Wowza, this is the first story I've posted in nearly a year! I'm so sorry to have been away for so long, my lovely readers. I feel as though I should offer some sort of explanation, but I don't really have a good one. School was insane towards the end of the year and I've just been so caught up in the world that's unfolding around me that I haven't really had a chance to breathe. I promise that I'll start posting more of my stories from now on.(Oh! and I've changed my pen name from DreamerLoverWriter to lumosinthedark. I just liked the sound of my new pen name better than the old.)

So now, I present to you my latest project: a Dramione fic that I hope you'll all love. I'm planning on it being about 2 or 3 chapters long, but I might extend it if y'all like it and want me to :)

Without further ado, here is "Forgive Me"

Forgive Me

Draco and Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, shifting uneasily in their seats. The roaring fire next to them should have been keeping them warm, but a chill rose up Hermione's back as the frigid gazes of her friends confronted her.

"You're what?" asked Ron, disbelief and malice barely concealed in his voice. Hermione and Draco exchanged a glance, soft brown eyes meeting intense deep grey. This was a mistake.

"We're," Hermione started tentatively, glancing at Ron, Harry and Ginny who were perched in the chairs facing them with incredulous expressions on their faces, "together. Draco and I."

Ginny gaped at her, clearly angered that Hermione hadn't confided in her. Her! She was her best friend after all.

"And, erm" Harry cleared his throat, visibly shocked that Hermione and Draco could have gotten along for more than a minute, much less date, "How long has this," he gestured to the couple's interlaced hands, "been going on."

It was Draco who answered this time, "About five months. Before Christmas holiday at least." He glanced towards Hermione, who gave a small, confirming nod.

The clock tower chimed, one…two… three… all the way up to 12. Midnight. Normally, they would all be curled up in their dormitories, Draco in the dungeons and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny in their respective dormitories up in the tower. Instead, they sat here, the three Gryffindors glaring towards the Slytherin sitting next to their best friend. Holding hands with their best friend.

It wasn't like Hermione and Draco planned on them finding out. It sort of just…. happened. One minute, they were kissing each other goodbye behind the last shelf in the library, Draco's lips pressing zealously against hers in a passionate kiss, and the next, Ginny, Harry and Ron were bursting their secluded little bubble.

"Bloody hell!" Ron had yelled, before he saw Hermione pinned beneath Draco's arms, "Get a room, Malfoy!"

Draco had pulled away, slight smirk on his face. He wore a look that could only be described as half annoyance, half amusement. Hermione, on the other hand, had felt her face grow immensely hot as she shrunk back against the musky books behind her, wishing to be anywhere but where she was right then. She had felt Harry's green eyes find her as Draco had tucked her behind him, obviously preparing for a fight.

"Shove off, Weasel," Draco had scoffed, drawing his long, dark wand from beneath his dark Slytherin robes. He still hadn't changed after the Quidditch game against Hufflepuff today. After all, they'd been a little… preoccupied.

Ginny's voice had risen out of the thick tension, causing the two Gryffindor boys next to her to gawk at her in incredulity. "Hermione?" she had questioned, voice thick with disbelief and, though Hermione thought she must be imagining it, horror.

"Hi," Hermione had squeaked, losing all of her so-called Gryffindor courage as her face went pale and she stepped out from behind Draco. She had given them a small wave and distanced herself from the attractive blonde haired boy next to her.

"What's going on here?" Harry asked. Hermione could tell he was trying to keep his voice level, as he always did in these kinds of situations. Not that this had happened before. But, still.

She giggled nervously, glancing quickly up at her boyfriend who was staring darkly towards her friends. "Well," she managed, "it's a funny story actually…"

The nearly empty library fell silent with thick, awkward tension. Even the books on which Hermione had always relied so heavily seemed to be waiting for her to say something else. Her friends stared in utter shock at her. It was Draco's voice that finally cut through the silence.

"Well, this little visit has been rather lovely. We should do it more often." Sarcasm was heavily laced in his tone before he looked down at the girl at his shoulder. A softer, much more tender voice spoke to her, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Hermione bit her lip, glancing between her speechless friends and the boy she thought she might just love. It took her a moment under the intensely disapproving gazes of Harry, Ginny and Ron, but finally she had allowed a small, almost undetectable nod. Draco gave her a small grin before stepping to leave the library.

"Not so fast," Ron had called out, seeming to have regained his voice, causing Draco to stop in his tracks and turn towards him, "You two have some explaining to do."

"So let me get this straight," Ron said as they sat by the roaring fire in the crimson and gold swathed common room, "You two have been dating," he spat out the word like it was something dirty, "for five months and didn't bother to tell anyone?"

"And with him, of all people," Harry hissed toward Draco, then turned to Hermione, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. You can't possibly be serious."

Hermione looked up at the blonde boy next to her, still much taller than she was even when sitting. He had been oddly quiet throughout this entire thing.

"You can't keep seeing each other," Ron insisted. And all hell broke loose.

"You bloody prat, Ronald!" Ginny cried to Hermione's astonishment. She hadn't thought that the youngest Weasley would be on her side.

Draco rose from his seat, and Hermione followed, though he let go of her hand. He walked angrily towards Ron and Harry, wand held high.

"Try and make us, Weasley," the blonde scoffed.

"Draco!" Hermione cried, grabbing his forearm to pull him back. He shrugged her off, though shot her an apologetic glance. Ron had drawn his wand already and it was pointing back towards Malfoy.

"Enough!" Hermione yelled in a fury. The yells of Ron and Draco ceased. For a moment, she wondered why their fighting had not woken up the whole dormitory, then realized that Harry must have cast the Muffliato charm across the room. She shook the thought away quickly. She had more important things to deal with than worrying about a stupid charm holding.

"I knew this would happen," Hermione muttered, as she ran her hand through her curly hair.

"Of course this was going to happen!" Harry cried, losing his temper at last, "You didn't really think we'd never find out? You didn't think that we'd be accepting of him? He's Malfoy, for God's sake. Do you even remember what he did to us? How he treated us? How he treated you?"

"He's changed," Hermione snapped.

"I don't care," Ron said, "He's a bloody Death Eater."

"Actually," Draco chimed in, rolling up his sleeves and revealing perfectly unmarred pale arms, "That was a rumor."

Harry, ignoring the last statement, repeated, "You can't keep seeing each other."

Hermione collapsed, exasperated into the plush red chair behind her.

"And if I don't," she asked Harry defiantly, anger glinting in her eyes. He wasn't her father after all. Nor was he a teacher or an adult. He had no authority over her. He was her friend. He wouldn't do this to her. He couldn't do this to her. He was the kind, and brave and loyal, Harry Potter. Yet, somehow Hermione knew what would come next before it was even said.

Ron answered for him, despite Ginny's outrage, "If you don't, then I don't think we can be friends."

And just like that, Hermione's world fell apart.

So, what do y'all think? Please review to let me know how I can develop better as a writer and your reactions to this particular story. Bad or good, any and all reviews help me know that my writing is being seen and gives me just a little validation for this crazy thing we all do by putting ourselves and our writing out here on this website.

Look for the next chapter sometime in the next week :)

-lumosinthedark