Why are you all etching for a fight? Whatever happened to rainbows and sunshine? Lol. Not that I particularly want any. I'll keep you're… ideas… in mind.

Not that this is in any way relevant to the fic, I just went to prize giving and I GOT A PRIZE. 1st time I've been to one of those. Rather blown away. (Just thought I'd share that with you)

Eric's accent is barely noticeable. You wouldn't be able to detect it unless you were very observant!

---

"Thank you." Hermione thanked him. He smiled back, telling her the pleasure was entirely his.

"Well done class, especially you Eric; you've caught up so well. Class dismissed."

Harry caught Draco muttering something darkly and had a suspicious feeling something was up.

"May I walk you?" Eric asked laughing flirtatiously and Hermione went along.

"Sure." She agreed, mesmerised by such gentlemanly acts that reminded her of someone.

"Uh Hermione. Can I…" Harry started coughing. He turned around and saw Draco, deviously left behind by his comrades. Draco was looking outside the windows, on the walls; anywhere but at the little group before him. No matter how untrustworthy these Slytherins were, they'd never leave one of their own behind, much less Draco. "Eric, you go ahead."

Eric eyed Harry for a moment, evaluating if he was a foe or not. If he presented a challenge that rivalled him to win over the object of his affects. A challenge, yes he could be; but a rival or foe no. This was Harry Potter.

"Sure." Eric agreed and walked along, giving the space the Gryffindors asked for.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, slightly bothered,

"I need to talk to you…" Harry muttered underneath his breath. By the tone he was talking in, Hermione knew it would be unwise to object and nodded her head in agreement.

"Look, Er-" Draco slammed Harry against the wall, the look of surprise on Draco's face told Harry just what Draco had in mind. "Harry."

Hermione looked at the two questioningly.

"Uh… Hermione. I'll catch up later. This looks…urgent. I need to have a chat to Malfoy here. We'll talk after dinner. In the commons, no leaving without me." Harry excused, "Go catch up with Eric."

Harry could feel Draco's face burning up.

"What you're problem, man?" Harry asked as Hermione was well out of sight, pushing him back into the now empty classroom.

"Nothing." Draco mumbled.

"Didn't look like nothing. You nearly murdered me out there. What's got in to you?" Harry began reciting,

"Nothing." Draco began withdrawing, wondering how he could get the wrong guy. Harry's and Eric's hair were surprisingly similar.

"What do you want with Eric?" Harry asked, still remembering their conversation last year. He wanted so much to believe it wasn't true, but everything fitted together so much better when it was.

"Nothing." Draco muttered, why the hell do these Gryffindors have to be so nosey?

"Tell me. Is this about Hermione? Is this part of your ingenious plan? Are you, once again, going to destroy me?" Harry provoked, "I see the way you look at her, when you think no one's watching. I see the way you look anywhere but at her when people are looking. You think us Gryffindors are so stupid that we're all idiots. She must be living proof, then, huh? Maybe your plan back fired? Maybe you lost track of your brilliant plan. Maybe you can't stick to it." Harry paused for a breath, panting hard at yelling at the sullen Slytherin, not quite finished.

"So what if I'm…fond of her." Draco relented.

"Fond? Or suddenly crazy jealous because some new guy dares to take your girl? Suddenly over possessive, even though you chucked her away like some boring toy?" Harry continued raving. Anyone who witnessed could see the two were heavily infatuated, but it would've had to be an outside perspective.

"I just wanted to tell the van die bitch to leave her alone. I just wanted to warn him, from both of us, not to hurt her. I thought you would support me in this. I thought you'd want for your lover girl to be safe. I would've thought you wouldn't want to protect Hermione. I assumed that you wouldn't want her to go through it again." Draco defended.

"You want to mark your territory? Make sure no one can even get close to Hermione? Is that what you would call happy? I suppose you Slytherins wouldn't know. It's better to love than to not love at all. You chucked her out, Malfoy, so you have no right!" Harry argued,

"What give you the right?"

"Nothing. It isn't my right. I gave her up even before you did. Even though we – I and perhaps you, care fore her. It's not our right. If Hermione chooses to be with him, it's her choice. Let her." Harry breathed,

"How can you live with it? Knowing that someone else has her? Knowing that she's happy with someone else. Without you?" Draco asked, a voice below a whisper,

"Because I know she's happy. And alive. Even though without me she's still alive and happy. Knowing that she doesn't need me as much as I need her, knowing that life would go on for her if I was to suddenly disappear. Knowing I wouldn't be the cause of any pain or suffering she might go through." Harry answered with passion,

"But you still have her, she still runs to you for counsel. If she was unhappy, you could help her. If she was confused you could guide her. If she was hurt, you would heal her." Draco looked up, his eyes suspiciously glistening, his voice breaking.

"But you don't." Harry realised.

"Yes." Draco moved away, knowing that she was in capable hands, though he resolved to keep watch over her. Even if it was from afar.

"Why?" Harry wondered, "Why did you push her away? You had her."

"For the same reasons you did, Potter."

Same reasons?

---

"Harry, you wanted to talk to me?" Hermione approached him. Harry looked up and motioned her onto the scarlet velvet couch.

"I just… I just wanted to ask about Eric." Harry murmured, still replaying in his mind the conversation between him and Malfoy.

"It seems everyone wants to hear about him." Hermione admitted shyly, eager to spill the gossip.

"You're into him?" Harry asked; the words weren't as strained as he thought they'd be.

"I don't know." Hermione revealed. "It's just so strange. He could probably have any girl he wants. Why me? It just seems a little strange that he'd be interested in me." Hermione couldn't help but think she was the luckiest girl in the school, no, in the world!

First was the famed Harry Potter taking an interest in her, then the cold and unlikely Draco Malfoy. Now the handsome new foreign guy.

"I didn't whether you're into him. Not to doubt whether he's into you." Harry playfully nudged.

"I don't know. I guess so."

"Any sparks? Fireworks? Tingling sensation?" Harry laughed giddily, remembering,

"No." She admitted.

"I suppose it'll grow on you…" Harry excused, not expecting that answer.

Hermione stared back at him, not really buying it. They sat in silence, staring at each other. It had been so perfect before.

But they can't go back. It'll never be the same, no matter how hard they tried. It was as if the memory of them being together was just that. A memory, never to be relived.

"It wasn't like that for us." Hermione admitted randomly, "There was even a strange pull between me and… Malfoy."

Harry continued to stare at her.

"There's no other way to ask this. And I'm sure you're not. But I have to make sure." Harry took a deep breathe, closed his eyes not wanting to face her. "Are-you-using-Eric-to-get-back-at-Draco-I-mean-Malfoy-to-make-him-jealous-like-you-used-him-against-me?"

Hermione stared at the ground.

"I don't know. Honestly, I thought about it. But I guess I've learned my lesson. With Draco and You, and all…" Hermione trailed off, sighing. "He's never going to come around is he? No matter how much space I give him. No matter how much time."

"He's…set a resolve." Harry trod carefully, "Just be careful, Hermione. I don't want you to get hurt, I don't you to have to go through it again. But, remember, it's better to love and loss than to never love at all. Eric looks like a nice guy. But it's up to you."

"I don't know." Hermione confided,

"You'll know what you want soon." Harry assured, thinking how ironic it was him giving the advice to her. It was so often that it was vice versa that…

He'd also have to get to the bottom of what Malfoy was on about. So many things were happening. It seemed so unfair.

"I already know what want." Hermione whispered.

---

Heart-felt and… strangely appealing.

And your opinion is…