Finally revealing her true colours to the world felt so liberating for Hermione, and she was still buzzing with excitement as the group excited school and arrived back at Malfoy Manor. The second they arrived back, Voldemort barked out orders to his Death Eaters, sending them to help Narcissa deal with the students that had already arrived back. Even Beth and Severus headed off to help Narcissa deal with the students, leaving Voldemort alone with Hermione and Draco.
"You both did very well tonight," Voldemort told the pair. "As did Harry. If I hadn't know better, I would have sworn he was shocked by your departure, Hermione."
"You should know by now that he's a good actor," Hermione replied with a smirk. "We both are."
"There's no more acting needed from you," Voldemort said to his daughter. "And Harry only needs to keep up the act for a couple of days."
"Do you think he'll cope on his own?" Hermione asked with a slight frown. She had every faith in Harry being able to continent with his act, but she couldn't help but worry about the fact he was now all alone.
"He'll be fine," Voldemort said with a determined nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, I better go and make sure everything is running smoothly with the students we liberated from Hogwarts. I have to admit, more people joined us than what I thought."
"There were a few surprises," Draco agreed. He wasn't surprised by the number of Slytherins that had joined Voldemort, but he had been surprised by how many other students were willing to join forces with the dark.
"Like Ginny's friend, Luna," Hermione remarked as her father left the room, leaving her and Draco in the living room. "What was all that with Blaise? It was like he was the one behind her decision to leave."
"More than likely he was the motivation for her choice," Draco replied. "They've been hanging out together. Blaise reckons they're just friends, but I think otherwise."
"Strange pairing," Hermione muttered as she slumped down in one of the large, comfy sofas in the front room. "Granted, I don't really know Luna, but she doesn't seem like Blaise's type."
"That's what I thought, but I've been thinking about it since I found out they were friendly, and I realised Blaise had noticed her back in third year," Draco said, joining Hermione on the sofa.
"I still say they seem an odd pairing," Hermione said.
"You won't get any arguments from me on that point," Draco said with a laugh. "But they seem serious about one another, or at least I'm assuming they are considering Luna made a huge decision to follow him onto our side."
Hermione nodded, but she didn't get a chance to reply before the door to the living room opened and Draco's friends entered. Luna was also with the group, although she was standing slightly behind Blaise as if she wasn't sure what sort of reception she would receive. The Slytherins had clearly come to see Draco, but their mouths dropped open in surprise when they found him sitting next to Hermione.
"You look like a bunch of gormless apes, standing there with your mouths open," Draco remarked. "Feel free to join us when you pick your jaws up from the ground."
"Sorry," Daphne said, recovering the quickest. "We just didn't expect to see you, Hermione."
"No, we didn't," Pansy agreed. "Even though we have just seen your brother. We didn't think you would follow Snape to the dark."
"And what makes you think Severus didn't follow me?" Hermione asked with a mischievous grin.
"Did he?" Theo asked warily. While the others had perched on nearby sofas and chairs, the only place left to sit was beside Hermione, and he wasn't sure if he should sit next to her.
"No-one followed anyone," Hermione replied. "And Theo, you can sit down, I don't bite."
"Good to know," Theo said, attempting to smile at Hermione as he sat down next to her. To be honest he was still rather unsure how to react around the feisty Gryffindor, as he was very aware he'd spent the last five years insulting her, not knowing she was the sister of his head of house.
"So, do none of you guys want to go home?" Draco asked, wondering why his friends hadn't already left the manor.
"Our fathers are still helping out," Vince said, gesturing to Greg, who was sitting beside him. "So we're stuck here until they're ready to leave."
"And Narcissa said the rest of us could come and say hello before we leave," Blaise continued. "They've still got plenty of people to sort out, so we had time to come and chat for a while. And I also thought I could introduce you to Luna. I've made all the other introductions."
"It's nice to meet you, Draco," Luna said, as Blaise did exactly as he promised and introduced her to the last of his friends. "Blaise has told me so much about you."
"It's nice to meet you as well, Luna," Draco replied politely. "Although I can't say Blaise has told me a lot about you, he's kept you a secret."
"We all have secrets, Draco," Hermione chuckled. "After all, you've never introduced your friends to your girlfriend."
"Draco doesn't have a girlfriend," Pansy sneered at Hermione. "Obviously, you don't know everything, Granger."
"I know more than you, Parkinson," Hermione retorted. "And if you were smarter, you'd watch what you say around me. I'm a very dangerous person to have as an emery."
"No-one is making enemies out of anyone," Draco insisted, jumping in before the two girls came to blows. "We can all learn to get along."
"Of course we can," Daphne said with a smile. "So come on Draco, tell us about your mystery witch."
"Although we've all guessed who she is," Blaise added with a laugh.
"No we haven't," Pansy spat. "Draco does not have a girlfriend. We all know that."
"Wake up and smell the roses, Pansy," Blaise said. "It's very clear Hermione was talking about herself. She's Draco's girlfriend."
"Whoa, is that true?" Theo asked, turning to his friend. "And does that mean you knew she was Snape's sister this entire time, and you didn't warn us?"
"Yes, it's true, Hermione is my girlfriend," Draco said as he took hold of Hermione's hand. "And yes, I've known about her relationship with Severus since we were children."
"Just how long have you two known each other?" Daphne questioned.
"Forever," Hermione answered. "And I know, Draco has never mentioned me before, but that was how it had to be. My father insisted my existence was kept quiet."
"Hold on," Theo said, holding up his hand to the couple. "I thought you didn't have any contact with your father. My father told me that when everything came out about you and Snape being related, that Snape said your father had left you both and you hadn't seen him for years."
"That bit wasn't exactly true," Hermione admitted. "When we had to tell people about our connection, it took us a bit by surprise so Severus had to think on his feet. The story he told was a mixture of fact and fiction. It is true that we have the same father, but it's not true that he abandoned either of us. Father didn't know Severus was his son until Severus tracked him down and told him after he'd left Hogwarts. By then, my father had met and married my mother. I then came along, and we were one big happy family."
"So why the secrecy?" Blaise asked. "Why not just admit from the start that you and Snape were siblings, and that you're not a muggleborn."
"Because of who my father is," Hermione answered. "It wasn't safe for either me or Severus to be acknowledged at his children. But now it is, and we want to whole world to know that our father is The Dark Lord."
"Bloody hell," Theo spluttered, almost falling off the sofa in shock.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, reaching out and grabbing Theo before he went toppling off the sofa and onto the floor.
"I've been bullying the Dark Lord's daughter," Theo whispered. "I'm in so much trouble," He wailed.
"No-one is in any trouble," Hermione promised, making sure the entire group knew she was talking about them all. "Whatever you have said and done in the past, is over with. No-one is holding any grudges, especially since you didn't know who you were dealing with. We all start a fresh now, and as long as you don't insult me now, we're all good."
"Even so, we're very sorry for everything," Blaise said. "Aren't we guys?"
"Definitely," Theo agreed with a hasty nod, as everyone else, even a clearly reluctant Pansy, added their apologies. "So very sorry. I take back every bad thing I ever said about you."
"Don't worry Theo, I'm sure I deserved some of what you said," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "I can be a rather bossy, know-it-all. Can't I, Draco?"
"As if I would say that," Draco said, giving Hermione an innocent smile. "I would never say you were bossy, or a control freak, or hot tempered."
"That's enough," Hermione interrupted, giving Draco a mock glare.
"Nice to see who's in charge there, Draco," Blaise snickered.
Draco turned and gave Blaise a deadly glare, but it only caused his friend to laugh even harder at him. "Git," He muttered under his breath.
"Now, now boys, play nice," Hermione tutted, before she turned to Daphne, who'd just asked her if everyone now knew who she truly was. "Yes. After you left, Severus and I revealed everything. Now all the Order know that we're Voldemort's children."
"I wish I'd been there to see the looks on Potter and Weasley's faces when they realised what was going on," Theo chuckled.
"There faces looked something very similar to what yours did," Hermione said with a cheeky grin. "Total shock. Although no-one nearly fell off their chair."
"Only because they were stuck," Draco interjected. "If they could have moved, Dumbledore would have collapsed there and then. I think Weasley might have also fallen off his chair."
"I do wish we could have seen their reaction after we left," Hermione mused. "I bet it would have been so much fun to witness the aftermath. I guess we'll just have to settle for hearing all about it in a few days."
"How will you hear all about it?" Blaise asked with a frown.
"There's still one more surprise in store for Dumbledore," Hermione replied with a mysterious smile. "But that's all I can say on the matter."
"And I don't suppose we can persuade you to tell us more," Blaise said hopefully.
"No, I can keep a secret. I also can't be pushed into doing or saying anything I don't want to. You'll find out the full story along with everyone else in a few days, but for now the subject is closed," Hermione answered firmly.
Hermione's tone made it clear to the group that she wasn't joking, so the topic was dropped. Instead the group, minus Pansy who was sulking slightly, asked Hermione a few more questions about her life and the huge secret she'd kept for five years. However, there was only time for a few more questions before one of the Malfoys house elves arrived and told the group that Narcissa wanted them back with the others so they could go home.
"Hopefully we can hang out during the holidays," Daphne said to Hermione as they group got up to leave.
"I'd like that," Hermione replied with a smile.
Before his friends left, Draco made plans to speak to most of them as soon as possible. Hermione noticed the only one he didn't make plans to speak to was Pansy, but that was probably because she blatantly ignored Draco as she swept out of the room after Theo.
"That went well," Draco announced once the pair were once again alone.
"It did," Hermione agreed. "I think I'm going to like your Slytherin friends. Well except for Pansy, I suspect she'd going to be difficult."
"Pansy's just being Pansy," Draco replied with an unconcerned shrug. "She always sulks when things don't go her way. She didn't talk to me for over a month last year when I took Daphne to the Yule Ball instead of her. She's just annoyed that I'm now out of bounds."
"You've always been out of bounds to that girl," Hermione said with a slight snarl as she turned to face her boyfriend. "You've never done anything with her, have you?"
"Why, are you jealous?" Draco asked, smirking at Hermione as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
"Of that pug?" Hermione snorted. "I don't think so. I just want to know if you've ever kissed her, or done anything else with her."
"I swear, I have never kissed, or done anything else, with Pansy Parkinson," Draco vowed. "You're the only girl who's ever interested me. You're the only girl I've kissed, and you'll be the only girl I'll ever do anything else with."
Hermione smiled happily as she leant into Draco, her lips moving to within an inch of his. "Hmm, we might have to discuss this anything else business. I bet we can find some fun, anything else, things to do."
"I bet we can," Draco agreed with a wicked smirk, before he closed the tiny gap between their lips.
Hermione pressed herself closer to Draco as they kissed, and she moaned softly when she felt him begin to react to having her on his knee. Unfortunately, before she got a chance to explore just how she affected her boyfriend, the living room door opened again and the pair were disturbed by someone clearing their throat. When they parted and looked up, both slightly flushed, they found Beth standing in the doorway, scrutinising the pair.
"It's time we were leaving, Hermione," Beth said.
"Is Severus coming home with us?" Hermione asked as she got off Draco's lap, and bit back a laugh as her boyfriend tried to hide how aroused he had become by having her on his knee.
"Yes, Severus will be coming home with us," Beth said. "And before you ask, you can see Draco tomorrow. But for now, home."
Hermione nodded at her mother, before turning back around and giving her boyfriend a quick peck goodbye. Turning back to her mother, she found Beth watching the pair with a slight smirk on her lips.
"What?" Hermione questioned, attenuating to look innocent.
"Remind me to give you a talk about boys once everything is sorted at Hogwarts," Beth said, chuckling silently at the horrified look her daughter gave her. "It's time you learnt the facts of life, Hermione. I'm not ready to become a grandmother just yet. And don't worry Draco, I'll ask Lucius to speak with you."
Hermione and Draco shared a brief, horrified look, before Hermione was swept away by her mother. It looked like once things had been sorted with Dumbledore and Hogwarts that a sex talk was on the cards for the young couple. All they could hope was that in all the excitement that Beth forgot all about the conversation she wanted to have with her daughter, and that she would also forget to have a word with Lucius. After all, neither of the teenagers particularly wanted to discuss sex with their parents. But that was a problem for another day, right now everyone's focus was on what would be happening in a few days' time when Voldemort and his Death Eaters returned to Hogwarts for the final show down with Dumbledore.