Author's Note: This is officially an Alternate Universe that completely disregards Half Blood Prince. This story will be written in a couple of writing styles. It will alternate between character journals and third person action.

This story is a rewritten and edited version of a story that I previously had posted here.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to JKR. Lucky woman.

Lion with the Snake

Chapter 1

I, Hermione Jane Granger, am a terrible friend. I have a secret that Harry and Ron can never find out. It would mean the end of our friendship for sure. They would definitely hate me forever.

It's the middle of our Seventh Year at Hogwarts. I'm the Head Girl this year, an honor that I am very proud of. I'm less than thrilled about this year's Head Boy Draco Malfoy. He is absolutely impossible to work with and delights in disrupting most of my plans. He is quite possibly the bane of my existence. He is certainly the complication of the year.

Ron and I are dating. When we look back at the past we both wonder why it took us so long to get together. Seriously, we have been crazy about each other for years. Harry and Ginny are going out as well. We all are worried about the future and whether we all will survive the final battle. The odds aren't good but we still can hope. Of course, if my secret gets out it won't matter. Harry and everyone will desert me. On the plus side, maybe Voldemort won't kill me.

That's a cheerful thought; if Harry decides to hate me, I'll have a career as a Death Eater. I can't let that happen, Harry and Ron must never find out. Ever.

…

"Class is dismissed." Snape snarled. Harry, Ron and Hermione were among the first to leave.

"Twenty minutes to relax before Transfigur…oww." Hermione yelped as she was knocked to the floor by a passing student.

"Watch where you're going Mudblood. Ugg and I just washed these robes too." Malfoy sneered.

"You're the one who seems to have trouble walking, Malfoy. Maybe we should bring Moody back; you had a lot better luck bouncing through the hall." Harry replied as Ron helped Hermione up.

"Don't mess with me, Potter."

"You're all bark, Malfoy."

"Tarantallegra," Malfoy shouted pointing at Harry.

"Twenty Points from Slytherin." Said Hermione at the same time as a dancing Harry's spell, "Furnunculus."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor." Malfoy snarled as boils appeared all over his face and arms.

"Enough," screamed Hermione. She performed both counter curses and glared at the boys as she hurried down the hallway. Harry and Ron tried to follow her but by the time they made it to the main hallway she was nowhere in sight.

"Doesn't matter. We can meet her in class." Harry said. The boys head to the Transfiguration classroom and find three seats. They settle into talking about their plans for the next Quidditch game. The boys are a bit worried when there is no sign of Hermione a minute before class starts.

"I bet she shows up late." Harry said.

"At this point you'll probably win. Where do you think she went?" Ron asked.

"Knowing her? Probably the library." Three seconds before the beginning of class Hermione slid into the seat next to Ron.

"I should have taken the bet."

…

There were two Seventh Year students together in an unused classroom. A charitable wizard would say that the pair was being very virtuous and studying. Of course, said charitable wizard would be quite wrong.

For at that moment, the school robes of a platinum haired wizard and a chestnut haired witch were discarded on the floor near their book bags. The normally knee length skirt of the girl was pushed up to her waist and the boy had a hand under her blouse as the two kissed frantically as if the world was about to end. The girl's hand moved to his fly and freed him. She placed her hands behind her on the desk that she was perched on, leaned back slightly and spread her legs so that he could take her right there on what would have the professor's desk if the classroom were ever used. When their passion was complete, the pair moved apart and silently, separately put themselves back together.

"If you tell anyone Malfoy, you will die the most painful death imaginable." The girl snarled.

"Like fucking a Mudblood is a gold star on my reputation. I have as much to lose as you if this becomes common knowledge, Granger."

"I had almost forgotten how much I hate you."

"You may hate me but you love what I do to you." Malfoy fondled her breasts through her shirt.

"Get off of me; I have to get to class."

"I'll see you after dinner at the Head's Meeting." Malfoy smirked.

…

"Hermione, where were you? You just disappeared after Potions." Ron asked as she slid into the chair next to him in Transfiguration.

"I had to go to the Head's dorm to get something."

"We thought you were going to be late for sure." Harry said.

"Well, I made it." Their conversation was interrupted as Professor McGonagall started class.

"From now until the NEWTs we will be studying Human Transfiguration. We will start today by learning the theory so prepare yourself to take notes." The entire class was surprised when she let them go a few minutes early. Not that anyone complained. Harry rushed off so that he could meet Ginny outside her class leaving Hermione and Ron to walk to the Gryffindor common room alone. The pair took a detour down a hallway that no one used and paused for a snogging session.

"Disgusting, why don't Gryffindors save their snogging for their common room?" Ron and Hermione broke apart at the sound of Malfoy's voice.

"This was a perfectly good deserted hall before you showed up, Ferret."

"Well, obviously someone other than you uses it, Weasel." Ron reached for his wand. Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him away towards the Great Hall.

"He's not worth it. Besides if you attack him I'll have to take points from Gryffindor. Let's go to dinner." Ron sneered at Malfoy before letting Hermione drag him off the dinner.

…

"I'm stuffed." Harry said after finishing his dessert. "Ron, Hermione I have to go to the library to do some research for that paper Flitwick assigned. Want to come?"

"Sure mate." Ron answered.

"I can't. I have a Heads meeting with Dumbledore. I'll try to be there afterwards but I have to patrol tonight." She answered. "I proud that you're actually going to do your work before hand."

"It's come to my attention that if I do homework during the day I can reserve the night for more pleasurable activities including time with my girlfriend." Harry replied.

"Damn it, Harry. You can't say stuff like that around me. You're talking about my sister." Ron complained.

"Whatever that reason I'm glad you're developing good habits."

…

I suppose you must be wondering how Malfoy and I got to be involved in any way, shape or form. It's an interesting story; albeit not one I'm particularly proud of. It started this summer.

This summer Ron and I decided to give our relationship a try. Things worked out in such a way that we barely saw each other all summer. He was helping out Fred and George in their shop and I spent the summer with my parents and the muggle daughters of some of their friends. Surprisingly enough it was a fun summer. Ron and I wrote lots of letters and my new friends introduced me to life as a normal girl who has no part in saving the world from the most powerful Dark Wizard England has ever seen. They taught me the secrets of muggle make-up, shopping and normal teenage relationships.

The crowning glory of the summer was when the four of us went to Paris without the loving supervision of our parents. We partied all week. It was then that I lost my virginity and became aware of the physical needs, well to be honest desires but at my age it's basically the same thing. Things would never be the same.

At the end of the summer Ginny and I were sitting together pouring over Witch Weekly when we came to one of those ads. "A product for Witches guaranteed to satisfy your secret needs." Normally I would have just laughed and moved on. But that day I paused for a moment to consider but still passed on the opportunity. At that point in time Ron and my relationship had progressed to the point of actually spending time together alone. If you didn't sense the sarcasm then just trust me its there. Ron seemed determined that our relationship develop slowly and secretly. I suppose that since it's always been the three of us, Harry, Ron and me, that it might take some getting used to. And Ron could have been gaining some sensitivity and trying to make sure Harry didn't feel left out.

Whether that is true or not is inconsequential. By the time we returned to Hogwarts Ron and I had progressed to holding hands, in private. I had reached the point of desperation, so I filled out the order form and went up to the Owlery. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one in the tower.

…

Hermione entered the Owlery to discover that not only was the tower not deserted but her least favorite person, aka the Head Boy, was there.

"Granger, you have wizarding friends to send a letter to?" Malfoy said with a shocked look on his face. "No, of course not, that looks more like an order form. What is the Mudblood ordering?"

"I'm ordering stuff from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Now sod off." Hermione snapped.

"Let me see that." Malfoy snatched it from her. "Granger, you are a real witch now aren't you? And a naughty one at that."

"Give me that." Hermione said blushing as she snatched the order form back and turned her back to him.

"What does a witch with a boyfriend want with a sex toy? Is Weasel not man enough for you? Never mind. Don't tell me. I don't want to know." Malfoy came up behind her and slid his hands up from her waist to cup her breast as he spoke in her ear. "I can save you some money you know and the time you would spend waiting. I am perfectly willingly to let you use my body for your own pleasure." Hermione turned her head to look at him.

"Why would you do this? What's in it for you?"

"My poor naïve, little witch; I'm an adolescent wizard. Do you honestly think that it's going to be a hardship to be at the mercy of a witch's every sexual whim?" Draco kissed her neck and ran his thumbs over her now hard nipples.

"And no one would have to know?" Hermione said breathily.

"Of course. In fact, we can even go back to the Head's dorm and start now."

…

And that's how Draco and I became sexual partners. In public he and I fought even more viciously than ever but in private, we had hot sweaty sex. At first, I was really wary. I couldn't believe that Draco didn't have an ulterior motive. But the longer I waited for the other shoe to drop the less sure I became that there even was another shoe.

I started feeling guilty when I finally decided that there really was no hidden agenda on Draco's part but that he just wanted the same thing I did; sex with no strings attached. It sunk in that I was doing Ron a disservice. I mean, supposedly we have a serious relationship. Is it wrong to love one boy and to have sex with another? I know that it is but I can't bring myself to change anything. Does that make me a horrible person? Does it mean I don't actually love Ron? The only thing I know right now is that I don't love or even particularly like Draco.

On the plus side, in the last few months Ron and I have progressed to holding hands in public and snogging in private. Somehow I doubt that we will ever snog in public. Not that that bothers me. I hope that our relationship progresses faster. If everything goes right Ron can make Draco superfluous and I can stop living a double life. I hate lying to my friends and I hate not being able to talk to anyone about the stuff that bothers me. Come to think of it, I hate journaling but I need to think things through somehow.