A/N: 7 reviews and all the story alerts. Thank you so much everyone. You all are awesome. Enjoy, you've earned it.

Disclaimer: I've written a letter to J.K.R. asking for the rights to Harry Potter. I'm still waiting for a reply. I don't own Dirty Little Secret or Secret. They belong to All American Rejects and Maroon 5.

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Tell anyone and you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)

My dirty little secret

Hermione entered the common room and turned to go to her room. "Hermione Jean Granger, where have you been?" Someone demanded from behind her. For a second, Hermione would have bet that Molly Weasley was standing right behind her. She turned to see her best friend standing as a spitting image of her mother. Ginny's hair was a fiercer red than normal when she was angry. The bags under her eyes suggested that she had been waiting up all night.

"Umm, I can explain."

"I should hope so. Merlin damn it, Hermione, I've been up all night waiting for you. It's nine o'clock in the fucking morning, what did you and Krum do all night?"

"I wasn't with Viktor. I'll tell you later. I need you tell everyone that I spent the night in your room with you last night. All of the other girls are home for the holidays, right?"

"Right, Hermione, what's going on? Where were you?"

"Later. Promise?" Hermione glanced toward the boy's staircase; someone was coming down.

"Promise." The twins appeared just as Ginny agreed.

"Hello ladies. Did you have a nice night, Hermione? You weren't here for the most of it." Fred said.

"Yes she was." Ginny replied. "She was in my room."

"Don't lie to us, Ginivera. You told us last night that you hadn't seen her." George said.

"We know anyway." Fred said. "Come upstairs and we'll discuss it." Ginny shot a confused look at Hermione. Hermione shrugged and followed the boys to the girls' staircase. Fred took out his wand and muttered something. He started up the steps with George right behind. Hermione and Ginny just stood and looked at him. "Well come on, our dorm isn't private enough. Ginny's will work just fine." The girls went after him. When they got to the dorm, Hermione turned to the boys.

"Well, what is so important that we cannot discuss it in the common room?"

"Your whereabouts last night. We know you weren't with Ginny, and according to the information we got from the kitchen; you weren't with Krum either."

"What did you hear in the kitchen?" Hermione asked.

"That you spent the night with Draco Malfoy." George answered. Fred shuddered at the sound of Draco's name.

"What? That's ridiculous. Hermione wouldn't be caught dead with that slimy little ferret. Right?" Ginny said. Hermione avoided her gaze. "Mione?" Ginny demanded.

"What do you want?" Hermione turned to the twins. "Money? Favors? What sort of blackmail will it be?"

"MIONE!" Ginny shouted.

"Oh come on now, Hermione, we don't want to blackmail you. We just want to know, why?" George replied. Hermione sighed; she couldn't see a way out of this one.

"Sit down, I'll tell you how it happened and you can tell me how you found out." Hermione explained the entire last night to the three Weasleys. In turn, Fred and George explained what they had heard in the kitchen. "What were the cupcakes for?" Hermione asked. She guessed by the look Fred and George exchanged when they mentioned what they were after that the cupcakes were not to be eaten.

"That, dear Hermione, is none of your business," replied Fred. He and George rose to leave. Once they had shut the door, Ginny turned to Hermione.

"Do you like him?" Ginny asked failing to hide the disgust in her voice.

"I think I might." Hermione muttered.

"Mione! How could you? He's a pureblood and a Slytherin! What the fuck were you thinking even following him? That was the perfect opportunity to curse you."

"I was curious." This sent Ginny over the edge

"CURIOUS? CURIOUS! BLOODY HELL, HERMIONE, I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE CURIOUS, HE HATES MUGGLEBORNS. MERLIN DAMN IT HERMIONE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED. HE'S A PUREBLOOD."

"So are you." Hermione snapped. This retort calmed Ginny down a bit.

"That's different, his dad was a Death Eater."

"People aren't always like their parents."

"I don't think the apple falls far from the tree in this case." Ginny looked at her best friend. Hermione had her arms crossed and looked set in her ways. "You aren't going to listen to reason, are you?"

"I'm going to give him a chance. We have a date after lunch today."

"Merlin, Hermione, if you get yourself killed…" Ginny sighed. "I'm coming with you. That way if you're wrong, at least you can have someone there as support."

"Fine." Hermione saw the concern in her friend's face. "Thanks Gin."

Ginny shrugged. "Lets go up to your room. Its almost time for lunch and you don't even have any makeup on." Before Hermione could protest, Ginny had her by the hand and pulled her along. When they reached Hermione's room, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil swarmed.

"Ohhh, Viktor Krum, Hermione, I can't believe that he was your mystery date." Lavender Brown squealed.

"Is that where you were last night?" Parvati asked. "Maybe the good girl isn't quite what we thought."

"No, she spent the night in my room." Ginny responded. The girls' faces fell. "Come on Mione, we have work to do."

"Have to get ready for Krum, Hermione?" Parvati shrieked.

"None of your business," snapped Ginny. She pulled Hermione into the bathroom. "Stupid Parvati. What a stupid name. What could anyone even see in her? She isn't all that pretty and she is such a Lavender Brown copy. Who would want a such giggling, airhead as a date?"

"He did ask you first, Gin." Hermione replied softly. "You turned him down."

"Yeah, but that was after Cho Chang had rejected him. And Ron asked for him. I want to be asked because he likes me, not as a last resort."

"He'll come around, in the meantime, you should get on with your life. Date other people. Then when he's ready, he'll come to you."

"I suppose. There, I'm done." Ginny turned Hermione around to see the mirror. She was wearing a blue blouse and jeans. Ginny was magic with a muggle makeup brush. Hermione's hair was pulled up into a classy ponytail and appeared straighter than usual.

"Wow, Gin, you're amazing."

"I know. Come on, let's go to lunch."

Harry and Ron were already down when the girls reached the table. "Hello Harry, Ron." Hermione greeted. Ron hastily returned her greeting, shocked that she was going to ignore what had happened last night. She sat in her usual position on Harry's right and opened her copy of the Daily Profit.

"Good afternoon Herm-o-ninny." Krum greeted. He kissed her cheek and squeezed himself between Harry and Hermione. She barely glanced up from her paper to smile at him then looked over to the Slytherin table. Draco was staring at her and ignoring Pansy.

"What's wrong with Malfoy?" Harry mused. "He's staring." Hermione shrugged and returned to her paper. While she pretended to read, she peaked over its top and watched Crabbe and Goyle's faces when Draco served his own food. They always did it for him, and looked rather frightened as though they had done something wrong. When Blaise Zambini and Theodore Nott blocked her view, she returned to her paper. The heading on the page caught her eye. She scanned the article.

"Oh now she has really done it!" Exclaimed Hermione. She slammed the paper onto the table. "That retched woman. Look what she's written about Hagrid." The article had a picture of a tall boy and a man about half his size.

"I heard him telling Madame Maxime that he was a half giant, how could she have known?" Harry said. But Hermione wasn't listening to that anymore. Draco had just gotten up. She stood up suddenly. "Where are you going?"

"Library." And with that, Hermione was off with Ginny close on her heels. Krum stood and made to follow.

"I wouldn't go just yet. Sit down and enjoy your lunch." Fred said as he and George walked over to Harry, Ron, and Krum.

"When she's in a study mood, she might hex anyone who gets to close." George added. Krum sat down. "I reckon you saw?" George said, gesturing to the paper. Harry and Ron nodded.

"I never would have guessed. Blimey, I just thought that he had swallowed a bottle of skeleto grow when he was younger." Ron said.

"I guess not." Fred said. "Well, we must be off." He and George left the hall.

"What do you reckon she's going to do?" Harry wondered.

"Probably start a campaign for the Society for the Protection of Ugly Giants. One thing is for sure though; I'm not going to wear a badge that says SPUG on it." Ron said. Everyone laughed except for Krum.

"Vat is vot very vunny." He said. He rose to follow Karkaroff out of the hall.

Hermione went behind the tapestry with Ginny close behind. "What are you doing here, Weaseltte?" Draco drawled, glaring at Ginny.

"Its ok, she knows. She's here to protect me." Hermione replied.

"She knows? You wouldn't tell Potter and Weasley but you told his younger sister? How do you know that she isn't going to tell them everything?"

"She's my female best friend. Why shouldn't she know?" Draco opened his mouth then closed it again and shrugged. "So where are we going?"

"The Room of Requirement, of course. Is Weas, um, Ginny coming with us?"

"Yes I am. I don't trust you, Malfoy."

"Gin." Hermione said softly. "Don't…"

"It probably isn't smart to have your secret dates in the most public passage there is, Hermione." Fred interrupted her. He and George immerged from the corridor.

"Krum was all for following you. We deterred him for a bit." George added. "He was all for a little session in the library. Not that he wanted to do much studying." Draco made a noise of disgust. George turned. "Malfoy, we almost forgot you were here."

"Hermione, didn't I say don't tell anyone?" Draco asked.

"She didn't tell us. We have our own informants. Shall we move to a place of more privacy?" Fred answered. Draco scowled and turned to go up the passage. When they immerged, Fred began pacing in front of the wall. A door appeared just like it did last night. "Shall we?" The twins asked together. The five entered the room. It was no longer the private dorm that it was last night but rather a room with glass walls. The view was of the lake and the floor felt like soft grass. There was a picnic basket on a blanket in the middle of the floor. Fred and George sat down, opened the basket, and served pumpkin juice to everyone.

"I'm sorry Draco, it looks like these three are going to be accompanying us. But tell us, why is me dating Krum so important?" Draco sighed and took a small sip. He began his answer slowly.

"Because your life would be in danger if my family heard of us. And I have to continue dating Pansy, so it's only fair." Draco saw Hermione's question filled look. He sighed and drank some of his pumpkin juice. Seeing the twins exchange a mischievous glance, he put his cup down. It was too late, however, one sip was all it took. "I owe you an explanation. My family is full of purebloods and muggleborn haters. I've been raised to feel the same. For a long time, I didn't have a choice. When I was four, I was playing with some muggle children in the neighborhood below the mansion. My father caught me and dragged me to the house by the ear. There, he used the Cruciatus Curse on me. I never dared to associate with muggle children again. I've swallowed my father's lessons about the hatred of muggles because I feared what he would do if I were to object. He would use Occlemacy on me and if I had any doubts, he would torture me. At the end of every day, he used to quiz me about the lessons he would give. If I didn't answer every question correctly, he would punish me. Eventually, I began to believe him. I suppose if you hear something enough, you start to accept it. Then, last year, when you slapped me, you slapped some sense into me. I can't really explain it but the truth hit me. I suddenly saw what I had become and I didn't like it. I knew that I needed to change and I needed to do it quickly and quietly. I remembered a girl slapping me for calling her a muggle when I was four. I knew that I needed to find her in order to change. I spent the entire summer searching for her only to discover that she had moved seven years ago. I found an old friend of hers and convinced her to give me the girl's new address. I slipped away from my house one day and found the girl. I came across something shocking. The muggle with frizzy brown hair that slapped me when we were four was a witch. And that witch is here, in this room."

Ginny, Fred, and George turned to look at Hermione. Her mouth had fallen open. "You mean, that I'm, I'm, you're the boy who lived on the hill?"

"What?" demanded Ginny.

"When I was younger, I lived in a small town at the bottom of a hill. On the top of the hill was a large mansion that overlooked the entire town. The occupants were never seen, until one day, a little blonde boy emerged. We invited him to play and he told us that he wasn't allowed to play with muggles. I knew by the way he said it that the word was insulting, so I hit him. He seemed to come to his senses after I hit him and agreed to play. He came down every day for a week. Then, his father came down. The man was dressed oddly and had long blonde hair. He grabbed the boy by the ear and pulled him up the hill. We never saw him again. But he said his name was Xavier."

"My middle name. I didn't know how to tell you, Hermione. I need you. With you around, I don't feel evil."

"But this year, you've been so rude."

"I have to act, for both your safety and mine. I did warn you, during the World Cup. I told you to get out of there. And I tried to miss you when I sent that enlarging spell out. You moved to quickly and it hit your teeth. There is one other thing you should know. I have to continue dating Pansy. My parents have chosen her as a proper match. I have to date her because that is what they demand. I love her like a sister and wish that it wasn't like this but when I tried to protest, I was tortured. I cannot stop dating her and I feel that if you keep things going with Krum, it will prevent suspicion."

When Draco had finished this statement, Fred and George rose. "I think we've forced ourselves upon these two long enough, don't you both agree, Fred, Ginny?"

"I certainly agree." Fred responded, the twins looked at Ginny. She showed no sign of agreeing but instead had a rather incredulous look on her face. "Come on, Gin, let's leave the two lovebirds alone." Before she could protest, Fred and George pulled Ginny to her feet and pulled her out of the room. "Be safe," the twins said together, and then they closed the door.

Draco and Hermione watched in confusion as the two older boys dragged a protesting Ginny out of the room. When the door shut and disappeared, Hermione said, "That was strange, why did they insist on coming if they were just going to leave."

"I'm not sure, I didn't think that they were going to believe me." Draco looked into the basket. He pulled out a salad. "There are only two plates in here. Its as though they knew that they were going to leave after I explained myself, but how could they know I was telling the truth?"

"Were you?"

"Of course. Ginny didn't seem to believe it. I wonder why the twins accepted it so quickly." He glanced at his cup. "Unless…"

"What?"

"I think they put something into my drink. I saw them look at each other when I took a sip."

"Give it here." Hermione took the cup and brought it to her nose. She inhaled deeply for a few seconds and compared the smell and look to that of her own drink. "I think they put veritaserum in your cup. But I need you to lie to be sure. What color is your hair?"

"Bro…" Malfoy looked like he was going to choke. He appeared to have a battle with himself for a moment before he blurted out, "Blonde." He gasped for breath then looked at Hermione apologetically.

"Just as I thought. Veritaserum. I'm going to kill Fred and George. They're stealing potions." Hermione looked livid. When she actually began to stand, Draco grabbed her hand.

"At least we get to be alone. You can deal with them later." Hermione sat down again, closer to Draco. She picked out a sandwich, peanut butter and honey, her favorite. With a simple wave of her wand, she vanished the cup full of contaminated pumpkin juice and brought out another cup. She and Draco spent the next hour sitting on the blanket in each other's arms talking about everything from their childhoods to their futures. After an hour, during their argument about polyjuice potion being taught in school, Hermione rose.

"They'll realize that I've disappeared. Viktor will have finished his afternoon lessons and will be looking for me." Draco pouted.

"You're just using that as an excuse to leave because you know that I'm right and we should be taught to brew it and recognize its effects."

"1. No, we should not be taught how to make it, that would enable people to misuse it. 2. Of course we should learn about its effects, but we don't need to use it. 3. I really should go. Pansy will be looking for you as well."

"Ok, but this discussion isn't over. I'll prove that I'm right if it's the last thing I do." He stood and pecked her cheek.

"You just keep thinking that. Owl me when you want to meet again. You can sign the letters X so nobody knows whom they're from, and address them to H."

"Sounds brilliant." The two walked out of the Room of Requirement and went their separate ways.

Everyone has a secret

But can they keep it

Oh no they can't

Well, here it is. I hope you liked it. Please Review. And check out my other story He Shalt Not Have Died in Vain.

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