Chapter 10: Suspicions & A Meeting
It was the next night and as planned, Hermione had gone to the Room of Requirements.
"Ron, I just don't know, I think she's up to something," Harry said for the third time since Hermione had left.
"Harry, she wouldn't lie to us, she's our best friend," Ron told him, examining the Chess board for his next move.
Ginny sat quietly next to them reading a book, she was hoping they wouldn't ask her input. But of course, those boys could never figure anything out themselves.
"Ginny, what do you think?" Harry asked as Ron moved his Rook within a move of Harry's king.
"Check."
"I don't know, but I'm sure if she's hiding anything, there's a perfectly good explanation," Ginny answered with what she hoped was a neutral answer. To avoid further questions, she excused herself to her dormitory to grab some homework.
After she had gone up the stairs, Ron looked back at Harry, "Do you suppose, maybe we should go check on her?"
"On Ginny?" Harry asked, confused, contemplating any way he could get his king out of Ron's Rook's path.
"No, Harry, not Ginny, Hermione," Ron said rolling his eyes.
"Well, I guess, I mean, just to see how she is," Harry answered, moving his king out of striking distance from the Rook.
Ron shook his head and grinned, moved his Bishop across the board and looked up at Harry, "Checkmate."
The Room of Requirements looked how it usually did, with the big couches, the painting and the pumpkin juice. Only this time, Draco was sitting with his legs underneath him on a couch and Hermione was lying down with her head in his lap. They'd been talking about muggle 'cars' when Draco found his opening.
"So, were you afraid of these... cars?" He asked
"No, not really, you get used to them after a while," Hermione answered, closing her eyes contentedly.
"Ah, yes, you, Miss Granger, cannot possibly have any fears," Draco said, smirking.
Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him, "Of course I do, I'm only human."
"Ah, pray-tell," Draco prompted.
Hermione pushed herself up until she was sitting sideways on his lap. She lay her head back on a pillow and started thinking of how to answer.
"Well, I guess my biggest fear would have to be failure, obviously. I hate the thought of letting someone down, you know?" she said honestly.
"Ah, yes, that sounds like you," he smiled, "Anything else?"
"Well, all you boys scare me to death," Hermione said, only half joking.
He chuckled, "Oh, and why's that?" he asked, stroking her thigh.
"All the boys in my life seem to love danger. Whether it's going off on suicide missions, breaking any and all rules, or the damn Quidditch you all seem to love so much."
"Quidditch?" Draco asked, "How's that dangerous?"
"How?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, "How about because you're hundreds of feet above the ground, on a piece of wood."
"Ahh, afraid of flying, are we?" Draco asked, crossing his fingers.
"Afraid!" Hermione exclaimed, "Oh I hate it! That flying class first year was the only class I dreaded, besides Potions, but that's just because of Snape."
Draco was jumping for joy on the inside, he'd found it! This was perfect! On the outside, he kept cool, acting like nothing was up, "Snape's really not that bad," he smirked.
"Only to you, Draco," She said, "And I just don't understand why he's always so nice to you, but he-"
Draco found this the perfect time to stop whatever argument was about to come up. He captured her lips with his mid-sentence, and to his relief, she didn't object. After a few minutes of snogging, his hands started to find their way to the bottom of her shirt. In her head, she knew that she should probably say something, but she trusted him, so she just kept kissing him. He swiftly and skillfully lifted off her shirt and threw it on the couch beside them. She was still wearing a white tank top, but he figured he should take it a step at a time for now. He lay her down underneath him, the passion rising between them. A moan escaped Hermione's lips as his tongue massaged hers. She ran her hands through his soft hair and couldn't help but feel completely comfortable. This was right. Being with Malfoy was right.
Harry and Ron entered the library, they had told Dean and Seamus to tell Ginny that they had gone to get food and would be back in a little while. They looked around; there were only a few people in the front of the library, working on homework or charms. The door shut loudly behind them and Madam Prince shot them a death glare.
"Sorry," Harry whispered.
They kept walking, checking each row of books until they reached the back corner when Hermione usually sat. The only problem was, it was empty.
"Where do you suppose she is, mate?" Ron asked, letting out a deep breath.
"I think that's a question she's going to have to answer later. We'll wait up for her tonight. But until then, shall we hit the kitchens and see what the house elves have right now?" Harry said.
"May as well," Ron agreed.
As they made their way to the kitchens, they were both feeling let down. Their best friend had been lying to them for a while now. They just hoped she had a good reason for it.
Hermione's breath was steadying as she reached the portrait to Gryffindor Tower. She had had a great time again with Malfoy. She couldn't help but be happy when she was with him. She whispered the password and wandered into the common room with a smile on her face. As she walked towards the stairs to dormitory, a voice made her jump.
"Hey, Hermione," came Harry's voice.
"Oh, hi Harry, I didn't know you'd be up," Hermione said, looking around. She saw Ron's head peak around from the chair he was sitting in. She smiled at them, "Well, I should really get to bed, I'll see you guys in the morning," she started heading for the stairs, but was interrupted once again.
"How was the library," Asked Ron, the faintest hint of disappointment in his voice. Hermione, however hadn't noticed.
"It was alright, just reading the new edition of Hogwarts, A History again." When she went to turn again, Harry got up and gently took a hold of her arm.
"Why don't come sit down, 'Mione, let's talk," he suggested sweetly.
With no other choice, she walked over and sat down with them. They sat there in silence for a minute thinking about what to say before Ron broke it.
"Where were you tonight, Hermione?" he asked, his voice pleading.
"I was in the back," She answered, confused, thinking maybe they'd asked someone if they'd seen her again.
"No... you weren't," Harry sighed.
"What do you mean?" she asked, starting to feel nervous.
"We went there looking for you, you weren't there. We looked everywhere Hermione, there's no way you could have been there," Harry answered.
"I-" she started.
"Look, Hermione, we trust you, and we care about you, please just tell us the truth," Ron said.
"I- I'm sorry." She said, tears welling up in her eyes, "I never wanted to lie to you, you're my best friends, and I trust you both more than anything."
"So please, just tell us 'Mione," Ron said quietly.
"I- I can't," She stuttered, her tears were now starting to slowly fall down her face. It hurt her more than anything to not be able to tell them, but she knew they wouldn't understand. "I'm sorry. I- I promise I'll be here, I won't lie to you guys again. But just trust me that I can't tell you where I've been. And trust me when I tell you I need one more night away, after that..." She took a deep breath, thinking about the consequences of what she was about to say, "After that, I won't go out late at night anymore, I won't lie to you," she was full out crying now.
"Mione, we trust you, but-" Harry started.
"No, you're right and I'm sorry. I have to go to bed now, I'll see you in the morning," with that, she went up to her room, and collapsed on her bed, not even noticing that Ginny was sitting there, waiting for her.
"Hermione...?" she asked.
"Not right now Ginny, I can't, please just go to bed," Hermione said defeatedly through her tears.
Ginny got up, understanding that Hermione needed time, "Goodnight, Hermione," She said, giving her a hug and leaving, closing the bed hanging behind her.
Hermione cried herself to sleep, thinking about what she had to do.
When Draco arrived back to his dormitory, Blaise was sitting on his bed staring at something.
"What's up with you?" Draco asked.
"There's a letter here for you," Blaise answered, looking up at him.
"Who's it from?" Draco asked, wondering why Blaise cared that there was a letter for him.
"Your father," Blaise said. Draco took a deep breath and walked over to Blaise, taking the letter Blaise was holding out for him.
He opened it, sitting down so he and Blaise could both read it.
Draco:
I hope all is going well at school. I hope nothing has gone wrong. Everything is going well with the ladies I presume. I must insist that you meet with me tonight. You know where and when. Please come alone, I wish to speak with you in private. Do not be late and make sure you have the answers I'm looking for. See you later.
Sincerely,
Lucius Malfoy
Draco folded the letter back up and threw it onto his dresser. "Fuck him," he said, "I hate him. He can't even come out and say what he means, he writes letters like they're going to be read by everyone, making sure I'm the only one who understands them. I can tell it's going to be a fun night."
"It can't be too bad, I mean you really have made a lot of progress on Granger, and it's not even Halloween yet," Blaise offered, trying to help.
"Whatever, I just hate heeding to his every wish," Draco said maliciously, "I'll be glad when he's gone."
Blaise threw a pillow at him, "You can't say that, he's still your father."
"Yeah, what a great father he was," Draco said.
Blaise smirked and hit Draco over the head, "Get over it, mate. Anyways, it's already 11:30, you should probably get going, I wouldn't want to make him mad if I were you."
Draco sighed and rolled off his bed, "Right. See you later."
Draco walked quietly out of the school and headed down towards the Forbidden Forrest. He wandered to the clearing about a quarter mile into the Forrest where he'd meet his father.
"Cutting it close," came Lucius's voice.
"I'm sorry, father, I only just arrived back to my dormitory," Draco answered.
"Ah, and what would one be doing out after hours?" Lucius asked, stepping out of the shadows where he had been, and into the moonlight.
Draco shivered inside. He always hated being alone with his father, nothing good ever came of it. He knew he would just be reprimanded for what he hadn't done instead of praised for what he had done.
"I was with the Granger girl, working on my task," he told him.
"Ah, yes. And how is the Mudblood?" Lucius asked, smirking.
Draco clenched his teeth without thinking and then, regaining his head, answered, "Things are going well, I believe she trusts me, and by Halloween I will prove it to you."
"Very good, but I must insist that you hurry things up, Halloween is only a week away and I very much hope that what you're telling me is true," Lucius warned, "I think you'll be excited to know that I have some good news for you, Draco," Lucius grinned, "The Dark Lord has very high expectations for you, as do I. I intend for you to follow in my footsteps, to be the Dark Lord's right hand man. I've made an exceptional head start for your life, boy. So to prove your loyalty and to get yourself ready for what lies ahead for you, the Dark Lord will be holding your initiation on New Years," he was grinning from ear to ear.
Draco was a bit surprised, he knew it would come eventually, but this just seemed too close. He never thought he'd get his Dark Mark before he was even out of Hogwarts, especially only halfway through his sixth year. Nevertheless, he had to pretend he was happy about it.
"That sounds wonderful, father. I am honored that the Dark Lord thinks I am ready," Draco answered monotonously, his face expressionless.
"Don't disappoint him Draco, don't disappoint me," Lucius warned, "This is the best thing that could happen to you."
"Yes father, I know. Thank you," Draco replied.
"Now that you understand what lies in the near future, I must reiterate the importance of completing your task. When all is said and done and your entire task is completed, the outcome will change everything. I must insist that you try to make headway on the second part of your task. You must try to get closer to Potter. By Halloween, I expect you to at least have a plan, if not already have your plan set in action. Now, I must be going. Remember Draco, we're counting on you," Lucius said.
"Yes, father. Goodbye," Draco replied.
Lucius nodded his head and apparated out of the Forrest.
Draco stood there for a minute, letting out a deep breath. He still didn't know why all this was important to whatever 'master plan' the Dark Lord had, but he could tell that it was very important. The thought of becoming a Death Eater already almost made him sick, he scowled, turning around and heading back to the school.
The next morning, Hermione was sitting with Ron and Harry at breakfast. There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence between the three because of their talk the night before. The boys were still curious since she hadn't really given them any information other than the fact that she had been lying to them and sneaking around behind their backs. Of course, they wanted to trust her because they had always known her as someone who was completely trustworthy.
Hermione had been quiet all morning because she knew what she had to do later. It killed her, but her friends were the most important people in her life. She couldn't let them down and sneak around anymore. She had only two choices, and they both had their drawbacks. She could either break it off with Malfoy, which she hated to even think of because of how wonderful everything had been, or she had to tell Harry and Ron everything, which could potentially ruin their friendship. It would have been one thing if she had been sneaking around for a good, moral cause, but she had a feeling that telling them she'd been off with their enemy may make them lose all trust in her, and the possibility of losing them scared her to death. Both options scared her to death.
"I reckon we should go to the library for a little while, we have a 18 inch essay due in Charms by Monday that will probably take a good couple of hours," Harry said, trying to break the uneasy tension that had built up.
"That was assigned last Monday," Hermione said incredulously, as if it shouldn't even have been a question that they'd already done most of it. Of course, remembering whom it was she was talking to, she sighed and said, "You're probably right, I'll work on the Potions essay that's due Wednesday. That way if you need help with Charms, I'll still be there."
"Right, we might want to think about that Potions essay too, I guess," Ron added, hoping to actually sound like he cared about his work.
It was an attempt at a conversation, but talking none the less.
"Hey guys," Ginny said, plopping down next to Hermione.
"Hey, Ginny," Hermione said, glad someone else had came.
They talked for a while, Ginny apparently breaking the ice between the three. They even laughed at one of Ginny's jokes together. By the time they were on their way to the library, most of the tension seemed to be gone.
Draco had been watching Hermione that morning at breakfast. She had seemed nervous and tense. It had looked like there was a lot on her mind. The two body guards sitting across from her had also seemed uneasy. The whole picture had looked slightly awkward, but she'd probably tell him about it later. When the red-headed Weaselette came and joined them, things seemed to have gone better. After he watched them get up and leave, he had a strong urge to follow them. He wanted to see Granger, make sure they had plans for that night, and for a little amusement for himself, see the look on Potter and Weasley's faces when he came up and talked to her.
"Later, Blaise," Draco said, not even looking at him as he got up and followed Hermione and her friends out of the Great Hall, staying a hallway back for the time being. As he turned the corner to the library, he felt a hand of his shoulder.
He turned around and came face to face with Pansy.
He rolled his eyes, "What do you want, Pansy?"
She batted her eyelashes at him, trying to be flirty, "Oh, Draco, don't sound so excited," she joked, "It's just been so long since I've seen you lately," she walked closer to him, practically brushing up against him now.
"I've been busy," He said, getting annoyed with her already.
She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip "Oh Draco, you were never too busy for me before."
"Things change Pansy, it's been three years since we were together," Draco said, unbelieving that she thought that he could possibly still like her. He could admit it, at one time he did actually like her. He'd known her all his life, grown up with her as a child. But people change. They'd both changed and he hardly even saw her anymore, much less thought about her.
"Three, long, years," she whispered slowly in his ear.
Draco pushed her back a little gently, "Look, Pansy, we're over, okay? It was nice talking to you again, but I really have to go."
"It's never really been over, Draco, you proved that to me last summer," Pansy said as he started to turn around.
"I'm sorry Pansy, but it is now," He answered, walking away towards the library doors. When he reached them he realized she hadn't moved from where she'd been standing yet.
"You know that's not true, Draco. If I wait long enough, you'll come back." With that, she turned on her heal and walked away.
He knew his words had probably hurt her, she'd always been obsessed with him, but she needed to hear them. The only reason he had hooked up with her that summer was because she was there, available, and even though he hated to say it, she was easy, and honestly, not that bad of a lay. But that was done now, and he hoped somehow, she'd realize that.
He let out a deep breath and walked into the library. About halfway back he saw Hermione and her friends sitting at a table working on their essays. He walked up with a smirk on his face and stopped behind Hermione. The boys looked up and shot him a glare.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron spat.
"Nothing from you, Weasley," He sneered.
Hermione stiffened, hearing his voice.
"I just wanted to talk with Granger for a minute," he said, smirking at the looks Harry and Ron were giving him.
"Don't even-" Harry started before Hermione interrupted him.
"Is it about the Arithmancy essay?" she asked, trying to keep neutral.
"Yes," Draco said, going along with it.
"I'll be right back," she told Harry and Ron, giving them apologetic looks.
"It's just this book I found..." the boys heard Draco telling her, leading her off behind a book shelf.
Once out of sight of Harry and Ron, Draco picked Hermione up and kissed her passionately. She kissed back momentarily until she remembered that she actually needed to talk to him. She pulled back and he set her down. He could tell something was up.
"What's wrong?" He asked, studying her.
"I can't tell you right now, but I'll meet you at eight in the Room of Requirements," she whispered. There was a hint of pain in her voice that he detected, but he figured they'd talk about it later.
"Alright," he said reassuringly.
"I should get back," she looked down.
"I'll see you later," Draco said. He smiled at her with that soul melting smile, and picked out a random book. He lifted her chin and gave her a kiss. With that, he walked away, leaving her there to go back to her friends.
Only slightly confused looks met her when she got back, but blowing it off as a class thing mildly eased their concerns.
As Hermione sat up in her room later that night around 7:30, she still couldn't bare to go through with this. She was aware that whatever she did, someone would get hurt. Unfortunately she knew things couldn't be easy, not with the way the last five years had gone. She knew that these were difficult times and she had to do what she had to do. She got up and with a deep breath, walked out the door and headed up to the room of Requirements.