[Disclaimer: You know how it goes. I own none of this. Oh, by the way, the reason why I haven't updated in a week or so is because they REVOKED MY UPLOADING PRIVLAGES because I wrote a story that had the American Idol Judges in it, and I can't use real people. It made me mad.]

The next morning, Hermione woke up half-asleep, half-awake. The previous nights events swirled around in her head, and she couldn't remember if it was all just a wonderful dream, or if it had really happened.



Then it it her. It had really happened. She sat up and looked around, but didn't she Ginny. She exhaled, glad to be alone in the room, so she could reflect on what had happened. She went over every little detail in her mind, relishing the fact that she had experienced something so incredible, but dispising the fact that she couldn't share it with anybody. When they were leaving to go to their respective common rooms, he had asked her to meet him in the Entrance Hall after breakfast. She had told him that she didn't know if that was possible, because everybody leaving breakfast would see them together, but he told her he had already thought up a diversion. They stood there, in the doorway of the classroom, just looking at each other, forgetting for a moment that somebody could walk by and see a Slytherin and a Gryffindor together. It was Malfoy that snapped back to his senses first. "Goodbye, Hermione. Plesant dreams," he told her softly, then kissed her on the lips, lingering for just a second. Then, with a turn of his heel and a swish of his cloak, he walked down the hallway, dissapearing around the corner.



Hermione dropped back down on her pillow. This was so amazing!



Then reality came like a slap in the face, causing her to sit up again. This wasn't possible. They couldn't be together! She was insane for even thinking for a minute that it could work out. Even if they managed to keep it a secret, sooner or later somebody would find out, or get suspicious, or see them together, and they would be destroyed. She couldn't risk that, she wouldn't risk that. Finally getting up from off her bed, she made up her mind: She would tell him after breakfast that it wouldn't work out, that they could never be together.



She dressed quickly, and left her room the same time Harry and Ron were emerging from theirs. Ron smiled at her, and instantly she felt like a traitor. Ron hated Malfoy, HATED him-how could she do this to her best friend? She swallowed her guilt for the moment and smiled back. "What say we head down to breakfast? I think Ginny's already gone down, Harry," Ron said to the both of them.



Instantly, the lump in her throat that she had swallowed jumped back, only instead of guilt, it was fear. She was supposed to meet Malfoy after breakfast. She was supposed to tell him that it would never work out. 'Yes, Hermoine,' she said to herself, 'you CAN do this, and you WILL do this, understand?' She nodded.



"Uh, Hermoine?" She looked up and saw Harry and Ron staring at her. "Are you okay? Is there anything you need to talk about?"



Her cheeks flushed pink, but she shook her head. "No, I'm perfectly fine. Nothing that a little breakfast wouldn't fix!" she said with false cheeriness. "I'm starving, lets go, shall we?"

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Hermione ate slowly, trying to avoid the morning's breakfast coming to an end. She couldn't stop it, though, so finally she gave up and slumped back. "Hermione, are you sure you're okay?" Harry asked her, with concern in his green eyes. "You're not really yourself this morning."



She looked up at her best friend, smiling a false smile. "I'm fine. I guess the holidays have me lagged, or something like that. Nothing to worry about!" There was that false cheeriness again.



"Well, chaps, I'm stuffed. I'm all for going back to the common room and playing some chess, eh, Harry?" Ron looked up from his empty breakfast plate, patting his stomach.



"Sure, Ron. Ginny, Hermione, want to come watch?" Harry asked the two girls.



"Why not, Harry. I'm all for seeing my brother beat the stuffings out of my boyfriend," Ginny said jokingly. Hermione watched them, wishing that that was the kind of realtionship her and Malfoy could have. But it would never work. It could never work. She didn't regard Harry's invitation, but instead followed them out into the entrance hall.



"Oh, gross, somebody set off about a thousand dungbombs! Come on, you guys!" Hermione knew at once what Malfoy's diversion was. She smiled, and it reminded her of Fred and George Weasley. She turned at watch her friends race up the Grand Staircase, smiling, then turned back to the Entrance Hall, scanning for Malfoy. When everybody had gone from the Hall, he appeared, standing on the top step of a corner staircase.



"Hermoine." His voice carried across the Hall to her ears, and she almost melted. Pulling herself together, she walked over to where he was standing, and opened her mouth to tell him that they couldn't do this, but he quieted her. "Wait, Hermione. I've got to tell you something first, but not here. Come with me." He took her hand and led her down the staircase, until they reached the Slytherin common room. It was deserted, but he ran through it anyway, dashing up the stairs that led to the boys dorm rooms.



"Wow," was all that she could say. Malfoy had his own room, for some reason, and it was exquisite. A fire burned on one wall, luminating the huge four-poster bed and the rich mahogany furniture. She sat down on a loveseat in front of the fire, still awed by this amazing room.



"Dad arranged for me to live by myself. That's why I have my own room. Look, Hermione, I've gotta tell you something. This can't work between us. It could never work, and I was crazy for doing what I did last night. But, Hermione...I can't help it when it comes to you. You make me want to be a better person, and I don't want anything other than to be with you. But it could never happen, it could never be possible...I look at people like Harry and Ginny Weasley, and I want what they have, but that'll never happen. I'm sorry if I hurt you in anyway, but I had to tell you."



Hermione was taken aback. Everything she was planning to say all came out of his mouth. Surprisingly, even though she was planning on saying everything he had said, it killed her. She got up from her seat and walked around to where she was standing in front of Malfoy, by the bed. "I was planning on telling you everything you just told me," she said quietly. Emotion over took her, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. "But I didn't think it would hurt so much."



"Oh, Hermione," Malfoy whispered, sitting down next to her. "I did. It killed me to say all that, and it killed me to watch your face. The last thing I want is to hurt you, but that's all that I've managed to do. We both know that it could never work, though, Hermione! What's the point of putting ourselves through that when we both know that nothing could ever come of us being together?"



"I know," she said quietly, on the verge of tears. Was it only this morning when she was relishing the nights events? Was it only this morning that she lay in bed, thinking that it was all so amazing? Sighing, she got up from the bed, leaving Malfoy still sitting. "I think maybe I should leave now, if that's okay," she said, trying to keep the tears from spilling over her eyes. She opened the door, not realizing that it was dangerous to go strolling through the Slytherin common room. She was halfway down the staircase when she heard the door open behind her.



"Hermione, wait!" Malfoy came running down the stairs after her. He took her hand again, and led her back up to the room, shutting the door and pinning her aganist it. "I wasn't insane to do what I did last night. I was insane thinking that I could let you get away," he told her, staring into her eyes. She couldn't reply, so she just stood there, looking back into his.



"Please say something, Hermione, please," he begged her. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. After drawing back, he led her to the bed, where he wrapped her in his arms and put her head to his chest.



It felt so wonderful...to just lay there in his arms...not speaking, not moving, barely even breathing. How had this happened? It was supposed to be forbidden. Did she care? Did either of them care? She didn't know, and at the moment, it didn't really matter because she had everything she needed in his embrace.