Message in a Bottle

Chapter 18

A ray of sun peeked through the window, forcing Hermione to open her eyes and wake up. She lifter her head from the pillow and began to sit up but found it difficult with the strong arms wrapped around her. Immediately, she panicked with the thought that it could be Riley. She blinked her eyes twice and then recalled the previous evenings events, quickly calming herself. She looked next to her and found a very content looking Draco peacefully sleeping.

Wondering what last night had meant to him, she nervously tapped his shoulder ever so gently, just enough to wake him up. "Morning," she said when his eyes opened. "Well actually it's 1:00 P.M. so I guess that would make it a good afternoon..."

"Morning," he cut her off, reaching up and kissing her lightly on the lips. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a log," she replied while grabbing her bathrobe from the side of her bed and putting it on quickly so he couldn't even get a glimpse. "And yourself? I trust you found the bed quite comfortable?"

"Only with you right next to me." She blushed at his comment and stoop up, keeping her back to him. Suddenly, Hedwig flew in and dropped a note on her lap which she read right away.

Hermione, we need to talk to you A.S.A.P. Harry and Ron

"I'm going to go shower. Afterwards I have to go see Harry and Ron. They claim to need my help with something. They just owled me saying that it was urgent so I won't be back until sometime later." She felt his eyes on her back as she walked away and she shuddered under his gaze. 'That was awkward,' she thought silently, wondering what exactly he was thinking at the moment.

She showered off and went back to her room, praying he was not still there. And he wasn't. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got dressed. She had no idea what to do about last night. She was probably just a one night stand to him. She headed down to the Great Hall where she found Harry and Ron waiting for her.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled. "Did you get my letter?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Let's go somewhere private to talk as I assume this conversation should remain highly secret." Harry nodded. "All right. Where to then?"

"We were hoping your room?" Ron squeaked. "The only other person that could possibly be there would be Malfoy and I'll take a stab in the dark in saying that he probably won't bother us too much what with your new found friendliness and all."

Hermione gulped. Should she tell them? Would then even want to know? She knew for a fact that they wouldn't approve. How would they feel about her sleeping with him? Yes, teenagers had sex all the time but it was very un-Hermione like of her especially since she had been raped. Such a horrible situation she had been in and yet, she was okay now. Maybe it was the fact that she knew that he could not hurt her any longer. Or maybe it was because she had a new father to hate.

"Sure," she replied. "Let me just go clean up first. Meet me there in twenty minutes." She ran off before they could respond. Once she reached the Head Tower, she found Draco sitting on the couch, reading a book that seemed to have captivated his interest.

"We'll be having guests in a few minutes. I need you gone," she panted out, breathless from her jog there.

"Nice to see you too," he responded without looking up. "How 'bout you try greeting me a wee bit nicer and then maybe I'll think about leaving so you can have your little threesome with Potter and Weasley."

"Draco, that's just a horrifying image! You know for a fact that I am not sleeping with either of them so just don't even go there!"

"Relax, pet," he said while standing up and putting down his book so he could approach her. "I was just joking. No need to get upset. But I would appreciate it if the next time we sleep together, you treat me like I still matter the next day."

"Draco I..."

"You left as soon as you could and then you come back and ORDER me to leave. You didn't even say, 'Excuse me, Draco, but I have some company coming soon and I was wondering if you'd mind terribly giving us a little bit of privacy.' You basically just told me to sod off!"

"I didn't mean it to..."

"I may share the same last name as my father but I however was blessed with emotions. My heart's not made of ice and I'm not cruel and uncaring. I just want you to realize that."

"I DO realize that!"

"Really? Or are you just saying that to get me to leave?"

"I mean it. I don't want you to go. And I didn't want to leave this morning but I have obligations to my friends. I haven't managed to find five minutes for them over the past months. I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you though. I wasn't quite sure what last night meant to you and I was scared that it meant nothing. I didn't want to be the one who got attached to a man that doesn't like to settle down and that's what I've heard about you. You've never had a serious girlfriend lest you count Parkinson which the whole school knows was beyond your control."

"It's true. I don't settle down. I've never really been committed to a girl but that was because at that stage in my life, I wasn't ready to open up to anyone. I've already opened up to you, Hermione. You know my deepest secrets and I'm glad that I shared them with you. You're a good friend and for the past month or so, I've been trying to make you MORE than a friend. If I had it my way, you would have been my girlfriend the very moment we discovered each other."

A tear strolled down her cheek and he reached out to brush it away with his thumb. "So does this mean we're going out?" she asked in hesitation.

"What do you think?" he responded, leaning in and kissing her.

"I think it's time for you to go. Harry and Ron will be here any minute."

"So? Are you not intending on telling them about us?" She didn't respond. "Alright," he sighed. "If that's what you want." He kissed her forehead and then left the Head Tower just as Ron and Harry arrived.

"We're alone," she said to them with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Now what's been going on? What is it that we need to discuss?"

"My scar," Harry said. They all took their seats in the common room. "Over the summer, it began hurting again, but more so than ever. I counted seven time that I passed out in pain because of the bloody thing! It's strange because I felt it the night that your stepfather was killed. Voldemort was angry that evening."

"That doesn't mean anything!" said Hermione, desperately trying to prevent them from finding out that Tom Riddle was in fact her father.

"Hermione, we know the truth," Ron said. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. He's your dad!"

"What are you on about?" she laughed. "Voldemort? My dad? You two have officially lost your marbles."

"Stop lying!" Harry screamed. "I just don't get it! Are you trying to protect him or are you embarrassed to be related to him?"

She blushed. Obviously it was the second one. Who wanted to be related to a heartless bastard? Certainly not her. She was very unhappy sharing blood with him. "You don't understand what it's like for me! First I got stuck with Riley which was never good to begin with. Then my mum leaves and then I find out that my read dad is Satan! What would you have me do? Confess my family history to the world?"

"Not the world," Ron growled. "Just your best friends!"

"I told you what I thought was necessary! I told you what I was ready to tell you!"

"But we're your best friends, 'Mione!" Harry sighed. "You can always tell us everything! But the whole him being your real dad thing isn't even what we were meaning to discuss with you. I had...dreams if that's even what you'd call them."

"And?"

"IN the dream, YOU are running down the corridor and at the end, there are two doors and you have to choose one."

"Well what's behind each door?"

"I've never gotten that far in the dream to know. One door though is a light colored wood with fancy engravings on it that look like earth, wind, water, and fire. It also has something in latin which we all know I don't understand. The other door is a dark mahogony and also has engravings on it, some sort of animal designs I think."

"So does that mean I have to choose between light and the dark?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"The reason we're telling you this," Ron began. "Is to ask you if you think there's a possibility that you might be torn between two things when the final war comes."

"Guys, as much as I clearly hated Riley with a passion, it's possible I hate my real dad even worse. Riley was just a drunken slob. Voldemort is a heartless arse!"

"What about your new best friend, Malfoy?"

"Draco's not evil. Trust me. He's on our side."

"I'm not too sure about him, 'Mione," Harry cut in. "He's bad news! His dad..."

"You don't know anything about his father!" she snapped. "You think it's so easy for him just because he has money and power? Well he also has pressure, pressure for the silliest things like doing well in school, dressing well, acting properly when around people his father would deem high class, pressure to belittle people his father finds too low to matter, all that fun stuff. You think he WANTS to be rude and crude and the way his is? It's not up to him! He has no choice. The minute he starts acting differently, kind or polite to people 'beneath' him, he gets..." She stopped talking, knowing full well that Draco did not want anyone else to know about his home life. "Just don't judge him," she finally said, leaning back in her seat and relaxing a bit.

"Well we just want to cover all our bases," Ron said as he sat back in his seat as well. "We don't want the dream to end the wrong way."

"Harry," Hermione said as she faced her good friend. "In the dream, do I seem panicked while I'm running, like I'm in a rush?"

"Actually you seem more calm, like you can take your time but you don't really want to. You're running because you're choosing to run, not because someone is forcing you to. It seems like you're looking for someone, like you need something."

"Harry, do you think it's possible that you've received the gift of seeing into the future? Trelawney never really thought you had the sight but she was a loon anyway. I think you're now looking into the future not only into your own life but into the lives of the people you love the most. Tell me if you think I'm way off track here."

"No, I think you're onto something," Ron agreed. "I think you're right. Harry, you could be a seer!"

"I don't want to be a seer," Harry whined. "I've got enough problems as it is! Does it look like I need to see into the future?"

"Harry, seeing into the future could help you with some of those problems," Hermione informed him. "You could prepare for what's to come before it happens. I myself would love to have that power and I would teach myself however it's one of the few things no one can learn. It's something you're born with. That's why the course itself is pointless. It can't be taught."

"You get too excited about stuff like this," Ron yawned in boredom.

"I can't help the fact that I love the entire education process."

"I must admit that I find your thirst for knowledge quite intriguing," Harry admitted, patting her on the top of her head with a friendly smile.

"Well, you're not like most guys. Most guys are very turned off by it."

"That's not what I've heard," Ron mumbled.

"What do you mean? You mean you've heard guys talking about me?"

"Well...I mean, in the Quidditch locker rooms and stuff, guys tend to talk and well..."

"And well what?"

"You're cute, Hermione, and now in days, guys are going in that direction. They don't want the skanks and the whores who will do just about any guy that looks their way. They want a girl who appears to be the girl next door but has a slight wild side and they all think that they can find it in you."

"The girl next door with a wild side? Me? Wild side? Me?" She was flabbergasted. "I don't have a wild side. I'm boring. I'm...me!"

"Say what you want," Harry broke in. "But you and I both know that you can be crazy at times, a little dangerous. You know how to walk on the wild side when it suits you. Obviously your studies come first but I'm just saying that in a situation where you had no homework and were left alone with a guy for a lengthy period of time, you would know how to make the best of it."

"Well, I can't say that I'm completely pathetic when it comes to having a good time but...you mean other guys have thought about me like that?"

"Yes," Harry and Ron said simultaneously.

"Well that's interesting. I never really even thought it was possible considering I'm known as the book worm Granger. I guess it's good to hear though, a self-esteem boost."

"Good to hear," Harry said.

"I think we'd better go, Harry," Ron said. "My stomachs grumbling which means it's time for dinner."

The two boys rose from their seats and headed towards the door. "You coming, Hermione?" Harry asked right before they were about to walk out.

"No, I think I'll eat here," she sighed. "I'm tired and I just want a nice relaxing dinner before I go to bed. Tomorrow we have school again so I'd better get some rest considering how exhausted I am."

The three best friends said their good byes and Hermione took her seat on the couch again, secretly waiting for Draco's return, the real reason she stayed back. She wanted to spend sometime with her "boyfriend" that evening and had she gone to dinner with the Gryffindors, there certainly would not have been much time allotted for that.

After sitting there for about a half hour or so, the portrait hole swung open and in walked Draco. "Have you been up here the whole time?" he asked with a devilish smile.

"I was waiting for you. I figured you'd come once you saw Harry and Ron without me by their side."

"Well you're right about that," he yawned as he took a seat next to her. "The two dunderheads ran into the great hall not ten minutes ago. Dinner was just about over. They were lucky to make it in time."

"Hm...that's interesting," she replied. "They left here about a half hour ago. It couldn't have taken them twenty minutes to run from here to the Great Hall. Very interesting."

"We're not really going to spend the night talking about your other two boyfriends, are we?"

"I suppose not," she said with a smile, leaning in to properly greet him with a warm kiss.

A/N...I am soo unbelievably sorry that it's been taking me so long to update. To be honest, the only reason I'm able to get this chapter out is because I played hookie from school yesterday. It was a much needed day of rest.

Basically I've managed to format the rest of the story out. It'll wind up being I think like twenty five chapters so I hope you enjoy the rest of it.

Thanks for reading and please review to tell me what you think!