A/N: OK guys, here's the deal: my friend Heather wrote a story, then decided she didn't like it, so left it to me to edit, finish and publish, so I wont say it's my first fanfic, coz its not mine.

Disclaimer: I (or Heather) in no way own any of the original Harry Potter characters; they belong to the extremely talented J.K Rowling. I lay no claim to this story, except in that I edited and published, the plot belongs to Heather.

The Darkest of Dark Secrets

Chapter 1

"Mudblood," Draco muttered as he walked past Hermione who was chatting happily with her friends while helping herself to another piece of toast.

Hermione looked up angrily and was about to turn around to tell him off when Harry took her hand under the table and whispered "Just ignore him, he's not worth it."

Draco smirked and stalked off towards the Slytherin table. Hermione sighed, she should be used to this by now, but he still had no right to taunt her and her friends.

"He's just jealous, Hermione, the bastard," Ginny said angrily.

"Yeah, you yet again beat his grades for the fifth year in a row!" said Ron, grinning, "Then again, he could have a thing for you and is really bad at flirting!"

Then he collapsed into laughter with Harry and Ginny. Hermione however held a straight face, thinking, before wrinkling her nose at the thought and started laughing with her friends.

* * * * * * * *

Draco's steely blue eyes watched Hermione and her friends laugh.

"Laughing again," Draco thought aloud.

"Who are?" Pansy asked, turning her attention to Draco.

"Oh, what? No-one," he replied, startled at the question but not taking his eyes off Hermione. Pansy frowned when she noticed who Draco was staring at.

"Wonder what they're laughing about," Draco said without thinking again.

"Why would you want to know what the saintly Gryffindors are laughing about?" Pansy asked in disgust, "Bet it's something totally immature."

"How would you know?" Draco sneered at her.

Pansy raised her eyebrows in surprise and when Draco realised what he had said, he jumped up and walked away to change into his Quidditch robes for early training, even though it wasn't for another two hours.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice where he was going and ran into someone. Draco got off of the person he had landed on to see who it was.

"Sorry 'bout that, Hermione," Draco said, holding out a hand and helping her to her feet. He looked at his watched, then walked off in the other direction leaving behind a very bewildered Hermione.

Just then Ginny walked past, "What's up, 'Mione?" she asked cheerfully.

"Huh?" Hermione snapped back to reality. "Did that just happen?" she asked Ginny in confusion.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"It was either a dream or real, but you would never believe that Draco Malfoy just apologized for bumping into me."

Ginny blinked in disbelief.

* * * * * * * *

"What are you looking at, Mudblood?" Draco sneered at Hermione.

"Harry's trying to get past you, but, as usual, you're in the way" she replied coolly.

With that Draco walked away angrily, leaving Harry and Hermione laughing at his stupidity.

Everyone took their seats as Snape walked through the door. "When do you think Ron will get back from the hospital wing?" Hermione whispered to Harry as Snape called the role.

"It's only a stomach ache, so I'd say around lunch time," Harry replied, looking a bit pale himself.

Snape flicked his wand and the steps and ingredients for the Love Potion appeared on the chalkboard.

As Hermione left to get her last ingredient, Draco spat in what she had made so far. By then Harry had been sent to the hospital wing after throwing up in his cauldron.

When Hermione drank the potion she almost spat it out from the taste, but quickly swallowed.

* * * * * * * *

"Probably something you guys ate," Hermione told Harry and Ron.

"I told you we shouldn't have eaten those candies your brothers sent us," Harry told Ron accusingly.

"At least you guys have kept your human forms so far," Hermione said, "Well, I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm starving. I'll be back later," she told them, standing up and walking out the door.

As she strode through the large oak doors of the Greta Hall, she spotted Ginny sitting alone and taking a sip of coffee.

"Where have you been?" Ginny asked curiously as Hermione seated herself across from the red haired girl.

"In the hospital wing-" she was cut of by Ginny gasping before she asked, "My God! Are you OK Hermione?"

"I'm fine, but Harry and Ron have been throwing up all morning," Hermione replied, chuckling at the relieved look on Ginny's face.

"Oh thank God for that!" she said, but quickly added when Hermione's eyebrows rose, "Not that I want them to be sick - it's just better them then you." Hermione smiled.

"Actually, now that they're sick I can ask you a question. I haven't had a chance until now because they're always around. Ginny, do you like Harry more than a friend?" Hermione asked Ginny quietly.

When Ginny opened her mouth to answer, Hermione added on, "And tell the truth!"

Ginny looked quite disappointed, but answered in barley a whisper, "Yes." Hermione smiled supportingly.

"The other good thing is that I don't have to write three essays on the Love Potion! To tell you the truth, I don't really like that potion. Rather sneaky making someone fall in love with you like that," Hermione said thoughtfully, "Not to mention its taste," she added, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

Ginny laughed. "So who are you being forced to fall in love with?"

"Oh, no-one. Snape didn't want all the 6th years walking around the school flirting with each other," Hermione smiled at the thought.

"How do you know who you're going to fall in love with?" Ginny asked curiously.

"It's like the Polyjuice Potion, you add a bit of that particular person," Hermione replied. The smile washed off her face by the memory of her second year when she turned into a cat.

* * * * * * * *

"How was training?" Pansy asked Draco, pretending to take an interest.

"It was OK," Draco replied while scanning the Gryffindor table in search of Hermione.

When he finally found her he noticed she was staring at him, her eyes filled not with hate, but with admiration. He finished his dinner and stood to leave, but as he did so, Hermione did the exact same thing. He wondered what was going on, and remembered their potions lesson earlier that day. He checked the staff table to see if Snape was there, but when he found that he wasn't, he headed for the staffroom.

Hermione was snapped back to reality by Harry pulling on her sleeve.

"Hermione. HERMIONE! What are you doing?" he asked her, obviously concerned at her odd behaviour.

"Oh, I'm not that hungry so I was just going to head to the library to finish my essay," Hermione lied.

She left the Great Hall, going over what had just happened in her head. "Ok, Ok, OK, Ok. Did that just happen?" she repeated to herself until she got to the library.

She started searching through books, but the second she saw a title 'Love Potion', she slammed it shut, shoved it back in its place and went to the staffroom in search of Snape.

When she turned the corner she saw Snape already talking to someone else; Draco Malfoy. She hid around the corner and when Draco walked past her she didn't think twice before yelling out "Draco!"

He turned around, stunned about the outburst but even more surprised that Hermione had just called him by his first name.

"What do you want, Granger?" he asked impatiently.

"To tell you that I love you," she replied softly.

"Uh-huh," Draco smirked slightly as he took a step towards her, leaving just millimeters between their faces.

"I love you too," he whispered. He'd been waiting since third year for this moment to come.

He bent down and kissed her.