CHAPTER 6~ Receiving Answers
Once they were safe in the common room and away from the bustle of the rest of the school, they began talking once again. "Do I really make you feel better about who you are?" Hermione asked curiously as she sat down on one of the sofas.
"Of course you do," he answered as he put an arm around her.
Hermione stared out the window at the blue sky. The clouds were drifting lazily across the bright background. She was thinking about what it would feel like to be like those clouds and just be able to drift through life without a care in the world.
"What are you thinking?" Draco asked after a while.
She turned to look at him. Her deep, brown eyes met his still expressionless grey ones. Both found themselves unable to speak or think; they were each lost in the beauty of the others eyes. Their faces were only inches away from each other's and they both leaned in slightly and their lips touched softly.
Hermione's eyes fluttered shut as Draco deepened the kiss a little. His hands roamed over her body and hers made their way to his hair. Draco's tongue gently roamed over Hermione's lips and she parted them slightly to allow him access to her mouth. Their tongues both battled for control and Draco gently pushed Hermione down onto her back. His fingers trailed down to her shirt, and began to slide it slowly over her head. Just as he was about to pull it off her there was a loud tapping at the window.
"Fuck," Draco mumbled as he noticed his father's owl.
"What is it?" Hermione asked as she tugged her shirt back down.
Draco didn't answer, just untied the note and read it in silence.
Draco, I haven't heard from you in a while and I am still awaiting your response. You know how valuable you are to Our Lord. I am expecting you home for Christmas as always. We will be discussing some important manners while You are home. Once you are out of school you will receive the Dark Mark, And there is no use trying to fight this. I will be awaiting your response. Signed, Father
"Fucking bastard," he said as he crumpled up the piece of parchment and threw it across the length of the room. "I hate him!"
"What was that, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"Don't worry about it. It doesn't concern you," he snapped.
Hermione glared at him and stomped up the stairs to her room. "Fine! I won't worry about it!" She slammed the door so hard that the room actually shook.
Draco was pissed off at his father, so what did he do? He took it out on Hermione. He wanted her to be his refuge, the person he could go to if her ever needed to talk or just to be held, but he was slowly screwing that up too. Of course he liked her, he knew and she knew, but no one else could know. If someone ever found out what he felt for her, his reputation would be destroyed.
He let himself sink down into the couch, and he placed his head in his hands. He had always been strong and had all the answers, but now he felt helpless. There was no way out of joining Voldemort and he knew if. Since he learned about the Dark Arts and what was really involved two summers before, he had been totally against everything that his father and Voldemort stood for.
Killing Muggles for pleasure wasn't exactly Draco's idea of fun. Sure he hated Muggles and Mudbloods, but as it dawned on him, he really only hated them because that was how he had been brought up. Lucius had always been prejudice against them, and Draco had just picked it up from him. As he looked at it though, he decided that they weren't as bad as his father had made them out to be. Some were actually very bright-Hermione for example. She was the smartest pupil in Hogwarts and was looked up to by much of the student population.
Hermione hated that Draco's actions were so unpredictable. Just as she thought he had mellowed out a bit, he had to go and snap at her as if she meant nothing to him again. She sat on the edge of her bed and let tears fall from her eyes.
She liked him a lot and he said that he had liked her, but he didn't act like he had meant it. Never had she felt more torn than at that moment, and she didn't know why. She and Draco had hated each other for the previous six years and she didn't know why she wanted their last year at Hogwarts to be any different. There were just some lines that were not meant to be crossed, and she knew it. One line that she now knew definitely wasn't meant to be crossed was the line between love and hate.
~
Hermione once again began avoiding Draco. She had done a fantastic job at it too, until Halloween, that is. After lunch on Halloween, the seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins had double Potions together with Professor Snape.
Draco and Hermione both took their normal seats on opposite sides of the room and next to their friends.
Snape came barging into the classroom and immediately took five points from Gryffindor because he thought that there were some whispers being heard even though none of them had said a word. "Today we will be making a very powerful truth potion. This is the strongest potion known to the wizards alive. It does not take very long to brew, but it does take concentration. Since this is such a difficult task, I will be pairing you up according to how I see fit," he drawled very quickly, but accentuating every word. "Malfoy, you will be paired with Granger. Goyle with Weasley, Zabini with Finnigan, Crabbe with Potter, Smith with Potter." and so on until the entire class was paired.
Jeremy looked at Draco with an annoyed expression on his face. "Why do you get Granger while I get her gay friend?" he hissed.
"It's how Snape sees fit," Draco answered with a smirk. Jeremy shook his head and walked over to Harry while Hermione took her seat next to Draco. "You've been avoiding me," he noted as she sat down.
"And?"
"And I'd like to know why."
"Let's just get to work, Malfoy. We can talk about this later," she said sounding braver than she felt. Just being around him made her senses fail, and she hated that feeling.
"Whatever, Granger. I know you won't wanna talk about it later. You'll be too caught up after the feast to even give me a moment of your time. I would simply like to know why you've been avoiding me." He began to cut up his roots evenly as she began to read the recipe.
"I thought it would be pretty obvious, Malfoy," she answered simply. "You are supposed to be smart."
"Don't pull that shit with me. You know I damn well can't read your mind. Why don't you tell me?" His words were sharp, and he continued to cut his roots as even as possible so he would get the best results possible from the potion.
As Hermione began dropping the needed ingredients carefully into the cauldron she said, "I'm not pulling any shit with you. I've been avoiding you because last week I realized that there are simply some borders that are drawn and that shouldn't be crossed by anyone, including me."
"And what 'borders' would those be Granger."
"Figure it out."
Draco glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but realize how pretty she looked when she was angry and concentrating. "I'm not as smart as you. I can't figure out what the hell you want me to know. Sure, I can read people's emotions, but I haven't exactly worked out how to read minds yet. Tell me what you're talking about," he demanded as he added the roots he had evenly cut to the potion and the last needed ingredient before letting it settle.
"I'm talking about the line we almost crossed last Saturday-the line between love and hate, Malfoy."
"And who says we're not supposed to cross that line. Is there a rule written down anywhere that says two people who hate each other can't become lovers? If there is why don't you show it to me, 'cause I know I'd love to see it." He smirked at her as he looked into her eyes.
"Malfoy, there is no written rule about that, but it's like an unwritten law. It's illegal, especially in this school."
"And since when do I do anything legal? I was brought up to break laws and I will continue to do so until the day I die."
Hermione broke away from his glance and stared at the floor. She knew that Draco had always been a rule breaker and it was a quality she liked in him. The floor had suddenly become interesting to her, and she decided to remain quiet.
"We can always give it a shot," he whispered in her ear.
His breath felt hot against her face and she was suddenly aware of how close he was to her. "We can't," she answered him.
"Why not?"
"We're too different. There's too much in the way. It would never work out between us."
"That may not be so true. I know you feel the same way about me as I feel for you, so there really isn't much more we need."
Hermione thought about this for a moment. "What about the acceptance of our peers? You know they won't favor a relationship between us."
"I don't really care if they will accept us or not. We won't even really have to tell anyone. If you don't wanna let anyone know about anything we don't have to tell them."
"There still isn't any us yet. I'm not sure," she said hesitantly.
The signal sounding the end of the period could be heard throughout the castle, which meant only one more period before the students could have free time before the feast.
Draco stared intently at her. "Think about it, Granger. You don't have to decide anything right now. I don't want to put you under any pressure or anything, just-just think about it."
She nodded a little, and was about to answer when a voice interrupted, "Can I borrow Granger for a moment?" Jeremy asked.
Draco nodded and Hermione followed him outside the classroom. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
"I was just wondering if you would like to go on a date with me sometime. Like for a walk across the grounds or something," he said.
Hermione looked into his blue eyes and then to the floor. "We haven't talked since the middle of fifth year, Jeremy. Why do you all of a sudden want to get back together again?"
"I realized the mistake I made. I've always liked you, Mia. Can't we give it another try? I know you've given second chances before."
She dared to look back up at him. They had dated for a few months back in fifth year, but Jeremy had gotten too serious and Hermione had dumped him. "I don't know. There is a lot I have to sort out right now, and I don't know if it would be the best thing for me right now."
"Well, just think about it, okay? I was stupid back then, but I've grown up."
Not wanting to totally hurt him yet, she agreed to think about it, and went back into the classroom to sit with Draco. "What'd he want?" Draco asked as the bell sounded to signal the start of the last period.
"Oh! N-nothing. He just wanted to ask me something."
Draco looked at her. He had never known if there was something going on between them ever, but he didn't like the fact that his best friend was all of a sudden interested in Hermione.
"I want you all to split you potions," Snape commanded. "They should be a silvery color. If they are not, you have done something wrong and I can't wait to se the results." He specifically directed the last comment toward Neville, who was now trembling. "You will each take a chance at asking you partner a series of questions, and I expect you to write down the answers because you will be writing and essay for me on the potion and what you have found." There were moans heard throughout the classroom, but they all did as they were instructed.
Hermione and Draco both took their potion at the same time. They knew that they had complete control over what questions they asked, but they also knew that they had no control over the answers they gave.
Draco decided to take control and ask the first question. "Has there ever been anything between you and Jeremy?"
"Yes," she answered.
"What?"
"We dated back in fifth year from October to February."
"What happened? Why aren't you still dating?"
"He got too serious for me. He was pushing me to have sex with him and I told him I wasn't ready, but he was very persistent, so I broke up with him and haven't talked to him since."
"Oh. Did you have sex with him, though?"
"No, I broke up with him before we got that far."
Draco nodded. "Your turn."
"Right. Why do you care what went on between Jeremy and I?" she asked.
"He's my best friend and can usually tell me everything, but I knew there was something he wasn't telling me and I was very curious."
"Why are you so curious?"
"Because I like you a lot and I don't want someone to come along and just take you away from me and I don't want you to be with anyone but me because I wouldn't be able to stand that."
"Do you think I would choose Jeremy over you?"
"Well, he's got a better personality than I do, although he's a bit hornier and well girls say he's hot, but that I'm hotter and I'm sure he hasn't been as mean to you as I have been and well yeah. Am I right?"
"No. I would definitely choose you over him."
"Why?"
"I don't trust him anymore, and I didn't feel anything when he would kiss me or hold me in his arms. When you kissed me, it was like an electric shock shooting throughout my entire body. I am also ready to put all our differences aside."
"We wouldn't be able to tell anyone, you know that right?"
"Yes."
Draco could feel the truth potion wearing off, which meant it was wearing off for Hermione too, and he stopped himself before he asked her out. He didn't know if he would be able to take it if she rejected him.
The bell sounded once again, and as everyone was getting up to leave, Snape said, "I want two rolls of parchment by next Friday." They all groaned as they packed all their things away and filed out the door. For most, the essay would be put off until Thursday night anyway, but they were still mad about it.
Hermione didn't wait around for Draco for two reasons. The first is that it would have looked a little suspicious to the other students, and the second is that she felt if she stayed around he would've asked her out and she still didn't know how to respond.
She caught up to Harry and Ron outside of the room and they went for a walk outside. "How were your potions?" she asked as they headed out of the giant oak doors.
"That guy Smith or whatever kept asking me if I was really gay and if Ron and I had done anything other that kiss. I think he found it rather amusing," Harry answered.
"Yeah and Goyle was asking me if I would ever think about going out with him and when I said no he got all pissed off and everything. It was pretty funny actually. Then I asked him if he ever gotten close to doing anything with Malfoy and he said that he had tried, but Malfoy kept insisting that it was one disgusting to be gay in the first place and that two even if he was-which he isn't-he wouldn't do anything with Goyle anyway because that would be, 'sick, twisted, and inhumane.' Malfoy's exact words," Ron said.
The three of them began laughing at this. Hermione knew not to say anything about what happened with her and Draco. She would just make something up if they asked.
"Hey, 'Mione what happened with you and Malfoy?" Harry asked. "It looked like you two were actually having a conversation instead of just shooting random questions at each other."
"Yeah, what was that about?" Ron asked.
Hermione mentally slapped herself for bringing up the topic of Potions in the first place. She knew that they would eventually ask her what happened. "Oh, um, we were just asking questions about.everything really. Nothing too important," she answered. Even to her it didn't sound believable, but neither Ron nor Harry said any more about it and she let out a sigh of relief.
They sat down by the lake and watched the birds flying above their heads and the giant squid dance through the still waters. Most of the leaves had already fallen off the trees and were lying in heaps of brown piles all over the grass.
Hermione leaned back against the tree and blocked out the sounds of Ron and Harry's conversation. It wasn't that she disliked the idea that they were dating, she just didn't like to hear them saying that they loved each other every ten seconds. They were just too open about their feelings for each other.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potthead, Weasel, and Granger," Draco drawled from behind them.
Hermione's eyes popped open and looked up to see Draco and Jeremy standing over her. "Sod off, Malfoy," she mumbled.
"No, I don't think I will."
"You're so immature. Why don't you go do something constructive with you time, like study for instance?"
"Because that is no where near as fun as annoying the hell out of you."
"Leave us alone, Malfoy," Ron and Harry said together as they stood up.
"What the hell are you homos gunna do about it?" Jeremy questioned, his voice harsh and demeaning.
"Don't call them that, Jeremy," Hermione warned.
He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, as she too got to her feet. "Hey, Granger, do you mind if we took a walk?" Draco asked. "I need to talk to you about.you know."
She took a deep breath and turned to Ron and Harry who both had their fists clenched and were ready to attack. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll come."
"'Mione what are you talking about? You're actually gunna go somewhere with this scumbag? Have you lost your mind?" Ron yelled.
"No, Ron, I haven't. If you don't remember, I do live with him and there is something that we must discus. I'll talk to the two of you later, alright?"
"Yeah, sure," they mumbled together.
Draco and Jeremy turned and Hermione followed closely behind them. "Jeremy, can you give us a minute?" Draco asked.
"Why? What's so important that you can't discuss it in front of me?"
"It's Head Boy and Girl stuff and it's supposed to remain undisclosed information. We can't even tell our best friends."
"Sure, whatever," he muttered as he stalked off toward the castle once again.
"What is it, Malfoy? I was actually having a pleasant time with my friends before you rudely interrupted. What's so important that you couldn't wait till later to talk about?" she queried as they walked toward the Quidditch field.
"First of all, can you please tell me what Jeremy asked you before? It's really bugging the hell outta me that neither of you aren't telling me."
"He asked me out."
"What'd you say?"
"I said I'd think about it. I didn't wanna hurt him. He was practically begging me and I couldn't reject him. I feel bad. We all know that he can have any girl he wants and he's so persistent to get me back even though I don't like him like that anymore."
Draco led her to the middle of the Quidditch field and sat down. He looked out over the stands and up into the blue sky. "Hermione?"
"What?"
"Will you go out with me?"
She looked into his eyes and saw that he wasn't joking. She looked away from him. That's what she wanted, wasn't it? And she didn't know why she was taking so long to answer him. His eyes were boring into her head and she knew what she would say. She opened her eyes to answer when a dark figure appeared out of the shadows and pointed his wand at Draco and yelled, "Crucio!"
Once they were safe in the common room and away from the bustle of the rest of the school, they began talking once again. "Do I really make you feel better about who you are?" Hermione asked curiously as she sat down on one of the sofas.
"Of course you do," he answered as he put an arm around her.
Hermione stared out the window at the blue sky. The clouds were drifting lazily across the bright background. She was thinking about what it would feel like to be like those clouds and just be able to drift through life without a care in the world.
"What are you thinking?" Draco asked after a while.
She turned to look at him. Her deep, brown eyes met his still expressionless grey ones. Both found themselves unable to speak or think; they were each lost in the beauty of the others eyes. Their faces were only inches away from each other's and they both leaned in slightly and their lips touched softly.
Hermione's eyes fluttered shut as Draco deepened the kiss a little. His hands roamed over her body and hers made their way to his hair. Draco's tongue gently roamed over Hermione's lips and she parted them slightly to allow him access to her mouth. Their tongues both battled for control and Draco gently pushed Hermione down onto her back. His fingers trailed down to her shirt, and began to slide it slowly over her head. Just as he was about to pull it off her there was a loud tapping at the window.
"Fuck," Draco mumbled as he noticed his father's owl.
"What is it?" Hermione asked as she tugged her shirt back down.
Draco didn't answer, just untied the note and read it in silence.
Draco, I haven't heard from you in a while and I am still awaiting your response. You know how valuable you are to Our Lord. I am expecting you home for Christmas as always. We will be discussing some important manners while You are home. Once you are out of school you will receive the Dark Mark, And there is no use trying to fight this. I will be awaiting your response. Signed, Father
"Fucking bastard," he said as he crumpled up the piece of parchment and threw it across the length of the room. "I hate him!"
"What was that, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"Don't worry about it. It doesn't concern you," he snapped.
Hermione glared at him and stomped up the stairs to her room. "Fine! I won't worry about it!" She slammed the door so hard that the room actually shook.
Draco was pissed off at his father, so what did he do? He took it out on Hermione. He wanted her to be his refuge, the person he could go to if her ever needed to talk or just to be held, but he was slowly screwing that up too. Of course he liked her, he knew and she knew, but no one else could know. If someone ever found out what he felt for her, his reputation would be destroyed.
He let himself sink down into the couch, and he placed his head in his hands. He had always been strong and had all the answers, but now he felt helpless. There was no way out of joining Voldemort and he knew if. Since he learned about the Dark Arts and what was really involved two summers before, he had been totally against everything that his father and Voldemort stood for.
Killing Muggles for pleasure wasn't exactly Draco's idea of fun. Sure he hated Muggles and Mudbloods, but as it dawned on him, he really only hated them because that was how he had been brought up. Lucius had always been prejudice against them, and Draco had just picked it up from him. As he looked at it though, he decided that they weren't as bad as his father had made them out to be. Some were actually very bright-Hermione for example. She was the smartest pupil in Hogwarts and was looked up to by much of the student population.
Hermione hated that Draco's actions were so unpredictable. Just as she thought he had mellowed out a bit, he had to go and snap at her as if she meant nothing to him again. She sat on the edge of her bed and let tears fall from her eyes.
She liked him a lot and he said that he had liked her, but he didn't act like he had meant it. Never had she felt more torn than at that moment, and she didn't know why. She and Draco had hated each other for the previous six years and she didn't know why she wanted their last year at Hogwarts to be any different. There were just some lines that were not meant to be crossed, and she knew it. One line that she now knew definitely wasn't meant to be crossed was the line between love and hate.
~
Hermione once again began avoiding Draco. She had done a fantastic job at it too, until Halloween, that is. After lunch on Halloween, the seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins had double Potions together with Professor Snape.
Draco and Hermione both took their normal seats on opposite sides of the room and next to their friends.
Snape came barging into the classroom and immediately took five points from Gryffindor because he thought that there were some whispers being heard even though none of them had said a word. "Today we will be making a very powerful truth potion. This is the strongest potion known to the wizards alive. It does not take very long to brew, but it does take concentration. Since this is such a difficult task, I will be pairing you up according to how I see fit," he drawled very quickly, but accentuating every word. "Malfoy, you will be paired with Granger. Goyle with Weasley, Zabini with Finnigan, Crabbe with Potter, Smith with Potter." and so on until the entire class was paired.
Jeremy looked at Draco with an annoyed expression on his face. "Why do you get Granger while I get her gay friend?" he hissed.
"It's how Snape sees fit," Draco answered with a smirk. Jeremy shook his head and walked over to Harry while Hermione took her seat next to Draco. "You've been avoiding me," he noted as she sat down.
"And?"
"And I'd like to know why."
"Let's just get to work, Malfoy. We can talk about this later," she said sounding braver than she felt. Just being around him made her senses fail, and she hated that feeling.
"Whatever, Granger. I know you won't wanna talk about it later. You'll be too caught up after the feast to even give me a moment of your time. I would simply like to know why you've been avoiding me." He began to cut up his roots evenly as she began to read the recipe.
"I thought it would be pretty obvious, Malfoy," she answered simply. "You are supposed to be smart."
"Don't pull that shit with me. You know I damn well can't read your mind. Why don't you tell me?" His words were sharp, and he continued to cut his roots as even as possible so he would get the best results possible from the potion.
As Hermione began dropping the needed ingredients carefully into the cauldron she said, "I'm not pulling any shit with you. I've been avoiding you because last week I realized that there are simply some borders that are drawn and that shouldn't be crossed by anyone, including me."
"And what 'borders' would those be Granger."
"Figure it out."
Draco glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but realize how pretty she looked when she was angry and concentrating. "I'm not as smart as you. I can't figure out what the hell you want me to know. Sure, I can read people's emotions, but I haven't exactly worked out how to read minds yet. Tell me what you're talking about," he demanded as he added the roots he had evenly cut to the potion and the last needed ingredient before letting it settle.
"I'm talking about the line we almost crossed last Saturday-the line between love and hate, Malfoy."
"And who says we're not supposed to cross that line. Is there a rule written down anywhere that says two people who hate each other can't become lovers? If there is why don't you show it to me, 'cause I know I'd love to see it." He smirked at her as he looked into her eyes.
"Malfoy, there is no written rule about that, but it's like an unwritten law. It's illegal, especially in this school."
"And since when do I do anything legal? I was brought up to break laws and I will continue to do so until the day I die."
Hermione broke away from his glance and stared at the floor. She knew that Draco had always been a rule breaker and it was a quality she liked in him. The floor had suddenly become interesting to her, and she decided to remain quiet.
"We can always give it a shot," he whispered in her ear.
His breath felt hot against her face and she was suddenly aware of how close he was to her. "We can't," she answered him.
"Why not?"
"We're too different. There's too much in the way. It would never work out between us."
"That may not be so true. I know you feel the same way about me as I feel for you, so there really isn't much more we need."
Hermione thought about this for a moment. "What about the acceptance of our peers? You know they won't favor a relationship between us."
"I don't really care if they will accept us or not. We won't even really have to tell anyone. If you don't wanna let anyone know about anything we don't have to tell them."
"There still isn't any us yet. I'm not sure," she said hesitantly.
The signal sounding the end of the period could be heard throughout the castle, which meant only one more period before the students could have free time before the feast.
Draco stared intently at her. "Think about it, Granger. You don't have to decide anything right now. I don't want to put you under any pressure or anything, just-just think about it."
She nodded a little, and was about to answer when a voice interrupted, "Can I borrow Granger for a moment?" Jeremy asked.
Draco nodded and Hermione followed him outside the classroom. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
"I was just wondering if you would like to go on a date with me sometime. Like for a walk across the grounds or something," he said.
Hermione looked into his blue eyes and then to the floor. "We haven't talked since the middle of fifth year, Jeremy. Why do you all of a sudden want to get back together again?"
"I realized the mistake I made. I've always liked you, Mia. Can't we give it another try? I know you've given second chances before."
She dared to look back up at him. They had dated for a few months back in fifth year, but Jeremy had gotten too serious and Hermione had dumped him. "I don't know. There is a lot I have to sort out right now, and I don't know if it would be the best thing for me right now."
"Well, just think about it, okay? I was stupid back then, but I've grown up."
Not wanting to totally hurt him yet, she agreed to think about it, and went back into the classroom to sit with Draco. "What'd he want?" Draco asked as the bell sounded to signal the start of the last period.
"Oh! N-nothing. He just wanted to ask me something."
Draco looked at her. He had never known if there was something going on between them ever, but he didn't like the fact that his best friend was all of a sudden interested in Hermione.
"I want you all to split you potions," Snape commanded. "They should be a silvery color. If they are not, you have done something wrong and I can't wait to se the results." He specifically directed the last comment toward Neville, who was now trembling. "You will each take a chance at asking you partner a series of questions, and I expect you to write down the answers because you will be writing and essay for me on the potion and what you have found." There were moans heard throughout the classroom, but they all did as they were instructed.
Hermione and Draco both took their potion at the same time. They knew that they had complete control over what questions they asked, but they also knew that they had no control over the answers they gave.
Draco decided to take control and ask the first question. "Has there ever been anything between you and Jeremy?"
"Yes," she answered.
"What?"
"We dated back in fifth year from October to February."
"What happened? Why aren't you still dating?"
"He got too serious for me. He was pushing me to have sex with him and I told him I wasn't ready, but he was very persistent, so I broke up with him and haven't talked to him since."
"Oh. Did you have sex with him, though?"
"No, I broke up with him before we got that far."
Draco nodded. "Your turn."
"Right. Why do you care what went on between Jeremy and I?" she asked.
"He's my best friend and can usually tell me everything, but I knew there was something he wasn't telling me and I was very curious."
"Why are you so curious?"
"Because I like you a lot and I don't want someone to come along and just take you away from me and I don't want you to be with anyone but me because I wouldn't be able to stand that."
"Do you think I would choose Jeremy over you?"
"Well, he's got a better personality than I do, although he's a bit hornier and well girls say he's hot, but that I'm hotter and I'm sure he hasn't been as mean to you as I have been and well yeah. Am I right?"
"No. I would definitely choose you over him."
"Why?"
"I don't trust him anymore, and I didn't feel anything when he would kiss me or hold me in his arms. When you kissed me, it was like an electric shock shooting throughout my entire body. I am also ready to put all our differences aside."
"We wouldn't be able to tell anyone, you know that right?"
"Yes."
Draco could feel the truth potion wearing off, which meant it was wearing off for Hermione too, and he stopped himself before he asked her out. He didn't know if he would be able to take it if she rejected him.
The bell sounded once again, and as everyone was getting up to leave, Snape said, "I want two rolls of parchment by next Friday." They all groaned as they packed all their things away and filed out the door. For most, the essay would be put off until Thursday night anyway, but they were still mad about it.
Hermione didn't wait around for Draco for two reasons. The first is that it would have looked a little suspicious to the other students, and the second is that she felt if she stayed around he would've asked her out and she still didn't know how to respond.
She caught up to Harry and Ron outside of the room and they went for a walk outside. "How were your potions?" she asked as they headed out of the giant oak doors.
"That guy Smith or whatever kept asking me if I was really gay and if Ron and I had done anything other that kiss. I think he found it rather amusing," Harry answered.
"Yeah and Goyle was asking me if I would ever think about going out with him and when I said no he got all pissed off and everything. It was pretty funny actually. Then I asked him if he ever gotten close to doing anything with Malfoy and he said that he had tried, but Malfoy kept insisting that it was one disgusting to be gay in the first place and that two even if he was-which he isn't-he wouldn't do anything with Goyle anyway because that would be, 'sick, twisted, and inhumane.' Malfoy's exact words," Ron said.
The three of them began laughing at this. Hermione knew not to say anything about what happened with her and Draco. She would just make something up if they asked.
"Hey, 'Mione what happened with you and Malfoy?" Harry asked. "It looked like you two were actually having a conversation instead of just shooting random questions at each other."
"Yeah, what was that about?" Ron asked.
Hermione mentally slapped herself for bringing up the topic of Potions in the first place. She knew that they would eventually ask her what happened. "Oh, um, we were just asking questions about.everything really. Nothing too important," she answered. Even to her it didn't sound believable, but neither Ron nor Harry said any more about it and she let out a sigh of relief.
They sat down by the lake and watched the birds flying above their heads and the giant squid dance through the still waters. Most of the leaves had already fallen off the trees and were lying in heaps of brown piles all over the grass.
Hermione leaned back against the tree and blocked out the sounds of Ron and Harry's conversation. It wasn't that she disliked the idea that they were dating, she just didn't like to hear them saying that they loved each other every ten seconds. They were just too open about their feelings for each other.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potthead, Weasel, and Granger," Draco drawled from behind them.
Hermione's eyes popped open and looked up to see Draco and Jeremy standing over her. "Sod off, Malfoy," she mumbled.
"No, I don't think I will."
"You're so immature. Why don't you go do something constructive with you time, like study for instance?"
"Because that is no where near as fun as annoying the hell out of you."
"Leave us alone, Malfoy," Ron and Harry said together as they stood up.
"What the hell are you homos gunna do about it?" Jeremy questioned, his voice harsh and demeaning.
"Don't call them that, Jeremy," Hermione warned.
He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, as she too got to her feet. "Hey, Granger, do you mind if we took a walk?" Draco asked. "I need to talk to you about.you know."
She took a deep breath and turned to Ron and Harry who both had their fists clenched and were ready to attack. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll come."
"'Mione what are you talking about? You're actually gunna go somewhere with this scumbag? Have you lost your mind?" Ron yelled.
"No, Ron, I haven't. If you don't remember, I do live with him and there is something that we must discus. I'll talk to the two of you later, alright?"
"Yeah, sure," they mumbled together.
Draco and Jeremy turned and Hermione followed closely behind them. "Jeremy, can you give us a minute?" Draco asked.
"Why? What's so important that you can't discuss it in front of me?"
"It's Head Boy and Girl stuff and it's supposed to remain undisclosed information. We can't even tell our best friends."
"Sure, whatever," he muttered as he stalked off toward the castle once again.
"What is it, Malfoy? I was actually having a pleasant time with my friends before you rudely interrupted. What's so important that you couldn't wait till later to talk about?" she queried as they walked toward the Quidditch field.
"First of all, can you please tell me what Jeremy asked you before? It's really bugging the hell outta me that neither of you aren't telling me."
"He asked me out."
"What'd you say?"
"I said I'd think about it. I didn't wanna hurt him. He was practically begging me and I couldn't reject him. I feel bad. We all know that he can have any girl he wants and he's so persistent to get me back even though I don't like him like that anymore."
Draco led her to the middle of the Quidditch field and sat down. He looked out over the stands and up into the blue sky. "Hermione?"
"What?"
"Will you go out with me?"
She looked into his eyes and saw that he wasn't joking. She looked away from him. That's what she wanted, wasn't it? And she didn't know why she was taking so long to answer him. His eyes were boring into her head and she knew what she would say. She opened her eyes to answer when a dark figure appeared out of the shadows and pointed his wand at Draco and yelled, "Crucio!"