A/N: Thanks for your beyond awesome reviews!!! I looove them! I wasn't expecting this many reviews!

Angelicwun: no, actually I update as often as I could no matter how many reviews I get... it's just that the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am, that's all...so as long as I see at least one new review, I update!

Mizzsumone: thank you...well keep on reading and you'll find out!

Callie: so do I...thank God my quarterly exams are done...now for a well-deserved semestral break

Yokai Cesia and Chi: well you'll find out in this chapt if it breaks or not

AngelSerpent91: thanks!

ChEEkii MONkEY: I've read your past reviews...they are and always will be AWESOME!

RedPillow: you'll find out if the chains break here in THIS chapt

SailorHermy: I wouldn't want you to die of suspense, coz id be sued if you would so here's my latest chapt

Red Blood Black Soul: Haha... yeah I guess we could share Tom Felton...alas, that is nothing but a sad, sad dream that I don't think will ever come true.

Kbluesmom: fortunately, exams are over and we have a sem break 10 days long. HOWEVER, I won't be here to update next week since we're taking a short vacation in Hong Kong so I'll try to finish all 20 chapts of this fic by...uhmmm Tuesday? Maybe.

Crazee: I hope it was...thanks

Colie: awesome review! Thanks

Sxcting: here's my update, hope it was quick enough for you

Sad-soulz: thank you!..i will try to do that! ;)

Avi-07: thanks again!

Magickwolf: thank you for that!! You will find out in this chapt RIGHT IN THIS ONE if it breaks...all I can say is, READ!! ;)

ON WITH MY STORY!

---

Chapter 14: If the Chain Should Break...

Hermione and Draco nearly leaped out of their chairs to leave the Great Hall and met Dumbledore. Was the chain going to break? They didn't know.

As they rushed up the long staircase, their minds were racing with thoughts, veins flooding with emotions. Was it the moment that they had been waiting for the past few weeks? Would they finally be able to break free?

Hermione couldn't help but think of Draco. Would he still be the same after the chain breaks? Would he still act civil, proper...sweet?

Draco's thoughts wandered over to Hermione. She's been nice to him all this while; would she still act nice once the chain breaks? Would she still smile at him with her beautiful, innocent, genuine smile? Or just smirk at him when they'd pass by?

They both took a deep breath as they entered Professor Dumbledore's office. The Hufflepuff third year was right, he was in a particularly jovial mood. He smiled at them and motioned for them to sit down. They took their seats on two very lumpy armchairs and they looked hopefully at Dumbledore.

"I think you have a good idea as to why you are here?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes", Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah"

"Well, I think that it is time for the bond to be broken"

"I agree", Draco piped up

"You have been acting civil with each other haven't you?"

Draco and Hermione nodded.

"We have been observing you", Dumbledore said still smiling, "and it seems as though it is time..."

Hermione, who had been staring at the floor, looked up to see Dumbledore taking out his wand from his cloak. With it was a piece of paper similar to the one they had seen before.

"Professor," Hermione interrupted, "wouldn't the lock have appeared already, if we had been getting along?"

"In normal circumstances, the bond would only break until the two who are connected to it fall in love—"

Hermione stared more intently at the floor, and Draco pretended to be interested at some Muggle thing that was sitting on Dumbledore's desk.

"—but since we only need it so you two will get along, I decided that it's time" Dumbledore explained, "And we'll need Mr. Malfoy here when Quidditch season arrives, won't we?"

Draco smiled. He had forgotten about that. He was going to be happy to get on with training. He longed to see the snitch again...he wanted to beat Potter, for once.

Dumbledore gave a slight cough and unfolded the piece of paper. He read out clearly:

"Odi et amo, quare id facere forasse requiris...Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior"

Hermione held tightly onto her pendant, looking at it curiously expecting the lock to appear any time. Nothing happened...yet. Draco was doing the same thing. He was frowning at his pendant. Both of the pendants glowed brightly. Still the lock did not appear.

"Odi et amo, quare id facere forasse requiris...Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior", Dumbledore said again, more loudly this time. He kept on repeating it, louder each time.

The pendants started to glow brighter than it had ever glowed before, and there was a flash of blue light that erupted between the pendants. The blue light from each pendant connected with the other. The connection was so strong that the two holding the pendants were pulled toward each other. The pendants connected and the blue light slowly faded.

The pendants separated and they were no longer glowing. Hermione, dazed, looked around at Dumbledore's wide office. Fawkes was staring at her. Draco was taken by surprise and was feeling quite dizzy. Then they remembered their pendants. They were still wearing them. Maybe they'd have to open the lock.

Smiling, Hermione and Draco held their pendants, carefully twisting it around, looking for the lock. There was no lock. Nothing. They frowned and looked at Dumbledore.

"Curious", Dumbledore said.

"Professor!" Hermione said.

"Nothing!" said an outraged Draco Malfoy.

"Calm down Mr. Malfoy", Dumbledore said slowly, "We will contact Mr. Militates"

--

A sad Hermione and an outraged Draco left Dumbledore's office that day. Neither of them spoke as they trudged up the spiral staircase nor even when they passed the dimly-lit hallway. They didn't look at each other as they faced the tapestry that was the entrance to their common room.

Hermione was tugging on her pendant on the verge of tears.

"And to think I thought all of this was over", she thought to herself bitterly.

In the bathroom, a very frustrated Draco was splashing water on his face. He didn't want to be stuck with Hermione anymore! He was sick of her smile, her eyes, her hair; everything that she was. He didn't need any help from a mudblood, or any sympathy at all. He didn't need her Muggle ways, or anything that concerned her. He was wrong to trust her anyway.

Back in the common room, Hermione was already crying. She didn't want to think of Draco anymore. She didn't want to think of his eyes, his hair, his everything! She didn't want to remember the broom ride, or the afternoon in the shrieking shack. She regretted helping him that night. She regretted everything she had did for him.

Draco shot open the bathroom door to see Hermione crying. "That sick mudblood," He thought, "so sad, so emotional"

"H-hey Draco" Hermione managed to say.

Draco glared at her. "What mudblood?" he replied angrily, "Need to mess up more of my life?"

Hermione was taken aback. She was surprised that Draco was back to his old ways again. She hated it. She ignored him, and she entered the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Draco sat down on one of the couches. He had started to take out one of his spell books when a small nimbus figurine plopped out of his bag. He held it up. He wondered when he'd be able to ride it on the quidditch field again, search for the snitch. Thanks to Granger, he wouldn't be anywhere near the snitch anytime soon.

Suddenly an odd thought came into his mind. "Why am I blaming Granger for all of this? It's not like it's her fault that the stupid chain won't break"

--

In the bedroom, Hermione got on her side and started thinking about the incident in Dumbledore's office. Why hadn't the chain been able to break? Has the spell backfired? What had happened back there in the common room?

Then she remembered Draco's angry face. It pained her to think of Draco. All this time she had thought that she was falling in love with him. She sat up to stare at the bedroom walls. They were bare except for a few décor. She took a pillow from beside her and leaned on the headboard of the bed, clutching the pillow tightly. The tears were uncontrollably streaming down her face. She didn't know why she was crying. Was it about the bond? Or was it about Draco? She took a while to ponder.

"I hate everything about him" she declared to herself, and laid back down on the bed, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks.

--

Draco, being so angry, had made the mind-reading spell temporarily more powerful, and he heard every word that Granger thought. She hated him. He felt a pang of guilt for just yelling at her like that. Yet he took no notice of it, and he started thinking about how much he hated her. He hated her so much, that he didn't even try to get in the bedroom.

He flipped to a page on his charms book and tried to perform an enlargement spell on the couch so he could sleep on it. It didn't work, so instead, he slumped back, and although he was extremely uncomfortable, he slept on the small couch that night, his thought dwelling on his anger for Hermione.

--

Hermione and Draco woke up early the next morning, and all their thoughts about the other came streaming back to them. They were angrier than they had ever been, now being able to think more clearly.

Hermione darted to the bathroom, and took a long bath on purpose forcing Draco to take an extremely short shower to avoid being late for class.

They avoided each other for the rest of the morning. They ate their breakfast in silence and watched as the post owls came swooping in from the windows. Surprisingly, a barn owl dropped a letter in front of them. Hermione took it hastily and opened it quickly. After she had read it she threw it in Draco's direction. Fuming, Draco picked up the letter.

Mr. Militates is here to see you.

Professor Dumbledore

Hermione took a quick glance at Malfoy and was about to say something then reminded herself that she was still furious at him. She got up from the table. She walked away briskly on purpose to pull Malfoy with her, who stumbled a bit because of the half-meter limit.

They angrily trudged up the stairs again and entered Dumbledore's office, as quietly as they did the day before. They saw Dumbledore talking to someone with who had his back turned. He had corn-colored hair. Dumbledore looked up at Hermione and Draco, and the man looked behind him.

He had very pleasant facial features; kind eyes, a calm smile and slightly wrinkled skin. He smiled more brightly at the two who were still standing at the doorway. "Hello", he said in a deep voice.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, this is Alwedian Militates Jr."

"Nice to meet you sir," Hermione said politely and shook his hand.

Draco just nodded and shook his hand as well, trying to smile.

"Pleasure to meet both of you", Alwedian said.

"Sit, sit", Dumbledore said quite impatiently, and with a flick of his wand, the same two lumpy armchairs appeared.

Draco and Hermione clumsily took their seats and looked at Alwedian Militates. He seemed to be a very pleasant man.

He stood up and approached the two. "Kindly let me see them", he said, and he examined Hermione's pendant first. He muttered a few words that Hermione couldn't hear clearly, and bright red smoke emitted from the pendant forming a small heart. It quickly disappeared.

Alwedian moved over to Draco. He tapped the pendant and some bright green smoke came out of the embedded diamond, forming a skull. Unlike the heart, it lingered for a few seconds before it slowly faded away.

"Hmm", Alwedian muttered.

"Have you worked it out?" Draco suddenly asked, "I mean, is the chain going to break now, sir?"

Alwedian gave them a small smile, and then sadly shook his head.

"I am afraid," he said to them, "that the pendants have developed a different kind of magic that I have no control over"

"Which means?" Hermione asked

"Which means," Alwedian said calmly, "that the chain has decided for itself not to break just yet"

A/N: there yah go! Chapt 14....well I hoped you like it...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review? PLEASE!?...I'll give you a smoothie!...oh okay, and one of my mom's cookies as well... ;)