Canon Secrets (A Dramione Story)

Half-Blood Prince Pt. 3: Liar

Hermione Pov

As Hermione slowly climbed the steps of the Astronomy Tower with trepidation, her thoughts swirling. She didn't know what she would be faced with when she reached the top, but she hoped to Merlin that it wasn't what she was fearing the most. Her trainers thudded against each stair until she finally reached the top and saw a figure bent over the railing, looking out at the slowly setting sun.

The boy turned around at the sound of her footsteps, and she could see him visibly deflate. "Draco," she said softly.

He shook his head solemnly and tried to walk around her. "Hermione, I can't talk to you right now."

"Oh, stop it! You can and you will talk to me right now because I'm not giving you another choice! You've been avoiding me for three months and I'm done! Tell me what's going on or I'll force it out of you," Hermione said, grabbing his arm for good measure in case he still tried to get past her.

He sighed, a telltale sign he was going to spill the beans. "How did you know I was up here?"

"I asked Blaise. He was doing your prefect duties for you and happened to be the one closing up the library." Draco's eyes flashed with jealousy but he quickly composed himself.

"As to your question, nothing major has been going on; I just haven't been feeling well is all," Draco explained.

"Oh? And why didn't you respond to any of my texts over the summer?"

"Hermione, things have been tense at home. I hardly had any time to check my phone, much less respond."

"I saw you, you know; at Borgin & Burkes with your mum and Greyback and all those other people." Draco jerked back, his face stricken with surprise.

"No," he breathed. He ran a hand through his hair nervously, the action causing the sleeve of his black jumper to shift down slightly. The black head of a snake peeked out and then it was Hermione's turn to gasp with horror and surprise. Draco looked at her questioningly, and Hermione jerked his sleeve up all the way. There it was, the classic sign of the Dark Lord, inked onto her boyfriend's left arm.

She started backing away, not knowing where she was trying to go, just knowing she had to get away from him. "Hermione! No, please wait; I can explain. Please; just don't leave."

Tears were streaming down her face now, the sense of betrayal and doubt seeping into all of the nooks and crannies of her mind, blocking out any reasonable thoughts. "Did -- did I do something wrong? Is that why you joined him? Was I not good enough for you?" Hermione asked, breathing quickly.

"No, no, Hermione, it wasn't anything like that. Please understand; it wasn't my choice. My father did it; he forced me. Hermione, I need you to believe me!"

"How can I when you've been hiding this from me for months! Months, Draco. I'm your girlfriend, we're supposed to trust each other and tell each other everything. If you needed help, you should have come to me, and I would have helped you prevent this. But no, you brought this on yourself. I'm sorry, Draco, but I don't think I can be with you any longer given the knowledge that you kept this from me!"

At Hermione's declaration, Draco let go of her wrist; his face twisted with shock and dread. She stumbled back and her mind went blank. She didn't know if she could live in a world without Draco; but she knew she had to try for her own sake, if not for the world's sake. As she inched back toward the stairs, Draco's own tears started falling.

"Hermione," he choked out, "Don't do this, please, anything but this. I can't -- I can't live without you!"

"No! Don't say that because you obviously can since you went and did this. What did you think? That I was just going to say, 'Oh, well. That's too bad.'? Maybe you are as bad as Harry and Ron think. I'm sorry, I just can't do it."

Spinning on her heel, Hermione hurried down the Astronomy Tower's steps; taking one last look at Draco to find him looking shell-shocked and absolutely destroyed. She ran down the rest of the stairs and through the castle, not even bothering to look out for prefects before bursting through the doors onto the Great Lawn. She took gulping breaths of fresh air, furiously wiping tears away as they fell. Nothing like she had ever felt before was encompassing her heart, closing in around it and she could almost feel it breaking. Her legs gave out, and she sank into the grass, not even bothering to wipe away the tears. A world without Draco...the words kept echoing in her mind, accompanying the image of his Dark Mark contrasting against his pale skin just like his black suit had so handsomely not even three years ago at the World Cup. She didn't have anyone to turn to, anymore, she couldn't help but think, even though in reality, she did.

Hermione didn't even want to think about the consequences of her actions, or his, and what they meant for her life, so she opted to stare numbly out across the Black Lake. She watched the sun finally dip below the murky waters, as though symbolizing her life crashing and burning.

Once the light was almost fully gone, the wind started to pick up and fat raindrops started falling against her face. It seemed to Hermione that nature was trying its hardest to remind her of her sorrow and longing. Soon she was soaked completely so she went back inside to the Gryffindor common room where her bed was waiting. Curling up under the covers, Hermione let sleep rid her of all the worries of real life; leaving the consequences of her actions to clean up another day.

*ducks so rotten tomatoes don't hit herself* Arggggg!!!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't throw rotten tomatoes at me! Forgive me, my loyal readers!!! I've been preparing myself for this chapter since the beginning and it ripped my heart out as well. Don't mind me just crying over my own writing. Okay, okay, I'm not going to say anything else and any questions you still have you can put in the comments. Yes, they are going to have a happy ending, yes I'm am very sorry and really appreciate it if you kept going after this little plot twist. If you guys want, I'm open to writing this chapter from Draco's pov as well, but it just seemed to fit better from Hermione's pov. Thank you for reading and please comment and vote??? Ack, I'm sorry!

-Ms. Scarlet