Chapter 5 – Afterwards

"Hermione, I have the perfect idea," Ginny said excitedly as she sat down next to Hermione at breakfast a few weeks later.

"You have a perfect idea for what?"

"Revenge, Malfoy, have you forgotten,"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, he was under a lust a potion,"

"But…" Harry and Ron took this moment to join them, the conversation seized there.

The foursome left the table nearly half an hour later to go get their cloaks and brooms so they could go flying. Well only three of them were going to fly, Hermione was going to watch with an interesting book.

As they left the great hall they passed Pansy, Daphne and Millicent. Pansy shot Hermione a piercing look. "Are you still doing that, Pansy why don't you give it up and get back with him? Isn't that what you wanted for like forever?" Daphne asked exasperated.

"I don't know, I'm jealous," Pansy sighed.

"Why?" Millicent asked, "What has she got on you?"

"You two, just leave me alone!" Pansy screeched before storming off to the quidditch pitch. She had no idea why she went there of all places, maybe she subconsciously wanted to see Draco who she knew was out here flying with Theo and Blaise.

Hermione looked hopelessly at the fight, "Why can't you lot just fly together, or at least just have half a pitch each."

"Hermione you don't understand," Harry said dismissively.

"Yeah Hermione, there's no way we could fly with then, even if you…" Ginny smirked suggestively.

"You're not the one having to fly with them," Ron stated.

"Oi, stick your nose out!" Blaise grit out.

"You fly together during games," Hermione moaned. Even if she wasn't going to fly didn't mean she didn't have a clue.

"Granger has a point," Draco groused, just wanting to fly already. Pansy hadn't been talking to him for weeks and he had no clue how to make her forgive him. Flying was the only thing that helped because he didn't have to think and this pointless fight was aggravating him to no end.

"How could you!" Pansy shrieked so shrilly that everyone thought their eardrums would burst. "How could you? How could you agree with her, after you told me that nothing was going on?"

"Pans I just want to fly,"

"Don't. Call. Me. Pans!" Pansy turned to Hermione and slapped her, "You bitch, how dare you steal my boyfriend?"

Ginny laughed bitterly, "What are you accusing Hermione of? Are you insane, Malfoy loves you, he been miserable ever since you left him, all you have been doing is fretting over the impossible and making him and yourself miserable. Get real. At least you have the guy you want," Ginny willed herself not to look at Harry but she did, it was the briefest glance and she was sure no one noticed but her head had moved on its own accord and it pissed her off immensely.

"But they slept together," Pansy wept out or she would have done if someone hadn't fired a silencing charm at her.

"Draco you should be attacking them not Pansy!" Blaise called out annoyed.

"I agree with Granger too," Theo said monotonously as he mounted his broom and kicked off. Draco followed suit.

"Can't we just leave the Slytherins for today, look they're already up,"

"Yeah I agree," Ginny muttered sensing that if they didn't get away there was going to be chaos, there were just some things that should be kept quiet. She pulled Harry as Hermione dragged Ron and the four made a slow retreat back to the castle.

"What was that for?"

"What was that about?" the two boys asked simultaneously.

"A lovers tiff, I suppose,"

"But accusing Hermione, no offence but she is the last person he would cheat on her with, Malfoy and Hermione, now that's funny,"

"Ha, ha funny, it is, isn't it?" Hermione said weakly.

Ginny saw their funny looks and decided the chat should end there. "I heard that there was going to be a… erm, a…"

"A what, what's there going to be," Ron asked excitedly.

"Erm, something, there's going to be something, a surprise, yes, a secret, no one knows."

"How did you find out about this secret, did you overhear the teachers talking, did they sound excited?"

"Yes, they did, how did you know Hermione?"

"I didn't I guessed,"

"Well it was a good guess,"

"Let's go to the library,"

"What was that about?" Blaise asked once everyone had left.

"Nothing," Pansy answered with the most miserable face she could muster.

"It didn't look or sound like nothing,"

"I was so happy when Draco asked me out, I thought he would never, I thought he would only like me like a friend or sister and never see me as anything more,"

"What has that got to do with Granger?"

"Nothing,"

"Are you just making excuses to be angry at him, even the girl Weasley could see that Draco likes you a lot, why can't you see it?"

"I don't know," Blaise pulled her into a hug, if you two haven't made up by the end of the day I won't talk to either of you until you do and I'll have a rather unpleasant surprise waiting for you," he whispered into her ear before mounting his broom and kicking off. Pansy looked up at the three Slytherins as they flew about, she suddenly wanted to fly as well.

Draco landed by her a moment later, "Get on,"

"No," she shook her head, he grabbed her and pulled her on.

"It's just flying, I'm not asking for forgiveness,"

"But I forgive you," she whispered, "You're not the one that I'm angry at, it's myself I can't seem to trust you and I hate that, and I don't think I really liked you, I just like the idea of having you,"

"Shall we just stay friends then?"

"Friends?"

"We could always give it another shot another time,"

"I don't know, I love you but not that way,"

"I love you too, but not that way too,"

"Not the way I feel when I with Blaise,"

"Not the way Blaise loves you,"

"Blaise doesn't love me, he was telling me to get back with you," Pansy denied in shock.

"That's because he thought you would be happy with me, you should tell him,"

"I can't," Pansy looked at him, searching for something, "I'm going inside now, let me down. Draco hovered a few feet from the ground and Pansy jumped off before walking up to the castle.

"You two made up then,"

"Yes, we decided to stay friends,"

"What!" The boys called out, but you were so miserable and so was she.

"We were miserable because we didn't love each other."

Pansy looked back at the pitch just before it went out of view. She saw the three boys on broomsticks hovering in a circle most likely talking. She turned and walked on.

Back at the Slytherin common room she went and sat with her gang of girls.

"You glanced at me," Harry suddenly chirped.

"What," Ginny said absentmindedly.

"When you said, 'at least you have the guy you want,' and then you glanced at me,"

Ginny's face flamed as red as her hair.

"Let's leave them some space," Ron smiled as he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her a few table's away. When they got there he didn't let go of her hand and Hermione gazed at it. Ron ears went scarlet and Hermione smiled sheepishly.