Hermione wasn't in class the next morning and during lunch Harry stole up
to Gryffindor tower to see if she was still in her room.
"Hermione!" Harry pounded on Hermione's door. "Hermione, open up, please! I need to talk to you."
No answer.
"Dammit," he muttered. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohomora," he whispered.
The door clicked open and Harry stormed in. "Hermione!"
She was sitting on her window seat with her knees hugged up to her chin. She looked at him with misty eyes.
"I want you to leave me alone, Harry Potter."
"Listen, Herm, please. Just hear me out."
She regarded him wearily.
"I.wanted to apologize. Truly." Harry fiddled his fingers anxiously. "What I did was wrong, I shouldn't have-"
"We're friends, Harry. Friends don't cross that boundary. You made me very uncomfortable out there," she said slowly.
"I realize. And I'm very sorry." Harry took a few steps forward cautiously. "But, Hermione, how can I make you see? I want you to love me like I love you, not just as friends, but lovers."
Hermione let a tear slip. "What happened to our friendship? We had a good thing going and I can't believe you have to go and ruin it."
Harry took a few more steps forward until he was dangerously close to Hermione. "There's someone else, isn't there?" he said in a low tone.
Hermione turned away and looked out the window, fighting the rest of the tears as they tried to leak out.
Harry gripped Hermione by the shoulders and shook her. "Is there??" he asked frantically. "IS there someone else? Answer me!! Is there??"
"Harry, please! Let me go!" Hermione screamed.
"Answer me!"
"Potter, I suggest you stop manhandling her unless you want this in the latest edition of Witch Weekly," said a cool voice.
Both Harry and a sobbing Hermione turned to face Draco Malfoy. He was leaning against the closed door.
"Him," Harry hissed. "You're going around fucking the enemy, you whore??"
"I'm not!" yelled Hermione.
"It's him, isn't it.he's the whole reason? He's why you're holding out on me?"
"Harry-"
"Fine. Live your life the way you want to live it." Harry began to walk out. He stopped at the door and added, "And not a word of this to anyone." He slammed the door behind him.
Hermione leaned her head back wearily. She closed her eyes and heard footsteps come closer.
"Are you alright," asked Draco stiffly.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
"You don't look sick to me; that's the excuse Longbottom gave to Snape this morning," he said in a lighter tone. Draco plopped down on the window seat next to her.
"I am sick. I don't feel well. It constitutes illness, doesn't it?" She wiped away a tear clumsily with her wrist.
"I came to apologize," said Draco, looking her in the eye.
"Join Harry's club," Hermione said wryly.
Draco disregarded the statement. "I didn't mean to offend you in the tub. It's just my character." He looked away for a moment. "It's hard to admit even now, but it's something I have to do. I can be a jerk sometimes, I know it, you know it, the whole school knows it."
Hermione looked at Draco for a long time and then said finally, "It's just your psyche. You come off cocky when you're insecure. Or when you feel threatened or vulnerable." She sniffled. "I read it in a muggle psychology textbook. My cousin's. Anyway, you don't even know what you're apologizing for."
"Would you care to enlighten me?" Draco asked with a hopeful smile.
Hermione sighed. "I suppose I will. Let's see, I've always been the bookworm. 'Studious Hermione' and 'Know-It-All Granger' were among my many monikers. Being in Gryffindor isn't easy for a dork like myself. I was constantly surrounded by Hogwarts' prettiest, more glamorous girls. Take Lavender and Parvati for example. I can't even count the nights where they'd be recounting their latest dates while I cried myself soundlessly to sleep." She sighed again. "Viktor was an exception, but there wasn't anything there. We didn't even kiss. Hell, we couldn't even communicate, so what was the point, I figured. And now, Harry comes and-and declares his love for me?" Hermione huffed incredulously. "What got me so upset," she continued in a softer tone, "was how true your words were. And it hurt me. A lot."
Draco's expression softened and he reached for her hand. Clasping it with both of his own warm hands, he didn't say anything. He just kissed her.
Hermione responded reluctantly. The passion slowly grew until it was too intense.
"Draco," Hermione whispered between ragged breaths, "take me now."
"This means I won, you know," Draco said slowly.
"I don't care."
"Before we do this, Hermione, I just want you to know something."
Hermione opened her eyes. "What?" she asked softly.
"I love you." He kissed her again deeply.
Draco then silently picked Hermione up and laid her on her bed. And he won the game.
A/N: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY!!! THERE IS MORE TO COME!!! That is all.
"Hermione!" Harry pounded on Hermione's door. "Hermione, open up, please! I need to talk to you."
No answer.
"Dammit," he muttered. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohomora," he whispered.
The door clicked open and Harry stormed in. "Hermione!"
She was sitting on her window seat with her knees hugged up to her chin. She looked at him with misty eyes.
"I want you to leave me alone, Harry Potter."
"Listen, Herm, please. Just hear me out."
She regarded him wearily.
"I.wanted to apologize. Truly." Harry fiddled his fingers anxiously. "What I did was wrong, I shouldn't have-"
"We're friends, Harry. Friends don't cross that boundary. You made me very uncomfortable out there," she said slowly.
"I realize. And I'm very sorry." Harry took a few steps forward cautiously. "But, Hermione, how can I make you see? I want you to love me like I love you, not just as friends, but lovers."
Hermione let a tear slip. "What happened to our friendship? We had a good thing going and I can't believe you have to go and ruin it."
Harry took a few more steps forward until he was dangerously close to Hermione. "There's someone else, isn't there?" he said in a low tone.
Hermione turned away and looked out the window, fighting the rest of the tears as they tried to leak out.
Harry gripped Hermione by the shoulders and shook her. "Is there??" he asked frantically. "IS there someone else? Answer me!! Is there??"
"Harry, please! Let me go!" Hermione screamed.
"Answer me!"
"Potter, I suggest you stop manhandling her unless you want this in the latest edition of Witch Weekly," said a cool voice.
Both Harry and a sobbing Hermione turned to face Draco Malfoy. He was leaning against the closed door.
"Him," Harry hissed. "You're going around fucking the enemy, you whore??"
"I'm not!" yelled Hermione.
"It's him, isn't it.he's the whole reason? He's why you're holding out on me?"
"Harry-"
"Fine. Live your life the way you want to live it." Harry began to walk out. He stopped at the door and added, "And not a word of this to anyone." He slammed the door behind him.
Hermione leaned her head back wearily. She closed her eyes and heard footsteps come closer.
"Are you alright," asked Draco stiffly.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
"You don't look sick to me; that's the excuse Longbottom gave to Snape this morning," he said in a lighter tone. Draco plopped down on the window seat next to her.
"I am sick. I don't feel well. It constitutes illness, doesn't it?" She wiped away a tear clumsily with her wrist.
"I came to apologize," said Draco, looking her in the eye.
"Join Harry's club," Hermione said wryly.
Draco disregarded the statement. "I didn't mean to offend you in the tub. It's just my character." He looked away for a moment. "It's hard to admit even now, but it's something I have to do. I can be a jerk sometimes, I know it, you know it, the whole school knows it."
Hermione looked at Draco for a long time and then said finally, "It's just your psyche. You come off cocky when you're insecure. Or when you feel threatened or vulnerable." She sniffled. "I read it in a muggle psychology textbook. My cousin's. Anyway, you don't even know what you're apologizing for."
"Would you care to enlighten me?" Draco asked with a hopeful smile.
Hermione sighed. "I suppose I will. Let's see, I've always been the bookworm. 'Studious Hermione' and 'Know-It-All Granger' were among my many monikers. Being in Gryffindor isn't easy for a dork like myself. I was constantly surrounded by Hogwarts' prettiest, more glamorous girls. Take Lavender and Parvati for example. I can't even count the nights where they'd be recounting their latest dates while I cried myself soundlessly to sleep." She sighed again. "Viktor was an exception, but there wasn't anything there. We didn't even kiss. Hell, we couldn't even communicate, so what was the point, I figured. And now, Harry comes and-and declares his love for me?" Hermione huffed incredulously. "What got me so upset," she continued in a softer tone, "was how true your words were. And it hurt me. A lot."
Draco's expression softened and he reached for her hand. Clasping it with both of his own warm hands, he didn't say anything. He just kissed her.
Hermione responded reluctantly. The passion slowly grew until it was too intense.
"Draco," Hermione whispered between ragged breaths, "take me now."
"This means I won, you know," Draco said slowly.
"I don't care."
"Before we do this, Hermione, I just want you to know something."
Hermione opened her eyes. "What?" she asked softly.
"I love you." He kissed her again deeply.
Draco then silently picked Hermione up and laid her on her bed. And he won the game.
A/N: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY!!! THERE IS MORE TO COME!!! That is all.