He frowned at her, feeling betrayed and slightly nauseated. He couldn't believe it. "You were using me?" he asked her. She was staring at him, wishing she could go back and never agree to Harry's plan. Draco took a loud breath in, "You never actually liked me, did you? You were just using me all this time."

Hermione stuttered, "N-no," she said, her eyes wide, "Well, yes- at first! I mean, I was using you, but I like you now! I-I- Draco, where are you going?" Draco had turned and left the Library. Hermione stood from her seat and followed him. They were in the corridor outside the Library when Hermione caught up with him; his legs were much longer than hers, and his strides were long and determined too. "Draco, don't go- don't leave like this!" she was crying, and hearing the sob in her voice was the only thing that made him stop and look back. She stopped too, a safe distance from him. "Draco, I didn't like you… but I do now. Please don't leave like this." Her pleas came more from her eyes than her voice.

Draco sighed, looking down at his feet, "Hermione, I can't do this right now." he looked at her, and she knew she had lost him. She wished she could go back; stop herself from lying to him. She wished she could go back and not use him, like they both knew she had. But, in a way, she was glad she had used him, because if she hadn't, she never would have gotten to know him; she never would have fallen in love with him, and never would have experienced the bliss of being in love.

"Okay," she told him, drying her tears with the backs of her hands. She understood that there was no excuse for what she had done, and nothing she could say to him would lessen the hurt she had caused him. "I'm sorry, Draco. I'm sorry for doing this to you." He nodded, his lips fixed in a straight line as he strode away from her, his fists clenched at his sides. "I love you, Draco." She said, not raising her voice, and not knowing whether or not she hoped he had heard her.

It was the first time he had heard those words from her, and he wanted to turn and embrace her, kiss her, say the words back to her. But he didn't. He kept walking, and when he got back to his room in the Slytherin dorms, he took a shower, and let the water wash his tears away.

He tried to forget she even existed.

He tried to forget that he loved her.

It didn't work very well though.