They apparated back to Draco's place. Hermione looked at their still-entwined hands.

She looked up at him when she felt his grip tighten. She could see a smirk plastered across his face when he looked back at her.

"Uh..Draco you are hurting me here"

"No, don't pretend Granger, I know you too well"

"Oh like when you pretended during my first day here that your hand hurt so that I will feed you?"

He blushed a little. "So you know about it and didn't argue. Someone liked it, huh?" He winked at her.

"Don't even try to cover up that blush, Malfoy"

"I am not, Granger. Though I must admit it looks good on you"

"God you are.."

"I know the rest of your sentence, Granger"

"And what might that be?"

Before he was about to answer, however there was a sharp knock on the door. When she went to open it, she was face to face with..Pansy Parkinson.

"Uh..Hi Draco. Hi Hermione. I see you have not started to 'deduct' something out of my stuff" she said pointing to the notepad and potion residue they had brought from her place.

They did not speak.

"Don't look so shocked, mate. The footsteps you heard prior to apparating were mine. Your perfume confirmed my suspicions. I thought I can come over to help in your little investigation"

"So you admit you have a part in my..situation?"

"Yes. Don't start your lecture Granger, not until I have had my say. I admit I have some part in this but I can't take the full blame. I have my sweetie pie Draco for it." She smiled sweetly.

He snapped immediately. "What?!?! I had absolutely no part in it. Don't try to pull me, Pansy. You can't fool us"

"Oh my Draco, you really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"That you both did it? I thought you knew and hiding it from her. Let me explain then. That day at the ball someone slipped alcohol in some of the juice glasses and you both had a large dose of it. Then you started dancing together after switching your respective partners. You were laughing and shouting in each other's arms till finally the Potter boy separated you and asked you both to be taken away. The next I saw you was when you both were under the same blanket in one of the beds in her dormitory. Though how you ended up there is still a mystery." She looked up at him then, assessing his reaction.

"Go on" He simply stated.

"I realized what happened and was mortified by it. I had to do something. So I contacted that..person whose photo you found in my place and asked for a memory erasing potion. I noted down the ingredients and method from him, made it and fed you both a large vial full of it."

Pansy waited a long time for anyone of them to speak. But none came.

Finally after a solid 10 minutes, Hermione spoke up.

"Why did you do it, Parkinson"

"I wanted to save you both from embarassment, of course"

Hermione didn't miss the slight tremble in Pansy's voice. "I am asking for the truth here"

"You know what. Fine. I did it so I may still have a chance with Draco. I thought I had gotten over him but after seeing you both, apparently I had not."

She started to wipe the tears slowly falling down her cheeks but failed. Before either of them could talk anything, Pansy apparated from the spot.

For a long time neither of them spoke. Finally Draco asked her, "Hermione, how are you?"

"Fine, Malfoy. I need to be alone now. Please leave. Uh..sorry it's your place. I will leave now."

He was dying inside. He wanted to say something, anything to make her stay. But he couldn't, he was facing the biggest shock of his life just like her.

"Hermione..please" he managed. But she had already left, leaving him with just a note that said "Thank you for everything so far, Malfoy"

Now he just have to try living alone again.