:: Chapter Twenty-Four: Forever Lost? ::

For the first time in his life Draco Malfoy was afraid of Harry Potter. Neither of them spoke, Draco cowered in fear while Harry was unable to speak, anger and shock boiling inside of him.

'Don't say anything cheesy…' Hermione told herself. 'Don't say 'It's not what you think…' That's too obvious that it is what you think.'

"Potter, it's not what you think." Draco mumbled. Hermione glared at him.

"Then what is it…Malfoy?" Harry drawled.

"Harry," Hermione stood up from her chair and walked towards her boyfriend. "I'm not sure what to say to you but if we all sat down and talked this out maybe we could get something settled." Hermione watched as the muscle in his jaw clenched almost in unison with the clenching of his fists.

"I really don't think that'll work." Harry said sitting down reluctantly. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Do you remember when I was kidnapped?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

"Well, during that time something's happened between Draco and myself, and that's what kept Lucius from killing me."

"But I thought all that stopped." He said looking at the pale blonde man menacingly.

"It did… But then remember that day I came back from the coffee shop saying that he was back? Well that night I went to his flat to find out why he left me to die…" She paused trying to explain to her best friend and boyfriend that she had fallen in love with their sworn enemy. "But I got more of an answer than I expected. I… I'm in love with him Harry." She stuttered.

"Do you love me?" His voice was drained of all emotion.

"Yes, but I'm not in love with you. You're my best friend and you always will be. But I can't see you in my future as my boyfriend."

"So you're choosing… that, over me?" He asked astounded.

"If you want to put it that way, yes." Her voice was soft and she felt like she was betraying her best friend.

"Potter, things happen." Draco added.

"Harry I'm so sorry." Hermione said sitting next to him on the couch enveloping him in a brief hug.

"Hermione, I just really need to not be around you right now." He said icily. Her eyes welled with tears and she excused herself to Draco's room so she could cry freely.

"Way to go, Potter." Draco hissed.

"Don't even start, Ferret Boy. So what's your big scheme? Trying to get to Hermione so you can kill her off this time?" Draco frowned.

"Are you really that blind? I love her it doesn't take an idiot to see that. Obviously, or else you wouldn't have come rushing to the castle to see if it was true." Draco said with his infamous smirk.

"That's not why I came here."

"Then why did you come?"

"Because there was no Dark Magic being preformed and because I felt bad rushing off on her before Christmas."

"She didn't seem to miss you too much while she was in my company." Draco drawled. Harry had reached his boiling point; with one swift movement his fist came in contact with Draco's nose. His hands flew up to his nose as both it and his lip began to bleed. Never being the one to let Potter have the final say he whipped out his wand and preformed a Jelly-Legs Jinx. All the noise caused Hermione to leave the comforts of Draco's room.

"What is going on?" She cried helping Harry to stand before muttering the counter curse. Draco wiped the blood off his nose before answering.

"He punched me so I got even." She glared between the two.

"Draco, Harry, you two are adults now. You should know better, both of you." She scolded.

"Sorry Hermione but he had no reason to come here just to yell at us over something that's been going on for quite some time. It's not my fault he was so oblivious that he didn't notice you sneaking out in the middle of the night to see me…"

"That's enough!" She cut him off.

"You chose this?" Harry asked cynically.

"I thought you didn't want to be around me." She snapped.

"Hermione, I'm really upset with you right now so don't push it."

"Then why don't you go home?"

"Fine." He made his way towards the door and left. Hermione sighed deeply.

"Are you okay?" She asked Draco who was still wiping the blood from his nose and lip.

"I'm fine." Hermione went into the bathroom and got a damp cloth. She began wiping at the blood caking his face. "I'm sorry about Harry."

"I'm not."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't have to hide anymore."

"Draco, I may have lost my best friends! Plural, because gods know Ron's going to side with Harry before he even thinks about siding with me. And Ginny, she'd side with her brother for sure. You better love me more than anything because I'm giving up everything for you." He knew she was trying to make light of this but he couldn't help but feel a tug at his heartstrings.