Confrontation Part Two
"Who do you have a crush on?" Ginny whispered as she stroked Crookshanks, "tell me truthfully."
Hermione stared back at her with reddened cheeks and opened her mouth, "First tell me yours."
Ginny then smirked and sighed, "You already know, I love Harry, but he hasn't even looked in my direction since last year. Now you." As Ginny scooted closer to Hermione in anticipation, Crookshanks climbed in her lap.
She sucked in, "The one I love is-".
"Yeah?"
"No one," Hermione breathed.
"Bummer."
Through her hair, Hermione could see Draco's feet; she had turned around and was looking nowhere except the floor. Her time turner glimmered in his hand as he extended his arm.
"You dropped this, Granger," he sternly whispered, "looks important."
"Yes," she replied, almost too quiet for him to hear, she then opened her free hand and watched as Malfoy dropped it in her hand. Please don't touch me, she thought.
"What is it?"
"T-time t- I c-can't tell you," she was on the verge of tears, her heart couldn't take it, she could feel them gather in the corner of her eyes. Draco could feel the heat radiate off of Hermione's red cheeks.
"And why not?" he took a step closer to her and she tightened her grip on her books which made her fingers ache. "I swear, you're gonna cry, aren't you?"
"No."
"I saw your drawing of me…"
"O-oh."
"I don't know what the others said about it, bunch of pricks, but… I like-." A sniffle from Hermione suddenly interrupted him, tears ran down her face and she couldn't stop.
"All I was gonna say was-"
Sniffle
"Why don't you calm down?"
Sniffle
"I seriously don't know what's wrong-"
"Please," she choked, "don't be so modest…"
He looked at her, surprised, "what?".
"I don't deserve a compliment from you," she sobbed.
"Wait- who in the hell said that you-?" Hermione suddenly collapsed to her knees, still clutching her books to her chest.
Her sobs echoed through the hallways as Draco sat in front of Hermione and watched her sob. He leaned closer to her face, but she blocked him by looking down. A thumb gently pressed against her chin and he lifted her head up. She could barely see him through the tears, but as his lips touched hers, the tears seemed to clear away. The heat in her body roared with flames, her fingertips felt as though she was touching a hot stove while hammers banged in her heart. Her eyes were closed when he broke away and she stared at him with surprise though her wet eyes.
He looked back with a devious smile.
"That shut you up, didn't it?"
