Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Or Hermione. Or Draco. Or Ron. Or- You get the point.
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Everything about him made her head and heart throb. The way he looked. The way he spoke... even the way he breathed, damnit. She wanted to be with him every second of the day, every day of the year, yet she new she shouldn't. Hell- she knew she couldn't. She just watched him as he danced with Pansy Parkinson, a slight jealousy building up in her chest. 'Stupid Pansy...' She thought. 'She should just step off.'
She sighed. She didn't know what brought on these sudden feelings for him. It wasn't like he was polite or even civil to her. But... something about him compelled her, like an open book waiting to be read. She sat down at one of the tables, her elbow on the table, and her head in her hands. She couldn't help it anymore... at first, she'd swatted him out of her mind like a spider in a kitchen, but he was in her thoughts more and more... making her heart ache more and more. She sighed again. Then, she sat back in her chair, closing her eyes, listening to the song end. As it did, she could hear chatter, and footsteps. Expecting to see Harry try to start a conversation with her, she opened her eyes expectantly. But, it wasn't Harry. Oh no, it definitely wasn't Harry. It was... him... Draco Malfoy cleared his throat.
"Grang- Hermione, may I..." He paused. "have this dance?" She blinked. Her mind didn't exactly register what he'd said at first. Why would he want to dance- let alone consult- with her? It was illogical, but her head was in some sort of fog, and she nodded. He held out his hand- oh, his beautiful, slender, yet masculine, hand- to her. She gladly took it, and was walked to the dance floor. When they got to the dance floor, he put his hands around her waist, and she returned, almost mechanically, with her hands around his neck. She felt nearly insane being so close to him. It was making her go mad.
"Mal- Draco..." She said, correcting her mistake of their silent first-name basis. She gulped slightly. "Why?" Though the word, in itself, was one simple one, Draco knew exactly what she meant. He leaned closer to her, his mouth next to her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine, making her gulp once more.
"I have made mistakes. Never getting to know you is one of them. But I have marveled on how smart you are, how loyal you are, how beautiful you are, how... perfect you are. Even if you are a Mud- muggle-born, you are perfect in every way." He whispered, and her heart flew. It felt as if she was flying on a cloud. It felt... surreal. Draco Malfoy, her obsession, her addiction, was confessing his feelings for her?
Before she could think, his eyes were staring into hers, looking for a reaction. She stared into those deep, grey eyes, with flecks of blue every now and then. She absolutely melted. Apparently, this was the reaction Draco was looking for. He closed the gap between them in a gentle kiss. His lips were so soft... She kissed him back. She knew better than to do this. The logical, rational Hermione in her mind was telling her this. If she ever got involved with him, He was a Slytherin... And what would Ron and Harry think? He pulled away and stared at her thoughtfully, those grey eyes piercing into her soul, searching for something. And it all clicked.
"I love you." She said. Her heart was clearly overpowering her mind, because she had it broken too many times to just say I love you spur of the moment. But she did. It was so odd. She thought he'd hated her, but he hadn't. He was... there was no real way to express what he was to her. She looked at him and waited to see what he'd say, but, honestly, she didn't care. She'd told him. He finally knew how she really felt.
But his reaction... Merlin, she hadn't expected it. Or in a million years. He smiled! So brightly, so... genuinely that she was taken aback. Draco Malfoy was never so... happy.
"Oh Gods, Hermione, I love you too!" He said rather loudly, and held her tightly, and kissed her once more, this time, the kiss was not gentle, it was a kiss of passion, want... longing... longing they had both felt. She smiled now, too, finally catching wind of hat was going on. They pulled away from the kiss and stared into each others' eyes.
But if they had stopped staring at each each other long enough, they would have seen the whole school (or, at least, all who attended the Christmas Ball) staring at them in curiosity and disbelief.