Rumors

A/N: Hope you like it! Please R&R. May be a little slight OCCness. A little fluffy as well.

Disclaimer: Not mine, sigh. JKR owns everything remotely cool in the world.


Draco Malfoy did not want to believe the rumor that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were going out. Sure, he had heard it from a reliable source, Ginny Weasley herself, but he stubbornly believed that that fact did not make it true. After all, he had seen no suspicious or telling signs – no hand holding, amorous glances, or anything of the like. And besides, he sincerely doubted that Hermione would go so low as to pick Weasley when she had hundreds of other admirers clamoring after her. After all, even though she was a mudblood, she wasn't that desperate.

So he watched her closely for signs– her and the weasel, as he affectionately called Ron. That rumor had put him in a very bad mood and he was trying not to let it get to him - unsuccessfully. He snapped at Pansy that morning after she had offered to do him a favor, even though in normal circumstances he would have accepted immediately. He had also hexed quite a few people that morning, including two first year Slytherins who were blocking the exit of the Common Room and Crabbe who was supposedly 'taking his seat' at breakfast.

In Potions that morning he had taken care to find a seat directly across from Hermione's and every few minutes he had glanced back at her. This had only resulted in him brewing a horrible smelling solution . It was so horrendous even Snape was upset at the result. However, he was not upset enough to take off any points from Slytherin, but he still had grumbled something about 'incompetence among students'.

Later he had tried to make up with Pansy as she was the gossip queen of Slytherrin. If anyone could find out the truth of the rumor, it was her. But, she was still hurt from the morning's refusal and refused his request herself. Frustrated Draco decided that he should spy on Hermione and headed off to the location she would most likely be at – the library. He soon found her buried in her usual stack of books at her usual table. Boldly he went up to her and took a seat right next to her's.

She shot him a withering glance, but he just smirked at her and took pulled out the first book he could find on the shelf next to them. He flipped to a random page, but he heard giggling and he looked up. He saw Hermione smirking herself and he quickly checked the title of his selection. Shoot, he had pulled, Love through the Ages – One Thousand Tales of Heartbreak and Reunion which certainly wasn't what he was going for. Embarrassed, he shut the book quickly, his checks going red.

Playing games was not helping the situation. Perhaps it would be best if he just asked Hermione about the rumor directly. So he took a scrap of parchment from her pile of supplies – earning another glare – and quickly scrippled Need to talk to you. Meet me in the back. Seeing her reluctant glance, he added please.

Chewing on the inside of her lip, she got up and followed him out of the library into the corridor. They stood there for a moment by a very ugly statue.

"Well?" she asked Draco, tapping her foot.

"Um, yes. I need to talk to you Her- Granger," he said, doing his best to give her his usual I-hate-you-stare.

"I noticed." She stood for a moment, watching his cheeks grow progressively redder. "Get on with it then."

"Are you going out with Weasley?" he spat out. "Just for informational purposes of course."

"Do you really expect me to believe you are asking me if I am going out with him for informational purposes?" She looked triumphant at his shocked expression. She knew she had caught him.

Flustered he said, "Well, um, maybe not exactly."

"Well are you going to tell me your actual reason for asking me this? If not I do have business to return to in the library. I, unlike you, was doing work in there. Unless of course you were doing a report on romance novels." She continued the tapping of her foot and resigned to respond if he wanted an answer he began speaking.

"Imightlikeyoualittle."

"What was that?"

"Ilikeyou."

"Draco?"

"Fine, I like you." He hung his head, humiliated that he had been forced into admitting this truth. "So what is your answer?"

"The rumor you heard did come from me, but I may have just asked a certain person to spread it – for your ears only."

"You tricked me!" he said.

"Did it work?"

"yes."

"Well then I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Now there is a new rumor."

"And what is that?" asked Draco expectantly, his heart thumping as she leaned into him.

"Guess," she whispered as she kissed him on the lips. Hard.


A/N: Please R&R!! Hope you liked it!