For once I am actually on time uploading a chapter... truly a Christmas miracle!

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I hope everyone had a good Christmas and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading...

14. The Aftermath

When Hermione awoke, she didn't know where she was. The first thing she saw was a blank white wall facing her, and not the usual stone walls of her dormitory. Then, as she pulled herself free of the land of dreams, she noticed a pair of arms circling her. Someone was pressed up against her back, cradling her, breathing softly against her neck. She smiled: she remembered now.

Slowly, she detached herself from Draco, shifting under the sheets to face his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, his eyelids fluttering lightly with every calm breath, the blue veins sketched across them vivid against his pale complexion. She found herself thinking of Ron- about how he tended to snore like a pig and toss and turn fitfully. He was the complete opposite of Draco in that way. Draco slept silently, curling in on himself. His features were elegant- all sharp angles with a delicate poise- yet somewhat fragile. His thick, dark lashes cast long shadows over his white cheeks, almost like cracks in his skin, alluding to something breakable. His pale hair- also a whitish colour- was messy now, but it seemed to shimmer like the sun's rays against snow in the morning light. The only thing marring his image was the inky black symbol engraved forever like a tattoo upon his arm: the Dark Mark. Nevertheless he was beautiful, and he had always been beautiful, but Hermione had once tried to ignore that beauty by turning every feature into something unattractive in her mind, back when she had hated him. That seemed so long ago now.

She couldn't help but compare him to Ron again. They were so different. Draco, the ice prince, and Ron- the lion- with his broad shoulders, stocky build, shock of red hair, not to mention that temper... Hermione sighed, giving Draco one last lingering look before she pulled herself up and out of bed, stumbling around the sea of clothes before she eventually found her watch. She had a good hour until breakfast began. That was good: she didn't want to skip it again. She paused, wondering how she could wash, when she noticed for the first time a small door set against the opposite wall to the bed. Curious, she shrugged on the nearest cloak- which happened to be Draco's Slytherin one- and tried the handle.

She laughed to herself when she saw what was behind it: a small bathroom with a sink, mirror, everything. There was a shelf containing a pair of toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, soaps and even a small clear bag of makeup. On a rail by the sink hung a couple of towels and flannels. Grinning, Hermione practically skipped into the room and began going through the motions, taking her time to get ready. When she looked in the mirror, for once she found that she wasn't disappointed. It was almost as if she was looking at a whole new person. Usually, on a morning, Hermione looked like an utter disaster. Today, however, she found that her usual frizzy hair, after a thorough brush, had fallen into glossy curls that hung to her shoulders. Her creamy white skin- a few shades darker than Draco's, but still pale- appeared to be glowing. Her big, chocolate-brown eyes were alight with fresh excitement, her lips redder than usual. She had even decided to wear a bit of the makeup (but not much- just a touch of mascara and lip gloss). She admired herself in the mirror, a new confidence growing. She would never admit it out loud, but… she thought she looked great.

With a smirk, she came out of the bathroom to see that Draco was just waking. He yawned, rubbing his eyes, before squinting up at her. 'Hermione?' he said, his voice still thick with sleep. 'What time is it?'

'Enough time to get ready before breakfast,' she answered as she began to sift through the piles of clothes, gathering up the items that belonged to her.

'Hey,' he said. 'Is that my robe?'

Hermione looked up at him and smiled cunningly. 'What do you think?' she said, giving him a twirl.

Draco eyed her hungrily. 'I think...' he said, chewing his lip in thought, 'you would make an excellent Slytherin.' He rolled over onto his front, propping an elbow up on the pillow and resting his chin in his hand. 'You look beautiful, by the way.'

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she pulled on her underwear. 'Well, that's what you were saying all last night. Over and over, if I remember correctly.'

'You do,' Draco told her with a lopsided smile. 'And if I remember correctly you were saying the same things about me.'

'Well, it's true,' Hermione said with a shrug, as if she were stating a well-known fact. She continued dressing as Draco continued to watch. 'You know,' she said uncertainly, 'that Ron thinks him and I are... well... dating. Right?'

Draco pouted. 'Yeah, I know. I kind of guessed that yesterday. What happened between you two?'

'Well...' Hermione began. She supposed she would have had to tell Draco about the Ron issue sooner or later, and now seemed like a perfectly acceptable time. 'Ron was on to us. He saw us talking after the prefect meeting that time, and then he got so close to figuring out the truth. We were arguing, and he was dangerously angry, a then something happened... I don't know, but I kissed him. I knew he was in love with me, so I tricked him into thinking...'

'Ok,' Draco said sharply. 'You don't have to explain anymore.' He looked slightly hurt, but there was also understanding in his eyes as he gazed at her. 'But... why didn't you tell me?'

Hermione sighed again, furrowing her brow. 'Oh, I don't know, Draco, but I thought I'd sorted it. And I didn't want to worry you.'

Draco sighed too. 'You know I want this help thing to work both ways. You help me, but I also want to help you. If you're having difficulty with your friends, I want to know about it.'

'I suppose that's fair,' Hermione said reasonably. 'In the future I promise to tell you everything, ok?'

'Ok,' Draco said with a nod. 'You make a lot of promises, don't you?'

'Yeah,' Hermione laughed. Then she stopped. 'Um... Draco?'

'Hmm?'

'If you know about Ron and I, then you'll also know that- when it's not just us- I'll have to be with him. I'll have to play my role. Trust me- I don't want to- but I have to, or else my friends will get suspicious. And, and I don't want you to think I feel for Ron in that way... no matter what I'm doing. Because I don't. And I can never tell them that I-'

'Was with me?' Draco interrupted. 'It's ok, Hermione. And you should know that if I'm ever... horrible to you again, that I don't mean it, either. I would never speak to you like that. And I swear- about yesterday- I... would never call you...' he gulped, '...that word. Ever again. I was just trying to make you hate me because I was scared of my father's threats. I still am.'

Hermione smiled sadly, wandering over to perch on the bed. Draco sat up straighter and she leaned in to kiss him. She understood why Draco had done what he did yesterday, even if it had hurt her at the time. She was sure she'd hurt him when he'd seen her with Ron. 'I forgive you,' she whispered as they parted. She looked down at her watch. 'And... I have to get to breakfast.'

'Ok...' Draco said reluctantly, giving her one last kiss before she stood up.

'Leave a good space of time before you leave,' she was saying as she reached for her bag and then her wand, pocketing it.

'What if I'm late?' Draco called after her retreating figure.

Hermione turned at the door, casting him a rueful smile. 'You're always late,' she said, before finally leaving, the door closing quietly behind her.

She couldn't help but notice the stares as she made her way to the Great Hall. Practically everyone she passed was staring at her. At first, she wondered if it was because she'd never gone back to the Gryffindor common room last night, but not everyone was a Gryffindor student, so it couldn't be that.

When she walked over to her usual place on the Gryffindor table, all of her friends were already there. She gulped and attempted to calm her nerves as she approached them. Ginny was the first to notice her, practically leaping to her feet the moment they made eye contact. Here goes... Hermione thought.

'Hermione Jean Granger,' Ginny cried in a voice so loud Hermione was surprised it didn't grab the attention of the whole room. It was enough to alert the rest of her friends, though, who all turned towards her at the sound of her name. Ginny placed her hands on her hips, a gesture Mrs Weasley seemed to do a lot as well.

'Hi Ginny,' Hermione greeted meekly.

'Where on earth have you- oh my God you look amazing!' Ginny said, looking Hermione up and down with wide eyes, her expression changing from one of annoyance to one of amazement. 'What happened?'

'I-' Hermione said, completely stuck on what to say. She realised she had no idea how to explain herself, and it wasn't like she could just say oh hi everyone, I just slept with a Slytherin, no big deal. Especially not in front of Ron, who was looking at her with an odd expression, as if waiting for her to come up with a good enough excuse. Hermione took a deep breath, calming herself. 'I'm not really sure,' she said eventually.

Ginny frowned. 'How do you mean?'

'I-' Hermione began again, 'I woke up in library... I think I must have fallen asleep there after I went to study whilst Ron and Harry were in detention.'

'But we looked everywhere for you,' Harry piped up. 'Ginny checked the library. She said you weren't there.'

Hermione's heart plummeted. She was busted. What was she supposed to tell them now? She felt her face redden, damp sweat breaking out at the nape of her neck. She could practically feel the heat of Ron's gaze on her as his anger began to grow, and she could sense that everyone else was looking at her too, waiting for her to say something. But it was Ginny who spoke.

'I lied,' she said, and Hermione's head snapped up.

'What?' Harry said. 'Ginny-'

'I lied,' Ginny repeated, turning her back on Hermione to face the table so Hermione could no longer see her expression. 'Hermione was in the library, but she made me promise not to tell you guys.'

Hermione gaped at her friend's back. Where was Ginny going with this?

'Why would she do that?' Ron ground out in a level voice. Hermione could tell he was trying not to get angry, probably jumping to conclusions already.

'I can't tell you,' Ginny said plainly, earning an outraged look from Ron, and a confused one from Harry. Hermione remained silent, feeling utterly helpless. 'And don't give me such a look, Ronald,' Ginny ploughed on, turning on her brother. 'Believe me when I say you'll thank me for not telling you. No- Hermione isn't being unfaithful.' She paused dramatically. 'Quite the opposite.'

Hermione felt like giving Ginny the biggest hug in the world. It was a brilliant idea: Ginny had made it sound like Hermione had been planning something special for Ron. She decided to go along with the story. 'When Ginny found me I had to tell her what I was up to,' Hermione said. 'She wouldn't let me off the hook otherwise. Then she left, and I must have fallen asleep after a while. I went back to the dorm just before breakfast to get ready, but you were all already gone. And Ron, you should know, I made a special effort for you, to make up for all the secrecy. But trust me, it will be worth it.' She smiled gratefully at Ginny, who just gave her a meaningful look. Then she smiled at Ron, who beamed back. Problem solved.

Breakfast went by quickly after that. Students had just begun helping themselves to food when Draco entered the Great Hall, dramatically flinging the doors open just like he always did. He was late, but barely. Hermione watched as he stalked over to the Slytherin table with his usual brooding expression. She saw his friends gather round him, trying to talk to him, but he waved them away with a flick of his wrist. Clearly he was going for the 'I don't want to talk about it' kind of excuse. His act was pretty convincing- he didn't look happy at all- and Hermione wondered for a moment if he might be having second thoughts about what had happened. Then he looked up to meet her gaze. Their eyes held only for a second, but in that second Hermione knew everything was ok.

There was one issue, however: now she had to plan something special for Ron. She was annoyed about that- Ron didn't deserve anything special after the way he'd been treating her over the past couple of weeks, but she'd rather have this than the alternative.

Ginny found her on the way to Herbology. 'We need to talk,' she said.

Hermione nodded. 'Ok, now is as good as ever. But Ginny, before we do, I just wanted to thank you for what you did.' She smiled sadly. 'You're truly a great friend.'

'I know I am,' Ginny said with a grin. 'But you'd better give me a good reason for lying to our friends. I did this for you, and now I deserve the truth, don't you think?'

Hermione stared out in front of her with a sigh. 'It's not that simple,' she said after a brief silence. 'And I wish I could tell you, Ginny, I really do but... It's complicated.'

Without looking, she heard Ginny let out a slow breath. 'Complicated how?' her friend asked.

'I don't know where to start,' Hermione admitted. They'd made it to Herbology now, but they were slightly early, so the two made their way over to an empty corner to continue their talk.

Ginny stepped round to face her, her arms folded. She drummed her fingers against her sleeve. 'How about you start with what you were doing last night?' she suggested.

'That's probably not a good idea,' Hermione said with another sigh. That was the most complicated part of all, and not even she fully understood all that had happened.

'Ok then,' Ginny said, a little frustration lacing into her words. 'Well, let's start with this. I know something's been going on. And it's been going on for a while. You keep on disappearing: the first night back, that time in Hogsmeade, last week when you came back really late. All your excuses... they're all lies, aren't they?'

Tears welled in Hermione's eyes. She knew Ginny was trying her best to remain unperturbed, but it was impossible to miss the hurt in her voice. 'Yes,' she said.

'So when you said you were doing those things for Ron, it wasn't true?'

'That's right,' Hermione said apologetically. 'It was all a lie.'

Ginny pressed her lips together. 'Do you even love my brother? Or is that a lie too?'

Hermione shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. 'I'm sorry,' she sobbed, her lower lip trembling. 'I'm such an awful person.'

'No, you're not,' Ginny said sternly, and before Hermione could react she stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. 'If anything you're the opposite of awful. I know you, Hermione. You wouldn't do something like this unless you really had to.'

Hermione buried her head into Ginny's shoulder as she wept. 'I did it to protect a secret,' she explained with a sniff, finally calming down. 'Oh, Ginny, I wish I could tell you. You don't know how much I want to. But you can't know- no one knows. And it has to stay that way, or else it could ruin everything.'

Ginny detached herself from Hermione and held the girl at arm's length, eyeing her carefully. 'Does this have something to do with a certain Slytherin?' she enquired.

Hermione looked away. 'I can't tell you. Ginny, I really can't tell you anything. It's important, that's all I can say. I wouldn't be doing any of this unless it was important.'

Ginny clicked her tongue. 'Is it dangerous?'

Hermione paused before answering. 'Yes,' she said quietly. 'It's very dangerous.'

'Oh, Hermione,' Ginny said, hugging her again, squeezing her tightly. Hermione squeezed her back, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend's, wishing she never had to let go. 'Be careful,' Ginny ordered, speaking into her ear. 'Whatever it is you've got yourself into. Promise me you'll be careful?'

'I promise,' Hermione said, tightening her hold. 'Thank you for being such a good friend. You're... you're truly amazing. You really, really are.'

'I just worry about you,' Ginny confessed. 'We all do. Including Ron, even when it doesn't seem like it. Just... I hope- for your sake- you know what you're doing. All the lies and secrecy better be worth it.'

'I hope so too,' Hermione said. Over Ginny's shoulder she could see students beginning to enter the classroom, indicating that lessons were about to start. When Ginny started to pull away she spoke quickly. 'You won't tell anyone will you? You won't tell Ron or Harry?'

Ginny hitched her bag over her shoulder and shook her long sheet of ginger hair behind her. 'No, Hermione, I won't.' She began to back away down the corridor. 'I've got to get to my lesson.'

'Sure. And like I said, Ginny, you're amazing,' she finished with a smile that was slightly off.

'I know I am,' Ginny grinned, turning away. 'Be careful, you dimwit,' she called back over her shoulder. Then she was gone.

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. As she headed to Herbology, she felt a mix of relief and angst stirring up inside her. On the one hand, it looked as if- for the moment- she wouldn't have to worry about her friends finding out about her secret. On the other, the fact that Ginny now knew she was lying, even if she didn't know what about, made her situation a lot worse. She was letting down one of her best friends, one of the people closest to her, and that came with an awful lot of guilt. Like Ginny had said, she hoped with all her might that it was worth it.

Next chapter coming soon... Please review if you have the time!