Disclaimer: Fine, fine! I give up! Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, all right? Sheesh. Just don't sue!
Curlyq2713: Oh, yeah, it will be.
Orlilover16: Well, you DID give me the chapter idea, so I thought I should return the favor somehow. Hmm… windshield wipers wouldn't work? Are you sure? Want me to try it?
I would put the lyrics on; they match the story perfectly and I luv putting lyrics in my chapters. But I got a couple complaints about the lyrics, saying that they didn't like them there and that they were distracting. I'm not sure if I should continue with song lyrics.
Thanks so much for the idea that you gave me in your email, but I got your idea after I finished this chapter so I didn't use it. Sorry.
Hannah-901: Trust me. They will be funny!
Anonymous: Bloody good? Is that a compliment-)
TomFeltonsGirl1818: Black hair? Okay.
Dracosgurl4evr: Thank you. I'll try to update as fast as possible.
Lazy: Leaving you hanging is exactly what I'm trying to do. It lures more people in. I know, I'm pure evil. You can ask anybody I know, and they'll agree with me. But, I wanted to get that chapter out quickly and it seemed long enough, so I just submitted that part.
Lady-Delphinea: Thanks. I'll try my best to update quickly.
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THANKS TO ALL THAT REVIEWED!
Chapter 13…
Draco quickly swallowed his sip of hot chocolate. He was eager to hear her thoughts, but he needed to start out simple so it wouldn't be too fishy. "How are you?" he began. Hermione swallowed.
"Not bad. I'm doing okay," she replied. That was both truthful and what she would have normally answered, so she wasn't suspicious yet.
"Cool. So, I was thinking… This may sound weird coming from me, but… we don't exactly know each other well. With Dumbledore's insistence on the house unity thing, we should at least try to get to know each other better, especially if we're the heads…" Draco suggested. Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"It may sound weird coming from you! That's about the oddest thing I've ever heard, but fine. I agree," she said. Draco nodded.
"So… what's your middle name?" he finally asked, unsure of what to say. Hermione snorted. Draco shrugged and held up his hands in protest.
"What kinda stupid question is that?" she inquired. "But, if you really want to know, it's Ella, after my mother's first name." (A/N: I'm probably gonna change that name later, but really. What goes with a name like 'Hermione'?)
"Ella," Draco repeated. "Hmph. It beats 'Lucius'. I had to be named after my fucking father.
"Hey, if you weren't named after your father, it wouldn't be half bad," Hermione protested. Draco shrugged again.
"Anyways… So, what's on your mind, Granger?" he asked, unable to hold back his excitement and going straight to the questions.
"You," she abruptly replied. Why the hell did I tell him that? "What the… you put Veratiserum in my cup!" Draco grinned and shrugged casually. "But I put… Ahh, never mind," she slyly finished.
"What's the thing that scares you the most, Malfoy?" Hermione questioned, just to make sure the potion was working in his cup.
"My father. Last year, when Potter fought Voldemort and didn't succeed in completely killing him, he managed to kill my father. But Voldemort swore that he was going to bring him back from the dead. Then, I'll have to become a Death Eater," Draco immediately answered. What the fuck am I telling her for? "Wait a minute… Why did I… You! You put it in MY cup!" he yelled. Hermione grinned and shrugged, copying Draco's movements.
"Great minds think alike, huh?" she said. Draco couldn't help but laugh slightly. Then, he became serious again.
"So, you just heard the one thing the scares the hell out of me. Now, I ask you, what are you thinking when you're thinking about me?" Hermione tried to fight against the potion, but it was no use.
"Why are you so cruel? I mean, you can be perfectly nice and decent, and then, the next minute you're throwing insults at me. It's like you have a split personality," she quietly replied. Draco fell silent. "What are you thinking about?"
"What you said. About me having a split personality," he mumbled. "It's weird. I feel like… like I have to act all superior, because I'm a Malfoy. I was trained to act that way by my father. But, I don't want to act that way. I'm hate being the bad guy, but if I'm not…"
"Draco, nobody's forcing you to be that way. You yourself choose that," she reminded him. Draco rolled his eyes and scowled.
"That shows how much you know," he muttered. Hermione's expression softened. She sub-consciously reached out and held his hand.
"What do you mean? Who's making you act like that? What are they doing to you?" she softly but urgently asked, concern showing in her eyes.
"My so-called father," Draco bitterly spat out. "Eighteen years of beating. Eighteen years of my mother beggin him not to. Eighteen years of him beating my mother. Threatening to hurt her if I don't obey him. Threatening to hurt me if she doesn't obey…"
"My God, Draco, I'm so sorry…" she murmured, squeezing his hand to show her sympathy. Draco glared at the table and turned his head to stare out the window. "Are you okay?" she questioned, not meaning for the Veratiserum to answer for him.
"No," he snapped. Seeing Hermione's hurt look made his expression relax. "Sorry. I'm just a little tense about the Death Eater thing…"
"Can't you refuse to become one?" she fretfully inquired. Draco snickered and combed his fingers through his hair.
"You of all people should know, after being friends with Scarhead for seven years. The Dark Lord won't take no for an answer. He has all his Death Eaters at the ceremony to help him if I refuse," he grunted. Hermione bit her lower lip in despair.
"Draco… don't hate me for asking this… you can cover your mouth when you answer if you don't want me to hear, but… have you ever fallen in love?" she wondered. Draco looked surprised.
"Yes… In fact, I still am in love," he softly answered, staring into her eyes calmly. After a while, he added, "But you cannot tell anybody. Malfoys don't fall in love. Especially Draco Malfoy," He quickly looked back down. "It's amazing how one girl can affect your life…"
"Does she know?" Hermione questioned. She blushed slightly. "Sorry. That's kinda personal," she said. "But… I think the Veratiserum should have worn off by now. I only put in enough to last for ten minutes, and it's been half an hour." Wait a minute. That means he wasn't even bothering to lie for the past twenty minutes!
"I don't know," Draco replied. Hermione looked confused. "I don't know if she knows," he repeated, cupping her chin in his hands. Then, Hermione Ella Granger finally understood as Draco Malfoy pressed his lips against hers.
A/N: So, what did you think? Review and tell me!
