Disclaimer: Everything except the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling, and not to
me.
"I'm so confused!" Hermione flung herself onto her bed. It was a Sunday afternoon, and she was the only person in the dormitory. "I don't know how I feel any more." Crookshanks lay on his side next to her, enjoying a patch of sunshine. He opened one eye lazily when she stroked his stomach, then shut it again and appeared to be asleep.
"Now I'm talking to Draco again, I keep wondering if he'll kiss me again. I'm half hoping he will, but the other half of me is scared of the idea." She turned onto her back and folded her hands beneath her head. "Then there's Ron. I liked Ron, I wouldn't have gone out with him if I didn't. Then he behaved so awfully with that first bet, and I had this secret feeling of relief that I had a good excuse to end things. But he was so sweet when I was upset the other night, and, I don't know…" She rolled back onto her side and propped herself on one elbow. "Do I still like him? There isn't even anyone I can talk to. I can't talk to Ron or Draco, obviously. Harry's a good friend, but he's terrified of girlie things. You should have seen his face when he overheard Ginny and I talking about periods at The Burrows over the summer!" She laughed quietly as she pictured his expression. "I couldn't talk to Ginny, Ron's her brother. Even little Sarah's biased!" She scratched the cat's ears. "Why don't I have any close female friends? You wouldn't happen to be an animagus or something, and actually be human, would you?"
Crookshanks remained stubbornly feline. Hermione sighed and rolled onto her back once more.
"I think what scares me about Draco is that I've never really had a boyfriend, except for Viktor, and that wasn't exactly perfect, was it? I do like Draco, and I think he likes me, but it wouldn't be easy for us to be a couple. What with his family being who they are, and Mum and Dad not being magical, and the whole Gryffindor Slytherin thing." She sighed. "Ah well, I suppose it'll work out somehow. I don't really have time for a boyfriend, anyway, not with all this work we have to do." Her voice lacked its usual conviction.
*****
"Hi." Draco dropped onto the grass next to Hermione and caught his breath. Hermione stopped gazing blindly at the lake and smiled at him.
"Hi."
"I thought we were friends again?" He flicked his hair out of his eyes, where it had fallen as he ran across the grounds.
"We are."
"Then why are you avoiding me? You didn't even look at me during Potions this afternoon."
"I…" She paused to gather her thoughts. "I don't know. I'm just a bit confused."
"About…?"
"Us. You, me. Our families. Ron. Everybody else."
"Nothing major, then." He joked. She managed another smile. Seeing that she really was bothered by the whole thing, Draco took a deep breath and tried to help.
"Let's start at the beginning then. Us. You, me." He took hold of her hand. "I like you, Hermione. I like spending time with you, you're intelligent, you're fun to talk to. And I like kissing you as well!" He grinned, and Hermione found herself smiling too. "Our families. Not such an easy one. My parents are… well, they're both from old wizarding families, and they wouldn't be keen on me being with somebody who wasn't. Your parents are…"
"Dentists." They shared another smile.
"Exactly. I'm going to owl my father, tell him what's going on, try to persuade him not to go mad." He squeezed Hermione's hand, and she returned the pressure, already feeling a bit better. "As for Weasley…"
"I'll have to talk to him. If you can tell your father, I can tell Ron. He doesn't have to like it, but I don't want you two fighting. He's not going to be happy, he'll blame himself. I think he still… has feelings for me."
"I'm not surprised." She glanced quickly up at him, and he shrugged. "Maybe Weasley and I do have something in common after all!" She pushed him playfully and he grinned at her. "What's left?"
"Everybody else."
"Just a little one then!" He dropped the joking for a moment. "Seriously, though, if we just act normal then they'll get over it soon enough."
"We need to talk to our friends first, and you need to tell your dad. Before everybody starts talking about us." Draco realised that Hermione had a point.
"Let's tell them soon, then. I don't like hiding in corners." He looked around to check that there was nobody around. They were alone by the lake, nobody in sight.
"As corners go, this one's not bad…" He pulled her towards him, and kissed her softly. After a moment Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, and from then on if anybody had come into sight, neither of them would have noticed. Hermione stopped worrying about how she felt, because all of a sudden she knew that this was where she should be.
"I'm so confused!" Hermione flung herself onto her bed. It was a Sunday afternoon, and she was the only person in the dormitory. "I don't know how I feel any more." Crookshanks lay on his side next to her, enjoying a patch of sunshine. He opened one eye lazily when she stroked his stomach, then shut it again and appeared to be asleep.
"Now I'm talking to Draco again, I keep wondering if he'll kiss me again. I'm half hoping he will, but the other half of me is scared of the idea." She turned onto her back and folded her hands beneath her head. "Then there's Ron. I liked Ron, I wouldn't have gone out with him if I didn't. Then he behaved so awfully with that first bet, and I had this secret feeling of relief that I had a good excuse to end things. But he was so sweet when I was upset the other night, and, I don't know…" She rolled back onto her side and propped herself on one elbow. "Do I still like him? There isn't even anyone I can talk to. I can't talk to Ron or Draco, obviously. Harry's a good friend, but he's terrified of girlie things. You should have seen his face when he overheard Ginny and I talking about periods at The Burrows over the summer!" She laughed quietly as she pictured his expression. "I couldn't talk to Ginny, Ron's her brother. Even little Sarah's biased!" She scratched the cat's ears. "Why don't I have any close female friends? You wouldn't happen to be an animagus or something, and actually be human, would you?"
Crookshanks remained stubbornly feline. Hermione sighed and rolled onto her back once more.
"I think what scares me about Draco is that I've never really had a boyfriend, except for Viktor, and that wasn't exactly perfect, was it? I do like Draco, and I think he likes me, but it wouldn't be easy for us to be a couple. What with his family being who they are, and Mum and Dad not being magical, and the whole Gryffindor Slytherin thing." She sighed. "Ah well, I suppose it'll work out somehow. I don't really have time for a boyfriend, anyway, not with all this work we have to do." Her voice lacked its usual conviction.
*****
"Hi." Draco dropped onto the grass next to Hermione and caught his breath. Hermione stopped gazing blindly at the lake and smiled at him.
"Hi."
"I thought we were friends again?" He flicked his hair out of his eyes, where it had fallen as he ran across the grounds.
"We are."
"Then why are you avoiding me? You didn't even look at me during Potions this afternoon."
"I…" She paused to gather her thoughts. "I don't know. I'm just a bit confused."
"About…?"
"Us. You, me. Our families. Ron. Everybody else."
"Nothing major, then." He joked. She managed another smile. Seeing that she really was bothered by the whole thing, Draco took a deep breath and tried to help.
"Let's start at the beginning then. Us. You, me." He took hold of her hand. "I like you, Hermione. I like spending time with you, you're intelligent, you're fun to talk to. And I like kissing you as well!" He grinned, and Hermione found herself smiling too. "Our families. Not such an easy one. My parents are… well, they're both from old wizarding families, and they wouldn't be keen on me being with somebody who wasn't. Your parents are…"
"Dentists." They shared another smile.
"Exactly. I'm going to owl my father, tell him what's going on, try to persuade him not to go mad." He squeezed Hermione's hand, and she returned the pressure, already feeling a bit better. "As for Weasley…"
"I'll have to talk to him. If you can tell your father, I can tell Ron. He doesn't have to like it, but I don't want you two fighting. He's not going to be happy, he'll blame himself. I think he still… has feelings for me."
"I'm not surprised." She glanced quickly up at him, and he shrugged. "Maybe Weasley and I do have something in common after all!" She pushed him playfully and he grinned at her. "What's left?"
"Everybody else."
"Just a little one then!" He dropped the joking for a moment. "Seriously, though, if we just act normal then they'll get over it soon enough."
"We need to talk to our friends first, and you need to tell your dad. Before everybody starts talking about us." Draco realised that Hermione had a point.
"Let's tell them soon, then. I don't like hiding in corners." He looked around to check that there was nobody around. They were alone by the lake, nobody in sight.
"As corners go, this one's not bad…" He pulled her towards him, and kissed her softly. After a moment Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, and from then on if anybody had come into sight, neither of them would have noticed. Hermione stopped worrying about how she felt, because all of a sudden she knew that this was where she should be.