Seventeen year old Hermione Granger was lip-locked in a passionate kiss with Draco Malfoy at the lake behind the school of Hogwarts. When they finally ended the kiss breathlessly, Hermione looked up into Draco's stormy gray eyes and sighed contentedly. She hasn't felt that way since a long time ago, since Draco came back.

Last summer, Draco finally came back. He had escaped from the evil clutches of Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. His father, Lucius Malfoy, had imprisoned him and tortured him when he refused to go back to the Dark Side. Hermione remembered that after the Christmas at their fifth year, he had gone missing. When he came back, he was a new person totally. And he is now staying at a foster wizarding family who works at the Ministry of Magic. Draco had changed, not only in looks, but in personality as well. He no longer held hatred for people, maybe except for Lucius. And he had been nice to everyone, especially Hermione. Hermione slowly realized that she was falling for his charm, the intelligence he never showed, his humanity kept inside for years, and everything about him. But she already had a longtime boyfriend, Harry Potter. They had been going out for many years to come. But since Draco made his presence, Hermione had been confused and sad. But after kissing Draco now, and releasing all those suppressed emotions, she finally realized that Draco was the one she really wants. But what about Harry?

Thinking of Harry, Hermione sat up straight, lifting her head from Draco's comfortable shoulders and sighed, this time, in frustration.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked in pure concern.

"It's just that… Harry…"

Draco sighed, too, and raked his fingers through his silvery hair.

"Hermione, when it's time to let go, it's time."

"But… even still…"

"Hermione, look at me." Draco cupped her chin in raised her head.

"I know you still love Harry, and… I won't make it hard for you. If you tell me that Harry is the one you still want, I'll let you go, too." He said that with a pained expression on his face.

"No!" Hermione said quickly as she embraced Draco in the tightest hug ever.

"Please, Draco. I just need more time. But I'm definitely sure that I want you. I let you go once, I'm not going to let you go again."

Draco smiled and kissed Hermione at the top of her head. He found out that it was actually raining, but the both of them were too busy noticing it.

"'Mione?"

"Yes?"

"We'd better go before we drown in the rain."

Hermione chuckled and nodded, as Draco accompanied her to the Gryffindor common room. What the both of them didn't know was that Parvati Patil was watching them not far away. Nobody ever knew; but she had a crush on Harry.

How could you do this to Harry, you wretch. I'll make you pay for this.

'Harry-

Please meet me at the Potions classroom after Charms. I have to pass you something.

Yours Truly,

Parvati'

Parvati smiled satisfied, as she sent that note. She had rummaged through Hermione's things earlier on and found a note, saying that Hermione and Draco meet at the Potions classroom right after Charms. Hermione's in for it now.

"This is it…" Harry muttered under his breath as he approached the Potions classroom. "Wonder why Parvati wants to pass to me."

As he reached the door, he was surprised to hear voices. But those weren't teachers' voices, not to mention Snape. Then the voices stopped.

He opened the door a slit and peeked in. He got the shock of his life. He saw Hermione, his GIRLFRIEND, kissing Draco MALFOY, his ENEMY? He rubbed his eyes and pinched himself, making sure that he was awake but this wasn't a dream and the pinch hurt. So it was true… Harry slammed himself against the nearest wall, forcing himself to stand up and not cry. He hugged his books close to his chest and stood up. This must be Malfoy's fault. It can't be my Hermione in there.

But this few days, Hermione had already been avoiding Harry, in order to ease a little confusion from her mind. She was walking to the Library to get some information about the Dark Arts for her DADA lessons when she saw Harry leaning against the wall, not far from the Library, looking at her with accusing green eyes. She stopped in her tracks immediately.

"Harry…" she said softly.

"What? Were you avoiding me? And hoping I'd just go away?" there were a mixture of emotions in Harry's voice.

"No…"

"Hermione, tell me what's wrong." He went over to her and shook her.

"Nothing's wrong, Harry."

"Then how do you explain you and Malfoy?"

Hermione gasped. He knew.

"Harry, I-" but she didn't know where to start.

Harry closed his eyes briefly.

"Look, Hermione, whatever that happened; whatever I saw, I'm perfectly willing to make it a mistake and move on." His voice was almost pleading.

"It wasn't a mistake." Hermione tried hard to fight back the tears.

"What?" Harry whispered, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"It wasn't a mistake." Hermione repeated, looking into Harry's sad green eyes for certainty. But all this seemed so familiar, too familiar, that Hermione looked away.

"You promised you'd never leave me. You lied." he whispered, then he walked away in the opposite direction, leaving Hermione crying softly.

"Oh, Harry…" she whispered sadly.

"Hermione, what's wrong with you today?" Draco asked, concerned.

"Harry knows… about us."

"How?"
"I don't know…" Hermione said as the tears started flowing unconditionally.

Draco didn't know what to say, so he just hugged her tightly.

"Hermione… I'm so sorry…"

"W-why?"

"Because I came into your life and turned it upside down?" Draco replied with a lopsided grin.

Hermione smiled sadly, despite all the tears.

"Now, come on, let's get to class. Snape's probably off the wall by now."

Hermione smiled and Draco couldn't resist planting a kiss on her lips before they both headed to Professor Snape's class, Potions. Snape, of course, didn't scold the both of them, as Draco was his favorite student, but he itched to take points off Gryffindor. As Hermione came in the room, she met Harry's accusingly sad eyes and Ron's confused look.

She quickly made her way to the back of the classroom, avoiding their gaze as possible as she could. But Lady Luck wasn't on her side today; she got paired up with Harry for Potions work.

As she reached his table, he quickly turned away, not meeting her gaze, as well. The whole period, no words were spoken between them. Then when they reached for an ingredient at the same time, their hands touched and Harry grabbed hold of her hand tight, as if afraid of letting go. It pained Hermione to see the look on Harry's face. She tried to squirm free but Harry held on.
"Harry…" but before she could say anything, Harry let go, leaving a ring in her hand.

"I wanted to give this to you. And now I still want to give it to you."

"Harry… it's beautiful, but…" Hermione stammered.

"I still want you to have it-to remind you of me, and how it was." Harry said in barely a whisper. "And how good it could still be." But Hermione caught it, and she blushed. She felt like these were the old times, until… she heard an explosion. She swerved in that direction and saw Draco's hand bleeding badly, swollen at the same time. She gasped and ran over to him, where Parvati Patil was trying to explain to Snape.

"I-it was an a-accident! I didn't m-mean it!"

"How could you be so careless! Fifty points taken off Gryffindor for such carelessness!" Snape scolded.

Meanwhile, Hermione was over at Draco's side, holding his hand delicately, panicking. In fact, she couldn't even think. She forgot that she had left Harry and the ring behind. Harry looked at the ring and a tear rolled down his cheek. Is it really over, Hermione? he thought miserably.

"Draco! Are you all right?"

"Don't worry about me."

"How could I not? I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey." And she asked permission from the blabbering Snape, who suddenly realized that Draco was hurt badly.

"Yes, take him to Poppy right now, Miss Granger." He said before turning to chide Parvati again.

Hermione helped Draco to the hospital ward as he winced from the pain, but not making a sound.

"Hermione, what about Harry?"

Hermione started. She had forgotten all about Harry when she saw him hurt.

"I'll… explain to him later."

"Okay." came the brief reply as the pain washed over his hand again.

Hermione sighed. She was in the Gryffindor common room, thinking about Harry and everything that had happened this few weeks. She sighed again when the door burst open. She immediately heard Ron's and Harry's voices.

"What about Hermione?"
"I don't know, Ron."

Ron gave out a heavy sigh.

"How did it turn out this way, Harry? It all happened so fast."

"I don't know. Since that MALFOY came back…" he had spat out Draco's name in disgust.

"What about the ring?"

Harry chose to remain silent about that question.

"Is she sure that Malfoy is the one she really wants?" Ron asked doubtfully. Yes. Hermione said silently.

"I don't know, Ron, I can't possibly ask her that, can I?"

"Poor Harry… want a game of wizards' chess, then?"

"No, Ron, I just need to be alone."

"Then what about Quidditch?"

"I don't care. I'll skip it."

Hermione nearly gasped out loud. Harry was the finest Seeker Hogwarts had ever had in years, maybe centuries. Oliver Wood was his Keeper. Hermione bet he's going to have a fit. And Harry never misses Quidditch practice on purpose.

Ron seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he said at that moment,

"What about Wood?"

"Let him rot."

This time, Hermione gasped. Harry never said such a thing to anyone, even to Ron.

"Did you hear something?" Ron asked. Hermione clasped a hand to her mouth.

"No. Let's just go back."

"Okay."

As soon as Hermione heard the footsteps disappear up the steps, she got up from the big armchair where she was hiding and ran to the Slytherin common room. She had the weeks' passwords anyway. Right now, she needed some comfort.