Author's Note: This is a little drabble from Snape's point-of-view. He is trying to get Draco to not make the same mistakes with Hermione that he did with Lily. I really hope that Snape isn't too OCC, but let's not forget that he does have a heart and that he is capable of great love (he just chooses to not show that side of himself that often).
I know how you really feel about her. You are always insulting her blood, and you are always complaining about how the other professors favor her over you. But I can see the truth, the truth that you try so hard to deny. I know that you love her.
You keep company with the likes of Crabbe and Goyle. They may be Purebloods like yourself, but we both know that they are idiots. And while that Parkinson girl is not a complete idiot, she is nowhere near her level of brilliance.
She often annoys me with her know-it-all attitude, I will admit, but I will also admit that she is clever and resourceful. She knows the textbooks by heart, but she can also make practical use of the words that she reads.
You are like your parents. You all value blood purity so much, but all of you value intelligence even more. None of you will ever admit it, of course, but I know that it's the truth.
She is your equal in more ways than one. For all of her nobility and all of her loyalty to her friends, she can also be vindictive and cunning. She will not hesitate to strike, be it physically or verbally, someone who has wronged her.
She does not back down from what she believes in, and she will annoy you on purpose if that is what it takes to defend herself.
You both have wits, and I know that you enjoy your verbal battles with each other. You just will never admit it. But I know the truth.
I know that you know all this about her. You have mentioned many of these things during your rants to me.
Stop denying your love for her. Stop pushing her away. I know that it will be hard for you to go against what you have been taught. I know that it will be difficult for you to go against tradition. But I'm telling you to do it. I'm telling you to fight for what you truly believe in.
Tell her how you really feel about her before it's too late, before you lose her for good.
Don't push her away, or you will find yourself unable to pull her back in.
And then you will spend the rest of your life filled with nothing but regret and misery, while she will be smiling happily in the arms of another man.