Disclaimer: Don't own it. Dammit wish I did.
Hermione dropped her head in her hands. "Oh great. This is the last thing I need."
Ginny got up and pulled Harry inside before closing the door and locking it, something she had neglected to do before but wasn't going to this time.
She sat Harry down before grabbing his shoulders and looking him in the eyes.
"Harry, what little you have heard at this point you must not repeat to anyone. I have just found out and am just as shocked as you are but I think Hermione would not want anyone to know, right Hermione?"
Hermione finally responded and went for Harry's hand. "Please Harry, you can't tell anyone. This is something that's bound to blow over. It could just end up being a bet between him and some disturbed Slytherin," she said knowing, somewhere in the back of her mind, that it wasn't true.
Harry looked at her. "I don't know what to say. Has he been bothering you? How do you know that he," Harry trembled, "loves you? This doesn't make any sense Hermione."
"I know, it hasn't been making any sense to me either, believe me, but don't do anything drastic. Like I said, it could just be a bet between him and someone else."
Harry gave her a disbelieving look. "I don't know Hermione; this is Malfoy we're talking about here. It could be something much worse than a bet."
Ginny butt in. "Just pretend you never heard anything. Forget everything that you heard and go back to your boring life. It'll all be for the better, believe me."
Harry shook his head. "I don't think I can do that. This isn't something that can be forgotten that easily. This is Malfoy we're talking about and he's supposedly in love with Hermione. Our Hermione. That can't happen."
Hermione frowned and began to get offended. "And what is so wrong with being in love with me, even if it may be false. Am I that repulsive Harry?"
Harry shook his head quickly. "Of course not Hermione. You know I would never say anything like that but it doesn't make sense that it's you. After all that he's sad about your background and parents. He must have a hidden agenda."
Ginny rolled her eyes and turned away.
Hermione simply looked at Harry. "Ok. I guess it could happen. You know, at this point I think anything could happen. So how about we all sleep on this and take up this conversation at another time. Goodnight to the both of you."
With that said Hermione flipped onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow.
Ginny gazed outside the window then exchanged a look with Harry.
"Hermione, you do realize that the sun hasn't even gone down yet right?"
She gave a big groan in response and turned her head to the side. "I want this to be over with. I just wish it were all a big and terrible nightmare."
Ginny went next to Hermione and crossed her legs. "It'll be alright. In the end everything will work out." She looked at Harry for him to back her up but he wasn't even paying attention to them.
"Harry." He slowly looked at her then at Hermione.
"I don't think you should talk to him anymore." Hermione looked at Harry.
"What?" Harry stood and began pacing.
"If you truly want this to be over with and ended then you're going to have to stop talking to him. Ignore him and don't let him pursue anything. It's the only way."
Hermione was about to respond when the door burst open and there stood Ron.
"Here's everyone. You know, the next time you guys want to have a reunion do you mind letting me in on what's going on. I looked real ridiculous out there all by my lonesome."
Harry chuckled, momentarily letting Hermione's dilemma slip from his mind.
"No stalking missions tonight, eh Ron?" Ginny giggled and Hermione kept her head attached to her pillow.
Ron blushed. "For your information all that stalking has paid off. We've been hanging out a bit more and she comes up to me to talk, so there." He looked around the room before settling his sight back on Hermione's bed.
"What was going on up here? Anything interesting I should know about."
"No no, not at all." Hermione jumped to answer. The last person she wanted to inform about what was happening was Ron.
"Ooook. So why don't we head downstairs. I'm not real comfortable with being in here. Girls sleep in here." He faked a shiver and walked out of the room.
Ginny rolled her eyes and swallow. "Yeah and God forbid Ron ever get near a girls belongings."
"Hush up Gin."
"You hush. Damn pansy."
"I resent that you little…hmph."
Thud.
"So…what are you going to do?"
Hermione rolled onto her back and sighed loudly. "Obviously I'm going to ignore him. There's no other solution to this."
"There are many solutions to this…most of them just aren't legal."
Hermione smiled. "Are you going to join us downstairs?" Harry asked while getting up from the bed.
Hermione frowned for a second. "I don't think so. If I want to avoid him this is the best way to go right?"
Harry seemed unsure about leaving her by herself. "Don't isolate yourself. I'll see you later or something and don't forget about dinner."
Hermione just nodded her head. She heard the door shut softly and hoped that no one else would enter. She wanted to be by herself for the moment, with no one to disturb her thoughts.
At the thought of having to ignore Draco…why did she feel so blue?
Nothing good would come out of talking to him anyway but he had changed. Or maybe Harry was right. She didn't know and talking her situation out hadn't helped her in the least. Now more people knew but nothing was getting solved.
She most likely would have been better off telling no one. At least she wouldn't be lying to her friends when she said that she would ignore Draco.
Like that would have lasted for a long time.
As Hermione snuck out of the common room during dinner she felt ridiculous. Her master plan had been to sneak out while everyone was eating and see Draco. She wasn't sure why she wanted to do it but it was impulsive and she acted on it before thinking too much.
What she realized too late was that Draco would, of course, be eating with everyone else. Now she was standing in an empty corridor looking foolish. When she turned back around to get back in she found the portrait empty.
She looked to both sides before kicking the portrait. Stupid, gossiping Fat Lady. She had no other choice but to walk around now. She could walk into the Great Hall but she wasn't hungry and she wasn't keen on watching Ron stuff his face like an uneducated pig.
She turned in a circle a few times before stopping. In the direction she was facing she began to walk. As she walked she looked at all the portraits around her. She hadn't really looked at any of them since first year. Of course, she had been so awed by the powerful magical aura the castle oozed it was real hard not too look at all of its components.
She rounded a few more corners not really paying attention to where she was looking anymore.
When she hit a dead end she lightly kicked the wall and turned around. Imagine her surprise when she came face to face with the one person she did and didn't want to see. The one person she had promised to avoid.
He had his hands deep in his pockets and was looking serenely at her. "You weren't at dinner."
Hermione took a deep breath before responding. "It wasn't on accident." With the hall being so wide it was ridiculous that she felt so trapped in.
He continued to look at her but this time into her eyes. "Why do I get the distinct impression that you want to avoid me."
Hermione put one foot behind the other ready to take a step back. "I don't know, you tell me." She crossed her arms and looked away. She couldn't take his intense staring anymore.
"You stormed out pretty quickly earlier. Why?" Hermione's temper began to rise. How could he just stand there and act like he had nothing to do with what was going on. If it weren't for him and his big mouth she would most likely be sitting with her friends with nothing on her mind; no worries. She ignored the voice in the back of her mind that reminded her that she had been the one to eavesdrop on him and Pansy.
She was trying to make a point and that particular detail was not helping.
"I don't know, Draco. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you kissed me. Or maybe it's because you told me you loved me. I don't know why, how about you take your pick and we'll go from there." By this time she was pacing in front of Draco.
He grabbed her shoulders and held her in place in front of him. "I told you that you wouldn't be able to handle it and yet you insisted. I'm sorry if it's too much for you to take. Can't take the pressure can you Granger?" He pushed her against the wall and put his hands on either side of her head.
Was he challenging her? She rose up onto her tip toes and looked him square in the eyes.
"How's this for not handling it." And she grabbed him by the hair and pulled his lips to hers.
A/N: Sorry about the delay and any mistakes. I hope it's good for everyone. I particularly like this chap. Cause of the ending. Yes so drop me some reviews and tell me how much you like it so far. Thanks.