Chapter 22
Preparing for the N.E.W.T.S
Hermione got back from the holidays and said goodbye to her friends and headed up to her room. She just couldn't seem to get there fast enough. She finally entered the common room and headed straight for her room. She was a little nervous because she didn't see Draco on the train. She opened her door and to her relief she found him sleeping in the bed. She quietly sat her things down and lay down on the bed next to him. He woke up and smiled when he saw her.
"What time is it?" He asked sitting up in the bed.
"Its almost time for dinner. Why weren't you on the train?" She asked as she ran her fingers through his hair. He leaned into it.
"I came back yesterday. Good, it's almost dinner I'm starving." He said as he got up out of the bed fully clothed.
"Well let's head down there then." She said as she stood up and headed towards the door. Before she could open it Draco turned her around and pressed her against it and started to kiss her. He rubbed his hands all over her body enjoying every curve. He stopped and pulled away.
"We will finish this after dinner." He said kissing her one last time. He grabbed her hand and they walked out into the common room to start heading off to dinner.
After dinner they got back to the bedroom and Hermione pushed Draco down on the bed climbed on top of him in a straddling position. She started to unbutton her shirt very slowly, with an alluring look on her face. It was driving him insane, so he leaned forward and grabbed her and pulled her into an impatiently yearning kiss. He pulled out of it and looked at her with a lustful expression. He put his hands on the buttons of her shirt then ripped her shirt open. Buttons violently flew everywhere exposing her push up bra and the necklace he got her for Christmas, that she carefully keeps hidden. She raised her eyebrow at him then grabbed his shit and also violently ripped it open as buttons soared though the air once again. He raised an eyebrow back at her, and then they aggressively grabbed each other and kissed as their bodies ached for more. She pushed him back down, threw off her shirt, jumped up to get rid of the rest of her clothes leaving on the belly chain he'd gotten her for Christmas, then stripped Draco of his and climbed back on top on him. After a few minutes he grabbed her and powerfully rolled on top of her. The rest of the night was filled with heated stimulation and …lust?
The next morning it was Draco who awoke first. He looked over to the beautiful woman next to him. He leaned over and ran his hand over her hair and across her face. Hermione stirred awake at his touch.
"Good morning, I really missed you" Draco said as he kissed her.
"Good morning, I'm sure you did. I missed you too." She moaned into his mouth.
They got up and got ready for their first class of the day and headed to it. They found out that the teachers were now starting to do preparations for the N.E.W.T.S. For the next few weeks they found themselves working and studying for the hardest tests ever. It was a busy time for Hermione between her relationship with Draco, trying not to flirt and mess around and get caught while she tried to study but found it hard to do, but they managed. On top of that she was still helping her friends make it through their studying.
It was weird for Hermione to see Draco one way and then to see him another. It was like as if he was two different people. Privately he was sweet and gentle, well most of the time anyway. Out in public he was mean and fowl to everyone, even to her. Well as much as usual anyway. She also had to be the same way back to him, so no one would suspect anything. They also couldn't be too bad with them being Heads and all, but when they would they found it kind of fun, no one could get him good like her. Then later they would make it up to each other, not really needing to but they would find any kind of excuse. One day their quarreling was really heating them up towards each other and they couldn't make it back to their room so they ducked into a closet between class and lunch. They emerged a few minutes later fixing their hair and clothes and glanced at each other and headed off to the Great Hall. They went and sat at their separate tables.
"Hey, Hermione," Ron said as he eyed her funnily as she reached for bread then shoved it into her mouth hungrily. Harry and Ginny were also looking at her.
"What?" Hermione said with her mouth full, chewing.
"Wow, you look like you haven't eaten all week or somethin' Hermione," Harry said.
"And you are sweating a little. Are you alright?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah I feel great! I mean, yes I am fine. I just ran here because I have been working hard with all the studying and Head's stuff that I have really worked up an appetite." Hermione said thinking of something quick and believable.
"Oh well maybe you should take it easy Hermione, you don't want to wear yourself out." Ron said. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
"You're right, I will try to take it a little slower." Hermione said trying to be convincing. " So when will quidditch practice start up again?" She said trying to change the subject and it worked.
"In a few weeks." Harry said.
"You guys are going to have a lot to deal with having the tests to prepare for and with practice starting back up. Be careful or you guys will be running in here acting like Hermione." Ginny said nudging Hermione with a smile.
"Ron already does that when he smells food, besides where do you think I picked it up from." Hermione added. They all burst out laughing, Harry almost fell off the bench, and they laughed even harder. Hermione looked over at Draco looking at them and then at her, he smiled.
Finally they were able to control themselves, although the slightest thing would send them into another fit of laughter.
"So hey I was thinking that we could do some preparations for our training over the summer. You know, being better prepared and maybe getting through the training faster. What do you guys think?" Harry asked.
"I think that it's a wicked idea mate!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yeah, a brilliant idea Harry!" Hermione said excitedly.
"Well Ginny, are you in?" Harry asked with Hermione and Ron nodding eagerly.
"Really? You want me to join you guys?" Ginny asked happily but surprised.
"Of course!" They all said together.
"Yes, I would love that sounds like fun. It'll be like a couple of years ago but better!" Ginny said smiling.
"Great! We can work out the details at dinner." Harry said as they all rose from their seats to head of to their afternoon classes.
At dinner they all decided to meet in the room of requirements for their preparations and that they would meet as often as they could. Hermione was kind of nervous because she new she couldn't tell Draco about it. So she would have to figure out a way to sneak around with out him asking questions. Although she new very well what he often ran off to do, she never asked about it and she didn't want to know. Well not entirely anyway. She couldn't help but wonder what they talked about at the death eater meetings and what he knew. She felt like if she didn't have to tell him about whom she was and what she was a part of then he shouldn't have to tell her, even if his job was bad and he had no idea what she was a part of to even ask her.
It was late and Hermione was on her rounds alone. Draco had something to do so he couldn't go with her. She was finished so she headed up the Grand Staircase watching the different staircases move about. She reached her floor and headed down a hall before she turned the corner to go down the hall where her common room was when she heard voices. She recognized one as she stopped and tried to hear what they were saying. Hermione slowly peaked around the corner to see Draco against the wall with a girl only inches from his face although she could not see it.
"Look we can not be seen together like this, especially in this hall. It will raise suspicion!" Draco tried to whisper sternly. Hermione couldn't help but step out around the corner. As she did Draco saw her and the look on her face, her heart dropped to her stomach. The girl talking to Draco saw Hermione and speedily walked away. Hermione stood there staring at him in silence with tears noticeably welling up in her eyes and her body shaking. Draco realized what she was thinking. He took a step forward and she turned and ran as fast as she could as he quickly followed.
"Hermione stop it's not what you think!" He yelled after her.
She ignored him and kept on running with thoughts flowing rapidly though her mind. "Is he dangerous? Was he messing with me? Was this whole thing part of a plan? This can't be happening, what is going on? I have to get away from him!" She ran until she once again reached the Grand Staircase and the staircase that she needed was starting to move. She looked back to see him quickly approaching and before she could even think she found herself leaping through the air. To her it was all like slow motion and then she finally landed on the still moving staircase and fell against the railing. She gripped it hard to keep herself from falling over it. She looked back at him. He had a look of a cross between horror and pure amazement on his face. He quickly debated to go after her and found himself jumping onto the staircase. As she saw him jump she immediately ran down the staircase without stumbling and landed on the platform as the staircase finally made it to its destination. Draco stood there momentarily in shock that; one he actually jumped, and two that he made it. He came to his senses when he saw Hermione land on the platform and take off down another flight of stairs. He called after her but she wouldn't listen.
Thoughts were traveling through her mind as to where she was going to go. She decided to duck down a hall that had a secret passage that she, Harry and Ron used to use often to get around the school secretly. She ran even faster with a newly found energy burst. When she was inside the portrait she relaxed when she heard him run by her, searching every room and behind every statue cursing and thinking to himself "Where did she go? How does she do that?"
She then headed up and exited by her common room. The statue slid shut and she ran to her Heads portrait said the password and hurried up the few stairs reaching her bedroom door. She then decided to change the password.
"Secrets," The door opened, she grabbed the doorknob and looked at the lion. "The new password is…Phoenix." She told the lion quietly and the lion nodded to her. Right after the lion nodded the common room door opened and Draco came through. They saw each other and Hermione ran into her room shutting the door quickly behind her. He ran as fast as he could but did not make it in time.
"Secrets!" He said and waited for the door to open. It didn't and the lion kept looking at him. "Secrets!" He said even louder with his voice uneven, tears started to come to his eyes once again. He realized that she had changed the password. "Hermione! Open up, you don't know what you saw!" He paused… nothing. "Come on will you just listen to me!"
Hermione sat there on the floor next to the door listening to him, tears running down her face. She felt like she was going to be sick, her head was spinning and her body was shaking from her nerves. She couldn't take hearing him any more. She used a silencing spell so he could not hear in and she could not hear out.
The last thing he heard was her shouting the silencing spell and he knew what that meant. He started to pound his fists into the wall and he didn't realize the pain. However he did notice the blood. He sat there on the stairs for a while and then headed to the bathroom.
Hermione finally heard silence from the spell. She rose from the floor and headed to her closet to change. After she dressed she stayed in the closet crying. She was so aggravated with the situation and kicked her trunk. When she did it pushed into the wall and it made a scooting sound.
"What was that?" She said out loud. She bent over whipping her eyes and looked behind her trunk by moving it out of the way. She then noticed that a small part of wall was pushed back. She pushed it even more and crawled though the opening. She stood up and realized that this was another passage way. She followed it around and came out one of the ways to get out by the Gryffindor common room. As Ron would put it "Wicked!" She quietly said to herself. She then had an idea of how she would be able to get ready for bed without dealing with Draco. She went back to her bedroom and grabbed her spare things and headed back towards the Gryffindor common room.
Hermione climbed out of the portrait near the Gryffindor common room and as soon as she turned the corner she ran into Ginny. She told Ginny that her and Draco were not getting along so Ginny said that it was fine if she wanted to use the bathroom and if she wanted she could even stay a few nights if she wanted. Hermione told her that she was probably just going to use the bathroom for a bit and that was it, but thanks. She decided to keep the newfound passage a secret and tell no one, at least for now.
Hermione returned back to her room. She loved having supportive friends. She wanted to explore the hidden passage more but she was emotionally and physically exhausted, so she would explore it more the next night.
Hermione put her things away and headed for her bed. She then realized that Draco would not be there that night and she would be sleeping alone. A flood of emotions came back to her and she broke out into a painful sob. She had the lights go out and threw herself onto the bed and cried herself to sleep.
A/N: Well there is another chapter hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to all who have reviewed I will answer questions that were asked in the next chapter I am in a hurry and just wanted to get it out to you. Thanks and Keep reading and reviewing! Go on and review so I can update! Just so everyone knows i am a Happy Endings kind of person!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter...