A/N: I'm spending some time making sure these last few chapters are set up correctly. I don't want things to feel rushed. I want it to seem natural. But we're getting to the end, which will have the moments we've all been waiting for. ;)

Chapter 22

Hermione leaned back in her chair, thinking about the things that Ginny had written. She was glad that she hadn't even had to have the "don't tell the boys" talk with the younger Gryffindor. She figured she wouldn't have to. They both knew how Ron would react, and a "Ron Reaction" could be quite a thing.

The witch looked down at the paragraph where Ginny had claimed that she'd caught Draco staring at Hermione years ago, and she felt her brows knit together as she thought about any times she may have seen the same thing. She couldn't recall, because she was pretty sure she did all she could to ignore him, especially during sixth year when Harry was adimate about Draco's dark affiliations. He had been right in the end, as he almost always was about things like that, but she had gone out of her way to pretend Draco didn't exist so as not to exacerbate the situation.

If Ginny's speculations were correct, then that meant Hermione had to think about what she wanted from her new relationship with Draco; a platonic friendship, or continue down the course they were heading down. They had almost kissed, and Hermione had wanted it, but had she wanted more than that? She and Ron had pussyfooted around the bush for years with their feelings, and that had led to the two of them not being sure if being together was the best option. If they'd really wanted it, they would have admitted their feelings sooner, because they would have been sure.

It was too early to know if she was sure that a relationship more than friendship with Draco was wise… However, she couldn't deny that if the Slytherin were to kiss her she wouldn't be able to stop him. But then what? They snog? They date? Shag? If Draco truly did fancy her as much as he seemed to, it was likely he already wanted those things, and it wouldn't be right if she played with his emotions.

She may have wanted to hurt him two days past, but she wouldn't want to hurt him in that way.

Hermione had to be careful, so for many hours she sat in the high-backed Slytherin chair, looking out the window as she thought about everything yet again. And no matter where her mind would take her, it would always go back to Draco flashing his perfect grin at her as they'd practiced Protegos; of his Lumos-lit eyes filled with concern as he'd flown up to her on his broom in the blizzard; the feeling of his hand on her chin as he'd looked at her with longing.

When lunch came, she made her way back to the kitchens. There were plates sitting on the counter by the door, and she grabbed one before sitting at a table, and just as it had gone that morning, Draco never showed, not even after the witch waited until half past two.

This was where the doubt began to sink in.

Had she angered him in some way? She was sure that wasn't possible, unless he was mad that he'd had to save her. But, even that seemed unlikely, because she knew he'd meant it when he told her he had been lucky to have the privilege to save her.

So what else could it be?

Had she pushed him away? Though she didn't get that one either. She hadn't pulled away from the kiss and she'd leaned into him happily while they'd been on his broom. Other than her harassing him some, she hadn't shown any signs of disliking his attention, and even that behavior didn't read as her wanting him to leave her alone.

Her other option, and this was the most likely, was that she was overreacting. He could have been sleeping in. He had mentioned struggling with sleep since he had arrived, so it was possible he was still in bed. Besides, she hadn't gone down for meals the day before, perhaps even leaving him in a similar state of confusion, though she knew the man was intelligent enough to connect the dots as to why that was.

"You're overreacting, Granger," she concluded aloud. With this, she stood from the table, grabbed her pack, and left the kitchens to go back to her dorm to finish studying.

When she entered her room, she put her things on the bed and moved to her record collection. She flicked her wand, sending the Red Hot Chili Pepper album back to its rightful place, then began to thumb through a few choices before settling on one, pulling it from its spot atop her dresser, removing it from its sleeve, and placing it on the platter. She moved the arm and set the needle down on the vinyl before pressing play.

Studying then commenced, the witch laying out on her bed while reading her CoMC text, singing, "Time is never time at all. You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth. And our lives are forever changed, we will never be the same."

Four songs played before she got interrupted by beak taps pulled her from her textbook. Her eyes turned to the window and saw a familiar school owl standing on the sill outside the glass, and she got up to let it in. It stayed long enough to get a treat before taking off, and the witch opened the letter from her parents.

She read the contents quickly, the couple sounding happy to have heard from her, asking if she'd be coming home for Easter holiday. The witch remembered how she'd spent Easter the year before, then shook her head of the memory before deciding she should do so, so she could start replacing all of her darker memories with good ones.

The letter was left on her bed to be replied to when she got back from dinner, which she spent exactly as she had the other two meals of the day: alone. She'd taken one last look at Draco's plate before she exited the kitchen, and heaved a deep sigh of disappointment and worry.

Her doubt was back once again, and she began second-guessing herself and her actions.