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you are the one
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aka love
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Coming out of Potions he could hear his friend's voices but their words were muffled because his attention was on her.
When she was in close immediacy the whole world went away and all he could see was her.
He watched as she joked with her friends, the way her face brightened when she laughed and the smile on her face when she saw one of her best friends walking towards her.
Her Potions book was firmly under her arm and her hair was tied back. He preferred her hair down.
He couldn't explain why or how he had fallen for her but he just had. The more she fought with him, told him he was a ferret, got angry with him the more reasons he found to like her.
He loved making her angry just so he could watch her get worked up and flustered just to stomp off muttering obscenities under her breath.
The more time he spent away from her the more he wanted to see her. The more he watched her the more he knew about her.
She bites her nails when she's nervous. She carried around an extra quill and parchment like her life depended on it. She was always making mental notes to herself and on the rare occasion he watched her speaking to herself.
This was different from his previous flings even though she didn't know it he knew this was serious.
He knew he couldn't hide it anymore.
He was in love.
--
She felt like she was being watched. Turning her head her eyes zoned in on a lone figure walking to the dorms.
Draco.
She shook her head laughing as she turned back around to her friends. Draco wasn't looking at her the only thing he ever did was argue with her.
As much as she hated him she noted that there was something different about Draco in the last few months but she didn't know exactly what it was.
She hadn't admitted the fact that she might have a little crush on him to anyone perhaps because everybody would laugh at her and tell her to stop joking but as much as she liked living in denial and trying to get rid of her crush it hadn't worked.
She was curious to find out what it was. Since she had never expected him to change and as she knew she was the one person he hated the most in Hogwarts so what in fact had happened to make Draco so quite and sometimes so nice to her?
This was where Hermione got her quill out and began writing down her plan of action on a spare parchment.
She was going to find out what Draco's secret was.
--
The next few days Hermione spend watching and jotting down new discoveries in her mini mission.
There was still something so obvious about the look on his face but she couldn't quite place it and it was aggravating her.
She thought about asking Ron and Harry but then they would find out about what she was doing and this wasn't something that she wanted them to know.
--
He was driving himself mad trying to think of the best way to approach this and to come out of it relatively unscathed and with the girl.
"Malfoy,"
"Hey," Blaise waved his hand in front of Draco's face. He had come to tell his friend to get a move on as the winter party had started.
"Draco!" Blaise Zabini screamed agitated with his friends incapability to keep his attention on a conversation.
"What?" Draco asked looking through confused at the angry face Blaise etched.
"You droned out there mate," Blaise said calming down.
"Yeah I guess I did," the blond confessed.
"You look happy," Blaise noted concealing a smile.
"Let's just say I'm about to do something I've wanted to do for a very long time," Draco grinned thinking about telling Hermione put him in a good mood.
"Push Pansy off a cliff please say yes," Blaise joked as he faked his comeback.
Sometimes he questioned his own sanity in picking friends. Why he had chosen Blaise as his best friend.
"No you fool," Draco irritated. Pansy was just his friend and no he didn't hate her as much as people thought. He just didn't like her when she tried to cling to him.
"I would have paid to watch that," Blaise laughed at the thought of Pansy thinking Draoc had taken them to the cliff top to profess his love and only for him-"What is it then?" Blaise asked putting those thoughts to the back of his mind.
"If I tell you, you can't tell anybody else," Draco told him.
"I promise," Blaise swore.
Draco would bet that he saw Blaise smiling but he couldn't have been sure as it was a passing emotion.
He took a breathe just to calm his thoughts "Good because I'm about to tell Granger that I love her," he confessed.
"Granger? Granger like Gryffindor geek Hermione,"
"How many Grangers' do you know?" Draco questioned the stupidity of Blaise Zabini.
"Umm let me think one I think,"
"Oh shut up," Draco grunted smacking Blaise over the head.
Pushing his hand away Blaise chuckled "I'm joking it's about time man," he admitted lying back on the bed.
"You knew?"
The dark haired male picked himself up for the second time. "I'm your best friend if I didn't know who would." Blaise chuckled clapping Draco the back.
--
Hogwarts annual winter party was in full swing. The hall was decorated in black and white with streams of students dressed in various colours filling the space.
Hermione was still trying to figure out the mystery that is Draco Malfoy.
"Mione," she titled her head up to face Ron.
"Yes,"
"Come on let's dance," Ron offered looking back at the dancing couples.
Hermione nodded as she took Ron's hand and he led them to the dance floor.
She and Ron dated for a month back in their fifth year but they quickly realized that they were better off as friends and both admitted the reason they agreed to go out with the other was because of their friend's insistent that they were perfect for each other.
She laughed as Ron made a joke about Harry's hair. He allowed Ginny to style his hair and instead of his normal soft brushed look his hair had red tips and was stuck up with a hair spell. This was all to match Ginny's red dress.
Ron spun her around so she was now facing the opposite way. She watched as the other couples danced, people grouped chatting and some reaching for the refreshments.
Her eyes landed on Draco. She titled her head to watch Draco. His eyes were focused ahead she followed his gaze but there was nothing particular she could say he was looking out. He had a slight smile on his face.
Draco had arrived at the party half an hour late after his chat with Blaise he decided to go for a walk.
It was hard being in love with someone who didn't even know and Draco was not one of those people who kept their mouths shut. This is why he decided to tell Hermione the truth as soon as and whatever happened after that he would be able to say that he told her. He had tried.
But the hard part was actually getting her alone. Then maybe he would gather the strength to tell her.
He hadn't really thought about the possibility of her not feeling the same way because in honest truth it scared him. For the first time he had felt something real for a girl and the thought of a no terrified him.
That was the look of love.
Draco Malfoy was in love.
--
Now to find out whom the unlucky girl was. The obvious one being Pansy Parkinson but Hermione had ruled her out because she was still running after him like a love sick puppy and if he loved her then he would be with her.
That left the rest bar one being herself.
Where was she meant to start looking this was just meant to be fun side project so that she could have something to hold over Draco but this seemed to be going over board and what surprised her more she was really getting into it.
--
He roamed around the halls pretending that he was engrossed in a book when really he was searching. Searching for her.
For the last twenty minutes or he had been seeking but he still he had no idea where Hermione was. It didn't help that he wasn't going to ask anybody if they had seen her because he might seem suss.
"Malfoy," the voice of Goyle filled his ears.
"What?" he was really tired of all this unsuccessful searching and what he didn't need was something stupid to annoy his further.
"We're about to have a game of poker. You in?" Crabbe asked. When Goyle was around Draco learned that Crabbe would not be further behind and vice versa.
"Sure," he agreed at least he was going to relax by playing poker with his friends instead of getting stressed over finding someone who quite obviously didn't want to be found.
"Blaise said we can play on teams. So I'm your partner,"
"Okay,"
"No I am,"
Why did Blaise even start this stupid argument?
"I am."
It was times like these when he appreciated having friends that argued like kids over minor details because it meant that they didn't even notice him walking away.
--
If he wanted to listen to children fight he would have gone to the Ravenclaw first years. That put him off his potential enjoyment of playing poker. Blaise always liked complicating matters more then needed to. They could play alone which was the way it should be played.
'Immersed' in his book he continued wondering around. Catching a glimpse of Harry Potter he deemed it safe to say that Hermione would be in close proximity. He closed the book that was upsides down.
He watched from a far as Ron and Harry walked away from Hermione as she had told them she wanted to do some work in the library.
Tapping her on the shoulder he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.
"I need to talk to you,"
"About what?" she asked crossing her hands over her chest.
"Hello?"
Ignoring her question he began talking. "I would-"
Straight out with it would be the best way to tell her trying to make conversation would not be good as he would foresee it turning into an argument.
"I mean that I like-" he stopped himself once again.
"Umm-"
"Malfoy,"
"Yeah?"
"Did you want to tell me that you love someone?" Hermione smirked knowing by the look on his face that he hadn't expected her to know that.
"What?"
What a soppy fool he had become he had let his 'love' for her over come his emotions. He had been ignoring his friends. He had been spouting out stupid words of romantic wisdom and worse of all he was about to tell Hermione Granger that he might love her.
How the mighty have fallen.
"You love someone and I want to know who it is," she stated confidently matching him wit for wit.
"Malfoy," she addressed him.
"Did I strike a nerve?"
Pushing pass her he speeded up to make his way back to him dorm. Going in the wrong direction wasn't going to get him there.
"You wanted to tell me something what was it?" Hermione asked thinking back about his previous words.
He muted her out. Whatever she wanted to say was not going to make him tell her what he wanted.
"Wait."
--
The stone had been in his hands for the last five minutes and for some reason he couldn't let it go.
He heard once that if you love something you should set it free. At the time he hadn't thought much about it and noted that the idea was quite stupid.
But not now, he understood it. The rock symbolised Hermione and the lake symbolised letting go now all her had to do was let the rock go. Let Hermione go.
Then maybe he could collect his thoughts and put his life back together again. If that was possible. He really loved her. Only later did he realize the flaw in his plan. She didn't love him.
Hearing steps he swiftly turned his body and the scowl remained on his face.
"You know what Granger I don't care," Draco said picking himself up and letting the stone drop from his hands.
"You were singing a different tune yesterday,"
"I lost my senses for a bit but can you blame me that big bed's nest you call hair distracted me," he fought attempting to come up with reason why he had even approached her.
Hermione sighed "You know what I came here to apologize but you're just acting like an ungrateful git,"
She began walking away shoulders slouched at her vain attempt of an apology.
"Wait,"
Draco caught up with her so that they were now facing each other.
"Look this is not easy for me I'm not used to this kind of thing," he informed her.
"This kind of thing?" She asked confused by what he was trying to say.
"I really don't appreciate being spied on," Draco told her. The truth was he knew she had been watching him. She was pretty obvious for the cleverest girl in their year he would have thought she wouldn't have been so clear.
"I know and I'm sorry," she admitted guilty. Mentally apologising twice once for the way she acted yesterday and once for spying on him.
"Do you still want to tell me what you did yesterday?" She offered kindly hoping that whatever he wanted to tell her he still would.
"There's just something going on right now which I have to handle,"
"Okay if you need any help then ask me," she offered trying to make up for her earlier actions. She had no right to be spying on him and whoever he was in love with it shouldn't matter to her.
"If I don't do this now I don't think I ever will," he swallowed as he looked up.
"Do what?" Hermione asked confused at this round about way of talking he had decided to adopt.
"As much as I am ashamed to admit this I have fallen in love with you,"
After a long silence when neither said anything Draco started to assume that her silence meant a no.
"Well that's unfortunate because you're just going to have to put up with me." Hermione smiled slugging her arms around his neck as she pulled him down to connect her lips with his.
--
This is my first Draco/Hermione. I hope you enjoyed it.
