Chapter 4 Coming Clean

Last Chapter: He glanced at Ron's arm around her shoulder and some strong emotion she couldn't read crossed his face. He glared at the redhead, then turned that same look on her, before reaching up with one hand to deliberately cup the Slytherin girl's cheek. The last thing Hermione saw before Ron pulled her through the door was Draco's lips leaning in towards Pansy's eager ones. She would never let him know it, but that action did what his words couldn't: it destroyed her.

The next morning, Hermione woke up with swollen red eyes and feeling like she'd been put through the wringer. Remembering the events of the night before made her want to burrow back under the covers and never come out. Knowing that she had to face the world eventually, she sighed and pulled herself out of bed. Thank God it's Saturday, she thought. She made her way to the girls' bathroom feeling as though she was ninety-six instead of sixteen.

Beneath the pounding spray of hot water, Hermione tried to blank her mind but her thoughts kept swirling back to him, especially to what had happened two nights ago.

They were lying naked on a blanket that Draco had transfigured from his school robe in an empty classroom on the fifth floor. Hermione was laying on her side snuggled against his left flank, with her head resting upon his chest. One of his hands was behind his head and his other one was absently tracing patterns on the arm that she was resting across his flat stomach. Their hearts were still beating faster than usual from their recent lovemaking.

It had been passionate and sweet the same time. Draco lived up to his reputation as a sex god. He knew all the places and just how to touch them, to make Hermione writhe with pleasure. They had played before, but their explorations had never been this intense. They had never gone as far as this. He had used hands, lips, tongue and even teeth to bring her to the edge numerous times before backing off just when she was about to fall over. When he was finally ready to enter her for the first time, she had been so aroused that she had practically begged him to take her. Rising above her, he had looked into her eyes as he thrust through her maidenhead. Her need was so great, that even the sharp burning pain couldn't erase her passion. After a moment to allow her to get used to the intrusion, Draco had begun to move. At first it was slow and steady to allow her body to adjust to his size. Gradually, though, the speed of his thrusts had increased as she began to move with him feeling the pleasure coursing through her again. Near the end, he was giving it to her hard and fast and she had found herself matching his every move. When he felt her begin to tighten around him, he had broken his rhythm and made one final thrust as hard as he could into her core. She had screamed his name while he let out a loud groan of release, and they had come to completion together.

While their breathing quieted and their bodies cooled, Hermione reveled in the feeling of joy that she felt while being with this boy. The soreness between her legs was a constant reminded of what they had just shared. They were now one. She turned her head letting her lips press a soft kiss onto the skin at the base of his throat.

"I love you, Draco," she whispered into his neck. She heard his breath catch in his throat, and his body had tensed. She thought maybe that she shouldn't have told him, that he didn't want to hear it. However, he had taken a deep breath and relaxed. She knew it would be all right when his lips touched the top of her head in a soft kiss.

"I know, Hermione," he had replied his breath warm against her scalp. "Let's tell everyone about us at the dance tomorrow. We won't have to hide anymore." He didn't say the words back, but she knew that he did love her. Otherwise, he would never have wanted anyone to know about them.

The shower was getting cold when Hermione brought herself out of her reverie. She knew that the water on her face wasn't just from the shower head. Now I know why he didn't say it, she thought bitterly.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When she returned from the bathroom, there was a muffin and a glass of pumpkin juice waiting on her bedside table with a note next to it.

Hermione,

You missed breakfast, so we brought this back for you. We'll be down in the common room when you're ready.

~Harry

Hermione dressed quickly and looked about her dormitory trying to waste time. She couldn't bear the thought of eating, so she left the muffin in it's spot. She drank her glass of pumpkin juice and even rinsed her glass. Quit stalling, she told herself. With no other excuses, she made her way down the stairs to face her friends.

The common room was sparsely populated for a Saturday morning. Harry, Neville, and Dean were clustered around a wizarding chess game being played by Ron and Seamus. Lavender, was sitting on the couch using her wand to magic different hair styles onto Parvati, who was sitting on the floor in front of her looking into a hand mirror. Strangely, there was not one student from any other year except for Ginny who was seated in a chair reading a book. At Hermione's entrance, she jumped up and and ran to give her a hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it coming," the red head whispered sorrowfully. "He seemed to be genuine."

"It's okay, Gin. If I believed him, why shouldn't you have. Thank you for helping me through everything," Hermione said for her ears only. "Hi everyone," she addressed the others then looked at the floor, not knowing what else to say.

"Come here, Hermione," Lavender told the unsure girl. She moved over on the couch and patted the spot beside her. When the Hermione sat, Ginny plopped down beside her and Parvati turned on the floor to face the three girls. Though Hermione didn't appear to have a lot in common with Lavender and Parvati on the surface, the girls were actually rather close. Three people can't live in such close quarters for six and a half years without developing some kind of friendship. They had stuck together in sheer defense against the larger group of males in their year. Through some quirk of the Sorting Hat, they were the only female Gryffindors of their year.

"Okay, Hermione, spill," Parvati said to her dorm mate. "The rest of the House has orders not to come back for at least another hour, so we have the place to ourselves."

"Before I tell you, I wanted to say thanks for last night,"Hermione said. "I couldn't have gotten through it without you." She made sure to look at each one of her year mates. The boys had stopped their game and moved to take seats around the girls to get in on the conversation. Since they were such a small group and shared all of their classes, the eight of them had bonded really well over the years.

"That's okay, luv," Seamus said with his slight brogue. "You were doing fine on your own. Did you really call Malfoy a Deatheater?"

"Damn right she did, mate," added in Harry. "She told that bastard off good! But we still want to know what really went on, Mione." He looked at her seriously. "There were all kinds of stories going around at breakfast." When he hesitated, she motioned him to continue. "Best or worse?" he asked.

"Might as well hear both," she replied wryly, knowing the Hogwarts rumor mill would mangle anything.

"The worst rumor is that you've been doing Malfoy and all the boys in Slytherin sixth and seventh years for a while now. They make you sound like you're their personal whore," Harry said apologetically with a red face. "Best rumor is that Malfoy somehow tricked you into saying that you loved him and the rest are all lies."

"Well, I'll tell you how it got to this point. I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle," Hermione began. She described the patrols in the beginning of the year and how Draco offered the truce between the two of them after the Halloween Dance. It was her turn to look apologetic as she explained how he had promised to stop making fun of her, though not her friends. They just nodded. She told them about the first time Draco kissed her and how he had made her feel. When she got to the part about the Christmas break, she began to tear up realizing that it was all an act on Draco's part. The girls comforted her, and prompted her to continue. She told about their secret meetings since the new term. She told them that she thought that she loved him.

Her friends just nodded sadly at her. Though Hermione was indisputably the smartest witch when it came to books and spells, every one of her year mates knew that when it came to romance she was the novice. Even Neville had more experience than her; he'd been dating the same shy little fifth year since the summer.

The only thing Hermione omitted from her tale was what had happened on the night before the dance. She finished by telling them what Nott had said at the dance and what Draco's reply had been. "I guess it was just a game to him," she ended forlornly.

Dean looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I heard Nott was saying at breakfast that he had made the bet at the Halloween Dance." He planned this from the beginning, she thought. I can't believe it!

"Hermione," Parvati said. "Malfoy has been telling everyone what a slut you are and how you've been sleeping with him. We can make him shut up or get him in trouble for spreading lies about you." Hermione just looked down and shook her head.

"He is lying, right Mione?" Ron broke in angrily. "Tell me you weren't shagging him since the holidays."

"No. It only happened once." The other girls felt horrible for her, knowing that she had lost her virginity under such horrible circumstances. The boys looked upset and embarrassed at the same time.

"When?" Ron gritted out.

Hermione closed her eyes and whispered, "The night before the dance."

The rest of the Gryffindors became even angrier, as they realized how much effort must have gone into planning Hermione's humiliation.

"Don't worry, Mione," Harry said going over to her and giving her a hug. "We still love you and we'll help you. You just let us know what you want us to do."