TRUTH OR DRINK

Hermione woke up drenched in sweat. Her clothes were damp and stuck to her skin. She looked out the window. It was pitch black outside. She had slept through the whole day and part of the night. She should've looked into the side effects.

She rolled over and checked the clock on her nightstand. 4:00 am. Draco would have been long asleep by now. Hermione stripped her bed and went to the showers to get ready for what was going to be a rather long day. She was nervous about going to class after missing a whole day.

"Pass your assignments to the person to your right to be corrected." Deloris Umbridge instructed.

Hermione was sitting on the far left desk which meant she would have to correct Draco's as he sat at the far right of the row. He floated it over to her so he wouldn't have to get up. She was excited to see how well he did. She already predicted her 100% as she listened to the answers to the questions. Draco hadn't gotten a single one wrong. She felt proud of him even though it was a rather easy assignment.

"Return the assignments and turn them in on my desk." The professor spoke in a voice that seemed to irritate everyone as soon as she opened her mouth.

Hermione received her assignment and to her horror, a large - 1 was scribed on the top of her page. Her heart sank. Draco did better than her? They were the most simple questions about what you should do if you encounter a Cornish Pixie and Hermione got one wrong. Hermione looked over at Draco who was very much pleased with himself.

"I would like to acknowledge our top students this month." Umbridge perked up. Hermione relaxed. She had been on top since the beginning of the year. Hopefully, one mark would cost her place. "Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Hermione Granger. Congratulations. I aspire every single one of you to work as hard as them."

Third? Hermione's heart sank. How could she bump down two places in a month? And how was Draco, let alone Zabini, in front of her? She clenched her jaw.

She thought about her grade for the rest of the day. She couldn't remember the last time she had gotten less than perfect on an assignment. She also avoided Draco. She wouldn't allow him to see her feeling shame over something as stupid as one markdown. She worked extra hard in the rest of her classes. Rechecking her work twice. Three times. Four times. As many times it took to make sure every single problem was correct and then some. When classes were dismissed, she asked multiple professors for extra credit. Most of them refused, explaining that if her grade was any higher, she would ruin the learning curve for everyone else.

After dinner, she went straight to the library to study. She had stacks of books surrounding her, blocking her off from the rest of the world. She transported herself into every single book she read. The worst part about the O.W.Ls is that she had no idea what was going to be on the test, so she had to study everything. Her brain felt as if it would explode from all of the information. And from the stress, Hermione began to cry.

Nobody understood that she had never been naturally intelligent. Clever, yes, but when it came to remembering facts, she would have to read them a million times to engrave them into her brain. That's how she became so bright. From a very young age, she dedicated herself to learning. The reward of a perfect score was like a drug. She would work her ass off day and night just to see another 100% at the top of a test.

The towering books overwhelmed her. She was frustrated with herself because she couldn't focus. She sent the books back to their shelves and cleaned her slate. Due to her anxiety, the pressure, she got out of her chair and kicked it over just before storming out of the library paying no mind to the other students who had been watching her.

When she got to her room, she was extremely flustered. She shot her wand at an empty glass on her nightstand.

"Aguamenti."

Nothing happened.

"Aguamenti!"

Still nothing. Hermione wanted to snap her wand in half. She knew that lack of focus or motivation was the main reason for failing spells. She grabbed the glass and threw it at the wall. Shattering it into pieces. It felt good. She grabbed the glass pitcher next to it and shattered that too. Shards covered her floor. They crunched as she walked over them to her desk. She picked up her wooden chair and smashed it across the top of the desk. She had never taken out her anger physically before. Sometimes if she was stressed, she would sneak to the Forbidden Forest and practice destructive spells on rocks and trees. But this was entirely different.

She took the remaining part of the chair that she was still holding and went over to her window that looked a little too intact. Before she could smash it, her door swung open, making her drop it and spin around.

"What the hell, Hermione?" Draco stared at her in disbelief.

"I-I-I'm… I'm h-h-h." Hermione stuttered. "I'm having a bad day. Leave me alone!" her face was hot from embarrassment. She couldn't believe he was seeing her like that.

"Is this because of your D.A.D.A assignment?" She shot him a nasty look. "Okay. Sorry, sorry." Draco sat her on the bed. "You know Blaise and I are only at the top because we've been enforcing her new rules. It has nothing to do with our grades."

"What?" Hermione said shakily.

"She chose me because she knows Harry and I don't get along. She wants to put a stop to his nonsense and honestly, I couldn't agree more. He's pathetic."

"Why do you care about what Harry does?"

"It's every day with him! Chosen one this. Chosen one that. Well, I'm choosing to put an end to it." Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Besides, he probably couldn't do half the things he has done without you."

"You noticed?" Hermione gave him a short smile. Even though she loved Harry, he would've been dead by now if it wasn't for her.

"I notice everything." He held her hand. "Like how he wouldn't have figured out the Basilisk situation if he didn't find that crumpled-up paper in your hand second year.

"How did you..." Hermione started.

"Anyway," Draco interrupted. "Why is your room destroyed?" He looked over her dorm which was now in shambles. Hermione laughed.

"I couldn't cast an Aguamenti charm." She looked down, embarrassed. "Ridiculous, I know. I'm just stressed."

"You shouldn't be. You're the only one in this whole school that gives a shit about their grades. You'll probably have the highest score on O.W.Ls anyway."

That cheered her up a bit. She didn't say anything but he knew she was starting to feel a little better. He handed her her wand that was abandoned on her bed.

"Now, are you going to fix this place or not?"

"I don't think I can…" Her disappointment returned.

"You can."

She took a deep breath and waved her wand. The chair pieced back together in a matter of seconds and the glass mended itself and was placed neatly back on the nightstand. Draco smirked before he stood up and went to her door.

"See ya around, Granger."

***

Hufflepuff won the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Ron decided it was the perfect night for a party considering Gryfindor would play Hufflepuff next which would be an easy win that would place them into the championship with whoever won between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. For whatever reason, the Gryffindors agreed to celebrate.

After dinner, Hermione walked into an overcrowded common room. Music loud, students drinking, and an overwhelming amount of yellow decorated the walls. She didn't see any Ravenclaws there. Not even the prefects. They must be too upset to party. Usually, she would go to her room for the night but after this week, she needed a drink. There wasn't much alcohol left but she managed to get a mug of butterbeer. Hopefully, it would tie her over for the night. She turned around and looked for Draco in the crowd. He got her attention with a smile from across the room. They stared at each other for a while before Ron burst through the door, holding a large object over his head.

"A gallon of Firewhisky!" He waved the jug around. Everyone cheered.

"I think this calls for a little game of truth or drink!" Seamus called, standing on the coffee table.

A few yelled and a few groaned. The Hufflepuffs crowded in a corner, disagreeing with his idea.

"Snakes and Lions it is then!" Students in red and green robes circled around Seamus. "Rules are simple. Pass the bottle, ask a truth. If the person next to you doesn't want to answer, they drink."

"I'll start!" Ron handed the heavy jug to Pansy Parkinson. "Is it true that you and Blaise have been hooking up?" Ron asked enviously. Pansy made eyes at Blaise. Blaise looked away as she took a big swig, holding it in both hands. The students erupted in shouts and murmurs. Ron turned red.

"Okay, next," Pansy said, looking rather satisfied. She handed the jug to Harry and thought about her question for a minute. "Harry, is it true that You-Know-Who is back?"

Harry, who looked annoyed, answered yes and took a drink anyway. He handed the bottle to Seamus.

"Is it true that you're still a virgin, mate?"

"Depends who's asking." Seamus took three long pulls from the jug, getting everyone all rowdy. He tossed the jug to Hermione. "So, Granger. Who was that love bite from during holiday? We're all dying to know."

Hermione's eyes winded. She avoided Draco's intrigued look at all costs. There was no way she was going to give Seamus the satisfaction of answering his question. She took a drink, swallowed hard, and forced herself not to gag. She looked up to see a bunch of disappointed faces. Except for Draco, who looked relieved. She handed the jug to the next person. She sipped on her Butterbeer as the Firewisky made its way around the circle. It reached Theodore Nott who handed the bottle to Draco.

"Draco, how are you feeling about Parkinson and Zabini's newly discovered relationship?" Draco held the gallon by the handle and swung it by his side.

"Honestly, I'm thrilled. I'm quite pleased she's not wasting her time with me anymore." He winked at Pansy. Hermione cringed. Even though they weren't right for each other, she couldn't deny the chemistry they had.

Questions and drinks came and went. As the bottle emptied, everyone was feeling tipsy. No, not tipsy. Drunk. Everyone was absolutely smashed. Even the Hufflepuffs who were having their own party on the sidelines were belligerently drunk. Seamus finished the last sip and laid the jug on its side on top of the coffee table.

"You what know this means. Haha!" Seamus slurred his words but everything knew what he was talking about as they sat down in a circle. The girls giggled as they looked over their options. Hermione wanted one person and one person only. Kissing him in front of everyone would be so satisfying.

Seamus spun the jug. It landed on Daphne Greengrass. A disgusted face spread over her face but she simply shrugged and went in for the kiss. It seemed that her standards didn't matter after a few drinks. Seamus grabbed her head and gave her a sloppy, wet snog. She pulled away immediately. Everyone laughed nervously after watching the uncomfortable kiss.

It was Daphne's turn now. The jug spun around the circle and landed on a very wasted Ron. His eyes lit up, eager to make Pansy jealous. Which in reality, wasn't likely. They leaned over and kissed for a little too long. Hermione was slightly impressed with him. She looked over to Pansy who appeared to be drooling over Ron. She had no idea he was such a womanizer when he drank.

Ron spun the bottle. Hermione crossed her fingers that it wouldn't land on her. It passed her and landed on no other than Pansy. Without hesitation, she jumped on Ron. Ron was having the best day of his life. Blaise glared as he watched Pansy's tongue enter Ron's mouth.

"Okay, that's enough!" He spat. Pansy gave him a sly smile. It was her turn. Hermione watched the bottle spin. The room seemed to spin right along with it. It stopped and Hermione looked up to see who it was pointing at.

Draco.

Pansy leaned over and kissed him. It looked as if they had done it many times before. Hermione hated every second of it. She hated how their lips folded on one another. She hated how they matched with their emerald robes. She hated how perfect they looked together. She coughed trying to get them to break it up. Draco pulled away and smiled at Hermione. She couldn't believe she was the jealous one this time.

Draco grabbed the jug handle and gave it a spin. Hermione counted the times it passed her and to her surprise, she was the one it was pointing at in the end. She looked up, pretending to be shocked.

"Ugh! Can I spin again?" He tried his best to look appalled. Hermione saw right through it. He wanted it just as much as she did.

"You know the Draco rules!" Seamus said, rubbing his hands together, ready for the show. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, Draco. I believe the rules are no respins and five seconds or more." She said, teasing him.

Hermione leaned over the coffee table, meeting him halfway. Draco bit his lip as he inched closer to her. Once their lips met, Draco pulled her face closer to him. Everyone went crazy as he devoured her. After a few long seconds, everyone grew quiet. Seamus counted down from five. Three… two… one. They were still making out. It was like nobody else was in the room. Everyone looked around awkwardly. Blaise finally pulled Draco off of her.

"Sorry. I didn't expect a mudblood to snog like that."

Hermione didn't let the word phase her this time. It was her turn. Her turn to make him jealous. She hoped for Ron. She knew he had a crush on her forever but he never made a move. At least she would have an excuse to know what it was like. She took the jug and gave it a whirl. She watched it spin around the circle. It slowed down by Draco but stopped at Harry. Hermione almost forgot he was playing. Hermione curled her lip. Harry was like a brother to her. She was about to kiss her brother. Even though she did have a small crush on him when they were kids, she could never see herself with him. As far as making Draco jealous, he would have to do.

She held his face and gave him a passionate kiss as Seamus counted down. It obviously caught Harry by surprise because he didn't know what to do with it. He fumbled his lips without a rhythm. Laughter erupted. Hermione felt bad for him and pulled away. It must've done the trick anyway because when she looked at Draco, he was clearly upset. Probably just because she kissed Harry Potter. His arch enemy.

Harry spun the bottle and hoped to redeem himself. When it landed on Dean, everyone laughed and decided the game should be over. Even though not everyone had a turn, they all looked pretty embarrassed. Everyone stood up and Ron cranked the music and tried to forget what just happened. Hermione saw Pansy make her way to Draco who was at the drink table, trying to scoop out what was left of the butterbeer. Hermione inched toward them and tried to eavesdrop.

"With a snog like that, I'm thinking you may still be into me." Pansy touched his arm, getting closer to him.

"We're both drunk." Draco looked uninterested. "Go find Blaise."

"Forget about him." Pansy tugged on his tie. "We both know we should've never called it off. Besides, Blaise doesn't fuck me like you did."

Hermione's stomach turned as she kissed him. Hard. and for a second, Draco kissed her back which made her feel worse. She averted her eyes so she didn't have to watch anymore. A tear streamed down her face as she headed for her room. She was halfway up the stairs when Draco grabbed her by the arm, not caring who saw and pulled her into his room.

"Fucking slut." Hermione prayed he wasn't talking about her. "I know you saw that."

Hermione's eyes dried. "Um, yeah. It was pretty… suggestive?"

"Don't think anything is going on between us. I called it off last year. I know how jealous you get."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Oh come on. I saw how red your face was after we kissed during the game."

"That was the Firewhisky." Hermione protested. Draco laughed, bending down to kiss her. She tried not to think about Pansy as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Draco pushed her back against the wall and took off her robe. He kissed her face and made his way to her neck. She tried to contain her moans.

"Be as loud as you want." He said between kisses. "Nobody is going to hear you." he grabbed her waist and pulled her close. She whimpered as his hand slid down to the end of her skirt. He put his hand up and gripped her ass. Hermione went back to kissing him. She got more aggressive the more he grabbed at her. Biting his lip and pulling at his hair.

He backed up and took off his belt, looking her up and down as he pulled down his pants. She slipped off her underwear and kicked them to the side. He picked her up and pushed her back into the wall. She moaned loudly as he eased his way inside of her. The stone wall scratched her back and messed up her hair. She bounced with each and every one of his strokes, scratching his back as the wall scratched hers. Her moans got louder. She paid no mind to the fact that they were right by the door. By the time he threw her on his bed, she was practically screaming. Begging for more. Draco undressed her.

"Please, Draco." She pleaded. "Fuck me like you fuck Pansy." Her request must've sounded absurd because Draco just laughed.

"You don't want that." He shook his head and smiled. Her eyebrows knit together.

"Yes. I do."

"Hermione." He chuckled. "No, you don't!"

Hermione wasn't listening. She guided his hand around her neck and whispered. "Yes, I do."

Draco didn't hesitate to wrap his long fingers around her neck. Looking deep into her eyes and furrowing his eyebrows. Hermione gasped and he thrust harder. Blood rushed to her head and she tried to breathe as he tightened his grip. She could feel his eyes staring down on her even though her vision was getting blurry. She didn't know she was going to like this so much. She wrapped her legs around him, forcing him to go deeper.

They were interrupted by a loud knock on his door. Hermione's eyes widened and Draco loosened his grip. He put a finger up to his lips and shushed her. Hermione could hear a faint whine in between knocks.

"Draacoo?" Pansy pounded on the door. "Are you in there?" Draco hopped off Hermione and pushed her off the bed.

"Dracooo! Can I come in?" Pansy knocked harder.

"Go away, Pansy!" Draco shouted shakily. Hermione had never seen him more scared. He whispered to her. "Hide under the bed. Don't talk. Don't move."

Right after he said it, the door creaked open. Pansy walked in on a flustered Draco fastening his belt.

"Leave." He demanded pointing out the door with his shirt in hand. Hermione was shaking, still naked under the bed.

"Wow, Drake. Were you waiting for me?" Her eyes lit up.

"What? No. Pansy." Draco tried to form a sentence. "I'm just getting ready for bed." Draco's hair was a mess and he had claw marks on his back so his lie wasn't believable. Pansy gaped as she saw Hermione's Hogwarts uniform scattered around the room.

"Merlin, Draco! Is someone here?" She started to look around the room trying to find the girl he was just having sex with. Draco stepped in front of her and pushed her towards the door. "Were you just fucking someone?!" Pansy shouted loud enough for the whole school to hear. Hermione was petrified and cold on the stone floor. Draco pushed Pansy again, making her trip backward into the door.

"You need to leave." He said, opening the door and shoving her out.

"Keep your secrets! News travels fast." Pansy shouted at the closed door. "I'll find out soon enough!"

Draco waited until her footsteps faded to speak again.

"She's gone," Draco called to Hermione. She trembled as she shuffled out from underneath the bed. She covered herself up. She was too shaken up to say anything.

"Get dressed and get out of here." Draco said angrily. Hermione gathered her clothes and quickly put them on. "This is exactly why I didn't want to start shit with you." Hermione looked up at him. He refused to make eye contact with her. "Next time we're not going to be this lucky."

"Why does it matter?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. She was sick of keeping secrets. Sick of the lies.

"Do you know what will happen if people find out? What my father will do to me if he finds out I've been fucking someone like you."

"Oh, here we go again." Hermione rolled her eyes. "You rather protect your status than have a relationship with anyone less than pure-blood."

"I don't know why you think this is some type of relationship." Draco backed her into a corner. "We're not dating."

"Then what are we doing?"

"We're fucking. That's all." Draco glared at her.

"Oh yeah. Just fucking." Hermione said sarcastically. "As soon as someone gets close to finding out, we're just fucking."

"There's nothing to find out!" Draco shouted, grabbing her throat. Hermione didn't associate it with pleasure this time. "If you tell anyone," Draco whispered in her ear. "I'll fucking kill you." Even though she knew he was bluffing, his words sent shivers down her spine. "Now fuck off, Granger." He finished buttoning up his shirt, fixed his hair in the mirror, and left her, half dressed and trembling, in his room.

Hermione felt hot tears roll down her cheeks as she scrambled to put her shirt and stockings back on. Her throat was dry and her hair was a mess. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and there were red marks on her neck that formed finger impressions. She combed her hair out with her fingers and got herself together. She managed to slip out of his room to hers without anyone catching her.

***

Hermione was sleeping. She finally dozed off after hours of crying herself to sleep. The sun was barely rising when someone shook her awake.

"Hermione, wake up!" Harry was standing over her bed. "It's Ron." Hermione rubbed her red eyes and sat up.

"What?" She choked out. Harry lost his train of thought and stared at Hermione's slightly bruised neck.

"What happened to you?" He said, lifting her chin to inspect the damage.

"Nothing." Hermione lied. "Peeves' idea of a joke."

"You're lying." Harry was stern. "I saw Draco drag you into his room last night."

"Oh." Hermione couldn't think of an excuse.

"Did he interrogate you or what?"

"Interrogate me?"

"Yeah. Lately, he's been trying to find out about Dumbledore's Army. Just last week he cornered Ginny trying to get her to slip up. Lucky, she didn't."

"Oh yeah. That's what happened." Hermione said, trying to avoid eye contact.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I denied it."

"If he does anything like that again, tell me. I didn't expect him to get violent but he was on a roll last night." Harry helped her out of bed. "Come on, we gotta go."

"Where?"

"Hospital Wing. Ron put himself and Malfoy in there."