Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, just the plot.

Chapter 26

Read My Mind Now

Draco was very aware that all eyes were on him now….and for the first time in his life he was standing in front of the Golden trio without having the slightest clue what to say.

God this is worse than when Moody turned me into a ferret. Draco thought.

He slowly looked into Hermione eyes. He couldn't breath. She was staring at him.

Silent and her facial expression unreadable.

Bloody hell why isn't she saying anything. I mean yell, cry, do something, but her just standing there like that is killing me. Oh God I am going to lose her forever. And oh bloody hell….Draco thought as he felt a strong urge to ….cry, but being a Malfoy he had good control of his emotions and suppressed his urge to break down into tears in front of the three people that he had spent his last six years of Hogwarts tormenting.

Well I guess you three did get your revenge. Draco thought. And it was a revenge that burns the deepest leaving behind a scar that no matter how much times goes by, will never completely heal. Yes to fall in love with someone like Hermione. To know what it felt like to hold her in my arms, to see her smile, to know that she loved me back and have that taken away from me,….yes that is an ultimate payback. I guess you three won after all.

" I know." Hermione said quietly. Her facial expression still unreadable.

Draco nearly fell over.

Ron and Harry looked as if they were about to do the same.

" What?" Draco said quietly.

" I said I know." Hermione said. " It was quit obvious after all."

" You knew…how did you…" Harry started as Ron began to sputter words although they were indistinguishable.

However, Draco spoke over them both. " How long have you known?" He asked, his face growing paler by the minute.

" I thought the first question you would ask me was how did I find out." Hermione said, still her facial expression unreadable.

" But to answer your question, I have known since you past out, this last time. I remembered that you said that you were going, and I didn't know what you meant until finally everything just sort of clicked." With a little hint from Dumbledore. Hermione thought, only she kept this to herself. "Like the way you knew what I was always thinking. I mean you knew things about me that not even my friends knew about me. And I thought it was just that you really took enough interest in me to read me that well, and you knew I thought that and you still let me believe that lie. And then of course there wore your slips like how you knew those things about my parents, and like how I would be thinking something and then you somehow said the same thing that I was thinking at that exact minute. God I don't know how I could have been so stupid." Hermione's voice began to grow louder. " but I guess I was just blinded by the fact that I had just lost my two best friends, because of you and then the fact that Draco Malfoy actually offered to help me get them back even though you were the reason they were mad at me in the first place. Then I actually thought you were actually interested in me and instead of focusing on what was happening I got sidetracked by all these things. So that is why I forgave Harry and Ron because you tricked them, just like you tricked me. You broke into our minds, found out our weaknesses and then used them to blind us with them. Well I must say that idea was very clever." Hermione shook her head, then continued. " God you used us against each other. You made my friends hate me and then talked me into taking revenge on them with that anger release spell."

Harry and Ron's eyes widened at this, but didn't dare interrupt her.

" You tried to break us all apart and just about succeeded. Well I bet you are really pleased with yourself Draco Malfoy. That was truly the most evil thing that….I thought you were an evil git, but I never dreamed that…"

" Oh just wait a second here." Draco said suddenly. Anger burning inside him now. " Yes what I did was evil, but hmmm I wonder how I came up with it. Lest see, I quote 'I hope our spell worked so that we can hear Malfoy's thoughts and find out his weaknesses and use them against him.' Sound familiar to you Potter?"

Harry who had been glaring at him through his whole speech, eyes softened slightly at this.

" Oh yes and lets not forget that I would had never been able to read minds in the first place if it hadn't been for you three trying to get revenge on me in the first place. So your potion backfired, and instead I could hear all of your thoughts. Yeah…" Draco said as he watched the Golden trio's facial expressions as his words sunk in. " So yeah one day I was just sitting there minding my own business when all of a sudden, I got a whole lot of other peoples business in my minds and I'll admit I was bloody confused at first. Then I heard you three thinking about the revenge potion you cooked up for me and what do you know it backfired allowing me to do what you three intended to do. So yeah I went through with this evil plan, but it was you three who thought it up and was the reason I was able to do it. So you can call me mean, evil, whatever you want, but at least I admit it, instead of standing there trying to act all bloody innocent like you three. Oh and just to let you know reading minds isn't all fun and games, you hear things that you were defiantly better off never knowing , and the headaches you get sometimes are terrible and by the way your bloody spell nearly made me go insane. I am surprised I didn't…."

" You didn't go insane because I was smart enough to recognize your symptoms and I knew about the going insane part, which is why before I made the potion in the first place I made sure to brew an antidote, which I used on you." Hermione yelled suddenly. " And yes your right we did think of the revenge idea, and it was horrible, but we only were going to do it because you were horrible. Always trying to make our lives hell for no reason, and I'll admit maybe our payback was harsh, but I know that I would never…..ever have played with someone's heart the way you played with mine. I mean you knew that I loved you and still you pretended to love me and continue to hurt me…"

" I do love you….trust me when I say that I didn't mean too though." Draco said at once.

Silence filled the room.

After a few moments Hermione spoke.

" Why should I believe you? After all that you have lied about how do I know that you are telling me the truth?" Hermione said.

" Because why would I lie now. You all know the truth now so I have no further need to lie." Draco sighed.

" Look I am sorry. To all of you. For messing up you guy's friendship and for talking Hermione into casting the anger release spell on you guys." Draco turned to Ron who looked confused at this and continued. " We used an anger release spell on you that day when you went crazy in the Great Hall." Then he turned and faced Harry. "So Potter, you shouldn't blame him for anything that he said. He couldn't help himself. And Weasley you really should cut Potter a break with him and your sister. He really cares about her and she cares about him and if you care anything about their happiness you will knock off this over protective big brother thing."

Harry and Ron just stared at him in complete shock….too stunned for words. Neither of them ever thought that they would see the day when Draco Malfoy apologized to them

Finally Draco looked at Hermione who he still couldn't read her facial expressions.

" Lastly I want to apologize to you.. although I am not sure where to began. But I can only tell you that in the beginning I was only just trying to hurt you. But then I got to know you and I felt things for you…..things that I had never felt about anybody. And I tried to ignore it, because of one my father, which isn't a problem anymore since I am moving away from him and two I was just afraid in general. I thought the feelings that I felt for you made me weak, but now I know that they made me strong. They made me strong enough to have the courage to move away from my father."

Draco stepped closer to Hermione so that they were only inches apart. " Look I know I lied about a lot of things, but the one thing that I told the truth about was the fact that I love you and I am so sorry that I hurt you. I am so sorry. And God I wish I knew what you were thinking right now."

" Well what do you think I am thinking right now?" Hermione said as she crossed her arms.

" That you hate me and are sorry that you ever meet me and…." Draco started, but Hermione cut him off.

" Wow you are really bad at reading minds." Hermione said " Actually I was thinking…..how on earth could a spoiled arrogant evil little asshole turn into such a great guy and actually be in love with me."

What she believes me? I think I need to clean out my ears.

" What?" Draco asked stunned.

Hermione smiled.

" No you heard correctly so don't bother trying to clean out your ears."

" What …how did you…wait a minute."

You can read my mind?

Hermione simply nodded. " When our spell went wrong the first time I was very upset, because I hadn't found a spell yet that I couldn't do.. I had to try it again just to see if it worked. Only the second time I made it, since Harry and Ron were mad at me I had to make it myself so I had to made it weaker, so I could only read minds for a couple of hours."

She can read Draco's mind. She heard Harry think.

" Not just Draco's." Hermione said smiling at Harry's "Since I didn't have any of his hair this time I just did a standard spell allowing me to hear everyone's mind. However, I got so distracted with Draco and our revenge that I forgot about the potion until tonight. ….After I found out about Draco I was furious, I mean you lied and tricked me. But when I really thought about it. I remembered the way that you looked at me sometimes and I was convinced that it couldn't have all been a lie so I took the potion a few moments ago so that I could hear for myself how you felt about me. And when I heard your thoughts when you were talking to Snape I knew that you really loved me. Oh and when you two." She nodded towards Harry and Ron" told me that you were sorry I heard your thoughts and heard how sorry you were that's why I forgave you."

" So what a bleeding minute. If you knew that I loved you all this time then what the hell was all that about a few minutes ago about how you didn't know if you believed me."

Hermione laughed " Well you did make my life hell for months so I had to make you squirm a little."

Why you sneaky little….well I must admit I am impressed.

He caught Hermione's smirk and cursed himself for his last thought.

" So do you forgive me?" He asked.

Please forgive me I know you can hear me please please please please forgive me….

" You know your thoughts are as annoying as your words. " Hermione said although she couldn't hold back her smile at how cute Draco sounded pleading for him to forgive her.

Is that a yes?

" Well I don't know if you deserve my forgiveness, but since I am in love with you I hardly have a choice."

She suddenly clamped her hands over her ears as she heard Harry and Ron's rather loud thoughts about her last comment.

"God could you guys not yell, or think so loud anyways… Look I'll have to explain everything to you guys later, but for now I think I need to be alone with Draco right now." Hermione said.

I am not leaving you alone with Malfoy and leave him free to put his hands all over my Hermione…

" Ron" Hermione said through gritted teeth.

" Were leaving, were leaving" Harry said quickly as he grabbed Ron by the robes and began to drag him out the door.

Hermione smirked. " I cant wait to talk to Ginny about what I just heard about what Ron caught Harry and Ginny doing."

Draco cocked his eye braw. " What did they do?" He asked.

" Humm don't you wish you knew…or at least was able to read minds now…." Hermione said teasingly as she sat down on the bed and as he plopped down next to her.

Walking down the corridors Harry and Ron were walking in silence both lost in thoughts.

" I can't believe Hermione used an anger release spell on us." Ron said.

" It wasn't her fault she was tricked." Harry said.

After a few more minutes of silence….

" So what do you think mate" Ron asked, referring to Draco and Hermione being together…

" I think we should think of a payback to play on Myrtle, I mean after all she is the cause of all of this." Harry said trying to make himself feel less guilty when he knew that they were really all to blame.

He still didn't like Draco very much, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. For what they did to him, even though he didn't deserve to be felt sorry for, something in his eyes when he told Hermione he was sorry caused Harry to feel sympathy for him. Because for the first time Harry didn't she Draco as an evil, slimy, git. He instead saw him as a man in love pleading for forgiveness.

Hary shook his head. He never would have believed that Malfoy could love and did he hear him say that he was moving away from his father? Does that mean that Draco was not going to follow in his father's footsteps after all? Well he didn't think he could go as far as to agree with Hermione about Draco being a great guy, but he had defiantly changed.

" I was talking about…" Ron started, but got interrupted as his sister Ginny came running up to them.

" Oh I have been looking for you guys everywhere. Did you find Hermione….did you"

" Yes we found her and Malfoy…" Ron said grumpily.

" Oh well how did it go?" Ginny asked.

" Well lets just say that is one relationship that I am not sure that I am ever gonna get used too."

"Hermione and Malfoy are in a relationship…..oh girls are going to be so jealous of her dating the hottest guy in the school." Ginny squealed until she caught Harry and Ron's glaring eyes. " Well not the hottest, just hot and I don't even think that he is hot anymore, it's just what I hear all the other girls say." Ginny said sheepishly.

" Ron we have to try for Hermione and he has seemed to have changed I mean he did apologize and that's a start…" Harry ignoring Ginny's last comment as Ron cut him off…

" But I think that one relationship that I could get used too with time is yours and my sisters." Ron said quickly as though if he didn't say it fast then he wouldn't be able to say it all.

At this both Ginny's and Harry's jaws dropped.

" I mean if anyone is going to date my sister I guess I would rather it be my best friend." Ron said as he looked at his best friend and sister who were both beaming at him.

Ginny pulled Ron into a hug huge that nearly choked him. Then she looked at Harry and pulled him into a hug huge as well.

Ron glared, " But just because you guys are going out doesn't mean that you have too touch each other." Harry and Ginny just stared at him with odd expressions on their faces, before a beat red Ron said, " Just kidding."

Back in the infirmary Draco and Hermione were still currently sitting on hospital bed next to each other.

" So anyways thank you for saving my life and using the antidote on me in time so I didn't go insane" Draco said.

Wow did I actually just thank someone? Draco thought shocked.

" There is a first time for everything you know." Hermione said playfully.

Draco shot her a glare, but only for a moment and then his eyes softened and he asked,

" So you really do forgive me?"

" Yes." Hermione said softly as her chocolate brown eyes locked into his gray eyes.

Well who could blame her…I mean how could you not forgive a sexy guy like myself.

Hermione rolled her eyes. " Well after I got my ultimate payback after all I decided, what the hell, I matters well forgive you." Hermione said.

What Draco thought.

" Well since I heard you torture yourself about how you might lose me and how you thought that that would be the worst thing that could ever happen to you…I figured you had suffered enough."

" So how long does this mind reading thing of yours last anyway?" Draco asked.

" Oh probably for about another hour or so and you know….." Hermione said with a gleam in her eye. " Everyone left here to let you rest and most probably wont be back for a while to check on you so …well you know I hardly think that it was fair that you were able to listen to my thoughts when we made love, and I didn't get to hear yours…."

" So are saying what I think your saying…?" Draco asked.

"I dunno why don't you read my mind?" Hermione said playfully as Draco smirked and pulled her into a long passionate kiss.

AN (I was going to end the story here, but decided to add this part in at the last minute.I hope it doesn't suck)A

Draco pulled Hermione on top of him where she began grinding on him once again.

Oh damn that feels good. Hermione heard Draco think and smirked into their kiss.

Hermione couldnt help but feel pleased with the fact that for once she was in control of the situation.

Man Hermione can hear all my thoughts….during this…humm this defiantly turns me on more and I can defiantly use this to my advantage. She heard him think as her eyes widened as she was suddenly rolled over on her back as Draco rolled on top of her.

Instead of bringing his lips to hers, he instead brought them down to her neck, which caused her to sigh.

I am going to make you feel so good Hermione…Hermione heard Draco think in a husky voice as one hand began to cup her breast as the other rested on her leg and began to slide slowly up, under her skirt and rested it very close to a very sensitive part.

Hermione gasp. So you like this Hermione? She heard him think.

" Damn you, this isn't the way it was suppose to goooooooh" Hermione moaned as Draco slide his hand inside her underwear.

God she is so wet and God I love seeing her moan like that. Hermione heard Draco think, which only turned her on more.

Draco then inserted two fingers inside her causing her to moan a lot louder than she intended too.

That's right moan loud for me Hermione.

No this was not the way that it was suppose to go. I was the one suppose to be on top of things. Hermione thought as she suddenly pushed Draco's hand aside and rolled him over on his back and she rolled on top straddling him.

Woah, this is getting good. She heard Draco think.

Hermione suddenly grabbed her wand and said an incantation, which Draco recognized as a birth control spell.

Good thinking, I don't want any kids with you yet either. However, as soon as he thought this he wished he hadn't.

Hermione's eyes widened at his last thought, but chose not to say anything. Because at that exact moment she was thinking that she didn't want to have kids with him yet either.

Instead Hermione began to un zip Draco's jeans and as soon as she accomplished this, she took him out and wrapped one of her hands around him causing him to moan allowed as well as in his thoughts.

Then Hermione brought herself to him and came down on him causing them both to moan.

As Hermione moved on top of Draco she heard him think…God she is good, where did she learn to do that humm I think I am going to have to read those sex books she read after all.

Hermione suppressed a giggle and brought her lips down to his as they continued to make love more passionately then the last time, until they both reached their climaxes and then they both pulled out panting only for a few moments before they pulled each back into another warm, long, kiss.

THE END

A/N Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to review!I have to say I was so bummed when this story got erased, but it was fun rereading and re-posting it. I hope you guys enjoyed the story! Please review and let me know what you guys thought!