Lives Untold

Hermione Granger sat at an isolated table in the Library, trying in vain to absorb the Potions book she was reading. She sighed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Try as she might, she just couldn´t concentrate on the words spread out before her. This whole Ron thing was so out of sorts that she had trouble thinking about anything else.

Oh, sure her and Ron still talked. Things like, "Please pass the butter," and "How many eyes of newts?" passed naturally from their lips. But it seemed that if they were ever left alone, an awkward silence hung between them resulting in them trying to spend as little time together as possible. Hermione, and Ron, she noted, always made a point to have Harry around whenever they might be in the position to be alone. She hated the uncomfortable aura that was around the two of them and wished they would yell and scream at one another instead of the distant, polite words that were spoken.

She wasn´t even a hundred percent sure of the reasoning behind the uneasiness. Yes, Ron had sung a song that sounded an awful lot like an admission of his feelings to her, but he could have easily pulled it off as just a beat he had liked. The same with Hermione- she could claim she wanted to show her vocal range. Yet, neither of them did that. Hermione didn´t know what to do. What if she laughed off the song, ruining her only chance with Ron? What if she admitted her feelings, only to be laughed at by him? Hermione sighed. Life was not easy for a teenager. Especially a teenage girl who was a witch.

"Where is it?"

Hermione jumped as she heard a hiss from behind her. She turned around to be looking at none other than Draco Malfoy, as he was pulling his forefinger across the neat row of books in the bookcase. She was about to turn around and mind her own business, when Malfoy turned and glared at her. His glare went from her face to the book laying open in front of her, and back to her again.

"Granger. Give me that book," Malfoy demanded.

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed. "No way! I was here first. You can have it when I´m done. And I´m being kind allowing you that."

"I need that book now." Malfoy seethed. "Our Potions assignment is due in three days and that is what I need for my information. I rarely come in here. You, on the other hand, live in here. I´m sure you have much more time to do work than me. So, HAND IT OVER!" Malfoy said with a raised voice.

"Shut up!" Hermione hissed. "No. You can´t have it. I need to finish this assignment today. I´m already behind schedule. You can see it when I´m done."

"I´m not leaving without my assignment being completed. So unless you want to do it for me, I insist you part with your beloved book," Draco said snidely, holding out his hand.

Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them Malfoy was still standing, holding his hand out. "Malfoy. I am not giving it up. If you are so adamant about doing your assignment this minute, you can share the book with me."

Malfoy looked physically offended. "Me?" He asked shocked. "Share a book with...with...you! Dream on, Granger. I´m not sitting anywhere near a filthy Mudblood like you."

"Fine!" Hermione shouted, slighting louder than the six-inch voice Madam Pinch instructed they must use. "Then go away a leave me alone!" And with that Hermione turned and scooted the open book closer to her, protecting every inch of it with her slim arms wrapped around the edges. She resumed reading and got to the second paragraph before she heard Malfoy pull her a chair as far way from her as humanly possible, while still able to read the minute print in the Potions book.

Hermione locked eyes with him and glared. He glared back just as fiercely before looking at the book. Hermione relented and put it in between them.

Few words passed in the hour and fifteen minutes that the unspoken truce between Gryffindor and Slytherin conspired. Hermione finished first and as she was getting up, her foot caught on the leg of her chair, and she found herself sitting in Malfoy´s lap.

Malfoy smirked. "I know I´m sexy, Granger, but please try to contain yourself."

"Shove it, Malfoy," Hermione huffed, before getting up and walking away.

Neither of them noticed a pair of eyes watching their last moments together. When Hermione walked away, the person quickly scrambled up and ran up to the Gryffindor Common Room, trying to beat her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hermione and Malfoy were talking in the Library!"

"What? Hermione was laughing with Malfoy in the Greenhouse?"

"Did you hear? Malfoy kissed Hermione in the Slytherin Common Room!"

"Can you believe Hermione and Malfoy were snogging in the Astronomy Tower?"

"I never knew! Hermione and Malfoy have been secretly dating for two years!"

The entire Gryffindor Common Room was abuzz with all the new `information´ they had acquired.

"I just never would have expected it," Dean said, shaking his head.

"No one did," Seamus agreed.

"Hey!" Alicia said suddenly "Does Ron know? Or Harry?"

That got everyone quiet. Hushed whispers were rotating around about how the Duo would react the completion of their Trio, siding with the Dark Side and wanting to switch Houses to be with her fiancée.

Alicia´s answer wouldn´t have to wait, as Harry and Ron, entering through the portrait, laughing about some joke. They stopped laughing as they saw the solemn faces of their fellow Gryffindors.

"Oh no," Ron whispered. "Is it Mum? Is she ok?" he asked fearfully to his brothers.

"No! No, she´s fine," George reassured him.

Both Harry and Ron released a breath they had been holding. "Then, what is it?" Ron asked.

"This may be hard to absorb, but we feel we must tell you," Fred began dramatically.

"What?!"

Seamus stepped forward. "Harry. Ron," he started seriously. "We have learned that Hermione and Malfoy have been secretly seeing each other since third year. They are engaged and Hermione is planning to join not only the Slytherin house, but also the Dark Side. I´m sorry." He stepped back.

Harry and Ron were quiet for about eight point two seconds before bursting out laughing.

"That has...got to be...the must absurd thing I ever heard!" Ron said in between laughs.

"Good one, guys," Harry agreed, laughing.

"We have proof! Neville, tell them," Dean urged.

That stopped all laughs.

"Well, I was...you see..." Neville stuttered.

"Out with it, Neville!" Ron said rather harshly.

"I went to the library and I saw Hermione sitting in Malfoy´s lap!" he squeaked.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Harry prodded.

"No, I-"

"Did Hermione have a Dark Mark on her arm?"

"Well, no-"

"Do you know it was anyway relating to romance?"

"I don´t-

"So, basically, you made all this up," Harry finished angrily. He gestured to everyone. "You created an exciting story to spice up your lives?" That started up a commotion.

"I really heard they were kissing! Or, I think so."

"I could have sworn I heard Astronomy Tower. It could have been Library. They both have "A´s" in them."

"Maybe it was talking, not snogging."

"How could you believe that about Hermione?"

The Gryffindors all broke up, talking in little groups about the events that transpired. All, saying they never truly believed all that about their dear Prefect Hermione. They all loved her; she couldn´t be evil.

Harry and Ron collapsed into the chairs and sat in silence for a few moments.

"Can you believe they said all that?" Harry asked, shaking his head.

"Um."

"Ron? What is it?"

Ron sighed. "Hermione was sitting in Malfoy´s lap."

"Ron! We just finished disproving everything those idiots said."

"No," Ron countered. "Neville admitted her saw that. They made up the rest, but every rumor has some point of truth. That is the point of truth. Give the rest time."

Whatever Harry was about to respond was stopped by Hermione coming around and flopping on a hair next to Ron.

"Hey, guys."

"Hi," Harry said with a small smile. Ron remained silent.

"What are you two up to?"

"Where were you?" Ron asked abruptly.

Hermione looked taken aback. "In the Library. Doing my Potions essay."

"See anyone interesting?" Ron asked

"No, not really," Hermione said. She really didn´t want to get into working with Malfoy for over an hour.

"I see. Well, Goodnight," and with that, Ron, quickly left.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked confused.

Harry just shook his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hell-o, Hermione!"

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. Lavender, Ginny, and Parvati were all sitting on her bed with huge grins plastered on their faces. She had an incredible urge to run away. Far, far away.

"Umm, hi?" Hermione asked tentatively. "What´s going on?"

"Come, come, sit, talk, share," Lavender prodded, gesturing for her to join them on her own bed.

Hermione weighed her options. Run and sleep in the Common Room, or have `girl talk´ and sleep in her own bed. She quickly decided and started backtracking out the door.

"NO! Wait!" Three voices halted her retreat and Hermione was forced back in the room by six hands, as the girls had jumped up to drag her back in. They pushed her on her bed and Hermione was scared. Very scared. They had those looks in their eyes. Looks of gossip and she didn´t like it one bit.

"Now, Hermione," Parvati began. "Where were you earlier this evening?"

"Umm, in the Library?"

"Is that a question?" Ginny asked.

"No. I was in the Library. Then I took a short walk to clear my head."

"With who?" Lavender asked sweetly.

"Don´t you mean `with whom?´" Hermione questioned. She was given a `look´ from each girl.

"No one."

"Hermione! Who were you with in the Library?" Parvati whined.

"Fine! I had to work with Malfoy. Big deal. Can I please go to sleep now?" Hermione pleaded.

All three were sadly shaking their heads. "Poor girl. She has no idea," Lavender whispered.

"Ok!" Hermione yelled. "What is going on?"

"Hermione. This is painful to say," Parvati began. "Neville saw you sitting in Malfoy´s lap. There was a big thing in the Common Room and everyone was accusing you of dating him, turning to Dark Side, blah blah blah."

Hermione´s eyes were as big as saucers and she couldn´t help but gasp. "What?! Never! I fell! I fell on him! I don´t even like Malfoy! How could they say that?"

"We weren´t even there or we surely would have defended you." Lavender put in quickly.

Hermione didn´t really have a color picture of that happening. She figured that had they been there, she would probably of not only been dating Malfoy, but married and with child.

"Ron and Harry came in and they all told them about you and Malfoy and Harry got all mad and said you´d never do that," Ginny offered.

"And Ron?" Hermione asked, wincing.

"I heard he just stood there," Parvati said helpfully.

"Oh!" Hermione smacked her hand to her head. "That´s why he was being so weird downstairs. He thought- Wait! He believed it?" She shrieked.

"No, I don´t think he believed all of it," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Probably just the part of sitting on his lap."

Hermione´s eyes darkened. "He actually thought. Me and Malfoy. On his lap?! Well, I´m not telling him!"

"You´re not?" Parvati asked, surprised.

"No. If he´s dense enough to think I would do that, then he can just keep on believing it," Hermione huffed.

"Umm. Are you sure that´s such a good idea?" Lavender asked tentatively.

"Oh, I´m more than sure. When he asks, I´ll tell him. That´s it. Now, can I please get some sleep?"

The girls nodded and they all broke up, getting ready for bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Had Hermione not known about the events from the previous night in the Common Room, she would have thought that she had a terminal illness- that everyone knew about but her.

From the moment she walked downstairs, she was showered with Sugar Quills, Chocolate Frogs, and in Neville´s case, an offer to hold Trevor, which she politely declined.

Fred and George Weasley carried her books to her table to every single class she had.

Dean Thomas pulled out her chair for her whenever she sat down.

Seamus Finnigan complemented everything about her, from her hair to her knees. ("They´re so round. But in a good way.")

In Potions when Snape was going to actually let them pick their partner, every single Gryffindor rushed over to Hermione and started pulling on her arms to be their partner. Hermione felt that her arms would rip right off their sockets, had Snape not told everyone to sit down, and he would be picking groups. Hermione got stuck with Pansy, but at least all her limbs were still intact. Hermione didn´t know what to think, when Harry and Ron weren´t in the group rushing to be with her. She didn´t know whether to be thankful, or offended.

Hermione was still angry with everyone for believing such rumors about her. She figured that they ought to have bought her a whole box of her favorite Sugar Quills- Special Edition Mint Chocolate instead of everyone giving her their leftovers. She should have been given a whole new set of school books, with all the writing done in gold. Real gold too, not the imitation. She´d even accept rubies and diamonds. But she didn´t show any outwards signs of distress. She smiled and giggled, accepting all the gifts. Hey, who wouldn´t take free food?

She even asked a few times why they all were being so generous. Some said, "because you sang so beautifully!" Some said "No reason." Her favorite though was "because I haven´t appreciated you enough in these last five years. Now I want to show it."

Hermione didn´t really, deep down, believe it was her fellow Gryffindor´s fault. Human nature was strange. You hear one thing, you think it was written in stone. Rumors can evolve and be so far from the truth, as it was in this case, and people don´t know what to believe.

Her relationship with Harry was back to normal. She knew he trusted her and for that, she was thankful. With Ron on the other hand, it was still strained. She still refused to tell him the truth and he still refused to ask. She just wished things would get back to normal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks later

"Ok, class! Dance time!"

Professor Starr was beaming at her under excited class. Hermione groaned and heard the rest of her class have the same reaction.

"Haven´t we done enough muggle activities to last a lifetime?" Ron whispered to her. Hermione was glad that at least Ron and her were speaking. She had a feeling that Harry had something to do with it, by knocking some sense into the redhead.

"I know. I hope it won´t be too embarrassing," she agreed.

"All right, everyone," Prof. Starr, began, clapping her hands as if they were two years old. "Come with me to the Ballroom!" That got a reaction out of the class.

"Please! Just, follow me!" What else could they do? Hermione, Ron and Harry followed the rest of their classmates out the door, down the corridor, and into a whole new world. Well, a whole new classroom at least. The `Ballroom´ was a huge room and all four walls were mirrors. The flooring was an actual Muggle dance floor, Hermione noted, as she used to take ballet.

"Ok! This is so exciting!" Professor Starr squealed. "Now, I´ve already drawn names randomly so I know who your partners are. If everyone would please line up against that side mirror, we´ll quickly begin."

Hermione and the rest of the class slowly made their way to the mirrors and prepared to completely humiliate themselves in front of everyone. Hermione figured this was the only time Gryffindors and Slytherins ever felt like they were on the same boat.

"Ok, we´ve got, Lavender and Seamus are Group One, Parvati and Goyle, Group Two. Please go to the center of the room," Professor Starr instructed. Hermione gave Parvati a sympathetic smile as she walked, mortified, to the middle of the floor with her lovely partner.

"Harry and Hermione, Group Three." Hermione and Harry grinned at one another and each gave Ron a solemn look, as he would have to be with a Slytherin. Yuck!

"Draco and Millicent, Group Four." Hermione would never forget the look of complete and utter horrification Malfoy had on his face. Millicent, on the other hand, was in her glory. She ran over to Malfoy, grabbed his hand, squealing all the way at how `fabulous´ they would be together, and dragged him to the center.

"Ron and Pansy, Group Six." Hermione missed hearing the rest of the pairings as she saw Pansy and Ron walk together. She felt a twinge in her stomach. `Me? Jealous of Pansy? That pug-faced brat? Never!´ Envious or not, she didn´t like this pairing thing at all. She really didn´t want Ron working with Pansy.

But, unfortunately for Hermione, she didn´t always get what she wanted.

"Class. Take a good look at your partner. You´ll be working with them for a couple weeks and then we will switch. First, we´ll be starting out very slow. We´ll have these four weeks of intense instruction of all types of dance from swing dancing to salsa to ballet. Then, with either one or two people, you will choreography your own three- minute dance to the music of your choice. I would like you to try to use most of the new movements we learn, but more about that later. Are there any questions so far?" Professor Starr looked expectantly around the room.

Pansy raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Parkinson?"

Pansy tossed her hair behind her shoulders. "What will be the expected attire?"

"Excellent question!" Professor Starr beamed at Pansy. "Now, I had planned for everyone to wear tights and leotards-"

That got the class in an uproar. Well, mostly the boys.

"What?! Forget it, I´m leaving!" Malfoy announced loudly. "I´ve happily complied with everything up to now. I´ve sung a song about a boat. I did a killer performance onstage. I hand sew my costume! But I draw the line at this. I am NOT wearing tights and I can assure you, my father will hear of this."

Professor Starr fixed her infamous Glare O´ Death on Malfoy. Hermione never ceased to be amazed at how her Professor could go from peppy cheerleader one moment, to like Snape the next.

"I´ve had it up to here, Malfoy. This is the last straw. One more comment, and you will be expelled."

"Please, Malfoy! Say something!" Parvati begged. Everyone laughed (Well, the Gryffindors at least), easing the tension in the room.

Professor Starr silenced the class. "Now, as I was saying, I had planned for everyone to wear tights, but Headmaster Dumbledore thought I might be pushing it to far. But you will need something like sweatpants, or soffes for you girls, and either a big T-Shirt or tank top. I´ll give you one week to have your attire, as you can just wear your regular robes to class until then. There is a Hogsmeade trip planned for Saturday, and I will tell you where to buy your Muggle clothing, if you don´t have any. Don´t worry, I´ll get you a discount! But for now, class is over. Tomorrow we will meet here, and dancing will begin!"

Ron joined Hermione and Harry as they left the Ballroom.

"Can you believe this? Sweat pants? She´s going to make us sweat?" Ron asked, confused.

"No, Ron. Sweatpants are just really comfortable pants and soffes are shorts. They´re easy to move around in," Hermione explained.

Ron just shook his head. "We haven´t even started Muggle dancing and I hate it. And I´m with Pansy, of all people."

Hermione had almost forgotten about the pair. "Oh, that´s right. I hope she doesn´t annoy you too much."

Harry stayed silent, observing his two best friends as they interacted. He so had to get them together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"One and two, three and four!"

Hermione breathlessly tried to keep up with Professor Starr´s tempo, but it seemed she was failing terribly. Today was the first day of actual dancing and they had begun with learning the waltz to prepare them for the next school dance, whenever it was to be.

Professor Starr was clapping along with the beat, but it seemed that everyone was doing a lousy job. At least once every five seconds there was an exclamation of "Ouch!" as yet another foot had fallen victim to the art of dance.

The song finally ended and Hermione was relieved to hear Professor´s Starr call it a day. "Good job everyone! That´s enough for today. There´s an ice box in the corner in case your toes are a little worse for wear," Professor Starr commented. There was a sudden onrush of students, as nearly everyone ran to get some ice. Hermione looked at Harry and smiled.

"You don´t need any ice?" Harry asked her with a grin.

"No! No, I´m fine," Hermione said lightly. In reality, her second toe on her right foot was screaming in pain from being stomped on four times. She knew how self-conscience Harry was about dancing and she was not going to make him feel bad by running to the ice box.

"Hey, guys. I see you both survived intact," Ron commented as he joined the two.

"Yep, we´re good," Hermione said happily (her foot still feeling like it was on fire, of course). "How´s Pansy as a dancer?"

"Actually, she´s not as bad as I feared she would be. We even carried on a conversation without hexing each other," Ron answered.

"Oh. How...nice," Hermione said faintly, her stomach churning. What?! `Not as bad!´ How can he say that? Great. Now he´ll fall for that tramp and they´ll have a huge wedding with all her little Death Eater friends and there I´ll be, all alone, in the back, and people will say how cute they are together and all feel sorry for me since I had my chance and I blew it and my toe still really hurts. All in all, this was not turning into a very good day for Hermione Granger.

"Hermione? Are you ok?" Ron asked, concerned.

"Oh, who, me? Terrific," she said dead panned. "So, tonight´s the Halloween Feast, right?" she asked, picking a new topic out of the sky.

"Yep," Harry confirmed. Ron and Harry then proceeded to talk about new strategies about the upcoming Quidditch game against Slytherin and Hermione, forever bored with that so-called game, was left to her thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was that time of the year again- Halloween. Hermione used to like the holiday when she was younger and would always dress up as a princess or an angel or in some other equally adorable costume and go Trick or Treating. Since her parents were dentists, she would always have to sneak the candy into her room to eat it, which led her to have to nearly inhale it and she was sick for two days. Those were the days. Now, whenever October Thirty-First rolled around, she would be continually on edge. She figured it might have something to do with the lack of secure Halloweens she had experienced since beginning at Hogwarts. Nevertheless, the glass was half full for Hermione so she was hoping for a nice, normal Halloween.

She had relayed her feelings to Harry and Ron the other day and Ron had just about laughed in her face. "Ha!" Ron had shouted. "The words `normal´ and `Hogwarts´ go together like `Snape´ and `compassion.´" Yet, Hermione was still optimistic as the Trio made their way to the Great Hall to begin the Halloween Feast.

"Wow!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes as big as saucers. "Would you look at all this food?"

"It does look good," Hermione agreed. It seemed to her the food got better and better every year. She figured if they kept this up, by seventh year she wouldn´t be able to fit through the door.

She was in the midst of reaching for a Special Edition Halloween Double Chocolate Frog from the platter before her, when something caught her eye. She stared, open mouthed at it.

The two boys followed her gaze and all three were staring when a house-elf put a huge piece of cake in front of Harry Potter himself.

"Mister Potter," the little elf began. "Here´s a piece of cake from Dobby. It´s the-"

"It´s the Triple Chocolate Chunk Supreme Moose Cake." Hermione finished with wide eyes.

Harry and Ron looked at her strangely.

"There´s a huge name for that little piece of chocolate cake?" Ron asked dubiously.

"Yes. I´ve only read about it, but to actually see it," Hermione said, bewildered.

"Ummm, Hermione? Are you okay? You´re not acting like yourself." Harry asked tentatively.

"I´m great. Thank you," Hermione said addressing the house-elf, but he was already gone.

"So, what´s so great about this Double Cake With Chunks Of Moose, anyway?" Harry queried.

"Oh, it´s only supposed to be the best cake in the world of cakes," Hermione explained, not bothering to correct its name. "It´s made specially in the Witch´s Factory in Switzerland and it´s only made at midnight on October thirtieth so it is only eaten on Halloween. It´s made with exactly one hundred and fifty six chocolate chips and-"

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted, laughing. "If you want it so bad, you´re welcome to it."

"Oh! No!" Hermione said innocently. "I could never take your cake away from you."

"It´s perfectly-" Harry began.

"Give me a fork!" she commanded and Ron slapped one in her hand and she dug in. After thirteen bites, all in quick succession, Hermione finally lifted her head up sat back in her seat, and sighed in satisfaction.

"Scrumptious," she murmured.

"Hey, Hermione?" Ron asked grabbing a fork. "Since you´ve only had like half the cake, could I just-"

"No!" Hermione slapped Ron hand away and gave him her own Glare O´ Death.

"Please? Just one little bite?" he begged. And then he had to do it. He gave her his puppy eyes. Hermione Granger considered herself a strong woman. Hey, she had beaten death on numerous occasions. But if there was one thing that reduced her to putty, were Ron Weasley´s puppy eyes. She would serve detentions for him, do all his homework, beat up Malfoy, all in the name of puppy eyes. Which is why he could never know that power he had over her, of course.

She was just about to open her mouth to say `Please, finish it all,´ when a shooting pain went through her stomach.

"Ow!" she gasped, clutching her abdomen.

"What? What is it? What´s wrong? You can have the whole piece! I don´t need any!" Ron said frantically. Hermione would have laughed had her insides not felt like they were ripping from her body.

"Guys? I feel really-" And with that, Hermione´s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and as she was tipping over, for her head to properly introduce itself to the hard marble floor, Ron´s strong arms wrapped around her.