'Malfoy!' Hermione called quickly making after the blonde who was retreating quickly, 'Draco Malfoy!' she tried again.
He reluctantly turned around, he was taller than he had been the previous year, now almost 16 but just as handsome and his robes were older and slightly more careworn. He looked at her angrily.

'I am in a hurry, Granger.' He said sarcastically.

'Shut up, Snape told me to tell you to meet him in the dungeons, that's all!' She said huffily and pushed past.

'Mud blood,' he muttered.

She turned quickly and looked around for his friends but they weren't anywhere to be seen.

'Why are you calling me that? You're friends aren't here' she said hurt.

'Because you are, now I have places to be.' he said turning away. She breathed heavily and narrowed her eyes.

'Draco!' she called sharply. In surprise he stopped and turned round, cricking his neck and cracking it the other way angrily.

'Who are you, calling me that?' He said harshly, his trademark smirk long forgotten and abhorrence replacing, cold hard anger directed straight at her.

'I-,' now she'd said it she couldn't for the life of her think of anything to say. 'please don't call me a mud blood.' she said faintly.

He looked at her, his expression was hardly anger, but she couldn't trace any emotion on his face at all any more. This worried her more.

'I-' Draco seemed to be lost for words, 'I'm sorry.'

The world swam around Hermione suddenly, and she forgot she was standing in the third floor corridor, she was on cloud nine, she was flying above Hogwarts, above England, above the world in the clear blue sky. Birds were singing, clouds were white and fluffy. Who cares about Voldemort? Who cares about the order of the phoenix? None of it mattered.

'You are?' she squeaked.

'I guess I forgot,' he said taking a step forward towards her.

'Forgot what?' she almost whispered, she was surprised he even heard.

'How beautiful you are,' He was too close now, a foot away at the most, 'How kind, how smart, how sweet…' he was almost talking to himself, and not to her, but looking deep into her eyes. She didn't even dare breathe.

And then he was kissing her, his hands were in her waist length hair, her hands resting comfortably on his chest and she lost all control.

It wasn't until later when she tore her self away and straightened her grey pleated skirt before skipping into the great hall with a grin plastered across her face it hit her.

She loved him.