Hermione and Ginny were sitting at a table in the Great Hall with Luna. They'd finished lunch and Hermione was absently editing one of Ginny's essays while Luna knitted something purple and Ginny filed her nails. Luna was chatting nonstop about some made up flubbering something or other. The other girls just listening. Quite a few other students were spread about the hall, occupied in various ways, typical for a Sunday afternoon.
A younger student Hermione didn't know burst into the hall saying "Mcgonagall is escorting Malfoy, Zabini, Potter and Weasley into the castle right now and Malfoy is covered in blood!"
Hermione shared an alarmed look with Ginny before they jumped up with the rest of the students nearby and ran to the doors. She shoved her way to the front of the other students and watched the group enter the castle. Malfoy was indeed covered in drying blood. All the boys looked like they'd been involved in the scuffle though. She reached out for Ron and he shrugged her away.
"We're done. Don't come looking for me." He said angrily to her. He and Harry went upstairs.
She looked at Malfoy next, what the hell did he say to Ron? He couldn't have, he wouldn't tell him, would he? Her heart dropped as he sneered at her. Of course he would.
"I don't think he'll be forgiving you now. Sorry to destroy all your hopes and dreams." He said sarcastically, before turning down to the dungeons with Zabini.
Hermione stood there, frozen, as the panic rose up in her chest. She turned and rushed up the stairs after Ron. Ginny followed.
They weren't too far ahead. "Ron! Wait." Hermione panted as she rushed up the stairs. Ron didn't stop. Harry slowed and waited for the girls.
"I don't know that you want to push him right now. We drank a lot and things Malfoy said... you might do more damage than good trying to talk to him in his current state." Harry warned.
Ginny looked at Hermione, "what did Malfoy say?" She asked Harry.
Harry looked uncomfortably between the girls. Hermione nodded to get him to continue. Harry cleared his throat, looking up the stairs after Ron who continued on without glancing back down.
"He said something about... getting you off. When Ron couldn't." He cringed apologetically at talking about her that way, even if he was only repeating what was said.
She knew that's what had happened, when Ron came back unwilling to even talk to her. But still, hearing it confirmed broke her. She wanted to drop to the ground and sob. She wanted to run after Ron and beg. She wanted to race after Malfoy and hit him. Her body froze with indecision.
She looked up the stairs, she couldn't see him anymore. And if what Harry said was true, she really shouldn't seek him out until he was sober.
"Was Malfoy drinking?" She asked Harry.
He looked to Ginny in confusion and then said "No, they had just entered the pub when Ron attacked him. We got thrown out."
He paused, looking between them, then asked "Malfoy made it up, right? To get a rise out of us?"
Hermione shook her head once, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. She made her decision. She heard Harry mutter "fuck" to Ginny as Hermione took off down the stairs.
She caught up to them just before they reached their common room. "Malfoy!" She shouted from the end of the corridor. She watched him stop and shake his head, not turning to look at her. He nodded at Blaise to keep going. He stayed facing away from her as she walked the rest of the way, catching her breath.
She grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her. He looked tired. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed. "What?"
"Why?" She whispered. She was unbelievably hurt.
He looked away, at other students passing by them. The unlikely pair and the blood still smeared across Malfoy made them quite the spectacle.
"Why what, Granger?" He continued to act indifferent.
She wanted to ask the obvious, why he'd told Ron what they did on the broom. But she could guess why. Ron probably had hit him first and Malfoy retaliated in a way that would truly hurt Ron.
Instead, she asked what had really been hurting her, ever since Ron had told her. "Why did you tell him he could have me back when you were done with me?"
His eyes snapped back to hers, he hadn't been expecting that question either. He observed her for a moment. He shook his head slightly, blinking and then looking away again. He cleared his throat and wiped his nose lightly with his thumb. His face was starting to swell up now.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Granger. Were you, or were you not just here waiting for weasel to come take you back?" He finally sneered down at her, falling back into his default mode.
She pursed her lips, looking down quickly. She wanted to cry. But she wouldn't. Not in front of him. She got her trembling lip under control and nodded at the ground. He didn't move, staring down at her.
What she had told Ginny earlier, about being with Malfoy, was true. They had no future. No real shot at being anything other than the torrid affair that it had briefly been. She tilted her head up to look at him, surprised to see the tired look again, no more sneer. She looked at his mouth, lips swollen and split from getting hit multiple times.
No, they couldn't have been anything more. It had been a fleeting, potion induced, passing fancy at best. She felt her heart wrench in her chest as she realized how foolish she'd been. Her bottom lip twitched again and she turned away from him without a word. She walked quickly down the corridor and up the stairs, willing herself not to cry until she got to her room.
"Malfoy!" He heard her shrill voice echo through the corridor. He stopped, sighing deeply.
"Go ahead. I'll be in in a minute." He nodded at Blaise to go inside the common room without him.
She was pissed that he'd spilled her darkest secret. He knew she wouldn't have told the weasel that detail, confession or not. Draco didn't actually know if the weasel had gotten her off or not. But he liked to assume he hadn't. And Draco wanted to hurt her as much as he had been.
She grabbed his arm and tugged, he turned to face her, stuffing his hands in his pockets and sighing. "What?"
She blinked up at him with her sad little doe eyes. "Why?" She breathed.
He had to look away. Something inside him was responding to the hurt that radiated off of her. It wasn't the fiery anger that he'd expected and he was thrown off guard.
"Why what, Granger?" He masked his face with indifference. Other students passed them, glancing back in alarm, probably at the dried blood smeared all over him. He could feel his face swelling.
"Why did you tell him he could have me back when you were done with me?" She asked. He was not expecting that question. He looked back at her sharply, she looked like she might cry.
Suddenly he was angry, remembering why he was here now, his face swelling, knuckles sore. Potter's words ringing through his mind, about her waiting for Weasley, not Draco.
He sneered down at her, his face hurting with the movement. "I don't know what you want me to say, Granger. Were you, or were you not just here waiting for weasel to come take you back?"
Her lower lip trembled and she looked to the ground, breathing heavily. She nodded once and looked back up at him. His chest twinged as he watched her, she seemed to make a decision about something. She stared at his mouth for a moment before her lower lip trembled again and she turned without a word, walking back to the stairs and out of sight.
For some reason, Draco felt like he'd just ruined something. It was different than before, when he knew telling Weasley that he'd gotten her off would make her angry. This time, and the fact that she didn't even ask about that, he truly felt like a fool.
He clenched his fists, stopping himself from going after her. He turned and entered his common room, heading for the showers. Blaise was in the dorm waiting for him.
"Well? How bad was it?" He asked.
Draco said nothing, stripping off his clothing and getting straight into the shower. He washed the blood from his face and arms, wincing at the hot water touching the tender flesh. He dried quickly and dressed, continuing to ignore his friend.
"Are you going to go get that healed?" Blaise asked as Draco sat on his bed, bending over to pull on socks.
"Do you have any dreamless?" Draco asked instead of answering him.
Blaise shook his head "no, sorry."
Draco pulled another bottle of whiskey from his drawer and unstoppered it, taking a swig and wincing when the alcohol touched his lip.
"Do you want to talk about the McLaggen business instead?" Blaise tried.
Draco shook his head. "It's all the same business." He took another drink, relaxing a bit as the alcohol settled into his bloodstream. "McLaggen dosed us, now he's in prison and she's trying to pick up the pieces with her boyfriend." He squeezed his eyes shut as he chugged from the bottle. Maybe he should drink less from day to day so it worked faster in the future.
"Did you really get her off? I dunno how weasel can come back from that." Blaise shook his head with a grin, proud of his friend.
"Doesn't matter if he does. Whatever we had is over now." Draco cringed at the information he let slip. He blamed the whiskey, and his pounding head.
"What do you mean? What exactly did you have?" Blaise asked, brows raised.
"Forget it." Draco set the bottle down on the desk and laid back on his pillow, squeezing the bridge of his nose to try and relieve some pressure. "Thanks for having my back. Sorry to drag you into it."
"Hey, I wish you'd drag me into stuff more often. I had no idea this thing with Granger had been so elaborate. Also, Potter is weak as fuck."
Draco snorted and then winced at the pain that followed. Blaise took the hint "alright, I'll go find Daph. We'll be in the common room." He said. Draco nodded.
He drifted off into a fitful sleep. Riddled with dreams of her sad face, her tortured screams, her trembling lip. In the dreams, Draco tried to reach out to her, to comfort her, to fix it, but every time she turned away from him and ran to the weasel. Draco woke himself up from the last one where dream-him had been about to cry about it.
He shook his head, breathing heavily. Fuck this.
Harry kept Ron up in their dorm for a few hours, he was sleeping off the alcohol and the rage. Hermione paced in the common room, ignoring everyone else. People were speculating all throughout the castle. Hermione supposed she'd given them all plenty to go on, even without the knowledge about McLaggen.
She'd been seen publicly kissing and dancing with Malfoy at a party where everyone was drinking. Then she'd disappeared with him. And it was known that Ron had been in the hospital that night.
Then the whole school had seen Malfoy give her his game winning snitch and then watched Ron punch him in the face. Ron had gotten a detention for that.
There had been witnesses to Malfoy talking to her in the library and Ron grabbing him and forcing him out. There had been witnesses to Ron Harry and Malfoy talking in the courtyard. Witnesses to them running through the corridors looking for her and McLaggen. Witnesses to McLaggen unconscious and escorted off the premises by aurors. Witnesses to her crying this morning. And Harry and a very angry Ron leaving the castle. Then of course the four boys coming back in with professors in the state they were in and Ron yelling at her.
Yes, she'd given everyone plenty of reason to gossip and spread all sorts of rumors.
Lavender was perched on Seamus's lap on the sofa, giggling and stroking his hair obnoxiously. Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes at them, continually pacing.
"Do you really think you'll get Ron to forgive you?" Lavender taunted her finally. It was clear she had been itching to say something.
"Shut up." Hermione snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about." She waved her off dismissively.
Lavender snorted, "we all saw you running down to Malfoy's dorm after that party. You fucked him. You fucked McLaggen. Do you think Ron will let either of those slide?"
Hermione froze. Nobody had seen her with McLaggen. She was sure of it. Because she'd been looking for someone to help. "What did you just say?"
Lavender's smirk dropped a bit. "I said you fucked Malfoy. We all saw you running to his dorm." She repeated.
Hermione stepped over to them, leering down. "What did you just say about McLaggen?" She demanded.
Lavender scoffed, waving her away. "Back up, bitch. You're the one cheating on your boyfriend."
Hermione looked down at Lavender's frilly little bag on the floor next to them. She saw the corner of a familiar looking envelope. Hermione snatched the bag up and backed away, shaking the contents out on the floor. Lavender launched herself off of Seamus's lap to stop her, but Hermione had put the sofa between them.
An envelope fell to the ground, along with a muggle camera and various lipsticks and earrings. Other normal girl purse stuff. Hermione picked up the envelope as Lavender shouted at her. "How dare you! Give that back! How dare you touch my things!"
Hermione pointed her wand at Lavender "You?" Her hand shook. Lavender froze at the wand pointed at her face.
Hermione flipped open the envelope with one hand and saw a photo of her on her knees before McLaggen. He was pumping himself up as Hermione eagerly knelt before him. The loop stopped before he'd looked back at the door.
Sparks shot out of her wand on their own as Hermione's rage exploded from her. Lavender screamed and dropped to the ground, out of the line of fire.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Hermione calm down! What the hell is going on?" Seamus yelled, throwing himself between the girls.
Harry and Ginny ran down the stairs from the boys dorm as they heard the commotion. Hermione slammed her wand flat against Seamus's chest, giving it to him. He was momentarily distracted by it and Hermione hurled herself at the trembling girl.
Lavender screamed and tried running around the sofa but Hermione caught her by the hair, yanking her backwards. Blinded by rage, fueled by all the emotions of the past few days, Hermione sat herself atop Lavender with her fists poised. The blonde screamed and flailed, attempting to push her off.
Harry caught Hermione around the waist and pulled her backward. Seamus pulled Lavender up and shielded her with his body. Ginny placed herself between them. "What is going on?" Ginny tried mediating.
"She's working with McLaggen." Hermione shrieked, waving the envelope over Harry's shoulder. "She was there!"
Harry and Ginny looked incredulously at Lavender, who knelt to the ground, collecting her items and stuffing them back into her bag. "I don't know what you're talking about!" She tried. But it was clear she wasn't innocent.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Ginny asked, mirroring Hermione's anger.
"I didn't do anything. Leave me alone!" Lavender shouted, shrugging off Seamus's hand as he tried to help her up again.
"Fine!" Hermione yelled, before calming down, straightening her shirt and flipping her hair behind her ears. "You can tell Mcgonagall and the aurors then." She held her hand out for her wand and Seamus set it gingerly in her palm. "I hope you go to Azkaban for this. You're sick." Hermione spat, turning and storming out of the common room.
Lavender raced after her, panicking. "I didn't do anything! I didn't know what he was going to do! He just told me to take the picture!"
Hermione spun, facing Lavender. "Tell me everything right now, or I'll make sure you're charged as a full accomplice." She pointed menacingly at her boyfriend's ex. Their friends piling out of the portrait hole behind them.
"He paid me, thirty galleons, to stay hidden and take a picture. Then to print it. I was supposed to slip it in Ron's bag. He gave me the camera and the envelope. That's all I know, I swear." Lavender shook with fear.
"Where were you when Mcgonagall showed up?" Hermione demanded.
"I was disillusioned in the corner. When Malfoy, Harry and Ron got there, I slipped out behind them and ran. I didn't want to be caught there, of course. I printed the picture and was waiting for word from McLaggen. I didn't know he'd been arrested." Lavender admitted. "He'd given me half the money, the other half when I delivered the photo."
Hermione advanced on her angrily. "You were going to sit there and let him rape me? And you were going to take pictures of it?" She shook with fury.
"Rape you? You looked pretty willing to me." Lavender scoffed.
"He's been dosing me with love potions for weeks." Hermione said.
Lavender paled. "What? I had no idea." She shook her head vigorously. "I really didn't. Please believe me. I didn't know!"
Hermione watched her for a moment, reading her reaction. "Fine. Come with me now. Tell Mcgonagall everything."
Lavender looked apologetically at her boyfriend before she followed Hermione to the headmistress's office. On the way, Lavender broke. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I thought you were just being a whore. I was jealous of you for taking Ron and then I thought you were getting away with cheating on him with both Malfoy and McLaggen. I took the chance to catch you in the act. I would never have participated if I'd known he was forcing you. I'm so sorry."
"Fine. I believe you." Hermione grunted. "Sorry for pulling your hair." She grudgingly offered the apology. "You'd better tell the headmistress everything. Every detail." She added. Lavender nodded in understanding and they entered the Head's office.
"I really don't want to hear it, Hermione. Please just let it go." Ron said angrily. She'd tried ambushing him after dinner. She hoped that if he was full of good food and well rested after his nap that she could maybe get through to him. Thank god malfoy hadn't shown his face at dinner.
"Ron, please. Just give me a chance to explain. I won't let it go. I love you." She walked quickly to keep up with his pace down the corridor. He was going out to fly with Harry. Another outlet for his frustrations, and one where he knew she couldn't follow him.
Suddenly he stopped, rounding on her furiously. "You love me? When you've been lying about him all along?"
She shook her head quickly, "no! I haven't! I've told you every time I was with him. Only once did we kiss without the potion and to be fair it only started because of the potion."
"I saw the pictures, Hermione." Ron said loudly before pausing and looking around to make sure they were alone. He continued a bit more quietly "I saw the pictures. Yeah, you were dosed in some. But the rest you weren't. I tried to ignore it. Tried to pretend. But now that I know you did kiss him, I can't pretend I didn't see it. The one you said was him dosed and you trying to stop him, the one you hid the marks on your neck from me. The ones of you both talking in the hall, neither of you dosed. And even just in class, and when you were working on that damned potion. It's been very very clear that you've wanted him for a while."
Hermione shook her head frantically, tears pouring down her face. Ron kept going, "is it true? Don't fucking lie to me this time. Is what he said in hogsmeade true?"
"Ron please, I can-"
"Tell me the truth!" He shouted over her.
Her face scrunched up in anguish and she dropped her chin, unable to meet his gaze anymore. Ron clenched his fists, breathing heavily. "I can't do this. I can't be with you after this. Not if he... I can't." He turned and left her.
She let him go this time without following. He was right, there was no going back. And it was all her fault.