Hermione stirred the mixture in her cauldron at a clockwise, circular motion as the instructions demanded. A stray curl had escaped her ponytail, dancing along her vision every now and then and causing her irritation to spike. She resisted the urge to lift her eyes, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as she heaved a sigh, exhaling through her nose.

It was Monday, exactly fourteen hours since the incident in the Great Hall in which she'd told Harry that she'd shagged Malfoy. She hadn't, but neither he nor Ron needed to know that. She could feel their eyes on her ever since she'd stepped into Potions. To be fair, she could feel the eyes of everyone on her. She'd been a coward and had avoided breakfast, but she couldn't skip class, and in the crowded room, there was nowhere for her to hide.

A part of her felt utterly foolish. She couldn't believe that she was tarnishing her reputation and lying about sleeping with Malfoy just to get back at Ron and Harry. In what world was that okay? Sure, she was making them as angry as they'd made her, but at what cost? She knew that everyone was talking about her, and she was sure there were more venomous comments than congratulatory ones.

On the other hand, a part of her felt…satisfied. It felt good to hurt them like they'd hurt her, reputation be damned. What did it matter if a good majority of the school was talking about her like she was some common slag? It wasn't true, and it only proved how easily manipulated they all could be. One lie, and they were all ready to lap it up like dogs. Something inside of her knew that the students wanted to believe it, though. A fall from grace was always entertaining to watch, she surmised, but still…

She glanced to her left, catching Malfoy's eye just before he threw a wink her way. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but a small smile graced her lips, regardless. She was thankful that he'd gone along with the lie despite having no forewarning, but she shouldn't have been surprised that he'd go along with it so well. She was sure that he didn't get many opportunities like this one, and he was certainly eating it up.

"The potion should be a vibrant emerald…," Slughorn's voice bled into her thoughts then.

She looked down at her potion, satisfied to see that it looked correct. With a satisfied nod, Hermione sealed the mixture and began to pack her things away. She'd just bent down to toss her notes into her bag when a shadow passed over her. She craned her head back, eyes landing on Malfoy as he stood before her. She stood too, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she frowned up at him, confusion lacing her features. She could feel multiple eyes not-so-discreetly watching them.

"We have to patrol, tonight…"

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, because they most certainly did not have to patrol, when he interrupted her.

"…seventh floor," he continued with finality.

Hermione raised her eyebrows, blinking in understanding.

"Right. Thanks for the reminder," she said, facing away as he brushed past her.

There was a certain tension growing between them that Hermione would have liked to ignore if it didn't always make itself known in the most unfortunate of ways. It wasn't long before she followed his lead, and exited the class herself. However, she wasn't alone.

"We need to talk."

Hermione turned, not even six steps away from the class, to face Ron sans Harry...and Lavender. He stood there, tall and blue-eyed with a frown on his handsome face. Hermione was tempted to comment on his rather rude approach, but thought better of it. It was only a matter of time before he confronted her like Harry did, more so, now, for obvious reasons. With a resigned sigh, she was determined to get it over with.

"The floor is yours," she said, waving her hand at him.

Ron blinked, clearly taken aback by her agreeable nature. He was silent for a moment and shuffled his feet.

"Please, do hurry up, Ron. I have another class to get to…"

"Right," he said with a determined nod, hard eyes gazing at her as he swallowed. "Did you really shag Malfoy?"

Predictable as always.

"What is it to you?"

He blinked again, eyes widening a bit as he clearly didn't expect that answer either. She supposed that he expected her to deny it, or avoid the question altogether. He had the same constipated look on his face like Harry did for a brief moment before huffing, face reddening just a bit.

"You have to be lying. You… You and Malfoy? I refuse to believe that-."

"Well, believe it. We shagged, fucked, had sex, whatever you want to call it. We live in the same dorm, after all, it was easy-."

"I don't want to hear the details," Ron spat.

"Well, what do you want to hear, Ron?" she asked with a shrug. "This is why you're really here, isn't it? To know if I had sex with your sworn enemy?"

Ron's shoulders heaved, and Hermione could tell that it was taking everything in him to keep it together.

"Why? Why would you…? It's Malfoy, Hermione! He's slimy and vile and… Was this all just to get back at me? Is that it? Did you really fuck Malfoy just to get revenge?" he hissed, nostrils flaring.

Hermione pursed her lips. Believe it or not, not everything is about you. Not everything I do revolves around you, Ronald. Those thoughts and similar ones swirled around her head as she looked at him. She wanted to tell him to just get over himself.

"Yes," she calmly replied, and Ron's eyes widened to a comical degree. "Does that make you feel better? Does the truth make you feel any better than you did five minutes ago? That the only reason I slept with Malfoy was to hurt you like you hurt me? Did you get what you wanted?"

Ron's eyebrows were pinched together, face crestfallen as he looked away.

"No," he whispered.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

Ron exhaled through his nose, turning to look at her with red and glassy eyes, face blotchy.

"I should have told you about Lavender, Hermione. I just… I didn't know how! I liked-I like you, but you're also my friend, and I didn't know how to tell you," he defended. "I didn't know how to do that without hurting you."

Hermione's heart clenched for various reasons, and she frowned.

"…so you did know how I felt about you… Here I was, giving you the benefit of the doubt," Hermione murmured.

"Hermione…"

"Why are we even having this conversation, right now, Ron?" Hermione asked with a shrug, a sad smile on her face. "We're not…really on the best of terms, at the moment, and you're perfectly happy with Lavender, so… Why do you care?"

"…because!"

Hermione stumbled back, his burst in anger surprising her. He huffed, clenching his jaw with a shake of his head.

"I was wrong. Harry and I were wrong, but that's no excuse to run to Malfoy, and…and do…whatever just to get back at us!"

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"You seem to be under some impression that I needed an excuse to sleep with Malfoy, and I didn't. Yes, I had one, but I definitely didn't need one. If I want to shag Malfoy again just for the fun of it, I can," she firmly replied.

Ron looked at her like she'd sprouted two extra heads and a tail.

"Have you gone brainless? You would let Malfoy take and take what he wants from you until he's used you to his liking? Until he's done and brushes you aside like you're nothing?"

Hermione took a step forward.

"He didn't take anything from me. He won't be taking anything from me, Ronald. I willingly gave, shared my body with him, because I wanted to. I-."

"Are you daft? He's using you! ...and you're just letting him! He's not interested in you. He never could be. You've always been nothing more than dirty blood to him, and you allowing him into your bed isn't going to change that! He could never want you, and you're foolish to think he does," Ron bellowed.

Hermione swallowed whatever retort she had ready, Ron's words rendering her speechless. Sure, it was all a lie. She'd never slept with Malfoy, and she didn't have any intentions of doing so. She didn't like Malfoy in that way, and even after Ginny's words, Hermione wasn't even sure if she wanted him to want her that way, but…

Ron's words cut something inside of her, something she didn't know was there. Whatever it was, it was perhaps the worst time to discover it, because she felt like she'd been punched in the chest. She stared at him with wide eyes as he glared at her, waiting for her to say something back, but she didn't. It was only when she turned and walked away did he realize he messed up…again.

"Hermione…!"

She ignored him, deciding that missing one class wouldn't hurt her.

"What's the point of coming up with this whole scheme if you're just going to hide from everyone? Aren't you supposed to tell them all how I ruined you?" a voice chuckled.

Malfoy greeted her as she stepped into the portrait, hours later, that devilish smirk on his lips. She didn't respond, only sparing him a glance as she made straight for her room.

"Granger…"

Hermione ignored him, mostly because she didn't want to talk, but also because she didn't want him to see her face. To see how weak she was…over Ron, no less. She'd skipped the rest of her classes for the day, in fact, and she wasn't proud of it. She didn't know why Ron's words had cut so deeply. She didn't even like Malfoy. At least, she didn't think she did. Well, nothing past physical appreciativeness, anyway, and she was sure that she didn't care if he liked her.

Her thoughts, and body, were pulled to a halt, the gentle grip on her arm capturing her attention.

"…Hermione…"

She blinked, looking up at him with wide eyes. She was sure that was the first time he'd ever used her name. At least, without her last name and some malice attached to it. He gazed down at her in what appeared to be concern, that smirk nowhere to be found.

"I kept calling your name…"

"Oh," she distractedly said, looking away. "Sorry."

He let go of her, and Hermione didn't know if she should leave, positive that he had something else to say. To her surprise, she felt his fingers on her chin, turning her to face him again. He ran his eyes over her face, and she didn't bother to turn away again, figuring there was no use.

"Only Weasley could cause this," he scoffed.

She snatched her chin away, glaring up at him.

"Why, because I'm weak for him?" she spat.

"Yes," he simply replied.

Hermione faltered, feeling her face crumbling before looking away. She wiped a stray tear away.

"It's not even anything worth crying about. It's…it's stupid," she breathed. "He just said that you were using me, and you'd never want me in that way."

He didn't reply, so she continued.

"…and it's not like I want you to, or that I even want you, but… The way he said it, like it was impossible for you, or anyone for that matter, to…desire me. He probably didn't even mean it like that, but the way it came out just…humiliated me, you know?"

Malfoy snorted.

"The weasel likes to think that he's the only bloke in this entire school who wants you…and it isn't true."

She reluctantly turned to face him. He was still looking at her, and their eyes met.

"You said…"

Hermione trailed off, glancing away before taking a step away from him. She looked up at him again, uncertainty crossing her features. His expression betrayed nothing, but somehow she felt that he knew what was coming.

"When I told you that Ginny thought you fancied me…and you… The way you responded to that… Were you just messing with me, or…did you mean that?" she finally asked.

Malfoy's face did not change, serious as ever.

"With absolute certainty."

Hermione's eyes widened, and she shuffled her feet, struggling to hold his heavy gaze.

"…why? If you don't mind my asking…"

"You're brilliant, Granger," Malfoy simply said. "Even when I 'hated' you, I still knew that."

"…so you fancy me because of my intellect?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Malfoy smirked, and she relaxed, the familiarity of it easing her tension.

"…among other things."

She huffed, mind spinning at this revelation, and she dropped her arms.

"Well…what does this mean? Where does that leave us?"

He tilted his head at her.

"I'm not following," Malfoy said, but his tone, and the glint in his eyes, told her differently.

"You just confessed that you like me. I can't even process that enough to ask the important questions like how and when, so… I want to know, where do we go from here? Surely, we can't just go back to being normal acquaintances...?"

Malfoy stepped towards her, the corner of his lips quirking up further as he gave her a once over.

"Why are you asking me?" he purred.

Hermione frowned up at him, her confusion evident.

"I don't…"

"Where we go from here is entirely up to you, Granger," he continued.

Her eyes widened, shock coursing through her veins.

"I'm leaving the answer to that…," he brushed her hair off of her shoulder as he walked past her"…in your capable hands."

"As soon as I heard yesterday morning, I knew that you'd done it. I'm not surprised that Malfoy went along with it," Ginny said as they descended the stairs.

"…actually," Hermione sheepishly began. "…he didn't, but Harry had just made me so mad that I… It just slipped out, and before I knew it Malfoy and I were pretending to be bed buddies."

Ginny nudged Hermione, a grin on her lips.

"I think I'm rubbing off on you. Well, at least now you have an excuse to really shag him," she replied.

Leave it to Ginny…

"How on earth do you figure that?"

Ginny shrugged.

"Everyone thinks you did, anyway, and with the two of you living together, they probably will for the rest of the year. You might as well go and do what you're already guilty of doing. What do you have to lose?"

Hermione was reluctant to admit that she was considering Ginny's words. The idea didn't bind her up in knots like it did before. Now, that she knew for a fact that Malfoy fancied her, she found herself thinking about him in a way she didn't want to consider before. There was always the possibility of him using her, but… She wasn't pondering much past sex, anyway.

"She can't sit here."

Hermione was pulled back to the present by a venomous voice. They'd made it to the Great Hall, and she and Ginny were in the process of getting ready to take a seat when they were stopped. Her eyes connected with those of Parvati Patil. A cold scowl graced her beautiful face, a look Hermione had never seen on the other girl before.

"…what? Parvati, don't be-."

"She. Can't. Sit. Here," Parvati repeated with finality, throwing Hermione a scathing look. "Who knows what she'll hear and babble about to her Death Eater boyfriend."

"Death Eater boyfriend?" Ginny repeated with a scoff. "Did Harry put you up to this?"

Hermione glanced down to the boy in question who was conveniently busy talking to Ronald, Lavender tucked into the redhead's side.

"No, believe it or not, a lot of us aren't happy with who Granger chooses to do in her spare time," the dark-haired girl sneered.

"That's rich coming from you! Especially considering you were in Malfoy's room not even three weeks ago," Hermione fired back.

That captured some neighboring attention.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Parvati replied without missing a beat. "Only foolish people sleep with Draco Malfoy."

"Well, you were never considered the bright twin," Hermione retorted.

Parvati clenched her jaw before standing, only inches away from Hermione.

"You're not sitting here."

"Who do you think you are? You can't prevent me from sitting at my own house table," Hermione argued.

Parvati considered that for a moment, humming.

"You're right, I can't, but if you sit here, don't think it'll be an enjoyable breakfast for you," she sweetly replied.

Hermione frowned, anger spiking at the poorly veiled threat.

"This is ridiculous," Ginny hissed.

Parvati turned on her.

"Is it? These are perilous times, Ginny. You, Hermione and all of us know it. I'm supposed to risk my safety, because she wants to hop into bed with the son of a Death Eater?"

Hermione felt her face heating up, and she bit her tongue, eyes stinging. Ginny turned to face Hermione, reaching out to grab her hand as she leaned in.

"Hermione…this is ridiculous. Just tell them…"

Hermione cut her eyes to her best friend, frown deepening.

"Tell them the truth," she whispered. "It's not worth this."

"No, Ginny," she replied.

"Look, you made Ron and Harry angry. Job well done, but this is starting to go too far. The joke is over, now," Ginny quietly begged.

Hermione stared at her for a moment, considering her words. It was rather foolish to go through so much trouble over a little revenge, but the damage was done. There was no going back. With her mind made up, Hermione slowly eased her hand out of Ginny's grip. She took a step back, and Ginny frowned. With one last glare at Parvati, she walked away.

She walked towards the hall entrance, only instead of leaving, she kept going, walking past the door and past the Ravenclaw table. Hermione rounded the Slytherin table, aware of the eyes and whispers that followed her, but the damage was already done. It was done the minute she lied to Harry. What more did she have to lose?

She halted behind Nott, the blue-eyed boy staring at her with wide eyes. He wasn't the only one, but Hermione paid it no attention as she glanced between him and Zabini, who was also staring at her. His raised eyebrows were the only indication of his surprise.

"Nott, Zabini…" she greeted. "…would you mind sliding down?"

Nott opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at Malfoy who was seated next to him, and whatever look he saw there had him scooting over immediately, almost knocking Zabini over in the process.

"Thank you," she murmured as she sat between him and the blond.

The silence that followed was awkward, and Hermione chanced a glance, her eyes connecting with several pairs. She swallowed, suddenly unsure of her impulsive decision.

"Don't you lot have something more pressing to attend to?"

Malfoy's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but it seemed to travel along the entire length of the table, because all at once, everyone was suddenly engaged in an interesting conversation.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking down.

"Are you alright?"

"No," she honestly answered, voice cracking. "…but I will be."

She lifted her head and threw him a tight smile. It didn't reach her eyes, but she didn't care.

"This is what I wanted. I've made my bed…now I have to lie in it," she continued.

"If you want to tell them truth, I'd be okay with that, Granger," Malfoy suddenly said, surprising her.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I made this decision when I… I just didn't expect…," she trailed off, sighing.

She glanced across the hall, catching Harry's glare as he looked over his shoulder at her. He quickly looked away with so much dismissal that it stung, but Hermione forced it down. She looked up at Malfoy, forcing another smile onto her face.

"So…are we patrolling, tonight?"

Hermione stared around the room in slight awe, feet carrying her towards the couch.

"It's…different," she mused.

What had been something akin to a dueling room for the past couple of weeks or so, now resembled a cozy nook. Both she and Malfoy had been surprised at the change in scenery.

"I guess…this is what I need. I suppose that it's true…I'm not really angry, anymore," she murmured.

She sank into the couch, heaving a sigh as she watched him glance around the room. He scoffed, shoving his hands into his pocket.

"We've could have stayed in the dorm for this…"

"You're always welcome to go back," she calmly said. "…I want to stay for a while. I'll be fine by myself."

Malfoy was silent for a moment before eventually deciding to sit on the large couch across from her. The fireplace was bigger than the one in their dorm, and the light it provided was impressive.

"So…will you be joining me during meals every day, now?"

There was a slight teasing tone there, and a humorless smirk graced her lips.

"I suppose so…either that or I just avoid the Great Hall altogether…again," she sadly replied.

Malfoy didn't reply right away, but he hummed.

"They're all quite easy to manipulate, don't you think?"

Hermione chuckled at that, a genuine sound.

"I was just thinking the same thing yesterday," she agreed. "I suppose they want it to be true, more than anything else."

"…but surely they wouldn't lose faith in you so easily. You're Hermione Granger… How weak willed do they think you are?"

Hermione's heart clenched.

"When you put it like that, I suppose it does sound rather awful, but who am I to complain? I got what I wanted," she replied with a shrug.

"You say that…but I don't believe that you did," he murmured.

She raised her eyes from his shoes, gazing at him.

"I did. I wanted to hurt Ron and Harry, and I did. I just… I didn't expect all of the other stuff, but it was foolish of me to do this without really thinking it through."

"You're sad."

Malfoy didn't say it in a way meant to hurt her, but as a simple fact that she did not deny.

"…I am."

She suddenly exhaled, dropping her head into her hands.

"What have I done? Even if the three of us were able to make up, that's shot to hell, now. Ron and Harry will never forgive me for this," she complained.

Malfoy was suddenly there, ripping her hands away from her face. His jaw was clenched, eyes hard as he glared at her.

"Was this what you wanted? Yes or no?"

"…yes, but-."

"This is what you wanted, Granger. You wanted revenge. You wanted to hurt them, and when you told Potter that you slept with me, how did that make you feel?" he questioned.

She blinked, face inches away from his own.

"It made me feel good," she quietly admitted.

"Okay, so why are you letting them take that away from you? Why are you letting them ruin this for you?" he demanded.

"…because…"

"…because they're treating you like crap? That doesn't mean they can make you feel like crap. You feel like this, because you still care way too much about what they think," he spat.

She glanced away.

"You were…a force, Granger…telling Potter off like that. You could have them begging on their knees for your forgiveness. You could have them trailing after you like dogs," he sneered. "You could have anyone in this school trailing after you like a dog…"

His voice lowered, hands pulling her closer as he held her gaze.

"…even me."

Hermione was quiet, mulling over his words. The thought was a nice one, the idea causing satisfaction to course through her at the image of Ron and Harry righting all of their wrongs they'd committed against her over the years. Malfoy suddenly smirked.

"You like the thought of that…"

"I'm not…that kind of person. I wouldn't even know how to make that happen," she whispered with a shrug.

"Luckily for you, I am that kind of person."

He pulled her to her feet, silently asking for her permission. She granted it, allowing him to guide her across the room until they were facing a mirror that she hadn't noticed was there. She stared at her reflection, watching, transfixed, as Malfoy moved to stand behind her.

"I know how to make that happen," he continued matter-of-factly.

She watched as he released her hair from its bun, her wild curls spilling around her. She could feel his body heat threatening to suffocate her, the skin of his cheek brushing against her hair as he leaned in.

"The key, Granger, is confidence. Even if you're unsure…don't act like it," he whispered.

She swallowed, watching his hand reach up and around to graze her collarbone.

"You know that feeling you get when you're in class, and you never have an ounce of fear, because you read…you studied…and you know. You know that you know more than anyone else in the room?"

"…yes," she quietly answered.

"It's like that, only…that feeling never goes away."

"Is that what it's like for you…when you swagger along these halls like you own the place?"

Malfoy chuckled, and she felt the vibrations against her back. She watched, and felt, his other hand join its twin at her neck.

"It's a little different for me," he purred, fingers dancing along her throat as he tilted her head back.

"How so?" Hermione breathed.

His lips were at her ear, his fingers drawing patterns into her skin, now.

"For me…" he hummed. "It's like sex."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat in her chest, and she watched Malfoy's smirk grow in the mirror, as if he could hear it.

"When I'm with a girl…or a boy, I know exactly what I'm doing," he hissed. "I know how to make them feel good."

His right hand danced towards her hair, fingers tangling in her tresses as he tilted her head to the side.

"I know what buttons to press, what words to say, to have them writhing for hours," he whispered in her ear.

His lips were a hair's width away from her neck as his words descended from them like silk, slinking around her like a noose. Her eyes met his in their reflection, and she couldn't look away, pinned beneath his heavy gaze.

"Everyone is different, but I never fail to figure them out, to figure out what makes them…tick. The kind of feeling that gives me can't even be put into words."

He suddenly let go of her and stepped back, and Hermione almost stumbled, struggling to right herself as she attempted to calm her heart. She felt incredibly hot as she gazed at his reflection.

"…and that feeling never goes away."

"I don't…," Hermione fought to catch her breath. "…I don't think it's that simple for me."

Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest with a small smirk.

"Sure, it is," he said, stepping forward again.

He reached out, pulling her hair away from her neck and behind her shoulders, resting his hands there.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you? A well-read woman is a dangerous thing."

~ Let me know what you think ~