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"Ron! Ron! Ronald Weasley! You'd better come back here!" Hermione Granger shrieked as she ran after the red-headed Gryffindor. It was no use; he has already disappeared through the portrait hole. She sighed; that wasn't supposed to happen.
"Well, well…isn't that a pleasurable sight in the morning? Hermione Granger running around in a T-shirt and knickers…never thought I'd be so lucky." She heard a voice drawl behind her. That voice; it made her skin crawl…yuck.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she questioned moodily. "I'm really not in the mood for your games."
"Tut tut Granger! Didn't anyone ever tell you? Nobody likes a morning grouch." He smirked condescendingly.
Hermione rolled her eyes and made for the stairs. She had only reached the foot of it before she heard Malfoy call out. "So, Weasley bailed after your one-nightstand? That must be a blow to your ego. So, tell me, did it really go that badly?"
Hermione gripped the banister in fury. "For your information Ron is just scared that it will ruin our friendship if we get…involved."
"Oh" was all Draco said before grabbing a book from the shelf and flinging himself on the couch.
What? That's it? Hermione stood in shock for a few moments.
"Granger?" he asked; not looking up from his book. "Why are you still here?"
"Why?"
"Granger, I asked a question first. Maybe you should answer. That's generally the way conversations go. One person asks a question; the other gives the information. Conversations generally follow a formula. They go in a sequence; one person after the other but sometimes it doesn't work that way. Most of the time it does though."
"
Why did he leave?" she asked desperately. "What did I do wrong?"
"Oh for-" Draco sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong, Granger. Weasley's just a dick, ok?"
Hermione sank down to the foot of the step.
"Hermione?" Draco questioned; anxiety overcoming his features for a second. "Are you alright?"
"He wouldn't even look at me this morning. He was going to leave without saying goodbye or anything. I thought- I thought we were meant for each other. I thought he loved me." A solitary tear tumbled from her eyelash.
Draco opened his mouth to speak but decided better of it. He closed his book and set it down on the coffee table in front of him. He walked over to her and sat on the step beside her. "I'm sorry, Granger, but if he's going to treat you this way then I guess its better you found out now then having to find out down the line after you've popped out two kids."
She rubbed her tears away with the end of her T-shirt. "You're right, I guess." She breathed in a big gulp of air.
They sat in silence for a few moments. "I hate him." She whispered defiantly.
"Really? Well that's something we have in common." Draco chuckled; stretching his legs.
She giggled despite her tears. "Draco?" she questioned softly.
"Hmm?" he said lying back on the stairs.
"Sorry about this. I know you probably don't care less but I'm really glad you're here." she smiled hesitantly; looking down at her hands.
"Don't you dare be sorry for this." He commanded harshly.
She looked up at him in surprise. "I'm serious." He continued. "I don't want you to go down that path."
"What path?"
"The one where you get sucked into thinking that everything's your fault."
Hermione thought she saw something flash across his eyes. Something told her that he knew what he was talking about.
"You know, for what its worth, if I had woken up next to you I definitely wouldn't have run a mile like the Weasel." His tone had switched back to a more relaxed setting.
She laughed softly. "Thanks Malfoy. Way to inflate my ego! The Slytherin Sex-god wouldn't mind waking up next to me? Well, that's just made my day." she teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He replied; shaking his head.
"What?" she said; still smiling. "I mean, I know you're just playing around."
"It's the truth, Granger."
She looked positively flabbergasted. "Seriously?"
He sat up and nodded. "Surprised, Granger?"
"Astounded, dumbfounded, staggered, amazed, stunned-"
He chuckled. "Granger, I didn't ask for a barrage of synonyms."
"Sorry." She squeaked. "But I mean…" she trailed off; not able to construct a logical sentence. Her mind was too muddled with the new information she had just received. He liked her? She couldn't believe what she was hearing. That was inexplicable, perplexing, strange and above all not supposed to happen.
"Hermione, is it alright if I call you that?"
"Yeah." She whispered faintly.
"The thing is I'm addicted to the way I feel when I'm with you and when I think of you. We've been sharing a Common Room all year. I guess one of us was bound to fall for the other. It's just the way close proximity goes, I suppose. It was either that or end up killing each other." He explained.
"I don't know what to say. I mean-"
He looked at her smiling softly and…sadly. "It's ok Hermione. I don't expect you to feel the same way but sometimes it's just better to let your secrets out. It's better than keeping them cooped up inside for a lifetime, right? I hope this doesn't change anything. We can just go back to normal- ignoring each other, trading insults-the usual." He tore his gaze away. He shouldn't have expected this to have a fairytale ending. It clearly wasn't going to. She was still in love with the Weasel; there was nothing he could do about that.
"No we can't."
Draco looked up at her in confusion. "Ok, I guess I understand then." He decided not to injure his heart any more. He stood up and proceeded to walk up the stairs. He didn't want to go; he wanted her to call out-to ask for him to come back, to order him to return, to beg him to stay with her.- but he knew that wouldn't happen; that would never happen.
I should have traded insults. I should have kept my mouth shut. Now it's out there and she still doesn't want to know. I would have treated her better than the Weasel; that's for sure. But it's her decision. I guess I'm just going to have to live with that. Acceptance hurts like hell though.
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"Harry! Harry!" Hermione Granger ran up to the green-eyed wizard; panting profusely. "Have you seen Malfoy?"
"I don't think he's come down yet." Harry replied. "He's probably still in the Head Dorms."
"I've checked everywhere!"
"Well, obviously not. If you had checked everywhere you would have found him by now." Harry said; grinning at his own wit.
His grin was stopped short by a withering glare from the Gryffindor Princess. "Umm right- so have you tried the Astronomy Tower?" he asked; fearful that his head might be bitten off if he didn't provide useful information on the manhunt.
"Good idea, Harry!" Hermione called over her shoulder as she ran off again.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and headed off towards his seat.
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Hermione dashed up the stairs leading to the top of the Astronomy Tower. She didn't care that she was tired, that she was out of breath; all her thoughts were focussed on reaching her destination. She didn't know what she was going to say; she just knew she had to say something. It was the last day of school and they had been avoiding each other since that conversation. She wanted to end the awkwardness before it was too late; before it became irreparable.
Then she saw his silhouette. She smiled. She had found him. This was her chance.
He didn't notice her as she crept up to where he sat.
"Hey." She said as she knelt behind him.
"Hermione?" he questioned; still not looking at her.
"Yeah, It's me." She confirmed. "You're a hard guy to track down, you know?"
He smirked. "Well I do my best. So what did you want to see me for?"
"It's Graduation Day." she spoke quietly.
"I know." He said; raising an eyebrow. What is she getting at?
"So today is the day to let all secrets be known, right?" She said; fidgeting with the hem of her graduation robe.
"Secrets?" He pondered in confusion. "What secrets, H?"
She muttered something unintelligibly. He leaned his head back a tad to hear more clearly. "You're going to have to speak louder, you know."
"I'll see your heart and- I'll raise you mine." She moved her gaze towards his questioning eyes.
"You shouldn't say things you don't mean, Granger." He said roughly.
"I love you, not Ron or any other guy; just you." She clarified softly. "Just thought you should know."
Draco wasn't able to articulate any words. She smiled sadly. "I guess I'm too late." She got up to leave.
"Don't you dare." He murmured in a hoarse voice; grabbing her wrist. She tumbled into his lap.
She gazed at him in astonishment. "What now?" she whispered.
"This." He grinned as he bent down to kiss her. She felt it to the tips of her toes. Cliché, maybe, but oh so true. After a few minutes they broke apart for air; unable to stop the grins on their faces. Maybe it's good to share you secrets; you might just end up with the one thing you desired at the end of everything.
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"Wait! Wait!" He grinned. "So you're telling me that nothing happened with you and Weasley?"
"Well, no-well, we were going to -but then stuff happened and then stuff didn't happen- so no, we never really got around to it. He got embarrassed but I said he had to stay in case Filch caught him wandering the corridors. And then he left in the morning without talking to me. So yeah, nothing happened."
"Well, thank Merlin for that. I wouldn't want to be getting the Weasel's leftovers after all." Malfoy smirked as he was rewarded with an extra hard kick.
"You know it's a good thing I love you!" she threatened.
"It is, isn't it?" He stated as he wrapped his arms around Hermione.
"Yeah, it is." She grumbled; snuggling into his arms.
He chuckled. "I love you, Hermione." He said in a sing-song voice.
"I love you too, Malfoy." She said sarcastically from her comfy position in his arms.
"Well, obviously. I mean, how could any woman resist me?"
"Ow!" he yelled as he received another sharp kick. "You know it's a good thing I love you."
"I know." She smiled softly.
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