Disclaimer: I don't own it, JKR does.
A/N: Let's just get to the story.
Chapter 31
Hermione's POV
My breath caught in my throat, and I hoped against hope that Harry and Ron hadn't heard what Tim had just let slip. But when everyone sharply turned their heads and looked at me, I knew they hadn't missed it.
The only expression on any of their faces was confusion, at first. "Hermione? What's he talking about?" Ron asked.
Lavender smiled slyly. "Mione, did you go meeting a guy on the beach today?"
"No," Tim broke in. "It sure wasn't someone she just met today!" 'Couldn't he just take a hint and shut the hell up??' I wanted nothing more than to punch his face in at that moment.
All four of them now had their gazes glued to me, and I could feel the color rising in my cheeks, both of embarrassment and anger. "Mione?" Harry asked, somewhat nervously. "Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" I didn't answer, so he pressed on. "Who is it?"
My brain was frozen. 'Oh no, what do I do? If they found out, and it somehow got back to Draco's father...' Seeing no response coming anytime soon from me, they turned to Tim. "What did he look like?" Ron inquired. This got caught my attention, and I snapped my head up again to stare at Tim with wide eyes, trying to send him a signal to stop talking.
Obviously, Tim was much denser than I'd thought. "He was a tall guy, really light blond hair, gray eyes, really pale. I was talking to Hermione, and I guess I didn't know she was with someone, and he came up and kissed her." Tim seemed to notice that all my friends were now ignoring him and their full attention was on me once again.
"Hermione." I could tell that Ron was trying to remain calm, and he even spoke in an almost pleasant tone, but his face was flaming red. "Who is he talking about?" I looked up and met Ron's eyes for a moment, then broke my gaze away.
Ginny's eyes were wide. "It can't be... Mione... is he talking about... MALFOY?"
I didn't know what to do. I kept my eyes fixed on the ground, pretending to study the cobblestone floor. 'What am I supposed to say?' I thought frantically. 'Do I lie, and deny it? Do I spill the whole thing, tell them everything?'
Unable to decide, I did the only thing I could think of. "I-I'm sorry, I have to go," I stammered quickly. I hurried across the lobby and took the stairs back up to my room.
I practically ran down the hall, and opened my door using the key I had thoughtfully brought along. I stepped inside and gently turned and shut the door, and locked it. Turning around, I closed my eyes and sagged against the back of the door.
At first I hadn't thought anyone was there, but Draco's voice broke into my thoughts. "Mione, is that you?"
"Yeah." My voice cracked, and Draco caught it.
He rose from his spot on the couch and came over to me, concern etched across his features. "Hermione? What's wrong?"
I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, and he pulled me into a hug before guiding me over to sit down while I spilled the whole story of what happened a few moments earlier with Tim and my friends.
I blinked back the unwanted tears as I finished talking. "They know, Draco, I'm sure they do." He pulled me closer to him, and I rested my head on his shoulder. "What do I tell them? What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," he sighed. "You said yourself they already know, so I guess we can't hide it. You should tell them, come clean, and explain why it's so important that they don't tell anybody."
"I'm scared, Draco. What if they hate me?"
"They won't. And if they do, they shouldn't be able to call themselves your friends anyway." With that, he kissed my forehead and shifted so he was looking me in the eye. "Do you want me to stay here?"
"No," I decided. "I can do it."
"I know you can."
I took a long, hot shower before I was going to go talk to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lavender. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a white spaghetti strap, and was brushing my dried hair when a knock came on the door. Hannah and Terry had come back earlier and told us that they were going to be out a little longer, wading in the ocean, and Draco had left after I got out of the shower and told me he would be back in an hour and a half.
I put down the brush and slowly went to open the door, revealing Lavender and Ginny in the hallway. I had gone over what I would say at least a thousand times in my head, but I was so nervous. I gave them a small smile and opened the door wider for them to come in, and I sat in the armchair, facing them, while they took a seat on the couch.
I took a deep breath and began my little speech I had planned. "Okay, let me just start off by saying-" I was unexpectedly cut off by Lavender.
"No, Hermione. There's no need." My heart skipped a beat and I thought that they were going to disown me as a friend right then and there, but she continued. "We've thought about it," she said, indicating herself and Ginny, "and we want you to have whatever makes you happy. If that happens to be Malfoy, then it's okay by us."
I could hardly believe my ears, but Ginny was continuing. "Yeah, Mione. I'm sorry about before, I was just sort of shocked, you know? It would be like if you found out I was dating Crabbe or Goyle or someone." She gave a little laugh. "But I think it's great that you found someone you obviously really like, and if you're happy, we're happy."
Tears were welling up in my eyes for the second time that day, but these were tears of joy. "Oh, you guys, thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." I hugged each of them, and managed to hold in my tears. I smiled.
I didn't really want to know the answer, but I had to ask anyway. "What about Harry and Ron?"
Ginny and Lavender looked at each other nervously. "Well, they... they don't quite understand." I tried not to be too crestfallen. I knew it was too good to be true that everyone could just get along and be fine with it. I would talk to Harry and Ron later, I decided.
"Guys, listen," I said, bringing up the next point. "You can't tell anyone about me and Draco, alright?"
They looked slightly confused. "Why not?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Well, I'm a Mudblood, that's why." It was obviously still not making sense to them. I sighed. "Draco's fine with my background, and he loves me even though I'm not a pureblood, but if his father ever found out that his son was dating a Muggle-born, he would flip." I purposely left out all the letters Draco had received, and how he was supposed to be Voldemort's heir. "He would probably kill me, and disown Draco if not kill him also."
Their eyes widened, and I knew I'd gotten my point across. "Okay, Mione," Lavender agreed. "We won't tell anyone. Promise."
"Yeah, I promise too," Ginny added.
They got up to leave, and I gave them one last hug before they left for their own rooms. "Thanks, you guys. It means so much to me to know that you're okay with this. It's so awesome not to have to hide it from you anymore."
A/N: Okay, so that was a lame ending, I just wanted to get this posted because I know I left it at a little bit of a cliffhanger last chapter, so be grateful. : D
GUYS!!!! WHAT'S UP???? I HAVE BEEN GETTING LIKE NO REVIEWS LATELY!!!! I need some more reviews, people, or I'll stop posting if I think no one's reading this, so please drop me some reviews on your way out!! Thanx.
A/N: Let's just get to the story.
Chapter 31
Hermione's POV
My breath caught in my throat, and I hoped against hope that Harry and Ron hadn't heard what Tim had just let slip. But when everyone sharply turned their heads and looked at me, I knew they hadn't missed it.
The only expression on any of their faces was confusion, at first. "Hermione? What's he talking about?" Ron asked.
Lavender smiled slyly. "Mione, did you go meeting a guy on the beach today?"
"No," Tim broke in. "It sure wasn't someone she just met today!" 'Couldn't he just take a hint and shut the hell up??' I wanted nothing more than to punch his face in at that moment.
All four of them now had their gazes glued to me, and I could feel the color rising in my cheeks, both of embarrassment and anger. "Mione?" Harry asked, somewhat nervously. "Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" I didn't answer, so he pressed on. "Who is it?"
My brain was frozen. 'Oh no, what do I do? If they found out, and it somehow got back to Draco's father...' Seeing no response coming anytime soon from me, they turned to Tim. "What did he look like?" Ron inquired. This got caught my attention, and I snapped my head up again to stare at Tim with wide eyes, trying to send him a signal to stop talking.
Obviously, Tim was much denser than I'd thought. "He was a tall guy, really light blond hair, gray eyes, really pale. I was talking to Hermione, and I guess I didn't know she was with someone, and he came up and kissed her." Tim seemed to notice that all my friends were now ignoring him and their full attention was on me once again.
"Hermione." I could tell that Ron was trying to remain calm, and he even spoke in an almost pleasant tone, but his face was flaming red. "Who is he talking about?" I looked up and met Ron's eyes for a moment, then broke my gaze away.
Ginny's eyes were wide. "It can't be... Mione... is he talking about... MALFOY?"
I didn't know what to do. I kept my eyes fixed on the ground, pretending to study the cobblestone floor. 'What am I supposed to say?' I thought frantically. 'Do I lie, and deny it? Do I spill the whole thing, tell them everything?'
Unable to decide, I did the only thing I could think of. "I-I'm sorry, I have to go," I stammered quickly. I hurried across the lobby and took the stairs back up to my room.
I practically ran down the hall, and opened my door using the key I had thoughtfully brought along. I stepped inside and gently turned and shut the door, and locked it. Turning around, I closed my eyes and sagged against the back of the door.
At first I hadn't thought anyone was there, but Draco's voice broke into my thoughts. "Mione, is that you?"
"Yeah." My voice cracked, and Draco caught it.
He rose from his spot on the couch and came over to me, concern etched across his features. "Hermione? What's wrong?"
I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, and he pulled me into a hug before guiding me over to sit down while I spilled the whole story of what happened a few moments earlier with Tim and my friends.
I blinked back the unwanted tears as I finished talking. "They know, Draco, I'm sure they do." He pulled me closer to him, and I rested my head on his shoulder. "What do I tell them? What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," he sighed. "You said yourself they already know, so I guess we can't hide it. You should tell them, come clean, and explain why it's so important that they don't tell anybody."
"I'm scared, Draco. What if they hate me?"
"They won't. And if they do, they shouldn't be able to call themselves your friends anyway." With that, he kissed my forehead and shifted so he was looking me in the eye. "Do you want me to stay here?"
"No," I decided. "I can do it."
"I know you can."
I took a long, hot shower before I was going to go talk to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lavender. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a white spaghetti strap, and was brushing my dried hair when a knock came on the door. Hannah and Terry had come back earlier and told us that they were going to be out a little longer, wading in the ocean, and Draco had left after I got out of the shower and told me he would be back in an hour and a half.
I put down the brush and slowly went to open the door, revealing Lavender and Ginny in the hallway. I had gone over what I would say at least a thousand times in my head, but I was so nervous. I gave them a small smile and opened the door wider for them to come in, and I sat in the armchair, facing them, while they took a seat on the couch.
I took a deep breath and began my little speech I had planned. "Okay, let me just start off by saying-" I was unexpectedly cut off by Lavender.
"No, Hermione. There's no need." My heart skipped a beat and I thought that they were going to disown me as a friend right then and there, but she continued. "We've thought about it," she said, indicating herself and Ginny, "and we want you to have whatever makes you happy. If that happens to be Malfoy, then it's okay by us."
I could hardly believe my ears, but Ginny was continuing. "Yeah, Mione. I'm sorry about before, I was just sort of shocked, you know? It would be like if you found out I was dating Crabbe or Goyle or someone." She gave a little laugh. "But I think it's great that you found someone you obviously really like, and if you're happy, we're happy."
Tears were welling up in my eyes for the second time that day, but these were tears of joy. "Oh, you guys, thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." I hugged each of them, and managed to hold in my tears. I smiled.
I didn't really want to know the answer, but I had to ask anyway. "What about Harry and Ron?"
Ginny and Lavender looked at each other nervously. "Well, they... they don't quite understand." I tried not to be too crestfallen. I knew it was too good to be true that everyone could just get along and be fine with it. I would talk to Harry and Ron later, I decided.
"Guys, listen," I said, bringing up the next point. "You can't tell anyone about me and Draco, alright?"
They looked slightly confused. "Why not?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Well, I'm a Mudblood, that's why." It was obviously still not making sense to them. I sighed. "Draco's fine with my background, and he loves me even though I'm not a pureblood, but if his father ever found out that his son was dating a Muggle-born, he would flip." I purposely left out all the letters Draco had received, and how he was supposed to be Voldemort's heir. "He would probably kill me, and disown Draco if not kill him also."
Their eyes widened, and I knew I'd gotten my point across. "Okay, Mione," Lavender agreed. "We won't tell anyone. Promise."
"Yeah, I promise too," Ginny added.
They got up to leave, and I gave them one last hug before they left for their own rooms. "Thanks, you guys. It means so much to me to know that you're okay with this. It's so awesome not to have to hide it from you anymore."
A/N: Okay, so that was a lame ending, I just wanted to get this posted because I know I left it at a little bit of a cliffhanger last chapter, so be grateful. : D
GUYS!!!! WHAT'S UP???? I HAVE BEEN GETTING LIKE NO REVIEWS LATELY!!!! I need some more reviews, people, or I'll stop posting if I think no one's reading this, so please drop me some reviews on your way out!! Thanx.