I know you think that I shouldn't still love you
I'll tell you that
But if I didn't say it
Well, I'd still have felt it
Where's the sense in that?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco leaned back in his chair and sighed. Across the Great Hall, Hermione Granger, the love of his life, was sitting at the Gryffindor table. She started to laugh at something Ron had said, but then she caught him looking at her, and her smile stopped. A sad look came over her face, and Draco was sure he had one too.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ron asked, while stuffing his face with mashed potatoes. Hermione broke her stare with Draco, and turned back to Ron. "Nothing. I'm not feeling very well right now. I'm going up to our common room."

Draco saw Hermione tell Ron something, then leave. Gosh, he loved her so much. But he knew he couldn't be with her anymore, no matter how bad they both wanted to be.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder
Or return to where we were

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco left the Slytherin table. He caught up with Hermione in the hall. When he grabbed her hand to turn her around, he saw tears on her face.

"Draco, please." She said, trying to hold back some of her tears, "I can't be with you anymore."

"But Hermione, can't we just try again? I think of you everyday, and can't sleep because your in my head. I can't live without you, Hermione. I love you. You're the only one that I have ever loved. The only person who had ever truly loved me. Please, Hermione, don't leave me. I love you."

That just made her tears come loose, and she sobbed. "Draco, I can't. I love you too, but Draco, Ron asked me to marry him."

This took Draco by surprise. Her words went through him like a knife.

"What? How could he? What did you say?"

She didn't need to answer, because her sobbing gave it away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I have to go now, Draco. Ron will be so mad if he sees me with you again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I know I left too much mess
And destruction to come back again
And I caused but nothing but trouble
I understand if you can't talk to me again
And if you live by the rules of "It's over"
Then I'm sure that that makes sense

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron. Draco hated him, hated to even think of him. That's the reason Hermione broke up with him in the first place.

FLASHBACK

One day, Draco and Hermione were in an abandoned class room, just talking, holding hands. When Draco leaned over to kiss her, the door flew open. Ron stormed in, and Hermione jerked back from Draco.

"What are you doing to her? You Son of a ..."

"Ron!" Hermione said. "He wasn't doing anything. We were just talking."

"Yeah, right." Ron murmured. "Well, I don't want to see you two 'just talking' again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Hermione said, her head hanging low.

Draco looked up in surprise. Why had Hermione just agreed? She hadn't been doing anything! Draco looked at her face, but it was hidden, turned away from him.

"Come here, Hermione, let's go and get away from this Slytherin scum." Ron said.

Hermione got up, but before she went out the door, she turned around and mouthed to Draco, 'I'm so sorry'.

Draco stormed out of the room then, mad at Ron for taking the most important thing in his life away from him. Ron had absolutely no right to come into Draco's life, and completely ruin it. Hermione was the only place that he found unconditional love and acceptance for who he was. He didn't want some pretty-by like Ron to take it all away.

The next day after Ron had found Hermione and Draco, all of the Gryffindors glared at Draco as he walked to the table. He knew that he couldn't go back to Hermione now, even though he desperately wanted to.

END OF FLASHBACK

Draco knew why Hermione said yes to Ron's proposal. She knew that, despite her smarts, she couldn't make in the world on her own. That was her deepest fear, was being rejected by the Gryffindors. Although it almost killed her to tell Draco that she was engaged to Ron, she knew she had to.

A FEW MONTHS LATER, AT GRADUATION

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And when we meet
As I'm sure we will
All that was then
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved on

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Even though it hurt Draco very deeply every time he saw Hermione, he knew, that for her sake, he needed to pretend that he was okay, instead of running back into her arms. When the time finally came for everyone to get off of the Hogwart's Express, Draco looked at Hermione, memorizing every inch of her. How badly he wanted to go over to her, and just say goodbye one last time. But he couldn't trust himself not to fall into her, and beg her to take him away from the world.

Over his shoulder, Draco stole one last glance at her. She saw him, and with tears glistening in her eyes, mouthed 'I will always love you.'