Chapter 11

"Look, Hermione," Draco said, well aware that he was on the verge of tears and pleading. "After all we've been through together, I can't just let you walk away from me like this."

"Watch me," she said dangerously. She stalked off, fuming. He stared at her, realizing that his grand scheme had backfired miserably. Once again, he had underestimated Hermione Granger. He threw his book bag against the wall with a large thud, and wanted to scream.

"Need some help?" someone said wryly from behind him. He whirled around; wand stuck out, ready to curse Goyle to kingdom come, when he realized that it was Harry Potter.

"No, Potter," he spat. "I don't need your help."

"For someone who is trying to change their views," Harry said with a sarcastic smile, "You sure are reluctant to change." Draco glowered in Harry's general direction, but nodded anyway.

"I screwed up," he admitted. "But don't count on it happening again." Harry laughed.

"You're still the same bitter bastard," Harry said, running a hand through his messy hair. "But you need help."

"First off," Harry said in an undertone as they carefully climbed into the Quidditch bleachers. "Hermione is a total sucker for romantic stuff… Hermione also loves it when people admit they're wrong, very wrong, and beg for forgiveness."

"Malfoys don't beg!" Draco snapped. "We don't grovel either, if you were wondering."

"Are you a Malfoy still?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't answer that question."

"I'm so dead," Draco moaned. "How am I ever going to live any of this down?"

"If you marry her, you won't have to worry about that," Harry said mischievously. "But in the meantime, you better get used to apologizing."

"Who says we're going to get married?" Draco snapped, jumping up from the bench. "This is all getting way too serious!"

"You are such a flake, Malfoy," Harry said coldly, standing. "I can see why Hermione is so furious with you. You use people, shamelessly."

Draco buried his face in his hands again. "Look, Harry," he said, looking up. "I just denounced everything that I ever believed in, you could say I'm having some problems adjusting."

"You could say that again," Harry snapped sharply. "Look, Malfoy, I'm sorry that this has all happened to you. But it's all something you can work out, and you'll be better off this way. Don't let something like prejudices get in the way of true love."

Hermione chucked her scarf out the window, her anger getting the better of her, and immediately regretted it. She rushed to the window and watched it float down the sidewalk several stories below. She cursed loudly.

She threw up her hands, and walked away from the window. What had happened, had happened, and there was nothing she could do to change it, unless she ran all the way down the stairs and out the back door to get it… No, she was too tired.

"Hey, Hermione, you coming to Hogsmeade with us?" Ron asked cheerfully the next day as Hermione sat reading in the Commons Room.

"No thank you," she said.

"You should really come," Harry said, giving Ron a swift look. Ron returned the look, and seized Hermione by the arm.

"Hermione, you need to relax," Harry said soothingly. "Padma ran up to your room for us and grabbed your purse." He handed her the purse and smiled charmingly.

"I don't feel up to it," she explained, placing the purse on the couch beside her. "Thanks for the invitation, though."

"No," Ron said quickly. "Hermione, you really should come, it'll make you better. Harry and I will treat you to some ice-cream, eh?"

Hermione saw their pleading expressions, and sighed. "Fine, fine. If you really want me to."

Hermione ambled into Honeyduke's, her head hurting slightly from all the noise. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name over all the other students' heads.

"Are you Miss Hermione Granger?" the shopkeeper yelled, motioning for her to come over. Bewildered, she hurried over to the counter, where the shopkeeper had pushed aside a bunch of overeager third years.

"Someone placed a special order for you," he yelled. The entire shop fell silent, and everyone watched her with huge eyes. "The order's to big to just hand it to you, so how about you come down and see it, and then we'll send it up to Hogwarts for you, eh?"

"S-Sure," she stammered. The shop was deathly silent, everyone watching her. He led her down the stairs into the cellar, and into a back room.

"Here you go, Miss," he said, motioning to a crate. "Go ahead and open it. It was specially ordered yesterday, rush delivery, just for you. Go on."

Hermione gently pulled open the huge box and gasped.

It was filled to the brim with red candy roses. The roses sparkled in their wrappers and she felt like crying with joy.

"Who ordered these for me?" she asked.

"Can't say," the shopkeeper said mysteriously. "I suspect you'll find out soon enough. Now, take one of those, and I'll reseal the box and send it up to Hogwarts for you, eh?"

Hermione slowly picked up the one on top and twirled it in the light. He sealed the box and they went back up the stairs. The hubbub in the store had returned, but it ceased as soon as Hermione resurfaced.

"What was it?" a third year begged, her little face alight with curiousity and a tinge of jealousy.

"It was a box full of candy roses," Hermione said, still in shock, showing the rose to the girl. "Do you want it?"

The girl shook her head. "You must deserve every single one," the girl said resolutely. The other third years nodded in their naïve little way, and hurried back to the counter to pay. She found Harry and Ron arguing over blood lollipops in the back corner, Ron clutching several cockroach clusters and a blister pop in one hand, and a giant roll of changing color chewing gum in the other hand.

"Was that from you two?" she demanded. Harry looked up innocently.

"What are you talking about?" he said. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Someone left me a huge box of candy roses, my favorite candy, and you two know who it is, don't you," she said suspiciously. "You know, don't you Harry?"

Harry grinned. "Hermione, I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, let's go get some butter-beer."

They both paid for their goodies, and they headed out into the balmy weather. Hermione twirled the rose absent mindedly, trying to figure out who would have left her all that candy.

The trio entered the Three Broomsticks. As soon as Madame Rosmerta saw them, she rushed over and took Hermione by the arm.

"You three come on up, there's a private room for you all," she explained in her usual bossy way. "Now come on up!" Hermione looked at Harry and Ron in complete confusion before Madame Rosmerta dragged her up the stairs.

Harry and Ron followed dutifully, giggling quietly.

Rosmerta pushed Hermione onto a painfully soft cushion, and bustled off to get a tray of butter-beer.

"What is going on?" Hermione demanded. "You two have some explaining to do!"

"Someone else will do the explaining," Ron said smugly. "I have to go to the bathroom," he announced a little while later. "Come on Harry."

The two exited, and Hermione could hear them giggling as they rushed down the stairs. Presently, Rosmerta brought a tray of two butter-beers up.

"I think Ron and Harry would like one," Hermione said politely. Rosmerta winked at her.

"I don't think they'll need it," she said with a goofy grin and a mysterious air. "Nope, they'll be getting there's downstairs." Rosmerta exited without another word, leaving Hermione all alone.

"What on earth is going on?" she muttered to herself. "There is something going on here…"

"Rose?" someone asked quietly from behind her. Hermione shrieked and jumped a foot in the air. She turned around quickly to find Draco standing there, holding out a candy rose.

"Oh, no thank you," she said politely. "I have quite a few of those- Wait…"

Draco grinned.

"You ordered those roses!" she said, almost accusingly.

He nodded and smiled shyly. "Yeah, I did."

"Draco," she sighed, suddenly serious, and sat down. "I suppose you're trying to say you're sorry."

"Yes, Hermione." He sat down, facing her, still holding the rose. She gently took the rose from his long pale hands and smiled at him.

"You know, I'm so reluctant to forgive you this time. But you know me too well… You know what a dentist's daughter wants."

"Hermione," he sighed. "I owe you an ap-"

She held up her hand to his lips. "No, you don't. I understand." Draco took her hand.

"You understand me like no one ever has," he whispered. "And, like Harry said, I don't want to let prejudice stand in the way of true love."

"Do you really think this is true love?" Hermione asked.

He smiled, a little half smile that made her heart skip a beat. "What else could make me breathless just thinking of you? What else could make time stop and the world spin, save you?"

"Oh, Draco," Hermione murmured. "Why can't I ever learn?"

He grinned. "I'm just too charming."

She laughed, and like he said, time seemed to stop.

A/N: Well, it seems that everything is working out between Hermione and Draco despite a rocky start… but as we all know, something else is going to happen…

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