The next couple of days after the incident in the closet Draco was steadily growing into a sort of panic. There were whispers in the Slytherin house about Draco and Hermione. They found it odd how long this thing with Hermione was lasting. Pansy was the only other girl Draco had spent more than a couple of weeks with and they had been dating. Some brushed it off as Draco savoring his time with the once pure Hermione Granger but one too many were starting to question it. He had to act fast before it got out of hand and word got to his father. He had a plan to solve everything but he found himself reluctant to execute it. But the more he thought about it the more he knew it was the only way.
One day at lunch when Hermione was quickly grabbing food to eat alone on the grounds, like she did every meal, she found more people than usually staring at her as they ignored their plates in front of them. She tried to ignore them and kept dishing up food but she soon found their stares too penetrating and her muscles started to tense up in a nervous panic. Something must have happened, probably some new horrific rumor that she didn't even want to imagine. Unable to bare it any longer, Hermione quickly dropped her plate and turned away from the Gryffindor table when she noticed that only half the room was staring at her, the other half was staring towards the Ravenclaw table. She followed their gaze and her hand automatically rose to clench over her heart when it started to pump painfully in her chest. Draco was straddling the bench at the Ravenclaw table, ignoring all the stares as he tucked a strand of hair behind the ear of a very attractive Ravenclaw with black hair and strikingly blue eyes who she recognized as a seventh year student named Melody. Draco leaned in to whisper something in her ear and Hermione thought how well they looked together, even though she was a year older Draco looked like a man already so her mature looks fit nicely with his. That thought made her heart surge painfully again and she quickly turned away from the love scene and had to force herself to walk steadily out of the room when every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run.
As soon as the doors closed behind her she ran as fast as she could to an empty classroom and when she leaned heavily against the door she was surprised at the moan of pain that escaped her lips. It hurt and she wouldn't let herself explore why that was. She tried to calm herself so she could think rationally. She and Draco hadn't spoken since the night they ran from Filch and before that they hadn't spoken in weeks. It was entirely possible that he met Melody during that time and started seeing her. But if that was so why hadn't Ginny mentioned anything about it to her. Surely Ginny would know about it since she was dating his best friend. No it must be a new development, which is why everyone was staring at her trying to gauge her reaction of being replaced. Lost in her thoughts she jumped as she felt the door being pushed against her back.
"Hermione it's me let me in." Ginny panted out, it was clear that she had run after Hermione. She moved aside and Ginny walked in, closing the door firmly behind her. As soon as Ginny looked at her friend pain filled her eyes. "Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry." She moved her hand to Hermione's face and wiped away the tears.
Hermione started slightly in surprise. She hadn't even realized she was crying. She reached her own fingers to her cheek and then brought them back down to examine them. Her heart gave another painful surge and she leaned heavily against the door again, no longer able to stand straight. "I don't understand." She said as she still stared at her damp fingers.
Ginny gave a small sympathetic smile and leaned against the wall next to Hermione. "You like him Hermione." Ginny said gently.
Hermione gave a half delirious laugh and started to shake her head no when realization finally hit her. She looked away from Ginny and stared unseeingly at the floor. "When?"
"You tell me. I suspected it for a while now but it wasn't until I saw your face in the Great Hall that I knew for sure."
Hermione just shook her head. "I don't know. I never realized…" She gave another moan of pain and covered her eyes. "What am I going to do Ginny? How could this have happened?" She asked desperately as she turned her gaze back on her friend.
"Fight for him!" Ginny said matter of factly.
Hermione gave a small smile and shook her head. "No Ginny. Look how hard it is for us just to be friends. It was over before it even started." Hermione lost her sad smile and looked back across the room. "Besides it's obvious he doesn't feel the same way."
"Maybe if he knew how you felt…" Ginny trailed off.
Hermione shook her head again. "Even if that would change anything it would still be impossible."
Hermione." Ginny's tone was trying to be reasoning.
Hermione took a deep breath and pushed herself off the door. Her back was towards Ginny for a few moments but when she turned back around her face was dry. "Lets keep this between us ok?"
Ginny took a few steps towards her friend. "Then what are you going to do?"
She gave a warm smile. "It's best to end it now before these feelings get any stronger." With that said she walked out the door, leaving Ginny standing stunned and alone in the empty class room.
"I'm afraid it's already too late for that Hermione." Ginny said in a low voice as she stared at the closed door.
After quidditch practice that day Blaise stopped Draco and waited for their other team members to leave the locker room. "What's going on with you?" He finally asked as the door closed behind their last team mate.
"I don't know what you mean." He said coolly as he pulled away from Blaise.
"Since when are you with Melody?" He asked impatiently.
Draco smirked. "Well I'm not really with Melody, if you catch my drift." When Blaise didn't smirk along with him he lost his smile. "What's the big deal? It's been awhile so I thought I'd get back into the game."
"That's the problem. I thought you were done playing games. I thought you wanted something more."
"Something more?" Draco asked with a smirk. "I don't think you can get much more than what I'm getting from Melody."
Blaise studied Draco for a few moments trying to assess if he was being sincere or not. He finally gave up when he couldn't tell and asked in a serious voice, "What about Granger?"
"What does she have to do with this?" Asked Draco but Blaise's brow furrowed and he didn't say anything. "What?" Draco demanded as the silence grew heavier.
"That's it? You're just back in the game?"
"Yeah mate that's it." Draco smiled. "I don't understand the problem."
Blaise shrugged and his voice lightened up a bit. "There's no problem as long as that's really it."
Draco smiled and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "That's really it. What else would it be?"
"I thought this might be a way for you to try and end the rumors about you and Granger."
Draco smiled. "You do know me well."
Blaise's eyes lit up. "So that's it? You're just hooking up with this girl to end the rumors?"
"Well that's how the idea started." He stated simple.
"But?" Blaise asked.
"But it's been awhile since I played around and the only reason why I stopped was because things in my life were already too complicated with trying to decide to be friends with Hermione or not. I didn't want to put girl drama on top of all that. So now I get to kill two birds with one stone. I get to help Hermione out and have some fun for myself as well."
Blaise was having a hard time buying all of this. He believed that Draco came up with this as the best solution to help out Hermione but he was also sure he had grown out of all of this.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked when Blaise didn't respond.
Blaise smiled, "You're probably going to think I'm mad."
"What is it?" Draco persisted.
"Well with how hard you've been fighting to keep Granger in your life I kinda had the feeling that you were into her." Blaise smiled. Draco lost his smile and looked down. Blaise's eyes got wide. "You do like her don't you."
"I don't." Draco protested before he gave a heavy sigh and sat down on one of the benches that were stationed between the rows of lockers. "She has left a big impact on me though. Every time I think about how much she gave up and how much she goes through just to be my friend it amazes me. She has such a strong sense of loyalty and justice, I don't think there is anyone else in the world like her." He looked back up at his friend. "Which is why I have to protect her."
Blaise gave a sympathetic smile. "Alright mate, do what you have to do." He put his hand out and helped Draco stand up. "I just hope you're not lying to yourself." Blaise said low enough that it didn't reach Draco's ears as they walked out of the locker room.
The following weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend and a big weekend for firsts. It would be the first date Draco would be taking Melody out, he chose a Hogsmeade outing because he knew they would be seen by a lot of students, and it would also be the first time Ginny and Blaise would be coming out as a couple.
"Please Hermione you have to come." Ginny was begging for what seemed like the hundredth time."
"Ginny I already told you that I don't want to get in the way of your date. Plus I don't want to be a third wheel."
"I already told you it's not a date. We are just going to hang out as a couple."
"I don't know why you want me to go so bad. I'll just get in the way."
"Hermione I need you there." Ginny pleaded sincerely. "Blaise and I are coming out as a couple and I need my best friends support, because I know I wont be getting my brothers."
Hermione looked at her friend with concern. She knew Ginny would never admit it but she loved Ron a lot and it was going to be hard for her to not have his support. "Alright Ginny I'll go for you."
Ginny gave a sigh of relief and threw her arms around Hermione. "Thank you."
The next morning Hermione found herself standing at the edge of town with Ginny and Blaise. "You ready for this?" She turned to Ginny.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Ginny answered a little nervously.
"We don't have to do this." Blaise said as he grabbed Ginny's hand. "If it's going to be too hard for you I don't mind keeping it a secret."
Ginny smiled warmly up at him before she took a tighter grip of his hand and started walking into the town.
"You're sure about this?" Blaise asked again. He knew it would be her and not him that would have the hardest time with this because of the other people in her house.
Ginny stopped walking and looked back up at him. "I'm proud to have you by my side and I want everyone to know it."
He smiled down at her and then gave her a brief kiss. "Then lets give these losers something to talk about." He put his arm firmly around her waist and they walked with confident steps into town.