"Are you sure? I mean, you're not under confundus or imperius or anything right?" Draco nodded and started bawling again. Crabbe mumbled something nobody could understand, and Harry saw a tear running down his cheek. Both Draco and Crabbe were crying now. Harry unbound Crabbe. Crabbe didn't know what Draco had been doing. Draco had kept this secret for a while now, and was just bursting to tell someone. Literally. Hermione had put a charm on him. If he told someone, he would burst into disgusting boils. And he did. They spread over his face like wildfire, and they oozed green substance all over him. They seemed to be poisonous, because he started swelling up. Crabbe threw up and ran out of the room. Harry locked the compartment door behind him. Harry would have some fun with Draco before the Veritaserum wore off.
"Draco. Can you hear me?" Draco nodded and slouched again. His red eyes were puffy, and he was pointlessly trying to throw the tears off his face. "Do you like Hermione?"
Harry couldn't understand what Draco was doing at this point. He was flailing around, flapping his arms like a bird. He was screaming something, it sounded like it was in another language. It looked like he was about to throw up too. He was saying something like 'HA! HABAFLAFERNUT!' Then he said yes. He said yes. He liked Hermione. Harry wanted to laugh, but he actually felt bad for Malfoy. Harry felt bad for Malfoy! He left the compartment, leaving Malfoy to change into his robes. Harry left to fetch Ron and collect his robes. He ran up to his compartment, just as Ron stood up. He went inside the compartment. Lupin was gone. Hermione was standing in a corner, stiff as a board.
"Hermione? Hermione! Hermione, what's wrong?"
Hermione didn't budge. Her eyes wide opened, and her arms stretched out wide, she wanted to tell Harry something. Ron opened his mouth.
"She's been petrified."
And Lupin's wand was lying on the ground, still hot from his last spell.
While Harry went to find Lupin, Ron sat on the floor, trying to wake Hermione up, to no prevail. And then it hit Ron. What his parents had told him. "Stay away from Lupin- Because he is a DEATH EATER. He is at school on He- Who- Must- Not- Be- Named's orders. But your father was not supposed to tell anyone. Not even Dumbledore." Why though? Ron didn't understand why he couldn't tell Dumbledore. And Lupin- a Death Eater? This didn't make any sense! Ron searched through Hermione's trunk for the Draught of Mandrake Roots. When he found it, he tried to stuff it down Hermione's throat. He lay her down on the compartment bench and waited. While she was only just gaining consciousness, Ron started stroking her hair. Ron didn't see that she was stirring, and he started talking.
"You are really pretty. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. I know you probably would say no, but, next year is my last, and I don't think, I, all I mean to say is, damn it! Hermione Granger, I love you!"
Just at that moment, Hermione flung open her eyes.