Chapter 12: Secrets, Smoking and Drunken Misdemeanours

Hermione opened the door that led to the top of the astronomy tower and closed it silently behind her. She walked across the relatively small space, pulling her cloak tighter against the biting chill of the winter air, and seated herself next to the blonde boy on the edge of the tower, dangling her feet into the empty air below her, staring down at the courtyard that was impossibly far down.

"You know I hate it when you do that." She muttered, pulling out her wand to cast a warming charm around the pair, to stop the frost that was forming from reaching their fingers.

Draco blew out the smoke from his lungs and watched it swirling in the atmosphere before he responded. "It's been a tough Christmas." He took another drag on the cigarette and sighed. Hermione breathed in the scent of smoke that was becoming far too familiar and took his gloved hand in hers. "Blame Blaise."

"I do." Hermione smiled a smile that held no joy. "Do you want to talk about your holiday?"

"Can't."

"Oh." Hermione sighed, coughing slightly on the smoke. Draco noticed and turned his head away from her when he breathed out, feeling slightly ashamed that he was subjecting her to this, but was in too much of a foul mood to do anything about it.

He flicked the butt off the tower and the pair watched it fall until it was out of sight. Draco reached into his robes and pulled out the packet, lighting another cigarette with his wand before he held out the packet to Hermione, silently offering her one. She shook her head mutely, but offered to throw the packet off the tower if that would help.

"How was your Christmas?" Draco eventually broke the silence, still staring at the distant ground.

"It was good." Hermione answered no conviction in her voice.

"Really?" Draco gave a humourless chuckle.

"It was nice to see my parents." Hermione amended. "Only..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"It's something."

"I can't say.

"You can't talk to me about your parents?"

"No, because who knows who will use legilimancy on you and I know, I know you're skilled at oclumency, but Voldemort's stronger and you don't know who far he will go to find out something that will hurt Harry. So no, no I can't tell you about my parents." Hermione slipped back into silence, but the bitter tone she had used was still clear on her face.

Draco chucked another butt off the tower and pulled out the last cigarette, he shook the packet unhappily before it followed the used cigarettes off the tower to the courtyard below.

"Draco!" Hermione scolded.

"What?" He muttered, concentrating on lighting his last cigarette.

"That's littering. Plus with the amount you've chucked off here I'm surprised you haven't caused a fire."

"It's too damp for fire."

"Doesn't stop it being littering, though."

"Relax would you." Draco chuckled and slung his arm across her shoulders, drawing her closer. "Stop being so bloody noble. You're dating a Slytherin, be thankful it was just a little light littering as opposed to a little light murder." Hermione gave a tight-lipped smile. "I'm joking." Hermione gave a reluctant chuckle, burying her head in Draco's neck.

"How many of those things have you had?" Hermione asked choking a little. "You smell like an ashtray."

Draco blew the smoke over her head. "I lost count a couple of hours ago."

"Couple of hours?" Hermione asked.

"More like five."

"Five." She groaned.

"It was a rough holiday."

"You do know they're bad for you, right?"

"Calming though."

Again, silence enveloped them both. Hermione welcomed the silence. Her holiday had been punctuated with her parents wanting to relish every moment of their limited time with their daughter and visiting relatives who had all exclaimed You look so grown up! And young cousins who had run around her feet begging 'Mione play with us. 'Mione, 'Mione! The peace and quiet was a relief and as she breathed in the slight smell of smoke that she would forever associate with the top of this tower, she forgot all that had been worrying her. Moving closer to Draco and holding his hand tightly gave her such a sense of inner peace that she was almost surprised that they didn't spend longer like that.

Draco's thought were moving fast as he finally had the chance to process the happenings over his holiday without the fear of being watched. He could finally relax and not worry about every word that came out of his mouth in case he gave anyone a reason to be suspicious of him. He was glad not to have to constantly stand on form and watch his actions. He was glad to no longer have to control all emotions, even when he had to watch his favourite house elf be beaten for dropping a tray that was larger than he was. He was glad to finally be himself again rather than the perfect pureblood boy that everyone expected.

He was happy to finally be able to be silent and let his nerves calm. The only reason he was smoking was so he could try and relax completely in order to forget the pressures that were forever hammering at his skull. Of course, it wasn't working, only alcohol could do that, but he had wanted to see Hermione sober before he allowed himself to let go and drown his sorrows. Draco let the butt of his final cigarette drop from his fingers and buried his face in Hermione's hair, breathing in the scent and smiling slightly.

"Morning." Hermione smiled at Blaise, Ginny and Luna as she and Draco sat down for breakfast. They all greeted her with a smile and offered to pass her various things. She took the jug of pumpkin juice and poured both herself and Draco a goblet-full.

Theo wondered over from where he was eating with Pansy and Daphne and joined the small group, sitting next to Blaise and drinking his coffee, earning himself a punch to the arm before he spoke. "Listen, I don't know if you've heard the seventh years are throwing a New Year's party."

"A little late, isn't it?" Ginny said.

"It's an excuse to throw a party, I wouldn't complain. It's this Saturday so feel free to come." Theo nodded, clapped Blaise on his back to thank him for the coffee before he left the Great Hall.

"Fancy it?" Draco asked Hermione, pouring himself some black coffee.

"Don't see why not. You don't think people will mind us coming, do you? We aren't exactly the most popular of the month."

"They don't give a shit either way." Draco grinned. "It'll be bigger than last time anyway, so more anonymosity."

On Saturday evening, Hermione found herself standing in the Slytherin common room once again – sure that it had been magically expanded in order to fit what seemed to be the entirety of Hogwarts – watching Draco make a fool out of himself. She wasn't sure whether she should be laughing or frowning at his drunken state and settled for watching in the background with raised eyebrows.

Hermione drained the last of her drink and turned to get some more. She poured some more of the strange blue liquid, taking an appreciative sip. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but Draco had told her that it was low on alcohol content and tasted of blueberries, so she wasn't about to complain. Plus she would be able to find out later. Turning away, she walked straight into someone, spilling some of her drink down their shirt.

"I am so sorry." Hermione looked up and all apologies died on her tongue. Her mouth fell open in a small 'o' and she took a step back, an involuntary blush spreading across her cheeks.

"I saw you with Malfoy."

"Harry, it isn't what it looked like."

"Well then maybe you can explain why you were making out with him. Without resistance. Whilst sober."

"Harry! Come on."

Harry leant down so that his mouth was right next to Hermione's ear and hissed, "How long were you planning on hiding this Hermione?"

"We are not doing this here." Giving a last glance to Draco and wincing at the sight of the embarrassing spectacle, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him along down a corridor that led to some of the dorms.

Once they had walked past the barrier that kept all sound out, the corridor was eerily silent and Hermione cast her own charm around them, in case Harry began shouting down the echoing corridor.

"Okay."

"Okay? You spend your days with Malfoy's tongue down your throat and all you can say is 'Okay'?"

"Harry please, I don't want to lose you over this. It isn't like I chose for this to happen. It just did."

"Malfoy, Hermione. Malfoy. The git who called you mudblood for five years, tried to get Hagrid fired and is part of Voldemort's inner circle."

"He apologised, that was his father and there's no proof to that claim."

"There is a lot against the guy."

"I know, but it took a troll to get you and Ron to talk to me, so maybe this will be enough to make you be at least civil to Draco."

"Ron. You're still dating Ron."

"I didn't want to break his heart."

"You're dating Ron and spending your time in the Slytherin common room. Are you sure you're still a Gryffindor."

"What are you even doing here?"

"Tracey Davis invited me and I guessed that Ginny would be here, so I came."

"Tracey Davis, a Slytherin, invited Harry fucking Potter? And I'm the one we're questioning?"

"She's half-blood, not exactly the Slytherin poster-girl. And you're cheating on Ron. He's your best friend."

"Exactly, Harry. My best friend. Not my boyfriend."

"You can't keep deceiving him."

"I know. I've tried to hint that it's happening to soften the blow, but he is a blind as a bat without sonar!"

"He's never been exactly observant. He was always surprised when Ginny was dating someone and I swear he didn't understand what Moaning Myrtle had to do with the Chamber of Secrets until I specifically mentioned it." Harry chuckled fondly at the memory and looked across at his friend who stood so comfortably in Slytherin territory, leaning against the wall, chewing at her bottom lip in worry.

Despite the five years of friendship that he held close to his heart, Harry couldn't deal with seeing Hermione with Draco, he couldn't even bare to think about it. He wanted to forgive her, she was after all his best friend, but she had too much against her. Secretly dating a suspected death eater, consorting with Slytherins who had only hurt them since first year, cheating on Ron and he was sure she hadn't shared about what was happening with Ginny when they were still dating. Harry sighed. He knew that more than ever, friends were important and the more he had to rely on the better, but he couldn't do it. Ron was his friend too and he couldn't condone the fact that Hermione was cheating on him with their worst enemy.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry. I can't condone this. It's just too much. Just know I don't hate you. I'm just not so fond of the decisions you've made recently and so you either need to come with me now leave all this behind or stay here and..." Harry trailed off trying to put what he was feeling into words. "And we won't be talking for a while." He said, knowing it didn't quite convey what he meant, but Hermione was nodding anyway, understanding him, as usual.

"I'm sorry, but I'm staying." Hermione's voice caught in her throat. She knew that Harry was making the right decision for him, but it didn't stop the pain that ripped through her chest.

Harry nodded and leant forwards kissing her on the forehead before he turned on his heel and walked back down the corridor. Hermione hurried after him but stopped at the entrance to the common room, watching his retreating back exit the Slytherin domain, and her life.