Draco Malfoy had had his fair share of girls at school. That was hardly a secret. But he'd never quite been in love.
But then, there was her. Standing on Platform 9 ¾ with her long brown curls cascading over her shoulders and her Muggle clothing, that unlike her Hogwarts robes, was a snug fit, accentuating all her curves. Her toffee colored eyes suddenly brightened and the corners of her sweet mouth turned up into a beautiful smile at something Weasely said to her, and he found his breath catching in his throat. As always, whenever his gaze got stuck on Hermione Granger, he felt something slither in and squeeze his chest in a not too unpleasant manner.
She didn't look his way. Never did. She was –
She looked up and caught him staring. Dammit. A frown appeared on her face. And although he has been caught, he finds it hard to tear his eyes away from her.
They stare each other down for quite some time, neither of them blinking.
One… Two… Three… Four… an invisible clock seems to be ticking away… and finally she looks away, turning her attention back to her two best friends.
The inseparable Golden Trio. How he hated that term. Hated how she had these special smiles reserved only for them. How they got to be around her with no repercussions. How they could touch her whenever they wanted. Hated how she just stood on her tiptoes and slung her arms round Potter's neck. Hated-
Dammit. Was she going to kiss him? His stomach clenched painfully, making him want to claw his muscles inside out. He felt himself stiffen involuntarily and had to force himself to relax. It's just a peck on the cheek, calm down.
He knew she wasn't in love with either of them. They were both dating, in fact. Potter with that little girl Weaselbee and Weasely with that ditzy blond, Brown. She had never kissed them. Not as far as he knew.
And it was good that way. Because otherwise, he'd have gone straight over and hexed Potter- no, he'd have stooped to the Muggle way and pummeled Potter's face into a bloody pulp nobody would be able to recognize- not even with that famous scar of his there.
"Relax mate, it was just a peck on the cheek." Funny, he'd just been telling himself that.
He turned to Blaise, who'd sneaked up to him in true Blaise fashion, and let out the breath he'd been holding in. Blaise was Draco's best mate and the only other person apart from himself who knew his deepest, darkest secret.
That he, Draco Malfoy, was in love with the enemy.