Signum Vitalis (a dramione story)

The Arcade

The bus finally pulled up but Ari only stared up at it, biting his lip. Malfoy stepped behind him and shoved Ari towards the bus. "Come on, Ari. Nothing to it."

Ari tucked his head and stepped into the bus, jogging up the few steps onto the main level. Hermione and Malfoy followed, but Hermione couldn't help jabbing Malfoy as they climbed up. "I doubt you were so cool the first time you took public transport."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reply but instead turned his head towards Ari and did a double take.

"Ari, why are you folding up the dollar?"

Ari looked up from the tiny dollar folded in on itself at least four times. "How else will it fit?" He pointed to the coin slot.

Malfoy ran his hand through his hair and turned his eyes towards the ceiling. "Er... only the coins go in that. This" –he pointed to the other, flatter slot- "is for bills." He rescued the bill from Ari and demonstrated the correct technique. "Do the other one."

Ari followed suite and took the tickets from the driver.

"Sorry," Hermione apologized to the driver, who looked impatient. He barely nodded before putting the bus back into gear.

Hermione realized that Malfoy and Ari still hadn't found a spot to sit and the driver wasn't going to wait before pulling out into traffic. She hurried down the aisle to warn them.

"Malfoy-"

He half turned to her just as the driver hit the accelerator.

Without a pole nearby to grab, Hermione bowled right into Malfoy's shoulder. She floundered a bit as she tried to gain her balance. Finally, she grabbed his arm and used her other hand to reach up to rub her cheek gingerly. "Ow."

"Granger..." Malfoy said slowly.

Hermione looked up to see a slight frown on his face, his gaze directed at her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry!" Hermione's hands immediately flew up in the universal signal of 'I'm not touching anything'.

Malfoy's frown deepened. "That's not what I... nevermind. Let's go sit there." He pointed to a set of three open seats.

Hermione nodded and rushed to be the first so she could sit with her back against the side of the bus. She leaned her forehead against the window, enjoying the combined cool of the window glass and warmth of the sun. Ari sat between them, pouting. Malfoy was ignoring both of them.

"You did a good job, Ari," Hermione encouraged, trying to cheer him up.

"How was I supposed to know there were different slots," Ari muttered at his lap, his pout not changing at all.

"Not very well worded, was it?" Hermione agreed, glancing at Malfoy to see if he heard the tease.

Malfoy leaned back against his chair, his legs stretched into the aisles. "Since Ari can't talk about this to his dad anyway, I don't have to worry about it."

"I can tell him about you going on the roof, though," Ari said stubbornly, turning a little pink.

"The roof," Hermione repeated, raising her eyebrows as she looked down at Ari.

"Yeah, with you earlier today. Dad said that when I went out with Malfoy he couldn't go off alone with girls."

"Is this an actual concern?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy rolled his eyes as Ari replied. "Well, I think he shouldn't go off alone with boys either."

"Oh?" Hermione asked with a faint smile. Malfoy was coloring now, just barely visible on his high cheekbones.