Howdy! 42 reviews...down a little from usual, but who am I to complain? However, that does create a slight setback for my goal...I'd really like to have 500 reviews by a few days after posting Chapter 10! (Please don't think I'm review-hungry or anything...it's just a personal aspiration of mine...I've never reached 500 reviews on a story before, seeing as this is only my second major fanfiction, so any help that you could give would be much appreciated! Especially since I'll be posting Chapter 10 around the time HP6 comes out...hitting the big "500" will make that weekend even more memorable for me!) Anyway, I would to extend a ginormous THANK YOU to the following fabulous readers who reviewed Chapter 8: Ayantara, NotThePoke (you totally made my day!Thanks for the incredibly sweet and uplifting review...just whatI needed!),WhiteRoseDancer, Rachel, unknownspeices, Bloody Corsets, RainDateChick, Mariah, MIDNIGHT-PIXIE, xPussyWillowKittenx, kitotterkat, Huggles4All, the-insufferable-know-it-all, Kitty Weasley KW, Lara Potter, N.C. PysChick, PotterFan92, Marina Hydroswim, hrrypttrfan, Aqb Dk, ShadowHexx771, EponineWeasley, Ronsreallove, True Slytherin Witch, Eowyn Organa, aurora-sakura, goblim monkey, Emma-Lynn, dancerrdw, dreamchubb, AngelicOne, NicciBubbles, aishteru, eckles (Sorry I didn't have a chance to respond to your email! I've been so busy packing for my upcoming camping trip and finishing this chapter that I simply didn't have time! I'll get a reply to you when I return home!), FairyPrincess, Endless Potential, Alli-Baby, skysongcry, SilentRaven987, and last, but not least, the fantastic first reviewer, suckr4romance!
Look for an update anywhere from Friday toSunday of next weekend! Although I'm sure you'll all be too busy reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince... :-). Merlin, I can't wait to read that! But I ammore than a little bit anxious..what if she totally kills off someone important or makes Harry and Ginny and / or Ron and Hermione get together? Then that will be the end of "fluffy, dancing-around-feelings romance fics!" SOB! Anyway, ya'll have fun reading HP6 and I hope you'll read Chapter 10 (and review!) next weekend, even though this fic may very well be way out of canon!
As usual, read, review, and above all else, ENJOY!
"What is THAT?" Harry asked with disgust, as though the shoe was a particularly smelly piece of human waste.
"I don't know!" I feigned shock. "Perhaps we should move slowly away from the object in question."
"It looks like a shoe," Ginny said in a hushed whisper.
"A very expensive shoe," Harry added.
"A size eleven shoe," I chimed in.
"Draco Malfoy's shoe!" The three of us screamed in unison as Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak off. Within one minute, three wands were pointed at his neck- mine a tad bit on the late side.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Malfoy!" Harry growled furiously. "With Hermione- and MY Invisibility Cloak!"
""Isn't it obvious what we're doing, Potter? We're having a secret affair under the oblivious nose of the Weasel King." (A/N: That wonderful line was used with permission from one of eckles's wonderful reviews...you rock, eckles!) I closed my eyes in utter horror. Those words DID NOT just leave Draco's mouth. There was no possible, logical way.
But, alas, they did.
"WHAT?"
"You sick little basta..."
"You damn ferret..."
"I am going to take pleasure in killing..."
"How dare you...!"
"You're a fu..."
"QUIET!" I yelled. "Throwing insults at Draco isn't going to get you two anywhere."
"DRACO?"
"Er- I mean Malfoy." But the damage had already been done."
"Neither of you," Harry snarled, pointing to the Slytherin and I in turn, "Are putting a TOE outside of this room until you do some explaining." The Boy-Who-Lived was literally shaking with anger.
"I thought I made myself clear, Potter. Your friend here and I are having a torrid love affair under the oblivious nose of your weasel of a best mate."
"Knock it off, Draco," I snapped.
"I knew you were seeing someone behind Ron's back," Ginny hissed. "I knew it. You betrayed Ron. You betrayed me. You betrayed Harry. You betrayed my whole family! You betrayed the WHOLE DAMN WIZARDING WORLD!"
"I didn't betray ANYONE!" I shouted. "If you would just listen to MY side of the story, you would learn the truth!"
"I believe the truth's obvious, Hermione," Harry said furiously. "You're..."
"Silencio!" Draco yelled over the extremely irate voices, and then summoned Harry's and Ginny's wands. "Now, that's better."
"I am NOT cheating on Ron. You HAVE to believe me!" I begged my two red faced mates who looked like they were about to have steam coming out of their ears.
"The truth is, Potter and Weasley," Draco hesitated for a moment, so I picked up where he left off.
"Harry and Ginny, Draco..." I looked to the blond bloke for assurance that I was allowed to reveal the following information and received a firm nod in response. Though he had never explicitly told me that I was to keep his "transformation" a secret, it was understood that only under extenuating circumstances was I to tell anyone. I took a deep breath. "Draco has come to the side of good."
Their reactions were just as I had expected. Harry was making some rude, crude, and socially unacceptable hand gestures that demonstrated just how much he really believed that Draco had changed for the better, and Ginny was miming sticking her wand up the bloke-whose-loyalty-was-in-question's buttocks.
I closed my eyes in frustration. "Maturity would be nice about right now." The two continued their actions, however, and completely ignored my words. Harry, being the very intelligent bloke that he is, suddenly got the brainstorm to pick up a piece of parchment and a quill that were both conveniently located on the wooden table beside him (I really despise capabilities of the Room of Requirement sometimes) and scrawled, "My girlfriend and I would act maturely if Malfoy would be so kind as to give back our ability to speak."
"Not a chance, Potter."
I rolled my eyes. "Unfortunately, we are getting nowhere."
"Precisely. Now, here's the deal, Potter. Although I've come to my senses and am a spy for the Order, that does not mean under any circumstances that I will be civil to your or Weasel. Or even, this Weasely, for that matter."
Harry pointed a firm finger at me.
"And why Hermione, you may ask? Because I am doing a favor for her."
"What kind of favor?" Ginny snarled, as I noticed with a shock that she had somehow stolen my wand right out of my hands and quickly performed the counter-spell.
"Every night, I throw her to a bed in a fit of passion and I shag her until she can no longer move."
"Petrificus Totalus!" I shouted.
Ginny grudgingly gave me a nod of approval.
"I surprised you two aren't using even worse spells on me," I remarked dryly. "Considering some of the things Draco has been telling you."
"You really believe we're that DAFT?" Ginny raised an eyebrow dramatically, and Harry followed suit.
"Well.." I began delicately, "You did think I was cheating on Ron."
"Oh, that." Ginny had the grace to blush. "I jumped to conclusions far too soon. I know you would NEVER do that."
"Right," I drawled. "However, what's with the sudden change of heart? Two minutes ago, you and Harry looked like you were about to jointly murder me with your bare hands-screw wands!"
"It was that twitchy little ferret's remark about 'throwing you onto the bed in a fit of passion and shagging you,'" Harry snapped.
"That was the deciding factor," Ginny added her two cents worth. "We know you well, Hermione. You always, always, ALWAYS want to be in control- the one in charge. Thus, if for some odd reason you were engaging in sexual activities with Malfoy, it's safe to say that you would be the one on top." I blanched, a mental image suddenly entering my mind.
"And also the fact that you would never, in your bloody right mind, let Malfoy shag you under any circumstances." Oh, if only you knew, Harry..."Then again, everyone always believed that you would never, in your bloody right mind, associate with this piece of vermin any more than necessary. We've been proved wrong on that particular aspect. Who knows?"
"Sod off, Harry," Ginny said crossly. "There's no need to second-guess yourself. Since when have we believed the word of MALFOY over HERMIONE"S?"
"Since Hermione has picked up this dreadful habit of fraternizing with the ENEMY behind her FRIENDS' BACKS!
"He's not the ENEMY anymore, Harry," I said shrilly.
"Oh? So now he's a FRIEND?"
"Starting to become one..."
"And just when did this happen, Hermione? In the all of two days since we have been back at Hogwarts? Because I remember VERY clearly what happened on the train with that git proclaiming his allegiance to Voldemort and calling you a mud-"
"That was for appearance's sake, Harry." My voice grew louder and louder as the quarrel escalated. "He simply CAN'T let just ANYONE know that he's now loyal to Dumbledore. Do you realize how the consequences of the wrong people learning that could be?"
"Quite dreadful, I'm afraid," Draco said airily.
The Boy-Who-Lived and I turned around to stare at Ginny, who just shrugged her lean shoulders.
"I reckoned he at least deserved a chance to speak for himself. Besides, your row was quickly becoming awfully bothersome."
"You- you're siding with Hermione!" Harry sputtered.
"True," said Ginny breezily. "Because I have complete faith and trust in her. If she is spending time with Malfoy, I am positive it is for a bloody good reason. Which she will be sharing with us VERY shortly!"
"Or perhaps she's under the IMPERIUS CURSE!" Harry suggested wildly.
I fought desperately not to roll my eyes.
"Or perhaps I am helping her save her relationship with your prat of a best mate," Draco interjected rather loudly.
There was a resounding "huh?" from my companions.
"He's helping me keep Cassandra away from Ron," I elaborated. "With little in the way of success," I thought ruefully.
Harry's emerald eyes bugged out. "You mean to tell me that out of all the people at Hogwarts you choice HIM to help save your love life?"
"Well, I really had no choice..." I stammered.
"It's like this, Potter. I don't like Cassandra. I don't like Weasley. As a matter of fact, I don't like you either."
"So you're doing this for the benefits," Ginny eyes narrowed as she figured out his plan. "You'll try to seduce Cassandra, which will make HER mad, and Ron will be mad at you for taking his new "friend" away, although he'll try to conceal it."
"That's not much in the way of benefits," Harry pointed out thoughtfully.
"I'm not doing this just for those benefits!" Draco hissed. "Cassandra has to be kept away from Ron at all costs- or else TERRIBLE things will happen!"
"Cut out the dramatics, Malfoy," Ginny snorted. "We all know you don't aid ANYONE in need without some ulterior motive. In fact, you never help anyone. Period."
"And since when did you care what happened to Ron- or Hermione for that matter?" Harry challenged his nemesis, emerald eyes flashing.
"Oh, it's no use." I threw up my hands in frustration. "Clearly, Harry you are not going to listen to reason."
"No, I'm not going to," he agreed snidely. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Ginny and I will don MY Invisibility Cloak and sneak back to the Common Room, leaving you two to your own devices."
"One of the best ideas you've had in a while, Potty. Do go ahead."
I slowly sank down to the ground. My alliance with Draco had nearly caused me a friendship (Harry's- Ginny's anger wasn't directed towards me- only Draco- although she was obviously pondering my poor lack of judgment in placing my faith in him. As was I, at times...).
"Damn, Granger, you have some temperamental friends."
"Are you going to turn against me too?" I asked wearily in a muffled voice. "Because if you haven't noticed, it's because of YOU that Harry is currently not on the best terms with me."
"Nah. Using your last name just sounded better in the particular sentence."
"That's good to know."
"Now, are you going to sit here all night, wallowing in your grief because your precious Potter is a smidgen angered towards you? And me," he added as an afterthought. "But then again, he always is. So it's nothing to be surprised about."
"Yes, I am." I snapped. "So if you value certain male body parts, I would strongly advise that you leave me alone. Or else, TRUST me, I will castrate you with my own two hands using a butcher knife that will magically appear in this room because I really, really want it. And no pain-numbing spell."
"You're quite feisty this late at night, Hermione," Draco said almost in awe. "It's a pity I've never had the chance..."
I picked the knife up and held it threateningly over his crotch. "Don't make me do this," I said in a deathly whisper.
"It would be amusing to see you try," he chortled. "But, alas, there will be time for that later."
"Unfortunately, there just may be," I sighed, burying my head in my knees. "Seeing as I may not have any better candidates to spend time with. Harry will be ignoring me, and Ron..." I paused, unexpected tears clouding my vision, "Ron will be drooling over that b-with-an-itch-of-a-witch."
"Please don't cry!" The sexy Seeker said in an odd sort of voice. "I'm not too good at giving comfort."
"I'm not crying," I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. "Especially in front of you!"
"You know, it still bewilders me how after six years of animosity, you and I are sitting in the same room, without throwing curses at each other," he remarked wryly.
"Same here," I yawned. "I honestly don't know what came over me that morning, but something made me trust you- my sworn enemy for six years and the son of Voldemort's right hand man." Draco visibly flinched at hearing the name of the Dark Lord.
"Do you..." I began hesitatingly.
"Have the Dark Mark?" He finished gruffly. "Yes, I do. Or else there's no way I would be allowed into those top-secret meetings that the Order gains SO much information from."
"What are you ever going to do if..."
"I have to fight versus the Order? Reveal my betrayal to the dark side, obviously. It won't matter then, however."
"Why?"
He smiled grimly. "Because the next battle will be the last battle, Hermione. The Final Battle. The duel that will decide the fate of man. It's quickly approaching."
"And Harry's mad at me," I cried in a soft voice.
Draco's whole face softened. "I won't pretend to like Potter, because I really don't. Even if he is our only hope. The one who will save us all. However, I do apologize for his current anger towards you."
"It's not ALL your fault," I admitted grudgingly, rising to my feet. "I reckon we should be heading back to our respective dormitories soon."
"Agreed." We snuck out of the Room of Requirement and jogged as quietly as possible down the corridor.
"Really-wish-Potter-left-his-cloak-with-us!" My companion wheezed through ragged breaths.
"For being such a Quidditch star, I'm surprised you're not in better shape," I chuckled.
"Aw, sod..." the bloke broke off, pulling me hard against the wall. Sensing his sudden anxiety, I efficiently unlit my wand, throwing us into complete and utter darkness.
"Really, Severus, do you really think this is necessary?" We heard the unmistakable voice of Professor McGonagall inquire from further down the corridor.
I stared at Draco, trepidation all over my face, as I heard the footsteps come closer and closer. We were SITTING DUCKS! Discovery by McGonagall and Snape would not be amusing in the least.What in Merlin were we going to do NOW?
The big 500!