Chapter 2
Hermione was doing her homework in the library, she was trying to focus but something were bothering her. How was she suppose to get rid of Draco? The boy who saved her life, the boy who cared about her, the boy who showed her what true love means, the boy who truly loved her.
"Hermione? " someone whispered
She looked up and she saw Ginny. She was a mess - her eyes were red a puffed, her hands were shaking a bit, she was trembling. "We need to talk, can I sit with you? "
"Of course, please sit, what happened, have you cried? "
"I.. I am willing to keep your secret about your relationship with Malfoy! " Ginny told her " I think he really cares about you... If he... If he saved your life back there in the Lestrange garden... "
"How do you know? " Hermione asked
"We had a nice talk, he made it clear that he is serious about you two... "
"But why do you look like this, why are you crying, did he make you cry Ginny? "
"He warned me about Dean being unfaithful, at first I didn't believed it but then... Then I saw it with my own eyes, I'm so disappointed in him... I actually cursed them both and left!"
"Both? " Hermione asked clearly confused
"Dean and that skanky puff! " explained
Ginny "Anyways, I will keep your secret but on one condition - tell me everything, tell me how you fell in love? "
"I will tell you, but not here " agreed Hermione and they went to the room of Requirements.
They sat on a comfortable sofa with a table full of tea and chocolate cookies. And then Hermione start to tell her the truth...
September 19,1996
The bad news arrived quickly on the Gryffindor table over breakfast. It was all on the front page of Daily Prophet "The Moriarty twin brothers found killed in Lestrange Manor by the killing curse".
Hermione tried to act normal and to ignore Seamus who was reading the news out loud, her eyes were looking for Ginny, but she wasn't in the Great Hall, in fact these few days she very rare to be seen.
"Watch it, Hermione! " Harry told her when she spilled her glass of pumpkin juice very near to him.
"I'm sorry... " she murmured
"You are not yourself lately" Harry said to her in a low, hushed whisper "I know you are very stressed and all, but you have to pull it together... " when she said nothing he continued " I mean... And that detention from Snape? You never got detention for the past five years, what made you lose it over Malfoy yesterday? "
"He deserved it" snapped Hermione "He called me mudblood in front of the whole class and Snape said nothing! Well, I shouldn't have cast that spell on him, but... Admit it, you enjoyed it! "
"I did, but now you have to clean the dungeons every Fridays for the next six weeks. " Harry said
"It was worth it. " Hermione said, trying hard not to smile.
(Friday evening, the old archive in the dungeon)
She was about to put her gloves on, when the door opened.
"You've got be kidding me! "
"Malfoy? What are you doing in here? "
"Oh I came to take a bath... " he said sarcastically "What do you think? Snape gave me the detention too, like I don't have any better place to be on a Friday night"
"Yeah... me too" Hermione started to clean when Malfoy said
"And where do you go usually on Friday nights, Granger? "
She winced, remembering where she was last Friday night "Excuse me? "
"Friday night, you deaf? " repeated Malfoy while putting on his gloves "Merlin these are gross"
"It's not your business what I do in my free time, let's just clean this scrolls and go back, I really have important things to do tonight" Hermione told him in an annoyed manner.
After a few moments of silence Malfoy looked at her and said in a very serious tone
"I know, Granger! "
She faced him and swallowed "You know what? "
"Let's stop playing games" he smirked "Don't act so innocent, I'm not stupid! "
Hermione started to panic, how was that possible, how did he know? Who else knows?
"I'm not playing any games, Malfoy... Let's get this over with... " her heart beat rose and started beating at a rapid rate.
He came closer to her "Yes, let's get this over with, you are horrible at keeping secrets, Granger!"
''Like I'm telling you my secrets?" she groaned, trying very hard to look indifferent
"You don't have to , I know it already" he said so calmly, that scared the hell out of her. That was the last thing she needed, to be blackmailed by Malfoy or worst- to go to Azkaban at the age of 17.
"You want me to congratulate you out loud, Granger? " he looked at her, but his face was impossible to read, that was it, there was no way out…
" I know it's your birthday today " he added "So you can go now"
"I can go? " she repeated shocked and then sighed in relief.
"Yeah, I'll clean this up today, consider it as a present from me, just go... " he waved his hand
"What a lovely present - to tell Snape that I left the dungeon instead of cleaning" Hermione sarcastically told him "I don't believe you"
"I don't blame you " he winked and turned around starting with the cleaning.
End of flashback
September 26, 1996
Hermione was sitting alone near the fireplace, thinking about her conversation with Ginny, who assured her that she wasn't avoiding her, it was just she and Dean Thomas started to date. That was a relief to Hermione, because she was begining to worry about stupid things lately, like Ginny avoiding her, or people whispering gossips about her, or her jumping when Lavender asked "What is your secret, Hermione… I mean…for your hair, it's not bushy anymore?" She needed to calm down. she needed to talk to somebody, to share that horrible secret to someone who did the same crime, she felt so quilty, althout she knew it was the right think to do, like Ginny said to her – they would be dead instead of the deatheaters. She wanted to forget and to live normal life, normal as much as possible. In that moment Harry and Ron came in, they were dirty and disheveled.
"Hey boys, how was your quiddich practice ?"
"interesting, actually " smirked Harry "We found out why was Macgonagoll asking the prefect to made that list about absent students"
"Yes, apparently Mrs. Malfoy paid a visit to her precious son" said Ron
Hermione looked at them skeptical
"So? Since when it's a crime for a mother to visit her son?"
"The thing is Hermione, that the professors might got suspicious and wanted to see if Malfoy was up to something?" told her Harry with a sparkle in his eyes
"Did they catch him doing anything wrong? " asked Hermione and when Harry shook his head she continue "Harry I think you are excited over nothing, you should focus on your lessons with professor Dumbledore and to your greats too…"
"I am doing very well in potions " winked Harry at Ron and they both share a smile
"Anyway , I'm going to get something to eat and then to execute a punishment " informed them Hermione and left.
When she arrived, Draco Malfoy was already there, cleaning and cursing under his breath. Hermione didn't hail him, she wanted to do the work in silence and to go back.
"Not much polite, are we Granger?"
"Ignore me, Malfoy" she told him without turning around
The Slytherin didn't respond and she was greatful, they were working in silence.
BANG!
The door opened loudly. They both jumped and turn only to see the angry face of professor Snape.
"What are you doing here? I thought I told you strictly to clean the toilets on the first floor and don't pretend you havent got my messige! " said the professor coldly
"But professor we never got your messige especially if you gave it to some dump first year Griffyndor " groan Draco
"Silence! I have no time for you two, just go there and start cleaning " he shows the door with his pale hand
"Yes, yes professor, we will clean the toilets " obeyed Hermione, she couldnt stop the guilty feeling in her chest, she felt that need to be punished
Walking to there she couldn't resist and spoke to Draco
"I understand why he is rude to me, but to you why? "
"And I don't understand why you acting so guilty, Granger? It was written all over your face"
"Well... I... I did a wrong thing and now I have take the consequences I guess" responded Hermione not looking in his eyes.
She felt his hand on her sholder, stopping her
"Then apologize to me! "
"What? " She stepped away from him, his touch make her feel intimidating
"If you feel so guilty about what happened, apologize to me, you cursed me, I still feel that pain in my..."
"You have to apologize first, you called me a mudblood! " she reminded him and continued to walk
"I apologize " he whispered
End of Flashback