A/N: I just want to say thank you those all who reviewed so far. I apologize four fold if I'm not clear about certain things. Thank you guys so much for pointing them out to me in your questions. I'll keep writing as long as you keep reviewing!

Chapter 6: Forgiveness

Over the next few days, Draco Malfoy was on edge every time he saw Hermione. A million questions raced through his head and part of him was waiting for his fellow classmates to tar and feather him for doing what he did. Not the fellow Slytherins, of course, but rather the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs. With his luck though, he might as well be expelled.

Did she tell any of her friends? Did she tell Dumbledore? What does she think of me now?

These questions couldn't be answered unless he confronted her about them, but knew that was out of the question. Hermione would probably either ignore him, chew his head off, or slap him, all of which he deserved. Draco walked the corridor, on his way to Potions class when he ran into someone, knocking both their books out of their arms.

"I'm sorry –"

"Why don't you watch where –"

Draco looked up to see Ginny Weasley, the Weasel's younger sister.

He tried to smile, but he couldn't help but turn it into a sneer. "Well, I'm surprised you're able to afford decent books, Weaselby. Did you have to sell your home to get the money?"

Ginny gathered her books and looked proudly up at him. She had grown over the summer, but he was still a good three inches taller than her.

Ginny gave him a look of disgust and rolled her eyes. "Did you have to sell your brain to get a life?"

Draco chuckled at her comment and smirked. At least she finally admits that Draco has a life this year. Part of him felt relieved that Hermione hadn't told Ginny, but at the same time he felt surprised. If she were to tell her secret to anyone, it would've been Ginny Weasley. The two girls were as close as could be.

He stared at her for a long while before he started making his way to Potions again. For some reason, he couldn't get her out of his head. Maybe it because she was a bit older now, and she had grown up; grown up in the sense where she looked mature. Her red hair had reached just below her shoulder blades, her bosoms had fully developed and her skin complexion seemed like the ones that are only seen in movies or heard about in books.

Draco shook her off his mind, entering the classroom. He had to concentrate one problem at a time. As he sat down, he looked at Hermione who gave him the look of death. He watched Professor Snape walk in and walk to his chalkboard.

"Pssst! Psssst! Hermione!"

Draco's heart stopped when out of the corner of his eye he saw Snape turn sharply around.

"Is there something you wish to tell Ms. Granger?"

Draco looked up at him, shaking his head no. The professor appeared satisfied with his silent answer as he walked back to the board, starting to scribble something down.

Draco glanced at Hermione who made a rude gesture to him before opening her textbook. His blood started to boil, praying that she would just tell someone already. Maybe this was her plan, to make him wait in agony for someone to come up to him and mention his murdering to him.

As he half listened to his house teacher, his eyes kept wandering over to the young Gryffindor girl. Hermione Granger sat cross-legged, a quill in her hair as she patiently listened to the potions teacher. As she sat there, Draco couldn't help to think how pretty she looked. Her long curly hair seemed to bounce whenever she moved her head, and her fingernails were at least two or three inches long, painted a scarlet red. On any other girl, it would have looked skanky, but he found himself surprised to think that it looked sexy on her. She wore a white blouse underneath her black cloak and black dress pants with black three inch heels.

Before he knew it, he suddenly recognized that everyone was standing and gathering up their belongings.

Had Snape lost his patience with everyone or was class really over?

Draco glared at Hermione as she jammed her potions book and her quill and bottle of ink into her dark red bag. He stood up and made a decision to just head to the Great Hall for lunch. He brushed a hand through his blonde hair and started heading for the corridors.

"Draco, wait up!"

He sighed, not even having to turn around to identify the person to whom the voice belonged to. "Is there something I can do you for, Hermione?"

"Can I talk to you?"

The voice sounded almost sincere, but he could sense a touch of bitterness within it. "If I remember correctly, last night you had me convinced that you were going to tell the whole world about my little felony," Draco retorted.

She ran enough so she could catch up to him as he quickly walked. Hermione finally caught up and stood in front of him.

"I know, I'm sorry. I-I kind of panicked. To tell you the truth, a part of me had inkling that you had killed her, but I didn't want to accuse you in case you didn't. I'm not going to tell anyone, Draco. Friends don't tell secrets..."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief and he raised his eyebrow when she called him a friend. He nodded and smiled weakly at her. They started walking, ignoring the glares and stares that they received along the way.

"You're right, friends don't tell secrets. Speaking of friends, I bumped into your friend today..."

"Parvati?"

Draco faked a sigh of pain. "Ooh, no. Guess again,"

Hermione continued walking along side of him, thinking. "Ginny?"

"Yep, that's the wench. She ran straight on into me, knocked down all my books and everything!"

Hermione playfully elbowed him. "Be nice, Draco."

Draco smiled and chuckled. "I'm always nice. My middle name is nice. I'm nice to everyone."

"Yeah, everyone who's in your house," Hermione replied.

"I'm nice to you, aren't I?"

Hermione shrugged and looked up at him. "I suppose so. You could go one step higher and be nice to my friends."

Draco rolled his eyes. "If I were to do that, then I might as well induct myself into the Gryffindor house."

Hermione laughed as they entered the Great Hall. Draco made his way to the Slytherin Table and she sat next to Ginny and Seamus.

As Draco sat in his seat, a thousand servings placed in front him, he couldn't stop thinking about the Gryffindor girl. He watched her sit there, laugh and eat, and place locks of hair behind her ear. He knew that he was starting to fall in love with her, and he knew what the risks would be if he did. He would risk it all; his reputation, his friends, his feelings, and most importantly, his heart.