Chapter 18- Surprise!

Surprise!

Two months since I began this journey with Draco had passed. Draco and I had been officially 'dating' for about a month. In about one week we would be in Australia. There had been no signs of Deatheaters since our last encounter. We'd moved rather smoothly through China and were now hopping the islands of Indonesia. It was warm there, south of the boarder. And I couldn't be happier. For the first time in a long time everything seemed to be going right. Draco and I felt so good together that I simply threw what I remembered about him out the door. I didn't think about what would happen when I found my parents and we went back to England. It never crossed my mind how I would explain to everyone why I'd left with Draco Malfoy for two months and come back with his arm around my waist and his promise ring on my finger. I'd tossed it all aside to worry about later. But later was coming, and sooner than I'd thought.

"Draco stop! It's freezing!" I yelled as another splash of water smacked my tee shirt.

"Just get in!" He hollered back.

I stood bare foot on the beach in my shorts and tee shirt just in front of the water. Draco was knee deep in the sea and trying to convince me to come in.

I shook my head and giggled as a wave crashed in and knocked him over. He stood up quickly and scowled at the water which made me laugh harder. Smiling he looked back at me again. I sucked in my breath as my eyes scanned his white shirt that now clung to his skin and showed off his sculpted chest and hard stomach. His hair fell down in his face in that perfect way that I knew he hated.

Smirking, he tiptoed out of the water and towards me. I watched him carefully as he made his way slowly towards me, his eyes locked on mine the whole while. He was about a metre away when he shot out his arms and ran at me.

I had no time to react before he grabbed me around the wast and threw me over his shoulder.

"No!" I screeched as he ran back into the water.

Then he must have tripped because we both went tumbling down in the cold salty sea. He landed on top of me laughing and both of us now soaked. I shivered not just from the chill, but from the feeling of his leg touching mine and his laughing face above me.

He rolled off as another wave crashed onto us and he held out his hand to help me up. I took it thankfully and stood up. He curled his fingers between mine and rubbed his smooth thumb on the back of my hand. The sea foam tickled our bare legs and I took his other hand too.

He stared into my eyes making me get lost in his beautiful grey ones. I realized something in that moment that terrified me. Did I love Draco Malfoy? Did I love Draco Malfoy?! Can you go from hating someone to loving someone? I felt like I could spend the rest of my life with Draco and never feel differently. Was that love? I felt like I could be trapped forever with just Draco and never wish I was with someone else. Is that what love felt like? I felt like I would do anything for Draco and never regret it. Was I in love?

I shook the thought from my mind. It scared me too much to think about it. Love or not, the emotion I felt was the most powerful thing that ever passed through me. I never felt it with Krum or Cormac or even Ron. It was so powerful.

Draco pushed his chest on mine and bent his head so that our lips were almost touching and I could taste his breath in my mouth. I tried to calm my breathing. How many times had I done this, and I was still nervous every time we kissed.

I thought about our first time on the bridge in Germany. I thought about how his lips were so soft I almost couldn't tell if they were lips at all. But every time he kissed me after was just as good if not better. He was so passionate about the way he moved his mouth and tongue it made my head spin and my knees buckle every time.

I closed my eyes and felt his body pressed on mine, both of us soaked to the bone. I heard him as he panted from the running and tripping he'd just done. I could smell his cologne and hair jell and soap. I could taste his breath on my tongue. His lips brushed over mine ever so gently.

"Hermione?"

I ripped away from him. That wasn't Draco's voice, but it was horrifyingly familiar.

"Holy shit!" The same voice yelled.

I turned to the beach and almost fainted.

There, looking fashionably as always, was Analiza. But the scariest part was that she wasn't alone. Behind her were three more gawking faces.

A lump caught in my throat and I painfully swallowed it.

"What... what are you doing here?!" I asked breathlessly.

"What the bloody hell were you doing with him?!" Ron yelled, throwing a finger at Draco.

Here it was. Later. Later had come way too soon. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to react. I just stood there, humiliated and frightened and shocked. I looked over at Draco, but he was just as shocked as I was.

"Weaslebe?" Draco stammered. "Potter? Did you ask them to come, Hermione?"

"No!" I said, still trying to figure everything out myself.

"Hermione?! Since when do you call her Hermione, Malfoy?!" Ron yelled and started charging forward.

"Ron!" Ginny reached out and grabbed his arm before he could come closer.

"Let me explain." I said walking out of the water.

"Please do!" Ron yelled. "Because it looked like you were about to snog Malfoy!"

"Ron, calm down." Harry said gently, but staring just as questionably at me.

I glanced at Ginny who looked confused but also had the 'I told you so' look in her eye, then at Analiza who didn't look as much confused, but excited.

"What are you doing here?" I asked again.

"You can't really just leave us a letter saying your going to find your parents in Australia and expect us to do nothing about it!" Harry said. "We're your friends, Hermione! Except for her, I don't really know who she is." He pointed to Analiza.

She rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm Hermione's flat mate!" She yelled. "And that's the hot guy Hermione brought home to the apartment!" She said pointing at Draco.

Ron's eyes practically bulged out of his head. "Malfoy was in your apartment?!" He hollered. "Bloody hell Hermione!"

"Ron! I can explain!" I yelled again. But I had no idea how I was going to do just that.

"What's the matter Weasley?" Draco spoke up. "Jealous?"

"Draco!" I yelled back at him between grit teeth.

Ron's face went bright red and I could almost see steam rising out of his ears. "MALFOY!" He screamed and grabbed his wand from his pocket.

Harry disarmed him before he could throw any curses at Draco and told him again to calm down.

"I'll calm down as soon as someone explains what the hell is going on!" He yelled his fist balled at his sides. "First Harry tells me you left for Australia! Then this Witch says you were with some bloke! And now I catch you snogging Malfoy!" He glared at me and Draco, probably trying to decide which one of us to be really mad at.

"Draco was helping me find my parents, Ronald!" I said glaring right back.

"Is that how he's helping you? With his mouth?!"

"You wouldn't understand!" I snapped back.

"SO ENLIGHTEN ME!" He roared.

I stepped down and watched Ron. I'd never seen him this mad before. He was positively fuming.

"Ron, maybe we should give Hermione some time to explain." Harry said carefully, placing a hand on his back.

He shook Harry's hand off his shoulder but didn't say anything.

"Here." I said stepping forward. "Maybe we should go back to the hotel and we can talk-"

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled again. "You rented a hotel with Malfoy?"

"Ron!" Ginny shot. "Cut it out!"

"Draco." Harry said, finally addressing him. "Would you and Hermione mind showing us to your hotel?"

Harry'd always been so civil to everyone that it didn't really shock me that he called Draco by his first name. Harry had so easily forgiven him at the end of the war and they worked together, occasionally according to Draco.

I looked back to see Draco nod and start out of the water.

"So let me get this strait." Ron said. He'd calmed down but was still furious. "You and Malfoy are a thing now?!"

He sat forward in the leather chair in my hotel room and put his head in his hands.

Draco and I had tried to explain as best we could to the four what was happening. Ginny and Analiza had both exclaimed their own versions of 'I knew it!' or 'I told you so!' and Harry had simply nodded. However, Ron was still fuming at the thought of Draco and I being together. I could see why he would be upset to find out his friend was now dating his one time enemy, but I couldn't understand why he was so angry. Him and I both had agreed years ago that we weren't right for each other and I'd always hoped he'd be happy for me when I found some one I was happy with. I always knew I'd be happy for him.

"Ron." I said, placing a hand on his back. "Please be happy for me." I begged. "Please be happy that I'm happy."

He looked up at me with his sad chocolate eyes. "I am happy that your happy, Hermione." He said. I looked shocked. "But I won't be happy that your happy with him." He added.

I sighed and nodded. It was probably as good as it was going to get for now. I hoped that if Draco and I lasted, Ron would eventually accept it. But that was all I could do for now, hope.