Hermione sank against the wall, her hands on her face. She was trying desperately to comprehend what was going on here. But her heart couldn't take it. And her mind certainly couldn't either. Her brain was a complete mishmash. She felt like all the knowledge she had was draining out of her, like water being wrung from freshly laundered clothes.

Tears fell silently down her cheeks and she made no move to stop them. The two boys...not men, they weren't men...standing before her just watched. Blaise was smiling and Draco was just looking, no emotion shown on his face.

Hermione took a deep breath, quickly stopping her tears. She wasn't going to cry. Not anymore. She couldn't let them see that they had hurt her. "What is going on? Would someone just explain it to me?" She shook her head, trying to distinguish her thoughts. "Draco?"

Draco stepped towards her. Blaise put a hand out to stop him.

"Don't tell me you actually have feelings for her?" Blaise asked cruelly.

Draco shook his head and stepped back. He looked down at his feet.

Hermione was suddenly furious. "Blaise, what the hell is going on?"

"A little bet is all, my dear."

Hermione shook her head, not believing it. "But Draco? You---"

"He never liked you, you're a Mudblood and he's a Malfoy!" Blaise shouted. He laughed coldly and took a step towards her. She would have backed up further, but there was no where to go.

"What was the bet?" Hermione asked, her voice mixed with both anger and sadness.

"Tell her, Drac." Blaise urged.

"Blaise bet me I couldn't get you to fall in love with me....and sleep with me." Draco suddenly looked up at her, "But I swear, Hermione, I wouldn't have.....slept with you....that wasn't.....I stopped pretending to like you way back, Hermione. When I started to fall in love with you."

"You liar!" Hermione shouted, tears springing from her eyes. "You liar. You...you...you lied to me. I'm a bet! A stupid bet!"

"Don't go all, 'She's All That' on us, now." Blaise laughed. He looked at Draco, "That's a Muggle movie, we watched it this summer."

Draco said nothing. He was glaring at Blaise with hatred.

Hermione turned toward Blaise, "Stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me. I made the bet. I persuaded Draco to do it. I knew that he couldn't get you to fall in love with him...like I got you to."

"You jerk," spat Hermione. "You stupid jerk."

"Well, he lost," shrugged Blaise sounding thoroughly pleased with himself.

"How's your nose, Blaise?" Draco asked. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind making it worse."

"He's right," said Hermione coolly, "I wouldn't mind." She was desperately searching her pockets for her wand, but she knew she didn't have it. She'd left it.

Blaise shrugged pompously. "I wonder if I'd let this go on longer, what would have happened. Would you have slept with him, Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head, looking at Draco, "No. I wouldn't have. I'm not a slut."

Blaise made a snorting noise. Hermione glared at him, her eyes showing daggers.

Draco nodded. "You're not a slut, Hermione. I wouldn't have either."

Blaise laughed, "Right. Sure."

Draco turned to Blaise, grabbing him by the collar of his robes, "I am a jerk, I don't deny it. I hurt her...but I wouldn't HURT her like you did. You're the bigger jerk here, so stay out of it."

"Put him down, Draco." said Hermione. He set Blaise down. "If you don't get out of here, I won't stop him from killing you." Hermione said firmly.

Blaise glared at them both before leaving.

As soon as Blaise was gone, Draco stepped forward. She put a hand out to stop him.

"I don't want to hear it. Any of it." Hermione said. "I can't believe you would do this. Well, actually I can...but....I didn't think you would."

Draco shook his head, "At first I was just trying to prove myself to Blaise...because he was so stupid about getting you to sleep with him....but then, after I got to know you better. I like you."

Hermione sighed, "I don't care." Her mind suddenly wandered back to Oliver and she cringed. She had no one now. No Oliver...and certainly no Draco. "I'm going to bed."

"Just let me explain!" Draco pleaded.

"I don't trust you. There is no where that this relationship can go. Friend or otherwise." She brushed past him and she didn't look back.

Hermione was angrier than she'd ever been in her entire life as she made her way to the common room. Tears wanted to burst from her eyes, but she held them back. She held her chin up high and she acted like nothing was bothering her.

That was not the sight Harry Potter and Ron Weasley saw when their friend climbed through the portrait hole. They saw the girl they knew looking falsely cheery.

"Hermione," said Harry, standing up. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, thanks." replied Hermione, her chin still in the air. She breezed past them with the air of someone heading to visit the Queen.

Hermione flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She could hear Lavender and Parvati slowly going to sleep. But Hermione didn't sleep. She didn't even close her eyes that night.

Draco attempted to speak to her when Hermione entered the Great Hall. She just shot him an icy glare that plainly stated she wanted nothing to do with him.

Hermione had instructed Ron and Harry to act as her bodyguards for the day and to not let anyone near her. She wanted to speak to no one. She wanted nothing to do with anyone.

Hermione hadn't told them everything. Only that she was angry with Draco. They didn't know why.

She sat at the Gryffindor table with a superior look on her face. Ron and Harry exchanged uncertain glances. They were really worried about her.

When Oliver tried to catch her eye from the Head Table, she looked away immediately. The last person she wanted to talk to was him. She was done with guys. Done completely.

As far as Hermione was concerned, they were all the same. Liars. And she didn't need them.

If she didn't need them, then why was there something still nagging at her heart? Why couldn't she catch her breath when Oliver walked by her? Why did her heart start beating faster when he looked at her? Why did she get all hot when he was around?

Why couldn't she stop thinking of Oliver Wood?

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