Standing To The Right Chapter 9: Lies Of Comfort, a harry potter fanfic

Chapter Nine: Lies Of Comfort

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Is it still me that makes you sweat?
Am I who you think about in bed?
When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress?
Then think of what you did
And how I hope to God he was worth it.
When the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch your skin.
I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fuck
Than any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me
Girl I was it, look past the sweat, a better love deserving of
Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat?
No, no, no, you know it will always just be me

Harry lay wide awake on top of the covers of his four poster in the seventh year dormitory. It was well past two am and he could hear the steady content breathing of his fellow Gryffindor's. He, it seemed, was the only one who couldn't sleep.

Two weeks had passed since that night in Godric's hollow, but he couldn't for the life of him get the relaying scenes out of his weary mind, as he stared up at the dark canopy above his bed.

He slowly and quietly slid off his bed and crossed to the dormitory window, which was open slightly allowing a cool breeze to whip across his drawn face.

He squinted as a dark figure came into view, striding across the shadows of the Hogwarts ground and Harry felt a feeling of panic well up in his throat. He relaxed as he recognised the figure as Malfoy's arrogant self. Malfoy walking the darkened grounds wasn't a completely relaxing thought, but it was better the some death eater or Voldemort himself.

Clasping the letter he'd taken from his parents' house, Harry made his way back to bed. Safe in the knowledge that if someone did attack the grounds, at least they'd kill ferret face first.

Draco slipped underneath the branches of the weeping willow, bathing its trunk in moonlight for the briefest of seconds.

He smirked as the silhouette was suddenly revealed.

"I didn't think you'd come" he said, lighting his wand, bathing them both in its soft golden light.

Ginny shrugged then smiled.

"Me neither" she murmured, staring up at Draco intently, daring him to come closer.

Draco Malfoy wasn't one to ignore that sort of challenge, any sort of challenge and stepped closer, until their faces were centimetres away.

Ginny gulped, suddenly purged with a feeing of guilt; and she pulled away abruptly.

"I thought this was what I wanted………….. I mean, I thought I knew………but its not….." she stumbled over her words, desperately trying to make a coherent sentence and failing miserably as Draco continued to gaze at her intensely.

"Ginny, you know exactly what you want. You know it and I know it. So stop playing games"

Draco's words made Ginny halt. He was right of course. She had been deliberating this moment and how it would end for weeks now, and it always ended the same way.

"Your right, I do know" she nodded.

Draco strode over to her, crashing his lips down on hers, wrapping his arms round her fragile body and Ginny clung to him, desperate to be as close to him as possible.

As they parted to catch their breath. Ginny smiled. So this was what it felt like to kiss a guy who adored you. Who only had time for you and you alone. She caught Draco's eye, and knew that she would always come first to him. She wrapped her arms round his neck and pulled him into the softest of kisses and felt completely at home.

"So what are we going to do about potter?"

Draco voiced the worry he had been suppressing since that night he'd first kissed the petite redhead, walking so comfortably beside him.

Ginny shook her head. Truth be told, she didn't want to think about it at all. She could picture the obscene look of hurt, disappointment and hatred on Harry's face, if she told him she was seeing his worst enemy.

"I don't think I can tell him" she said finally, causing Draco to pause in the corridor.

They looked at each for a while, processing the difficulties that this relationship might unearth. Ginny was still officially dating Harry, Draco was still officially hating Ginny, Harry and any of their friends and Draco was still officially going to become a death eater on his eighteenth birthday. They had talked about these problems so many times over the holidays and nothing had come of it.

Well, they had taken the plunge now. There was no turning back now and if they were to face any problems, then they would face them together.

Draco smiled suddenly and Ginny looked up at him I surprise. Draco Malfoy, giving her a genuine smile!

He bent forward and brushed his lips against hers.

"Okay" he said.

Ginny gazed up at him.

"Are you sure your okay with this?" she asked.

Draco nodded.

"Okay – any way you want to play this is okay"

Hermione opened one eye, from where she lay on the sofa in the heads common room, as she heard Draco enter.

"Good night?" she teased, making Draco frown at her, as he removed his cloak.

"None of your damn business granger" he sighed, stomping up the stairs to his bedroom and slamming the door on her.

Hermione shrugged and returned to her arithmancy homework, glancing a look at her watch face as she did so. Quarter to three in the morning. God she needed to sleep, especially with Snape's evaluation of their potions in the morning.

Slowly she roused herself off the sofa and dawdled up the staircase to bed. As she entered her room, her gaze fell upon an owl hooting softly on her bed.

She quickly crossed the room, and stroking the owl gently, she removed its letter.

Hermione,

If you still want to know about what was happening the other night meet me in the library at eight thirty tomorrow night.

Bring potter and the carrot tops if you want.

B. Z

Hermione pocketed the letter and watched the owl soar off into the night, before crawling into bed, suddenly exhausted.

Snape eyed his class of nervous seventh years with a grim sneer. Although everyone one had managed to make a potion, many were simple second year potions, others were badly blended or there was a distinct lack of written coursework to partner the liquids.

The only exception to this bunch of sour disappointments, was that of granger and Zabini.

Their potion; which was corked in two separate bottles; one filled with a thick sparklingly golden substance, which looked like gold dust; and the other containing a misty liquid of the palest pink colour; was the only one accompanied with copious amounts of written research and analysis.

Snape was reluctantly impressed.

He approached their table, where the pair were seated in complete silence and glowered at them.

"Did you make two potions?" he asked dangerously, focusing on their only flaw; the fact that the potion didn't seem to be finished.

Hermione spoke up nervously.

"No sir, the potion could not be completed as it calls for a difficult final ingredient" she handed Snape the ingredients list and he read it curtly.

Hermione watched as he shook his head, eyes widening slightly, then gaped at them.

"Where did you find this potion?" he asked, but held up a hand as Hermione opened her mouth to reply.

"Doesn't matter" he stopped her tensely, heading towards the door, the two bottles of potion in his hand, along with the ingredients list.

"Class dismissed!" he yelled over his shoulder, leaving a shocked class of seventeen year old sitting in complete confused silence.

Two seconds later however…..

"Bloody hell, did we just get out of double potions early?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"Mione, you potion doesn't cure greasy hair does by any chance?" he chuckled, standing up and grabbing his bag.

Hermione laughed.

"No Ron" she said, linking arms with him and grinning at Harry.

"Although shampoo wouldn't kill him…." She whispered under her breath, causing Blaise to smile inwardly.

"Shhhh Draco, someone's coming!"

Ginny hushed Draco as she listened to the sound of the approaching students, who were laughing amongst themselves.

Suddenly her jaw dropped in surprise.

"That's Ron and Hermione!" she spun round wildly, eyes wide and Draco swore silently to himself.

"And …….Harry" Ginny groaned.

"I thought they were in class with Snape, you now the one you were skipping to make sure they wouldn't be around!" she snapped, in a harsh whisper.

Draco shrugged. How had they got out of double potions so early, if at all!

"Quick their going to see us" Ginny hissed pulling Draco further down the grassy slope that led to the forest.

"Ginny?" Ron's voice made Ginny jump and panic stricken she shoved Draco sideways into the nearest bush.

"Ron! Hi! Weren't you in potions?" she gabbled rapidly, smoothing down her hair and trying desperately not to look suspicious in any way.

Ron frowned at her.

"Yeah – it got cancelled. Gin you look very suspicious-"

Ginny distracted him momentarily by throwing her arms round Harry and kissing him passionately on the lips.

"Heya honey! How are you? Haven't seen you all day!"

Harry looked somewhat shell shocked at his girlfriends' sudden display of passion and enthusiasm, but kissed her back all the same.

"Im good thanks" he blushed. Ginny took his hand, pulling him back towards the castle.

"Harry and I are going to …erm… catch up" she improvised rapidly. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other.

Ginny grinned.

"You two could do the same….." she hinted, winking at her brother. Hermione opened her mouth to exclaim at Ginny's bluntness then stopped and grinned at Ron.

"Sounds fun" she laughed, grabbing Ron's hand and dragging him, smiling broadly, after Ginny and Harry.

Draco emerged from his reluctant hiding bush. Why was it when there were millions of bushes in the grounds that Ginny had shoved him into a gorse bush! He had prickles where prickles really shouldn't be!

Groaning and limping slightly he made his way slowly into the castle and the Slytherin common room.

"Nice head piece Draco mate!" Blaise called as he pulled a rather twiggy piece of gorse out of Draco's blonde mop of hair.

"Fuck off Zabini!"

Hermione fiddled impatiently with a strand of her hair, as she awaited Blaise's arrival, with Harry, Ron and Ginny.

Hermione usually found the library a relaxing and comforting place to be, but tonight an air of gloom and remembrance of previous events set a chilling tone to the scene.

"Where the bloody hell is that Slytherin rat!" exclaimed Ron as his rapidly shortening fuse broke.

Hermione sent him a reproachful look.

"Ron, he doesn't have to tell us anything about the other night you know. Personally I would wait all night for him to show up"

Ron frowned at his girlfriend, but didn't get his chance to reply.

"Listen to the girl, weasel. She knows what she's talking about" he grinned at Hermione, who desperately tried, and failed, not to blush.

"But all night Hermione? Quite unexpected that. Not unflattering though…!" he winked at the embarrassed looking Gryffindor and Ron growled menacingly and stepped closer to his girlfriend.

Harry, who had grown tired of watching the antics of the three protagonists, cleared his throat.

"I believe you had something you wanted to share with us Zabini?" he prompted firmly and Blaise nodded, suddenly sombre.

"Well actually, I thought id just open the floor for questions" he replied, pulling out a chair at the table and collapsing into it, arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles.

The four Gryffindor's sat in silence for a minute before Hermione piped up, tentatively.

"What was happening that night?"

Blaise settled his dark cobalt eyes on the girl in front of him. He had been so scared for her that night, wanted to protect her so much and yet he wasn't sure why. And it defiantly wasn't something he'd wanted to explore further.

Slowly he cleared his throat and began to tell them everything.

"What you guys witnessed the other night was the final stage in the preparations for the enrolment of a wizard into the death eater ranks. There are three stages in total. The first being the pledge; taken to bind your body to lord Voldemort, so you will come when you are called to his side"

Harry remembered how the death eaters in his fourth year had appeared by Voldemort side when he had touched worm tail's dark mark.

"The second stage is sacrifice – "

Ginny looked horrified at this thought and Blaise chuckled grimly.

"Not of a person, but of an object or a talent that you hold dear to you. These things or skills are transmitted to lord Voldemort's essence, and you become a part of is existence and power"

Blaise lowered his eyes from Hermione's, where they had been gazing intently into her own.

"The third is demonstration. Demonstrating you have the necessary frame of mind to become a member of lord Voldemort's inner circle"

"To kill you mean"

Hermione voice was hard and abrupt, interrupting Blaise's train of thought and making him tense.

He raised his gaze to hers again; his eyes mercilessly cold now.

"Yes, to kill. It's what death eaters do. Kill or be killed. It's the only choice Voldemort allows you."

He tore his gaze away from Hermione and looked up at the rest of the group all of whom were still absorbing his explanation. Harry looked slightly puzzled and Blaise gestured for him to share his thoughts.

"I was just wondering, why the grave yard? Why there to hold this ceremony thingy?"

Blaise shrugged.

"Lots of extremely powerful wizards and witches are buried there. There are a lot of powerful magical forces in effect in over that sight."

Harry nodded.

"So after you've proven you can kill someone, you get the dark mark?" Ron interjected.

Blaise shook his head.

"No, you are honoured with the mark on your eighteenth birthday" he replied dryly.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and stood up.

"Well thanks for filling us in …..Mate" he smiled at Blaise, who nodded back, then held out his hand.

"I dunno why you told us all that or anything. But mione seems to trust you and you seem to be reasonably honest – for a Slytherin I mean….."

"Of course…" laughed Blaise, shaking Harry's outstretched hand firmly.

Harry slung an arm around a paling Ginny and strode out of the library, talking nine to the dozen about the recent revelations.

Ron stood up as well and made to follow Harry, then paused, looking back at Hermione.

"You go ahead, I want to ask something" she urged him.

Ron shrugged.

"Ill see you in the common room then……?" Hermione nodded, and Ron leant forward, pacing a quick kiss on her lips then waved himself out of the library.

Blaise watched Hermione as she frowned after her boyfriend, then turned to face him.

"I see you and the weasel have hooked up then. Heard it's been coming for quite a while"

There was a cold tone in Blaise's voice, echoed with a tentative one, which sounded like hurt, which surprised Hermione. She shrugged.

"I don't know about me and Ron….. It's complicated"

Blaise stood and moved in front of her.

"Im not so sure. I think it's very very simple actually" He whispered, placing a kiss, which lingered a touch to long on her cheek, before sweeping out of the library.

Hermione brought a hand up to her now bright pink cheek, running a finger over the place his lips had touched her skin.

"Blaise wait!" She ran to catch him up, and saw him halt in the corridor ahead of her. He turned around to face her as she slowed to a walk and stopped in front of him.

"Yes?" he whispered and Hermione looked up into his tired face, her eyes desperately searching his for answers.

"Did you……… I mean did you…….?"

Her question was one Blaise had been expecting and she didn't need to finish it.

"Yes"

Hermione didn't quite know what to do with herself that evening. She was slumped in the armchair next to the fire, watching as the flames ate away at the dying embers.

She couldn't get Blaise's words out of her mind.

Firstly, he had killed someone! He was only seventeen and he had killed someone, an innocent bystander. Was this why he'd filled them in on that evenings events… through guilt?

Hermione shuddered involuntarily. It wasn't his choice she reasoned, unsure of why she felt the need to defend him at all.

She thought back over his departing sentence.

It's very very simple actually.

What was simple. Nothing about this situation with Ron was simple. He was her best friend and she cared about him deeply, but she didn't…… couldn't love him like that. Like a boyfriend. It felt wrong. She'd known it, the minute he'd kissed her, but by then it was too late. She was in too deep and Ron seemed to genuinely have feelings for her.

Sighing deeply, she watched as the fire burned right down, then crossed the darkened common room and out into the cold corridors of the castle.

The Slytherin's who were still wide awake at the late hour that they heard the impatient knock on their common room door, were surprised by it to say the least.

Daphne Greengrass, swung her legs from over the arm of one of the emerald sofas, that she was lounged on, and crossed the dungeon, towards the portrait hole.

She was even more surprised to see Hermione grangers nervously pale face staring back at her, once she swung it open.

"Granger! What the hell do you want?"

Hermione peered into the Slytherin common room, looking swiftly around for any sign of Blaise.

"Er…. I … er……. Need to talk to Blaise Zabini please" she muttered softly.

Daphne raised her arched eyebrows and shook back her mane of ash hair.

"Im sorry, Blaise isn't available. He's gone to bed" Daphne smirked.

Hermione frowned at the pretty girl in front of her, who Hermione decided would never make it in the customer service industry!

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to see us both, so I suggest you wake him Miss Greengrass. Head girl orders!"

Hermione had always thought it wrong to lie and to use her status as head girl for her own needs irresponsible and illegal; but now was not the time to be reclining in a sun lounger on the hill of moral highs.

Daphne tutted, ungracefully and stomped off up a set of stone steps.

Minutes later, a tired and scruffy looking Blaise descended after her down the staircase, and his eyes widened at the sight of Hermione, who was now standing in the Slytherin……. Yes the Slytherin common room – a place she'd rather stab herself repeatedly with a Spork then step foot in, Blaise knew.

"Hermione? What's up?" he yawned, overcoming his surprise at the sight of her in his common room.

"Professor Dumbledore wanted us" she lied and he shrugged.

"Sure ok"

Hermione followed him as he sauntered out of the common room and made his way in the direction of Dumbledore's office.

Once they were sufficiently far enough away from the dungeons, Hermione stopped and watched as Blaise followed suit, a confusion spreading across his features.

"What's going on?"

Hermione took a deep breath.

"What's simple Blaise? I don't understand what's so simple……"

Blaise stared at the girl in front of him for what seemed an age.

"Hermione, what on earth re you talking about!" he said finally and Hermione sighed dramatically.

"Before in the library you said that it was simple. Very very simple actually. But what is? Me and Ron cause that's not simple, neither is you and me, not at all, and as for – "

She stopped as Blaise raised a hand to hush her.

He peered at her curiously.

"You and me?" He asked and Hermione blushed slightly.

"Hermione there is no you and me. There never was a you and me. You and Ron and me and Daphne – although that wont be for long – " he muttered quietly.

"You and me can't happen, even if we wanted it to. What am I saying – where did you even get this idea of us! It's insane!"

Hermione glared at him.

"Erm I dunno the common room, when you rescued us from Voldemort, when you kissed me on the cheek in the library!" she hissed, both terrified and angry that she had been wrong.

Blaise laughed spitefully and Hermione slapped him, hard across the cheek.

"What is your problem?" he spat furiously.

Hermione blanched.

"My problem? What's your problem?"

Blaise took a step backwards, never breaking her eye line, desperate but unable to walk away.

"You"

"What?"

"You. You're my problem. You always have been. Your overly moral, self righteous, cynical and in a constant state of confusion and self disbelief, but I don't care. All I care about is tat I get to see you every day. That I can make you smile or laugh once in a while. That I can protect you, even if you've got someone else to do that for you."

Finally he turned away, leaning fists clenched against the wall. Hermione stared at him.

Then slowly she began to take in every detail. How tired and preoccupied he looked, his hair was messier then usual from where he'd been asleep. His clothes were muggle – jeans and a t – shirt that stretched across his taught torso. And without warning she realised how much she wanted to put her arms around him. To touch him and to kiss him. She suddenly realised that she was shaking with anticipation. A feeling shed never had with Ron. That feeling of needing and wanting someone close to you.

Blaise turned to look at her as she spoke his name.

She had never looked quite so scared n her life. She stood in the middle of the corridor, bathed in the faint milky twilight; eyes wide and trembling as he walked towards her.

He thought she was going to give way as he ran his finger down her cheek and over her lips. And then he brushed his lips across hers for the first time and cascade of anticipation and longing and denial exploded as they deepened the kiss.

A/N: Ok! Theres some dilemas for you all to sink your pearly whites into!

Shall we do a quick summary of the plot so far?

I think so!

Ok ... so ginnys dating harry and rons dating hermione. blaise is dating daphne and draco is all on his lonesome. Awwwwwwwwwww.

Anyway ... blaise hand hermione have nearly kissed twice before this chapter making them both so nervous of their feelings theyve buggered off with other people. Damn them! But now they seem all coupled up finally even though their still dating their respective partners. The SCANDAL! lol

Ginny and draco work on a muggle stiudies project which will be revealed in the next chapter (along with some drama for the clashing duo!) And they start an affair behind harrys back.

Harry is almost captured by voldy but his mothers letter protects him... hmmm how i wonder? it will be revealed.

Theres a potion to consider remember - why was snape acting so strange about it? and whats the missing ingerediant?

When will drakie and blaisikins become death eaters and will the tangled love lives ever sort themselves out?

Er...NO!

Well not yet anyway - im having too much fun!