Recap of Chapter Three

'I'm not upset, really. This will sound pathetic but the last time I was held like this was when I was little and my dad used to read to me. I miss him and my mum. I miss that feeling of being looked after,' she stopped abruptly, suddenly aware that she had said too much, given too much away. Her swift movement took Blaise by surprise and she was able to stand up without him stopping her. Practically running to the staircase she tossed a hurried goodnight over her shoulder and ran for the sanctuary of her room before she could embarrass herself any further.

Malfoy felt something flip in his stomach and judging by his friends' faces he wasn't the only one. Silently Blaise poured another round of drinks and they began to speak in low tones.

A/N: Wow. The response in terms of favourites, alerts and reviews has been much quicker for this story and I've only published two short chapters – you guys are amazing! (That or you all have similarly dirty minds to my own, heh). Shout-outs to repeat reviewers riaroo400 (*mwah*), roon0, Dutchess of the Depraved (bless you love!), kimbclar, LullabyTales, Virginie Cires, GeekybyNature, pgoodrichboggs and new reviewers BadWolfJiggy (thank you so much!), Nichole87, Rissa 1986, , and bL00D pRINC3SS.

Warning – this chapter contains some Ron-bashing, please don't hate me! *Ducks behind sofa for safety*

Chapter 4 - Betrayal

The next morning Hermione awoke to the rich smell of fresh coffee and after a quick trip to the bathroom she decided to investigate. She paused long enough to stick her hair in a messy bun and pull on some knickers; Ron's old quidditch jumper was big on her and came down to mid-thigh but decency demanded the addition of underwear in company. Since being on the run with Harry and Ron she had become a lot more comfortable with being seen in nightclothes so she didn't think twice before going downstairs to the kitchen.

She was greeted by the sight of three Slytherins lounging around the kitchen in various states of undress. Blaise and Theo wore pyjama bottoms and nothing else, while Draco had added an unbuttoned shirt to his sleepwear. Hermione shut her gaping mouth quickly and searched for something to distract her from their muscular chests (seriously, did they discover muggle gyms over the summer or something?). Her eyes lit upon a suitable target.

'Oh my, that is a thing of beauty,' she breathed. Much to Draco's chagrin she walked past him to admire the sleek and shiny chrome coffee machine adorning the worktop. Blaise couldn't help but laugh at his friend's annoyed face.

'I can't travel anywhere without it dolcezza, an Italian needs their coffee. I've charmed it to work inside Hogwarts. Can I get you some?' He smiled, amused by her reaction.

'Yes please,' Hermione accepted happily and took a seat at the kitchen table.

'How do you plan on spending your Saturday, Hermione?' Theo asked. Really, the way her name rolled off his tongue was most pleasing she decided.

'I thought I might visit the library and reassure myself that it hasn't changed. I don't know if it sustained any damage in the battle,' she offered. Draco rolled his eyes behind her back.

Theo frowned a little, 'not that I know of, but I might take a wander along with you if that's alright, I'd like to see for myself,' he remarked.

'Yes of course Theodore,' Hermione smiled at him.

'It's Theo, please, or Teddy if you really must,' he grimaced. 'Theo it is then,' she acquiesced.

'One hazelnut coffee for the bella signora,' Blaise placed a steaming mug in front of her and she added a dash of milk then sipped it gratefully, giving a small moan of pleasure as she did so.

'Mmmmmm, that's delicious Blaise, thank you,' she murmured appreciatively, not noticing the look on all three of their faces. 'How about you guys, what are you up to today?' Hermione politely enquired. Draco was about to answer when there was a tap at the window and he reached over to let an owl in. It flew straight to Theo and dropped a copy of The Daily Prophet from its talons.

'You still get that vulgar rag?' Draco looked at his friend in disbelief.

'Annual subscription,' Theo replied. 'I didn't see any reason to cancel it. It may be half-filled with rubbish but I like to know what's being said in the outside world.' He unfolded the paper and stilled. Hermione was still sipping her coffee in a state of mild rapture but Blaise and Draco picked up on his body language immediately and moved to stand beside him and read the front page. Several moments later Draco raised his head to Hermione.

'Princess, I think you need to see this,' and he slid the paper across the table. On the front page was a picture of Ron and an unknown blonde woman standing outside a nightclub. They were kissing and his hand was groping her behind. The headline read 'Golden Couple Split!' Hermione slowly read the paragraph below.

"It appears that Golden Couple Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley have split up, if this photograph is anything to go by. The youngest Weasley son was seen out on the date with the mystery woman last night – he wined and dined her in Diagon Alley's prestigious new restaurant 'The Witchery', before taking her dancing at the newly opened 'Club Cosmos'. This reporter was able to gain an exclusive interview with the handsome redhead. On being asked about the status of his relationship with Hermione Granger he gave the following statement: "Hermione's a lovely girl, but she's just that, a girl. I'm looking for maturity in a girlfriend, you know? I want a REAL relationship with a REAL woman who gives more than just a peck on the cheek if you know what I mean, just like Tracy here."

At this point the brand new couple disapparated, no doubt to enjoy some mature pleasures! We are sure to be seeing more of this sexy pair and you can trust The Daily Prophet to bring you the latest celebrity news as it happens.

Check out our special profile feature on Ronald Weasley on pages 4-5. For more information on the post-war regeneration of Diagon Alley see pages 6-8."

The air felt charged and Draco turned to see the fireplace roar into life. 'Princess, are you alright?' He immediately cursed himself, what a fucking stupid question, of course she wasn't alright. Blaise shook his head at Draco's idiocy. Theo started to reach out to Hermione but she stood and began walking to the fire. Crossing her arms in front of her she reached down to pull the hem of her jumper up and lifted it over her head before tossing it on the flames, she then sat down in front of the fire to watch it burn. Anger and hurt rolled off her in waves.

The men were stunned by the rear view of the virtually naked bookworm. Hermione wore nothing but a pair of pale pink lace hipsters and none of them could take their eyes off her flawless pale skin. Draco was the first to move. Shrugging his shirt off he went to crouch behind her and put it on her as he would a child, doing his best not to ogle her as he did. Rather than do up the buttons and risk touching something he shouldn't, he simply wrapped it around her tightly. Moving to sit behind her he put his legs on either side of her, pulled her back against his bare chest and held her close. Neither spoke as they watched Ron's top burn.