A/N: I reposted this chapter because I discovered some typos that really irritated me. The next chapter will come soon!
Hermione stayed up the whole day, thinking of a way to get out of the Room of Requirement. It seemed all too easy; just running out of the door. But no, she wasn't going to fall for that. She knew there was some kind of catch, maybe someone standing guard outside? Or perhaps a trap? Without her wand she was helpless.
She looked up at the high windows. It was beginning to get dark. Hermione felt extremely curious as to what may be guarding the door outside. She quietly crept through all the junk (although she was sure nobody could hear her) and stood intently at the door for a moment as if it would attack her. She was about to reach for the handle when a thought struck her.
What if whoever is there is invisible? I suppose they would be, if they're guarding the door outside.
She hesitated a moment, but caved in to her feelings. She quietly opened the door, and stuck her head out, inspecting the area around her. She was a bit surprised that she didn't immediately hear a spell shot at her.
She was about to creep out of the door when a harsh voice made her nearly jump out of her skin.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? GET OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU LITTLE GITS!"
Hermione frowned at the harsh voice (who thankfully was not directed at her), and heard the shuffles of what she could only guess were frightened first years' feet. The voice sounded very familiar. It almost sounded like-
"Draco!" Hermione squealed as she skipped to Draco, who just rounded the corner, looking extremely angry.
"Oh, thank Merlin I found you!" She said as she tried to hug him. He backed away offensively.
"What is it Granger?" He asked angrily. Hermione faltered. Why did he sound so angry?
"Draco? What's wrong? And why are you calling me Granger?"
Malfoy looked confused for a moment. The nasty expression then returned to his face.
"Don't act all naïve Granger. You know very well why I'm acting like this. And for the record, I shouldn't even be talking to you."
Hermione was extremely confused. "But Draco, what could I have done to make you upset? I was trapped in the Room of Requirement all day yesterday!" She felt tears coming to her eyes. She was so frustrated.
"What in hell are you talking about?" He asked, extremely annoyed. "You were in the common room yesterday, and today! You were in there when I left!" Hermione suddenly heard some footsteps coming their way.
"Quick, follow me!" She whispered urgently as she grabbed his wrist and ran to a deserted corridor.
Hermione peeked from out of the corridor. A stout figure was walking toward the empty stretch of wall where the Room of Requirement was hidden behind. He was holding a plate of food, and was looking extremely shifty.
"Granger what the-"
"Shh!" Hermione snapped quietly. She turned her attention back to the figure. A door had appeared, and he entered it, leaving it slightly ajar. After a while, she heard a yell.
"DAMMIT!" The voice inside swore. The stout person rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He ran down the corridor, past Hermione and Malfoy's hiding place, and practically flew down the steps.
Hermione sighed in relief. She turned back to Malfoy, who was looking at her as though she were some bizarre creature.
"Granger, what the hell is going on?" She sat down, and motioned for him to do the same. He hesitated, as thought the floor were made of mud, but followed suit.
"I think that was the person who kidnapped me." She said. Malfoy looked at her, bewildered.
"What are you talking about Granger?! You were in the freaking common room the whole time!"
"No I wasn't!" She snapped back.
"Yes you were! You weren't talking to me, and when I asked you what was wrong, you told me you didn't want to 'pursue our relationship any further'!"
Hermione was about to heatedly retort when what he said registered in her head. She lowered her voice. "I didn't say that. I would never say that."
Malfoy grabbed his hair (which was now not neatly gelled back as it usually was) and pulled it. It looked as though hew wanted to say something, but was struggling with some kind of internal conflict. He sighed, and looked defeated.
"Then please, please, tell me what the hell is going on before my head explodes."
Hermione proceeded to tell him the events that happened on Friday night, and how she discovered she was trapped in the Room of Requirement.
"- and when I looked outside, I heard a yell. It turned out to be you." She leaned her head against the hard cement wall. Draco looked at her, not wanting to believe her story.
"Prove its really you." He said. Hermione was taken aback at his request, but shook it away.
"Well, the last few weeks we've been – erm, closer than a regular Head Boy and Girl would be," she was beginning to blush, "and our first kiss was on the night of the Quidditch match." Her face now resembled a tomato. She pointedly stared at the ground.
Malfoy stood up, and put his hand out. She looked up at him, and grabbed his hand. He helped her up, then pulled her in a tight embrace. She felt him sigh with relief. Hermione enjoyed being in his arms; she felt safe again.
"Malfoy," she said after a while, "how did you know it was me?"
She felt him chuckle. "Whenever we were together, you would always blush. It didn't matter what I said. It was almost like your signature move." She felt her face go red again.
"So if I'm here, then who's in our common room right now?" She asked. Malfoy pulled away, and grinned at her.
"Lets go see."
They walked quickly to their dorms. "Draco, who were you yelling at earlier?" She asked curiously.
"Er – some first years." He said cautiously. Hermione scoffed in disapproval.
"Did they do anything to you?"
"Er – well not exactly. After you – well, I suppose the fake you – broke up with me, I've been a tad more angry than usual." He laughed awkwardly, and sped up his pace. Hermione inwardly disapproved of him taking out his anger on others, but felt a bit flattered that he would be angry if they were to break up.
They reached the portrait hole, where the warlock and goblin were having a heated discussion about who won their last chess game.
"Devil's Snare." Malfoy said to the warlock.
"Yes, yes," The warlock said impatiently, opening the portrait. He stopped bickering with the goblin and looked at Hermione strangely. "Aren't you already in ther-"
"Shut up!" Malfoy said sharply. The warlock looked offended, but said nothing further. Malfoy walked in first, checking to see if it was safe for Hermione to enter. He nodded his head and she quietly walked in. He pointed to behind the couch. She nodded, and hid behind it.
Malfoy cleared his throat. "Granger! Get down here, Sainted Potter wants to see you!" A muffled answer came from Hermione's room. "Get down here, or I'll take care of him myself!"
Hermione heard footsteps, and saw the ankles of her imposter from under the couch.
"Where's Harry? Did you let him in?" The fake Hermione asked.
Malfoy snorted, and the fake Hermione walked to the portrait hole to look outside. When her back was turned, Malfoy took out his wand. The fake Hermione turned back to Malfoy.
"There's no one outside. Why did you tell-"
"Petrificus Totalus!" Malfoy yelled. The fake Hermione fell to the floor with a thud. Hermione crawled out from behind the couch, and stood up next to Malfoy who was inspecting the person on the floor. Hermione looked down at her imposter.
Dear Merlin! I hope this person hasn't been wandering the halls lately! They're making me look like a zombie! Or is that how I normally look?...
The Hermione on the floor looked up at the two Heads with terrified eyes.
"I should've been able to tell the difference." Malfoy said quietly after a while. "This Hermione-" He pointed at the one on the floor "-is so much different than you. I feel like such an idiot," he shook his head slowly. "I guess this proves we need to spend more time together." He grinned sheepishly.
Hermione smiled, but was distracted when the figure on the floor began to transform.
Hermione's slender figure began to expand upward, and her shoulders became broader. Her hair shrunk, and turned dirty blonde. The buttons on her robes strained, for the person who was in them was much too large for them. Hermione gasped. What shocked her was not really who it was, but the fact that it was a boy.
Ew ew ew ew ew!! I mean seriously? A boy??
She looked at Malfoy. He seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"I'll tie him up." Malfoy said, grabbing the nearest chair. "We'll need to ask him some questions." He emphasized the word 'questions' maliciously, and the petrified boy eye's shone with fear.
"But Draco, he'll lie." Hermione said. Malfoy pondered this for a moment before he responded.
"I have some Veritaserum. Go up to my room, and open the drawer next to my bed. It's wrapped in a silk handkerchief."
Hermione felt a little overwhelmed at his request. She had never been in his room before, and it meant a lot to her that he allowed her to go in by herself. She quickly ran up his staircase, and slowly opened the door. His room was decorated with green and silver, and there was a giant serpent on his bed. There were also a lot of clothes strewn about; his robes, socks, and boxers lay on the floor. For some strange reason, it also smelled very man-like. Hermione blushed, and carefully made her way to the night stand by his bed. She opened the drawer, and found the little bottle wrapped in silk. She hurried back to the common room.
When she got there, Malfoy had tied the boy to the chair. The boy was struggling – he was obviously un-petrified. She handed Malfoy the bottle, and he opened it carefully.
"Hold it for a sec-" He muttered as he handed the open bottle to Hermione.
Malfoy pointed his wand at the boy and the his mouth suddenly opened. He took the bottle from Hermione and poured a few drops of the clear liquid down the boy's throat. Malfoy sealed the bottle and pocketed it. He unfroze the boy who was coughing and sputtering.
"What's your name?" Malfoy asked.
"Alex Cardin." The boy replied in a dull voice.
"What house are you in?"
"Ravenclaw." Hermione gasped. He was one of the two boys who were beating up the little boy on Friday. Cardin looked at Hermione interestedly.
"Why were you beating up a little boy on Friday?" Hermione asked. The boy struggled to not to answer, but the potion seemed to be causing him pain.
"I – I was put up to it." He said, looking angry at himself. Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"By who?" Again, Cardin struggled to answer the question.
"By Colin Creevey." Hermione felt Draco shift uncomfortably behind her.
"Did he say why he wanted you to do it?"
"No. He just told me when and where."
"What did you get out of it?" Hermione asked, raising her voice in anger. "Hurting a little child?"
Cardin looked uncomfortable. "Well, it wasn't everyday I was asked to do something like that. I would have refused, but..."
"But what?"
"He paid me. It was a pretty good price too, so I didn't refuse." Draco snorted. Hermione looked at the boy in shock and disgust.
"You beat him up because he paid you? That is sick!" The boy smirked.
"What?!" She snapped. She didn't think it was at all the appropriate time to smirk.
"Well, the strange thing was that Creevey paid me to beat up his brother."
Hermione gasped. She didn't recognize the little boy; his face was too bruised.
"Little Dennis Creevey?" She asked quietly.
"Yes." Cardin responded dully. Hermione sat down on the couch. Malfoy, who was skulking in the shadows resumed the interrogation.
"Why did – who kidnapped Hermione?" He asked. Cardin struggled against the tight ropes.
"I don't know."
Malfoy looked as though he didn't believe him, but continued.
"Why did you pretend to be her? And why did you break up with me?" Hermione giggled inwardly at Malfoy's reluctance to ask the question.
"After Creevey paid me to beat up his brother, he gave me some Polyjuice Potion. He told me the Head Girl's hair was in it. He gave me the password to your common room, and he told me what to do."
"And what was that?"
"He told me I was to 'break up' with the Head Boy, and to ignore him as much as I could."
"Did he tell you why?"
"No. And I didn't care. I was getting paid." He smirked again. Malfoy lifted his arm to punch the boy, but Hermione jumped up from the couch and grabbed his hand.
"Don't." She warned.
He reluctantly put his arm down.
"OK, I think the potion will wear down in a bit. I'll put a weak memory charm on him, so he doesn't tell Creevey anything."
Hermione nodded, although she wasn't too comfortable with the idea of modifying someone's memory.
Cardin began protesting, and squirmed against the tight ropes. Malfoy gave him no mercy.
"Obliviate!" He yelled as he waved him arm around. Cardin's eyes fluttered, and his head lolled to side as he was knocked unconscious.
"Untie him, while I put the potion away." Malfoy said as he ran up to his room. Hermione untied Cardin and healed his red wrists. She felt extremely guilty. Although Cardin didn't seem like a very nice person, she was Head Girl. And the Head Girl wasn't supposed to be involved in any kind of activity having to do with interrogating and tampering with peoples memories.
Malfoy came down.
"Er – I'll bring him to the Hospital Wing. I'll say I found him on the floor." He levitated Cardin's limp body off the ground, and carefully manoeuvred him out the portrait hole and to the Hospital Wing.
Hermione went up to her room. It was a mess. All her clothes were lying around, and her underwear drawer was open. Cardin had obviously been rummaging in it. A part of her told her that Cardin got what he deserved. After a quick 'Scourgify', her room was as good as new. She grabbed some pyjamas, and ran to the shower.
Malfoy was already in the common room when she arrived.
"What did Madame Pomfrey say?" Hermione asked as she walked down the stairs.
"Nothing really. She never asks questions much."
Hermione sat down on the couch next to him.
"I'm so glad you're back," Malfoy said, kissing her, "and thank Merlin I didn't kiss Cardin when he was pretending to be you." He shuddered dramatically. Hermione laughed.
"So tell me, how come you have a bottle of Veritaserum?" She asked, smirking.
Draco grinned. "Sometimes being Snape's favourite comes in handy." He casually stretched his arms out in front of him. Hermione laughed.
"Yes, but now, we have another problem on our hands." She pointed out.
"What? Do you want a bottle of Veritaserum from Snape too?" He asked playfully.
"No. I'm talking about Creevey." Malfoy groaned.
"Lets not talk about him right now." He said tiredly. "We'll worry about that git later." He yawned, and laid his head on Hermione's shoulder.
"I suppose so..." She said quietly, stroking Draco's hair. "What do-" Hermione looked at Malfoy, who was sleeping soundly on her shoulder. She smiled, and resumed stroking his hair.
A/N: The chapter is over!!!! But I will update within the week. Stay tuned for what happens next!