Hermione let out a little squeal as her books tumbled to the floor. She immediately knelt to pick them up, not bothering to look at who had run into her.

"Sorry Hermione," A vaguely familiar voice mumbled as his tall, thin figure knelt to help her retrieve her belongings. The pair stood up simultaneously, giving Hermione her first look at him. A small, shocked gasp escaped her lips as she realized who it was. Draco Malfoy. This certainly wasn't classic behavior for him.

"Well- I'd best be going then," he muttered, brushing past her. She quickly transferred her books to one arm and caught his wrist with the other.

"Draco wait-" she began, not entirely certain what she was going to say afterwords. He put on his usual mask of indifference with a look of impatience. "I- uh... You called me by my name."

"That's what names are for, isn't it," he stated simply, shrugging.

"But you- you never... I always thought I was just another mudblood to you," she spat the word as though it caused her physical pain to speak it.

"I- whatever, Hermione," he replied, pulling his hand out of her grasp and beginning to walk away. She quickly caught up.

"You said my name again. My first name," she gloated, allowing a smile to slowly make its way onto her face.

"Just let it go, Granger. I know how you must be feeling, thinking Slytherin Sex God Draco Malfoy might actually like you, but I-" he cut himself off, unsure how to continue because there was no "but I-". He did like her, and he closed his eyes, cursing himself for revealing too much.

"But you..." Hermione prompted softly. "It's okay Draco, you can tell me." He opened his eyes and looked down into hers. He knew it was stupid and he'd probably regret it, but her eyes convinced him. He looked around the hall and found no one there, then grabbed her hand and slipped into the nearest empty classroom. She closed the door behind her and turned to face him, not minding that he hadn't let go of her hand. He took a deep breath.

"Alright...so, I uh," Draco began, looking more nervous than Hermione had ever seen him. He reached up with his free hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Well- I, maybe... kinda have a crush on you." She took in a sharp breath. Draco stayed tense, waiting for her response.

"Draco, I- I can't believe you actually..." She trailed off, letting go of his hand and taking a few steps away, turning her back to him.

"This was stupid, I- forget I ever said anything, okay?" he pleaded, reaching for the doorknob. She reached for his hand again.

"No, no Draco it wasn't stupid at all," She mumbled, looking down at their intertwined fingers. "I just- I just never thought you'd feel the same way I do." She finished, still refusing to meet his gaze. She felt his fingers lightly on her chin, tilting it up to look into her eyes. Just as he caught their mischievous glint, she reached up and laced her fingers behind his neck, lightly pressing her lips against his. He responded by draping his arms around her waist as he deepened the kiss.

Just then, a Ravenclaw girl who looked to be about four years younger than them opened the door, interrupting them. She scurried across the room, retrieved a nice looking quill, then exited the room as quickly as possible, shutting the door behind her. Hermione blushed crimson underneath a fit of giggles, and Draco couldn't help but smile down at her. They heard a stampede of footsteps, notifying them that it was dinner time. After the sound subsided, Hermione sighed.

"So how exactly are we going to tell all of them?" Draco asked, running a hand through his platinum hair.

"I think I may have an idea..." Hermione smiled and she opened the door. The pair walked down the hall together, directly towards the great hall. Just before they entered, Hermione reached for Draco's hand. He willingly held onto hers, and with interlaced fingers, the two pushed open the enormous double doors and strode inside.