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[ Shadow Monarch in One Piece].
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Third POV:
Adam shot up to his feet, completely drenched, water dripping from every possible angle—his hair, his sleeves, even the tip of his nose. Droplets rolled down his forehead and into his eyes, making him blink rapidly. A stream ran down the back of his neck and disappeared under his collar. His shirt clung to him like it had signed a lifelong contract, heavy and cold against his skin, and his shoes made squish squish sounds every time he moved. The noise was annoyingly loud in the quiet morning air, each step sounding like he was walking through a shallow puddle.
He wiped his face aggressively, dragging both palms from his forehead down to his chin, then shook his head like a soaked animal. Water flew in every direction, scattering across the grass and catching the sunlight in tiny sparkling arcs. A few drops landed on Hagrid's doorstep. A few more hit the wooden wall of the house. His hair stuck up in wild, uneven clumps, pointing in directions that made no sense.
"Alright… that's it…" he muttered, cracking his fingers one by one. The joints popped softly, each sound crisp in the stillness. "Whoever did this—"
He turned—
And froze.
Standing right in front of him, arms crossed, posture perfectly straight, was Hermione.
Her expression?
Dead.
Not angry.
Not shouting.
Just… done.
The kind of look that silently said: You're about to regret existing.
Her lips were pressed together in a thin line. Her eyebrows weren't raised or lowered—they were just… there, flat and unreadable. Her eyes, though. Her eyes were doing all the work. They locked onto him with an intensity that made him feel like he had just been sentenced to something unpleasant. There was no warmth in that stare. No amusement. Just the cold, focused weight of someone who had spent an entire night cleaning potions storage without magic and had finally found the person responsible for it.
Adam blinked once.
Then sighed, dropping his shoulders.
"Of course…" he muttered. "Who else can ruin my life other than the fucking beautiful Ice Queen…"
The words came out before he could stop them. The beautiful part slipped through like it had been sitting on his tongue for a while, waiting for the wrong moment to jump out. He didn't take it back. Didn't even flinch at his own words. Just stood there, dripping, with that lazy half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite being soaked head to toe.
"Good morning… Granger."
Hermione's eye twitched.
It was small. Quick. But Adam caught it.
She slowly raised her hand… pointing directly at him like she was accusing a criminal in court. Her finger didn't shake. It stayed perfectly steady, aimed right at his chest like a wand ready to fire.
"YOU."
Adam winced slightly.
Uh-oh.
The single word carried more force than most people's entire sentences. It echoed slightly in the open air, bouncing off the trees behind him, carrying across the grass like a warning shot.
"BECAUSE OF A DUMB PERSON LIKE YOU—" she stepped forward, voice rising rapidly, each word climbing higher than the last, "I HAD TO CLEAN THE ENTIRE POTIONS STORAGE WITHOUT MAGIC!"
Her cheeks were already starting to flush, not from embarrassment but from the sheer effort of keeping her voice from cracking. Her arms moved as she spoke, gesturing wildly at nothing, at everything, at the sky like it might agree with her.
Adam opened his mouth.
Bad idea.
"WHILE YOU, MISTER CHARISMA, WERE SLEEPING PEACEFULLY LIKE A BABY!"
He raised a finger slightly, just a small gesture, more reflex than intention.
"Technically I—"
"IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY—" she continued, completely ignoring him, steamrolling over his attempted interruption like he hadn't spoken at all, "YOU WERE ALSO ASSIGNED TO GO TO THE DARK FOREST! BUT PERHAPS—" she gestured dramatically around them, her arms sweeping wide to take in the clearing, the house, the grass beneath their feet, "YOU WERE HERE ENJOYING THE VIEW!"
Her voice echoed off Hagrid's wooden walls. A bird somewhere in the distance took off from its branch, startled by the noise.
Adam tried again, calmer this time, keeping his voice low and even.
"But—"
"NO BUT!" she cut him instantly, stepping closer, her shoes crunching the grass with purpose. Each step was deliberate, firm, like she was marching into battle. The grass flattened under her feet, still wet with morning dew that sparkled in the light. "PLUS IT'S MIDDAY! YOU SKIPPED ALL THE MORNING CLASSES!"
She stopped about two feet away from him, chest rising and falling from the effort of her outburst. Her hands were clenched at her sides now, fingers curled tight enough that her knuckles had gone pale.
He blinked.
"…Midday?"
The word came out slowly, like he was testing it, turning it over in his mind to see if it made sense. He looked up at the sky. The sun was high above the trees, bright and warm, nowhere near where it had been when he lay down last night. Hours had passed. Whole hours. He had slept through all of them.
She stopped for half a second, her expression softening just slightly—just enough to reveal the worry underneath.
The anger didn't disappear. It was still there, sitting beneath the surface like a fire that had burned down to hot coals. But above it, for just a moment, something else flickered across her face. Something softer. Something that looked a lot like the kind of fear that comes from not knowing if someone is okay.
"I thought something bad happened…" she said, quieter now. Her voice lost its sharp edge, dropping into something more fragile. "Or that you got lost in the forest…"
Her eyes searched his face for something. A bruise. A cut. Any sign that he had been hurt. He watched her gaze travel across his forehead, his cheeks, his jawline, looking for evidence of whatever story she had built in her head during the long night of cleaning potions storage.
Then her eyes narrowed again, the softness retreating behind a wall of irritation.
"But apparently… you were just enjoying your time."
Silence fell between them.
Not the awkward kind. Not the tense kind either. Something in between. Something that felt like the pause before a door opens, when you're not sure what's on the other side but you're about to find out anyway.
Adam looked at her… then smiled faintly.
It wasn't his usual smirk. It wasn't teasing or lazy or half-asleep. It was smaller than that. Genuine. The kind of smile that happens when someone's anger makes sense to you, when you understand why they're upset and somehow that understanding makes you like them more, not less.
And stepped forward.
Closer.
And closer.
Until there was no space left between them.
The grass crunched softly under his squelching shoes. He could feel the heat radiating off her, could see the small strands of hair that had escaped from whatever style she had tried to put it in this morning. Up close, the freckles across her nose were more visible. He hadn't noticed those before.
The air shifted.
The tension changed.
No longer loud.
No longer chaotic.
Just… quiet.
Heavy.
The kind of quiet that fills a room right before something important happens. The kind of heavy that makes your chest feel tight and your breath come slower, like the world is holding its breath along with you.
Hermione froze slightly, her breath catching as their eyes locked. Her fingers, which had been clenched at her sides, loosened without her telling them to. Her shoulders, which had been stiff with anger, dropped just a fraction of an inch.
The wind moved gently around them, lifting a few strands of her hair, carrying the faint smell of grass and morning air and something else—something that might have been her shampoo or might have been just the way the sunlight fell on her.
Adam leaned in slightly—just enough for his voice to drop.
Soft.
Close to her ear.
"Just admit it…" he whispered. "…you missed me, my Ice Queen."
His breath was warm against her skin. The words were quiet enough that they felt private, like they belonged only to the small space between them, not to the rest of the world.
Hermione's brain stopped working.
Completely.
Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened, caught somewhere between shock and something she couldn't name. The logical part of her mind, the part that always had an answer ready, the part that never got caught off guard—it had nothing. No response. No clever comeback. No sharp remark to push him away.
Her face turned red—fast.
Very fast.
Like someone had just activated a hidden "blush to maximum" button. The color spread from her cheeks down to her neck, warm and obvious, impossible to hide. She could feel the heat rising off her own skin, could feel her ears burning.
Adam pulled back to look at her.
And lost it.
"PFFFT—HAHAHAHA—!!"
He bent slightly, laughing uncontrollably, shoulders shaking. Water still dripped from his hair as he doubled over, one hand bracing against his knee, the other pressed to his stomach. The sound of his laughter filled the clearing, bouncing off the trees, loud and unashamed and completely genuine.
"Look at your face, Granger—!!"
His voice cracked between laughs. He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still grinning, still shaking his head.
"SHUT UP—!!"
She shoved him.
Harder than intended.
Her palms connected with his chest, flat and firm, and she pushed with everything she had—frustration and embarrassment and something else she didn't want to name all pouring into that single motion.
And because Adam was still slightly off balance, still caught mid-laugh with his weight shifted to one side…
They both went down.
THUD.
Grass flattened beneath them.
The impact knocked the breath out of Adam for a second, but he was still laughing, still grinning up at the sky as his back hit the ground. The damp earth soaked through his already wet shirt, cold against his spine.
Hermione landed on top of him, hands pressed against his chest to stop herself. Her fingers spread wide, palms flat, feeling the warmth of him through the wet fabric. His heart was beating fast beneath her hands—from the fall, from the laughing, maybe from something else.
Adam blinked up at her, still slightly wet, still catching his breath from laughing.
His smile didn't fade. If anything, it softened into something quieter. Something that wasn't a joke anymore.
For a moment—
Neither of them moved.
The world… slowed.
The birds stopped singing. The wind stopped blowing. The sun stayed where it was, warm and golden, but it felt like even the light was moving slower, stretching out the seconds to make this moment last longer.
Their eyes met again.
This time… quieter.
Closer.
Different.
His gaze held hers without flinching. No teasing in his eyes now. No mischief. Just her reflection staring back at her from his dark pupils, tiny and clear.
Adam's arms had instinctively wrapped around her waist to break the fall. His hands rested on the small of her back, light but present, like they belonged there. She could feel the warmth of his fingers through her shirt, could feel the steady pressure of them holding her in place.
She didn't pull away.
Didn't even try.
Her body didn't move. Her mind didn't tell her to get up. Every instinct that usually screamed at her to maintain distance, to keep control, to not let anyone this close—they were all silent.
The wind softened again, brushing past them like it didn't want to interrupt. It moved through her hair, lifting strands that fell across her face, and Adam watched them settle back down with an attention that made her chest tighten.
Hermione's hair fell slightly forward, framing her face as she looked down at him. The morning light caught the edges of it, turning the brown strands into something warmer, something that looked almost golden.
Adam's gaze shifted.
From her eyes…
To her lips.
And stayed there.
He didn't look away quickly like he had been caught. He didn't pretend he had been looking at something else. He just looked, openly, honestly, like he was memorizing the shape of them.
Something unspoken passed between them.
A pause that felt longer than it was.
Deeper than it should be.
The space between their faces was small—smaller than it had any right to be. He could feel her breath on his skin, soft and warm, coming faster than it had a minute ago. Her hands were still pressed against his chest, and he could feel her fingers curl slightly, just barely, like they were gripping him without meaning to.
His voice came out softer than ever before.
"Vous êtes belle comme une fleur de printemps…"
The words rolled off his tongue smoothly, the French accent warm and natural, like he had said this phrase before, maybe in his head, maybe to himself in the quiet moments when no one was watching.
Hermione blinked.
"…Huh?"
Her brow furrowed slightly, confused. The word was pretty—she could tell that much from the sound of it—but she didn't understand it. Her mind scrambled to translate, to pull from the small bits of French she had picked up from books, but nothing came together fast enough.
Adam didn't answer.
He didn't even think anymore.
He just moved.
Slowly.
Leaning in—
Closer—
And closer—
The distance between them shrank inch by inch. His head lifted slightly off the grass, rising toward her. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding so loud she was sure he could feel it through his chest.
Her eyes didn't close.
She couldn't make them close.
She just watched him come closer, watched his focus shift from her lips back to her eyes, watched something in his expression soften into something she had never seen before.
Then—
From a distance—
"HERMIOOOOONEEEEE!!!"
The moment shattered instantly.
Her head snapped toward the sound, eyes wide, face still burning. The voice was familiar—high and bright and coming closer fast.
Adam let his head fall back against the grass with a soft thud.
He stared up at the sky, still dripping, still smiling faintly.
And let out a long, slow breath.
"…Of course."
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[ End of Chapter 35 ].
To Be Continued...
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Just a quick Chapter.... ( Maybe I'll publish another one later ).
__________________________
If you want to read more about my works or just to support me then here is my patreon:
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
If you like this one. Cheek also my other stories:
[ Shadow Monarch in One Piece].
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .