So Long Sweet Summer

Chapter One

Somebody Told Me

Draco never thought he would ever care to have the knowledge that he now possessed. He never thought that he might treasure the thoughts of her, the little glimpses into her life that he received during that short summer - but he did.

If somebody had told him at during his sixth year that by the end of the summer he would actually know Hermione Granger, well let's just say they wouldn't have recognized the person staring back at them in the mirror anymore. But the fact was, was that here Draco stood, poised to enter the final year of his true childhood, and already he felt like he had acquired the worldly knowledge that older wizards than he - his father perhaps - didn't have. For the first time in his life he had seen, and maybe even almost appreciated, the fact that Muggles really didn't lead lives much different from his own. And all because of her.

Of course he couldn't say that he would want to live as a Muggle, or that he really wanted to associate with them. They still possessed the same ignorance to the world around them as ever. And however grudgingly he had to admit it, the same sort of ignorance he himself had shown towards them. Not that Master Malfoy was a reformed man. Power was still a major part of his everyday life, but perhaps some of his priorities as to what he should do with said power may have changed. And all because of her.

He was absolutely flabbergasted to find out that behind the bushy hair and the know-it-all book worm-ish qualities, was an actual person. In fact, there was an actual person who led her own real life outside of the walls of Hogwarts. A life that wasn't dominated by trips to the library and that didn't involve the other two members of the insufferable Golden Trio. One that, even by Draco's own standards was - normal.

To know that she had acquaintances outside of Hogwarts - friends even - came as a shock. It was amazing how much he could learn about one person in such a short time. Although she did have an unusual fascination with books, she was also athletic, musical, and so much more. He still couldn't decide if knowing her hidden obsession for Muggle fashion magazines was something he really wanted to find out. But the fact was, was that he did know and however much he tried to hide it, he could only find it making her even more fascinating to him.

It all started during a late afternoon walk. The summer sun was beginning to fade, but it still sat warmly soaking into the black cloak wrapped around his shoulders. With the billowing black robe and disgusted grimace, Draco Malfoy did anything but blend into the crowd of holidaying Muggles in the small town. He regarded the beings that bustled past him in distaste, as they rushed around doing their own pointless tasks. He couldn't help but recoil slightly as countless numbers of them brushed up against him as they scurry past like the rodents that they were. He ignored the strange looks that he received as the Muggles viewed his wizarding robes. It was late July, and Draco was only trying to savor the thought of finishing his sixth year at school, and looking forward to the final one that was approaching at the end of vacation.

He didn't want to show it, but the amount of life that was out there beyond the confines of his Manor truly shocked him. Of course he had always known the Malfoy's owned a sizable chuck of land, and that a small town rested on it, but he didn't know to what extent. He could just see the village out of his bedroom window across the lake. But even from the short couple hundred of meters from where he had observed the thriving center; he had never really taken it in. He had lived there since his birth, and this was his first foray to the Muggle world that lay just beyond his home.

The path he took wound its way around the vast lake. Long and thin, Draco had been walking for ages, but looking across the water, was only about 100 meters from his home. The lake was it its thinnest where he was, and many Muggle children were splashing about in the water to his left, swimming laps across the lake.

To his right were the perfectly lines back gardens of the many tiny thatched cottages that stood there. As he made his way away from the center of the town, the number of Muggles about lessened, and instead the chatter came from inside the houses as they sat down to dinner. Intoxicating aromas floated in the air, tempting him to indulge himself with food. He could hear the busy street on the opposite side of the houses, the honking of horns apparent. It was nearly the weekend, and the boom of cottagers always happened on days like this.

As he moved further along the path, he could sense a slight vibration in the ground. The beat growing stronger the further on he went, and soon he could make out the noise to be music. As the beat drove on, soon Draco could hear a guitar rift and vocals joining in. 'Is there a concert going on tonight that I was not aware of?' Stopping outside one particular cottage, he could tell that the noise was coming from inside.

Being a nice day, the yellow trimmed windows and door of the white washed home were thrown open, allowing the sound to escape forth. Curious, he stepped over the rickety peeling yellow fence that lined the garden, and cautiously made his way over to the back window to peer inside.

Halfway across the garden, and he could hear a distinctly female voice joining in with the music.

"Somebody told me that you had a boyfriend..." he heard her singing along slightly off key.

What he saw surprised him. The source of the music was a small black and blue box. It was adorned with many different knobs and buttons that Draco couldn't make any sense of. The female voice belonged to a young woman who stood with her back to the window. He watched as she leaned over and turned one of the blue knobs. Immediately the music zoomed a few decibels higher and almost entirely drowned out the sound of her singing.

He could now see that she was doing the washing up, and Draco couldn't help but think smugly of the House Elves he possessed to do such tedious tasks. He was almost mesmerized as he watched her stick straight brown hair sway back and forth like her hips, as she bobbed her head in time with the music. Grabbing a glass from the draining board, she turned, towel in one hand, glass in the other.

"Potential..." she sang along, until it died on her lips. Her eyes widened in horror as she noticed the blonde haired boy standing in her kitchen window for the first time. Wide eyed himself, he watched as the glass slipped from her hand, and fell to the floor as if in slow motion. As it hit, bouncing slightly before shattering into pieces, her mouth opened and she emitted a blood curdling scream.

As the screech died down, she reached over frantically and hit a button on the musical box. Suddenly the sound ceased.

Gaining his composure, Draco couldn't help but feel as if his ears were ringing slightly with the absence of the music. Staring at the girl in front of him, he finally was able to speak.

"Good God Granger, what in the name of Snape's pink frilly knickers are you doing in my town?"