All characters belong to JK Rowling

Chapter 8: Secrets – (as revealed by HarryPotter)

I WISH HE HADN'T TOLD ME. Sometimes Ron Weasley didn't have the brains that God gave a worm. He always was such a twit. If he had to tell someone his secret, why oh why did he have to tell me?

He couldn't tell Hermione, apparently, because the secret was from her. That left me. Of course, he could have kept the secret to himself. Usually secrets aren't shared, hence the reason they are called secrets.

However, he told me and now I felt compelled to tell someone else. I couldn't tell Hermione either, because of the same reason that Ron couldn't tell her. Therefore, I decided to tell Draco Malfoy.

The reason I needed to share this secret with Malfoy was complex. First, it had to do with Hermione, and I've come to realize that Hermione has feelings for the swine. Likewise, the secret Ron shared with me will also affect Malfoy, so being the honourable person that I am - I felt he had a right to know.

I don't like Draco Malfoy. I don't exactly hate him anymore. I would say that I hold a strong sense of disdain and contempt for the man. He was like a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't quite get rid of, no matter what. Normally, I went out of my way to avoid him, but he was the only one whom I could share this secret, because sod it all, it was about him as well.

I walked into their office shortly after the workday started. Hermione wasn't at her desk. She was over by a file cabinet, reading a file. She must have sensed I entered, because she turned around and waved, but then went right back to her toil.

Malfoy looked up, scowled, made a noise that resembled a cat with a hairball, and continued to read the book that was in his lap.

"Malfoy?" I barked.

He totally ignored me, the jackass.

"Malfoy!" I huffed louder.

He looked up, took a deep breath, looked bored for a moment, looked at his fingernails, then with as much disdain as he could muster he looked at me and said, "Hark, did you call on me, Potter?"

"Hark?" I asked.

"Yes, hark, or in other words, what the hell do you want?" he snapped, closing his book and throwing it in the bottom drawer of his desk.

I made a motion toward the door with my head and said, "I need to speak with you in the hall."

Malfoy sneered at me, sat back as far as he could in his chair, propped his feet on his desk, and said, "No."

I rolled my eyes. He really was a prat. Hermione walked toward us and said, "So, what's happening here, gentlemen?"

I quickly said, "Nothing," even as the git, Malfoy, leveled, "Potter's trying to ask me out for a date, but I'm trying to tell him that I don't do men. Besides, I'm interested in someone else." Then he winked at her.

Hermione giggled, which made the arse, (Malfoy) smirk with joy. I felt like punching his face, hard. Instead, I said, "As if I would ask Malfoy for a date. Sorry, not that desperate, not by a long shot. I do, however, need to speak with the smarmy, little bastard."

"Harry," Hermione abolished, "That's not nice to call him names. He's not little." She turned her head and smiled at Malfoy. He smiled back. "He is, however, a smarmy bastard. Go talk to Harry, Draco, and then come back in the office and get to work. You've been reading that blasted book you put in your bottom drawer for days. It's time to put it away and do work in which you're paid to do. I know that book doesn't have anything to do with work."

"First, I don't get paid enough money to work. Second, you're not my boss so you can't tell me what to do," Draco said with an easy air.

Hermione placed her hands on her hips and said, "No, I'm not, but someone has to set you right, or you would never get any work done."

"She was always like this, wasn't she, Potter?" Draco inquired to me.

I had to nod and said, "If you mean bossy, yes, she always did like to tell others what to do. She always liked to get her way. She would be disagreeable otherwise."

"Hey, I'm not that bossy, Harry!" she volunteered. "Tell him I've not always been this bossy!"

Malfoy and I both laughed at that and instead of complying with her request, I looked at Malfoy and said, "You know she's always been bossy and domineering."

"Hmm, domineering, huh?" Draco regarded her for a moment and asked, "Are you this demanding and domineering in every aspect of your life? What I mean to ask is, are you a 'dom' with men, Granger?" He was twirling a quill around his fingers. His meaning was not lost on me. Now I felt like strangling him.

"Fine, I do usually want to be in control of everything," she said, innocently, ignoring his innuendo.

Malfoy smiled. "Then you admit that you're a dom?" He started to move forward in his seat, a smile still on his face. He knew she wasn't. He was the one who heard her confession about being a virgin. Why was he being so crass?

"A what?" she asked, a strange look on her face.

"Oh for goodness sakes!" I mumbled under my breath. I pulled on her arm, whispered in her ear, for only her to hear, "He's asking you if you're a dominatrix and if you're into S&M." Finally, Hermione understood and she blushed.

She gasped, pushed me away and stared at Malfoy before she stuttered, "You mean, a dominatrix? Oh, Malfoy, that's well, you know, well, that's…." she couldn't even finish. She blushed.

He stood up, stalked over to her and patted her cheek. Then he said, "Take a look at the book I just placed in my bottom drawer while I go out and talk to scarboy. It will give you a few pointers."

Hermione's mouth opened, as if she was about to protest, while I grabbed the back of Malfoy's shirt and forced him out in the hallway.

I pulled him slightly away from their doorway and let go of his shirt as soon as I could. First, I said, "You didn't need to be so crude with her."

"Shove it, Saint Potter. She knew I was joking. Unlike you, she didn't have a scar zap all of the humour out of her brain when she was a baby," Malfoy replied.

"Must you always comment on my scar?" I bellowed.

"I could comment on your dreadful wardrobe, if you'd rather," he said with a snide smile.

I merely glared at him, and then said, "Nevermind. I don't know why I thought I could tell you a damn thing. I thought you might actually care for Hermione and want to know the secret that Ron told me, but apparently you'd rather just stand here and trade barbs with me all day." I turned around and stalked off. He didn't follow.

Later that day, as I was sitting alone at my desk, Malfoy entered my office. There wasn't any other Aurors nearby at that moment, so we were alone. I looked up slowly and asked, "What do you want?"

"World Peace," he said glibly. He picked up a file from my desk and started to leaf through it. I grabbed it from his hands. He sat down in the seat in front of my desk. He looked all around. "Nice place you have here," he said derisively.

"Yeah, right, what are you doing?"

"I'm plotting your death," he mocked.

"What?" I asked, acidly.

"OH, you don't mean what am I generally doing with my life, right? You're asking more about what I'm doing at this moment. Oh, I misunderstood," he teased. He stood up and came around to the front of my desk, towing the chair with him. He placed the chair at the corner of my desk, so that we were closer, and he said, "What did you want to speak with me about earlier, Potter?"

I could have tortured him. I could have told him to go away, that I changed my mind, or that I had nothing to say to him. Nevertheless, I really wanted to tell him this. I rather needed his help to figure out what to do.

"This is difficult," I began.

"Yes well, talking never was your strong suit," he said.

"Listen, Malfoy," I huffed, "if you're going to keep going for the jokes, and not take this serious, I'm not telling you a damn thing. This is important. It's regarding a person that I believe we both care a great deal for, now, will you let me finish?"

He motioned with his hand for me to continue.

I decided just to go for it. I wasn't good at telling stories. I dealt better with facts. Therefore, I would present Malfoy with the facts. "Last week Hermione broke up with Marcus Flint after dating him for eight months. She wanted marriage, kids, her career, the whole thing. He was coming off a divorce, and didn't want anything serious. Also, as you know, she's still…" I faltered.

"Deflowered?" he offered with a sincere smile.

"Exactly," I said back, "And though she thinks that's the reason he broke it off, I rather think he was being honourable about the whole thing. He didn't want to get serious with her, he was seeing others as he was seeing her, and he didn't feel it would be right to be intimate with her, so he broke it off."

Malfoy made a face and said, "I still hate that bastard."

"As do I," I agreed. "Anyway, we also know that in her emotional state last week, she felt rather vulnerable, and was confused, and she ended up kissing both of us."

"You're saying she only kissed me because she was confused and emotional?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.

"You know that's the case, Malfoy, as do I," I said with a sigh. "Although, I also know that she has genuine feelings forming for both of us, because Hermione Granger wouldn't even consider kissing someone if she didn't care for them, vulnerable or not."

"And she kissed me first," he said snidely. He folded his arms in front of him, proudly. He smiled. And I've decided to amend my earlier statement. I hate him.

"Yes, she kissed you first, then me," I agreed, reluctantly. "Here's the thing, she had a long talk with Ron last night, to sort out all her confused feelings."

"Weasley?" he shouted. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, leaned forward in the seat and said, "Is she insane? He has the emotional depth of thimble."

I had to laugh. Hermione had said almost the same thing once. "Yes, I know, but apparently she couldn't speak to either of us about her problem, because we are her problem." There, I said it.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

I suddenly felt like a thirteen year old giddy little girl who was about to share a juicy secret with her best mate, because I leaned closer and smiled and said, "She told Ron that she thinks she's falling in love with both of us!" I leaned back and smiled.

"WHAT?" He stood from his chair.

"Oh, sit down," I said with a frown. "Besides, there's much more to the secret."

He sat down quickly and said, "Tell me everything, and start at the beginning."

"Okay, she went to Ron's flat last night," I started.

"Where does he live?"

"How is that pertinent?"

"It will set the scene in my mind," he said.

"He lives in a flat above his brother's shop."

"A two roomer, or what?"

I frowned, but answered, "It has a bedroom, a living room, a bath and a small kitchen."

He pushed a piece of paper on my desk toward me and said, "Draw me the floor plan."

Was this man insane? I balled the paper in my fist and said, "May I continue?"

"Fine, go on," he insisted.

"She went to his flat and she started crying right away. She told him all about Marcus, then about how I found her crying that day. She told him that she was having confused feelings regarding an attraction toward you. She admitted that she was beginning to have a feeling that was more than friendship toward me. She couldn't understand how she could be upset about breaking up with Marcus, and have feelings for two other men. Ron said he felt so sorry for her, because she was so bewildered and sad."

"He didn't kiss her, did he?" Draco asked, a bit wide eyed.

I was quiet for a moment and said, "Hell, I don't think so. Why would you ask that?"

"Well, when you and I were being all comforting and sweet to her, we kissed her," he pointed out.

"First, you kissed her when you were being all sweet and comforting to her. She kissed me when she was being that way with me. I don't know which is better, but it doesn't matter, but it doesn't matter as it has nothing to do with them, because I don't believe they kissed. Although, you know they used to date, right?" I pointed out.

"Yes," he answered, "it makes my stomach churn every time I think of it. Go on with your story."

I had to stop for a moment. I wondered if Ron did kiss her. It seemed like something he might do, to comfort her, or take advantage of her. I would have to ask him later, and then kill him according to his response.

I said, "She was crying, complaining that she had budding feelings for the pair of us, and she didn't know what to do. Then she brought up the whole virgin thing to him."

"He must have already known about that, since they dated a while," Malfoy pointed out.

"He did. He said that she wondered if that wasn't getting in the way of everything. If that wasn't mucking everything up. She said that she felt if she could just…and he said this was her words…if she could just get the whole virgin thing taken care of, then she could be free to fully examine her feelings for you and me."

Draco had a look of utter distaste on his face. I know my look probably matched his. I knew he was already concluding my secret. "What happened next?" he still asked.

"She asked Ron if he would be the one to take her virginity," I said slowly.

Draco Malfoy, who was usually calm and collected, cool and unencumbered, suave and without reproach, backed his chair, which was on castors, toward the wall, scrambled out of it, fell in the process, and then from his place on the floor he yelled, "WHAT THE FUCK!" He stood up quickly, brushed off his trousers, and said, "Repeat that last sentence."

"I can't, because I have too much bile in my throat. Besides, you heard me," I said sadly.

"Why would she want Weaslebee to 'take away her virginity'? I mean, she's apparently been holding onto it all these years for some reason, so why give it away so freely now?" he asked. He began to pace in front of my desk.

I nodded in agreement. "Ron said the same thing to her. He even pointed out that fact that she told him that she wasn't truly in love with him when they were dating, hence the reason she wouldn't sleep with him back then. He told her that she should save herself for the man she loved and she started yelling and screaming at him like a shrew."

Draco laughed. "She can be right scary sometimes."

I laughed, too. "Agreed." Draco walked back over to his chair, brought it back in front of my desk, and sat back down.

"Okay, Potter, so what did Weasley tell her he would do?"

"He said he would think about it, but then he came and told me. He said that I needed to, oh, never mind," I said. I wasn't about to tell him what Ron said, because it wasn't something I was about to do anyway.

Draco glared at me and said, "What, you wanker? What did he tell you to do?"

Fine. I would tell him. "He told me that in his opinion, and after talking to Hermione for nearly four hours the other night, it was his opinion that I should back off, because I was only adding to her confusion, and I should let her see if she could find happiness with you, of all people."

Draco smiled. "I always liked that Weaslebee. Capital ideal. He's a great chap."

"I'm not about to do that," I warned. "I can't. I love her, Malfoy, and not just as a friend. Ron said that I'm just confused, too, that he still loves her also, but he knows he's not good for her, and that we shouldn't muck up the lines of friendship. He seems to think that if she and I gave it a go and it didn't work, that our friendship wouldn't survive. He said that the only reason their friendship survived after their breakup was because of their mutual friendship with me."

Draco looked serious for a moment. "He's probably right, Potter. Besides, do you really love her?"

"Yes, I just said I do. Do you?"

He nodded. "I do."

"Why?" I asked.

He huffed a small laugh and said, "Right, as if I'm going to explain myself to you. I don't have to justify anything to you, Potter."

"Maybe you do, because the way I see it, we're in this together at the moment," I said softly.

He regarded that statement for a moment. He picked up a quill from my desk. I noticed that he did that often. He picked up things, fingered them, and twirled them, when he was thinking. He placed it back down and said, "She makes me feel clean. She makes me feel like I can be a better man. She makes me happy. Just seeing her face makes me smile. I like to tease her, raise her hackles, because it's fun, but also because I love that little frown line that forms between her eyes when I do."

He continued, "I want to kiss that little frown line away. I want to kiss all her worries away. I love her freckles, especially the little one on her chin. It's my favourite. It's perfect. She's perfect. She's like sunshine after the rain. She's like the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I can't breathe when I'm not with her. I can't live when I'm not with her."

He suddenly looked embarrassed. He looked down, his hands wound tightly together. He was breathing hard.

I didn't know what to say. He described the way I felt about her exactly. God, Draco Malfoy WAS in love with Hermione Granger. I swallowed hard and said, "Ron said that if she asked again, he would probably not rebuff her. I don't think either of us want that, do you? I think her first time should be with one of us, because we love her, and she loves us. The question is which one?"

He looked up slowly and said, "That's the question, isn't it?" He stood up and started out of my office. He turned back and said, "Thanks for sharing the secret, Potter. I have one for you now. The gloves are off. I'm calling you out, so to speak. In modern vernacular, 'it's on'. I'm fighting for her to the finish, and I suspect you're about to do the same. I won't promise to fight clean, because you know me better than that. I'll fight dirty, I'll fight to the extreme, I'll even fight to the death, in a matter of speaking."

He turned away from me and when he got to the door, turned back one last time and added, "I love her and I intend to win her, Potter. I know you're going to do the same. I also know that all throughout our lives, you always won everything, while I lost. Well, I won't lose this time. I thought you should know."

He left my office and I hung my head. I wish I hadn't told him anything. I didn't have the brains that God gave a worm. I always was such a twit. If I had to tell someone Ron's secret, why oh why did I have to tell Malfoy?

I created a monster, and his name was Draco Malfoy.

*A/N:Sorry so long for the update. If you are all nice to me, I might update the next chapter in two days!