WHY?

It was the nineteenth of December already and Hermione's excitement was bigger than at any other point in her life! First of all, it was the first Christmas dance in her life! Second of all she was about to meet the one person who understood her the best, sent her the most cheering and deep at the same time letters. The person to whom she had already developed certain feelings, despite the fact that their entire communication was happening through letters. Hermione ran to her shelf with clothes in order to look at her dress one more time. A lace dress of a soft cream color, reaching her ankles. Her mother had the best taste in fashion ever! Hermione already tried it on about a week ago, in order to prevent any inconveniences before the dance.

She closed her eyes and threw herself on the pillows. She sniffed the aroma of her own perfume from the blankets and simply enjoyed everything. Her baggage was almost packed, excluding the necessities that she would still need on daily basis. Hermione was going home for Christmas, and this was another reason for her joy. She missed her parents, and was happy to see them again, and share the bright moments which happened to her throughout the year.

Draco was squishing the invitation with Hermione's reply, gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes, frowning hardly, trying to balance his breath. Finally, Draco opened his eyes, and started searching for some parchment and feather. His emotions were above overwhelming, making him feel it nearly physically. Dumping the feather into the ink, Draco thought of the best way to put the sentences in the letter.

"Dear Hermione,

This is my most hated letter that I have ever sent you. At this very moment I am struggling to write pretty much anything, because I feel like a total jerk, knowing what I am about to tell you.

Hermione, it seems like i will not be able to accompany you at the Dance. It is terrible, I don't even know how a girl would feel alone, yet I am sure that there are plenty of guys dying to dance with you. And you know what, the reason is more than obvious. Only a fool or a blind person won't call you out. I'm not blind, well I guess I am definitely the first option. However, I have to tell you that it is not my choice. This evening with you was the one thing that I wanted in my life the most. And I still do.

The reason for this whole situation is that, I am leaving home tomorrow. I have received a letter from my parents where they have stated that I, will no longer be a Hogwarts student. My father has all of the documents needed to put me in the Durmstrang school. A dream that he had since my very birth. I am not in the position to protest it as much as I want to. Expecting this already, my father completed all of the needed procedures, and technically, I am a Durmstrang student already. Damn it!

Now that I thought of it, maybe it is better for you this way. I am no good person for you Hermione. My life is all too grey and complicated, and I don't want you to deal with that at all. You deserve the best. And I, more than anything, know that I am the worst friend for you.

And even considering all of this, I couldn't help the feelings that I have towards you. Since the very first time that I saw you, and I mean the very first time. In the St. James park, I felt like you weren't an ordinary girl. Later on, at school, every year, I was watching you, when you didn't see it. I was stealing glances at you now and then. I had an awfully stupid way to hide what I really thought of you. And here it is. I think, that you are the most wonderful girl in the entire world. You are smart, caring, incredibly kind, compassionate, open-minded, and insanely beautiful. Every year, I watched you bloom more and more, like the most beautiful rose. Nobody is worth the world inside of you. I would never be allowed to be friends with you by my father. And I was such an idiot not to protest it. I should just admit it to you already. I love you, Hermione. So much.

There is one more thing that I have to do. Apologize. For everything that I have ever done to you. For abandoning you as a friend, for ignoring you, for making offensive comments, calling you names, bullying, bringing up personal matters, pranking you. I am sorry for calling you a mudblood, Hermione. I am sorry for destroying your mood, and wounding your pride. I am sorry for pretending to hate you Hermione.

Thank you for being a wonderful friend and supporter.

I wish you the happiest life,

Good bye."

Hermione read the letter over and over again, trying to figure out where is the catch, where did he trick her? She didn't even care about the dance anymore. She was worried about the fact that her friend was moving to a different school, not even seeing her before. The very fact that he was disappearing from her life after months of friendship haven't sunken in yet. That was no ordinary friendship. It was trust. Giant part of their relationship. The very fact that it existed. Hermione shared her feelings and thoughts with him through letters, not even knowing who he was. And he helped her. Supported her, made her laugh, having his own problems. These five months were the brightest months in her life. If somebody would ask her, she wouldn't even be able to explain what attracted her in this kind of friendship so much. Yet she felt it. On an unconscious level she knew it. Communicating with him was consuming.

She was hardly holding her tears back, when suddenly, it struck her. She memorized the last paragraph, and immediately, the world stopped. She didn't care about anything else anymore. She picked up the hem of her dress and ran. Out of the girls dorm, out of the gryffindor common room, out of her previous life. Everybody was already at the dance. Hermione stopped running in front of one particular door.

Hesitating for a moment, she remembered the password that she heard from some student, and pronounced it. After a moment, the door cracked open, and Hermione stepped into the Slytherin common room. It was empty. There was nobody inside. Hermione closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She was doing it. She had to. It is either now or never. She had to know. Hermione made her way to the boys' dormitory. As much as it was unfair, girls were able to enter the boys' dorm, and that was exactly what Hermione was going to do.

Feeling her heartbeat fasten with every second, and her breath becoming more difficult, she opened the door. She felt slightly relifed, when she found herself in a small corridor divided into several bedrooms, with names written on them. Founding the one that she needed, Hermione knocked on the door.

Go away, Blaise! – She heard a voice shout out of the room.

Hermione took the handle of the door and opened it.

There he was. Just as always, tall, blond, and frowning, Draco Malfoy was packing his stuff. The whole bedroom was a mess, and his hair just as well. He was putting, or, to be more precise, throwing another sweatshirt in his bag angrily, when he noticed her.

Hermione froze right where she was standing. Her warm brown eyes locked with his deep, blue eyes, filled with resentment. Yet, at this very moment, the only thing that she could see in his eyes, was shock. Instantly, all of Hermione's situations with Draco, every single word, gesture, tear, everything flashed back in her memory. Every single smile that he gave her in first grade, every word that he would throw at her later on. Every single time he called her a mudblood, bullied her. Then, every single potions lesson, every conversation, sarcastic comment, joke, that little glance that they exchanged. Every single time that he held her hand in his own. And then, all of the pieces of the puzzle started building up. She thought of the letters. Each and every word that the secret student had written to her. Every problem, thought or feeling that he described to her. Now that she thought of it. It matched perfectly. And then, the image of the invitation appeared in her mind. He wanted to tell her.

This very moment, Draco's mind was racing just as fast as Hermione's. How did she enter? Why is she here? Did anyone send her? Did she know? At this thought Draco, once again, proved to himself that he is a fool. He himself, apologized for everything in the last letter, and Hermione, unlike him, not being a fool, understood everything. She realized that it was him. Malfoy. The boy who ruined her school life. Digging deeper and deeper every year. Yet, she was here. Why? To mock him? Scold him? Shout, scream, cry? To yell at him, because she thinks it all was a big fat joke? Or slap him in the face? Even though every single thing that he had written in the letters was true, he still thought that he would deserve it. He prepared himself for the worst. He was already disappointed, by convincing himself that he failed to be her friend. To be nice. He was about to look away, and maybe say something when he couldn't understand what just happened.

In split second, from standing in the doorway, Hermione was in his hands, tugging onto his shirt, crying.. She was hugging him. Finally realizing what just happened, Draco hugged her back. He squeezed her gently, putting his chin on her beautiful head. He couldn't stop the tears running down his cheeks. Hermione accepted him. She trusted him, and even after finding out who he was, she didn't give up on him. She was here.

And there they stood like that, tugging to each other, sobbing.