The Girl Next Door

The Theater

Until that day comes

We'll be running on the wind

Blowing like a breeze

While somebody's dancing

'Til that day comes

We'll keep on taking chances

Following the sound

While we're dancing on the sun

- Dancing on the Sun by Bahari

...........

"Good morning, sleepy head." My mother looks up from her Muggle newspaper with a smile.

I shake my head slightly, laughing at her. "You're really weird, mum. I hope you know that."

She laughs too, sliding from the barstool to join me in the kitchen. "What? You loved my pet names when you were four!" She wraps her arms around me from behind in an awkward hug as I get a mug from the cupboard.

"Yeah, ten years ago." I mutter, flicking the switch at the base of our electric tea kettle to heat the water. "These Muggle inventions are so strange! You'll never believe what Hermione showed me the other day—it's this bowl that sits in this torture device thing. She called it a 'mixer'. That's how she makes cookies." Mum is starting to look interested, so I quickly skim over the topic by introducing another. Truth be told, I wasn't really listing to my neighbor girl's talk on the mixer—I was too busy staring at her cute face. Not that I was staring, exactly. More like 'studying intently'. "So, how do you like Mr. and Mrs. Granger?"

We've lived in London for a week and two days exactly, and we've already eaten with the Grangers four times. I think that Mum and Myranda have really hit it off, though she mostly leaves the talking up to me, so I'm not entirely sure. Mrs. Granger is kind and bubbly, and her husband is as dark and tall as she is fair and petite. He's very intelligent—though I figure they must both be to be dentists. If I ever wanted to figure out what a real family should be like, I'd look at the Grangers. They're kind, loving, and never seem to fight. Hermione's one lucky girl to have a father like she does. My father probably has no idea where we are—if he did I have no doubt but that he'd come searching.

"... And it really sounds like a strange job."

I blink, realizing that mother has been talking away and I've been ignoring her the entire time! I nod vaguely. "Yeah. I totally agree."

"Do you have any plans today?" She pours herself a cup of tea with the steaming water from the kettle, leaving enough for me.

"Mmhm. Hermione's going to show me what a movie is. We're going to the theater down the road. Is that okay?" I drop a sugar cube into the drink, watching it melt with rapt attention.

"Sure. You know, I'm really glad that you've found a friend here, Draco. It makes me so proud to know that you're getting along with Hermione. Do you think that she fancies you?"

"What?" I choke on my tea, spewing the hot liquid across the kitchen. "You've got to be kidding me. Hermione? Fancy me? No way—she's only doing this because she says it's her duty." I drop to my knees, wiping the tea up with a rag while my mother laughs.

"Her duty?" She shakes her head slightly and exits the kitchen with a chuckle, leaving me utterly bewildered.

......

"Promise me you won't be scared?" Hermione's dark eyes pierce me as she looks me over.

"I promise! I'm not a wimp—I'm really very brave, you know."