A/N: Yay! Halfway point reached, and this thing has almost 200 reviews! Thanks everyone!

Chapter 25: The Secret-Keeper

Hermione looked up at the small cottage. Even though it was definitely the correct address, it just had to be wrong… such a sweet little house, with ivy growing on the sides and a neatly kept charming little garden in front, didn't seem to paint the picture of a devious trap. Of course, maybe that was the point?

"We're really doing this?" Draco whispered. He sounded scared. No, he sounded like he was trying to sound like he wasn't scared, and failing horribly.

She grabbed his hand, and he rolled his eyes at her, but didn't let go.

The two walked towards the front door, Hermione pulling out her wand and unlocking it quietly. The two slipped inside, and she half expected a caterwauling charm to go off. Nothing.

If the house was under a fidelius charm, they didn't need other security. But if it had been a trap, someone would have set something as a precaution. Hermione wasn't sure what to think anymore.

The inside of the house was expanded slightly, but it was still a very cute little cottage. There was plenty of wood paneling, and a fireplace beside a large comfy sofa. Nothing menacing was hiding in the shadows. Nothing reached out to grab them. They were alone.

Then she heard it- a strange creaking from down the hall. Pressing a finger to her lips, she tilted her head in that direction.

There it was again.

Draco nodded, and the two moved forward into the darkness of the hallway. There was a door at their right, and Hermione braced herself, her wand gripped tightly, as she opened it. She held her wand out defensively, plunging inside and looking around.

An empty bathroom, done in a horrendous shade of pale pink.

She looked back at Draco. There was a small window in the bathroom, letting in soft moonlight for them to see by. He looked ghostly in that light, his wand held in a death-grip and his pale features tight with nervousness. She stepped back to him, indicating the only other door down the hall.

She stepped towards it, listening.

There was that creak again, and something else. There was a person in there, she was sure- she could hear breathing! Someone was breathing heavy enough for her to hear straight through the door, and the sound was very feminine. Pansy?

She reached for the door handle, and at the exact same moment Draco spoke out loud, sounding as if an idea had just hit him. "Hermione, don't-"

The door was open, and Hermione saw something she was certain would give her nightmares for weeks.

There was Pansy Parkinson, completely nude. She was- for lack of a better word- riding on top of a man with thick black hair and a tone muscled body. Hermione could tell, since he was also completely nude. It took Pansy a few more thrusts downward to notice the interruption, her thin frame working up and down on the man's large shaft, her dark hair bouncing with her.

It really was an unfortunate angle for Hermione to be standing at at that moment, because there really wasn't anything left out of her viewpoint. True, she only saw the back of Pansy, but everything happening below was very visible.

Then Pansy noticed her. And things only got worse.

"What are you doing here?" the girl said, much too calmly, looking over her shoulder and still straddling the man below her. She peered past Hermione. "Oh, hey Draco. Would you mind getting the hell out of my bedroom?"

"Where have I heard that before?" he muttered, grabbing Hermione's shoulder and steering her petrified body out of the room. "Don't mind us- we'll be waiting in the living room," he called back, shutting the door behind them.

Much too calm. Everyone was way the hell too calm. "I… but… who…" Hermione said nonsensically, her face heating up exponentially with each moment as she thought about what she had seen.

Draco smirked at her when they reached the living room, and she fought the incredible urge to slap the smirk off his face. "I guess we know where her husband went. At least, I assume it was her husband, since she was still wearing her ring."

"Got a pretty good look then, huh?" Hermione snapped. Then she stopped, thinking through the way he had easily steered her out and conversed with the naked girl- the naked girl who was right in the middle of having very bouncy sex. "You're calm, because you're not seeing anything new!" she concluded, glaring.

"Uh… why am I the bad guy all of a sudden, here?"

"Because… well, because I am officially creeped out! How could she just act so blasé? How could you?"

Draco looked like he was trying hard not to laugh as he sat down on the couch.

"It's not funny!"

"Well, it kind of is, since you were ready to fight off a horde of Death Eaters but got scared about a little sex…"

"I don't think I'd qualify that as a 'little sex.' I think I would qualify that as 'seeing more than I ever wanted to see of Pansy Parkinson's… naughty bits.'"

Draco was holding his middle, now, his face gaining color as he tried to hold back the snickers that were slipping through his mouth. Finally, he burst, and Hermione loomed over him, hands on her hips. "Hermione… you're just so… well, cute!" Draco finished, wiping at tears in his eyes.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not that funny- really," she muttered.

Draco still obviously disagreed. "Just think- You, Potter, and Weasley wouldn't have stood a chance if you had seen any big bad Dark Wizards shagging- you would have all just stood there like statues," he snorted. "The Golden Trio's greatest weakness! Not scary masks and unforgivables, but a couple of people going at it…!"

"Oh, shut up! I'm not hysterical or anything- I just think it was weird! And you're completely avoiding my earlier question! You've seen her naked before!"

Draco coughed into his hand, attempting to silence the last few chuckles he had in him, and put on his best straight face. "I don't think that was phrased as a question, and frankly I think it's in my best interest if I don't answer you."

Hermione made a frustrated sound and started pacing, a hand to her mouth. Really, Draco had a point- she was making a big deal out of something that was, honestly, a lot better than getting jumped by murderers… but why did they have to act so cool about her bursting in on that scene!? This was not a common occurrence for her! What kind of mischief went on in the dungeons of Hogwarts, anyways!?

And Draco… she didn't need him to tell her anything. He had barely flinched at seeing his friend. She was certain that the two must have slept together in the past… obviously she could tell Draco hadn't exactly been a virgin when they got married, but why oh why did it have to be Parkinson!? Ugh!

She would have been very happy going her whole life without being privy to that information.

"Hermione, come on, sit down."

"I don't want to sit down."

He grabbed her wrist, making her stop her pacing, and she glared down at him. He shook his head, looking amazing. "Are you seriously upset?"

"No. Yes, but I know I don't have any right to be," she managed. She had never seen herself as the type to pout before… but she was certain that's what she was doing now. She had to stop. It was time to act like an adult- they had business here. Surely there was something serious going on with Pansy. Besides, if Hermione let on how much this bothered her, she'd only get made fun of by the bitchy Slytherin princess.

She sat down next to Draco, trying to rail in the embarrassment and jealousy that had just hit her in rapid succession. She knew that neither one was particularly attractive.

Draco's hand was still on her wrist, and he started to draw circles with his thumb subconsciously as he spoke. "I'm sorry I laughed at you- really, I like that you're like this. It's cute in a good way."

She gave him a sideways look but didn't answer, frowning.

Great. She was cute, like a pet. The funny little childish virgin he had picked up and taken home. She didn't want to be cute- she wanted to be taken seriously. She wanted to exude an air of confidence and control, not insecurity and squeamishness.

When Pansy came out she was fully dressed. Thank Merlin.

And that was when Hermione noticed something she hadn't seen from her view of Pansy's backside…

She stared.

"Well, you're a little early," Pansy said obviously, sitting down in a chair across from them.

"Well, excuse us, but you didn't give us much to go on!" Draco said, frowning. "We thought the whole thing could be a trap!"

Pansy gave him an incredulous look. "Then why did you come?"

Was Hermione crazy? Was she the only one who noticed? Draco didn't seem to have realized anything was different, as he was moving right along to the real reason they had come.

"What, you're not glad to see me?" he tried.

No, she was right. It was obvious in the way she carried herself… everything made sense- why she had run away from home, the man in her bedroom, why her husband wasn't at the Ball…

"I am glad, Draco," Pansy assured him, flashing Hermione a quick glance. "I just wish your… Granger had better manners. Ever hear of knocking, hun?"

Hermione wasn't listening to the taunting- she was thinking.

"Your parents are Death Eaters," Hermione whispered. Her declaration caught Pansy off-guard and she stiffened, narrowing her eyes.

"Wrong. Guess again," Pansy said sharply, looking down her nose at the girl across from her.

Draco was staring at her with a look of confusion as she continued. "They're working with the Death Eaters, then. That's why you need our help- they're trying to have your husband killed."

"And why would they want to do something like that?" Pansy asked. Her voice held a sharp, dangerous edge to it, and Hermione knew if she didn't handle this right there was a chance Pansy would snap on her. She had to be straight and to the point.

"Because when your baby is born, you'll be free from the Marriage Law- but you made it clear you didn't want to divorce him." Hermione couldn't believe what she was about to say next, but as it slipped out she knew it was true. "You love him," she said in a tone full of wonder.

Pansy, the frigid pug-faced terror from Slytherin, was in love with a muggle-born man, and having his baby.

Draco stared at Hermione, then did a double take at Pansy. "Well… I didn't want to comment on your weight gain, and I guess I didn't think past that," he tried, and she shot him a scathing look in return.

Pansy put a hand on her stomach, frowning as she looked at Hermione. "Maybe you didn't cheat to get those good scores at school, afterall," she said, dead serious. "You have some basic deduction skills, unlike blondie, here."

"Hey- come on! You were trying to cover it up at the Ball," Draco said, and in his defense, Hermione had to agree with a nod. She had only just noticed the small bump beneath Pansy's robes. Witch's clothing could be very useful for covering up such things, especially if you chose something loose and billowing.

Pansy gave him a long look. "Draco, do you know why I gave you the option to tell her about this place?" she asked, indicating Hermione with a quick dismissive swipe of her hand.

Draco frowned. "Do you need her help with something?"

"Don't be a moron. I needed to test you. I read the stories the Prophet printed…"

He groaned. "Most of that was very exaggerated…"

Hermione shook her head. "Not the parts about you saving the day. They put the focus on Harry, but they couldn't skip the detail that you got there first."

"I don't care how much of a hero you've become, Draco," Pansy said with a roll of her eyes, as if the word were a childish insult. "I wanted to know if you loved her." Again, she threw an errant hand in Hermione's direction.

Draco and Hermione both just stared at the girl.

Pansy sighed. "If you let her in on something personal, something that involved your friends, then I could assume that the article was true and you at least trust her greatly. I needed to make sure you weren't really one of those murderers in the masks."

"Because if so, you'd be leading him right to your husband…" Hermione added, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe all that she was hearing. Pansy Parkinson… who would have thought?

And Since Hermione had come with Draco, Pansy decided she could trust him. It was all so turned around and strange.

"So you ran away from home, Pans? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped…"

"I didn't know if I could trust you," she said sharply, but Hermione didn't miss the strained, painful way she said the word "you."

Draco sighed heavily. "Who let you down, Pans?"

"Zabini. Draco, don't give me that look- you were a Death Eater before. I remember how you bragged about your mission sixth year the entire trip to school. I knew your family was trying to change its image… but if my husband disappeared, it wouldn't hurt your family at all. If you were with them, I couldn't risk it."

"Pansy, we talked about that! I told you I didn't have any interest…"

"Yes, well, so did Blaise."

Draco's eyes narrowed, his voice flat as he asked, "What did Blaise do?"

Pansy turned her eyes to the floor, her fingers knotting together over her stomach. The motion made her baby bump clearer, and Hermione wondered how far along she was. Three months? "I asked him to help hide us. I'd never cast a fidelius charm before- it was too advanced for me. You know he has that summer home in France…"

"And?" Draco asked, gritting his teeth.

Pansy shrugged, still staring at the floor. "And he calmly told me he would help. You know how good he can be at keeping his emotions at bay- he's too good a liar for even me to read. He sent us to his summer home, and told us he would keep our secret… and then they came."

Hermione gasped, a hand to her mouth. She knew what had been coming, but to hear it… her friend had completely betrayed her! How could he? Why would he?

Pansy gave her a disapproving flicker of her eyes. "Blaise wasn't there, Draco. Neither were my parents. Neither wanted to get mixed up in actual fighting, but they all thought I was disgusting. I was told as much… a disgusting blood-traitor. They promised they wouldn't hurt me. They just wanted to send me to my parents so I could continue my line like a good little witch, and free from the Marriage Law marry a proper Wizard."

Her eyes turned to her friend, and they suddenly looked so soft, so vulnerable. "I didn't mean for it to happen! I didn't mean to cause so much trouble! I just…" She buried her face in her hands, but when she raised her head again her eyes were red but there were no tears shed.

"How did you escape?" Hermione asked, as Draco stood and walked over to his friend. He knelt down to meet her eyes, and she threw her arms around his shoulders. This time Hermione heard sobbing as the girl rested her head against Draco's shoulder, hiding her eyes from the world.

"I wasn't at home," said a voice from behind Hermione, and she turned to see the man from earlier. She blushed at the memory, looking instantly back to the ground. He was very handsome, with a chiseled jaw and strong, broad shoulders. His voice held just the slightest hint at an accent… Italian?

Pansy nodded against Draco's shirt, unwinding her arms from around him as her husband walked towards her. Draco stood up, moving wordlessly back to the couch and giving Hermione a stunned look. This was all very strange for him. She wondered if Pansy had ever cried before.

"He was out buying some supplies for us- we didn't want to stay in Blaise's place too long- it would be too dangerous for him… or so we thought. Anyways, when they saw he wasn't there they were going to wait for him, but I managed to catch them off guard and slip away. I ran and found Pietro, and we enlisted the help of his cousin to create this place."

"My cousin Bruno is a Wizard, too- a damn good curse breaker with the Ministry, in fact," he added. He squeezed into the chair Pansy was sitting in, pulling her up onto his lap without a thought and wrapping his arms around the teary-eyed woman. She gave him an affectionate look, leaning back against him.

"Draco," she said, "I asked you to come so I could tell you all this… and because I need a favor."

"Anything," he said forcefully, and Hermione looked at him, surprised. He seemed a little shaken, and she realized that this was very close to home for him. If their situation were switched… what would happen if the Marriage Law ended tomorrow, and for whatever reason Draco and her decided they didn't want to divorce? What would his mother do?

Probably nothing. Draco's mother, for all her faults, seemed to love her son very much. She wouldn't put him through what Pansy's parents and friend had put her through.

It was horrible. Now they knew what Pansy was running away from at the Ball- her parents. They must not have even known she was there…

Hermione couldn't even imagine the feeling of betrayal… how could a parent do something like this to their child? Then again, maybe in their own twisted way they thought what they were doing was best for her? Hermione was never so glad for her own loving parents, who would accept her no matter what…

So why had she still not told them about her marriage?

"I want you to help me find whoever wrote this book," Pansy said, standing up suddenly, walking over to a narrow bookshelf in the corner.

In her hands was a copy of "Secrets of the Darkest Art."

"Because the bastard has some explaining to do."