DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter, though any new character I introduce, I mine! Laughs Evilly

CHAPTER 7 - Apologies and Aspirations

Hermione reached the Tower and waited for about ten minutes before she heard foot steps behind her.

"Well, that didn't take very long baby." She said as a smile played across her lips.

"Hermione," her name was said just above a whisper.

She turned to see Draco standing there. "Draco?" She asked softly.

"Look, I just wanted to say I am sorry for kissing you. It was wrong of me to do that, especially since you have a boyfriend, so what I guess I am trying to say is that I am sorry Hermione," He said with a sad sigh.

"Draco, I am sorry for what I said. You have changed, but forget it ever happened. Now please can we talk about this later, Harry is on his way here." She begged.

Malfoy nodded and left, just as he was walking out, Harry walked it.

"Ferret Boy," Harry said in acknowledgement

"Potter," Malfoy said.

"Hermione, what did he want?" Harry said curiously.

"Oh just heads business, any way I didn't ask you heat to talk about Malfoy. Did you mean what you wrote in the letter?" She asked.

"Yes Mimi, I did, I love you." He said with a smile.

Hermione too a few deep breaths, "I… Love you too."

Harry swept Hermione in his arms.

"Oh Mimi, you have made me so happy." Harry said as he kissed her softly on the lips. . Hermione slightly opened her mouth to give him entrance. She sighed. Harry took this as encouragement as she wrapped his arms around her waist and began to kiss her harder, he broke away.

"Hermione, do you think we should take our relationship to the next level?" He asked.

"Harry, I know I said I love you, but I am just not ready for that yet."

"I understand, just so long as I know you love me, I can wait as long as need be," Harry said with a grin.

"Oh Harry, you are the best boyfriend ever!" Hermione yelled.

"I know," Harry said with fake arrogance. "I better get back; I promised Ron that we would practice Quidditch.

"It's ok I have homework." She said truthfully

"See you tonight love?" He asked hopefully

"Yes," She said as she gave him a goodbye kiss and went their separate ways.

An hour later she was sitting in her common room, thinking. She should be happy, she should be thinking about her wonderful boyfriend, instead she could not stop thinking about Draco. The more she thought about it the more she knew she had to speak to him. She rose and walked over to his bedroom door and softly rapped on it. Within moments he opened the door.

"Hi, I think we need to talk," Hermione said calmly.

"Yes," Was all he said in return.

The made the way over to the couch, after a few agonizing moments of silence Hermione spoke

"Draco, why did you kiss me?" She asked.

"I really don't know, I guess I wanted you to know that I was not Lucius."

"Oh, do you hate me?"

"No, not for your blood, I do not hate you at all; I guess I am just jealous." He said in a serious tone.

"Jealous of me, Why?" She asked utterly confused.

"Because you get better grades then me, you actually have friends and you are a good hearted person." He said softly.

"The only reason I get better grades than you is because I study like there is no tomorrow, you have friends, Crabbe, Goyle, Zambini, and Parkinson, and from what I have seen of you this year, you do have a good heart." She said honestly remember the good side to him.

"They aren't my friends," He said just above a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

"The only reason they pretended to like me was because of my father," he said ashamed.

"Oh, I am sorry,"

"Don't be, I would rather be a loner than have friends like that." He said with a little more confidence in his voice.

"I know this might not mean much, but I would like to be your friend," She said sincerely.

"Hermione, I can't, the Dark Lord is still out there, he has spies in Slytherin, he wants me to join him, I can't let you get hurt," Him realizing that he did care for here, but as a friend or as more he wasn't quite sure.

"Hello… if you haven't noticed the Dark Lord already hates me, besides I am sure you could really use a friend right now.

"Ok, but we have to keep this quiet from everyone, if any of the Slytherins find out, the would hurt you for sure, not to mention if Potter found out he would kill me." He said with a tiny laugh.

"Okay deal!" Hermione said as she stuck he hand out for him to take. He reached out to accept her friendship, the moment their hands touched there was a definite spark, and once they both felt it they withdrew their hands quickly.

"So did you finish the book I lent you?" She asked in attempt to break the tension.

"Yes actually, I have read it twice, I actually cried." He admitted

"The great Draco Malfoy, sex god of Slytherin actually cried at a book?"

"Yeah so," he said defensively

"No, I was kidding, I think that is wonderful." She said with a laugh.

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes," She said honestly.

"Oh ok, so what do we do now?" He asked realizing that he never really has any true friends before.

"Well, we are friends now, so let's talk." She said cheerfully.

"Okay," He said a bit skeptically.

Draco and Hermione spent the next eight hours discussing many different things like old friends, books, studies, science, the did not realize it but that had completely missed dinner. They were brought back to reality when there was a knock at the portrait.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Draco yelled. He was having such a good time; he did not want to be bothered.

"Sod off Malfoy, I am here for Mimi." Harry's voice could be heard from the other side of the picture.

Draco turned to Hermione and whispered, "Mimi?" with a laugh.

"Don't ask now go, before he starts freaking out." Hermione said in panic mode.

"Okay, see you later," he said as he disappeared into his room.

Hermione opened the portrait and let Harry in. He immediately grabbed her and kissed her hard. Once the spilt apart a breathless Hermione said, "Harry, what was that for?"

"I just really missed you all day." He said with a glint in his eyes.

"Oh Harry, I missed you too," she lied, she hadn't even thought about him the entire time she was with Draco.

Weeks seem to fly by; Hermione spent her days with Harry and Ron or just Harry. And she spent her nights with Draco. She really enjoyed his company. They had intellectual conversation. I mean she loved her best friends, but their conversations were anything from intellectual. Just take the second weekend in November. Hermione, Ron and Harry were at the Three Broomsticks, they were having a butter beer and just relaxing and having a rather dull conversation about what else, Quidditch. Hermione was bored, and needed to be conversationally stimulated so she brought up a rather interesting subject.

"Hey guys, did you read in the daily prophet, and Potions Master Micah Mason as nearly created bone replenishing potion, that takes half the time and is not nearly as painful as skeletal grow? He say that he has almost got it completed there are just still a few minor details to work out." She said as adrenalin filled her body, she just knew that this was a subject that they would love to talk about.

"Uh… that's great Mimi…So any way Ron, I still say that Tanner needs to step up his game." Harry said turning his attention back to Ron.

Hermione was hurt; she thought that for once she might e able to have a decent conversation with them! Boy was she wrong.

"Listen guys, sorry to interrupt, but I am feeling a little sick, I think I am going to go back to my room, I will see you at dinner." She said

"Okay sure," Harry said with out even looking her way.

Hermione was fuming, some boyfriend! She needs some one to talk to.

She reached her common room within thirty minutes. She stormed through the portrait, to where Draco was sitting.

"Hey what's wrong?" Draco said in a worried voice.

"Oh the same stuff, boring conversation from the two dunderheads, which are my boyfriend and best friend."

"I am sorry, did you attempt to make sure conversation livelier?' he asked.

"Yes, I told them about Potions Master Micah Mason and his near breakthrough for the new bone re-growth potion, but they didn't even care!" she fumed.

"Oh yes, I read about that, I honestly think if he gets finds the missing ingredient this potion will revolutionize bone re-growth was we know it." He said.

Hermione was amazed. Finally she had a friend with the same interests as her. They talked about this new discovery for hours, and they were very content.