A/N: Okay, so it's been a while since I made a fic. Hmm...I hope I still have my expertise. Ha-ha. Anyways, enjoy. :)

PS: This is my VERY FIRST Harry Potter fic. =)) Review to let me know what you think of it! I'm always open for suggestions!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except for the plot!

Hermione twirled her fork around her bowl of spaghetti. Although this was one of her favorite food, she didn't have the appetite to eat it.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked her. When she didn't answer, he shook her.

Hermione jumped a little at the gesture. "What do you want, Ron?"

Harry, sitting at her opposite, sighed. "Why are you acting so weird lately, 'Mione? You've been acting like that for days, but Ron and I thought it was just because of...you know, the one girls have every month?"

Hermione turned red. How dare they think it was all just because of my period? "For your information, Harry, it isn't because of that. Someone has been bugging me lately."

"Who?" the boys said in unison.

Hermione sighed in frustration. "Couldn't you guess?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other before answering. "Malfoy?"

When she didn't answer, Ron shrugged. "I couldn't blame you for feeling that way. Malfoy's a stupid git. But what exactly did he do to irritate you?"

"He's...He's been staring at me lately. Not the usual way, mind you. I would have preferred that better than what he does now." Hermione shuddered.

Harry took a look at the Slytherin table. "Well, at least he's not doing it now."

The three friends continued to eat, at least the boys. Hermione had a feeling steel grey eyes were on her, but she didn't dare look at him.

After lunch, Hermione bade goodbye to her friends and went to Herbology. It wasn't Hermione's favorite class, but neither was it her least favorite.

When she arrived at the room, it was empty except for Professor Sprout. There were pots on the students' desks. When the professor saw her in the room, she smiled. "Hermione! Good, somebody to help me out with the seeds. My dear, would you please place a bag of seed in each pot on the desks?"

Hermione muttered a yes and took a handful of bags of seeds and started to place one in each pot. "What are we going to do today, professor?"

"Well, I will be teaching you some spells on how to lessen the time of plant growth..." The professor went on and on and Hermione smiled. She didn't really want to listen to what Sprout will teach that day, but she just wanted her to talk so that there wouldn't be an awkward silence.

"...I bet that Malfoy boy fancies you," the professor was saying.

Stunned, Hermione stopped distributing the seeds. "What did you say, professor?"

"Well," Sprout continued, "he always stares at you in class. Not really in a bad way, but as if he finally saw the good things in you. I'm pretty sure he finds you beautiful, as the rest of the boys here in Hogwarts think of you."

Hermione couldn't stop blushing. This is crazy. Malfoy only sees the bad things in me, like being a Mudblood. She flinched at her own thought's words.

She shut herself up and continued distributing the seeds in the pots.

Draco kicked the nearest trash can.

He was alone in the corridor. The boy liked it that way; he always wanted to be late. That way, the corridors of the school would be almost completely empty. No one will be seeing the things he would be doing at the time.

At the moment, he was furious with himself.

It wasn't his fault the Mudblood looked more stunning than before. It wasn't his fault her hair started to calm down and why she started to have curves. It wasn't his fault her face was glued into his mind. Most of all, it wasn't his fault he fell for the girl who always called him a stupid ferret.

Ugh, he couldn't take it anymore. He kicked the bin again.

"What in the world am I going to do?" he whispered. "My father's going to kill me when he finds out. But I can't just stop having a huge crush on her."

Deciding it would be the best time to head to Herbology, he headed for it. All the time, he thought to himself, "Why her? From all the girls in Hogwarts, why her?"

When he opened the door, they stared at him. Well, only some. Everyone knew Draco was always late for class.

He searched for an empty seat, and there was only one. Oh, crap.

There, at the very back of the room, was the only seat left. The girl who haunted his dreams sat there too.

Oh, crap.

Pretending as if nothing was wrong, he proceeded to walk in the aisle and sat beside Herm–Granger. It was weird, how he thought of her as Hermione, not the typical Granger or Mudblood. It was scary.

"Granger," he said with the best sour tone he could create with a nod.

She hesitated before saying, "Ferret," with the same nod.

Professor Sprout babbled continuously about the instructions on how to create impressive speed in the growth of plants. Malfoy didn't really listen to his professor. He was staring at the ceiling, daydreaming about the girl who was now listening intently beside him. He didn't dare take another look at her, or else he might not stop staring.

His life wasn't going to well.

He emerged from his thoughts when Herm—Granger nudged him with her elbow. "Wake up, you git," she whispered. "You've been asked a question."

Malfoy looked at Professor Sprout, who was waiting for his answer, and cleared his throat. "Sorry, professor. What was the question again?"

"What is the name of the herb we're about to plant today, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco looked at the seeds in his pot and smiled. "Yugarin Quasarus..?."

His professor raised her eyebrows and smiled. "That's right." Then she continued to blether again. Whew, that was close. Draco wasn't that stupid after all.

When he couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed all his courage and looked to his left. There she was, the girl who was glued on his mind. Her curly hair calmed down, all right. Her big brown eyes were focused on the professor and she was biting her lips. She wrote some notes on her notebook, which was already half-full of her writings.

He looked away unwillingly and faced the professor again. He had to focus on this class, so that he wouldn't look like a total fool.

Hermione almost sighed in relief when Herbology ended. She was glad that she successfully did the activity and got thirty points for Gryffindor. She was glad that she finished taking down notes on the class – especially that her professor spoke very fast – and wanted to rest her hand.

She was also glad her next class wouldn't involve Malfoy anymore.

The name left her spine tingling. She didn't understand it. Could it be...Could it be that she had feelings for Malfoy? From all the people in the world, why him?

But still...Hermione knew it was true. She stopped at her tracks.

"Hermione," someone called out to her.

She turned around and smiled. "Oh, Neville. I thought...I thought you were someone else."

Neville pursed his lips. "Oh. Well, you're going to Potions, right?"

She nodded.

"Then you're heading the wrong way."

She gulped. Uh-oh. You're caught. "Oh, I know. But...I was heading for the lavatory."

"Then that's still the wrong way. The ladies' lavatory is beside the Potions classroom, remember?" Hermione knew Neville was trying his best not to laugh.

"Y-Yeah. You see, Neville, I-I...I have...Uh..."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't say a word to anyone. You're lucky I was the one who saw you like this. Just...Just don't let it happen again, okay?"

Hermione half-smiled. He knew exactly what he needed to say. "O-Okay." Then he left.

He's right. She was lucky.

When all classes were over, Hermione walked to the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Harry were still up, playing wizard's chess on the floor by the fireplace.

"That's a nice place to play chess," she said after a yawn. One of Harry's pawns punched Ron's king.

Ron groaned when Harry jumped to his feet and punched the air, saying "Checkmate!" over and over again.

"Why do you always win, Harry?" Ron whined. "Merlin, in our second year, I was the one awarded by Dumbledore as 'Best Chess Player'."

Harry laughed. "That was still second year, my friend! At present, I'm the best!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. She loved her crazy friends.

The boys started to wrestle each other jokingly, and Hermione forgot everything about Draco. "Oh, come on, guys. It's time for dinner. Break it off for a while."

That made Ron stop punching Harry. "You're right, 'Mione, as usual. What do you think is on the menu today? Chicken? Turkey? Baked Macaroni? Well, whatever it is, I hope I'll love it!" Ron said gleefully.

Hermione chuckled. "Whatever, Ron. I know you love all kinds of food."

As the three friends walked to the Great Hall while chatting and nudging, Hermione noticed a tall, blond figure in the slightly open door of the broom closet. Her heart stopped beating. What was he doing here?

When she looked at Harry and Ron, she was relieved to see that they didn't see him. They were too busy shoving each other playfully, chatting about Quidditch.

"You guys go ahead," she said. "I need to go to the washroom and do you-know-what."

Harry nodded and the two headed to the Great Hall. Hermione sighed when they closed the huge double-doors behind them and she turned around. Slowly, she walked towards the broom closet.

When she peeked inside, he still didn't see her. He was staring at the floor, thinking about...something. Hermione wished she knew what was troubling him.

Gathering her nerve, she cleared her throat.

To her surprise, Malfoy just looked at her. He didn't scream, or gasp, or call her names. He just stared at her blankly.

At that moment, Hermione thought about the pressure he was in. Sure, all the girls in Hogwarts are still in love with him (he was a hottie after all, as the Ravenclaw girls had said), but there were some rumors about him being a Death-Eater-to-be, but she wasn't sure. If he was...well, that's different.

"Hi," he whispered. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts.

Hermione bit her lower lip. Say something! Don't act like an idiot in front of him! "W-What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the Great Hall right now?"

He sighed. "Not in the mood. I like being alone, especially in times like this."

Hermione felt sorry for him. Oh Merlin, he's Malfoy after all! You shouldn't take pity on a git like him! "What do you mean?"

Silence.

She knew he knew what she thought, even before she said it. "Malfoy...Are you really going to be a...you know..." She didn't continue, knowing that he knew what she meant.

"Why would I tell you?" he muttered. At first, she got hurt, but got over it right away. Hermione had a feeling he didn't mean it. She stared at him, waiting for another answer.

Without another word, he lifted up his left sleeve and revealed the...the Dark Mark. Hermione wanted to gasp, or scream, but all she did was stare at it. She realized that she was the first person to know the truth about him. That meant...he trusted her? Merlin, what the hell?

"So it is true." She whispered.

Draco only stared at the floor.

Hermione walked slowly towards him, even though she knew she shouldn't be. "Drac—Malfoy, you didn't want this, did you?"

Draco looked at her. His eyes were sad and lonely. It was as if he felt like the only person in the world. "Who in the world would want this, Granger? Probably someone without a heart. Unlike those other death eaters, I still have a heart. That's why...That's why I haven't killed you and your friends yet."

Hermione stopped breathing. "Vold—He told you to k-kill us?"

He laughed gravely. "A long time ago. I told him it wasn't the right time. I told him it would be too easy. But the truth? I can't kill anyone. When I try to...I just can't. I can't even imagine myself doing it."

"So you are a good person. You're not the Malfoy I thought you'd be. You changed."

Draco smiled, and Hermione's stomach fluttered. "This is getting a little melodramatic, Granger. I haven't changed. I was always like this. I always had a heart. I always do everything to stop doing something I know I will regret. Lastly, I will always save you."

At his every 'always', Draco moved closer to Hermione. When he realized what he just said and what he did, he turned away and stared at the floor again.

Hermione was stunned at what he said that for a few seconds, nothing was said.

"You mean all of that?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then I guess you deserve this from me."

Hermione leaned in, a few centimeters away from his lips. She waited for him to move away, call her crazy, or anything. She wanted to get hurt before she would do something stupid.

But he didn't.

Instead, he was the one who moved even closer, gently placing his lips on hers. It was heaven, and he didn't want to let go. It was perfect.

Hermione felt the same thing, and at the moment, nothing else mattered. She finally knew that the weird tingling things she was feeling were love. She loved Draco Malfoy.

When they both pulled away, knowing that it will really end that way, both were out of breath.

"I can't believe that just happened," Hermione muttered. "I can't believe I just made out with a boy like you."

Draco laughed. "You didn't know who I really am until this moment, didn't you?"

Hermione shook her head. "I didn't know you were such a good kisser." Whoopsies. Did I just say that out loud?

"Hmm, haven't you heard all the rumors, besides me being a future Death Eater? I'm a hot playboy."

"Are you still one?"

Draco smiled and wrapped his hands around her waist. "I think I'm getting serious about this one."

A/N: DONE! Was it awesome? Did you guys like it? Well, tell me what you think by reviewing! :) But please, this is just my first HP fic, therefore also my first Dramione fic, so take it easy. :|