Chapter Seven- To Tell or Not To Tell?
And so the days continued. Ginny kept Hermione and Draco's secret, but reminded Hermione often to tell Ron and Harry herself.
"Hermione, I'm tired of reminding you, and Harry and Ron know something is up!" whispered Ginny anxiously at breakfast one morning in mid- September. Harry and Ron were at the other end of the table, reading the latest "Crazy Quidditch" magazine with Neville, Seamus, and Dean. "I mean, you've been sneaking around, lying, and you've only visited us twice in the evenings. I know the reason, but they're getting concerned. I've even had to lie to them so they wouldn't catch you in one of your lies!"
Hermione could see Ginny was truly upset.
"I know, Ginny, and I'm going to tell them, but Draco isn't ready to be even civilized to them yet," said Hermione.
"Like Ron and Harry would be civilized to Draco? They don't have to see each other, they just have to know that you and Draco are together. Today is September 17th, right? So I'll give you until October 1st to tell them. If you don't tell them by then, I will, and they will be twice as mad if they hear it from me."
Ginny picked up her books.
"October 1st," she warned, and quickly walked out of Great Hall.
Hermione groaned. "October 1st?" she thought. "I better tell Draco to pick up the pace on his tolerating."
There were still at least fifteen minutes left to eat breakfast, but Hermione pushed away her plate of toast and eggs and stood up. She gathered her books and walked toward Ron and Harry.
"I have to go to the library to start a project with Malfoy for Dumbledore," said Hermione, making a disgusted face. "I'll see you two in Herbology, all right?"
"See you there," said Harry.
"Bye," answered Ron.
"And another lie slips out," thought Hermione sarcastically.
Hermione and Draco had developed a rather simple code for the times when they needed to see each other privately but were in public. They would walk up to each other, acting as contemptuous as ever, and say they needed to talk about some private Head Boy/Head Girl business. They had successfully used the code twice already, but it was still hard for both of them to even talk to each other in public while receiving hateful glares from the rival house.
That was exactly the part Hermione hated. She took a deep breath and walked towards the Slytherin table, aware that heads were turning to watch her. As she got closer to the Slytherin table, she saw Pansy Parkinson sitting right next to Draco, cooing over him. Hermione's heart flared with jealousy, and she marched over to the pair.
"Malfoy!" she barked, and then realized how loud her voice was. She glanced guiltily around the room, then focused her attention back on Draco.
"We have to start that project for Dumbledore," she said, realizing that every Slytherin was glowering at her.
Draco sighed, feigning extreme irritation. "Fine, Granger, let's get started." He stood up and began to gather his books, but was stopped by Pansy's arms thrown around his waist.
"Oh, don't go, Draco! She's just a nasty Gryffindor. Don't you want to stay here with me?" Pansy pleaded, her voice sicky-sweet, as she squeezed the breath out of Draco.
Draco tried to wrench Pansy's arms off him. "Get off, Pansy!" he managed to gasp out. She finally let go, and Draco jumped out of her reach. Hermione had already begun to leave, and Draco quickly followed her.
Pansy sniffed as if she had been crying. "Bye, Draco!" she called pitifully.
Draco ignored her. "That girl!" he thought, annoyed. "I wouldn't be surprised if my ribs were bruised."
Although the hall outside was empty and Hermione and Draco were well out of sight of Great Hall, Hermione had not slowed or even waited for Draco to catch up.
"Not that this is a bad view. . ." Draco's mind wandered as he watched Hermione walk ahead of him. "But she seems really mad." He quickly snapped back to his senses.
"Hermione, wait up!" he called.
Hermione stopped, but still didn't face him.
"Come on, Hermione, what's wrong?" Draco asked as he came up beside her and slipped his arm around her waist.
"It's just that Pansy!" cried Hermione, turning to face him. "She's all over you, all the time!"
Draco almost smiled. "She's jealous!" he thought excitedly. But he quickly cleared his throat and said, "You know I can't stand her, she bothers me just as much as she bothers you."
"That's true, she does annoy me," Hermione said grudgingly.
"But what about Potter and Weasley? You spend a lot of time with them," Draco said, an unconscious hint of his own jealousy in his voice.
"Apparently not enough," Hermione muttered darkly.
"What's that?" Draco asked.
Hermione sighed. "Ginny said that if I don't tell Harry and Ron about us by October 1st, she will, and-"
"Whoa, wait a minute, back up. Ginny knows about us?!"
Hermione winced, realizing her mistake. "Yes, I told her a long time ago. . ."
Now it was Draco who was muttering darkly.
"Well I'm sorry Draco, but I couldn't just keep the good news to myself!" Hermione cried.
Draco looked over at her, trying to still be mad, but ended up laughing instead.
"I think you just complimented me in an indirect way," he said, taking Hermione's hand as they continued to walk down the hall.
"So you're not mad?" Hermione asked timidly.
Draco smiled at her. "No, I'm not, as long as she doesn't tell anyone else."
Hermione sighed with relief. "Good, because she hasn't. But she is going to tell Ron and Harry about us if I don't by October 1st."
Draco looked at Hermione and saw how torn she was.
"So you want to keep your friends," he said, almost bitterly. It was a statement, not a question.
"But I want to keep you, too!" Hermione quickly added, desperate for him to understand.
"Hermione, you know there's no way they're going to accept me," Draco said.
"But if you came with me when I told them and they saw how you've changed. . ."
"There is no way in hell me, Malfoy, Slytherin, is going to show my 'soft side' to Potter and Weasley, Gryffindors, my sworn enemies. I've changed since we've been together, Hermione, we both know that, and apparently Ginny knows too. But it's only been three weeks; you can't expect me to change completely."
Hermione looked down at the floor. "You're right, Draco. I'm sorry. I can't expect Harry and Ron to change so quickly either. But I do have to tell them, because if they hear it from Ginny they'll be even more mad."
"Do you think they'll tell anyone else?" Draco asked.
"Don't worry Malfoy," a sharp voice cut in.
Hermione and Draco spun around to see Ron and Harry glaring at them both.
"We won't tell anybody," Harry added coldly.
And so the days continued. Ginny kept Hermione and Draco's secret, but reminded Hermione often to tell Ron and Harry herself.
"Hermione, I'm tired of reminding you, and Harry and Ron know something is up!" whispered Ginny anxiously at breakfast one morning in mid- September. Harry and Ron were at the other end of the table, reading the latest "Crazy Quidditch" magazine with Neville, Seamus, and Dean. "I mean, you've been sneaking around, lying, and you've only visited us twice in the evenings. I know the reason, but they're getting concerned. I've even had to lie to them so they wouldn't catch you in one of your lies!"
Hermione could see Ginny was truly upset.
"I know, Ginny, and I'm going to tell them, but Draco isn't ready to be even civilized to them yet," said Hermione.
"Like Ron and Harry would be civilized to Draco? They don't have to see each other, they just have to know that you and Draco are together. Today is September 17th, right? So I'll give you until October 1st to tell them. If you don't tell them by then, I will, and they will be twice as mad if they hear it from me."
Ginny picked up her books.
"October 1st," she warned, and quickly walked out of Great Hall.
Hermione groaned. "October 1st?" she thought. "I better tell Draco to pick up the pace on his tolerating."
There were still at least fifteen minutes left to eat breakfast, but Hermione pushed away her plate of toast and eggs and stood up. She gathered her books and walked toward Ron and Harry.
"I have to go to the library to start a project with Malfoy for Dumbledore," said Hermione, making a disgusted face. "I'll see you two in Herbology, all right?"
"See you there," said Harry.
"Bye," answered Ron.
"And another lie slips out," thought Hermione sarcastically.
Hermione and Draco had developed a rather simple code for the times when they needed to see each other privately but were in public. They would walk up to each other, acting as contemptuous as ever, and say they needed to talk about some private Head Boy/Head Girl business. They had successfully used the code twice already, but it was still hard for both of them to even talk to each other in public while receiving hateful glares from the rival house.
That was exactly the part Hermione hated. She took a deep breath and walked towards the Slytherin table, aware that heads were turning to watch her. As she got closer to the Slytherin table, she saw Pansy Parkinson sitting right next to Draco, cooing over him. Hermione's heart flared with jealousy, and she marched over to the pair.
"Malfoy!" she barked, and then realized how loud her voice was. She glanced guiltily around the room, then focused her attention back on Draco.
"We have to start that project for Dumbledore," she said, realizing that every Slytherin was glowering at her.
Draco sighed, feigning extreme irritation. "Fine, Granger, let's get started." He stood up and began to gather his books, but was stopped by Pansy's arms thrown around his waist.
"Oh, don't go, Draco! She's just a nasty Gryffindor. Don't you want to stay here with me?" Pansy pleaded, her voice sicky-sweet, as she squeezed the breath out of Draco.
Draco tried to wrench Pansy's arms off him. "Get off, Pansy!" he managed to gasp out. She finally let go, and Draco jumped out of her reach. Hermione had already begun to leave, and Draco quickly followed her.
Pansy sniffed as if she had been crying. "Bye, Draco!" she called pitifully.
Draco ignored her. "That girl!" he thought, annoyed. "I wouldn't be surprised if my ribs were bruised."
Although the hall outside was empty and Hermione and Draco were well out of sight of Great Hall, Hermione had not slowed or even waited for Draco to catch up.
"Not that this is a bad view. . ." Draco's mind wandered as he watched Hermione walk ahead of him. "But she seems really mad." He quickly snapped back to his senses.
"Hermione, wait up!" he called.
Hermione stopped, but still didn't face him.
"Come on, Hermione, what's wrong?" Draco asked as he came up beside her and slipped his arm around her waist.
"It's just that Pansy!" cried Hermione, turning to face him. "She's all over you, all the time!"
Draco almost smiled. "She's jealous!" he thought excitedly. But he quickly cleared his throat and said, "You know I can't stand her, she bothers me just as much as she bothers you."
"That's true, she does annoy me," Hermione said grudgingly.
"But what about Potter and Weasley? You spend a lot of time with them," Draco said, an unconscious hint of his own jealousy in his voice.
"Apparently not enough," Hermione muttered darkly.
"What's that?" Draco asked.
Hermione sighed. "Ginny said that if I don't tell Harry and Ron about us by October 1st, she will, and-"
"Whoa, wait a minute, back up. Ginny knows about us?!"
Hermione winced, realizing her mistake. "Yes, I told her a long time ago. . ."
Now it was Draco who was muttering darkly.
"Well I'm sorry Draco, but I couldn't just keep the good news to myself!" Hermione cried.
Draco looked over at her, trying to still be mad, but ended up laughing instead.
"I think you just complimented me in an indirect way," he said, taking Hermione's hand as they continued to walk down the hall.
"So you're not mad?" Hermione asked timidly.
Draco smiled at her. "No, I'm not, as long as she doesn't tell anyone else."
Hermione sighed with relief. "Good, because she hasn't. But she is going to tell Ron and Harry about us if I don't by October 1st."
Draco looked at Hermione and saw how torn she was.
"So you want to keep your friends," he said, almost bitterly. It was a statement, not a question.
"But I want to keep you, too!" Hermione quickly added, desperate for him to understand.
"Hermione, you know there's no way they're going to accept me," Draco said.
"But if you came with me when I told them and they saw how you've changed. . ."
"There is no way in hell me, Malfoy, Slytherin, is going to show my 'soft side' to Potter and Weasley, Gryffindors, my sworn enemies. I've changed since we've been together, Hermione, we both know that, and apparently Ginny knows too. But it's only been three weeks; you can't expect me to change completely."
Hermione looked down at the floor. "You're right, Draco. I'm sorry. I can't expect Harry and Ron to change so quickly either. But I do have to tell them, because if they hear it from Ginny they'll be even more mad."
"Do you think they'll tell anyone else?" Draco asked.
"Don't worry Malfoy," a sharp voice cut in.
Hermione and Draco spun around to see Ron and Harry glaring at them both.
"We won't tell anybody," Harry added coldly.