𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 | 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦

surprise!

hermione woke to the blaring alarm by her bed and a screeching owl at her window.
she smacked the clock until the alarm quieted, then unlocked the door for the owl. a gust of warm summer air breezed through the room, and hermione closed her eyes briefly as she flashed back to what this used to mean to her.
"mione! hurry, ron's gonna tag you!" harry yelled, darting away from her as ron approached. she put on an extra spurt of speed, laughing as she ran away from him. the sun shone down on them all, its balmy rays keeping them safe and carefree. far, far away from everything that was to befall them.
she started as the owl screeched at her again. she fed it a treat, then opened the envelope it gave her. it read, hermione granger.
just her name.
a black piece of paper fell out, embossed with silver writing.

miss hermione granger,
you have been invited to the class of '99 reunion, organised by pansy parkinson and harry potter.
it will take place at 42 hollywood ave, hawaii.
please contact harry or pansy for further details.
jun 24
(there is a connection to the floo network)

hermione grinned, surprised. neither harry nor pansy had said a word about this, and she never knew that hogwarts had class reunions. and she knew everything there was to know about hogwarts.
she picked up her cell and dialed.
"i knew you would call!" pansy crowed as soon as she picked up. hermione laughed, rolling her eyes. "i can't believe you kept the secret!"
"i did it!" she heard harry yell in the background. pansy scoffed at her roommate before muttering into the phone, "barely."
"can i ask for any details?" hermione asked.
"nope," pansy replied, popping the p. "it's all a surprise."

jun 24

hermione apparated directly onto a beach. caught off-guard, she turned and rammed headfirst into blaise's chin.
"ouch," hermione said, rubbing her head.
"sorry about that," he apologised.
"it's fine! i just didn't expect to land on a beach," hermione said, gazing around and the beautiful landscape. blaise nodded in agreement.
"blaise, hey!" hermione heard a familiar voice shout. "i got you a drin- hermione."
she turned. "draco."
and there he was. perfect as always, the same as the last time she'd seen him. nearly ten years ago.
his hair wasn't so stiff now, instead messy and soft. she blinked, remembering something from hogwarts.
"no, mione- ugh, now it's tangled!" draco cried, batting her hands away from his hair. she scowled at him, grabbing another tuft to tie into a pigtail. blaise has already laughed himself hoarse, and ginny was sitting there, silently amused.
"mione, you look great," draco said softly, bringing her back into the present.
"thank you," she replied, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. blaise rolled his eyes.

"thank you all so much for coming!" pansy shouted when everyone had arrived. "harry and i have been working on this for ages and we hope that you enjoy it."
there was a general cheer, then everyone broke off to mingle. draco came up to hermione where she was chatting with ginny.
"oh, hey, dray," ginny said, turning to face him. "haven't seen you in a while."
"oh, hey, ginger," he replied with a grin. she scowled, pulling him into a hug.
hermione sat back on her heels, crossing her arms. "so, draco, what's your excuse for not visiting?"
he paled a little, which was saying a lot for him.
"i-uh-"
"i'm just messing with you," hermione replied, shoving him lightly.
"hey!" he replied, shoving her back. she lost her balance and fell into the water, sputtering. ginny was bent in half with laughter, and draco looked like he was torn between laughing and asking if she was okay.
"you-" hermione lunged for him and yanked him in. he pulled ginny down with him, and soon they were a laughing, soaking mess.

"mione."
"hmm?"
"i'm sorry."
"for what?"
it was evening, now, and everyone was on the beach. hermione was in the building pansy rented, sitting on the porch railing facing the water. she turned to face draco fully.
"for not visiting you."
"what? i said i was kidding, dray, you don't need to-" she said softly before he cut her off.
"no, i really should have. i assumed that you didn't want to-"
"of course i wanted to," she interrupted, putting her head on his shoulder. he stopped talking.

everyone had left. it was around three a.m., and pansy and harry were laughing, maybe a little drunk, inside the building as they cleaned up.
hermione turned to draco. "should we help them?"
he made a face, then said, "uh... no."
she chortled, bumping his shoulder with hers.
they'd spent the night hanging out, 'making up for lost time' in draco's words. she'd forgotten how much she'd missed him, how much she'd missed all of them. their group, the way they meshed together.
"want to walk on the beach?" she asked.

they were halfway down the shoreline when he felt her fingers touching his. biting down a smile, he intertwined their hands.

hermione didn't want it to end. she knew that her fear was irrational, but it had happened once. what if it happened again?

"i should get going," hermione said, looking at the ground.
"okay," draco replied simply, studying her face and considering if he should-

i won't let it, she decided as his lips met hers.