Some Secrets Should Be Told

A/N-- Okkay, we are seriously getting towards the end now. There will probably about 19 or 20 chapters, I'm unsure cuz I've only written to the beginning of 18. Anyway, here the latest installment and please please don't yell at me for the way things had to turn out lol. ENJOY!!

Shannon xoxox

Chapter 16: Told
Hermione's Point Of View

I open my eyes in the morning and my face is very tight. I tenderly touch it and wince; they beat me bad last night. I was much too worried about Malfoy when he showed up to pay it too much attention.

Malfoy.

I turn over and his back is to me. I lean over him and prod him. He opens his eyes and groans.

"Are you feeling better?" I ask him.

"A bit," he answers weakly.

I lean down and embrace him. "How did you get Ginny last night? How did you manage to come and find me? You were so sick!"

"I just went searching around the castle. It wasn't easy; I was seriously in so much pain. I was panicking, and was yelling to try and get you, or anyone’s attention. She came out when she heard me. She saw my cry," he answers, an ashamed look on his face. "What about you? What happened? I was so worried!"

"I was on patrol, Ron was too, but we were doing different floors. I'm not really sure how it happened, they just attacked me!" I say sadly, not wanting to remember the details.

Malfoy is opening his mouth to say something, but a knock on the Portrait Hole downstairs interrupts us. I jump out of bed and run down the staircase, forgetting about my face and pushing the door out quickly.

Ginny is standing there, with tears in her eyes and running down her cheeks. Behind her is Professor McGonagall. I feel my stomach drop, and nausea kicks in full swing.

"Ms Granger," McGonagall says, stepping past me and into the Common Room. Ginny follows. I stand beside the door, my mind completely blank, I can't function properly. My heart has stopped beating and I don't feel my lungs expand with breaths. I see Ginny standing before me. She reaches out and grabs my arm, but I can't feel it.

"Hermione?" I hear her ask distantly, "I'm sorry, I had to tell," she says to me, and her words echo in my head.

I am not going to allow myself to faint. I take a deep, shuddering breath and close the Portrait. I move slowly through the room and sit lightly on the couch, on the very edge. Maybe they're here about Draco? No, Ginny wouldn't have apologized for that.

"Ms. Granger," Professor McGonagall says again, looking at my face but not my eyes. I remember the cuts and bruises, now I can't even lie about it. "Ms Weasley came to me today with some very disturbing news," she says casually.

"Oh?" I say weakly.

"Do you have anything you need to tell me?"

"No, ma'am," I answer.

"Granger!" I hear Malfoy call groggily, "Who is it?"

I can't bear to answer; I can't even speak.

I hear Malfoy's feet hit the floor, and our two visitors are completely silent.

"I swear to Merlin, if it's Potter or Weasley I'm going to do more than kill them, I'm-" Malfoy stops when he gets to the bottom of his staircase when he sees the Head of Gryffindor. I bite my bottom lip, feeling the emotions building up inside of me.

Professor McGonagall looks scandalized. "You knew about this Mr Malfoy?" she asks, completely disregarding the fact that he is only wearing boxers.

"About what?" He asks cautiously.

"About Hermione, being--- being accosted--- by Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley?"

"I... "

"He knew," Ginny says suddenly through her tears. "He knew before last night, because when I said that Hermione was on patrol with my brother he got shaky and nervous."

"I was sick," Malfoy tells her, "Or did you forget the fact that I could barely walk or speak," he says scathingly.

At this point I'm just hoping that everyone will continue talking about irrelevant things, this is definitely one confrontation I can do without.

"How many times?" McGonagall asks, looking at me.

I just purse my lips hard, not trusting my voice to speak.

McGonagall suddenly looses her stern look, she looks very sad.

"Two and a half," Malfoy says from behind her.

"A half?" she asks, somewhat sceptically.

"Well, last night would have been three, but it was stopped," he says, looking at me lovingly.

He moves across the room, coming towards me slowly. He sits on the couch beside me and puts his arm around my back, I lean into him instinctively. I'm willing myself not to cry. I look up at Professor McGonagall, who is looking very scary indeed.

"We're going to have to talk about punishments, Ms Granger. As you know, Potter is our only hope."

I nod, "I know," I squeak out.

"What do you propose we do about this?" McGonagall asks.

"You don't have to do anything. Just let him and Ron go, please?" I ask.

Draco looks furious.

"Are you crazy?!?!" he practically shouts at me.

"No, please. Without them everyone will die, or worse. Just let them go, and maybe we shouldn't have alot of people knowing about this whole thing," I practically beg of McGonagall.

She purses her lips at me. I know this is all against her better judgment, but really, if Harry and Ron go to Azkaban there will be no chance of beating Voldemort, and then everyone will just be doomed. She nods her head.

"Ms Weasley," she says, reaching for her hand. Ginny looks angry and mortified, but she looks happy compared to Malfoy.

"Granger! This is your one chance, your one chance to save yourself, don't just let them go!"

"They aren't going to hurt me anymore," I say.

Malfoy almost looks like he's going to cry...or kick something. He storms away, back into his room.

"You're sure, Ms Granger?" Professor McGonagall asks, her wand tip sitting on Ginny’s hand.

I nod.

The magic is performed, and Ginny gives me an incredibly scathing look and stalks out of my Common Room.

"I'm sorry," Professor McGonagall says sadly before retreating.

I sigh, allowing the tears to breach my eyelids and start heading back up Malfoy’s staircase.

****

"I'm sorry okay, it was just the easiest way to clean this entire mess up," I say through my tears to Malfoy’s back. He hasn't looked at me since I came into his room. He doesn't acknowledge me.

"Malfoy... " I start, "I need you to try and understand. If this gets out then Harry will be shunned, maybe even thrown into prison. If that happens... well then we're all doomed. Please. I kept it to the limited amount of people knowing to save everyone. Please understand!" I beg.

He finally turns and looks at me, pain in his eyes.

"I wanted you to be helped."

I break out in a watery smile, "But I was, you helped me!"

His eyes lighten a little bit and I crawl across the bed towards him.

"You're feeling better?" I ask.

He nods with a look of confusion on his face.

I straddle his hips and lean down over him, my hair cascading down to touch his neck and collarbones as I kiss him. He kisses back. I break the kiss, moving down to his beautiful stomach, his abs and pecs tense under my lips and my hands fly to his silky blond hair.

He flips us over and I'm trapped underneath him, but I like it.

"Hermione," he whispers between kisses and my heart catches at the sound of my given name coming off of his lips.

He moves down, nipping at my collarbones and neck. I moan deep in the back of my throat.

He reaches the hem of my tank top and pulls it over my head. He takes in my small breasts and then leans down, catching my nipple between his teeth. All I can manage to do is rub at his biceps with my hands. Malfoy then continues his way down, kissing down my stomach and reaching the top of my shorts. He looks up at me, and I'm looking at him through half-closed eyes.

He pulls my shorts off of me, and leans into the apex of my thighs, breathing deeply. I can feel the flutter in my stomach. He reaches up and fondles my breasts while his tongue lavishes my clit with attention. I'm moaning more frequently now, bucking my hips into his face. He lets go of my breasts and holds my hips down with his hands so I can't move into his face anymore. After a few more moments I feel a tightening in my lower belly.

I call out as my orgasm crashes through my body. While I'm panting, Malfoy removes his boxers and crawls up my body so his hips are between my thighs. I can feel the head of his cock at my entrance. He leans down and kisses me forcefully, and I can taste myself on him. This is highly arousing and I kiss him greedily. He pushes into me, agonizingly slow. He lets out a deep groan as he enters me and I join him, moaning loudly at the feel of his cock filling me up. He stays still for a moment, but I can't handle it anymore. I begin rocking my hips into him, and he groans loudly again. He starts moving on top of me and I've never felt more happy in my life.

His hand goes to my breast again, rubbing his palm over my erect nipple in circles. He manages to lean down and suck my nipple into his mouth again and my body arches into him. He looks up at me and I see a playful, yet lust filled look in his beautiful grey orbs. He reaches between our bodies and finds my clit again, rubbing it forcefully.

"Oh, Gods," I manage to choke out, feeling my body tighten again.

One more flick over my clit does it, and I crash around him.

"Oh, Gods! Draco!" I yell.

My muscles are contracting around his cock and I can feel him begin pulsating within me. He thrusts frantically a few more times and then spills his seed within my body, groaning loudly.

"Hermione," he whispers against my lips, leaning in for rushed kisses.

We lay still for a long while, Malfoy still laying on top of me, his cock still inside of me. We're both covered in a small sheen of sweat and he looks into my eyes.

"I want to be with you forever," he reveals, and I smile at him, leaning up for another kiss.

We kiss passionately for a few moments and Malfoy pulls out of me slowly. I whimper at the loss.

"Are you okay?" he asks me, a startled look in his eyes. He obviously misunderstood my whimper.

"I'm more than okay," I answer him.

"You called out my name when you climaxed. My real name,"

I give him a shy smile, "You called mine, too."

"I love hearing my name falling from your lips,"

I smile at him, "I have to agree whole-heartedly... Draco."

He was going to retort, but a pecking at the window stopped him. He turned to see his owl tapping on the window with one of its long talons, a scroll tied around its leg. Draco jumps from the bed and runs to the window, throwing it open. He pulls the scroll off and stands still for a moment, just staring at it. Draco turns and looks at me in a devastating sort of way.

"What?" I whisper, not understanding in the slightest.

"This is the letter that I sent out... "

"What does that mean?" I ask, my heart fluttering wildly.

Draco looks at me sadly, "I don't know," he says, rushing forwards and throwing on clothes.

I follow suit, and no longer than three minutes later, I'm following him out of the Portrait Hole and to Dumbledore's office, the scroll still held firmly in his hand.

He rushes to the Gargoyle. "Do you know the password?" he asks desperately.

I shake my head no and start ranting random candies out, I convert from wizarding to muggle candies without even realising.

"Gobstopper!" The gargoyle moves aside and Draco looks at me questioningly. I shrug and usher him through.

We get to the top and Draco knocks on the door fiercely.

"Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore starts calmly, although he looks terribly sad, "I was just going to come see you."

My heart drops into my stomach. This is not going to be good.