Chapter 25: Explanations

Nobody's POV

The three friends walked around the castle and made their way to the Room of Requirement. When they got there, the room turned into the same room that had been there when Hermione's friends from New York were at Hogwarts.

"So, Hermione, there's something we have to talk to you about." Harry started

"What is it?" she answered, even though she knew what was coming.

"Well, we wanted to ask you about your summer." Ron said. This surprised Hermione.

She had been expecting Ron to have mentioned that Harry told him what she told Harry.

"Oh, well, I bet you already know this, but I found out that I was adopted (A/N WOW ! the adopted thing is soooooo overdone!) and I spent my summer with my father." She said.

"C'mon, 'Mione, we know that's not the whole story." Her four-eyed friend said. He put his arm reassuringly around her and pulled her into him.

"OK, well, you see, Lucius Malfoy works for my father, and my father is very overprotective so he wouldn't let me go anywhere without Malfoy. After a while we became friends, and that was who I was talking about in the infirmary, Harry" she looked up at her friend. He was trying to look understanding, but his eyes were cold and hurt. He was looking off into the distance. She turned to face Ron. It was obvious that he wanted to burst, but he was an understanding person (sometimes) and one of her best friends. Hermione looked down and continued with her story. "My father was really strict to everyone, but was always understanding and caring when it came to me (Except for that one time when I mentioned his father' she thought). I don't know who my mother is, but my father did mention something about Rald on the night when I met him. He tried to cover it up, but did a horrible job" she joked "He said that my name is Emma Ruby Rald Riddle. That's why I was so distant over the vaca (vaca=vacation). Throughout the summer, Malfoy and I grew closer, he was like my best friend this summer. We did everything together, even when I was grounded, or when I didn't have to be with him. But that didn't start until the night of the open house, party thing. I really miss him. Ever since he found out that I was me, he's been crueler than ever, like remember the fight we had when my American friends were over? And on the train, he accused me of using him and..." she began to cry. Harry put his other arm around her and gave her a tight squeeze.

Even though she 'befriended the enemy', she was still one of his best friends, and deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Ron, on the other hand, was not taking it well, though he tried to hide it, he was beyond furious. His body was shaking, but he didn't want to upset Hermione, or was it Emma, any more, but then he remembered the parseltongue, patch on her arm, and her new look.

"Hermione, can I ask you something else?" he said, as calmly as possible.

The girl nodded her head.

"Um, what's with the patch on your arm?"

Hermione sat up straight. She looked nervous and began to stutter.

"Oh, um, it's, uh, a tattoo. Derek and I got drunk one time and I got three." This interested her friends. She muttered a spell and her other two tattoos appeared. Hermione looked down, ashamed at herself for lying to her friends.

"Whoa! Hermione!" was all the boys could say as she lifted her shirt to they could see the snake and closed her eye so the wouldn't have to look the boys in the eye when she showed them the lion's head and the 'Leo' sign.

"But what about the one on your arm." Harry asked after what felt like an eternity of awe.

"It's ugly and not where it was supposed to be." She said.

"C'mon, you can show us" Ron said.

"But I can't. You wouldn't under..." she began

"Wait, did you say Riddle before?" Harry asked

Hermione realized what she did. Harry was about to find out who her father was.

"And you said that Lucius Malfoy works for your father?" he continued.

She nodded her head, tears were forming in her eyes, she knew that if Harry and Ron knew Voldemort was her father, they would never be her friend again and turn her over to the Ministry of Magic, who would have her be given the Dementor's Kiss.

"And your tattoo is on the wrong spot, but it's on your left arm, you talk parseltongue, you have a pet snake" he began, his voice rising as he spoke faster, putting everything together. He stared at her with eyes that are hard to understand. They were cold, but understanding. There, yet distant. (And a bunch of other oxymorons that we don't feel like typing) He stared at her, confused (yet understanding).

"You're, but you can't be" he said.

Hermione lowered her head. Harry stood up quickly and quickly walked out, leaving Ron confused and his former best (girl) friend heart-broken.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"Promise you won't get mad or tell anyone, or anything?" Hermione asked.

"I promise. What kind of friend do you think I am?" Ron said, all of his anger about Malfoy forgotten.

"My father is" and then she mumbled something.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad. It's not like you father is Voldemort or something." Ron chuckled, but Hermione looked at him in the eye and let a tear fall. Ron stopped laughing and fell dead silent.

"But, you can't" he said, not wanting to believe it. "NO! YOU ARE HERMIONE GRANGER! A MUGGLE BORN WITCH AND THE SMARTEST STUDENT IN ALL OF HOGWARTS! YOU'RE NOT HIS DAUGHTER!" Ron said, standing, towering over her. She saw tears coming from his eyes. She stood up and tried to put her arms around him, but he backed away.

"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME!" he said.

"I can't. I'm sorry." She said in a soft voice.

Ron stormed out of the room, leaving Hermione alone.

She turned away from the door and scrunched into a ball, hugging her knees s she cried into them.

"I though I'd find you here" a voice said from behind her.

Nobody's POV

Hermione turned around. There was Draco Malfoy, looking down at her, and for the first time in a while his eyes weren't full of hatred and pain. He took a step towards her, slowly, then another, until he was a few feet behind her. She had turned her back on him so he wouldn't be able to see that she was crying and so she wouldn't have to face him.

He tried to talk, but nothing came out. His throat felt dry, and his knees weak.

"What do you want now? To see me like this? To mock me? I can hear the sarcasm now, 'oh how the mighty have fallen'. Please, just leave me alone," she said into her arms.

"How about 'I'm sorry'?" he said.

She looked up, but didn't turn around. Draco took a step closer.

"I'm sorry, about the way I've been treating you" he hung his head and stared at the floor. "It was wrong, and I never wanted to hurt you. I understand that you're upset at me, and you should be. I never meant anything. I would ask you to forgive me, but you don't have to. I wouldn't be surprised of you hexed me into a black hole, or worse, like never talking to me again, but I just want you to know," he sighed "never mind. I'm just gonna leave you alone." He turned to walk out, but was grabbed by the arm and turned around. Hermione grabbed his face and pulled it in.

"Is that true?" she said. Her voice was soft and her face was tearstained.

He put his arms around her and pulled her in. He squeezed her body into his. "I've never meant anything more" she rested her head on his chest and began to cry.

"I missed you so much! These past five days have felt like an eternity. I missed you so much. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that it was me, I was afraid of how you would react, I tried to tell you a million times, but I couldn't, I didn't know what I would do if you were mad at me, I know that I should have, but, I don't know! I was immature, and a coward" she began to ramble, but Draco shushed her softly.

"Thanks, but what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and I never want to fight again or anything. I don't know what I would do." She looked up into his eyes.

Their faces got closer as their eyes began to close. When their faces were about an inch apart, they heard footsteps outside the door and heard the doorknob turn.

Ron walked into the room, his head still hung, and he was muttering and rambling to himself. Hermione and Draco looked at each other and Draco made a run for the couch (to hide behind). Ron looked up when Draco was fully hidden as though he had first noticed that Hermione was still in the room.

"HERMIONE!" He exclaimed.

Hermione lowered her head, still upset about how everything went before.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, um, I was looking for you. I'm sorry about the way I acted before, but I was surprised. I mean, you never really seemed like his daughter, let alone like him period.

And you two have two totally different views, beliefs, EVERYTHING!" He continued to ramble off for another couple of minutes until Hermione stopped him.

"Ron, it's ok. You're actually taking it better than I did. I actually thought about cutting myself or something." She waited a second for his reaction, but he wasn't in a state where he could laugh. "Can we just pretend I never said anything. I mean, I've only known since the beginning of the summer, think about what we had before that, before anything changed." She took his hands in hers and Draco felt jealousy go through his body.

"Please, you're, like, my best friend." She wrapped her arms around him. He slowly put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, it's just, WOW! I mean, his daughter, one of my best friends. It's just a little, WOW! I'm sorry that that's all I've been saying but can you blame me, that's what this is." He said. The two separated.

"But this can also be an advantage, I would be able to spy (Draco gasped and remembered what she told him in detention), but he's my father, and if you take away the fact that I don't know anything, he loves me, even if he doesn't show it. I'm all of what he seems to have of my mother and I can tell that he loved, or still loves, her. I may hate him for being a heartless, small-minded, etcetera ignorant bastard, but he's my father. But when it's time to fight him, it's a no brainer who I'm gonna fight beside" she looked into his eyes and took his hand (again) "No matter how pissed off I am at Harry and vice versa I'll always fight alongside you two." She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed a little, which made Draco want to jump out from his hiding spot and kill Weasley.

"Ron, do you think that Harry will ever forgive me?"

"Why shouldn't he forgive you? You didn't do anything wrong. Nobody can control who their parents are, including the rest of their family, look at Harry" Hermione giggled.

"And if he never talks to you again, it's his loss. It just proves that he is worse than You-Know-Who, sorry, but you also feel the same way even if you won't admit it. Do you want me to talk to him? Or at least make sure that he doesn't tell anyone?" Ron took Hermione's other hand and put the four together.

"Yeah, thanks." She looked at he friend. His red hair was everywere, and his freckles gave him a boyish look, which was overcome by his muscular body.

He gave her hands a squeeze before letting go of them and running out of the room.

When he got to the door he turned around and said "I hope everything works out between you and Malfoy, no matter how much I hate him" he gave her a reassuring smile which was returned by a 'thanks' half smile. He turned and ran out of the room. When the door closed Draco came out from behind the couch and looked at her.

She turned to look at him, but before she could say anything to him he said: "You told them? How could you have trusted them? And why did you tell them about what happened between them? Like with your American friends, you can't keep anything to yourself. UGH! And what was with the kiss? You do know that Potter-I'm-So-Perfect is gonna tell Dumbledor, you know what's been going on with the rumors, you should have been mo-" she leant in and kissed him on the lips. At first he was taken aback, but soon returned the kiss. When they separated he slowly said "Is that how we're gonna always stop each other from yelling?" and smirked. She returned the smirk and he pulled her in for another kiss.