The next night, Draco and Thomas left for the club. "How's you get the free passes again?" asked Draco.
"Pulled a few strings here and there," said Thomas.
"Oh," said Draco.
"You should try talking to her again," said Thomas.
"What's the point?" asked Draco. "She'll just yell at me or walk away."
"It doesn't hurt to try," said Thomas.
"It can," said Draco. "I'll try next time I see her." They gave the free passes to the dude at the front and walked in.
"Looks like you'll be talking to her soon," said Thomas. He pointed across the crowd; Hermione was leaning against the wall.
"What if she's dating Weasley?" asked Draco.
"Then she's dating him," said Thomas, "and you'll need to move on."
"Move one," repeated Draco. "That's the last thing I want to do." He looked around the club. "Oh no, not Parkinson." He disappeared into the crowd, away from her.
Hermione leaned against the wall, watching everyone dance. A couple guys came up to her and gave her the corniest pick up lines, but he turned them all down. She pulled out a picture of her and Draco and sighed. "Why did you do that to me Draco Malfoy?" she muttered to herself.
"Because I didn't," Draco said, coming out of the shadows. Hermione jumped and put the picture back into her purse before turning around to glare at him.
"Oh, so that was your clone snogging Parkinson that day was it?" sarcastically said Hermione. She turned around to leave, but Draco grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me!"
"Please," said Draco. He held her hands close to him, so she was only about six inches from him. "Just let me explain what happened that day, please Hermione."
"There's no need for an explanation Draco," said Hermione. "I saw what happened." Tears started to fall from her face.
"But you didn't see or hear it all," said Draco. Hermione looked into his eyes. They were pleading with hers. "Please. I would never cheat of you Hermione." He cupped her face in his hands. She grabbed his wrists, but didn't pull away.
"Then what happened that day?" asked Hermione.
"Pansy pushed me into that classroom. She was trying to make out with me. She kissed me just as you walked in," said Draco.
"How am I supposed to believe you?" asked Hermione.
"You listen to your heart. I can't make you believe me, but I'd never lie to you...and I love you," said Draco.
Hermione cried harder and ran. She bumped into lots of people along the way, but didn't care. She was about in the middle of the club when she bumped into Pansy.
"So, how's life without Draco?" smirked Pansy.
"It was you! You're the one that broke us apart!" cried Hermione.
"Of course it was me," snapped Pansy. "I was already promised his hand in marriage by his father before you cam along. I had to get rid of you, and the only way it seems, was to make you believe he cheated on you. And it worked didn't it?" Hermione looked behind her. Draco had slid down the wall and his knees covered his face.
"Obviously not," snapped Hermione. "His father is in Azkaban and Draco will never marry a cow like you!"
"Well, we'll see about that," said Pansy. She pushed herself through the crowd towards Draco. She walked up to him, trying, but failing, to be sexy. "Hello Drakkie."
Draco looked up at her and glared. "Stop calling me that and go away!"
"Oh Draco, you know you love it when I call you that," said Pansy in a 'sexy' tone that made her look even more ugly and stupid.
"If I love it, I wouldn't have said that," snapped Draco. "Go off and screw someone. That's what you do to get by isn't it? Guys pay you for some reason for a night of sex and then have to vomit in the morning right?" He chuckled.
Pansy huffed at him and stormed off, pushing people down as she passed. Draco put his head in his knees again. Hermione quietly walked back over to him, quietly dropped to her knees, and hugged him. He breathed in her sweet Hawaiian Ginger perfume and knew right away that it was Hermione.
"I'm so sorry Draco," cried Hermione. "I should have let you explain a long time ago."
"Oh Hermione, I missed you so much," cried Draco. For the first time in his life, he cried in front of someone. He kissed her forehead.
"I missed you too Draco," said Hermione. She wiped her eyes. "God, I've been doing this a lot lately."
"That day, a year ago, you changed my life," said Draco. "If we hadn't been at the same hotel, I'd probably be with Voldemort. You opened my eyes to something so much better."
Hermione made a sound that sounded like a half cry and a half laugh. "I'm very glad we bumped into each other too then."
"I love you and I don't want to lose you again," said Draco.
"I love you too and you won't lose me, I promise," said Hermione. Draco smiled. "Come on, let's stand up, we probably look stupid."
A slow song came on and Draco held out his hand. Hermione smiled and took it. He led her to the middle of the club. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I have to ask you something," said Hermione.
"What is it?" asked Draco.
"Are you promised to Pansy?"
Draco grimaced and took a deep breath. Hermione could feel him fill his lungs and let go of it. "Yes." He looked back at Hermione. "By my father, but as you know, he's still in Azkaban."
"What about your mother?" asked Hermione.
He shook his head. "I am no longer her son. Nor my father's for that matter."
Hermione looked up to meet his eyes. "They cut you off?"
He nodded. "Luckily, I took as much gold, silver, and bronze that I could carry. I also had my own vault which I had to move so they couldn't take it somehow."
"Why did they cut you off?" asked Hermione.
Draco smiled and looked down at her. "Because of you."
"Me?" asked Hermione.
"They found out I was dating you," said Draco.
Hermione smiled and looked down. "Oh my God!" She hugged Draco tighter. Draco looked down too. They were levitating about 5 feet above the ground. He scanned the club and found Thomas with his wand out and pointed at them. Draco looked at him and shook his head. Thomas laughed. Draco looked around once more. Everyone was staring at them.
"Put us down Thomas!" Draco shouted over the music.
"Soft or hard?" laughed Thomas.
"Softly if you please!" laughed Draco. Thomas waved his wand and the softly touched the ground.
"Please tell us you are not going back with that git!" said Ron. Hermione nodded.
"But Hermione! He cheated on you with Parkinson!" said Harry.
Hermione shook her head. "No, it was Pansy's fault, not Draco's."
"And he told you that and you believe him?" asked Ron.
"Yes, and he didn't tell me, well, he did, but so did Pansy," said Hermione.
"She did?" asked Draco.
"Yeah," said Hermione. "Just after I walked away from you."
"Oh," said Draco.
A/N: well, here's chapter three! I luvs it!
