A/N: Some of you guys are going to HATE me for this...
Chapter 20
She just watched as he stalked into the Great Hall.
"Wow," said Ron. "Wow, Hermione."
She turned to look at Ron.
"What have I done?" she said, regretting her words.
"I'm not sure. That was great, you stood up for yourself."
"But-" She searched for the right words to express the feeling that was bubbling inside her. "But why do I feel so terrible then Ron?"
"Because," He said, stepping up to her, and putting his hands on her shoulders, "you feel terrible because he called you a mudblood. So, you felt you had to step up and take care of this yourself, and you did, and you did a great job."
"I hate it when you're right." She smiled warmly at him, and then hugged him. "Thanks."
"No problem."
"You know." She said, cocking her head sideways at him, and continuing to smile. "Is that offer to go the Ball still up for grabs?"
"Of course."
"I changed my mind Ron. I'll go with you."
His face brightened, and he said, "Really?"
"Really," she answered briskly, and with a smile.
~*~*~*~
That evening, Hermione was walking with Harry and Ron back up to the castle after watching their Quidditch practice.
"Go ahead, I'll wait for you in the entrance hall." The boys nodded and headed off toward the changing rooms. So Hermione headed toward the Entrance Hall. She eyed a place to stay where she was out of sight from Filch and the only place there was to hide, was under the main staircase. It felt like it have been a century since she had been under there with Draco one night. A sound shook her away from her memories.
"Who's there?" she called into the darkness underneath the stairs. There was no answer, but another shuffling noise.
"I said, who's there?" A figure loomed out of the shadows, and her stomach did a flip. A tall, blonde haired Draco stepped into view.
"It's just me." He said.
"What are you doing here? I can get you seriously busted for being out past curfew Malfoy." He put her hands on her hips, determined not to let him faze her.
"What about you Hermione? You're out too." He said coolly. Her stomach squirmed slightly at the use of her first name.
"Yes, but-"
"Look, I'm sorry for what happened this afternoon, I didn't mean any of it." As he took a step toward her, she took one step back.
"You sure sounded like you meant it." She said coldly, pulling out her wand and pointing it right at him.
"Put that away Hermione," he ordered softly. She just shook her head gently. The only thing that was protecting her from the boy that caused her so much pain was a slender strip of wood, and it was all she had. "Put it away Hermione." He repeated. "I know you wouldn't."
"Bet me." She said frigidly, steadying her hand. He took one big step toward her, put his fingertips on the tip of her wand and lowered it.
"Put it away please," he said again. She just glared at him, and then put her wand in her front robes pocket, for east access, just in case. "Thank you." He said
"What do you want Draco?"
"I just want you to hear me out okay?"
"Fine."
"I'm sorry for what I said this afternoon-" Hermione made to say something but he reached out and put a finger to her lips. "Let me finish." And she turned her head to get away from his touch. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it. Yes, I am aware Crabbe and Goyle were not with me. I was angry, more with myself than anybody. With that anger I walked into the entrance hall to find you and Weasly flirting like mad. Jealousy and Anger don't mix very well Hermione."
She nodded, and he continued.
"I pushed you away from me Hermione to protect you. You have to realize you were right. My father could easily break out of Azkaban, and try to attack your family again. I don't know why he killed Percy Weasly, but I do know why he went for your parents. And it's obvious isn't it?"
She nodded again.
"Hermione, I love you, and the last thing I want to do is to put you in danger because of a choice I made."
"But this isn't a choice *you* made Draco." She said softly. "Being together is a choice you and *I* made together, and we will take the consequences together too." He smiled at her words, knowing they were true, knowing pushing her out of his life was the worst mistake he could ever make.
"You're right." He said, "We *should* go through this together, and we will make it. I won't allow my father to cause you pain, as I know I have."
She bowed her head. He stepped closer to her. As she saw another pair of feet by her own, she knew what was coming. He cupped her chin in his hand and lifted it to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry I have caused you pain Hermione. I will *never* happen again. I swear to it. I love you." She smiled, as tears filled her eyes. Not tears of sadness or hurt, but tears of happiness. She swallowed hard.
"Thank you." The tears rolled down her cheeks, and Draco smiled before kissing them away.
"I should be honest with you." She said, worry filling her.
"About what?"
"Ron asked me to go to the Ball with him. And I, er, said yes." She was afraid of his reaction, but was surprised when he smiled. "What are you smiling at?"
"So Weasly finally got up the guts to ask you eh?"
"Well, yeah I just said that . . ."
"It's obvious you know, that he likes you."
"What?! No it wasn't!"
"You're just blind Hermione, you were too busy with school, and, " he laughed, "me."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Hermione heard voices on the other side of the great oak doors. "That would be Harry and Ron."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later okay?" She nodded, and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before disappearing into the shadows again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: So? You hate me? You love me? TELL ME! LoL
\/\/\/\/\/\/
Chapter 20
She just watched as he stalked into the Great Hall.
"Wow," said Ron. "Wow, Hermione."
She turned to look at Ron.
"What have I done?" she said, regretting her words.
"I'm not sure. That was great, you stood up for yourself."
"But-" She searched for the right words to express the feeling that was bubbling inside her. "But why do I feel so terrible then Ron?"
"Because," He said, stepping up to her, and putting his hands on her shoulders, "you feel terrible because he called you a mudblood. So, you felt you had to step up and take care of this yourself, and you did, and you did a great job."
"I hate it when you're right." She smiled warmly at him, and then hugged him. "Thanks."
"No problem."
"You know." She said, cocking her head sideways at him, and continuing to smile. "Is that offer to go the Ball still up for grabs?"
"Of course."
"I changed my mind Ron. I'll go with you."
His face brightened, and he said, "Really?"
"Really," she answered briskly, and with a smile.
~*~*~*~
That evening, Hermione was walking with Harry and Ron back up to the castle after watching their Quidditch practice.
"Go ahead, I'll wait for you in the entrance hall." The boys nodded and headed off toward the changing rooms. So Hermione headed toward the Entrance Hall. She eyed a place to stay where she was out of sight from Filch and the only place there was to hide, was under the main staircase. It felt like it have been a century since she had been under there with Draco one night. A sound shook her away from her memories.
"Who's there?" she called into the darkness underneath the stairs. There was no answer, but another shuffling noise.
"I said, who's there?" A figure loomed out of the shadows, and her stomach did a flip. A tall, blonde haired Draco stepped into view.
"It's just me." He said.
"What are you doing here? I can get you seriously busted for being out past curfew Malfoy." He put her hands on her hips, determined not to let him faze her.
"What about you Hermione? You're out too." He said coolly. Her stomach squirmed slightly at the use of her first name.
"Yes, but-"
"Look, I'm sorry for what happened this afternoon, I didn't mean any of it." As he took a step toward her, she took one step back.
"You sure sounded like you meant it." She said coldly, pulling out her wand and pointing it right at him.
"Put that away Hermione," he ordered softly. She just shook her head gently. The only thing that was protecting her from the boy that caused her so much pain was a slender strip of wood, and it was all she had. "Put it away Hermione." He repeated. "I know you wouldn't."
"Bet me." She said frigidly, steadying her hand. He took one big step toward her, put his fingertips on the tip of her wand and lowered it.
"Put it away please," he said again. She just glared at him, and then put her wand in her front robes pocket, for east access, just in case. "Thank you." He said
"What do you want Draco?"
"I just want you to hear me out okay?"
"Fine."
"I'm sorry for what I said this afternoon-" Hermione made to say something but he reached out and put a finger to her lips. "Let me finish." And she turned her head to get away from his touch. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it. Yes, I am aware Crabbe and Goyle were not with me. I was angry, more with myself than anybody. With that anger I walked into the entrance hall to find you and Weasly flirting like mad. Jealousy and Anger don't mix very well Hermione."
She nodded, and he continued.
"I pushed you away from me Hermione to protect you. You have to realize you were right. My father could easily break out of Azkaban, and try to attack your family again. I don't know why he killed Percy Weasly, but I do know why he went for your parents. And it's obvious isn't it?"
She nodded again.
"Hermione, I love you, and the last thing I want to do is to put you in danger because of a choice I made."
"But this isn't a choice *you* made Draco." She said softly. "Being together is a choice you and *I* made together, and we will take the consequences together too." He smiled at her words, knowing they were true, knowing pushing her out of his life was the worst mistake he could ever make.
"You're right." He said, "We *should* go through this together, and we will make it. I won't allow my father to cause you pain, as I know I have."
She bowed her head. He stepped closer to her. As she saw another pair of feet by her own, she knew what was coming. He cupped her chin in his hand and lifted it to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry I have caused you pain Hermione. I will *never* happen again. I swear to it. I love you." She smiled, as tears filled her eyes. Not tears of sadness or hurt, but tears of happiness. She swallowed hard.
"Thank you." The tears rolled down her cheeks, and Draco smiled before kissing them away.
"I should be honest with you." She said, worry filling her.
"About what?"
"Ron asked me to go to the Ball with him. And I, er, said yes." She was afraid of his reaction, but was surprised when he smiled. "What are you smiling at?"
"So Weasly finally got up the guts to ask you eh?"
"Well, yeah I just said that . . ."
"It's obvious you know, that he likes you."
"What?! No it wasn't!"
"You're just blind Hermione, you were too busy with school, and, " he laughed, "me."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Hermione heard voices on the other side of the great oak doors. "That would be Harry and Ron."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later okay?" She nodded, and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before disappearing into the shadows again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: So? You hate me? You love me? TELL ME! LoL
\/\/\/\/\/\/