A/N: Okay, I am back from the beach. Woo. It was pure torture being away from a computer for so long, let me tell you. I had to write most of this chapter by hand, which takes AGES. It was 18 pages handwritten, which makes about 8 pages typed because I write big. With my revisions, and the end of the chapter it came to 15 typed pages. I got home and went right to work on typing it up, and then I could not sleep so I got up and finished the chapter, and now I'm posting it, so, yes.
A quick aside…if you have read my other story (Even Evil Hearts Can Be Broken), please leave me a review or write me an email with your thoughts on a sequel to that story. I make no promises, I just want to get an idea of how many people want a sequel….
Thank you all for being so patient while I was gone…I had 130 reviews when I last checked! Wohoo!! Keep them coming, please!
Chapter Eleven
"Okay, Hermione, if you saw an old man, who was he?" Draco demanded, completely losing his patience. He and Hermione were riding back to school in one of the "horseless" carriages. The healers at St. Mungo's had pronounced Hermione cured after deciding that the complex spell required to maintain her façade in the States had simply been too much for her memory.
"I don't know," Hermione sighed. She could vividly remember the dark basement and the old man's horrible voice. It could not have been a dream; the memory was far too real.
Hogwarts Castle appeared on the horizon and Hermione felt nervous butterflies form in her stomach. She was not truly prepared for her return to school. Having completed all her assignments for the year, she had not even looked at a textbook in at least two months. But for the first time in Hermione's life it was not her schoolwork that she was most worried about. She had changed a lot in the States and she really did like the changes she had made, but she was worried that her friends would not agree.
For starters, there was Draco. Harry and Ron would just never accept him as her boyfriend, though she planned to make it known to them immediately that she would not tolerate and of their nonsense about it. Ginny would not be as much of a problem because Hermione already knew that Ginny, as well as many other girls in Gryffindor, found Draco to be very attractive.
But then there was the issue of extracurricular activities. Hogwart's did not have a dance team, or any other activities for that matter, aside from Quidditch. Hermione was dreading the long hours with nothing to do after classes. The idea of spending all her time in the library like she used to made her feel slightly depressed.
Hermione sighed again, wishing she could go back to the United States, or maybe even just Muggle School. Draco took her left hand, which had been resting in her lap next to the other one. She smiled at him in the darkness, it being very late at night.
"You're still going to be my girlfriend, right?" he asked her.
"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed. She kissed him on the cheek and he quickly caught her mouth with his own. Kissing Draco was unlike kissing anyone else Hermione had ever kissed. His lips were soft and though he kissed forcefully, it was not a hungry, demanding kiss. Rather it was a gentle, massaging kiss that made Hermione feel as though she could spend entire days kissing him. She tended to get so wrapped up in his kisses that she forgot about anything but the feeling of his lips on hers.
When the kiss ended, Hermione inhaled deeply before kissing him again. She gently pushed his lips open with her own lips, allowing her tongue to measure the deepest recesses of his mouth. She felt his tongue massaging the underside of hers and moaned softly as a shiver went down her spine. They turned to face each other so they would not be straining their necks at such odd angles.
Draco let go of Hermione's hand and began to massage the area just below her breast. Hermione gasped softly but did not push him away. Although she and Draco had been dating for a few weeks they had not had much alone time. Now that she stopped to think about it, this was the first time they had been alone together for more than a few minutes without an interruption. Draco's hands were insistent and Hermione leaned back against the side of the carriage so he could have complete access. He began kissing her neck and sucking gently at the soft hollow at the base of her neck. His hands were slowly unbuttoning the white collared shirt of her Hogwart's uniform, allowing the cool night air to come drifting in around her body. She shivered and reclined further so she was out of the flow of air.
Draco was now lying almost on top of her, kissing his way down to where his right hand was playing with the lacy white fabric that covered her breast. He pulled this aside, freeing her stiff nipple which he immediately took into his mouth. As he occupied his tongue with this, his hands were running along her sides, over her hips, and down her thighs. His left hand moved upwards again, forcing its way between her legs to run along her soft inner thigh. Once he reached the top he grinned viciously, discovering that her soft cotton panties were soaked through. He massaged her there, enjoying how she was squirming against him and moaning loudly.
Finally, Hermione could not take it any longer and she sat up, forcing Draco to lean back against the opposite wall of the carriage. She straddled him and began to kiss him furiously, letting her tongue dart in and out of his mouth rhythmically. Her hands moved down, unfastening his belt buckle and delving into his pants, searching for-
"No, stop," Draco moaned. "Hermione, stop!" he shouted, gently shoving her away. She sat up looking hurt. "We're here," he told her, just as the carriage jolted violently to a halt. Hermione crawled off of Draco's lap and buttoned up her shirt. Her nipples were still straining through the fabric so she pulled her school robes around her like a kimono as she climbed down from the carriage. The dampness between her legs just felt slimy now. She headed for the castle doors, grateful it was well past curfew.
Draco gave her a goodnight kiss in the foyer and they went their separate ways for the evening. Hermione went right to Gryffindor tower. The common room was dark for the night, but she could still see the welcome home banner that was hanging above the fireplace. As she got closer to her room she could hear excited voices talking in a loud whisper.
"Oh that one is so pretty! Do you think it was made for her?" Lavender's voice was the first Hermione could hear clearly.
"Maybe. Do you think she would care if I tried it on? Just for a second," Parvati was holding the black evening gown Hermione had worn to the Malfoy's New Year's Eve Bash.
"Go ahead," Hermione said aloud, coming into the room. She could tell why the girls had gotten curious; her belongings now took up half of the room. Lavender was looking through the suitcase Hermione had packed for her leadership trip. Parvati squealed delightedly as she slid the zipper up the side of the dress. "It looks so much better on you than it did on me," Hermione informed her. "Keep it," she decided, seeing Parvati's reflection in the mirror.
"Are you serious?" Parvati asked, spinning around to look at Hermione, who nodded. "Ohmygod," Parvati gushed, rushing to hug Hermione, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"You're welcome," Hermione laughed, picking her way through the mess.
"I'm so sorry we just went through your stuff," Lavender apologized, looking sheepish.
"It's quite alright," Hermione assured her, selecting a pair of pajamas from an open truck. "Help yourself, anytime," she gestured to the piles of clothing.
It seemed that everything from her home in the States had been transferred here. Even her computer sat in the corner though Hermione did not know why – the technology was useless inside Hogwarts. Perhaps the wizards who had collected her belongings did not know what it was and therefore had no idea it was of no use to her now. Hermione looked at it sadly, deciding she had no choice but to send it home to her real parents.
"Pictures!" Parvati shrieked, unearthing shoeboxes overflowing with 4x6es. Hermione sighed and took one of the boxes away from Parvati. She sat down on her bed and the two other girls came to sit next to her.
"I had planned to put these all in albums, but I never had the time," Hermione shook her head, looking at the pictures her mother had taken on the first day of school.
"So, you and Draco, huh," Lavender teased.
"Yeah, bet no one saw that coming," Hermione said cockily. Lavender's jaw dropped.
"No way," Parvati protested.
"Yes way," Hermione replied, a smile coming to her face. She grabbed another box and dug through it until she found the pictures she was looking for – the ones from New Year's Eve.
"Ohmygod!" Lavender exclaimed, grabbing the picture of Hermione and Draco kissing at midnight out of Hermione's grasp. "She's not lying!" she tossed the picture to Parvati.
"I am so jealous," Parvati gushed. "Has he popped your cherry yet?"
"Parv! You can't ask her that," Lavender scolded.
"I just did!" Parvati protested. "Has he?"
"Well, no," Hermione responded, turning purple.
"See, I knew she was a virgin," Parvati responded. Lavender hung her head.
"I didn't think you were," she admitted to Hermione. "Not after your night with Ron, I mean, you didn't act like you were, not that he deflowered you," she sputtered. Hermione just laughed.
"I'm going to bed," she decided, putting her pictures away. "We can talk more tomorrow."
"Oh, tomorrow's a Hogsmeade day, you should come with us," Parvati remembered, getting into her bed. Hermione nodded, pulling her covers up.
"Goodnight," Lavender whispered as she shut the lights off.
"Try this on," Parvati suggested, handing Hermione a short denim skirt.
"Parvati, there is a foot of snow on the ground," Hermione reminded her, selecting instead a pair of jeans and a sweater.
"Okay, okay, but wear these boots," Parvati relented, thrusting some brown boots into Hermione's arms. Hermione rolled her eyes but put the boots on. The girls headed down to grab a quick breakfast before heading off to Hogsmeade.
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed as she sat down to eat. Hermione raised her hand as if to say hello but did not sit with him or say anything at all. Ron looked at Harry, who just shrugged. The girls grabbed their toast and a bagel each and headed off.
"Come on," Harry said to Ron, standing up. Ron shoveled a few more bites into his mouth and then followed Harry out of the Great Hall. Harry was already approaching Hermione. "Are you going to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked.
"Um, yeah," she replied, as though it were obvious.
"I guess we'll see you there," Ron spoke up.
"Yeah, see you," Hermione replied, following Parvati out the door.
"I don't understand," Harry said, fastening his jacket. "It's like she wants nothing to do with us."
"It's not like she wants nothing to do with you," A female voice snapped. "She does want nothing to do with you," the voice corrected. Harry and Ron looked up to see Blaise Zabini standing in front of them. To Harry's recollection this was the first time she had ever bothered to speak to them. She was looking down her nose at the two boys, her long brown hair pulled up into a ponytail with the ends curled.
"And why is that?" Ron demanded. Blaise shrugged, zipping up her pale pink ski jacket.
"Maybe she found someone to replace you," she suggested as she pulled her white gloves on. "Someone with a bigger dick. Rumor has it yours is lacking," she quipped. Ron blushed as Blaise walked away and Harry burst out laughing.
"It's not funny," Ron snapped.
"Oh, forget about it, Ron," Harry laughed. "She doesn't know what she's talking about, not when it comes to Hermione anyway."
"The rest of it's not true either," Ron protested. Harry burst out laughing again. "It's not!"
"Come on," Harry said as he struggled to regain his composure.
Hermione stepped into the dimly lit store and looked around. There was a comforting feeling about Wizarding stores that very few muggle stores could capture. To Hermione's left was row after row of clocks, ticking at random, none set on the exact same time. To her right were stacks of books almost as tall as she was. Straight ahead she could see a table covered in miniature tea sets and other porcelain knickknacks. Parvati pushed past her and disappeared around the corner. Hermione followed at a much slower pace, taking everything in as she walked by.
She finally caught up with Parvati behind a rack of vintage dress robes.
"Oh those are so cute," Lavender remarked, coming up behind Hermione. She grabbed a blue set off the rack.
"They're not bad," Hermione wrinkled her nose. The robes were musty, and the one Parvati was holding up had a stain on it.
"Did you get to go to any Wizarding functions in the states?" Parvati asked. "What kind of dress robes do they wear over there?"
"Well, they're a lot like the ones we wear," Hermione began. "They are shorter, and more low cut, but not much different otherwise," she explained. Lavender pulled apart two robes and a small bat flew out. The girls jumped and Lavender let out a small shriek. They left the robe section and began browsing through the rest of the store.
Parvati picked up a small glass jar that was shaped like a Chinese lantern. She lifted the lid and a thin wisp of silvery vapor came drifting out. Looking around nervously, she clapped the lid back on. Hermione caught her eye and the two girls began to giggle. Lavender grabbed a ceramic hand labeled for palmistry and compared it with her own hand.
"Let me see your hand, Hermione," she directed, grabbing one of Hermione's hands. Hermione rolled her eyes as Lavender examined the lines on her hand. "I see passion," Lavender joked. "You will fall deeply in love with a blonde-haired boy," she added. Hermione jerked her hand away and playfully slapped Lavender.
"I'm hungry, we should get some lunch," Parvati suggested. Lavender nodded, but Hermione looked around.
"What's up those stairs?" she asked. Parvati and Lavender exchanged glances. Parvati stepped closer to Hermione.
"That's where they keep the Dark Arts stuff," she whispered. Hermione looked at the stairs.
"Let's go look," she suggested, feeling strangely bold. She headed for the stairs. Lavender started to follow her at a safe distance. Parvati sighed and joined Lavender. They girls made their way up the staircase slowly, one step at a time. Hermione could feel her heart pounding faster with each step she took.
Suddenly a small animal stepped out of the shadows, into Hermione's path. She jumped as the animal bared its fangs at her. Lavender and Parvati grabbed hold of Hermione's arms and they turned around and bolted down the stairs, directly into Harry and Ron. The two boys did not look very happy.
"What were you doing up there?" Ron demanded, grabbing Hermione's shoulders. She shook free of his grasp immediately, her fear turning to anger.
"That's none of your business," she snapped. "Don't you ever touch me like that again." She glared at him.
"That is my business," Ron retorted, taking a step closer to Hermione.
"Actually, it's not," a new voice interjected. The group turned to see Draco coming down the stairs. He came to stand behind Hermione, and put his hands on her shoulders. "And you will never touch her again, Weasley," he ordered. Ron opened his mouth but no sound came out. Hermione stalked away, Draco, Lavender, and Parvati in tow.
"Did you see the look on their faces?" Parvati squealed when they were out of the store. Lavender giggled maniacally. The sunshine outside was a sharp contrast to the dim lighting in the store, so their faces were squinty while their eyes adjusted.
"Now I have a lot of explaining to do," Hermione groaned as they headed into the Three Broomsticks. Their eyes readjusted to the dim indoor light again as they made their way through the crowded tavern.
"Fuck them," Draco suggested, sliding into an empty booth. Hermione sat down next to him and he put his arm around her. Parvati and Lavender slid into the seat across from them, and they all examined their menus.
"Harry and Ron are my oldest friends, I can't just dump them," Hermione laughed. "I definitely owe them an explanation," she decided. Draco sighed.
"She's right," he said to Parvati and Lavender, who nodded in agreement. Hermione noted gleefully that both girls seemed a bit spellbound by Draco's presence. She looked around the tavern inconspicuously, and realized that most of the Hogwarts students in the restaurant were also staring at her and Draco. For some odd reason, Hermione felt a surge of contentment upon seeing this and she placed a delicate kiss on Draco's cheek.
They ordered lunch and talked a little bit about what Hermione and Draco had missed while they were away. It came as no surprise to Draco that the highlight of the year so far was his father's intrusion at breakfast. He sipped at his butter beer and wished that her and Hermione were back in the States at Starbucks or even just alone anywhere. There was so much he was dying to tell her, so much that would have to wait until a better time.
Hermione slid her white knee socks gracefully over each calf before fastening her black Mary Janes. Just before she pulled her gray sweater over her head she felt strong hands grasp her upper arms.
"Leave it," Draco whispered in her ear. Hermione spun to look at him.
"How did you get in here?" she asked. He smirked at her.
"I took the stairs," he replied, as though she should have known that.
"But then you would have had to get into the Gryffindor common room, past all of the Gryffindors down there, and up the stairs to my room which turn into a ramp when a boy tries to walk up them," she informed. He just laughed.
"I didn't take those stairs," he said evasively. Before she could push him for more information he stepped back and looked her over appraisingly. She turned so he could see her from all angles. "I think you should leave these too," he decided, pulling her skirt up to tug at her pink panties. She squirmed out of his grasp.
"I don't think so," she laughed. Draco looked at her very seriously.
"I do," he said, as though that decided the matter. She shook her head, as he pulled her closer to him.
"We're going to be late," she whispered before his lips closed over hers. This fact did not deter him from his course, and soon Hermione found herself lying on her bed struggling to catch her breath. Draco was leaving tiny kisses all over her stomach and she giggled, slipping out of her button down shirt.
"I like this color on you," he commented, reaching around her back to unfasten the pale pink bra that matched her panties. She grinned and craned her neck to kiss him some more but he pulled away. "I suppose you're right, we will be dreadfully late to class if this continues," he decided, standing up. Hermione's jaw dropped as he handed her bra back to her.
"You're serious," she said. He flashed his white toothy grin at her and tossed her shirt to her. She heaved a sigh and buttoned her shirt up, shaking her head the entire time. Tossing her robe on, she grabbed her books, noting with dismay that her panties were damp. Draco sighed and stepped in front of her.
"Give them to me," he demanded. Hermione's brow wrinkled.
"I said no, Draco," she said firmly, still thinking about her panties. Now it was his turn to look upset. His hands came toward her and for a second, Hermione thought he was going to hit her. Instead, his hands landed on her books, which he yanked away.
"I meant these," he informed her. Then he grinned. "But I'll take your panties if you want," he offered. Hermione rolled her eyes but gave him a brief kiss on the lips and headed down the stairs to the common room.
Hermione took a seat next to Parvati when she got to breakfast. Draco gave her a kiss on the cheek before he went to his own seat at the Slytherin table. Harry and Ron gave him death glares before turning to Hermione.
"Will you please explain to us why you suddenly want nothing to do with us?" Harry demanded. Hermione very delicately selected a piece of toast and began buttering it.
"Look," she began, "I've been friends with the two of you since first year. I love you both dearly, but sometimes you're so stubborn and pigheaded that it's not even worth trying to talk to you," she paused to cut her slice of toast in half.
"What are you getting at?" Ron asked as Hermione took a small bite.
"I know you don't like Draco," she said when she had finished chewing. "But he's my boyfriend now and there is nothing you can do about it, so don't even bother giving me crap about it," she informed them. Ron sighed and looked down at his plate. Harry set his fork down and took a sip of his juice.
"Okay," Harry said. "And you didn't think we could handle Draco being your boyfriend?"
"I'd say she made a pretty good diagnosis of the situation," a voice said. Harry and Ron looked up to see a familiar face standing behind Hermione.
"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Hermione scooted over to make room for their friend.
"So let me get this straight," Ginny said, turning to Hermione. "You and Malfoy are together, and they're not happy about it?" she asked. Hermione nodded. "No surprises there. I'm actually proud of you for confronting them about it so soon. As stubborn as the two of you can be, she should have made you wait at least a week," she laughed. The boys rolled their eyes and Ginny turned back to Hermione. "So you're sure you're not under some kind of spell? Let me see," she began feeling Hermione's forehead as though she was checking for a fever. "Better check for the Dark Mark, you never know," Ginny laughed, pulling Hermione's right sleeve up. The skin was clear so she pulled the other sleeve up.
There was a thick white bandage wrapped around Hermione's arm from mid-forearm to mid-bicep. Everyone at the table stared openly until Hermione pulled her sleeve back down.
"They did some tests, on my memory," Hermione stammered. "I also had an IV, because I was dehydrated."
"You can get ivy from being dehydrated? Like the rash?" Ron asked.
"She means they put a needle into her vein to put fluids directly into her bloodstream," Ginny said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Hermione."
"It's alright, I have nothing to hide," Hermione could barely believe the words flowing freely out of her mouth. Nothing to hide? The IV had been in her right arm, and it was lucky for her that the only person who knew that was sitting at the Slytherin table. She glanced at her left arm and remembered the burning sensation she had felt in the hospital. What was under that bandage?
"Mail's here!" Parvati sing-songed as the air filled with hundreds of owls. Hermione looked up and smiled, grateful for the distraction. She was surprised to see Hedwig coming straight for her with what looked like a copy of Newsweek.
"Thanks," she said to the owl, who dropped the magazine in her lap. "I owe you an apology," she cooed. Hedwig turned her back on Hermione, who gave Harry a sheepish look.
"Ohmygod!" Parvati shrieked, grabbing the magazine from Hermione. "You're on the cover of this magazine!"
"Oh no," Hermione sighed, grabbing it back. It landed face up on the table and everyone within earshot leaned in to see that Hermione was indeed on the cover of the magazine.
"You look a lot better in that picture," Ron commented. Ginny smacked him upside the head.
"He's got a point," Parvati appraised. Hermione glared at her and then picked up the periodical.
"My father is running for the senate," she informed everyone. She was met with a bunch of blank stares. "It's the muggle form of government in the States. Each state, there are fifty, elects two people to the Senate, and my father is trying to be one of those two people," she briefly summarized. "Anyway, they thought it would be a good idea to do a story about me, but I don't know why they still ran the story if I'm not there anymore," she continued, opening the magazine to the table of contents. There was a smaller picture of her on that page saying that her story began on page 25.
Flipping to that page, Hermione quickly began to read the article. She was disappointed, but not surprised, to discover that it was mostly about her father. Shaking her head, she passed the magazine to Parvati who was practically breathing down her neck trying to read over Hermione's shoulder.
"Who's Violet?" Ginny asked suddenly. Hermione turned to look at her, and Ginny held up a piece of photograph paper that someone had scrawled a letter on.
"She was my best friend in the States," Hermione said, becoming very confused. She took the note from Ginny.
Dear Hermione,
I miss you already even though you've been gone less than a day. I don't even know why I'm writing to you, I don't have your address at school, and your parents don't answer the phone anymore. We got this magazine today; I wish I could send it to you so we could laugh about how stupid they made you sound. There are a lot of things that I wish, but mostly I just wish I had decided to go to boarding school with you too. It's too quiet here without you.
-Violet.
"Boarding school?" Parvati asked. "I thought these people weren't real," she turned to Hermione for an explanation.
"I thought they weren't either," Hermione sighed. "I have to ask Professor McGonagall about this, I'm so confused," she decided, getting up from the table. She took her letter and the magazine and rushed out of the Great Hall.
Before she could get very far, she heard someone calling her name. She turned around to see Draco jogging towards her.
"What's the matter?" he asked immediately. Hermione shook her head.
"Our families in the United States, weren't they just holograms? Projected images?" she demanded. "Weren't we supposed to be erased from the memory of everyone we came in contact with who was real?"
"We have been," Draco said plainly. "Our parents can't be real," he reasoned. Hermione handed him the letter from Violet. He skimmed it and looked up at her. "You're overreacting," he said.
"How?" she demanded.
"Read the letter! She says, 'you've been gone less than a day.' The odds are that we were still at the school while she was writing this, and so the spell hadn't ended yet. She wouldn't have a clue who you are now. As for this magazine, it never hit newsstands," he assured her. "The Ministry of Magic would never have let it be released to the public. Trust me."
"He's right, you know," Madam Meurteuil's voice startled Hermione. The woman walked over to where the two students were standing. "I sent these to you, I thought you might like to see them, but I suppose I went about it the wrong way," she smiled at Hermione. "No one has seen this magazine but you and the people you've shared it with. I had to copy it on my own, because I knew the originals would be destroyed when the spell was ended. But I thought you might like to see it."
"Thank you," Hermione replied, unsure of what else to say. She actually had forgotten all about doing the interview for the article. Madam Meurteuil smiled at her.
"Don't be late for class, you two," she said before sweeping off down the hall. Draco gave Hermione her letter back and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"I don't suppose you'd like to come back to my room and just skip going to muggle studies, would you?" he asked, only half joking. Hermione gave him a look. "It was worth a shot," he informed her. She smiled and gave him a kiss.
"I don't know why I let myself get all worked up about this stuff," she sighed as he pulled her into his arms. "It makes sense now that I think about it."
"I don't know what to tell you," he sighed. Hermione looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and kissed her.
"Oh, gross," a familiar voice sounded. Draco pulled away from Hermione and glared at his cousin.
"Catch sight of a mirror, Blaise-y?" he asked. Blaise gave him a dirty look, and then glared at Hermione before trouncing by. Hermione saw Pansy following behind her, not glaring at Hermione, but instead just looking very sad. Draco put his hand on Hermione's cheek and pulled her lips to his again. "I suppose we should be on our way," he sighed, taking her hand. "Just ignore her, she wants me," he said passively.
"You're her cousin," Hermione reminded him. He gave her a sideways glance.
"Disgusting, isn't it?" he said flatly. Hermione burst into a fit of giggles. "That's better," he said, smiling at her. "You're beautiful when you smile," he told her, bringing that warm sensation back into Hermione's stomach. A brilliant smile spread across her face.
Hermione awoke in the middle of the night, two nights after the magazine incident. Her left arm felt as though it were on fire again, and the pain was next to unbearable. She whispered for her wand to illuminate and she pulled her pajama top off. The white bandage was still in tact on her arm, and she started to tug at the bottom of it. It was fastened tightly, and did not budge, no matter how she tried pulling at it.
By now the pain in her arm was blinding. She fell out of her bed and haphazardly put her top back on. The fire in the fireplace went out, robbing the room of all light except for the tiny light at the end of her wand. A grating noise came from the fireplace and Hermione's heart pounded faster and faster.
"Lumos," a male voice whispered, and suddenly Draco's face was visible. Hermione ran over to him and he wrapped his arms around her. "Get some robes and slippers," he whispered. Hermione did as he told her and he pulled the blanket off her bed. "Look at me," he whispered. She looked directly into his eyes. "I want to hear you say that you trust me," he hissed.
"I trust you, Draco," she said without hesitating. He did not even smile. Instead he put his arm around her and started leading her towards the fireplace.
"Then you know that I'm not going to let you get hurt," he whispered, taking her wand away. Her heart started pounding again and she felt a little bit panicky.
"No," she whispered. "Can I have my wand back?"
"Later," he pushed her into the fireplace, and she found herself walking down a set of stairs. Hermione's mind was racing. She trusted Draco, but not this much. He was much stronger than she was; there was no way she could get away from him now. "Just trust me," he said, sounding very different than he usually did. These words made Hermione want to trust him even less.
At the bottom of the stairs there was some dim light, and Hermione realized that she was in Draco's bedroom. She could hear his roommates snoring soundly as he firmly took hold of her right arm. The pain in her left arm was making her feel weak, and she realized that was no accident. It was all she could think about anymore. She barely noticed when Draco led her out of the castle into the freezing cold snowy night.
"Drink this," someone said to her, sounding very far away. Hermione opened her mouth and it was filled with a warm liquid. She swallowed helplessly, until no more came. After a few moments, everything around her was dull. Her vision went blurry, the pain in her arm subsided, and all she felt like doing was sleeping. She was vaguely aware of someone holding her up.
Suddenly everything became clear to her again. She sat upright and looked around. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was in Draco's bed.
"What just happened?" she asked herself aloud. Next to her, Draco stirred in his sleep, and Hermione shook him awake. He refused to wake up, and she shook him harder. "Draco, Draco, wake up!" she demanded. She repeated this command, becoming increasingly more desperate the more he refused to awake. Finally he sat up as though something had jolted him awake.
"What's the matter, why are you crying?" he asked, pulling her close to him. Hermione pushed him away.
"What happened? Where did you take me?" she asked him. "You have to answer me!" she pleaded. Draco looked at her, tears streaming down her face and felt awful. He had no idea where to begin, or even how to break the news to her. All he could see was his angel, his beautiful girlfriend, sitting next to him and crying bitterly.
"I don't know where to start," he sighed. "I didn't want this to happen this way," he added. Hermione waited for him to continue. "This is killing me," he admitted. "I didn't expect it to, but it is," he sounded genuinely surprised.
"You're talking in circles," Hermione broke in.
"Just, let me get there," he pleaded. "I guess I have to show you this," he said, pulling his shirt off. He extended his left arm to show her the Dark Mark, still black, burned into his skin. Hermione closed her eyes as a silent cascade of tears came pouring out. She could barely breathe, as she pulled off her own shirt. Draco reached out and began unwinding the bandage from around her arm.
"No," Hermione whispered, putting her hand on top of his. He pulled away and pulled the last bit of bandage away from her arm, to reveal that she too had the Dark Mark. "No," she whispered, sounding defeated. Draco felt tears coming to his own eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. Hermione repeated the word no, and Draco felt his heart break in two. "I'm sorry," he repeated, this time sounding desperate and so painfully sincere that Hermione could feel time stop moving and the world just start spinning around her, closing in. Draco pulled her into his arms and she allowed him to hold her this time.
After they had calmed down and sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, Hermione slid down and put her head in his lap.
"He was the old man," she said. Draco smiled, in spite of the situation.
"Yes, he was the old man," he confirmed. Hermione sighed.
"Will you tell me what's going on?" she asked. Draco nodded, and took a deep breath. He had rehearsed this speech in his mind hundreds of times, but he still felt unprepared.
"I've wanted to tell you for a while now," he began, just like he had practiced. "The truth is, the whole muggle studies trip was a hoax on the part of those loyal to the Dark Lord. He needed to build a following in other countries, so that's what we did," the words rolled off of his tongue too easily, but she did not seem to notice. "There are Death Eaters in five countries now," he said, almost proudly. "The Dark Lord will be stronger than he was the first time he rose to power," he said softly, unable to shake the feeling that he was betraying her worse than he had been before.
"Where do I come in?" Hermione asked, her voice wavering. Draco felt as though she had driven a knife into his heart.
"You're one of his followers," he said, deciding to tell her as little as possible in the hopes that she might not ask for any more information. "Tonight, you pledged your unending loyalty to him," he added.
"But I was drugged," she protested, crying again. Draco sat her upright.
"Look at me," he said. She looked into his eyes. "You were not drugged. That was a veritaserum," he informed her.
"I don't believe you," she said. He forced his face to look hurt, but deep down he was proud of her.
"I thought you trusted me," he said, looking away.
"I did," she said, getting out of his bed. Without thinking, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the bed.
"You have to stay here," he said. Her eyes were wide, and he could see that she was no longer angry, just scared. "I won't hurt you, but you have to stay here," he said. She thought for a moment, and relented. "I owe you an apology," he said.
"That's an understatement," she scoffed.
"Hermione, I'm sorry," he said, ignoring her comment. "I'm sorry for lying to you, and for betraying you, and keeping secrets from you," he said, taking her hands. "Please look at me," he begged.
Something in the way he said those words made her look at him. She could tell from the way he was talking that he really was sorry, but she was not sure she could forgive him. When she looked into his eyes she could see a new emotion, something she had never seen in his eyes before.
"I have to tell you this, before it kills me. I haven't said anything, because I wasn't sure how you would react, but I think it's time I said it, because you need to know," he began, taking a deep breath. Hermione held her breath too, waiting for him to continue. "Hermione, I love you," he said, saying the first completely honest thing he had said all night.
At that moment it was as though someone had flipped a switch in her brain. Though she had been crying all night, she started to cry again. All of the hurt and the anger she had been feeling just ten seconds ago washed away. She flung herself at him, and kissed him, and hugged him, and smiled for the first time that night.
Draco looked down at the girl in his arms and kissed the top of her head. She had taken that incredibly well. He had expected her to leave when he said he loved her, but instead it was like she had gone into some sort of alternate mode. Now she was kissing him and hugging him and laughing and crying all at once.
"I'm going to kill you," she said, when she finally regained her composure. He raised his eyebrows, but he was smiling. "I can't believe you," she shook her head, unable to stop smiling.
"Are you still mad?" he asked, tentatively.
"I'm totally furious," she replied honestly. "But I think I'll get over it," she decided. Then her face got very serious. "If you ever lie to me again, I will kill you," she threatened.
"Deal," Draco agreed, extending his hand. She shook it, and then smiled and gave him a huge kiss.
"Draco Malfoy, you have just made me all at once the angriest and the happiest girl in the entire world," she informed him, before yawning. "And the most exhausted," she added.
"Well, then I suppose we ought to get to bed," he suggested, pulling back the covers. Hermione snuggled up next to him, and he put one arm around her.
"Oh, and Draco?" she whispered into the darkness.
"Yes?" he asked, afraid of what was coming next.
"I love you too."