A/N: Sorry for the wait...when was the last time i updated? i can't remember, bu i know it's might two or three weeks right? Well, as i say in all my recent fanfics, school's a killer. i'm so glad friday is last day of school and then winter break! that means i actually have time to write my stories! yay! well, enough of me blabbering, here's the chapter!


They sat by the lake for a while before Hermione reminded them that they were going to miss curfew. They walked a few feet away from each other, both bright red and speechless. Once they got into the castle, Draco went down to the dungeons without a word. Hermione went to the Gryffindor Common Room in great thought.

As she expected, Harry and Ron were at the couches by the fire, playing Wizards' Chess/ Hermione walked up to them, "I'm sorry about earlier. It was very rude of me."

Harry stood up to face her. "It's okay," he said as he hugged her. "Friends?"

"Forever and for always," smiled Hermione. She sat down on one of the chairs. "Okay, let me see your essays while you two play your game." They handed her their essays and Hermione started to go over them, crossing stuff out here and there.


Draco immediately walked to his dormitory without bothering to talk to anyone. He planned to go to bed, alone, to think about what had just happened down by the lake. His idea of alone was crushed when he saw Pansy sitting on his bed. Her face was downcast and she wasn't acting like herself. On a normal day, she would have jumped up and run over to him. Tonight, she didn't even look up. Despite the face that he didn't particularly like Pansy, he was a little worried.

"Pansy? Is something wrong?" asked Draco. He stared at her. She looked up at him, watery eyed. 'Oh no! I'm no good with tears!'

"You could have told me," said Pansy she didn't get up, just continued to play with the fuzz on Draco's blankets.

Draco sighed. "I didn't tell anyone because I don't want any pity; I don't want any sorrow, I don't need any of that." Draco looked at her with emotionless eyes. "I don't want or need it from you either."

"Why are you like this?" cried Pansy. Draco cocked a brow at her. "Why do you wear an invisible mask? Why do you hide your emotions like you do?" She stood up, tears flowing out of her eyes like rivers.

"For the same reasons that I didn't tell anyone about my mother. I don't want any emotional relationships with anyone. I don't need anyone. I'm a lone wolf. I fend for myself," explained Draco. "Now, I'm going to bed. Leave."

She walked past him and stopped at the door. She looked over her shoulder at him. "I hope you can find someone who'll open your heart. Who you can be yourself around." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I can't be that girl. I know that now." She opened the door and left, closing it behind her.

Her last words left him standing there, more confused than ever. Someone he can open up to? He walked to his bed and sat on it. Now that he thought about it, he started to lose his emotional mask when he was around Hermione Granger earlier. What was it about her that he could, tin time, become himself around her? That thought kind of scared him. Especially because of what he was and what she was, and because he didn't really know who he was.

All he saw when he looked in the mirror was his father. Almost like a clone. He looked just like his father and acted just like him too. Now, sitting here, thinking about it, he hates himself. He hates how his father treats him and his mother. He hates how he worships Voldemort's every move. He hates his father to the depths of his soul.

"So why the hell am I just like him!" yelled Draco. He was thankful no one else was in bed yet or they would yell at him to shut the hell up. He fell back onto the pillows and stared at the ceiling of his dormitory. "Argh!" He rolled over on his side and stared at the wall. "Dammit! I don't want this! I wish I never went back to that lake! Dammit Granger! Dammit Pansy! Look what you both made me think about!" He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. It took a couple hours before he actually got to sleep.


Hermione woke up to the cries of Harry and Ron. They were yelling at her to hurry up, so they could go eat. "Go ahead and go without me!" she yelled. She was thankful that her roommates had already woken up and left.

"You sure?"

"Yes, go ahead. You want to eat before class right?"

"Okay, we'll see you down there then!"

"'Kay!" Hermione took a quick shower and used a drying spell on herself. She grabbed a pair of her Hogwarts robes and threw them on over the Hogwarts uniform. She walked out of her dormitory and stopped in the common room. 'What will I do if I see Malfoy? We had an…awkward…conversation last night…then we…cuddled…' She thought. "What was I thinking?" she muttered to herself. She slapped her forehead and mentally kicked herself. "That's the stupidest thing you've ever done Hermione!" she told herself.

Hermione nearly flew down the Grand Staircase in her hurry to get at least snag a bagel before it was time to go to her first class. She got to the Entrance Hall and spotted Draco with a group of friends. Their eyes met for a second before Hermione went into the Great Hall. She sighed as she walked to the Gryffindor table. She sat down between Harry and Ron.

"You okay?" asked the only girl of the Weasley family, Ginny. She sat on the opposite side of the table from Hermione.

Hermione smiled warmly at her. "I'll be okay. I'll always miss them…but…I'll be all right. I know they wouldn't want me to dwell on them for the rest of my life. They'd want me to be happy." Ron and Harry hugged her.

"That's our girl: smart, brave, loyal," said Harry. Hermione smiled and hugged them back.


When Draco saw Hermione walk-rather almost at a run-into the Great Hall, he looked up at her. When their eyes met, he looked down and continued talking to his so-called friends. They walked into the Great Hall and sat down on the Slytherin Table. Without really realizing it, he kept on glancing at Hermione on the Gryffindor Table.

"What do you keep on glancing at?" asked Blaise. He turned around and looked around the Great Hall. He turned back to Draco with a raised brow.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Draco propped his elbow on the table and played with his food. Blaise looked at him curiously, but decided to drop the subject, although he was still worried about his friend. Ever since a couple weeks ago, Draco had been acting weirdly, but Blaise didn't know why. He would find out, sooner or later. He would find out what was bothering him.


A/N: Sorry for the shortness...o.0 It is short isn't it? I did not mean for that to happen, but i didn't really know what to write after this. So i decided to call it chapter and post it. so yeah...so...umm...well, i'm not thanking reviewers on my stories anymore, execpt Paid Date and Harry Potter Idol. So this story and future stories i'll mail you back with the message thingy that the mods have recently added. i like that better. more personal..um is that the right word? well, i just like it better lol. so...

Until next time
This is Kiwi
Over and out