"Take it back"
"No"
"You don't mean it"
"I do"
"You can't"
"Why?"
"Because you are Draco Malfoy"
"And………"
"I'm Hermione Granger"
"Sooooo……………"
"Arrggggghhhhh. You are the most exasperating person I have ever had the displeasure of knowing."
Chuckles
"Really? What about Potty or the Weasel?"
Laughs
"Don't change the bloody subject. You can't like me."
"I still don't know why not. The fact that I am the son of the biggest Death Eater ever really shouldn't matter to you. I thought you were an advocate of 'making your own mind up', you are judging me on the actions of a man who to me is my father in name alone. I hate the man and everything he stands for. Harry and Ron get that. Why can't you?"
"I….I….Emm…." *blushes deeply*
More chuckling.
"My my what is this. The high and mighty, know-it-all Granger lost for words. Wait till I tell everyone."
"Don't you dare."
Silence, during which Draco watches amused as Hermione paces the floor.
"Okay so you aren't as bad as we all first thought but you have to admit that you have been pretty nasty to me over the years."
"Okay I'll give you that. But you haven't been that nice to me either. You broke my nose in third year did you know that."
"No. I didn't……."
"……sorry,"
"…I guess."
"That's okay. I should thank you actually. That was the moment I started to think you may not be as bad as I had been led to believe."
"Really? Why?"
"Yes really. You weren't afraid of me and I liked that. Even my 'friends' were afraid of me. I guess I finally realised that you were just a normal witch regardless of where you came from."
"Really?"
Laughs
"Granger you are in danger of becoming a bimbo! Your vocab is diminishing rather quickly."
Laughs.
"Sorry I'm just shocked that's all."
"Yeah, I was as well"
"So why are you telling me now. In the middle of a war. When we should be concentrating on helping Harry get rid of you know who."
"I'm telling you because of the war. We are on different sides at the minute Hermione. I don't know what is going to happen. Only Harry and Ron and now you know that I am a spy. But that might change and when it does I may not be able to get to safety. I wanted you to know that I like you before I go to join my father and him. I may not get the chance later."
"Please don't say it like that. It will be fine. Harry is going to defeat him and everything will be fine."
"When Harry does defeat him his followers are going to know they were betrayed and it won't take long to them to work out that it was me, Blaise and Pansy. We will need to move quick but I don't know where we will be and if it will be possible to even contact you."
Silence
Hermione moves closer in the shadows of the kitchen, she grabs Draco's big hands in her tiny ones, she stands on tip-toe and leans towards him,
"In that case. Draco Malfoy I like you too."
