(A/N)- I'm glad you all enjoy the story! I think this chapter here is the longest ever. Keep reviewing! Tomfelton-luver, what is The True Love's story id #? I can't seem to find it! If any of you readers have stories written, please tell me the story id # because I would love to read your stories!

Chapter Eight- The Feelings Are Returned

The temperature in the hall seemed to turn ice cold.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione cried breathlessly. "Wh-I thought you were still eating breakfast!"

"Dammit!" thought Draco. "Those bastards ruin everything!"

"Hermione, we heard your whole conversation," Ron said coldly. He turned to Draco. "So. Malfoy. You've 'changed,' have you? Let's see if you still know how to fight!"

Before anyone, including Draco, could stop him, Ron punched Draco hard in the jaw. Draco hit the floor but jumped right back up to shove Ron into Harry. This was actually a good thing, because Harry held Ron back while Hermione stopped Draco from pounding Ron's face in.

"Stop it! Stop, both of you!" Hermione cried, desperately trying to mediate.

"You're the one who turned on us, Hermione!" Ron shouted, struggling to wrench himself free of Harry's arms.

"Apparently you heard everything so you've seen how he's changed!" Hermione shouted back, tears forming in her eyes.

Ron shook Harry off. "Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy." He sneered and strode down the hall. Harry still had barely said a word, but his blazing eyes showed he was just as mad as Ron.

"Please, Harry. After dinner, come to our common room. Please try to get Ron to come, I'm begging you." Hermione brushed away her tears.

Harry glared down at her, about to tell her off, but at the look in her eyes he softened just a bit.

"I'll try," he said shortly, and walked after Ron.

Hermione sighed shakily, and turned to face Draco. She couldn't tell just what he was thinking; there was a mixture of hatred, jealousy, and hurt in his eyes as he watched Harry and Ron turn the corner. He faced Hermione.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, examining his jaw.

"I'm fine, it didn't hurt."

Hermione smiled weakly, knowing perfectly well it did hurt. "Good," she said.

"He started it, you know," Draco said defensively.

"I know, but you have to remember they hate you just as much as you hate them," Hermione answered reasonably. "You would have done the same in their position."

Draco shot her a look. "Sticking up for them, are you?"

Hermione's furious restraint snapped. "And you, too, Draco!" she yelled. "I'm sticking up for you, too!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione was furious the rest of the day.

"How dare they, all three of them!" she thought angrily as she tried to work on her Charms essay at lunch. "Don't they realize how hard this is for me?"

Stronger than Hermione's feelings of anger were her feelings of fear. Hermione was afraid she would lose her best friends, and also afraid she would lose Draco. The thought of losing anybody was unbearable, so Hermione pushed her fear away and replaced it with anger.

On the other side of Great Hall, Draco was having conflicting feelings as well. He still hated Ron and Harry, but he could see their rivalry was taking its toll on Hermione. Draco sighed. He'd already begun to open his heart to Hermione; these past few weeks their relationship had grown. Draco was experiencing new feelings when he was with her. When he wasn't with her, he was thinking about her.

"How much more can I sacrifice for her?" he asked himself warily. But one look at Hermione glancing down the table at Harry and Ron, then searching the Slytherin table for him, convinced him of the answer he already knew.

"I'm going to do it," he thought determinedly. "I'm going to do it for her."

Draco hoped Hermione knew just what he was giving up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, after a stressful dinner, Hermione rushed to her common room, praying Harry had convinced Ron to come. Hermione entered the common room, put away her books, and sat down on the couch. She immediately jumped up and began to fluff up pillows and readjust rugs. Her straightening up continued for another few minutes until she realized cleaning would neither calm her nerves nor make anyone arrive faster.

As soon as she sat back down, the portrait hole opened and Draco walked in. At the sight of him, Hermione immediately regretted shouting at him that morning.

"Draco! I'm-I'm really glad you came first," she said. "I wanted to apologize for yelling at you this morning, maybe it looked to you like I was on Harry and Ron's side, but really I was just trying-"

"It's all right," Draco said quickly, realizing he didn't have time to hear a long explanation. He glanced at the door, aware that time was wasting. "Listen, I want to tell you something before they show up."

At that moment, the portrait hole opened once again and in walked Ron, Harry, and Ginny. Ginny had come for Hermione's "moral support," she claimed, and already knew the password to let the boys in.

Hermione tore her eyes away from Draco's disappointed look to examine Harry and Ron's expressions.

"They still look really mad. . ." Hermione thought worriedly.

"Well, my announcement will be a surprise to everyone," Draco thought as he sat down in his favorite armchair.

Ron, Harry, and Ginny sat down on the couch, and Hermione stood up. The room was silent. Hermione couldn't help it; her anger of the day had given way to nervousness and fear.

"Get a grip, Hermione," she thought as she forced herself to stop wringing her hands.

"All right. Well, th-the reason we're all here is because-Ron, stop glaring at me like that!" Hermione's anger returned as she put her hands on her hips. "Here's the deal! Draco and I have been going out since the beginning of the school year, and Ginny has known since then."

"We know," said Harry, frowning at Ginny. He and Ron were obviously angry at Ginny for not telling them about Hermione and Draco sooner. Hermione realized this, and it only infuriated her more.

"Don't you dare be mad at Ginny, either of you!" Hermione yelled as she marched over to Harry and Ron. "She was just being a good friend to me, and she was going to tell you on October 1st! She was torn between me and you two, and now I'm torn between you two and Draco. I know exactly how she feels so lay off!"

Ron jumped up. "You were the one who-"

"Don't start with me, Ron-"

"Stop!" yelled Draco. He had decided that it was a good time to make his announcement before things got really ugly.

All were silent at this unexpected outburst.

Draco swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Stop!" he thought to himself. "Don't do this, your father will hate you!"

"He already hates me." Draco contradicted himself in his mind while the others were waiting for him to speak. "I'm doing this for her."

Draco stood up. "Let me make it clear to everyone that I'm only doing this for Hermione, not you two prats. I still hate you both as much as ever." At this, Ron sat up stiffly and answered, "Don't worry Malfoy, the feelings are returned."

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He turned to Hermione. "You better appreciate what I'm about to do, because I wouldn't do it for anyone else," he warned.

Hermione nodded, unsure of what he was doing but knowing it was something important.

Draco turned back to Ron and Harry. "I've decided to-to be civilized to you two this year so Hermione won't have to choose between us all the time," Draco finished quickly. "But don't either of you think it's because I like you."

Hermione stared at him, realizing how hard it was for him to step down to Ron and Harry. She walked over to him, shocked. She forgot that anyone else was in the room.

"Thank you," she whispered as she hugged him.

Draco held her close. "Ron's glaring at us, Hermione," he whispered, looking over her shoulder. Hermione remembered where she was, and turned toward Ron and Harry. Harry was staring from Hermione to Draco, with a look of almost amazement in his eyes.

"Ron," he said, poking Ron in the arm but keeping his eyes on Hermione and Draco, who glanced uncertainly at each other. "Could I see you in the hall for a moment?"

The two walked out, and Ginny stood up. She winked at Hermione before following the boys into the hall.

"Ron, did you see what he did?" Harry was asking as Ginny stepped into the hall.

"Yeah, he was trying to suck up to Hermione," Ron muttered.

"No, he was backing down from us, for Hermione! When has Malfoy ever backed down, and when has Hermione ever hugged anybody like that? She never hugged Seamus like that, and they dated for six months! I know it's crazy Ron, but I don't think Draco is fooling her, or us. He wouldn't swallow his pride like that for her unless he really cared about her."

Ron was still reluctant. "Maybe you're right, Harry, but I just can't get used to the idea of being chummy with Malfoy. After all, he's still Malfoy."

"I know, I still hate him, too. But we don't have to be best friends with him, we just have to be civil to him. Come on Ron, you can see just as well as I can that it would mean a lot to Hermione. He did it for her; we can, too."

Ron sighed. "Fine," he muttered reluctantly. "But only for her."

"Right," Harry agreed. "Only for her."

"And if he hurts her, we get to beat the hell out of him."

"Right," Harry agreed again.

"All right, let's go swallow our own pride," Ron said sarcastically, then climbed back into the portrait hole. Ginny was about to follow him, but she was stopped by Harry's arm blocking her way.

"Ginny, I'm really sorry for being angry with you. I can see why you kept it from us, given the way we acted."

Ginny smiled and kissed Harry deeply. "It's all right, Harry. I forgive you, as long as you keep your promise to Hermione."

"I will," said Harry. The two entered the common room.

Harry rejoined Ron, and Ron turned to Hermione. "We've decided, for your sake only, to be reasonably polite to Mal-Draco, as long as he is to us."

Hermione sighed with relief. She stood back and surveyed the three boys. "So, it's agreed that all three of you are going to tolerate each other, meaning no more fights and you're going to call each other by your first names?"

All three boys nodded uncomfortably. This idea was going to take some getting used to.

Hermione grinned. "Thank you so much, all of you. This is such a burden lifted off me!" She stopped and gasped. "Oh my gosh! That Charms essay is due tomorrow, and I haven't revised it at all!" She ran up her stairs to her room, yelling "See you guys tomorrow!" behind her.

Draco watched her go, then sat down and began to take out his own homework, hoping Harry and Ron would leave him the hell alone.

"I hope you know. . . Draco . . . that Harry and I are going to beat the hell out of you if you break her heart," Ron said through his teeth.

"I hope you know. . . Ron. . . that I have no intention of doing so," Draco answered.

"Good," said Harry curtly. Ron swept out of the room, followed by Harry.

Ginny was the last to go. "She really cares for you, Draco. And she knows what you sacrificed tonight."

"I know she does. I just hope this works, because I better not have backed down for nothing," Draco answered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You didn't. I'm glad to see you return her feelings." Ginny walked to the portrait, and smiled at Draco as she closed the portrait hole behind her.

Draco resumed taking out his homework. He paused, and stared up at Hermione's closed bedroom door. He returned her feelings, all right. There was no doubt about that.