Concealed Passion

A/N: Thanks to all those reviewed! It was nice to know that people appreciate this story! I hope this was done quick enough for you and I am aiming to update at least once a week so I'll try to stick to it! Again thanks to those who reviewed! Luv water demon xXx

Chapter Two – Suspicion

'Mr Malfoy, what is the end result?' Draco jerked his head up suddenly and found himself looking into Snape's merciless black eyes.

'The end result professor?' Draco stalled, 'Erm . . . why don't you ask 'Know-It-All-Granger?'

Snape stared hard at Draco for a moment, 'Excellent idea, Mister Malfoy.' Draco turned to Hermione to be greeted by a glare. 'Granger!'

'The end result professor is a potion which will allow everyone to see the drinker's secret desire. If the drinker's desire is in the room and if it is a person then they will glow with a golden light, if it is an object then it will glow with a green light, but again only if it is in the same room as the drinker.' Hermione paused for breath, 'But sir, I'm surprised that Malfoy didn't know the answer.' Hermione's last remark was met by sniggers from all the Gryffindor's.

Snape gave them a look through narrowed eyes and all sniggering stopped. He turned back to Hermione 'Five points from Gryffindor for back chat.'

Ron and Harry opened there mouths in protest but received a sharp kick in the shins. Once Snape had turned back to the blackboard Ron poked Hermione.

'Hey I was just trying to help . . .' He whispered.

'I can look after myself Ron I don't need your help.' Hermione replied. As she turned back to her work she missed Ron's heartbroken puppy dog look. Draco however, did not. He looked away in disgust. How can he be so open with his feelings? How can he lay himself bare like that? Draco then lounged back in his chair not bothering to copy down any of the notes as he knew that Snape would give them to him after class. He settled into a dreamy state staring at Hermione.

She looks so beautiful when she's thinking. Draco thought. She has that faraway gaze that suggests that she's in a world of her own. Oh, how he longed to be there with her. He felt a big pang of longing as she sighed and a small smile settled on her lips. An arm appeared around her shoulders that drew her out of her thoughtful gaze that Draco was enjoying. Draco muttered angrily to himself as his longing for the beautiful brunette changed to hatred and jealousy for her two friends.

He then realised they were looking straight at him . . . no, not looking, glaring at him. Uh, oh. He'd been caught again. He cursed himself for getting caught staring and changed his focus to Snape. As an after thought he turned back and gave them his meanest glower that he could muster

'Hermione, Malfoy was staring at you again.' Ron whined, 'Please, please let me curse him and tell him to stop.'

'Oh Ron stop trying to act like a tough man. Malfoy hasn't done any harm by staring at me - '

'That's because he's planning to hurt you.' Ron interrupted 'He's probably staring at you to try and get idea's or he probably fantasises about hurting you or humiliating you 'cos he doesn't like your . . . background.'

Hermione laughed 'Ron! I'm sure Malfoy has better things to do than fantasise about me because of my 'background' as you so delicately put it. I'm sure he's thinking more about trying to get you and Harry into trouble or getting you expelled'

Harry, Ron and Hermione were on their way up to the Gryffindor common room having finished potions and at the moment they were stuck at the bottom of the stairs waiting for a bunch of students to walk past. Hermione didn't see what Ron was getting so worked up about. There's no harm in looking at someone and Hermione was sure that Ron was imagining it. Why would Malfoy be staring at her anyway? She sighed and shook her head. Ron had been acting very protective of her all of a sudden and it was beginning to annoy her.

'But Hermione -' Ron whined again.

'Look Ron stop it! I don't need your protection all the time. I'm a big girl now I can look after myself. Just drop it. Malfoy was just saying evil things about me in his head that's all! Got it?' Hermione ranted and stalked off.

As she left Ron and Harry looking after her with open mouths at her sudden outburst she missed the figure slip quickly out of the crowd and shake his head. How wrong she was about Malfoy's feelings for her.

Draco paced his room. Why oh why did he have to have feelings for a mudblood! Out of everyone he could have liked . . . why her? He heard a sound outside his room and stopped pacing. It was probably Hermione come back from dinner.

To no one's surprise Draco and Hermione had been picked for head boy and girl and were living in the same accommodation. There were their own rooms joining onto the common room they shared and they both had bathrooms connected to their rooms. It was a very nice place to live and Draco felt that it was made better by the fact that Hermione was there, even if he didn't talk to her.

It was October now and they had been sharing the place for two months and had not spoken at all. It was probably best, Draco thought gloomily, because if anyone knew his feelings for her then she'd be in danger and he didn't want that. But still how he longed to tell her what he felt and change her opinion of him. He heard her comment about how he was saying evil things about her in his head. He wanted to shout that she was wrong that he adored her . . . but he couldn't. Not with his father's threat hanging over him.

He sat down and sighed. How did his father find out? Draco never told anyone, never wrote it down. He had realised a long time ago that he was perhaps attracted to Granger. Had his suspicions that perhaps all his hatred for her was love. He chuckled to himself as he thought about the saying: there's a thin line between love and hate. Draco shook his head and got up. He'd go down to dinner; he liked it when it was quieter there so he could eat in peace.

Draco walked out of his room, his mind buzzing of his musings of Hermione, he was so preoccupied that he didn't see her standing in front of the bookshelf, and so, consequently, knocked into her.

'Malfoy?' Hermione cried as she was thrown off balance. As she was falling Draco reached out to try and save her. He managed to save her slightly but because he was already off balance he sent them both falling onto the sofa.

'Oomph' they both gasped on impact. Both of them were breathing rather heavily. They were at such close proximity that there faces were barely an inch apart and Draco found he was lying on top of Hermione.

'Erm . . . I . . . um . . . I' Draco stammered. He had never been this close to her before and was finding it quite unsettling at how he was reacting to her. He was gazing at her face and getting lost in her chocolate brown orbs. He saw her eyes widen in confusion and . . . fear? His heart wrenched as he realised that she feared him. He was distracted by the clear colour of her skin and realised that her beauty was natural. She was wearing no make up. All the girls he previously consorted with were beautiful, but only because of the make up they wore. His respect and adoration for Hermione grew. He then realised that she was talking to him.

'Huh? What?' He asked.

'I said "do you think you could get off me now?" didn't you hear me?' Hermione asked.

'What . . ? Oh' Draco had almost forgotten where he was. He got off her with a rush and got a whiff of her lavender scent shampoo. Without thinking he extended his hand to help her up. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion at his sudden act of kindness.

'Fine, don't take my hand. I'd forgotten how ill mannered m-mudbloods were to kindness.' Draco said scathingly and stalked off out of the common room leaving Hermione still lying on the sofa in confusion.

Outside the common room Draco stopped and leaned against the wall. Phew! That was close. I can't believe how close I was to revealing that I liked her. If she hadn't started talking I probably would have tried to kiss her! He thought. From now on he needed to be meaner to her so she wouldn't get even more suspicious than she already was. He shook his head sadly. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

Meanwhile, in the common room Hermione was going over the events in her head and starting to clue things together. Malfoy's behaviour was strange without a doubt. Maybe she should be suspicious? Maybe Ron was right about his theory about Malfoy and his interest in her. The main thought that was bugging Hermione though was: did his eyes really soften when he looked at her?