Parade of the Sun - Dramione

PART TWENTY-SIX.

September 19; 3:04pm

Hermione bit into a pear, glancing back at Malfoy. "You know, it's my birthday today."

She had felt the need to share that. She didn't think he would treat her any differently because of it, and she certainly didn't expect him to be happy about it, but it had been wanting to come off her tongue all day. Just to say something to acknowledge it, because it was a bit important to her life. Not in the way where she woke up when she was ten and grinned the whole day, but where she thought about her birth into this world and had too many images of semen and a uterus in her head. It was only slightly better than the Naked Malfoy ones.

He was silent for thirteen steps and then, "Happy Birthday, Granger."

September 21; 4:08pm

"I think we should write notes to ourselves."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, leaping over a fallen tree. "Do you normally write notes to yourself?"

"I mean if we end up going back. In time. What if we're always too late? I know we changed things now by partnering up - because I'm almost positive that if we decided to for even a little bit, this would not have lasted - but if we didn't change the end? What if we still take the same path? Maybe the magic here won't allow the spell to work, or--"

"The magic here is strong, but it couldn't stop blood magic. Not unless we were two squibs, hoping something would squeeze out of our heritage."

"I hope. But if we don't figure out a way to change the end, we'll just...circle through time, over and over. Doing this same thing. So I think we should carry notes to ourselves in our pocket. So when we go back, we know where to go right away."

He grumbled something, jerking to the side at the squirrel that launched itself up the tree next to him. They were both jumpy, waiting for the next bit of magic to come, and they knew it could come in anything. It was a still a little funny to see him jump like that from a squirrel, though, so she couldn't help but smile, and he glared in return.

September 22; 6:44am

They really needed to work out some sort of sign for the morning, when the other was sleeping and the head nod and turn wasn't there to show where they were going off to use the loo. He must not have traveled in too long before she awoke, or else she would have heard it and promptly turned back.

Fortunately, he was turned away from her, so the most she saw was the looseness of his trousers at the waist, and the positioning of his right arm which must have meant he was...holding... He turned his head halfway towards her, and she would rather not admit that she saw his hips turn just a little too. His fingers reached up to rake through the sleep mess of his hair as she apologized, turning quickly towards safer places.

September 23; 8:32am

"Malfoy...I think the animals are running." She watched two more squirrels pass them a few meters away.

"Yeah, animals do that."

"No, I mean..." She stopped as a steady flow of running paws came from either side of them, and both their heads snapped up to see flocks of flamingos, gulls, and falcons fly over their heads.

She didn't even have time to lower her head before she was jerked around by Malfoy's grip on her arm. "Let's-"

"Wait, it might--"

But he wouldn't stop running or let go of her arm, so she followed after him, the sound of their pounding feet lost within those of the animals.

5:39pm