione exclaimed giving her a slight squeeze before letting go. “You look amazing.”

“I can say the same for you,” she said giving her a quick glance over. “Nice tan.”

Hermione laughed. “Yes, so everyone says. Two weeks here and you'll have one too.”

Luna scrunched up her face. “Unfortunately, my skin is so fair I'll just turn red as a Lavagrind if I'm not careful.”

Hermione shook her head in amusement. She had no idea what a Lavagrind was. “I'll take your word for it.”

“We have a bit till the next ferry comes in,” Harry said as he hooked an arm around Luna's neck. “Why don't we go on up on the patio? Hermione and I were having margaritas and reminiscing.”

“What are margaritas?” Luna asked as the four trudged up the steps.

“A margarita, my dear Luna, is one fantastic cold alcoholic beverage.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“Hey Harry, who's on the next ferry?” Ron asked from behind him.

Harry hunched his shoulders. He was hoping to avoid telling Ron that not only did he invite Draco, but also put him on the same ferry as his baby sister. “Er…well, Ginny,” he said over his shoulder. “And uh, someone else, but…I'll talk about it later.”

“Is it Neville?” he asked once they made it up to the veranda.

“No, Not Neville…why don't you guys sit down and…”

“Well, who then?” Ron asked with raised brows. “Come on, tell us…what's the big deal anyway?”

Harry cast a pleading look to Hermione who shook her head and held up her hands. “No way…you tell him.”

“Tell me what?” Ron asked getting slightly irritated and glared up at Harry. “Who is riding the ferry with my little sister, Harry?”

XXXXX

Ginny Weasly stood at the railing of the ferry with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the slap of the wind tugging at her clothes and hair. The warm sun bathed her skin and the sound of the boat slicing through her water rang in her ears. She was deliriously happy and couldn't believe she was finally going to see Harry after all this time.

She placed a hand on her belly where butterflies danced and fluttered nervously inside. What will he look like? she wondered with a sigh. Would he look exactly the same? No, he would have changed. In her opinion, a person changed after experiencing a year of their life. Harry would be no different.

She didn't know where they stood in their relationship, but that didn't matter. It would be something they'd have to discuss. She needed to make sure that Harry truly wanted her as much as she wanted him. She also changed during the year and the fanciful girl with silly dreams had grown up.

She loved Harry and couldn't imagine loving anyone else, but she still had to be sure. She still had to know for sure that it was Harry she belonged with and no one else. Who else could there be? Harry was so much a part of her life and carried a big chunk of her heart, she simply couldn't imagine anyone who…

The loud crack erupted, causing Ginny's wandering mind to be shut off and a scream escape from her lips as a large hard body practically fell on top of her. She didn't realize she was still shrieking until the owner of the large hard body had her by the arms and held her back.

“Jeez, Weasley, snap out of it!” the man said in a harsh voice. “It's just me.”

Ginny blinked up at a pair of beautiful gray eyes then felt her jaw slacken when she realized the man gripping her arms was none other than Draco Malfoy. “What…What are you…”

“Señorita!” One of the crewmembers rushed over to them. “We heard you scream…are you okay?”

Ginny stared at him with wide eyes. “I…I…”

“Of course she's okay,” Draco said with a smile and put his arm around her. “I just snuck up on her…she scares easily.”

The uniformed man in all white blinked at Draco. “Excuse me, Señor…but where did you come from?”

“Come from?” he asked with a charming smile. “I'm sure I don't know what you mean, I've been on board this whole time.”

The man scratched his head in puzzlement. “I guess…I just don't remember.”

“I was right behind her,” Draco said and then slapped Ginny's back a bit harder than he should have. “Right, Ginny?”

Ginny stumbled forward and gave him a glare. “If you say so.”

“I mean, it's not like a appeared out of thin air,” Draco said with a chuckle and gave the man a friendly punch on the shoulder. “My luggage is down with hers as well if you care to take a look.”

He raised his brows to Ginny. “Do you know this gentlemen, Señorita?”

Ginny scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Unfortunately.”

“She's just mad I scared her,” Draco said and pulled her closer to his side. “Listen, ah…” He glanced at the nametag on his crisp white shirt. “Manuel…I could really use a drink. Mind fixing me one?”

“Of course,” he said as he relaxed his shoulders. “What can I get you?”

“Surprise me with a local favorite.”

“Very good, Señor,” he said and then walked away.

As soon as he was gone, Ginny roughly shoved him away from her. “Get away from me,” she cursed and took a step back.

“Gladly,” he muttered as he took a step back as well. It infuriated him that a small part of him had enjoyed being closer to her. She had been warm, soft and smelled like roses and sunshine But he'd be damned if he'd ever admit it to her and to himself. It was just a fluke…she was just another warm female body. “Do you think I actually enjoyed being all friendly and touch feely with you?”

“About as much as I did,” she blurted back. Merlin, she could still feel the parts of her body that he touched. They were practically on fire. It was only because she was angry with him…that was it. That had to be it. “Are you crazy? Apparating like that? Someone could have seen you!”

“I didn't have much of a choice,” he said in hushed tones. “I missed the ferry…I had to take a chance considering another ferry isn't running until tomorrow morning.”

“You know what?” she asked as she held up a hand. “It doesn't matter. What the hell are you doing here?”

“What do you think I'm doing?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “Stalking you? I'm here the same reason you're here.”

Manuel swooped in before Ginny could retaliate and was forced to wait while he served Draco his drink. “There you go sir,” Manuel said with a smile. “Sex on the Beach.”

Draco's brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“That's the name of the drink, Señor,” Manuel said with a polite smile. “A favorite by many tourists and locals.”

“Ah,” he said with a nod, thankful he didn't have to punch the guy for suggesting sex on the beach. “Thanks.”

Ginny couldn't stop the giggle as Manuel walked away. “You didn't honestly think that he…”

“How was I suppose to know it was the name of the damn drink?” he snapped and then took a whiff of the drink before taking a testing sip. “Hmm…it's good. You should get some Sex on the Beach, Red…looks like you could use some.”

Ginny let out a sound of disgust. “You're a pig…and don't call me that.”

He just shrugged carelessly as he took another sip. “Perhaps Potter could accommodate you during our stay.”

“You leave Harry out of this and…wait a minute…did you say, `our stay'? You're invited? Harry invited you?”

“Why the bloody hell do you think I'm here?” he asked exasperated. “For my health?”

Completely dumfounded, Ginny frowned as she turned herself back to the ocean. “Why on earth did he invite you?”

He turned as well but made sure he kept his distance from her. “Beats the hell out of me,” he grumbled into his drink. “I'm even more puzzled that I accepted the invitation. Why would I want to spend two weeks with a bunch of annoying prats that don't like me?”

“Well, I can't answer that,” she said, completely unfazed by his insult. “But I can tell you that Harry had a reason for inviting you. A good reason.”

“Perhaps,” he said as he folded his arms across his chest as he watched a flock of seagulls dive into the ocean for food. He saw one come up with a big silvery fish and carried the wiggly creature in his claws. “Curiosity,” he finally said when the seagull was all but a speck in the sky. “That's why I accepted the invitation. I was curious to find out why he wanted me to be there.”

Ginny studied him in the corner of her eyes. The wind was whipping his blonde hair chaotically around his strong, hard face. His gray eyes were squinting slightly against the setting sun and his mouth was set in a small frown. He had on a white cotton shirt with its collar messily popped up from the wind and a pair of denim jeans that fitted his long legs rather well.

She couldn't help but think he was handsome…any girl couldn't deny that. He almost looked…majestic. Like one of those mystical heroes you only read in a fairytale. Funny, she thought as she made herself look away. She used to see Harry like that.

“Ron's going to be furious when he finds out your coming,” Ginny finally said, breaking the silence.

Draco's lips tilted up slightly. “I imagine so…I imagine a lot of people will.”

“Maybe, but Ron will hold a grudge more than anyone.”

“He'll have to get over it,” Draco said simply and finished the last bit of his drink. “Harry is the one who invited me…he can take it up with him.”

Ginny watched him as he walked over to toss his empty cup in the trash can then walked back over to her. “You know…you've changed.”

Intrigued, Draco arched a brow. “Have I?”

“Come on,” she said giving him a look. “You know you have. Sure, you're still an obnoxious jerk but…you don't seem as cruel as you use to be.”

He snorted as he turned away from her and looked back at the ocean. “Don't be so sure of that, Red. I can be cruel when I want to be.”

“That's just it,” she said as she lifted her sunglasses and perched them on her head. “In school you were never not cruel. You've turned soft.”

Draco practically growled as he swirled his head around and glared. “The bloody hell I have.”

She just gave him a mocking smile. “Ooo, trying to be all tough now, huh?”

Draco moved fast and swooped his body around and caged her between his arms as he gripped the rails on either side of her. He had the satisfaction of seeing that sneer melt away and the blood flood from her rosy cheeks. “Let me tell you something, Weasley,” he murmured as he kept his body only inches from touching hers. “You may be partly right…I did change some. I'm for one not a Death Eater anymore and maybe I never really was one. Dumbledore had been right about that…but let's get one thing straight. I'm still dangerous, Red…and you'd be wise to stay away from me.”

She jutted out her stubborn chin. “I'm not afraid of you,” she said firmly although her insides were shaking.

“Sure about that?” he asked as his eyes flickered to her mouth for a quick moment.

“Back off, Malfoy,” she warned softly as she placed a hand on his chest. “Or I'll hex off your favorite appendage.”

Draco gave her a slow grin. “Well, well…I believe that was a threat.” He lingered a moment but finally pushed himself away from her. “I'll say one thing, Red…you've got guts. Always have.”

She had to take a moment…just a moment…to steady her self. He had been so damn close to her, making her knees all weak and her mind all fuzzy. She leaned back against the railing, hoping she looked aloof, but also hoping the support of the railing would keep her from collapsing. “Was that a compliment, Malfoy?”

“I don't give out compliments, Weasley.” He slid his hands in his pockets since they were itching to reach out and touch. Ridiculous, he told himself. It was just because he hadn't been with a woman in so long. The only woman he spent most of his time with the past year was his mother so it was only naturally she set off a stirring in his belly. “It was just an observation.”

“Thanks for clarifying,” she said and then turned her back to him, dismissing him completely.

He should probably move to the other side of the ferry, distance would be good for both of them. However, he found himself moving back to his spot beside her and stayed there for the rest of the ferry ride. In silence.

-->

Chapter 4

When the house first came in to his view, Draco barely resisted bugging his eyes out. The brilliantly white Spanish style mansion stood tall and arrogant on the rocky cliff cradled by green jungle life. Tall windows gleamed and balconies and turrets jutted out. The house, Draco admitted, was impressive and could see why Potter had been eager to buy it.

“Bloody hell,” Ginny said as she whipped off her glasses. “It's amazing.”

Draco shrugged. “It's okay,” he said, trying his best to sound aloof and uninterested.

“Okay?” she said with a laugh. “The house is gorgeous.”

“I guess,” he said as he made himself turn away from the house and leaned against the railing. “I'm sure Potter will be pleased you like it.”

“Why does that even matter?” she asked as she turned towards him as the ferry crept its way to the dock.

“You two have a thing right?”

“Yes. No. I don't know.” She let out an exasperated breath. “It's none of your business.”

“Okay.”

She opened her mouth to argue but then closed it when his words hit her. “Okay?”

“You're right…it's not my business and personally, I'd rather not know the details between you and Potter.” He then pushed himself off of the railing. “We're docked.”

Ginny frowned slightly as he watched Draco head to the front of the boat then shook herself out of her daze and followed. She had expected him to come back with some sarcastic or crude comment, but instead he just brushed it off. Just as she thought she had him pegged, he did something to throw her off.

Draco walked down the slight ramp onto the dock glancing up at the house as he heard Ginny's footsteps behind him. Before he could make it two steps from the ramp, he heard a loud thud, followed by a girlish squeal and spun around to find Ginny flying towards him. He acted before he could think and swooped in and caught her against his chest before she could tumble down onto the wooden dock.

Ginny stared up at him with wide eyes as she found herself plastered firmly against Draco's hard body with an arm wrapped securely around her waist. “S-sorry,” she stuttered as she started to squirm away. “Tripped.”

“Obviously,” he said dryly as he reluctantly loosened his grip on her. She immediately backed away, so suddenly in fact that she wobbled backwards and he snatched her wrist. “Jeez…do you have two left feet?”

“No, I…I'm normally not this clumsy.” Once she was certain she had her balance, she tugged her wrist from his grasp. “Sorry…I'm okay now.”

Draco just rolled his eyes as he turned away from her and stalked down the dock towards the stairs leading up to the veranda. The two weeks had barley started and the woman was already driving him crazy.

He could hear the raised voices almost right away and knew that the loudest and most furious sounding voice belonged to Ronald Weasley. “Looks like he knows.”

“Hmm,” Ginny said as she listened to her brother. “He sounds quite pissed.”

“Yep. Should be interesting.”

“Excuse me,” Manuel came up to them with two men at his flank carrying their luggage. “Should we bring bags up?”

“Um, maybe you should leave them here,” Draco said looking up towards the veranda as more raised voices floated down to them. “We'll carry them up.”

“Very well,” he said and then turned to his men and sputtered out instructions in Spanish. They dropped the luggage and followed Manuel back to the ferry.

Ginny let out a small sound of protest. “Why did I feel the need to pack three bags?”

“Suck it up, Red,” he said as he swung his one and only bag over his shoulder.

She scowled at him as she started to lift one of her bags and heaved it on her shoulder. “You know, a gentlemen would offer to help me with my bags.”

“Well, I'm no gentleman,” he said as he watched her throw the other bag, twice as big, over her other shoulder. “But, since I don't want to have to save you from falling on your ass again, I'll carry this one.”

Ginny saw him reach for her last bag. “Oh, but that one's quite—“

She trailed off when she saw him sling up her heaviest bag on his free shoulder as if it weighted nothing. “Heavy,” she finally said to herself when he began to climb up the stairs.

“Well, are you coming?” he asked when she hesitated at the foot of the stairs. “Or am I going have to face the firing squad alone?”

“I—I'm coming,” she finally stuttered and quickly trotted up to catch up to him.

“And for Merlin's sake, hold on to the railing,” he muttered as they climbed up the steps together. “The last thing we all need is for you to stumble backwards and break your neck.”

“Why Draco,” she wheezed as her breath got choppy. “It sounds like…you almost care.”

“Not really,” he said as he took a moment to shift up her bag more securely on his shoulder. “But if you do fall and break your neck, your brother would probably accuse me of pushing you and I wouldn't want to deal with the hassle. And what the hell is in this bag? Rocks?”

“Oh, suck it up, Malfoy,” she muttered.

Draco found himself having to bite his tongue to keep from smiling. If he wasn't careful, he thought to himself as they finally emerged at the top. He could find himself starting to like Ginny Weasley. Sort of.

They both dropped their bags on one of the chaises by the pool and lingered there when they realized none of them had noticed their arrival. Ron's back was to them as he paced up and down while Harry calmly stood and watched with his hands in his pockets. Hermione and Luna were sitting at the table and Hermione looked as if she was trying hard not to laugh while Luna was happily sucking down her drink, clearly ignoring Ron's rampage.

“No, wait,” Draco said softly when Ginny made a move. “Let's just sit back and watch the show until someone finally realizes we're here.”

“But—”

“Seriously, Harry,” Ron barked as he threw up his hands. “What were you thinking?”

Harry sighed. “Ron, you're starting to repeat yourself…it's getting annoying.”

“I don't care! You invited Draco Malfoy! You're insane!”

“I told you, Ron,” he said in a calming voice. “I have my reasons and you need to deal with it. He's going to be here whether you like it or not and again, let me reassure you…if it doesn't work out, if he's rude or disrespectful to anyone here, I'll ask him to leave.”

Ron let out a frustrating growl as he stabbed his fingers through his hair. “Okay. Fine, I'm stuck with the asshole and I'll deal with it, but why did you have to put him on the same ferry as my little sister?”

“Because you're little sister, can handle herself against Draco Malfoy.”

“She does have quite the talent of hexing him,” Hermione pointed out with a giggle. “Remember fifth year?”

Ginny snorted back a chuckle. “I certainly do.”

Draco glared sideways at her. “Laugh it up, Red.”

“Just because she's hexed him a few times doesn't mean she can handle herself,” Ron snapped back. “She's still my little sister and it's my job to protect her.”

“Okay, I've heard enough,” Ginny muttered with narrowed eyes and stepped forward. “As you can see, Ronald, your little sister did handle herself against the big bad, Draco Malfoy.”

This time, Draco didn't hold back the grin as he decided to stay where he was and continue to watch the show.

Luna let out a shriek as she darted from her chair. “You're here!” she exclaimed as she threw her arms around her dearest friend. “I'm so glad! We're going to have so much fun!”

Ginny laughed as she looked down at her happy friend with a hazy look in her eyes. “Luna, are you drunk?”

“I don't know,” she said with a breathless laugh. “But I found out today I love margaritas! Would you like one?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ginny.” Ron came up to her and clasped his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Ginny patted his hand. “I'm just fine, Ronald. Stop being so dramatic.”

Ron scowled over at Draco who was standing by their bags with his arms over his chest. “He didn't try anything did he?” he asked looking back at his sister.

“Of course not,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “If anything he saved me from falling flat on my face. Twice. Now, let go, Ron.”

“What do you mean he—”

“I knew you could handle it,” Harry said walking up to them and put a hand on Ron's arm. “You can let go of your sister, Ron…as you can see she's still in one piece.”

“Harry!” Ginny laughed as she launched herself in his arms. “It's so good to see you!”

Harry chuckled as he hugged the girl that had once meant so much to him. Whether she still did…well, that would have to be something he needed to figure out. Later. “Good to see you, too, Gin.” He leaned back and grabbed her arms so he could see her properly. “You look great…and different.”

“Everyone changes in a year, Harry.”

He smiled. “I guess you're right.” He looked over at Draco and was slightly surprised to see a scowl on his face. “You're not too mad at me for putting you on a ferry with him, are you?”

“No, not at all,” she said casting a quick glance at him as well, frowning slightly at the scowl, then looked back at Harry. “I was surprised of course, that you invited him…but it wasn't that bad of a trip.”

“Good,” he said giving her a squeeze. “I better go over there. Help yourself to a margarita.”

“Don't mind if I do,” she said and ventured over to the table to greet Hermione who had a freshly poured glass for her. She took the glass then hugged Hermione. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey there,” she said with a smile then leaned back to study her. “Harry's right. You've changed somehow.”

“I have,” she confirmed before taking her first sip. “Okay…yum.”

Hermione laughed. “Couldn't have said it better myself.”

Harry made his way over to Draco, but halted as soon as he noticed Ron following him. “What are you doing?”

“I'm going with you.”

“No you're not,” he said shaking his head. “Stay there and let me deal with it.”

“Harry, I'm not going to let you…”

“Ron, this isn't school,” he said finally raising his voice an octave. “This isn't the war and Draco is not the enemy anymore. A lot has changed now and I don't think Draco accepted my invitation just to pick a petty fight with me. Now just stay here and let me handle it, okay?”

Because he had some decent points thrown in there, Ron gave in. “Fine,” he grumbled as he crossed his arm over his chest. “But…I'll be watching closely.”

He sighed. “Okay, Ron. You do that.”

Draco watched him finally leave Ron and make his way over to him. He had heard their little conversation and he had to admit that Harry had been right. They weren't technically enemies anymore…there wasn't any reason for them to fight with each other. There wasn't anything that Harry had that he wanted, he assured himself as he shifted his gaze over to Ginny who was now talking animatedly to Hermione and Luna. Absolutely nothing.

“Malfoy,” Harry said walking up to him.

Draco gave a nod. “Potter.”

There was a moment of silence for a moment, both men sizing the other up and waiting for the other to talk first or make the first move. “Okay, I'll start,” Draco finally said, breaking the ice. “What am I exactly doing here?”

“Good question,” Harry said as he tucked his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

“Well…do you have a reason for inviting me?”

“One or two. Do you have a reason for accepting my invitation?”

Draco he studied the man who he had been raised to despise. It was all so surreal that they were standing there having small talk. “One or two.”

“Maybe we'll both decide to share those reasons one day, but for now.” He held out his hand. “I'll just say welcome.”

Draco accepted his outstretched hand and gave one solid pump. “Yeah, thanks. Quite a beach house you've got here.”

“It does make a statement.” He slipped his hands back in his pockets. “How was the trip over?”

“Eventful. It started out with me missing the ferry and I had to apparate on to it. I practically apparated right on top of Ginny, she screamed so damn loud my eardrums are still bloody ringing.”

Harry's lips curved in amusement. “That would have been interesting to witness. Let me help with all these bags.”

“Okay, ah…most of these are Ginny's.”

“Really? You mean this pink floral bag isn't yours, Malfoy?”

“Cute,” he said dryly as he took the floral bag and threw it over his shoulders.

“I thought so,” he said as he hefted the first bag on his shoulder. “Jeez, why do women feel the need to pack so much shit?”

Draco's mouth tilted up. “One of life's mysteries,” he said as Harry grabbed the other bag and then followed him over to the rest of the gang.

“Hey guys,” Harry said to the rest to grab their attention. “Now that we're all here, why don't I show you where your rooms are. I'm sure everyone would like an hour to unpack and rest up before dinner.”

Luna gave a little twirl. “Sounds good to me.”

“Yeah, okay, easy on the margaritas, Luna,” he teased.

She smiled. “They're good.”

“Uh-huh. Anyway, I hired someone to cook our meals for us. Her name is Claudia and she's amazing in the kitchen.”

“You hired a cook?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, I thought it best since I didn't want to spend much time cooking myself. I'd rather spend time with you guys. She'll cook for us every day except the weekends…we'll be able to handle feeding ourselves for a few days.”

“Is she staying here?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, she has her own personal quarters off to the kitchen,” he explained. “So, she won't be in our way. She's a dear woman though and I like her a lot. She tends to the place while I'm gone, too.” Harry paused to shift one of Ginny's bags higher on his shoulder. “Anyway, we'll talk more over dinner about the plans for the next two weeks. For right now, let's go inside and I'll show you the rooms.”

“Wait,” Draco said before everyone could follow Harry inside. “Why don't we just go ahead and clear the air here.” He shifted his gaze to Ron. “Weaselbee, here, hasn't stopped glaring at me since I arrived. Why don't you just go ahead and say what's on your mind?”

“Oh, I thought you'd never ask,” he warned softly as he stalked over to him, feeling slightly smug since he had a few inches on him. “You don't belong here, Malfoy.”

“Ron—”

Draco simply held out a hand to stop Ginny. “No, let him talk.”

“You may have all of them fooled, but not me,” he continued. “I don't trust you.”

“Wow, there's a shocker,” Draco scoffed. “Ron Weasley doesn't trust a Malfoy. Alert the media.”

Ron scowled. “You think this is funny?”

Draco gave a careless shrug. “Maybe, but what it boils down to, Weasley, is that it doesn't matter what you think about me. This isn't your beach house…and you're not the one who invited me and it's not up to you whether I stay or go. That's Potter's decision and if he wants me gone, I'll leave. Until then, I'm here to stay…so get use to it.”

Ron pointed a threatening finger at him. “Just stay away from me and we won't have a problem.”

Draco sneered. “Gladly.”

Ron leaned closer. “And stay away from my sister,” he warned in a low tone that only he could hear.

Draco didn't respond, he only continued to sneer up at him until Harry finally dragged Ron away. “All right, cool it you two,” Harry said as he tugged Ron away. “You both had your say and now we're done…let's all just take an hour to unwind and settle in.”

Ron glared at Draco and then reached out and grabbed Ginny's bag he carried. “I'll take this.”

“Ugh,” Ginny said with a roll of her eyes as she took the bag from her brother. “I'll take it myself. I really hate it when you start playing your Macho Big Brother card.”

“Get over it,” he muttered as he took her arm and led her inside the house…away from Draco Malfoy.

Hermione wandered over to Harry as he guided them through the glass doors that led into the parlor room. “Still think it was a good idea to invite him?” she murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

“I have no idea,” he said as he snaked an arm through hers. “But I have a feeling we'll find out before the two weeks are up.”

-->

Chapter 5

Hermione loved her room. As soon as she was alone she kicked off her shoes and enjoyed the way her feet melted into the plush carpet. The four-poster bed was perched on a platform and she had let out a girlish giggle as she took a running leap and collapsed onto the feathered comforter. The sheets were satin and the pillows were so soft she practically sunk into them.

After she took a few giddy rolls over the bed, she made herself get up and prance into her private bathroom. “Oh my,” she sighed when she saw the oversized marbled Jacuzzi and told herself she'd use that every chance she got.

The shower wasn't too shabby either, with its glass doors and double showerheads. She admired the marbled countertop and the porcelain sink then made her way to the white double doors and her jaw dropped open as she gave the doors a tug.

“Holy crap,” she murmured as she walked into the walk-in closet. “It's almost as big as my room back home.”

She didn't bring near enough clothes to fill maybe half of the closet, but it still made her actually excited about unpacking. With a wide grin she went to back into the room to grab her bags and a knock on the door erupted as she lifted her bag onto the bed. “Come in.”

The door opened and Harry poked his head in. “Hey.”

“Hey, Harry,” she said as she unzipped her bag.

“Your just now unpacking?” Harry asked as he walked fully into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Yeah, I've been, ooo-ing and ahhing, over my room.”

Harry grinned as he walked over to her and stepped up onto the platform. “So you like it?”

“I love it,” she said with a laugh as she grabbed her first armful of clothes and walked into the bathroom.

“I'm glad,” he said and then noticed her bed. “You're bed's all wrinkled.”

“Yeah, I was taking the bed for a little joy ride,” she called out from the closet.

An image…a very inappropriate one…flashed through his mind before he could stop it. “Excuse me?” he said as he shook his head clear.

“Oh, nothing,” she said waving it off. “I was just rolling all over the bed. I couldn't help myself.”

Bloody hell. “Oh.”

She just laughed, completely oblivious of Harry's slight flustered look. “I know. It was silly.”

He cleared his throat. “Not at all. I'm glad you find it…comfortable.”

“More than,” she agreed before taking another load over to the closet. “This closet is huge, Harry…far too big for my wardrobe.”

Harry grabbed her bag and carried over to the closet so she wouldn't have to go back and forth. “I know it's pretty extreme…you should see mine.”

“I can imagine,” she said as she hung up a few of her brand new sundresses her mum had bought her on their shopping spree. “Are all the closets this big?”

“Mostly.” Harry leaned against the doorjamb as he watched her work. “Your room's a bit bigger than the others.”

Hermione paused from packing to lift a brow. “Oh? How'd I manage that?”

Harry grinned. “I drew straws.”

Hermione chuckled as she picked up one of her many tank tops she brought and folded them into one of the chest of drawers that was built into the wall. “Of course you did.”

He just shrugged. “Seemed fair.”

“And who drew the short end?” she asked as she closed the drawer.

“That would be Ronald.”

Hermione cracked a grin at him and he grinned right back before both busted out laughing. “Poor Ron.”

“Oh, he's fine.” Harry rolled his eyes. “His room is far from tiny. He'll live. I just wanted to make sure you girls had the better rooms. Merlin knows your gender packs more shit then mine.”

“You're right about that,” she sighed as she reached down to grab the last stuff out of her bag. “I'm not as bad as Ginny though, she should have had this closet.”

Harry couldn't respond. He was too distracted by the armful of delicates Hermione had just taken out. Harry didn't know if the gentlemen thing to do was to look away, but couldn't seem to do that as he was mesmerized by the pretty silk and lace she was carefully putting away.

Just don't imagine what she would look like in them, he told himself firmly as he swallowed hard at the black, laced knickers she had just folded. Just don't picture her in those black knickers…oh hell…too late.

“Harry, are you okay?”

“What?” he asked, now staring at the ivory satin bra she had dangling in her hands. He shook his head and blinked up at her. “What?”

Hermione's brows furrowed. “I asked if you were okay…you seemed like you were a little out of it.”

“Oh. Sorry.” His eyes flickered to the bra then quickly adverted. “I was just…er…hmm.”

Hermione watched the blush form in his cheeks as he shuffled his feet and looked away. She looked down at her hands then immediately understood. “Oh! Sorry!” She quickly tossed the bra inside and slammed the drawer. “I didn't even think about that.”

“It's okay,” he said with a nervous laugh as he ran his fingers through his hair. “It just…caught me off guard.”

“I bet,” she said and then a giggle popped out of her. “Sorry,” she said when he lifted a brow, and this time snorted out a laugh. “It's just that…I wasn't thinking and…it's just funny to me how something as harmless as knickers gets boys all flustered.”

“Excuse me?” Harry asked clearly insulted. “I was not flustered.”

She stopped laughing and gave him a little smirk. “Harry…you were blushing and shuffling your feet like a school boy.”

Harry crossed his arms defensively against his chest. “I was not.”

Hermione snickered. “Oh, come on. Admit it.” She opened the drawer and dangled one of her simple cotton panties. “I bet even these make you all hot and bothered.”

“Jeez, Hermione,” he said as he knocked her hand aside when she got closer. Now he had a clear, cut picture of her in crisp white knickers. It just wasn't right. “Cut it out, you're killing me here.”

She just chuckled as she tossed them back in the drawer. “Okay, I'll give you a break. You boys are so predictable.”

“Well, you're not obviously shy about it,” he muttered as he felt both relief and disappointment that all her intimates where packed and out of sight.

“Because it's you,” she said casually as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I know you don't think of me that way so it's easy to tease you about that kind of stuff.”

“Hmm,” he pondered. “I honestly don't know whether to be flattered or insulted by that comment.”

“Be flattered,” she teased as she playfully drilled a finger in his belly before bending down to get the rest of her clothes. “Don't worry, these are just swimsuits.”

“Ha, ha,” he said dryly but then his eyes bugged out and he reached out to snagged one of her tops. “Bloody hell, Hermione, these are worse! Do they even cover you?”

Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed the red bikini back. “Yes, they do, thank you very much. And don't start that protective crap with me, Harry.”

“Protective?” he repeated as he watched her dump her swimsuits in another drawer. “What does that mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” She closed the drawer then stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. “You're acting like Ron would act if Ginny stepped out in a bikini.”

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it firmly when he was stumped. Hermione shooed him aside and walked back into the bedroom. Harry slowly followed with a slight frown as he watched her slide her bag under the bed. Was that it? Was it protectiveness that made him act that way?

He thought about the little red bikini and quickly shook his head. No, it wasn't protectiveness, because if it had been…a part of him wouldn't be anxious to see how she looked in it. And why was that? Why was he all of the sudden imagining her in knickers and bikinis?

It was that stupid image of her rolling in bed, he decided as he rolled his eyes at himself. That was all. And then seeing the sexy underwear and bikinis just triggered his imagination and made it worse. It hardly meant that he felt that way about Hermione…that would be…weird. Wouldn't it? Yes, of course it would…this was Hermione. His best friend. Nothing more. It had been foolish of him to get so worked up about it.

“Harry, come over here,” Hermione said as she dragged out a red leather, bound book and then sat on the edge of the bed.

When she gave a friendly pat next to her, he smiled and made his way over and plopped down next to her. “What is that?”

She simply placed the book on his lap and nudged his shoulder, gesturing for him to open it. He opened the book and felt his heart tremble lightly in his chest when he saw the glossy postcard of the New York skyline glued on the page, then below it, was a duplicate of the postcard but it showed his messy, scribbling message he had jotted down over a year ago. “You kept them.”

“Of course I did,” she said, smiling at him when he looked up at her. “Each page is dedicated to one of your postcards.” She watched him he started to flip slowly through the album. “I love this one,” she said as she pointed to the picture of the Grand Canyon. “It's so beautiful.”

“It was,” he said with a soft smile. “I found this nice little rock to sit on and I don't think I moved from it for hours. It was so peaceful. I was writing this postcard to you when I was on that rock.”

Hermione shifted back and leaned behind Harry so she could see more clearly over his shoulder. “It was one of your longer messages,” she said as she perched her chin on his shoulder and began to read. “ `I'm sitting by the Grand Canyon and the atmosphere is incredible. There's magic here. I can feel it. Can't help but wish you were here. You would love this place.' ”

“You would have,” Harry said as he took another moment to admire the photo. “I planned on coming back eventually.” He tilted his head so he could smile at her. “You'll have to come with me next time.”

“I'd love it,” she said and then sighed when they both turned their attention back to the album. “I'd love to see all these places. You spent a lot of time in the States.”

“There was so much I wanted to see,” he said as he casually turned the pages. “The mountains, the beach.” He tapped the picture of a pod of orcas poking their heads out of the water. “This was when I went up to Alaska and did some whale watching. It was incredible.”

“I bet. You were in the States for about six months before you moved down to Mexico.”

“That sounds about right,” he said as he stopped at the page that held the picture of the coast of Puerto Vallarta. “I rented this place for about three weeks, then made the arrangements to purchase it before I left for Europe. I didn't want it to let it go.”

“I'm glad you didn't,” she said as she lifted her head to gaze around the room. “I'm already in love with this place.”

“Have you been out on the balcony yet?” he asked casually as he flipped his way through to his travels in Europe.

“What?” She gripped his chin and jerked his face towards hers. “I have a balcony?”

“Ow,” he winced. “Easy. And yes, you do.” He grabbed the hand that was still on his chin and angled his body to gesture behind them. “It's behind those doors…ah…the doors are covered by the curtains, that's why you missed it.”

“Oh my god,” she murmured then suddenly did a backwards roll onto the other side of the bed, then leaped off the bed and pranced to the double doors.

Harry watched in amusement as she whipped back the curtains, and then squealed in excitement as she did a little happy butt wiggle before opening up the doors. “Wow,” was all he could say as he set the album aside to join her. “Excited much?”

“Oh, Harry,” she exasperated as she leaned onto the rail and was dazzled by the endless ocean glimmering in the moonlight, entranced by the lazy sound of the surf crashing below. “It's gorgeous…absolutely breathtaking.”

“I'm glad you like it,” he said with a grin. “That was quite a spectacle you displayed there.”

She laughed up at him, the wind whipping around her face. “I know…I just love balconies and love being up high.”

Harry lifted a brow. “Really? I remember you being quite scared on the back of Buckbeak.”

“Yes, well…Buckbeak wasn't equipped with this nice safety rail,” she pointed out as she gave the sturdy railing a friendly pat.

Harry chuckled. “Fair enough.”

She smiled as she looked back out to the ocean. “It's going to be hard going back to the real world after being here for two weeks.”

“I know,” he said as he stuffed his hands in his back pockets as he shifted next to her and stared out. “But it'll be here whenever we want an escape.”

She sighed as she leaned against the railing. “That's comforting.”

After a moment of silence, Harry gave her a little nudge with his hips. “Thanks for showing me that album…it was fun looking back.”

She smiled as she hooked an arm through his. “You're welcome. Thank you for sending them…I was always so excited when I received them.”

“I wanted you to know where I was.”

She rested her cheek on his arm. “So I wouldn't worry about you?”

His lips curved. “Partly. But mostly because it was comforting to know that you knew where I was…and where I'd been.”

“Me, too,” she added and then let out a laugh. “I'd have probably gone crazy if I didn't know where you were.”

“Looks like you're being the protective one,” he teased.

“Maybe,” she said with a smile. “Old habits die hard.”

He just smiled and together spent a moment of silence looking out into the night. “Well,” he finally said and let out a reluctant sigh. He didn't want to go. “I better go downstairs and check on dinner. Make sure Claudia has everything she needs.”

Hermione pouted her lips. “Okay,” she mumbled as she slowly pulled away. She didn't want him to leave. “So…what's for dinner?” she asked as they walked back into her room and to the door.

“Fajitas.”

“Yum.”

Harry grinned as he opened the door and then, since it seemed like the think to do, bent down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “I'll see you in a bit.”

“Yeah…okay,” she managed to say and then watched him walk down the hall and disappear around the corner.

She couldn't help but be a bit surprised at his affections…she was the one that usually initiated any kind of physical contact. Strictly platonic of course. But he had never been the one to reach out like that…unless it was to grab her hand in danger…and then the one time at his parent's grave. That was a moment she'd never forget. She remembered how she felt when he draped an arm around her as they walked away. Although he wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeves, she knew that he had needed her. And it felt good to be needed.

And now, when he had leaned down and kissed her cheek, she had felt…loved. Again, strictly platonic, but when it came to love…did it really matter?

-->

~HM

Chapter 6

Harry stood just inside the open patio doors of the parlor room as he waited for his friends—and one guest—to come down and join him. He had a glass of bourbon on ice he was slowly sipping as he listened to the distant surf from below. He could smell the mixture of the flowers that were planted randomly around the outside of his house and immediately thought of Ginny.

Ginny Weasley. The girl who smelled like roses and dazzled him with her sparkling eyes and…spunky snogs. The question was, though—did she still dazzle him? Did he still get that funny feeling in his stomach when he looked at her? Or thought of her? He had thought about her a lot during his search for the Horcuxes and at the time, he thought it was love he had felt. But what if he had mistaken love for something else? He obviously cared about her and no matter what—she would always hold a special place in his heart. She had been his first real girlfriend. Cho—obviously—did not count.

Harry sighed in both misery and frustration as he took another sip before pushing himself away from the patio, turned into the room, and saw the woman in question lingering in the doorway. He waited to feel that sudden flutter in his stomach and—although she did look quite beautiful in her long green dress with gold swirly designs printed over it—he felt nothing. No tingle. No flutter. Crap.

“Am I early?” she asked as she walked into the room.

“What? Oh…no.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “Well, maybe a bit, but we're not on a timetable. Drink?”

Merlin, yes, she thought as she gave him her best confident smile she could muster. “Sure…that would great.”

“Come on up to the bar,” he said gesturing to the high table made out of rich dark mahogany with a smooth marble countertop. “What can I get you? It's mainly muggle liquor, but I do have some butterbeer.”

Ginny bellied up to the bar on and folded her arms across the surface. “What are those?” she asked pointing to the glass bottles behind him that were perched in diamond shaped cubby holes.

“Wine,” he said as he reached up and pulled a bottle of red and then leaned down in the small fridge and pulled out a white. “Very popular with the Muggles.”

“They look familiar,” she said studying the labels. “I think my dad brought a few bottles home one night. I believe my parents got quite tipsy.”

Harry chuckled. “It's really good. I like red myself, but during the summer it might be cooler to drink white.”

“I'll try the white then.”

“White it is,” he said and opened a drawer and pulled out the wine opener. “How are you liking your room?”

“Oh, it's beautiful,” she said with a sigh. “I love the bed…it's so comfortable. I'll admit…I rolled on it a few times like a nerd.”

Harry paused in his actions and waited for the image of Ginny rolling around the bed to get him stirred up. Again…nothing. Nada. Zilch. Damn it—why was that? “Uh—” He cleared his throat as he popped the cork. “That doesn't make you a nerd…in fact…I did the same thing my first night here.”

Ginny laughed as he turned to get down a glass. “You're a horrible liar, Harry.”

He just shrugged as he poured her the gold liquid into the oval shaped glass and held it out to her. “Give it a taste.”

Ginny accepted the glass and slowly took her first sip and a burst of flavor filled her mouth. “Mmm…it's wonderful! It almost lingers on your tongue.”

“It's a Chardonnay,” he said leaning over the bar on his forearms. “There are different types of White and Red,” he explained when she blinked up at him.

“I see.” She took another sip—a longer, greedier one. “Well it seems I like Chardonnay.”

“I'm glad.” Okay, now was a good time as any, he thought and took a small gulp of his drink to settle his nerves. “Gin—”

“Uh-oh,” she said as she set down her glass. “I know that tone…that's a serious tone.”

“Jeez, all I said was your name.”

“You said much more than that.” Because she needed it, she lifted her glass for another sip. “It was the same tone you used the day of Dumbledore's funeral….when you broke up with me.”

“Gin—”

“Ahh, now there's the apologetic tone.”

Harry sighed as he straightened himself back up. “Okay, look…I just wanted to talk to you about what's going on between us. I wasn't expecting it to be this soon, but since you were early…now seemed like the time to do it.”

“All right,” she said, trying her best to keep calm and composed. “I'm listening.”

“When I left in the middle of the night,” he began after a moment of getting his thoughts together. “I…probably should have handled it better. I was actually quite shocked when I got your letter, claiming you were okay with it and that you understood, but—”

“I was heartbroken.”

Harry blinked. “You…what?”

“The morning I woke up and found out you were gone? I was devastated.”

Shocked, Harry reached over and covered her hand with his “Gin, why didn't you tell me that in your letter?”

She let out a laugh. “Come on, Harry…how could I do that? As much as I wanted to beg and plead for you to return, I just couldn't. I know why you had to leave, Harry, and I don't blame you for that. I didn't want you to feel any guilt or remorse over it.”

Harry's hand tightened on hers. “I shouldn't have left in the middle of the night.”

“What's done is done,” she said and lifted her shoulder. “And honestly…it didn't take me long to realize that you leaving…was probably the best thing that could have happen to me.”

Harry blew out a long breath as he slid his hand from hers. “Wow…you really have changed, haven't you?”

“Yes,” she said and then laughter bubbled out of her. “Thank Merlin. Back then…I was a foolish, love-struck, teenager who couldn't see much past you.” She sighed as she shook her head. “I realized while you were gone, that before I knew what I wanted, I needed to find myself first. My last year in Hogwarts was a big turning point for me, Harry. It was the first time I could focus on myself.”

“And did you find yourself?”

Ginny gave him a slow smile. “I'll just say I'm on the right path. There's still something missing…I don't know what, exactly…but I can feel it…right here.” She knocked a fist to her heart. “I just don't know what it is.”

“You'll find it,” he said as he touched his glass to hers. “You're a very stubborn and determined young woman.”

She grinned over her glass. “Yes, I am.”

“So…where exactly do we stand?” Harry asked after a moment.

“That's a good question,” she said as she propped her chin on her hand. “But the good news is it's a question we don't have to answer tonight.”

Harry couldn't help but slump his shoulders in relief. “That's excellent news.”

Ginny grinned up at him. “Why don't we just take the next two weeks nice and slow? Do the friends thing for a bit and see where it takes us.”

Harry nodded. “I can do that.” He took another sip of his drink and then set it down. “Okay…let's hug it out.”

Ginny laughed as he rounded the bar to her and happily excepted the friendly hug, wrapping her arms around his neck as she rest her chin on his shoulder. “Good for me or not…I have missed you, Harry.”

Harry smiled as he leaned back and framed her heart shaped face with his hands. “I've missed you, too, Gin. I'm glad you're here.”

That was how Draco had found them. He stood at the doorway and studied their close stance, Harry's hands caressing her cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and the look of pure pleasure sparkling in Ginny's eyes. Something churned painfully in his gut at the same time his heart clenched uncomfortably in his chest. It was a feeling he was unfamiliar with. It was a feeling he did not like.

“Am I interrupting?” Harry and Ginny both looked over at him and it was Ginny who quickly stepped away. Draco lifted an intriguing brow at her as he stepped into the room. “I could always come back.”

“No, you're fine,” Harry said gesturing him in. “We were just catching up.”

“I see.”

“Drink?”

“Could I survive the night without one?”

“Probably not.” Harry walked back to the bar and Draco followed as Ginny walked up next to him and picked up her drink. “What would you like?”

“Malfoy likes Sex on the Beach,” Ginny said with a small smile.

“Who wouldn't?” Harry asked with a chuckle. “But in this case, I'm guessing she's talking about a drink?”

“It was a drink one of the crew members made me on the ferry,” Draco explained.

“I don't know how to make it.”

“That's okay…I'd like something stronger.”

Harry grinned and pulled out the bottle of Maker's Mark. “I think this will do the trick.” Harry quickly got out a glass, filled it with ice, then poured the dark, amber liquid almost to the rim. “Give it a try.”

Draco took the glass, sniffed it, winced slightly, took a long gulp—and then choked. “Bloody hell,” he cursed over Ginny and Harry's laughter.

“You might want to sip it,” Harry said with a chuckle.

“You could have warned me, Potter,” he said as his eyes started to water.

“I could have,” he agreed and then winked at Ginny. “But where's the fun in that?”

Ginny didn't bother suppressing a giggle. “I have a feeling the next two weeks are going to be just fantastic.” She held out her glass. “Cheers, boys…that is if you're brave enough to take another sip.”

Recognizing the challenge, Draco held up his glass with arrogance—despite the fact that his vision was still blurry—and clinked his with theirs. “Cheers,” he said and took another sip and did everything in his power to not gag. It was a challenge—but he managed.

XXX

Ron gave a quick glance to the digital clock next to his bed and found that he had a few minutes to spare, so he decided to check out the small terrace that jutted out from his bedroom. There were two small, iron chairs perched at each corner of the terrace but he ignored them since he didn't feel like sitting. He was too edgy.

Although he could hear the ocean from where he was, he couldn't see it since his room was on the other side of the house. Rich, green jungle life surrounded him and though he was up fairly high, he couldn't see the top of the trees. The trees were so thick he couldn't see much past them—even with the help of the bright moonlight shimmering down.

He was grateful for the hour of alone time they were given before dinner—he definitely needed the time to cool down. He realized that he had lost it a bit, but it was that Weasley Temper. It just couldn't be helped sometimes and it had definitely gotten him in trouble once or twice in his life—okay, maybe more than once or twice.

It wasn't as if he snapped over something stupid, this was Draco Malfoy, the guy that had given him hell for years. Was he supposed to just ignore all the times he insulted not only him, but his family as well? Hell no. And when he found out that Harry had carelessly tossed his little sister on the same ferry with the bastard—he thought he might explode.

He had imagined the worse. What if he tossed her overboard? What if he put his hands on her? Marked her? He was bound and ready to attack him when he showed up, but—Ginny had been fine. Not only fine, she had looked almost happy. She even commented on how Draco saved her from falling on her face? What was that all about?

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Just let it go,” he told himself as he took one calming breath before heading back in his room.

He wouldn't snap again, unless of course Malfoy did something to make him snap. He would keep an eye on him. There was no harm in that. He hadn't missed the way he had looked at his sister. It wasn't hateful or threatening, but he had a feeling it was much worse. “This should be interesting,” he muttered to himself as he stepped out into the hallway and headed towards the stairs.

He was just about to descend when a door to his left opened and Hermione stepped out. She had on a simple yellow dress that came to her mid thighs, weird strappy sandals with those ridiculously high heels and her hair was all piled wildly up on her head. “Hey.” He gave her a smile as she walked over to him. “You look—” Another door opened, this time to his right, and he turned to see Luna walking towards him. “Beautiful.”

She wore blue. Long, flowing silks of brilliant blue adorned her body and couldn't help but notice how it brought out the color of her eyes. Her hair was down, floating free around her face and down her back and shoulders. His fingers practically itched to get lost in it.

“Wow, Luna,” Hermione had said from behind him. “You look fabulous?”

“You think?” she asked with a brilliant smile and then did a little twirl.

Ron gulped when he saw a glimpse of her naked back. “Y-yeah,” Ron finally managed to stutter. “You look—” Breathtaking. Sexy. Bloody fantastic. “Good.”

Luna smiled over her slight disappointment. She was hoping for a bit more than, `good'. “I love your dress, Hermione.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said as she looked down at it. “It's new. My mum and I went a bit crazy last weekend with the shopping. Half my wardrobe is new.”

“Well Ronald?” Luna asked with a raised brow. “Are you going to escort us downstairs?”

“Sure,” he said holding out his arm for Luna, then turned and smiled at Hermione has he stuck out his other arm. “Wow…aren't I the lucky one?”

They heard laughter as they approached the parlor room and found Harry, Ginny and Draco all up at the bar. The laughter was coming entirely from Harry and Ginny, yet Draco's mouth was curved up in slight amusement. “That's just not normal,” Ron mumbled.

“No,” Luna said in agreement. “But it's nice to see.”

Harry was the first to see them as his mouth split into a grin, but it faltered an inch when he saw Hermione. Legs…all he could see were legs. How come he never realized what how fantastic her legs were? She wore short plaid skirts during most of the years he knew her for crying out loud. Why was he starting this obsession with her legs now?

Because he never really looked, he decided as he took a sip of his drink to quench his dry throat. He never really thought to look—he had so much going on at the time, he never really looked passed Hermione's neck when he talked to her. Well, he was getting his fill in now, and his best friend had very nice pair of ridiculously long legs.

“Hey,” Harry finally said with his eyes still trained on Hermione. He was so focused on her, he had barley noticed the flutter that went through his belly and absently blamed it on the whiskey. I should probably ease off a bit, he thought as he pushed his glass aside and gestured them in. “Who wants a drink?”

“I'd love one,” Hermione said as she walked over towards the bar and stood next to Draco. “Malfoy.”

“Granger.”

“What are you drinking?” she asked as she wrinkled her nose. “I can smell it from here.”

“Something called, whiskey, and it's quite potent. I think Potter may be poisoning me.”

Hermione chuckled. “Don't worry, I think you're safe. My dad drinks the stuff almost every night and he's still alive and kicking.”

“That's…reassuring…thank you.”

“Try the wine, Hermione,” Ginny said leaning over the bar to look at her. “It's wonderful.”

“Sure, that's sounds good,” she said. “But I'd like red.”

“Coming right up,” Harry said as he turned and brought down a bottle of Cabernet. “Luna? Would you like some?”

Luna was lingering behind Hermione and Draco. “I think I'll stick with water tonight…still feeling the affects of the margaritas.”

“You got it,” he laughed and after he poured Hermione's drink, he bent down to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and served it over ice. “Here you go.”

Draco looked over at Ron, who was still at the doorway, watching him closely. “Bar's getting a little crowded,” he finally said to no one in particular. “Take my spot, Luna.”

Ron watched him walk over to the other side of the room to the small couch, then strode his way over to the bar, wiggling himself between Hermione and Luna. “I'll try some of that whiskey…hey, where are you going?” he asked Luna when she started to walk off.

“I'm going over to join Draco,” she stated and then started to leave but was halted when Ron grabbed her forearm. “Careful, Ronald…I'm not your little sister, so I suggest you let go of my arm.”

Ron was so shocked by the cold, hard tone in her voice he could do nothing but let go. He had never known Luna to have a temper.

“Wow,” Harry said with a chuckle. “I don't think I've ever seen Luna that mad before…way to go, Ron.”

“Shut up,” he muttered as he turned back to the bar and sulked.

“May I join you?”

Draco looked up from his drink, then, blinked in surprise when he saw Luna standing over him. He then looked back over to the bar to see Ron burning holes through him. “I don't think Weasley is too happy that you're over here…so, sure…have a seat.”

“Thanks.” She smiled as she gracefully sat down and relaxed herself next to him. “Are you enjoying yourself, Draco?”

“I'm not sure,” he said as he looking at her and found him self deeply regretting all the times he had given her a hard time at school. He never really thought much about Luna Lovegood, all he knew was that she was weird and different and was severely picked on by many of the students at Hogwarts. And since he knew his father would disapprove of someone like Luna, he had teased her and picked on her as well. Another reason to despise his father, he thought with disgust as he took a long sip of his drink before setting it down on the glass coffee table in front of him. “Can I let you know?”

“Sure,” she said as she smiled radiantly at him. “I bet though, after awhile, you'll find yourself actually liking our company. Maybe even Ronald's.”

Draco snorted out a laugh. “I doubt that…Weasley has no reason to like or trust me. I guess I can't blame him for it.”

“Liking and trusting someone has to be earned,” she said and then took a sip of her water.

“I know…believe me that was something I've learned over the year.” He paused as he shifted himself in the couch so that he would be facing her. “I have to say I'm kind of surprised you came over here to talk to me. I was hard on you in school.”

“Everyone was hard on me,” she pointed out with a shrug. “Even Ronald teased me a bit at first, but it was Harry who accepted me right away with no questions asked.”

“Potter the Saint,” Draco muttered. “He makes us all look bad.”

Luna giggled. “Maybe, but you're getting there, Draco. Oh, not a Saint,” she added when he gave her a look. “You have too much bad boy in you to be, but…you're getting there. It was something I could tell almost right away, it's why I came over to talk to you. You're a bit of an outsider here and since I know how that feels, I guess I wanted to make you feel more…welcomed.”

Surprisingly touched, Draco shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I don't deserve it…not after the way I've treated you.”

“That's in the past,” she said as she waved a hand at him. “Now, is what's important…at least to me…and so far you've proven to me you have changed. Two years ago you probably would have said something rude or crude if I came up to you like I did.”

He wanted to deny it, but obviously, she was right. “Yeah…I would have. I was an idiot…brainwashed by my asshole of a father.”

“Well…you're obviously not brainwashed now.”

“No…No, I'm not.” He picked up his drink but only swirled it around as he studied her. “You're not as weird as I remember you being.”

Completely un-offended, Luna's laughter rang out. “My father said the same thing. I guess the war changed me a bit, but don't worry…I'm still weird. It just doesn't come out as often as it did in the past.”

“That's a shame.”

Luna smiled. “I think I'm going to start liking you, Draco Malfoy.”

He couldn't help but smile. “Same goes, Luna Lovegood.”

“Hey guys.”

They looked up to see Harry standing on the other side of the coffee table while the rest were slowly leaving the room. “Dinner's ready.”

“Oh...great, I'm starved!” Luna jumped from her seat and looked down at Draco. “How about you?”

He grinned as he got up as well. “Famished.”

-->

Chapter 7

“Well, that went well,” Harry said surprisingly as he leaned back in his chair across from his two best friends who came out to the veranda with him. He wanted to spend some time with just the two of them. Being with them like this was something he had missed fiercely while he was away. “I was expecting Ron, here, to leap over the table and attack Malfoy at any moment. Thanks for resisting.”

“And here I thought I was being subtle about it.”

“Please,” Harry said with a laugh. “If looks could kill.”

“They were just so chummy,” he said, still pouting about it. “Watching Luna and Draco talk and laugh together as if they've been best friends for years? It was disturbing.”

“It was interesting,” Hermione pointed out as she slid her aching feet out of her shoes. “That must have been quite a conversation in the parlor room.”

“Are you okay?” Harry asked when he saw her wince.

“My feet are killing me,” she said with a groan as she lifted one foot to rub it. “It's those damn shoes…they aren't broken in yet.”

“I honestly don't know how you girls can walk in shoes like that.”

Hermione sighed. “Talent, Ronald. Pure talent. Of course we suffer afterwards.”

“Well, on behalf of the male population,” Harry began with a grin. “Let me thank you for wearing shoes like that. They really show off the legs…don't they Ron?”

“I guess,” he said with a shrug and then thought of the pair of shorts Luna had on earlier. “But not as much as really short shorts. Thank Merlin for the man who invented those.”

“How do you know it was a man?” Hermione asked.

“Because…only a man can appreciate a nice pair of legs,” Harry said, answering the question himself.

“Brilliant answer, Harry.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Ron.”

Hermione couldn't help but smile. “I guess you have a point,” she admitted and then let out a whiny groan. “And if one of you will rub my feet I will love you forever and ever.”

Ron scrunched up his face. “Honestly, Hermione, you know I have a thing about…feet,” he scoffed and then gave a dramatic shudder.

“Oh, yeah…you and your weird feet phobia.” She then turned slowly to Harry and gave a wide, cheesy grin. “Hi.”

“Hi, there.”

“You don't have a weird feet phobia, do you Harry?”

“Not that I know of,” he said and chuckled when she gave him a pleading look. “All right, bring them here.”

She grinned, ear to ear, as she plopped her feet in his lap. “Thanks, Harry! You're the…oh.” Her eyes fluttered closed when his large hands covered her feet, then hissed out a breath when his thumbs pressed firmly against her aching soles. “Bloody hell.”

“Am I hurting you?” he asked with concern.

“No,” she sighed as she let her head fall back against the chair. “It feels good. Merlin, you're good at this.”

“Really?” he asked, slightly pleased. “That's good to know.”

“Didn't you ever rub Ginny's feet?” she asked.

“Nope.”

She let out a tiny moan when he moved down to her arches. “Why not?”

He shrugged. “She never asked.”

“Well,” Ron stated as he sat up and slapped his hands on the arms of his chair. “I've just discovered that my weird foot phobia includes watching other people rub someone's feet. So…I'm out.”

“Oh, we're sorry,” Hermione said as she reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could leave. “We'll stop.”

“No, don't,” he said with an easy grin. “You seem to need it…I certainly could never walk in those things. Anyway, I think I'm going to go up and talk to Luna…make sure she still likes me and everything.”

Hermione's eyes softened. “Of course she still likes you, Ron.”

“Yeah…well, still…I owe her an apology. I'll see you guys in the morning.”

“Night, Ron,” Harry said, nodding at him as he walked off.

“Ron,” Hermione said, halting him by the open patio doors. “You and I…we'll talk soon. Okay?”

Ron smiled. “Sure,” he said, giving a slight nod of understanding, before finally slipping inside the house.

Hermione sighed at the empty doorway. “You don't think he was really mad, do you?”

“He didn't seem to be.”

“No…he didn't.” She then looked back at him and frowned at his stilled hands. “Why did you stop?”

“Oh, sorry,” he said and then put both hands on one foot to give it extra attention.

Hermione tilted her head back on a lazy moan as she closed her eyes. “I might just fall asleep here.”

Harry smiled as he pressed his thumbs hard against her soles again, since that seems to be the place she ached most. “If you did that, I would have to carry your lazy butt upstairs.”

“You're a big boy…you can handle it.”

“I guess,” he said with a grin as he moved his attention to the other foot. “So, I talked with Ginny earlier.”

She kept her eyes closed, but her brows lifted. “You did?”

“Yeah…before Draco had come down.” He hesitated as he kept on kneading and caressing. “I didn't plan on it…I thought maybe I'd wait till at least tomorrow, but...it seemed liked that time was as good as any. We were alone…waiting for everyone else to come down.” He set down her foot and took both feet in each hand, rubbing gentle circles with his thumbs. A long, sexy, moan escaped from the back of her throat, and couldn't help but feel slightly smug.

“Well, how did go?” she asked when he remained quiet.

Harry cleared his head with a slight shake. “Sorry. Pretty good, actually. I apologized for leaving suddenly…she admitted to me that she was devastated.”

“I thought she might be,” Hermione said opening her eyes. “It sounds like her to put on a brave face for you. She wouldn't want you to feel guilty.”

“That's exactly what she said. Anyway, she also told me that, me leaving was probably the best thing that could have happened. She admits that she needed some time away from me in order to find out what she really wanted. She was actually able to focus on herself.”

“Wow,” Hermione said after awhile. “It sounds like she's come a long way from the love-struck teenager.”

“Definitely,” Harry said with a nod. “Neither of us know what we want, but we decided to take these next few weeks nice and slow. Right now, were strictly friends, and who knows? Maybe it'll change after a few days, but…”

“But?” she asked when he trailed off.

“But…I can't see it happening.” His hands paused on her feet as he blew out a long, unsteady breath. “That's horrible of me to say…I shouldn't discount her so quickly.”

Hermione lifted her feet off his lap and leaned forward to place a hand over his. “Harry, it's not horrible. If that's how you feel, then you need to be honest with not only Ginny, but yourself.”

Harry lifted a shoulder in uncertainty. “It's just that…it was nice…talking with her that way. Laughing with her and being with her just as her friend. It was like it had been before I started to feel things for her. How can that be? How can I go from loving her one moment, to thinking of her as kind of a…well, I won't say sister, because…well, that be weird.” He let out a defeating groan as he plopped his forehead on the table. “Am I making any sense?”

Hermione laughed softly as she rubbed his back sympathetically. “Surprisingly, yes. Loads of sense.”

He snorted. “Of course I am.”

“Harry, it could be that what you felt for Ginny wasn't love…you just might have mistaken it for something else.”

“Funny, I was just thinking that before she came down.” He let out frustrating sigh. “I hate this. I don't want to hurt her.”

Hermione stood up so she could lean down and hug him from behind. “Don't stress over this,” she murmured soothingly in his ear as she rubbed his shoulders. “Like you said…she doesn't know what she wants either. It could be that she's in the same boat as you. Just…take it a day at a time. It'll all work out.”

“Ah, Hermione,” he said as he lifted hand to pat hers on his shoulder. “My voice of reason.”

She chuckled softly. “Always.” She titled her head and gave him a quick peck on his temple. “C'mon…it's getting late and I can tell you're exhausted.”

“Yeah,” he said, gripping her hand to keep her there for a moment longer, before finally letting go and leaning back. “You'll be the one that might have to carry me.”

She laughed as he got up from his chair. “I don't think I could do it. Unless magic was involved.”

“Oh, I don't know,” he said as he grabbed her biceps and squeezed. “You got some muscle on you.”

“You think?” she asked as she flexed her muscles.

“Oh, yeah,” he laughed and then shifted behind her. “Let's give it a try.”

“Harry, no!” she laughed when he grabbed her shoulders as if he was about to jump on her back. “I'll fall and break both our necks.”

Harry let her squirm away from him, but smiled as he hooked an arm around her neck. “You don't have much faith in yourself.”

Hermione playfully pinched his side. “Don't make me hurt you.”

Harry flinched as he slapped her hand away. “Ow…cut it out.”

“You're such a wimp.”

“Hey,” he said as slightly offended. “Person who defeated Voldemort—” He held up a sturdy hand. “Right here.”

“Oh please,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “That's old news.”

Harry gave an exaggerated wince. “You wound me, Granger…you seriously wound me.”

“You'll live,” she said and then laughed as she tugged him close to her side. “You always do.”

XXX

Luna was just about to sink into her overly large and incredibly comfortable bed when someone knocked on the door. She sighed longingly at her turned down bed. “I'll be right back,” she said to it, giving it a loving pat before walking towards the door.

She stopped halfway, looking down at her blue and gold plaid boxers and her white, tank-top, and then shrugged it off. It was probably just Ginny, anyway, she thought as she opened the door. Oops…wrong Weasley. “Hello, Ronald.”

“Hi,” he said as he tried hard not to shuffle his feet. He heard a hint of that cool, distant tone in that simple phrase. “Can I…oh…sorry.” He felt his face flush a bit when he looked realized what she had on. Merlin…pajama shorts were just as fantastic as regular shorts. Possibly, better. “I didn't mean to…Were you sleeping?”

“No.” She stepped back from the door. “Would you like to come in?”

“Thanks.” He walked in to her room and let his eyes wander. It was more feminine than his was, with the rose colored walls and the pink and white canopy bed. The room even smelled like a woman. “Nice. Yours is a bit bigger than mine, but, then again, I don't need all this space.”

“Who does?” Fighting the urge to tug down her shirt, Luna crossed her arms over her chest. “What can I do for you, Ronald?”

“I really wish you would stop doing that,” he said as he turned to her.

“Do what?”

“Talk to me in that ice cool tone of yours.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. “It makes me feel all small and insignificant.”

Luna's lips curved upward. “Good.”

Ron sighed. “I deserved that…I wanted to apologize to you.”

“Oh?” She lifted one, teasing brow. “For what, exactly?”

His eyes narrowed. “You fully know what, Luna.”

“Maybe. But if that's your apology, you're going to have to do better than that.”

He let out a frustrating growl as he ran his fingers through his hair. “All right, fine. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that…I was out of line.”

Luna's hard eyes immediately turned soft as she let out a sigh. “Apology accepted. And I'm sorry, too.”

Ron blinked. “For what?”

“Well, technically, you just grabbed my arm, you never really forbid me to go over to him. I didn't even give you a chance to speak.”

Ron shook his head as he took a step closer. “No, you were right to act the way you did. I might not have said anything, but I think my actions spoke loud and clear. I didn't want you to go and talk to him.”

How did he get so close to her? she wondered as she tilted her head up to look at him. “Why not?”

“You know why.”

Her heart shuddered. “I do?”

“Sure,” he said smiling softly. “You're my friend, Lunakins,” he said as he playfully tucked her chin with his fingers.

“Oh,” she said with a wobbly smile. “Of course.”

“I care about you,” he continued, missing the sadness in her eyes. “I hated the thought of him hurting you.”

“He didn't,” she assured him and gave him a friendly, reassuring pat on the arm before stepping back. She had to step away from him—his closeness was making her crazy. “In fact, he was rather nice. We had a good talk and he admitted to me how much he regrets the times he tormented me. I told him that was in the past and it didn't matter.”

“How can it not matter?” he asked as he threw up his hands. “He was cruel to you.”

“A lot of people were cruel to me, Ronald…even you were at first.”

If she had slapped him, he couldn't have been more surprised. “Luna…I never…”

“You didn't think I noticed? Oh, you were more subtle about it than most…I'll give you that…but I saw all the times you were laughing at me behind my back.”

“I was an idiot,” he blurted out as he reached for her. “No, don't back away. Come here.” He pulled her slowly towards him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him. “I'm sorry. I'll repeat myself and say I was an idiot. I never took the time to really see you.”

Luna closed her eyes as she took a moment to savor the way she felt in his embrace. Her arms were folded and trapped between them and her cheek rubbed against his chest as she listened to the steady beat of his heart. She felt warm and safe in his arms. She never wanted to leave. “It's okay, Ron. You saw me eventually.” However, there was still so much more of her he had yet to see.

“Thank Merlin,” he said with a soft chuckle as he ran a hand down her hair. “My life is definitely more colorful with you in it.”

Luna smiled as she felt her heavy heart begin to lift. “Really?”

“Most definitely,” he said as he began to let her go and found the task difficult to do. She had felt good in his arms. She was warm and comforting and also couldn't help but notice how well she fit against him. “I'm just sorry I didn't see it at first.”

She barely resisted the urge to slink back in his arms. “Better late than never, Ronikins”

He grinned. “Well said, Lunakins.” He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are we good?”

A chill rushed through her body at his touch. “We always were.”

“Good,” he said, and then frowned when he noticed her shiver. “You're cold. I should go…let you get in bed where it's nice and warm.”

Luna hugged her body as she walked him to the door. She didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to join her in that nice and warm bed. Get over it, she told herself firmly. Get over him. “Ronald?”

“Hmm?” he asked as he opened the door.

“He has changed, you know,” Luna said gently.

“I know,” he admitted with a soft smile. “I can't argue that, but…it's still going to take me some time to…accept him.”

“No one's asking you to be his friend, Ronald. Just…maybe…ease off on the death glares, okay?”

Ron let out a soft chuckle. “I'll try,” he promised and then began to close the door behind him. “See you tomorrow.”

“Good night,” she said and then once alone, leaned back against the door. She had to snap out of it. She had to try to find away to distance herself from him, but how could she do that? Especially, after all the wonderful things he had just said to her. My life is definitely more colorful with you in it.

“Ronald,” she whispered as she butted her head back against the door. “How am I supposed to fall out of love with you when you say things like that?”

-->

Hey guys! I know this one has taken a little while and for the most part, it will be awhile between my updates, especially with the holidays coming up. I hope you enjoy this update and hopefully I'll get another update soon. I have a lot of ideas for this story, but my problem is trying to figure out what comes next. So, be patient with me like you always do! Love you guys!

~HM

Chapter 8

Ginny woke up surprisingly early the next morning and found her self rolling out of bed, instead of throwing the covers back over her head like she normally would. She yawned, stretched and then padded her way to her balcony, flipping back the curtains to let the soft morning sun shine through the glass windows.

A sleepy smile spread across her face as she stepped out and took in the magical world around her. The sunrise, the light wind and the lazy sounds of the surf…she wanted to be a part of it and not just from a balcony. She looked over to her left and could see the stretch of beach curve and mold with the island until it disappeared around the bend and out of sight.

She'd go for a walk on the beach, she decided as she ran inside to throw on some clothes. She kept it simple with a pair of gray cotton shorts and a green t-shirt, and then shuffled her feet into a pair of black flip-flops. She pulled back her hair in a sleek tail as she made her way to her door and quietly snuck out of her room, not wanting to wake any body up that might still be sleeping.

She was halfway down the stairs when an intoxicating aroma lingering in the air. “What is that?” she murmured to herself as she followed the alluring scent down the hallway.

She stopped at the open doorway that led to a very large living room with high ceilings and a wide glass wall on the far side to show off the incredible view of the ocean. She lingered there a moment, admiring the ridiculously oversized telly perched arrogantly on a high piece of dark wooded furniture. “That's impressive,” she said with a shake of her head, before continuing down the hallway.

The scent was getting stronger and came from what she assumed was the kitchen. She pushed through the swinging door with her nose tilted up, but stopped almost immediately when she saw Claudia stationed in front of the stove. Since she didn't move far enough into the room, the swinging door came back and hit her from behind, causing her to yelp.

Claudia looked up from the sizzling bacon and smiled warmly at her. “Good morning, Miss Weasley,” she greeted with her thick, Hispanic accent.

“Good morning, Claudia,” she said stepping hesitantly into the kitchen. Harry had given a quick introduction to everyone last night at dinner, and from what Ginny could tell, she was a sweet woman. And one fantastic cook. She was short, pleasantly plump…possibly in her mid fifties. Her long black hair was pulled back into a braid, like it was last night, and her rich brown eyes twinkled warmly her. “I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you.”

“No, no,” she said and gestured her in with her spatula. “Come…would you like some coffee?”

“Is that what smells so good?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “You…never had?”

“No,” she said with shaking her head. “But I would sure like to change that.”

Claudia set down her spatula and went over to the cabinet, and stepped on a stool to reach for a cup. “Milk and sugar?” she asked as she poured the dark, steamy liquid into a short, wide glass.

“I guess,” she said with a laugh. “I don't know.”

Claudia doctored it up and handed it to her. “You tell me if you like. Blow…it's hot.”

Ginny smiled softly. “You sound like my mum,” she said but gave a few cooling, puffs, before taking a tentative sip. “Mmm.” Ginny's brows lifted, pleasantly surprised. “That's fantastic.”

“Good,” Claudia said with a firm nod as she turned her attention back to the bacon. “You enjoy.”

“I will,” she said and took another sip. “I was thinking of taking a walk on the beach.”

“Yes, good idea,” she said and glanced out at the windows above the sink. “Beautiful morning. Mister Malfoy is already down there.”

Ginny choked slightly on her coffee. “Oh.” She gave a little cough as she set down her mug. “Well…maybe I shouldn't…”

“No, no,” Claudia said setting down her spatula again and went to her and gave her a nudge. “Beach is big enough for two of you. You go.”

“Well…all right,” she said and couldn't help but laugh when she gave her another reassuring push towards the small door leading to the veranda. “How do I get down there?”

Claudia opened the door for her and pointed ahead. “Follow those stairs down and at bottom is small trail that leads to beach.”

“Thanks, Claudia,” she said with a smile. “And for the coffee.”

“You're welcome. Enjoy your walk. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Sounds good,” she said as she felt her tummy start to growl. “I'm hungry.”

“Don't worry, I feed you,” she said with a laugh before disappearing back inside the kitchen.

Ginny walked over to the curvy stone steps and slowly made her way down before stepping on the cool sand at the bottom. The trail wasn't thick, only a few palm trees outlined a narrow path that shot out to the beach. She could see the ocean between the trees before she even reached the end but a smile bloomed on her face when she popped out on the other side. It was just as beautiful from down here then it was from her balcony. Possibly more.

The sand was still slightly cool since the sun had yet to fully rise and it kicked up from her shoes as she made her way to the surf. As soon as the sand turned wet and firm, she kicked of her flip-flops and enjoyed the way her bare feet sunk gently into the sand. She strolled to the surf and let out a breathless laugh when the cool waters rushed up to meet her. She danced a bit, since it was a bit chilly, but eventually she got use to it and continued to walk aimlessly along the surf.

She hadn't gotten far when she first noticed the pile of clothes half buried in the sand. With a slight frown she went over to see a pair of jeans and a gray cotton t-shirt, and then remembered that Claudia had told her Draco was already at the beach. She heard a rhythmic splash behind her and turned on her heels to see Draco swimming towards her parallel to the shoreline a few yards out.

He had his head face down in the water as his muscular arms rotated in and out of the water and although she sure the process was tiring—he seemed to make it look effortless. He stopped suddenly almost right in front of her and sunk beneath the surface only to come right back up. His back was to her—an extremely hot back, she thought as she practically drooled over the way his muscles moved when he flicked back his wet, tangled hair with his fingers.

When he started to turn around and walk to shore, she let out a little shriek as she spun around. Due to the pile of clothes at her feet, Draco was probably naked and although a part of her was tempted to sneak a peak, she made herself keep her back to him. She heard him walking in the surf, closer and closer to her and then gulped when she felt his presence behind her.

“Morning, Red.”

The corner of her lips tugged up in amusement. She was starting to like it when he called her that. “Malfoy.”

“What are you doing out here?”

“Oh, you know,” she said with a slight shrug. “Just thought I'd take a quick walk on the beach.”

“I see. You know, usually, when two people are having a conversation, they're actually looking at each other. That's usually how it works.”

“I…I turned around because I thought you might be…”

“Be?” He asked when she hesitated, dragging out the word.

“Well…you know…naked.”

“Really?”

She could almost hear the mischievous grin in his voice. “Well, there's a pile of clothes here…what did you want me to think?”

“Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?”

She couldn't help the blush that erupted all over her face. “I'd rather not.” She squatted down and picked up the pile of clothes and handed it to him without turning around. “Just put those on.”

“I'm all wet. I need to air dry first.”

She barely managed to fight back a groan by disguising it as a frustrated growl. “Fine…stay here naked, I'll just…no don't!”

He grabbed her arm and spun around and couldn't stop the laughter when she slapped a hand over her eyes. “I didn't realize you were such a prude.”

Her back immediately went up as she flew her hand away and narrowed her eyes. “I am not a prude and…you're wearing your boxers.”

A chuckle rumbled out of his chest. “Jeez, Red…you almost sound disappointed.”

“Hardly,” she scoffed as she crossed an arm over her chest. A part of her—a very small, teensy-weensy part of her—had been curious to find out what he had looked like naked. So, even though she'd never admit to him, she was slightly disappointed. “So…what are you doing up so early?”

“Didn't sleep well last night,” he said as they both turned in unison and began to slowly walk along the surf together. “First night at a strange place always makes me edgy.”

“I can understand that. As for me?...As long as there's a comfortable bed, I can sleep just about anywhere.”

“You're lucky. I'll probably sleep a little better tonight.”

She just nodded as they kept the slow, lazy pace, with the endless shoreline in front of them and the distant house at their backs. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“You can ask…I might not answer.”

“Fair enough.” She stopped long enough to bend down and picked up a small shell peaking out of the sand, then continued her stride. “What have you been doing the past year?”

“Traveling mostly,” he said as he watched her reach down for another shell. “Here.” He held out his shirt to her. “You can use it as a pouch if you want.”

“Oh…thanks.” She accepted it with a pleasing smile and then fiddled with the shirt so it made a nice little bag for her shells. “Did you travel alone?”

“Sometimes…but mostly with my mother.”

“Really?” she asked looking up at him from her squatting position. She plopped the shell in his shirt as she stood up. “That's sweet.”

Draco shrugged, a bit embarrassed. “Not really…we just…never had a chance to spend time with each other. Now with my father and Voldemort out of the way, we can finally spend normal time together. And stop looking at me like that…it's not a big deal.”

“Be embarrassed all you want, Malfoy…but it is a big deal.” She rummaged through her shells until she found the one she wanted. “Here.”

Draco looked down at the pink, swirled shell she had plopped in his hand. “Uh…thanks, Red…but I'm not really into shells.”

“It's not for you,” she said and pushed back his hand when he held it back to her. “It's for you to give to your mother.”

“Why?”

She let out an exasperated breath. “Why not? Doesn't she like gifts?”

“Well, yeah…what woman doesn't? But…what is she going to do with some dinky little shell?”

“It's not dinky,” she said insulted. “It's the prettiest one I've found so far. And it doesn't matter what she's going to do with it Malfoy…if it comes from you, she'll cherish it till the day she dies. But fine, if you don't like that one…we'll find a better one.”

“It's fine,” he said lifting his hand when she tried to take it back. “You're right…I'm sure she'll love it.” He lifted his jeans so he could tuck it away in his pocket. “So, what about you? How was Hogwarts, post war?”

“Wonderfully normal,” she said as she kept her gaze low to look out for shells.

“That sounds almost boring.”

“Not at all,” she said as she retrieved another shell, brushing off the sand before adding to her collection. “It was nice to have a normal, carefree year where the only thing I had to stress about was Quidditch and homework.”

“I guess. I don't particularly know what that's like.”

“No, I imagine not,” Ginny said and felt incredibly sad for him. “What was it like? Being a Death Eater?”

He stiffened. “You don't know want to know.”

“But—”

“Drop it, Ginny,” he snapped as he whipped his head towards her and glared.

She immediately retreated a step back at the tone. “I…sorry, I didn't mean…”

“No,” he said as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and he hated himself for putting it there. He didn't want to be that person anymore. He took a deep calming breath as he opened his eyes to her. “I'm sorry…I shouldn't have snapped at you.”

“That's okay,” she said as she stepped back towards him.

“No, it's not,” he said running his fingers through his hair. “Look…that part of my life…it's in the past and I don't much like bringing it up.”

“I can understand that, Draco,” she said reaching out to him and placed a hand on his arm. “But maybe talking about it would help, instead of burying it.”

“Burying it is the only way I know how to get over it,” he said and then gripped her hand on his arm when he saw her open her mouth to argue. “Leave it alone, Red. Please,” he added when his voice had hardened slightly.

Ginny sighed in defeat. “All right. I'll drop it.” For now. “We should probably head back. Breakfast should be ready by now.”

“Okay,” he said but didn't make any action to move, nor did he remove his hand that was covering hers.

Ginny felt a certain tingle in her belly at the way he was staring at her and how did he get so close? Did he move or did she? “Ah…I need my hand back,” she finally managed to say as she tried to tug her hand away.

“Oh.” He slid his hand away from hers. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” She barely resisted the urge to snap back her hand and managed to lift it off slowly and smoothly. “Well, we should probably—”

“Right. Let me just—” Draco flicked out his jeans and quickly tugged them on over his hips. “Wouldn't be a good idea to stroll in the kitchen with you in just my boxers.”

Ginny turned her head slightly to hide her blush. “I suppose not.”

“Wouldn't want your brother to get the wrong idea. Or Potter”

She spun her head immediately back around. “Or Potter? What's that suppose to mean?”

Draco's brows lifted. “What do you mean? You're with Potter, right?”

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. “I don't know, am I?”

“Don't do that,” Draco said waving his hands. “I hate it when you girls do that. When you repeat the question we just asked you in that snooty tone. We really hate that.”

“We really don't care,” she answered back.

“Look,” he said calmly with a sigh. “I had just assumed that you two patched things up after I walked in on you two last night. You guys looked pretty cozy if you asked me.”

“Well I didn't ask you,” she said as she drilled a finger in his chest. “And it's none of your business.”

“I'm not saying it is,” he said and when she didn't move her finger, he gripped it gently between his index finger and thumb and casually moved it aside. “Now, if we're done here…let's go…I'm hungry.”

Ginny watched him walk off for a few moments, before letting out a frustrating sigh as she caught up with him. “Harry and I aren't together…technically…yet.”

Draco didn't miss a beat as he kept on walking, but couldn't help but notice the feel of something loosen in his belly. “Whatever,” he finally said shrugging it off.

“No…honest.”

“I believe you.”

“We're just…seeing how things goes during the next few weeks.”

“Okay.”

“Because we don't want to rush things.”

“Sounds reasonable. Don't forget your shoes.”

“What?” she asked, getting slightly annoyed by his dry, nonchalant answers. “Oh,” she said when he pointed to her black flip-flops she had kicked off earlier. She trotted over to them and quickly slipped them on and huffed when she realized he didn't wait for her.

She finally caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs. “You asked, you know.”

He paused at the first step and turned, towering over her since she was still on the sand. “Asked what?”

She had to crane her neck to look at him. “Whether Harry and I were together.”

“Technically…I didn't. I assumed you two were together and didn't ask until you went all…weird on me.”

“I didn't go all weird on you,” she balked.

“Please,” he said dryly. “You're back went up so fast, I thought someone shoved a rod through it.”

“No it didn't…you just…caught me off guard.”

He gave her a slow grin. “Okay.”

Ginny let out a growl as she actually stamped a foot frustratingly to the ground as he walked. “You are so…infuriating.”

“Did you just stamp your feet?” he asked in slight amusement. “What are you, six?”

“No, I'm annoyed.” She then waved a hand as she nudged him aside. “Oh, forget it…let's go.”

He grabbed her arm as she started to past and now their faces were even since she was a few steps above them. “You know, Red…you Weasleys have quite the temper.”

Her lips curved. “We sure do.”

“It looks good on you.”

She couldn't help the pleasure that bloomed inside her. “You're just trying to be charming so I won't be annoyed with you anymore.”

“Maybe….is it working?”

“Surprisingly, yes.” When he just grinned, she let out a laugh and playfully slapped his chest with the back of his hand. “Come on, you idiot.”

Draco just continued to grin as he followed her up the stairs and—since he was a typical guy—enjoyed the view along the way.

*** Portkey Staff rudely interrupts this story ***

Want to get to know more about the person writing this enthralling fic? So do we!

Click here for our feature on Harrys Mistress. You'd need to log in PK's forums to read that linked article.

There's a teaser version for those who are too lazy to log in there. :P If you're having problems accessing your PK account, read this: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?act=Help&CODE=01&HID=3

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~HM

Chapter 9

“Something smells good.”

Claudia looked up from the skillet and smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Potter.”

“Morning, Claudia.” He shuffled into the kitchen, sniffing the air. “Coffee.”

“Yes…would you like a cup?”

“You better believe it. No, don't worry….I can pour me some.”

“You pay me to wait on you, Mr. Potter…so I wait. Now, sit.”

“Yes, mam.” He plopped down at the head of the kitchen table just off to the side of the kitchen. “Do I also smell bacon?”

“Yes,” she said placing a cup in front of him. “And pancakes.”

“You're a marvel.”

She just laughed as she waddled herself back to the stove, but didn't get far into her cooking when she noticed one of the guests lingering at the doorway. “Good morning, Miss Granger.”

Hermione smiled as she stepped inside. “Good morning.”

“Hey,” Harry said with a grin as he quickly gave her a glance over. She was dressed in a pair of green sweatpants and a red shirt and her wild hair was pulled back into a curly ponytail. “Don't you look…Christmasy.”

“What?” She blinked, and then looked down. “Oh…I didn't even think about that.”

He just smiled and patted the chair to his left. “Sit…Claudia will bring you some coffee.”

“That would be lovely.” She took the seat next to Harry. “Have you been up long?”

“No, I just walked in here right before you did. Thanks, Claudia,” he said as she set his mug in front of him and then Hermione's. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Like a baby,” she said as she lifted her mug and took a testing sip. “I forgot where I was. This is good coffee.”

“She makes the best,” he said before taking his own sip. “Wasn't really a coffee drinker until I tried hers.”

“Is everyone else still asleep?”

“I imagine so…I haven't seen anybody.”

“Mr. Malfoy came down an hour ago,” Claudia said from the kitchen “Went out on the beach…and then Miss Weasley followed not too soon after.”

Harry's brows lifted. “Really?” he asked as he shared a surprised look with Hermione. “So, there down there…together?”

“I imagine they will run into each other, yes…is this…a problem?”

“Oh, no,” he assured her when he noticed a hint of worry in her eyes. “Not at all.”

“Ron's going to freak,” Hermione muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

“Maybe…but it's not like they went out there together.”

“Ron won't see it that way.”

“No…no, he won't. He'll get over it…he has to get over it, or else it will be a long two weeks.”

Hermione took another satisfying sip, and then cleared her throat as she set the cup down. “You know, I wouldn't worry about it. I would just stay out of it and let them battle it out.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Morning.” They both looked up to see Ron walking into the kitchen, stifling a yawn, with Luna following close behind him. “What smells so bloody good?”

“Coffee and bacon,” Harry said sharing one more nervous look with Hermione before gesturing them to sit down. “How'd you two sleep?”

“It took awhile for me to fall asleep,” Ron admitted he got situated in the chair on the other side of Harry. “But once I did fall asleep, I was out like a rock.”

“I slept like a baby,” Luna said as sat in the chair next to Ron. “The bed was very comfortable.”

“Here we go.” Claudia set two steaming mugs down in front of Luna and Ron. “You enjoy and be careful…it's hot.”

They both gave a quick nod of understanding and then Claudia hustled back into the kitchen. “So…” Ron blew carefully at his mug. “Are Ginny and Draco still asleep?”

Harry glanced at Hermione who was hiding a smile behind her coffee cup. “Er…” He cleared his throat and looked back at Ron. “Actually…Claudia told us that Draco was up fairly early and…went out to the beach. And, uh…Ginny followed not too soon after.”

Ron's mug stilled inches from his lips. “What?” he asked calmly as he slowly set the mug down. “Ginny's out there? With Draco?”

“Ron, she can handle herself,” Luna said placing a hand on his arm.

Ron immediately relaxed at her touch and let out a sigh. “I know,” he said running a hand through his hair. “I know that and I know he won't hurt her…probably, but…my first reaction is to be worried. It's just going to take awhile to get use to.”

Luna smiled softly and rubbed the hand on his arm. “Understandable.”

“Wow,” Harry said bluntly. “Luna must have talked some sense into you last night. I was expecting you to fly off the handle.”

“I probably would have,” Ron admitted with a laugh, but sobered and shook his head. “But it doesn't mean I'm completely convinced he's all Mr. Nice Guy now.”

“I don't think he'll ever be, Mr. Nice Guy,” Hermione said. “He'll always have a little bad boy in him.”

“I agree.” Luna lifted her cup in a salute. “And what girl can resist a bad boy?”

Harry and Ron both frowned when the girls giggled and clinked their mugs. “Hey…I can be bad.”

Hermione stifled a laugh. “Sure you could, Harry,” she said mockingly as she patted his hand.

“Yeah, laugh it up, Granger,” he said with narrowed eyes. “One day I just might surprise you.”

“I doubt it. I'm sorry, Harry,” she laughed when she noticed the scowl on his face. “But I just can't see it. Don't worry, though, plenty of girls are suckers for the good guys. I'm one of them.”

“Gee, that's reassuring,” he said dryly. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

“What's so special about a bad boy anyway?” Ron asked. “It's like that saying, `Nice guys finish last.' I never liked that phrase.”

“Bad boys are mysterious and sexy.”

All four of them blinked up at Claudia who had just set down the syrup and butter on the table. “What? Just because I am older I cannot enjoy a bad boy?”

Hermione and Luna laughed, while the boys just continued to sulk. “Well said, Claudia!” Hermione said holding up her hand.

Claudia chuckled and gave her a little high five before hurrying back in the kitchen. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

“I can't wait to dive into that bacon.” Ron licked his chops. “My mouth is practically watering.”

“Just make sure you leave some for the rest of us, Ronald.”

Ron smirked at Hermione. “Ha, ha.”

The back door of the kitchen suddenly swung open and Ginny poured into the kitchen with Draco close behind. “Hey, morning guys!” She sniffed the air. “Wow, Claudia…it smells wonderful.”

“You are just in time,” she said with a pleasing smile. “Breakfast is ready. You two take your seat.”

“You wouldn't happen to have anything I can put these shells in do you?” she asked her as she set Draco's shirt on the counter and let the shells spill out.

“How pretty,” Claudia commented and then went to a drawer and pulled out a plastic zip-lock bag. “Here.”

“Perfect, thanks.” She then tossed the shirt back to Draco. “Heads up.”

He caught it before it hit his face and then tugged it over his head. “Claudia, I could use more of that coffee.”

“Coming right up. Sit.”

“I can pour it my—”

“Sit,” she repeated, more forcefully as she snapped and pointed to the empty chair.

He flinched slightly, then thought it best not to argue and took a seat next to Hermione and across from Luna. “She's kind of scary,” he murmured softly, getting a chuckle out of both girls.

Ginny plopped down at the chair at the other end of the table and proudly held up her bag. “The first of my shell collection. Aren't they pretty?”

“I love this one,” Luna said leaning over to brush a thumb through the plastic over a pearlized, shell that twisted like a corkscrew.

“That's one of my favorites, too,” Ginny said with a grin and then gently set the bag down.

“You know what you need to try to find, is a sand dollar.” Harry lifted his coffee and finished it off. “Those are really rare.”

“What do they look like?”

“Starch white, round and flat…fairly smooth. I found one during my first stay out on the sand bar…I'll show it to you later.”

Claudia leaned over and placed a round plate in the center of the table. Nearly two-dozen strips of bacon outlined a round stack of overly large, steaming, pancakes. Everyone murmured quick thanks as they snagged a handful of bacon or forked up a fluffy pancake.

“What's a sand bar?” Ron asked as he drenched his plate with syrup.

“It's a shallow area a few yards out.” Harry paused to lick a dollop of syrup from his thumb. “It's fun to swim out there when the waves aren't too rough.”

Hermione took a quick nibble of her bacon. “So, what's the plan today?”

“No plan really,” Harry said with a mouthful of pancakes, and then took a moment to wash it down with the coffee Claudia had just refilled. “We can hang out by the pool, the beach…if we want to take a break from the sun we can go down to the basement where the game room is.”

“You have a game room?” Draco asked as he forked up his third pancake.

“Yeah, it came with the house. It's loaded with muggle games.”

“I couldn't possibly eat another bite,” Ginny said pushing her plate away before collapsing back in her chair. She smiled up at Claudia as she took her plate away. “It was fabulous, Claudia.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed it, Miss Weasley.”

“If I'm not careful I'm going to gain a few pounds after these two weeks.”

“I hear you, Ginny,” Hermione said as she reluctantly pushed her plate away, even though she was dying for just one more strip of bacon. “The thought of squeezing into a swimsuit right now is depressing.”

Harry thought of the sorry excuse she called a swimsuit and swallowed a groan with a huge mouthful of coffee. “Did you want to go to the beach?”

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “I was thinking of trying out the pool first, definitely take a ride down the waterslide.”

“Waterslide?” Ron asked with raised brows. “I didn't see one.”

“It's built into the rocks next to the water fall.”

“Brilliant.”

“Let's go get our suits on,” Ginny said standing up.

“Sounds good,” Luna said as she took one quick nibble of bacon and pushed back from the table. “Thanks for breakfast, Claudia.”

“You're quite welcome, Miss Lovegood.”

“Hey, don't forget your precious shells,” Draco said holding up her bag she had left behind.

“Oh! Thanks.” She snagged it from his hand. “You coming up Hermione?”

“I'll meet you out there later.” After they walked out, she looked over at Ron, who was still devouring his food. “I was hoping maybe you'd like to go somewhere and talk, Ronald. That is, if you can manage to pull away from your breakfast.”

“Oh.” Ron lifted his head up and swallowed his food. “Sure…I mean, if you want…I can do that.”

“Can we use to parlor room, Harry?”

“Sure,” he said with a small smile. “Anywhere is fine.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and then got up from her seat. “Are you ready, Ron?”

“Yeah,” he muffled as he shoveled in one last bite of gooey pancakes as he got up from his seat, and then quickly washed it down with coffee. “Ready.”

“You might want to wipe your mouth,” Harry said as he tossed his napkin at him. “You've got syrup dribbling down your chin.”

“Oh…oops.” He gave it a dab and then tossed the napkin down. “Thanks, Claudia! It was great!”

“Yes, thank you, Claudia,” Hermione said.

“My pleasure. I hope you saved some room for lunch, Mr. Weasley.”

He grinned. “Don't worry, I'll be hungry again in a few hours.”

Claudia let out a joyous laugh as she carried plates back to the kitchen. “Would you like some more coffee?” she asked Harry and Draco after they left.

“No, thank you, Claudia.”

“None for me, either,” Draco answered and then looked over at Harry. “Something troubling you, Potter?”

Harry blinked up at him. “What? No…why?”

“I don't know.” He lifted a shoulder. “You just looked like something was bothering you.”

“No. No, it's not that.” Harry looked over at the direction Hermione and Ron took off. “Just worried I guess…I want them to work things out.”

“Do you?”

“Well, yeah,” he said a bit puzzled by his tone. “Why wouldn't I? The last thing I want is to see my two best friends upset or miserable with each other.”

“Okay.” Draco leaned forward in his chair towards Harry and folded his arms on the table. “Can I be honest with you?”

“When have you not?”

“Good point. Back at school…although I gave Ron a lot of crap about having a thing for Hermione and all that, because let's face it…Ron's a bit easier to rile up than you....but…I always assumed she'd end up with you.” Draco grinned when all he did was stare with his mouth gaped open. “I can see that I've shocked you.”

Harry closed his eyes and shook his head clear. “Wait…what? How? I mean…why on earth did you….what?”

“Look, all I'm saying is that from even an outsiders point of view, it was obvious that the two of you had the stronger connection. I can't tell you how many times I've seen you two in an intense conversation while Ron just stood there…looking clueless.”

“That's not fair.”

Draco held up his hands. “I'm not saying that he was…I'm sure he contributed plenty, but…I'm just telling you how I saw it.”

“Okay, I'll agree with you on a few things,” Harry admitted as he sat up in his chair as well. “Hermione and I…we were always on the same page it seemed like, no matter what it was we were talking about. It's always been that way…we just…clicked. I can't tell you how many times we've finished each other's sentences. But that doesn't mean we're…right for each other. She's just my best friend…no, not just, because she's more that that, but…we aren't…I mean, we've never even went down that road before.”

“Have you ever thought about it?”

“No,” he blurted quickly. “Of course not, I mean…no.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

“Why not?”

“Because I knew Ron liked her.”

Draco lifted a brow. “Interesting.”

Harry frowned slightly. “But that's not the only reason.”

“Okay, what other reason is there?”

“Because she…because I…” His brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. “Look…it just was never something either of us thought about. That's all.”

“How do you know she's never thought about it?”

“Because she's never told me.”

Draco laughed. “Do you honestly think she would?”

“Why wouldn't she?”

“Geez, Potter…are you that clueless when it comes to women?”

Harry sighed. “Unfortunately. Can we stop talking about Hermione and I as a hypothetical couple?”

He nodded. “Sure…if it bothers you that much.”

“It doesn't bother me,” he added quickly. “Just makes me…a bit uncomfortable.”

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“I'm going up to change into my swim trunks. I'll see you later.”

Draco nodded and watched him walk off with a soft smirk on his face. Interesting, he thought as he slowly leaned back in his chair. Very interesting. Maybe the next two weeks weren't going to be so bad after all.

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Chapter 10

Since it was a beautiful morning, Ron and Hermione decided to forgo the parlor room and sit outside by the pool. They pulled two of the many cushioned chairs over to the edge of the veranda, and sat facing the sea.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” Hermione asked as she took it all in. “Peaceful.”

Ron nodded. “Yes. I can see why Harry bought this place. Merlin knows he deserves a bit of peacefulness after what he's been through.”

“This is what he fought for, what we all fought for—for moments like these. So every one could enjoy moments likes these.”

“I never really thought about it like that,” he murmured as he kept his gaze out on the water. He had yet to find the courage to look at her. Why was that? This was his…well, what was she exactly? Friend? Girlfriend? “But you're right…you're exactly right.”

Hermione, who had also kept her eyes out on the sea, finally looked over at him. “Do I need to apologize, Ron? For leaving in the middle of the night?”

He looked over at her then, noticing the worry weighing heavily in her eyes. “You did enough of that in your first owl you sent.”

“It doesn't seem enough. I hurt you.”

“Yes, you did,” he said firmly, but not harshly. “You both did, but I got over it and, eventually, understood why you both did what you did.”

“Going to my parents…I knew it was something I had to do alone and at the time, I though it best that I left in the middle of the night because I know you'd want to go with me. Be with me for support.”

“You're right, I would have,” he said shifting his body more towards her. “But I would have understood, again—eventually, if you told me upfront you needed to do this by yourself.”

“I know, Ron, I know. It was cowardly of me to sneak out like that—I didn't want to see the hurt in your eyes when I told you I was leaving. I couldn't bear it.”

Ron sighed, running his fingers restlessly through his mop of ginger. “Look, I could sit here and hold a grudge against you and tell you what you did was unfair and hurtful, but to be honest, I'd probably have done the same thing if the roles were reverse. Bloody hell, are you crying? Jeez, don't do that…I'll get all out of sorts.”

“I'm sorry,” she said as she sniffled back her tears. “I can't help it…you're my…you…you mean so much to me, Ron, and I hate hurting you.”

“It's okay,” he said, awkwardly patting her arm. “It's over now and we're…we're together now. Please, stop crying…I can't stand it.”

She took in a few shaky breaths to calm herself as she shed the last of her tears. “I was so afraid that I messed everything up…that I ruined our friendship.”

“You didn't…couldn't.” He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Hermione, look at me…there, that's it.” He smiled softly, hoping to get one out of her as well, and his smile bloomed when her lips curved up into a wobbly grin. “Look, I don't know exactly the status of our relationship, Hermione, and right now that's not important. What is important is that, I do love you…you're a definite must in my life, whether you're my girlfriend or just my best friend.”

“Oh Ronald,” she said as she jumped up and flew her arms around him.

Ron grunted slightly at the impact when she all but tackled him back in his chair. “I forgot how dangerous your hugs could be.”

She laughed as she leaned back placing her hands on his shoulders. “I love you, too, Ronald.”

He grinned. “So we're good?”

She leaned down and gave him a quick, friendly peck on the lips. “Better.”

The kiss warmed his heart and settled his nerves. For the first time since he's been here, he finally felt things were on the way back to normal. “Why don't we go up and throw our suits on…start this vacation of with a bang.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said and got up from her chair and offered her hands.

He grabbed them and pulled up on to his feet as they shared one last hug. “Or,” Ron said after awhile and plucked her off her feet. “We can start the vacation right now.”

“What?” She blinked as he started to carry her. “Ron, what are you…no, don't!” She shrieked and kicked as Ron took her to the edge of the pool. “Don't you dare, Ron!

“Let's do a count down,” he laughed as he started to swing her towards the water. “Ooone…”

“Ron, I mean it!” she warned even though she was laughing.

“Twoooo…”

“I swear I'll kill you…cut off your limbs.”

“That's a little dark.”

“It's the truth is what it is…I'll cut them off and…”

“Three!”

Hermione screamed as she felt herself start to fly and then her cries were abruptly cut off when she hit the water. She came up sputtering curses while Ron was bent over at the waist, laughing hysterically. He then took a flying leap himself and landed inches from Hermione.

High above on his terrace, Harry watched his best friends splash and play in the water. An uneasy feeling swirled inside him as he continued to watch with a slight frown on his face. Why was that? Shouldn't he be happy they found their way back to each other again? Didn't he want his two friends to be happy?

He hadn't meant to spy on them really—he had just stepped out for fresh air. He didn't know they'd be sitting out by the pool, he assumed they were inside in the parlor room. He couldn't hear what they were saying, although every once in awhile the wind would carry their voice up to him but all he heard was muffled murmurs.

So he studied their body language, watched as he saw Hermione start to weep and Ron awkwardly trying to comfort her. He felt something twitch painfully at his heart when Ron had lifted a hand to caress her hair and it only worsened when she threw herself in his arms.

And when he saw Hermione bent down for a kiss, he knew that what he felt was jealousy. He was jealous that they were able to work things out so smoothly…so quickly. He was jealous that they would now have someone to touch, kiss, love…while he didn't. He was jealous that he wasn't able to slip back into that comfortable and easy relationship he had with Ginny.

He was jealous now, that they were together in the water, flirting and splashing with each other, while he was up here alone and miserable. And, Merlin, could he be more pathetic? He cursed himself for being a selfish idiot as he turned his back on them and walked inside.

He needed to get over it, he thought as he stalked to his closet and grabbed one of his swimming trunks at random. He needed to start to face the facts that his two best friends were going to be together, whether he liked it or not.

He angrily started to strip, whipping off his shirt and tossed it carelessly aside before tugging his jeans over his hip and kicked them off. It had always unnerved him…the thought of Ron and Hermione together. Ever since he first noticed a change between them as they grew out of their childhood innocence and into the awful and awkward teenage stage.

He had always been supportive, always said the right things whenever Ron had asked about her. And that night after Ron had destroyed the Horcrux, after they both watched a dark and twisted version of him and Hermione snogging the hell out of each other, he said all the right things to calm him. She was upset when you left, I love her like a sister, I promise I don't feel that way about her...and neither does she. Whether that was true or not on her part, he didn't know, but it was what Ron had needed to hear.

It wasn't until after the war when he started to get agitated seeing them together. When he had witnessed their first kiss he had been too focused on the fact that they were in the middle of the war. Afterwards, when everything started to die down, things had started to change. Maybe it was just because he wasn't a big fan of PDA, but he always felt the need to leave the room when Ron had shown any sort of affection towards her. It was, he admitted, one of the reasons why he fled. He was jealous that they had a connection—a strong connection—that he couldn't be a part of.

“And that's stupid,” he said aloud as he yanked on his green and white swim trunks. He needed to get over it and he needed to realize that even if they were together, they were still his friends. He wasn't going to lose him, which had been his greatest fear. They weren't going to shut him out…he wouldn't let them. So, he'd be happy for them, supportive, because it was their happiness that meant most to him.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd find his own happiness someday. Whether it was with Ginny, he wasn't sure, but he wouldn't worry about it. He was just going to enjoy these next two weeks with his friends—and one ex-enemy—and then get on with his merry life.

He just needed a few moments to calm himself before he went down to the pool. It was that stupid talk with Draco that probably started it all in the first place, so he just needed a few minutes to collect himself. The last thing he wanted was to take a swipe at someone or—

He scowled at the knock at his door. “Great,” he muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair, and then took a steady breath as he walked over still dressed only in his swim trunks. He opened to door to find a very wet and drenched Hermione standing in front of him, smiling from ear to ear.

“Hi!”

“Hi,” he answered back, and then lifted a brow when she started to squirm. “Do you need to pee or something?”

A laugh bubbled out of her before she launched herself in his arms. “I'm sorry, I know I'm wet, but…I'm just so happy.”

Harry closed his eyes. Here we go, he thought as he slowly snaked is arms around her. “Yes, I can see that…feel that. You're practically shaking.”

“Partly because I'm cold,” she said, as she held tighter and snuggled into his warmth. “But mostly because I'm about to combust.”

Harry chuckled as he ran a hand down her wet tangled hair. “I'll get you a towel.”

“Wouldn't say no to it,” she said as she reluctantly pulled away and immediately started to shiver. “Ron threw me in the pool…that's why I'm all wet.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said as he returned with a towel and then threw it around her shoulders and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “I saw from my terrace.”

Hermione lifted a brow as he continued to warm her with his hands. “Spying on us, Harry?”

His hands stilled. “No,” he said as he tugged the towel more securely on his shoulders before letting go. “I went out for some air and saw you two sitting on the chairs. I thought you were in the parlor room.”

“We were going to, but it was too beautiful of a day to be inside.” She watched him walk over to his chest of drawers and pull out a white shirt. She sighed as she watched him, with some regret, pull the shirt over his bare and—thanks to her—slightly damp chest. It would be a sorry woman who didn't enjoy the view—best friend or not. “Did you hear any of it? Our conversation?”

“No,” he said sitting on the steps that led to his bed and gestured for her to join him. “I was too far away.”

She sat next to him, shoulder to shoulder, and when she trembled slightly against him, he immediately put an arm around her. She smiled as she happily leaned into him and was instantly comforted by his warmth once more. “We had a good talk—I was so afraid that our friendship would be ruined because of what I did.”

“It couldn't. And you didn't do anything wrong, Hermione.”

“We shouldn't have left in the middle of the night, Harry.”

“Maybe, but we can't change it now. But I'm glad you and Ron are back together.”

“Oh, I wouldn't say that,” she said nonchalantly as she rested her head on his shoulder since it was there. His shoulder was always there for her. “But we're definitely back to being friends…the best of friends.”

Something inside his belly began to loosen. “What?” He tilted his head down to look at her. “You didn't get back together with him?”

“Well, of course not,” she said lifting her head to look at him more clearly. “We've been apart for a year…it would seem silly to just jump into it like that.”

“Why? You love Ron.”

“Of course I do…very much, but I can't be sure if it's the kind of love he deserves…and neither can he. After our water fight, we had a quick talk and decided that staying friends, for right now any way, seemed like the best thing to do. I've changed, Ron's changed…we both are just going to take the next two weeks one day at a time and see what happens.”

“That makes sense,” he said as he couldn't help but sigh in relief. “That's what Ginny and I decided to do, but—”

“But what?” she asked when he hesitated.

“Nothing,” he said waving it off and removed his arm and stood up. “Why don't you go change? I'll meet you out by the pool.”

Hermione immediately followed him to the door, stopping him before he could open it for her. “Wait, what were you going to say?”

“It's nothing.”

“It's not nothing,” she said shaking her head. “Come on, tell me.”

Harry sighed. “You kissed him.”

Hermione blinked. “What?”

“I saw you kiss him,” he said again as he shoved his hands in his swim trunks. “I guess that's why I was surprised to find out you're staying friends.”

“Oh…that?” She waved it off with a laugh. “That was harmless…a friendly kiss between friends.”

“A friendly kiss is usually a peck on the cheek…not the lips.”

“Don't be silly, Harry, of course you can have a friendly kiss on the lips.”

“Is that so?”

“That's perfectly so.”

“All right then—give it to me.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Lay one on me.” He tapped a finger on his lips. “Right here. Give your old pal a kiss, Hermy.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop,” she said with exasperation. “I'm not going to kiss you.”

“Oh, I see…you'll give Ron a kiss, but not me?”

“You're being ridiculous,” she said as she tried to open the door, but only sighed when Harry leaned against it. “Harry.”

He just gave her a slow grin. “Guess I was right…no such thing as a friendly kiss on the lips, if so, you wouldn't be making such a big deal about it.” He then gave a little shrug and pushed off the door, only to be slammed back by Hermione's forceful hand.

“Fine,” she said through clenched teeth as she forced out a smile. “I'll show you exactly what I'm talking about.”

“Okay,” he said dropping his hands to his side. “Go for it.”

Exactly like she kissed Ron, she thought as she leaned up on her toes and placed her hands on his shoulders. Not too close, she warned herself but couldn't seem to stop the front of her body grazing his. As she tilted her lips to his, she reminded herself to keep the kiss quick, closed mouthed and harmless. Yet, when their lips touched, they lingered—just for a moment—just for a second, or two, but long enough for their lips to absorb and meld together—long enough to make her insides quake.

When she pulled away, she didn't snap her head back quickly and grin up at him like she did Ron. Instead, she parted their lips slowly and barely moved an inch away from him. His hands were on her hips…when did he put him there?—and their mouths were still close, so close in fact, that she could feel his warm breath fanning her lips.

“See?” Her voice was soft and raspy so she cleared her throat. “Harmless.”

“Right,” he managed to say as he gripped her hips to tug her away, but couldn't seem to move. “You sure showed me.”

Oh, Merlin…did his eyes just flicker to her lips? No, surely not. “Well, I—I better go now—and change.”

“Sure. Okay.” He dropped his hands from her hips while she carefully stepped back. “I guess…I'll see you down there.”

She gave him her best, confident, smile. “Okay.” She turned to the door, only to jolt back when she realized the door was still closed. “Oops.” A high pitch, nervous laugh stumbled out of her. “Probably best to open the door first.”

“Wouldn't hurt,” he said, fighting back a grin as he opened it for her himself. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, and then quickly fled out. “See you.”

Harry slowly closed the door, but didn't move as he stood there staring at his hand holding the knob. “Well, shit,” he finally muttered to himself. “This can't be good.”

And on the other side of the door, Hermione had taken two steps down the hallway before finally leaning weakly against the wall. “Oh, boy.” She sighed as she lightly tapped her head back and closed her eyes. “Ooooh, boy.”

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Chapter 11

Ron lingered in the water after Hermione had dragged her wet, dripping, self out of the pool, and trotted inside. He wanted a moment to enjoy the pool all to himself, since he knew it wouldn't be long before someone came down.

He tossed his white shirt over his head, flung it aside, and it landed with a hard plop by the pool's edge. Then, with his pajama pants still securely on, he lazily pushed himself off the side of the wall and floated peacefully on his back. He smiled up at the brilliantly blue sky, listened to the distant sound of the waves crashing below, and was happier than he'd been in a long time.

That empty void in his heart that was always there when he was apart from his friends was now filled. So filled in fact, that it seemed his heart might burst from it. He had missed his friends—fiercely—but at the same time it was what he needed. It was what all three of them needed. A year to focus on themselves. A year to find out who they truly were and what they wanted in life. It had taken him awhile to realize that.

Sure, he could hold a grudge. He could spend the next few days doing his best to make them feel incredibly guilty. He could make them swim in their guilt, until they all but drowned in it. And he knew that neither of them would blame him for it.

But what would that prove? Why waste even a single moment holding a grudge or pushing them away? They couldn't go back and fix it and even if they did have a time-turner handy, he wouldn't want them to. He wouldn't change a thing that happened to him in the past year. Not one bloody thing, because it lead him right here. And he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

They had a good talk, he thought as he gave a hard kick with his legs to keep him afloat. It was nice to know that even after a year of separation, they were still best friends. It was as if the year never happened and they were right back to square one. Well, maybe not all the way back.

Was he meant to be with Hermione? Or were they destined to only be friends? He wasn't quite sure, but found himself being okay with either option. How funny was that? There was a time he couldn't imagine being with anyone else but her.

The kiss they shared moments ago was light and friendly, but wouldn't he still have felt something? A tingle or…a stirring in his belly? Anything? Their first kiss was like that, but that was right in the middle of the war, and knowing that they might not survive probably added to the excitement of the kiss. And after, during those few weeks before she left, she was more friend than girlfriend, but in a way that was what he needed.

Especially during Fred's funeral. She never left his side, neither did Harry. They stood on either side of him holding his hand while he watched his brother be put to rest. He didn't think he could have survived that day without them.

And Luna, he thought with a soft smile. She had been there with her father, lingering in the back during the ceremony. But afterwards, when he went into the kitchen for a moment to himself, Luna was there, waiting for him. He had said her name, that was all he could say and then in the next moment, she was in his arms.

“I'm sorry, Ronald…I'm so sorry.” Those soft, soothing words, had simply shattered him. He fought it at first, like he always did, like he did during the ceremony with his best friends on either side of him. But he couldn't push the tears back with Luna, nor would she let him.

“No, don't fight it,” she said as she held him tighter when he shifted to pull away. “It's just you and me…no one else.”

Then, it was him who held her tight, as he finally released the tears he had yet to shed, but desperately needed to. He never cried in front of anyone before, not like this, not with this much magnitude, but he couldn't help it. He simply broke down as he gripped onto her like a second lifeline. He remembered thinking he couldn't get close enough to her, even if he crawled himself inside her, it wouldn't be enough.

She had held him, consoled him, while he cried and cried until he was all but emptied out. And when the last tear was shed, when his body had stopped shaking, she simply pulled back and kissed him on the cheek. “I'll let you get back to your family,” she had said and started to walk out.

He reached out behind him and grabbed her wrist, but didn't turn towards her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Ronald.”

And then she was gone and as soon as he got his bearings, he went back out to join his friends and family. He had looked for her, but never saw her again until yesterday when they were on the boat together. He hadn't spoken about what went between them. It had been so good to see her, he didn't think about it at the time.

He thought of it now and on a sigh he sunk himself into the water before making his way to the edge of the pool. He had to thank her again, he decided as he pushed himself out of the water and then shook himself like a dog. She needed to know that even though more than a year had past, he'd never forgotten what she had done for him that miserable day in his family's kitchen.

He grabbed his heavy, drenched shirt and wrung it out before making his way back into the house. He needed to go up and actually put on a swimsuit before coming back down and later, when he could get her alone, he'd sit down and talk with her.

And with that in mind, he quickened his pace and flew up the back stairs, since it was closer to his bedroom than the main staircase, and as he reached the top, he rounded the corner, and all but ran into Luna herself.

“Oh!” Luna let out a breathless laugh. “I'm sorry, I—”

“No, my fault,” he chuckled as he placed his hands on her arms to steady her. “I was going too fast.”

“I'll say. I was just heading down to the pool and—you're wet.” She noticed the water dripping down his chest and then frowned at his pajama pants. “Ronald, you're soaked.”

“To the bone,” he said with a grin. “Hermione and I talked and I decided to end it on a good note by throwing her in the pool fully clothed…I followed suit.”

“I see. So…you and Hermione have talked things through?”

“You can say that.” He ran a hand through his wet hair. “Actually, I'd like to talk to you if you'd got a moment.”

“Of course.”

“I just…actually, let's go to my room,” he decided as he took her hand and led her to his door. “More private.”

Luna was glad she was behind him so he wouldn't see her blush. “All right. Is everything okay?”

“Perfect,” he said shooting a grin over his shoulder before opening his door and stepped aside. “After you.”

“Thanks.” She stepped in and then shook her head at the various clothes that had been tossed about. “Your sister said you were a slob, but I didn't realize it was this serious.”

“It's a condition that can't be fixed. I've come to realize that long ago, it's time my sister did the same. Have a seat…ah, just…toss aside any clothes that may be in your way.”

“We've only been here barely a day,” she said looking around in awe. “How do you manage it?”

“With pure god given talent,” he said with a grin, then went over to scoop some clothes on a chair himself. “Sit…I'm just going to dry off and change real quick.”

“Take your time,” she said as she sat down only to get right back up and with a slight huff, started to pick up his clothes. What was it with men and messiness? She wondered as she started to fold his clothes and then stack them in neat piles on the bed. She probably shouldn't be doing it, and she hoped he wouldn't be mad, but her organized soul couldn't seem to ignore this disaster of a room.

Leaning against the doorjamb of the bathroom, Ron watched her pick up his room with an amused grin on his face. She had her hair pull back in a tail and all that blonde hair curled down the center of her back. She had on a white cover-up that tucked under her arms and exposed her shoulders and legs. He could see the blue straps of her swimsuit peaking out from the cover-up as it swooped up on either side of her neck and then tied securely with a loopy bow at the back of her neck. She looked so cute, he thought as he watched her roll her eyes with annoyance before bending down to grab a sock that had found it's way under a chair.

“You're wasting your time.”

She yelped, and the newly folded stack of clothes in her arms, flung up in the air, and then fluttered to the ground. “Blast!”

The laugh rolled out of him as he pushed himself away from the doorjamb and walked over and stopped right in front of her. “Sorry.”

She gave him one quick scowl, before laughing herself as she hopelessly shook her head. “No, I'm sorry…I should have left it alone.”

“On the contrary,” he said watching her scooping up his fallen clothes again and then bent down his self, and picked up an article of clothing. “I don't think there is another woman, besides my mum, that has folded by boxers before.” When she just stared and blushed, he laughed again and then took the clothes in her arms and tossed them aside. “C'mon, let's sit.”

She let herself be led to the chair again and when she sat, Ron plopped down in its twin that was next to her. “What did you want to talk to me about? Hermione?”

“What? Oh…no. Although, that went very well.”

“Have you two…patched up your relationship?”

“Definitely. But not in the way you're thinking, I imagine.” He leaned in his cushy chair and stretched out his legs. “We're just friends—for now.”

“For now,” she repeated slowly. “And are you—okay with this?”

“More than. I'm just glad I'm back together with her…and Harry. As much as I realize the three of us needed some time a part, it didn't change the fact that I missed them.”

“Have you spoken to Harry?”

“Not yet…privately, anyways. I suppose we will eventually.” After a moment of silence, he leaned up in his chair, resting his forearms on his knees and shifted his body towards hers. “Luna…the last time I saw you—”

“No, don't,” she interrupted as she reached out and grabbed a hand. “It was a hard day for you—there's no need to bring it up and—”

“Yes there is,” he said firmly as he gripped her hand. “I wanted to thank you.”

“You already did when—”

“I want to thank you again,” he said, before she could finish as he looked firmly into her eyes. “You made me—let me—do the one thing I needed to do most and that was to fall apart. You were there for me, Luna. When I thought I didn't want, or need, anybody, you were there. And I'll never forget that. I guess I just wanted to let you know.”

“Ronald, I…I don't know what to say, I—”

“You don't have to say anything,” he said as he squeezed her hand before reluctantly letting go. “And we don't even have to talk about it anymore, but it's just something I wanted—needed- to say to you. You're a good friend, Luna.”

Friend. There was that horrible word again that Ron kept bringing up. Friend. Couldn't he see that she could be so much more? “Thank you, Ronald.”

He smiled and then stood up and held out his hand. “Why don't we go on down the pool? The water's great—trust me.”

She laughed as she got to her feet and then easily snuck into his arms for a hug. “Sounds good to me. And just for the record? You're a good friend, too.”

“Thanks, Luna.” He then leaned back and held out an arm. “Shall we?”

She smiled as she slipped an arm through his. “We shall.”

As he led her out of the room, he noticed her slight wince as they stepped over the pile of clothes he had tossed aside. “Might as well forget it. I'm a lost cause.”

-->

Chapter 12

She was in heaven. Stretched out on the chaise, with the warm sun bathing her skin and the soft ocean breeze sweeping over her. She had pulled her chaise, along with five others, over by the edge of the pool with her back to the house. Claudia, bless her, had brought out a cold pitcher of Mimosa and six glass flutes. She never had a mimosa before and found herself loving it. Orange juice and champagne. Who would have thought that combination would be fabulous?

She took one more satisfying sip before setting it aside on the small circular table to her left, and then let out a long, deep sigh as she tilted back and closed her eyes. She was probably going to get burned, she thought, her skin wasn't exactly sun friendly, even if she had slathered on a gallon of sunscreen. The price to pay for paradise, she thought before she let herself drift.

She was just about to doze off when a shadow had loomed over her, blocking the sun. “Well, well,” the familiar voice of the shadow said in amusement. “Don't you look all high and mighty. Expecting someone to feed you grapes, Red?”

She tilted her sunglasses down her nose and peaked up at him. “Wouldn't say no to it. Would you be the one feeding me?”

He barked out a laugh. “Yeah right.”

“A girl can dream.” She gestured to the empty chaise next to her. “Sit down, then, if you're not going to spoil me.”

“Ah…maybe it'll be better if I sit somewhere else and—”

“Oh, please,” she said with a huff as she slipped her glasses back on. “You can't keep giving my brother the satisfaction of staying away from him the whole two weeks. He's going to have to get over it.”

Draco tossed down the towel he had brought down on the chaise and sat on the edge of it, facing Ginny. “Considering drama and conflict has been a part of my life for so long, I've started to try to avoid it. It can get annoying.”

“Bet.” She watched him under her shades as he reached behind his back for his shirt and tugged it off. Merlin, he was built—those muscular arms and to die for abs—it almost didn't seem fair. “You're going to need some sunscreen.”

“What?” He looked over at her and then took the tube she held out to him. “What for?”

“You'll get burned.” She pointed to the sun. “Usually, I use a little sun protection charm, but since we can't do even the slightest bit of magic around here, I loaded up on sunscreen that muggles use.”

He flipped the top and sniffed at it. “And this will help me from getting burned?”

“Mostly,” she said with a shrug. “It depends on how long your out in the sun and everything. Just slather it on and in a couple of hours if we're still out, I'd reapply.”

He had gotten burned once before, when he was younger and his family took off to France for vacation during the summer. Well, his mum and him at least took a vacation, his father had only agreed to the vacation because he had business to attend there. He hardly ever saw him. They went to beach one day and he had wandered off and had gotten separated from his mother. By the time she had finally found him, his fair skin had been practically boiling it was so burnt. It was an experience he didn't want to repeat, so he flipped up the top and quickly began to lather it over his arms and shoulders.

“You're going to want to get your back.”

“I know,” he said as he tried his best to twist around to lather some on himself. “It's hard to reach.”

“Here, I'll do it,” she said taking the tube from him.

He started to panic a bit when she got up from her seat to sit next to him. Letting her put her hands on him probably wasn't the best of ideas. “Er—that's okay—you don't have to—”

“Would you rather Ron or Harry do it, then?”

He opened his mouth, only to close it quickly and then wince. “No thanks.”

“That's what I thought,” she said with a laugh and gripped his shoulders to turn his back to him. “Now sit still and be a good boy.”

He was going to fire back with some smart ass comment, but instead only managed to close his eyes when her hands explore all over his back. Her hands were lathered as she rubbed and kneaded the lotion into his skin. Her touch was soothing, and soft as a feather, and sent an unwanted ball of need building deep inside him. Don't go there, Malfoy. Just don't go there.

She probably could have stopped, she had more than enough lotion rubbed into him, but she just couldn't seem to lift her hands. His skin was warm, his muscles hard and—oh, Merlin this wasn't good, she thought as she closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the thoughts that were running through her mind. She can't—couldn't—have the hots for Draco Malfoy. It just wasn't possible. It just—

He flinched suddenly when her fingers grazed her ribs, causing her to freeze her hands. Then, she lifted a brow as she smiled slowly. “Well, well…ticklish are we?”

“No—okay, yes,” he said suddenly, jerking away when she started to move her fingers again. “Cut it out.”

“Isn't that interesting.”

“No it's not,” he said as he shifted away from her. “And you're plenty done anyway.”

She just snickered as she rubbed the remaining lotion into her own hands. “You'll live, I guess. Shouldn't get too burned.”

“You're a comfort to me, Red,” he said dryly but then grabbed her wrist when she stood up. “What about you?”

She lifted a brow. “What about me?”

“You didn't get your back all by yourself, did you?”

“No, but—I've been lying on my back so I don't need it yet.”

“Well then,” he said with a slight curve of his lips as he tugged her back down. “Allow me to assist.”

“Oh, ah—that's okay,” she said as she waved it off. “I'll just get Luna to do it later.”

He lifted his brows at that. “Really? That would be nice to see.”

She laughed. “You're such a pig.”

“No, just a typical male—and as much as I wouldn't mind witnessing that, I insist that I return the favor.” He twirled a finger in the air. “Now turn around and sit still like a good girl.”

“Smart ass,” she muttered as she let him turn her around himself.

“Always,” he said as he buried his hands in her hair and brushed it aside. He felt her shiver and she quickly reached up to gather her hair over her shoulder so her back would be exposed. Her back was long, slender and decorated by cute freckles here and there. Shouldn't be doing this, he thought as he flipped the top open and poured a generous amount in his palm. Really shouldn't be doing this.

She barley fought back the moan that nearly escaped her when his hands—his large, calloused hands—began to mold and knead her back. He started at her shoulders, spent quite a lot of time there, before swooping down to her upper back. “Make sure you go under the strap.”

His hands paused. “What?”

“My strap,” she said shifted her head until she was able to look at him over her shoulder. “Make sure you rub some lotion under my strap.”

He swallowed. “Why?”

“Because I'm going to want to loosen it later when I lie on my stomach. I don't want to get a tan line.”

“Oh,” he was all he said, was all he could say, as he began to move his hands again. He slid them down to her lower back, then back up, slipping his fingers under the very narrow strap of her top, before spreading his hands out to the sides.

Ginny swallowed a gasp when he felt his fingertips were only inches away from the sides of her breasts, then slowly let out a silent, trembling sigh as his hands trailed down her sides. Then his hands lingered for a moment, before finally lifting them away. She turned again, looking at him over her shoulder. “All done?”

“Yeah,” he said stiffly as he leaned away. “You're done.”

“Okay. Well, thanks.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

She immediately retreated to her chaise; figuring distance was probably best for them both. As she got situated, she studied him discretely from under her shades. He whipped his towel out and spread it over the cushions, before plopping himself down and stretched out his legs. He then grabbed his sunglasses he had tossed aside and shoved him over his eyes.

“What's in the pitcher?” he finally spoke as he scowled towards the sea.

“Mimosa.”

“Does it have alcohol in it?”

“As a matter of fact.”

“Good…hand it over, will you?”

She did as he asked, plus an empty glass as well. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” He poured a generous glass, and then downed half of it in one gulp. “Not a damn thing.”

“Could have fooled me,” she muttered into her own glass.

He pretended not to hear her as he kept his attention straight ahead. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he ever feel like it would be a good idea to put his hands on her? To let her put her hands on him? Now, he knew too much. Would the rest of her be just as soft and tempting? Probably, and it was his own damn fault that he would now have to suffer while he tried his best to keep his hands permanently at his sides.

“Hey guys!”

Draco and Ginny both turned to see Luna fluttering down the steps to the veranda, with Ron following behind her. “Hey,” Ginny said with a smile. “Pick a spot, any spot.”

“Don't mind if I do,” she said as she dropped her bag on the chaise next to Draco. “God, it's beautiful here. I can't wait to dive straight into that pool. Ron, are you going to sit or just stand there all day?”

Ron grumbled out some sort of curse as he sat himself down on the empty spot next to Luna on the end. He didn't like it…he didn't like to see Draco lounging there, looking entirely too pleased with himself, between his sister and Luna. He'd just have to get over it, he thought as he tore off his shirt and tossed it aside. It would be a long two weeks if he continued to fight with him. So ignoring him would probably be the best solution.

“Do you guys need some sunscreen?” Ginny asked. “Draco, hand it over to Luna, her skin is just as bad as ours. Don't give me that look, Ronald, you need to put some on.”

“Fine,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You're sounding like mum.”

“Well, someone needs to look after you when she's not here.”

He gave her a smirk. “Funny.”

“Is this where the party is at?” Hermione walked up with a tote bag over her shoulder, sunglasses perched on top of her head and a red and white striped cover-up that stopped just above her knees.

“You've come to the right place,” Ginny said with a smile and then looked past her. “Hey, Harry.”

“Hey. Is that mimosa?”

“Sure is—here, I'll pour everyone a glass.”

“Sounds good,” he said and then maneuvered past Hermione, giving her a quick shoulder rub as he passed, and then took the chaise next to Ginny. After spending quite awhile analyzing what had happened between the two of them, he decided the best idea was to act like nothing had happened. After all, that's what was supposed to happen and the kiss was nothing more but a kiss between friends. Even if the kiss left him shaking down to the soles of his feet. It meant nothing.

“Come sit down, Hermione,” he said finally looking up at her. “I'll pour you a glass.”

When he smiled up at her, she felt a sigh of relief sweep through her. Nothing had changed, she assured herself as she went over to the last chaise available on the other side of Harry. What happened between them was just her imagination and nothing more. Harry was her friend—her dearest friend—and nothing could change that.

“Thanks, Harry,” she said as she sat down and accepted the glass of mimosa. She then stretched herself out on her cushions and looked out into the ocean. “Have I told you how beautiful this place is, Harry?”

He grinned. “Once or twice.”

“Ron, would you do me?”

Ron, who was in the middle of skimming through a Quidditch magazine, looked up with wide eyes. “Sorry?” He shook his head clear. Surely he heard her wrong. “Sorry, what?”

“My back,” Luna said as she got up to sit on the edge of his chair. “Would you do my back?” She held out the tube of sunscreen to him as she turned her back to him. “I can't reach it.”

“Oh. Well.” He cleared his throat as he sat up slightly. “I guess.”

“Thanks,” she said as she slapped the tube in his hand. “Make sure you do me good, I don't want to be burn.”

Ron heard a snorted laugh and glared over at Draco, who then pressed his lips together and turned his attention back to the water.

“Problem?”

“What?” He looked back to see Luna staring at him with a raised brow. “No—sorry.” He fumbled with the lid of the lotion and squirted some in his palm. “So, you just want me to—rub it all over.”

“That's the idea.” He was nervous, she realized with a hint of a smile. How lovely.

Ron was hesitant at first, trying hard not to touch her much, but when she dropped her head forward and sighed, something stirred inside him. Did she like his touch? He wondered as he spread his fingers wider on and caressed his hands all over her back. She was making small sounds—sounds soft enough for only him to hear—and it felt bloody fantastic.

“That should probably do it.”

“What? Oh,” he said with slight disappointment as she turned and leaned away from him. “Okay.”

“Would you like me to do you?”

“Yes,” he said so quickly, he felt himself blush. “I mean—sure—that would be a big help, Luna. Thanks.”

“No problem,” she said and took the tube from him while he turned around. “Hermione? Harry? Did you need some?”

“I've got my own,” Hermione said, leaning forward so she could see her. “I lathered myself up before I came down but—oh, right. My back. Someone will have to help me there.”

“Ginny could do it.”

Ginny snorted. “Draco's a typical male and gets turned on by the idea of two woman rubbing each other.”

“Yeah, Ginny could do it,” Harry added, getting a laugh out of Draco.

“Harry!” Ginny laughed as she leaned over and smacked his arm.

“What?” he asked with a grin. “I'm also a typical male.”

“You two are talking about my sister,” Ron said while Luna kept rubbing long slow circles over his back. “Don't make me hurt you.”

“You can't blame us,” Draco said looking at Ron for one of the first times on the trip. “What would you think about Luna rubbing Hermione's back, then?”

“Well, that's just—” He paused, and pondered for a moment. “Hmm—I see your point.” He then flinched when Luna slapped him. “Ow!”

“Serves you right,” she said, playfully shoving him before she got and returned to her spot.

“Harry, can you just do it?” Hermione asked as she fished out her lotion. “You're the closest to me.”

“Oh.” He hesitated a moment before finally taking the brown bottle from her. “I guess that makes sense.”

“And I'll return the favor.”

“Great,” he said with a small smile. “Sure.”

“Let me just—” She stood up in front of him then gathered material at the bottom of her cover-up, crisscrossing her arms, before pulling it up and over her head.

Bloody hell, she wore the red bikini, he thought, as he quickly adverted his eyes away, but not quick enough to get rid of the image in his head. While she moved to sit in front of him, he took a quick glance at Ginny who was wearing a lime green bikini that was just as revealing, just as sexy, but—nothing. Crap, crap, double crap!

“I got most of my lower back,” she began as she gathered her hair and slid it to the side. “So just concentrate on my upper back and shoulders.”

“Okay,” he said and then frowned when he couldn't help but miss the slight disappointment for not being able to touch—don't go there. Just slather her back and shoulders and be quick about it.

He squeezed out a reasonable sized dollop, rubbed his hands together to spread out the lotion and then rubbed his hands over her shoulders. His mind told him to quickly get through it, but his hands didn't seem to follow. He spread his hands wide and in slow, soothing circles, rubbed the lotion into her soft skin. Like satin, he thought as his hands started to venture down. “Just in case,” he found himself saying as he moved to her lower back. “You might have missed spots.”

“O-okay,” she said as she tried desperately not to moan. Merlin, his hands were remarkably gentle, yet strong at the same time. He lingered, caressed and kneaded his hands up and down her back, then couldn't help shiver when his fingers slipped under her strap.

“I guess that'll do it,” he said as he swiped his hands one last time across her back before pulling them away.

She bit back a sound of protest at the absence of his hands. She had forgotten what it was like to be touch by a man, yet—she couldn't remember it ever being this exhilarating. Probably because her and Ron never even got to that point yet, she figured as she turned around so she could return the favor. He did a bit of caressing during the few and very far in between snogs they had shared. Actually, Harry basically had just gotten further than Ron ever did. Interesting.

“Claudia turned the water on the waterslide,” Harry said as soon as Hermione started to touch him. He figured it would be best to distract him by talking with the others. “We'll have to make some runs down it soon.”

“Really?” Ginny said sitting up and looked over to the rockslide and grinned when she saw the water rushing into the pool. “Forget soon, I'm all about now. Who's with me?”

“Me!” Luna exclaimed, and then took a long gulp of her mimosa before standing up. “I've never been on a waterslide before…I think I'll go head first, live dangerously.”

Ginny laughed. “Any other takers?”

“Sure.” Draco tossed aside the book he had just picked up to read. “Why the hell not?”

“I'll come, too, I guess,” Ron said as he set aside his magazine. “Could be kind of fun.”

“Fine, but you two better behave,” Ginny said pointing a finger between Draco and Ron.

“I'll do my best, sis,” Ron said as he threw a friendly arm around her as they took off towards the slide, with Draco and Luna following close behind.

Now, how the hell did that happen? Harry asked himself as he frowned at their backs. He had mentioned the slide to start a conversation to keep him from thinking inappropriate thoughts about Hermione and now he was alone with her. “Well, I…er…you've probably gotten it fairly good.”

“Just a bit more on your shoulders,” she said as she reapplied more lotion before rubbing it in. “You feel kind of tense, Harry. Are you okay?”

“Hmm?” He asked, and then groaned when she pressed harder into his muscles. “Yeah, I—I'm fine. Just a little kink there.” He flinched and then let out a hissing curse when she hit a sore spot on his right shoulder. “Must have slept on it wrong.”

“You want me to try to work it out for you?” she asked as she started to rise up on her knees to get her more leverage.

“Ah, no…no, it's okay,” he said as he tilted his head from side to side and rolled his shoulders. “I'll try and spend some time in the hot tub today to sooth it out. Thanks, though.”

“Sure,” she said as she scooted back. “So…want to join them on the slide?”

“Definitely,” he said and then looked over when he saw a delightful female laugh erupt towards the slide moments before Luna popped out from the end and disappeared into water.

“Well, let's go,” she said as she grabbed his hand and yanked him to his feet. “It's time we got this vacation officially started.”

He couldn't help but smile as he let himself be tugged eagerly towards the slide. Then, he pulled her back hard and darted ahead of her. “Me first!”

“Hey!” she exclaimed as she stumbled backwards, but then laughed as she chased after him. “No, fair!”

-->

Chapter 13

Draco didn't know what was more bizarre. The fact that he was slipping and sliding with the people he went out of his way to insult and ridicule for all his years at Hogwarts? Or the fact that he was enjoying slipping and sliding with the people he went out of his way to insult and ridicule. Either way, the whole situation was extremely bizarre.

His father wouldn't have approved, he thought as he pulled himself out of the water and headed up to the slide once again. Maybe that was one of the reasons he was enjoying himself, because now one of his favorite things to do was to insult and ridicule his old man. For so long he tried so damn hard to have his approval, now he didn't want anything to do with it. His father could take his approval and shove it up his own ass as far as he was concerned.

He was having a good time, damn it, and what the hell was wrong with that? He thought as he pushed himself off onto the slide headfirst after Luna had safely made it down. Why did his father always feel that foolishness such as this was an idiotic waste of time? His loss. My gain.

As he dove into the water, he continued to swim over to the other end of the pool to where the chairs were. As fun as he was having, he needed a break from the slides. Running up to the slides over and over again was exhausting.

“Had enough?”

Draco pushed himself out of the pool and grabbed his towel. “For now,” he told Harry who was the only other one by the chairs. The rest were still enjoying the slide. “You?”

“I had taken a break to go and ask Claudia to bring some sandwiches out at lunch time, then decided to come back here. Turns out that watching people slide down a slide over and over again can be just as fun.”

Draco turned his head towards the slide just as Ginny's infectious laughter rang out before hitting the water. “Yeah. I guess.”

“Hermione kissed me.”

Draco whipped his head back. “I'm sorry?” He wiggled his ears to see if there was water in it. “What did you say?”

“She kissed me,” he blurted out and frowned slightly. He hadn't planned on telling anyone, let alone Draco Malfoy, but couldn't seem to stop it. “It wasn't a big deal.”

“I beg to differ,” Draco said as he plopped down on the edge of his chaise.

“It wasn't,” he repeated and shook his head. “I'm not explaining this right…I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. She was just proving a point…it was meant to be friendly.”

He lifted a brow. “Meant?”

“No…no, it was friendly,” he added quickly when he realized what he said. “That's what she was trying to prove. I was teasing her kind of, stating there was no such thing as a friendly kiss on the lips. I had seen her kissing Ron earlier and she had said it was just friendly. That's how it all started.”

“I see.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “So, she kissed you to prove there was such a thing as a friendly kiss and—what? Did you prove her wrong?”

“Yes—I mean, no,” he stuttered and then let out a frustrating sigh. “I don't know—I just know the kiss wasn't as—harmless—as I thought it would be.”

“Interesting.”

“No, don't look at me like that,” Harry said with narrowed eyes. “It's not what you think—I don't have feelings for Hermione.”

“Don't you?”

“Of course not—I mean, not that she's not wonderful or anything, she is—any guy would be damn lucky to have her, but—I couldn't possibly—I mean, she's Hermione and—I'm Harry. We're friends. Just friends. That's how it has always been between us and that's how it should be.”

Draco shook his head slowly and let out a sigh. “Potter—I know in the past I've called you about every name in the book, but this time I'm saying it as a—well, I won't say friend because I don't believe we are there yet, so I'll say an acquaintance. Potter? You're an idiot.”

Harry pursed his lips. “I don't know if this way is any better.”

Ignoring him, he flew up his hands angrily in the air. “Who fucking cares if you and Hermione have always been friends? Is it written somewhere that you two can't be anything but? Is it destined in the stupid stars or something?”

“Well, I—”

“If you think you might like her, just go for it—stop being such a pussy, for Merlin's sake.”

Harry's jaw dropped. “You just called me a pussy.”

“Yeah, I did—and that's me being nice about it.”

Harry shook his head clear. “Okay, look—even if you were right—not about the whole pussy thing, that's ridiculous, but—even if I might have feelings for her, I still have Ron to consider. I mean, now they're just friends but—”

“The hell with Ron.”

Harry blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry—that came out wrong,” Draco said and then let out a laugh. “Old habits die hard. What I meant was—don't worry about Weasley right now. Just—go for it.”

“Go for it?” Harry repeated.

“Yeah—look, you don't have to go over and jump her bones or anything…”

“Jeez, Malfoy.”

“I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt to keep your mind open about it, instead of trying to push it away. That's all.”

“Huh.” He pondered a moment before pointing a finger at him. “Okay, that doesn't seem as bad. Just—keep my mind open?”

“About what?”

“What?” Harry blinked up and then felt his stomach pitch slightly at the sight of Hermione emerging from the pool in front of him, looking all damp and half naked in her red bikini. “Hermione—hey, I—er, we were just…talking.”

“I can see that,” she said with a slight smile as she rung out her hair before stretching out on her chaise. “What about?”

“Nothing special. So, are you having fun?” Harry asked, hoping to change the subject.

“A blast. But I needed a break.” She sighed as she leaned all the way back and closed her eyes. “I just felt like lying here like a vegetable for awhile.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, only half paying attention. He couldn't seem to stop his eyes from wandering slowly down her body while her own eyes were shut. Then he looked up to see Draco staring at him with a grin on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows. Harry just scowled before turning his attention front and center.

“Hey guys,” Ginny said as she walked up to them. “That was fun, huh? Wears you out, though.”

“Hasn't seem to slow down Ron or Luna,” Draco said as he watched them both swim to the side of the pool for another run.

“It'll hit him eventually.” Ginny stretched sat on her chaise. “I could lie out here all day. Harry? Why don't we all just live here for the rest of our lives and never go back to reality?”

Harry chuckled. “Tempting, but then again, this place would lose it's magic if we were here all the time.”

Ginny sighed. “I guess you have a point. Well, we should all come back to this place then. Once a year or something.”

“You say that now, but a lot can happen in two weeks.”

Ginny glanced up at Draco. “I guess you also have a point. Still, so far you've proven you're not the complete asshole you use to be.”

“That's touching, Red. Really—it get's me right here.”

Ginny laughed when he tapped his chest over his heart. “I do what I can.”

Harry looked over at Hermione and by the look on her face he could tell she was thinking the he was. Red? He mouthed to her and she responded by clueless shake of her head, telling him she wasn't sure what was going on between them. “Interesting,” he murmured under his breath.

“Very,” she mumbled back before glancing over at the mysterious couple again.

Draco was right, she thought as she watched Ginny throw a classic flirtatious smile over at Malfoy. A lot can happen in two weeks. She looked over at Harry and felt her heart shudder beneath her chest when she thought of the kiss they shared. A hell of a whole lot.

XXX

Claudia had brought a tray full of finger sandwiches a little after one and everyone horded around the circular table under the umbrella. Everyone needed a small break from the sun, as they munched on egg salad sandwiches and salty, greasy potato chips.

“This is really good,” Ron said with a mouthful of egg salad and chips. “I mean…really good.”

“I'm going to get fat,” Ginny said with a slight pout as she grabbed another sandwich. “I just know it.”

“The house came with a workout room,” Harry said before washing down his food with a Dr. Pepper. “Treadmills, weights and all that.”

“Good…what's a treadmill?”

“It's a workout machine muggles use,” Hermione explained as she pushed her plate away. “You walk or run on it and you don't go anywhere.”

Ginny blinked. “How does that work?”

Hermione laughed. “It's hard to explain, but you'll understand once you see it.”

“Any other rooms you got in your fortress you haven't told us yet, Potter?” Draco asked.

“I don't think so—oh, I have a bowling alley. Have I told you that?”

“You told us you had a game room.”

“No, that's a separate room with pinball machines, pool tables and such—the bowling alley is in adjoining room next to it.”

“I love bowling,” Hermione said. “I remember my parents taking me once when I was little.”

“I'm going to start sounding repetitive,” Ginny said with a sigh. “But what's bowling?”

“I wonderful pastime for muggles,” Harry said with a grin. “We'll have to save it for a rainy day. It'll be fun.”

After lunch, everyone went back out into the sun, but it wasn't long after they all went to cool off into the pool. They all hunkered down into the cool, soothing water as they lingered in a circle, conversations merged here and there within the group.

“Hey, we should play a game,” Luna finally suggested as she playfully floated onto her back. “Like—a water game or something.”

“What do you have in mind?” Ron asked, looming over her as she floated by.

“I don't know many games,” she said as she sunk back down on her feet. “You have to have friends to play games, right? So I never really played anything like that growing up.”

Ron felt his heart break for the little girl as he ran a hand gently down her hair. “Well, you have friends now.”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him, pleasure blooming in her cheeks. “Yes, I do.”

“What about Marco Polo?” Hermione suggested. “That's a fun game. My parents played it with me during the summer.”

“That's when someone closes their eyes and yells out, `Marco', right?” Harry asked.

“Exactly, then we all say, `Polo' and the person who's it has to find us.”

“That's sounds fun,” Luna said clapping her hands. “Let's play that.”

“We could play boys against girls?” Hermione suggested. “That might make it more fun rather than one person being it.”

Harry grinned. “I second that. Guys will be it first.”

“Wait, wait,” Draco said holding up his hands. “Let me see if I get this game straight. We have to close our eyes and say `Marco' and they have to say `Polo' and with the sound of their voices we have to figure out where they are and, what?—grab them?”

Hermione nodded. “That's pretty much it.”

“Well. That sounds—fantastic. I'm definitely in.”

“Okay, okay, let's lay down some rules here,” Hermione started.

“Typical,” Ron muttered under his breath.

“No splashing the person who is seeking,” she stated, ignoring Ron's remark. “And once a person get's someone, they are out of the game. Only one guy or one girl can find one person. Oh, and no one is allowed to leave the pool.”

“Is there any score keeping?” Luna asked.

“Nah, this is just for fun,” Harry said with a wave. “Let's do it.”

“You guys go over to the deep end and turn your backs around,” Hermione said, shoving Harry away. “Give us a few seconds to scatter.”

“I'm coming for you, Granger,” Harry warned playfully.

“You have to get me first, Potter,” she teased and gave him another shove. “Now get…and no peaking at any time boys!”

“You know, Malfoy,” Ron said once they were draped over the pool wall while they waited for the girls to get ready. “I'm surprised you're doing this. Not too cool for you?”

“Not at all,” he said with a smirk. “Any game that involves me chasing after pretty girls is okay in my book.”

Ron scowled while Harry snorted back a chuckle. “Yeah, well—just watch where you put those hands when you make the grab.”

“I'll be sure I do.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That didn't make me feel any better.”

Draco just shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Okay, girls!” Harry yelled over his shoulder. “We're coming, ready or not!

“Hey, wait,” Draco said as he grabbed his arm before he could push off. “Maybe we should go one at a time? That way we won't run into each other like a bunch of idiots.”

“The man's got a point,” Ron said.

“Yeah, good idea. Okay, who's up first?”

“I'll go,” Draco said almost right away. “It'll be my pleasure.”

“He's entirely too happy about this game,” Ron grumbled.

Harry chuckled. “Hey girls! We're going one at a time and Malfoy is up first! They're all yours, Malfoy. Go for it.”

Draco closed his eyes on a grin and then slipped into the water and pushed off. Look out, Red, he thought as he glided through the water. I'm coming for you.

-->

Chapter 14

He kept his eyes closed as he sliced through the water and didn't surface until he knew he could stand in the shallow end. “Marco.”

“Polo.”

His ears perked at the three female voices merging together and knew there was one just ahead of him, one to his left and one behind him. He slowly inched backwards and called out again and this time he knew the girl behind him was Luna, so he backed off and headed towards the voice to his left towards the deeper end.

“Marco,” he said again with a hint of arrogance in his voice.

“Polo.”

He barely heard the other two voices, he knew now that the girl he was heading towards was Ginny. He heard a quick swirl of water so he quickly countered and shriek erupted from her, only encouraging the speed up. “Marco.”

A laugh bubbled out of her before she responded and then more urgent splashing followed, telling him he was getting closer and closer. He finally slipped beneath the surface and pushed off a nearby wall towards the direction he thought she was. He felt a flutter of water near his hands so he blindly reached out through the water until finally managing a firm grip on her ankle.

He could hear her muffled laughter from the surface and with a mischievous grin, gave her ankle a hard tug. He opened his eyes underwater and smiled when he saw the sea of red hair floating in the water like mermaid. He reached out and pulled her against him before bringing them both to the surface.

She let out a breathless laugh as they both treaded water, while legs tangled and flirted underwater. “I really thought I was going to get away.”

“I'll admit,” he said pushing back his wet tangled hair out of his face. “You were a challenge.”

“You get one, Malfoy?” Harry asked.

Draco turned towards Harry and Ron, whose back was still turned to them. “Yeah, I got a Weasley.”

“Remember what I said, Malfoy,” Ron growled.

Draco grinned. “Lighten up, Weaslebee—why don't you go next?”

“Don't mind if I do,” he said and then turned around with his eyes closed. “Here I come, ladies.”

“Let's go watch from over here,” Draco said, dragging them to a single step in the deep end. They sat side by side in the little alcove, with their legs dangling

over the edge under water.

“You didn't cheat, did you?”

“Me?” Cheat?” He snorted out a laugh. “Never.”

“Oh, right—how can I forget? Draco Malfoy never cheated a day in his life.”

He grinned. “Well, I guess I can't say that—but I'm trying to be a good boy now. Sort of.”

Ron stood in the middle of the pool and after calling out he realized that he was smack in the middle between Hermione and Luna. Hermione was on his left and Luna to his right, but he wasn't quite sure who he wanted to go for. Luna probably expected him to go for Hermione, he thought as he grinned on the inside. He could surprise her and make the grab before she could blink. He knew he wasn't far from her.

Hoping to trick her, he slowly shifted his body towards Hermione's direction, before quickly lunging himself to his right. He heard her shriek and frantic splashes of water coming from both of them before his fingers skimmed a sliver of her flesh.

He made another leap on her and practically landed on top of her as he tacked them both under the water. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind as they pushed themselves back through the surface. “And you're caught,” he murmured playfully in her ear.

“You tricked me,” said breathlessly as she slapped an arm that still had her captive. “I thought you were going for Hermione.”

“That was the idea,” he said with a chuckle and then looked up over where Harry was waiting. “Okay, Harry—Hermione is the only one left. She's all yours.”

“Oh, goodie,” he said with a grin before finally slipping under the water.

“Good luck,” Ron said to Hermione when Harry was still under the water.

“I think I'm going to need it,” she said as she kept an eye on Harry's swirly body underwater getting closer and closer.

“Let's go over here, Lovegood,” Ron said picking her up and half carried, half floated them over to the steps. “This is going to be good.”

Luna just sighed as she leaned back into him, loving the feel of his arms wrapped around her. He wasn't letting go of her, she realized with a joyful lift of her heart. He was holding her tight against him as if he never wanted to let go of her. Maybe, she thought hopefully. Just maybe.

While Harry was underwater, gliding closer and closer in her direction, she decided to inch her way around towards the deep end. Circling him so by the time he surfaced she was treading water quite a distance behind him.

When she answered his call, he whipped his head towards her and smiled with his eyes still closed. “Clever girl,” he murmured before lowering deeper into the water and pushed himself off the bottom of the pool. “Marco.”

“Polo,” she said as she kept gently kicking back, trying to make little noise as possible. Her plan was to circle back around when he got closer, but she miscalculated where he was underwater and when he surface he was a lot closer than she thought.

“I know you're close,” he murmured as he slowly inched his way forward. He heard the slightest swirl of water and immediately darted to his right, hoping to cut her off.

Hermione let out a soft curse when she realized she was now trapped and had no other option but to keep going backwards. Maybe she'd try and slip underwater and swim under him, she thought as she watched him creep closer and closer to her.

She was just about to make her move when a rush of water thudded down on her, causing her to gasp and choke before realizing that she had just went through the waterfall that flowed right near the end of the waterslide. She could see his silhouette through the running water and knew she was trapped.

With her back pressed up against the jagged rock wall she slowly snaked around to her left and to her surprise she was able to keep going. She looked over her shoulder to see Harry pass through the falls and push his wet hair back out of his face.

“Marco,” he called out and his voice echoed through the small cave.

“Polo,” she answered before quickly sliding further into the narrow crevice before it finally opened up into a rocky dome. The water was up to her waist as she quickly treaded back until her back hit the rock wall and had no where else to go.

She held her breath when Harry appeared from the mouth of the opening and watched him grin as he ventured out with his arms stretched out. “I really hope I don't run into something and embarrass myself,” he murmured out loud but then paused and opened his ears. “Marcoooo,” he said teasingly.

“Polo.”

Her soft voice came from his left so he slowly headed that direction, making sure to keep his arms out for any type of skin. “Marco,” he said again.

“Polo,” she squeaked followed by a quick rush of water.

He shot his whole body towards her, laughing when she let out a yelp as she tried to get away. She was quick—he had to give her credit for it—but he was quicker. His hand had slapped against the wall seconds before Hermione ran into his arm and so he swooped towards her as he opened his eyes and placed his other hand on the other side of her, caging her in. “Gotcha.”

Hermione felt her stomach flutter, as he loomed over her—so close that she could feel his fast, choppy breaths fanning her lips. “Yeah,” she breathed as her eyes flickered up to his. “You got me.”

Uh-oh, he thought as he felt himself want to lean himself closer to her. Danger, danger. “I, uh—I guess we should—go.”

She gave him a wobbly smile. “Yeah—they are probably wondering.”

But neither of them moved.

His eyes flickered to her lips—only for a moment—but it was long enough for him wishing he could just lean over and sip off every single water bead that decorated her enticing mouth. Merlin, just do it—just do it and see what happens.

Her heart lurched as his eyes flickered to her lips again, but this time he lingered and—oh Merlin, was he leaning? Yes, yes, he was, she thought frantically as she felt her breath start to rapidly increase. Oh, god, oh god—what do I do? Do I remember how to kiss a guy? Really kiss a guy? Should I close my eyes? Should I—

“Oi! Harry! Haven't you gotten her yet?”

Harry flinched back as Ron's loud booming voice echoed through the cave. “Er—yeah!” He yelled as he turned away from her. “Just—just got her—we'll be right out!” He then closed his eyes and took a calming breath before turning back to her. “Well.”

Hermione cleared her throat as she gave him her best nonchalant smile she could muster. “Well—we should—”

“Yeah,” he said as he stepped back from her and out of the way. “After you.”

“Thanks,” she said as she felt her heart drop in disappointment. What would have happened if Ron hadn't interrupted them? Would he really have kissed her? Would they be still be kissing if Ron didn't have seriously poor timing? Who knows? Why was it even worth thinking about? It didn't happen, probably would never happen, and she needed to get over it.

“Hermione,” Harry said suddenly as he reached out and touched her arm.

“Yes?” she said looking up at him—hoping.

“I, uh—” He swallowed the freakishly large knot in his throat. “I—wondered if you'd want to—in a few days maybe—want to go to that place I talked about? The one that made me want to buy this place?”

“Really?” she said with a soft smile at the thought of spending a day with him—just Harry.

“Yeah—I want to show you. I'll show the others another time, but—I want to share it with you first. If you want to.”

“I'd love to, Harry,” she said as a smile bloomed across her face. “Id absolutely love to.”

“Yeah?” he said, tremendously pleased. “I—great—that's great. We'll just—talk about it later, then.”

“Okay,” she said and then reached up and grabbed the hand that was still on her arm. “Now, let's go before they start to send a search party.”

“Right,” he said with a laugh.

Maybe the kiss didn't happen this time, he thought as he let her lead the way out. And maybe it was a fluke—maybe it was just the moment that had him yearning to lean over and kiss her—maybe, it wasn't? Maybe there was something there between him and his childhood friend. There were a lot of maybes. However, he was going to make sure he found out exactly which maybe matched up and—even if he had to kiss her to find out.

-->

Chapter 15

This time, it was the girl's turn and they decided to do it differently and all of them went out at the same time. There was more chaos, more shouts and laughter and definitely more splashing.

Since it was so chaotic, the girls didn't even know which guys were where, so they blindly reached out, hoping to snag one of them. Hermione managed to grab an arm and then quickly held on as tight as she could while the owner of the arm started to tug.

“Okay, okay,” Draco said as he winced. “You got me, Granger, now let up on the death grip.”

Hermione opened her eyes and then laughed as she let go. “Sorry, I tend to get carried away.”

“I'll say,” he muttered as he rubbed his arm.

“Sorry,” she said with a laugh as they watched the game. “Hey Luna, to your left!”

“Hermione!” Harry laughed as he tried to dodge Luna's attack. “No fai—”

His words were cut off when Luna tackled him into the water, but he came up sputtering curses. “You big, cheater!” Harry said splashing Hermione while Luna snickered beside him.

She laughed as she flinched from the water attack. “Sorry, my evil side came out.”

“A side of Granger I never knew,” Draco said and then grinned. “I like it.”

“Looks like it's just the Weasleys now,” Harry said as he watched Ron start swimming to the deep end with Ginny hot on his trail.

“C'mon, Ginny!' Draco called out. “Don't let Weaslebee get the best of you!”

Not two moments later, Ginny managed to catch up to her big brother and dunked him deep into the water. Ron came up laughing and then playfully splashed her. “Okay, you got me—damn, your fast, Ginny.”

“All those summers swimming in the pond by our house certainly paid off,” she said and then splashed him back before taking off towards the others.

Since the game wore them all out, after only an hour of drying off in their chairs, they decided to retire for the day and everyone one escaped to their rooms for quick naps and long hot showers.

Luna, however, couldn't resist the ridiculously large Jacuzzi that just seemed to call out to her. So instead of a shower, she went to the Jacuzzi and began to fiddle with the taps until she was satisfied with the temperature. She then rummaged through cabinets until she found some bubble bath and poured a generous amount into the warm steamy water.

She clapped her hands joyously when bubbles began to form, then did a little happy dance before she started to quickly discard her swimsuit. She loved baths, but never really could enjoy the one at her home since it wasn't very spacious. She couldn't stretch out completely and always had to fold her long legs to the side to completely submerge herself in the water.

This was much better and as she melted herself into the hot, soothing water, she let out a long satisfying sigh as she spread herself out as much as she could and found out she still had room.

“Two people could fit in here easy,” she said aloud and then blushed as she imagined Ron with her.

He was so darn cute today, she thought as she let out a giggle when she remembered how he playfully tackled her in the water. Or how they talked and talked on the steps while they waited for Harry and Hermione to come out of the cave.

She had been worried that he'd be upset when they disappeared under the waterfall together. She had expected to see a scowl or a worried look on his face when she looked over at him, but instead of looking at Harry and Hermione, he had been looking over at her. It made her blush like an idiot and tried to turn away before he noticed, but he had let out a soft chuckle, which meant she hadn't moved quick enough.

When she had woken up this morning, she had told herself that it was a lost cause and it was time she got over Ronald Weasley once and for all. However, after today and after their little moments they had shared, she actually believed there might be a chance.

Maybe he did feel that way about her, but he just didn't realize it yet. Didn't he act all flustered when she asked him to put some sunscreen on her back? And he didn't really hide the fact that he was enjoying her touch as well. She knew she was affecting him and thinking of it now made her let out a delightful laugh as she tapped her feet enthusiastically against the porcelain bottom.

She wouldn't give up, she thought as she finally made herself get out once the water turned lukewarm. She never felt more confident than she did now, so it would be stupid of her to back off now.

With a satisfied nod, she grabbed the overly large terrycloth towel that was neatly folded on the counter. She dabbed herself dry before wrapping the towel around her body and neatly tucked it between her breasts. She quickly lathered herself with her body cream before lazily strolling back into her bedroom as she began to comb out her tangles with her hairbrush.

“Hello?”

She yelped at the voice and her hairbrush cluttered to the floor. “Ginny?” She looked all around the room for her but couldn't see her. “That you?”

“Whoever this is look on the wall—you see that flat looking metal box on the wall? I'm looking for Luna, sorry if I'm bugging someone—already bugged Malfoy but—hello? Anyone there?”

She frowned as she looked around, but then finally saw what she was talking about. “Oh,” she said as she walked over to it and noticed a bunch of buttons next to a circular speaker. “Ginny?”

“Do you see it?” her voice cackled out of the box. “If you're there and you see it, you have to press the red button to talk. I can't hear you.”

“Oh.” She pressed the button and leaned her mouth to the speaker. “Hello?”

Ginny's laughter spewed out of the speaker. “Hey! I found you! Second try!”

“What is this?”

“Apparently it's all over the house. Look at the buttons. There's a kitchen button, a den button—the bedrooms are numbered so I wasn't sure who's in what bedroom. You're bedroom number three.”

Luna let out a laugh. “Okay—this is kind of fun.”

“Isn't it? Malfoy wasn't amused. Apparently I woke him up from a nap so he was all crabby.”

“He'll get over it. Want to actually come over and have a conversation?”

“Definitely—I was just going to come over but saw this little device and couldn't resist. Avoid bedroom number four by the way—that's Malfoy's. I'll be over in a second.”

“I'll be here,” she said before letting go of the button. “Wonder what number Ronald is?” she wondered as she lingered a finger over one of the buttons, before pulling away. She didn't want to disturb anybody if they were sleeping.

Luna turned away from the speaker and retrieved her hairbrush to continue her grooming as she strolled over by the window to enjoy the view. When she heard the soft knock on the door, she called out for her to come in as she kept her eyes on the sun that was slowly sinking into the water.

She expected Ginny to come flying in, chattering away like she always did, but when the door opened all she got was silence. With a slight frown she turned back around, hoping Ginny was okay, but it wasn't Ginny that stood by the door. “Ron?”

Ron could only stare at her. She was in a towel. Bloody hell, she was in a towel and—Merlin, she was still all slicked up and damp. “I—sorry,” he managed to choke out before quickly spinning around for a fast retreat and rammed himself right into the door—and saw stars.

“Ron!” Luna gasped as she dropped her brush and ran to him as he staggered against the door. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said and felt the room spin. “Okay, no.” He slid weakly to the floor as he pressed a hand against his aching head.

“Easy, easy,” she soothed as she crouched down in front of him. “You really hit it hard.”

“Uh-huh.” Wow, she smelled good.

“I just took a bath.”

“What?”

“You said I smelled good—I took a bath.”

“Did I say that out loud?” he asked as he tried to focus.

“Yes, you did. Let me take a look,” she said as she leaned up on her knees and carefully brushed back his bangs to examine the whelp that was forming on his forehead. “You're getting quite a knot, Ronald.”

“Aw, man,” he winced as he closed his eyes. “That's just what I need—the guys are totally going to haze me.”

“Yes, probably,” she said in a soft tone as she leaned back to look at him, cradling his head in her hands. “How's your vision?”

He squinted his eyes as he looked at her and then smiled lazily. “Excellent—I see two of you. That's nice.”

“Hmm, I may not be a Healer, but that doesn't sound nice. Honestly Ron, why did you freak out like that? It's just a towel, earlier today I was wearing a lot less.”

“How do you know I freaked out about that?”

“Why else would have panicked and smacked yourself against the door?”

“Point taken,” he said after a moment and then groaned when he felt his head start to throb. “I don't know. It was just different. I felt like I was—violating you or something.”

She bit back a smile as she sat back on her heels. “Well—what's done is done. For now, let's get you up—slowly,” she ordered when he sat up quickly. She shifted to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist while she swung his over her neck. “Okay, up you go.”

“I'm fine,” he said as he managed to stagger himself up on his feet. Luna only may have helped a little. “Okay—I'm going now.”

“You're not going anywhere until you're wooziness goes away. Let's get you to the bed.”

“Okay, okay, but I can walk myself.”

“Sure you can,” she grunted as she took on half of his weight as he leaned against her. “Okay, watch the step up onto the platform.”

He snorted. “Honestly, Luna, I think I can manage to walk up a single step.”

But as he lifted his top-heavy foot to climb up onto the bed, his toe caught the edge of the step and pitched his body forward. And since Luna was practically wrapped around him, sent her flying as well. There was a sharp curse from Ron and a high pitch yelp from Luna as they fell together on the bed in a tangle of limbs.

Ron was flat on his back and found him staring up into very large, beautiful, startling blue eyes. She had landed right on top of him, and he could feel every inch of her pressed firmly against his body. And—Merlin help him—she still had the towel on so that didn't make it any less awkward. “Are—are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said breathlessly. “Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?”

He could see the alarm that suddenly filled her eyes as she shifted herself up his body and started to check for more injuries. “Luna, Luna—I'm fine.” He grabbed both her hands that had been skimming through his hair and across face. He let out a soft smile as he reached up and gently tucked back her damp, curling hair that curtained her face. “I'm fine.”

“Well, shit.”

Ron and Luna both turned their heads to see a very stunned, wide-eyed Ginny standing just inside the room. “I'm sorry—obviously I'm interrupting something. I'll go.”

“No, no,” they both stammered out as they scampered to their feet.

“It's not what you think,” Ron said as he quickly sidestepped away from Luna. “I came in and—towel—panicked and ran into door—and—hell, I'm going to let Luna explain. I'll see you both downstairs.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweats and hunched his shoulders.

“Ronald—”

“I'm fine,” he said stiffly before walking away from her and muttered a quick, “Shut up”, to his sister when she had snickered as he walked by.

When they were alone, Ginny lifted an intriguing brow at her and slowly walked over to her. “Luuucy, you have some explaining to do.”

Luna frowned. “My name's Luna---and what's with the accent?”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Nothing—it's from an old famous Muggle sitcom. My dad went through a period where he was obsessed with I Love Lucy and—and, that doesn't matter—what matters is what I saw when I walked into this room.”

Luna sniffed as she gave it a shrug. “It was nothing—like Ronald said.”

“Yeah, right,” she muttered as she watched Luna stalk over to her chest of drawers. “At least explain how you got to be on top of my brother.”

Luna huffed. “Fine, but let me change first. I'm sick of being in this towel.”

Later, after Luna had slipped into her favorite bright pink sweatpants that sparkled when she moved and a simple white tee-shirt, Luna sat on the end of her bed with Ginny and told her everything that happened from the moment she had turned and saw Ron standing in her room.

Ginny snorted out a laugh. “He ran into the wall—I would have loved to have seen that. Must have hit pretty hard—that was a huge knot.”

“Can you believe he freaked out that way? I was more naked earlier today in my swimsuit.”

“Guys are weird, you never know what will set them off when it comes to girls. By the way? How long have you been in love with my brother?”

Luna's jaw dropped. “I—I, never said I was—”

“You didn't have to,” she said waving a hand at him. “I'm surprised I never noticed it before actually.”

Luna sighed in defeat. “I'm usually better at hiding it—you caught me with my guard down.”

Ginny grinned. “I sure did.”

“You won't tell him, will you?”

“Of course not,” she assured her. “I promise, but—Luna, what about his relationship with Hermione? Are you certain he's over her?”

“No. No, I'm not. I know they are just friends now, but that can change.”

“I suppose.” She frowned slightly as she reached over and rubbed her friend's knee. “I just don't want you to get hurt.”

“I know, but don't worry. Whatever happens, is meant to happen, so—I'm just going to have to deal with it.”

Ginny shook her head. “I don't know how you do it. Me? I get all mean and sulky when I don't get my way.”

“Yes, well—you can be a spoiled brat, Ginny.”

Ginny let out a laugh as she playfully slapped her on her arm. “Luna! You little shit! I'd hurt you, but you're completely right so what would be the point?”

Luna grinned. “Exactly.”

“Well,” she said as she stood up. “As fun as this is, I better go. I want to take a shower before I head downstairs. I'll see you down there.”

“Okay. And thanks.”

“Sure, no problem. Oh! Wait!” She gave Luna a mischievous grin as she pranced over to the speaker and pressed a certain button, before pressing the red one. “Oh, Malfooooy! Are you awaaake? Wake up lazy ass!”

“Red?” his voice cut viciously through the speaker a moment later. “You're really starting to become a big pain in my ass.”

Ginny let out a laugh. “You'll get over it,” she said and then smiled at Luna. “Isn't he charming?”

“Charming, my ass!”

That just made her laugh even harder as she stepped away from the speaker. “I just love getting under his skin—it's so entertaining. I'll see you down there!”

Luna watched her friend practically float out of her room with slight amusement. “Well, well, well,” she said out loud to herself. “Isn't that interesting?”

-->

Chapter 16

“You ran into the door?”

Ron paused from sipping his freshly popped bottle of beer long enough to scowl at Harry. “I didn't do it on purpose,” he said before taking a long gulp.

“I should hope not,” Draco pointed out before taking his own pull of his beer to hide his smirk.

“Like I said, I was caught off guard and…” He trailed off when he noticed both of them trying extremely hard not to laugh. “Oh, why don't you two just go ahead and laugh? I would if the roles were reversed.”

“Thank Merlin,” Harry managed to say before both him and Draco erupted into uncontrollable laughter. “Sorry. Sorry, Ron—I just can't get it out of my mind.”

“Me, too. Me, too.” Draco actually had to wipe a tear away from his cheek. He couldn't recall him ever laughing this hard in his life. “It's like a continuous Muggle movie going over and over in my mind. Bang….bang….bang.”

“All right, that's enough,” Ron said as he gave Malfoy a small shove.

“What's so funny?”

“Oh, let me tell it!” Harry said as he held up his hand like an eager student while Hermione breezed into the parlor room.

“Go ahead,” Ron muttered as he took another sip of his beer. “I'm never going to live it down.”

After Harry finished telling Hermione, with only a few erupted cackles in between, Hermione immediately presses her lips tightly together to keep her own giggles from escaping. “Oh. Well…hmm.” She gives a look of sympathy at Ron but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the giggle that tumbled out of her. “I'm sorry, Ron—truly, I…”

Ron just rolled his eyes as she continued to laugh. “Go ahead, laugh…let it allll out.”

“I'm sorry—and the bump looks like it hurts—but, I just don't know why you got all flustered?” She laughed again as she accepted the glass of wine that Harry had poured for her. “It was just a towel—need I remind you she was in a lot less this afternoon.”

“It's different,” both Ron and Draco said at the same time.

Ron blinked at Draco for a moment, before giving him a quick nod of approval. “Yeah, it's different—it's more intimate and…”

“Sexy,” Draco added when Ron had trailed off.

“Well, I don't know about that,” Ron balked as he felt himself start to fluster.

“I'd have to agree with Malfoy on this one,” Harry said as he toasted his beer to him.

“Exactly.” Draco clinked the neck of his bottle with Harry's. “A woman who just stepped out of the bath or shower? Her skin all slick and damp? And let's not forget the fragrant crap they lather all over themselves.”

“Stop.” Harry placed a hand on his heart. “You're killing me.”

“Okay, you're right,” Ron said after a moment. “It's sexy. Sexy as hell.”

Hermione snorted out a laugh. “You guys are pathetic,” she said before sipping his wine.

“Oh, please,” Harry said as he pointed an accusing finger at her. “Don't even think that we don't realize your breed lathers that fragrant crap—as Draco put it—just to drive us crazy.”

Hermione gave him a soft, sultry, smirk. “Well—maybe we do, but it's not the only reason. We do it for ourselves, too—it makes us feel more feminine and empowering.”

“Not to mention it makes our skin feel all soft and smooth as silk,” Ginny added as she waltzed into the room. “Caught the tail end of the conversation, but want to know how it got started.”

“It all started with hearing about Weaslebee's one on one encounter with Luna's door.”

“Yes, I've heard all about it,” Ginny said with a soft laugh.

“Really?” Hermione asked “How?”

Ginny glanced over at Ron and knew by the look on his face he hadn't shared the part when she walked in on them tangled together on the bed. “I happened to run into Ron on my way to see Luna myself,” she finally said.

Ron let out a quiet breath of relief. Merlin knew the guys would rag on him even more if they knew that part of the story. He knew Ginny didn't tell for him, she was his little sister after all, and she always said it was her duty to tease him whenever possible. Ginny didn't tell them what happen to save Luna any embarrassment, and honestly, Ron didn't really care what the reason was, he was grateful to his baby sister. “Why don't I pour you a glass of wine, sis?”

Ginny's lips quivered up in a smirk. “Yes, why don't you?” she replied, fully knowing he owed her.

As Ginny breezed by him, Draco only had a moment to breath in the flowery scent, only had a moment to curse her for smelling so damn good, because he was distracted when he looked up to see Luna strolling in. “Hey, Luna,” Draco said with a full out grin. “Welcome to the party. Don't worry, Weaslebee—you can look. She's fully dressed.”

“Oh, kiss my ass,” Ron blurted out.

Draco grimaced. “No, thanks.”

Luna just giggled as she shuffled to the group, still decked out in her sparkly pink pants and white shirt. When Harry had told everyone that tonight was going to be super casual, she decided to take that to heart. With a quick glance around the group, she noticed she hadn't been the only one. The guys were all in jeans and a shirt, while her girlfriends were in stretchy pants and tops.

“I see—as Ronald predicted—you guys have been giving him a hard time.”

“We sure have,” Harry said with a grin and then gave Ron a friendly punch in the arm. “He's been taking it like a man.”

“All teasing aside? I guess I don't blame him.” Draco took Luna's hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips. “I'm sure you were a vision.”

Luna blushed. How could she not? “Well. Golly.”

Draco just grinned and when he saw the glare that Ronald was giving him, he thought: Mission accomplished. “Potter? Pour Lovegood a drink.”

“Happy to,” Harry said as he chuckled to himself.

“Just when I think I have you figured out,” Ginny murmured to Draco, moments later when everyone else had scattered about the room. “You go ahead and manage to surprise me.”

“Oh? And how did I manage that this time?”

“You're more observant than I thought. You realize how Luna feels about Ron and since you like her—you do like her, don't you?”

“Luna? Well, yeah—who wouldn't like a girl who wears sparkling pink pants?”

Ginny's lips twitched. “Right. So, because you like her, you're trying to help her by making my clueless brother realize how he might feel if you flirted with her.”

“Hmm.” He pondered a moment as he studied her. “You're also observant. Very good.”

“Not that observant, I just found out how she feels about him tonight.” With a slight frown she glanced over at Luna, who was sitting next to Hermione on the couch. “I love my brother, but if he hurts her, I'll punch him in the gonads.”

“So violent, Red.”

She gave him a poke. “And don't you forget it,” she warned before walking off to join the others.

Draco took a moment to watch her walk away—she really did have a nice backside—before strolling over to the bar for a fresh beer. He was just fishing one out of the mini fridge when Hermione bellied up to the bar. “What's up, Granger?”

She lifted her wine glass, gave it a little jiggle. “Out of wine.” She set the glass down and grabbed the already open bottle of red and finished it off. “Need to open another soon.”

“I didn't know you were such a lush, Granger.”

“Neither did I,” she said with a grin before taking a sip. “You know what I've noticed about you, Malfoy?”

Draco popped the top of his beer, took a swig. “That I'm insanely good-looking?”

“Besides that.”

“Oh.” He leaned over and rested his forearms on the marbled surface. “Then no—I don't.”

“As long as we've known each other, you've always called me, Granger—well, at least when you weren't calling me a mudblood.”

“I'm sorry,” he blurted out as he felt a twinge of shame twist painfully in his belly. “I know I can't go back and change that, but I want you to know that I don't use that word any more.”

Hermione smiled as she placed a hand on his wrist. “I'm glad—that means a lot, Draco. I didn't bring this up to make you feel bad. I wanted to point out that it's different now. In the past, when you called me Granger, it was with such hatred and resentment—no, let me finish,” she added quickly when he tried to talk.

“You still call me, Granger, but it's different. Your tone is softer, and friendly. Even when you call Harry, Potter or Ron, Weaslebee—it's the same thing. Ron hated when you called him that in school, but earlier, when you called him that, he didn't blink an eye. Even when you were teasing him—Ron could tell the difference, I can tell a difference and I'm sure Harry can tell a difference.”

“I didn't even think about that,” Draco finally said when he let everything she said sink in. “I did hate you guys—so much, because my father—it always goes back to him, doesn't it?” He sighed as he shook his head. “I'm not going to blame my father on this, it was all me. I was a messed up, angry and seriously disturbed person back than and—this past year has really changed me.”

“I know,” Hermione said and then let out a laugh. “I could tell the moment I laid eyes on you, Draco, and I guess I wanted you to know.”

“Thanks…Hermione.”

She laughed. “Please, call me Granger—I think I prefer it.” She held out her glass to him in a toast. “Friends?”

“I'll be damned, I guess we are,” he said as he clinked his bottle with her glass.

“Hey guys.” Harry slid up next to Hermione. “What's going on?”

“Just having a sentimental moment…right, Granger?”

“Right,” she said with a grin, then turned to Harry. “What's for dinner?”

“Pizza,” he said after sharing a puzzled look between the two of them. “I'm about to go check and see if it's ready.”

“We should eat outside.” Hermione suggested as she glanced at the open doors leading to the terrace. “We can watch the sun go down.”

“We can do that,” Harry said as he casually reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I'll go tell Claudia to set up outside. Be right back.”

“Okay,” she said and couldn't help the sigh that escaped her as she watched him walk out. She then turned to Draco and found him studying her with a smirk on his face. “What?”

“I saw that.”

Hermione immediately put her back up. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Sure you don't,” he said to her as she walked away and just chuckled when she sent him a death glare over his shoulder. “I definitely remember that look.”

Later, they found themselves munching on delicious, greasy, pepperoni pizza on the terrace as the sun slowly began to sink beneath the water. Wine was consumed, and quickly poured when a glass became dangerously close to empty. Laughter rang out every once in awhile as conversations were exchanged within the six of them. The guys talked about Quidditch and which team they thought would end up on top.

“Chuddley Cannons all the way,” Ron said with a mouthful of pizza.

Draco snorted. “You're delusional.”

“No, he's just biased,” Harry said as he washed down some pizza with some red wine he had switched to from beer. “He can't help it.”

“Just wait,” Ron said as he finished off his slice and since it was there, snagged another one. “Grubbs is our secret weapon. He's a hell of a Keeper. Bryans is a decent Seeker—not as good as you, Harry—if the Cannons had you on their team they'd be unstoppable.”

“There's an idea,” Ginny said as she set down her wine. “Ever think about going pro, Harry?”

“Pro?” He frowned slightly. “No, I…I haven't given it any thought, I always thought I'd be an Auror.”

“That's what I'm going to be.” Draco's eager chewing slowed as he looked around to see everyone staring at him. “What? Is that surprising?”

“Do Weasley's have red hair?” Harry asked with a short laugh. “Hell yeah, it's surprising. No offense, Draco—I know you've changed but—you were never really the…”

“Brave type?” he finished for him when Harry had trailed off. “Yeah, I know. One of the many things I hoped to change about me.” No longer hungry, he tossed down is half eaten slice. “It's just something I want—need—to try and do. Make up for all the crap I've done in the past.”

“I think it's great.”

He looked at Ginny. “Really?”

She nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah, I do. And not to mention it'll give your father a good kick in the ass.”

Draco grinned. “There is that.”

“What about you, Gin?” Harry asked. “Any plans on working at the joke shop?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. I worked there for a few months after I graduated, but I don't think that's what I want to do. Ron has more of a knack for it then I do.”

“I do?” Ron asked, stunned.

“Sure,” she said giving him a confident punch in the arm. “You're good with the customers, I'll admit it surprised me, but you really have a way with working with them and knowing what they want. It's a good quality to have.”

“Well,” he said, slightly pleased. “I do love it and I've been thinking about asking George if maybe I could get more involved. I had wanted to wait awhile—after Fred's death.”

“I think he'd love that,” Luna said as she pushed aside her plate. “Both Fred and George.”

“Well,” he said again, this time a bit embarrassed. “We'll see.”

“If you don't want the joke shop, what do you want to do?” Draco asked Ginny as he tipped back in his chair.

“Oh. Well.” Slightly flustered, Ginny began fiddling with her paper napkin. “I've always—I mean, when I was younger, I had always imagined starting a new clothing line. I—I've always been into fashion and this and that—I have ideas and—I think I'd be good at it. I know it sounds stupid, but…”

“Why would it sound stupid?” Draco asked cocking his head to the side. “If it's what you want…go for it.”

She lifted an uneasy shoulder. “I don't know. It's a lot of work and…financially, I don't think I can handle it right now.”

“Save up,” Luna suggested. “Work at the store, maybe even find some sort of job in fashion to help you get into the business.”

“Lovegood's right,” Draco said. “You're young enough to get it done and you have to start somewhere.”

“Yeah,” she said as she let out a breath. “Wow, now I'm all nervous about it. It was something I always planned to do, but never thought I'd get to do.”

“I think you'll be brilliant,” Hermione said, putting her two cents in. “You were the one who always tried to help me with my, Fashion Crisis, as you put it.”

Ginny laughed. “It was all out of love, Hermione.”

“Hey.” Harry leaned forward and gave Hermione's arm a nudge. “What about you? Since we're all sharing our future goals and dreams, care to share?”

Hermione let out a breathless laugh as she shook her head. “I have nothing to share because I have no idea. After this, I'm going back to Australia, just until I know for sure they're all right.”

“What's wrong with them?”

“I took away their memory,” she told Draco. “Before the war and moved them down to Australia. I knew they'd be safer that way.”

Draco nodded. “That was smart. Real smart. I know Voldemort had tried to find them. Don't worry,” he said quickly when he saw the look of horror in her eyes. “He was no where close. He gave up on it almost as soon as he started looking. I'm only telling you so you'll know that whatever you're going through to get their memories back—both you and your parents—that it was worth it.”

Hermione's shoulders slummed in relief as she felt Harry's comforting hand rub her back. “Thank you. That does help—knowing that it made a difference—that what I did was right. A part of me had always felt guilty. Now I feel relieved.”

Harry gave Draco a quick nod of appreciation as he gently pulled Hermione to his side. Like Hermione, he too had felt guilty for what Hermione had chosen to do and for what she had to go through to get their memory back. It was good to know that it had all been worth it. “Well. Luna? I believe you're next.”

“I want to write a book,” she stated simply and confidently as she reached over to snag a piece of pepperoni from an uneaten piece and plopped it in her mouth.

“Really?” Ron asked turning towards her. “About what?”

“Anything and everything. About all the myths and legends my parents taught me, about the travels we made together. I also would like to write a book about the war—about my part of it and what it was like to be accepted by such an amazing group of friends. I, of course, was going to get your approval first, Harry, of everyone's approval actually, since he wouldn't be the only one in it. And I just want to…” She trailed off when everyone had said nothing and just stared at her with their mouths open. “It's stupid, isn't it? I knew it…It was just an idea and…”

“It's brilliant.”

Luna's big blue eyes widened at Ron. “Really?”

“Yeah…I think so at least. It'll be fantastic.”

“I agree,” Draco said as he sat back up in his chair. “And if I'm lucky enough to make it in your book, don't soften me. I was a real asshole to you and these guys during that time, so don't sugarcoat me.”

Luna smiled. “Wasn't planning on it.”

“Good,” he said with a nod. “Go for it, then.”

“Harry?” Luna asked. “I wouldn't even think about it without…”

“Like Draco said, go for it.” He smiled at her. “I better get the first copy though.”

She laughed. “That's a deal.”

“Well, why don't we clear the table and bring it to the kitchen?” Harry suggested after a moment as he reluctantly slipped off his arm that he had kept around Hermione's shoulders and stood up. “I thought we'd have a movie night. There were a lot of videos left behind.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Hermione said as she and everyone else got up as well and started clearing. “I love movies.”

“I've only seen a few,” Draco said as he picked up his plate, along with one of the platters that held the pizza. “It was an action movie. Lots of blood and explosion. I was pretty impressed.”

“I've never seen a Muggle movie,” Ron said. “Could be fun.”

“I vote for something without blood and explosion.”

“I second that, Ginny,” Hermione said as she lifted a hand.

“Aww.”

“Suck it up, Malfoy,” both Hermione and Ginny said as they walked back inside.

“I'll watch a movie with blood and explosion with you sometime, Draco.”

Draco grinned. “Thanks, Luna…you're the only girl around here that's nice to me.”

Ginny snorted. “Please.”

“See? She's mean.”

“Right, and you're a ray of sunshine,” Ginny pointed out as they walked into the kitchen. “Thanks for dinner, Claudia. It was great.”

“You are welcome, Miss Weasley. Everyone just set plates down and I'll clean. Everyone out and have fun.”

“Don't offer her to help with the dishes,” Harry warned. “She'll just bite your head off.”

“That is right,” Claudia said as she playfully slapped him with a dishtowel. “Now, out of my kitchen.”

“All right, we're going.” Harry led them into the den with the large telly. “How bout girls pick the movies tonight and the guys will have a say the next time we do this?”

“I guess that's fair,” Ginny said and then gestured to Luna and Hermione. “Come on girls, let's pick a fluffy romantic movie.”

Draco groaned. “Gee, thanks, Potter. Great idea.”

“We'll pay them back with blood and explosions,” Harry promised before plopping down on the couch. “Might as well get comfortable, guys. This might be a rough night.”

-->

Chapter 17

As the girls huddled around the open cabinets that held rows of movies, the guys scattered around the room. The couch, which was in shape of a squared U, was big enough to easily fit all six of them, however Draco grabbed some pillows and stretched himself onto the floor. Harry was nestled up against the corner of one side of the couch as he propped his feet on one of the two matching ottomans, while Ron decided to do the same on the other side of the couch.

“Oh, this looks sweet,” Ginny said as she held out a video and on the cover was a picture of a man and a woman embracing with a bow of a massive ship below them.

“Titanic,” Hermione read as she grabbed the video. “I heard about this movie. It's based on the tragic sinking of the Titanic back in 1912.”

“So it really happened?” Luna asked as she took the video to study the picture. “How sad.”

“The two main characters are probably fictional, but the actually sinking really did happen.”

“Have you girls made up your mind yet?” Ron asked as he stifled back a yawn.

“I believe we have,” Ginny said as she took back the video, pulled it out of the box, before sliding it into the machine.

“Let's turn the lights off,” Hermione suggested as she straightened. “No, I'll get it,” she said when she saw Harry start to get up. “You're all situated.”

“So…we're watching a movie about some boat sinking?” Draco asked from the floor. “I don't get how that can be entertaining.”

“Well, why don't you hush up and watch it to find out,” Ginny said as she breezed by him, but not before giving him a light kick in his side.

Draco jerked at the contact, then flashed out an arm to slap her leg. Ginny just grinned as she stretched herself onto the part of the couch that jutted straight out, causing her head to be close to Harry, but her whole body was lying perpendicular to Draco a few feet off the ground.

She rolled over to loom over him. “Why are you on the floor anyway? There's plenty of room up here.”

Draco could smell her subtle scent as her hair flew dangerously close to his face, but he kept his eyes trained on the screen, pretending to be interested in the opening credits. “I like the floor.”

“It's starting,” Luna announced as she stretched out like Ginny, but on the other end of the couch and her head was only inches away from Ron's thigh.

After Hermione had douched out the lights she walked around to the front of the couch, jumped quickly over Draco, stepped up and over Harry's legs, before finally plopping herself between Ron and Harry and propped her feet up on the same ottoman as Harry. “Gosh, the music is just heart wrenching,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I have a feeling we'll be crying by the end of this, ladies.”

“Wouldn't surprise me,” Ginny said as she shifted to get comfortable. “I can cry at just about anything.”

“I probably won't,” Luna commented. “I don't cry easily.”

“Are you girls going to yap through the whole movie?” Draco grumbled from the floor.

“No, calm down.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “It's hasn't technically started yet.”

“Okay, children,” Harry said with amusement. “Let's behave and watch the movie.”

After a few snorts, and giggles, the room eventually grew silent as they watched the small submarine sink down, down, into the ocean. For the most part, everyone was quiet enough to be interested in the movie, even the guys seemed to get hooked on it. When young Rose was revealed for the first time, Draco said, “Oh look, red hair…must be a Weasley.”

It got a laugh out of Harry, Hermione and Luna, while Ron said a dry, “Ha, ha,” and Ginny used her long legs to reach over and slam a foot down on his gut. Draco grunted in pain, but kept right on laughing. “Sorry, sorry…couldn't resist.”

“Try,” she warned, but only smiled in the dark as she chuckled on the inside.

There was some laughter, some collective sighs from the women when it got sweet and romantic, and of course some woof whistles from the boys during the scene where the lucky Jack Dawson got to sketch the pretty—and very naked—Rose DeWitt Bukater.

“Pigs,” Ginny muttered.

“You know it. Hey Weasley, you probably shouldn't be looking since you're related.”

“Shut, it, Malfoy. You're ruining this wonderful moment.”

If the boys weren't bad enough, they were even worse during the love scene in the car. “Steaming up the windows,” Harry commented with a chuckle. “Very nice. Hey!” He winced as he rubbed the ribs Hermione had just jabbed. “What was that for?”

“You're ruining the romance out of it.”

“All I said was…oh, never mind.” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Clearly not worth arguing over.

Hermione grinned and gave him a slight poke. “Smart man.”

Although they were a lot of teasing and laughing during the beginning of the movie, everyone was eerily silent once the sinking had begun. When Harry had heard the first of many sniffles from Hermione, he smiled softly as he put a comforting arm around her. “C'mere.”

“It's just so sad,” she murmured as she curled into him.

“I know.” He ran his hand up and down her arm, hoping to sooth her.

By the time the movie was officially over, Draco slowly got up to a sitting position and noticed all three girls were crying. “Talk about depressing,” he said as he got up from the floor and shooed Ginny's legs aside to sit down. Lying on the floor for just shy of three hours did a number on his back.

“Oh, but it was so good,” Ginny said through her sniffles as she shifted over to give Draco room.

“It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be,” Ron said as he sat up, twisted his back both ways until he got a satisfying pop. “I mean, some of it was cheesy, like that whole, `I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go.” Gag me with a spoon.”

“Don't bring that up,” Hermione said as she wiped away the last of her tears. “That's when I started to completely lose it.”

“Me too,” Luna said with a quiet sniffle. “I really thought I wouldn't cry but…it just got to me. Especially when poor Jack disappeared into the ocean.”

“That killed me,” Ginny said as a few more tears slipped by her and reached over for Draco's shirt.

Draco balked when she tugged the sleeve of his shirt over to wipe her tears. “Do I look like a human box of tissue?”

“Sorry,” she said laughing weakly but gave a few more dabs before letting go and then let out a shaky breath. “Wow, that movie wore me out. I know it was long and everyone is tired, but I think we need to at least start another one. I don't want to end on such a downer.”

“Good idea, Gin,” Hermione said as she reluctantly shifted herself away from Harry. He had held her, she thought with an inward sigh. Held her as he let her blubber all over his shirt. Was he not the sweetest man? “Maybe a lighthearted comedy or something. Oh, hush,” she added when all three men groaned. “Head to bed if it's so horrible to think about.”

“I think I'm going to do that.” Luna sighed as she got up from the couch. “I could stay and try to watch another movie, but I know I'll just fall asleep before it officially begins.”

“Don't blame you at all, Luna,” Hermione said. “I probably won't last long either.”

“Good night, Luna,” Ginny said as she got up, stretched. “See you in the morning.”

“I think I'm going to head up too,” Ron said as he let out a long and ridiculously loud yawn as he stood up. “I'm completely drained.”

Draco and Ginny shared a quick smirk, while Harry and Hermione shared an intriguing look. “Okay, Ronald,” Hermione finally said and then smiled at both him and Luna. “You two have a good night.”

Ron flustered a bit as he gave a quick wave, murmuring good nights as he followed Luna out of the room. “Hey, you're okay, right?” Ron asked her as they walked together up the stairs.

“Yeah,” she said as she gave him a soft, reassuring smile. “Just tired.”

He nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

“Well,” she said as they lingered at her door. “Have a good night, Ronald.”

“Luna.” He reached out and placed a hand on her arm, then immediately dropped it. “About earlier…I'm sorry about what happened, or if it embarrassed you.”

She blushed as she looked shyly down at the floor. “It didn't…I mean, yeah it was kind of awkward, but I told Ginny about what happened.”

“Good.” Ron shoved his hands in his pockets as he tried not to shuffle his feet. “That's good. Well…you should also know that neither of us told that part of the story to the others. They don't know.”

“Okay.”

“In case you were worried.”

“I wasn't…but thanks for telling me.”

“Sure…I mean, no problem.”

She ran her hands nervously through her hair. “Well. Good night.”

“Good night,” he said quickly. “Er…sleep well, and everything.”

She smiled over her shoulder as she opened her door. “You too…and everything.”

When she shut the door, Ron raised his eyes hopelessly to the ceiling as he gripped his hair in frustration. “Sleep well, and everything?” he whispered to himself. “Stupid, stupid.” He chanted it, over and over again as he made his way down the hall and into his bedroom.

XXXX

“What about this one?” Hermione asked as she stifled back a yawn. “Looks kind of cute.”

“You've Got Mail.” Ginny grabbed the box, then turned it over and did a quick read before shrugging. “Sure, looks cute. Pop it in.” Ginny stood up and rubbed her arms. “Kind of cold.”

“Yeah, I was about to say.” Hermione got up as well and wrapped her arms around herself. “It's freezing.”

“I guess it's a little cold,” Draco said casually as he gave his arm an absent rub. “What gives, Potter?”

“Claudia must have turned the AC on, since it can get pretty hot during the night. Plus the AC is more powerful downstairs, than upstairs. I can turn it up? Or, wait…there's a blanket here.” He twisted and grabbed the quilt that had been tossed over the edge of the couch. “Fairly big enough for us.”

“Yes, definitely,” Hermione said as she rushed back to her spot as Harry quickly spread out the quilt. “C'mon, Gin…plenty of blanket left.”

“Don't mind if I do.” She hurried over and scooted herself next to Hermione and then raised a brow to Draco. “In or out?”

He wanted to say a firm, no, and stay a safe distance away from the very enticing—but mostly annoying—Ginny Weasley. But damnit…it was freaking freezing. On a soft curse, he got up from his spot and stalked over. “Move over,” he grumbled as he sat down next to her. “Don't be stingy over there, give me some.”

“Hold your horses, Malfoy,” Harry said as he gave Ginny and Draco more slack. “There? Everyone happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Draco mumbled as he pulled some blanket up to cover his arms. “Let's just get this torturous movie over with.”

“No one's making you stay down here, Mr. Cheerful,” Ginny pointed out.

“I'm not tired,” he said as he wished he could shift a few more inches away from her, but the blanket was just long enough to reach him.

Ginny just let out a quick, pyft, sound as she turned her attention to the screen and ignored Draco. Or at least tried to, it was kind of hard when he was practically sitting on top of her.

Everyone was quiet after that, as the girls snuggled deeper under the blanket while the movie about a man and a woman meeting on the Internet began. It wasn't long after though, maybe thirty minutes in, when both Harry and Draco felt something plop heavily on their shoulders.

Harry looked down to see Hermione fast asleep on his shoulder, while Draco looked to see Ginny's head perched peacefully on his shoulder. He then looked up at Harry. “Great…now what to we do?”

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Chapter 18

Harry looked down to see Hermione fast asleep on his shoulder, while Draco looked to see Ginny's head perched peacefully on his shoulder. He then looked up at Harry. “Great…now what to we do?”

“I don't know,” he murmured as he tilted his head towards her and sighed as he brushed away strands of her hair that fell across her face. “I guess…wait awhile? They might eventually wake up.”

“So, now we have to suffer through this movie?” he asked in an exasperated whisper. “We were only tolerating it for them, and now they're unconscious.”

“Come on, Malfoy,” Harry said as he gestured to the screen. “Don't you want to see what happens when Joe Fox and Kathleen what's her name…”

“Kelly,” Draco interrupted. “Kathleen Kelly.”

Harry pressed his lips tightly together to hold in the laughter. “Right…don't you want to find out what happens when they realize they're the ones that are talking to each other?”

“What I want is to go upstairs to bed, but I have a redhead temporarily pinned to my shoulder.”

“And I have a brunette…so? Let's just give it till the end of the movie, then we'll figure out what to do later.”

“Fine,” he grumbled as he gave one last uneasy glance down at Ginny. A curtain of red was covering her face and since she didn't want her to suffocate—what other reason would there be?—he reached down and brushed the curtain aside and gently tucked it between her ear. He watched her sleep, only for a moment, before returning his attention to the screen.

Harry saw the gesture and the lingering look and wondered to himself how he felt about it? Did the rough and tough Draco Malfoy have a soft spot for his ex-girlfriend? For a Weasley? If that was the case, shouldn't he have felt jealous? Annoyed or angry? Maybe if he still had feelings for her he should be feeling all those things, but he didn't. He didn't feel any of those things.

As Harry watched the charming Kathleen Kelly put Joe Fox in his place in a tiny café, he finally realized that his feelings for Ginny were where they belonged. In the past. And wasn't that a relief? Not that his feelings were gone, Ginny was a fantastic girl, and he would have been lucky to have her. It was a relief that he knew now for sure that she wasn't the one for him.

Who was? he asked himself as he looked down at Hermione. Maybe…just maybe. But, then again, maybe not. It was a question he couldn't answer at the moment and it was a question he didn't want to answer…at least not at the moment. Right now, all he wanted to do was finish this movie he would never admit to Malfoy he liked, while he enjoyed the feeling of Hermione asleep on his shoulder. Even if his it was starting to go numb.

“Thank god that's over,” Draco murmured once the credits began. It wasn't so bad. “That was brutal.”

Harry chuckled softly. “I hear you.” It was pretty good.. “Well…still asleep.”

Draco looked down at Ginny, whose head had shifted down to his chest during the movie. “Yeah. Any ideas?”

“Just one.” Harry shifted gently in his seat as he curled the arm of his numb shoulder around her back and threw off the blanket. He then gripped the back of her knees and gave it a gentle tug until she was cradled in his lap. “I'll get the brunette, you get the redhead.”

Draco blinked. “Get the redhead what?”

“You know…get her. Carry her upstairs.” He then stood up on his feet but paused when Hermione stirred slightly as she let out a soft moan. Merlin help me. “Well…come on. I'm tired and want sleep.”

“You…you want me to pick her up and carry her upstairs?”

“Isn't that what I just said?” he asked, raising his voice an octave but still at a whisper.

“Then what do I do?” he asked, completely terrified.

“She can sleep in what she's wearing, Malfoy. Just carry her to her room and put her in the bed. It's not rocket science.”

“You trust me to do that? To not…take advantage of her?”

Ah, there we go, Harry thought as he looked down at him. He looked almost shocked…and maybe a little embarrassed. “I wouldn't have asked you to do it if I didn't. Now, just—”

“Because I could,” he said he slowly positioned Ginny until she was on his lap. “Easily.”

“I know you could, Malfoy,” Harry said quietly. “But you won't. It's not in your nature. Even when we were enemies,” he added when Draco was about to comment. “Even then, I don't think you would do something like that.”

“I've abused you…all of you…for a long time.”

“Yes…yes, you have,” he said calmly. “And it's something I'll probably never forget, but Malfoy…it was all verbal. Mostly, anyway. We had our fair of duels and shed each others blood.” Harry paused a moment, both of them thinking of the time in sixth year, when Harry used a violent, vicious curse on him…causing him to bleed and bleed on the bathroom floor. “But, mostly your threats and attacks were verbal…and that's a huge difference.”

Draco didn't say anything for a moment as Harry watched him, waiting for him to comment or do anything. He glanced down at Ginny, who had yet to stir during their discussion, before finally nodding slowly as he tightened his grip on her. “Okay then,” he said as he got on his feet with his arms full of Ginny, who even dead weight, barely weighed anything. “Let's go on up.”

Harry just nodded as he shifted Hermione higher on his chest as he let Draco take the lead out of the room. They were silent as they went down the hall and up the stairs, but when they were at the top, Harry turned to him. “Draco, about the spell—the one I cast on you in sixth year—I want you to know that I didn't know it was going to do that.”

“I know,” he assured him. “I always knew.”

Harry blinked. “How?”

“Please,” he scoffed. “That spell was far too dark for Saint Potter.”

Harry's lips curved. “Right…of course.”

“Enemies or not, I knew how you were built,” he said with soft laugh, but it shortly died when he saw the look on his face. “Look, Potter, if there's a part of you that feels guilty—and I know there is because that's the kind of person you are—kind of annoying really, but anyway—just don't. Don't feel guilty, because you were just doing what you thought was right and protecting yourself and the people you care about.”

“Thanks, Malfoy,” he said after a moment.

He just nodded and quickly changed the subject. “I guess I better get this one to her room before she starts drooling on my shirt—she's already cried on it.”

Harry chuckled. “Right. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya.”

Both men then turned and headed down the hallway in opposite directions.

Draco told himself to keep it quick. Just to go in there, dump her on the bed, throw the covers on her and leave, scamper, skedaddle…just don't linger. Keep it professional, like a Healer putting a patient to bed.

That's what he told himself to do, and he was doing a fairly good job of it so far. He didn't dump her on the bed though, that would have been rude, plus it would have woken her up. So he placed her gently on the bed, then slowly pulled down the comforter and tucked her legs under it.

There, he thought as he tugged the comforter back up and to her shoulders. That wasn't so hard. Quick and efficient. Completely harmless and now all he had to do was kill the lights and walk out. But instead he stayed where he was, sitting on the side of her bed by her hip as he watched her sleep—and felt like an idiot.

What the hell was he doing? He had no business having these feelings and damn her for putting them there. Damn her and the rest of them for crowding these unwanted feelings inside him. He had never felt like this before in all his years and he didn't know what the bloody hell to do about it. It was all so unfamiliar to him. Caring about someone else—other than his mother—and having friends—real friends—the idiots he had at school did not count.

He wasn't quite sure he was cut out for this. He didn't know what to expect when he had accepted Harry's invitation, but he sure didn't expect this. He didn't expect to actually start liking these people, let alone care for them.

For so long he had lived in the dark, it was all he knew, all he was raised to know. Even the last year with his mother, although it was the first time he felt free, there was still a darkness looming over him. All that changed when he nearly apparated on top of Ginny Weasley. The moment he had looked into those angry blue eyes, a small spark erupted inside of him and if he continued to let her in, he knew it would only grow and grow…and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

He let out a shaky sigh as he scrubbed his hands over his face. He was just tired…he needed a good nights sleep and worry about all this later. But instead of getting up and walking out, he found himself reaching over and lighty, lightly, grazing his knuckles across her cheek. It was stupid of him, of course, to let himself touch her…even a harmless touch like this. He just couldn't resist, he had to touch her…just once. And that alone terrified the hell out of him.

She stirred and before he could snatch his hand away she murmured something as she turned and nuzzled her cheek against his palm. His heart twist painfully in his chest as he gently removed his hand and then cursed when her eyes had fluttered open. “Draco?”

He flew to his feet. “Yeah…sorry.” He stuffed his hands safely in his pockets. “Go back to sleep.”

She shifted under the covers as she stayed at that dreamy place between sleep and awake. “Movie over?”

“Yeah….yeah, the movie's over.”

Her eyelids were heavy with sleep, but managed to keep them open. “How'd it end?”

“Joe and Kathleen lived happily ever after…go back to sleep.”

“Hmm…okay,” she murmured before rolling to her side and drifted back into her dreams.

“You're killing me, Red,” he said aloud as he turned on his heels and walked out. “You're absolutely killing me.”

Harry slipped quietly into Hermione's room, careful to move as little as possible so he wouldn't wake her. He went over to the bed and put a knee on the edge of the mattress as he slowly leaned her back on the bed. He loomed over her a moment as he brushed back her hair, caressed her cheek, and just as he was pulling away, her whole body jerked and her eyes flew open on a gasp.

“Hey, easy,” he murmured as he cupped the side of her face firmly as her eyes flew around the room. “Easy…you're okay.”

“Harry,” she whispered as she looked up at him. “Sorry, I…” She sighed as she relaxed back into the pillows and closed her eyes. “I'm okay.”

“Nightmare?” he asked as he shifted until he sat close to her hip.

“No, no.” She let out a small laugh. “It was one of those dreams where you're tripping or falling and you jerk awake.”

Harry winced. “I hate those.”

“Yeah…me, too.” She patted her chest urgently. “My heart is always racing after one of those suckers.”

“Do you want me to get you anything? Water or something?”

“No, I'm fine,” she assured him as she scooted up on her bed. “But thank you. I'm in my room. How did I get here?”

“You and Ginny fell asleep. We carried you up.”

She lifted a brow. “We?”

He grinned. “I carried you, Draco carried Ginny.”

“I see,” she said after a moment. “That's…interesting.”

“It was actually,” he said and gave her the quick rundown of everything that happened after they fell asleep.

“Very interesting,” she said when he was finished. “So, you really think you're not getting back with Ginny?”

“I don't think, Hermione…I know.”

“Well,” she said with a shrug. “You may think that now, but a lot can happen, Harry. We're only going in to our third day.”

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but decided it was a lost cause. “You're right,” he sighed as he waited a beat until she looked at him. “A lot can happen till the time we leave.”

Hermione managed a smile. “Right…you never know.” She started nervously fidgeting with the tip of her hair. “So…you really think Malfoy might be feeling something for Ginny?”

“Maybe,” he said as he casually placed a hand on the other side of her and leaned on it. “Haven't you noticed something?”

“Yeah,” she admitted with a slight shrug. “Maybe I have noticed a bit. I think they might have bonded on that ferry or something. He seems to be more comfortable with her than anyone else.”

“Ron would flip if they hooked up.”

Hermione winced. “Yeah, that wouldn't be pretty.”

“No,” he said with a chuckle. “But it would be entertaining. Plus…we've been absent of drama for awhile, maybe we're in need of some?”

“Yeah, right.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Please, let's have more of that? We didn't get nearly enough of it during our last few years.”

Harry grinned. “Okay, you're probably right. We've experienced too much drama to last a life time.”

“Definitely,” she said and then stifled back a yawn.

“You're getting tired again,” Harry said as he pushed off his hand to sit up. “And I could use some sleep myself.”

“What time is it?” she asked looking at the clock. “Wow…just shy of three.”

“Yeah, it's late.” He placed a friendly hand on her knee and kept it there. “I'll see you in the morning.”

“Okay.” She leaned up and in for a hug and he easily accepted as swooped in and circled his arms around her back. “Have a good night,” she murmured as her hand caressed his back in slow, leisurely circles.

“You, too,” he whispered as one hand went up until it was lost in her untamed hair. He loved how her soft curls automatically wove possessively between his fingers so he lingered there as long as he could. When felt her tremble against him he had to press his mouth urgently against her shoulder to hold back a moan that desperately wanted out.

They pulled away slowly, inch by inch as hands slowly began to slide away, but at the moment when they would have broken contact, they both froze like statues. Harry's hands were on her hips while Hermione's rested gently on his shoulders as their eyes couldn't help but connect in a passionate gaze.

“Draco and Ginny aren't the only couple with something going on,” Harry finally said as his eyes danced over her face, then lingered on her mouth.

Hermione's heart lurched to her throat. “Y—yeah,” as she stammered as she began to inch away. “Ron and Luna probably have…”

“That's not who I was talking about,” he said as he gripped her hips tighter to prevent her from moving. “And you know it.”

He was so close. She couldn't think properly when he was this close. “Harry…”

“The kiss you gave me this morning,” he started as he reached up and cupped the side of her face. “It wasn't as harmless as we both thought it would be.”

Her eyes fluttered close at his touch and couldn't help but place a hand over his to keep it there. “No…there was nothing harmless about that kiss.”

“And in the cave,” he continued quickly when he felt a “but” coming on from her. “I wanted to kiss you…I would have kissed you…if Ron hadn't interrupted.”

Hermione let out a shaky breath as she nuzzled her cheek against his palm before slowly pulling his hand down. “I know,” she said as she looked down at their joint hands and watched as he easily laced his fingers with hers. “And I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed when it didn't happen.”

“We're alone now.” He cupped her chin and tilted her face up and waited until their eyes met. “No one here to interrupt us now.”

“No.” It was all she could say as she felt hear heart pounding furiously in her chest. “No, there's not.”

He moved his hand from her chin to the back of her neck. “Then can you give me any reason why I shouldn't kiss you right now?” She was silent…eerily silent as she could only stare up at him with those wide chocolate brown eyes. “Okay, then.”

“I'm scared.”

She had whispered it when he was only inches away from her mouth and it was the only thing she could have said to make him stop. “Scared?”

Hermione hopelessly shook her head as she tried to find the words. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry…Talk to me, Hermione.”

“Harry…the moment you kiss me things will change drastically.”

“They already changed when you first kissed me,” he said softly as he ran his hand lovingly through her hair. “You can't deny that.”

“No…no I can't, I'm just…You mean so much to me Harry, and I don't know what I would do if I lost you.”

“Hermione,” he said with a soft smile. “You could never lose me…you're a part of me. You always have been and you always will be. No matter what happens here between us.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“I don't mean to.” He reached up and lightly grazed a knuckle across her cheek. “Nothing between us would ever be simple, Hermione.”

Completely undone, she dropped her forehead to his chest. “I don't know what to do, Harry…what to do with you. It's not that I don't want you to kiss me, because I do…very much.”

He moaned in agony as he bent his head and nuzzled his cheek against her hair. “You're killing me, Hermione.”

“I'm sorry.”

“If you say you're sorry one more time, I'm going to strangle you.” When that didn't get a laugh out of her as he hoped it would, he lifted his head back up and firmly took her face between his hands. “Hermione, I get it…you need time, I understand that. And you're probably right, it might be best if we take it slow…you were always the one with the more reasonable mind.”

She let out a weak laugh. “Yeah…right.”

He smiled softly as he swept his thumbs across her both cheeks, then let out a sigh as their foreheads touch. “I know what's between us came out of nowhere…but I guess that's why I trust this. Some of the best things that happen are unplanned…don't you think?”

Hermione's lips twitched. “When did you get to be so smart?”

He chuckled as he shifted up and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. “I have my moments.” Because he respected her wishes and because he didn't trust himself if he spent another moment in her arms, he gave her another kiss, this time on her temple, this time lingered, before letting her go and shooting to his feet. “I better go…let you finally get some sleep.”

“Harry—”

“It's okay, Hermione…really. I understand.” He backed away from her, heading towards the door. “Have a good night and I'll…see you tomorrow.”

“Harry, wait.”

He had made it to the door with his hand gripping the doorknob and when he heard the rustling of the covers, he knew she was getting out of the bed. On a sigh he turned around to see her walking towards him. “Hermione…really, you don't have to…”

His words faded as she got closer and then were all the way cut off when she grabbed his face firmly between her hands, leaned up on her toes and tugged his lips to hers. His hand on the knob tightened and the one hanging by his side clenched as he let her continue to be the one to control the kiss.

She kept her eyes shut tight and her lips firm against his as she took a moment to let her self feel. His lips were so soft—so warm—and then there was his hair, she thought as she let her fingers dive into it. All soft, full and thick. She gripped strands of it as she pulled back an inch, only to come back more…and more…and more, before finally parting her lips.

A groan crawled out of the back of his throat as their tongues met, then slowly caressed and soothed, tasting each other for the first time. Harry finally let go of the knob and fell back against the door, bringing her with him as he let himself touch her for the first time. He went right for her hair, burying his hands into those wonderful clinging curls. Thank Merlin. It was all he could think as their tongues plunged urgently into each other's mouth again and again.

Hermione hadn't planned on the kiss getting this out of control, all she was going to do was allow one sweet kiss for both of them to enjoy, before they decided what to do. But this was beyond her control. She should have stayed away…far away, but Merlin it felt too bloody fantastic to convince herself of that. His mouth…it was ridiculous how well skilled he was with that dangerous mouth. She wanted that mouth…not just on hers, but everywhere—and that was a warning to pull away.

“Wait,” she gasped as she finally tore her lips away.

Both gasping for breath, Harry tilted his head back against the door, while Hermione weakly dropped her forehead to his chest. “Not…that I'm complaining, but…what's with the sudden change of mind?”

“I hadn't meant for that to happen,” she said as she took a moment to settle her nerves. “I just…wanted to see if it was worth thinking about what I had to think about…if that makes any sense.”

Harry's lips curved as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. “Surprisingly, yes. So, what's the verdict? Is it worth it?”

“Oh, hell yeah.”

Laughter bubbled out of him as he finally lifted his head while she looked up at him with a weak smile. He then framed her face with his hands and as he swept back her hair, leaned down and kissed her forehead, her closed eyelid, then the other, before finally her lips and lingered their as they absorbed and melted together. “I better go,” he murmured against them.

Hermione nodded in understanding. “Yes, you better.” They allowed themselves one last, enduring kiss, before finally pulling away. “I need to take this slow, Harry.”

“Don't worry,” he said as he shifted forward and gently pushed her with him so he could turn to the door. “I think in a way, I do as well.” He opened the door and stepped halfway through before turning around while she leaned against the edge of the door. “I don't think it'll hurt though if I admit I'm already looking forward to the next time I kiss you. No matter how long that is.”

“No, it doesn't hurt at all.”

“How bout one more?”

“Uh-uh.” She placed a firm hand on his chest when he leaned forward. “Not a good idea. Say goodnight, Harry, and then walk away.”

“For now?”

Hermione's heart shuddered. “For now.”

“In that case…good night, Hermione.”

He then took her hand and kissed the back of it, gave her a wink and flashed that to die for smile, before turning on his heels and walked away.

XXXXXX

AN:

Well, I certainly did not plan for that to happen when I started this chapter, but there you go! It's like Harry said in this chapter, “Some of the best things that happen are unplanned.” Hope you guys enjoyed it! Don't know when I'll get the next one up, but until I do enjoy this one!

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Chapter 19

When Hermione woke up the next morning a horde of feelings swept through her as she lied on her back, staring at the ceiling. What had happened between her and Harry just a few short hours ago was so unbelievable to her she had to assure herself it wasn't a dream. She remembered far too much for it to be just a dream.

She was both terrified and excited at the idea of where her relationship with her dear friend was going. What if this was a bad idea? What if this unexpected attraction between each other was nothing more than that? What if it eventually ebbed and became awkward after a few heated kisses? What if they hurt Ron and Ginny? What if….what if…what if. Merlin, she hated that stupid phrase.

And what if she got herself out of bed and stopped stressing herself over it and took this new and exciting step with Harry slow and steady? She let out a defeating sigh as she threw back her covers and crawled out of bed.

After quickly slipping her feet into her blue fuzzy slippers, she shuffled herself out of the room and headed to the kitchen with coffee on the brain. She pushed herself through the kitchen door to find Ginny sitting at the kitchen table, digging into a bowl of cereal.

Ginny looked up and gave a little wave as she quickly chewed her latest bite of Coco Puffs. “Hey,” she said once her mouth was free. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” she said as she walked towards her then looked around. “Where's Claudia?”

“Her son's baseball game is today, remember? She'll be back this afternoon.”

“Oh, that's right,” she said and then made her way to the kitchen. “Are we on our own?”

“She made a pot of coffee before she left,” she said between munching. “But I raided the pantry and there's a bunch of stuff. Cereal, bagels…things like that.”

“Hmm,” she pondered as she looked through the pantry, and then reached up on her toes for the box of Fruity Pebbles. “I haven't had these since I was a kid.”

“I've never had muggle cereal before,” Ginny said before taking another bite. “I think I'm in love.”

Hermione laughed as she got down a bowl. “Chew first, Gin.”

“Sorry,” she laughed.

Hermione quickly fixed her bowl and then poured a small cup of coffee, before heading back to the table. “Everyone else asleep?”

“Looks like it.” Ginny frowned slightly as she pushed around her remaining puffs with her spoon. “I can't quite remember how I got to my bed.”

Hermione cleared her throat as she dug her spoon into the colorful flakes. “I can probably help with that,” she finally said before taking in her first bite.

Ginny set the spoon down and straightened in her seat. “You can?

Hermione gave her an affirmative nod as she finished chewing her mushy cereal. “We fell asleep.”

“I figured that since I don't remember much about the movie.”

“They carried us up.”

Ginny lifted a brow. “They?”

“Harry and Draco. I believe our heads somehow found their way to their shoulders. Harry told me they waited the movie out, hoping you'd wake up by the time it end, but apparently we were out like the dead.” She decided to keep the intense conversation Harry and Draco had while they were sleeping in their arms to herself. It was for either Draco or Harry to tell.

“Hmm,” Ginny said pondering for a moment. “So the short, hazy conversation I had with Draco in my room wasn't some random dream?”

“Probably not,” Hermione said with a grin. “You woke up?”

“I guess,” she said biting her lip. “It's kind of fuzzy to me, but I remember being in my bed and Draco was there—I don't remember much else. I then thought I heard him say that I was killing him, but that can't be right. That's when I assumed it was a dream.”

“I see.” Interesting…very interesting. “Ginny, is there anything going on with you and Malfoy?”

“What? No.” She let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “That's ridiculous. Why would you even think that? That's beyond stupid and not to mention completely absurd and…and…and okay maybe there is something, but it's not what you're thinking…we're just friends…sort of. I can't explain it, but ever since the ferry ride I've felt drawn to him…but not in a sexual way—I don't think—but in a different way. Maybe. I don't know what I'm saying…I'm rambling. Could you please stop me before I start to sound incoherent?”

Hermione smiled. “Too late for that I'm afraid.”

Ginny puttered out a breath as she ran her hands through her hair. “Sorry…I just get all crazy when I even go there with him. It's just not natural, is it? To lust after Draco Malfoy?”

Hermione giggled. “Lust after? Is that what you're doing?”

She threw her hands helpless in the air. “I don't know. “Maybe…can you blame me?”

“Not one bit,” she said with no hesitation. “Malfoy has always been hot, even when he was an ass…but now that he's less of an ass but still has that hint of bad boy in him, he's moved up to insanely hot.”

“Exactly,” she said with a dreamy sigh, but then eyed her suspiciously. “You're not lusting after him as well, are you?”

Hermione cackled with her mouth full of Fruity Pebbles. “No, no…he's all yours. I just like to look at him and admire him from afar.”

Ginny grinned. “And I certainly can't blame you for that.”

They both shared a laugh as they dug back into their cereal and Luna waltzed into the kitchen. “What's the joke?”

“Draco Malfoy and his extreme hotness,” Hermione said, filling her in.

“Can I get on that?” she asked as she snagged a blueberry muffin the size of her fist and shuffled her self to the table.

“By all means,” Ginny said as she plopped down across from her. “What would you like to share?”

“Well,” she said as she broke off a chunk of her muffin. “He does have a delectable bottom end.”

Hermione and Ginny both snorted out a laugh while Luna smiled as she popped in her first bite. “Mmm, it's really tasty.”

“Which?” Hermione asked with another laugh. “The muffin or Draco's bottom end?”

Luna choked out a giggle as she swallowed her food. “The muffin,” she finally said when she had a breath. “I can't say I know what Draco's bottom end tastes like.”

“Ginny wants to find out,” Hermione said with a grin. “She'll have to let us know once she does.”

“Oh, shut up,” Ginny laughed as she gave Hermione a slight shove.

“I've obviously missed something,” Luna said as she scooted up in her chair. “You want to taste Draco's butt?”

“No!” she laughed completely mortified.

“She's just lusting after him,” Hermione informed Luna with a grin. “And I was just letting her know I don't blame her because Draco is hot. That pretty much was what you missed.”

“That's brilliant.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I'm not lusting after Draco—really—I just been having theses slight urges to…jump his bones and rip his clothes off every time I see him.”

Luna bounced in her chair. “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!”

“I think Luna might combust,” Hermione said with a chuckle.

“It's just great,” she said beaming. “I think you should just do it. Just walk on up stairs, knock on his door and then jump him as soon as he opens the door wide enough to do so before he has a chance to think.”

“Oh, really?” Ginny asked with slight amusement. “You really think I should just go on up there and do that?”

“Do what?”

Both girls whipped around to the voice in the kitchen to see Malfoy stalk over to the coffee with a scowl on his face. Ginny turned immediately red while Luna and Hermione snickered at each other. Draco gave them a weird look as he poured coffee dangerously close to the rim. “What am I missing?”

“Nothing!” Ginny squeaked and then nervously cleared her throat. “A girl thing…wouldn't interest you.” She then turned back around and told them to hush when their giggles weren't quite under control.

“Hey, Malfoy?”

“Hey, Luna?” he grumbled back as he went towards them but lingered at the edge of the kitchen.

“Would you like a muffin? They sure are tasty.”

Hermione choked on her coffee, then proceeded to laugh so hard that Draco thought she might fall off the chair. Luna was just giving him a smirk that said, “Yes, it was an inside joke and yes, it's about you and no, we're not going to tell you.” Ginny, however, wasn't laughing or looking at him, instead she had her back to him as she became very focused on eating her cereal.

“It's too early for this crap,” he muttered before turning on his heels and walked out of the kitchen.

While he was ascending up the stairs, Ron and Harry were descending and they met in the middle. “Proceed with caution,” Draco warned.

Ron blinked. “Huh?”

“The girls are acting all…weird. They're saying stuff that shouldn't be funny, yet they're laughing anyway and you know there's an inside joke in there somewhere and when you realize you're out of the loop you just feel like an idiot.”

“I hate that.”

Draco nodded at Harry. “Yeah. Same. Which is why I'm escaping up to my room.”

“Well…thanks for the warning,” Harry said giving him a pat on the arm before passing him while Ron followed.

Draco took one step up only to turn around. “Hey, is there any sort of plan today?”

Harry paused on the bottom step and looked up. “Not really. I was going to suggest the beach, but it's not mandatory or anything.”

“Fine…just let me know.” Then he turned and walked up the rest of the way and disappeared around the corner to his room.

“Well,” Harry said as he turned to Ron. “Ready to face the fire?”

“I guess. If they're the only ones staying in the way of my coffee.”

Harry chuckled as they headed down the long hallway towards the kitchen. “All of you have become addicted to that stuff.”

“You're fault,” he grumbled as he followed him through the swinging doors.

The musical female laughter stopped immediately and all three girls turned, stared and then smiled. “Good morning, boys,” Luna said as she propped her chin on her open palm.

“Good morning,” Ron said warily as he inched his way towards the coffee but kept one eye on the girls.

“Pour me a cup,” Harry said before making his way over to the table. “Is this seat taken?”

Hermione looked at the empty chair Harry had pulled out, and then up at him. “Not at the moment.”

Harry's grin broadened. “Well…I better snag it while I can.”

Harry made contact with her as he sat down and held it long enough for her to start blushing. “So,” he said before finally looking away and addressed the table. “I was thinking the beach today. Thanks Ron,” he added when he set the cup of coffee in front of him.

“I'm up for that,” Ginny said as she pushed her bowl aside. “I've been anxious to get back down there after yesterday morning. It's beautiful down there.”

“Yeah, let's do the beach,” Luna said between a mouthful of blueberry muffin. “That sounds fun. We can build sandcastles!”

“Sandcastles?”

She looked at Ron. “Well, sure…haven't you ever built a sandcastle before?”

“Not that I can remember. If I did, it was when I was younger.”

“Well, you're way over do. We'll build one together.”

He grinned into his coffee. “Looking forward to it.”

“Let's plan on heading down there around ten-thirty? Ten-forty five?” Harry paused to take a long sip of his coffee. “We might want to make some sandwiches to bring down and we can bring a cooler down with drinks. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic.”

“Us girls can take care of that,” Hermione said looking at both Ginny and Luna who nodded in agreement.

“Do you think you can make a batch of margaritas, Harry?”

Harry chuckled at Luna. “Sure, I can. I'll make two batches.”

“Brilliant!”

“There's a ridiculously large tent in the storage room,” Harry continued and then looked at Ron. “Between you, me and Draco, we'll probably be able to put it up securely.”

“If you say so.”

“We'll go down in a minute and set up beforehand,” Harry decided and then finished off his coffee.

“I'm going to run up and change into my suit,” Ginny said as she got up from her chair. “Get it out of the way and then we can meet back down in the kitchen to make the sandwiches.”

“I'll go ahead and start fiddling around in the kitchen.” Hermione got up from her chair as well and picked up both her and Ginny's cereal bowl. “Look around and pull out all the stuff to make the sandwiches.”

“I'll be in charge of refreshments,” Luna said before finishing off her muffin.

“Make sure you pack lots of beer,” Ron said. “I'm having an intense craving for some.”

“We're all going to turn into alcoholics after this trip,” Harry said with a shake of his head. “Hey, Ginny…knock on Draco's door while you're up there, will you? Tell him we need his help?”

“Sure,” she said and then scowled at her friends when they started to giggle.

“Remember what I said,” Luna murmured softly to her as she walked by on her way to the door.

“Yeah, Ginny,” Hermione whispered. “Jump him, jump him!”

Ginny just shushed them before escaping through the swinging door and down the hall. She shouldn't have admitted to them about her secret lusting for Draco, because now they were just going to continue to tease her mercifully about it. That's what friends were for after all.

When she was in front of his door, she paused a moment to run her fingers through her hair, then immediately hated herself for it. “Get a grip,” she told herself before finally knocking on the door and when it opened, the urge to jump him was so strong she almost went for it. “Hey!” she exclaimed with a smile, but then it faltered a bit when she noticed the hard look on his face. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Damn her for looking so fucking irresistible in the morning. It was ridiculous that even in a tank top, shorts and…Christ, she even had those silly lion slippers she had on last night…yet, she looked just as good as if she were wearing a skimpy silk teddy. Merlin, she would look good in one of those. Don't go there, Malfoy. “What do you want?”

She was a bit taken back by the slight edge in his voice, but chose to let it pass. Everyone was entitled to have crappy moods now and again. “Harry wanted me to stop by and let you know they need your help setting up the tent.”

“The tent? Are we bloody going camping or something?”

“It's for the beach, Malfoy. It's some kind of large tent we use for shade.”

“Oh.” He let out an annoying huff. “Fine, whatever…I'll be down in a minute. Is that all?” he added in a bored voice.

“Okay, I was going to let it go, because I know everyone gets in crappy moods, but I have to know…” She slapped her hands on her hips with attitude. “What the hell crawled up your ass?”

His mouth tilted up in a sneer. “You did. Now leave me alone.”

Ginny jumped when he slammed the door in her face, then her mouth dropped in shock. What the hell? She angrily banged on her door with the side of her fist. “What the hell?” she repeated out loud this time when he opened the door. “What the bloody hell did I do?”

“You're a smart girl. Figure it out.”

When he shut the door in her face again, she was practically fuming. She raised her hand to knock again, only to thrust her arm back down at her side. “Jerk!” she yelled and then kicked the door as hard as she could before stalking away.

She was pissed off and her foot throbbed like a bitch and now…she was the one in the crappy mood. Draco Malfoy can crawl up his own ass and die for all she cared!

After the second time he slammed the door on her, he leaned weakly against it. He heard her muffled voice call him a “Jerk”, and felt the door shudder against him when she had kicked it and as he heard her walk away, he told himself it was for the best. It was better that she hated him, maybe then she'd keep her distance and then he wouldn't have to worry about doing something stupid. Like touch her. Kiss her. Do unspeakable things to her.

Yes, he thought again when he heard her door slam down the hall. It was for the best.

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Chapter 20

After Hermione and Luna started to pull out all the supplies to pack a lunch, they both changed their minds and decided to get dressed and ready for the beach and then meet back in the kitchen to start fixing lunch.

Hermione was the first one back and decided the first order of business was to slice some tomatoes for the sandwiches. She would leave them on the side, she decided as she ran them under the running water in the sink. Just in case someone didn't care for them. She had just finished slicing the first of three tomatoes when the back door swung open.

“Hey, Hermione.”

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Hey, Ron…get the tent all set up?”

“It was a major beating, but we got the job done.” He glanced around at all the food scattered everywhere. “Did the kitchen blow up or something?”

Hermione laughed as she kept on slicing. “Yeah, I know. I work better with everything out in the open. Where's the rest of the tent crew?”

“Harry should be right behind me.” Because it was there, he snagged a salty potato chip and popped it in his mouth. “Draco stayed behind…wanted to go for a swim or something. He wasn't in the best of moods.”

“Really?” She put the knife down and turned. “What was wrong with him?”

With his mouth full of another potato ship, Ron shrugged. “How fould I fow?”

“Didn't you bother to ask?” she wondered, completely unfazed by his disgusting habit of talking with his mouth full. She was beyond use to it.

Ron snorted. “No…we don't talk about it to death like you females. If someone is in a pissy mood we just let them be pissy quietly. Now if the guy in a pissy mood, wants to talk about it, then that's fine, but usually…we don't bring it up. It's like…an unspoken rule for the male species.”

“Huh,” she said after a moment. “I guess that makes sense…in a weird, pathetic sort of way. Thanks for the lesson.”

“No problem…I know you're always willing to learn new things.”

Hermione laughed as she turned her attention back to the tomatoes. “This is true.”

“Well…I'm going to go up and change. Then I'm suppose to carry some beach chairs on my way back down.”

“And when you're done with that, you can come back up and help bring the food and drinks down.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said as he grabbed one last chip before heading out. “See you in a bit.”

Ron swung through the kitchen door and as he chomped down his potato chip he slapped his hands a few times together to wipe off the crumbs and grease. Whoever invented potato chips was a fucking genius. And beer…and of course, coffee…and then there was Sheppard's Pie...

His inner dialogue tributes to fabulous food and beverages took an immediate halt when he was making his way up the stairs and saw Luna just coming down from the top. She was decked out in her beach wear, with a yellow fitted cover-up that stopped just at her mid-thighs with a pair of matching flip-flops with sunflowers perched on top of her toes.

She looked like a ray of sunshine. He thought and was just about to tell her that when Miss Sunshine herself, lost her footing, yelped, fell backwards with her arms flaring, landed on her butt, then topped it off by skidding a number of steps downwards and nearly ran into him.

“Woah,” he said as he stopped her momentum with his legs and fell forward and landed his hands on either side of her. He couldn't seem to stop the laughter rolling out of him as he loomed over her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes...I'm fine,” she said laughing as well but then winced slightly. “Except for my bum.”

“I imagine so,” he said and then flashed a grin before pushing himself upright with his hands.

“I can't believe I did that,” she said as she took his outstretched hand and let him help her to her feet. “How embarrassing.”

“Don't be embarrassed,” he said as he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders to steady her. She was a standing two steps higher than him so they were almost to eye-level. “It wasn't nearly as embarrassing as running into a door.”

She laughed. “Good point.”

He ran his hands down her arms and cupped her elbows. “Sure you're all right?”

She couldn't stop the violent shudder that erupted from his touch. “I'm fine. Like I said, I'm more embarrassed than anything.”

“If it makes you feel any better, you fell very gracefully.” When she laughed Ron felt something strike straight to his belly. He wasn't sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He reached up and tucked a lock of her hair that had strayed from her ponytail behind her ear. “You know what I was thinking before you fell—gracefully—on your bum?”

“I'm not sure,” she said slightly dazed. He was so close and boy did he smell good. She could smell the ocean on him and why was that so intoxicating? “Were…you thinking about food?”

Ron blinked for a moment then bust out laughing. “Wow…I never realized how well you know me. I was thinking about food but as soon as I saw you that went out the window.”

Luna lifted a skeptical brow. “I made you stop thinking about food? That seems a bit far-fetched.”

“Not to me.” He smiled softly as he leaned back to look her over. “I thought you looked like the sun.”

She managed a laugh as she looked at herself. “I guess I did go a little overboard with the yellow.”

“I like it,” he stated as he ran a loose fist down her long wavy blonde tail. “You look good in yellow.”

Luna let out a shaky breath as she felt her heart start to shudder. “Ronald, are you trying to get me all flustered?”

“No.” He cocked his head to the side to study her. “Is that what I'm doing?”

“If you keep saying these things to me while you're standing at a close distance…then yes.”

“I don't think I've ever made a girl flustered before,” he said with a grin. “I think I like it.”

“Well…I'm glad I could help.” She put a wary hand on his chest when she thought he might have leaned closer. “And since you now know you can fluster me…why don't you take a step back unless…”

“Unless what?” he asked when she trailed off.

“N-Nothing,” she sputtered as she waved it off. “It's…I should probably go and help out in the kitchen.” She carefully sidestepped to the right side of him and started to inch by. “I'll see you down at the beach, Ronald, and…”

He reached out and grabbed her arm before she could completely pass him. She was now on the same step as he so he was now looming over her. “Unless what, Luna?” he asked as he leaned closer to her.

Her back pressed tightly against the banister and gulped when he placed his hands on either side of her…caging her in. Her heart shuddered painfully in her chest as she could only look up at him wide-eyed. “Ron…what are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out what you want,” he murmured as his eyes flickered over her face.

“And invading my body space is the way to do that?”

“I don't know…just seemed like the thing to do.” He flashed a grin. “You can shove me away if it makes you uncomfortable.”

She put her hands firmly on his chest to do just that, but as she looked up into his beautiful eyes that were filled with laughter and amusement, everything inside her snapped. All her insecurities, her fears on what might happen if she gave into her urges and just took what she wanted, disappeared in a matter of seconds. “Or I could just do this,” she said brazenly as she gripped handfuls of his shirt…and tugged.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden jerk and all but staggered himself clumsily into her. And he certainly wasn't prepared for the aggressive meeting of lips that had happened soon after his not so graceful stumble. He wasn't prepared for any of it. Like how her lips were firm, yet soft. Or that her long willowy body pressed up against his sent his blood humming with need.

And when she opened her lips just an inch, he gripped the banister tight and pulled his own self even more firmly against her as he slowly inched his tongue between her lips and took his first greedy taste of her. She tasted sweet as honey and didn't know if the groan that had escaped came from him, her…or both of them.

Finally, finally, finally. She had been chanting that in her mind over and over again as soon as she yanked his lips to hers. She loosened her grip on his shirt and slid them up and around his neck while her mouth continued to work busily with his. Merlin, if she knew how wonderful it was to be kissed by him, she was had found the courage to do this a long time ago.

He let go of the banister and reached up to grip her handfuls of her long wavy ponytail instead. He plundered urgently one last time before slowing it down, with lazy sweeping tongues and gentle nips before he gently pulled back on her tail until their lips no longer touched. He looked down at her as they both caught their breaths. “How long have you felt this way, Luna?”

“Awhile.”

He let go of her tail and reached up to cup her face. “Define, `awhile'.”

“Well, for Pete's Sake!”|

Both turned to see Ginny standing on the top of the step with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “I swear you two can't keep your hands off each other.”

Ron looked back and Luna and grinned when she blushed. “Apparently not.”

Ginny rolled her eyes as she started down. “If you two want to snog, that's not my business, but at least have the decency to do it in private and not out in the open.”

Ron watched her sister flounce down the stairs, around the corner and out of sight. “Well, what crawled up her ass and died?”

Draco Malfoy, that's what. “I'm not sure,” she said instead, figuring it was probably best if she kept it to herself. “I better go and see.” Hands that weren't quite steady gently pushed Ron back far enough for her to slide out between him and the banister.

“Luna,” he said after she took a few steps down. When she turned back around he grabbed her face with his hands and crushed his lips to hers in a hard, passionate, drawn out kiss that left them both breathless. “We have some things to talk about.”

“I guess we do,” she managed and the licked her lips nervously. The taste of him lingered on her tongue. “I better go.”

He reluctantly let her go and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. “I'll see you down there.”

She gave a quick nod before practically fleeing down the stairs. As soon as she was out of sight, she leaned feebly against the wall and shut her eyes as she tried to settle her nerves. She just had a crazy, out of this world snog with the man she had been pining for since the moment she laid eyes on him. She had been wanting that to happen for so long, been dreaming out it for so long, but never thought it would leave her this shaken up.

She let out a sigh as she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. She had jumped him…just like she had teasingly told Ginny to do to Draco. She couldn't believe she actually got the courage to do that and she also couldn't believe that he had actually kissed her back. Once he had gotten over the shock that is. And boy, oh boy could that man kiss!

Best not to think about it, she decided as she took another calming breath before she pushed herself off the wall. If she thought about it too much she might act without thinking again and that could be dangerous. What she needed to do was put Ron and his kissable mouth of her mind—for the moment—and concentrate on finding out what was wrong with Ginny.

XXX

Harry breezed into the kitchen almost right after Ron left, and found Hermione halfway into the refrigerator with her butt sticking out. Her butt wiggled as she streamed out curses like, “Where is that stupid son of a…” and, something, something, “…fucking ridiculous.”

With an amused lift of an eyebrow, Harry sauntered over next to her and placed a hand on the small of her back. He had opened his mouth to say something, but as soon as his hand had touched her, her body suddenly jerked, followed by a loud bang, and then another stream of curses. Harry winced as he watched her slide back out and straightened with a hand on her head. “Sorry…are you all right?”

“No, I'm not all right,” she said and then winced herself as she pressed her hand more firmly on the place she had rapped her head. “You snuck up on me, Harry, causing me to injure myself.”

“Again…sorry.” He took a step closer and moved her hands away. “Here…let me look.”

“No, don't touch it,” she panicked as she tried to swat away his probing fingers.

“Don't be such a baby,” he teased as he leaned up on his toes and bent her head down. “Relax…I'll be gentle.”

She only huffed in annoyance as she had no choice but to stand still while Harry examined her as if she was some frail, feeble, patient. “Look, its fine…nothing you can do about it really.”

“I don't know…I could always do this.”

Her heart shuddered when she felt his lips touch tenderly on her head. “Harry.”

“Feel better?” he asked as he pulled her back and framed her face with his hands, studying her eyes. “No dizziness or blurred vision? Do you see two of me?”

“No…one Harry is good enough for me.”

He smiled softly as he swept his thumbs across her cheekbones. “Well…you might have a slight lump, but other than that, I think you'll pull through.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

He smiled and then made himself pull his hands away and rested one of them on the top of the open door. “So…what exactly were you looking for while you were cursing like a drunken sailor?”

It took her a moment to process the question. She was a little distracted by how close he was and with her back pressed against the shelves of the refrigerator door and his arm stretched out next to her, she felt caged in. “Oh, I…I was looking for…pickles...a jar of pickles.” She then scowled when she remembered her frustration. “Surely they're in here somewhere, this refrigerator is stacked. I looked and looked, but…”

“You mean these?” He reached down and grabbed a jar on the shelf of the door, right by her hip, and held it up. “Looks like pickles to me.”

Her jaw dropped, and then snagged it away from him. “Where did you? How did you?” She pointed a firm finger at the jar and looked up at him. “I swear that wasn't there a minute ago.”

“Must be a magic jar of pickles. It only appears to the talented and gifted.”

“Ha, ha,” she said dryly but then waved it off. “Whatever…I'm just glad it's been found.” She leaned forward to move and when Harry didn't budge, stumbled back into the door. “Um…I need to…move.”

He only leaned closer. “Why?”

She placed a wary hand on his chest. “For one thing, the door has been opened too long and I'm getting cold.”

“Okay.” He took a stepped back, tugged her with him, closed the door, and then pinned her against the front of the refrigerator while he placed he placed his hands on either side of her head. “Better?”

Her breath caught in her throat when the long, muscular line of his body grazed hers. “Not really.” Her whole body shuddered when he bent his head down and simply rubbed his chiseled cheek against hers. “Harry…”

“Merlin, you smell good,” he murmured into her neck, then brushed his lips against the soft spot under her ear.

She tightened her grip on the pickle jar since that was the only thing she could hold onto. “I thought we were going to take this slow, Harry,” she said even as she turned her head slightly to give him more access.

He grinned against her neck as he continued to drop kisses here and then there. “It's going slow enough to drive me crazy,” he finally murmured into her ear, causing her to tremble against him.

“Harry…you're the one driving me crazy.”

He lifted his neck at the same time he reached up and gripped the top of the refrigerator. He was pressing down on his hands as he swooped his head lower to hers. “That's a nice thing to say. Are you trying to flatter me, Lumpy?”

She blinked up at him. “Lumpy?” He just grinned as he brought one hand down and pressed gently against her small lump that had formed on her head. “Ow! Jeez, cut that out. And you're not going to start calling me, Lumpy. I refuse.”

“Whatever you say…Lumpy.”

And when she just scowled up at him, he just chuckled as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet, playful way. “C'mon,” he said as he pulled away. “I'll help you until the girls come down.” He took the pickle jar from her limp fingers. “Why don't I start with opening this?”

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Chapter 21

Harry had just popped the seal of the pickles when Ginny walked…no, more like stalked, through the kitchen door. “All right, I'm here…give me a chore so I can work out this frustration.” She walked over and picked up a knife. “Anything need to be cut? Besides Malfoy's pe—”

“Okay!” Hermoine said loudly, cutting her off as she carefully took the knife away. “Let's just put that far, far, away from you.”

Ginny huffed. “Probably a good idea.”

“Ginny.” Harry set the pickles down and went over to her. “Did Malfoy do anything to you?”

“Other than being a complete wanker?” she asked, just as Luna breezed in.

“I thought it might have been Malfoy that put you in such a pissy mood.”

Ginny sighed and looked over at Luna. “Yeah…sorry about that.”

She just waved it off. “What did he do?”

Ginny wanted to let it all out and curse Malfoy as the jackass that he was, but what good would that do? The last thing she wanted to do was cause drama in the house. “Nothing,” she said shaking her head. “He was just in a bad mood and took it out on me. I'm just sulking about it.”

“I have a feeling it's more than that,” Harry said. “So I'm going to ask you if you want me to make him leave.”

“You would do that?”

“In a heartbeat. You definitely matter more to me than Malfoy. Just say the word.”

She flashed him a small appreciative smile. “Thanks, Harry…but there's no need. I can handle Malfoy's mood swings.”

He nodded. “Okay, then. Just let me know if you change your mind. I'm going to go upstairs and change into my suit real quick. I'll be back to help carry things down.”

“And to make your margaritas,” Luna reminded him.

He pointed at her. `Right…that. How could I forget? I'll be right back.”

Almost an hour later, everyone and everything was settled on the beach. Beach towels and chairs were spread out under and outside of the tent. Three large coolers were dug into the sand, filled with sandwiches and drinks, plus three large thermoses filled to the rim with Harry's famous margaritas.

Draco was hunkered down in a chair with his nose in his book, but had gotten up to help things get situated, before plopping right back in the chair. He was under the tent out of the sun—even with the sunscreen he used yesterday—he still managed to get burned.

He ignored Ginny as much as he could—and her steely stares. And when she stood practically in front of him, he tried not to watch her gather the material of her cover-up and pulled it over her head. Tried being the operative word. His eyes couldn't help but flicker to her and when she revealed her emerald green string bikini he had to bite his lip to keep back the groan that desperately wanted to escape.

It was torturous…watching her lather sunscreen on her arms and shoulders, then her chest and ridiculously toned stomach. And when she propped her leg on the cooler just inches from him, slowly running the lotion up and down her fabulous freckled decorative leg—he knew she did it on purpose. He knew, that she knew, that he knew she was doing it on purpose—and that made him even more irritable.

It was comforting to know that even though he was annoyed with her—for a reason she couldn't figure—he was still affected by her deliberate seduction of supplying on sunscreen. She didn't know what his problem was, but if he wanted to keep acting like a complete jerk, that was fine with her. She would just pretend he didn't exist, but at the same time, keep her presence known. He was trying to push her away for some reason, and she wasn't going to make it easy on him.

Since she still needed her upper back done—and since she was sure as hell not going to ask Malfoy to do it—she walked away over to Luna, who was getting sunscreen rubbed into her back by Ron. “Hey, slap some on my upper back real quick, will you?”

“Sure,” she said as she took the lotion from her and then glanced back at Ron. “I think that's more than enough, Ronald.”

“Aw.”

She laughed. “I'll return the favor in a minute.”

He grinned. “Okay.” He then looked over at her sister. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, a bit.” She gathered her hair and pulled it aside for Luna. “Sorry about earlier.”

He shrugged. “No big. Both you and Malfoy are in a mood…something going on there?”

“Not that I know of,” she said, trying to keep it cool. “Actually, it's just that time of the month for me.”

Ron grimaced. “Ugh…I'm out of here.”

Luna chuckled after he fled. “Good cover up.”

“Nothing makes guys more uncomfortable than mentioning our menstrual cycles. “Thanks,” she added when she was done and turned back around. “I really am sorry out earlier…I'm actually happy you're finally with Ron.”

Luna sighed. “One passionate kiss on the stairway doesn't make him mine.”

“But it's a good start.” Ginny smiled. “Passionate, huh? Didn't know my brother had it in him.”

“Honestly? Neither did I.” She grinned as she wiggled the tube of lotion. “I have a favor to return.”

Ginny laughed and gave her a friendly poke as she walked off. “Go get him, Tiger.”

Harry sat cross-legged behind Hermione on her overly large towel she had spread out, and enjoyed the simple task of applying lotion on her back. “I'm going to enjoy doing this for you every day.”

With her eyes closed, her mouth tilted up. “I bet you will. Keep it casual though, Harry—and watch the hands,” she gasped when his fingertips grazed the sides of her breasts.

He grinned as he lifted his hands away. “Sorry…these bad boys have a mind of their own.”

She snorted out a laugh as she slapped his knee. “Behave,” she warned before pushing herself to her feet.

“Can't make any promises,” he said as he got up as well and casually flicked a finger under her chin. “But I'll try. Do you have any idea how badly I want to kiss you right now?”

Her heart trembled. “Do you have any idea how badly I want you to kiss me right now?”

He took a step closer. “Just give the word.”

She sucked in a shaky breath as she placed a hand on his chest. “Later,” she breathed.

He reached up and covered her hand on his chest. “Later.” Since his back was to the others he lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. “Later,” he repeated and then turned and walked away.

Hermione sighed as he watched him walk under the tent and fish out a bottle of beer from the cooler. She still couldn't believe what was going on between her and Harry. It certainly wasn't planned…she never thought in a million years that Harry would feel that way about her. It was the one and only reason she made herself get over her stupid crush she had on him back at school.

It had started during third year and only escalated after their adventurous trip through time. She should have come down from the clouds during fourth year, he was too obsessed with Cho to even look at her, but even then she kept mooning over him like an idiot.

It wasn't till fifth year that she finally snapped out of it—okay, more like the end of fifth year. Even when he had told him about his date with Cho, she still had hoped he would all of the sudden realize the girl he wanted had been right there in front of her all along. And wasn't she just a tad bit excited when she heard Harry had talked about her during his date and even more excited when Cho got jealous and stormed off? It was small and petty of her, but she just couldn't help it.

It was during the summer before their sixth year that she really made herself get over him and forced herself to realize that he would be his best friend and nothing more. She even convinced herself that that was the way she wanted it. She wanted to be there for Harry in ways a girlfriend never could.

She also decided to focus more on Ron, since she knew he had liked her, and found herself—slowly but surely—liking him back. It was a pleasant surprise for her, but as the months had grown she thought less about her old and fading crush on Harry and more about her new and exciting crush on Ron. It was one of the reasons why she had been so upset when Ron hooked up with Lavender.

The stupid Harry crush was long gone by then, and she had worked so hard in playing the role of “best friend”, she could barley remember what the crush had been like. She never looked back and being Harry's closest friend was the best thing she could have asked for. And as for Ron…well, he was perfect boyfriend material, was he not? Well…at the time she thought he was, and maybe he could be a perfect boyfriend…but for someone else. Not her.

She looked over at Ron who was currently getting wet and sandy as he helped Luna build a…was that a sandcastle? She wondered as she tilted her head to study the lopsided tower of sand. It didn't seem to matter, since the two of them were obviously enjoying themselves.

She smiled softly at them before finally heading towards the tent…toward Harry.

He was talking with Ginny, just like so many times when they were together, but when Harry looked up at her he did something different. In the past he would sometimes give her a quick nod of acknowledgement before returning his full attention to Ginny. This time, he looked up and kept his eyes trained on hers as his mouth spread into a slow, easy grin. And just in a quick flash, all those old feelings for her best friends slammed back into her as if no time has passed. She felt like she was thirteen again, drunk with giddiness over her adorable best friend with twinkling green eyes and lopsided grin.

“Want a drink, Lumpy?”

She smiled. Now…Lumpy was the cutest nickname ever. Merlin, she was in trouble. “Would love one of your margaritas.”

“Lumpy?” Ginny asked.

“Long story,” Harry said as took out a blue plastic cup from the sleeve, filled it with ice and handed it to her. “She bonked her head on the refrigerator this morning,” he explained as he poured the margarita into her cup.

“Only because he snuck up on me,” Hermione pointed out, defending herself and then took a sip through the straw he had just jabbed into her drink. “These are fantastic.”

He grinned and then barely gave a glance to Ginny. “Want one?”

She smiled. “You bet…but I'll make it.” She grabbed the cup from Harry. “Stop playing host and go have fun.”

“As you wish, Gin,” he said and then nudged Hermione. “Come on…let's go help out Ron and Luna on the castle…looks like they need it.”

Hermione laughed. “I say we make our own…bet we can make a better one.”

Harry watched a huge chunk of sand crumble from the side of the castle. “A three year old could do better.”

Ginny watched Harry and Hermione plop down on the sand together as she sipped her freshly poured drink. Could it be? She wondered as she watched Harry lean over and murmur something playful to Hermione, who then laughed and shoved him away. Could the one thing she feared happening when she was in love with Harry, really be happening? If so, how did she feel about it?

She definitely wasn't angry like she thought she'd be, but then again she wasn't in love with Harry any more. At least she didn't believe so. She was confused, and maybe a little weirded out by it—a lot of things have been weirding her out lately in the last few days. Her growing attraction to Malfoy, witnessing her brother all wrapped up with Luna—twice—and now Harry and Hermione. It was all just—weird. But not exactly wrong.

“Jealous, Red?”

Ginny turned to Draco, who was still lounging in his chair with his book lying down on his naked chest. She turned back and looked dramatically behind her. “I'm sorry—are you talking to me now?”

“No one else around here, is there?” He nodded his head towards Harry and Hermione. “Adorable, aren't they?”

Ginny didn't even glance their way, only glared at Draco. “Are you trying to provoke me, Malfoy?”

“Just asking a question.”

“No…no you're not.” She sighed as she stepped closer to him. “Look, I don't know what got you into this crappy mood of yours, but you might want to think about getting out of it. We still have a week and a half left here and it'll be a whole lot easier for everyone if you stopped acting like such a prick.”

His brows arched. “A prick? Isn't that what I've always been?”

“Yes, but…I thought you've changed.”

He stared up at her with narrowed eyes. “I guess you thought wrong.”

“No,” she said after a moment. “No, I'm not wrong. You're just choosing to act this way.” She let out a careless shrug. “You want to isolate yourself, be my guest. You're obviously a pro at it.” She took a quick sip of her drink and then set it aside. “I'm going for a swim. I'd ask you to join me, but I don't want to hang around a pathetic individual like yourself.”

She barely took two steps when he darted up to his feet. “Ginny.”

She sighed as she slowly turned back to him. “What do you want?”

So many things, Red…too may things. “Be careful,” he grumbled as he sat back down. “It's pretty rough out there today.”

“Thanks,” she said dryly. “But I'm sure I'll be fine. Enjoy your solitude.”

Draco said nothing and took a long pull of his beer as he watched her walk away from him and towards the surf.

“Hey, Gin,” Harry said as she walked by. “Want to join?”

“No thanks,” she said as she kept on walking. “I'm going to cool off.”

“I think we should give up, Luna,” Ron said with a slight pout as he looked over at Harry and Hermione's castle. “They're making us look bad.”

She sighed at her leaning tower of sand. “I know.”

“They even have a moat and a drawbridge. It's ridiculous.”

“It's awesome,” Harry corrected as continued to work on the moat. “A thing of genius.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Ron grumbled and then shoved at their castle like a kid having a tantrum.

“Ron!” Luna laughed and then pushed the rest of the castle on top of him. “You just crushed thousands of lives.”

“I did them a favor. Hey, what are you doing?” he said when she kept shoving sand on him. “Have you gone mad, Lunakins?”

“I have a better idea. Lie down.”

He grunted when she shoved him roughly onto his back and then balked when she began to push more sand on top of him. “Luna!”

“Oh, stop being such a baby—I'm only going to bury you.”

“Alive?”

She chuckled. “I wasn't planning on burying your head…just your body.”

“Brilliant,” Harry said when he saw what Luna was doing. “Hermione…we have to get in on this.”

“Stay where you are, Harry,” Ron warned when they both crawled over. “Both of you...I'll allow Luna, but—Merlin, Harry…what are you doing?” he asked when he started making two mounds on his chest.

“Making you a nice pair of breasts, Ron,” he said, causing Luna and Hermione to cackle in delight.

“Humiliating,” Ron moaned, but then sighed in defeat. “Can someone at least hand me my beer. I can't reach it.”

“I'll get it,” Luna said as she patted his stomach, which was covered by three inches of sand. “Just hang tight.”

“I'm obviously not going anywhere…Hermione? What are you doing down there?”

“Making a nice fish tail—you're going to make a beautiful mermaid, Ron.”

“I hate you. I hate both of you.”

“What about me?” Luna asked as she handed him her beer.

He grinned. “Never.”

Luna blushed with pleasure as she gave him a little smile before patting more sand on him. “Well…just wait till we're done. You might change your mind when—”

An alarming, high-pitched scream interrupted her and the three of them spun their heads towards the ocean. Another cry erupted through the air moments before they saw Ginny's arms flaring deep out to sea.

“Ginny,” Ron said and began to struggle. “Ginny! Help, get me out of this…get me out!”

Hermione and Luna started to claw him out while Harry got up on his knees to help Ginny, but before he could even get his bearings, Draco blurred by him like a speed demon. He watched him sprint towards the surf as another cry for help emerged from Ginny, and just as Draco dove into the waves Ron was free and the three of the ran to the surf.

“No, wait!” Harry said holding back Ron.

“That's my sister!” he exclaimed as he tried to fight him off.

“I know, Ron, but there's nothing you can do right now. Draco's out there—we have to trust him.”

“The hell we do!” he exclaimed as he pushed him off. “He'll give up to save his own skin!”

“Ron, don't,” Luna said as she moved in front of him and held on to him. “You can't go out there—you could drown, too. Please…please, just—hold on to me. It'll be okay. He'll save her. He cares about her, Ronald.”

Ron held onto her like a second lifeline, because he didn't know what else to do as he had no choice but to watch Draco swim out to save his little sister. “Don't let me down, Malfoy. Don't you dare let me down.”

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Chapter 22

It just kept pulling her under. No matter how hard she kicked and scrambled to the surface, it just kept pulling her under like a vicious invincible force. She now didn't know which way was up and that terrified her. She was so tired—so tired of fighting.

Time to go, she thought as she felt herself sink slowly, slowly into the cold, dark waters. No more. No more.

And wasn't it a surprise, that the one person she thought about as she let herself be taken, was none other than Draco Malfoy. Not Harry Potter. Not her family. It was Draco Malfoy and his handsome scowl and intense gray eyes.

Even when a pair of strong arms enveloped around her body, she still had him in his mind. The way he looked as he stared out into the ocean on the back of the ferry or the way his body felt tangled with hers when he had playfully captured her under water while playing Marco Polo. Just like now, she thought as she felt legs tangle with hers. Just like—

She broke the surface on a gasping breath, coughing and choking as something—or rather someone—kept her afloat.

“I've got you, Red…I've got you.”

“Draco.”

“Don't talk,” his deep voice said over the crashing waves. “I won't let go…try to keep your head above water.”

Draco kept his eyes trained on the shore—on the others standing at the surf—as a focal point while he swam as hard as he could while keeping a firm grip on Ginny. He rode the waves when they helped—fought against them when they didn't, but no matter what, he did what he had to do to get Ginny safely to shore.

So scared. So fucking scared when he heard her cry out. Fear had consumed him when he swam out, hoping that he wasn't too late. It had been blind luck when he finally dove down to the surface hoping he gauged the distance right from when he saw her go under. He had almost given up hope when a flash of swirling red caught his eye.

Instead of going up for a quick breath first, he swam towards her—his lungs screaming, his heart racing. He wasn't even sure he would make it, but somehow he was able to grab hold of her and kick them both up to the surface.

That first gulp of air almost burned, but it was a pain he happily welcomed.

The waves were getting rougher the closer he got to shore and they were moments when he couldn't keep Ginny's head above water, but he did everything in his power to re-surface as soon as he could. He was getting closer. Just a little more. “Almost there, Red.”

When he felt his toes graze the bottom of the ocean floor, he immediately stood and whipped Ginny's weak body around until he cradled her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into crook of his shoulder as he dug his feet into the sand, pushing them forward. When a wave crept up on him he would hold her closer, taking as much of the wave as he could, hoping to protect her.

Ron was the first to reach them as he stumbled his way out of the shallow surf. “She's okay,” he said and then let out a cough as he felt his knees give way. “Take her—I don't think I can hold her any longer.”

“Okay, I—she won't let go,” he said with a frown. “She's holding onto you like a death grip.”

“She's in shock,” he said as he managed to take a few more steps with Ron and now Harry at his side. “She—she has to let go, I can't…”

When he stumbled, Harry swooped in and grabbed Ginny and with some effort, managed to pry her arms away from Draco. “Over here, Harry,” Hermione's voice rang out. “We have a towel spread out for her.”

Draco crumbled to his hands and knees onto the hard wet sand as he tried to concentrate on his breathing. He closed his eyes as he wheezed and gasped while he waited for the world to stop spinning. When he thought he could manage it, he started to stagger to his feet, but Harry and Ron were suddenly on either side of him—helping him. “Thanks,” he said weakly and didn't protest when they both put his arms around them. “Ginny?”

“Hermione and Luna are taking care of her,” Ron said as he and Harry helped him up onto the beach.

“My throat is on fire,” he said in a scratchy voice. “I must have swallowed a gallon of salt water.”

“You and Ginny both,” Harry said and then eased him into his chair and then handed him a bottle of water. “It should help.”

He took it but didn't open it right away. Instead he leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. “That was intense.”

“You saved my sister.” Draco opened his eyes and stared up at him. “I'll never forget it.”

Draco looked at his outstretched hand, then back up at him as he reached out and took it. “Go check on her.”

Ron gave him a quick nod of understanding, before running back to Ginny.

“Can I get you anything?” Harry asked.

“No.” He took his first hesitant sip, winced as he swallowed. “I had it rough—Ginny had it rougher. She needs the help. I'll be fine.”

“Okay,” he said, understanding his need to be alone he started to walk away, but hesitated. “I didn't think you could make it as an Auror, Malfoy.” He paused as Draco lifted his eyes to him. “Despite the change in you, I still didn't think you had enough guts or determination to be an Auror. You just proved me wrong. You risked your life to save someone else—and that's the first sign of a good Auror.” He then gestured to the bottle of water in his hand. “Keep drinking.”

Draco could do nothing but stare as he watched his ex-arch enemy walk away.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Ginny was able to get on her feet—with a little help from Luna and Hermione—Draco was nowhere to be seen. “Where's…?”

“He went up,” Luna said as they helped her towards the tent. “He probably went to lie down, which you need to do.”

“Luna's right,” Ron said, who's heart still had yet to calm down from the fear. “You need to rest.”

“You girls take her up,” Harry said as he picked up the towel Ginny had been on. “Ron and I will pack up and…”

“Oh, don't do that,” Ginny protested. “We just got down here and—I don't want the day to be ruined because I was stupid enough swim out so far.”

“It's not your fault,” Hermione said. “You didn't know.”

“Draco warned me,” she said and shook her head. “I didn't take him seriously. I don't want to go up—just plop me down in the chair under the tent and I'll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Ron asked. “Wouldn't it be better if…”

“I'll be fine,” she assured him as she gestured towards the chair. “Let me just relax in the shade for a moment—you guys go out and have fun.”

“If that's what you want,” Hermione said and then helped her into the chair. “Just…let us know if you need anything.”

“I will.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “I'm just going to rest here for a moment.”

“Take your time,” Harry said as he ran a brotherly hand over her head. “We'll be close if you need us.”

“Hmm…okay.”

“C'mon,” Hermione whispered to Harry and Ron when they hesitated. “She'll be fine. She just needs to rest.”

Ginny felt herself drift off as she let the warm breeze and the gentle sound of the surf lull her to sleep. Funny how terrifying the waves were moments ago and now the distant sounds of the waves were slightly comforting. Since she was far away from them and from the danger they could cause, she supposed.

She didn't know how long she fell asleep, but as she began to stir, distant laughter swept over her, along with the crashing of the waves and somewhere above her, seagulls were squawking.

She blinked open her eyes as she slowly shifted herself into a sitting position. However long she was out, it definitely helped since she no longer felt weak and the world had finally decided to stop spinning. She felt refreshed and—thirsty. Incredibly thirsting. She looked around for her bottled water they had given her and found it perched into the sand. She grabbed it, unscrewed the cap, and guzzled down every drop remaining.

More laughter rang out and she followed her eyes towards the surf to find Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna playing in the shallow part of the water. She found herself smiling as she watched Hermione—who was perched on Harry's shoulders—battle it out with Luna, who was on Ron's.

“Come on, Hermione!” Harry's loud booming voice carried to her. “Knock her ass into the water!”

“Don't let her push you around, Lunakins!” Ron encouraged back as the girls kept pushing and shoving at each other, but laughing as they did so.

Ginny found herself laughing as well when Harry and Ron had both lost their balance and they all went tumbling down in the water together. All of them emerged from the surface, consumed with laughter and Ginny felt her heart tug slightly when Harry playfully plucked Hermione off her feet from behind, only to tackle her back into the water.

The painful tug wasn't jealously—she and Harry weren't meant to be and she knew that now. The tug in her heart was pure envy because she desperately wanted to find someone who would tease her one moment, then sweep her off her feet the next. Was that so much to ask?

Draco flashed through her mind and she shut her eyes as she shook her head. It wasn't possible—it just wasn't. She couldn't have a life with Draco Malfoy—it would never work. They were too different and came from two completely different backgrounds. But, did that really matter now? While they were here, away from their homes, away from their problems, did any of that matter?

Maybe they couldn't have a life when they were off of this island, she thought as she gradually got to her feet. But she couldn't see why they shouldn't start living while they were still on the island—while they were still apart from reality.

He would fight it, she supposed as she took two testing steps towards the house. When she didn't wobble or get dizzy, she took it as a sign to keep going. He would try to push her away and maybe say something cruel to her—that's what he did earlier today, didn't he? She didn't catch it at first, but now it made sense.

He was just as attracted to her as she was to him. That was why he was pushing her away. For her own good. She let out a snort as she began to walk up the stairs to the house. No one made her decisions for her, and Draco Malfoy was about to find that out for himself.

Draco was standing on his terrace when he heard the knock on his door. Since he saw her walking up to the house seconds ago, he knew it was Ginny, and decided the best thing to do was not to answer. He wasn't sure if he could face her at the moment, he was still pretty shaken up.

When he heard the door open from inside, he cursed himself for not locking the door in the first place. A part of him knew that Ginny would eventually come after him, so why didn't he lock it? Because another part of him—a small part of him—wanted her to come to him. And that was dangerous.

“Draco.”

He sighed and reluctantly turned around to find her lingering in the open doorway of the terrace. She was still in her swimsuit, along with a white wrap tied lazily around her waist and flowed down to her knees. “You should be resting.”

“I've done enough resting,” she said with a hint of bite in her voice. “Why is your damn luggage out on your bed?”

He pushed himself off the railing and breezed by her. “I'm thinking of taking the first ferry out tomorrow morning.”

Ginny's jaw dropped as she watched him walk over to his luggage. “What? Why?”

“It's for the best,” he said as he started to zip it up.

“The hell with that,” she said as she stalked over to him.

He sighed. “Look, Red…I don't belong here and…hey, what the hell are you doing?” he exclaimed when she suddenly tugged the bag away from him.

“You're not going anywhere, Malfoy,” she said as she zipped it back open and heaved the overly large bag upside down.

Now, Draco's jaw dropped as he watched her shake his bag over and over again as his belongings tumbled out onto the bed. “You got a lot of damn nerve,” he finally said when she tossed the empty bag aside.

“Me?” she exclaimed and then went over and jabbed a finger in his chest. “You have a lot of nerve. You were just going to leave?”

“Yes, I was,” he said and then grabbed her wrist. “I still am if I have anything to say about it.” He flung her hand away. “Now leave me alone.”

“Not a chance,” she said as she placed her hands firmly on her hips. “And you're staying…unless you can give me a damn good reason for leaving.”

He narrowed his eyes as he took a step closer to her. “My reasons for leaving are none of your damn business.”

“They are if they have to do with me.”

He scoffed. “Don't flatter yourself, Red.”

“And don't bullshit with me, Malfoy,” she scoffed right back. “You want to leave? You want to pack up and leave just like that? Fine—leave. But at least have the decency to tell me why.”

“Dammit, Red,” he cursed as he stabbed his fingers in his hair and clenched strands in frustration. “I'm not cut out for this, okay? I'm just not.”

She flared out her arms. “Cut out for what?”

“Caring so damn much!” he yelled as he reached out and gripped her arms. “I'm not use to this, Ginny—to any of it. I know caring about someone comes as naturally to you as breathing, but it doesn't work that way for me. I didn't grow up with all these feelings that have started to swarm inside me since I stepped foot on this damn island. You and your stupid friends put them there.”

“Well, excuse the hell out of me and my stupid friends…we sure didn't make you have these feelings.”

“You bloody hell did,” he said and gave her a shake. “Harry started the whole thing by inviting me here—something he never should have done.”

“Well he did, so get over it.” She angrily shrugged off his hands. “This vacation has barley started and I'm sorry to inform you that those unwanted feelings are probably going to get stronger, so either take it like a man or leave.”

“Ginny—”

“And maybe you're not cut out for all of this—but you showed me that you cared a hell of a whole lot today when you risked your life to save me.”

“That's exactly why I want—need—to leave, Ginny.” He closed his eyes and took a steady breath as he tried not to think about what could have happened if—no, don't go there. It didn't happen—she was fine. She was safe. “I don't think I could survive going through that again.”

Her face immediately softened when she noticed the miserable look in his eyes. “Draco—I know you were scared, who wouldn't be? And I know you went through hell to save me, all because I didn't take your warning seriously. And I'm sorry for it—sorry you feared for you life just to save mine and…”

His head snapped up. “What?” he asked forcefully. “I wasn't afraid for my life. That's not what I meant.”

She touched a hand to his arm. “Draco…”

He grabbed her hand before it could touch him. “I was afraid for yours.”

Ginny felt her heart trip. “What?”

“I have never been so fucking scared in my life, Red,” he said as he kept his fingers firmly wrapped around her wrist. He could feel her pulse quickening. “I was terrified that I wouldn't get to you in time. In my whole life I've never been scared for someone other than myself and it was ten times worse. The thought of losing you was unbearable. That's why I packed everything up—that's why I wanted to escape before it was too late because—it's too much. It's just too—hard and—shit, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Ginny…”

“It's okay,” she said softly and then slowly stepped into him and circled her arms around her waist. “It's okay to be scared.”

He felt his heart tremble when she gently rubbed her cheek against his chest. “How do you stand it?” he asked as he kept his arms at his sides. “I can't imagine living like this all the time.”

“And I can't imagine not living like this,” she murmured as she held him tighter. “It's okay to care about someone, Draco—and it's okay to need someone. It doesn't make you weak—it just makes you human.”

He could feel his walls begin to crumble as he lifted a hand and gently ran it down windblown hair. “If I ever needed someone, Red—it would be you.”

She closed her eyes as his words washed over her. “I thought I was going to die.”

He put her arms around her then. “Don't.”

“I had given up,” she murmured into his chest as began to rub his hand up and down her back. “I was too tired to fight anymore and as I let myself go—it was you I thought of. Just you—and no one else.”

“Ginny.” Completely undone, he bent his head and touched his lips to her head. “This is crazy.”

“Nuts,” she agreed and then lifted her head and leaned back to look at him. “We would never work, you and I—back home.”

“That is absolutely accurate.”

“But what about here and now?”

“Still think it's completely ridiculous.” Draco cupped the back of her neck with a firm hand. “But I really don't give a damn.”

With one hard tug, she found herself pressed deliciously against him and before she could even gasp out a breath, his lips crashed against hers. She didn't even hesitate or struggle, she met his urgent kiss head on as she flung her arms around his neck and yanked him closer as she opened her mouth to him, as he plundered her mouth with his forceful tongue.

All reasons he had talked himself out of doing this went out the window and now all that was clouding his mind was Ginny. Her touch, her scent, her taste. On an urgent moan, he plucked her off her feet so she was a head taller than he and let her to be the one to plunder his mouth. He opened his mouth to her, meeting her persistent tongue again and again as the taste of her began to consume him, driving him mad with need for her.

Lips still locked, hands still groping, they tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and then rolled together—paying no mind to the clutter of clothes scattered on the bed—until Draco had her pinned down with his long, hard body. “Red,” he murmured as he nipped and licked his way down her neck.

She arched against him gripping strands of his hair as she opened her mouth in a silent groan. Merlin, she had never experienced a snog this intense—this passionate. This was what was missing in her relationship with Harry and my god, why didn't she ever realize it before? Chemistry. Off the charts, out of this world, I can't get enough of you, chemistry. And boy, she sure couldn't get enough right now. His hands streaked over her as his mouth found hers once more, this time softening the kiss to slower, lazier strokes of the tongue, while her hands stroked up and down his muscular back.

She didn't want him to stop kissing her, touching her. She didn't want this moment to end, but as much as she wanted him to keep going—she wasn't quite ready. “Draco,” she murmured against his lips as she gently cupped his face.

He let out a defeating groan when he felt her slight resistance, and reluctantly pulled away. “You're killing me, Red.”

“I know, I know,” she moaned. “I'm sorry. I'm just—this is going a little too fast.”

He sighed as he dropped his forehead to her chest and sighed again when she began to strum her fingers through his hair. “Don't be sorry. Just—give me a moment to get my vicious need for you under control.”

“Vicious?”

He groaned. “Oh, yeah.” He playfully nipped at her skin, causing her to yelp. “See?”

She laughed as she nudged him off of her and he rolled over on his back next to her. She looked over at him and he looked over at her—and that was a mistake. Their lips met in a frantic frenzy, as he yanked her on top of him and ran his hands down, down until he cupped her ass and pressed her firmly against him—center to center.

She gasped out a groan as she tore her lips from him. “Bloody hell—you are vicious.” He flashed her a grin and felt her heart shudder in his chest. “And dangerous.”

“Don't worry,” he said as he started to bring her head back down. “I won't bite.”

He brushed his lips with hers, softly, gently and just as he was about to sink into the kiss, she pulled away on a groan and quickly rolled off him and the bed. “Problem?”

“Oh yes,” she finally said with a shaky sigh. “Very dangerous.”

He started to sit up and then laughed when she took a hesitant step backwards. “I'm not going to jump you, Red.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don't trust you—or myself—so keep your distance.”

He held up his hands. “Distancing.”

Her lips curved. “For now at least.”

He smiled, but then faltered. “Ginny, this can't—I mean, Merlin knows I want you, but—you need to know going into this that this can't go beyond here.”

“It's okay—I understand. And agree.”

“You do?”

“Definitely. So, let's not worry about it and enjoy each other while we can.”

“I don't want to hurt you.”

She sighed and then walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Draco—I'm not going to fall in love with you. I promise.”

Something very unpleasant twisted painfully in his belly at her words. “Okay, then.” He then cradled her face with his hands and kissed her once, twice and then lingered on the third. “And let's keep this to ourselves…I don't want your brother to kill me.”

She grinned against his lips. “Okay.” She gave him another kiss and then tucked her hand in his. “Let's go back down—I'm sure our friends are wondering about us.”

Our friends. It sounded weird, and Draco almost corrected her because a part of him still believed he wasn't worthy to be their friends. Instead, he simply nodded and linked his fingers with hers. “Okay—lead the way, Red.”

Maybe he wasn't worth of being their friends, he thought as he followed Ginny out of his room. But worthy or not—somewhere along the way—they had become his friends. Even Weaslebee. And as for his feelings for Ginny?—he wasn't quite sure. He knew he wanted her and knew he cared for her more than he ever cared for anyone, and right now?—that would have to be enough.

And why in the hell was that so damn depressing?

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Hey faithful readers! Thanks so much for being so patient with me! I have been fairly busy so it took me a bit long with this chapter. I would say I'm sorry, but since I'm glad I have somewhat of a life, I'm really not, haha. I am sorry you had to wait, I know how annoying that can get. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thanks again everyone!

~HM

Chapter 23

“Ginny's gone,” Ron commented as the four of them made their way out of the surf.

“She went up a while ago.” Luna squeezed the salty water out of her hair before flinging it over her shoulder. “Probably went to talk to Draco.”

“Or just went to lie down.”

“She got plenty of rest under the tent, Ron,” Hermione said. “I'm sure she wanted to thank him for what he did.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Perfect sense,” Luna said as they quickly trotted to the tent since the hot sand burned their feet. “In fact, I'm planning on laying a big fat one on him when he gets down.”

Ron lifted a brow. “Oh, really?”

“You bet.” She playfully poked him in the belly. “He saved my best friend…so deal with it.”

“Hey, there they are,” Harry said as he gestured over to where Ginny and Draco just emerged from the trail. “She looks rested.”

Ron let out a small sigh of relief when he saw his sister. All the worry and fear that had left him when he had been distracted from the playful water fight, came back at him so fiercely he had to take another calming breath to get it under control. She was fine—she was safe.

“There's my hero!” Luna exclaimed as she frolicked over to Draco and brought him down for a loud, smacking kiss.

Draco flushed. “Er…”

“Come here you,” Hermione said and reached up on her toes and repeated the process.

“Wow,” Draco managed to say. “I could get use to this hero stuff.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “That usually doesn't happen after you save someone—unfortunately.”

“Let's eat,” Ron suggested as he threw an arm around his sister. “It'll be like a celebration lunch.”

“You mean like a, `Glad you didn't drown today,” lunch?” Ginny asked, smiling up at him.

He grinned. “Works for me.”

As the others surrounded the different coolers that held food and drinks, Hermione held Harry back with a touch of his arm. “Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“When it's later? I'd be happy to make up for all the times you've saved me.”

“Really?” He casually flicked a finger across her cheek. “That could take awhile—I saved you a lot.”

She lifted a brow. “If my memory is accurate—I got you out of a few jams myself.”

He grinned. “So you did…I guess I'll just have to return the favor.”

“Then I'm definitely looking forward…” She reached up, grabbed the ends of the towel that hung around his neck, and gave a tug. “To later.”

Need stirred in his belly. “You know…later could be now.” He casted a quick glance to the others to make they were still occupied, before bending his head towards her until his lips brushed her ear. “In fact—why don't we sneak away? I'm sure I could find a nice palm tree to back you up against.”

Her whole body shivered as her grip tightened on the towel. “That sounds…quite lovely. But…” She took a reluctant step back. “Later is going to have to be later. Now? We eat with our friends.”

His shoulder slumped. “If we have to.”

She laughed as she tugged him a long. “Later,” she promised again.

The afternoon melted away as the gang spent most of the time out of the sun and under the tent. They all indulged themselves with too much food and blamed Hermione for packing too much stuff. Did they really need ten sandwiches, three bags of chips and two-dozen cookies?

“Well, I'm sorry,” she huffed as she tossed her second—or was it her third?—half eaten cookie down. “I had Ron to think about—I didn't know how much he was going to eat.”

Ron popped another Oreo in his mouth. “She has a point.”

Ginny groaned as she stretched herself in her chair. “I'm not moving from this spot for awhile.”

“I think no one's going to judge you for that,” Draco said as he got up on his feet. “I need another beer. Who wants one?”

“I'll take one,” Harry said as he picked up his empty paper plate and tossed it into the plastic bag they had turned into trash.

“Ron?”

He shook his head. “No, I'm good.” He stood up and held his hand to Luna. “You. Me. Walk.”

She smiled as she tucked her hand in his. “Okay,” she said and let him pull her to her feet. “I need to walk off this food anyway.”

“See you guys later,” Ron said before tugging her away from the group and down to the shore.

“I think something's happened there,” Harry commented as they watched them walk away. “He's been more…focused on her. If that makes any sense.”

“It does,” Draco said as he handed Harry his beer and plopped back down near Ginny's feet. “He barley kept his eyes off her all day.”

Hermione looked at Ginny. “You know anything?”

Ginny pressed her lips together and then lifted a shoulder. “I might.”

“I'm not going to get mad,” she added quickly. “If you think that—I mean, Ron and I are just friends now.”

Ginny sighed in relief. “Okay, good. I wasn't sure. I caught them snogging on the stairway on my way down. I haven't had a chance to talk to Luna about it, but I'm pretty sure it was their first. Luna looked pretty shaken up—in a good way.”

“Well, it's about time Weaslebee woke up,” Draco said grinning as he took a pull of his beer. “Luna, could do better of course. Hey!” He scowled at Ginny, who had just leaned up in her chair and smacked his arm. “Was that really necessary?”

“You insulted my brother.”

“Well…yeah,” he said in an obvious tone. “It's what I do—being friends with him doesn't change that, so you might as well get use to it.”

Harry got to his feet and brushed off the crumbs. “Who's up for a swim?”

“I'm always up for a swim,” Hermione said as she held out her hands to him.

Harry pulled her to her feet. “What about you guys?”

Ginny looked out at the ocean, and shivered. “No—I think I'll stay here and read my magazine.”

Harry sighed. “I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't think about it.”

“Don't worry about it,” she assured him. “And it's only partly it. I just have had enough of the ocean for one day, but there's always tomorrow.”

Harry nodded and then turned to Draco. “You staying behind?”

“Yeah, I want to read some of my book.”

“You don't have to stay and babysit me,” Ginny said after they left.

“I'm not.” He got up from his feet and then leaned down and placed a hand on either side of her chair. “Maybe I just don't want to be away from you.”

Ginny sighed as he swooped down for a soft, lingering kiss. “I can live with that.”

“Or I just really like my book.” He laughed when she swatted his arm and then bent down for another kiss. “Kidding.”

As soon as Ron was sure they were far enough down the beach to be seen, he smoothly turned Luna into his arms and fixed his mouth on hers in a long, lazy, drawn out kiss. “I still can't believe I'm allowed to do that,” he murmured as he drew away.

She smiled. “You've always been allowed to do that, Ronald. You just didn't know it.”

“And who's fault is that?” he asked as he playfully tugged her hair. “Why didn't you tell me how you felt?”

Luna sighed. “When was I supposed to do that? When you were with Hermione? Or maybe when your mouth was permanently attached to Lavender's? I certainly wasn't going to say anything at Fred's funeral, you had too much to deal with and…”

“Okay, okay…I get it. But you still should have…wait.” He held up a hand as her words suddenly hit him. “Lavender? You had feelings for me even then?”

Slightly embarrassed, she shifted awkwardly. “Maybe. Okay, yes. Honestly, I can't remember a time when I didn't have feelings for you, Ronald.”

Ron shook his head in disbelief as he caressed the side of her face. “I'm such a prat.”

She let out a breathless laugh. “No you're not, Ron.”

“Yes, I am.” He cupped the back of her neck and gently pulled her against him. “I was always drawn to you, Luna. I was,” he added when she gave him a look of uncertainty. “I just took it the wrong way since I was so determined to believe I was meant for Hermione.”

“There's no need to feel bad about it, Ronald. It just wasn't meant to happen until now. I firmly believe that.”

“Can you at least allow a few moments for me to feel a little remorse for the time I've wasted?”

“Sure.” She waited a moment and then wrapped his arms around his neck. “Done?”

He grinned as he plucked her off her feet. “I guess.” He then shifted his lips to hers, teasing her with soft gentle nips as he walked them into the surf.

She let out shriek when the first wave hit them, then laughed as she wrapped her legs around him and held on for the ride. Lips absorbed and tongues caressed as the waves crashed against them again and again, before they finally collapsed into the water in a tangle of limbs.

XXXXX

It was fairly late by the time they all managed to consume enough energy to pack everything up and head into the house. Everyone was loaded down with now empty coolers, folded down chairs and sandy, wet towels and surprisingly managed to make it in one trip.

“Let's just dump everything on the deck,” Harry suggested as he threw down the cooler he had swung on his back. “Too tired to deal with it now.”

“Excellent idea,” Ron said as he did the same with his cooler and then plopped down the folded chair he had hooked on his other arm. “I smell something—I smell something wonderful.”

“Claudia must have dinner ready,” Hermione said as she stifled back a yawn.

As they entered the kitchen, Claudia had the table already set with a platter piled high with fried chicken and bowls of mashed potato and gravy. “Sit and eat,” she ordered as she scooted everyone to the table. “I can tell just by looking you are worn out.”

Ginny plopped into a chair, only because staying on her feet was too tiring. “I think I may be too tired to eat,” she mumbled and then winced at Ron who was attacking a chicken breast. “Jeez, Ron.”

Ron just grinned as he sucked off the grease on his fingers. “It's good.”

Draco rolled his eyes as he picked out a juicy thigh, and then set a drumstick on Ginny's plate. “How are you not fat, Ron?”

“Good metabolism runs in the family.” He took his first bite of the mash potatoes and let out a dramatic groan. “Thank Merlin. Claudia, you are my new favorite person.”

She laughed from the kitchen. “You eat like my son.”

“Did your son win today?” Luna asked. “At this…baseball game?”

“Sure did,” she said proudly. “My boy scored a run…had two RBI's.”

Luna shook her head. “I have no idea what that means, but congratulations.”

After dinner, everyone went up to take much needed showers or lingering baths. Needless to say, no one felt up for hanging out that night, or drinking more alcohol. It was going to be an early night for everyone it seemed and as Harry trudged to his room, his first extinct was to fall flat on his face…the day had absolutely drained him.

“Shower first, then sleep,” he told himself as he walked passed the bed and into the bathroom.

He quickly stripped and winced at the amount of sand that had clung to his body. He had sand in places he didn't know could reach. He tossed his trunks into the hamper, stepped into the large glass box, fiddled with the knobs until it was nice and hot, then practically whimpered as he stepped under the spray.

It had been a long, interesting day. A good one, though. Well—minus the whole Ginny almost drowning part—but a good one nonetheless. The day certainly brought his relationship with Hermione to the next level. It was still weird for him when he thought about Hermione that way, but most of the time—it was the most natural thing in the world.

He enjoyed being with her alone in the ocean and caught himself smiling as he thought of it now. They flirted together, splashing and laughing like a couple of idiots—and even snuck in a few kisses here and there. They leaped over or dove under waves and then lingered where the waves weren't breaking, but still shallow enough to stand.

They talked, just like they always did, as they floated close together, with their legs flirting underwater. He once reached out and tugged at her legs until they were hooked around his waist. She had smiled at him seductively as she bent her head towards his, but just before their lips met—she pushed him underwater.

“Sneaky little witch,” he murmured to himself now as he shut off the water.

He quickly toweled off and then rummaged in his closet and threw on comfortable sweatpants and a simple white cotton tee. He shuffled his way to the bed, glancing at the clock to see that it was half past eight, and then paused as he threw back the covers.

He wanted to see Hermione. As tired as he was, he knew he'd toss and turn if he didn't see her. Only for a moment, he told himself as he walked out of his room. He just wanted to see her smile, maybe find some way to touch her, kiss her—assure himself that what was going on between them was still very real.

There was no answer when he knocked on his door, so he slowly opened it and called out to her in case she wasn't decent. Hopefully one day, he'd be allowed to see her naked, but until that wonderful day, he'd be nothing but respectful, nothing but patient. She mattered—a hell of a lot, and he would never do anything to ruin that.

She wasn't in her sitting room or in her bedroom, but the sound of the shower running behind the bathroom door caught his attention. He sighed wistfully as the image of him sneaking in their to join her played all too vividly in his mind, but instead of acting it out, he walked over and stretched himself out on her bed. He'd just wait here, he thought as he closed his eyes. Call out when he heard her getting out of the shower—wouldn't want to scare her, or—just in case she was naked, or…

He groaned as he flew his arm over his eyes. “Don't go there, Potter,” he murmured and as he lied there, surrounded by Hermione's lingering scent, his mind drifted away as thoughts and visions of her lulled him to sleep.

Hermione jolted when she saw Harry on her bed. He had been on her mind the entire time she was in the shower, wishing she could see him one last time before going to sleep, and now there he was—asleep on her bed.

She walked over to the bed as she gave her still damp hair a quick towel dry before draping it over a nearby chair. She crawled over on the bed and stretched herself next to him and then reached up to gently take off his glasses. She leaned over him to place them on the bedside table, and then turned off the lamp, sending the room into darkness.

She sighed as she dropped her head on her pillow, keeping herself closer to him than she probably should, however it still didn't seem close enough. She rolled to her side, her back facing him, but then gasped softly when he only followed her, snaking an arm around her waist and nestled up against her.

She tensed up—but only for a moment—before her body practically melted against his as she placed a hand over his and brought his arm up more securely around her. She let out a long, contented murmur as Harry's warmth soothed her into a deep, deep slumber.

Just shy of sunrise, Harry began to stir and found himself deliciously tucked against something warm, soft and wonderful. When he opened his eyes, the room was barley lit with the soft light streaming through the windows, but even if it were pitch black, he would know where he was—whom he was with.

He looked down at a still sleeping Hermione and felt his heart tremble under his chest. He had spent the night with Hermione, he realized as he gently strummed his fingers through her unruly hair and exposed her soft neck. And now he wanted nothing more than to wake her in his own special way, so he bent his head down and scattered soft kisses up and down her neck.

She let out a throaty moan as she began to wake and then her eyes flew open on a gasp when something—or rather someone—nipped at her ear. “Harry?”

“It better be,” he murmured in her ear.

She let out a sleepy chuckle as she turned her head around, smiling up at him. “I certainly wouldn't want you to be anyone else.”

He smiled before dropping a kiss on her shoulder. “I didn't mean to sleep here tonight.”

“I know.”

“But I'm glad I did.”

“Me, too.”

“Hermione?” He cleverly maneuvered them both until they were lying face to face on their sides.

“Yes?” she murmured as she flirtatiously slid her leg up and around his waist.

He gripped the back of her knee and tugged her even closer. “Is it later?”

She placed a hand on the side of his face and cupped the back of his neck. “Definitely,” she groaned and pulled his lips down on hers.

A moan of approval escaped from the back of his throat as she immediately opened for him in an urgent, and almost frustrating, kiss. Hands eagerly clenched hair while lips bruised and tongues tangled. It was as if they had been waiting for eternity to be together and simply couldn't get enough of each other.

With his mouth still fused with hers, he rolled her on her back, pinning her deliciously into the mattress. He took control of the kiss, slowing it down with lingering strokes of his tongue and could practically feel her melt against him. “And that was for the time…all the way back in first year…when you saved us from the Devil's Snare.”

Hermione blinked, then smiled when she remembered their conversation earlier. “Well…you are very welcome.” She suddenly rolled him on his back and fixed her mouth firmly on his. “And that was for saving me from the troll.”

He grinned, rolled her back, kissed her. “For going back in time with me—couldn't have done it without you.”

She grinned, rolled him back, kissed him. “For pulling me away from Grawp.”

“No problem, Hermy,” he said and shoved her back, kissed her. “For being the only one who believed me in fourth year—and for teaching me the summoning spell.”

“For always supporting me in S.P.E.W.—even if you did think it was silly.”

“For always supporting me in anything—even if you thought it was a bad idea.”

“For trying to save me from the mermaids.”

“For punching Malfoy.”

“Hmm…I don't believe I saved you by doing that.”

“No, but it was still brilliant and deserved a kiss.”

She just laughed as she rolled him back over and loomed over him. She paused for a moment, smiling down at him as her hair curtained their faces. When she bent down for a kiss, she lingered this time, slowing the kiss down with lazy sweeps of her tongue.

Harry groaned into her mouth as he let his hands get lost in his hair while he let himself get lost in her kiss. “Wow,” he murmured when she finally pulled back an inch. “And what was that for?”

“No reason.”

He lifted a brow. “Oh, really?”

She smiled. “Don't get me wrong, I could think of a thousand reasons, but—do I really need a reason to kiss you?”

His eyes twinkled in amusement as he swept back the curtain of her hair with both hands. “Absolutely not.”

Grinning, their lips met once more as they sunk into the kiss together while Harry's hands stroked down the length of her back. Hermione let out a moan of approval as his hands molded her bottom, pressing her closer against him—center to center. His hands then continued on, down to where the hem of her ridiculously large shirt brushed her thighs. “What do you exactly have under this shirt?” he asked as his fingers flirtatiously slipped under the hem.

Since he left her mouth to talk, Hermione began scatter kisses along his scruffy jaw, then down his neck. “Just my knickers,” she finally whispered into his ear and then nipped his lobe.

Harry groaned as he quickly flipped their positions and then ran urgent, open mouth kisses down her neck while pinning her body into the mattress. “I shouldn't have asked, because now I'm wondering if you're wearing those sexy black laced knickers.”

“How did you…oh, right,” she said when she remembered him being in her closet when she unpacked. “You got all flustered.”

“You bet I did.” He nuzzled her neck as he slid his hands under her back, causing more of his weight to press down on her. “I kept wondering what you'd look like in them.”

“Really?” Her eyes fluttered closed as he tugged her shirt down her shoulder, scattering kisses along the way. “Even back then? You didn't think about me that way.”

“No…no, I didn't,” he admitted in between kisses. “At least I thought I didn't, but—something changed as soon as I saw you on the ferry. I think it was your legs. I've become obsessed.”

“With my legs?”

“Oh, yeah,” he groaned as she lifted her legs and locked them around his waist. “You're killing me.”

She grinned wickedly . “That's nice.”

“Witch,” he teased before capturing her mouth with his and then rocked his body against hers.

She gasped into his mouth when he moved, then let out a long, throaty groaned when he moved again. “Harry.”

“You're not the only one who can play dirty.”

Laughed breathlessly. “Apparently not.”

He chuckled against her lips, and then gave them a playful lip before reluctantly pulling away. “I better go.”

Hermione frowned as he shifted off her. “Why?”

“Because,” he started as he plopped down next to her on his side. “I'm trying to respect your wishes to go slow and I'm not going to be able to do that if I stay another second in bed with you.”

“Well.” She rolled to her side, copying his position. “What if I say we stop going slow and move on to full speed ahead?”

He let out a laughing groan. “If you were anyone else, I'd say let's do it, but you're not just anyone else—you're my Lumpy.” He grinned as he bent down for a quick peck. “And you mean too much to me.”

She sighed as she lovingly palmed her hand against his cheek. “Harry…do you know how wonderfully sweet you are?”

He smiled as he turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm. “Maybe, but it's nice to be reminded from time to time.”

“I'll be sure to do that, then.”

“Good.” He turned her hand over and brushed her knuckles with his lips. “Okay…we can do either two things? We can each go to our separate bedrooms and sleep in…or, we can both get dressed and go for a walk on the beach while every one else is a sleep.”

“And why can't we sleep in here together?”

“Because, if I stayed we wouldn't be sleeping.”

“Good point.” She leaned up for a quick kiss. “I take the walk.”

“Okay, good choice.”

Hermione quickly rolled off the bed, while Harry slowly nudged himself over until he was sitting on the edge. “Oh, and Harry?” she said as she stood between him and the bathroom door. “Until we're ready to…take that next step…how bout a sneak peak?”

Harry watched as she slowly turned on her heels, giving him a smirk over her shoulder, before walking to the bathroom door. His mouth immediately went dry when she began to painstakingly lift up her shirt, inch by inch, until finally pulling the material over her head. He swallowed hard at her long naked back and her taunt bottom covered in silk and lace and then hitched in a breath when she turned back around in the doorway.

She was only dressed in her knickers, but her hair cascaded down her shoulders, teasingly covering her breasts. She gave him a little flirtatious wave with her fingers, before slowly closing the door. “See you downstairs, Harry.”

“Bloody hell,” he groaned as he dramatically fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling completely stunned—completley aroused. “She was wearing the black knickers.”

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Chapter 24

Their nice, long, romantic walk on the beach they had hoped for was short lived as the first drops a rain began to fall when they had barley began. They ran back towards the house, hands clasped, laughing like loons as the rain started to fall more steadily around them.

It took them longer than it should have since they stopped every once in awhile to share a few flirtatious kisses in the soft rain, so by the time they got to the kitchen door on the deck, they were more than slightly damp, but both were grinning ear to ear.

“Well, just look at you two.” Claudia clucked her tongue. “Wet and dripping on my kitchen floor.”

“Sorry,” Harry said with a chuckle as he ran his fingers through his hair. “The rain snuck up on us.”

“We'll go change into dry clothes,” Hermione said and then winced at the trail of water they were leaving behind. “We'll clean that—don't worry.”

“I'll take care of it—and have coffee waiting.”

“Thanks, Claudia,” Harry said before swinging the kitchen door open—and barley missed smashing it in Ron's face.

“Bloody hell!” Ron jumped and then placed a hand over his racing heart. “Scare me to death, why don't you?”

“Sorry,” Harry laughed with Hermione chuckling behind him. “At least we didn't get you—would have hated to bash up that pretty little nose.”

“Cut it out,” Ron said when Harry reached up to tweak it. “It's too early for that and—you guys are all wet.”

“You're very observant, Ronald,” Hermione teased. “We went for a walk on the beach but it started raining on us.”

“We were on our way up to change into dry clothes.”

“Oh. It's raining? That sucks. Is it going to rain all day?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? Don't worry, we'll find something fun to do if we're stuck inside all day. Go on in the kitchen, grab some coffee—we'll be back down in a second.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“How bout a hug before I go?”

“Get away from me,” Ron laughed as he shoved him a way, and then playfully nuzzled Hermione's wet head before passing them into the kitchen. “Morning, Clau-Dilla.”

She chuckled. “Good morning, Mr. Weasley.”

“Ron,” he corrected then sighed when she handed him a steaming cup of coffee. “You're wonderful.” He grabbed the mug and took a hesitant first sip, testing the heat. “Perfect—as usual.”

“You flatter me so I feed you,” she said as she swapped him with her dishtowel.

“You see right through me.”

“French toast,” she stated as she got down a loaf of bread. “With bacon.”

“My mouth is already watering.”

“And where is your Luna this morning? Sleeping in?”

His brows arched. “My Luna?”

She gave him a knowing smirk as she began to crack eggs into a bowl. “Just because I work in kitchen all day, does not mean I'm blind.”

“Obviously.”

“Your eyes are on her when she enters a room.” She poured a quick splash of milk into the bowl. “And when she leaves a room.”

“I guess you're right. I never thought about her like that—at least I didn't realize it.”

“You realize now, so that matters.” She gave him a friendly pat on the hand then shooed him away. “Now go sit down so I cook without your distraction.”

“Yes, mam. I think I'll go upstairs and see if my Luna is up.”

“Good idea. Wait—one momento.” She paused in the middle of her stirring to pour a cup of coffee and doctored it the way she knew Luna liked it. “You give this to her. She just might thank you with a kiss.”

“Here's hoping. Thanks, Claud-Dilla.”

He left the kitchen and carefully carried the dangerously full—not to mention extremely hot—cup of coffee down the hall and up the stairs. He had just reached the landing when Draco walked up.

“Hey—you brought me a cup of coffee? Why, Weaslebee, how sweet of you.”

He slapped at his outstretched hand. “Back off, Malfoy. It's for Luna—Claudia made it just how she likes it.”

Draco grimaced. “Well in that case, I'll get my own. She puts too much sugar in her coffee.”

Ron couldn't help but smile. “She does, doesn't she?”

Draco lifted an intriguing brow. “Doing a little wake-up call, are you?”

“Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes. “So?”

“So…nothing.” He gave his arm a friendly slap as he walked past him. “Hope you get some morning nookie, Weaslebee.”

“Gee, thanks,” he said dryly, but couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head hopelessly. He was actually starting to get a long with Malfoy, maybe even like him, and that was—not normal. But then again, when has his life ever been normal?

He knocked on Luna's door with a smile on his face and then jerked when she opened the door. “Bloody hell.”

“Good morning, Ronald.”

She smiled up at him and her teeth practically gleamed against the bright green gunk that was slathered all over her face. “Luna…hi.” He couldn't hold back the chuckle. Normal? Who needed normal when you had a girl like Luna? “Um…hmmm.”

“What's so funny? Oh, is that coffee?”

“What?” He bit his lip from smiling and then looked down at his hand. “Oh…right. Claudia made it—just how you like it.”

“How lovely.” She took a sip, smacked her lips. “Wonderful…but it could use more sugar. Well, now…aren't you going to kiss me good morning, Ronald?”

“I would like nothing more,” he said with a grin. “Except, I'm afraid all…” He waved his hand around her face. “…this would get in the way.”

“What?” She put a hand to her cheek then, gasped when she felt the cold liquid on her fingertips. “Oh, bloody hell…I forgot this was on.” She quickly turned her back to him. “Don't look.”

Ron chuckled. “A little too late for that, Lunakins.” He stepped inside and closed the door. “What is that stuff anyway?”

“Just something that helps my skin,” she muttered as she fled to the bathroom. “Let me just wash it off.”

Luna closed the bathroom door behind her and then groaned when she saw herself in the mirror. Completely mortified, she quickly washed it off as quickly as she could, and then patted her face dry with a towel. Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't embarrass her—she walked around the Ravenclaw common room all the time with that stuff on and she didn't care. But this was Ronald. The boy she had been head over heels in love with since the dawn of freaking time.

No point in freaking out about it, she thought as she ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to tame her very bad case of bed hair. If this relationship worked, he'd see her in worse conditions sooner or later. And hopefully it would.

She took a quick calming breath before finally emerging from the bathroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands, grinning. “Hey—sorry, about that.”

“Don't be. I always thought you looked good in green.”

“Ha, ha.”

He just chuckled as he crooked a finger and then sat up as she walked over and sat next to him. He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “Is that stuff the reason your skin is so soft?”

“It certainly helps.”

“Then definitely keep using it,” he said as he cupped the side of her face and covered her mouth with his in a deep, lingering kiss that left them both breathless. “Good morning, Luna.”

She smiled shyly as their foreheads touched. “Good morning.”

He tucked a swing of hair behind her ear. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah—you?”

“I slept okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Had a hard time,” he admitted as he lifted his head to kiss her temple. “Knowing you were sleeping just down the hall.”

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. “Why didn't you come down and join me?”

“I imagined doing that—which was why it took me so long to get to sleep—but I didn't want to pressure you.”

“You're not. Maybe I'll let you sneak down the hall and into my room tonight.”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe,” she repeated with a laugh as she leaned back. “For now, though, let's head down. I'm starving.”

“Claudia is making French Toast,” he said as he got up and pulled her to her feet. “With bacon.”

“Sounds yummy.” Their hands clasped together as they walked out of the room. “Any plans today? Maybe back to the pool?”

He shook his head. “Not anytime soon. It's raining.”

“Raining?” She looked over at the nearest window and saw the steady rainfall outside. “Oh…well that's a big fat bummer.”

He laughed as he removed his hand to slide his arm around her. “Don't worry. Harry said we'd think of something fun to do. Maybe check out that game room he's been boasting about.”

“Sure—and maybe sometime we can sneak away to my room. Nothing like snogging on a rainy day, I say.”

He grinned and bent his head down for a quick kiss. “That's the spirit.”

XXX

Later, the six of them were all sitting at the kitchen table, their bellies full of French Toast and bacon. Harry sat at one end of the rectangular table, facing the wide window that showed off the ocean view, while Hermione sat at his right and Ron to his left. Sitting next to Ron was Luna and at the other end of the table, was Draco, which left Ginny sitting at his left.

It was funny that after a few days they managed to have assigned seating without even realizing it. Everyone seemed to always sit in the exact spot when they sat at the table for a meal or just to hang out. The kitchen had become a sort of gathering place for them—as if they were a family of some sort. How odd was it that just after a few days, they were becoming a unit. Even Draco Malfoy was starting to become less of an outsider and more of a part of their group.

It was weird how some things didn't turn out the way you planned them, he thought as he looked over at Hermione, who was listening to Ginny talk about some of her ideas for her fashion line. It was still very surreal for him that their relationship had done a complete one-eighty—in a very promising direction. He never imagined being with Hermione this way, never thought it would happen. How could it when he assumed she was destined to be with Ron?

Clearly not the case—thank Merlin—because Hermione was an absolute, unbelievably, fantastic, snog. Who knew? He sure did now and was already dying to get her alone again. Since that very passionate snog they had shared against her bedroom door, he hadn't been able to have her all to himself as much as he'd like. Maybe he'd finally take her out to his favorite spot in a few days—away from everyone else where the two of them could just—be together. He had to swallow a groan with a large gulp of his coffee at the thought of all the things he wanted to do to her. He wanted to touch every inch of her—kiss every inch of her. And when he was done, he'd do it all over again until they both…

“So, what's the plan, Potter?”

He jerked slightly and shook his head clear from the very vivid fantasy that had been running in his mind. “Hmm?” He looked over at Malfoy who looked over at him from the other end at the table. “What?”

“I said—what's the plan? Since it's raining outside?”

“Oh…right. Um…”

“Are you okay, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah…sure, I was just thinking of something…” He very discreetly placed his hand on her thigh under the table. “…and got distracted.”

She shivered when his thumb and fingers began to softly caress her leg from side to side. “Oh…er…I see.”

He just grinned before turning his attention to Draco. “We can do whatever—I was thinking we'd spend the day down in the game room. Make a game out of it, or maybe a tournament of some sort.”

“That sounds super fun,” Luna said and did a little clap. “Boys versus girls?”

“Isn't it always?” Draco commented with a laugh.

“I'm game,” Ginny said toasting up her coffee mug. “Girl power and all that.”

Harry grinned. “We can think of certain games to play and come up with rules. Each round will earn points and stuff.”

“Wait!” Hermione exclaimed as she got up from the table then rummaged into the drawers of the kitchen before coming back with a pen and paper. “I thought it would be better if we made a list.”

Harry smiled fondly at her. “Of course you did.”

Hermione just smiled as she quickly pulled her hair back in a messy tail. “Okay, so what games do you have, Harry?”

“All sorts.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the tables. “There's the pool table—two actually—a couple of pinball machines, some more table games, like Air Hockey and Foosball. Oh, there's a Playstation—we can definitely use that.”

“I sure hope we're going to get a quick overview on how to play these things,” Ron said as he reached out and snagged an uneaten piece of bacon. “Because right now? You're basically speaking Chinese to me.”

“Don't worry, I'll go over everything.” Harry reached over and slid the paper over to him and studied it. “Now we need to figure out how we're going to organize this—I was thinking two couples will go up against each other in each round and if it's a tie after both rounds, the third couple goes head to head to break it.”

“And winner of the round gets a point,” Hermione added. “I like it.”

“We should end with bowling,” Harry said as he grabbed the pen from Hermione and added it to the list. “That'll be the deciding factor if it's a tie, but if there's a team in the lead going into bowling—they'll have advantage of some sort—maybe a couple of extra turns. We'll figure it out.”

“So what's the prize?” Draco asked as he leaned back in his chair. “What are we playing for?”

“Do we have to play for something?” Luna asked. “I mean—can't we just play for fun?”

“Aww, you're too sweet, Luna,” Ron said as he patted her hand. “But, no. I agree with Malfoy on this, we need some sort of initiative here.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “What's wrong with just playing for bragging rights?”

“Not one thing, Luna,” Ginny said. “I happen to be a fan of bragging rights, but we should think of a little something extra—to make it interesting.”

Draco lifted a brow. “What did you have in mind, Red?”

“A dare of some sort. And it has to be good—something no one will want to do.”

“Huh,” Harry pondered. “Intriguing. Have any ideas?”

“A few—but one comes to mind.”

Ron winced. “I have a feeling I'm not going to like this.”

She just grinned. “The losers—sometime be for we leave this island—have to jump into the pool. Butt. Ass. Naked.”

A mixture of groans and laughter erupted. “Ginny!” Luna exclaimed, mortified. “I can't jump in the pool naked!”

“Don't worry, if we win—you won't have to.”

“Oh, that's reassuring—thanks!”

She just chuckled. “We don't have to—it was just a suggestion.”

“I'm up for it,” Draco said with a cocky smile. “I have no plan to lose, so what the hell? And I propose that they have to jump in the pool in broad daylight. Not at night.”

“You're on,” Ginny said getting her back up. “And what is this `they' business, hmm? Game hasn't started yet, Malfoy.”

“Okay, break it up you two,” Harry said with a laugh. “I agree with the bet—anyone that isn't comfortable with it, just say so—we'll figure something else out. Ginny and Draco obviously don't have a problem with it. Who else is in?”

Ron let out a reluctant sigh. “Fine, I'm in. I look good naked, anyway.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

Harry just grinned and then looked at Hermione. “Well? What's the verdict, Lumpy?”

“Oh, I'm in,” she said confidently. “Bring it on, boys.”

“Oh, we'll bring it,” Harry assured her and gave her leg a playful tweak, causing her to jolt and then slap his arm. He just laughed and looked at Luna. “What about you, Luna? No pressure or anything—if you want to back out, we understand and—”

“Oh, I'm not backing out,” Luna said as she held up a hand. “I am definitely in and I will do everything in my power to make sure it's all of your naked asses that will be exposed.”

Ginny let out a war whoop and held out her hand. “All right, Luna!”

She laughed as she slapped her hand with Ginny's then smiled broadly at every one else. “Well—let the games begin.”

XXX

Harry took every one down to the basement and showed them how each game worked. Hermione—being Hermione—took notes on all the rules and objectives of each game. He was patient with every question, took the time to answer a question or go into more detail on how to play.

Some games were easier to understand than others. The pinball game was pretty simple—just don't let the silver ball slip past the levers. However, the pool game was a different story and that took some time to explain the objective. Luckily, Hermione's dad had a pool table so she and Harry were able to play a quick, non-competitive game to show everyone exactly how it worked.

After he explained every game, the girls and guys separated as they each went through a trial run to see everyone's strengths and weakness on each game. This was serious business after all—there was a lot at stake and no one wanted to be jumping into a pool naked anytime soon.

It was just shy of noon when every one was confident enough that they had every game down and decided to meet back down in an hour for the official tournament to begin.

Everyone went up to their rooms to get ready for the competition and Ginny geared up by taking a long shower. She never did get the chance to take one last night, since she had been too busy giving Draco a kiss tonight—a long, very satisfying kiss good night. By the time she managed to shove him out of her bedroom, she was exhausted and didn't feel like doing anything but falling face first on her bed. After the day she had yesterday—who could blame her?

Today was a different day, she thought as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. She was happy—for the first time in a long time and wasn't it odd and slightly wonderful that it was Draco Malfoy that made her happy? It was almost a shame that it had to end when they left.

No, don't think about it, she told herself as she opened jar of body cream and lathered herself. They both agreed it was for the best—just enjoy the time you had with him. Concentrate on the here and now—like how she was going to kick his ass today, especially if they end up playing some Pinball. She was a natural.

She quickly finished getting dressed as she imagined Draco and the guys jumping in the pool naked while she and her girls stood aside and laughed. It never got old. She chose to wear her black cotton shorts and a simple white ribbed tank-top. She had just finished drying her hair when there was a knock on the door and after a quick hair tousle with her fingers, went to go answer it.

Draco stood on the other side, practically filling up the entire doorway as he had one hand up high against the frame while sporting a cocky grin. “Hey, Red.”

“Draco.” She folded her arms defensively across her chest. “What are you doing here?”

“You don't know?” he asked as he leaned towards her, eyes trained on her mouth.

Ginny placed a hand on his chest. “I don't snog with the enemy.”

He just grinned. “I'm not the enemy for another ten minutes.”

“Hmm,” she pondered as she lazily drew a finger up and around his chest. “And how do I know you're not coming here, hoping to distract me from my mission to destroy you?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You are a vicious little thing, aren't you sweetheart?”

“You better believe it.”

“Well, then—to answer your question, you don't know what my true intentions are. You'll have to risk it if you want to, so—either push me away or pull me inside, Red. Before someone comes by.”

Ginny gave him a sly grin as she flattened out her palm in the middle of his chest. Draco thought she was about to be pushed out on his ass, so he mentally prepared himself for it. Instead, she gripped a handful of his shirt, yanked him inside, shut the door seconds before slamming him back into it, and before he could so much as breath, her mouth was fused firmly with his.

He gripped her hips tightly, having no choice but to hold onto her like a second lifeline while he was being shaken down by a one-hundred and twenty pound redhead. Her mouth was like fire against his, nipping and bruising while her tongue did battle with his. Her hands were buried in his hair, then they were everywhere else and Draco thought he might explode from it.

“Bloody hell,” he gasped while Ginny ran her frantic kisses down his neck while her hands slipped under his shirt. “Who's distracting who now?”

She smiled against his skin, and then kissed her way back up his jaw until their lips met once more in a slower, lazier, softer kiss. “I'd say we're distracting each other.”

“That's something I guess,” he murmured as he tried to make himself pull away, but just kept going back for more, before finally framing her face firmly with his hands and pulled her away. “Okay, now I'm thinking it wasn't the best idea for me to come by.”

Out of breath, she reached up and gripped his wrists. “Probably not—but I'm certainly not complaining.”

He let out a breathy laugh. “Red—you have know idea what you do to me.”

“Really?” She smiled as she leaned into him, tucking her head beneath his chin. “That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.”

He let out a defeating sigh as he pressed his lips against her hair. “Don't get use to it—it's bad for my rep.”

She snorted out a laugh. “You're so full of it, Malfoy.”

His lips twitched as he ran soothing hand down her hair. “Maybe you're right.” He gripped strands of her hair and gently tugged until her face was tilted back for a kiss. “I better go.”

“Okay.”

Another kiss. “I'll see you down there.”

“You bet.”

And another. “And be prepared to get your ass kicked.”

“Keep dreaming, Malfoy.”

He just grinned, gave her one last kiss, and then reluctantly pulled away. “Get your game face on, Red,” he warned as he opened the door.

She laughed. “Already on, Malfoy.”

After she closed the door, Draco stood outside and leaned against the wall by her bedroom. He needed to be careful, he told himself as he scrubbed his hands over his face. Before he did something stupid—like falling in love a Weasley.

-->

Chapter 25

Hermione walked into the game room a good ten minutes early to find Harry behind the built in bar on the left side of the room. “Hey.”

Harry looked up, smiled. “Hey, there. Want a drink before the madness begins?”

“Sure.” She walked and weaved around the game tables, gave one of the handles on Foosball table a little spin, before stepping up to the bar. “Are those your margaritas?” she asked, pointing to the three pitchers perched on the bar.

“You bet.”

“I'll take a glass of that.”

Harry picked up a Styrofoam cups from the tall stack, filled it with ice and generously poured her some margarita all the way up to the rim. “I propose a toast,” he said as he handed it to her before picking up his already open bottle of beer.

“All right. What are we toasting to?”

“To us,” he said as he leaned on the bar closer to her. “And our completely unplanned, yet wonderful change in our relationship.”

She smiled as she nudged her cup to his bottle. “I can toast to that.”

He grinned before lifting his beer for a sip and then hooked two of his fingers in the V of her blouse. “C'mere,” he said and gave her a tug.

She happily followed as she leaned forward and up on her toes until their lips met in a short, yet endearing kiss. She smiled up at him as she lifted her glass once more. “And here's to us girls kicking your ass today.”

His eyes narrowed as he lifted his beer. “Here's hoping I get to see you naked.”

“Harry,” she said as she tilted her head closer until their lips were inches apart. “Win or lose? You're going to eventually see me naked.”

“Well, I did get I nice preview last night, but…” He touched his lips to hers, groaning softly. “Define, `eventually'.”

She smiled against his lips. “Eventually, means…” Their lips brushed, lingered, and then deepened. “Eventually.”

He sighed as their foreheads touched. “Well…let me just say I'm definitely looking forward to eventually.”

She smiled, he smiled, and then their lips met again as they kissed each other over the bar. He murmured her name before deepening the kiss, his tongue gliding against hers again and again, until the taste of her consumed him. He was this close to practically dragging her across the bar and over to him, but before he could even resist the idea, the sound of thundering feet, pulled them a part.

“To be continued,” he murmured seconds before the door flew open.

“Let's do this thing!” Ron exclaimed as he imploded through the doorway. “I'm ready to kick some girl ass!”

Ginny punched him on the arm as he walked by.

Ron winced as he clutched his arm. “Damn it, sis—why do you have to hit so freakishly hard?”

“Because it's fun,” she stated as she strolled to the bar.

Draco just snickered as he walked past Ron and followed Ginny to the bar, while Luna slid up beside him. “Poor baby—does it hurt?”

He poked out a lip. “Yes.”

“Good,” she said and then slapped her hand on the back of his head. “You're going down, Freckles.”

Ron flinched at the contact and then stared dumbly at her as she walked away. “Oh, you are asking for it, Blondie.” Luna just laughed when he caught up to her and pulled her into a headlock. “I'll take a beer, Harry.”

“Sure. Luna?”

She looked up at Harry from Ron's headlock. “Margarita please.” She slapped him on his stomach—his very hard stomach. “Let me go, you big bully.”

He just laughed, but did as she asked and then took the bottle of beer Harry had set out for him. “So, how exactly are we doing this?”

“Pretty straightforward.” Harry walked out of the bar then gestured over to the Playstation area. “Who was the best at the race car game on the Playstation?” he asked the girls.

Luna darted her arm in the sky. “Me!”

Harry smiled as he pointed at Draco. “You'll go head to head with Luna since you were the best between us.”

“I was second best,” Hermione said as she took a sip of her drink. “Does that mean I'm going against the second best from the guys?”

“Exactly…which is Ron, which pleasantly surprised me.”

“Hey.”

He shrugged. “Well, it did. And if it comes to a tie, then Ginny and I will go at it.”

“I hope it doesn't,” Ginny said as she scowled at the Playstation. “I suck at it.”

“Enough talking, let's do it,” Draco said as he took a seat on the couch that faced the entertainment system. “Prepare to get your butt kicked, Loony.”

Luna sat down next to him and picked up the controller. “We'll see whose butt kicks whose Monkey Breath.”

Draco lifted a brow. “Monkey Breath?”

She shrugged as she picked out the racecar she wanted. “First thing that came to my mind. I'm not very good at the smack talk.”

“She's too sweet natured,” Ron said with a smile.

“Maybe,” Luna said while keeping her eyes focused on the screen. “Doesn't mean I'm not going to kick some ass, though.”

“That's my girl,” Ginny said with a nod of approval. “You're a lot better in smack talk than you think.”

It didn't take long into the race for Draco to be annoyingly surprised at how good Luna was at the game. She definitely made him work for it. Just as he thought he had a leg up on her, she would take him out with a missile and fly by him. On the final stretch of the game, it was neck and neck—the guys were giving vocal encouragement, while the girls were practically screaming and jumping like lunatics.

It was a photo finish and definitely close, but Draco was able to cross the finish line seconds before Luna. Draco dropped the controllers to hold up his arms in triumph while Ron and Harry cheered, while the girls let out a defeating groan at how close they were to winning.

“Its okay, Luna,” Hermione said as she gave her shoulder a rub. “You kicked ass.”

She sighed. “Not enough, I'm afraid.”

“Hey, you were awesome, Loony,” Draco said as he patted her leg. “A lot better than I thought you'd be.”

She gave a wobbly smile. “I did put up a challenge, didn't I?”

He laughed. “Definitely. I'm still sweating from nerves.”

“Well…that's something I guess.”

On the next round, Hermione and Ron went at it, and this time it was no contest. Ron was on his game and beat Hermione by a good ten seconds, causing Hermione to let out a frustrating huff as she slammed down the controller. “That sucked!”

Ron chuckled as he reached over and patted her head. “Don't be all mad because the guys whooped your butts in the first round.”

She knocked his hand away. “There's a long way to go, Weasley—don't get too cocky.”

“Yeah,” Ginny boasted. “Pinball is next—and I am awesome.”

“We'll see about that,” Harry said as they walked over to the two pinball machines. “I'm not too shabby myself.”

At least that's what he always thought—until he played Ginny Weasley. She was a freaking monster at Pinball and annihilated him by almost 10,000 points. “Well, shit,” Harry said after the embarrassment. “Are you sure you've never played before?”

“Last I checked? We never had any Pinball machines growing up.” Ginny just shrugged. “Beginners luck.”

“I'll say. Okay, Draco—it's on you to make this go to third round.”

He rolled his shoulders, cocked his head back and forth and walked up to the machine. “I got this.”

“Come on, Hermione,” Ginny encouraged as she slid up beside her. “You were just as good as I was…I only had you by a few thousand points. Kick his ass.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes as she cracked her knuckles. “Oh I will—his ass will be kicked like no ass has ever been kicked before.”

Harry chuckled into his beer bottle. “That was pretty awesome.”

Hermione was true to her word and kicked Draco's ass by a good 7,000 points. The girls whooped and cheered as they did a group bootie shaking dance, while the guys looked on with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

“I do believe we are all tied up, gentlemen,” Hermione said with a smirk.

“Not for long,” Harry said with a grin. “Ping-Pong is next.”

“Aww, man,” Luna pouted. “I hate that I got stuck with Ping-Pong.”

Hermione sighed. “At least let me get a refill before we get creamed.”

“Thank Merlin I'm not in this one,” Ginny said as she plopped down in one of the nearby chairs. Since all three girls were so insanely bad at Ping-Pong, they decided to play, Rock Paper Scissors to see who got to sit out. Ginny had triumphed and now got to relax on the chair while she watched her girls get trounced—sympathetically of course.

Draco was out as well and so he walked up to Ginny and handed her a fresh glass of Margarita, before sitting on the floor by her legs, resting his back against the chair. “This is going to be fun to witness.”

Ginny hooked a lock of his hair around her finger and tugged. “We'll get you back at Foosball.”

“We'll see about that, Red,” he teased back and then stiffened when she started to playfully run her fingers through his hair.

She felt him jerk at his touch and almost drew her hand away, but then he relaxed so she kept on strumming. Why did he flinch? She wondered as she studied him from the corner of her eye. Was the gesture too personal? Or was he just nervous because Ron was around? Don't think about it, she told herself and then turned her attention towards the game.

The guys played dirty, mocking them almost, as they would slowly hit the ball back and forth with them, before one of them hit the ball with their paddle with all their might. Every time the girls would shriek and flare out their paddles, hoping to connect—but always failed.

Hermione jolted as the ball whizzed by her once again. “Okay. That's it. I'm done.”

“Me too,” Luna said as she set—more like slammed—the paddle down. “You guys play too rough.”

Harry and Ron just laughed. “Aww, come on—we'll go easy on you.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes. “That's just insulting. I'd rather forfeit this one and come back at Foosball.”

“Oh, yeah!” Ginny exclaimed as she used Draco's head to push herself up. “I rock at Foosball.”

Draco got up as well and just for the hell of it, pushed Ginny's head as he walked past her towards the Foosball table. “Let's go for the kill, boys, and take them out.”

Harry rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “If I knew how to do a proper evil laugh—I would.”

“If we win, I'll teach you how,” Draco promised as he took his position.

“Sweet,” Harry said as he patted him on the back. “Thanks, man.”

“What are friends for?”

“Can we please get started?” Hermione asked with exasperation. “Or do you girls want more time to finish this sweet, touching moment?”

Ginny and Luna—and even Ron, snickered, while Harry narrowed his eyes and pointed at her. “You're going down, Granger.”

“Not without a fight, Potter,” she said as she held up the ball, before slipping it through the hole and into play.

Hermione and Ginny, Draco and Harry immediately started jiggling and spinning the knobs, hoping to connect with the ball. The rules were that when someone scored, they would rotate, so everyone had a chance to play. The first goal went to the girls, when Hermione intercepted the ball right in front of the goalie and knocked it right in.

The girls cheered and exchanged high-fives, while the guys rolled their eyes. “Just one goal, still a long way to go,” Ron reminded them as he took Draco's spot.

Ginny simply leaned over and moved their blue slider to the left. “One down, nine to go.”

Luna took her Hermione's spot and the second round began. It lasted a bit longer, but the girls were able to score again. “Two to nothing, baby!” Ginny exclaimed as she did a little dance then gave Hermione a high-five before taking her spot.

The guys finally scored in the third round, but the girls kept coming back. Just when the girls thought they were pulling ahead, the guys scored three in a row and pulled ahead by one goal, making the score eight to seven. “Just two more and then victory,” Harry said as he took Ron's spot.

Luna slid the ball into the hole and Draco immediately spun his handle and both Hermione and Luna jumped as the ball smacked into the back of the goal. “One more,” Draco corrected, before slapping his hand down on Harry's.

“Ugh, come on, girls!” Hermione exclaimed. “We've got to score here, or this game is over.”

Ginny slid into Luna's spot and rolled her shoulders. “Okay. We got this.”

Harry put the ball in play and after three, long, dragging minutes, Ginny managed to slam one right past the goalie. “Woo-hoo!” Ginny cheered. “Thank Merlin!”

“Come on, we can't choke,” Harry said as Ron took his spot. “Ron—don't let anything past you.”

He focused on his goalie and two defenders while Luna put the ball in play. “I got this. I got—fuck!” he cursed when the white blur of the ball went right past him.

“That's goal baby!” Luna exclaimed as she did a little dance. “My first goal!”

“Lucky shot,” Ron grumbled.

“All tied up,” Hermione said and let out a nervous sigh. “Next score wins it. Merlin, I'm shaking.”

“It's okay, we got this,” Luna assured her, but was just as nervous.

The last goal was Harry and Ron against Hermione and Luna, while Ginny and Draco nervously watched from the sidelines. “I can't look,” Ginny said as she slapped her hands over her eyes.

Draco just chuckled as he calmly rested an elbow on her shoulder. Although he never would show it, he was completely freaking out. If the girls won, they'd be tied up and then it was Air Hockey. He saw them playing earlier and had been more than impressed. He'd be a whole lot more at ease, if the guys were able to pull this win out.

Harry held up the ball. “Ready?”

The girls nodded anxiously as they kept their eyes on the playing field. The ball was set free and the last and final round began. It lasted longer than any round they had played, each side would come close to scoring, but they would miss it by a hairsbreadth. Draco and Ginny moved closer to the table, yelling out shouts of encouragement. Draco groaned when Harry made an impressive shot, only to be blocked by the goalie.

“Nice save, Luna!” Ginny exclaimed as she was practically jumping out of her skin. “Come on, girls…you can do it!”

Ron blocked another shot and after a sigh of relief kicked it out, but Hermione quickly intercepted the pass and took a shot. The wonderful echoing sound of the ball hitting the back of the goalie rang out and the girls screamed and hollered as they jumped up in down in a group hug, while the guys hung their head in defeat.

“Damn, damn, double damn,” Ron cursed as he shook the handles aggressively. “I hate this stupid game!”

“Calm down, Weaslebee,” Draco said as he slapped his back. “Can't lose focus now—Air Hockey is next and, unfortunately, they don't suck at it.”

“Yeah, they're pretty good,” Harry said to his team while the girls were in their own huddle—plotting. “We're stronger in pool, but if we can sneak a win here, there's a chance we'll have a one point advantage going into bowling.”

“Okay, team,” Ginny whispered as she leaned into the huddle with her arms around her girls. “Air Hockey is next and we've got to win this—I don't want to be one point down going into pool.”

“Definitely,” Hermione said with a nod. “Harry is really good in pool. I'm decent, but I don't think I can beat him, so Air Hockey is a must win.”

“We're going to kick them were the sun don't shine!” Luna whispered harshly.

“Getting better at that smack talk, girl,” Ginny said with a chuckle. “Okay—let's kick some tail.”

The girls turned to the boys who were lined up shoulder to shoulder with their arms across their chests. “Ready for some Air Hockey, boys?” Hermione asked with her hands on her hips.

“We were born ready, Granger,” Draco sneered.

“You guys are going down,” Ginny said as she hit her fist in her palm.

“No one is going down until you eat.” Claudia breezed in between them with a tray full of sandwiches.

Ron zeroed in on the tray. “Fooood.”

“You people are drinking too much and not eating enough—sit and eat, then you play.”

“Yes, mam,” they all mumbled, while Harry smiled and took the tray from her. “Thanks, Claudia.”

“Enjoy,” she said as she walked off. “Oh, and go Senoritas!”

The girls laughed and cheered for her as she walked out of the room. “I love that woman,” Hermione said with a smile. “I'm going to miss her.”

“She'll be here when we come back,” Harry assured her as he carried the tray over to the couch area and set it on the table. Everyone crowded around, grabbing a sandwich before plopping down on a couch or taking a spot on the floor. For now, the game was on pause and for the moment—it wasn't boys versus girls. “She's practically family now—she'll tend to the house when we're away.”

Ron took a healthy bite of his sandwich and groaned. “She makes the best chicken salad—EVER. Don't tell mum I said that,” he added to Ginny.

“Lips. Sealed.”

Since everyone was a bit anxious to get back to the game, they all devoured their sandwiches with little conversation in between. The sandwich tray was practically demolished, only leaving two roast beef's and a half of ham and cheese behind.

Harry polished off his turkey and swiss and brushed the crumbs away with his hands as he stood up. “Okay—back to the tournament.”

“I need a refill before we start,” Luna said as she got up.

“No, don't!” Ginny said pointing at her. “We need a clear head here—no more alcohol until the tournament is over.”

Luna let out a small, whinny groan, but then nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you're right. I'm tipsy enough as it is, I don't need to get any worse.”

“Commander Weasley has a point,” Draco said to the guys. “Maybe we should lay off the beer until later.”

Harry nodded. “Good call—we'll have a celebration round when this is over.”

“Keep dreaming, Potter,” Hermione said as she elbowed him in the side.

“Ooo, feisty,” he teased as he threw an arm around her neck and yanked her closer. “I like it.”

She just giggled as she nudged him away. “Just wait.” She then sauntered up to her teammates and rubbed her hands in anticipation. “Okay, girls. Game back on.”

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Chapter 26

In the first round, Hermione and Draco went head to head, while the rest stood on each sides of the table, looking on. After this match, Ginny and Harry would duke it out, and if it went to a tie, then it was Ron versus Luna.

Hermione had quicker hands than Draco, so she had him in a slight advantage, but Draco was a decent defender. The sound of the puck cracking against the strikers echoed the room as both sides of the teams encouraged their teammate. Draco scored first, but Hermione retaliated by scoring two in a row. It was the first to seven who won and after ten minutes of game play, Hermione was up six to four.

“Come on, Malfoy,” Ron muttered. “She's kicking your butt.”

“Shut it, Weaslebee,” he said and then angrily hit the puck with his striker and watched it slide past Hermione and into the slot.

“Hey, make him mad again,” Harry said as he nudged Ron. “That seemed to help.”

“Jeez, Malfoy, you're an embarrassment,” Ron said as he got closer to Draco. “Are you going to let a girl beat you? Hermione? Didn't it infuriate you in school how good she was at everything? Didn't that just make you mad as hell?”

Draco narrowed his eyes and let out an angry grunt as he shot his striker out with all his might and scored again. “Yes!” Ron said with a laugh. “All tied up.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and then looked over at Hermione. “Come on, Mione, you got this. Just ignore what he's saying and focus. That's it,” she encouraged when she saw the spark come back to her, hitting the puck with more spunk.

Ron just grinned as he leaned over on his knees. “Hey Draco? Remember the time when Hermione slapped you?”

Seconds later, the puck went streaming past Hermione and into her slot, causing Ron to hold up his arms in triumph. “I knew that would do it!”

Draco let out an exhausted laugh as he slapped a hand on his stomach as he walked by. “Good strategy, Ron.” He then lifted a hand to Harry. “You're up.”

Harry connected and then rolled his shoulders. “Got it.”

Hermione let out a defeating sigh. “Sorry, guys…I let it slip away.”

“It's okay, Mione.” Ginny gave her arm a soothing rub. “You did awesome…and it's not over yet. I intend the royally embarrass the Boy Who Lived.” She walked over to her end of the table and slammed down her striker. “Let's do this.”

“Ready to lose, Gin?” he asked as he set the puck down and sacked it towards her.

She easily sent it back. “Not going to happen, Wonder Boy.” She trapped the puck with her striker and then nudged it lightly back and forth, taunting him, before striking it against the side of the table, where it bounced off and went into Harry's slot. “That's one.”

Harry fished out the puck and slapped it on the table. “Lucky shot.”

Their game stretched on and the scoring was farther in between then the last game. Ginny had managed to keep her lead throughout the game, Harry would tie it up, but then she would score right back to take the lead. Twenty minutes had past and Ginny was up six to four, and although Harry scored to bring it to a one-point game, Ginny managed to pull out the win with an impressive straight shot into the slot.

“That's game,” Ginny boasted and did a mocking curtsy when her teammates applauded.

“Damn,” Harry cursed as he threw down the striker. “Up to you, Ron.”

“Bring us a W, Weaselbee,” Draco said as he gripped his shoulders and gave him a shake. “Knock the pretty blonde on her ass.”

Ron sneered over at Luna, who was getting a pep talk from the girls. “My pleasure.”

Luna worriedly wrung her hands. “I don't know if I can beat him—this wasn't my best game.”

“Don't worry about that, Luna,” Hermione assured her. “Just go and play your best—that's all we can ask.”

“But if I lose it for us then—“

“Then we'll bounce back in bowling,” Ginny said as she placed her hands on her shoulders and looked at her. “It's okay, you can do it. Just keep your eyes on the puck and guard your slot—you'll be fine.”

Luna let out a sigh. “Right. Okay. I'm ready.”

“Oh, and Luna?” Hermione said before she could walk off. “Just have fun with it, okay?”

Luna smiled. “Now, that I can do.”

Ginny and Hermione watched with amusement as Luna played the entire game with bright smile on her face. Whenever she scored, she let out a delighted laugh while doing a quick bootie dance, which made Ron become more and more frustrated, causing him to play worse.

“Starting to worry me, Ron,” Harry mumbled when Luna scored again, making the score five to three.

He let out a frustrated huff as he slammed down the puck. “I can't seem to get anything past her.”

Luna just kept smiling and didn't even bother with smack talk. She was in a zone now and there was no way she was going to blow it now. She took her friends advice and just made herself relax and enjoy herself, rather than stressing out. And look where it got her? A whopping two points—now three, she corrected when she scored once again—ahead of Ronald.

“One more wins it,” Ginny announced. “Starting to sweat over there, boys?”

“Shove it, Red.” Draco glowered at Ron. “Come on, Weaslebee—do I need to start making you mad?”

“No, I need you to shut up,” he mumbled as he kept his eye on the fast, moving puck. He glanced up at Luna—just for a millisecond to see if she was getting nervous—but it was a millisecond too long, and Luna took advantage of it by streaking the puck right by him and into his slot.

Ron slapped the striker down and hung his head in defeat, but when he lifted his head and saw how happy Luna was, he couldn't help but smile. He sighed as he walked over to her, giving the guys a quick, “We'll get them in the next round,” as he passed by, and then enveloped a stunned Luna in his arms. “Good game, Blondie.”

She laughed when he plucked her off her feet. “Well…this is s surprise.”

He just grinned as he held her tight, and then reluctantly put her down. “Couldn't help myself—you looked so happy.”

“I am happy.”

“Enjoy it while you can.” He pointed a warning finger at her. “You're going down in the next round.”

Luna sighed. “You're probably right.”

And he was right—the guys destroyed them to the point of embarrassment. Two games were played on two separate pool tables at the same time. Ginny and Draco's game barely lasted a full five minutes when Ginny accidently sunk the Eight ball, so she didn't even put up a challenge. Hermione hung in a little longer against Harry and even kept it close enough to where Harry had to work for it.

“Eight ball, right corner pocket,” he called out as he leaned over to take the shot.

Hermione poked her lip out in a pout when the ball easily rolled into the pocket. “Well, that sucked.”

Harry just leaned against the pool table and flashed her a grin. “All tied up, Lumpy.”

Ron rubbed his hands in anticipation. “Looks like bowling is going to decide the winner.”

“Let's move it over next door,” Harry said and threw an arm around Hermione as he led them to the bowling room. “You look sexy when you pout,” he murmured only loud enough for her to hear.

“Really? Well…guess I'm going to find out soon if you're sexy when you pout.”

He flinched slightly when she pinched his side and just laughed as he opened the door that lead to the bowling room. “We'll see about that.”

The rules of bowling were fairly simple. Glide the hard round ball with holes in it down the lane, don't hit the gutter and knock down as many as you can. The rules were easy, Luna supposed as she watched Harry smoothly knock down all pins minus two. So the game should be fairly easy, right?

Wrong.

She was horrible. Her first turn was a complete disaster, getting the dreadful gutter ball on both her turns. Thank Merlin for Ginny and Hermione, who were decent enough to pick up her slack, keeping them from getting too far behind.

“Got us within twenty,” Ginny said as she sat down from her turn. “Knocked down eight pins.”

Luna sighed. “I haven't even knocked down that many pins in the three times I've played.”

Hermione, who was sitting on the other side of Luna, gave her let a comforting pat. “Don't worry, we're still in it.”

“Yeah. And it doesn't hurt that Draco's not all that good at it either.”

“Damn it!” Draco cursed when his bowling ball slipped into the gutter right before it got to the pins.

Ginny grinned. “See? Nice gutter ball, Malfoy.”

Draco glared at her as he sulked back to his seat. “Shut. It.”

Her teasing grin only broadened. “You're up, Hermione.”

“You two play nice,” she said, whipping her finger back and forth between them before walking over to handy machine that spit back out the bowling balls.

“Here's your pink girly ball, Lumpy,” Harry said as he lifted it up with only one finger hooked in a hole.

Hermione snagged the ball. “Keep your testosterone hands off my girly ball.”

He held up his hands, while Ron chuckled beside him. “My apologies.”

Hermione simply jutted out her chin before spinning on her heels towards the lane. “Watch this,” Harry said to Ron as he nudged him. “She does the same thing every time. First—she lifts the ball until it rests comfortably under her chin. Then—one deep breath—then another. Now here goes the mini squat—there,” he added when she bent her knees slightly. “Now another breath, before taking her first step—then a second, as she swings the ball back and on the third she releases—this is the funny part. She just stays there—in that pose as she watches the ball. Now, if it looks good she starts backing up—like that!” He snapped his fingers and pointed firmly at her. “It looks good—damn it, a strike.” He sighed. “Now comes the girlish squeal and the enthusiastic bootie dance.”

Hermione lifted her arms while she squealed in delight—along with her teammates—then pointed her fingers in the air while she shook her butt. “Wow,” Ron finally managed to say as he looked at Harry, who was grinning at their best friend like an idiot. “You're very—observant.”

“Hmm?” He looked over at him. “What? Oh…yeah, I guess. I've just noticed some things watching her play. Looks like I'm up…better nail it since Hermione's strike got them only a few points behind.”

Ron watched Harry walk over, stop to murmur something in Hermione's ear, which caused her to laugh before she playfully pushed him. Was there something going on there? He pondered as he looked over at Hermione now, who was standing off to the side—watching him with a slight smirk on her face. If so, how did he feel about it?

“I suck.”

Ron shook his head clear and looked over at Luna who was standing next to him—pouting. “What?”

“At this game,” she added as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I absolutely blow chunks.”

His thoughts on Harry and Hermione melted away and were now full of Luna. “Aww, it's okay, Blondie,” he teased as he threw an arm around her and held her close. “You still look absolutely adorable doing it. I especially like your two handed between the legs method.”

Luna slapped his gut. “Oh, hush.”

He just chuckled. “Yes, mam.”

Harry let out a sigh of relief when he studied the score machine. Thanks to his Spare, they had a little bit more breathing room. However, Ginny and Hermione were decent players, so they weren't technically out of the woods yet. Only a few more rounds to go and the Battle of the Sexes tournament would come to an end.

“How are we doing?”

Harry glanced up at Draco. “We're pulling away, but I'd breath easy if you gave up on the gutter balls.”

Draco scowled. “I knocked a whole six pins last round—two more than Luna.”

“I don't think comparing yourself to Luna is a good way to plead your case. Ow!” He rubbed the back of his head where Luna just smacked it. “Geez, sorry Luna, but—it's true.”

“Maybe. But it doesn't mean I have to take it.”

He grinned. “Fair enough.”

During the next few rounds, the boys managed to stay in the lead, but Ginny and Hermione were impressive enough to keep it close. There was laughter, friendly taunts from apposing sides and a collective “aww” when Luna yet again, hit a gutter ball.

“Last round ladies and gents,” Harry announced as he got up to take the last and final turn for the guys. He had to have a decent play since Hermione's previous spare had brought them dangerously too close.

“Don't choke, Harry,” Hermione said with a smirk.

“I think I've been under worse pressure than this, Lumpy,” he said and then pushed her head as he walked by.

Knowing he was right, Hermione nervously chewed her nails. “You're going to eat your whole finger if you keep doing that,” Ginny said as she walked up next to her.

“I'm so freaking nervous—if he pulls out of strike it's…”

“Curtains. Yeah, I know.”

They both watched anxiously as Harry glided up to the lane and smoothly released the bowling ball. The ball hit dead center and then pins scattered and fell in a tumble—all except two on either side of the lane. The girls let out a sigh of relief while the boys groaned in frustration.

“Thank Merlin,” Ginny whispered. “We're still in it.”

“He could still get a spare,” she said as she watched Harry get ready for the next shot.

“It's hard to get a spare with two pins on either side—but it can be done. Ron did it a few rounds back.”

“Here he goes—oh, it looks good, it looks—gutter ball!”

“Son of bitch,” Harry cursed when he watched his ball fall into the gutter halfway to the pins. “Sorry guys.”

“We're still in the lead,” Ron assured him while patting his shoulder. “Can the girls catch up at all?”

Harry looked up at the scoring machine. “Yeah, but it has to be a strike, even a spare wouldn't do it.”

“Who's up for the girls?” Draco asked.

Harry grinned as he looked over at the girls. “Luna, sweetheart—you're up.”

“Oh, we've got this,” Draco murmured to Ron, who agreed by giving him a very subtle high five.

“Why does it always have to come down to me?” Luna said with a sigh. “I have to get a strike—I can't get a strike. It's not possible.”

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a quick glance that said, `We're screwed,' but then turned to Luna—all smiles. “Don't worry about it, Luna. Just remember your form.”

Hermione nodded. “Yeah, just be relaxed and concentrate on the pins—and try to release the ball sooner than normally and also…”

Luna shook her head. “Uh-uh. I'm doing this my way.” She shot to her feet and scooted past the girls. “I'm doing my own form, a whole new style to bowling. Luna Style.”

All three guys stood shoulder to shoulder as they watched Luna pick up her lime green ball, before sauntering over to the lane. Instead of stopping a few feet away from the lane, she walked right up to it—and fell to her knees.

“What is she doing?” Harry asked with a chuckle.

Ron shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

Then, all three guys lifted their brows when she bent forward, causing her butt to stick slightly in the air. “I think I like Luna Style.”

“Uh-huh,” Draco and Harry murmured in agreement.

Luna placed her hands on the ball as she lingered her face over it, eying the lane as best as she could. Then, she did a quick prayer to the Bowling Gods, before pushing the ball forward, right down the center of the lane.

“Wait a minute,” Hermione murmured when the ball was still staying straight.

“Oh my god,” Ginny said and then both of them ran over and knelt on either side of Luna. “Oh my god, Luna.”

The ball was still right on target and the girls gripped Luna's hands as the ball ran right threw the pins. Eight clattered to the floor immediately, causing another pin to knock down the ninth pin, and the last and final pin—wobbled. Back and forth, back and forth, before it finally…finally, toppled over.

Hermione and Ginny screamed in absolute shock as they tackled Luna onto the floor, while the guys still stood—shoulder to shoulder—with their jaws slackened in disbelief.

“I don't think I like Luna Style anymore,” Ron said breaking the stunned silence.

Harry and Draco could only nodd in agreement.

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Chapter 27

Later that night, after the girls did a mandatory victory dance in front of the boys, the six of them were all sitting outside by the pool. The rain and clouds had cleared and the moonlight glittered brightly against the water. Claudia had made them a Mexican feast that included chips and queso, flour tortillas, guacamole and sour cream. There was a platter that had once been full of chicken quesadillas, but now they were more than half gone.

“Merlin, I should be more than full by now,” Ginny said as she grabbed a quesadilla and tore it in half. “Guess all that winning has made me hungry.”

Hermione grinned. “I still can't believe we won. It's awesome.”

“Stop rubbing it in,” Harry muttered before taking a much-needed sip of his margarita. “We're still wounded over here.”

“You'll live.” Ginny pushed aside her plate and leaned back in her chair. “So, when are you boys going to live up to your bet?”

Draco shrugged. “Whenever—hell, I'll do it right now if you want.”

Ginny shook her head. “No way. Has to be in broad daylight, remember?”

“We'll do it on our last day here,” Harry said as he casually took a chip and scrapped off what was left of the queso and popped it in his mouth. “How's that?”

“Works for me,” Ron said and then grinned. “Maybe they'll forget it about it by then.”

“Don't count on it, Ronald.”

He gave Luna a wink. “We can dream.”

“Hey girls?” Hermione said as she leaned back in her chair and placed her hands on the back of her head. “Remember that time when won? You know…when we kicked some boy ass?”

“All right, that's it.” Harry set down his drink and got to his feet. “I'm shutting you up.”

Before Hermione could even take in a breath, Harry had yanked her from her chair and locked his arms firmly around her. “Follow my lead if you want, fellas,” he said as he lifted her off her feet

“Harry, what are you…don't even think about it!” she warned when she realized the direction he was going. “The water is freezing from the rain and I don't have my suit on and, and…and…you really don't care, do you?”

He grinned down at her. “Not so much. Brace yourself.”

Hermione took in a breath as she closed her eyes tight, seconds before Harry tossed her up into the air—and into the icy cold water. She came up sputtering profanities and Harry just laughed before diving straight in—fully clothed in his jeans and shirt.

“Bloody hell, it's freezing,” Harry gasped and then laughed when Hermione jumped up on his back. “Well, what are you waiting for guys?” Harry called out when he noticed Ron and Draco had yet to make a move. “Grab a girl and get your ass's in here.”

Ginny and Luna both yelped and immediately darted from their chairs, but Ron and Draco were right behind them. Ron snagged Luna by the arm and whirled her around, while Draco swooped himself in front of Ginny, causing her to practically stumble against him.

They squirmed and protested the whole way to the edge of the pool, but it hardly did any good. The guys were too strong. Ron didn't waste anytime as he fell into the pool with Luna securely in his arms and they both came up gasping.

Ginny squinted her eyes, preparing herself for the icy cold, but she didn't go flying into the air like she expected. She blinked up at him to see him looking down at her with a slight frown. “What's wrong? I figured I'd be soaring by now.”

“I hesitated.” He shifted his eyes to the others, who were watching him with curiously, then looked back at Ginny. “I thought maybe…it would scare you, or you'd panic, after what happened to you yesterday.”

“Oh.” Her eyes softened and her heart all but melted in her chest. “Draco, that's unbelievably sweet that you when even think about that, but I'm fine. The pool doesn't bother me.”

“Well then.” He ran his hands over her shoulders, down to her arms, gripped them firmly, and sent her flying.

Ginny let out high-pitched shriek that was abruptly cut off when she hit the water. She emerged from the surface with a gasp. “Bloody freaking hell, that's cold!”

“You get use to it,” Hermione promised and then let out a yelp when Draco landed inches from them.

Draco surfaced, letting out a breath as he slicked his hair back. “That'll sober you up.” He then grinned at Ginny. “Bad night to be wearing a white shirt, isn't it, Red?”

Ginny blinked, looked down, yelped, and hunkered down into the water. “Son of a bitch.”

Luna giggled. “At least you're wearing a bra.”

“A nice one, too,” Draco commented and only laughed when Ginny snuck a hand out and slapped his arm.

“Hey, look!” Hermione pointed to the slide where water poured into the pool. “Claudia must have turned it on.”

“Well, let's not disappoint her,” Harry said before taking off towards the side of the pool, the rest followed closely behind.

XXXXX

Later, after more than a few runs down the slide, including one big giant train of all six of them linked together, they all squeezed into the hot tub that had yet to be used. It was just shy of one in the morning, drinks had been refilled and no one shown signs of heading to bed.

“I still can't believe we did a train,” Draco said after taking a long pull of his beer. “I mean, what are we, eight?”

“No, we're a group of friends that know how to have a good time,” Ginny said, who was all but sitting in his lap due to the limited space of the hot tub.

“Exactly,” Luna agreed. “I thought it was a blast.”

“It wasn't so bad,” Harry commented. “It was kind of nice being tucked in between Hermione and Luna.”

Draco, who had been between Ginny and Hermione during the train, grinned. “I guess you have a point.”

“No fair, I was on the end,” Ron pouted. “Next time, I call between Hermione and Luna.”

“Duly noted, Ron,” Harry said with a chuckle before taking a sip of his beer. Under the hot swirling water, his fingers were entwined intimately with Hermione's. As much as he liked hanging with his friends, he wished everyone would head up and leave him and Hermione alone.

As if she read his mind, Ginny all of the sudden announced her departure. “My drink is empty, I'm tired, drunk—it's time for bed.”

Draco felt the slight squeeze on his knee before she staggered up and got the message loud and clear. As much as he wanted to follow her right away, he made himself wait awhile so no one—especially Ron—got suspicious.

Luna followed soon after, amusing everyone when her tipsy self glided around the hot tub to give out hugs. When she was hugged him, Draco realized how much he actually liked Luna…adored her even. In fact, if he wasn't so in lust with his Red, he wouldn't have thought twice about swooping in and stealing her from Ron.

He pulled her back, looked into her loopy eyes, and smiled. “Well just look at you…you're quite smashed, aren't you Looney?”

She giggled out a snort. “Nooo,” she protested and then let out stream of high pitch giggles. “Okaaay, maybe a bit.”

Draco looked over at Ron. “Perhaps you should escort her to her room, Ron. She might miss a step or something and break her pretty little neck.”

Ron chuckled. “I could do that,” he said as he got up and slid his arms around her. “All right…let's go Blondie.”

She giggled and then yelped when he lifted her out of the water and into his arms. “Wow.”

Hermione smiled as they watched him carry her away. “Those two just…fit, don't they?”

Harry grinned. “Yeah, they do.” He then turned to Draco. “Well…you're probably tired and all, Malfoy.”

Draco was about to agree, but decided to give Potter hell first. “Not really.” He took a long swig of his beer and stretched out his legs. “Nice night, isn't it?”

Harry scowled. “Scram, Malfoy.”

Hermione nudged him in the ribs. “Don't be rude.”

“Malfoy is doing this on purpose since he knows I want to be alone with you.”

Hermione blushed. “Harry.”

Draco laughed. “Relax, Hermione…it's not a mystery that something is going on between you two. I bet even Ron is finally figuring it out.”

“Fine, whatever.” Harry reached out and gave him a kick. “Now leave. I'm sure you're anxious to go on up and give Ginny a little late night visit.”

Draco's grin dropped and his face hardened. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Hermione smiled. “Relax, Draco… it's not a mystery that something is going on between you two.”

“Except for Ron,” Harry interjected. “Lucky for you…he's still clueless.”

“It's nothing,” Draco blurted. “I mean…we're just…” He lifted his shoulder in an awkward shrug. “Hanging out.”

Harry lifted a brow. “Hanging out? Is that what they're calling it these days?”

Hermione laughed. “Apparently.”

“In that case, beat it, Malfoy, so I can do some serious hanging out with Hermione.”

Giving up, he sighed and stood up. “All right, fine. I'm going.” He stepped out of the hot tub and started to walk towards the house, but hesitated and turned. “Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“It doesn't bug you at all?” He asked awkwardly. “That I'm…er…hanging out…with your ex-girlfriend?”

“Well,” Harry pondered. “Being that there is that important `ex' in front of `girlfriend', I don't mind as much. So…we're cool, Malfoy. But,” he added before he could leave. “If you hurt her, I'll have to kick your ass.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a small smile and then pointed at him. “And same goes if you hurt Hermione…it seems that I have become attached to the womenfolk.” He grinned; then saluted. “Night lovebirds.”

Harry watched in awe as he walked away and into the house. “Who is that guy?”

Hermione chuckled. “I know, right? That is a brand spanking new Draco Malfoy. He's a lot more likable then the old one.”

“Yeah…just a bit.” He looked over at her and grinned as he gripped her hips and floated her over until she straddled his lap “So…wanna hang out?”

Her laughter bubbled out of her as she circled her arms around his neck. “Oh, yeah.”

Their curved lips met in amusement as they lingered a moment while a few chuckles emerged between them. Then, all laughter and playfulness melted away as the kiss turned from flirtatious, to passionate, as their lips and tongue met fervently.

Hermione let out a frustrating moan as she tried to wiggle closer, but her knees kept hitting the side of the hot tub. Harry immediately sunk them both into the middle of the tub, tugging her closer until she was wrapped tightly around him. She gently rolled her hips against him, causing him to groan urgently into her mouth while he molded his hands against the wet denim that clung to her ass.

Hermione was practically panting, as he left her mouth to venture downward. He took nips along her jaw, and then trailed gentle kisses to the curve of her neck. His hands cleverly snuck beneath her fluttering blouse underwater and found flesh. She shivered against him as his hands slithered up her sides and eagerly cupped her breasts. “Harry,” she gasped as her hands flung out of the water to grip his damp hair.

He groaned softly into her ear. “You've said my name so many times in so many ways, Hermione.” He lightly scrapped her lobe with his teeth. “In fear and in joy…worry and sadness.” He lifted his head and crushed his lips urgently against hers. “But never like that.” His warm breath merged with hers while their hearts pounded together. “Never like that.”

Her lids fluttered as their foreheads touched. “Oh, Harry.”

“I want you.” His thumbs swept over her nipples. “Merlin, I want you so much.”

“You have me,” she murmured as she started to frantically scatter kisses over his face. “You've always had me.”

A strangled growl erupted from the back of his throat as lips and tongue met in frenzy. His hands snuck out of her blouse, only to attack the buttons as he ripped and tugged until buttons fell off and floated away. He whipped her tattered blouse off her shoulders, keeping her wrists cuffed into the sleeves…leaving her constricted. His fingers easily flipped open the front clasp of her bra and moaned in approval when his hands enveloped her naked breasts.

“Yes,” she murmured as she began to tug herself free of her blouse so she could touch him. “Please, Harry. Let's go upstairs.” Her hands snuck under the shirt and found his warm, hard naked chest. “I can't stand it.”

“I know,” he groaned in agreement as he held her close and started to stand. “Let me just—ah, crap.”

She let out a shriek when he stumbled backwards—bringing her with him—then gasped when his back slammed against the edge of the hot tub. “Oh my god, are you okay?” she asked sincerely, but couldn't hold back the small giggle that escaped her.

He winced as he moved his back awkwardly “Yeah, yeah—just didn't realize how drunk I was. That wasn't very smooth of me.”

She grinned as she caressed his cheek. “You've had better moves.”

He closed his eyes and chuckled softly before turning his face into her hand. He pressed his lips against her palm and let out a deep sigh. “It's probably a good thing I stumbled.” He turned back to her and smiled when she sat back on his knees. “I don't think I want us to both be drunk during our first time.”

She sighed. “I guess you're right.”

He glided them back into the center of the hot tub and held her close, smiling softly when she tucked her head under his chin. “When I'm with you—for the first time—I want to remember everything. Every touch. Every taste. Every time you say my name in that sexy way.”

She chuckled softly. “You mean like this?” She lifted her face up until her mouth brushed his ear. “Oh, Harry.”

His whole body trembled and on a desperate groan, found her mouth with his own, and kissed her, long and hard. “Exactly like that,” he murmured against her lips.

“Good to know,” she said with a teasing smile and then snuck in a few more kisses. “Harry, if not tonight—when? I'm getting a bit impatient.”

He chuckled. “Isn't that usually the guys line?”

She let out a laugh. “True.”

“Don't worry.” He kissed her nose. “I'm just as impatient. I'm not sure when exactly, but I do know where.”

She lifted a single eyebrow. “Where? I didn't know that was an issue. I figured your room or mine.”

“Oh, don't worry. I plan to get to my room—and yours—eventually, but for our first? It's going to be somewhere different…special.”

She was puzzled, but only for a moment. “You're special place you want to show me. There?”

He nodded as he brushed his thumb across her damp cheek. “Yeah—I've pictured being with you there. Just you and I. No one else.”

“Oh, Harry,” she said as she held him close. “That sounds perfect. Just absolutely perfect.”

He gently rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “I'm glad.”

“When?”

His body shook with laughter. “Soon, Lumpy.” He bent down to nuzzle her neck. “Very, very, soon.”

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Chapter 28

Draco heard the flirtatious giggles as he disappeared into the house and was suddenly anxious to see Ginny…to be alone with her. He took the stairs two at a time and started to go towards her room, but then paused and looked down at his wet, dripping self.

Probably best to change into dry clothes first, maybe even a shower—a very, very quick shower. He turned on his heels to head to his room, but stopped short again when Luna's door opened and Ron stepped out. “Hey…passed out yet?”

Ron smiled. “Not quite. I'm just heading down to get us some water.”

“She's a rather amusing drunk.”

“Yeah, it's pretty cute.” He shoved his hands in his still damp shorts. “Is Harry and Hermione still out there?”

“Er…yeah,” Draco said, a bit uncomfortable. He knew Ron was technically with Luna now, but wasn't sure if he was okay about the idea of Harry and Hermione. And why the hell did he care? The last thing he wanted was to get sucked into a bunch of drama. “I'm going to bed. See ya.”

“Sure,” he said moving out of his way, frowning slightly at his abrupt behavior, but then shrugged it off. Wasn't his problem, he thought as he finally turned and headed down the stairs. He had an adorable tipsy Luna to take care of.

Draco kept his head down as he stalked down the hall and around the corner to his room. He was irritated now for some reason and wasn't sure why? Maybe it was because for a moment, he was worried about how Ron would feel if he knew about Harry and Hermione. Like he…cared or something. What the hell was that all about? That wasn't like him…that wasn't like him at all. He still wasn't use to all these feelings crowding around him and not just for Ginny, but for everyone else as well. He had friends now and he didn't really know how to handle it.

Best not to think about it, he decided as he stepped into his room, closing the door behind him. And it was probably best if he didn't go and see Ginny tonight and give them both some space. With a reluctant sigh he walked through the small parlor room as he stripped off his damp shirt and then nearly tripped over himself when he finally noticed her.

She was in his bed, curled up against his pillows on top of his covers. She had gotten out of her wet clothes and was now wearing one of his shirts. It was just one of his simple white T-shirts, but on her it was just as sexy as if she was wearing one of those skimpy nightgowns made of silk and lace. The hem of his shirt skimmed the across her upper thighs, exposing the rest of her irresistible legs.

He sighed as he walked over to her and then reached down to brush the back of his fingers across her cheek. “Sorry I kept you waiting, Red,” he murmured softly and then—since she was unconscious—bent down and pressed his lips gently against her forehead. He was far from a romantic person, but there was something about Ginny that seemed to pull it out of him. Merlin, but she was dangerous. Not dangerous enough to keep him away, though, and that was something he'd have to deal with.

Finally, he backed away from Ginny—from temptation—and headed quietly to the bathroom. He'd take that shower, but it wouldn't be quick like he had planned. He needed some time to think. Then, when he was sure Ron wasn't lingering in the hallway, he would carry her back to her room. It wouldn't be smart to keep her in his bed—no matter how much he wanted her to be there.

XXX

Ginny gasped as she abruptly startled herself awake. Her heart was racing, and her body was sheen with sweat and trembling from head to toe. She had the dream…the same dream she always had, but so amazingly different.

It had started out the same, yet her husband—who had always been Harry in the past—was faceless. The name of her kids was different, she remembered as she ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She was a bit fuzzy on the boy's name, but her little girl wasn't Lilly. What had her faceless husband called her?

“Annabelle,” she remembered out loud and then scrubbed her face with her hands as she tried to remember the rest.

Her favorite part of the dream—the amazing sex on the platform—was also different. It was more wild and crazy and her heart raced just thinking about it. She still hadn't been able to make out his face, but she had always known whom he was. It was Draco.

“Absurd,” she mumbled to herself as she tried to shake off the dream. “Absolutely absurd.”

She took another steady breath and then suddenly remembered where she was. She looked around for signs of Draco and her heart leapt in her throat when she heard the shower running. He had been here, which means he had watched her sleep.

“Sweet Merlin, I sure hope I didn't moan his name or anything, that wouldn't be humiliating at all.”

She was an idiot for falling asleep…that certainly hadn't been the plan when she had decided to come to his room. She was hoping for a good, long serious snog before she went to sleep. Sleep came first unfortunately.

Well, she was awake now, she thought as she got up out of the bed and lingered by the bathroom door. She had originally thought she wanted to take it fairly slow with Draco, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed ridiculous to do so. They only had a short time left together…they had both agreed that it would end before they headed home.

So…why waste another second? A part of her—the scared shittless part—was dying to step away and escape to the safety of her room. But the other part of her—the adventurous and sexually frustrated part—wanted nothing more than to join him in that shower.

After a quick debate between her two parts—the adventurous and sexually frustrated part of her took over, and so, she slowly crept open the door, and slithered inside.

It was hot and steamy and her heart raced as she looked over towards the shower. The shower was made of glass, but was more foggy than clear, so she could only see a blurred outline of his body. His back was to him, facing the showerhead, so he hadn't noticed her yet.

Draco might have noticed her if he wasn't so damn occupied with thoughts of her. He had his hands pressed against the shower wall with his head tipped downward, while he imagined himself slipping into bed with her, instead of carrying her safely to her room. His imagination was so real and vivid he never heard the shower door opening, then closing.

Ginny kept her eyes trained between his shoulder blades as she stood only inches behind him—naked. With hands that shook, she reached out and after a quick hesitation, placed them gently on his hips.

He didn't jolt like she thought he would, or spin suddenly around in shock. Instead, the moment her fingers brushed his skin, his whole body tensed up and then froze—like a statue. Her heart was pounding profusely against her chest as she waited for him to do something, but he only continued to stand motionless.

Her first reaction was to step away—maybe she made some kind of mistake—but her stubbornness won out and instead of stepping away, she stepped closer. “Draco?” she asked softly as she moved her hands up and over his wet back.

“Red,” he finally said on a strangled moan. “What are you doing?”

“I'm pretty sure it's obvious.” She placed her hands on his shoulders. “Won't you turn around?”

“I don't think that'll be wise.”

“And why is that? It's going to be quite hard to be with you if you're back is facing me the whole time.”

Draco sighed as he slowly turned around. His smoky gray eyes flickered to hers…and kept them there. “Ginny.” He cupped her face with his wet dripping hands as the water and steam swirled around them. “You wanted to take this slow…I told you I'd wait until you were ready, you don't have to…”

“I'm ready,” she said as she gripped his wrists. “We only have a few days to be together and I don't want to waste another second of it.”

He moaned softly as their foreheads touched. “Red…if this is the liquor talking…”

“It's not,” she assured him. “I'm not drunk…I promise. I just want to be with you, Malfoy…for as long as I can. I don't want to wait anymore to find out what it will be like to be with you.”

On a surrendering moan, he pressed his lips firmly against hers, gliding his fingers through her hair and gripped. “I can't believe you,” he finally murmured against her mouth. “Sneaking in here…seducing me.” He grinned as nipped at her bottom lip. “You're a lot more dangerous than I thought, Red.”

She smiled against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her wet, naked body, against his. “You haven't seen anything yet.”

“Bloody hell.” His mouth swooped back to hers, groaning at the feel of her breasts rubbing seductively against him. He felt her tremble and so he smoothly maneuvered them until they were both under the hot spray of water.

“Draco,” she gasped as his active mouth traveled urgently down her neck. “Please, touch me. I want your hands on me.”

He scrapped his teeth along her lobe. “Very well.” He spun her around and placed her hands on the tile wall in front of them. “Brace yourself.”

She closed her eyes and bent her head downward as she struggled to find her breath. He wasn't even touching her yet and she was already about to explode. She hitched in a breath when his warm, soapy hands reached around and cupped her breasts. “Yes,” she whispered, urgently arching into his hands while he nipped the back of her neck.

Merlin, her skin was so damn soft—so damn irresistible. He wanted to touch every inch of her and he couldn't move his hands fast enough. They slid down her belly, over the flare of her hips, and then swooped over to cup her ass. He could do this for hours and never get bored. Her body fascinated him—all long and slim and smooth. He wanted it all—and so much more.

“Open your legs for me, Red,” he murmured into her ear as one hand pressed against the tile next to hers and the other flirted with her inner thigh.

She whimpered softly as she scooted her legs farther apart and then gasped when his hand cupped her. “Draco.” She reached back with one hand to cup the back of his neck, yanking his body closer to hers. “Bloody hell.”

He chuckled softly as he pressed the heel of his hand firmly against her. “Haven't even warmed up yet and you're already wild.”

“You're driving me crazy,” she hissed through her teeth.

“Good,” he murmured as he slipped his finger inside her, and then let out a long, throaty groan. She was so wet…so soft….so Ginny.

She tilted her head around until her lips found his and then groaned urgently into his mouth as he began to stroke her in long, possessive strokes. She moved aggressively against his hand while her tongue tangled and flirted with his. She tore away from his mouth on a gasp when he slid another finger inside her, and cried out his name while she arched back into him.

He spun her back around, backed her against the wall and ignoring her moan of protest when he removed his fingers—dropped to his knees. He carelessly flung one of her legs over his shoulder and replaced his fingers with lips and tongue.

She opened her mouth on a silent moan as she couldn't seem to do anything but hold on for dear life while Draco sent her up and up with his clever mouth. She flung a hand down and clenched his hair when she felt that first sweep of pleasure wash over her. It kept building and building and when the orgasm finally hit her, she bucked violently against him until her leg gave out.

He caught her before she could fall and held her up by pinning her against the wall. He buried his face against her soft neck while he let her catch her breath, and then hitched her up until he had her completely in his arms.

She simply sighed as she laid her head weakly on his shoulder as she basked in the wonderful afterglow of the amazing, out of this world, orgasm Draco had just given her. He kept her firmly against him as he bent over to shut off the water and only held onto him tighter as he carried her out of the stall and back out to the bedroom.

He placed her gently on the bed, both of them still sleek and damp from the shower. She gazed up at him between her lashes while sporting a lazy, contented smile. “You going to fall asleep on me, Red?”

“Hmm…I just might after what you just did to me.” She reached up and brought him down for a soft, lingering kiss. “You're very good at that.”

His lips curved against hers. “Glad you think so, because I'm not done with you yet.”

“Thank Merlin.” She gasped, gripping his arms tightly when he began to slide into her, inch by torturous inch. “Oh, god…Draco.”

He groaned as he buried his face against her neck. “Bloody hell, you're tight,” he murmured into his ear and then slid his arms under her, before thrusting fully inside her. “Oh, god.”

Ginny let out a soft cry as she arched against him. “Draco,” she panted as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Shit, Red.” He shut his eyes tightly as he kept perfectly still. “Why didn't you tell me? No, don't move, baby…It'll get better, just don't move.”

“What?” she asked dazed, blinking up at him when he lifted his head to look at her. “What's wrong?”

“You're a virgin.”

“Well…not anymore.”

“You should have told me. I would have…handled it differently.”

“Then I'm glad I didn't tell you.”

“Red…”

“Shh.” She reached up and cradled his face with her hands. “Just kiss me.”

He sighed in defeat as he let her bring him down. “So stubborn,” he murmured seconds before their lips touched.

“Better believe it,” she said with a smirk.

He playfully nipped on her bottom lip, before sliding his tongue sensually against hers. He kissed her deeply, slowly, and until she all but melted against him. He began to move inside her in long, gentle strokes of his hips, trying his best not to hurt her. He pulled his mouth away but kept his lips only inches from her, allowing their warm pants and gasps merge together.

“Draco,” she murmured as she started to lift her hips up to him, meeting his gentle thrusts, stroke for stroke. She slid her hands down his muscular back and then gripped his ass, pushing him deeper inside her.

Draco groaned as he kissed his way down her jaw. “Are you okay?” he asked as he kept the pace nice and slow.

“Yes, yes,” she panted and then bit her lip at the feel of him inside her. “Faster.”

His mouth found hers again as he quickened his pace, now desperate for his own release. He grappled with her hands and then pinned them on either side of her head while he continued to plunge inside her. Harder. Faster.

Her fingers clenched tightly around his when she felt that wonderful pressure deep inside her, building and building. “Oh, god,” she groaned as she arched her back. “I'm gonna…”

“Red,” he murmured as he buried his face in her exposed neck. “So good….so fucking good.”

She let out a throaty cry when her orgasm suddenly swept over her long and hard while he continued to thrust and thrust. Even when she went limp, he continued to pound into her until finally, finally, he crumbled.

Draco let out a long, satisfying groan as he buckled on top of her, pinning her into the mattress with his heavy, sedative body.

She couldn't move. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. He had destroyed her—simply battered all her senses. God, it was fantastic. Her gasps and pants melded with his and when she felt a tremble, she realized it wasn't her that trembled—that was also fantastic. It looked like she destroyed him right back. “Draco?”

He grunted out some sort of response as he continued to lie there, resting his head against her soft breasts. “Crushing you,” he finally said. “I'll move as soon as I can manage it.”

“Don't hurry on my account.” She buried her fingers in his damp hair and began to lazily strum.

“Are you okay?” he mumbled.

“I'm fantastic. My vision is finally coming back.”

He chuckled against her. “That's good.” He dropped a kiss on the swell of her breast, before propping himself on his elbows. “I'm glad you decided to seduce me in the shower.”

She grinned lazily. “Me, too. I almost chickened out, but I somehow found the courage.”

“Thank Merlin.” He bent down and pressed a soft kiss against her lips—lingering longer than he intended—then rolled over on his back, bringing her with him so she nestled up against him.

“Draco?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“You are so welcome.”

She snorted a giggle. “No, not for that…well, not just for that.” She sighed as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest. “Thank you for making my first time so perfect.”

Draco kept his eyes on the ceiling as he felt his heart tremble uncontrollably in his chest. “No problem.” He snuck a hand down and pinched her ass. “Although I'm still mad at you for not telling me.”

“I know.” She shifted until she was sprawled across his chest and propped herself on one elbow. “Sorry, I guess I just assumed you'd know.”

Her hair spilled out enticingly around her so he couldn't resist reaching out to touch. “Really? So, it was stupid of me to assume you weren't a virgin when you've had two serious boyfriends?”

“Well…I was a bit younger during those relationships and it just never got that far.”

“Understandable, but how was I suppose to know that? Did you announce the intimacy of your relationships to all of Hogwarts?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Point undeniably taken.”

He grinned. “Good. It's nice to know I'm capable of winning an argument.”

“Don't get use to it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He gripped a handful of her hair and tugged. “C'mere.”

She smiled as she let herself be pulled down until their lips touched. She shifted up and over until she was stretched out on top of him, moaning deeply when his hands began to wander. “Are you going to make love with me again, Malfoy?”

“Mmm.” He lifted his head off the bed, breathing in her scent when her hair cascaded around him. “I'm contemplating it.”

She gasped when his lips found her ear. “Contemplate faster.”

He chuckled softly as he gripped her hips. “Okay then.”

He was so smooth, so quick, she wasn't quite sure how he did it, but after a quick lift of her hips and a smooth thrust of his hips, he was deep inside her. “Draco,” she murmured as she loomed over him. “Do I just…”

He hissed out a breath when she began to rock her hips in long, lingering strokes. “Yes,” he encouraged as grasped both of her thighs. “Exactly like that.” He then groaned when she quickened the pace. “Damn, you're a quick study.”

She just smiled as she bent down until her lips found his, kissing him long and deep while she rode them both over the edge.

“Where are you going?” Draco murmured when he felt Ginny shift away from him.

She turned back to see him looking at her with one eye peeked open. “To my room.” She bent down for a quick kiss. “It's close to sunrise and it would be smarter for me to be in my room by the time everyone gets up.”

“Agreed,” he said as he started to let her go, but then suddenly yanked her back. “But in just a minute.”

“Draco!” she yelped when he buried them both under his covers. “I really don't think…oh.” She sighed as his mouth began to journey down, down. “Well…maybe one last time.”

One last time, ended up being two amazing times, which caused Ginny to leap out of bed as soon as she could manage. “Now I really have to go so you stay there and behave.”

He sat up and watched her pick up her wrinkled clothes from the night before. “You're pretty cute, do you know that, Red?”

“Yeah, yeah…where are my knickers? Ah, there they are.” She quickly wiggled them on, threw on her blouse and jean shorts she had on last night, and then tucked her bra into the crook of her arm. “Okay, pal…hands up where I can see them.”

He grinned as he lifted his hands harmlessly in the air and stood perfectly still as she swooped down to give him a quick kiss. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

Another kiss. “Thanks for everything.”

“My pleasure.”

She laughed, kissed him again, lingering a bit, before fleeing to his door. “Coast is clear,” she told him after she had poked her head out. “I'm making a break for it.”

Draco just shook his head as he watched her sneak out of his room, and then collapsed back onto the pillows. “That woman is without a doubt, the most adorable creature on the planet.” He sighed as he slapped one of the pillows over his face and muffled a frustrating groan. “And I just said adorable! What is wrong with me?”

-->

Okay so this is the newest chapter! Finally! I never thought I'd get this out! Thanks so much for being patient with me and sticking by me! It means so much! Again, I'm so sorry I had to start over and delete all your reviews. It seriously broke my heart to do it, so please review so I can have more! It is my birthday today, after all! I hope you like this next update! Thanks again for everything. Ya'll are the best readers ever!!

HM

Chapter 29

Luna woke up very slowly the next morning…and very painfully. Her head felt like it was split in two, and her mouth felt as if she swallowed a handful of cotton balls. She groaned in agony as she shifted under the sheets, turning over on her side, and then gasped when she all but rolled into Ron.

Ron grinned. “Morning, Blondie.”

She flung the sheets over her mouth…her breath probably had smelled better. “Morning,” she squeaked.

He copied her actions, lifting the sheet over his mouth as well. “How are you feeling?”

“Um…not too great, honestly.”

“Understandable.” His eyes crinkled at the corner of his eyes. “You might have consumed half your body weight of alcohol last night.”

She closed her eyes on a groan. “I think you may be right.”

“I got you some aspirin,” Ron said as he held out his palm with two white pills. “Hermione says they are good for headaches.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

He plopped the pills in her hand and then twisted around to grab the glass of water he had gotten last night and handed it to her. “Do you feel queasy?”

Luna winced as she sat up to take the pills. “A little, but nothing too bad.” She downed the pills and the rest of the water in the glass. “I'm never drinking that much again…I must have been a handful.”

“You were rather intriguing. I especially liked it when you started singing, Weasley is my King.”

Her jaw dropped. “I didn't.”

“You did.”

She closed her eyes. “That is so embarrassing…why did you even stay?”

“Because you asked me to.”

She blinked in surprised and then sighed when it came back to her. “Oh, yeah…I did, didn't I?”

He smiled as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I would have stayed either way.”

She sighed as she leaned into his arms and snuggled up to his chest. Her headache was already ebbing away. “Ronald…you really are quite the sweetheart.”

He smiled. “I guess I have my moments.”

“You have lots of moments.”

He chuckled. “Only when I'm around you.” He kissed the top of her head and pulled back. “You ready to go downstairs for some coffee?”

“Yes, but I should probably freshen up a bit. Maybe take a shower.”

“Okay. I'll see you down there.” He leaned in for a kiss and raised a brow when she leaned back. “Problem?”

“Morning breath.”

“Luna,” he laughed. “We both have morning breath so it's not…oh, all right.” He rolled his eyes when she leaned back even further. “Go brush your teeth and do whatever you girls do and I'll meet you downstairs.”

“Thanks, Ronald.”

“See you.” He playfully tapped his fingers under her chin and then scooted out of bed and paused at the open door. “I'll expect a proper good morning kiss as soon as you come down.”

She laughed. “Consider it done, Ronald.”

He winked and closed the door behind him. Luna leaped out of bed and frolicked to the bathroom. She was feeling better already.

XXXXX

Harry made it a point to be the first one downstairs so he could talk to Claudia privately. He knew she would have everything handled, he didn't doubt her for a second, but he just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. He had the day planned out, and it was something he had wanted to do from the beginning, but wasn't sure he'd be able to since it would mean leaving the island. His magicless island.

Now, since he was positive—almost positive—that Ron and Draco wouldn't go at it, he felt comfortable going through with it. He had pulled Claudia aside yesterday before the tournament and asked if she could make the call to get it started and then gave her a few other things to do. He hadn't had the chance to talk to her about it since, so now was the time to do it.

The kitchen already smelled of brewed coffee and sizzling bacon and his mouth began to water. “Good morning, Claudia.”

“Morning Mr. Potter.” With quick sufficient hands, she whipped out a mug and poured him a generous cup. “You look…tired. Late night?”

“You can say that.” He took a sip and practically whimpered in joy. `We didn't wake you, did we?”

“No, no…slept good. Got up early…everything's taken care of.”

His shoulders slumped in relief. “Really? Good…I knew you could handle it, but wanted to make sure.”

“Everything you requested is done and packed in coolers.”

“You're fantastic.” He leaned over on the counter and snagged a piece of bacon that was cooling on a paper towel. “When will they be here?”

She took a quick glance at the kitchen clock over the stove. “In a few hours. A little before Noon.”

“Perfect.” He took a healthy bite of the bacon. “I want you to do me one more favor, though.”

“Anything,” she said absently as she poured scrambled yolk into the skillet.

“When we're gone, I want you to call the mainland and ask for a ferry. You're going to start your weekend off early.”

She blinked. “What? Oh, but Mr. Potter, our deal was that I didn't leave till Saturday morning.”

“I know, but I changed my mind. You've done enough…don't worry, you'll still get paid the same amount of money.

“But…but, I need to clean up and do laundry…”

“That's fine, do what you need to do, but you're to be gone by the time we get back, which won't be till late so you'll have plenty of time. No excuses,” he added firmly when she opened her mouth to argue. “I'm the boss. You're burning the eggs.”

“What? Oh.” She quickly went into action and scooped the eggs out of the skillet and onto the large platter. “You spoil me, Mr. Potter.”

He grinned. “I think that's the other way around.”

The kitchen door swung open and Hermione breezed in. “Good morning.”

Harry straightened as she walked over to him. “Good morning,” he answered back as he snaked an arm smoothly around her waist and brought her up for a morning kiss. “Sleep well.”

“Not too bad. You?”

“I tossed and turned a bit at first…but eventually settled down. “

“Coffee?”

“Of course.” She accepted the mug from Claudia. “Thanks. Everything smells good, I'm ravenous.”

“You and Harry will get the first batch.” She quickly pulled out two plates and scooped a healthy amount of scrambled eggs and a couple of pieces of bacon. Then, four slices of toast popped cheerfully out of the toaster and Claudia divided them up and plopped them on their plates. “Butter is on the table.”

“She spoils us.”

Harry laughed. “You got that right.”

“What's the agenda today?” Hermione asked as they settled into their usual seats.

Harry passed her the butter and he snagged the saltshaker. “I have something planned.”

Hermione paused in buttering her toast to look up at him. “Are you not going to tell me?”

“Nope. Surprise. Salt?”

“No thank you. You put enough for the both of us on your eggs.”

He just grinned as he took his first healthy bite. “It's good.”

She just rolled her eyes and passed him the butter. “Harry?”

“Yeah?” he answered as he slathered on some butter.

“Does the surprise include the entire group?”

He looked up, knowing she was asking if the surprise was taking her to his special spot. “This time it does. But the next surprise will only include us.”

The kitchen door swung open before she could comment, so she just gave him a little smile as Ron and Luna plopped into their seats. “Good morning, you two. How are you feeling, Luna?”

Luna winced. “Better.” She sighed when Claudia set a cup of coffee in front of her. “Much, much, better.”

“I gave her some aspirin this morning,” Ron commented before taking his first sip. “It seems to be helping.”

“That…and other things.”

Ron looked at her sly grin and then blushed. The good morning kiss she promised him ended up being right outside the kitchen door and oh, man, was it a doozey. “Well…what's the plan for today?”

“Well, I…”

The door sprang open as Ginny all but pranced inside while Draco shuffled in behind her. “Good morning, pals of mine.”

Ron narrowed his eyes. “You're way too chipper this morning.”

She just shrugged. “I guess I am.”

“Simmer down, Red,” Draco murmured softly in her ear while Claudia was busy doctoring up their coffee. “Might as well wear a sign on your forehead that reads, Just Got Laid.”

Ginny snorted a chuckle as she elbowed in his gut but then sobered when Claudia turned back with their coffees. “Thanks.”

“So what's the plan?” Ron asked again while everyone was happily gobbling down breakfast.

“Got the whole day covered,” he said as he pushed his plate away and concentrated on his coffee. “Just plan on meeting back down here a little before Noon.”

“He's not telling us,” Hermione said with a pout as she poked at her eggs. “Wants it to be a surprise.”

“Aww, now come on,” Ginny complained as she set down her fork. “How am I suppose to get ready if I don't know where we're going? What should I wear?”

“Clothes,” Draco said. “Or not. Whatever works for you.”

Ginny smacked his arm. “Oh, hush. You're such a guy.”

He grinned. “Damn right I am."

“Just wear a swimsuit,” Harry said intervening. “Bring what you would normally bring if we're going to the beach or something. Maybe some extra dry clothes. Just know we're leaving the island and not coming back till tonight.”

“Are we going to the mainland?” Ron asked.

He sighed. “I'm not saying, just be ready on time and you'll see soon enough.”

“I'm excited.” Luna did a little butt wiggle in her chair. “I love surprises.”

“Well, you'll love this one,” he said grinning at her and then stood up and took his plate to the kitchen. “Thanks again, Claudia…and remember what I said.”

“Yes, yes,” she said and shooed him away. “Out of my kitchen.”

“I'm going. See you guys later.”

“What is he up to?” Hermione asked once he was gone.

“Who knows?” Ginny shrugged. “All we can do is wait and find out. I better go on up and raid my closet. Might take me awhile to figure out what to bring.”

Hermione nodded in agreement and got up as well. “Yeah, good idea.”

“Me, too, me, too!” Luna cheered as she bounded up out of her seat. “I'm going to go pack my ass off!”

Ron was smart enough to wait until they were gone, before he rolled his eyes. “Women,” he snorted as he grabbed a piece of bacon. “Why do they need to stress over crap like that? We don't have to be back down here for another two hours.”

“One of the many mysterious of the female race.” Draco leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee that Claudia had just refilled. “Doesn't do any good to try to figure them out.”

“That's true.” He grabbed the platter of eggs and heaped up another helping. “So…what's with the whole Red thing?”

Draco blinked. “I'm sorry?”

“You call my sister Red.”

“Yeah,” he said cautiously. “So? It's called a nickname…Weaslebee.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “I hate that.”

“I know, that's why I do it.” He grinned. “It's why I always did it. Becoming friends with you doesn't change that.”

“Huh.” He set his fork down and looked at the man who had given him hell over the years. “Is that what we are, Malfoy? Friends?”

Draco shrugged carelessly. “Seems to me that we are. Would never have pictured it happening, but there you go.”

“I have to trust someone to be friends with them first.”

“Duly noted and I fully agree with you.” He felt the guilt start to creep up on him. Keeping his relationship with his sister a secret wasn't the best way to earn his trust. However, when the two weeks were up, there won't be a relationship at all…so there was no point in telling. He quickly pushed the guilt—and the regret—aside. “I'm sure it'll take some time for you to trust me. Until then, I can just be an acquaintance.”

“Or an annoyance.”

Draco chuckled. “Either one works for me.” He got up from his chair and grabbed his coffee to go. “I'm glad we had this heart-felt talk, Weaslebee.”

Ron snorted. “Yeah, whatever, Malfoy.”

Draco just grinned and flicked him on the back of his head on the way out. “See you later.”

Ron flinched and scowled at the flapping door he had just swung through. Friends or not, he was still a pain in the ass.

“Come in,” Hermione answered absently at the knock at her door.

“Hey,” Harry said as he walked in and closed the door behind him. “You look ready to go.”

“Just about.” She smiled at him as she neatly tucked in a towel into her tote bag. “I think I have everything I need. Towel, change of clothes, sunscreen….missing anything?”

He grinned as leaned down for a quick kiss. “You have everything you need.” He trailed a finger over the sunny yellow string of her bikini strap that was peaking out of her white terrycloth cover-up. “I don't believe I've seen this one.”

“Haven't worn it yet.” She then laughed and playfully slapped his hand when he tried to pull her cover-up back for a peak. “You'll see it soon enough.”

“I guess I can wait,” he said before smoothly pulling her close and up on her toes for a long, deep, silky kiss that left them both weak and breathless.

When Harry began to pull away, Hermione murmured a sound of protest and brought his mouth back to hers. She flung her arms around his neck as the kiss turned hot and desperate and Harry clenched handfuls of her hair while he let himself be devoured. He tumbled backwards onto the bed and she happily followed, shoving him onto his back and straddling him.

“Merlin!” Harry gasped when her mouth began to work fervently down his neck and her hands—bloody hell, her hands—were getting busy under his shirt. He let out a deep groan in the back of his throat as he roughly sat up and flipped her over on her back, pinning her busy hands down on the bed. “Are you trying to kill me?”

She let out a breathless laugh. “Did I get carried away?”

He narrowed his eyes as he leaned down and nipped at her jaw. “Just a bit.”

“Sorry…well, not really.” Her lids fluttered as his soft lips trailed down her neck. “It's just so exciting…this sexual chemistry between us. I still can't believe it.”

“Well, believe it,” he groaned as he gently rocked his hips.

She gasped and clenched her fingers around his. “You keep doing that and I'll believe.”

He chuckled as he nuzzled her neck. “Better not since we have to meet everyone downstairs in a minute.”

“Our friends ruin everything.” He just chuckled as he released her hands and let his body weight sink her into the mattress. She wrapped her arms around him, giggling softly when he left playful bites on her neck. “You have a very talented mouth, Harry.”

“Yeah?” He moved that talented mouth slowly up the arch of her neck and then caught her bottom lip with his teeth. “Just wait, Lumpy. You haven't seen anything yet.”

She grinned against his mouth. “Uh-oh. Should I be scared?”

“Terrified.”

She laughed. “Bring it on, Potter.”

He grinned wickedly. “I was hoping you'd say that.” He gave her one last kiss before lifting himself up. “Come on…I want to show you something.”

She let herself be pulled up from the bed and lifted a brow when he led her to the balcony. “What are you doing?”

“You'll see.” He stepped out onto the balcony and looked out to see that he timed it perfectly. “Here…come to the railing…and look over there.”

She looked over to where he pointed and saw bow of a ship peaking out from around the bend. “Oh…the ferry. Well, I assumed that we'd get a ferry to take us to wherever we were going but…holy shit! That's not a ferry!”

He grinned foolishly, pleased with her reaction. “No, that would be called a yacht. A luxury yacht if you want to get technical.”

She let out a joyous laugh as she jumped up and down. “Oh, it's beautiful!” It was glossy white, long and wide with three levels. “We are going to be on that?”

“All day…and night. From Noon till midnight that baby is ours.”

“I can't believe it.”

Harry stood with her as they watched it smoothly pull up to the dock. “Claudia has made us lunch, the crew is providing dinner…and alcohol. Everything is pretty much set…all we have to do is enjoy ourselves.”

She let out another squeal as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held tight. “I'm so excited! Come on! Let's go get the others!”

“Wait, wait.”

She let out an impatient huff when he pulled her back. “What?”

He simply cradled her face with his hands and pressed his lips seductively to hers, lingering there before sinking into a deep, drawn out kiss as he gently backed her into the railing. He ended the kiss slowly, coaxing her with gentle nips before finally pulling away.

“Okay,” he said huskily as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “We can go now.”

She blinked and swayed. “Go where?” When he just grinned she shook her head back into focus. “Oh. Right. The yacht.” She let out an unsteady breath as she gently pushed him away. “You're a dangerous one, Harry.”

“Why thank you, Hermione.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah…let's just go before I decide to forgo the awesome yacht and make you drag me to your special place and let you have your way with me.”

He groaned as he followed her back inside. “You wouldn't have to make me do anything. Just say the word.”

She grinned over her shoulder. “Tempting…but no. I want my day on the yacht.” She turned around and took his hands and tugged him in for a short, hard kiss. “And I want it with you.”

“Well then.” Harry went over and grabbed her bag. “Let's not waste another minute.”

-->

I'm baaaaaaack!!! I'm sure a lot of you thought I died or fell off the face of the earth or something, but thankfully none of those are true. There are a lot of reasons why it's been taking me so long to update. The holidays and work and all that stuff have been a big part of it, plus my best friend got married in March so I was swamped with wedding stuff. Another reason was, that I wasn't really into Harry Potter like I use to be. I had other stuff that kind of pulled me away. Like the Hunger Games and other things like that…I even became obsessed with iCarly because my niece got me into it. I even wrote a small Seddie fic. I finally watched the latest HP movie a few days ago (I know, right? Long story on why that is.) Anyway, that kind of got me going again…especially the sweet H/Hr scenes. Then, I started to reread Love Lost. Love Found, and read all your comments and it made me realize how much I've missed you guys. Luckily, I had started this update months ago, so it didn't take me long to finish it. I wish it was super long, but it's a normal length. I'm hoping hearing all your wonderful reviews will get me back into this story. I really needed something to re-awaken it. I'm so sorry for leaving ya'll hanging, and I hope you guys can forgive me! I promise that I will not go that long without an update again!! That was just ridiculous!! Hope this update makes up for it and please review and tell me how ya'll have been! Missed you guys so much!

Much love,

~HM

Chapter 30

The scream that erupted from Ginny was loud and shrilly enough to burst an eardrum. They were out on his veranda and Harry had just gestured to the yacht parked at his dock.

"On that?" she had exclaimed as she gripped his arm tight enough to cut off his circulation.

"Yes, we..."

It was all he was able to get out before the screaming and jumping officially began. She then grabbed Luna and practically dragged her down to the docks.

"Slow down, I might trip and fall on my face!"

"We better get down there before they leave without us," Harry said as he threw an arm around Hermione's shoulder

"Not too shabby, Potter," Draco said as he and Ron followed behind him. " But I've been on a bigger one before.

Harry snorted while Ron rolled his eyes. "Leave it to you to make it a competition."

He shrugged. " Habit I guess."

By the time they made it down, Ginny and Luna were already on board with a glass of champagne in their hand. “Isn't this great?” Ginny said with a delighted laugh as she did a quick spin. “Let's go check out the front.”

She surprised Draco by grabbing his hand and yanked him forward. He barely had the chance to snag a glass of champagne before he stumbled after her. “Jeez, woman…simmer down.”

Luna noticed Ron frowning after them, so she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him aside. “Let's go sit over by the railing, Ron.”

“Well, I….” He was about to comment on Ginny and Draco, but the platter of delicious finger foods Luna was leading him towards distracted him. “Are those quesadillas?”

Harry chuckled into his champagne. “Well done, Luna.” He then grabbed Hermione's hand as the yacht slowly pulled away from the dock. “Let's go up to the top level.”

Hermione plucked the last glass of champagne from the tray the gentlemen in the starch white uniform was holding, before letting Harry pull her towards the first set of stairs. “Are we going all the way up?” she asked as they made it up to the second level.

“Yep…I'm thinking it's the best view on the yacht.”

“I bet and…oh, my god…that's a pool.” Hermione stared at the rectangular pool big enough for the six of them with room to spare in wonder. “Harry, there's a pool on the yacht.”

“Yes, there is,” Harry confirmed. “You've always been very bright, Hermione.”

She responded with a punch in the arm. “Shut up. I just didn't expect a floating pool, is all.”

He just smiled. “Who does? C'mon…let's go spy on Draco and Ginny.”

Hermione laughed as they walked around the pool and up the second ladder to the top. “You're horrible,” she said and then laughed again when they reached the top and noticed the telescope perched on the edge of the rail. “That's probably for whale or dolphin watching…not spying on friends.”

Harry grinned as he took a peak into the telescope. “It can be for lots of things….Oh, wow…look at them go.”

`What? Let me see, let me see!” Hermione exclaimed as he shoved him aside and eagerly peaked through the scope to see…nothing. Hermione slowly lifted her head and scowled at him. “You didn't take the cap off.”

Harry laughed like a loon, ignoring Hermione's slaps and pushes. “Oh, that was classic.”

“I hate you,” she said and gave him one last slap, but couldn't help the laugh that slipped out of her.

Harry grinned as he took the cap off. “Want to take a peek at the view?”

“Bet your adorable ass I do.” She gave him a nudge. “Move over, Potter.”

Harry's jaw dropped as he staggered back. “Adorable ass? I have an adorable ass?”

“You sure do,” she said as she closed one eye and peaked through the scope and then maneuvered the telescope until Ginny and Draco came into view. They were standing side by side at the bow of the ship and Hermione watched Draco's arm lift up and around Ginny, then hesitating before bringing it back to his side. “Awww.”

“What?” Harry asked as he poked her.

“Draco just tried to put on arm around her, but chickened out.”

“Really?” Harry said with interest as he looked down at them without the telescope. “Hey, they kind of remind me of Jack and Rose from Titanic.”

Hermione busted out a laugh as she lifted her head. “That's so true!”

Harry took the telescope and swiveled it away. “That's enough spying on our friends.” He snaked an arm around her and pulled her close. “I'd rather take advantage of this rare opportunity of alone time.”

She slid her arms up and around his neck. “Fabulous idea,” she murmured seconds before their lips touched.

“Ron, what exactly is this?” Luna asked as she turned her attention away from the ocean, to Ron.

“A really, really good quesadilla,” he said with his mouth half full and then shoved one in her face. “Try it.”

She leaned back and waved it away from her. “No, no…not that.” She huffed out a breath and snagged the food out of his hand and plopped it on the plate. “I meant us.”

Ron blinked. “Us?” He quickly swallowed the rest of his food. “What about us?”

“Exactly.” She lifted an awkward shoulder. “I'm not sure what exactly is happening between us.”

“Neither do I.” He shifted his body and attention more towards her. “But I like it.”

She sighed. “You also like those quesadillas.”

“Yes, but I don't particularly like to snog them.”

“So…that's all there is between us? A good snog? Maybe a shag here and there?”

“Of course not,” he balked as he reached out and grabbed her hand. “Luna, how could you even think that?”

“I don't,” she said quickly, but then shrugged. “Exactly.”

“Luna…”

“It's just, that I'm the one that started this whole thing,” Luna rambled on nervously. “I'm the one that jumped you on the stairway.”

“Yes, I remember that quite well.” He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You also beat me to it by about thirty seconds. I was teasing with you, Luna, because I liked how flustered you were. I would have eventually kissed you.”

A hint of pleasure bloomed inside her. “Really?”

He grinned as he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckle. “Really. Luna, I thought you knew how I felt. This isn't just some summer fling for me.”

She closed her eyes as she looked down. “I knew that, deep down, but I guess I needed to make sure. I've had feelings for you for so long, Ronald…and your feelings are new and fresh. I guess I'm just scared that you'll change your mind and realize you only see me as your wacky friend.”

“Luna, for the longest time, you were just my adorably weird friend.” He smiled as he framed her face with his hands. “But a fantastic kiss on the stairs changed all that. These feelings I have for you are definitely new and fresh, like you said, but I can promise you that they won't be fading anytime soon. Or ever.”

“Oh, Ronald,” she said with a sniffle. “That's the sweetest thing.”

Ron brought her towards him until their lips met in a softly, lingering as their lips absorbed, before sinking into a kiss that left them both trembling. “Get over here,” he murmured as he pulled her towards him until she was cradled into his lap. “That's better.”

She sighed as she tucked her head under his chin while they both looked out into the ocean. “Much better.”

Ten minutes later, they were still holding each other when Ginny and Draco walked up. “Aww, you two look so cute,” Ginny said.

Luna looked up and smiled. “I know.”

“I honestly don't know what you see in him, Luna,” Draco said and then grinned. “Why don't you ditch him and come run away with me?”

Luna laughed while Ron scowled. “Very funny, Malfoy.”

“Who's joking?”

Ginny chuckled, but gave him a nudge. “Knock it off.”

He just grinned. “Where's Harry and Hermione? I'm ready to dive into those coolers Claudia packed for us.”

“I saw them head up to the second level,” Ron said, giving Luna a quick kiss on the temple before shifting away. “I'll go get them. Save me a chicken salad if there's one in the cooler.”

Draco watched him go, before turning back to the others. “Does he know what's going on between them? Or is he likely in for a shock if he finds them lip to lip?”

“I reckon he does,” Ginny said as he lifted the first cooler for a quick peak. “I recognized something between them almost right away.”

“Yes, but Ron is more delusional about these things,” Luna pointed out.

“True, but even he can't be that thick.”

Draco plopped down next to Luna and stretched out his legs. “Has he said anything to you about it?”

“No.” She frowned into her glass. “You don't suppose he still has feelings for her?”

“Hermione?” Ginny shook her head on a laugh. “Absolutely not. He only has eyes for you, Luna, so not to worry.”

“And if the idiot does break your heart, you and I can always run away together.” Draco threw a friendly arm around her. “Red's a heartbreaker, so she'll be breaking my heart for sure.”

Ginny just rolled her eyes, while Luna laughed. “You're so full of it, Malfoy. If any hearts are going to be broken, it'll be mine.”

“We'll just have to wait and see then, won't we?” He then grinned and gave her a wink.

Harry pulled away from Hermione on a reluctant groan. “We better head back down. I'm sure they're wondering where we are.”

She gave a little sigh. “Yeah, probably right,” she agreed but instead of leaving, they simply held each other and lingered. “Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“When do you want to tell Ron about us?”

“Well, a part of him probably already knows something is going on, but we can tell him whenever you want to. Right now even.”

She leaned back to look up at him. “Really?”

“Sure,” he said with a smile. “In fact, let's go down right now and make the announcement to everyone. I don't want to hide our relationship anymore, frankly, I don't know why we ever did.”

Hermione smiled as she felt her heart tumble in her chest. “I feel the same way.”

Harry framed her face while leaning down for a soft, lingering kiss. “Let's go then.”

They both turned together towards the stairs that led down to the second level, only to find the stairs blocked by their best friend. “Ron,” Harry stammered. “We were just coming down to…”

“Make a special announcement,” he finished for him as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, I know, but you guys kind of already announced it without realizing it.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

His eyes shifted from Harry to Hermione. “Long enough.”

“Ron.” Hermione took a hesitant step towards him. “We were just…”

“Heading downstairs to make a happy announcement,” he finished for her in a sarcastic tone. “Yeah, I heard…what I don't understand is why you kept it from me in the first place.”

“Because at the time it was none of your business.”

“Harry!” Hermione gasped.

“Well, it wasn't,” he said forcefully. “Not at first at least. Is it now? Absolutely…that's why we were going down to talk to you about it.”

Ron crossed his arms defensively across his chest. “I always knew there was something going on between the two of you.”

“Ron, don't start that again,” Hermione sighed. “There was nothing going on between us back then…I promise.”

“She's right, Ron,” Harry said as he leaned back against the rail. “This just happened…very suddenly…it was a surprise to us both.”

Ron nodded. “I believe you in that sense, but there was always something between the two of you that I was never a part of, no listen,” he added when they were about to argue. “The two of you have always been…a unit…from day one. You finished each other's sentences…you always seemed to know what the other was thinking…it was maddening growing up with. I liked you back then, Hermione, and it was always so frustrating to know that you and I never had that same connection.”

Hermione's eyes softened. “Ron, we had a connection, it was just…”

“Not as strong,” Ron finished for her. “It's something I've always known…even Ginny…she and I talked about it quite a bit. We were always worried that one day you two would get together.”

Harry straightened himself from the railing and slid up next to Hermione, wrapping an arm around her waist…making him a unit like Ron had called them. “And what do you think about us now, Ron?”

Ron took a moment to study his two best friends and waited for the hurt and anger that he always felt would come if they ever got together. It never came. Looking at them now, he still saw them as his best friends…them being together didn't change that…and that's what mattered most.

“I think,” he started as he slid his hands in his pockets and grinned. “That the two of you look so cute it makes me want to throw up.”

Hermione let out a joyous laugh as she flew her arms around him. “Oh, Ron….you've always had such a way with words.”

Ron grinned at Harry over her shoulder. “Thanks,” he said and then leaned back to kiss her on the cheek. “Happy for you…for both of you.”

Harry playfully pushed Hermione aside. “All right, my turn,” he said and wrapped his arms around him in a hard, manly hug.

Ron chuckled as he returned the hug. “She's way too good for you, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” he said with a grin as they parted. “Lucky me.”

“Lucky you,” he said and than rolled his eyes. “Blimey, Hermione, are you crying?”

“No!” she sniffled as she wiped away a tear. “Oh, shut up.”

Harry chuckled as he pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head. “Well, now that we are all friends again, why don't we go down to the others and have some lunch.”

“Sounds good,” Ron said as he rubbed is hands in anticipation. “I'm starved.”

“Wait a minute,” Hermione said as she stopped Ron by grabbing his arm. “I think we need to talk about what's going on with you and Miss Luna.”

Ron blushed. “Er…we do?”

Hermione grinned. “Sure, do…you gave us a hard time with not telling you about us, so it's our turn to give you a hard time.”

“Well, obviously I wasn't keeping it much of a secret since you knew about it…anyway, there's not much to tell. She jumped me on the stairway the other day and snogged the hell out of me and I've been crazy about her ever since.”

Harry grinned. “Nice.”

He returned the grin. “It was very nice.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and then just laughed. “Well, I'm happy for you both. I think you guys make quite a pair.”

He grinned. “Thanks…now can we go eat?”

“Yes,” she exasperated. “Now we can go.”

“Well, he handled that well,” Harry murmured to Hermione as Ron went ahead. “Now we just have to see how he handles when he finds out about Ginny and Draco.”

“I'm guessing not as well.”

“Ditto.”

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Hey guysÉ.I know you all probably hate me for not updating this story and I am truly sorry that I let it get away from me. This story was super fun for me at first, but things got really busy for me and honestly I havenÕt been into HP for a while now and the next thing I knew, months have past since my last update and then I felt so guilty that I was afraid to come on here because I know IÕm disappointing a lot of people. I canÕt promise that IÕll finish this story, but I at least wanted to let you know that I am still here and that I appreciate these past few years of writing H/Hr fanfic. ItÕs been super fun! I hope you can forgive me, and thank you so much for all your support.

Love

HM