Unmasked

Two

"Um," Ron said, wrinkling his nose and pulling away, "no, thank you."

"Me neither," Harry said, as the plate swung his way.

"Wimps," Hermione said, laughing. She picked one off the plate, de-boned it, and ate it.

Harry and Ron shuddered. "How can you do that?" Ron asked, looking at her, horrified.

"Easily," Hermione replied. Then she picked up another and dangled it teasingly before dropping it into her mouth

"You really shouldn't do that," Ginny said, sliding into the seat next to Hermione. "It creeps them out."

"It really does," Harry said to Hermione. "Sardines are disgusting."

Hermione shrugged. "I suppose so." She finished her lunch. "I'm going back to the Tower. I'll see you at Herbology." She grabbed her bag and left the Great Hall. When she got to the entrance hall Bill was standing by the marble staircase, looking up it, face set in an expression she couldn't decipher.

"Hi Bill," she said, walking over to him. He jumped, clearly not expecting company.

"Hey, Hermione," he replied. "Where're you off to?"

"Gryffindor Tower," she said. "I'm going to reply to some letters."

He smiled. "Cool. Well, I've got to speak to Malfoy and Bulstrode. See you later." He walked into the Great Hall. She went up the staircase and walked to the Tower, musing on the Masked Man's letter.

When she entered the common room, she ran up the staircase to her dormitory. Hermione jumped onto her bed and picked up a quill and some parchment.

Dear M. M.,

Yes, I think I'll be able to keep it to a scroll. It'll be very hard, but I think I'll manage. (Did you catch the sarcasm?) Prof. Weasley, dear soul, has no idea what he got into when he agreed to teach. I think he only did it as a favor to Dumbledore.

The most interesting thing happened in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class today. Malfoy actually admitted that he didn't want to be a Death Eater. I think Millicent Bulstrode is actually a nice person. I'm quite open to getting to know her.

And yes, your younger brother does sound lovely. By the way... do you have a girlfriend? It just hit me that you might come to a masked ball in order to "score" with someone... unfamiliar.

Please respond. I'm sending this via school owl.

Hermione

Hermione tucked the letter into her notebook, and lay on her bed, looking at the ceiling. The door swung open and crashed into the wall.

"That is it!" yelled Lavender, throwing her pillow at the wall. It hit the wall next to Hermione's bed. "I am through with him! For ever!"

Hermione sat up. "What's the matter?" she asked, alarmed.

Lavender sat on her bed, fuming and glaring at the wall. "I found Dean with Hannah Abbott," she said, "in the third-floor west wing broom closet. It wasn't, shall we say... pleasant."

Hermione walked over to sit beside Lavender. "Oh, Lavender, I'm so sorry," she said, putting her arm around Lavender's shoulders. "It's okay to cry." At that, Lavender started to wail.

Fifteen minutes later, Parvati rushed in. "Ohmigod, Lav! I'm so sorry! I just heard about Dean and Hannah! That bastard!" She hugged Lavender's other side. "I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!"

"It's okay." Lavender sniffed. "I was actually going to dump him, anyway."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, well, I don't know," Lavender said, shrugging. "He doesn't listen to me, or sit next to me, or talk to me. At all."

"So who were you going to go for?" Parvati asked.

"Justin Finch-Fetchley," Lavender responded. "He's really sweet and kind, and he really likes me."

"Plus you were two-timing with Dean behind Ginny's back," Hermione said.

"There was that," Lavender agreed.

~*~

"You asked me to come, Headmaster?" Hermione asked, standing in the doorway of an empty classroom that Tuesday. She was holding her notebook and her wand, and had already changed into jeans and a green sweater.

"Yes, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Mister Malfoy," he motioned towards Malfoy, who was sitting in a desk, "has expressed interest in the Order. The room is protected against spying charms and Occlumency, as well as Legimency, so you may feel free to speak freely--to a point, of course."

"Yes, Headmaster." Hermione frowned. "But shouldn't someone else do it? Like Professor Weasley or Professor Snape?"

"Mr. Malfoy requested you, especially," Dumbledore said quietly. "I believe he feels most comfortable with you."

"Well, okay," Hermione said. "Um, I guess I should get started."

"I'll be back in an hour and a half," Dumbledore said. "Don't leave this room until you receive this." He opened his clenched hand and revealed a thimble-sized rose quartz bead. "Do you understand me, Ms. Granger? This is very important."

"Yes, sir," she said. Nodding, she walked over and sat down opposite Malfoy. The door clicked closed and a snapping sound filled the air. Hermione jumped.

"It's okay, you know," Malfoy said, meeting her eyes. "It's only the spell."

"I- I know," she said. She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. "It just startled me." She settled into her chair more comfortably. "What did you want to know?"

"Why do you believe in this Order?" Malfoy asked, leaning back in his seat in a relaxed manner.

"I believe in it because... having someone kill off me and my family simply because we aren't pureblood wizards isn't right. Because Muggles should have the right to live peaceably without having to hide. If Voldemort comes back, then it'd be like the Nazi's all over again."

Malfoy looked at her curiously. "You, Granger, are fascinating," he said slowly. "There are many, many layers to you. Frankly, this has piqued my interest."

Hermione blinked at him. "What?" she asked.

"I'd like to know about you, Granger," he said, resting his chin on his fist. "For instance, what's your favorite thing to do?" Hermione opened her mouth. "Besides studying, reading, and anything related to school."

"First of all, Malfoy-" Hermione started.

"But if we're going to get to know each other, I think we should use first names, Hermione," Malfoy, or rather Draco, said smoothly, left eyebrow arched.

"Fine, then. First of all, Draco, this time was for us to talk about the Order, not about me. Second, why do you, who has spent the last six years making fun of me, my studying tendencies and my appearance, and the last five calling me a wretched name, want to know about me?"

"In a neutral setting, Hermione," he said, eyes sparkling, "you are quite intoxicating. I said it before: you are fascinating. Now, please answer my question."

"Will it get you to shut up and ask questions about what you're supposed to be asking about?" Hermione asked, sighing.

"Yes." Draco smirked.

"Fine. School is what I do while I'm here, other than that, I hang around with Harry and Ron. During the summer, when I'm not at the Order headquarters, I live in outside of London with my parents and I go to movies and spend time with my Muggle friends."

"What's a movie?" Draco asked. "I think I saw an ad for one on a, um, bus once. At least, I think it was a bus, that's what they're called in The Adventure of Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle."

"You read Martin Miggs?" Hermione asked. "So does Ron."

"Weasley reads it?" Draco said incredulously. "Damn. I knew there was something suspicious about it."

"Oh, shut up," Hermione said. "Just because Ron reads it doesn't mean it's suddenly awful. You don't have to start disliking something simply because Ron reads it. I mean, just because you don't like someone and then find out that you share an interest doesn't mean that your shared interest suddenly becomes leprous."

"You've enlightened me, Hermione," he said softly. He moved slowly to sit beside her and touched her cheek with a single index finger. His thumb traced her lips. Moving forward and lower his face, he kissed her. Draco tried to put his hand into her hair, but it was bound back too tightly. So he reached back and pulled the hair band out and let her hair loose. Once it swung around both their faces, he slid his hand through her hair and pulled her closer. His other hand slipped around her waist and he pulled her onto his lap, then he deepened the kiss.

"What the hell?" exclaimed the outraged voice of someone standing in the vicinity of the door. Draco and Hermione broke apart, and Hermione jumped onto her chair. Bill strode over to them and stood in between the chairs, pushing them farther apart. "Bloody hell."

"Bill!" Hermione said, slightly guilty. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to get you both," he said. "Dumbledore was busy. He said to give you this." Bill held out the bead.

"Oh, um, okay, thanks," Hermione said. She pulled her hair back again, flicking a glance at Draco, who was calmly staring at her, grey eyes intense and glowing.

"See you," Bill said, as Hermione fairly ran out of the room.

"Yeah, see you!" she called over her shoulder.

"You," Bill said, glaring at Draco, "are to stay away from Hermione."

"Oh, does the eldest Weasel love Hermione?" Draco drawled. "How adorable. Should I order cards for your wedding?"

"Stay away from her Malfoy," Bill warned, "or else." He turned on his heel and strode out of the classroom.

"So much drama," Draco muttered to himself, following suit and leaving the classroom. He paused in the doorway. "That was one hell of a kiss, though."

~*~

Hermione tumbled through the portrait hole headfirst.

"Oi, Hermione, are you okay?" Ron said, jogging over. He helped her up. "You've got to be a bit more careful, all right?"

"Yeah, thanks, Ron," Hermione said. She followed him and sat with him and Harry on a sofa. "Guess what just happened."

"Ginny found out about Lavender and Hannah and went on the warpath," Harry said.

"No, that's not it," Hermione said.

"No, actually, she did. I hear she sent a Howler to Hannah and cursed Lavender," Ron said. "No one knows what she did to Dean, though. He's in his bed, eyes wide, moaning on about something."

"How'd she find out?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently Lavender told her, just to spite Dean. That's why Ginny went so light on her. Otherwise, she probably would've manually kicked her arse, instead of using a removable curse," Harry said.

"Where's Ginny now?"

"Um, I think she's in her room," Ron said. "We would've gone up, you see, but the whole thing with the stairs stopped us."

"Of course," Hermione said. "Well, I'm off to comfort her and de-curse Lavender."

"Right-o," Harry said, continuing his game of Gobstones with Ron.

Hermione ran up the stairs to Ginny's dormitory. "Ginny!" she said, opening the door slowly. "Ginny, are you in here?"

A sniffling noise emitted from a bed with its curtains drawn. Hermione walked over and got onto it, ducking through the curtains.

"He-" sniff, "was two-timing-" sniff, "me with Lavender-" she blew her nose, "and Hannah Abbott!" She dabbed at her eyes with some tissue. "H- H- How could he do this to me? Wasn't I good enough? Did I not go far enough?"

"Shh, Ginny," Hermione said. "It's okay. And any boy that pushes you farther than you want to go isn't worth your time. You'll find someone else. Someone better, who likes you and won't cheat on you."

"Really?" Ginny sniffed. "You think so?"

"I know so," Hermione said positively. "Now, what I'm about to tell you can never leave this bed. You can never tell anyone, especially Harry and Ron. If you do, you are in huge trouble. I'm talking tsunami kind of trouble. Do you swear to never speak of it to anyone?"

"I do," Ginny said, feeling a lot better now that she was going to hear a secret.

"Draco Malfoy kissed me," Hermione whispered.

"WHAT?" Ginny exclaimed. She lowered her tone at a glare from Hermione. "He kissed you?" Hermione nodded. "When? Where?" Ginny grinned. "Why?"

"About a half an hour ago," Hermione said, "in an empty classroom, and I have no idea. Before he kissed me, he said, 'You've enlightened me, Hermione,' and then just... kissed me."

"Ooh," Ginny said, bouncing. "That is très cool. Or hot. Très hot." She leaned in closer, more conspiratorial. "How was it?"

"I don't think I'm going to answer-" Hermione began.

"Oh, stuff it, Hermione," Ginny said, frowning at her. "It's the first news of this nature that has actually happened to you, and I want to know how it was."

"Fine," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "It was... well," she giggled, "really, really, really nice."

"One to ten," Ginny prompted. "One being the lowest, and so forth."

"Eight," Hermione responded promptly. "But we were interrupted before it could go on, thank God."

"Who interrupted you?"

"Bill."

"Oh, God," Ginny breathed. "Not good. He's far too overprotective for you to ever have a relationship with Malfoy now. He'll have told Malfoy off." She shook her head. "Unless..." she said slowly, "unless you keep it a secret!" She bounced again. "Think of it! Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, secret lovers!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Hermione said dryly. "We've only just kissed, you know."

"Well, then, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, secret boyfriend and girlfriend. Watch out Hogwarts, here they come!" Ginny said, laughing. "Just wait, Hermione. From what I've heard about Malfoy, he isn't one to let go of something just because he was warned off. He'll be coming after you like a firecracker was lit under his arse now."

Hermione laughed. "I doubt it, but that would be interesting."

"'And anything to make life interesting,'" Ginny said, "'is worth pursuing.'"

"Did you make that up?" Hermione asked.

"No, no- I got it from Fred and George."

"How are they, dear souls?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, they're doing well," Ginny responded. "Their joke shop is making heaps of money. They've started renovating the Burrow. Said they might as well, as they caused three-fourths of the damage."

"Oh..." Hermione said, amused. "Interesting."

~*~

Two nights later...

Hermione walked up the stairs sighing.

"I hate having to patrol the Astronomy Tower," she muttered, almost to the top. "Everyone insists on going there for their dates and it's chaos with all the snogging couples."

She stepped onto the viewing platform at the top of the Tower and looked around in surprise. There was no one there, except for a lone figure, leaning against the balcony, looking out at the scenery. She walked towards the person; hand ready to grab her wand.

"It's a lovely night, isn't it?" Draco Malfoy asked her when she was right behind him. "The stars are out, and there's not a cloud in sight."

"What're you doing out here, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"Now, now, Hermione," he said, glancing sideways at her, "I told you. Call me Draco. It is my name, after all."

"Why are you here, Draco?" She nervously fiddled with her robe, trying not to fidget too much.

He turned, now his right side was leaning against the railing and he was completely facing her. "Why not?" he asked.

"Didn't Bill warn you off?" Hermione involuntarily took a half-step back.

Draco reached out and took her hand, pulling her back and a bit closer. "Yes, if you call telling me off a warning, he did. But," he purred, "it wasn't that threatening." His mouth was right by her ear, whispering, "And I'm not easily scared away from what I want."

"What do you want?" she asked nervously, voice low, his ear was right by her mouth.

He dropped a kiss onto her neck, right below her ear, before answering. "I thought that was obvious, Hermione," he said. "You, of course."

She jumped back. "I- I don't know what you're playing at, Malfoy," she said, voice shaking, "but I don't want it include me." She turned and ran, feet quickly propelling her down the stairs and towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Damn!" Draco exclaimed, striking the railing with his fist.

~*~

Bill sat in his office, reading what appeared to be a letter.

'Falling for a student, Bill?' the voice inside his head said. It sounded remarkably like Snape at the moment. 'Oh, shut up,' he responded. 'It's not as if she likes me back. Or as if I haven't showered since the Dawn of Time,' he thought nastily towards the Snape-voice.

He sighed, and looked at his empty piece of parchment. "My life is crazy," he said. "I never should've volunteered for this job." He laughed. "And now I'm talking to myself. Either I'm completely sane or I'm going insane."

~*~

Draco stomped into the Slytherin common room.

"Everybody, OUT!" he roared.

Almost everyone scampered out of the common room and up into their dormitories except for Millicent, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott.

"Well, mates, looks like Draco's in another mood," Theo said over the top of his book.

"What is it, twice in two days?" Blaise commented sarcastically.

"What happened, Draco?" Millicent asked.

"Turned me down," Draco muttered, throwing a pillow at the wall.

"Oh. Who?" Blaise asked. "Surely not that Hufflepuff, 'cause she's been eyeing you up-"

"No, not her. Hermione," Draco said.

"Hermione?" Theo asked. "Who's Hermione?"

"Granger," Draco said, slumping in a leather chair, sulking. "Granger's name is Hermione."

Blaise and Theo stared at him, mouths agape. "Granger?" Blaise exclaimed. "You're after bloody Granger?"

Draco threw a pillow at Blaise. "Don't. Ever. Talk. Like. That. About. Hermione. Ever. Again." He glared at Blaise.

Blaise held up his hands. "Whoa, mate, no disrespect meant, okay?" Draco glared for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I was just surprised, seeing as how she's in Gryffindor and is friends with Potty and the Weasel."

Draco shrugged. "I don't care about her friends," he said. "I don't ever have to associate with them. I just care about her."

~*~

Hermione leaned against the cold stonewall two corridors away from Gryffindor Tower.

'I can't believe he did that. Why does he keep trying to kiss me like that?' She touched the spot where he had actually kissed her, right below her right ear. A shiver went through her as she remembered. She sighed. 'I know I shouldn't, but I really enjoy it when he kisses me. It's... exciting. New. Different. Dangerous, almost.'

She walked back to the Tower and went through the portrait hole. She waved at Ron and Harry, who were discussing Quidditch.

"Night, Harry, night Ron," she said.

"G'night 'Mione," they chorused. "See you in the morning."

"See you," she called over her shoulder.

Hermione climbed the stairs to Ginny's dorm. She opened the door a crack and slid through it. Walking over to Ginny's bed, she sighed again.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny said. "What's up?"

"He tried it again," she murmured.

Ginny's face split into a grin. "Really? Do tell."

"Well," Hermione began, "I was patrolling and I went up to the Astronomy Tower..."