Her expression had hardened, he couldn't read her, he couldn't tell what she was thinking, he barely even knew what was going on, but one thing was clear, he was losing her, he'd been losing her all along, she'd been slowly, but surely, slipping away from him.

Hermione new they wouldn't last, it was pointless pretending they would, they would never have lasted, not with what was coming, they both had their duties, they both had their loyalties, and nothing, not even love, was going to get in the way of that.

They'd never fully understood how it happened, how they had happened, they were completely opposites, opposites attract, Hermione had often heard people say that,but she knew for a face that that was completely and utter bullshit. They had wound up like this because of that night.

The night that changed everything. The night on the astronomy tower, they were both so broken, they needed someone to care, and there they were, both torn apart completely.

It was just a kiss, a simple kiss, though they both knew it could have gone further, it would have, but they were sensible, they wouldn't let it, they couldn't complicate things further, things were already complicated enough..


"I'm not ready," Draco sobbed, his head resting in his hands, he sat by the window, letting the moonlight stream in upon his pale face, making him look ghost-like.

Hermione stood in the shadows, tears streaming silently down her face, as she listened to the boy who she had once thought to be heartless, sob, she could have sworn he was going insane, and in all honesty, he was.

"Malfoy.." She called softly, stepping out of the shadows, she wasn't sure what she was doing, or why she was doing it, his head shot up, and his cold grey eyes met hers, for a moment they stood there, just staring at each other, wondering what would happen next.

And then, determination in his eyes, he stood up, quickly walked over to Hermione, and placing his cold hands upon her tearstained cheek, kissed her, it was unlike anything Hermione had felt before. She'd heard about first kisses, everyone had said they were magical, and they were.

And that was when she realized, Draco Malfoy had stolen her first kiss, something that was supposed to be special - though she couldn't deny that it was - she had hoped it would have been with Ron, or at least someone she didn't despise, he quickly pulled away, realizing what he was doing, or rather who he was kissing, he stared into her eyes once more, and then fled.

Hermione was left, standing there, in shock. She bit her lip, trying to process what had just happened, though she knew, she knew that Draco Malfoy had just kissed her, that she, Hermione Granger had just been kissed by Malfoy, what would Ron and Harry say? Though she knew she would never tell them, they wouldn't believe her if they did.

Her lips still tingled, his scent still lingered, Hermione was absolutely entranced, she had almost forgotten where she was, but of course she knew she needed to get back to the Gryffindor common room before curfew, and with any luck, Ron and Lavender were done sucking each others faces off.


They stared into each others eyes once again, not knowing what to say, or who should speak first. There was nothing to say, their expressions had already said it all, and that scared them both to death, they had always relied on each other, to be there, to listen when no one else would.

Draco was taking her all in, every bit of her, for this may be the last time he would see her, he knew he would break her heart, but she had been breaking his, every moment he spent with her was a reminder of what he would never have, and what he wanted to so badly, and she didn't even know it, every smile, every laugh, she had been breaking his heart all along.

He nodded, as if dismissing her, but she wasn't going anywhere, she just stood there, rooted to the spot, stubborn, that was something he had always admired about her, something he had always found attractive, but now it was just frustrating, now more than ever, he wished she would just leave, that she would just let him be, but she wasn't that type of person.

Then, before he could change his mind, he left. He simply walked out the door, leaving Hermione alone, for the first time in months, Hermione was all alone, and thats when the tears started, and they weren't stopping anytime soon.

It was actually quite refreshing, being able to cry, she'd been walking on eggshells for the past couple of months, and now she could finally break down, she could finally scream if she wanted to, something she hadn't been able to do in months.

Now more than ever, she missed being a little girl, not knowing that magic was real, not being able to cast spells, not knowing what it was like to be heart broken, she didn't have to be strong if she stubbed a toe, or fell, she could cry and everyone would ask if she was alright, they wouldn't judge her, but things weren't that easy now, she could feel it, everything had changed.

She sank to the floor, giving up completely, even if it was just for a few minutes, she needed this, she needed to cry, she needed time alone, she was tired of being strong, she was tired of being Hermione Granger.