Kissing a Green
and Silver Serpent: Chapter XIV
The secret is out
Hermione had spent most of the night awake, but not because she had been worried about anything; on the contrary she had been remembering all the things Draco had said and done, under the mask and once she had learnt who he was. So when Ginny threw her a pillow to wake her up at 10am she had only had a couple of sleeping hours and it took her several minutes to understand what was happening.
"Come on 'Mione, if you don't get downstairs now Ron will fly up here and curse you... He is desperately to tell us everything about last night... Honestly if Fred and George could see him... I'm beginning to think he's the girl of the family!"
Hermione snorted, but her insides were slowly filling with cold. She would have to tell her friends what had happened the night before, and she was pretty sure they would not understand... They didn't know that Draco had changed and that he really loved her, so she would have to think very carefully about how to tell them.
Fifteen minutes later she was sitting on one of the armchairs by the fire, next to Ginny and in front of Harry and Ron. The latter was re-telling what had happened to him the night before.
"So, after we talked Hermione, I had no idea who I wanted to invite, I mean I had always thought I loved you and know I was completely clueless. But on Monday after you left and Harry was inviting Ginny, Luca came over to the Gryffindor table and asked me, and I thought why not? I mean she has changed a lot since we first met her and she is kind of nice now, so I accepted and..."
Ron went on, telling them what a great dancer Luna was, that once the masks were gone he had realized that she was very pretty indeed, bla bla bla. Hermione was only half listening, of course she was very interested about what had happened to Ron, and in other circumstances she would have given him all her attention, but knowing what was coming she really needed to concentrate on her story.
She barely registered when Ron finished his tale and Harry and Ginny started to tell theirs. She heard snatches of the conversation like "Working up the courage"; "Looking very handsome"; "Couldn't believe what it felt like to dance with her" and Ron's interruptions "Hey, don't share so much" or "She's my little sister so take care of her."
"So 'Mione, your turn... and I believe you have a lot of things to tell us..." Ron's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts; she shook her head slightly as to organize her ideas.
"Yes, much more than you think dear bro" said Ginny mischievously.
Hermione glared at her best friend who replied with a broad grin.
"Hey, what's going on here, what didn't you tell us Hermione?" asked Harry perplexed.
Hermione was hesitating so Ginny took matters into her hands, "Well, our dearest friend here had been receiving unsigned letters for the last couple of weeks...you go on 'Mione" she said happily.
Hermione took a deep breath "Well they were signed, they were sent by someone who called himself my secret admirer...and in one of the letters this mysterious guy asked me to go to the ball with him."
"Why didn't you tell as bef-" Harry started but Ron interrupted him.
"Are you telling us that you went to the ball with a complete stranger? Are you out of your mind?! That is very dangerous; he could have hurt you, what if Malfoy was the author of the letters, seriously it was reckless of you to..."
"Calm down Ron" said Hermione alarmed "I'm fine, nothing happened to me... Besides the Great Hall was full of teachers, how could he have attacked me?"
"He could have lured you out of the Great Hall and..."
"Listen!" Hermione was now on her feet and shouting "Nothing happen ok? And if you continue telling me that I'm reckless or irresponsible or anything like that I won't tell you anything else, clear?" "Oh please keep calling me those things so I don't have to tell you the rest." Hermione though pleadingly.
"Sorry" Ron mumbled "Go on".
Hermione sat down "Well, I accepted his invitation and met him near the statue of William the Warlock. He wouldn't tell me who he was when we first met so I spent the whole ball talking to someone I didn't know. It was very enjoyable though; we talked about a lot of things, he is very intelligent and has very interesting points of view. I really had a good time and he was a complete gentleman and a great dancer. All night long he was kind and gentle to me, treated me like a princess" Perhaps she was exaggerating but she needed to convince them what a great guy her partner was, before she told them his real identity.
"I didn't see you at the end of the ball, where were you?" Ron asked impatiently.
"I'm getting there. Around eleven we went outside to have some fresh air, and there he did the most and romantic sweet thing, I won't tell you though." She added with a meaningful look to Ginny, she would tell her later. "So when midnight came we were still outside, that is why you didn't find us Ron."
"Ok, so you were outside... Now, tell us" Ron demanded.
"I've already said, I won't tell you two what he did, you'll just make fun of him" She responded evasively .
"You know what Ron means" said Ginny impenitently, "Who was your secret admirer"
"Oh, well ok" She sighted "but you have to bear in mind that he had been nothing but sweet and kind towards me and that the only reason I didn't curse him the moment I saw him was because I could recognize true love in his eyes and..."
"Hey, you are talking as though your partner was Malfoy" said Harry laughingly, Hermione remained silent avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Hermione, your date wasn't Malfoy, was he?" This time it was Ron who was on his feet "Answer me, you didn't spend the night with that piece of scum, right?"
Hermione finally lifted her head and nodded. A ringing silence followed this, it was a though they were trying to understand what she had just confirmed. The Ron broke the silence.
"I'll KILL him, he has you bewitched 'Mione, but don't worry, it will wear off once I've finished with him"
"Ron, he didn't bewitch-"
"Hermione, there is no way you are going to convince as that after you realized he was Malfoy you stayed with him because of your own accord" said Harry who was also on his feet reaching for his wand.
"Well, you'll have to start believing it, because it's true" Said Hermione with tears in her eyes.
"Hermione, are you completely mad? Why on earth did you stay with him?!?...After all you did to us, to you... Have you forgotten about that? He is the one who spent half his life calling you a mudblood" Ron was furious, he was pacing up and down the Common Room, yelling at Hermione.
"I kn- know, but if you le-let me explain... Because th-that is not all?" Hermione sobbed.
"What do you mean, did he do something to you" said Harry, with an odd look on his face
"No! Of co-course not...The th-thing is he said he lo-loves me."
"And you believed him? Hermione you are as naïve as you are mad... Malfoy can't love anyone but himself, we all know that" Ron was laughing madly now, what made Hermione cry even harder.
"Yes Ron, I be-believed hi-him, and you wa-want to kn-know why? It's because I sa-saw it in his e-eyes" And as she remembered Draco's eyes she stopped crying "And I know it was love what I was seeing because... I love him two" She finished.
At this words the scene froze, Ron stopped his pacing, Harry who had been muttering under his breath fell silence and Ginny who had been patting Hermione on the shoulder while she cried drop her hand without realizing; all three of them were looking at her almost with fear in their eyes.
"Ron, fetch Madam Pomfrey, she has temperature!" said Harry looking worriedly.
"Harry, I'm not ill and I am perfectly aware of what I'm saying... I love Draco Malfoy" "'Mione, you can't love Malfoy, you just can't" Said Ginny.
"Of course she doesn't, she is just pulling our legs" Said Ron with the look of someone who had just realized something "This is all just a joke. You got us 'Mione, you got us... Whe- Where are you going" He finished uncertainly.
Because Hermione had just stood up and was walking towards the exit, she couldn't take it anymore. She had known this was going to be difficult but she could not stand to look at her friends treating her as if she was mad or something. She needed comforting and there was only one person who could give it to her.
"Does this mean it wasn't a joke?" Asked Ron when Hermione had left the room.
TO BE CONTINUED...
.
.
A/N: So, you can't complain it's really long! What did you think of it?
The secret is out
Hermione had spent most of the night awake, but not because she had been worried about anything; on the contrary she had been remembering all the things Draco had said and done, under the mask and once she had learnt who he was. So when Ginny threw her a pillow to wake her up at 10am she had only had a couple of sleeping hours and it took her several minutes to understand what was happening.
"Come on 'Mione, if you don't get downstairs now Ron will fly up here and curse you... He is desperately to tell us everything about last night... Honestly if Fred and George could see him... I'm beginning to think he's the girl of the family!"
Hermione snorted, but her insides were slowly filling with cold. She would have to tell her friends what had happened the night before, and she was pretty sure they would not understand... They didn't know that Draco had changed and that he really loved her, so she would have to think very carefully about how to tell them.
Fifteen minutes later she was sitting on one of the armchairs by the fire, next to Ginny and in front of Harry and Ron. The latter was re-telling what had happened to him the night before.
"So, after we talked Hermione, I had no idea who I wanted to invite, I mean I had always thought I loved you and know I was completely clueless. But on Monday after you left and Harry was inviting Ginny, Luca came over to the Gryffindor table and asked me, and I thought why not? I mean she has changed a lot since we first met her and she is kind of nice now, so I accepted and..."
Ron went on, telling them what a great dancer Luna was, that once the masks were gone he had realized that she was very pretty indeed, bla bla bla. Hermione was only half listening, of course she was very interested about what had happened to Ron, and in other circumstances she would have given him all her attention, but knowing what was coming she really needed to concentrate on her story.
She barely registered when Ron finished his tale and Harry and Ginny started to tell theirs. She heard snatches of the conversation like "Working up the courage"; "Looking very handsome"; "Couldn't believe what it felt like to dance with her" and Ron's interruptions "Hey, don't share so much" or "She's my little sister so take care of her."
"So 'Mione, your turn... and I believe you have a lot of things to tell us..." Ron's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts; she shook her head slightly as to organize her ideas.
"Yes, much more than you think dear bro" said Ginny mischievously.
Hermione glared at her best friend who replied with a broad grin.
"Hey, what's going on here, what didn't you tell us Hermione?" asked Harry perplexed.
Hermione was hesitating so Ginny took matters into her hands, "Well, our dearest friend here had been receiving unsigned letters for the last couple of weeks...you go on 'Mione" she said happily.
Hermione took a deep breath "Well they were signed, they were sent by someone who called himself my secret admirer...and in one of the letters this mysterious guy asked me to go to the ball with him."
"Why didn't you tell as bef-" Harry started but Ron interrupted him.
"Are you telling us that you went to the ball with a complete stranger? Are you out of your mind?! That is very dangerous; he could have hurt you, what if Malfoy was the author of the letters, seriously it was reckless of you to..."
"Calm down Ron" said Hermione alarmed "I'm fine, nothing happened to me... Besides the Great Hall was full of teachers, how could he have attacked me?"
"He could have lured you out of the Great Hall and..."
"Listen!" Hermione was now on her feet and shouting "Nothing happen ok? And if you continue telling me that I'm reckless or irresponsible or anything like that I won't tell you anything else, clear?" "Oh please keep calling me those things so I don't have to tell you the rest." Hermione though pleadingly.
"Sorry" Ron mumbled "Go on".
Hermione sat down "Well, I accepted his invitation and met him near the statue of William the Warlock. He wouldn't tell me who he was when we first met so I spent the whole ball talking to someone I didn't know. It was very enjoyable though; we talked about a lot of things, he is very intelligent and has very interesting points of view. I really had a good time and he was a complete gentleman and a great dancer. All night long he was kind and gentle to me, treated me like a princess" Perhaps she was exaggerating but she needed to convince them what a great guy her partner was, before she told them his real identity.
"I didn't see you at the end of the ball, where were you?" Ron asked impatiently.
"I'm getting there. Around eleven we went outside to have some fresh air, and there he did the most and romantic sweet thing, I won't tell you though." She added with a meaningful look to Ginny, she would tell her later. "So when midnight came we were still outside, that is why you didn't find us Ron."
"Ok, so you were outside... Now, tell us" Ron demanded.
"I've already said, I won't tell you two what he did, you'll just make fun of him" She responded evasively .
"You know what Ron means" said Ginny impenitently, "Who was your secret admirer"
"Oh, well ok" She sighted "but you have to bear in mind that he had been nothing but sweet and kind towards me and that the only reason I didn't curse him the moment I saw him was because I could recognize true love in his eyes and..."
"Hey, you are talking as though your partner was Malfoy" said Harry laughingly, Hermione remained silent avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Hermione, your date wasn't Malfoy, was he?" This time it was Ron who was on his feet "Answer me, you didn't spend the night with that piece of scum, right?"
Hermione finally lifted her head and nodded. A ringing silence followed this, it was a though they were trying to understand what she had just confirmed. The Ron broke the silence.
"I'll KILL him, he has you bewitched 'Mione, but don't worry, it will wear off once I've finished with him"
"Ron, he didn't bewitch-"
"Hermione, there is no way you are going to convince as that after you realized he was Malfoy you stayed with him because of your own accord" said Harry who was also on his feet reaching for his wand.
"Well, you'll have to start believing it, because it's true" Said Hermione with tears in her eyes.
"Hermione, are you completely mad? Why on earth did you stay with him?!?...After all you did to us, to you... Have you forgotten about that? He is the one who spent half his life calling you a mudblood" Ron was furious, he was pacing up and down the Common Room, yelling at Hermione.
"I kn- know, but if you le-let me explain... Because th-that is not all?" Hermione sobbed.
"What do you mean, did he do something to you" said Harry, with an odd look on his face
"No! Of co-course not...The th-thing is he said he lo-loves me."
"And you believed him? Hermione you are as naïve as you are mad... Malfoy can't love anyone but himself, we all know that" Ron was laughing madly now, what made Hermione cry even harder.
"Yes Ron, I be-believed hi-him, and you wa-want to kn-know why? It's because I sa-saw it in his e-eyes" And as she remembered Draco's eyes she stopped crying "And I know it was love what I was seeing because... I love him two" She finished.
At this words the scene froze, Ron stopped his pacing, Harry who had been muttering under his breath fell silence and Ginny who had been patting Hermione on the shoulder while she cried drop her hand without realizing; all three of them were looking at her almost with fear in their eyes.
"Ron, fetch Madam Pomfrey, she has temperature!" said Harry looking worriedly.
"Harry, I'm not ill and I am perfectly aware of what I'm saying... I love Draco Malfoy" "'Mione, you can't love Malfoy, you just can't" Said Ginny.
"Of course she doesn't, she is just pulling our legs" Said Ron with the look of someone who had just realized something "This is all just a joke. You got us 'Mione, you got us... Whe- Where are you going" He finished uncertainly.
Because Hermione had just stood up and was walking towards the exit, she couldn't take it anymore. She had known this was going to be difficult but she could not stand to look at her friends treating her as if she was mad or something. She needed comforting and there was only one person who could give it to her.
"Does this mean it wasn't a joke?" Asked Ron when Hermione had left the room.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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.
A/N: So, you can't complain it's really long! What did you think of it?