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More Important Things	By : twitchelittleferret Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 15269 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 35
- 36
- 37
A/N: So sorry that
it took so long to get this chapter out.
It�s a long one so I hope you enjoy it. There is some D/Hr in this chapter (sorry) but I tried to
tone it down a bit without completely washing it out. There�s also some time jumping here but I tried to mark them
out. Okay, so, read on and review.

Shades of Grey

Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies

So I don't know what's real and what's not

Always confusing the thoughts in my head

So I can't trust myself anymore

I'm dying again

I'm going under

Drowning in you

I'm falling forever

I've got to break through

(Going Under—Evanescence)

~*~

From the behind the pillar that he was hiding, he could see
her walking across the courtyard, her long dark hair bounced with each step of
hers. With a small flick of his
wand, her book bag ripped at the bottom, spilling her books and
parchments.

�Bugger,� she muttered as she bent down to collect her
things.

�Here, let me help you,� he said, rushing to her side and
helping her. She looked up at him
and started.

�What are you doing?� she asked, looking at him with wide
blue eyes.

�I�m helping you,� he replied simply.

�But�but you�re Draco Malfoy,� she stammered. Draco looked up at her.

�Yeah?� he asked.

�Well�you�re a complete jerk and a snob,� she said
immediately.

Draco frowned and handed her the last book. �Just because I�m a Malfoy doesn�t mean
I don�t have feelings and that they
can�t be hurt.� He abruptly turned and walked away from her.

He secretly grinned and counted down the seconds. 3, 2, 1.

�Draco, wait!� she said and hurried to his side. Draco put on his frown. �I�m so sorry. I didn�t mean to be rude. You were only trying to help it�s just
that�well, you�re not known for helping people.�

Draco stopped and looked at her with a shy grin. �Can I tell you the truth?� he asked,
piquing the young girl�s curiosity.
�You�re right. I don�t
normally stop to help people but it was the only way I could talk to you.� She stared at him.

�You caused my bag to rip?� she asked, incredulously.

Draco shrugged sheepishly and shifted awkwardly. She looked at him like she would a lost
puppy and he knew in that moment that he caught her, hook, line and
sinker.

�Can I walk you to your next class?� he asked. The girl looked at him, not believing
that the popular Slytherin had actually requested this.

�Um�okay,� she replied, starstruck. All she needed was to run into Harry
Potter and have him smile at her and she could die happy, right there on the
spot. �I can�t believe that you
even know me,� she breathed as they walked into the castle.

�Of course I do,� Draco said, grinning as he held open the
doors for her. �You�re Abby,
Anthony Wellington�s little sister.�

~*~

The dream had been so graphic, it had to have been
real. I mean, I could taste the
cotton candy lip gloss and for even a crazy moment, I could taste him on my
lips. But I woke up and I was
exactly how I was before he came in.
I�m so confused. He seemed
fine, calm and composed.
Everything is just so hazy.
And I feel so guilty. My
boyfriend was in the hospital wing and I was in my common room having absurdly
real dreams about getting it on with my ex-boyfriend. And it didn�t help that the dream was sooooo hot.

�Hermione!�

Ginny�s screech cut through her thoughts like a knife and
she was abruptly yanked back into reality to find that she had overfilled her
cup with pumpkin juice and it was spilling all over the table.

�Oh no!� Hermione started, losing her grip on the jug and it
clattered to the table, emptying the rest of the pumpkin juice on its nearest
occupants.

Ron looked at her exasperatedly as he cleaned up his robes,
for the third time today, with a flick of his wand. Ginny and Neville were doing the same and Harry looked at
Hermione with concern as he cleaned off his glasses on his robes. She had been like this all day. Distracted and a little bit
disoriented, she didn�t once raise her hand for answers that he knew that she
knew, she merely gazed out of the window in all of her classes. He had even seen her walk into a couple
of walls.

He was worried.
Maybe his Stupefy was a little too strong and he was beginning to wonder
how he was going to sneak her into St. Mungo�s Spell Damage ward without her
really knowing what was going on and,
more importantly, without incriminating himself. Ugh, he could see the headline in the Prophet now:

Boy-Who-Lived Turns Best Friend Into Bumbling Idiot

�Hermione are you sure you�re okay?� Ginny asked.

�Yes,� she replied.
�I�m sorry! I
don�t�yeah�I�m okay,� Hermione muttered.

Ron looked at Harry and saw the concern etched on his face,
and a little bit of something else.
He felt a little bit of relief in this. There was something
wrong with their best friend and if anyone could sniff it out and help her, it
would be Harry.

Draco, meanwhile, had just suffered through a day of walking
the stupid Ravenclaw to her classes and pretending to be an interested
paramour. It was only a matter of
time before the gossip reached her older brother�s ears. Maybe then, the git would get the
point. He glanced over at Hermione
and saw that she was cleaning her robes off with her wand�again. She had been acting funny all day and
he began to wonder if the time she was spending with the Wellington git was
slowly draining her of any intelligence she had. Since she was still hanging around Potty and Weasel, he
figured it wouldn�t take very long until she was a complete imbecile.

Dinner had ended and everyone was getting up to leave. Draco made his way over to Abby and did
his task of walking her to her common room. He politely and shyly said his goodnight. He even gave her a quick peck on the
lips goodnight, just enough so she would be wanting more later on. He had left her in front of her
portrait with a dazed and goofy grin on her face.

He had detention tonight with Hermione and he was hoping to
use this opportunity alone with her to further convince her that he was indeed
telling the truth. He needed her
to believe him, to believe in him.
He made his way down to the dungeons and opened up the designated classroom
to find that Hermione was already there.

�Is it safe to come in here or should I wear some sort of
groin protection?� he asked as he closed the door behind him. Hermione said nothing, she just turned
to face forward again. He walked
down the aisle and took the seat next to her.

�Are you going to ignore me?� he asked. She continued to stare ahead, giving no
hint that she had heard him.

�Fine, just listen then. I am a Death Eater, I�ll admit that to you Hermione. I was forced into it, seduced by the
power that the Dark Lord could offer me.
That�s how he ensnares everyone.
But I swear to you that I�ve changed. That pact we made�changed me and for once I actually care
about someone other than my mother or myself.

�Hermione, I�m glad that you saw the Mark on my arm. I�m glad that the truth is out there
because I�m tired of lying to you.
When you were lying there, recovering, over Christmas I wanted so badly
to tell you but I was afraid that I would lose your trust. Lose whatever fragile bit of friendship
that we had built��

�Built upon lies, Draco,� Hermione finally spoke up. �You forced me into that pact. You threatened to tell Voldemort about
the horcruxes and for all I know you have by now.�

�I swear to you Hermione that I didn�t.�

�Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie,� Hermione
blinked rapidly. She would not
cry. She would not cry. �He asked you to befriend us so he
could spy on us!� She got out of
her chair, she couldn�t stand to be near him.

�That was after Christmas, after things changed between us.�

�Draco�don�t,� she whispered.

Draco moved to her side. �Hermione,� he said softly. �I need your help.
I�m asking for it. I don�t
know what to do.� He put his hands
on her shoulders but she shrugged them off.

�You have no idea what you�ve done, have you?� she turned
around to face him and he was shocked to see the hurt and anger on her
face. �You have no idea what our
little pact did. You have no idea how much you have destroyed.�

�And you have no idea how much you�ve ruined my life,� Draco
replied fiercely. She looked up at
him. Looked into his newly
familiar grey eyes and saw that they had darkened to the color of a stormy sky. She saw conflict in them, emotions
stirring underneath them. With a
strange jolt of excitement, she realized that they were standing very close
together. She felt a coiling
tension between them, building and building. To what, she didn�t know. But before she could dwell on it any further the door opened
and to her surprise, Harry walked in.

~~5 minutes earlier~~

Harry walked down the corridors to the dungeons where he
would be serving his detention tonight.
He was hoping to get up to the Ministry tonight to pick something up but
he would have to find some way to get it tomorrow instead. Bummer.

�I really think he�s gone too far.�

Harry paused when he heard Michael Corner�s voice. It was coming from the landing below.

�I mean he�s after your little sister!� Michael said
fiercely.

�I know,� Anthony replied harshly. �But what am I supposed to do? She won�t listen to me!�

�Just do what Malfoy says and break up with Granger!�

�I can�t do that.
It only means that he wins.�

Harry frowned and moved closer so he could their
conversation a bit better.

�I�ll think of something, Michael,� Anthony said, his voice
fading because they were walking away.
�I�m not going to let Malfoy win this battle.�

~~Present~~

Harry walked in the dungeon, surprised to see it was already
occupied. Hermione and Draco were
standing very close together, she looked very upset. Draco just looked annoyed at the intrusion.

�I hope I�m interrupting something,� Harry said dryly.

Hermione moved away from Draco and walked up to him. �Harry, what are you doing here?� she
asked.

�Detention,� he replied. �You?�

�The same,� she sighed.

�We were caught by Filch in a broom closet,� Draco piped up.

Hermione sighed with annoyance and Harry smirked.

�Yeah, Hermione told me all about that,� he replied. �She may have had a blind spot
concerning you but her eyes are wide open now. Real stupid of you to go through her to get to me.�

Draco visibly bristled and opened his mouth to say something
when the door opened and Professor Grubblyplank walked in.

�All of you are here on time. Very good, you can get started right away.� She handed each of them a pair of
gloves, a bucket and a flat spatula.
�You are to remove the chewing gum from underneath the tables in this
classroom and two others. There will
be no talking and no use of your wands.�

Hermione dutifully took her items and began working right
away. Draco just looked at the
items disdainfully. �You honestly
don�t expect us to do this kind of work,� he said, wrinkling his nose at the
gloves. Harry just smirked, took
his things and settled down at the desk nearest to Hermione.

After fifteen minutes, Harry and Hermione deduced that Draco
wasn�t going to be much help since he was still working on the same desk,
muttering and cursing angrily before slamming a wad of used gum into the pail.

Harry looked over at Professor Grubblyplank who was sitting
at the front of the room thumbing through some sort of magazine. She had long ago given up on asking
Draco to keep his inner monologue to himself but she still frowned
disapprovingly at him whenever the Slytherin got too loud.

Harry scooted closer to Hermione. �You want to tell me what I walked in on?� he whispered to
Hermione.

Hermione stopped scraping at the gum for just a moment. �Nothing,� she whispered back.

�Didn�t look like nothing.� He dropped a piece of gum into
the pail.

�Were you able to get up to the ministry?� she asked
him. She didn�t wait for his
answer, she was done with this desk and moved to another. A few minutes later Harry joined her
side again, working on a new desk.

�No. I�ll have
to get out tomorrow.�

�Should we postpone the plan, then?�

�I should be back before nightfall. Nice transition of topic by the way.�

She glared at him and he smiled back with a wink. �He was talking about what I told you
last night.�

�That�s what got you so upset?� She nodded.
�Why? I knew all
along. It shouldn�t have been news
to you.�

Hermione finished up here and moved to another desk. Draco moved in next to her.

�Potter finish interrogating you?�

Hermione sighed and pursed her lips together. Harry finished up his desk and joined
the little group.

�Didn�t miss anything important did I?� he whispered
sarcastically.

�Granger was just asking me if it was polite to kiss
Wellington after she swallowed his—�

�Draco!� Hermione hissed as Harry jabbed at the desk with
the spatula, bending it.

�What the hell is your problem?� Harry hissed angrily.

�SHHHH!!� Professor Grubblyplank said aloud. �No talking.�

There was blissful silence for only about a minute until
Draco broke it. �I told her that
if the blow job was good enough, Wellington wouldn�t give a damn.�

�Shut up, Draco,� Hermione whispered. Her face was hot with humiliation. Harry was studiously trying to
straighten out the blade of the spatula.
�Harry, I didn�t ask him that.�

Harry didn�t reply back. He was desperately trying to rid his mind of the possibility
that Hermione may have actually been with Anthony in that way. Therefore, he really wasn�t thinking
clearly when he asked, �So did you kiss him after you swallowed?�

Hermione glared at Draco and Harry. �If you two want to have a pissing
contest. Don�t drag me into it.�

She left them and moved across the room. Some part of Draco did feel bad for
humiliating Hermione like that but Potty�s reaction was just too
priceless. After all, one of his
favorite hobbies was taunting Harry and exploiting his weaknesses and he had
discovered a gold mine in Hermione.
He could see that he was at the other desk, stabbing angrily at the gum
with his jaw tense and tight.

�Notice how she didn�t answer your question,� Draco
whispered with an evil grin.

Harry didn�t reply back.

�They�ve been going out for what�nearly a month now? It�s only natural for her to explore
her sexuality.�

�I didn�t think you were into muggle-borns,� Harry spoke up.

�Only ones that wear some sort of vanilla scented perfume
and cotton candy flavored lip gloss.�
Draco smiled.

Harry looked over at him. �If you want to get yourself off on a one-sided drunken
kiss, by all means��

Draco�s demeanor cracked a little but he quickly
recovered. �So do you think he�s
fucked her yet?� he leaned forward and whispered.

�Why don�t you charm a few bludgers and beat it out of him?�
Harry asked. �Oh, wait. You�ve already done that.�

Draco ignored him.
�I bet that little bookworm gets off being fucked in the library. You know, up against the
bookshelves. Ooh, in the
Restricted Section!�

�A little obsessed aren�t you considering that you
threatened Anthony unless he broke up with her. Even going as low as to dating his little sister.�

�Hey, I happen to care very much for Annie.�

�Abby.�

�Whatever. And I don�t see why you give two shits about
it. You�re the one who dumped the
mudblood.�

�I still care for her happiness.�

�Oh and I�m sure she�s finding it with the guy whose shoving
her skirt to her hips as he fucks her in the Dark Magic aisle.�

The desk Harry was at began to rattle violently but he
reached out and stilled it, forcing himself to get a grip on his emotions. Malfoy was only baiting him and he
wasn�t going to fall for it.

�I�m sure their exploits in the library are purely
academic,� Harry replied.

�Oh of course.� Draco mused as he lazily scraped away at a
wad of gum. �He�s popular, Captain
of the Ravenclaw team, decent Quidditch player, and everyone knows Hermione�s
weakness for Quidditch players.� Harry glared at Malfoy who rattled on. �And according to ninety percent of the
female, and some of the male, population Anthony is quote �one damn fine piece
of male specimen� and he�s supposedly intelligent�yeah, I can see why Hermione
would be interested in only hitting the books with him. Don�t be so na�ve Potter. Hermione�s not that innocent,� he looked up at the raven-haired geek.
�As you should know.�

Harry looked up at him. �What the hell are you on about?�

Draco smirked.
�According to Hermione, she didn�t want to send the Boy-Who-Lived to his
death, a virgin.�

Harry�s desk rattled and skid across the floor but he caught
it and moved it back. He shook his
head. �You�re pathetic
Malfoy. I suddenly realized what
you�re all about. You do like
Hermione, hell, you may have feelings for her in your own sick and twisted
way.� Harry leaned in close. �But she doesn�t care for you. She doesn�t give two shits about
you. Her interactions with you
were cut off the moment I broke the vow.
And now you come crawling to her, confessing to her that you�re a Death
Eater and that Voldemort set you up on some Grand Plan. Whether you are telling the truth or
not, we�ll see but that was, by far, the most pathetic attempt I�ve heard of to
get into her pants.�

Harry left Draco to return to Hermione, the Ferret�s face
was red with outrage and silence descended upon the three of them for the rest
of the detention.

~*~

�Hey Hermione, wait up!�

She rolled her eyes but slowed her pace just the same
letting Harry catch up to her.

�Are you done being a complete prat?� she asked him.

Harry shifted uncomfortably before falling into step by her
side. �Look, I�m sorry about what
I said back there.�

�About your disgustingly rude question, which was none of
your business by the way,� she added quickly. �Or the fact that Draco had baited you once again. After all these years, Harry.�

�You know, I don�t think you are the correct person to give
me a lecture on Malfoy�s character,� Harry responded. Hermione scoffed.
Harry reached out to stop her.
�Look, at the risk of sounding like a jealous ex-boyfriend, I�m just
going to say it. Before I came to
detention, I overheard Anthony and Michael Corner talking. Apparently, Anthony believes that
Malfoy is strong-arming him by dating his younger sister.�

�Abby?� Hermione asked with surprise. �What�why�I don�t understand.�

�Malfoy asked Anthony to break up with you.�

Hermione stared at him. Her mind was suddenly running blank with shock. She had no idea what to think or to
feel. She did the only thing she
thought she was capable of doing at the moment which was put one foot in front
of the other.

�Hermione.�
Harry caught up with her.
�There�s more. From what
was implied in the conversation this is not the first time Malfoy has done
something about it. Do you
remember when Anthony was hit with the bludger? I could swear that the thing was charmed and I asked Draco
about it.�

Hermione was finding it hard to breathe suddenly. �What did he say?� she asked in a soft
voice.

�He didn�t confirm it but he didn�t deny it either.� He
reached out and took her hand.
�Hermione?� he asked. She
was looking very pale.

�I�m really tired.
I think I want to lay down.�

�Hermione.� He paused.
�Anthony said that he wasn�t going to give in to Malfoy because then he
would win.�

�Harry,� she said softly. Why was Draco doing this to her? What did he want from her? He sighed looking down at her. She looked so lost.
He wanted to reach out and hold her and his hand left the pocket of his
cloak to do so but she had already spoken the password to the portrait and
walked through in a daze.

~*~

Hermione caught up with Anthony the next morning outside of
the Great Hall. He leaned forward
to kiss her like he usually did in the morning but Hermione backed away.

�Could we talk�for a moment?� she asked, scratching the side
of her head.

�Sure, what�s up?� he asked, smiling.

�Um�� She
looked around at the busy morning student traffic and led Anthony to a quiet
corner.

�Hermione.�
Anthony smiled.
�What—�

�Is it true?� she asked, cutting him off.

�Is what true?� he asked, puzzled.

�Did Draco Malfoy threaten you unless you broke things off
with me?�

Anthony frowned.
�Where did you hear that?�

�It�s not important.�
She looked up at him. �Is
it true?�

Anthony looked out the window for what seemed the longest
time. �He may have done that.�

�And now he�s dating your younger sister.�

Anthony looked at her.
�Hermione. I�m not going to
let him get away with this. I�m
not going to let him win.�

�Win?� She shook her head. �Win, what, Anthony?�

�This whole crazy idea!� He smiled. �If we just show him how close we are
as a couple, I�m sure he�ll back off.�

Hermione looked at him. �Anthony, I don�t want this to be about PDA just so you can
one up Draco.�

�Well, not all of us are Harry Potter. We have to fight our battles our own
way. Now, here�s what I—�

�Stop.�
Hermione held up a hand. �I
don�t think�we should see each other anymore.�

Anthony stared at her.
�You�re just going to let him win?�

�This isn�t about winning!� She shook her head.

�Yes, it is!�
Anthony replied back.
�Look, I know that you might be a little upset with me right now but
this is no time to throw in the towel and walk away.�

�Actually, Anthony,� Hermione sighed. �It is.�

�Wait.
Wait. Wait. What are you saying?� He shook his head
at her.

�Anthony�� She
trailed off, unable to find the words to make the situation better.

Comprehension finally dawned on his face. �Are you�are you breaking up with me?�

�I�m sorry,� Hermione said in a quiet voice.

He let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the
wall. �Why?� he asked.

�You are such a nice guy. You really are.
And I�ve tried so hard to feel something for you other just wanting to
snog you.� He gave a sheepish
grin.

�Well�there�s nothing wrong with snogging,� he said, making
his case.

Hermione gave him a small smile. �With you, definitely not but�it�s a bit�well��

�Shallow?� He finished for her.

�I really like you Anthony. Just��

�Not in the way you like Harry.�

She looked up at him.
�What?�

Anthony stared at her.
�Nothing.� He looked
away. �So, uh��

�Friends?� Hermione offered.

Anthony pulled her into a hug. �Friends.�
There was a brief pang inside Hermione, a quick moment when she
questioned what she was doing.

~*~

�You okay?� Ginny asked Hermione when she sat down at the
table. Harry looked up at
her. She seemed fine to him.

�Yeah.� She nodded.
�I am.�

�Good,� Ginny replied.

Harry resumed his breakfast and listened to Neville chatter
away in a whisper about what to do for Valentine�s Day. There was another Hogsmeade weekend
coming up at the end of the week and Neville was scrambling to find a table at
the newly repaired Italian place.

�Are you sure you want to go there?� Harry asked him.

�Better than Puddifoot�s,� Ron muttered. Harry had to agree with him there. The last time he had stepped foot in
that place had not been a pleasant experience.

�Are you going to go with anyone?� Neville asked him.

�Um.� Harry
scratched the back of his head.
�Yeah. I think I may have
something planned.�

He did. He was
going to ask Cho today when he went up to the Ministry. Then he was going to go to the WWW to
pull a favor from the twins. He
was hoping to get out of the weekend unscathed somehow.

�So, we meet this evening?� Harry said, taking a muffin with
him as he got up from the table.

�Yeah.� The
guys replied. He gave a small wave
to Hermione then headed out for the day.

*

It was her laughter that caught Hermione�s attention to
where they were. Abby laughing at
something Draco had said. She marched
directly up to their table.

�Can I talk to you for a moment?� she asked, briskly.

Draco looked at her then at Abby. �I�m a little busy here as you can see.� He winked at Abby, who was looking
annoyed at the intrusion.

Hermione yanked him out of his chair anyway and dragged him
into a nearby book aisle. �Leave
the poor girl alone. I broke up
with Anthony.�

Draco smirked.
�What on Earth do we have to do with your boy-toy?�

�Drop the act, Draco.
Anthony told me that you had threatened him unless he broke up with me.�

Draco looked over at a book on his right, fingering the
binding. �Really Granger,� he said
softly. �The things you come up
with.�

Hermione yanked his arm down. �Are you telling me that you are genuinely interested in the
Fourth Year who just happens to be Anthony�s younger sister?�

Draco looked down at her then moved in very close. �Jealous?� he whispered.

She looked at him.
Conflicting emotions swirled within her. She was supposed to hate him. He was Harry�s enemy.
He was a Death Eater. He
had hurt her in so many ways. And
yet�And yet�

She smirked.
�Really Malfoy, the things you come up with.� She brushed past him and hastily left the library.

She walked out into the corridor, following the sunlight
that lit the floor in splotchy patterns from the windows. She needed to regroup, to let her heart
rate slow down, to catch her breath.

Suddenly, she felt herself being caught from behind and
dragged into the doors nearest to her that led to an empty classroom.

She protested.
�Draco what are you—�
He closed the door behind them then his lips were on hers in a searing
kiss. Her hands that were held up
in protest moved over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. It was a rough and needy kiss and he
flipped them around so he could pin her to a nearby wall. He broke the kiss momentarily and she
barely had time to gasp for air before his lips were on hers again.

Oh, what am I doing?

She pulled herself out of his arms, breaking the kiss. Her hands covered her mouth and her
eyes were wide with shock. �I
can�t do this,� she whispered.

�Hermione.�
Draco took a step forward.
She could see the moisture on his lips from their kiss.

Hermione shook her head. �No, I can�t deal with this right now.� She fumbled for the door behind her. Draco didn�t stop her and she fled the
classroom.

�Hermione, wait!� Ginny called after her when she scrambled
into the common room. Hermione
ignored her and went straight upstairs.
She knew Ginny would follow her so she went to the bathroom and hid in a
stall.

�Hermione, are you alright?�

Hermione released her lower lip from between her lips from
where it was clenched. �Yeah, I
just�really had to go.� That was
so pathetic.

�Oh.
Alright. I�ll just�be
downstairs�if you need me.�

�Okay,� Hermione replied. She heard Ginny leave her and slowly her heart rate began to
slow down only to be replaced with shaking shoulders as she began to cry.

*

Harry ran into Brian just outside of Kingsley�s office. �Oh hey, what�s up?� he said to him.

�Hey Harry, how are you?� Brian shuffled some files under
his arm and Harry saw the one that had Hermione�s name on it. Brian followed his line of sight. �Nothing yet,� he said. �No news is good news.�

�Yeah, I guess.�

�I�ve got the Granger�s under constant surveillance,� Brian
reassured him.

�Thanks,� Harry replied.

�I�m just going in to give Kingsley these reports and then
I�m leaving.�

�Catch you around then.� With a wave Harry walked away.

The vial of Veritaserum that he swiped from their stocks
felt heavy in his pocket only because guilt made it seem that way. This was a serious misuse of
departmental property but considering that he was going to use it on the
Ferret, the ends justified the means.

�Shouldn�t you be working?� Harry asked when he saw that his
little cubicle was occupied.

�Shouldn�t you be in classes?� Cho replied.

�It�s Sunday,� he replied back. �What�s your excuse?�

�Percy Weasley.�

�Enough said.�
Harry smiled. �Listen, I�m
glad I caught you here. I was
wondering what you were doing next weekend.�

�I have no idea.
Why?� she asked in a teasing manner. It was such a far cry from the stuttering stammering boy who
spit out, Wangoballwitme?

�Let me know if you�re free Saturday,� Harry grinned and
walked away. He turned back
around, walking backwards as she grinned at him. �Oh and I hope you like Italian.�

~*~

Draco didn�t see Hermione at lunch. Nor did he see her at dinner. In fact, Potty and Weasel where absent
as well and considering that he was still alive and sitting at this table, he
guessed that she didn�t tell them about what had happened between them
earlier. He figured she wouldn�t
say anything about it since she would be incriminating herself.

So, he exchanged pleasantries with his housemates. Blatantly ignored Abby who was distraught
over his sudden distance from her.
Ate his meal then left the table.

Hermione brushed past him in the hall, purposely bumping
into him to pass him a note.

Tonight. 8:30. Third floor lav.

�Did you do it?� Harry asked her when she caught up with
him.

�Yes,� she replied.

�Then all we have to do is hope he�ll take the bait.�

�He�ll take it,� she said distractedly and quietly. Harry looked at her. She�d been quiet since he got back.

�I suppose we should just wait there then?� Ron asked. Harry took his eyes off of his fairer
friend.

�Yeah, I suppose.�

It was like their second year relived. The three of them huddled in the
bathroom, speaking in whispers, waiting to ambush a fellow student instead of
brewing a restricted potion.

�So, uh, what are you and Luna doing for Valentine�s Day?�
Harry asked his friend.

Ron shrugged.
�I dunno. Probably
Puddifoot�s.� He wrinkled his nose
thinking about just how pleasant that would be.

�Did you get her flowers?� Hermione asked. �I heard her dropping heavy hints.�

Ron�s eyes widened.
�Crap I thought I forgot something.�

�Better get on that, mate. You don�t want the flower shop to run out or anything.� Harry grinned then looked at
Hermione. �What about you and
Anthony?� he asked. He really
didn�t want to know. He was just
making conversation. In fact, he
was hoping his little Cho-mission would be enough of a distraction to keep his
mind off how the Ravenclaw git would be wooing his Hermione.

�Um�� Hermione fidgeted nervously. �Actually, we�broke up.�

Silence.

Ron looked at Harry who seemed to be doing his best not to
stare at Hermione and instead was concentrating on a tile on the floor, tracing
its grouted outline.

�Well�ahem.�
Ron cleared his throat.
�That�s�that�s a shame.�

Hermione shrugged.
Harry spoke up. �Was it
because of what I told you?� he asked.

�That was part of it.�

Harry bended his knees and rested his arms on top of
them. �I�m sorry.�

�Don�t worry about it.
Like I said, it wasn�t the only reason,� she replied.

Harry wanted to ask her more but he didn�t.

�So what are you going to do next weekend? You�ll be the only girl without a
date!� Ron said without thinking.

Hermione blinked at him. �Thanks Ron.�

He shrugged. �I
dunno. Maybe you should go with
Harry,� he mumbled softly. Then
looked up at his raven-haired friend.
�Oh right, sorry. I forgot
you already had a date.�

Harry�s face flushed red. He could kill Ron right now. It wasn�t a date.
Not really. And
furthermore, what was Hermione thinking?
He didn�t know of any girl that would break up with their boyfriend the
weekend before Valentine�s Day.
And did she have to do it when he had just asked Cho? Maybe he could write her back and cancel. Urgh! He couldn�t, he needed to get this done. Maybe he could get his thing with Cho
done with quickly then join Hermione somewhere.

He looked up at Hermione, hoping to diffuse the
situation. He hadn�t told anyone
who he was going with and he prayed she wasn�t going to ask. He honestly didn�t know how she was
going to react to such news. But
whatever face Hermione had on he missed it because in an instant it was gone
and replaced with a silent and tense look.

Someone was coming.

Hermione stood up to greet him. Her heart pounded in her chest when she saw Draco walk in.
He waited until the door closed behind him before he stepped toward her.

�Hermione,� he said, approaching her. Hermione held up a hand before he could
say anything further.

�Draco�� she floundered but she was saved any conversation
when Harry suddenly appeared.

�Stupefy!�

~*~

When he opened his eyes after being Ennervated, he didn�t
recognize where he was. It was a
dark cave-like place that had an odd green glow about it. He could hear water dripping somewhere
and it was cool in here. There
were pillars in the cave, tall ones with�snakes carved into them.

He suddenly knew where he was but unsure of how he got
here. He was in what had to be the
Chamber of Secrets. A place he
desperately wished to find when he was younger when mudbloods were being
petrified by what was now known as a basilisk.

Wait a moment?
Shit, was there a basilisk down here?

Oh yeah. Potty
killed it.

Speaking of him, he had just stepped out of the shadows
along with the Weasel. He could
see Hermione in the shadows.

�Hello Hermione,� he said.

She didn�t reply back.
She just stayed where she was.
Draco suddenly became away that he was sitting in a chair, his feet were
tied to it as well as his hands behind his back. He looked up at Weasley.

�For being a Prefect, you�re going to be in a shitload of
trouble for this.� Then he looked
at Hermione. �If you wanted to
have your naughty way with me you didn�t have to tie me up like this, love.�

�That�s enough,� Harry stepped in front of him, blocking
Hermione from his view.

�While you at it, why don�t you get rid of these two
blockheads,� Draco sneered at Harry, still talking to Hermione. �This isn�t a group thing.�

Harry had enough of him and he nodded to Ron who promptly
forced Malfoy�s head back and jaws open so Harry could pour a few drops of Veritaserum
down his throat. Draco coughed and
spluttered, a hazy look settled on his face.

Harry spoke first.
�Are you a Death Eater?�

�Yes.�

Ron exhaled.
Harry was right all along.
He should�ve stuck by his best friend�s side last year instead of worrying
about Quidditch and how to win Hermione.

�Is it true that Voldemort told you to befriend us?� Harry continued.

�Yes.�

�To spy on us?�

�Yes.�

�Is it true that he told you to tell us about an attack as
an act of faith?�

�Yes.�

�Is there really going to be an attack?�

�Yes.�

�Where?�

�Picadilly Circus, sometime this weekend.�

�You don�t know what time?�

�No.�

Harry rubbed his jaw as he paced back and forth in front of
the Ferret. �Were you going to do
what Voldemort asked you to do?�

Draco stared at him.
�No.�

Harry stopped and peered at him. The temptation to enter his mind was so enticing to
him. �Why?� he asked instead.

Draco�s eyes flitted over to Hermione who stepped forward
quickly before he could say anything.

�Was it because of your mother?� she spoke up quickly.

�Yes.�

�Voldemort threatened to kill your mother?� she asked.

�Yes.�

She looked over at Harry who had a guarded expression on his
face. He turned away from Hermione
and looked back at Malfoy.

�Does Voldemort know I know about the horcruxes?�

�Yes.�

The three of them held their breaths.

�What is he doing about them?� Hermione asked.

Draco looked at her.
�He�s trying to retrieve them all to keep Potty from destroying them.�

�He doesn�t know where they are?� Ron asked.

�They were scattered all over the place after he was�� his
gaze fell on Harry, ��destroyed years ago.�

Hermione stepped forward and knelt before Draco. �Draco, why did you tell me about what
Voldemort asked you to do?�

�I needed help.
I didn�t know what to do.
He�s going to kill my mum, Hermione.�

Harry was reminded of the time he had accidentally walked in
on Draco last year in the lavatory talking to Moaning Myrtle. The pitiful boy who had bitten off more
than he could chew, the boy who made a deal with the devil and realized that it
came with a price.

But he remembered that this was also the boy who brought
about the death of Albus Dumbledore even if he didn�t have the courage to do it
himself. This was the boy who had
forced Hermione into a pact that nearly ended her life. And yet, Hermione was kneeling in front
of the git, looking at him with compassion!!

�Did you threaten Anthony if he didn�t break up with
Hermione?� Harry spit out.

�What?!� Ron asked, startled.

�Harry, really I don�t think—�

�Yes,� Draco answered.

�Did you charm the bludger to go after him?�

�Yes.�

�Did you purposely go after Abby as well?�

�Yes.�

�Harry!�
Hermione protested.

Harry and Ron smirked at each other.

�Have you ever had sex with a man?� Ron asked and Harry
grinned.

�Ron!� Hermione
stood and whirled on her friend.

�Fuck no!� Draco answered.

�Have you ever wanted to have sex with a man?� Harry asked.

�No.�

�Is it true you had sex with Millicent Bulstrode?� Ron
asked.

�Yes.�

�And Pansy?� Harry added.

�Yes.�

�Both at the same time?�

�Yes.� His face
was turning pink with embarrassment.

�Harry. Ron,�
Hermione said sternly.

�Do you have an STD?� Harry asked.

�Harry!� Hermione shrieked.

�No.� Draco replied.

�Have you ever had one?�

Malfoy turned red.
�Yes.�

�Okay, enough!� Hermiond said and dragged Harry to a corner.

Ron was left alone with him. Draco was trembling with anger as he watched Potty and
Hermione talk. Ron eyed him.

�Are you jealous of Harry?� he asked.

�Yes,� Draco spat out.

�You should be.�
Ron squatted next to Malfoy, speaking to him in a low tone. �I see the way you look at her. I see the way you watch her. Harry knows it, too. He may not say it but he knows it deep
down.� Draco looked away but Ron
continued.

�She�ll never feel for you the way you want her to. She never look at you with nothing but
pity for you. She just feels sorry
for you. She�s a compassionate
person but don�t take it personally.
She�s on a personal crusade to free house elves as well. She just sees you as another charity
case.� Draco�s jaw tensed.

�Do you want to know why? Because you�re not Harry Potter. You�ll never be him.
You�re Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret, Death Eater and
Betrayer. So yes, you should be
jealous of him because he�s the one she loves.�

Draco wanted to throttle the Weasel. He wanted to leap out of this chair and
hex him until he was no longer recognizable, permanent hexes that would leave
scars, emotional, mental, physical ones.
He didn�t care. But Potty
and Hermione were already making their way back over.

*

Hermione dragged Harry off to the side out of earshot of
Draco. �What are you doing?� she
hissed at him.

�I figured we should know a little bit about his love life
considering he knows so much about ours,� he whispered back, fiercely.

�Harry, what—�

�Do the words, �not wanting the Boy-Who-Lived to die a
virgin� sound familiar, Hermione?�

Oh, that.

�Harry—�

�And you want to lecture me about baiting the Ferret?�

�That was not my intention.�

�You could�ve fooled me.�

�I didn�t mean it like that. You know I didn�t.
I was only trying to��

�To what, Hermione?�

I was only trying to hurt Draco.

�Look,� she sighed and rubbed her temples with her
fingertips. �Let�s just finish
this up. We are going to be in
serious enough trouble as it is if anyone finds out what we did. Let�s just Obliviate him and get out of
here so you can return the serum before anyone finds out it was missing. Then we need to get a hold of the Order.�

�Protecting the Ferret?� he said with a hint of resentment.

�No, I�m protecting you,� she replied. �Now let�s go. The less we have to deal with this, the
better.�

Harry nodded reluctantly and they returned to a livid
looking Draco and an amused Ron.

~*~

The Order was at an impasse about what to do with the
situation until Harry decided that they go along with it. It was what Dumbledore would�ve
done. Let Voldemort think they
took Draco�s word and see where it would lead them. Voldemort was no idiot, he knew that there was no way that
Potter would let Malfoy into his circle of friends. There must have been a reason why he was doing this.

Harry had a week to mull it over. In the meantime, he was putting the finishing touches on his
own plan. And on an overcast
Valentine�s Day morning, he cornered Hermione just before she left for
breakfast.

�Happy Valentine�s Day, Hermione,� he said, handing her a
card and the gift he didn�t get to give her for Christmas.

She looked down at her gifts and her heart sank. She had been distancing herself from
him all week so she could deal with the troubling feelings that were creeping
to the surface that were for Draco.
She didn�t dare tell anyone about the kiss because she was so ashamed of
herself, so angry at herself for letting it happen in the first place and worst
of all for wanting it to happen again.
She needed to rid her feelings of that first, cleanse herself of them so
she could pull herself back together and be there for Harry when he needed
her. This wasn�t helping.

�Harry�I��

Seeing the crestfallen look on her face, he shoved them into
her hands before she could protest.

�Look, I know something�s wrong with you. Something is bothering you. You can talk to me. I�m still
your best friend aren�t I?�

Hermione nodded in response. But I can�t talk to about this, Harry.

�I�ll give you all the time you need, Hermione,� he said in
a whisper. �However much time we
need until we can work things out between us.� Hermione nodded, stamping down the feeling of just throwing
her arms around him.

He smiled.
�I�ll see you later,� he said and walked out of the common room.

The Great Hall had a feeling of anticipation in the air when
he walked in. The girls were all
dolled up, ready for their dates.
Ginny looked very disarming and Harry had to laugh at the strained look
on Neville�s face. He figured it
must be very hard not to ogle and compliment his girlfriend with her brother
sitting right next to him.

And speaking of Ron, Luna was at her Ravenclaw table waving
her wand over the dozen red roses Ron had given her.

�What�s she doing?� Harry asked him as he sat down.

Ron shrugged.
�Checking it for nargles maybe?�
His attention was caught by Hermione who had walked in and sat down in
between Harry and Ginny. He
looked over at his sister who gave a slight nod of her head.

It was Ginny�s job to convince Hermione to go to Hogsmeade
today, regardless if she had a date.
As soon as Harry saw that she was there, he would forget whatever bird
he had decided to take to dinner.
Then he and Hermione would get back together and all would be well in
Harry Potter�s life.

Well, as well as it could be excluding the psychotic wizard
hell-bent on killing him.

He realized his plan was about to take a serious nose-dive
when he saw who accompanied Harry to the Three Broomsticks.

�Oh. My. God,� Ginny said and all of Ron�s hopes for a
Harry/Hermione reunion where shot to the ground when he saw Harry walk in with
Cho.

�There�s Ron,� Harry said, leading her to the table.

Then, Ron moved his head revealing Hermione, also sitting at
the table.

It was too late to stop Cho and turn them around to leave
the place. She had already seen
them.

�Hello everyone,� Cho said with an air of superiority. �Hermione,� she said, acknowledging her
with less enthusiasm as she sat down.

Hermione made no effort to respond to her, she merely took a
sip of her butterbeer. Why Harry
would take up with that emotional train wreck was beyond her.

�It�s so good to see�most of you, here,� she said, sweetly
to them, yanking Harry down in his seat.

�Oh, I�m sure the feeling is mutual,� Hermione replied
sarcastically.

Cho stared at her.
If looks could kill. �Harry
brought me here,� she said, rubbing it in Hermione�s face. �After this we�re going to eat at that
Italian place, isn�t that right?� she cooed at Harry.

�Erm��

�The lavatories are really nice,� Hermione said, more to
Harry than anyone who suddenly turned red and shifted uncomfortably.

�I was surprised you�d want to go there,� Ginny added. �I thought Puddifoots was more your
thing.�

�Well, who would be crazy enough to pass up dinner with
Harry,� she beamed.

�I�m sure it�s better than sitting around and talking about
dead ex-boyfriends,� Hermione sniped.
Cho just stared at her. So
did Harry. Even for Hermione, that
was low.

�I�m going to leave,� Hermione said as she got up from the
table.

�So soon?� Cho asked sarcastically.

Hermione ignored her.
�Ron, Harry.� She nodded to them both and walked away.

�Give me a moment,� Harry said to Cho, not even waiting for
a reply as he went after Hermione.

He caught up with her just outside of the pub. �Hermione, wait.�

She turned around and looked at him. �Harry, I�m so sorry,� she said. �I don�t know what came over me to say
such things. You have every right
to see whoever you want to.�

�It�s not what you think.� Harry hastily jumped in.

Cho burst out of the building, wrapping her cloak around
her. �Harry, I�m leaving,� she
announced before storming away in the opposite direction.

�I�m really sorry,� Hermione said, then she, too, walked
away.

Harry was caught between them. �Fuck!� he muttered to himself then ran after Cho.

She heard him approaching her. �Harry, I really am getting sick of having to chase you
while you chase after your friend.
If you are going to defend her act—�

She was cut off when Harry turned her around and kissed her.

Ah, silence, Harry
thought as his hand moved from her waist, to her hip, to her purse where he
reached inside and pulled out her badge then slipped it into his pocket in his
cloak.

�Let�s just have dinner okay?� he said to her when he broke
the kiss.

�Um, yeah, okay,� she said in a dazed voice.

The waiter seated them and no sooner than a minute had
passed that George walked by his table.

�Hey Harry.
Miss Cho Chang,� he said in greeting. He reached into Harry�s cloak that was draped on the back of
his chair and took out the badge, making small talk as he did so before he
left.

*

Harry couldn�t help but glance up at the clock in the
restaurant every once in awhile as Cho prattled on. Not Yet, Dearie, it
read. Stupid thing was probably
broken. How long could it take for
Fred and George to puzzle the thing out?

�So then the cat just dropped the mouse right there on the
doorstep, isn�t that cute?� Cho was saying.

�Yeah,� Harry nodded, distracted.

�So I picked up Mr. Whiskers and I said—�

�Hey Harry!� This time Fred stopped by. �Good to see you!� He reached out and
shook Harry�s hand, returning the badge.

�Didn�t you just�� Cho looked at the twin.

�Oh this one�s Fred,� Harry explained.

�Oh.�

�I didn�t want to interrupt. I just wanted to say hi.� And with a wave, Fred left them.

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.

�Well, I guess I should get going,� Harry said as he stood
up. Cho made a move to do the same
but Harry stopped her. �Allow me,�
he said. And he moved behind her
to pull out her chair, dropping the badge back into her purse as he did so.

He said his quick goodbye to her and raced back up to the
castle to mend things with Hermione.
He thought he would have to search everywhere for her but as soon as he
ran into the common room he found her with Ron in the middle of what looked
like a very, very heated
conversation. Ron�s face was red
with fury and Hermione looked distraught.

�Ron?
Hermione?�

Ron grabbed his cloak.
�I�m outta here,� he muttered angrily and stormed out of the room.

Harry turned back to Hermione. �What happened?� he asked.

~~One hour earlier~~

Hermione felt embarrassed and ashamed and so glad that Harry
left her alone so she could mentally berate herself for being an absolute cow
to him. She didn�t feel like
staying in her common room, she didn�t feel like going to the library, Hagrid
wasn�t in his hut and the Great Hall was crowded.

So, she went to the Astronomy tower. It was still daylight so snoggers
wouldn�t be there. It was
sprinkling lightly as she climbed the steps and when she reached the balcony
she found she wasn�t alone.

�Oh hell,� she muttered.

Draco turned around in surprise.

�What are you doing here?� he asked, sharply.

�Last I checked, this tower was free property,� she said
defiantly. �However, I find the
company not at all in my taste so I�ll be leaving.�

�From what I remember last, you were enjoying my company.�

Hermione turned back to look at him. �That was a mistake.�

Draco slowly approached her. �Why? Because
you liked it?� He reached out and
touched her cheek.

�Don�t,� she said, turning away from him.

�Hermione—�

�Why can�t you leave me alone?� she asked him. �We�re no longer bound. I broke the vow—�

�Potter broke the vow,� he corrected her.

�I let him,� she retorted. �You�re a Death Eater.�

�You�re a mudblood and believe me if anyone, anyone, found out about this, I�d be in serious trouble.�

�Wasn�t this all part of your scheme? You�re supposed to befriend us.�

�You know, just as well as I do, that this,� he motioned
between the two of them, �was already there. Deny it all you want, we�ve gotten really good at that but
maybe I�m tired of it already.�

He moved in very close to her, his lips close to hers, so
close she could feel the hotness of his breath on hers.

�Draco,� she sighed.

�If there�s nothing there, if there�s nothing between us,�
he whispered, �tell me now. Tell
me now so we can walk away from this.�

Her heart was pounding and she couldn�t catch her
breath. She looked into his stormy
grey eyes again. Walk away, just
walk away.

She kissed him this time. His hands tangled in her hair before he pulled away and put
his forehead against hers.

�What are we doing?� he whispered before kissing her again.

The door to the balcony flung open and Hermione and Draco
separated�but not in time.

�Ron!� Hermione gasped.
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