A Cheater's Game

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A Cheater's Game

Chapter 1 - Moonlit Meetings

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~*~*~*~*~*~

"I love you, Ron."

Ron gazed down at the beauty he held in his arms. Her eyes sparkled with all the sincerity she could muster, looking deep into his eyes. Ron smiled.

"I love you too, Hermione."

Hermione snuggled in to him on the couch closest to the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. They sat there so often together that no one else ever bothered sitting there anymore; it was their couch - their couch beside the fire. Hermione sighed with content.

"This is so relaxing," Hermione commented, staring at the blazing fire. "Why can't all days end like this, snuggling up to the most amazing guy in the world in front of a fire?"

She smiled up at Ron who looked adoringly back at her. He leaned down and gently kissed her, running a hand through her hair. They broke apart and smiled lovingly at each before Hermione once again rested her head on his chest. Footsteps from the stairs caused them both to look up.

It was Lavender, who made her way towards the portrait.

"Hey Lavender," Hermione greeted her friend as she entered the room. "Where are you going at this time of night?"

"Detention," Lavender said sourly. "With Snape."

Both Hermione and Ron screwed up their faces with distaste at the mention of the Potion Master's name.

"Isn't that your third detention this week, Lavender?" Hermione asked her. Lavender blushed.

"Yes ... I haven't been paying much attention in class lately ..."

"Well, good luck with Snape," Ron laughed. "I think you're going to need it."

"Oh Ron, you just reminded me," Lavender said suddenly. "Dumbledore wants to see you about something." Ron looked shocked.

"Me? Are you sure?"

"Yes, something about failing one of your tests I think ... not sure exactly."

"And he needs to see me now?"

Lavender blushed again.

"Well, I was supposed to tell you earlier but I wanted to finish this essay Snape gave me a detention for not handing in," Lavender said, showing them a scroll of parchment in her hand.

"I'll go in a few minutes," Ron said, waving his hand carelessly at nothing in particular. "Have fun."

"I'm sure I will," Lavender commented sarcastically before disappearing through the portrait.

"What's this about failing a test?" Hermione asked as soon as the girl was gone. "You always could have asked me to help you."

"You wouldn't have helped me cheat!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione laughed. "I meant revise, silly."

"Oh," Ron blushed. "I knew that."

"Well make sure you tell me next time you're not doing so well in a subject and I'll help you," Hermione told him.

"It was for Divination," Ron informed her.

"Oh," Hermione paused. "Well in that case tell Trelawney to go shove it and come to Arithmancy with me instead!"

"I don't even know what Arithmancy is," Ron laughed. "If I have trouble spelling the word, how hard is it going to be for me to pass?"

"Fine," Hermione sulked, mock-hurt. "I'm just trying to save you before you're brainwashed.

Ron kissed her again.

"I have to go," he said standing up to leave.

"Do you have to? Why can't it just wait until the morning?"

"You heard Lavender - he asked to see me ages ago," Ron argued. "I'm sure it won't take too long."

"I'll wait up for you then," Hermione insisted.

"And I suppose you'll want me to carry you off to bed when I come back and find you asleep?" Ron joked.

Hermione kissed him, ignoring his last comment.

"Don't be too long.

"I won't."

~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as Ron was out of the Common Room, he sighed. Looking down at his wrist watch, he saw that it was nine o'clock, meaning he had only an hour left until curfew. He headed down the many staircases until he finally made it to the first floor.

Of course, Dumbledore's office was no where near the entrance hall.

Reaching the huge wooden doors, Ron pulled on one of the handles, trying not to make too much noise. By the time the creaking had ceased, Ron was already out in the grounds, learning just how hard it really was to walk around in pitch black. But having memorised this path, Ron did not find it all that difficult - he was just glad that it wasn't as cold as it usually was.

He was now walking beside the lake - almost there. At last he reached the old oak tree; the meeting spot.

Where is she? Ron wondered, not seeing anyone anywhere. He gazed out at the lake, the silvery reflection of the moon upon it - almost full. The breeze was practically non-existent and the stars were clearly visible in the sky. It was truly a beautiful night.

Leaves crunched behind him causing Ron to smile and he began to turn around.

"Finall- AHHH!"

With one brisk shove, Ron fell backwards into the chilling waters of the lake. His head went under and his toes quickly sunk deep into slime. He kicked and pushed up from the lakes shallows, gasping and spluttering as he broke the surface.

Next to him he heard a loud splash. It set his nerves on end - shivers running up and down his spine.

"I'm going to die!" Ron whimpered quietly to himself.

"Only if you don't behave," a cool voice whispered in his ear. Immediately Ron sighed in relief as arms entangled themselves around his waist.

"So how did I deserve to be pushed into a freezing cold lake?" Ron asked curiously.

"You were late," she hissed.

"I couldn't have left straight after you Lav, it would have been too suspicious," Ron told her.

"Whatever ... Granger would never suspect anything anyway. I mean she's smart and all that but she's so love-sick she wouldn't ever consider any of this," Lavender send, sending a trail of kisses down Ron's neck.

Ron immediately felt a pang of guilt. Hermione would be absolutely shattered and he knew it. Lavender, sensing the pause, ceased her kisses.

"You're not bailing on me now, are you?" She asked, turning him around to face her.

Ron hesitated. He loved Hermione with all his heart and wanted to hurt himself every time he thought of the pain she's feel if she ever found out about him and Lavender. But he could not resist this temptation, he just couldn't. Especially when Lavender was there right in front of him, wet hair stuck to her face, eyes glassy and tight clothes clinging to her body.

"No, of course not," Ron assured her after obvious hesitation that did not have Lavender fooled.

"Then prove it." Lavender did not wait for an invitation. She grabbed him, pulling his mouth to hers in a fiery kiss. Her arms made their way up his body until they laced around his neck. Ron hitched her legs up around his waist and swam forwards until Lavender's back hit the rocks on the edge of the lake. She let out a small noise upon impact with the stone, but that only drove Ron to kiss her with more ferocity.

Ron kissed her chin, all the way down to her neck until he gently nipped her skin between his teeth. She gasped in shock, but Ron knew that it was all an act - it drove her crazy.

As their panting increased, the closer Ron pulled himself towards Lavender. He looked at her, a question swimming in his eyes and Lavender nodded, exasperated.

"I thought you'd never ask."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco sat up against the old oak tree, an amused smile on his face from underneath his invisibility cloak. As he was chatting to Blaise in the Common Room earlier that afternoon, a young Slytherin girl had approached him with some interesting information. She was only a third year, but Draco felt a sense of maturity about her beyond her years.

The girl told him her name was Madeline and claimed that "If you put some time aside to gaze at the reflection of the stars on a water's surface this evening, you will be given the upper hand on one of your greatest enemies."

Blaise had laughed and sent the girl on her way, who was neither unnerved nor intimidated. But her message left Draco intrigued. And now it all made sense. He glanced over at Ron and Lavender's dark moving figures, before chuckling quietly to himself.

"Oh Weasley, you have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Shrouded in darkness, surrounded by a chilling wind, she stood staring down at the black abyss below her. Her back was bathed in a deep crimson light, but she refused to turn around. Unsure of what was there, but knowing she did not want to see it, she would not open her eyes and look.

Behind her the red light grew greater and she had to clasp her hands over her eyes to block it out, even with her eyes closed. And still it wasn't working. The light got brighter and brighter until it became unbearable. Her eyes began to sting and water and she cried out in pain, stumbling forward. Her stomach lurched as she realised the cliff was no longer under her feet. She screamed all the way down.

Hermione shot awake, panting and covered in cold sweat. Her eyes were wide, scanning the room and wondering why she was so scared. It was now that she realised that she was still in the Common Room.

Must have dosed off, she thought. A stair creaked behind her.

"Ron?" Hermione called out softly. But the footsteps only continued, ignoring her calls. The fire was burnt out and the room was pitch-black.

Maybe he's been and gone to bed already - he probably didn't see me, Hermione reasoned with herself. Deciding this must be the case as it was now one o'clock in the morning, Hermione headed off to bed. On her way to the girls' staircase, she noticed muddy footprints through the Common Room.

Geez, what did Snape make Lavender do?

The usually observant witch did not notice the trail also leading up the boys' staircase. She gazed up there, just incase Ron was standing at the top waiting for her. But it was only dark and empty. Hermione sighed and begrudgingly made her way up to her dorm.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron just closed the door to his dorm as Hermione had gazed up the stairs. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the bathroom. His clothes were dripping wet as neither he nor Lavender could remember the spell used to dry ones-self. Still, it was only a small price to pay for what he got out of it. Ron's stomach suddenly seemed to knot and he knew it was from guilt.

Why do I keep doing this? He mentally screamed at himself. I love Hermione so why am I playing around with one of her friends?

And Ron could not answer this question. He felt weird - different somehow. This wasn't like him at all but he just couldn't stop.

He turned on the shower and got undressed as it heated up. Leaning against the cold, tiled wall, he sighed again. He stayed this way for well over an hour, thinking about Hermione, unable to get his mind off her.

As he turned the taps off, he decided he was no longer going to fool around. He loved Hermione way too much.

I just hope she'll still love me too if she ever found out.

Somehow he doubted that.

And Draco was going to make sure of it.