Draco sat with his forehead resting on his knees. He was sitting on his bed in the dormitory, his curtain pulled shut around him. Next to him, a piece of parchment sat, still somewhat curved at the end where it had been tightly scrolled.

Draco,

I'm happy to hear from Mr. Parkinson that their daughter is quite fond of you. I suggest you take advantage of the situation, as she is the perfect candidate for a future wife.

Your father

Draco looked back over to the parchment and sighed. Saying Pansy was fond was a bit of an understatement. She was obsessed with him and always trying to thrust herself upon him. Draco played into it a bit, but never felt anything like she had. He would never admit it to anyone, but he didn't even like a Slytherin. He didn't even like a pureblood or half-blood. His father would disown him if he found out, but Draco was in love with the least likely person. He was in love with a girl without any magical background. He was in love with Hermione Granger.

Draco sat up and pulled back the curtain, sliding off of his bed. He looked at the parchment on his bed. He grabbed it angrily and crumpled it up. He threw the ball of parchment against the wall as hard as he could and walked hastily out of the dormitory.

….

Draco couldn't believe what he was doing. He found himself almost running to where he knew she'd be. As Draco approached the entrance to the library, he slowed his pace, breathing heavily. He walked through the open doors into the giant room filled with what seemed like hundreds of shelves. Peering around the corner of each shelf, Draco kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the girl with bushy brown hair. He spotted the back of a head he believed to be hers. He stood up straight and abruptly took a step back. As soon as he did, he felt his body collide with another, the numerous thunks proving the person had an armful of books. He turned to see into whom he had run. His breath caught in his throat. It was her. She was glaring at him coldly and before he knew it, he was saying his automatic response.

"Watch where you're going, mudblood." He instantaneously felt awful, but kept his face blank. He watched as her face grew hot with rage. She pursed her lips tightly and gathered the books she'd dropped. She got up and stalked out with a loud hmph! Draco leaned against the shelf behind him and slid against it into a sitting position, watching the girl he loved walk away.

Shaking his head free of self pity, he quickly got up and ran after Hermione. He final caught up with her in an empty corridor.

"Granger," he yelled when he was a bit behind her.

"What do you want?" she asked, turning around, her arms still full of library books. Draco looked around, trying to find somewhere more private. He sighed when the only thing he saw was a broom closet.

"Well?" she asked, answering his silence. Draco opened the broom closet door and gestured to the inside. Hermione raised her eyebrows and offered up a skeptical laugh.

"Oh and you expect me to go in there. With you. Alone." Draco pulled out his wand and walked to her. Hermione felt a brief flash of fear that disappeared when he stuck the wand in the pocket of her robes.

"Please," he said quietly, going to open the door again. "I just need to talk to you alone."

Hermione, a bit confused, walked past him into the broom cupboard, sitting her books down on one of the shelves. She turned to see Draco shutting the door. She stood staring at him, her arms crossed. He looked back to her, unable to form what he felt into words. Hermione opened her mouth to demand an explanation when Draco crossed to her and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Hermione's head was in a whirl.

This is wrong. I hate him. He hates me. Simple as that.

Then why am I not fighting back?

It was then that she relaxed in his arms and kissed him back.

When they finally parted, breathless and giggling, they exited the broom cupboard, knowing that that what happened was never to be spoken of. Draco smiled as he began to walk the opposite way, backwards.

"I hate you," he teased, smiling. Hermione rolled her eyes, keeping her smile at certain limits.

"I hate you too… Draco."

She turned, books in hand and happily walked to her dormitory, a new spring in her step.