Just Pretend

A/N: This chapter was beta-ed by my wonderful beta Molls.

When they were in the car, Mr.Granger asked Draco to get Cheeko and take him to his room. Why would he do that? Was it a ploy to get him to go into Hermione's room?

When Draco finally arrived at Hermione's house, it was late. Mr.Granger entered the house first, followed by Draco. They found Harry sitting on the couch alone in the dark. What was his problem? Draco thought Potter would have gone home with the Weasleys. Draco interrupted the silence.

"What--some asshole kiss your girlfriend, too?" Draco asked.

"Hermione told me that you guys agreed to go out only as a way to put up a fake front," Harry answered. What was he suppose to say--I almost fucked your girlfriend?! Draco was surprised that she told him. Was he ok with it?

"Oh she did? Well -"

Harry cut him off. "Draco, I'm sorry but I'm not really in a talking mood and you're the last one I want to talk to right now." With that being said, Harry got up and walked away.
Draco sat there for a minute or two. He didn't think he would be that pissed that they pretended for a little bit. What was it to him anyway? Was that why he was even mad?

Maybe this hurt Hermione, he wondered. Well, it probably did but not enough for Harry to be pissed off like that. Draco sat there for a minute thinking. He could have sworn that he smelt alcohol of some sort on him. To be honest, it was like he took a swim in it.

Then Draco started to wonder if he smelt like that too. Draco sighed deeply. He grabbed the front of his shirt and smelt it. Sure enough, it smelt like the pub they were in.

He needed a shower. Badly. He got up off of the couch. On the way to his room to grab his things, he stopped to look at Hermione's door. He tip toed over to her door and opened it softly. No Cheeko! Yay! He looked at Hermione sleeping in her bed. He loved her...but he was upset with her. It hurt him that she kissed Ron. It hurts him not to be with her. Why would she do that? Wasn't he enough for her? Did this have to do with his father?

Draco mentally ticked off potential reasons why she might have done this. Frustrated, he sighed and decided he had to at least lay with her for just a little bit. He would leave before she woke up. He needed to smell her. He need to hear her mumble little things in her sleep. He needed to watch breathing.

He needed...her. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths of her scent in. He was only going to stay for a little bit.

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Ginny felt thebed shift as weight was being put on it. She rolled over to see Harry getting in bed with her. She looked at him, confused. Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. "Let me hold you for a little bit." He pleaded with her quietly.

Ginny knew something was wrong. He never just wanted to hold her until there was something bothering him. Ginny turned in his arms to face his chest. She started to leave little kisses on his neck. "Tell me what's wrong."

Harry tilted his head to the side to give her more access to his neck. "Nothing." Harry lied.

"Liar. The only time you do this is when something is wrong," Ginny said. She could smell that he had been drinking. Wasn't he with Hermione though? She figured that they were drinking together. Or swimming in it together. She tried to wiggle her way out of his arms. He only held her more tightly. She should have known better.

"I don't want you to hate me." Harry said so softly she almost didn't hear it.

"Will you tell me if I promise not to hate you?" Ginny asked. She stopped peppering him with her little kisses. There was a long silence before he answered her.

"I was drinking with Hermione. She started to get really depressed. Then she started asking why we never dated. I told I never had interest in her and she never did for me. Then we kind of snogged for a second. I stopped her and told her that I couldn't because I was in love with you.
She got upset and asked why no one wanted her. She smacked me and told me that she hated me. Then I left."

Ginny was silent and she wasn't moving. It was killing him that she wasn't saying anything.

"I don't hate you. I feel bad for Hermione--for what Ron did to her. Plus she and Malfoy are fighting a lot. Then Ron kissing her. Malfoy seeing it and thinking only Merlin knows what." Ginny was silent again.

They were just listening to each other breathe. "I'm glad you told me. Thank you for not lying to me about it." Ginnny rolled on top of Harry and started to kissed him. Demandingly. Ginny moaned in his mouth and his tongue did wicked things with hers. When they broke the kiss, Ginny giggled before she placed a silencing charm on her door. Then Harry rolled them over to start again where they left off.

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Hermione woke up to the blinding sun in her eyes. She was hung over and her head was killing her. She snuggled into something warm next to her. It was too big to be Cheeko. She slowly turned her head to see Draco. She tried to get out of his arms but he tightened them and growled as he buried his face into her hair.

Hermione stared at him with a look of disbelief. Did he just growl at me? She started to wiggle and struggle to get out of his arms, which was no easy feat. Eventually she gave up. It was no use, he had an iron grip.

"Draco..." Nothing. No response at all. "Draco..." She said much louder. Draco shot up and crashed heads with her. Hermione grabbed her forehead. She heard Draco hissing in pain, grabbing his own forehead.

He opened his eyes to see Hermione. Fuck! He didn't mean to fall asleep in here. Shit! He had stayed the whole tonight. "What are you doing in here?" She asked, trying to rub the pain away from her forehead.

"Umm...I came home drunk...I guess I mistook your room for mine." Draco made up a quick lie that she would hopefully believe.

"Ow...Draco that really hurt." She looked at Draco and noticed something that she didn't see before. It was hardly there now but if you were as close as she was you could see it.

"Sorry...you startled me. I didn't think you would scream my name." Draco said. He was so tempted to throw in 'Unless you were have a mind numbing orgasm while I was pounding into you'.

"Is that bruise from me?" Hermione asked, surprised. Well, of course it was. Who else would have hit him? But Hermione could have sworn that she hit him on the other cheek. Draco eyes grew wide. He looked across the room.
When he looked in the full length mirror. There was the bruise his father gave him. Dammit! The glamour charm had worn off. Fuck! Draco was hung over and his head felt like someone took a axe to it. He felt like crap and now he was either going to have to think of another lie or just tell her the truth.

"I don't remember how it happened," Draco tried lying.

"You're lying. I'm sorry I didn't think I hit you that hard." Hermione said, feeling guilty.

"You didn't." Draco got really quiet and refused to look her in the eye. "My father did it." Hermione almost didn't hear him say it.

"Because of me." Hermione guessed. Draco raised his head and just stared into her eyes. Well, there was a good reason why she was called the brightest witch of her age. Hermione started to make little circles on the blanket with her finger.

"Um...Draco...are you still mad at me?" That was all she could say before her mother interrupted her by walking in.

"Honey..." Mrs. Granger stopped, surprised to see she and Draco sitting together in bed, but she didn't comment on it. "Aunt Sammy is having her baby, your father and I are going to the hospital. You have to watch your cousin Tommy."

"What?! No! Please, Mom." Hermione begged. She didn't want to watch that brat. Draco looked at Hermione. What was the big deal about her having to babysitt some kid.

"Sorry, honey, you have to. I want you to finish decorating and have the house clean. The Weasleys are coming over." Hermione's mother explained.

"Why?" Hermione asked, bordering on whining, not wanting to see Ron again. Draco tensed at hearing this.

"Honey, it's Christmas Eve. How could you forget?" She rattled down a list of tasks for Hermione to accomplish before leaving for the hospital.

Hermione had forgotten about the Weasleys coming over on Christmas Eve to spend time with them. But at least on Christman Day she knew the Weasleys always stayed home.

Sighing, she finally wriggled her way out of Draco's arms. Then she went downstairs to see her older cousin Dennis dropping off Tommy. All Hermione could think of was how this day was going to be hell.