Chương 54: So Do I
Hermione sighed happily as the warm waters of the Caribbean sea lapped gently at her ankles. The brim of her large, floppy sunhat afforded her some shade, and thank goodness Draco had tossed her sunglasses in at the last minute because the reflection off of the water was vicious. The beach was gorgeous; bordered with palm trees and the water was an almost unnatural shade of blue. The slight ocean breeze ruffled her hair ever so slightly and she smiled, throwing her arms out.
Draco followed behind her, his view a little different than his wife's. Hermione turned to him, smiling.
"Isn't this gorgeous?"
"Not as gorgeous as you." Draco grinned as he dropped the beach chairs and towels he was carrying onto the fine sand, flicking his eyes outward onto the beach and setting the chairs up with a simple twirl of his wand. Hermione tugged a bottle of sunscreen from the bag, and sat gingerly on the edge of one of the chairs.
"Help me with this, please?" She tucked her hair up under her hat. Draco stared at the bottle in confusion.
"What is that?"
"Sunscreen. It helps you not burn in the sun. Do wizards.. not have anything like it?"
"Nope. We just.. stay in robes and use cooling charms."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Well, we're at the beach, and we're going swimming. So no, we're not wearing robes." She rubbed some onto her legs and torso before turning around. "I need you to put it on my back."
"I think I can work with that." Draco smirked as he ran his hands down her shoulder blades, smearing white cream over her back. Hermione shivered as his hands jumped over her black swimsuit top and down her waist and hips.
"Thanks." Hermione could feel Draco's breath by her ear as his lips brushed her temple, curling up into a smile.
"Anytime-"
He swept her off her feet, whipping off her hat and her sunglasses, picking her up bridal-style and carrying her by the water.
"-but now you owe me a swim."
"Draco-!" Hermione squeaked as Draco dipped her up to her waist, his fingers slipping down to her hips.
"Hmm?"
Hermione muttered quietly. "It's colder than I thought." Draco brought her into the water a little bit more, bringing it up to halfway up her torso. Hermione smirked as an idea crossed her mind, spinning around and shoving Draco into the water. He let out a 'mmph' sound before falling into the waves. He came up, sputtering and brushing his wet hair out of his eyes.
"'Mione!"
The brunette snickered. "Whoops-"
Draco scowled, sending a small wave her way. Hermione grinned and jumped out of the way before taking a deep breath and diving underwater, hooking her arms around his legs and Draco tumbled into the water again. She giggled bubbles as he stared at her with incredulity, but didn't have time to get out of the way before he threw his arms out and caught her waist, thumbs brushing over her hip bone and tickling her.
Squealing, Hermione shot up to the surface, her hair plastered to her neck. She grinned wickedly. "At least I got you good and proper once. Twice, really."
"The water is warmer than I thought."
"That's 'cause I pulled you under. You don't feel the cold as bad if you dunk yourself in quickly."
"Are you saying that I need to thank you?" Hermione spun around, dancing and moving a little deeper into the water.
"Maybe," She called over her shoulder. "And maybe you owe me an apology for making me go into the water. Slowly."
Draco grinned wickedly as he waded deeper, towards her.
The wind picked up, and the waves grew in size. Hermione threw herself upwards, so that she bobbed in the water gently with the waves, laughing. Her tight black bandeau-style bathing suit squeezed her ribs as she did so, but she didn't care. She might've been soaking wet from head to toe and a tad bit uncomfortable, but it felt brilliant -because Draco was there, and he was her husband- as brilliant as the sun flashing off the sea like diamonds embedded into the water's surface.
***
Hermione and Draco made their way through the sand to the chairs they'd laid out earlier, laughing, Hermione's hair dripping a trail of water behind them. Hermione wrapped a towel around her hips before she sank into the canvas with a sigh, relishing in the warmth of the chairs that had been basking in the sun. Draco also appeared to appreciate the warmth.
"This is nice, huh?"
"Even though you pushed me in the water.. yes." Draco turned to her and grinned mischievously.
"Hmm.. I never got my apology. Nor my thanks." Hermione smirked, and Draco couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"That's a very Slytherin smirk, you know."
"I learned from the very best." She flashed him a smile before stretching out on the chair, groaning quietly as she did so. "Salazar, I'm tired."
Draco threw his head back and laughed. "Look at you, even using a Slytherin swear."
"I'm only using it because I'm very tired and can't think right." Hermione half-closed her eyes.
"Oh?"
"Mhm. I wouldn't say it for anyone else." Hermione mumbled quietly as she twisted over so that she faced him, eyes fluttering shut as she drifted off. Draco frowned slightly before realizing what she'd said. Smiling, he too fell asleep- but not before entwining his fingers with Hermione's.
***
Hermione peered over the rim of her glass as the sun began to set, a beautiful melody of red and orange and yellow and blue blurring together to create something beautiful. The sunlight was still sparkling on the water- but not so bright anymore, a little.. dulled, as though a filter had been dropped over the world in front of her. The light may have been dimming, but the balcony view would last a while. Draco joined her, carrying the bottle of sparkling rosé with him.
"Enjoying the view?" Hermione swirled the contents of her glass around, taking a sip.
Draco's lips curved up into a smile as he set down the bottle and his own glass on the small table before settling into his own chair. An idea struck him, and a swish of his wand transformed the two plastic lawn chairs were transformed into a luxurious love sweat swinging back and forth. Hermione gave a little yelp as Draco folded her into him, tucking her legs under her. "Mhm. But my view is a little different than yours."
Hermione smirked into her glass. "Really."
"Really."
"That's the second time today, you know."
"That I've changed what you said so it suited what I see? I don't see a problem with that. Or maybe," his eyes twinkled, "I just can't get enough of the fact that you're my wife."
"I love the way it sounds."
"What, the little blurb I just said? That's good, because I'm not sure if I have an encore-"
"No, you prat." Hermione scoffed.
"Oh." Draco looked mildly disappointed. "Then what?"
"That I'm your wife."
"Hmm. I do like the sound of Ms. Malfoy. Much better than Ms. Granger." He purred into her ear quietly, and Hermione couldn't deny it sent shivers down her spine.
"So do I."
***
Draco looked at the boat in front of them skeptically. "And this just.. floats on the water? And moves? Without us having to do anything?"
"Yes. And we start moving.." Hermione check her watch from Theo and Pansy, "in two minutes, so we'd better get on."
A young man boarded the boat, introducing himself as the person who'd be commandeering the boat for the afternoon. He frowned, something didn't quite sit right with him- for as soon as they got on and dispensed of with the pleasantries, a strange buzzing noise he couldn't seem to be rid of.
Hermione watched as the man's face contorted in mild confusion before whirling on Draco.
"Did you just-"
"Muffiliato? Yes. He doesn't need to know what we're talking about."
"You do realize that was totally unnecessary and might contradict a law-"
"It's fine, Hermione." He tucked a curl gently behind her ear. "It's not like he's gonna know."
Hermione sighed. "Can't stop you, can I."
"Well, to be fair, I can't stop you either."
Hermione crossed her arms, pouting, as she made her way to the prow of the ship- cutting cleanly through the water as cleanly as a knife. The sun was shining brilliantly, and she could see fish in the water, swimming alongside the boat. Ocean spray splashed up onto her face, and Draco stood beside her- she could just see him at the edge of her peripheral vision. Reaching over, she entwined their fingertips.
RESOURCES TO HELP BLM:
-uncomfortable conversations should have been had with family members, friends, and coworkers/classmates
-you've followed new accounts, authors, and news sources that have change how you see race, privilege, and justice
-you recognize how you have contributed (explicitly or implicitly) to the problem
-the definition diversity and inclusivity at work/in the classroom has changed
-you've reflected on situations you wish you'd handled differently
-you know now that there's a difference between 'not being racist' and being anti-racist
-you've recognized how apparent racism may have been throughout your life, be it in the form of jokes, 'just a part of high school', or 'just the way a certain family member acts'
-you feel informed, but also like you have a lot more to learn
-certain people you know and recognize may have disappointed you, but many, many others have inspired you.
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