''Hermione? Can I speak to you please?'' Ginny stuck her head around the door and looked apprehensively at her friend.
''Of course.'' Hermione pushed her chair back from her desk and placed her quill neatly down on top of the parchment that she had been writing an essay on. ''What's wrong?''
Ginny pushed her dripping hair off her face and tossed her umbrella to one side. ''Useless thing. Didn't keep me dry at all.''
''They're never much good in gale force winds and tempestuous rain.'' Hermione smiled and threw Ginny a towel. ''But I'm guessing that isn't what you wanted to talk to me about?''
''No…the thing is Hermione…what's going on with you and Malfoy?''
Hermione's smile froze on her face. ''What do you mean?''
''Exactly what I said Hermione. Don't try and buy time, please, give me more respect than that.''
''Nothing Ginny. Really, nothing.''
Ginny stared at Hermione, her eyes hurt. ''When you're ready to tell your friends the truth, I'll be in my dormitory.''
''Ginny!'' Hermione called after her friend's retreating back. ''Please, don't be like that.'' But the only answer she had was a door slamming in her face. She breathed out heavily and sat back down at her desk, resting her head in her hands.
She was still sitting like that when Draco pushed open her door and sauntered in half an hour later.
''What's wrong?'' he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
''Ginny suspects. In fact, Ginny does more than suspect. She came in here and asked me what was going on between us.''
''What did you say?'' Draco's hand rested casually on Hermione's shoulder.
''I told her that there was nothing to tell. That there was nothing going on between us.''
''Did she believe you?'' Draco stared at the top of Hermione's head and idly wondered how she managed to get her parting so straight.
''No. And I hate lying to my friends Draco. That's the one thing that I've never done before, and now I'm doing it regularly! Every time I make an excuse, every time I slip away from the table before anyone else, every time I omit something in conversation, or in a letter, I am lying to them!'' Hermione turned her face up to him, silently begging him to say something comforting, something that would make everything feel right again.
''Well, they can't know the truth.'' Draco looked into her eyes and wished he could say something else.
''You sound like an actor from a B-movie – 'the truth? You can't handle the truth!'' Hermione turned her face away again.
''What's a B-movie?'' Draco rubbed her shoulders. ''Look, you know its true – none of our friends can know.''
''You think I don't know that?'' Hermione stood up, knocking Draco's hands off her shoulders. ''You think that I was actually planning to go and tell everyone – hey everyone, you know how I love and support you all? Well, I'm going out with a Deatheater. Hope you're not too bothered. Oh, you are bothered? Ah well, not to worry.'' Hermione glared at Draco.
''Don't take this out on me.'' Draco looked at her coldly.
''I'll just go and talk to one of my friends about it then…oh no! Wait a minute, I can't!''
''Shut up.''
''Don't you dare tell me to shut up!''
''Well Hermione, what did you expect?'' Draco's temper suddenly flared up, sending him from icy cold to fiery hot. ''Did you think that we would be able to go around the school happily? Did you think that everyone would be really, really happy for us? Did you think that we would spend the rest of our lives together, and that our ideological differences would just disappear? Well wake up, because you're living in a fantasy world!''
''Of course I didn't think that!''
''Well then, what's the problem?''
''What does this mean to you?'' Hermione dropped down onto her bed and stared at Draco, her eyes wide as her fingers clutched at the bed cover. ''Am I just some cheap screw to you? Do you just tell me what I want to hear?''
''How can you think that?'' Draco stared at her. ''Do you honestly think that I'm using you?''
''You did before.'' Hermione gazed steadily at him. The only tension visible was in her fingers, which were twitching as they tore at her quilt. ''You used me to win twenty galleons.''
''I've apologised for that. Repeatedly.''
''You haven't actually. You've apologised for hurting me, but not for making the bet. It's like you don't regret making that.'' Hermione blinked furiously, refusing to cry.
''I don't.'' Draco looked at her and stepped closer. ''I will never regret making that bet.''
''What? Draco, do you not understand me at all? I hate myself for what I am doing, but I can't stop, I'm so hooked on you! This has gone beyond infatuation, or lust! Draco, I can't help what I feel for you, but at least have the decency not to stomp on my feelings like this! I mean…''
Draco looked at her, a smile on his lips. ''You didn't let me elaborate. But thanks for saying all that, it does make me feel less apprehensive about what I'm going to say.''
''What?'' Hermione stood in front of him, her chest still rising and falling from her outburst. ''What are you talking about?''
''I will never regret making that bet, because that is the one thing that has made me notice you. I would have carried on hating you because of a fact of birth. Now, because of a stupid bet that I made, I'm falling in love with you. Slowly mind you, because you keep doing irrational things and getting angry with me.''
''You're falling in love with me?'' Hermione's voice was quiet and tremulous.
''That's what I said.'' Draco's cheeks flushed faintly but his eyes didn't leave Hermione's.
She smiled up at him, and slid her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest, feeling the rough texture of his shirt underneath her cheek. ''I'm in love with you too.''
''I know that.'' Draco smiled slightly as Hermione poked him in the side. ''Go on, go and put on something pretty.''
''Why?'' Hermione stepped back slightly, still holding on to him.
''Well, we can't tell people in the school, but I don't see why we can't go on a date outside the school.'' Draco smiled at her.
''Seriously?'' Hermione moved her arms up to hug him around the neck. ''Are you sure you don't want to stay here for a little bit?'' She bit his neck gently.
''Well, I was going to wait until after dinner, but if you insist…I am a gentleman after all!'' Draco swept Hermione up and carried her into his room, dropping her on his sheets. The touch of skin on skin set things in motion, and soon all that their worlds consisted of was the other. Hermione gasped against Draco's neck, tasting his neck as she kissed it, while Draco lost himself in the feel of Hermione's body, smooth and warm against him.
Afterwards they clutched each other in blissful ease. But it is likely that they would not have been so relaxed had they known what Blaise was doing at that exact moment.
As Hermione reached for her underwear, Blaise was walking up to Ginny in the library.
''Weasley.''
''Zabini. How's the hairline doing?''
''Never mind that. How would you like to know a secret?''
As Draco shrugged himself into his robes, and raked his fingers back through his hair, Blaise lowered himself to Ginny's ear and whispered his secret.
As Hermione ran her lipstick across her lips, leaving them glossy and scarlet, Ginny stared at Blaise. ''I knew she was lying to me.''
As the happy couple hurried out of the castle grounds, Draco's arm wrapped around Hermione's slim shoulders, Blaise and Ginny watched them from the library windows.
And as Hermione and Draco Apparated at the restaurant and were shown to their candlelit table, Blaise turned to Ginny. ''You can help me. What shall we do to expose them?''
AN: Hey everyone, I am so sorry that it took me so long to update! I had two course essays to do, three seminars to prepare for, a lot of reading, and then one of my friends came to stay with me. So I had a lot on, but here is the chapter now. So, stats: 12692 hits, 152 reviews, 85 alerts, and 40 favourite stories. 'The rain keeps pouring' also now belongs to 3 community thingies, which is pretty cool. So I'm absolutely thrilled with that response, thank you so much guys! And my lovely reviewers for the previous chapter were: dracoshott28, Cali'sOwnCaliGrown, hellakat, Xblackdragonx, dracolvr, ring mah b3ll, Amester, cali4me92, breezie, dolphinroxy, The Accountant's Daughter, CutebIndeGoddess, Pirateluver, jdeppgirl4, mhaj78, Crystal Slara, Emerald27 and ILOVERWHPDM. Thank you so much guys, I really really appreciate it. So all readers can add themselves to these shining ranks simply by leaving me a review, no matter what it says (although I obviously prefer positive feedback). All my love…Petitesorciere.