The bell rang outside of the library door for lunch. Ginny and Hermione packed their things into their bag and made their way towards the door.

"Hi Draco," Ginny said from behind her. He was walking out of the library and they had reached the door at the same time.

"Weasley," he said, refusing to look at Hermione.

"How is your day going?"

"Why are you talking to me Weasley?" he asked coldly.

"Oooohhh, not friendly. I thought that you would have had several reasons to make you happy, after this morning." She gave him a teasing grin which he did not return. Instead his head snapped in Hermione's direction, she shied away. His eyes were so cold. "Oh no you don't. We all know that you talked to Blaise last night. He has already told the whole school. She did nothing wrong by telling me. I am her best friend."

Draco looked between the girls again; Hermione had apparently become very fascinated with her shoes now. He sauntered off without another word.

"What was his problem?"

"I think that it's me. What have I done? Why am I acting so stupidly? This is Malfoy we are talking about."

"Hermione, can I remind you of something?" Hermione nodded. "You are a teenage girl."

Hermione blushed around the ears. "I know."

They had walked into the entrance hall without realizing it. Draco was standing by the Great Hall doors arguing with Pansy Parkinson. She gave Hermione and Ginny a particularly loathing scowl as she entered the hall alone. Ginny and Hermione were about to walk through the double doors when they heard "Granger." Ginny nodded and kept walking.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked in a harsh tone. It was clear that Draco had not expected that.

"I need to talk to you." He grabbed her hand and led her away from the doors. His hand was warm in her own, his touch gentle.

"Fine, but I am hungry so make it quick." You need to stop being so short with him she thought to herself.

"Um. Don't worry. I shouldn't have bothered you." He let go of her hand and made to walk away.

"Draco just say it."

"You are making me lose my mind. The whole time I was in the library all I could think about was sitting next to you. I didn't even care if we sat there in silence. I just wanted to be near you. What has happened to me?"

"That's a way to make a girl feel loved," Hermione said coldly crossing her arms.

"I. I didn't mean it like that. See. I can't even string 2 thoughts together. All I can think about is you. How you are always beating me at everything. How you seem to not even try and you just fly past me. How I was a witness to something beyond anything you could ever deserve," he absent minded ran his hand over the scar on her forearm. She place her hand over his. "Kissing you."

He was now overly observant of his shoes.

"Do you regret it? Kissing me I mean?"

"No" he said instantly. "It has confused me more than you will ever know."

"I doubt that."

They stood silently.

"Draco..."

"I don't want to play Malfoy around you. You deserve better. After everything."

She found her palm resting on his cheek, seemingly finding its own way there.

"I won't say it again Draco. This is the last time. It was not your fault." His eyes flickered to hers for a few seconds and then darted away. His head hung as if defeated. "Draco, do you like me?"

His head shot up and their eyes met.

"Do I...?"

"Like me, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you fighting it so hard. I thought you owned this school. I thought that you were Draco Malfoy who always did what he wanted and took no orders, the Prince of Slytherin who didn't care what the other students thought."

She was baiting him now but that was exactly what he needed. "I am."

"Then do something about it."

"Are you sure? I can see them all starring out at us. The back lash from the Slytherin girls alone will be horrendous."

"I don't care, it will get out soon anyway that we kissed. Somehow it always does."

Draco grabbed her roughly, forcing his body against her own. His hand was quickly holding onto her neck under her hair. His lips were on hers, warm and passionate. She didn't pull away, she was right there with him. A whistle sounded behind them and some cheers. They pulled apart smiling sheepishly at each other.

"I would expect better behaviour from you two," came Professor McGonagall's voice. "Detention and stop making a spectacle of yourselves."

They walked into the Great Hall, hand and hand to see shocked faces, feverish whispering and scowls from most of the girls in the hall. In that one kiss Hermione had made herself the most unliked girl at the school, but she didn't care.

They dropped hands as Hermione took her seat next to Ginny. Draco quickly leaned over her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you in Potions." With that he left and sat beside Blaise at the Slytherin table.

"So, what happened to you not thinking of her that way?"

"Shut up Blaise."

Draco looked across the table to see Pansy scowling at him.

"What Pansy?"

"Really, the mudblood? I thought you were a Malfoy."

Draco's face turned angry. "Who do you think you are Pansy? You don't know the first thing about what it means to be a Malfoy, and you never will. Did you think one day I was just going to wake up and realise that you were the girl for me?"

Pansy sat silently with a shocked look on her face.

"I don't care about you. If you call her a mudblood one more time I will make your life a living hell."

Pansy started crying and ran out of the Great Hall.

"That was harsh," Blaise said.

"You expect me to sit there and let Pansy Parkinson tell what it means to be a Malfoy? I don't care who I am kissing, that does not make me any less of a Malfoy."

"You're just a lot more tolerant of the inferior now," Blaise joked.

Draco shot him a scathing look. "You know I can make you cry too."

Blaise laughed. "So what happens now?"

"I have no idea."