Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun...
"Why should I believe that?"
The next day, Hermione didn't go to any of her classes. She stayed in bed, protesting she was sick, and alternated between crying and sleeping all day.
She felt like the world had literally come crashing down around her. She has essentially given up her friends for a boy who was just playing with her heart. Harry and Ron hadn't even noticed she was missing, and if they did, they didn't show it.
In the middle of the second day, she heard a knocking at the portrait door. Thinking it was someone who had forgotten the password, she went and opened the portrait. Instead, a rumpled, red-eyed Draco stood in front of her.
At the sight of him, her eyes began to leak again and she turned to go back into the common room. Unfortunately, a strong hand grabbed her and pulled her towards him.
"Just leave me alone, please," she whispered.
His eyes filled with hurt, and he said, "Hermione, what did I say to you two nights ago? Please, Hermione, tell me!"
"Oh, you don't remember? You don't remember telling me it's all a joke, calling me a Mudblood, telling me I'm too filthy to touch you?" Her voice got stronger with every word, until she was close to screaming.
"Hermione, please, listen to me! That wasn't me. I swear."
"Why should I believe that?"
"I just hoped that you would trust me... Let me explain to you what happened. Pansy saw us a couple of days ago, outside of potions. She heard me tell you to meet me in the seventh floor hallway. When I was leaving the common room, she hit me with a body bind curse and locked me in my dormitory. She already had polyjuice potion, I don't even know from where. Then she plucked a hair and boom, she was me!"
"How do I know if you're telling the truth? What if this is all a cruel joke?" Hermione whispered, confusion and sadness and anger hitting her all at once.
"Hermione, it's no joke. Think back. My voice was probably different, right?" Hermione nodded slowly as she remembered.
"Are you feeling okay? Your voice is a little more high-pitched then normal."
Seeing the nod and look of remembrance on Hermione's face, Draco pressed on. "And plus, I know all about the Room of Requirement. That's why I asked you to come up there. Pansy has no idea about it, or at least, she didn't."
"If I'm correct and I think I am, it's the Room of Requirement!"
Hermione still wasn't completely convinced though. "Why would Pansy do that?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "She has this idea that we're in love."
"Oh, and you're not?" Hermione asked bitterly.
"Well, I am in love. It's just not with her," Draco said shyly, blushing.
Despite her anger and sadness, Hermione's heart soared. "I... I love you too. I just hope this is real."
"Hermione, this is the single most real thing I've ever done."
She felt like the world had literally come crashing down around her. She has essentially given up her friends for a boy who was just playing with her heart. Harry and Ron hadn't even noticed she was missing, and if they did, they didn't show it.
In the middle of the second day, she heard a knocking at the portrait door. Thinking it was someone who had forgotten the password, she went and opened the portrait. Instead, a rumpled, red-eyed Draco stood in front of her.
At the sight of him, her eyes began to leak again and she turned to go back into the common room. Unfortunately, a strong hand grabbed her and pulled her towards him.
"Just leave me alone, please," she whispered.
His eyes filled with hurt, and he said, "Hermione, what did I say to you two nights ago? Please, Hermione, tell me!"
"Oh, you don't remember? You don't remember telling me it's all a joke, calling me a Mudblood, telling me I'm too filthy to touch you?" Her voice got stronger with every word, until she was close to screaming.
"Hermione, please, listen to me! That wasn't me. I swear."
"Why should I believe that?"
"I just hoped that you would trust me... Let me explain to you what happened. Pansy saw us a couple of days ago, outside of potions. She heard me tell you to meet me in the seventh floor hallway. When I was leaving the common room, she hit me with a body bind curse and locked me in my dormitory. She already had polyjuice potion, I don't even know from where. Then she plucked a hair and boom, she was me!"
"How do I know if you're telling the truth? What if this is all a cruel joke?" Hermione whispered, confusion and sadness and anger hitting her all at once.
"Hermione, it's no joke. Think back. My voice was probably different, right?" Hermione nodded slowly as she remembered.
"Are you feeling okay? Your voice is a little more high-pitched then normal."
Seeing the nod and look of remembrance on Hermione's face, Draco pressed on. "And plus, I know all about the Room of Requirement. That's why I asked you to come up there. Pansy has no idea about it, or at least, she didn't."
"If I'm correct and I think I am, it's the Room of Requirement!"
Hermione still wasn't completely convinced though. "Why would Pansy do that?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "She has this idea that we're in love."
"Oh, and you're not?" Hermione asked bitterly.
"Well, I am in love. It's just not with her," Draco said shyly, blushing.
Despite her anger and sadness, Hermione's heart soared. "I... I love you too. I just hope this is real."
"Hermione, this is the single most real thing I've ever done."