Summary:

Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini make a bet that Draco won't be able to make the one and only Hermione Granger fall madly in love with him. Draco is more than happy to get the chance of breaking the mudblood. But after he succeeds he wonders why his heart aches so much…

The Bet

He sat alone on his bed, all that happened minutes ago was racing through his head. He felt like shit, he had done something so low that even he himself was shocked that he agreed to do, and ended up hurting the only person who really cared about him. But more importantly…who HE cared about. He lost her, she wasn't coming back. Ever. He broke her heart and he did it in the cruelest way anyone could ever think of. He looked at the money next to him, 75 gallons. He couldn't bear holding them, not even looking at them. He didn't want them, he never did. He just wanted to prove he could do it. He hated himself as he realized he had hurt and lost the only girl he fell for. How ironic, the bet was to make her fall in love with him, not the other way around.

'She didn't mind dying for you…and you…you did it for 75 gallons! What a cheap price for losing someone who loved you this much! Someone who you never realized that you equally cared for' he thought, but it was too late, it was just too late.

FLASHBACK…

"You can't do it Draco, not a chance!" Blaise dared laughing, sitting with his bestfriend Draco Malfoy in the Slytherin's common room. They somehow ended up talking about Hermione Granger. She surely had changed, she was no longer scrawny and short with bushy hair. She became taller, and developed curves that any girl would kill for. Her hair was no longer a bushy mess but a beautiful mass of soft curls that cascaded down her shoulders.

She was gorgeous, and apparently everyone knew that. Everyone except Draco.

"Blaise, you know that no girl can resist me! I just don't want to do it, not Granger; she's not even pretty!" Draco argued and Blaise gave him a look that screamed 'You're crazy!'

"Not even pretty? Are you serious? Draco…are you sure you're not gay?" Blaise asked with a serious look on his face.

Draco just smacked him on the back of his head. "No you Freak, I'm not gay!" Draco snapped.

"Then how come you don't find Granger hot? That doesn't make any sense" Blaise said, and Draco just looked at him with a bored face "Well, when she's on your throat 24/7 you really don't think about screwing her!"

"So u admit you can't?" Blaise asked teasingly.

"Can't what? Screw her? Ya I can, I just don't want to!" Draco replied sharply.

"Sure mate! You just keep telling yourself that." Blaise said laughing.

"How much?" Draco suddenly asked with fire in his silver eyes.

"Wha-?" Blaise asked

"How much? How much do I get if I screw her?" Draco repeated heatedly.

"50" Blaise said.

"100" Draco said

"75" Blaise tried again.

"Deal" Draco agreed.

"But remember, you get nothing if she wasn't in love with you when you tell her the truth!!" Blaise added seriously.

"Piece of cake!" Draco replied immediately with his famous smirk.

"This should be fun" he thought.

END OF FLASHBACK…

"Draco…."Blaise said as he opened the door to Draco's bedroom, he was ashamed with himself, he had hurt an innocent girl for no reason, and he wasn't proud of himself for it, he knew she was in love with Draco, but he don't know why he didn't tell Draco to stop the bet, maybe it was because he could see Draco happy, yes he was happy, he loved her back, and madly, he just didn't know, but she changed him, he wanted to change for her, and that had nothing to do with the bet.

"Blaise…want to hear something funny? I loved her, no I love her, I'm fucken in love with her, and now, because of your stupid bet, I've lost her" Draco said, Blaise gasped at what he sow, Draco was crying, his silver eyes filled with tears, while the rest rolled freely down his pale cheeks, "I can't believe I'm crying. Me, Draco Malfoy, the cold hearted son of a bitch who never cared about anything in his fucked up live but himself is crying but you know what hurts the most? It was being so close, yet never knowing how much she cared, evil blinded me, she unconditionally loved me while all I tried to do was hurt her" Draco said.

"I'm really sorry, I wanted to tell you that you were falling in love with her, but I knew you wouldn't believe me, you have no idea how much I'm ashamed of myself for asking you to do this bet. For hurting the only person you truly cared for. I'm sorry mate. I really am.

"It's not your fault. It was entirely mine. And I deserve what I'm going through. I just wish I can see her and explain, I really hurt her Blaise. I was always hurting her, and when she thought I loved her, I was just hurting her. Again. She has the right to never want to see me again. God! She agreed to die for me. And I was just messing around, and for the first time…I feel like a jerk. I know she always thought I was a jerk. But this time, I agree with her. And I know that I don't deserve her. She deserve something better. Something much better. Something that I can never give her. Something she can never have in me anymore. And you know what's that Blaise? Its trust, she can't trust me again. And somehow I know she has the right to. She should hate me actually. I really hope she would hate me, it would make things easier. Much easier, on both of us"

FLASHBACK…

"Tell me it's not true, that it's all a lie" she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. There she was. Standing infront of him. Not caring how people look at her. Nothing else mattered. Not after what she found out.

"I'm sorry I can't do that" he coldly said. His eyes were matching the coldness of his voice. He knew she was hurt. Broken. He knew she truly loved him, and it tore him apart, but that was the real Draco Malfoy, he couldn't let himself fall in love with a mudblood, but he didn't think of her that way last night or the night before, or the night before it, or..or...or.

She thought he loved her, that he cared for her, but it was all a bet. A dare to see if he could make her fall for him.

"How much?" she asked. Tears just kept rolling down her face. She didn't try to stop them. She couldn't.

"Hermione…." Draco said. He knew he hurt her. But he didn't want to do that. Not again.

"How much?" she asked again. She had to know. She needed to know.

"Don't do this Hermione…"Draco tries again. She just turns around and looks in Blaise's eyes, he looks down ashamed. "How much zabini?" she asks him, he looks at Draco who gave him a look that said "DON'T" but Hermione screams at him "Just say how much Zabini. I'm not joking" he looks down and whispers "75" she looks shocked. But then turns back to face Draco "75…I don't believe it, Malfoy….I should've listened to Ron and Harry. They were right. Everyone was right. I was just too blind to see. I thought you could change. You were such a good actor Malfoy. Congratulations! You managed to screw the mudblood. The one everyone thought of as the smartest witch of her age. Well that proves how wrong they are. I can't believe how blind I was. You made me feel like I meant the world to you. You showed me love no one showed me before. And not only in bed, but everywhere else too. I can't believe it was just an act. But again that's you we're talking about. So I should've guessed so. This was entirely my fault. I was the stupid one" he didn't know what to say. He didn't know what hurt him more. Her calling him Malfoy or calling all they had an act.

"But isn't that all it was? You got paid to screw her. And you won. You got the money. It was an act. Then why do I feel like this?" he thought.

Suddenly she asked again "then why didn't you tell me as soon as we slept together the first time? Why didn't you break it off then?"

A panicked look crept over his face. He didn't want to answer this question. Anything except this question, because it would prove how low he was. How cheap his trick was. How dirty he had played. She repeats the question, he remains silent.

"Tell me damn it! That's the least you can do" she practically screams at him. He looks down. Ashamed. He knows he should tell her. This was the least he could do.

"Because I had to make you fall in love with me first" he said. He didn't know what hurt more. The gasps from people around them. Or her own gasp. She lowers her eyes. She can't even look at his face. Finally she looks up, straight into his silver eyes. Right before she turns to blaise and say "give me the money" he seemed shocked, "Give me the fucken money Zabini" He just reaches down his pocket and takes out the money, hands it over to her. She takes them. Turns around again to face Draco, who had a shocked look on his face, he knew what she was about to do, and he was disgusted with himself to an unbelievable extend.

She just looks into his eyes. She was having flashbacks of their relationship. Every kiss. Every hug. Every time they would make love. And how he would sleep holding her close to him. He really knew how to make her fall in love with him. Then he had to crash her like that. She snaps out of her thoughts cause all they did was cause more pain. And that was the only thing she doesn't need.

She then looks at him. Reaching out the money for him to take while saying "well congratulations malfoy, you deserve the 75 gallons, I did fall in love with you. And that was my biggest mistake. And now I'm paying for it…literally" she still has her hand stretched out. Holding the money that he is supposed to take for what he succeeded in doing. But he never thought in a million years that it would be her giving it to him. He couldn't take them. He didn't have the courage to. Yes. Draco Malfoy couldn't take the money he earned in breaking Hermione's heart. Not when it was HER giving it to him.

He snapped out of his thoughts by her broken voice "come on. You deserve them. They belong to you. They could be useful. You could get a whore for a night or something. But tell me this…Do you hug her when you fall asleep? or was it only me? Do u act like a perfect lover and boyfriend with them? Or just me? Do you meet…do you meet their parents? or was it just me? God, you have no idea how much I loved you. Or when you got into the hospital how I was worried sick about you! God, when they thought you might need a new heart. I…I filled out an application that stated that if I was an accepted donor I agree to give you my heart. I even planned to cut through my veins so I would bleed to death and you get the heart as soon as possible. And why? Because I knew I couldn't live without you. That if only one of us could live, it can't be me, it wouldn't be right, while all this time it was just a bet for you, how could I be this stupid." And with that she throws the money to his feet and walks away, not caring of the looks of sympathy people are giving her.

"Hermione wait…"he says running after her. She turned around and says "it's Granger, don't you ever call me by my first name again. Only people close to me can do that…and the list no longer includes you Malfoy"

END OF FLASHBACK…

Hermione walked by the lake, she couldn't believe how all her life turned out to be such a lie. Why him. Why was it him she had to be in love with? She knew she needed him. She knew she couldn't live without him. Hermione Granger. The independent witch needed a Guy to live. And he wasn't just any guy. He had to be her worst enemy. How ironic.

"Um…Granger" a voice suddenly said, forcing Hermione to snap out of her thoughts, she turned around to find the last person she expected.

"Zabini? What do you want? Can't you just leave me alone? I feel stupid enough, I don't need to see you to feel worse" and with that she started walking away.

"He needs you Granger" Blaise suddenly said, making Hermione instantly freeze, he needs her, Draco needs her.

"What is it now Zabini? You made another bet on weather he'll be able to screw me AGAIN after he told me about the bet? Well I'm sorry to tell you this but I've had enough!" and with that she continued walking, not sure to where, but anywhere away from Zabini was good.

"he was crying" Blaise said, running to catch up with Hermione, he was determined to get these two back together, even if it meant stalking Hermione until she gets to her senses.

Hermione was shocked. He was crying. Draco. For her. Could he be actually in love with her? Or was it because she had told him about the heart thing? Or maybe because he wanted to look good infront of people. She didn't know why exactly, but she wasn't about to do the same mistake again. She and Draco are over. Even if she was madly in love with him. Even if he was too.

"Look Zabini…Tell him I'm sorry but I can't do this. I 'm hurt. And badly. True that the bet wasn't his idea. But he agreed to do it. And weather he is in love with me or not. Doesn't mean a thing to me. Not anymore. It's over."

She looks down. She knows she was making a mistake. She knows she needs him. But her pride is hurt. And it's refusing to let her go back. Because she knows she would get hurt again. And she can't handle that. Not again.

This was the last time blaise saw Hermione. She left Hogwarts. Left Harry and Ron. She gave up being a witch. Because it brought bad memories. Alot of them. And she made sure Draco wouldn't know where she was. Because she knew if she saw him…she would get weak. He was her weakness. And she hated it. But there was nothing she could do about it.

He was her weakness.

The End.

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