A/N: Thanks for the continuing support during these crazy times! Hope you all are well. :)

Although Hermione was not necessarily looking forward to her double date with Ginny and Draco, she thought it was probably for the best that she was going to see Demetri in a group setting. She would have had to see him soon regardless, and she wasn't sure how she could get through an evening with only the two of them without snapping. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure she could get through the double date without snapping, but her odds seemed better, at least.

The intense unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach had given way into a slow-burning rage. She had known Demetri was keeping things from her, of course, but something about the knowledge that they had met when she was a child felt violating on an entirely new level.

That was why, when Demetri had insisted on picking Hermione up at her apartment, she had told him she had to work late so that they would have to go straight to dinner.

Draco and Ginny's house was just the same as it was the last time Hermione was been there: a bit imposing, but not so much as the Manor, which still graced her nightmares occasionally.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, embracing her so fiercely that she didn't seem to notice Hermione's lack of enthusiasm. "And Demetri, hello," Ginny said in a suggestive tone, raising her eyebrows so absurdly at Hermione that Hermione had to crack a smile.

"They're here, Draco!" Ginny shouted, doing an admirable impression of her mother.

"Gin, don't yell at me from another room!" Draco shouted, his voice even louder than Ginny's.

Ginny rolled her eyes dramatically at Hermione and Demetri. Demetri shot Hermione an amused looked, but Hermione turned away from him and began asking Ginny about dinner instead.

The evening was going smoother than anticipated; Hermione hadn't spoken much, but she had managed to gloss it over with the occasional witty remark.

During a particularly long lull in conversation, an owl flew in and dropped a letter next to Draco's plate. Draco didn't touch it.

"Anything important?" Hermione asked, half out of politeness and half out of hope that Draco would cut the evening short due to whatever was in his letter.

Draco shook his head, glancing over the letter. "It's just Pansy; she can be a little dramatic."

Hermione squinted; she hadn't thought about Pansy in a long time, but now that she did, she was realizing that things didn't quite fit. Demetri had told her that he had to go out with Pansy to keep his relationship with Hermione a secret, but Ginny just told Hermione that Draco had known the entire time.

"Draco…" Hermione said, placing down her third glass of wine because she had nearly tipped it over unthinkingly. "Ginny tells you everything."

"Yes," Draco said, smirking.

"You've known that Demetri and I have been dating for as long as Ginny has."

"Yes," Draco affirmed, still smirking.

"So, when you set Demetri up with Pansy, you knew he was seeing me?"

"Yes." The smirk had dropped off quickly.

Hermione wasn't necessarily upset with Draco; it was expected. Demetri, on the other hand…

"Draco!" Ginny cut in. Hermione stayed out of it, but took the opportunity to shoot Demetri a withering look, channeling all of the evening's anger into it. Demetri's eyes widened slightly, but with those damn green eyes, Hermione couldn't read him at all.

"Ginny," Draco protested, "Hermione was seeing Cormac."

"I told you that Hermione was only placating Cormac because Cormac was blackmailing her."

Fuck. Hermione distinctly remembered telling Demetri that she was doing it to gain a favor; the very slight eyebrow raise she spotted out of the corner of her eye confirmed it. As usual, Demetri hadn't missed a thing.

Demetri was very polite to Draco and Ginny on the way out, but his smile slipped from his face the second the door closed. He grabbed Hermione's wrist harshly and began walking toward the apparition point.

"Demetri, you're hurting me."

He let go of her wrist, practically flinging her arm away as he turned to face her, the rage evident on his face even with the false eyes.

It was the last straw for Hermione's already frayed nerves.

"What are you so angry about?" Hermione demanded, gesturing wildly. "I'm upset! I'm fucking furious with you; you don't get to be angry right now."

Demetri enveloped her before beginning to Side-Along apparate her without notice.

When he let her go, they tumbled into a heap outside Demetri's house.

"What was that?" Hermione demanded. "You couldn't have warned me?"

"You did not appear to be stopping for breath anytime in the near future, and I did not want our friends to see us standing outside arguing, a sentiment I'm sure you will share."

Hermione begrudgingly agreed with him, so she didn't respond.

"Do you want to tell me what I have done to incur your wrath, Hermione?"

Hermione kept her head down, kicking at the grass idly. She hadn't meant to snap; she didn't want to get into this conversation. If she tipped Demetri off about her previously repressed memory, he might have time to alter records or worse. "It's fine. I'm tired; I've had too much to drink. I'm going to head home."

Demetri's hands were at her chin in moments, pulling it up so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "You are not fine; you've been in a mood since I picked you up, and I suspect you weren't working late, either."

Hermione's mind raced. "I'm angry right now because you went out with someone you knew I hated just to make me jealous."

"I did," Demetri agreed. "But that's not why you're like this."

"Fine, it's not," Hermione said, exhausted. She could feel the tears coming and she knew that once they started flowing, they would be nearly impossible to curb. She had been fighting them back all night, or even all day.

"So?" Demetri prompted gently.

"What do you want, Demetri? At least you know when I'm lying."

"Hermione, are you suggesting I've deceived you in some way? Please tell me what it is so I can correct it."

Hermione shook her head but kept her eyes glued on Demetri's. "You've lied to me about too many things, Demetri. And you're hurting me right now"—the tears began to fall—"because I care about you and you're lying to my face, again. I can't do this right now."

Demetri was searching her eyes and looked like he was deciding something, but ultimately didn't say a word.

"I have to go," Hermione said dully, "goodnight." Hermione turned around, but Demetri's hand found her shoulder almost as soon as he was out of her view.

"You can't apparate home."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but as she was feeling a little dizzy, she thought better of it. Splinching would decidedly make her evening worse. "And you don't have a floo," Hermione sighed, remembering the previous conversation at his apartment.

"But you got me here and you can get me home."

Demetri's hand moved down her arm, his other hand finding her left side so that he was wrapped around her in a way that felt more constricting than romantic.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."

He buried his head in her hair. "There's a lot I haven't told you, you're right, but I cannot lose you." Hermione didn't turn around, but she reluctantly moved her head slightly so that she was leaning against him.

"I can't do this forever," she finally whispered.

"And I won't keep you in the dark forever, I promise, Hermione, but I need more time." He kissed her cheek softly before apparating her home, again without warning. After they landed, he kept his arms around her for several seconds before disappearing.