The Lies I Was Told


Here is another installment. I hope you like it. Look out for my Draco/Ginny one-shot "The One". Review!

~GreyEyes7


Chapter 7: The One

HERMIONE

Normally, I wouldn't go nutters over a boy. Never have I ever gone nutters over a boy. Until now, that is. The boy at the ball… he told me to call him 'Mask'. I never found out his name, but he knew my name. I think that is another reason why I'm driving myself insane. If I knew who it was… put a name and a face to his persona, I would be content. I didn't know, though. I had a feeling that Jess knew, though.

I sighed and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, the ball still fresh in my mind. "Hey, Harry," I said, sitting down next to him out of habit. His eyes were wide. Why? I had no idea.

"Hey, 'Mione. How was last night?"

"Good. Better than good. Fantastic. You?"

"Wonderful. Where's Fred?"

"How should I know?"

"Did you dance with him last night?"

"Yeah."

"Dance with anyone else?"

"Mhm."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure."

"What?"

"I don't know. He had on a mask and wouldn't tell me his name. He was amazingly handsome, though. And very sweet."

"Don't talk to people you don't know, 'Mione."

"I'm pretty sure I knew him. He knew me, at least."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you're acting like Luna. And because you sat at my table."

"Your table—oh!" my eyes widened and I remembered that Harry and I weren't Gryffindor friends who sat with one another. We were siblings who sat at different tables. I was sitting at the Slytherin table. Everyone was staring. "Sorry, but can't I sit with my brother?" I tried to cover it up.

"You've never wanted to sit by me before."

I sighed, as he wasn't making it easier. "Back at the Manor…"

He knew that I was referring to Grimmauld. "That's different. The only people there that you like are me, Remus, Fred, and George."

"You actually like me, 'Mione? I feel honored," George joked from across the table.

"George, do you know what my favorite book is?"

"No."

"Hogwarts: A History. I read it a billion times before we came. I questioned what it would be like if either you or Fred ended up in this house. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. What if I had ended up here, though? Wow, look! I'm at the Slytherin table. Would you like to see Slytherin Hermione?"

"No," his voice was shaky, as it was when I threatened him with his mother.

"Exactly. Then why are you talking?"

"I'm not."

"Good." I turned back to the rest of the table, where there were mixed expressions of fear and amusement. One face was neither. It was intrigued. His face always was when he looked at me. Tom was very handsome. I liked when he was intrigued. I pondered intriguing him further.

"Oi! I leave you alone to walk to breakfast once and you turn into a snake?" Fred joked, walking into the Hall.

"Fredrick, shall I remind you of the time last year when you turned into a… what was that… a rabbit, was it?" He took a giant step back and I smiled. "Bye!"

"'Mione, you didn't eat!"

"I'm off to the kitchens," I told my concerned 'brother'.

TOM

I smiled, inwardly, when she started to talk about me. I'm glad I didn't tell her my name. I wanted to intrigue her as much as she did to me. When she snapped at George, I couldn't help but be captivated. Then there was the comment about the rabbit…

"A rabbit, mate?" Theo asked, laughing.

"Scariest moment of my life," Fred said.

"To be honest, I thought it wasn't as funny as the ferret," George said.

"What?" I asked.

"There was this terribly annoying and rude boy at our old school. He really hated Hermione," Harry said. I remember questioning myself as to why or how anyone could hate Hermione. "Our DADA Professor used this one spell to transfigure him into a ferret. He bounced Draco around and then was forced to turn him back. One day, Draco was being a git, as usual, and Hermione said, 'Hello, Professor Moody!' When he realized that our Professor wasn't there, Hermione taunted him by saying, 'Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Ma—Draco."

I couldn't help but smile. Just a tad. It was so utterly Hermione. I was curious about her. Harry said that she doesn't date often, but she's so pretty and smart that I don't know how she couldn't. I thought about all of the things that I liked about her. Her eyes were my favorite. I imagined little girls and boys with black hair and big, toffee-colored eyes. Wait a minute. Did I just… no, I thought, trying to convince myself that the only use of children would be as an heir.

"So she's dating Fred?" Abraxas asked, snapping me out of my trance.

"I'm not sure. Doubt it, but it couldn't hurt to ask. They've been hanging out a lot lately. He did take her to the dance," Harry said.

"I haven't talked to him in awhile. I should ask," George said.

"Alright," I snapped, "Next KOW meeting is tomorrow."


FRED

"So you aren't dating Hermione?" George asked me.

"No, I'd tell you. Besides, 'Mione is my sis." I swear I heard Riddle sigh in relief.

"Who do you fancy then?" Harry asked.

"Angie and I just broke up," I said. I didn't really care about that. Angelina was annoying. It was the fact that the girls I had previously dated were on Dumbledore's side. "What about you two?"

I could tell they were thinking the same thing. "Luna," George whispered.

"Lovegood?" Harry asked. George nodded. "She's great once you get past the creatures."

"What about you, Harry?" George asked.

"Not sure. I've always had a thing for Pansy."

"Really?"

"She was always really mean to 'Mione. All I know is that she's different. Pretty. She doesn't look like a pug, anymore."


HERMIONE

"Hey," I heard a voice say. I became really excited, as he sounded exactly like Mask. When I turned around, I saw a very handsome and familiar face.

"Hello, Tom," I said, a bit sad that it wasn't Mask.

"How was the dance?"

"Wonderful."

"You went with Weatherby, right?"

"Yep, just as friends, though."

"Didn't meet anyone special?"

"You know I did."

"Slytherin?"

"Of course."

"I approve, then. Unless it is Abraxas, though. He scares me, sometimes."

I smiled, "Yeah. Were you at the dance?"

"Not for long, but I went."

"What'd you think?"

"It wasn't bad. Met a girl. Prettiest one there, no offense."

"None taken. What's her name?"

"I'd rather not say. See, she didn't know my name, but I knew hers."

It sounded oddly similar to my situation. "Funny. Why didn't you tell her your name?"

"I thought she might not like me," he said with rosy cheeks.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm… me. She's perfect—beautiful, smart… I just didn't want her to be phased by the fact that I'm 'Tom Riddle'."

"Tom, you aren't a bad person."

"I am."

"I know," I whispered. Why? Not sure.

"When I'm with her, I feel different. When I'm with her, she makes me feel like I'm not a bad person, though."

"Is she the one?"

"I think she just might be."

"Act on instinct, then," I said, becoming aware of the lust in his depths.

He stepped closer. His breath smelled of peppermint. "I will then. I have a secret to tell."

"Go ahead," I said, barely audible.

He leaned forward so that his lips were almost on mine. I was shaking with anticipation, but not daring to move an inch. "I am Mask." When our lips touched, I felt a spark surge through me, causing me to lean into him and wrap my arms around his neck. I felt his strong hands on my hips and his muscular chest against mine.

"Then I am the one."