Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All credit must be given to J.K.

The Cradle Will Fall

Chapter 6

"Hi. I got you these." Draco smiled as he handed Hermione a bouquet of flowers. She beamed joyfully as she took them and attempted to find a place to put them. "Thank you." She said sweetly.

Hermione walked over to the fireplace in her common room and stared down at the fire. It had been three days since she had taken Daniel to the Great Hall. In those three days, Draco seemed to spend every winking moment with her. Even when she knew he had better things to do, like finishing homework, he stayed with her. Yesterday, Harry had invited Hermione to watch him practice quidditch at five. Poor Harry, though, for Hermione completely forgot. Draco was with her and she had seemed to have just lost track of time. Odd, though. Hermione hardly lost track of time.

Draco's arms found their way around Hermione's waist. The sudden contact pulled her from her reflections. He laid his cheek on the top of her head and pulled her closer to him.

"Have I ever told you how much I adore you?" His words made Hermione laugh to herself. "Only every minute you're with me. I'm starting to get the feeling you use it as filler when there's too much silence." He laughed at this. 'If Potter could see us, he'd self combust.'

"Well, aren't you going to say something sweet and affectionate to me?" Draco asked half sarcastically. He released her and turned completely towards her so he could look at her face. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement.

"Well," Draco placed his hand at the back of her head as she began to speak, "have I ever told you I like you more than—" He pressed his lips onto hers, stifling her words. Hermione's breathing sped up as his hands caressed her body, moans escaping her lips periodically. His hands eventually found their way to the sides of her face, where they stayed. He pulled away from her mouth and leaned into her ear.

"More than Potter?" He had said this quietly, but Hermione heard very clearly.

"Prat." She pulled back and slapped his arm. She didn't appear too fazed by his remark, though. Did she like Draco more than Harry? She must have, for she risked everything to secretly be with Draco. If she had liked Harry more, she would have stopped it. She would have never invited Draco into her bed that night. She said nothing, though.

"Do you want to do something before Daniel wakes up?" Hermione questioned him as she took a seat on one of the sofas in the room.

"I'd like to do a lot of things before he wakes up, but I don't think we're that far along in the relationship." Hermione smiled but gave him a suspicious look. 'So now this is a relationship? Am I allowed to have two relationships, because I fear that's what's happened.'

Draco came and stretched out on the couch, setting his head in Hermione's lap. "I still want to talk about Potter." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What's there to talk about?" Draco looked up at her skeptically.

"Are you joking? Every time I bring him up, you avoid it like the plague." She began to shake her head in denial. "Yes you do." He took hold of her hand and gently set it on his chest, over his heart.

"I want to be with you."

"You are with me!" Draco shook his head.

"No. I want Potter out of the picture." Hermione tried to argue, but he stopped her.

"Please. Let me talk for a minute." She nodded and he continued. "It makes me sick, seeing you two in the halls and in class. He's always all over you." His eyes subconsciously narrowed at the thought of them.

"He's my boyfriend, Draco." Her words sounded ridiculous to her own ears. 'I never thought I'd see the day that I, Hermione Granger, would be cheating on someone.'

"So? If you really liked me you'd break up with him." He looked up at her expectedly. She shook her head.

"No. I left him. I left him without a word for a year. The least I could do is be with him."

"So you're with him out of pity? That's stupid." Draco gripped her hand a little tighter now. Hermione looked straight ahead at the fireplace.

"Who would you rather be with?" Draco's voice now sounded tense. There was a long pause before Hermione could find the strength to answer.

"I—I don't know." Draco dropped Hermione's hand suddenly, surprising her. He pushed himself up and off the couch quickly, his face now red.

"Well, when you figure it out, please inform me." Draco's voice was bitter. Who could blame him? He had hardly ever spent so much time with any girl as he did with Hermione. And now she was saying she wasn't sure if she liked him more than someone else. Draco was angry, sour, humiliated, but most of all, he was jealous.

Hermione watched, with her mouth agape, as Draco stormed from the common room. 'Ha! How dare he talk to me like that! I don't need him. We're too random anyway. People wouldn't get it.' Despite her silent argument, Hermione couldn't explain why she suddenly felt depressed.

With the crying of a child in the next room, Hermione forced herself off the sofa and back into mother mode.