Chapter 4
Hatred Resurfaces

Hermione sat at breakfast the next morning, unable to sit still. She couldn't force herself to eat, and was busy trying to keep her eyes away from the Slytherin table. She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely felt Harry hit her shoulder.

"Mione! Hey! Earth to Hermione" He said loudly, finally getting her attention.

"Oh! What? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just...well, there's been talk." Harry said slowly. Hermione gulped.

"Talk?" She squeaked, "What about?"

"Well, you see, someone said they saw you talking with Draco Malfoy." Harry said in a low voice.

"Me?" Hermione laughed, "Why would I be talking with MALFOY? Harry, that's ridiculous."

"OK...well, I guess. It's just that-"

"Harry, don't worry about it. The only time I ever talk to Draco Malfoy is when I'm telling him how much I dislike him"

"I guess so, if that's what you say." Harry said, not looking very convinced.

"It is." She said firmly, and went back to scraping her food around her plate.

Draco tried not to look at Hermione during Double Potions that day, but it was extremely difficult. She was not making this easy for him. She kept twirling her hair on her index finger, and chewing on her pen. It was driving him crazy. How could he focus on mixtures and solutions when she was being so damn cute? He sighed, turning back to his cauldron, and tried his best to concentrate.

Hermione walked by Draco's desk on her way out the door, dropping a note on it. She needed answers. She needed to know what had happened the night before and what it all meant. She caught up with Ron and Harry, on their way to Divination.

"Hey!" She said, trying to act cheerful.

"Hey, Mione, where have you been?" Ron asked.

"Oh, I've had a lot of work to do. Listen, I won't be at dinner tonight, I'm staying after with Professor Flitwick."

"What for? You're a breeze at that class." Harry said, unconvinced.

"Oh it's for some advanced charms." Hermione covered, trying to sound as sincere as possible. After Ron and Harry had finally bought her story, she ran to Arithmancy, trying to figure out how she would confront Draco.

Draco stood, leaning against the wall of the Astronomy tower, waiting for Hermione to show up. Her note had been simple. Meet her at the same place as before, at midnight. He knew she was confused, because he was, too. Draco was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't hear her step into the room.

"Hello, Draco." She said softly. He snapped his head up, and stared at her. Her curls were pulled back in a messy bun and she had changed out of her school robes and into jeans and a soft purple sweater.

"Hey..." He said nervously.

"OK, I'm going to get right to the point. What was that kiss about?"

"It was..." Draco pondered her question. What HAD that kiss been? So he made a big mistake. He took the easy way out, "It was just a kiss."

"Oh really?" Hermione laughed bitterly, "I am seventeen years old and NO ONE has ever kissed me like that, Draco. You took advantage of me. You knew I was feeling ulnerable, and you moved right in!"

"Hermione, I'm not like that." Draco said. Hermione stared at him.

"You used to be. I want to know why you're so different. Why you befriended ME, the one you hate the most."

"I've told you, " Draco said, moving away from the stone wall, "I am so sick of being someone else."

"Well I'm sick of being a doormat, Dammit. You can't just...just kiss me and then act like it was no big deal, Draco Malfoy." Hermione leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, her face flushed with anger.

"It was ONLY a kiss. It's not like-"

"Don't you dare even say it," She cut in, "You have spent the last six years skating through life, ridiculing others and treating me like some kind of lower being. Now you miraculously change and expect me to just go along with it? That's pathetic Draco."

His eyes flared with anger. He pushed her shoulder against the wall with one hand, pinning her there and holding her gaze.

"Well at least I don't go around acting all high and mighty, living off Potter's fame." He hissed, his silvery eyes cold. Hermione shoved him away from her.

"Fuck you, Draco." She whispered, tears welling in her eyes as she fled the tower.

Draco slid to the floor. He WAS pathetic. He knew Potter was sensitive subject with her, and he'd gone and implied that she wanted to be in the spotlight. He had purposefully hurt her, and he hadn't a clue why. He was in love with her for God's sake. Why had he gone and blown it like that.

'Because you're a coward,' he thought to himself. And it was true.

The next day, Hermione could hear the whispers. Everyone had either seen or heard that she and Draco had been talking in Hogsmeade and on the staircase. Great. Even Harry and Ron were beginning to believe it, although they stood up for her, insisting to the other Gryffindors that Hermione would never associate herself with a Slytherin.

She was on her way to Arithmancy when she bumped into him. He gave her a sad look with those silver-gray pools, but she could only look away, the sting of what he had said still strong. He was the same, cold Draco and she had been a fool to think otherwise.

A/N: Okay So what I want to know is what, all of the readers that have survived this far in my story, is what you think so far, and you can do that by simply reviewing!

It is simple you see that button down there at the bottom I believe it says Go.

Type what you want to say (good or bad I don't mind in fact I will probally try and fix it!)

Then click Submit and Walla, you have reviewed the story I would love to hate you!

Well I have to go do some more Homework… Retarded English homework… but I look at it this way, now I know more vocabulary for my fan-fics like… paroxysm…

Dot JazZy FizZle G aka Monkey aka Dr. Evil aka Lime Green Backpack and I have to many names… I will give more next time!

Hey again, sorry about that totally uploaded the same chapter twice just needed to fix that but you are going to have to wait for chapter 5, it's taking a long time to write... a long time...