Sorry that this took such an immense time to post. I'm sure all of you have rotten tomatoes at the ready to chuck at me. So i'll just duck behind this upturned table and have a peace messenger hand you the last chapter. But please don't hurt the messenger. He's the only one i got, and they ain't cheap! lol i'm such a dork, but anyways, i don't own HP or the characters and uh...Here's chapter 8!

Chapter 8

"So, what do you want to talk about next?" Draco grinned. Hermione just rolled her eyes and laughed. Not wanting to go too weak in the knees and fall over from all this mushy stuff, she sat down, and rolled onto her stomach.

"You know, I never would have thought you could be such an interesting person," Hermione commented, propping herself up on her elbows. She smiled sweetly and shifted a bit more so she was leaning on her chin. Draco too sat down, one leg bent on the ground, the other knee bent so Draco could lean on it.

'He looks like a model,' Hermione drooled inwardly.

'Ooh...you got that right,' her inner voice agreed.

The pair sat in silence for a few moments, just reveling in each others' company. They looked into each others eyes, the firelight dancing around the room, stirring the shadows around them.

'Why aren't you saying anything?' Draco's panicked inner voice questioned.

'I don't know what to say!' Draco admitted.

'Think about what she likes and talk about that!'

'OK...ummm...Books! Yes! She likes books!'

"So what kinds of books do you like to read?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh umm...I like biographies and historical fiction and nonfiction. Haha, I hate to say it but I'm a sucker for romance novels," Hermione admitted, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. (A/N: for the billionth time --)

"Romance novels hmm? What kind?" Draco asked, smirking slightly. It was common knowledge that there were only two kinds of romance novels: Mushy poorly written crap, and the ones that were decently written and contained at least two sex scenes.

"Umm, you know. Just the standard romance novels," Hermione stuttered.

"I think you're lying to me," Draco said, moving closer to her. He was now on all fours, slowly making his way over to her. Hermione gulped.

"What? You think I read the smutty romance novels?" Hermione asked defensively, now sitting upright.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," he said. The rain fell softly above and splattered down on the glass roof, but neither one noticed. All attention was on each other.

"And what makes you think that?"

"You don't seem like the kind of person to read just the mushy, angsty novels. I bet you like reading about the chase, and what happens when the two lovers get all hot and heavy," Draco said seductively. He was now almost on top of Hermione, his face inches away.

Hermione's breathing picked up. He looked so cute and sexy right now. She wanted to do the stuff she had read about in the novels. But how could she?

"So what if I do read that kind of stuff? What's it to you?" she said. Draco's eyes narrowed, and before Hermione knew what hit her, she was pinned under her "enemy." Hermione couldn't do anything but breathe as Draco snuggled himself around her, his head coming to rest in the crook of her shoulder.

"I think it would be kind of sexy if you read stuff like that," Draco purred into her neck. His hot breath on her skin made Hermione's breathing turn into a pant. She felt a feeling she couldn't recognize, and it felt like her lower abdomen was starting to pool with warmth. She closed her eyes, just letting the weight of his body press tightly against her. Her breasts were squished against his chest and she shuddered when she felt something warm and wet on her neck.

While Hermione was busy indulging her senses, Draco had taken it upon himself to lick Hermione's neck before pausing to kiss it.

Hermione's mind coursed with thoughts while her stomach did somersaults again and again.

'What's going to happen? What is he going to do? What am I going to do? Is anyone going to catch us? I think I like him...What would happen if we dated? What would Harry and Ron say? What would the school say? What would my parents say? What would his...' Hermione stopped breathing. Draco felt the girl beneath him suddenly tense up. Hesitantly he removed himself from the flesh of the girls neck and looked down into chocolate eyes.

"You alright?"

"Draco, can we talk for a minute?" Hermione said, placing her hands on his chest as if she wanted to push him off. Draco groaned as he rolled off of her.

'Way to be a kill-joy Hermione,' Draco thought.

"I was just thinking..." Hermione drawled, rolling over so that her head was leaning on Draco's chest.

"Yes?" Draco prompted. He tried his best to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but he wasn't quite sure if he had succeeded.

'Is that all she does? Think? I need actions! Not thoughts!' his mind cried.

"I was thinking," Hermione paused to breathe, "About us. I think I like you,"

'Well that's not the understatement of the century,' her mind muttered sarcastically.

'Quiet you! You're ruining my moment!' she hissed back at herself.

'Whatever. But you do realize you just ruined HIS moment, right?'

'......'

"Think? I know I like you," Draco said in a failing attempt at humor.

"Yeah but what about your parents?" Hermione asked, before slapping her hand over her mouth. Draco fell silent. All the lust and passion he had just been feeling, rather, the lust and passion he had left after she said they needed to talk...squashed by her words.

"I'm a muggle-born. They wouldn't exactly take to me as they would to a pureblood," Hermione said sadly.

"I don't care what they say!"

"But I do Draco!" Hermione cried. Draco looked at her in shock. Why did she care what his parents thought?

"Listen Draco. I know you like me, and I like you. I'm not afraid of you, I'm afraid of your parents. They'll do bad things to both of us if they find out! I'll be killed and you'll be tortured! I don't want you to get hurt!" Hermione ended her sobbing rave by throwing herself at his chest. His white shirt crumpled beneath her grip.

Draco was speechless. She cared so much about him that he didn't want him to get hurt. His wide eyes softened and a small smile played across his features as he slowly put his arms around her.

"They won't find out," Draco said coolly.

"But what if they do? I don't want to see you hurt! I already told you! I hate seeing anyone get hurt!" Hermione sobbed.

"Shhhh. It'll be alright," Draco said, shushing her rather loud sobs.

But no, Hermione went on crying for quite some time. She had to cry herself out, that was the only way to feel better.

'That's right sweetie. Don't you remember Mum once telling you that tears release stress, making you feel better?'

'Yeah, you're right,' Hermione thought.

'No, we're right,' her inner voice replied warmly.

'Now...are you going to let this ruin what you started?'

'No!'

'Good! Now hurry up and kiss him before he remembers why he doesn't like you!'

So sure enough she stopped crying and looked up at Draco who had held her the whole time, repeating a mantra over and over in his head; 'She's worth it. She's worth everything.'

"Kiss me," Hermione breathed as she craned her neck to kiss the lips above her. Draco couldn't say he wasn't surprised, but after the initial shock had gone away he kissed her back, matching the slow, but smoldering intensity. Once the kiss died down, Draco spoke.

"What was that for?" "Well, if we aren't going to let your parents know about this-us- then why not enjoy the time we have together?" Hermione smiled a small smile, which Draco returned.

"I like the way you think," he said before kissing her more passionately. He could feel the heat of his body rise once again as they started to get into it.

Tongues danced as they wrapped their arms around one another. The rain, which they had mostly tuned out/grown accustomed to, was now falling softer and softer by the minute.

"I think I love you," Hermione said at one of their breaks for air. Draco looked at her. Many emotions were present in his eyes; fear, joy, shock, and most importantly, love and understanding.

'Did she just say..?' Draco's inner voice choked out.

'She loves me?'

'Hah! I told you!'

'What? You never said she loved me!'

'But I was thinking it!'

'Wait, What?! My inner voice can think for itself?!' Draco said, trying not to look shocked.

'I'll explain later, but right now, you better respond! Or else she'll think you don't lover her! And we both know you do!'

'You're right,'

'Duh,'

"I think love you too," Draco said, closing his eyes and holding her tightly to his chest.

"I don't want this to end," Hermione said against his chest. Both noticed the rain was dying down.

"Me neither," Draco answered.

"No one can know about us Draco," Hermione stated.

"We can just act like we did before, and maybe we can think of a way we could work. Until then, we might just have to meet up for an occasional snog," Draco chuckled, winking down at Hermione, who smiled in return.

"We just might have to," Hermione agreed as the rain stopped completely. She looked outside fearfully, and hugged Draco again. He squeezed her back, and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"Now come on Granger, we gotta go before anyone suspects we did anything. Not like I would want to do anything with a-" Hermione's eyes shot up, looking into Dracos silvery ones deeply.

'Please please please don't revert back to the way you were,' Hermione thought, her heart racing.

'He wouldn't...'

"Not like I would want to do anything with a Gryffindor. All bloody know-it-alls!" He said, winking at Hermione, who just smiled.

"I mean does anyone think that miss primp and proper bookworm Granger did anything with the Slytherin sex god?" Hermione smirked, and raised an eyebrow seductively at Draco.

"Oh shut up Granger, let's go!" Draco said, smacking Hermione on the butt and out the water-streaked glass door.

The sopping ground squished under the two star-crossed lovers feet as they walked hand in hand towards the door into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; one blonde pureblood alongside a muggle-born brunette, neither one knowing what the future would hold for them. But that...is a tale for another time...

Dang....alright if the wait didn't make you want to kill me I'm sure the ending did. I'm sorrrrry it wasn't long, and you're all gunna write nasty reviews that I ended it too soon, but it's a bad habit of mine! So...sorry in advance (wait a minute..this isn't in advance! Ohhhh no...that just earned me another bad review! ::sobs::) and I hope I didn't dissappoint too much. A sequel might come out, but first I have two new fic ideas in mind. Tee hee. Alright, lots of love to all!

-English Foxlette