Things Happen

Draco's POV

"Pansy are you sure about this," Draco asked, quite skeptical of her plan. Sure It could work, but Draco knew the whole jealousy thing didn't even work with regular girls, let alone someone like Hermione. She was too smart for this. She would either realize what was going on, or think it through too much and just think that he was done with her and into Pansy.

"Trust me, Draco. I'm a girl. Jealousy always works."

Maybe Pansy was right. Maybe he should just trust her more.

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Pansy's POV

Pansy wasn't a complete idiot. She knew the jealousy thing would probably never work, especially with Hermione. Hermione would definitely think it through way too much. But Pansy's plan just had to work. If her plan worked, then everything would be good. Everyone would be happy...well, almost everybody...

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Draco's POV

Draco and Pansy walked to the Great Hall hand in hand.

"I swear Pansy if this doesn't work," said Draco, but Pansy quickly cut him off.

"Draco, stop worrying so much. We have to look like a happy couple. I promise, it'll work," she said. But there was something about the smile on her face that made Draco even more worried than he was before. They paused right outside the Great Hall.

"You ready for this," Pansy asked.

Draco looked down at the ground, thinking. This just had to go right. He knew how horribly bad it could go, which is what worried him the most. On top of that, Draco had never really trusted Pansy, and he still wasn't positive if he wanted the fate of the love of his life and himself to be in her hands, but it was the only option that he had.

"Yeah...I'm ready."

"Okay," said Pansy with a bright, happy smile on her face," Let's do this."

Draco tried to copy the happy-go-lucky look that was on her face, and wrapped his arms around her waist as they walked together.

Heads turned from every table as they walked across the Hall and whispers followed them as they would turn away. You see, everyone had always known that Pansy was in love with Draco, but usually Draco would just blow her off. No one seemed to understand how all of the sudden they could just be together.

Draco and Pansy finally got to their table and with one swift glare at their friends, Draco was able to hush any questions that anyone wanted to ask. Draco let out a sigh of relief as he was finally able to look over to where Hermione was sitting. She had a slightly confused look on her face, and she was just picking at her food. He expected to see Ron next to her, but he was actually sitting at the complete other end of the table.

"Weird," he said to himself.

"What's wrong, babe," said Pansy, draping herself over him after following his gaze.

"Um, nothing," he said, trying to smile back at her.

Maybe they broke up, maybe he had been sitting with Hermione and had to go talk to one of his siblings, or maybe...no...that wasn't a possibility. Because if that was the case, then Draco wouldn't be going through all of this.

But still Draco couldn't help but think that maybe Hermione and Ron had never been together in the first place.

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Hermione's POV

Hermione just didn't understand. Why would Draco ever go out with Pansy? Over the past couple of months Draco hadn't seemed to be into anyone, which was very unlike him. She had just been starting to believe that maybe Draco did really did care about her. That maybe he had really meant everything he said. As much as they had been avoiding each other, Draco had been constantly still staring at her. What had changed? But why should she care? She didn't like him. She hated him. But she knew that she really didn't. She had feelings for him and she couldn't deny them anymore. Hermione looked up to see Ginny staring at her worriedly, as if she was expecting Hermione to burst into tears.

"What," Hermione asked.

"Oh, um, nothing."

There was an awkward pause as Ginny looked down and Hermione tried gather her thoughts. She wasn't sure what Ginny's reaction would be if she just said something, and she wasn't exactly sure that this was the place to say it, but Hermione made a quick decision, grabbed Ginny's wrist, and practically ran out of the Great Hall, pulling Ginny along with her.

"Hermione. What the hell?"

"Ilovehim," Hermione said, slurring her words together in the effort of just trying to get it out.

"Wait. What," Ginny said looking confused, but Hermione could see a small smile playing across her lips.

Hermione took a deep, calming breath and repeated herself, "I love him."

Suddenly, in a blur, Hermione was caught up in a hug.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it," Ginny began to scream.

"Shhhhhh. Shhhhh," said Hermione, trying to calm Ginny down as people began to stare, but Hermione didn't really care. She began to laugh, but then a thought popped into her mind, and her smile turned to a pout.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh , come on. Like you didn't see him all over Pansy this morning?"

"Hermione, there's no way he likes her. Until this morning he wouldn't even give Pansy the time of day. Why all the sudden now would he just want to be with her? Plus he didn't exactly look happy this morning."

"Oh, really," said Hermione, thinking about the happy smile the had been on his face this morning, "He seemed pretty pleased to me."

"That wasn't a genuine smile. There's no way."

Hermione was about to respond, but then Draco and Pansy walked out of the Great Hall. They took a quick look around. Pansy seemed to spot Hermione first. She quickly tapped Draco on the shoulder, looked over at Hermione, wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, and kissed him, all in what seemed to be one fluent motion.

Hermione could feel the tears coming almost immediately. There was no way that she could just get past them without Draco seeing her crying. Ginny seemed to understand Hermione's thoughts. She quickly turned Hermione in the other direction and hid her from any one else that might be able to see.

Until Pansy and Draco were done, Hermione's life wasn't going to be easy.

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Ginny's POV

After Ginny had gotten Hermione upstairs, without anyone seeing her crying, she began to walk down to the Great Hall. Something wasn't right. She could just tell.

"Well she didn't seem to notice this morning."

Ginny suddenly heard someone whispering anxiously.

"As if she didn't. She was crying the minute I kissed you."

Another voice. They couldn't be talking about what she thought they were.

"She was," the first voice asked curiously.

"Yes. You couldn't see her, but I was able to get a glimpse before she turned away."

They had to be talking about something and someone else. There was no way. Ginny had been very quick turning Hermione around.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

The first voice let go of the whisper this time and she could identify it as Draco Malfoy.

"Draco, I'm positive."

Ginny now knew that the second voice was Pansy. But it seemed like there was a double meaning to her statement. Draco didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Well, if your positive," and with that Ginny heard them both walk away.

She had to tell Hermione.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

But right as Ginny was running to tell Hermione, Hermione was leaving the safe haven of the Gryffindor common room. Draco was sitting in the Slytherin common room, pondering about Hermione and Ron's relationship. But where was Pansy. She was going to put phase two of her plan into action. The phase that would complete her plan.

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Hermione knew that she was probably better off staying in the common room, but she needed to walk around. She needed to clear her thoughts. But of course, she ran right into one the people who had made her upset in the first place.

"Hermione?"

The fact the Pansy was actually talking to her, let alone using her actual name, shocked her.

"Uh-um...yes?"

"Can we have a little talk? Girl to girl?"

Hermione couldn't quite get the words out to respond, so she just nodded.

They both sat down, and at first an awkward pause arose. Pansy spoke first, but her tone was more threatening than friendly this time.

"I know about you and Draco."

Hermione could feel a look of shock spread across her face. Pansy just laughed a horrible, evil laugh.

"I know you love him. I can see it. But, you see, there's a little problem, isn't there? I love him too. And we can't both have him, can we?"

Pansy paused, as if waiting for Hermione to respond.

"I asked you a question mudblood."

"Um, well no. I suppose we can't. So maybe you should just stay away from him and leave him to me."

Pansy looked shocked this time. Even Hermione was a little shocked about what had just come from her mouth. But Pansy came right back at her.

"And what makes you think that he would want someone like you?"

"Well exactly what do you think he would want with a bitch like you."

Again, Hermione surprised herself.

"Well he's already with me, isn't he?"

"Oh and like you had nothing to do with that? Draco wouldn't even give you the time of day yesterday. "

"I give you credit. You have looks. You've improved in that field. And you've always been smart. But like brains actually matters to Draco. You're a mudblood, you're in Gryffindor, and you best friends with his worst enemies. What would he want with someone like that?"

Her words stung this time.

"On the other hand, I'm perfect. I'm everything that Draco could ever want in a girl."

Hermione really thought about it and came to a realization. What would someone like Draco want with a girl like Hermione? Someone so different than him? Someone that he used to hate so much?

Hermione, for the second time today, felt tears begin to run down her face.

"That's what I thought," said Pansy with a satisfied look on her face. With that she walked away, probably so she could tell Draco how much she just ridiculed some stupid girl who was in love with him. And then they would laugh about it, while Hermione sat here in the cold, all alone.