A/N: Ok, so I know I'm abusing my cliffhanger privileges but I just can't help it! I can only hope no one riots after this one but I just don't think I've tortured my poor characters enough to have it end happily ever after just yet! However, I promise I will try to make the resolution as satisfying as I can for everyone (hehe) I can only hope you awesome readers will stick with me, especially the glorious people who review! Anyways…on with the show!

… … …

Draco entered their commons still in his gear, exhausted and covered in dirt. Immediately he felt a shove. Hermione had been waiting for him by the door.

"Why did you do that!" she demanded to know.

"Oh chill out girly," he said hotly, "precious potty-cakes is fine."

"And you're lucky he is! Otherwise I'd, I'd…"

"You'd what?" Draco asked mockingly. 'God damn her, why does she have to look so cute when she's mad?' He wondered as he watched her with her hands on her hips and her shoulders back.

"This is ridiculous Draco!" she said, "My friends have nothing to do with us!"

"Us?" Draco demanded, cocking his head snidely to the side. His cheap ploy had worked, he had got her attention back.

"I mean this," she stammered, "this whole mess."

"I don't have time for this," he said as the conversation turned awkward. He knew he wanted her attention but he never figured out to do if he managed to get it. Now he was second guessing himself, he was in over his head. He tried to walk past her to his room but she put her hand on his chest.

"Wait Draco,' she protested, "if you got something you wanna say let's hear it, because I'm not going to let you take this 'problem' out of this room again."

"I've got nothing to say to a tease." He said cruelly.

"What?" Hermione gasped with surprise, "I didn't tease you!"

"Oh yeah, Hermione, You were definitely one sided. Didn't go back and forth at all…" he drawled sarcastically.

"I was confused!" she said.

"What was there to be confused about! Either you kiss me or you don't, but you don't lead someone on. Even the skankiest Slytherin girls don't do that.'

Hermione looked at him with sting in her eyes.

"That wasn't my intention at all! I thought I wanted to… kiss you, …and I guess I did, but then I didn't know what I wanted after that…and things got all fast and I felt really flushed and hot…"

"You don't need to replay it Hermione, I was there remember? You know, everyone may think you're really great at this school, and I first I thought it was going to be really hard being head with you with constantly being compared and all, but you know what? I can feel a lot better now. Because at least I know that I'm not fake."

"Are you saying I'm fake?" Hermione asked shocked.

"Well I'm sorry if it's too hard for you to take Hermione. But I'd rather be known as a jerk than let everyone think I'm the nicest person ever and secretly go about hurting innocent people."

Hermione knew he was implying him, and then thought of him actually being hurt about what she did made her swell with guilt and remorse.

Draco was surprised at himself. He wanted to make her feel guilty, it was all about of his plan of manipulating her, but even he was surprised at what he was saying to her to do so. And he was even more surprised at how natural what he was saying felt. His eyes really did fill with pain, and most of it was from the memory of her running away from him, but Draco wondered for a second if part of the terrible feeling was guilt from trying to manipulate her.

Hermione had no idea that the pain she saw in his eyes could possibly be from guilt, all she saw was him hurting and she thought she was the cause. She wanted to hug him tight and hold him.

"Draco, you have to believe me, I wasn't trying to tease you. I'm really sorry if you thought that was what I was doing…"

Draco closed his eyes while he listened to her speak. Hermione wondered if it was because he was getting emotional.

"I got caught up in the moment," she continued to explain, "and I didn't think it all through."

"So you never wanted to kiss me at all." Draco reworded.

"Well no…I…" Hermione tried to make herself sound less mean than he did.

Draco still looked sullen with his head down avoiding eye contact with her, like he was taking heartbreaking news. Hermione was extremely surprised by his softer side. She hated to see him down, and she found herself wanting to make things better for him.

She lost whatever it was she was trying to say and instead found herself staring at his pouting lips. Draco looked up when she fell silent and his stormy eyes met hers. Draco sensed her slowly moving in towards him and he closed his eyes.

Hermione was indeed, slowly leaning in, drawn to his lips, but she didn't even realize it. By the time she did she was almost lip to lip with him. The moment was thick with tension and she was shaking from excitement.

Hermione hoped Draco wasn't thinking she was going to kiss him. Because she stopped herself just in time. She didn't want to start making out with him and then freak out and run off again. She thought quitting before they even got started was better. Draco would disagree however.

"I'm sorry," she finally finished, drawing away from him, standing up tall.

Draco opened his eyes. He wasn't going to get to kiss her sweet lips again like he thought for one happy second. Negative feelings brewed within him, she had led him on and ultimately rejected him once again.

"Draco?" she said, wanting him to say something.

Draco looked her in eyes for a second then looked away. The sadness in them was replaced with malice. "Don't talk to me," he said through gritted teeth.

"But Draco," Hermione pleaded, her own eyes filling with sadness.

"I SAID don't talk to me! No good could come from being by someone as conniving as you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She knew by the tightening in her chest that she had some sort of feelings for Draco, why else would she care if he said something like that? Embarrassed and hurt she turned away and went up to her room.

Draco could hear her start to softly sniffle before her door clicked. Draco stood in the commons for a few seconds. Then impulsively without knowing what he was doing, he darted up her stairs and burst through the door. He wasn't sure if he was going to yell at her for breaking his heart or grab her and take her. He didn't know why he felt compelled to go after her when he was so unprepared on what to do, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

Hermione was at her dresser drawer, she just popped something into her mouth.