Hermione hated lies. She twisted and turned in her bed that night, sleepless, trying to find the best way to tell her two friends about all this.

She debated if she should leave Malfoy out of the story but ultimately decided against it. Spinning more lies for the sake of confrontation avoidance never led to anywhere good.

When she cast her umpteenth Tempus that morning, wishing she could urge time to run faster, she decided she had to get it over with. The boys would always oversleep on Saturdays, and she could not contain herself any longer. She jumped from the bed and only noticed her shaking hands as she tried to button up her shirt.

She had to be prepared to lose two friends today. A sob escaped her lips, and she was glad no one was up yet to notice it.

Stepping into the common room, she was surprised to see her two best friends sitting on the couch near the fireplace. She could faintly hear their discussion about quidditch. Neither of them looked like they had much sleep last night.

Harry's eyes found hers, and with a gentle smile, he beckoned her to sit with them. Ron also looked at her and with a wide smile of his own, he greeted her.

"'Mi! Good morning!" then he turned to his friend "Blimey, mate, how did you know she would be up this early?"

"Had a feeling" he simply shrugged.

It was the combination of Ron's happy attitude and Harry's knowing look that finally broke her. She slumped into a big armchair and tears started to roll down her face.

"I'm sorry" she whispered between sobs "I am so sorry." Both boys were on their feet before she could get another word out, then crouching at her sides.

"What happened 'Mi? Did someone hurt you?" Ron's eyes darkened.

It took all of her strength to shake her head.

"No, I… I lied. To you… yesterday." She looked at Harry. "I should've told you, but I had to know first… I had to know." She trailed off into sobs again. Harry gently caressed her curls.

"What did you have to know?" Ron pushed, eyeing her a bit suspiciously.

"I am Theodore Nott's sister." She bit out. Harry's hand had stopped for a moment, but then continued his ministrations, clearly not knowing the ramifications of this sentence.

Hermione, not noticing Ron's clenched jaw or furrowed brows, started to recount her entire day, from first reading the letter, to the charm's results with the two Slytherins. She tried not to leave out any details. When she finally finished, her tears had dried up, and she looked at her friends expectantly.

Harry opened his mouth, but Ron intercepted before he could get out a word.

"You? Sacred bloody Twenty-Eight?" he snorted and flashed his teeth "Is this why you broke up with me? Not fancy enough for your tastes?"

"I didn't know-"

"Horseshite. You are Gryffindor's bloody swot. The girl who knows everything. How long have you been lying to us, Hermione?"

She felt a pang of sadness but the rage was building in her soul. What had she done to deserve this? She had never let them down before. Never lied.

She stood, but instead of shouting Ron's head off, she took a turn and rushed out of the common room. She didn't even know where her legs took her before she collapsed at her favourite table in the library. The same bloody table she sat at yesterday. She felt a sense of cosmic karma creeping up her spine, but she shook herself. She knew her only vice was to keep a lie - not even that, a secret - for about twenty-four hours.

She wondered if this was similar to what Malfoy felt yesterday. Betrayal? Loss? She couldn't find the right words for her emotions despite her erudition.

It just hurt.

As she sat and contemplated, set heard a set of footsteps approach her. She steeled herself for confrontation. No sane person would be in the library on a Saturday at five in the morning.

As Harry rounded the bookshelf hiding her from the world her heart sank. She did not want to hear the same from both of her friends in one day.

Harry silently took a seat on her side and took her shaking hands.

"You did nothing wrong 'Mione," he whispered, and she felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders. He put his arm around her and she snuggled into the embrace. Merlin knows she needed it.

"No matter what happens, you will always be our Hermione."

"But Ron-"

"Will come around, once he had some time to calm down."

"I never betrayed you. I never lied to you."

"I know."

They stayed like that for a while. Harry was the brother she never had. Maybe like the one she had now? She wondered if they could put aside their differences so she could have two brothers. It was a selfish thing to ask, but she hoped nonetheless.

"I have something for you," Harry said, pulling away from her, and pushing a piece of cloth in her hands. Hermione was surprised.

"You wanted to use this to sneak into Slytherin, right? Unless you wish to try Polyjuice again?" he grinned. She pushed him on the shoulder but smiled back.

"Thank you, Harry" She watched him hide a yawn. "You should probably go back to bed."

"You're not coming?" She shook her head.

"I don't think I could sleep right now." He then tried to protest, but she insisted. "I will be fine, Harry."

"I know you will." He nodded, getting up and leaving her to her thoughts.

Not long after his footsteps died down, she heard a voice coming from the other side of the bookshelf.

"Well, well, Granger. Can't have a single year at Hogwarts without looking for trouble?"

She struggled to pair a face with the voice, but before she could ask, he stuck his head around the corner.

Zabini.

She saw the Slytherin a couple of times, but she knew about him mostly through his escapades recounted by the other Gryffindor girls.

What he could want from her, was truly a mystery.

"What do you want Zabini?" she decided to ask. She had more than enough mysteries for one year.

With a foxy smile, he slid onto the bench just opposite her. Hermione had a sudden urge to grab for her wand.

"Didn't think you knew my name, little lioness."

She drew in a big breath, to explain, but at the last moment, she stopped herself. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing.

"Answer."

He was clearly not satisfied with her nonchalance but carried on anyway.

"Well, I was quietly perusing the books, looking for some reference for the next Herbology lesson." He started languidly.

She wanted to urge him to get to the bloody point already, but she stilled her tongue. She had to remind herself that she was dealing with a snake.

He picked up on her not giving in, and continued. "Imagine my surprise, overhearing that Gryffindor's greatest and brightest wishes to sneak into our common room."

"You're not stopping me, Zabini."

"Oh, no. I know I wouldn't win against a Gryffindor, even if they are clearly bending the rules."

There was a slight tone to his voice that got Hermione's attention. What sort of winning was he talking about?

"Yet, if my command of the English language is still as good as it used to be, I believe the word 'sneak' would imply a level of secrecy." He raised a single eyebrow at her, and the fog lifted from Hermione's mind. She was being blackmailed.

She groaned. "What do you want, Zabini? I have nothing to give you."

He nodded once, acknowledging her understanding. "I think you do."

Hermione looked at him, questioningly.

"Muggle studies tutoring." He said simply like the answer was obvious. Hermione frowned.

"What?"

"Additional lessons in the subject of Muggle Studies" he explained.

"I know what it means." Hermione's mind flooded with so many questions, she had a hard time picking one. "Why are you even taking Muggle Studies?"

"It is obligatory." Before she could open her mouth to object, he added. "For Slytherins."

"Oh" was all she could say. She sat quietly for a bit, studying the man's face. Looking for signs of mocking or hatred, but she only noticed the wrinkles that appeared during last year. The year she was absent for, but not missed.

She wanted to turn him down, to tell him to sod off. He had no real threat to hold her to.

But then, the knowledge of the little letter in her favourite book burned in her mind. She could be in the same situation. Who could she turn to then? Maybe this was just how Slytherins communicated? How he wished to ask for help?

"Alright, I'll do it." She nodded, and just for a moment, she saw the relief on his face. She considered her schedule and said "We can start next Saturday, after breakfast. Where do you want to meet?"

"Slytherin common." He told her, and she nodded.

Zabini left her to her thoughts soon after, their secret meeting concluded. Hermione felt a headache building as she left for breakfast, plotting the next part of her plan.

A/N: And the ball starts rolling...

There won't be any Ron-bashing in this fic, just the big emotional dump at the beginning.
I plan to have each chapter about 1000 words in length, 'round 25000 in total, but we'll see.

Reviews appreciated. :)

I'll be back on the weekend.

Love,
LydieBerry