It was dinner-time by the time I'd finished explaining.
Harry and Ron were staring at me, dumbfounded.
"So ... can you see now? Why I couldn't tell you, I mean. It's all really complicated and I knew you-" I gave Ron a pointed look "-would get angry at me and-"
"Well, you could have told us" Harry said, flatly.
"I could have. I know. But everything happened pretty fast and-"
"You ... you snogged Malfoy" Ron said, in a strained voice.
I looked at him. He had gone slightly pale, and looked a little sick. I felt my cheeks turn pink.
"If you want to put it that way then ... yes. I snogged Malfoy. It isn't really THAT big of a deal, Ron-"
"Not that big of a deal? I can't believe you got your first kiss from MALFOY."
My cheeks turned a shade redder.
"No. I got my first kiss from Viktor, Ron" I corrected.
"Oh."
I noticed Ron's cheeks go a little pink, too, and decided it best to change the subject.
"So ... are you guys okay with all of this?"
Harry blew out a breath, sending his dark fringe fluttering.
"Well, to tell the truth, no. But what can we do?"
"Nothing" I said, bluntly.
There was a pause. Ron rubbed his eyes.
"So are you two, you know ... an item?" He asked, looking at the table.
Now my cheeks were really red. I had been thinking about that a lot, and still didn't really know.
"Um. Not really. I mean, it's kind of-"
"Complicated" Harry supplied, giving me a wry smile. "You've mentioned that."
I nodded, and chewed nervously on my bottom lip.
"You guys should really go and get changed, you've been in those wet things for hours."
They nodded, and stood up together.
"Oh, and Ron?" I asked, and he turned around. "Please, don't tell Lavender any of this."
Ron grinned.
"Don't worry, she probably likes her own version better anyway."
---
The next morning, Harry and Ron were still looking at me a little funny, but apart from that they seemed fine. I think the thing that worried them the most was how I could keep so much from them for so long without them finding out the whole truth. That and the whole kissing Malfoy thing.
At breakfast, I looked over more than once to see Malfoy staring at me. Every time I looked away quickly, and hoped that Harry and Ron wouldn't notice my face going a little pink.
If they did notice, they thankfully didn't say anything about it.
"Morning, Ron" Lavender said, cheerily, and took a seat opposite us. "Do you have quidditch again today?"
"Yep" Ron replied, around a mouthful of toast. "Got a match next Wednesday."
Lavender, ignoring the crumbs Ron sent showering over her, pouted at him.
"Isn't there any way you can get out of it? I feel like I haven't seen you all weekend."
Ron just looked at her like she was out of her mind.
"We have a match in three days, Lavender, against SLYTHERIN."
"So, what's that supposed to mean? Quidditch is more IMPORTANT than me?"
I winced, readying myself for another of Ron's quidditch speeches. She'd really done it now. To be friends with Ron, you have to accept that quidditch is more important than anything.
"No, I'm saying I can talk to you any time. We only get to play Slytherin once a year, and-"
Before Ron could finish his sentence, Lavender pushed his glass of pumpkin juice into his lap, and stormed out.
"What ... what ... what just happened?" Ron stuttered.
I rolled my eyes, handing him a napkin.
"You don't tell a girl you can talk to her 'any time', Ron."
"Why not?"
I rolled my eyes again, and chanced a quick glance in Malfoy's direction. He was looking at Ron, and laughing so hard it looked as though he might shoot his pumpkin juice out his nose any moment. I shot him a glare, but it only made him laugh harder.
Ron stood up, still wiping himself off with the napkin.
"I guess I better go get changed" he muttered, and stalked out of the hall.
---
Harry and I left the hall together, and it felt nice to be able to talk to him again without feeling guilty. I was actually in a pretty good mood, until I heard a familiar sneering voice behind us.
"Don't you have quidditch to practice for, Potter?"
We turned around, and I noticed Harry tense up.
"Yeah, that's where I'm going."
"Good. You need the practice."
Harry tensed even more but, to my surprise, he didn't say anything. He glanced from me, to Malfoy, and back again.
"I'll see you around, Hermione" he said, and walked off.
I glared at Malfoy.
"Nice going. I just spent hours last night trying to convince those two that you're not as horrible as they think, and then you just have to go and prove me wrong!"
"Oh, so I really AM as horrible as they think?" He asked, with a smirk.
"Well, to them you certainly are! Harry's a brilliant seeker!"
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Sure he is. I'll remind you you said that after the match on Wednesday."
"I'm sure you will."
He smirked at me again, and quirked an eyebrow.
"So you finally told Potter and the Weasel about-"
"Yes. Well, sort of. I left some bits out."
I had figured Harry and Ron didn't need to know how many times Malfoy and I had ... kissed. Sufficed to say, I told them that we had. That was all they needed to know.
"Oh? And, which bits would that be?" Malfoy asked, moving closer to me.
I smiled, and took a step closer.
"I think you might have some idea."
"DRACO MALFOY!"
We spun around, and found Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and a few other Slytherins I didn't know staring at us, open mouthed. We were only a few inches apart from each other, and Malfoy closed the distance by pulling me over to him and draping an arm over my shoulders.
"Would you guys believe that Granger is actually a pure blood?" He said, with a smirk.
My eyes widened. What? What was he talking about?
"Wh-what?" Pansy spluttered.
"She's a pure blood. Adopted. Didn't want anybody to know about it but, you know ..."
Adopted? A pure blood? I looked up at him, but he carefully avoided my eyes.
"She's a Gryffindor" Crabbe said, dumbly.
"Yes, I know that, Crabbe, but-"
"She's not a mudblood?" Pansy shrieked.
"Apparently not" Malfoy replied, calmly.
"But ... YOU can't go out with a GRYFFINDOR. And GRANGER? That's just ... disgusting" said one of the Slytherins I didn't know.
I felt my cheeks heat up. Not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. Disgusting? This guy didn't even know me, and he was bad-mouthing me while I was standing right in front of him! How DARE he ...
"Excuse me?" Malfoy asked, his voice low.
"She's an insufferable know-it-all, pure or not" Pansy sneered.
Malfoy's grip on my shoulders tightened. I wondered if this was out of anger, or to prevent me from running away.
"Yeah" said the same Slytherin who'd spoken before. "Jesus, Draco. Out of all the girls in the school ... that's not normal. She's a bloody bookworm!"
This time, Malfoy's tightening grip on my shoulders didn't stop me from getting away. I ducked out from under his arm, glared at the Slytherins, and stalked off.
I waited until they were out of earshot before I started crying.
Harry and Ron were staring at me, dumbfounded.
"So ... can you see now? Why I couldn't tell you, I mean. It's all really complicated and I knew you-" I gave Ron a pointed look "-would get angry at me and-"
"Well, you could have told us" Harry said, flatly.
"I could have. I know. But everything happened pretty fast and-"
"You ... you snogged Malfoy" Ron said, in a strained voice.
I looked at him. He had gone slightly pale, and looked a little sick. I felt my cheeks turn pink.
"If you want to put it that way then ... yes. I snogged Malfoy. It isn't really THAT big of a deal, Ron-"
"Not that big of a deal? I can't believe you got your first kiss from MALFOY."
My cheeks turned a shade redder.
"No. I got my first kiss from Viktor, Ron" I corrected.
"Oh."
I noticed Ron's cheeks go a little pink, too, and decided it best to change the subject.
"So ... are you guys okay with all of this?"
Harry blew out a breath, sending his dark fringe fluttering.
"Well, to tell the truth, no. But what can we do?"
"Nothing" I said, bluntly.
There was a pause. Ron rubbed his eyes.
"So are you two, you know ... an item?" He asked, looking at the table.
Now my cheeks were really red. I had been thinking about that a lot, and still didn't really know.
"Um. Not really. I mean, it's kind of-"
"Complicated" Harry supplied, giving me a wry smile. "You've mentioned that."
I nodded, and chewed nervously on my bottom lip.
"You guys should really go and get changed, you've been in those wet things for hours."
They nodded, and stood up together.
"Oh, and Ron?" I asked, and he turned around. "Please, don't tell Lavender any of this."
Ron grinned.
"Don't worry, she probably likes her own version better anyway."
---
The next morning, Harry and Ron were still looking at me a little funny, but apart from that they seemed fine. I think the thing that worried them the most was how I could keep so much from them for so long without them finding out the whole truth. That and the whole kissing Malfoy thing.
At breakfast, I looked over more than once to see Malfoy staring at me. Every time I looked away quickly, and hoped that Harry and Ron wouldn't notice my face going a little pink.
If they did notice, they thankfully didn't say anything about it.
"Morning, Ron" Lavender said, cheerily, and took a seat opposite us. "Do you have quidditch again today?"
"Yep" Ron replied, around a mouthful of toast. "Got a match next Wednesday."
Lavender, ignoring the crumbs Ron sent showering over her, pouted at him.
"Isn't there any way you can get out of it? I feel like I haven't seen you all weekend."
Ron just looked at her like she was out of her mind.
"We have a match in three days, Lavender, against SLYTHERIN."
"So, what's that supposed to mean? Quidditch is more IMPORTANT than me?"
I winced, readying myself for another of Ron's quidditch speeches. She'd really done it now. To be friends with Ron, you have to accept that quidditch is more important than anything.
"No, I'm saying I can talk to you any time. We only get to play Slytherin once a year, and-"
Before Ron could finish his sentence, Lavender pushed his glass of pumpkin juice into his lap, and stormed out.
"What ... what ... what just happened?" Ron stuttered.
I rolled my eyes, handing him a napkin.
"You don't tell a girl you can talk to her 'any time', Ron."
"Why not?"
I rolled my eyes again, and chanced a quick glance in Malfoy's direction. He was looking at Ron, and laughing so hard it looked as though he might shoot his pumpkin juice out his nose any moment. I shot him a glare, but it only made him laugh harder.
Ron stood up, still wiping himself off with the napkin.
"I guess I better go get changed" he muttered, and stalked out of the hall.
---
Harry and I left the hall together, and it felt nice to be able to talk to him again without feeling guilty. I was actually in a pretty good mood, until I heard a familiar sneering voice behind us.
"Don't you have quidditch to practice for, Potter?"
We turned around, and I noticed Harry tense up.
"Yeah, that's where I'm going."
"Good. You need the practice."
Harry tensed even more but, to my surprise, he didn't say anything. He glanced from me, to Malfoy, and back again.
"I'll see you around, Hermione" he said, and walked off.
I glared at Malfoy.
"Nice going. I just spent hours last night trying to convince those two that you're not as horrible as they think, and then you just have to go and prove me wrong!"
"Oh, so I really AM as horrible as they think?" He asked, with a smirk.
"Well, to them you certainly are! Harry's a brilliant seeker!"
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Sure he is. I'll remind you you said that after the match on Wednesday."
"I'm sure you will."
He smirked at me again, and quirked an eyebrow.
"So you finally told Potter and the Weasel about-"
"Yes. Well, sort of. I left some bits out."
I had figured Harry and Ron didn't need to know how many times Malfoy and I had ... kissed. Sufficed to say, I told them that we had. That was all they needed to know.
"Oh? And, which bits would that be?" Malfoy asked, moving closer to me.
I smiled, and took a step closer.
"I think you might have some idea."
"DRACO MALFOY!"
We spun around, and found Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and a few other Slytherins I didn't know staring at us, open mouthed. We were only a few inches apart from each other, and Malfoy closed the distance by pulling me over to him and draping an arm over my shoulders.
"Would you guys believe that Granger is actually a pure blood?" He said, with a smirk.
My eyes widened. What? What was he talking about?
"Wh-what?" Pansy spluttered.
"She's a pure blood. Adopted. Didn't want anybody to know about it but, you know ..."
Adopted? A pure blood? I looked up at him, but he carefully avoided my eyes.
"She's a Gryffindor" Crabbe said, dumbly.
"Yes, I know that, Crabbe, but-"
"She's not a mudblood?" Pansy shrieked.
"Apparently not" Malfoy replied, calmly.
"But ... YOU can't go out with a GRYFFINDOR. And GRANGER? That's just ... disgusting" said one of the Slytherins I didn't know.
I felt my cheeks heat up. Not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. Disgusting? This guy didn't even know me, and he was bad-mouthing me while I was standing right in front of him! How DARE he ...
"Excuse me?" Malfoy asked, his voice low.
"She's an insufferable know-it-all, pure or not" Pansy sneered.
Malfoy's grip on my shoulders tightened. I wondered if this was out of anger, or to prevent me from running away.
"Yeah" said the same Slytherin who'd spoken before. "Jesus, Draco. Out of all the girls in the school ... that's not normal. She's a bloody bookworm!"
This time, Malfoy's tightening grip on my shoulders didn't stop me from getting away. I ducked out from under his arm, glared at the Slytherins, and stalked off.
I waited until they were out of earshot before I started crying.