This is a non-canon story. Different couples, different situations, etc. I am changing a lot from the book and doing it my own way. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. If you do like it, then please, leave me some reviews because I love reading about what people think of my stories.

Disclaimer – I own nothing except my own ideas. Everything else belongs to Rowling.

Chapter 7

The depth of the water in the lake was causing Harry to swim slower than he usually would. He followed the path towards the wide opening and instantly felt his heart leap into his throat. Floating, unconsciously, were his two best friends, Cho Chang and a girl that looked like a younger version of Fleur Delacour. Before he could decide who to help first, Cedric Diggory came swimming over to him and went right past him, directly for Cho. Cedric gave Harry a look of warning before swimming away with Cho in his arms.

Harry's eyes went to Hermione as his body instinctively moved towards her unconscious form. A slight disturbance in the water caused him to glance back as Viktor Krum came barreling towards him with a shark for a head. He bit the ropes attached to Hermione's form and swam away with Hermione dragging behind him.

The feeling of being dragged underwater was all Hermione could remember. She knew that she wanted to open her eyes, but some unknown force was keeping them closed. As soon as her head broke through the surface, her eyes were able to finally fly open. She looked around for a pair of silver eyes, but the waves in the water were making it hard for her to tread and stay afloat. A firm hand grasped her wrist and dragged her over to the docks. She tried to pull away but the person was too strong.

Suddenly, two pairs of hands reached out and pulled her out of the freezing water. Her entire body started shivering right before she felt someone cast a warming spell on her. She looked around and noticed Draco quietly slipping his wand back into his pants. She wanted to be in his arms more than anything at that very moment, but her mind quickly changed to focus on the fact that Harry was still underwater. Someone dropped a warm towel around her body and she clutched it for dear life as she stared into the water, willing Harry to surface.

Her eyes glanced over to Draco's once more, who was staring directly at her with concern. She gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to the lake. The seconds before Harry appeared were the most excruciating for her, but he finally surfaced just as the timer bell sounded. Hermione raced over to Harry's section and placed her towel around his shaking body. It was over. The second task was finally over. She looked up once more and met Draco's eyes. So many things were said between them with that last look.

After announcing that Harry, although he came in last place, was going to be given second place, everyone left to make the long journey back to the castle. Hermione pulled away from her small group and disappeared along the way, knowing that she wouldn't really be missed anyway since the entire Gryffindor House was obsessing over Harry's outstanding performance. She walked through the forest and headed straight for the Astronomy Tower. She climbed the long spiral staircase and breathed in deeply as she spotted the head of white blond hair waiting for her at the top.

Draco turned slowly as soon as he heard her footsteps and swiftly walked over to her, pulling her into his arms in a tight embrace. He inhaled the scent of her damp hair deeply before pulling away slightly to look into her eyes. Hermione gave him a brave smile that he knew wasn't real because she had instantly begun to shake in his arms.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered soothingly as he rubbed his warm hands up and down her cold arms. "I didn't know that you would have been picked."

"I don't think any of us knew." she choked out. "I felt like...I was in a prison of my own making. I wanted to move...I wanted to open my eyes...I wanted to swim away...but I just couldn't. I was frozen...and it terrified me."

Draco released an angry growl and as he quickly casted another warming spell over her body. Hermione smiled to herself in relief before reluctantly pulling away from his embrace. She moved over to the banister and looked out at the slowly darkening sky.

"I know...I haven't responded to what you said after the Yule Ball...but I think I'm ready to now." she said softly as she inhaled deeply. "Draco...I know you have feelings for me. But we both know that even if we act upon those feelings...eventually...as we get older...obstacles will get in the way. The Yule Ball was a perfect example of that. We were forced to go with other people because we have to keep up the image of us being enemies...for both of our sakes."

"You know that I didn't want to go with her!" Draco protested as he took a step towards her.

"I know." Hermione sighed and turned back to face him. "And I didn't want you to go with her either...but that's the point, isn't it? We can't be together publically. Your father will instantly disown you...or worse, he might kill you. And as for me...Harry and Ron will shun me, and all those Slytherin girls will probably bully me to no end. So, what's the point of having feelings for each other if we can't even do anything about it? Besides, what if we do...indeed...acknowledge these feelings and then things go south between us? We will lose the amazing friendship we have right now."

"So, you admit that you have feelings for me?" Draco's face broke out into a relieved smile.

"After everything I just said...that's what you choose to pick up on?" Hermione chuckled softly. "Yes, you nitwit. I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. Feelings that I think I've had for a long time but only just realised them. When I was under the water, not being able to move or save myself, all I thought about was you."

"I have known of my feelings for you since before last summer." he closed the distance between them and lifted his hand to cup the left side of her cheek gently. "I was planning to tell you before we began school this year, but...well...the World Cup happened...and then this tournament."

"I'm sorry that it took seeing you with Pansy to realise how I felt about you." Hermione looked down guiltily. "But like I said, it doesn't matter. I don't want to lose your friendship, and I don't want you disowned from your family either."

"For the brightest witch of our age, you can be very dumb sometimes." Draco chuckled and lifted his other hand to cup the right side of her face as he stared into her eyes. "Since I was 11 years old, Miss Granger...your family has been what I would call my family. I understand your fears and I will accept them...for now. But know this, Hermione, you and I will be together. I will refrain from pursuing you while we are in school, out of fear of the repercussions that we will face from the student body, especially from our own houses. But, the second we graduate, I plan to disown myself from my family and pursue a much better life with you, if you'd allow it."

Hermione blinked back her tears as she stared deeply into his eyes. Every fiber in her very being was urging her to just lean in and kiss his perfectly formed lips. But rationality and reality were in the way.

"How can say that now?" she wondered out loud. "We're barely 15 years old … things can change as we get older."

"What do you fear will change?" Draco tried to keep from laughing at her worry.

"Well, you might start liking someone else, for one." Hermione shrugged and pulled away from him, pacing the tower quickly. "You might realise that you need all the wealth and first class decorum that the Malfoy name gives you. You might even start...liking your father."

Draco hissed sharply and grabbed her arms tightly, spinning her to face him once more. He bore his steel grey eyes into her deep brown pools and kept them there.

"First of all, I will never like or even become my father. You, out of everyone here, should know that." he spat out. "Secondly, you also know how little I truly care for the wealth of my family, or even the way they live their lives. And finally, I have liked you for so long, how could you even think that I would look at another girl the way I look at you? You may not be able to say it, Hermione, but I can. I love YOU. I will wait for YOU."

With that, he brought his lips down onto hers hard and rough. But, even through the roughness, there was no denying how soft they felt, or even how naturally they molded against hers. Hermione released a soft whimper as she finally gave in and leaned her body against his, deepening the searing kiss. Draco moved his lips against her hungrily as he lowered his arms to her waist, pulling her against him even closer. Their bodies quickly became one before Draco pulled away to give her some air. He smiled to himself as he stared down at her closed eyes and blushing face. He kissed her pouty full lips once more before kissing her forehead gently.

"Ok." Hermione finally breathed out after getting her racing her heart to beat normally again.

"Ok what?" Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"If you'll truly wait for me...then I shall wait for you." she explained. "We know how we both feel...so until graduation...we'll stay as we are now. But, once graduation is over...you better pursue me."

"Oh believe me darling...pursue you, I will." he murmured teasingly.

Hermione's face turned red again as she pulled away from his embrace and headed to the staircase. Draco stood still, watching after her, a look of pure happiness on his face.

"Are you coming?" she threw at him from the staircase. "It's already 10 minutes into dinner, and I'm feeling rather famished all of a sudden."

Draco chuckled and moved to walk with her back to the castle. The feeling of dread that they had been enduring since the start of school year was now temporarily replaced by bliss. How long would the feeling last, neither one of them knew.

A/N

I must apologize deeply for such a long absence. Real life got in the way, in a big way, but things are slowly returning to normal. So, weekly chapters shall return! I'd love to see what you guys think of this chapter! Thank you for still sticking with me even during my hiatus.