Secrets and Lies

While Harry and Ron were trapped in McGonagall's cupboard, Hermione was sitting alone in the Common Room, reading several massive volumes on Potions whilst making notes. Well, almost alone.

Seamus had come down and was once again watching her work. It was extremely distracting to have someone watching your every moving. It was also slightly perverted.

Finally, she gave into her curiosity and demanded to know what Seamus was up to.

"Just watching you work," he said with a slight smile.

"I can see that, but why are you watching me work?" she snapped at him. His eyes seemed to gaze over.

"I like to watch you think. You're so beautiful when you're working," he replied. Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Seamus. Are you feeling okay?"

"I've never been better," he assured her with a grin. "As a matter of fact, I think it's you that's not okay."

"What are you talking about?"

"You should leave Weasley."

The words seemed to hang in the air for a long time before Hermione found her voice again.

"What?" she choked out.

"Can't you see it Hermione, we're made for each other," Seamus said with excitement. He leaned forward to grasp her hand. "You remember how I told you I was looking for the perfect woman? Well you're the perfect woman."

"Seamus, this is crazy," Hermione told him. "We're not made for each other. We have nothing in common."

"We have lots in common!"

"Like what?" Seamus looked deep in thought (it wasn't a look that suited him) for a moment, before his face brightened.

"We both like boys!" he exclaimed. Hermione looked at him for a moment.

"That's not exactly the strongest foundation for a heterosexual relationship."

"We both like Quidditch!"

"I hate Quidditch."

"We both like... breathing." He stared hopefully at her.

"I love breathing as much as the next person, but I'm sorry Seamus I'm not dumping Ron on some mad whim of one of my classmates," Hermione explained.

"This isn't a mad whim. I've been thinking about this since fourth year!"

"Then why didn't you say anything before now?"

"Because Weasley would pound me," Seamus said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's to stop Ron pounding you now?" she asked.

"You, my soul-mate."

Hermione didn't know what to say next. Sure, she was flattered, but Seamus was crazy. Or high. Or possibly both.

She didn't really need to say anything more because Seamus tried to kiss her. And Hermione didn't exactly stop him. Nor did she stop him whenever he ran his hand up her leg.

And she didn't even try to stop him when he started undoing her blouse.

###

There was something odd about Harry and Ron at breakfast that morning. They looked like they might throw up at any moment, and they seemed to be casting horrified looks at the Staff Table and muttering under their breath.

Ginny was torn between her anger at what Harry had said to her the previous night and her desire not to see him like this. She sat down beside him, and he cast a horrified glance her direction.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Harry winced.

"My guess is they saw two people doing it last night," Seamus said loudly enough for everyone in a ten foot radius to hear clearly. "And they jump every time someone mentions McGonagall."

"Oh, juicy," Romilda said hungrily, sitting beside Ginny. "Any ideas who with?" Seamus shrugged.

"What happened last night?" Ginny asked Harry, trying to ignore the loud discussion between Romilda and Seamus on the subject.

"Ron and I were in McGonagall's office," Harry mumbled. He turned to face her. "Every time I see a girl I keep picturing that mole."

"What mole where?"

Ginny ignored Seamus, and pressed on.

"What were you doing in McGonagall's office?"

"We were trying to steal Matthew's personal file," he said dreamily as if it was of no consequence. Sadly he was mistaken.

###

It was hard to see how Ginny and Potter could ever recover from this. To her credit Ginny had initially remained calm. But her composure was broken by Potter's insistence that he would get to the bottom of this. When Ginny defended Matthew, Potter went on to accuse her for the second time in twelve hours of having an affair.

Ginny had told him it was over, and then stormed out of the Great Hall. Potter turned back to his breakfast, looking just as he had before Ginny had arrived.

Draco couldn't help but feel a little guilty. If Ginny had known who Matthew really was she almost certainly wouldn't have stood up for him like that. And it wasn't easy knowing that he'd broken up two people like that.

That didn't stop Potter from being an idiot though. Potter then tried to search Draco's bed, only to find Draco had put Proximity Charms all around the bed which set off an alarm that had half the House into the small dormitory.

Draco had managed to shake all the questions off by saying that he enjoyed his personal space and didn't like it disturbed. All the while Potter looked furious.

With September fast ending Draco decided that he would eventually have to confront Ginny on the matter. He stole his opportunity as he passed her in the Charms corridor on the way to lunch. He beckoned her into an empty classroom, where they sat down on one of the desks.

"So what's going on with you and Potter?" he asked. Ginny sighed.

"He thinks that you're up to something," she said glumly. "I don't know what it is. Maybe he's paranoid. And I suppose with what he's been through he has a right to be a little paranoid. It's just that he's always convinced that he's right. He never takes anyone's opinion over his own."

"But you love him don't you?" he asked. She opened her mouth to answer but no words came out.

"You don't have to answer that," he told her. "But you do have to know something. You shouldn't be defending me so adamantly."

"But he-"

"No Ginny," he said sternly. "You don't know who I am. Who I really am." She stared at him for a moment.

"Who are you?" she asked softly.

"The truth would kill you," he replied. Then he hopped down off the desk. "I'm afraid I have to go now. There's someone else I need to talk to." He made for the door, and he was halfway through when Ginny called back after him.

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

He pretended he couldn't hear her, and slammed the door shut.

###

Despite her best efforts Hermione found it impossible to work in the Common Room anymore. It didn't even matter if Ron was with her anymore, because Seamus just strolled over and sat down watching her. Several times Ron told Seamus where to stick "it."

Whenever Ron wasn't with her Seamus tried desperately to engage her in conversation. Hermione tried her best to shrug off his advances, but she knew that she couldn't deny what had happened between them for much longer.

She'd tried working in the library, but Seamus had found her very easily there and Ron certainly wouldn't follow her into the library. In desperation she'd taken Harry's map, so now she could avoid Seamus more easily. It wasn't foolproof, because she needed to keep glancing at the map.

Tonight she was working on top of the Astronomy Tower. Fortunately there wasn't much of a breeze, so her notes didn't flap around too much. But it did still involve extensive use of Paperweight Charms.

It was here that Matthew Baird found her. Or to be more precise, where Draco Malfoy found her.

He didn't even need to ask. He just nodded at her.

"Hello Malfoy," she said a lot more civilly than she wanted to.

"How long have you known?" he asked, setting down his schoolbag and sitting down in one of the several chairs scattered around a few desks used for placing out star charts.

"Too long," Hermione told him. "I wanted to tell everyone, but the truth would break Ginny." He suddenly looked very upset.

"She asked me out."

"I know."

"I didn't even answer her."

"She told me."

They sat there in silence for a little while, and Malfoy then bent over to pick up the Marauder's Map.

"What's this?" he asked, examining it closely.

"It's a map of Hogwarts," she explained. Malfoy set it down on the table, and pointed to one little dot.

"It says here Draco Malfoy, even though I'm still Matthew Baird," he said, confused.

"Looks like your cunning disguise can't fool a little map," she said with a giggle. "What are you using anyway? Polyjuice Potion?"

"Damn you for being so smart," he muttered. "This is Potter's?" Hermione nodded. "Does he know who I am?"

"He would very much like to."

"And everyone's stay here would be very much more enjoyable if Potter didn't know I was here," Malfoy said. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"No."

"Keep this away from Potter," he said. "All I want to do is complete my final year of education. And don't worry, McGonagall knows. She believes I'm not a danger to anyone."

"I know several Aurors who would disagree," Hermione said with a smile. Malfoy chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret... for now." Malfoy eyed her curiously.

"You know, you're not so bad," Malfoy said, leaning back in his chair and smiling.

"But only on one condition," Hermione said, waving a finger at him. "You have to tell Ginny."

"That kind of defeats the purpose of not telling Potter."

"Not that," Hermione said patiently. "The answer to the question she asked you."

Malfoy's smile faded, and Hermione could tell that was one question he'd rather leave hanging in the air.