Disclaimer: pouts then sighs…

...

-Who Knew?-

Reluctantly, she tilted the vial of Veritaserum into her open mouth, eyes closed and nose pinched.

"Hermione, you realize there is no smell to Veritaserum, don't you?"

She shivered as the potion permeated throughout her body. Her mind was still lucid and her body moved under her own will.

Slowly taking in her surroundings, she realized Mal—Draco had asked her a question. Her mind soon processed the answer and her body felt compelled to answer.

"Yes."

"Interesting."

If any other person were to say that, Hermione would not think anything of it. However, it was Draco Malfoy that had said it.

She knew something was up and she was slightly chilled at the thought.

Glancing his way, hoping that nothing was a miss, she noticed that he was simply jotting down some observations on his parchment in an elegant script.

Odd, she felt even more tense.

And now she knew why, he had put down his quill and looked at her, the mischief once again painfully obvious.

"Draco?"

"Yes, Hermione, what is it?"

Her mind's first reaction was to say 'nothing'. Still under the effects of the Veritaserum, pain shot throughout her body. Mild at first, but as she attempted to speak her mind, a jolt of a higher level kept her lie under wraps.

The pain was not unbearable, but it stung nonetheless.

She wondered what would happen to her if she was asked a more serious question and attempted to lie. Her body shook, shuddering.

Before she had more time to contemplate her predicament, her body answered for her yet again, "You're scaring me."

"I see… Hurts, doesn't it?"

She wanted to say 'no' and deny it. Pain once more.

"Yes, " she hissed.

Hermione was surprised to see that instead of continuing their excruciating conversation, well excruciating for her anyways, he simply produced a list of questions that he was to ask her.

Watching him read through the list with a passive countenance, Draco glimpsed up at Hermione's face and then returned to the list.

Even without looking directly at him, she could practically feel the smugness radiating off him in waves so harsh she almost fainted.

"Loosen up, Hermione. I don't bite."

He leaned in closer to her and practically whispered in her ear, "Do you believe yourself to be an overachiever?"

Cautiously, she murmured, "Yes."

"Then this shall benefit you as much as it does me. If you've looked over the questions already, and I know you have, you would notice that the questions seem quite bland and uninteresting. They'll do nothing for our essay. Don't you think we should use our own questions to prove the potion's ... credibility?"

To both the assumption and the question, she answered, "Yes," although ask her again without Veritaserum and she would adamantly state that the anything a Professor says was not boring, but quite interesting.

"I thought so."

"There's been something that has always been quite confusing, and I'm sure the rest of my House would agree, what's the deal between you and the Weasel?"

Ding ding ding. Loophole… or so she thought.

Apparently, even if the question is unclear, if the person under the effects of Veritaserum knows what the inquirer's meant, he or she must answer to the best of their abilities. Fun little fact to include in her essay, however, it doesn't really help her here.

"There's nothing going on."

No pain, odd. She was sure that she'd at least say she felt protective of him and a little jealous over his fling with Lavender. Nevertheless, there it was: nothing.

Oh well, it just confirmed that her feelings for Ron were long since squashed in the summer of second year.

How blasé she must seem.

If Draco had not seen her take the Veritaserum, he would have doubted her honesty. Therefore, he settled for schooling his features into a shocked expression in an attempt to mock her and hiding his own unwanted bursts of joy.

"Well," he grinned toothily, "That's a shocker. I always thought that this was how Christmas would feel if ever it should come early. Tell me, how would Weasley take it once I tell him? Better yet, once I yell it across the Great Hall for all to hear. You realize that at least three quarters of the Hogwarts population, including the teachers, assume that you two would fall for each other?"

She sighed. Questions again. Maybe he didn't even realize that she had to answer his questions or else she would be coerced into answering truthfully. Then again, it's Malfoy. Of course he knew. He just enjoyed watching her suffer, typical.

Harshly, she managed to bite out, "Possibly quite horribly. Atrociously. Yes. Happy?," before the Veritaserum could strike at her.

"Like a giddy schoolgirl. Tomorrow it is then?"

Draco wondered to himself exactly which shade of maroon Weasley would turn once he finds out.

"Yes."

He chuckled. This was getting to be quite amusing for him. The Veritaserum works, effectively, too; she was obligated to answer all of his questions.

With his parchment on his lap, quill in hand, and sitting quite comfortably with his back against part of their couch, Draco spoke aloud while writing, "Victim—err... Hermione feels pain if an attempt to lie is made. Hermione apparently does not like the Weasel and admits to being an overachiever. Surprisingly, Hermione wants inquirer to tell aforementioned Weasel conversation concerning her disgust for him. Does that seem about right?"

"Yes."

Her eyes fluttered wide. Ron did not disgust her; she simply did not like his choices in women. Or his overbearing attitude. Or his possessiveness. Or his temper. Or his attempts to make her jealous. Or his eating habits. Or his childish behavior. Or… wait, what was her point?

Right, Ron disgusted her. No! She loves Ron... platonically of course.

However, some qualities that made her love him, appalls her. There, all better now.

"And yet again, another shock. The Great Hermione Granger agrees with me, the equally Great Draco Malfoy," he winked, "that she is indeed disgusted by the Weasel. That's quite a lot of progress we've made today, yes?"

Compelled to answer, she spat out, "Yes." Now that's one answer she could agree with.

He was right, though, there were some things that she thought she knew about herself, but was proven wrong. She was actually rather excited at finding out another fact she never knew.

Sitting across from Draco with her feet under herself, she urged him to go on, eager for more unacknowledged truths.

A thought came to him, well in reality; it had never left his mind, though not for lack of trying.

She almost keeled over at his next question.

"Come again?" she choked out.

"Really, you silly witch. Did you really not hear? I would have assumed that the Veritaserum should have forced you to answer regardless of whether or not you understood the question or not. Magic's a quirky thing," he pursed his lips.

It was true, actually. She could feel the beginnings of the uncomfortable jolts.

The light mood turned quite awkward. Draco felt awkward at having asked the question, though his outward appearance could contest otherwise. Was it too soon to ask her? Frankly, even if she did answer him, he was afraid of finding out the truth.

She really didn't want to answer. She couldn't answer. She would not permit herself to answer.

As if she were having an outer body experience, she saw her mouth open and begged it fervently to close, to not reply.

Seeing her mouth forming the words, she closed her eyes and wished the torment would pass.

The pain was throbbing and she could hardly stand it.

Squinting across from her, she could see Draco's face. He appeared to be concerned. Was her pain that noticeable? Her reluctance that apparent?

If she gave the impression that she had something to hide, would he use it against her?

Another jolt, this time she felt as if her skin was being stabbed repeatedly from within her body. Needless to say, the pain was agonizing.

She clutched her stomach. Her hand reached out for his collar and brought him closer to her. Close enough so that he could hear her.

"Draco. Pomfrey. Now. It hurts," she whimpered.

x

She was in the hospital now and the pain had still not subsided. In fact, it had increased tenfold.

Draco was at the entrance of the Hospital Wing conversing with Madame Pomfrey. About what, she did not know.

From what Hermione could gather through the intensity of the torture, he was arguing with the MediWitch and pointing at herself furiously.

She had to giggle except due to her pain it came out as more of a strangled gasp; it was not often someone gets to see Draco lose his air of sangfroid.

It was getting extremely difficult to keep aware of her surroundings.

No longer could she remember why she was here or where here was.

Therefore, she had no clue why the last word that left her lips before she passed out complete was, "Yes."

No more agony.

...

Hmm, what did Draco ask her? I guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter. (Insert evil laugh here.)

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