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Chapter 8
Hermione gazed at Draco, waiting for his answer. Draco became somewhat uncomfortable then he grinned.
"I think it was because you slapped some sense into me," he said, still grinning mischievously.
Hermione gasped and put a hand on her mouth. "I-I'm sorry about that. I completely forgot that I-Did I hurt you?" she asked hurriedly.
Draco grinned even wider and chuckled. "I was just kidding." *Since when have I only been kidding?* His smile disappeared.
Hermione reached out her hand to touch Draco's cheek. And, surprisingly, he didn't push her hand away.
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she caressed his left cheek.
"Yeah." Was the only thing Draco could say. He was enjoying the feel of Hermione's hand on his cheek.
Hermione withdrew her hand and felt somewhat embarrassed at what she did. She turned a bit red. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to touch you," she said quietly.
Draco felt stunned. *What is she talking about?* Then it hit him. *Of course! I told her that.*
"Uh, Hermione, forget about that. I didn't mean it," Draco told her. *I didn't?*
She smiled a bit at him. "You didn't answer my question."
"What question?"
"Why were you so nice to me last night? Why didn't you just leave and let me cry by myself. Instead, you comforted me and took care of me. Why?" she asked.
"Uh, I...I-I don't know really," he replied quietly.
She smiled at him again. What she did next astonished both of them. Hermione moved forward and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. She rested her head on Draco's chest. Draco, meanwhile, stiffened. He didn't know what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened to him before. Sure, he's hugged a girl, but this felt different. Way different.
"Thank you so much, Draco," she whispered. "I don't know what I would've done if it weren't for you. Thank you for just listening to me."
Draco's ear perked up. *She called me Draco.* He patted her awkwardly on the head and then pushed her gently away. He looked at her with some sort of questioning in his eyes.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"You just called me Draco," he said.
"I thought it was just fair. You did call me Hermione," she said.
He looked up at her. "I did?"
Hermione giggled and nodded. Draco looked into her eyes. And astoundingly, he saw something there that hadn't been there before. He saw happiness and joy. Joy in what, he didn't know. But there was joy. Hermione saw that Draco was staring at her and became uncomfortable. She stood up.
"Um, I'll be late for class," she said, gathering her stuff. She proceeded to open the common room door. But before she went out, she turned around.
Draco watched her.
"You-you should go, too," she said. "You don't want to be late, do you?"
An idea came to Draco's mind. He stood up and approached her. "We both have Potions, right?" Hermione nodded. "Why don't we just go there together?" he said hastily.
Hermione looked pleased with this idea and that Draco was the one who suggested it. She smiled at him. "Sure. Why not?"
They left the common room together and went to Snape's classroom. When they walked in together, heads turned their way. After all, seeing Malfoy and Hermione even 50 feet near each other was always surprising. Harry turned to Ron with a questioning look, but Ron ignored him. He was still feeling upset about what he's doing with his sister. But all the same, Ron also felt disturbed.
Hermione separated from Draco and sat down on her seat, next to Ron and Harry. She decided that ignoring them won't do any good anyway. She'll just have to ignore both of them if they talked about the incident.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully.
"Hey Hermione," Ron said quietly. He was itching to ask why she was with Malfoy.
Hermione looked at both of them. "Go on. Ask me."
"What were you doing with Malfoy?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.
"We're sort of friends now," she answered simply.
"What?!" Ron exclaimed. "Hermione, that's Malfoy. You know, Malfoy. Malfoy!"
"Goodness, Ron! You don't have to tell me He's Malfoy. I know his last name," Hermione said, giggling a little.
But Harry didn't find this amusing. "Hermione, how can you be friends? Did you forget all the things he's done to you?"
"Well, I think I have," Hermione replied slowly. She looked at both of them. Harry had a look of disbelief on his face, while Ron was fuming. "What's so wrong with being friends with him? He's human, for heaven's sake!"
At that moment, Snape walked in and heard Hermione. "20 points from Gryffindor for being noisy!"
Hermione turned red at this and focused her gaze straight ahead.
After class, Harry and Ron caught up with her.
"Hermione, we're sorry about Potions," Ron said.
"That's okay," she said.
"Hermione, please stop walking so fast," Harry said.
"I need to hurry. I have a prefect meeting," Hermione replied.
"So you're not coming to Charms?" Ron asked.
"Obviously, no," she said.
"Hermione, stop," Harry said, grabbing her arm, making her turn around and face them.
Hermione looked down then at them. "What?"
"Please talk to us," Harry pleaded.
"I'm listening," she said.
"First of all, we're all sorry," Ron said. "Me, Harry and Ginny, too. We're sorry for not telling you about them."
"Yeah. But I'm the most sorry of the three of us because I feel like I owe you a lot of things," Harry said.
"You don't owe me anything, Harry," Hermione said, looking away.
"Uh, I think you two should talk about this alone," Ron said and left them alone.
"Oh, but I do, Hermione. I know I should've told you a long time ago so that maybe..." he trailed away.
"Maybe what, Harry?"
"If I'd told you, there could've been an us," he finished.
Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling to stop the tears from falling. "Harry, don't do this."
"Why not?'
"Because! Because it's over. It's done. There's nothing more we can do about it. All we need to do is forget about it and move on. It's the only way to get passed this," Hermione said forcefully.
"What if I can't move on?" Harry said.
Hermione looked at him, feeling confused. "What are you saying?"
"I...I can't get over you, Hermione. I've tried, believe me. But I can't," Harry explained, moving towards her.
"Well, try harder!" she insisted, taking a step back.
Harry didn't quite understand this. He thought that she had feelings for him. *How can she just say that, like there was nothing?*
"Hermione, I don't understand. I thought--."
"I thought so, too, Harry. But you and Ginny are together. And...I just-I don't think it's right," she said.
"Why not?" he asked, feeling disappointed.
"Because if we are meant to be...we would've been together a long time ago."
Thank you all for the reviews! Keep them coming! Reviews help me write my story. :)
Chapter 8
Hermione gazed at Draco, waiting for his answer. Draco became somewhat uncomfortable then he grinned.
"I think it was because you slapped some sense into me," he said, still grinning mischievously.
Hermione gasped and put a hand on her mouth. "I-I'm sorry about that. I completely forgot that I-Did I hurt you?" she asked hurriedly.
Draco grinned even wider and chuckled. "I was just kidding." *Since when have I only been kidding?* His smile disappeared.
Hermione reached out her hand to touch Draco's cheek. And, surprisingly, he didn't push her hand away.
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she caressed his left cheek.
"Yeah." Was the only thing Draco could say. He was enjoying the feel of Hermione's hand on his cheek.
Hermione withdrew her hand and felt somewhat embarrassed at what she did. She turned a bit red. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to touch you," she said quietly.
Draco felt stunned. *What is she talking about?* Then it hit him. *Of course! I told her that.*
"Uh, Hermione, forget about that. I didn't mean it," Draco told her. *I didn't?*
She smiled a bit at him. "You didn't answer my question."
"What question?"
"Why were you so nice to me last night? Why didn't you just leave and let me cry by myself. Instead, you comforted me and took care of me. Why?" she asked.
"Uh, I...I-I don't know really," he replied quietly.
She smiled at him again. What she did next astonished both of them. Hermione moved forward and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. She rested her head on Draco's chest. Draco, meanwhile, stiffened. He didn't know what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened to him before. Sure, he's hugged a girl, but this felt different. Way different.
"Thank you so much, Draco," she whispered. "I don't know what I would've done if it weren't for you. Thank you for just listening to me."
Draco's ear perked up. *She called me Draco.* He patted her awkwardly on the head and then pushed her gently away. He looked at her with some sort of questioning in his eyes.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"You just called me Draco," he said.
"I thought it was just fair. You did call me Hermione," she said.
He looked up at her. "I did?"
Hermione giggled and nodded. Draco looked into her eyes. And astoundingly, he saw something there that hadn't been there before. He saw happiness and joy. Joy in what, he didn't know. But there was joy. Hermione saw that Draco was staring at her and became uncomfortable. She stood up.
"Um, I'll be late for class," she said, gathering her stuff. She proceeded to open the common room door. But before she went out, she turned around.
Draco watched her.
"You-you should go, too," she said. "You don't want to be late, do you?"
An idea came to Draco's mind. He stood up and approached her. "We both have Potions, right?" Hermione nodded. "Why don't we just go there together?" he said hastily.
Hermione looked pleased with this idea and that Draco was the one who suggested it. She smiled at him. "Sure. Why not?"
They left the common room together and went to Snape's classroom. When they walked in together, heads turned their way. After all, seeing Malfoy and Hermione even 50 feet near each other was always surprising. Harry turned to Ron with a questioning look, but Ron ignored him. He was still feeling upset about what he's doing with his sister. But all the same, Ron also felt disturbed.
Hermione separated from Draco and sat down on her seat, next to Ron and Harry. She decided that ignoring them won't do any good anyway. She'll just have to ignore both of them if they talked about the incident.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully.
"Hey Hermione," Ron said quietly. He was itching to ask why she was with Malfoy.
Hermione looked at both of them. "Go on. Ask me."
"What were you doing with Malfoy?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.
"We're sort of friends now," she answered simply.
"What?!" Ron exclaimed. "Hermione, that's Malfoy. You know, Malfoy. Malfoy!"
"Goodness, Ron! You don't have to tell me He's Malfoy. I know his last name," Hermione said, giggling a little.
But Harry didn't find this amusing. "Hermione, how can you be friends? Did you forget all the things he's done to you?"
"Well, I think I have," Hermione replied slowly. She looked at both of them. Harry had a look of disbelief on his face, while Ron was fuming. "What's so wrong with being friends with him? He's human, for heaven's sake!"
At that moment, Snape walked in and heard Hermione. "20 points from Gryffindor for being noisy!"
Hermione turned red at this and focused her gaze straight ahead.
After class, Harry and Ron caught up with her.
"Hermione, we're sorry about Potions," Ron said.
"That's okay," she said.
"Hermione, please stop walking so fast," Harry said.
"I need to hurry. I have a prefect meeting," Hermione replied.
"So you're not coming to Charms?" Ron asked.
"Obviously, no," she said.
"Hermione, stop," Harry said, grabbing her arm, making her turn around and face them.
Hermione looked down then at them. "What?"
"Please talk to us," Harry pleaded.
"I'm listening," she said.
"First of all, we're all sorry," Ron said. "Me, Harry and Ginny, too. We're sorry for not telling you about them."
"Yeah. But I'm the most sorry of the three of us because I feel like I owe you a lot of things," Harry said.
"You don't owe me anything, Harry," Hermione said, looking away.
"Uh, I think you two should talk about this alone," Ron said and left them alone.
"Oh, but I do, Hermione. I know I should've told you a long time ago so that maybe..." he trailed away.
"Maybe what, Harry?"
"If I'd told you, there could've been an us," he finished.
Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling to stop the tears from falling. "Harry, don't do this."
"Why not?'
"Because! Because it's over. It's done. There's nothing more we can do about it. All we need to do is forget about it and move on. It's the only way to get passed this," Hermione said forcefully.
"What if I can't move on?" Harry said.
Hermione looked at him, feeling confused. "What are you saying?"
"I...I can't get over you, Hermione. I've tried, believe me. But I can't," Harry explained, moving towards her.
"Well, try harder!" she insisted, taking a step back.
Harry didn't quite understand this. He thought that she had feelings for him. *How can she just say that, like there was nothing?*
"Hermione, I don't understand. I thought--."
"I thought so, too, Harry. But you and Ginny are together. And...I just-I don't think it's right," she said.
"Why not?" he asked, feeling disappointed.
"Because if we are meant to be...we would've been together a long time ago."