A/N: I am soooooooo sorry that this has taken so long to come up! Total writer's block for this chapter. But I finally buckled down and wrote it, so you should all be proud of me! Enjoy! And don't forget to RR, pretty please!

Chapter Eleven: Love

Have you ever loved somebody so much it makes you cry?
Have you ever needed something so bad you can't sleep at night?
Have you ever tried to find the words but they don't come out right?
Have you ever?
Have you ever been in love, been in love so bad,
You'd do anything to make them understand?
Have you ever had someone steal your heart away?
You'd give anything to make them feel the same,
Have you ever searched for words to get you in their heart,
But you dont know what to say and you dont know where to start?
-Have You Ever by Brandy

Draco stared at Hermione from across the dance. She caught his eye and sent him a small smile. He smiled back.

At first, he'd been a little disappointed that she was going with Ron and not him, but he saw the logic behind it. They couldn't exactly go together, as they were supposed to hate each other. He wasn't bitter, and didn't particularly mind. Except...

"Drakey-Poo!"

Draco cringed. Except the fact that he had been forced to go with Pansy Parkinson.

She clung to his arm. "Drakey, are you having fun? I'm having fun! The Great Hall looks beautiful, doesn't it? Look at all the lights they strung up!"

It's like a cat with shiny objects, Draco thought, cringing a little bit at Pansy's shreiking voice.

"Look how darling everyone looks. Hello, Milicent, darling, you look wonderful! How do I look, Draco? You haven't said one thing about my new earings."

"Um... they're nice?" Draco said, uncertainly, but inside he was asking: She has her ears peirced? When did that happen? "I'm going to get you some punch. Over there."

He pointed to the table farthest away from her. Pansy giggled. "Oh, that's so sweet, Draco! But there's a table right over here why don't you..."

But he was already gone.

"Man, that was painful from over here," said an older Ravenclaw, to whom Draco was distantly related. Darren Cleets grinned at him and handed him a cup full of punch. Draco downed it like a shot.

"It's times like those I wish we were allowed to have alcohol and sedatives," Draco agreed. Darren laughed.

"At least you have a date, man," he said. "I'm stuck handing out punch."

"Wanna trade?"

"I love you because you're my cousin and all, but not that much."

Draco shrugged. He'd have said the same thing.

Hermione walked to the table and Darren handed her a glass of the punch. Draco looked at her sideways and whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Am I allowed to acknowledge that you walked up?"

Hermione laughed. "Of course. How are you doing?"

"It's hell."

Hermione looked sympathectic, and guilty all at the same time. "I'm sorry you're not having more fun. I shouldn't have made you come."

"That's all right, I don't blame you," Draco shrugged, and it was half true.

"What time is it?" she asked, suddenly.

"Hm? Oh," Draco looked at the wrist watch he wore under his sleeve. "It's eight thirty. We still have an hour and a half."

"Do you want to skip out at nine?" Hermione asked.

"Not if you're having fun with your friends."

"I am, but we can do that any time," Hermione said with a shrug. "It's Valentine's Day and I want to spend at least part of it with you. Don't worry about Ron and Harry and Ginny."

Draco grinned. "All right. Great. Meet you in the small courtyard at nine, okay?"

Hermione smiled back and nodded. "See you then."

Draco turned back to the table as she walked away and saw Darren staring at him with a coy smile. Draco's mouth fell open. "It's not what you think."

"Oh?" Darren said simply, then he laughed. "Look, man, I'm not going to tell anybody. I think it's cute."

"Don't ever say the word 'cute' again," Draco said. "It makes me question a few things about you."

Darren laughed again. "Done. But why didn't you tell anybody about you and Granger?"

"I thought that would be obvious."

"True, but you've said more than once that I was a moron. You'll have to spell it out for me."

Draco sighed. "I don't know why I didn't tell anyone. She's worried that her friends will stop hanging out with her, I'm afraid my father will disown me. And it didn't seem very important at the time."

"To tell people about your girlfriend?"

"Well... yes."

"Wow."

"Shut up. Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"You know very well what!" Draco said. "Don't look at me like I should have done something different." Darren opened his mouth, but Draco stopped him. "And don't tell me exactly what you would have done. I don't care. Hermione and I are happy. We don't mind this."

"Don't you?" was all Darren said. Draco looked down. Darren sighed and his normally ever-present grin sobered. "Look, do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't see why you're hiding it."

Draco nodded slowly, refusing to look at his cousin. He did love her. If he couldn't tell other people that, how could he be so sure about it though? Did he only love her if they were the only two that new about it? That wasn't love. That was selfish.

"All right. I get it."

Draco set down his cup on the table, and weaved his way through the crowd of people. Darren gave a whoop of encouragement, but Draco barely noticed. People basically moved out of his way. He soon reached where Hermione and he friends were standing. Without thinking, and with an insult half-left Ron's lips, he spun Hermione around and kissed her.

Hermione pulled away almost instantly. "What the..." she stuttered.

Draco was about to answer when a punch hit him in the jaw and he fell to the ground.

"What the hell!" Ron shouted, standing over him. "What was that all about? Are you just trying to ruin Hermione's Valentine's Day?"

"I love Hermione, you asshole."