Wow, had this chapter on my computer for a while now, and I thought it was time to upload it :)!

I hope you all like it :)! Hope to finish this story soon, so I can upload a new story :D!

Haha, well, let me know what you thought of this one!

Thanks again to Megan, who's always reading this chapter to make sure I don't make a fool out of myself ;)!

3

Chapter 13

Hermione was confused about her conversation with Ginny.

She still couldn't get how this could happen, she understood, but didn't get it.

'I've got to go to the loo.'

Ginny walked off to the bathroom, but halfway she noticed Hermione wasn't following her.

She turned, looking confused at Hermione.

'You're not coming?'

Hermione shook her head. 'No, no, I want to get back to Draco, he must be wondering where I am.'

Ginny shrugged and turned again.

Hermione felt awful about lying to Ginny, but she just didn't feel like being in her presence right now.

Hermione walked the halls, where several couples were hiding in the shadows to snog, including Oliver Wood and Megan Soror.

Hermione walked by them rather fast, trying not to look at them. She felt uncomfortable. How beautiful love could be, but watching snogging couples wasn't really beautiful at all.

When Hermione entered the Great Hall she immediately realized that something was wrong.

No one dancing, the tabled were all empty and Hermione noticed that all the students were standing close together. They appeared to be standing around someone who was lying on the floor. Harry and Ron were standing closest to the person and were trying to get him to his feet.

Hermione saw who it was and she ran over towards him, pushing Harry and Ron aside.

'Draco! Are you OK?'

Hermione had forgotten that she wasn't alone and that everyone could hear her, including Harry and Ron.

She knelt down next to Dracos head, and took his hands in hers. Hermione didn't notice the whispering behind her.

'Draco?'

'Malfoy? Fainting?' someone was saying loudly to the others.

Draco slowly opened his eyes, and saw an unfamiliar face before him. But, when he looked into the girls eyes he knew it was Hermione holding him It was then that he remembered that they were at the masque ball.

'Hermione'

Several people gasped.

Pansy started screaming.

Ron and Harry just stood next to Hermione, flabbergasted.

'Hermione? Delilah…' Draco struggled for a moment. 'She's, she's my sister?'

Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and tried to get him up.

'We've got to get you to the hospital wing, come on.'

Just then someone else entered the Great Hall, and when Draco saw her he freaked out.

'You! You, why? Why couldn't you tell me?'

Delilah froze, she didn't move, her face was filled with confusion.

'Wha..?'

'Draco here just discovered that you are his sister.' Ron said coldly not looking at Delilah. It was the first time he opened his mouth since he had found out about Draco and Hermione.

Ron finally turned to face Delilah, anger and confusion clear on his face.

'How could you? We trusted you! You lied to us.'

Delilah took a step towards Ron and tried to grab his hand.

'Ron…'

'Don't touch me! We let you be our friend, when you had nobody.'

Ron turned and walked through the doors of the Great Hall.

He turned again and looked at Delilah, lost for words.

'We trusted you.' He repeated, he paused for a moment.

'I trusted you.' He whispered before walking out of the room.

Delilah's eyes filled with tears, she turned to look at her brother.

'Draco, this isn't my fault. It's true that I knew, but you have to understand I couldn't tell you.'

Draco had finally gotten to his feet, with the help of Hermione.

'Just… Just leave me alone, Delilah. Not now.' He said, sounding tired and weak.

Hermione carefully led him out of the Great Hall, followed closely by Harry.

When they got outside they could hear loud voices coming out of the Great Hall, everybody seemed to be discussing what had just happened.

Hermione sighed and began helping Draco to the Hospital wing.

'Hermione, why didn't you tell?'

'Please not now, Harry. I have enough to deal with.'

Draco stopped and leaned to the wall.

'No Hermione, now is the right time.' Draco sighed.

Draco turned to Harry.

'Potter, you and I just had a perfectly good talk.'

Harry opened his mouth.

'Don't do the talk now Potter, I'd love to hear the warnings you though of but ad you can see I'm not really on my full strength right now.' Draco said weakly, but still sounding annoyed.

Could we discuss it over coffee sometime?' he added sarcasticly.

Harry stood there for a while, Hermione was scared he was going to yell or walk away but she didn't expect what he did next.

'Sure, come on Draco. We got to get you to the Hospital wing.'

Hermione wanted to join. But Harry stopped her.

'I think it would be best if you looked for Ron. He needs someone to talk to.'

Hermione looked at Draco, clearly worried.

'He's ok with me, I promise.' Harry said.

Hermione nodded and kissed Draco lightly on the cheek.

She turned back down the stairs, and realized that she didn't have a clue where she could find Ron.

Delilah

Delilah walked to a nearby table; people were still staring.

Slowly conversations started filling the Great Hall as people began to wonder what just happened.

Delilah stared at the decorations. Everything was shining brightly, the day before she would have loved it, but now, now it looked dull and unimportant.

How could this have happened? Only Ginny knew about it, and she had sworn she wouldn't tell.

But how well had she known Ginny? She knew her for two months now. Could she be trusted?

'Hi!'

Speak of the devil.

'Where is everybody? Are you playing some sort of hide-and-seek?' Ginny asked trying to make a joke.

Delilah turned to Ginny. She didn't get angry often, but now she was furious.

'How could you!' she yelled.

'I asked you not to tell anybody, and you tell to the one person you shouldn't have about this?'

Ginny's mouth fell open and formed a perfect 'O'.

'I didn't tell her. She figured it out herself.' She finally managed to say.

This time it was Delilah's turn to look surprised.

'She? What do you mean 'she'?'

'Hermione of course. Who are you talking about?'

'Draco.'

They were silent for a while; the only sound was of the people gossiping.

'Delilah, what happened? Where are the others.'

Delilah looked at her shoes. 'Draco found out. I don't know how, but he found out. Ron flipped, and walked away angry. Harry and Hermione helped Draco to the hospital wing because he wasn't looking that well.'

Delilah thought about how weird it was that it was Harry and Hermione helping him. Then something else she had heard crossed her mind.

'Draco and Hermione are dating?'

Ginny nodded.

'That explains why it was Hermione kneeling next to him.'

Ginny shrugged.

'Delilah. I know this is going to be hard. But you are going to have to tell your parents that Draco found out, before he does. Your parents might be able to talk some sense into him.'

'I can't, I just can't. They freaked when they found out I was sorted into Gryffindor. What if they found Draco discovered they have been lying to him for 16 years. What if they found out I told you about it! The youngest of a family they despise.'

Ginny took Delilah's hand.

'They got you back to England because they were afraid you might get hurt, right? At least that's what you told me.'

Delilah just nodded.

'They love you Delilah, even though it sounds weird to me that any Malfoy can love, but that's not the point. They got you back because they love you, and if they really do love you, they will understand.'

Delilah's eyes filled with tears.

'But what about you guys told me about them? That they are Death Eaters, that they're bad and evil.'

Ginny shrugged.

'That's how we see them, that's how they treat us. But you are their daughter.'

Delilah sighed and got up. She knew what she had to do now.

Hermione

'Hey'

'Hey'

'How do you feel?'

'Like a giant came and ripped out my heart.'

Hermione sat down next to Ron. She had found him on the Quidditch field, sitting on the tribune.

He looked terrible.

'I know the feeling.'

'Why Draco, Hermione? Why him, why not someone else? Like Dean or Seamus?'

'It's not like I was picking someone Ron, it just happens. You know that.'

Ron sighed.

'Yeah, you can say that again.'

'It's not her fault, you know.'

'I know, and I'm not…'

Ron thought a second or two.

'Mad, I think that's close enough. I'm not mad because she is Malfoy's sister, or the daughter of a Death Eater. It's the fact that she didn't tell me.'

Ron looked up to the sky. There were a thousand stars, all shining brightly. Miles from where they were.

'We talked so much.' Ron looked at Hermione again. 'I know it might look silly to you, you might think we didn't talk at all, but we did. While you were studying in the library.'

Hermione's cheeks flushed.

Ron's eyes grew big.

'And I just realised that you probably weren't studying at all, Merlin, Hermione! What did you do?'

'Nothing! We did nothing!'

'What did you guys talk about?' Hermione said quickly to change the subject. She wasn't comfortable talking to Ron about her love life.

'A lot of things, about school, professors, people.'

'She helped me get over my crush on you, without even knowing it.' he added quietly.

'On me?' Hermione asked in shock. "You had a crush on me?'

'Oh boy, this is going to be awkward.' Ron looked up to the sky again, avoiding Hermione's eyes.

'I had a crush on you Hermione, since last year, during the Yule Ball? I couldn't stand you being together with Krum. And, well, I guess I still had a crush on you begin this year, but I saw that you didn't even notice me, and then there was Delilah. She took an interest in me. She talked to me. But apparently not enough to tell me this.'

They could hear owls flying over, but couldn't see them.

'Ron, you should talk to her. I know she is devastated. Her world is falling apart right now. Draco finally knows, you are mad with her, and now her parents are going to find out Draco knows, and she might be afraid that they will blame her.'

'All those things going on in her mind, and she doesn't explode. Honestly, I feel just this, and think about just this, and I feel like exploding already.'

Hermione laughed. Apparently it had done him well to talk about what he thought.

'Come on, Ron. We should get back to the castle before they lock the doors.'

Draco

'I don't think it's necessary for you to stay the night Mr. Malfoy.'

Madame Pomfrey walked to her office and came back with a small box.

'However, I do want you take this before you go to bed tonight. It will make you more steady on your feet tomorrow.'

Draco nodded and put the small box in his pocket.

'For now you can go back to the feast if you want, though I do not recommend it.'

He shook his head. 'If it is OK with you Madam, I'd rather wait here for my… girlfriend. She's probably looking for me.'

Madame Pomfrey looked at Draco in a strange way, but gave a short nod before she walked out of the hospital.

'I'll wait with you.' Harry said.

Oh bugger, the git was still here.

'You don't have to, you know? I'll be fine on my own.'

Harry shrugged.

'Hermione would kill me if something happens to you, and I was the one who left just a few minutes before. No, I'm staying, whether you like it or not.'

Draco sat down on one of the beds, and Harry did the same. The boys sat for a while, watching each other, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally Harry caved and asked:

'Why Hermione, Draco? I thought you hated her.'

'I did. I really did, but something happened. I don't know what, honestly, but all of a sudden I couldn't stop thinking about her.'

Harry opened his mouth to say something.

'I already checked on hexes, Potter. She didn't hex me, and I didn't hex her.'

Harry looked offended.

'I wasn't going to ask that. I was going to give you the warning all brothers do. And since Hermione is as closa as a sister to me, I will give it to you.'

Draco closed his eyes.

'Will it only be this one time?'

Harry nodded.

'Ok, hit me with the speech.'

Harry took a large breath.

'If you ever, ever do something to her. If she sheds even one tear because of something you did, or didn't do, I will hunt you down Draco Malfoy. I will hunt you down, and make you wish you were never born. If you'll ever do something to hurt her, I'll make you pay.'

'That was it?'

'For now, yes.'

Hermione hurried into the hospital room, with Ron following behind her closely.

'Draco! Are you ok?'

Hermione flew into Draco's arms.

'Yes, I'm fine. I just need to take these pills before I go to bed tonight.'

'Merlin, I thought it was something else!'

Draco shook his head.

'No, no, just shock…'

Ron cleared his throat.

'I think you should go back to Ginny, Harry. She might be worried. I'm going to bed. Talk to you guys tomorrow.'

And before the others could say another word, he was gone.

Harry got up from the bed.

'I think Ron's right. See you later, Hermione, Malfoy.'

'Bye Harry'

Draco just gave Harry a nod.

'Now, let's get you back to your common room, so you can take those pills.'

Draco gave a moan as Hermione helped him to his feet.

Oh, and a Happy New Year! May all your dreams and wishes come true!