Previously on The Secret…
"You're heartless and cruel Malfoy!" she cried out, trying to hold back tears but her flush red face was showing that she wasn't strong enough to hold it. It was as if that slap knocked all his cruelty out of his bones. Hermione began to run again, but this time Draco wouldn't let her get away. Oh no, this time he was going to stop her and make her know every little truth, irregardless of what Blaise advised him.

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Hermione ran exactly where she knew he couldn't get to her, her bedroom which luckily had their own passwords for privacy from the other head student. She ran as fast as her short legs could handle, murmuring out the password just in time for her to get into her room without leaving room for Draco to squeeze through. Tears escaped her eyes once again as she sunk to the floor, resting her back on the door she just entered from. Sniffling, she brought her wand up from her pocket and muttered a locking spell on the bathroom door so that Draco couldn't barge out from there either.

Following behind Hermione was Draco, trying to catch up but fortunately for Hermione, his robes didn't like to participate with him while he ran. He turned the corner after the stairs to see her room close with a slam. Sighing he rested his forehead against the door, giving a light hopeless pound on the door in disappointment, which startled Hermione.

"Please open up." He begged only to be answered back by silence. "I'm…" he paused. "I'm sorry Hermione. If you can hear me, know that I'm SORRY." He yelled a bit louder, but still received no response. Draco stared at the door, grabbing his wand saying an incantation to unlock the door. On the other side of the door, Hermione snickered at his pathetic attempt; he should have known that these doors are spell proof. He sank to the floor this time, resting on the side of the door way, disappointed. I'm not leaving. He said to himself, as he settled stubbornly watching the roaring lion on the door move around agitated from Draco's disturbance. He rolled his eyes, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, eventually falling asleep.

Hermione finally heard silence and made her way to the bathroom to clean the tears away from her face. Staring at her face in the mirror and softly touching her cheek where a tear line dried. Why must he be such a prat? Hermione looked down, her eyes traveled to a cracked surface on the counter. She laughed inwardly at Draco's anger problem as she traced the indent with her fingers. He probably doesn't even know that he left that, I wonder what he was mad about. AUGH, Hermione don't think of such things, especially HIM. She thought as she glared over to his shut door. Regaining concentration on nothing unparticular, her stomach growled reminding her that she breakfast should be starting any moment now. Giving herself one more glance in the mirror, she straightened her robes and smoothed her bushy but tamed hair and left to her room's exit.

Draco woke up, and still remained sitting outside of Hermione's room with his eyes closed, resting hoping he'd get a chance to explain things to her when he heard the creaking of her room door. Hermione he thought happily as he rushed himself up, hiding to the side of the big door as Hermione emerged from her room. He watched her come out quietly before making her way towards the stairs, where he rushed up to her, grabbing her wrist.

"MALFOY" she yelled as she urgently attempted to tug her hand away from his grasp.

"GRANGER" he yelled back grabbing her attention, then cooling down as he continued "hear me out." He sighed.

"NO" she squeezed her eyes shut, then lunging forward, hitting him as hard as she could managing to escape his hold. "LEAVE ME ALONE MALFOY" she yelled as she ran down the stairs and exiting the dormitory as fast as she could go.

"BOLLOCKS" Draco yelled loudly, kicking a bookshelf that was next to her room, enraged that he let her slip through his hold once again.

XXX

Ever since breakfast Hermione dreaded her final class of the day, Potions, with the git himself. She as usual, got there early with Neville to accompany her at a table. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt his presence shake her world. She knew it was him because of the expensive shoes clicking outside the hall way nearing the entry to the class room. Neville asked her if she was alright, focused on Neville she explained that she had a minor headache and that when she squeezed her eyes tight, it helped her get rid of it.

Upon his entry to the room, Draco determined that he was going to ask Snape for the use of the class room after class departed. He walked in casually glancing quickly at Hermione, who was too busy talking to Neville, before going to Snape. He leaned forward towards the table where Professor Snape was working quietly.

"Yes, Draco." He muttered without looking up towards his god son.

"I was wondering, professor… if I could use the class room to discuss head manners with Granger." He said her name icily; after all he had an image to uphold.

"If necessary, Mr. Malfoy, however, do make it as quick as possible, wouldn't want any… trouble." He eyed him carefully, as if expecting problems from Draco and Hermione being in the same room alone together. Draco gave him his famous smirk before turning on his heel back to his seat, waiting for class to begin.

Moments later, Snape stood up promptly standing before his class. "Can anyone tell me what the Duplicadex Potion does" he eyed his wary students as Hermione raised her hand urgently as if she were to die if she never was called on. Snape rolled his eyes as he traveled to her seating place last knowing she would be the one to explain the potion. "Ms. Granger" he said coldly.

She calmed herself while smiling at being called before answering, "The Duplicadex Potion is a potion that allows you to escape your enemies' grasp by setting a decoy up impersonating the person that drinks it. Its power comes from several common ingredients and one rare flower, which is why it is a rare potion to be used. The last trace of this spell being used is back in the early nineteenth century by pheasant witch that knew the location where the rare flower grows. To this day, that place remains unknown due to the fact she disappeared by using the potion as her escape. Rumor has it that there is a secret map locating the flower's secret location; however there are no traces as to where this map is either." Snape nodded in approval as Hermione inwardly jumped hoping for points this time for her thorough answer.

"As usual Ms. Granger, correct. Five points to Gryffindor." He sneered the last part, regretful for awarding points as Hermione's face brighten up with triumph. "Now, can someone, besides Ms. Granger, tell me why we are studying the rare Duplicadex potion?" His eyes traveled across the several faces in the class room until he reached the platinum blonde's hand raising. "Mr. Malfoy?"

"Because what Granger failed to mention was the part that every two centuries, on the first full moon of November, the rare flower's glow appears so brilliantly, that it's visible a mile away." Snape nodded to him, "Twenty points to Slytherin." Normally when Snape awarded Malfoy points for his house, he would send a cold sneer towards Hermione's location… but not this time. Draco looked over at Hermione, softly, then back towards the professor, anxious for class to end. Seeing this, Snape raised his eyebrow in suspension.

For what seemed to be hours later, class ended and Snap dismissed the students. Snape nodded to Draco approving the availability to the room as he left for his potion storage room. Draco knew exactly how she worked; putting her things away into her bag precisely before she would leave and she did just that. She remained putting her quill into her bag, buckling it up and ready to put over her shoulder. Draco stealthy snuck up behind Hermione before grabbing her arm, soft this time.

"Please, can we talk?" he begged her, calm and serious as he let go of her wrist.

"What more do you want to say to a mudblood?" taken back to her use of the word he stared at her quietly until she began to tap her foot. He looked around the room not sure what to say.

"Look, I lied. Okay?" He let out, sighing, as if he had been holding the information in forever.

"When don't you." She scoffed, turning to leave, he grabbed her again.

"It was no accident." He said pleading, looking in to her eyes which were mixed and full of confusion. Again he let go of her wrist, convinced she'd stay this time.

"What was?" she said, pretending to not know what he was talking about.

"Don't play dumb Granger" he groaned, looking around the room, checking to make sure Snape didn't sneak back into the classroom.

"I'm not playing dumb Malfoy. You could be talking about a lot of things." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Do I need to remind you." He said serious but with a playful hint in his voice. Hermione knew what he was talking about the whole time, but her surprise with his confession took her back a bit.

"Don't do this Draco." She sighed, he lifted his hand to touch her face, and she looked away. "please." He pulled back his hand.

"What am I doing wrong."

"You're going to hurt me" she sighed, shifting her weight, pleading him to let her leave by her body's actions.

"I never hurt you when you slapped me back in third year, what makes you think I'd hurt you from ignoring me?" He grinned sheepishly. Hermione let out a soft giggle before returning to her serious attitude.

"True but you're not denying that you'll hurt me." She whispered.

"It's not possible" he said stepping forward. "When I see sadness in your eyes, my world mourns." Looking straight into her eyes his stomach flipped urging him in to dive for her lips, too soon he hissed to himself, waiting for her but nothing showed. He sighed ready to let out another unknown fact. "Why do you think I stopped to talk to you during forth year, when you were crying at the Yule ball?"

"Probably fishing to insult me." She said as she shrugged.

"No. You were crying. Do you even remember what was said? Do you remember that I did make you stop crying?"

FLASHBACK

She sank to the floor instantly with Ron's bitter words crushing her mind with every thought. Ron just had to go and ruin her whole night, she had been so happy. Victor Krum asked her to go to the Ball and everyone envied her. She knew she looked pretty, she saw how people looked at her and Ron basically just spat at her, crushing her happiness in seconds. Did he have to be so stubborn? He could have easily asked her to the ball, she would have said yes instantly, considering the fact that she had a crush on him. She was now crying to the point where it felt as if her chest was caving in.

Draco turned the corner making his exit from the ball full and ready to go to bed when he heard soft cries belonging to no other than Hermione. He walked over slowly, being as quiet as possible. He sat down besides her before speaking her name.

"Granger?" he said, questioning if she was even listening.

"Sod off Malfoy" she said between sniffles.

"I mean no harm." Spilled out of his mouth, when his whole purpose was to upset her further, but the fact that tears were racing down her face made him want to do the opposite.

"Yeah, Right and I am Professor McGonagall." She laughed as she wiped away a tear before placing it back in front of her clinching it closed.

"Really now Granger. No use in crying, it's just a dance. Krum ditch you or something?" he said as he looked around the hallway, no one to be seen.

"No. Ron. He just attacked me verbally ruining my night just because his night turned out to be bollocks. He saw I as happy and he just had to rain on my parade." Tears began to flow down her face less as she released the thoughts in her mind out to Draco.

"Well, he is a git." Draco laughed. "He is probably just jealous that you were prettier than his date and too stubborn to admit he made a mistake of not asking you sooner." Draco's eyes grew big when he realized he called her pretty, but he continued on hoping she didn't catch those particular words before she could ponder on them further. "No matter, there is no use in crying over spilt milk. Move on. He's a git and a Weasley."

Draco figured Hermione would yell at him for mocking Ron in such a way but instead she let out a soft laugh. That's when her beautiful eyes met his, finally pulling away from their hiding spot between her hands.

"Erm Thanks… Malfoy. I'll be heading to bed now, you ought to be doing the same- unless you're still wanting to dance with your date like Neville is…" she said shyly, lifting herself from the stairs, rubbing the old tears away from her face.

"I'd be caught dead in there to stay another minute with Pansy. I may have to marry her thanks to idiotic bloodline ways but I don't have to be close to her before then. I'd rather spend as MUCH time as possible away. Thanks much." He said causing Hermione's eyes to brighten in laughter. "Anyway, Goodnight Granger." He said turning on his heel before turning back. "Oh and Granger… this, this talk… com-comforting you is our little secret." He said roughly due to the fact that it was hard to say in the first place. Hermione nodded as they walked towards opposite sides of the hall, leaving for bed. Thanks she thought to herself as she let out a weak smile, approaching the Fat Lady.

Flashback

"If it wasn't painfully obvious then, it should be now…" Hermione still looked at him like he was crazy talking of things that couldn't have ever existed. He groaned outwardly while he rolled his eyes. "You know for someone with the marks like yours, you are pretty stupid."

"Gee, thanks." She sighed. He laughed.

"Bloody hell Granger, do I have to write it out in BIG letters." She grinned laughing, he really didn't catch on that she was playing dumb not being dumb. She nodded, causing his shoulders to drop in despair. "Fine, Hermione. I, Draco Malfoy, fancy you." He breathed out, fearing her reaction. Damn fear of rejection, how he hated it.

"It was no accident then?" she asked softly. He looked into her eyes with determination as he stepped forward.

"No accident" he said assuring, as he stepped to her to where there wasn't any distance between them as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers softly. He never wanted the kiss to end, ever since the first moment he kissed her, his lips missed hers. He missed her scent engulfing him, causing his mind to become numb and his body to feel dizzy. She sighed into the kiss causing his stomach to jump several feet in happiness that she was enjoying the kiss as much as him. His arms wrapped around her small waist pulling her in closer, making sure that air between them couldn't possibly exist. If only there was a time stopping spell Draco smiled to himself as he kissed her harder. Eventually they pulled a part, adjusted their clothing and stood there, smiling like fools.

"Well, it seems to me, we have rounds to do and people to catch." He grinned as she smiled back, she seemed to glow.

"Right." She nodded.

The two walked towards the door exit as Draco bowed signaling for Hermione to go through the doorway first before following her out. They walked down the corridor, closer than the many rounds before together. Eventually closing the distance between them as time increased and before the night ended, Draco swept Hermione's hand and held it snuggly at their sides. She glanced over at him and blushed at his touch and he at her. It seemed to be as if a bubble of peace and solitude appeared between them and they're bodies glowed a brilliant soft red.

XXX

A/N: Sorry it took so long, kind of lost track of time and ability to write. But there you are, a new chapter, hopefully ill get another one in sooner than this took.

COMING SOON ON THE SECRET:

"Draco, I know about Hermione and you…"