I'D RATHER BE IN LOVE

A/N: 'Eylo! Oh, my God! Yea!!! 100 reviews! Thanks to everyone that reviewed, it really means a lot to me that you're reading this fic! XD Yea! *begins leaping around the room like the insane lunatic she is*

Anyway, I was having such writer's block for this chapter but I'm forcing myself to sit down and type it up now.

Now, I'm really bored, so I decided I'd answer some reviews:

Freak of nature – No, she doesn't, but it's not like Hermione was singing the song, so she doesn't have to play the guitar. ;) get my meaning?

Bluey – Yeah! Reading fics does make you think as one of my friends said, 'reading fics is just like reading the book but not only do you get the writer's POV, you also get the FF writer's POV.'

Remote – Woohoo! Go Homer! I love The Simpsons soooooooo much!

Happy happy joy joy – Yup! I could tell that you were VERY happy! :D

Sundae – Who doesn't like cherries, whipped cream and sprinkles when you think about it? Not many, me thinks!

Aussie – BIG KEV! OMG, you totally cracked me up!

LALALA – Wanna know my theory on the word 'lalalalala'? If you cross all the l's, you get 'tatatatata'!

FOxyness39 – The last three were before. They're a prequel.

Sarah Mackenzie – OMG, another JAG fan!

Friend – Glad you wanna finish this one! ;)

Yeah… basically all I have to say… oh, Charmed's finished now… :D no more whinging and wailing from my dear friend.

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine! Get the picture?

~*~

Draco slowed down to a normal pace, then until he reached a complete stop. He slumped down and collapsed against the wall, face slack. Only his eyes gave away how he was feeling – hurt and betrayed.

He hit the wall in frustration. How could he have been so stupid? He had broken every rule in the book to see Hermione. Gryffindors against Slytherins, pure-blood against Muggle born. You name it, they broke it.

And even though those were the facts, he still continued with the insane thought that, maybe, just maybe, they could make it. How wrong he had been. The one person he had ever cared for and the one person who broke his heart were one and the same.

He slowly got up and continued the walk towards the dormitory, all the while thinking hard.

As much he wanted to throttle Hermione right then, he still had a tiny shred of faith in her. Could it be that it was Weasley, not her, who had taken the initiative to kiss?

He shook his head. It didn't matter whether it was Weasley or Hermione. She seemed to enjoy, she didn't try to stop and that was all that mattered to Draco.

~*~

Ron fell to the ground. Hermione was standing above him, no longer seeming to enjoy the kiss they had shared but rather shocked instead. Ron got up quickly.

"What did you push me for?" he asked angrily. She glared at him.

"How could you even think of kissing me? We're friends!"

"Yeah… so?" Hermione felt like yelling but she didn't want the whole school to wake up.

"You are so thick, Ron! We're friends. Only friends. Nothing more." She threw him an angry look and hurried off, leaving Ron staring after her.

She rushed to her dorm, careful not to make too much noise in case she woke up the other girls. She changed quickly and lay down in her bed.

'Ron is the stupidest git in the world,' she decided and moaned. 'And I'm no smarter. What if anyone had seen?' Then she shot straight back up out of bed. What if…? No…

What if Draco had seen?

I cannot help it
I couldn't stop it if I tried
The same old heartbeat fills the emptiness I have inside
And I've heard that you can't fight love, so I won't complain
'Cause why would I stop the fire that keeps me going on?

~*~

Harry always slept in on Sunday morning. It was a ritual. Normally, Hermione would hole herself up in the library or she and Ron would do some homework together.

But she was in no Ron mood this Sunday.

She raced to breakfast as early as they served it and ate very slowly, waiting until Draco arrived. Why did this seem so familiar to her?

Then he came in. he didn't notice her at first but as she rushed towards him, he looked up and turned to leave.

"Draco!" she hissed. "We have to talk!" she followed him as he strode into the Entrance Hall.

"There's nothing to talk about!" he shouted back and, with a final burst of speed, Hermione grabbed his arm.

"There is something to talk about." She said seriously.

~*~

Draco paused and stared at the desperate look on her face. Her cinnamon eyes pleaded for him to listen to her, to give her a chance to explain. He gave in.

"Draco, did you come back… after you left last night? Did you see Ron and I together?" she asked immediately, deciding that the more up-front she was about it, the more merciful he would be to her. He grunted in reply, grey eyes focused on the ground.

"I'm sorry. Ron kissed me and…" she began to explain but Draco suddenly looked up furiously and cut her off.

"And you didn't try to stop him!" he snapped. She gasped.

"No!" she protested. "Draco, that's not true! I stopped him!"

'Probably after he left,' she thought miserably. He forced a laugh.

"If stopping him means that you pulled him closer, then, yeah, I agree. You stopped him." He glared at her as she began to open her mouth to protest. "Don't lie to me, Hermione." He ordered quietly. "Lying will only make things worse." He swept out of the room, leaving Hermione, bewildered and alone.

~*~

He had done it. He had gotten rid of the only thing that could've tainted the Malfoy name – a Gryffindor Mudblood with the only son. Lucius would be proud of Draco. Mind you, he would've been ashamed and angry at the fact that they were together in the first place.

He sat on a couch in the Slytherin common room, gazing into the fire, face expressionless. Even his steely eyes, which were normally filled with the emotion he tended to hide, were empty.

He had to be realistic. They had no chance anyway. If Weasley and Potter had found out, they would've kicked his ass so hard, he wouldn't know what had hit him. And judging by his past experiences with the two of them, Weasley was by far stronger in arms, not in wands.

Including his feelings for Hermione, Draco was not in any rush to fight him.

Considering they were the circumstances, Draco was glad that he had dumped her before they got too caught up in their emotions. Before their first and last thoughts of the day were one another.

'Well,' he thought bitterly. 'If that's the case, I'm in way over my head.'

~*~

Hermione sat in the room, absolutely still, for a few minutes after Draco left. He had flat out denied believing what she said. Mind you, if he had seen it, he would rather believe his own eyes than a Gryffindor Mudblood out to break his heart and lead him on.

She knew that if there was any chance, any at all, to make him believe her, she would take it. But if that chance also included Harry and Ron finding out about it, forget it. She's rather be without an alive Draco, than with a dead one.

She sighed and cast her eyes towards the ceiling.

She didn't have much of a love life, but the one she did have – boy, was it screwed up!

'Cause when there's you, I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
But without you I'm alone
And I'd rather be in love with you

~*~

Draco rolled over again. He couldn't sleep for the life of him. His mind remained on one thought – Hermione.

Why couldn't he just kick her out of his head? She plagued his thoughts, day and night and he hated it. He wanted to hate her so badly but, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he simply couldn't.

He changed his clothes quietly and tiptoed down and out of the Slytherin common room. He planned to simply wander around the school but his feet made a beeline for the Astronomy Tower.

'Great.' He thought when he saw who was in there and turned right back around.

"Wait!" she called and he found himself rooted to the spot.

Hermione got up and ran towards him.

"Draco…" she whispered. "Draco, I'm so glad to see you! Just wanted to apologise, for anything that you saw."

Draco glanced up and he soon got lost in her sincere chestnut eyes. He shook himself out of his reverie and glowered at her.

"So you think I'm just going to nod and smile and go, 'Yes, Hermione, I accept your apology' and let that be the end of it?" Hermione looked hopeful but Draco stared her down. "Well, you're wrong, Granger. I told you how bad my life was and what do you do? Why, go ahead and make it ten times worse. I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you." He ended harshly. Hermione stared, dismayed.

"No, Draco, you don't mean that!" she yelled, beginning to cry.

"Want a bet?" he asked bluntly. She grabbed his arm.

"Please, Draco, you're not serious! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything!" she sobbed. Draco pulled her off gently.

"So am I, Herm." He sighed. "I'm sorry it had to end like this." He jerked away from her arm and walked down the stairs, out of the Tower, to the rhythm of Hermione's helpless weeping.

Turn out the lights now
To see is to believe
I just want you near me
I just want you here with me
And I'd give up everything only for you
It's the least that I could do

~*~

Hermione stretched her neck, trying to relieve the cramp in it. She wondered what on earth she was doing where she was. She most certainly wasn't in her bed or even in the Gryffindor common room. Then it all came flooding back to her.

"So you think I'm just going to nod and smile and go, 'Yes, Hermione, I accept your apology' and let that be the end of it? Well, you're wrong, Granger. I told you how bad my life was and what do you do? Why, go ahead and make it ten times worse. I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you."

Hermione wiped away the fresh tears beginning to form and glanced outside the window. A grey sky. It reminded her of Draco's eyes. How much she wanted to look into them right now.

She stood up and shook out her robes, hoping they were not too wrinkled. She hoped she could escape Harry and Ron with a 'oh, I just got up early this morning and decided to walk around the school' excuse.

She probably would.

She trudged down the stairs slowly, feeling not very hungry or excited today. She could hear people in the Great Hall, eating noisily even before she was in the same corridor. She stepped into the Hall and forced a smile as she sat down.

"Where were you?" Harry asked, concerned. Ron just glared at her, mouth full of pie.

"Oh, I just woke up early and decided to take a walk around the school." She said calmly. Harry nodded and continued talking to her. Ron coughed unbelievingly and resumed eating.

Then she gasped. Draco was walking towards them, Crabbe and Goyle by his sides, just like old times when he came to annoy them, just for a little spot of entertainment.

Seems he was back to the old times.

"Well, if it isn't Potty, Weasel and Mudblood." He drawled familiarly. Hermione watched him in horror. How could he possibly go back to his old self when she knew what he was like?

"Malfoy, you'd better watch your mouth." Hermione threatened as rudely as she allowed herself to. She didn't want to piss him off. She wanted him back.

"Yeah, if you know what's good for you." Ron stood up threateningly. He was much taller than Draco but he appeared scrawny next to Crabbe or Goyle.

"And what do you plan to do?" Draco asked, crossing his arms across his chest. "Your family probably couldn't afford your common sense so that you could know what's good for you."

Ron howled furiously and leapt for Draco. Harry, who seemed to have predicted it, simply wasn't quick enough to stop him and Ron began to punch Draco's face in. Crabbe and Goyle grabbed him but quickly let go as Ron began to flail his arms around in an attempt to stop them from stopping him.

But none of the boys counted on Hermione. She grabbed Ron by the waist and yelled, "Stop it, Ron! You're going to get in trouble!" but he didn't hear her. Instead, he whirled around and punched her square in the face.

She dropped to the ground like a rag doll and everyone who was watching the fight with fascination seemed frozen. Ron gasped and ran towards her, Harry following suit. Draco picked himself up from the ground and gingerly wiped the blood from his nose.

Everyone was watching Hermione, though. She was holding her head then she looked at Ron, eyes slack.

"I told you to stop." She muttered. She glared at Ron who seemed at a loss for words. "But you didn't listen. You never listen to me!" she screeched and ran out of the Hall.

Harry and Ron stood up to run after her but Professors Snape and McGonagall stopped them both. Meanwhile, Draco slipped out.

He knew exactly where she'd be.

~*~

Hermione ran. It had begun to rain hard during Ron and Draco's fight but the rain meant nothing to Hermione. She just wanted to get away from everyone. She ran to her hiding spot – a tiny nook at the base of the Astronomy Tower. Where no one would find her. Except the one person she wanted to see.

Draco.

'Cause when there's you, I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
But without you I'm alone
And I'd rather be in love with you

~*~

Draco pushed open the doors that led out of the Hogwarts castle and onto the sweeping Hogwarts grounds. It was pouring but Draco didn't care. He grabbed the collar of his cloak, heaved it over his head and ran.

Luckily he knew where he was going otherwise he'd be drenched. Too bad he still had to go to the other side of the school to get to the Astronomy Tower.

His eyes darted frantically across the base of the Tower, probing for the tiny cranny he was looking for. Then he heard crying. He dashed towards it and found Hermione, rolled up and hugging her knees.

She was crying hard, shoulders shaking violently. Her robe was wet with her tears and the rain. Her hair was tangled.

"Hermione." Draco called gently towards her. "Hermione, come on out. You can't stay there forever."

"I don't want to come out."

Draco sighed. This was going to take longer than he expected. He crawled into the tiny hole with her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

"Herm, you have to come out. It's not like you did anything wrong anyway. It was Weasley and I. There's no point staying here."

She sniffled. "How can I face Ron? I think I made it obvious that I took your side, not his."

He laughed. "I think, considering the situation, that no one noticed whose side you took."

She frowned. "How can you possibly laugh?"

He smiled. "You take things way too seriously, Herm. Lighten up! You're a pretty good liar, I've seen you do it and I'm sure you've lied before and gotten away with it. Just say that they must've misheard or something."

She nodded slowly. "I suppose so." Then she smiled. "I was always told that I was uptight."

He grinned. "Come on. Let's get somewhere dry."

And I feel you holding me

Why are we afraid to be in love?
To be loved
I can't explain it
I know it's tough to be loved

And I feel you holding me

~*~

"Man, I sorta wish we didn't finish so quickly… we have all this time doing nothing." Draco complained but Hermione shook her head.

"Why don't you stop wasting your time and finish some other homework instead then?" she suggested and Draco got up to look outside.

"'Cos I can't be stuffed to do that either." He grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised you get the marks you do with all the time you spend bludging." She looked back down to her Transfiguration book. Draco sighed, went over to her table and grabbed the book. Hermione yelled.

"C'mon, Herm! Live a little! Your whole life should not revolve around books and brains."

"Yeah, it shouldn't, but it does. You can't get a good job if you don't get high marks. The higher your marks are, the higher the chance of getting a good job." She argued but Draco just threw her book into her bag.

"You spend all that time in the library. Do your homework then. Meanwhile, you can spend time with wonderful ol' me!"

"And wonderful ol' modest you!" she joked. "Fine, fine! I suppose I don't get to see you any other time really, do I?"

"No!" he agreed and pulled her out of her chair and out of the room.

Things were like how they were before.

But they had no idea what was to come.


And when there's you, I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
But without you I'm alone

And I'd rather be in love
Yes, I'd rather be in love
Oh I'd rather be in love with you

And I feel you holding me, oh

~*~

A/N: Yes! Finally finished! Not as long as usual but you have no idea how hard it was for me to write this. Argh! Please review! I'd love you forever and ever! *smiles sweetly*