eventers club: What did you not get?

Harrison J. Pecans: Go me…thanks so much. I'm glad I've got you fooled :)

ILoveMyDraco: Oh my. I don't know about that one; I can't say there'll be any crushing; yet… :laughs evilly:

Don't you feel just a little sorry for Harry:)

SlytherinHotness: Thank you. And let me know if you do. Which reminds me… :runs off to review:

Remusluver: Ah, no, I hadn't thought of that.

SalemWitch: Does that mean I've missed something that's in HBP?

Lizzle87: Ah, I wish I could tell you, but you'll just have to keep on reading…

HiraTsubasa: It makes me so happy that you think that.

I was thinking it would be like the sound you'd make just before attacking someone.

cassie: I think that if Draco and Hermione didn't end up together, more than a few angry people would show up at my doorstep :D I was thinking of writing a Harry/Hermione romance at some point, though…

And thanks to Badgurl13a, casacrazy, padfootedmoony, Erin, zurkie, NorthStar2005, draco2hot4me, Kace08, maddudewalking, Soofija, and Moonglitter2. Really. I mean it. Your reviews have definitely put a smile on my face.

The Truth?

Exactly a week after the visit to Hogsmeade, and two weeks until Christmas vacation, Draco was relaxing on the couch in the common room. He was thinking about that particularly pleasant weekend he'd spent with Hermione, and how there hadn't been a repeat since. Unfortunately there had been truth to Harry's words. Now more than ever Hermione spent most of her free time with her friends, and Draco only saw her when she was going in and out of their or when he managed to coerce her into studying with him. Then she would make some excuse, usually along the lines of having finished her homework, and leave for bed or other places (like the Gryffindor common room).

Draco was not to blame for the sudden feelings of loneliness that overcame him whenever Hermione left him for other pursuits. In fact, he should have been quite used to it, and even reveling in the fact that he had so much of his privacy back. Or perhaps it was better to call it solitude. In the past he had enjoyed being alone, as it was the only time Draco had away from his pureblooded 'friends' and to himself. But when Hermione wasn't there, Draco found himself without much to do. He spent more and more of his time outside of the castle on his broom, or perusing the library shelves, or patrolling the hallways and catching the various students he met snogging their mate or engaged in other rule-breaking activities.

The need for all these distractions reminded Draco of the week leading up to their breakup. He was not happy then, and he certainly wasn't happy now. It didn't make sense to him. Why would he suddenly crave her company when not weeks ago he'd identified it as the cause of his unrest? And why did it bother him even more that she was with other people? Especially Potter. For some reason it seemed to Draco that the boy had taken to taunting him as much as possible—albeit in a silent way—as if he knew all of Draco's secrets and was just itching to expose him. Every time Draco saw Hermione with her friends (though as a rule he never looked at her for very long), Potter would fix him with a look Draco could only classify as evil, then smile as if remembering their conversation in the Quidditch shop and the victory he'd won over Draco.

Damn Potter. He was obviously pulling Hermione away from Draco on purpose, and simultaneously enjoying the fact that he was succeeding.

Perhaps he enjoys her company just as much as you do.

"Right. More like he enjoys me not having her company. That little bastard is evil; I don't care what the wizarding public thinks about Potter. He deserves to have his face shoved into a boiling hot potion…"

"Do you always talk to yourself out loud?"

Draco looked up from his position on the couch. Hermione was regarding him with a suspicious expression on her face from the bottom of her staircase. Draco shifted and sat up as she walked over and took a seat next to him.

"Well, actually," Draco said, "yes, but only sometimes."

Hermione smiled at him. "I do too. Sometimes."

Draco simply looked at her in amazement. Was she voluntarily having a conversation with him?

"So what were you saying about Harry?"

Ah yes, Potter. Draco knew it was unwise to admit that he'd been having unpleasant thoughts about her friends again. But there was no point in avoiding it since he was sure Hermione had heard what he said. He told her so, and unsurprisingly she frowned.

"Draco, really, there's no reason for you to dislike Harry."

"Hermione, you're not me. If you were, you'd see that there are plenty of reasons for me not to like Potter. I don't understand why you hang out with him in any case. He's obviously a very hateful person."

"Hateful?" Hermione laughed. "Are you serious? Harry's one of the nicest people I know. And you'd see that too if you actually took the time to get to know him."

"I beg to differ. Potter hates me just as much as I hate him, and he loves to show it." Draco paused. "He's also rather vindictive, now that I think about it…"

"What!"

Of course she wouldn't believe him over her precious Potter. Draco wondered why he was even having this conversation with Hermione when he knew she was just going to side with her friends. "Never mind," Draco said, turning away.

"No, wait; what were you going to say?"

Hermione was still frowning when Draco turned back to her. Well, she'd asked so she'd just have to accept it. "Like I've said before, I don't expect you to understand when you're hanging out with people who insist on hating me."

"That's not true, Draco. And you're the one who doesn't want to bother changing their opinion of you—"

"How many times have I told you that I can't do that!"

"You could find a way. You just don't want to." Hermione let out a long sigh. "Look, I don't know how you feel about this, but I'm tired of splitting my time between you and everyone else. It doesn't make sense."

Draco scoffed. "You're not splitting your time at all. When are we ever together? You're always hanging out with the Weasleys and Potter. Gods, I hate that kid," Draco said.

"Don't talk like that, Draco. You make yourself sound jealous." Hermione regretted her words as soon as they came out of her mouth. Draco turned to face her with a positively furious expression on his face. He looked her up and down before he spoke.

"Maybe I am jealous!"

Well, that wasn't what she was expecting. "What!"

"Yes. Maybe I am. Shouldn't I be? You never—" Draco stopped, suddenly feeling sick. This was possibly the worst argument he'd ever had with Hermione, and now she was yelling.

"Why should you be jealous? What's wrong with spending time with my friends—"

"I'm your friend too! What's wrong with me? I need you just as much as they do, and probably more!"

"Are you serious?" Hermione asked. "You asked for this! You broke up with me, and you still expect me to spend all my time with you? And not with my friends? I basically dropped them for you before, and now you want me to do it again?"

"Yes—I mean, no! I mean—"

"What do you mean, Draco?"

"I don't know!"

Draco stopped, and Hermione didn't seem to have anything to say so the room fell into silence. Draco looked at Hermione; her cheeks were red and she was still huffing from her extremely long rant. She looked back at him, saying nothing, and they remained silent for a few moments more. Then Hermione looked away.

"I have to go," she said. She quickly ran to the portrait and disappeared.

Draco leaned back into the couch. At what point in the conversation had everything gone so horribly wrong? He figured it was when they'd gotten on the subject of Potter. And then talking about her friends, which was always a testy subject…Well, Draco didn't blame her for running away from him. He'd have done the same thing in her position.

Hermione was in shock of what had just happened. She'd simply found the subject of his musing interesting when she happened upon him in the common room and had wanted to know more. How could she have possibly known that it would explode into an argument about how she chose to spend her time? Perhaps he'd had a point when he said that she was always off with her Gryffindor friends; she was, after all, in her house common room right now. But truthfully it was almost always just to escape. She came here often simply to be away from Draco, and usually not with the intention of seeing Ginny or Ron or Harry.

It was a fact that Hermione avoided him, despite how much she enjoyed spending time with him. Ridiculous as it might have seemed to anyone else, Hermione's belief was that being away from him served a double purpose of moving things back to normal (or whatever normal would be between them) and preventing her from thinking about Draco too much. Of course at that moment the common room was not serving her in that respect…

"Hey, are you ok?"

Hermione looked up. Harry was looking down at her with a worried expression on his face.

"Oh yeah," Hermione said, "just zoning out. I have to do that once in a while, you know?"

"Right…" Harry took a seat in the chair next to her.

Hermione was already lapsing back into thought when she realized that Harry was watching her as if he were trying to judge her mood.

"Something you want to tell me?" Hermione asked.

"Well…" Harry looked both disturbed and determined as he prepared to speak. "Hermione, I know you were in Hogsmeade with Malfoy."

Hermione inwardly sighed. Great. Chances were that Draco and Harry had met at some point in the day, fought, and now Harry knew that she had lied. Thankfully he didn't seem as upset as she'd anticipated.

"I haven't told Ron or Ginny because I don't want them to be upset with you. I just want to know—why?"

"Did you and Draco have an argument?" Hermione asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"No…Did Malfoy say something to you?"

"No."

Hermione turned away in silence. Here she was in this common room seeking only to relax and avoid her problems for as long as possible. But now that Harry was here, and obviously looking for an explanation (his gaze had not left her face yet) she was seriously considering just going back to her room and hiding there. She sighed; might as well give Harry an answer and leave as soon as possible.

"I don't know…when he asked I didn't really think of mentioning it because I'd already said I wasn't going, and then you'd think I didn't want to hang out with you guys." Unsurprisingly, she sounded stupid even to her own ears.

"You didn't have to hide from us, Hermione. I actually almost didn't notice you. It was only when I saw Malfoy that I figured the other person with him was you. You're sneakier than I thought," Harry said.

Well, at least he wasn't completely upset, Hermione thought. She looked over at him; Harry was silent. "I'm really sorry about that, Harry…"

"It's not like I want you to tell me everything you do. But just—why Malfoy? I know he's your friend," Harry said sensing she would argue, "but, just—look, you know I don't trust him, and I don't think I ever will. That's all."

Of course. Harry looked somewhat troubled at that moment. And knowing that she was the cause of his worry only made that guilty feeling even worse. Hermione looked away as Harry continued.

"I know it's kind of weird and overprotective of me, but you're one of my closest friends. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. So I worry all the time. It probably doesn't make sense that Malfoy would hurt you to get to me anyway," Harry said as if trying to convince himself. "Well, in any case, just—"

Harry stopped, which made Hermione look up. She was going to ask him what he was going to say, but then Harry stood.

"Look, er, I know this is pointless to say to you, but just keep yourself safe, ok?"

And then he was gone. Hermione looked around. At some point in their conversation the common room had emptied out, not that it mattered to Hermione. She didn't want to stay there any longer, especially after the conversation she'd just had. Looks like she was going back to her dorm after all.

Hermione slowly walked herself through the corridors of the castle, pieces of the conversation with Harry still floating through her mind. Of course Harry would worry; she should've figured that out a long time ago. Although he didn't voice it, Hermione was well aware that Harry considered anyone associated with him to be in danger. Sirius had been a prime example. Even so, Hermione thought, that shouldn't have given him any reason to worry that a simple Hogsmeade trip would turn out for the worst.

Realizing that she'd reached the entrance to her dorm, Hermione stopped and spoke the password. What greeted her when she stepped inside was slightly unsettling. Draco was sitting on the couch, wearing the exact same expression Hermione had seen the first time she'd encountered him in the common room for the evening. He was staring off into space, and didn't seem to have registered her entrance. It was as if he hadn't moved from that spot for the entire hour she'd been gone.

Looking at him, she remembered that he'd said the same thing weeks ago that Harry had said to her just an hour ago. What was with the males in her life telling her how much they valued her friendship? It was weird and confusing. Both Harry and Draco talked as if they would lose her at any moment, whatever that meant.

"You're back," he said, his eyes scanning her face.

It seemed as if he wasn't going to say anything more to her, and judging from his more than bizarre behavior, Hermione thought it best to just leave Draco to himself until he was back to normal. He was still looking at her, though, even as she walked through the common room and ascended her staircase.

On second thought, maybe she wouldn't just leave him to herself. Thoughts of what had transpired an hour ago came back to her. Hermione turned around and came back down the stairs. Draco was still sitting on the couch, but looked at her as she approached him. Hermione sat down, then turned to face him. His eyes were still on her. In just looking at him Hermione could feel every defense she'd put up crashing down around her. This had been the reason she'd distanced herself from him. She couldn't focus on what was important when his gaze was fixed on her, but Hermione tried anyway.

"Are you worried like Harry that you'll suddenly never see me again?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "I'm not like Potter."

In that one response Hermione got all the answer she needed. Draco was just being stubborn. Hermione had never thought a friendship would be this complicated, but then again, she was dealing with Draco Malfoy, and she'd never imagined herself calling him a friend. Hermione felt a hug was in order, though up to that point their friendship had been anything but the physical kind. Draco's arms slowly went around her, pulling her head to his chest, and he sighed into her hair. His chest was warm and solid underneath her cheek. Hermione could hear the steady thumping of his heartbeat at her ear.

Draco gratefully held Hermione in his arms. He'd been lost in thought ever since Hermione had left earlier that evening. It was only with her return that the answer to all his questions had dawned on him. She looked exactly like she always did when she entered the portrait, yet he'd still found her incredibly beautiful; and that was the problem. Draco hadn't been surprised that he'd still found her attractive after their breakup; in fact, he'd anticipated it. What he hadn't anticipated was the way in which Hermione would draw his attention whenever he was around her. He'd realized he couldn't keep his eyes off her when she'd entered the common room. And now she had somehow willingly come to him, and letting him hold her…

"Draco," she said, looking up at him, "it's getting kind of late."

Draco nodded. She was right, and he should probably let her go now. But it had been so long since they'd been this close to one another, and Draco didn't want it to end quite yet. She seemed to sense this and relaxed into his chest. Draco lifted a hand to stroke her hair. It was soft like he remembered, and, as he buried his nose in her locks, smelled just like he remembered too, like sugared kiwis and limes.

"You smell good," Draco said.

He could feel her smile against his chest as he continued to play with her hair. Suddenly she looked up at him, as if confused, with eyes that were large and round and brown. She was indisputably beautiful, Draco realized; no wonder he had never been able to keep his eyes off her. His head swam with thought, and yet the vision of her face remained clearly in front of him. Why had he let this go; why had he forced her away? In a flash of clarity, the truth of the past few weeks of their separation appeared to him. He'd pushed Hermione away, and so it made sense that she'd avoided him. How could he have been so stupid? Those eyes, the ones looking up at him right now, and her soft brown hair, and the tiny body clinging to him; those were all things he wanted, and had always wanted. And her smile, and her lips. He wondered if, like the rest of her, they were as soft and warm as he remembered. And he was taking a risk by doing this, but still, Draco lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Just to see. And of course they were.

Hermione's eyes were still open when he pulled back. Her breath fell on his lips, soft releases of air. And then she kissed him back, sort of as if she were testing his mouth. It was a long, unhurried kiss; she slowly tasted both his lips with her tongue and then pulled away. And then Hermione just looked at him.

"It was a mistake," Draco blurted. "It was all a mistake."

Hermione nodded but didn't seem to want any more explanation. She simply lifted her hands to the back of Draco's head and ran her hands through his hair and kissed him again. Draco leaned back into the couch as Hermione pulled herself out of his grip and sat down on his knees, her legs on either side of his own.

How could he have forgotten what this felt like? Draco took her lips in another slow kiss, just wanting to savor the taste of her in his mouth. Hermione pulled him closer as his hands moved along the length of her body. He tugged at the bottom of her blouse and released it from her skirt, then slid his hands underneath the fabric and over her back. She pulled away and allowed him to unbutton her blouse, then did the same for his shirt. Draco had wanted to take this slowly, but Hermione was tugging at his belt and he was finding it difficult to resist her.

"Wait, not here," he said. "My room, let's go to—"

"What do you mean, 'I can't get through'—I want to talk to my son!"

Draco stopped talking and froze. Hermione had paled and was looking at the portrait door.

"Ok, then, let him know I'm here! Draco, are you in there?"

That was the unmistakable voice of his father, arguing with the couple in the portrait. Cursing under his breath, Draco stood up from the couch. As he walked to the portrait he fixed his clothes into a more presentable appearance, then took one look back at Hermione, who had just finished buttoning her blouse.

"Yes, father, hold on."

Draco reluctantly pushed open the portrait. Standing there in all his evil majesty was Lucius Malfoy. He was dressed in black robes, of course, which swept the floor as he stepped back. After casting a final look of displeasure around him, Lucius entered the common room. "Draco, I've come to tell you some rather—"

Lucius stopped upon seeing that there was someone else in the room. He quickly eyed Hermione up and down before addressing her. "I'm sorry, Miss—"

"Granger," Hermione supplied.

"Ah yes, well, if you'd excuse us, Draco and I need to discuss something privately."

Hermione eyed the elder Malfoy and stood. "I was just leaving anyway," she said and quickly headed for her room.

Lucius' gaze followed her until she disappeared, then turned on Draco. "What was she doing here?"

"The Head Girl and I were just discussing something," Draco answered, hoping to move the focus of the conversation from Hermione as soon as possible.

"Were you arguing? She looked rather red to me."

"Uhh…yes. I'd forgotten to…uh…patrol yesterday night and she was somewhat angry about it."

"I see." Lucius looked either unconvinced or uninterested, and Draco hoped it was the latter. "Well, as I was saying, I have some interesting news for you. Our Lord…" Lucius lowered his voice to a whisper and looked around, "wants you as soon as possible, meaning that once vacation starts, you will have a place among us. So, keep that in mind as you finish up this term." Lucius looked down at Draco, who'd taken a seat on the couch at the beginning of their conversation. "I must get back to the Manor now." Lucius walked towards the exit, and then stopped, his eyes flicking over to the Head Girl's staircase. "Make sure the only thing you're doing with that mudblood is arguing," he said before the portrait closed behind him.

The suffocating feeling of dread washed over Draco at his father's last words. Of course—Lucius wasn't stupid, not completely—and now he knew that something was going on between Draco and Hermione. And that was enough cause for worry. Up to that point he'd done an incredibly good job of ignoring his father, and the Death Eaters, and the horrible obligation he had to both. Somehow he'd managed to forget about the letter and the rest of his life now that he couldn't escape. But there was no more ignoring those things now. Draco looked over to Hermione's staircase to see her head poking out from behind the wall. Oh gods, she'd heard it all.

"Is he gone now?" Hermione asked. She didn't move from her position at the top of the staircase.

Draco nodded and she came down and sat on the couch next to him.

"What was that about?"

Hermione was worried; Draco saw it clearly in her eyes. He didn't know if he could say this to her.

"He just came to tell me that my mother isn't doing too well," Draco said, "and that she's in the hospital right now."

She accepted it, of course. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, asking if he was ok, and he nodded. He didn't want to lie to her; if anyone deserved his honesty it was Hermione. But to tell her the truth now—he just couldn't do it. The truth was too horrible of a thing for him to deal with now.

"Do you want to go to my room?" Draco asked suddenly.

"Right now? But your mother—"

"Let's go," he said, standing up and pulling Hermione with him. "She'll be fine."

Damn, I just realized that I was talking about a Quidditch shop in the last chapter and I called it a joke shop. Urgh. For those of you who've already read that chapter before I made the change (yes, it's been changed), it is now a Quidditch shop in which Draco and Harry had their confrontation. So sorry…

I've also heard that in HBP Blaise is given a gender; is this true? Oh wait, it is, never mind…Anyway, if there's something in this story that doesn't agree with the latest book, though I'd rather not know who dies yet, feel free to let me know. I can't say that I'll change anything, but at least I can label the story AU if necessary.

And for princesstiggeroe (who asked a while ago how many chapters would be left to this story) and anyone else who's curious, I think I can safely say that in two or three chapters, it will all be over. Yeah, I didn't even realize it until I wrote this chapter. It just snuck up on me.

Well, until next time (and don't forget to review)…

coldlove