A/N: Ahhh, finally! Another chapter! Sorry for kind of abandoning this for a while. I started The Truth Down Under and never expected to get so carried away with writing it. I just couldn't stop even though it meant neglecting this story. Thank you so, so much to everyone who has read all my stories, it means the absolute world to me! Hope you like this chapter!

Chapter Six
Right You Are

"Right you are, Potter," a new voice agreed, "I've been dealing with their unbearably sappy selves on my own for far too long. I suppose it's about ready to have an addition to my club of one."

Draco groaned for an entirely new reason.

"Merlin, it's two in the morning. Haven't you got anything better to do?" he complained, covering his face with his arm. Heat rushed to Hermione's cheeks as the judging eyes met her with a harsh glare. "Pansy," she greeted in a flat voice. "Always a delight."

Pansy Parkinson nodded in recognition of the greeting. She tucked a loose strand of her shoulder length black hair behind her ear, eyeing over a startled Harry. "I see that boy wonder here has finally been clued in. Certainly took you long enough."

"Well, sort of. We're working on that right now," Hermione admitted quietly, wary of the girl. Draco's friend had always made her a little anxious, even when they were on good terms. She had never been able to read her quite as well as Draco and that had never sat well with her.

Pansy sidled closer out of the shadows she'd been hiding in. She was donning her Slytherin cloak, though it was open to reveal her green silk pajamas. The emerald of the shimmering fabric reflected Harry's wide eyes. "So, what's this? Have you two made up or something?" Her disinterested tone was contradicted by the hopeful gleam in her eye. Hermione and Draco shared a small, satisfied smile that had her squealing.

Hermione released a pained moan not unlike Draco's when the cold Slytherin girl tackled her with a fierce hug. Draco cried out in annoyance as the hugging girls toppled over his legs. Harry had to sit down.

"Finally!" Pansy cried, still clinging to Hermione. "I mean, I'm still raving mad that you hurt my best friend, but at the same time, I've missed you terribly!"

Hermione gave the girl a squeeze before releasing her. An apologetic frown had weighed down her lips as she met Pansy's gaze. "I'm so awful, Pans. I regretted everything as soon as I said it, but I didn't know how to take it back. I never wanted to hurt either of you. But I was in shock, I was scared, and I took it out on the two of you."

"Oh, what a mess we are," Pansy sighed, hugging Hermione again. Draco rolled his eyes at their girly behavior but couldn't hold it against them. He knew he hadn't been the only one hurting without Hermione's bubbly presence. "Guess not that much has changed, huh?"

Harry, who had been struck dumb by the friendly display between the two girls, finally managed to speak. All attention was trained on him as he asked, "I had a hard enough time believing her and him get along. How did you involve Pansy Parkinson?"

The Slytherin common room was quiet as usual, the first years cowering in their rooms while the older students sat studying separately. Pansy was tucked comfortably in the loveseat that had the best view of the portrait door. Draco had managed to avoid her quite successfully since the Yule Ball and that only piqued her curiosity more. The only reason he would be dodging her would be if he had something to hide. She was the only person he ever remotely opened up to, so she knew when something was up with him.

As a Slytherin, Pansy was both patient and scheming. She was more than content to hold her ground on the loveseat until he showed his face. And they both knew he had to sometime. She was flipping through her Potions book with intense disinterest, sighing each time the door opened to reveal someone other than her annoying blonde friend. She couldn't wait to corner him about Granger. It was too good to let go.

At long last, just five minutes before curfew, a brilliant blonde head of hair ducked into the room. He shut the door gingerly as not to attract much notice. He let out a sigh of relief and started to make his way to his room. In the dark, he didn't see Pansy curled up on the couch just feet from him.

"Draco."

The boy nearly hit the ceiling. If Pansy hadn't been so content on seeming serious, she would've erupted into laughter. His shocked face searched the room for her before finding her smirk in the dim lighting. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Pansy."

"You've been avoiding me."

"What? I've done no such thing!" he argued defensively. She gave him a pointed look that shut him up. "Then why have I not seen you since I told you we needed to talk at the ball? Is that just a coincidence?"

Draco shook his head and settled on the couch beside her. "Fine. Maybe I have been trying to be places where you are not."

Pansy shoved him playfully, inciting a wounded cry from him. She rolled her eyes at his boyish smile. "I know. I figured I would give you a while to come to your senses, but then I remembered that you were a boy and don't have any," she teased. He slung an arm across her shoulders and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"What did you want to talk about, Pans?" Draco asked, though he knew exactly what she was going to question him about. He had been avoiding her until he could figure out how to explain himself. He still hadn't sorted it out, so it was just as well that she caught him then.

A sharp jab to his ribs got his attention. "Okay, okay. You want to know about Granger."

"You should have known better than to try to hide, Draco. Honestly. You know I would never judge you for anything. We're not that kind of friends. Don't be afraid to tell me if you've got some weird thing going on with Granger. It's not like I'm going to run off and shout it to the whole school. You know me better than that," Pansy scolded the boy sternly. He hung his head in shame, his pale cheeks blushing red.

"Sorry, Pans," he muttered apologetically. Draco hated it when Pansy put him in his place. And she did it more often that he'd like to admit. "I just didn't know what to say."

Pansy leaned into him, enjoying his warmth. "Are you friends now?"

Draco was rather quiet. He seemed to be thinking and she let him. Eventually, he answered her. "I'm afraid we are."

She couldn't contain the laugh that had been building up in her chest. "Oh Merlin, Draco, you're screwed."

"Believe me," he sighed, "I know."

"You told Pansy Parkinson? Are you daft?" Hermione cried in disbelief. Draco cowered a bit under her fierce expression. But he was a prideful boy and didn't let her get the better of him for long. With a haughty pose long since instilled in him, he crossed his arms defensively and stuck his nose up. Hermione found him completely ridiculous and had no qualms about telling him so. "Oh, come off it. I know you're trying to look down on me, but you can't. We're the same height, you git."

The blonde's cheeks flushed a delightful shade of pink, and he dropped his chin to meet her twinkling eyes. "Fine. Perhaps that's true. But I'm not going to apologize about telling Pansy. She had already guessed, anyway. She's known something was going on since the night I brought you to the hospital wing."

"I wasn't looking for an apology," Hermione stated as she swung her bag off her shoulder. It dropped to the floor with a loud thud that made Draco wince. Merlin only knew how many books it must have taken to make that loud of a sound. For such a tiny witch, she must have been as strong as an ox carrying twice her weight in the form of books. "I just can't believe that she knows and the rest of the school hasn't been told already."

Draco's lips tugged downwards into a wounded frown. In a huff, he snapped, "Nice to see how little you think of my friends."

"I thought you had henchmen?" Hermione wondered with a teasing grin. Now that she had definitely confirmed that his bark had no bite, she found him amusing rather than annoying. Draco hated how it made the butterflies in his stomach roar to life. Ever since the Yule Ball, he couldn't see her without seeing the ghost of the gorgeous girl he danced with. He was a Malfoy, so he knew he was shallow. But it was about more than just the outer beauty he hadn't known was there. It was seeing that the beauty he was coming to realize she had on the inside was so powerful that it leaked through to the outside.

"You're just so clever, aren't you?" he muttered, trying not to let his amusement show. Of course, she managed to see right through him, a gift even Pansy hadn't perfected, and poked him in the ribs. He shot her a scandalized look as he scooted away from her. "Crazy, too, it seems."

She only laughed at his words, a sound that reminded him of a symphony. "I'd have to be to entertain this madness with you, wouldn't I?"

"You're right, I suppose."

"As always."

"As always," he sighed in reluctant agreement.

"So," she began slowly, suddenly finding her feet terribly fascinating. "If Pansy knows, then you should know that the twins know, too."

Hermione grew concerned when she looked up to see his reaction only to find that he was frozen. When he finally started breathing again, he picked his bag up off the floor, swung it over his shoulder, and marched off.

A little miffed, Hermione started after him. "Hey, where are you going?"

He threw her an irritated look over his shoulder and answered sourly, "I'm off to start preparing my last rites."

Her laughter followed him down the hall, though he didn't get very far before he felt her slender hand wrap around his wrist. He forced himself to think about anything other than how amazing it had felt to hold her so close at the ball. Every time she touched him, she did something to his heart that he feared was irreparable. He was not used to so much physical affection or well, any affection really. And to her, it was entirely normal. Draco wasn't sure what was worse. The fact that he couldn't get the Muggleborn out of his head or that he envied the love-filled life that she had lived.

"Draco, wait," she instructed. He listened. She came to a stop in front of him. "They're not going to kill you, idiot. They won't bother you at all. Well, no more than usual."

"How reassuring," he said, largely unimpressed by her reassurance. "How did they even find out?"

"Yule Ball," Hermione admitted shyly, her cheeks flushing a brilliant scarlet at the memory. "After you left, when you heard Pansy calling you. They were there."

"You-you mean they saw us?"

She nodded slowly. "They had seen me run out of the Great Hall and wanted to make sure I was okay. I mean, they were my fairy godmothers, after all."

"Drake? Are you out here?" a feminine voice called, echoing through the empty corridor. Hermione felt Draco chest expand and fall as he breathed out a sigh. "That's Pansy. I should-I should go."

Hermione nodded against his shoulder. They parted reluctantly, not that either were likely to admit it. Draco used the sleeve of his dress robes to wipe the tears from her face trying his best to ignore her beautiful eyes. "Don't let him ruin your night. He's not worth it."

Before he turned to leave and before she lost her nerve, Hermione leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Draco."

He left in a bit of a daze.

Hermione watched him go wistfully. Once he was gone, she looked around for her shoes. The dastardly heels had pinched her feet something awful, but even she had to admit that they were too pretty to toss away the way she had. As she reached for one, a voice cut into the silent hall.

"Malfoy, eh?"

Clutching a hand to her hammering heart, Hermione whirled around to find the voice's owner.

"What a sweet moment, Georgie," another voice chuckled.

"Fred? George?" Hermione questioned incredulously. At the sound of their names, the Weasley twins quite literally waltzed out of the shadow alcove a few feet to her left. "Hermione, my dear," they greeted in unison as they fell to a halt in front of her.

She craned her neck to look up at the tall, lanky boys. While she had them to thank for looking so pretty tonight, she couldn't help but fear the mischievous grins splitting their faces. Hermione gulped nervously. "H-hi, boys. What are you doing out here?"

"Well, we'd seen you run off-"

"So we decided to see what was wrong-"

"And imagine our surprise-"

"When someone had already beaten us to it-"

"And that that someone was none other than-"

"Draco Malfoy," they finished together. Hermione felt a bit dizzy from following the back and forth manner of the twins. "So," Fred said alone, "Malfoy, eh?"

The older boys loved seeing Hermione Granger so flustered. She was always so together, always so much more mature than them. They watched in amusement as she fumbled over her words, her cheeks flaming red. "I-I can explain? He was there and I was-well, you see we were-and I was-"

"Don't hurt yourself, Hermione. I can practically see the steam coming out your ears," Fred laughed, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. All her stress faded away at his touch. She knew the boys loved her. She knew to expect copious amounts of teasing, but that they were nothing to fear.

"I'm sorry," she hiccupped, her tears returning. "It's just-this night hasn't been the best. And we've been trying so hard to hide it, but now that's ruined."

Hermione found herself in the middle of a Weasley twin sandwich, the boys bear hugging her from either side. "Calm down, Mione," George said, "You've got nothing to worry about. Your secret's safe with us."

"R-really?"

"Of course," Fred said as they released her. "Please, Mione, as if we haven't known since the night he carried you to the hospital wing-"

"And how he visited you nearly every day after," George finished with a pleased smile. "There's not much in this castle that gets by us. And, that being the case, we've decided he doesn't need to die. Yet. It seems he's actually been…nice to you."

It was Hermione's turn to tackle them with a bone crushing hug.

"I'm sorry, but are you telling me that Fred and George knew about this the whole time?" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "I thought all those jokes and all the teasing about you liking someone was because they thought you liked Ron."

"As bloody if! There's not a chance that ever would have worked," Pansy scoffed.

In defense of his ginger friend, Harry threw a gesturing hand out to Hermione and Draco. "Oh, but somehow this does?"

"Okay, now I feel left out," Draco piped up, "I think Hermione and I can defend our own relationship, thanks."

Both Harry and Pansy shot the wounded boy a dirty look. "Fine," Pansy huffed, "But honestly, Potter, those two crazy idiots knew everything about this castle. You think something this big would escape their notice?"

"We felt better each having a person that knew about us," Hermione admitted quietly. "I mean, technically I had two, but we both agreed the twins counted as one."

Draco smirked weakly and nudged her. "Yeah. And now Potter knows, so I get to tell someone else. I'm sure my father would love to hear about this."

Hermione smiled down at him fondly and pressed a kiss to his feverish forehead. "Aw, sweetie, you're really not as funny as you think you are."

"I try," he coughed, wincing as the action made his open wounds scream in agony. His pain seemed to only have worsened since they had returned him to bed, and Hermione hated feeling so helpless. Harry, of course, couldn't stand it, seeing what he had caused while Pansy fretted over her dearest, though in her opinion, idiotic, friend. There were a few tense moments where the two Gryffindors and female Slytherin tore the infirmary apart in search of one of Pomfrey's pain relieving potions. Pansy managed to rifle through the storage cabinet and find the lavender colored potion.

Harry observed the outrageous scene before him with a numbed detachment. Pansy and Hermione were perched on either side of Draco's bed, each one fussing over him despite his feeble attempts to brush them off. He couldn't help but be reminded of all the times Ron, Hermione, and himself had been in such a position. The role of Draco, the invalid, had of course been played by all three of them various times. With a pang of sadness, he realized the students of their year seemed to land themselves more times in the infirmary than those of any other.

Finding out about the dangerous relationship between his best friend and his enemy seemed only to ensure that such a record would continue to be upheld. Merlin, help him.

A/N: I believe it was dixie326 who suggested I add Pansy in. I had thought about doing just that before she mentioned it, so I'm glad she did. It reassured me that at least one person would like her to join the present group rather than just be seen in the flashbacks. Please leave a review to let me know what you think! :)