Out in the hallway, Draco kept walking, even though he wasn't quite sure where he was going. He ended up walking by the Room of Requirement, and it opened up for him. He went inside, curious of what he would find. Inside was a square room, quiet, with only an easel and a canvas in the center. He pulled open the drawer of the easel and found several paints and paintbrushes.

Unsure of why the old castle had thought he needed some arts and crafts, he was hesitant to try it at first, but once he started mixing paint on the palette, then running his brush across the canvas, he lost track of time. He lost track of his emotions, and they all seemed to flow from his heart, down his arm, through his fingers, and out of his fingers onto the roughly gessoed surface.

After an endless amount of expression, Draco wasn't sure how much time had passed. All he knew was that there was paint on his clothes and all over his face, and on the canvas was the girl he loved. Hermione's face stared back at him through shades of blue, green, and purple. Her eyes made the paint blaze and he had to take a step back. He never knew he was an artist.

Looking at his watch, he saw that he had missed all of his classes, and was almost about to be late for curfew. He grabbed his jacket that he had tossed aside at some point, and left the Room. He didn't bring the painting with him, he trusted the castle to hide it. He trusted this castle with everything.

Draco had hoped to sneak up to his room without seeing or being seen by Hermione, but as he said the password, and the portrait swung open, she was standing in the middle of the common room, staring at him, daring him to try to run away. He didn't, instead he stepped into the common room and avoided her stare.

"What's all over your face? Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you all day."

At the sincerity of her voice, Draco gave up trying to be cold to her. "It's paint. I was in the Room of Requirement. Don't worry, I'm fine," he shot her a glance to make sure she believed him, and also to take in her features. He was learning that he couldn't resist wanting her, he just knew that he couldn't act on it.

"Draco, do you hate me?" This question surprised him, and his head snapped up and he looked at her with confusion etched all over his face. She was always so confident, so sure of herself, why would she wonder?

"What do you mean, of course not!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE IT!" Her hands flew out from her pockets and into the air, the question requiring more movement than that of her lips. Her hair fell from behind her ear to in front of her shoulder, and she inhaled sharply, the air catching in her throat. He could tell she hadn't meant to yell. After he didn't say anything, she continued, "I mean, when you hate someone, you never want to be around them, you want them to feel worthless, you tear down their self-confidence, you-"

"Stop!" Draco exclaimed, "just stop. Yes, you do those things when you hate someone, but, when… when you love someone," here he paused to make sure she understood, "when you're in love with someone, you do what you think is going to be best for them. And…. When you love someone, and you know that you are the worst possible thing for them, you make sure they stay away." He raised his eyebrows at her, begging for understanding, "You push them away with cruel lies that break your heart to say, that shatter your resolve as they sneak past your lips, and you're forced to watch the person you love ache because of the things you've said. But you know it's worth something. It's worth them having something better, better than yourself…." Draco stopped and looked away from her, the tears welling up in her eyes were breaking his heart all over again. "That's what you do when you love someone… you hurt them."

He tossed his jacket onto the couch and turned to stare at the fire. All of a sudden, a thought popped into his head, and he turned around to tell her, but she was gone. The portrait door was just swinging closed and he could hear her footsteps sprinting away. He knew there was no use in chasing her, and he had hoped that she had listened, that she would leave him alone. He wanted to not care anymore.

Staring back at the fire, he sunk onto the couch and managed to fall asleep. When he woke up, he heard the clock chiming midnight. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, letting his focus on his surroundings. He was still in the common room, but Hermione had come back. She was sitting next to him, facing away, but obviously crying.

"God, you know," he said, "I'm such an ass. And I'm sorry, but you have to understand, don't you? I'm no good, Hermione."

"God, you are an ass!" She threw her hands up again, then slapped them down on the couch, "you simply have no idea!" She fixed her gaze on him and ignored the tears that rained down her cheeks. "Just the fact that you are aware of the danger you could pose, makes you brilliant! You are so irresistible. I know you believe that I should be with Ron, or even Harry, but no! No, because they are just my friends. They're my brothers. They don't mean to me, what you mean to me. You think I don't understand your thoughts? I do, and…. And honestly it's the sweetest thing ever… Draco, I wish you knew how blinded by self-loathing you are." She placed her hand on his, and he squirmed. He didn't want to hurt her, and he thought that by letting her get close, he would inevitably ruin her heart.

"Hermione, I don't trust myself with you." He pulled his hand away and stood up. "Even once, I think was too much for me."

"It was perfect," she whispered, then louder, "how do you know if it's too much if you haven't tried again?"

He shook his head, "don't, don't say that. Hermione, no." He clenched his fists then released them. Every atom in his body wanted to take her, to ravage and explore her. He knew she would let him, but he couldn't. He just couldn't…. It's not like she was innocent, he had already stolen that from her. At this thought, he hated himself even more, so he turned to her to tell her.

"No, Hermione, I've taken something from you already, and I just-"

"Shut up Draco. You didn't take anything, I didn't lose anything. I gave it to you."

"Because…. Because….." He faltered to find an excuse to rebut her statement, but his mind wouldn't make coherent thoughts.

"Please," she begged, "it was perfect. Can't I have perfection again?" She stood up walked closer to him. He stood perfectly still with every step she took towards him. Soon she was right in front of him, her hand on his chest. When she went to remove his tie, he tried to take a step back, but she pulled him back closer to her.

"Hermione…."

"Yes Draco," she loosened his tie and slid it over his head, messying up his hair in the process. She placed her finger under his chin and pulled his face to hers. His blue eyes blazed with the desire, and she could see his restraint slipping. She moved closer until her lips were against his. They were softer than she remembered, and she closed her lips around his top lip, massaging them slowly. She parted her lips and went to lick his bottom lip, but he pulled away.

His hands grasped her elbows softly and pushed her back about a foot. "I'm sorry," he said, "but not tonight…. Not right now. I just, need to think." Then he went up to his room, leaving her holding his green striped tie.