Last chapter was really fun to write.

In this chapter, there is a song. Now, before you get on my case, I know the song wasn't actually created at the time of the fic, but it's so perfect for the scene.

Give Me Love, by Ed Sheeran.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

I didn't talk to Ron, Dean or Seamus for two weeks.

I informed Professor McGongall of the attack the next day, and she had her way with them. I knew for a fact that they had landed themselves in detention until after the Christmas Holidays.

The story of my speech in the Gryffindor common room had spread to every corner of the school, thanks to the Hogwarts Gossip system. No one was hassling Draco or I anymore about our friendship. The Gryffindors were fairly angry with me for taking away so many house points, but I didn't care in the slightest. The Ravenclaws found my reaction curious, but didn't mention it. I know the Hufflepuffs thought what I did was noble; standing up for what was right regardless of my personal affiliations.

The strangest reaction of all were the Slytherins.

They were extraordinarily impressed with me. They all supported Malfoy through everything, he was their leader after all. The fact that I had healed him, then screamed at my own house about it put me in their good books, lineage be damned.

They also weren't unhappy with the number of points I docked.

Being in the good books of Slytherins was weird, honestly. But very helpful. The first day after my speech, Seamus had approached me. When I had turned stoutly in the opposite direction, he grabbed my arm to pull me back.

He was unconscious in a second by the hand of every Slytherin in the corridor.

Ron kept glaring at me every time we were in the same room, but I knew he missed me. He tried to get Harry and Ginny to talk to me, but they wouldn't.

The Golden couple, as much as they didn't want to admit it, were firmly on my side. They may hate Malfoy, but they would've never stood for an act of that nature if it had been anyone else.

I spent most of my time in the library. After spending two nights asleep in the arms of Draco Malfoy, I decided that maybe a break from him would be the cure I needed.

It wasn't.

Even if I didn't see him as often, I saw him every night. My dreams were plagued with the man.

I woke up shivering every morning.

My skin was cooling down though. Not enough for my liking, but enough for me to notice it. I could eat, sort of, now. As long as whatever I was eating wasn't super solid, I could choke it down.

The Yule Ball was working out well. We had gone for the Classic Winter Wonderland theme. A group of prefects had gone to Hogsmeade a few days ago to pick up decorations. The food was being supplied by the Three Broomsticks.

There were a lot of check-marks on the to-do list.

One night, about two weeks after the attack, I came into the Common Room late. I'd been studying for Transfiguration, and wanted nothing else than to fall straight into bed.

But Blaise was sitting on the couch, awaiting me.

"There you are!" He sounded almost angry. "I've been looking for you for two weeks."

I raised an eyebrow. "I've been busy."

He crossed his arms. "For two weeks?" He sounded skeptical.

I shifted uncomfortably. "I was spending time in the library."

"I think you were avoiding Draco."

"No I wasn't!" I argued, though I knew it was futile.

"I don't care if you want to shove aside your attraction to Draco," Blaise said. How did he know everything? "But you owe me something."

"I do?" I asked, confused. Then I remembered.

Right.

"Come on, Hermione!" he begged. "The suspense is killing me. Who did you sleep with?"

I sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"

He nodded so quickly I thought he broke his neck.

"Fine," I muttered. I lifted my head and started him straight in the eye. "I slept with Oliver Wood."

"What?!" Blaise cried. "He wasn't even on the list of possibilities!"

"That's what I thought too," I admitted, lying down across the couch. Blaise sat at my feet and lifted them up, putting them in his lap.

"A total underdog," Blaise mused. "But he comes in for the win, sneaking by the first rate contenders. Not even in the standings, but he breaks down the barrier and wins the tournament. It's actually a Cinderella story."

I gave him a look. "Are you comparing me losing my virginity to a sporting event?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But seriously! How did that happen?"

I sighed. "It was summer after fifth year. We met up one day in Diagon Alley. We knew each other from Hogwarts, and decided to start hanging out. But we kept on saying we were only friends. But there was so much tension when we were in a room that we ended up skirting around each other. One day, at the end of summer, we just lost control and went at it."

"How old were you?"

I thought back. "I would've been sixteen. He was twenty."

Blaise laughed. "You are an incredible person, Hermione Granger."

"Why?" I chuckled.

"Because there are so many layers to you. There's the Hermione who is innocent as a lamb. Then there's the Hermione who sleeps with a guy four years older than her. There's the Hermione who hates Slytherins like it's a religion. Then there's the Hermione who defends one to her entire house. You intrigue me."

"Thanks?" I said, unsure of how to respond.

"It was a compliment," he explained.

"Ah, yes," was my only response.

It was that exact moment that Malfoy entered the common room. Luckily, he wasn't hurt this time.

"Granger, I need to talk to you," he said, seeing me sitting on the couch.

Blaise stood up. "Should I give you to some privacy, or…..?"

Malfoy shot him a look. "No, it's fine. It's just some administrative business."

"Well that's fucking boring."

I promptly whacked him over the head.

"Geesh woman!" he cried. "That hurt!"

I couldn't hide my smile.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Granger. I was just talking to McGonagall, and she wants us to open the ball."

I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "Like, cut a ribbon at the entrance to the Great Hall or something?"

"No," he continued. "Like dancing. She wants the Head Boy and Girl to dance the opening dance."

There was silence for several moments.

Then Blaise dissolved into giggles.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, mate?"

Blaise shook his head, still laughing. He pulled himself up so he was sitting on the top of the couch. "It's just, if you got beat up for hugging, you're going to be lynched for dancing together."

"And this is funny because…."

I cut Malfoy off. "No one would dare. The Gryffindors all know I would jinx them from here to Germany if they so much as raised a finger in our direction." There was a note of pride in my statement.

Malfoy nodded. "That's true. The Hufflepuffs are all pansies, Ravenclaws are too smart to give a fuck, and the Slytherins would be fine with it because they want to piss of the Gryffindors. We're golden."

Blaise bit his lip to try and keep from laughing.

Malfoy ignored him. "So anyway, Granger. I was thinking we should practice actually dancing so that we don't make total asses out of ourselves in front of the whole school."

I nodded, thoughtful. "Good idea. Tomorrow in the common room?" I turned to Blaise. "That means don't be here."

He nodded slowly, and gave me a wink. "Got it."

Malfoy backhanded Blaise. The latter fell off the couch because of this. "Yeah, Granger. Sounds good."

"Alright then," I said. "In that case, I'm going to go to bed. Try not to kill each other."

"No promises."

I smiled. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

The next morning, I was sitting at the Gryffindor table. I was eating porridge and reading the Daily Prophet when I felt a presence behind me. I turned slightly.

"I don't particularly want to talk to you, Ronald."

"Please, Hermione?" he begged. He sounded absolutely devastated. "Just give me a chance to apologize."

I sighed. If I said no he would just bother me for days. "Fine," I muttered. "You have one shot."

He quickly got to the other side of the table. He sat down in front of me.

"I'm really sorry about what happened with Malfoy," he apologized. "We didn't mean for it to go that far."

"Then how far did you mean it to go?" I hissed. "Far enough for me to have to heal his broken ankle?"

"No!" He shook his head quickly. "We were just trying to scare him, that's all."

I dropped my spoon in the bowl. "And why exactly did you need to scare him?"

"Because he hugged you." Ron said it like it was the most obvious statement in the world.

"And this concerns you because….."

"He's a Slytherin, 'Mione!" Ron exclaimed. "He's just taking advantage of you."

"For the last time, Ron!" I cried, overtly frustrated. "There's nothing going on with Malfoy and I. We are just friends, but even if we weren't, it would be none of your damn business!"

"Are you sure you're just friends?" he asked timidly.

I sighed. "Yes. I wouldn't lie to you about this."

Ron relaxed, relieved.

"But what you did was disgusting!" I stated angrily, not letting him off the hook easily. "It was completely wrong. Do you understand that?"

Ron sighed, and nodded. "Yes. We know it was wrong. We were just worried about you, 'Mione."

I pushed my hair out of my face. "You don't need to be. I'm a big girl, Ron. I can take care of myself."

"I know," Ron smiled. "But sometimes I still worry, you know?"

I couldn't stay mad at him forever. I smiled back. "I know you do. And I accept your apology. Pass that on to Seamus and Dean."

"Thank you!" He cried, ecstatic about how the conversation had went.

"But I swear to God, if you guys ever do something like that again, whether to Malfoy or someone else, I will castrate you all."

Ron paled considerably at this. "Understood." He nodded quickly.

"Good," I smirked.

"I'm glad you're not angry anymore, Hermione," Ron admitted.

"Oh I am," I replied, eating some porridge. "I've just decided to not jinx your balls off this week."

"That is appreciated," he said.

"What's this about balls?" Ginny asked, walking up with Harry.

"Hermione forgave me!" Ron announced.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "And that led to a conversation about balls?"

"I'm not going to jinx off his balls," I restated.

Harry chuckled. "That's our Hermione, the little firecracker."

"And don't you forget it," I smiled. Ginny and Harry sat down, and we continued to have breakfast. It was like any other day.

I looked over my shoulder at the Slytherin table for an instant.

But it wasn't.

Everything had changed.

I got back to the common room late that night. I had spent about an hour after dinner in the Gryffindor Common room listening to Dean and Seamus beg for my forgiveness.

It felt good to hear them grovel.

I made my way through the portrait hole and dropped my bag by the door. I looked around. Blaise was nowhere to be seen.

Good. He had taken the hint.

Malfoy was sitting on the couch reading a book. He had his back to me.

"What are you reading?" I asked curiously, walking up behind him.

He looked over his shoulder. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in."

I pointed to the book. "What book is it?"

He showed me the cover.

I raised my eyebrows. "Lord of the Rings?"

He nodded.

"That's a muggle book."

He nodded again.

"I didn't think you'd want to read anything written by someone other than a pureblood," I admitted honestly.

He shrugged. "There are some things that are universal in all types of people. Literature is one of them."

"What are the other things?"

He stared at me intensely for a moment. "Maybe one day I'll tell you."

"Shouldn't we get practicing?" I asked nervously, feeling flustered under his intense gaze.

He smirked. "Indeed we should."

I nodded quickly. "Well, let me go put on a skirt and heels. Just so I don't make a fool of myself when I actually have to dance in them."

"Reasonable," he replied. "Should I go put on a tuxedo?"

"No," I shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you'll be able to move in anything."

Or nothing at all.

I raced upstairs. I put on a dark blue high low skirt, and a black laced shirt. I pulled on a pair of black heels, and went back downstairs.

It wasn't what I'd been planning on wearing to the Ball, but a skirt is a skirt.

I saw Malfoy's eyes dilate when he saw my outfit. I blushed, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Do you have any music?" I asked him quickly.

He nodded, and walked over to a music player that was sitting on the table.

"You know how I said some things are universal in all types of people? Music is another one of those things."

As the first chords of the song filled the air, I recognized it and smiled. Malfoy held out his hand. I stepped forward and took it. He placed his hand firmly on the small of my back, and I put mine on his shoulder.

Give me love like her,

He spun my in a circle, then pulled me close to him. I looked up at his dark grey eyes.

'Cause lately I've been waking up alone

They were intense, but there was an emotion brewing behind them, something I didn't recognize.

Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt,

He began to lead. I followed, keeping a tight hold on his hand. We spun around the room.

Told you I'd let them go,

I placed both my hands on his shoulders. I jumped, with his hands on my waist. He turned us around.

And that I'll fight my corner,

When I landed, my heart rate increased. My skin was flushed.

Maybe tonight I'll call you,

He tilted his head, and gave me a lazy smirk.

After my blood turns into alcohol,

Without warning he dipped me, his face only inches from mine.

No, I just wanna hold you.

We looked each other in the eye for several seconds. This was it, I knew it. He smirked slightly. I tried to calm my breathing, which had become erratic. Then suddenly, his lips came crashing down on to mine.

Give a little time to me or burn this out

He pulled me up straight, never separating our passionate embrace.

We'll play hide and seek to turn this around

One of his hands moved to my hair, the other was still firmly pressing into my lower back. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

All I want is the taste that your lips allow.

He walked forward, pressing me against the wall. I gasped as his lips moved to my neck, sending shocks though my skin everywhere they touched.

My my, my my, oh give me love

I pulled his lips back up to mine. We were in a frenzy. I lifted my leg and wrapped it around him. He sent his hand up my thigh, his fingers setting my skin on fire.

It wasn't enough, I thought desperately. I put my hands on his chest and ripped open his shirt, never once separating our lips. He shrugged it off, then brought his hands to lift my shirt.

I didn't resist.

His lips were like fire, burning everywhere they touched. But I never wanted it to stop. I never wanted him to stop kissing me, stop touching me.

He grinded against me, causing me to moan at the back of my throat.

I still wanted more.

But that's when reality came crashing down on me.

I shoved him off. He stumbled backwards a few steps. I picked up my shirt and held it against me. We were both panting.

"We can't do this," I gasped, trying to calm my galloping heart.

He pushed his hair out of his face. "What?" Confusion was evident.

I shook my head. "You and I. This. It can't happen."

He stood up straight, and starting walking towards me. "Why can't it?" he whispered. "It's been coming for weeks." He was right in front of me. He lifted his hand to my cheek. "Look me in the eye and say you don't want it."

I stared hopelessly into his grey orbs. "I can't."

"I know," he murmured, lowering his lips once more to mine.

I felt the fire alight in my chest again, but I forced myself to shove him off.

"It's us, Malfoy!" I cried, pushing my hair out of my face and breathing heavily.

He gave me a look. "Thanks, I really didn't know that."

"I mean it Malfoy," I sighed. "As much as I want this to happen, it can't."

"You haven't given me one valid reason why not."

"Because it's us!" I exclaimed. "We're the Head Boy and Girl. We live together. We need to be able to work together and function properly. We can't do that if we're having sex."

He raised his eyebrow. "Actually, I think we could function better if we were having sex."

"It's wrong," I muttered, shaking my head. "I like you as a friend, and bloody hell I'll admit it: I want to shag you. But I can't! And if we head down this road, there's no going back."

"Maybe I don't want to go back, Hermione!" He said, frustrated.

I started.

"What?" he demanded.

I blinked. "You called me Hermione."

He sighed. "That's your name."

I stared at him blankly. "You never call me that."

"Things can change."

I shook my head. "Not this. Not us. This isn't us. We're from two different worlds, Malfoy! I'm a muggleborn, you're a pureblood. I'm a Gryffindor, you're a Slytherin!"

His eyes narrowed. "I don't think you believe that matters."

"Of course it matters!" I exclaimed.

"No, it doesn't," he said firmly. "You aren't worried about us not functioning, or being from different worlds. You aren't even scared of your friends' reaction. You're scared of yourself."

He approached me again. "You're scared of how I make you feel," he whispered. "You're scared of the pit of desire that's burning you whole." He placed one of his hands at my back, and the other in my hair.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He smirked.

I shook my head, and untangled myself from his embrace. "No, Malfoy. I just can't do this. Not now. And not with you."

He looked at me steadily for a minute or so. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do," he said seriously. "That's not who I am."

"But when you realize that you do want this, and you do want me, I'll be here."

He smirked. "And what kind of man would I be if I refused a woman asking for my company in bed?"

I took a deep breath. "I'll remember that," I muttered.

"You'd better," he said. He leant forward and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight Hermione," he whispered.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I opened them he was gone.

I wobbled my way upstairs, leaving the music still playing in the common room.

He was right. Of course he was right. It didn't matter to me that he was a Slytherin. I was past the house rivalries of my childhood. It didn't matter to me that Harry and Ron would crucify me. It didn't matter that we were from different galaxies.

It was me. This lust that was burning me to ashes. If I acted on it, how far would it go? How far would it take me? It would rip me apart from the inside, destroying my life in the process. Lust was dangerous when left unchecked.

That's why I couldn't let myself go. No matter how much I wanted it, no matter how much it was killing me. It wasn't worth the risk.

I groaned, and fell into bed.

The next few weeks were going to suck.

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