A Forbidden Secret

I know it was wrong, but I have a way of not being able to control my emotions when something like this happens. Here I am, Hermione Granger, in my seventh year, and I just want to run away and never look back. Since one of my best friends, Harry Potter, defeated the Dark Lord with Ron, they have been praised and become more popular then ever and I have been shunned away.

Hogwarts had changed, but for the better. Purebloods and Muggle-Born's were more friendlier than ever. Griffidors and Slytherins had become friends with eachother too, and I thought that everyone else had changed too.

I had become best friends with Pansy Parkinson over the year. We talked together so much now. She told me about her life, and I told her about mine. She even admitted to me that she like Ron Wealey! I must say that was a shock, but she was more shocked when I told her I could set her up with him. I had always thought that Ron and I would become a couple one day, but we were always fighting over the years. In a way I felt that I didn't see him the same way as I used to. When we actually did go out, it was awkward and didn't last very long.

In Potions on a cold January Monday, Snape pared me up with Draco. He did that a lot seeing that we were the top students and we were 'setting an example'. Together we always got the potion perfect.

"So Granger, what did you get?" Draco asked when Snape was handing back our tests

"Huh, we got the same, perfect" i smiled at him and he smiled back. For a moment our eyes locked and I got lost in his silver eyes. We jumped when Snape yelled for us to start on our new potion. I went for the ingredients in the cupboard. When I got back to our table I knocked over his books. We bent down and picked them up, blushing furiously when our hands brushed against each other's.

After Potions, I walked out of the class to hear Pansy calling after me.

I turned around and she ran up to me with a smirk on her face "Well!" she said.

"Well what?" I asked innocently, I think I knew what she was going to say.

"I saw you Hermione! You like Draco Malfoy!"

I froze and turned to her wide eyed, and she laughed excitedly.

"Oh my god! You really do have a thing for Draco!"

"Now that's not exactly true Pansy… you don't know what your talking about" I lied

Pansy rolled her eyes irritably "Oh come off it, I see how you look at him when you think no one's looking. Why don't you just ask him out already?"

This time I rolled my eyes. "Pansy… work with me here. This is Draco Malfoy. My 'enemy' ever since first year. He HATES me! It would never work, if I can't even have a relationship with Ron then what chance do I have with Draco?"

Just then Ron and Harry walked up as Ron wrapped one arm around Pansy's waist. Pansy and Ron made such a cute couple, they really hit it off on their first date. At times, I wonder where we went wrong.

Pansy giggled and leaned into Ron. I scowled, feeling suddenly incredibly lonely and isolated.

"Come on guys, its dinner time and I'm starving!" Harry whined clutching his stomach.

I smirked as I looked behind and saw Draco talking with Blaise Zabini and I sighed. I shook my head trying to tell myself to just get over it and ran to catch up with the others.

I ate a quiet dinner because I was deep in thought. I looked at the people around me, Harry was holding hands with Ginny under the table, and Ron and Pansy (Pansy sat with Ron at the Griffindor table a lot). I looked back at my plate, feeling that I lost my appetite. I got up from the table without another word and went outside to the Grounds.

Walking up to the lake I couldn't help but to start crying. I scowled at myself for crying. I didn't even know why I was. I just felt so alone, on my last year too. The cold wind stung my cheeks and my fingers and feet were going numb. I didn't care though as I sat by the lake, I had worse pain that I was facing.

Was it wrong to feel this way? But when I looked at him, I just got lost in thought. At times I didn't even realize I was watching him. I had him always in my mind. His silver eyes, his 'perfect' silky hair, and god that body was just so.. well puberty had done wonders for that boy. I thought about him and remembered that annoying smirk he gave and started to cry unable to hold back the tears

Little did I know, those silver eyes were watching me through a window. Those sad eyes looked at me and feeling like I was being watched I looked up and met his gaze through the window. He quickly looked away…

I saw her crying again. She's being doing that a lot lately. I cant blame her though, I see her all alone with all her friends together as couples. I know that she watches me, but I'm so ignorant, and I avoid her gaze. Her eyes are full of longing but I'm afraid to hurt her. My father still believes in the Dark Lord, and he despises 'mudbloods'. It hurts me enough to see her crying as it is.

When she looked up and saw me I quickly looked away to find Pansy watching me, with MY smirk on her face.

I scowled as she looked at me. "Awwww does our little Draco have a teensy crush on a certain bushy-haired witch?"

"Don't you dare start Pansy" I sneered, trying to not blush. But Pansy could see right through me, and she grinned.

I woke up the next morning, and sighed. I sat up in my bed dreading the day I was about to face. I would see him again, and he wouldn't even look at me. Slowly I got out of bed and went for breakfast. I sat down at the end of the table and ate alone, thinking about what I should do. If he notices me, do I smile? Or should I look away? Why do I even look at him? Pull yourself together Hermione! Ugh this isn't good.

I went through the entire morning thinking over those questions, not even paying attention in the classes. I wasn't listening to Harry when he was asking me for help in Transfiguration.

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled. The entire class looked at him and he sunk in his seat in embarrassment. "sorry" he muttered to McGonagall

For once, I did what everyone did in History of Magic, I slouched in boredom and looked out the window. I doodled all over my parchment and didn't bother to make notes. I knew all of this anyways, I had that textbook off by heart.

I went to lunch and sat down rather clumsily. Lavender came up to me with a look of sympathy in her eyes as I took some soup.

"Something wrong, Lavender?" I asked smoothly.

"Hermione, Pansy told um…. Well in Muggle Studies see, she ah kinda told Dracoyoulikedhim" she mumbled the last bit really fast but I knew what she said. I choked on my soup and looked at her in complete shock.

"WHAT!" I yelled causing many heads to turn.

Lavender tried to calm me down but how could I? Oh I should have never trusted Pansy! Draco KNOWS! "What happened? How did he react?" I said fearing the answer.

Lavender avoided my eyes and looked down at her knees. I felt tears coming on and I ran. I ran as fast as I could out of the Great Hall. I didn't know where I was going. I found Moaning Myrtles bathroom and ran inside. I sat down in a corner, feeling completely numb. He knew…

Draco and I barely talked, but even when we did it was always a nice conversation. We were barely friends, but now that was all gone. He didn't like me, and now he was going to avoid me and never talk to me ever again.

I looked over at the Gryffindor table to see if I could find her, but she wasn't at dinner either. Pansy had told me that Hermione - Muggle Born top of the class – Granger like me. But the way Pansy said it it sounded like Hermione was desperately in love with me. At first I was in total shock, but a second later I relaxed. Pansy always exaggerated this kind of thing. And besides, I knew already in a way that she liked me, she didn't hide it well. I wanted to talk to her at lunch, but I couldn't find her. Still, Hermione wasn't anywere in sight so I looked then for Pansy. She was sitting with that red-headed weasel a couple seats down from the where I was sitting. I scowled at the fact that Weasley was sitting at the Slytherin table. I moved down to where they were sitting and looked at Pansy.

"Hello Malfoy. Seen Hermione lately?" Ron grinned evily. Oh gods Pansy told him too!

I gave Weasely a cold look and that alone shut him up. I looked back at Pansy and asked "Where's Hermione?"

"I thaw her runnin' in Moanin' Myrlthe's bathroom at lunth. She'th been there all afternoon, cryin'." Said Blaise, mouth full of mashed potato and spitting bits everywhere.

I glared at Pansy. "Why didn't you leave this to us! She wasn't ready to talk to me about this and now she's crying and devastated because of you!"

Ron stood up and yelled "Pansy told you the truth! If it wasn't for her you never would have known!" I turned to Ron teeth bared and Ron quickly sat back down.

I stormed out of the Great Hall leaving Pansy, Ron and Blaise looking at me completely shocked.

I had been crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom all day. My eyes hurt and my throat was hoarse. Moaning Myrle had been trying to calm me down and asked me what was wrong but I couldn't tell her without crying again. Why was I crying to much? I heard someone enter and call "Hermione?"

I looked up and saw Pansy. I felt a sudden rush of anger and I screamed at her "GET – THE – FUCK – AWAY – FROM – ME!"

Pansy looked at me shocked. I never swore, I never got angry like that. Then she yelled back "GOD HERMIONE! IT WAS JUST A STUIPD CRUSH! ITS NO BIG DEAL! GET OVER IT!" And with that she ran. I stood up from my corner and had I felt so alone and cold. As she ran out of the bathroom, I rested my forehead on the door and silent tears started to fall down my cheeks again. I looked at Moaning Myrtle who looked at me with greatest sympathy. I looked away and went back to my corner.

It seemed like hours but was probably only minutes when the door opened again. This time I didn't bother too look up when I heard my name be called again. I heard Myrtle gasp and say "Boys arent allowed in a girl's washroom you know!"

That made me look up and I saw him… standing there at the doorway looking at me with those silver eyes. He walked up to me and I avoided his eyes. He sat down next to me and suddenly wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me into his embrace and rocked me back and forth calming me. I leaned my head into his chest, it felt so comfortable and he looked down. I looked up and he wiped a tear away with his hand.

"Hermione…" he looked at me and opened his mouth and closed it several times. "I ah… um... well I just…"

I slightly smiled at him. Draco Malfoy, King of the Slytherins, was stuttering. But the smile quickly faded because I had know clue what he was going to say. He looked deep into my eyes and said "Hermione, Pansy told me about how you felt." I leaned into him, looking away from his eyes and tightly closing mine. "Hermione I… I like you too"

My eyes shot open and I looked up at him. He smiled and titled his head. He moved closer, oh god he was about a centimeter away from my face. What's he going to do? Then, I don't know why, but I leaned forward and I met his lips with mine. His lips where soft and I melted into the kiss. He kissed me sweetly and gently, something I never expected from a Malfoy. I felt his tongue brush like my lower lip and I quietly moaned, and he took that opportunity to stick his tongue explore my mouth. The kiss seemed to last forever, or at least I wanted it too. But we broke for air and I hugged him tight. I rested my head on his collar bone and he kissed my head.

"What does this mean now?" I asked softly

"What do you mean?" he asked. I looked up at him again and asked "What are we now? Are we like… well going out?"

Draco smiled at me and planted another light kiss on my lips. "Well, I would love for you to be my girlfriend"

I looked at Draco and I suddenly rememebered…. This is DRACO! We have been ememies for so long… "How can I know that you care me? We used to hate eachother... "

He looked at me surprisingly. "I haven't hated you for a long time. I've had a crush on you since fourth year, seeing you at the Yule Ball. You looked so beautiful. I think that I fell in love with you some time this year" I smiled at him. "Hermione, I don't want you to ever think that I don't love you. Because I do. I love you Hermione Granger, and don't you ever forget it"

I looked at him, and I couldn't stop smiling. "I love you too Draco Malfoy"

A couple of mintues later Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger had walked into the Great Hall, hand in hand. The entire student body looked at them. Malfoy, pureblood, with Granger, a muggle born witch which he seemed to have hated for years. Most people were smirking, because they knew they would get together some day. A couple of clueless people were staring shocked at this but then came to accept it

Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger made history that day. They made the first step after the war to show that Purebloods and Muggles/Muggle-Born Witches and Wizards can finally be together in safety. Someone started to clap and it was Pansy. Some Slytherins and Gryffindors started and soon all of the Hall was. Most couples got up and celebrated their love and everyone kissed. No one really knows why, but all of Hogwarts had smiles on their faces to know that their love was safe from harm of a Death Eater and the Dark Lord.