Sorry for the delay, it's been a crazy week! Hope you haven't lost interest.

Chapter 3: The Lake

Panting, Draco pulled himself out of the water and sat up on the grass, relishing the crisp fall air around him as he caught his breath. He grabbed his wand, which he had left behind a nearby rock, and cast a warming spell. As his heart rate returned to normal he looked out over the lake, the water peaceful and still again after his midnight swim.

It had been two weeks since he found the female Weasley sneaking out of the dungeons after a romp with someone who was clearly not The Chosen One. He knew it shouldn't bother him, what the Gryffindors did to each other was for them to worry about. And yet he couldn't stop thinking about it, which is why he found himself here at this time of the night. Swimming laps in the lake always calmed him down and was the best way he could relieve his stress. Well, one of the best ways.

He thought it should amuse him, knowing that the great and mighty Harry Potter could fight off the darkest of wizards, but he couldn't keep his woman satisfied. But after everything that he went through, after everything they all went through, he knew it was the furthest thing from amusing. He found himself hating the little red-haired witch, and hating himself for caring so much. She was sleeping with Adrian Pucey he knew; it was easy to discern that from the smug look on the bastard's face whenever he passed by the trio. There was a reason he never liked the twat. He debated telling Hermione, but decided against it, knowing that she would never believe him over her best friend. But what reason would I have to lie? he thought to himself.

Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair, gripping the strands as he dropped his head between his legs. So much for a relaxing swim, he grumbled, frustrated with his inner turmoil.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound from beyond the trees nearby. He could hear footsteps coming fast, Running, he thought, the sounds muffled by the leaves on the ground. He could hear the runner panting and realized they must be close, so he grabbed his wand and moved behind some of the brush by the lake.

Hermione burst out from the trees, slowing down to a stop by the lake as her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. Merlin, she loved the feeling after a good run, her legs light and free, her body shining with sweat. She always ended her run with a sprint, running so fast and so hard she felt as though she were flying, until she could barely move anymore.

She bent down, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath and looked out over the lake, the moon reflecting in the black water. Her head was finally clear, no more thoughts of the awkwardness between her and Ron, the strange tension she began to feel around Ginny, the pressure of her classes and her post, the annoying blonde she had to spend day in and day out with, and the fact that she knew as hard as they tried, Hogwarts would never be the same again. Just peace. She was calm for the first time in years, she realized, grabbing some water from the bottle she had left by the lake.

Draco watched Hermione as she stood by the lake, catching her breath. She seemed to shine in the moonlight as she stared out at the view he was enjoying not moments ago. She looked serene and he realized that she ran for the same reasons he swam. What's tormenting her? he wondered.

He knew he had to tell her, it was clear to him then. He moved out of the brush he was crouching behind and strode over to her.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" Hermione started, her calm demeanor immediately shattered as she startled at his sudden appearance. "Why are you lurking about in the bushes?" she asked angrily.

"I'm stalking you Granger, I thought that would be obvious," he replied dryly, quirking an eyebrow.

Hermione glared.

"I heard a noise. Instinct," he responded truthfully after he realized she wasn't buying it.

Hermione softened her glare, though she was no less annoyed by the disruption. She gathered by his state of undress and still wet locks that he had just been swimming in the lake. She sighed, looking away from him and turning back to the scenery in front of her, hoping to regain some of her newly achieved tranquility. It was of no use.

"Look Granger, I have to tell you something," Draco started as he took a step towards her. She continued to look forward and he wondered if she had even heard him.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, tilting her head in his direction but not looking at him.

"It's about Weasley," he began, and she looked at him sharply expecting a disdainful comment. "The girl," he clarified.

Hermione turned to him and crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression morphing from anger to confusion.

Draco ran his hand through his hair roughly and looked at her directly. "She's sleeping with Adrian Pucey."

Her eyes flashed with shock for a moment, then darkened with rage. She stepped towards him fuming. "What?" she seethed.

Draco stood his ground, still holding her gaze. If looks could kill, he would have been as good as Avada'd right now. But he had to tell her, even if she didn't believe him.

"I saw her coming out of the boys' chamber in the dungeons one night. I know it's Pucey because he's the only tosser who'd be daft enough to sleep with Potter's girlfriend," he explained rationally, knowing she was beyond reason right now.

"You're lying," she fumed, still stepping towards him menacingly.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "What reason would I have to lie?" he asked, repeating his thoughts from before.

He saw a flash of doubt across her face as she struggled to find a response to his accusation. He could tell she was contemplating his words as her eyes, still boring into his, glazed over in thought.

"Just thought you should know," he said quietly, breaking her out of her thoughts. He nodded his head at her and turned away to return to the castle.

"No, Ginny would never!" she yelled at his retreating form, though the conviction in her voice didn't quite meet her eyes.

Hermione collapsed on the ground, shaking with fury, her once calm mood long gone. Ginny would never, she repeated to herself. She'd never do that to Harry, to the Weasleys, to all of them. Never.

And yet…she seemed different somehow. Hermione only saw flashes of it before she went back to the Ginny she always knew and loved, but they were there, she couldn't ignore it. Flashes of mischief, but more than that, of…evil? she thought, shuddering. Whatever it was, it made Hermione very uneasy when she recognized it in her best friend. But cheating? With a Slytherin? After all she and Harry had been through?

No fucking way.

…

"'Mione, come on, you have to join us!" Ron pleaded as he, Harry, and most of her friends around her began to strip down to their bathing suits or underwear.

"Come on, you can study all afternoon," Harry added, crouching down and tugging on her book. "Come swim with us for a bit and then we promise we'll let you study to your heart's content." He flashed her a winning smile and her heart melt a little.

"I would, but I didn't bring my bathing suit and I'm not as comfortable running around in my underthings as some of our classmates," she added with a distasteful look around her.

She looked up, noticing a group of Slytherins joining the rest of the school around the lake. Among them was Draco, who Hermione had avoided since his revelation by the lake a few nights ago. The vicious lies, she corrected herself angrily.

And yet, when she glanced at Ginny who was stripping down to her bra and underwear, she noticed her subtle glance towards the Slytherins, and how she eyed them as she seductively pulled her skirt down her legs.

Hermione thought she was going to be sick. He wasn't lying was he? she realized sadly. She looked over to the Slytherin group, none of whom deigned to enter the water with their fellow classmates as they gathered around the lake. She spotted Draco, who was looking directly at Ginny with a look of revulsion on his face.

""Mione?" Ron repeated, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you sure you're not coming?" he asked expectantly.

Forcing a smile, Hermione replied, "No Ron, maybe later. You guys go, have fun!"

She tried to focus on her books again, but when she looked up, she saw Ginny and Harry playing in the lake. Harry looked so happy with her, happier than Hermione had seen him in years. Ginny looked like herself again, and Hermione doubted the glances she thought she had seen.

Enough of this, she thought to herself. I'll just talk to her, straighten this out. She didn't want to believe Draco's words, but she had to make sure he was lying, for Harry's sake.

All of a sudden, she felt herself being lifted off of the ground and thrown over strong shoulders. From the freckles on his back and his apologies, Hermione recognized her captor to be one Ronald Weasley.

"Ron, if you don't put me down right now, I'll hex you black and blue!" Hermione threatened, pounding on his back.

Draco, as well as all of the school gathered around the lake, watched the scene with great interest.

"He's a dead man," Blaise snickered, and Draco had to agree. He smirked as he watched the small girl flail about uselessly as Ron carried her to the lake.

"I'm going to put you down Hermione, just not yet. I'm sorry! Don't hate me!" he said apologetically again, yet he continued to carry her to the edge of the lake.

Hermione's eyes widened with realization. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, if you drop me into the lake, you will die a horribly painful death."

Ron slowed to a stop by the edge of the lake, a guilty look on his face. "I'll take my chances," he said with a small smile and he tossed her into the lake with ease, cannon-balling in right after her.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Seamus, Dean and several of her friends watched apprehensively as Hermione emerged from underwater, gasping for air and splashing as she tried to gain her balance and tread water.

As startled as she was, the water felt amazing around her on the surprisingly warm September day. She narrowed her eyes menacingly at Ron, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. She swam over to him as they all watched, paralyzed with fear.

She smirked when she reached him, splashing him in the face. "You're dead Weasley," she said with a laugh, jumping on him and shoving his head under the water. Ron struggled for a minute, then grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over with a splash. The others laughed and joined in splashing and swimming around as the tension around Hermione ebbed.

Draco watched as Hermione pulled herself out of the water, her uniform clinging to her curves tightly. The water had made her once white button down entirely see-through and her red lace bra was suggestively peeking through. Draco gaped as she bent over to squeeze the water out of her hair, her skirt riding up so that he and all of the Slytherins caught glimpse of her matching underwear.

"Phhew," Blaise whistled, his eyes glued to the Gryffindor who clearly had no idea what she was doing to the men surrounding the lake. "The Boy Wonder's sidekick is all grown up now," he smirked, continuing to ogle Hermione as she walked back to her books.

Draco looked around, noticing all of the Slytherins nearly drooling as they gaped at her, as well as most of the males in the water, who had stopped their ridiculous splashing to watch Hermione intently. He growled as he pushed himself off of the ground and walked over to her.

"Quite the show you put on there, Granger," he quipped as he leant against the tree she had left her books by. She looked up at him while she continued to put her books into her bag.

"Not really my choice, Malfoy. Ron was the one who threw me into the lake," she replied, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"So oblivious," Draco muttered under his breath, but Hermione still caught it. She furrowed her brow at him, but pushed past him on her way back to the castle, not giving him a chance to explain himself.

Draco watched her retreating form with interest. "Great tits, Granger," he called after her with a smirk.

She stopped in her tracks, her face turning as red as her bra as she looked down at her soaked-through top. She might as well have been running around in her underthings for all the good her shirt did her now. Groaning, she wrapped her robe around her tightly, much to the dismay of the males around her, and ran into the castle.

…

"Hey Gin," Hermione greeted her friend as she strode into the Gryffindor sixth year girls' chambers. There was nobody else in the room, she noted as she locked the door behind her.

"Hermione, how are you?" Ginny gushed, bouncing off of her bed and pulling Hermione into a hug. Hermione smiled into her hair seeing her best friend back to normal, as she second-guessed the reason for her visit.

This is insanity, she thought again. There's no way that Ginny is cheating on Harry.

"Sorry about Ron," she continued, pulling away and sitting down at the edge of her bed. "He and Harry weren't enjoying themselves while you were sitting on the shore reading, so they decided to drag you in," she explained with a laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Hermione noticed the look in her eyes but couldn't quite place the emotion. Jealousy? she thought incredulously, shaking her head at the notion.

She looked at her friend long and hard, confused by her rapidly changing expressions. Hermione didn't know what to do with her, how to act or what to say. She needed to find out the truth, why her best friend and her basically brother's girlfriend was suddenly acting so strange.

"Ginny, is everything all right?" she asked with genuine concern. She joined her, sitting on the edge of her bed and turning to face the redhead.

Ginny furrowed her brow and laughed. "What do you mean, 'Mione? Everything's great."

"I dunno, you seem different," Hermione continued cautiously, not wanting to admit that she doubted her friend's word. "Are you and Harry doing well?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her friend. "We're doing great. Has he said anything otherwise?"

"No!" Hermione replied quickly, flashing her a reassuring smile. "He says everything is perfect, he couldn't be happier."

Again Ginny smiled, but Hermione could tell she didn't mean it. "I just heard a vicious rumor from someone and I wanted to let you know about it."

"What rumor?" Ginny asked quietly, her eyes narrowing into slits again.

Hermione sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat. "That you were seen leaving a boys' room after hours that wasn't Harry's."

Ginny laughed dryly and stood up from her bed, turning around to face Hermione. "And you came up here to tell me why? So that we could stop these rumors before they get out? Or to find out if they were true or not?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, Ginny I—"

"You believe it don't you? Or at least you have enough doubt to question me about it! I can't believe that you would suspect me of this after all of these years."

"Ginny, I—"

"What's it going to be 'Mione?" Ginny asked as tears formed in her eyes. "Are you going to believe me or Malfoy?"

"Gin, I—" Hermione stopped suddenly, never getting to finish her sentence. She stood up and faced Ginny, confusion written all over her face. "I never said anything about Malfoy."

Ginny flushed for a second before returning to her insulted expression. "Well of course it was Malfoy, what other Slytherin do you talk to?" she asked trying to salvage her innocence.

Hermione scoffed, realizing the truth in the situation. "I never said anything about Slytherins either."

Seeing there was no way out of this argument, Ginny steeled herself, staring back at her once friend, who looked back at her in disbelief.

"Well then, I guess you caught me, Hermione," Ginny said with an evil smirk. "You always were such a know-it-all, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Hermione stared at the girl across from her, trying to find an ounce of the Ginny she once knew in the cold eyes that looked back at her. She was a tornado of emotions, angry at the girl for ruining everything, betraying Harry, sad at the loss of one of her best friends, confused as to what sparked this evil streak in this once pure and happy girl, and mostly exhausted by this entire situation. She wanted nothing more than to run out the room, down the stairs, and out of the castle, as fast and as far as her legs would take her, until she couldn't run anymore. But she had to know one thing.

"Why?"

"Ha!" Ginny laughed cruelly, glaring at her. "Why?" she repeated, approaching Hermione menacingly.

"Because I'm sick of being Harry Potter's girlfriend. Of being Ronald Weasley's little sister, or Hermione Granger's best friend. The sidekick of the precious Golden Trio," she continued mockingly. "Because Harry is more in love with the idea of having a girlfriend than he is with me. Because anytime you walk into the room, the two of them forget I even exist.

"Mostly, I do it because I can. For the thrill of it. They make me feel like a woman so much more than Harry has ever been able to."

"They?" Hermione gasped, her eyes widening in realization. "There's more than one? More than just Pucey?" Ginny just shrugged and Hermione felt like she was going retch.

"So why not break up with Harry? Why do you have to cheat on him?" Hermione asked, spitting out the word like venom.

"Why not?" Ginny responded, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Harry would probably know already if he cared to, I haven't been very subtle about it. But he doesn't care. He's happy to go on living this dream life, this ideal relationship that he's always wanted. Why take that from him?"

"Oh please, you're doing this for Harry?" Hermione spat out. "Don't make me laugh."

Ginny shrugged again, still staring at her once friend now with a blank look in her eyes. She seemed indifferent to the entire conversation, and it made Hermione's heart hurt.

"I'm going to give you two weeks to tell him, and then I'll tell him," Hermione whispered, looking away from Ginny's empty green eyes as she moved towards the door.

Ginny intercepted her, standing between her and the freedom outside of the oppressive room. "You don't get to dictate this one, Granger," Ginny seethed, emphasizing the distance she created between the two with the use of her last name.

"As much as they care for you, Harry loves me," she said mockingly, making Hermione's blood run hot with anger. "And Ron is my beloved brother. No matter what you say, do you really think they'll take your word over mine? Harry might be inclined to listen, but I can deal with that in many ways," she said seductively. "And Ron won't choose your side over mine and Harry's, not after everything you've done to him.

"So let me ask you one thing, Granger," she said smugly. "Is this really worth losing all of your friends over?"

Hermione sighed again, dropping her head. The bitch was right she knew it, but she couldn't keep this from Harry, or from Ron.

She pushed past Ginny, heading towards the door again. "Two weeks, Weasley. Or I will."

…

The trees were a blur as they rushed past her, the leaves crunching loudly under her feet. But she didn't hear that, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart. She had been running for so long she could barely feel her legs anymore. Her body was drenched in sweat, as though it had just been raining, and her hair was flying behind her wildly, falling out of her headband and ponytail. Her tears were nearly blinding her, but Hermione knew the path so well that it didn't matter.

As she reached the clearing, where the forest ended at the shore of the lake, she pushed even harder, knowing she had little left to give. She burst out of the clearing and collapsed on her knees, her head and heart throbbing as her legs gave out. She rolled over so she lay on her back, hoping to reach a sense of calm that running always brought her. Yet all she could do was think about Ginny, and how her friends would never be the same again. The war had changed everything, and she realized now that it wasn't all for good.

She lay there for a while listening to her heart pound in her ears and watching the stars blink in the sky above her. As her heart rate slowed, she could hear the water in the lake lapping about the shore. She turned her head toward the lake and noticed someone pulling himself out of the water.

His upper body was toned and strong, glistening with water from the lake. He looked incredible, silhouetted against the moonlight. She pushed herself up with what little strength she had and approached him.

Draco noticed Hermione walking towards him as he shook the water out of his hair. With her clothes clinging to her in sweat, her cheeks flushed from running, and her hair wild behind her, she looked…amazing. Draco smirked as he watched her, her chest still heaving from her run.

When she reached him, Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't figure out what. Instead she looked at him and took a seat on the grass. He got the message, taking a seat beside her and looking out at the lake again.

"You were right," Hermione whispered after a while, not looking away from the view in front of them.

Draco had no response, knowing she wasn't really looking for one.

"I couldn't believe it, looking at her. She's not the same person I knew, I loved," she continued, tears falling from her eyes.

"How did Potter take it?" Draco asked, slightly uncomfortable by her crying.

Hermione wiped her eyes and looked down. "I didn't tell him," she said quietly. "I only talked to her, told her to tell him the truth in two weeks or I would."

Draco nodded, glancing at her. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but she had stopped crying. She looked resigned, almost tired.

"She won't tell him," she stated, more to herself than to him. "She won't so I will. And he won't believe me," she continued. "He'll hate me, they all will."

"Doing the right thing can be really shitty sometimes," Draco muttered bitterly.

Hermione looked over at him sympathetically. "You didn't have to tell me about her, and yet you did. And I was horrible to you.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, after some time had passed. He nodded in acknowledgement, not saying anything else.

A long silence passed before she said, "You know, Ginny will be after you now, now that she knows you told me."

Draco smirked as he stood up, extending a hand out to Hermione. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Hermione furrowed her brow with a small smile. "Shakespeare," she said curiously. "How did you know that?"

Draco shrugged, his smirk turning into a small smile. "I read, Granger. Even muggle books."

She stared at him for a while, getting lost in his steel grey eyes before he spoke again.

"Tolkien is a great author as well. It's interesting to see how muggles imagine magic."

Hermione nodded at him, finally taking his hand and pulling herself up. I guess some things did change for the better.

…

A little longer than usual, I realized. I'll try to get the next update out asap. Please review!