Hermione realized as she was lying in bed that night that she had forgotten to return Harry's cloak. She threw on a robe and slippers and tried not to make any noise as she crept towards the boys' dorm. The door opened with a slight groan and Hermione paused to be sure no one had awoken. She snuck over to Harry's trunk and slowly opened it. Placing the cloak exactly where she had found it, she shut the trunk silently and got up to leave, feeling triumphant.
A hand grabbed her arm in the darkness. "So this is who stole my father's cloak?" Harry was awake.
She sat on the couch in the empty common room staring into the dying embers as she tried to explain just why she had stolen Harry's cloak.
"I... I mean... I just..."
"Hermione, you know that had you asked, I would've loaned you the bloody thing, hell I'd have even helped you with whatever you needed. So why just take it without asking?"
"I... I went to see Malfoy in the hospital wing." Even in the dim light, Hermione could see Harry's shock and disgust.
"WHAT? Why? You're not doing anything with him, are you?"
"NO! No, nothing like that, I just-" She didn't want to tell him about the tutoring sessions. "I just went to... to be sure that he was in a lot of pain. I... well there's no use in hiding it, I cursed him so he'd fall off his broom." She couldn't believe she had just told such a lie. But, if a teacher heard, she'd just explain that she THOUGHT she had cursed him by telling him to fall off his broom. So, in reality, it was the truth because after all, that was what she had told Draco.
Harry looked impressed. "Good job Hermione! Though, I still don't understand why you needed my cloak..." He still looked suspicious of her. She gave a sort of forced chuckle and said goodnight. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh Harry? Don't mention it to Ron, please...you know how he gets." She climbed softly up the stairs. Harry stared after her. He knew she was up to something... but what?
The next week, Hermione and Ron were having some "quality" time in his dorm. She stopped kissing him as he tried to remove her robe. "Ron, I thought we talked about this..."
He gave a heavy sigh. "'Mione, we've been dating for a while now."
"I wish you'd be more understanding." She looked at the clock. It read 7:55. "Shoot, I've got to go anyways." She got up to leave.
"Hermione, where do you have to be?"
"The library, I've got some work to do."
"No you don't...you said earlier you'd finished it all."
"Maybe it's not schoolwork."
"Hermione, what have you been doing the past few weeks? You're always running out of here at the same time, sneaking back in an hour or so later. What's up?"
"Nothing, Ron, can't I have a schedule?"
"Hermione, I can tell that you're lying. You've never been very good at lying." He caressed her cheek. "You can tell me what's going on; you know you can trust me."
"Ron, I'm not lying about anything! I'm just going to the library!"
"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME AND YOU WEREN'T DOWN THERE WHEN I LOOKED!"
She froze.
"I took my books to read somewhere else."
"Where?"
"Somewhere else Ron, why does it matter?"
"Somewhere else… would that be DRACO MALFOY'S ROOM?"
"What? No, why would you think that."
Harry came in. "Just getting my Transfiguration book..."
"You know why I would think that? Because Harry here had some interesting information about a certain girlfriend of mine STEALING his cloak to go see Malfoy in the hospital wing." Harry looked mortified as Hermione shot him a look of pure venom. "Go to try and make him feel better, eh? Is that why you won't-"
"RONALD WEASLEY YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THATS NOT TRUE!"
"DO I? YOU WON'T LET ME NEAR YOU HALF THE TIME, HOW DO I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GETTING YOURS ELSEWHERE?" A slap silenced the red faced boy.
"I cannot BELIEVE you would even insinuate that. We've talked about this Ron, I'm waiting for the right time, the right moment... I'm waiting for love, Ron. And you are waiting for the next time the dorm room clears out!"
"Didn't wait long around Malfoy, did you?"
"I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING WITH MALFOY, RON!"
"FINE, THEN WHERE ARE YOU GOING RIGHT NOW?"
"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHERE I'M GOING! I can't believe we're even HAVING this conversation!"
She stormed out of the dorm. All activity had paused in the full common room, and all eyes fell on Hermione as she stormed down the stairs. Ron stood at the top landing, glaring at her as she headed to the portrait hole.
"HAVE FUN WITH MALFOY, DEAR! JUST DON'T COME LOOKING FOR ME WHEN HE'S DONE USING YOU!"
She whirled around. "DAMNIT RON I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING WITH DRACO MALFOY! HE'S NEVER SO MUCH AS LAID A FINGER ON ME! QUIT BEING SO DAMN PARANOID!"
"IF YOU CAN'T TRUST ME, MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T BE TOGETHER! AFTER ALL, ITS MALFOY YOU WANT, ISN'T IT!"
Her voice lowered to a deadly whisper. "Sod off Ron. Maybe we shouldn't be together, as it's YOU who don't trust ME."
And on that note, she twirled back around and left the common room. No one said a word, no one moved until Ron finally stopped staring at where Hermione had stood and went back into his dorm, tears filling his eyes.