Hermione's eyes scanned the room, falling momentarily on each of the three boys surrounding her. Ron was wearing a puzzled expression, looking from Harry to Draco and back again trying to work things out. It seemed as if he couldn't decide to laugh as if the whole thing was a joke, or pull out his wand in offense to Malfoy's presence.
Harry and Draco on the other hand, both looked ashamed. Not at having been caught together it seemed, but ashamed at the look on Hermione's own face.
Hermione, always being slightly brighter than Ron and also more informed of the two boy's situations knew immediately what was going on.
Draco knew that Hermione would never ask him to give her the cup, and he also knew that Hermione could never tell him about why she wanted the cup unless he was committed to her side. And she knew deep down, that she'd never be able to make anything with Draco work if there were secrets between them, and she figured Draco knew that now too.
But Draco had said last night that he would give up his death eater life for her if she asked. But Hermione didn't ask. Draco went behind her back…he found Harry, and asked for his help. Now here they were in front of her, sworn enemies, just as Draco and Hermione had once been. But they were now together civilly in the same room, and from the look of things they were working together.
Hermione should have been more shocked, but the only look she could manage was a look of betrayal. It wasn't that they were working together; it was that she was out of the loop. Neither Draco or Harry had told her anything. Sure they might have only made this decision this morning, and sure it might have been a bit conceited to wish to be informed on matters only just occurring….but this was Harry…and this was Draco. They of all people would know that Hermione would be hurt at being kept in the dark, even for a second.
The ashamed looks on their faces proved that they knew Hermione better than anyone. They knew she'd be upset, and at that moment their excitement in dealing with the cup got in the way of their separate feelings for her. Hermione knew that it was irrational to be upset, but she couldn't help it.
The only person who seemed to be in the dark now was Ron, who stood flabbergasted in the doorway taking in each person's expression, and confused that no one was hexing one another, or throwing insults. Hermione felt ashamed now too, that despite being in conflict with Ron so far this year, he was the one who was really shut out.
Before Ron could ask his own questions, Hermione needed to know something.
"Wait, why were you in the Chamber of Secrets? You have the sword upstairs in your trunk." She puzzled, turning to face Harry.
Harry's face visibly released some tension at having not been yelled at by his friend, and so he eagerly complied to answer her questions.
"Easy. His idea really. Pretty brilliant." Harry said, pointing a thumb over at Draco who masked his emotions. "See I know that the sword destroys horcruxes and all that. But what if we need more than one horcrux destroyer? What if we get split up somehow and someone has the sword and no horcrux, and the other person has a horcrux and no sword. Well, I was telling Malfoy about the Diary horcrux and how the basilisk venom destroyed it. He suggested that there may still be a carcass down in the chamber. So, I went down there and pulled the rest of the fangs out of the snake's skull. Now we have four horcrux destroyers all together, including the sword."
Harry finished the story happily, holding three basilisk fangs in his hand.
"It made the most sense. I mean it'd be ridiculous to only rely on one horcrux destroyer when four of us are looking for them. I'm surprised you both hadn't thought of it earlier." Draco said in Harry and Ron's direction, regaining some of his old Slytherin superiority. Hermione guessed that some old habits were hard to kill.
"Whatever." Harry said rolling his eyes, clearly unaffected by the comment. "Anyway Mione, I'm sorry, but he only came to me this morning and I was too surprised to do anything besides explain what we were doing and how he could help. I figured he was being honest with everything you told me about you guys, I trust what you say and if you say he'd never do anything to hurt you, then I know he's joining this side for a legitimate reason. I'm sorry we didn't tell you right away."
Hermione nodded at Harry, and turned to look over at Draco who still held the horcrux wrapped in a blanket in his hand. She walked over to him, forgetting the two others in the room.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hermione whispered up at him. Gaining his eye contact, she watched as their color morphed into pools of intense silver. "You know I'd still want to be with you either way."
The last part she muttered so only he could hear. She was embarrassed by how much she felt for him in such a short period of time. Hermione knew her words were honest to their very core. She and Draco had been through a lot together in the past few months. She thought he had always hated her, and then she thought he was trying to kill her and erase her memory. When the truth came out it was shocking and a bit unreal, but Hermione felt something for him that she had yet to feel with any other person in her lifetime.
Draco was someone who would get a glass of water for her if she asked, he would read with her, kill a spider because she was too afraid to get near it. He would do all of the stupid wonderful things that came with having someone love you. And he'd also do the bigger consequential things too, like let her keep her memory, save her when she wasn't his to save, and switch sides in the biggest war of the century so that they could be together. Hermione saw all of this when she looked into his eyes. There was no need to say it out loud, but Draco did anyway just to confirm it in words.
"Of course I want to do this." Draco whispered down to her, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear with his free hand then letting it linger on her cheek.
Hermione let the confirmation sink through her, her jaw muscles relaxed and she broke out into a smile. She closed her eyes in comfort moving her face to rub lightly on his hand.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Ron shouted from across the room. His wand was out and he was coming toward the couple.
Before Draco or Hermione could react, Harry was half way between them and the entrance where Ron had stood before, stopping him from coming any further.
"Okay, okay mate. You need to calm down. Let me explain everything."
"Explain?" Ron glared at Harry, pushing Harry's arms off his chest. "You're in here with Malfoy you told him about horcruxes Harry. Horcruxes! Are you mental? In case you've forgotten he's a death eater!"
Hermione felt Draco move his arms around her waist in a protective gesture, and for once she didn't protest at being treated so fragile. Ron looked scary. He had always had a bit of a temper, but in the last year she noticed it was more pronounced and physically dangerous.
"Yes I know Ron, but just calm down and listen to me." Harry tried once more.
"Listen? Obviously something has been going on with you, you've known things that you've clearly neglected to tell me until I stumble in upon it. Now you want to explain! Of course you do, you have to now. Were you going to keep it from me forever? Whatever the hell it is. You're telling Draco bloody Malfoy about horcruxes!"
"I wasn't keeping it from you Ron. I was just keeping Hermione's secret, and well the rest of this just sort of happened today. I was going to tell you, but preferably on my own terms so you didn't find out like this and blow up on everyone." Harry had his own wand out now, as Ron had pointed his directly at Harry's chest.
Draco was tensing visibly; he had dropped the horcrux to the ground long ago and now his wand hand was securely in his robes grasped around his wand. He had even pushed Hermione back behind himself. This was a bit too much for Hermione. She understood his caution with Ron, but Hermione could take care of herself. She could probably kill Ron in a duel if she had the desire to.
"Really this is getting ridiculous." She muttered to Draco who was now pretty much trying to shove her inside his room and keep her there.
"Don't think you're off the hook either Hermione." Ron said threateningly in her direction.
"I'm not trying to be!" Hermione breathed exasperatingly at Ron from across the room. She tried to push Draco out of the way to see Ron more clearly, desperate to make him understand. Draco didn't budge. "If you'd just listen to us we'd explain everything."
"I don't need to be told anything. I see exactly what's been going on. Malfoy clearly has you brainwashed to believe he likes you or something. way to just blindly trust him. I suppose you told Harry he's all great and good and now even he's gone soft for the death eater."
Ron shoved Harry aside with success, pushing him to the floor.
"What the hell Ron!" Harry shouted from the ground.
Ron strode over to where Draco and Hermione were, right by Draco's door.
Ron was trying to speak to Hermione face to face, but Draco refused to move from his protective position, with one hand on Hermione's arm keeping most of her behind his body. Hermione could feel Draco's grip tighten on his wand, but Ron stood a few feet from her still, his eyes locked on her intensely.
"I thought your mind was smarter than this Hermione, stronger. You didn't want me as a boyfriend, fine. I thought if I gave you some space you could at least try to be my friend again."
"Ron that's not fair! Let us explain!" Hermione said desperately, trying to hold back tears. She was about to say more, but Ron interrupted.
"I thought I was doing the right thing. Apparently doing the right thing just gets you screwed over. It makes your friends keep secrets from you. This is the worst part of it all, Hermione. I get that Harry was keeping a secret for you, fine, whatever. But this is just pathetic. You trusting him is absolutely pathetic. I really did think you were smarter than this. You're basically choosing him over The Order without telling them first about wanting to trust him. Where is your brain? I guess that just disappears the second he gets you on your back!"
Hermione was unsure of how to react, but his words still rang in her ears as Draco pulled out his wand, ready to fight. But before either he or Ron could react, a hard punch came across left side of Ron's face.
"Wow." Harry said breathlessly. "That actually kind of hurts. How did you not need to go to the hospital wing after you punched Malfoy in the face third year Mione?"
Harry appeared from behind Ron after he collapsed into the carpet in an unconscious state.
"Oh my God! I can't believe you just did that." Hermione said, completely in shock at Harry's actions and Ron's words.
"Yeah me either. I know we both love him deep down, but he's been a downright prick this year. I have no idea what his deal is."
They both stared at Ron's unmoving body on the floor for a few seconds, before turning to asses Draco's emotions.
His faced flashed with anger still, but when he felt them staring he replaced his open feelings with an emotionless mask.
"Thank you." Draco said to Harry finally. "I'm glad it was you who did that. I don't think I would have been able to stop myself at one punch."
Hermione moved over to his side and took Draco's hand in hers.
"Who cares what Ron says? It's just Ron. He never means it."
"That doesn't make it okay though." Harry said to her, before Draco could.
"I know. I wish it did." Hermione replied sadly, squeezing Draco's hand in hers.
"Well this didn't go very will did it?" Harry said, looking down at Ron's unconscious form and then up at Draco.
"No not at all how we planned." Draco replied, managing a look of amusement.
"Did you guys have a speech or something?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Yeah. It was a damn good one too. Of course you guys ruined it by coming into the scene too early."
"It was pretty brilliant love." Draco smiled down at her. "We were going to destroy the horcrux together and then bring the remains to you and Weasley later in the day. The plan was you'd be so worried about where we were all day that you'd forget to be mad. Then we'd explain everything to ginger down there and he would be all accepting and get in horcrux hunting mode. Then you'd be so amazed by how wicked it was that I did all this for you that you'd forgive me and Potter for keeping you in the dark for a few hours."
"Basically that's how it was supposed to go. Then we'd order butterbeers and stay up all night talking about where we should look for the next horcrux. I wish we could go back to how this all played out in my head. Things were so much better in there." Harry said, seeming to go off in his own imagination.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud. Only boys would think a plan like that would go over smoothly. All things considered Hermione actually thought it went okay. Maybe when Ron woke up, and it was just Harry there to explain things he'd actually listen. She thought that having her and Draco caressing in the background probably did little to help him stay calm. But still, she thought that the next time she saw Ron conscious he better had have a damn good apology ready.
"Well like I said, that was how it was supposed to go. Now I need to levicorpus Mr. Insensitive to his room and wait for him to wake up so I can explain things in a calmer manner. I'll sedate him if I have to." Harry said seriously, using the spell to hoist Ron up in the air.
"I guess we'll have to reconvene later." Harry said walking toward the door, Ron floating above him. "Sorry about the mess Hermione."
Hermione looked around for signs of physical damage to the common room but found none. Then her muffled mind worked out that Harry meant the emotional mess of the day.
"Oh. Really no worries Harry. We did our best. Thanks for the knockout punch though."
"Anytime." He was about to leave, but turned around to face them once more. "I know you've been through a lot today, but I have a favor to ask of you both."
"Sure." Draco answered, before Hermione could say anything.
"Destroy that horcrux for me, will you?" Harry half smiled at them both before exiting the room all together.
Draco squeezed Hermione's hand tight, as they both moved their attention to the jewel encrusted goblet now lying on the floor a few feet away.
A/N: Please Review