Yeah, that's right. I'm on a roll...

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Hermione swallowed, anger flaring within her. Great, this was exactly what she needed. She couldn't even give Zabini a plausible explanation aside from the one he had already concocted. It's not like she could tell him the truth. Hermione huffed.

"Zabini, you cannot say anything-"

"I wonder how our new teacher would feel about this," he wondered, stroking his chin.

Hermione's heart froze within her chest as her eyes widened. He wouldn't! He stared at her for a while before shrugging with a small smile.

"Alright, I cave. I won't say anything," he sweetly said.

Hermione's jaw clenched. He wanted something.

"What do you want," she whispered.

"I knew you were smart enough to realize that this must come with a price."


"No. No! Absolutely not," she hissed as she stood up.

She looked down at him, eyes wide, and heart going a mile a minute. Zabini sighed in frustration as he rested his arms on his bent knees, looking up at her with a blank expression. It was as if he had expected this sort of reaction from her. Of course, how else was Hermione supposed to react? She shook her head and blinked, turning to stare out at the trees, the wind blowing her hair past her face.

They had made their way outside, forgoing dinner as Zabini made his offer. At first, Hermione had believed him to be joking. However, upon realizing that he was in fact serious, she had the utmost feeling of nausea. She pressed her hands to her back, taking deep breaths. Dear Merlin, she was going to be sick.

"Are you alright?"

The nerve of him!

"No, I am not alright!"

She turned back around to face him, eyes watering. Her fingers were practically vibrating.

"I can't do this. You can't ask this of me," she pleaded.

Zabini hurriedly stood, a desperate look in his eyes.

"I need your help, Granger," he hissed.

She looked away, pressing the palm of her hand to her forehead, blinking away the tears. Seeing a Slytherin so blatantly begging was…unsettling to say the least.

"You honestly think that I would be coming to you if I had any other choice? There is no other choice!"

Her heart constricted at the desperation within his voice. She gazed at him, conflicted. He pressed the palms of his hands together before bringing them up to tap them against his nose.

"I have thought this through in my head, Granger, a million times over. You are the only girl that this will work with," he stated.

"Th-there has to be another way," she said, voice cracking.

"There is no other way! Don't you get that," he snapped.

Hermione collapsed onto her bum, head hanging low between her bent knees. Her mind was spinning and her vision began to blur. She looked up, startled, and recoiled as Zabini knelt in front of her. His eyes held determination.

"I'm not dying, Granger. Not anytime soon, I refuse, but that is exactly what is going to happen if my mum continues to uphold this ridiculous notion of neutrality!"

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed.

"They are breathing down our necks," he whispered.

Her eyes widened as she gazed at him, catching onto who he was talking about. She gulped.

"You really think Lucius Malfoy is here solely because of Dumbledore and to keep an eye on Draco," he sneered.

She flinched at the mention of him. He shook his head, exhaling through his nose.

"No. No, he's here to see who is with them and who is not. I may be a Slytherin, but I'm not a brainwashed one. We all know who the winning side is," he whispered that last part.

Hermione looked down, licking her lips before glancing up at him.

"This is the only way that my mum will…," he trailed off.

"What makes you think we can even pull this off?"

She wasn't saying yes…at least not yet.

"We have to try."

"Just what am I supposed to say to Ron? You know, my boyfriend," she questioned.

Zabini scoffed before standing.

"Break it off! This is way more important than some silly, fickle romance. Besides, you're already sneaking around with one Slytherin. By the way, you two are going to need to be a lot more discreet about that from now on," he said, that last sentence coming out matter-of-factly.

Hermione huffed, desperately wanting to tell him that she and Draco were not involved, but she couldn't. She slowly stood…

"I didn't agree to this," she slowly said.

"Yet. She's going to need a valid enough reason as to why she should join the Light. Her only son joining the light because of his relationship with Hermione Granger will be all the reason she needs. Besides, this will make it easier for the Order to trust me. If I have your approval, your recommendation, they'll at least give me and my mum a chance," he explained.

She sighed and raked her hands down her face. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't exactly argue with that. She knew as well as he that the Order would be more than reluctant to trust him.

"You don't think that your mum will have a problem with my…lineage," she questioned.

Zabini rolled his eyes.

"She could give a rat's ass about that. You're attractive enough, intelligent, and…well, Hermione freaking Granger. I think it's safe to say that she'll be just a bit thrilled. Although…"

He curiously tilted his head at her.

"How much money does your family have," he offhandedly questioned.

"None of your business! Zabini, what happens after all of this is over? We get married?"

He shook his head.

"No, it'll all be over. Our job will be done and the two of us will 'grow apart'. We'll part ways as unlikely friends and go on with the rest of our lives," he said.

Hermione pursed her lips. It seemed that he had thought of everything.

"Well, what do I say to Draco? My apparent secret boyfriend?"

Due to the odd camaraderie that had been struck between the two of them and due to the event that'd happened that had resulted in said camaraderie, Draco was going to want to know what the hell was going on. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him, but he was definitely going to ask.

"Just tell him that the two of us are just spending time together. The only one who needs to know how 'serious' we are is my mum," he answered.

"Why not the truth," she asked.

Zabini shook his head, almost frantically.

"No, absolutely not. I don't trust him not to spill. We all know whose side he's on," he said, a strange look in his eyes.

"No, we don't," she defended.

"I do," Zabini said, causing her eyes to widen.

Zabini sighed.

"Look, I've said too much already. I know that this isn't how I should have gone about this, but…I need your help. It's a yes or no, Granger. Are you in or not?"


"Hermione if this is about how I reacted-"

"Ron, it isn't about that. Feelings change and I'm sorry that you had to get hurt, but I can't help how I feel," she lied.

She looked away at the crushed look on his face. They had been at this for about fifteen minutes now, Ron desperately trying to find the problem, trying to find a way to resolve this. She absolutely hated herself for what she was doing, but Zabini had been right. Sacrifices were going to be made during this war and she guessed that this would be one of her firsts. She pulled away as Ron reached for her hand. He frowned.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry about how I reacted. Honest, I don't know what that was. The oddest feeling came over me and suddenly I was just so angry with you. I'd never intentionally hurt you," he said.

Hermione closed her eyes, swallowing as he stepped towards her.

"Please-"

"You were right," she rushed out, practically screamed.

There was a tense pause.

"What…?"

She forced herself to open her eyes. Ron was gazing at her with a confused frown, blinking as he processed her words. Hermione wrung her hands. She hated this, but this was the only way he'd let it go.

"There…there is someone else," she lied, remembering Zabini's words.

"Tell him that it happened before summer. Tell him how awful this has made you feel."

"It happened during school last year. We both fought it, trying to forget because it would just be too…hard. I really do like you and I thought that I could move on, maybe even fall in love with you, but…it's not fair to you."

Ron's face was a horrifying mixture of disbelief, confusion, and heartbreak.

"Was…was this happening while we were-"

"No! No, of course not. Nothing is even really going on now. I just thought that I was over him, but ever since we came back, I see him all the time and it feels like 5th year all over again," she lied.

Ron leaned his back against the wall, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Are you happy? Does he make you happy," Ron quietly asked.

"He…did. I'd like to think that he still can," she answered with a grimace.

Gosh, maybe she should just leave Hogwarts and become an actress. She shook her head at her inappropriate joke. Ron stared at her dejectedly with a nod.

"Ron, I'm really sorry. I've felt so awful about this, but I couldn't lie anymore, to me or you."

How ironic, she thought.

"Who is he? If you don't mind me asking…"

"I um…I can't say yet," she said.

Ron suddenly straightened up with a frown, staring at her with an odd expression.

"What did you mean when you said that it would have been too hard for the two of you," he slowly asked.

Hermione felt her face flush as it was obvious that Ron was starting to put two and two together. Maybe Ron deserved more credit than they gave him.

"Ron-"

"Why can't you tell me his name," he demanded, eyes hardening.

She swallowed.

"Is he a Slytherin," he hissed out.

"That's not-"

"Merlin! Are you kidding me? Bloody hell, Hermione! Have you completely lost all sense," he questioned.

"Ron, you don't understand. It's really complicated," she said.

He huffed, glaring at her.

"Do you trust him," he demanded.

Did Hermione trust Zabini? Not fully. She trusted him to keep up this scheme to save his own ass…as well as his mum's, she supposed. Still, she didn't know much about Zabini aside from his lineage, his mother's reputation, and the fact that he mostly kept to himself. He had never been one to taunt her or her friends, so she guessed that counted for something. However, it wasn't like he exactly stood up for them either. It was obvious that Blaise Zabini was a young man who was all about himself first and foremost. That could pose a problem.

"Yes," she lied.

Ron fumed, but kept his opinions to himself.

"I hope you know what you're doing. Oh, and you're going to be the one to tell Harry, not me," he said as he walked past her.

"Ron," she called, halting him.

She walked towards him.

"I really am sorry and thank you for being so…uncharacteristically understanding," she said.

He frowned.

"I like you, Hermione. I like you a lot and maybe this is what I get for waiting so long to realize that. I just want you to be happy…and safe," he emphasized with narrowed eyes before walking away.


"Are you sure that you're okay? You still seem so jumpy," Ginny said as she caught up with her after class.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't fully recovered yet," Hermione answered as shrunk away from the students in the crowded corridor.

Her skin was crawling…again.

"Do you need to go to the-"

"No, no, its fine, Ginny."

Ginny sighed in relief.

"Good. You know, when Dumbledore told us that you had gone home, we knew it had to be bad. You'd never miss class, let alone leave Hogwarts."

Hermione grimaced at the lie she had forced Draco to feed their Headmaster. She was lucky that Professor Dumbledore was so understanding, any other head of school would have reprimanded her for "leaving" like that without the proper permission. They would have been demanding an explanation. She didn't enjoy using her favorable status with the Headmaster to her advantage, but she'd had no other choice.

"It's just…I've had this type of flu before. It takes a while to recover from and I knew that my mum could best care for me. I wanted to be back in class as soon as possible," she explained.

Ginny chuckled.

"Typical Hermione. Practically on your death bed and school is still top priority," Ginny joked.

Hermione glanced up and immediately looked away as she made eye contact with a certain Slytherin. They had both agreed that this whole thing should have a slow start, lest people get suspicious. She was all for that and had told him so, stating that she would need time before she was ready to…publically participate in this. Hermione distractedly nodded as Ginny continued to talk. Apparently, she and Harry had had some sort of spat or another.

Zabini breezed past her, eyes connecting with hers as he did so. She was startled when his hand collided with hers, even more so when she felt a small piece of paper being forced into her fingers. She looked down in confusion as she and Ginny continued to walk, as if the exchange had never happened. She glanced over her shoulder only to make eye contact with Lucius Malfoy as he stood at the other end of the corridor, discussing something with Professor Snape. She immediately turned back around, eyes wide as her skin prickled. Had he seen that? She shoved the tiny slip of paper in her pocket, making note to discuss this with Zabini later.


Hermione was practically sick with worry and fear as she walked along the dark corridors. The castle was quiet, her footsteps echoing throughout the corridor as she shined her wand. She thought that her last time patrolling was bad? She scoffed. After the…the incident, she was beyond paranoid anytime she found herself alone. Of course, she had no reason to be, right? Malfoy had "put her in her place". He was done with her. There would be no reason as to why he would come after her again, lest he liked filth. She sneered and shook her head, forcing the memories back.

Either way, she vowed not to be caught off guard again. She heaved a sigh as she fingered the piece of paper in her pocket. Somehow Zabini had gotten a look at the patrolling schedule, she didn't even ask. He knew that she would be patrolling tonight and had instructed her to meet him up on the fifth floor. She climbed the stairs two at a time, thinking back to earlier. She was sure that Mr. Malfoy hadn't seen the exchange…right?

"I was beginning to think that you had bailed."

She almost jumped a foot in the air as his voice came from within the darkness. She shined her wand, the tip pointed right at his face.

"I think you are forgetting that this isn't just a meeting. I did have to do the rounds, you know."

She glanced around, about ready to jump out of her skin. She didn't know Zabini all that well and she wasn't too comfortable being alone in the dark with him. He just needs your help, Hermione. It's okay… Hermione took a deep breath.

"Did you do it?"

"Yes," she answered.

"How did he take it," he asked.

Hermione was surprised at the slight concern she thought she heard in his voice. She shook her head, maybe it was just curiosity.

"Surprisingly well. However, I did hit a bit of a snag when he figured out that mystery boy was a Slytherin. He's demanding that I be the one to tell Harry," she answered.

Zabini nodded.

"It's better than what was expected. We need to figure out how we're going to go about this. We can't just jump right in," he said.

"We could start with…classwork," she suggested.

Zabini looked at her in exasperation.

"Classwork? Really, Granger?"

"I'm saying…you can publically ask for my notes or tutoring or something. People will take notice, but it's subtle enough to not raise questions immediately. After that we just gradually start spending more time together…maybe even be seen walking into the Great Hall together sometimes," she explained.

He nodded, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, yeah and when people ask we'll keep insisting that we're friends," he added.

Hermione frowned in confusion.

"How will that help? Won't that do the exact opposite," she questioned.

He chuckled.

"I'm sure that you are familiar with the Hogwarts gossip mill. Believe me, the more we keep denying it, the more people will talk," he said.

"Huh. That's actually kind of brilliant."

Zabini rolled his eyes. Hermione suddenly straightened.

"Hey…when you slipped me the note…our new teacher may have seen," she said.

Zabini's eyes widened.

"What? Are you sure?"

"I don't know. When I turned around he was staring at me. There's a possibility that he may have seen our little exchange-"

"Let's hope not! I need the Order's protection, Granger and with a Death Eater inside the school, I need it sooner rather than later."

"I know. Calm down…this will work," she reassured.

"It has to. I'm out of options," he said.

"What's going on here?"

They both turned around as a wand approached them. Hermione's eyes widened, heart stopping in her chest as she saw familiar blond hair, immediately assuming the worst. She sighed in relief and her shoulders relaxed as a much younger Malfoy came into view.

"I-"

"I was out. No need to call for backup, Draco, Hermione here already reprimanded me," Zabini said with a small smirk.

Hermione looked at him in question, realizing that he'd used her first name. She noticed that Draco noticed this as well as his eyes darted between the two, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll be on my way now. I promise to stay out of trouble," he said, patting her arm as he left the two of them in the darkness.

Hermione rolled her shoulders. She had tenses again as soon as Zabini had touched her. She looked up at Draco as he gazed at her in confusion. She had completely forgotten that he was patrolling tonight as well.

"Hermione…what was that about?"

"I found him wandering the halls. I suspect that he had a late night tryst planned. I suppose that I just ruined what would have been a very…pleasant night for him," she lied with a shrug.

Draco nodded, discreetly raking his eyes over her.

"You're alright, though? He didn't do anything," he questioned.

She shook her head.

"No, no. I'm alright. We should get going, finish these rounds," she said as she walked past him, leaving him there to gaze at her with a frown.


Hermione and Blaise scheming it up. Bet you didn't see that coming. I apologize for the lack of Dramione interaction, guys. As always don't forget to review and tell me what you think.