Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's wonderful creation. Well, maybe the romance in this fan fiction –grins-

This chapter's title is from Jesse McCartney's Because You Live. Very much related to how Draco feels for Hermione.

Note: This chapter is dedicated to my best buddy, Emily (kaith kenshyne) for the encouragement and faith in me for finishing this chapter! Took me a long time to write this – bad case of writer's block - and now it's finally posted all thanks to her! Cheers, hun!

- When Chocolate Almonds Meet Grey Marbles -

Chapter One: Because You Live

Because you live and breathe
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help
Because you live, girl
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

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"Malfoy, don't you dare!" Hermione shouted with her arms akimbo. "If you lay one finger on that boy I'll report you to Professor McGonagall!"

Draco glared at her furiously. His fist stopped in mid air, right in front of the second year's nose below him, terrifying the timid student so much that he scrambled off as fast as his tiny legs could take him back to the castle. Yet Draco's unmoving eyes hadn't left her; they shot daggers with every last drop of loath, ever ready to abandon their wands and kill each other with their own bare hands.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" she yelled. She didn't care about the few first years not far away or the fact that her voice was reaching much further than the eight-foot gap between them. "Failing Potions doesn't give you the right to beat the living out of that Ravenclaw!"

"And whose fault is that?" Draco shot back acidly. "I wasn't the one who decided to make fun of a Slytherin, especially after a certain few people announced that Snape has officially despised me after I had a look into his Pensieve."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. She was shaking in such fury tempted to dash over and punched that revolting face of his, but her voice came out cold. "Sorry to say the fault is entirely yours all thanks to your stupidity; you just blindly decided to follow your puny brain and viewed all of Snape's past. Besides," she added, hardly able to resist a smirk at him, "you can't blame Harry and Ron for all those horrible things you did. What comes around, goes around. Period."

Draco stared hard at her, his fist clenching in anger that his fingers dug deep into his palm. That I-know-everything look gave him a wave of annoyance. "Why do you have to go around snooping into other's people's business, thinking you can just butt in?" he questioned.

"Because I'm Prefect, and I'm responsible for keeping this school spotless of any unwelcome business. Unlike you, abusing your position as one, daring to punch a boy," she merely replied, that smirk still glued onto her face.

"Doing other people's dirty job, as always."

Hermione wasn't so keen on knowing exactly what he meant, thinking it might be some stupid remarks to provoke her, but still curiosity was her weakness.

"What do you mean?"

And he just gave a wild chortle. "You're always the one to answer questions in classes. Isn't it just obvious? They just look at you, you answer and gain points for Gryffindor. They rely on you for their victory, don't they?"

Hermione's mouth opened and snapped back close, unbelieving that for once in her life Draco was telling some truth here. But no one would use her like that. She was smart enough to know Gryffindors weren't of those sort of backstabbers. So…

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy," she snapped hotly. "You're just jealous that Gryffindor won the House Cup for five years already."

"That's what you think," he curled one lip into a wider sneer. "You don't know how much use that brain of yours has for your house, despite the fact that you're such a smarty-pants. Self-claimed, that is."

Hermione couldn't believe she was actually falling for his trick. She felt provoked and angry; in some way it seemed true, but she's intelligent and her good grades would bring her a bright future, then again…ignore him, Granger, just-ignore-him…

If she couldn't hold back her pride she would've ran towards that despicable being and punch him with all her might. She wished for that, but keeping a cool head was always her idea of a triumphant battle.

"Why do you say that? Are you concerned for my private life? Or is Draco Malfoy afraid that naïve little Hermione would fall for the tricks her friends have in their sleeves?" she wondered audibly.

For a moment Hermione swore Draco was about to finger his wand and point it at her, but something was restraining him. She was a little disappointed, with a wild desire to have a duel, putting her knowledge of jinxes and hexes in action.

"I'd rather ask if YOU are concerned for me," he said slowly while he made soft steps towards her, a pair of hazel eyes watching him in wonderment. "or is it jealousy?"

Once again, Hermione was puzzled by his 'riddle' again. But just some little words out of his stinking breath disturbed her. Jealousy? What in blazes would Hermione Granger be jealous of, a bouncing ferret?

"I don't see any reason for me to be jealous. All you ever do is go around flirting with giggly girls and build an almighty fan club," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Draco leered menacingly. "You feel left out."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as before, wondering whether to be convulsed with laughter by his senseless goading. It was funny that he thought of her as the lonesome bookworm of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"I don't feel lonely with the company of two best friends and friendly classmates, Malfoy," she could hardly maintain a straight face, suffocating herself with laughter stuck at her throat. "Besides, you're busy breaking hearts anyway."

"Do I? And it seems highly fascinating of the fact that you're so interested in my love life,"

"Since when have I any feelings for a stinking ferret like you?" she retorted hoarsely.

"Well, what you said was surprisingly informative, but it's inaccurate. You see, it's not my fault that my charms attract all the young girls."

Hermione might just throw up at that spot. She rolled her eyes at him and muttered "Boys," with pure venom in her voice. Even a few dull-witted Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had joined under his roof, not forgetting this group of Gryffindor first years who always giggled at the sight of him. The school must have been overrun with imbecility. Mental, those people are, she thought.

"I know you want a piece of my affections, Granger." his insinuating voice rang into her mind. "It's clearly seen that you're just like the other girls."

"Don't," Hermione gave an acrimonious growl, despising him with deeper intensity. Her clenched fists on both sides of her were shaking madly, with the urge to put them right in his face. She was overwhelmingly infuriated that she gritted her teeth so hard they could break off. "I – do – not – like – you…"

"Just admit it," he antagonized. "you want to have the same share of the Malfoy charm with the other girls."

If she could just punch him in that sneering face of his…she'd be really happy to throw her Prefect badge aside and launch at him…her hands were itching frantically…

"Well it isn't that hard, you know. All you have to do is come to my dormitory and - "

She slapped him, hard. Right on his right cheek, where his once white face had a tender shade deeper of red at the spot. She hated the way he put his hand there to massage it. She loathed the way his grey orbs gape at her with bitterness. Hermione couldn't find any word to describe such wrath.

She had had enough of his outrageous acts around the school. Countless times she passed by him with Pansy Parkinson, hand in hand with Pansy drooling all over his ghostly pale face. For years she managed to restrain the humiliation of his 'Mudblood' remarks, by being the one to advise the ignoring stance. She stood up for herself, but deep inside she had cried aloud in self-pity.

"You have no idea at all…," Draco whispered only loud enough for Hermione to hear. "You really don't understand it all."

She didn't care to reply. But he continued, and she listened.

"I've denied it at first too. Thought my mind was playing tricks with me…but the thing is, I can't put away those feelings. They're too strong."

Hermione tore her eyes off from the giant squid in the middle of lake to look deep into his. It wasn't full of pride or gleeful with menace, but torn with disappointment.

"What're you talking about?"

"I can't straight out say that friendship would help" Draco said sadly. "because it wouldn't. You're a Gryffindor and I belong to…Slytherin." And in one strode he closed the distance between them that their faces were inches from each other. "But that doesn't stop myself from falling for you."

Those words echoed in her ears to her brain. Draco Malfoy says he loves me…? Is that possible?

"Prove it," Hermione murmured. There wasn't any poison in her voice, but a glimmer of hope in it.

For the first time, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile unlike any Slytherin. It was simply just one, blissful, smile.

And that moment it all went into a blur. All she saw before her eyes closed was Draco bending his head down, their eyes boring deep into each other's. At the corner of her eyes her vision blurred with the sight of the giant squid splashing its tentacles against the water surface, in a way celebrating an unexpected event happening beside the lake.

There was only a time between the seconds, when chocolate almonds realized something more than just those grey marbles. And with that their lips touched.

She hadn't expected any of this from the last person she'd ever wanted to be found kissing with, the least most from a Slytherin. But when his lips gently brushed against her and his arms encircled around her tiny waist, it was like putting two long-lost puzzle pieces together and forming such a perfect picture, she'd never knew he belonged to the house of Salazar.

It's like these feelings I've for him were locked up somewhere in the dark and suddenly flaring out to the light. It's weird…hearing myself saying I love Draco Malfoy in my heart…

Hermione separated the embrace and looked at the very different Draco in front of her. No matter how much she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him, how much she wanted to tell him that she loved him too, all this still didn't feel quite right.

"Erm…I forgot that Professor McGonagall summoned me," she started lamely. Without wasting her breath she spun around and hastened her steps back to the castle, leaving Draco gazing at her.

It wasn't awkward or embarrassing; even if they loved each other, their huge differences kept them distant. Though, if he had the patience for six years, a few days wouldn't hurt a bit for Hermione to accept the fact, to show the whole school that a Slytherin could love a Gryffindor.

I'm willing to wait for you, Hermione. I'd sacrifice all of my possession, my pride, my Slytherin dignity…just for your love.

Please tell me what you think! No matter if it's flame, offence, praise, two words, two thousand words or what, just take a few seconds to submit a review and speak your mind. I'd be extremely grateful! -Nessa