Disclaimer: You see, if I owned Harry Potter, I'd be filthy rich. If I were filthy rich, I'd buy Tom Felton.

Lady-Delphinea: Yeah, mushy, weird, cheesy stories rule… sigh… Well, you'll find out in this chapter what's wrong with Hermione.

Blaisezabiniismine: Yes, Blaise will soon come into the story more. I feel sorry for Ron too. Don't worry! He's getting a girlfriend soon!

Samantha Cameron: It's okay. I didn't say why Hermione isn't letting Draco touch her and stuff. You'll find out in this chapter.

Natty123: God, you're making it hard for me to continue with my story plans! The Ring 2 was "freaky and weird" the good way or bad way? A lady that looks like Michael Jackson? I just changed my mind, I don't want to see that movie anymore.

Orlilover16: Yep, Draco and Ron are buddies! I kinda know what I'm going to do with the pracuer thing, but I'm not that sure. Email me if you have any suggestions, cuz I'll use them if I like them!

Everlastingme: Well, I thought that Draco should at least try to get on Ron's good side. Ron doesn't totally approve of him yet, but he's not as wary.

Dracosgirl12515: Hey! I know you! You're one of my favorite authors! Cool, I'm glad you like it!

Iamm3: Wow, thanks. Screened your boyfriend? Now I feel bad. You can blame it all on me if he gets mad.

Anonymous: Umm… thanks for that review. I'm glad you "loved it".

KMK: sarcastically (the kind sarcastic, not the mean one) Yep, she just fell in love with Ron and now hates Draco!

Kayte: Thanks. Why does your review say "e."?

Cassandra: I guess it's kinda cool that Ron slapped her, but I didn't think it was very Ron-like. Oh well. I guess you could say that she won't let Draco touch her cuz she's confused. It's kinda that.

Cateyezgold: I'm glad you like it. It's so great to have new reviewers.

Bitchgoddess: I'll look for your story.

SelfHatred: Okay okay okay!

SuperSycoh: Thanx. I'll email you those chapters.

Vanillaflavouredpunk: I never really liked RWHG stories either, so don't worry. I would never do that; it's a DMHG story!

Ilovedracossoul: I am!

A/N: YAHOO! I've been grounded and I wasn't allowed to use the computer, but now it's over!

Guess what? I had a dream that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out and that J.K. Rowling had Draco and Hermione become a couple! Cool, huh?


Chapter 19…

When Hermione limped into the common room the next day, Draco's heart skipped a beat. "My Lord, Hermione. Are you okay? What happened? What did Madame Pomfrey say?" he rapidly asked.

"Malfoy, get off of me. I'm fine!" Hermione angrily cried. Draco stumbled back a few steps, taken back. Hermione rolled her eyes and sauntered into her room. Draco stared after her in confusion.

"Wait! Hermione!" he called after her, dashing to her room and banging his fists on the door. There was no answer. "Hermione, please let me in!" Nothing happened. Sighing, Draco pulled out his wand. "Alohamora." There was a click, and the door opened slightly.

Hermione was lying face-down on the bed, sobbing. Draco felt his heart break just by watching her. He slid onto the bed next to her, so that they were lying next to each other, and wrapped his arm around her waist, feeling her body tremble.

"Hermione," he said after a few minutes. "Hermione, please, talk to me." A sniffle escaped her. "Please, love, tell me," Draco begged, bringing her closer.

"S-stop it," Hermione choked out.

"Stop what? Hermione, you have to tell me," Draco insisted. Hermione's body shook even harder.

"Ss-stop," she repeated.

"Hermione, please tell me. I love you, baby, you know that," he persisted.

"I SAID, STOP!" Hermione screeched. Draco's eyes widened as more tears streamed down her face. He brushed them away with his thumb. Her cheeks were stained with tears."S-stop… I h-hate you… Stop saying that y-you l-l-love me! I hate you and I-I never want t-to see you again!" Hermione stuttered as more tears fell. Draco stared at her and felt his heart break all over again.

"No… No. You don't mean that, Hermione. You don't mean that. Please tell me you don't mean that."

"HOW CAN I NOT MEAN THAT? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL EVERY TIME YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME? WHY ME, MALFOY? OUT OF EVERYBODY YOU COULD HAVE, YOU CHOSE ME! ME, YOUR ENEMY! I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO FIND THAT ODD?" Hermione yelled. She began whimpering and buried her head in her pillow. Draco was silent for a moment, unable to move.

"Did Ron tell you that?" he finally questioned, sounding slightly annoyed. Hermione bit her lower lip, but that was all Draco needed. "Baby, I love you, okay? I swear to God, I'll swear on anything. You have to believe me, 'Mione."

"How can I?"

"You have to, Hermione. I love you. You're the reason I live, I breathe, the reason I wake up every morning. If it weren't for you, I'd already be a deatheater. You taught me how to live, how to see life in a good way. I'd die if I didn't have you. When you're sad, I'm sad. My heart breaks… Every time I see you, my heart skips a beat. Every time I see you, I just want to hold you and never let you go. I want to protect you forever and always be there with you," Draco said truthfully. There was a sniffle, and then a new fountain of tears erupted. "Oh, God, Hermione, please don't cry." He sat up and gently pulled her onto his lap.

"I love you too, Draco. I do. It's just so hard. People will look at me like I'm a monster or a traitor, and Ron is all mad at me. And suddenly I can't control my emotions and I'm in love with you, but everything is going way too fast and… I need you so badly, Draco!" Hermione cried, leaning her head against his chest.

"I need you too, 'Mione. But I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. And, I know that what your friends' opinions matter to you, but if they, mainly Ron, can't accept it, then they can't possibly be your real friends…" Hermione gasped. "What?"

"You… You called him Ron!" she exclaimed, a hint of glee in her voice. Draco grinned awkwardly.

"Oh. Yeah. Well, Dumbledore made us have this, like, talk and we kinda sorted things out. It was weird," he admitted. Hermione squealed and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, Draco. I knew you could do it," she shrieked, throwing her arms around him. Draco gave his trademark smirk.

"Well, I am pretty good at convincing people and giving a good impression, even if it's not a first one. Ron was lucky that I forgave him for everything he did in the past six years."

"Oh, yeah, sure. And you're modest too," Hermione teased. Draco shrugged and kissed the top of her head lightly.

"So you're okay, love?" he asked. Hermione nodded. She tried to wipe her wet cheeks, but it was no use. They were still a red, and her nose was all blotchy.

"Uch… I like like I crawled out of a rat hole. I'm a mess," Hermione complained. Draco kissed her hand gently.

"You look beautiful to me, baby," he commented, grinning. Hermione blushed. "Hermione, why are you blushing? You are."

"It's just that… well, it's weird hearing you say that. I mean, yeah, it's better than what you calling me a mudblood, but… I don't know, it feels funny," Hermione confessed.

"Hermione, I'm telling the truth. We're in love, you should expect a comment like that from me… I was young and foolish back then, and I was following my father. But you helped me to learn. You're beautiful, Hermione, no matter what anybody says." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. (A/N: When you don't know what to write, let them kiss!) His tongue swiped against her bottom lip, causing her to moan slightly.

Draco pressed his body against hers and allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. They fell back onto the bed, with Draco lying on top of Hermione. His hand snuck up her shirt.

There was a knock on the door. "Hermione? Are you in there?" a voice called out tentatively. Draco growled and returned to kissing her, but Hermione pushed him away.

"Draco! We can't do this now. Not with Harry out there, waiting for me! He'll obviously suspect something," she scolded.

"Damn you Potter. Go fuck yourself," Draco muttered. Hermione slapped him lightly and opened the door. Draco raked his fingers through his hair as Harry stepped in.

"Err… Am I interrupting something?" he asked nervously, glancing at Draco, who was seething. Hermione shrugged casually.

"No. Not really." She shot Draco a meaningful look before turning back to Harry. "How'd you get in? Did you figure out the password?"

"Uhh… no. Your portrait actually, err, fainted when it saw me, so I just came in," he explained. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I gotta teach that lion to stop letting him in," he muttered. Hermione glared at him.

"Umm, I was wondering, 'Mione, if you want to have lunch with me. I have to talk to you," Harry said nervously. Hermione glanced at Draco.

"Draco? Do you mind if…?" she questioned. Draco looked like he was about to say yes, but then thought better of it. He forced a cheerful smile onto his face.

"No, that's fine. You can go…" he finally said. Hermione beamed at him. Harry cleared his throat nervously.

"Okay. So, I'll pick you up in about, say, an hour?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Harry left, closing the door gently behind him.

"Thanks, Draco," she thanked him. Draco shrugged casually.

"So, where were we?" he asked teasingly, his eyes twinkling. He got up and strolled over to her, grinning. Hermione squealed as his lips pressed against hers roughly. They fell onto the bed and rolled around together. Draco's lips made a trail up and down her neck.

Suddenly, the neared the end of the bed and fell off. Draco landed first; Hermione collapsed on top of him.

"OOF! OWW! Baby, you're heavy!" he gapsed. Hermione slapped him playfully, pretending to be angry. Draco grinned foolishly.

Hermione reached up, trying to grip the nightstand. Instead, she snatched a piece of parchment. "What's this? This isn't mine," she mused. Draco took one glance at the paper and tried to grab it from her, but Hermione jumped up out of Draco's reach.

Draco immediately stood up too as Hermione raised her arm up, hoping that Draco wouldn't be able to get it, to no luck.

"You forgot that I'm at least a head taller than you." He smirked and slowly raised his arm to take the paper, teasing her.

"Damn," Hermione muttered. Then, she brightened. "Oh! Alforka papellir." Draco's hand froze in midair.

"Hey! What the hell…? What type of stupid charm is that?" he demanded, pushing one hand against the wall.

"A pretty stupid one, huh, if it got me out of trouble with you. I've got a shield around me so non-magic things can't harm me. Since you don't have your wand, you have no power over me. Now, to read this…" She made a big show of unfolding it, just to annoy Draco.

"Please, baby. Don't read it. I'm begging you! I'll do anything! Please, Hermione, don't look at that! God, Hermione, if you have any sense, please please please don't read it!" Draco pleaded.

"Ahh… Now to find out what Draco's big secret is…" Hermione stared at the letter.

Draco:

You do not know how disappointed I am in you! Fooling around with a mudblood! You better have a good reason for this. Are you trying to get her in bed? It certainly doesn't seem so, judging by your actions. You may think that I do not know this, but I do. I am watching, Draco.

Whatever the reason, you will be punished for this. A mudblood! Whatever happened to Parkinson? She's from a respectable family. This punishment will be severe, you can count on that. I taught you for sixteen years, and then you go prance off with a mudblood. You should be ashamed. Maybe several more beatings will teach you a lesson.

I know you are wondering how it is possible that I am writing to you, after I died last year. Well, true to his word, your wonderful Lord has brought me back. He is in need to kill that Potter. I hope you are doing one good thing by still torturing him. You will be going over to the Lord soon. He is ready for his final plan to rid of Potter, and he needs as many people as he can get. I have already offered you.

The Lord is greatly dissatisfied, Draco, because of your foolish actions. Because of you, he actually considered not bringing me back! I swore that he would be allowed to torture you. I promised that you would learn your lesson from all this!

If you know what's right, you will get rid of that mudblood! I do not care how you do it, as long as it's soon! Nobody with a Dark Mark fools around with mudbloods. I'm warning you…

You should expect me to visit soon. I'll make sure that you will be beaten well for your mistake.

Lucius

Hermione looked up, stunned. "Draco… Why didn't you tell me about his letter?" she demanded, horrified. Draco looked down, ashamed.

"Because… I knew that you would be worried, and that's the last thing I need." Hermione quickly removed the charm from her.

"Draco, you should have told me! Do you know what's going to happen? I… We… We can't be together anymore, Draco. It would be better if we just stopped it right here," Hermione insisted. Draco's jaw dropped open.

"What? Why?" he protested.

"Because of what your father will do! He'll beat you up for this! I can't take that, Draco! W-we should stop our whole relationship right here and pretend it never happened!"

"But, Hermione… He'll beat me anyways! What's a few bruises, compared to everything I've gotten before, in the past sixteen years? We can make this work, Hermione. We have to. Please."

"N-no. I can't. And… You're going to get the Dark Mark. As much as I love you, you're going to be a Death Eater, Draco? Do you know what that means? I've always been on Harry's side, fighting with him and Ron. But if we stay together, I'll be against them! Everything I've ever stood up for!"

"I'm not going to get the Dark Mark! I'll refuse! I'm not going to take after my father, Hermione! But I'll defy Voldemort!"

"You can't defeat him, Draco. He'll kill you. He doesn't care if he loses one. He has enough followers. We just can't be together."

"Yes we can! We can do it together, 'Mione. We can. Please. I promise. I love you." Draco sank to his knees in a desperate attempt. Hermione sighed.

"Draco, I love you so much. You mean more than the world to me. We –"

"We can make this work," Draco interrupted stubbornly. Hermione exhaled slowly. "Please, Hermione…"

"No. For your own sake, Draco. It'll be worse if we stay together. We just can't be together. We can't. I'm sorry. God, Draco, I love you…"

Draco felt something wet on his face. They were tears. He gently leaned forwards and kissed her softly, hoping that it wouldn't be there last kiss. Hermione pressed a hand against the back of his head, pushing him closer. Her free hand wandered to his hair and began toying with it.

She jerked back suddenly. Draco pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you Hermione. Please. One more chance…"

"I love you too, Draco… But we can't. I can't let you get hurt. Even if you don't become a Death Eater, you're father would kill you if we stayed together… I love you…" With those last words, she spun around and walked away, tears stinging her eyes.


"I'll have the stuffed clams with a baked potato," Harry said to the waiter, Tony. Tony stared in awe at the scar that pierced his forehead. Harry smiled weakly.

"Ahem. I'll have the same," Hermione said, distracting the waiter for just a moment. Harry flashed her a "thanks" smile.

Tony scribbled a few words down onto his notepad and backed away, his eyes fixed on Harry's forehead.

"God, I hate going public," Harry muttered, staring down at the table. Hermione forced a laugh, but she was still upset about the break up. "Anyways… I talked to Ron, and he said something about him and Malfoy. They…?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, Dumbledore made them sort everything out. They're okay now," Hermione explained. Harry nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, it kinda worked. Ron still hates his guts, but he doesn't mind as much that he's dating you. In fact, I think he believes what Malfoy says about how he loves you…" Harry's voice trailed off. Hermione glared at him suspiciously. Something about the tone of his voice made her wary.

"And you don't believe Draco?" she protested, crossing her arms angrily. Harry looked up, surprised. He faltered – Hermione realized the truth. "How can you not believe him? He really does love me, Harry! I don't believe you!" A sudden thought crossed her mind. I accused him of the same thing today.

"Hermione! You have to admit, that is kinda weird, the sudden change! It's Draco Malfoy! Son of Lucius Malfoy! The death eater! The one that I had to fight against, like, what? Ten million times? It's going to take a lot more than a few kisses to prove to me that he's changed," Harry insisted.

"So you're all for the saying "Like father like son?" That's not always the case, Harry! Draco's different! He's an exception! Draco worked against his father! He's getting beat up for me! He was going to go against V-Voldemort for me!"

"But he's - … Wait? What did you say?"

"He got a letter from his father saying that he was in a load of trouble… In then it said that he was gonna get the Dark Mark soon…" The whole story soon spilled out, even the part about their break-up.

"What the hell… Are we still talking about Malfoy?"

"… Harry, I need to go back. I… I just have to think…" With that, she grabbed her coat and dashed out of the restaurant.


A/N: Please don't kill me about that break-up, but I thought it was necessary. They should break up sometime in the story. Review!