The Sea and it's Monsters
Hermione leaned back in her seat, her hand across the table and cradling Draco’s.
“What would you like to order?” He asked peering at the menu.
“This pasta looks good.” Hermione murmured.
“Darling there’s at least five different types of pasta on here.”
Darling. Hermione let a smile slip onto her face. “Pick one, then.”
Draco’s eyes flitted up to Hermione’s from the menu as his fingers continued to squeeze the different parts of Hermione’s hand. “The bolognaise.”
“A good choice.” She said satisfied. “What are you getting?”
“For the main course I’ve chosen the carbonara, and for dessert, it appears that there’s already one sitting in front of me.”
That sent Hermione into a full beaming grin. She wasn’t sure if he was still undercover as he was flirting with her, or if he was normally like this with women. Hermione smiling seemed to have caused Draco to momentarily freeze on her face before his eye twitched and his gaze moved back down to the menu in his hand.
Before Hermione could craft a response, the waiter materialized. “Miss Granger! What a pleasure to have you in—” The waiter realized who exactly was holding the Golden Girl’s hand in his, and blanched. “And Mr. Malfoy, in our restaurant!” He wheezed.
Draco turned slightly to the waiter and gave him a vicious smile. “And aren’t we happy to be here.” He practically snarled with the sinister smile. Hermione shot him a look.
“We quite are.” She added politely. “And we are ready to order.”
Draco attempted to turn his vicious smile into a kinder one. “The lady will have the spaghetti bolognaise, and I’ll have the carbonara, please. A bottle of your choice for the wine will do.”
“That sounds wonderful sir.”
“Thank you, Henry.” Draco said with a squeeze to Hermione’s hand, who squeezed back harder. The waiter clutched his name tag and retreated back to the kitchens.
“Draco.” Hermione hissed.
“I was being polite.”
“Were you?”
“Mmhm.”
She huffed, then leaned closer to him. “Is the man a few tables away taking pictures of us?”
Draco leaned towards her and brought her hand to his lips. “I’m not sure if he’s from Kingsley or the Prophet. He could be an Auror escort for all we know.”
Hermione felt her cheeks pinken as Draco lowered her hand back to the table. “I see.”
“Harry will arrive as I begin to romantically feed you pasta and laugh as if he loves the whole ordeal.” He whispered.
Hermione laughed. “Oh yes and with a clap on the back to solidify the image.”
“Precisely Granger.”
They spoke of their potion mastery class, of how their vacation was going, and of how Crookshanks was fairing, carefully avoiding the topics of Minister of Magic, of Astoria, and of the rest of the Malfoys.
The waiter appeared. “Your pastas.” He placed down Hermione’s bolognaise and she could’ve moaned aloud. Draco shot her a I told you so look.
“Thank you again Henry.” Draco said as he poured their wine into goblets. “I’m excited to try the wine you’ve picked out.”
“Of course, Mr. Malfoy. We at Chef Charlotte aim to please.”
“Indeed.”
The moment Henry left Hermione gave Draco a large smile.
He let out a laugh. “If I knew you got this excited over pasta Hermione, I’d bring you out more often.” He brought his fork over to her pasta and twisted it into a bunch. “Say ah.”
Hermione opened her mouth as daintily as possible, restraining herself from stealing the fork from him. Draco carefully placed the pasta in her mouth and removed the fork, satisfied with the daydreamy look that overcame Hermione’s face. “Merlin, pasta really does it for you.”
Before Hermione could shoot a dirty look at him, Harry and Theo appeared escorted by Henry. “I’ll bring over a few chairs for you two.” He said and scurried off.
“I see you’re feeding Hermione pasta, Draco.” Harry laughed, clapping him on the back. Hermione’s eyes twinkled as she felt a few faces in the restaurant turn to peer at them.
“She’s a spoiled girl, Harry.” Draco replied with a smile to Hermione.
“Please boys, sit.” Hermione said and waved over two chairs with her magic. She wasn’t sure where Henry had run off to.
“Hmm pasta.” Theo said eyeing Hermione’s pasta. “I could fancy a bolognaise as well. Perhaps after we could all go for a stroll through town?”
“An excellent idea, Theo.”
***
Hermione, happy as she was filled to the brim with pasta, walked down Main Street on the arm of Draco and flanked by Harry and Theo. “Harry, I’ve got to tell you something.”
“Yeah, ‘Mione.”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
“You know I won’t.”
“I’m running for Minister.”
Harry’s step faltered for a moment. He broke into a smile. “I knew you’d get to it eventually. Congrats, ‘Mione.”
“We’ll file the application in a few days once we get some sponsors secured, and some people riled up.” Theo added. “Quite the exciting prospect.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised. Who else would be more qualified?”
“A point we’re leading with.” Draco added. “Once this potion project ends, we can go public—don’t want to cause commotion too early.”
“And how is your magic fairing?” Harry asked with a side eye to Hermione and Draco.
“It’s a slow process.” She added quietly.
“But a forward process nonetheless.” Draco said firmly looking down at the witch on his arm.
“Indeed.” She sighed.
***
After strolling through the streets of Beccles with full exposure to it’s residents and the potential pictures that may be taken, the witch and three wizards made their way to the potions store, illusioned to look like a pharmacy that was constantly under construction, and thereby closed.
“I’ll meet the three of you at the house? I’ll take a little stroll down by the docks again.” Hermione said to the trio of boys. She knew Harry needed to sort the little problem the store owner had with Draco and Theo.
“I can come with you.” Draco said turning to face her.
“No, no.” She shook her head and smiled. “You three have a little boy’s day out for the afternoon.”
“See you later, ‘Mione.” Harry said and gave her a small side hug.
Theo gave her a little two fingered wave and disappeared inside of the store.
Hermione draped her arms around Draco’s neck. “See you later love.” She chirped, a mischievous grin smeared on her face.
“See you later love.” Draco repeated amused, his eyes hooded as he looked down at her. He bent down and placed a quick kiss onto Hermione’s head, and gave her arm a little squeeze before walking into the store behind Harry.
Hermione was sweating as she walked away from the store and to the docks. If she hadn’t felt butterflies before, she definitely felt them now.
***
The docks were a quiet place now that the sun had started to set and Hermione spotted what looked like a teenage boy tying a boat down to its dock. “Hello there!” She called.
He stood up and squinted as Hermione made her way over. “’Lo miss.”
“I’m new to town—just getting accustomed to the shipping ports here.” She said with a bright smile.
“My name’s Mason; it’s nice to meet you. Are you looking for a job?” He said eyeing her with a little disbelief.
“No, no.” She said. “Just walking through. My name’s Hermione.”
“What a rare name.” He said. “Read something with that name in school last semester in English class.” He said pondering slightly.
“Possibly one of Shakespeare's works. My parents were fans.”
“Oh, were they? You aren’t an English teacher then?”
“Ahh… I teach chemistry.”
“In Beccles?”
“Oh-no I’m vacationing here. I teach down in… London.”
“Explains the accent.”
Hermione nodded her agreement. “Do you oversee any of the shipments here?”
Mason shook his head. “I just bring the boats around for the fishing. The shipments from America and the rest of England enter down that way.” He pointed down further the pathway Hermione had been going down. “Though I wouldn’t get down their past dark—the sailors are a cranky lot after the long sea travel.”
“Is it a dangerous area?” She asked surprised.
“Err, I wouldn’t say that. Just not necessarily safe at night for a missus like you, ma’am.” He added respectfully.
“I see. Well, thank you for that, Mason. It was nice meeting you.” Hermione said kindly and turned. Too much poking into the shipments might cause talk among the people that worked at the docks. Hermione walked to the end of the boardwalk and turned back to Mason’s boat to find him gone. Hm. He must’ve gone inside to wrap up cleaning, or had hopefully made his way home to get to do his schoolwork.
She turned back to face the sea, the sun setting down on the horizon, turning the sky a brilliant mix of oranges and pinks.
Strong arms circled her waist and mouth, stifling her sudden scream, and Hermione gasped—a mistake, she realized too quickly, as she tasted the sour chemical that was on the cloth that was pressed against her lips. The world faded to black before she could pull on her wandless magic.
***
Draco, Theo, and Harry stumbled back to the manor—after they had sorted the potions man, they had gone to a pub and had drunk enough that Theo had joined the karaoke table. After failing miserably at following the Muggle songs, the three of them decided that it was best that they made their way home.
“We should have more of these nights lads.” Theo said, still in his sing-song mood and walking faster than both Harry and Draco. The manor was looming ahead.
Harry laughed. “Indeed. It’s too bad Hermione wasn’t there at karaoke—she would’ve demolished those Muggle songs.”
"I can imagine." Draco piped.
“Harry.” Theo’s voice was distant as he stood in front of the manor’s doorstep and looked down at his feet.
“What?”
“Harry.” Theo’s voice cracked and Draco’s head snapped up as he jogged to catch up to where Theo was standing, flanked by Potter.
“What the fuck.” Draco whispered.
Etched into the sand were two words, crooked and horrendous as they lay before the manor.
Mudblood Lover.
Draco felt his head swim as he stepped past the message and burst into the manor and shouted into the foyer. “Hermione! Hermione are you home?” He yelled. “Cricket!”
There was a crack as Cricket appeared in front of him. “Master?”
“Where’s Hermione?”
Cricket’s frow furrowed. “Miss Granger is not home sir.”
Draco disapparted on the spot.