Well, this is the final chapter to this cute little story.

A little quote...

"It's a good sign but rare instance when... you find that the more you learn about the other person, the more you continue to desire them. A sturdy bond delights in that degree of youthful intrigue. Love loves its youth." ~ Criss Jami, "Killosophy"

Chapter 7

Word spread like wildfire. The whole school knew that Malfoy and I almost spent the night together by the lake under a starry sky.

And everyone knew that Malfoy and I had to spend detention together for a week. We had to reorganize Professor Snape's storage room, which was a little smaller than the Great Hall. We had to be there every day after classes for one unbearable hour.

It was all so embarrassing. And disheartening. When Ron and Harry saw me with Malfoy in the corridor, their frowns said it all. I lied to them. I lied to them so I could spend time with Malfoy. At least, that was what they thought. Ron's accusation stood harder than ever.

"This is all your fault," Malfoy said as he moved a desk with the levitation charm on the last day of our detention.

"My fault?" I demanded, moving a table covered with empty potion bottle against the wall using the levitation charm. "Are we really going to go through this again?"

"Why did you have to follow me that time, anyway?"

"I told you—to prove to you..."

The desk Malfoy was moving hit the floor., and the sound echoed through the room "That's a load of codswallup, and you know it."

My heart jumped to my throat and I cantered up to him. We stood by a large wooden cabinet. "What?"

He took a step closer to me, his gaze hard. "Why'd you really follow me into the forest, Granger?"

My heart threatened to pound out of me. "What I told you is the truth, Malfoy-that I wanted you to teach me more about skipping rocks. What else do you want me to say?"

He stayed silent for a moment, then, "Do you fancy me?"

My eyes widened, and my hands started going numb due the rate my pulse was going. I managed to let out laughter. "Are you mad, Malfoy? Why on earth would I fancy someone like you?"

"You tell me."

Oh, Lord, what could I say? I needed to stay on the same level as him. I stood tall. "Why? Do you want me to fancy you?"

"What? No?" he said, a look of disgust on his face.

"Then why suddenly end the conversation by the lake when I asked you if you were thinking about me? Answer me that."

He was silent a moment, staring at me. I held his gaze hard, trying to search for the answer in his blue eyes. My eyes widened and I gasped when he suddenly trapped me against the cabinet, an arm on either side of me. My breath stopped, and it seemed like my heart did, too. His face was inches from mine, and I stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"You're bloody mad, Granger. Following me, desperate for me to teach you how to skip a blasted rock."

"Uh..." was all I managed to get out.

"You really are a filthy little mudblood. I can't stand you."

I took a shaky breath, my nerves and insides swirling everywhere. "I... can't stand you either, Malfoy."

We stared at each other for a moment. Then... he leaned in. My heart jumped, and my eyes widened to their full size when I felt something on my mouth. I froze. I knew what was happening, I was just utterly shocked that it was. He remained there for a few seconds, then he looked back at me. I shut my eyes, not wanting to look at him.

"I'm leaving. The hour's up."

I heard footsteps and a door open and shut. My eyes flew open, and my hands immediately covered my mouth. I hyperventilated through them and lost the strength in my legs. I slid down to the stone floor.

What... just happened? At twelve, receiving my first kiss from...

"Ohhh!" I moaned through my hands in disdain.

Malfoy didn't say one word for a week. At least not to me. He didn't even look at me! I tried to see things from his perspective... He must be embarrassed because he started to fancy someone he hated before.

And I wasn't even expecting him to fancy me! Well, to be fair, I started to fancy him a bit, and totally against my will.

The heart chooses its own and we have no say in it, as my mum has told me. How I hated that. All I wanted was to learn a new skill, as well as learn a little more about the boy who has bullied us and everyone.

I haven't said anything, either. All I told Harry and Ron was that the moment the detention ended, Malfoy was out. I didn't say what came before. They would be disgusted, and Ron would never let me forget that he was right all a long. I didn't want that.

And what about that Pansy girl? She went all the way to Dumbledore as Harry and Ron did. She fancied Malfoy. I saw it in the look on her face when she saw Draco in that corridor, with me stand right next to him under a lit torch. She had jealous daggers in her eyes.

I huffed as I cantered to the library after dinner, wanting to get away from all of this. The Black Lake Shore was out of the question at the moment. Harry and Ron made sure I went to the library—they were several steps behind me, trying to hide behind corners. Golly... But I didn't blame them. I lied to them before and came back with Malfoy.

The moment I came to the library, I saw him there. Standing next to the entrance. Who's following who now?

I pursed my lips. I wanted to talk to Malfoy and demand why he kissed me, but I certainly could not do that with Harry and Ron trailing me.

Malfoy caught sight of me, and I had the urge to touch my hair to fix it, but I didn't. I simply came up to the entrance, and went straight inside. I hoped to God that he didn't follow me in right after for Harry and Ron to see. I wove through the shelves and waited at the far end of the library, near the restricted section. Nobody came over there, mainly for the types of dark books that lined the shelves and were covered in locks. After five minutes, I heard footsteps. Please, please, please...

"Granger."

My heart kicked up and began hammering. I turned to face Malfoy, his mouth a flat line. I didn't lose one second. "Why, Malfoy? I demand to know why."

"I'm not here to be sentimental, Granger, I came to tell you that I was bloody out of my mind."

My chest started aching in hurt. "What?"

He came closer as I stood close to a chained shelf and said in a low tone, "I was... not thinking. I... I was furious with you.".

"So you decided to steal the one thing that is precious to a girl?"

His brows creased, then rose in realization. "Oh. That was your first kiss, was it?"

"Yes, it was!" His eyes widened, and my cheeks burned. "And you of all people stole it, even though I..."

"You what? Fancied me?"

I couldn't lie to him anymore. I had to get this off my chest. "Yes, alright? You weren't the only one out of your mind. I was so determined to have you teach me to skip rocks, that I started paying more attention to you, and following you, and spending one of the most romantic evenings I probably will ever have with you, and..."

I trialed off. Malfoy stood there, staring at me. Not in any mean way, just... staring.

"What?" I demanded, my face hot.

He took one step to me. "You know... you're not all that pretty, you're a mudblood, and you're the most stubborn, prideful person I've even met, but... I want to kiss you again."

I gasped and took a step back. "No. Don't."

"You fancy me, Granger. Why not?"

"Because... I just don't want you to. I don't want..." I took a breath, trying to get my emotions together. "I don't want to lie to Harry and Ron. Or anyone. And I just don't want all the publicity."

"You already have that."

"Well, I don't want more."

"Yes, you do." He leaned into my face, and my eyes dilated. "You think I like this, too? Me? A Malfoy? Going after a mudblood? It's insanity. But, I just can't help it. Not after you always prodding me to teach you, and... after finding out that I actually wasn't alone when I was scared spit-less walking back in the dark."

I stared at him, surprised at this revelation, a revelation that probably forced him to let all his pride go. I muttered, "So... that's why you stayed on the shore."

"I knew it was going to get dark soon. I'd rather stay there with you then go into that forest again."

"Then why pick somewhere so far away?"

"To get away from you. But that didn't work, obviously."

I took all that in, shocked, and... flattered. My pulse rose, and I stood tall, not believing I was doing so. "Fine."

His brows pushed together. "Fine what?"

"As much as it will have consequences... kiss me again. But only one more time. And that's it for like... the rest of our Hogwarts career. Like, that's it for us. So make it..."

I couldn't even say the word "good" since he came up and took me by the shoulders and planted his mouth on mine. My eyes widened, shocked that he was actually holding this in enough to not let me finish my sentence. But nonetheless, my eyes drifted close, and I felt his soft mouth move on mine.

My legs felt like pudding, and my head spun. I moved my mouth in response, but then he drew away. I stared back at him.

"So..." I began, and gulped, "what about that Pansy girl? She went to Dumbledore's office when we were missing."

"Psh, that's nothing. Jealous?"

"Yes, very."

"It's nothing, Granger. She just has a crush on me. I think of her as a sister." He paused. "What about you and Potter and Weasley?"

I gasped and came out of his hold. "They're just my friends. Golly... I could never even..."

"Just checking."

I nodded, and touched my lips with the tips of my fingers, not believing that his were just there. "Um... no one's going to know about this."

"No kidding, Granger."

"Alright. Well... I'm leaving."

"Alright."

I walked passed him and walked on out of the library. I had to get down to my spot.

I'm going to be down there until I hit ten skips.

Move on to the epilogue... =)