Disclaimer: I don't own anything
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Just a couple of things i'd like to say:
o1. as i said many times before, i'm terribly sorry if Draco is OOC.. but like many D/Hr stories, he's bound to be like that if he's going to end up with Hermione, right? Just tell me nicely if he's way too OOC, and i'll try to fix it.
o2. i think this chapter is what some of you want. The last couple of chapters (including this one) are really hard to write, so please bear with me..after all, this is my first fanfic.

Chapter Eleven: Could It Be?

"I never thought I'd be in love, in love like this

I never thought I'd be a fool, just for one kiss

I never thought I'd be here with someone like you

Never thought I'd be in love the way I do"

After attending the last class for the day, Hermione joined her usual Gryffindor gang to the Great Hall for supper. They just had Charms with Professor Flitwick and were talking about a funny incident that happened in that class.

"Poor Neville! I thought he could never get down!" Lavender commented with a laugh.

"I thought it was bloody funny when Professor Flitwick was jumping up and down to try and pull Neville down! I wanted to burst out laughing if it wasn't for Hermione here giving me one of her looks" Ron exclaimed.

"If you were the one who accidentally cast yourself a Hover Charm and floated in mid-air, wouldn't you want someone to help you down rather than have them laugh at you?" Hermione argued.

"Yes, but I wouldn't make the mistake of doing that!" he said defensively, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and smile. Harry watched them both and couldn't resist grinning at his two best friends. He and Ron had reached an agreement to let Hermione have her space, and not question her too much on her behaviour. Knowing her, she must have a good reason to explain her actions and he didn't want to press her a great deal for it. They told her this after lunch, and she felt relieved that they've consented to being less overprotective. Soon, they returned to normal and pretended as if nothing had happened.

When they reached their table, Hermione sat between Harry and Ron, beaming with delight that they have decided to lighten up on her, and also that she would be able to satisfy her hunger with all the delicious food that was appearing right before her. As if on routine, her eyes began searching at the opposite end for that familiar fair-haired boy. Her search was a success when she spotted him, but only when he was getting up to leave the Great Hall.

Where could he be going? she thought as she looked at Draco attentively. He appeared to seem a bit annoyed as he was leaving, and she couldn't help but feel some concern for him. I wonder what caused him to be so upset. Wait... why am I thinking about this? I shouldn't be feeling this way for him. He's my friend now... but a gorgeous one at that. Hermione shook her head, trying to get rid of these thoughts and decided to spend the rest of the evening in the one place that she can do just that.

"I'm going to go to the library" she abruptly announced to her friends, who then gave her puzzled looks.

"Now? Don't you ever rest?" Ron inquired sarcastically.

Hermione merely smiled and waved them goodbye before she made her way out of the hall. She had considered whether or not to go to her common room but chose against the decision. She would rather go to her one favourite place so that she could find solutions to practical questions instead of ones that probably will never answered if she goes the other way.

When she arrived at the library, she immediately went to her usual spot and sat down comfortably. She wanted to use this time to finish her homework for Arithmancy and the essay for History of Magic. When she began the work, it was quite easy to do but not too soon later, her thoughts had gradually drifted from number charts to the blonde-haired boy. No matter how many times she mentally slapped herself to get back to her homework, she always seem to come back to her new friend.

I've got to stop thinking about him! I don't even think about Harry or Ron this much or in that way! she thought to herself. But he is my friend, after all, so doesn't that mean I can think of him all I want? she let out an exhausted sigh. She felt extremely worn-out and wanted more than anything to have a good night's rest. However, she also felt that her homework was just as important and decided to try and keep herself awake until she's finished. Once she looked back at her charts, she could hardly concentrate on the numbers. Her exhaustion and thoughts of Draco clouded any proper focus she had, and chose to just give in on her temptations. She rested her eyes and Draco soon came to her mind.

I can't believe I let him become my 'friend'! Why didn't I say something instead of just standing there? But then again, I'm glad I didn't, Hermione looked at the "special" spot on her hand and smiled. He is very unpredictable. His lips felt so soft, and I loved that feeling I got when they touched my hand. He looked absolutely gorgeous last night, especially his well-toned chest and magnificent eyes. Oh, those eyes were completely mesmerizing. They remind me of... wait, who do they remind me of? They look very similar to... oh, the masked man! Hermione gasped at this thought. There could very well be two people in Hogwarts with the same colour of eyes but she hasn't seen any other except Draco himself. Could it be? Would it be possible if... if Draco was the masked man?

Hermione suddenly remembered the book that Draco had been reading that day in the library. She immediately got up from her chair and searched through the aisles of books. She knew it must be on one of the shelves since she hasn't seen Draco with it lately. Finally, she saw the book that she wanted and looked through it to see what it had to say about dreams. Every couple of words, however, her eyes would droop down, causing her to blink back in order to finish reading. She flipped the pages and noticed that there was a dream dictionary at the back. She looked up the word "mask" and read its contents.

"Mask:

1. Wearing a mask in your dream symbolizes that you may be pretending to be someone you are not or hiding your true feelings.

2. Seeing others wear a mask in your dream symbolizes that you will be battling against deceit, dishonesty, and jealousy.

3. Seeing others unmask in your dream symbolizes failure in gaining the admiration and/or respect of someone sought after."

By the time she finished the interpretation, there were many questions that were developing in her mind but she was too exhausted to figure anything out. She decided to give in and fell to sleep.

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Hermione was standing on one side of the Great Hall. She was admiring all the beautifully-done decorations and sighed contently. She knew he would be here anytime soon, and she was terribly excited. She knew tonight would be the night to find out. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and her heart skipped a beat as she turned around to face her masked man.

"H-hi" she said nervously. Every time she saw him, he always had the power to make her knees weak and her heart to thump a great deal.

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight" he commented. This caused her to blush, even though he says that each time they meet.

"Thank you. You look very charming yourself" she tried to say calmly, knowing she said a huge understatement.

All of a sudden, soft music began to fill the room. The atmosphere was very romantic, causing Hermione to wish that she could stay like this forever.

He had a huge smile when he asked her, "May I have this dance, my fair lady?"

She giggled when she heard his new nickname for her, and put her hand in his. They made their way to the center of the hall and began dancing very slowly to the music. She noticed how he kept on looking at her in a very soft way, as if he was trying to memorize her face. She loved this attention she was getting from him and let it continue for a while. She could feel his left hand lifting up from her waist and onto her cheek. She resisted trembling terribly when his fingers stroked her face and managed to keep herself from melting. Hermione knew that he wanted to kiss her, so she closed her eyes and let him have this opportunity that he was yearning for. She waited for his kiss, and sure enough, his lips brushed softly against her own. A wonderful sensation traveled through her body, and she knew that she wanted this to last as long as possible. When the music died, they both reluctantly pulled away and smiled at each other. Suddenly, she remembered what she had to do tonight and decided this was the perfect chance to do it.

"Can I ask who you are? You're constantly on my mind, and in my dreams, yet I don't know who you are" Hermione said.

He didn't her answer right away and instead, smiled even more. She wanted an answer from him very much and was determined to press him for more information until he gives in.

"Can you please tell me? I really want to get to know you more, and I think the first step is to know your name."

"Tell me why I should."

"Because I..." she was very hesitant to continue, "I think I like you very much."

He smiled and answered her. "I will say this, I am the one you can hate and love at the same time. I am the one who can leave you completely baffled by my actions. I am the one who can change how you view and judge others. I am the one who can make you think with your heart, and not your head. I am the one who you thought you could never love, but somehow, you are falling every time you see me. Does that answer your question?"

She knew the answer, but she wanted to deny it. "You can't be the person I'm thinking about. You just can't be. Can't you take your mask off, and show me your face?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not?" Hermione asked. This was not the way she wanted it to turn out.

"Because you're being dishonest about your feelings. You say you like me, yet you are denying your very words. You must remember to look inside your heart, and say what's there. Do not think about it; just say it" he replied calmly.

She nodded her head and understood exactly what he was talking about. It was odd how he knows precisely what she is feeling.

"You don't need me to take my mask off. You already know who I am, don't you?" he asked.

She gave a slight nod and softly whispered, "Draco?"

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Hermione was abruptly awoken by the sound of her own name.

"Miss Granger? Oh dear, you look exhausted!" Madam Pince remarked.

"Huh? What? Where am I? What time is it?" Hermione asked, trying to suppress a yawn.

"You are at the library, dear. It's 8 am! You must've slept here all night!"

Had I been that tired? Oh, I better go and change before breakfast! Hermione thought as she began rushing to tidy up her books. As she was hurrying to leave the library, she heard Madam Pince yell behind her, "I hope you get better, dear!"

She arrived at the common dorm a couple of minutes later and completely out of breath. She tried very hard not to make any noise so that she would not disrupt Draco from his sleep. She went inside her bedroom and collapsed right on her bed. She couldn't believe that she had slept the whole night in the library, and suddenly felt a whole new range of emotions when she remembered her dream. The "masked man" had given her clues to his identity and she knew the answer, but she still denied it. It couldn't have been him. She knew that she was beginning to feel something other than platonic feelings for Draco, but it couldn't have been him that she's deeply in love with. Or could he be?

At the corner of her eye, she noticed something red. She rolled onto her side and saw that there was a letter with a rose on her nightstand.

I wonder who sent this, she thought as she reached for the objects. She took in the scent of the rose and smiled contently. Her eyes went to the other item in her hand and noticed her name on the envelope.

"Miss Hermione"

Her fingers trembled as she opened the letter and read what was inside.

A/N: i hope this chapter is okay. there were some things that were probably confusing and what not, but as i said, this is hard to write. I'm writing the last chapter, but i don't know when i'll post it. Flames definitely slow me down, so it'll just depend. I'm also thinking of writing a sequel but if you guys don't think that's a good idea, or what not, just tell me. Thanks.