Happy Birthday Hermione I'm Cheating on You

Three weeks later

            Hermione and Draco had created a silent pact and slowly began to become friends. Not that they would tell anyone. Each morning she would go downstairs and feed Crookshanks then go to breakfast without running into Draco as he would be already down at breakfast. They would study silently and only ask questions about homework at night. Draco was silently deciding if he was going to tell her about his past. Hermione was wondering what was going on with Ron. He never had any time for her anymore. In the year that they had been dating he was always there for her. Tomorrow was Saturday, September 21st, her 17th birthday. Would Ron remember or forget?

            "Granger, what are we going to decorate the Great Hall with for the Halloween Ball Next month?" Draco asked pulling her out of her thoughts and making her jump.

            "God, Malfoy do you mind I am trying to read! I took care of the decorations, they are sitting in my bedroom right as we speak. Now leave me alone, please?" her voice cracked slightly.

            "Her-Granger, what's wrong?" She was staring at a letter that was inside the book she borrowed from Ron. Actually it was two letters. One in Ron's writing and one in Luna's. Draco pulled the first letter out of her hand.

       Cookie,

              When are you going to tell Hermione about us? I am so sick and tired of sneaking around her back. She is my friend and I care for her. If you can't get the balls to tell her I and going to say goodbye. Now I have to go and pay attention to Professor Lupin before he catches me writing to you and reads out the letter. I wouldn't want that. Meet me at the Quidditch pitch at 3:00 P.M. tomorrow.

                           Love,

                            Luna

Then he took the other from her hand.

        My dearest Luna,

         I'll be there. I know this past year has been hard on you and me, but hang in there dearest. I plan on telling Hermione about us tomorrow. You know I love you as much as bears love honey. There I found you a nickname Honey Bear. I am your Cookie and you are my Honey Bear. Shit I have to go. I love you Honey Bear.

                        Yours forever in my heart,

                                                Cookie

       "What the hell is that? It's disgusting." Draco asked  staring at the page in front of him.

            "You are so right it is. I am sick to my stomach. All along I have been so fucking blind. So he plans on telling me tomorrow huh what is it going to be? Happy birthday Hermione… I am cheating on you? Or Hermione I'm cheating on you and forget the memories I made new ones with Luna… by the way Happy Birthday?" There was a knock at the portrait.

            "Hermione are you there? I need my book back."

            "Speak of the devil. Oh god how am I going to face him Malfoy? Here you give it to him and tell him I am not here I… I went to see Hagrid that's right Hagrid. I'll be in my room. Please Draco? Will you do that for me? Please?" the look in her eyes was probably what broke his 'tough guy' facade and his heart softened a little just for her.

            "Alright Her-Grang-Hermione, I will do it for you now get your ass up to your room and I will get you when he leaves." He said receiving the biggest shock of his life when she leaped up and kissed him on the cheek. She then ran up the stairs grabbing Crookshanks who was heading down the stairs and went to her room. The electricity he felt was phenomenal. Draco pressed a hand to his cheek and stared at the empty stairwell. There was another loud knock at the door.

            "HERMIONE ARE YOU THERE I NEED MY BOOK!" Draco quickly stuffed the letters back in the same page that Hermione had found them and laid the book on the table. He then went to the hole and opened the door.

            "What the hell do you want Weasley?" he said turning back into the guy he normally was and stared at the redheaded idiot that was in front of him.

            "Malfoy! Where's Hermione?"

            "I don't know probably visiting that oaf Hagrid. What's wrong Weasley? Lost your girlfriend?"

            "Fuck you Ferret Face."

            "Language Weasley language. I might have to give you a detention. Now what do you want?"

            "Well I wanted Hermione but as she is not here maybe you can let me in so I can get the book I lent her?"

            "Get it and then get the hell out of here." Draco said stepping aside to let Ron in. Ron grabbed the book and let out a sigh when he saw that both letters where he left them. "You are such an idiot Weasley." Draco muttered under his breath.

            "What was that Malfoy?"

            "None of your business. You have your book and your parchment now leave!" Ron stared at Malfoy and just shook his head.

            "Mental." He muttered and walked out of the common room.

            "Psychopath." Malfoy muttered running up the stairs to get Hermione.

            "D-Draco?"

            "No it's the bloody tooth fairy disguised as Draco Malfoy. " he said and she smiled.

            "Ha, ha Draco that is soo funny." He sat on the edge of the bed and Crookshanks came over to get his ears scratched. Draco complied. The cat purred.

            "So what are you do about  the two-timing ass?" looking at Hermione with the cat in his lap he sat on the end of the bed and leaned against a post.

            "Beat him at his own game."

            "What do you mean?"

            "I will be at the Quidditch Pitch at 3 on my birthday and catching my boyfriend and his little slut in the act. He doesn't know that I found the letters. Does he?"

            "Nope."

            "Good. Draco do you know what this means?"

            "No what does what mean?"

            "For the first time in the six years I have known you this is the first time we have had a decent conversation I like it. Please don't change,  I like this side of you." She said smiling at him

            "Ok let's make a deal I be nice to you and you be nice to me. However we both have our pride and that means that we don't tell anyone about it. Deal?"

            "Alright deal. You know I never did love Ron. I only went out with him because he asked me on my birthday last year. Tomorrow will be a year. And tomorrow will be the end of the relationship."

            "Really? How sad. Can I tell you something?"

            "Sure."

            "When my dad was sentenced to life in Azkaban it lifted a whole lot of stress of me and my mother. The day he was arrested I was angry at you Potter, and the Defense Association sure but I knew that from that time on life would be a lot better for me and Mums. That's what I call my mother."

            "Really so you were actually glad that we caught your father?"

            "Yeah. Can I tell you something else?"

            "Sure."

(This is where I go with the Song I love you this much [just bits and pieces of it] but  Draco will be talking.)

            "I can't remember how many times I thought does my father love me? Probably not. Was I just there for show? Probably. I really only saw him about once a year because he was off looking for Voldemort. And I mean constantly. He would show up at the oddest times and beat me but I would be blindfolded and tied up. Once he pulled me out of my bed at 1 a.m. to do that. I was five. My mother threatened to take me and leave my father if that continued. My mother was tortured for that. He died this summer Voldemort did it himself and the prison called it a suicide. Did you know that? I didn't go to the funeral and neither did my mother. After my father died the whole mansion was refurbished it's amazing. So much better. My life is so much better." Hermione stared at the new man Draco had become. Then she did something that she would never do if that conversation never happened. She leaned across the bed and kissed him. The electricity shot through her and from the looks of it him too. The cat started to purr as if to say 'you did good girl you did good.'

            "Wow! I-I mean WOW! Hermione… I … wow." Draco was pretty much speechless.

            "Gee Draco is that all you can say? Wow? What about amazing astonishing remarkable? Huh? You were pretty good yourself. Wow." They laughed.

            "Hermione? One more thing. Tell anyone about what I told you and I will have to kill you. Now kiss me again." She was only to glad to do so.

~*~

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you happy birthday dear Hermione happy birthday to you.

 How old are you now how old are you now how old are you Hermione how old are you now?

You look like a monkey and you smell like one too.

The song rang through the Great hall the next morning when Hermione and Harry walked in for breakfast. The last verse was from the Slytherin table and Hermione noted that Draco was the only one who wasn't singing it. She smiled as she thought about last night.

            "Happy seventeenth birthday Mae. What is it what's wrong?" Harry asked looking at Hermione who was on the verge of tears.

            "Harry? Is my birthday happy? I mean really would you be happy if Ginny was cheating on you and you found out about the day before your birthday?"

            "What are you trying to say Mae?"

            "I- I found out last night that Ron was cheating on me… with Luna. Luna! God is he that dense?"
            "No he just thinks that he is in love. God I am so glad I don't have to lie to you anymore. I hated it. I feel so light. I am so sorry I kept it from you. I only just found out about it three weeks ago, and gave Ron the biggest lecture I have ever given, the prig thought that I was joking… so can I kill him? Please?" Harry gave her puppy dog  eyes and she laughed.

            "Ha- ha Harry he's your best friend. Besides what would Ginny say if you killed her brother?"

            "Happy that it was Harry did it, because if he didn't I would. Happy birthday Mione. Here I got you something." Ginny gave Hermione the small gift she held in her hand. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and kissed it. When he was with Ginny he was himself again not the moping depressed Harry. Hermione was glad for them.

            "Gin, you didn't?"

            "She did so do I. Happy birthday Mae." Harry pulled a long box out of the pocket of his robes.

            "Wow thanks guys. Oh god its Ron Harry how can I do it? Do you think he remembered?"

            "No he didn't say a word when we got up. Hey there Ron." Harry said as Ron walked over to Hermione and the others. They then sat down for breakfast.

~()~()~
At a quarter past two Hermione excused herself from the game of exploding snap and went back to her common room to get ready to confront Ron and Luna. It would only take her fifteen minutes to get ready and 10 minutes to get to the pitch where she would wait for the 'lovebirds' and scream her bloody head off. Hermione had dressed in a light blue camisole and a white zipped up hooded sweatshirt which she had left unzipped. She was wearing flair bellbottomed jeans. Her hair normally French braided was hanging loosely in soft curls around her shoulders. As she walked down into the common room Draco looked up and his jaw dropped.

            "Wow Hermione Ron is going to wish he never hooked up with Lovegood. Happy birthday by the way." She smiled sweetly.

            "Thanks Draco for understanding. If I am not back in by dusk be assured that I am burying Ron and Luna's bodies. Hey that was a joke." She said because Draco frowned at her, then he started to laugh. It was music to her ears his laughter.

            "Ok goodbye Hermione. I will come looking for you at 7 if you are not back. Deal?"

            "Deal." She said and started to walk out the door.

            "Give em hell Hermione." Draco called from the couch. That gave her confidence to do this.

~(~)~(~)~

Hermione was sitting on in the bleachers when Ron and Luna arrived 2 minutes apart from each other. The minute he arrived Luna jumped onto his back and he started to laugh. When they start to kiss is when I will go down there and start bitching out some seriously disgusting people.  She thought as at that precise moment they did start to kiss one minute till Hermione the jet of major cussing launches. 1... 2…3. Deep breath Hermione and Go!

                "Ron… Luna… what a surprise… I didn't know that a guy could have two different girls at the same time Ron. Disgusting. And Luna you said I was your friend… what kind of friend fucks a friend's boyfriend with out the friend finds out? By the way Ron I read the letters and you don't look like a sixth year to me. Ron did you forget what today is?" the couple broke apart and stared at the girl walking towards them. She was a stranger to them because the Hermione they knew never cussed.

            "H-h-Hermione let me explain… I…I… oh shit it's your birthday."

            "I…I… that's right Ron and our one year anniversary. And the day we broke up for good. And you were going to tell me about slutty over there." Ron stepped closer to his now ex-girlfriend.

            "Now wait just a minute there. Hermione I was going to break it off. I was going to let you down gently…"

            "Then how were you going to explain you're dating Luna so soon? Hmmm? Answer that ass wipe now if you excuse me I am going to spend the rest of my birthday with my real friends."  Hermione started to walk back to the castle. On an impulse she started for the lake.

((~~))

            The rain falling in sheets by the time Draco found Hermione by the lake. When Potter had come to the door looking for Hermione Draco knew she was still outside. She was sitting on a rock staring into the rain.

            "Hermione?" she was shivering when she looked at him.

            "D-D-Draco-o?" she smiled as he pulled her up off the rock. He pulled her to his warm body.

            "Merlin Hermione you're freezing. Come o…" he stopped when silenced him with a finger. And then kissed him.

            "I'm ok." She said when he lifted his head. Then she kissed him again.
            "Mummy!"

                "What did you say?"

            "MUMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Hermione could hear her son from the distance. Her dream was fading fast as Draco was kissing her again.

            "MUMMY!"

TBC

(((~~~)))

OWE! My fingers hurt. Holy cow! This was a long chapter. Twelve pages all in one night. Gee who knew these fingers could type that much… in 4 hours. Well I know how you people hate cliff hangers but give my poor fingers a break, please? I better stop for the day. Good night and good health. (ok why did I just say that? Oh well. Review people!!! Please? ~Allie