Always expect the unexpected.
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
Draco drove his fist into the wall, clenching his teeth as the sharp pain shot up the length of his arm.
"I'm not stupid, Draco. I know you…," Blaise lowly said.
Draco made a sound that vaguely resembled a growl as he turned to face Blaise.
"What do you want me to say? What the hell do you want from me?"
"The truth," Blaise threw out, crossing his arms over his chest.
Blaise knew Draco, probably better than Draco knew himself. Now that he'd seen it, he didn't understand how he didn't see it before.
"You want her…"
Draco scoffed.
"Now, who's delusional," Draco spat.
"No…you don't just want her…," Blaise trailed off, never taking his eyes off of Draco.
He took a step forward, undeterred by his friend's glare.
"You like her…as in really like her…"
"Blaise, I'm warning you…"
"Say it! Say it, Draco! Let's get all of it out in the open," Blaise loudly said.
Draco took a threatening step forward.
"What do you want to hear? Huh? You want me to say that I don't like that she's with you, instead of me? You want me to say that I don't like it when you two are making googly eyes at each other from across the room?"
Draco took another step forward, and Blaise did the same.
"How about, I can't stand the fact that out of all the guys in the school she chose to shag, she chose you? Or, or…maybe you want me to say something about how she deserves better? Hmm? Do you want me to warn you away, claiming that you'll only hurt her?"
Another step forward, another step mirrored. They were only inches apart now, and Draco's chest heaved as he stared Blaise in the eyes.
"Maybe…maybe you want me to say that ever since I saw her in your room that day that she's all I've thought about. Maybe you want me to admit that I've thought of Granger in several similar scenarios, only it wasn't your bed that she was sharing…"
Draco clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes.
"Or maybe that I'm mad at you for having the common sense to notice who she was before I did…?"
Draco swallowed, stepping back and folding his hands into fists at his side.
"…maybe I'm angry because you're where I want to be…"
"What on earth were you thinking?"
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, sinking back into the chair. The common room was empty, thank Merlin, and they didn't have to worry about curious listeners.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, but all I saw was a smug bastard who got exactly what he wanted and a shitty boyfriend who took advantage of your trust. All I saw was two guys who hurt my best friend. They deserved it," Ginny whispered.
"Did you ever stop to think about how this might affect me?"
Ginny felt a small pang of regret, having not thought of that.
"…no, but maybe they'll back off now. No more cornering you in the library or anywhere else. I won't apologize for what I did. Someone had to do it…"
Hermione paused in her pacing, turning to face Ginny head on.
"Just what is that supposed to mean," she questioned.
"It means that you clearly weren't going to give them what they deserved. Your feelings for Blaise are all types of conflicted, right now, and Malfoy…," Ginny trailed off with a scoff.
Hermione frowned at the flash of disgust that passed over Ginny's features, and she stepped closer.
"What was that about? What about Malfoy?"
"You're attracted to the jerk! Or…at least you were," Ginny said.
"Where on earth did you get an idea like that?"
Ginny rolled her eyes towards her.
"Please… Tell me something, Hermione," Ginny began.
The redhead stood, walking towards her best friend as Hermione looked on in confusion.
"Why didn't you say anything that night? Why didn't you open your mouth and protest? Or curse them out? At the very least, slap him?"
Hermione scoffed, folding her arms over her chest as well.
"I apologize if my reactions and thought process was a bit…delayed, Ginny. Take it from someone who experienced it, it wasn't as black and white as you're trying to make it seem," Hermione said.
"That's not what I'm-."
"…but you are! You're insinuating that because I didn't say anything…because I didn't voice my discomfort, I excused what happened. That I was all in, and that couldn't be farther from the truth…"
Hermione dropped her arms, exhaling.
"I can't even begin to describe the number of emotions that were building up inside of me. Here I am, in the middle of sex with who I think is my wonderful boyfriend. I'm beside myself with happiness and pleasure, and then…it isn't him. I'm now confused. Yes, the pleasure and enjoyment is still there, but now there's confusion and a bit of anger because I realize that I've been tricked…"
"I want to say something, I start to say something, but I don't. Fine, a part of me was attracted to Malfoy. A very small part, because let's face it, he's an ass. Nonetheless, that tiny part of me took great pleasure in this new development. That tiny part of me was telling me to take advantage of this. That tiny part of me wanted this. However, an even bigger part of me was telling me that Blaise had betrayed us, betrayed our trust…"
Hermione shook her head, looking away.
"…then he told me that it was okay…and for a while, I believed that. For a while, that tiny part of me won and agreed with him that it was okay. That because that small attraction for Malfoy was present, it was okay. That because I wasn't opposed to having a third partner, it was okay. What did it matter that he didn't ask? I would've said yes, anyway, right?"
Hermione threw her hands up and scoffed.
"…what did it matter that it was Malfoy? The guy who'd been making my life a living hell for weeks? Who had been treating me like an unwanted cold sore? Oh, oh, but wait! It turns out that his behavior was due to some feelings that were present, so, hey! That excuses his behavior. That makes it okay, right?"
Hermione huffed and Ginny stepped towards her.
"Only it wasn't okay, and this didn't become clearer until afterwards. That was when the anger came. I was furious, I was confused, I was hurt…humiliated. I was angry with Malfoy, and I was even angrier with Blaise, but above all…I was angry with myself. Why didn't I say something? Why did I stare him in the face and allow him to kiss me? The truth, Ginny…is that I felt that the damage was already done..."
"…I saw no sense in protesting because I didn't want to. I'm making Blaise and Malfoy own up to the fact that they did me wrong, because they did. They did a dirty, sneaky thing. There's no question about that, but I also need to be honest with myself. I didn't want to stop," Hermione darkly said with a shrug.
Hermione sank back down into the seat.
"Not even when I saw that…thing on his arm. I had no intentions of saying anything…"
Ginny swallowed.
"Does that make me a bad person?"
Ginny sat down beside her, taking her hand.
"No, Hermione, it doesn't. You're just a girl who was tricked. Saying all of this aloud, maybe it'll make it easier to stay away from both of them as much as possible…"
Hermione was walking down the stairs towards the Great hall the next morning with a handful of students, a few teachers thrown into the mix. She was on her own this morning, Ron and Harry having already beaten her there for once, with Ginny sleeping in. She was halfway down the stairs when someone stumbled past her, knocking into her shoulder as they landed on the step directly beneath her. The figure threw their head back, blonde locks flying as they connected gazes with her.
Daphne Greengrass frowned, lip curling over her perfect teeth as she glared up at Hermione. Hermione frowned in confusion, but before she could do anything, Greengrass had already stood, reaching out to shove Hermione back.
"What the hell is your problem, Granger?"
Hermione's frown deepened as a small dose of irritation bubbled up inside of her.
"What are you on about?"
"You tripped me, you troll!"
"I did no such thing!"
Luck was not on Hermione's side that morning as Snape was one of the few teachers near.
"Ms. Granger, perhaps you can brush up on your coordination and manners tonight in detention," his voice drawled from behind her.
Hermione spun around, looking up at him in disbelief. He couldn't be serious? She had not even touched Greengrass!
"I suppose the same goes for me, as well, Professor? I did push her, after all," Greengrass' tinkling voice came from behind Hermione, filled with disdain.
Snape had the most peculiar expression on his face, as if he did not want to give Greengrass detention, but also did not want to be accused of favoritism.
"…very well," he reluctantly stated, staring down his nose at the Slytherin girl.
He brushed past the both of them and Hermione turned back around, at a loss for words. Greengrass gave her one very venomous once over before following behind him.
Hermione huffed in irritation before reluctantly following, entering the Great Hall.
She she sat down across from Harry and Ron.
"You won't believe what just happened to me…"
"…he's miserable, you know…"
Hermione looked up in shock, not used to Malfoy cordially speaking to her…at least not during lesson. More importantly, especially not after…
She glanced away from him, resuming her note taking lest Snape give her another detention.
Draco stared at her, eyes trailing over her as he took her in.
"I know you care about him. It has to make you feel something to know that he's-."
"He should be," she interrupted.
Draco heaved a tired sigh, not exactly sure what Blaise expected him to accomplish.
"Hermione…"
Hermione tensed up, not used to him using her first name.
...
He trailed his lips up her throat as she rocked against him, his hands digging into the base of her spine as hers settled on his shoulders. Blaise's lips were attached to her shoulder, his hands never lingering in one place for long.
Hermione rolled her hips, eliciting a hiss from in between Draco's teeth as his grip tightened.
"Hermione," he breathed, his breath fanning over her skin.
...
"Don't…" she swallowed, "Don't call me that."
He was quiet for some time before he eventually turned to look at her, his eyes boring into her skin. His blood warmed at seeing the glazed look within her eyes, knowing that her mind had drifted to the same place as his.
"Why not?"
His voice was but a whisper, loud enough for her ears only. She paused in her writing, slowly turning her head just a fraction. She glanced up at him from beneath her lashes, a troubled expression on her face.
"You know why…"
She glanced away, resuming, pretending the conversation never happened.
Snape closed the door behind him, leaving Hermione and Greengrass to it. Hermione bit her lip and ran her eyes over the stack of parchment, repressing the urge to throw a tantrum. Wasn't grading student papers supposed to be his job? She wasn't even supposed to be here! She had done nothing wrong…
She glanced up to find Greengrass looking at her, and Hermione rolled her eyes, turning away. She didn't know what her problem was. As far as Hermione could remember, she had done nothing to insult the blonde. Maybe Harry was right, maybe they were just getting bolder…
"We need to talk, Granger…"
Hermione scoffed.
"What about? About how I didn't trip you, and you got-."
"In what world would I ever talk any teacher into giving me detention when I know they had no intentions of doing so? I needed a safe place to speak to you away from prying eyes and listening ears," Greengrass stated.
Hermione reared back in disbelief, staring at the other girl in confusion.
"…you…you did this on purpose?"
Greengrass made a sound, something in between a scoff and a chuckle as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You aren't the only clever witch in this school, you know…"
Hermione's frown deepened as Greengrass smirked at her. What could Greengrass possibly want to talk about that required such privacy? The Slytherin suddenly sighed, leaning against a nearby desk.
"I don't even know where to start…"
Hermione remained quiet, deciding to hear her out entirely.
"There are…there are things that are going on…"
She licked her lips, nervous.
"There are things happening within our house that you Gryffindors can't even imagine," she whispered, shaking her head.
"What kind of things?"
"I know that you lot think we're all hoping to follow in our parents' footsteps. Some of you joke, but…it's so much more than that," she quietly said.
"Greengrass…"
"I-I can't tell you everything. I won't…not until…," she trailed off, looking away.
Hermione watched in awe as her expression changed, her guard slipping, eyes downcast. What could she possibly have seen? What could possibly scare her so much? She suddenly looked up again, eyes simultaneously hard and vulnerable as she took a step towards Hermione.
"I'll tell you whatever you want to know. I'll tell you, Potter, and Dumbledore everything, but you have to… You have to promise me that you'll protect me. You have to give me that, Granger."
Hermione's eyes widened and her confusion grew as Greengrass' voice grew in desperation. The blonde girl suddenly swallowed, eyes becoming misty. Hermione saw a fear in the other girl's eyes like no other, an expression that was unfamiliar on the blonde's face.
"I need your help…," she softly whispered, eyes pleading as she walked closer.
Hermione watched as she reached down, shakily pulling up her sleeve.
"I want out."
There, on Daphne Greengrass' flawless skin, was the Dark Mark in bold, black ink.
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