Love is Only a Feeling
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters
Chapter 3:
Draco whined again…
"What do you think you were playing at? You know, that could be classed as rape and it's got to be against about twenty international wizarding laws, let alone school rules!!...I mean…" Hermione was on a roll "…I could get you into so much trouble…"
"I'm sorry…"Draco half whined, interrupting her.
"Sorry?! I'm bloody glad you're sorry!! Malfoy, I could report you to Dumbledore, to the Minister for Magic!!"
Draco looked up at Hermione with eyes as wide as puppy dog's and launched into the speech he had practised in his mind three hundred times that week. "Hermione, its okay if I call you that, isn't it? Hermione…ever since I first saw you in first year, I could tell you were special…" Hermione rolled her eyes…
"Oh, don't give me shit Malfoy, get off the floor. Come on let's go somewhere that's not the middle of the 3rd floor corridor."
Draco slowly hauled himself off the floor and followed Hermione into an empty classroom.
"You were saying something." Hermione reminded him.
Draco was slightly unnerved by her interruption, but carried on all the same. "I could tell you were special. There was something about the way you looked, the way you acted. You didn't care what others thought, you were determined, and even though I couldn't help it, I think I fell in love with you."
Hermione stood quite still listening to what he had just said. She was a very patient person and believed in seeing the best in people, and yet, here was someone who had just fed her a love potion and controlled her for a whole week, declaring his love for her. This would be shocking enough as it was if the person hadn't been Draco Malfoy, her worst enemy for so many years.
"I obviously couldn't tell anyone. Draco Malfoy in love with a mud…muggleborn. My father would have killed me. But this year I suddenly realised it's not worth losing someone I love as much as you through family pride. If my family have problems with my choices I am old enough now to stand up for myself." Draco looked at Hermione with even wider eyes and cupped her face in his hand "I love you Hermione Granger, god knows how I'd cope if you left me forever."
Hermione's face stayed stern. She calmly removed his hand from her face. "Why didn't you just tell me? Like a normal person would do…" Hermione rolled her eyes.
Draco sighed, and still keeping eye contact, said "I don't know, I didn't think you'd listen and I couldn't face never having you. Hermione you mean so much to me. I've never loved anyone like you, not even my family…they're so cold, and as a child it was hard to relate or feel anything for anyone. There's never been anything I've not been able to have, and things that I can't be given, I've always been taught to steal." Draco looked away as if to say he was ashamed of this fact. Hermione was frustrated. Draco Malfoy had done something atrocious to her over the last week, and here he was pulling a guilt trip on her. She became angry.
"Malfoy! You're unbelievable…and you're wasting my time…" Hermione stood up, "I should just march straight to Dumbledore's office now." She paused, "But I'm not…If you ever come near me again though, I'll be in that office before you could say 'Pansy's a pug'." There was a silence. Malfoy's face was blank of all feeling. It was as though he had dies. His eyes, however, were racing with fear, not fear from what she'd said, but the kind of fear Hermione had seen in the eyes of people who had just been sentenced with life in Azkaban. Draco looked at Hermione and tried to say something, but couldn't. He stood there doing a goldfish impression for a few seconds before silently exiting the room.
Hermione sighed and fell back so she lying on one of the desks. She was having trouble comprehending what had happened over the last few days, let alone the last few minutes. But she was glad she'd stood up to him. Then the look on Malfoy's face returned to her. It was like she'd removed all feeling from him…surely it hadn't been her that had done that? He couldn't have honestly thought she'd just forgive him, or forget what he'd done? Not that he was telling the truth anyway…Hermione cried out in frustration. She didn't know what to believe anymore, he mother had always told her to have faith in people…but Draco Malfoy wasn't 'people' he was evil…he'd never had faith in her…why should she believe him after what he'd done? 'Because if you never have faith, you'll never find out anything new.'
"Oh shut up!" Hermione told her mother's voice which was ringing through her head. "He's a death eater practically; he'd never love me…" Then she thought about what he'd said…he'd tried to hide his feelings, deny them. All his life he'd been dictated what to believe…maybe he needed help breaking through the restraints on his life…Hermione sighed. She was feeling sorry for Malfoy, but she knew she couldn't help him now. However strong her outside had been just a few minutes ago, inside she had been scared, scared of what he might do to her. She knew she'd always be scared of him. She couldn't help him, only understand him, and at the moment she was far from resolved about anything.
Hermione went back to her dormitory troubled and unsettled but she knew she'd made the right choice.