Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
Summary: Draco confesses his love for Hermione. Lots of drama, but little or no fluff. Based loosely on the song 'Just So You Know' by Jesse McCartney. This is NOT a songfic (because I am very bad at writing those), but listening to the song, if you have it, will really set the mood for the fic.
A/N: Finally, an update:) (Three updates, in fact, if you check my profile page out. 3 fics in one day! Well, uploaded in one day, not written in one day.) This may be slightly OOC, because I was feeling rather emotional when I wrote it, and kept writing drama-filled scenes. :) I hope you like it, and please review!
Just So You Know
Hermione took a step back, then another. Her brown eyes were wide with surprise – she didn't know how to react. All she wanted to do was to run away, but her legs were refusing to let her escape to the safety of Gryffindor Tower.
"What?" she asked in disbelief, her voice barely above a whisper. She stared blankly at the boy standing across from her. His eyes were trained on her; he held a firm yet gentle gaze that did nothing except to scare Hermione. "What?" she repeated.
Draco clenched his jaw, never moving his steely grey eyes from Hermione. His heart constricted as he watched her back away from him, her eyes filled with what he read as fear, but was in actual fact mere surprise. It was unclear to Draco when everything had begun, but he knew that he was completely obsessed with the bushy-haired girl standing before him.
"I love you," he repeated firmly, ignoring the way she inhaled sharply at his words. Her bushy brown hair fell in ringlets around her face, messy and unruly, but she didn't care. Hermione absently used a hand to brush strands of hair away from her face, not noticing that Draco was watching the way her slender, pale fingers swept her fringe behind her ear.
The look on Hermione's face, like she was scared of him, made Draco feel like turning on his heel and running away. Somehow, he wished that he had never spoken to Hermione. But yet he knew that this was probably his last chance to tell her how he felt about her – feelings that had existed ever since the day he had met her but had only recently become clear to him. Only recently, when Harry Potter had given Hermione a rose on Valentine's Day. The meaning behind that single rose was clear for everyone to see.
It also made it very clear to Draco why he hated Harry Potter so much – Harry Potter, who was always around Hermione. Draco was jealous, but he was only willing to admit that to himself.
"That's," Hermione began, before trailing off. She bit her lower lip, her eyes darting from Draco to the floor.
Draco thought he could feel his insides trying to climb out of his throat. He wanted to leave and pretend that nothing had happened, but he couldn't. He couldn't pretend that he was fine when he wasn't – everything had changed the day that Hermione had stepped into his life. Her witty, biting comments and her excessively perfect grades had captured his attention, along with her dazzling smile – innocently beautiful.
It wasn't as if Draco wanted to fall so completely in love with Hermione – he didn't need love, and he most certainly didn't need to love a muggleborn. But the feeling had crept up behind him, completely engulfing and swallowing him. He couldn't help it. Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves – it didn't work.
"Why? Why do you have to tell me?" Hermione asked suddenly, looking slightly delirious. "I don't want to know!" She was breathing heavily, her cheeks turning pink. "Why can't you just … just …" she let her sentence trail off as she clenched and unclenched her fists, staring at Draco.
Her words struck something in Draco, and he took a large stride closer to her. He could feel himself trembling slightly. "I can't let go of you!" he cried out, reaching out to grab hold of Hermione's shoulder. "I want to let go of you! But I can't!" Draco was almost shouting now, as he took quick and shallow breaths, staring at Hermione in wild and blind passion. His eyes were wide, boring into Hermione. "I had to tell you," he whispered heavily, "I couldn't let him win. He doesn't deserve you."
It was clear that Draco was referring to Harry, and Hermione clenched her fists so tightly that her fingers dug painfully into her palm. Her face had blanched completely as she stared up Draco – his grey eyes were raging.
Draco loosened his grip on Hermione in defeat, letting his hands fall back to his sides. He could feel his heart beating madly, and his lungs tightening, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. A wave of dizziness passed over Draco, and he stumbled slightly, all the while staring at Hermione. Every time he saw her, he found it hard to stay composed – in fact, he found it hard to do anything. All rational thought left him when he was around Hermione; it was as if she had some strange power over him.
"Do you," he began slowly, as pain coursed through his body for an inexplicable reason. "Do you want to … forget this? Do you want me to … hide my feelings?" Draco asked quietly, unsure what had possessed him to ask anything of the sort. He knew, deep down that he was willing to do anything just so Hermione would be happy. If it made her uncomfortable to have him staring at her, Draco was willing to look away, despite how much it hurt him.
A look of anxiety was passing over Hermione. She reached out as if to grab Draco's hand, but stopped herself quickly. His words had cut through her, and the thought that he was willing to suppress his feelings for her was terribly difficult for Hermione to accept. The look on Draco's face – like an injured puppy – made it even more difficult to simply turn and walk away.
Tears glistened in Hermione's eyes. "I …" she whimpered breathlessly, shaking her head in disbelief. "I … I don't know." Hermione resembled a deer caught in the headlights – frightened and unsure. "I don't know!" she repeated, more loudly, but sounded as if she was talking to herself.
A hollow, empty feeling filled Draco as he shut his eyes again. There was a lump in his throat and speaking was becoming practically impossible. He hated himself for waiting so long to tell Hermione how he felt when the feelings he had for her had been waiting, under the surface, for so long. His love for her had always lain, unspoken, in a distant corner of his mind. If only he had been a little quicker – perhaps things would be different.
"If you do know," Draco said slowly, the words feeling dry and scratchy against his throat, "tell me. I'm waiting here. I've always been waiting here. I'll always be waiting … here."
Hermione whimpered again, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Why?" she asked softly. "Why? Why did you have to tell me?" she screamed, flying forward to grab Draco by the shoulders. "What do you want from me? What? What is it?" she yelled, punching Draco's chest in frustration.
If her punches hurt, Draco did not show any sign of it. Instead, he simply smiled bitterly at her. "Thought you should know," he whispered, feeling an involuntary tear slip out of the corner of his eye.
"Just so you know."
A/N: Actually, I use the lyrics of the song in the fic quite a lot. They're sort of just slipped in there, so you won't realise until you're really familiar with the song. Thumbs-up to anyone who managed to pick all the lines out. :)