Secrets and Lies

He was receiving a somewhat varied reaction from the people who walked out past him. Several people congratulated him on decking Finnigan, but the majority seemed to be offering their sympathies on the break-up with Hermione. Ginny cast a look so sad it nearly killed him, but Ron hadn't the time to go after her.

He was sitting at the bottom of the girls' staircase. If Hermione ever wanted to come down she would have to come through him.

He should have been in class, and he was certain Harry would be mad at being abandoned in this way, but it had to be done. Besides, it gave him a good deal of time alone with his thoughts. He was rather surprised with how many of them there actually were.

Around an hour into his sit Lavender Brown finally showed herself. Ron had been expecting this for quite a while, but that didn't make him any less upset when Lavender decided to sit beside him.

"So, now that you've broken up with Granger what are you going to do?" Lavender asked, trying to catch his gaze. She needn't have bothered.

"We haven't broken up," Ron said sternly for what must have been the thousandth time that morning.

"Yet," Lavender giggled. "So Ron, how have you been?"

"You're her roommate," Ron said, not removing his gaze from the staircase. "Surely you could go up there and say I just want to talk to her."

"Why should I do that?" Lavender asked sounding very put out. "She'll probably just cry all over me." That caught Ron's attention. He whipped his head around.

"She's crying?" he asked. Lavender scowled at him.

"Why do we have to talk about her? Where are you going?" Lavender asked as Ron stood up.

"To do something I should have tried sooner!" he announced. He sprang for the staircases. Lavender shouted something at him, but he didn't hear the somewhat unkind things she had to say to him. Almost in the instant he set foot on the stairs they flattened into the slide.

But Ron was ready for it. With one quick thrust grab he grasped onto the banister with his left hand. For a moment he thought he might slip down, but his grip held. He reached over to use his right hand to support himself, and hauled himself forward. Slowly, one hand over the other, he dragged himself up the slide. He spread his legs to help anchor himself against the walls.

When he came to the first door he knocked. When there was no response he nudged the door open with his hand. It was deserted, so he continued to haul himself up the stairs to the next door. It was deserted as well. So was the next one.

Sensing an ominous pattern Ron knocked on the fourth door. He was just about to open it with his right hand when it swung open in front of him to reveal a surprised looking Hermione. Ron gasped, and his grip on the banister loosened. He felt his hand slipping. He tried to reach over and grab onto the banister with his other hand, but it was too late.

He fell down the slide, which had been a slightly bendy staircase to begin with. He crashed into the walls several times as he fell, and he instinctively raised his hands to protect his head. Then the slide stopped and he slid straight across the room...

And headfirst into a sofa.

Stars seemed to fly all around his head. He swore loudly and in a way more fluently than anyone could every have thought possible. Then he stood up and stumbled into a table, where he banged his leg. He hopped up and clutched his leg. This resulted in a loss of balance and him falling once more on his face.

He waited for his vision to clear before he tried sitting up slowly. There, at the foot of the staircase, Hermione was watching him. As Lavender had hinted, she had indeed been crying. But she still looked as beautiful as he'd ever seen her.

Hermione didn't seem to be moving from where she sat beside the staircase, so Ron crawled over to where she sat. When he reached, he reached up to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I've betrayed you Ron," she sniffed. "You trusted me and I betrayed you."

"No, it's not your fault," Ron told her.

"Then whose fault is it?" she demanded. "Who can you possibly blame for this?"

"Finnigan," Ron said bluntly. "The bastard just seems to prey on couples. I remember in sixth year when he was stalking Ginny, just because she already had a boyfriend." He scowled. "I remember hearing him say to Lavender about how in love he was with her. I guess he just saw what happened between us and assumed he could have the same with you." He stared into her eyes, which were trying to avoid him.

"So everything he said...?" Hermione trailed off.

"Did you really want it to be true?" Ron asked. Hermione shook her head slightly.

"But Ron how can you forgive me?" Hermione asked. "Seamus and I did things that you and I haven't even done yet."

"Well, we're alone in the Gryffindor Tower, we can easily rectify that," Ron said playfully. Hermione smiled at him.

"This was easier than I thought it was going to be," she said.

"That's because we love each other," Ron assured her. He grabbed her and kissed her. Then with one swift motion he swept her up into his arms as he stood. "Now we don't want to miss any more class."

"But all my books are in my dormitory, and the stairs are still a slide," Hermione pointed out.

"Well then," Ron said with possibly the biggest grin he'd ever had. "We'll just have to find some way to occupy the time until the stairs come back. When will that be?"

"When the Head of House comes and sets them back," Hermione giggled.

"Perfect."

###

Admittedly Ginny had been a little more than curious as to whose shirt that was at the bottom of the boys' staircase, or whose bra that was halfway up the stairs. And the stairs up to her dormitory where flat anyway. So, quiet as a mouse, she crept up the stairs to the seventh year dormitories, and peaked her head in. Then, she gasped, and slammed the door shut.

Harry came up the stairs behind her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Ron and Hermione," she replied, eyes wide. Harry smiled.

"Well, at least they made up," he said, clearly ignoring the fact that Ginny was about to be very sick. "Speaking of which, we have to talk."

"Where?" she asked, thinking that perhaps she could shake off this conversation.

"Right here on the stairs if we have to," he told her. She blinked at him. Sadly that didn't throw him off. He sat down on the stairs, gesturing for her to sit down beside her.

Trying to hold back a sigh she joined on the stair.

"Ginny I-"

"I know," Ginny interrupted him. "And I don't really think you should say it in case it comes out wrong."

"I'm an idiot," he said sharply, as if expecting her to cut him off. "I know that. It's just hard to accept that no one's trying to kill me this year." Ginny giggled, and this drew an obvious smile from Harry. "Listen, what we have is perfect. Can't we give it another shot?"

"I'd like that," Ginny said. And despite her attempts to avoid Harry, she really meant it.

"So, perhaps we could go to Hogsmeade next week together?" Harry asked hopefully, despite the fact that he clearly would rather have asked "Would you like to join me in that cupboard?" Ginny suddenly felt her whole world crumble around her.

"I kind of have plans," she said. Harry's smile fell.

"Oh."

"It's with Megan," Ginny lied. "I promised I'd help her do something."

"Oh, well if it's with one of your friends..." he trailed off, and stared at the wall. Ginny thought for a second.

"But hey, maybe we can find a cupboard around here somewhere."

This seemed to cheer Harry up a lot. It cheered Ginny up as well.

###

The rest of the year was having a terrible day, Draco Malfoy included. His attempts to solve the mystery of Potter's map were proving fruitless. So fruitless in fact that Draco found himself with no other option than to ask Professor Lupin, who he recalled had been at Hogwarts around that time, if he knew who Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail were.

"Never heard of them," Lupin had replied, being the terrible liar that he is.

Then, in his infinite wisdom, he had asked Walker if he knew anything about the mysterious foursome. He had promptly informed Draco that he had no idea, but that he loved a challenge. He guessed that they were probably nicknames.

Draco had surmised that the map could only be activated by some sort of command word or phrase, but without any clue as to what it might be he found himself shouting random things at the piece of parchment. Things like "Go Gryffindor" and "Burn all the Slytherin bastards" may have gone down well in the Common Room, but they didn't activate the map.

So he abandoned one fruitless search for another. Recently he'd been searching in the library for the kind of magic that could permanently alter his appearance, so he wouldn't have to continue drinking the Polyjuice Potion. He'd tried everything from different potions to a book on make-up, but he still couldn't find anything.

This was how Ginny's blonde friend found him. With his nose in a book about charms for applying make-up.

"You have a low self-esteem or something?" she asked, sitting down beside him. Draco searched for a moment to remember her name.

"Something like that," he said. "Megan," he added with a hint of triumph in his voice.

"Congratulations, you're the first of Ginny's boyfriends ever to get my name right," she said with a glum smile. "I'll never for the life of me understand it."

"I'm not Ginny's boyfriend," Draco snapped. "She's back with Potter, remember?"

"How could I forget?" she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, you and Ginny are still going to Hogsmeade next week."

"No, she's going with Potter."

"Funny, Neville told me that he overheard Ginny telling Harry that she had plans at Hogsmeade next week." Megan was starring at him, as if looking for some kind of tell-tale sign. Draco was only too eager not to give it to her.

"Well, that changes nothing. Ginny is with that four-eyed git, and if we do go to Hogsmeade it'll just be as friends," he told her firmly. "Now if you don't mind, I'll get back to ten hot tips for applying blush magically." He returned to his book, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Megan getting out her books.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Working," Megan replied as she took out a Transfiguration textbook. "That is what you do in a library after all."

Draco didn't bother to answer her. He just continued to read his book, maybe casting an occasional glance at Megan.

Okay, he would read one line and then stare at her for two minutes... but it wasn't a very interesting book.

Somehow up until this point Draco had never really noticed Megan before. Oh, he'd known she was there, but he'd never actually taken the time to absorb her appearance. Maybe it was the commanding presence of Ginny that drew your attention, but Megan was herself very pretty. She had long, dirty blonde hair, watery blue eyes, she was well developed...

Draco shook his head, which quickly drew a giggle from Megan. Draco ignored it, but instead drew his eyes towards the old piece of parchment in his schoolbag.

"Can you keep a secret?" Draco asked. Megan nodded. Draco quickly dove his hand into the schoolbag and drew out the piece of parchment. "Do you know what this is?" She looked blankly at him.

"It's a piece of parchment," she told him. Draco refrained from telling her that a Hufflepuff could have told him that.

"It's a map," Draco told her. "A map of Hogwarts that I can't seem to work. It was made by some Gryffindors a long time ago, but I was wondering if you'd ever seen it before."

"It doesn't look like a map," she pointed out as she picked it up to examine it.

"It's magical. I think there's some sort of password needed to activate it," Draco told him. "However, if you put your wand on it and talk it'll insult you."

"Can I try?" Megan asked, drawing out her wand and touching it against the piece of parchment. "Hello. My name is Megan Ormsby." Draco watched the piece of parchment for a moment, before words began to form on the page.

Mr. Moony would like to greet the charming young lady, and thank her for introducing herself.

Mr. Prongs will add that Miss Ormsby is a lot more pleasant company than that nasty boy who won't leave us alone.

Mr. Padfoot would like to compliment Miss Ormsby on her stunning rack.

Mr. Wormtail is still muffin-less.

Draco stared at the parchment in disbelief, but Megan looked rather pleased with herself.

"Can you tell me how to activate you please?" she asked. Draco smirked. Surely she couldn't expect such an easy ploy to work.

Mr. Padfoot would be delighted to tell you if you take off your bra.

Mr. Moony would like to apologise for Mr. Padfoot's narcissistic behaviour by telling you that all that you must do is say that you are up to no good.

Mr. Prongs would like to point out that it would be best if you solemnly swore it.

Mr. Wormtail will be less cryptic if you give him a muffin.

"There you go," Megan said, glancing down at the page. "You activate it by promising you are up to no good."

"Something like that," Draco muttered with a smile. He grabbed his wand, placed the tip of his wand on the parchment and said. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

At one thin lines spread out across the page, and they criss-crossed and overlapped until they clearly formed the words:

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

Are proud to present

THE MARAUDER'S MAP

And it was a hell of a map. It showed every inch of the Hogwarts grounds. There out in his hut was Hagrid... there was his dormitory where Weasley and Granger were... and there was the library...

Draco was suddenly aware that Megan looked very afraid. At one little desk in the library were two labels. "Megan Ormsby" and "Draco Malfoy."

He had some explaining to do.