Author's note: It may seem sort of OOC for Crabbe and Goyle to speak so… well, not exactly intelligently… normally, I guess. But I am getting tired of people labeling Slytherins as either dim-witted and ugly or hot (Draco, my love) and arrogant. And making both of them mean. So I decided to make Draco actually have a reason to hang with them, besides for their muscles. I made them… pretty good conversationalists, but only with their close friends. They do have to keep their reputation going without any suspicion that they actually have brains in there.

Also, if you dislike the way I've portrayed Ron and Harry, just remember that this is all in Draco's POV. . Poor Draco. He's having a crisis, and his self-esteem has been lowered because… Ok. I'll let you continue… Hehe. I just can't control myself sometimes.

Thankies.

Author: The*Spangled*Pandemonium

Title: The Whole Truth

Chapter Title: Homeward Bound

~~~*~~~

Draco:

Damn, this was seriously infuriating me.

Instead of busting in like I usually did, while shooting snide comments about Ron's wealth, or Harry's muggle relatives, I was crouching next to their door, with my ear firmly pressed on the wooden surface, trying my best to hear what Hermione was whispering to them. Crabbe and Goyle stood next to me, with expressions that obviously asked whether I was still sane or not.

"What the hell, Draco." Goyle said in an irritated voice, scratching his head in a way that showed that he was getting impatient and annoyed. "Can't we just go in? I mean… It's practically tradition."

"Quiet!" I hissed, watching through the corner of my eye as Crabbe groaned noisily and sat with a loud thump on a nearby seat. Goyle followed his example, making an equally loud noise as he plopped down next to his friend on the bench.

I rolled my eyes at them and focused my attention back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hearing a soft crystalline voice, I knew immediately that Hermione, my Hermione, was the one speaking…

"Haha! I can't believe Percy really thought it was Ginny who did it!" She giggled. "It was obvious that only Fred and George could thought up such an ingenious plan!"

"You should have seen them yelling at each other till Mom dragged her away," Ron said with much laughter. "I never knew Ginny had that much fight in her."

The smooth tone of Harry Potter was next. "You should have been there, Herm." He said heartily, his voice had amusement written all over it.

They all laughed loudly and I could tell that Hermione was having a perfectly good time without me butting in. The thought filled me with a jealousy that I simply could not let go of. AND I was still waiting for my name to be mentioned somewhere in there. Would that be my cue to step in? Or should I just stay out of it and leave everything to Hermione? I listened harder, watching Crabbe get out a pack of cards and play Exploding Snap with Goyle.

"Are you finished yet, Draco?" Crabbe muttered in a bored way, glancing up from his cards and shooting a curious look towards me.

"No." I mumbled tersely. "I want to know what's going on in there."

"Then hurry up and go in." Goyle said with elaborate patience. "Then we'll know exactly what's happening inside."

We went quiet then, and both Crabbe and Goyle hid their cards. Parvati and Padma Patil were coming, their cheerful banter fading as they strutted past us, their heads held high and their eyes turning on everything but us.

Once they were out of sight, my friends removed their hands from other the table and persisted playing and talking about something I didn't want to hear. I wished that they would drop it already…

"I don't think so…" Crabbe continued mildly, shuffling the deck and shooting a surprisingly astute look at me. "Something happened this summer that he doesn't want to tell us."

"Shut up, you dolt, and play your damn cards." I snapped at him.

Crabbe only pasted the "dumb" look on his face, and then laughed rather pleasantly at my words. "Ok… ok… Don't tell us if you want."

They turned away from me and looked back at their cards. Thank God. They were getting to close to the truth for me to be comfortable.

But they were still throwing each other these distrustful looks of mischievousness. I would have to watch my back.

The laughter inside their compartment seemed to have died down, and a question from Ron made my ears perk up. I could imagine the Weasel's concerned look as he questioned Hermione. "Why didn't you mail us all summer, Herm-own-ninny?" He said, copying the way Krum called her during our fourth year. "You could have stayed over again."

Knowing that Hermione had actually slept over at his house and had talked in his room made me get all jealous again.

She was part of a group that I could never hope to join. I mean, look at them.

Harry. The brave one. You can tell how noble and heroic he is just by looking at him despite those glasses. It's in the way he holds himself, the friggin asshole.

I could never hope to reach that kind of righteous fame and glory. And… it just isn't me. You know, going around, saving lives, rescuing damsels in distress and such. I'd be behind the scenes, either plotting the whole thing or being the not-really-bad-just-misunderstood foe.

Sure… I did save Hermione when she was unconscious in the train station, but it wasn't like I had anything else to do. And it was good seeing something familiar in that sea of strangers.

I wouldn't have shared the Triwizard cup with Cedric.

Then there's Ron. The loyal, funny, impoverished sidekick who has fierce pride and love for his family.

I guess I have that loyalty bit, because once a person gains my respect, they never lose it. Well, usually. But not always... Damn. I'm not loyal enough to agree to get captured and stay under water for an hour so my friend can prove just how amazing he is. Heck. I'd rather be the one doing the rescuing than the one being rescued.

Ron has an unrelenting pride for his family. I know it the best, since I often think of ways to piss him off by insulting them.

I really do care for my family, especially my father, but I cannot, and will not become a Deatheater for them. Fuck family pride if I have to become evil to prove how faithful I am to my name.

And Hermione…

I don't know what to say about her. How about smart, talented, sweet, beautiful, charming, funny and millions more?

She symbolizes everything a Gryffindor should be. And I… I was pure Slytherin.

I couldn't take it anymore. I blanked out my head and strained my ears.

"I'm sorry Ron… But it's been rather hectic..." She then became strangely silent. Very mysterious, I thought sarcastically. When would my name pop up?!

"Come on, Herm…" Harry pleaded. "We've told you all about our vacations, its your turn."

Another long period of silence.

"I was walking in the London Underground, and I slipped. Blacked out."

"Holy shit! Were you ok?!" An exclamation from Ron interrupted her.

"When I woke up… I was in a hospital room. My parents… and Draco Malfoy were there."

A deep, deep, silence.

What would Harry and Ron say?!

"Fuck." That was actually the first time I had heard the great Harry Potter swear like that. Shit.

"What the hell was that wanker doing there?" Ron sneered at her. "Did you talk to him over the summer, instead of us?" His voice had an angry, hurt tone to it.

My face burned with rage and embarrassment. I would've dearly loved to go over there and knock his head off. I simply knew it would happen this way! I just had to keep my friggin hopes up. What would Hermione say now?

"He isn't that bad you know..."

What?!

"He saw me passed out in the muggle Underground, called an ambulance, called my parents, and… that's it."

Excuse me?! Did I hear wrong? She was acting like that fucking kiss never happened! Did she suddenly regain her memory in the last 30 minutes and realize that we were nothing to each other? But she would be hexing and yelling at me if that happened!

I was even faintly insulted. "That's it?!" THAT was the way she described us together?!

I knew I should have been relieved. Then I wouldn't have to worry until quite some time that Harry and Ron would corner me without Crabbe and Goyle and strangle me. But… Still.

The last thing I heard was Hermione's composed, cool voice trying to calm down Ron's yells and Harry's sharp retorts.

The last thing I saw before it really happened was Goyle shooting a sharp look to Crabbe, and my two "faithful" friends practically leaping on top of me and opening the door to Hermione's compartment, sending all of us tumbling in.

It looked exactly like Goyle had planned. Harry and the others had supposedly caught us listening to their conversation. Just great. Traitorous bastards.

"Draco?" Hermione's voice came out softly, vaguely disorienting me. No, wait. Maybe it was because the fact that two of my extremely heavy friends had just trampled on me.

Before I could answer, Ron leaped on me, grabbing my collar and demanding an answer. "What the hell were you doing with Hermione?! Why did you even think that you could get away with this?! I know you planned it! What the hell are you trying to prove?!"

I was ready to yell back, and even use my fists if I had to, but then I caught a glimpse of Hermione's shocked, confused looking eyes. I'd have to back down on this one, dammit.

Giving Ron a little shove, and straightening out my green shirt, I said in a placid, reserved voice (unlike what I really wanted to do: smash his head in), "I freed her from a fate far worse than death" Ok. I exaggerated a bit, but I couldn't help it. "You didn't hear the whole story yet..." 

I looked at Hermione, who was gaping at Ron, still stunned.

In a dazed sort of tone, she added quietly, "I had amnesia. I didn't know who I was. I even thought Draco was my brother."

I barely contained a snicker, but then tensed up because I knew she might say that we were going out, which would basically be a death sentence to me.

"I would have eventually woken up, not knowing anything about myself. But Draco took me to the hospital and informed my parents. He didn't do anything wrong."

I turned my gray eyes onto Harry, who was still silent and looking at me with those damned luminous jade eyes.

"So you saved her, didn't you?" Instead of blowing up at me like Weasley did, he was looking at me with a strangely serene, curious way.

I looked away from him uncomfortably, and my eyes landed on my two friends, who were gawping at me. "I suppose so…" I muttered, shrugging at all of them.

Damn it to hell. What would I tell Crabbe and Goyle? Sure, they were my friends, but could I really trust them? Wasn't there a saying that "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead?" Oh no… I guess I would have to lie, you know, by saying that it was an attack against the Gryffindors, the way I first thought it was. Fuck.

I just couldn't stand it anymore. I left the room as abruptly as I came there.

Crabbe and Goyle followed me, their thunderstruck expressions not leaving even as I stomped back to our compartment. Once inside, their moods transformed into anger. I didn't even have the time to get mad at them for making us literally "fall" in to Hermione's conversation with her friends.

"What the fuck was that all about?! Did you really save that bitch?!"

Oh Christ. What would I say now?! "It's a plot." I muttered distractedly, ashamed of myself even as the words left my mouth.

"A plot?! How can it fucking be a plot?! It's obvious something happened to you while you were with her! That's why you were listening through that damn door!"

"I told you," I mumbled, "it's a plot. A scheme to humiliate Gryffindor's lioness, and as a result, shaming their house."

I then told them the stupid idea I had when I was leaving my house a day or so ago. The disgusting plan that I would play with her mind, and when she finally regained her memory, our whole house could laugh at her gullibility.

Haha. Good plan. Make the person I think I liked (loved?) seem stupid to everyone's eyes because I was too cowardly to fess up. Great. Another hideous plan from the legendary Draco Malfoy.

But what else could I do?!

Author's note: Poor Draco… Mwahaha! Oh, what ever will happen next? Wait and see, all you kind people. They're going home again, home again (jiggety jig)! Hehe. Sorry I couldn't help myself. Review… Or else.  I may keep asking myself some terrible questions: Will I put up the next chapter? Or will I not? :o) Feel free to toss out some good advice, maybe some ideas with the story plan (even though I basically got it all set up). If it's something private… Well, go to earthfrappe@hotmail.com. Ciao! ;o)