Recap:
"You know, you really don't have the right to point fingers, Weaslette," he drawled. "You're not exactly experienced, either." Ginny was red and the boys pulled out their wands.
"Get out of here before we have a repeat of inside, Malfoy," Harry growled. Blaise laughed and stepped forward so that he was face to face with Harry.
"Why don't you make me, Scarhead?" he hissed. Draco nodded and motioned for Blaise to follow him. He then paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"By the way, you're little Hermione? She's not as innocent as you think she is. Keep that in mind the next time you try and protect her. That's not your job anymore." Blaise smirked, leaning over.
"That's right, it's yours," he whispered. Draco glanced at him.
"Only mine."
They pulled apart and Draco moved his lips down her neck.
"Draco?"
"Hmmm..yeah, Muggle?"
"Earlier, when you kissed me..." He rose his head up and stared at her.
"You mean this?" He leaned in and kissed her, the same soft, tender kiss as before that made her melt into his arms. He pulled away from her and she nodded.
"Yes. What possessed you to do that?" He reached up and touched her cheek. He kissed the corner of her mouth, smiling slightly when he heard her sigh, tilting her head up, he kissed her down he neck and around her collarbone and back up to her mouth.
"I don't know," he whispered, gazing into her eyes. "Tell me something. What would you do if I died?" She blinked, a bit taken aback by his question.
"I...I don't know," she said truthfully. "I mean..."
"Would you cry?" She ran her fingers over her lips and then sat up in bed.
"Would you cry if I died?" she asked him. He stared at her and shook his head.
"No. I wouldn't."
"Why?"
"Malfoy's don't cry on the outside, just like we don't show pain on the outside. We hurt on the inside."
"Just like you love on the inside?" He sat up and touched her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes closed. "Just like you keep everything on the inside?"
"Yes, Hermione. I don't show emotion on the outside." Her eyes opened.
"But I do," she whispered. She leaned in, resting her head on his chest. "I would cry."
"Tears of joy?" he murmured, stroking her hair gently. She shook her head.
"No. Tears of pain." He tilted her head to look at him. "I wasn't lying to you when I said that I wouldn't know what to do if you died." He saw tears roll down her cheeks and he kissed them away.
"I know," he told her. "I know." They fell back into the bed, kissing fiercely. He had her night clothes off in a minute when she stopped him. "What?" he whispered. She sat up, pulling her bare legs under her chin.
"Did you mean it when you said that...what you said about me?" He smiled and leaned up, kissing her leg softly.
"Lay out for me," he asked her. Doing as he said, she stretched out on the bed. He pulled off the rest of her clothes so that she was complete naked. He ran his hand up her leg, around her back and up to her neck. He rolled her over so that she wasn't facing him and kissed her from her hip to her toes. He could feel her shivering and rested his head on the side of her stomach. "You're beautiful," he murmured into her skin, getting up and turning her over. She stared up into his eyes and he leaned in, kissing her softly. "Yes, I meant it."
The Christmas Ball was coming up. It was scheduled so that those leaving for the holidays would still get to enjoy it. It was then that her problems started.
Ron sat down next to her in the Gryffindor common room, where she sat doing her homework with Ginny.
"Hey, Hermione," he said. She glanced at him
"Hello Ron," she greeted. "What's up?"
"Um, well I was wondering, well that is, Ginny and I were wondering if you wanted to come to the Burrow with us for Christmas?" Hermione froze. Wonderful, she thought. Just what I need.
A week ago, Draco had made it painfully obvious that his mother wanted to see her for the holidays. She and Narcissa had been keeping close correspondance so it was little wonder that she wanted to see her only daughter-in-law.
"I'll have to owl my mum," she said, turning to him. "I'll ask her about it, ok?" Ron nodded, smiling. Ginny glanced around and smirked. Knocking down her ink bottle, she faked a gasp.
"Oh shoot! I'll go get another bottle," she said, getting up and running up to her room. Hermione didn't seem to have noticed that she had left, engrossed in her homework. Ron shifted uncomfortably and took a deep breath.
"Um, Hermione?"
"Hmmm, Ron?"
"Um, you know the Ball is in a few days, right?"
"Hmmm..."
"Well, I was wondering...doyawanngotodaballwidmeh?" Hermione blinked. If she hadn't been following what he had been saying before, she definitely didn't get what he had just said now.
"Excuse me, Ron?" she asked, putting down her quill. He sighed, pulling together what courage he had left.
"I asked, Did you want to go to the Ball with me?" She blinked again, staring at him. Her mind had gone blank. She found herself nodding.
"Sure, Ron," she found herself saying. "I'll go with you." He was smiling and she was smiling. This all happened as if she was watching a movie. "Now go! I have to finish my homework!" Nodding, he leapt up and scampered up the stairs to tell Harry. After a moment, Hermione gathered her things together, put them in the bag and was about to leave when she saw an envelope slip through the bottom of the portrait door. Frowning, she picked it up and read the front.
"For Red," she read and gasped. "Blaise," she whispered. Hurrying up the stairs, she found Ginny's door open. "Ginny, this came for you." She handed the letter to Ginny, who, upon seeing who it was, giggled and opened the letter. She read it silently and giggled again, handing the letter to Hermione. On it was written:
What Is It That I Love?
If asked why I love her I would say
It's the sway in her hips,
the thickness in her thighs.
It's the lust in her lips,
the love in her eyes.
It's the softness of her skin,
the silk in her hair.
It's the twist in her walk;
it's the sweetness in her talk.
It's the way she loves me
that makes me love her each day.
That is what I would say.
- Justin Hutchins -
From, Your Stalker
Hermione gapped and Ginny smiled.
"Ginny, have you been getting letters like this for a while?" Nodding, Ginny opened a drawer, inside it, neatly stacked, were about thirty or forty little envelopes identical to the one she held.
"They all hold some little sayin or something he wrote," Ginny explained. "Here, listen to this one." She ruffled through the stack and pulled out an envelope. Taking out the letter, she smiled.
"Love is hating being with you, yet can't stand being without you. Love is hating up close and loving from a distance. Love is hating seeing you and thinking about you when you're gone. Love is hating your guts, and then loving your soul. Love is hating the fact that I hate you and hating you even more for the fact that I love you even more.
Love is always accompanied with hate, and my love, we hate each other. We can not help it. But I wish, for one day, you could not hate me for who you think I am but love me for who I really am.
For, you do not know me as anything but hate, and, if you knew who I was, then you would disgust yourself. So, for now, I will hate you for the very reason that I love you.
From, Your Stalker" Ginny looked up to see Hermione with tears in her eyes. Startled, she stood, rubbing her friends back. "Hermione, honey, what is it?" She shook her head, brushing away the tears.
"Nothing, it's nothing, really," she muttered. "It was just really sweet." Ginny smiled.
"Isn't it?" She fell back in her bed. "Oh Hermione, is it possible to fall in love with someone you don't know?" Hermione smiled.
"Yes." Ginny turned to her.
"He told me he was at the Masquerade and that we actually danced!! I think it was Dark, the boy that was with your friend. Oh, I met him and I didn't even know!!" She fell back in the bed.
"Now, Ginny, don't get carried away. You heard what he said." Ginny sat up, frowning.
"Yeah, he writes that a lot, like he's afraid I'm going to fall in love with him."
"You are falling in love with him."
"Yes, but why is he scared." Hermoine sighed. Because he's afraid you'll reject him, she thought. "I wouldn't!" Hermione jerked.
"Did I say that out loud?"
"Yes."
"Well, it's probably true. His identity might be so horrible in real life that even a thousand letters would make you hate him more." Ginny shook her head and Hermione was shocked to see tears in her eyes.
"Who could he possibly be that I would hate him upon seeing him?" she asked. Hermione turned to look out a window.
"What if he was a Slytherin?" Ginny actually laughed.
"Hermione, you'be gone mad. Why would a Slytherin send me letters like this?"
"But what if it was?" Hermione insisted, turning back. "What would you do then?" Ginny stared at her for a moment.
"You know who it is, don't you?" she murmured. Hermione blinked.
"What?"
"You know who my stalker is!!" Hermione leapt to her feet.
"I don't!" Ginny stood.
"Then why are you so insistant upon my stalker being Slytherin?" Hermione opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say. Ginny had a hand over her mouth, shock running over her face. "It is a Slytherin, isn't it?" Hermione sighed and nodded. Ginny sank into her bed, staring at the letter.
"Ginny, you have to understand something-"
"Why would a Slytherin look at me?" she whispered, eyes closed. "He was so nice. He held me like I was a China doll when we danced, not too close yet not to far. Just right. I think I knew then he was my stalker...he was whispering all kinds of things into my ear..." She burried her face into her hands. "Why did he have to be Slytherin?!" Hermione stared at her for a moment.
"Why not?" Ginny looked up sharply.
"You can't be serious?"
"Why couldn't it have been a Slytherin?" Ginny eyed her critically.
"Hermione, what happened this summer?" Hermione backed up.
"What?"
"I owled Fred and George and they owled me back saying one of their clients saw you at Malfoy's house this summer." Hermione's eyes widened in shock, horror and most of all anger.
"Why were you prying around about me, Ginny?!" she yelled. Ginny glared at her friend.
"I was concerned about my best friends saftey!! I wanted to know that nothing bad happened to her over the summer!! Now answer the question!"
"No!! I don't have to explain myself to you! I can't believe you Ginny!! You're supposed to trust me!!"
"How can I if you won't even talk to me!! We barely talk anymore, Hermione!! You're always in the Library or at class or somewhere nobody knows! You day dream all the time and when you're not doing that, you're yelling at Ron!! What else were we supposed to do!"
"You mean Ron and Harry know about this?!"
"Yes! We all read the letter!!" Hermione clutched her head, not believe this was all happening. Ginny touched her arm, the anger in her face replaced with concern. "Hermione, please. Please tell me what happened over the summer." Hermione stared at her for a moment and then sighed. She closed the door and magically sound proofed it.
"Ok, I'll tell you. But I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Swear to me you won't tell anybody, Ginny."
"Of course, Hermione!" Hermione sighed and bit her lip.
"You know how I said that I was supposed to come to the Burrow for summer, right." Ginny nodded. "Well, I was supposed to, but when I go home...Malfoy, his dad and Blaise Zambini were there." Ginny gasped. "What happened was..."
For two hours, Hermione retold her summer and what happened prior to the Quidditch game attack. Ginny hung onto every word and was totally silent when Hermione was done. Hermione brushed away some tears that had rolled down her cheek and waited patiently. Ginny stood and walked to the window. She then turned around and hugged Hermione tightly.
"Oh Hermione!" she cried. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know...Oh, what you've been through, and what I said-" Hermione shook her head, smiling through fresh tears.
"It's alright, Ginny," she said. "I just, I'm glad you know. I needed to tell someone." Ginny nodded and then frowned.
"What about Ron?" Hermione sighed.
"I don't know...I mean, I like him, but lately, Draco and I..what is it Ginny?" Ginny had giggled when Hermione had said 'Draco and I'.
"I don't know, I just think that it's funny that you called him...well, you know." Hermione smiled wanly.
"Malfoy and I, well, something happened yesterday, and last night..." Ginny tilted her head to the side.
"I heard about what Malfoy said during the sex-ed class. Was he talking about you?" Hermione blushed and gave Ginny a playful shove.
"I don't kiss and tell, Gin," she said.
"More like shag and tell," Ginny corrected and Hermione blushed even more. "So he was..."
"My first," Hermione finished, leaning back in the bed. "That night...Lord knows, we both haven't been the same since." Ginny leaned in.
"Is it true what they say about...you know, the size?" Hermione's eyes widened.
"GINNY!!"
"What?!
"Ginny, he's my husband!"
"Yeah, so?" Hermione sighed.
"No, it's not true. Whoever said that was blind."
"So?"
"So what??"
"How long is it? A lot of girls I talked to say that its not very long."
"Sore, that's what they are. Lets just say that it's like two of his wands, ok?" Ginny's eyes were like dinner plates and Hermione laughed. "Ginny, STOP!!"