Ch 7

It was fair to say that Draco Malfoy was annoyed. Very annoyed.

As soon as he stepped out of the library, he let out a low growl and leaned against the stone wall, startling the students walking past.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he queried loudly and angrily, discreetly protruding his chest outwards to show his prefect badge. The students, who looked like they were about to respond rudely, dashed away once they noticed Draco's badge.

Sighing loudly, Draco pushed himself off the wall and stormed off down the hall. His footsteps were heavy, and he walked with none of his usual swagger.

Many of the students he passed gave him suspicious glares, knowing that this was unusual behaviour for the Slytherin boy. Some of the younger year students cowered away from him, fearing that he would snap (which wasn't an uncommon thing for Draco to do). Thankfully, he mostly kept to himself, only once again asking another group of students what they were looking at.

Finally, he reached his destination. He stomped through the entrance of the Slytherin common room and stormed towards the boys dormitories. Not many people were inside the common room except for some six and seven year students, who paid no attention to Draco.

Draco opened the door of the boys dormitories, and slammed it shut once he was inside. Then, he leaned back onto the door and slid down into a sitting position, his knees propped up centimetres away from his chin. With another sigh, Draco threw his head back into the door and shut his eyes in frustration.

"You stupid git." he muttered to himself. He was angry with himself AND Hermione, even though he knew that it was his fault for being pushed away. Mostly, he was angry with himself.

"Well, I don't know what I did to deserve that." said a confused voice. Draco shot his head up and searched for the owner of the voice, even though he already knew who it was.

Blaise Zabini sat on his own bed with a book in his hands and an unimpressed expression on his face. Draco put on a fake smirk and stood up. 'You really need to check your surroundings before you talk to yourself.' he noted.

"Not talking about you, idiot." Draco said and strode towards his own bed, which was unmade and had his own clothes lying on it. Blaise arched his eyebrows and closed the book.

"Who are you talking about then?" Blaise asked suspiciously and clasped his hands together.

"None of your business." Draco retorted, irritated and collapsed onto his bed, pulling out his wand in the process. Blaise sighed in the background and put his book down beside his legs.

"You know what?" He asked.

Draco, who was studying his wand, glanced up and narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"I think you're hiding something. No, I know you're hiding something. Something has gotten to you, or someone."

Draco's insides froze. Blaise couldn't possibly know… could he? Putting on a convincing what are you talking about? expression, Draco moved towards the end of his bed.

"What makes you think that?" Draco asked, trying his hardest to act casual.

"You've been acting differently, avoiding people and questions, and haven't been abusing your prefect power like everyone thought you would. We may not always see eye to eye, or be close friends, but I do know when you're not your usual self. So, who or what has gotten to you?." Blaise asked, and Draco scoffed, trying to act as if he thought what Blaise was saying was complete rubbish.

"Who are you to say that this isn't my usual self? I think I would know more than you." Draco stated proudly and Blaise snickered.

"You just proved my point, Draco." Blaise pointed out smugly. Draco's stomach dropped when he realised he just avoided another one of Blaise's questions. The blonde struggled to think up his response.

"Huh, so I did. Well, if you must know, there is something bothering me. Now, please shut up." Draco said bluntly and fell back onto his bed. Blaise sighed and picked up his book again, not bothering to pursue the subject.

Still holding his wand, Draco muttered an incantation and shot out tiny red, green and blue sparks above his head. Anything to distract his thoughts from Hermione. It didn't really help when the red and green spark kept on buzzing around each other. Unamused, Draco continued to watch the sparks (which failed to distract him) for what felt like hours, until a conversation he had years ago crept into his clouded thoughts.

~FLASHBACK~

Draco sat on a black armchair, facing his parents, in front of the fireplace in the library inside his home, Malfoy Manor. It was large and dark, the only light coming from the fire and the full moon that shone through the arched windows. In the centre of the room, lay a long green rug with serpents circling the edges, and a large white 'M' in the middle. The dark walls were lined with green banners, some imprinted with the same white 'M', and some with the Slytherin crest.

A small figure suddenly appeared in the corner of Draco's eye.

"Your beverage, master." said Dobby, Draco Malfoy's former house elf. Draco watched Dobby waddle towards Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, with his head bowed and a circular tray raised above his head with a single glass of wine. Lucius glared down at his house elf and tightened his grip on his walking stick with one hand, and casually picked up the glass with the other.

"Go." Lucius ordered, and Dobby ran out of the room. Draco's father fixated his eyes back to where they previously had been, on his son, and took a long swig of his wine. Finally, he dropped the glass from his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

"A muggle-born got higher marks than you? A Mudblood. How could you let this happen, Draco?" Lucius's voice was calm, but menacing. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Father, she's a complete cow, and so many professors favour her. Plus, she is a Mudblood, like you said." Draco told him, wishing to be anywhere but where he was now. He could see the anger rising inside his father as soon as he finished his sentence.

"That is exactly my point! you are a pure-blood and a Malfoy! she is a Mudblood and a part of some random muggle family. And just because she may be favoured, doesn't mean that your marks should be lower than hers! You should be ashamed, Draco." Lucius snapped, his voice shaking with anger. He quietened when his wife and Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy, gently placed her hand on her husband's shoulder.

Draco stayed straight-faced, hiding how embarrassed and ashamed he really did feel. He didn't want to reveal this to his parents, so without a word, Draco lifted himself from his chair, but only to have his father whip his walking stick out and stick it in Draco's chest.

"Sit back down." Lucius commanded sternly, and Draco obeyed and fell back into the chair with a groan of annoyance.

"Are you ashamed, father?" Draco asked, staring at Lucius curiously.

When Lucius didn't respond, Narcissa dropped her hands from her husband's arm and sighed.

"Your father and I are disappointed Draco, not ashamed." She said calmly and glanced at Lucius, who took another sip of his wine.

"It couldn't possibly be as bad as having your sister marry a Mudblood, could it now?" Draco asked with a smug smirk, and watched for his mothers reaction. Narcissa pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips, but it was Lucius who replied first.

"Do not speak of that blood-traitor, Draco!" he said, his tone disgusted and unimpressed. Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"No, Lucius. It's okay." she said in a soothing tone, then stepped closer to her son and crouched so she was eye level with him. Draco hated it when she did this.

"You are correct, Draco. My sister brought shame to the Black family. But your father and I are confident that that is something you could never do." Narcissa said, giving her son a kind but stern smile. Draco just rolled his eyes and stood back up.

~END OF FLASHBACK~

'What would mother and father think of me now? They surely wouldn't be pleased if they find out that I befriended HermioneBut then again, she may not want to be friends after what I tried to do today.' Draco thought gloomily, and continued to watch the spark flying above him until they disappeared.

"Draco," Blaise called, minutes after the sparks disappeared.

"Hmm?"

"We have Care of Magical Creatures in a few minutes. We should go down to class." Blaise informed and slid off his bed while Draco groaned and sat up from his own reluctantly.

This means that he would have to see Hermione.

"Oh no. Umbridge is here." Ron groaned to Hermione and Harry just before their classmates arrived. They of coarse, were the first students there since they just visited Hagrid, who wanted to know how the trio were going, especially Harry.

Hermione, however, wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to Umbridge. She was scanning her eyes over the crowd of classmates, looking for her new… 'friend'.

And then she saw him. The platinum blonde Slytherin was striding down the stone steps that lead to Hagrid's hut, with his usual swagger and smirk and his hands stuffed in his pockets. He had his robes hanging over his shoulder, revealing his Slytherin sweater and white sleeves of his buttoned shirt. Hermione couldn't help but notice how much nicer he looked without his robes on.

Suddenly, Draco and Hermione's eyes locked. Draco held the gaze for a few seconds, but to his disappointment Hermione quickly averted her eyes elsewhere. His smirk faltered and he accidentally missed a step, causing him to almost fall over. Hermione saw this out of the corner of her eye and quietly giggled, then hastily covered her mouth.

Ron and Harry both saw it too, and bursted out laughing. The other students glanced at the two boys, curious at what they found so funny, while Hermione discreetly glared at them, and so did Draco - only, he wasn't discreet. How dare Weasley and Potter laugh at him, in front of students and more importantly, Hermione?

"How's your hand, Weasel-Bee? Did Scar-head Potter kiss it better?" Draco taunted and indicated to Ron's bandaged hand, repaying the favour. The two boys narrowed their eyes and Ron clenched his uninjured fist. You could almost hear his teeth grinding.

"Sod off, Malfoy." Hermione said, sounding a bit too polite for someone who supposedly hated Draco.

"You know, I would love to. It's just that I do have class here, so I can't really leave, can I? and since when have you been one to tell people to skip class, Granger? that's not being a very good role-model for ickle Gryffindors, now is it?" Draco patronised with a sly smile. He was only doing this because he had to keep up appearances… and because he still loved to annoy Hermione, even if it meant he would be treading on thin ice.

Ron was about to respond for Hermione until he was interrupted by a small and girly cough.

"More trouble, I see. Mister Weasley, I suggest you keep quiet unless you want to join Potter in detention tonight." Umbridge said and smiled at Ron, then turned to Harry.

"You do remember that you have detention, don't you?" she asked sweetly and trotted away before Harry could reply.

Both murmuring insults, Harry and Ron followed Umbridge down to a small clearing hidden by trees of the Forbidden Forest, where their class was for the day. Hermione stayed back and glared at Draco, who in return smiled and shrugged innocently.

"Just because I'm friends with you, doesn't mean I have to be friends with them." he said when Harry, Ron and every other student was out of hearing range. Hermione folded her arms over her chest and scowled.

"Well, just be nicer." she said turning around, and started to walk towards the class.

'She didn't deny being friends.' Draco thought cheerfully, slightly relieved and quickly jogged up behind her.

"Wait, Granger!" he ordered and grabbed her shoulder. She paused and turned to face him, her arms still crossed and eyebrow arched. Hermione just ignored his hand and let it stay where it was.

"So now I'm Granger again? make up your mind, Malfoy." she said with a small smirk, sounding a little amused but mostly annoyed.

"Granger, Hermione, does it matter? I just need to know… Are we still friends?" Draco asked and slid his hand down her arm. Hermione shivered at his touch.

"Draco don't touch me, someone will see." Hermione said softly and turned her head left and right, hoping no one was watching. Draco glumly obeyed, and gave Hermione a look that said, 'Well?'.

"Shouldn't I be asking you? I mean, you did try to ki- never mind. Why do you ask?" Hermione questioned anxiously. Draco sighed heavily, and then realised that she almost accused him of trying to kiss her. He folded his arms, mirroring Hermione's and raised an eyebrow.

"What did I try to do, 'Mione?" he asked, emphasising her name. Hermione blushed and shook her head. 'There is no way I'm saying it.' she thought and shrugged at Draco.

"It doesn't matter. Just answer my question, or don't. Class starts very soon, and someone might see us if we continue standing out in the open." Hermione said and started to turn around again, only to have Draco grab her hand and pull her back towards him. He wasn't giving in. He needed to know.

"What are you doing Draco? Let go!" she demanded, getting annoyed. Draco shook his head and pointed towards a bunch of trees.

"Follow me." he said and tugged at her hand, giving Hermione no choice but to do so.

"Fine, but this better be quick." she muttered and obediently followed.

Smirking, Draco dragged Hermione behind a nearby cluster of trees that was hidden from view, and let go of her hand.

"You, Miss Granger, pushed me away and told me to leave without an explanation. Explain." he ordered and stared down at her, his gaze hard and determined. Hermione leant into a tree and stared back into Draco's grey eyes, then exhaled exhaustedly.

"This friendship hasn't even gone though one day, and you're already wondering if I no longer want to be friends." she stated, and Draco groaned in annoyance.

"Hermione. I answered your question and then repeated mine. Care to answer it?" Draco urged and threw his robes off his shoulder and onto the leafy ground in frustration. For a few seconds, Hermione's eyes drifted and fixated themselves on his upper body. Even with two layers of clothing, she could tell that he was well built.

Suddenly realising what she was staring at, Hermione flushed and averted her gaze back to Draco's eyes, not noticing that his were fixated on her lips.

"Yes, we're still friends. But I don't know if we should be if you seriously think that I don't want to be friends with you because I shoved you." she told him gloomily and stared down at her feet. Draco, who had returned his gaze back to Hermione, rolled his eyes, plastered on his usual smirk, and stepped towards Hermione. He suddenly had an idea.

"You are always so negative. I think I can change that." he informed her with a soothing, yet determined tone and braced his hands on the tree trunk on either side of her, trapping her within his arms. Hermione casually glanced back up at Draco and arched her eyebrow, unaware of how close he was.

"What do you -?"

But her words were abruptly cut off when Draco unexpectedly pressed his lips to hers. Shocked, Hermione went rigid, and was unable to push him away like she normally would have done.

Draco, realising that he wasn't going to be rejected, dropped and wrapped his left hand around her waist, while his right hand cupped her face. Hermione stayed rigid and silent while her heart thumped vigorously at his warm touch, unable to believe what was happening.

When he got no response form Hermione, Draco pulled away and stared into Hermione's eyes, which were blank and to his annoyance, the most beautiful ones he had ever seen. The girl seemed to slowly regain the ability to move, and raised her hand to the one that was cupping her cheek. She squeezed it as the colour in her cheeks became red and as a small, simple smile that was hardly noticeable crept onto her face.

Taking this as a sign of encouragement, Draco pounced back at Hermione and touched his lips to hers with so much force that she was pushed back into the tree. She let out a small gasp of pain but was silenced when Draco softly ran his tongue over her lower-lip, begging for entrance.

She couldn't believe what was happening. Everything negative about Draco she had been previously thinking about was forgotten and replaced with… this. She felt no pain or frustration, just Draco's delicious lips.

Although she was bewildered and telling herself not to do it, Hermione slowly met his lips properly with hers, and parted her lips so his tongue could enter. Enjoying this more than she expected, Hermione dropped her hands to his chest and gripped his clothing into a ball and forcefully pulled him closer, trying to savour every kiss as they became more passionate. She knew she shouldn't, but she was so caught up in the moment that she didn't care.

This kiss was nothing like she had previously experienced. Hermione had only been kissed once, and that was by Viktor Krum. She had hated that kiss.

But this kiss, she loved. And she hated herself for loving it. It was the type of kiss that girls dream about. It was so passionate that it could make her heart jump out of her chest, yet so gentle that it could make her heart melt. But, it was Draco Malfoy who awakened these feelings inside of her. It was Draco Malfoy that was kissing her. The boy that she has hated for many years, is the one that is making her feel most alive. 'Merlin, what am I doing?' Hermione thought just as she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to pull him in for a deeper kiss.

Draco made a startled sound then moaned quietly underneath Hermione's lips, surprised and pleased with how she was responding. He hungrily searched her back with his left hand, sending a tingling sensation down Hermione's spine. Slowly, he moved his right hand to the back of her head and entwined it within the Gryffindor's locks, then proceeded to sensually massage her head as they kissed and fought with their tongues.

That lasted for a few seconds until Draco pulled away from Hermione's lips and fixated his eyes onto hers. He found it hard to believe that he never noticed how beautiful they were until now.

"Your eyes, they're quite extraordinary." he told her bluntly and covered up the remaining space before Hermione could even protest.

He had no idea what had come over him. He had completely forgotten the lecture he gave himself that very morning, the one where he was telling himself not to move too fast. And what was he doing now? Still, he hardly minded.

His lips lightly brushed hers, then slowly travelled down her jawline, nibbling playfully at her skin as he proceeded to her lower neck. 'This is wrong.' Hermione thought for what felt like the thousandth time as she craned her neck to the side. She didn't know why, but somehow her body was still responding to him, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it was wasn't right.

Her right hand ran up Draco's neck and entwined itself within his platinum blonde hair, while her left hand dropped and gripped his shoulder tightly. With every nibble or kiss Hermione was gifted with, her grip would tighten and she would occasionally let out a small, barely audible moan.

That was until Draco got a bit too bold for Hermione's liking. He had suddenly but cautiously shoved his left hand up Hermione's shirt, and was gently caressing the bare skin on the small of her back. To Hermione's annoyance, his lips and hand were deliciously warm on her cold skin, which made it so much harder for her to resist.

"Draco," she eventually muttered and dropped her hand from his hair and slid her other off his back. He paused with his lips still pressed firmly upon her neck, then slowly pulled away, his hand still under her shirt and his eyes locked onto Hermione's. His hair was ruffled, his eyes were full of desire, and he no longer looked like the aristocrat student he usually appeared to be.

"Yes?" he said smugly as he stroked her bushy hair with his other hand, making Hermione shiver once again. How could he do this with just one simple touch?

"We shouldn't - we need to stop - it's wrong - we have class!" Hermione blurted out, her morality kicking in. She knew stopping was the right thing to do, but to her surprise and disgust, it wasn't the thing she wanted to do.

Draco stared at her blankly. Hermione thought she had hurt him, and was going to explain until he surprisingly chuckled.

"Did you want to skip class, Granger? I'm sure we could find some private areas around the school." he said flirtatiously, then moved his left hand to her hip and pulled her closer.

"What? no!" Hermione protested, and couldn't help but smile at his persistence. Draco chuckled and rolled his eyes, and lightly brushed his lips to Hermione's, only to be pushed away, yet again.

"I'm serious Draco! it's wrong… have you forgotten? I'm a muggle-born and Gryffindor! you on the other hand, are a pureblood and Slytherin. Being friends is risky, but this is pushing it to the limit." she informed him, her seriousness returning.

Draco sighed grimly. 'Merlin, she's hard to get.' He thoughtand chose his next words carefully, then slowly moved his hands and cupped Hermione's face.

"Draco," Hermione said in a warning tone when his hands delicately touched her face. Draco shushed her and stared hard at her eyes when he said his next words.

"You're right."

"I-I am?" Hermione asked softly, sounding slightly disappointed that she was right. She didn't always like being right.

"Yes, you are. I am a Slytherin. A resourceful, cunning and ambitious Slytherin. One that is determined to make this Gryffindor forgive me." He paused and inhaled sharply, preparing for his next words.

"And, to make this Gryffindor mine." he added, his expression hard but soft at the same time.

Hermione's cheeks went a deep shade of red as she stared at Draco in shock. She was stunned speechless. If she had heard those words escape out of Draco's mouth in the past, she would have thought that he was lying and was just trying to hurt her. However, for some unknown reason, Hermione believed that he was telling the truth and that he had no plan on hurting her.

His smirk returning, Draco leaned in and lightly kissed Hermione's fore-head, being very careful to not touch her bandage in fear of hurting her, then slowly leaned away.

"I'll leave you to your class." he said sarcastically while he casually picked up his robes and hung them over his shoulder again. He winked at the now silent Hermione and buried his hands in his pockets before walking away, now extremely pleased with himself.

Hermione watched him step away, once again rigid on the spot. She didn't even care that Draco was going to skip class. She didn't even care about class.

The taste of his tongue and lips still lingered in her mouth by the time he disappeared behind the trees. It was then that Hermione was finally pulled out of her trance and when realisation finally hit her.

She had just kissed Draco Malfoy.

And he wanted her.

A little bit dazed, Hermione slowly made her way to class. What was she going to do? There was no doubt, despite how much she hated it, that she wanted him too. She had developed feelings for him ever since the end of the duel, despite being injured because of one of his unusual spells.

But she couldn't have feelings for him. She shouldn't. A Slytherin and Gryffindor, together? that was unheard of. Besides, how could she be with him after all the anger and torment he has inflicted ion her n the past few years?

'Merlin, what am I going to do?' Hermione asked herself when she caught sight of Draco walking up the steps to Hogwarts, with obviously no care in the world. Unlike her.